GNU bug report logs - #67382
26.3; Emacs manual: clarify notions/names "visual line" and "screen line"

Previous Next

Full log

Message #10 received at 67382-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
Cc: 67382-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#67382: 26.3;
 Emacs manual: clarify notions/names "visual line" and "screen line"
Date: Thu, 23 Nov 2023 16:58:09 +0200

> From: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
> Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2023 16:56:55 +0000
> 
> Close if you don't think this is a bug.  But in that case please point
> to / explain where this is explained/defined in the manual.
> 
> There are multiple functions/commands that have `visual' in their name,
> and refer to "visual lines".  And there is `visual-line-mode', which is
> not necessarily involved/required for such functions.
> 
> I haven't found a definition of "visual line" in the manual.  But I do
> see a definition of "screen line", in node `Continuation Lines'.  Is
> "visual line" synonymous with "screen line"?  If so, should "visual line"
> replace "screen line", since there are line-oriented functions with
> `visual' in their name?
> 
> Please take a look, and if relevant fix the manual to make this clear.
> Functions whose doc strings or manual doc refers to "visual line" should
> be able to be understood by referring to some definition/explanation of
> "visual line" in the manual.  The only index entry matching "visual
> line" is for node `Visual Line Mode'.  The Glossary refers only to
> "screen lines", not "visual lines" - there's no match for "visual" in
> the Glossary at all.

Thanks, I added "visual line" to a few places in the manual (on the
emacs-29 branch), and also added an index entry, so readers will now
be able to find it quickly.

I'm therefore closing this bug.

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.