Subject: Re: bug#74844: 29.4; m-buffer: Broken Top Directory node in Info manual due to malformed Texinfo direntry

From: Suhail Singh <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 15 Dec 2024 13:46:32 -0500

Eli Zaretskii <[email-masked]> writes:

>> > Why do you suggest removing TEXINFO_DIR_TITLE
>>
>> Because of this comment in ox-texinfo.el which suggests that it is
>> obsolete:
>
> FWIW, I disagree with that decision of Org folks.

The decision to rename TEXINFO_DIR_TITLE to TEXINFO_DIR_NAME?

Actually, looking into its history it seems that that particular change
was made by Stefan Monnier in b0c3c90574ed79a63e56acaeee156ef8d9593233
in the org-mode repository.

>> > and TEXINFO_DIR_DESC?
>> 
>> Per (info "(org) Texinfo specific export settings"):
>> 
>> #+begin_quote
>>   ‘TEXINFO_DIR_DESC’
>>        The directory description of the document.  Defaults to the title
>>        of the document.
>> #+end_quote
>> 
>> The Org document in question already has a TITLE specified.
>
> That there is a default does not mean that we need to discard the
> description when we do have it.  Discarding it loses important
> information (which programs like install-info use).

I don't understand.  The generated Texinfo file will use the
TEXINFO_DIR_DESC keyword as the description if provided.  If not, it
uses the TITLE.  The TITLE and TEXINFO_DIR_DESC in m-buffer-doc.org are
currently identical.  I.e., the generated Texinfo file should be
identical even if TEXINFO_DIR_DESC were to be omitted in
m-buffer-doc.org.

I'm not stating that it should be, only that it could be without causing
any changes.  And the only reason I mentioned this is because of the
following comment in m-buffer-doc.org:

#+begin_src org
  # FIXME: Shouldn't `ox-texinfo` use sane defaults like the file's name
  #        for TEXINFO_DIR_TITLE and the TITLE for TEXINFO_DIR_DESC?
#+end_src

If omission of TEXINFO_DIR_DESC results in a variation in the generated
Texinfo file, then perhaps a bug should be opened against ox-texinfo.

-- 
Suhail