GNU bug report logs - #75634
29.1; Clearer prompt in info-lookup-change-mode

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Howard Melman <hmelman <at> gmail.com>
To: GNU Emacs <bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org>
Subject: 29.1; Clearer prompt in info-lookup-change-mode
Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2025 11:02:59 -0500

I was reading emacs-devel in gnus and while reading a patch
I wanted to lookup named-let in the manual.  I ran
info-lookup-symbol but instead of having info open as usual
I was confronted with the prompt "Use symbol help mode: ".
My completion system (vertico) showed me a bunch of elisp
symbols, though it didn't quite register that they all ended
in "-mode" and I was wondering why named-let wasn't the
symbol at the top of the list as would normally happen.

I now understand the reason for this. It needs to find the
right manual and normally looks that up based on the major
mode, but gnus-article-mode wasn't of help here, so it was
asking me which major mode to use; but I didn't understand
the prompt and think it could be improved.

The prompt is in info-lookup-change-mode and the "symbol" is
either "symbol" or "file" depending on how the lookup
command was invoked.  I think something like "Major-mode to
lookup %s with: " would be much clearer.  It would be even
better if the prompt could include the actual string that
would be looked up ("named-let" in my example).

Howard

In GNU Emacs 29.1 (build 1, x86_64-apple-darwin21.6.0,
Carbon Version 165 AppKit 2113.6) of 2023-08-08 built on
Mac-1691500888998.local
Repository revision: e173249a143cee72d59ae78c4e11038512f5a00f
Repository branch: 29.1-mac-10.0
Windowing system distributor 'Apple Inc.', version 13.7.2
System Description:  macOS 13.7.2

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