GNU bug report logs - #8904
24.0.50; describe `describe-prefix-bindings' in Emacs manual

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Message #17 received at 8904 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: "Drew Adams" <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
To: "'Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen'" <larsi <at> gnus.org>,
	"'Andreas Schwab'" <schwab <at> linux-m68k.org>
Cc: 8904 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: RE: bug#8904: 24.0.50;
	describe `describe-prefix-bindings' in Emacs manual
Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2011 08:40:32 -0700

> I was not enlightened.

Lars, you need better doc for this command. ;-)  Seriously.

To enlighten yourself and thus help in coming up with that doc:

1. See what the Elisp manual says, as the bug report indicated.
2. Consult the code, in help.el.

In #2 you will see this:

;; Make C-h after a prefix, when not specifically bound,
;; run describe-prefix-bindings.
(setq prefix-help-command 'describe-prefix-bindings)

Maybe this will help you see why code comments are not substitutes for doc
strings.  Had appropriate info been available to you interactively via `C-h f
describe-prefix-bindings' you would not have needed to ask others or consult the
code.

Now try it:

C-x C-h
C-x RET C-h
M-s C-h
...

Another lesson learned: Not every command is designed to work best with `M-x'.

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