GNU bug report logs - #965
23.0.60; filesets doc

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Message #20 received at submit <at> emacsbugs.donarmstrong.com (full text, mbox):

From: "Drew Adams" <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
To: <965 <at> debbugs.gnu.org>, <emacs-pretest-bug <at> gnu.org>
Subject: RE: bug#965: 23.0.60; filesets doc
Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:16:21 -0700

Shouldn't this be eliminated entirely as a user option?

(defcustom filesets-find-file-delay
  (if (and (featurep 'xemacs) gutter-buffers-tab-visible-p)
      0.5
    0)
  "Delay before calling `find-file'.
This is for calls via `filesets-find-or-display-file'
or `filesets-find-file'.

Set this to 0, if you don't use XEmacs' buffer tabs."
  :set (function filesets-set-default)
  :type 'number
  :group 'filesets)

What's the point of having an option whose value (for GNU Emacs) should always
be 0?



> From: Drew Adams Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2008 11:30 PM
> FWIW:
> 
> * The doc on the author's Web site
> (http://members.a1.net/t.link/CompEmacsFilesetsDoc.html) is 
> quite a bit better
> than the Emacs Info doc for Filesets.
> 
> * The version of Filesets on the author's Web site is 2.2. 
> The version of
> Filesets in Emacs 23 is 1.8.4. Time for GNU Emacs to upgrade?
> 
> 
> > -------------------8<----------------------
> > From: Drew Adams Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2008 8:17 PM 
> > Some quick feedback on the filesets doc:
> >  
> > 1. `i' in the Emacs manual followed by `filesets' shows 
> index entries
> > `filesets' and `filesets <1>'. The former is not about filesets in
> > general, but about version control editing. The latter is the normal
> > filesets entry, but `<1>' means nothing to users.
> >  
> > 2. There is no index entry for `file set' or `file-set' or `sets of
> > files'. A user might not know that `fileset' just happens to be
> > written that (non-standard) way.
> >  
> > 3. Node Filesets: "initially creates only the current file": no file
> > is _created_.
> >  
> > 4. There is no explanation of the Filesets menu items. There is an
> > `About' item with a link to a non-GNU Web page - should there be
> > (dunno - maybe)?  What is the meaning of `#' and `+' in front of the
> > submenus? I see, from customizing group Filesets, that there is an
> > option Filesets Menu Shortcuts Flag, and I can guess from that what
> > the # and + are for, but (1) Why this non-standard convention only
> > here? (2) Why nothing in the Info doc about it?
> >  
> > 5. Using Customize:
> >  
> > a. After using DEL to delete a fileset, SET for the current session
> > should automatically "rebuild" the menu to remove that fileset, no?
> >  
> > b. There is a wealth of information in the Customize description for
> > Filesets Data, but it is mostly at the Emacs-Lisp level. 
> Nevertheless,
> > it is useful, and totally missing from the doc (manual). This stuff
> > needs to be _explained_ to users: what the features are and 
> how to use
> > them.
> >  
> > c. In group Filesets, These options (at least) are not very
> > understandable:
> >  
> >  - Filesets Menu In Menu
> >  - Filesets Menu Shortcuts Marker
> >  - Filesets Menu Cache Contents
> >  - Filesets Menu Cache Contents (needs to be explained better)
> >  - Filesets Cache Hostname Flag
> >  - Filesets Browse Dir Function (external command not clear)
> >  - Filesets Find File Delay (what for?)
> >  - Filesets Commands (explanation unclear)
> >  - Filesets External Viewers (Properties is especially unclear)
> >  - Filesets Ingroup Patterns
> >  
> > Also, "splitted" -> "split"; "a filesets' files" -> "a 
> > fileset's files".
> >  
> > 6. Generally, the filesets doc is poor, hidden, and inside out - you
> > need to dig through Customize or the source code to piece together
> > what this is all about and how you might put it to use. 
> There is only
> > one Info node for this stuff, and it explains nothing about 
> 90% of the
> > user-level fileset features. The Customize description reads like a
> > disparate collection of code comments - not very helpful to 
> users, but
> > it is the best information available so far.
> >  
> > 7. There is nothing in the Emacs-Lisp manual about filesets. The
> > fileset features and the Emacs Lisp behind them (e.g. 
> keywords) should
> > be explained (somewhere). Presumably, filesets should be of interest
> > to Lisp programmers.
> >  
> > 8. The Website linked to from menu item About has a page with
> > documentation on filesets:
> > http://members.a1.net/t.link/CompEmacsFilesetsDoc.html. All of that
> > information needs to be added to the Emacs manual (or a separate
> > Filesets Info manual, if too large). That would be a good start.
> >  
> > Beyond the doc:
> >  
> > 1. Is there a command that removes (deletes) a fileset, or must you
> > use Customize or `setq'?
> >  
> > 2. Why isn't `filesets-init' interactive? The third sentence of the
> > doc says that you "must" put (fileset-init) in .emacs. 
> Surely that is
> > not the way to teach this - better to walk users through using a
> > command than to tell them to edit .emacs and start over.
> >  
> > 
> > IN SUM: It's a shame this stuff isn't documented clearly. 
> If it were,
> > people might use it more. It seems like it should have 
> potential, but
> > the doc is not encouraging.
> >  
> > CAVEAT: I took a very quick look, so I apologize if I overlooked or
> > misunderstood some things. Take this input as just one Emacs user's
> > first impression.
> >  
> >  
> >  
> > In GNU Emacs 23.0.60.1 (i386-mingw-nt5.1.2600)
> >  of 2008-08-29 on LENNART-69DE564
> > Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 5.1.2600
> > configured using `configure --with-gcc (3.4) --no-opt 
> > --cflags -Ic:/g/include
> > -fno-crossjumping'
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 

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