On Tue, Dec 24, 2024 at 10:13:27AM -0800, Per Bothner wrote: > On 12/24/24 9:50 AM, Gavin Smith wrote: > > I mentioned info.js already in TODO.HTML. > > > > However, this system is only appropriate for online manuals, not for > > locally installed manuals. The reason for this is that it only handles > > one manual at a time and does not handle searching for a manual. > > I haven't seen that before - and I disagree with it. It is perfectly well > suited for browsing local manuals. When I read an manual, it is seldom > that I need to jump between manuals.
Proper handling of links between manuals is one of the reasons that "point your web browser at local HTML documentaion" is not a suitable replacement for 'info'. > If you need to handle/search for > manuals, that could probably be implemented without too much pain. > Certainly, an embedded browser such WebKitGTK can register a hook > to resolved a cross-manual reference or search, fairly easily. Yes, I already implemented code to do this in webkitgtk-info. > > > Basically embedding info.js is just an unnecessary complication. > > Implementing > > everything again is not such a big problem (and it should all be done > > already - assuming the program compiles with recent WebKitGTK, which > > I haven't checked). > > Well, js-info does handle some non-trivial operations, primarily > navigation, updating side panels, and more. Though perhaps not > in the same way Yelp wants things. Side panels are GUI widgets that would not be accessible by JavaScript code in the browser process. > > I already have a sketchy understanding of how info.js actually > > works - adding hooks for WebKitGTK could push it into the realms of > > unmaintainability. > > I do wish Matthieu hadn't changed to js-info to use this hard-to-understand > event-based pattern. I am not convinced it added anything. I'd assumed it was for a good reason and that it was necessary for what info.js does. I'm glad that info.js exists, anyway.
