GNU bug report logs - #19228
Challenging output from "help2man split"

Previous Next

To add a comment to this bug, you must first unarchive it, by sending
a message to control AT debbugs.gnu.org, with unarchive 19228 in the body.
You can then email your comments to 19228 AT debbugs.gnu.org in the normal way.

Toggle the display of automated, internal messages from the tracker.

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

From: "Kevin O'Gorman" <kogorman <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-help2man <at> gnu.org, bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: Challenging output from "help2man split"
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 09:06:32 -0800

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

This is sent to the bug addresses for both help2man and split because I'm
not sure where the fault lies.  Both are GNU projects, so I hope you can
cooperate and figure it out.

In any event, the output of "help2man split" loses some line breaks and
makes an itemized list somewhat hard to understand.  This is the portion
that begins "CHUNKS may be:"

I'm an Xubuntu user, and this output is the man page we get.  I expect the
same is true of some or all debian-based distros, and perhaps others as
well.

-- 
Kevin O'Gorman
#define QUESTION ((bb) || (!bb))   /* Shakespeare */

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

[Message part 2 (text/html, inline)]

[Message part 3 (image/gif, inline)]

Message #8 received at 19228 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
To: Kevin O'Gorman <kogorman <at> gmail.com>, bug-help2man <at> gnu.org, 
 19228 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#19228: Challenging output from "help2man split"
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 17:33:41 +0000

On 30/11/14 17:06, Kevin O'Gorman wrote:
> This is sent to the bug addresses for both help2man and split because I'm not sure where the fault lies.  Both are GNU projects, so I hope you can cooperate and figure it out.
> 
> In any event, the output of "help2man split" loses some line breaks and makes an itemized list somewhat hard to understand.  This is the portion that begins "CHUNKS may be:"
> 
> I'm an Xubuntu user, and this output is the man page we get.  I expect the same is true of some or all debian-based distros, and perhaps others as well.

Yes we should improve this. with the following simple patch
we get better output in the man page, though there are
extraneous newlines then. I'll look at improving further.

thanks,
Pádraig.

diff --git a/src/split.c b/src/split.c
index 0eec3ec..0057267 100644
--- a/src/split.c
+++ b/src/split.c
@@ -234,12 +234,12 @@ is -, read standard input.\n\
       emit_size_note ();
       fputs (_("\n\
 CHUNKS may be:\n\
-N       split into N files based on size of input\n\
-K/N     output Kth of N to stdout\n\
-l/N     split into N files without splitting lines\n\
-l/K/N   output Kth of N to stdout without splitting lines\n\
-r/N     like 'l' but use round robin distribution\n\
-r/K/N   likewise but only output Kth of N to stdout\n\
+ N       split into N files based on size of input\n\
+ K/N     output Kth of N to stdout\n\
+ l/N     split into N files without splitting lines\n\
+ l/K/N   output Kth of N to stdout without splitting lines\n\
+ r/N     like 'l' but use round robin distribution\n\
+ r/K/N   likewise but only output Kth of N to stdout\n\
 "), stdout);
       emit_ancillary_info (PROGRAM_NAME);
     }

Message #13 received at 19228 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
To: Kevin O'Gorman <kogorman <at> gmail.com>
Cc: bug-help2man <at> gnu.org, 19228 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#19476: Poor output from "help2man split"
Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 17:30:56 +0000

On 31/12/14 15:32, Kevin O'Gorman wrote:
> 
> 
> On Wed, Dec 31, 2014 at 4:06 AM, Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigbrady.com <mailto:P <at> draigbrady.com>> wrote:
> 
>     forcemerge 19228 19476
>     stop
> 
> 
> I have no clue what that means.

Just merging with the same issue you raised a month ago.
I'll have it improved for the upcoming release.

thanks,
Pádraig

Message #18 received at 19228-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
To: Kevin O'Gorman <kogorman <at> gmail.com>, bug-help2man <at> gnu.org, 
 19228-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#19228: Challenging output from "help2man split"
Date: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 18:12:13 +0000

On 30/11/14 17:33, Pádraig Brady wrote:
> On 30/11/14 17:06, Kevin O'Gorman wrote:
>> This is sent to the bug addresses for both help2man and split because I'm not sure where the fault lies.  Both are GNU projects, so I hope you can cooperate and figure it out.
>>
>> In any event, the output of "help2man split" loses some line breaks and makes an itemized list somewhat hard to understand.  This is the portion that begins "CHUNKS may be:"
>>
>> I'm an Xubuntu user, and this output is the man page we get.  I expect the same is true of some or all debian-based distros, and perhaps others as well.
> 
> Yes we should improve this. with the following simple patch
> we get better output in the man page,

I've now pushed that and marking this as done.

> though there are extraneous newlines then

I'm not sure if tighter formatting is possible
or appropriate for man pages.

thanks,
Pádraig.

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.