GNU bug report logs - #56251
Make obsoletion info more prominent in *Help* buffer

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 56251 in the body.
You can then email your comments to 56251 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: Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: Make obsoletion info more prominent in *Help* buffer
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2022 03:14:18 -0700

Severity: wishlist

We have moved all the extra information in the *Help* buffer to the end.
For example, see `org-agenda-ignore-drawer-properties':

  This variable is an alias for ‘org-agenda-ignore-properties’.
  This variable is obsolete since 9.0;
  use ‘org-agenda-ignore-properties’ instead.
  You can customize this variable.

This is very welcome.  However, I find that the obsoletion warning is
easy to miss.  Presumably, this is very important information before
even considering using the variable.  We want to strongly discourage
that, right?

So how about making that particular part more prominent, for example by
moving it back up to the top again, or by giving it some color?

Message #8 received at 56251 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
To: Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>
Cc: 56251 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#56251: Make obsoletion info more prominent in *Help* buffer
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2022 12:51:31 +0200

Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se> writes:

> However, I find that the obsoletion warning is
> easy to miss.  Presumably, this is very important information before
> even considering using the variable.  We want to strongly discourage
> that, right?
>
> So how about making that particular part more prominent, for example by
> moving it back up to the top again, or by giving it some color?

I think moving it back to the top makes sense -- it's very important
information.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

Message #11 received at 56251 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
To: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>, Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>
Cc: "56251 <at> debbugs.gnu.org" <56251 <at> debbugs.gnu.org>
Subject: RE: [External] : bug#56251: Make obsoletion info more prominent in
 *Help* buffer
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2022 14:48:32 +0000

> > However, I find that the obsoletion warning is
> > easy to miss.  Presumably, this is very important information before
> > even considering using the variable.  We want to strongly discourage
> > that, right?
> >
> > So how about making that particular part more prominent, for example
> > by moving it back up to the top again, or by giving it some color?
> 
> I think moving it back to the top makes sense -- it's very important
> information.

No, it's not more important than the other
meta-information that you've moved to the end.
It's a footnote - should be, anyway.

Message #14 received at 56251 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
To: Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>
Cc: 56251 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#56251: Make obsoletion info more prominent in *Help* buffer
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2022 15:22:25 +0200

Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org> writes:

> I think moving it back to the top makes sense -- it's very important
> information.

I've now done so in Emacs 29.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

Message #19 received at 56251 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Rudolf Adamkovič <salutis <at> me.com>
To: Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>, 56251 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#56251: Make obsoletion info more prominent in *Help* buffer
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2022 21:24:13 +0200

Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se> writes:

> However, I find that the obsoletion warning is easy to miss.

+1 As a user, I missed it multiple times.  I would expect deprecation
warnings to show first.  Otherwise, the user might spend their time
learning about something just to discover, at the very end, that they
should learn about and use something else.  That does not make much
sense.

P.S. The *Help* buffer could use more typography and color affordances.
In this case, I would expect strike-through on the symbol name, or the
word "deprecated" displayed in red, or something else.

R+
-- 
"Be especially critical of any statement following the word
'obviously.'"
-- Anna Pell Wheeler, 1883-1966

Rudolf Adamkovič <salutis <at> me.com> [he/him]
Studenohorská 25
84103 Bratislava
Slovakia

Message #22 received at 56251 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Richard Stallman <rms <at> gnu.org>
To: Rudolf Adamkovič <salutis <at> me.com>
Cc: 56251 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, stefan <at> marxist.se
Subject: Re: bug#56251: Make obsoletion info more prominent in *Help* buffer
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2022 23:32:41 -0400

[[[ To any NSA and FBI agents reading my email: please consider    ]]]
[[[ whether defending the US Constitution against all enemies,     ]]]
[[[ foreign or domestic, requires you to follow Snowden's example. ]]]

  > +1 As a user, I missed it multiple times.  I would expect deprecation
  > warnings to show first.

I think that makes sense.

Could we also put them in a different color, for emphasis?

-- 
Dr Richard Stallman (https://stallman.org)
Chief GNUisance of the GNU Project (https://gnu.org)
Founder, Free Software Foundation (https://fsf.org)
Internet Hall-of-Famer (https://internethalloffame.org)

Previous Next

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