From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 25581 invoked from network); 7 Nov 1997 13:11:08 -0000 Received: from math.gatech.edu (list@130.207.146.50) by ns1.primenet.com.au with SMTP; 7 Nov 1997 13:11:08 -0000 Received: (from list@localhost) by math.gatech.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) id IAA11944; Fri, 7 Nov 1997 08:07:25 -0500 (EST) Resent-Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 08:07:25 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <199711071307.NAA11796@tower.york.ac.uk> From: wjf103@york.ac.uk (Wez Furlong) Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 13:07:29 +0000 In-Reply-To: Andrej Borsenkow "Re: helpfiles" (Nov 7, 3:30pm) X-Mailer: Mail User's Shell (7.2.6 beta(3) 11/17/96) To: zsh-workers@math.gatech.edu Subject: Re: helpfiles Resent-Message-ID: <"B3B7S2.0.Zw2.CAnOq"@math> Resent-From: zsh-workers@math.gatech.edu X-Mailing-List: archive/latest/3600 X-Loop: zsh-workers@math.gatech.edu Precedence: list Resent-Sender: zsh-workers-request@math.gatech.edu On Nov 7, 3:30pm, Andrej Borsenkow wrote: : What abot including these help files in program itself? (That is, for : every command add string with description). These way it is possible : provide help for user-defined commands (from loadable modules). The manual : page for zshbuiltins itself could then be generated from these : descriptions; this way, if some module is added to distribution, it will : be automatically included. How about a compile time option as to whether these get put in the binary itself? Also, it would be nicer/easier to maintain documentation if it were kept in the source itself (c.f. AmigaOS and it's AutoDocs) - the documentation for a module (being a function, builtin or whatever; not necessarily a zsh module) is kept in the source in the form of special comments, with headings similar to those of man pages: /****** nameofmodulegroup/nameofspecificpartofmodule SYNOPSIS DESCRIPTON ETC.. ****************************** */ I know that this does clutter the source somewhat, but it is far easier for the programmer to quickly edit the documentation if it is in the same file as that he is editing at the time, especially if that documentation is within a few lines of the code he has just changed. Just a suggestion. -- Wez - Electronics Undergraduate at the University of York URL : http://www.twinklestar.demon.co.uk/ Insult Of The Day: Thou bawdy dismal-dreaming pignut!