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From: "Bart Schaefer" <schaefer@candle.brasslantern.com>
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Date: Mon, 5 Aug 1996 01:18:13 -0700
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To: zsh-workers@math.gatech.edu
Subject: Rewrite of Functions/run-help
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Now that the help subdirectory isn't distributed with zsh any longer, the
Functions/run-help autoloadable function isn't very useful.  Here's a new
version that uses `whence' to figure out the best way to run `man' (which
may mean not running it at all).  It also happens to demonstrate "emulate"
plus the new POSIX case-statement syntax combined with zsh glob patterns
containing significant whitespace. ;->

----- snip ----- 8< ----- snip -----
#!/usr/local/bin/zsh
#
# Figure out where to get the best help, and get it.
#
# Install this function by placing it in your FPATH and then
# adding to your .zshrc the lines:
#	unalias run-help
#	autoload run-help
#
# Bart Schaefer <schaefer@brasslantern.com>
#
emulate -R zsh				# Requires zsh 3.0-pre5 or later
setopt localoptions
local what places
integer i=0

places=( "${(@f)$(builtin whence -va $1)}" )

while ((i++ < $#places))
do
    what=$places[$i]
    builtin print -r $what
    case $what in
    (*( is an alias)*)
	[[ ${what[(w)6]:t} != ${what[(w)1]} ]] && run-help ${what[(w)6]:t}
	;;
    (*( is a * function))
	builtin functions ${what[(w)1]} | ${=PAGER:-more}
	;;
    (*( is a * builtin))
	case ${what[(w)1]} in
	(compctl) man zshcompctl;;
	(bindkey) man zshzle;;
	(*setopt) man zshoptions;;
	(*) man zshbuiltins;;
	esac
	;;
    (*)
	man $1
	;;
    esac
    if ((i < $#places))
    then
	builtin print -nP "%SPress return for more help%s"
	builtin read -q what
    fi
done
----- snip ----- 8< ----- snip -----

-- 
Bart Schaefer                             Brass Lantern Enterprises
http://www.well.com/user/barts            http://www.nbn.com/people/lantern

New male in /home/schaefer:
>N  2 Justin William Schaefer  Sat May 11 03:43  53/4040  "Happy Birthday"