Re: [boost] [Boost-docs] [quickbook] [MPL] Knowing where you are the wrong way

From: Daryle Walker (darylew_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-03-21 21:37:37

On 3/21/06 5:59 PM, "Joel de Guzman" <joel_at_[hidden]> wrote:

> David Abrahams wrote:
>> Joel de Guzman <joel_at_[hidden]> writes:
>> 
>>> Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2006 02:04:02 +0800
>>> Reply-To: boost_at_[hidden]
>>> 
>>> Daryle Walker wrote:
>>> 
>>>> [I've added the main Boost list to this response so the MPL guys can see
>>>> it.]
>>>> 
>>>> On 3/16/06 5:46 AM, "Joel de Guzman" <joel_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> In the link I presented a while ago (http://snipurl.com/no8s),
>>>>> you might have noticed that the headings are clickable.
>>>>> Headings now link to itself. Again, this is borrowed from
>>>>> the MPL docs. This allows you to right click and copy
>>>>> the URL, for example (especially useful in deeply nested
>>>>> sections). You know where you are, anywhere.
>>>> 
>>>> So my final advice is to remove this mis-feature, and have the MPL docs
>>>> purge it too.
>>> 
>>> Good points! Thanks for taking the trouble to explain in detail.
>>> Makes perfect sense, IMO.
>> 
>> 
>> Not to me.  Despite what Daryle says, the feature hurts nobody (or at
>> least he hasn't explained why it hurts anyone), and once you discover
>> it's there, it's very useful.  If there were a more explicit way to
>> implement those links without interfering with presentation, I might
>> go for it, but I don't have any brilliant ideas and nobody else has
>> offered any so for now, that's the best we can do.
> 
> It is very useful indeed. I can attest to that. It's very useful for
> me when I have to provide someone with information. I can simply
> right click and grab the URL of the specific section I wish to
> share. The alternative would be to go back to the table of contents
> and grab the link there. Two more clicks away, and possibly error
> prone (I have to verify that what I grabbed is the correct section).
> 
> So... yes, Daryle, I'd like to hear if you have a better suggestion.

I think you and Dave confused yourselves.  What you guys think I said had
nothing to do with what I actually said.  You think I'm complaining about
links that jump to a sub-section anchor within the same page.  I'm only
talking about a link that jumps to the same page as a whole (no anchor in
particular).  Ironically, the page you gave as an example,
<http://snipurl.com/no8s>, only has the self-whole-page link I actually
complained about, and zero instances of the cross-section links you thought
I was complaining about.

Whoever snipped my full explanation away did a big disservice.  I thought
that maybe I didn't make the distinction clear, but I realize that I
shouldn't have to make the distinction at all.  The distinction is
important, but the profiled page only has a self-whole-page link and no
cross-section links, so possibility never entered my mind.  I have no idea
how you and Dave presumed that cross-section links were my focus.

[Aside: if my impromptu terms "self-whole-page link" and "cross-section
links" confuse you, here's an example.

    In file "my_page.html":

        <!-- ... -->
        <!-- This is a self-whole-page link -->
        <p>This link uselessly reloads the
current page.</p>

        <!-- These are cross-section links -->
        <h2 id="contents">Contents</h2>
        <p>Text 1</p>

        <h2 id="text1">Text 1</h2>
        <p>Go back to contents.</p>
        <!-- ... -->
]

-- 
Daryle Walker
Mac, Internet, and Video Game Junkie
darylew AT hotmail DOT com