Re: [Boost-docs] 'Update to latest Boost version' option does not get to the right link

Subject: Re: [Boost-docs] 'Update to latest Boost version' option does not get to the right link
From: Paul A. Bristow (pbristow_at_[hidden])
Date: 2015-06-05 09:16:40

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Boost-docs [mailto:boost-docs-bounces_at_[hidden]] On Behalf Of Daniel James
> Sent: 04 June 2015 21:57
> To: Discussion of Boost Documentation
> Subject: Re: [Boost-docs] 'Update to latest Boost version' option does not get to the right link
> 
> On 27 May 2015 at 12:59, Paul A. Bristow <pbristow_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> > I've been ticked off by a Wikipedia editor for not providing the
> > approved citation  (links to Wikipedia itself are not regarded as
> > reliable - no self-referencing )  and I'm OK with that (one must reference www.boost.org rather
than
> Wikipedia article boost Libraries).
> >
> > But I'm not sure if/how to provide a link to the function in question
> > (in this case for example float_next).
> >
> > The user would like to just click on to the link float_next and get to the docs for that.
> >
> > Or we can let a Well-Known Search Engine help us out, say searching for "boost.org float_next"
> 
> FWIW you can put the version number in your search, e.g. 'boost 1.58.0 float_next', and it will
often work
> because I add the version number to the title of the page. I realise that's a bit obscure.
> 
> > That works up to a point - it get to
> >
> >
> > http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_52_0/libs/math/doc/sf_and_dist/html/ma
> > th_toolkit/utils/next_float/fl
> > oat_next.html
> >
> > but that isn't the most recent version.
> 
> There are two competing problems here - we don't want to break old links, but we also want the
search
> engine to find the latest version.
> I don't know any way to solve one without harming the other. Would be easier if people didn't keep
> moving their files around.
> 
> > There is a box acknowledging "This is an old version" and kindly
> > offering to get the most recent version (of the home page).
> >
> >
> > http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_58_0/libs/math/doc/html/math_toolkit/n
> > ext_float/float_distance.html
> >
> > but that just gets to http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/ which isn't
> > really what the hapless wants :-(
> 
> Not an easy problem to solve I'm afraid, since there's no equivalent file to the old one. I
suppose I could
> detect that it's part of 'math'
> and link to 'libs/math/'.

John Maddock pointed out that the searcher can 
" Just replace the version number in the URL with "release" and you get  a version agnostic URL,"

eg  after finding

http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_58_0/libs/math/doc/html/math_toolkit/next_float/float_distance.html

replacing' 1_58_0' by 'release'

http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/release/libs/math/doc/html/math_toolkit/next_float/float_distance.html

and I found that this works usefully.

So perhaps this can be made more widely known?

as well your suggestion

"You can put the version number in your search, e.g. 'boost 1.58.0 float_next', and it will often
work
because I add the version number to the title of the page."

Thanks.

Paul

---
Paul A. Bristow
Prizet Farmhouse
Kendal UK LA8 8AB
[phone]