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From: sw@nan.co.uk (Sak Wathanasin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: MPW 411
Message-ID: <0101000D.ylk2yi@nan.co.uk>
Date: 23 Jun 91 11:29:14 GMT
Reply-To: sw@network-analysis-ltd.co.uk
Organization: Network Analysis Ltd
Lines: 44
X-Mailer: uAccess - Mac Release: 1.0.3


In article <1991Jun21.160728.7756@dartvax.dartmouth.edu>, xerox@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Jamie Osborne) writes:
> 
> 	I have been playing with MPW 411, which seems to have promise.  I would
> like to know if anyone knows how to make it deal with multiple references in
> the help files.
> 	e.g. "Files" can be found in MPWHelp as well as CIncludeshelp.  But
> depending on what you have set as the "first file" only one reference will be
> found when you search for it.  I want to see _all_ the references to what I'm
> searching for.

I'd like to second this; it would be very useful for looking up methods in the
MacApp help. There is a "search for next occurence of the phrase" in the text
but this is not the same thing. This could help to eliminate some of the
duplication in 411. Something like this, for example: look for "NewWindow"
gives you the C calling sequence, look again gives you Pascal, once more gives
you Inside Mac help (or whatever sequence of help files you've chosen). At the
moment, the commentary for NewWindow is in the C help as well as the Pascal
help as well as the Inside Mac help. Some form of inexact match would be good
too: at the moment the Inside Mac help is next to useless beause I have to know
the exact chapter/section name to get a hit.

Also can I make a plea for all the different groups at Apple who are working
on online help/reference to get together and work out a common data format?
I can see that it's useful and desirable to have different ways of viewing
or accessing the same info, but it must be possible to just use different
indices into the same body of text. At the moment, I have something approaching
60MB of disk being used up by SpInside Mac/Tech notes/411 etc. How about
a small faceless search-engine controlled by AppleEvents from a HC stack
or 411 or whatever?

Having said all that, I find that 411 help is the one I use most often because
it's a lot faster than firing up HyperCard or Mouser (I can't leave them
running because I can't compile - CPlus can't find enough MF temp mem).
It's certainly a lot better than having copies of IM all over the desk (and
floor :-). I do appreciate Apple's making all this info available, so please
take this as a suggestion for making it better, not as a complaint.

Sak Wathanasin
Network Analysis Limited

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