[Lazarus] lHelp improvements

[Mattias Gaertner]

On Sun, 27 Dec 2020 17:15:23 +0300
Соболь Андрей Евгеньевич via lazarus <lazarus at lists.lazarus-ide.org>
wrote:

> Hi, guys.
> 
> I am trying to do the lHelp more convenient.

Great!

> And after I have
> combined a chm indexes on start, I think about next step. What I
> see... 

> 1. Exist a contradiction of behavior for contex searching
> through hh.exe (windows) an lHelp (this is for first start of help
> subsystem):
> - When I press F1 for hh.exe enabled for context searching, then
> Lazarus send only one command - open chm file and seek TOC index
> position.

What package opens hh.exe in Lazarus?


> - When I press F1 for the lHelp enabled for context searching, then
> Lazarus send group of command as
> 
>     got BeginUpdate
>     got BeginUpdate
>     got rturl, filename M:\lazarus\docs\chm\fcl.chm, url /index.html
>     got rturl, filename M:\lazarus\docs\chm\fclres.chm,
> url /index.html got rturl, filename M:\lazarus\docs\chm\fpdoc.chm,
> url /index.html got rturl, filename M:\lazarus\docs\chm\ideintf.chm,
> url /index.html got rturl, filename M:\lazarus\docs\chm\lazutils.chm,
> url /index.html got rturl, filename M:\lazarus\docs\chm\lcl.chm,
> url /index.html got rturl, filename M:\lazarus\docs\chm\prog.chm,
> url /index.html got rturl, filename M:\lazarus\docs\chm\ref.chm,
> url /index.html got rturl, filename M:\lazarus\docs\chm\rtl.chm,
> url /index.html got rturl, filename M:\lazarus\docs\chm\toc.chm,
> url /index.html got rturl, filename M:\lazarus\docs\chm\user.chm,
> url /index.html got EndUpdate
>     got rturl, filename M:\lazarus\docs\chm\ref.chm,
> url /ref/refse92.html#keyword_function got EndUpdate
>     got rtmisc/mrShow
>     
>     Lazarus sends commands for opening all chm files and the last
> command is for performing contex search. As result hh.exe always does
> it more faster then lHelp. I think behavior have to be same, only a
> perform of context seaching. On second request lHelp can open next
> file and index and so on. 

Do you mean when user press F1 on an identifier, then lhelp can open
only the target file directly and open the other files on idle?


> 2. I think that the lHelp (or user) should
> make a decision myself,

Do you mean "myself" or "by itself"?

> open all indexes on first start or none (for
> contex search primarily). It should have own preferences for that.
> But the lHelp don`t have any information about searchpath where is
> chm files. I can add a new command for sending searchpath or add new
> option to Lazarus (open all indexes on first start - see paragraph
> 1).

A searchpath command sounds good.

 
> 3. lHelp got a start command with the option "--hide" at start. Then
> lHelp gets many commands on openning of indexes. I think that I have
> the right to show lHelp or splash screen on getting first command.
> Without this, the user gets a hanging program (1-3 sec) and does not
> understand what happens. This is for the case when I open all the
> indexes.
> 
> What is your opinion about it?

Yes, this needs improvement and any help is welcome.

Mattias