[Lazarus] lHelp improvements

[Andrey Sobol]

> 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?
>
You can read here about this
https://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/Installing_Help_in_the_IDE
> 
>> - 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?
> 
Yes, but now I have strict commands to open files before. For to do such 
as you said I have to get one command to do search and to know where to 
get another files.
> 
>> 2. I think that the lHelp (or user) should
>> make a decision myself,
> 
> Do you mean "myself" or "by itself"?
Yes, it is my mistake.
> 
>> 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.

I think should be a preference in the lHelp to open all files on start 
or not. Then we can change which files to open on start.

>   
>> 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
> 
Andrey