Re: link handling in js-reader

[Per Bothner]

On 3/4/21 12:16 PM, Gavin Smith wrote:
> On Wed, Mar 03, 2021 at 08:25:59PM -0600, Jacob Bachmeyer wrote:

> > The texinfo tool that generates HTML has the ToC, so really the correct
> > solution here would be for the HTML output to include the 'target'
> > attributes directly.  JS can then determine internal links by the absence of
> > that attribute and the features at least somewhat gracefully degrade if JS
> > is disabled.
>
> I don't know why you say that the manual does not degrade gracefully if
> JS is disabled.

I guess the question is whether it makes sense for the generated html
to statically include target="_blank" attributes for external links - regardless
of the presence or absence of JavaScript (as opposed to having the JavaScript
info reader add the target="_blank" attribute).  I don't feel strongly either
way, but it is worth considering.

> > This leads to another question:  are the Info manuals to be taken as a
> > collective whole?  Phrased differently, should a link to a node in a
> > different Info manual be considered "external"?
>
> Yes as this JavaScript system only handles one manual.  It doesn't handle
> links to other Texinfo manuals differently to any other external link.

The reader could be extended to be a more generic documentation browser,
including support for switching between manuals.  However, that would
require a non-trivial amount of design work and coordination between projects,
especially if you want to have a way to handle non-texinfo manuals.
--
        --Per Bothner
per@bothner.com   http://per.bothner.com/