RE: info-find-source

[Drew Adams]

> > This function is obsolete since 24.4; editing
> > Info nodes by hand is not recommended.
> 
> I've seen this as well and wondered what it
> meant... "By hand" - is the recommended way
> having a bunch of text files and have that
> compiled, or should one generate the
> documentation straight from Elisp, including
> docstrings and/or comments?

AFAIK, the "recommended" way is to build Info
files using `makeinfo' with TexInfo source files.
But I'm no expert on that.

> Also, when you could edit Info nodes that way,
> where did those edits go?

You can still edit Info nodes that way.  As I
said, command `Info-edit' still exists, and it
still works.

Try it.  You are asked to confirm whether you
really want to do it.  After you make your
changes, by editing normally, you use `C-c C-c'
and enter the name of the Info file you want
to write.

If you give the name of the current file (see
variable `Info-current-file', for instance)
then you are asked to confirm overwriting it.
If you instead give the name of a new file then
you create a new Info file.

In either case you provide an absolute file name,
so that's "where" your edits go.

> Using the useful and
> sensible program that was the initial topic of
> this thread, we find out that for example Gnus'
> is here /usr/share/info/emacs-24/gnus.info
> while SLIME is here:
> ~/.emacs.d/elpa/slime-20170921.1000/slime.info
> so while the SLIME's manual could be annotated
> without any hazard, how will this be done with
> Gnus' without sudo right and without the
> changes/annotations being threatened
> by updates?

If you change that slime.info file and then you
download the SLIME again to the same disk location
then that will overwrite your edits.

And yes, if you want to change that gnus.info
file then you need the necessary permissions
write to that location.  Nothing new here.

But you can have Info files wherever you want.
See option `Info-additional-directory-list',
and variables `Info-directory-list', and
`Info-default-directory-list'.  And see env
var `INFOPATH'.

To be clear, I'm not encouraging anyone to edit
Info files.  I'm just mentioning that you can.