[diff.texi, patch] repeats

[Fabrice Bauzac]

Good evening,

I looked at the `patch' Texinfo documentation, looking for the
quietness switch.  I first saw the --quiet switch, but I wanted
a short switch (one character long).

`--quiet'
     Work silently unless an error occurs.  *Note patch Messages::.

Since I am used to the fact that options doing the same thing are
grouped (using Texinfo's address@hidden'), I thought there was no short
switch.

Later I saw that there were other switches in the documentation: -s
and --silent, that do the same thing.  But they are at different
places in the same node.

@item -s
Work silently unless an error occurs.  @xref{patch Messages}.

[...]

@item --silent
Work silently unless an error occurs.  @xref{patch Messages}.

The node `(diff)patch options' is a sorted list of options.  I don't
think it is a good idea, and that options having the same behaviour
should be in one group with address@hidden' for several reasons:

* When the user looks for switches, one has an idea of the behaviour
  and then get the switch that matches.  The alphabetical sorting is
  not very useful compared to that.

* When updating the documentation, it is better to have only one thing
  to update, and not three copies of the same thing.  For example, I
  saw this:

    @item -v
    Output the revision header and patch level of @code{patch}.

    @item --version
    Output the revision header and patch level of @code{patch}, then exit.

So I generated a context diff that corrects it.

*** diff.texi.orig      Sat Mar  2 18:48:35 2002
--- diff.texi   Sat Mar  2 18:52:38 2002
***************
*** 3446,3468 ****
  @xref{Empty Files}.
  
  @item -f
  Assume that the user knows exactly what he or she is doing, and do not
  ask any questions.  @xref{patch Messages}.
  
  @item -F @var{lines}
  Set the maximum fuzz factor to @var{lines}.  @xref{Inexact}.
  
- @item --force
- Assume that the user knows exactly what he or she is doing, and do not
- ask any questions.  @xref{patch Messages}.
- 
  @item --forward
  Ignore patches that @code{patch} thinks are reversed or already applied.
  See also @samp{-R}.  @xref{Reversed Patches}.
  
- @item address@hidden
- Set the maximum fuzz factor to @var{lines}.  @xref{Inexact}.
- 
  @item --help
  Print a summary of the options that @code{patch} recognizes, then exit.
  
--- 3446,3463 ----
  @xref{Empty Files}.
  
  @item -f
+ @itemx --force
  Assume that the user knows exactly what he or she is doing, and do not
  ask any questions.  @xref{patch Messages}.
  
  @item -F @var{lines}
+ @itemx address@hidden
  Set the maximum fuzz factor to @var{lines}.  @xref{Inexact}.
  
  @item --forward
  Ignore patches that @code{patch} thinks are reversed or already applied.
  See also @samp{-R}.  @xref{Reversed Patches}.
  
  @item --help
  Print a summary of the options that @code{patch} recognizes, then exit.
  
***************
*** 3493,3530 ****
  Use @var{backup-prefix} as a prefix to the backup file name.  If this
  option is specified, any @samp{-b} option is ignored.  @xref{Backups}.
  
- @item --quiet
- Work silently unless an error occurs.  @xref{patch Messages}.
- 
  @item -r @var{reject-file}
  Use @var{reject-file} as the reject file name.  @xref{Rejects}.
  
  @item -R
  Assume that this patch was created with the old and new files swapped.
  @xref{Reversed Patches}.
  
- @item address@hidden
- Use @var{reject-file} as the reject file name.  @xref{Rejects}.
- 
  @item --remove-empty-files
  Remove output files that are empty after the patches have been applied.
  @xref{Empty Files}.
  
- @item --reverse
- Assume that this patch was created with the old and new files swapped.
- @xref{Reversed Patches}.
- 
  @item -s
  Work silently unless an error occurs.  @xref{patch Messages}.
  
  @item -S
! Ignore this patch from the patch file, but continue looking for the next
! patch in the file.  @xref{Multiple Patches}.
! 
! @item --silent
! Work silently unless an error occurs.  @xref{patch Messages}.
! 
! @item --skip
  Ignore this patch from the patch file, but continue looking for the next
  patch in the file.  @xref{Multiple Patches}.
  
--- 3488,3513 ----
  Use @var{backup-prefix} as a prefix to the backup file name.  If this
  option is specified, any @samp{-b} option is ignored.  @xref{Backups}.
  
  @item -r @var{reject-file}
+ @itemx address@hidden
  Use @var{reject-file} as the reject file name.  @xref{Rejects}.
  
  @item -R
+ @itemx --reverse
  Assume that this patch was created with the old and new files swapped.
  @xref{Reversed Patches}.
  
  @item --remove-empty-files
  Remove output files that are empty after the patches have been applied.
  @xref{Empty Files}.
  
  @item -s
+ @itemx --quiet
+ @itemx --silent
  Work silently unless an error occurs.  @xref{patch Messages}.
  
  @item -S
! @itemx --skip
  Ignore this patch from the patch file, but continue looking for the next
  patch in the file.  @xref{Multiple Patches}.
  
***************
*** 3543,3555 ****
  Interpret the patch file as a unified diff.  @xref{patch Input}.
  
  @item -v
! Output the revision header and patch level of @code{patch}.
  
  @item -V @var{backup-style}
  Select the kind of backups to make.  @xref{Backups}.
- 
- @item --version
- Output the revision header and patch level of @code{patch}, then exit.
  
  @item address@hidden
  Select the kind of backups to make.  @xref{Backups}.
--- 3526,3536 ----
  Interpret the patch file as a unified diff.  @xref{patch Input}.
  
  @item -v
! @itemx --version
! Output the revision header and patch level of @code{patch}, then exit.
  
  @item -V @var{backup-style}
  Select the kind of backups to make.  @xref{Backups}.
  
  @item address@hidden
  Select the kind of backups to make.  @xref{Backups}.

Have a nice weekend!

-- 
fabrice bauzac
Software should be free.  http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/why-free.html