Re: lynx-dev (patch) jumps ambushes

[Philip Webb]

991203 Klaus Weide wrote: 
> On Fri, 3 Dec 1999, Philip Webb wrote:
>> i just burnt my fingers with the jumps file.
>> if you have the wrong URL corresponding to `?',
>> Lynx will display that URL when asked with confusing results.
> Yep, it does what it's told.

so, let's tell it to do something else! ie use the URL in  lynx.cfg .
 
> The '?' is just a convention.  There's *nothing* in the code
> that makes a shorcut named "?" in any way special.
> You don't have to have one.

you should have checked  userdefs.h :

  Make sure your jumps file includes a '?' shortcut
  for a file://localhost URL to itself:
   <dt>?<dd><a href="file://localhost/path/jumps.html">This Shortcut List</a>

it looks as if that's what the original programmer intended, doesn't it? 
 lynx.cfg  has a different warning, which i probably wrote.

>> the ancient sample offered in the package needed improvement (below),
>> but there is a strong case for improving Lynx behaviour too:
>> why does it not use the URL in  lynxcfg:  to find the file to display
>> & why does the list have to be ASCII-alphabetical?
> Because a binary search is done on it.  (but see below)

so why does Lynx have to do a binary search?
why not a search similar to the usual one invoked by  /  and  n ?
the jumps file is likely to be quite short for most users.
the fact that it started that way & has never been changed
is no reason not to revise it now.
 
> I like the flexibility that is there
> and see no good enough reason to dumb it down.

flexibility?  dumb down?  whatever are you talking about?
it's a primitive piece of hackery, never updated ...

>> +  *** IMPORTANT *** You must have the correct URL for your own list
>> +  corresponding to the abbreviation `?' below: otherwise,
>> +  Lynx will display an incorrect list with misleading results.<br>
> No, it's not an absolute "must".
> Lynx will display whatever URL you put there (if valid).

it follows what we are told in  userdefs.h  (see above).
 
>> +  *** ALSO *** The entries must be in ASCII order:
>> +  otherwise, Lynx will not be able to find them.
> Sorting is case-insensitive.

so?  you must put  .  and  ?  before the other entries:
that's not something anyone would know from the original documentation.

> I doubt ASCII order is true for EBCDIC platforms.

let's see if anyone with EBCDIC replies.

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