Re: Re: :: notation
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg77772] Re: [mg77712] Re: :: notation
- From: Carl Woll <carlw at wolfram.com>
- Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 03:33:34 -0400 (EDT)
- References: <firstname.lastname@example.org> <200706150839.EAA16034@smc.vnet.net>
>Andrew Moylan wrote:
>>What are the properties of the :: notation? As in the following:
>>function::usage = "bla";
>>Where can I read about this notation in the documentation?
>You can check its FullForm and see that it is called MessageName, then
>search for "MessageName" the the v6 doc center.
>Or you can use the much better 5.2 documentation to look it up directly ;)
There are aspects of the 5.2 documentation that people miss in 6, but
surely the documentation for a particular function is generally much
better in 6 than in 5.2. If we compare MessageName in 5.2 vs 6, we see
that the notes are identical, but 6 includes several examples involving
MessageName which 5.2 does not.
Also, for looking up specific function help, I don't think 5.2 and 6 are
that different. In both 5.2 and 6 we can do
and then click on the link to get the MessageName help. Also, in both
5.2 and 6, if you type
in the notebook, put the mouse pointer inside the word and then click
find selected function, you will go directly to the MessageName page.
I think the only place where 5.2 is different, and more convenient for
finding help on a specific function, is when one looks up a function
after opening the help browser. In this case the lookup field is
selected and blank. Moreover, as you type different entries in an
hierarchical table of contents are highlighted.
In my usage of Mathematica, I usually know which function I want to use,
and I'll type it into the notebook. At that point, sometimes I'm not
sure about an aspect of using that function, so I'll move the mouse
pointer to the function and hit 'Find selected function', bringing up
the help for that function, which in general is very complete and
useful. Consequently, for me the help in 6 is much better than in 5.2 as
the function page documentation is better.
Are there other issues related to finding help for a specific function
that make 6 worse than 5.2?
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