Re: [HELP] Fwd: Org format as a new standard source format for GNU manuals

[Ihor Radchenko]

Max Nikulin <manikulin@gmail.com> writes:

> On 02/10/2022 11:59, Ihor Radchenko wrote:
>> Can you please illustrate how to use the described AST markup for the
>> following Texinfo snippet:
>> 
>>      By convention, the dynamic library for @var{language} is
>>      @code{libtree-@{sitter@}-@var{"language"}.@var{ext}}, where @var{ext} 
>> is the
>>      system-specific extension for dynamic libraries.
>
> If you are asking how to represent such construct without introducing 
> custom elements then (it may be e.g. :type, not :class) parsed AST 
> should be like
>
>      (code nil ("libtree-{sitter}-"
>                 (code (:class var) "\"language\"")
>                 "."
>                 (code (:class var) "ext")))

This is not much different from @name[nil]{<contents>} idea, but
more verbose.

Also, more importantly, I strongly dislike the need to wrap the text
into "". You will have to escape \". And it will force third-party
parsers to re-implement Elisp sexp reader.

> If there was some syntax for object attributes then simple cases would 
> be like
>
>      [[attr:(:class var)]]~language~

I do not like this idea. It will require non-trivial changes in Org
parser and fontification.

Using dedicated object properties or at least inheriting properties from
:parent is the style we employ more commonly across the code:

@var{language}
or
@code[:class var]{language}
or
@attr[:class var]{~language~}

> I have no idea concerning particular markup that can be used inside 
> source blocks. It might be LaTeX-like commands as discussed in the 
> sibling subthread or HTML (XML) based syntax that is more verbose than 
> TeX-like notation.
>
>      By convention, the dynamic library
>      for src_alt{\code[class=var]{language}} is
>  
> src_alt{\code{libtree-\{sitter\}-\code[class=var]{"language"}.\code[class=var]{ext}}},
>      where src_alt{\code[class=var]{ext}} is the
>      system-specific extension for dynamic libraries.

I am against the idea of LaTeX-like commands. It will clash with
latex-fragment object type.
https://orgmode.org/worg/dev/org-syntax.html#LaTeX_Fragments

> or
>
>      By convention, the dynamic library for
>      src_alt{<code class="var">language</code>} is
>      src_alt{<code>libtree-{sitter}-<code 
> class="var">"language"</code>.<code class="var">ext</code></code>},
>      where src_alt{<code class="var">ext</code>} is the
>      system-specific extension for dynamic libraries.

This style will indeed make things easier for the parser. But I find it
too verbose for practical usage. This is why I instead proposed the idea
with variable number of brackets: @code{{can have } inside}}.

> Hypothetical "alt" babel language has default :results ast :export 
> results header arguments to inject AST bypassing Org markup stage.

The problem with src block emitting AST is clashing with the way src
blocks work during export. What `org-export-as' does is replacing/adding
src block output into the actual Org buffer text before the parsing is
done.

Handling direct AST sexps will require a rewrite on how babel
integration with export works.

-- 
Ihor Radchenko // yantar92,
Org mode contributor,
Learn more about Org mode at <https://orgmode.org/>.
Support Org development at <https://liberapay.com/org-mode>,
or support my work at <https://liberapay.com/yantar92>