Re: Collapsible outline

[Robert Holmgren holmgren@xxxxxxxx]

** Reply to note from fenda@xxxxxxxx on Thu, 01 Feb 2001 12:48:29 +0100

> Maybe Carl Distefano or Robert Holmgren could help us to get
> something like [Collapsible Outlines]

I don't know about Carl, but I'm not much interested. Always hated
outlines, and consequently I don't even know what a "collapsible"
outline is, what it should look like, how it differs (if at all) from
the regular sort of outline that you ordinarily see (I suspect not),
what sort of raw text you would start out with, where you would want
to end up, what the behavior is (if any -- is this just preparation of
a particular format or appearance, and then stop -- or what?). In
short, what do you mean, Manuel? (It's that word "collapse" that
bothers me -- it implies something quite active, something that
"happens", i.e. with one push of a button it squashes down to nothing
or falls into a black hole.) To begin to write code, you need a
complete spec in your head, start to finish. For example, would you
be able to rely that the material (text) you begin with would always
have a particular organization? That would be a precondition, within
limits. How much of this outline preparation requires eyes and active
intelligence, and how much can be automated?

Somebody would need to draw up a somewhat detailed specification for
this. Best to do it publicly too, so there is a consensus, otherwise
you end up reinventing the wheel 5 times.

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Robert Holmgren
holmgren@xxxxxxxx
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