Re: permanent links using #fragment names

[Per Bothner]

On 1/9/22 11:53, Gavin Smith wrote:
> It's certainly more elegant, but we are not generating documentation
> to be served as part of some large information processing service,
> like Wikipedia or other websites which don't use .html extensions.
> We're generating a self-contained set of files that represent one
> manual, in HTML.  These files could be accessed in a variety of ways,
> not just as an online service.
>
> In other words, the output from texi2any is small, self-contained and
> inanimate.  The files should be output with .html extensions and link
> to each other accordingly.

Agree.  Old-style URLs without JavaScript, as well as static file: URLs, need 
to work.

> Any simplification of URL's should be treated carefully and be built
> on top of the bare HTML layer if at all, not compromising the
> functionality of this lower layer.

What I'm suggesting is:
(1) File splitting, file names, and intra-manual links are all unchanged from 
now.
However, if enabled by an option, file names may optionally use a 
standard-compatible %-encoding.
(2) JavaScript should automatically map #NAME to FILE.html#NAME (somehow - see 
below).
(3) If enabled (by a texi2any option *and* JavaScript is enabled), the URL
displayed in the location bar (and when hovering over a link) will be the #NAME.
Note this is already the case with file: URLs, because that's the only
part of the location URL we can update due to browser security rules.
(4) Public links (from other manuals, web pages, an email responding to a 
question)
should use the #NAME form (assuming the option in (2) enabled).
(5) When the option in (2) is enabled texinfo should emit extra html so that
when JavaScript is unavailable the #NAME fragment goes somewhere sane, probably
a link in a ToC.

> Okay, but if #NAME loaded a redirection page it could go to the right
> place immediately.  The way you are thinking about it is that NAME is
> passed to info.js which has to find where it is.  It all depends on
> how the redirection pages are done.

For #NAME to load a redirection page there has to be some JavaScript involved.
For an intra-manual link there is no need to go via a redirection page:
During loading, JavaScript rewrites href="FILE.html#NAME" to "#NAME" -
but it can save the original "FILE.html#NAME" somewhere for future use.
However, when we *start* with a #NAME-style URL it's a bit trickier:
We could *assume* there is a redirection page NAME.html and load that,
and count on redirection to take us to the correct page.  However
I'm not sure how robust that is - plus it requires another round-trip.
Probably better to put an index in the top page.
--
        --Per Bothner
per@bothner.com   http://per.bothner.com/