Re: opinions on node description new command syntax variations?

[Gavin Smith]

On Mon, Jul 24, 2023 at 06:57:10PM +0200, Patrice Dumas wrote:
> The syntax of @nodedescription can be a line command, like
> 
> @node My node
> @nodedescription this is a node description
> 
> But if the description is relatively long, the line will be long too, it
> could also be possible to use a brace command, much like @shortcaption,
> 
> @node My node
> @nodedescription{The description of the node can be more than one line
> and still look good in menu}
> 
> Any preference?

I like the line command without braces - I think it looks simpler and
looks better next to @node and @chapter/@section etc.  The node description
(used in menus) is usually short enough to fit in a single line and making
it a line command discourages users from making the description too long.

If there is a need for longer descriptions, I think your idea of a separate
block command for this was good.

> Some other question, would there be a need for some longer descriptions
> for other uses than menu entries descriptions?
> 
> 
> Do you have a use for nodes with description in mind?

The only thing I can think of it is in some books, there is
a short description under a chapter heading or in the table of
contents.  However, I think the main use of @nodedescription is to
reduce/eliminate @menu in Texinfo source files, so these other possible
uses aren't important at the present time.