Re: in printed output, @deffn arguments should use a typewriter font like with @deftypefn

[Vincent Lefevre]

On 2022-09-02 17:42:33 +0100, Gavin Smith wrote:
> On Fri, Sep 02, 2022 at 05:49:26PM +0200, Vincent Lefevre wrote:
> > With texinfo.tex 2022-09-01.06, consider
> > 
> > @deffn Command name-min arg-min
> > @end deffn
> > 
> > @deffn Command name-min @var{arg-min}
> > @end deffn
> > 
> > In printed output (PDF), name-min is printed in typewriter font
> > as expected, but arg-min is printed in slanted font instead of
> > slanted typewriter font (whether @var is used or not).
> 
> There is nothing new here regarding the font style of the @deffn arguments -
> they have always been in slanted variable-width roman style.  When @var is
> used this used to switch to slanted typewriter in this context but this
> made no sense - there's no reason why the two use cases should have
> different formatting.

OK, I thought that @var was always using a slanted typewriter font.
But then, this yields another inconsistency!

> > I think that this is incorrect, and slanted typewriter font should
> > be used, as already done with @deftypefn.
> 
> It is not incorrect but a valid stylistic choice that is at least 40 years
> old.  When in the past it was changed to slanted typewriter this led
> to complaints that the slanted typewriter was not distinctive enough,
> so it was changd back.
> 
> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-texinfo/2003-11/msg00058.html

So, for consistency, why isn't this done for @deftypefn, then?

> Which manual this is causing a problem for?

GNU MPFR.

-- 
Vincent Lefèvre <vincent@vinc17.net> - Web: <https://www.vinc17.net/>
100% accessible validated (X)HTML - Blog: <https://www.vinc17.net/blog/>
Work: CR INRIA - computer arithmetic / AriC project (LIP, ENS-Lyon)