The apropos-dialog

[cgay@darkwing.uoregon.edu (Carl L. Gay)]

   Date: Thu, 27 Feb 92 21:38:42 -0800
   From: jlouch@polyslo.csc.calpoly.edu (John Louch)

	   This is more of an request for the mcl team, but might as
   well see what other people interest are.  I use the apropos-dialog
   very frequently as I teach myself mcl.  A conveinent feature would
   be to add the ability to sort that apropos list py package or
   delimit what is in the list by again a package.  So for isntance I
   could easily scroll throuhg the apropos list and find all
   ocurrences of the symbol I am trying to find by package.  I could
   also, for example, turn off the viewing of mathching symbols for
   the class ccl, then I would just get what ever is in cl-user or
   other active packages!

Hmm, I never even noticed the Apropos dialog box cuz I always use the
APROPOS function instead.  As in
  (APROPOS :FOO)
to find all symbols matching foo. Or
  (APROPOS :FOO :CL-USER)
to find all symbols matching foo in the CL-USER package.  Note that
this also tells you whether the symbol has a value or names a
function.

The documentation doesn't mention the optional package argument to
APROPOS or to APROPOS-LIST.

It appears that the Apropos dialog displays something like the result
of (SORT (APROPOS-LIST :FOO) #'STRING-LESSP), which is exactly the
wrong thing in my opinion since, as you say, it doesn't put symbols
with the same package together.

You're right, it would be nice if the Apropos dialog allowed full use
of the apropos function (or more).  In Genera (on Symbolics Lisp
machines) a feature I used a lot was the Find Symbol command, which
allowed one to specify the search space more flexibly.  For example,
find all symbols matching foo and bar in the CL-USER and CCL packages
that name functions or methods.  I wouldn't mind seeing the same thing
in MCL...

   Just an idea, I realise I could do this myself, but I rather get
   some sleep!
   John

Ditto.

-Carl

"I'm ZIPPY the PINHEAD and I'm totally committed to the festive mode."