Re: Re: Re: Re: annoying documentation
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg79180] Re: [mg79138] Re: [mg79087] Re: [mg79068] Re: annoying documentation
- From: Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu>
- Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 03:30:27 -0400 (EDT)
- Organization: Mathematics & Statistics, Univ. of Mass./Amherst
- References: <f77j9r$c9p$1@smc.vnet.net> <19356212.1184479716385.JavaMail.root@m35> <f7f34s$od7$1@smc.vnet.net> <200707170728.DAA27254@smc.vnet.net> <15378332.1184812151208.JavaMail.root@m35> <200707190737.DAA02042@smc.vnet.net>
- Reply-to: murray at math.umass.edu
Of course the Mathematica interpreter is itself the ultimate authority for how Mathematica behaves. As I indicated, the huge table in question is not new to Mathematica 6; it was in the reference section of The Mathematica Book. And despite its length, I did at times find it handy for clarifying precedence issues. The main issue remains: the hyperlinked network constituting the Mathematica 6 documentation -- which without question has high utility -- still suffers two limitations: (1) It mixes examples, applications, "neat examples", tutorials, etc., with reference material. (2) It does not supply a linearly organized, or simple spiral path, through an introduction to Mathematica. DrMajorBob wrote: > Having seen the table Murray writes of... far down the page in > tutorial/InputSyntax... I think we both wasted our time finding it. The > table is very, very long... so long, in fact, that it's completely > useless. (And there's not just ONE of these monsters, either.) > > The tutorial should be broken into about TEN tutorials, and I agree with > Murray that it's nearly impossible to find the table unless you know it > exists and exactly where it is. However... I like complete documentation > as much as anybody, but... > > My advice: don't waste YOUR time, like Murray and I did. > > When I want to know operator precedence, I always have a specific use in > mind, I type it in, I double-click on any operator, and voila! I see the > order of precedence. If it's not what I want, I add parentheses. > > End of story. > > Bobby > > On Wed, 18 Jul 2007 01:57:23 -0500, Murray Eisenberg > <murray at math.umass.edu> wrote: > >> Here's another shortcoming of the 6.0 Documentation Center organization >> (or lack thereof). >> >> When one uses special input forms (abbreviations), such as = and :== > and >> /. and @ and @@ and @@@ and /@, what is the order of precedence and what >> is the grouping when a single form appears several times in a row? >> >> In The Mathematica Book this was answered in an obvious place, namely, >> Section A.2, "Input Syntax", of the Appendix "Mathematica Reference >> Guide". >> >> Where is it in the Version 6.0 Documentation Center? After some >> considerable searching I found it in tutorial/InputSyntax. >> >> But at this point I cannot even reconstruct how I found it! I tried >> searching on "precedence" and "order of precedence". The first turns up >> nothing obviously useful. The second gave as the tenth entry "The Syntax >> of the Mathematica Language", which is a tutorial. And roughly a third >> to a half-way down in that tutorial says, >> >> The table in "Operator Input Forms" gives the complete >> ordering by precedence of all operators in Mathematica. >> >> The phrase 'Operator Input Forms' there has a link, finally, to the >> correct place in the tutorial (!!) InputSyntax. >> >> Another possible route to the same thing is from the home page of the >> Documentation Center, at the item "Syntax" in the first box "Core >> Language". The target is guide/Syntax. In that guide, near the bottom >> of the page, under "Tutorials", is a link to the aforementioned tutorial >> "The Syntax of the Mathematica Language" (which then requires spottin >> the further link to the relevant material). And in guide/Syntax there's >> another tutorial link, "Input Syntax", whose target is the desired >> end-point tutorial/InputSyntax. >> >> Such are the ways of the 6.0 Documentation Center -- and some of the >> intricacies and limitations of combining expository and tutorial >> presentations with reference materials. >> >> In the case at hand, I got there eventually. But after I did I felt >> like it shouldn't be so hard. (Maybe the younger generations are more >> adept or more patient at negotiating searches than I!) >> >> So: The more I use the Documentation Center, the more I like it and, >> at the same time, the more I miss The Mathematica Book (whether printed >> or electronic). >> >> David Bailey wrote: >> >>> Seriously, though, without a book for 6.0, the help topics absolutely >>> must be authoritative and complete. > > > -- Murray Eisenberg murray at math.umass.edu Mathematics & Statistics Dept. Lederle Graduate Research Tower phone 413 549-1020 (H) University of Massachusetts 413 545-2859 (W) 710 North Pleasant Street fax 413 545-1801 Amherst, MA 01003-9305
- References:
- Re: annoying documentation in 6 (rant)
- From: David Bailey <dave@Remove_Thisdbailey.co.uk>
- Re: Re: Re: annoying documentation in 6 (rant)
- From: DrMajorBob <drmajorbob@bigfoot.com>
- Re: annoying documentation in 6 (rant)