Re: lynx-dev LYNX: more pleas for the L-page addrs

[Klaus Weide]

On Sat, 16 Jan 1999, David Combs wrote:

> > On Sat, 16 Jan 1999, David Combs wrote:
> > 
> > > > From: Klaus Weide <address@hidden>
> > <snip>
> > Lynx shows URLs in the LIST page when it (Lynx) doesn't have a title to
> > show.
> > 
> > But I guess I already said that.  If that doesn't answer your question,
> > then maybe you should repeat and rephrase the question.
> > 
> > The answer to the question "Is there a bug?", which admittedly you haven't
> > asked in this form, is "Lynx is behaving as it's supposed to".
> > 
> > >   About what lynx knew or didn't know, I recall (and that's all
> > >    I have to go on, memory from some days ago, not now being
> > >    able to reproduce the problem of the "bad" L-page),
> > >    that I had NO PROBLEM actually CLICKING on the items
> > >    on the page FOR WHICH the L-page was generated.
> > >   Perhaps your clue, whatever it is, will give us a way
> > >   to DUPLICATE that "bad" L-page?
> > 
> > Sure.  Follow the links (what you choose to call CLICKING), then go
> > back and THEN (re-)generate the LIST page.
> > 
> 
> Man, am I confused.
> 
> Are you saying that for the L-page to show actual addresses,
> that you must first FOLLOW the links?

No.  For the L-page to show actual titles, you must first follow the
links.

(Usually.  Maybe the presence of a TITLE attribute or similar
sometimes changes this.)

> That's sure not my experience!
> 
> In fact, my main USE for the L-page is to DECIDE what
> if any links I want to follow -- by looking at the
> addresses (and titles if they were there too --
> which unfortunately they aren't -- lynx shows only
> one of them (my main complaint about the L-page (when
> working as it should!))) -- eg to see if a whole
> bunch of sequential are merely ....#foo addrs into the SAME
> doc.

So as long as you use the L-page exactly according to your main USE,
that is to look at the links BEFORE you follow any of them, you should
be fine.  And if you see that abhorred-by-you title-instead-of-an-URL,
you can know that you probably have already followed that link.

> Please explain what you mean about having to follow the
> link first, so that lynx can "know" the address.  
> I mean, how can lynx go somewhere unless it ALREADY
> knows the address?

You have to follow the link first, so that Lynx can know the title,
for Lynx to display the title (instead of the URL).  Since Lynx
attempts to show the title, but falls back to the URL when it doesn't
know the title, it will show the URL only if you haven't followed the
link recently.  Clearer now?

    Klaus