[m-rev.] for review: allow search mode to be changed in DD

[Ian MacLarty]

On Fri, 19 Aug 2005, Julien Fischer wrote:

>
> On Fri, 19 Aug 2005, Ian MacLarty wrote:
>
> > On Fri, 19 Aug 2005, Julien Fischer wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > On Fri, 19 Aug 2005, Ian MacLarty wrote:
> > >
> > > > For review by anyone.
> > > >
> > > > Estimated hours taken: 12
> > > > Branches: main
> > > >
> > > > Allow the search mode to be changed from within the declarative debugger.
> > > >
> > > >  @sp 1
> > > >  @item undo
> > > > -Reset the state of the declarative debugger to what it was before the most
> > > > -recent `yes', `no', `inadmissible', `trust', `skip' or `mark' answer that has
> > > > -not already been undone.
> > > > +Reset the state of the declarative debugger to the state it was in when
> > > > +the question that came before the current question, and that hasn't already
> > > > +been undone, was asked.
> > >
> > > That's not an improvement.
> > >
> >
> > Please suggest something better then.  Otherwise I will just put "Try it and
> > find out" ;-).
> >
> IMO, what was there was better, although this section has always seemed a
> little awkward.
>
> Here's a suggestion:
>
> 	Return the declarative debugger to the state it was in
> 	before the most recent answer or mode change was given.
>

I think "Undo the most recent answer or mode change" would be better.

There are basically two ways to go about this description:

1) Get it completely accurate, which requires a complicated description like the
original one above (your description is not entirely accurate because it implies that
undo is idempotent and also the state is not set to what it was before the most recent
answer, but to the state it was in when the question the most recent answer relates
to was first asked.)

2) Give an intentionally vauge, but easy to parse description.

I think the second option is better *in this case*, because most users understand
intuitively what the behaviour of undo is and offering them a complicated description
will only make them think it does something non-standard that needs to be explained.

I think it will just be frustrating for the user to have to parse and
understand a complicated description only to realise it does what he/she
intuitively would have expected it to do.

Ian.

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