Initial Commit

[packages] / xemacs-packages / hyperbole / README

README -- Intro information on Hyperbole.  

The author's work on this project has been sponsored by Motorola Inc.

We hope you enjoy using and developing with Hyperbole.  Suggestions and bug
reports are welcome, as described later in this document.  Feel free to
mail or post news containing this file wherever it may be of use.


===========================================================================
*                       Table of Contents
===========================================================================
                        * Hyperbole Overview
                        * What's New
                        * How to Obtain
                        * Installation / Configuration
                        * Quick Reference
                        * Mail Lists
                        * User Quotes
                        * Why was Hyperbole developed?
                        * Copyright


===========================================================================
*                       Hyperbole Overview
===========================================================================

Hyperbole is an open, efficient, programmable information management
and hypertext system.  It is intended for everyday work on any
platform supported by GNU Emacs.  It works well with versions of Emacs
that supports windowed systems but can also be used on text only
systems.

Hyperbole allows hypertext buttons to be embedded within unstructured
and structured files, mail messages and news articles.  It offers
intuitive mouse-based control of information display within multiple
windows.  It also provides point-and-click access to Info manuals, ftp
archives, Wide-Area Information Servers (WAIS), and the World-Wide Web
(WWW) hypertext system through encapsulations of software that support
these protocols.

Hyperbole consists of four parts:

   1.  Info Management: an interactive information management interface,
       including a powerful rolodex, which anyone can use.  It is easy
       to pick up and use since it introduces only a few new mechanisms
       and provides user-level facilities through a menu interface,
       which you control from the keyboard or the mouse;

   2.  Hypertext Outliner: an outliner with multi-level autonumbering
       and permanent ids attached to each outline node for use as
       hypertext link anchors, plus flexible view specifications that
       can be embedded within links or used interactively;

   3.  Button Types: A set of hyper-button types that provides
       core hypertext and other behaviors.  Users can make simple
       changes to button types and those familiar with Emacs Lisp can
       quickly prototype and deliver new types;

   4.  Programming Library: a set of programming library classes for
       system developers who want to integrate Hyperbole with another
       user interface or as a back-end to a distinct system.  (All of
       Hyperbole is written in Emacs Lisp for ease of modification.
       Although Hyperbole was initially designed as a prototype, it has
       been engineered for real-world usage and is well structured.)

A Hyperbole user works with buttons; he may create, modify,
move or delete buttons.  Each button performs a specific action, such as
linking to a file or executing a shell command.

There are three categories of Hyperbole buttons:

   1.  Explicit Buttons
          created by Hyperbole, accessible from within a single document; 

   2.  Global Buttons
          created by Hyperbole, accessible anywhere within a user's
          network of documents;

   3.  Implicit Buttons
          buttons created and managed by other programs or embedded
          within the structure of a document, accessible from within a
          single document.  Hyperbole recognizes implicit buttons by
          contextual patterns given in their type specifications.

Hyperbole buttons may be clicked upon with a mouse to activate them or
to describe their actions.  Thus, a user can always check how a button
will act before activating it.  Buttons may also be activated from a
keyboard.  (In fact, virtually all Hyperbole operations, including menu
usage, may be performed from any standard character terminal interface, so
one need not be anchored to a workstation all day).

Hyperbole does not enforce any particular hypertext or information management
model, but instead allows you to organize your information in large or small
chunks as you see fit.  The Hyperbole outliner organizes information
hierarchies which may also contain links to external information sources.

Some of Hyperbole's most important features include:

    Buttons may link to information or may execute procedures, such as
    starting or communicating with external programs;

    One simply drags between a button source location and a link destination
    to create or to modify a link button.  The same result can be achieved
    from the keyboard.

    Buttons may be embedded within electronic mail messages;

    Outlines allow rapid browsing, editing and movement of chunks of
    information organized into trees (hierarchies);

    Other hypertext and information retrieval systems may be
    encapsulated under a Hyperbole user interface (a number of samples
    are provided).

Typical Hyperbole applications include:

    Personal Information Management
       Overlapping link paths provide a variety of views into an
       information space.

       A search facility locates buttons in context and permits quick
       selection.

    Documentation Browsing
       Embed cross-references in your favorite documentation format.

       Add a point-and-click interface to existing documentation.

       Link code and design documents.  Jump to the definition of an
       identifier from its use within code or its reference within
       documentation.

    Brainstorming
       Capture ideas and then quickly reorganize them with the Hyperbole
       outliner.  Link to related ideas, eliminating the need to copy
       and paste information into a single place.

    Help/Training Systems
       Create tutorials with embedded buttons that show students how
       things work while explaining the concepts, e.g. an introduction
       to UNIX commands.  This technique can be much more effective than
       descriptions alone.

    Archive Managers
       Supplement programs that manage archives from incoming
       information streams by having them add topic-based buttons that
       link to the archive holdings.  Users can then search and create
       their own links to archive entries.


===========================================================================
*                       What's New in V5.0.5?
===========================================================================

Version 5.0.5 fixes a problem in hyperbole.texi so it is compatible
with makeinfo 5.x

See "ChangeLog" and "NEWS" for more complete details of changes.


===========================================================================
*                            How to Obtain
===========================================================================

Hyperbole can be downloaded here: "http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/hyperbole/"

Unpack the tar archive using the GNU version of the 'zcat' program:

   zcat h*tar.gz | tar xvf -
or
   gunzip h*tar.gz; tar xvf h*tar


===========================================================================
*                     Installation / Configuration
===========================================================================

Hyperbole is built and installed using configure. cd to the directory
where you unpacked the tar archive, <HYPERBOLE-DIR>.

   cd <HYPERBOLE-DIR>

Now you configure the build by using the configure script.

   ./configure

It is possible to give options to configure. Try the option '--help'
with configure for more info.

Now you can build and install Hyperbole doing "make" and "make
install"

If you have downloaded the source using CVS you need to create the
configure script first using autotools.

----

The Hyperbole Manual is included in two forms:

    "man/hyperbole.info"   - online version
    "man/hyperbole.texi"   - source form

To add pointers to the Info version of the Hyperbole manual within your Info
directory, follow these instructions.  If `Info-directory-list' is bound as a
variable within your Emacs, you can simply set it so that <HYPERBOLE-DIR> is
an element in the list.  Otherwise, from a shell, cd to the directory given
by your 'Info-directory' variable and execute the following command:

      (rm hyperbole.info*; cp <HYPERBOLE-DIR>/man/hyperbole.info* .)

Then add an Info menu entry for the Hyperbole manual in your Info "dir" file:
(the `*' should be placed in the first column of the file):

    * Hyperbole::  GNU Emacs-based everyday information management system.
        Use {C-h h d d} for a demonstration.  Includes context-sensitive
        mouse and keyboard support, a powerful rolodex, an autonumbered
        outliner with hyperlink anchors for each outline cell, and extensible
        hypertext facilities including hyper-links in mail and news messages.

----

To set up so that all Emacs users have Hyperbole loaded for them, add the
following lines to a site initialization file such as "site-start.el".
Otherwise, each user will have to add these lines to his own "~/.emacs"
initialization file.  The following instructions use the term
<HYPERBOLE-DIR>/ to refer to your hyperbole/ directory, so substitute your
own value.

To autoload Hyperbole so that it loads only when needed:

   (defvar hyperb:dir "<HYPERBOLE-DIR>/")
  "Directory where the Hyperbole executable code is kept.
It must end with a directory separator character.")

   (load (expand-file-name "hversion" hyperb:dir))
   (load (expand-file-name "hyperbole" hyperb:dir))

To fully load Hyperbole upon startup, add the additional line:

   (require 'hsite)

That's all there is to the installation.

----

Once Hyperbole has been installed for use at your site, you can invoke it
with {C-h h} or {M-x hyperbole RET} to bring up the Hyperbole main menu in
the minibuffer window.


===========================================================================
*                           Quick Reference
===========================================================================

"MANIFEST" summarizes most of the files in the distribution.

See "DEMO" for a demonstration of standard Hyperbole button
capabilities.

Naming conventions:

  - All Hyperbole-specific code files begin with an 'h', aside from the
    Koutliner files which are in the kotl/ subdirectory and begin with a 'k'.

  - Hyperbole user-interface files begin with 'hui-' or 'hmous'.

  - Files that define implicit button types begin with 'hib'.

  - Encapsulations of foreign systems begin with 'hsys-'.

Most of the standard Emacs user interface for Hyperbole is located in
"hui.el".  Most of the Hyperbole application programming interface can be
found in "hbut.el".  "hbdata.el" encapsulates the button attribute storage
handling presently implemented by Hyperbole.  "hmail.el" provides a basic
abstract interface for folding mail readers other than Rmail into Hyperbole.

See the "(hyperbole.info)Questions and Answers" appendix in the
Hyperbole manual for information on how to alter the default
context-sensitive Hyperbole key bindings.


===========================================================================
*                              Mail Lists
===========================================================================

There are two Hyperbole-related mail lists.  One for discussing using
hyperbole, hyperbole-users, and the other for reporting bugs,
bug-hyperbole.

To subscribe to the mail lists use the links below with your web
browser (or if your using hyperbole just click on them)

http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/hyperbole-users

http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/bug-hyperbole

   All administration of the Hyperbole mailing lists should be
   dealt with one of these web addresses.  That includes addition,
   change, or deletion.

   Don't send administrative requests to the mail lists or people will
   wonder why you don't know that the list administration is handled on
   the web interfaces.

So there are two Hyperbole-related mail lists:

<hyperbole-users@gnu.org>

   Mail list for discussion of all issues regarding using Hyperbole.

   Always use your Subject and/or Summary: lines to state the position that
   your message takes on the topic that it addresses.

   Statements end with periods, questions with question marks (typically),
   and high energy, high impact declarations with exclamation points.  This
   simple rule makes all e-mail communication much easier for recipients to
   handle appropriately.

   If you ask a question, your subject line should end with a ?,
   e.g. "Subject: How can man page SEE ALSOs be made implicit buttons?"  A
   "Subject: Re: How can ..." then indicates an answer to the question.
   Question messages should normally include your Hyperbole and Emacs
   version numbers and clearly explain your problem and surrounding issues.
   Otherwise, you will simply waste the time of those who may want to help
   you.  (Your top-level Hyperbole menu shows its version number and {`M-x
   emacs-version <RET>'} gives the other.)

   If you ask questions, you should consider adding to the discussion by
   telling people the kinds of work you are doing or contemplating doing
   with Hyperbole.  In this way, the list will not be overwhelmed by
   messages that ask for, but provide no information.

<bug-hyperbole@gnu.org>

   Bug reports and suggestions should go here. It is important here that
   you include as much info about your environment and program versions
   as possible.

===========================================================================
*                             User Quotes
===========================================================================


  *** MAN I love Hyperbole!!!  Wow! ***

                                        -- Ken Olstad
                                           Cheyenne Software, Inc.

-------

  I *love* koutlines.

                                        -- Bob Glickstein
                                           Z-Code Software Corporation
-------

  I am blind and have been using Hyperbole since 1992.  I used to use a PC as
  a talking terminal attached to a UNIX system, but then I developed
  Emacspeak which lets me use Emacs and Hyperbole from standard UNIX
  workstations with an attached voice synthesizer.

  My main uses are:
    1) Global and implicit buttons for jumping to ftp sites.
    2) The rolodex with Emacspeak support.
    3) Explicit buttons as part of comments made about a structured document.
       Each button jumps to the document section referred to by the comment.
       This is very, very useful.
    4) The Hyperbole outliner, which I find a very useful tool.  I've
       implemented Emacspeak extensions to support it.

                                        -- TV Raman
                                           Digital Cambridge Research Lab

-------

  I've been a grateful Hyperbole user for a few years now.  Hyperbole's
  flexibility and ease of use is a marvel.

  Mainly, I write easy little implicit button types (and corresponding action
  types) to make my life easier.  For example, I have an implicit button type
  to bury certain buffers when I click at their bottoms, one that recognizes
  a bug report record in various contexts and edits it, one that links pieces
  of test output in a log file to the corresponding test case source code
  (EXTREMELY helpful in interpreting test output), others that support our
  homegrown test framework, one that handles tree dired mode the way I'd
  like, one that completely handles wico menus (I've also overloaded the
  wconfig actions triggered by diagonal mouse drags with wicos actions), and
  a couple that support interaction with BBDB.

  Other than that, I keep a global button file with 30 or so explicit buttons
  that do various little things, and I index saved mail messages by putting
  explicit link-to-mail buttons in an outline file.

                                        -- Ken Olstad
                                           Cheyenne Software, Inc.

-------

  In general, Hyperbole is an embeddable, highly extensible hypertext
  tool.  As such, I find it very useful. As it stands now, Hyperbole is
  particularly helpful for organizing ill-structured or loosely coupled
  information, in part because there are few tools geared for this purpose.
  Hyperbole also possesses a lot of potentials in supporting a wider
  spectrum of structuredness, ranging from unstructured to highly
  structured environments, as well as structural changes over time.

  Major Uses:

  * Menu interface to our own Epoch-based collaborative support environment
    called CoReView: This interface brings together all top-level user
    commands into a single partitioned screen, and allows the end user to
    interact with the system using simple mouse-clicking instead of the
    meta-x key.

  * Gateway to internet resources: this includes links to major Internet
    archive sites of various types of information. Links are made at both
    directory and file levels.

  * Alternative directory organizer: The hierarchical nature of the Unix
    file system sometimes makes it difficult to find things quickly and
    easily using directory navigational tools such as dired. Hyperbole
    enables me to create various "profile" views of my directory tree, with
    entries in these views referring to files anywhere in the hierarchy.

  * Organizing and viewing online documentation: using Hyperbole along with
    Hyper-man and Info makes it truly easy to look up online documentation.
      
  * Other desktop organization tasks: including links to various mail
    folders, saved newsgroup conversation threads, online note-taker,
    emacs-command invocations, etc.

                                        -- Dadong Wan

-------

  Hyperbole is the first hyper-link system I've run across that is
  actually part of the environment I use regularly, namely Emacs. The
  complete flexibility of the links is both impressive and expected -- the
  idea of making the link itself programmable is clever, and given that one
  assumes the full power of Emacs.  Being able to send email with buttons
  in it is a very powerful capability.  Using ange-ftp mode, one can make
  file references "across the world" as easily as normal file references.

                                        -- Mark Eichin
                                           Cygnus Support
-------

   I just wanted to say how much I enjoy using the Hyperbole outliner.
   It is a great way to quickly construct very readable technical documents
   that I can pass around to others.   Thanks for the great work.  

                                        -- Jeff Fried
                                           Informix

-------

   The Hyperbole system provides a nice interface to exploring corners of
   Unix that I didn't know existed before.

                                        -- Craig Smith

-------


===========================================================================
*                     Why was Hyperbole developed?
===========================================================================

Hyperbole has been designed to aid in research aimed at Personalized
Information production/retrieval Environments (PIEs).  Hyperbole is a
PIE Manager that provides services to PIE Tools.  PIEmail, a mail reader is
the only PIE Tool developed to date.

An examination of many hypertext environments as background research did
not turn up any that seemed suitable for the research envisioned, mainly
due to the lack of rich, portable programmer and user environments.  We also
tired of trying to manage our own distributed information pools with standard
UNIX tools.  And so Hyperbole was conceived and raved about until it
got its name.


===========================================================================
*                              Copyright
===========================================================================

The following copyright applies to the Hyperbole system as a whole.

Copyright (C) 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2004, 2005,
2006, 2007, 2008  Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Available for use and distribution under the terms of the GNU Public
License, version 3 or higher.

Hyperbole is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or (at your
option) any later version.

Hyperbole is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with Hyperbole; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,
Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA