# `help`

This tool provides basic online help for Logtalk features and libraries when running in most operating-systems. For help on the Logtalk compiler error and warning messages, see the `tutor` tool.

## Requirements

On Windows, the `start` command must be available. On Linux, the `xdg-open` command must be available. On macOS, the command `open` is used.

Experimental features for browsing the Handbook and APIs documentation at the top-level require Texinfo to be installed. See the `tools/NOTES.md` file for per operating-system installation instructions.

## API documentation

This tool API documentation is available at:

../../apis/library_index.html#help

For sample queries, please see the `SCRIPT.txt` file in the tool directory.

## Loading

    | ?- logtalk_load(help(loader)).

## Testing

To test this tool, load the `tester.lgt` file:

    | ?- logtalk_load(help(tester)).

## Supported operating-systems

Currently, support is limited to Linux, macOS, and Windows.

This tool relies on the library portable operating-system access abstraction.

## Usage

After loading the tool, use the query `help::help` to get started.

## Experimental features

On POSIX systems, when using Ciao Prolog, ECLiPSe, GNU Prolog (1.5.1 or later version), SICStus Prolog, SWI-Prolog, Trealla Prolog, XSB, or XVM as the backend, `apis/1` and `handbook/0-1` predicates are made available. These predicates open inline at the top-level interpreter the Texinfo versions of the Handbook and the APIs documentation. The optional argument is a starting node, which can be an atom, a predicate indicator, or a non-terminal indicator. When there are several nodes for the same argument (e.g., multiple implementations of the `member/2` predicate), one of them will be displayed. Some examples:

    | ?- help::handbook.

    | ?- help::handbook(base64).

    | ?- help::handbook(logtalk_load/2).

    | ?- help::apis.

    | ?- help::apis(check/2).

    | ?- help::apis(message_tokens//2).

Although less useful, you can also browse the `man` pages of Logtalk scripts. For example:

    | ?- help::man(logtalk_tester).

When you finish consulting the documentation and quit the `info` process, you will be back to the top-level prompt (if you find that the top-level have scrolled from its last position, try to set your terminal terminfo to `xterm-256colour`).

If you’re running Logtalk from a git clone of its repo, you will need to run the `docs/apis/sources/build.sh` or `docs/apis/sources/build.ps1` scripts to generate the APIs documentation `.info` file and also run the `docs/handbook/sources/build.sh` or `docs/handbook/sources/build.ps1` scripts to generate the Handbook `.info` file. Alternatively, you can download the `.info` files for the latest stable release from the Logtalk website and save them to the `docs` and `manuals` directories.

The required `info` command is provided by the third-party `texinfo` package (tested with version 6.8). On macOS, this package can be installed with either MacPorts:

    $ sudo port install texinfo

Or using Homebrew:

    $ brew install texinfo

On Linux systems, use the distribution’s own package manager to install the `texinfo` package. For example, in Ubuntu systems:

    $ sudo apt install info

## Known issues

The open commands used to open documentation URLs drops the fragment part, thus preventing navigation to the specified position on the documentation page.

When browsing the Texinfo versions of the Handbook and the APIs documentation generated with a recent version of Sphinx and using a recent version of Texinfo, the Texinfo search feature often displays the previous nodes of the searched nodes.

ECLiPSe defines a `help` prefix operator that forces wrapping this atom between parentheses when sending messages to the tool. E.g. use `(help)::help` instead of `help::help`.