If you edit a file and follow a link in that file, then
1. you silently loose your edits
2. the filename in the window title is not updated

Internally the buffer is treated as if the new file had been opened. When you edit the new file (link target of the original one), then Save will save the edits to the new file name, not to the old, as the window title might suggest. Still, this is better than the earlier behaviour, when saving the new file would overwrite the calling one.

Proposal:
For item 1: Provide a security check dialog before replacing unsaved buffer contents, buttons could be [Save] [No Save] [Cancel].
For item 2: just fix the bug.

Martin, I hope I understood you well

Wrote

If you edit a file and follow a link in that file, then
1. you silently loose your edits

I agree with this completely. Just to try clarify a bit. If we follow the links (CTRL+left click-means files are editable) than every edited file to popup a dialog window [Save] [No Save] [Cancel] after clicking to any link inside them. At the moment, there is just no difference if the files are set to "editable" or "not-editable", except any editing will be lost in the "editable" .

Wrote

2. the filename in the window title is not updated

This is also important if the previous item is going to be changed in order to see which one of the files has been edited and should be saved. Then I suppose the old file would be overwritten with the edited one with the same name. When the files with links are transformed (somehow) to the Reference Book type, these things are of no importance, because everything will be non-editable.

Wrote

Internally the buffer is treated as if the new file had been opened. When you edit the new file (link target of the original one), then Save will save the edits to the new file name, not to the old, as the window title might suggest. Still, this is better than the earlier behaviour, when saving the new file would overwrite the calling one.

Proposal:
For item 1: Provide a security check dialog before replacing unsaved buffer contents, buttons could be [Save] [No Save] [Cancel].
For item 2: just fix the bug.

Correct me if I was wrong.

Regards,
Radovan

Radovan,

the problem of loosing edits always just affects a single file: the one that contains the link you want to follow. There may be more buffers open and unsaved, but just the current one is going to be replaced by the link target and needs to be saved prior to that.

I am not going to be the one who switches all the files to non-editable prior to distribution. Even the small handbook prototype contains 58 files that I do not want to touch individually just for that. Of course, you can do some scripting about that, but this would make the process of providing contents dependent on third party co-operation. Also, if the feature request is implemented, then the inconsistency is gone.

Martin

By the way, I am not sure if I manage to follow all your thoughts correctly but I do not mind to much if I put your Handbook inside Reference Book, and the changes, editing is temporary. Contrary, this is quite desirable when we have some example and want to explore it just right there and see the results after changing - live Handbook option. The problem is that we can delete the links as well, and the only way is to close and reopen the Reference Book. I would not mind at all about this, if {Back} button will work in those cases and all the edits are lost. Moreover, if there is a way that the "editable" switch from the file is ignored by default inside the Reference Book environment, then just a single click will allow browsing through the files (more desirable). Now, an option-switch inside the Reference book will make a particular file temporary editable in the way right now is the case. This way, you just do not have to worry about "editable", "non-editable" and did not have to change anything inside any particular file - it would be even desirable to leave it "editable".

Regards,
Radovan

Wrote

By the way, I am not sure if I manage to follow all your thoughts correctly but I do not mind to much if I put your Handbook inside Reference Book, and the changes, editing is temporary.

OK, I admit, that the bug fix is more important for handbook writers than for readers ;-)