[I7] Table of Contents

[Emily Short]

> (Because I do hope
> we can accompany this TOC work with the
> ability to edit extensions fully within the
> interface - something much needed, if a bit
> delicate to set up.)

Er? I write all my extensions within the interface. But maybe I am not  
understanding what you have in mind.

> I've never liked automatic renumbering. It
> tends to presuppose that people use headings
> in a particular numbered way - which they
> don't always do. (I used lettered chapters
> in ROTA, for instance.) I want the TOC to
> change only at my direct instruction, really.
> It needs to feel like my piece of paper, not
> the computer's. Perhaps this is just me!

I, on the other hand, would object strenuously to the removal of  
automatic renumbering. It's not *mandatory*, after all -- if you  
really want to tinker by hand, there's nothing to stop you -- but  
being able to stick in a new section and then hit the "renumber" item  
is vastly, vastly better than having to hand-edit every single thing  
that follows.

I cannot quite see what the objection is, given that Inform is not  
forcing anything on the user.

> What I _do_ want is the ability to edit the
> heading names by dropping the cursor
> into the name and typing - rather the way
> one edits track names in iTunes, or file
> names in the Finder.

That would certainly be nice also.

A few general notes: I suspect the ideal indentation step width will  
itself depend a bit on how many layers of hierarchy the author is  
using; I'd indent more if I just have chapters and sections, but less  
if I'm using the full possible range. We may want to leave that in the  
hands of the author. If we don't, I'm guessing that we won't be able  
to settle on a single ideal depth.

The other thing I occasionally run into is starting a project with  
just chapters and sections, and then realizing that the project is  
growing so complex that I need to promote everything a level -- make  
my chapters into parts, my sections into chapters, in order to allow  
new sub-chapters. I wonder whether it would be worth providing a way  
to do such a thing automatically.

-- Emily