Documenting 'make config' options

[Warren Block]

On Sat, 9 Jun 2012, Warren Block wrote:

> On Sat, 9 Jun 2012, Doug Barton wrote:
>
>> On 06/09/2012 17:54, Warren Block wrote:
>>> On Sat, 9 Jun 2012, Doug Barton wrote:
>>> 
>>>> On 06/06/2012 22:27, Dave Hayes wrote:
>>>>> Personally, a 'pkg-options-descr' text file would suit me just fine.
>>>> 
>>>> For those on -ports, the context is, "How do we provide more information
>>>> about what the various options mean?" This idea seems reasonable to me,
>>>> what do others think?
>>> 
>>> The user needs to know what the options mean when they appear, and
>>> having to go look them up in another file is just another hassle.
>>> Difficult to do in some situations, too.  Better to show them when the
>>> user scrolls to that option.  Here's what I suggested in -stable:
>>> http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-stable/2012-June/068187.html
>>> 
>>> No new files, only one copy of the descriptions so they don't get out of
>>> sync.
>> 
>> That's a nice idea, how do you make it work with dialog?
>
> No idea, this is still the design phase. :)  Actually, a message I now can't 
> find suggested that dialog may be able to do it unchanged.

Followup:

dialog --item-help \
   --checklist "Contrived options description example" 21 70 15 \
   "ABC" "Enable ABC encapsulation of convoluted insoluble    ..." "on" \
   "variations when the complementary quantum reversal feature is undesirable" \
   "DOCS" "Build and install documentation" "on" "" \
   "XYZ" "Enabling XYZ sets compiler go-fast stripes, defeats ...," "off" \
   "all safeguards, and begins a wholesale, awesome, breathtaking data mangling" \
   "NLS" "Native Language Support via gettext utilities" "on" ""


Now some code is needed to break descriptions too long to fit in the 
standard option box (preferably on spaces), right-justify "..." or maybe 
"+" at the end to show the line is continued, and integrate that with 
bsd.port.mk.