Added basic help messages in addtion to reference to web pages

src/frontend/com_ghelp.c

@@ -17,19 +17,20 @@
  * Internet Archive using the link below.
  * https://web.archive.org/web/20180221111839/http://newton.ex.ac.uk/teaching/CDHW/Electronics2/userguide/
  */
-void
+#define BASE_HELP_URL "http://ngspice.sourceforge.net/docs"
-com_ghelp(wordlist *wl)
+void com_ghelp(wordlist *wl)
 {
-#if defined(HAS_WINGUI) || defined(_MSC_VER) || defined(__MINGW32__) || defined(X_DISPLAY_MISSING) || defined(NOINTHELP)
+#if defined(HAS_WINGUI) || defined(_MSC_VER) || defined(__MINGW32__) ||\
+        defined(X_DISPLAY_MISSING) || defined(NOINTHELP)
+    com_help(wl);
 
-    NG_IGNORE(wl);
+    /* After brief help from com_help, add info on the web links to the
-
+     * the PDF and HTML versions of the manual */
-    (void) printf("Internal help is no longer available!\n"
+    (void) out_printf("For further details please see the latest official "
-            "For the latest official ngspice manual in PDF format, "
+            "ngspice manual in PDF format at\n"
-                    "please see\n"
+            "  " BASE_HELP_URL "/ngspice-manual.pdf\n"
-            "  http://ngspice.sourceforge.net/docs/ngspice-manual.pdf\n"
+           "or in HTML format at\n"
-           "Or for HTML see\n"
+           "  " BASE_HELP_URL "/ngspice-html-manual/manual.html\n\n");
-           "  http://ngspice.sourceforge.net/docs/ngspice-html-manual/manual.html\n");
     return;
 
 #else

src/frontend/com_help.c

@@ -9,51 +9,78 @@
 #include "com_help.h"
 #include "ngspice/fteext.h"
 
-
+#define N_CMD_DFLT  512
-void
+void com_help(wordlist *wl)
-com_help(wordlist *wl)
 {
-    struct comm *c;
-    struct comm *ccc[512];  /* Should be enough. */
-    int numcoms, i;
     bool allflag = FALSE;
 
+    /* Make empty list and "all" behave the same except for the part
+     * related to "help all" */
     if (wl && eq(wl->wl_word, "all")) {
         allflag = TRUE;
-        wl = NULL;  /* XXX Probably right */
+        wl = (wordlist *) NULL;
     }
 
-    /* We want to use more mode whether "moremode" is set or not. */
+    /* We want to use more mode whether "moremode" is set or not.
+     * In that case the code below should be changed... */
     out_moremode = TRUE;
     out_init();
     out_moremode = FALSE;
+
+
     if (wl == NULL) {
-        out_printf("For a complete description "
+        struct comm *ccc_dflt[N_CMD_DFLT];  /* Should be enough. */
-                   "read the Spice3 User's Manual.\n");
+        struct comm **ccc; /* dynamic alloc in case it is not */
+        int numcoms;
 
         if (!allflag) {
             out_printf("For a list of all commands "
                        "type \"help all\", for a short\n"
                        "description of \"command\", "
                        "type \"help command\".\n");
+            return;
+        }
+
+        /* Count the number of commands */
+        for (numcoms = 0; cp_coms[numcoms].co_func != NULL; numcoms++) {
+            ;
+        }
+        if (numcoms > N_CMD_DFLT) {
+            ccc = TMALLOC(struct comm *, numcoms);
+        }
+        else {
+            ccc = ccc_dflt;
         }
 
         /* Sort the commands */
-        for (numcoms = 0; cp_coms[numcoms].co_func != NULL; numcoms++)
+        for (numcoms = 0; cp_coms[numcoms].co_func != NULL; numcoms++) {
             ccc[numcoms] = &cp_coms[numcoms];
+        }
         qsort(ccc, (size_t) numcoms, sizeof(struct comm *), hcomp);
 
-        for (i = 0; i < numcoms; i++) {
+        /* Print help for each of the "major" commands */
-            if ((ccc[i]->co_spiceonly && ft_nutmeg) ||
+        {
-                (ccc[i]->co_help == NULL) ||
+            int i;
-                (!allflag && !ccc[i]->co_major))
+            for (i = 0; i < numcoms; i++) {
-                continue;
+                if ((ccc[i]->co_spiceonly && ft_nutmeg) ||
-            out_printf("%s ", ccc[i]->co_comname);
+                        (ccc[i]->co_help == NULL) ||
-            out_printf(ccc[i]->co_help, cp_program);
+                        (!allflag && !ccc[i]->co_major)) {
-            out_send("\n");
+                    continue;
+                }
+                out_printf("%s ", ccc[i]->co_comname);
+                out_printf(ccc[i]->co_help, cp_program);
+                out_send("\n");
+            }
         }
-    } else {
+
+        /* Free allocation if it was required */
+        if (ccc != ccc_dflt) {
+            txfree(ccc);
+        } 
+    }
+    else {
         while (wl != NULL) {
+            struct comm *c;
             for (c = &cp_coms[0]; c->co_func != NULL; c++)
                 if (eq(wl->wl_word, c->co_comname)) {
                     out_printf("%s ", c->co_comname);
@@ -73,16 +100,20 @@ com_help(wordlist *wl)
 
                 if (al == NULL) {
                     fprintf(cp_out, "Sorry, no help for %s.\n", wl->wl_word);
-                } else {
+                }
+                else {
                     out_printf("%s is aliased to ", wl->wl_word);
                     /* Minor badness here... */
                     wl_print(al->al_text, cp_out);
                     out_send("\n");
                 }
-            }
+            } /* end of case that a function with the given name was found */
-            wl = wl->wl_next;
+            wl = wl->wl_next; /* step to next word in list of help items */
-        }
+        } /* end of loop over list of help items */
     }
 
     out_send("\n");
-}
+} /* end of function com_help */
+
+
+