Re: In what version did implicit node pointers debut?

On Sat, Jan 17, 2026 at 11:40:27AM -0600, G. Branden Robinson wrote:
> Hi folks,
> 
> In updating groff's Texinfo manual for its imminent[1] first release
> candidate for version 1.24.0, I'm fixing some warts.  A colleague,
> Alexis Hildebrandt, pointed out that it's no longer necessary in Texinfo
> input to maintain node pointers (arguments after the first to a @node
> command).  This is/was a huge ergonomic win in my opinion, but I can't
> find a straightforward mention of it in the Texinfo NEWS file.
> 
> The closest thing seems to be this, from the entry for Texinfo 5.0.
> 
> ---snip---
>   . The old implementation accepted ``irregular'' sectioning trees.  Now,
>     when @node pointers are implicitly determined, the consistency of
>     @menu and the sectioning tree is checked.  (If node pointers are
>     explicitly specified in the document, the tree can still be irregular.)
> ---end snip---
> 
> This use of passive voice doesn't tell me when implicit determination of
> @node pointers became a Texinfo feature.
> 
> Can someone tell me?

I cannot tell if it was already present in previous releases, but I just
had a look at the code of Texinfo 5.0 and it seems to me that the nodes
without any directions have directions completed.

-- 
Pat