yelp should specify which Ubuntu packages provide missing help topics

[Eliah Kagan]

Binary package hint: yelp

Currently, clicking a link on the Yelp main page to a help topic that is missing due to the appropriate -docs package (e.g. ubuntu-docs) not being installed brings up a message box with a confusing and technical error message, like:

Unable to load page
The requested URI "ghelp:internet#connecting" is invalid

It would be nice if, instead, it said something like, "The requested page is provided by the package [blah], which is not installed. To install it, [blah blah blah]" followed (after two newlines) by expandable text of the technical error message.

This feature request is not high priority, since nontechnical users are unlikely to have Yelp installed but not have the -docs package installed for their Ubuntu flavor. However, this could be much more useful than simply providing information about why links on the main page don't work, in the rare situations where they don't. Executing a command in a terminal which is provided by an non-installed package causes a message to be printed telling the user what package provides the command, and how to install it; it would be neat if Yelp provided similar information about any unavailable help topics to which the user attempts to navigate.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: yelp 2.30.2-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.37-11.25-generic 2.6.37-rc7
Uname: Linux 2.6.37-11-generic i686
Architecture: i386
Date: Wed Dec 29 16:29:04 2010
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/yelp
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Alpha i386 (20101202)
ProcEnviron:
 SHELL=/bin/bash
 LC_MESSAGES=en_US.utf8
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
SourcePackage: yelp

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.