--- a/src/ChangeLog	Tue Jan 16 07:03:52 2007 +0000
+++ b/src/ChangeLog	Wed Jan 17 21:47:51 2007 +0000
@@ -1,3 +1,14 @@
+2007-01-17  John W. Eaton  <jwe@octave.org>
+
+	* help.cc (help_from_file, help_from_symbol_table, help_from_list):
+	Rewrite using raw_ versions.
+
+2007-01-17  David Bateman  <dbateman@free.fr>
+
+	* help.cc (raw_help, raw_help_from_file,
+	raw_help_from_symbol_table, raw_help_from_list): New functions.
+	* help.h (raw_help): Provide decl.
+
 2007-01-16  John W. Eaton  <jwe@octave.org>
 
 	* DLD-FUNCTIONS/__pchip_deriv__.cc: Fix dpchim decl for --enable-64.

--- a/src/help.cc	Tue Jan 16 07:03:52 2007 +0000
+++ b/src/help.cc	Wed Jan 17 21:47:51 2007 +0000
@@ -889,8 +889,8 @@
 }
 
 static bool
-help_from_list (std::ostream& os, const help_list *list,
-		const std::string& nm, int usage, bool& symbol_found)
+raw_help_from_list (const help_list *list, const std::string& nm, 
+		    std::string& h, bool& symbol_found)
 {
   bool retval = false;
 
@@ -902,21 +902,11 @@
 	{
 	  symbol_found = true;
 
-	  std::string h = list->help;
+	  h = list->help;
 
 	  if (h.length () > 0)
-	    {
-	      if (usage)
-		os << "\nusage: ";
-	      else
-		os << "\n*** " << nm << ":\n\n";
+	    retval = true;
 
-	      display_help_text (os, h);
-
-	      os << "\n";
-
-	      retval = true;
-	    }
 	  break;
 	}
       list++;
@@ -925,6 +915,34 @@
   return retval;;
 }
 
+static bool
+help_from_list (std::ostream& os, const help_list *list,
+		const std::string& nm, int usage, bool& symbol_found)
+{
+  bool retval = false;
+
+  std::string h;
+
+  if (raw_help_from_list (list, nm, h, symbol_found))
+    {
+      if (h.length () > 0)
+	{
+	  if (usage)
+	    os << "\nusage: ";
+	  else
+	    os << "\n*** " << nm << ":\n\n";
+
+	  display_help_text (os, h);
+
+	  os << "\n";
+
+	  retval = true;
+	}
+    }
+
+  return retval;
+}
+
 std::string
 extract_help_from_dispatch (const std::string& nm)
 {
@@ -981,8 +999,8 @@
 }
 
 static bool
-help_from_symbol_table (std::ostream& os, const std::string& nm,
-			bool& symbol_found)
+raw_help_from_symbol_table (const std::string& nm, std::string& h, 
+			    std::string& w, bool& symbol_found)
 {
   bool retval = false;
 
@@ -992,18 +1010,41 @@
     {
       symbol_found = true;
 
-      std::string h = sym_rec->help ();
+      h = sym_rec->help ();
+
+      if (h.length () > 0)
+	{
+	  w = sym_rec->which ();
+
+	  retval = true;
+	}
+    }
 
+  return retval;
+}
+
+static bool
+help_from_symbol_table (std::ostream& os, const std::string& nm,
+			bool& symbol_found)
+{
+  bool retval = false;
+
+  std::string h;
+  std::string w;
+
+  if (raw_help_from_symbol_table (nm, h, w, symbol_found))
+    {
       if (h.length () > 0)
 	{
 	  h = extract_help_from_dispatch (nm) + h;
+
 	  display_help_text (os, h);
-	  if (! Vsuppress_verbose_help_message)
-	    {
-	      sym_rec->which (os);
-	      os << "\n";
-	    }
+
+	  if (w.length () > 0 && ! Vsuppress_verbose_help_message)
+	    os << w << "\n";
+
 	  os << "\n";
+
 	  retval = true;
 	}
     }
@@ -1012,25 +1053,59 @@
 }
 
 static bool
+raw_help_from_file (const std::string& nm, std::string& h, 
+		    std::string& file, bool& symbol_found)
+{
+  bool retval = false;
+
+  h = get_help_from_file (nm, symbol_found, file);
+
+  if (h.length () > 0)
+    retval = true;
+
+  return retval;
+}
+
+static bool
 help_from_file (std::ostream& os, const std::string& nm, bool& symbol_found)
 {
   bool retval = false;
 
+  std::string h;
   std::string file;
 
-  std::string h = get_help_from_file (nm, symbol_found, file);
-
-  if (h.length () > 0)
+  if (raw_help_from_file (nm, h, file, symbol_found))
     {
-      os << nm << " is the file " << file << "\n\n";
-      display_help_text (os, h);
-      os << "\n";
-      retval = true;
+      if (h.length () > 0)
+	{
+	  os << nm << " is the file " << file << "\n\n";
+
+	  display_help_text (os, h);
+
+	  os << "\n";
+
+	  retval = true;
+	}
     }
 
   return retval;
 }
 
+std::string
+raw_help (const std::string& nm, bool &symbol_found)
+{
+  std::string h;
+  std::string w;
+  std::string f;
+
+  (raw_help_from_list (operator_help (), nm, h, symbol_found)
+   || raw_help_from_list (keyword_help (), nm, h, symbol_found)
+   || raw_help_from_symbol_table (nm, h, w, symbol_found)
+   || raw_help_from_file (nm, h, f, symbol_found));
+
+  return h;
+}
+
 static void
 builtin_help (int argc, const string_vector& argv)
 {

--- a/src/help.h	Tue Jan 16 07:03:52 2007 +0000
+++ b/src/help.h	Wed Jan 17 21:47:51 2007 +0000
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@
 
 extern void additional_help_message (std::ostream&);
 
+extern std::string raw_help (const std::string&, bool&);
+
 // Name of the info file specified on command line.
 // (--info-file file)
 extern std::string Vinfo_file;