buffer-local file variables

[naehring@iee.et.tu-dresden.de]

If `enable-local-variables is set to `t then appearently a newly
loaded text file is searched for the string "local variables:" from
top to bottom.

I would consider that as almost a bug.

If the main text contains the string "local variables:" (which might be
in a comment of some computer program) then emacs misinterprets
this as the beginning of the in-file declaration of the buffer-local
variables. This, almost certainly induces the error

File local-variables error: (error "Local variables entry is missing the prefix")

There are some cries for help about this error in the
WWW. Maybe, those are due to this buggy behaviour.

I think text files should be searched for "local variables:" from
bottom up. Then, one can avoid the above error message by inserting an
empty local-variables block at the end of the text file.

The only problem left would be some variable setting containing the
string "local variables:". But in most cases those settings can be
done in the first line of the text file with the help of the -*-...-*-
syntax.

Don't know whether this behaviour is special to the Debian version of
gnu emacs.

Specs:
GNU Emacs 21.3.1 (i386-pc-linux-gnu, X toolkit, Xaw3d scroll bars)
of 2004-04-07 on raven, modified by Debian

Best regards,
Tobias Naehring