From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Luc Teirlinck Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.bugs Subject: confusion over undocumented syntax-table features, font-lock and syntax-tables Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 17:37:26 -0600 (CST) Sender: bug-gnu-emacs-bounces+gnu-bug-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Message-ID: <200302152337.RAA15707@eel.dms.auburn.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1045352207 12742 80.91.224.249 (15 Feb 2003 23:36:47 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 23:36:47 +0000 (UTC) Cc: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Return-path: Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 18kBrR-0003JF-00 for ; Sun, 16 Feb 2003 00:36:45 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.10.13) id 18kBso-0007jC-00 for gnu-bug-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2003 18:38:10 -0500 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.10.13) id 18kBsa-0007fH-00 for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2003 18:37:56 -0500 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.10.13) id 18kBsY-0007eG-00 for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2003 18:37:55 -0500 Original-Received: from manatee.dms.auburn.edu ([131.204.53.104]) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.10.13) id 18kBrK-0007Ac-00 for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2003 18:36:38 -0500 Original-Received: from eel.dms.auburn.edu (eel.dms.auburn.edu [131.204.53.108]) by manatee.dms.auburn.edu (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id RAA08171; Sat, 15 Feb 2003 17:36:37 -0600 (CST) Original-Received: (from teirllm@localhost) by eel.dms.auburn.edu (8.9.3+Sun/8.9.3) id RAA15707; Sat, 15 Feb 2003 17:37:26 -0600 (CST) X-Authentication-Warning: eel.dms.auburn.edu: teirllm set sender to teirllm@dms.auburn.edu using -f Original-To: Matt Swift X-BeenThere: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1b5 Precedence: list List-Id: Bug reports for GNU Emacs, the Swiss army knife of text editors List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Archive: List-Unsubscribe: , Errors-To: bug-gnu-emacs-bounces+gnu-bug-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.bugs:4469 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.bugs:4469 Matthew Smith wrote: One question remains, which may yet be bug of some kind: What is the meaning of assigning a matching char to chars in syntax class comment-starter (`<') or string-quote (`"')? Several packages, including sh-script.el, make such an assignment, but I do not see that the meaning of matching chars is documented except for syntax classes open-parenthesis and close-parenthesis. The Elisp manual indeed says: A syntax descriptor is a Lisp string that specifies a syntax class, a matching character (used only for the parenthesis classes) and flags. Hence there indeed is either an inaccuracy in the Elisp manual and the various documentation strings you alluded to in your prior posting or the usage in the packages you mentioned is inappropriate. I do not know which of the two alternatives applies. However, use of a matching character for comment starter and ender seems to make at least some sense to me. For string quote, it seems really strange. The Elisp manual says: - Syntax class: string quote "String quote characters" (designated by `"') are used in many languages, including Lisp and C, to delimit string constants. The same string quote character appears at the beginning and the end of a string. Such quoted strings do not nest. Thus, if a package mentions the identical character as a matcher, then this seems totally redundant. If it mentions another character, it seems dangerous (at least to me), since plenty of Lisp code might expect the identical character to match, relying on the above quote. Sincerely, Luc.