From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Drew Adams" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.bugs Subject: bug#6335: 24.0.50; doc for define-minor-mode: specify ARG Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2010 15:07:28 -0700 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: dough.gmane.org 1275517685 6893 80.91.229.12 (2 Jun 2010 22:28:05 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@dough.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2010 22:28:05 +0000 (UTC) To: 6335@debbugs.gnu.org Original-X-From: bug-gnu-emacs-bounces+geb-bug-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Thu Jun 03 00:28:03 2010 connect(): No such file or directory Return-path: Envelope-to: geb-bug-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1OJwPl-0005CN-6i for geb-bug-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:27:57 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:49828 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1OJwPk-0002Xr-IJ for geb-bug-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; 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If the argument is `nil', it should toggle the mode (turn it on if it is off, and off if it is on). It should turn the mode on if the argument is a positive integer, the symbol `t', or a list whose CAR is one of those. It should turn the mode off if the argument is a negative integer or zero, the symbol `-', or a list whose CAR is a negative integer or zero. The meaning of other arguments is not specified. `define-minor-mode' defines such a command. But the doc for `define-minor-mode' does not let you know the identity of the parameter (which is ARG) or anything about where its value comes from interactively. It should, for at least these reasons: 1. A programmer can use the value. It is one thing to know that a positive arg turns the mode on. It is another thing to know what the arg name is, so that the command body can recuperate that value and use it. For example, the body of the command could do something different, depending on the value: (cond ((integer arg) (if (> arg 0) do-foo do-fa)) ((consp arg) ...) (arg ...) (t ...)) 2. This would require Emacs developers to maintain `define-minor-mode' so that the name ARG is respected. Yes, that's a good thing, not a bad thing. The argument should explicitly be part of the spec defining `define-minor-mode'. Programmers will anyway use `symbol-function' to find out what the parameter is, and it is better that Emacs Dev recognize this, respect the parameter name, and document it. The doc should also state clearly that the _raw prefix argument_ is used as ARG interactively. Programmers can then take advantage of that fact also. Knowing this, they can easily define a minor-mode command that lets users pass a significant value via a prefix arg. All of this is important, missing info for programmers. In GNU Emacs 24.0.50.1 (i386-mingw-nt5.1.2600) of 2010-05-23 on G41R2F1 Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 5.1.2600 configured using `configure --with-gcc (3.4) --no-opt --cflags -Ic:/xpm/include'