Re: Double hyphens in variable names.

[Luc Teirlinck <teirllm@dms.auburn.edu>]

Lute Kamstra wrote:

   Imenu's functionality can be easily explained without referring to
   imenu--info-alist, so I think I'll do that.

I guess you really mean imenu--index-alist.  If I understand
correctly, (elisp)Imenu explains how a major mode author can help
construct imenu--index-alist in various ways.  The major mode author
is not supposed to play around with imenu--index-alist directly.  But
is taking a look at imenu--index-alist not useful for the author to
check his work?  Also could knowing about the alist he is trying to
construct with the other functions not be useful in understanding
those other functions?  (Assuming my above interpretation of the facts
is correct).

I saw you removed the documentation for the variable.  If you really
think it ought to be removed, then that is OK.  I am not necessarily
contesting that removal.  You know the node better than I do.  I just
took a quick look at it.  However, as a solution to the double dash
problem, removal seems a little bit too radical.  I believe the
following works in all situations, main text and index of both Info
and printed output:

@defvar {imenu-@--index-alist}

OK this is ugly, but you could mention in the Texinfo source in a
comment that the ugliness is a work-around for a bug in Texinfo.  The
@- allows for a discretionary hyphen, but the text is short, so no
problem.  The braces around the entire name prevent the Info index
from just listing `imenu-'.  This will work even if the user does not
have makeinfo 4.7 or higher.  The current problems in Info need to be
fixed, but any such fix will require the user to install make-info
version 4.7 or higher.  (I believe 4.6 is still the latest released
version.)

Sincerely,

Luc.