From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Luc Teirlinck Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: defvaralias Date: Sat, 7 May 2005 10:33:08 -0500 (CDT) Message-ID: <200505071533.j47FX8l22575@raven.dms.auburn.edu> References: <200505060142.j461gYF08458@raven.dms.auburn.edu> <17018.62209.92386.375984@farnswood.snap.net.nz> <200505061456.j46EuMh11458@raven.dms.auburn.edu> <17020.6078.335703.434592@farnswood.snap.net.nz> <200505070132.j471WEV20931@raven.dms.auburn.edu> <871x8jgjg7.fsf-monnier+emacs@gnu.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1115481033 9522 80.91.229.2 (7 May 2005 15:50:33 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 7 May 2005 15:50:33 +0000 (UTC) Cc: nickrob@snap.net.nz, emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sat May 07 17:50:29 2005 Return-path: Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1DURZ4-0004vj-GO for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 07 May 2005 17:50:02 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1DURbr-0007wv-Fw for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 07 May 2005 11:52:55 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1DURaZ-0007tl-1i for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 07 May 2005 11:51:35 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1DURaY-0007tC-5g for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 07 May 2005 11:51:34 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1DURZL-0007I7-9R for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 07 May 2005 11:50:19 -0400 Original-Received: from [131.204.53.104] (helo=manatee.dms.auburn.edu) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1DUROh-00086o-So for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 07 May 2005 11:39:20 -0400 Original-Received: from raven.dms.auburn.edu (raven.dms.auburn.edu [131.204.53.29]) by manatee.dms.auburn.edu (8.12.10/8.12.10) with ESMTP id j47FXVog003696; Sat, 7 May 2005 10:33:31 -0500 (CDT) Original-Received: (from teirllm@localhost) by raven.dms.auburn.edu (8.11.7p1+Sun/8.11.7) id j47FX8l22575; Sat, 7 May 2005 10:33:08 -0500 (CDT) X-Authentication-Warning: raven.dms.auburn.edu: teirllm set sender to teirllm@dms.auburn.edu using -f Original-To: monnier@iro.umontreal.ca In-reply-to: <871x8jgjg7.fsf-monnier+emacs@gnu.org> (message from Stefan Monnier on Sat, 07 May 2005 11:11:32 -0400) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:36812 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:36812 Stefan Monnier wrote: What's wrong with (defvaralias 'var1 'var2 "var1 docstring") ? Nothing. What we are struggling with is an unintentional misfeature whereby if var1 already has a docstring then after `(defvaralias 'var1 'var2)' it keeps its docstring instead of getting var2's docstring as intended and currently documented. This really never should matter, as it can only occur if var1 has two competing definitions, a defvar or defcustom and a defvaralias, which should not happen. My example with the deliberately bad code was meant to illustrate the misfeature. I proposed a small trivial patch to eliminate the misfeature, but Richard said that this constituted an incompatible change and that we should document the feature and tell people not to use it since the feature will be eliminated in Emacs 23. (I have a hard time understanding why this is an incompatible change, since the function defvaralias in _new_ in Emacs 22, and the behavior only can occur if there already is a bug anyway.) Sincerely, Luc.