(fboundp 'make-symbolic-link) on w32

(fboundp 'make-symbolic-link) on w32

[Lennart Borgman (gmail)]

returns t, but when I just tried to use it on Windows XP it gives me

   File error: "Symbolic links are not supported"

That seems a bit inconvenient to me. Should it really be this way?

Re: (fboundp 'make-symbolic-link) on w32

[Stefan Monnier]

> returns t, but when I just tried to use it on Windows XP it gives me
>   File error: "Symbolic links are not supported"
> That seems a bit inconvenient to me. Should it really be this way?

Yes: make-symbolic-link will work for some files, just not all.
E.g. it may work for files accessed via Tramp.  So the only way to
figure out if it works is by trying it.


        Stefan

Re: (fboundp 'make-symbolic-link) on w32

[Lennart Borgman (gmail)]

Stefan Monnier wrote:
>> returns t, but when I just tried to use it on Windows XP it gives me
>>   File error: "Symbolic links are not supported"
>> That seems a bit inconvenient to me. Should it really be this way?
> 
> Yes: make-symbolic-link will work for some files, just not all.
> E.g. it may work for files accessed via Tramp.  So the only way to
> figure out if it works is by trying it.

Thanks, I see. Then I suggest adding a comment about this to the doc 
string, something like:


Make a symbolic link to filename, named linkname.
Both args must be strings.
Signals a `file-already-exists' error if a file linkname already exists
unless optional third argument ok-if-already-exists is non-nil.
A number as third arg means request confirmation if linkname already exists.
Confirmation is also requested for interactive use with M-x.

Note that symbolic link does not exist on all platform even though this 
function still exist for use via Tramp.

Re: (fboundp 'make-symbolic-link) on w32

[Michael Albinus]

"Lennart Borgman (gmail)" <lennart.borgman@gmail.com> writes:

> Note that symbolic link does not exist on all platform even though
> this function still exist for use via Tramp.
                                    ^^^^^^^^^
                                    of remote files.

Btw, there is even the reverse case: `make-symbolic-link' works for
local files, but it doesn't work for remote files (for example, when smb
access has been used).

Best regards, Michael.

Re: (fboundp 'make-symbolic-link) on w32

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:12:36 +0200
> From: "Lennart Borgman (gmail)" <lennart.borgman@gmail.com>
> Cc: Emacs Devel <emacs-devel@gnu.org>
> 
> Note that symbolic link does not exist on all platform even though this 
> function still exist for use via Tramp.

That's something for the manual, not for a doc string.

Besides, Windows Vista introduced support for symlinks, so if someone
volunteers to code that in Emacs, w32 will have it as well.

Re: (fboundp 'make-symbolic-link) on w32

[Lennart Borgman (gmail)]

Eli Zaretskii wrote:
>> Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:12:36 +0200
>> From: "Lennart Borgman (gmail)" <lennart.borgman@gmail.com>
>> Cc: Emacs Devel <emacs-devel@gnu.org>
>>
>> Note that symbolic link does not exist on all platform even though this 
>> function still exist for use via Tramp.
> 
> That's something for the manual, not for a doc string.

Why not in the doc string? The problem here is that the function exists 
on all platform which leads those who just read the doc string into 
coding things like

   (when (fboundp 'make-symbolic-link)
      (make-symbolic-link ...))

which makes the call to make-symbolic-link on all platforms. In the code 
where I saw this there were no error checking around this.

> Besides, Windows Vista introduced support for symlinks, so if someone
> volunteers to code that in Emacs, w32 will have it as well.

Is there any Emacs user that runs Vista ;-)

(Ah, yes I know.)