From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
Path: news.gmane.io!.POSTED.blaine.gmane.org!not-for-mail
From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel
Subject: Re: Lispref add-to-list - doc is unnecessary convoluted
Date: Fri, 04 Dec 2020 10:29:36 +0200
Message-ID: <83zh2udle7.fsf@gnu.org>
References: <AM0PR06MB65776A53D55ACF6FC85BC17B96F10@AM0PR06MB6577.eurprd06.prod.outlook.com>
Injection-Info: ciao.gmane.io; posting-host="blaine.gmane.org:116.202.254.214";
	logging-data="17500"; mail-complaints-to="usenet@ciao.gmane.io"
Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org
To: Arthur Miller <arthur.miller@live.com>
Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Fri Dec 04 09:30:49 2020
Return-path: <emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org>
Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane-mx.org
Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([209.51.188.17])
	by ciao.gmane.io with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256)
	(Exim 4.92)
	(envelope-from <emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org>)
	id 1kl6UL-0004Ra-3x
	for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane-mx.org; Fri, 04 Dec 2020 09:30:49 +0100
Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:41756 helo=lists1p.gnu.org)
	by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.90_1)
	(envelope-from <emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org>)
	id 1kl6UK-0000hu-56
	for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane-mx.org; Fri, 04 Dec 2020 03:30:48 -0500
Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:470:142:3::10]:56600)
 by lists.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256)
 (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from <eliz@gnu.org>) id 1kl6TT-00008v-PO
 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 04 Dec 2020 03:29:55 -0500
Original-Received: from fencepost.gnu.org ([2001:470:142:3::e]:33591)
 by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.90_1)
 (envelope-from <eliz@gnu.org>)
 id 1kl6TS-0004UP-OR; Fri, 04 Dec 2020 03:29:54 -0500
Original-Received: from [176.228.60.248] (port=1988 helo=home-c4e4a596f7)
 by fencepost.gnu.org with esmtpsa (TLS1.2:RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:256)
 (Exim 4.82) (envelope-from <eliz@gnu.org>)
 id 1kl6TS-0000S8-5O; Fri, 04 Dec 2020 03:29:54 -0500
In-Reply-To: <AM0PR06MB65776A53D55ACF6FC85BC17B96F10@AM0PR06MB6577.eurprd06.prod.outlook.com>
 (message from Arthur Miller on Fri, 04 Dec 2020 03:17:19 +0100)
X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.23
Precedence: list
List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." <emacs-devel.gnu.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/options/emacs-devel>,
 <mailto:emacs-devel-request@gnu.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel>
List-Post: <mailto:emacs-devel@gnu.org>
List-Help: <mailto:emacs-devel-request@gnu.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-devel>,
 <mailto:emacs-devel-request@gnu.org?subject=subscribe>
Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org
Original-Sender: "Emacs-devel"
 <emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org>
Xref: news.gmane.io gmane.emacs.devel:260274
Archived-At: <http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel/260274>

> From: Arthur Miller <arthur.miller@live.com>
> Date: Fri, 04 Dec 2020 03:17:19 +0100
> 
> +This function adds the @var{element} to a list @var{list} if

This will produce "... to a list LIST if ...", which is sub-optimal.

You omitted the part where the current doc string warns against an
argument that is not a list, and that's losing information.

> -The argument @var{symbol} is not implicitly quoted; @code{add-to-list}
> -is an ordinary function, like @code{set} and unlike @code{setq}.  Quote
> -the argument yourself if that is what you want.
> +The argument @var{list} is not implicitly quoted; @code{add-to-list}
> +is an ordinary function, like @code{set} and unlike @code{setq}.

Not sure why you want to drop the explicit suggestion to quote the
list symbol here: it's also losing information.