Why are ` and ' shown in help for doc strings?

Why are ` and ' shown in help for doc strings?

[Lennart Borgman]

If you write something like `some-var' it will show up just like that in 
the doc string, but with some-var underlined. The underlining makes 
some-var stick out pretty well. Why are ` and ' still shown then?

Re: Why are ` and ' shown in help for doc strings?

[Juanma Barranquero]

On 12/16/06, Lennart Borgman <lennart.borgman.073@student.lu.se>
wrote:

> If you write something like `some-var' it will show up just like that in
> the doc string, but with some-var underlined. The underlining makes
> some-var stick out pretty well. Why are ` and ' still shown then?

The underline means that `some-var' is a button linking to
`describe-variable' for some-var. But you could have customized the
`button' face so it is indistinguishable from the default font. Try
"M-: (set-face-attribute 'button nil :underline nil)".

                    /L/e/k/t/u

RE: Why are ` and ' shown in help for doc strings?

[Drew Adams]

> If you write something like `some-var' it will show up just like that in
> the doc string, but with some-var underlined. The underlining makes
> some-var stick out pretty well. Why are ` and ' still shown then?

Please don't change this (I know you didn't actually suggest that). One
reason might be that it isn't always underlined; I don't know.

My reasons: 1. Doc strings can be used in different places (e.g. by
3rd-party libraries), not all of which would show this as underlined (a
link). 2. This is a conventional notation, and as such is consistent with
other references to variables and other names in the manuals. 3. 3rd-party
code might use `...' to highlight names specially (I do that in Info, for
instance).

I think, but others will correct me, that the underlining is specific to the
help context, where the name happens to be a hyperlink, whereas the `...' is
a doc convention for names everywhere (and `...' is perhaps rendered
differently in printed doc).

Re: Why are ` and ' shown in help for doc strings?

[Richard Stallman]

I think it would be unwise to delete those quote characters
when displaying the doc string.

Re: Why are ` and ' shown in help for doc strings?

[Miles Bader]

Lennart Borgman <lennart.borgman.073@student.lu.se> writes:
> If you write something like `some-var' it will show up just like that in
> the doc string, but with some-var underlined. The underlining makes
> some-var stick out pretty well. Why are ` and ' still shown then?

Because that's how we write such things.  The link fontification is an
_addition_ with a different, orthogonal, meaning.

-Miles

-- 
`There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
 Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.'