Re: Help using the right hook for loading theme on emacs daemon GUI

[Phil Sainty <psainty@orcon.net.nz>]

On 2019-01-25 08:44, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> It's not entirely a no-op, since there's early-init-file and
> package-initialize, both of which are called before this hook.

Ah, interesting.  So this subtlety is new as of Emacs 27.

I was already thinking that the `after-make-frame-functions' docstring
could use some additional information (it seems to be a common point
of confusion when people start using --daemon); and even more so given
this new wrinkle.


(info "(elisp) Creating Frames") does already say:

>    Note that any functions added to these hooks by your initial file 
> are
> usually not run for the initial frame, since Emacs reads the initial
> file only after creating that frame.  However, if the initial frame is
> specified to use a separate minibuffer frame (*note Minibuffers and
> Frames::), the functions will be run for both, the minibuffer-less and
> the minibuffer frame.

(As a tangent, the terminology "initial file" instead of the more
common "init file" is a little jarring.  It crops up in that context
in a couple of other places in the manual, I see, and I'm unsure
whether it's a typo or intended, but I would be inclined to replace
them with "init file" in all cases.)

The info node should be updated to cover the new behaviour in 27, and
I suggest that the docstrings ought to provide a clear pointer to the
info node as being very important reading regarding when the hooks do
and do not run.  I think the docstrings should possibly also replicate
or summarise some of that information; but just ensuring that readers
know there are additional subtleties to understand, and where to read
about them, would be good enough.


-Phil