From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Drew Adams" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: RE: can you explain the sentence about defvar in elisp? Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 10:52:02 -0700 Message-ID: <159B2D5E349D4F3CBFB96D315465E313@us.oracle.com> References: <907065090907030933x5a340225w90f3b29ae8d9d91b@mail.gmail.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1246643568 27034 80.91.229.12 (3 Jul 2009 17:52:48 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 17:52:48 +0000 (UTC) To: "'waterloo'" , Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Fri Jul 03 19:52:41 2009 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1MMmwA-00080B-Ln for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:52:40 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:49950 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1MMmw9-0003QC-By for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:52:37 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1MMmvn-0003NB-0S for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:52:15 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1MMmvh-0003Ju-RS for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:52:13 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (port=44631 helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1MMmvg-0003Jf-UL for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:52:08 -0400 Original-Received: from rcsinet12.oracle.com ([148.87.113.124]:56316 helo=rgminet12.oracle.com) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS-1.0:DHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:32) (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1MMmvg-0005EE-CI for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:52:08 -0400 Original-Received: from rgminet15.oracle.com (rcsinet15.oracle.com [148.87.113.117]) by rgminet12.oracle.com (Switch-3.3.1/Switch-3.3.1) with ESMTP id n63Hpim9025317 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=OK); Fri, 3 Jul 2009 17:51:46 GMT Original-Received: from abhmt002.oracle.com (abhmt002.oracle.com [141.146.116.11]) by rgminet15.oracle.com (Switch-3.3.1/Switch-3.3.1) with ESMTP id n63HqAxk024862; Fri, 3 Jul 2009 17:52:10 GMT Original-Received: from dradamslap1 (/24.23.164.86) by default (Oracle Beehive Gateway v4.0) with ESMTP ; Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:52:02 -0700 X-Mailer: Microsoft Office Outlook 11 In-Reply-To: <907065090907030933x5a340225w90f3b29ae8d9d91b@mail.gmail.com> Thread-Index: Acn7/El8wfmD/G1ZRhi5S1EOQPHz4gABt5UA X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.5579 X-Source-IP: abhmt002.oracle.com [141.146.116.11] X-Auth-Type: Internal IP X-CT-RefId: str=0001.0A010205.4A4E4543.005C:SCFSTAT5015188,ss=1,fgs=0 X-detected-operating-system: by monty-python.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.6 (newer, 1) X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:65764 Archived-At: > When you specified a variable using the `defvar' special form, you > could distinguish a readily settable variable from others by typing an > asterisk, `*', in the first column of its documentation string. For > example: > (defvar shell-command-default-error-buffer nil > "*Buffer name for `shell-command'...error output...") > I can not understant it "distinguish a readily settable variable > from others" ? What is meant is a "user option", sometimes called a "user variable" or just an "option". See the Emacs manual, node `Variables'. An option is, by definition, any variable that can be set using command `set-variable' or using the so-called "Customize" or "Easy Customization" user interface. In recent versions of Emacs, every option that can be set using Customize can also be set using `M-x set-variable'. See the Emacs manual, node `Easy Customization' for more information about Customize. The terms "customizable" and "customize" are a bit ambiguous. Sometimes they are used to refer only to the use of the Customize UI (Easy Customization). But sometimes they are used to refer to any changes made by users. In addition to variable values, you can use Customize to customize Emacs faces. Emacs key bindings are typically customized using functions such as `global-set-key' and `define-key'. In Emacs Lisp: . `defvar' defines a global variable. If `*' is the first character of the doc string, then the variable is a user variable, but it is not customizable using Customize. . `defcustom' defines a global option that is customizable using Customize. In recent versions of Emacs, the first doc-string character need not be `*' for the option to also be settable using `M-x set-variable'. See also: http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/CustomizingAndSaving ---- BTW, I don't see the text or the example that you cited anywhere in the Elisp manual - in Emacs 20, 21, 22, or 23. Where did you find this? In the Elisp manual, node `Defining Variables', I see `*' described explicitly as pertaining to command `set-variable'. If the text you cited is in an Emacs 23 manual somewhere, then please file an Emacs (doc) bug, using `M-x report-emacs-bug'. Explain that the text you cited is not clear to you. In particular, "readily settable variable" is unclear. What is missing (in the text you cited) is an explicit reference to _interactive_ setting using `M-x set-variable'.