From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Peter S Galbraith Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Coding Convections - Enabling a feature by loading a file Date: Wed, 04 Jun 2003 14:51:46 -0400 Organization: Debian GNU/Linux - www.debian.org Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+gnu-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Message-ID: <20030604185146.57D492951F@mixing.qc.dfo.ca> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1054754126 4463 80.91.224.249 (4 Jun 2003 19:15:26 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2003 19:15:26 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+gnu-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Wed Jun 04 21:15:24 2003 Return-path: Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 19NdjI-00019d-00 for ; Wed, 04 Jun 2003 21:15:24 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.20) id 19Ndir-0003ib-1r for gnu-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Wed, 04 Jun 2003 15:14:57 -0400 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.20) id 19NdeY-0002dz-LL for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Wed, 04 Jun 2003 15:10:30 -0400 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.20) id 19NdeM-0002au-6e for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Wed, 04 Jun 2003 15:10:19 -0400 Original-Received: from mixing.qc.dfo-mpo.gc.ca ([216.226.40.21] helo=mixing.qc.dfo.ca) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.20) id 19NdMS-00069R-P0 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Wed, 04 Jun 2003 14:51:49 -0400 Original-Received: from mixing.qc.dfo.ca (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by mixing.qc.dfo.ca (Postfix) with ESMTP id 57D492951F for ; Wed, 4 Jun 2003 14:51:46 -0400 (EDT) Original-To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailer: MH-E 7.3+cvs; nmh 1.0.4+dev; GNU Emacs 21.2.1 Face: iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAADAAAAAwBAMAAAClLOS0AAAAGFBMVEXdqJqlZmK9g3wVCxJy T1bk7/pWGBne5vMHXo54AAACXUlEQVR4nF2TQW/bMAyFVS9brqPr9SypQXcOFORcOap7DYYJ us6wx13XIoL+/h7lZG3KxAfrAx8fKVrFmNLJvQt2j7mUpGKK+Qo4t1unUir4dA2mPmUASB2u AbvvyMgxfVBy+8OvRepKiSc8uyoVPygh5sVVBTwHZp72jOJuV2tUMAci6sIgSgCfpUYG2Hlr LbXWmgHnzj2Xs9RoayilDLsFlCrVW7JWK4lOMp6iijlVgNDNf/KUVC5voJ6rBu/PUeW3DHWO wyQANU4fwK1zv2uDPxegL+ABNcRu+nEFrFotIMbj5HqD7lSjbeetXu0v4OD6TQgBjXc8t3qz n77V+zhCqgthmPtm4NkTMT9lGSKAl/nxaLq5JdLD9CeKq7+TC3LOc+c99NSGn8WudNgNs+94 bHoiuFvNuY49b5wNweOvWiO2b3zM4iqf9hbSFFrV1P6bPkVZn5yCJTJdaHVDdTBtWvYqb6xc rEcGSf/anxcur3CtegOgDB61DrnWiOmlpdbAqzampsyljiTF17buyAyzrW3Uar+AkivAtMia FhlfdrJwsJuPZCTDt9p4rfT9trrCOiRo0yAJw4iM+205F48vhgxmZbsRxfXhcZFCi7CFu2D4 whLZeQ1QJCEfe7KE9dUKwMzriE0sOYFRDVhqMBYOOguI+Eg3/gyUAOavF7BaAGaOGgAsQD7r UwgV1LgA/Mqr9LcAcwEYSYlNJxN5n4FtR8opCBA1wuXyeMfSR0nldivnDGTINjzSXZUqJzfS kiEf4g0zQBSzD7z1Fyl7BugiJZ52JEW8OFYAd/wPmIcEShWCTbsAAAAASUVORK5CYII= X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1b5 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Archive: List-Unsubscribe: , Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+gnu-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:10623 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.help:10623 Hi all, The coding conventions say: * When a package provides a modification of ordinary Emacs behavior, it is good to include a command to enable and disable the feature, Provide a command named `WHATEVER-mode' which turns the feature on or off, and make it autoload (*note Autoload::). Design the package so that simply loading it has no visible effect--that should not enable the feature.(2) Users will request the feature by invoking the command. The first part is fine (`include a command to enable and disable the feature'). But what is the rationale behind the loading of a package having no visisble effect? If the only purpose of a package is to enable a feature (say changing the cursor to a bar), why ask users to do: (require 'bar-cursor) (bar-cursor-mode 1) instead of only: (require 'bar-cursor) ? I am perfect happy for packages to install themselves correctly once loaded without having to go through more hoops. Thanks, Peter