customize option/variable

customize option/variable

[aalinovi]

I am running emacs-29.1 on OpenBSD.

Anytime I type M-x customize-option, as soon as I start typing it changes from
customize-option to customize-variable.

Not knowing lisp, I would appreciate some assistance in correcting this.

Thank you

Arthur

Re: customize option/variable

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: aalinovi@riseup.net
> Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2023 14:01:50 -0400
> 
> I am running emacs-29.1 on OpenBSD.
> 
> Anytime I type M-x customize-option, as soon as I start typing it changes from
> customize-option to customize-variable.
> 
> Not knowing lisp, I would appreciate some assistance in correcting this.

There's no need to correct anything: an option in Emacs is also a
variable.  IOW, these two are synonyms.

customize option/variable

[aalinovi]

Thank you for the quick response Eli, but I am a bit confused.

In Mickey Petersen's book "Mastering Emacs" he says:

Hint
Apropos can sort results by relevancy. Type M-x
customize-option apropos-sort-by-scores
to customize it.

But if I do M-x customize-option which becomes customize-variable,
there is no apropos-sort-by scores variable to customize.

Thank you

Arthur

RE: [External] : Re: customize option/variable

[Drew Adams]

> > I am running emacs-29.1 on OpenBSD.
> >
> > Anytime I type M-x customize-option, as soon as I
> > start typing it changes from customize-option to
> > customize-variable.

If your minibuffer test that you start typing,
e.g., `customize-o' changes to `customize-variable'
then I think something in your init file or code it
loads is causing that.

I don't see that with `emacs -Q' (no init file).
Do you?

On the other hand, if what you mean is that after
you type `M-x customize-option RET' you see a
_prompt_ that says this:

  Customize variable: 

That's something different.  That's a prompt for
the name of the option.  A user option in Emacs is
a _customizable_ variable, that is, a variable that
you can change using the Customize system (UI or
functions).

Presumably, the reason the prompt says "variable"
and not option is to help underline the fact that
an option is a variable.

[Personally, I think it would be better for it to
say "Customize option:", to avoid the confusion you
encountered.  If someone doesn't know what an option
is then `C-h f customize-option' should tell them.]

> > Not knowing lisp, I would appreciate some assistance in correcting this.
> 
> There's no need to correct anything: an option in Emacs is also a
> variable.  IOW, these two are synonyms.

Not really, no.  Every option is a variable, but not
every variable is an option.  Of course, the command
has "customize" in its name, so yes, in this context,
every variable name you can usefully enter has to be
an option name.

Re: customize option/variable

[Juergen Fenn]

Am 28.08.23 um 21:21 Uhr schrieb aalinovi@riseup.net:
> In Mickey Petersen's book "Mastering Emacs" he says:
>
> Hint
> Apropos can sort results by relevancy. Type M-x
> customize-option apropos-sort-by-scores
> to customize it.
>
> But if I do M-x customize-option which becomes customize-variable,
> there is no apropos-sort-by scores variable to customize.


That's right, you cannot customise apropos-sort-by-scores this way, so
you have to do this in your init file. Maybe it has to do with a change
in Emacs 29.1. Mickey's book is about Emacs 28.

Regards,
Jürgen.

Re: customize option/variable

[Stephen Berman]

On Mon, 28 Aug 2023 22:29:53 +0200 Juergen Fenn <jfenn@gmx.net> wrote:

> Am 28.08.23 um 21:21 Uhr schrieb aalinovi@riseup.net:
>> In Mickey Petersen's book "Mastering Emacs" he says:
>>
>> Hint
>> Apropos can sort results by relevancy. Type M-x
>> customize-option apropos-sort-by-scores
>> to customize it.
>>
>> But if I do M-x customize-option which becomes customize-variable,
>> there is no apropos-sort-by scores variable to customize.
>
>
> That's right, you cannot customise apropos-sort-by-scores this way, so
> you have to do this in your init file. Maybe it has to do with a change
> in Emacs 29.1. Mickey's book is about Emacs 28.

You can customize apropos-sort-by-scores with M-x customize-option in
Emacs 29 (and 30), but apropos.el has to be loaded for Customize to
recognize the variable.  So you can do e.g. `M-x apropos' and the `M-x
customize-option apr TAB s TAB will complete to the variable and you can
customize it.

Steve Berman

Re: customize option/variable

[Juergen Fenn]

Am 28.08.23 um 23:13 Uhr schrieb Stephen Berman:
> You can customize apropos-sort-by-scores with M-x customize-option in
> Emacs 29 (and 30), but apropos.el has to be loaded for Customize to
> recognize the variable. So you can do e.g. `M-x apropos' and the `M-x
> customize-option apr TAB s TAB will complete to the variable and you can
> customize it.

Thank you for this hint. In fact, I was not aware that navigating in
this way to the full variable name would lead you to a different
"target" than, e.g., M-x describe-variable, or M-x customize-variable
without completing the search term by apropos.

Regards,
Jürgen.

Re: customize option/variable

[Stephen Berman]

On Mon, 28 Aug 2023 23:42:04 +0200 Juergen Fenn <jfenn@gmx.net> wrote:

> Am 28.08.23 um 23:13 Uhr schrieb Stephen Berman:
>> You can customize apropos-sort-by-scores with M-x customize-option in
>> Emacs 29 (and 30), but apropos.el has to be loaded for Customize to
>> recognize the variable. So you can do e.g. `M-x apropos' and the `M-x
>> customize-option apr TAB s TAB will complete to the variable and you can
>> customize it.
>
> Thank you for this hint. In fact, I was not aware that navigating in
> this way to the full variable name would lead you to a different
> "target" than, e.g., M-x describe-variable, or M-x customize-variable
> without completing the search term by apropos.

Completion with M-x describe-variable (aka C-h v) in effect searches all
Emacs Lisp libraries to find completion candidates, while
customize-variable just examines loaded libraries.  Calling M-x apropos
just loads the library (you could also use e.g. M-x load-library RET
apropos), you don't need to enter search terms to subsequently get
customize-variable to recognize options in the loaded library.

Steve Berman

Re: customize option/variable

[Juergen Fenn]

Am 29.08.23 um 00:08 Uhr schrieb Stephen Berman:
> On Mon, 28 Aug 2023 23:42:04 +0200 Juergen Fenn <jfenn@gmx.net> wrote:
>
>> Am 28.08.23 um 23:13 Uhr schrieb Stephen Berman:
>>> You can customize apropos-sort-by-scores with M-x customize-option in
>>> Emacs 29 (and 30), but apropos.el has to be loaded for Customize to
>>> recognize the variable. So you can do e.g. `M-x apropos' and the `M-x
>>> customize-option apr TAB s TAB will complete to the variable and you can
>>> customize it.
>>
>> Thank you for this hint. In fact, I was not aware that navigating in
>> this way to the full variable name would lead you to a different
>> "target" than, e.g., M-x describe-variable, or M-x customize-variable
>> without completing the search term by apropos.
>
> Completion with M-x describe-variable (aka C-h v) in effect searches all
> Emacs Lisp libraries to find completion candidates, while
> customize-variable just examines loaded libraries.  Calling M-x apropos
> just loads the library (you could also use e.g. M-x load-library RET
> apropos), you don't need to enter search terms to subsequently get
> customize-variable to recognize options in the loaded library.

Steve,

I must say, it _is_ fascinating to see how complex Emacs has been
crafted to what is is today. I used to write my thesis back then with
NTEmacs and then, after switching to the Mac, I first used Carbon Emacs,
and then Aquamacs. Now I am on an all new Emacs 29.1, and I am only
beginning to understand how it all fits together, configuring a "Vanilla
Emacs" from scratch. When is comes to search, I did only C-s for years.
This _is_ a powerful tool indeed. I like it.

Thanks, again, for explaining this.

Regards,
Jürgen.

customize option/variable

[aalinovi]

A simple and sincere thank you to all who took the time to respond.

It is appreciated.

Arthur