Re: Proper use of function form

[Tim Johnson <tim@akwebsoft.com>]

On 4/27/20 12:06 AM, Emanuel Berg via Users list for the GNU Emacs text 
editor wrote:
> Tim Johnson wrote:
>
>> Here is a key definition:
>>
>> (define-key jinja2-mode-map (kbd "C-c i") #'jinja2-insert-var)
>>
>> As I understand it, the sharp-quote (#') tells the
>> compiler that jinja2-insert-var is meant to be
>> a function
> Yes, that's what happens. I don't know what the
> byte-compiler does with that information tho, maybe it
> is just a matter of it being able to warn you if that
> function doesn't exist, since with the hash-quote, it
> knows where to look specifically...
>
> But there is also the advantage of you being able to see
> that something is, or supposed to be, a function.
>
> Perhaps font-lock could also be told to give it
> a special color, e.g. `font-lock-function-name-face', if
> desired - to increase seeing/reduce reading
> even further.
>
>> The following quotation:
>>
>> "it is always good practice to sharp quote every
>> symbol that is the name of a function, whether it's
>> going into a mapcar, an apply, a funcall, or
>> anything else."
> Well, that's what I do and it always worked. But if you
> seek a more scientific documentation and practical
> HOWTO, surely this is documented in the official
> manual(s)?
>
>> (setq my-keypairs '("h" my-h-func "g" my-g-func "f" my-f-func))
>>
>> and using iteration to *programmatically* call
>> define-key for multiple key definitions as in
>>
>> (define-key mymap                          ;; add to keymap
>>      (kbd (concat ldr (nth ndx mylist)))    ;; sequence as in "g"
>>      (nth (+ ndx 1) mylist))                ;;
>> command as in my-g-func
>>
>> The form above is indeed a snippet from a defun that
>> I have used for years
>>
>> Would it be better to change (nth (+ ndx 1) mylist) to
>> (function (nth (+ ndx 1) mylist)) ?
> But even if that had worked all the advantages mentioned
> so far would be lost, right?
>
> Maybe you could initially instead of the quote use the
> backquote/comma, or `list', with hash-quote?
>
Thanks Emanuel. Of course you know that it was your use of the 
sharp-quote in a response to an earlier question by me that prompted me 
to ask this latter question. I will play around with with subsequent 
advice when I have the time.

cheers

-- 
Tim
tj49.com