From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Drew Adams Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: RE: Using "Emacs Configure" **and** modifying .emacs Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2017 12:15:27 -0700 (PDT) Message-ID: References: <1502373086.1171866.1069247696.71F9FED4@webmail.messagingengine.com> <8660dvuzsr.fsf@zoho.com> <1502436066.2568371.1070085968.1D25E0E7@webmail.messagingengine.com> <861soitdq1.fsf@zoho.com> <86o9rmruil.fsf@zoho.com> <86bmnlsz31.fsf@zoho.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: blaine.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: blaine.gmane.org 1502478970 25162 195.159.176.226 (11 Aug 2017 19:16:10 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@blaine.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2017 19:16:10 +0000 (UTC) To: Emanuel Berg , help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Fri Aug 11 21:16:04 2017 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17]) by blaine.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.84_2) (envelope-from ) id 1dgFPb-0005wQ-R4 for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Fri, 11 Aug 2017 21:15:59 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:39288 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1dgFPi-0000mu-6Y for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Fri, 11 Aug 2017 15:16:06 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:57230) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1dgFPD-0000mL-Nh for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 11 Aug 2017 15:15:36 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1dgFPA-0007cA-I1 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 11 Aug 2017 15:15:35 -0400 Original-Received: from aserp1040.oracle.com ([141.146.126.69]:47932) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.0:DHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:32) (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1dgFPA-0007bu-5L for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 11 Aug 2017 15:15:32 -0400 Original-Received: from aserv0022.oracle.com (aserv0022.oracle.com [141.146.126.234]) by aserp1040.oracle.com (Sentrion-MTA-4.3.2/Sentrion-MTA-4.3.2) with ESMTP id v7BJFTac016112 (version=TLSv1.2 cipher=ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 bits=256 verify=OK); Fri, 11 Aug 2017 19:15:30 GMT Original-Received: from aserv0121.oracle.com (aserv0121.oracle.com [141.146.126.235]) by aserv0022.oracle.com (8.14.4/8.14.4) with ESMTP id v7BJFTif032446 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 bits=256 verify=OK); Fri, 11 Aug 2017 19:15:29 GMT Original-Received: from abhmp0019.oracle.com (abhmp0019.oracle.com [141.146.116.25]) by aserv0121.oracle.com (8.14.4/8.13.8) with ESMTP id v7BJFTkx014268; Fri, 11 Aug 2017 19:15:29 GMT In-Reply-To: <86bmnlsz31.fsf@zoho.com> X-Priority: 3 X-Mailer: Oracle Beehive Extensions for Outlook 2.0.1.9.1 (1003210) [OL 12.0.6774.5000 (x86)] X-Source-IP: aserv0022.oracle.com [141.146.126.234] X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.4.x-2.6.x [generic] [fuzzy] X-Received-From: 141.146.126.69 X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.21 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: "help-gnu-emacs" Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:113992 Archived-At: > > It is fine to use Lisp. It is generally not > > advisable to use it without knowing what the > > functions you use do (or don't do). > > That's one way to learn, of course, - by > > experimenting, but it can also help to read > > the fine manual. >=20 > For setting single variables, one would think > using common sense, and the kind of common > sense that comes with using computers every day > and evermore pushing the envelope to increase > one's understanding, it would seem this would > be enough, at the very least if the docstring > (help system) also is consulted for the > specific setting. But reading the manual is > always encouraged, of course. >=20 > If the docstring isn't enough, but the manual > is, one can report it as a bug and suggest how > the docstring can be improved. Yes, the doc string for such an option should warn you not to just use `setq'. But not every doc string is perfect. ;-) The Elisp manual, node `Variable Definitions' says: =E2=80=98:set SETFUNCTION=E2=80=99 Specify SETFUNCTION as the way to change the value of this option when using the Customize interface. The function SETFUNCTION should take two arguments, a symbol (the option name) and the new value, and should do whatever is necessary to update the value properly for this option (which may not mean simply setting the option as a Lisp variable); preferably, though, it should not modify its value argument destructively. The default for SETFUNCTION is =E2=80=98set-default=E2=80=99. If you specify this keyword, the variable=E2=80=99s documentation stri= ng should describe how to do the same job in hand-written Lisp code. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/elisp/Variable-Definitio= ns.html Note the second paragraph. If you define an option with a `defcustom' that uses `:set', help users of your option by letting them know how to change the value using Lisp. How to change the value typically does not mean using only `setq' in such a case.