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 09:54:12 -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> 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 1502470510 25145 195.159.176.226 (11 Aug 2017 16:55:10 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@blaine.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2017 16:55:10 +0000 (UTC) To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Fri Aug 11 18:55:04 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 1dgDD5-0005R1-IA for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Fri, 11 Aug 2017 18:54:55 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:56594 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1dgDD8-0007zM-LZ for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Fri, 11 Aug 2017 12:54:58 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:51861) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1dgDCZ-0007yO-Kc for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 11 Aug 2017 12:54:24 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1dgDCV-0007ta-P6 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 11 Aug 2017 12:54:23 -0400 Original-Received: from userp1040.oracle.com ([156.151.31.81]:38682) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.0:DHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:32) (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1dgDCV-0007sr-Ef for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 11 Aug 2017 12:54:19 -0400 Original-Received: from userv0022.oracle.com (userv0022.oracle.com [156.151.31.74]) by userp1040.oracle.com (Sentrion-MTA-4.3.2/Sentrion-MTA-4.3.2) with ESMTP id v7BGsEAe017181 (version=TLSv1.2 cipher=ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 bits=256 verify=OK) for ; Fri, 11 Aug 2017 16:54:15 GMT Original-Received: from userv0121.oracle.com (userv0121.oracle.com [156.151.31.72]) by userv0022.oracle.com (8.14.4/8.14.4) with ESMTP id v7BGsEJZ020857 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 bits=256 verify=OK) for ; Fri, 11 Aug 2017 16:54:14 GMT Original-Received: from abhmp0006.oracle.com (abhmp0006.oracle.com [141.146.116.12]) by userv0121.oracle.com (8.14.4/8.13.8) with ESMTP id v7BGsEKK026689 for ; Fri, 11 Aug 2017 16:54:14 GMT In-Reply-To: <86o9rmruil.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: userv0022.oracle.com [156.151.31.74] X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.4.x-2.6.x [generic] [fuzzy] X-Received-From: 156.151.31.81 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:113990 Archived-At: > > ....and that is the problem. What are the > > "some-value"? I tried 2-3 variables until > > someone in this newsgroups gave me the proper > > value, which at the time I was not even aware. >=20 > Yes, and that is a fine way of doing it! > 1) think > 2) use the help system or manual > 3) experiment > 4) ask a friend (or NG) Thre seems to be some misunderstanding in this thread, regarding the opposition "use setq" vs "use Customize". `setq' is fine for setting a user-option value, but *ONLY IF*: 1. The value you set it to is one that "works" (is expected by, and acceptable to, the code that uses it, so that it causes that code to do the right thing). 2. The `defcustom' defining the option does not specify a `:set' function or similar behavior (e.g. `:initialize'). A `:set' function is a trigger invoked by Customize functions to set the option value. It should (must) be used to set the option value, for proper behavior (see #1). It is true that most user options are not defined with a `:set' function, so you can usually get away with just blindly using `setq', as long as you respect #1. But if you want to set a user option using Lisp, then it is far better to use `customize-set-variable', `customize-set-value', or `custom-set-variables', than it is to use `setq'. These are the functions that Customize itself uses. `defcustom' is not `defvar'. It typically imposes a `:type'; it can impose a `:set' function; and so on. If you want to use Lisp with user options, you will help yourself by getting to know `defcustom'. (Which really means getting to know some Customize functions.) 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. Folks went to the trouble of writing this stuff up to help you. ;-)