What constitutes a "function-defining form"

What constitutes a "function-defining form"

[Lennart Borgman (gmail)]

I tried to use update-file-autoloads on some functions defined with a
defmacro, but then the whole defmacro got copied.

I think I need to know what a "function-defining form" is:

  (info "(elisp) Autoload")

Can someone explain that?

Re: What constitutes a "function-defining form"

[Lennart Borgman (gmail)]

Lennart Borgman (gmail) wrote:
> I tried to use update-file-autoloads on some functions defined with a
> defmacro, but then the whole defmacro got copied.
> 
> I think I need to know what a "function-defining form" is:
> 
>   (info "(elisp) Autoload")
> 
> Can someone explain that?

... I think I found it. It seems to be a list in `make-autoload' -- a
hard-coded list.

There is of course good reasons for that beeing hard-coded, but it would
be nice if make-autoload called a hook at the end when nothing did match.

Re: What constitutes a "function-defining form"

[Jim Blandy]

On Sat, Sep 27, 2008 at 10:05 AM, Lennart Borgman (gmail)
<lennart.borgman@gmail.com> wrote:
> There is of course good reasons for that beeing hard-coded, but it would
> be nice if make-autoload called a hook at the end when nothing did match.

Better yet, put a property on the symbol that names the macro, and
have make-autoload check that.  That way, macro authors can say for
themselves what make-autoload should do.

Re: What constitutes a "function-defining form"

[Stefan Monnier]

>> There is of course good reasons for that beeing hard-coded, but it would
>> be nice if make-autoload called a hook at the end when nothing did match.

> Better yet, put a property on the symbol that names the macro, and
> have make-autoload check that.  That way, macro authors can say for
> themselves what make-autoload should do.

Remember that those autoloads are generated without "load"ing files, so
the symbol property would need to be added in one of the preloaded files
(or in autoload.el), so you might as well add it directly in the code of
autoload.el.


        Stefan