From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Thaddeus L Olczyk Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: Emacs internals + lisp guru question (with an error corrected) Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 08:46:38 GMT Organization: Allegiance Internet - Greenbelt, MD Sender: help-gnu-emacs-admin@gnu.org Message-ID: <77fdpu0o87i2o3o92ocvkc12t8ak04jo9k@4ax.com> References: Reply-To: olczyk@interaccess.com NNTP-Posting-Host: localhost.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1033289803 15032 127.0.0.1 (29 Sep 2002 08:56:43 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 08:56:43 +0000 (UTC) Return-path: Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 17vZsW-0003uC-00 for ; Sun, 29 Sep 2002 10:56:40 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.10) id 17vZsl-0001wj-00; Sun, 29 Sep 2002 04:56:55 -0400 Original-Path: shelby.stanford.edu!nntp.stanford.edu!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed1.cidera.com!Cidera!dca6-feed2.news.algx.net!dca1-feed1.news.algx.net!allegiance!dca1-nnrp2.news.algx.net.POSTED!not-for-mail Original-Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.help,comp.lang.lisp,gnu.utils.help,comp.unix.programmer,comp.unix.shell X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.91/32.564 Original-Lines: 54 Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: 207.208.141.171 Original-X-Complaints-To: abuse@algx.net Original-X-Trace: dca1-nnrp2.news.algx.net 1033289198 207.208.141.171 (Sun, 29 Sep 2002 04:46:38 EDT) Original-NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 04:46:38 EDT Original-Xref: nntp.stanford.edu gnu.emacs.help:105477 comp.lang.lisp:94914 gnu.utils.help:4053 comp.unix.programmer:143492 comp.unix.shell:133536 Original-To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-admin@gnu.org X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.11 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:2022 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.help:2022 On 28 Sep 2002 23:35:11 -0700, gnuist006@hotmail.com (gnuist006) wrote: >There are some functions that take a string as argument. > ^^^^^^ >Text can be read from the buffer as a string. >There are other functions that take a "symbol" as an argument. >A string can be converted to a symbol. >However, when symbol is provided to the function by converting a string > it is not working. > >For example: > >(describe-function quoted-SYMBOL) works > eg (describe-function 'describe-function) >(make-symbol "describe-function") works > >but > >(describe-function (make-symbol "describe-function")) is not working. > >Is there a way to fix it? > >How can we get the code of describe-function? > >What is the meaning of the gibberish from >(insert (format "%s" (symbol-function 'describe-function) )) > >What is out there to learn more about emacs/emacs_lisp and become more >sophisticated? > >Many thanks to the gurus and novices for their very kind contributions. Executing these three forms should clarify things: (let ((sym 'describe-function)) (funcall sym 'describe-function)) (let ((sym2 (make-symbol "describe-function"))) (funcall sym2 'describe-function)) (let ((sym2 (intern "describe-function"))) (funcall sym2 'describe-function)) To see the code ( if possible ) for describe-function do: (describe-function 'describe-function) Is should say something like: describe-function is a function in "file"( underscored). Go to "file" and press return up pops the file at the function definition. The one exception: a function which is an emacs primitive imlemented in C. Then you will have to grep the source for it.