When should I use "`" and "'" in NEWS?

When should I use "`" and "'" in NEWS?

[Xue Fuqiao]

Hi list,

In etc/NEWS[fn:1], I found this sentence:

  You should either convert them to utf-8 or add an explicit coding:
  cookie.

I expected a "`" and a "'" around the "coding:" cookie, but there's
none.  So I have a question: when should we add these delimiters?  I
can't find a reference/convention documentation.

IMHO at least these things need those delimiters:
  * Lisp symbols
  * Configure options

and there are something I'm uncertain about:
  * Key sequences
  * Code span (I think "coding:" cookie is belong to this category)
  * "Modules" (like those in Eshell and Org)
  * Library/package names (with or without `.el')
  * Value of Lisp variables
  * Value returned by functions/lambda/primitives/macros

Footnotes:

[fn:1] http://bzr.savannah.gnu.org/lh/emacs/trunk/revision/112957

--
Best regards, Xue Fuqiao.
http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/

Re: When should I use "`" and "'" in NEWS?

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 10:51:58 +0800
> From: Xue Fuqiao <xfq.free@gmail.com>
> 
> In etc/NEWS[fn:1], I found this sentence:
> 
>   You should either convert them to utf-8 or add an explicit coding:
>   cookie.
> 
> I expected a "`" and a "'" around the "coding:" cookie, but there's
> none.

So add them.

> So I have a question: when should we add these delimiters?

When you think they are appropriate.  There's no formal grammar for
NEWS, it's just more or less free text.

> IMHO at least these things need those delimiters:
>   * Lisp symbols
>   * Configure options
> 
> and there are something I'm uncertain about:
>   * Key sequences
>   * Code span (I think "coding:" cookie is belong to this category)
>   * "Modules" (like those in Eshell and Org)
>   * Library/package names (with or without `.el')
>   * Value of Lisp variables
>   * Value returned by functions/lambda/primitives/macros

Think of NEWS as an Info file, and decorate everything makeinfo would.