From: Stefan Kangas <stefan@marxist.se>
To: Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>
Cc: 38051@debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#38051: 26.3; (elisp) `Insertion' use of verb "point"
Date: Fri, 08 Nov 2019 01:36:10 +0100 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <874kzfyzk5.fsf@marxist.se> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <10c2ca80-b3d5-4efb-a2b1-5ded0cc8a14d@default> (Drew Adams's message of "Sun, 3 Nov 2019 13:26:08 -0800 (PST)")
Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:
> In a few places this node uses the verb "to point" to refer to a
> marker's position, as in the marker points to position N.
>
> This is unfortunate, as it makes the text confusing - especially so
> because the text in the node refers often to "point" meaning, well,
> point, the position of the cursor. Too many occurrences of "point", and
> in some cases with different possible meanings (some of which are wrong).
I agree with what Eli said in his reply, and I don't, in general, see
any risk for confusion. In any case, I would suggest that we treat
this on a case by case basis, rather than a one size fits all.
You have pointed to three cases below, and I hope that you will find
the following observations useful.
> It would be better to just talk about the position of the marker, or the
> position the marker has, than to talk about the position the marker
> points to.
>
> Examples:
>
> 1. When a marker points at the place of insertion...
>
> 2. Certain special functions such as `insert-before-markers' relocate
> all such markers to point after the inserted text, regardless of the
> markers' insertion type.
>
> 3. ...it relocates markers initially pointing at the insertion point, to
> point after the inserted text.
>
> #1 is not confusing or ambiguous. #2 and #3 can confuse you into
> thinking that "point after the inserted text" is maybe talking about
> point (the cursor position) being (just) after the inserted text, as if
> the text had another comma: "relocate all such markers to point, after
> the inserted text,..."
>
> Yes, lack of that comma does make the meaning clear, unless you read the
> text carefully you can be confused or misled.
>
> If the text instead speaks of the position of a marker, or speaks of
> where a marker "is", instead of speaking of where a marker "points", the
> problem disappears. E.g.:
>
> 1. When a marker is at the place of insertion...
I actually think it's more clear to say "points at" here, because the
marker is really an object in memory that "points at" a buffer
location. It is not actually in the buffer itself.
> 2. Certain special functions such as `insert-before-markers' relocate
> all such markers to be after the inserted text, regardless of the
> markers' insertion type.
I think the original reads better, and is more clear, as above.
> 3. ...it relocates markers that are initially at the insertion point, to
> be after the inserted text.
The same reasoning applies here.
> (This node also talks about "code point", which is a third meaning for
> "point". But that's unavoidable, and the text is not confusing.)
Agreed.
Best regards,
Stefan Kangas
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2019-11-08 0:36 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 10+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2019-11-03 21:26 bug#38051: 26.3; (elisp) `Insertion' use of verb "point" Drew Adams
2019-11-04 17:23 ` Eli Zaretskii
2019-11-08 0:36 ` Stefan Kangas [this message]
2019-11-08 17:53 ` Drew Adams
2019-11-08 19:11 ` Eli Zaretskii
[not found] <<10c2ca80-b3d5-4efb-a2b1-5ded0cc8a14d@default>
[not found] ` <<83sgn3h7yj.fsf@gnu.org>
2019-11-04 18:10 ` Drew Adams
2019-11-04 18:36 ` Eli Zaretskii
[not found] ` <<874kzfyzk5.fsf@marxist.se>
[not found] ` <<3b0f7464-a74f-4687-b91b-b654697cc1cc@default>
[not found] ` <<83a796b2tx.fsf@gnu.org>
2019-11-08 19:56 ` Drew Adams
2019-11-08 20:14 ` Eli Zaretskii
2019-11-09 14:55 ` Stefan Kangas
Reply instructions:
You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:
* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
and reply-to-all from there: mbox
Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style
* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
switches of git-send-email(1):
git send-email \
--in-reply-to=874kzfyzk5.fsf@marxist.se \
--to=stefan@marxist.se \
--cc=38051@debbugs.gnu.org \
--cc=drew.adams@oracle.com \
/path/to/YOUR_REPLY
https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html
* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line
before the message body.
Code repositories for project(s) associated with this external index
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs/org-mode.git
This is an external index of several public inboxes,
see mirroring instructions on how to clone and mirror
all data and code used by this external index.