bug#74511: 31.0.50; `dictionary-search-interface' overrides the user's customization of `dictionary-read-word-function'

[Steven Allen via "Bug reports for GNU Emacs, the Swiss army knife of text editors" <bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>]

Eshel Yaron <me@eshelyaron.com> writes:

> Hi,
>
> Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:
>
>>> From: Steven Allen <steven@stebalien.com>
>>> Cc: 74511@debbugs.gnu.org
>>> Date: Sun, 24 Nov 2024 12:36:00 -0800
>>> 
>>> Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:
>>> 
>>> >> Date: Sun, 24 Nov 2024 10:56:08 -0800
>>> >> From:  Steven Allen via "Bug reports for GNU Emacs,
>>> >>  the Swiss army knife of text editors" <bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
>>> >> 
>>> >> 
>>> >> If the user customizes `dictionary-read-word-function' then loads the
>>> >> dictionary package, the value of `dictionary-read-word-function' will be
>>> >> overridden when `dictionary-search-interface' is loaded. To reproduce:
>>> >> 
>>> >> 1. Run emacs with `emacs -Q`.
>>> >> 2. Open a scratch buffer and evaluate the following:
>>> >> 
>>> >>     (setopt dictionary-read-word-function 'dictionary-completing-read-word)
>>> >>     (require 'dictionary)
>>> >>     (message "%S" dictionary-read-word-function)
>>> >> 
>>> >> I'd expect `dictionary-read-word-function' to be
>>> >> `dictionary-completing-read-word' but instead it gets reset back to the
>>> >> default, `dictionary-read-dictionary-default'. I can work around this by
>>> >> calling `setopt' after loading the `dictionary' package, but ideally
>>> >> that wouldn't be necessary.
>>> >
>>> > You are supposed to customize dictionary-search-interface if you want
>>> > this mode of operation.
>>> 
>>> In addition to dictionary-search-interface, there are three separately
>>> customizable variables:
>>> 
>>> - dictionary-display-definition-function
>>> - dictionary-read-word-function
>>> - dictionary-read-dictionary-function
>>> 
>>> I'd expect dictionary-search-interface to override the defaults for
>>> these variables, but I wouldn't expect it to completely clobber any user
>>> customizations of said variables.
>>> 
>>> If these variables cannot be customized, I'd expect them to be "defvar"
>>> not "defcustom". Although that would be rather unfortunate because,
>>> while I want to enable minibuffer completion for words/dictionaries, I'd
>>> also like to use the real dictionary mode (not the help buffer).
>>> 
>>> Adding ":initialize 'custom-initialize-changed" to
>>> dictionary-search-interface would make it possible to specify either
>>> dictionary-search-interface or any of the other variables (but not both
>>> at the same time).
>>
>> Eshel, would you please look into this?  IMO, we should at least
>> improve the documentation to clarify these subtleties.  Bonus points
>> for allowing users to customize the other options without clobbering
>> them when the package is loaded or dictionary-search-interface is
>> customized.
>
> Thank you Steven, for reporting this issue, and Eli, for pinging me.
>
> The patch below tries to do both: 
>
> - it adds a few words to the docstring of dictionary-search-interface
>   which explain that this option can only be meaningfully set after
>   loading dictionary.el, and
> - it avoids clobbering existing settings for the other options during
>   initialization.  It still overrides existing settings for the other
>   options if you set dictionary-search-interface after dictionary.el,
>   because that's the intended behavior when customizing this option.
>
> WDYT?
>

Is adding the following to `dictionary-search-interface' not sufficient?

    :initialize 'custom-initialize-changed

That would apply the `dictionary-search-interface' setting if and only
if specified by the user while still alowing the user to, e.g., use the
customize interface.