From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail
From: "Roland Winkler" <winkler@gnu.org>
Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.bugs
Subject: bug#13699: 24.2.93; multiple defcustoms for one variable
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2013 13:57:01 -0600
Message-ID: <87a9r9s3ua.fsf@lukas.physics.niu.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org
X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1360700265 30373 80.91.229.3 (12 Feb 2013 20:17:45 GMT)
X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org
NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:17:45 +0000 (UTC)
To: 13699@debbugs.gnu.org
Original-X-From: bug-gnu-emacs-bounces+geb-bug-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Feb 12 21:18:05 2013
Return-path: <bug-gnu-emacs-bounces+geb-bug-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org>
Envelope-to: geb-bug-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org
Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17])
	by plane.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69)
	(envelope-from <bug-gnu-emacs-bounces+geb-bug-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org>)
	id 1U5MIm-0001XA-PS
	for geb-bug-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:18:04 +0100
Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:37337 helo=lists.gnu.org)
	by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71)
	(envelope-from <bug-gnu-emacs-bounces+geb-bug-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org>)
	id 1U5MIT-0003QO-DG
	for geb-bug-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:17:45 -0500
Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([208.118.235.92]:37526)
	by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71)
	(envelope-from <Debian-debbugs@debbugs.gnu.org>) id 1U5MIO-0003Q3-Rh
	for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:17:43 -0500
Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71)
	(envelope-from <Debian-debbugs@debbugs.gnu.org>) id 1U5MIJ-0008IS-HF
	for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:17:40 -0500
Original-Received: from debbugs.gnu.org ([140.186.70.43]:47124)
	by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71)
	(envelope-from <Debian-debbugs@debbugs.gnu.org>) id 1U5MIJ-0008I9-Dv
	for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:17:35 -0500
Original-Received: from Debian-debbugs by debbugs.gnu.org with local (Exim 4.72)
	(envelope-from <Debian-debbugs@debbugs.gnu.org>) id 1U5MIk-000595-CK
	for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:18:02 -0500
X-Loop: help-debbugs@gnu.org
Resent-From: "Roland Winkler" <winkler@gnu.org>
Original-Sender: debbugs-submit-bounces@debbugs.gnu.org
Resent-CC: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
Resent-Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:18:02 +0000
Resent-Message-ID: <handler.13699.B.136070026219751@debbugs.gnu.org>
Resent-Sender: help-debbugs@gnu.org
X-GNU-PR-Message: report 13699
X-GNU-PR-Package: emacs
X-GNU-PR-Keywords: 
X-Debbugs-Original-To: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
Original-Received: via spool by submit@debbugs.gnu.org id=B.136070026219751
	(code B ref -1); Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:18:02 +0000
Original-Received: (at submit) by debbugs.gnu.org; 12 Feb 2013 20:17:42 +0000
Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:52587 helo=debbugs.gnu.org)
	by debbugs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.72)
	(envelope-from <debbugs-submit-bounces@debbugs.gnu.org>)
	id 1U5MIP-00058U-6o
	for submit@debbugs.gnu.org; Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:17:42 -0500
Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([208.118.235.92]:54260)
	by debbugs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.72)
	(envelope-from <winkler@gnu.org>) id 1U5MIM-00058N-Fr
	for submit@debbugs.gnu.org; Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:17:39 -0500
Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71)
	(envelope-from <winkler@gnu.org>) id 1U5MHs-0008Dt-IN
	for submit@debbugs.gnu.org; Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:17:11 -0500
Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17]:46845)
	by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71)
	(envelope-from <winkler@gnu.org>) id 1U5MHs-0008Dp-FY
	for submit@debbugs.gnu.org; Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:17:08 -0500
Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([208.118.235.92]:59903)
	by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71)
	(envelope-from <winkler@gnu.org>) id 1U5LyT-0007gJ-PB
	for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:57:08 -0500
Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71)
	(envelope-from <winkler@gnu.org>) id 1U5LyQ-0003LY-31
	for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:57:05 -0500
Original-Received: from fencepost.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::e]:39513)
	by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71)
	(envelope-from <winkler@gnu.org>) id 1U5LyP-0003LU-Vh
	for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:57:02 -0500
Original-Received: from lukas.physics.niu.edu ([131.156.85.221]:59347)
	by fencepost.gnu.org with esmtpa (Exim 4.71)
	(envelope-from <winkler@gnu.org>) id 1U5LyP-0005vz-Lb
	for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:57:01 -0500
X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: Error: Malformed IPv6 address
	(bad octet value).
X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.6.x
X-BeenThere: debbugs-submit@debbugs.gnu.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.13
Precedence: list
X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.6.x
X-Received-From: 140.186.70.43
X-BeenThere: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
List-Id: "Bug reports for GNU Emacs,
	the Swiss army knife of text editors" <bug-gnu-emacs.gnu.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/options/bug-gnu-emacs>,
	<mailto:bug-gnu-emacs-request@gnu.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-gnu-emacs>
List-Post: <mailto:bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
List-Help: <mailto:bug-gnu-emacs-request@gnu.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/bug-gnu-emacs>,
	<mailto:bug-gnu-emacs-request@gnu.org?subject=subscribe>
Errors-To: bug-gnu-emacs-bounces+geb-bug-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org
Original-Sender: bug-gnu-emacs-bounces+geb-bug-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org
Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.bugs:71114
Archived-At: <http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.bugs/71114>

start emacs -Q
load the following two files (first bar.el, then baz.el)

cat > bar.el <<EOF
(defcustom foo 'bar
  "This is bar.el.")
EOF

cat > baz.el <<EOF
(defcustom foo 'baz
  "This is baz.el.")
EOF

Expected result:
Either loading baz.el overrides completely loading bar.el,
so that C-h v foo reflects baz.el only.
Or emacs "remembers" bar.el so that C-h foo indicates the fact that
foo was first defined in bar.el and foo kept its value defined there.

Actual result:
C-h v foo says

  foo is a variable defined in `baz.el'.
  Its value is bar
  Original value was baz
  
  Documentation:
  This is baz.el.

The actual value of foo is the original value from bar.el,
but "Original value was baz" denies the fact that this value
stems from bar.el.

I noticed this problem with the variable mail-signature which
sendmail.el initializes with a value of t. But my old version of vm
also initialized it with a value of nil. With sendmail.el being
loaded before vm, I got the value of t, but it took me a little
while to figure out how this value came about.

I suggest that multiple calls of defcustom appearing for the same
variable in different files should be handled consistently so that
it becomes possible to trace back how the value of the variable
came about.


In GNU Emacs 24.2.93.1 (x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 2.12.9)
 of 2013-02-08 on lukas
Windowing system distributor `The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.10706000
System Description:	Ubuntu 8.04.4 LTS