From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Miles Bader Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: No return value in doc string Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 06:55:35 +0900 Message-ID: <87aca49hd4.fsf@catnip.gol.com> References: <87fyjy6b09.fsf-monnier+gnu.emacs.help@gnu.org> Reply-To: Miles Bader NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1146347758 28618 80.91.229.2 (29 Apr 2006 21:55:58 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 21:55:58 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sat Apr 29 23:55:56 2006 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1FZxPt-00058L-IJ for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Sat, 29 Apr 2006 23:55:53 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1FZxPs-0000DW-Sq for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Sat, 29 Apr 2006 17:55:52 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1FZxPi-0000DK-J2 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 29 Apr 2006 17:55:42 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1FZxPh-0000Cs-70 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 29 Apr 2006 17:55:42 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1FZxPh-0000Cp-1o for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 29 Apr 2006 17:55:41 -0400 Original-Received: from [203.216.5.72] (helo=smtp02.dentaku.gol.com) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS-1.0:RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA:32) (Exim 4.52) id 1FZxT7-0000od-Po; Sat, 29 Apr 2006 17:59:14 -0400 Original-Received: from 203-216-96-138.dsl.gol.ne.jp ([203.216.96.138] helo=catnip.gol.com) by smtp02.dentaku.gol.com with esmtpa (Dentaku) id 1FZxPd-0002Sw-Db; Sun, 30 Apr 2006 06:55:37 +0900 Original-Received: by catnip.gol.com (Postfix, from userid 1000) id 58E2C2F56; Sun, 30 Apr 2006 06:55:35 +0900 (JST) Original-To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org System-Type: i686-pc-linux-gnu In-Reply-To: (Dieter Wilhelm's message of "Sat, 29 Apr 2006 12:01:35 +0200") Original-Lines: 20 X-Abuse-Complaints: abuse@gol.com X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:34720 Archived-At: Dieter Wilhelm writes: >> Also if the function makes no effort to return anything useful, it >> might be better not to document what the return value happens to be. > > But has the disadvantage that the uninitiated and insecure (my > example) may suspect a documentation flaw. They'll have to learn to deal with that. It's a fairly general rule in computer programming: if something is not mentioned in the documentation (or some more formal interface description), you cannot make assumptions about it. [In practice of course, you _have_ to make _some_ assumptions, but learning which you can make and which you can't is an important part of learning to program in a particular environment.] -Miles -- "Most attacks seem to take place at night, during a rainstorm, uphill, where four map sheets join." -- Anon. British Officer in WW I