Re: File local variable name containing ':'

[Dan Davison <davison@stats.ox.ac.uk>]

Stefan Monnier <monnier@IRO.UMontreal.CA> writes:

>> I think it isn't possible to use a Local Variables line to set the value
>> of a variable whose name contains a colon . E.g. something like
>
> Indeed, it looks like you're right.
>
>> Assuming I'm not overlooking an easy workaround, it seems that one
>> possible fix would be to recognise the separator character on-the-fly as
>> the character following the word "Variables".
>
> That makes the check for the presence of file-local variables even
> more loose.  I.e. a file that contained "Local Variables" but not "Local
> Variables:" will now be considered as containing file-local variables
> and will likely generate an error about missing "End" when you try and
> open the file.
>
> The current "Local Variables:" pattern is already much too loose in my
> opinion, so I'm definitely not going to let it become even more permissive.

Fair enough. What about requiring that the separating colon is followed
by whitespace. Is the backwards incompatibility cost too high there? Or
could colons in the variable name be escaped with a backslash?

Dan

>
>
>         Stefan