Re: eval-after-load confusion

[Eric Abrahamsen <eric@ericabrahamsen.net>]

Thien-Thi Nguyen <ttn@gnu.org> writes:

> () Eric Abrahamsen <eric@ericabrahamsen.net>
> () Wed, 30 Apr 2014 16:36:50 +0800
>
>    ;; (eval-after-load 'message
>    ;;   (let ...)
>
>    What am I not understanding?!
>
> If you ‘C-h f eval-after-load’, you will see the template:
>
>  (eval-after-load FILE FORM)
>
> and can match symbol ‘eval-after-load’ to the first element
> of the same name, the expression
>
>  'message
>
> to the second element FILE, and the expression
>
>  (let ...)
>
> to the third element FORM.  So order seems to be correct.  No easy
> answers in this life!  Trundle on!  Next step, do the "types" match?
> The first element is for dispatch so we ignore it.  The second one,
> FILE, seems to be correct per this fragment:
>
>  Alternatively, FILE can be a feature (i.e. a symbol),
>
> and the expression does indeed evaluate to a symbol, i.e.,
>
>  (quote SYMBOL) => SYMBOL
>
> That leaves the third element, FORM.  It appears the ‘(let ...)’ does
> not evaluate to a proper FORM.  Hmm...
>
> "But ttn, why all this "evaluate to" noise?  Why didn't you just say
> that ‘(quote message)’ *is* a symbol?  Same for "does not evaluate to"
> for the third arg!  What, are you getting old and crufty?!"
>
> Well, yes!  Everything has its time.

If a fellow's got to be schooled (in something he already should have
known), one might hope for worse than to be schooled by Thien-Thi
Nguyen. If only the question had been more worthy of the answer!