bug#7696: 24.0.50; Elisp manual, doc of `mode-name' and `major-mode'

bug#7696: 24.0.50; Elisp manual, doc of `mode-name' and `major-mode'

[Drew Adams]

(elisp) Auto Major Mode documents variable `major-mode'.
(elisp) Major Mode Conventions documents variable `mode-name'.
 
1. `major-mode' doesn't really have much to do with How Emacs Chooses a
Major Mode.  Or, rather, it has to do with that and many other things
equally.  So I don't think this is a great place to document this var.
 
2. More importantly, users sometimes look for the pretty name of the
major mode, which is the value of var `mode-name'.  They won't find it
by looking for anything associated with "major", since the name doesn't
reflect that (unfortunately).
 
At the very least, we should have an index entry that reflects the
search for such a variable using "major": `major-mode name'.  (It might
not even be a bad idea to create an alias, `major-mode-name', for
`mode-name'.)
 
Most importantly in this regard, there should be a cross-ref from the
description of `major-mode' to the node that describes `mode-name'.
Better would be to also mention `mode-name' at that location. 

In GNU Emacs 24.0.50.1 (i386-mingw-nt5.1.2600)
 of 2010-12-20 on 3249CTO
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 5.1.2600
configured using `configure --with-gcc (4.4) --no-opt --cflags
-Ic:/imagesupport/include'
 

bug#7696: 24.0.50; Elisp manual, doc of `mode-name' and `major-mode'

[Chong Yidong]

> `major-mode' doesn't really have much to do with How Emacs Chooses a
> Major Mode.  Or, rather, it has to do with that and many other things
> equally.  So I don't think this is a great place to document this var.

The Major Modes node in the Lisp manual has been revamped, making this
bug report out of date.  Closing.

bug#7696: 24.0.50; Elisp manual, doc of `mode-name' and `major-mode'

[Drew Adams]

> > `major-mode' doesn't really have much to do with How Emacs Chooses a
> > Major Mode.  Or, rather, it has to do with that and many 
> > other things equally.  So I don't think this is a great place to 
> > document this var.
> 
> The Major Modes node in the Lisp manual has been revamped, making this
> bug report out of date.  Closing.

Good to hear.  I guess I should assume that this revamping addressed the details
in the bug report?