From: Evgeny Zajcev <lg.zevlg@gmail.com>
To: Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>
Cc: monnier@iro.umontreal.ca, emacs-devel <emacs-devel@gnu.org>
Subject: Re: file-exists-p on empty string
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2019 03:08:54 +0300 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <CAO=W_ZrXF2W4Yd1R+dqKg6foWfRLBbCASVALN=tZThEQZgM9JQ@mail.gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <923ee6b0-0d19-4dae-bd58-6a576a892ef4@default>
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чт, 28 февр. 2019 г. в 02:23, Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>:
> > > > > The problem is that docstrings describe the behavior of a specific
> > > > > function, so they usually don't mention the more general aspects
> that
> > > > > affect all functions of a given subsystem, such as here the general
> > > > > treatment of the empty string when used as a file name. Otherwise,
> > > > > every file-name-manipulating function would have to repeat this
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > So, maybe FILENAME argument at least could be renamed to NAME to give
> > > > at least some hint that this is not a filename, but just a name hint
> > > > which will be expanded and canonised to real filename?
> > >
> > > That's not good enough. It might make sense
> > > to you now, now that you know something about
> > > how the input is interpreted as a file name.
> > >
> > > The parameter name FILENAME is more appropriate
> > > than NAME. But the doc string should say more
> > > about it. You can't rely on just the parameter
> > > name to convey all of the meaning that you're
> > > (now) reading into it.
> >
> > But what to do with `file-name-directory` function,
> > which returns `nil` to empty string, while
> > `file-exists-p` returns `t', and both of them gets
> > FILENAME as argument ?
>
> The doc string of each should describe its parameters
> and return values. Formal parameter names are a help,
> nothing more. Sometimes a parameter name is clear
> enough that it can be used inline in a sentence in
> such a way that the sentence clarifies its meaning
> or its name clarifies the sentence. Sometimes not.
>
> If a parameter name is truly misleading then it should
> be changed. I don't think that's the case here (for
> either of the functions you mention). But others
> might have different opinions.
>
> The point is that the doc string should describe the
> function: its behavior, its inputs, its return value,
> and its side effects.
>
Totally, that is why "Emacs is an extensible self-documenting editor"
--
lg
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next prev parent reply other threads:[~2019-02-28 0:08 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 34+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2019-02-27 22:09 file-exists-p on empty string lg.zevlg
2019-02-27 22:23 ` Drew Adams
2019-02-27 22:41 ` Evgeny Zajcev
2019-02-27 23:23 ` Drew Adams
2019-02-28 0:08 ` Evgeny Zajcev [this message]
2019-02-28 1:16 ` Stefan Monnier
-- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
2019-02-27 20:07 lg.zevlg
2019-02-27 21:18 ` Stefan Monnier
2019-02-27 22:01 ` Drew Adams
2019-02-28 3:24 ` Stefan Monnier
2019-03-06 9:51 ` Michael Albinus
2019-03-08 6:11 ` Stefan Monnier
2019-03-09 8:48 ` Michael Albinus
2019-02-27 12:29 Evgeny Zajcev
2019-02-27 14:15 ` Michael Albinus
2019-02-27 15:29 ` Troy Hinckley
2019-02-27 15:43 ` Robert Pluim
2019-02-27 16:01 ` Michael Albinus
2019-02-27 16:55 ` Eli Zaretskii
2019-02-27 18:09 ` Michael Albinus
2019-02-27 16:11 ` Eli Zaretskii
2019-02-27 16:16 ` Robert Pluim
2019-02-27 16:30 ` Andreas Schwab
2019-02-27 19:40 ` lg.zevlg
2019-02-27 15:53 ` Stefan Monnier
2019-02-27 16:00 ` Robert Pluim
2019-02-27 16:15 ` Stefan Monnier
2019-02-27 16:09 ` Eli Zaretskii
2019-02-27 18:42 ` lg.zevlg
2019-02-27 18:46 ` Eli Zaretskii
2019-02-27 19:04 ` lg.zevlg
2019-02-27 19:16 ` Eli Zaretskii
2019-02-27 19:29 ` lg.zevlg
2019-02-27 19:30 ` Stefan Monnier
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