Difference between syntax class `escape' and `charquote'

Difference between syntax class `escape' and `charquote'

[Tobias C. Rittweiler]

From isearching through src/syntax.c, it seems that the `escape' and
`charquote' syntax class are interpreted synonymously. 

The documentation says

     [A character quote character] differs from an escape character in
     that only the character immediately following is ever affected.

What is this supposed to mean? How can an escape character not affect
the immediately following character?

I'd also like to ask for this being clarified in the documentation.

Thanks!

  -T.

Re: Difference between syntax class `escape' and `charquote'

[Stefan Monnier]

> From isearching through src/syntax.c, it seems that the `escape' and
> `charquote' syntax class are interpreted synonymously.

Yes, they're synonymous, AFAIK.

> The documentation says

>      [A character quote character] differs from an escape character in
>      that only the character immediately following is ever affected.

> What is this supposed to mean? How can an escape character not affect
> the immediately following character?

I guess what it might have meant is that in \\" the " would still
be quoted?  I don't think the C code does that, tho, and I can't think
of a language where that would be the right behavior.
IIRC the last time I looked at that code, the C code treats both forms
of escape in the exact same way.


        Stefan

Re: Difference between syntax class `escape' and `charquote'

[Richard M Stallman]

    >      [A character quote character] differs from an escape character in
    >      that only the character immediately following is ever affected.

I can explain what that text means.  It makes a distinction between
quoting _only_ the next character and introducing a longer sequence
such as `\150'.

I am not sure why I thought it was important to distinguish these two
cases.  It was a long time ago.  Maybe it was for the sake of some
further feature that was never implemented.