Re: Overlay insertion types, markers, etc.

[Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>]

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  > 1. Why, if you pass markers [to `make-overlay],
  >    isn't the default to use the insertion types of
  >    those markers?

I don't think I ever thought about the question back then.

Did pointers even have insertion types, back when overlays were first
introduced?

However, the function calling convention would have to bec omplex
to give you three options: yes, no, or inherit from the marker.

  > 2. Why isn't there (or is there?) a simple way to
  >    change the "marker insertion types" of an
  >    existing overlay?

I never thought of adding it.

  > 3. Why, if you pass markers to `make-overlay', and
  >    you don't pass arg BUFFER, isn't the default to
  >    use the buffer of those markers?

I never thought about it.

  > 4. Can you retrieve the markers that are "used by"
  >    an overlay, i.e., as markers?

If you could get at them, you could change their buffer positions.
I think that would mess up the overlay sort order and cause bugs.
You could also put them in another buffer  and cause even worse trouble.

-- 
Dr Richard Stallman
Founder, Free Software Foundation (https://gnu.org, https://fsf.org)
Internet Hall-of-Famer (https://internethalloffame.org)