RE: Getting more info on a variable in Customize buffers

["Drew Adams" <drew.adams@oracle.com>]

       However, that seems to show the _initial expression_
       (written in the code), which is not the same as the
       current value of the variable. I still don't see any
       way to obtain the current value as a sexp, without
       using `C-h v'.

    I did not look at the source code, but from experimentation, it
    appears that the _saved_ value is shown.  (Or the default value if
    there is no saved value.)  A value set for the current session only is
    ignored.  I do not know the motivation for this behavior.  I never
    noticed, because I seldom use Custom to set something for the current
    session only.

So, it sounds like perhaps we should reconsider what the aim of this
so-called "initial Lisp expression" is. What is the need that its display is
meant to satisfy?

Is it supposed to show the defining _expression_ that yields the initial
value (what its name suggests)? Is it supposed to show the (sexp-form of)
the last saved value, as you say it does? Is it supposed to show the
currently set (but perhaps not saved) value as a sexp?

To me, the last of these is the most useful - it is what `C-h v' shows. I
can get the initial defining expression from the source code. And I'm not
very interested in knowing the last saved value (I can get it from .emacs or
custom-file, if I need it).

Once we decide what this is for, or what it should be for, we can pick a
good menu-item name for it.

Other opinions? Or are we misunderstanding what this is about?

 - Drew