bug#60432: 28.2; Doc of `defalias'

bug#60432: 28.2; Doc of `defalias'

[Drew Adams]

The doc (doc string and Elisp manual) doesn't make clear that "function"
in this context applies also to Lisp macros.  Please make that clear.


In GNU Emacs 28.2 (build 2, x86_64-w64-mingw32)
 of 2022-09-13 built on AVALON
Windowing system distributor 'Microsoft Corp.', version 10.0.19044
System Description: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (v10.0.2009.19044.2364)

Configured using:
 'configure --with-modules --without-dbus --with-native-compilation
 --without-compress-install CFLAGS=-O2'

Configured features:
ACL GIF GMP GNUTLS HARFBUZZ JPEG JSON LCMS2 LIBXML2 MODULES NATIVE_COMP
NOTIFY W32NOTIFY PDUMPER PNG RSVG SOUND THREADS TIFF TOOLKIT_SCROLL_BARS
XPM ZLIB

(NATIVE_COMP present but libgccjit not available)

bug#60432: 28.2; Doc of `defalias'

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>
> Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2022 17:09:29 +0000
> 
> The doc (doc string and Elisp manual) doesn't make clear that "function"
> in this context applies also to Lisp macros.  Please make that clear.

Which part of the documentation doesn't make that clear?  The
references to "function" seem all to refer to SYMBOL's function cell,
where SYMBOL is the first argument of defalias.  The doc string
says nothing AFAICT about what DEFINITION could be, and your point is
about DEFINITION.  The manual indeed said that DEFINITION could be any
Lisp function, so I added "or macro" there.  However, I wonder whether
function and macro are the only kinds of DEFINITION.  Stefan, what
exactly can the DEFINITION be?

bug#60432: 28.2; Doc of `defalias'

[Stefan Monnier via Bug reports for GNU Emacs, the Swiss army knife of text editors]

>> The doc (doc string and Elisp manual) doesn't make clear that "function"
>> in this context applies also to Lisp macros.  Please make that clear.
> Which part of the documentation doesn't make that clear?  The
> references to "function" seem all to refer to SYMBOL's function cell,
> where SYMBOL is the first argument of defalias.  The doc string
> says nothing AFAICT about what DEFINITION could be, and your point is
> about DEFINITION.  The manual indeed said that DEFINITION could be any
> Lisp function, so I added "or macro" there.  However, I wonder whether
> function and macro are the only kinds of DEFINITION.  Stefan, what
> exactly can the DEFINITION be?

It can also be a "special form" (e.g. what you have in (symbol-function
'if)), or a keymap, or a symbol (alias) or a vector or string (kdb
macro).

Of course, it can also be any other kind of value, tho in that case
it'll only be useful if the symbol is treated in an ad-hoc manner
elsewhere, since "normal" use (such as evaluating something of the form
`(SYMBOL ...) or adding SYMBOL as the command to use in a keymap) would
then lead to an error.


        Stefan

bug#60432: 28.2; Doc of `defalias'

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>
> Cc: Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>,  60432@debbugs.gnu.org
> Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2022 09:38:37 -0500
> 
> It can also be a "special form" (e.g. what you have in (symbol-function
> 'if)), or a keymap, or a symbol (alias) or a vector or string (kdb
> macro).
> 
> Of course, it can also be any other kind of value, tho in that case
> it'll only be useful if the symbol is treated in an ad-hoc manner
> elsewhere, since "normal" use (such as evaluating something of the form
> `(SYMBOL ...) or adding SYMBOL as the command to use in a keymap) would
> then lead to an error.

Thanks, I updated the manual with this information, and I'm closing
the bug.