On 6/13/07, Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> wrote:

>     -(defcustom image-dired-dir "~/.emacs.d/image-dired/"
>     +(defcustom image-dired-dir (concat user-emacs-directory "image-dired/")
>
> This has the right result, but for clarity such code really ought to
> use expand-file-name.

I think we should add a function like the one below (with a better
name and docstring, of course), so we can "move" all these
configuration files and directories which are not yet in ~/.emacs.d/,
for example .calc.el, .abbrev_defs, .bdf-cache.el, .emacs-places,
.strokes, .type-break, .timelog, .vip, .viper, .eshell, .quickurls,
.emacs_case_exceptions, .idlwave, .ido-last, .recentf, .emacs_args,
.shadows, .wmncach.el, diary, .eshell/, etc. etc.

The NEW-NAME arg in the function is to allow things like .emacs vs.
init.el, or .completions vs. completions.

WDPT?

             Juanma


Index: lisp/subr.el
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/emacs/emacs/lisp/subr.el,v
retrieving revision 1.555
diff -u -2 -r1.555 subr.el
--- lisp/subr.el	13 Jun 2007 00:03:28 -0000	1.555
+++ lisp/subr.el	14 Jun 2007 14:13:59 -0000
@@ -2051,4 +2051,19 @@
 Note that this should end with a directory separator.")

+(defun user-emacs-file (name &optional new-name)
+  "Convert NAME to an absolute per-user Emacs-specific path.
+If \"~/NAME\" exists, or `user-emacs-directory' does not, return \"~/NAME\".
+Else, return \"`user-emacs-directory'/NEW-NAME\", or /NAME if NEW-NAME is nil."
+  (convert-standard-filename
+   (let ((at-home (expand-file-name name "~")))
+     (cond
+       ;; Backwards compatibility
+       ((file-readable-p at-home) at-home)
+       ;; Preferred for new installations
+       ((file-directory-p user-emacs-directory)
+	(expand-file-name (or new-name name) user-emacs-directory))
+       ;; If ~/.emacs.d/ does not exist
+       (t at-home)))))
+
 
 ;;;; Misc. useful functions.