Re: Is `kbd' idempotent?

[Random832 <random832@fastmail.com>]

On 2015-11-30, Michael Heerdegen <michael_heerdegen@web.de> wrote:
> Mmh, maybe it should better ask: if KEYS is a string that describes a
> key sequence in any format that Emacs understands, or in the format that
> is used for keyboard macros, and I call `kbd' on it, is the result
> always a representation of same key sequence?  The docstring of `kbd'
> leaves open what it does with formats different from the keyboard macro
> format.  Or is there any test that I could use to decide whether KEYS is
> in the keyboard macro format?

What exactly do you define as "any format that Emacs
understands" - do you want to allow backslash-escapes (even
though no characters requiring such are used in keyboard macro
format)? Control characters typed directly with C-q? A vector
literal such as "[?\\M-x]" representing [134217848]? The string
"(kbd \"foo\")"? Emacs understands all of these.

Basically, what other formats, specifically, do you want to
accept? What formats do you think your documentation will cause
your users to be inclined to type?