From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by olra.theworths.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 05142431FAE for ; Tue, 4 Jun 2013 07:22:53 -0700 (PDT) X-Virus-Scanned: Debian amavisd-new at olra.theworths.org X-Spam-Flag: NO X-Spam-Score: -2.3 X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.3 tagged_above=-999 required=5 tests=[RCVD_IN_DNSWL_MED=-2.3] autolearn=disabled Received: from olra.theworths.org ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (olra.theworths.org [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id rAyEV7OtuLgH for ; Tue, 4 Jun 2013 07:22:45 -0700 (PDT) Received: from tempo.its.unb.ca (tempo.its.unb.ca [131.202.1.21]) (using TLSv1 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by olra.theworths.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id B1B2F431FAF for ; Tue, 4 Jun 2013 07:22:45 -0700 (PDT) Received: from tesseract.cs.unb.ca (tesseract.cs.unb.ca [131.202.240.238]) by tempo.its.unb.ca (8.13.8/8.13.8) with ESMTP id r54EMZnS023766; Tue, 4 Jun 2013 11:22:36 -0300 Received: from fctnnbsc30w-156034082078.dhcp-dynamic.fibreop.nb.bellaliant.net ([156.34.82.78] helo=zancas.localnet) by tesseract.cs.unb.ca with esmtpsa (TLS1.2:DHE_RSA_AES_128_CBC_SHA1:128) (Exim 4.80) (envelope-from ) id 1Ujs8B-0002fV-KU; Tue, 04 Jun 2013 11:22:35 -0300 Received: from bremner by zancas.localnet with local (Exim 4.80) (envelope-from ) id 1Ujs85-0008Cw-VC; Tue, 04 Jun 2013 11:22:29 -0300 From: David Bremner To: Austin Clements Subject: Re: [PATCH] emacs: remove hardcoded defaults values from docstrings In-Reply-To: <20130604133738.GL5999@mit.edu> References: <1370181885-23021-1-git-send-email-david@tethera.net> <20130604040102.GJ5999@mit.edu> <8738syrtsy.fsf@zancas.localnet> <20130604133738.GL5999@mit.edu> User-Agent: Notmuch/0.15.2+141~gd298af4 (http://notmuchmail.org) Emacs/24.3.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu) Date: Tue, 04 Jun 2013 11:22:29 -0300 Message-ID: <87haheq7kq.fsf@zancas.localnet> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain X-Spam_bar: - Cc: Tomi Ollila , notmuch@notmuchmail.org X-BeenThere: notmuch@notmuchmail.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.13 Precedence: list List-Id: "Use and development of the notmuch mail system." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:22:53 -0000 Austin Clements writes: > > Right. I think we should both reference the variable and say what the > default behavior is (there's no reason not to do both). But isn't > that what these docstrings used to do? Looking at the old docstrings in notmuch-show.el, I agree they basically implement Tomi's suggestion. While I think copying default values of variables into docstrings creates some minor maintainability traps (since we then need to remember to look at all the places a variable is referenced if we change the default value), I'm willing to revert the patch if people think the tradeoff of better usability is worth it. It is unfortunate emacs doesn't provide a way to expand the current value of a variable in the help string, but there we are. It probably wouldn't be as easy to understand as hand crafted text in any case. d