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annotate lispref/tips.texi @ 62675:114ecd5ee47b
Add more pointers to ports of Unix tools to Windows, and to the Emacs Wiki
(which contains building instructions for Windows). Reword image library
instructions and remove obsolete incompatibility information.
author | Juanma Barranquero <lekktu@gmail.com> |
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date | Tue, 24 May 2005 10:40:51 +0000 |
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6552 | 1 @c -*-texinfo-*- |
2 @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. | |
27189 | 3 @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999 |
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4 @c Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
6552 | 5 @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. |
6 @setfilename ../info/tips | |
30904 | 7 @node Tips, GNU Emacs Internals, GPL, Top |
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8 @appendix Tips and Conventions |
6552 | 9 @cindex tips |
10 @cindex standards of coding style | |
11 @cindex coding standards | |
12 | |
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13 This chapter describes no additional features of Emacs Lisp. Instead |
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14 it gives advice on making effective use of the features described in the |
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15 previous chapters, and describes conventions Emacs Lisp programmers |
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16 should follow. |
6552 | 17 |
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18 You can automatically check some of the conventions described below by |
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19 running the command @kbd{M-x checkdoc RET} when visiting a Lisp file. |
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20 It cannot check all of the conventions, and not all the warnings it |
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21 gives necessarily correspond to problems, but it is worth examining them |
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22 all. |
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23 |
6552 | 24 @menu |
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25 * Coding Conventions:: Conventions for clean and robust programs. |
6552 | 26 * Compilation Tips:: Making compiled code run fast. |
27 * Documentation Tips:: Writing readable documentation strings. | |
28 * Comment Tips:: Conventions for writing comments. | |
29 * Library Headers:: Standard headers for library packages. | |
30 @end menu | |
31 | |
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32 @node Coding Conventions |
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33 @section Emacs Lisp Coding Conventions |
6552 | 34 |
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35 Here are conventions that you should follow when writing Emacs Lisp |
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36 code intended for widespread use: |
6552 | 37 |
38 @itemize @bullet | |
39 @item | |
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40 Simply loading the package should not change Emacs's editing behavior. |
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41 Include a command or commands to enable and disable the feature, |
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42 or to invoke it. |
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43 |
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44 This convention is mandatory for any file that includes custom |
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45 definitions. If fixing such a file to follow this convention requires |
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46 an incompatible change, go ahead and make the incompatible change; |
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47 don't postpone it. |
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48 |
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49 @item |
38162 | 50 Since all global variables share the same name space, and all |
51 functions share another name space, you should choose a short word to | |
52 distinguish your program from other Lisp programs.@footnote{The | |
53 benefits of a Common Lisp-style package system are considered not to | |
54 outweigh the costs.} Then take care to begin the names of all global | |
55 variables, constants, and functions in your program with the chosen | |
56 prefix. This helps avoid name conflicts. | |
6552 | 57 |
58 This recommendation applies even to names for traditional Lisp | |
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59 primitives that are not primitives in Emacs Lisp---such as |
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60 @code{copy-list}. Believe it or not, there is more than one plausible |
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61 way to define @code{copy-list}. Play it safe; append your name prefix |
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62 to produce a name like @code{foo-copy-list} or @code{mylib-copy-list} |
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63 instead. |
6552 | 64 |
65 If you write a function that you think ought to be added to Emacs under | |
66 a certain name, such as @code{twiddle-files}, don't call it by that name | |
67 in your program. Call it @code{mylib-twiddle-files} in your program, | |
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68 and send mail to @samp{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} suggesting we add |
6552 | 69 it to Emacs. If and when we do, we can change the name easily enough. |
70 | |
71 If one prefix is insufficient, your package may use two or three | |
72 alternative common prefixes, so long as they make sense. | |
73 | |
74 Separate the prefix from the rest of the symbol name with a hyphen, | |
75 @samp{-}. This will be consistent with Emacs itself and with most Emacs | |
76 Lisp programs. | |
77 | |
78 @item | |
79 It is often useful to put a call to @code{provide} in each separate | |
80 library program, at least if there is more than one entry point to the | |
81 program. | |
82 | |
83 @item | |
12098 | 84 If a file requires certain other library programs to be loaded |
85 beforehand, then the comments at the beginning of the file should say | |
86 so. Also, use @code{require} to make sure they are loaded. | |
87 | |
88 @item | |
6552 | 89 If one file @var{foo} uses a macro defined in another file @var{bar}, |
12098 | 90 @var{foo} should contain this expression before the first use of the |
91 macro: | |
92 | |
93 @example | |
94 (eval-when-compile (require '@var{bar})) | |
95 @end example | |
96 | |
97 @noindent | |
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98 (And the library @var{bar} should contain @code{(provide '@var{bar})}, |
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99 to make the @code{require} work.) This will cause @var{bar} to be |
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100 loaded when you byte-compile @var{foo}. Otherwise, you risk compiling |
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101 @var{foo} without the necessary macro loaded, and that would produce |
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102 compiled code that won't work right. @xref{Compiling Macros}. |
12098 | 103 |
104 Using @code{eval-when-compile} avoids loading @var{bar} when | |
105 the compiled version of @var{foo} is @emph{used}. | |
6552 | 106 |
107 @item | |
24799 | 108 Please don't require the @code{cl} package of Common Lisp extensions at |
109 run time. Use of this package is optional, and it is not part of the | |
110 standard Emacs namespace. If your package loads @code{cl} at run time, | |
111 that could cause name clashes for users who don't use that package. | |
112 | |
113 However, there is no problem with using the @code{cl} package at compile | |
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114 time, with @code{(eval-when-compile (require 'cl))}. |
24799 | 115 |
116 @item | |
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117 When defining a major mode, please follow the major mode |
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118 conventions. @xref{Major Mode Conventions}. |
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119 |
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120 @item |
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121 When defining a minor mode, please follow the minor mode |
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122 conventions. @xref{Minor Mode Conventions}. |
6552 | 123 |
124 @item | |
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125 If the purpose of a function is to tell you whether a certain condition |
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126 is true or false, give the function a name that ends in @samp{p}. If |
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127 the name is one word, add just @samp{p}; if the name is multiple words, |
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128 add @samp{-p}. Examples are @code{framep} and @code{frame-live-p}. |
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129 |
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130 @item |
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131 If a user option variable records a true-or-false condition, give it a |
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132 name that ends in @samp{-flag}. |
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133 |
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134 @item |
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135 If the purpose of a variable is to store a single function, give it a |
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136 name that ends in @samp{-function}. If the purpose of a variable is |
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137 to store a list of functions (i.e., the variable is a hook), please |
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138 follow the naming conventions for hooks. @xref{Hooks}. |
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139 |
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140 @item |
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141 @cindex reserved keys |
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142 @cindex keys, reserved |
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143 Please do not define @kbd{C-c @var{letter}} as a key in Lisp programs. |
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144 Sequences consisting of @kbd{C-c} and a letter (either upper or lower |
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145 case) are reserved for users; they are the @strong{only} sequences |
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146 reserved for users, so do not block them. |
6552 | 147 |
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148 Changing all the Emacs major modes to respect this convention was a |
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149 lot of work; abandoning this convention would make that work go to |
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150 waste, and inconvenience users. Please comply with it. |
6552 | 151 |
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152 @item |
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153 Function keys @key{F5} through @key{F9} without modifier keys are |
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154 also reserved for users to define. |
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155 |
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156 @item |
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157 Applications should not bind mouse events based on button 1 with the |
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158 shift key held down. These events include @kbd{S-mouse-1}, |
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159 @kbd{M-S-mouse-1}, @kbd{C-S-mouse-1}, and so on. They are reserved for |
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160 users. |
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161 |
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162 @item |
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163 Sequences consisting of @kbd{C-c} followed by a control character or a |
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164 digit are reserved for major modes. |
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165 |
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166 @item |
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167 Sequences consisting of @kbd{C-c} followed by @kbd{@{}, @kbd{@}}, |
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168 @kbd{<}, @kbd{>}, @kbd{:} or @kbd{;} are also reserved for major modes. |
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169 |
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170 @item |
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171 Sequences consisting of @kbd{C-c} followed by any other punctuation |
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172 character are allocated for minor modes. Using them in a major mode is |
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173 not absolutely prohibited, but if you do that, the major mode binding |
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174 may be shadowed from time to time by minor modes. |
6552 | 175 |
176 @item | |
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177 Do not bind @kbd{C-h} following any prefix character (including |
6552 | 178 @kbd{C-c}). If you don't bind @kbd{C-h}, it is automatically available |
179 as a help character for listing the subcommands of the prefix character. | |
180 | |
181 @item | |
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182 Do not bind a key sequence ending in @key{ESC} except following |
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183 another @key{ESC}. (That is, it is OK to bind a sequence ending in |
6552 | 184 @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{ESC}}.) |
185 | |
186 The reason for this rule is that a non-prefix binding for @key{ESC} in | |
187 any context prevents recognition of escape sequences as function keys in | |
188 that context. | |
189 | |
190 @item | |
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191 Anything which acts like a temporary mode or state which the user can |
24862 | 192 enter and leave should define @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{ESC}} or |
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193 @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{ESC} @key{ESC}} as a way to escape. |
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194 |
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195 For a state which accepts ordinary Emacs commands, or more generally any |
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196 kind of state in which @key{ESC} followed by a function key or arrow key |
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197 is potentially meaningful, then you must not define @kbd{@key{ESC} |
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198 @key{ESC}}, since that would preclude recognizing an escape sequence |
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199 after @key{ESC}. In these states, you should define @kbd{@key{ESC} |
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200 @key{ESC} @key{ESC}} as the way to escape. Otherwise, define |
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201 @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{ESC}} instead. |
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202 |
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203 @item |
34305 | 204 @cindex mouse-2 |
205 @cindex references, following | |
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206 Special major modes used for read-only text should usually redefine |
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207 @kbd{mouse-2} and @key{RET} to trace some sort of reference in the text. |
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208 Modes such as Dired, Info, Compilation, and Occur redefine it in this |
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209 way. |
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210 |
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211 In addition, they should mark the text as a kind of ``link'' so that |
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212 @kbd{mouse-1} will follow it also. @xref{Links and Mouse-1}. |
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213 |
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214 @cindex unloading packages |
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215 If loading the file adds functions to hooks, define a function |
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216 @code{@var{feature}-unload-hook}, where @var{feature} is the name of |
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217 the feature the package provides, and make it undo any such changes. |
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218 Using @code{unload-feature} to unload the file will run this function. |
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219 @xref{Unloading}. |
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220 |
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221 @item |
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222 It is a bad idea to define aliases for the Emacs primitives. Use the |
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223 standard names instead. |
6552 | 224 |
225 @item | |
34305 | 226 If a package needs to define an alias or a new function for |
38344 | 227 compatibility with some other version of Emacs, name it with the package |
34305 | 228 prefix, not with the raw name with which it occurs in the other version. |
229 Here is an example from Gnus, which provides many examples of such | |
230 compatibility issues. | |
231 | |
232 @example | |
233 (defalias 'gnus-point-at-bol | |
234 (if (fboundp 'point-at-bol) | |
235 'point-at-bol | |
236 'line-beginning-position)) | |
237 @end example | |
238 | |
239 @item | |
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240 Redefining (or advising) an Emacs primitive is discouraged. It may do |
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241 the right thing for a particular program, but there is no telling what |
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242 other programs might break as a result. |
6552 | 243 |
244 @item | |
245 If a file does replace any of the functions or library programs of | |
246 standard Emacs, prominent comments at the beginning of the file should | |
247 say which functions are replaced, and how the behavior of the | |
248 replacements differs from that of the originals. | |
249 | |
250 @item | |
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251 Avoid using macros that define functions and variables with names that |
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252 are constructed. It is best for maintenance when the name of the |
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253 function or variable being defined is given explicitly in the source |
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254 code, as the second element of the list---as it is when you use |
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255 @code{defun}, @code{defalias}, @code{defvar} and @code{defcustom}. |
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256 |
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257 @item |
6552 | 258 Please keep the names of your Emacs Lisp source files to 13 characters |
259 or less. This way, if the files are compiled, the compiled files' names | |
260 will be 14 characters or less, which is short enough to fit on all kinds | |
261 of Unix systems. | |
262 | |
263 @item | |
264 Don't use @code{next-line} or @code{previous-line} in programs; nearly | |
265 always, @code{forward-line} is more convenient as well as more | |
266 predictable and robust. @xref{Text Lines}. | |
267 | |
268 @item | |
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269 Don't call functions that set the mark, unless setting the mark is one |
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270 of the intended features of your program. The mark is a user-level |
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271 feature, so it is incorrect to change the mark except to supply a value |
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272 for the user's benefit. @xref{The Mark}. |
6552 | 273 |
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274 In particular, don't use any of these functions: |
6552 | 275 |
276 @itemize @bullet | |
277 @item | |
278 @code{beginning-of-buffer}, @code{end-of-buffer} | |
279 @item | |
280 @code{replace-string}, @code{replace-regexp} | |
281 @end itemize | |
282 | |
283 If you just want to move point, or replace a certain string, without any | |
284 of the other features intended for interactive users, you can replace | |
285 these functions with one or two lines of simple Lisp code. | |
286 | |
287 @item | |
8669 | 288 Use lists rather than vectors, except when there is a particular reason |
289 to use a vector. Lisp has more facilities for manipulating lists than | |
290 for vectors, and working with lists is usually more convenient. | |
291 | |
292 Vectors are advantageous for tables that are substantial in size and are | |
293 accessed in random order (not searched front to back), provided there is | |
294 no need to insert or delete elements (only lists allow that). | |
295 | |
296 @item | |
6552 | 297 The recommended way to print a message in the echo area is with |
298 the @code{message} function, not @code{princ}. @xref{The Echo Area}. | |
299 | |
300 @item | |
301 When you encounter an error condition, call the function @code{error} | |
302 (or @code{signal}). The function @code{error} does not return. | |
303 @xref{Signaling Errors}. | |
304 | |
305 Do not use @code{message}, @code{throw}, @code{sleep-for}, | |
306 or @code{beep} to report errors. | |
307 | |
308 @item | |
12098 | 309 An error message should start with a capital letter but should not end |
310 with a period. | |
311 | |
312 @item | |
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313 In @code{interactive}, if you use a Lisp expression to produce a list |
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314 of arguments, don't try to provide the ``correct'' default values for |
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315 region or position arguments. Instead, provide @code{nil} for those |
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316 arguments if they were not specified, and have the function body |
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317 compute the default value when the argument is @code{nil}. For |
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318 instance, write this: |
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319 |
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320 @example |
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321 (defun foo (pos) |
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322 (interactive |
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323 (list (if @var{specified} @var{specified-pos}))) |
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324 (unless pos (setq pos @var{default-pos})) |
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325 ...) |
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326 @end example |
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327 |
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328 @noindent |
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329 rather than this: |
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330 |
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331 @example |
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332 (defun foo (pos) |
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333 (interactive |
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334 (list (if @var{specified} @var{specified-pos} |
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335 @var{default-pos}))) |
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336 ...) |
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337 @end example |
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338 |
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339 @noindent |
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340 This is so that repetition of the command will recompute |
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341 these defaults based on the current circumstances. |
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342 |
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343 You do not need to take such precautions when you use interactive |
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344 specs @samp{d}, @samp{m} and @samp{r}, because they make special |
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345 arrangements to recompute the argument values on repetition of the |
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346 command. |
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347 |
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348 @item |
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349 Many commands that take a long time to execute display a message that |
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350 says something like @samp{Operating...} when they start, and change it to |
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351 @samp{Operating...done} when they finish. Please keep the style of |
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352 these messages uniform: @emph{no} space around the ellipsis, and |
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353 @emph{no} period after @samp{done}. |
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354 |
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355 @item |
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356 Try to avoid using recursive edits. Instead, do what the Rmail @kbd{e} |
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357 command does: use a new local keymap that contains one command defined |
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358 to switch back to the old local keymap. Or do what the |
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359 @code{edit-options} command does: switch to another buffer and let the |
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360 user switch back at will. @xref{Recursive Editing}. |
6552 | 361 |
362 @item | |
363 In some other systems there is a convention of choosing variable names | |
364 that begin and end with @samp{*}. We don't use that convention in Emacs | |
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365 Lisp, so please don't use it in your programs. (Emacs uses such names |
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366 only for special-purpose buffers.) The users will find Emacs more |
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367 coherent if all libraries use the same conventions. |
6552 | 368 |
369 @item | |
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370 Try to avoid compiler warnings about undefined free variables, by adding |
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371 dummy @code{defvar} definitions for these variables, like this: |
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372 |
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373 @example |
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374 (defvar foo) |
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375 @end example |
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376 |
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377 Such a definition has no effect except to tell the compiler |
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378 not to warn about uses of the variable @code{foo} in this file. |
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379 |
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380 @item |
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381 If you use many functions and variables from a certain file, you can |
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382 add a @code{require} for that package to avoid compilation warnings |
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383 for them. For instance, |
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384 |
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385 @example |
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386 (eval-when-compile |
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387 (require 'foo)) |
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388 @end example |
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389 |
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390 @item |
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391 If you bind a variable in one function, and use it or set it in |
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392 another function, the compiler warns about the latter function unless |
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393 the variable has a definition. But adding a definition would be |
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394 unclean if the variable has a short name, since Lisp packages should |
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395 not define short variable names. The right thing to do is to rename |
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396 this variable to start with the name prefix used for the other |
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397 functions and variables in your package. |
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398 |
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399 @item |
6552 | 400 Indent each function with @kbd{C-M-q} (@code{indent-sexp}) using the |
401 default indentation parameters. | |
402 | |
403 @item | |
404 Don't make a habit of putting close-parentheses on lines by themselves; | |
405 Lisp programmers find this disconcerting. Once in a while, when there | |
406 is a sequence of many consecutive close-parentheses, it may make sense | |
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407 to split the sequence in one or two significant places. |
6552 | 408 |
409 @item | |
410 Please put a copyright notice on the file if you give copies to anyone. | |
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411 Use a message like this one: |
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412 |
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413 @smallexample |
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414 ;; Copyright (C) @var{year} @var{name} |
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415 |
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416 ;; This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or |
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417 ;; modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as |
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418 ;; published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of |
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419 ;; the License, or (at your option) any later version. |
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420 |
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421 ;; This program is distributed in the hope that it will be |
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422 ;; useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied |
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423 ;; warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR |
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424 ;; PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details. |
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425 |
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426 ;; You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public |
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427 ;; License along with this program; if not, write to the Free |
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428 ;; Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, |
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429 ;; MA 02111-1307 USA |
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430 @end smallexample |
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431 |
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432 If you have signed papers to assign the copyright to the Foundation, |
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433 then use @samp{Free Software Foundation, Inc.} as @var{name}. |
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434 Otherwise, use your name. See also @xref{Library Headers}. |
6552 | 435 @end itemize |
436 | |
437 @node Compilation Tips | |
438 @section Tips for Making Compiled Code Fast | |
439 @cindex execution speed | |
440 @cindex speedups | |
441 | |
442 Here are ways of improving the execution speed of byte-compiled | |
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443 Lisp programs. |
6552 | 444 |
445 @itemize @bullet | |
446 @item | |
447 @cindex profiling | |
448 @cindex timing programs | |
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449 @cindex @file{elp.el} |
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450 Profile your program with the @file{elp} library. See the file |
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451 @file{elp.el} for instructions. |
6552 | 452 |
453 @item | |
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454 @cindex @file{benchmark.el} |
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455 @cindex benchmarking |
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456 Check the speed of individual Emacs Lisp forms using the |
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457 @file{benchmark} library. See the functions @code{benchmark-run} and |
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458 @code{benchmark-run-compiled} in @file{benchmark.el}. |
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459 |
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460 @item |
6552 | 461 Use iteration rather than recursion whenever possible. |
462 Function calls are slow in Emacs Lisp even when a compiled function | |
463 is calling another compiled function. | |
464 | |
465 @item | |
12098 | 466 Using the primitive list-searching functions @code{memq}, @code{member}, |
467 @code{assq}, or @code{assoc} is even faster than explicit iteration. It | |
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468 can be worth rearranging a data structure so that one of these primitive |
12098 | 469 search functions can be used. |
6552 | 470 |
471 @item | |
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472 Certain built-in functions are handled specially in byte-compiled code, |
6552 | 473 avoiding the need for an ordinary function call. It is a good idea to |
474 use these functions rather than alternatives. To see whether a function | |
475 is handled specially by the compiler, examine its @code{byte-compile} | |
476 property. If the property is non-@code{nil}, then the function is | |
477 handled specially. | |
478 | |
479 For example, the following input will show you that @code{aref} is | |
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480 compiled specially (@pxref{Array Functions}): |
6552 | 481 |
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482 @example |
6552 | 483 @group |
484 (get 'aref 'byte-compile) | |
485 @result{} byte-compile-two-args | |
486 @end group | |
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487 @end example |
6552 | 488 |
489 @item | |
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490 If calling a small function accounts for a substantial part of your |
6552 | 491 program's running time, make the function inline. This eliminates |
492 the function call overhead. Since making a function inline reduces | |
493 the flexibility of changing the program, don't do it unless it gives | |
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494 a noticeable speedup in something slow enough that users care about |
6552 | 495 the speed. @xref{Inline Functions}. |
496 @end itemize | |
497 | |
498 @node Documentation Tips | |
499 @section Tips for Documentation Strings | |
500 | |
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501 @findex checkdoc-minor-mode |
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502 Here are some tips and conventions for the writing of documentation |
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503 strings. You can check many of these conventions by running the command |
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504 @kbd{M-x checkdoc-minor-mode}. |
6552 | 505 |
506 @itemize @bullet | |
507 @item | |
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508 Every command, function, or variable intended for users to know about |
6552 | 509 should have a documentation string. |
510 | |
511 @item | |
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512 An internal variable or subroutine of a Lisp program might as well have |
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513 a documentation string. In earlier Emacs versions, you could save space |
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514 by using a comment instead of a documentation string, but that is no |
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515 longer the case---documentation strings now take up very little space in |
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516 a running Emacs. |
6552 | 517 |
518 @item | |
42979 | 519 Format the documentation string so that it fits in an Emacs window on an |
520 80-column screen. It is a good idea for most lines to be no wider than | |
521 60 characters. The first line should not be wider than 67 characters | |
522 or it will look bad in the output of @code{apropos}. | |
523 | |
524 You can fill the text if that looks good. However, rather than blindly | |
525 filling the entire documentation string, you can often make it much more | |
526 readable by choosing certain line breaks with care. Use blank lines | |
527 between topics if the documentation string is long. | |
528 | |
529 @item | |
6552 | 530 The first line of the documentation string should consist of one or two |
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531 complete sentences that stand on their own as a summary. @kbd{M-x |
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532 apropos} displays just the first line, and if that line's contents don't |
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533 stand on their own, the result looks bad. In particular, start the |
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534 first line with a capital letter and end with a period. |
6552 | 535 |
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536 For a function, the first line should briefly answer the question, |
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537 ``What does this function do?'' For a variable, the first line should |
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538 briefly answer the question, ``What does this value mean?'' |
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539 |
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540 Don't limit the documentation string to one line; use as many lines as |
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541 you need to explain the details of how to use the function or |
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542 variable. Please use complete sentences for the rest of the text too. |
6552 | 543 |
544 @item | |
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545 The first line should mention all the important arguments of the |
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546 function, and should mention them in the order that they are written |
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547 in a function call. If the function has many arguments, then it is |
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548 not feasible to mention them all in the first line; in that case, the |
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549 first line should mention the first few arguments, including the most |
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550 important arguments. |
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551 |
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552 @item |
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553 For consistency, phrase the verb in the first sentence of a function's |
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554 documentation string as an imperative---for instance, use ``Return the |
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555 cons of A and B.'' in preference to ``Returns the cons of A and B@.'' |
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556 Usually it looks good to do likewise for the rest of the first |
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557 paragraph. Subsequent paragraphs usually look better if each sentence |
42979 | 558 is indicative and has a proper subject. |
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559 |
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560 @item |
6552 | 561 Write documentation strings in the active voice, not the passive, and in |
562 the present tense, not the future. For instance, use ``Return a list | |
563 containing A and B.'' instead of ``A list containing A and B will be | |
564 returned.'' | |
565 | |
566 @item | |
567 Avoid using the word ``cause'' (or its equivalents) unnecessarily. | |
568 Instead of, ``Cause Emacs to display text in boldface,'' write just | |
569 ``Display text in boldface.'' | |
570 | |
571 @item | |
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572 When a command is meaningful only in a certain mode or situation, |
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573 do mention that in the documentation string. For example, |
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574 the documentation of @code{dired-find-file} is: |
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575 |
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576 @example |
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577 In Dired, visit the file or directory named on this line. |
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578 @end example |
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579 |
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580 @item |
6552 | 581 Do not start or end a documentation string with whitespace. |
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582 |
6552 | 583 @item |
584 @strong{Do not} indent subsequent lines of a documentation string so | |
585 that the text is lined up in the source code with the text of the first | |
586 line. This looks nice in the source code, but looks bizarre when users | |
587 view the documentation. Remember that the indentation before the | |
588 starting double-quote is not part of the string! | |
589 | |
590 @item | |
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591 When the user tries to use a disabled command, Emacs displays just the |
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592 first paragraph of its documentation string---everything through the |
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593 first blank line. If you wish, you can choose which information to |
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594 include before the first blank line so as to make this display useful. |
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595 |
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596 @item |
6552 | 597 A variable's documentation string should start with @samp{*} if the |
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598 variable is one that users would often want to set interactively. If |
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599 the value is a long list, or a function, or if the variable would be set |
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600 only in init files, then don't start the documentation string with |
6552 | 601 @samp{*}. @xref{Defining Variables}. |
602 | |
603 @item | |
604 The documentation string for a variable that is a yes-or-no flag should | |
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605 start with words such as ``Non-nil means@dots{}'', to make it clear that |
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606 all non-@code{nil} values are equivalent and indicate explicitly what |
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607 @code{nil} and non-@code{nil} mean. |
6552 | 608 |
609 @item | |
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610 The documentation string for a function that is a yes-or-no predicate |
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611 should start with words such as ``Return t if @dots{}'', to indicate |
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612 explicitly what constitutes ``truth''. The word ``return'' avoids |
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613 starting the sentence with lower-case ``t'', which is somewhat |
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614 distracting. |
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615 |
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616 @item |
6552 | 617 When a function's documentation string mentions the value of an argument |
618 of the function, use the argument name in capital letters as if it were | |
619 a name for that value. Thus, the documentation string of the function | |
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620 @code{eval} refers to its second argument as @samp{FORM}, because the |
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621 actual argument name is @code{form}: |
6552 | 622 |
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623 @example |
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624 Evaluate FORM and return its value. |
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625 @end example |
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626 |
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627 Also write metasyntactic variables in capital letters, such as when you |
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628 show the decomposition of a list or vector into subunits, some of which |
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629 may vary. @samp{KEY} and @samp{VALUE} in the following example |
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630 illustrate this practice: |
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631 |
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632 @example |
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633 The argument TABLE should be an alist whose elements |
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634 have the form (KEY . VALUE). Here, KEY is ... |
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635 @end example |
6552 | 636 |
637 @item | |
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638 Never change the case of a Lisp symbol when you mention it in a doc |
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639 string. If the symbol's name is @code{foo}, write ``foo'', not |
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640 ``Foo'' (which is a different symbol). |
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641 |
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642 This might appear to contradict the policy of writing function |
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643 argument values, but there is no real contradiction; the argument |
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644 @emph{value} is not the same thing as the @emph{symbol} which the |
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645 function uses to hold the value. |
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646 |
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647 If this puts a lower-case letter at the beginning of a sentence |
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648 and that annoys you, rewrite the sentence so that the symbol |
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649 is not at the start of it. |
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650 |
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651 @item |
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652 If a line in a documentation string begins with an open-parenthesis, |
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653 write a backslash before the open-parenthesis, like this: |
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654 |
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655 @example |
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656 The argument FOO can be either a number |
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657 \(a buffer position) or a string (a file name). |
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658 @end example |
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659 |
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660 This prevents the open-parenthesis from being treated as the start of a |
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661 defun (@pxref{Defuns,, Defuns, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}). |
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662 |
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663 @anchor{Docstring hyperlinks} |
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664 @item |
6552 | 665 @iftex |
666 When a documentation string refers to a Lisp symbol, write it as it | |
667 would be printed (which usually means in lower case), with single-quotes | |
668 around it. For example: @samp{`lambda'}. There are two exceptions: | |
669 write @code{t} and @code{nil} without single-quotes. | |
670 @end iftex | |
27193 | 671 @ifnottex |
6552 | 672 When a documentation string refers to a Lisp symbol, write it as it |
673 would be printed (which usually means in lower case), with single-quotes | |
674 around it. For example: @samp{lambda}. There are two exceptions: write | |
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675 t and nil without single-quotes. (In this manual, we use a different |
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676 convention, with single-quotes for all symbols.) |
27193 | 677 @end ifnottex |
6552 | 678 |
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679 Help mode automatically creates a hyperlink when a documentation string |
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680 uses a symbol name inside single quotes, if the symbol has either a |
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681 function or a variable definition. You do not need to do anything |
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682 special to make use of this feature. However, when a symbol has both a |
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683 function definition and a variable definition, and you want to refer to |
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684 just one of them, you can specify which one by writing one of the words |
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685 @samp{variable}, @samp{option}, @samp{function}, or @samp{command}, |
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686 immediately before the symbol name. (Case makes no difference in |
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687 recognizing these indicator words.) For example, if you write |
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688 |
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689 @example |
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690 This function sets the variable `buffer-file-name'. |
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691 @end example |
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692 |
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693 @noindent |
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694 then the hyperlink will refer only to the variable documentation of |
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695 @code{buffer-file-name}, and not to its function documentation. |
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696 |
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697 If a symbol has a function definition and/or a variable definition, but |
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698 those are irrelevant to the use of the symbol that you are documenting, |
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699 you can write the word @samp{symbol} before the symbol name to prevent |
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700 making any hyperlink. For example, |
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701 |
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702 @example |
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703 If the argument KIND-OF-RESULT is the symbol `list', |
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704 this function returns a list of all the objects |
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705 that satisfy the criterion. |
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706 @end example |
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707 |
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708 @noindent |
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709 does not make a hyperlink to the documentation, irrelevant here, of the |
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710 function @code{list}. |
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711 |
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712 Normally, no hyperlink is made for a variable without variable |
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713 documentation. You can force a hyperlink for such variables by |
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714 preceding them with one of the words @samp{variable} or |
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715 @samp{option}. |
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716 |
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717 Hyperlinks for faces are only made if the face name is preceded or |
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718 followed by the word @samp{face}. In that case, only the face |
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719 documentation will be shown, even if the symbol is also defined as a |
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720 variable or as a function. |
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721 |
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722 To make a hyperlink to Info documentation, write the name of the Info |
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723 node (or anchor) in single quotes, preceded by @samp{info node}, |
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724 @samp{Info node}, @samp{info anchor} or @samp{Info anchor}. The Info |
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725 file name defaults to @samp{emacs}. For example, |
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726 |
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727 @smallexample |
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728 See Info node `Font Lock' and Info node `(elisp)Font Lock Basics'. |
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729 @end smallexample |
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730 |
6552 | 731 @item |
732 Don't write key sequences directly in documentation strings. Instead, | |
733 use the @samp{\\[@dots{}]} construct to stand for them. For example, | |
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734 instead of writing @samp{C-f}, write the construct |
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735 @samp{\\[forward-char]}. When Emacs displays the documentation string, |
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736 it substitutes whatever key is currently bound to @code{forward-char}. |
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737 (This is normally @samp{C-f}, but it may be some other character if the |
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738 user has moved key bindings.) @xref{Keys in Documentation}. |
6552 | 739 |
740 @item | |
741 In documentation strings for a major mode, you will want to refer to the | |
742 key bindings of that mode's local map, rather than global ones. | |
743 Therefore, use the construct @samp{\\<@dots{}>} once in the | |
744 documentation string to specify which key map to use. Do this before | |
745 the first use of @samp{\\[@dots{}]}. The text inside the | |
746 @samp{\\<@dots{}>} should be the name of the variable containing the | |
747 local keymap for the major mode. | |
748 | |
749 It is not practical to use @samp{\\[@dots{}]} very many times, because | |
750 display of the documentation string will become slow. So use this to | |
751 describe the most important commands in your major mode, and then use | |
752 @samp{\\@{@dots{}@}} to display the rest of the mode's keymap. | |
753 @end itemize | |
754 | |
755 @node Comment Tips | |
756 @section Tips on Writing Comments | |
757 | |
758 We recommend these conventions for where to put comments and how to | |
759 indent them: | |
760 | |
761 @table @samp | |
762 @item ; | |
763 Comments that start with a single semicolon, @samp{;}, should all be | |
764 aligned to the same column on the right of the source code. Such | |
765 comments usually explain how the code on the same line does its job. In | |
766 Lisp mode and related modes, the @kbd{M-;} (@code{indent-for-comment}) | |
767 command automatically inserts such a @samp{;} in the right place, or | |
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768 aligns such a comment if it is already present. |
6552 | 769 |
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770 This and following examples are taken from the Emacs sources. |
6552 | 771 |
772 @smallexample | |
773 @group | |
774 (setq base-version-list ; there was a base | |
775 (assoc (substring fn 0 start-vn) ; version to which | |
776 file-version-assoc-list)) ; this looks like | |
777 ; a subversion | |
778 @end group | |
779 @end smallexample | |
780 | |
781 @item ;; | |
782 Comments that start with two semicolons, @samp{;;}, should be aligned to | |
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783 the same level of indentation as the code. Such comments usually |
6552 | 784 describe the purpose of the following lines or the state of the program |
785 at that point. For example: | |
786 | |
787 @smallexample | |
788 @group | |
789 (prog1 (setq auto-fill-function | |
790 @dots{} | |
791 @dots{} | |
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792 ;; update mode line |
6552 | 793 (force-mode-line-update))) |
794 @end group | |
795 @end smallexample | |
796 | |
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797 We also normally use two semicolons for comments outside functions. |
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798 |
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799 @smallexample |
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800 @group |
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801 ;; This Lisp code is run in Emacs |
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802 ;; when it is to operate as a server |
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803 ;; for other processes. |
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804 @end group |
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805 @end smallexample |
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806 |
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807 Every function that has no documentation string (presumably one that is |
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808 used only internally within the package it belongs to), should instead |
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809 have a two-semicolon comment right before the function, explaining what |
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810 the function does and how to call it properly. Explain precisely what |
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811 each argument means and how the function interprets its possible values. |
6552 | 812 |
813 @item ;;; | |
814 Comments that start with three semicolons, @samp{;;;}, should start at | |
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815 the left margin. These are used, occasionally, for comments within |
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816 functions that should start at the margin. We also use them sometimes |
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817 for comments that are between functions---whether to use two or three |
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818 semicolons depends on whether the comment should be considered a |
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819 ``heading'' by Outline minor mode. By default, comments starting with |
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820 at least three semicolons (followed by a single space and a |
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821 non-whitespace character) are considered headings, comments starting |
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822 with two or less are not. |
6552 | 823 |
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824 Another use for triple-semicolon comments is for commenting out lines |
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825 within a function. We use three semicolons for this precisely so that |
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826 they remain at the left margin. By default, Outline minor mode does |
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827 not consider a comment to be a heading (even if it starts with at |
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828 least three semicolons) if the semicolons are followed by at least two |
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829 spaces. Thus, if you add an introductory comment to the commented out |
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830 code, make sure to indent it by at least two spaces after the three |
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831 semicolons. |
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832 |
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833 @smallexample |
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834 (defun foo (a) |
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835 ;;; This is no longer necessary. |
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836 ;;; (force-mode-line-update) |
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837 (message "Finished with %s" a)) |
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838 @end smallexample |
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839 |
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840 When commenting out entire functions, use two semicolons. |
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841 |
6552 | 842 @item ;;;; |
843 Comments that start with four semicolons, @samp{;;;;}, should be aligned | |
844 to the left margin and are used for headings of major sections of a | |
845 program. For example: | |
846 | |
847 @smallexample | |
848 ;;;; The kill ring | |
849 @end smallexample | |
850 @end table | |
851 | |
852 @noindent | |
853 The indentation commands of the Lisp modes in Emacs, such as @kbd{M-;} | |
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854 (@code{indent-for-comment}) and @key{TAB} (@code{lisp-indent-line}), |
6552 | 855 automatically indent comments according to these conventions, |
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856 depending on the number of semicolons. @xref{Comments,, |
6552 | 857 Manipulating Comments, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}. |
858 | |
859 @node Library Headers | |
860 @section Conventional Headers for Emacs Libraries | |
861 @cindex header comments | |
862 @cindex library header comments | |
863 | |
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864 Emacs has conventions for using special comments in Lisp libraries |
6552 | 865 to divide them into sections and give information such as who wrote |
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866 them. This section explains these conventions. |
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867 |
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868 We'll start with an example, a package that is included in the Emacs |
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869 distribution. |
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870 |
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871 Parts of this example reflect its status as part of Emacs; for |
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872 example, the copyright notice lists the Free Software Foundation as the |
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873 copyright holder, and the copying permission says the file is part of |
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874 Emacs. When you write a package and post it, the copyright holder would |
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875 be you (unless your employer claims to own it instead), and you should |
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876 get the suggested copying permission from the end of the GNU General |
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877 Public License itself. Don't say your file is part of Emacs |
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878 if we haven't installed it in Emacs yet! |
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879 |
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880 With that warning out of the way, on to the example: |
6552 | 881 |
882 @smallexample | |
883 @group | |
884 ;;; lisp-mnt.el --- minor mode for Emacs Lisp maintainers | |
885 | |
886 ;; Copyright (C) 1992 Free Software Foundation, Inc. | |
887 @end group | |
888 | |
889 ;; Author: Eric S. Raymond <esr@@snark.thyrsus.com> | |
890 ;; Maintainer: Eric S. Raymond <esr@@snark.thyrsus.com> | |
891 ;; Created: 14 Jul 1992 | |
892 ;; Version: 1.2 | |
893 @group | |
894 ;; Keywords: docs | |
895 | |
896 ;; This file is part of GNU Emacs. | |
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897 @dots{} |
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898 ;; Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, |
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899 ;; Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA. |
6552 | 900 @end group |
901 @end smallexample | |
902 | |
903 The very first line should have this format: | |
904 | |
905 @example | |
906 ;;; @var{filename} --- @var{description} | |
907 @end example | |
908 | |
909 @noindent | |
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910 The description should be complete in one line. If the file |
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911 needs a @samp{-*-} specification, put it after @var{description}. |
6552 | 912 |
913 After the copyright notice come several @dfn{header comment} lines, | |
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914 each beginning with @samp{;; @var{header-name}:}. Here is a table of |
6552 | 915 the conventional possibilities for @var{header-name}: |
916 | |
917 @table @samp | |
918 @item Author | |
919 This line states the name and net address of at least the principal | |
920 author of the library. | |
921 | |
922 If there are multiple authors, you can list them on continuation lines | |
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923 led by @code{;;} and a tab character, like this: |
6552 | 924 |
925 @smallexample | |
926 @group | |
927 ;; Author: Ashwin Ram <Ram-Ashwin@@cs.yale.edu> | |
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928 ;; Dave Sill <de5@@ornl.gov> |
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929 ;; Dave Brennan <brennan@@hal.com> |
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930 ;; Eric Raymond <esr@@snark.thyrsus.com> |
6552 | 931 @end group |
932 @end smallexample | |
933 | |
934 @item Maintainer | |
935 This line should contain a single name/address as in the Author line, or | |
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936 an address only, or the string @samp{FSF}. If there is no maintainer |
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937 line, the person(s) in the Author field are presumed to be the |
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938 maintainers. The example above is mildly bogus because the maintainer |
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939 line is redundant. |
6552 | 940 |
941 The idea behind the @samp{Author} and @samp{Maintainer} lines is to make | |
942 possible a Lisp function to ``send mail to the maintainer'' without | |
943 having to mine the name out by hand. | |
944 | |
945 Be sure to surround the network address with @samp{<@dots{}>} if | |
946 you include the person's full name as well as the network address. | |
947 | |
948 @item Created | |
949 This optional line gives the original creation date of the | |
950 file. For historical interest only. | |
951 | |
952 @item Version | |
953 If you wish to record version numbers for the individual Lisp program, put | |
954 them in this line. | |
955 | |
956 @item Adapted-By | |
957 In this header line, place the name of the person who adapted the | |
958 library for installation (to make it fit the style conventions, for | |
959 example). | |
960 | |
961 @item Keywords | |
962 This line lists keywords for the @code{finder-by-keyword} help command. | |
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963 Please use that command to see a list of the meaningful keywords. |
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964 |
6552 | 965 This field is important; it's how people will find your package when |
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966 they're looking for things by topic area. To separate the keywords, you |
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967 can use spaces, commas, or both. |
6552 | 968 @end table |
969 | |
970 Just about every Lisp library ought to have the @samp{Author} and | |
971 @samp{Keywords} header comment lines. Use the others if they are | |
972 appropriate. You can also put in header lines with other header | |
973 names---they have no standard meanings, so they can't do any harm. | |
974 | |
975 We use additional stylized comments to subdivide the contents of the | |
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976 library file. These should be separated by blank lines from anything |
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977 else. Here is a table of them: |
6552 | 978 |
979 @table @samp | |
980 @item ;;; Commentary: | |
981 This begins introductory comments that explain how the library works. | |
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982 It should come right after the copying permissions, terminated by a |
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983 @samp{Change Log}, @samp{History} or @samp{Code} comment line. This |
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984 text is used by the Finder package, so it should make sense in that |
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985 context. |
6552 | 986 |
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987 @item ;;; Documentation: |
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988 This was used in some files in place of @samp{;;; Commentary:}, |
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989 but it is deprecated. |
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990 |
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991 @item ;;; Change Log: |
6552 | 992 This begins change log information stored in the library file (if you |
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993 store the change history there). For Lisp files distributed with Emacs, |
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994 the change history is kept in the file @file{ChangeLog} and not in the |
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995 source file at all; these files generally do not have a @samp{;;; Change |
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996 Log:} line. @samp{History} is an alternative to @samp{Change Log}. |
6552 | 997 |
998 @item ;;; Code: | |
999 This begins the actual code of the program. | |
1000 | |
1001 @item ;;; @var{filename} ends here | |
1002 This is the @dfn{footer line}; it appears at the very end of the file. | |
1003 Its purpose is to enable people to detect truncated versions of the file | |
1004 from the lack of a footer line. | |
1005 @end table | |
52401 | 1006 |
1007 @ignore | |
1008 arch-tag: 9ea911c2-6b1d-47dd-88b7-0a94e8b27c2e | |
1009 @end ignore |