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1 @c -*-texinfo-*-
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2 @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual.
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3 @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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4 @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions.
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5 @setfilename ../info/tips
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6 @node Tips, GNU Emacs Internals, Calendar, Top
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7 @appendix Tips and Standards
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8 @cindex tips
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9 @cindex standards of coding style
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10 @cindex coding standards
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11
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12 This chapter describes no additional features of Emacs Lisp.
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13 Instead it gives advice on making effective use of the features described
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14 in the previous chapters.
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15
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16 @menu
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17 * Style Tips:: Writing clean and robust programs.
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18 * Compilation Tips:: Making compiled code run fast.
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19 * Documentation Tips:: Writing readable documentation strings.
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20 * Comment Tips:: Conventions for writing comments.
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21 * Library Headers:: Standard headers for library packages.
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22 @end menu
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23
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24 @node Style Tips
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25 @section Writing Clean Lisp Programs
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26
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27 Here are some tips for avoiding common errors in writing Lisp code
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28 intended for widespread use:
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29
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30 @itemize @bullet
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31 @item
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32 Since all global variables share the same name space, and all functions
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33 share another name space, you should choose a short word to distinguish
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34 your program from other Lisp programs. Then take care to begin the
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35 names of all global variables, constants, and functions with the chosen
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36 prefix. This helps avoid name conflicts.
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37
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38 This recommendation applies even to names for traditional Lisp
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39 primitives that are not primitives in Emacs Lisp---even to @code{cadr}.
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40 Believe it or not, there is more than one plausible way to define
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41 @code{cadr}. Play it safe; append your name prefix to produce a name
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42 like @code{foo-cadr} or @code{mylib-cadr} instead.
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43
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44 If you write a function that you think ought to be added to Emacs under
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45 a certain name, such as @code{twiddle-files}, don't call it by that name
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46 in your program. Call it @code{mylib-twiddle-files} in your program,
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47 and send mail to @samp{bug-gnu-emacs@@prep.ai.mit.edu} suggesting we add
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48 it to Emacs. If and when we do, we can change the name easily enough.
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49
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50 If one prefix is insufficient, your package may use two or three
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51 alternative common prefixes, so long as they make sense.
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52
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53 Separate the prefix from the rest of the symbol name with a hyphen,
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54 @samp{-}. This will be consistent with Emacs itself and with most Emacs
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55 Lisp programs.
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56
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57 @item
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58 It is often useful to put a call to @code{provide} in each separate
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59 library program, at least if there is more than one entry point to the
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60 program.
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61
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62 @item
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63 If a file requires certain other library programs to be loaded
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64 beforehand, then the comments at the beginning of the file should say
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65 so. Also, use @code{require} to make sure they are loaded.
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66
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67 @item
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68 If one file @var{foo} uses a macro defined in another file @var{bar},
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69 @var{foo} should contain this expression before the first use of the
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70 macro:
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71
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72 @example
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73 (eval-when-compile (require '@var{bar}))
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74 @end example
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75
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76 @noindent
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77 (And @var{bar} should contain @code{(provide '@var{bar})}, to make the
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78 @code{require} work.) This will cause @var{bar} to be loaded when you
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79 byte-compile @var{foo}. Otherwise, you risk compiling @var{foo} without
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80 the necessary macro loaded, and that would produce compiled code that
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81 won't work right. @xref{Compiling Macros}.
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82
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83 Using @code{eval-when-compile} avoids loading @var{bar} when
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84 the compiled version of @var{foo} is @emph{used}.
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85
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86 @item
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87 If you define a major mode, make sure to run a hook variable using
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88 @code{run-hooks}, just as the existing major modes do. @xref{Hooks}.
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89
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90 @item
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91 If the purpose of a function is to tell you whether a certain condition
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92 is true or false, give the function a name that ends in @samp{p}. If
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93 the name is one word, add just @samp{p}; if the name is multiple words,
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94 add @samp{-p}. Examples are @code{framep} and @code{frame-live-p}.
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95
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96 @item
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97 If a user option variable records a true-or-false condition, give it a
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98 name that ends in @samp{-flag}.
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99
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100 @item
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101 Please do not define @kbd{C-c @var{letter}} as a key in your major
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102 modes. These sequences are reserved for users; they are the
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103 @strong{only} sequences reserved for users, so we cannot do without
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104 them.
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105
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106 Instead, define sequences consisting of @kbd{C-c} followed by a control
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107 character, a digit, or certain punctuation characters. These sequences
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108 are reserved for major modes.
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109
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110 Changing all the major modes in Emacs 18 so they would follow this
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111 convention was a lot of work. Abandoning this convention would make
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112 that work go to waste, and inconvenience users.
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113
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114 @item
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115 Sequences consisting of @kbd{C-c} followed by @kbd{@{}, @kbd{@}},
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116 @kbd{<}, @kbd{>}, @kbd{:} or @kbd{;} are also reserved for major modes.
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117
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118 @item
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119 Sequences consisting of @kbd{C-c} followed by any other punctuation
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120 character are allocated for minor modes. Using them in a major mode is
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121 not absolutely prohibited, but if you do that, the major mode binding
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122 may be shadowed from time to time by minor modes.
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123
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124 @item
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125 You should not bind @kbd{C-h} following any prefix character (including
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126 @kbd{C-c}). If you don't bind @kbd{C-h}, it is automatically available
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127 as a help character for listing the subcommands of the prefix character.
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128
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129 @item
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130 You should not bind a key sequence ending in @key{ESC} except following
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131 another @key{ESC}. (That is, it is ok to bind a sequence ending in
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132 @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{ESC}}.)
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133
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134 The reason for this rule is that a non-prefix binding for @key{ESC} in
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135 any context prevents recognition of escape sequences as function keys in
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136 that context.
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137
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138 @item
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139 Applications should not bind mouse events based on button 1 with the
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140 shift key held down. These events include @kbd{S-mouse-1},
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141 @kbd{M-S-mouse-1}, @kbd{C-S-mouse-1}, and so on. They are reserved for
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142 users.
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143
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144 @item
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145 Modes should redefine @kbd{mouse-2} as a command to follow some sort of
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146 reference in the text of a buffer, if users usually would not want to
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147 alter the text in that buffer by hand. Modes such as Dired, Info,
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148 Compilation, and Occur redefine it in this way.
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149
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150 @item
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151 When a package provides a modification of ordinary Emacs behavior, it is
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152 good to include a command to enable and disable the feature, Provide a
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153 command named @code{@var{whatever}-mode} which turns the feature on or
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154 off, and make it autoload (@pxref{Autoload}). Design the package so
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155 that simply loading it has no visible effect---that should not enable
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156 the feature. Users will request the feature by invoking the command.
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157
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158 @item
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159 It is a bad idea to define aliases for the Emacs primitives. Use the
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160 standard names instead.
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161
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162 @item
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163 Redefining an Emacs primitive is an even worse idea.
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164 It may do the right thing for a particular program, but
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165 there is no telling what other programs might break as a result.
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166
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167 @item
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168 If a file does replace any of the functions or library programs of
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169 standard Emacs, prominent comments at the beginning of the file should
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170 say which functions are replaced, and how the behavior of the
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171 replacements differs from that of the originals.
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172
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173 @item
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174 Please keep the names of your Emacs Lisp source files to 13 characters
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175 or less. This way, if the files are compiled, the compiled files' names
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176 will be 14 characters or less, which is short enough to fit on all kinds
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177 of Unix systems.
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178
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179 @item
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180 Don't use @code{next-line} or @code{previous-line} in programs; nearly
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181 always, @code{forward-line} is more convenient as well as more
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182 predictable and robust. @xref{Text Lines}.
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183
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184 @item
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185 Don't call functions that set the mark, unless setting the mark is one
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186 of the intended features of your program. The mark is a user-level
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187 feature, so it is incorrect to change the mark except to supply a value
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188 for the user's benefit. @xref{The Mark}.
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189
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190 In particular, don't use these functions:
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191
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192 @itemize @bullet
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193 @item
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194 @code{beginning-of-buffer}, @code{end-of-buffer}
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195 @item
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196 @code{replace-string}, @code{replace-regexp}
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197 @end itemize
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198
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199 If you just want to move point, or replace a certain string, without any
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200 of the other features intended for interactive users, you can replace
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201 these functions with one or two lines of simple Lisp code.
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202
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203 @item
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204 Use lists rather than vectors, except when there is a particular reason
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205 to use a vector. Lisp has more facilities for manipulating lists than
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206 for vectors, and working with lists is usually more convenient.
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207
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208 Vectors are advantageous for tables that are substantial in size and are
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209 accessed in random order (not searched front to back), provided there is
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210 no need to insert or delete elements (only lists allow that).
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211
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212 @item
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213 The recommended way to print a message in the echo area is with
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214 the @code{message} function, not @code{princ}. @xref{The Echo Area}.
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215
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216 @item
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217 When you encounter an error condition, call the function @code{error}
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218 (or @code{signal}). The function @code{error} does not return.
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219 @xref{Signaling Errors}.
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220
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221 Do not use @code{message}, @code{throw}, @code{sleep-for},
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222 or @code{beep} to report errors.
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223
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224 @item
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225 An error message should start with a capital letter but should not end
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226 with a period.
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227
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228 @item
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229 Many commands that take a long time to execute display a message that
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230 says @samp{Operating...} when they start, and change it to
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231 @samp{Operating...done} when they finish. Please keep the style of
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232 these messages uniform: @emph{no} space around the ellipsis, and
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233 @emph{no} period at the end.
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234
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235 @item
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236 Try to avoid using recursive edits. Instead, do what the Rmail @kbd{e}
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237 command does: use a new local keymap that contains one command defined
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238 to switch back to the old local keymap. Or do what the
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239 @code{edit-options} command does: switch to another buffer and let the
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240 user switch back at will. @xref{Recursive Editing}.
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241
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242 @item
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243 In some other systems there is a convention of choosing variable names
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244 that begin and end with @samp{*}. We don't use that convention in Emacs
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245 Lisp, so please don't use it in your programs. (Emacs uses such names
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246 only for program-generated buffers.) The users will find Emacs more
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247 coherent if all libraries use the same conventions.
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248
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249 @item
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250 Try to avoid compiler warnings about undefined free variables, by adding
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251 @cdode{defvar} definitions for these variables.
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252
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253 If you bind a variable in one function, and use it or set it in another
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254 function, the compiler warns about the latter function unless the
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255 variable has a definition. But often these variables have short names,
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256 and it is not clean for Lisp packages to define such variables names.
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257 Therefore, you should rename the variable to start with the name prefix
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258 used for the other functions and variables in your package.
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259
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260 @item
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261 Indent each function with @kbd{C-M-q} (@code{indent-sexp}) using the
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262 default indentation parameters.
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263
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264 @item
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265 Don't make a habit of putting close-parentheses on lines by themselves;
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266 Lisp programmers find this disconcerting. Once in a while, when there
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267 is a sequence of many consecutive close-parentheses, it may make sense
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268 to split them in one or two significant places.
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269
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270 @item
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271 Please put a copyright notice on the file if you give copies to anyone.
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272 Use the same lines that appear at the top of the Lisp files in Emacs
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273 itself. If you have not signed papers to assign the copyright to the
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274 Foundation, then place your name in the copyright notice in place of the
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275 Foundation's name.
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276 @end itemize
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277
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278 @node Compilation Tips
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279 @section Tips for Making Compiled Code Fast
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280 @cindex execution speed
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281 @cindex speedups
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282
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283 Here are ways of improving the execution speed of byte-compiled
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284 Lisp programs.
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285
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286 @itemize @bullet
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287 @item
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288 @cindex profiling
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289 @cindex timing programs
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290 @cindex @file{profile.el}
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291 Use the @file{profile} library to profile your program. See the file
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292 @file{profile.el} for instructions.
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293
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294 @item
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295 Use iteration rather than recursion whenever possible.
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296 Function calls are slow in Emacs Lisp even when a compiled function
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297 is calling another compiled function.
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298
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299 @item
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300 Using the primitive list-searching functions @code{memq}, @code{member},
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301 @code{assq}, or @code{assoc} is even faster than explicit iteration. It
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302 may be worth rearranging a data structure so that one of these primitive
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303 search functions can be used.
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304
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305 @item
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306 Certain built-in functions are handled specially in byte-compiled code,
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307 avoiding the need for an ordinary function call. It is a good idea to
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308 use these functions rather than alternatives. To see whether a function
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309 is handled specially by the compiler, examine its @code{byte-compile}
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310 property. If the property is non-@code{nil}, then the function is
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311 handled specially.
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312
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313 For example, the following input will show you that @code{aref} is
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314 compiled specially (@pxref{Array Functions}) while @code{elt} is not
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315 (@pxref{Sequence Functions}):
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316
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317 @example
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318 @group
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319 (get 'aref 'byte-compile)
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320 @result{} byte-compile-two-args
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321 @end group
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322
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323 @group
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324 (get 'elt 'byte-compile)
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325 @result{} nil
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326 @end group
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327 @end example
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328
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329 @item
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330 If calling a small function accounts for a substantial part of your
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331 program's running time, make the function inline. This eliminates
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332 the function call overhead. Since making a function inline reduces
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333 the flexibility of changing the program, don't do it unless it gives
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334 a noticeable speedup in something slow enough that users care about
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335 the speed. @xref{Inline Functions}.
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336 @end itemize
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337
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338 @node Documentation Tips
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339 @section Tips for Documentation Strings
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340
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341 Here are some tips for the writing of documentation strings.
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342
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343 @itemize @bullet
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344 @item
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345 Every command, function, or variable intended for users to know about
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346 should have a documentation string.
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347
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348 @item
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349 An internal variable or subroutine of a Lisp program might as well have
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350 a documentation string. In earlier Emacs versions, you could save space
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351 by using a comment instead of a documentation string, but that is no
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352 longer the case.
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353
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354 @item
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355 The first line of the documentation string should consist of one or two
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356 complete sentences that stand on their own as a summary. @kbd{M-x
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357 apropos} displays just the first line, and if it doesn't stand on its
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358 own, the result looks bad. In particular, start the first line with a
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359 capital letter and end with a period.
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360
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361 The documentation string can have additional lines that expand on the
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362 details of how to use the function or variable. The additional lines
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363 should be made up of complete sentences also, but they may be filled if
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364 that looks good.
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365
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366 @item
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367 For consistency, phrase the verb in the first sentence of a
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368 documentation string as an infinitive with ``to'' omitted. For
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369 instance, use ``Return the cons of A and B.'' in preference to ``Returns
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370 the cons of A and B@.'' Usually it looks good to do likewise for the
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371 rest of the first paragraph. Subsequent paragraphs usually look better
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372 if they have proper subjects.
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373
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374 @item
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375 Write documentation strings in the active voice, not the passive, and in
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376 the present tense, not the future. For instance, use ``Return a list
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377 containing A and B.'' instead of ``A list containing A and B will be
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378 returned.''
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379
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380 @item
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381 Avoid using the word ``cause'' (or its equivalents) unnecessarily.
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382 Instead of, ``Cause Emacs to display text in boldface,'' write just
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383 ``Display text in boldface.''
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384
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385 @item
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386 Do not start or end a documentation string with whitespace.
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387
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388 @item
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389 Format the documentation string so that it fits in an Emacs window on an
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390 80-column screen. It is a good idea for most lines to be no wider than
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391 60 characters. The first line can be wider if necessary to fit the
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392 information that ought to be there.
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393
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394 However, rather than simply filling the entire documentation string, you
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395 can make it much more readable by choosing line breaks with care.
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396 Use blank lines between topics if the documentation string is long.
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397
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398 @item
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399 @strong{Do not} indent subsequent lines of a documentation string so
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400 that the text is lined up in the source code with the text of the first
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401 line. This looks nice in the source code, but looks bizarre when users
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402 view the documentation. Remember that the indentation before the
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403 starting double-quote is not part of the string!
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404
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405 @item
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406 A variable's documentation string should start with @samp{*} if the
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407 variable is one that users would often want to set interactively. If
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408 the value is a long list, or a function, or if the variable would be set
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409 only in init files, then don't start the documentation string with
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410 @samp{*}. @xref{Defining Variables}.
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411
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412 @item
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413 The documentation string for a variable that is a yes-or-no flag should
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414 start with words such as ``Non-nil means@dots{}'', to make it clear that
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415 all non-@code{nil} values are equivalent and indicate explicitly what
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416 @code{nil} and non-@code{nil} mean.
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417
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418 @item
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419 When a function's documentation string mentions the value of an argument
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420 of the function, use the argument name in capital letters as if it were
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421 a name for that value. Thus, the documentation string of the function
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422 @code{/} refers to its second argument as @samp{DIVISOR}, because the
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423 actual argument name is @code{divisor}.
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424
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425 Also use all caps for meta-syntactic variables, such as when you show
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426 the decomposition of a list or vector into subunits, some of which may
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427 vary.
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428
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429 @item
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430 @iftex
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431 When a documentation string refers to a Lisp symbol, write it as it
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432 would be printed (which usually means in lower case), with single-quotes
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433 around it. For example: @samp{`lambda'}. There are two exceptions:
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434 write @code{t} and @code{nil} without single-quotes.
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435 @end iftex
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436 @ifinfo
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437 When a documentation string refers to a Lisp symbol, write it as it
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438 would be printed (which usually means in lower case), with single-quotes
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439 around it. For example: @samp{lambda}. There are two exceptions: write
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440 t and nil without single-quotes. (In this manual, we normally do use
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441 single-quotes for those symbols.)
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442 @end ifinfo
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443
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444 @item
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445 Don't write key sequences directly in documentation strings. Instead,
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446 use the @samp{\\[@dots{}]} construct to stand for them. For example,
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447 instead of writing @samp{C-f}, write @samp{\\[forward-char]}. When
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448 Emacs displays the documentation string, it substitutes whatever key is
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449 currently bound to @code{forward-char}. (This is normally @samp{C-f},
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450 but it may be some other character if the user has moved key bindings.)
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451 @xref{Keys in Documentation}.
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452
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453 @item
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454 In documentation strings for a major mode, you will want to refer to the
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455 key bindings of that mode's local map, rather than global ones.
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456 Therefore, use the construct @samp{\\<@dots{}>} once in the
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457 documentation string to specify which key map to use. Do this before
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458 the first use of @samp{\\[@dots{}]}. The text inside the
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459 @samp{\\<@dots{}>} should be the name of the variable containing the
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460 local keymap for the major mode.
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461
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462 It is not practical to use @samp{\\[@dots{}]} very many times, because
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463 display of the documentation string will become slow. So use this to
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464 describe the most important commands in your major mode, and then use
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465 @samp{\\@{@dots{}@}} to display the rest of the mode's keymap.
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466 @end itemize
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467
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468 @node Comment Tips
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469 @section Tips on Writing Comments
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470
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471 We recommend these conventions for where to put comments and how to
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472 indent them:
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473
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474 @table @samp
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475 @item ;
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476 Comments that start with a single semicolon, @samp{;}, should all be
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477 aligned to the same column on the right of the source code. Such
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478 comments usually explain how the code on the same line does its job. In
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479 Lisp mode and related modes, the @kbd{M-;} (@code{indent-for-comment})
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480 command automatically inserts such a @samp{;} in the right place, or
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481 aligns such a comment if it is already present.
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482
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483 This and following examples are taken from the Emacs sources.
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484
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485 @smallexample
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486 @group
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487 (setq base-version-list ; there was a base
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488 (assoc (substring fn 0 start-vn) ; version to which
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489 file-version-assoc-list)) ; this looks like
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490 ; a subversion
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491 @end group
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492 @end smallexample
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493
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494 @item ;;
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495 Comments that start with two semicolons, @samp{;;}, should be aligned to
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496 the same level of indentation as the code. Such comments usually
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497 describe the purpose of the following lines or the state of the program
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498 at that point. For example:
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499
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500 @smallexample
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501 @group
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502 (prog1 (setq auto-fill-function
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503 @dots{}
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504 @dots{}
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505 ;; update mode line
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506 (force-mode-line-update)))
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507 @end group
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508 @end smallexample
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509
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510 Every function that has no documentation string (because it is use only
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511 internally within the package it belongs to), should have instead a
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512 two-semicolon comment right before the function, explaining what the
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513 function does and how to call it properly. Explain precisely what each
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514 argument means and how the function interprets its possible values.
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515
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516 @item ;;;
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517 Comments that start with three semicolons, @samp{;;;}, should start at
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518 the left margin. Such comments are used outside function definitions to
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519 make general statements explaining the design principles of the program.
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520 For example:
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521
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522 @smallexample
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523 @group
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524 ;;; This Lisp code is run in Emacs
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525 ;;; when it is to operate as a server
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526 ;;; for other processes.
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527 @end group
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528 @end smallexample
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529
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530 Another use for triple-semicolon comments is for commenting out lines
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531 within a function. We use triple-semicolons for this precisely so that
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532 they remain at the left margin.
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533
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534 @smallexample
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535 (defun foo (a)
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536 ;;; This is no longer necessary.
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537 ;;; (force-mode-line-update)
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538 (message "Finished with %s" a))
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539 @end smallexample
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540
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541 @item ;;;;
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542 Comments that start with four semicolons, @samp{;;;;}, should be aligned
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543 to the left margin and are used for headings of major sections of a
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544 program. For example:
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545
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546 @smallexample
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547 ;;;; The kill ring
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548 @end smallexample
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549 @end table
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550
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551 @noindent
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552 The indentation commands of the Lisp modes in Emacs, such as @kbd{M-;}
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553 (@code{indent-for-comment}) and @key{TAB} (@code{lisp-indent-line})
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554 automatically indent comments according to these conventions,
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555 depending on the number of semicolons. @xref{Comments,,
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556 Manipulating Comments, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}.
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557
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558 @node Library Headers
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559 @section Conventional Headers for Emacs Libraries
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560 @cindex header comments
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561 @cindex library header comments
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562
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563 Emacs 19 has conventions for using special comments in Lisp libraries
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564 to divide them into sections and give information such as who wrote
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565 them. This section explains these conventions. First, an example:
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566
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567 @smallexample
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568 @group
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569 ;;; lisp-mnt.el --- minor mode for Emacs Lisp maintainers
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570
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571 ;; Copyright (C) 1992 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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572 @end group
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573
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574 ;; Author: Eric S. Raymond <esr@@snark.thyrsus.com>
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575 ;; Maintainer: Eric S. Raymond <esr@@snark.thyrsus.com>
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576 ;; Created: 14 Jul 1992
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577 ;; Version: 1.2
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578 @group
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579 ;; Keywords: docs
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580
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581 ;; This file is part of GNU Emacs.
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582 @var{copying permissions}@dots{}
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583 @end group
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584 @end smallexample
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585
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586 The very first line should have this format:
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587
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588 @example
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589 ;;; @var{filename} --- @var{description}
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590 @end example
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591
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592 @noindent
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593 The description should be complete in one line.
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594
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595 After the copyright notice come several @dfn{header comment} lines,
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596 each beginning with @samp{;; @var{header-name}:}. Here is a table of
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597 the conventional possibilities for @var{header-name}:
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598
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599 @table @samp
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600 @item Author
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601 This line states the name and net address of at least the principal
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602 author of the library.
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603
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604 If there are multiple authors, you can list them on continuation lines
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605 led by @code{;;} and a tab character, like this:
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606
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607 @smallexample
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608 @group
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609 ;; Author: Ashwin Ram <Ram-Ashwin@@cs.yale.edu>
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610 ;; Dave Sill <de5@@ornl.gov>
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611 ;; Dave Brennan <brennan@@hal.com>
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612 ;; Eric Raymond <esr@@snark.thyrsus.com>
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613 @end group
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614 @end smallexample
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615
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616 @item Maintainer
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617 This line should contain a single name/address as in the Author line, or
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618 an address only, or the string @samp{FSF}. If there is no maintainer
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619 line, the person(s) in the Author field are presumed to be the
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620 maintainers. The example above is mildly bogus because the maintainer
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621 line is redundant.
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622
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623 The idea behind the @samp{Author} and @samp{Maintainer} lines is to make
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624 possible a Lisp function to ``send mail to the maintainer'' without
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625 having to mine the name out by hand.
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626
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627 Be sure to surround the network address with @samp{<@dots{}>} if
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628 you include the person's full name as well as the network address.
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629
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630 @item Created
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631 This optional line gives the original creation date of the
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632 file. For historical interest only.
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633
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634 @item Version
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635 If you wish to record version numbers for the individual Lisp program, put
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636 them in this line.
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637
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638 @item Adapted-By
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639 In this header line, place the name of the person who adapted the
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640 library for installation (to make it fit the style conventions, for
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641 example).
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642
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643 @item Keywords
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644 This line lists keywords for the @code{finder-by-keyword} help command.
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645 This field is important; it's how people will find your package when
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646 they're looking for things by topic area. To separate the keywords, you
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647 can use spaces, commas, or both.
6552
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648 @end table
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649
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650 Just about every Lisp library ought to have the @samp{Author} and
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651 @samp{Keywords} header comment lines. Use the others if they are
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652 appropriate. You can also put in header lines with other header
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653 names---they have no standard meanings, so they can't do any harm.
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654
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655 We use additional stylized comments to subdivide the contents of the
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656 library file. Here is a table of them:
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657
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658 @table @samp
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659 @item ;;; Commentary:
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660 This begins introductory comments that explain how the library works.
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661 It should come right after the copying permissions.
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662
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663 @item ;;; Change log:
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664 This begins change log information stored in the library file (if you
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665 store the change history there). For most of the Lisp
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666 files distributed with Emacs, the change history is kept in the file
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667 @file{ChangeLog} and not in the source file at all; these files do
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668 not have a @samp{;;; Change log:} line.
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669
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670 @item ;;; Code:
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671 This begins the actual code of the program.
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672
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673 @item ;;; @var{filename} ends here
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674 This is the @dfn{footer line}; it appears at the very end of the file.
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675 Its purpose is to enable people to detect truncated versions of the file
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676 from the lack of a footer line.
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677 @end table