Mercurial > emacs
annotate lispref/tips.texi @ 21347:aca24aa07fb4
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to nil, so a local var list in a message won't confuse things.
author | Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org> |
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date | Fri, 03 Apr 1998 05:34:10 +0000 |
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6552 | 1 @c -*-texinfo-*- |
2 @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. | |
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3 @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998 Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
6552 | 4 @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. |
5 @setfilename ../info/tips | |
6 @node Tips, GNU Emacs Internals, Calendar, Top | |
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7 @appendix Tips and Conventions |
6552 | 8 @cindex tips |
9 @cindex standards of coding style | |
10 @cindex coding standards | |
11 | |
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12 This chapter describes no additional features of Emacs Lisp. Instead |
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13 it gives advice on making effective use of the features described in the |
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14 previous chapters, and describes conventions Emacs Lisp programmers |
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15 should follow. |
6552 | 16 |
17 @menu | |
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18 * Coding Conventions:: Conventions for clean and robust programs. |
6552 | 19 * Compilation Tips:: Making compiled code run fast. |
20 * Documentation Tips:: Writing readable documentation strings. | |
21 * Comment Tips:: Conventions for writing comments. | |
22 * Library Headers:: Standard headers for library packages. | |
23 @end menu | |
24 | |
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25 @node Coding Conventions |
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26 @section Emacs Lisp Coding Conventions |
6552 | 27 |
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28 Here are conventions that you should follow when writing Emacs Lisp |
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29 code intended for widespread use: |
6552 | 30 |
31 @itemize @bullet | |
32 @item | |
33 Since all global variables share the same name space, and all functions | |
34 share another name space, you should choose a short word to distinguish | |
35 your program from other Lisp programs. Then take care to begin the | |
36 names of all global variables, constants, and functions with the chosen | |
37 prefix. This helps avoid name conflicts. | |
38 | |
39 This recommendation applies even to names for traditional Lisp | |
40 primitives that are not primitives in Emacs Lisp---even to @code{cadr}. | |
41 Believe it or not, there is more than one plausible way to define | |
42 @code{cadr}. Play it safe; append your name prefix to produce a name | |
43 like @code{foo-cadr} or @code{mylib-cadr} instead. | |
44 | |
45 If you write a function that you think ought to be added to Emacs under | |
46 a certain name, such as @code{twiddle-files}, don't call it by that name | |
47 in your program. Call it @code{mylib-twiddle-files} in your program, | |
48 and send mail to @samp{bug-gnu-emacs@@prep.ai.mit.edu} suggesting we add | |
49 it to Emacs. If and when we do, we can change the name easily enough. | |
50 | |
51 If one prefix is insufficient, your package may use two or three | |
52 alternative common prefixes, so long as they make sense. | |
53 | |
54 Separate the prefix from the rest of the symbol name with a hyphen, | |
55 @samp{-}. This will be consistent with Emacs itself and with most Emacs | |
56 Lisp programs. | |
57 | |
58 @item | |
59 It is often useful to put a call to @code{provide} in each separate | |
60 library program, at least if there is more than one entry point to the | |
61 program. | |
62 | |
63 @item | |
12098 | 64 If a file requires certain other library programs to be loaded |
65 beforehand, then the comments at the beginning of the file should say | |
66 so. Also, use @code{require} to make sure they are loaded. | |
67 | |
68 @item | |
6552 | 69 If one file @var{foo} uses a macro defined in another file @var{bar}, |
12098 | 70 @var{foo} should contain this expression before the first use of the |
71 macro: | |
72 | |
73 @example | |
74 (eval-when-compile (require '@var{bar})) | |
75 @end example | |
76 | |
77 @noindent | |
78 (And @var{bar} should contain @code{(provide '@var{bar})}, to make the | |
79 @code{require} work.) This will cause @var{bar} to be loaded when you | |
80 byte-compile @var{foo}. Otherwise, you risk compiling @var{foo} without | |
81 the necessary macro loaded, and that would produce compiled code that | |
82 won't work right. @xref{Compiling Macros}. | |
83 | |
84 Using @code{eval-when-compile} avoids loading @var{bar} when | |
85 the compiled version of @var{foo} is @emph{used}. | |
6552 | 86 |
87 @item | |
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88 When defining a major mode, please follow the major mode |
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89 conventions. @xref{Major Mode Conventions}. |
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90 |
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91 @item |
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92 When defining a minor mode, please follow the minor mode |
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93 conventions. @xref{Minor Mode Conventions}. |
6552 | 94 |
95 @item | |
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96 If the purpose of a function is to tell you whether a certain condition |
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97 is true or false, give the function a name that ends in @samp{p}. If |
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98 the name is one word, add just @samp{p}; if the name is multiple words, |
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99 add @samp{-p}. Examples are @code{framep} and @code{frame-live-p}. |
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100 |
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101 @item |
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102 If a user option variable records a true-or-false condition, give it a |
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103 name that ends in @samp{-flag}. |
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104 |
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105 @item |
6552 | 106 Please do not define @kbd{C-c @var{letter}} as a key in your major |
107 modes. These sequences are reserved for users; they are the | |
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108 @strong{only} sequences reserved for users, so do not block them. |
6552 | 109 |
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110 Instead, define sequences consisting of @kbd{C-c} followed by a control |
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111 character, a digit, or certain punctuation characters. These sequences |
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112 are reserved for major modes. |
6552 | 113 |
114 Changing all the major modes in Emacs 18 so they would follow this | |
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115 convention was a lot of work. Abandoning this convention would make |
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116 that work go to waste, and inconvenience users. |
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117 |
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118 @item |
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119 Sequences consisting of @kbd{C-c} followed by @kbd{@{}, @kbd{@}}, |
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120 @kbd{<}, @kbd{>}, @kbd{:} or @kbd{;} are also reserved for major modes. |
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121 |
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122 @item |
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123 Sequences consisting of @kbd{C-c} followed by any other punctuation |
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124 character are allocated for minor modes. Using them in a major mode is |
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125 not absolutely prohibited, but if you do that, the major mode binding |
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126 may be shadowed from time to time by minor modes. |
6552 | 127 |
128 @item | |
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129 Function keys @key{F5} through @key{F9} without modifier keys are |
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130 reserved for users to define. |
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131 |
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132 @item |
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133 Do not bind @kbd{C-h} following any prefix character (including |
6552 | 134 @kbd{C-c}). If you don't bind @kbd{C-h}, it is automatically available |
135 as a help character for listing the subcommands of the prefix character. | |
136 | |
137 @item | |
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138 Do not bind a key sequence ending in @key{ESC} except following |
6552 | 139 another @key{ESC}. (That is, it is ok to bind a sequence ending in |
140 @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{ESC}}.) | |
141 | |
142 The reason for this rule is that a non-prefix binding for @key{ESC} in | |
143 any context prevents recognition of escape sequences as function keys in | |
144 that context. | |
145 | |
146 @item | |
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147 Applications should not bind mouse events based on button 1 with the |
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148 shift key held down. These events include @kbd{S-mouse-1}, |
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149 @kbd{M-S-mouse-1}, @kbd{C-S-mouse-1}, and so on. They are reserved for |
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150 users. |
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151 |
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152 @item |
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153 Special major modes used for read-only text should usually redefine |
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154 @kbd{mouse-2} and @key{RET} to trace some sort of reference in the text. |
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155 Modes such as Dired, Info, Compilation, and Occur redefine it in this |
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156 way. |
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157 |
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158 @item |
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159 When a package provides a modification of ordinary Emacs behavior, it is |
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160 good to include a command to enable and disable the feature, Provide a |
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161 command named @code{@var{whatever}-mode} which turns the feature on or |
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162 off, and make it autoload (@pxref{Autoload}). Design the package so |
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163 that simply loading it has no visible effect---that should not enable |
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164 the feature. Users will request the feature by invoking the command. |
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165 |
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166 @item |
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167 It is a bad idea to define aliases for the Emacs primitives. Use the |
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168 standard names instead. |
6552 | 169 |
170 @item | |
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171 Redefining (or advising) an Emacs primitive is discouraged. It may do |
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172 the right thing for a particular program, but there is no telling what |
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173 other programs might break as a result. |
6552 | 174 |
175 @item | |
176 If a file does replace any of the functions or library programs of | |
177 standard Emacs, prominent comments at the beginning of the file should | |
178 say which functions are replaced, and how the behavior of the | |
179 replacements differs from that of the originals. | |
180 | |
181 @item | |
182 Please keep the names of your Emacs Lisp source files to 13 characters | |
183 or less. This way, if the files are compiled, the compiled files' names | |
184 will be 14 characters or less, which is short enough to fit on all kinds | |
185 of Unix systems. | |
186 | |
187 @item | |
188 Don't use @code{next-line} or @code{previous-line} in programs; nearly | |
189 always, @code{forward-line} is more convenient as well as more | |
190 predictable and robust. @xref{Text Lines}. | |
191 | |
192 @item | |
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193 Don't call functions that set the mark, unless setting the mark is one |
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194 of the intended features of your program. The mark is a user-level |
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195 feature, so it is incorrect to change the mark except to supply a value |
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196 for the user's benefit. @xref{The Mark}. |
6552 | 197 |
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198 In particular, don't use any of these functions: |
6552 | 199 |
200 @itemize @bullet | |
201 @item | |
202 @code{beginning-of-buffer}, @code{end-of-buffer} | |
203 @item | |
204 @code{replace-string}, @code{replace-regexp} | |
205 @end itemize | |
206 | |
207 If you just want to move point, or replace a certain string, without any | |
208 of the other features intended for interactive users, you can replace | |
209 these functions with one or two lines of simple Lisp code. | |
210 | |
211 @item | |
8669 | 212 Use lists rather than vectors, except when there is a particular reason |
213 to use a vector. Lisp has more facilities for manipulating lists than | |
214 for vectors, and working with lists is usually more convenient. | |
215 | |
216 Vectors are advantageous for tables that are substantial in size and are | |
217 accessed in random order (not searched front to back), provided there is | |
218 no need to insert or delete elements (only lists allow that). | |
219 | |
220 @item | |
6552 | 221 The recommended way to print a message in the echo area is with |
222 the @code{message} function, not @code{princ}. @xref{The Echo Area}. | |
223 | |
224 @item | |
225 When you encounter an error condition, call the function @code{error} | |
226 (or @code{signal}). The function @code{error} does not return. | |
227 @xref{Signaling Errors}. | |
228 | |
229 Do not use @code{message}, @code{throw}, @code{sleep-for}, | |
230 or @code{beep} to report errors. | |
231 | |
232 @item | |
12098 | 233 An error message should start with a capital letter but should not end |
234 with a period. | |
235 | |
236 @item | |
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237 Many commands that take a long time to execute display a message that |
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238 says @samp{Operating...} when they start, and change it to |
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239 @samp{Operating...done} when they finish. Please keep the style of |
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240 these messages uniform: @emph{no} space around the ellipsis, and |
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241 @emph{no} period at the end. |
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242 |
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243 @item |
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244 Try to avoid using recursive edits. Instead, do what the Rmail @kbd{e} |
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245 command does: use a new local keymap that contains one command defined |
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246 to switch back to the old local keymap. Or do what the |
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247 @code{edit-options} command does: switch to another buffer and let the |
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248 user switch back at will. @xref{Recursive Editing}. |
6552 | 249 |
250 @item | |
251 In some other systems there is a convention of choosing variable names | |
252 that begin and end with @samp{*}. We don't use that convention in Emacs | |
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253 Lisp, so please don't use it in your programs. (Emacs uses such names |
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254 only for program-generated buffers.) The users will find Emacs more |
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255 coherent if all libraries use the same conventions. |
6552 | 256 |
257 @item | |
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258 Try to avoid compiler warnings about undefined free variables, by adding |
15198 | 259 @code{defvar} definitions for these variables. |
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260 |
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261 If you bind a variable in one function, and use it or set it in another |
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262 function, the compiler warns about the latter function unless the |
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263 variable has a definition. But often these variables have short names, |
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264 and it is not clean for Lisp packages to define such variables names. |
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265 Therefore, you should rename the variable to start with the name prefix |
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266 used for the other functions and variables in your package. |
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267 |
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268 @item |
6552 | 269 Indent each function with @kbd{C-M-q} (@code{indent-sexp}) using the |
270 default indentation parameters. | |
271 | |
272 @item | |
273 Don't make a habit of putting close-parentheses on lines by themselves; | |
274 Lisp programmers find this disconcerting. Once in a while, when there | |
275 is a sequence of many consecutive close-parentheses, it may make sense | |
276 to split them in one or two significant places. | |
277 | |
278 @item | |
279 Please put a copyright notice on the file if you give copies to anyone. | |
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280 Use a message like this one: |
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281 |
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282 @smallexample |
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283 ;; Copyright (C) @var{year} @var{name} |
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284 |
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285 ;; This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or |
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286 ;; modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as |
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287 ;; published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of |
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288 ;; the License, or (at your option) any later version. |
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289 |
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290 ;; This program is distributed in the hope that it will be |
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291 ;; useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied |
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292 ;; warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR |
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293 ;; PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details. |
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294 |
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295 ;; You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public |
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296 ;; License along with this program; if not, write to the Free |
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297 ;; Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, |
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298 ;; MA 02111-1307 USA |
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299 @end smallexample |
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300 |
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301 If you have signed papers to assign the copyright to the Foundation, |
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302 then use @samp{Free Software Foundation, Inc.} as @var{name}. |
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303 Otherwise, use your name. |
6552 | 304 @end itemize |
305 | |
306 @node Compilation Tips | |
307 @section Tips for Making Compiled Code Fast | |
308 @cindex execution speed | |
309 @cindex speedups | |
310 | |
311 Here are ways of improving the execution speed of byte-compiled | |
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312 Lisp programs. |
6552 | 313 |
314 @itemize @bullet | |
315 @item | |
316 @cindex profiling | |
317 @cindex timing programs | |
318 @cindex @file{profile.el} | |
319 Use the @file{profile} library to profile your program. See the file | |
320 @file{profile.el} for instructions. | |
321 | |
322 @item | |
323 Use iteration rather than recursion whenever possible. | |
324 Function calls are slow in Emacs Lisp even when a compiled function | |
325 is calling another compiled function. | |
326 | |
327 @item | |
12098 | 328 Using the primitive list-searching functions @code{memq}, @code{member}, |
329 @code{assq}, or @code{assoc} is even faster than explicit iteration. It | |
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330 can be worth rearranging a data structure so that one of these primitive |
12098 | 331 search functions can be used. |
6552 | 332 |
333 @item | |
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334 Certain built-in functions are handled specially in byte-compiled code, |
6552 | 335 avoiding the need for an ordinary function call. It is a good idea to |
336 use these functions rather than alternatives. To see whether a function | |
337 is handled specially by the compiler, examine its @code{byte-compile} | |
338 property. If the property is non-@code{nil}, then the function is | |
339 handled specially. | |
340 | |
341 For example, the following input will show you that @code{aref} is | |
342 compiled specially (@pxref{Array Functions}) while @code{elt} is not | |
343 (@pxref{Sequence Functions}): | |
344 | |
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345 @example |
6552 | 346 @group |
347 (get 'aref 'byte-compile) | |
348 @result{} byte-compile-two-args | |
349 @end group | |
350 | |
351 @group | |
352 (get 'elt 'byte-compile) | |
353 @result{} nil | |
354 @end group | |
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355 @end example |
6552 | 356 |
357 @item | |
358 If calling a small function accounts for a substantial part of your | |
359 program's running time, make the function inline. This eliminates | |
360 the function call overhead. Since making a function inline reduces | |
361 the flexibility of changing the program, don't do it unless it gives | |
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362 a noticeable speedup in something slow enough that users care about |
6552 | 363 the speed. @xref{Inline Functions}. |
364 @end itemize | |
365 | |
366 @node Documentation Tips | |
367 @section Tips for Documentation Strings | |
368 | |
369 Here are some tips for the writing of documentation strings. | |
370 | |
371 @itemize @bullet | |
372 @item | |
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373 Every command, function, or variable intended for users to know about |
6552 | 374 should have a documentation string. |
375 | |
376 @item | |
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377 An internal variable or subroutine of a Lisp program might as well have |
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378 a documentation string. In earlier Emacs versions, you could save space |
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379 by using a comment instead of a documentation string, but that is no |
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380 longer the case. |
6552 | 381 |
382 @item | |
383 The first line of the documentation string should consist of one or two | |
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384 complete sentences that stand on their own as a summary. @kbd{M-x |
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385 apropos} displays just the first line, and if it doesn't stand on its |
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386 own, the result looks bad. In particular, start the first line with a |
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387 capital letter and end with a period. |
6552 | 388 |
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389 The documentation string can have additional lines that expand on the |
6552 | 390 details of how to use the function or variable. The additional lines |
391 should be made up of complete sentences also, but they may be filled if | |
392 that looks good. | |
393 | |
394 @item | |
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395 For consistency, phrase the verb in the first sentence of a |
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396 documentation string as an infinitive with ``to'' omitted. For |
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397 instance, use ``Return the cons of A and B.'' in preference to ``Returns |
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398 the cons of A and B@.'' Usually it looks good to do likewise for the |
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399 rest of the first paragraph. Subsequent paragraphs usually look better |
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400 if they have proper subjects. |
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401 |
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402 @item |
6552 | 403 Write documentation strings in the active voice, not the passive, and in |
404 the present tense, not the future. For instance, use ``Return a list | |
405 containing A and B.'' instead of ``A list containing A and B will be | |
406 returned.'' | |
407 | |
408 @item | |
409 Avoid using the word ``cause'' (or its equivalents) unnecessarily. | |
410 Instead of, ``Cause Emacs to display text in boldface,'' write just | |
411 ``Display text in boldface.'' | |
412 | |
413 @item | |
414 Do not start or end a documentation string with whitespace. | |
415 | |
416 @item | |
417 Format the documentation string so that it fits in an Emacs window on an | |
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418 80-column screen. It is a good idea for most lines to be no wider than |
6552 | 419 60 characters. The first line can be wider if necessary to fit the |
420 information that ought to be there. | |
421 | |
422 However, rather than simply filling the entire documentation string, you | |
423 can make it much more readable by choosing line breaks with care. | |
424 Use blank lines between topics if the documentation string is long. | |
425 | |
426 @item | |
427 @strong{Do not} indent subsequent lines of a documentation string so | |
428 that the text is lined up in the source code with the text of the first | |
429 line. This looks nice in the source code, but looks bizarre when users | |
430 view the documentation. Remember that the indentation before the | |
431 starting double-quote is not part of the string! | |
432 | |
433 @item | |
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434 When the user tries to use a disabled command, Emacs displays just the |
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435 first paragraph of its documentation string---everything through the |
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436 first blank line. If you wish, you can choose which information to |
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437 include before the first blank line so as to make this display useful. |
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438 |
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439 @item |
6552 | 440 A variable's documentation string should start with @samp{*} if the |
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441 variable is one that users would often want to set interactively. If |
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442 the value is a long list, or a function, or if the variable would be set |
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443 only in init files, then don't start the documentation string with |
6552 | 444 @samp{*}. @xref{Defining Variables}. |
445 | |
446 @item | |
447 The documentation string for a variable that is a yes-or-no flag should | |
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448 start with words such as ``Non-nil means@dots{}'', to make it clear that |
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449 all non-@code{nil} values are equivalent and indicate explicitly what |
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450 @code{nil} and non-@code{nil} mean. |
6552 | 451 |
452 @item | |
453 When a function's documentation string mentions the value of an argument | |
454 of the function, use the argument name in capital letters as if it were | |
455 a name for that value. Thus, the documentation string of the function | |
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456 @code{/} refers to its second argument as @samp{DIVISOR}, because the |
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457 actual argument name is @code{divisor}. |
6552 | 458 |
459 Also use all caps for meta-syntactic variables, such as when you show | |
460 the decomposition of a list or vector into subunits, some of which may | |
461 vary. | |
462 | |
463 @item | |
464 @iftex | |
465 When a documentation string refers to a Lisp symbol, write it as it | |
466 would be printed (which usually means in lower case), with single-quotes | |
467 around it. For example: @samp{`lambda'}. There are two exceptions: | |
468 write @code{t} and @code{nil} without single-quotes. | |
469 @end iftex | |
470 @ifinfo | |
471 When a documentation string refers to a Lisp symbol, write it as it | |
472 would be printed (which usually means in lower case), with single-quotes | |
473 around it. For example: @samp{lambda}. There are two exceptions: write | |
474 t and nil without single-quotes. (In this manual, we normally do use | |
475 single-quotes for those symbols.) | |
476 @end ifinfo | |
477 | |
478 @item | |
479 Don't write key sequences directly in documentation strings. Instead, | |
480 use the @samp{\\[@dots{}]} construct to stand for them. For example, | |
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481 instead of writing @samp{C-f}, write the construct |
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482 @samp{\\[forward-char]}. When Emacs displays the documentation string, |
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483 it substitutes whatever key is currently bound to @code{forward-char}. |
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484 (This is normally @samp{C-f}, but it may be some other character if the |
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485 user has moved key bindings.) @xref{Keys in Documentation}. |
6552 | 486 |
487 @item | |
488 In documentation strings for a major mode, you will want to refer to the | |
489 key bindings of that mode's local map, rather than global ones. | |
490 Therefore, use the construct @samp{\\<@dots{}>} once in the | |
491 documentation string to specify which key map to use. Do this before | |
492 the first use of @samp{\\[@dots{}]}. The text inside the | |
493 @samp{\\<@dots{}>} should be the name of the variable containing the | |
494 local keymap for the major mode. | |
495 | |
496 It is not practical to use @samp{\\[@dots{}]} very many times, because | |
497 display of the documentation string will become slow. So use this to | |
498 describe the most important commands in your major mode, and then use | |
499 @samp{\\@{@dots{}@}} to display the rest of the mode's keymap. | |
500 @end itemize | |
501 | |
502 @node Comment Tips | |
503 @section Tips on Writing Comments | |
504 | |
505 We recommend these conventions for where to put comments and how to | |
506 indent them: | |
507 | |
508 @table @samp | |
509 @item ; | |
510 Comments that start with a single semicolon, @samp{;}, should all be | |
511 aligned to the same column on the right of the source code. Such | |
512 comments usually explain how the code on the same line does its job. In | |
513 Lisp mode and related modes, the @kbd{M-;} (@code{indent-for-comment}) | |
514 command automatically inserts such a @samp{;} in the right place, or | |
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515 aligns such a comment if it is already present. |
6552 | 516 |
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517 This and following examples are taken from the Emacs sources. |
6552 | 518 |
519 @smallexample | |
520 @group | |
521 (setq base-version-list ; there was a base | |
522 (assoc (substring fn 0 start-vn) ; version to which | |
523 file-version-assoc-list)) ; this looks like | |
524 ; a subversion | |
525 @end group | |
526 @end smallexample | |
527 | |
528 @item ;; | |
529 Comments that start with two semicolons, @samp{;;}, should be aligned to | |
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530 the same level of indentation as the code. Such comments usually |
6552 | 531 describe the purpose of the following lines or the state of the program |
532 at that point. For example: | |
533 | |
534 @smallexample | |
535 @group | |
536 (prog1 (setq auto-fill-function | |
537 @dots{} | |
538 @dots{} | |
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539 ;; update mode line |
6552 | 540 (force-mode-line-update))) |
541 @end group | |
542 @end smallexample | |
543 | |
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544 Every function that has no documentation string (because it is use only |
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545 internally within the package it belongs to), should have instead a |
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546 two-semicolon comment right before the function, explaining what the |
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547 function does and how to call it properly. Explain precisely what each |
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548 argument means and how the function interprets its possible values. |
6552 | 549 |
550 @item ;;; | |
551 Comments that start with three semicolons, @samp{;;;}, should start at | |
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552 the left margin. Such comments are used outside function definitions to |
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553 make general statements explaining the design principles of the program. |
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554 For example: |
6552 | 555 |
556 @smallexample | |
557 @group | |
558 ;;; This Lisp code is run in Emacs | |
559 ;;; when it is to operate as a server | |
560 ;;; for other processes. | |
561 @end group | |
562 @end smallexample | |
563 | |
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564 Another use for triple-semicolon comments is for commenting out lines |
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565 within a function. We use triple-semicolons for this precisely so that |
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566 they remain at the left margin. |
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567 |
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568 @smallexample |
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569 (defun foo (a) |
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570 ;;; This is no longer necessary. |
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571 ;;; (force-mode-line-update) |
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572 (message "Finished with %s" a)) |
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573 @end smallexample |
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574 |
6552 | 575 @item ;;;; |
576 Comments that start with four semicolons, @samp{;;;;}, should be aligned | |
577 to the left margin and are used for headings of major sections of a | |
578 program. For example: | |
579 | |
580 @smallexample | |
581 ;;;; The kill ring | |
582 @end smallexample | |
583 @end table | |
584 | |
585 @noindent | |
586 The indentation commands of the Lisp modes in Emacs, such as @kbd{M-;} | |
587 (@code{indent-for-comment}) and @key{TAB} (@code{lisp-indent-line}) | |
588 automatically indent comments according to these conventions, | |
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589 depending on the number of semicolons. @xref{Comments,, |
6552 | 590 Manipulating Comments, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}. |
591 | |
592 @node Library Headers | |
593 @section Conventional Headers for Emacs Libraries | |
594 @cindex header comments | |
595 @cindex library header comments | |
596 | |
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597 Emacs has conventions for using special comments in Lisp libraries |
6552 | 598 to divide them into sections and give information such as who wrote |
599 them. This section explains these conventions. First, an example: | |
600 | |
601 @smallexample | |
602 @group | |
603 ;;; lisp-mnt.el --- minor mode for Emacs Lisp maintainers | |
604 | |
605 ;; Copyright (C) 1992 Free Software Foundation, Inc. | |
606 @end group | |
607 | |
608 ;; Author: Eric S. Raymond <esr@@snark.thyrsus.com> | |
609 ;; Maintainer: Eric S. Raymond <esr@@snark.thyrsus.com> | |
610 ;; Created: 14 Jul 1992 | |
611 ;; Version: 1.2 | |
612 @group | |
613 ;; Keywords: docs | |
614 | |
615 ;; This file is part of GNU Emacs. | |
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616 @var{copying permissions}@dots{} |
6552 | 617 @end group |
618 @end smallexample | |
619 | |
620 The very first line should have this format: | |
621 | |
622 @example | |
623 ;;; @var{filename} --- @var{description} | |
624 @end example | |
625 | |
626 @noindent | |
627 The description should be complete in one line. | |
628 | |
629 After the copyright notice come several @dfn{header comment} lines, | |
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630 each beginning with @samp{;; @var{header-name}:}. Here is a table of |
6552 | 631 the conventional possibilities for @var{header-name}: |
632 | |
633 @table @samp | |
634 @item Author | |
635 This line states the name and net address of at least the principal | |
636 author of the library. | |
637 | |
638 If there are multiple authors, you can list them on continuation lines | |
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639 led by @code{;;} and a tab character, like this: |
6552 | 640 |
641 @smallexample | |
642 @group | |
643 ;; Author: Ashwin Ram <Ram-Ashwin@@cs.yale.edu> | |
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644 ;; Dave Sill <de5@@ornl.gov> |
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645 ;; Dave Brennan <brennan@@hal.com> |
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646 ;; Eric Raymond <esr@@snark.thyrsus.com> |
6552 | 647 @end group |
648 @end smallexample | |
649 | |
650 @item Maintainer | |
651 This line should contain a single name/address as in the Author line, or | |
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652 an address only, or the string @samp{FSF}. If there is no maintainer |
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653 line, the person(s) in the Author field are presumed to be the |
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654 maintainers. The example above is mildly bogus because the maintainer |
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655 line is redundant. |
6552 | 656 |
657 The idea behind the @samp{Author} and @samp{Maintainer} lines is to make | |
658 possible a Lisp function to ``send mail to the maintainer'' without | |
659 having to mine the name out by hand. | |
660 | |
661 Be sure to surround the network address with @samp{<@dots{}>} if | |
662 you include the person's full name as well as the network address. | |
663 | |
664 @item Created | |
665 This optional line gives the original creation date of the | |
666 file. For historical interest only. | |
667 | |
668 @item Version | |
669 If you wish to record version numbers for the individual Lisp program, put | |
670 them in this line. | |
671 | |
672 @item Adapted-By | |
673 In this header line, place the name of the person who adapted the | |
674 library for installation (to make it fit the style conventions, for | |
675 example). | |
676 | |
677 @item Keywords | |
678 This line lists keywords for the @code{finder-by-keyword} help command. | |
679 This field is important; it's how people will find your package when | |
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680 they're looking for things by topic area. To separate the keywords, you |
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681 can use spaces, commas, or both. |
6552 | 682 @end table |
683 | |
684 Just about every Lisp library ought to have the @samp{Author} and | |
685 @samp{Keywords} header comment lines. Use the others if they are | |
686 appropriate. You can also put in header lines with other header | |
687 names---they have no standard meanings, so they can't do any harm. | |
688 | |
689 We use additional stylized comments to subdivide the contents of the | |
690 library file. Here is a table of them: | |
691 | |
692 @table @samp | |
693 @item ;;; Commentary: | |
694 This begins introductory comments that explain how the library works. | |
695 It should come right after the copying permissions. | |
696 | |
697 @item ;;; Change log: | |
698 This begins change log information stored in the library file (if you | |
699 store the change history there). For most of the Lisp | |
700 files distributed with Emacs, the change history is kept in the file | |
701 @file{ChangeLog} and not in the source file at all; these files do | |
702 not have a @samp{;;; Change log:} line. | |
703 | |
704 @item ;;; Code: | |
705 This begins the actual code of the program. | |
706 | |
707 @item ;;; @var{filename} ends here | |
708 This is the @dfn{footer line}; it appears at the very end of the file. | |
709 Its purpose is to enable people to detect truncated versions of the file | |
710 from the lack of a footer line. | |
711 @end table |