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author | Doug Evans <dje@gnu.org> |
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date | Mon, 21 Nov 1994 17:15:24 +0000 |
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@c -*-texinfo-*- @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 Free Software Foundation, Inc. @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. @setfilename ../info/tips @node Tips, GNU Emacs Internals, Calendar, Top @appendix Tips and Standards @cindex tips @cindex standards of coding style @cindex coding standards This chapter describes no additional features of Emacs Lisp. Instead it gives advice on making effective use of the features described in the previous chapters. @menu * Style Tips:: Writing clean and robust programs. * Compilation Tips:: Making compiled code run fast. * Documentation Tips:: Writing readable documentation strings. * Comment Tips:: Conventions for writing comments. * Library Headers:: Standard headers for library packages. @end menu @node Style Tips @section Writing Clean Lisp Programs Here are some tips for avoiding common errors in writing Lisp code intended for widespread use: @itemize @bullet @item Since all global variables share the same name space, and all functions share another name space, you should choose a short word to distinguish your program from other Lisp programs. Then take care to begin the names of all global variables, constants, and functions with the chosen prefix. This helps avoid name conflicts. This recommendation applies even to names for traditional Lisp primitives that are not primitives in Emacs Lisp---even to @code{cadr}. Believe it or not, there is more than one plausible way to define @code{cadr}. Play it safe; append your name prefix to produce a name like @code{foo-cadr} or @code{mylib-cadr} instead. If you write a function that you think ought to be added to Emacs under a certain name, such as @code{twiddle-files}, don't call it by that name in your program. Call it @code{mylib-twiddle-files} in your program, and send mail to @samp{bug-gnu-emacs@@prep.ai.mit.edu} suggesting we add it to Emacs. If and when we do, we can change the name easily enough. If one prefix is insufficient, your package may use two or three alternative common prefixes, so long as they make sense. Separate the prefix from the rest of the symbol name with a hyphen, @samp{-}. This will be consistent with Emacs itself and with most Emacs Lisp programs. @item It is often useful to put a call to @code{provide} in each separate library program, at least if there is more than one entry point to the program. @item If one file @var{foo} uses a macro defined in another file @var{bar}, @var{foo} should contain @code{(require '@var{bar})} before the first use of the macro. (And @var{bar} should contain @code{(provide '@var{bar})}, to make the @code{require} work.) This will cause @var{bar} to be loaded when you byte-compile @var{foo}. Otherwise, you risk compiling @var{foo} without the necessary macro loaded, and that would produce compiled code that won't work right. @xref{Compiling Macros}. @item If you define a major mode, make sure to run a hook variable using @code{run-hooks}, just as the existing major modes do. @xref{Hooks}. @item If the purpose of a function is to tell you whether a certain condition is true or false, give the function a name that ends in @samp{p}. If the name is one word, add just @samp{p}; if the name is multiple words, add @samp{-p}. Examples are @code{framep} and @code{frame-live-p}. @item If a user option variable records a true-or-false condition, give it a name that ends in @samp{-flag}. @item Please do not define @kbd{C-c @var{letter}} as a key in your major modes. These sequences are reserved for users; they are the @strong{only} sequences reserved for users, so we cannot do without them. Instead, define sequences consisting of @kbd{C-c} followed by a non-letter. These sequences are reserved for major modes. Changing all the major modes in Emacs 18 so they would follow this convention was a lot of work. Abandoning this convention would waste that work and inconvenience the users. @item You should not bind @kbd{C-h} following any prefix character (including @kbd{C-c}). If you don't bind @kbd{C-h}, it is automatically available as a help character for listing the subcommands of the prefix character. @item You should not bind a key sequence ending in @key{ESC} except following another @key{ESC}. (That is, it is ok to bind a sequence ending in @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{ESC}}.) The reason for this rule is that a non-prefix binding for @key{ESC} in any context prevents recognition of escape sequences as function keys in that context. @item Applications should not bind mouse events based on button 1 with the shift key held down. These events include @kbd{S-mouse-1}, @kbd{M-S-mouse-1}, @kbd{C-S-mouse-1}, and so on. They are reserved for users. @item Modes should redefine @kbd{mouse-2} as a command to follow some sort of reference in the text of a buffer, if users usually would not want to alter the text in that buffer by hand. Modes such as Dired, Info, Compilation, and Occur redefine it in this way. @item When a package provides a modification of ordinary Emacs behavior, it is good to include a command to enable and disable the feature, Provide a command named @code{@var{whatever}-mode} which turns the feature on or off, and make it autoload (@pxref{Autoload}). Design the package so that simply loading it has no visible effect---that should not enable the feature. Users will request the feature by invoking the command. @item It is a bad idea to define aliases for the Emacs primitives. Use the standard names instead. @item Redefining an Emacs primitive is an even worse idea. It may do the right thing for a particular program, but there is no telling what other programs might break as a result. @item If a file does replace any of the functions or library programs of standard Emacs, prominent comments at the beginning of the file should say which functions are replaced, and how the behavior of the replacements differs from that of the originals. @item If a file requires certain standard library programs to be loaded beforehand, then the comments at the beginning of the file should say so. @item Please keep the names of your Emacs Lisp source files to 13 characters or less. This way, if the files are compiled, the compiled files' names will be 14 characters or less, which is short enough to fit on all kinds of Unix systems. @item Don't use @code{next-line} or @code{previous-line} in programs; nearly always, @code{forward-line} is more convenient as well as more predictable and robust. @xref{Text Lines}. @item Don't call functions that set the mark, unless setting the mark is one of the intended features of your program. The mark is a user-level feature, so it is incorrect to change the mark except to supply a value for the user's benefit. @xref{The Mark}. In particular, don't use these functions: @itemize @bullet @item @code{beginning-of-buffer}, @code{end-of-buffer} @item @code{replace-string}, @code{replace-regexp} @end itemize If you just want to move point, or replace a certain string, without any of the other features intended for interactive users, you can replace these functions with one or two lines of simple Lisp code. @item Use lists rather than vectors, except when there is a particular reason to use a vector. Lisp has more facilities for manipulating lists than for vectors, and working with lists is usually more convenient. Vectors are advantageous for tables that are substantial in size and are accessed in random order (not searched front to back), provided there is no need to insert or delete elements (only lists allow that). @item The recommended way to print a message in the echo area is with the @code{message} function, not @code{princ}. @xref{The Echo Area}. @item When you encounter an error condition, call the function @code{error} (or @code{signal}). The function @code{error} does not return. @xref{Signaling Errors}. Do not use @code{message}, @code{throw}, @code{sleep-for}, or @code{beep} to report errors. @item Try to avoid using recursive edits. Instead, do what the Rmail @kbd{e} command does: use a new local keymap that contains one command defined to switch back to the old local keymap. Or do what the @code{edit-options} command does: switch to another buffer and let the user switch back at will. @xref{Recursive Editing}. @item In some other systems there is a convention of choosing variable names that begin and end with @samp{*}. We don't use that convention in Emacs Lisp, so please don't use it in your programs. (Emacs uses such names only for program-generated buffers.) The users will find Emacs more coherent if all libraries use the same conventions. @item Indent each function with @kbd{C-M-q} (@code{indent-sexp}) using the default indentation parameters. @item Don't make a habit of putting close-parentheses on lines by themselves; Lisp programmers find this disconcerting. Once in a while, when there is a sequence of many consecutive close-parentheses, it may make sense to split them in one or two significant places. @item Please put a copyright notice on the file if you give copies to anyone. Use the same lines that appear at the top of the Lisp files in Emacs itself. If you have not signed papers to assign the copyright to the Foundation, then place your name in the copyright notice in place of the Foundation's name. @end itemize @node Compilation Tips @section Tips for Making Compiled Code Fast @cindex execution speed @cindex speedups Here are ways of improving the execution speed of byte-compiled Lisp programs. @itemize @bullet @item @cindex profiling @cindex timing programs @cindex @file{profile.el} Use the @file{profile} library to profile your program. See the file @file{profile.el} for instructions. @item Use iteration rather than recursion whenever possible. Function calls are slow in Emacs Lisp even when a compiled function is calling another compiled function. @item Using the primitive list-searching functions @code{memq}, @code{assq}, or @code{assoc} is even faster than explicit iteration. It may be worth rearranging a data structure so that one of these primitive search functions can be used. @item Certain built-in functions are handled specially in byte-compiled code, avoiding the need for an ordinary function call. It is a good idea to use these functions rather than alternatives. To see whether a function is handled specially by the compiler, examine its @code{byte-compile} property. If the property is non-@code{nil}, then the function is handled specially. For example, the following input will show you that @code{aref} is compiled specially (@pxref{Array Functions}) while @code{elt} is not (@pxref{Sequence Functions}): @example @group (get 'aref 'byte-compile) @result{} byte-compile-two-args @end group @group (get 'elt 'byte-compile) @result{} nil @end group @end example @item If calling a small function accounts for a substantial part of your program's running time, make the function inline. This eliminates the function call overhead. Since making a function inline reduces the flexibility of changing the program, don't do it unless it gives a noticeable speedup in something slow enough that users care about the speed. @xref{Inline Functions}. @end itemize @node Documentation Tips @section Tips for Documentation Strings Here are some tips for the writing of documentation strings. @itemize @bullet @item Every command, function, or variable intended for users to know about should have a documentation string. @item An internal subroutine of a Lisp program need not have a documentation string, and you can save space by using a comment instead. @item The first line of the documentation string should consist of one or two complete sentences that stand on their own as a summary. @kbd{M-x apropos} displays just the first line, and if it doesn't stand on its own, the result looks bad. In particular, start the first line with a capital letter and end with a period. The documentation string can have additional lines that expand on the details of how to use the function or variable. The additional lines should be made up of complete sentences also, but they may be filled if that looks good. @item For consistency, phrase the verb in the first sentence of a documentation string as an infinitive with ``to'' omitted. For instance, use ``Return the cons of A and B.'' in preference to ``Returns the cons of A and B@.'' Usually it looks good to do likewise for the rest of the first paragraph. Subsequent paragraphs usually look better if they have proper subjects. @item Write documentation strings in the active voice, not the passive, and in the present tense, not the future. For instance, use ``Return a list containing A and B.'' instead of ``A list containing A and B will be returned.'' @item Avoid using the word ``cause'' (or its equivalents) unnecessarily. Instead of, ``Cause Emacs to display text in boldface,'' write just ``Display text in boldface.'' @item Do not start or end a documentation string with whitespace. @item Format the documentation string so that it fits in an Emacs window on an 80-column screen. It is a good idea for most lines to be no wider than 60 characters. The first line can be wider if necessary to fit the information that ought to be there. However, rather than simply filling the entire documentation string, you can make it much more readable by choosing line breaks with care. Use blank lines between topics if the documentation string is long. @item @strong{Do not} indent subsequent lines of a documentation string so that the text is lined up in the source code with the text of the first line. This looks nice in the source code, but looks bizarre when users view the documentation. Remember that the indentation before the starting double-quote is not part of the string! @item A variable's documentation string should start with @samp{*} if the variable is one that users would often want to set interactively. If the value is a long list, or a function, or if the variable would be set only in init files, then don't start the documentation string with @samp{*}. @xref{Defining Variables}. @item The documentation string for a variable that is a yes-or-no flag should start with words such as ``Non-nil means@dots{}'', to make it clear that all non-@code{nil} values are equivalent and indicate explicitly what @code{nil} and non-@code{nil} mean. @item When a function's documentation string mentions the value of an argument of the function, use the argument name in capital letters as if it were a name for that value. Thus, the documentation string of the function @code{/} refers to its second argument as @samp{DIVISOR}, because the actual argument name is @code{divisor}. Also use all caps for meta-syntactic variables, such as when you show the decomposition of a list or vector into subunits, some of which may vary. @item @iftex When a documentation string refers to a Lisp symbol, write it as it would be printed (which usually means in lower case), with single-quotes around it. For example: @samp{`lambda'}. There are two exceptions: write @code{t} and @code{nil} without single-quotes. @end iftex @ifinfo When a documentation string refers to a Lisp symbol, write it as it would be printed (which usually means in lower case), with single-quotes around it. For example: @samp{lambda}. There are two exceptions: write t and nil without single-quotes. (In this manual, we normally do use single-quotes for those symbols.) @end ifinfo @item Don't write key sequences directly in documentation strings. Instead, use the @samp{\\[@dots{}]} construct to stand for them. For example, instead of writing @samp{C-f}, write @samp{\\[forward-char]}. When Emacs displays the documentation string, it substitutes whatever key is currently bound to @code{forward-char}. (This is normally @samp{C-f}, but it may be some other character if the user has moved key bindings.) @xref{Keys in Documentation}. @item In documentation strings for a major mode, you will want to refer to the key bindings of that mode's local map, rather than global ones. Therefore, use the construct @samp{\\<@dots{}>} once in the documentation string to specify which key map to use. Do this before the first use of @samp{\\[@dots{}]}. The text inside the @samp{\\<@dots{}>} should be the name of the variable containing the local keymap for the major mode. It is not practical to use @samp{\\[@dots{}]} very many times, because display of the documentation string will become slow. So use this to describe the most important commands in your major mode, and then use @samp{\\@{@dots{}@}} to display the rest of the mode's keymap. @item Don't use the term ``Elisp'', since that is or was a trademark. Use the term ``Emacs Lisp''. @end itemize @node Comment Tips @section Tips on Writing Comments We recommend these conventions for where to put comments and how to indent them: @table @samp @item ; Comments that start with a single semicolon, @samp{;}, should all be aligned to the same column on the right of the source code. Such comments usually explain how the code on the same line does its job. In Lisp mode and related modes, the @kbd{M-;} (@code{indent-for-comment}) command automatically inserts such a @samp{;} in the right place, or aligns such a comment if it is already present. This and following examples are taken from the Emacs sources. @smallexample @group (setq base-version-list ; there was a base (assoc (substring fn 0 start-vn) ; version to which file-version-assoc-list)) ; this looks like ; a subversion @end group @end smallexample @item ;; Comments that start with two semicolons, @samp{;;}, should be aligned to the same level of indentation as the code. Such comments usually describe the purpose of the following lines or the state of the program at that point. For example: @smallexample @group (prog1 (setq auto-fill-function @dots{} @dots{} ;; update mode line (force-mode-line-update))) @end group @end smallexample Every function that has no documentation string (because it is use only internally within the package it belongs to), should have instead a two-semicolon comment right before the function, explaining what the function does and how to call it properly. Explain precisely what each argument means and how the function interprets its possible values. @item ;;; Comments that start with three semicolons, @samp{;;;}, should start at the left margin. Such comments are used outside function definitions to make general statements explaining the design principles of the program. For example: @smallexample @group ;;; This Lisp code is run in Emacs ;;; when it is to operate as a server ;;; for other processes. @end group @end smallexample Another use for triple-semicolon comments is for commenting out lines within a function. We use triple-semicolons for this precisely so that they remain at the left margin. @smallexample (defun foo (a) ;;; This is no longer necessary. ;;; (force-mode-line-update) (message "Finished with %s" a)) @end smallexample @item ;;;; Comments that start with four semicolons, @samp{;;;;}, should be aligned to the left margin and are used for headings of major sections of a program. For example: @smallexample ;;;; The kill ring @end smallexample @end table @noindent The indentation commands of the Lisp modes in Emacs, such as @kbd{M-;} (@code{indent-for-comment}) and @key{TAB} (@code{lisp-indent-line}) automatically indent comments according to these conventions, depending on the number of semicolons. @xref{Comments,, Manipulating Comments, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}. @node Library Headers @section Conventional Headers for Emacs Libraries @cindex header comments @cindex library header comments Emacs 19 has conventions for using special comments in Lisp libraries to divide them into sections and give information such as who wrote them. This section explains these conventions. First, an example: @smallexample @group ;;; lisp-mnt.el --- minor mode for Emacs Lisp maintainers ;; Copyright (C) 1992 Free Software Foundation, Inc. @end group ;; Author: Eric S. Raymond <esr@@snark.thyrsus.com> ;; Maintainer: Eric S. Raymond <esr@@snark.thyrsus.com> ;; Created: 14 Jul 1992 ;; Version: 1.2 @group ;; Keywords: docs ;; This file is part of GNU Emacs. @var{copying permissions}@dots{} @end group @end smallexample The very first line should have this format: @example ;;; @var{filename} --- @var{description} @end example @noindent The description should be complete in one line. After the copyright notice come several @dfn{header comment} lines, each beginning with @samp{;; @var{header-name}:}. Here is a table of the conventional possibilities for @var{header-name}: @table @samp @item Author This line states the name and net address of at least the principal author of the library. If there are multiple authors, you can list them on continuation lines led by @code{;;} and a tab character, like this: @smallexample @group ;; Author: Ashwin Ram <Ram-Ashwin@@cs.yale.edu> ;; Dave Sill <de5@@ornl.gov> ;; Dave Brennan <brennan@@hal.com> ;; Eric Raymond <esr@@snark.thyrsus.com> @end group @end smallexample @item Maintainer This line should contain a single name/address as in the Author line, or an address only, or the string @samp{FSF}. If there is no maintainer line, the person(s) in the Author field are presumed to be the maintainers. The example above is mildly bogus because the maintainer line is redundant. The idea behind the @samp{Author} and @samp{Maintainer} lines is to make possible a Lisp function to ``send mail to the maintainer'' without having to mine the name out by hand. Be sure to surround the network address with @samp{<@dots{}>} if you include the person's full name as well as the network address. @item Created This optional line gives the original creation date of the file. For historical interest only. @item Version If you wish to record version numbers for the individual Lisp program, put them in this line. @item Adapted-By In this header line, place the name of the person who adapted the library for installation (to make it fit the style conventions, for example). @item Keywords This line lists keywords for the @code{finder-by-keyword} help command. This field is important; it's how people will find your package when they're looking for things by topic area. @end table Just about every Lisp library ought to have the @samp{Author} and @samp{Keywords} header comment lines. Use the others if they are appropriate. You can also put in header lines with other header names---they have no standard meanings, so they can't do any harm. We use additional stylized comments to subdivide the contents of the library file. Here is a table of them: @table @samp @item ;;; Commentary: This begins introductory comments that explain how the library works. It should come right after the copying permissions. @item ;;; Change log: This begins change log information stored in the library file (if you store the change history there). For most of the Lisp files distributed with Emacs, the change history is kept in the file @file{ChangeLog} and not in the source file at all; these files do not have a @samp{;;; Change log:} line. @item ;;; Code: This begins the actual code of the program. @item ;;; @var{filename} ends here This is the @dfn{footer line}; it appears at the very end of the file. Its purpose is to enable people to detect truncated versions of the file from the lack of a footer line. @end table