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author | Luc Teirlinck <teirllm@auburn.edu> |
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date | Wed, 18 Jun 2003 02:58:36 +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, 1995, 1998, 1999 @c Free Software Foundation, Inc. @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. @setfilename ../info/tips @node Tips, GNU Emacs Internals, GPL, Top @appendix Tips and Conventions @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, and describes conventions Emacs Lisp programmers should follow. You can automatically check some of the conventions described below by running the command @kbd{M-x checkdoc RET} when visiting a Lisp file. It cannot check all of the conventions, and not all the warnings it gives necessarily correspond to problems, but it is worth examining them all. @menu * Coding Conventions:: Conventions for 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 Coding Conventions @section Emacs Lisp Coding Conventions Here are conventions that you should follow when writing Emacs 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.@footnote{The benefits of a Common Lisp-style package system are considered not to outweigh the costs.} Then take care to begin the names of all global variables, constants, and functions in your program 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{copy-list}. Believe it or not, there is more than one plausible way to define @code{copy-list}. Play it safe; append your name prefix to produce a name like @code{foo-copy-list} or @code{mylib-copy-list} 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@@gnu.org} 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 a file requires certain other library programs to be loaded beforehand, then the comments at the beginning of the file should say so. Also, use @code{require} to make sure they are loaded. @item If one file @var{foo} uses a macro defined in another file @var{bar}, @var{foo} should contain this expression before the first use of the macro: @example (eval-when-compile (require '@var{bar})) @end example @noindent (And the library @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}. Using @code{eval-when-compile} avoids loading @var{bar} when the compiled version of @var{foo} is @emph{used}. @item Please don't require the @code{cl} package of Common Lisp extensions at run time. Use of this package is optional, and it is not part of the standard Emacs namespace. If your package loads @code{cl} at run time, that could cause name clashes for users who don't use that package. However, there is no problem with using the @code{cl} package at compile time, for the sake of macros. You do that like this: @example (eval-when-compile (require 'cl)) @end example @item When defining a major mode, please follow the major mode conventions. @xref{Major Mode Conventions}. @item When defining a minor mode, please follow the minor mode conventions. @xref{Minor Mode Conventions}. @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 @cindex reserved keys @cindex keys, reserved Please do not define @kbd{C-c @var{letter}} as a key in your major modes. Sequences consisting of @kbd{C-c} and a letter (either upper or lower case) are reserved for users; they are the @strong{only} sequences reserved for users, so do not block them. Changing all the Emacs major modes to respect this convention was a lot of work; abandoning this convention would make that work go to waste, and inconvenience users. Please comply with it. @item Sequences consisting of @kbd{C-c} followed by a control character or a digit are reserved for major modes. @item Sequences consisting of @kbd{C-c} followed by @kbd{@{}, @kbd{@}}, @kbd{<}, @kbd{>}, @kbd{:} or @kbd{;} are also reserved for major modes. @item Sequences consisting of @kbd{C-c} followed by any other punctuation character are allocated for minor modes. Using them in a major mode is not absolutely prohibited, but if you do that, the major mode binding may be shadowed from time to time by minor modes. @item Function keys @key{F5} through @key{F9} without modifier keys are reserved for users to define. @item Do 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 Do 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 Anything which acts like a temporary mode or state which the user can enter and leave should define @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{ESC}} or @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{ESC} @key{ESC}} as a way to escape. For a state which accepts ordinary Emacs commands, or more generally any kind of state in which @key{ESC} followed by a function key or arrow key is potentially meaningful, then you must not define @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{ESC}}, since that would preclude recognizing an escape sequence after @key{ESC}. In these states, you should define @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{ESC} @key{ESC}} as the way to escape. Otherwise, define @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{ESC}} instead. @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 @cindex mouse-2 @cindex references, following Special major modes used for read-only text should usually redefine @kbd{mouse-2} and @key{RET} to trace some sort of reference in the text. 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.@footnote{Consider that the package may be loaded arbitrarily by Custom for instance.} 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 If a package needs to define an alias or a new function for compatibility with some other version of Emacs, name it with the package prefix, not with the raw name with which it occurs in the other version. Here is an example from Gnus, which provides many examples of such compatibility issues. @example (defalias 'gnus-point-at-bol (if (fboundp 'point-at-bol) 'point-at-bol 'line-beginning-position)) @end example @item Redefining (or advising) an Emacs primitive is discouraged. 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 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 any of 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 An error message should start with a capital letter but should not end with a period. @item In @code{interactive}, if you use a Lisp expression to produce a list of arguments, don't try to provide the ``correct'' default values for region or position arguments. Instead, provide @code{nil} for those arguments if they were not specified, and have the function body compute the default value when the argument is @code{nil}. For instance, write this: @example (defun foo (pos) (interactive (list (if @var{specified} @var{specified-pos}))) (unless pos (setq pos @var{default-pos})) ...) @end example @noindent rather than this: @example (defun foo (pos) (interactive (list (if @var{specified} @var{specified-pos} @var{default-pos}))) ...) @end example @noindent This is so that repetition of the command will recompute these defaults based on the current circumstances. You do not need to take such precautions when you use interactive specs @samp{d}, @samp{m} and @samp{r}, because they make special arrangements to recompute the argument values on repetition of the command. @item Many commands that take a long time to execute display a message that says something like @samp{Operating...} when they start, and change it to @samp{Operating...done} when they finish. Please keep the style of these messages uniform: @emph{no} space around the ellipsis, and @emph{no} period after @samp{done}. @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 special-purpose buffers.) The users will find Emacs more coherent if all libraries use the same conventions. @item Try to avoid compiler warnings about undefined free variables, by adding @code{defvar} definitions for these variables. Sometimes adding a @code{require} for another package is useful to avoid compilation warnings for variables and functions defined in that package. If you do this, often it is better if the @code{require} acts only at compile time. Here's how to do that: @example (eval-when-compile (require 'foo) (defvar bar-baz)) @end example If you bind a variable in one function, and use it or set it in another function, the compiler warns about the latter function unless the variable has a definition. But often these variables have short names, and it is not clean for Lisp packages to define such variable names. Therefore, you should rename the variable to start with the name prefix used for the other functions and variables in your package. @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 the sequence in one or two significant places. @item Please put a copyright notice on the file if you give copies to anyone. Use a message like this one: @smallexample ;; Copyright (C) @var{year} @var{name} ;; This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or ;; modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as ;; published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of ;; the License, or (at your option) any later version. ;; This program is distributed in the hope that it will be ;; useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied ;; warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR ;; PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details. ;; You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public ;; License along with this program; if not, write to the Free ;; Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, ;; MA 02111-1307 USA @end smallexample If you have signed papers to assign the copyright to the Foundation, then use @samp{Free Software Foundation, Inc.} as @var{name}. Otherwise, use your 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{elp.el} Profile your program with the @file{elp} library. See the file @file{elp.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{member}, @code{assq}, or @code{assoc} is even faster than explicit iteration. It can 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}): @example @group (get 'aref 'byte-compile) @result{} byte-compile-two-args @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 @findex checkdoc-minor-mode Here are some tips and conventions for the writing of documentation strings. You can check many of these conventions by running the command @kbd{M-x checkdoc-minor-mode}. @itemize @bullet @item Every command, function, or variable intended for users to know about should have a documentation string. @item An internal variable or subroutine of a Lisp program might as well have a documentation string. In earlier Emacs versions, you could save space by using a comment instead of a documentation string, but that is no longer the case---documentation strings now take up very little space in a running Emacs. @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 should not be wider than 67 characters or it will look bad in the output of @code{apropos}. You can fill the text if that looks good. However, rather than blindly filling the entire documentation string, you can often make it much more readable by choosing certain line breaks with care. Use blank lines between topics if the documentation string is long. @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 that line's contents don't stand on their own, the result looks bad. In particular, start the first line with a capital letter and end with a period. For a function, the first line should briefly answer the question, ``What does this function do?'' For a variable, the first line should briefly answer the question, ``What does this value mean?'' Don't limit the documentation string to one line; use as many lines as you need to explain the details of how to use the function or variable. Please use complete sentences for the rest of the text too. @item The first line should mention all the important arguments of the function, and should mention them in the order that they are written in a function call. If the function has many arguments, then it is not feasible to mention them all in the first line; in that case, the first line should mention the first few arguments, including the most important arguments. @item For consistency, phrase the verb in the first sentence of a function's documentation string as an imperative--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 each sentence is indicative and has a proper subject. @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 When a command is meaningful only in a certain mode or situation, do mention that in the documentation string. For example, the documentation of @code{dired-find-file} is: @example In Dired, visit the file or directory named on this line. @end example @item Do not start or end a documentation string with whitespace. @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 When the user tries to use a disabled command, Emacs displays just the first paragraph of its documentation string---everything through the first blank line. If you wish, you can choose which information to include before the first blank line so as to make this display useful. @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 The documentation string for a function that is a yes-or-no predicate should start with words such as ``Return t if @dots{}'', to indicate explicitly what constitutes ``truth''. The word ``return'' avoids starting the sentence with lower-case ``t'', which is somewhat distracting. @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{eval} refers to its second argument as @samp{FORM}, because the actual argument name is @code{form}: @example Evaluate FORM and return its value. @end example Also write metasyntactic variables in capital letters, such as when you show the decomposition of a list or vector into subunits, some of which may vary. @samp{KEY} and @samp{VALUE} in the following example illustrate this practice: @example The argument TABLE should be an alist whose elements have the form (KEY . VALUE). Here, KEY is ... @end example @item Never change the case of a Lisp symbol when you mention it in a doc string. If the symbol's name is @code{foo}, write ``foo'', not ``Foo'' (which is a different symbol). This might appear to contradict the policy of writing function argument values, but there is no real contradiction; the argument @emph{value} is not the same thing as the @emph{symbol} which the function uses to hold the value. If this puts a lower-case letter at the beginning of a sentence and that annoys you, rewrite the sentence so that the symbol is not at the start of it. @item If a line in a documentation string begins with an open-parenthesis, write a backslash before the open-parenthesis, like this: @example The argument FOO can be either a number \(a buffer position) or a string (a file name). @end example This prevents the open-parenthesis from being treated as the start of a defun (@pxref{Defuns,, Defuns, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}). @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 @ifnottex 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 use a different convention, with single-quotes for all symbols.) @end ifnottex Help mode automatically creates a hyperlink when a documentation string uses a symbol name inside single quotes, if the symbol has either a function or a variable definition. You do not need to do anything special to make use of this feature. However, when a symbol has both a function definition and a variable definition, and you want to refer to just one of them, you can specify which one by writing one of the words @samp{variable}, @samp{option}, @samp{function}, or @samp{command}, immediately before the symbol name. (Case makes no difference in recognizing these indicator words.) For example, if you write @example This function sets the variable `buffer-file-name'. @end example @noindent then the hyperlink will refer only to the variable documentation of @code{buffer-file-name}, and not to its function documentation. If a symbol has a function definition and/or a variable definition, but those are irrelevant to the use of the symbol that you are documenting, you can write the word @samp{symbol} before the symbol name to prevent making any hyperlink. For example, @example If the argument KIND-OF-RESULT is the symbol `list', this function returns a list of all the objects that satisfy the criterion. @end example @noindent does not make a hyperlink to the documentation, irrelevant here, of the function @code{list}. To make a hyperlink to Info documentation, write the name of the Info node in single quotes, preceded by @samp{info node} or @samp{Info node}. The Info file name defaults to @samp{emacs}. For example, @smallexample See Info node `Font Lock' and Info node `(elisp)Font Lock Basics'. @end smallexample @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 the construct @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. @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 We also normally use two semicolons for comments outside functions. @smallexample @group ;; This Lisp code is run in Emacs ;; when it is to operate as a server ;; for other processes. @end group @end smallexample Every function that has no documentation string (presumably one that is used only internally within the package it belongs to), should instead have 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. These are used, occasionally, for comments within functions that should start at the margin. We also use them sometimes for comments that are between functions---whether to use two or three semicolons there is a matter of style. Another use for triple-semicolon comments is for commenting out lines within a function. We use three 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 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. We'll start with an example, a package that is included in the Emacs distribution. Parts of this example reflect its status as part of Emacs; for example, the copyright notice lists the Free Software Foundation as the copyright holder, and the copying permission says the file is part of Emacs. When you write a package and post it, the copyright holder would be you (unless your employer claims to own it instead), and you should get the suggested copying permission from the end of the GNU General Public License itself. Don't say your file is part of Emacs if we haven't installed it in Emacs yet! With that warning out of the way, on to the 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. @dots{} ;; Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, ;; Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA. @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. Please use that command to see a list of the meaningful keywords. This field is important; it's how people will find your package when they're looking for things by topic area. To separate the keywords, you can use spaces, commas, or both. @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. These should be separated by blank lines from anything else. 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, terminated by a @samp{Change Log}, @samp{History} or @samp{Code} comment line. This text is used by the Finder package, so it should make sense in that context. @item ;;; Documentation This has been used in some files in place of @samp{;;; Commentary:}, but @samp{;;; Commentary:} is preferred. @item ;;; Change Log: This begins change log information stored in the library file (if you store the change history there). For 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 generally do not have a @samp{;;; Change Log:} line. @samp{History} is an alternative to @samp{Change Log}. @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