# HG changeset patch
# User Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
# Date 1004685078 0
# Node ID 6123edb0c45efafd433664c7577a284624986017
# Parent  d514b33721f275f8ce1e0ab46509785a4a64d640
Explain why a parent for a non-sparse keymap is not useful.

diff -r d514b33721f2 -r 6123edb0c45e lispref/keymaps.texi
--- a/lispref/keymaps.texi	Fri Nov 02 07:10:30 2001 +0000
+++ b/lispref/keymaps.texi	Fri Nov 02 07:11:18 2001 +0000
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@
 prefix keys.
 @end defun
 
-Here is an example showing how to make a keymap that inherits
+   Here is an example showing how to make a keymap that inherits
 from @code{text-mode-map}:
 
 @example
@@ -342,6 +342,12 @@
   map)
 @end example
 
+  A non-sparse keymap can have a parent too, but this is not very
+useful.  A non-sparse keymap always specifies something as the binding
+for every numeric character code without modifier bits, even if it is
+@code{nil}, so these character's bindings are never inherited from
+the parent keymap.
+
 @node Prefix Keys
 @section Prefix Keys
 @cindex prefix key