# HG changeset patch
# User Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
# Date 902618167 0
# Node ID 8159553e2468f5f27ae2a9b38eca744ddada194a
# Parent  d29091c19e8177585f910934a8522f292033edc7
Describe assoc-default.

diff -r d29091c19e81 -r 8159553e2468 lispref/lists.texi
--- a/lispref/lists.texi	Sat Aug 08 23:08:23 1998 +0000
+++ b/lispref/lists.texi	Sat Aug 08 23:16:07 1998 +0000
@@ -1438,6 +1438,26 @@
 @end smallexample
 @end defun
 
+@tindex assoc-default
+@defun assoc-default key alist test default
+This function searches @var{alist} for a match for @var{key}.  For each
+element of @var{alist}, it compares the element (if it is an atom) or
+the element's @sc{car} (if it is a cons) against @var{key}, by calling
+@var{test} with two arguments: the element or its @sc{car}, and
+@var{key}.  The arguments are passed in that order so that you can get
+useful results using @code{string-match} with an alist that contains
+regular expressions (@pxref{Regexp Search}).  If @var{test} is omitted
+or @code{nil}, @code{equal} is used for comparison.
+
+If an alist element matches @var{key} by this criterion,
+then @code{assoc-default} returns a value based on this element.
+If the element is a cons, then the value is the element's @sc{cdr}.
+Otherwise, the return value is @var{default}.
+
+If no alist element matches @var{key}, @code{assoc-default} returns
+@code{nil}.
+@end defun
+
 @defun copy-alist alist
 @cindex copying alists
 This function returns a two-level deep copy of @var{alist}: it creates a