# HG changeset patch # User Richard M. Stallman # Date 1135093176 0 # Node ID 81bada12a00e5d4c96e363716f4946895626aa1a # Parent 642ccf723d8fb36f904728cf965bbe2b23fdf77e (Help Functions): Update documentation of `apropos'. diff -r 642ccf723d8f -r 81bada12a00e lispref/help.texi --- a/lispref/help.texi Tue Dec 20 14:04:26 2005 +0000 +++ b/lispref/help.texi Tue Dec 20 15:39:36 2005 +0000 @@ -133,11 +133,17 @@ (symbol-plist 'command-line-processed) @result{} (variable-documentation 188902) @end group +@group +(documentation-property 'emacs 'group-documentation) + @result{} "Customization of the One True Editor." +@end group @end smallexample @end defun @defun documentation function &optional verbatim This function returns the documentation string of @var{function}. +@code{documentation} handles macros, named keyboard macros, and +special forms, as well as ordinary functions. If @var{function} is a symbol, this function first looks for the @code{function-documentation} property of that symbol; if that has a @@ -157,6 +163,11 @@ @code{documentation} returns @code{nil}. @end defun +@defun face-documentation face +This function returns the documentation string of @var{face} as a +face. +@end defun + @c Wordy to prevent overfull hboxes. --rjc 15mar92 Here is an example of using the two functions, @code{documentation} and @code{documentation-property}, to display the documentation strings for @@ -498,14 +509,27 @@ about them, see @ref{Help, , Help, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}. Here we describe some program-level interfaces to the same information. -@deffn Command apropos regexp &optional do-all +@deffn Command apropos pattern &optional do-all This function finds all ``meaningful'' symbols whose names contain a -match for the regular expression @var{regexp}, and returns a list of -them, with associated documentation (@pxref{Regular Expressions}). It -also displays the symbols in a buffer named @samp{*Apropos*}, each +match for the apropos pattern @var{pattern}. An apropos pattern is +either a word to match, a space-separated list of words of which at +least two must match, or a regular expression (if any special regular +expression characters occur). A symbol is ``meaningful'' if it has a +definition as a function, variable, or face, or has properties. + +The function returns a list of elements that look like this: + +@example +(@var{symbol} @var{score} @var{fn-doc} @var{var-doc} @var{plist-doc} @var{widget-doc} @var{face-doc} @var{group-doc}) +@end example + +Here, @var{score} is an integer measure of how important the symbol +seems to be as a match, and the remaining elements are documentation +strings for @var{symbol}'s various roles (or @code{nil}). + +It also displays the symbols in a buffer named @samp{*Apropos*}, each with a one-line description taken from the beginning of its -documentation string. A symbol is ``meaningful'' if it has a -definition as a function, variable, or face, or has properties. +documentation string. @c Emacs 19 feature If @var{do-all} is non-@code{nil}, or if the user option