# HG changeset patch
# User Luc Teirlinck <teirllm@auburn.edu>
# Date 1076550959 0
# Node ID ed40e77a517633a1fd7e2eb1dc4c5ba2696cdf76
# Parent  3517efa33c1f3478d866e52a19783e990aff4a13
(Comment Tips): Document the new conventions for commenting out code.

diff -r 3517efa33c1f -r ed40e77a5176 lispref/tips.texi
--- a/lispref/tips.texi	Thu Feb 12 01:53:51 2004 +0000
+++ b/lispref/tips.texi	Thu Feb 12 01:55:59 2004 +0000
@@ -802,19 +802,30 @@
 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.
+semicolons depends on whether the comment should be considered a
+``heading'' by Outline minor mode.  By default, comments starting with
+at least three semicolons (followed by a single space and a
+non-whitespace character) are considered headings, comments starting
+with two or less are not.
 
 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.
+they remain at the left margin.  By default, Outline minor mode does
+not consider a comment to be a heading (even if it starts with at
+least three semicolons) if the semicolons are followed by at least two
+spaces.  Thus, if you add an introductory comment to the commented out
+code, make sure to indent it by at least two spaces after the three
+semicolons.
 
 @smallexample
 (defun foo (a)
-;;; This is no longer necessary.
+;;;  This is no longer necessary.
 ;;;  (force-mode-line-update)
   (message "Finished with %s" a))
 @end smallexample
 
+When commenting out entire functions, use two semicolons.
+
 @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