variable buffer-file-coding-system does not exist

[Robin Hankin]

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In GNU Emacs 21.1.1 (i686-pc-linux-gnu, X toolkit, Xaw3d scroll bars)
 of 2001-10-25 on r.hankin.sems.auckland.ac.nz
Important settings:
  value of $LC_ALL: nil
  value of $LC_COLLATE: nil
  value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
  value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
  value of $LC_MONETARY: nil
  value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
  value of $LC_TIME: nil
  value of $LANG: en_US
  locale-coding-system: iso-latin-1
  default-enable-multibyte-characters: t

Please describe exactly what actions triggered the bug
and the precise symptoms of the bug:

I need to save non-ascii files using keyboard macros that include C-x
C-s.  When saving some files, C-x C-s requests (on execution) which
coding system I require.  
 
For example, a file consisting of the two bytes "" requires an
interactive answer to this.  (in ascii the file looks like "^S\217"
and in hexl it looks like

00000000: 138f                                     ..

).




PROBLEM: the documented solution fails:


M-x describe-variable buffer-file-coding-system

works fine  *but*

M-x set-variable buffer-file-coding-system

reports that the variable does not exist (reporting "no match" in the
minibuffer).  I can set this variable in the *help* buffer but that
doesn't help me.



keep up the good work









Recent input:
d i n g - s y s t m <backspace> e m SPC e x i s t s 
SPC b u t <escape> <backspace> <escape> <backspace> 
d o e s n ' t SPC e x i s t <escape> <backspace> <escape> 
<backspace> <escape> <backspace> d o e s SPC n o t 
SPC e x i s t <return> n c h e e r s <return> <return> 
<return> r b <backspace> o b i n C-c C-c <escape> x 
r e p l <backspace> o r t SPC e m a SPC b u SPC <r
eturn>

Recent messages:

call-interactively: Quit
keyboard-quit: Quit
call-interactively: Quit
keyboard-quit: Quit
isearch-abort: Quit
keyboard-quit: Quit
Auto save file for draft message exists; consider M-x mail-recover
sendmail-user-agent-compose: Message aborted
Sending...done


-- 

Robin Hankin, Lecturer,
School of Geographical and Environmental Science
Private Bag 92019 Auckland
New Zealand

r.hankin@auckland.ac.nz
tel 0064-9-373-7599 x6820; FAX 0064-9-373-7042

as of: Tue Mar 12 10:05:00 NZDT 2002
This (linux) system up continuously for:  194 days, 16 hours, 00 minutes