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bug#24353: 25.1.1: looking-back wrong info
From: |
Drew Adams |
Subject: |
bug#24353: 25.1.1: looking-back wrong info |
Date: |
Fri, 2 Sep 2016 13:03:53 -0700 (PDT) |
> > This is not a command, for users. It is a function used by
> > Emacs-Lisp programmers. Sounds like `C-h f' is becoming less
> > useful, and programmers now need to bypass it and go directly
> > to the source code, just to find out the correct signature.
>
> The signature is correct, it just advertises LIMIT as a mandatory
> argument. We could actually make it mandatory, but that would be a
> backward-incompatible change, so a lesser evil has been chosen.
>
> advertised-calling-convention is used in only 28 places in all of
> Emacs, i.e. it's definitely an extraordinary measure. So saying that
> "C-h f" becomes less useful cannot even be called an exaggeration.
I know what advertised-calling-convention is. The argument is
not mandatory. So the documented signature is NOT correct.
A programmer looking only at the `C-h f' output is misled.
It is perfectly possible to invoke `(looking-back "abc")'.
I see nothing good coming from this change. Again, if you
are so worried about recommending that programmers not invoke
the function without a LIMIT argument, then say so explicitly
in the doc string. Do not fake the signature to substitute
for what is a recommendation.
Making the recommendation explicit makes it both clearer
and stronger. You do not mislead about what the actual
signature is, and you emphasize - call attention to -
the recommended practice of using LIMIT.
- bug#24353: 25.1.1: looking-back wrong info, Andreas Röhler, 2016/09/02
- bug#24353: 25.1.1: looking-back wrong info, Eli Zaretskii, 2016/09/02
- bug#24353: 25.1.1: looking-back wrong info, Andreas Röhler, 2016/09/02
- bug#24353: 25.1.1: looking-back wrong info, Dmitry Gutov, 2016/09/02
- bug#24353: 25.1.1: looking-back wrong info, Drew Adams, 2016/09/02
- bug#24353: 25.1.1: looking-back wrong info, Dmitry Gutov, 2016/09/02
- bug#24353: 25.1.1: looking-back wrong info, Drew Adams, 2016/09/02
- bug#24353: 25.1.1: looking-back wrong info, npostavs, 2016/09/02
- bug#24353: 25.1.1: looking-back wrong info, Dmitry Gutov, 2016/09/02
- bug#24353: 25.1.1: looking-back wrong info, Drew Adams, 2016/09/02
- bug#24353: 25.1.1: looking-back wrong info, Clément Pit--Claudel, 2016/09/03
- bug#24353: 25.1.1: looking-back wrong info, Drew Adams, 2016/09/03
- bug#24353: 25.1.1: looking-back wrong info, Clément Pit--Claudel, 2016/09/03