Re: .emacs and other config file questions

[Tassilo Horn]

Deniz Dogan <deniz.a.m.dogan@gmail.com> writes:

Hi Deniz,

> Take rcirc-track-minor-mode as an example, which if set through
> customize immediately takes effect whereas it doesn't if you just setq
> it. This is because rcirc-track-minor-mode is defined using
> define-minor-mode which evaluates code whenever its value changes.

Well, but if you call the function instead of setting the variable, it
also takes effect immediately.

  (rcirc-track-minor-mode 1)

And calling a mode's function is the canonical way to enable a major
mode and enable/disable a minor mode.  The docs reflect that, too.

,----[ C-h v rcirc-track-minor-mode RET ]
| rcirc-track-minor-mode is a variable defined in `rcirc.el'.
| Its value is nil
| 
| Documentation:
| Non-nil if Rcirc-Track minor mode is enabled.
| See the command `rcirc-track-minor-mode' for a description of this minor mode.
| Setting this variable directly does not take effect;
| either customize it (see the info node `Easy Customization')
| or call the function `rcirc-track-minor-mode'.
| 
| You can customize this variable.
`----

But still you are right that using customize is not a bad thing.  But I
prefer good-old lisp configurations, because that gives me the
possibility to structure my configs using outlines and do some stuff
like adding a minor mode function to a set of different major mode hooks
in one rush.

But for faces, I solely use the customize interface.

Bye,
Tassilo