Re: Output to directory patch

[Ikumi Keita]

Hi Al,

>>>>> Al Haji-Ali <abdo.haji.ali@gmail.com> writes:
> How about this at the end of section "4.5 Controlling the output"

The location looks good.

> ,----
> | Addionally, output files produced by @AUCTeX{} can be placed in a seperate
      ^^                                                                 ^

> | directory.
> |
> | @defopt TeX-output-dir
> | Set this option to the path of a directory where output files will be
> | placed. The output files include those that are produced by applications
> | running under @AUCTeX{}, temporary files related to region processing and
> | preview-latex files.
Use @previewlatex{} instead of preview-latex.

> | If a relative path is specified, it is
> | interpreted as being relative to the master file in a mutlifile document.
> |
> | This is a buffer local variable and must be set seprately for all
                                                      ^^

> | documents and all files in a multifile document. Alternatively, you may
> | use @code{setq-default} to set the default value of this option or set it
> | as a directory local variable.
> |
> | Note that a non-nil value of @code{TeX-output-dir} might be incompatible
> | with some @TeX{} commands and macros. In particular, the @TeX{} macro
> | @samp{\include} is known to not work with this option.
Unlike \input, \include is a LaTeX specific macro if I remember correctly.
So it would be more suitable to describe it as @LaTeX{} macro.

> | Some @TeX{} packages
> | which produce intermediary files might also be incompatible. A possible
> | workaround for those packages is to append the value of 
> @code{TeX-output-dir}
> | to the environment variables @samp{TEXINPUTS} and @samp{BIBINPUTS}.
> | @end defopt
> `----

I think that it would be kind to the reader to provide sample setting
like:
%%% Local Variables:
%%% mode: latex
%%% TeX-output-dir: "build"
%%% End:

> (Aside, I like your way of quoting code in emails. Is there an emacs
> command that you use? I am having to do it manually at the moment.)

This is "boxquote" package provided by melpa. I learned this looking at
Arash's messages :-).

> Ah right, how about these two choices instead?
> ,----
> | (choice (const  :tag "Directory of master file" nil)
> |         (string :tag "Custom" "build"))
> `----

It looks good to me.

There are two additional requests I forgot to tell:
1. Please add doc string to new functions.
2. The doc string of `TeX-output-dir' doesn't conform to the elisp
coding convention:
,----
| The first line of the documentation string should consist of one or
| two complete sentences that stand on their own as a summary.
`----
,----
| *Do not* indent subsequent lines of a documentation string so that
| the text is lined up in the source code with the text of the first
| line.
`----
,----
| When a documentation string refers to a Lisp symbol, write it as it
| would be printed (which usually means in lower case), surrounding
| it with curved single quotes (‘..’).
`----
See
https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/elisp/Documentation-Tips.html
when writing doc strings.

Regards,
Ikumi Keita