Re: Making a function than can only be used interactively

[Christopher Dimech]

> Sent: Monday, July 04, 2022 at 10:55 PM
> From: "Tassilo Horn" <tsdh@gnu.org>
> To: carlmarcos@tutanota.com
> Cc: "Stefan Monnier" <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>, help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
> Subject: Re: Making a function than can only be used interactively
>
> carlmarcos--- via Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor 
> <help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org> writes:
> 
> >>> Yet when I do `(arktika-workbench)` in my init file, the interactive
> >>> function `arktika-workbench` still gets executed.
> >>
> >> Why wouldn't it?  As I said the `interactive-only` declaration only
> >> causes the byte-compiler (and hence flymake) to warn about
> >> non-interactive uses of the function.
> >>
> > Have also done a simpler function 
> >
> > (defun test ()
> >   "TODO"
> >   (declare (interactive-only arktika-automated-workbench))
> >   (interactive)
> >   (message "*** test") )
> >
> > (test)
> >
> > Loading emacs I can see that the string "*** test" is being printed. 
> > I am using Emacs 27.2.
> 
> Sure, the function will be executed.  As Stefan said, the only effect of
> the declare spec is that byte-compiling the file will cause a warning
> that `test' is only meant for interactive use.
> 
> Bye,
> Tassilo
> 

"interactive-only" should go far beyond a byte-compilation warning.

I suggest that "interactive-only" does actually make the function work
in an interactive-only way.  That would be much more useful, particularly
to users writing their own functions.  Currently the "interactive-only"
leads to quite some confusion.