Re: defcustom and the stars.

[Juanma Barranquero]

On 1/4/07, Drew Adams <address@hidden> wrote:

> Sorry, I don't understand. The variable with that doc string (beginning "**") 
> _is_ a user variable. It is intended to be a user variable.

Yes, I know.

> You raise, I imagine, a different issue: how to prevent a variable from becoming a user 
> variable (changeable with `set-variable') if its doc string begins with `*', as in your 
> defvar: "*Completions* window blah blah.".

No, I'm raising the fact that we have a convention that says: a
variable whose docstring starts with "*" is a user variable. So for
consistency, the docstring (without the asterisk) should *not* start
with an asterisk. Otherwise, you have:

 (defvar my-var nil "**This* is a user variable.")

and some day you hurriedly modify it to:

 (defvar my-var nil "*This* is not a user variable.")

and get an unwanted result. I'm not talking about programming now, but
about docstring conventions.

> then I think it is not worth pursuing

Not worth pursuing, how? As a convention, in elisp code, or how exactly?

> people can rephrase the text to avoid starting with `*' if they don't want `*' 
> to indicate a user variable.

Yes, that's what I'm saying, only I'm adding that we should perhaps
explain in the docs: "Please take care the docstring *contents* does
not start with an asterisk."

> (In my case, I _do_ want it to indicate a user variable.)

I understood it the first time. In fact, I understood it on your
previous message. I usually have no trouble understanding your
messages. Pity the reverse is not true. Not your fault, of course.

                   /L/e/k/t/u