RE: "Invalid face reference" msg logged to *Messages* (but no error)

[Drew Adams]

The message "Invalid face reference: quote [N times]" seems to start when this
is evaluated:

(add-text-properties 99 111 (face (quote some-face)))

The actual face `some-face' makes no difference. The `face' text property is in
fact added (and displayed) correctly.

N is incremented thereafter, with seemingly each event. My guess is that it is
redisplay that is logging/updating the message - it doesn't seem to be related
to the code being evaluated. The add-text-property call seems only to be what
initiates it.

And a correction: I do see this also with Emacs 22 - just never noticed it
before.

HTH. Anyone know what this is about?

> From: Drew Adams Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 11:54 AM
> In GNU Emacs 23.0.93.1 (i386-mingw-nt5.1.2600) of 2009-05-02 
> on SOFT-MJASON, I am seeing this logged to *Messages* at
> various points, with N = various integers:
> 
> "Invalid face reference: quote [N times]"
> 
> Haven't been able to figure out where it's coming from yet. 
> No error is raised (why not?), so debug-on-error doesn't help.
> I assume that some code has (quote foo) where Emacs is expecting
> just foo, and so it tries to interpret `quote' as
> a face. But I haven't been able to track this down, to see if 
> it is a problem with my code or something else. I haven't
> noticed this in earlier builds of Emacs 23 (or in other releases).
> 
> The only src directory I have for Emacs 23 dates from 2007. 
> There I see this in merge_face_ref:
> 
>       /* FACE_REF ought to be a face name.  */
>       ok = merge_named_face (f, face_ref, to, named_merge_points);
>       if (!ok && err_msgs)
>       add_to_log ("Invalid face reference: %s", face_ref, Qnil);
> 
> Anyone have a clue about this error? Have you seen it?
> 
> 
> [FWIW (no doubt unrelated), I've also seen this logged in *Messages*:
> "Error during redisplay: (quit)". And of course I too still get this:
> "Emergency (alloc): Warning: past 75% of memory limit"]