Subject: Re: bug#56673: 26.3; Doc of `file-equal-p'
From: Eli Zaretskii <[email-masked]>
To: Drew Adams <[email-masked]>
Cc: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2022 08:59:35 +0300
List-Id: <debbugs-submit.debbugs.gnu.org>

> From: Drew Adams <[email-masked]>
> Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2022 20:41:45 +0000
> 
> 1. I don't understand this part of the doc (in both doc string and
> manual):
> 
>   If FILE1 or FILE2 does not exist, the return value is unspecified.
> 
> What's that about?

It means the result could be anything: nil or non-nil, and you
shouldn't expect anything specific.  IOW, don't call this function
unless both files exist.

> In what case(s) is the result unspecified because one or both file
> doesn't exist?

All of them.  There was a long discussion of this in bug#10489, and
I'm not interested in reopening it.

> 2. How about adding this sentence from the manual to the doc string
> (also)?
> 
>   This is similar to comparing their truenames, except that remote file
>   names are also handled in an appropriate manner.

The doc string already says that, albeit with different words.

Closing.