GNU bug report logs - #11327
24.1.50; doc of `dired-do-create-files' refers user to undocumented var/fn

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: "Drew Adams" <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
To: <bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org>
Subject: 24.1.50;
	doc of `dired-do-create-files' refers user to undocumented var/fn
Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:10:13 -0700

The doc string says:
 
... "The way the default for the target directory is computed depends on
the value of `dired-dwim-target-directory'."
 
There is no variable with that name.  And a function does not have a
"value".
 
Anyway, let's assume you mean the value returned by the function
`dired-dwim-target-directory'.  So we look that up, using `C-h f'.  What
do we see?  Nothing.  No doc string.
 
This kind of help is no help at all.  This is a no-no.  You cannot send
someone looking for help where there is no help to be found.
 

In GNU Emacs 24.1.50.1 (i386-mingw-nt5.1.2600)
 of 2012-04-23 on MARVIN
Bzr revision: 108006
agustin.martin <at> hispalinux.es-20120423103325-xmra3329elgzhmpc
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 5.1.2600
Configured using:
 `configure --with-gcc (4.6) --no-opt --enable-checking --cflags
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/libXpm-3.5.8/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/libXpm-3.5.8/src
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/libpng-dev_1.4.3-1/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/zlib-dev_1.2.5-2/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/giflib-4.1.4-1/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/jpeg-6b-4/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/tiff-3.8.2-1/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/gnutls-3.0.9/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/libiconv-1.13.1-1-dev/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/libxml2-2.7.8/include/libxml2'
 

Message #8 received at 11327 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Chong Yidong <cyd <at> gnu.org>
To: "Drew Adams" <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
Cc: 11327 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: 24.1.50;
	doc of `dired-do-create-files' refers user to undocumented var/fn
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2012 03:36:58 -0400

> The doc string says:
> ... "The way the default for the target directory is computed depends on
> the value of `dired-dwim-target-directory'."
> There is no variable with that name.  And a function does not have a
> "value".

The "value" of a function is its return value.
See (elisp)What Is a Function

But anyway, I reworded the docstring to make it clearer.

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