GNU bug report logs - #12760
letf doc is not very helpful

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Message #3 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
To: submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: letf doc is not very helpful
Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2012 03:52:50 -0400

Package: emacs
Version: 24.2.50
Severity: minor

emacs -Q -l cl
C-h f letf

  -> Like `cl-letf', but with some extra backward compatibility.

This is so vague as to not be useful.

Message #6 received at 12760 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefan Monnier <monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca>
To: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 12760 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#12760: letf doc is not very helpful
Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2012 09:52:52 -0400

> -> Like `cl-letf', but with some extra backward compatibility.
> This is so vague as to not be useful.

The only difference (handling of funbound symbols for symbol-function)
is one I'd rather not document because it's deprecated.


        Stefan

Message #9 received at 12760 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
To: Stefan Monnier <monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca>
Cc: 12760 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#12760: letf doc is not very helpful
Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2012 13:40:44 -0400

Stefan Monnier wrote:

>> -> Like `cl-letf', but with some extra backward compatibility.
>> This is so vague as to not be useful.
>
> The only difference (handling of funbound symbols for symbol-function)
> is one I'd rather not document because it's deprecated.

Maybe you want to mark letf obsolete (as labels and flet are).

Message #12 received at 12760 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
To: Stefan Monnier <monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca>
Cc: 12760 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#12760: letf doc is not very helpful
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2012 03:05:49 -0400

Stefan Monnier wrote:

>> -> Like `cl-letf', but with some extra backward compatibility.
>> This is so vague as to not be useful.
>
> The only difference (handling of funbound symbols for symbol-function)
> is one I'd rather not document because it's deprecated.

PS I honestly can't see why "A is different to B in some unspecified way
that I'm not going to tell you lest you try and use it" is preferable to
"A is essentially exactly the same as B, apart from cases C and D. Such
usage is deprecated."

Message #17 received at 12760 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefan Monnier <monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca>
To: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 12760 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#12760: letf doc is not very helpful
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:31:40 -0400

>>> -> Like `cl-letf', but with some extra backward compatibility.
>>> This is so vague as to not be useful.
>> The only difference (handling of funbound symbols for symbol-function)
>> is one I'd rather not document because it's deprecated.
> PS I honestly can't see why "A is different to B in some unspecified way
> that I'm not going to tell you lest you try and use it" is preferable to
> "A is essentially exactly the same as B, apart from cases C and D. Such
> usage is deprecated."

You might be right.  Here is the exact situation:
- The extra handling of `symbol-function' in `letf' was added because
  some existing uses of `flet' (which uses `letf' internally) need it.
- I don't know of any code that uses `letf' in a way that `cl-letf'
  can't handle.

So maybe a better solution is to rename the current `letf' into
cl--flet-letf, and then to make `letf' an alias to `cl-letf'.


        Stefan

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