Subject: bug#13583: 24.3.50; Error when activating auto-revert-mode

From: Eli Zaretskii <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:48:26 +0200

> From: Michael Albinus <[email-masked]>
> Cc: Eli Zaretskii <[email-masked]>,  [email-masked]
> Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:06:10 +0100
> 
> Stefan Monnier <[email-masked]> writes:
> 
> >> Cockipt error.  The doc string clearly says
> >>     "If non-nil Auto Revert Mode uses file notification functions.
> >>   This requires Emacs being compiled with file notification
> >>   support (see `auto-revert-notify-enabled').  You should set this
> >>   variable through Custom only."               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> >>   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> >> That's because this defcustom has a :set function defined for it; if
> >> that function isn't run, the results are unpredictable.
> >> Any reason not to close this bug?
> >
> > It should be possible to have (setq auto-revert-use-notify nil) in your
> > .emacs and not use Custom.
> 
> I've added
> 
>   :initialize 'custom-initialize-default
> 
> to that defcustom. That seems to do the job.

Thanks, but the doc string still says one needs to use Customize.

Anyway, if ":initialize 'custom-initialize-default" is such a
wonderful feature that everyone wants, why isn't it the default, and
why does the user of defcustom need to opt-in it?