GNU bug report logs - #13810
24.3.50; Docstring of `newline' is confusing

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Message #17 received at 13810 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stephen Berman <stephen.berman <at> gmx.net>
To: Xue Fuqiao <xfq.free <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 13810 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#13810: 24.3.50; Docstring of `newline' is confusing
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:18:59 +0100

On Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:48:06 +0800 Xue Fuqiao <xfq.free <at> gmail.com> wrote:

> On Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:23:14 +0100
> Stephen Berman <stephen.berman <at> gmx.net> wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:03:09 +0800 Xue Fuqiao <xfq.free <at> gmail.com> wrote:
>> > In the doc string of the function `newline':
>> >   Insert a newline, and move to left margin of the new line if it's
>> >   blank.
>> > To reproduce this bug:
>> >
>> >    emacs -Q
>> >    M-<
>> >    M-: (newline) RET
>> > A new line appears, but the point doesn't move to left margin of the
>> > first line.  
>> I think you misread the doc string: point should -- and does -- move to
>> the left margin of the *new* line.
>
> You mean the *new* line is the second line (now)?

It just occurred to me that your confusion was probably due to thinking
of the newline character (C-j, line feed, "\n"), which is inserted at
the end of the line before the new line.  In the doc string the two
words "new line" unambiguously refer to the line after the inserted
newline character that results from calling newline, but the first word
"newline" should perhaps be replaced by "newline character" or "line
feed".

Steve Berman

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