GNU bug report logs - #1424
23.0.60; nil vs `nil' in manuals

Previous Next

To add a comment to this bug, you must first unarchive it, by sending
a message to control AT debbugs.gnu.org, with unarchive 1424 in the body.
You can then email your comments to 1424 AT debbugs.gnu.org in the normal way.

Toggle the display of automated, internal messages from the tracker.

Message #5 received at submit <at> emacsbugs.donarmstrong.com (full text, mbox):

From: "Drew Adams" <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
To: <emacs-pretest-bug <at> gnu.org>
Subject: 23.0.60; nil vs `nil' in manuals
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:42:53 -0800

Most of the time, outside code examples, "nil" is written "`nil'" in
the manuals (I'm looking at Info).  Here are some exceptions, which I
think are typos.
 

Emacs manual:
 
* Node Watch Expressions
 
  If the variable `gdb-delete-out-of-scope' is non-`nil' (the default
  value), Emacs automatically deletes watch expressions which go out
  of scope.  Sometimes, when re-entering the same function, it may be
  useful to set this value to nil so that you don't need to recreate
                              ^^^
  the watch expression.
 

Elisp manual:
 
* Node `nil and t':
 
  Function: booleanp object
  Return non-nil if OBJECT is one of the two canonical boolean
             ^^^
  values: `t' or `nil'.
 
* Node Predicates for Strings
 
  Function: string-or-null-p object
  This function returns `t' if OBJECT is a string or nil, `nil'
                                                     ^^^
  otherwise.  
 
* Node Declaring Functions
 
  Macro: declare-function function file &optional arglist fileonly
  Tell the byte compiler to assume that FUNCTION is defined, with
  arguments ARGLIST, and that the definition should come from the
  file FILE.  FILEONLY non-nil means only check that FILE exists,
                           ^^^
  not that it actually defines FUNCTION.
 
* Node Key Sequence
 
  When reading input results in such a "shift-translation",
  Emacs sets the variable `this-command-keys-shift-translated'
  to a non-nil value.
           ^^^
 
* Node Changing Files
 
  Function: file-modes-symbolic-to-number modes &optional base-modes
  This subroutine converts a symbolic specification of file mode
  bits in MODES into the equivalent numeric value.  If the symbolic
  specification is based on an existing file, that file's mode bits
  are taken from the optional argument BASE-MODES; if that argument
  is omitted or nil, it defaults to zero, i.e. no access rights at
                ^^^
  all.
 
* Node Magic File Names
 
  Function: unhandled-file-name-directory filename
  This function returns the name of a directory that is not magic.
  It uses the directory part of FILENAME if that is not magic.  For
  a magic file name, it invokes the file name handler, which
  therefore decides what value to return.  If FILENAME is not
  accessible from a local process, then the file name handler should
  indicate it by returning nil.
                           ^^^
 
* Node Selecting Windows
 
  Macro: with-selected-window window forms...
  This macro selects WINDOW, executes FORMS in sequence, then
  restores the previously selected window and current buffer.  The
  ordering of recently selected windows and the buffer list remain
  unchanged unless you deliberately change them within FORMS, for
  example, by calling `select-window' with argument NORECORD nil or
                                                             ^^^
  omitted there.
 
* Node Choosing Window
 
  User Option: pop-up-windows
  This variable specifies whether `display-buffer' is allowed to
  split (*note Splitting Windows::) an existing window .  If it is
  non-`nil', `display-buffer' tries to the split the largest or
  least recently used window on the selected frame.  (If the selected
  frame is a minibuffer-only frame, it tries to split a window on
  another frame instead.)  If `pop-up-windows' is nil or the variable
                                                  ^^^
  `pop-up-frames' (see below) is non-`nil', `display-buffer' does
  not split any window.
 
* Node The Mark
 
  Function: handle-shift-selection &optional deactivate
  This function checks whether the current command was invoked via
  shift translation (*note shift-translation: Key Sequence Input.),
  and if so, sets the mark and temporarily activates the region,
  unless the region is already temporarily activated in this way.
  If the command was invoked without shift translation, or if the
  optional argument DEACTIVATE is non-nil, the function deactivates
                                      ^^^
  the mark.  This function is called whenever a command with a `^'
  character in its `interactive' spec (*note ^: Interactive Codes.)
  is invoked while `shift-select-mode' (*note Shift Selection:
  (emacs)Shift Selection.) is non-`nil'.
 
* Node Shell Arguments
 
  If SEPARATORS is omitted or nil, it defaults to `"\\s-+"', which
                              ^^^
  is a regular expression that matches one or more characters with
  whitespace syntax (*note Syntax Class Table::).
 
* Node Transaction Queues
 
  If the argument DELAY-QUESTION is non-nil, delay sending this
                                        ^^^
  question until the process has finished replying to any previous
  questions.  This produces more reliable results with some
  processes.
 
* Node Proceessor Run Time
 
  If FORMAT is nil or omitted, it defaults to `"%Y, %D, %H, %M, %z%S"'.
               ^^^
 
* Node Documentation Tips
 
  When a documentation string refers to a Lisp symbol, write it as it
  would be printed (which usually means in lower case), with
  single-quotes around it.  For example: `lambda'.  There are two
  exceptions: write t and nil without single-quotes.  (In this
 
                    ^     ^^^
  manual, we use a different convention, with single-quotes for all
  symbols.)
 
Actually, those two should probably be written in double quotes, since
we are referring to the text, not to the symbols, when talking about
"t" and "nil" here.
 
 
 
 
 

In GNU Emacs 23.0.60.1 (i386-mingw-nt5.1.2600)
 of 2008-11-08 on LENNART-69DE564
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 5.1.2600
configured using `configure --with-gcc (3.4) --no-opt --cflags -Ic:/g/include
-fno-crossjumping'
 

Message #10 received at 1424-done <at> emacsbugs.donarmstrong.com (full text, mbox):

From: Chong Yidong <cyd <at> stupidchicken.com>
To: "Drew Adams" <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
Cc: 1424-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: 23.0.60; nil vs `nil' in manuals
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:55:04 -0500

Thanks very much for pointing out these typos.  I've checked in fixes
(except for the last case, in which I think the intention is to leave
`nil' completely unquoted.)

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.