Subject: bug#23130: 25.1.50; `C-h f' etc.: escaping in symbol names

From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 08 Feb 2022 08:04:13 +0100

Drew Adams <[email-masked]> writes:

> (defun foo. () (message "FOOOOOO"))
>
> Put point somewhere on the name `foo.'.
> `C-h f'
> You see this message: Describe function (default foo.):
>                                                  ^^^^
>
> Hit `RET'.  You see this output in *Help*:
>
>  foo\. is a Lisp function.
>
>  (foo\.)
>
> Not sure what others might think of this.  The name of the symbol is
> "foo.", not "foo\.".  This is correctly reflected in the prompt.

Why is `prin1' quoting the "." anyway?  It's not a special character for
the Lisp reader, is it?

> (defun bar\  () (message "BARRRR"))
>
> `C-h f'
> Describe function (default bar ): RET
>
>  bar\ is a Lisp function.
>
>  (bar\ )
>
> Note that the first line here is not even correct - it should at least
> have another SPC char after the `\ '.  The way it is written now, it
> suggests that the name is `bar\', i.e., that the symbol is bar\\.

I've now fixed this in Emacs 29.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no