Subject: Re: bug#24386: 24.5; `read--expression' --> `read-expression', please

From: Michael Heerdegen <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2019 00:44:24 +0200

Drew Adams <[email-masked]> writes:

> > > Please consider renaming `read--expression' to `read-expression' and
> > > taking away its "internal" designation.  What it does is equally
> > > useful to ordinary Emacs user-programmers.
> >
> > It does seem like a rather internal function (setting up eldoc stuff
> > and the like), so I think it's probably well-named as is; closing.
>
> There's _absolutely nothing_ internal about the
> behavior this function offers.  You can use it
> _any_ place where you want to read a sexp.

IMO we should offer an official way to read expression input.  That
would likely look very much like read--expression.

> As for it using `eldoc-mode': That presumably makes the function more
> useful for specifically Lisp-sexp reading.  If we think otherwise then
> that could be removed or optional.

FWIW it wasn't there from the beginning - it was added while fixing
Bug#27202.  If we speak of Lisp, the name "expression" implies something
to be intended for evaluation, so having eldoc support is totally
legitimate.

Why not also add a `read-sexp'?

Michael.