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

From: Drew Adams <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 27 Jul 2019 17:34:58 -0700 (PDT)

> > > > 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'?

+1 to all you said.

`read--expression' is a good beginning for such
a function.  If we don't do as you suggest then it
would also be a good end: just remove the extra `-'.

(But I don't think the name "expression" implies
something to be intended for evaluation.  It often
means that, but it's also used just for "sexp".)