GNU bug report logs - #24625
26.0.50; Local variables list at beginning of a file

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From: Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: Marco Wahl <marcowahlsoft <at> gmail.com>, 24625 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#24625: 26.0.50; Local variables list at beginning of a file
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2019 04:23:59 +0100

Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:

>> For people who want to keep the first line short this feature could
>> help.
>> 
>> Possibly of interest:
>> 
>> My motivation asking for this feature was local variables at the bottom
>> of outline/Org files.  In my experience for those kind of files, which
>> typically consist of some trees, it is rather difficult to keep
>> something (here the local variables) at the bottom.  Too easily a
>> further tree gets appended at the end of the file or the trees in the
>> file get sorted.  On the other hand the top of those kind of files stays
>> relatively static.

I usually set up a header like the following at the end of the
file:

* org-mode configuration    :noexport:
#+STARTUP: content hidestars indent
# Local Variables:
# ispell-local-dictionary: "swedish"
# End:

That avoids accidentally exporting the header or moving it
around.  YMMV.

> If this is for Org, perhaps Org could have its own private feature?

Org already has this for various settings, but not for arbitrary Lisp
variables.  Perhaps someone could suggest to add missing options to
the org mode developer.

> In general, having the variables at the beginning will get in the way
> of reading the file's contents by humans: you will first need to skip
> the variables' section and wonder what does that do there.

Agreed.

Best regards,
Stefan Kangas

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