GNU bug report logs - #29721
26.0; doc string of `invisible-p'

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 29721 in the body.
You can then email your comments to 29721 AT debbugs.gnu.org in the normal way.

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

Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 26.0; doc string of `invisible-p'
Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2017 09:41:55 -0800 (PST)

The doc string is unclear.

  "(invisible-p POS-OR-PROP)

   Non-nil if the property makes the text invisible."

What property?  What text?

  "The non-nil value returned can be t for truly invisible text or
   something else if the text is replaced by an ellipsis."

Huh?  What is "truly invisible"?  What "something else"?  Does
"something else" include `nil'?  What does it mean for "the text" to be
replaced by an ellipsis?  What does the (unspecified!) value signify in
the case of "the text" (?) being "replaced by an ellipsis"?

It's really not clear what this doc is trying to say.

This text was introduced in Emacs 23.  Prior to that the text was clear:
"Return non-nil if the character after POS is currently invisible."


In GNU Emacs 26.0.90 (build 3, x86_64-w64-mingw32)
 of 2017-10-13
Repository revision: 906224eba147bdfc0514090064e8e8f53160f1d4
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 6.1.7601
Configured using:
 `configure --without-dbus --host=x86_64-w64-mingw32
 --without-compress-install 'CFLAGS=-O2 -static -g3''

Message #10 received at 29721-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
Cc: 29721-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#29721: 26.0; doc string of `invisible-p'
Date: Sat, 16 Dec 2017 12:22:00 +0200

> Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2017 09:41:55 -0800 (PST)
> From: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
> 
> The doc string is unclear.
> 
>   "(invisible-p POS-OR-PROP)
> 
>    Non-nil if the property makes the text invisible."
> 
> What property?  What text?

Thanks, fixed.

>   "The non-nil value returned can be t for truly invisible text or
>    something else if the text is replaced by an ellipsis."
> 
> Huh?  What is "truly invisible"?

"Truly" because text with 'invisible' property could be still visible,
depending on buffer-invisibility-spec.  I added the reference to that.

> What "something else"?  Does "something else" include `nil'?  [...]
> What does the (unspecified!) value signify in the case of "the text"
> (?) being "replaced by an ellipsis"?

The value itself is of no significance, besides the fact that it's not
nil and not t, so I see no reason to document what it is, exactly.  If
you are really interested, you can read the code, or try calling that
function on invisible text replaced with an ellipsis, then you will
see that the value is truly of no importance.

> What does it mean for "the text" to be replaced by an ellipsis?

That is a well-known feature, see (elisp)Invisible Text.  I hope a
reference to buffer-invisibility-spec makes it even more clear.

Previous Next

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