Subject: Re: bug#4718: 23.1; C-h f gives doc for the wrong function

From: Stefan Monnier <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:11:25 -0400

> I entered one entire function name. Emacs didn't complain that there
> was no such function.  Emacs instead silently gave me the doc for
> a different function.  That's totally inappropriate.

> When I hit RET, Emacs should say `No match' and not accept my
> erroneous input, as it used to do in Emacs 22 and before.

emacs22 -Q
C-h f dolis RET

will happily descrie the `dolist' function.  So, no, this is no strictly
new behavior in this respect.  The partial completion in Emacs-23 does
make it more likely that completion will find some function rather than
return "no match".  If someone wants to make this function use a `ask'
for `require-match', as is done in M-x, I won't object, tho I do not
think it's a big deal.

For what it's worth I have a local patch that indirectly changes this
behavior: it accepts any function name (even non-existing ones),
requires confirmation for non-existing ones, and then tries to guess
which file to load to find the function.

        Stefan