GNU bug report logs - #50658
Error messages including function names violates coding conventions

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Message #17 received at 50658 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 50658 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#50658: Error messages including function names violates
 coding conventions
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2021 05:49:37 -0700

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

> Thanks.  If we are going to show examples (which is a good idea, IMO),
> I think we should show both examples with and without the function
> name, and therefore some wording about the function name being
> optional, and that the rule is not applicable to it, is in order.

OK, that makes sense.  What do you think of this:

diff --git a/doc/lispref/tips.texi b/doc/lispref/tips.texi
index a72ab88cef..77947837b7 100644
--- a/doc/lispref/tips.texi
+++ b/doc/lispref/tips.texi
@@ -393,7 +393,11 @@ Programming Tips

 @item
 An error message should start with a capital letter but should not end
-with a period.
+with a period or other punctuation.  It sometimes makes sense to
+include a Lisp symbol in the error message, in cases where it is
+useful for a user to know where the error originated.  For example,
+the error message ``Invalid input'' could be extended to say
+``some-command: Invalid input''.

 @item
 A question asked in the minibuffer with @code{yes-or-no-p} or

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