Subject: bug#64693: closed (Re: bug#64693: Documentation for the definition of a Menu Item)

From: [email-masked] (GNU bug Tracking System)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2023 11:04:02 +0000

Your bug report

#64693: Documentation for the definition of a Menu Item

which was filed against the emacs package, has been closed.

The explanation is attached below, along with your original report.
If you require more details, please reply to [email-masked].

-- 
64693: https://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=64693
GNU Bug Tracking System
Contact [email-masked] with problems

Subject: Re: bug#64693: Documentation for the definition of a Menu Item
From: Eli Zaretskii <[email-masked]>
To: uzibalqa <[email-masked]>
Cc: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2023 14:03:32 +0300
List-Id: <debbugs-submit.debbugs.gnu.org>

> Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2023 20:44:04 +0000
> From:  uzibalqa via "Bug reports for GNU Emacs,
>  the Swiss army knife of text editors" <[email-masked]>
> 
> 
> Have been looking at the documentation for 'DEF' in 'define-key'.
> 
> (define-key KEYMAP KEY DEF &optional REMOVE)
> 
> DEF, the definition of a Menu Item is described in form as 
> 
>    (menu-item item-name binding . item-property-list)
> 
> Note that DEF constitutes a single list.  The special
> dotted notation indicates that 'item-property-list' is not
> a separate list but rather enables any number of property
> elements in the form of ':keyword value' within the same
> list structure.
> 
> But such detail is not properly described.

If you type "i property list RET" in Info, you will land in the
"Property Lists" node, which starts by saying:

  A “property list” (“plist” for short) is a list of paired elements.
  Each of the pairs associates a property name (usually a symbol) with a
  property or value.

So I think when the manual says that item-property-list is a property
list, it does a good job.

> Furthermore, a more comprehensive explanation of Cons Cells, Dotted
> Notation, and Backquote Construct, should be introduced and backed up 
> with real-life syntax such as the one described here.

This is all properly done elsewhere in the manual; see my response to
your report in bug#64692.

So I'm closing this bug.

Subject: Documentation for the definition of a Menu Item
From: uzibalqa <[email-masked]>
To: "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2023 20:44:04 +0000
List-Id: <debbugs-submit.debbugs.gnu.org>

Have been looking at the documentation for 'DEF' in 'define-key'.

(define-key KEYMAP KEY DEF &optional REMOVE)

DEF, the definition of a Menu Item is described in form as 

   (menu-item item-name binding . item-property-list)

Note that DEF constitutes a single list.  The special
dotted notation indicates that 'item-property-list' is not
a separate list but rather enables any number of property
elements in the form of ':keyword value' within the same
list structure.

But such detail is not properly described.  Pointing out how
the description of 'Cons Cells' and 'Dotted Notation' is sketchy
at best in the 'Elisp Reference Manual', and non-existent  in 
the 'Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp',  the aforementioned
description should be added in the documentation of 'define-key'.

Furthermore, a more comprehensive explanation of Cons Cells, Dotted
Notation, and Backquote Construct, should be introduced and backed up 
with real-life syntax such as the one described here.