GNU bug report logs - #66890
29.1; buffer-size should also accept the buffer's name as string argument

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From: Stefan Kangas <stefankangas <at> gmail.com>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>, Daniel Nagy <danielnagy <at> posteo.de>
Cc: 66890 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#66890: 29.1; buffer-size should also accept the buffer's name as string argument
Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2023 12:38:26 -0700

tags 66890 + moreinfo
thanks

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

> It's very easy to get the buffer from its name.  You could do
>
>   (buffer-size (get-buffer BUFFER-OR-NAME))
>
> So I wonder whether it is worth our while to convert more functions to
> accept both buffers and names of buffers.
>
> Stefan, WDYT?

I'd lean towards not making the proposed change, as it stands.

Perhaps, for the sake of consistency, we should allow buffer names in
either none or all buffer-related functions.  But the only example given
so far is `get-buffer', and I don't really see how we could possibly
disallow using strings there.  Thus, it's not very convincing.

If anyone is interested in making a better case for this change, a
single example is not enough.  I'd suggest starting with a review of
what we have now, for example something like `M-x apropos-function RET
^buffer- RET'.

Without such a review, I don't really see that we have grounds for
making any changes here.  So I'm tagging this bug "moreinfo".

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