GNU bug report logs - #73886
29.4; Confusing info about void function cells in Emacs Lisp manual

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Message #40 received at 73886 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Stefan Monnier <monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca>
Cc: ulm <at> gentoo.org, 73886 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#73886: 29.4; Confusing info about void function cells in
 Emacs Lisp manual
Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2024 18:50:02 +0200

> From: Stefan Monnier <monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca>
> Cc: Ulrich Müller <ulm <at> gentoo.org>,
>   73886-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
> Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2024 10:59:23 -0400
> 
> How 'bout the patch below, which tries to eliminate the notion that
> a function cell ever contains "void", reducing "void function" to just
> a terminology to describe the nil value in function cells?

Fine by me, with one exception:

> -If the function cell is void, the return value is @code{nil}.  It is
> -impossible to distinguish between a function cell that is void and one
> -set to @code{nil}.

I would leave the second sentence here alone, but if you don't want to
say "function cell is void", just say "function that is void".  I
would not recommend to never use "void function" because otherwise the
error message we show in those cases will not make sense.

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