Subject: Re: bug#76561: [PATCH] Promote desktop-dirname to a defcustom

From: Eli Zaretskii <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2025 21:42:38 +0200

> From: João Guerra <[email-masked]>
> Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2025 19:12:37 +0100
> Cc: [email-masked]
> 
> Hello, the idea is to allow the user to customize where the desktop
> file is saved by default. Currently, the user can only customize the
> name for the file, its lock, and the directories where to search for
> desktop files for loading.

That's not true: if you invoke "M-x desktop-save", it will prompt you
for the directory in which to save, and will record that directory in
the desktop-dirname variable for future saves.  This is one way users
have today to customize where the desktop is saved.

> Note that desktop-dirname appears in the documentation of other
> options, which can lead to the idea that it can be customized. For
> example:
> 
> ```
> (defcustom desktop-save 'ask-if-new
>   "Specifies whether the desktop should be saved when it is killed.
> ...
> The variables `desktop-dirname' and `desktop-base-file-name'
> determine where the desktop is saved."
> ```

Yes, because various commands, like desktop-save, desktop-read,
desktop-change-dir, and others, set the variable.

> > If users customize desktop-dirname to some value, and desktop.el will be forced to use this value unconditionally (as it should do with user options), then this feature will be lost.
> 
> Since the user can only have one desktop active at a time, it
> shouldn't be problematic but I now understand that's not ideal. In
> that case, what about introducing a new option that feeds the
> variable? Unless there are already other alternatives.

See above: there are already other alternatives.