Subject: bug#9758: 24.0.90; Elisp doc strings and fill-paragraph on region

From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 08 Dec 2020 15:32:11 +0100

Stephen Berman <[email-masked]> writes:

> But selecting (and highlighting) a region within a doc string calls
> fill-region, which uses either the local, global or customized value
> of fill-column, which is most likely different from
> emacs-lisp-docstring-fill-column.

(This bug report unfortunately got no response at the time.)

The bug report is, in essence, that `fill-paragraph' uses
`fill-paragraph-function', while `fill-region' doesn't.

In practice that means that you get different filling in Emacs Lisp doc
strings are filled differently if you select a region and uses the `M-q'
command, or if you just use `M-q' without selecting a region.

I'm not quite sure whether this is a bug or not -- it's slightly odd
behaviour, but it is consistent, if you squint at it a bit.  That is,
`fill-region' is a non-DWIM, very predictable function, while
`fill-paragraph' is more intuitive.

I'm leaning towards this being intended behaviour, so I'm closing this
bug report.  If anybody feels strongly that this is something that
should somehow be changed, feel free to reopen it.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no