Re: [address@hidden: Customize creating wrong defaults]

[Per Abrahamsen]

Use this definition instead:

(defcustom test '((0 . "abc"))
  "xxx"
  :type '(repeat (choice :value "" 
                         (cons :value (0 . "") integer string) 
                         string)))

Explanation:

| Whenever a customize type can be created dynamically, it need to
| have a valid :value attribute to initialize it with.
| 
| Customize typess can be created dynamically if they occur inside a
| 'repeat' or 'choice' type.
| 
| Most atomic types already have valid values, for example the
| `integer' widget had the default :value 0, and the string widget has
| the default
| :value "".
| 
| However, combined types like choice or cons do not have a :value
| that is always valid, it depend on their subtypes.  Therefore, you
| have to specify a valid initial value yourself.

This is a very common error, perhaps the most common error when
creating customize types.  It really should be explained better in the
manual.  Anyone have a suggestion of where and how?

Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> writes:

> This seems ot be in the heart of Custom.  Would you please look at it?
>
> From: Jens Schmidt <Jens.Schmidt27@epost.de>
> Subject: Customize creating wrong defaults
> To: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
> Date: 30 Sep 2002 12:44:26 +0100
>
> This bug report will be sent to the Free Software Foundation,
> not to your local site managers!
> Please write in English, because the Emacs maintainers do not have
> translators to read other languages for them.
>
> Your bug report will be posted to the bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org mailing list,
> and to the gnu.emacs.bug news group.
>
> In GNU Emacs 21.1.1 (i386-msvc-nt4.0.1381)
>  of 2001-10-22 on buffy
> configured using `configure --with-msvc (12.00)'
> Important settings:
>   value of $LC_ALL: nil
>   value of $LC_COLLATE: nil
>   value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
>   value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
>   value of $LC_MONETARY: nil
>   value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
>   value of $LC_TIME: nil
>   value of $LANG: ENU
>   locale-coding-system: iso-latin-1
>   default-enable-multibyte-characters: t
>
> Please describe exactly what actions triggered the bug
> and the precise symptoms of the bug:
>
>
> Eval the following defcustom in an emacs -q:
>
> (defcustom test '((0 . "abc"))
>   "xxx"
>   :type '(repeat (choice (cons integer string) string)))
>
> Then do a M-x customize-variable test RET and press the lower INS
> button.  The result should look like that (note the "invalid"
> list item):
>
> Test: Hide
> INS DEL Choice: Value Menu Cons-cell:
>             Integer: 0
>             String: abc
> INS DEL Choice: Value Menu invalid ((0 ))
> INS
>    State: you have edited the value as text, but you have not set the option.
> xxx
>
>
>
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