RE: address@hidden: RE: weirddefadvicebugwithbyte-compilation]

[Drew Adams]

        Not sure what you want. Below is the test case again. It is
        self-contained for reproducing the crash bug (on Windows).
        Are you perhaps asking about the
        define-minor-mode questions, or is this what you wanted?

    That is the test case I tested before.

         Are you perhaps asking about the
        define-minor-mode questions,

    Yes--here's what I said:

            Please see my previous emails, where I describe the
            original case (which uses define-minor-mode).

        Could you send that test case again?

    My response refers to "the original case".

I shouldn't have said "original case", but "original context". That is what
led to the misunderstanding. What you tested was the original case I
submitted. It contains everything needed for the crash bug.

What I was referring to was my original use context. You don't want all the
files I load (but I can point you to them, if you like). I described what I
did, but I will try to be clearer here. Let me know if this is what you want
or not.

1. I load files of mine with stuff like that shown in bar.el - just think of
this code as being in my .emacs.

2. I load a file of mine that does a defadvice like that seen in bar.el. It
has the `compile' keyword. There is no mention of variable `my-mode' or
foo.el in that file. To me, that defadvice should have no connection with
the problems seen, but if I don't do that defadvice the problem goes away.

3. I do (require 'foo) from a file I load (e.g. .emacs). foo.el has (provide
'foo).

4. In foo.el, I do, _in order_:

a. A defvar of a keymap variable, followed by code that defines keys in that
map and does (put ... 'menu-enable (and my-mode...)). This includes menu-bar
bindings for the (existing) Search menu.

b. A defadvice like the one shown in foo.el. It has _no_ `compile'. The body
refers to variable `my-mode'.

c. A define-minor-mode for mode `my-mode'.

d. This, at the very end (of foo.el): (if my-mode (my-mode 1)). I do that to
make sure that the mode-line lighter correctly corresponds to the mode state
(on/off).

5. Near the end of my .emacs (after loading foo.elc), I do this: (my-mode
1).

Here's my understanding of the "problems" (or misunderstanding on my part)
surrounding `define-minor-mode':

1. When foo.elc is loaded, it adds a binding to the menu-bar Search map, and
it adds a corresponding `menu-enable' that tests `my-mode'.

2. Then, loading foo.elc causes the defadvice in that file to be
byte-compiled. I do not understand why, since there is no `compile' in it.

3. That byte-compilation causes a warning to be displayed in buffer *Compile
Log*.

4. To display *Compile Log*, a new frame is created, because of the
special-display regexp.

5. When creating the new frame, the menu-bar Search menu is created for it,
and the `menu-enable' property with test `my-mode' is evaluated.

6. Since the `define-minor-mode' has not yet been evaluated during loading
of foo.elc, `my-mode' is still unbound when it is evaled for the Search
menu, so a backtrace is displayed with a void-variable error.

7. The backtrace is also a special-display buffer, so a new frame is created
to display it, provoking the same problem of step 5. Eli has explained the
ensuing crash bug on Windows.

If I don't use `define-minor-mode', I will naturally place a defcustom for
`my-mode' near the beginning of file foo.el. I was mistakenly expecting that
the automatic generation of the defcustom by `define-minor-mode' would also,
in effect, place it near the beginning of the byte-compiled file foo.elc.
Naive.

Now I understand that I must either place the `define-minor-mode' at the
file beginning or use an explicit defcustom (can I use a defcustom plus
`define-minor-mode' here, or will that provoke an error?). Actually, it is
sufficient to place the `define-minor-mode' before the defadvice in foo.el.

I still don't understand why the defadvice in foo.el, which has no
`compile', is byte-compiled on the fly. Nor do I understand why removing the
defadvice from bar.el (which has a `compile') causes the error to go away.
It's as if the `compile' from bar.el's defadvice were somehow transferred to
foo.el's defadvice, or the `compile' turned on a compile-advices-from-now-on
mode, so foo.el's defadvice was also compiled. I'm unclear on the way to use
defadvice, I guess.

I'm not claiming there is actually anything wrong (another bug). I'm just
confessing my confusion and naive expectations for `define-minor-mode'.
IIUC, we tell people to use the minor-mode function to set the minor-mode
variable, so that's what I do in .emacs. If I instead set the variable there
(setq), there is of course no unbound-variable error.

If there is a lesson here, besides my own learning, perhaps it is that we
could explain the use of `define-minor-mode' a bit better. And I wonder
about the behavior of the on-the-fly defadvice byte-compiling. Again, I'm no
doubt confused about that - I'd like to understand what's happening there
and why.

Does this help? If not, I'll be glad to point you to the source files.
They're all on Emacs Wiki.