Re: Shift selection using interactive spec

[Juri Linkov]

>> Shift-selection is not an inherent part of function definition since a
>> function can normally work with or without this feature either way.
>
> How is this different from any interactive call specification?  In
> particular, from, say, the "*" flag in an interactive call string?

If is known beforehand that a command can't work on read-only buffers.
But shift-selection can be freely turned on/off.

> But there is no way to change the DOC string when one tacks a property
> onto the function.  And that means that the DOC string change and the
> property tack-on are not inherently _synchronized_.  And that is a bad
> idea.

A patch I sent solves this by displaying properties in the *Help* buffer
after the docstring.

>> The only alternative to assigning properties to function symbols I see
>> is creating a new user option with a list of command names that should
>> activate the mark before their execution.
>
> Again, this hides away part of the interactive behavior of a command to
> a different place.  And again, it makes the mechanism depend on the
> _name_ (aka symbol) of the called function rather than its function
> definition.

Do you propose to remove all existing properties together with user
options and move all features that modify the default behavior to only
function definitions and docstrings?

-- 
Juri Linkov
http://www.jurta.org/emacs/