Re: Blunderbuss ".dir-locals.el" raises everything in its path!!

[Chong Yidong]

Alan Mackenzie <address@hidden> writes:

>> I'm not sure I understand.  Directory-local variables are processed
>> right before file-local variables, and can be overridden by them.
>
> Sorry, yes.  But that's the only thing they can be overridden by.  That
> is surely not the right thing.
>
> Why on earth does .dir-locals.el take precedence over values set in a
> top-level `setq' or `c-mode-hook'?  This is surely the Wrong Thing to
> do.

Because setting a directory-local variable is supposed to have the same
effect as setting a file-local variable inside every file in that
directory.  Thus, instead of putting c-fill-style inside every .c file
in the Emacs source tree, you can simply write a .dir-locals.el file.

> In particular, the File Style and local variables settings are rarely
> used precision instruments, for configuring unusual files unusually.

This indicates that we should not set c-file-style in the .dir-locals.el
file of the Emacs source tree.