Re: list-print-separator

[Ted Zlatanov]

On Mon, 25 Apr 2011 09:41:39 -0300 Stefan Monnier <address@hidden> wrote: 

SM> Hmm... I wouldn't try to compare the speed of `print' with that of `pp'
SM> since they do very different amounts of work and are implemented in
SM> languages whose performance is very different, but there's clearly room
SM> for improvement in pp's speed.

I want to print out a large ELisp data structure prettily.  The Gnus
newsrc.eld, for example, or the Gnus registry hashtable.  I'll use
whatever makes it happen as fast as possible.

SM> You could use an ad-hoc pp-like function, maybe?  The way I see it, you
SM> typically either need "fast" or "pretty" but very rarely both.

With my list-print-separator patch you get fast and OK-looking.  Are you
concerned it's only useful sometimes?  The speed penalty is minor if
it's not used.

Perhaps people will use it more if it's available.  Maybe it could be a
function too, to be called with the print-level, so the indentation can
vary and so on.  But for my purposes it's enough to have just a string.

Ted