Re: /srv/bzr/emacs/trunk r112347: * doc/lispintro/emacs-lisp-intro.texi (defcustom, defun, simplified-beginning-of-buffer, defvar, Building Robots, Review, save-excursion): `defun' and `defcustom' are now macros rather than special forms. (Bug#13853)

[Xue Fuqiao]

On Tue, Apr 23, 2013 at 1:02 AM, Glenn Morris <address@hidden> wrote:

>> Maybe we can add this sentence to (info "(eintr) defun") or (info
>> "(eintr) Complications"), then add a cross reference to (info "(eintr)
>> Lisp macro"):
>>
>>   "Macro" is a construct defined in Lisp, which differs from a function in
>>   that it translates a Lisp expression into another expression which is to
>>   be evaluated instead of the original expression.
>
> I think a few sentences in "Complications" after the bit about special
> forms with a link to the "Lisp macro" section of eintr is indeed all
> that is needed. Personally I would say something about it acting like a
> function for our [ie, the elisp-intro's] purposes.
>
>>>> -(Another special form, @code{defcustom}, is designed for variables
>>>> -that people customize.  It has more features than @code{defvar}.
>>>> -(@xref{defcustom, , Setting Variables with @code{defcustom}}.)
>>>
>>> Why was this removed? It could have been simply changed to "Another
>>> function,... ". The reference to defcustom is the important thing, not
>>> the details of whether it is a special form or macro.
>>
>> Maybe "another macro"?
>
> For the purposes of the elisp-intro, I have no problem saying a macro is
> a function. You call it with arguments and it does stuff. "Another
> macro" is wrong because defvar is not a macro. If you want to say macro
> rather than function, you need to rewored it a bit more. Eg:
>
>   There is a related macro, @code{defcustom}, designed for variables
>   that people customize.  It has more features than @code{defvar}.
>   (@xref{defcustom, , Setting Variables with @code{defcustom}}.)

Done as r112355, thanks.

--
Best regards, Xue Fuqiao.
http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/