Re: Option to not automatically customize-save-variable `package-selected-packages'

[Artur Malabarba]

Eli Zaretskii <address@hidden> writes:

> Is package--save-selected-packages called every time package.el is
> invoked, even if the user doesn't change the list of the selected
> packages?

No. But it is called every time the list changes (either by installing
or deleting a package).

> Otherwise, the user could install a package, edit their .emacs to
> convert the custom-set-variables forms into setq, [...] like
> they have to do with any other customization that is system-dependent.
>
> Will this solve the issue?

No, because package.el will still call `package--save-selected-packages'
even though the variable has been set via `setq'. This will keep
modifying the custom file, and the behaviour will depend on whether when
the variable's value has been most recently set from the `setq' or from
Custom.

Meanwhile, with regular customizations, the user can just turn the
`custom-set-variables' call into a `setq' and trust that Emacs won't
reintroduce that variable there.