bug#55562: 28.1.50; Wrong hash table return values in Elisp manual

[Basil L. Contovounesios]

Severity: minor
Tags: patch

0. emacs -Q
1. C-h f clrhash RET

> Clear hash table TABLE and return it.

2. C-h S clrhash RET

> Common Lisp note: In Common Lisp, ‘clrhash’ returns the empty
> TABLE.  In Emacs Lisp, it returns ‘nil’.

It seems the following changes never propagated to the manual:

(Fputhash): Return `value' rather than nil.
d9c4f922fb 2000-07-03 06:59:05 +0000
https://git.sv.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git/commit/?id=d9c4f922fb

* fns.c (Fputhash): Document return value.
a54e348216 2011-06-06 18:39:26 -0700
https://git.sv.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git/commit/?id=a54e348216

And the following change wasn't announced in etc/NEWS either:

(Fclrhash): Return TABLE.
ccd8f7fe14 2008-01-25 10:01:15 +0000
https://git.sv.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git/commit/?id=ccd8f7fe14

Is there any point in announcing the status quo, or can we just update
the manual, e.g. as follows?

>From b63ec2658f1c8782620c7418c8282f29249333cd Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Basil L. Contovounesios" <contovob@tcd.ie>
Date: Sat, 21 May 2022 23:11:33 +0300
Subject: [PATCH] Fix hash table function return values in manual

* doc/lispref/hash.texi (Hash Access): Reconcile documented return
values of puthash and clrhash with their respective docstrings.
---
 doc/lispref/hash.texi | 8 +++-----
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/doc/lispref/hash.texi b/doc/lispref/hash.texi
index a566d89824..34eda45b23 100644
--- a/doc/lispref/hash.texi
+++ b/doc/lispref/hash.texi
@@ -203,7 +203,8 @@ Hash Access
 @defun puthash key value table
 This function enters an association for @var{key} in @var{table}, with
 value @var{value}.  If @var{key} already has an association in
-@var{table}, @var{value} replaces the old associated value.
+@var{table}, @var{value} replaces the old associated value.  This
+function always returns @var{value}.
 @end defun
 
 @defun remhash key table
@@ -219,10 +220,7 @@ Hash Access
 @defun clrhash table
 This function removes all the associations from hash table @var{table},
 so that it becomes empty.  This is also called @dfn{clearing} the hash
-table.
-
-@b{Common Lisp note:} In Common Lisp, @code{clrhash} returns the empty
-@var{table}.  In Emacs Lisp, it returns @code{nil}.
+table.  @code{clrhash} returns the empty @var{table}.
 @end defun
 
 @defun maphash function table
-- 
2.35.1

Thanks,

-- 
Basil

In GNU Emacs 28.1.50 (build 1, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)
 of 2022-05-21 built on tia
Repository revision: 139bfa1a0884dbd2600fc1bd11d11f41d3f9ef94
Repository branch: wt/emacs-28-nox
System Description: Debian GNU/Linux bookworm/sid

Configured using:
 'configure CC=gcc-12 'CFLAGS=-O2 -march=native'
 --prefix=/home/blc/.local --program-suffix=-28-nox
 --with-file-notification=yes --with-x-toolkit=no --without-x'

Configured features:
ACL DBUS GMP GNUTLS GPM JSON LCMS2 LIBSELINUX LIBSYSTEMD LIBXML2 MODULES
NOTIFY INOTIFY PDUMPER SECCOMP SOUND THREADS XIM ZLIB