Re: comment-start redefined in cc-langs.el

[Alan Mackenzie]

Hi, Martin!

On Sat, 29 Apr 2006, martin rudalics wrote:

[ .... ]

>Now load cc-mode in a new buffer, return to scratch, and do again

>C-h v comment-start RET

>gets me

>comment-start is a variable defined in `cc-engine.el'
>...

Yes, me too.  This is indeed not funny (Ha ha ha ha!)  I'm not sure why
it reports cc-engine.el, but better just to fix it.

>If I now click on `cc-engine.el' I am told

>find-function-search-for-symbol: Cannot find definition of
>`comment-start' in library `cc-engine.el'

The definition is actually in cc-langs.el, ~L1106:

    (c-lang-defvar comment-start (c-lang-const comment-start)
      'dont-doc)

What seems needed is a new macro c-lang-SETvar, a sister to
c-lang-defvar.  I'll write this.

>The same holds for `comment-end' and `comment-start-skip'.

Yes, indeed.  A quick grep for "(c-lang-defvar " reveals that these are
the only non-CC Mode variables redefined in this way.

>Would it be possible to rename these to `c-comment-start',
>`c-comment-end', and `c-comment-start-skip' in `cc-langs.el'?

No, that's not the right thing.  The idea is to give the standard Emacs
variables the appropriate CC Mode settings (different for each CC mode).

Thanks for the bug report.

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Munich, Germany)