Re: Optional argument for `file-local-copy'

[Alan Mackenzie]

Hello, Eli and Michael.

On Sat, Nov 29, 2014 at 03:03:31PM +0200, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> > From: Michael Albinus <address@hidden>
> > Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 12:29:21 +0100

> > file-local-copy is a compiled Lisp function in `files.el'.

> > (file-local-copy FILE &optional REUSE-IF-ALREADY-EXISTS)

> > Copy the file FILE into a temporary file on this machine.
> > Returns the name of the local copy, or nil, if FILE is directly
> > accessible.

> > If REUSE-IF-ALREADY-EXISTS is non-nil, if there exists already a local
> > copy of FILE, and if the file attributes of FILE have not been changed
> > since the last copy operation, the name of the existing local copy of
> > FILE will be returned.

> "If" within another "if" is considered harmful.  Suggested rewording:

>   REUSE-IF-ALREADY-EXISTS non-nil means return the name of an existing
>   local copy of FILE, if FILE's file attributes didn't change since
                                                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>   the last copy operation.

"haven't changed", here, since it's expressing a current state.  "didn't
change" would be appropriate for referring to a past event.

> (I have no opinion on the rest of your proposal.)

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).