GNU bug report logs - #23576
[documentation] ‘Using Emacs as a Server’: ‘M-x set-variable RET server-name RET foo RET’

Previous Next

To add a comment to this bug, you must first unarchive it, by sending
a message to control AT debbugs.gnu.org, with unarchive 23576 in the body.
You can then email your comments to 23576 AT debbugs.gnu.org in the normal way.

Toggle the display of automated, internal messages from the tracker.

Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Dmitry Alexandrov <321942 <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: [documentation] ‘Using Emacs as a Server’: ‘M-x set-variable RET server-name RET foo RET’
Date: Wed, 18 May 2016 22:25:38 +0300

Chapter 38 ‘Using Emacs as a Server’ in ‘GNU Emacs Manual’ says [0] the 
following:

    You can run multiple Emacs servers on the same machine by giving
    each one a unique “server name”, using the variable server-name. For
    example, M-x set-variable RET server-name RET foo RET sets the
    server name to ‘foo’.

[0] 
https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Emacs-Server.html

First of all, ‘M-x set-variable RET server-name RET foo RET’ just does 
not work, returning “Value ‘foo’ does not match type string of 
server-name”.  It actually should be ‘M-x set-variable RET server-name 
RET "foo" RET’, since ‘server-name’ requires a string.

However, I found this example pretty confusing in general: when the 
server is not started yet, setting ‘server-name’ with ‘M-x set-variable’ 
is impossible (variable does not exist yet); when the server is already 
running, there is no much sense in setting it, since it does not rename 
the instance on-the-fly.

¿Would not it be more useful to give as an example of how to start 
multiple Emacs servers something like:

$ emacs --eval '(setq server-name "foo")' --daemon

Message #10 received at 23576-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Dmitry Alexandrov <321942 <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 23576-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#23576: [documentation] ‘Using Emacs as a
 Server’: ‘M-x
 set-variable RET server-name RET foo RET’
Date: Wed, 18 May 2016 22:53:33 +0300

> From: Dmitry Alexandrov <321942 <at> gmail.com>
> Date: Wed, 18 May 2016 22:25:38 +0300
> 
> Chapter 38 ‘Using Emacs as a Server’ in ‘GNU Emacs Manual’ says [0] the 
> following:
> 
>      You can run multiple Emacs servers on the same machine by giving
>      each one a unique “server name”, using the variable server-name. For
>      example, M-x set-variable RET server-name RET foo RET sets the
>      server name to ‘foo’.
> 
> [0] 
> https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Emacs-Server.html
> 
> First of all, ‘M-x set-variable RET server-name RET foo RET’ just does 
> not work, returning “Value ‘foo’ does not match type string of 
> server-name”.  It actually should be ‘M-x set-variable RET server-name 
> RET "foo" RET’, since ‘server-name’ requires a string.

Fixed on the release branch.

> However, I found this example pretty confusing in general: when the 
> server is not started yet, setting ‘server-name’ with ‘M-x set-variable’ 
> is impossible (variable does not exist yet);

Fixed on master branch.

> when the server is already running, there is no much sense in
> setting it, since it does not rename the instance on-the-fly.

But it affects the next one.

> ¿Would not it be more useful to give as an example of how to start 
> multiple Emacs servers something like:
> 
> $ emacs --eval '(setq server-name "foo")' --daemon

I added this, but I don't think it should replace what's in the
manual: not all the uses of the server are in daemon sessions.

Thanks.

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.