GNU bug report logs - #24625
26.0.50; Local variables list at beginning of a file

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Package: emacs;

Reported by: marcowahlsoft <at> gmail.com

Date: Thu, 6 Oct 2016 08:23:01 UTC

Severity: wishlist

Found in version 26.0.50

Done: Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>

Bug is archived. No further changes may be made.

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Report forwarded to bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org:
bug#24625; Package emacs. (Thu, 06 Oct 2016 08:23:02 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Acknowledgement sent to marcowahlsoft <at> gmail.com:
New bug report received and forwarded. Copy sent to bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org. (Thu, 06 Oct 2016 08:23:02 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

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

From: marcowahlsoft <at> gmail.com
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 26.0.50; Local variables list at beginning of a file
Date: Thu, 06 Oct 2016 10:22:21 +0200
Hi!

This a feature request.

Feature: A local variables list can be put near the beginning of a file
and gets interpreted when the file gets loaded.  (Completely analogue to
the behavior of the local variables list near the bottom of a file.)


Best regards,
-- 
Marco Wahl




Information forwarded to bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org:
bug#24625; Package emacs. (Fri, 08 Nov 2019 02:56:02 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Message #8 received at 24625 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>
To: marcowahlsoft <at> gmail.com
Cc: 24625 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#24625: 26.0.50; Local variables list at beginning of a file
Date: Fri, 08 Nov 2019 03:55:14 +0100
marcowahlsoft <at> gmail.com writes:

> This a feature request.
>
> Feature: A local variables list can be put near the beginning of a file
> and gets interpreted when the file gets loaded.  (Completely analogue to
> the behavior of the local variables list near the bottom of a file.)

Thank you for suggesting this feature.

I think this would unduly slow down opening of files, and the benefit
is not clear since we also have the "-*- ... -*-" line.  I would
therefore suggest to not implement this feature.

Does anyone else have an opinion here?

Best regards,
Stefan Kangas




Information forwarded to bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org:
bug#24625; Package emacs. (Wed, 13 Nov 2019 10:38:01 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Message #11 received at 24625 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Marco Wahl <marcowahlsoft <at> gmail.com>
To: Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>
Cc: 24625 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#24625: 26.0.50; Local variables list at beginning of a file
Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2019 11:42:19 +0100
Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se> writes:

> marcowahlsoft <at> gmail.com writes:
>
>> This a feature request.
>>
>> Feature: A local variables list can be put near the beginning of a
>> file
>> and gets interpreted when the file gets loaded.  (Completely
>> analogue to
>> the behavior of the local variables list near the bottom of a file.)
>
> Thank you for suggesting this feature.
>
> I think this would unduly slow down opening of files, and the benefit
> is not clear since we also have the "-*- ... -*-" line.  I would
> therefore suggest to not implement this feature.
>
> Does anyone else have an opinion here?

For people who want to keep the first line short this feature could
help.

Possibly of interest:

My motivation asking for this feature was local variables at the bottom
of outline/Org files.  In my experience for those kind of files, which
typically consist of some trees, it is rather difficult to keep
something (here the local variables) at the bottom.  Too easily a
further tree gets appended at the end of the file or the trees in the
file get sorted.  On the other hand the top of those kind of files stays
relatively static.






Information forwarded to bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org:
bug#24625; Package emacs. (Thu, 14 Nov 2019 13:22:01 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Message #14 received at 24625 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Marco Wahl <marcowahlsoft <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 24625 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, stefan <at> marxist.se
Subject: Re: bug#24625: 26.0.50; Local variables list at beginning of a file
Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2019 15:21:30 +0200
> From: Marco Wahl <marcowahlsoft <at> gmail.com>
> Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2019 11:42:19 +0100
> Cc: 24625 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
> 
> For people who want to keep the first line short this feature could
> help.
> 
> Possibly of interest:
> 
> My motivation asking for this feature was local variables at the bottom
> of outline/Org files.  In my experience for those kind of files, which
> typically consist of some trees, it is rather difficult to keep
> something (here the local variables) at the bottom.  Too easily a
> further tree gets appended at the end of the file or the trees in the
> file get sorted.  On the other hand the top of those kind of files stays
> relatively static.

If this is for Org, perhaps Org could have its own private feature?

In general, having the variables at the beginning will get in the way
of reading the file's contents by humans: you will first need to skip
the variables' section and wonder what does that do there.




Information forwarded to bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org:
bug#24625; Package emacs. (Fri, 15 Nov 2019 03:25:02 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Message #17 received at 24625 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: Marco Wahl <marcowahlsoft <at> gmail.com>, 24625 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#24625: 26.0.50; Local variables list at beginning of a file
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2019 04:23:59 +0100
Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:

>> For people who want to keep the first line short this feature could
>> help.
>> 
>> Possibly of interest:
>> 
>> My motivation asking for this feature was local variables at the bottom
>> of outline/Org files.  In my experience for those kind of files, which
>> typically consist of some trees, it is rather difficult to keep
>> something (here the local variables) at the bottom.  Too easily a
>> further tree gets appended at the end of the file or the trees in the
>> file get sorted.  On the other hand the top of those kind of files stays
>> relatively static.

I usually set up a header like the following at the end of the
file:

* org-mode configuration    :noexport:
#+STARTUP: content hidestars indent
# Local Variables:
# ispell-local-dictionary: "swedish"
# End:

That avoids accidentally exporting the header or moving it
around.  YMMV.

> If this is for Org, perhaps Org could have its own private feature?

Org already has this for various settings, but not for arbitrary Lisp
variables.  Perhaps someone could suggest to add missing options to
the org mode developer.

> In general, having the variables at the beginning will get in the way
> of reading the file's contents by humans: you will first need to skip
> the variables' section and wonder what does that do there.

Agreed.

Best regards,
Stefan Kangas




Information forwarded to bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org:
bug#24625; Package emacs. (Fri, 15 Nov 2019 09:03:01 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Message #20 received at 24625 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Marco Wahl <marcowahlsoft <at> gmail.com>
To: Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>
Cc: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>, 24625 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#24625: 26.0.50; Local variables list at beginning of a file
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2019 10:07:22 +0100
Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se> writes:

> Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:
>
>>> For people who want to keep the first line short this feature could
>>> help.
>>> 
>>> Possibly of interest:
>>> 
>>> My motivation asking for this feature was local variables at the bottom
>>> of outline/Org files.  In my experience for those kind of files, which
>>> typically consist of some trees, it is rather difficult to keep
>>> something (here the local variables) at the bottom.  Too easily a
>>> further tree gets appended at the end of the file or the trees in the
>>> file get sorted.  On the other hand the top of those kind of files stays
>>> relatively static.
>
> I usually set up a header like the following at the end of the
> file:
>
> * org-mode configuration    :noexport:
>
> #+STARTUP: content hidestars indent
> # Local Variables:
>
> # ispell-local-dictionary: "swedish"
> # End:
>
> That avoids accidentally exporting the header or moving it
> around.  YMMV.

Thanks for this idea..

>> If this is for Org, perhaps Org could have its own private feature?
>
> Org already has this for various settings, but not for arbitrary Lisp
> variables.  Perhaps someone could suggest to add missing options to
> the org mode developer.

Good idea, I think.  Possibly I'll try to go down that (Org) path if the
issue bothers me again.

>> In general, having the variables at the beginning will get in the way
>> of reading the file's contents by humans: you will first need to skip
>> the variables' section and wonder what does that do there.
>
> Agreed.

Agreed.

Possibly it's time to close bug#24625.


Thanks all!





Reply sent to Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>:
You have taken responsibility. (Thu, 05 Dec 2019 11:18:01 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Notification sent to marcowahlsoft <at> gmail.com:
bug acknowledged by developer. (Thu, 05 Dec 2019 11:18:01 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Message #25 received at 24625-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>
To: Marco Wahl <marcowahlsoft <at> gmail.com>
Cc: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>, 24625-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#24625: 26.0.50; Local variables list at beginning of a file
Date: Thu, 05 Dec 2019 12:17:51 +0100
Marco Wahl <marcowahlsoft <at> gmail.com> writes:

> Possibly it's time to close bug#24625.

No further comments within 3 weeks, so I'm closing this bug report.

Best regards,
Stefan Kangas




bug archived. Request was from Debbugs Internal Request <help-debbugs <at> gnu.org> to internal_control <at> debbugs.gnu.org. (Thu, 02 Jan 2020 12:24:05 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

This bug report was last modified 4 years and 87 days ago.

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