Re: [Groff] Another hdtbl patch

[Mike Bianchi]

On Thu, Feb 04, 2010 at 09:43:40AM +1100, Robert Thorsby wrote:
> On 04/02/10 06:08:47, Larry Kollar wrote:
> > This actually brings up something that has been bugging me for a  
> > while, and I think deserves its own thread: we should come up with  
> > some namespace guidelines for macro packages, especially for 
> > internal-use macros, to prevent conflicts. Whatever we agree on could 
> > go in the texinfo document.
> 
> As one who lacks the coding skills to contribute, but who often creates 
> ad hoc macros in specific documents, I would like the texinfo document 
> to contain suggestions for the naming of macros that are created within 
> documents.
> 
> For example, I use caps+lc with * as a word separator for macros that 
> will only be called by other macros:
> 
> .de My*Ad*Hoc*Macro
> 
> but this suffers the obvious problem when the macros are intended to be 
> inserted into the body copy by $USER. I currently use:
> 
> .de MAHM
> 
> and
> 
> .de Mahm
> 
> for this purpose but live in fear that I have accidentally overridden 
> some tremendously important macro in a package that I am about to use.
> 
> Perhaps, texinfo might address this point? Or have I missed something?
> 
> Robert Thorsby
> There is none so blind as they that won't see.
>               -- Jonathan Swift, "Polite Conversation"

Suggestion:
        No macro, register, or string name within standard macro packages
        will ever end in  * .
        Thus all user created names that end in  *  will never collide with
        any within the standard macro packages.

        E.g.
                .de MAHM*
                .nr pi*
                .ds address*

-- 
 Mike Bianchi