Re: Troubles with abbrev-mode

[Reiner Steib]

On Tue, Sep 26 2006, Tassilo Horn wrote:

> Reiner Steib <reinersteib+gmane@imap.cc> writes:
>> | 6.202 (zsh 07-Feb-02): (setq local-abbrev-table text-mode-abbrev-table)
>
> Hm, in my opinion that's a really bad behavior, because...
>
>   a) if the user wants that behavior, he can set in `message-mode-hook'.

And if he doesn't want the current behavior, he can probably also do
it in `message-mode-hook' now? [1]

>   b) adding abbrevs in message mode (with `add-mode-abbrev' or
>      `inverse-add-mode-abbrev') adds it to
>      `message-mode-abbrev-table'. So you effectively cannot add abbrevs
>      interactively.
>
> So I see two possible fixes:
>
>   1) Delete the setq. (To me that seems right and proper.)

This will break existing configurations, wouldn't it?  `message-mode'
derived from `text-mode': Do we have guidelines / conventions / best
practice in Emacs on how to deal with abbrevs in derived modes?

>   2) Fix `add-mode-abbrev' and `inverse-add-mode-abbrev', so that they
>      insert into `local-abbrev-table'.
>
> To me the second point should be done, too, because that's what a user
> would expect. Only then he has the possibility to use a abbrev-table for
> multiple modes, e.g. text-mode-abbrev-table for
> message-mode-abbrev-table. 
>
> What do you mean?

I don't have a strong opinion here (as I don't know what the docs
suggest here).

[1] BTW, in my init files I find...
(add-hook
 'gnus-message-setup-hook
 '(lambda ()
    (when (boundp 'rs-message-mode-abbrev-table)
      (setq local-abbrev-table rs-message-mode-abbrev-table))
    [...]

... but I don't exactly recall it's purpose.  At least, I have some
abbrevs in message-mode that are not present in text-mode.

Bye, Reiner.
-- 
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      (o o)
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