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Diffstat (limited to 'doc/lispref/files.texi')
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/lispref/files.texi | 55 |
1 files changed, 11 insertions, 44 deletions
diff --git a/doc/lispref/files.texi b/doc/lispref/files.texi index e2d22033a0e..0dd876251a9 100644 --- a/doc/lispref/files.texi +++ b/doc/lispref/files.texi @@ -1906,51 +1906,22 @@ Don't try concatenating a slash by hand, as in because this is not portable. Always use @code{file-name-as-directory}. -@cindex directory name abbreviation - Directory name abbreviations are useful for directories that are -normally accessed through symbolic links. Sometimes the users recognize -primarily the link's name as ``the name'' of the directory, and find it -annoying to see the directory's ``real'' name. If you define the link -name as an abbreviation for the ``real'' name, Emacs shows users the -abbreviation instead. - -@defopt directory-abbrev-alist -The variable @code{directory-abbrev-alist} contains an alist of -abbreviations to use for file directories. Each element has the form -@code{(@var{from} . @var{to})}, and says to replace @var{from} with -@var{to} when it appears in a directory name. The @var{from} string is -actually a regular expression; it ought to always start with @samp{\`}. -The @var{to} string should be an ordinary absolute directory name. Do -not use @samp{~} to stand for a home directory in that string. The -function @code{abbreviate-file-name} performs these substitutions. - -You can set this variable in @file{site-init.el} to describe the -abbreviations appropriate for your site. - -Here's an example, from a system on which file system @file{/home/fsf} -and so on are normally accessed through symbolic links named @file{/fsf} -and so on. - -@example -(("\\`/home/fsf" . "/fsf") - ("\\`/home/gp" . "/gp") - ("\\`/home/gd" . "/gd")) -@end example -@end defopt - To convert a directory name to its abbreviation, use this function: @defun abbreviate-file-name filename @anchor{Definition of abbreviate-file-name} -This function applies abbreviations from @code{directory-abbrev-alist} -to its argument, and also substitutes @samp{~} for the user's home -directory if the argument names a file in the home directory or one of -its subdirectories. (If the home directory is a root directory, it is -not replaced with @samp{~}, because this does not make the result -shorter on many systems.) You can use it for directory names and for -file names, because it recognizes abbreviations even as part of the -name. +This function returns an abbreviated form of @var{filename}. It +applies the abbreviations specified in @code{directory-abbrev-alist} +(@pxref{File Aliases,,File Aliases, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}), +then substitutes @samp{~} for the user's home directory if the +argument names a file in the home directory or one of its +subdirectories. If the home directory is a root directory, it is not +replaced with @samp{~}, because this does not make the result shorter +on many systems. + +You can use this function for directory names and for file names, +because it recognizes abbreviations even as part of the name. @end defun @node File Name Expansion @@ -3187,7 +3158,3 @@ will produce good, general extensions we can install in Emacs. names or values---because a program that general is probably difficult to write, and slow. Instead, choose a set of possible data types that are reasonably flexible, and not too hard to encode. - -@ignore - arch-tag: 141f74ce-6ae3-40dc-a6c4-ef83fc4ec35c -@end ignore |