The abbrev--check-chars function in abbrev.el is supposed to check either the current syntax table or the global syntax table. According to the doc string if the second argument is nil the local syntax table is checked, otherwise the global syntax table will be checked. From looking at the code it appears to do the opposite. This means that when asked to check the local syntax table it actually checks the global syntax table.
I discovered this when I tried to define an abbrev for "#i" to expand to "#include" but it failed even after I had run (modify-syntax-entry ?# "w"). I have modified the abbrev--check-chars function as below and it now works as I think it is supposed to:
(eval-after-load 'abbrev
'(defun abbrev--check-chars (abbrev global)
"GRC modified: Check if the characters in ABBREV have word syntax in either the current (if global is nil) or standard syntax table."
(with-syntax-table
(cond ((null global) (syntax-table)) ; these 2 lines have been changed
(t (standard-syntax-table))) ; to make this function work as expected
(when (string-match "\\W" abbrev)
(let ((badchars ())
(pos 0))
(while (string-match "\\W" abbrev pos)
(cl-pushnew (aref abbrev (match-beginning 0)) badchars)
(setq pos (1+ pos)))
(error "Some abbrev characters (%s) are not word constituents %s"
(apply 'string (nreverse badchars))
(if global "in the standard syntax" "in this mode")))))))
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--
Glenn
In GNU Emacs 24.3.1 (x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu, X toolkit, Xaw3d scroll bars)
of 2013-07-08 on desk137
Windowing system distributor `The Cygwin/X Project', version 11.0.11200000
System Description: CentOS release 4.8 (Final)
Configured using:
`configure '--program-prefix=g'
'--prefix=/vl/edatools/intern/emacs/24.3.nicegui/linux/'
'--enable-locallisppath=/vl/edatools/intern/emacs/24.3.nicegui/site-lisp/'
'--without-pop' '--with-x-toolkit=lucid' '--without-xpm'
'--without-sound' '--without-jpeg' '--without-tiff' '--without-gif'
'--without-png' '--without-rsvg' '--without-imagemagick'
'--without-selinux''
Important settings:
value of $LC_ALL: C
value of $LANG: C
locale-coding-system: nil
default enable-multibyte-characters: t
Major mode: Emacs-Lisp
Minor modes in effect:
which-function-mode: t
show-paren-mode: t
desktop-save-mode: t
tooltip-mode: t
mouse-wheel-mode: t
menu-bar-mode: t
file-name-shadow-mode: t
global-font-lock-mode: t
font-lock-mode: t
auto-composition-mode: t
auto-encryption-mode: t
auto-compression-mode: t
column-number-mode: t
line-number-mode: t
transient-mark-mode: t
Recent input:
C-l <f7> <f7> <f7> <f7> <f7> <f7> <f7> <f7> <f7> <f7>
<f7> <f7> <f7> <f7> <f11> <backspace> <right> C-x C-s
C-a C-x b c o m m SPC h SPC <return> M-x t o g g SPC
r e SPC <return> # i SPC C-/ C-/ C-/ C-/ C-x k <return>
C-x b <return> C-x k <return> <up> <up> <up> <up> <up>
<down-mouse-1> <mouse-1> <down-mouse-1> <mouse-movement>
<drag-mouse-1> <kp-7> C-x b a b b SPC C-f C-g C-x C-f
<up> <up> <up> <up> <up> <up> <up> <up> <up> <up> <up>
<up> <up> <up> <up> <up> <up> <up> <up> <up> <up> <up>
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M-x r e p o SPC r SPC <return>
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Features:
(shadow sort gnus-util mail-extr emacsbug message format-spec rfc822 mml
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mail-prsvr mail-utils help-mode add-log ruby-mode perl-mode sh-script
smie executable jka-compr edmacro kmacro which-func ctypes cl-macs gv
saveplace paren desktop cus-start cus-load mouse-copy frame-restore
imenu cmake-mode p4 vc vc-dispatcher show-proto uniquify advice help-fns
advice-preload cc-langs cc-mode cc-fonts easymenu cc-guess cc-menus
cc-cmds cc-styles cc-align cc-engine cc-vars cc-defs alist cl cl-lib
grc-funcs time-date tooltip ediff-hook vc-hooks lisp-float-type mwheel
x-win x-dnd tool-bar dnd fontset image regexp-opt fringe tabulated-list
newcomment lisp-mode register page menu-bar rfn-eshadow timer select
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