Re: save-restriction, save-excursion

[David Kastrup]

Ryan Yeske <rcyeske+spam@vcn.bc.ca> writes:

> pokerface <pokerface@use.net> writes:
> 
> > I am beginning to study Emacs Lisp and I have the following question:
> > 
> > Why is it wrong to write (save-restriction
> >                            (save-excursion
> >                                ....))
> > 
> > and it is recommended instead to write
> >                          (save-excursion
> >                            (save-restriction
> >                                ....))
> 
> From the node "Narrowing" in the elisp manual:
> 
>      `save-restriction' does _not_ restore point and the mark; use
>      `save-excursion' for that.  If you use both `save-restriction' and
>      `save-excursion' together, `save-excursion' should come first (on
>      the outside).  Otherwise, the old point value would be restored
>      with temporary narrowing still in effect.  If the old point value
>      were outside the limits of the temporary narrowing, this would
>      fail to restore it accurately.

Hmmm.  What if I have a restriction active and write
(save-excursion
  (save-restriction
    (widen)
    (goto (point-min))))

When the restriction gets restored, point will lie outside of the
restored restriction.  Wouldn't that cause trouble?

Should one rather have
(save-excursion
  (save-restriction

When the change of restriction is to something narrower, but

(save-restriction
  (save-excursion

when the change is to something wider?

Or is this nonsense for some reason?

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum
Email: David.Kastrup@t-online.de