bug#18170: 24.3.92; window-atom and window-side parameters

[Nicolas Richard]

Hi

in e.g. (info "(elisp) Deleting Windows") (and some other places), it is
said:
     Otherwise, this function obeys the `window-atom' or `window-side'
     window parameter, if any. *Note Window Parameters::.

But in (info "(elisp) Window Parameters"), the only occurrence of
window-side is in:
     There are additional parameters `window-atom' and `window-side';
     these are reserved and should not be used by applications.

What are these parameters ?

The docstring of delete-other-windows has :

    Otherwise, if WINDOW is part of an atomic window, call this
    function with the root of the atomic window as its argument.  If
    WINDOW is a non-side window, make WINDOW the only non-side window
    on the frame.  Side windows are not deleted.  If WINDOW is a side
    window signal an error.

but I don't get it, and I'm not even sure it is related to the above
parameters.

I tried
(progn
  (set-window-parameter
   (selected-window)
   'window-side t)
  (delete-other-windows
   (selected-window)))
but that doesn't signal any error. So perhaps window-side parameter
isn't about side windows at all ? After a bit more of fiddling, I
understand that (display-buffer-in-side-window BUFFER ALIST) is used to
make the side windows, but that isn't mentionned in the elisp manual.

In GNU Emacs 24.3.92.1 (i686-pc-linux-gnu, X toolkit, Xaw3d scroll bars)
 of 2014-07-11 on geodiff-mac3
Windowing system distributor `The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.11304000
System Description:     Gentoo Base System release 2.2

Configured using:
 `configure --with-x-toolkit=lucid --enable-checking 'CFLAGS= -O0 -g3''

Important settings:
  value of $LANG: fr_FR.UTF-8
  locale-coding-system: utf-8-unix


-- 
Nico.