Re: [Emacs-diffs] comment-cache 223d16f 2/3: Apply `comment-depth' text properties when calling `back_comment'.

[Stefan Monnier]

> syntax-ppss is a lisp level thing, rather loosely defined.

No, it's pretty precisely defined: it (should) returns the same value as
(parse-partial-sexp (point-min) pos).

> For example it reacts to the setting/clearing of the particular
> syntax-table text properties it's sensitive to, even when
> inhibit-modification-hooks is non-nil (which it _always_ is when text
> properties are changed).

`syntax-ppss' is used all over the place, so if there's a problem with it,
we should fix it.

>> > That a high class editor such as Emacs should have
>> > problems with such parens is ludicrous and unacceptable.
>> FWIW, I (setq open-paren-in-column-0-is-defun-start nil) in my ~/.emacs.
> People (e.g. Martin R.) have complained that this makes CC Mode too slow.

Hmm... I found a prototype patch (not the one I was thinking about, tho)
which uses syntax-ppss, see below.  It appears to give correct results
in my superficial testing, yet I can't notice any performance difference
whether I enable it nor by changing the value of
open-paren-in-column-0-is-defun-start, so I'm not sure I was testing correctly.

> If I understand correctly, you work on a super fast machine, not an
> ordinary PC.

Not really.  I did recently upgrade one of my desktops from a 1.6GHz
E350 to my first >3GHz CPU, but my typical work machine is a Thinkpad T61.

This said, recently I've been using sm-c-mode when editing C code, which
being much less sophisticated is also faster than CC mode.

> Maybe, maybe not.  Special purpose things can have an austere simplicity
> which their general purpose equivalents lack.  Think of a high quality
> screwdriver, and compare it to using the screwdriver piece of a Swiss
> Army knife.

While the patch below is just a proof-of-concept prototype, I can't
believe it could end up anywhere nearly as complex as your
current patch.
So "simplicity" is a question of point of view.


        Stefan


diff --git a/src/syntax.c b/src/syntax.c
index 249d0d5..d0dfa90 100644
--- a/src/syntax.c
+++ b/src/syntax.c
@@ -570,9 +570,6 @@ dec_bytepos (ptrdiff_t bytepos)
 /* Return a defun-start position before POS and not too far before.
    It should be the last one before POS, or nearly the last.
 
-   When open_paren_in_column_0_is_defun_start is nonzero,
-   only the beginning of the buffer is treated as a defun-start.
-
    We record the information about where the scan started
    and what its result was, so that another call in the same area
    can return the same value very quickly.
@@ -597,12 +594,25 @@ find_defun_start (ptrdiff_t pos, ptrdiff_t pos_byte)
       && MODIFF == find_start_modiff)
     return find_start_value;
 
-  if (!open_paren_in_column_0_is_defun_start)
+  if (NILP (Vopen_paren_in_column_0_is_defun_start))
     {
       find_start_value = BEGV;
       find_start_value_byte = BEGV_BYTE;
       goto found;
     }
+  else if (EQ (Vopen_paren_in_column_0_is_defun_start, Qsyntax_ppss))
+    {
+      EMACS_INT modiffs = CHARS_MODIFF;
+      Lisp_Object ppss = call1 (Qsyntax_ppss, make_number (pos));
+      if (modiffs != CHARS_MODIFF)
+       error ("syntax-ppss modified the buffer!");
+      TEMP_SET_PT_BOTH (opoint, opoint_byte);
+      Lisp_Object boc = Fnth (make_number (8), ppss);
+      if (NUMBERP (boc))
+        return XINT (boc);
+      else
+        return pos;
+    }
 
   /* Back up to start of line.  */
   scan_newline (pos, pos_byte, BEGV, BEGV_BYTE, -1, 1);
@@ -863,7 +873,7 @@ back_comment (ptrdiff_t from, ptrdiff_t from_byte, 
ptrdiff_t stop,
 
        case Sopen:
          /* Assume a defun-start point is outside of strings.  */
-         if (open_paren_in_column_0_is_defun_start
+         if (EQ (Vopen_paren_in_column_0_is_defun_start, Qt)
              && (from == stop
                  || (temp_byte = dec_bytepos (from_byte),
                      FETCH_CHAR (temp_byte) == '\n')))
@@ -3647,6 +3657,7 @@ void
 syms_of_syntax (void)
 {
   DEFSYM (Qsyntax_table_p, "syntax-table-p");
+  DEFSYM (Qsyntax_ppss, "syntax-ppss");
 
   staticpro (&Vsyntax_code_object);
 
@@ -3687,10 +3698,10 @@ See the info node `(elisp)Syntax Properties' for a 
description of the
               doc: /* Non-nil means `scan-sexps' treats all multibyte 
characters as symbol.  */);
   multibyte_syntax_as_symbol = 0;
 
-  DEFVAR_BOOL ("open-paren-in-column-0-is-defun-start",
-              open_paren_in_column_0_is_defun_start,
+  DEFVAR_LISP ("open-paren-in-column-0-is-defun-start",
+              Vopen_paren_in_column_0_is_defun_start,
               doc: /* Non-nil means an open paren in column 0 denotes the 
start of a defun.  */);
-  open_paren_in_column_0_is_defun_start = 1;
+  Vopen_paren_in_column_0_is_defun_start = Qsyntax_ppss; /* Qt; */
 
 
   DEFVAR_LISP ("find-word-boundary-function-table",