Re: [POLL] Should we accept breaking changes to get rid of Org libraries that perform side effects when loading?

[Ihor Radchenko]

Bastien Guerry <bzg@gnu.org> writes:

>> Finally, we have org-mouse.el discussed here, which modifies key
>> bindings and org-inlinetask.el, which modifies how Org treats headlines
>> in Org files, modifying syntax.
>
> org-mouse.el should not modify default Org _editing_ key bindings.
> Is it really the case?  If so, can we fix this?

Yes, org-mouse modifies the behavior of certain key bindings. Not
directly, but by advising `org-open-at-point'.
Also, org-mouse adds new key bindings, potentially overriding custom
user bindings for mouse keys.

> Does org-inlinetask.el modifies the way non-inline headlines are
> edited?
> ... If so, can we fix this?  IIRC org-inlinetask.el only adds
> editing function for inline tasks, it is an extension, not a
> modification of the default Org editing behavior, but the limit
> can be thin here.

It changes the very notion of that is a headline - the syntax definition
is altered. Very deeply nested headlines may become inlinetasks upon
loading org-inlinetask, touching all aspects of Org, not just editing.

And it is not clear how to fix this. We did not make inlinetasks into
standard Org syntax in the past and now it is in the weird state when we
have (featurep 'org-inlinetask) sprinkled across the code just to
accommodate for this conditional syntax.

Inlinetasks are too similar in syntax with headlines, so it is
impossible to make the change backwards-compatible.

>> With the current state of affairs, it is often enough to
>> (require 'org-library) to get things work. If we get rid of all the
>> possible side effects, users will have to adapt their configurations
>> and we will thus violate "I won't force you to update your
>> configuration."
>
> Defining new functions is a desirable "side-effect" of all Elisp
> library, I don't think we should worry abou this.

Defining new functions by itself is not a big deal. But there are parts
of Org that alter their behavior depending on whether a feature is
loaded (like org-inlinetask) or depending whether certain function
symbol is defined (babel). Similarly, loading new link types re-defines
Org syntax in all the documents, affecting editing of everything that
looks like the loaded link type (org-ctags).

-- 
Ihor Radchenko // yantar92,
Org mode contributor,
Learn more about Org mode at <https://orgmode.org/>.
Support Org development at <https://liberapay.com/org-mode>,
or support my work at <https://liberapay.com/yantar92>