Re: hash tables: print, read, print-readably

Stephen J. Turnbull wrote: Part of problem is that the default print representation prints the number of buckets, rather than the maximum number of elements. So it's punching a hole in the hash table abstraction and exposing an implementation detail. If someone really needs to know the number of buckets, let's provide a API for that. To make matters worse, the printed representation uses the same "size" keyword. So "size" means one thing in the default printed representation, but it means something else in the readable representation and in the API. I think this inconsistency is the main thing I find annoying. These are code issues, which I think should be fixed (modulo the usual caveats about when someone finds time to do it). The docstring for print and friends should mention print-readably. A specific list of objects for which print-readably is relevant (e.g., hash table) would be nice, but I can see arguments for not including such a list. I may have some suggestions for make-hash-table, too, but I want to think about that a little more. I can put some doc patches on my to-do list if we have rough agreement about what should go into them. mike _______________________________________________ XEmacs-Beta mailing list XEmacs-Beta(a)xemacs.org http://lists.xemacs.org/mailman/listinfo/xemacs-beta