auto-save questions and suggestions

Hello auto-save experts! Having trouble with auto-save on Windows NT natively build XEmacs, I found some facts and more questions. --------------------------------------------------------------- auto-saving in XEmacs NT native build does not work by default: --------------------------------------------------------------- auto-save-directory "c:\\Winnt\\Profiles\\AichnerA\\autosave\\" will cause an illegal buffer-auto-save-file-name "c:\\Winnt\\Profiles\\AichnerA\\autosave\\#c:\\Winnt\\Profiles\\AichnerA\\News\\drafts\\drafts\\1#" Workaround: Setting auto-save-directoy to nil, which makes files being auto-saved in the same directory as buffer-file-name, making file names legal when TEMP or TMP contain a drive spec. Question: How could this problem be fixed? I suppose buffer-auto-save-file-name should have any embedded drive:\ or \\computer-name component stripped? Question: Although I found this in auto-save.el (defcustom auto-save-directory nil ;; Don't make this user-variable-p, it should be set in .emacs and ;; left at that. In particular, it should remain constant across ;; several Emacs session to make recover-all-files work. ;; However, it's OK for it to be customizable, as most of the ;; customizable variables are set at the time `.emacs' is read. ;; -hniksic I fail to see how and why a user of the trusting kind should have to figure out that his customization of auto-save-directory (even though one can set it for the current session) does not get saved in (custom-set-variables ...) Only by looking at the above source-code will one get the hint that one has to (setq auto-save-directory nil) in ones .emacs file. The doc-string could still warn the user about changing this variable thoughtlessly, even if it is made into a (defcustom ...). Question: Why shouldn't the following initialization code for auto-save-interval (put 'auto-save-interval 'custom-type 'integer) (put 'auto-save-interval 'factory-value '(300)) (custom-add-to-group 'auto-save 'auto-save-interval 'custom-variable) be made into a plain (defcustom ...)? Question: Why can't auto-save-timeout be a (defcustom ...) so that it can easily be Set and Saved? Here is what I found in itimer-autosave.el: ;jwz: this is preloaded so don't ;;;###autoload (defvar auto-save-timeout 960 Thanks for any insight. I'm willing to send patches in case there is agreement about any changes that should be made. Best regards, Adrian -- Adrian Aichner Applications Engineer Teradyne GmbH Semiconductor Test Group Telephone +49/89/41861(0)-208 Dingolfinger Strasse 2 Fax +49/89/41861-217 D-81673 MUENCHEN E-mail adrian.aichner(a)teradyne.com