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(Help Functions): Update documentation of `apropos'.

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Richard M. Stallman 2005-12-20 15:39:36 +00:00
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lispref/help.texi
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@ -133,11 +133,17 @@ unless @var{verbatim} is non-@code{nil}.
(symbol-plist 'command-line-processed)
@result{} (variable-documentation 188902)
@end group
@group
(documentation-property 'emacs 'group-documentation)
@result{} "Customization of the One True Editor."
@end group
@end smallexample
@end defun
@defun documentation function &optional verbatim
This function returns the documentation string of @var{function}.
@code{documentation} handles macros, named keyboard macros, and
special forms, as well as ordinary functions.
If @var{function} is a symbol, this function first looks for the
@code{function-documentation} property of that symbol; if that has a
@ -157,6 +163,11 @@ the function definition has no documentation string. In that case,
@code{documentation} returns @code{nil}.
@end defun
@defun face-documentation face
This function returns the documentation string of @var{face} as a
face.
@end defun
@c Wordy to prevent overfull hboxes. --rjc 15mar92
Here is an example of using the two functions, @code{documentation} and
@code{documentation-property}, to display the documentation strings for
@ -498,15 +509,28 @@ the user as subcommands of the prefix @kbd{C-h}. For more information
about them, see @ref{Help, , Help, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}. Here
we describe some program-level interfaces to the same information.
@deffn Command apropos regexp &optional do-all
@deffn Command apropos pattern &optional do-all
This function finds all ``meaningful'' symbols whose names contain a
match for the regular expression @var{regexp}, and returns a list of
them, with associated documentation (@pxref{Regular Expressions}). It
also displays the symbols in a buffer named @samp{*Apropos*}, each
with a one-line description taken from the beginning of its
documentation string. A symbol is ``meaningful'' if it has a
match for the apropos pattern @var{pattern}. An apropos pattern is
either a word to match, a space-separated list of words of which at
least two must match, or a regular expression (if any special regular
expression characters occur). A symbol is ``meaningful'' if it has a
definition as a function, variable, or face, or has properties.
The function returns a list of elements that look like this:
@example
(@var{symbol} @var{score} @var{fn-doc} @var{var-doc} @var{plist-doc} @var{widget-doc} @var{face-doc} @var{group-doc})
@end example
Here, @var{score} is an integer measure of how important the symbol
seems to be as a match, and the remaining elements are documentation
strings for @var{symbol}'s various roles (or @code{nil}).
It also displays the symbols in a buffer named @samp{*Apropos*}, each
with a one-line description taken from the beginning of its
documentation string.
@c Emacs 19 feature
If @var{do-all} is non-@code{nil}, or if the user option
@code{apropos-do-all} is non-@code{nil}, then @code{apropos} also