*** empty log message ***

[gnu-emacs] / lispref / objects.texi

diff --git a/lispref/objects.texi b/lispref/objects.texi
index 9b862ae9dcd8d8aac2023ab24cf9ebebadc84dcc..66c4f74ae2e885f492e7dbae3b476bf9996d9dd2 100644 (file)
--- a/lispref/objects.texi
+++ b/lispref/objects.texi
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 @c -*-texinfo-*-
 @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual.
 @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999
-@c   Free Software Foundation, Inc. 
+@c   Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions.
 @setfilename ../info/objects
 @node Lisp Data Types, Numbers, Introduction, Top
@@ -201,9 +201,10 @@ leading @samp{+} or a final @samp{.}.
 @node Floating Point Type
 @subsection Floating Point Type
 
-  Emacs supports floating point numbers (though there is a compilation
-option to disable them).  The precise range of floating point numbers is
-machine-specific.
+  Floating point numbers are the computer equivalent of scientific
+notation.  The precise number of significant figures and the range of
+possible exponents is machine-specific; Emacs always uses the C data
+type @code{double} to store the value.
 
   The printed representation for floating point numbers requires either
 a decimal point (with at least one digit following), an exponent, or
@@ -247,7 +248,7 @@ with a question mark.
   The usual read syntax for alphanumeric characters is a question mark
 followed by the character; thus, @samp{?A} for the character
 @kbd{A}, @samp{?B} for the character @kbd{B}, and @samp{?a} for the
-character @kbd{a}.  
+character @kbd{a}.
 
   For example:
 
@@ -279,9 +280,9 @@ way to write the space character.  If the character is @samp{\}, you
 @cindex escape
 @cindex @samp{\e}
   You can express the characters Control-g, backspace, tab, newline,
-vertical tab, formfeed, return, and escape as @samp{?\a}, @samp{?\b},
-@samp{?\t}, @samp{?\n}, @samp{?\v}, @samp{?\f}, @samp{?\r}, @samp{?\e},
-respectively.  Thus,
+vertical tab, formfeed, return, del, and escape as @samp{?\a},
+@samp{?\b}, @samp{?\t}, @samp{?\n}, @samp{?\v}, @samp{?\f},
+@samp{?\r}, @samp{?\d}, and @samp{?\e}, respectively.  Thus,
 
 @example
 ?\a @result{} 7                 ; @r{@kbd{C-g}}
@@ -396,7 +397,7 @@ bit to indicate that the shift key was used in typing a control
 character.  This distinction is possible only when you use X terminals
 or other special terminals; ordinary terminals do not report the
 distinction to the computer in any way.  The Lisp syntax for
-the shift bit is @samp{\S-}; thus, @samp{?\C-\S-o} or @samp{?\C-\S-O} 
+the shift bit is @samp{\S-}; thus, @samp{?\C-\S-o} or @samp{?\C-\S-O}
 represents the shifted-control-o character.
 
 @cindex hyper characters
@@ -439,7 +440,7 @@ important than the @sc{ascii} representation.
 and the hexadecimal character code.  You can use any number of hex
 digits, so you can represent any character code in this way.
 Thus, @samp{?\x41} for the character @kbd{A}, @samp{?\x1} for the
-character @kbd{C-a}, and @code{?\x8e0} for the character
+character @kbd{C-a}, and @code{?\x8e0} for the Latin-1 character
 @iftex
 @samp{@`a}.
 @end iftex
@@ -529,7 +530,14 @@ char-to-string      ; @r{A symbol named @samp{char-to-string}.}
 @end group
 @end example
 
+@ifinfo
+@c This uses ``colon'' instead of a literal `:' because Info cannot
+@c cope with a `:' in a menu
+@cindex @samp{#@var{colon}} read syntax
+@end ifinfo
+@ifnotinfo
 @cindex @samp{#:} read syntax
+@end ifnotinfo
   Normally the Lisp reader interns all symbols (@pxref{Creating
 Symbols}).  To prevent interning, you can write @samp{#:} before the
 name of the symbol.
@@ -710,7 +718,7 @@ that represents the @sc{car} and @sc{cdr} explicitly.  In this syntax,
 @code{(@var{a} .@: @var{b})} stands for a cons cell whose @sc{car} is
 the object @var{a}, and whose @sc{cdr} is the object @var{b}.  Dotted
 pair notation is therefore more general than list syntax.  In the dotted
-pair notation, the list @samp{(1 2 3)} is written as @samp{(1 .  (2 . (3
+pair notation, the list @samp{(1 2 3)} is written as @samp{(1 . (2 . (3
 . nil)))}.  For @code{nil}-terminated lists, you can use either
 notation, but list notation is usually clearer and more convenient.
 When printing a list, the dotted pair notation is only used if the
@@ -800,7 +808,7 @@ the list.
 
 @example
 (setq alist-of-colors
-      '((rose . red) (lily . white)  (buttercup . yellow)))
+      '((rose . red) (lily . white) (buttercup . yellow)))
 @end example
 
 @noindent
@@ -891,8 +899,8 @@ ignores an escaped newline while reading a string.  An escaped space
 in documentation strings,
 but the newline is \
 ignored if escaped."
-     @result{} "It is useful to include newlines 
-in documentation strings, 
+     @result{} "It is useful to include newlines
+in documentation strings,
 but the newline is ignored if escaped."
 @end example
 
@@ -924,7 +932,7 @@ character to the string, but it does terminate the preceding hex escape.
 represent a unibyte non-@sc{ascii} character with its character code,
 which must be in the range from 128 (0200 octal) to 255 (0377 octal).
 This forces a unibyte string.
-  
+
   @xref{Text Representations}, for more information about the two
 text representations.
 
@@ -1046,7 +1054,7 @@ Case tables (@pxref{Case Tables}).
 Character category tables (@pxref{Categories}).
 
 @item
-Display Tables (@pxref{Display Tables}).
+Display tables (@pxref{Display Tables}).
 
 @item
 Syntax tables (@pxref{Syntax Tables}).
@@ -1063,7 +1071,7 @@ that it begins with @samp{#&} followed by the length.  The string
 constant that follows actually specifies the contents of the bool-vector
 as a bitmap---each ``character'' in the string contains 8 bits, which
 specify the next 8 elements of the bool-vector (1 stands for @code{t},
-and 0 for @code{nil}).  The least significant bits of the character 
+and 0 for @code{nil}).  The least significant bits of the character
 correspond to the lowest indices in the bool-vector.  If the length is not a
 multiple of 8, the printed representation shows extra elements, but
 these extras really make no difference.