@c -*-texinfo-*-
@c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual.
@c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2002, 2003, 2004,
-@c 2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+@c 2005, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions.
@setfilename ../info/intro
addressed as ``you''. ``The user'' is the person who uses Lisp
programs, including those you write.
-@cindex fonts
+@cindex fonts in this manual
Examples of Lisp code are formatted like this: @code{(list 1 2 3)}.
Names that represent metasyntactic variables, or arguments to a function
being described, are formatted like this: @var{first-number}.
there is no way to determine which representation was actually written
by the programmer.
- In this manual, we use @code{()} when we wish to emphasize that it
-means the empty list, and we use @code{nil} when we wish to emphasize
+ In this manual, we write @code{()} when we wish to emphasize that it
+means the empty list, and we write @code{nil} when we wish to emphasize
that it means the truth value @var{false}. That is a good convention to use
in Lisp programs also.
@example
(cons 'foo ()) ; @r{Emphasize the empty list}
-(not nil) ; @r{Emphasize the truth value @var{false}}
+(setq foo-flag nil) ; @r{Emphasize the truth value @var{false}}
@end example
@cindex @code{t}, uses of
values results in a @code{setting-constant} error. @xref{Constant
Variables}.
+@defun booleanp object
+Return non-nil iff @var{object} is one of the two canonical boolean
+values: @code{t} or @code{nil}.
+@end defun
+
@node Evaluation Notation
@subsection Evaluation Notation
@cindex evaluation notation