@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Buffer Basics
-@ifinfo
+@ifnottex
A @dfn{buffer} is a Lisp object containing text to be edited. Buffers
are used to hold the contents of files that are being visited; there may
also be buffers that are not visiting files. Although several buffers
buffer} at any time. Most editing commands act on the contents of the
current buffer. Each buffer, including the current buffer, may or may
not be displayed in any windows.
-@end ifinfo
+@end ifnottex
Buffers in Emacs editing are objects that have distinct names and hold
text that can be edited. Buffers appear to Lisp programs as a special
number inside of @samp{<@dots{}>}.
If the optional second argument @var{ignore} is non-@code{nil}, it
-should be buffer name in the sequence to be tried. That name will be
-considered acceptable, if it is tried, even if a buffer with that name
-exists.
+should be a string; it makes a difference if it is a name in the
+sequence of names to be tried. That name will be considered acceptable,
+if it is tried, even if a buffer with that name exists. Thus, if
+buffers named @samp{foo}, @samp{foo<2>}, @samp{foo<3>} and @samp{foo<4>}
+exist,
+
+@example
+(generate-new-buffer-name "foo")
+ @result{} "foo<5>"
+(generate-new-buffer-name "foo" "foo<3>")
+ @result{} "foo<3>"
+(generate-new-buffer-name "foo" "foo<6>")
+ @result{} "foo<5>"
+@end example
See the related function @code{generate-new-buffer} in @ref{Creating
Buffers}.