From: Paul Eggert <eggert@cs.ucla.edu>
Date: Sun, 19 Apr 2020 16:37:51 +0000 (-0700)
Subject: Document that quoting yields constants
X-Git-Tag: emacs-27.1-rc1~207
X-Git-Url: http://git.eshelyaron.com/gitweb/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=81e7d7f111872c9f2aaf8885db50a22ed746d7b5;p=emacs.git

Document that quoting yields constants

* doc/lispref/eval.texi (Quoting, Backquote):
Mention that quoted expressions yield a constant (Bug#40693).
---

diff --git a/doc/lispref/eval.texi b/doc/lispref/eval.texi
index f6f36ed3427..46cfab164b7 100644
--- a/doc/lispref/eval.texi
+++ b/doc/lispref/eval.texi
@@ -558,6 +558,7 @@ and vectors.)
 
 @defspec quote object
 This special form returns @var{object}, without evaluating it.
+The returned value is a constant, and should not be modified.
 @end defspec
 
 @cindex @samp{'} for quoting
@@ -612,10 +613,12 @@ only part of a list, while computing and substituting other parts.
 
   @dfn{Backquote constructs} allow you to quote a list, but
 selectively evaluate elements of that list.  In the simplest case, it
-is identical to the special form @code{quote}
+is identical to the special form
 @iftex
+@code{quote}.
 @end iftex
 @ifnottex
+@code{quote}
 (described in the previous section; @pxref{Quoting}).
 @end ifnottex
 For example, these two forms yield identical results:
@@ -693,6 +696,9 @@ Here are some examples:
 @end group
 @end example
 
+If a subexpression of a backquote construct has no substitutions or
+splices, it acts like @code{quote} in that it yields a constant that
+should not be modified.
 
 @node Eval
 @section Eval