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From:
Javier Múgica de Rivera <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 13 Jul 2006 00:44:06 +0200
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There is a control secuence named \chk_if_exist_cs:N with the following 
definition:

\def:Npn \chk_if_exist_cs:N #1 {
  \if:w \cs_if_exist_p:N #1
  \else:
    \err_latex_bug:x{Command~ `\token_to_string:N #1'~
                     not~ yet~ defined!}
  \fi:}

i.e., if the control sequence already exists it does nothing, but \else 
an error is issued. The opposite to \chk_if_exist_cs:N is, amazingly, 
\chk_new_cs:N,

\def:Npn \chk_new_cs:N #1{
  \if_meaning:NN #1\c_undefined
  \else:
    \if_meaning:NN #1\scan_stop:
    \else:
      \err_latex_bug:x {Command~name~`\token_to_string:N #1'~
                            already~defined!~
                        Current~meaning:~\token_to_meaning:N #1
                      }
    \fi:
  \fi:
%<*trace>
some code
%</trace>
}

\chk_if_exist_cs:N does the check via \cs_if_exist_p:N, which reverts 
\cs_if_free_p:N, which in turn checks that the cs is undefined and not 
literally \c_undefined. But \chk_new_cs:N does not!, and it is the one 
actually used to test for free commands when new-defining something, so 
that something like \def_new:Npn\c_undefined{whatever} would work, and 
it shouldn't. From my point of view the definition of \chk_new_cs:N 
should obviously be

\def:Npn \chk_new_cs:N #1{
  \cs_if_free_p:N #1
  \else:
    \err_latex_bug:x {Command~name~`\token_to_string:N #1'~
                          already~defined!~
                      Current~meaning:~\token_to_meaning:N #1
                    }
  \fi:
%<*trace>
some code
%</trace>
}

(It looks as if \chk_new_cs:N were created prior to \cs_if_free_p:N and 
\cs_if_exist_p:N, and it were not changed in order to take advantage of 
these new macros).
I also think that its name should be \chk_if_free_cs:N.

It also happens that all the tests purposed to see if a cs is free, they 
test for equality with both \c_undefined and \scan_stop: (\relax). The 
logical equivalence of a cs equal to \scan_stop: to a undefined cs is 
due to the fact that \expandafter\ifx\csname foo\endcsname creates the 
control sequence, and lets it equal to \relax, as we all know, and also 
it was common to ``undefine'' a cs by \let\foo\relax. Now we can 
undefine via \let\foo\c_undefined (the control sequence \c_undefined is 
the most tricky trick I've ever seen. It would have been nice if we had 
known it from the begining) and test for the inexistence of a cs with 
etex \ifdefined and \ifcsname without creating it, so there is no reason 
why to think about someting equal to \scan_stop: as a free cs.
There exist \if_really_free... that do these tests. In my opinion these 
should be the normal \cs_if_free..., and nothing with the extrange names 
\if_really_free... should exist. So my point of view is:
1. All tests that finally use tex \ifx for free-cs testing should be 
replaced by \if_cs_exist:N and \if_cs_exist:w (\ifdefined and \ifcsname)
2. A control sequence equal to \relax being equivalent to a free control 
sequence is an accident of the past we should commpletely forget about.

We can think about some examples where a cs equal to \relax is by no 
means a free cs, but just something that can be customized, and by 
default is equal to \relax, and redefining it could cause major damage. 
(For example, the old \@typeset@protect).


Another thing that has nothing to do with the previous one. There have 
been in the past many discussions about how to create a realy 
multilingual program. One of the points was to allow typeseting cs in 
Russian (say), but we cannot simply make the \catcode equal to 11 
because then the character would be transparently passed to the dvi 
(ie., the font). Can we simply add in etex (or pdftex, or whatever) a 
\cscode? Such a \cscode would be equal to 0 or 1, acordingly as to the 
characert is allowed in the name of a cs or not (more precisely, a 
character with \cscode 1 would make the previous one the last of the cs, 
or if it is the first one it would be the only one in the name of the 
cs). The setting of the cscodes would be done when selecting the input 
encoding.
I think cscodes would make catcodes 11 and 12 equal, or am I missing 
something?

p.s. I also thik that names for testing if a certain condition is true 
or false should always contain ``if'' to avoid confusion.

p.p.s I will herefrom sign all my e-mails with Javier A., in order to 
avoid confusion with Javier Bezos, who entered this list long before me.

Javier A.

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