Updates to Display chapter of Lisp manual.

* doc/lispref/display.texi (The Echo Area): Add xref to Output Streams.
(Displaying Messages): Improve doc of message.
(Echo Area Customization, Invisible Text): Copyedits.
(Invisible Text): Mention that spec comparison is done with eq.
(Width): Improve doc of char-width.
(Faces): Recommend using symbol instead of string for face name.
Minor clarifications.
(Defining Faces): Copyedits.  Update face example.
(Attribute Functions): Mark set-face-foreground etc as commands.
(Face Remapping): Mention text-scale-adjust.  Clarify
face-remapping-alist and related docs.
(Face Functions): Don't document make-face or copy-face.

* lisp/faces.el (make-face, make-empty-face, copy-face):
* lisp/face-remap.el (face-remap-add-relative, face-remap-set-base):
Doc fixes.

* src/xfaces.c (Vface_remapping_alist): Doc fix.

3 files changed, 52 insertions, 43 deletions

diff --git a/lisp/ChangeLog b/lisp/ChangeLog
index 3699bb0f5bd..ea7d81bb969 100644
--- a/lisp/ChangeLog
+++ b/lisp/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+2012-03-21  Chong Yidong  <cyd@gnu.org>
+
+        * faces.el (make-face, make-empty-face, copy-face):
+        * face-remap.el (face-remap-add-relative, face-remap-set-base):
+        Doc fixes.
+
 2012-03-21  Stefan Monnier  <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>
 
         * wid-edit.el (widget-complete-field): Remove (bug#11051).
diff --git a/lisp/face-remap.el b/lisp/face-remap.el
index 3af9e31a6f7..ca7a28328f9 100644
--- a/lisp/face-remap.el
+++ b/lisp/face-remap.el
@@ -106,21 +106,20 @@ The list structure of ENTRY may be destructively modified."
 ;;;###autoload
 (defun face-remap-add-relative (face &rest specs)
   "Add a face remapping entry of FACE to SPECS in the current buffer.
-
-Return a cookie which can be used to delete the remapping with
+Return a cookie which can be used to delete this remapping with
 `face-remap-remove-relative'.
 
-SPECS can be any value suitable for the `face' text property,
-including a face name, a list of face names, or a face-attribute
-property list.  The attributes given by SPECS will be merged with
-any other currently active face remappings of FACE, and with the
-global definition of FACE.  An attempt is made to sort multiple
-entries so that entries with relative face-attributes are applied
-after entries with absolute face-attributes.
-
-The base (lowest priority) remapping may be set to a specific
-value, instead of the default of the global face definition,
-using `face-remap-set-base'."
+The remaining arguments, SPECS, should be either a list of face
+names, or a property list of face attribute/value pairs.  The
+remapping specified by SPECS takes effect alongside the
+remappings from other calls to `face-remap-add-relative', as well
+as the normal definition of FACE (at lowest priority).  This
+function tries to sort multiple remappings for the same face, so
+that remappings specifying relative face attributes are applied
+after remappings specifying absolute face attributes.
+
+The base (lowest priority) remapping may be set to something
+other than the normal definition of FACE via `face-remap-set-base'."
   (while (and (consp specs) (null (cdr specs)))
     (setq specs (car specs)))
   (make-local-variable 'face-remapping-alist)
@@ -148,7 +147,9 @@ COOKIE should be the return value from that function."
 
 ;;;###autoload
 (defun face-remap-reset-base (face)
-  "Set the base remapping of FACE to inherit from FACE's global definition."
+  "Set the base remapping of FACE to the normal definition of FACE.
+This causes the remappings specified by `face-remap-add-relative'
+to apply on top of the normal definition of FACE."
   (let ((entry (assq face face-remapping-alist)))
     (when entry
       ;; If there's nothing except a base remapping, we simply remove
@@ -163,10 +164,15 @@ COOKIE should be the return value from that function."
 ;;;###autoload
 (defun face-remap-set-base (face &rest specs)
   "Set the base remapping of FACE in the current buffer to SPECS.
-If SPECS is empty, the default base remapping is restored, which
-inherits from the global definition of FACE; note that this is
-different from SPECS containing a single value `nil', which does
-not inherit from the global definition of FACE."
+This causes the remappings specified by `face-remap-add-relative'
+to apply on top of the face specification given by SPECS.  SPECS
+should be either a list of face names, or a property list of face
+attribute/value pairs.
+
+If SPECS is empty, call `face-remap-reset-base' to use the normal
+definition of FACE as the base remapping; note that this is
+different from SPECS containing a single value `nil', which means
+not to inherit from the global definition of FACE at all."
   (while (and (consp specs) (not (null (car specs))) (null (cdr specs)))
     (setq specs (car specs)))
   (if (or (null specs)
diff --git a/lisp/faces.el b/lisp/faces.el
index 34fad66ce27..0256f8d951a 100644
--- a/lisp/faces.el
+++ b/lisp/faces.el
@@ -122,15 +122,13 @@ REGISTRY, ALTERNATIVE1, ALTERNATIVE2, and etc."
   "Return a list of all defined faces."
   (mapcar #'car face-new-frame-defaults))
 
-
-;;; ### If not frame-local initialize by what X resources?
-
 (defun make-face (face &optional no-init-from-resources)
   "Define a new face with name FACE, a symbol.
-NO-INIT-FROM-RESOURCES non-nil means don't initialize frame-local
-variants of FACE from X resources.  (X resources recognized are found
-in the global variable `face-x-resources'.)  If FACE is already known
-as a face, leave it unmodified.  Value is FACE."
+Do not call this directly from Lisp code; use `defface' instead.
+
+If NO-INIT-FROM-RESOURCES is non-nil, don't initialize face
+attributes from X resources.  If FACE is already known as a face,
+leave it unmodified.  Return FACE."
   (interactive (list (read-from-minibuffer
                       "Make face: " nil nil t 'face-name-history)))
   (unless (facep face)
@@ -145,31 +143,30 @@ as a face, leave it unmodified.  Value is FACE."
       (make-face-x-resource-internal face)))
   face)
 
-
 (defun make-empty-face (face)
   "Define a new, empty face with name FACE.
-If the face already exists, it is left unmodified.  Value is FACE."
+Do not call this directly from Lisp code; use `defface' instead."
   (interactive (list (read-from-minibuffer
                       "Make empty face: " nil nil t 'face-name-history)))
   (make-face face 'no-init-from-resources))
 
-
 (defun copy-face (old-face new-face &optional frame new-frame)
-  "Define a face just like OLD-FACE, with name NEW-FACE.
-
-If NEW-FACE already exists as a face, it is modified to be like
-OLD-FACE.  If it doesn't already exist, it is created.
-
-If the optional argument FRAME is given as a frame, NEW-FACE is
-changed on FRAME only.
-If FRAME is t, the frame-independent default specification for OLD-FACE
-is copied to NEW-FACE.
-If FRAME is nil, copying is done for the frame-independent defaults
-and for each existing frame.
-
-If the optional fourth argument NEW-FRAME is given,
-copy the information from face OLD-FACE on frame FRAME
-to NEW-FACE on frame NEW-FRAME.  In this case, FRAME may not be nil."
+  "Define a face named NEW-FACE, which is a copy of OLD-FACE.
+This function does not copy face customization data, so NEW-FACE
+will not be made customizable.  Most Lisp code should not call
+this function; use `defface' with :inherit instead.
+
+If NEW-FACE already exists as a face, modify it to be like
+OLD-FACE.  If NEW-FACE doesn't already exist, create it.
+
+If the optional argument FRAME is a frame, change NEW-FACE on
+FRAME only.  If FRAME is t, copy the frame-independent default
+specification for OLD-FACE to NEW-FACE.  If FRAME is nil, copy
+the defaults as well as the faces on each existing frame.
+
+If the optional fourth argument NEW-FRAME is given, copy the
+information from face OLD-FACE on frame FRAME to NEW-FACE on
+frame NEW-FRAME.  In this case, FRAME must not be nil."
   (let ((inhibit-quit t))
     (if (null frame)
         (progn