web-mode

(defun web-mode-process-blocks (reg-beg reg-end func)
  (let ((i 0) (continue t) (block-beg reg-beg) (block-end nil))
    (while continue
      (setq block-end nil)
      (unless (get-text-property block-beg 'block-beg)
        (setq block-beg (web-mode-block-next-position block-beg)))
      (when (and block-beg (< block-beg reg-end))
        (setq block-end (web-mode-block-end-position block-beg)))
      (cond
       ((> (setq i (1+ i)) 2000)
        (message "process-blocks ** crazy loop (%S) **" (point))
        (setq continue nil))
       ((or (null block-end) (> block-end reg-end))
        (setq continue nil))
       (t
        (setq block-end (1+ block-end))
        (funcall func block-beg block-end)
        (setq block-beg block-end)
        ) ;t
       ) ;cond
      ) ;while
    ))

Fine. Some people haven’t got the memo that closing parens feel lonely unless packed together. Some people like putting comments on those to remind themselves what they belong to. But crazy loops? That’s crazy talk!

(defun web-mode-unfontify-region (beg end)
;;  (message "unfontify: %S %S" beg end)
  )

You’d expect someone to figure out how to write a debug helper or conditionals after writing over ten thousand lines of repetitive code that looks like it has been mechanically translated from another language. Apparently other things have taken greater priority, at least for this particular snippet.

But it’s OK. web-mode is our best hope at getting something resembling a multi-mode for editing web-related code. Why? Well, I’ll just let the code speak for itself:

;; =============================================================================
;; WEB-MODE is sponsored by Kernix: Great Digital Agency (Web & Mobile) in Paris
;; =============================================================================

I’m impressed. Not only did someone convince their boss to sponsor the development of a very much needed Emacs package, no, it’s even production-ready! So, screw french comments[1], dead code[2] and text property parser state[3], I’ll continue using it for editing the templates making up this blog.

[1]	Just search for “Ici” and “todo”, you’ll find a bunch.

[2]	See the second code example for a less obvious case of this.

[3]

Search for “put-text-property”. Every relevant parsing step stores the information gathered about a token found in the buffer in its text properties. This is not only a horrible hack for manipulating the text you’re editing, but leads to fun bugs such as syntax highlighting not working in org documents and copying of buffer text breaking the parser in more or less subtle ways.