errors when composing mail

[nega]

When entering mail composition "mode" via 'm' 'r/R' 'f/F' or 'z' I get a "Wrong type argument" error. For example

Wrong type argument: listp, 29

Where '29' is some number. This somehow "breaks" the chain and other hooks don't get called, such as pcrisis. (Which is how I noticed this.)

Using 'z' the backtrace looks like:

Debugger entered--Lisp error: (wrong-type-argument listp 29)
  make-overlay(29 131)
  vm-mail-mode-hide-headers()
  vm-mail-mode-hide-headers-hook()
  run-hooks(vm-mail-mode-hide-headers-hook)
  #<compiled-function (from vm-forward-message) nil "...(347)" [vm-forwarded-headers vm-forward-list reply-buffer header-end mp vm-forwarding-digest-type vm-follow-summary-cursor 1 buffer-name error "Folder buffer has been killed." (vm-mode vm-virtual-mode) "No VM folder buffer associated with this buffer" vm-buffer-type:set folder vm-check-for-killed-summary vm-check-for-killed-presentation vm-error-if-folder-empty vm-next-command-uses-marks vm-select-marked-or-prefixed-messages 0 command-execute vm-send-digest "mime" nil vm-retrieve-marked-or-prefixed-messages vm-mail-internal format "forward of %s's note re: %s" vm-su-full-name vm-su-subject vm-summary-sprintf make-local-variable forwarding vm-make-work-buffer "*vm-forward-buffer*" "\n" re-search-forward "^" regexp-quote vm-mime-encapsulate-messages "MIME-Version: 1.0\n" "Content-Type: message/rfc822\n" "Content-Transfer-Encoding: " vm-determine-proper-content-transfer-encoding "Content-Description: forwarded message\n" set-buffer-multibyte t "rfc934" vm-rfc934-encapsulate-messages ...] 8 ("/usr/local/share/xemacs/site-packages/lisp/vm/vm-reply.elc" . 19846) nil 0x1aa9>()
  call-interactively(vm-forward-message)
  recursive-edit()
  byte-code("..." [buffer-read-only noninteractive debugger-buffer middlestart debugger-args debugger-batch-max-lines pop-to-buffer debugger-mode debugger-setup-buffer count-lines 2 "...\n" message buffer-string kill-emacs debug backtrace-debug 3 t debugger-reenable "" nil recursive-edit standard-output] 3)
  debug(error (wrong-type-argument listp 29))
  make-overlay(29 131)
  vm-mail-mode-hide-headers()
  vm-mail-mode-hide-headers-hook()
  run-hooks(vm-mail-mode-hide-headers-hook)
  #<compiled-function (from vm-forward-message) nil "...(347)" [vm-forwarded-headers vm-forward-list reply-buffer header-end mp vm-forwarding-digest-type vm-follow-summary-cursor 1 buffer-name error "Folder buffer has been killed." (vm-mode vm-virtual-mode) "No VM folder buffer associated with this buffer" vm-buffer-type:set folder vm-check-for-killed-summary vm-check-for-killed-presentation vm-error-if-folder-empty vm-next-command-uses-marks vm-select-marked-or-prefixed-messages 0 command-execute vm-send-digest "mime" nil vm-retrieve-marked-or-prefixed-messages vm-mail-internal format "forward of %s's note re: %s" vm-su-full-name vm-su-subject vm-summary-sprintf make-local-variable forwarding vm-make-work-buffer "*vm-forward-buffer*" "\n" re-search-forward "^" regexp-quote vm-mime-encapsulate-messages "MIME-Version: 1.0\n" "Content-Type: message/rfc822\n" "Content-Transfer-Encoding: " vm-determine-proper-content-transfer-encoding "Content-Description: forwarded message\n" set-buffer-multibyte t "rfc934" vm-rfc934-encapsulate-messages ...] 8 ("/usr/local/share/xemacs/site-packages/lisp/vm/vm-reply.elc" . 19846) nil 0x1aa9>()
  call-interactively(vm-forward-message)
  recursive-edit()
  byte-code("..." [buffer-read-only noninteractive debugger-buffer middlestart debugger-args debugger-batch-max-lines pop-to-buffer debugger-mode debugger-setup-buffer count-lines 2 "...\n" message buffer-string kill-emacs debug backtrace-debug 3 t debugger-reenable "" nil recursive-edit standard-output] 3)
  debug(error (wrong-type-argument listp 16))
  make-overlay(16 118)
  vm-mail-mode-hide-headers()
  vm-mail-mode-hide-headers-hook()
  run-hooks(vm-mail-mode-hide-headers-hook)
  #<compiled-function (from vm-mail) (&optional to subject) "...(51)" [subject to major-mode vm-mail-buffer vm-session-initialization vm-check-for-killed-folder bufferp buffer-name vm-buffer-type:set folder (vm-mode vm-virtual-mode) vm-check-for-killed-summary vm-mail-internal nil run-hooks vm-mail-hook vm-mail-mode-hook] 4 ("/usr/local/share/xemacs/site-packages/lisp/vm/vm.elc" . 20723) nil 0xfca>()
  call-interactively(vm-mail)

I'm using the XEmacs hg sources current as of today (20JUL2010).

uname -a: Linux maru 2.6.32-22-preempt #33-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT Wed Apr 28 15:41:26 UTC 2010 x86_64 GNU/Linux

./configure '--with-mule' '--with-xft=all' '--without-error-checking' '--without-debug'

XEmacs 21.5-b29 "garbanzo" 4f98237e23fc configured for `x86_64-unknown-linux'.

Compilation Environment and Installation Defaults:
  Source code location: /usr/local/src/xemacs-beta
  Installation prefix: /usr/local
  Not using any operating system description file
  Not using any machine description file
  Compiler version: gcc (Ubuntu 4.4.3-4ubuntu5) 4.4.3
    - GCC specs file: specs.
    - Compiler command: gcc -Wall -Wno-switch -Wundef -Wsign-compare -Wno-char-subscripts -Wpacked -Wshadow -Wmissing-declarations -Wmissing-prototypes -Wstrict-prototypes -Wdeclaration-after-statement -Wunused-parameter -g
  libc version: GNU libc 2.11.1-0ubuntu7.1 (Debian)
  Relocating allocator for buffers: no
  GNU version of malloc: yes
    - Using Doug Lea's new malloc from the GNU C Library.

Window System:
  Compiling in support for the X window system:
    - X Windows headers location:
    - X Windows libraries location:
    - Handling WM_COMMAND properly.
    - Using fontconfig to manage fonts.
    - Compiling in support for Xft antialiased fonts (EXPERIMENTAL).
  Compiling in support for the Athena widget set:
    - Athena headers location: X11/Xaw
    - Athena library to link: Xaw
  Using Lucid menubars.
    - Using Xft to render antialiased fonts in menubars.
      WARNING: This Xft feature will be replaced with a face.
  Using Lucid scrollbars.
  Using Athena dialog boxes.
  Using Athena native widgets.
    - Using Xft to render antialiased fonts in tab controls.
      WARNING: This Xft feature will be replaced with a face.
    - Using Xft to render antialiased fonts in progress bars.
      WARNING: This Xft feature will be replaced with a face.
      WARNING: This Xft feature not yet implemented; setting ignored.

TTY:
  Compiling in support for ncurses.

Images:
  Compiling in support for XPM images.
  Compiling in support for PNG images.
  Compiling in support for JPEG images.
  Compiling in support for TIFF images.
  Compiling in support for X-Face message headers.

Sound:
  Compiling in support for sound (native).

Databases:

Internationalization:
  Compiling in support for Mule (multi-lingual Emacs).
  Compiling in support for XIM (X11R5+ I18N input method).
    - Using raw Xlib to provide XIM support.

Mail:
  Compiling in support for "file" mail spool file locking method.

Other Features:
  Inhibiting IPv6 canonicalization at startup.
  Compiling in support for dynamic shared object modules.
  Using the new GC mark algorithms (KKCC).
  WARNING: ---------------------------------------------------------
  WARNING: The new algorithms are experimental. They are enabled by
  WARNING: default for this release. Use `--disable-kkcc' to
  WARNING: turn it off.
  WARNING: ---------------------------------------------------------
  Using the new portable dumper.
  Dumping into executable.

[nega (nega)]

Forgot to note that this is with vm-8.1.92a and vm-8.1.925a. It also does not occur with XEmacs 21.5.28 or XEmacs 21.5.29.

[Uday Reddy (reddyuday)]

It looks like XEmacs is adding a function called make-overlay, but
with a different meaning from that of Gnu Emacs. What does the doc
string for make-overlay say?

Cheers,
Uday

[Uday Reddy (reddyuday)]

You should also check to see if the overlay library (in fsf-compat package) has been loaded. Eval (featurep 'overlay) to find out.

[nega (nega)]

It is. Unfortunately:

[maru:~/vm-8.1.925a] grep "require.*overlay" lisp/*.el
lisp/vm-biff.el: (require 'overlay))
lisp/vm-misc.el: (require 'overlay)
lisp/vm-rfaddons.el:(if vm-xemacs-p (require 'overlay))
lisp/vm-rfaddons.el:;; (require 'overlay)
lisp/vm-summary-faces.el: (if vm-xemacs-p (require 'overlay)))

with vm-misc being the offending file (the others aren't loaded).

[maru:~/vm-8.1.925a] grep -3 "require.*overlay" lisp/vm-misc.el
(defun vm-fill-paragraphs-by-longlines (start end)
  "Uses longlines.el for filling the region."
  ;; prepare for longlines.el in XEmacs
  (require 'overlay)
  (require 'longlines)
  (defvar fill-nobreak-predicate nil)
  (defvar undo-in-progress nil)

[Uday Reddy (reddyuday)]

Sorry, that wasn't actually the question. The problem you are facing is that when you get the error message, you have some funny version of "make-overlay" which is expecting a list as its first argument. So, can you investigate what "make-overlay" function you have in effect when you get the error message?

[nega (nega)]

Updated to the latest "pre-release" fsf-compat package.
Problem resolved.

[Uday Reddy (reddyuday)]

Oh, good. That is what I thought.

Cheers,
Uday