Libraries adding unprefixed functions

[Trevoke]

What are the guidelines for this? Are there any?

[Malabarba]

I believe the rule of thumb is "Don't".

The only exception I'm aware of is if the library's entry function is a global listing command, as described in the documentation of tabulated-list-mode

An inheriting mode is usually accompanied by a "list-FOO" command (e.g. list-packages, list-processes).

[bbatsov]

I believe the rule of thumb is "Don't".

Indeed.

[shosti]

One other exception (according to the manual) is for def-style macros, where the package name can be somewhere else in the name:

Occasionally, for a command name intended for users to use, it is more convenient if some words come before the package's name prefix. And constructs that define functions, variables, etc., work better if they start with ‘defun’ or ‘defvar’, so put the name prefix later on in the name.

[swsnr]

@shosti In either case you'll have the “prefix” somewhere in that name, though, i.e. def-myfoo-thing, or list-myfoo-things.

You should never define names in which the name of the defining library does not appear at all.

[shosti]

@lunaryorn right, of course the library name should be in there, but it's not a prefix.

[dgutov]

Another canonical exception is global, as in global-flycheck-mode.

Anyway, it seems like there's nothing more to be discussed here.