Re: defface/defcustom question

[Simon Josefsson <jas@extundo.com>]

Jesper Harder <harder@myrealbox.com> writes:

> In some places Gnus faces are defined both with `defface' _and_
> `defcustom'.  E.g.
>
> ,----
> | (defface gnus-server-opened-face
> |   '((((class color) (background light)) (:foreground "Green3" :bold t))
> |     (((class color) (background dark)) (:foreground "Green1" :bold t))
> |     (t (:bold t)))
> |   "Face used for displaying OPENED servers"
> |   :group 'gnus-server-visual)
> | 
> | [...]
> | 
> | (defcustom gnus-server-opened-face 'gnus-server-opened-face
> |   "Face name to use on OPENED servers."
> |   :group 'gnus-server-visual
> |   :type 'face)
> `----
>
> This means that the face shows up twice when you use Customize.  It
> looks like a mistake to me ... or is there a reason for doing it?

Aren't variables and faces different things?  The variable identifies
the name of the face to use, and the face define the actual face.  An
extra indirection.  Compare the ':type face' documentation:

`face'
     The value must be a symbol which is a face name, and you can do
     completion with `M-<TAB>'.