GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual

10.9.3: The Default Value of a Buffer-Local Variable

The global value of a variable with buffer-local bindings is also called the default value, because it is the value that is in effect except when specifically overridden.

The functions default-value and setq-default access and change a variable's default value regardless of whether the current buffer has a buffer-local binding. For example, you could use setq-default to change the default setting of paragraph-start for most buffers; and this would work even when you are in a C or Lisp mode buffer that has a buffer-local value for this variable.

The special forms defvar and defconst also set the default value (if they set the variable at all), rather than any local value.

Function: default-value symbol

This function returns symbol's default value. This is the value that is seen in buffers that do not have their own values for this variable. If symbol is not buffer-local, this is equivalent to symbol-value (see Accessing Variables).

Function: default-boundp symbol

The function default-boundp tells you whether symbol's default value is nonvoid. If (default-boundp 'foo) returns nil, then (default-value 'foo) would get an error.

default-boundp is to default-value as boundp is to symbol-value.

Special Form: setq-default symbol value

This sets the default value of symbol to value. It does not evaluate symbol, but does evaluate value. The value of the setq-default form is value.

If a symbol is not buffer-local for the current buffer, and is not marked automatically buffer-local, setq-default has the same effect as setq. If symbol is buffer-local for the current buffer, then this changes the value that other buffers will see (as long as they don't have a buffer-local value), but not the value that the current buffer sees.

;; In buffer `foo':
(make-local-variable 'local)
     => local
(setq local 'value-in-foo)
     => value-in-foo
(setq-default local 'new-default)
     => new-default
local
     => value-in-foo
(default-value 'local)
     => new-default
;; In (the new) buffer `bar':
local
     => new-default
(default-value 'local)
     => new-default
(setq local 'another-default)
     => another-default
(default-value 'local)
     => another-default
;; Back in buffer `foo':
local
     => value-in-foo
(default-value 'local)
     => another-default

Function: set-default symbol value

This function is like setq-default, except that symbol is evaluated.

(set-default (car '(a b c)) 23)
     => 23
(default-value 'a)
     => 23