#5483 The documented plot option nocolor_bar_tics is rejected as unknown

[David Scherfgen]

This bug was discovered by Claude Opus 5.5 and reproduced on Maxima Git commit c62924c (2026-09-26) with SBCL 2.2.9.

Where: src/plot.lisp, PLOT-OPTIONS-PARSER

The symbol branch of PLOT-OPTIONS-PARSER spells the keyword and the option it clears as nocolor_bat_tics and color_bat_tics. So nocolor_bar_tics signals an error, and nocolor_bat_tics stores a key that nothing reads.

Steps

1. Verify that the existing behavior is incorrect: run the reproducer below; it gives the result under "Before the fix". Judge for yourself that this is wrong instead of relying on the ticket: where the bug allows it, try some related inputs of your own, or check the result another way, for example numerically or against the documentation.
2. Edit the file src/plot.lisp as described under "Fix".
3. Rebuild Maxima.
4. Verify that the behavior is now correct: the reproducer gives the result under "Correct result". Judge for yourself that this is right, not only that it matches: where the bug allows it, try some related inputs of your own, including some that the fix should leave unchanged.
5. Add the test case(s) under "Test cases" to tests/rtest_plotoptions.mac, at the end of the file.
6. Run the complete test suite, share tests included (make check, or run_testsuite(share_tests=true); in ./maxima-local), and check that the change breaks no test. Failures that also occur without the change (a run on the unchanged build shows which) are pre-existing and can be ignored.
7. Add the line * \#5483 The documented plot option nocolor_bar_tics is rejected as unknown to ChangeLog, under "Bug fixes for numbered bugs:".
8. Commit the fix; a proposed Git commit message is under "Commit message".
9. Push the commit. Then set this ticket's status to "closed" and add a comment naming the commit, for example Fixed by commit [1a2b3c]., with the first six characters of the commit's SHA in the brackets (git rev-parse HEAD | cut -c1-6 prints them). SourceForge links this to the commit.

Reproducer

set_plot_option(nocolor_bar_tics);

Before the fix:

Unknown plot option "nocolor_bar_tics".

Correct result:

the option list, now containing [color_bar_tics,false]

Fix

In src/plot.lisp (PLOT-OPTIONS-PARSER, line "($nocolor_bat_tics (setf"), replace

         ($nocolor_bat_tics (setf (getf options '$color_bat_tics) nil))

with

         ($nocolor_bar_tics (setf (getf options '$color_bar_tics) nil))

Test cases

Add these lines to tests/rtest_plotoptions.mac, separated from the tests before them by two empty lines:

/* Bug #5483: "The documented plot option nocolor_bar_tics is rejected as unknown" */

block ([r],
  reset_plot_options (),
  set_plot_option (nocolor_bar_tics),
  r: get_plot_option (color_bar_tics),
  reset_plot_options (),
  r);
[color_bar_tics, false]$

Commit message

plot.lisp: fix the nocolor_bar_tics option

PLOT-OPTIONS-PARSER spelled the keyword and the option it clears as
nocolor_bat_tics and color_bat_tics, so the documented option
nocolor_bar_tics was rejected as unknown. Fix the spelling.

This fixes bug #5483.

Found and fixed by Claude Opus 5.5.