Re: Exploring :value-type choices

> Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2026 01:54:42 +0000
> From: Heime <[email protected]>
> 
> Have been looking at constructing a defcustom variable composed
> of an alist and coded this.
> 
> (defcustom galaxiakos-alist
>   '((name . "Pandu")
>     (activation . dual))
>   "A user-customisable association list.
> Users can access this variable via `M-x customize-variable' and modify
> the entries directly."
>   :type '(alist :key-type symbol :value-type (choice string symbol))
>   :group 'galaxiakos)
> 
> Scrutinising the reference manual, I could not identify the possibilities
> for :value-type. 

The manual says:

  ‘(alist :key-type KEY-TYPE :value-type VALUE-TYPE)’
       The value must be a list of cons-cells, the CAR of each cell
       representing a key of customization type KEY-TYPE, and the CDR of
       the same cell representing a value of customization type
       VALUE-TYPE.

So it is a "customization type".  What that means is explained at the
very beginning of its parent node, "Customization Types".  Or you
could type "i customization types RET" in the Info mode.