GNU bug report logs - #27974
25.2; string-rectangle on-the-fly preview bad

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 25.2; string-rectangle on-the-fly preview bad
Date: Sat, 05 Aug 2017 13:56:21 -0600

The command C-x r t string-rectangle in version 24 and previously
would "Replace rectangle contents with STRING on each line
(‘string-rectangle’)."  The same happens in version 25 but
differently.  In version 25 the change is displayed incrementally
character by character as you type as a dynamic preview.  With a large
displayed rectangle this can cause a lot of dynamic "flicker" as every
character on the display is moved.  This is driving me crazy.

I raised this issue on help-gnu-emacs.  I and at least one other person
thinks this preview feature should be optional even if it is the
default.  I think it is a pretty radical change however and would wish
it were not the default.  But at the least it needs to be possible to
disable the dynamic preview.  I really hate this feature.

Thanks,
Bob

P.S. The NEWS file says:

*** 'string-rectangle' provides on-the-fly preview of the result.

In GNU Emacs 25.2.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, X toolkit, Xaw3d scroll bars)
 of 2017-07-31, modified by Debian built on trouble
System Description:	Debian GNU/Linux unstable (sid)

Configured using:
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Memory information:
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 (vector-slots 8 1330894 213593)
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Message #8 received at 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Mark Oteiza <mvoteiza <at> udel.edu>
To: Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com>
Cc: 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#27974: 25.2; string-rectangle on-the-fly preview bad
Date: Sat, 05 Aug 2017 16:27:20 -0400

Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com> writes:
> I raised this issue on help-gnu-emacs.  I and at least one other person
> thinks this preview feature should be optional even if it is the
> default.

It is optional.

Message #11 received at 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com>
To: 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#27974: Acknowledgement (25.2; string-rectangle on-the-fly
 preview bad)
Date: Sat, 5 Aug 2017 15:11:03 -0600

tags 27974 + patch
thanks

Filing this ticket generated more discussion and I was informed that
rectangle-preview variable controls this feature.  Yes!  This is what
I needed to know.  I really must ask, is this really a good change?
It is extremely annoying behavior.

    ;; Disable nasty on-the-fly preview from string-rectangle.
    (setq rectangle-preview nil)

However this bug ticket is still relevant because this information
should be provided in the NEWS (and perhaps Antinews) pages.

Let me suggest the following addition to the NEWS file.

 *** 'string-rectangle' provides on-the-fly preview of the result.
+This is controlled by the rectangle-preview variable.  Defaults to t.
+Set (setq rectangle-preview nil) if you want the previous behavior.

Please consider this patch.  Thanks.

Bob

Message #16 received at 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Noam Postavsky <npostavs <at> users.sourceforge.net>
To: Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com>
Cc: 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#27974: Acknowledgement (25.2;
 string-rectangle on-the-fly preview bad)
Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2017 22:05:02 -0400

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com> writes:

> Let me suggest the following addition to the NEWS file.
>
>  *** 'string-rectangle' provides on-the-fly preview of the result.
> +This is controlled by the rectangle-preview variable.  Defaults to t.
> +Set (setq rectangle-preview nil) if you want the previous behavior.

I think it should also be documented in the docstring of
string-rectangle:

[v2-0001-Document-rectangle-preview-option-more-Bug-27974.patch (text/x-diff, inline)]

From 4fd248152d15218e3f9f1d3747cebdad87062513 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Noam Postavsky <npostavs <at> gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2017 17:09:09 -0400
Subject: [PATCH v2] Document rectangle-preview option more (Bug#27974)

* lisp/rect.el (string-rectangle):
* etc/NEWS.25: Mention `rectangle-preview'.
---
 etc/NEWS.25  | 2 ++
 lisp/rect.el | 4 ++++
 2 files changed, 6 insertions(+)

diff --git a/etc/NEWS.25 b/etc/NEWS.25
index 5201a300e0..aac60c4688 100644
--- a/etc/NEWS.25
+++ b/etc/NEWS.25
@@ -712,7 +712,9 @@ CLOS class and slot documentation.
 *** Rectangle Mark mode can have corners past EOL or in the middle of a TAB.
 
 *** 'C-x C-x' in 'rectangle-mark-mode' now cycles through the four corners.
+
 *** 'string-rectangle' provides on-the-fly preview of the result.
+Customize 'rectangle-preview' to nil for the old behavior.
 
 ** New font-lock functions 'font-lock-ensure' and 'font-lock-flush'.
 These should be used in preference to 'font-lock-fontify-buffer' when
diff --git a/lisp/rect.el b/lisp/rect.el
index 12e62b6a99..4ad7a98dda 100644
--- a/lisp/rect.el
+++ b/lisp/rect.el
@@ -450,6 +450,10 @@ string-rectangle
   "Replace rectangle contents with STRING on each line.
 The length of STRING need not be the same as the rectangle width.
 
+When called interactively and option `rectangle-preview' is
+non-nil, the result is previewed as the string is entered in the
+minibuffer.
+
 Called from a program, takes three args; START, END and STRING."
   (interactive
    (progn
-- 
2.11.0

Message #19 received at 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Noam Postavsky <npostavs <at> users.sourceforge.net>
Cc: 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, bob <at> proulx.com
Subject: Re: bug#27974: Acknowledgement (25.2;
 string-rectangle on-the-fly preview bad)
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2017 05:37:15 +0300

> From: Noam Postavsky <npostavs <at> users.sourceforge.net>
> Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2017 22:05:02 -0400
> Cc: 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
> 
> Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com> writes:
> 
> > Let me suggest the following addition to the NEWS file.
> >
> >  *** 'string-rectangle' provides on-the-fly preview of the result.
> > +This is controlled by the rectangle-preview variable.  Defaults to t.
> > +Set (setq rectangle-preview nil) if you want the previous behavior.
> 
> I think it should also be documented in the docstring of
> string-rectangle:

I agree.

> +When called interactively and option `rectangle-preview' is
> +non-nil, the result is previewed as the string is entered in the
> +minibuffer.

Can you reword this to make less use of passive tense?

Thanks.

Message #22 received at 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Noam Postavsky <npostavs <at> users.sourceforge.net>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, bob <at> proulx.com
Subject: Re: bug#27974: Acknowledgement (25.2;
 string-rectangle on-the-fly preview bad)
Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2017 22:54:50 -0400

Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:

> Can you reword this to make less use of passive tense?

Hmm, yeah, I'm not quite satisfied with the wording.  How about this:

When called interactively and option `rectangle-preview' is
non-nil, display the result as the user enters the string into
the minibuffer.

Message #25 received at 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Noam Postavsky <npostavs <at> users.sourceforge.net>
Cc: 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, bob <at> proulx.com
Subject: Re: bug#27974: Acknowledgement (25.2;
 string-rectangle on-the-fly preview bad)
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2017 17:27:29 +0300

> From: Noam Postavsky <npostavs <at> users.sourceforge.net>
> Cc: 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org,  bob <at> proulx.com
> Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2017 22:54:50 -0400
> 
> When called interactively and option `rectangle-preview' is
> non-nil, display the result as the user enters the string into
> the minibuffer.

This is fine, thanks.

Message #28 received at 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Noam Postavsky <npostavs <at> users.sourceforge.net>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 27974 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, bob <at> proulx.com
Subject: Re: bug#27974: Acknowledgement (25.2;
 string-rectangle on-the-fly preview bad)
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2017 20:14:43 -0400

close 27974 26.1
quit

Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:

>> When called interactively and option `rectangle-preview' is
>> non-nil, display the result as the user enters the string into
>> the minibuffer.

> This is fine, thanks.

Pushed to emacs-26.

[1: 20cc68e871]: 2017-10-16 20:10:55 -0400
  Document rectangle-preview option more (Bug#27974)
  https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git/commit/?id=20cc68e871b8903a603aa4a89d2bc648d010781a>

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