GNU bug report logs - #34622
Find file prompt should indicate sole completion by appending a blank

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

From: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: Find file prompt should indicate sole completion by appending a blank
Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2019 05:40:07 +0800

With emacs, one can never be sure if the expansion
Find file or URL: ~/bin/wwzz
is the sole completion or not, without needing a second TAB press to get
"[Sole completion]" shown.

With bash, there is always a space added at end,
"$ wc ~/bin/wwzz "
so we know right away.

I propose that emacs do the same:
"Find file or URL: ~/bin/wwzz "
and if they really want to enter a file with a " " at the end, well they
could use C-q (quoted-insert).

See also https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/elisp/Minibuffer-Completion.html
but I am specifically talking about C-x C-f (find-file) and C-x d
(dired). Sorry we did discuss this before...

Message #8 received at 34622 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
Cc: 34622 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#34622: Find file prompt should indicate sole completion by
 appending a blank
Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2019 09:36:16 +0200

tags 34622 notabug
thanks

> From: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson
> 	<jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
> Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2019 05:40:07 +0800
> 
> With emacs, one can never be sure if the expansion
> Find file or URL: ~/bin/wwzz
> is the sole completion or not, without needing a second TAB press to get
> "[Sole completion]" shown.

Which command did that?  "C-x C-f" shows just the directory, so
there's no question of completions with the initial prompt.  The
situation you describe is thus not entirely clear.

But in general, this default behavior is on purpose (there are add-on
packages which give you immediate feedback about candidates).
File-name completion is special, by design.

> With bash, there is always a space added at end,
> "$ wc ~/bin/wwzz "
> so we know right away.

Bash is not an editor, so the considerations are different.  For
example, Bash doesn't need to consider the possibility that the user
would like to create a new file.

> I propose that emacs do the same:
> "Find file or URL: ~/bin/wwzz "
> and if they really want to enter a file with a " " at the end, well they
> could use C-q (quoted-insert).

Asking users to use C-q for whitespace embedded in a file name is a
non-starter.  We did the opposite change several Emacs versions ago.

Message #13 received at 34622 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 34622 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#34622: Find file prompt should indicate sole completion by
 appending a blank
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2019 12:36:54 +0800

>>>>> "EZ" == Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:
EZ> Which command did that?  "C-x C-f" shows just the directory, so
EZ> there's no question of completions with the initial prompt.  The
EZ> situation you describe is thus not entirely clear.

$ touch /tmp/zzz #new plain file
C-x C-f /tmp/zzz

EZ> Asking users to use C-q for whitespace embedded in a file name is a
EZ> non-starter.  We did the opposite change several Emacs versions ago.

I'm only talking about trailing whitespace...
In fact it could expand that too. OK never mind.

Message #16 received at 34622 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
Cc: 34622 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#34622: Find file prompt should indicate sole completion by
 appending a blank
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2019 18:05:33 +0200

> From: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
> Cc: 34622 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
> Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2019 12:36:54 +0800
> 
> >>>>> "EZ" == Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:
> EZ> Which command did that?  "C-x C-f" shows just the directory, so
> EZ> there's no question of completions with the initial prompt.  The
> EZ> situation you describe is thus not entirely clear.
> 
> $ touch /tmp/zzz #new plain file
> C-x C-f /tmp/zzz

But in this case, the first TAB already says "Sole completion", as you
wanted...

Message #19 received at 34622 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 34622 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#34622: Find file prompt should indicate sole completion by
 appending a blank
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2019 13:20:30 +0800

EZ> Which command did that?  "C-x C-f" shows just the directory, so
EZ> there's no question of completions with the initial prompt.  The
EZ> situation you describe is thus not entirely clear.
>> 
>> $ touch /tmp/zzz #new plain file
>> C-x C-f /tmp/zzz

EZ> But in this case, the first TAB already says "Sole completion", as you
EZ> wanted...

Nope: See, needed two tabs!:

 C-x C-f [find-file]
 / [self-insert-command]
 t [self-insert-command]
 m [self-insert-command]
 <tab> [minibuffer-complete]
 z [self-insert-command]
 z [self-insert-command]
 <tab> [minibuffer-complete]
 <tab> [minibuffer-complete]
 C-h l [view-lossage]

Message #22 received at 34622 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
Cc: 34622 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#34622: Find file prompt should indicate sole completion by
 appending a blank
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2019 17:50:03 +0200

> From: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
> Cc: 34622 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
> Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2019 13:20:30 +0800
> 
> >> $ touch /tmp/zzz #new plain file
> >> C-x C-f /tmp/zzz
> 
> EZ> But in this case, the first TAB already says "Sole completion", as you
> EZ> wanted...
> 
> Nope: See, needed two tabs!:
> 
>  C-x C-f [find-file]
>  / [self-insert-command]
>  t [self-insert-command]
>  m [self-insert-command]
>  <tab> [minibuffer-complete]
>  z [self-insert-command]
>  z [self-insert-command]
>  <tab> [minibuffer-complete]
>  <tab> [minibuffer-complete]
>  C-h l [view-lossage]

In the original example you typed 3 z's, not 2.  In that case, a
single TAB is enough.

Anyway, like I said: Emacs being an editor has different design
decisions in these cases.

Message #27 received at 34622-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 34622-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org,
 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
Subject: Re: bug#34622: Find file prompt should indicate sole completion by
 appending a blank
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2019 05:13:43 +0200

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

> tags 34622 notabug
> thanks
>
>> From: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson
>>     <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
>> Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2019 05:40:07 +0800
>>
>> With emacs, one can never be sure if the expansion
>> Find file or URL: ~/bin/wwzz
>> is the sole completion or not, without needing a second TAB press to get
>> "[Sole completion]" shown.
>
> Which command did that?  "C-x C-f" shows just the directory, so
> there's no question of completions with the initial prompt.  The
> situation you describe is thus not entirely clear.
>
> But in general, this default behavior is on purpose (there are add-on
> packages which give you immediate feedback about candidates).
> File-name completion is special, by design.
>
>> With bash, there is always a space added at end,
>> "$ wc ~/bin/wwzz "
>> so we know right away.
>
> Bash is not an editor, so the considerations are different.  For
> example, Bash doesn't need to consider the possibility that the user
> would like to create a new file.
>
>> I propose that emacs do the same:
>> "Find file or URL: ~/bin/wwzz "
>> and if they really want to enter a file with a " " at the end, well they
>> could use C-q (quoted-insert).
>
> Asking users to use C-q for whitespace embedded in a file name is a
> non-starter.  We did the opposite change several Emacs versions ago.

Since this is notabug, I'm also closing it now.

Best regards,
Stefan Kangas

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