GNU bug report logs - #43407
26.3; Please index Escape key (<ESC>) in manuals

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Package: emacs;

Reported by: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>

Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2020 19:46:01 UTC

Severity: wishlist

Found in version 26.3

Done: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>

Bug is archived. No further changes may be made.

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Report forwarded to bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org:
bug#43407; Package emacs. (Mon, 14 Sep 2020 19:46:01 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Acknowledgement sent to Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>:
New bug report received and forwarded. Copy sent to bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org. (Mon, 14 Sep 2020 19:46:01 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

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

From: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 26.3; Please index Escape key (<ESC>) in manuals
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2020 19:45:18 +0000 (UTC)
Emacs manual index entries that include "escape" all have to do with
escape sequences or escape chars.  A user looking for info about the
"Escape" keyboard key won't find anything using `i' in the Emacs manual.

Please consider adding an index entry for "Escape key" or some such,
which could take you to node `User Input', for example.

Similarly, for the Elisp manual.  Consider adding index entries that
take you to nodes `Functions for Key Lookup' and `Prefix Keys', the
former, in particular.

Here's a user question that's relevant, together with his comment "I
used to think all along that the escape key was meta key because when I
did Escape - x, spacemacs would show M - x. Why is that the case if
Escape isn't the meta key?"

https://emacs.stackexchange.com/q/60645/105

It should be made easy to find info about the relation between the Meta
modifier key and the Escape prefix key.

In GNU Emacs 26.3 (build 1, x86_64-w64-mingw32)
 of 2019-08-29
Repository revision: 96dd0196c28bc36779584e47fffcca433c9309cd
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 10.0.18362
Configured using:
 `configure --without-dbus --host=x86_64-w64-mingw32
 --without-compress-install 'CFLAGS=-O2 -static -g3''




Information forwarded to bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org:
bug#43407; Package emacs. (Wed, 16 Sep 2020 16:27:01 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Message #8 received at 43407 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
Cc: 43407 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#43407: 26.3; Please index Escape key (<ESC>) in manuals
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2020 19:26:28 +0300
> Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2020 19:45:18 +0000 (UTC)
> From: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
> 
> https://emacs.stackexchange.com/q/60645/105
> 
> It should be made easy to find info about the relation between the Meta
> modifier key and the Escape prefix key.

My reading of that question is that this user was confused and thought
incorrectly that he needed the Escape key, where he really needed the
Meta key.  So having that key in the index would not have helped him,
perhaps even confuse him more.

I've reviewed the places where we mention the ESC key in the manual,
and I don't see there anything worth indexing under "Escape".  Sorry.




Information forwarded to bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org:
bug#43407; Package emacs. (Wed, 16 Sep 2020 17:15:01 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Message #11 received at 43407 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 43407 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: RE: bug#43407: 26.3; Please index Escape key (<ESC>) in manuals
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2020 17:14:41 +0000 (UTC)
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://emacs.stackexchange.com/q/60645/105__;!!G
> qivPVa7Brio!LN2r8M2IuqhOZUpWhWjcCRvPsbHvIkEwniDaMZr5orhuv7dAavkTfqLjbzFkrBKr$
> >
> > It should be made easy to find info about the relation between the Meta
> > modifier key and the Escape prefix key.
> 
> My reading of that question is that this user was confused and thought
> incorrectly that he needed the Escape key, where he really needed the
> Meta key.  So having that key in the index would not have helped him,
> perhaps even confuse him more.

No, I think he was trying to use the Escape key,
but didn't understand that it's a prefix key.

But it's not necessary to refer to that question
or what its correct interpretation is.

The request is to index coverage of the Escape
key, that is, places where we talk about <ESC>.

It's not obvious that you need to ask `i' about
<ESC> and not (alternatively) about the "Escape" key.

There should be an entry "Escape key (<ESC>)"
or similar.

> I've reviewed the places where we mention the ESC key in the manual,
> and I don't see there anything worth indexing under "Escape".  Sorry.

Too bad.  That's what some users (including me, in
this context, even though I know about <ESC>) will
look for, to find info about the key Emacs calls
<ESC>.




Information forwarded to bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org:
bug#43407; Package emacs. (Sat, 12 Jun 2021 12:21:02 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Message #14 received at 43407 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 43407 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
Subject: Re: bug#43407: 26.3; Please index Escape key (<ESC>) in manuals
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2021 14:20:09 +0200
Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:

> I've reviewed the places where we mention the ESC key in the manual,
> and I don't see there anything worth indexing under "Escape".  Sorry.

So I'm closing this bug report.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no




bug closed, send any further explanations to 43407 <at> debbugs.gnu.org and Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com> Request was from Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org> to control <at> debbugs.gnu.org. (Sat, 12 Jun 2021 12:21:02 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

bug archived. Request was from Debbugs Internal Request <help-debbugs <at> gnu.org> to internal_control <at> debbugs.gnu.org. (Sun, 11 Jul 2021 11:24:04 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

This bug report was last modified 2 years and 261 days ago.

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