GNU bug report logs - #67620
Better indent-rigidly prompt

Previous Next

To add a comment to this bug, you must first unarchive it, by sending
a message to control AT debbugs.gnu.org, with unarchive 67620 in the body.
You can then email your comments to 67620 AT debbugs.gnu.org in the normal way.

Toggle the display of automated, internal messages from the tracker.

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

From: Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: Better indent-rigidly prompt
Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2023 16:34:40 +0800

What does "Indent region with TAB" mean?
To the layman it means put tabs at the beginning of each line.

But here it means something different:
Indent region with TAB, <left>, <right>, S-<left>, S-<right>

So maybe indent-rigidly should prompt with
Indent region with <left>, <right>, S-<left>, S-<right>, or TAB

In fact that is their order in the docstring!

Else one stares at the prompt for 30 seconds tying to figure out what
it is trying to say.

Or maybe say
Type TAB, <left>, <right>, S-<left>, S-<right>, to indent region
or
Type <left>, <right>, S-<left>, S-<right>, or TAB to indent region

Also it seems C-x C-i is easier to type than C-x TAB. So maybe mention
that one can type either. (Yes, same bytes sent, at least on a VT100.)

Message #8 received at 67620 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
Cc: 67620 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#67620: Better indent-rigidly prompt
Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2023 14:23:22 +0200

> From: Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
> Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2023 16:34:40 +0800
> 
> What does "Indent region with TAB" mean?
> To the layman it means put tabs at the beginning of each line.

Where did you see that text?  In Emacs 29.1 the prompt says this
instead:

  Indent region with TAB, <left>, <right>, S-<left>, S-<right>

> Or maybe say
> Type TAB, <left>, <right>, S-<left>, S-<right>, to indent region
> or
> Type <left>, <right>, S-<left>, S-<right>, or TAB to indent region

This is indeed better; changed.

> Also it seems C-x C-i is easier to type than C-x TAB. So maybe mention
> that one can type either.

Mention where?

Message #11 received at 67620 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 67620 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#67620: Better indent-rigidly prompt
Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2023 18:55:45 +0800

Thanks for fixing it. I was talking about when you're reading the 
sentence and you get halfway through and then you start to think.

As far as documenting C-i,. Perhaps put in the docstring.

Message #16 received at 67620-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
Cc: 67620-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#67620: Better indent-rigidly prompt
Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2023 15:08:22 +0200

> Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2023 18:55:45 +0800
> From: Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
> Cc: 67620 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
> 
> Thanks for fixing it. I was talking about when you're reading the 
> sentence and you get halfway through and then you start to think.
> 
> As far as documenting C-i,. Perhaps put in the docstring.

We don't document the bindings in doc strings, because users can
rebind commands, and then the doc string will be incorrect.

There are also technical problems with referring to a single binding
when a command has several ones.

So I think this aspect will remain the user's responsibility (the
Emacs manual explains that TAB and C-i are the same).

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.