GNU bug report logs - #79835
[PATCH] Add query-replace-read-transpose-from-to

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

From: Jens Schmidt <jschmidt4gnu <at> vodafonemail.de>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: [PATCH] Add query-replace-read-transpose-from-to
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:52:37 +0100

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

Tags: patch

Occasionally I find it useful to transpose/swap the "from" and "to" in
the minibuffer query of a `query-replace' or `query-replace-regexp'.
For example:

- To undo a replacement that (because of other editing that already has
  happened) cannot be easily undone with C-_.

- To replace first "foo" => "bar", then "bar" => "baz" for a subset of
  the previous replacements.

The attached patch provides a new command
`query-replace-read-transpose-from-to' that does exactly that.

There is one cave-at: For the new command I extended the prefix M-s
already used by `query-replace-regexp' (through `read-regexp-map') also
to be used by plain `query-replace' (through new
`query-replace-read-map').  This hides the current binding of M-s for
`next-matching-history-element'.  See patch for details.

If you find this idea useful, I'd make that a full-fledged patch.  Which
in that case probably just means to add a NEWS entry: I don't consider
this feature important enough to document it in any manual, and
replace-tests.el does not seem to have the infrastructure to simulate
minibuffer actions.

Thanks!

In GNU Emacs 31.0.50 (build 2, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version
 3.24.49, cairo version 1.18.4) of 2025-11-14 built on sappc2
Repository revision: 394090486ccbf94f42661cac592ca5f29b5b1fe8
Repository branch: add-query-replace-read-transpose-from-to
Windowing system distributor 'The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.12401006
System Description: Debian GNU/Linux 13 (trixie)

Configured using:
 'configure -C --build x86_64-linux-gnu --sharedstatedir=/var/lib
 --localstatedir=/var/lib --with-libsystemd --with-pop=yes
 --with-sound=alsa --without-gconf --with-mailutils --with-cairo
 --with-x=yes --with-x-toolkit=gtk3 --with-toolkit-scroll-bars
 build_alias=x86_64-linux-gnu'

[0001-Add-query-replace-read-transpose-from-to.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

Message #8 received at 79835 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Juri Linkov <juri <at> linkov.net>
To: Jens Schmidt <jschmidt4gnu <at> vodafonemail.de>
Cc: 79835 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#79835: [PATCH] Add query-replace-read-transpose-from-to
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2025 18:55:34 +0200

> If you find this idea useful, I'd make that a full-fledged patch.  Which
> in that case probably just means to add a NEWS entry: I don't consider
> this feature important enough to document it in any manual, and
> replace-tests.el does not seem to have the infrastructure to simulate
> minibuffer actions.

Thank you very much for implementing this long-missed feature.
Adding a NEWS entry would be nice.

Message #11 received at 79835 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Jens Schmidt <jschmidt4gnu <at> vodafonemail.de>
To: Juri Linkov <juri <at> linkov.net>
Cc: 79835 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#79835: [PATCH] Add query-replace-read-transpose-from-to
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2025 23:04:58 +0100

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

On 2025-11-16  17:55, Juri Linkov wrote:

> Thank you very much for implementing this long-missed feature.
> Adding a NEWS entry would be nice.

Please see the attached patch.  Thanks!

[0001-Add-query-replace-read-transpose-from-to.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

Message #14 received at 79835 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Jens Schmidt <jschmidt4gnu <at> vodafonemail.de>
Cc: 79835 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, juri <at> linkov.net
Subject: Re: bug#79835: [PATCH] Add query-replace-read-transpose-from-to
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:31:22 +0200

> Cc: 79835 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
> Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2025 23:04:58 +0100
> From:  Jens Schmidt via "Bug reports for GNU Emacs,
>  the Swiss army knife of text editors" <bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org>
> 
> > Thank you very much for implementing this long-missed feature.
> > Adding a NEWS entry would be nice.
> 
> Please see the attached patch.  Thanks!

Thanks.

> +(defun query-replace-read-transpose-from-to ()
> +  "Transpose the `from' and `to' of a `query-replace' operation."

This should use FROM and TO.  Something like

  Transpose the FROM and TO arguments of a `query-replace' operation.

> +(defvar-keymap query-replace-read-map
>    :parent minibuffer-local-map
> +  ;; defining M-s as a prefix here has the side effect of hiding
        ^^^^^^^^
Please start a sentence with a capital letter.

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