M-x locate fails with no such directory /

M-x locate fails with no such directory /

[Robert Mecklenburg]

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Please write in English, because the Emacs maintainers do not have
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In GNU Emacs 21.3.1 (i386-msvc-nt5.1.2600)
 of 2003-03-27 on buffy
configured using `configure --with-msvc (12.00)'
Important settings:
  value of $LC_ALL: nil
  value of $LC_COLLATE: nil
  value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
  value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
  value of $LC_MONETARY: nil
  value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
  value of $LC_TIME: nil
  value of $LANG: ENU
  locale-coding-system: iso-latin-1
  default-enable-multibyte-characters: t

Please describe exactly what actions triggered the bug
and the precise symptoms of the bug:

When I execute :

M-x locate <ret> cimsoft/Makefile<ret> 

I get the error:

apply: Setting current directory: no such file or directory, /

When I enable debug-on-error I get the stack trace:

Debugger entered--Lisp error: (file-error "Setting current directory" "no such file or directory" "/")
  call-process("locate" nil t nil "cimsoft/Makefile")
  apply(call-process "locate" nil t nil "cimsoft/Makefile")
  (if run-locate-command (shell-command search-string locate-buffer-name) (apply (quote call-process) locate-cmd nil t nil locate-cmd-args))
  (save-window-excursion (set-buffer (get-buffer-create locate-buffer-name)) (locate-mode) (erase-buffer) (setq locate-current-filter filter) (if run-locate-command (shell-command search-string locate-buffer-name) (apply ... locate-cmd nil t nil locate-cmd-args)) (and filter (locate-filter-output filter)) (locate-do-setup search-string))
  (let* ((locate-cmd-list ...) (locate-cmd ...) (locate-cmd-args ...) (run-locate-command ...)) (save-window-excursion (set-buffer ...) (locate-mode) (erase-buffer) (setq locate-current-filter filter) (if run-locate-command ... ...) (and filter ...) (locate-do-setup search-string)) (and (not ...) (switch-to-buffer-other-window locate-buffer-name)) (run-hooks (quote dired-mode-hook)) (run-hooks (quote locate-post-command-hook)))
  locate("cimsoft/Makefile")
  call-interactively(locate)
  execute-extended-command(nil)
* call-interactively(execute-extended-command)


(I've evaluated the source lisp function.)  It appears to me that the
default-directory which is "/" is wrong for NTEmacs.  The locate-mode
defun says:

(defun locate-mode ()
  "Major mode for the `*Locate*' buffer made by \\[locate]."
  (kill-all-local-variables)
  ;; Avoid clobbering this variables
  (make-local-variable 'dired-subdir-alist)
  (use-local-map             locate-mode-map)
  (setq major-mode          'locate-mode
        mode-name           "Locate"
        default-directory   "/")

I changed default-directory to:

(defun locate-mode ()
  "Major mode for the `*Locate*' buffer made by \\[locate]."
  (kill-all-local-variables)
  ;; Avoid clobbering this variables
  (make-local-variable 'dired-subdir-alist)
  (use-local-map             locate-mode-map)
  (setq major-mode          'locate-mode
        mode-name           "Locate"
        default-directory   "C:/")

and M-x locate works again.

I have no clue if this is a "correct" fix.

Thanks,


Recent input:
n o SPC i d e a SPC i f SPC t h i s SPC i s SPC a SPC 
c o r r e c t SPC f i x SPC o r SPC n o t C-a C-k I 
SPC h a v e SPC n o SPC c l u e SPC i f SPC t h i s 
SPC i s SPC a SPC " c o r r e c t " SPC f i x . <return> 
<return> T h a n k s , M-< C-x 1 C-x C-s <menu-bar> 
<help-menu> <report-emacs-bug>

Recent messages:
Mark set [3 times]
Auto-saving...done
Back to top level.
Loading ebuff-menu...done
<<< Press Return to bury the buffer list >>>

Mark set [4 times]
Auto-saving...done
Mark set
Wrote c:/home/mecklen/emacs-bug-locate


-- 
Robert

Re: M-x locate fails with no such directory /

[Kevin Rodgers]

Robert Mecklenburg wrote:

> (defun locate-mode ()
>   "Major mode for the `*Locate*' buffer made by \\[locate]."
>   (kill-all-local-variables)
>   ;; Avoid clobbering this variables
>   (make-local-variable 'dired-subdir-alist)
>   (use-local-map             locate-mode-map)
>   (setq major-mode          'locate-mode
>         mode-name           "Locate"
>         default-directory   "/")
> 
> I changed default-directory to:
> 
> (defun locate-mode ()
>   "Major mode for the `*Locate*' buffer made by \\[locate]."
>   (kill-all-local-variables)
>   ;; Avoid clobbering this variables
>   (make-local-variable 'dired-subdir-alist)
>   (use-local-map             locate-mode-map)
>   (setq major-mode          'locate-mode
>         mode-name           "Locate"
>         default-directory   "C:/")
> 
> and M-x locate works again.

Perhaps there should be a root-directory variable that would default to

"/" on Unix, "C:/" on Windows, and something else on VMS.  It would be
analagous to the null-device variable.

-- 
Kevin Rodgers

Re: M-x locate fails with no such directory /

[Robert Mecklenburg]

RM> (I've evaluated the source lisp function.)  It appears to me that the
RM> default-directory which is "/" is wrong for NTEmacs.

EZ> Why is "/" wrong for NTEmacs?  It means the root directory on the
EZ> current drive.

Okay, I agree with your statement.  Nevertheless I get an emacs error
(and backtrace) with "/" and not with "C:/".  I don't know why.

Thanks,
-- 
Robert

Re: M-x locate fails with no such directory /

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 08:40:46 -0600
> From: Robert Mecklenburg <mecklen@cimsoft.com>
> 
> (I've evaluated the source lisp function.)  It appears to me that the
> default-directory which is "/" is wrong for NTEmacs.

Why is "/" wrong for NTEmacs?  It means the root directory on the
current drive.

Re: M-x locate fails with no such directory /

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Robert Mecklenburg <mecklen@cimsoft.com>
> Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 13:20:16 -0600
> 
> EZ> Why is "/" wrong for NTEmacs?  It means the root directory on the
> EZ> current drive.
> 
> Okay, I agree with your statement.  Nevertheless I get an emacs error
> (and backtrace) with "/" and not with "C:/".  I don't know why.

I don't know either.  This snippet from your backtrace:

    Debugger entered--Lisp error: (file-error "Setting current directory" "no such file or directory" "/")
      call-process("locate" nil t nil "cimsoft/Makefile")

doesn't make sense to me: it seems to suggest that Emacs cannot chdir
to the root of the current drive.  Does "M-x cd RET / RET" also fail
on that drive if you type it inside an Emacs session?