bug#45044: 28.0.50; y-or-n-p-with-timout: allows me to go with the arrow to begin of the minibuffer

bug#45044: 28.0.50; y-or-n-p-with-timout: allows me to go with the arrow to begin of the minibuffer

[Jean Louis]

(y-or-n-p-with-timeout "No parent nodes, do you wish to exit? " 2 nil)

It allows me, and it should not, to move cursor with arrow left to begin
of the buffer over the words "No parent nodes..."


In GNU Emacs 28.0.50 (build 2, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, X toolkit, cairo version 1.14.8, Xaw3d scroll bars)
 of 2020-11-25 built on protected.rcdrun.com
Repository revision: 30c437752df0a3a9410f1249fa0f237110811af2
Repository branch: master
Windowing system distributor 'The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.11907000
System Description: Hyperbola GNU/Linux-libre

Configured using:
 'configure --prefix=/package/text/emacs --with-modules
 --with-x-toolkit=lucid'

Configured features:
XAW3D XPM JPEG TIFF GIF PNG RSVG CAIRO SOUND GPM DBUS GSETTINGS GLIB
NOTIFY INOTIFY ACL GNUTLS LIBXML2 FREETYPE HARFBUZZ M17N_FLT LIBOTF ZLIB
TOOLKIT_SCROLL_BARS LUCID X11 XDBE XIM MODULES THREADS JSON PDUMPER
LCMS2

Important settings:
  value of $LC_ALL: en_US.UTF-8
  value of $LANG: de_DE.UTF-8
  value of $XMODIFIERS: @im=exwm-xim
  locale-coding-system: utf-8-unix

Major mode: Lisp Interaction

Minor modes in effect:
  tooltip-mode: t
  global-eldoc-mode: t
  eldoc-mode: t
  electric-indent-mode: t
  mouse-wheel-mode: t
  tool-bar-mode: t
  menu-bar-mode: t
  file-name-shadow-mode: t
  global-font-lock-mode: t
  font-lock-mode: t
  blink-cursor-mode: t
  auto-composition-mode: t
  auto-encryption-mode: t
  auto-compression-mode: t
  line-number-mode: t
  transient-mark-mode: t

Load-path shadows:
None found.

Features:
(shadow sort hashcash mail-extr emacsbug message rmc puny dired
dired-loaddefs ...)

Memory information:
((conses 16 54230 7343)
 (symbols 48 7290 1)
 (strings 32 20170 1251)
 (string-bytes 1 642774)
 (vectors 16 11522)
 (vector-slots 8 164377 7425)
 (floats 8 26 42)
 (intervals 56 179 53)
 (buffers 984 11))

-- 
Thanks,
Jean Louis
⎔ λ 🄯 𝍄 𝌡 𝌚

bug#45044: 28.0.50; y-or-n-p-with-timout: allows me to go with the arrow to begin of the minibuffer

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Jean Louis <admin@gnu.support>
> Date: Sat, 05 Dec 2020 00:47:55 +0300
> 
> (y-or-n-p-with-timeout "No parent nodes, do you wish to exit? " 2 nil)
> 
> It allows me, and it should not, to move cursor with arrow left to begin
> of the buffer over the words "No parent nodes..."

Why shouldn't it?

bug#45044: 28.0.50; y-or-n-p-with-timout: allows me to go with the arrow to begin of the minibuffer

[Jean Louis]

* Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> [2020-12-05 10:49]:
> > From: Jean Louis <admin@gnu.support>
> > Date: Sat, 05 Dec 2020 00:47:55 +0300
> > 
> > (y-or-n-p-with-timeout "No parent nodes, do you wish to exit? " 2 nil)
> > 
> > It allows me, and it should not, to move cursor with arrow left to begin
> > of the buffer over the words "No parent nodes..."
> 
> Why shouldn't it?

I see that those reading functions allow user to go back. Myself
I did not maybe use for decades arrows or C-b to go back, as I
always used BACKSPACE and I am relying that backspace will not
bring me into impossible situation not to be on read-only text
when I am anyway just asked to enter something, and not to edit
the non-editable prompt.

Thus from experience of using always BACKSPACE and BACKSPACE does
not allow me to move to the read-only prompt comes also the
expectation that arrows or C-b should not move cursor to the
prompt itself as it is not useful to be on prompt as I just want
to enter text.

The minibuffer also does not move cursor to begin of the prompt
when using C-a and when there is all that prevention for cursor
not to move to the prompt then C-b and left arrow makes me
surprised and it appears as unwanted behavior.

Maybe it is wanted. To me it is rather unexpected due to habit. I
expect left arrow not to be able to move onto read-only text.

bug#45044: 28.0.50; y-or-n-p-with-timout: allows me to go with the arrow to begin of the minibuffer

[Eli Zaretskii]

tags 45044 notabug
close 45044
thanks

> Date: Sat, 5 Dec 2020 11:08:25 +0300
> From: Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>
> Cc: 45044@debbugs.gnu.org
> 
> > > (y-or-n-p-with-timeout "No parent nodes, do you wish to exit? " 2 nil)
> > > 
> > > It allows me, and it should not, to move cursor with arrow left to begin
> > > of the buffer over the words "No parent nodes..."
> > 
> > Why shouldn't it?
> 
> I see that those reading functions allow user to go back. Myself
> I did not maybe use for decades arrows or C-b to go back, as I
> always used BACKSPACE and I am relying that backspace will not
> bring me into impossible situation not to be on read-only text
> when I am anyway just asked to enter something, and not to edit
> the non-editable prompt.

You cannot edit it, but you can move around there in non-destructive
ways.

> Thus from experience of using always BACKSPACE and BACKSPACE does
> not allow me to move to the read-only prompt comes also the
> expectation that arrows or C-b should not move cursor to the
> prompt itself as it is not useful to be on prompt as I just want
> to enter text.

BACKSPACE deletes, so it is not allowed in read-only text.  C-b
doesn't modify the text, so it is allowed.  It can come in handy if,
for example, you want to copy (M-w) the entire contents of the
minibuffer, or its portions that include the prompt.

> The minibuffer also does not move cursor to begin of the prompt
> when using C-a and when there is all that prevention for cursor
> not to move to the prompt then C-b and left arrow makes me
> surprised and it appears as unwanted behavior.

C-a behaves specially in these cases.  In particular, try this:

  C-a C-b C-a

> Maybe it is wanted. To me it is rather unexpected due to habit. I
> expect left arrow not to be able to move onto read-only text.

This expectation is outdated since Emacs 21.1, where "fields" were
introduced into Emacs.  Read all about fields in the node "Fields" of
the ELisp manual.

I'm therefore closing this bug report.