bug#22625: 24.5; Please add index entry for `~ filename suffix' to manual for node `Backup Names'

bug#22625: 24.5; Please add index entry for `~ filename suffix' to manual for node `Backup Names'

[Drew Adams]

Subject line says it all.

See http://emacs.stackexchange.com/q/20216/105.

It's a reasonable question.  A user sees files with `~' at the end of
the name, and wonders what they are.  How to find info about that in the
manual?


In GNU Emacs 24.5.1 (i686-pc-mingw32)
 of 2015-04-11 on LEG570
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 6.1.7601
Configured using:
 `configure --prefix=/c/usr --host=i686-pc-mingw32'

bug#22625: 24.5; Please add index entry for `~ filename suffix' to manual for node `Backup Names'

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2016 15:04:27 -0800 (PST)
> From: Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>
> 
> See http://emacs.stackexchange.com/q/20216/105.
> 
> It's a reasonable question.  A user sees files with `~' at the end of
> the name, and wonders what they are.  How to find info about that in the
> manual?

I added index entries, but I really doubt this will help
discoverability: there are 12 index entries in the manual that include
"~", and the new one I added is the 5th hit...

bug#22625: 24.5; Please add index entry for `~ filename suffix' to manual for node `Backup Names'

[Kaushal Modi]

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I am not sure I understood the request.

On emacs built from emacs-25 branch (could not verify the same on 24.5), by
doing,

C-h i g (emacs) Backup Names

I get a very good explanation of how the backup files are named.

=====

When Emacs makes a backup file, its name is normally constructed by
appending ‘~’ to the file name being edited; thus, the backup file for
‘eval.c’ would be ‘eval.c~’.

   If access control stops Emacs from writing backup files under the
usual names, it writes the backup file as ‘~/.emacs.d/%backup%~’.  Only
one such file can exist, so only the most recently made such backup is
available.

   Emacs can also make "numbered backup files".  Numbered backup file
names contain ‘.~’, the number, and another ‘~’ after the original file
name.  Thus, the backup files of ‘eval.c’ would be called ‘eval.c.~1~’,
‘eval.c.~2~’, and so on, all the way through names like ‘eval.c.~259~’
and beyond.

[snip]
=====

Should this bug be closed?

--
Kaushal Modi

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bug#22625: 24.5; Please add index entry for `~ filename suffix' to manual for node `Backup Names'

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Kaushal Modi <kaushal.modi@gmail.com>
> Date: Sat, 13 Feb 2016 10:24:56 -0500
> 
> I am not sure I understood the request.
> 
> On emacs built from emacs-25 branch (could not verify the same on 24.5), by doing,
> 
> C-h i g (emacs) Backup Names
> 
> I get a very good explanation of how the backup files are named.

Drew didn't say the text was insufficient, he asked for index
entries.  IOW, how do you find quickly what a tilde at the end of a
file name means?

bug#22625: 24.5; Please add index entry for `~ filename suffix' to manual for node `Backup Names'

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Sat, 13 Feb 2016 17:37:36 +0200
> From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
> Cc: 22625@debbugs.gnu.org
> 
> Drew didn't say the text was insufficient, he asked for index
> entries.  IOW, how do you find quickly what a tilde at the end of a
> file name means?

Oh, and I already closed the bug.

bug#22625: 24.5; Please add index entry for `~ filename suffix' to manual for node `Backup Names'

[Drew Adams]

> I added index entries, but I really doubt this will help
> discoverability: there are 12 index entries in the manual that
> include "~", and the new one I added is the 5th hit...

Thanks, Eli.  I think it will help, nevertheless.  Without this
it is really not easy to ask Emacs what those ~-suffixed files
are.  A user sees them and can wonder what they are.  This will
help.

But I agree with you that when there are multiple index entries
that match a prefix it is cumbersome to notice and get to one
that you might want.  That's a general problem.