bug#10542: 24.0.92; `Search' field in Customize

bug#10542: 24.0.92; `Search' field in Customize

[Drew Adams]

This search field is unlike any search field a user has seen before (at
least this user): whitespace, particularly whitespace at the field
beginning and end, is significant (searched for).
 
While this is no doubt a feature (this is not indexed, full-text search,
after all), it is not obvious to users.
 
At the very least, the :help mouseover text should make this very clear.
 
It might also help to display double quotes around the field - quotes
that are not searched for.  Dunno though - that too could be confusing
if a user searches for a string that starts with a double-quote etc.
 
But something definitely needs to be done.  It is all to easy to click
the mouse somewhere in the middle or at the end of the search field,
type a word/symbol, and click `Search', only to see "No matches".
 
The only way a user is likely to figure out what's happening is to (a)
figure out what function is invoked by the `Search' button and (b) debug
that function, to see what's going on.
 

In GNU Emacs 24.0.92.1 (i386-mingw-nt5.1.2600) of 2012-01-16 on MARVIN
 Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 5.1.2600
 configured using `configure --with-gcc (4.6) --no-opt --cflags
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/libXpm-3.5.8/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/libXpm-3.5.8/src
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/libpng-dev_1.4.3-1/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/zlib-dev_1.2.5-2/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/giflib-4.1.4-1/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/jpeg-6b-4/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/tiff-3.8.2-1/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/gnutls-3.0.9/include --ldflags
 -LD:/devel/emacs/libs/gnutls-3.0.9/lib'
 

bug#10542: 24.0.92; `Search' field in Customize

[Chong Yidong]

"Drew Adams" <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:

> This search field is unlike any search field a user has seen before
> (at least this user): whitespace, particularly whitespace at the field
> beginning and end, is significant (searched for).

Please provide a precise step-by-step recipe for reproducing the problem
you have in mind, starting from emacs -Q.

bug#10542: 24.0.92; `Search' field in Customize

[Drew Adams]

> > This search field is unlike any search field a user has seen before
> > (at least this user): whitespace, particularly whitespace 
> > at the field beginning and end, is significant (searched for).
> 
> Please provide a precise step-by-step recipe for reproducing 
> the problem you have in mind, starting from emacs -Q.

I did that:

> click the mouse somewhere in the middle or at the end of
> the search field, type a word/symbol, and click `Search',
> only to see "No matches".

Since that and the other descriptions I gave of the problem are apparently not
enough, let me try again.

1. emacs -Q

2. M-x customize-option <ANY OPTION YOU LIKE>

3. Click mouse-1 somewhere past the beginning of the Search field.

4. Type `link' or some other substring of an option name.

Resulting message:
"No customizable items matching    link"

This is clearly unusual and unexpected behavior - and unexplained.

As I said, this is clearly a feature - good, not bad.  But it needs to be made
clear to the user.  I proposed some ways in which that could be done.

Most users are not used to whitespace, particularly leading and trailing
whitespace, being significant in a search field, without the use of delimiters
such as quotes.

Additionally, any no-hit message should clearly delimit the search string: wrap
it in `...' or highlight it or something, to set it off from the message text
that refers to it.  The search string is, in fact, being quoted without any
quote indication.

bug#10542: 24.0.92; `Search' field in Customize

[Chong Yidong]

"Drew Adams" <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:

> 1. emacs -Q
> 2. M-x customize-option <ANY OPTION YOU LIKE>
> 3. Click mouse-1 somewhere past the beginning of the Search field.
> 4. Type `link' or some other substring of an option name.
>
> Resulting message:
> "No customizable items matching    link"

The missing step, not in this recipe, is that you click on "Search"
button, rather than typing RET.  The "Search" button was bugged.  Fixed
in trunk; thanks.

bug#10542: 24.0.92; `Search' field in Customize

[Drew Adams]

> > 1. emacs -Q
> > 2. M-x customize-option <ANY OPTION YOU LIKE>
> > 3. Click mouse-1 somewhere past the beginning of the Search field.
> > 4. Type `link' or some other substring of an option name.
> >
> > Resulting message:
> > "No customizable items matching    link"
> 
> The missing step, not in this recipe, is that you click on "Search"
> button, rather than typing RET.  The "Search" button was 
> bugged.  Fixed in trunk; thanks.

Sorry about that.  I did, however, mention the Search button in the original
report.  Thanks for fixing it.