bug#36588: Unable to revert M-x apropos help buffer

["Basil L. Contovounesios" <contovob@tcd.ie>]

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severity 36588 minor
tags 36588 + patch
quit

Stefan Kangas <stefan@marxist.se> writes:

> I get an error trying to revert the apropos help buffer on Emacs 27
> (current master).  I could also reproduce this on 26.1.
>
> Steps to reproduce:
> 0. emacs -Q
> 1. M-x apropos RET foo RET
> 2. C-x o
> 3. g yes RET
> 4. Error:
> apply: Symbol’s function definition is void: nil
>
> Backtrace:
> Debugger entered--Lisp error: (void-function nil)
>   nil()
>   apply(nil nil)
>   help-mode-revert-buffer(t nil)
>   revert-buffer(t)
>   funcall-interactively(revert-buffer t)
>   #<subr call-interactively>(revert-buffer nil nil)
>   apply(#<subr call-interactively> revert-buffer (nil nil))
>   call-interactively@ido-cr+-record-current-command(#<subr
> call-interactively> revert-buffer nil nil)
>   apply(call-interactively@ido-cr+-record-current-command #<subr
> call-interactively> (revert-buffer nil nil))
>   call-interactively(revert-buffer nil nil)
>   command-execute(revert-buffer)

This is because Apropos buffers are set up in apropos-print using
with-output-to-temp-buffer, which by default calls help-mode, which sets
revert-buffer-function permanently-locally to help-mode-revert-buffer.

[Aside: Why is revert-buffer-function permanent-local?]

help-mode-revert-buffer expects the command which generated the Help
buffer to have previously called help-setup-xref.  This should be
possible to do in Apropos, but it would be quite ugly as help-setup-xref
needs to be called with the Help buffer current, so Apropos commands
would need to set their own version of help-xref-stack-item before
apropos-print performs the help-setup-xref dance.  Besides, Apropos
buffers are not (currently) really Help buffers.

Instead, I propose emulating a simpler version of help-setup-xref
specific to Apropos:


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From 890d2d6c1447f207892be734ab7412b4b471ddb7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Basil L. Contovounesios" <contovob@tcd.ie>
Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2019 15:11:35 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] Support reverting Apropos buffers (bug#36588)

* lisp/apropos.el (apropos--current): New variable akin to
help-xref-stack-item storing information for revert-buffer.
(apropos--revert-buffer): New function.
(apropos-mode): Use it as revert-buffer-function.
(apropos-command, apropos, apropos-library, apropos-value)
(apropos-local-value, apropos-documentation): Set apropos--current
in low-level commands, i.e., those which do not call other commands.
---
 lisp/apropos.el | 22 +++++++++++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 21 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/lisp/apropos.el b/lisp/apropos.el
index 1b86f5bcde..79e5a1518f 100644
--- a/lisp/apropos.el
+++ b/lisp/apropos.el
@@ -212,6 +212,12 @@ apropos-synonyms
 Each element is a list of words where the first word is the standard Emacs
 term, and the rest of the words are alternative terms.")
 
+(defvar apropos--current nil
+  "List of current Apropos function followed by its arguments.
+Used by `apropos--revert-buffer' to regenerate the current
+Apropos buffer.  Each Apropos command should ensure it is set
+before `apropos-mode' makes it buffer-local.")
+
 \f
 ;;; Button types used by apropos
 
@@ -472,10 +478,18 @@ apropos-true-hit-doc
   "Return t if DOC is really matched by the current keywords."
   (apropos-true-hit doc apropos-all-words))
 
+(defun apropos--revert-buffer (_ignore-auto noconfirm)
+  "Regenerate current Apropos buffer using `apropos--current'.
+Intended as a value for `revert-buffer-function'."
+  (when (or noconfirm (yes-or-no-p "Revert apropos buffer? "))
+    (apply #'funcall apropos--current)))
+
 (define-derived-mode apropos-mode special-mode "Apropos"
   "Major mode for following hyperlinks in output of apropos commands.
 
-\\{apropos-mode-map}")
+\\{apropos-mode-map}"
+  (make-local-variable 'apropos--current)
+  (setq-local revert-buffer-function #'apropos--revert-buffer))
 
 (defvar apropos-multi-type t
   "If non-nil, this apropos query concerns multiple types.
@@ -550,6 +564,7 @@ apropos-command
 		      (if (or current-prefix-arg apropos-do-all)
 			  "command or function" "command"))
 		     current-prefix-arg))
+  (setq apropos--current (list #'apropos-command pattern do-all var-predicate))
   (apropos-parse-pattern pattern)
   (let ((message
 	 (let ((standard-output (get-buffer-create "*Apropos*")))
@@ -628,6 +643,7 @@ apropos
 Returns list of symbols and documentation found."
   (interactive (list (apropos-read-pattern "symbol")
 		     current-prefix-arg))
+  (setq apropos--current (list #'apropos pattern do-all))
   (apropos-parse-pattern pattern)
   (apropos-symbols-internal
    (apropos-internal apropos-regexp
@@ -670,6 +686,7 @@ apropos-library
                          libs))
                   libs)))
      (list (completing-read "Describe library: " libs nil t))))
+  (setq apropos--current (list #'apropos-library file))
   (let ((symbols nil)
 	;; (autoloads nil)
 	(provides nil)
@@ -776,6 +793,7 @@ apropos-value
 Returns list of symbols and values found."
   (interactive (list (apropos-read-pattern "value")
 		     current-prefix-arg))
+  (setq apropos--current (list #'apropos-value pattern do-all))
   (apropos-parse-pattern pattern)
   (or do-all (setq do-all apropos-do-all))
   (setq apropos-accumulator ())
@@ -815,6 +833,7 @@ apropos-local-value
 Optional arg BUFFER (default: current buffer) is the buffer to check."
   (interactive (list (apropos-read-pattern "value of buffer-local variable")))
   (unless buffer (setq buffer  (current-buffer)))
+  (setq apropos--current (list #'apropos-local-value pattern buffer))
   (apropos-parse-pattern pattern)
   (setq apropos-accumulator  ())
   (let ((var             nil))
@@ -856,6 +875,7 @@ apropos-documentation
   ;; output, but I cannot see that that is true.
   (interactive (list (apropos-read-pattern "documentation")
 		     current-prefix-arg))
+  (setq apropos--current (list #'apropos-documentation pattern do-all))
   (apropos-parse-pattern pattern)
   (or do-all (setq do-all apropos-do-all))
   (setq apropos-accumulator () apropos-files-scanned ())
-- 
2.20.1


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I don't consider this duplication because, unless Apropos were
completely refactored, setting something like apropos--current would be
necessary either way.  This has the added perk of not coupling Apropos
with Help any more than it currently needs to be.

WDYT?

Thanks,

-- 
Basil