bug#46153: recentf should keep files in most recently used order

bug#46153: recentf should keep files in most recently used order

[laszlomail--- via Bug reports for GNU Emacs, the Swiss army knife of text editors]

recentf is very useful for revisiting files, I use it a lot with
completion to reopen files. Completion which puts the most recent
file first.

However, it has a slight problem: it shows the recently opened
files, instead of the recently *used* files.

For example, if I open files a, b, c, d, e in this order and use
them, but in the end I use only files a and b for the last part
of my task and want to revisit this files later then recentf
provides this list (most recent first):

e
d
c
b
a


But I used a and b last a lot, so it's more likely I want to open
those again, so recentf should give me, for example:

b
a
d
e
c


So it should track buffer switches as well and update the recentf
list by moving the file corresponding to the current buffer to
the beginnining of the list (maybe updating the list from an idle
timer if it's costly, there is no need for immediate updates for a
long recentf list, I have 2000 files in it).

This is much more useful than simply tracking file
openings. Other tools also put most recently used files
first. Emacs should do the same.

bug#46153: Acknowledgement (recentf should keep files in most recently used order)

[laszlomail--- via Bug reports for GNU Emacs, the Swiss army knife of text editors]

Apparently, this is all what's needed:

  (add-hook 'buffer-list-update-hook 'recentf-track-opened-file)


So buffer-list-update-hook should be added to recentf-used-hooks
in recentf.el


‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
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bug#46153: recentf should keep files in most recently used order

[Lars Ingebrigtsen]

reporter <laszlomail@protonmail.com> writes:

> Apparently, this is all what's needed:
>
>   (add-hook 'buffer-list-update-hook 'recentf-track-opened-file)
>
> So buffer-list-update-hook should be added to recentf-used-hooks
> in recentf.el

Some people would want the current behaviour, so I don't think doing
this by default would be the right thing to do, but I can certainly see
people who'd prefer recentf to work in this way.

So I've mentioned doing this `add-hook' in the recentf-mode doc string
in Emacs 28.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no