bug#11071: manual fails to point out that C-S-backspace only works with GUIs

bug#11071: manual fails to point out that C-S-backspace only works with GUIs

[Eric Hanchrow]

This bug report will be sent to the Bug-GNU-Emacs mailing list
and the GNU bug tracker at debbugs.gnu.org.  Please check that
the From: line contains a valid email address.  After a delay of up
to one day, you should receive an acknowledgement at that address.

Please write in English if possible, as the Emacs maintainers
usually do not have translators for other languages.

Please describe exactly what actions triggered the bug, and
the precise symptoms of the bug.  If you can, give a recipe
starting from `emacs -Q':

I did  C-h r g Killing whole lines RET to read the Emacs manual.

It says

    `C-S-backspace'
         Kill an entire line at once (`kill-whole-line')

However, I don't think it's possible to type `C-S-backspace' when using
emacs in console mode.  If I'm right about that, it'd be good if the
manual pointed that out -- it'd be even better if Emacs bound
kill-whole-line to something that _could_ be typed in console mode.

If Emacs crashed, and you have the Emacs process in the gdb debugger,
please include the output from the following gdb commands:
    `bt full' and `xbacktrace'.
For information about debugging Emacs, please read the file
/usr/local/src/emacs/etc/DEBUG.


In GNU Emacs 24.0.94.1 (i686-pc-linux-gnu)
 of 2012-03-04 on ip-10-170-109-252
Configured using:
 `configure '--without-x''

Important settings:
  value of $LC_ALL: nil
  value of $LC_COLLATE: nil
  value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
  value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
  value of $LC_MONETARY: nil
  value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
  value of $LC_TIME: nil
  value of $LANG: en_US.UTF-8
  value of $XMODIFIERS: nil
  locale-coding-system: utf-8-unix
  default enable-multibyte-characters: t

Major mode: Info

Minor modes in effect:
  diff-auto-refine-mode: t
  shell-dirtrack-mode: t
  erc-list-mode: t
  erc-menu-mode: t
  erc-ring-mode: t
  erc-pcomplete-mode: t
  erc-track-mode: t
  erc-track-minor-mode: t
  erc-match-mode: t
  erc-netsplit-mode: t
  erc-button-mode: t
  erc-fill-mode: t
  erc-stamp-mode: t
  erc-autojoin-mode: t
  erc-log-mode: t
  erc-services-mode: t
  erc-networks-mode: t
  erc-irccontrols-mode: t
  erc-noncommands-mode: t
  erc-move-to-prompt-mode: t
  erc-readonly-mode: t
  global-auto-revert-mode: t
  recentf-mode: t
  ido-everywhere: t
  display-time-mode: t
  file-name-shadow-mode: t
  global-font-lock-mode: t
  font-lock-mode: t
  auto-composition-mode: t
  auto-encryption-mode: t
  auto-compression-mode: t
  line-number-mode: t
  transient-mark-mode: t

Recent input:
w TAB y e s , SPC s o r r y RET C-h C-g o w TAB C-g
C-g C-p C-n i t ' s SPC p o s s i b l e SPC t h a t
SPC ESC DEL ESC DEL ESC DEL a e r SPC y o u SPC u s
e SPC c o n s o l e SPC ESC b e m a c s SPC i n SPC
a SPC C-e ESC ( a s SPC o p p o s e d SPC t o SPC w
i t h SPC a SPC G U I C-e SPC b y SPC a n y SPC c h
a n c e ? RET C-h i C-x 2 C-x b s c r a RET C-p C-p
ESC f ESC f ESC f ESC f C-h w k i l l - w h o TAB RET
DEL C-x u C-c C-@ C-x 1 ESC - C-l C-x b e m a RET a
h a , SPC t h a t ' s SPC t h e SPC p r o b l e m RET
t h e SPC m a n u a l SPC s h o w SPC p o i n t SPC
ESC b C-b DEL u l d SPC h a v e C-e ESC \ e d SPC o
u t SPC t h a t SPC t h a t SPC w o n ' t SPC w o r
k RET o w TAB j u s t SPC d o SPC C - a SPC C - k SPC
C - k RET C-h i ESC x r e p o r t - e m TAB RET

Recent messages:
Mark set
Mark saved where search started
Mark set [2 times]
Making completion list... [5 times]
Sole completion
Mark set
Quit [2 times]
kill-whole-line is on <C-S-backspace>
Undo!
Scanning for dabbrevs...99%

Load-path shadows:
~/.emacs.d/custom hides /usr/local/src/emacs/lisp/custom

Features:
(shadow mail-extr emacsbug message rfc822 mml mml-sec mm-decode
mm-bodies mm-encode mailabbrev gmm-utils mailheader tabify rect scheme
doctor sql-indent sql dired-aux pcmpl-gnu novice descr-text cc-mode
cc-fonts cc-guess cc-menus cc-cmds cc-styles cc-align cc-engine cc-vars
cc-defs two-column ruby-mode python-21 python macros lisp-mnt log-view
cus-edit cus-start cus-load crm debug edit-list hi-lock parse-time
url-cache url-http mail-parse rfc2231 url-gw url-auth url url-proxy
url-privacy url-expand url-methods url-history url-cookie url-util
url-parse url-vars mailcap finder-inf chistory org-wl org-w3m org-vm
org-rmail org-mhe org-mew org-irc org-jsinfo org-infojs org-html org-exp
ob-exp org-exp-blocks org-agenda org-info org-gnus org-docview
org-bibtex bibtex org-bbdb org ob-emacs-lisp ob-tangle ob-ref ob-lob
ob-table org-footnote org-src ob-comint ob-keys ob ob-eval org-pcomplete
org-list org-faces org-compat org-entities org-macs noutline outline
cal-menu calendar cal-loaddefs ffap smerge-mode newcomment sort log-edit
pcvs-util add-log diff-mode easy-mmode vc-bzr vc-sccs vc-svn vc-cvs
vc-rcs vc-dir ewoc vc ediff-merg ediff-diff ediff-wind ediff-help
ediff-util ediff-mult ediff-init ediff vc-dispatcher iso-transl
disp-table jka-compr pcmpl-unix apropos shell info dabbrev multi-isearch
network-stream tls erc-menu erc-ring erc-pcomplete pcomplete erc-track
erc-match erc-netsplit erc-hl-nicks erc-button erc-fill erc-stamp
erc-truncate erc-spelling flyspell ispell erc-join erc-log erc-services
erc-networks erc-goodies erc erc-backend erc-compat format-spec
thingatpt pp color help-mode view woman man erc-hl-nicks-autoloads
package tabulated-list eldoc midnight uniquify warnings protbuf etags
vc-git derived autorevert paste-to-dropbox advice help-fns
advice-preload path server starttls smtpmail auth-source eieio byte-opt
bytecomp byte-compile cconv macroexp assoc gnus-util time-date
password-cache sendmail rfc2047 rfc2045 ietf-drums mm-util mail-prsvr
mail-utils grep compile comint ansi-color ring tool-bar cl find-func
ibuf-ext ibuf-macs ibuffer recentf tree-widget wid-edit ido dired-x
easymenu dired regexp-opt edmacro kmacro rx autoinsert time image
ediff-hook vc-hooks lisp-float-type lisp-mode register page menu-bar
rfn-eshadow timer select mouse jit-lock font-lock syntax facemenu
font-core frame cham georgian utf-8-lang misc-lang vietnamese tibetan
thai tai-viet lao korean japanese hebrew greek romanian slovak czech
european ethiopic indian cyrillic chinese case-table epa-hook
jka-cmpr-hook help simple abbrev minibuffer loaddefs button faces
cus-face files text-properties overlay sha1 md5 base64 format env
code-pages mule custom widget hashtable-print-readable backquote
make-network-process dbusbind multi-tty emacs)

bug#11071: manual fails to point out that C-S-backspace only works with GUIs

[Glenn Morris]

Eric Hanchrow wrote:

>     `C-S-backspace'
>          Kill an entire line at once (`kill-whole-line')
>
> However, I don't think it's possible to type `C-S-backspace' when using
> emacs in console mode. 

No, it usually isn't. Ref "Other Character Modifier Bits" in the lispref.

> If I'm right about that, it'd be good if the manual pointed that out

I guess it could mention it.

> -- it'd be even better if Emacs bound kill-whole-line to something
> that _could_ be typed in console mode.

The binding is 9 years old and was extensively discussed at the time.

http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2003-05/msg00667.html

C-a C-k ? ;)

bug#11071: manual fails to point out that C-S-backspace only works with GUIs

[Chong Yidong]

Eric Hanchrow <eric.hanchrow@gmail.com> writes:

> I did  C-h r g Killing whole lines RET to read the Emacs manual.
>
> It says
>
>     `C-S-backspace'
>          Kill an entire line at once (`kill-whole-line')
>
> However, I don't think it's possible to type `C-S-backspace' when using
> emacs in console mode.  If I'm right about that, it'd be good if the
> manual pointed that out -- it'd be even better if Emacs bound
> kill-whole-line to something that _could_ be typed in console mode.

Further down, the manual says:

   `C-S-backspace' (`kill-whole-line') kills a whole line including its
 newline, regardless of the position of point within the line.  Note
 that many text terminals will prevent you from typing the key sequence
 `C-S-backspace'.

I'd rather not go hunting for a new key for this command, for the reason
that Glenn gave.