This is more of an
enhancement suggestion than a bug report.
If you are entering
Lisp code for evaluation (e.g. `M-:'), then you don't want to exit the
minibuffer when you complete a Lisp symbol. For example, you have "(sear" when
you use `lisp-complete-symbol' to pick `search-forward'; you want the minibuffer
to have "(search-forward" and let you continue to type code.
For this reason, I
modified choose-completion-string to recognize this. Below is my version from
Emacs 20, but I think the code is about the same for Emacs 21 (the "problem" is
still there, in any case). My code uses variable command-calling-for-completion
from library `elect-mbuf.el', but the test could be done differently. That
variable just holds the last command that caused display of the list of possible
completions.
;; REPLACES
ORIGINAL in `simple.el':
;; Don't exit minibuffer if this is just a
`lisp-complete-symbol' completion.
(defun choose-completion-string (choice
&optional buffer base-size)
"Switch to BUFFER and insert the
completion choice CHOICE.
BASE-SIZE, if non-nil, says how many chars of
BUFFER's text to keep.
If it is nil, use `choose-completion-delete-max-match'
instead.
If BUFFER is the minibuffer, then exit the minibuffer,
unless:
- it is reading a file name and CHOICE is a directory,
*or*
- `completion-no-auto-exit' is non-nil,
*or*
- this is just a `lisp-complete-symbol'
completion."
(let ((buffer (or buffer completion-reference-buffer))) ;
In `simple.el'.
;; If BUFFER is a minibuffer, barf unless
it's currently active.
(when (and (string-match "\\`
\\*Minibuf-[0-9]+\\*\\'"
(buffer-name
buffer))
(or (not
(active-minibuffer-window))
(not (equal
buffer
(window-buffer (active-minibuffer-window))))))
(error "Minibuffer is not active for completion."))
;;
Insert the completion into the buffer where completion was
requested.
(set-buffer buffer)
(if
base-size
(delete-region (+
base-size (point-min)) (point))
(choose-completion-delete-max-match choice))
(insert
choice)
(remove-text-properties (- (point) (length
choice))
(point)
'(mouse-face nil))
;; Update point in the window that
BUFFER is showing in.
(let ((window (get-buffer-window
buffer t)))
(set-window-point window
(point)))
;; If completing for the minibuffer, exit it
with this choice,
;; unless this was a
`lisp-complete-symbol' completion.
(and (not
completion-no-auto-exit)
(equal buffer (window-buffer
(minibuffer-window)))
minibuffer-completion-table
(not (and (boundp 'command-calling-for-completion) ; Defined
in
`elect-mbuf.el'.
(eq 'lisp-complete-symbol
command-calling-for-completion)))
;; If this is reading a file name, and the file name
chosen
;; is a directory,
don't exit the minibuffer.
(if (and (eq minibuffer-completion-table
'read-file-name-internal)
(file-directory-p
(buffer-string)))
(select-window
(active-minibuffer-window))
(exit-minibuffer)))))