bug#51586: 27.2; Customize inserts trailing-space empty lines in doc string

bug#51586: 27.2; Customize inserts trailing-space empty lines in doc string

[Drew Adams]

emacs -Q
Eval this code, then `M-x customize-option foo'

(defcustom foo 42
  "Some doc.
Several possibilities:

* `xxx' - yyyyyyyyy yyyyyyyyyyyy

* `yyy' - zzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzz

* 42 - aaaaaa aaaaaaaaa
  Some more description of this.
  And some more.

  And yet more
  explanation of it.

* `qqq' - rrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrr"
  :group 'emacs :type 'sexp)

In the Customize buffer, The empty lines in the doc string get filled
with SPC chars up to the indentation.  That is, trailing whitespace
chars are inserted.  If you turn on highlighting of trailing whitespace
you can see this.  Shouldn't happen - the lines should remain empty.


In GNU Emacs 27.2 (build 1, x86_64-w64-mingw32)
 of 2021-03-26 built on CIRROCUMULUS
Repository revision: deef5efafb70f4b171265b896505b92b6eef24e6
Repository branch: HEAD
Windowing system distributor 'Microsoft Corp.', version 10.0.19042
System Description: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (v10.0.2009.19042.1288)

bug#51586: 27.2; Customize inserts trailing-space empty lines in doc string

[Stefan Kangas]

severity 51586 wishlist
thanks

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

> emacs -Q
> Eval this code, then `M-x customize-option foo'
>
> (defcustom foo 42
>   "Some doc.
> Several possibilities:
>
> * `xxx' - yyyyyyyyy yyyyyyyyyyyy
>
> * `yyy' - zzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzz
>
> * 42 - aaaaaa aaaaaaaaa
>   Some more description of this.
>   And some more.
>
>   And yet more
>   explanation of it.
>
> * `qqq' - rrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrr"
>   :group 'emacs :type 'sexp)
>
> In the Customize buffer, The empty lines in the doc string get filled
> with SPC chars up to the indentation.  That is, trailing whitespace
> chars are inserted.  If you turn on highlighting of trailing whitespace
> you can see this.  Shouldn't happen - the lines should remain empty.

Isn't it sort of nice that the user can put point at the "S" here

   Several possibilities:

   * ‘xxx’ - yyyyyyyyy yyyyyyyyyyyy

   * ‘yyy’ - zzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzz

and then hit `C-n' without having the cursor jump from column 0 to
column 4?  Neither way seems obviously better to me.

Also, does the user care about trailing whitespace here?

bug#51586: [External] : Re: bug#51586: 27.2; Customize inserts trailing-space empty lines in doc string

[Drew Adams]

> Isn't it sort of nice that the user can put point at the "S" here
> 
>    Several possibilities:
> 
>    * ‘xxx’ - yyyyyyyyy yyyyyyyyyyyy
> 
>    * ‘yyy’ - zzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzz
> 
> and then hit `C-n' without having the cursor jump from column 0 to
> column 4?  Neither way seems obviously better to me.
> Also, does the user care about trailing whitespace here?

Sounds a bit like trying to make a virtue out of a
necessity. ;-)

My impression is that many users turn on highlighting
of trailing whitespace generally.  And it's typically
a pretty glaring highlighting.

I don't turn it on, myself, except when I want to
check something.  But I think many users do.  Of
course, you can say that if many do, and they're
bothered by this, they'll report it...

Do I really care about this?  No.  Just letting you
know it happens.

(I doubt that it was by design.  I expect it was done
by accident long before we had such highlighting.  It
wouldn't even have been noticed when done.)

bug#51586: 27.2; Customize inserts trailing-space empty lines in doc string

[Lars Ingebrigtsen]

Stefan Kangas <stefan@marxist.se> writes:

> Isn't it sort of nice that the user can put point at the "S" here
>
>    Several possibilities:
>
>    * ‘xxx’ - yyyyyyyyy yyyyyyyyyyyy
>
>    * ‘yyy’ - zzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzz
>
> and then hit `C-n' without having the cursor jump from column 0 to
> column 4?  Neither way seems obviously better to me.

I think indenting this "rigidly" makes the most sense here -- i.e., not
indenting the blank lines is slightly worse.  So I'm closing this bug report.

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