Bash has `C-u` for this, but that obviously can't be used in emacs. May I suggest a variable that controls the behaviour instead of changing it completely in the future? Just don't take my INITIAL-VALUE away :)

Anyway, there does not seem to be any action to take right now. Thank you for clarifying.

Cheers,
Codruț

www.codrut.pro

-------- Original Message --------
On 27 Sep 2021, 07:40, Lars Ingebrigtsen < larsi@gnus.org> wrote:

Codruț Constantin Gușoi <mail@codrut.pro> writes:

> That's exactly the behaviour I need for renaming a file, for example; a
> prompt pre-filled with the current filename. It's the same UX as in every
> other program that does this sort of functionality and the extra keypress
> makes it harder to use.

I wasn't part of the discussions when this happened (I think it was more
than a decade ago), but I think the idea was that users were annoyed
that (in many cases) they had to remove the default completely before
being able to type stuff in.

That is, with

(read-string "PROMPT " "This is the very long default")

you have to delete all that before you can type in "foo", which is what
you wanted to say. (Or `C-a C-k' is you're an expert.)

Putting the default in the "future history" means that the user can type
"foo" immediately (if they want that), or RET if they want the default,
or `M-n' if they want to edit the default.

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