bug#15811: 24.3.50; enhancement request: provide history for *Pp Eval Output*

bug#15811: 24.3.50; enhancement request: provide history for *Pp Eval Output*

[Drew Adams]

Consider providing a navigable history for buffer *Pp Eval Output*.
This would be similar to `l' and `r' in *Info* or the [back] and
[forward] links in *Help*.  But instead of adding links to the buffer,
use keys or menu items.

Currently there is not even any undo in *Pp Eval Output*.  It can be
useful to revisit previous evaluation results.

In GNU Emacs 24.3.50.1 (i686-pc-mingw32)
 of 2013-10-19 on LEG570
Bzr revision: 114715 rgm@gnu.org-20131019023520-s8mwtib7xcx9e05w
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 6.1.7601
Configured using:
 `configure --enable-checking 'CFLAGS=-O0 -g3' CPPFLAGS=-DGLYPH_DEBUG=1'

bug#15811: 24.3.50; enhancement request: provide history for *Pp Eval Output*

[Glenn Morris]

I've never felt the need for such a feature, but if you think this is
important, you could supply a patch for consideration.

bug#15811: 24.3.50; enhancement request: provide history for *Pp Eval Output*

[Lars Ingebrigtsen]

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

> Consider providing a navigable history for buffer *Pp Eval Output*.
> This would be similar to `l' and `r' in *Info* or the [back] and
> [forward] links in *Help*.  But instead of adding links to the buffer,
> use keys or menu items.
>
> Currently there is not even any undo in *Pp Eval Output*.  It can be
> useful to revisit previous evaluation results.

If we're storing the expressions in the history and redoing them, then
that sounds potentially dangerous.  (There may be something destructive
going on.)  If we're saving the buffer contents, then that sounds
... unusual.

So I don't think this sounds like a very useful feature.  Closing.

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

bug#15811: 24.3.50; enhancement request: provide history for *Pp Eval Output*

[Drew Adams]

> > Consider providing a navigable history for buffer *Pp Eval Output*.
> > This would be similar to `l' and `r' in *Info* or the [back] and
> > [forward] links in *Help*.  But instead of adding links to the buffer,
> > use keys or menu items.
> >
> > Currently there is not even any undo in *Pp Eval Output*.  It can be
> > useful to revisit previous evaluation results.
> 
> If we're storing the expressions in the history and redoing them, then
> that sounds potentially dangerous.  (There may be something destructive
> going on.)  If we're saving the buffer contents, then that sounds
> ... unusual.

It's no different from what we do with `*Help*', except that
yes, I meant saving the buffers (output), not automatically
reevaluating the sexps.  As I said: "useful to revisit previous
evaluation results".

Your criticism in that case is that this would be "unusual"?
Not for someone who uses *Pp Eval Output* a lot.  This is
similar to requests for saving *grep* buffers etc.

The other possibility to consider is simply providing undo,
so you can go backward to previous results (and forward again).
That would less handy than separate buffers with navigation,
but it would be better than nothing.

> So I don't think this sounds like a very useful feature.  Closing.