bug#9429: 24.0.50; Extended count-words

bug#9429: 24.0.50; Extended count-words

[Reuben Thomas]

I noticed the function count-words-region recently, which is similar to
a function ‘wc’ which I’ve been using for some time.

I noticed that it was possible to combine the two functions without
disturbing either. I offer the following superset function, which has
the convenient name “wc”, for use as an unbound command, i.e. M-x wc
RET.

The implementation below is intended to replace count-words-region for
users, since it behaves like count-words-region, but with some
additional features: it counts the whole buffer if there is no region,
and allows the word count to be inserted in the buffer when called
interactively, by use of a prefix argument. However, for the moment it
does this by calling count-words-region, rather than reimplementing it.

It seems to me that it could, however, replace count-words-region
(ideally, from my point of view, with a “wc” convenience alias), and I’d
be happy to supply such a definition.

I have an Emacs copyright assignment on file, and I’d be delighted if
this function were adopted in Emacs.

(defun wc (start end)
  "Print the number of words in the region or buffer.
When called interactively, the word count is printed in echo area,
unless a prefix argument is given."
  (interactive "r")
  (if (called-interactively-p 'interactive)
      (if (use-region-p) (setq start (region-beginning) end (region-end))
        (setq start (point-min) end (point-max))))
  (let ((matches (count-words-region start end)))
    (if (or (not (called-interactively-p 'interactive)) current-prefix-arg)
        (insert-string (number-to-string matches))
      (message "%s has %d words"
               (if (use-region-p) "Region" "Buffer")
               matches))))


In GNU Emacs 24.0.50.2 (x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 2.24.4)
 of 2011-09-03 on skwd
Windowing system distributor `The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.11001000
Important settings:
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  value of $LANG: en_GB.UTF-8
  value of $XMODIFIERS: nil
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  default enable-multibyte-characters: t

Major mode: Emacs-Lisp

Minor modes in effect:
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  server-mode: t
  savehist-mode: t
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  auto-encryption-mode: t
  auto-compression-mode: t
  column-number-mode: t
  line-number-mode: t
  transient-mark-mode: t

Recent input:
M-> M-< M-x M-x r e p o r t - e m a c s - b u g <r
eturn>

Recent messages:
Loading vc-git...done
Wrote /home/rrt/.emacs.desktop.lock
Desktop: 4 buffers restored, 40 to restore lazily.
For information about GNU Emacs and the GNU system, type C-h C-a.
Mark set [2 times]
Loading cperl-mode...done
Loading make-mode...done
Loading /home/rrt/local/share/emacs/site-lisp/lua-mode.el (source)...
prefix key set to "C-c"
Loading /home/rrt/local/share/emacs/site-lisp/lua-mode.el (source)...done

Load-path shadows:
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Features:
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magit-autoloads mv-shell-autoloads tumble-autoloads
http-post-simple-autoloads package tabulated-list completing-help
recentf tree-widget wid-edit uniquify paren server savehist
minibuf-eldef iswitchb icomplete whitespace autorevert desktop cus-start
cus-load ropemacs pymacs go-mode-load ffap ispell advice advice-preload
yasnippet help-fns derived edmacro kmacro easymenu assoc cl psgml-init
muse-autoloads emacs-goodies-el emacs-goodies-custom
emacs-goodies-loaddefs easy-mmode preview-latex tex-site auto-loads
user-site-loaddefs time-date tooltip ediff-hook vc-hooks lisp-float-type
mwheel x-win x-dnd tool-bar dnd fontset image fringe lisp-mode register
page menu-bar rfn-eshadow timer select scroll-bar 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
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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 dynamic-setting
system-font-setting font-render-setting move-toolbar gtk x-toolkit x
multi-tty emacs)

-- 
http://rrt.sc3d.org/

bug#9429: 24.0.50; Extended count-words

[Stefan Monnier]

> It seems to me that it could, however, replace count-words-region
> (ideally, from my point of view, with a “wc” convenience alias), and I’d
> be happy to supply such a definition.

That would be good, yes.  I don't see a need for a `wc' alias, tho.


        Stefan


PS: Note that the (use-region-p) check should be within the `interactive'
spec rather than within the function body, as in:

  (interactive (if (use-region-p) (list (region-beginning) (region-end))
                   (list (point-min) (point-max))))

this both because you avoid getting errors (from the "r" spec) when the
mark is not yet set, and because it's better to compute interactive args
in the `interactive' spec than within the function body under
a called-interactively-p test.

bug#9429: 24.0.50; Extended count-words

[Reuben Thomas]

On 7 September 2011 02:51, Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> wrote:
>> It seems to me that it could, however, replace count-words-region
>> (ideally, from my point of view, with a “wc” convenience alias), and I’d
>> be happy to supply such a definition.
>
> That would be good, yes.  I don't see a need for a `wc' alias, tho.

The point of the alias is that it's quick to type. This is a command
which, like cd, is unlikely to be bound to a keystroke, but is used
often enough that having a short name is beneficial. Also like cd, it
has a common short name.

> PS: Note that the (use-region-p) check should be within the `interactive'
> spec rather than within the function body

Wow, I had no idea you could do that!

Revised version:

(defun count-words-region (start end)
  "Print the number of words in the region or buffer.
When called interactively, the word count is printed in echo area,
unless a prefix argument is given."
  (interactive (if (use-region-p) (list (region-beginning) (region-end))
                 (list (point-min) (point-max))))
  (let ((count 0))
    (save-excursion
      (save-restriction
        (narrow-to-region start end)
        (goto-char (point-min))
        (while (forward-word 1)
          (setq count (1+ count)))))
    (if (or (not (called-interactively-p 'interactive)) current-prefix-arg)
        (insert-string (number-to-string count))
      (message "%s has %d words"
               (if (use-region-p) "Region" "Buffer")
               count))))

-- 
http://rrt.sc3d.org

bug#9429: 24.0.50; Extended count-words

[Stefan Monnier]

>>> It seems to me that it could, however, replace count-words-region
>>> (ideally, from my point of view, with a “wc” convenience alias), and I’d
>>> be happy to supply such a definition.
>> That would be good, yes.  I don't see a need for a `wc' alias, tho.
> The point of the alias is that it's quick to type.  This is a command
> which, like cd, is unlikely to be bound to a keystroke, but is used
> often enough that having a short name is beneficial.  Also like cd, it
> has a common short name.

I'm not completely sure yet, and we're already in feature freeze, so I'd
rather not commit on giving away such a short name.

You can use M-x c-w <minibuffer-force-complete> (which I've bound to
M-TAB) which doesn't seem that bad.  It won't work at first (because it
will just use the shortest completion) but on the second use it will
(because it will give preference to the most recently matching
completion).  If we rename count-word-region to count-words then it may
even work right away.

> Revised version:

> (defun count-words-region (start end)
>   "Print the number of words in the region or buffer.
> When called interactively, the word count is printed in echo area,
> unless a prefix argument is given."
>   (interactive (if (use-region-p) (list (region-beginning) (region-end))
>                  (list (point-min) (point-max))))
>   (let ((count 0))
>     (save-excursion
>       (save-restriction
>         (narrow-to-region start end)
>         (goto-char (point-min))
>         (while (forward-word 1)
>           (setq count (1+ count)))))
>     (if (or (not (called-interactively-p 'interactive)) current-prefix-arg)
>         (insert-string (number-to-string count))
>       (message "%s has %d words"
>                (if (use-region-p) "Region" "Buffer")
>                count))))

I installed a half-way version (see below) which lacks the "insert count
at point" feature, because I'm not completely sure I want to spend the
C-u on this feature.  And since we're in feature freeze, I wanted to
keep it to the very minimum "obviously good".


        Stefan


=== modified file 'lisp/simple.el'
--- lisp/simple.el	2011-09-09 08:59:51 +0000
+++ lisp/simple.el	2011-09-10 03:00:26 +0000
@@ -938,9 +938,10 @@
       (forward-line (1- line)))))
 
 (defun count-words-region (start end)
-  "Print the number of words in the region.
-When called interactively, the word count is printed in echo area."
-  (interactive "r")
+  "Count the number of words in the active region.
+If the region is not active, counts the number of words in the buffer."
+  (interactive (if (use-region-p) (list (region-beginning) (region-end))
+                 (list (point-min) (point-max))))
   (let ((count 0))
     (save-excursion
       (save-restriction
@@ -948,8 +949,10 @@
         (goto-char (point-min))
         (while (forward-word 1)
           (setq count (1+ count)))))
-    (if (called-interactively-p 'interactive)
-        (message "Region has %d words" count))
+    (when (called-interactively-p 'interactive)
+      (message "%s has %d words"
+               (if (use-region-p) "Region" "Buffer")
+               count))
     count))
 
 (defun count-lines-region (start end)

bug#9429: 24.0.50; Extended count-words

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

(About `wc'.)

Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:

> I'm not completely sure yet, and we're already in feature freeze, so I'd
> rather not commit on giving away such a short name.

Random thought: Wouldn't people who care about word counts (people
writing essays and the like) want to have the word count in the mode
line?  So would a `word-count-mode' minor mode be more useful, perhaps?

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

bug#9429: 24.0.50; Extended count-words

[Stefan Monnier]

>> I'm not completely sure yet, and we're already in feature freeze, so I'd
>> rather not commit on giving away such a short name.
> Random thought: Wouldn't people who care about word counts (people
> writing essays and the like) want to have the word count in the mode
> line?  So would a `word-count-mode' minor mode be more useful, perhaps?

I'm eagerly awaiting your wc-mode.el for inclusion in GNU ELPA.


        Stefan

bug#9429: 24.0.50; Extended count-words

[Reuben Thomas]

On 10 September 2011 04:03, Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> wrote:
>
> I installed a half-way version (see below) which lacks the "insert count
> at point" feature, because I'm not completely sure I want to spend the
> C-u on this feature.  And since we're in feature freeze, I wanted to
> keep it to the very minimum "obviously good".

Great!

-- 
http://rrt.sc3d.org

bug#9429: 24.0.50; Extended count-words

[Reuben Thomas]

On 10 September 2011 04:03, Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> wrote:
>
> You can use M-x c-w <minibuffer-force-complete> (which I've bound to
> M-TAB) which doesn't seem that bad.

That's nice. One oddity: when I have run minibuffer-force-complete (as
M-x minibuffer-force-complete), my minibuffer says:

M-x count-words-region [Matched; <M-c>]

To what does the <M-c> refer? If I press M-c at this point, nothing
seems to happen, and if, still in the minibuffer, I type C-h k M-c, I
get capitalize-word as I'd normally expect globally; if I look in
minibuffer.el I can't find anything about a binding for M-c...

-- 
http://rrt.sc3d.org

bug#9429: 24.0.50; Extended count-words

[Stefan Monnier]

>> You can use M-x c-w <minibuffer-force-complete> (which I've bound to
>> M-TAB) which doesn't seem that bad.
> That's nice. One oddity: when I have run minibuffer-force-complete (as
> M-x minibuffer-force-complete), my minibuffer says:
> M-x count-words-region [Matched; <M-c>]

I cannot reproduce that.

> To what does the <M-c> refer?

No idea,


        Stefan

bug#9429: 24.0.50; Extended count-words

[Juri Linkov]

After feature freeze please add a new command `wc' that works like
coreutils's command `wc' and bind it to `M-='.

Currently `M-=' is bound to `count-lines-region' that contrary to its name
prints the number of *characters* and lines.  At least with the name `wc'
it will be consistent with the well-known shell command `wc' that counts
lines, words and bytes.

`man wc' says that it counts bytes, not characters.  So `wc' (`M-=')
could also report bytes in addition to characters, e.g.

  Region has 1 line, 22 words, 35 characters, 38 bytes

bug#9429: 24.0.50; Extended count-words

[Glenn Morris]

Juri Linkov wrote:

> After feature freeze please add a new command `wc' that works like
> coreutils's command `wc' and bind it to `M-='.

IMO there is no need for a `wc' alias. `count-words' is fine and more
consistent with Emacs terminology. Emacs does not have rm, mv, cp, ls...
(I know it has cd and pwd, but no need to add more of these.)

bug#9429: 24.0.50; Extended count-words

[Juri Linkov]

>> After feature freeze please add a new command `wc' that works like
>> coreutils's command `wc' and bind it to `M-='.
>
> IMO there is no need for a `wc' alias. `count-words' is fine and more
> consistent with Emacs terminology. Emacs does not have rm, mv, cp, ls...
> (I know it has cd and pwd, but no need to add more of these.)

I agree it makes no sense to borrow its name for Emacs as long as the
corresponding Emacs command is bound to the easy to type key `M-='.

bug#9429: 24.0.50; Extended count-words

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:

> I installed a half-way version (see below) which lacks the "insert count
> at point" feature, because I'm not completely sure I want to spend the
> C-u on this feature.  And since we're in feature freeze, I wanted to
> keep it to the very minimum "obviously good".

It looks to me like this was resolved by this patch?  So I'm closing
this bug report.

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