strange behaviour of "//" in open file names

strange behaviour of "//" in open file names

[Torsten Bronger]

When I open a file with C-x C-f I have to enter its name in the minibuffer.  If
its name contains double slashs "//", everything before them is printed in grey
(my global standard colour is orange).  Additionally, a C-a doesn't go to the
first character in the file path but to the most recent double slash (if the
cursor was behind it).

In GNU Emacs 22.0.50.7 (i686-pc-linux-gnu)
 of 2006-02-02 on wilson
X server distributor `The Cygwin/X Project', version 11.0.60802000
configured using `configure '--prefix=/usr/local/' '--infodir=/usr/local/share/info/' '--mandir=/usr/local/share/man/' '--with-x-toolkit=no''

Important settings:
  value of $LC_ALL: nil
  value of $LC_COLLATE: nil
  value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
  value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
  value of $LC_MONETARY: nil
  value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
  value of $LC_TIME: nil
  value of $LANG: de_DE.UTF-8
  locale-coding-system: utf-8
  default-enable-multibyte-characters: t

Major mode: Python

Minor modes in effect:
  global-auto-revert-mode: t
  desktop-save-mode: t
  auto-compression-mode: t
  mouse-wheel-mode: t
  file-name-shadow-mode: t
  global-font-lock-mode: t
  font-lock-mode: t
  unify-8859-on-decoding-mode: t
  unify-8859-on-encoding-mode: t
  utf-translate-cjk-mode: t
  line-number-mode: t

Recent input:
<down> <down> M-< C-s b u g C-s <left> 9 <return> <down> 
<down> <down> <down> <down> <down> <down> <down> <return> 
SPC SPC <backspace> <backspace> SPC SPC <backspace> 
<up> <up> <return> <down> <return> <return> <return> 
<return> <return> <return> <return> <return> <return> 
<return> <return> <return> <return> <return> <return> 
<return> <return> <return> <return> <return> <return> 
<return> <return> <return> <return> a C-x r i s <down> 
<down> <down> <down> <down> <down> <up> C-x r i b <down> 
<down> <down> <down> <down> <down> <up> C-SPC <down> 
<down> <down> <down> C-w C-x C-g C-c C-d q q M-x r 
e p o <tab> r <tab> <return>

Recent messages:
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Re: strange behaviour of "//" in open file names

[Kevin Rodgers]

Torsten Bronger wrote:
 > When I open a file with C-x C-f I have to enter its name in the
 > minibuffer.  If its name contains double slashs "//", everything
 > before them is printed in grey (my global standard colour is orange).

That is not a bug.  File names cannot contain consecutive directory
separators.  See the Minibuffer File node of the Emacs manual and the
doc string for file-name-shadow-mode.

(BTW, you're using Emacs 22, so M-x report-emacs-bug would have sent
your report to the correct mailing list.)

 > Additionally, a C-a doesn't go to the first character in the file path
 > but to the most recent double slash (if the cursor was behind it).

That may be a bug...

-- 
Kevin Rodgers

Re: strange behaviour of "//" in open file names

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Torsten Bronger <bronger@physik.rwth-aachen.de>
> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2006 15:27:35 +0100
> 
> When I open a file with C-x C-f I have to enter its name in the minibuffer.  If
> its name contains double slashs "//", everything before them is printed in grey
> (my global standard colour is orange).  Additionally, a C-a doesn't go to the
> first character in the file path but to the most recent double slash (if the
> cursor was behind it).

It's a feature, see the doc string of the command file-name-shadow-mode.

Btw, two slashes in a row always caused Emacs to ignore everything
through the first slash.  The only new feature in Emacs 22 is that now
the displays more or less clearly shows that.  See the node "File
Names" in the Emacs manual, where this is explained.

In any case, thank you for your report.