From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.io!.POSTED.blaine.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Eli Zaretskii Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Q: Is there a built-in way to read multiple file names? Date: Sun, 14 Jul 2024 16:11:01 +0300 Message-ID: <8634ocjeze.fsf@gnu.org> References: <875xthfyz3.fsf@localhost> <87a5it6vr6.fsf@localhost> <86r0c5196r.fsf@gnu.org> <877cdx6ryu.fsf@localhost> <86o77914sh.fsf@gnu.org> <874j916qlv.fsf@localhost> <86ikxh13yc.fsf@gnu.org> <87zfqlpfty.fsf@localhost> <86jzhpjt4x.fsf@gnu.org> <87r0bxpecj.fsf@localhost> <86ikx9jrh4.fsf@gnu.org> <87frscjhhm.fsf@localhost> Injection-Info: ciao.gmane.io; posting-host="blaine.gmane.org:116.202.254.214"; logging-data="7985"; mail-complaints-to="usenet@ciao.gmane.io" Cc: mardani29@yahoo.es, emacs-devel@gnu.org To: Ihor Radchenko Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Sun Jul 14 15:12:09 2024 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane-mx.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([209.51.188.17]) by ciao.gmane.io with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) (Exim 4.92) (envelope-from ) id 1sSz1M-0001qN-KX for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane-mx.org; Sun, 14 Jul 2024 15:12:08 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1] helo=lists1p.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1sSz0R-0007EU-3n; Sun, 14 Jul 2024 09:11:11 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:470:142:3::10]) by lists.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1sSz0N-0007CO-Q7 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 14 Jul 2024 09:11:08 -0400 Original-Received: from fencepost.gnu.org ([2001:470:142:3::e]) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1sSz0L-0006c9-TP; Sun, 14 Jul 2024 09:11:07 -0400 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; q=dns/txt; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gnu.org; s=fencepost-gnu-org; h=References:Subject:In-Reply-To:To:From:Date: mime-version; bh=zBpYIuscQnnHgHNVdDXbpssEEmnDN56YqjN3Jc+WPAQ=; b=UG+cIoeSpz/L qtBqFVNw1i27CiL89BALSCFvFpdGpLHW4qF8AHNPh17eASF50ApF7hpCdLQsa0ZBxlXEcXa2r/xpK xXCdCGVVzCjU78zQ29d9huXJB1Rui1R+OKaOhuHAhSrRJxIc1Ck7zJOmPagyJqYMOO54Z5apNDm3h /enCfmPJqqSbZrXNtkWSxgxfWwlvwnKTGx7flSlOJ0KLk3O0BUQNpc5equTiB+ute17xPi1rI149U V0KBJNrxLLvMeu7GFTAAbu+UtghAQvKFFpecYgi2EvVtIbjzrzD2zjjo80FE8SYlkFWM9xDH9wKZl vdnBfmVL+PkLcZMa+4FfAQ==; In-Reply-To: <87frscjhhm.fsf@localhost> (message from Ihor Radchenko on Sun, 14 Jul 2024 12:16:53 +0000) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.29 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.io gmane.emacs.devel:321643 Archived-At: > From: Ihor Radchenko > Cc: mardani29@yahoo.es, emacs-devel@gnu.org > Date: Sun, 14 Jul 2024 12:16:53 +0000 > > Eli Zaretskii writes: > > > Why do you need the minibuffer part "Choose files: CO"? why not simply > > let users mark the selected files using Dired mark commands? > > ... > > How did "completion" enter the picture? The original question was > > about ways to select multiple files, which is much wider and more > > general than just completing on file names. When the user needs to > > select a file, completion is just a means of saving them some typing. > > That idea basically becomes irrelevant when users need to select > > several files whose names might not have anything in common. GUI > > applications have solved this problem long ago, so why should Emacs > > insist on inventing its own idiosyncratic solution? > > In my use case, the user may not immediately know if she needs to attach > a single file or multiple files. So, having two separate interfaces for > single file vs. multiple files is awkward. There's no need to use two interfaces. use just one: the one that can handle several files. Selecting a single file from a list is known to work and be natural for many years, including in Emacs. We even have a convention that if no files are marked, the current file is the selected one. > Moreover, in my experience using a similar command (implemented using > helm), completion is actually extremely useful: Resist that. This will lead you astray. > 1. It is much faster to jump to specific folder using completion > vs. using in-buffer navigation in dired. Especially when I am looking > for deeply nested folders. Jumping to a folder doesn't need selection of more than one name, so I don't see how it is relevant here. > 2. It is not uncommon for me to attach files that have common > names. Having completion under the fingertips is better compared to > manually entering dired filters. (in dired, there is an extra key > sequence required) Files that have common names are usually listed together, so I don't think this problem is as serious as you describe it. A useful feature for selecting files is, when the user types a characters, to move point the first file whose name begins with that character. If we implement that, you get the best of all worlds. > I can totally see some people preferring dired buffer UI to select > files, but then I do not see why the same people would not then prefer > dired to select a single file as well. Is it something you think would > be worth having (dired as _single_ file selection dialogue)? Selecting a single file with Dired-like UI is IMO both possible and natural, see above.