Re: query-replace-interactive not documented

[Juri Linkov <juri@jurta.org>]

Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> writes:
>     How about typing a special key (say, `M-e', where "e" stands for
>     "eval" or "expression") in the second prompt for a replacement string
>     to switch it to expression reading mode, and after typing RET
>     to call `query-replace-regexp-eval' instead of `query-replace-regexp'.
>     Actually, this means typing:
>
>     C-M-% from-string RET M-e to-expr RET
>
> This is rather obsure, and ad hoc.

This is not quite ad hoc.  Some GNU programs already provide exactly
the same feature.  Here is an excerpt from `man less':

       /pattern
              [...]

              Certain characters are special if entered at the beginning of the
              pattern; they modify the type of search rather than  become  part
              of the pattern:

              [^N ^E ^F ^K skipped...]

              ^R     Don't interpret  regular  expression  metacharacters;
                     that is, do a simple textual comparison.

> So it is probably harder to remember than M-x que TAB - TAB - TAB,
> which works now and can be found systematically from the command
> name.

What do you think about documenting `query-replace-regexp-eval'
in the Emacs manual even without a keybinding?

-- 
Juri Linkov
http://www.jurta.org/emacs/