From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.io!.POSTED.blaine.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Ihor Radchenko Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Q: Is there a built-in way to read multiple file names? Date: Sun, 07 Jul 2024 17:47:56 +0000 Message-ID: <874j916qlv.fsf@localhost> References: <875xthfyz3.fsf@localhost> <87a5it6vr6.fsf@localhost> <86r0c5196r.fsf@gnu.org> <877cdx6ryu.fsf@localhost> <86o77914sh.fsf@gnu.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Injection-Info: ciao.gmane.io; posting-host="blaine.gmane.org:116.202.254.214"; logging-data="18031"; mail-complaints-to="usenet@ciao.gmane.io" Cc: mardani29@yahoo.es, emacs-devel@gnu.org To: Eli Zaretskii Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Sun Jul 07 19:47:12 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 1sQVyi-0004VG-Cb for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane-mx.org; Sun, 07 Jul 2024 19:47:12 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1] helo=lists1p.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1sQVyD-0004d0-M4; Sun, 07 Jul 2024 13:46:41 -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 1sQVy5-0004cH-5o for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 07 Jul 2024 13:46:37 -0400 Original-Received: from mout01.posteo.de ([185.67.36.65]) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1sQVy2-00028u-7i for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 07 Jul 2024 13:46:32 -0400 Original-Received: from submission (posteo.de [185.67.36.169]) by mout01.posteo.de (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 572A3240029 for ; Sun, 7 Jul 2024 19:46:21 +0200 (CEST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/simple; d=posteo.net; s=2017; t=1720374382; bh=QvQtVN3rMExSdExOLyXbXIN0+pIOQnaWfE76SPTU2W4=; h=From:To:Cc:Subject:Date:Message-ID:MIME-Version:Content-Type: From; b=I7ARIMhQuMML2GvTVQIXo03ijtxp6kM/+Zl/CZMUUWwHTaQ2q/Bb3O4MO7fgJGoui LcbDy6gtWCeFejn6VffHyRFnyQneHgLsPyN0BbE2JVTBOlnfeNQ1OqYJSyF2iwCHtR L1e3uA89wDOEOtOECHTGNIRiLxd1zpDuWxCQPsaCSaid6sMaZncMXbxfUsuGQk2VrO 1XvwWooHuWEw6DgWuOpqpMt9yHKPZXNIFbwHkQ5y2DqfYH7fMH73a1Rp3hcJc1hSXX kuhvbyMSQWx9bR/1FdyO72LLC0H7AdoVtxAw/g3ibQitINej3E9C4xLU70IGFv2mmz LDyYMhCkX+Abw== Original-Received: from customer (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by submission (posteo.de) with ESMTPSA id 4WHF6j3h9Tz9rxB; Sun, 7 Jul 2024 19:46:21 +0200 (CEST) In-Reply-To: <86o77914sh.fsf@gnu.org> Received-SPF: pass client-ip=185.67.36.65; envelope-from=yantar92@posteo.net; helo=mout01.posteo.de X-Spam_score_int: -43 X-Spam_score: -4.4 X-Spam_bar: ---- X-Spam_report: (-4.4 / 5.0 requ) BAYES_00=-1.9, DKIM_SIGNED=0.1, DKIM_VALID=-0.1, DKIM_VALID_AU=-0.1, DKIM_VALID_EF=-0.1, RCVD_IN_DNSWL_MED=-2.3, RCVD_IN_MSPIKE_H3=0.001, RCVD_IN_MSPIKE_WL=0.001, SPF_HELO_NONE=0.001, SPF_PASS=-0.001 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no X-Spam_action: no action 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:321510 Archived-At: Eli Zaretskii writes: >> > I think you are generalizing the wrong UI. A good UI for specifying >> > several file names is not reading them one after the other, it is >> > marking the files you want to operate on, and then clicking GO. Like >> > in Ibuffer, for example. >> >> I 100% agree. >> That's what helm provides, say, for `completing-read-multiple'. >> But for `read-file-name' specifically, there is no way to extend the >> built-in completion. > > We have Ibuffer and Dired (and other similar features), which > functions that return lists of marked entities. That is what needs > to be used for multiple selections, not some loop over read-file-name > and its ilk. My concern about dired and similar is that it is not possible to exit them and go back to the original place as easily as C-g in the completion prompt. Interactive narrowing is also not as easy as in the completion. >> I wish that *completions* buffer allowed selecting multiple candidates >> at once when using `completing-read-multiple' or similar commands. > > I think completion is the wrong framework for this purpose, because > the user might want to select files/buffers/whatever whose names don't > share anything in common. IMHO, helm proves that completion framework can be used for very quick selection. It does it via: 1. The notion of "current" candidate from the list that can be navigated right from the minibuffer (like next/previous-completion in the *completions*) 2. minibuffer command to mark/unmark candidates quickly 3. ability to retain marked candidates even the prompt input changes I find it quick and convenient to use, despite being a completion framework. I also do not see why the same cannot be done based on the basis of completion-list-mode. -- Ihor Radchenko // yantar92, Org mode contributor, Learn more about Org mode at . Support Org development at , or support my work at