Juri Linkov writes: >>> > Maybe a more intuitive thing we can do is to prompt the following : >>> > >>> > "File modes, octal or symbolic (current: -r-xrw---):" >>> >>> This form is exactly what I had in mind. This format is familiar to >>> people from "ls -l". If users request something else, it can be changed >>> later, but this should do for now. Obviously, this is all IMHO... >> >> Following that proposition, on which we agreed, here's a patch. > > This is very nice, but why you don't accept this string in the same format > allowing the user to enter it in the minibuffer (i.e. why you didn't > implement `file-modes-ls-to-number')? Well, I've never seen anyone (or any tool) using that notation to *set* file modes. Yes, it will allow Emacs to tend to more completeness, but I think Emacs goal lays more in usefulness. Do you have any practical case in which that notation could be more natural? -- | Michaël `Micha' Cadilhac | (\(\ This is the cute bunny virus, | | http://michael.cadilhac.name | (^.^) please copy this into your | | JID/MSN: | (")") sig so it can spread. | `---- michael.cadilhac@gmail.com | - --'