Re: Q: Is there a built-in way to read multiple file names?

[Yuri Khan <yuri.v.khan@gmail.com>]

On Tue, 23 Jul 2024 at 18:12, Ihor Radchenko <yantar92@posteo.net> wrote:

> Imagine that a user marks two files:
> 1. /home/user/1/2/3/4/5/file1
> 2. /home/user/5/4/3/2/1/file2
>
> During step (2), dired will display <...>/5/4/3/2/1/ directory.
>
> Now, imagine that file1 needs to be unmarked. To do it, the user will
> have to go up all the way to /home/user and descent down to 1/2/3/4/5 -
> very awkward. And even more awkward if the user does not remember the
> full path for file1.

It seems to me what you want is a shopping cart UI for files.

Use cases:

1. When in a Dired buffer, I want to be able to add one or more files
to the cart.
2. When in a Dired buffer containing one or more files that are in the
cart, I want to see them as marked.
3. When in a Dired buffer containing one or more files that are in the
cart, I want to be able to remove some of them from the cart.
4. At any time, I want to be able to see the list of files in the cart.
5. When in the cart, I want to be able to remove some or all of its files.
6. When in the cart, I want to be able to execute a command that
accepts a set of files.

Stretch goal:

7. I want to be able to have multiple carts, one of them designated as
“current” for purposes of cases 1–3.
8. When in the cart, I want to see the total number and/or size and/or
disk usage of its files.

A cart could be a separate buffer containing full file names, one per
line, with embedded newlines suitably escaped.