From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Alan Mackenzie Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: What're the proper names for the backspace and delete keys in files.texi? Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 11:00:21 +0000 (GMT) Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1137512998 23387 80.91.229.2 (17 Jan 2006 15:49:58 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 15:49:58 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Jan 17 16:49:58 2006 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Eyt5b-0001fF-Ae for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 17 Jan 2006 16:49:43 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Eys9i-0001jL-8M for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 17 Jan 2006 09:49:54 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1EyqHd-00058J-EI for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 17 Jan 2006 07:49:57 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1EyqHX-00056r-8v for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 17 Jan 2006 07:49:54 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1EypB0-0006ql-I1 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 17 Jan 2006 06:39:03 -0500 Original-Received: from [193.149.49.134] (helo=acm.acm) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1EypEc-0007B8-7p; Tue, 17 Jan 2006 06:42:47 -0500 Original-Received: from localhost (root@localhost) by acm.acm (8.8.8/8.8.8) with SMTP id LAA00399; Tue, 17 Jan 2006 11:00:23 GMT X-Sender: root@acm.acm Original-To: "Richard M. Stallman" In-Reply-To: X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:49207 Archived-At: Hi, All! On Mon, 16 Jan 2006, Richard M. Stallman wrote: > For the third time of asking, would somebody (Richard?) please state > definitively what the canonical names, to be used in files.texi, are for > the "backspace" key (typically the large rectangular key above CR that > deletes a single character backwards) and the "delete" key (typically the > bottom leftmost key of a block of 6 keys directly to the right of CR, > that deletes a single character forwards). > I think the canonical names for these keys are, respectively, @key{DEL} > and @key{DELETE} (with exactly that capitalization), but I'm not sure. >BACKSPACE or BS is the key labeled Backspace. DELETE refers to the >key labeled "Delete". >DEL means the ASCII character 0177. In Emacs, either DELETE or >BACKSPACE is equivalent to DEL. Many Thanks! So, a more prolix summary of these things: @key{DEL} is a _logical_ key, that key which happens to generate ASCII DEL (0x7f) when you press it. So the sentence "Emacs binds @key{DEL} to the command @code{delete-backward-char} by default." would be entirely appropriate. @key{BACKSPACE} (or @key{BS}) and @key{DELETE} are _physical_ keys, characterised by their positions on the keyboard or the text embossed upon them (even though these positions/embossments vary between keyboards and cultures). @key{BACKSPACE} and @key{DELETE} are thus the appropriate names to use for the keys that delete in the wrong direction in "@node DEL Does Not Delete". The "Equivalent" above means "is configured, whether by the OS's keyboard setup or Emacs's function-key-map or some other means, to produce the same keycode as". I think I've got it now! Apologies to all fellow hackers whose patience I've stretched in this thread. -- Alan.