Simple minibuffer completion question

Simple minibuffer completion question

[bmaron2]

Hello folks,

I've always wondered how to do this for ages now, and I'm hopeful
there is a simple solution which I haven't figured out.

Lets say you're editing a file named reallylongfilename.foo. You want
to save a copy and call it reallylongfilename2.foo.

If I do a C-x C-w, emacs prompts me for the new file name. Now, how
can I get it to insert the default file name (reallylongfilename.foo),
but still allow me to edit the text? If i just press RET it submits
the default name, not allowing me to add the '2'. TAB and SPC give me
a list of all the files in the directory, so I still have to type out
reallylongfilename.foo.

An analogous question is if I'm editing reallylongfilename.foo and I
want to open reallylongfilename.bar. How can I do that without typing
manually all of reallylongfilename?

Thanks in advance!

Re: Simple minibuffer completion question

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: bmaron2@hotmail.com
> Date: 14 Apr 2007 04:33:04 -0700
> 
> Lets say you're editing a file named reallylongfilename.foo. You want
> to save a copy and call it reallylongfilename2.foo.
> 
> If I do a C-x C-w, emacs prompts me for the new file name. Now, how
> can I get it to insert the default file name (reallylongfilename.foo),
> but still allow me to edit the text?

Press either down-arrow or M-n, and Emacs will do what you want.

Re: Simple minibuffer completion question

[bmaron2]

On Apr 14, 6:52 am, Eli Zaretskii <e...@gnu.org> wrote:
> > From: bmar...@hotmail.com
> > Date: 14 Apr 2007 04:33:04 -0700
>
> > Lets say you're editing a file named reallylongfilename.foo. You want
> > to save a copy and call it reallylongfilename2.foo.
>
> > If I do a C-x C-w, emacs prompts me for the new file name. Now, how
> > can I get it to insert the default file name (reallylongfilename.foo),
> > but still allow me to edit the text?
>
> Press either down-arrow or M-n, and Emacs will do what you want.


Brilliant, thanks Eli!!!

Re: Simple minibuffer completion question

[Dieter Wilhelm]

bmaron2@hotmail.com writes:

>
> Lets say you're editing a file named reallylongfilename.foo. You want
> to save a copy and call it reallylongfilename2.foo.
>
> If I do a C-x C-w, emacs prompts me for the new file name. Now, how
> can I get it to insert the default file name (reallylongfilename.foo),
> but still allow me to edit the text? If i just press RET it submits
> the default name, not allowing me to add the '2'. TAB and SPC give me
> a list of all the files in the directory, so I still have to type out
> reallylongfilename.foo.

Not exactly, you only have to type the ambiguous part, TAB completes
the rest for you.  Most often one has to type only few chars and TAB.

> An analogous question is if I'm editing reallylongfilename.foo and I
> want to open reallylongfilename.bar. How can I do that without typing
> manually all of reallylongfilename?

Either with (1) M-p, or (2) typing the ambiguous part and then TAB, or
try (3) ido-mode.  With this mode you would just type "C-x C-f .bar"
and then you can select with C-s between all files ending in .bar.

-- 
    Best wishes

    H. Dieter Wilhelm
    Darmstadt, Germany