copy-region-as-kill => variable

copy-region-as-kill => variable

[Tim Johnson]

Hello:
  Is there a function that would operate as copy-region-as-kill,
but instead of copying to kill-ring would copy the data to a variable,
such as one created by 'defvar?
thanks
tim

-- 
Tim Johnson <tim@johnsons-web.com>
      http://www.alaska-internet-solutions.com

Re: copy-region-as-kill => variable

[Harald Hanche-Olsen]

+ Tim Johnson <tim@johnsons-web.com>:

|   Is there a function that would operate as copy-region-as-kill,
| but instead of copying to kill-ring would copy the data to a variable,
| such as one created by 'defvar?

Such a beast is not terribly hard to write:

(defun copy-region-to-variable (start end variable)
  (interactive "r\nvCopy region to variable: ")
  (set variable (buffer-substring start end)))

Note that this copies text properties as well.
You may find this confusing.  Or perhaps not.

-- 
* Harald Hanche-Olsen     <URL:http://www.math.ntnu.no/~hanche/>
- Debating gives most of us much more psychological satisfaction
  than thinking does: but it deprives us of whatever chance there is
  of getting closer to the truth.  -- C.P. Snow

Re: copy-region-as-kill => variable

[Tim Johnson]

* Harald Hanche-Olsen <hanche@math.ntnu.no> [060116 15:08]:
> + Tim Johnson <tim@johnsons-web.com>:
> 
> |   Is there a function that would operate as copy-region-as-kill,
> | but instead of copying to kill-ring would copy the data to a variable,
> | such as one created by 'defvar?
> 
> Such a beast is not terribly hard to write:
> 
> (defun copy-region-to-variable (start end variable)
>   (interactive "r\nvCopy region to variable: ")
>   (set variable (buffer-substring start end)))
> 
> Note that this copies text properties as well.
> You may find this confusing.  Or perhaps not.
Hi Harald:

(defun copy-rad-tag-text ()
  "Copy text inside of radio pseudo-tag to custom variable"
  (interactive)
  (let ((endpoint (point)))
    (message (number-to-string endpoint))
    (search-backward "rbtn")
    (forward-char 5)
    (setq tj-adhoc-1 (buffer-substring (point) endpoint))))
;; I get a wrong-type-of-argument error with 'set, thus setq.

Thanks for getting me started with this 'buffer-substring was the
key.

Cheers
-- 
Tim Johnson <tim@johnsons-web.com>
      http://www.alaska-internet-solutions.com

Re: copy-region-as-kill => variable

[Harald Hanche-Olsen]

+ Tim Johnson <tim@johnsons-web.com>:

| (defun copy-rad-tag-text ()
|   "Copy text inside of radio pseudo-tag to custom variable"

I should have guessed you had a more specialized itch scratch than you
were letting on.  8-)

| ;; I get a wrong-type-of-argument error with 'set, thus setq.

Yeah, set does an extra indirection, since it is an ordinary function:
Its first variable is evaluated - the value must be a symbol - and
then the value is assigned to that symbol.

So after, e.g.,

(let ((foo 'bar)) (set foo "Foo!"))

then bar has the value "Foo!"
It worked in my general function, but not in your specialized one.
Usually it's setq you want - set is for special occasions.

-- 
* Harald Hanche-Olsen     <URL:http://www.math.ntnu.no/~hanche/>
- Debating gives most of us much more psychological satisfaction
  than thinking does: but it deprives us of whatever chance there is
  of getting closer to the truth.  -- C.P. Snow