Jump to directory from a *Locate* buffer

Jump to directory from a *Locate* buffer

[Marcin Borkowski]

Hi list,

imagine that I run M-x locate to find some file, and I want to open
Dired in the directory one of the found files is in.  Is there a way to
do it or should I write some Elisp for that?

TIA,

-- 
Marcin Borkowski
http://octd.wmi.amu.edu.pl/en/Marcin_Borkowski
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
Adam Mickiewicz University

Re: Jump to directory from a *Locate* buffer

[Bob Proulx]

Marcin Borkowski wrote:
> imagine that I run M-x locate to find some file, and I want to open
> Dired in the directory one of the found files is in.  Is there a way to
> do it or should I write some Elisp for that?

What I do in that situation, already at the beginning of the file
name, is to C-space to set the mark then C-f to the end of the
directory name.  Then M-w copy to the kill ring.  Then C-x C-f C-y RET
to find-file and yank in the directory and open it in dired mode.

However using locate generates a dired buffer meaning all of those
commands are available too.  The 'w' command copies the filename.  The
0w command copies the full pathname of the file.  Therefore an
alternative could be to 0w on that filename to copy the entire full
pathname to the kill ring.  Then C-x C-f C-y and then DEL or M-DEL to
delete the filename part and then RET when the path is just the
directory name.

I am sure there are other ways too.

Bob

Re: Jump to directory from a *Locate* buffer

[Marcin Borkowski]

On 2015-01-14, at 23:57, Bob Proulx <bob@proulx.com> wrote:

> Marcin Borkowski wrote:
>> imagine that I run M-x locate to find some file, and I want to open
>> Dired in the directory one of the found files is in.  Is there a way to
>> do it or should I write some Elisp for that?
>
> What I do in that situation, already at the beginning of the file
> name, is to C-space to set the mark then C-f to the end of the
> directory name.  Then M-w copy to the kill ring.  Then C-x C-f C-y RET
> to find-file and yank in the directory and open it in dired mode.
>
> However using locate generates a dired buffer meaning all of those
> commands are available too.  The 'w' command copies the filename.  The
> 0w command copies the full pathname of the file.  Therefore an
> alternative could be to 0w on that filename to copy the entire full
> pathname to the kill ring.  Then C-x C-f C-y and then DEL or M-DEL to
> delete the filename part and then RET when the path is just the
> directory name.

Thanks, though neither of your ways is very, let's say, "Emacs-ish": you
wouldn't win the Emacs Golf contest with them.  (Neither would I, for
that matter: my usual method is to open a file in the *Locate* list and
then hit C-x C-d RET.)

> I am sure there are other ways too.

Definitely there /should/ be.  And if there are not, someone has to code
them.  (I need this almost on a daily basis, so it's definitely worth
optimizing.)

> Bob

Best,

-- 
Marcin Borkowski
http://octd.wmi.amu.edu.pl/en/Marcin_Borkowski
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
Adam Mickiewicz University

Re: Jump to directory from a *Locate* buffer

[John Mastro]

Marcin Borkowski <mbork@wmi.amu.edu.pl> wrote:
> Definitely there /should/ be.  And if there are not, someone has to code
> them.  (I need this almost on a daily basis, so it's definitely worth
> optimizing.)

If I understand the situation correctly, something like this is all it
takes.

    (defun locate-open-in-dired (file)
      (interactive (list (dired-filename-at-point)))
      (cond ((file-directory-p file)
             (dired file))
            ((file-regular-p file)
             (dired (file-name-directory file)))
            (t
             (error "Not a file: '%s'" file))))

    (define-key locate-mode-map (kbd "C-c d") #'locate-open-in-dired)

-- 
john

Re: Jump to directory from a *Locate* buffer

[Marcin Borkowski]

On 2015-01-15, at 02:14, John Mastro <john.b.mastro@gmail.com> wrote:

> Marcin Borkowski <mbork@wmi.amu.edu.pl> wrote:
>> Definitely there /should/ be.  And if there are not, someone has to code
>> them.  (I need this almost on a daily basis, so it's definitely worth
>> optimizing.)
>
> If I understand the situation correctly, something like this is all it
> takes.
>
>     (defun locate-open-in-dired (file)
>       (interactive (list (dired-filename-at-point)))
>       (cond ((file-directory-p file)
>              (dired file))
>             ((file-regular-p file)
>              (dired (file-name-directory file)))
>             (t
>              (error "Not a file: '%s'" file))))
>
>     (define-key locate-mode-map (kbd "C-c d") #'locate-open-in-dired)

Looks like it should.  Thanks!  I'll check it ASAP.

-- 
Marcin Borkowski
http://octd.wmi.amu.edu.pl/en/Marcin_Borkowski
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
Adam Mickiewicz University