Problem with search-forward in *Help* buffers

Problem with search-forward in *Help* buffers

[Eduardo Ochs]

Hi list,

consider these two defuns, and the four tests after them:

  ;; This is a simplified version of:
  ;; (find-efunction 'ee-goto-position)
  ;; http://angg.twu.net/eev-current/eev-blinks.el.html#ee-goto-position
  (defun ee-goto-position-mini (&optional str &rest strs)
    (when str
      (goto-char (point-min))
      (search-forward str)
      (dolist (s strs)
        (search-forward s))))

  ;; This is a simplified version of:
  ;; (find-efunction 'find-dbsw-call)
  ;; http://angg.twu.net/eev-current/eev-blinks.el.html#find-dbsw
  (defun find-dbsw-call-mini (sexp &rest pos-spec-list)
    (let ((display-buffer-overriding-action '(display-buffer-same-window)))
      (eval sexp))
    (apply 'ee-goto-position-mini pos-spec-list))

  (find-dbsw-call-mini '(customize-group 'editing)     "Parent")
  (find-dbsw-call-mini '(describe-function 'next-line) "line-move-visual")
  (find-dbsw-call-mini '(list-input-methods)           "TeX")
  (find-dbsw-call-mini '(describe-input-method 'TeX)   "\\bullet")

The first call to `find-dbsw-call-mini' works as I expected: it runs

  (customize-group 'editing)

and searches for the first occurrence of the string "Parent" in it.
But in the other ones the search doesn't work - after the
(find-dbsw-call-mini ...) is run the point is elsewhere. What is
happening here? And do you have any suggestions of how to fix that?

  Thanks in advance!
    Eduardo Ochs
    http://angg.twu.net/#eev

Re: Problem with search-forward in *Help* buffers

[Emanuel Berg]

Eduardo Ochs wrote:

>   ;; This is a simplified version of:
>   ;; (find-efunction 'ee-goto-position)
>   ;; http://angg.twu.net/eev-current/eev-blinks.el.html#ee-goto-position
>   (defun ee-goto-position-mini (&optional str &rest strs)
>     (when str
>       (goto-char (point-min))
>       (search-forward str)
>       (dolist (s strs)
>         (search-forward s))))

You can simplify even further with just (&rest strs) since
that is optional in its own way with nil/the empty list ...

>   ;; This is a simplified version of:
>   ;; (find-efunction 'find-dbsw-call)
>   ;; http://angg.twu.net/eev-current/eev-blinks.el.html#find-dbsw
>   (defun find-dbsw-call-mini (sexp &rest pos-spec-list)
>     (let ((display-buffer-overriding-action '(display-buffer-same-window)))
>       (eval sexp))
>     (apply 'ee-goto-position-mini pos-spec-list))

Why `apply'?

> and searches for the first occurrence of the string "Parent"
> in it. But in the other ones the search doesn't work - after
> the (find-dbsw-call-mini ...) is run the point is elsewhere.
> What is happening here? And do you have any suggestions of
> how to fix that?

You must do something like

(progn
  (describe-function #'next-line)
  (with-current-buffer (help-buffer)
    (search-forward "line-move-visual") ))

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