etags in tex files

etags in tex files

[Colin Baxter]

Hello,

I like to use etags in tex files in order to search for occurrences of
equation labels. This works well if the label is a string of only
digits and/or letters, say \label{123abc}. However, if there's a colon
in the label, say \label{123:abc} then etags will only search for the
portion of the string before the colon, i.e. 123.

Is there any way in which I can configure etags to recognise everything
with the curly brackets of a \label? I could always use grep but I like
etags and would like to stick with them.

Thanks.

Colin Baxter.

Re: etags in tex files

[Óscar Fuentes]

Colin Baxter <m43cap@yandex.com> writes:

> Hello,
>
> I like to use etags in tex files in order to search for occurrences of
> equation labels. This works well if the label is a string of only
> digits and/or letters, say \label{123abc}. However, if there's a colon
> in the label, say \label{123:abc} then etags will only search for the
> portion of the string before the colon, i.e. 123.
>
> Is there any way in which I can configure etags to recognise everything
> with the curly brackets of a \label? I could always use grep but I like
> etags and would like to stick with them.

Dunno about (c|e)tags, but other implementations such as Universal Ctgas
lets you to define your own language. It is quite simple and works fine.

Re: etags in tex files

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Colin Baxter <m43cap@yandex.com>
> Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2021 19:05:47 +0100
> 
> I like to use etags in tex files in order to search for occurrences of
> equation labels. This works well if the label is a string of only
> digits and/or letters, say \label{123abc}. However, if there's a colon
> in the label, say \label{123:abc} then etags will only search for the
> portion of the string before the colon, i.e. 123.

Is the problem in the TAGS file, or is the problem in etags.el
functions that search for the tags?  I think it's the latter, but if
so, then...

> Is there any way in which I can configure etags to recognise everything
> with the curly brackets of a \label?

...which "etags" do you want to configure and how?

Re: etags in tex files

[Colin Baxter]

>>>>> Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

    >> From: Colin Baxter <m43cap@yandex.com> Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2021
    >> 19:05:47 +0100
    >> 
    >> I like to use etags in tex files in order to search for
    >> occurrences of equation labels. This works well if the label is a
    >> string of only digits and/or letters, say
    >> \label{123abc}. However, if there's a colon in the label, say
    >> \label{123:abc} then etags will only search for the portion of
    >> the string before the colon, i.e. 123.

    > Is the problem in the TAGS file, or is the problem in etags.el
    > functions that search for the tags?  I think it's the latter, but
    > if so, then...

    >> Is there any way in which I can configure etags to recognise
    >> everything with the curly brackets of a \label?

    > ...which "etags" do you want to configure and how?

I don't really know at this stage, but I think part of the problem lies
with 

defun find-tag-tag (string)

which seems to reserve a significant use for the colon. I'll have to
invest time in trying to understand at least a little of what etags.el
does, but as that file's commentary puts it, "The namespacing of this
package is a mess:". I agree.  

Colin Baxter.

Re: etags in tex files

[Colin Baxter]

>>>>> Óscar Fuentes <ofv@wanadoo.es> writes:

    > Colin Baxter <m43cap@yandex.com> writes:
    >> Hello,
    >> 
    >> I like to use etags in tex files in order to search for
    >> occurrences of equation labels. This works well if the label is a
    >> string of only digits and/or letters, say
    >> \label{123abc}. However, if there's a colon in the label, say
    >> \label{123:abc} then etags will only search for the portion of
    >> the string before the colon, i.e. 123.
    >> 
    >> Is there any way in which I can configure etags to recognise
    >> everything with the curly brackets of a \label? I could always
    >> use grep but I like etags and would like to stick with them.

    > Dunno about (c|e)tags, but other implementations such as Universal
    > Ctgas lets you to define your own language. It is quite simple and
    > works fine.

Thanks. I'll have a look at your suggestion if T don't make progress
with etags.

Re: etags in tex files

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Colin Baxter <m43cap@yandex.com>
> Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
> Cc: 
> Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2021 21:15:56 +0100
> 
>     > Is the problem in the TAGS file, or is the problem in etags.el
>     > functions that search for the tags?  I think it's the latter, but
>     > if so, then...
> 
>     >> Is there any way in which I can configure etags to recognise
>     >> everything with the curly brackets of a \label?
> 
>     > ...which "etags" do you want to configure and how?
> 
> I don't really know at this stage

Look at the produced TAGS file: does it include the problematic
labels?  If it does, then etags the program is not your problem.

> but I think part of the problem lies with
> 
> defun find-tag-tag (string)
> 
> which seems to reserve a significant use for the colon.

How do you see its "reserving a significant use for the colon"?

> as that file's commentary puts it, "The namespacing of this package
> is a mess:". I agree.

That comment is about the naming conventions, not about the code
itself.

Re: etags in tex files

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Colin Baxter <m43cap@yandex.com>
> Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2021 21:18:49 +0100
> Cc: , help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
> 
> >>>>> Óscar Fuentes <ofv@wanadoo.es> writes:
> 
>     > Colin Baxter <m43cap@yandex.com> writes:
>     >> Hello,
>     >> 
>     >> I like to use etags in tex files in order to search for
>     >> occurrences of equation labels. This works well if the label is a
>     >> string of only digits and/or letters, say
>     >> \label{123abc}. However, if there's a colon in the label, say
>     >> \label{123:abc} then etags will only search for the portion of
>     >> the string before the colon, i.e. 123.
>     >> 
>     >> Is there any way in which I can configure etags to recognise
>     >> everything with the curly brackets of a \label? I could always
>     >> use grep but I like etags and would like to stick with them.
> 
>     > Dunno about (c|e)tags, but other implementations such as Universal
>     > Ctgas lets you to define your own language. It is quite simple and
>     > works fine.
> 
> Thanks. I'll have a look at your suggestion if T don't make progress
> with etags.

If the TAGS file produced by Emacs's etags includes the problematic
labels, then switching to another etags/ctags implementation will not
help, AFAIU.

Re: etags in tex files

[Colin Baxter]

>>>>> Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

    >> From: Colin Baxter <m43cap@yandex.com> Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
    >> Cc: Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2021 21:15:56 +0100
    >> 
    >> > Is the problem in the TAGS file, or is the problem in etags.el
    >> > functions that search for the tags?  I think it's the latter,
    >> but > if so, then...
    >> 
    >> >> Is there any way in which I can configure etags to recognise
    >> >> everything with the curly brackets of a \label?
    >> 
    >> > ...which "etags" do you want to configure and how?
    >> 
    >> I don't really know at this stage

    > Look at the produced TAGS file: does it include the problematic
    > labels?  If it does, then etags the program is not your problem.

    >> but I think part of the problem lies with
    >> 
    >> defun find-tag-tag (string)
    >> 
    >> which seems to reserve a significant use for the colon.

    > How do you see its "reserving a significant use for the colon"?

    >> as that file's commentary puts it, "The namespacing of this
    >> package is a mess:". I agree.

    > That comment is about the naming conventions, not about the code
    > itself.

Ok, thanks for the explanations. I think I understand a little more. I
have discovered however that if I use xref-find-apropos and not
xref-find-definitions then strings with colons are found. Perhaps I
should have realised this at the beginning.

Colin Baxter.