Numbered backup stopped working

Numbered backup stopped working

[Rjjd]

My emacs stopped making numbered backups.  Version 21.3.

C-x C-s makes no backup, even on newly-visited file.

I have these:
(setq kept-new-versions 10)  ;# newest versions to save
(setq version-control t)
(setq delete-old-versions t)    ;delete middle backups quietly

Has anyone ever seen the backer-upper stop working?

Regards,
Bob

Re: Numbered backup stopped working

[Kevin Rodgers]

Rjjd wrote:
> My emacs stopped making numbered backups.  Version 21.3.
> 
> C-x C-s makes no backup, even on newly-visited file.
> 
> I have these:
> (setq kept-new-versions 10)  ;# newest versions to save
> (setq version-control t)
> (setq delete-old-versions t)    ;delete middle backups quietly
> 
> Has anyone ever seen the backer-upper stop working?

No, but:

C-h v make-backup-files
C-h v vc-make-backup-files
C-h v backup-inhibited
C-h v backup-enable-predicate
C-h f normal-backup-enable-predicate
C-h v temporary-file-directory
C-h v small-temporary-file-directory

-- 
Kevin

Re: Numbered backup stopped working

[Rjjd]

Thanks, Kevin,

It was vc-make-backup-files, which I didn't know about, and which
"apropos backup" would have told me about if I'd paid attention!.

It seems odd that the default is to omit backing up "registered" files,
which introduces some risk.

Regards,
Bob


Kevin Rodgers wrote:
> Rjjd wrote:
> > My emacs stopped making numbered backups.  Version 21.3.
> >
> > C-x C-s makes no backup, even on newly-visited file.
> >
> > I have these:
> > (setq kept-new-versions 10)  ;# newest versions to save
> > (setq version-control t)
> > (setq delete-old-versions t)    ;delete middle backups quietly
> >
> > Has anyone ever seen the backer-upper stop working?
>
> No, but:
>
> C-h v make-backup-files
> C-h v vc-make-backup-files
> C-h v backup-inhibited
> C-h v backup-enable-predicate
> C-h f normal-backup-enable-predicate
> C-h v temporary-file-directory
> C-h v small-temporary-file-directory
> 
> -- 
> Kevin

Re: Numbered backup stopped working

[Kevin Rodgers]

Rjjd wrote:
> It seems odd that the default is to omit backing up "registered" files,
> which introduces some risk.

,----
|    For files managed by a version control system (*note Version
| Control::), the variable `vc-make-backup-files' determines whether to
| make backup files.  By default it is `nil', since backup files are
| redundant when you store all the previous versions in a version control
| system.  *Note General VC Options: (emacs-xtra)General VC Options.
`----

-- 
Kevin

Re: Numbered backup stopped working

[David Combs]

In article <mailman.82.1162494747.2155.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>,
Kevin Rodgers  <ihs_4664@yahoo.com> wrote:
>Rjjd wrote:
>> My emacs stopped making numbered backups.  Version 21.3.
>> 
>> C-x C-s makes no backup, even on newly-visited file.
>> 
>> I have these:
>> (setq kept-new-versions 10)  ;# newest versions to save
>> (setq version-control t)
>> (setq delete-old-versions t)    ;delete middle backups quietly
>> 
>> Has anyone ever seen the backer-upper stop working?
>
>No, but:
>
>C-h v make-backup-files
>C-h v vc-make-backup-files
>C-h v backup-inhibited
>C-h v backup-enable-predicate
>C-h f normal-backup-enable-predicate
>C-h v temporary-file-directory
>C-h v small-temporary-file-directory
>
>-- 
>Kevin

Question: is there a way to get apropos, for variables,
to also show the current *value* of that variable?

Here's my doc for apropos:


apropos is an interactive compiled Lisp function in `apropos'.
(apropos APROPOS-REGEXP &optional DO-ALL)

Show all bound symbols whose names match APROPOS-REGEXP.
With optional prefix DO-ALL or if `apropos-do-all' is non-nil, also
show unbound symbols and key bindings, which is a little more
time-consuming.  Returns list of symbols and documentation found.


I set apropos-do-all to 1 and tried it, but got no
actual *values*.


[ASIDE: how to (interactively) do M-x apropos with
  the *prefix* "DO-ALL"?

  or, for that matter, how to write a lisp expr that does it?

 Here's an occur on do-all, for apropos.el:

26 lines matching "do-all" in buffer apropos.el.
     42:;; Added apropos-do-all option.
     46:;; Only call substitute-command-keys if do-all set.
     69:(defcustom apropos-do-all nil
    358:(defun apropos-variable (regexp &optional do-all)
    360:With optional prefix DO-ALL or if `apropos-do-all' is non-nil, also show
    364:                              (if (or current-prefix-arg apropos-do-all)
    370:		   (if (or do-all apropos-do-all)
    380:(defun apropos-command (apropos-regexp &optional do-all var-predicate)
    382:With optional prefix DO-ALL, or if `apropos-do-all' is non-nil, also show
    390:					   apropos-do-all)
    398:    (or do-all (setq do-all apropos-do-all))
    402:				(if do-all 'functionp 'commandp))))
    448:(defun apropos (apropos-regexp &optional do-all)
    450:With optional prefix DO-ALL or if `apropos-do-all' is non-nil, also
    457:			  (and (not do-all)
    458:			       (not apropos-do-all)
    464:   (or do-all apropos-do-all)))
    511:(defun apropos-value (apropos-regexp &optional do-all)
    513:With optional prefix DO-ALL or if `apropos-do-all' is non-nil, also looks
    518:  (or do-all (setq do-all apropos-do-all))
    527:			   do-all apropos-accumulator
    530:	(if do-all
    550:(defun apropos-documentation (apropos-regexp &optional do-all)
    552:With optional prefix DO-ALL or if `apropos-do-all' is non-nil, also use
    558:  (or do-all (setq do-all apropos-do-all))
    566:	  (if do-all


Thanks in-advance for the do-all answers]


Back to having apropos also type out the *values* of the
variables finds?

Any idea?

(Sure would be simpler than having to (1) run apropos,
  then (2) for each variable found, do C-H v on it!)


Thanks!

David

Re: Numbered backup stopped working

[Kevin Rodgers]

David Combs wrote:
 > Question: is there a way to get apropos, for variables,
 > to also show the current *value* of that variable?

No.

 > Here's my doc for apropos:
 >
 >
 > apropos is an interactive compiled Lisp function in `apropos'.
 > (apropos APROPOS-REGEXP &optional DO-ALL)
 >
 > Show all bound symbols whose names match APROPOS-REGEXP.
 > With optional prefix DO-ALL or if `apropos-do-all' is non-nil, also
 > show unbound symbols and key bindings, which is a little more
 > time-consuming.  Returns list of symbols and documentation found.
 >
 >
 > I set apropos-do-all to 1 and tried it, but got no
 > actual *values*.

That is no surprise: apropos-do-all only controls which symbols are
shown, not what information about them is shown.

 > [ASIDE: how to (interactively) do M-x apropos with
 >   the *prefix* "DO-ALL"?

"With optional prefix" means: C-u M-x apropos

But since you're only interested in variables: C-u M-x apropos-variable

 >   or, for that matter, how to write a lisp expr that does it?

(apropos-variable "backup" t)

 >  Here's an occur on do-all, for apropos.el:
...
 > Thanks in-advance for the do-all answers]
 >
 >
 > Back to having apropos also type out the *values* of the
 > variables finds?
 >
 > Any idea?
 >
 > (Sure would be simpler than having to (1) run apropos,
 >   then (2) for each variable found, do C-H v on it!)

In the *Apropos* buffer you can simply click on the symbol, or move
point into its description and type RET.

-- 
Kevin

apropos to show variable values [was: Numbered backup stopped working]

[Drew Adams]

> Question: is there a way to get apropos, for variables,
> to also show the current *value* of that variable?
>
> I set apropos-do-all to 1 and tried it, but got no
> actual *values*.

`apropos' does not list variable values. `apropos-do-all' shows also unbound
symbols (that is, non-variable symbols) and key bindings, but it does not
list variable values.

To see the value of a variable listed in *Apropos* output, click mouse-2 on
the word "Variable" after its name, or move the cursor there and hit `RET'.

As an alternative to this, try Icicles. Like `apropos', it won't show you
the doc and values of all variables at once, but it will list all variable
names, without doc, and you can then see their doc and values one by one,
selectively.

With Icicles, use `C-h v' and type some text (e.g. a regexp) to match
against variable names. Then use `S-TAB' to show all matching variable names
in buffer *Completions*. Then, use `C-mouse-2' on a name in *Completions* to
see the variable's doc and value. Or use `next' and `prior' to cycle among
the matching variables and then hit `C-RET' to see a selected variable's doc
and value; repeat for other matching variables.

You can also use `C-next' and `C-prior' to cycle among the matching
variables, displaying the help (doc + value) for each in turn.

Unlike the standard `apropos' command, you can change the match pattern on
the fly - the list of matching variables is updated immediately. You can
also match variable names against any number of patterns (regexps): just
introduce each one with `M-*'. For example: `C-h v buff S-TAB M-* win' shows
all variables whose names match both `buff' and `win' (in any order).

The same thing works for other names, not just for variables. For example,
`M-x buff S-TAB' shows all commands whose names contain `buff', and
`C-M-mouse-2' on a name shows the doc for that command etc. When you finally
choose a command with `RET', `M-x' executes it.

In addition, there are specific Icicles apropos commands (`icicle-apropos',
`icicle-apropos-variable' etc.) that are like the standard apropos commands
but let you update the list of matching names incrementally (on the fly).
You might also be interested in library `apropos-fn+var.el', which provides
specific apropos commands for different kinds of names (user options,
variables in general, commands, functions in general).

See:

* http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/Icicles_-_Help_on_Candidates
* http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/apropos-fn%2bvar.el

> [ASIDE: how to (interactively) do M-x apropos with
>   the *prefix* "DO-ALL"?

`C-u M-x apropos'. `C-u' provides a "prefix argument" to whatever key
sequence follows it.