bug#44451: 27.1; doc string of `read-char-from-minibuffer'

bug#44451: 27.1; doc string of `read-char-from-minibuffer'

[Drew Adams]

 "Read a character from the minibuffer, prompting for PROMPT."

You are not prompted for PROMPT.  You are prompted (for a char)
with PROMPT.

 "When HISTORY is a symbol, then allows navigating in a history."

English: it should be "When...symbol, allow navigating..."

But it's not clear what "navigating in a history" means.  The
description of `M-n' etc. isn't clear - or needed.  And what if
HISTORY is non-nil but not a symbol?

In any case, I suggest you just say that HISTORY is passed to
`read-from-minibuffer', which is the case.  That function's HISTORY
description is clear and complete, and it involves more than what is
described here.


In GNU Emacs 27.1 (build 1, x86_64-w64-mingw32)
 of 2020-08-12 built on CIRROCUMULUS
Repository revision: 86d8d76aa36037184db0b2897c434cdaab1a9ae8
Repository branch: HEAD
Windowing system distributor 'Microsoft Corp.', version 10.0.18362
System Description: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (v10.0.1903.18362.1082)

bug#44451: 27.1; doc string of `read-char-from-minibuffer'

[Richard Stallman]

[[[ To any NSA and FBI agents reading my email: please consider    ]]]
[[[ whether defending the US Constitution against all enemies,     ]]]
[[[ foreign or domestic, requires you to follow Snowden's example. ]]]

  >  "Read a character from the minibuffer, prompting for PROMPT."

  > You are not prompted for PROMPT.  You are prompted (for a char)
  > with PROMPT.

That is true, but there are kinder ways to make that point.  For
instance, `

    Actuallly, it prompts with PROMPT, not for RROMPT.

-- 
Dr Richard Stallman
Chief GNUisance of the GNU Project (https://gnu.org)
Founder, Free Software Foundation (https://fsf.org)
Internet Hall-of-Famer (https://internethalloffame.org)

bug#44451: 27.1; doc string of `read-char-from-minibuffer'

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2020 10:40:01 -0800 (PST)
> From: Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>
> 
>  "Read a character from the minibuffer, prompting for PROMPT."
> 
> You are not prompted for PROMPT.  You are prompted (for a char)
> with PROMPT.

Fixed.

>  "When HISTORY is a symbol, then allows navigating in a history."
> 
> English: it should be "When...symbol, allow navigating..."

Fixed.

> But it's not clear what "navigating in a history" means.  The
> description of `M-n' etc. isn't clear - or needed.  And what if
> HISTORY is non-nil but not a symbol?

You get an error, I think.

> In any case, I suggest you just say that HISTORY is passed to
> `read-from-minibuffer', which is the case.

That isn't accurate: this function really expects HISTORY to be a
symbol of a history variable.