Re: Alt as meta, except for certain keys, how?

["Ehud Karni" <ehud@unix.mvs.co.il>]

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On Fri, 08 Aug 2003 12:51:59 -0600, Kevin Rodgers <ihs_4664@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Ehud Karni wrote:
>
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> > On Thu, 07 Aug 2003 12:38:54 -0600, Kevin Rodgers <ihs_4664@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >>(keyboard-translate ?\M-7 ?|) doesn't work, because keyboard-translate-table
> >>is a char-table, which only handles unmodified characters.
> >>
> >
> > You can find the character value of any key by the following function:
> >
> > (defun get-char-value () "get decimal value of any key"
> >   (interactive)
> >        (let (char
> >              desc)
> >            (message "Type any char - " )
> >            (setq char (read-event))
> >            (if (not char)
> >                (message "Non char event - no value")
> >                (condition-case ()
> >                    (setq desc (text-char-description char))
> >                    (error
> >                        (setq desc "(No description)")))
> >                    (if (numberp char)
> >                        (message "Character typed is %s, (octal=%03o, decimal=%d, hexa=%02x)"
> >                                desc char char char)
> >                        (message "Input typed is %s, not a number" (prin1-to-string char t))))))
>
>
> Overkill.

It is not an overkill - see below.

> > On my system it shows for Alt-7:
> >   Character typed is "7", (octal=20000067, decimal=4194359, hexa=400037)
>
>
> Just evaluate ?\M-7.  On my system, it is -134217673, which is the crux of the
> problem: meta-modified characters may have a negative character code, and thus
> may not be a valid index into a char-table.

I did evaluate ?\M-7 and I get the same result (-134217673) as you.
It is NOT what my function returns (4194359) !!!

> > So if you do:
> >   (define-key key-translation-map [4194359] "|")
>
>
> key-translation-map takes character arguments, not (vector or string) keys:

Not true, see below.

> wrong-type-argument integerp [-134217673]

On Cygwin Emacs (21.2) my function give the this number (dec=-134217673
hexa=f8000037) and when I do :
  (define-key key-translation-map [-134217673] "|")
it works just fine (no error) and it does what's needed.

> > It will do what you want (in all modes and maps - including isearch).
>
> But on my system, that signals an args-out-of-range error:
>
> args-out-of-range #^[t nil nil nil ...] -134217673

Did you use my function ? Did you check that key-translation-map exists ?
I suggest you try my recipe exactly as it is given. I have tried it and
it works (even with negative number).

> > Because key-translation-map may not exist, you better protect yourself
> > by adding the following (before the define-key command):
> >   (if (not key-translation-map)
> >       (make-sparse-keymap key-translation-map))
>
> key-translation-map is now a char-table, not a keymap (see the Translating Input
> node of the Emacs Lisp manual).

I don't know which Emacs are you using, I checked it on 21.2, 21.3. and
21.3.50 (CVS HEAD version). On all the documentation for `
key-translation-map' says:

  Keymap of key translations that can override keymaps.
  This keymap works like `function-key-map', but comes after that,
  and applies even for keys that have ordinary bindings.

I think you confuse it with `keyboard-translate-table' which is
used/created by the `keyboard-translate' command.

Ehud.


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