Problem with whitespaces in search

Problem with whitespaces in search

[Philippe Delavalade]

Hi.

I have just noticed a problem when searching whitespaces. I'm using version
24.3.1 under linux/slackware 14.1.

For instance, with a file containing the unique line

abcd  fghix   jklmxx    nopqxxx

and with the cursor on column 0, when searching whitespaces (incremental or
not), the cursor comes under the 'f' which is normal but it stays their
even when typing many ' '.

This does not happen with 'x' for instance.

What can I do to avoid this and find many whitespaces ?

I hope have been clear and sorry for my poor english.

Regards.

-- 
Ph. Delavalade

Re: Problem with whitespaces in search

[tomas]

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On Thu, Jan 28, 2016 at 11:16:34AM +0100, Philippe Delavalade wrote:
> Hi.
> 
> I have just noticed a problem when searching whitespaces. I'm using version
> 24.3.1 under linux/slackware 14.1.
> 
> For instance, with a file containing the unique line
> 
> abcd  fghix   jklmxx    nopqxxx
> 
> and with the cursor on column 0, when searching whitespaces (incremental or
> not), the cursor comes under the 'f' which is normal but it stays their
> even when typing many ' '.

In "incremental search" (I'm assuming from context you are using that), any
whitespace you enter will match a sequence of one or more whitespaces.

You can change this behaviour by setting the variable "isearch-lax-whitespace"
to nil (there is a command for that, "isearch-toggle-lax-whitespace").

Try M-x isearch-toggle-lax-whitespace to change that.

hth
- -- t
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RE: Problem with whitespaces in search

[Ludwig, Mark]

> From: tomas@tuxteam.de, Thursday, January 28, 2016 7:49 AM
> 
> On Thu, Jan 28, 2016 at 11:16:34AM +0100, Philippe Delavalade wrote:
> > Hi.
> >
> > I have just noticed a problem when searching whitespaces. I'm using version
> > 24.3.1 under linux/slackware 14.1.
> >
> > For instance, with a file containing the unique line
> >
> > abcd  fghix   jklmxx    nopqxxx
> >
> > and with the cursor on column 0, when searching whitespaces (incremental or
> > not), the cursor comes under the 'f' which is normal but it stays their
> > even when typing many ' '.
> 
> In "incremental search" (I'm assuming from context you are using that), any
> whitespace you enter will match a sequence of one or more whitespaces.
> 
> You can change this behaviour by setting the variable "isearch-lax-whitespace"
> to nil (there is a command for that, "isearch-toggle-lax-whitespace").
> 
> Try M-x isearch-toggle-lax-whitespace to change that.
> 
> hth
> - -- t

I'm running Emacs 24.2.1, with the same behavior.
I don't see any variable with any similar name.

I've tried Apropos both "isearch" and "whitespace" and don't see anything.

Thanks,
Mark

Re: Problem with whitespaces in search

[tomas]

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On Thu, Jan 28, 2016 at 02:46:09PM +0000, Ludwig, Mark wrote:
> 
> 
> > From: tomas@tuxteam.de, Thursday, January 28, 2016 7:49 AM
> > [isearch-lax-whitespace]

[...]

> I'm running Emacs 24.2.1, with the same behavior.
> I don't see any variable with any similar name.
> 
> I've tried Apropos both "isearch" and "whitespace" and don't see anything.

Hm. I've got 25.0.50. No access to repos, so I don't know when
this var was introduced, sorry :-(

regards
- -- t
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Re: Problem with whitespaces in search

[tomas]

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On Thu, Jan 28, 2016 at 03:49:01PM +0100, Philippe Delavalade wrote:
> Le jeudi 28 janvier à 14:48, tomas@tuxteam.de a écrit :
> > On Thu, Jan 28, 2016 at 11:16:34AM +0100, Philippe Delavalade wrote:
> > > Hi.
> > > 
> > > I have just noticed a problem when searching whitespaces. I'm using version
> > > 24.3.1 under linux/slackware 14.1.


[...]

> > Try M-x isearch-toggle-lax-whitespace to change that.
> 
> Thank you so much ; now things go like I expect. Is this new ? I'm using
> emacs since many years and that's the first time I notice this.

You're welcome :-)

- -- t
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Re: Problem with whitespaces in search

[Bob Proulx]

Philippe Delavalade wrote:
> I have just noticed a problem when searching whitespaces. I'm using version
> 24.3.1 under linux/slackware 14.1.
> 
> For instance, with a file containing the unique line
> 
> abcd  fghix   jklmxx    nopqxxx
> 
> and with the cursor on column 0, when searching whitespaces (incremental or
> not), the cursor comes under the 'f' which is normal but it stays their
> even when typing many ' '.
> 
> This does not happen with 'x' for instance.
> 
> What can I do to avoid this and find many whitespaces ?
> 
> I hope have been clear and sorry for my poor english.

This is a case where something that is a feature for one person is a
bug to another person.  I always disable "lax space matching" myself.

This is documented here:

  https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Special-Isearch.html

It isn't clear exactly what you are wishing.  You might be wanting to
set search-whitespace-regexp to nil to disable the feature?

  (setq search-whitespace-regexp nil)

See also the builtin documentation on search-whitespace-regexp.

  (describe-variable 'search-whitespace-regexp)

  search-whitespace-regexp is a variable defined in `isearch.el'.
  Its value is nil
  Original value was "\\s-+"

  Documentation:
  If non-nil, regular expression to match a sequence of whitespace chars.
  When you enter a space or spaces in the incremental search, it
  will match any sequence matched by this regexp.  As an exception,
  spaces are treated normally in regexp incremental search if they
  occur in a regexp construct like [...] or *, + or ?.

  If the value is a string, it applies to both ordinary and
  regexp incremental search.  If the value is nil, or
  `isearch-lax-whitespace' is nil for ordinary incremental search, or
  `isearch-regexp-lax-whitespace' is nil for regexp incremental search,
  then each space you type matches literally, against one space.

  You might want to use something like "[ \t\r\n]+" instead.
  In the Customization buffer, that is `[' followed by a space,
  a tab, a carriage return (control-M), a newline, and `]+'.

Bob

Re: Problem with whitespaces in search

[Philippe Delavalade]

Le jeudi 28 janvier à 16:24, Bob Proulx a écrit :
> Philippe Delavalade wrote:
> > I have just noticed a problem when searching whitespaces. I'm using version
> > 24.3.1 under linux/slackware 14.1.
> > 
> > For instance, with a file containing the unique line
> > 
> > abcd  fghix   jklmxx    nopqxxx
> > 
> > and with the cursor on column 0, when searching whitespaces (incremental or
> > not), the cursor comes under the 'f' which is normal but it stays their
> > even when typing many ' '.
> > 
> > This does not happen with 'x' for instance.
> > 
> > What can I do to avoid this and find many whitespaces ?
> > 
> > I hope have been clear and sorry for my poor english.
> 
> This is a case where something that is a feature for one person is a
> bug to another person.  I always disable "lax space matching" myself.
> 
> This is documented here:
> 
>   https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Special-Isearch.html
> 
> It isn't clear exactly what you are wishing.  You might be wanting to
> set search-whitespace-regexp to nil to disable the feature?
> 
>   (setq search-whitespace-regexp nil)
> 
> See also the builtin documentation on search-whitespace-regexp.
> 
>   (describe-variable 'search-whitespace-regexp)
> 
>   search-whitespace-regexp is a variable defined in `isearch.el'.
>   Its value is nil
>   Original value was "\\s-+"
> 
>   Documentation:
>   If non-nil, regular expression to match a sequence of whitespace chars.
>   When you enter a space or spaces in the incremental search, it
>   will match any sequence matched by this regexp.  As an exception,
>   spaces are treated normally in regexp incremental search if they
>   occur in a regexp construct like [...] or *, + or ?.
> 
>   If the value is a string, it applies to both ordinary and
>   regexp incremental search.  If the value is nil, or
>   `isearch-lax-whitespace' is nil for ordinary incremental search, or
>   `isearch-regexp-lax-whitespace' is nil for regexp incremental search,
>   then each space you type matches literally, against one space.
> 
>   You might want to use something like "[ \t\r\n]+" instead.
>   In the Customization buffer, that is `[' followed by a space,
>   a tab, a carriage return (control-M), a newline, and `]+'.

Thanks Bob. I was wishing to find sequence of whitespaces ; so I followed
Tomas help and put
(setq  isearch-lax-whitespace nil)
in .emacs and now I have what I expect.

I'll have a look to your link.

For regexp, it was working 'normally' for me :-)

Regards.

-- 
Ph. Delavalade

RE: Problem with whitespaces in search

[Drew Adams]

> > This is a case where something that is a feature for one person is a
> > bug to another person.  I always disable "lax space matching" myself.
> >
> > This is documented here:
> >   https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Special-
> >         Isearch.html
>
> Thanks Bob. I was wishing to find sequence of whitespaces ; so I followed
> Tomas help and put (setq  isearch-lax-whitespace nil) in .emacs and now I
> have what I expect.

You can toggle the whitespace-matching behavior during Isearch using
`M-s SPC' (command `isearch-toggle-lax-whitespace').

The doc string of `isearch-lax-whitespace' should tell you this directly,
but it says only that you can use `isearch-toggle-lax-whitespace'.  It
does not tell you that this command is bound to `M-s SPC' during Isearch.

I've just now filed bug #22483 for this oversight.
http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=22483

Re: Problem with whitespaces in search

[tomas]

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On Thu, Jan 28, 2016 at 08:00:45AM -0800, Drew Adams wrote:
> > > This is a case where something that is a feature for one person is a
> > > bug to another person.  I always disable "lax space matching" myself.
> > >
> > > This is documented here:
> > >   https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Special-
> > >         Isearch.html
> >
> > Thanks Bob. I was wishing to find sequence of whitespaces ; so I followed
> > Tomas help and put (setq  isearch-lax-whitespace nil) in .emacs and now I
> > have what I expect.
> 
> You can toggle the whitespace-matching behavior during Isearch using
> `M-s SPC' (command `isearch-toggle-lax-whitespace').

Nifty! I didn't know about that one. Thanks, Drew

- -- t
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