Re: How to prompt for string?

[Peter Dyballa <Peter_Dyballa@Web.DE>]

Am 17.02.2006 um 05:58 schrieb jacksneckhurts@yahoo.com:

> I'm trying to teach myself emacs Lisp, but can't figure out how to
> prompt for a string. I found the "read-key-sequence-vector" function,
> but that only takes in one character. Does anyone know how to prompt
> for a string?

Yes, there seem to be a few! I remember that calendar prompts me a  
few times when I want to go to some date. And there are these  
functions to change an encoding, C-x RET f for example. Let's see how  
they do it!

C-h k C-x RET f opens a *Help* buffer with a hyper link to mule.el. I  
follow it. Oufff, it opens in another window! I do not need to  
remember the function's name! Oh -- the cursor is already positioned  
at the function's start ... shall I manage to remember this  
behaviour? But, what is a life without constant sorrows?! I'm glad  
that I've chosen a bad example: no obvious output or input, but ...  
it's prompting me with "Coding system for saving file (default nil):  
" -- let's search for this sentence! Ah, there it is -- the first  
line of code of this function set-buffer-file-coding-system, very  
strange:

   (interactive "zCoding system for saving file (default nil): \nP")


OK, that's one guess. Let's see how a veteran does it in Calendar!   
(interactive (list (calendar-read-date))) -- a function in  
calendar.el. Hey, GNU Emacs even takes me to my private copy with  
German text! Here two functions, calendar-read and completing-read  
are doing the job of prompting, while taking the first argument as  
the prompt's text. The first one uses (read-minibuffer prompt initial- 
contents), the latter uses a function in `C source code'. (completing- 
read PROMPT TABLE &optional PREDICATE REQUIRE-MATCH INITIAL-INPUT  
HIST DEF INHERIT-INPUT-METHOD). Aha.


Two "applications" and three ways to prompt for an input! That's  
efficiency.

--
Greetings

   Pete

Got Mole problems?
Call Avogadro 6.02 x 10^23