bug#37772: 26.3; Doc of recentf, particularly `recentf-list'

bug#37772: 26.3; Doc of recentf, particularly `recentf-list'

[Drew Adams]

Many users use recentf.  Likewise, libraries.  Nowhere is it said what
order the files are listed in, i.e., the order of the elements of
`recentf-list'.  The answer is apparently that, by default at least, a
file is pushed to the front of the list when it is "opened" or written.

A more exact answer is that `recentf-list' is in reverse chronological
order of calls to `recentf-track-opened-file'.  And by default that
function is added to these hooks: `find-file-hook' and
`write-file-functions'.


In GNU Emacs 26.3 (build 1, x86_64-w64-mingw32)
 of 2019-08-29
Repository revision: 96dd0196c28bc36779584e47fffcca433c9309cd
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 10.0.17763
Configured using:
 `configure --without-dbus --host=x86_64-w64-mingw32
 --without-compress-install 'CFLAGS=-O2 -static -g3''

bug#37772: 26.3; Doc of recentf, particularly `recentf-list'

[Lars Ingebrigtsen]

Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:

> Many users use recentf.  Likewise, libraries.  Nowhere is it said what
> order the files are listed in, i.e., the order of the elements of
> `recentf-list'.  The answer is apparently that, by default at least, a
> file is pushed to the front of the list when it is "opened" or written.
>
> A more exact answer is that `recentf-list' is in reverse chronological
> order of calls to `recentf-track-opened-file'.  And by default that
> function is added to these hooks: `find-file-hook' and
> `write-file-functions'.

I think that seems pretty self-evident -- the doc strings talk about
"most recent" etc, so what other ordering could be meant?

So I don't see anything to fix here and I'm closing this bug report.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

bug#37772: 26.3; Doc of recentf, particularly `recentf-list'

[Drew Adams]

> > Many users use recentf.  Likewise, libraries.  Nowhere is it said
> > what order the files are listed in, i.e., the order of the elements of
> > `recentf-list'.  The answer is apparently that, by default at least,
> > a file is pushed to the front of the list when it is "opened" or
> > written.
> >
> > A more exact answer is that `recentf-list' is in reverse
> > chronological order of calls to `recentf-track-opened-file'.
> > And by default that function is added to these hooks:
> > `find-file-hook' and `write-file-functions'.
> 
> I think that seems pretty self-evident -- the doc strings talk about
> "most recent" etc, so what other ordering could be meant?

It's not obvious at all.  That the 30 most recently
opened files are listed says _nothing_ about the
order in which they're listed.

And nothing is said about the situations when (by
default) the list (`recentf-list') is updated.
The answer is in the hooks.  It's not about
re-selecting the window of a file buffer or
changing a file outside Emacs, for instance.
(Not by default, at least.)

> So I don't see anything to fix here and I'm closing this bug report.

Unfortunate.

bug#37772: 26.3; Doc of recentf, particularly `recentf-list'

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2019 15:45:48 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>
> 
> Many users use recentf.  Likewise, libraries.  Nowhere is it said what
> order the files are listed in

Thanks, I added that.