Re: Is it legal to set `help-char' to nil?

[Michael Heerdegen <michael_heerdegen@web.de>]

YE Qianchuan <stool.ye@gmail.com> writes:

> I prefer using C-h to delete backward, thus I mapped C-h to DEL by
> modifying key-translation-map.  Then set `help-char' to nil to avoid
> invoking help for a list of commands start by prefix. (I can't find a
> good enough char to replace it) For example, press C-x C-h to invoke
> C-x DEL but not to print help message.
>
> If it's not legal, are there any workaround?

Dunno if it's legal.

> If it's legal, then there are bugs in certain modules like term,
> because doing such thing breaks it.

In which way?

In term, no matter if `help-char' is bound to 8 or not, I see that C-h
is bound to the command `term-send-raw' in char-mode.  Or do you use
line-mode?  In this case, note that C-h is still bound in the
global-map (which is something different than `help-char'): 

,----------------------------------------------------------------------
| ELISP> (lookup-key global-map [?\C-h])
| help-command
| 
| ELISP> (symbol-function 'help-command)
| (keymap
|  (111 . my-info-org)
|  (11 . describe-bindings-for-key)
|  (113 . help-quit)
|  (118 . describe-variable)
|  (119 . where-is)
|  (116 . my-info-tramp)
|  (115 . describe-syntax)
|  (114 . info-emacs-manual)
|  (80 . describe-package)
|  (112 . finder-by-keyword)
|  (110 . view-emacs-news)
|  (109 . describe-mode)
|  (108 . view-lossage)
|  (107 . describe-key)
|  (52 keymap
|      (105 . info-other-window))
|  (105 . info)
|  (104 . view-hello-file)
|  (103 . my-info-gnus)
|  (102 . describe-function)
|  (101 . my-info-elisp)
|  (100 . apropos-documentation)
|  (99 . my-info-cl)
|  (98 . describe-bindings)
|  (97 . apropos)
|  (83 . info-lookup-symbol)
|  (76 . describe-language-environment)
|  (75 . Info-goto-emacs-key-command-node)
|  (73 . describe-input-method)
|  (70 . Info-goto-emacs-command-node)
|  (67 . describe-coding-system)
|  (28 . describe-input-method)
|  (23 . describe-no-warranty)
|  (20 . view-emacs-todo)
|  (16 . view-emacs-problems)
|  (15 . describe-distribution)
|  (14 . view-emacs-news)
|  (13 . view-order-manuals)
|  (6 . view-emacs-FAQ)
|  (5 . view-external-packages)
|  (4 . view-emacs-debugging)
|  (3 . describe-copying)
|  (1 . about-emacs)
|  (63 . help-for-help)
|  (46 . display-local-help)
|  (f1 . help-for-help)
|  (help . help-for-help)
|  (8 . help-for-help))
`----------------------------------------------------------------------

Of course, you can unbind it.


Regards,

Michael.