Annoying message "Text is read only"

Annoying message "Text is read only"

[Davin Pearson]

When I execute M-x find-file it says Find
File:

Why I press cursor left a few times and then try to press a key,
it
says: "Text is read only".  Surely a more natural behavour would be
to
beep and not allow the user to type in that character in the first
place.  What
gives?

Re: Annoying message "Text is read only"

[Pascal J. Bourguignon]

Davin Pearson <davin.pearson@gmail.com> writes:

> When I execute M-x find-file it says Find
> File:
>
> Why I press cursor left a few times and then try to press a key, it
> says: "Text is read only".  Surely a more natural behavour would be
> to beep and not allow the user to type in that character in the
> first place.  What gives?

How do you propose to do that? 
Perhaps using the protocol hinted at by:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d140/taporsnap_25/punch_tcp_ip.jpg

-- 
__Pascal Bourguignon__                     http://www.informatimago.com/

HEALTH WARNING: Care should be taken when lifting this product,
since its mass, and thus its weight, is dependent on its velocity
relative to the user.

Re: Annoying message "Text is read only"

[Daniel Pittman]

pjb@informatimago.com (Pascal J. Bourguignon) writes:
> Davin Pearson <davin.pearson@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> When I execute M-x find-file it says Find
>> File:
>>
>> Why I press cursor left a few times and then try to press a key, it
>> says: "Text is read only".  Surely a more natural behavour would be
>> to beep and not allow the user to type in that character in the
>> first place.  What gives?

This is a traditional default; try:

   M-x customize-variable <RET> minibuffer-prompt-properties <RET>

Enable the "Don't Enter" option and save your changes, which will
implement what you expect.  (Well, no beep, but you can't move over the
text any longer.)

> How do you propose to do that?
> Perhaps using the protocol hinted at by:
> http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d140/taporsnap_25/punch_tcp_ip.jpg

You know, when you are insultingly smug toward people asking reasonable
questions it /really/ helps to be right.  Otherwise, you know, you
pretty much look like a fool.

HTH, HAND.
        Daniel

Re: Annoying message "Text is read only"

[Davin Pearson]

On Sep 16, 7:29 pm, Daniel Pittman <dan...@rimspace.net> wrote:
> This is a traditional default; try:
>
>    M-x customize-variable <RET> minibuffer-prompt-properties <RET>
>
> Enable the "Don't Enter" option and save your changes, which will
> implement what you expect.  (Well, no beep, but you can't move over the
> text any longer.)

The following code appears to work:

(setq minibuffer-prompt-properties (remove 'read-only minibuffer-
prompt-properties))

Re: Annoying message "Text is read only"

[Daniel Pittman]

Davin Pearson <davin.pearson@gmail.com> writes:
> On Sep 16, 7:29 pm, Daniel Pittman <dan...@rimspace.net> wrote:
>> This is a traditional default; try:
>>
>>    M-x customize-variable <RET> minibuffer-prompt-properties <RET>
>>
>> Enable the "Don't Enter" option and save your changes, which will
>> implement what you expect.  (Well, no beep, but you can't move over the
>> text any longer.)
>
> The following code appears to work:
>
> (setq minibuffer-prompt-properties (remove 'read-only minibuffer-
> prompt-properties))

Ouch.  That risks causing *serious* breakage:
`minibuffer-prompt-properties' is a plist, which means that it needs to
have an even number of elements.

You just removed one, potentially leaving an odd number, which could be
bad.  (As in, nothing that tries to prompt in the minibuffer works any
more bad.)


Anyway, as far as I can tell that would allow you to edit the prompt
text, which probably isn't as desirable as not being able to move
there.  I use:

(plist-put minibuffer-prompt-properties 
           'point-entered 'minibuffer-avoid-prompt)

That has the same effect as the custom stuff, but is plist safe and
avoids the cursor getting in there in the first place.

Regards,
        Daniel

Re: Annoying message "Text is read only"

[Xah]

Davin Pearson asked:
Q: how to stop cursor moving over to prompt in minibuffer

Daniel Pittman wrote:
A:
   M-x customize-variable <RET> minibuffer-prompt-properties <RET>
   Enable the "Don't Enter" option and save your changes

Thanks a lot!

When i switched to emacs in about 2006 from 4 years of xemacs, i was
quite annoyed by this behavior. I remember i posted this question, i
got some silly responses from emacs regulars in comp.emacs, who says
that something to the effect that “sometimes you need to copy the
prompt”.

in my opinion, this is one of the usability problem, so obvious yet
some of the tech geekers dont seem to be able to see it.

i'm going to file a bug report now.

  Xah
∑ http://xahlee.org/

☄

Re: Annoying message "Text is read only"

[Lennart Borgman (gmail)]

> Davin Pearson <davin.pearson@gmail.com> writes:
> 
>> When I execute M-x find-file it says Find
>> File:
>>
>> Why I press cursor left a few times and then try to press a key, it
>> says: "Text is read only".  Surely a more natural behavour would be
>> to beep and not allow the user to type in that character in the
>> first place.  What gives?

I think that the message "Text is read-only" is a bit more helpful then
just beeping since just a beep would not distinguish between this case
and the case where just some letters are accepted. (A letter might be
bound to a command in sometimes.)