Alternative UI for reading multiple choices (was: Q: Is there a built-in way to read multiple file names?)

[Ihor Radchenko <yantar92@posteo.net>]

Rahguzar <rahguzar@zohomail.eu> writes:

>> The main problem is that it is not built-in, and I would like to get
>> something in the core to cater multi-file prompts.
>
> I would like that too, and if something like that is in the core I will
> change current implementation to depend on it. I am also happy to try to
> upstream the code if that is considered desirable.

Let's change the subject then.
Eli favours a completely different approach for selecting files in
particular, but improving `completing-read-multiple' is also worth
discussing:

- Built-in `completing-read-multiple' works fine using its idea with
  separators, but it is a pain to remove previously selected choices,
  especially long and complex ones.
   
- filechooser implements an alternative way to read multiple choices by
  showing them as additional completion group on top of the normal
  completions

- This is conceptually similar to icicles, except that the highlights in
  icicles may work not as good when the number of completion candidates
  is too large. I feel that visual indication in a separate group is
  better, except when all possible completions can fit within
  *completions* buffer window

- As we discussed with Drew, the problem with not having all the
  completions listed in the minibuffer (like in
  `completing-read-multiple') is that it does not get stored in the
  minibuffer history. And it would be nice to have access to such
  history for multiple choice prompt.

-- 
Ihor Radchenko // yantar92,
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