[BUG] org-resolve-clocks use of read-char-exclusive without telling EXWM to change the focus back to Emacs results in deadlock

[BUG] org-resolve-clocks use of read-char-exclusive without telling EXWM to change the focus back to Emacs results in deadlock

[SyedZuhair]

The deadlock happens if org-resolve-clocks is called automatically (for
resolving idle time) while focus is in a EXWM-mode buffer. The
result is that the focus is stuck with the EXWM-mode buffer away from
Emacs and the user can not tell EXWM to change the focus to the
mini-buffer to interact with org because org is grabbing all the input
away from EXWM.

The only way out for the user is to kill the application in EXWM buffer
from another ttyn terminal to be able to interact with
org-resolve-clocks.

See the issue discussion here as well: https://github.com/ch11ng/exwm/issues/921

Steps to reproduce:

1. Run X with EXWM as its window manager.

2. Clock in some tasks in an org-buffer.

3. Start some non-Emacs application (like Firefox)) it will run in an
EXWM-mode buffer.

4. Leave the input for more than org-clock-idle-time.

5. org-resolve-clocks is get called and you get stuck in your
EXWM-mode buffer till you kill the application somehow, because all you
keys are all going to the EXWM-buffer and those that are supposed to go
to EXWM to interact with Emacs is grabbed by org-resolve-clocks and ignored.

Thank you very much.

Emacs  : GNU Emacs 29.1 (build 1, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.24.38, cairo version 1.17.8)
Package: Org mode version 9.6.6 (release_9.6.6 @ /usr/share/emacs/29.1/lisp/org/)

Re: [BUG] org-resolve-clocks use of read-char-exclusive without telling EXWM to change the focus back to Emacs results in deadlock

[Ihor Radchenko]

SyedZuhair <syed@riseup.net> writes:

> The deadlock happens if org-resolve-clocks is called automatically (for
> resolving idle time) while focus is in a EXWM-mode buffer. The
> result is that the focus is stuck with the EXWM-mode buffer away from
> Emacs and the user can not tell EXWM to change the focus to the
> mini-buffer to interact with org because org is grabbing all the input
> away from EXWM.
>
> The only way out for the user is to kill the application in EXWM buffer
> from another ttyn terminal to be able to interact with
> org-resolve-clocks.
>
> See the issue discussion here as well: https://github.com/ch11ng/exwm/issues/921

There is a reason why we switched to `read-char-exclusive'. See
https://orgmode.org/list/87o82yaeie.fsf@gmail.com

I also do not see any reason why Org should not use
`read-char-exclusive' - the fact that EXWM does not support certain
Emacs primitives is not Org's problem, but a shortcoming of EXWM.

I would not mind changing `read-char-exclusive' to another equivalent if
that solves EXWM problem, but I am not aware about anything equivalent.
As you see in the above link, using `read-char' is not an option.

Not an Org bug.
Canceled.

-- 
Ihor Radchenko // yantar92,
Org mode contributor,
Learn more about Org mode at <https://orgmode.org/>.
Support Org development at <https://liberapay.com/org-mode>,
or support my work at <https://liberapay.com/yantar92>