Using conditional in interactive

Using conditional in interactive

[Heime]

Why does interactive not support using 

"s ━ Search Text: \n\
n ━ Number of Context Lines: \n\
s ━ Buffer Name: "

in the following

  (interactive

   (cond
     ((eq (nth 0 xiakos-context) 'list)

         (list
           (read-string " Search Text: ")
           (read-number " Number of Context Lines: ")
           (read-string " Buffer Name: ")))

     (t
         "s Search Text: \n\
n Number of Context Lines: \n\
s Buffer Name: ") ))

Re: Using conditional in interactive

[Michael Heerdegen]

Heime <heimeborgia@protonmail.com> writes:

>   (interactive
>
>    (cond
>      ((eq (nth 0 xiakos-context) 'list)
>
>          (list
>            (read-string " Search Text: ")
>            (read-number " Number of Context Lines: ")
>            (read-string " Buffer Name: ")))
>
>      (t
>          "s Search Text: \n\
> n Number of Context Lines: \n\
> s Buffer Name: ") ))

I already mentioned why you don't want something like this: in

  (interactive EXPR)

the return value of the EXPR is used as argument list, not as an
interactive spec.  The EXPR already _is_ the interactive spec.

So to say, you are mixing two unrelated things here.

Michael.

Re: Using conditional in interactive

[Heime]

On Monday, September 16th, 2024 at 7:30 AM, Michael Heerdegen <michael_heerdegen@web.de> wrote:

> Heime heimeborgia@protonmail.com writes:
> 
> > (interactive
> > 
> > (cond
> > ((eq (nth 0 xiakos-context) 'list)
> > 
> > (list
> > (read-string " Search Text: ")
> > (read-number " Number of Context Lines: ")
> > (read-string " Buffer Name: ")))
> > 
> > (t
> > "s Search Text: \n\
> > n Number of Context Lines: \n\
> > s Buffer Name: ") ))
> 
> 
> I already mentioned why you don't want something like this: in
> 
> (interactive EXPR)
> 
> the return value of the EXPR is used as argument list, not as an
> interactive spec. The EXPR already is the interactive spec.

I am not following your argumunt.  Would cond not pass the string and 
interactive sees it ?  If the first condition is satisfied, the interactive
part work correctly, even though there is a cond expression.  Yet, the cond
with a string outputs interprets things completely differently.   
 
> So to say, you are mixing two unrelated things here. - Michael.

Re: Using conditional in interactive

[Heime]

On Monday, September 16th, 2024 at 8:50 AM, Heime <heimeborgia@protonmail.com> wrote:

> On Monday, September 16th, 2024 at 7:30 AM, Michael Heerdegen michael_heerdegen@web.de wrote:
> 
> > Heime heimeborgia@protonmail.com writes:
> > 
> > > (interactive
> > > 
> > > (cond
> > > ((eq (nth 0 xiakos-context) 'list)
> > > 
> > > (list
> > > (read-string " Search Text: ")
> > > (read-number " Number of Context Lines: ")
> > > (read-string " Buffer Name: ")))
> > > 
> > > (t
> > > "s Search Text: \n\
> > > n Number of Context Lines: \n\
> > > s Buffer Name: ") ))
> > 
> > I already mentioned why you don't want something like this: in
> > 
> > (interactive EXPR)
> > 
> > the return value of the EXPR is used as argument list, not as an
> > interactive spec. The EXPR already is the interactive spec.
> 
> 
> I am not following your argumunt. Would cond not pass the string and
> interactive sees it ? If the first condition is satisfied, the interactive
> part work correctly, even though there is a cond expression. Yet, the cond
> with a string outputs interprets things completely differently.
> 
> > So to say, you are mixing two unrelated things here. - Michael.

From you have described it, the cond should occur before the interactive
clause, ending up with two interactive clause.  The one executed would
depend on which condition succeeds.

Re: Using conditional in interactive

[Yuri Khan]

On Mon, 16 Sept 2024 at 05:23, Heime <heimeborgia@protonmail.com> wrote:

> From you have described it, the cond should occur before the interactive
> clause, ending up with two interactive clause.  The one executed would
> depend on which condition succeeds.


An (interactive) clause is not executed. It is metadata which is
consulted before the function starts. You cannot apply normal
executable form reasoning to it.

From the point of view of the interactive call mechanism, there are
three possibilities:

* There is no interactive clause, in which case the function is not
callable interactively
* The first argument of the interactive clause is a string literal, in
which case it is interpreted according to the string interactive spec
rules.
* The first argument is not a string, in which case it is evaluated
and the result passed to the command.

A (cond) form is not a string.