What is the point of binding C-m to RET, C-i to TAB etc on a GUI frame?

What is the point of binding C-m to RET, C-i to TAB etc on a GUI frame?

[novim via Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor]

AFAIK, it is needed only in terminals, but it has not purpose on GUI. I don't think there are many people who, for example, press C-m instead of RET.

Wouldn't it make more sense to define these in input-decode-map only if emacs runs in a terminal and on GUI letting the user freely rebind them?

Re: What is the point of binding C-m to RET, C-i to TAB etc on a GUI frame?

[Omar Polo]

novim via Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor <help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org> writes:

> AFAIK, it is needed only in terminals, but it has not purpose on GUI. I don't think there are many people who, for example, press C-m instead of RET.
>
> Wouldn't it make more sense to define these in input-decode-map only if emacs runs in a terminal and on GUI letting the user freely rebind them?

I don't think I ever used C-m, but I do sometime use C-i instead of
TAB.  Many window manager and desktop environment binds alt-tab, the same
default binding for completion-at-point.  I suppose there are people who
use M-C-i instead of "alt-tab" at least for that.

(Also, even if you have tab-always-indent set to 'complete, you may
still need M-C-i for instance in yasnippet, given how it hijacks TAB)

my two cents

P.S.: it would be cool to have a setting to explicitly say "I don't care
about tty-compatible keybindings".  But, OTOH, I've just discovered
input-decode-map thanks to this thread so I may play with it.

Re: What is the point of binding C-m to RET, C-i to TAB etc on a GUI frame?

[novim]

On Wednesday, December 30, 2020 12:12 PM, Omar Polo <op@omarpolo.com> wrote:

>
> (Also, even if you have tab-always-indent set to 'complete, you may
> still need M-C-i for instance in yasnippet, given how it hijacks TAB)

On GUI you can bind M-C-i. I don't think input-decode-map is needed for that.

> P.S.: it would be cool to have a setting to explicitly say "I don't care
> about tty-compatible keybindings".

And option like this could be nice, so GUI only users can set it.

Re: What is the point of binding C-m to RET, C-i to TAB etc on a GUI frame?

[Eric S Fraga]

On Wednesday, 30 Dec 2020 at 12:12, Omar Polo wrote:
> I don't think I ever used C-m

I use C-m often when part of a sequence of keys, e.g. "C-c C-m f" when
attaching a file in message mode.  It's easier than letting go of the
ctrl key and hitting return.

-- 
Eric S Fraga via Emacs 28.0.50 & org 9.4.4 on Debian bullseye/sid

Re: What is the point of binding C-m to RET, C-i to TAB etc on a GUI frame?

[Omar Polo]

Eric S Fraga <e.fraga@ucl.ac.uk> writes:

> On Wednesday, 30 Dec 2020 at 12:12, Omar Polo wrote:
>> I don't think I ever used C-m
>
> I use C-m often when part of a sequence of keys, e.g. "C-c C-m f" when
> attaching a file in message mode.  It's easier than letting go of the
> ctrl key and hitting return.

oh, now that I think about it, I also do that!  C-c <ret> f is awkward.
It's one of those key sequence impressed in my muscle memory.

Re: What is the point of binding C-m to RET, C-i to TAB etc on a GUI frame?

[Kévin Le Gouguec]

novim via Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor
<help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org> writes:

> AFAIK, it is needed only in terminals, but it has not purpose on
> GUI.

IIUC (but I might be wrong) it's not so much that it's "needed"; it's
that Emacs just cannot distinguish between them, since (some?) terminals
translate function keys (e.g. <return>, <tab>) into characters (\r, \t
respectively).

>      I don't think there are many people who, for example, press C-m
> instead of RET.

I do, FWIW.  On AZERTY, 'm' lies comfortably under the right pinky, so
C-m is essentially a no-op for my right hand.

With <capslock> rebound to <control>, <return> (two keys away from 'm')
requires more wrist movement than <control> (0 key away from 'q'):

[CAPS][q][s][d][_f_][g][h][_j_][k][l][m][ù][*][RETURN]

I know I'm probably the odd one out though.

Re: What is the point of binding C-m to RET, C-i to TAB etc on a GUI frame?

[Emanuel Berg via Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor]

novim via Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor wrote:

> AFAIK, it is needed only in terminals, but it has not
> purpose on GUI. I don't think there are many people who, for
> example, press C-m instead of RET.

https://dataswamp.org/~incal/emacs-init/console-keys.el
https://dataswamp.org/~incal/tty-emacs-keys.txt

-- 
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573
https://dataswamp.org/~incal