[BUG] Error when editing properties in column view [9.5.3 (release_9.5.3-452-g407104 @ /home/mbork/others-works/emacs/org-mode/lisp/)]

[BUG] Error when editing properties in column view [9.5.3 (release_9.5.3-452-g407104 @ /home/mbork/others-works/emacs/org-mode/lisp/)]

[Marcin Borkowski]

Remember to cover the basics, that is, what you expected to happen and
what in fact did happen.  You don't know how to make a good report?  See

     https://orgmode.org/manual/Feedback.html#Feedback

Your bug report will be posted to the Org mailing list.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I try to edit a property in column view, I get the following error message:

Invalid column specification format: nil

This only seems to happen if the point is not too close to the left
margin.  I did a bit of digging and found out that the culprit is most
probably the `org-columns-update' function, which contains this:

(let* ((spec (nth (current-column) org-columns-current-fmt-compiled))
...) ...)

Since `org-columns-current-fmt-compiled' seems to contain one entry per
_table_ column and `current-column' returns the "horizontal position of
point" (i.e., the index of the _character_ column the point is in),
`spec' gets assigned nil unless the point happens to be no more
characters from the left margin than there are columns in the column
view, and even then it gets assigned the wrong thing.

I might be mistaken, though - I only skimmed through this code.

Here is an example file where this happens:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---

* Test
** Entry A
:PROPERTIES:
:a:        1
:b:        2
:END:
** Entry B
:PROPERTIES:
:a:        3
:b:        4
:END:
* Config
#+COLUMNS: %4a %4b
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

Go to `* Test', press `C-c C-x C-c', then go to `2' and press `e 2 <RET>'.

I also saw this on emacs -Q, with the built-in Org-mode:
Org mode version 9.5.2 (release_9.5.2-22-g33543d @ /usr/local/share/emacs/29.0.50/lisp/org/)



Emacs  : GNU Emacs 29.0.50 (build 1, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.24.31, cairo version 1.17.4)
 of 2022-03-06
Package: Org mode version 9.5.3 (release_9.5.3-452-g407104 @ /home/mbork/others-works/emacs/org-mode/lisp/)

-- 
Marcin Borkowski
http://mbork.pl

Re: [BUG] Error when editing properties in column view [9.5.3 (release_9.5.3-452-g407104 @ /home/mbork/others-works/emacs/org-mode/lisp/)]

[Ihor Radchenko]

Marcin Borkowski <mbork@mbork.pl> writes:

> When I try to edit a property in column view, I get the following error message:
>
> Invalid column specification format: nil
>
> This only seems to happen if the point is not too close to the left
> margin.  I did a bit of digging and found out that the culprit is most
> probably the `org-columns-update' function, which contains this:

Thanks for the report!
Confirmed.

This (or similar) issue also appears when you run make test using Emacs
master. AFAIK, it has been introduced in some of the Emacs master
commits a few months ago where Emacs changed its behaviour.

We probably need to bisect Emacs and figure out what exactly changed and
whether the problem is on Emacs or Org side.

Best,
Ihor

Re: [BUG] Error when editing properties in column view [9.5.3 (release_9.5.3-452-g407104 @ /home/mbork/others-works/emacs/org-mode/lisp/)]

[Ihor Radchenko]

Ihor Radchenko <yantar92@gmail.com> writes:

> Marcin Borkowski <mbork@mbork.pl> writes:
>
>> When I try to edit a property in column view, I get the following error message:
>>
>> Invalid column specification format: nil
>>
>> This only seems to happen if the point is not too close to the left
>> margin.  I did a bit of digging and found out that the culprit is most
>> probably the `org-columns-update' function, which contains this:
>
> Thanks for the report!
> Confirmed.

Fixed.

-- 
Ihor Radchenko,
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