bug#41524: 26.3; Request for 'x' for 'execute' in dired menu

bug#41524: 26.3; Request for 'x' for 'execute' in dired menu

[jan via Bug reports for GNU Emacs, the Swiss army knife of text editors]

Hi all,
I was using dired recently after a very long break from it.

I marked some files for deletion, wasn't sure how to actually trigger
the delete, had a suspicion it was 'x' but checked the menu anyway (I
often use the menu merely as a handy cheat-sheet for the keyboard
commands). It appears not to be there.

If it is actually missing I request it be added as it makes no sense for
beginners, who may actually use the menu with the mouse, to be able to
variously mark stuff but then lack a way of carrying them out.

thanks

jan



In GNU Emacs 26.3 (build 1, x86_64-w64-mingw32)
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Windowing system distributor 'Microsoft Corp.', version 6.1.7601
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bug#41524: 26.3; Request for 'x' for 'execute' in dired menu

[Drew Adams]

> I was using dired recently after a very long break from it.
> 
> I marked some files for deletion, wasn't sure how to actually trigger
> the delete, had a suspicion it was 'x' but checked the menu anyway (I
> often use the menu merely as a handy cheat-sheet for the keyboard
> commands). It appears not to be there.
> 
> If it is actually missing I request it be added as it makes no sense
> for
> beginners, who may actually use the menu with the mouse, to be able to
> variously mark stuff but then lack a way of carrying them out.

Yes, `x' is not in a menu-bar menu.  It should be.

If you use Dired+, it is.  There, you have submenu
`Delete', with menu items `Delete Marked (not Flagged)'
and `Delete Flagged'.  The former has key `D', and the
latter has key `x'.

(In Dired+, menu-bar menu `Operate' is named `Multiple',
so submenu `Delete' is `Multiple > Delete', not `Operate
> Delete'.)

bug#41524: 26.3; Request for 'x' for 'execute' in dired menu

[Stefan Kangas]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 1140 bytes --]

tags 41524 + patch
thanks

Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:

>> I was using dired recently after a very long break from it.
>>
>> I marked some files for deletion, wasn't sure how to actually trigger
>> the delete, had a suspicion it was 'x' but checked the menu anyway (I
>> often use the menu merely as a handy cheat-sheet for the keyboard
>> commands). It appears not to be there.
>>
>> If it is actually missing I request it be added as it makes no sense
>> for
>> beginners, who may actually use the menu with the mouse, to be able to
>> variously mark stuff but then lack a way of carrying them out.
>
> Yes, `x' is not in a menu-bar menu.  It should be.
>
> If you use Dired+, it is.  There, you have submenu
> `Delete', with menu items `Delete Marked (not Flagged)'
> and `Delete Flagged'.  The former has key `D', and the
> latter has key `x'.
>
> (In Dired+, menu-bar menu `Operate' is named `Multiple',
> so submenu `Delete' is `Multiple > Delete', not `Operate
>> Delete'.)

How does the attached patch look?

(I had a look at Dired+ and lifted some help strings from there.
Thanks Drew.)

Best regards,
Stefan Kangas

[-- Attachment #2: 0001-Add-Delete-submenu-to-Dired-Mark-menu.patch --]
[-- Type: text/x-diff, Size: 1466 bytes --]

From 935683608dc3e9ab0d607fb5cdf0eca3d50b280d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefan Kangas <stefankangas@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2020 02:17:52 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] Add "Delete" submenu to Dired "Mark" menu

* lisp/dired.el (dired-mode-map): Add "Delete" submenu.
(Bug#41524)
---
 lisp/dired.el | 10 ++++++++++
 1 file changed, 10 insertions(+)

diff --git a/lisp/dired.el b/lisp/dired.el
index aad44a6d69..7d70f4288e 100644
--- a/lisp/dired.el
+++ b/lisp/dired.el
@@ -2065,6 +2065,16 @@ dired-mode-map
 		  :help "Replace marker with another character"))
     (define-key map [menu-bar mark unmark-all]
       '(menu-item "Unmark All" dired-unmark-all-marks))
+    (define-key map [menu-bar mark delete]
+      `(menu-item "Delete"
+                  ,(let ((menu (make-sparse-keymap "Delete")))
+                     (define-key menu [delete-flagged]
+                       '(menu-item "Delete Flagged Files" dired-do-flagged-delete
+                                   :help "Delete all files flagged for deletion (D)"))
+                     (define-key menu [delete-marked]
+                       '(menu-item "Delete Marked (Not Flagged) Files" dired-do-delete
+                                   :help "Delete current file or all marked files (not flagged files)"))
+                     menu)))
     (define-key map [menu-bar mark symlinks]
       '(menu-item "Mark Symlinks" dired-mark-symlinks
 		  :visible (fboundp 'make-symbolic-link)
-- 
2.28.0

bug#41524: 26.3; Request for 'x' for 'execute' in dired menu

[Drew Adams]

> > Yes, `x' is not in a menu-bar menu.  It should be.
> >
> > If you use Dired+, it is.  There, you have submenu
> > `Delete', with menu items `Delete Marked (not Flagged)'
> > and `Delete Flagged'.  The former has key `D', and the
> > latter has key `x'.
> >
> > (In Dired+, menu-bar menu `Operate' is named `Multiple',
> > so submenu `Delete' is `Multiple > Delete', not `Operate
> >> Delete'.)
> 
> How does the attached patch look?
> 
> (I had a look at Dired+ and lifted some help strings from there.
> Thanks Drew.)

Thanks for looking into this.

I don't think this belongs on menu `Mark', however.

It belongs on menu `Operate', as it operates on the
(typically) multiple files that are marked (or flagged).

Menu `Mark' is for marking files, not for acting on
marked files.

IMO, it would not be good to start mixing up marking
with acting on marked files, on the same menu.  That
would set a bad precedent.  Once things get set in
an Emacs menu, it seems to take a major earthquake
to later change them, so it's better to try to keep
things clear from the outset.

[When I said in my previous post, that Dired+
has a `Delete' submenu, I should have mentioned
that it is on menu `Multiple' (which corresponds
to vanilla menu `Operate'), not on menu `Marks'
(which corresponds to vanilla menu `Mark'.]

bug#41524: 26.3; Request for 'x' for 'execute' in dired menu

[Stefan Kangas]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 276 bytes --]

Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:

> It belongs on menu `Operate', as it operates on the
> (typically) multiple files that are marked (or flagged).

Ah, right.  I never use the menu so I overlooked that.

Should be fixed in the attached.

Best regards,
Stefan Kangas

[-- Attachment #2: 0001-Add-Delete-submenu-to-Dired-Operate-menu.patch --]
[-- Type: text/x-diff, Size: 1629 bytes --]

From 645c91dce0714de04366ad7981361bb25d964d8b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefan Kangas <stefankangas@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2020 02:17:52 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] Add "Delete" submenu to Dired "Operate" menu

* lisp/dired.el (dired-mode-map): Add "Delete" submenu to "Operate"
menu with an entry for 'dired-do-flagged-delete'.  (Bug#41524)
---
 lisp/dired.el | 11 +++++++++--
 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/lisp/dired.el b/lisp/dired.el
index 94d3befda8..08d0468851 100644
--- a/lisp/dired.el
+++ b/lisp/dired.el
@@ -2244,8 +2244,15 @@ dired-mode-map
       '(menu-item "Shell Command..." dired-do-shell-command
 		  :help "Run a shell command on current or marked files"))
     (define-key map [menu-bar operate delete]
-      '(menu-item "Delete" dired-do-delete
-		  :help "Delete current file or all marked files"))
+      `(menu-item "Delete"
+                  ,(let ((menu (make-sparse-keymap "Delete")))
+                     (define-key menu [delete-flagged]
+                       '(menu-item "Delete Flagged Files" dired-do-flagged-delete
+                                   :help "Delete all files flagged for deletion (D)"))
+                     (define-key menu [delete-marked]
+                       '(menu-item "Delete Marked (Not Flagged) Files" dired-do-delete
+                                   :help "Delete current file or all marked files (excluding flagged files)"))
+                     menu)))
     (define-key map [menu-bar operate rename]
       '(menu-item "Rename to..." dired-do-rename
 		  :help "Rename current file or move marked files"))
-- 
2.28.0

bug#41524: 26.3; Request for 'x' for 'execute' in dired menu

[Drew Adams]

> > It belongs on menu `Operate', as it operates on the
> > (typically) multiple files that are marked (or flagged).
> 
> Ah, right.  I never use the menu so I overlooked that.
> Should be fixed in the attached.

I took only a quick look at the patch, but LGTM.
Thanks.

bug#41524: 26.3; Request for 'x' for 'execute' in dired menu

[Stefan Kangas]

close 41524 28.1
thanks

Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:

> I took only a quick look at the patch, but LGTM.

Thanks, Now pushed to master as commit a17ad0b212.  Closing.