bug#58280: 29.0.50; package-install: slime, loaddefs-generate: Search failed: " "

[Stefan Kangas <stefankangas@gmail.com>]

Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support> writes:

> I do:
>
> M-x package-install RET slime RET
>
> and get this error:
>
> loaddefs-generate: Search failed: "\f
> "

I can reproduce this when trying to install `slime' from NonGNU ELPA.

The problem here is that the `slime' package already comes with a file
"slime-autoloads.el", which means that the attempt to auto-generate a
new one fails:

    https://github.com/slime/slime/blob/master/slime-autoloads.el

Here's the backtrace:

Debugger entered--Lisp error: (search-failed "\f\n")
  search-backward("\f\n")
  loaddefs-generate("/home/skangas/.emacs.d/elpa/slime-2.26.1"
"/home/skangas/.emacs.d/elpa/slime-2.26.1/slime-autoloads.el" nil
"(add-to-list 'load-path (directory-file-name\n
 (or (file-name-directory #$) (car load-path))))")
  package-generate-autoloads(slime "/home/skangas/.emacs.d/elpa/slime-2.26.1")
  package--make-autoloads-and-stuff(#s(package-desc :name slime
:version (2 26 1) :summary "Superior Lisp Interaction Mode for Emacs"
:reqs ((cl-lib (0 5)) (macrostep (0 9))) :kind tar :archive "nongnu"
:dir nil :extras ((:url . "https://github.com/slime/slime") (:keywords
"languages" "lisp" "slime")) :signed nil)
"/home/skangas/.emacs.d/elpa/slime-2.26.1")
  package-unpack(#s(package-desc :name slime :version (2 26 1)
:summary "Superior Lisp Interaction Mode for Emacs" :reqs ((cl-lib (0
5)) (macrostep (0 9))) :kind tar :archive "nongnu" :dir nil :extras
((:url . "https://github.com/slime/slime") (:keywords "languages"
"lisp" "slime")) :signed nil))
  #f(compiled-function (&optional good-sigs) #<bytecode
-0x1c34996dfaea29ed>)((#s(epg-signature :status good :key-id
"066DAFCB81E42C40" :validity undefined :fingerprint
"C433554766D3DDC64221BFAA066DAFCB81E42C40" :creation-time 1628370304
:expiration-time nil :pubkey-algorithm 1 :digest-algorithm 10 :class 0
:version 4 :notations nil)))
  #f(compiled-function () #<bytecode -0x497ef45b22fcff9>)()
  package--with-response-buffer-1("https://elpa.nongnu.org/nongnu/"
#f(compiled-function () #<bytecode -0x497ef45b22fcff9>) :file
"slime-2.26.1.tar.sig" :async nil :error-function #f(compiled-function
() #<bytecode 0x1dd95231c003d77a>) :noerror t)
  package--check-signature("https://elpa.nongnu.org/nongnu/"
"slime-2.26.1.tar"
"slime-2.26.1/\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0..."
nil #f(compiled-function (&optional good-sigs) #<bytecode
-0x1c34996dfaea29ed>))
  #f(compiled-function () #<bytecode 0x1f89d58d4a8c5c8>)()
  package--with-response-buffer-1("https://elpa.nongnu.org/nongnu/"
#f(compiled-function () #<bytecode 0x1f89d58d4a8c5c8>) :file
"slime-2.26.1.tar" :async nil :error-function #f(compiled-function ()
#<bytecode 0x1dc000153e91>) :noerror nil)
  package-install-from-archive(#s(package-desc :name slime :version (2
26 1) :summary "Superior Lisp Interaction Mode for Emacs" :reqs
((cl-lib (0 5)) (macrostep (0 9))) :kind tar :archive "nongnu" :dir
nil :extras ((:url . "https://github.com/slime/slime") (:keywords
"languages" "lisp" "slime")) :signed nil))
  mapc(package-install-from-archive (#s(package-desc :name slime
:version (2 26 1) :summary "Superior Lisp Interaction Mode for Emacs"
:reqs ((cl-lib (0 5)) (macrostep (0 9))) :kind tar :archive "nongnu"
:dir nil :extras ((:url . "https://github.com/slime/slime") (:keywords
"languages" "lisp" "slime")) :signed nil)))
  package-download-transaction((#s(package-desc :name slime :version
(2 26 1) :summary "Superior Lisp Interaction Mode for Emacs" :reqs
((cl-lib (0 5)) (macrostep (0 9))) :kind tar :archive "nongnu" :dir
nil :extras ((:url . "https://github.com/slime/slime") (:keywords
"languages" "lisp" "slime")) :signed nil)))
  package-install(#s(package-desc :name slime :version (2 26 1)
:summary "Superior Lisp Interaction Mode for Emacs" :reqs ((cl-lib (0
5)) (macrostep (0 9))) :kind tar :archive "nongnu" :dir nil :extras
((:url . "https://github.com/slime/slime") (:keywords "languages"
"lisp" "slime")) :signed nil) nil)
  package-install-button-action(#<marker (moves after insertion) at 68
in *Help*>)
  button-activate(#<marker (moves after insertion) at 68 in *Help*> nil)
  push-button(68)
  funcall-interactively(push-button 68)
  call-interactively(push-button nil nil)
  command-execute(push-button)