On Sat, Mar 18, 2017, 8:52 AM Lele Gaifax <lele@metapensiero.it> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> when a transaction involves different operations, current
> `package-menu--prompt-transaction-p' shows prompts like
>
>   Delete package ‘x’; and Upgrade these 2 packages (y, z)?
>
> or
>
>   Delete package ‘x’; Install package ‘y’; and Upgrade these 2 packages
> (w, z)?
>
> that IMHO are a bit inelegant.
>

I actually like the current message, as the actions Delete, Install and
Upgrade are capitalized. The user's attention is drawn to the fact that
those 3 different actions are going to happen.  The semi-colons are used so
that those actions can be capitalized, I think.

I hacked it to the following definition
>
>   (defun package-menu--prompt-transaction-p (delete install upgrade)
>     "Prompt the user about DELETE, INSTALL, and UPGRADE.
>   DELETE, INSTALL, and UPGRADE are lists of `package-desc' objects.
>   Either may be nil, but not all."
>     (y-or-n-p
>      (concat
>       (when delete "Delete ")
>       (package-menu--list-to-prompt delete)
>       (if (and delete install)
>           (if upgrade ", install " " and install ")
>         (when install "Install "))
>       (package-menu--list-to-prompt install)
>       (if (and upgrade (or install delete))
>           " and upgrade "
>         (when upgrade "Upgrade "))
>       (package-menu--list-to-prompt upgrade)
>       "? ")))
>
> that shows instead
>
>   Delete package ‘x’ and upgrade these 2 packages (y, z)?
>
> or
>
>   Delete package ‘x’, install package ‘y’ and upgrade these 2 packages (w,
> z)?
>
> What do you think?


This is another option where the actions are not capitalized, and so you
can replace the semi-colons with commas. But I really miss the Oxford
Commas here; below I have added those before the "and":

    Delete package ‘x’, and upgrade these 2 packages (y, z)?

    Delete package ‘x’, install package ‘y’, and upgrade these 2 packages
(w, z)?


So my order of preference:

1. Current (no change) - Focus on the actions that are going to happen by
capitalizing them.
2.  Use of Oxford commas

-- 

Kaushal Modi