"`read-from-buffer'" functionality

"`read-from-buffer'" functionality

[Joe Corneli]

I would like to get user input in the form of text from a new buffer.

(w3 does something like this when you edit a text form.)

There doesn't seem to be a built-in function for popping to the new
buffer, waiting until C-c C-c is pressed (say), and then returning the
buffer's contents as a string.

Presumably that means it isn't too hard to code this using more basic
functions, but user input on a whole is new to me and I was wondering
if anyone with more experience in these matters could give me some
tips.

Re: "`read-from-buffer'" functionality

[Thien-Thi Nguyen]

Joe Corneli <jcorneli@math.utexas.edu> writes:

> some
> tips.

look at `vc-toggle-read-only' flow for an example.

the key thing to keep in mind is to avoid completely
"modal" interaction; you should not prohibit changing
buffers and returning later to complete the input.

here is an application that doesn't follow this advice:

  http://www.glug.org/people/ttn/software/etrack/

(see file etrack.el from the tarball.)  the result is
that it is not easily integrable w/ other packages,
and an errant C-g is enough to confuse the program.

another input-gathering paradigm is manifested by:

  http://www.glug.org/people/ttn/software/edb/

wherein you find relatively clean separation between
elisp objects, print representation, and storage (on
disk) representation, as well as a forms-oriented
input mechanism.  (see also forms.el, which EDB will
probably move towards using internally in the future.)

thi

Re: "`read-from-buffer'" functionality

[Joe Corneli]

I wrote something that seems to work using `recursive-edit' - given
the words against this approach in the elisp manual presumably this is
not the best.  But I'll post to gnu-emacs-sources soon & that will
make the discussion more concrete.