M-o M-o `font-lock-fontify-block'

[Alan Mackenzie <acm@muc.de>]

Hello, Emacs.

On master, I just typed M-o M-o and instead of font-lock-fontify-block,
got a window with the M-o removal message.  I've been using this binding
subconsciously for many years now, and it was a bit of a jolt for it not
to work.

I need this function for refontifying hi-lock-mode patterns which get
split onto two lines by auto filling.  For example I have a pattern for
"bug #12345" with arbitrary whitespace, and this fairly often gets split
by a linefeed.

Clearly, this is a candidate for C-c <letter> for me.  Typing M-x
font-lock-fontify-block would be intolerable after a very short while.

But, more to the point, a user accustomed to M-o M-o is going to have
inordinate difficulty finding the command to bind.  Two of the M-o
bindings are mentioned in NEWS, to give people help.  Why not all of
them?

Also, why must font-lock mode operating on patterns from hi-lock-mode be
unable to fontify over a line-break?  This is surely something it ought
to be able to do.  Setting font-lock-multiline to t doesn't help in this
case.

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).