From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Drew Adams Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: RE: SPC in completing minibuffers? Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 07:12:45 -0700 (PDT) Message-ID: References: <87tx9qhkik.fsf@fx.delysid.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1397830407 25846 80.91.229.3 (18 Apr 2014 14:13:27 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 14:13:27 +0000 (UTC) To: Mario Lang , emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Fri Apr 18 16:13:20 2014 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17]) by plane.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1Wb9XX-0005gP-E0 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Fri, 18 Apr 2014 16:13:15 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:38107 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Wb9XW-0006R0-W4 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Fri, 18 Apr 2014 10:13:14 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:34977) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Wb9XL-0006Pm-Jq for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 18 Apr 2014 10:13:12 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Wb9XC-0004ng-Ry for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 18 Apr 2014 10:13:03 -0400 Original-Received: from userp1040.oracle.com ([156.151.31.81]:28829) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Wb9XC-0004nM-Kw for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 18 Apr 2014 10:12:54 -0400 Original-Received: from acsinet21.oracle.com (acsinet21.oracle.com [141.146.126.237]) by userp1040.oracle.com (Sentrion-MTA-4.3.2/Sentrion-MTA-4.3.2) with ESMTP id s3IECm0o026175 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=OK); Fri, 18 Apr 2014 14:12:49 GMT Original-Received: from userz7021.oracle.com (userz7021.oracle.com [156.151.31.85]) by acsinet21.oracle.com (8.14.4+Sun/8.14.4) with ESMTP id s3IECljS018855 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=FAIL); Fri, 18 Apr 2014 14:12:48 GMT Original-Received: from abhmp0003.oracle.com (abhmp0003.oracle.com [141.146.116.9]) by userz7021.oracle.com (8.14.4+Sun/8.14.4) with ESMTP id s3IECkRo000068; Fri, 18 Apr 2014 14:12:46 GMT In-Reply-To: <87tx9qhkik.fsf@fx.delysid.org> X-Priority: 3 X-Mailer: Oracle Beehive Extensions for Outlook 2.0.1.8 (707110) [OL 12.0.6691.5000 (x86)] X-Source-IP: acsinet21.oracle.com [141.146.126.237] X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.4.x-2.6.x [generic] X-Received-From: 156.151.31.81 X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:171488 Archived-At: > I have hit two different instances where I needed to use C-q SPC > to insert a blank in the minibuffer recently. > > One is with `insert-char', if you try to complete a unicode name > with spaces (almost all have one). The other is with `ert' > when prompted for the selector. When I try to give a tag based > selector like (tag :foo) I need to use C-q SPC to insert the space. > If I type a normal space, I get [No match]. > > As a long time Emacs user I know how to work around these issues, > but I was thinking: Aren't they really bugs? Is it expected in > some situations that the user needs to escape SPC in the minibuffer, > or do we consider these as bugs? FWIW, yes, `SPC' should self-insert in the minibuffer - as should `?' and `C-j' (newline). This should be a no-brainer, IMHO. Minibuffer input with completion can be used for *all kinds* of things. Thinking that in most cases such input cannot contain `SPC' etc. is overly narrow. I proposed such self-insertion many moon ago (Icicles has had it for a decade), but it was rejected. I have never seen a good argument for not self-inserting such chars. After a long while, `SPC' was finally allowed to self-insert for file/dir-name completion (only), though IIRC some felt that supporting this amounts to caving in to MS Windows users. Let's hope that your reviving the suggestion will have more luck this time around. As a longtime user, you know that you can easily overcome this limitation for own use by binding `SPC' etc. in minibuffer keymaps to whatever commands you like. But yes, it would be better to make Emacs behave nicely for everyone, out of the box.