minibuffer-complete inserts extraneous '-' using CVS Emacs

minibuffer-complete inserts extraneous '-' using CVS Emacs

[Francis Litterio]

In CVS Emacs built on Linux and Windows XP, I see the following behavior
from minibuffer-complete:

  1.  Run "emacs -Q" or "emacs -q".

  2.  Type "C-h f file-p SPC".

  3.  The minibuffer shows "file--p" even though no function's name starts
      with that sequence of characters.
--
Fran

Re: minibuffer-complete inserts extraneous '-' using CVS Emacs

[Stefan Monnier]

> In CVS Emacs built on Linux and Windows XP, I see the following behavior
> from minibuffer-complete:

>   1.  Run "emacs -Q" or "emacs -q".

>   2.  Type "C-h f file-p SPC".

>   3.  The minibuffer shows "file--p" even though no function's name starts
>       with that sequence of characters.

But there's no function starting with "file-p" and all the functions
that match "file.*-p.*" have 2 dashes before the p so they also match
"file.*-.*-p.*", which is why a second - is added.


        Stefan

RE: minibuffer-complete inserts extraneous '-' using CVS Emacs

[Drew Adams]

> > In CVS Emacs built on Linux and Windows XP, I see the 
> > following behavior from minibuffer-complete:
> 
> >   1.  Run "emacs -Q" or "emacs -q".
> >   2.  Type "C-h f file-p SPC".
> >   3.  The minibuffer shows "file--p" even though no 
> >       function's name starts with that sequence of characters.
> 
> But there's no function starting with "file-p" and all the functions
> that match "file.*-p.*" have 2 dashes before the p so they also match
> "file.*-.*-p.*", which is why a second - is added.

IOW, a feature, not a bug (aka bug by design). ;-)

I, for one, would prefer that pcomplete not be mixed in automatically with
normal completion by default (but it's not a biggee).

What is important, though, is that users be informed how to inhibit such
automatic pcompletion and return to the normal behavior. 

I guess that user option `completion-styles' controls this: Customizing it to
just (basic), not (basic partial-completion), does the job at least. If so, then
please explain this in the doc string - not just "List of completion styles to
use". And please mention it in the Emacs manual.