[comp.emacs] find-alternate-file

lamy@ai.utoronto.ca (Jean-Francois Lamy) (06/20/89)

In article <8906192349.AA05610@apple-gunkies.ai.mit.edu> jla@wheaties.ai.mit.edu writes:
>The current implementation of find-alternate-file for version 19
>appends the filename of the current buffer to the prompt string.  This
>is annoying to some people and I am thinking of changing this.

It should provide the directory, period.  One thing of the same ilk that is a
bug in release 18 is that recover-file does not prompt you with the file name,
but rather with its directory, which is utterly confusing.  Maybe you could
swap the two pieces of code... :-)

Jean-Francois Lamy               lamy@ai.utoronto.ca, uunet!ai.utoronto.ca!lamy
AI Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Canada M5S 1A4

jla@AI.MIT.EDU (Joseph Arceneaux) (06/20/89)

The current implementation of find-alternate-file for version 19
appends the filename of the current buffer to the prompt string.  This
is annoying to some people and I am thinking of changing this.

One possibility is to append the filename with point positioned just
before it, making it easier to do C-k on it.  Another thought was to
have any non-control character automatically kill the filename.  Yet
another possibility is to not insert the filename, but have it present
in a variable, which could then be inserted in a keystroke.

If you have an opinion about this feature, I would be interested to
hear it.

mesard@bbn.com (Wayne Mesard) (06/20/89)

In article <8906192349.AA05610@apple-gunkies.ai.mit.edu> jla@wheaties.ai.mit.edu writes:
>The current implementation of find-alternate-file for version 19
>appends the filename of the current buffer to the prompt string.  This
>is annoying to some people and I am thinking of changing this.

I think this feature sounds great (aka groovy).

>One possibility is to append the filename with point positioned just
>before it, making it easier to do C-k on it.

I'd prefer this, but it's probably not the most equitable compromise.

>Another thought was to
>have any non-control character automatically kill the filename.

Similar to the typical "Save As" dialog in a Macintosh program.

My most frequent use of find-alternate-file is to get the right file
immediately after hitting the return key too soon on a find-file.  For
example, there are two files in the directory: "googolplex.bobble" and
"googolplex.zoiks".  I type "C-x C-f googolplex <TAB> <Return>" which
(innocently, but incorrectly) creates a new buffer named googolplex.
Having the find-alternate-file put the filename there would be a big
win in this case.  Under your compromise scheme, I could now just type
"C-e .b <TAB>".  Sounds reasonable.

> Yet
>another possibility is to not insert the filename, but have it present
>in a variable, which could then be inserted in a keystroke.

Holy, non-intuitive interfaces, Batman!  ("Quite, Boy Wonder.  You're
dead.")

-- 
unsigned *Wayne_Mesard();     "I have to go.  My cat has a hard-on."
MESARD@BBN.COM     
BBN, Cambridge, MA                                       -Patty           

charles@hpcvca.CV.HP.COM (Charles Brown) (06/22/89)

> The current implementation of find-alternate-file for version 19
> appends the filename of the current buffer to the prompt string.  This
> is annoying to some people and I am thinking of changing this.

This would be OK with me.

> One possibility is to append the filename with point positioned just
> before it, making it easier to do C-k on it.

I like this much better!

> Another thought was to
> have any non-control character automatically kill the filename.

Gack!  Non-intuitive!

> Yet
> another possibility is to not insert the filename, but have it present
> in a variable, which could then be inserted in a keystroke.

Yuk.  Yet another keybinding to memorize.
--
	Charles Brown	charles@cv.hp.com or charles%hpcvca@hplabs.hp.com
			or hplabs!hpcvca!charles or "Hey you!"
	Not representing my employer.
	"The guy sure looks like plant food to me." Little Shop of Horrors