randy@ncifcrf.UUCP (07/13/87)
I have a question for the assembled intellects of the net. I want
to have point moved to a specific point within a file automatically
upon editing the given file (specifically to the end of the first
line). I thought I could do this through a modification of
auto-mode-alist, but apparently modifications to point are not
effective when called through this mechanism. Specifically, I
created a function 'mh-compose-mode which put me into Text mode, set
the fill prefix, moved to the beginning of the buffer and then to
the end of the line. I then cons'ed '("draft" . mh-compose-mode) to
auto-mode-alist and setq'd the result to auto-mode-alist again in my
.emacs file. I'm sure I got the basic technique of modifying
auto-mode-alist right, because I end up in text mode with the fill
prefix set appropriately. However, point is at the beginning of the
buffer, not the end of the first line.
This is obviously a minor problem (a single keystroke puts me
where I want to be) but I got curious as to why my method didn't
work. Checking the source (files.el) indicate the the
auto-mode-alist function is called after the file is found, so it's
not a simple case of manipulating point on an empty scratch buffer.
Anybody hacked gnumacs enough to know what's up? Thanks for any and
all replies.
-- Randy Smith
Randy Smith @ NCI Supercomputer Facility
c/o PRI, Inc.
PO Box B, Bldng. 430 Phone: (301) 698-5660
Frederick, MD 21701 Uucp: ...!seismo!elsie!ncifcrf!randymatt@oddjob.UChicago.EDU (I am not a Grook) (07/14/87)
Randy T. F. Smith (RTFS?) writes:
) I want to have point moved to a specific point within a file
) automatically upon editing the given file. I thought I could
) do this through a modification of auto-mode-alist, ...
) However, point is at the beginning of the buffer, not the end
) of the first line.
) Checking the source (files.el) indicate the the
) auto-mode-alist function is called after the file is found,
) so it's not a simple case of manipulating point on an empty
) scratch buffer.
Check more closely ... All the work of auto-modes is done by
after-find-file which is called from inside a (save-excursion ...).
I had a similar problem trying to get my c-mode-hook to do a
(setq case-fold-search nil). The hooks were run from inside a
(let ((case-fold-search t)) ...). I sent this in as a bug and
it was change many releases ago.
There is a reason for the save-excursion in find-file-noselect
(the contents may be read in again if the buffer exists and the
file has been altered on disk), but I don't see that the reason
extends to protecting the call to after-find-file.
There's another save-excursion inside set-auto-mode which is
needed because that function searches for a -*-MODENAME-*- in
the buffer. A little rearrangement can bring the line
(funcall (intern (concat (downcase mode) "-mode")))
and the subsequent scan of auto-mode-alist outside of the
save-excursion.
I think that the above changes should be made. I'm sure some
FSF GNUmaster is watching. Taking care of a local "variable" of
"mode" or "eval" I leave as an exercise for said master!
________________________________________________________
Matt University matt@oddjob.uchicago.edu
Crawford of Chicago {hao,ihnp4}!oddjob!matt
Yow! I threw up on my window!