bug#45273: closed (27.1: Cannot display options help text for query-replace)

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Your message dated Wed, 16 Dec 2020 21:15:33 +0200
with message-id <83lfdx8sve.fsf@gnu.org>
and subject line Re: bug#45273: 27.1: Cannot display options help text for 
query-replace
has caused the debbugs.gnu.org bug report #45273,
regarding 27.1: Cannot display options help text for query-replace
to be marked as done.

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45273: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=45273
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--- Begin Message --- Subject: 27.1: Cannot display options help text for query-replace Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2020 17:43:07 +0000 (UTC)

Emacs Maintainers,

  The following two issues concerning Query Replace were

found in GNU Emacs version 27.1, started with 'emacs -Q':

1. It appears that it is not possible to display the options

available when using `query-replace' (M-%).

According to the Emacs manual at (emacs)Query Replace:

----

‘C-h’

‘?’

‘<F1>’

    to display a message summarizing these options.  Then you must type

    another character to specify what to do with this occurrence.

----

  Yet when any of these three keys are pressed after the

"Query replace: " prompt is displayed in the minibuffer,

there is no *Help* buffer displayed.  Based on the text in

the manual, above, shouldn't we expect to see a help buffer

displayed with a summary of the keybindings for

`query-replace'?

  A cursory look inside replace.el shows that it has the

DEFCONST `query-replace-help' defined to provide the

information that is described in the Emacs manual, but this

function is not being called when one of the keys C-h, [F1],

or ? is pressed.

2. The DEFCONST `query-replace-help' describes 'E' (upper-case

e) as:

----

E to edit the replacement string.

----

But the Emacs manual at (emacs)Query Replace describes 'e'

(lower-case e) as:

----

`e'

    to edit the replacement string in the minibuffer.  When you exit

    the minibuffer by typing <RET>, the minibuffer contents replace the

    current occurrence of the pattern.  They also become the new

    replacement string for any further occurrences.

----

In replace.el, the DEFVAR `query-replace-map' has both e and

E mapped to `edit-replacement'.  So both keys should work,

but neither the help text nor the info manual document that

both keys can be used.

Note: The following search did not find the above issues in

the GNU Bug Tracker:

https://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/pkgreport.cgi?include=subject%3Aquery-replace;package=emacs

-- 

--- End Message ---

> --- Begin Message ---
>
>
>
> Subject: 
>
> Re: bug#45273: 27.1: Cannot display options help text for query-replace
>
>
>
>
> Date: 
>
> Wed, 16 Dec 2020 21:15:33 +0200
>
>
>
>
> > Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2020 17:43:07 +0000 (UTC)
> > From: Mark Harig via "Bug reports for GNU Emacs,
> >  the Swiss army knife of text editors" <bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
> > 
> > According to the Emacs manual at (emacs)Query Replace:
> > 
> > ----
> > ‘C-h’
> > ‘?’
> > ‘<F1>’
> >     to display a message summarizing these options.  Then you must type
> >     another character to specify what to do with this occurrence.
>
> This citation is incomplete: you've taken one item from a long list of
> characters one can type, and that list begins with this text:
>
>      The characters you can type when you are shown a match for the string
>   or regexp are:
>
> So the Help character will work if you type it after you already
> provided the string to replace and its replacement, and Emacs shows
> you the first match -- which is when this help is relevant.  You don't
> need this help earlier because none of those characters can be used
> before the first match is found.
>
> > 2. The DEFCONST `query-replace-help' describes 'E' (upper-case
> > e) as:
> > 
> > ----
> > E to edit the replacement string.
> > ----
> > 
> > But the Emacs manual at (emacs)Query Replace describes 'e'
> > (lower-case e) as:
> > 
> > ----
> > `e'
> >     to edit the replacement string in the minibuffer.  When you exit
> >     the minibuffer by typing <RET>, the minibuffer contents replace the
> >     current occurrence of the pattern.  They also become the new
> >     replacement string for any further occurrences.
>
> I added 'E' to the text in the manual on the emacs-27 branch.
>
> With that, I'm closing this bug report.  Thanks.
>
>
> --- End Message ---