Re: [PATCH] Keep network security info buffers after use

[Karl Fogel]

On 19 Dec 2023, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> I think read-multiple-choice is intentionally programmed to 
> implement
> a modal dialog.  That's why "C-x o" is disallowed.
>
> Once again, I think a special command for getting the cert info 
> is the
> best solution to your problem: it is relatively simple, it is
> unintrusive, and it doesn't affect functionalities unrelated to 
> that
> particular problem.  By contrast, making significant changes in 
> rmc.el
> just to cater to this use case sounds wrong to me.

How about an option that allows `C-x o' to escape from the modal 
dialog of `read-multiple-choice'?

This could be either enabled by an argument to 
`read-multiple-choice' (then `nsm-query-user' could pass that 
argument; existing callers of `read-multiple-choice' would be 
unaffected, unless they start passing that argument too), or by a 
user-customizable variable (`read-multiple-choice-strict-modal' or 
something, defaulting to `t' but a user could set it to nil if 
they wanted a less-strict modal dialog).

In general, I do not think it's good when modal dialogs to 
strictly block the user from taking outside action during the 
dialog.  A user who types `C-x o' while in the minibuffer knows 
what they are doing.  And I can't think of any reason why 
`read-multiple-choice' *should* block this: what harm is being 
prevented, to justify interfering with the user's desire to do a 
particular thing?

Users are more familiar with a common command like `C-x o' than 
with entering a recursive edit (and anyway, as you said: "If we 
ever decide to change the details of the implementation, C-r will 
most probably stop working.  We don't want to advertise 'features' 
that can disappear without advance warning.").

Best regards,
-Karl