Re: RFE: Editing string literals like org-mode?

[Tim Landscheidt]

Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support> wrote:

>> >> - an (optional) function foo-quote for each major mode so
>> >>   that (insert (foo-quote (read-string "String: ")))
>> >>   inserts the input properly quoted in the current buffer,

>> > (insert (prin1-to-string (read-string "String: "))) → "Some \"New\" string"

>> > Is that?

>> That is the existing solution for Emacs Lisp.  I'm looking
>> for a universal one.

> Do you mean like a function maybe, that works everywhere?

> (defun my-insert-string-literal (&optional string)
>   "Asks for STRING if not supplied and inserts it as literal
>   string with quotes."
>   (interactive)
>   (let ((string (or string (read-string "String: "))))
>     (insert (prin1-to-string string))))

Exactly, but your function will for example not work in SQL.

>> >> - an (optional) function foo-read-string-literal-at-point
>> >>   that returns the dequoted string literal at point, and

>> > Do you mean that it works on quote strings like: "Some \"New\" string"?

>> For example.

> thing-at-point would need to be defined, I would not know now how
> to define it universally to find out string with quote on both
> sides and that it works over new lines.

> "Some string✗ here \"Mo✗re\" and more."
> "Then again✗ maybe \"one\" here".

> What would be then string with quotes if cursor is at second ✗ on
> first line or first, or in the second line?

The string-edit buffer's contents would be:

| Some string here "More" and more.

or

| Then again maybe "one" here

> Should program count all quotes, and what about others? It is
> hard to find general boundaries.

> It would be easier to find boundaries in a sexp like
> '(Something "String \"more\" here").

Not really; if I enter:

| print "Some string here \"More\" and more.";

into a perl-mode buffer, Emacs "knows" that there is a
string literal starting at the first and ending at the last
quote in that line.

>> >> - a function bound to C-c ' that edits the string literal at
>> >>   point just like org-mode does (if the major mode provides
>> >>   the necessary foo-quote and
>> >>   foo-read-string-literal-at-point functions).

>> > I have tried searching in the manual, so can you help me, is it
>> > in source block? Or in table?

>> For example in source blocks (#+BEGIN_SRC).

>> > If I got it right, it would be useful to be able to edit strings
>> > without observing quotations.

>> That would be the point; assuming a shell-script-mode buffer
>> with the text:

> For that I have tried with:

> #+BEGIN_SRC shell-script
>   Something
> #+END_SRC

> And I do not see how it helps with quoting, maybe I
> misunderstood. What I could see is that it is making new buffer
> and edits it maybe with a different mode.

I did not say that org-mode's edit-in-another-buffer feature
is primarily useful for quoting; it is just a similar con-
cept.

But if, for example, you enter "#+END_SRC" in an org-mode
edit buffer, you will see that it not only gets indented,
but also quoted as:

| #+BEGIN_SRC shell-script
|   ,#+END_SRC
| #+END_SRC

> Do you mean to temporarily, during editing, change the mode and
> then come back to original mode?

I believe there are a number of "multiple major modes in one
buffer" solutions, but (AFAIK) they are aimed at situations
like editing HTML with embedded (verbatim) PHP or Java-
Script, not editing an SQL statement in a Perl script in a
shell script in an Emacs Lisp function.

Tim