Subject: 24.3.93; `--eval' option to "emacsclient -a ALTEDITOR" should be should ignored if it falls back to alternate editor

From: Jordan Wilson <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 15:50:32 +0100

Hello,
calling the command "emacsclient -a nano --eval '(message
"Hello world")'", if the emacs server is not started, nano (or any other
editor, including "-a emacs") will open a buffer with the name of
"(message "Hello world")". This is not in accordance with the man page
for "emacsclient":
   -e, --eval
   do not visit files but instead evaluate the arguments as Emacs Lisp
   expressions.

That suggests in the case of falling back to the alternate editor, the
argument following the `--eval' option be ignored. If not, the
documentation needs changing to clarify this.

I've produced this bug on both 24.3.93.1 and the trunk as of yesterday.

To reproduce:
1. Kill emacs or `server-force-delete'
2. emacsclient -a *alternate-editor* --eval '(message "Hello world")'.

Thanks,
Jordan.

In GNU Emacs 24.3.93.1 (x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.12.2)
 of 2014-08-16 on arch-K53SC
Windowing system distributor `The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.11600000
Configured using:
 `configure --prefix=/usr --sysconfdir=/etc --libexecdir=/usr/lib
 --localstatedir=/var --with-x-toolkit=gtk3 --with-xft
 'CFLAGS=-march=x86-64 -mtune=generic -O2 -pipe -fstack-protector-strong
 --param=ssp-buffer-size=4' CPPFLAGS=-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2
 LDFLAGS=-Wl,-O1,--sort-common,--as-needed,-z,relro'

Important settings:
  value of $LANG: en_GB.UTF-8
  locale-coding-system: utf-8-unix

Major mode: Text

Minor modes in effect:
  flyspell-mode: t
  shell-dirtrack-mode: t
  recentf-mode: t
  global-anzu-mode: t
  anzu-mode: t
  winner-mode: t
  show-paren-mode: t
  display-time-mode: t
  tooltip-mode: t
  electric-indent-mode: t
  mouse-wheel-mode: t
  file-name-shadow-mode: t
  global-font-lock-mode: t
  font-lock-mode: t
  blink-cursor-mode: t
  auto-composition-mode: t
  auto-encryption-mode: t
  auto-compression-mode: t
  line-number-mode: t
  transient-mark-mode: t

Recent messages:
Loading /home/jordan/.recentf...done
Cleaning up the recentf list...done (0 removed)
Loading /home/jordan/.cache/emms/cache...done
Starting new Ispell process aspell with british dictionary...
For information about GNU Emacs and the GNU system, type C-h C-a.
Quit
gnus-user-agent

Memory information:
((conses 16 354510 7149)
 (symbols 48 42191 0)
 (miscs 40 159 188)
 (strings 32 103495 13654)
 (string-bytes 1 2959205)
 (vectors 16 34193)
 (vector-slots 8 661580 1782)
 (floats 8 337 14)
 (intervals 56 415 0)
 (buffers 960 14)
 (heap 1024 51680 1601))