GNU bug report logs - #19208
replace-match unhelpful error message

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: phillip.lord <at> newcastle.ac.uk (Phillip Lord)
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: replace-match unhelpful error message
Date: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 17:00:15 +0000

Occurs in Emacs 24.3 and trunk

Running this code in *scratch* buffer

(progn
  (goto-char (point-min))
  (re-search-forward "This")
  (replace-match "That" nil nil nil))

Now undo and run this code

(progn
  (goto-char (point-min))
  (re-search-forward "This")
  (replace-match "That" nil nil nil 1))

This causes the following error.

progn: Args out of range: -1, -1


The error is caused because I have asked for a subexp that doesn't exist in
the regexp. A programmer error for sure, but the Args out of range error seems
rather unfriendly to me, especially as I have no idea where the -1, or
-1 has come from.

"Attempt to replace regexp subexpression that doesn't exist", for
example, would be nicer.

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