GNU bug report logs - #21105
batch article move/copy to groups pompts user too much

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

From: Brent Busby <brent <at> jfi.uchicago.edu>
To: submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (The Gnus Bugfixing Girls + Boys)
Subject: batch article move/copy to groups pompts user too much
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:48:18 -0500

The variable gnus-prompt-before-saving can be set to 't' to avoid
excessive prompting during multiple article save to _files_, or to 'nil'
to avoid any prompting at all.  This is helpful when one has
gnus-split-methods setup to teach Gnus where to save different kinds of
articles (described in section 3.16 of the manual), but all of this only
helps with saving to _files_.

However, if you're copying/moving articles to actual _groups_ (rather
than raw files), gnus-prompt-before-saving has no effect.  You can use
gnus-move-split-methods to teach Gnus how to suggest moved/copied
articles should be moved (described in section 3.26), but you can't use
gnus-prompt-before-saving to avoid excessive prompting while doing so,
nor is there any other variable analogous to gnus-prompt-before-saving
that can affect article move/copy to groups.

The effect of this is that you can try to automate move/copy to groups
with programmed suggestions about where an article should be moved to,
but you will be prompted for every single article, and there's nothing
that can be done about it.

Solution:
Either the effect of gnus-prompt-before-saving should be expanded to
also affect batch article moving/copying to group targets, or a new Gnus
variable should be created that can do that.  Otherwise, batch
moving/copying will follow suggested targets from
gnus-move-split-methods, but may prompt the user redundantly for every
single article during the process.

Gnus v5.13
GNU Emacs 24.4.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, Motif Version 2.3.4)
 of 2015-07-04 on isildur

-- 
+ Brent A. Busby	 +	The New JFI Computing Web Site:
+ Sr. UNIX Systems Admin +	http://jficomputing.uchicago.edu/
+ University of Chicago	 +	For problem reports and requests:
+ James Franck Institute +	email:	sysadmin <at> jfi.uchicago.edu

Message #12 received at 21105 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
To: Brent Busby <brent <at> jfi.uchicago.edu>
Cc: 21105 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#21105: batch article move/copy to groups pompts user too much
Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2017 20:49:37 +0100

Sorry for the late response; due to a misunderstanding the Gnus bug
reports went to a part of the bug tracker I wasn't checking.

Brent Busby <brent <at> jfi.uchicago.edu> writes:

> However, if you're copying/moving articles to actual _groups_ (rather
> than raw files), gnus-prompt-before-saving has no effect.  You can use
> gnus-move-split-methods to teach Gnus how to suggest moved/copied
> articles should be moved (described in section 3.26), but you can't use
> gnus-prompt-before-saving to avoid excessive prompting while doing so,
> nor is there any other variable analogous to gnus-prompt-before-saving
> that can affect article move/copy to groups.

I'm not sure I understand.  If you `#' a bunch of articles, and then
move them with `B m', you should only be prompted once as to where to
move the articles.  Are you prompted for every article instead?

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

Message #15 received at 21105 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Brent Busby <brent <at> jfi.uchicago.edu>
To: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
Cc: 21105 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#21105: batch article move/copy to groups pompts user too much
Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2017 14:38:55 -0600

Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org> writes:

> Sorry for the late response; due to a misunderstanding the Gnus bug
> reports went to a part of the bug tracker I wasn't checking.
>
> Brent Busby <brent <at> jfi.uchicago.edu> writes:
>
>> However, if you're copying/moving articles to actual _groups_ (rather
>> than raw files), gnus-prompt-before-saving has no effect.  You can use
>> gnus-move-split-methods to teach Gnus how to suggest moved/copied
>> articles should be moved (described in section 3.26), but you can't use
>> gnus-prompt-before-saving to avoid excessive prompting while doing so,
>> nor is there any other variable analogous to gnus-prompt-before-saving
>> that can affect article move/copy to groups.
>
> I'm not sure I understand.  If you `#' a bunch of articles, and then
> move them with `B m', you should only be prompted once as to where to
> move the articles.  Are you prompted for every article instead?

Indeed, a quick test shows that's exactly what happens: It moves/copies
all the articles silently just as it's told to.  I made that bug report
so long ago that I'm afraid now I don't even remember what I was having
problems with.

The only complaint I can think of now with Gnus' move/copy behavior is
that usually it seems like there will be a partial string already typed
for me *after* the prompt when I want to save or move something, and it
will often not be the default choice that gnus-move-split-methods is
trying to give me.

Example:  When I type 'B c' to copy this article to a different mail
group, I get:

Copy this article to (default nnfolder:uchicago): nnimap+jfimail.uchicago.edu:
                                                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The highlighted part is *after* the prompt, but I didn't type it.  It's
also not the same as the default being suggested my
gnus-move-split-methods in my configuration, which is being suggested in
parenthesis in the prompt.  It's offering me a default, and then typing
for me something completely different that I can now hit enter on
(defeating my default!).

I don't know if my explanation is very clear, but basically, the
inconvenience here is that if I wanted to actually make use of that
default that gnus-move-split-methods is trying to offer me, I'd first
have to clear the line back to the prompt.  It's not that much of a
hassle really, and I've been living with it without any major problems,
but isn't the whole idea of a default choice supposed to be that you can
just hit enter without having to type anything?  Gnus seems to be
offering me a default, and then making me backspace over material that
it already typed for me to actually use it.  (Ok, actually you can clear
back to the beginning of a line with just C-S-backspace, but still...
The user should be able to just hit enter and get the offered default.)

That may not be what I was originally talking about in this bug report
(don't remember since it's been awhile), but that's the only "excessive
prompting" I'm having any issue with in Gnus at this time.

-- 
+ Brent A. Busby	 + "We've all heard that a million monkeys
+ Sr. UNIX Systems Admin +  banging on a million typewriters will
+ University of Chicago	 +  eventually reproduce the entire works of
+ James Franck Institute +  Shakespeare.  Now, thanks to the Internet,
+ Materials Research Ctr +  we know this is not true." -Robert Wilensky

Message #18 received at 21105 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
To: Brent Busby <brent <at> jfi.uchicago.edu>
Cc: 21105 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#21105: batch article move/copy to groups pompts user too much
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2017 13:10:37 +0100

Brent Busby <brent <at> jfi.uchicago.edu> writes:

> The only complaint I can think of now with Gnus' move/copy behavior is
> that usually it seems like there will be a partial string already typed
> for me *after* the prompt when I want to save or move something, and it
> will often not be the default choice that gnus-move-split-methods is
> trying to give me.
>
> Example:  When I type 'B c' to copy this article to a different mail
> group, I get:
>
> Copy this article to (default nnfolder:uchicago): nnimap+jfimail.uchicago.edu:
>                                                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> The highlighted part is *after* the prompt, but I didn't type it.

I think it defaults to the last-entered group prefix, or the current
group prefix...

> It's
> also not the same as the default being suggested my
> gnus-move-split-methods in my configuration, which is being suggested in
> parenthesis in the prompt.  It's offering me a default, and then typing
> for me something completely different that I can now hit enter on
> (defeating my default!).

If you just remove it, the default will be used.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

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