Subject: bug#21731: closed (Re: bug#21731: 24.5; Bug with `transient-mark-mode' wrt `cua-mode')

From: [email-masked] (GNU bug Tracking System)
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2015 14:53:02 +0000

Your bug report

#21731: 24.5; Bug with `transient-mark-mode' wrt `cua-mode'

which was filed against the emacs package, has been closed.

The explanation is attached below, along with your original report.
If you require more details, please reply to [email-masked].

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21731: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=21731
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Subject: Re: bug#21731: 24.5; Bug with `transient-mark-mode' wrt `cua-mode'
From: Eli Zaretskii <[email-masked]>
To: Eli Barzilay <[email-masked]>
Cc: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2015 17:51:51 +0300
List-Id: <debbugs-submit.debbugs.gnu.org>

> From: Eli Barzilay <[email-masked]>
> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2015 01:22:04 -0400
> 
> This is a bug that I ran into with 24.5.1:
> 
> * Run emacs -Q
> 
> * Use shifted arrow keys to make some transient selection (on by
>   default, so no need to do any customizations).
> 
> * Use C-x b to switch to another buffer
> 
> * Use unshifted arrows to move in this buffer
> 
> * C-x b back into the first buffer
> 
> * Now unshifted arrow movements continue to change the selection, as
>   if it was made with C-SPC

Thanks, this is already fixed in the development sources (I did
reproduce the problem in stock Emacs 24.5).  I guess it was fixed when
the implementation of transient-mark-mode and the region was
rewritten.

Subject: 24.5; Bug with `transient-mark-mode' wrt `cua-mode'
From: Eli Barzilay <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2015 01:22:04 -0400
List-Id: <debbugs-submit.debbugs.gnu.org>

This is a bug that I ran into with 24.5.1:

* Run emacs -Q

* Use shifted arrow keys to make some transient selection (on by
  default, so no need to do any customizations).

* Use C-x b to switch to another buffer

* Use unshifted arrows to move in this buffer

* C-x b back into the first buffer

* Now unshifted arrow movements continue to change the selection, as
  if it was made with C-SPC

FWIW#1, it looks like this bug existed for a while -- I see it with
24.3.1 too.  The reason I didn't see it then is that (IIUC) `cua-mode'
did its own thing (correctly), and it looks like this was dropped and
the functionality from simple.el is used instead.

This is why I qualified this as "wrt cua-mode": the buggy behavior
might be considered correct for people who have used it before and
expect it to happen.  (I doubt this, but that's subjective.)

The reason for this was easy to track: `transient-mark-mode' is a
*global* variable.  After shifted movement, it gets a value of
(only . t), and shifted movements turn it back to t even if they
happen in a different buffer.  (I don't see off-hand any quick way to
fix it, but if anyone has an idea, I'd be happy to know about it.)

The fix should involve some buffer-local version of
`transient-mark-mode', but since it's also used globally as a mode,
this might require a new variable.

If the current behavior is intentional, then this becomes harder to
fix, since it would require having both behaviors available.  It would
still be a bug since it changes functionality for people who use
cua-mode -- which would enable this imaginary extension.

-- 
                    ((x=>x(x))(x=>x(x)))                   Eli Barzilay:
                    http://barzilay.org/                   Maze is Life!