Subject: bug#31584: 27.0.50; Document again what match re-search-backward finds

From: Michael Heerdegen <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 24 May 2018 23:31:03 +0200

Hello,

a user asked in emacs-help why

   (re-search-backward "a*")

at the end of a line consisting only "a"s didn't move point.  With
today's documentation, that question can't be answered.

Some time ago, we had this sentence in the docstring:

   The match found is the one starting last in the buffer
   and yet ending before the origin of the search.

but it has been removed.  I think we need to say something like that,
otherwise the semantics of backward re search is unclear.

TIA,

Michael.

In GNU Emacs 27.0.50 (build 30, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.22.29)
 of 2018-05-24 built on drachen
Repository revision: 98c624708a37bc306130e1499fb1a0c5339a50af
Windowing system distributor 'The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.11906000
System Description: Debian GNU/Linux buster/sid