GNU bug report logs - #34391
26.1; [[:cntrl:]] does not match DEL contrary to documentation

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Package: emacs;

Reported by: Mattias Engdegård <mattiase <at> acm.org>

Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2019 20:51:02 UTC

Severity: minor

Found in version 26.1

Done: Mattias Engdegård <mattiase <at> acm.org>

Bug is archived. No further changes may be made.

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

From: Mattias Engdegård <mattiase <at> acm.org>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 26.1; [[:cntrl:]] does not match DEL contrary to documentation
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2019 21:49:56 +0100

Unlike every other regexp engines and POSIX regexps, and contrary to the documentation, [[:cntrl:]] does not match DEL (\177) in Emacs. (It does not match the C1 controls in U+0080..009f either, but at least there is no such claim.)

Assuming that it is not worth breaking existing code by changing the behaviour, let us at least fix the manual which says:

‘[:cntrl:]’
     This matches any ASCII control character.

which is inaccurate. The error also made it into the doc string of `rx'.
This bug report was last modified 6 years and 92 days ago.

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