Subject: Re: bug#47699: [PATCH] Improve completion-list-mode-map

From: Gregory Heytings <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2021 08:31:00 +0000

>>> Why just 'n' and 'p'?  If we want more commands to move between 
>>> completions, I could think about several others: <, >, C-f, C-b, C-n, 
>>> C-p, Home, End, the arrow keys, etc.
>>
>> It's not "just 'n' and 'p'"
>
> The question was why add only those 2.
>

As many as you want could be added.  But there are already three ways to 
move between completions.  < and > are assigned by special-mode-map to 
beginning-of-buffer and end-of-buffer.  IMO changing the C-{fbnp} commands 
is not necessary, given that that moving around with their usual meaning 
makes sense.

>> Well, vanilla Emacs defines M-v = switch-to-completions, which opens 
>> *Completions* and makes it the current buffer.  In a selection-like 
>> scenario, it makes sense to switch to the completions buffer where you 
>> can freely move around, use isearch, and so forth.
>
> I wonder how many people use this paradigm
>

I do, from time to time.  I'd be surprised if I were the only one, as I 
remember that it's something I already did during the first days I used 
Emacs.  When you see a window with lots of information appearing, is it 
not natural to enter that window and to move around?

>
> (And how does one switch back without closing the window that shows 
> completions?)
>

C-x o.  Perhaps it would make sense to bind "o" for this, too.  And/or 
"Q".  WDYT?