GNU bug report logs - #62563
[FR] Expose `interactive' arg handling as an Elisp function

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: Stefan Kangas <stefankangas <at> gmail.com>
Cc: tracker <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#62563: closed ([FR] Expose `interactive' arg handling as an
 Elisp function)
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2023 23:56:02 +0000

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Your message dated Mon, 11 Sep 2023 16:54:50 -0700
with message-id <CADwFkm=H8Ddnz9uGr6fDX=7OViB6f7_8=9ZMFXobRPh=N1BPjg <at> mail.gmail.com>
and subject line Re: bug#62563: [FR] Expose `interactive' arg handling as an Elisp function
has caused the debbugs.gnu.org bug report #62563,
regarding [FR] Expose `interactive' arg handling as an Elisp function
to be marked as done.

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62563: https://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=62563
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From: Ruijie Yu <ruijie <at> netyu.xyz>
To: Emacs Bug Tracker <bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org>
Subject: [FR] Expose `interactive' arg handling as an Elisp function
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2023 15:27:47 +0800

Hello,

I find myself sometimes needing to manually write code that do the same
job as the string-form `interactive' would do, like "read for an
existing file name" (the "f" form), etc.  This happens because I want to
do the following conversion.  

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
(defun foo (fname)
  (interactive "f")
  (ignore fname))

(defun foo (fname bar)
  (interactive
   (list (simulate-interactive-f)
         (get-bar)))
  (ignore fname bar))
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

In short, this is useful when I need to add an interactive argument that
is not already covered by interactive codes, so I have to use the more
verbose interactive list form.

Currently, the code that handles interactive codes is written as part of
`call-interactively'.  This is in src/callint.c,
DEFUN("call-interactively").

In fact, there is already _a way_ to do it (I consider it more like a
workaround).  However, I think my proposal might be more concise than
the workaround for readers.  And also more performant, since the
workaround unnecessarily creates a lambda and then extracts its
interactive form, only to make use of the result of its interactive
code.

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
(call-interactively (lambda (f) (interactive "f") f))
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

If people are in favor of exposing the interactive codes, I imagine it
can be defined as `interactive-handle-code (code &optional prompt)', and
I would be able to do this:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
(interactive-handle-code ?f)
(interactive-handle-code ?M "Insert some random text: ")
;; etc
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

Alternatively, if we believe that my c-i + λ workaround is sufficiently
small, we could advise people in the same boat to follow suit?  That
implies modifying the `interactive' docstring and (info "(elisp)
Interactive Codes").

-- 
Best,


RY

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From: Stefan Kangas <stefankangas <at> gmail.com>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: Ruijie Yu <ruijie <at> netyu.xyz>, 62563-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#62563: [FR] Expose `interactive' arg handling as an Elisp
 function
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2023 16:54:50 -0700

Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:

>> Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2023 15:27:47 +0800
>> From:  Ruijie Yu via "Bug reports for GNU Emacs,
>>  the Swiss army knife of text editors" <bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org>
>>
>> I find myself sometimes needing to manually write code that do the same
>> job as the string-form `interactive' would do, like "read for an
>> existing file name" (the "f" form), etc.  This happens because I want to
>> do the following conversion.
>>
>> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
>> (defun foo (fname)
>>   (interactive "f")
>>   (ignore fname))
>>
>> (defun foo (fname bar)
>>   (interactive
>>    (list (simulate-interactive-f)
>>          (get-bar)))
>>   (ignore fname bar))
>> --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---
>>
>> In short, this is useful when I need to add an interactive argument that
>> is not already covered by interactive codes, so I have to use the more
>> verbose interactive list form.
>
> I don't think I understand the rationale, so please tell more.  The
> interactive spec can be used like this:
>
>   (interactive "bBuffer to rename: \nsRename buffer %s to: ")
>
> So basically, you can prompt for anything using the 's' descriptor and
> the following prompt string with %-constructs.  In what use cases is
> this not enough, so much so that it would require exposing the guts of
> this to Lisp?

More information was requested, but none was given within 6 months, so
I'm closing this bug.  If this is still an issue, please reply to this
email (use "Reply to all" in your email client) and we can reopen the
bug report.

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