Subject: bug#64024: 29.0.91; `emoji-insert` shows me confusing empty lists

From: Gregory Heytings <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2023 08:12:45 +0000

>>>> Perhaps the emoji-* commands (C-x 8 e [eilrs]) should simply error 
>>>> out when (list-fonts (font-spec :script 'emoji)) is nil?
>>>
>>> FWIW, I do like being able to insert some emojis even if I don't have 
>>> access to all of them (and actually I'd even be happy to insert them 
>>> without being able to see them, assuming I can see their name instead 
>>> :-)
>>
>> Yes, but you can still do that with C-x 8 RET, right?  The C-x 8 e 
>> commands use transient menus, and (as you described in the bug report) 
>> don't quite work when a suitable emoji font is not available.
>>
>> In theory, another option would be to display, in these transient 
>> menus, emoji names instead of emoji characters when no emoji font is 
>> available, but there is not enough room for list of names such as 
>> "SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES AND HAND COVERING MOUTH" (which fit 
>> better in *Completions*).
>
> We have the "emoji" input method, which can help here, I think.
>

That's yet another way to do it.  But without a suitable font it doesn't 
work well either, e.g. after :) you see a list of four possible choices 
which are displayed in the echo area with tofus.