Subject: Re: bug#65459: completing-read INITIAL-VALUE unaware of COLLECTION and REQUIRE-MATCH

From: Heime <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2023 22:59:06 +0000

Sent with Proton Mail secure email.

------- Original Message -------
On Monday, August 28th, 2023 at 9:48 AM, Stefan Monnier <[email-masked]> wrote:

> > There are two audiences in all this. Programmers who write libraries
> > and users who write functions for their own use. The thought is that
> > if `read-file-name` has capability of minibuffer prefilling, then minibuffer
> > prefilling capability should be available for them to use without having
> > them convince anybody why they want it to happen.
> 
> 
> As I said, as a matter of principle and general design, Emacs goes to
> great lengths to make sure users can do even what we don't want them
> to do (except make our code proprietary). So of course it is and will
> remain possible for users to write code that prefills the minibuffer.
> 
> The question is how to make an API that encourages coders to write code in
> such a way that the behavior is fairly homogeneous between packages and
> such that users can customize the behavior to be the way they like it. > Stefan

Yes, the problematic part is how to make the API without making life too difficult
for those who want to digress from our point of view.  It might happen they find a 
good case for digressing or figure out whether our encouragement makes sense to them.

For using 'completing-read' without INITIAL as argument, do you have a plan of how 
minibuffer prefilling could be activated and set for use within some specific user
function?