GNU bug report logs - #6616
S-TAB is mismapped in the *Help* buffer

Previous Next

Full log

View this message in rfc822 format

From: Paul Griepentrog <pgriepen <at> gmail.com>
To: Stefan Monnier <monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca>
Cc: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>, Adrian Robert <adrian.b.robert <at> gmail.com>, 6616 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#6616: S-TAB is mismapped in the *Help* buffer
Date: Sun, 01 Aug 2010 10:38:01 -0700

 On 7/31/10 5:04 PM, Stefan Monnier wrote:
> > and binding [S-tab] to [backtab] in the `ns-alternatives-map' instead?
>
>  Actually, we might want to do that everywhere, rather than only in
>  x-win.el and ns-win.el.

Thinking more about the problem, I think the confusion comes from
a perfect storm of evolution:

  - The [backtab] key does not exist on modern keyboards, but
    several modes define keybindings only for [backtab].  (See
    erc, grep, compile, ses, diff-mode and log-view.)

  - But, X and Windows translate [S-tab] into [backtab], so you
    don't even notice this unless you're working on a platform/
    terminal without this mapping, for example: Mac OS X.

  - Add to that: people treat [backtab] as logically the same as
    [S-tab], even though they are different key presses when you
    have a [backtab] key.

As a developer, I would be confused.  I need to map both for my
mode to be consistent across terminals/platforms.  Several modes
do this exactly.  (See forms, info, widget, org, and mh.)

I say, pick a solution and make it consistent across the modes
shipped with Emacs.  IMHO, [S-tab] is the 'correct' binding,
since we press those actual keys.  Update all the modes using
[backtab] to use [S-tab].  Now, anybody who has a [backtab] key
can actually use it, and the rest continue with [S-tab], like
they always did.  For compatibility with external modes, we could
map [backtab] to [S-tab].

I can offer a patch to this effect.

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.