GNU bug report logs - #66663
30.0.50; Allow dir locals file selection in *-dir-local-variable functions

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Mauro Aranda <maurooaranda <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 30.0.50; Allow dir locals file selection in *-dir-local-variable
 functions
Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2023 09:08:21 -0300

Severity: wishlist

This is a feature request, which is a part of trying to land an Easy
Customization interface to editing dir locals files:
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2023-09/msg01306.html

The need is to be able to specify the file to modify, so that the
.dir-locals.el or .dir-locals-2.el can be customized. Currently, the
situation is:

emacs -Q
Go to a directory without a .dir-locals.el file
Use add-directory-local-variable to add a variable.  It goes to
.dir-locals.el, which is fine.  But it would be nice if I could select
to add it to .dir-locals-2.el instead.

Similarly, if both .dir-locals.el and .dir-locals-2.el exist, only the
.dir-locals-2.el can be modified with *-dir-local-variables, according
to my testing.  It'd be nice to be able to modify either.

The patch I'll send once I get assigned a Bug# is my first approach to
it.  I made the commands take an optional argument, which indicates: "I
want to modify that other file".  The intention is:
With no prefix arg:
- If no dir locals file exists, modify .dir-locals.el
- If one of them exists, modify that one.
- If the two exists, modify .dir-locals-2.el

This is just how today everything works, AFAICT.

With a prefix arg:
- If no dir locals file exists, modify .dir-locals-2.el
- If one of them exists, modify the other one.
- If the two exists, modify .dir-locals.el

Additionally, I made modify-dir-local-variable take a 5th argument,
optional, which can be a boolean or a string (a filename).  The string
use case is to be able to directly specify the file to modify, which is
useful so one doesn't have to check which file exists and which doesn't
(it'll prove useful in the customize code).  I'm not posting the code
for cus-edit.el because some part of the code depends if this proposed
change gets accepted.

Message #8 received at 66663 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Mauro Aranda <maurooaranda <at> gmail.com>
To: 66663 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Cc: Juri Linkov <juri <at> linkov.net>
Subject: Re: bug#66663: 30.0.50; Allow dir locals file selection in
 *-dir-local-variable functions
Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2023 09:16:28 -0300

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

tags 66663 patch
quit


Here's the patch.  Juri, could you take a look to see if this approach
is fine? Thank you.

[0001-Allow-specifying-the-dir-locals-file-to-edit-Bug-666.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

Message #13 received at 66663 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Mauro Aranda <maurooaranda <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 66663 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, juri <at> linkov.net
Subject: Re: bug#66663: 30.0.50;
 Allow dir locals file selection in *-dir-local-variable functions
Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2023 15:45:37 +0300

> Cc: Juri Linkov <juri <at> linkov.net>
> Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2023 09:16:28 -0300
> From: Mauro Aranda <maurooaranda <at> gmail.com>
> 
> +Since both @file{.dir-locals.el} and @file{.dir-locals-2.el} file
> +might exist in the same directory, there may be some clash about which
> +file you want to modify when executing the above three commands.  To
> +solve that, all three of them take a prefix argument, to indicate
> +which file you want to modify.  When both files exist, a prefix
> +argument means to prefer to modify @file{.dir-locals.el} instead of
> +@file{.dir-locals-2.el}.  When one of the files doesn't exist, and
> +you're adding a variable or copying the file-local variables, a prefix
> +argument means to modify (i.e., create) the file that doesn't yet
> +exist.

I think a better UI is to ask the user when the command is invoked
with a prefix argument.

Message #16 received at 66663 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Mauro Aranda <maurooaranda <at> gmail.com>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 66663 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, juri <at> linkov.net
Subject: Re: bug#66663: 30.0.50; Allow dir locals file selection in
 *-dir-local-variable functions
Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2023 10:49:26 -0300

On 21/10/23 09:45, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
>> Cc: Juri Linkov <juri <at> linkov.net>
>> Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2023 09:16:28 -0300
>> From: Mauro Aranda <maurooaranda <at> gmail.com>
>>
>> +Since both @file{.dir-locals.el} and @file{.dir-locals-2.el} file
>> +might exist in the same directory, there may be some clash about which
>> +file you want to modify when executing the above three commands.  To
>> +solve that, all three of them take a prefix argument, to indicate
>> +which file you want to modify.  When both files exist, a prefix
>> +argument means to prefer to modify @file{.dir-locals.el} instead of
>> +@file{.dir-locals-2.el}.  When one of the files doesn't exist, and
>> +you're adding a variable or copying the file-local variables, a prefix
>> +argument means to modify (i.e., create) the file that doesn't yet
>> +exist.
>
> I think a better UI is to ask the user when the command is invoked
> with a prefix argument.

Yes, that makes sense.  I'll try that approach.

Message #19 received at 66663 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Mauro Aranda <maurooaranda <at> gmail.com>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 66663 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, juri <at> linkov.net
Subject: Re: bug#66663: 30.0.50; Allow dir locals file selection in
 *-dir-local-variable functions
Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2023 11:06:28 -0300

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On 21/10/23 10:49, Mauro Aranda wrote:
> On 21/10/23 09:45, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
>  >> Cc: Juri Linkov <juri <at> linkov.net>
>  >> Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2023 09:16:28 -0300
>  >> From: Mauro Aranda <maurooaranda <at> gmail.com>
>  >>
>  >> +Since both @file{.dir-locals.el} and @file{.dir-locals-2.el} file
>  >> +might exist in the same directory, there may be some clash about 
which
>  >> +file you want to modify when executing the above three commands.  To
>  >> +solve that, all three of them take a prefix argument, to indicate
>  >> +which file you want to modify.  When both files exist, a prefix
>  >> +argument means to prefer to modify @file{.dir-locals.el} instead of
>  >> +@file{.dir-locals-2.el}.  When one of the files doesn't exist, and
>  >> +you're adding a variable or copying the file-local variables, a 
prefix
>  >> +argument means to modify (i.e., create) the file that doesn't yet
>  >> +exist.
>  >
>  > I think a better UI is to ask the user when the command is invoked
>  > with a prefix argument.
>
> Yes, that makes sense.  I'll try that approach.

I reworked the patch to implement that UI instead.  Patch attached.

[0001-Allow-specifying-the-dir-locals-file-to-edit-Bug-666.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

Message #22 received at 66663 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Juri Linkov <juri <at> linkov.net>
To: Mauro Aranda <maurooaranda <at> gmail.com>
Cc: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>, 66663 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#66663: 30.0.50; Allow dir locals file selection in
 *-dir-local-variable functions
Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2023 21:21:17 +0300

> I reworked the patch to implement that UI instead.  Patch attached.

Thanks, some comments:

> +(defun read-dir-locals-file ()
> +  "Read a dir-locals filename using completion.
> +Intended to be used in the `interactive' spec of `add-dir-local-variable',
> +`delete-dir-local-variable' and `copy-file-locals-to-dir-locals'.
> +
> +Returns the filename, expanded."
> +  (expand-file-name
> +   (read-file-name "File" nil nil

The prompt needs a colon.

> +                   (lambda (fname)
> +                     (member (file-name-nondirectory fname)
> +                             (list dir-locals-file
> +                                   (replace-regexp-in-string
> +                                    ".el$" "-2.el" dir-locals-file))))
> +                   dir-locals-file)))

This needs to be run in the project's root directory
where the dir-locals file is saved.  Probably it's not easy
to find the root without using project.el.  But when one of the
files already exists (either .dir-locals.el or .dir-locals-2.el),
then better to use the directory of the existing file by default.

Message #25 received at 66663 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Mauro Aranda <maurooaranda <at> gmail.com>
To: Juri Linkov <juri <at> linkov.net>
Cc: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>, 66663 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#66663: 30.0.50; Allow dir locals file selection in
 *-dir-local-variable functions
Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2023 19:10:10 -0300

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On 21/10/23 15:21, Juri Linkov wrote:
>> +(defun read-dir-locals-file ()
>> +  "Read a dir-locals filename using completion.
>> +Intended to be used in the `interactive' spec of 
`add-dir-local-variable',
>> +`delete-dir-local-variable' and `copy-file-locals-to-dir-locals'.
>> +
>> +Returns the filename, expanded."
>> +  (expand-file-name
>> +   (read-file-name "File" nil nil
>
> The prompt needs a colon.

Fixed.

>> +                   (lambda (fname)
>> +                     (member (file-name-nondirectory fname)
>> +                             (list dir-locals-file
>> + (replace-regexp-in-string
>> +                                    ".el$" "-2.el" dir-locals-file))))
>> +                   dir-locals-file)))
>
> This needs to be run in the project's root directory
> where the dir-locals file is saved.  Probably it's not easy
> to find the root without using project.el.  But when one of the
> files already exists (either .dir-locals.el or .dir-locals-2.el),
> then better to use the directory of the existing file by default.

In this new patch, I went for using it if already available and we
couldn't find an existing file by other means.

[0001-Allow-specifying-the-dir-locals-file-to-edit-Bug-666.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

Message #28 received at 66663 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Juri Linkov <juri <at> linkov.net>
To: Mauro Aranda <maurooaranda <at> gmail.com>
Cc: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>, 66663 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#66663: 30.0.50; Allow dir locals file selection in
 *-dir-local-variable functions
Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2023 20:55:14 +0300

close 66663 30.0.50
thanks

>> This needs to be run in the project's root directory
>> where the dir-locals file is saved.  Probably it's not easy
>> to find the root without using project.el.  But when one of the
>> files already exists (either .dir-locals.el or .dir-locals-2.el),
>> then better to use the directory of the existing file by default.
>
> In this new patch, I went for using it if already available and we
> couldn't find an existing file by other means.

Thanks, I've tested your patch, and it works nicely, so now pushed to master.

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