GNU bug report logs - #68265
30.0.50; ERC 5.6: Simplify alternate text insertion for outgoing messages

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

From: "J.P." <jp <at> neverwas.me>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 30.0.50; ERC 5.6: Simplify alternate text insertion for outgoing
 messages
Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2024 06:54:55 -0800

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

Tags: patch

Spoofing messages submitted at the prompt is currently a chore. By this,
I mean inserting chat content that differs from what's actually sent.
For years, users have resorted to all manner of awkward finagling
(typically in `erc-send-modify-hook' members) to accomplish "simple"
things, like finding where the leading speaker portion ends and the
message proper begins.

The proposal here is to add an "alternate text" slot to the `erc-input'
object passed around by `erc-pre-send-functions'. Use cases include

 - language translation
 - sub-protocol encoding
 - the IRCv3 multiline extension

For the upcoming release, users will already have to recompile their
dependent packages, so we might as well seize this opportunity to modify
core schemata (if truly warranted).

Demo implementation for an existing third-party package forthcoming.

Thanks.


In GNU Emacs 30.0.50 (build 1, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version
 3.24.38, cairo version 1.17.6) of 2024-01-04 built on localhost
Repository revision: 1081e975c9370999df1a288b117bfd9053050d21
Repository branch: master
Windowing system distributor 'The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.12014000
System Description: Fedora Linux 37 (Workstation Edition)

Configured using:
 'configure --enable-check-lisp-object-type --enable-checking=yes,glyphs
 'CFLAGS=-O0 -g3'
 PKG_CONFIG_PATH=:/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:/usr/share/pkgconfig'

Configured features:
ACL CAIRO DBUS FREETYPE GIF GLIB GMP GNUTLS GPM GSETTINGS HARFBUZZ JPEG
JSON LCMS2 LIBOTF LIBSELINUX LIBSYSTEMD LIBXML2 M17N_FLT MODULES
NATIVE_COMP NOTIFY INOTIFY PDUMPER PNG RSVG SECCOMP SOUND SQLITE3
THREADS TIFF TOOLKIT_SCROLL_BARS WEBP X11 XDBE XIM XINPUT2 XPM GTK3 ZLIB

Important settings:
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  value of $XMODIFIERS: @im=ibus
  locale-coding-system: utf-8-unix

Major mode: Lisp Interaction

Minor modes in effect:
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Memory information:
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 (buffers 976 12))

[0001-5.6-Make-erc-send-input-lines-a-normal-function.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

[0002-5.6-Allow-setting-erc-split-line-length-to-zero.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

[0003-5.6-Make-ERC-s-format-catalogs-more-extensible.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

[0004-5.6-Add-replacement-text-field-to-erc-input-struct.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

Message #10 received at 68265 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: "J.P." <jp <at> neverwas.me>
To: 68265 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Cc: emacs-erc <at> gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#68265: 30.0.50; ERC 5.6: Simplify alternate text insertion
 for outgoing messages
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2024 08:21:21 -0800

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

"J.P." <jp <at> neverwas.me> writes:

> Demo implementation for an existing third-party package forthcoming.

The demo described below illustrates a realistic use case for three
closely related features: the one offered by this bug, the existing
template-catalog framework, and the newly proposed hook-based "msgfspec"
interface from bug67677. See that thread for the latest version of these
changes as well.

As an example of how this is meant to work, I've chosen to modify a
project recently shared on Libera.Chat by an ERC user. It's an informal
"fork" of erc-crypt that includes semi-automated Diffie-Hellman key
exchange. For those not familiar, the package allows two parties to
converse privately, in band, in a manner roughly analogous to OTR. The
three most recent commits (mine) demonstrate overlapping ways of
adapting the existing code to leverage what's hopefully an improved menu
of interface options for influencing message formatting and insertion:

  1. the "alternate text" slot of `erc-input' (this bug)

  2. ERC's template-catalog framework for dictating how "speaker"
     message's appear when inserted (internal)

  3. the public-facing side of (2), a hook-based interface called
     "msgfspec" that exposes individual components of a message template
     prior to formatting

In case my original post wasn't clear, the main win offered by this
combined, multifaceted approach over existing offerings is improved
interoperability with other modules.

The demo code is temporarily hosted in ERC's CI forge [1], and the
relevant changes live in the last few commits of that repo. They roughly
align with the three interfaces listed above, and the contrast between
them hopefully reveals an obvious progression in terms of brevity,
control, and flexibility. I've exported the changes in patch form for
convenience, but you'll obviously have to clone the repo to try it. In
addition to the commit messages and code comments, please see the recent
activity in bug67677, whose latest patches are also required for the
demo to work.

Thanks.


[1] https://gitlab.com/emacs-erc/bug68265-demo.git

    To actually run it, you need to fire up two emacs -Q instances, and
    evaluate the following, ensuring `nick' is distinct in each.
    
      (require 'erc)
      (erc-toggle-debug-irc-protocol)
      (toggle-debug-on-error)
      (with-current-buffer "*erc-protocol*" (toggle-truncate-lines))
    
      (setq erc-fill-function 'erc-fill-static
            erc-autojoin-channels-alist '((foonet "#test"))
            erc-modules (cons 'crypt erc-modules))
    
      (let* ((nick "bob")
             ;;     ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ change this per instance!
             (erc-crypt-dir-userdef
              (expand-file-name (format "erc-crypt/%s/" nick)
                                (temporary-file-directory))))
        (make-directory erc-crypt-dir-userdef 'parents)
        (require 'erc-crypt)
    
        (with-current-buffer
            (erc :server "127.0.0.1" :nick nick)
          (unless (file-exists-p (expand-file-name
                                  "secret" erc-crypt-dir-userdef))
            (erc-cmd-CRYPT "genkeys"))))
    
    Once you're up and running, navigate to the #test buffer, and type
    "/crypt dh <othernick>", where "<othernick>" is the `nick' specified
    for the _other_ instance. After that, type "/query <othernick>", and
    commence chatting as usual. If you take a look at the
    "*erc-protocol*" buffer, you'll see all new messages are encrypted.
    If you're bored, try sending a giant multiline message.

[0001-POC-Use-erc-pre-send-functions-API.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

[0002-POC-Use-format-template-based-API.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

[0003-POC-Use-proposed-msgfspec-API.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

Message #15 received at 68265-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: "J.P." <jp <at> neverwas.me>
To: 68265-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Cc: emacs-erc <at> gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#68265: 30.0.50; ERC 5.6: Simplify alternate text insertion
 for outgoing messages
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2024 13:47:21 -0800

"J.P." <jp <at> neverwas.me> writes:

> Tags: patch
>
> Spoofing messages submitted at the prompt is currently a chore. By this,
> I mean inserting chat content that differs from what's actually sent.
> For years, users have resorted to all manner of awkward finagling
> (typically in `erc-send-modify-hook' members) to accomplish "simple"
> things, like finding where the leading speaker portion ends and the
> message proper begins.
>
> The proposal here is to add an "alternate text" slot to the `erc-input'
> object passed around by `erc-pre-send-functions'. Use cases include
>
>  - language translation
>  - sub-protocol encoding
>  - the IRCv3 multiline extension
>
> For the upcoming release, users will already have to recompile their
> dependent packages, so we might as well seize this opportunity to modify
> core schemata (if truly warranted).
>
> Demo implementation for an existing third-party package forthcoming.
>
> Thanks.

Although I've installed this feature [1], the larger initiative of
exposing a more convenient and predictable message-insertion API remains
unresolved. Please see bug#67677 for additional progress toward this
end, including updated patches relevant to the above mentioned demo.
Thanks and closing.

[1] https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git/commit/?id=d6be068f

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