Subject: Re: bug#71374: [PATCH] Simplify 'help-enable-variable-value-editing' using

From: Eshel Yaron <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2024 07:59:00 +0200

Philip Kaludercic <[email-masked]> writes:

> Eshel Yaron <[email-masked]> writes:
>
>> I'm reopening this (hope you don't mind) to keep track of the minor
>> regressions I mentioned here:
>>
>> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2024-07/msg01202.html
>
> Thanks, and my apologies for the late reply.

No problem at all.

> The issue seems to be that (thing-at-point 'sexp) returns nil if inside
> a s-expression looking at whitespace:
>
> (1 2     3 4 5)
>      ^
>      M-: (thing-at-point 'sexp) ;=> nil
>
> One idea is to fall back on a defun at point, if no sexp is found:
>
> diff --git a/lisp/help-fns.el b/lisp/help-fns.el
> index 8ea5b301684..4d55ea8bbff 100644
> --- a/lisp/help-fns.el
> +++ b/lisp/help-fns.el
> @@ -1507,13 +1507,14 @@ help-fns-edit-variable
>    "Edit the variable under point."
>    (declare (completion ignore))
>    (interactive)
> -  (let* ((val (thing-at-point 'sexp))
> -         (var (get-text-property 0 'help-fns--edit-variable val)))
> +  (let ((val (or (thing-at-point 'sexp)
> +                 (thing-at-point 'defun))))
>      (unless val
> -      (error "No variable under point"))
> -    (let ((str (read-string-from-buffer
> -                (format ";; Edit the `%s' variable." (nth 0 var))
> -                (prin1-to-string (nth 1 var)))))
> +      (error "No value at point"))
> +    (let* ((var (get-text-property 0 'help-fns--edit-variable val))
> +           (str (read-string-from-buffer
> +                 (format ";; Edit the `%s' variable." (nth 0 var))
> +                 (prin1-to-string (nth 1 var)))))
>        (set (nth 0 var) (read str)))))

Maybe I'm missing something, but why are val and the thing-at-point call
needed at all?  Simply grabbing the help-fns--edit-variable property at
point should be work as well, I think.

Eshel