GNU bug report logs - #77118
31.0.50; help-key-binding face in help buffer

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From: Stephen Berman <stephen.berman <at> gmx.net>
To: Stefan Kangas <stefankangas <at> gmail.com>
Cc: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>, 77118 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Arash Esbati <arash <at> gnu.org>, Stefan Monnier <monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca>
Subject: bug#77118: 31.0.50; help-key-binding face in help buffer
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2025 08:57:52 +0100

On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 12:15:40 -0700 Stefan Kangas <stefankangas <at> gmail.com> wrote:

> Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:
>
>>> From: Arash Esbati <arash <at> gnu.org>
>>> Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2025 14:05:21 +0100
>>>
>>> when I eval the following code:
>>>
>>> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
>>> (let ((help-form (substitute-command-keys "\
>>> Select with a key:
>>> \\`h'   do this,
>>> \\`k'   do that,
>>> \\`RET' do nothing.")))
>>>   (read-char-choice (substitute-command-keys
>>>                      (format "\
>>> This (\\`h'), That (\\`k'), Nothing (\\`RET'), Help (\\`%s'): "
>>>                              (key-description (vector help-char))))
>>>                     '(?h ?k ?\r)))
>>> --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---
>>>
>>> and do 'C-h', h, k and RET don't receive the help-key-binding face in
>>> the help buffer which pops up.  What I see with 'emacs -Q' is attached.
>>> Note the difference in the minibuffer.
>>>
>>> The reason seems to be in the implementation of `help-form-show' using
>>> `princ' which strips properties.  If this is intentional, it doesn't
>>> match definitions of `help-form' in Emacs tree.  Take for example
>>> dired-aux.el which pushes the string for `help-form' also through
>>> `substitute-command-keys'[1,2,3].
>>>
>>> In case this report is confirmed, a possible solution is provided
>>> here[4].
>>
>> Stefan, any comments or reasons why we use princ there?
>
> There is no deep reason.  We want to stay in the buffer that we invoked
> help from, to get the keybindings from the right keymaps, but we also
> want to insert the documentation in the *Help* buffer.  Setting
> `standard-output` to the *Help* buffer and using `princ` is just a
> convenient way to do that.
>
> The fix is to switch things around so we can use `insert` instead.
> We have done that elsewhere in help, and should do the same in
> `read-char-choice` also.

Is the patch I posted to help-gnu-emacs -- linked in the OP of this bug
thread and repeated below for convenience -- adequate?

Steve Berman

diff --git a/lisp/help.el b/lisp/help.el
index 835e47fec43..d77894b3372 100644
--- a/lisp/help.el
+++ b/lisp/help.el
@@ -2190,8 +2190,8 @@ help-form-show
   "Display the output of a non-nil `help-form'."
   (let ((msg (eval help-form t)))
     (if (stringp msg)
-       (with-output-to-temp-buffer " *Char Help*"
-         (princ msg)))))
+        (with-help-window " *Char Help*"
+         (insert msg)))))

 (defun help--append-keystrokes-help (str)
   (let* ((keys (this-single-command-keys))

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