GNU bug report logs - #79061
30.1; Possible documentation bug for isearch-allow-motion (substitute-command-keys)

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Package: emacs;

Reported by: martin <law <at> martinmarshall.com>

Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2025 18:08:01 UTC

Severity: normal

Found in version 30.1

Done: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>

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Report forwarded to bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org:
bug#79061; Package emacs. (Sun, 20 Jul 2025 18:08:02 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Acknowledgement sent to martin <law <at> martinmarshall.com>:
New bug report received and forwarded. Copy sent to bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org. (Sun, 20 Jul 2025 18:08:02 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

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

From: martin <law <at> martinmarshall.com>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 30.1; Possible documentation bug for isearch-allow-motion
 (substitute-command-keys)
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2025 11:07:03 -0700
When using `describe-variable` to read about `isearch-allow-motion`, the
following paragraph is displayed in the *Help* buffer:

> Whether to allow movement between isearch matches by cursor motion commands.
> If non-nil, the four motion commands <, >, SPC and DEL, when invoked during
> Isearch, move respectively to the first occurrence of the current search string
> in the buffer, the last one, the first one after the current window, and the
> last one before the current window.
> If nil, these motion commands normally exit Isearch and are executed.

This leads to confusion, because in most buffers those keys, "<, >, SPC
and DEL", don't have the described effect "when invoked during Isearch".

A check of the source shows that the listed keys are generated by
`substitute-command-keys`, and the intended commands are respectively
`beginning-of-buffer`, `end-of-buffer`, `scroll-up-command` and
`scroll-down-command`.

It appears that `substitute-command-keys` inserts those keys because
they're bound to those commands in the *Help* buffer's `help-mode-map`.

I think it would be best in this case to refer to the commands by name,
unless there's some way to exclude `help-mode-map` from the keys
`substitute-command-keys` selects from.

Martin




Information forwarded to bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org:
bug#79061; Package emacs. (Sun, 20 Jul 2025 20:39:02 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

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

From: martin <law <at> martinmarshall.com>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#79061: 30.1; Possible documentation bug for
 isearch-allow-motion (substitute-command-keys)
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2025 13:38:16 -0700
martin <law <at> martinmarshall.com> writes:

> When using `describe-variable` to read about `isearch-allow-motion`, the
> following paragraph is displayed in the *Help* buffer:

It seems I was too hasty in submitting this.  I can see now this was
already fixed on the master branch, and it looks like the same change
was made on the emacs-30 branch (for an eventual 30.2 release, I
suppose).

Sorry for the unnecessary report.

Best,
Martin




Reply sent to Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>:
You have taken responsibility. (Mon, 21 Jul 2025 11:08:02 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Notification sent to martin <law <at> martinmarshall.com>:
bug acknowledged by developer. (Mon, 21 Jul 2025 11:08:02 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Message #13 received at 79061-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: martin <law <at> martinmarshall.com>
Cc: 79061-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#79061: 30.1;
 Possible documentation bug for isearch-allow-motion
 (substitute-command-keys)
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2025 14:07:47 +0300
> From: martin <law <at> martinmarshall.com>
> Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2025 13:38:16 -0700
> 
> martin <law <at> martinmarshall.com> writes:
> 
> > When using `describe-variable` to read about `isearch-allow-motion`, the
> > following paragraph is displayed in the *Help* buffer:
> 
> It seems I was too hasty in submitting this.  I can see now this was
> already fixed on the master branch, and it looks like the same change
> was made on the emacs-30 branch (for an eventual 30.2 release, I
> suppose).
> 
> Sorry for the unnecessary report.

No need to feel sorry.  Thanks for double checking and telling us the
results.

I'm therefore closing this bug.




This bug report was last modified 24 days ago.

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