GNU bug report logs - #8180
24.0.50; verbose, confusing y-or-n-p prompts in `find-file-no-select'

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Message #21 received at 8180 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
To: "Drew Adams" <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
Cc: 8180 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#8180: 24.0.50;
 verbose, confusing y-or-n-p prompts in `find-file-no-select'
Date: Sun, 01 May 2016 19:59:01 +0200

"Drew Adams" <drew.adams <at> oracle.com> writes:

> The annoying dialog you get uses multiple lines of text (6!) to prompt
> in the minibuffer (or in a popup, depending on how you invoke the
> function) for a y-or-n answer.  The prompt text is *far* too long and
> pretty much incomprehensible to an average user.  This is the `y-or-n-p'
> prompt (including its line breaks):
>
> "The file maybe-a-very-long-file-name.jpg is already visited literally,
> meaning no coding system decoding, format conversion, or local variables.
> You have asked to visit it normally,
> but Emacs can only visit a file in one way at a time.
>
> Do you want to revisit the file normally now? (y or n) "
>
> That is _ridiculously_ long and confusing.  It is horribly user
> unfriendly.  `find-file-noselect' is now filled to the gills with such
> gobbledygook prompts, each more twisted and verbose than the next.

I don't think it's gobbledygook.  You only get a prompt like that if
you've previously visited a file literally, and then you probably know
what that is, because just about the only way to get such a buffer is by
using the `M-x find-file-literally' command.

So I don't see anything to fix here.  Closing.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

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