Re: Unify mark-foo commands

[Kai Großjohann]

Richard Stallman <address@hidden> writes:

>     The mark-sexp command recently acquired the (very nifty) feature that
>     repeating the command extends the selection (so C-M-SPC C-M-SPC marks
>     two sexps).
>
>     WIBNI the other mark-foo commands behaved similarly?
>
> That would be consistent.  Want to write it?

I have now consed up something.  What do people think?

Things I've noticed:

* The extension feature doesn't work if one calls the command via
  M-x.  I came across this problem because mark-end-of-sentence
  doesn't have a keybinding by default.  But mark-sexp behaves the
  same.  (Presumably, this-command or last-command is exit-minibuffer
  or the like, rather than mark-end-of-sentence.)

* Doing C-M-SPC multiple times pushes multiple marks on the mark
  ring.  But maybe the user expects C-M-SPC C-M-SPC to only put one
  mark on the mark ring, like C-u 2 C-M-SPC would have done?

* If mark-page is called with an argument, it doesn't mark more pages.
  Instead, it marks _other_ pages.  I didn't change that command, as
  it is not clear to me what should happen:

  Should C-x C-p C-x C-p do the same as C-u 2 C-x C-p?  That would
  make sense, in a way.

  Or should C-x C-p C-x C-p mark the current page and the next page,
  ie, mark two pages?  That would also make sense.

* I kind of expected the prefix arg to be sticky.  That is, after
  invoking M-- C-M-SPC to mark the _previous_ sexp, I expected further
  C-M-SPC (without M--) to continue marking "in the same direction".

  (a) (b) -!- (c) (d)

  If you put point at the position indicated with "-!-" and do M--
  C-M-SPC C-M-SPC, nothing will be marked.  If you do, instead, M--
  C-M-SPC M-- C-M-SPC, then (a) (b) will be marked.

* The implementation for mark-paragraph looks very different from the
  implementation for mark-sexp, mark-end-of-sentence and mark-word.
  Not sure if this is a problem.

* The docstring for mark-sexp refers to forward-sexp.  Would it be
  better to make it stand alone?

* The docstrings for mark-word and mark-end-of-sentence don't mention
  what negative arguments do.

Oh boy.  I write such trivial extensions and you guys have to spend
so much time on discussing it with me.  I wonder whether that means
that I'm a nuisance rather than help.  But I don't know what else to
do but ask -- I want to do it right!

I know that the NEWS file needs to be updated.  I guess the Emacs
manual also needs to be updated.  If I get the go-ahead, I'll do that
as well.

~/work/gnu/emacs $ cvs diff lisp
cvs server: Diffing lisp
Index: lisp/ChangeLog
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/emacs/emacs/lisp/ChangeLog,v
retrieving revision 1.3440
diff -u -r1.3440 ChangeLog
--- lisp/ChangeLog      12 Feb 2002 17:38:06 -0000      1.3440
+++ lisp/ChangeLog      13 Feb 2002 16:47:39 -0000
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+2002-02-13  Kai Gro,A_(Bjohann  <address@hidden>
+
+       * simple.el (mark-word): Mark more if repeated.
+       * textmodes/paragraphs.el (mark-paragraph): Ditto.
+       (mark-end-of-sentence): Ditto.
+
 2002-02-12  Eli Zaretskii  <address@hidden>
 
        * progmodes/pascal.el (pascal-imenu-generic-expression): Add
@@ -59,7 +65,7 @@
        * cus-start.el: Don't warn about "x-*" symbols when building a
        non-GUI version.
 
-2002-02-11  Pavel Jan,Bm(Bk  <address@hidden>
+2002-02-11  Pavel Jan,Am(Bk  <address@hidden>
 
        * strokes.el (strokes-do-stroke, strokes-do-complex-stroke):
        Doc fix.
@@ -85,7 +91,7 @@
        (dump-charsets, dump-codings): Deleted (obsolete).
        From Dave Love <address@hidden>.
 
-2002-02-10  Pavel Jan,Bm(Bk  <address@hidden>
+2002-02-10  Pavel Jan,Am(Bk  <address@hidden>
 
        * menu-bar.el (menu-bar-showhide-menu): Rename functions for
        toggling.
@@ -109,7 +115,7 @@
        
        * ediff.el: typo in comment.
        
-2002-02-09  Pavel Jan,Bm(Bk  <address@hidden>
+2002-02-09  Pavel Jan,Am(Bk  <address@hidden>
 
        * menu-bar.el (menu-bar-options-save): Take care of
        line-number-mode and column-number-mode variables.
@@ -8533,7 +8539,7 @@
        (toplevel): Add completion-list-mode-finish to temp-buffer-show-hook.
 
        * language/european.el ("Polish"): Change sample text.
-       From address@hidden (Janusz S. Bie,Bq(B).
+       From address@hidden (Janusz S. Bie$,1 d(B).
 
        * progmodes/sh-script.el (sh-indent-line): Add optional PREFIX-ARG
        parameter.
Index: lisp/simple.el
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/emacs/emacs/lisp/simple.el,v
retrieving revision 1.520
diff -u -r1.520 simple.el
--- lisp/simple.el      6 Feb 2002 15:08:45 -0000       1.520
+++ lisp/simple.el      13 Feb 2002 16:47:40 -0000
@@ -2812,10 +2812,14 @@
   (forward-word (- arg)))
 
 (defun mark-word (arg)
-  "Set mark arg words away from point."
+  "Set mark arg words away from point.
+If this command is repeated, it marks the next ARG words after the ones
+already marked."
   (interactive "p")
   (push-mark
-    (save-excursion
+   (save-excursion
+     (if (and (eq last-command this-command) (mark t))
+        (goto-char (mark)))
       (forward-word arg)
       (point))
     nil t))
cvs server: Diffing lisp/calc
cvs server: Diffing lisp/calendar
cvs server: Diffing lisp/emacs-lisp
cvs server: Diffing lisp/emulation
cvs server: Diffing lisp/eshell
cvs server: Diffing lisp/gnus
cvs server: Diffing lisp/international
cvs server: Diffing lisp/language
cvs server: Diffing lisp/mail
cvs server: Diffing lisp/net
cvs server: Diffing lisp/obsolete
cvs server: Diffing lisp/play
cvs server: Diffing lisp/progmodes
cvs server: Diffing lisp/term
cvs server: Diffing lisp/textmodes
Index: lisp/textmodes/paragraphs.el
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/emacs/emacs/lisp/textmodes/paragraphs.el,v
retrieving revision 1.58
diff -u -r1.58 paragraphs.el
--- lisp/textmodes/paragraphs.el        30 Nov 2001 17:18:26 -0000      1.58
+++ lisp/textmodes/paragraphs.el        13 Feb 2002 16:47:40 -0000
@@ -325,14 +325,23 @@
 the number of paragraphs marked equals ARG.
 
 If ARG is negative, point is put at end of this paragraph, mark is put
-at beginning of this or a previous paragraph."
+at beginning of this or a previous paragraph.
+
+If this command is repeated, it marks the next ARG paragraphs after (or
+before, if arg is negative) the ones already marked."
   (interactive "p")
-  (unless arg (setq arg 1))
-  (when (zerop arg)
-    (error "Cannot mark zero paragraphs"))
-  (forward-paragraph arg)
-  (push-mark nil t t)
-  (backward-paragraph arg))
+  (let (here)
+    (unless arg (setq arg 1))
+    (when (zerop arg)
+      (error "Cannot mark zero paragraphs"))
+    (when (and (eq last-command this-command) (mark t))
+      (setq here (point))
+      (goto-char (mark)))
+    (forward-paragraph arg)
+    (push-mark nil t t)
+    (if here
+       (goto-char here)
+      (backward-paragraph arg))))
 
 (defun kill-paragraph (arg)
   "Kill forward to end of paragraph.
@@ -424,13 +433,17 @@
   (kill-region (point) (progn (backward-sentence arg) (point))))
 
 (defun mark-end-of-sentence (arg)
-  "Put mark at end of sentence.  Arg works as in `forward-sentence'."
+  "Put mark at end of sentence.  Arg works as in `forward-sentence'.
+If this command is repeated, it marks the next ARG sentences after the
+ones already marked."
   (interactive "p")
   (push-mark
-    (save-excursion
-      (forward-sentence arg)
-      (point))
-    nil t))
+   (save-excursion
+     (if (and (eq last-command this-command) (mark t))
+        (goto-char (mark)))
+     (forward-sentence arg)
+     (point))
+   nil t))
 
 (defun transpose-sentences (arg)
   "Interchange this (next) and previous sentence."
cvs server: Diffing lisp/toolbar
~/work/gnu/emacs $ 

kai
-- 
~/.signature is: umop 3p!sdn    (Frank Nobis)