Re: address@hidden: Re: comint's directory tracking doesn't understand \( or \)]

[David Kastrup]

Chong Yidong <address@hidden> writes:

> David Kastrup <address@hidden> writes:
>
>>> BTW, I can't seem to reproduce the problem referenced in the original
>>> bug report.
>>>
>>> M-x shell RET
>>> ~ $ cd /tmp/
>>> /tmp $ mkdir /tmp/'(2007)'
>>> /tmp $ cd \(2007\)
>>> /tmp/(2007) $ pwd
>>>
>>>  => /tmp/(2007)
>>
>> Uh, I guess you should not use 
>> pwd RET
>> but rather
>> M-x pwd RET
>>
>> for checking the problem.
>
> I understand the problem now (the original recipe wasn't clear).
>
> I don't think we should make the proposed change to comint.el.
> AFAIK, the detailed rules for how backslash escape works is, in
> principle, different from shell to shell, and even if we choose to
> obey (e.g.)  bash semantics for backslash escapes, we might still be
> incompatible with other shells.  This might also introduce subtle
> bugs into non-shell uses of comint mode.
>
> It seems there will always be *some* way of confusing the directory
> tracker: that's what `M-x dirs' is for.

Maybe the directory tracker should check whether the directory it is
thinking of exists, and use `dirs' alias `shell-resync-dirs'
automatically if it finds that it doesn't.  I think it currently
instead just stays where it was previously.  Which rarely is helpful.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum