Re: M-\ does not work with prefix argument as documented

[Dieter Wilhelm]

Kevin Rodgers <address@hidden> writes:

> Dieter Wilhelm wrote:
>> Kevin Rodgers <address@hidden> writes:
>>> Dieter Wilhelm wrote:
...
>> Thank you for installing your patch. (You did install it, didn't you?)
>
> No, I don't have that permission.  But RMS posted a similar patch,
> so I assume that was committed.  The main difference was that my patch

Yes it was installed.

> included changes to the doc string and the manual.

Yes I realised that and I wondered why he didn't use your patch, maybe
he has just overlooked it, I'll ask.

...

>> What I need to know is how could I distinguish in the function whether
>> the user gave a prefix argument '1' or whether it was the default
>> argument '1'?  The default argument would mean kill on both sides, the
>> same numerical value would mean just kill to the right.  Is it
>> possible to intercept the argument before the (interactive "*p") form
>> is evaluated?  
>
> I think that would be a poor interface: for any command foo that takes
> a numeric argument, `M-x foo' and `M-1 M-x foo' ought to mean the same
> thing.

Maybe it would be consistent with most Emacs commands with numerical
arguments but I don't think of it as a poor interface, because we're
gaining an additional choice and I've also an Emacs example where this
is practised: C-l (recenter).

> But yes, you can examine the value of current-prefix-arg, which will
> be nil in the `M-x foo' case.

Great, thank you! I didn't know the variable.

-- 
    Best wishes

    H. Dieter Wilhelm
    Darmstadt, Germany