python mode M-q fills code

[Tom Tromey]

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In GNU Emacs 21.2.1 (i386-redhat-linux-gnu, X toolkit, Xaw3d scroll bars)
 of 2002-04-08 on porky.devel.redhat.com
configured using `configure  i386-redhat-linux --prefix=/usr --exec-prefix=/usr 
--bindir=/usr/bin --sbindir=/usr/sbin --sysconfdir=/etc --datadir=/usr/share 
--includedir=/usr/include --libdir=/usr/lib --libexecdir=/usr/libexec 
--localstatedir=/var --sharedstatedir=/usr/com --mandir=/usr/share/man 
--infodir=/usr/share/info --with-gcc --with-pop --with-sound'
Important settings:
  value of $LC_ALL: nil
  value of $LC_COLLATE: nil
  value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
  value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
  value of $LC_MONETARY: nil
  value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
  value of $LC_TIME: nil
  value of $LANG: en_US.iso885915
  locale-coding-system: iso-latin-9
  default-enable-multibyte-characters: nil

Please describe exactly what actions triggered the bug
and the precise symptoms of the bug:

I'd like it if M-q consistently and usefully filled comments across
all programming modes.

Right now in Python mode it does not.  Here is how to see the problem:

Open a new Python buffer.  C-x C-f /tmp/q.py
Enter a comment and then some code, like this:

# This is a comment.
# This is the second line of the comment.
class q:

Now move point to the first line and type M-q.
I see this result:

# This is a comment.  This is the second line of the comment.  class
# q:

I would much prefer to see this result:

# This is a comment.  This is the second line of the comment.
class q:

I can accomplish this by temporarily adding an empty line after the
command, filling, and then removing the empty line.  However, this is
a lot of work.  I think it would make sense if filling worked this way
automatically in programming modes.  The idea is that if point is in a
comment, then the boundaries of the comment should be found and
filled.

(Perhaps this is already the standard.  I haven't kept up with
developments in this area.)

I note that perl-mode also has this same problem.  tcl-mode, however,
does not.


As a further refinement, it would be nice if paragraph boundaries in
comments were respected.  For instance filling would stop at a blank
line within the comment.


Recent input:
<backspace> y : <return> s e l f . l o c k . r e l 
e a s e SPC ( ) C-f <return> C-f M-\ C-x C-s <down-mouse-1> 
<mouse-1> s e l f . C-x C-s C-p C-p C-n M-b M-b <M-backspace> 
<M-backspace> <M-backspace> <M-backspace> <M-backspace> 
C-e SPC <backspace> M-q C-/ C-o C-a C-p C-p C-o C-n 
M-q C-p C-k M-} C-k C-x C-s C-h k M-q C-x 1 M-x s e 
n d - b u <backspace> <backspace> e m <tab> <M-backspace> 
<M-backspace> r e p o r t - m <backspace> e m <tab> 
<return>

Recent messages:
call-interactively: End of buffer
Wrote /home/tromey/projects/build/Build/File.py
Mark set
Closes block: ...try:
call-interactively: End of buffer [2 times]
Wrote /home/tromey/projects/build/Build/File.py [2 times]
Undo!
Wrote /home/tromey/projects/build/Build/File.py
Type C-x 1 to remove help window.  C-M-v to scroll the help.
Loading emacsbug...done

Tom