Re: master fbc9c59: Make goto-line-history buffer local only when so customized

[Alan Mackenzie]

Hello, Basil.

On Fri, Feb 26, 2021 at 13:15:02 +0000, Basil L. Contovounesios wrote:
> Alan Mackenzie <acm@muc.de> writes:

> >> > ++++
> >> > +** The history list for the 'goto-line' command is now a single list
> >> > +for all buffers by default.  You can configure a separate list for
> >> > +each buffer by customizing the user option 'goto-line-history-local'.

> >> I think this contradicts a preceding entry:

> >> ** Input history for 'goto-line' is now local to every buffer.
> >> Each buffer will keep a separate history of line numbers used with
> >> 'goto-line'.  This should help making faster the process of finding
> >> line numbers that were previously jumped to.

> > Well, I think "contradict" is not quite the right word.  Whether the list
> > is buffer local or not is now customisable, which it wasn't before.  The
> > default is somewhat arbitrary, as it always is in these things, with some
> > people proclaiming a particular setting "obviously" should be the
> > default, others saying the opposite is "obvious".  That the list, before
> > that previous patch, wasn't buffer local points to the current default.

> > Or, have I misunderstood what you're saying?

> I think so.  My point is that the older entry says goto-line has
> buffer-local history by default, whereas the newer entry says goto-line
> does not have buffer-local history by default.

Yes, I had misunderstood, sorry.  I was under the mistaken impression
that the previous change to the input history was in Emacs 27.  So, yes,
you're correct, the two entries in NEWS do contradict eachother, and
need merging into a single entry.

I don't have time to do this today, I'll try and do it over the weekend.

[ .... ]

> The latter change reverts some parts of the former, and makes the
> behaviour customisable, but the older NEWS entry was not updated to
> reflect this.  I was hoping you would merge the two NEWS entries or
> simply delete the older one, since it no longer accurately represents
> the default, and is duplicated by the newer entry.

> This part of (info "(elisp) Minibuffer History") also needs updating:

>  -- Variable: goto-line-history
>      A history list for arguments to ‘goto-line’.  This variable is
>      buffer local.

Hmm.  OK.  But what's this variable doing in the elisp manual, as
opposed to the emacs manual?  It's purely a user convenience.

> Thanks,

> -- 
> Basil

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).