bug#16828: 24.3.50; eval-expression, character representation of integer results time-consuming

[npostavs]

Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

>> From: npostavs@users.sourceforge.net
>> Cc: 16828@debbugs.gnu.org
>> Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2017 10:55:44 -0400
>> 
>> Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:
>> 
>> >> >
>> >> > So, under this proposal, is there any way to get the character for a
>> >> > single invocation of M-:, without setting the option, if I only need
>> >> > that sometimes?  Should there be such a way?
>> >> 
>> >> Isn't M-: (prin1-char value) sufficient?
>> >
>> > No, not after years of using "M-: #xNNNN RET".
>> 
>> If you want to keep muscle memory,
>> 
>>     (setq eval-expression-print-maximum-character most-positive-fixnum)
>> 
>> should give you back the old behaviour.  If you only want this only some
>> of the time, perhaps we should add a toggle-print-maximum-character
>> command?
>
> What about a special value of prefix argument, like zero?  If that's
> OK, it's more convenient than any of the above.

Sure, it's just a matter of deciding how to fit this in with the
existing interpretation of the prefix argument.  Right now, a non-nil
prefix argument means to insert the result into the buffer.