Re: erase-buffer (was: with-output-to-temp-buffer)

[David Kastrup]

Stefan Monnier <address@hidden> writes:

> BTW, it seems the main problem has to do with a conflict between
> erase-buffer when called interactively and erase-buffer when called
> from packages.
> 
> So my question is: why is erase-buffer a command?
> I didn't know it was a command until 5 days ago, it is not bound to any
> key, and I can't think of any circumstance where a user might want to say
> M-x erase-buffer RET.

Right.  At best you want to kill a buffer.

> Actually the only case I can think of is when the user knows what
> he's doing; and allowing the M-x erase-buffer to work in Custom
> buffers would then still make perfect sense (even if we don't fix
> the lingering overlays).

If one wants to use a command like that, one can always say
M-: (erase-buffer) RET

I also think that it should not be a command.  If you need to erase a
buffer for whatever obscure reason, you can clear it with
M-h C-w

It would at best make marginal sense in, say, a shell-buffer which
you find has grown too large for your taste.  But even there, you
would want to have it remove things like read-only prompt strings.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum