Re: info inconsistency about "Shell Commands in Dired"

[Juri Linkov]

Richard Stallman <address@hidden> writes:
>     Bind * to insert a text-propertied (and thus recognizable and
>     copy&pastable) x character with the display property of "<filename>".
>     If people really need * itself, they can insert it using C-q *.
>
> That is an interesting idea--simple to remember.  Would someone like
> to implement it so people can try it out?

When Miles suggested to use text properties for the separator between
from-string and to-string for query-replace, I tried to implement it,
and discovered some problems with using text properties in the minibuffer:

1. Text properties are discarded from the minibuffer history items.
   The variable `minibuffer-allow-text-properties' could be used to
   prevent their discarding, but it affects only `read-string',
   but not `read-minibuffer'.

2. Text properties in history variables are not saved in the
   .emacs.desktop file.

3. When text is copied from some external source to the minibuffer,
   often it has no suitable text properties.

All this means that the user has to take care about checking if * is
properly fontified (which means it corresponds to the user's intentions)
and to remember to retype * when the user notices that * is not fontified.

-- 
Juri Linkov
http://www.jurta.org/emacs/