Re: suggestion for set-file-modes

[Juri Linkov]

>>> Soooo, why not convert it to an appropriate "input form" for putting in
>>> the prompt/default ?
>>>
>>> E.g., -rwxrwxrw- => "ug=rwx,o=rw"
>
>   As I said to Dan before, I think symbolic notation is about applying a
> mask to the existing file's modes, not editing them.  Of course, after
> `u=rwx,g=rwx,o=rw' I can (more or less comfortably) add my mask `,a-w',
> but still, I don't see any case when I'd want to *edit* modes.

You don't need to add a mask `,a-w' after `u=rwx,g=rwx,o=rw',
because unless you want to retrieve the default value `u=rwx,g=rwx,o=rw'
for editing, you can start typing `a-w' in the empty minibuffer.

Typing M-n in the minibuffer to retrieve the default value is intended
only for users who what to edit the existing permissions based on
the absolute forms using "=".

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