Re: Key bindings

[Alan Shutko <ats@acm.org>]

Camm Maguire <camm@enhanced.com> writes:

> Greetings!  I maintain cxref, which does not provide an emacs minor
> mode, but does have an .el file with useful C editing functions bound
> by default to C-c ? key combinations.  A bug was filed, saying that
> C-c was reserved for the user.

By my reading of the docs, the bug was incorrect.

The conventions are defined in the elisp manual "(elisp) Coding
Conventions".  Here's the quote

   * Please do not define `C-c LETTER' as a key in your major modes.
     These sequences are reserved for users; they are the *only*
     sequences reserved for users, so do not block them.

     Instead, define sequences consisting of `C-c' followed by a control
     character, a digit, or certain punctuation characters.  These
     sequences are reserved for major modes.

     Changing all the Emacs major modes to follow this convention was a
     lot of work.  Abandoning this convention would make that work go
     to waste, and inconvenience users.

   * Sequences consisting of `C-c' followed by `{', `}', `<', `>', `:'
     or `;' are also reserved for major modes.

   * Sequences consisting of `C-c' followed by any other punctuation
     character are allocated for minor modes.  Using them in a major
     mode is not absolutely prohibited, but if you do that, the major
     mode binding may be shadowed from time to time by minor modes.

So, as a minor mode, it seems that C-c ? is perfectly fine.  (It also
does not appear that debian policy overrides this specific stuff.)

I'd point out the elisp manual and close the bug, personally.

-- 
Alan Shutko <ats@acm.org> - In a variety of flavors!
I have become me without my consent.