who is unsetting local-abbrev-table in message.el?

who is unsetting local-abbrev-table in message.el?

[Randal Schwartz]

I got tired of typing the same things over and over again in my
mail.  I've never used abbrev modes before, but I scanned the elisp
manual and "text-mode" enough to the point where I think I got it.

So I added to my .gnus.el the following:

    (defun MERLYN-message-mode-hook ()
      (define-abbrev-table 'message-mode-abbrev-table
	'(
	  ("uwt" "http://www.stonehenge.com/merlyn/WebTechniques" nil 0)
	  ))
      (setq local-abbrev-table message-mode-abbrev-table)
      (abbrev-mode 1))
    (add-hook 'message-mode-hook 'MERLYN-message-mode-hook)

And sure enough, the next time I went into message mode for a compose,
mode-line says abbrev is on, message-mode-mode-abbrev-table looked
fine, *but* local-abbrev-table was nil!  How come?  How many times do
I have to set it? :-)

I suppose the workaround is to add my abbrevs to the text-mode abbrev
table (which it seems to want to do by default), but I'd rather not.
It'd be nicer to understand why this doesn't work first.

-- 
Name: Randal L. Schwartz / Stonehenge Consulting Services (503)777-0095
Keywords: Perl training, UNIX[tm] consulting, video production, skiing, flying
Email: <merlyn@stonehenge.com> Snail: (Call) PGP-Key: (finger merlyn@ora.com)
Web: <A HREF="http://www.stonehenge.com/merlyn/">My Home Page!</A>
Quote: "I'm telling you, if I could have five lines in my .sig, I would!" -- me

Re: who is unsetting local-abbrev-table in message.el?

[Michael R Cook]

>>>>> "RS" == Randal Schwartz <merlyn@stonehenge.com> writes:

 RS> And sure enough, the next time I went into message mode for a compose,
 RS> mode-line says abbrev is on, message-mode-mode-abbrev-table looked
 RS> fine, *but* local-abbrev-table was nil!  How come?

For me, local-abbrev-table is setup correctly initially (typing C-h
v local-abbrev-table immediately upon entering message mode, I see
that the symbol is set as expected--non-nil), but type a little and
check again, and the symbol has been magically set to nil.

Typing, say, "xxx" is not enough to cause local-abbrev-table to
become nil.  But typing "xxx!" is (the "!" would cause abbrev
expansion).

Offhand, I'd guess that at the first attempt to expand an
abbreviation, Emacs detects some kind of problem, and reacts by
quietly setting local-abbrev-table to nil.

Michael.

Re: who is unsetting local-abbrev-table in message.el?

[Michael R Cook]

>>>>> "MRC" == Michael R Cook <mcook@cognex.com> writes:
>>>>> "RS" == Randal Schwartz <merlyn@stonehenge.com> writes:

 RS> And sure enough, the next time I went into message mode for a compose,
 RS> mode-line says abbrev is on, message-mode-mode-abbrev-table looked
 RS> fine, *but* local-abbrev-table was nil!  How come?

 MRC> For me, local-abbrev-table is setup correctly initially (typing C-h
 MRC> v local-abbrev-table immediately upon entering message mode, I see
 MRC> that the symbol is set as expected--non-nil), but type a little and
 MRC> check again, and the symbol has been magically set to nil.

`mailabbrev.el' is the culprit.  `sendmail-pre-abbrev-expand-hook'
tries to dynamically select between two abbrev tables
(mail-mode-abbrev-table and mail-abbrevs) based on point.

So, you could put your abbrevs into `mail-mode-abbrev-table' rather
than `message-mode-abbrev-table'.  Dunno whether to call that a
workaround or a fix.

Michael.

Re: who is unsetting local-abbrev-table in message.el?

[Randal Schwartz]

>>>>> "Michael" == Michael R Cook <mcook@cognex.com> writes:

Michael> So, you could put your abbrevs into `mail-mode-abbrev-table' rather
Michael> than `message-mode-abbrev-table'.  Dunno whether to call that a
Michael> workaround or a fix.

And, in further observation, the mailabbrev.el also sets the syntax
table to mail-mode-syntax-table.  So, neither message-abbrev-table nor
message-mode-syntax-table are being used, except for the first few
proper keystrokes in the body.

Some would call this a bug.  Others, an unfortunate collision of
message-mode trying to completely override mail-mode.

How to resolve?

-- 
Name: Randal L. Schwartz / Stonehenge Consulting Services (503)777-0095
Keywords: Perl training, UNIX[tm] consulting, video production, skiing, flying
Email: <merlyn@stonehenge.com> Snail: (Call) PGP-Key: (finger merlyn@ora.com)
Web: <A HREF="http://www.stonehenge.com/merlyn/">My Home Page!</A>
Quote: "I'm telling you, if I could have five lines in my .sig, I would!" -- me

Re: who is unsetting local-abbrev-table in message.el?

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Randal Schwartz <merlyn@stonehenge.com> writes:

> And, in further observation, the mailabbrev.el also sets the syntax
> table to mail-mode-syntax-table.  So, neither message-abbrev-table nor
> message-mode-syntax-table are being used, except for the first few
> proper keystrokes in the body.
> 
> Some would call this a bug.  Others, an unfortunate collision of
> message-mode trying to completely override mail-mode.
> 
> How to resolve?

Hm.  I don't know.  Anybody have any suggestions?

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen