Problems with "comparguments" (Re: PATCH: broken _netscape)

["Bart Schaefer" <schaefer@candle.brasslantern.com>]

On Nov 22,  4:08pm, Oliver Kiddle wrote:
} Subject: PATCH: broken _netscape
}
} _netscape in pws-9 seems to be broken. This patch fixes it to a point
} where it atleast runs without errors but for some reason, completion of
} the arguments doesn't work. I suspect that it is a bug somewhere in
} _arguments.

I may be entirely wrong, but based on a scan through the "set -x" output
when completing after "netscape -", I'd say this is the same bug that is
causing "cvs" to complete --allow-root and the directories after it.  I
suspect a parsing bug in "comparguments".

While we're on the topic, I noticed this in the manual page for "rxvt" the
other day:

       -pixmap: file[;geom]
              Specify  XPM  file  for  the  background  and  also
              optionally  specify  its  scaling  with  a geometry
              string.  Note you may need to add quotes  to  avoid
              special shell interpretation of the `;' in the com-
              mand-line; resource backgroundPixmap.

Note that here we have an option whose name actually includes a colon.  As
far as I can tell there's *no* way to represent this in the argument list
for _arguments or comparguments; perhaps _regex_arguments could deal with
it, but it doesn't appear so from a look at _apt.

The mini-language of _arg_compile could handle it:

_arg_compile args option -pixmap: follow next \
	explain "file[;scaling]" \
	means "XPM file for the background" \
	action etc.

(I'm not sure how to specify the "action" for "complete files before a
semicolon, with a quoted semicolon as the auto-suffix, and geometries
after the semicolon", and I don't have time to work it out right now.
I'd love to see it done, though.)  However, since _arg_compile presently
doesn't do anything but paste together things to pass to _arguments, it
isn't helpful that it can initially parse it ...

-- 
Bart Schaefer                                 Brass Lantern Enterprises
http://www.well.com/user/barts              http://www.brasslantern.com