Re: PATCH: Lua 5.1 advanced readline support

[Mike Pall <mikelu-0602@...>]

Hi,

John Belmonte wrote:
> I think that providing a Lua binding to libreadline is a separate issue.
>  Actually since the library uses globals instead of a context it seems
> like a bag of worms.

I guess we have to live with the API for a while. File a bug. :-)

> I've confirmed that your advanced readline code can work as a Lua module
> with a few modifications.  There's no reason to patch lua.c (although it
> would still be nice to see it added upstream).  I'm considering adding
> this module to the Debian Lua interpreter package.  Users can opt in
> with "LUA_INIT=require('advanced_readline')".

Ick. Please, no. You are creating the same problem that Python
users are facing: it has completion support, but nobody knows how
to turn it on. This is a bad usability decision.

Please either put it in by default or leave it out. The Debian
package already has a dependency on readline (so the bloat is
already there). There is no reason not to add the patch by
default. It only affects the standalone executable and only in
interactive mode.
 
> By the way, I'd like to add a LUA_COMPLETION_EXCLUDE_KEYWORDS option.  I
> don't use completion as much to save typing as to explore an unknown
> namespace.  Lua's set of keywords is small and relatively constant, and
> I'd rather it didn't clutter the completion list.

Umm, it already has this functionality. It omits the keywords if
you are exploring a namespace (i.e. a table). Try typing io~~~
(replace ~ with TAB). Please don't overdesign.

Bye,
     Mike