Re: User/host name completion: how to deal with ambiguity?

[Michael Albinus]

address@hidden (Kai =?iso-8859-15?q?Gro=DFjohann?=) writes:

> The new filename format on Emacs looks like this:
> 
>     /method:address@hidden:path
> 
> The method and the user can be omitted.  Now Michael has done some
> great work on allowing completion on incomplete Tramp filenames.  For
> example, if you type
> 
>     /ssh:au<TAB>
> 
> then you get a list of all host names starting with "au".  Tres
> cool.  (Maybe you should also get a list of user names starting
> "au".  Not sure if this happens.)

Should so if method related completion offers user names.

> But there is an ambiguity problem.  Take the following filename as an
> example:
> 
>     /ssh:
> 
> It could be a complete Tramp filename specifying the home directory
> on the host ssh, using the default method and the default user.
> 
> It could also be a partial Tramp filename specifying the ssh method.
> 
> Michael's code now tries to look for all possibilities, so it tries
> to open a connection to the host ssh using the default method and the
> default user.  This, however, is wont to fail, leaving the user
> flabbergasted.
> 
> Suggestions?

I've slept a night over the proposals. A possible scenario could be:

* Expand `/foo' to file / method / (user@)host (acc default
  method). Don't expand it to `/foo:host', even if method `foo' is
  unique already.

* Expand `/foo:' to `/foo:host' if `foo' is a method. Ignore
  possibility that `foo' might be a host name at this stage of
  expansion. This must be expressed explicitly either by an FQDN of
  the host name (`/foo.domain:'), or by a character after the colon,
  which doesn't match user/host name syntax, like `.', `/' or `~'.  If
  `foo.domain' is contained in the resp files (f.e. ssh_known_hosts),
  it will be offered during expansion of `/foo'.

Comments?

> kai

Best regards, Michael.