query-replace: ignore events not binded in query-replace-map

Question

I have this function:

(defun my-replacements ()
  (interactive)
  (query-replace "foo" "bar" nil (point-min) (point-max))
  (query-replace "baz" "quz" nil (point-min) (point-max))
  (query-replace "fred" "thud" nil (point-min) (point-max)))

If I run it and accidentally type, for example, 'k' during one of the replacements, the function is interrupted, skipping all the remaining replacements.

I know that query-replace accepts only events binded in the query-replace-map and from the manual I know that:

Aside from this, any other character exits the query-replace, and is then reread as part of a key sequence. Thus, if you type C-k, it exits the query-replace and then kills to end of line. In particular, C-g simply exits the query-replace.

I would like to circumvent this behavior by ensuring that events not defined in the query-replace-map are simply ignored. Is there a way to achieve this?

I thought it could be done with a macro, e.g.:

(with-ignore-qr-unbinded-events
  MY CODE HERE)

but I have no idea how to do it.

As a feature request, I would like to add an optional argument to the function so that I can have control over this behavior. Does it make sense to you?

Edit. I just realized that a better idea would be using a variable to control this feature I request.

Answer 1

Try this ...

(defvar my-do-nothing-map
  (let ((map (make-keymap)))
    (set-char-table-range (nth 1 map) t 'ignore)
    map))

(set-keymap-parent query-replace-map my-do-nothing-map)

The proposed solution involves creating a custom keymap called my-do-nothing-map. This keymap is configured so that all keyboard events have no associated action, meaning they are ignored.

1. Creation of my-do-nothing-map: A custom keymap named my-do-nothing-map is created using the function make-keymap. This keymap serves as a container for key bindings.

2. Setting Up the Keymap: Within this custom keymap, the function set-char-table-range is used to set a default action for all keyboard events. The 'ignore value is assigned to every key, indicating that no action should be taken when any key is pressed.

3. Inheritance from query-replace-map: The keymap my-do-nothing-map is set as the parent of query-replace-map using the function set-keymap-parent. This means that when Emacs looks for a key binding in query-replace-map and does not find one, it will then check my-do-nothing-map for a binding. Since all keys in my-do-nothing-map are configured to be ignored, Emacs effectively skips handling any unbound keys during the execution of query-replace.

In summary, this solution ensures that during the execution of query-replace, any unintended key presses that are not explicitly bound in query-replace-map are ignored, preventing premature interruption of the function due to accidental keystrokes.

C-g still works!