Global key binding overriden by undo-tree

Question

I am trying to remap globally C-/ but the undo-tree package hinders me from doing so. When calling this command (in my init file):

(global-set-key (kbd "C-/") 'left-char)

after having loaded undo-tree (of course), the binding still refers to the undo command.

Any ideas on how to override undo-tree's pervasiveness?

Related: [How to override major mode bindings](http://emacs.stackexchange.com/q/352/115) — Kaushal Modi, Oct 24 '14 at 03:18
@kaushalmodi: +1 - My crystal ball tells me that's probably all that is involved here. — Drew, Oct 24 '14 at 04:29
@kaushalmodi Thanks. That was the solution. If you pose it as such, I will be glad to approve it. — NVaughan, Oct 24 '14 at 15:05

score 6 · Answer 1 · edited Mar 19 '20 at 16:01

6

You can try this, if you want to remap all keys bound to undo-tree-undo.

 (global-set-key [remap undo-tree-undo] 'left-char)

You can also try making your binding in undo-tree-mode-map, assuming that is what is used by undo-tree-mode:

(add-hook 'undo-tree-mode-hook
          (lambda () (define-key undo-tree-map (kbd "C-/") 'left-char)))

(Usually there is a keymap [mode-name]-map like undo-tree-mode-map. In this case the name is actually undo-tree-map.)

edited Mar 19 '20 at 16:01

answered Oct 24 '14 at 04:22

Drew

Thanks. But I really not want either to lose all other bindings to the undo command, or to map them to my other command. – NVaughan Oct 24 '14 at 15:07
Do you need the hook? Or could you just modify the map once and for all? – nispio Oct 24 '14 at 15:45
1

@nispio: You don't need the hook if the library has already been loaded. If it has not been loaded then presumably `undo-tree-mode-map` is not yet defined (unbound variable). – Drew Oct 24 '14 at 15:54
@NVaughan: That's why I mentioned the second possibility: just bind that one key, `C-/`, and only do so on `undo-tree-mode-map`. – Drew Oct 24 '14 at 15:55

score 2 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 12:38

You solution can be achieved in one of the two ways:

You define your own minor mode whose key-bindings overrides the bindings set by all other minor/major modes.
You set that particular key-binding in that minor/major mode to nil.

These solutions can be implemented in multiple ways and they have been presented in detail in these Emacs SE and SO posts:

Emacs SE Question: How to override major mode bindings
- My preferred solution is to have my own minor-mode so that I have full control of enabling/disabling the overrides done by my minor mode. By default I set all the key-bindings in my minor mode key map. I do global-set-key only for the bindings that I want to be overriden (very few cases).
SO Question: Globally override key binding in Emacs

Thanks. I use the `bind-key.el` solution, as directly creating a minor mode seemed too difficult. — NVaughan, Oct 24 '14 at 15:50

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 24 '14 at 02:02

1

I guess you're using Emacs under terminal? Check C-h k C-/ to see what it is.

In my case, when pressing C-/ in terminal, it actually invokes C-_.

answered Oct 24 '14 at 02:02

kuanyui

Not using it on terminal. And I get the following: "C-/ runs the command undo-tree-undo, which is an interactive compiled Lisp function in `undo-tree.el'. It is bound to C-_, C-/, C-z, , ." – NVaughan Oct 24 '14 at 03:31

3 Answers3