How to add several files to a fileset at once with a regular expression?

Question

I'm working on the current branch of a game composed of several files. I have created a fileset so I can open all those files at once. The GNU Emacs manual says:

Normally, a fileset is a simple list of files, but you can also define a fileset as a regular expression matching file names.

However, no way to enter a regular expression to add files to a fileset is provided in the manual (filesets-add-buffer only allows you to add the file you are currently visiting).

The manual says explicitly: "*edit the list of filesets directly, with **`M-x filesets-edit`** (or by choosing `Edit Filesets` from the `Filesets` menu). The editing is performed in a Customize buffer (*note Easy Customization::). Normally, a fileset is a simple list of files, but you can also define a fileset **as a regular expression matching file names**.*" In the Customize buffer for option `filesets-data`, click the **`Value Menu`** for a given entry and choose **`Pattern`**. — Drew, May 21 '17 at 23:32

Basil · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-22T00:06:23.103

After calling the function filesets-init, either interactively via M-: (filesets-init) RET or in your user-init-file as (filesets-init), you can invoke the command M-x filesets-edit RET to edit the user option filesets-data using the Customize interface.

This is the only interactive means of customising filesets I can see in the source. Alternatively, you could manually set/edit filesets-data in your user-init-file.

As per Drew's suggestion, here is the docstring for filesets-data, the main customisation entry-point for filesets:

Fileset definitions.

A fileset is either a list of files, a file pattern, a base directory
and a search pattern (for files), or a base file.  Changes to this
variable will take effect after rebuilding the menu.

Caveat: Fileset names have to be unique.

Example definition:
 '(("My Wiki"
    (:ingroup "~/Etc/My-Wiki/WikiContents"))
   ("My Homepage"
    (:pattern "~/public_html/" "^.+\\\\.html$")
    (:open filesets-find-file))
   ("User Configuration"
    (:files "~/.xinitrc"
            "~/.bashrc"
            "~/.bash_profile"))
   ("HOME"
    (:tree "~" "^[^.].*[^~]$")
    (:filter-dirs-flag t)))

`filesets-data' is a list of (NAME-AS-STRING . DEFINITION), DEFINITION
being an association list with the fields:

:files FILE-1 .. FILE-N ... a list of files belonging to a fileset

:ingroup FILE-NAME ... an inclusion group's base file.

:tree ROOT-DIR PATTERN ... a base directory and a file pattern

:pattern DIR PATTERN ... a base directory and a regexp matching
                         files in that directory.  Usually,
                         PATTERN has the form `^REGEXP$'.  Unlike
                         :tree, this form does not descend
                         recursively into subdirectories.

:filter-dirs-flag BOOLEAN ... is only used in conjunction with :tree.

:tree-max-level INTEGER ... recurse into directories this many levels
(see `filesets-tree-max-level' for a full explanation)

:dormant-flag BOOLEAN ... non-nil means don't show this item in the
menu; dormant filesets can still be manipulated via commands available
from the minibuffer -- e.g. `filesets-open', `filesets-close', or
`filesets-run-cmd'

:dormant-p FUNCTION ... a function returning :dormant-flag

:open FUNCTION ... the function used to open file belonging to this
fileset.  The function takes a file name as argument

:save FUNCTION ... the function used to save file belonging to this
fileset; it takes no arguments, but works on the current buffer.

Either :files, :pattern, :tree, or :ingroup must be supplied.  :files
overrules :tree, :tree overrules :pattern, :pattern overrules :ingroup,
i.e. these tags are mutually exclusive.  The fields :open and :save are
optional.

In conjunction with the :tree tag, :save is void.  :open refers to the
function used for opening files in a directory, not for opening the
directory.  For browsing directories, `filesets-browse-dir-function' is used.

Before using :ingroup, make sure that the file type is already
defined in `filesets-ingroup-patterns'.

+1. In sum, *customize option `filesets-data`*. And start by reading its doc string: `C-h v filesets-data`. (You might want to post that doc here.) — Drew, May 21 '17 at 23:29

How to add several files to a fileset at once with a regular expression?

1 Answers1