cannot switch buffers in minibuffer window

[Frederik Fouvry]

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In GNU Emacs 21.2.1 (i686-pc-linux-gnu, X toolkit, Xaw3d scroll bars)
of 2002-08-29 on astest
configured using `configure --host=i686-pc-linux-gnu --build=i686-pc-linux-gnu --target=i386-redhat-linux-gnu --program-prefix= --prefix=/usr --exec-prefix=/usr --bindir=/usr/bin --sbindir=/usr/sbin --sysconfdir=/etc --datadir=/usr/share --includedir=/usr/include --libdir=/usr/lib --libexecdir=/usr/libexec --localstatedir=/var --sharedstatedir=/usr/com --mandir=/usr/share/man --infodir=/usr/share/info --with-gcc --with-pop --with-sound'
Important settings:
value of $LC_ALL: nil
value of $LC_COLLATE: POSIX
value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
value of $LC_MONETARY: ***@euro
value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
value of $LC_TIME: nil
value of $LANG: en_GB
locale-coding-system: iso-latin-1
default-enable-multibyte-characters: t

Please describe exactly what actions triggered the bug
and the precise symptoms of the bug:

When I want to open a new file and start doing so (C-x C-f), but
then recall that I already have the file opened, and switch to it
with C-x o (buffer names being shorter than full file paths), I
can type in the buffer name, but not switch to the buffer because
"Cannot switch buffers in minibuffer window".

Is there no way Emacs can detect this condition and switch the
buffer in (one of) the main window(s)? I guess the window in
which this should happen is the window the user was in just
before switching to the mini-buffer (information which I guess is
stored anyway, since aborting the command brings us back to that
window).

Thanks.

Recent input:
<escape> <backspace> A SPC s i m i l a r SPC a p p
r o a c h SPC i s SPC t a k e n SPC <escape> <backspace>
<escape> <backspace> h a s SPC b e e n SPC t a k e
n SPC <up> C-e <left> <left> <left> <left> <left> <left>
<left> <left> <left> <down> C-x C-f <up> <down> C-x
b o <tab> <return> C-x b o t <tab> <return> <switch-frame>
<switch-frame> <switch-frame> <switch-frame> C-x b
* M e s <tab> <return> C-x b <return> <C-down-mouse-1>
<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo>
<menu-bar> <help-menu> <report-emacs-bug>

Recent messages:
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Saving file /home/HU/fouvry/mail/RMAIL...
Wrote /home/HU/fouvry/mail/RMAIL
(New file)
Mark saved where search started
call-interactively: Cannot switch buffers in minibuffer window
Quit
Loading emacsbug...done

[Kevin Rodgers]

Post by Frederik Fouvry
When I want to open a new file and start doing so (C-x C-f), but
then recall that I already have the file opened, and switch to it
with C-x o (buffer names being shorter than full file paths), I
can type in the buffer name, but not switch to the buffer because
"Cannot switch buffers in minibuffer window".

I think you must mean `C-x b' instead of `C-x o'.

Post by Frederik Fouvry
Is there no way Emacs can detect this condition and switch the
buffer in (one of) the main window(s)? I guess the window in
which this should happen is the window the user was in just
before switching to the mini-buffer (information which I guess is
stored anyway, since aborting the command brings us back to that
window).

When you realize you don't want to complete the `C-x C-f' command, abort
it with `C-g'. Then you can use `C-x b'. Or if you've set the
`enable-recursive-minibuffers' option, you could do `C-x o C-x b'.

[Barry Margolin]

Post by Kevin Rodgers
When you realize you don't want to complete the `C-x C-f' command, abort
it with `C-g'. Then you can use `C-x b'. Or if you've set the
`enable-recursive-minibuffers' option, you could do `C-x o C-x b'.

I think his point is this: why doesn't Emacs just abort out of the
minibuffer automatically for you, rather than display an error message
and force you to abort and re-execute the command?