octave @3.8.1: Cursor keys and command line history not working in the GUI

[maehne (Torsten Maehne)]

I have the octave port @3.8.1 installed in the +gui variant to try the new GUI. The GUI works quite well except for the editing shortcuts in the command line window: No cursor keys are working, i.e., editing the current command line has to be done only using backspace and delete. A command from the history has to be done using the mouse. I suspect something goes wrong with loading the readline configuration. Unfortunately, loading explicitly a minimal ~/.inputrc using readline_read_init_file() does not help. When the GUI starts up, the command line window contains the following messages:

Warning: QObject::connect: Cannot connect main_window::set_widget_shortcuts_signal (bool) to (null)::set_shortcuts (bool)
warning: docstring file '/opt/local/share/octave/3.8.1/etc/built-in-docstrings' not found
GNU Octave, version 3.8.1
Copyright (C) 2014 John W. Eaton and others.
This is free software; see the source code for copying conditions.
There is ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  For details, type 'warranty'.

Octave was configured for "x86_64-apple-darwin12.5.0".

Additional information about Octave is available at http://www.octave.org.

Please contribute if you find this software useful.
For more information, visit http://www.octave.org/get-involved.html

Read http://www.octave.org/bugs.html to learn how to submit bug reports.
For information about changes from previous versions, type 'news'.

The editing shortcuts work correctly in the command-line version of octave.

I'm using an up-to-date MacPorts installation on OS X 10.8.5.

[maehne (Torsten Maehne)]

I have found the relevant upstream bug report with a patch scheduled for Octave 3.8.2:

​http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?41337

Could the ​patch be applied in the meantime via the Portfile?

[seanfarley (Sean Farley)]

3.8.2 is almost out so why not just wait? The +gui variant is extremely experimental.

[maehne (Torsten Maehne)]

I'm fine with waiting, but the upstream patch requires testing: the proposed upstream patch makes cursor keys work, but other characters requiring the ALT key on non-US keyboards don't work. Therefore, I created a ​octave port including the patch.

If there's an experimental port of the 3.8.2 version, I am also willing to test it.

[MarcusCalhoun-Lopez (Marcus Calhoun-Lopez)]

As of r148698, the Octave is at version 4, and the GUI is no longer considered experimental.
Most likely, this is no longer an issue.
If not, please feel free to reopen.