Use <tab> keycode rather than TAB

[elemakil]

For historic reasons emacs treats the TAB and C-i keycodes as the same thing. Specifically, those historic reasons are that a terminal does not distinguish between the physical Ctrl + i and tab keys: They send the same code. As a workaround there's the function key code <tab> which is not mapped to TAB if it has a binding of its own; note: this only works in terminals with extended capability or non-terminal versions of emacs.

If the following scheme is used separate bindings for tab and Ctrl + i (the physical keys) can be used when emacs runs in a window system.

• tab maps to <tab>
• Ctrl + i maps to TAB or C-i

There are a few places in the spacemacs source, where the TAB keycode is used instead of the <tab> version event though they are intended to be bound to the physical tab key.

Fixing those (and ensuring that this becomes part of the contribution guidelines) will allow users to have separate binding for Ctrl + i and tab. Take Issue #3165 as an example of the resulting problem.

This is of special importance for an evil based configuration because traditionally Ctrl + i is used to step through the jump list.

I suggest two things:

1. Fix the existing mentions of TAB to use <tab> instead whenever emacs is launched in non-terminal mode.
2. Add an entry to the contribution guidelines / convention guidelines

[sooheon]

I wholeheartedly agree with this, I've personally encountered this issue in the help buffers and in org-mode

[StreakyCobra]

Same problem append with S-BACKSPACE and C-H #1443

[StreakyCobra]

This problem have also been reported in #2105, with an additional keybinding: RET vs <enter>.

[StreakyCobra]

Same problem with TAB in help buffers on #3165. Workaround proposed and working for this special case in the issue.

[StreakyCobra]

#3448 is another variant of this problem. It's asking if Spacemacs can support C-h to act as Backspace in terminals, or at least to have an option for this.

[xoich]

I want C-h to act as backspace everywhere, not just in terminal.

[StreakyCobra]

Oh, sorry for the misunderstanding.

[github-actions]

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