Hello, everyone! I noticed that sometimes (sentence-at-point) doesn't
return a string in Org Mode, like when you call it from "Is this" in the
first item in this list, because the previous sentence ended with a :
instead of a sentence-ending mark.
----------------------------------------------------------------
This sentence is before the list. There's one here. This is a test:
- Is this the first sentence? There is another.
- This is the third sentence.
- Some
- are
- over several lines!
----------------------------------------------------------------
I've attached a patch that should fix it, including a test. My copyright
papers should be on file with the FSF. Hope this helps!
>From 0dfb6da2d721e155c1fb36b4f85f8f3ad839d1a4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sacha Chua <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:32:20 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] org.el: Handle sentence boundaries for thing-at-point
* lisp/org.el (org-mode): Handle sentence boundaries.
(org--bounds-of-sentence-at-point): Handle sentence boundaries.
* testing/lisp/test-org.el (test-org/thing-at-point/sentence): New test.
---
lisp/org.el | 25 +++++++++++++++++++++++--
testing/lisp/test-org.el | 36 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--
2 files changed, 57 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
diff --git a/lisp/org.el b/lisp/org.el
index fc51d4ba3..769e93bfb 100644
--- a/lisp/org.el
+++ b/lisp/org.el
@@ -5273,8 +5273,10 @@ define-derived-mode org-mode
forward-thing-provider-alist)))
(when (boundp 'bounds-of-thing-at-point-provider-alist)
(setq-local bounds-of-thing-at-point-provider-alist
- (cons '(url . org--bounds-of-link-at-point)
- bounds-of-thing-at-point-provider-alist)))
+ (append
+ '((url . org--bounds-of-link-at-point)
+ (sentence . org--bounds-of-sentence-at-point))
+ bounds-of-thing-at-point-provider-alist)))
;; If empty file that did not turn on Org mode automatically, make
;; it to.
@@ -9031,6 +9033,25 @@ defun org--bounds-of-link-at-point
(cons (org-element-begin context)
(org-element-end context)))))
+(defun org--bounds-of-sentence-at-point ()
+ "`bounds-of-thing-at-point' provider function for sentences."
+ (save-excursion
+ (let* ((orig (point))
+ (sentence-end-double-space t)
+ (end (org-forward-sentence 1))
+ (beg (org-backward-sentence 1)))
+ (if (and (< beg end)
+ (<= orig end)
+ (<= beg orig))
+ (cons beg end)
+ (goto-char orig)
+ (setq beg (org-backward-sentence 1))
+ (setq end (org-forward-sentence 1))
+ (when (and (< beg end)
+ (<= orig end)
+ (<= beg orig))
+ (cons beg end))))))
+
;;; File search
(defun org-do-occur (regexp &optional cleanup)
diff --git a/testing/lisp/test-org.el b/testing/lisp/test-org.el
index 51265d255..d903403a6 100644
--- a/testing/lisp/test-org.el
+++ b/testing/lisp/test-org.el
@@ -3749,14 +3749,46 @@ defmacro org-test-without-dow
(should (equal (bounds-of-thing-at-point 'url)
'(1 . 51))))))
+(ert-deftest test-org/thing-at-point/sentence ()
+ "Test that `thing-at-point' returns the sentence at point."
+ (org-test-with-temp-text
+ "This sentence is before the list. There's one here. This is a test:
+
+- Is this the first sentence? There is another.
+- This is the third sentence.
+- Some
+- are
+- over several lines!
+
+The end."
+ (when (boundp 'bounds-of-thing-at-point-provider-alist)
+ (goto-char (point-min))
+ (should (string= (thing-at-point 'sentence)
+ "This sentence is before the list."))
+ (re-search-forward "one here\\.")
+ (should (string= (thing-at-point 'sentence)
+ "There's one here."))
+ (re-search-forward "test")
+ (should (string= (thing-at-point 'sentence)
+ "This is a test:"))
+ (re-search-forward "first")
+ (should (string= (thing-at-point 'sentence)
+ "Is this the first sentence?"))
+ (re-search-forward "another")
+ (should (string= (thing-at-point 'sentence)
+ "There is another."))
+ (re-search-forward "Some")
+ (should (string= (thing-at-point 'sentence)
+ "Some\n- are\n- over several lines!")))))
+
;;; Node Properties
(ert-deftest test-org/accumulated-properties-in-drawers ()
"Ensure properties accumulate in subtree drawers."
(org-test-at-id "75282ba2-f77a-4309-a970-e87c149fe125"
- (org-babel-next-src-block)
- (should (equal '(2 1) (org-babel-execute-src-block)))))
+ (org-babel-next-src-block)
+ (should (equal '(2 1) (org-babel-execute-src-block)))))
(ert-deftest test-org/custom-properties ()
"Test custom properties specifications."
--
2.43.0
Best regards,
Sacha
