api: nvim_get_mode()

Asynchronous API functions are served immediately, which means pending
input could change the state of Nvim shortly after an async API function
result is returned.

nvim_get_mode() is different:
  - If RPCs are known to be blocked, it responds immediately (without
    flushing the input/event queue)
  - else it is handled just-in-time before waiting for input, after
    pending input was processed. This makes the result more reliable
    (but not perfect).

Internally this is handled as a special case, but _semantically_ nothing
has changed: API users never know when input flushes, so this internal
special-case doesn't violate that. As far as API users are concerned,
nvim_get_mode() is just another asynchronous API function.

In all cases nvim_get_mode() never blocks for more than the time it
takes to flush the input/event queue (~µs).

Note: This doesn't address #6166; nvim_get_mode() will provoke #6166 if
e.g. `d` is operator-pending.

Closes #6159

1 files changed, 2 insertions, 2 deletions

diff --git a/test/functional/helpers.lua b/test/functional/helpers.lua
index 0f30910450..2919165280 100644
--- a/test/functional/helpers.lua
+++ b/test/functional/helpers.lua
@@ -385,9 +385,9 @@ local function curbuf(method, ...)
 end
 
 local function wait()
-  -- Execute 'vim_eval' (a deferred function) to block
+  -- Execute 'nvim_eval' (a deferred function) to block
   -- until all pending input is processed.
-  session:request('vim_eval', '1')
+  session:request('nvim_eval', '1')
 end
 
 -- sleeps the test runner (_not_ the nvim instance)