Minetest: There should be a /clear command for the chat

[verymilan]

Hi there,
i suggest to provide a /clear command for the chat just like you may have in your shell.

Example Situation:
You wanna write an item id or coordinates to someone but the chathistory is in the way.
No way to read the stuff at F5.

In this case a /clear would be just awesome. :)

Maybe-problem:
It should still provide the history when scrolling up (F10).
I remembered this from my shell too but it currently looks like i remember wrong. Hm.

[red-001]

5074

[Wuzzy2]

The thing is, for this feature to be even possible, Minetest needs to have a much more general feature: Client-side commands.
Currently ALL commands are server-only.
Client-side commands should be distinct from server commands in that they only have an effect on the local client and do not need to talk to any server at all. Maybe even with a slightly different syntax to make the difference clear. I'm also thinking of things like changing client settings, changing volume, etc.

The referenced PR is clearly the wrong way to go.

As for the specific request: Well, I guess the real problem is that the chat and the debug screen “write above each other” in the first place, which could be fixed by simply re-aligning the position of the debug texts, so the chat and debug texts never conflict. By introducing a command ONLY, you are bascially asking the player to manually fix a flawed GUI design.
However, I am not opposed to a clear command, I still think it can be useful. But I don't feel a very pressing need for it.

For now you can just press F2 to hide the chat.

[paramat]

See #5074 for more discussion and core dev opinions.