bug#43997: 26.3; Be able to have a mode-line for a standalone minibuffer frame

bug#43997: 26.3; Be able to have a mode-line for a standalone minibuffer frame

[Drew Adams]

Be able to have a mode-line for a standalone minibuffer frame.

Presumably this should be covered by the (undocumented) frame parameter
`modeline'.  But it seems that if you set its value to t for a
minibuffer-only frame, the parameter value ends up nil anyway.

You can set lots of frame parameters for a standalone minibuffer frame,
but apparently not this one.  Not even if you set it from the outset,
for `minibuffer-frame-alist'.


In GNU Emacs 26.3 (build 1, x86_64-w64-mingw32)
 of 2019-08-29
Repository revision: 96dd0196c28bc36779584e47fffcca433c9309cd
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 10.0.18362
Configured using:
 `configure --without-dbus --host=x86_64-w64-mingw32
 --without-compress-install 'CFLAGS=-O2 -static -g3''

bug#43997: 26.3; Be able to have a mode-line for a standalone minibuffer frame

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2020 14:19:33 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>
> 
> Presumably this should be covered by the (undocumented) frame parameter
> `modeline'.  But it seems that if you set its value to t for a
> minibuffer-only frame, the parameter value ends up nil anyway.

Yes, you cannot set that parameter, because it doesn't really exist.

bug#43997: 26.3; Be able to have a mode-line for a standalone minibuffer frame

[Lars Ingebrigtsen]

Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:

> Be able to have a mode-line for a standalone minibuffer frame.

I'm not sure I understand the utility of this -- putting a mode line on
a standalone minibuffer frame doesn't seem very useful.  Can you explain
why you'd like to see this?

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

bug#43997: [External] : Re: bug#43997: 26.3; Be able to have a mode-line for a standalone minibuffer frame

[Drew Adams]

> > Be able to have a mode-line for a standalone minibuffer frame.
> 
> I'm not sure I understand the utility of this -- putting a mode line on
> a standalone minibuffer frame doesn't seem very useful.  Can you explain
> why you'd like to see this?

Be able to use that mode-line for whatever info one
wants.  In particular, info that's relevant to the
current state of the minibuffer.  (And no, things
like `minibuffer-message' are no substitute.)

There are plenty of (standard, predefined) frame
parameters that this or that user might never use
or see used.  I don't show the fringe or the tool
bar, for example, and innumerable users don't show
the menu-bar.  

Why should users of a standalone minibuffer frame
not be able to use this potential information area?

You don't use a standalone minibuffer frame, I
assume.  Perhaps you don't understand the utility
of that either.  Why not take the word of someone
who does use it and does understand its utility?
Letting it be able to show a mode-line would
increase its utility.

bug#43997: 26.3; Be able to have a mode-line for a standalone minibuffer frame

[Drew Adams]

> > Presumably this should be covered by the (undocumented) frame parameter
> > `modeline'.  But it seems that if you set its value to t for a
> > minibuffer-only frame, the parameter value ends up nil anyway.
> 
> Yes, you cannot set that parameter, because it doesn't really exist.

Aside from the parameter, which misleads, the enhancement
request remains: to be able to have a mode-line for a
standalone minibuffer frame.