bug#11148: 23.3; x-popup-menu not behaving as documented

bug#11148: 23.3; x-popup-menu not behaving as documented

[Dino Chiesa]

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These tests were performed on Windows. 

As documented here
http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/elisp/Simple-Menu-Items.html#Simple-Menu-Items

if the binding on a menu item is nil, then the mnenu item is
unselectable.

But this elisp code: 

    (x-popup-menu t (list "TITLE" (list
                                "PANE"  
                                (list "menu item 1" nil)
                                (list "menu item 2" nil))))

...shows a menu in which both items are selectable. 

This bug may be relevant to bug #11138. One of the proposed fixes for
#11138 at the time of this report is to render a multi-line dialog box
as a menu, with each "line" in the message displayed as an unselectable
menu item.  But this brief test seems to indicate that the
"unselectable" menu items are not really unselectable, at least on Windows.
In that case the proposed fix would be unsatisfactory.

I'd like to also raise a documentation bug, as well: there ought to be
examples showing how to use x-popup-menu, on the page I cited above. 
A few simple examples will make this method much more usable.

In particular, if the result I reported here is due to incorrect usage on my part, 
providing examples in the documentation is the way to fix it. Even if I am using 
this function correctly, this example (and others) ought to be put into the 
documentation to illustrate the proper use of "unselectable" menu items. 

Thanks.


In GNU Emacs 23.3.1 (i386-mingw-nt6.1.7601)
of 2011-03-10 on 3249CTO
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 6.1.7601
configured using `configure --with-gcc (4.5) --no-opt --cflags -Ic:/imagesupport/include'

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C-r C-u C-x TAB <escape> x r e p o r t - g n u - b 
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Recent messages:
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Load-path shadows:
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bug#11148: 23.3; x-popup-menu not behaving as documented

[Drew Adams]

> (x-popup-menu
>   t
>   (list "TITLE"
>         (list "PANE" (list "menu item 1" nil)
>         (list "menu item 2" nil))))
> ...shows a menu in which both items are selectable. 
>
> This bug may be relevant to bug #11138. One of the proposed fixes for
> #11138 at the time of this report is to render a multi-line dialog box
> as a menu, with each "line" in the message displayed as an unselectable
> menu item.
> 
> But this brief test seems to indicate that the "unselectable"
> menu items are not really unselectable, at least on Windows.
> In that case the proposed fix would be unsatisfactory.

First, I don't really care how bug #11138 is fixed.

My point in suggesting splitting a message at \n chars was that the bug can be
fixed - even if in a rudimentary way by treating the message's separate lines as
separate menu lines (since the code on MS Windows currently treats a
`message-box' as a popup menu).

Here is what I mean (one way), using the bug report's multiline message:

(defun foo (event)
  (interactive "e")
  (let ((choice  (x-popup-menu
                 	 event
                   '("Message"
                     ("" "First line in a long-ish message.")
                     ("" "This is line number 2 in the message.")
                     ("" ("OK"))))))
    (and choice  (call-interactively choice))))

(global-set-key [double-mouse-2] 'foo)
(global-set-key [mouse-2] nil)

Double-click mouse-2.  The message's lines are indeed handled as unselectable
menu items (yes, on MS Windows).

Is that the best looking implementation of a message dialog box?  Not IMO.

But given the desire to implement a message box using `x-popup-menu', that shows
at least that it can be done.  Is that better than the current implementation,
which jams the multiple lines of the message together?  Maybe.

Certainly we can hope for a better implementation.  Stefan suggested using a
tooltip frame, for instance.  And maybe (?) at least some of the implementation
could be moved from C to Lisp.
	 
> I'd like to also raise a documentation bug, as well: there ought to be
> examples showing how to use x-popup-menu, on the page I cited above. 
> A few simple examples will make this method much more usable.

Agreed, especially since there are a few different ways to use `x-popup-menu':
keymap, list of keymaps, or menu of multiple panes, the last of these being
radically different from the first two and unique wrt the rest of Emacs.

bug#11148: 23.3; x-popup-menu not behaving as documented

[Andreas Schwab]

"Dino Chiesa" <dpchiesa@hotmail.com> writes:

> if the binding on a menu item is nil, then the mnenu item is
> unselectable.
>
> But this elisp code: 
>
>     (x-popup-menu t (list "TITLE" (list
>                                 "PANE"  
>                                 (list "menu item 1" nil)
>                                 (list "menu item 2" nil))))

That menu is not a keymap, so the alternative representation is
selected, where unselectable items are represented by strings, not
conses.

Andreas.

-- 
Andreas Schwab, schwab@linux-m68k.org
GPG Key fingerprint = 58CA 54C7 6D53 942B 1756  01D3 44D5 214B 8276 4ED5
"And now for something completely different."

bug#11148: 23.3; x-popup-menu not behaving as documented

[Dino Chiesa]

K, thanks for the reply.
I'll let you guys figure out what you want to do about 11138;

It may be that doc changes are the way to fix 11148.\
-Dino

-----Original Message----- 
From: Drew Adams
Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2012 9:19 AM
To: 'Dino Chiesa' ; 11148@debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: RE: bug#11148: 23.3; x-popup-menu not behaving as documented

> (x-popup-menu
>   t
>   (list "TITLE"
>         (list "PANE" (list "menu item 1" nil)
>         (list "menu item 2" nil))))
> ...shows a menu in which both items are selectable.
>
> This bug may be relevant to bug #11138. One of the proposed fixes for
> #11138 at the time of this report is to render a multi-line dialog box
> as a menu, with each "line" in the message displayed as an unselectable
> menu item.
>
> But this brief test seems to indicate that the "unselectable"
> menu items are not really unselectable, at least on Windows.
> In that case the proposed fix would be unsatisfactory.

First, I don't really care how bug #11138 is fixed.

My point in suggesting splitting a message at \n chars was that the bug can 
be
fixed - even if in a rudimentary way by treating the message's separate 
lines as
separate menu lines (since the code on MS Windows currently treats a
`message-box' as a popup menu).

Here is what I mean (one way), using the bug report's multiline message:

(defun foo (event)
  (interactive "e")
  (let ((choice  (x-popup-menu
                 event
                   '("Message"
                     ("" "First line in a long-ish message.")
                     ("" "This is line number 2 in the message.")
                     ("" ("OK"))))))
    (and choice  (call-interactively choice))))

(global-set-key [double-mouse-2] 'foo)
(global-set-key [mouse-2] nil)

Double-click mouse-2.  The message's lines are indeed handled as 
unselectable
menu items (yes, on MS Windows).

Is that the best looking implementation of a message dialog box?  Not IMO.

But given the desire to implement a message box using `x-popup-menu', that 
shows
at least that it can be done.  Is that better than the current 
implementation,
which jams the multiple lines of the message together?  Maybe.

Certainly we can hope for a better implementation.  Stefan suggested using a
tooltip frame, for instance.  And maybe (?) at least some of the 
implementation
could be moved from C to Lisp.

> I'd like to also raise a documentation bug, as well: there ought to be
> examples showing how to use x-popup-menu, on the page I cited above.
> A few simple examples will make this method much more usable.

Agreed, especially since there are a few different ways to use 
`x-popup-menu':
keymap, list of keymaps, or menu of multiple panes, the last of these being
radically different from the first two and unique wrt the rest of Emacs.

bug#11148: 23.3; x-popup-menu not behaving as documented

[Chong Yidong]

"Dino Chiesa" <dpchiesa@hotmail.com> writes:

> It may be that doc changes are the way to fix 11148.

Fixed in trunk, thanks.