Re: etc/TODO:Horizontal scrollbar

[Luc Teirlinck <teirllm@dms.auburn.edu>]

Kim Storm wrote:   
   
   I'd like to suggest some other methods to reduce the mode line
   clutter.  E.g.

   * Provide a `split-window-mode-line-format' that could leave out some
   lesser used information (e.g. time of day) in vertically split
   windows.

   * Use a condensed font in the mode-line.

   * Put selected information in the echo area rather than the mode line,
     e.g. line and column, minor modes, date/time, load, mail ...

The two first ones might be OK, the third one would look weird, in my
opinion.  Certainly the window specific items would make no sense in
the echo area.

I should say that the main problem I currently have with the mode line
are all these special mouse-1,-2 and -3 bindings.  The basic
mouse-1,-2 and -3 bindings are very important if one has multiple
windows.  It used to be that one could click anywhere in the mode
line, now one has to be careful and wait for a both-sided arrow to
appear to make sure that clicking in that position is safe.  Sometimes
one has to search the mode line for a while to find an appropriate
position.  In narrow windows with a long buffer name, one has very
little suitable space.

Certainly, if part of the mode-line would be used for the scroll-bar,
one definitely should make sure that in all situations, that is even
in extremely narrow windows, there is enough room left in the
mode-line for the basic mouse-1,-2,-3 functionality.

Should all those fancy bindings masking the basic ones not be a user
option?  Could it be possible to have basic and fancy areas look
clearly differently to avoid accidents and make basic use of the mouse
in the mode line easier?

Some of the special bindings are especially dangerous for newbies.
One of the worst is the mouse-2 binding of "widen", which could easily
be accidentally applied to buffers that are narrowed for internal
reasons and should normally not be widened (RMAIL and the like).
Newbies could easily misinterpret "widen" as meaning that the buffer
is going to occupy the full screen, especially since that is exactly
what mouse-2 normally does in the mode line.

Sincerely,

Luc.