Re: Concerning the new `ido-use-virtual-buffers' feature

[Tassilo Horn <tassilo@member.fsf.org>]

On Wednesday 02 June 2010 09:23:50 you wrote:

Sorry for removing the list and Leo on my last reply to Juanma.

> > I don't think so.  `C-x b foo RET' is in my muscle memory, and when
> > I use `C-x b' I know what buffer/file I want to open.  I don't want
> > to worry about if it is an open buffer or a recent file.  With `C-o'
> > toggling only, I always have know if that file is already visited in
> > a buffer.
> 
> If you always remember the file you want to edit, then yes. My point
> is that if you don't remember (that happens to me a lot, I remember
> what I was doing but I forget the file name), having to do C-o defeats
> having auto.

So you would have no virtual buffers by default and just enable them
when you don't remember the file name?  So why not enable them by
default?

For me, the reason to use ido is because substring matching is very
quick: I type C-x b foo RET without even looking at the completions.  In
99% of all cases, it brings me to the right buffer, unless virtual
buffers are enabled.  In that case, it will bring me to "foo.aux"
(recent file I had a look at some time ago) instead of "foo.tex"
(currently open for editing).

The 'auto value enables that DWIM behavior also for recent files for
me.  So when I type C-x b foo.a RET, I really want to open "foo.aux",
and still I don't have to care about if it is really open.

> Though the real fix, as I proposed, is having <tab> completion enable
> the virtual buffers temporarily.

From my point of view, that's not as good as the 'auto value, at least
in my usecase, because then I have to mentally distinguish between open
buffers and recent files.

So how about this: <tab> toggles virtual buffers temporarily, and if
`ido-use-virtual-buffers' is non-nil, then "no match" enables them, too.

So basically, `ido-use-virtual-buffers' non-nil does what 'auto does
with Leo's patch now.  There's no way to have virtual buffers per
default, which is pretty useless IMHO anyway.

I think <tab> should not only enable but toggle, because else I could
not create a new buffer "foo.a" if `ido-use-virtual-buffers' is non-nil.

What do you think?

Bye,
Tassilo