Alternative fringe bitmaps for continuation/truncation

Alternative fringe bitmaps for continuation/truncation

[Kim F. Storm]

If you don't like the current "fat (curly) arrows" bitmaps used in the
fringe for continuation and truncation lines, the following more
modest bitmaps may be more appealing.

(define-fringe-bitmap 'right-truncation
  "\xa9\x02\x04" nil nil 'bottom)
(define-fringe-bitmap 'left-truncation
  "\x20\x40\xaa\0\0" nil nil 'bottom)
(define-fringe-bitmap 'right-continuation
  "\xa8\0\0" nil nil 'bottom)
(define-fringe-bitmap 'left-continuation
  "\x2a\0\0" nil nil 'bottom)

(let ((tr (assoc 'truncation default-fringe-indicator-alist))
      (co (assoc 'continuation default-fringe-indicator-alist)))
  (if tr (setcdr tr '(left-truncation right-truncation)))
  (if co (setcdr co '(left-continuation right-continuation))))


WDYT?

++Kim

Re: Alternative fringe bitmaps for continuation/truncation

[Jason Rumney]

Kim F. Storm wrote:
> If you don't like the current "fat (curly) arrows" bitmaps used in the
> fringe for continuation and truncation lines, the following more
> modest bitmaps may be more appealing.
>
> WDYT?
>   

I think they are likely to invite bug reports about corrupted display if 
we make them the default.

I have no objection to including them as an option, perhaps as part of 
an overall visual theme.

Re: Alternative fringe bitmaps for continuation/truncation

[Stefan Monnier]

>> If you don't like the current "fat (curly) arrows" bitmaps used in the
>> fringe for continuation and truncation lines, the following more
>> modest bitmaps may be more appealing.
>> 
> I think they are likely to invite bug reports about corrupted display if we
> make them the default.

> I have no objection to including them as an option, perhaps as part of an
> overall visual theme.

I'd tend to agree, although I must say that with the half-width fringes
I use, these continuation icons look better than the slightly truncated
arrows (because my fringes aren't wide enough).
I'm not convinced by the truncation icons, tho.


        Stefan

Re: Alternative fringe bitmaps for continuation/truncation

[Kim F. Storm]

Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:

>>> If you don't like the current "fat (curly) arrows" bitmaps used in the
>>> fringe for continuation and truncation lines, the following more
>>> modest bitmaps may be more appealing.
>>> 
>> I think they are likely to invite bug reports about corrupted display if we
>> make them the default.

> I'd tend to agree, although I must say that with the half-width fringes
> I use, these continuation icons look better than the slightly truncated
> arrows (because my fringes aren't wide enough).

For the continuation bitmaps I don't expect such bug reports -
the ... idiom is quite well-known, and the curly arrows are so
much in your face that I suppose many users dislike them.


> I'm not convinced by the truncation icons, tho.

I agree that they are a bit too cryptic for general acceptance.

I think these are much better:

(define-fringe-bitmap 'right-truncation
  "\x04\x02\xa9\x02\x04" nil nil 'bottom)
(define-fringe-bitmap 'left-truncation
  "\x20\x40\xaa\x40\x20" nil nil 'bottom)

-- 
Kim F. Storm <storm@cua.dk> http://www.cua.dk

Re: Alternative fringe bitmaps for continuation/truncation

[Jason Rumney]

Kim F. Storm wrote:

> I agree that they are a bit too cryptic for general acceptance.
>
> I think these are much better:
>
> (define-fringe-bitmap 'right-truncation
>   "\x04\x02\xa9\x02\x04" nil nil 'bottom)
> (define-fringe-bitmap 'left-truncation
>   "\x20\x40\xaa\x40\x20" nil nil 'bottom)
>   

Yes, those are obviously arrows, I don't think they will be mistaken for 
a bug. I think all of these would look better moved above the baseline 
(currently the horizontal lines in all of the bitmaps appear one pixel 
below the baseline for me). The truncation bitmaps would look best 
centered with respect to the lower case center of gravity (I'm sure this 
is not easy to compute reliably so an acceptable alternative might be to 
align the bottom of the arrow with or just below the baseline). The 
ellipses should be at or slightly above the baseline, particularly for 
the left continuation indicator, which may be mistaken for being 
associated with the following line with current placement.

Re: Alternative fringe bitmaps for continuation/truncation

[Stefan Monnier]

>>>> If you don't like the current "fat (curly) arrows" bitmaps used in the
>>>> fringe for continuation and truncation lines, the following more
>>>> modest bitmaps may be more appealing.
>>>> 
>>> I think they are likely to invite bug reports about corrupted display if we
>>> make them the default.

>> I'd tend to agree, although I must say that with the half-width fringes
>> I use, these continuation icons look better than the slightly truncated
>> arrows (because my fringes aren't wide enough).

> For the continuation bitmaps I don't expect such bug reports -
> the ... idiom is quite well-known, and the curly arrows are so
> much in your face that I suppose many users dislike them.

You might be right.

>> I'm not convinced by the truncation icons, tho.

> I agree that they are a bit too cryptic for general acceptance.

> I think these are much better:

Indeed.  Although at this point I wonder: why not make them of
solid lines?

I also agree with Jason about the centering (although I believe true
"centering" is difficult because these are fixed bitmaps that cannot
adapt to the face&font height, but maybe moving them up a couple pixels
would be good enough).


        Stefan


PS: Also with my half-width fringes, your right truncation arrow looks
less like an arrow than the default arrows: you may want to make them
a bit shorter.

Re: Alternative fringe bitmaps for continuation/truncation

[Kim F. Storm]

Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:

>> I think these are much better:
>
> Indeed.  Although at this point I wonder: why not make them of
> solid lines?

I like them as dots.

>
> I also agree with Jason about the centering (although I believe true
> "centering" is difficult because these are fixed bitmaps that cannot
> adapt to the face&font height, but maybe moving them up a couple pixels
> would be good enough).

Currently, the alignment of fringe bitmaps can be bottom, center or top.

Maybe would could add something like (- baseline 2) to the alignment
options...

>
>
>         Stefan
>
>
> PS: Also with my half-width fringes, your right truncation arrow looks
> less like an arrow than the default arrows: you may want to make them
> a bit shorter.

Well, if you have fringes narrower than 8 bits, you'll get truncation.

Maybe we should have a separate set of bitmaps for, say, 6 bit wide fringes.

-- 
Kim F. Storm <storm@cua.dk> http://www.cua.dk

Re: Alternative fringe bitmaps for continuation/truncation

[Jason Rumney]

> Currently, the alignment of fringe bitmaps can be bottom, center or top.
>
> Maybe would could add something like (- baseline 2) to the alignment
> options...
>   

Even just baseline, as the -2 could be taken care of by padding the image.

Re: Alternative fringe bitmaps for continuation/truncation

[Kim F. Storm]

Jason Rumney <jasonr@gnu.org> writes:

>> Currently, the alignment of fringe bitmaps can be bottom, center or top.
>>
>> Maybe would could add something like (- baseline 2) to the alignment
>> options...
>>   
>
> Even just baseline, as the -2 could be taken care of by padding the image.

By aligning the center of the image with the baseline, that would work yes.

-- 
Kim F. Storm <storm@cua.dk> http://www.cua.dk

Re: Alternative fringe bitmaps for continuation/truncation

[Juri Linkov]

> If you don't like the current "fat (curly) arrows" bitmaps used in the
> fringe for continuation and truncation lines, the following more
> modest bitmaps may be more appealing.
>
> (define-fringe-bitmap 'right-truncation
>   "\xa9\x02\x04" nil nil 'bottom)
> (define-fringe-bitmap 'left-truncation
>   "\x20\x40\xaa\0\0" nil nil 'bottom)
> (define-fringe-bitmap 'right-continuation
>   "\xa8\0\0" nil nil 'bottom)
> (define-fringe-bitmap 'left-continuation
>   "\x2a\0\0" nil nil 'bottom)
>
> (let ((tr (assoc 'truncation default-fringe-indicator-alist))
>       (co (assoc 'continuation default-fringe-indicator-alist)))
>   (if tr (setcdr tr '(left-truncation right-truncation)))
>   (if co (setcdr co '(left-continuation right-continuation))))
>
> WDYT?

For a long time I use the bitmaps defined here:
http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel/39264/focus=50919
and they are really nice.  Maybe we should add an option
to select them instead of the current default "fat" bitmaps?

-- 
Juri Linkov
http://www.jurta.org/emacs/