No kill-ring-save region signalling in transient-mark-mode

No kill-ring-save region signalling in transient-mark-mode

[Milan Zamazal]

In the current CVS version, the function kill-ring-save doesn't signal
visible region boundaries with moving cursor when transient-mark-mode is
enabled.  This is probably based on a false assumption that region
highlighting is always visible in transient-mark-mode.  But it may not
be so -- I use transient-mark-mode for its other effects and disable the
highlighting.  Thus when I apply `M-w', I can't see what region was
killed.

So I suggest to add a user option that can re-enable visible region
signalling in kill-ring-save.  What do you think about it?

Milan Zamazal

-- 
As is typical in civilized (i.e., non-corporate) email discussions, my
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                                   -- Branden Robinson in debian-legal

Re: No kill-ring-save region signalling in transient-mark-mode

[Juri Linkov]

Milan Zamazal <pdm@zamazal.org> writes:
> So I suggest to add a user option that can re-enable visible region
> signalling in kill-ring-save.  What do you think about it?

A new option would be good.  The same option could be used also
to specify a delay after showing the region end.  I recently
replaced the constant 1 by `blink-matching-delay' for this purpose,
but a new special option would be useful for this and for your needs
as well.  When nil, it could disable showing the region end, and
when integer, to specify a delay.  However, I can't suggest a good
default value for backward compatibility.  And if this option is
relevant only for transient-mark-mode, then two separate options
will be needed.

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

Re: No kill-ring-save region signalling in transient-mark-mode

[Kim F. Storm]

Milan Zamazal <pdm@zamazal.org> writes:

> In the current CVS version, the function kill-ring-save doesn't signal
> visible region boundaries with moving cursor when transient-mark-mode is
> enabled.  This is probably based on a false assumption that region
> highlighting is always visible in transient-mark-mode.  But it may not
> be so -- I use transient-mark-mode for its other effects and disable the
> highlighting.  Thus when I apply `M-w', I can't see what region was
> killed.

How do you disable highlighting?

The proper fix would be to ammend the test for transient-mark-mode
with a test to see if highlighting is enabled.

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

Re: No kill-ring-save region signalling in transient-mark-mode

[Milan Zamazal]

>>>>> "KFS" == Kim F Storm <storm@cua.dk> writes:

    KFS> How do you disable highlighting?

The simplest method is to customize the `region' face to become
invisible.  It has an important drawback that regions are invisible when
selecting them with mouse.  For this reason I use the following code to
disable the highlighting:

  (defvar mtmm-highlighted-background "blue3")

  (defun mtmm-reset-background ()
    (set-face-attribute 'region nil :background 'unspecified))

  (defun mtmm-highlight-background ()
    (add-hook 'pre-command-hook 'mtmm-reset-background)
    (set-face-attribute 'region (selected-frame)
                        :background mtmm-highlighted-background))

  (defmacro mtmm-advice (function)
    `(defadvice ,function (before mtmm-highlight-region activate)
       (mtmm-highlight-background)))

  (mtmm-advice mouse-drag-region)
  (mtmm-advice mouse-kill-ring-save)
  (mtmm-advice mouse-save-then-kill)
  (mtmm-advice mouse-set-region)

  (mtmm-reset-background)

    KFS> The proper fix would be to ammend the test for
    KFS> transient-mark-mode with a test to see if highlighting is
    KFS> enabled.

Sure, but I think there is currently no good way to detect that a user
has disabled region highlighting some way.

Milan Zamazal

-- 
When you're in a fight with an idiot, it's difficult for other people to tell
which one the idiot is.                       -- Bruce Perens in debian-devel

Re: No kill-ring-save region signalling in transient-mark-mode

[Kim F. Storm]

Milan Zamazal <pdm@zamazal.org> writes:

> Sure, but I think there is currently no good way to detect that a user
> has disabled region highlighting some way.

Looking at the region face does seem to be a "good way".

Does the following patch give good results ?

*** simple.el	27 Apr 2004 11:42:32 +0200	1.639
--- simple.el	30 Apr 2004 14:14:26 +0200	
***************
*** 2144,2150 ****
  	    ;; look like a C-g typed as a command.
  	    (inhibit-quit t))
  	(if (pos-visible-in-window-p other-end (selected-window))
! 	    (unless transient-mark-mode
  	      ;; Swap point and mark.
  	      (set-marker (mark-marker) (point) (current-buffer))
  	      (goto-char other-end)
--- 2144,2151 ----
  	    ;; look like a C-g typed as a command.
  	    (inhibit-quit t))
  	(if (pos-visible-in-window-p other-end (selected-window))
! 	    (unless (and transient-mark-mode
! 			 (face-background 'region))
  	      ;; Swap point and mark.
  	      (set-marker (mark-marker) (point) (current-buffer))
  	      (goto-char other-end)

Re: No kill-ring-save region signalling in transient-mark-mode

[Milan Zamazal]

>>>>> "KFS" == Kim F Storm <storm@cua.dk> writes:

    KFS> Looking at the region face does seem to be a "good way".

    KFS> Does the following patch give good results ?

It does for me.  I'm not sure it is general enough, but I think it would
be good to apply the patch anyway.  If anybody needs a more complex
solution (e.g. as Juri Linkov suggested), it can be implemented later.

Milan Zamazal

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Re: No kill-ring-save region signalling in transient-mark-mode

[Kim F. Storm]

Milan Zamazal <pdm@zamazal.org> writes:

> >>>>> "KFS" == Kim F Storm <storm@cua.dk> writes:
> 
>     KFS> Looking at the region face does seem to be a "good way".
> 
>     KFS> Does the following patch give good results ?
> 
> It does for me.  I'm not sure it is general enough, but I think it would
> be good to apply the patch anyway.  If anybody needs a more complex
> solution (e.g. as Juri Linkov suggested), it can be implemented later.

I installed the change.

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

Re: No kill-ring-save region signalling in transient-mark-mode

[Richard Stallman]

    Looking at the region face does seem to be a "good way".

    Does the following patch give good results ?

I don't object to this patch, since it avoids adding an option
that would make Emacs more complicated.  So the cost of it
is very small.

Thanks for thinking of this approach.

Re: No kill-ring-save region signalling in transient-mark-mode

[Richard Stallman]

    So I suggest to add a user option that can re-enable visible region
    signalling in kill-ring-save.  What do you think about it?

I think we should not add options for such obscure situations.  The
few users who want to do this can can change the function's definition
easily enough.