RE: Dired - ls-switches on Modeline

[Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>]

> > Sounds good to me.
> >
> > E.g. A user option whose value is a format string
> > that accepts the value of `dired-actual-switches'
> > and returns the text to use in the mode-line.
> > Trivial to do.
> >
> > You might want to file an enhancement request for
> > this (`M-x report-emacs-bug').
> > ___
> >
> > If the request doesn't get accepted for some reason
> > then perhaps I'll do it for Dired+.el.
> >
> > I already add additional info to the mode-line (on
> > a hook, so you can remove it):
> >
> > --
> >
> >  Show number of marked, flagged, and current-list lines in mode-line.
> >  (Flagged means flagged for deletion.)
> >  If the current line is marked/flagged and there are others
> >  marked/flagged after it then show `N/M', where `N' is the number
> >  marked/flagged through the current line and `M' is the total number
> >  marked/flagged.
> >
> >  If the current line is for a file then show `L/T', where `L' is the
> >  line number in the current listing and `T' is the number of files in
> >  that listing.  If option `diredp-count-.-and-..-flag' is non-nil then
> >  count also `.' and `..'.
> >
> >  Also abbreviate `mode-name', using "Dired/" instead of "Dired by".
> >
> > --
> That seems a lot of stuff Drew :-). I don't really get you, did you
> already implemented all that in Dired+ or do you wish to implement all
> that?

What I described as "I already add" is in the
mode line (with Dired+).  What you suggested,
and the related formatting user option I
suggested for that, is not (yet) in Dired+.
I won't add that to Dired+ if you can get it
in vanilla Emacs.  If not, maybe I will.

> I do have your Dired+ but honestly, it is a little big, so I never got
> really time to get into it, so I don't really know what it offers.

Most of what it offers is available from the
menu-bar menus, to make it discoverable etc.

> Anyway I just need a simple way to remove ls-switches from modeline. I
> don't find it usefull at all to see switches on modeline, I don't
> understand why it is on by default. I guess somebody found it useful
> :-). I don't really need formated ls-switches on modeline, for me, it
> is a bit overkill. I just wish to turn it off, and in some rare case if I
> would ever need to see my switches, so I can turn them on.

To be clear, the switches are only shown when
they differ from the simple sort-by-name and
sort-by-date behavior.

But yes, being able to control what's shown
in the mode-line is always a good idea.  This
is something that kind of applies to Emacs
generally.  Related: it's not so easy for a
user to modify/customize the mode-line.

> I will file a bug repport and send a patch to offer defcustom user
> option to turn that off/on, but you would probably like to make it more
> customizable as you suggest for Dired+?

I suggested that the option (for vanilla
Dired) that you propose could optionally
have, as its value, a formatting string,
to give users more control than simply
on/off.

But if that doesn't happen for vanilla
Dired then I might do it for Dired+.  The
aim of Dired+ is just to supplement Dired.

Dired+ essentially amounts to behavior/stuff
that I've proposed for vanilla Dired but
that wasn't adopted, for whatever reasons.
(About the only thing that was adopted is
highlighting `w' in the permissions for
group and world.  And that happens only if
you customize face `dired-perm-write' to
something other than `default'.)

IOW, if such behavior is in vanilla Dired
then so much the better - no need for me to
put it in Dired+ and have to maintain it.