Re: highlight current window/modeline after switching to it

[Kevin Rodgers <ihs_4664@yahoo.com>]

Clemens Fischer wrote:

> using (defadvice) without the inner fillings didn't help me, and i
> just cannot grasp all that rigmarole with the advice system.  i just
> came as far as:
> 
> ;(defadvice other-window (around other-window-flash activate)
> ;  (interactive "p")
> ;  (setq display-time-string-forms
> ;        '( day "/" month "/" (substring year -2)
> ;               " " 24-hours ":" minutes
> ;               (if time-zone " (") time-zone (if time-zone ")")))
> ;  ad-do-it
> ;  (setq display-time-string-forms
> ;        '( "* " day "/" month "/" (substring year -2)
> ;           " " 24-hours ":" minutes
> ;           (if time-zone " (") time-zone (if time-zone ")")))
> ;  (force-mode-line-update t)
> ;)
> 
> this version leaves me with the little `*' i wanted to signify the
> active window, but in all and everyone of them:  no help.


Try making it buffer local, and simplify your code at the same time:

(set (make-local-variable 'display-time-string-forms)
      (default-value 'display-time-string-forms))
ad-do-it
(set (make-local-variable 'display-time-string-forms)
      (cons "* " (default-value 'display-time-string-forms)))

Of course, that won't work as desired if the same buffer is displayed in
2 windows.

> so i went to go another way:  we have 'pre-command-hook and
> 'post-command-hook, and a buffer-local variable mode-line-format.
> 
> ; mode-line-format's value is shown below:
> ;
> ;(setq cf-model-default (#("-" 0 1
> ;   (help-echo "mouse-1: select window, mouse-2: delete others, mouse-3: delete ..."))
> ; mode-line-mule-info mode-line-modified mode-line-frame-identification mode-line-buffer-identification
> ; #("   " 0 3
> ;   (help-echo "mouse-1: select window, mouse-2: delete others, mouse-3: delete ..."))
> 
> now the collision is between elisps incompatible read and write
> syntax.  elisp will show me mode-line-format, but it can't read its
> own output!


I think the elipses are due to print-length and print-level.  The #(...)
notation is for strings with text properties, and can be read by Emacs Lisp.


> i can try understanding defadvice or (i think easier) use hooks.  my
> first attempt was:
> 
> (defun cf-before-other-win
>     (let ((com (prin1-to-string last-command))
>           (deactivate-mark nil))
>       (if (string= com "other-window")
>           (setq mode-line-format cf-model-egal))))
> 
> (defun cf-after-other-win
>     (let ((com (prin1-to-string last-command))
>           (deactivate-mark nil))
>       (if (string= com "other-window")
>           (setq mode-line-format cf-model-selected))))
> 
> ;(add-hook 'post-command-hook 'cf-before-other-win t)
> ;(add-hook 'pre-command-hook 'cf-after-other-win t)


Crufty!  Does setting deactivate-mark temporarily while a pre- or
post-command-hook function is being evaluated actually have an effect?
And the local com variable is completely unnecessary: just test
(eq last-command 'other-window)


> this one might propably work, but then i should be able to give
> mode-line-format sensible values.  just yanking it over from the
> doc-string and changing a bit is not enough, if the syntax displayed
> can't be reread.

It's just too ugly.


-- 
Kevin Rodgers