dragging to resize windows

dragging to resize windows

[stuart]

Hello, group

Has anyone else had the following experience?

I use GNU Emacs 23.2.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 2.20.1) of
2010-12-11 on brahms, modified by Debian. I would like to use the mouse
to change window sizes (by clicking and dragging) but I find it
particularly difficult. The mouse cursor changes to <-|-> (for example)
but dragging it does not seem to "grab". Is there anything I can
customize to make dragging windows more friendly?

Thanks,

Stuart

Re: dragging to resize windows

[martin rudalics]

 > I use GNU Emacs 23.2.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 2.20.1) of
 > 2010-12-11 on brahms, modified by Debian. I would like to use the mouse
 > to change window sizes (by clicking and dragging) but I find it
 > particularly difficult. The mouse cursor changes to <-|-> (for example)
 > but dragging it does not seem to "grab". Is there anything I can
 > customize to make dragging windows more friendly?

Emacs calls this dragging a modeline (to modify the height of windows)
and dragging a vertical divider (to modify the width of windows).  Can
you please give a bit more details about how these don't work on your
system?  From "<-|->" I conclude that you want to drag a vertical
divider which is indeed tricky and won't work if you have scrollbars and
no modelines.  The only location where the mouse "grabs" in this case is
the region between two modelines.

martin

Re: dragging to resize windows

[Peter Dyballa]

Am 11.03.2011 um 09:13 schrieb martin rudalics:

> Emacs calls this dragging a modeline (to modify the height of windows)
> and dragging a vertical divider (to modify the width of windows).  Can
> you please give a bit more details about how these don't work on your
> system?


In my experience it can take a long time (many seconds) until GNU  
Emacs understands that I want to drag the mode-line. Sometimes it's  
necessary to try this manoeuvre a few times until it finally succeeds.

--
Mit friedvollen Grüßen

   Pete

Ein Optimist ist in der Regel ein Zeitgenosse, der ungenügend  
informiert ist.
				(John B. Priestley)

Re: dragging to resize windows

[martin rudalics]

 > In my experience it can take a long time (many seconds) until GNU Emacs
 > understands that I want to drag the mode-line. Sometimes it's necessary
 > to try this manoeuvre a few times until it finally succeeds.

This never happens here so it might be platform specific.  Does modeline
text get highlighted immediately when the mouse hovers over it?  Or do
you mean that Emacs tries to figure out whether you really want to drag
the modeline and not do something else?  Does the behavior differ
according to the modeline text portion displayed at the mouse position?

martin

Re: dragging to resize windows

[Peter Dyballa]

Am 11.03.2011 um 10:52 schrieb martin rudalics:

> > In my experience it can take a long time (many seconds) until GNU  
> Emacs
> > understands that I want to drag the mode-line. Sometimes it's  
> necessary
> > to try this manoeuvre a few times until it finally succeeds.
>
> This never happens here so it might be platform specific.  Does  
> modeline
> text get highlighted immediately when the mouse hovers over it?

No. The mode-line changes its look depending on whether the buffer it  
belongs to is active (receives input/has the active cursor) or not.

>  Or do you mean that Emacs tries to figure out whether you really  
> want to drag
> the modeline and not do something else?

This is my impression.

> Does the behavior differ according to the modeline text portion  
> displayed at the mouse position?


Of course! On some portions a text window pops up, on other portions a  
pointing hand like cursor is established (load average, major-mode,  
buffer name,...), on others one with an upward pointing black triangle  
with a vertical equals sign and a downward pointing black triangle at  
the bottom. This cursor obviously tells that dragging can now happen,  
but this change of the cursor's shape is sometimes delayed. Caused by  
high system load.

--
Mit friedvollen Grüßen

   Pete

Engineer: a mechanism for converting caffeine into designs

Re: dragging to resize windows

[martin rudalics]

 >> This never happens here so it might be platform specific.  Does modeline
 >> text get highlighted immediately when the mouse hovers over it?
 >
 > No. The mode-line changes its look depending on whether the buffer it
 > belongs to is active (receives input/has the active cursor) or not.

I meant the modeline text, for example, the background of the buffer
name or the major mode.  Does it get highlighted immediately when the
mouse is there?

 >>  Or do you mean that Emacs tries to figure out whether you really want
 >> to drag
 >> the modeline and not do something else?
 >
 > This is my impression.

Here I don't get any visual feedback in terms of a vertical "<-|->" but
I can drag immediately.

 >> Does the behavior differ according to the modeline text portion
 >> displayed at the mouse position?
 >
 >
 > Of course! On some portions a text window pops up, on other portions a
 > pointing hand like cursor is established (load average, major-mode,
 > buffer name,...),

But you don't talk about dragging there, I suppose.

 > on others one with an upward pointing black triangle
 > with a vertical equals sign and a downward pointing black triangle at
 > the bottom. This cursor obviously tells that dragging can now happen,
 > but this change of the cursor's shape is sometimes delayed. Caused by
 > high system load.

So the delay happens before these triangles show up.  But have you tried
to drag before they show up?  Because, as I said before, they never show
up here anyway.

martin

Re: dragging to resize windows

[Peter Dyballa]

Am 11.03.2011 um 11:29 schrieb martin rudalics:

> >> This never happens here so it might be platform specific.  Does  
> modeline
> >> text get highlighted immediately when the mouse hovers over it?
> >
> > No. The mode-line changes its look depending on whether the buffer  
> it
> > belongs to is active (receives input/has the active cursor) or not.
>
> I meant the modeline text, for example, the background of the buffer
> name or the major mode.  Does it get highlighted immediately when the
> mouse is there?

No. A frame of hairline thin lines is drawn.

> >> Does the behavior differ according to the modeline text portion
> >> displayed at the mouse position?
> >
> >
> > Of course! On some portions a text window pops up, on other  
> portions a
> > pointing hand like cursor is established (load average, major-mode,
> > buffer name,...),
>
> But you don't talk about dragging there, I suppose.

Right!

>
> > on others one with an upward pointing black triangle
> > with a vertical equals sign and a downward pointing black triangle  
> at
> > the bottom. This cursor obviously tells that dragging can now  
> happen,
> > but this change of the cursor's shape is sometimes delayed. Caused  
> by
> > high system load.
>
> So the delay happens before these triangles show up.  But have you  
> tried
> to drag before they show up?  Because, as I said before, they never  
> show
> up here anyway.


Dragging the mode-line works when the usual X11 cursor is still  
visible. In some regions of the mode-line the cursor changes to the  
drag form, in others, far right, it stays the same.

--
Mit friedvollen Grüßen

   Pete

                   Sorry my terrible English, my native language Lisp

Re: dragging to resize windows

[Peter Dyballa]

Am 11.03.2011 um 10:15 schrieb Peter Dyballa:

> In my experience it can take a long time (many seconds) until GNU  
> Emacs understands that I want to drag the mode-line. Sometimes it's  
> necessary to try this manoeuvre a few times until it finally succeeds.


The effect is that the cursor shape is right for dragging, so I drag  
the mode-line, but only the cursor moves. Seconds later the mode-line  
follows. Often the reaction is even slower, so I try again to grab the  
mode-line and drag it. After a few tries mode-line finally decides to  
move a bit. The distance of moving does not seem to strongly correlate  
with any distance of cursor movement... (but this can as well be a  
problem of my memory and capability of observation)

--
Mit friedvollen Grüßen

   Pete

War springs from unseen and generally insignificant causes.
				– Anonymous

Re: dragging to resize windows

[martin rudalics]

 > The effect is that the cursor shape is right for dragging,

Let's not care about the cursor shape for the moment.

 > so I drag the
 > mode-line, but only the cursor moves. Seconds later the mode-line
 > follows. Often the reaction is even slower, so I try again to grab the
 > mode-line and drag it. After a few tries mode-line finally decides to
 > move a bit. The distance of moving does not seem to strongly correlate
 > with any distance of cursor movement... (but this can as well be a
 > problem of my memory and capability of observation)

Redisplay on your system seems too slow to catch up with dragging.  Here
I can easily get Emacs use more than 90% CPU when dragging some modeline
continuously.

martin