From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Matt Swift Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.bugs Subject: `M-x customize' feature wanted: compare default and customized values Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 23:20:57 -0400 Sender: bug-gnu-emacs-admin@gnu.org Message-ID: <200207160320.g6G3Kvpe006225@beth.swift.xxx> NNTP-Posting-Host: localhost.gmane.org X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1026789686 16647 127.0.0.1 (16 Jul 2002 03:21:26 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2002 03:21:26 +0000 (UTC) Return-path: Original-Received: from fencepost.gnu.org ([199.232.76.164]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.33 #1 (Debian)) id 17UItw-0004KO-00 for ; Tue, 16 Jul 2002 05:21:24 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=fencepost.gnu.org) by fencepost.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 17UItw-0005gM-00; Mon, 15 Jul 2002 23:21:24 -0400 Original-Received: from pool-151-199-47-62.bos.east.verizon.net ([151.199.47.62] helo=pool-151-199-49-218.bos.east.verizon.net) by fencepost.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 17UItX-0005eA-00 for ; Mon, 15 Jul 2002 23:20:59 -0400 Original-Received: from beth.swift.xxx (swift@localhost [127.0.0.1]) by pool-151-199-49-218.bos.east.verizon.net (8.12.3/8.12.3/Debian -4) with ESMTP id g6G3Kwjn006229 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=EDH-RSA-DES-CBC3-SHA bits=168 verify=FAIL) for ; Mon, 15 Jul 2002 23:20:58 -0400 Original-Received: (from swift@localhost) by beth.swift.xxx (8.12.3/8.12.3/Debian -4) id g6G3Kvpe006225; Mon, 15 Jul 2002 23:20:57 -0400 X-Authentication-Warning: beth.swift.xxx: swift set sender to swift@alum.mit.edu using -f Original-To: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Errors-To: bug-gnu-emacs-admin@gnu.org X-BeenThere: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.11 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Bug reports for GNU Emacs, the Swiss army knife of text editors List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.bugs:2711 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.bugs:2711 This bug report will be sent to the Free Software Foundation, not to your local site managers!! Please write in English, because the Emacs maintainers do not have translators to read other languages for them. In GNU Emacs 20.7.2 (i386-debian-linux-gnu, X toolkit) of Thu Apr 4 2002 on cyberhq modified by Debian configured using `configure i386-debian-linux-gnu --prefix=/usr --sharedstatedir=/var/lib --libexecdir=/usr/lib --localstatedir=/var/lib --infodir=/usr/share/info --mandir=/usr/share/man --with-pop=yes --with-x=yes --with-x-toolkit=yes' Please describe exactly what actions triggered the bug and the precise symptoms of the bug: I'm making the transition to Emacs 21.2, and I notice it is missing a feature I have sorely wanted in 20.7. When using the customization interface, I very much want to be able to compare the value of a previously-customized variable to the default value. The best way I can figure to do this now is to write down or memorize the current value, then select "reset to standard value" and compare what I then see with what I wrote down or memorized. If I decide I did want to use my original value, I have to type it in again (or cut-and-paste it into the custom-file from a saved backup -- clunky and inconvenient no matter what way you cut it). Best of all would be the ability to display the two values side by side and to diff them visually somehow, at least at the level of are they `equal' or not (sometimes packages change their default to my customized value, which is now superfluous). But satisfactory would be the ability to `M-x undo' the "reset to standard settings option", an option to display the default value without erasing my current one, an option to "revert to standard for this session", and so on -- any of these would be a huge boon. Recent input: 2 C-x o C-l down-mouse-1 mouse-movement mouse-1 C-x k C-x k C-x 1 C-x C-f M-backspace C-a C-k $ e l m l / s w i f t - c u s t tab . tab return C-s b i b t e x - m o d e - h o o k C-a C-n C-p M-f M-f M-f C-h v return switch-frame C-x C-s C-h v m a j o r - m o d tab return switch-frame M-x r e p o r t - e m a c s - b u g tab return Recent messages: Loading pp... Loading pp...done Loading /usr/lib/emacs/20.7/i386-debian-linux-gnu/fns-20.7.2.el (source)... Loading /usr/lib/emacs/20.7/i386-debian-linux-gnu/fns-20.7.2.el (source)...done Type C-x 1 to remove help window. M-C-v to scroll the help. Saving file /home/swift/information/todo-comp.out... Wrote /home/swift/information/todo-comp.out Type C-x 1 to remove help window. M-C-v to scroll the help. Loading emacsbug... Loading emacsbug...done