* repeatable keys, prefix keys [was: Emacs keybindings according to file type]
@ 2020-09-23 17:04 Drew Adams
0 siblings, 0 replies; only message in thread
From: Drew Adams @ 2020-09-23 17:04 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Christopher Dimech, Yuri Khan; +Cc: help-gnu-emacs
> For instance one can make it to continue pressing
> C-t l f f f to continue moving line downward.
>
> Any sample code to try out?
Sure:
(defun repeat-command (command)
"Repeat COMMAND."
(require 'repeat) ; Define its vars before we let-bind them.
(let ((repeat-previous-repeated-command command)
(repeat-message-function #'ignore)
(last-repeatable-command 'repeat))
(repeat nil)))
You can use it with nearly any COMMAND. E.g., to make
a repeatable version of command `other-window':
(defun other-window-repeat ()
"Same as `other-window', but repeatable even on a prefix key.
E.g., if bound to `C-x o' then you can use `C-x o o o...' to repeat."
(interactive)
(repeat-command 'other-window))
(global-set-key [remap other-window] 'other-window-repeat)
____
I do this all over the place, where it makes sense.
Keyboard keys are scarce. When Emacs decides to bind
a key by default - a key that wasn't bound by default
before, I often raise these two points:
1. Save naturally repeatable keys for, well, commands
that can be repeated, i.e., commands for which it
makes sense to be able to just hold down a key to
repeat them.
2. Save some keys for prefix keys, as opposed to just
sacrificing them for a single command. A prefix
key essentially gives you a whole keyboard of
possibilities for a single key. Think of all the
mileage we get out of the prefix key `C-x'! Of
course, adding a prefix key makes a key sequence
longer, more complex. Tradeoff.
I tend to define lots of keys for features I write,
and put them, by groups, on their own keymaps, and
then put those keymaps on prefix keys. Even if such a
prefix key appears complicated or slow, the fact of
using a separate keymap means that a user can easily
put it on a different, shorter keymap, or remap it to
a more global keymap.
E.g., in Bookmark+ there are all of these keymaps on
prefix keys by default:
bookmark-map C-x x
bmkp-annotate-map C-x x a
bmkp-set-map C-x x c ("create")
bmkp-tags-map C-x x t
bmkp-jump-map C-x j
bmkp-jump-other-window-map C-x 4 j
And it goes on from there. `C-x j t' is a prefix key
for jumping to bookmarks with particular tags.
`C-x j t *' and `C-x j t +' are prefix keys for
jumping to bookmarks with all (*), or some (+), of a
given set of tags.
`C-x j t % *' and `C-x j t % +' are prefix keys for
jumping to bookmarks with tags, all, or some, of which
match a given regexp. `%' for regexp, `*' for all
(Boolean multiplication), `+' for some (Boolean
addition).
And so on. These bindings are mnemonic, but more
importantly, they're grouped so you can easily move a
group to a different prefix key or a global keymap
instead.
Without using prefix keys, there's no way I could
provide key bindings for so many commands, let alone
do so in an organized way (discoverable, mnemonic).
____
Now imagine that keys aren't reserved by Emacs this
way - repeatable keys for repeatable commands, and
some keys available to be used as prefix keys.
Imagine if Emacs just predefined `C-x' for a single
command (e.g. `cut'). Zillions of keys bound to
keymaps under `C-x' would be sacrificed.
At the very least, when a new key is decided to be
sacrificed by default (vanilla Emacs), it had better
be bound to a repeatable command, not one (such as
`cut') that it makes no sense to repeat. And even a
repeatable key is a sacrifice - consider if `C-x' were
bound to, say, `forward-word'. Repeatable, yes, but
think of all the bindings now under `C-x' that would
be sacrificed.
Keyboard keys are precious - scarce. Too many have
already been sacrificed to default bindings, I think.
Sure, any user or library can redefine any keys. But
once blessed as a default vanilla-Emacs key binding, a
key is, for practical purposes, kinda off limits for a
library.
For example, for years I had `bookmark-map' on prefix
`C-x p'. I had to change that recently to `C-x x'
because Emacs decided to co-opt `C-x p' (& `C-x 4 p')
for keys for library `project.el'. (Luckily `C-x x'
was still available.)
And for years I've had `Do Re Mi' commands on prefix
key `C-x t'. I'll now have to change that to some
other prefix key, as Emacs has decided to co-opt that
prefix for `tab-bar-mode' keys.
That's fine. At least Emacs is doing the right thing
by using prefix keys (and not top-level keys, which
are typically repeatable, but keys under `C-x').
The point is that (1) it's easy to move a keymap from
one prefix key to another, and (2) there need to be
some prefix keys available to move maps to.
Eventually, I imagine that some simple, repeatable
keys that have been assigned default Emacs bindings
for commands that aren't repeatable, or that aren't
super useful, or that don't really need a single-key
binding, will be recycled and put to better use: for
repeatable commands, as prefix keys, or just unbound
by default and left available for libraries.
No, I don't have particular suggestions, and no, it's
not urgent.
But consider `M-!', for example. Sure, `!' is
mnemonic for shell. But `M-!' is repeatable (just
hold it down), and it makes no sense to repeat
`shell-command'. There are other default key bindings
like this - essentially wasted.
Some commands bound to repeatable keys should be
replaced by repeatable versions. I do that for `C-a'
and `C-e', for example, so they're similar to `C-n'
and `C-p' (repeatable). That kind of change is
minimal - it's the least we can do to make things a
little saner. And `repeat-command' lets you do this
kind of thing easily.
Take a look at `C-h b', and see which repeatable keys
are bound to non-repeatable commands. Not too many,
but there are some.
Even `C-w' is "wasted" on a non-repeatable command.
Am I suggesting `C-w' should not be bound by default
to `kill-region'? Not really. That's not urgent, at
least. But hey, keys are limited - the keyboard's a
small planet. ;-)
And `beginning-of-buffer'. That non-repeatable
command's bound by default to two repeatable keys,
`M-<' and `C-home'. Both mnemonic (good). But...
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2020-09-23 17:04 repeatable keys, prefix keys [was: Emacs keybindings according to file type] Drew Adams
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