visual-line-mode and word-wrap

visual-line-mode and word-wrap

[David Reitter]

Can I suggest to change the doc string of "visual-line-mode"?

It says "Redefine simple editing commands to act on visual lines, not  
logical lines
This also turns on `word-wrap' in the buffer.".

What it should say is something like this:

   "Use logical lines to identify paragraphs.
This mode wraps visual lines at word boundaries according to
window width (`word-wrap').  Editing commands are set to act
on visual lines (`line-move-visual')."

The focus is different here and in line with the manual:

http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs//manual/html_node/emacs/Visual-Line-Mode.html

I think the current doc string, and the name "visual-line-mode" can  
cause users to mistake it for a mode that primarily sets movement  
commands to move by visual lines.   At least it confused me.

It seems to me that you usually want visual navigation also when  
you've got word wrapping enabled.
However, the converse is not true: you may want visual navigation, but  
you don't need word wrapping.
"visual-line-mode" enables word wrapping and visual navigation, so it  
should be seen as a soft-wrap mode rather than a visual navigation mode.

A name like "word-wrap-mode" would be a lot better than "visual-line- 
mode", but it's a bit late for that.  The menu entry gets this right.