From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Eli Zaretskii Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: display-buffer-alist simplifications Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:26:06 +0300 Message-ID: <8339hxe735.fsf@gnu.org> References: <87mxgem09k.fsf@stupidchicken.com> <4E2A7EBD.7050300@gmx.at> Reply-To: Eli Zaretskii NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org X-Trace: dough.gmane.org 1311409578 19998 80.91.229.12 (23 Jul 2011 08:26:18 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@dough.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2011 08:26:18 +0000 (UTC) Cc: cyd@stupidchicken.com, emacs-devel@gnu.org To: martin rudalics Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sat Jul 23 10:26:14 2011 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([140.186.70.17]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1QkXXG-0006lH-2p for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 23 Jul 2011 10:26:10 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:57747 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1QkXXF-00087m-L6 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 23 Jul 2011 04:26:09 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([140.186.70.92]:45902) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1QkXXA-00087G-DG for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 23 Jul 2011 04:26:05 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1QkXX9-0003mc-Bn for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 23 Jul 2011 04:26:04 -0400 Original-Received: from mtaout22.012.net.il ([80.179.55.172]:34146) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1QkXX9-0003mW-4O for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 23 Jul 2011 04:26:03 -0400 Original-Received: from conversion-daemon.a-mtaout22.012.net.il by a-mtaout22.012.net.il (HyperSendmail v2007.08) id <0LOS0040022ITC00@a-mtaout22.012.net.il> for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:26:01 +0300 (IDT) Original-Received: from HOME-C4E4A596F7 ([84.228.255.122]) by a-mtaout22.012.net.il (HyperSendmail v2007.08) with ESMTPA id <0LOS004MT23CSI10@a-mtaout22.012.net.il>; Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:26:01 +0300 (IDT) In-reply-to: <4E2A7EBD.7050300@gmx.at> X-012-Sender: halo1@inter.net.il X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: Solaris 10 (beta) X-Received-From: 80.179.55.172 X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:142225 Archived-At: > Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2011 09:56:45 +0200 > From: martin rudalics > Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org > > (setq > display-buffer-alist > '((((regexp . ".*")) > (reuse-window nil same) > (reuse-window other) > (reuse-window-even-sizes . t)))) > [...] > (setq > display-buffer-alist > '(".*" > (reuse-window :buffer same) > (reuse-window :window other) > (reuse-window :even-sizes t))) > [...] > (setq > display-buffer-alist > '(".*" > (reuse-window :which '(nil same)) > (reuse-window :which '(other)) > (reuse-window :even-sizes t))) > [...] > (setq > display-buffer-alist > '(".*" > (reuse-window :window nil :buffer same :frame nil) > (reuse-window :window other :buffer nil :frame nil) > (reuse-window :even-sizes t))) > [...] > (setq > display-buffer-alist > '(".*" > (reuse-window :buffer same :even-sizes t) > (reuse-window :window other :even-sizes t))) A comment from a naive bystander: these values are getting more and more close to Lisp code than to a value of a user variable. Aren't we burdening users with too much Lisp-like structures for options that are supposed to be easily customizable by people who don't know Lisp? I mean, using a single level of parentheses around some list, or the `setq' syntax, is one thing -- users can still form some simple mental model of that which doesn't require understanding of Lisp. But the above is something else: they are nested, with some lists requiring '() quoting, others not, some members use `:', others don't, some are cons cells, others lists; etc. If we cannot find a simpler syntax, perhaps we should provide an interactive function for customizing display-buffer's behavior, some kind of wizard that would lead the user through a series of questions with detailed description of the result of each setting, and in the end generate the value needed for the user-specified behavior. (The series of questions could be expressed as a nifty GUI dialog with check-boxes in GUI sessions.)