bug#64518: 29.0.92; outline-mode sexp movement commands don't follow outline structure

bug#64518: 29.0.92; outline-mode sexp movement commands don't follow outline structure

[Spencer Baugh]

This is more of a feature request.

Functions like C-M-f (forward-sexp) and C-M-SPC (mark-sexp) are supposed
to be configured by individual modes to behave in a way appropriate for
that mode.  But outline-mode does not do this.

For example, C-M-b/C-M-f ({backward,forward}-sexp) could behave like
outline-{backward,forward}-same-level, since that's analogous to how
they behave in Lisp.  C-M-SPC could behave like outline-mark-subtree.
C-M-u could back out of the current heading, up to the next level, lke
outline-up-heading.  And so on.

Since these are the standard Emacs structured editing commands, it would
be good for outline-mode to customize them to have the correct
"structured" behavior.  (Probably behind some defcustom, since this
would be a behavior change)

Right now they are much less useful than they could otherwise be...

bug#64518: 29.0.92; outline-mode sexp movement commands don't follow outline structure

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Spencer Baugh <sbaugh@janestreet.com>
> Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2023 12:21:14 -0400
> 
> 
> Functions like C-M-f (forward-sexp) and C-M-SPC (mark-sexp) are supposed
> to be configured by individual modes to behave in a way appropriate for
> that mode.  But outline-mode does not do this.

outline-mode is not a programming-language mode, so sexp-related
commands make no sense for it.  It is more related to text-mode.

Outline mode and its derivatives already have motion commands that
move in terms of headings and trees/subtrees.  I see no reason to
confuse users with some kind of artificial notion of "sexps" applied
to text.

So I think your feature request is a step in the wrong direction.

bug#64518: 29.0.92; outline-mode sexp movement commands don't follow outline structure

[Stefan Kangas]

tags 64518 + wontfix
close 64518
thanks

Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

>> From: Spencer Baugh <sbaugh@janestreet.com>
>> Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2023 12:21:14 -0400
>>
>>
>> Functions like C-M-f (forward-sexp) and C-M-SPC (mark-sexp) are supposed
>> to be configured by individual modes to behave in a way appropriate for
>> that mode.  But outline-mode does not do this.
>
> outline-mode is not a programming-language mode, so sexp-related
> commands make no sense for it.  It is more related to text-mode.
>
> Outline mode and its derivatives already have motion commands that
> move in terms of headings and trees/subtrees.  I see no reason to
> confuse users with some kind of artificial notion of "sexps" applied
> to text.
>
> So I think your feature request is a step in the wrong direction.

I agree, and I'm therefore closing this as wontfix.  Sorry.