RE: Exposing Isearch toggleable options

[Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>]

> I should have explained more. I don't mean it would be good to merge
> isearch's customization group with the help buffer.
> I just meant we could add a few checkboxes to that buffer. For
> instance, currently the help for isearch has a paragraph like this:
> 
> Type M-s c to toggle search case-sensitivity.
> Type M-s i to toggle search in invisible text.
> Type M-s r to toggle regular-expression mode.
> Type M-s w to toggle word mode.
> Type M-s _ to toggle symbol mode.
> Type M-s ' to toggle character folding.
> 
> Adding a single checkbox to the end (or start) of each line would be
> nice (and it isn't what I'd call a "widget-filled" buffer).
> Or we could replace that paragraph with something like this (where []
> denotes a checkbox)
> 
>    Search options        | Toggle key
> ---------------------------------------------------
> [] case-sensitive        | M-s c
> [] inside invisible text | M-s i
> [] regular-expression    | M-s r
> [] word mode             | M-s w
> [] symbol mode           | M-s _
> [] character folding     | M-s '
> 
> (let's not nitpick on the format here, I'm just suggesting how the
> options could be made toggleable)

I still disagree, but I've already said most of what I
think about this.

I prefer to see *Help* provide help as information, and
not try to get into the business of becoming a clickable
dialog box that effects actions.

*Help* can tell users about keys for toggling options;
provide links to customize things; and inform users about
menus that, among other things, can provide toggle items
(with check boxes).

I'd sooner see usera use the same ways to toggle Isearch
states: keys, Customize, and (why not?) an Isearch menu-bar
menu.

Just as we have a temporary Minibuf menu for the minibuffer,
so we can have an Isearch menu, with as many actions on it
as you like, and grouped into submenus if that makes sense.
New users are used to menus, and menus can be quite helpful
for discovery (one of the topics skirted in this thread).

Some Emacs users are used to Customize as well.  (And yes,
we _should_ guide users to Customize, more generally, IMO.)

And all Emacs users will expect *Help* to (1) provide info
about commands, keys, and features; to (2) guide them to
more, linked help; and to (3) guide them to the manual.

That's not to say that Emacs can never change to add
checkboxes or whatever here or there.  But I would prefer
that we start by sticking with, and leveraging, the usual
Emacs ways of offering such things: (a) keys, menus, and
Customize, to act, and (b) help and manuals to inform.

The mode-line is a limited space where, like menus, we
have sometimes combined information with ways to act.
In menus, actions predominate; in the mode-line, info
predominates.  But *Help* has so far pretty much been
limited, in terms of actions, to following links.

I suggest we start by (1) doing _without_ sticking
checkboxes into *Help*, and (2) adding a useful Isearch
menu (which includes option toggles as some of its items).

Just one opinion.