From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Thierry Volpiatto Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Key bindings proposal Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:14:02 +0200 Organization: ThierryVolpiatto Message-ID: <87aaodo1qt.fsf@tux.homenetwork> References: <19534.1494.627000.357123@gargle.gargle.HOWL> <19537.40472.267000.563053@gargle.gargle.HOWL> <87tymlv41y.fsf@mail.jurta.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: dough.gmane.org 1282573010 19277 80.91.229.12 (23 Aug 2010 14:16:50 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@dough.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:16:50 +0000 (UTC) To: emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon Aug 23 16:16:49 2010 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1OnXpQ-00053D-Be for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:16:48 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:38819 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1OnXpM-0001VQ-Gv for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:16:44 -0400 Original-Received: from [140.186.70.92] (port=48950 helo=eggs.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1OnXpB-0001TJ-F6 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:16:35 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1OnXp9-0007Z7-PD for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:16:33 -0400 Original-Received: from lo.gmane.org ([80.91.229.12]:40776) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1OnXp9-0007YZ-7B for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:16:31 -0400 Original-Received: from list by lo.gmane.org with local (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1OnXp6-0004oJ-Cd for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:16:28 +0200 Original-Received: from 222.211.85-79.rev.gaoland.net ([79.85.211.222]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:16:28 +0200 Original-Received: from thierry.volpiatto by 222.211.85-79.rev.gaoland.net with local (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:16:28 +0200 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ Original-Lines: 75 Original-X-Complaints-To: usenet@dough.gmane.org X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: 222.211.85-79.rev.gaoland.net User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.0.50 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:jg5bZR1uVCuz5A7SD5jTNbV7/qc= X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.6 (newer, 3) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:129088 Archived-At: Hi Juri, Juri Linkov writes: >> function has to be on a key or people won't use it. >> And the key combinations keep getting weirder and weirder. >> Like M-s a C-s to do an isearch! > > Well, we have 4 basic input trees for input sequences > and usually are trying to add a command to all of them: > > 1. Command names for M-x. An input sequence comprises of characters > of the command name, and completion helps making the input sequence shorter. > This have to be taken into account when designing a scheme for command > names (using an unique command name prefix, etc.) > > To improve this type of input, we could try adding dwim completions > for M-x. For instance, like the `calc-execute-extended-command' command > basically does the same as `execute-extended-command' but prefills the > minibuffer's input with the `calc-' prefix: > > M-x calc- If you use anything, you have to try anything-M-x ( M-x) that give you history (easy to use, no need to know M-p/n) and describe commands under point with C-z (without quitting M-x). > Similarly e.g. in Dired, M-x could guess the `dired-' prefix > for Dired commands, so you could just add `isearch' to run > `dired-isearch-filenames'. If you know that something is called isearch in emacs. ;-) > For more convenience, this could also behave like completions > in text fields in web browsers and push the most likely completions > combined with more frequent items from the input history > to the top of the completions list. That what does anything-M-x. > 2. Menus. In a menu-driven program with menu accelerators > using Alt+Letter in a sequence like `M-s a C-s' selects > an action from the main menu. > > So if we had a separate top-level menu "_S_earch" then using the menu > accelerator key `M-s' would open the Search menu. Then the next key `a' > will select a submenu with the menu accelerator `a', and the final key > `C-s' will run a command bound to the menu item. If the last key is RET, > it will select the first menu item. > > 3. Key sequences of input events. > > You seem to suggest that we have to refrain from binding each and every > command to a key sequence since it duplicates two other input types above. > > I tend to agree provided that M-x completions are as short as possible > and the menu structure is well-thought-out (balanced breadth and depth, > e.g. to reduce the length of the overlong File menu, print-related items > could be moved into a submenu with the "_P_rint" menu accelerator, etc.) > > 4. Toolbar (a flat menu with icons). > > All in all, is it a conclusion we are leaning towards: > > 1. All commands should have a name designed for M-x completions. > 2. Most commands should be presented in the main menu. > 3. Few basic commands should be bound to a key sequence. > 4. Some of most frequently used command should be added to the toolbar. > > -- Thierry Volpiatto Get my Gnupg key: gpg --keyserver pgp.mit.edu --recv-keys 59F29997