Re: Text mode menu wishlist

[Alex Schroeder <alex@emacswiki.org>]

Sacha Chua <sacha@free.net.ph> writes:

>> People like me would like a simple buffer where we can use up and down
>> and RET to select a menu entry.  This can be done in Lisp and works
>> for me.
>
> tmm does that, doesn't it? Or, well, it uses the history mechanism,
> and you can pageup to get to the completion buffer...

I dunno wether it does.  I just tried it and indeed it seems to go
"up" in the menu.  But I find it confusing.  It was so confusing, in
fact, that I understood it only after you told me.  :)  Part of this
problem is perhaps the multi-column display, and the lack of a
"selection" in the buffer.  All the activity is in the minibuffer.

>> Other people would like to see "real" menus in the console, but that
>> requires messing with the C code.  The basic stuff is already there in
>
> I can start studying ncurses and the Emacs C code if people feel
> that this is important enough. =)

I think Mario Lang already has a bunch of mails talking about the
basics of this.  Perhaps he can give you some more information.

> What would an ideal buffer-based menu be for you?  Simple buffer, up
> and down and ret, ability to go up to the parent menu

Yes

> tab

Hm, how would that work, as "next"?  I would not care about that (but
I would expect there to be a textmenu-mode-map I could change).

> mouse clicks

Not really -- if I expected that, I could have used the real menu.

Alex.