Re: longlines-mode

[Chong Yidong <cyd@stupidchicken.com>]

Reiner Steib <reinersteib+gmane@imap.cc> writes:

> - The default off `longlines-show-hard-newlines' should be changed to
>   t.  When set to nil, there's soft and hard newlines are
>   indistinguishable.  I tried longlines-mode several times, but I
>   found it very hard to use until I discovered this option.

The current default is more familiar to new users, since it is the
behavior in the other editors/editing widgets that longlines-mode
imitates.  I don't know of any other editor that marks hard newlines
by default.

I suspect most of the people concerned about identifying soft vs hard
newlines with a glyph are very experienced Emacs users, who should
have no trouble changing the default.

> - The default value of `longlines-show-effect' is
>   (propertize "|\n" 'face 'escape-glyph).
>
>   `M-x customize-variable RET longlines-show-effect RET' should allow
>   to change only the character (e.g. `|' -> `¶' = "PILCROW SIGN",
>   "PARAGRAPH SIGN", i.e. keep the properties.
>
>   Maybe splitting string and face would make it easier to customize
>   it?

Good idea.

> - As the "old name" of `¶' ("PILCROW SIGN", old name: "PARAGRAPH
>   SIGN", U+00B6, 0xB6) indicates, this symbol might be more suitable
>   as a default in `longlines-show-effect'.  Disadvantage: Is isn't an
>   ASCII character, but I'd guess that > 99% users of Emacs 22+ can
>   display it fine.  As `¶' is more visible than `|', we might want to
>   use a smaller font as well.

I'll play around with it and see how well it works.