Re: fringe buffer-boundary bitmaps

[Juri Linkov <juri@jurta.org>]

> I have finally found some time to work on this item in FOR-RELEASE.
>
> I have installed some changes to implement it, along with changes to
> the lispref and NEWS.  New buffer-local variables are
> fringe-indicator-alist and fringe-cursor-alist.
>
> Note that fringe.el is now pre-loaded, so I might have broken
> something related to the way fringe-mode is handled, or the
> involved code can be simplified.
>
> Please take a look.

Thanks, Kim.

Now what about adding to Emacs lighter-weight bitmaps proposed by Miles?
These bitmaps look much nicer with small font sizes.  I now have in .emacs:

(when (boundp 'fringe-indicator-alist)
  (define-fringe-bitmap 'light-down-arrow [32 32 32 32 32 32 168 112 32] nil nil 'bottom)
  (define-fringe-bitmap 'light-up-arrow [32 112 168 32 32 32 32 32 32] nil nil 'top)
  (define-fringe-bitmap 'light-top-left-angle [254 254 128 128 128] nil nil 'top)
  (define-fringe-bitmap 'light-bottom-left-angle [128 128 128 254 254] nil  nil 'bottom)
  (define-fringe-bitmap 'light-left-bracket [254 254 128 128 128 0 0 0 0 128 128 128 254 254] nil nil 'center)
  (define-fringe-bitmap 'light-right-curly-arrow [96 16 8 8 72 80 96 120] nil nil 'bottom)
  (define-fringe-bitmap 'light-left-curly-arrow [8 16 16 16 18 10 6 30] nil nil 'top)
  (define-fringe-bitmap 'light-right-arrow [16 8 252 8 16] nil 11 'center)
  (define-fringe-bitmap 'light-left-arrow [32 64 254 64 32] nil nil 'center)
  (setq-default fringe-indicator-alist
		'((truncation . (light-left-arrow light-right-arrow))
		  (continuation . (light-left-curly-arrow light-right-curly-arrow))
		  (overlay-arrow . right-triangle)
		  (up . light-up-arrow)
		  (down . light-down-arrow)
		  (top . (light-top-left-angle top-right-angle))
		  (bottom . (light-bottom-left-angle bottom-right-angle
			     top-right-angle light-top-left-angle))
		  (top-bottom . (light-left-bracket right-bracket
				 top-right-angle light-top-left-angle))
		  (empty-line . empty-line)
		  (unknown . question-mark))))

This is too much code for every user who wants a lighter-weight fringe bitmap
style.  It is also unclear where the user can get this code: find it from
emacs-devel archives, or from .emacs files of other Emacs users on the web?

I think lighter-weight bitmaps should be defined in Emacs, and there should
be an easy way (a customization option) to switch the whole set of bitmaps.

PS: Note that I modified lines in `light-left-arrow' and `light-right-arrow'
from dotted to solid, because dotted lines are too light.

Also I don't redefine a blob to an arrow, because I find an arrow more
"insisting": it draws more attention than a shapeless blob.

-- 
Juri Linkov
http://www.jurta.org/emacs/