Re: Proposal: font lock for `describe-variable`

[Tianxiang Xiong <tianxiang.xiong@gmail.com>]

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@Tino Thanks, I'll take a look at these issues and create a new patch.

On Sun, Oct 9, 2016 at 8:48 AM, Tino Calancha <tino.calancha@gmail.com>
wrote:

>
>
> On Sat, 8 Oct 2016, Tianxiang Xiong wrote:
>
> Here's a version that fixes a few issues:
>>
> Thank you very much.
>
> i have tested your patch and i have several comments.
>
> I)
> If you plan to fontify `describe-variable' then you should fontify
> `describe-function' as well.  Before your patch, the output of
> these two functions looks similar.  It would be confusing if
> 'd-v' uses `font-lock-doc-face' and 'd-f' do not.
>
> II)
> You dropped the button with label 'below' which appears when the
> variable value is very long.  Please, add this button.
> See examples below.
>
> III)
> The condition to consider a variable value long in your patch is
> different.  In the example below, your patch shows a long var
> value at the beginning, but without applying your patch it is shown
> at the end.  I guess, you are defining 'large' as a value
> composed of >= 3000 characters.  Please keep same definition
> of variable being large as before your patch.
>
> IV) Wouldn't be possible to show all the buttons with face 'button?
> Even buttons inside the doc string.  Before your patch is visually
> very clear where there is a button; after your patch is less
> clear because all doc string shows face `font-lock-doc-face'.
>
> IV) The message 'Global value is', sometimes get confused and shows
> things like:
> global value is Documentation:
> or
> global value is Automatically becomes buffer-local when set.
> See examples below.
>
> VI) I found one inconsistency between using `F1-v' and `F1-o'
> with a Elisp variable: they might report different variable
> value after your patch.
> See examples below.
>
> Personally i like how Emacs currently shows 'd-v' and 'd-f'.
> They look also consistent with `describe-mode'.  I don't
> see the necessity to apply the fontifications in your patch.
> But this is just my opinion.  Others may think differently.
>
>
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
> EXAMPLES
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
>
> Save following in a file /tmp/test.el
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;  FILE BEGIN  ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
> (defvar-local test-var nil
>   "Variable to test Xion patch.
>
> When its value is long, `describe-variable' shows it at the end of
> the *Help* buffer; in that case, there is one button with label
> 'below': pushing this button sets point to the buffer position
> where the value is shown.
>
> You should get the same documentation with `describe-symbol'.
>
> Note that there is also a button in `describe-variable': pushing
> it will show the documentation for describe-variable.  This button
> has face 'button, different from the rest of the text which shows
> face 'default: that help users to visualize that there is a button.")
> (setq test-var '(("/tmp/"
>                   ((foo . 2)
>                    (bar . "123")
>                    (baz . "456")
>                    (qux . "a"))
>                   ((foo . 2)
>                    (bar . "123")
>                    (baz . "456")
>                    (qux . "b"))
>                   ((foo . 2)
>                    (bar . "123")
>                    (baz . "456")
>                    (qux . "c"))
>                   ((foo . 2)
>                    (bar . "123")
>                    (baz . "456")
>                    (qux . "d"))
>                   ((foo . 3)
>                    (bar . "123")
>                    (baz . "456")
>                    (qux . "e"))
>                   ((foo . 3)
>                    (bar . "123")
>                    (baz . "456")
>                    (qux . "f"))
>                   ((foo . 2)
>                    (bar . "123")
>                    (baz . "456")
>                    (qux . "g"))
>                   ((foo . 3)
>                    (bar . "123")
>                    (baz . "456")
>                    (qux . "h"))
>                   ((foo . 2)
>                    (bar . "123")
>                    (baz . "456")
>                    (qux . "i"))
>                   ((foo . 2)
>                    (bar . "123")
>                    (baz . "456")
>                    (qux . "j"))
>                   ((foo . 2)
>                    (bar . "123")
>                    (baz . "456")
>                    (qux . "k")))))
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;  FILE END  ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
> Compare w/ and w/o your patch:
> [A]
> emacs -Q -l /tmp/test.el
> F1-v test-var RET
> ;; w/ patch: value appears at the beginning; value is non-nil.
> ;; w/o patch: value appears at end; button below is present.
>
> F1-o test-var RET
> ;; w/ patch: value is nil.
> ;; w/o patch: value appears at end: same as using `F1-v'
> ;;            button below is present.
>
> [B]
> emacs -Q
> M-: (dired source-directory) RET
> * /
> M-: (save-excursion (mapc 'dired-maybe-insert-subdir
> (dired-get-marked-files))) RET
> F1-v dired-subdir-alist RET
> ;; w/ patch: value appears at the beginning
> ;; w/o patch: value appears at the end; button 'below' OK.
>
> ;;; Add more subdirs
> * /
> M-: (save-excursion (mapc 'dired-maybe-insert-subdir
> (dired-get-marked-files))) RET
> F1-v dired-subdir-alist RET
> ;; w/ patch: value appears at the end; no button 'below'.
> ;; w/o patch: value appears at the end; button 'below' OK.
>

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