From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Richard Stallman Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Customize buttons that change user's custom fileshouldaskforconfirmation Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2005 01:18:56 -0500 Message-ID: References: <00e301c509c1$9c761690$0200a8c0@sedrcw11488> Reply-To: rms@gnu.org NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1108449508 5629 80.91.229.2 (15 Feb 2005 06:38:28 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2005 06:38:28 +0000 (UTC) Cc: abraham@dina.kvl.dk, lennart.borgman.073@student.lu.se, emacs-devel@gnu.org, monnier@iro.umontreal.ca, snogglethorpe@gmail.com, drew.adams@oracle.com, miles@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Feb 15 07:38:27 2005 Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1D0wLm-0003ms-28 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 15 Feb 2005 07:38:22 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1D0wbR-000397-GZ for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 15 Feb 2005 01:54:33 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1D0wYe-000238-Uj for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 15 Feb 2005 01:51:41 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1D0wYU-000206-Q5 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 15 Feb 2005 01:51:34 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1D0wYU-0001vF-0H for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 15 Feb 2005 01:51:30 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.164] (helo=fencepost.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1D0w74-000439-HV for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 15 Feb 2005 01:23:10 -0500 Original-Received: from rms by fencepost.gnu.org with local (Exim 4.34) id 1D0w2y-0003Ig-7B; Tue, 15 Feb 2005 01:18:56 -0500 Original-To: storm@cua.dk (Kim F. Storm) In-reply-to: (storm@cua.dk) 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 X-MailScanner-To: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:33454 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:33454 In contrast, most other applications only have these states: F * the field value A * the active (current/saved) value D * the default value ... The big problem is that if the user sets option X on a page and does "F => C", and then (sometime later) sets option Y on the same page, and then does "F => C,S", the effect is that the change to X is also saved. This may be highly confusing to a user. One possible solution for that is to discourage, or even get rid of, of the per-variable command button. If there is only the whole-buffer Set and the whole-buffer Save, this confusion won't happen. ISTR that I have seen apps where there is no difference between the field value and the active value within the customization tool, but all the changes require confirmation when you exit the customization tool. The concept of "exiting" does not make sense for a Custom buffer, but there could be a buffer-wide Activate command, "Put this in effect", which combines Set and Save. If that were the only way to make values take effect, it would be a lot simpler than the current Custom facility. In addition to Activate, there would be Cancel and Standard Values. And perhaps What's Changed, which says what would change if you use Activate right now. What do people think of the idea?