Bindings on the mode-line

Bindings on the mode-line

[Nick Roberts]

Now that mouse-sensitive parts of the mode line look more like buttons, how
about moving mode-line-toggle-read-only, mode-line-toggle-modified et al from
mouse-3 to mouse-1?  This helps preserve the idiom of mouse-3 for context
menus.  I realise that there is no mouse face on text terminals but earlier
this year we decided to turn mouse functionality there off by default (for
xterms), so inadvertant activation is less likely.

Nick

Re: Bindings on the mode-line

[Masatake YAMATO]

> Now that mouse-sensitive parts of the mode line look more like buttons, how
> about moving mode-line-toggle-read-only, mode-line-toggle-modified et al from
> mouse-3 to mouse-1?  This helps preserve the idiom of mouse-3 for context
> menus. 

I support this proposal. Emacs doesn't have convention for the usage of 
mouse-[1-3]. It is good time to define a convention like C-x for global
binding prefix and C-c for major mode prefix.

I hope mouse-3 is reserved for context menus.  In addition a key is
needed for popping up a context menu under point. The key may be
useful for heavy users who don't want to use mice. In xtla, C-j is
used for popping up a context menu in read-only buffers.

Masatake YAMATO

RE: Bindings on the mode-line

[Drew Adams]

    I support this proposal. Emacs doesn't have convention for the usage of
    mouse-[1-3]. It is good time to define a convention like C-x for global
    binding prefix and C-c for major mode prefix.

I don't know if this is a good time for that - I doubt it. It will likely be
another wrestling match, with everyone having a different, strong opinion.
UI matters always seem to bring that out. After the release is a better
time.

    I hope mouse-3 is reserved for context menus.

I generally agree, with the proviso that "reserved" here be interpreted
rather softly. Mouse-3 is already used for such things as extending the
region, so such a reservation could not anyway be strict. IOW, it is
generally a good convention to use mouse-3, or mouse-3 with some modifier,
for context menus, but we shouldn't change important existing functionality
just to respect such a convention (IMO).

Also, it is sometimes useful to have different context menus available at
the same time. We already have C-mouse-3 (mode) and C-mouse-2 (Text
Properties), for instance. An additional (soft) convention could hold that
in such cases, the mouse-3 menu would be more directly related to the mode
(as is the case with C-mouse-3).

    In addition a key is needed for popping up a context menu under point.

Yes, that would be useful. When there is more than one such menu, the user
could choose (e.g. in the minibuffer).

Re: Bindings on the mode-line

[Richard M. Stallman]

    Now that mouse-sensitive parts of the mode line look more like buttons, how
    about moving mode-line-toggle-read-only, mode-line-toggle-modified et al from
    mouse-3 to mouse-1?

Yes, that would be more consistent.  So please make that change, and thanks.

Re: Bindings on the mode-line

[Nick Roberts]

 >     Now that mouse-sensitive parts of the mode line look more like buttons,
 >     how about moving mode-line-toggle-read-only, mode-line-toggle-modified
 >     et al from mouse-3 to mouse-1?
 > 
 > Yes, that would be more consistent.  So please make that change, and thanks.

Done.  

Previously I have suggested putting goto-line on the mode line which
you didn't like.  However, it seems more natural now that it appears as a
button and can go on mouse-1.  WDYT?

Nick


(let* ((help-echo
	"mouse-1: select (drag to resize), mouse-2: delete others, mouse-3: delete this")
       (my-help-echo
	"mouse-1: go to line, mouse-2: delete others, mouse-3: delete this"))
(setq-default mode-line-position
    `((-3 ,(propertize "%p" 'help-echo help-echo))
      (size-indication-mode
       (8 ,(propertize " of %I" 'help-echo help-echo)))
      (line-number-mode
       ((column-number-mode
	 (10 ,(propertize " (%l,%c)" 'help-echo help-echo))
	 (6 ,(propertize " L%l" 'help-echo my-help-echo
			 'mouse-face 'mode-line-highlight
			 'local-map (make-mode-line-mouse-map
				     'mouse-1
				     #'mode-line-go-to-line)))))
      ((column-number-mode
	(5 ,(propertize " C%c" 'help-echo help-echo))))))))

(defun mode-line-go-to-line (event)
  "Like `go-to-line', for the mode-line."
  (interactive "e")
  (save-selected-window
    (select-window (posn-window (event-start event)))
    (let ((arg (read-from-minibuffer "Goto line: ")))
      (goto-line (string-to-int arg)))
    (force-mode-line-update)))

Re: Bindings on the mode-line

[Richard M. Stallman]

I still don't like this.  What I don't like is that a command invoked
by clicking in the mode line reads a number in the minibuffer.
That seems like a bad interface design.