modeline doesn't divulge buffer will go bye bye

modeline doesn't divulge buffer will go bye bye

[Dan Jacobson]

After using this ~20 years it dawns on me: The modeline of a buffer
with an associated file and that with no associated file look the
same.  Bad.

Buffer A has maximal autosaving, you name it, cutting edge in safety,
all because it is associated with a file.

Buffer B will go bye bye when you quit emacs, no matter what you put
in it.

Their modelines will never tell you that, gotta hit C-x C-b and look around.

It seems B should have something in the modeline close to the left
edge reminding one about the situation. 

Yes I know that most are *blabla*, but I'm talking about ones I create
with C-x b blabla.  OK, I don't do that too much, but that's not the point.

The point is that the modeline tells you all the little stuff.  The
most important thing, the fact that this buffer will go bye bye
without a trace is not mentioned there!
-- 
http://jidanni.org/ Taiwan(04)25854780

Re: modeline doesn't divulge buffer will go bye bye

[Kevin Rodgers]

Dan Jacobson wrote:

> After using this ~20 years it dawns on me: The modeline of a buffer
> with an associated file and that with no associated file look the
> same.  Bad.
...
> The point is that the modeline tells you all the little stuff.  The
> most important thing, the fact that this buffer will go bye bye
> without a trace is not mentioned there!

No, the point is that many of us have actually been using Emacs for 20
years and not found it wanting in this regard, and those who want such a
reminder displayed can simply customize the mode-line-format variable.


-- 
Kevin Rodgers <kevinr@ihs.com>

Re: modeline doesn't divulge buffer will go bye bye

[Hallvard B Furuseth]

Dan Jacobson writes:

> After using this ~20 years it dawns on me: The modeline of a buffer
> with an associated file and that with no associated file look the
> same.  Bad.

I have this in .emacs:

;; Minor mode alist
(or (assq 'buffer-auto-save-file-name minor-mode-alist)
    (setq minor-mode-alist (append minor-mode-alist
				   '((buffer-auto-save-file-name
				      (buffer-file-name " :" " :S")
				      (buffer-file-name " :nS" " :nF")))
				   '((buffer-backed-up "~")
				     (case-fold-search "" "nC")
				     (truncate-lines "$")))))

(variable true-item nil-item) displays true-item if variable is non-nil,
and nil-item (which can be omitted) if it is nil.  Item can be a string
or another such list.

-- 
Hallvard