From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Andreas Schwab Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Elisp manual: @section Mode Line Format is unclear Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2005 01:24:11 +0100 Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1135902677 28628 80.91.229.2 (30 Dec 2005 00:31:17 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2005 00:31:17 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Fri Dec 30 01:31:13 2005 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Es8Ak-0001s8-Ek for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Fri, 30 Dec 2005 01:31:07 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Es8Br-0001rT-7S for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Thu, 29 Dec 2005 19:32:15 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Es85X-0008Ka-1O for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 29 Dec 2005 19:25:43 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Es85V-0008JV-0c for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 29 Dec 2005 19:25:41 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Es85U-0008JH-5K for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 29 Dec 2005 19:25:40 -0500 Original-Received: from [195.135.220.15] (helo=mx2.suse.de) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (TLS-1.0:DHE_RSA_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA:24) (Exim 4.34) id 1Es85u-0003Pr-Fw for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 29 Dec 2005 19:26:06 -0500 Original-Received: from Relay1.suse.de (mail2.suse.de [195.135.221.8]) (using TLSv1 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by mx2.suse.de (Postfix) with ESMTP id DDAA31CC4C; Fri, 30 Dec 2005 01:24:11 +0100 (CET) Original-To: Alan Mackenzie X-Yow: I'm working under the direct orders of WAYNE NEWTON to deport consenting adults! In-Reply-To: (Alan Mackenzie's message of "Thu, 29 Dec 2005 23:04:45 +0000 (GMT)") User-Agent: Gnus/5.110003 (No Gnus v0.3) Emacs/22.0.50 (gnu/linux) 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 Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:48516 Archived-At: Alan Mackenzie writes: > A mode-line construct may be as simple as a fixed string of text= , but > it usually specifies how to use other variables to construct the te= xt. > Many of these variables are themselves defined to have mode-line > constructs as their values. > > What the hello there is a "mode line construct"? Why should I have to > bother figuring this out? (It's not explained anywhere on this page, > despite there being a "@dfn{mode line construct}" - This @dfn is purely > recursive, defining the term as something built up from mode line > constructs.) A mode-line construct is a recursive entity. The precise list of forms follows. What is that if not a definition? > A mode-line construct may be a list, a symbol, or a string. If = the > value is a list, each element may be a list, a symbol, or a string. > > This is VERY patronising: it says nothing more than "A mode-line > construct is an Emacs lisp object". Because it is, like a lisp object, a recursive entity. > A bit lower down we've got A PASSIVE VOICE SENTENCE!!!!!! An ugly, > nasty, passive voice sentence: > > `STRING' > A string as a mode-line construct is displayed verbatim in the > mode line except for "`%'-constructs". Decimal digits after t= he > `%' specify the field width for space filling on the right (i.= e., > the data is left justified). *Note %-Constructs::. > > This is beginning to give me some detail. It's half-telling me _what_ = I > can do with a "mode-line construct" (but what the fuchsia is a "percent > construct"?) Care to follow the cross reference? > FINALLY, we get to an example at the bottom. Then I've got to go throu= gh > the tedium of parsing this example into distint "mode-line constructs" > (which still haven't been explained) See above. > "Specifiers", anybody? ;-( ??? Where do you see "specifiers"? Andreas. --=20 Andreas Schwab, SuSE Labs, schwab@suse.de SuSE Linux Products GmbH, Maxfeldstra=DFe 5, 90409 N=FCrnberg, Germany PGP key fingerprint =3D 58CA 54C7 6D53 942B 1756 01D3 44D5 214B 8276 4ED= 5 "And now for something completely different."