From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Stefan Monnier Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Global bar to display global information Date: Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:31:13 -0400 Message-ID: References: <87hb5he3dy.fsf@wanadoo.es> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain X-Trace: dough.gmane.org 1313515886 966 80.91.229.12 (16 Aug 2011 17:31:26 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@dough.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:31:26 +0000 (UTC) Cc: =?iso-8859-1?Q?'=D3scar_Fuentes'?= , emacs-devel@gnu.org To: "Drew Adams" Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Aug 16 19:31:21 2011 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([140.186.70.17]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1QtNU0-0004Ut-Om for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 16 Aug 2011 19:31:20 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:60362 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1QtNU0-00060P-9o for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:31:20 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([140.186.70.92]:58399) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1QtNTx-000602-Qx for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:31:18 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1QtNTx-0005WE-07 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:31:17 -0400 Original-Received: from pruche.dit.umontreal.ca ([132.204.246.22]:34967) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1QtNTw-0005Vx-RY for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:31:16 -0400 Original-Received: from faina.iro.umontreal.ca (lechon.iro.umontreal.ca [132.204.27.242]) by pruche.dit.umontreal.ca (8.14.1/8.14.1) with ESMTP id p7GHVFR7014497; Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:31:15 -0400 Original-Received: by faina.iro.umontreal.ca (Postfix, from userid 20848) id 31564B40F7; Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:31:15 -0400 (EDT) In-Reply-To: (Drew Adams's message of "Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:40:34 -0700") User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.0.50 (gnu/linux) X-NAI-Spam-Flag: NO X-NAI-Spam-Threshold: 5 X-NAI-Spam-Score: 0 X-NAI-Spam-Rules: 1 Rules triggered RV3951=0 X-NAI-Spam-Version: 2.2.0.9286 : core <3951> : streams <672173> : uri <935707> X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: Genre and OS details not recognized. X-Received-From: 132.204.246.22 X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:143320 Archived-At: > And we already have ways of posting text to the echo area (same space > as minibuffer) when the minibuffer is inactive: `message'. > That messages get replaced by later messages and by minibuffer input > is just a further demonstration that using the minibuffer/echo area > for this global info would be a bad idea. I tend to agree, tho it is also true that the echo area tends to be empty most of the time, so it is tempting to try and use it to display "permanent global non-urgent" info. I probably wouldn't want that by default, but it would be good for Emacs to make such a thing possible/easy. Emacs-24 has introduced the minibuffer-inactive-mode which lets you setup key-bindings for this "empty" inactive thingy, but it has lots of quirks (e.g. mouse event bindings seem to work well, but key event bindings only work for minibuffer-only frames). The inactive/empty echo area is actually displaying a buffer (the buffer named " *Minibuf-0*", IIUC), so technically it shouldn't be too difficult to create a package that inserts useful stuff in that buffer so they get displayed in the echo area when nothing else is shown there. > a. In a standalone minibuffer frame (if it exists), in its own > dedicated space within that frame (e.g. 1 line, 2 lines? extendable?), > perhaps above the minibuffer/echo area. Shouldn't be too hard: create a normal (i.e. with minibuffer, and not minibuffer-only) frame of the appropriate size, make it display a special buffer whose mode-line-format is set to nil and whose content shows whatever you want to see there. > b. Standalone, in its own frame. Same thing, but without the minibuffer. Overall, it sounds like it shouldn't be too hard to make up a little package that fills a buffer with useful global info (time/battery/mail/younameit) and then lets you choose where you want to display it (separate frame, inactive minibuffer, ...). Stefan