Re: [simon.marshall@misys.com: mouse-autoselect-window needs a delay]

From: storm@cua.dk (Kim F. Storm)
Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org
Subject: Re: [simon.marshall@misys.com: mouse-autoselect-window needs a delay]
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2006 13:37:35 +0200	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <m3hd28p2ps.fsf@kfs-l.imdomain.dk> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <E1FuHSl-0003JN-M9@fencepost.gnu.org> (Richard Stallman's message of "Sat, 24 Jun 2006 19:22:51 -0400")

Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> writes:

> This complaint seems valid.  Would someone like to address it?

It is non-trivial to fix (it requires changes to all GUI ports), so
this is for after the release.  I have added it to TODO.

>
> From: "Marshall, Simon" <simon.marshall@misys.com>
> Subject: mouse-autoselect-window needs a delay
> To: "'Emacs Pretest Bug (emacs-pretest-bug@gnu.org)'" <emacs-pretest-bug@gnu.org>
> Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 15:19:57 +0100
>
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>
> This isn't a bug as such, but a suggestion for feature refinement.
>
> I like the concept of mouse-autoselect-window, since it allows me to attempt
> to mimic my WM's focus-follows-mouse frame policy for Emacs windows.  But
> there's always a but.
>
> If you have a split window but the invocation of a command forces you to
> move the mouse across a different window, you will probably end up applying
> the command to the wrong window.  For example, suppose a frame shows 2
> different windows, each containing a different C buffer.  Suppose you want
> to comment out a region in the buffer in the lower window.  You select the
> region, move the mouse up to the menu bar, select C > Comment Out Region,
> and watch in frustration as the operation is performed on the buffer in the
> upper window.  The focus had changed as you moved to the menu bar.
>
> WMs that support focus-follows-mouse together with raise-on-focus have a
> similar issue.  (Focus-follows-mouse is probably best with raise-on-focus.)
> They typically deal with that issue by (a) having a delay, (b) requiring the
> mouse to be stationary, or (c) both, before transferring focus and raising.
> That way, focus is less likely to be transferred when the user does not wish
> it.  My current WM implements (a) with something like a 0.5s delay.
>
> So, I'm suggesting that (a) and/or (b) be implemented for
> mouse-autoselect-window.  Perhaps the variable could have a numeric value,
> meaning a delay.  A value of t might be equivalent to a value of 0.  A
> mouse-[123] in a window would still immediately change focus.
>
> Comments?  Simon.
>
> In GNU Emacs 22.0.50.1 (sparc-sun-solaris2.8, Motif Version 2.1.0)
>  of 2006-06-15 on perth
> X server distributor `Hummingbird Ltd.', version 11.0.100015
> configured using `configure
> '--prefix=/rvcarma/marshals/software/slash/usr/local'
> '--with-x-toolkit=motif' 'CFLAGS=-g''
>
> Important settings:
>   value of $LC_ALL: nil
>   value of $LC_COLLATE: en_GB.ISO8859-1
>   value of $LC_CTYPE: en_GB.ISO8859-1
>   value of $LC_MESSAGES: C
>   value of $LC_MONETARY: en_GB.ISO8859-1
>   value of $LC_NUMERIC: en_GB.ISO8859-1
>   value of $LC_TIME: en_GB.ISO8859-1
>   value of $LANG: en_GB.ISO8859-1
>   locale-coding-system: iso-8859-1
>   default-enable-multibyte-characters: t
>
> - ------_=_NextPart_001_01C6953D.C5C1E480
> Content-Type: text/html
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>
> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
> <HTML>
> <HEAD>
> <META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; =
> charset=3Dus-ascii">
> <META NAME=3D"Generator" CONTENT=3D"MS Exchange Server version =
> 5.5.2658.24">
> <TITLE>mouse-autoselect-window needs a delay</TITLE>
> </HEAD>
> <BODY>
>
> <P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">This isn't a bug as such, but a =
> suggestion for feature refinement.</FONT>
> </P>
>
> <P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">I like the concept of =
> mouse-autoselect-window, since it allows me to attempt to mimic my WM's =
> focus-follows-mouse frame policy for Emacs windows.&nbsp; But there's =
> always a but.</FONT></P>
>
> <P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">If you have a split window but the =
> invocation of a command forces you to move the mouse across a different =
> window, you will probably end up applying the command to the wrong =
> window.&nbsp; For example, suppose a frame shows 2 different windows, =
> each containing a different C buffer.&nbsp; Suppose you want to comment =
> out a region in the buffer in the lower window.&nbsp; You select the =
> region, move the mouse up to the menu bar, select C &gt; Comment Out =
> Region, and watch in frustration as the operation is performed on the =
> buffer in the upper window.&nbsp; The focus had changed as you moved to =
> the menu bar.</FONT></P>
>
> <P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">WMs that support focus-follows-mouse =
> together with raise-on-focus have a similar issue.&nbsp; =
> (Focus-follows-mouse is probably best with raise-on-focus.)&nbsp; They =
> typically deal with that issue by (a) having a delay, (b) requiring the =
> mouse to be stationary, or (c) both, before transferring focus and =
> raising.&nbsp; That way, focus is less likely to be transferred when =
> the user does not wish it.&nbsp; My current WM implements (a) with =
> something like a 0.5s delay.</FONT></P>
>
> <P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">So, I'm suggesting that (a) and/or (b) =
> be implemented for mouse-autoselect-window.&nbsp; Perhaps the variable =
> could have a numeric value, meaning a delay.&nbsp; A value of t might =
> be equivalent to a value of 0.&nbsp; A mouse-[123] in a window would =
> still immediately change focus.</FONT></P>
>
> <P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Comments?&nbsp; Simon.</FONT>
> </P>
>
> <P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">In GNU Emacs 22.0.50.1 =
> (sparc-sun-solaris2.8, Motif Version 2.1.0)</FONT>
> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp;of 2006-06-15 on perth</FONT>
> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">X server distributor `Hummingbird =
> Ltd.', version 11.0.100015</FONT>
> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">configured using `configure =
> '--prefix=3D/rvcarma/marshals/software/slash/usr/local' =
> '--with-x-toolkit=3Dmotif' 'CFLAGS=3D-g''</FONT>
> </P>
>
> <P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Important settings:</FONT>
> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp; value of $LC_ALL: nil</FONT>
> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp; value of $LC_COLLATE: =
> en_GB.ISO8859-1</FONT>
> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp; value of $LC_CTYPE: =
> en_GB.ISO8859-1</FONT>
> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp; value of $LC_MESSAGES: =
> C</FONT>
> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp; value of $LC_MONETARY: =
> en_GB.ISO8859-1</FONT>
> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp; value of $LC_NUMERIC: =
> en_GB.ISO8859-1</FONT>
> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp; value of $LC_TIME: =
> en_GB.ISO8859-1</FONT>
> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp; value of $LANG: =
> en_GB.ISO8859-1</FONT>
> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp; locale-coding-system: =
> iso-8859-1</FONT>
> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp; =
> default-enable-multibyte-characters: t</FONT>
> </P>
>
> </BODY>
> </HTML>
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-- 
Kim F. Storm <storm@cua.dk> http://www.cua.dk