Re: follow mode for occur

[Robert J. Chassell]

Today's CVS snapshot, Sat, 2004 Jun  5  10:53 UTC
GNU Emacs 21.3.50.41 (i686-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 2.2.4)

I just tried Dan Nicolaescu's new follow minor mode for occur.  In a
short test, it works fine for both *Occur* and *compilation* buffers.

    Should this mode be on by default? 

I think so.  I really like this.  I don't know how non-programmers who
first use Emacs will respond, but I think they will like it, too.

I suppose a menu entry is a good idea, too.  I don't use the menus so
my only thought about them is that we should make sure they have good
human factors.  

Presumably occur and its follow mode fit into `Tools' along with grep
and multi-occur.  Or perhaps a human factors analysis will put them
into `Edit' along with isearch.  On thinking more about this, I think
they should all go into `Edit'.

Perhaps the listing could add `Search and List' between the existing 
`Search' and `Replace' entries, like this:


    Search            ->
    Search and List   ->
    Replace           ->

After all, these capabilities are all various forms of navigation
used in editing:

  * search and list within a single `file' (that is how many people
    think of buffers) for occur and occur follow mode

  * search and list within the buffers you have visited for
    multi-occur

  * search and list within a set of files for grep

By the way, it looks to me that isearch should come before string
search in the `Edit -> Search' menu.  It is easy to learn isearch and
easy to switch from string search to isearch if you already know
string search.  So the better interface should come first.  Put
`string search' in a sub-sub-menu.

-- 
    Robert J. Chassell                         Rattlesnake Enterprises
    As I slowly update it,                     address@hidden
        I rewrite a "What's New" segment for   http://www.rattlesnake.com