Re: Emacs completion matches selection UI

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 12:17:17 +0200
> From: Dmitry Gutov <address@hidden>
> CC: address@hidden, address@hidden
> 
> On 19.11.2013 18:24, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> >> In graphical mode, I think we can make a more reliable popup by adapting
> >> some code in `tooltip.el'.
> >
> > I'd advise against that.  Tooltip frames are treated very specially by
> > Emacs display, so you will be up for a lot of work (in C) to force
> > tooltips serve as completion pop-ups.
> 
> Or maybe "just" use a new, chromeless frame.

XEmacs did that many years ago (Stephen can tell if it still does).  I
didn't like it then: a new frame forces you to switch focus to it, at
least with some window managers.  That slows you down, and thus flies
in the face of the very reason to provide completion -- fast typing of
long strings.  A popup frame also obscures the window you are working
in, which is also a nuisance.

But that's me; YMMV.

> Anyway, I'd expect some C code to have to be written for that
> feature.

Not every possible design of that will require that, and we would like
to minimize that anyway.