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lynx-dev Which key for textarea external editor? (was: textarea no wrap


From: Klaus Weide
Subject: lynx-dev Which key for textarea external editor? (was: textarea no wrap ...)
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 19:12:14 -0600 (CST)

On Wed, 10 Nov 1999, Leonid Pauzner wrote:
> 10-Nov-99 03:36 Klaus Weide wrote:
> > On Wed, 10 Nov 1999, Kim DeVaughn wrote:
> >> You need to add:
> >>  KEYMAP:e:DWIMEDIT
> >> to your lynx.cfg file.
> 
> > Or use "Bash-like" line editor binding (and then ^Xe, or ^E^E).
> > Why would anyone use anything else? :)
> 
> BTW, that was discussed a long ago, why not to use ^E^E for textarea
> editing for any line editor binding (not only Bash-like) - I lost from
> my memory what were the objections?

Looking back at the ^E^E thread in the February archives, I count:
 1 proponent (me)
 1 "Hmm, good idea !" (you)
 1 "sounds good enough" (Philip Webb)
 1 "That's certainly confusing! ... against illogical commands..."
   (address@hidden in
    <http://www.flora.org/lynx-dev/html/month0299/msg00610.html>)

mattack's points against ^E^E, comments by me added:
 1. "modal-and-and-special-cased usage of ^E"
   - True.  But overlooks that ^Ve is also a modal and special case
     use of ^V.
 2. "can see someone just hitting ^E a few times and be thrown into
    an external editor and not have the foggiest idea."
   - Very unlikely, IMO.  I can't imagine many folks with a habit
     to hit ^E several times.
 3. He finds "analogous use of an existing 'edit' command" more
    logical.
   - (a) It's not analogous in meaning; one edits the current file,
     the other a part of it for a different purpose, and both can
     conflict.
     (b) It's aslo not analogous in invocation - normally EDIT
     doesn't need a prefix key.

I don't remember any others.  Were there?

FWIW, ^E^E working fine.

> IMHO textarea editing key should be assigned by default, otherwise a
> majority of users will lost the feature.

You have a good point.

> Why so much pluralism here? (^Ve, ^Xe, ^E^E, etc., but no default value)

It's not that it has to stay the way it is.

I started implementing the various ways, rather than having endless
discussions about the "best" way beforehand.  So the discussion about
what should be the default can take place now - the mechanisms are
implemented to pick from (and test).  It's now just a matter of changing
the value in one of the internal tables.

I do dislike ^Ve as the default binding, for various reasons.  (Briefly:
^V doesn't work for some; it's not logical; it takes away 'e'=EDIT.
For more elaboration, see the "^Ve considered harmful" thread in the
achive for February, also other messages with "^V" in the subject.)

^X as a prefix is a natural for anyone familiar with emacs, or a shell
that uses emacs bindings.  That should be a lot of users.  Unfortunately
^X as prefix is incompatible with the historical Lynx binding as ERASE.
(Is anyone actually using it for that purpose?  Note it duplicates ^U.
Personally I'd like to ditch ^X=ERASE, or ditch the Lineedit Bindings
that use it completely...  but I didn't presume to make such a radical
change.)

That leaves (if ^X is unditchable) ^E^E.  There is no technical reason
why that can't be the binding in all three current Lineedit styles.
It just isn't, currently, but adding it is a simple change in two
tables.

So there you have a brief rehash of my reasoning.  I come to the
conclusion that, if there is to be one "standard" default, it ought
to be ^E^E.  Or, alternatively, get rid of ^X=ERASE.  Or, alternatively,
make Bash-like the default.  Discuss...

> A person who need a [huge] choice may edit lynx.cfg on a personal basis,
> isn't it? From the other hand, if there is a choice, which value will be
> displayed at statusline?

Well, one of them...  hopefully the best.

   Klaus


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