[Axiom-mail] [ANN] new version of axiom mode for emacs.

[Martin Rubey]

The following message is a courtesy copy of an article
that has been posted to gnu.emacs.sources,comp.emacs.xemacs as well.

Axiom is a wonderful computer algebra system and

  axiom.el

ist the emacs mode that makes it great to use.

This new version now has a command

  axiom-yank

by default bound to C-Ret, that puts the front item of the kill ring into a
temporary .input file and makes axiom read that file.  This is useful when you
make changes to an .input file and do not want to re-read the whole file.

Furthermore it features directory tracking and filename completion after system
commands.

Get it from

  http://wiki.axiom-developer.org/AxiomEmacsMode

I'd be very happy to hear whether you find it useful in general, and
suggestions on how to improve it.  For example, do you find it useful that
touching previous input makes it turn red?

Martin

TODO: 

* I am unable to test it on MS-Windows, I highly appreciate reports and
  bugfixes.

* cleanup code, especially mode initialisation.  don't know anything about
  that.

* xemacs port

* allow lisp debugger to be entered, I.e., track when the prompt may change.
  How does shell mode do this?

* clean up initialisation routines.

  In particular, I'd like to have the following behaviour:
  
  [[M-x axiom]] should switch to the buffer [[*axiom*]], if it exists and if it
  is an "axiom buffer".  (I guess that should be a buffer in [[axiom-mode]],
  with a running axiom process.)
   
  If there is no such buffer, it should create a new buffer and a new axiom
  process.
   
  [[(add-hook 'axiom-mode-hook (lambda () (rename-uniquely)))]] should rename
  the buffer.  I do not know what else one could use [[shell-mode-hook]] (and
  therefore [[axiom-mode-hook]]) for.

* update the documentation and make it more concise.

* it would be important to have the possibility of deleting part or all of the
  buffer.  (Personally, I often have a buffer with a 100000 lines, which is a
  burden for emacs, it seems). By contrast, it is not necessary to provide
  functionality as stated in the section "Restarting and Re-evaluating - Kill
  and Restart Axiom without Erasing the Document" since such functionality is
  provided by axiom itself.

* undo should have sane behaviour, whatever that is.  Possibly, it should be
  restricted to the current input, but that might be too restrictive. (For
  example, if one has overwritten some important output by accident.)

* it would be extremely nice to have command tab-completion, as when starting
  axiom in a shell.  Very likely, one should prepare a TAGS file.