Re: Rectangular regions

[Yuri Khan]

On Fri, Nov 1, 2013 at 7:57 PM, Stefan Monnier <address@hidden> wrote:
>>> For us cua-mode junkies, please consider Alt+arrows (alternatively
>>> Alt+Shift+arrows) and Alt+drag (alternatively, click at one corner,
>>> Alt+click at opposite corner).
>
> AFAICT, this is not part of the default cua-mode behavior.

No, it’s not. But it’s part of other software that uses the CUA
interaction model.

>> That will only make sense if the functionality is similar enough to
>> what cua-rect does.  I didn't test this well enough to know whether it
>> is; I do know that cua-rect has some tricks up its sleeve.

cua-rect is a mode (in the general meaning, as in, you press C-RET and
arrows now work differently). Alt+arrows is a quasimode — arrows work
differently while the modifier is pressed, but revert to their normal
meaning when it is released. Quasimodes are much more pleasant to work
with (if we liked modes, we’d be using vi).

As far as I understand, before this change, the model is that you have
a mark and a point, and they mean different things to different
commands. If the model is to be changed to (mark, point, shape) and
differently-named commands to be united and made to depend on the
shape, then there needs to be a means of rectangle selection as
convenient as Shift+arrows in cua-mode.