Re: lynx-dev TEXTAREA (was Re: LYNX-DEV Using Lynx woth web "forums")

[Jacob Poon]

On Mon, 27 Apr 1998, Howard Kaikow wrote:

> Any escape character cannot be a valid graphic.
> 
> \ is often used when reporting problems or identifying paths for PC based
> software.
> 

Of course it is not a valid graphic.  But my point is, using a control key
to exit TEXTAREA will be much less obstructive since most people won't put
raw control characters in text area, so there is a little reason to see
them in text area.  Because raw control keys aren't supposed to be used
literally, it will be a better candidate.  Backslash, however, may get
used literally for describing DOS paths, and more prone to be mistyped
than a control key sequence (1 vs 2-key combinations).  Best for all, you
don't have to know C(++) to escape text area. [no jokes]

> >On Fri, 24 Apr 1998, David Hardy wrote:
> >
> >> address@hidden (Larry W. Virden) wrote:
> >> 
> >> > The point of concern is that lynx implements a form's textarea 
> >> > specfications
> >> > as the maximum number of rows (and columns?  I forget the status of
> >> > this question) rather than as the minimum.
> >> > 
> >> > The problem of course is how do we in a text window implement textarea
> >> > in such a way that one can _leave_ the textarea.  Any control
> >> > character chosen means that character can not easily be used within
> >> > the textarea itself.
> >> > 
> >> > I wonder if the tab key might be able to be used to indicate that one
> >> > wants to move from the textarea to the next field on the page (assuming
> >> > there is another place on the page to which one can move...)
> >> 
> >> Another possibility is to use a special character to introduce a
> >> function, preferably one that's not commonly used in input into a text
> >> area. For example, if \ were the special character then \ followed by
> >> anything other than another \ could mean 'do the associated function'
> >> (for example, \ followed by left-arrow would mean 'back out to the
> >> next higher link') while \\ would mean 'put a \ in the text area'.
> >> This is similar to the trick used by the C language in strings to
> >> introduce control characters.
> >
> >I wouldn't go for any keystrokes that aren't start with a Ctrl- modifier. 
> >In this case I would vote for ^C or ^X for leaving TEXTAREA.  (^C is used
> >in UNIX (and DOS in lesser extent) to interrupt process, ^X is exit for
> >pico.)