Re: [RP] menu?

[Ryan Yeske]

zhaoway <address@hidden> writes:

> Hi,
> 
> I like ratpoison very much! Thanks!

Your welcome!  I like it too!
 
> I'm adding menu support to ratpoison in my local cvs checkout. I hope
> to listen to your ideas on the menu support, or you just don't want
> it? Please let me know.
> 
> Only if you like it, the menu will looks like what is presented in the
> text mode web browser links (not lynx). Ie. it's hidden usually. But
> when you hit a key, say ESC, then it's activated, and you could use
> Left,Right,Up,Down to move around, Right/Ret on a menu item, will
> activate submenu if any, otherwise it will call its functions. I'm not
> sure about menu config format. But it won't be complicated.

I haven't used links all that much but the UI you describe sounds
right on and would fit in with the ratpoison philosophy well.  Minor
points, but I would have C-n C-p to move up and down, others would
like vi hjkl bindings I'm sure; making those customizable is very
important.
 
> Please tell me if you want to see it in ratpoison. If you do like it,
> I can write it. ;-)

I would like to see something like this, but not necessarily in the
core source.  How does one do this outside the core source you may
ask?  Well, you cant, yet :).  However, one fine day, we will be able
to do something like this:

$ ratpoison --command="switch 5"
$ ratpoison --command="exec xterm"

and then using 9menu, xmenu, or some other external menu tool (perhaps
your system :) we will be able to construct simple or elaborate menu
systems without bloating the precious ratpoison binary.

Something like SCWM's scwmexec command is what we want to implement,
which communicates with the wm through X events (and x selections or
something).  Patches that work toward this goal will definitely be
considered for inclusion into the main source.

By all means, write the menu system you have in mind, make sure it is
insulated from the main source so that it can be temporarily used in
the main source, but, when we have the external command mechanism in
place, we will be able to use your menu system as a standalone
executable.  Make sure it depends on nothing but libc and xlib.

I really like how 9menu works as far as building menu systems goes,
take a look at it if you have never used it, but unfortunately it
requires the mouse.  Something small and simple to use in shell
scripts like 9menu only keyboard based would be ideal.

Keep us posted on your progress,
Ryan