Subject: Re: bug#13692: mouse clicks in vc-dir buffers accidentally changing marks

From: Dmitry Gutov <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2021 03:43:19 +0200

On 21.01.2021 16:46, Lars Ingebrigtsen wrote:
> Dmitry Gutov <[email-masked]> writes:
> 
>> On 20.01.2021 05:58, Lars Ingebrigtsen wrote:
>>> So the suggestion is to remove the `[mouse-2]' binding in
>>> `vc-dir-mode'.
>>
>> I'm not sure, actually. Perhaps the complaint is about the mouse-1
>> effect on status buttons.
>>
>> But the rest of my email is on the assumption that we're talking about
>> the mouse-2 binding.
> 
> Depending on your settings, it's the same binding.  I think the default
> is that mouse-1 and mouse-2 will work the same here (because of the
> 
>      (define-key map [follow-link] 'mouse-face)
> 
> thing)?

We're talking about slightly different things.

When I hear "mouse-2 binding", I think the global bidning in 
vc-dir-mode-map, which affects how mouse-2 works also when clicking 
outside of any buttons (on whitespace beside the buttons). And I think 
that behavior is relatively weird and could be removed.

But we also have the behavior of mouse-1 and mouse-2 clicks on the 
"status" button. Which seem fairly sensible to me, but might be the 
cause of Glenn's annoyance in this report because it's relatively easy 
to click mouse-1 anywhere in the buffer by mistake.

>> I don't have a strong opinion about this feature, but it seems like it
>> was designed almost with the main goal of being non-discoverable. As
>> such, I don't think it has many users.
>>
>> It only works when you click on an empty space; if you click on a file
>> or directory name (which are highlighted as buttons and thus invite
>> you to click on them), using mouse-1 or mouse-2, you get to visit the
>> file instead. Only the "status" buttons work for that.
> 
> It works on the status column, which normally has text like "edited   "
> in it (if you've edited something) -- the button extends to the end of
> the column...

Right. But if that is what is at issue here, I think the question 
becomes whether to remove the "buttons" from that column (and keep the 
mouse-2 binding globally) or whether to remove the mouse-2 binding, but 
set up the buttons to continue working. Or make mouse-1 stop working on 
the buttons but keep mouse-2 working everywhere (except the file names, 
I guess?).