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

From: Dmitry Gutov <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2021 05:08:05 +0200

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.

> I've never used the functionality myself, but I can see
> that somebody might find this useful, but if we're going to have it,
> perhaps the clickable area should be extended to the mark character,
> too?

I've never noticed this functionality in almost a decade of using Emacs. 
And working on VC for a number of years.

> (I think removing the binding after more than a decade in existence
> would be confusing.)

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.

If the binding still causes problems (Glenn can tell us), perhaps we'd 
better remove it. We can still keep the toggle effect on the status 
buttons, so not much in the way of functionality would be missed.