Subject: Re: bug#17831: 24.4.50; bad default value for `Man-width'

From: Eli Zaretskii <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 20:59:08 +0300

> From: Stefan Monnier <[email-masked]>
> Cc: [email-masked],  [email-masked],  [email-masked]
> Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 13:33:50 -0400
> 
> > By contrast, in the *Completions* use case the code that formats the
> > text runs synchronously, so having in place some protocol that would
> > allow to query about the dimensions of the window display-buffer
> > etc. _will_ get, and then immediately use these dimensions to format
> > the candidate list, is probably all we need.  The alternative you
> > favor is IMO worse: it will momentarily flash incorrect display, which
> > I think will look un-professional.
> 
> In the *Completions* case the empty buffer won't be temporarily
> displayed (because there's no redisplay going on before it's filled).

Are you sure? what about echo-area messages, which might trigger
redisplay?

But if you are right, then this is just another case of what I
suggested, i.e. being able to query Emacs about the dimensions before
actually displaying.

> The unprofessionalism doesn't bother me too much for M-x man, especially
> since the current behavior is broken IMNSHO: it pops up a window
> asynchronously, i.e. at a time you might be doing something else and not
> expecting this disruption.

So perhaps TRT is simply to get rid of the asynchronous operation in
the first place.