GNU bug report logs - #41250
28.0.50; Dired displays unconditionally ls-switches on modeline

Previous Next

Full log

Message #44 received at 41250 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Arthur Miller <arthur.miller <at> live.com>
To: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
Cc: 41250 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>, juri <at> linkov.net
Subject: Re: bug#41250: 28.0.50; Dired displays unconditionally ls-switches
 on modeline
Date: Fri, 15 May 2020 23:14:59 +0200

Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com> writes:

>> > an integer - show first N chars of switches
>> 
>> I don't think this is a useful value: the user will rarely know how
>> much space is available on the mode line.
>
> A user may know how much space they're willing
> to give to this, as a general preference/rule.
>
> Mode-line data can vary considerably, depending
> on one's setup, the buffer's mode, and other
> things.  And the effective available space
> depends on window width.
>
> So of course no particular truncation constant
> length will fit all contexts.  Such truncation
> is of limited utility, IMO, but I thought that's
> what was requested.
>
> Sure, truncation could instead be relative (%).
> In that case what it's relative to needs to be
> considered.
>
> This is why, in the general case, a function
> value is there.  You'll recall that in an earlier
> mail I said that truncation can just be done by
> such a function.  (Well, at that point I said a
> `format' string - that too can truncate.)
>
> What I wrote up is just a simple truncation.  If
> you have a better one you want to suggest, fine.
>
>> Also, truncating without showing ellipsis or some
>> other sign of truncation is IMO a sub-optimal UI.
>
> Arguable - mode-line space is limited.  But maybe.
>
> I imagine you're suggesting appending a char such
> as `.' to whatever truncation is used.  That's
> fine by me (though I'm not crazy about that char,
> which I find generally illegible).  An alternative
> (more readable, but wastes 2 more chars, is `...'.
> Another alternative is to surround the set of
> switches with delimiters, e.g. "" or '' or [] ...

As I understand Eli, he means, if switches are displayed only partially
on modeline, then after the switch chars there would be an elipsis,
which I understand means "...". I think it is OK since it indicates
that there is more to it which indeed is quite common, but yes it does
take more space on modeline.

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.