Subject: Re: bug#48179: bookmark-fontify [PATCH]

From: Boruch Baum <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 6 May 2021 06:59:58 -0400

On 2021-05-06 11:57, Bastien wrote:
> Boruch Baum <[email-masked]> writes:
>
> > What are the steps to reproduce this? I don't use those org features, so
> > I would be starting at square one.
>
> ...

Thanks, Bastien. I'll try it.

> Now the refiled headline is fontified with bookmark-face because Org
> adds a bookmark to help you go back to the refile location.

Is that behavior hidden from the user? What I mean is, does the user
know that what org-mode is doing is creating bookmarks? If yes, then the
user already associates the re-file process with creation of a bookmark.

> ....

> 3. The user cannot guess why it has been fontified because he does not
>    know to M-x customize-face RET

You write further down that "many people have bookmarks they don't even
remember". Is this a case of that? I agree with you that would be a
point of confusion. It speaks to a deficiency in my proposal in that it
doesn't include a clearly-identifiable bookmark icon on the fontified
line. The presence of the icon wouldn't help the user remember how or
when the line became bookmarked, but would clearly identify the line as
a bookmark (and if the user is surprised, it's probably called for to
delete the bookmark anyway).

Having a clearly identifiable icon would also mitigate any confusion in
the case of org-refile.

> But again, this is not just Org.  I think many people have bookmarks
> they don't even remember, e.g. in dired buffers.  If they see such a
> fontified file in dired, they will just wonder what happened.

Been there, done that. At some point, years ago, I changed my personal
policy, deleted all my bookmarks, and have since only used them for very
limited purposes. For me, it was the  accumulation of bookmarks that led
to confusion.

> My suggestion would be to interactively ask the user to customize
> bookmarks-fontify on the first C-x r m hit, so that he knows what's
> in there for him.

That would be a cool and very helpful idea for all new emacs features!

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