Subject: Re: bug#51132: Make sure user is doubly aware of finished complilations

From: Eli Zaretskii <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2021 19:11:37 +0300

> From: Kévin Le Gouguec <[email-masked]>
> Cc: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <[email-masked]>,
>   [email-masked]
> Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2021 17:16:47 +0200
> 
> (I'm confused by your earlier statement, when you say "all of them": do
> you see "Compilation:exit" in the mode-line of *all* buffers?

No, all of the mode lines of the windows that show the *Compilation*
buffer, of course.  When you do something that jidanni does:

   C-x 2 C-x 3 C-x 2 C-x 3...

then you will have many *Compilation* buffers, right?

> I think I can see how the current state of affairs makes it possible to
> forget to check out a compilation result if the buffer is buried (or if
> its mode-line is not completely visible):
> 
> - the "[Compiling]" mode-line indicator in other buffers disappears once
>   the process terminates,
> 
> - the "Compilation finished/exited" message can be clobbered almost
>   immediately by many things (e.g. navigation commands that push the
>   mark, digit arguments, C-g).

(That message gets written into the *Compilation* buffer, not in the
echo-area.  So it never gets clobbered by anything, except another
compilation.)

Anyway, we are talking about a user who (mis-)configures his windows
so that nothing useful is visible on the mode line, then buries the
*Compilation* buffer (since the compilation he launches doesn't
interest him at all, right?), and then, when he finally wants to know
what happened there, doesn't even consider to look back in that buried
buffer?  Is that the situation?  And we are supposed to tweak Emacs to
cater to such hypothetical users? why?

> Dan's suggestion to have (an option to have) an indicator in every
> mode-line that disappears when you focus the *compilation* buffer makes
> sense IMO.

This request has been considered and denied, both by Lars and myself.
I see no reason to make yet another, 3rd indication, especially since
every indication can be ignored if the user really wants to ignore it,
exactly like the existing 2 indications are ignored.  Not say anything
about the bad karma of adding unnecessary stuff to the mode line,
where space is at premium since long ago.  Thanks, but no, thanks.