RE: not too happy with Emacs 21 vertical-line dragging when scrollbars present

[Drew Adams]

I'm not surprised that this was not thought of :-).

[ BTW, at one point with Emacs 20 (or 19?) I discovered by chance that I
could bind that small square using `nil' as the key! Later this hack
possibility was removed:
(global-set-key [nil down-mouse-1] 'shrink-frame-to-fit) ]

Anyway... I think you mean the two mode-line characters next to  the scroll
bar. In my case, the scroll bar is on the right, so these would be the last
(rightmost) two characters.

If I understand you correctly, you are saying:

1. Leave the mode line extended under the scroll bar.
2. But change the part of it that is under the scroll bar to show a
drag-handle graphic (image/glyph), indicating that you can drag that spot.

Is that right? If so, that's not a bad suggestion. And it would satisfy
Kim's criterion that we visually associate the scroll bar with its window. I
had been complaining that the drag handle had nothing to do with
(activating) the mode line, but I think your proposal is a good one.

I can take a look at this, if no one else is interested in hacking it.  It
would be better, however, for someone already familiar with programming the
new mode line to take a crack at it. I'll see what I can do, when I get some
time. If this is simple to do, then someone please send the few lines of
code needed.

Also, is it straightforward to use something like the drag-handle mouse
pointer as the glyph for those two mode-line characters? Suggestions
appreciated.

Thanks,

  Drew


-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Stallman [mailto:address@hidden
Sent: Monday, October 04, 2004 8:19 AM
To: Drew Adams
Cc: address@hidden
Subject: Re: not too happy with Emacs 21 vertical-line dragging when
scrollbars present


    The squares where the `.' are were visible drag handles for the windows.

ISTR that we never thought of them as having a purpose; they were
simply unused space.  So we used them to make the mode line bigger,
without realizing anything useful was being taken away.

At Lisp level you could put a different meaning on clicks on the first
two characters of the mode line.  Want to try that?  It would be
desirable to change what those two characters look like, so as to give
a visual hint.