RE: facemenu-unlisted-faces

[Drew Adams]

        I can use the number 4 or not use it, but it remains the
        number 4 - it is not changeable. I can apply the :bold
        attribute to text or not, but it remains the unchangeable
        :bold attribute; if applied, it always imposes boldness.
        That is different from use of a face whose name happens
        to be `bold', even if the face looks bold. Whether applied
        to text or not, the `bold' face is not a constant, and its
        name "bold" doesn't necessarily stand for how it looks.

    I see your point now.  However, the point is not a strong one, because
    it would be perverse to define the face `bold' to do anything other than
    make the text bold.

Yes.

    Anyway, we don't need to discuss these subtleties in the text in the
    menu.

Agreed. How we actually change the appearance of the text to fixed pitch is
pretty unimportant. What's important here is the user's view of what goes
on. I want to make sure that whatever we do here lets the user _think_ in
terms of simply applying a "property"/"style"/"attribute" to text, and
doesn't force understanding of faces at this point.

My point was in response to your statement (quoted below) about the
necessity to consider fixed pitch as a face. The _user_ need not consider it
a face when s?he chooses Fixed Pitch in the menu. We should not do anything
to point out that a face is being used (if it is in fact used, instead of
simply using text property :font-family "Courier" directly - see below).

          "For 'fixed pitch', I think that can only be considered
           as a face."

        Fixed pitch _can_ be treated like any of the other constant
        "properties", _if we want_.

    No, it can't be done.  I think you don't understand the problem.

Maybe. What's wrong with simply adding :font-family "Courier" as a text
property? If there are then conflicts with other face attributes applied to
the same text, then we can either 1) change the font (family) for that text
anyway, and remove any other, conflicting properties that were applied to
it, or 2) tell the user that fixed pitchness is incompatible (given the
current set of fonts) with the existing font (family) and text properties
used for that text (i.e. punt).

Face `fixed-pitch' just defines the :font-family as Courier - it has no
other face attributes. What's the difference in effect between setting
:font-family to Courier by changing to face `fixed-pitch', on the one hand,
and setting :font-family to Courier directly (as a text property), on the
other hand?

IOW, why can't we use a text property here? Yes, it might not be composable
with other properties that have been applied, but the same issue arises when
we use face `fixed-pitch', no?