RE: More visible mini-buffer prompt face

[Drew Adams]

> > I see no reason for the prompt to stand out more, and changing the
> > background color is a bad idea, IMO. Background colors are often used to
> > highlight particular sections of text, not just to present
> > normal text. Why should a normal _prompt_ stand out especially?
>
> Because it needs the user attention.

Why? The user should expect most prompts, no?

> > If your code pops up menus that attract the user away from the
> > minibuffer, and then you expect the user to notice a minibuffer
> > prompt that you issue, then why not make the minibuffer prompt
> > stand out more _in your code_? This sounds like a UI (dialog)
> > problem in your code, not a problem with the
> > default Emacs minibuffer prompt face.
>
> That is a good point. However I believe it is not just in the case of my
> code. The same problem appears in other cases within Emacs IMO.

Please be specific. In those cases also, the dialog should probably be
improved so the prompt is not unexpected. Or, if it must be unexpected, then
temporarily use a different face or `ding' or whatever, if it's thought that
users won't notice it.

> > In general, minibuffer prompts appear when the user expects
> > them; in fact, they are usually initiated by the user.
>
> I believe at least a new user does not expect the prompt sometimes. The
> reason for this is of course that the Emacs UI is different from w

I think you got cut off there. But again, examples please of unexpected
prompts?

> > A normal prompt should not especially stand out;
>
> Why not?

Because the user expects it, looks for it. If I initiate query-replace, I
expect that the program will ask me what to replace with what? If I initiate
go-to-line, I expect that the program will ask me which line.

Some prompts are less expected, but I still don't see a reason to highlight
them. If I quit Emacs and I have unsaved buffers, Emacs asks me what I want
to do. I don't expect this question the first time, perhaps, but I still
notice it.

I'll admit that occasionally I don't notice the y-or-n question about
wanting to add a new line at the end of a file. But I wouldn't want Emacs to
ask any louder ;-).

In any case, questions that must have responses finish by making the user
notice them, one way or the other. The point is that there is no reason to
make them more intrusive (LOUDER) all of the time, because they can make
themselves be noticed when they need to.

> > Your point about error messages is different (independent). In
> > that case, the user might not expect to see stuff appear in the
> > echo area, so you might want to attract attention to it. Nothing
> > prevents particular code from applying text properties to
> > messages in the echo area.
>
> I believe I did that before when using (message ...). However now it
> does not seem to work. Can you do it?

Haven't tried lately, but I believe this is a new feature in Emacs 22. If it
doesn't work, please file a bug.

> > That too is best left up to the particular application, IMO.
> > The default message face should not stand out.
>
> Yes, but I was talking about error messages.

By default, `error' messages shouldn't stand out either, IMO. If a
particular error message really needs to grab the user's attention, there
are ways of doing that.

The world has enough scary-or-exciting, flashing, red-and-yellow, tu-m'as-vu
messages that don't really need to be so flashy. Highlighting all warning
messages leads to "warning inflation": if everything is highlighted, then
nothing is highlighted.