Re: More visible mini-buffer prompt face

[Lennart Borgman (gmail)]

Lennart Borgman (gmail) wrote:
> Mathias Dahl wrote:
> > > I wonder if it would not be better to have a more visible face for
> > > the minibuffer prompt by default. My suggestion would be using a
> > > visible background color (some not too sharp yellow perhaps).
> >
> > I think that I understand the reason for you wanting this; I
> > sometimes miss the prompt at first, for example the prompt that is
> > displayed when trying to update a buffer who's file has been updated
> > on disk. I think that there are a couple of other situations as well,
> > but I don't remember any right now.
> ...
> > But! This differs from person to person!
>
>
> Another approach to this would be to give a more visible prompt as a 
> standard option. It is quite easy to add an alternative in the options 
> menu for this. I think it would fit very well below or above "Blinking 
> Cursor" since it has kind of the same spirit.
>
> So I would suggest something in the menubar like "Options - More 
> Noticeable Prompt" below "Blinking Cursor".
>
> Or, maybe just "Customize Prompt Face".


Here is a patch for that suggestion (it also includes a bug fix):



Index: menu-bar.el
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/emacs/emacs/lisp/menu-bar.el,v
retrieving revision 1.301
diff -u -r1.301 menu-bar.el
--- menu-bar.el 21 Jan 2007 03:53:11 -0000      1.301
+++ menu-bar.el 25 Feb 2007 18:48:15 -0000
@@ -973,6 +973,10 @@
 (define-key menu-bar-options-menu [debugger-separator]
   '("--"))

+(define-key menu-bar-options-menu [toggle-noticeable-minibuffer-prompt]
+  (menu-bar-make-mm-toggle noticeable-minibuffer-prompts-mode
+                           "More Noticeable Prompt"
+                           "Whether minibuffer prompts gets a more 
noticeable face"))
 (define-key menu-bar-options-menu [blink-cursor-mode]
   (menu-bar-make-mm-toggle blink-cursor-mode
                           "Blinking Cursor"
@@ -1769,6 +1773,19 @@
 			 "Menu-bar mode disabled.  Use M-x menu-bar-mode to make the menu 
bar appear."))
   menu-bar-mode)

+(define-minor-mode noticeable-minibuffer-prompts-mode
+  "Use a more noticeable minibuffer prompt face when this mode is on.
+Turning this mode on changes the face used for minibuffer prompts to
+`minibuffer-noticeable-prompt'.  Turning it off changes it to
+`minibuffer-prompt'."
+ :init-value t
+ :global t
+ :group 'basic-faces
+ (let ((face (member 'face minibuffer-prompt-properties)))
+   (if noticeable-minibuffer-prompts-mode
+       (setcar (cdr face) 'minibuffer-noticeable-prompt)
+     (setcar (cdr face) 'minibuffer-prompt))))
+
 (provide 'menu-bar)

 ;;; arch-tag: 6e6a3c22-4ec4-4d3d-8190-583f8ef94ced



Index: faces.el
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/emacs/emacs/lisp/faces.el,v
retrieving revision 1.366
diff -u -r1.366 faces.el
--- faces.el    14 Feb 2007 15:31:09 -0000      1.366
+++ faces.el    25 Feb 2007 19:54:19 -0000
@@ -2143,12 +2143,36 @@
   "Face for minibuffer prompts.
 By default, Emacs automatically adds this face to the value of
 `minibuffer-prompt-properties', which is a list of text properties
-used to display the prompt text."
+used to display the prompt text.
+
+See also `minibuffer-noticeable-prompt'."
+  :version "22.1"
+  :group 'basic-faces)
+
+;; Modelled after secondary-selection face.
+;; Suggested on Emacs Devel as usual.
+(defface minibuffer-noticeable-prompt
+  '((((class color) (min-colors 88) (background light))
+     :background "gold")
+    (((class color) (min-colors 88) (background dark))
+     :background "SkyBlue4")
+    (((class color) (min-colors 16) (background light))
+     :background "yellow")
+    (((class color) (min-colors 16) (background dark))
+     :background "SkyBlue4")
+    (((class color) (min-colors 8))
+     :background "cyan" :foreground "black")
+    (t :inverse-video t))
+  "More noticeable face for minibuffer prompts.
+You can switch between using this face and the face
+`minibuffer-prompt' for the minibuffer prompt with the function
+`toggle-noticeable-minibuffer-prompts'."
   :version "22.1"
   :group 'basic-faces)

 (setq minibuffer-prompt-properties
-      (append minibuffer-prompt-properties (list 'face 
'minibuffer-prompt)))
+      (append minibuffer-prompt-properties (list 'face 
'minibuffer-noticeable-prompt)))
+(put 'minibuffer-prompt-properties 'standard-value (list (list 'quote 
minibuffer-prompt-properties)))

 (defface fringe
   '((((class color) (background light))