Re: keypad-*-setup

[Kim F. Storm]

"Drew Adams" <address@hidden> writes:

> I've tried to improve the doc for this feature (library keypad.el) - both
> the Emacs manual and the doc strings and Customize tags.

Great.  Thanks.

> 1. A nil ("No change (keep existing bindings)") value for the setup options
> seems to be a no-op. What is its use; what does it do (change)? If it does
> nothing, then perhaps we should remove it (and modify the doc accordingly).
> Here is the :set code for `defcustom' - it seems to do nothing if `value' is
> nil. Am I reading this wrong?

I don't really remember why I included that choice.
Most likely it was a way to specify "use default bindings or whatever
the user has changed them to".

>
> 2. Do we really need a separate `numeric' choice? Why not always specify an
> explicit decimal-point? That is, why not get rid of the value `numeric'
> ("Numeric with standard decimal point") and just use the version that
> specifies a decimal-point character - it uses `.' as the default value,
> which is the same as choosing the option value `numeric'.

IIRC, the intention was to _somehow_ find the proper decimal point
character from the language/regional environment settings.

I probably didn't finish it because I don't know how to do that.

> 3. Shouldn't `integerp' be `char-valid-p' in the test for the value? :match
> (lambda (widget value) (integerp value)). In function `keypad-setup',
> `char-valid-p' is used to test the character.

That sounds right - but I don't remember.


In general I think your descriptions are very good, but OTOH I also
think that some of the text is too verbose and elaborates too much on
some of the trivial issues.

> Other keys that might be physically nearby, such as the keypad PF keys
> (e.g. `<kp-f3>') and the keys labeled `/', `*', `-', `+', and `Enter',
> are not considered part of the keypad, as the term is understood
                                ^numeric 
> here.


> This means that only some of the keys with names starting with `kp-'
> are considered "keypad" keys in this section.  For example, the nearby
> key labeled `/' is often named `<kp-divide>', but it is not a numeric
> keypad key.  Be aware that in some other contexts any key whose Emacs
> name starts with `kp-' might be considered a "keypad" key.  See, for
> instance, (elisp) "Function Keys".

This is true, but formally it doesn't add any information that the
previous section didn't say implicitly - so it could be removed.


> The Shift key and the NumLock key modify the behavior of keys on the
> numeric keypad.  The Shift key acts as usual.  The NumLock key is
> usually near the keypad keys.  It acts similarly to the Caps Lock key,
> but instead of toggling between uppercase and lowercase for the main
> keyboard it toggles the keypad keys between two possible modes:
> numeric and non-numeric.  Like the Caps Lock key, and unlike the Shift
> key, NumLock is modal: hitting it once enters a mode that stays active
> until you hit it again to change the mode.  NumLock is not a modifier
> key: you do not hold it down while hitting other keys.

I think most users will know that NumLock is modal - and that you
don't have to hold it down - so this section could be more terse.

E.g. something like this should be sufficient IMO:

The Shift key and the NumLock key modify the behavior of keys on the
numeric keypad.  The Shift key acts as usual.  The NumLock key toggles
the keypad keys between two possible modes: numeric and non-numeric.

-- 
Kim F. Storm <address@hidden> http://www.cua.dk