Re: Major mode and implementation of expected editing facilities

[Daniele Nicolodi]

On 28-05-2019 13:37, John Yates wrote:
> On Tue, May 28, 2019 at 10:55 AM Eli Zaretskii <address@hidden
> <mailto:address@hidden>> wrote:
>>
>> Given the above text, I'm not sure I understand what are you looking
>> for.  Clearly, what specific keys a major mode can reasonably rebind
>> depends on the mode and what it does, right?  IOW, it's your decision,
>> as someone who knows what the mode does, and which of its commands
>> could be usefully regarded as "generalizations" or "customizations" of
>> those in the related modes.
> 
> What Daniele seeks makes eminent sense to me.
> 
> Designing a new mode is not easy, especially if one wants it to feel as
> much like a natural extension of mainline emacs as possible.  One has
> to develop the basic concept of the mode, decompose that envisioned
> functionality into exposed operations consonant with the emacs mindset,
> choose key bindings that will feel natural and inherit faces in a natural
> manner.  (I am sure that there is more.  Those are simply the things that
> come to mind as I compose this note.)
> 
> Those of us who have used emacs for years (decades?) and, further, used
> many of its packages have distilled such wisdom.  Should we therefore
> take the stance that we can offer no help towards such wisdom?  That there
> is no substitute for paying one's dues and doing time in the emacs world?
> 
> If we are anxious to have new contributors who actually want to do a
> craftsman-like job writing a new mode then we should do what we can to
> help them along.  That we have not yet started writing down some of this
> wisdom is no excuse not to start.  I am confident that beginning a chapter
> on building a new mode would trigger much interesting discussion.

Thanks John!

I'm happy to see that what I'm asking for makes sense for someone.

Cheers,
Dan