Re: Proposal: new default bindings for winner and windmove

[Daniel Colascione]

On July 2, 2024 9:31:35 AM EDT, Alan Mackenzie <acm@muc.de> wrote:
>Hello, Daniel.
>
>On Tue, Jul 02, 2024 at 07:46:41 -0400, Daniel Colascione wrote:
>
>
>> On July 2, 2024 3:08:28 AM EDT, Philip Kaludercic <philipk@posteo.net> wrote:
>> >Daniel Colascione <dancol@dancol.org> writes:
>
>> >> Stefan Kangas <stefankangas@gmail.com> writes:
>> >>> Thus, I don't think I see any compelling reason not to go ahead with
>> >>> this change.  I would propose that we now start discussing the specifics
>> >>> of how to go about doing that (patches, proposed alternative solutions).
>
>> >> How's this?
>
>> >> commit 0af9a3225fe0d8771772ee510abd122d2881b211
>> >> Author: Daniel Colascione <dancol@dancol.org>
>> >> Date:   Mon Jul 1 19:17:10 2024 -0400
>
>> >>     Directional bindings for windmove
>
>> >>     * doc/emacs/windows.texi (Other Window): Describe new
>> >>     directional bindings.
>
>> >>     * etc/tutorials/TUTORIAL: Describe new directional bindings.
>
>> >>     * lisp/windmove.el: Bind C-x 4 followed by an arrow key to the
>> >>     corresponding windmove commands.
>
>> >> diff --git a/doc/emacs/windows.texi b/doc/emacs/windows.texi
>> >> index 5ad6850fed9..581f74833d3 100644
>> >> --- a/doc/emacs/windows.texi
>> >> +++ b/doc/emacs/windows.texi
>> >> @@ -185,6 +185,27 @@ Other Window
>> >>  back and finish supplying the minibuffer argument that is requested.
>> >>  @xref{Minibuffer Edit}.
>
>> >> +@kindex C-x 4 LEFT
>> >> +@kindex C-x 4 RIGHT
>> >> +@kindex C-x 4 UP
>> >> +@kindex C-x 4 DOWN
>> >> +
>> >> +Using the keyboard, you can switch windows directionally by typing
>> >> +@kbd{C-x 4} followed by an arrow key.  Emacs determines the direction of
>> >> +movement using the geometry of windows on the screen rather than history
>> >> +of recently-selected windows, so these commands may often by less
>> >> +surprising than @kbd{C-x o} above.
>> >> +
>> >> +@kindex C-x 4 S-LEFT
>> >> +@kindex C-x 4 S-RIGHT
>> >> +@kindex C-x 4 S-UP
>> >> +@kindex C-x 4 S-DOWN
>> >> +
>> >> +These commands are like the other directional movement commands, except
>> >> +that Emacs, instead of moving point to the window in the desired
>> >> +direction, moves the whole buffer state, as if taking the current buffer
>> >> +and moving it to the desired window.
>> >> +
>
>I thought we were just talking about four bindings, here.  Now you want
>to create a full eight new bindings.  That sounds a bit excessive.

No? Bindings aren't precious.

>Also S-LEFT, etc., won't work in unenhanced ttys.
>
>How often do users really want to "drag" a buffer into a different
>window?

I do it all the time.


 > I would have thought, far less often than just moving point.  So
>why not use a prefix arg here, thus saving bindings and making them more
>often usable?  C-u C-x 4 LEFT, etc. would do the job nicely.

Because that's more annoying to type and doesn't seem to come with compelling 
advantages.

>> >>  @findex next-window-any-frame
>> >>  The @code{other-window} command will normally only switch to the next
>> >>  window in the current frame (unless otherwise configured).  If you
>> >> diff --git a/etc/tutorials/TUTORIAL b/etc/tutorials/TUTORIAL
>> >> index 4718e0d9430..daba3e4615f 100644
>> >> --- a/etc/tutorials/TUTORIAL
>> >> +++ b/etc/tutorials/TUTORIAL
>> >> @@ -907,6 +907,11 @@ cursor which blinks when you are not typing.  The 
>> >> other windows have
>> >>  their own cursor positions; if you are running Emacs in a graphical
>> >>  display, those cursors are drawn as unblinking hollow boxes.
>
>> >> +You can also use arrow keys prefixed by C-x 4 to move
>> >> +between windows directionally.
>> >> +
>> >> +>> Type C-x 4 <up> to move to the window above the current one.
>> >> +
>> >>  The command C-M-v is very useful when you are editing text in one
>> >>  window and using the other window just for reference.  Without leaving
>> >>  the selected window, you can scroll the text in the other window with
>> >> diff --git a/lisp/windmove.el b/lisp/windmove.el
>> >> index b4e77102abd..db3b52393bf 100644
>> >> --- a/lisp/windmove.el
>> >> +++ b/lisp/windmove.el
>> >> @@ -854,6 +854,23 @@ windmove-swap-states-default-keybindings
>> >>    :type windmove--default-keybindings-type
>> >>    :version "28.1")
>
>> >> +;;;###autoload
>> >> +(define-key ctl-x-4-map [left] 'windmove-left)
>> >> +;;;###autoload
>> >> +(define-key ctl-x-4-map [right] 'windmove-right)
>> >> +;;;###autoload
>> >> +(define-key ctl-x-4-map [up] 'windmove-up)
>> >> +;;;###autoload
>> >> +(define-key ctl-x-4-map [down] 'windmove-down)
>
>> >You could use
>
>> >  (setopt windmove-default-keybindings (list (kbd "C-x 4"))),
>
>> >which would allow for the bindings to be disabled more easily.
>
>> They're global keybindings. If you don't want these keys bound to these
>> commands, bind them to something else. There's no case for "disabling"
>> them.
>
>Oh, there is!  Some users will have C-x 4 LEFT, etc., bound buffer
>locally to do other things.  They will expect a beep and an error message
>if they type it in a "wrong" buffer.  That functionality would be lost.

This is a general purpose argument against adding any new binding whatsoever. I 
don't think the absence of a binding should be contractua behavior.


>
>
>> >> +;;;###autoload
>> >> +(define-key ctl-x-4-map [(shift left)] 'windmove-swap-states-left)
>> >> +;;;###autoload
>> >> +(define-key ctl-x-4-map [(shift right)] 'windmove-swap-states-right)
>> >> +;;;###autoload
>> >> +(define-key ctl-x-4-map [(shift up)] 'windmove-swap-states-up)
>> >> +;;;###autoload
>> >> +(define-key ctl-x-4-map [(shift down)] 'windmove-swap-states-down)
>> >> +
>> >>  >>
>> >>  (provide 'windmove)
>