mailing-list for TeXmacs Users

[Joris van der Hoeven <address@hidden>]

[Alvaro suggested to replaced selected text by newly typed text
when hitting a normal keyboard key after making a selection]

>   The trick is to select the text, and then type
>   C-w (ctrl-w).  I know it's cludgy if you're not use it it, but I'm sure
>   the functionality is realated to texmacs having it's roots with emacs.
> 
>   I think there should be a toggle for it, and there probably is an
>   undocumented one.
> 
> I am not sure this solves my problem. In emacs I use C-w for "cutting", and 
> this is precisely what I get in TeXmacs: the text is cut, but next I have 
> to 
> type something in its place. The standard functionality in most text 
> editors 
> is that if you start typing with something selected, the selection goes away
> when you press any key. This is a combo-op: "C-w" + "write the first 
> letter" 
> where the first letter may be a long pasted text as well.

I do not like the standard behaviour of text editors.
It happens easily that you mistakenly select some text by moving
the mouse while typing (especially on certain laptops).
I think that it is quite violent to delete this text when you continue typing.

Consequently, I am opposed to this kind of violent behaviour in text
editors and you will not find this misfeature in subsequent versions.
Typing "backspace" or "C-w" after making the selection is not
a big deal anyway.

In the same spirit, you will never find the emacs "C-z" to iconify
the applications: for a simple keystroke this is already a very violent
operation (it makes your text disappear). Moreover, on a french keyboard,
"C-w" and "C-z" are interchanged...

> Remark:: I am by no means an advanced emacs user (and BTW, I think no 
> texmacs 
> user should), so please don't beat me too hard if I misundertood the answer.
> 
> In this direction I would like to point out that it should be possible to 
> have alternate keybinding groups, as in LyX, bundled by default with 
> texmacs, 
> so that people from the C-x, C-c, C-v world don't get annoyed too early to 
> appreciate TeXmacs virtues. This boils down to somebody writing a win32like 
> keybinding file, but also to avoiding tying TeXmacs to an exclusively 
> emacsish behaviour (in this respect).

Yes, I agree with this; I will implement this sort of thing after version 1.0.
Also, certain keyboard bindings will work on a lower level, so that they
also work while searching text or entering text in the footer (for instance).

> Related to this, I think most of us agree that S + arrow key should start a 
> selection. Have you any plans for it, Joris?. Should I put the suggestion 
> in 
> the http://alqua.com/tmresources wishlist? 

Yes, that should be on the wish list too.

-Joris-

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Joris van der Hoeven <address@hidden>
http://www.texmacs.org: GNU TeXmacs scientific text editor
http://www.math.u-psud.fr/~vdhoeven: personal homepage
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