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RE: feature request: indicator of minibuffer-recursion depth


From: Drew Adams
Subject: RE: feature request: indicator of minibuffer-recursion depth
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 07:59:38 -0800

    I don't think it's trivial to modify the prompt like that though -- in
    most cases, the minibuffer prompt is just a part of the minbuffer, and
    blindly modifying it may screw other things up.

Yes.

1) Non-trivial to do well (in all cases).

2) The minibuffer content is often complex already (prompt info, default
value info, choice info ([ynq!.]), sometimes minibuffer-message
feedback,...)

    Given that the default is to disable recursive minibuffer use entirely,
    and the people who intentionally enable such usage tend to be more
    knowledgeable users (and thus less likely to be confused by recursive
    minibuffers), it seems that such an indicator would be of somewhat
    limited applicability.

Perhaps, but it wouldn't hurt. Even those intrepid souls who venture within
the grotto of recursive minibuffers might appreciate such a compass.
Recursive edits are also relatively rare, but we offer a (mode-line) compass
for them.

FWIW - I have an application that lets users match completion candidates
against regexp input. Because it is sometimes simpler to use more than one
simple regexp than it is to come up with an equivalent single, complex
regexp, they can alternatively enter multiple regexps in recursive
minibuffers (to get the match intersection - like grep foo *.c | grep bar |
grep toto).

This is just an example of using recursive minibuffers with an application.
There could be other such uses. (I could of course add a recursion-depth
indicator myself, for that particular app.)

FWIW2 - In my standalone minibuffer setup I modify the minibuffer-frame
background hue slightly each time the minibuffer recursion-depth changes. I
also modify it when in isearch. This feedback is subtle, but it helps you
"feel" where you are.





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