Re: current compile.el issues

[Daniel Pfeiffer]

Saluton,

Dave Love <address@hidden> skribis:

> The :link attribute of compilation-error-regexp-alist doesn't work in
> an uninstalled Emacs since it looks for the file in `doc-directory'
> and it's actually in `data-directory'.

I only have the current Emacs uninstalled, but I can't verify that, with or
without -q.  In fact the two variables have the same value by default for me.

Stefan Monnier <address@hidden> skribis:

> >  * I think `compilation-context-lines' should default to 0, per
> >    previous behaviour.  That way you can tell what the current error
> >    line is.
> 
> Several people have asked for that.  I have no preference and it's just
> a change of the default value of a variable, so anybody can do it.

I think doing this the same way as scrolling is a good idea, but I can always
set this option if it defaults to 0.  This is however the first request since
the fringe arrow appeared, so I don't know if many people still want this.

> >  * I find the highlighting of output files distracting when looking
> >    for errors in the output, but `compilation-mode-font-lock-keywords'
> >    isn't customizable to turn it off.
> 
> Are you referring to the `face' or the `mouse-face' property?
> I agree there should be a way to turn off the `face' property in
> compilation buffers.

That would require patching font-lock, because face is required.  But I think
he means the additional decorative stuff that
compilation-mode-font-lock-keywords gives.  I don't know if these should be
customizable, because non-lisp-programmers wouldn't know what to type in. 
What's the general policy for customizing font locking?

> >  * Moving to errors in compilation-shell-minor-mode shifts point
> >    around so that it's no longer at the prompt -- I think it should
> >    just alter the window, if that's necessary to display the error
> >    message.
> 
> By "moving to errors" you mean "with C-x ` or somesuch", right?
> Sounds like a bug indeed, although more minor.

I'm not sure that can be avoided.  One minor point is multiple messages on a
line — if you didn't have the cursor on one, you couldn't see, which message
you are visiting.  A major concern would be that the point may be so far from
the message that you can't display both in one window at the same time.

Do you want the comint window to then get split?  And are you only concerned
with this for comint, i.e. have a different behaviour for that?  This could be
done with the new next-error-function, which you could set to a
save-excursion`ed
variant in comint-buffers.

> >  * I still don't know what the proper definition of `informational'
> >    messages is, since messages can be highlighted with
> >    `compilation-info-face' when compilation-skip-threshold's value is 1.
> 
> I don't understand this.  Maybe Daniel can help.

compilation-skip-threshold is just that, i.e. saying what (not) to skip with
C-x ` et al.  It has nothing to do with display, i.e. faces.  You may well
wan't to normally skip these, but occasionally mouse-2 click on one, to visit
it anyways.  You wouldn't know you could, if it weren't highlighted.

coralament / best Grötens / liebe Grüße / best regards / elkorajn salutojn
Daniel Pfeiffer

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