Whitespace highlighting should be optional

[vda]

I like a new feature of specially displayed tabs and trailing spaces, but sometimes they are getting in the way. For example, when I want to cut-and-paste with the mouse, I usually do not want it.

Also, inevitably there will be users which actively dislike this feature. It's better for the project if it supports those users too.

The most comprehensive solution would be two-fold:

Add a config option for it in F9->Options->General (takes care of those users who hate whitespace highlighting and want it off by default), and

Add a menu item to F9->Edit to toggle whitespace highlighting temporarily with a key combination.

I am setting it as "defect" because technically it is a regression versus 4.6.2: mouse cut-and-paste now is more difficult in some cases.

[andrew_b]

Replying to vda:

I like a new feature

Actually, this feature is old :). It was implemented in 4.6.2-pre1. In git:

commit 139e48183f16bc1398d0766d2bcfd7a448227d66
Author: Pavel Tsekov <ptsekov@gmx.net>
Date:   Mon Aug 27 12:06:02 2007 +0000

    * src/color.h: Add a new color pair.
    * src/color.c: Likewise.
    * edit/editdraw.c (print_to_widget): Make tabs and trailing whitespace
    characters visible.
    (edit_draw_this_line): Likewise.

I am setting it as "defect" because technically it is a regression versus 4.6.2

Disagree.

[vda]

Fix (diffed against 2-day old git)

[angel_il]

Branch: 1384_whitespace_highlighting_optional (parent: master)
changeset: 63a3a997db40518d570d7dfce8544dce818f913f

[winnie]

why are there so many message changes inside the patch? we are not yet in the message freeze but changing so many strings without an ovious need.. (please note that I didn't digg further into the patch only saw the message changes ;-))

[andrew_b]

Replying to winnie:

why are there so many message changes inside the patch?

No. :) Diff looks like the many messages are changed. But actually two new checkboxes are added, therefore some checkboxes change its positions in dialog window.

New checkboxes don't have hotkeys. I think we can fix that in #1381.

Also I'm sure that some optimization of patch is needed. So I change Severity to 'on rework' state.

[andrew_b]

I thing the current state of tabs and trailing space visualization should be displayed in the editor status bar. For example:

[------] -- tabs and trailing spaces are not shown
[----T-] -- tabs are shown, trailing spaces are not shown
[-----S] -- tabs are not shown, trailing spaces are shown
[----TS] -- tabs and trailing spaces are shown

[angel_il]

changeset: a3dc53022c6fd0ea7d1f00ff755c64fe16601448 (forced update)

[angel_il]

changeset: dc608c182b77a598c9cb74d24eadd8d16fb78aec (forced update)

[slavazanko]

As for me looks very goog. Nice feature. Remember to add description of new hotkey into our 'docs draft' wiki-area.

[angel_il]

changeset: 85b8243b475056408da48adddc4983f9143b8923 (forced update)

[angel_il]

Fixed: 348ab7303f57faa250ff0aa963dbaa7bc1b15db5

[ossi]

fwiw, i kinda dislike the complicated shortcut. the idea behind something simple like ctrl-w would have been that i can disable the visualization with the left hand and do the selection with the right hand. as with the current shortcut i have to use both hands, i have to move back my right hand even if it already was on the mouse (which isn't exactly uncommon when i have the need to use the x selection for copying from within an mc window).

[angel_il]

Replying to ossi:

fwiw, i kinda dislike the complicated shortcut. the idea behind something simple

ok, what shortcut you wish?

[angel_il]

Replying to ossi:

the idea behind something simple

btw, are you can set any key for this, just use ~/.mc/cedit/cooledit.bindings
or try #212 branch

[ossi]

Replying to angel_il:

ok, what shortcut you wish?

well, as i said, i originally thought about ctrl-w (w as in whitespace, and it is right next to ctrl-s which toggles syntax highlighting). anything from qaywsxedc and maybe 1234rfv would be fine with me, obvious collisions excluded. some planning to avoid collisions with likely future functions certainly wouldn't hurt, though.
fwiw, i wouldn't mind if ctrl-s was replaced by something more complex. at least i cannot come up with use cases where i actually need this toggle.

btw, are you can set any key for this, just use ~/.mc/cedit/cooledit.bindings
or try #212 branch

i knew that somebody would say that. but configurability is no excuse for bad defaults.

[angel_il]

Replying to ossi:

Replying to angel_il:

ok, what shortcut you wish?

i knew that somebody would say that. but configurability is no excuse for bad defaults.

ctrl-w maybe... need to discuss it

ok, but think about: this "bad" defaults is bad for you, but not bad for somebody else.

[ossi]

Replying to angel_il:

ok, but think about: this "bad" defaults is bad for you, but not bad for somebody else.

i think the defaults should be optimized towards right-handers using QWERT style keyboard layouts, simply because that's the biggest target group, and the choice is consistent with the native language of the application. alternative defaults can be relayed to other shortcut schemes.

[angel_il]

ok. wait pre2...