bug#13273: 24.3.50; [PATCH] enhancement request: repeatable `visual-line-mode' line movements

[Drew Adams]

Again, so I can better understand your messages, did you try the patch?

> Yet, another pattern: repeated invocations of C-a cycle between visual
> and logical bols.

Is that a suggestion of something you want or a complaint about what you see
happening with the patch?

>   > Maybe I'm missing something, but I think that with the 
>   > key bindings the patch makes, `home' and `end' should do what you
>   > are requesting.
> 
> Indeed they do, but home/end are inconvenient keys. 

I agree.  But the idea was to (a) make the home/end bindings compatible with
what some users expect from outside Emacs, but also (b) make them repeatable.

My only request is that we give repeatable commands to all of `C-a', `C-e',
`home', and `end' for visual line mode and also globally.  Which keys get which
bindings is less important to me.  But I happen to agree with you, personally,
that I would use `C-a' and `C-e', not `home' and `end'.

> I very much like the idea of the repeated invocation of C-a doing something
> more than just staying at the beginning of line.

Right.  That's the idea.

> The point is that I don't find moving to the next/previous line a very
> useful feature. C-p/C-n do just that.

They do not track bol/eol.  If you mean first do `C-a' then `C-p C-p ...', then
OK.  I personally find that less convenent than just holding down `C-a'.   And
for eol it doesn't work at all, because of different line lengths.

> What I propose is to be able to use the same key (C-a) for jumping to
> both, visual and logical bols according to some user specified rule
> (cycling for example). And your patch is very close to making that
> possible.

Feel free to make a concrete suggestion (code).

What I agree with you on (so far) are:

a. Users should be able to do repeated bol/eol for both visual and logical
lines, in visual line mode.

b. For my personal use, at least, I will favor `C-a'/`C-e' over `home'/`end'.

I've used the same repeatable `C-a'/`C-e' thingie for non visual-line mode for a
long time.  I wouldn't be without it.  Some reasonable extension to visual-line
mode should be similarly helpful.  And we should be able to accommodate the
"conventional" use of `home'/`end' as well, just making their actions
repeatable.