Re: proofreading man/dired.texi

[Stefan Monnier]

>  (1) The function name "wdired-change-to-wdired-mode" is bizarre; why
> not just `wdired-mode'????  Is there another way one is supposed to
> enter it?

If it behaved like a minor mode, that would make sense.  But it behaves more
like a major mode right now, so it makes sense to have a separate command
which does the pre-processing needed before entering the wdired-mode
major mode.  In any case, it's probably more accidental than anything else.

>  (2) One must hit `C-c C-c' for changes to take effect; this seems a
> bit heavy-weight -- why not just RET (which seems to be what other
> systems use)?

I don't know of any other system that allows you to do what wdired does.
Most others I know are more like dired-efap: they allow you to edit just one
file name.

>  (3) Similarly, in analogy to other systems, it might be nice if there
> was some obvious visual indication that wdired was active and
> filenames "open for editting" -- e.g., if the filenames looked like a
> customize-style "input field" (one might even use the same abstract
> face for both, e.g. define an `input-field' face, and have customize
> inherit from it).

Similarly, other systems only provide "one field at a time".  But since
wdired only handles modifications in some fields and not in others, it might
indeed make sense to "highlight" the parts that can be changed.  Maybe with
an `input-field' face.


        Stefan