RE: alternative Customize displays: 1) flattened group, 2) expandable tree, 3) explorer: tree+flattened, 4) mouse-3 menu

[Drew Adams]

> "Drew Adams" writes:
>
> > (-) Emacs
> >  (+) Editing
> >  (+) External
> >  (+) Convenience
> >  (+) Programming
> >  (+) Applications
>
> M-x customize-browse

That's a good start, but:

1. Options and faces are also listed, not just groups. I proposed putting
the option and face list in a separate window, to the right, correponding to
the group name selected at the left.

2. The group or option name is not the link. Instead, the word "Group" or
"Option" is the link. I proposed using the name as the link.

3. The "Group" and "Option" links open customize buffers. In my suggestion,
the option name, in the right-hand window, would open customize; the group
name would simply display the options list at the right (a list of
everything in that group, recursively).

4. There is no way to get the complete, flattened list of options and faces
belonging to a group.  Only those options and faces that are defined
directly in a group are shown under it. My suggestion would show a complete
list of all options and faces that are in the selected group, including in
any of its subgroups (recursively).

5. There is no description of a group or option via a tooltip. The only way
to see a description is to open a customize buffer. In my suggestion, the
group and option names would provide individual descriptions via tooltips.

BTW - The tooltips used currently are nearly useless; they all say just
"Create customization buffer for this group". A bug I just noticed: Even the
tooltip for the Option link says this ("group"). It should say "... for this
option" (not "group"). Likewise, Face should say "... for this face" (not
"group").

#4 is perhaps the most important lack. Having to guess which subgroup (or
sub-subgroup) an option is in is inefficient. Being able to search for a
name in a flat, alphabetical list would help quite a bit.