Global indicators (was: make-progress-reporter suggestions: 'modeline and customizable progress-reporter--pulse-characters)

[Ted Zlatanov <tzz@lifelogs.com>]

On Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:55:10 -0500 Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> wrote: 

>> OK, let's do it that way.  Are you happy with the way Michael's patch
>> specifies it with %/?

SM> I don't think we need a C-level change for this feature, so no %/.
SM> Instead, we should use a Lisp variable.

That's fine.

CY> Another problem is that when you have lots of windows, each with its own
CY> mode-line, mode-lines become much less appealing locations for global
CY> indicators.  Ideally, you want to be able to glance at the same spot on
CY> the Emacs frame, regardless of which window is active.  (Using the
CY> mode-line to show the date, battery life, etc. is problematic for the
CY> same reason).

SM> Yes, to me *that* is the problem with the global indicators: Emacs does
SM> not have a "global" anything in general: it may have several frames,
SM> none of which is more important than the other.

SM> So I think the way to add global indicators will have to go through an
SM> indirection: create a global thingy, and then let the user decide where
SM> to display it (e.g. I'd display it in my minibuffer-only frame), and of
SM> course it will sometimes be displayed more than once (e.g. I have one
SM> minibuffer-only frame per display).

Are you going to propose an API and some specifics of what functionality
these indicators will offer and where and how they can be attached, or
do you want me and Michael to come up with something?

I really hope we make the indicators text-based so they work in text mode.

Thanks
Ted