Re: Overriding emacs key bindings

[Emanuel Berg]

Kaushal Modi <kaushal.modi@gmail.com> writes:

> While I do agree that a wide range of user
> bindings are available with C-c prefix,
> I would not recommend blindly using all
> available "C-c SYMBOL" bindings without
> checking of org-mode already uses them
> especially if you use org-mode a lot. I now
> first check if a new binding conflicts with
> org-mode before creating a new personal
> C-c binding.

Interesting - in other words, it is _org-mode_
that decides what keybindings you use...

Another idea, if you look for some intuitive
degree of consistency, is to identify "key"
concepts. For example, one such concept is "to
execute". In this message-mode, C-c C-c is to
send the message. I'd say that is to execute,
in the setting of typing a mail!
Likewise a piece of code - to execute is either
to launch the program, or to compile it.
Perhaps it is launch if it is a shell script,
but compile if it is LaTeX source! A global
DWIM function with branching can do this, or
each mode can have its own function that
locally is associated with C-c C-c. In Dired
(and a Gnus summary for that matter), there are
a bunch of things you can mark the files
(posts) so that it will happen when you -
execute. And in Emacs-w3m, you can fill forms
with data and submit with the same key!

Another axis of intuitiveness is the modes when
there is no typing. Here, the whole keyboard
can be used to fire of defuns! But even cooler
if this mirrors, only simplifies, the standard
keystrokes. Say you have scroll up one line
with M-i, and ditto down with M-j. You have
this all over Emacs. [1] But in w3m, which
doesn't require typing when you "browse" (yuk,
that word!) - here, make it super-comfortable
by keeping the M-i and M-j, but supplementing
with i and j, to do the same thing!

So there is no need to fear getting in the way
of what is already there. Instead think what
you would like to do.

[1] http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573/conf/emacs-init/scroll.el

-- 
underground experts united .... http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573
Emacs Gnus Blogomatic ......... http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573/blogomatic
                   - so far: 32 Blogomatic articles -