reddit / emacs
What is the name of M-x area
cherlobyle · 2022-04-08 08:24
I am modifying a theme file and wish to change the color of the M-x area in emacs. What's the name of this area?
Thanks!
https://preview.redd.it/yys0p9j4m9s81.png?width=212&format=png&auto=webp&s=0fc5e8026d19edc44f873b61babbf95c2824b28d
Gold1227 · 2022-04-08 08:47
The mini buffer.
hkjels · 2022-04-08 09:23
This one has annoyed me a lot lately. Minibuffer and the echo-area overlap and the area for it is just blank with the default face. I have a hack to fill this area when it’s blank, so I can assign a different face, but it’s far from perfect. I’m thinking this should be fixed in Emacs
Phil-Hudson · 2022-04-08 09:54
While "mini buffer" gives you the accurate descriptive meaning, by convention it's written as one word, "minibuffer". This really only matters when you come to look for parts of Emacs' own code base, and you might be wondering why you can't find, for example, `mini-buffer-local-map` when you should be looking for `minibuffer-local-map`.
[deleted] · 2022-04-08 15:22
[deleted]
deltille · 2022-04-08 15:46
I feel that. The minibuffer is one of the few areas I've given up on styling or customizing much; so many things seem to assume it'll have the default dimensions, appearance and behavior.
That's probably at least partly intentional-- a single universal interface of last resort is pretty important-- but I'd at least like a reliable way to resize it...
deltille · 2022-04-08 15:48
Not OP but thank you for the pedantry, this sort of name styling convention has tripped me up so many times when searching for functions and variables 'related' to a given object
fragglestickcar0 · 2022-04-08 15:59
PSA: "Pedantry" is a pejorative. "Pedagogy" is prolly what you're after.
[deleted] · 2022-04-08 16:02
[deleted]
deltille · 2022-04-08 16:05
Does pedagogy have the specific connotation of being extremely specific about details? I know pedantry has a pejorative use, but I thought it was auxiliary to its literal definition.
At any rate thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify I do not mean the pejorative use :)
cherlobyle · 2022-04-08 16:14
Sorry for my ambiguous reference. I am referring only to the M-x part not the whole mini buffer. I have found the answer in comments which is the echo-area. Thanks for these help!
fragglestickcar0 · 2022-04-08 16:31
Nearly every modern-day pejorative only became so after decades of
inoffensive, literal usage. Certainly the shelf life of any reference
to race or gender is predictably short. In some interesting cases a
word can come full circle, like "colored" was fine at first, then
verboten, and today "of color" is respectful.
"Pedantry" is nearly always used in the pejorative. "Pedagogy" could
certainly be taken the wrong way but only by the Kevin Hart's of the
world who had me in stitches when he said in the film "The 40yo Virgin",
>You throwin too many big words at me. I'm gonna take'em as disrespect.
deltille · 2022-04-08 16:33
You have a point. Thank you for the delightful quote. And, well, for the pedagogy!
00-11 · 2022-04-08 16:33
*fastidiousness*
00-11 · 2022-04-08 16:36
https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/Dedicated_Minibuffer_Frame#MinibufferBackgroundColor
deltille · 2022-04-08 16:53
Yes, that more precisely expresses the sentiment. Thanks. (Though I did briefly think you were trying to riff off of the other commenter's quote about 'too many big words'.)
7890yuiop · 2022-04-08 19:48
No, if you're using `M-x` then you're using the minibuffer (note that you are typing text into a buffer).
The echo area is where messages are displayed.
Both of those things use the same window, so at any given time you are seeing *either* a minibuffer or the echo area, but never both.
> I am referring only to the M-x part
The text "M-x" is a prompt, but it's still just text in a buffer. It's not it's own special area. `read-extended-command` calls `completing-read` with `"M-x"` as the prompt argument.
hkjels · 2022-04-08 21:49
Ok. That might actually solve it. Still weird that it’s not the way it works by default.
Thanks btw. I’ll try this soon
cradlemann · 2022-04-09 18:25
I recommend you [vertico-buffer](https://github.com/minad/vertico/blob/main/extensions/vertico-buffer.el) extention. All minibuffer completions will open in separate buffer
hkjels · 2022-04-09 19:36
That could solve OP’s issue I guess