by activate i mean display, in echo area, whatever it is i want to display. i think help-echo is a text property, and i might or might not want to display it, depending. and i might want to display the other stuff even if there is no help-echo.
i use [and adore] org-link-minor mode in elisp mode. it highlights links and timestamps and makes links followable. i even use [[target]] <<target>> within elisp buffers, and org id links that go from elisp to org and vice-versa. if org-link-minor-mode is active in an elisp buffer, i can run the following to detect whether cursor is over an org ts. (defun hoka-eldoc-at-point () (when (eq 'org-date (get-text-property (point) 'face)) (format "%s" (when (fboundp 'alpha-org-time-span) (with-no-warnings (alpha-org-time-span)))))) then i get the time span in the echo area. a time span is e.g. -1 for yesterday. it could just as well be a timestamp in a different format or lang. so that's great. but i want mouse hover to do the same thing, and to do so with a delay. and i want links of course. more generally, i might occasionally want /some/ eldoc type stuff and /some/ help-echo stuff. so org-link-minor-mode was useful in my case because it [i think it is it] adds face property which can be used. and i thought that might be useful to you. idk though. in my case i find it a bit overwhelming to get whatever solution i use for cursor to also work for mouse [with appropriate delays]. and get whatever else to work and to not have anything annoyingly display. On 1/14/21, Juri Linkov <j...@linkov.net> wrote: >> this is an interesting discussion. is there any side discussion that >> takes into account both mouse and cursor? > > Indeed, you can see a side discussion at > https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2020-11/msg00885.html > where we discussed highlighting the completion candidate > the same way whether the mouse pointer hovered over it, > or the cursor moved to its buffer position. > > That discussion also mentions another way to display > help-text using cursor-sensor-mode, i.e. after enabling it, > cursor-sensor-functions can detect when the cursor enters > the help-text property, then display it in the echo area. > >> 1] displaying value of link in echo area [the problem you are >> discussing -- don't let me derail it] with a short nonzero delay >> 2] doing so *for both cursor and mouse* -- too much futzing here >> 3] also doing other stuff -- also futzing >> >> other stuff includes maybe [or maybe not] showing function signature >> or docstrings in elisp buffers [possibly with longer delay], and >> showing the time span in number of days from now to the org timestamp >> at point or under mouse in any mode. > > This looks like the 5th possible way to implement this using eldoc, > in addition to tooltips, post-command-hook, help-at-pt, cursor-sensor-mode. > >> i have code for the last thing. the problem is figuring out making >> tooltips, eldoc, help-at-pt, or post-command-hook work with mouse >> and keyboard without verbose help-echo like in dired. also the >> major/minor modes and > > help-at-pt has an option to ignore verbose help-echo in dired. > post-command-hook can be enabled locally only in org-mode buffers. > I don't know how to do the same in eldoc. > >> i guess i am saying [back to topic] this is a bit complex and i wonder >> if a more orthogonal solution is called for? as some might want mouse >> activation also, and eldoc already shows elisp stuff. >> >> and another suggestion: org-link-minor-mode is what i might use to >> identify when to activate org links and timestamps. > > You mean to activate is to display their help-echo? > -- The Kafka Pandemic Please learn what misopathy is. https://thekafkapandemic.blogspot.com/2013/10/why-some-diseases-are-wronged.html