Andre Poenitz wrote:
>
> > cursor position -- hard to explain/draw cursor-at-the-left-of-base vs.
> >.
>
> I am thinking about a special box around "current inset" - something not
> too visible - maybe with 'linen' colour. So one gets a hint where the
> cursor really is.
Interesting.
For "$foo{X_{s}}bar$", that would mean:
* cursor to the left of "X_{s}" -> whole formula highlighted
* cursor to the left of "X" -> just "X" highlighted
There's no case where "X_{s}" gets highlighed, so there's no indication
that it's treated as a unit. But you *could* play loose and not adhere
precisely to the inset structure: things would look OK if you highlight
"X_{s}" instead of just "X" in the second case. Doesn't solve the extra
cursor movement problem, though.
Pracital problem: can't rely on fine color distinctions, some people
have bad screens (laptops) or run in 256 color modes. On the other hand,
the highlight of the whole formula turns off and on when you enter an
inset, so a strong color difference may be nauseating. Can draw a frame
instead, or something of the sorts.
About semantics, BTW, what's wrong with the current (and TeX's) implicit
"the base is the first thing to the left"? While the representation is
not explicit, the semantics are well-defined and easy to retrieve and
that's the important part.
Regards,
Eran Tromer
