[TxMt] setting options on document open/close

[Eric Peden]

On Wed, Sep 21, 2005 at 09:56:01PM +0200, Sune Foldager wrote:
>On 20/09/2005, at 10.57, Eric Peden wrote:
>>I've started using tm_wait as my mutt editor, and have been working on
>>an email bundle to make editing mail easier in TextMate. I've finally
>>got automatic hard-wrapping working
>
>Curious.. why would you want this (hard wrap)? Doesn't mutt wrap  
>outgoing mails itself? Surely it must do so if it adheres to the SMTP  
>and MIME standards? Automated is also a half solution anyway, as it  
>will mess up if you go back and correct.

Mutt (rightly so, in my opinion) considers text-wrapping to be the
domain of the text editor. For example, if I'm posting, say, a log
file, or a Makefile output, or source code, I need to be in control
of the wrapping. There are times when it's important to include an
extra-long line, especially when you're trying to include verbatim text
that wasn't necessarily intended for inclusion in an e-mail. If mutt
auto-wrapped, it would mangle the text and I'd never even know it was
happening. By respecting the text given to it by the editor, mutt avoids
this switcheroo on the user.

You're correct in pointing out that hard wrapped text can cause problems
during editing... but that's what I use TM's "Reformat paragraph"
command for. ;) The problem with auto-wrapping the text after it's
written is that, sometimes, you don't want the text auto-wrapped (see my
explanation above, and consider short bulleted lists as another
example). By re-wrapping paragraphs on hitting return, I get automatic
wrapping when I need it, i.e., most of the time. When I *don't* want a
paragraph wrapped in TextMate, I just press option-return: this bypasses
my wrap command and gives me a hard line break. Best of both worlds.

-- 
eric
  The air is so hot, and my breath comes fast. I thumb the cool blade,
  but I know this can't last