improved flymake code and doc provided by Derek Harland

1 files changed, 59 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/doc/flymake.txt b/doc/flymake.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1756833
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/flymake.txt
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+To enable flymake for python, insert the following into your .emacs ::
+
+    ;; Configure flymake for python
+    (setq pylint "epylint")
+    (when (load "flymake" t)
+      (defun flymake-pylint-init ()
+        (let* ((temp-file (flymake-init-create-temp-buffer-copy
+                           'flymake-create-temp-inplace))
+               (local-file (file-relative-name
+                            temp-file
+                            (file-name-directory buffer-file-name))))
+          (list (expand-file-name pylint "") (list local-file))))
+      (add-to-list 'flymake-allowed-file-name-masks
+                   '("\\.py\\'" flymake-pylint-init)))
+
+    ;; Set as a minor mode for python
+    (add-hook 'python-mode-hook '(lambda () (flymake-mode)))
+
+Above stuff is in pylint/elisp/pylint-flymake.el, which should be automatically
+installed on debian systems, in which cases you don't have to put it in your .emacs file.
+
+Other things you may find useful to set ::
+
+    ;; Configure to wait a bit longer after edits before starting
+    (setq-default flymake-no-changes-timeout '3)
+
+    ;; Keymaps to navigate to the errors
+    (add-hook 'python-mode-hook '(lambda () (define-key python-mode-map "\C-cn" 'flymake-goto-next-error)))
+    (add-hook 'python-mode-hook '(lambda () (define-key python-mode-map "\C-cp" 'flymake-goto-prev-error)))
+
+
+Finally, by default flymake only displays the extra information about the error when you
+hover the mouse over the highlighted line. The following will use the minibuffer to display
+messages when you the cursor is on the line.
+
+    ;; To avoid having to mouse hover for the error message, these functions make flymake error messages
+    ;; appear in the minibuffer
+    (defun show-fly-err-at-point ()
+      "If the cursor is sitting on a flymake error, display the message in the minibuffer"
+      (interactive)
+      (let ((line-no (line-number-at-pos)))
+        (dolist (elem flymake-err-info)
+          (if (eq (car elem) line-no)
+    	  (let ((err (car (second elem))))
+    	    (message "%s" (flymake-ler-text err)))))))
+
+    (add-hook 'post-command-hook 'show-fly-err-at-point)
+
+
+Alternative, if you only wish to pollute the minibuffer after an explicit flymake-goto-* then use
+the following instead of a post-command-hook
+
+    (defadvice flymake-goto-next-error (after display-message activate compile)
+      "Display the error in the mini-buffer rather than having to mouse over it"
+      (show-fly-err-at-point))
+
+    (defadvice flymake-goto-prev-error (after display-message activate compile)
+      "Display the error in the mini-buffer rather than having to mouse over it"
+      (show-fly-err-at-point))