[gedit-list] feature suggestion: check for file modification

[Seb Wills <saw27 mrao cam ac uk>]

I would like to suggest that gedit checks for modification "behind its 
back" of files on disk it has open for editing (I use 'open' in a loose 
sense). I sometimes leave open gedit instances with files open, and 
meanwhile edit the same files using other editors or from other computers. 
There is then a grave risk of going back to the original gedit and 
inadvertantly continuing to work on the old version, ultimately 
overwriting all the intermediate changes made.

If you make a change to a file which has changed on disk since gedit 
loaded it or last saved it, I'd like gedit to pop up a message asking 
whether to reload from disk or continue editing the currently loaded 
version. Emacs has a similar warning in this situation. Ideally gedit 
should give a stronger warning when the file in question has accumulated 
unsaved changes in gedit as well, since then at least one set of changes 
must get thrown away. If the file has not been changed in gedit since last 
save, then 'Reload' should be  recommended.

(I think that notifying the user of the situation when they try to edit 
the file in question would be better than popping up a message as soon as 
a file change is detected. The latter could get messy when you have lots 
of files open several of which change on disk).

seb