Re: Jumping to C source from *Help*

[Stefan Monnier]

>       What I need to change (in order to fix umpteen bugs that
>     only show up in setups such as mine) is that switch-to-buffer doesn't
>     signal an error but does something else instead.

> If the "something else instead" is switching to another existing
> window, I feel this is contradictory to the purpose of
> switch-to-buffer.

AFAIk, the purpose of C-x b is to say "I don't need to see the
current buffer right now and I'd like to see buffer FOO instead".
As for switch-to-buffer when called from packages, it very often means "show
this buffer to the user" (and could thus use pop-to-buffer instead, except
the package author doesn't have enough of a clue) and other times it means
"show this buffer to the user in the current window", but without making
any provision for the possibility of an error, thus assuming that somehow
the buffer will be shown to the user.

On what experience do you base your assessment of "contradictory"?
Maybe the situation you're thinking of and the situation I (and Kim and
Drew and several of my friends here) live with can be reconciled?

> But I don't see how you could make the change you
> want and avoid sometimes switching to another existing window.

By creating a new window?
[ At least if that's what the user wants.  I'd also be perfectly happy as
  a user if switch-to-buffer sometimes used some existing window instead
  of signalling an error. ]


        Stefan