Re: The window-pub branch

[Štěpán Němec]

martin rudalics <address@hidden> writes:

>>> Moreover, I now allow to split internal windows like a frame's root
>>> window too, so the new window can appear at an arbitrary side of the
>>> frame.  In that case, talking about a `split-height-threshold' hardly
>>> makes sense.
>>
>> Um, I don't understand. AIUI you can only split a live window, and the
>> only internal window that can be live is the root window as the only
>> window on a frame, right? So what does "arbitrary side of the frame"
>> mean? When you have a single window, you can split it horizontally or
>> vertically, but that's about it. What am I missing?
>
> `split-window' can split an arbitrary window.  My
> `display-buffer-regexps', for example, contains the entry
>
> (("ChangeLog.*")
>   same-frame
>   (reuse-buffer-window)
>   (new-window
>    (root . below))
>   (min-height . 6)
>   (min-width . 60)
>   (adjust-height . 8))
>
> so I can run ediff in side-by-side windows and edit a ChangeLog within
> one and the same frame without disrupting the ediff setup.

Ah! Although the `root' parameter is mentioned in the documentation, I
didn't really understand its effects. I think adding something like the
example and comment above would help (the section is already long, but
it's loaded with information and only includes one simple example;
actually, adding a new section to the Emacs manual on customizing buffer
display with some more examples (or at least expanding the current
section and referring to it from a prominent place in the user manual)
would probably be even better, as this is really of at least as much
interest to users as it is to developers/Elisp authors.)

> Or, you can make sure that your completions always appear in a window on
> the right of the frame by adding something like
>
> (("*Completions*")
>   same-frame
>   (reuse-buffer-window)
>   (new-window
>    (root . right)))
>
> to `display-buffer-names'.  And, since I'm able to display a buffer on
> an arbitrary side of a window I can write
>
> (("*Choices*")
>   same-frame
>   (reuse-buffer-window)
>   (new-window
>    (selected . above)))
>
> and have ispell use `display-buffer' for the *Choices* buffer.  This
> means that people who want to see the *Choices* buffer on a separate  
> frame can do so by simply customizing `display-buffer-names'.

Thank you for the explanation!

  Štěpán