Re: The window-pub branch

[martin rudalics]

> ..., let application pass a label along
> with the buffer.
>
> For example, ediff could label its buffers 'ediff-A and 'ediff-B,
> which would point to entries such as:
>
>  (setq display-buffer-names '(
>    ((ediff-A) <specifiers>)
>    ((ediff-B) <specifiers>)
>    ...
>  ))

This is problematic in some respects:

(1) ediff must not set `display-buffer-names' directly, it's a user
    option.  So I would have to provide two additional shadow variables
    and merge in their values in `display-buffer'.

(2) I would have to decide what happens when different applications work
    on, for example, groups of files with the same extension and want to
    display the respective buffers in different locations of the screen.

(3) One and the same application might want to display one and the same
    buffer in different ways.  Typical examples are the -other-window
    and -other-frame postfixed commands.  I could also imagine some ad
    hoc decisions based on the actual size of the buffer or other buffer
    local values.

I could imagine setting the values of these variables in a buffer-local
fashion which would still not DTRT when two applications try to display
one and the same buffer in different locations.

> I guess, for emacs' own packages there is no problem as you can
> have the entries pre-configured.  For other packages you might
> invent some method that allows them to add entries on the fly
> when they are first installed.

Would your really allow "other packages" mess with user options?

> Indeed, but for the sole reason to completely ignore what the application
> wants and instead let ewm show buffers where the user wants ;)

It will take us some time to get there.

> Free users!  No power to applications!

Is ewm a user or an application?

martin