Re: Global bar to display global information

[Nicolas Martyanoff]

chad <address@hidden> writes:

> On Aug 16, 2011, at 1:54 PM, Jérémy Compostella wrote:
>
>> As long as I know, header-line-format is buffer related and not frame
>> related.  Am I wrong ?
>
> It is buffer- and not frame-associated, yes.  I was suggesting that
> you consider building a way to have only the topmost window in a given
> frame display the header-line.  This might be tricky in general, but
> since you're using a desktop system of your own creation, it seems
> likely to be easier for you.
But if you're using elscreen, the header-line is already used to display
the list of screens, right ?

>> What is this Ted's `Emacs as a Desktop Environment' you are talking
>> about ?
>
> Some developers are pursing the idea of moving all of the `important'
> parts of the desktop environment inside emacs, or at least inside
> emacs' easy reach.  This includes `desktop widgets' and an associated
> `dock', that would be in specialized frames/windows. It's closer to
> Thien-Thi Nguyen's idea of a `special messages buffer' than your
> `global mode-line', but it could easily serve both purposes, and other
> more gui-based uses as well. You can read the discussion (from
> emacs-devel archives) starting here:
>
>>> http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2011-05/msg00746.html
While this project is really interesting, it seems an order of magnitude
more complex than adding an optional per-frame status window.

I have no idea about the complexity about adding this feature; there's
already a mini-buffer window which behaves in some aspects like a status
bar (split-independant width, fixed position, no mode line), so I
believe it would be possible to add a status bar just under (or above)
the minibuffer without modifying a ton of code.

Would someone know if it's possible to do it in emacs lisp, without
modifying the C code ? It would make developement much easier.

-- 
Nicolas Martyanoff
   http://codemore.org
   address@hidden