Re: Working with one buffer in two frames/windows

[Alan Mackenzie]

Hi, David and everybody else,

On Fri, Jul 11, 2008 at 12:55:59PM +0200, David Kastrup wrote:

> Hi,

> it is annoyingly impossible to keep working with two views of the same
> buffer.  For example, say that I have a file text.tex open in two frames
> since I want to work on two different locations of it via
> comparison/cut&paste/whatever.

Just a slight clarification: the problems are as bad with two views of a
file in two windows within one frame.

> Now I type M-x gnus RET, read news and quit again.  As a consequence, a
> totally unrelated buffer pops up.  And of course, when I get back the
> buffer again (which is not the default offered), the window point is
> lost and replaced by that of the other frame that is still on.

> That is quite a nuisance.

I disagree somewhat on this point.  It is an enormous pain in the cdr,
not "quite a nuisance".

> Are there some ways to make a two-view setup less ephemeral?

I'd like to throw the following idea into the ring for discussion:

Change the 'buffer-list' frame parameter (page "Buffer Parameters" in the
elisp manual) from:

    `buffer-list'
         A list of buffers that have been selected in this frame, ordered
         most-recently-selected first.

to:

    `buffer-list'
         A list of information about buffers that have been selected in this
         frame, ordered most-recently-selected first.  There is one entry
         for each buffer, which looks like this:  (BUFFER, POINT, .....)

, where "...." needs to be thought about.  Possibly it could contain
details of the window size, and where in the window point is.  This
information would then be used by C-x k, C-x 4 b, and the like.

> David Kastrup

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).