Re: https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/efaq/Fullscreen-mode-on-GNU-Linux.html

[Corwin Brust <corwin@bru.st>]

Hi David

On Tue, Sep 26, 2023 at 3:06 PM David Hedlund <public@beloved.name> wrote:
>
>
> On 9/26/23 21:11, Emanuel Berg wrote:
>
> David Hedlund wrote:
>
> So my original email suggest a complete solution, is this
> something we can add to a new page,
> https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/efaq/Fullscreen-mode-on-GNU-Linux.html
> and then update it with improved solutions in the future?
>

AFAIK the HTML pages representing the online Emacs manual are defined
within the sources for the manual, itself.  IOW, to add a "page" for
this would entail creating a new manual section, at which the new page
would appear when new HTML versions of the manual are published, along
with some subsequent release of Emacs (say, the next major version, if
the change was made in the development branch).

>
> Subject URL was new for me if nothing else :P
>
> Methods to always maximize `emacs` (for example, from Alt+F2 in MATE), without the slightly distracting visual effect when the default frame size is growing to fullscreen. The window will be maximized quickly, like "emacs --maximize".
>

This seems like very helpful information.  As a precursor --or even an
alternative-- to proposing a patch to the manual to provide these
examples, what would you think of adding this into the EmacsWiki?   I
believe it is not unheard of to link from the manual to EmacsWiki,
thus you could potentially simplify the patch involved by proposing
adding some minimal explanation and a link (rather than
providing/motivating a patch adding -e.g.- a section).

>
> GNU/Linux - proposed new section: https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/efaq/Fullscreen-mode-on-GNU-Linux.html
>
>
> As far as I know, this cannot be done entirely with Emacs LISP for GNU/Linux, but I found a workaround by combining it with devilspie2.
>
>
> I've successfully used this recipe for Trisquel 11:
>
> * Step 1 to quickly maximize the window[1]: Install, configure, and autostart devilspie2 to nearly maximize emacs[1]. Run this in a terminal or as a script:
>
> # Install devilspie2
> sudo apt-get -y install devilspie2
>
> # Configure devilspie2
> mkdir -p ~/.config/devilspie2/
>
> width="$(xrandr --current | grep '*' | uniq | awk '{print $1}' | cut -d 'x' -f1)"
> height="$(xrandr --current | grep '*' | uniq | awk '{print $1}' | cut -d 'x' -f2)"
>
> tee ~/.config/devilspie2/emacs.lua /dev/null << EOF
> if (get_class_instance_name() == "emacs") then
>
>     set_window_geometry(0, 0, $width, $height);
>
> end
> EOF
>
> # Autostart devilspie2
> mkdir -p "$HOME/.config/autostart/" # The directory does not exist by default
> cd "$HOME/.config/autostart/" || exit
> file="devilspie-2.desktop"
> touch "$file"
> desktop-file-edit \
> --set-name="Devilspie 2" \
> --set-comment="Perform scripted actions on windows as they are created" \
> --set-key="Type" --set-value="Application" \
> --set-key="Exec" --set-value="devilspie2" \
> --set-key="X-MATE-Autostart-Delay" --set-value="0" \
> "$file"
> desktop-file-validate "$file"
>
> * Step 2 to quickly maximize the window[1]: Add this to ~/.emacs: (add-to-list 'default-frame-alist '(fullscreen . maximized))
> * Log out and then log back into your desktop environment
> * Every time you open `emacs`, regardless how you are opening it, it will open the window equally fast as `emacs --maximize`
>
> [1]: Workaround to bug: maximize* commands don't work for Emacs - https://savannah.nongnu.org/bugs/index.php?63979
>
>
>
> The above steps can of course be rewritten and described for general use to make it useful for any GNU/Linux distro.

Thanks for figuring all this out!

Corwin