Manipulating the modeline

Manipulating the modeline

[Joakim Hove]

Hello,

my modeline currently displays the name of the buffer I am
editing/viewing. Is it possibly to change this to include the full path
to the file (if the buffer is bound to a file)?

Regards

Joakim

Re: Manipulating the modeline

[Chris McMahan]

As far as I know, the variable you change is
mode-line-buffer-identification

Here's how I set it for path and file name in the modeline
  (setq-default mode-line-buffer-identification
    '("%S:"(buffer-file-name "%f")))

This has the unwanted side effect of forcing a file name even for
modes that do not involve a specific file (like gnus). It might be a
good place to start looking, however.

- Chris



"Joakim Hove" <joakim.hove@gmail.com> writes:

> Hello,
>
> my modeline currently displays the name of the buffer I am
> editing/viewing. Is it possibly to change this to include the full path
> to the file (if the buffer is bound to a file)?
>
> Regards
>
> Joakim
>

-- 
     (.   .)
  =ooO=(_)=Ooo=====================================
  Chris McMahan | first_initiallastname@one.dot.net
  =================================================

Re: Manipulating the modeline

[Denis Bueno]

On 19 Oct 2006 04:06:52 -0700, Joakim Hove <joakim.hove@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> my modeline currently displays the name of the buffer I am
> editing/viewing. Is it possibly to change this to include the full path
> to the file (if the buffer is bound to a file)?

The following doesn't really answer your exact question, but it might
be relevant. Because the filename of an arbitrary file might be really
long (in which case putting the entire path to it in the mode-line
might have undesirable consequences), you might try one of two
"workarounds":

1.  Put the following in your custom-set-variables:

'(uniquify-buffer-name-style (quote forward) nil (uniquify))

This will cause buffers with the same filename but distinct locations
on the filesystem to have their names "uniquified" so that distinct
files have distinct names. If you open two Makefiles, one under proj1
and another under proj2, the displayed buffer names will be
"proj1/Makefile" and "proj2/Makefile" so you can till which is which.

2. If you need to know exactly where a file resides when you're
visiting its buffer, type M-x pwd. This will let you know.

Hope this info is useful.

-Denis

Re: Manipulating the modeline

[Kevin Rodgers]

[Please don't top-post.]

Chris McMahan wrote:
> As far as I know, the variable you change is
> mode-line-buffer-identification
> 
> Here's how I set it for path and file name in the modeline
>   (setq-default mode-line-buffer-identification
>     '("%S:"(buffer-file-name "%f")))
> 
> This has the unwanted side effect of forcing a file name even for
> modes that do not involve a specific file (like gnus). It might be a
> good place to start looking, however.

What is "%S"?  My version only documents "%s", the buffer's process
status.  But I don't know why the (buffer-file-name "%f") entry displays
anything for buffers visiting a file.  What file name could it display?

> "Joakim Hove" <joakim.hove@gmail.com> writes:
> 
>> Hello,
>>
>> my modeline currently displays the name of the buffer I am
>> editing/viewing. Is it possibly to change this to include the full path
>> to the file (if the buffer is bound to a file)?

(setq-default mode-line-buffer-identification
	      '(buffer-file-name "%f" "%b"))

or

(setq-default mode-line-buffer-identification
	      '(buffer-file-name
		(:eval (propertized-buffer-identification "%f"))
		(:eval (propertized-buffer-identification "%b"))))

-- 
Kevin