Automatically scrolling message buffer.

Automatically scrolling message buffer.

[Nikolaj Schumacher]

Hi everyone,

does anyone know a way to keep the *Messages* buffer displaying the end
of the buffer?

Currently, I do:

(defun scroll-messages ()
  (let ((window (get-buffer-window "*Messages*")))
    (and window
         (not (equal window (selected-window)))
         (with-selected-window window
           (set-window-point nil (point-max))
           (recenter -1)))))

(run-with-timer .2 .2 'scroll-messages)

Any cleaner solutions?  (Unfortunately, buffer modification hooks don't
seem to be called.)


regards,
Nikolaj Schumacher

Re: Automatically scrolling message buffer.

[Peter Dyballa]

Am 17.03.2009 um 09:39 schrieb Nikolaj Schumacher:

> Any cleaner solutions?

Position the cursor at the buffer's end?

--
Mit friedvollen Grüßen

   Pete

Üblicherweise begehen Menschen beim Entwerfen vollkommen  
narrensicherer Dinge gerne den Fehler, das Genie des Volltrottels zu  
unterschätzen.

Re: Automatically scrolling message buffer.

[Nikolaj Schumacher]

Peter Dyballa <Peter_Dyballa@Web.DE> wrote:

> Am 17.03.2009 um 09:39 schrieb Nikolaj Schumacher:
>
>> Any cleaner solutions?
>
> Position the cursor at the buffer's end?

Indeed.  Emacs 23 to the rescue, once again.


regards,
Nikolaj Schumacher

Re: Automatically scrolling message buffer.

[Giorgos Keramidas]

On Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:39:11 +0100, Nikolaj Schumacher <me@nschum.de> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> does anyone know a way to keep the *Messages* buffer displaying the end
> of the buffer?
>
> Currently, I do:
>
> (defun scroll-messages ()
>   (let ((window (get-buffer-window "*Messages*")))
>     (and window
>          (not (equal window (selected-window)))
>          (with-selected-window window
>            (set-window-point nil (point-max))
>            (recenter -1)))))
>
> (run-with-timer .2 .2 'scroll-messages)
>
> Any cleaner solutions?  (Unfortunately, buffer modification hooks don't
> seem to be called.)

This might start becoming *very* annoying if you really want to scroll
upwards through a large *Messages* buffer.  A slightly less intrusive
way to do something similar would be to add a hook that fires up every
time you switch _to_ the *Messages* buffer.  This way every time you
switch away from the buffer and back to it, it scrolls down to the last
message, but if you move around while the buffer is active it doesn't
keep annoying you by jumping to the end of the buffer all the time.

Re: Automatically scrolling message buffer.

[Nikolaj Schumacher]

Giorgos Keramidas <keramida@ceid.upatras.gr> wrote:

> This might start becoming *very* annoying if you really want to scroll
> upwards through a large *Messages* buffer.

That's why I included:
(not (equal window (selected-window)))

> A slightly less intrusive
> way to do something similar would be to add a hook that fires up every
> time you switch _to_ the *Messages* buffer.

But that's not what I want.  I wanted to observe messages as they occur.


regards,
Nikolaj Schumacher

Re: Automatically scrolling message buffer.

[Giorgos Keramidas]

On Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:32:03 +0100, Nikolaj Schumacher <me@nschum.de> wrote:
>Giorgos Keramidas <keramida@ceid.upatras.gr> wrote:
>> This might start becoming *very* annoying if you really want to scroll
>> upwards through a large *Messages* buffer.
>
> That's why I included:
> (not (equal window (selected-window)))

Ah, my apologies then.  I misunderstood what you were trying to do :)

>> A slightly less intrusive
>> way to do something similar would be to add a hook that fires up every
>> time you switch _to_ the *Messages* buffer.
>
> But that's not what I want.  I wanted to observe messages as they occur.

This is a good idea for watching other sorts of non-selected windows
too.  Is there any chance we can convince you to write a minor mode that
can be enabled on visible but not active windows and fires up a timer
after a tunable interval?

This way we could, for example, enable `auto-scroll-minor-mode' on a
buffer, and let it take over.  The `auto-scroll-minor-mode' could
consult a buffer-local variable like `auto-scroll-timeout' every time it
is enabled and set up a timer that would scroll the specific buffer.

That would be very useful for other things too, i.e. watching log files :)

Re: Automatically scrolling message buffer.

[Bernardo]

> 
> That would be very useful for other things too, i.e. watching log files :)
> 
> 
isn't auto-revert-mode/auto-revert-tail-mode doing this already?

Re: Automatically scrolling message buffer.

[Giorgos Keramidas]

On Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:49:45 +1100, Bernardo <bernardo.bacic@pobox.com> wrote:
>>
>> That would be very useful for other things too, i.e. watching log files :)
>
> isn't auto-revert-mode/auto-revert-tail-mode doing this already?

Danm, and there I was, thinking for a moment I had an original idea!

Oh well, since this not the first time this happens with Emacs, I guess
it's ok :)