Re: Long buffer names in buffer menu

[Adam Beneschan <adam@irvine.com>]

On Oct 20, 2:52 pm, "B. T. Raven" <ni...@nihilo.net> wrote:
> Adam Beneschan wrote:
> > Hi,
>
> > I've just started using EMACS 22 on Ubuntu (previously was using 20 on
> > another system), and I've run into a frustrating problem...
>
> > When I bring up the electric buffer list, long file names are
> > truncated (with : at the end of the name).  This is a problem for me
> > since I'm used to using long source file names, and I sometimes work
> > with multiple files whose names are different only after the point
> > where EMACS truncates them.  So if I'm working with two or more such
> > files, the names appear the same in the electric buffer list and I
> > don't know which one to select.  I can't find any function that would
> > display the full, untruncated buffer name somewhere while remanining
> > in the buffer list so that I can pick the correct one.  Is there a
> > function like that, or could one be written simply?  (I'm pretty
> > experienced at writing my own Lisp functions, so if someone has some
> > code for something like this I could get it working.)
>
> > Thanks for any help you can provide.
>
> >                              -- thanks, Adam
>
> Look at the uniquify- family of functions (especially the reverse
> style), or Options >  use directory names in buffer names, or
> buffers-menu-show-directories variable. If you really have buffer names
> based on very long file names (part after last slash in fully qualified
> path) then you might want to comment out the truncate-lines setq in
> ebuff-menu.el I don't know if this is a good idea but Emacs is robust
> enough that if that doesn't work, you could later set it back by using
> touch -r on ebuff-menu.el to set its times back to something earlier
> than ebuff-menu.elc
>
> Ed

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions; unfortunately, nothing seems
to have worked so far.  Yes, the buffer names are based on long file
names *after* the last slash (directory names aren't an issue).  And
using shorter file names is not an option.

I tried using '+' and '-' as suggested by Drew but didn't get
anywhere.  First of all, which + and - did this refer to: the ones on
the numeric keypad, or the "normal" ones?  Anyway, I tried both and
neither worked, but if you can tell me which what functions those are
supposed to be bound to, I could set up something to bind those keys
(or some other keys) and maybe get it to work.  I don't have mouse
capability, by the way.

I don't have ebuff-menu.el.  When I downloaded this via Ubuntu's
package manager, it gave me ebuff-menu.elc but not the .el file.

I'm now thinking that I'll have to track down ebuff-menu.el myself and
take a look at it; if I can do that and figure out how it works,
perhaps I can just write a function that does what I need.  (Really,
just setting up a key that would display the full buffer name in the
minibuffer would be sufficient.)

Once again, thanks.

                                           -- Adam