Re: emacs.desktop non-functional

[Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>]

> From: ken <gebser@mousecar.com>
> Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2016 21:35:29 -0400
> 
> > I asked the questions and hoped that I will get detailed answers.
> > Like how do you invoke Emacs, in which directory, etc.  This is
> > important information that is supposed to lead to the problem.
> 
> There's an icon in the Applications menu that I click on when I have to. 
>   But "emacs" is also in that group of applications which gnome starts 
> automatically.

In what directory does Emacs start when you do any of these?

Also, if you start it by typing "emacs &" from a shell prompt, when
your current directory is the one of the .emacs.desktop file, does
Emacs restore all the buffers in that .emacs.desktop file?

> >> "Use the desktop library to save the state of Emacs from one session to
> >> another. Once you save the Emacs desktop—the buffers, their file names,
> >> major modes, buffer positions, and so on—then subsequent Emacs sessions
> >> reload the saved desktop. By default, the desktop also tries to save the
> >> frame and window configuration...."
> >>
> >> It doesn't do any of that.
> 
> Does your emacs do all of that?

Yes.

> > Please note that the manual on-line is for version 24.5, whereas you
> > have 24.3.  So not all of what is described is supposed to be working
> > in your version.  Perhaps consider upgrading to 24.5.
> 
> The functionality is the same, so it's not necessary for that sreason.

I don't understand what you are saying here.  In Emacs 24.5, frame and
window configuration is also saved and restored, which doesn't happen
in 24.3.  So the text you quote above is only accurate for the version
later than what you have.  Emacs 24.3 is not supposed to restore the
frames and windows from the last session, only the buffers.  (AFAIU,
it doesn't do even that in your case.)

> > What if you invoke desktop-read by hand -- does that restore the
> > previous session's buffers?
> 
> No.  No new buffers, just all the same ones which were already opened.
> 
> The minibuffer says "Warning: desktop file appears to be in use by PID 
> 4074.  Using it may cause conflicts.  Use it anyway?"  PID 4074 doesn't 
> exist... probably from a crashed session.

I do see PID 4074 in the list of processes you show, see the last
line:

  $ ps -ef|grep emacs
  xx        2887  2453  0 Mar17 ?        00:00:00 /usr/bin/emacs --smid=1019c4f12271782266145082947974782600000023660023 --no-splash 
  --chdir=/home/zl --daemon
  xx        2944  2453  0 Mar17 ?        00:00:00 emacsclient -c --alternate-editor=
  xx        2951  2944  0 Mar17 ?        00:00:00 emacs --daemon
  xx        3100  2951  0 Mar17 ?        00:00:00 emacs --daemon
  xx        3101  2887  0 Mar17 ?        00:00:00 /usr/bin/emacs --smid=1019c4f12271782266145082947974782600000023660023 --no-splash --chdir=/home/zl --daemon
  xx        4074  2687  0 09:26 ?        00:00:25 emacs
            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

> Did some testing.  When I open a new buffer and type somethign in it but 
> before saving the buffer to a file, the buffer name is not to be found 
> in any of the emacs.desktop files.
> 
> If I then save taht buffer to a file, still nothing-- neither the buffer 
> name nor its filename-- is saved to any emacs.desktop file.
> 
> So I'm guessing then that if the system suddenly goes down at this 
> point, there will be no record in .emacs.desktop of that newly opened 
> file.  (This is actually the initial case I'm wondering about.)  Is that 
> how it works for you as well?

It does, but it isn't supposed to in Emacs 24.3.  In Emacs 24.4, a
feature was added whereby the desktop file is auto-saved every now and
then, so it will be restored after a crash.  Before that, Emacs would
only save the data when it exited, and when you manually invoked
desktop-save.

> This might be strange too:
> 
> $ ps -ef|grep emacs
> xx        2887  2453  0 Mar17 ?        00:00:00 /usr/bin/emacs 
> --smid=1019c4f12271782266145082947974782600000023660023 --no-splash 
> --chdir=/home/zl --daemon
> xx        2944  2453  0 Mar17 ?        00:00:00 emacsclient -c 
> --alternate-editor=
> xx        2951  2944  0 Mar17 ?        00:00:00 emacs --daemon
> xx        3100  2951  0 Mar17 ?        00:00:00 emacs --daemon
> xx        3101  2887  0 Mar17 ?        00:00:00 /usr/bin/emacs 
> --smid=1019c4f12271782266145082947974782600000023660023 --no-splash 
> --chdir=/home/zl --daemon
> xx        4074  2687  0 09:26 ?        00:00:25 emacs
> 
> Isn't that a lot of processes for having just four files open?

Could be part of your problem.  Are all of these run by your user?
Which one of those is "the Emacs" which you know you are running?  You
could find this out by typing

  M-: (emacs-pid) RET