all messages for Emacs-related lists mirrored at yhetil.org
 help / color / mirror / code / Atom feed
blob 8520a978b889dd4f038d64eb194a78ea694f0fb9 32757 bytes (raw)
name: doc/emacs/windows.texi 	 # note: path name is non-authoritative(*)

  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  9
 10
 11
 12
 13
 14
 15
 16
 17
 18
 19
 20
 21
 22
 23
 24
 25
 26
 27
 28
 29
 30
 31
 32
 33
 34
 35
 36
 37
 38
 39
 40
 41
 42
 43
 44
 45
 46
 47
 48
 49
 50
 51
 52
 53
 54
 55
 56
 57
 58
 59
 60
 61
 62
 63
 64
 65
 66
 67
 68
 69
 70
 71
 72
 73
 74
 75
 76
 77
 78
 79
 80
 81
 82
 83
 84
 85
 86
 87
 88
 89
 90
 91
 92
 93
 94
 95
 96
 97
 98
 99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
 
@c This is part of the Emacs manual.
@c Copyright (C) 1985--1987, 1993--1995, 1997, 2000--2024 Free Software
@c Foundation, Inc.
@c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
@node Windows
@chapter Multiple Windows
@cindex windows in Emacs
@cindex multiple windows in Emacs

  Emacs can split a frame into two or many windows.  Multiple windows
can display parts of different buffers, or different parts of one
buffer.  Multiple frames always imply multiple windows, because each
frame has its own set of windows.  Each window belongs to one and only
one frame.

@menu
* Basic Window::        Introduction to Emacs windows.
* Split Window::        New windows are made by splitting existing windows.
* Other Window::        Moving to another window or doing something to it.
* Pop Up Window::       Finding a file or buffer in another window.
* Change Window::       Deleting windows and changing their sizes.
* Displaying Buffers::  How Emacs picks a window for displaying a buffer.
* Window Convenience::  Convenience functions for window handling.
* Tab Line::            Window tab line.
* Window Tool Bar::     A tool bar that is attached to windows.
@end menu

@node Basic Window
@section Concepts of Emacs Windows

  Each Emacs window displays one Emacs buffer at any time.  A single
buffer may appear in more than one window; if it does, any changes in
its text are displayed in all the windows where it appears.  But these
windows can show different parts of the buffer, because each window
has its own value of point.

@cindex selected window
  At any time, one Emacs window is the @dfn{selected window}; the
buffer this window is displaying is the current buffer.  On graphical
displays, the point is indicated by a solid blinking cursor in the
selected window, and by a hollow box in non-selected windows.  On text
terminals, the cursor is drawn only in the selected window.
@xref{Cursor Display}.

  Commands to move point affect the value of point for the selected
Emacs window only.  They do not change the value of point in other
Emacs windows, even those showing the same buffer.  The same is true
for buffer-switching commands such as @kbd{C-x b}; they do not affect
other windows at all.  However, there are other commands such as
@kbd{C-x 4 b} that select a different window and switch buffers in it.
Also, all commands that display information in a window, including
(for example) @kbd{C-h f} (@code{describe-function}) and @kbd{C-x C-b}
(@code{list-buffers}), usually work by displaying buffers in a
nonselected window without affecting the selected window.

  When multiple windows show the same buffer, they can have different
regions, because they can have different values of point.  However,
they all have the same value for the mark, because each buffer has
only one mark position.

  Each window has its own mode line, which displays the buffer name,
modification status and major and minor modes of the buffer that is
displayed in the window.  The selected window's mode line appears in a
different color.  @xref{Mode Line}, for details.

@node Split Window
@section Splitting Windows

@table @kbd
@item C-x 2
Split the selected window into two windows, one above the other
(@code{split-window-below}).
@item C-x 3
Split the selected window into two windows, positioned side by side
(@code{split-window-right}).
@item C-mouse-2
In the mode line of a window, split that window.
@end table

@kindex C-x 2
@findex split-window-below
  @kbd{C-x 2} (@code{split-window-below}) splits the selected window
into two windows, one above the other.  After splitting, the selected
window is the upper one, and the newly split-off window is below.
Both windows have the same value of point as before, and display the
same portion of the buffer (or as close to it as possible).  If
necessary, the windows are scrolled to keep point on-screen.  By
default, the two windows each get half the height of the original
window.  A positive numeric argument specifies how many lines to give
to the top window; a negative numeric argument specifies how many
lines to give to the bottom window.

@vindex split-window-keep-point
  If you change the variable @code{split-window-keep-point} to
@code{nil}, @kbd{C-x 2} instead adjusts the portion of the buffer
displayed by the two windows, as well as the value of point in each
window, in order to keep the text on the screen as close as possible
to what it was before; furthermore, if point was in the lower half of
the original window, the bottom window is selected instead of the
upper one.

@kindex C-x 3
@findex split-window-right
  @kbd{C-x 3} (@code{split-window-right}) splits the selected window
into two side-by-side windows.  The left window is the selected one;
the right window displays the same portion of the same buffer, and has
the same value of point.  A positive numeric argument specifies how
many columns to give the left window; a negative numeric argument
specifies how many columns to give the right window.

@vindex truncate-partial-width-windows
  When you split a window with @kbd{C-x 3}, each resulting window
occupies less than the full width of the frame.  If it becomes too
narrow, the buffer may be difficult to read if continuation lines are
in use (@pxref{Continuation Lines}).  Therefore, Emacs automatically
switches to line truncation if the window width becomes narrower than
50 columns.  This truncation occurs regardless of the value of the
variable @code{truncate-lines} (@pxref{Line Truncation}); it is
instead controlled by the variable
@code{truncate-partial-width-windows}.  If the value of this variable
is a positive integer (the default is 50), that specifies the minimum
total width for a partial-width window before automatic line
truncation occurs; if the value is @code{nil}, automatic line
truncation is disabled; and for any other non-@code{nil} value, Emacs
truncates lines in every partial-width window regardless of its width.
The total width of a window is in column units as reported by
@code{window-total-width} (@pxref{Window Sizes,,, elisp, The Emacs
Lisp Reference Manual}), it includes the fringes, the continuation and
truncation glyphs, the margins, and the scroll bar.

  On text terminals, side-by-side windows are separated by a vertical
divider which is drawn using the @code{vertical-border} face.

@kindex C-mouse-2 @r{(mode line)}
@kindex C-mouse-2 @r{(scroll bar)}
  If you click @kbd{C-mouse-2} in the mode line of a window, that
splits the window, putting a vertical divider where you click.
Depending on how Emacs is compiled, you can also split a window by
clicking @kbd{C-mouse-2} in the scroll bar, which puts a horizontal
divider where you click (this feature does not work when Emacs uses
GTK+ scroll bars).

@vindex window-resize-pixelwise
  By default, when you split a window, Emacs gives each of the
resulting windows dimensions that are an integral multiple of the
default font size of the frame.  That might subdivide the screen
estate unevenly between the resulting windows.  If you set the
variable @code{window-resize-pixelwise} to a non-@code{nil} value,
Emacs will give each window the same number of pixels (give or take
one pixel if the initial dimension was an odd number of pixels).  Note
that when a frame's pixel size is not a multiple of the frame's
character size, at least one window may get resized pixelwise even if
this option is @code{nil}.

@node Other Window
@section Using Other Windows

@table @kbd
@item C-x o
Select another window (@code{other-window}).
@item C-M-v
Scroll the next window upward (@code{scroll-other-window}).
@item C-M-S-v
Scroll the next window downward (@code{scroll-other-window-down}).
@item C-M-S-l
Recenter the next window (@code{recenter-other-window}).
@item mouse-1
@kbd{mouse-1}, in the text area of a window, selects the window and
moves point to the position clicked.  Clicking in the mode line
selects the window without moving point in it.
@end table

@kindex C-x o
@findex other-window
With the keyboard, you can switch windows by typing @kbd{C-x o}
(@code{other-window}).  That is an @kbd{o}, for ``other'', not a zero.
When there are more than two windows, this command moves through all the
windows in a cyclic order, generally top to bottom and left to right.
After the rightmost and bottommost window, it goes back to the one at
the upper left corner.  A numeric argument means to move several steps
in the cyclic order of windows.  A negative argument moves around the
cycle in the opposite order.  When the minibuffer is active, the
minibuffer window is the last window in the cycle; you can switch from
the minibuffer window to one of the other windows, and later switch
back and finish supplying the minibuffer argument that is requested.
@xref{Minibuffer Edit}.

@findex next-window-any-frame
The @code{other-window} command will normally only switch to the next
window in the current frame (unless otherwise configured).  If you
work in a multi-frame environment and you want windows in all frames
to be part of the cycle, you can rebind @kbd{C-x o} to the
@code{next-window-any-frame} command.  (@xref{Rebinding}, for how to
rebind a command.)

@kindex C-M-v
@findex scroll-other-window
@kindex C-M-S-v
@findex scroll-other-window-down
@kindex C-M-S-l
@findex recenter-other-window
  The usual scrolling commands (@pxref{Display}) apply to the selected
window only, but there are also commands to scroll the next window.
@kbd{C-M-v} (@code{scroll-other-window}) scrolls the window that
@kbd{C-x o} would select.  In other respects, the command behaves like
@kbd{C-v}; both move the buffer text upward relative to the window, and
take positive and negative arguments.  (In the minibuffer, @kbd{C-M-v}
scrolls the help window associated with the minibuffer, if any, rather
than the next window in the standard cyclic order; @pxref{Minibuffer
Edit}.)  @kbd{C-M-S-v} (@code{scroll-other-window-down}) scrolls the
next window downward in a similar way.  Likewise, @kbd{C-M-S-l}
(@code{recenter-other-window}) behaves like @kbd{C-l}
(@code{recenter-top-bottom}) in the next window.

@vindex mouse-autoselect-window
  If you set @code{mouse-autoselect-window} to a non-@code{nil} value,
moving the mouse over a different window selects that window.  This
feature is off by default.

@node Pop Up Window
@section Displaying in Another Window

@cindex selecting buffers in other windows
@kindex C-x 4
  @kbd{C-x 4} is a prefix key for a variety of commands that switch to
a buffer in a different window---either another existing window, or a
new window created by splitting the selected window.  @xref{Window
Choice}, for how Emacs picks or creates the window to use.

@table @kbd
@item C-x 4 b @var{bufname} @key{RET}
Select buffer @var{bufname} in another window
(@code{switch-to-buffer-other-window}).  @xref{Select Buffer}.

@findex display-buffer @r{(command)}
@item C-x 4 C-o @var{bufname} @key{RET}
@kindex C-x 4 C-o
Display buffer @var{bufname} in some window, without trying to select
it (@code{display-buffer}).  @xref{Displaying Buffers}, for details
about how the window is chosen.

@item C-x 4 f @var{filename} @key{RET}
Visit file @var{filename} and select its buffer in another window
(@code{find-file-other-window}).  @xref{Visiting}.

@item C-x 4 d @var{directory} @key{RET}
Select a Dired buffer for directory @var{directory} in another window
(@code{dired-other-window}).  @xref{Dired}.

@c Don't index @kbd{C-x 4 m} and @code{compose-mail-other-window}
@c here, they are indexed in sending.texi, in the "Sending Mail" node.
@item C-x 4 m
Start composing a mail message, similar to @kbd{C-x m} (@pxref{Sending
Mail}), but in another window (@code{compose-mail-other-window}).

@findex find-tag-other-window
@item C-x 4 .
Find the definition of an identifier, similar to @kbd{M-.}
(@pxref{Xref}), but in another window
(@code{xref-find-definitions-other-window}).

@item C-x 4 r @var{filename} @key{RET}
Visit file @var{filename} read-only, and select its buffer in another
window (@code{find-file-read-only-other-window}).  @xref{Visiting}.

@item C-x 4 4
A more general prefix command affects the buffer displayed by the next
command invoked immediately after this prefix command.  It requests
the buffer of the next command to be displayed in another window.

@item C-x 4 1
This general prefix command requests the buffer of the next command
to be displayed in the same window.
@end table

@node Change Window
@section Deleting and Resizing Windows

@cindex delete window
@cindex deleting windows
@table @kbd
@item C-x 0
Delete the selected window (@code{delete-window}).
@item C-x 1
Delete all windows in the selected frame except the selected window
(@code{delete-other-windows}).
@item C-x 4 0
Delete the selected window and kill the buffer that was showing in it
(@code{kill-buffer-and-window}).  The last character in this key
sequence is a zero.
@item C-x w 0 @key{RET} @var{buffer} @key{RET}
Delete windows showing the specified @var{buffer}.
@item C-x ^
Make selected window taller (@code{enlarge-window}).
@item C-x @}
Make selected window wider (@code{enlarge-window-horizontally}).
@item C-x @{
Make selected window narrower (@code{shrink-window-horizontally}).
@item C-x -
Shrink this window if its buffer doesn't need so many lines
(@code{shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer}).
@item C-x +
Balance the sizes of all the windows of the selected frame
(@code{balance-windows}).
@end table

@kindex C-x 0
@findex delete-window
  To delete the selected window, type @kbd{C-x 0}
(@code{delete-window}).  (That is a zero.)  Once a window is deleted,
the space that it occupied is given to an adjacent window (but not the
minibuffer window, even if that is active at the time).  Deleting the
window has no effect on the buffer it used to display; the buffer
continues to exist, and you can still switch to it with @kbd{C-x b}.
The option @code{delete-window-choose-selected} controls which
window is chosen as the new selected window instead (@pxref{Deleting
Windows,,, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}).

@findex kill-buffer-and-window
@kindex C-x 4 0
  @kbd{C-x 4 0} (@code{kill-buffer-and-window}) is a stronger command
than @kbd{C-x 0}; it kills the current buffer and then deletes the
selected window.

@kindex C-x 1
@findex delete-other-windows
  @kbd{C-x 1} (@code{delete-other-windows}) deletes all the windows,
@emph{except} the selected one; the selected window expands to use the
whole frame.  (This command cannot be used while the minibuffer window
is active; attempting to do so signals an error.)

  @kbd{M-x delete-windows-on} deletes windows that show a specific
buffer.  It prompts for the buffer, defaulting to the current buffer.
With prefix argument of zero, @kbd{C-u 0}, this command deletes
windows only on the current display's frames.

@cindex resize window
@cindex resizing windows
@kindex C-x ^
@findex enlarge-window
@kindex C-x @}
@vindex window-min-height
  The command @kbd{C-x ^} (@code{enlarge-window}) makes the selected
window one line taller, taking space from a vertically adjacent window
without changing the height of the frame.  With a positive numeric
argument, this command increases the window height by that many lines;
with a negative argument, it reduces the height by that many lines.
If there are no vertically adjacent windows (i.e., the window is at the
full frame height), that signals an error.  The command also signals
an error if you attempt to reduce the height of any window below a
certain minimum number of lines, specified by the variable
@code{window-min-height} (the default is 4).

@findex enlarge-window-horizontally
@findex shrink-window-horizontally
@vindex window-min-width
  Similarly, @kbd{C-x @}} (@code{enlarge-window-horizontally}) makes
the selected window wider, and @kbd{C-x @{}
(@code{shrink-window-horizontally}) makes it narrower.  These commands
signal an error if you attempt to reduce the width of any window below
a certain minimum number of columns, specified by the variable
@code{window-min-width} (the default is 10).

  Mouse clicks on the mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Mouse}) or on window
dividers (@pxref{Window Dividers}) provide another way to change window
heights and to split or delete windows.

@kindex C-x -
@findex shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
  @kbd{C-x -} (@code{shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer}) reduces the
height of the selected window, if it is taller than necessary to show
the whole text of the buffer it is displaying.  It gives the extra
lines to other windows in the frame.

@kindex C-x +
@findex balance-windows
  You can also use @kbd{C-x +} (@code{balance-windows}) to balance the
sizes of all the windows of the selected frame (with the exception of
the minibuffer window, @pxref{Minibuffer}).  This command makes each
horizontal pair of adjacent windows the same height, and each vertical
pair of adjacent windows the same width.

@node Displaying Buffers
@section Displaying a Buffer in a Window

  It is a common Emacs operation to display or pop up some buffer
in response to a user command.  There are several different ways in
which commands do this.

  Many commands, like @kbd{C-x C-f} (@code{find-file}), by default
display the buffer by ``taking over'' the selected window, expecting
that the user's attention will be diverted to that buffer.

  Some commands try to display intelligently, trying not to take
over the selected window, e.g., by splitting off a new window and
displaying the desired buffer there.  Such commands, which include the
various help commands (@pxref{Help}), work by calling
@code{display-buffer} internally.  @xref{Window Choice}, for details.

  Other commands do the same as @code{display-buffer}, and
additionally select the displaying window so that you can begin
editing its buffer.  The command @kbd{M-g M-n} (@code{next-error}) is
one example (@pxref{Compilation Mode}).  Such commands work by calling
the function @code{pop-to-buffer} internally.  @xref{Switching
Buffers,,Switching to a Buffer in a Window, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
Reference Manual}.

  Commands with names ending in @code{-other-window} behave like
@code{display-buffer}, except that they never display in the selected
window.  Several of these commands are bound in the @kbd{C-x 4} prefix
key (@pxref{Pop Up Window}).

  Commands with names ending in @code{-other-frame} behave like
@code{display-buffer}, except that they (i) never display in the
selected window and (ii) prefer to either create a new frame or use a
window on some other frame to display the desired buffer.  Several of
these commands are bound in the @kbd{C-x 5} prefix key.

@cindex dedicated window
  Sometimes, a window is ``dedicated'' to its current buffer.
@xref{Dedicated Windows,,, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
@code{display-buffer} will avoid reusing dedicated windows most of the
time.  This is indicated by a @samp{d} in the mode line (@pxref{Mode
Line}).  A window can also be strongly dedicated, which prevents any
changes to the buffer displayed in the window.  This is indicated by a
@samp{D} in the mode line.

Usually, dedicated windows are used to display specialized buffers,
but dedication can sometimes be useful interactively.  For example,
when viewing errors with @kbd{M-g M-n} @code{next-error}, newly
displayed source code may replace a buffer you want to refer to.  If
you dedicate a window to that buffer, the command (through
@code{display-buffer}) will prefer to use a different window instead.

@kindex C-x w d
@findex toggle-window-dedicated
  You can use the command @kbd{C-x w d} (@code{toggle-window-dedicated})
to toggle whether the selected window is dedicated to the current
buffer.  With a prefix argument, it makes the window strongly dedicated.

@menu
* Window Choice::   How @code{display-buffer} works.
* Temporary Displays::   Displaying non-editable buffers.
@end menu

@node Window Choice
@subsection How @code{display-buffer} works
@findex display-buffer@r{, detailed description}

The @code{display-buffer} command (as well as commands that call it
internally) chooses a window to display by following the steps given
below.  @xref{Choosing Window,,Choosing a Window for Displaying a
Buffer, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}, for details about how
to alter this sequence of steps.

@itemize
@item
If the buffer should be displayed in the selected window regardless of
other considerations, reuse the selected window.  By default, this
step is skipped, but you can tell Emacs not to skip it by adding a
regular expression matching the buffer's name together with a
reference to the @code{display-buffer-same-window} action function
(@pxref{Buffer Display Action Functions,,Action Functions for Buffer
Display, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}) to the option
@code{display-buffer-alist} (@pxref{Choosing Window,,Choosing a Window
for Displaying a Buffer, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}).
For example, to display the buffer @file{*scratch*} preferably in the
selected window write:

@example
@group
(setopt
 display-buffer-alist
 '(("\\*scratch\\*" (display-buffer-same-window))))
@end group
@end example

By default, @code{display-buffer-alist} is @code{nil}.

@item
Otherwise, if the buffer is already displayed in an existing window,
reuse that window.  Normally, only windows on the selected frame are
considered, but windows on other frames are also reusable if you use
the corresponding @code{reusable-frames} action alist entry
(@pxref{Buffer Display Action Alists,,Action Alists for Buffer
Display, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}).  See the
next step for an example of how to do that.

@item
Otherwise, optionally create a new frame and display the buffer there.
By default, this step is skipped.  To enable it, change the value of
the option @code{display-buffer-base-action} (@pxref{Choosing
Window,,Choosing a Window for Displaying a Buffer, elisp, The Emacs
Lisp Reference Manual}) as follows:

@example
@group
(setopt
 display-buffer-base-action
 '((display-buffer-reuse-window display-buffer-pop-up-frame)
   (reusable-frames . 0)))
@end group
@end example

This customization will also try to make the preceding step search for
a reusable window on all visible or iconified frames.

@item
Otherwise, try to create a new window by splitting a window on the
selected frame, and display the buffer in that new window.

@vindex split-height-threshold
@vindex split-width-threshold
@vindex split-window-preferred-direction
The split can be either vertical or horizontal, depending on the
variables @code{split-height-threshold} and
@code{split-width-threshold}.  These variables should have integer
values.  If @code{split-height-threshold} is smaller than the chosen
window's height, the split puts the new window below.  Otherwise, if
@code{split-width-threshold} is smaller than the window's width, the
split puts the new window on the right.  If neither condition holds,
Emacs tries to split so that the new window is below---but only if the
window was not split before (to avoid excessive splitting).  Whether
Emacs tries first to split vertically or horizontally, is
determined by the value of @code{split-window-preferred-direction}.

@item
Otherwise, display the buffer in a window previously showing it.
Normally, only windows on the selected frame are considered, but with
a suitable @code{reusable-frames} action alist entry (see above) the
window may be also on another frame.

@item
Otherwise, display the buffer in an existing window on the selected
frame.

@item
If all the above methods fail for whatever reason, create a new frame
and display the buffer there.
@end itemize


@node Temporary Displays
@subsection Displaying non-editable buffers.
@cindex temporary windows

Some buffers are shown in windows for perusal rather than for editing.
Help commands (@pxref{Help}) typically use a buffer called @file{*Help*}
for that purpose, minibuffer completion (@pxref{Completion}) uses a
buffer called @file{*Completions*}, etc.  Such buffers are usually
displayed only for a short period of time.

  Normally, Emacs chooses the window for such temporary displays via
@code{display-buffer}, as described in the previous subsection.  The
@file{*Completions*} buffer, on the other hand, is normally displayed
in a window at the bottom of the selected frame, regardless of the
number of windows already shown on that frame.

  If you prefer Emacs to display a temporary buffer in a different
fashion, customize the variable @code{display-buffer-alist}
(@pxref{Choosing Window,,Choosing a Window for Displaying a Buffer,
elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}) appropriately.  For example,
to display @file{*Completions*} always below the selected window, use
the following form in your initialization file (@pxref{Init File}):

@example
@group
(setopt
 display-buffer-alist
 '(("\\*Completions\\*" display-buffer-below-selected)))
@end group
@end example

@findex temp-buffer-resize-mode
  The @file{*Completions*} buffer is also special in the sense that
Emacs usually tries to make its window just as large as necessary to
display all of its contents.  To resize windows showing other
temporary displays, like, for example, the @file{*Help*} buffer, turn
on the minor mode (@pxref{Minor Modes}) @code{temp-buffer-resize-mode}
(@pxref{Temporary Displays,,Temporary Displays, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
Reference Manual}).

@vindex temp-buffer-max-height
@vindex temp-buffer-max-width
  The maximum size of windows resized by @code{temp-buffer-resize-mode}
can be controlled by customizing the options
@code{temp-buffer-max-height} and @code{temp-buffer-max-width}
(@pxref{Temporary Displays,,Temporary Displays, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
Reference Manual}), and cannot exceed the size of the containing frame.


@node Window Convenience
@section Convenience Features for Window Handling

@findex winner-mode
@vindex winner-dont-bind-my-keys
@vindex winner-ring-size
@vindex winner-boring-buffers
@vindex winner-boring-buffers-regexp
@cindex Winner mode
@cindex mode, Winner
@cindex undoing window configuration changes
@cindex window configuration changes, undoing
  Winner mode is a global minor mode that records the changes in the
window configuration (i.e., how the frames are partitioned into
windows), so that you can undo them.  You can toggle Winner mode
with @kbd{M-x winner-mode}, or by customizing the variable
@code{winner-mode}.  When the mode is enabled, @kbd{C-c left}
(@code{winner-undo}) undoes the last window configuration change.  If
you change your mind while undoing, you can redo the changes you had
undone using @kbd{C-c right} (@code{M-x winner-redo}).  To prevent
Winner mode from binding @kbd{C-c left} and @kbd{C-c right}, you can
customize the variable @code{winner-dont-bind-my-keys} to a
non-@code{nil} value.  By default, Winner mode stores a maximum of 200
window configurations per frame, but you can change that by modifying
the variable @code{winner-ring-size}.  If there are some buffers whose
windows you wouldn't want Winner mode to restore, add their names to
the list variable @code{winner-boring-buffers} or to the regexp
@code{winner-boring-buffers-regexp}.

  Follow mode (@kbd{M-x follow-mode}) synchronizes several windows on
the same buffer so that they always display adjacent sections of that
buffer.  @xref{Follow Mode}.

@cindex Windmove package
@cindex directional window selection
@findex windmove-right
@findex windmove-default-keybindings
@findex windmove-display-default-keybindings
@findex windmove-delete-default-keybindings
@findex windmove-swap-states-default-keybindings
  The Windmove package defines commands for moving directionally
between neighboring windows in a frame.  @kbd{M-x windmove-right}
selects the window immediately to the right of the currently selected
one, and similarly for the left, up, and down counterparts.
@code{windmove-default-keybindings} binds these commands to
@kbd{S-right} etc.; doing so disables shift selection for those keys
(@pxref{Shift Selection}).  In the same way as key bindings can be
defined for commands that select windows directionally, you can use
@code{windmove-display-default-keybindings} to define keybindings for
commands that specify in what direction to display the window for the
buffer that the next command is going to display.  Also there is
@code{windmove-delete-default-keybindings} to define keybindings for
commands that delete windows directionally, and
@code{windmove-swap-states-default-keybindings} that defines
key bindings for commands that swap the window contents of the selected
window with the window in the specified direction.

  The command @kbd{M-x compare-windows} lets you compare the text
shown in different windows.  @xref{Comparing Files}.

@vindex scroll-all-mode
@cindex scrolling windows together
@cindex Scroll-all mode
@cindex mode, Scroll-all
  Scroll All mode (@kbd{M-x scroll-all-mode}) is a global minor mode
that causes scrolling commands and point motion commands to apply to
every single window.


@node Tab Line
@section Window Tab Line

@findex global-tab-line-mode
@cindex tab line
  The command @code{global-tab-line-mode} toggles the display of
a @dfn{tab line} on the top screen line of each window.  The Tab Line
shows special buttons (``tabs'') for each buffer that was displayed in
a window, and allows switching to any of these buffers by clicking the
corresponding button.  Clicking on the @kbd{+} icon adds a new buffer
to the window-local tab line of buffers, and clicking on the @kbd{x}
icon of a tab deletes it.  The mouse wheel on the tab line scrolls
the tabs horizontally.

  Touch screen input (@pxref{Other Input}) can also be used to
interact with the ``tab line''.  Long-pressing (@pxref{Touchscreens})
a tab will display a context menu with items that operate on the tab
that was pressed; tapping a tab itself will result in switching to
that tab's buffer, and tapping a button on the tab line will behave as
if it was clicked with @kbd{mouse-1}.

Selecting the previous window-local tab is the same as typing @kbd{C-x
@key{LEFT}} (@code{previous-buffer}), selecting the next tab is the
same as @kbd{C-x @key{RIGHT}} (@code{next-buffer}).  Both commands
support a numeric prefix argument as a repeat count.

You can customize the variable @code{tab-line-tabs-function} to define
the preferred contents of the tab line.  By default, it displays all
buffers previously visited in the window, as described above.  But you
can also set it to display a list of buffers with the same major mode
as the current buffer, or to display buffers grouped by their major
mode, where clicking on the mode name in the first tab displays a list
of all major modes where you can select another group of buffers.

Note that the Tab Line is different from the Tab Bar (@pxref{Tab Bars}).
Whereas tabs on the Tab Bar at the top of each frame are used to
switch between window configurations containing several windows with buffers,
tabs on the Tab Line at the top of each window are used to switch
between buffers in the window.

Also note that the tab line displays in the same space as the window
tool bar, so only one of them can be displayed at any given time, unless
you customize the value of @code{tab-line-format} in Lisp to add
@w{@code{(:eval (tab-line-format))}} to @code{tab-line-format}.
@xref{Mode Line Format,,, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.


@node Window Tool Bar
@section Window Tool Bar

@cindex window tool bar
@cindex mode, window tool bar
@cindex tool bar, attached to window

@findex global-window-tool-bar-mode
  The command @code{global-window-tool-bar-mode} toggles the display of
a tool bar at the top of each window.  When enabled, multiple windows
can display their own tool bar simultaneously.  To conserve space, a
window tool bar is hidden if there are no buttons to show, i.e. if
@code{tool-bar-map} is @code{nil}.

@findex window-tool-bar-mode
If you want to toggle the display of a window tool bar for only some
buffers, run the command @code{window-tool-bar-mode} in those buffers.
This is useful to put in a mode hook.  For example, if you want the window
tool bar to appear only for buffers that do not represent files and have
a custom tool bar, you could add the following code to your init file
(@pxref{Init File}):

@example
(add-hook 'special-mode-hook 'window-tool-bar-mode)
@end example

Emacs can also display a single tool bar at the top of frames
(@pxref{Tool Bars}).

Note that the window tool bar displays in the same space as the tab
line, so only one of them can be displayed at any given time, unless you
customize the value of @code{tab-line-format} to add @w{@code{(:eval
(window-tool-bar-string))}} to @code{tab-line-format}.  @xref{Mode Line
Format,,, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.

debug log:

solving 8520a978b88 ...
found 8520a978b88 in https://yhetil.org/emacs/CAPqtr1K1v5JCNBcQ1S7qLDmu7CQ=3tXxgJFrakuWCXJSj4MDPA@mail.gmail.com/
found 69f24ec192f in https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git
preparing index
index prepared:
100644 69f24ec192f21599b4036cc824a91e74e4a8a042	doc/emacs/windows.texi

applying [1/1] https://yhetil.org/emacs/CAPqtr1K1v5JCNBcQ1S7qLDmu7CQ=3tXxgJFrakuWCXJSj4MDPA@mail.gmail.com/
diff --git a/doc/emacs/windows.texi b/doc/emacs/windows.texi
index 69f24ec192f..8520a978b88 100644

Checking patch doc/emacs/windows.texi...
Applied patch doc/emacs/windows.texi cleanly.

index at:
100644 8520a978b889dd4f038d64eb194a78ea694f0fb9	doc/emacs/windows.texi

(*) Git path names are given by the tree(s) the blob belongs to.
    Blobs themselves have no identifier aside from the hash of its contents.^

Code repositories for project(s) associated with this external index

	https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git
	https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs/org-mode.git

This is an external index of several public inboxes,
see mirroring instructions on how to clone and mirror
all data and code used by this external index.