desktop

[Alex Schroeder <alex@emacswiki.org>]

I'm a bit confused by desktop.el as it is in Emacs CVS.  I'm using it
without using custom.  The documentation in the info manual says that
I can enable it by using the following in my .emacs file:

     (desktop-load-default)
     (desktop-read)

All I need to do then, according to the manual, is saving it manually
once using M-x desktop-save.  This has worked very well.  Recently,
however, I get the feeling that the info in my ~/.emacs.desktop file
is read upon startup, but never updated when I quit Emacs.  Unless I
save it manually.

Testing this in a subdirectory seems to confirm this.

The reason seems to be that desktop-kill tests the value of
desktop-enable, but that variable is nil on my system.

One solution might be to set it to t, and add it to
desktop-globals-to-save when desktop-save is called...  Calling
desktop-save would then write a desktop file which sets desktop-enable
to t, making the entire thing work again.

Perhaps simpler: We could fix the documentation and the commentary to
say that we need the following setup (if Customize is not used):

     (desktop-load-default)
     (desktop-read)
     (setq desktop-enable t)

I believe that the manual is wrong on another account as well:  It
says that one manual save is required, but it is not.  If the user
does not manually save the desktop, then Emacs will ask the user when
Emacs is killed whether the desktop should be saved.  Which is just
fine, I think.

If you agree with this, then I can change the documentation as
proposed.

Alex.
-- 
http://www.emacswiki.org/alex/
There is no substitute for experience.