I was wondering if there is a way in Emacs lisp to jump back to the last active window, just as popd would do in Linux?
The reason I ask is that in some environments for evaluating code (e.g. babel-repl) the editing area for the source code loses focus to the REPL once the REPL is launched. I'd like to change its behavior and switch the focus back to the editing area, e.g., by adding an additional command in elisp to jump back to the last active window before launching the REPL.
previous-window or get-mru-window should do what you want. You can then switch with
(select-window (previous-window))
If you are interested in switching just the active buffer, you can use:
(defun prev-window ()
(interactive)
(other-window -1))
(global-set-key [(f12)] 'prev-window)
(global-set-key "\C-cp" 'prev-window)
(global-set-key "\C-cn" 'other-window)
I have this in my ~/.emacs file. CTRL+C then p (or F12) to go to the previous buffer. CTRL+C then n to go to the next buffer. The function other-buffer lets you revisit the last visited buffer. By supplying a negative number you can reverse the order that it goes through the buffer list.
Related
How can I open a new window (for example using C-x 3) into a new buffer, rather than a mirrored buffer that just echoes what I type.
So for example, let's say I'm messing around with python and I want to run the script in the shell. As it is currently I do this: C-x 3, M-x shell and then start it up and running. I'd rather just C-x 3 and it automatically opens into shell. I'm really new to Emacs so I don't know where to look for this.
It sounds to me like this, or something similar, is what you are looking for:
(defun pop-to-buff-at-right (buffer)
"Pop to BUFFER at the right of the current window."
(interactive "B")
(pop-to-buffer buffer '(display-buffer-in-side-window
(side . right)
(inhibit-same-window . t))))
You do not want to just split the window, which is specifically about showing the same buffer twice. You want to switch to another buffer, but you want it to be displayed to the right of the current window.
In emacs it is easy to define custom commands and bind it to keys. For instance, if you add this to your init file:
(defun open-shell-at-left ()
(interactive) ;; Tell emacs this function can be called interactively
(split-window-right) ;; Just what C-x 3 does
(shell)) ;; Just what M-x shell does
(global-set-key (kbd "C-c 3") 'open-shell-at-left)
You will have what you want when you type C-c 3. In general, you can find documentation about what a key binding does by typing C-h k and the keybinding. From that point, it is easy to chain existing commands into new ones.
How do I move the cursor directly here
without a mouse?
In your current situation, you can use M-minusC-xo, or press C-xo twice. C-xo invokes the other-window function which moves the cursor to the next window, prefixing it with - moves it to the previous one.
This is a better way to select the minibuffer, regardless from where your point is set now, and won't do anything when there actually is no minibuffer.
I actually copied the answer (since this is a duplicate question) from Trey Jackson
(defun switch-to-minibuffer-window ()
"switch to minibuffer window (if active)"
(interactive)
(when (active-minibuffer-window)
(select-window (active-minibuffer-window))))
(global-set-key (kbd "<f7>") 'switch-to-minibuffer-window)
If you enable (windmove-default-keybindings) then you can select the minibuffer simply by typing S-<down> (to switch to the window below the one you're in) as many times as necessary.
I converted from Visual Studio to Emacs for most of my development (mainly due to switching programming languages). However, there is one cool feature of Visual Studio that I truly miss: Ctrl-Tab between "buffers".
The ctrl-tab that in Visual Studio is not the same as C-x b in Emacs. So, it's not just a keyboard mapping issue. Here are the features of my ideal Ctrl-Tab:
Hold down ctrl hit tab, you see the next buffer before you let go of ctrl.
There is no need to hit enter.
If this is not the buffer you want, hit tab again until you see the buffer you want.
The moment that ctrl is released, the buffer ring is updated. The next buffer in the ring is the buffer where you first pressed ctrl.
I've seen some Emacs plugins that try to simulate this behavior, but #4 is the most difficult. It seems like Emacs is unable to detect when the ctrl key is released. Instead, the code waits for the user to be in the buffer for a certain time or waits for a buffer to change..and then the buffer is added to the ring. It's different enough to really frustrate me and just never use my beloved ctrl-tab again. For now I just deal with C-x b. ido-mode makes C-x b more tolerable, but I still dream of a day when I can ctrl-tab in emacs.
Has anyone out there found a way to configure Ctrl-Tab in Emacs to work like Visual Studio?
I was searching for exactly the behavior that you describe and came across
the iflipb package: http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/iflipb and bound it to C-tab, C-S-tab.
Unfortunately it doesn't restart the cycling either after releasing the ctrl key, so in that regard is the same as the my-switch-buffer in the answer above. Any new insights into this issue are highly appreciated.
If you are using GNU Emacs 22.1 or more recent releases, \C-x<Right> fires M-x next-buffer and \C-x<Left> fires M-x previous-buffer. This page on EmacsWiki has a link to C-TAB Windows style buffer cycling. The page also talks about how to bring this behavior on older releases of Emacsen.
This question from yesterday looks very similar to what you want to achieve, except that the question talks about Notepad++ instead of Visual Studio.
I think this is close to what you want. As you mentioned, Emacs doesn't receive events for the control key, so you can't quite get the functionality you want. However, this will not record the buffer switch until you do something other than press C-tab (i.e. scroll, type something, click the mouse, use a command M-x ...):
(global-set-key (kbd "<C-tab>") 'my-switch-buffer)
(defun my-switch-buffer ()
"Switch buffers, but don't record the change until the last one."
(interactive)
(let ((blist (copy-sequence (buffer-list)))
current
(key-for-this (this-command-keys))
(key-for-this-string (format-kbd-macro (this-command-keys)))
done)
(while (not done)
(setq current (car blist))
(setq blist (append (cdr blist) (list current)))
(when (and (not (get-buffer-window current))
(not (minibufferp current)))
(switch-to-buffer current t)
(message "Type %s to continue cycling" key-for-this-string)
(when (setq done (not (equal key-for-this (make-vector 1 (read-event)))))
(switch-to-buffer current)
(clear-this-command-keys t)
(setq unread-command-events (list last-input-event)))))))
I like the cycling and toggling behavior of iflipb too, it's very much like Windows Alt-Tab behavior. However, as previously pointed out, Emacs doesn't make it easy to notice when you release the control key. This makes toggling between the top two buffers imperfect: if you press C-Tab (and release) and then C-Tab (and release), you haven't toggled between the top two. Instead, iflipb just marches further down the buffer list. But if you perform any other Emacs command between the two C-Tab events, then iflipb recognizes that it is starting over in the buffer march, so it does the toggle.
On Windows, AutoHotKey can come to the rescue and send Emacs a keystroke when you release the control key. Here's my script:
#if WinActive("ahk_class Emacs")
^Tab::
Send {Blind}^{Tab}
SetTimer, WaitForCtrlUp, 10
return
WaitForCtrlUp:
if(!GetKeyState("LControl", "P") and !GetKeyState("RControl","P"))
{
if WinActive("ahk_class Emacs")
Send ^c:
SetTimer, WaitForCtrlUp, Off
}
return
Whenever C-Tab is pressed in emacs, the script starts polling the state of the control key. When the key is released, it sends Emacs the C-c : key sequence. I have that key bound to a "null" command, which is enough to get iflipb to notice what's going on.
Here's the relevant .emacs excerpt:
; see http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/iflipb
(require 'iflipb)
(global-set-key (kbd "<C-tab>") 'iflipb-next-buffer)
(global-set-key
(if (featurep 'xemacs) (kbd "<C-iso-left-tab>") (kbd "<C-S-tab>"))
'iflipb-previous-buffer)
(defun null-command ()
"Do nothing (other than standard command processing such as remembering this was the last command executed)"
(interactive))
(global-set-key "\C-c:" 'null-command)
So, it's kind of hacky, but it does work. Thanks to the posters at http://www.autohotkey.com/board/topic/72433-controltab/, who were trying to solve a similar problem.
Add the following to your .emacs file:
(global-set-key (kbd "<C-tab>") 'next-buffer)
In GNU emacs, every time I hit Ctrl-x Ctrl-b to see all of my buffers, the window is split to show the buffer list, or if I have my window already split in 2 (for instance, I will have a shell running in the lower window), the buffer list appears in the other window.
My desired behavior is for the buffer list to appear in my active window so that I can select the buffer I want and continue to working in the same window, rather than having to Ctrl-x Ctrl-o to the other buffer, selecting the buffer (with enter) and editing that buffer in the other window... I've googled for it but it doesn't seem to be a common desire? I wonder if anyone has an elispy (or other) solution?
You might want to rebind C-x C-b to invoke buffer-menu rather than list-buffers:
(global-set-key "\C-x\C-b" 'buffer-menu)
Just customize the variable same-window-regexps. display-buffer will display any buffer whose name matches a regexp there in the currently-selected window.
(You will want to add "[*]Buffer List".)
not exactly a solution, but ido-mode provides a different and powerful way to interact with buffers. C-x b will then show a list of all the open buffers, and the one you select will open in the current window.
Strangely, there isn't an answer here about ibuffer.
I would recommend this as a standard change for the majority of Emacs users:
(global-set-key (kbd "C-x C-b") 'ibuffer)
ibuffer is a very advanced replacement for the default buffer listing, and not only features the exact behaviour requested, but provides a wealth of other functionality.
I listed a few ibuffer filtering and grouping basics in
Emacs: help me understand file/buffer management, but be sure to read the documentation for details.
Try to add
(ido-mode 1)
to your .emacs, and enjoy the result :)
If you like the original buffer list (as opposed to the 'buffer-menu solution proposed by others), you can use this:
(global-set-key (kbd "C-x C-b") 'my-list-buffers)
(defun my-list-buffers (&optional files-only)
"Display a list of names of existing buffers.
The list is displayed in a buffer named `*Buffer List*'.
Note that buffers with names starting with spaces are omitted.
Non-null optional arg FILES-ONLY means mention only file buffers.
For more information, see the function `buffer-menu'."
(interactive "P")
(switch-to-buffer (list-buffers-noselect files-only)))
Which is the same function as before, only in the current window.
I highly recommend bs.el from http://www.geekware.de/software/emacs/ Install it and:
(require 'bs)
(add-hook 'bs-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock)
(global-set-key "\C-x\C-b" 'bs-show)
It manages buffers and window configuration in the right way, so everything requires minimum number of keystrokes.
Not sure where I got this but:
;;; Faster buffer switching
(global-set-key [(C tab)] 'buffer-menu)
This makes Ctrl-Tab display all buffers in the current window. You can then navigate to a buffer and hit Enter to visit it.
Another not-what-you-asked-for solution: don't select the desired buffer with the mouse, rather finish typing its name (use tab-completion to reduce keystrokes and increase accuracy), then hit return. The buffer list will disappear, and the new file will be open in the previously active window.
This is probably a very naive Emacs question - I'm new to it.
When I'm evaluating a lisp expression, if there's an error the debugger automatically comes up in another window. If I have *scratch* and *info* open (the former for trying out lisp and the latter for reading about it), then the debugger opens up in the window that *info* was in. At the moment, I have to switch to that window, then change it back to *info*, before returning to *scratch*. (The same thing happens if I do C-x C-b for a list of buffers.) I'm guessing there has to be a way to just close that window without this long sequence of commands. Can anyone enlighten me?
At least here on my emacs (22.3), when the debugger pops up, its window becomes the active one. There, pressing q just quits the debugger, if that's what you want. At that point, it also gets out of recursive editing.
From what I understand, you want to close the buffer in the other window without moving your cursor from the current window.
I don't any existing function does that, so I rolled my own.
(defun other-window-kill-buffer ()
"Kill the buffer in the other window"
(interactive)
;; Window selection is used because point goes to a different window
;; if more than 2 windows are present
(let ((win-curr (selected-window))
(win-other (next-window)))
(select-window win-other)
(kill-this-buffer)
(select-window win-curr)))
You can bind it to something like "C-x K" or some other somewhat difficult-to-press key so you won't press it by mistake.
(global-set-key (kbd "C-x K") 'other-window-kill-buffer)
I use this a LOT! (for Help buffers, Compilation buffers, Grep buffers, and just plain old buffers I want to close now, without moving the point)
I'm usually using the delete-other-windows command. C-x 1.
It's so regullar, that I rebinded to F4.
Official docs: https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Change-Window.html#Change-Window
HTH
Using winner mode, you can use the keybinding C-C left arrow to return to the previous window configuration. Of course, this doesn't actually kill the new buffer, but it does hide it.
I think you're looking for C-x 4 C-o, which displays a buffer in the "other" window without switching to it.
As mentioned above, in the case of the backtrace buffer you probably want to exit from it with q, to get out of the recursive edit.
Try to use popwin-mode. It is really good about closing windows automatically.
I want to describe how mechanism work|
You open undo-tree-visualize than you find your correct branch, after that when you change your active window which has cursor via switch-window undo-tree related buffer will close other window automatically.
One possible solution is to use a window management package. Store your "preferred" window arrangement, and after the debugger/buffer window pops up and you're done with it, revert to your preferred arrangement.
There are a bunch of packages to choose from, see: switching window configurations on the wiki.
Additionally, you might want to figure out the actions you commonly do that trigger the extra (unwanted) window popping up, and use that to trigger saving your window configuration just before the window pops up.
If you want to roll your own (it's pretty easy), you can just save off the window configuration, and restore it like so:
(setq the-window-configuration-i-want (current-window-configuration))
(global-set-key (kbd "<f7>")
(lambda () (interactive)
(set-window-configuration the-window-configuration-i-want)))
The trick is figuring out where to put the setting of the-window-configuration-i-want.
Thanks go to #spk for a nice function. I merely modified it to also close the window too and bound it to the already nice set of window control functions found in evil-windows (via "C-w"):
(use-package evil
:bind (:map evil-window-map ("O" . delete-most-recent-window))
:preface
(defun delete-most-recent-window ()
"Kill the buffer in the most recent window."
(interactive)
;; Window selection is used because point goes to a different window
;; if more than 2 windows are present
(let ((win-curr (selected-window))
(win-other (next-window)))
(select-window win-other)
(kill-this-buffer)
(delete-window) ; <-- Added this
(select-window win-curr))))