Re-open *scratch* buffer in Emacs? - emacs

Question

If I accidentally closed the scratch buffer in Emacs, how do I create a new scratch buffer?

Answer 1

GNU Emacs default bindings:
C-xb *scratch* RET
or, more verbosely
M-x switch-to-buffer *scratch* RET
The *scratch* buffer is the buffer selected upon startup, and has the major mode Lisp Interaction. Note: the mode for the *scratch* buffer is controlled by the variable initial-major-mode.
In general you can create as many "scratch" buffers as you want, and name them however you choose.
C-xb NAME RET
switches to a buffer NAME, creating it if it doesn't exist. A new buffer is not associated with a file on disk until you use C-xC-w (or M-x write-file RET) to choose a file where it should be saved.
M-x text-mode RET
changes the current buffer's major mode to Text mode. To find all the modes available (that is, without requiring any new packages), you can get a list by typing:
M-x apropos-command -mode$ RET

Answer 2

I add following in my .emacs:
;; bury *scratch* buffer instead of kill it
(defadvice kill-buffer (around kill-buffer-around-advice activate)
(let ((buffer-to-kill (ad-get-arg 0)))
(if (equal buffer-to-kill "*scratch*")
(bury-buffer)
ad-do-it)))
If I don't want to see scratch buffer I press C-x C-k , but it doesn't kill it, just place in the end of buffer list, so then I need it next time I don't have to create new one.

Answer 3

There are a whole bunch of tips on this EmacsWiki page.
Here's the first one:
A very simple function to recreate the scratch buffer:
(defun create-scratch-buffer nil
"create a scratch buffer"
(interactive)
(switch-to-buffer (get-buffer-create "*scratch*"))
(lisp-interaction-mode))

Answer 4

C-x b *scratch* RET y RET with iswitchb-mode enabled.
Just C-x b *scratch* RET otherwise.

Answer 5

I found this years ago when I first started using emacs; I have no idea where now but it has always had a home in my personal .el files. It does pop up in google searches.
;;; Prevent killing the *scratch* buffer -- source forgotten
;;;----------------------------------------------------------------------
;;; Make the *scratch* buffer behave like "The thing your aunt gave you,
;;; which you don't know what is."
(save-excursion
(set-buffer (get-buffer-create "*scratch*"))
(make-local-variable 'kill-buffer-query-functions)
(add-hook 'kill-buffer-query-functions 'kill-scratch-buffer))
(defun kill-scratch-buffer ()
;; The next line is just in case someone calls this manually
(set-buffer (get-buffer-create "*scratch*"))
;; Kill the current (*scratch*) buffer
(remove-hook 'kill-buffer-query-functions 'kill-scratch-buffer)
(kill-buffer (current-buffer))
;; Make a brand new *scratch* buffer
(set-buffer (get-buffer-create "*scratch*"))
(lisp-interaction-mode)
(make-local-variable 'kill-buffer-query-functions)
(add-hook 'kill-buffer-query-functions 'kill-scratch-buffer)
;; Since we killed it, don't let caller do that.
nil)
;;;----------------------------------------------------------------------

Answer 6

Like the docstring says, this function will:
Switch to the scratch buffer. If the buffer doesn't exist create it and write the initial message into it."
This will bring a new scratch buffer up which looks like the initial scratch buffer.
(defun switch-buffer-scratch ()
"Switch to the scratch buffer. If the buffer doesn't exist,
create it and write the initial message into it."
(interactive)
(let* ((scratch-buffer-name "*scratch*")
(scratch-buffer (get-buffer scratch-buffer-name)))
(unless scratch-buffer
(setq scratch-buffer (get-buffer-create scratch-buffer-name))
(with-current-buffer scratch-buffer
(lisp-interaction-mode)
(insert initial-scratch-message)))
(switch-to-buffer scratch-buffer)))
(global-set-key "\C-cbs" 'switch-buffer-scratch)

Answer 7

I used to use dwj's solution, and I was quite happy about it, until the day I realized that it failed when you actually rename the scratch buffer (for example by saving it).
Then I adopted this, which works well for me :
(run-with-idle-timer 1 t
'(lambda () (get-buffer-create "*scratch*")))

Answer 8

I have scratch as an interactive command for opening a new scratch buffer (I like to have several):
(defun scratch ()
"create a new scratch buffer to work in. (could be *scratch* - *scratchX*)"
(interactive)
(let ((n 0)
bufname)
(while (progn
(setq bufname (concat "*scratch"
(if (= n 0) "" (int-to-string n))
"*"))
(setq n (1+ n))
(get-buffer bufname)))
(switch-to-buffer (get-buffer-create bufname))
(if (= n 1) initial-major-mode))) ; 1, because n was incremented
adopted from: http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1038451

Answer 9

(global-set-key (kbd "C-x M-z")
'(lambda ()
(interactive)
(switch-to-buffer "*scratch*")))
This will not only quickly switch to *scratch* buffer(since I do this frequently), but recreate a *scratch* buffer and enable lisp-interaction-mode automatically if you kill it accidentally. Change the binding as you like.

Answer 10

Just to note emacs package unkillable-scratch in MELPA will do this. There is also scratch-persist that will automatically save and restore the buffer between sessions.

Answer 11

This is what I use - I have this bound to a convenient keystroke. It sends you to the *scratch* buffer, regardless of whether or not it already exists, and sets it to be in lisp-interaction-mode
(defun eme-goto-scratch ()
"this sends you to the scratch buffer"
(interactive)
(let ((eme-scratch-buffer (get-buffer-create "*scratch*")))
(switch-to-buffer eme-scratch-buffer)
(lisp-interaction-mode)))

Answer 12

I prefer to have my scratch buffer be an actual file that is automatically saved, and reopening it is as simple as opening a file. On startup, I kill the default and find my own like this.
(add-hook 'emacs-startup-hook
(lambda ()
(kill-buffer "*scratch*")
(find-file "/Users/HOME/Desktop/.scratch")))
I have a custom kill-buffer function that does essentially the same thing -- reopens my personal scratch saved file and kills the default scratch if I killed the last visible buffer.
I customized a few of the desktop.el functions to load after (kill-buffer "*scratch*") and (find-file "/Users/HOME/Desktop/.scratch") so that the file last visible on exiting Emacs doesn't get buried by the default scratch or buried by my custom scratch when launching Emacs.
I enjoy using auto-save-buffers-enhanced, which automatically saves any file extension that is not specifically excluded:
https://github.com/kentaro/auto-save-buffers-enhanced/blob/master/auto-save-buffers-enhanced.el
(require 'auto-save-buffers-enhanced)
(auto-save-buffers-enhanced t)
(setq auto-save-buffers-enhanced-save-scratch-buffer-to-file-p 1)
(setq auto-save-buffers-enhanced-exclude-regexps '("\\.txt" "\\.el" "\\.tex"))
I use a slight variation of the function by #paprika when I want to create a no-file visiting buffer:
(defun lawlist-new-buffer ()
"Create a new buffer -- \*lawlist\*"
(interactive)
(let* (
(n 0)
bufname)
(catch 'done
(while t
(setq bufname (concat "*lawlist"
(if (= n 0) "" (int-to-string n))
"*"))
(setq n (1+ n))
(if (not (get-buffer bufname))
(throw 'done nil)) ))
(switch-to-buffer (get-buffer-create bufname))
(text-mode) ))

Answer 13

I have combined the solutions posted so far into one function:
(defun --scratch-buffer(&optional reset)
"Get the *scratch* buffer object.
Make new scratch buffer unless it exists.
If RESET is non-nil arrange it that it can't be killed."
(let ((R (get-buffer "*scratch*")))
(unless R
(message "Creating new *scratch* buffer")
(setq R (get-buffer-create "*scratch*") reset t))
(when reset
(save-excursion
(set-buffer R)
(lisp-interaction-mode)
(make-local-variable 'kill-buffer-query-functions)
(add-hook 'kill-buffer-query-functions '(lambda()(bury-buffer) nil)
)))
R))
To apply this function in your .emacs use:
(--scratch-buffer t)
(run-with-idle-timer 3 t '--scratch-buffer)
This will make the scratch buffer indestructible in the first place, and if saved it will be recreated. Additionally we can use a shortcut function scratch to bring up the buffer quickly:
(defun scratch()
"Switch to *scratch*. With prefix-arg delete its contents."
(interactive)
(switch-to-buffer (--scratch-buffer))
(if current-prefix-arg
(delete-region (point-min) (point-max))
(goto-char (point-max))))
In the past it has proven useful to know the original startup-directory from which Emacs was started. This is either the value of desktop-dirname or the default-directory local variable of the scratch-buffer:
(defvar --scratch-directory
(save-excursion (set-buffer "*scratch*") default-directory)
"The `default-directory' local variable of the *scratch* buffer.")
(defconst --no-desktop (member "--no-desktop" command-line-args)
"True when no desktop file is loaded (--no-desktop command-line switch set).")
(defun --startup-directory ()
"Return directory from which Emacs was started: `desktop-dirname' or the `--scratch-directory'.
Note also `default-minibuffer-frame'."
(if (and (not --no-desktop) desktop-dirname)
desktop-dirname
--scratch-directory))
So --startup-directory will always return the base directory of your makefile, TODO-file etc. In case there is no desktop (--no-desktop commandline-switch or no desktop-file) the --scratch-directory variable will hold directory Emacs was once started under.

Answer 14

find answer in EmacsWiki: http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/RecreateScratchBuffer
(defun create-scratch-buffer nil
"create a scratch buffer"
(interactive)
(switch-to-buffer (get-buffer-create "*scratch*"))
(lisp-interaction-mode))

Answer 15

To add to the accepted answer, if you have ILO mode on (and it is autocompleting after C-x b, thus not letting you write *scratch*), then try:
C-xb C-b*scratch* RET
C-x b C-b *scratch* RET

Answer 16

C-xb and then type *scratch* ↩︎
to create a new buffer which is in lisp interaction mode also.