Re: Point of wrong window used in read-from-minibuffer?

[Stefan Monnier]

>     I don't know how to fix it, but I've traced it to the following problem:
>       % emacs -Q
>       [ type in some random text]
>       C-x 2
>       [ move point elsewhere ]
>       M-: (save-window-excursion (select-window (next-window))) RET

>     after the M-: command, point in the second window is set back to the same
>     position as it is in the first window.

> This is not a bug.  It is actually documented:

>     DEFUN ("current-window-configuration", Fcurrent_window_configuration,
>          Scurrent_window_configuration, 0, 1, 0,
>          doc: /* Return an object representing the current window 
> configuration of FRAME.
>     If FRAME is nil or omitted, use the selected frame.
>     This describes the number of windows, their sizes and current buffers,
>     and for each displayed buffer, where display starts, and the positions of
>     point and mark.  An exception is made for point in the current buffer:
>     its value is -not- saved.

> This feature is somewhat inconsistent, and one could argue for
> changing it.  Removing this exception would certainly make things
> simpler.  ISTR that I arrived at this exception in the late 80s
> as I was trying to aim for consistent and predictable behavior.

I don't think the behavior in my above example is consistent
and predictable: it doesn't happen if the two windows displaying the buffer
are on different frames, it doesn't happen if current-buffer is displayed
in one or zero windows on the frame, ...

The patch below fixes the above buggy behavior.
I think it preserves the current behavior in "all" other cases.


        Stefan


--- window.c    02 mar 2005 22:20:12 -0500      1.496
+++ window.c    11 avr 2005 00:50:28 -0400      
@@ -5589,7 +5589,20 @@
   else
     {
       if (XBUFFER (new_current_buffer) == current_buffer)
+       {
+         /* The code further down is careful to preserve point in current
+            buffer (if current-buffer is equal to new_current_buffer), but
+            that ends up moving the window's point if the selected-window
+            before and after both display current-buffer but aren't the
+            same window.  So to work around this, in this specific case we
+            restore the selected window first.  */
+         if (XBUFFER (XWINDOW (data->current_window)->buffer)
+             == current_buffer
+             && WINDOWP (selected_window)
+             && XBUFFER (XWINDOW (selected_window)->buffer) == current_buffer)
+           Fselect_window (data->current_window, Qnil);
        old_point = PT;
+       }
       else
        old_point = BUF_PT (XBUFFER (new_current_buffer));
     }