Re: How to have a frame dedicated to buffers of a certain kind? (was: use pdf-tools in Emacs.)

[Hongyi Zhao]

On Sat, Apr 29, 2023 at 4:38 PM Tassilo Horn <tsdh@gnu.org> wrote:
>
> Hongyi Zhao <hongyi.zhao@gmail.com> writes:
>
> > I tried the following configuration:
> >
> > (use-package pdf-tools
> >   :ensure t
> >   :init
> >   (pdf-tools-install)
> >   :config
> >   (add-to-list 'display-buffer-alist
> >                '((derived-mode . pdf-view-mode)
> >          display-buffer-pop-up-frame))
> >
> >   )
> >
> > See the attached screenshot for the effect. In short, frame 1 will
> > open frame 2, and 2 will open 3. But I just want to open frames 1 and
> > 2 and automatically switch between them for forward and backward
> > search.
>
> Ok, if I understand correctly, you basically want one "normal" emacs
> frame and one for viewing pdfs and you want that this separate frame is
> reused.

Yes.

> The below code does the job but probably there's a better
> solution for the "the dedicated frame already exists" part which I
> didn't find during my testing...
>
> My trick is to add a parameter th/pdf-frame to the decicated frame and
> search for that.
>
> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
> (defun th/display-buffer-in-my-pdf-frame (buffer alist)
>   (if-let ((frame (car (seq-filter
>                         (lambda (f) (frame-parameter f 'th/pdf-frame))
>                         (frame-list)))))
>       ;; TODO: I guess there's a better way for this case, i.e., something 
> with
>       ;; invoking display-buffer with reusable-frames parameter or something.
>       (progn
>         (select-frame frame)
>         (switch-to-buffer buffer))
>     (display-buffer-pop-up-frame
>      buffer (cons
>              '(pop-up-frame-parameters (th/pdf-frame . t))
>              alist))))
>
> (add-to-list 'display-buffer-alist
>              `((derived-mode . pdf-view-mode)
>                th/display-buffer-in-my-pdf-frame))
> --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

I tried with the following configuration, but it still creates 3
frames, as shown in the attchment:

(use-package pdf-tools
  :ensure t
  :init
  (pdf-tools-install)
  :config
  (defun th/display-buffer-in-my-pdf-frame (buffer alist)
    (if-let ((frame (car (seq-filter
                          (lambda (f) (frame-parameter f 'th/pdf-frame))
                          (frame-list)))))
    ;; TODO: I guess there's a better way for this case, i.e., something with
    ;; invoking display-buffer with reusable-frames parameter or something.
    (progn
          (select-frame frame)
          (switch-to-buffer buffer))
      (display-buffer-pop-up-frame
       buffer (cons
               '(pop-up-frame-parameters (th/pdf-frame . t))
               alist))))

  (add-to-list 'display-buffer-alist
               `((derived-mode . pdf-view-mode)
         th/display-buffer-in-my-pdf-frame))


  )

> I've changed the subject because this has nothing to do with pdf-tools
> anymore but could be applied to any kind of buffers, e.g., others might
> want a separate dericated frame for dired or gnus or whatever.  If you
> are lucky, the new subject catches the attention of Martin.

Which Martin? I checked as follows and there are many:

werner@X10DAi:~/Public/repo/git.savannah.gnu.org/git/emacs.git$ git
log --format='%an <%ae>' | grep -i martin | awk '!a[$0]++'
Martin Rudalics <rudalics@gmx.at>
martin rudalics <rudalics@gmx.at>
Martin Jerabek <om@mailservice.ms>
Martin Carlson <spearalot@gmail.com>
Martin Joerg <martin.joerg@gmail.com>
Kapuze Martin <m.s.p@posteo.de>
Martin Kletzander <nert.pinx@gmail.com>
Ricardo Martins <ricardo@scarybox.net>
Ricardo Martins <1706+meqif@users.noreply.github.com>
Martin Jesper Low Madsen <martin@martinjlowm.dk>
Agustin Martin Domingo <agustin6martin@gmail.com>
“Martin <“rudalics@gmx.atâ€

> Bye,
> Tassilo

Regards,
Zhao

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