Subject: bug#6280: 24.0.50; (elisp) Dedicated Windows

From: "Drew Adams" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 27 May 2010 08:51:30 -0700

A user just asked on help-gnu-emacs for a "way to specify that windows
containing buffers which have a certain mode should *never* be reused or
closed unless specifically by user action (for example visiting a new
file from the window)". This info is not readily available, but it
should be.
 
The doc about dedicated windows is missing a few things.
 
1. There should be something in the Emacs manual about how to make
windows be dedicated - esp. by default. There is nothing in the manual
about it AFAICT. The closest thing is node `Special Buffer Frames'.
 
[The node name is a misnomer, BTW: it should be `Special-Buffer Frames'
or `Frames for Special Buffers'.  It is the buffers that are special
buffers, not "buffer frames" that are special.]
 
2. In the Elisp manual, the node `Dedicated Windows' would presumably
cover this topic, but there is no real mention there of special-display
stuff, which is the way a user will typically try to make windows in
general dedicated.  There is a link to the node `Choosing Window', but
it is not obvious that that is the link to follow to get the relevant
info.  It simply says "`display-buffer' (*note Choosing Window::) never
uses a dedicated window for displaying another buffer in it."
 
Please present the topic of dedicated windows in a way that is more
useful to users such as the OP in help-gnu-emacs.  Provide, for
instance:
 
* a simple recipe for making all windows dedicated and
 
* a simple recipe for making all windows for buffers in a certain mode
dedicated

In GNU Emacs 24.0.50.1 (i386-mingw-nt5.1.2600)
 of 2010-05-23 on G41R2F1
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 5.1.2600
configured using `configure --with-gcc (3.4) --no-opt --cflags -Ic:/xpm/include'