GNU bug report logs - #1975
Reusing dead shell buffers

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Message #3 received at quiet <at> emacsbugs.donarmstrong.com (full text, mbox):

From: jemarch <at> gnu.org
To: quiet <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Reusing dead shell buffers
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:19:21 +0100

Severity: wishlist

[ resent from
  http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2009-01/msg00295.html ]

Hi.

Just a tiny patch for shell.

The patch assumes that the person launching M-xshell while in a
shell-mode buffer with a terminated process really wants to launch a
shell process in the current buffer instead to switch to "*shell*".

The semantics of C-uM-xshell are not changed by the patch.

Index: shell.el
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/emacs/emacs/lisp/shell.el,v
retrieving revision 1.165
diff -u -r1.165 shell.el
--- shell.el	5 Jan 2009 03:19:45 -0000	1.165
+++ shell.el	11 Jan 2009 19:46:35 -0000
@@ -555,6 +555,9 @@
 		      (read-file-name
 		       "Default directory: " default-directory default-directory
 		       t nil 'file-directory-p))))))))
+  ;; If the current buffer is a dead shell buffer, use it.
+  (if (and (not buffer) (eq major-mode 'shell-mode))
+      (setq buffer (current-buffer)))
   (setq buffer (get-buffer-create (or buffer "*shell*")))
   ;; Pop to buffer, so that the buffer's window will be correctly set
   ;; when we call comint (so that comint sets the COLUMNS env var properly).

Message #8 received at 1975 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Chong Yidong <cyd <at> stupidchicken.com>
To: jemarch <at> gnu.org
Cc: 1975 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: Reusing dead shell buffers
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:26:56 -0400

> Just a tiny patch for shell.
>
> The patch assumes that the person launching M-xshell while in a
> shell-mode buffer with a terminated process really wants to launch a
> shell process in the current buffer instead to switch to "*shell*".
>
> The semantics of C-uM-xshell are not changed by the patch.

Could you explain why you think this is necessary?  The current
behavior, where M-x shell reuses the *shell* buffer, seems fine.

Message #11 received at 1975 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Jose E. Marchesi <jemarch <at> gnu.org>
To: cyd <at> stupidchicken.com
Cc: 1975 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: Reusing dead shell buffers
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2010 22:05:03 +0200 (CEST)

    > Just a tiny patch for shell.
    >
    > The patch assumes that the person launching M-xshell while in a
    > shell-mode buffer with a terminated process really wants to launch a
    > shell process in the current buffer instead to switch to "*shell*".
    >
    > The semantics of C-uM-xshell are not changed by the patch.
    
    Could you explain why you think this is necessary?  The current
    behavior, where M-x shell reuses the *shell* buffer, seems fine.

Just consider the situation where you use different shells
simultaneously with meaningful names.  For example, debugging an
application: shell-daemon, shell-mmi and shell-gdb.

If I want to restart the shell that is running in shell-gdb, I usually
Ctrl-D to terminate it and then I reuse the buffer.  Without the patch
I have to C-uM-xshell and then type shell-gdb.

Message #14 received at 1975 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
To: Jose E. Marchesi <jemarch <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 1975 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, cyd <at> stupidchicken.com
Subject: Re: bug#1975: Reusing dead shell buffers
Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:34:44 +0200

Jose E. Marchesi <jemarch <at> gnu.org> writes:

> If I want to restart the shell that is running in shell-gdb, I usually
> Ctrl-D to terminate it and then I reuse the buffer.  Without the patch
> I have to C-uM-xshell and then type shell-gdb.

Currently `C-u M-x shell' defaults to "*shell*", which seems pretty
nonsensical.  Surely if the user wanted to use that buffer, then she
would have just typed `M-x shell'.

So perhaps `C-u M-x shell' should just default to the current buffer
instead?

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  bloggy blog http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no/

Message #19 received at 1975-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Chong Yidong <cyd <at> gnu.org>
To: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
Cc: 1975-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org, "Jose E. Marchesi" <jemarch <at> gnu.org>
Subject: Re: bug#1975: Reusing dead shell buffers
Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:06:33 +0800

Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org> writes:

> Currently `C-u M-x shell' defaults to "*shell*", which seems pretty
> nonsensical.  Surely if the user wanted to use that buffer, then she
> would have just typed `M-x shell'.
>
> So perhaps `C-u M-x shell' should just default to the current buffer
> instead?

Agreed.  Implemented in trunk.

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