GNU bug report logs - #34478
DocView uses unlisted buffers nobody can get back to

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: DocView uses unlisted buffers nobody can get back to
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2019 23:13:58 +0800

We are viewing a document in DocView,
in fact a PDF attachment to a gnus email message.

The problem is, often we wish to switch to other buffers to do other
things, and come back to DocView to finish reading --- back and forth.

But apparently the DocView designers assumed people would just read
short tweets with it, not longer PDFs.

So they use a buffer name *mm*-12345... that
1) does not appear in (C-x C-b) list-buffers.
2) does not get TAB completion when trying to type in

The result is there is no way to find the document you were just
reading, if you dared let it get off the screen by choosing some other
buffer(s).

The only way to continue reading is to go back to the gnus Article
buffer again, and hit RET on the attachment again, and scroll down again
to where you hopefully thought you were!

Message #8 received at 34478 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Tassilo Horn <tsdh <at> gnu.org>
To: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
Cc: 34478 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#34478: DocView uses unlisted buffers nobody can get back to
Date: Sat, 09 Mar 2019 18:39:13 +0100

積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org> writes:

Hi Dan,

> We are viewing a document in DocView, in fact a PDF attachment to a
> gnus email message.
>
> The problem is, often we wish to switch to other buffers to do other
> things, and come back to DocView to finish reading --- back and forth.
>
> But apparently the DocView designers assumed people would just read
> short tweets with it, not longer PDFs.
>
> So they use a buffer name *mm*-12345... that

It's the name Gnus chooses, not DocView.

> 1) does not appear in (C-x C-b) list-buffers.
> 2) does not get TAB completion when trying to type in

I guess it's a hidden buffer.  Those are buffers with a leading space.
Type the space and it will be shown and completed.

> The result is there is no way to find the document you were just
> reading, if you dared let it get off the screen by choosing some other
> buffer(s).

You can either save the PDF before reading (o in Gnus), or just do M-x
rename-buffer RET.  BTW, how do you get Gnus to open PDFs with DocView
in the first place?

Attachments can have a filename and a description.  So in general I'd
assume Gnus would use one of these as buffer names.  But maybe they were
missing for that attachment you are talking about?  (I guess not every
mail client does them properly.)

Do you have a sample mail which you can forward to this bug report for
testing?

Bye,
Tassilo

Message #13 received at 34478-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Tassilo Horn <tsdh <at> gnu.org>
To: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
Cc: 34478-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#34478: DocView uses unlisted buffers nobody can get back to
Date: Sat, 09 Mar 2019 21:31:08 +0100

Tassilo Horn <tsdh <at> gnu.org> writes:

> Attachments can have a filename and a description.  So in general I'd
> assume Gnus would use one of these as buffer names.  But maybe they
> were missing for that attachment you are talking about?  (I guess not
> every mail client does them properly.)

Now Gnus names the buffer for showing the attachment according to the
attachment's filename, e.g., "*mm* Important Document.pdf".

Bye,
Tassilo

Message #16 received at 34478-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
To: Tassilo Horn <tsdh <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 34478-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#34478: DocView uses unlisted buffers nobody can get back to
Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2019 09:21:30 +0800

Glad you found the bug.

Message #19 received at 34478-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Tassilo Horn <tsdh <at> gnu.org>
To: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
Cc: 34478-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#34478: DocView uses unlisted buffers nobody can get back to
Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2019 07:33:14 +0100

On March 10, 2019 02:21:55 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org> wrote:

> Glad you found the bug.

Well, it has been this way the last twenty years so let's call it an 
enhancement rather than a bug.  :-)

Tassilo

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