Wrong display of popup buffer when that buffer is already selected

[bmag]

When I have a popup buffer open in a popup window, and that window is selected, and I perform on operation that should display that buffer again, the buffer is displayed in the wrong place.

I expect the buffer to remain in the popup window. Instead, the popup window is closed, and the buffer is displayed as if it is a regular buffer.

For example:

Also, if I open a grep buffer (with find-grep), then a help buffer, the popup windows stack one underneath the other. Closing them with C-g works. Is it intended or a bug?

Using develop branch on Lubuntu 14.04.

[tuhdo]

The first case seems like a popwin bug.

The stacking window is expected because otherwise your grep buffer would close immediately if point moves to other window, in which case it is not undesirable. And it's a feature that your temporary window is not immediately close without your permission. In the second case, you can just press C-g until all temporary windows close. And when you open a Helm command, the previous window is raised above Helm window because when Helm is entered, popwin-mode is temporary disabled until that Helm session finishes. Without disabling popwin in Helm, it would mess up Helm commands that open extra windows when executing persistent action, lie helm-M-x or helm-descbinds or helm-apropos.

[bmag]

So, no way around the first case?

Thanks for explaining the stacking 😃

[sooheon]

I think I may have a related issue:

Starting with one frame,

1. spc g s to open magit status in split
2. L l to show magit log, replacing magit status
3. enter on any entry to show commit information in other split
4. qqq to quit out of magit entirely, and you are left with a split window, when you should go back to original single window state.

[tuhdo]

@sooheon That's the default behaviour of Emacs. Magit is not under the control of popwin, so that's why you are left with a split window.

[sooheon]

Strange then, because if I only go 1 level deep into magit (just magit-status, for example), q will take me back to the original window configuration. Do you mean this discrepancy is the intended behaviour?

[tuhdo]

Yes, with only magit installed in stock Emacs, it behaves that way. Probably we need to put the magit buffers under the control of popwin.

[sooheon]

I see. I wonder if things may be improved in the new magit.. that would save us having to wrangle it into popwin.

[StreakyCobra]

@bmag Can you check if there is any update on this issue 😃 ?

[bmag]

The bug still exists. I don't encounter it anymore because I use the window-purpose layer.

[StreakyCobra]

Ok thanks 👍 Do you think it should be reported upstream to popwin?

[bmag]

This is definitely a popwin bug - the same thing happens to me also when using popwin with an empty emacs config. The only difference is that with powin and bare emacs, I end up with a vertical split instead of a horizontal split. I couldn't figure out what causes this difference.
I will report it upstream, but I don't know if I'll get any answer. There are quite a few issues there with no response.

[sooheon]

@bmag to be clear, you are using window-purpose the package but it's not officially a spacemacs layer yet, right? If it's fixed this problem for you, would you mind contributing your config as a PR?

[syl20bnr]

There is already a PR for it (very old), originally planned for 0.105 I moved it to 0.106.

[StreakyCobra]

@bmag If you can do it it's really nice of you. I just wanted to be sure if it was a Spacemacs issue or not.

[bmag]

@StreakyCobra Reported upstream: emacsorphanage/popwin#131 just now

[StreakyCobra]

@bmag Awesome ☺️ Thanks

[Compro-Prasad]

Is this is fixed. Or am I misunderstanding it?

[Compro-Prasad]

Upstream repository is not been actively maintained for a long time. We need to have it as an internal Spacemacs elisp file with the fixed changes as mentioned in emacsorphanage/popwin#131 .

[bmag]

@Compro-Prasad this is fixed in Spacemacs, but still not fixed upstream. We fixed it by using window-purpose and a local package that implements popup buffers by extending window-purpose (see spacemacs-purpose layer). The configuration of popup buffers is still done through popwin:special-display-config, but other than that we mostly avoid popwin entirely. Hence, I'm closing the issue.