Re: customize location and shape of a new window in a frame

[Eric Abrahamsen]

"Roland Winkler" <address@hidden> writes:

> Someone posted this on the BBDB mailing list
>
> http://lists.nongnu.org/archive/html/bbdb-user/2018-09/msg00031.html
>
> But the question is quite generic, and I guess it must be an issue
> for other packages, too:
>
> BBDB wants to pop-up a window in a frame that already has multiple
> windows.  Different users like to do this in different ways and
> split an existing window vertically or horizontally, giving a
> customizable percentage of screen estate to the new window.
>
> Is there a general function that BBDB could use here, a function
> that users can customize for their needs?

Assuming the user is running BBDB with Gnus, Gnus has its own window
layout system, and you need to work with that. Usually that looks like:

(add-to-list 'gnus-window-to-buffer
       `(bbdb-gnus . "*BBDB*"))

(gnus-add-configuration
  (article
    ,(cond
      (gnus-use-trees
       '(vertical 1.0
                  (summary 0.25 point)
                  (tree 0.25)
                  (horizontal 1.0
                              (article 1.0)
                              (bbdb-gnus 0.4))))
      (t
       '(vertical 1.0
                  (summary 0.25 point)
                  (horizontal 1.0
                              (article 1.0)
                              (bbdb-gnus 0.4))))))

What Gnus *should* be using, and what would be probably the right
solution for BBDB in other (non-Gnus) circumstances, is Side Windows
(see Elisp manual). Side windows give pretty good control over where the
window is placed, and they're made just for situations like this.

Eric