Window Management

Table of Contents

Configuration for window splitting, sizing, navigation, and workspace tab management. 

;;; window-conf.el --- Summary  -*- lexical-binding: t; -*-
;;; Commentary:
;;; Code:
(use-package window
  :ensure nil
  :custom
  (display-buffer-alist
   '(
       ;; ("\\*.*e?shell\\*"
       ;;  (display-buffer-in-side-window)
       ;;  (window-height . 0.25)
       ;;  (side . bottom)
       ;;  (slot . -1))
       ("\\*\\(Backtrace\\|Warnings\\|Compile-Log\\|Messages\\|Bookmark List\\|Occur\\|eldoc\\)\\*"
        (display-buffer-in-side-window)
        (window-height . 0.25)
        (side . bottom)
        (slot . 0))
       ("\\*\\([Hh]elp\\)\\*"
        (display-buffer-in-side-window)
        (window-width . 75)
        (side . right)
        (slot . 0))
       ("\\*\\(Ibuffer\\)\\*"
        (display-buffer-in-side-window)
        (window-width . 100)
        (side . right)
        (slot . 1))
       ("\\*\\(Flymake diagnostics\\|xref\\|Completions\\)"
        (display-buffer-in-side-window)
        (window-height . 0.25)
        (side . bottom)
        (slot . 1))
       ("\\*\\(grep\\|find\\)\\*"
        (display-buffer-in-side-window)
        (window-height . 0.25)
        (side . bottom)
        (slot . 2))
       )))
(provide 'window-conf)
;;; window-conf.el ends here

1. Tab Bar Mode (Built-in, Emacs 27+)

Tab-bar-mode is Emacs' built-in workspace management system. Unlike buffer tabs, each tab represents an independent window configuration (workspace), making it perfect for organizing different projects, tasks, or contexts.

1.1. Overview

Tab-bar provides native workspace management:

  • Workspace-based: Each tab maintains its own window layout, not just a single buffer
  • Project organization: Separate tabs for different projects or tasks
  • Persistent layouts: Window configurations can be saved between sessions
  • Lightweight: Built into Emacs, no external packages needed
  • Highly customizable: Full control over appearance and behavior

1.2. Basic Configuration

;; Tab Bar Mode - Built-in workspace tabs (Emacs 27+)
(use-package tab-bar
  :ensure nil
  :config
  ;; Enable tab bar mode
  (tab-bar-mode 1)

  :custom
  ;; Display settings
  (tab-bar-show 1)                      ; Show tab bar when there are 2+ tabs
  (tab-bar-close-button-show nil)       ; Hide close button on tabs
  (tab-bar-new-button-show nil)         ; Hide new tab button
  (tab-bar-tab-hints t)                 ; Show tab numbers for quick switching

  ;; Tab naming
  (tab-bar-tab-name-function 'tab-bar-tab-name-truncated)
  (tab-bar-tab-name-truncated-max 20)   ; Max length of tab names

  ;; New tab behavior
  (tab-bar-new-tab-choice "*scratch*")  ; Buffer to show in new tabs
  (tab-bar-new-tab-to 'rightmost)       ; Where to create new tabs
  (tab-bar-close-tab-select 'recent)    ; Which tab to select after closing

  ;; Tab bar position
  (tab-bar-position 'top)               ; Position at top of frame

  ;; Format: show tabs and separator
  (tab-bar-format '(tab-bar-format-tabs tab-bar-separator))

  ;; History settings
  (tab-bar-history-mode 1)              ; Enable tab history navigation

  :bind
  ;; Tab management
  (("C-x t n" . tab-bar-new-tab)               ; Create new tab
   ("C-x t c" . tab-bar-close-tab)             ; Close current tab
   ("C-x t k" . tab-bar-close-tab)             ; Alternative close
   ("C-x t o" . tab-bar-switch-to-next-tab)    ; Next tab
   ("C-<tab>" . tab-bar-switch-to-next-tab)    ; Next tab
   ("C-x t O" . tab-bar-switch-to-prev-tab)    ; Previous tab
   ("C-S-<tab>" . tab-bar-switch-to-prev-tab)  ; Previous tab
   ("C-x t r" . tab-bar-rename-tab)            ; Rename current tab
   ("C-x t m" . tab-bar-move-tab)              ; Move tab position

   ;; Quick tab switching (Alt+1 through Alt+9)
   ("M-1" . (lambda () (interactive) (tab-bar-select-tab 1)))
   ("M-2" . (lambda () (interactive) (tab-bar-select-tab 2)))
   ("M-3" . (lambda () (interactive) (tab-bar-select-tab 3)))
   ("M-4" . (lambda () (interactive) (tab-bar-select-tab 4)))
   ("M-5" . (lambda () (interactive) (tab-bar-select-tab 5)))
   ("M-6" . (lambda () (interactive) (tab-bar-select-tab 6)))
   ("M-7" . (lambda () (interactive) (tab-bar-select-tab 7)))
   ("M-8" . (lambda () (interactive) (tab-bar-select-tab 8)))
   ("M-9" . (lambda () (interactive) (tab-bar-select-tab 9)))

   ;; History navigation
   ("C-x t <left>" . tab-bar-history-back)
   ("C-x t <right>" . tab-bar-history-forward)))

1.3. Custom Tab Naming

Create more informative tab names based on project context: 

;; Custom tab naming function
(defun fu/tab-bar-tab-name-with-project ()
  "Generate tab name showing project and buffer."
  (let ((project-name (when (project-current)
                        (file-name-nondirectory
                         (directory-file-name
                          (project-root (project-current))))))
        (buffer-name (buffer-name)))
    (if project-name
        (format "%s: %s" project-name buffer-name)
      buffer-name)))

;; Use custom naming (uncomment one)
(setq tab-bar-tab-name-function 'fu/tab-bar-tab-name-with-project)

1.4. Appearance Customization

Dynamically adapt tab bar to match your current theme: 

;; Customize tab-bar appearance to automatically match current theme
(defun fu/tab-bar-setup-appearance ()
  "Dynamically customize tab-bar to match the current theme.
Inherits colors from mode-line and other faces for seamless integration."
  (let* (;; Get colors from existing theme faces
         (mode-line-bg (face-attribute 'mode-line :background nil 'default))
         (mode-line-fg (face-attribute 'mode-line :foreground nil 'default))
         (mode-line-inactive-bg (face-attribute 'mode-line-inactive :background nil 'default))
         (mode-line-inactive-fg (face-attribute 'mode-line-inactive :foreground nil 'default))
         (default-bg (face-attribute 'default :background nil 'default))
         (default-fg (face-attribute 'default :foreground nil 'default))

         ;; Try to get highlight color for active tab emphasis
         (highlight-bg (or (and (face-attribute 'highlight :background nil 'default)
                                (not (string= (face-attribute 'highlight :background nil 'default) "unspecified"))
                                (face-attribute 'highlight :background nil 'default))
                           mode-line-bg))

         ;; Check if we have valid colors from theme
         (has-mode-line (and (stringp mode-line-bg)
                             (not (string= mode-line-bg "unspecified")))))

    ;; Active tab - make it prominent using mode-line or highlight
    (if has-mode-line
        (set-face-attribute 'tab-bar-tab nil
                            :foreground mode-line-fg
                            :background highlight-bg
                            :weight 'bold
                            :box `(:line-width 2 :color ,highlight-bg :style nil)
                            :inherit 'unspecified)
      ;; Fallback if theme doesn't define mode-line properly
      (set-face-attribute 'tab-bar-tab nil
                          :inherit 'mode-line
                          :weight 'bold
                          :box nil))

    ;; Inactive tabs - subtle, using mode-line-inactive
    (if (and (stringp mode-line-inactive-bg)
             (not (string= mode-line-inactive-bg "unspecified")))
        (set-face-attribute 'tab-bar-tab-inactive nil
                            :foreground mode-line-inactive-fg
                            :background mode-line-inactive-bg
                            :weight 'normal
                            :box `(:line-width 2 :color ,mode-line-inactive-bg :style nil)
                            :inherit 'unspecified)
      ;; Fallback
      (set-face-attribute 'tab-bar-tab-inactive nil
                          :inherit 'mode-line-inactive
                          :weight 'normal
                          :box nil))

    ;; Tab bar background - blend with frame background
    (set-face-attribute 'tab-bar nil
                        :background (if (and (stringp default-bg)
                                             (not (string= default-bg "unspecified")))
                                        default-bg
                                      (face-attribute 'mode-line-inactive :background nil 'default))
                        :foreground default-fg
                        :box nil
                        :inherit 'unspecified)))

;; Refresh tab-bar appearance when theme changes
(defun fu/tab-bar-refresh-appearance (&rest _)
  "Refresh tab-bar appearance after theme changes.
This ensures tab-bar always matches the active theme."
  (when (fboundp 'fu/tab-bar-setup-appearance)
    (fu/tab-bar-setup-appearance)))

;; Hook into theme loading to auto-update appearance
(advice-add 'load-theme :after #'fu/tab-bar-refresh-appearance)
(advice-add 'enable-theme :after #'fu/tab-bar-refresh-appearance)

;; Apply appearance for daemon and regular Emacs
(if (daemonp)
    (add-hook 'after-make-frame-functions
              (lambda (frame)
                (with-selected-frame frame
                  (fu/tab-bar-setup-appearance))))
  (fu/tab-bar-setup-appearance))

1.5. Project-Based Tabs

Create tabs for projects with the native project-switch workflow: 

;; Create a new tab for a selected project
(defun fu/project-tab-bar-new ()
  "Switch to a project in a new tab using project-switch-project.

Workflow:
1. Prompt user to select a project
2. User selects an action (f=find-file, d=find-directory, m=magit, etc.)
3. Create a new tab named after the project
4. Execute the selected action in the new tab"
  (interactive)
  ;; Capture the project directory before switching
  (let* ((project-dir (project-prompt-project-dir))
         (project-name (file-name-nondirectory
                       (directory-file-name project-dir))))
    ;; Step 1 & 2: Create new tab first
    (tab-bar-new-tab)
    ;; (tab-bar-rename-tab project-name)
    ;; Step 3 & 4: Use native project-switch-project which prompts for action
    (let ((project-current-directory-override project-dir))
      (project-switch-project project-dir))))

;; Bind to convenient key
(global-set-key (kbd "C-x p t") #'fu/project-tab-bar-new)

1.6. Workspace Presets

Define predefined workspace layouts for common tasks: 

;; Define workspace presets
(defun fu/tab-bar-workspace-coding ()
  "Create a coding workspace with three-pane layout."
  (interactive)
  (tab-bar-new-tab)
  (tab-bar-rename-tab "Coding")
  (delete-other-windows)
  (when (file-exists-p "~/Projects")
    (dired "~/Projects"))
  (split-window-right)
  (other-window 1)
  (split-window-below))

(defun fu/tab-bar-workspace-writing ()
  "Create a focused writing workspace."
  (interactive)
  (tab-bar-new-tab)
  (tab-bar-rename-tab "Writing")
  (delete-other-windows)
  (when (file-exists-p "~/org-roam")
    (dired "~/org-roam")))

;; Keybindings for workspace presets
(global-set-key (kbd "C-x t w c") #'fu/tab-bar-workspace-coding)
(global-set-key (kbd "C-x t w w") #'fu/tab-bar-workspace-writing)

1.7. Session Persistence

Save and restore tab configurations between Emacs sessions: 

;; Desktop save mode for tab persistence
(use-package desktop
  :ensure nil
  :custom
  ;; Save tab-bar configuration
  (desktop-restore-frames t)
  (desktop-restore-in-current-display t)
  (desktop-restore-forces-onscreen nil)

  ;; Desktop file location
  (desktop-dirname user-emacs-directory)
  (desktop-path (list user-emacs-directory))

  :config
  ;; Enable desktop save mode
  (desktop-save-mode 1))

1.8. Keybindings Summary

Keybinding Function Description
C-x t n tab-bar-new-tab Create new tab
C-x t c tab-bar-close-tab Close current tab
C-x t o tab-bar-switch-to-next-tab Switch to next tab
C-<tab> tab-bar-switch-to-next-tab Switch to next tab
C-x t O tab-bar-switch-to-prev-tab Switch to previous tab
C-S-<tab> tab-bar-switch-to-prev-tab Switch to previous tab
M-1 to M-9 tab-bar-select-tab Jump to tab by number
C-x t r tab-bar-rename-tab Rename current tab
C-x t m tab-bar-move-tab Move tab to different position
C-x t p (custom) Create project tab
C-x t <left> tab-bar-history-back Go back in tab history
C-x t <right> tab-bar-history-forward Go forward in tab history
C-x t w c (custom) Create coding workspace
C-x t w w (custom) Create writing workspace
C-x t w r (custom) Create research workspace

1.9. Tips and Best Practices

  1. One tab per project: Keep related files in the same tab workspace
  2. Name your tabs: Use descriptive names for easy identification (C-x t r)
  3. Use tab numbers: Quick switching with M-1 through M-9
  4. Workspace presets: Create functions for your common layouts
  5. Save sessions: Enable desktop-save-mode for persistence across restarts
  6. History navigation: Use C-x t <left/right> to navigate tab history

1.10. Common Workflows

1.10.1. Starting a New Project

  1. C-x t p - Create new project tab
  2. Tab is automatically named after the project
  3. All project windows stay in this workspace

1.10.2. Daily Work Organization

  • Tab 1: Email/Communication
  • Tab 2: Main project workspace
  • Tab 3: Reference/Documentation
  • Tab 4: Scratch/Experiments

1.10.3. Tab Organization Strategy

  • Keep permanent tabs (email, org agenda) on the left
  • Group related project tabs together
  • Use temporary tabs on the right (close when done)
  • Rename tabs with meaningful names for quick identification

1.11. Troubleshooting

1.11.1. Tab Bar Not Showing

  • Check if enabled: M-x tab-bar-mode
  • Verify setting: (setq tab-bar-show 1) requires 2+ tabs
  • Use (setq tab-bar-show t) to always show the tab bar

1.11.2. Tabs Not Persisting Between Sessions

  • Enable desktop-save-mode: (desktop-save-mode 1)
  • Set desktop directory: (setq desktop-dirname user-emacs-directory)
  • Ensure desktop-restore-frames is t

1.11.3. Theme Integration Issues

  • Run (fu/tab-bar-setup-appearance) after loading your theme
  • Check if theme overrides tab-bar faces
  • Use M-x describe-face to inspect current face values

1.11.4. Performance

  • Tab-bar is very lightweight and handles many tabs efficiently
  • Consider closing unused tabs regularly
  • Use tab history (C-x t <left/right>) to navigate recently used tabs