RE: [External] : Re: [PATCH] New tab-bar-detach-tab command

[Drew Adams]

> > I don't know the signature of the `clone-frame'
> > that was added to Emacs, but perhaps it could use
> > a prefix arg to provide what you're proposing:
> > clone the frame (same frame parameters) AND clone
> > the window config of the frame in the new frame.
> 
> Its prefix arg is already used for something useless:
> 
>   (defun clone-frame (&optional frame use-default-parameters)
>     "Make a new frame with the same parameters as FRAME.
>   With a prefix arg (USE-DEFAULT-PARAMETERS), use
>   `default-frame-alist' instead.
> 
>   FRAME defaults to the selected frame.  The frame is created on the
>   same terminal as FRAME.  If the terminal is a text-only terminal then
>   also select the new frame."
>     (interactive "i\nP")
>     (if use-default-parameters
>         (make-frame-command)
>       (let* ((default-frame-alist (seq-filter
>                                    (lambda (elem)
>                                      (not (eq (car elem) 'name)))
>                                    (frame-parameters frame)))
>              (new-frame (make-frame)))
>         (unless (display-graphic-p)
>           (select-frame new-frame))
>         new-frame)))
> 
> Why does it use the prefix arg just to call another command
> 'make-frame-command'?

That's what I did in my `clone-frame', in order to
have just `C-x 5 2' bound.  IOW, I stole `C-x 5 2'
for `clone-frame', and allowed a prefix arg to
give you `make-frame-command'.  Personally, I
don't use `make-frame-commands', but some who use
my `clone-frame' might.

When I say that `clone-frame's prefix arg could
be used to get the behavior you're requesting
(clone the frame & duplicate its window config),
I mean that the prefix arg could do more than one
thing - there are different kinds of prefix args.
___

We _could_ have a single command, `clone-frame',
with prefix-arg behaviors for `make-frame-command'
(i.e., less than `clone-frame') and window-config
duplication (i.e., more than `clone-frame').  And
we could use one key for all of that: `C-x 5 2'.

That likely won't happen, based on the fact that
my suggestion to give `C-x 5 2' to `clone-frame'
(with `make-frame-command' via prefix arg) was
rejected in favor of Emacs sacrificing yet
another default key binding (why?).
___

What's more: IF we think that a reasonable number
of users might prefer one or the other of those
behaviors as their _default_ (1: make a plain
frame per `default-frame-alist'; 2: make a frame
with the same frame params; 3: make a frame with
the same frame params and the same window config),
THEN we could add a user option that controls that.
Then the prefix arg would let you get the other two
behaviors instead of your chosen default behavior.

That too is the kind of thing I sometimes do, and
the kind of thing vanilla Emacs abhors...