Re: save/restore frame positions

[Robin Dunn]

Drew Adams wrote:

> Library `doremi-frm.el' (which requires a few other libraries) provides an
> easy way to use frame configurations interactively. You can have a ring of
> frame configurations, and then use command `doremi-frame-configs' to cycle
> among them.
>
> `doremi-frm.el' automatically pushes each change you make to a frame (using
> DoReMi commands) to a ring of frame configs. For example, if you use
> `doremi-frame-height' to incrementally change the height of a frame, then
> the change is recorded in the frame-config ring.
>
> In general, `doremi-frm.el' is not about frame configs; this is a side
> feature. It is about making incremental changes to frames interactively:
> color, size, position, font, faces, whatever. You do this using either a
> mouse wheel or the arrow keys (press & hold to increase/decrease a frame
> parameter until you get what you like).
>
> After making a change that you like, you can copy it to your
> `default-frame-alist' (or another frame alist) using DoReMi commands, and
> then you can save the `default-frame-alist' change persistently using
> Customize.

Thanks, but I think this isn't quite what I am looking for.  I don't see 
how to save the size/positions of multiple frames, and then, after 
restarting emacs, to recreate, size and position a new set of frames to 
match the old saved config.

I had a bit of time over the weekend and so I bit the bullet and dug in 
to elisp enough to hack something together myself.  It's butt-ugly but 
it works.  It loops through the current frames and then writes a elisp 
function into the *scratch* buffer that will recreate the frames and set 
their size and position.  Then I can just copy that function to my 
.emacs file and M-x it when I startup.  If I want to have multiple 
layout-configs I can just change the name of the defun and have several 
of them in my .emacs file.


(defun my-save-frame-info ()
  "Save info about current emacs frames"
  (interactive)
  (let ((cbuf (current-buffer)))
    (switch-to-buffer "*scratch*")
    (goto-char (point-max))
    (insert "(defun my-make-frames ()\n  \"\"\n")
    (insert "  (interactive)\n")
    (insert "  ; delete all current frames except 1\n")
    (insert "  (while (> (length (frame-list)) 1)\n")
    (insert "    (delete-frame (nth 0 (frame-list))))\n")
    (insert "  ; size and position the remaining frame\n")
    (let ((frm (car (frame-list))))
      (insert "  (let ((frm (car (frame-list))))\n")
      (insert (format "    (set-frame-position frm %d %d)\n"
                      (frame-parameter frm 'left)
                      (frame-parameter frm 'top)))
      (insert (format "    (set-frame-size     frm %d %d))\n"
                      (frame-width frm)
                      (frame-height frm))))             
    (insert "  ; make additional frames and position them\n")
    (dolist (frm (cdr (frame-list)))
      (insert "  (let ((frm (make-frame)))\n")
      (insert (format "    (set-frame-position frm %d %d)\n"
                      (frame-parameter frm 'left)
                      (frame-parameter frm 'top)))

      (insert (format "    (set-frame-size     frm %d %d))\n"
                      (frame-width frm)
                      (frame-height frm))))
    (insert ")\n")
    (switch-to-buffer cbuf)
    (message "Look at the end of the *scratch* buffer..."))
)