Re: How to pickle split window?

[Lowell Gilbert]

Haines Brown <haines@histomat.net> writes:

> jpkotta <jpkotta@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> On Friday, March 8, 2013 5:32:17 AM UTC-6, Haines Brown wrote:
>>> 
>>> What can I do to return to the split window that displays my prior
>>> state automatically after closing gnus without having to do an emacs
>>> reload
>
>> C-x r w <letter> saves the window configuration to the register
>> specified with <letter> (e.g. "a" or "z").  C-x r j <letter> restores
>> the window config stored in register <letter>.
>>
>> There are many packages that save window configurations, see
>> http://emacswiki.org/emacs/CategoryWindows#toc4.  I like
>> workgroups.el.
>
> Sorry I was not clearer. I understand there are commands to restore
> previous window layout, but my interest was for it to be automatic, so
> that for example when I close gnus, emacs returns automatically to the
> prior windows layout. It would even be nice to return automatically to
> the the prior buffers displayed in those windows.
>
> I suspect the answer to somehow to add a hook to gnus quit that
> automatically runs (defun reload ()), perhaps calling back most recent
> buffers for those windows.

It sounds like you're not running with any 'window-system'. 
If you were, the obvious answer would be to open a new window 
for your temporary distractions.

Your idea makes sense, but perhaps you should consider
creating a function to provide your preferred setup for what
you consider your normal state. That way, you could invoke it
not just as a matter of restoring state, but of configuring it
in the first place.

But not understanding quite what you're after, I could easily
be far off base here.