How to set the dimensions of additional frames in Emacs / Aquamacs (OS X)

Question

I'm using Aquamacs on OS X and have multiple monitors in my setup. I'd like for all my Aquamacs frames to open with a certain position and size. In fact, my problem is rather similar to this one on StackOverflow. This solution of using modify-frame-parameters seems to have worked for setting the initial frame to my preferred position and size, but any additional frames open on my main monitor with a certain size and position, which are not the ones I want. I've tried many and varied solutions for fixing this including setting default-frame-alist, setting smart-frame-positioning-mode to nil, setting user-position to t, and even more. Yet, I'm still stuck with any additional frames opening in my main monitor with dimensions that I didn't specify. I even have this same problem in vanilla Emacs, so I guess this isn't specific to Aquamacs. Additionally, my version of OS X is 10.11.4 Beta, in case the OS / windowing system is causing this. Can someone specify a surefire way to have all frames open in a certain position and size on Emacs / Aquamacs for OS X?

Answer 1

The following is an example usage of feature request 21415 for OSX and a couple of different versions of Windows. [FYI: feature request 21415 increased in scope to include several bug fixes affecting frame sizes and positioning, menu-bar, etc.] I have already figured out my display width/height ahead of time using display-pixel-width and display-pixel-height for my various computers, and incorporated those known values into the example below. For example, I already know that my desktop computer running OSX is 1920 x 1080, my MacBook Pro 17 inch laptop is 1920 by 1200 and my MacBookAir 13 inch laptop is 1280 x 800. Run some tests ahead of time using M-x eval-expression RET (display-pixel-width) RET and M-x eval-expression RET (display-pixel-height RET and adjust the code based on your monotor. I use top 0 and left 0. The original poster will probably end up using different values for top and left along with incorporating a test similar to what Drew suggested as an answer in the related link to target a particular display -- e.g., using the function display-monitor-attributes-list to return a list containing values such as ".DISPLAY1".

Here is a make-frame example:

(make-frame '(
 (name . "HELLO-WORLD")
 (font . "-*-Courier-normal-normal-normal-*-18-*-*-*-m-0-iso10646-1")
 (top . 100)
 (left . 100)
 (left-fringe . 8)
 (right-fringe . 8)
 (vertical-scroll-bars)
 (cursor-color . "yellow")
 (cursor-type . (bar . 1))
 (background-color . "black")
 (foreground-color . "white")
 (tool-bar-lines . 0)
 (menu-bar-lines . 0)
 (width . (text-pixels . 400))
 (height . (text-pixels . 400)) ))

Here is an example using the default-frame-alist, which works for the initial frame and subsequently created frames that do not contain specific parameters that trump the default setting.

(when (eq system-type 'darwin)
  (setq ns-auto-hide-menu-bar t))

(let* (
    (display-pixel-width (display-pixel-width))
    (display-pixel-height (display-pixel-height))
    (font
      (cond
        ((eq system-type 'darwin)
          '(font . "-*-Courier-normal-normal-normal-*-18-*-*-*-m-0-iso10646-1"))
        ((eq system-type 'windows-nt)
          '(font . "-outline-Courier New-normal-normal-normal-mono-18-*-*-*-c-*-iso10646-1"))))
    (top '(top . 0))
    (left '(left . 0))
    (left-fringe '(left-fringe . 8))
    (right-fringe '(right-fringe . 8))
    (vertical-scroll-bars '(vertical-scroll-bars . nil))
    (cursor-color '(cursor-color . "yellow"))
    (cursor-type '(cursor-type . (bar . 1)))
    (background-color '(background-color . "black"))
    (foreground-color '(foreground-color . "white"))
    (tool-bar-lines '(tool-bar-lines . 0))
    (menu-bar-lines '(menu-bar-lines . 0))
    width
    height)
  (cond
    ((eq system-type 'darwin)
      (cond
        ((and
            (= 1920 display-pixel-width)
            (= 1080 display-pixel-height))
          (setq width '(width . (text-pixels . 1900)))
          (setq height '(height . (text-pixels . 1054))))
        ((and
            (= 1920 display-pixel-width)
            (= 1200 display-pixel-height))
          (setq width '(width . (text-pixels . 1900)))
          (setq height '(height . (text-pixels . 1174))))
        ((and
            (= 1280 display-pixel-width)
            (= 800 display-pixel-height))
          (setq width '(width . (text-pixels . 1259)))
          (setq height '(height . (text-pixels . 771))))))
    ((and
        (eq system-type 'windows-nt)
        (equal (w32-version) '(5 1 2600)))
      (cond
        ((and
            (= 1920 display-pixel-width)
            (= 1002 display-pixel-height))
          (setq width '(width . (text-pixels . 1896)))
          (setq height '(height . (text-pixels . 938))))
        ((and
            (= 1920 display-pixel-width)
            (= 1122 display-pixel-height))
          (setq width '(width . 172))
          (setq height '(height . 52)))
        ((and
            (= 1280 display-pixel-width)
            (= 722 display-pixel-height))
          (setq width '(width . 114))
          (setq height '(height . 32)))))
    ((and
        (eq system-type 'windows-nt)
        (equal (w32-version) '(6 1 7601)))
      (cond
        ((and
            (= 1920 display-pixel-width)
            (= 1080 display-pixel-height))
          (setq width '(width . 172))
          (setq height '(height . 52)))
        ((and
            (= 1920 display-pixel-width)
            (= 1200 display-pixel-height))
          (setq width '(width . 172))
          (setq height '(height . 58)))
        (t
                (message "Not yet contemplated.")))) )
  (setq default-frame-alist (list
    font
    top
    left
    left-fringe
    right-fringe
    vertical-scroll-bars
    cursor-color
    cursor-type
    background-color
    foreground-color
    tool-bar-lines
    menu-bar-lines
    width
    height)) )