Go to window by buffername

Question

I would like to be able to switch to an open window by typing the name of the buffer which is displayed in it. It would be something like C-x b which opens the selected buffer only if it is not opened in another windows and in that case the focus switch to that window.

There is no need for anything fancy, just `(select-window (get-buffer-window "NAME-OF-BUFFER"))` and/or the optional second argument ALL-FRAMES. Perhaps consider adding a test for whether the window exists (i.e., live) so as to avoid throwing an error if you make a typographical error in the buffer-name. — lawlist, Nov 03 '16 at 17:06

score 2 · Answer 1 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:52

For a slightly different approach, you can install the https://github.com/abo-abo/ace-window package (available from melpa) and bind ace-window to some key sequence. When you invoke it, it gives each window a letter or number, which you can type to select. If you turn on ace-window-display-mode this letter is also added to the mode line so you can see it in advance.

The answer to Defining the window pointed by "other-window" has a screencast showing it in action.

The package has extra features, for example if invoked with one universal argument it swaps the current window with the target window.

The https://github.com/abo-abo/ace-window/wiki has an extended example, with scrolling other windows, winner-mode to save and restore window configurations and so on.

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 04 '20 at 06:15

You can use interactive to select a buffer, get-buffer-window to find the window showing that buffer, and select-window to switch to that window:

(defun open-window-by-buffer (buffer)
  (interactive "bBuffer: ")
  (select-window (get-buffer-window buffer) nil))

I love ido-mode for selecting things like open buffers, so here's a solution using that:

(defun open-window-by-buffer ()
  (interactive)
  (let ((buffer
         (ido-completing-read
          "Buffer: "
          (mapcar 'buffer-name (buffer-list)))))
    (select-window (get-buffer-window buffer) nil)))

Drew · Answer 3 · 2016-11-03T16:27:12.220

If you use Icicles then you can use command icicle-select-window, bound to C-0 C-x o to trip among windows using their buffer names.

More generally, C-x o trips among windows or frames, as follows (C-h k C-x o):

C-x o runs the command icicle-other-window-or-frame which is an interactive compiled Lisp function in icicles-cmd1.el.

(icicle-other-window-or-frame ARG)

Select a window or frame, by name or by order.

This command combines Emacs commands other-window and other-frame, together with Icicles commands icicle-select-window, icicle-select-frame, and icicle-choose-window-for-buffer-display.

Use the prefix argument to choose the behavior, as follows:

With no prefix arg or a non-zero numeric prefix arg: If the selected frame has multiple windows, then this is other-window. Otherwise, it is other-frame.

With a zero prefix arg (e.g. C-0): If the selected frame has multiple windows, then this is icicle-select-window with windows in the frame as candidates. Otherwise (single-window frame), this is icicle-select-frame.

With plain C-u: If the selected frame has multiple windows, then this is icicle-select-window with windows from all visible frames as candidates. Otherwise, this is icicle-select-frame.

With plain C-u C-u: Same as icicle-select-window with a negative prefix arg: Select a window from any frame, including iconified and invisible frames.

With plain C-u C-u C-u: This is icicle-choose-window-for-buffer-display, with windows from all frames (i.e., iconified and invisible) frames as candidates.

If you use library oneonone.el with a standalone minibuffer frame, and if option 1on1-remap-other-frame-command-flag is non-nil, then frame selection can include the standalone minibuffer frame.

By default, Icicle mode remaps all key sequences that are normally bound to other-window to icicle-other-window-or-frame. If you do not want this remapping, then customize option icicle-top-level-key-bindings.

Go to window by buffername

3 Answers3