@c This is part of the Emacs manual.
-@c Copyright (C) 1985-1987, 1993-1995, 1997, 2000-2013 Free Software
+@c Copyright (C) 1985-1987, 1993-1995, 1997, 2000-2014 Free Software
@c Foundation, Inc.
@c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
@node Buffers
A buffer's size cannot be larger than some maximum, which is defined
by the largest buffer position representable by @dfn{Emacs integers}.
This is because Emacs tracks buffer positions using that data type.
-For typical 64-bit machines, this maximum buffer size is @math{2^61 -
-2} bytes, or about 2 EiB@. For typical 32-bit machines, the maximum is
-usually @math{2^29 - 2} bytes, or about 512 MiB@. Buffer sizes are
+For typical 64-bit machines, this maximum buffer size is @math{2^{61} - 2}
+bytes, or about 2 EiB@. For typical 32-bit machines, the maximum is
+usually @math{2^{29} - 2} bytes, or about 512 MiB@. Buffer sizes are
also limited by the amount of memory in the system.
@menu
* Select Buffer:: Creating a new buffer or reselecting an old one.
* List Buffers:: Getting a list of buffers that exist.
-* Misc Buffer:: Renaming; changing read-onlyness; copying text.
+* Misc Buffer:: Renaming; changing read-only status; copying text.
* Kill Buffer:: Killing buffers you no longer need.
* Several Buffers:: How to go through the list of all buffers
and operate variously on several of them.
@kindex C-x C-b
@findex list-buffers
To display a list of existing buffers, type @kbd{C-x C-b}. Each
-line in the list shows one buffer's name, major mode and visited file.
+line in the list shows one buffer's name, size, major mode and visited file.
The buffers are listed in the order that they were current; the
buffers that were current most recently come first.
% HELLO 1607 Fundamental ~/cvs/emacs/etc/HELLO
% NEWS 481184 Outline ~/cvs/emacs/etc/NEWS
*scratch* 191 Lisp Interaction
- * *Messages* 1554 Fundamental
+ * *Messages* 1554 Messages
@end smallexample
@noindent
@cindex unique buffer names
@cindex directories in buffer names
When several buffers visit identically-named files, Emacs must give
-the buffers distinct names. The usual method for making buffer names
-unique adds @samp{<2>}, @samp{<3>}, etc. to the end of the buffer
-names (all but one of them).
+the buffers distinct names. The default method
+(@code{uniquify-buffer-name-style} set to
+@code{post-forward-angle-brackets}) for making buffer names unique
+adds @samp{<dir1>}, @samp{<dir2>}, etc. to the end of the buffer
+names.
@vindex uniquify-buffer-name-style
- Other methods work by adding parts of each file's directory to the
-buffer name. To select one, customize the variable
-@code{uniquify-buffer-name-style} (@pxref{Easy Customization}).
+ There are several styles to make buffer names unique. To select
+one, customize the variable @code{uniquify-buffer-name-style}
+(@pxref{Easy Customization}).
- To begin with, the @code{forward} naming method includes part of the
-file's directory name at the beginning of the buffer name; using this
-method, buffers visiting the files @file{/u/rms/tmp/Makefile} and
+ The @code{forward} naming method includes part of the file's
+directory name at the beginning of the buffer name; using this method,
+buffers visiting the files @file{/u/rms/tmp/Makefile} and
@file{/usr/projects/zaphod/Makefile} would be named
-@samp{tmp/Makefile} and @samp{zaphod/Makefile}, respectively (instead
-of @samp{Makefile} and @samp{Makefile<2>}).
+@samp{tmp/Makefile} and @samp{zaphod/Makefile}.
In contrast, the @code{post-forward} naming method would call the
-buffers @samp{Makefile|tmp} and @samp{Makefile|zaphod}, and the
+buffers @samp{Makefile|tmp} and @samp{Makefile|zaphod}. The default
+method @code{post-forward-angle-brackets} is like @code{post-forward}
+except that it prepends the unique path in angle brackets. The
@code{reverse} naming method would call them @samp{Makefile\tmp} and
@samp{Makefile\zaphod}. The nontrivial difference between
@code{post-forward} and @code{reverse} occurs when just one directory
name is not enough to distinguish two files; then @code{reverse} puts
the directory names in reverse order, so that @file{/top/middle/file}
becomes @samp{file\middle\top}, while @code{post-forward} puts them in
-forward order after the file name, as in @samp{file|top/middle}.
+forward order after the file name, as in @samp{file|top/middle}. If
+@code{uniquify-buffer-name-style} is set to @code{nil}, the buffer
+names simply get a @samp{<2>} etc. prepended. This used to be the
+default behavior in Emacs versions up to 24.4.
Which rule to follow for putting the directory names in the buffer
name is not very important if you are going to @emph{look} at the