Question

I normally work in emacs with the frame split into two side-by-side windows. Committing a change via git (C-x v v) opens a buffer in the other window for the change comment. The problem is that when I finish the comment and type C-c C-c, the window containing the comment is killed along with the VC-log buffer. Then I have to split the frame into two windows again and find the buffer that had been in deleted window.

Is there any way to keep this process (C-x v v [commit message] C-c C-c) from messing up my window layout? I’d be happy for the VC-log to open in the other window and then disappear without changing the window layout, or for the VC-log to temporarily split one of the windows, as long as my original buffer/window layout is restored when I’m done with the commit. I could write a wrapper function for vc-next-action that saves and restores the window configuration, but it seems like there should be a more straightforward way to do this. Any ideas?

Answer 1

A quick look through the vc options offered no possibility, but you can advise vc-next-action (bound to C-x v v) with a save-window-excursion that restores the windows

(defadvice vc-next-action (around keep-windows activate)
  (save-window-excursion
    ad-do-it))

There is also winner-mode for general restoring. And if you use git, you definitely should look at magit.