Re: Tabs are ready? -> Let us give a definition of tabs.

[Alin Soare]

I propose you to give a general definition of a tab, otherwise it will be disagreement between the tabs of GTK/motif/console , etc.

I propose you a defintion. In choosing a definition, one must agree first of all on some

* general principles

** in C must be written as little as possible

** almost tab behaviour must be defined in elisp

Here what I propose:

The tabs should be a defined as a list of objects (of type 'tab) in the struct frame.

On the frame, the tab is represented as a widget in GTK/motif/ , or something similar in console.

A tab object should be defined as a list of association, in which every standard event is associated with an elisp function. Apart from events, it can be defined some constants, like tab-name, etc. It is useful to be able to insert in this this other variables, that can be seen as tab-local.

The events should be:

 - create

     the elisp funciton is executed once, immediately after the initialization of a tab

 - hide

    executed when the tab is hidden

 - show

    executed when we switch to that tab

etc.

Example: a tab that does nothing

To create a tab that does absolutely nothing, we define no elisp function for all events.

After the creation of such a tab, it will be visible in gtk widget, but commuting to it, nothing happens.

Other example: a tab that switches to a buffer assoc with a file, like /root/.emacs

 - initialization event is defined so:

   -- erase all windows, and keep 1 window ( delete-other-windows ) 

   -- open the file . emacs

 - hide event

   -- memorize window configuration into a variable 'OLD-window-config inserted in the assoc list of the tab

 - show event

  -- restaurate 'OLD-window-config

 - close event

  -- eventually kill the buffer .emacs

In this manner one can define tabs to run processes in background, like compilations.

Etc.

I hope we could agree on such a definition of a tab.

I implemented it 2 years ago, and give a simple example , in which tabs saves and restore window-configurations.

Note that it require not too much work at C level, and it gives a huge number of possibilities of defining tabs, exactly as the 2 principles says.

Alin