Re: combining echo area and modeline

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2015 15:31:31 -0400
> From: Qiang Fang <address@hidden>
> 
> Information on the mode line is quite useful sometimes, like the
> indicator for evil mode, which function mode etc.

Then don't remove it.

> I haven't tried making another frame for the echo area. I am not
> sure how you hide the title bar and position the frame exactly on
> top of the modeline, also how do you auto hide the frame when the
> message is timed out?

Why do you need all that?  Just let that minibuffer-only frame be,
obscure it by others, or even minimize it if you want -- it will be
raised automatically when Emacs has something to say there.

> Pip's suggestion of shrinking mini-window to zero lines doesn't
> solve the problem when the echo area is poped up, mode line and
> minibuffer take two lines then.

You only can tweak Emacs this far.  Certain portions of the display
have to be there, especially if you cannot give up completely what
they show.