Re: [STUMP] [PATCH] Using window properties to store window placement.

[Shawn]

Michael Raskin <address@hidden> writes:

>               Hello
>       That patch adds commands that allow to mark windows via dedicated
> properties and later place them in the same groups/frames they occupied
> earlier using that information. The best part is that you do not need to
> have continuous history of running StumpWM: it can be used across
> StumpWM reload if you need to do it the hard way (with killing StumpWM)
> or you can save needed layout and not fear a possible crash. You could
> dump frame layout earlier, this patch allows you to preserve windows.
>       The patch is split in two, as the first small part (functions for
> window properties that are meant to hold strings) seems useful per se.

I thought stumpwm already did this using the netwm desktop property
and the x,y location of the windows. You have found this not to be so?

I made some pedantic comments below:

> +(defun window-string-property (window prop)
> +  "Get window property and convert it to string"
> +  (apply #'concatenate
> +         (cons 'string
> +               (mapcar 'string
> +                       (mapcar 'character
> +                               (window-property window prop))))))

This could be written this way:

(apply #'concatenate 'string
       (mapcar 'string
               (mapcar 'character
                       (window-property window prop))))

Except it could be better written this way:

(map 'string 'character (window-property window prop))

Though you might prefer:

(xlib:get-property (window-xwin window) prop :type :string :result-type 'string 
:transform #'xlib:card8->char)

> +(defun set-window-string-property (window prop value)
> +  "Set window property to value specified by a string"
> +  (xlib:change-property (window-xwin window) prop value :string 8 :transform 
> 'char-code))

This would be better written as a setf function: 

(defun (setf window-string-property) (value window prop) ...)

and used this way:

(setf (window-string-property window prop) value)

> +(defun all-groups ()
> +  "List all the known groups on all screens"
> +  (apply #'concatenate (cons 'list
> +    (mapcar #'screen-groups *screen-list*))))

This looks a little nicer:

(apply 'append (mapcar #'screen-groups *screen-list*))

> +(defcommand all-placement-to-properties () ()
> +  "Save all window placement data to properties"
> +  (mapcar #'placement-to-properties (all-windows)))

you should use mapc, which doesn't accumulate the return values.

-Shawn