Node:Creating a new ECB-layout, Previous:Fixing window sizes, Up:The ECB-layout

Interactively creating new layouts

If you want to create your own ECB-layout then you can do this very easy "by example" with the command ecb-create-new-layout. This command creates a new empty frame and offers a small set of keys to create the new layout by splitting windows. ecb-create-new-layout and this couple of keys are your guide during the layout-creation-process¹.

After calling ecb-create-new-layout you will be asked which type of layout you want to create: "left", "right", "top" or "left-right". Here you specify where the ECB-tree-windows/buffers should be located in the ECB-frame:

• left: All ECB-tree-windows are located on the left side
• right: All ECB-tree-windows are located on the right side
• top: All ECB-tree-windows are located on the top side
• left-right: All ECB-tree-windows are located on the left and right side

Depending on the type you choose the window is splitted by the values of the options ecb-windows-width (types "left", "right" and "left-right") or ecb-windows-height (type "top").

Afterwards you will see a frame like follows (here the layout-type is "left-right"):

-----------------------------------------------------------------
|<point>       |                                   |            |
|              | ECB-layout creation mode          |            |
|              | ========================          |            |
|              |                                   |            |
|              | <This is a durable help-screen>   |            |
|              |                                   |            |
|              |                                   |            |
|              |                                   |            |
|              |                                   |            |
|              |                                   |            |
|              |                                   |            |
|              |                                   |            |
|              |                                   |            |
|              |                                   |            |
|              |                                   |            |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
               |
               |   ,---
               `---| Splitted by the value of ecb-windows-width.
                   `---

The big window (here the middle window) will be the edit-window of the new layout and can not be selected, deleted or splitted during the creation process. It displays the help-screen for the layout-creation mode. Here all the available commands are displayed.

The small window(s) (here the left and right windows) can be splitted by you wherever you want (C-s). The left one contains the point. You must give every ECB-tree-window you create a type (C-t) which can be either

• One of the built-in types

  This can be either "directories", "sources", "methods", "history" or "speedbar".

• Any user-defined type:

  In this case you insert "other" after hitting C-t and you will then be asked for the name of the user-defined type. You can insert any arbitrary type name X. But to get this layout working you have to define a function with name ecb-set-X-buffer whereas X is the name of the user-defined type you have specified during layout-creation.

  This function ecb-set-X-buffer has first to switch to the buffer you want to display in this window and then making this window dedicated. You have to use the macro ecb-with-dedicated-window in such a function!

  Here is an example: Suppose you have inserted as type name "example" then you have to define and load a function ecb-set-example-buffer which could be defined like follows:
  

  (defun ecb-set-example-buffer ()
    (ecb-with-dedicated-window
      " *ECB example-buffer*"
      'ecb-set-example-buffer
        (switch-to-buffer (get-buffer-create " *ECB example-buffer*"))))
  

  If you forget to define such a function for the user-defined type then nevertheless ECB will draw this layout but it will use the default-function ecb-set-default-ecb-buffer instead.

If you are satisfied with your new layout just hit C-q. You will be asked for a new layout-name (TAB-completion is offered to get a list of all names already in use) and after inserting a new(!) name the new layout is saved in the file defined by the option ecb-create-layout-file. The new layout is now available via the option ecb-layout-name.

There is no need for you to load the file ecb-create-layout-file manually into your Emacs because it's automatically loaded by ECB!

Please note: During the layout-creation process only the commands displayed in the help-screen are available. ALL other commands are temporally disabled (even the mouse-commands).

For programming new layouts with emacs-lisp see The layout-engine.

With the command ecb-delete-new-layout you can delete previously created layouts (TAB-completion is offered for all names of user created layouts).

Footnotes

1. During the creation process you will be asked in the minibuffer for several options; here you can use TAB-completion and an ``empty'' RET chooses always the first option!