Emacs has a powerful position system. Unlike the standard
jump-prev/jump-next system in most software, it allows you to jump to the
position of anywhere you have gone.
Standard jump-prev/jump-next treat position history as a linear sequence
of jump, that may lead to loss of position.
This's not. The `jump-tree-mode' provided by this package provide a
system that treats position history as what it is: a branching tree of
positions. This simple idea allows the more intuitive behaviour of the
standard jump-prev/jump-next system to be combined with the power of
never losing any history.
This package is inspired by and a combination of undo-tree and jumplist,
and copy a lot of codes from them. ^_^
Installation
============
This package has only been tested with Emacs versions 25. It should
work in Emacs earlier versions, but not tested.
To install `jump-tree-mode', make sure this file is saved in a directory in
your `load-path', and add the line:
(require 'jump-tree)
to your .emacs file. Byte-compiling jump-tree.el is recommended (e.g. using
"M-x byte-compile-file" from within Emacs).
If you want to enable it globally, you can add:
(global-jump-tree-mode)
to your .emacs file.
Quick-Start
===========
If you're the kind of person who likes to jump in the car and drive,
without bothering to first figure out whether the button on the left dips
the headlights or operates the ejector seat (after all, you'll soon figure
it out when you push it), then here's the minimum you need to know:
Support several kinds of skipping methods. The priority is higher than that of recording:
1. skip command in `jump-tree-pos-list-skip-commands`.
2. skip when buffer in `jump-tree-pos-list-skip-buffers`.
3. skip the commands whose prefix is "jump-tree".
Support several kinds of recording methods. The priorities are:
1. record when command in `jump-tree-pos-list-record-commands`.
2. record when offset exceeding threshold.
3. record when switch-buffer.
The default `jump-tree-pos-list-skip-commands` value is as follows:
```
'(self-insert-command)
```
The default `jump-tree-pos-list-skip-buffers` value is as follows(this may be changed to use regexp in the future.):
```
'(*Messages*)'
```
The record of the jump node is decided by the `jump-tree-pos-list-record-commands` variable. The default value is as follows:
```
'(beginning-of-buffer
end-of-buffer backward-up-list
beginning-of-defun end-of-defun
unimacs-move-beginning-of-line unimacs-move-end-of-line
unimacs-move-beginning-of-window unimacs-move-end-of-window
helm-swoop helm-imenu helm-find-files helm-multi-files
helm-projectile-switch-project helm-projectile-find-file
helm-gtags-find-pattern helm-gtags-find-tag-adapter
helm-gtags-find-rtag-adapter helm-ag-select-directory
find-function find-variable
mark-defun mark-whole-buffer
avy-goto-char avy-goto-char-2
ensime-edit-definition
ensime-edit-definition-with-fallback
isearch-forward)
```
We can support the record the position, when the movement or offset is exceeding the threshold. The default threshold points `jump-tree-pos-list-offset-threshold` is:
```
200
```
Besides, we support to record the position when switch to another buffer or file. Whether this feature is enabled is determined by `jump-tree-pos-list-switch-buffer`. The default value is enabled:
```
t
```
`jump-tree-mode' and `global-jump-tree-mode'
Enable jump-tree mode (either in the current buffer or globally).
M-, (`jump-tree-jump-prev')
Jump-Prev positions.
C-? (`jump-tree-jump-next')
Jump-Next positions.
`jump-tree-switch-branch'
Switch jump-tree branch.
(What does this mean? Better press the button and see!)
C-x j (`jump-tree-visualize')
Visualize the position tree.
(Better try pressing this button too!)
C-x r u (`jump-tree-save-state-to-register')
Save current buffer state to register.
C-x r U (`jump-tree-restore-state-from-register')
Restore buffer state from register.
In the jump-tree visualizer:
<up> p C-p (`jump-tree-visualize-jump-prev')
Jump-Prev positions.
<down> n C-n (`jump-tree-visualize-jump-next')
Jump-Next positions.
<left> b C-b (`jump-tree-visualize-switch-branch-left')
Switch to previous jump-tree branch.
<right> f C-f (`jump-tree-visualize-switch-branch-right')
Switch to next jump-tree branch.
C-<up> M-{ (`jump-tree-visualize-jump-prev-to-x')
Jump-Prev changes up to last branch point.
<down> n C-n (`jump-tree-visualize-jump-next')
Jump-Next positions.
<mouse-1> (`jump-tree-visualizer-mouse-set')
Set state to node at mouse click.
t (`jump-tree-visualizer-toggle-timestamps')
Toggle display of time-stamps.
d (`jump-tree-visualizer-toggle-diff')
Toggle diff display.
s (`jump-tree-visualizer-selection-mode')
Toggle keyboard selection mode.
q (`jump-tree-visualizer-quit')
Quit jump-tree-visualizer.
C-q (`jump-tree-visualizer-abort')
Abort jump-tree-visualizer.
, <
Scroll left.
. >
Scroll right.
<pgup> M-v
Scroll up.
<pgdown> C-v
Scroll down.
In visualizer selection mode:
<up> p C-p (`jump-tree-visualizer-select-previous')
Select previous node.
<down> n C-n (`jump-tree-visualizer-select-next')
Select next node.
<left> b C-b (`jump-tree-visualizer-select-left')
Select left sibling node.
<right> f C-f (`jump-tree-visualizer-select-right')
Select right sibling node.
<pgup> M-v
Select node 10 above.
<pgdown> C-v
Select node 10 below.
<enter> (`jump-tree-visualizer-set')
Set state to selected node and exit selection mode.
s (`jump-tree-visualizer-mode')
Exit selection mode.
t (`jump-tree-visualizer-toggle-timestamps')
Toggle display of time-stamps.
q (`jump-tree-visualizer-quit')
Quit jump-tree-visualizer.
C-q (`jump-tree-visualizer-abort')
Abort jump-tree-visualizer.
, <
Scroll left.
. >
Scroll right.
Persistent position history:
Note: Requires Emacs version 24.3 or higher.
Jump-Prev Systems
============
To understand the different position systems, it's easiest to consider an
example. Imagine you make a few edits in a buffer. As you edit, you
accumulate a history of changes, which we might visualize as a string of
past buffer states, growing downwards:
o (initial buffer state)
|
|
o (first edit)
|
|
o (second edit)
|
|
x (current buffer state)
Now imagine that you position the last two positions. We can visualize
this as rewinding the current state back two steps:
o (initial buffer state)
|
|
x (current buffer state)
|
|
o
|
|
o
However, this isn't a good representation of what Emacs' position system
does. Instead, it treats the jump-prevs as *new* changes to the buffer,
and adds them to the history:
o (initial buffer state)
|
|
o (first edit)
|
|
o (second edit)
|
|
x (buffer state before position)
|
|
o (first position)
|
|
x (second position)
Actually, since the buffer returns to a previous state after an position,
perhaps a better way to visualize it is to imagine the string of changes
turning back on itself:
(initial buffer state) o
|
|
(first edit) o x (second position)
| |
| |
(second edit) o o (first position)
| /
|/
o (buffer state before position)
Treating jump-prevs as new changes might seem a strange thing to do. But
the advantage becomes clear as soon as we imagine what happens when you
edit the buffer again. Since you've jump-prevne a couple of changes, new
edits will branch off from the buffer state that you've rewound to.
Conceptually, it looks like this:
o (initial buffer state)
|
|
o
|\
| \
o x (new edit)
|
|
o
The standard jump-prev/jump-next system only lets you go backwards and
forwards linearly. So as soon as you make that new edit, it discards the
old branch. Emacs' position just keeps adding changes to the end of the
string. So the position history in the two systems now looks like this:
Jump-Prev/Jump-Next: Emacs' position
o o
| |
| |
o o o
.\ | |\
. \ | | \
. x (new edit) o o |
(discarded . | / |
branch) . |/ |
. o |
|
|
x (new edit)
Now, what if you change your mind about those jump-prevs, and decide you
did like those other changes you'd made after all? With the standard
jump-prev/jump-next system, you're lost. There's no way to recover them,
because that branch was discarded when you made the new edit.
However, in Emacs' position system, those old buffer states are still
there in the position history. You just have to rewind back through the
new edit, and back through the changes made by the jump-prevs, until you
reach them. Of course, since Emacs treats jump-prevs (even jump-prevs of
jump-prevs!) as new changes,
you're really weaving backwards and forwards through the history, all the
time adding new changes to the end of the string as you go:
o
|
|
o o o (position new edit)
| |\ |\
| | \ | \
o o | | o (position the position)
| / | | |
|/ | | |
(trying to get o | | x (position the position)
to this state) | /
|/
o
So far, this is still reasonably intuitive to use. It doesn't behave so
differently to standard jump-prev/jump-next, except that by going back far
enough you can access changes that would be lost in standard
jump-prev/jump-next.
However, imagine that after jump-preving as just described, you decide you
actually want to rewind right back to the initial state. If you're lucky,
and haven't invoked any command since the last position, you can just keep
on jump-preving until you get back to the start:
(trying to get o x (got there!)
to this state) | |
| |
o o o o (keep jump-preving)
| |\ |\ |
| | \ | \ |
o o | | o o (keep jump-preving)
| / | | | /
|/ | | |/
(already undid o | | o (got this far)
to this state) | /
|/
o
But if you're unlucky, and you happen to have moved the point (say) after
getting to the state labelled "got this far", then you've "broken the
position chain". Hold on to something solid, because things are about to
get hairy. If you try to position now, Emacs thinks you're trying to
position the jump-prevs! So to get back to the initial state you now have
to rewind through *all* the changes, including the jump-prevs you just did:
(trying to get o x (finally got there!)
to this state) | |
| |
o o o o o o
| |\ |\ |\ |\ |
| | \ | \ | \ | \ |
o o | | o o | | o o
| / | | | / | | | /
|/ | | |/ | | |/
(already undid o | | o<. | | o
to this state) | / : | /
|/ : |/
o : o
:
(got this far, but
broke the position chain)
Confused?
In practice you can just hold down the position key until you reach the
buffer state that you want. But whatever you do, don't move around in the
buffer to *check* that you've got back to where you want! Because you'll
break the position chain, and then you'll have to traverse the entire
string of jump-prevs again, just to get back to the point at which you
broke the chain.
So what does `jump-tree-mode' do? Remember the diagram we drew to represent
the history we've been discussing (make a few edits, position a couple of
them, and edit again)? The diagram that conceptually represented our
position history, before we started discussing specific position systems?
It looked like this:
o (initial buffer state)
|
|
o
|\
| \
o x (current state)
|
|
o
Well, that's *exactly* what the position history looks like to
`jump-tree-mode'. It doesn't discard the old branch (as standard
jump-prev/jump-next does), nor does it treat jump-prevs as new changes to
be added to the end of a linear string of buffer states (as Emacs'
position does). It just keeps track of the tree of branching changes that
make up the entire position history.
If you position from this point, you'll rewind back up the tree to the
previous state:
o
|
|
x (position)
|\
| \
o o
|
|
o
If you were to position again, you'd rewind back to the initial state.
If on the other hand you jump-next the change, you'll end up back at the
bottom of the most recent branch:
o (position takes you here)
|
|
o (start here)
|\
| \
o x (jump-next takes you here)
|
|
o
So far, this is just like the standard jump-prev/jump-next system.
But what if you want to return to a buffer state located on a previous
branch of the history? Since `jump-tree-mode' keeps the entire history,
you simply need to tell it to switch to a different branch, and then
jump-next the changes you want:
o
|
|
o (start here, but switch
|\ to the other branch)
| \
(jump-next) o o
|
|
(jump-next) x
Now you're on the other branch, if you position and jump-next changes
you'll stay on that branch, moving up and down through the buffer states
located on that branch. Until you decide to switch branches again, of
course.
Real position trees might have multiple branches and sub-branches:
o
____|______
/ \
o o
____|__ __|
/ | \ / \
o o o o x
| |
/ \ / \
o o o o
Trying to imagine what Emacs' position would do as you move about such a
tree will likely frazzle your brain circuits! But in `jump-tree-mode',
you're just moving around this position history tree. Most of the time,
you'll probably only need to stay on the most recent branch, in which case
it behaves like standard jump-prev/jump-next, and is just as simple to
understand. But if you ever need to recover a buffer state on a different
branch, the possibility of switching between branches and accessing the
full position history is still there.
The Jump-Tree Visualizer
========================
Actually, it gets better. You don't have to imagine all these tree
diagrams, because `jump-tree-mode' includes an jump-tree visualizer which
draws them for you! In fact, it draws even better diagrams: it highlights
the node representing the current buffer state, it highlights the current
branch, and you can toggle the display of time-stamps (by hitting "t") and
a diff of the position changes (by hitting "d"). (There's one other tiny
difference: the visualizer puts the most recent branch on the left rather
than the right.)
Bring up the position tree visualizer whenever you want by hitting "C-x u".
In the visualizer, the usual keys for moving up and down a buffer instead
move up and down the position history tree (e.g. the up and down arrow keys, or
"C-n" and "C-p"). The state of the "parent" buffer (the buffer whose position
history you are visualizing) is updated as you move around the position tree in
the visualizer. If you reach a branch point in the visualizer, the usual
keys for moving forward and backward in a buffer instead switch branch
(e.g. the left and right arrow keys, or "C-f" and "C-b").
Clicking with the mouse on any node in the visualizer will take you
directly to that node, resetting the state of the parent buffer to the
state represented by that node.
You can also select nodes directly using the keyboard, by hitting "s" to
toggle selection mode. The usual motion keys now allow you to move around
the tree without changing the parent buffer. Hitting <enter> will reset the
state of the parent buffer to the state represented by the currently
selected node.
It can be useful to see how long ago the parent buffer was in the state
represented by a particular node in the visualizer. Hitting "t" in the
visualizer toggles the display of time-stamps for all the nodes. (Note
that, because of the way `jump-tree-mode' works, these time-stamps may be
somewhat later than the true times, especially if it's been a long time
since you last undid any positions.)