Window numbers for Emacs !

• Introduction
• What's changed since window-numbering
• Installation
  • Using Melpa
  • Manual installation
• How to use
• Configuration
  • Keybindings
  • Customize options
  • Configuration file example
• Future developments

Introduction

Window numbers for Emacs: Navigate your windows and frames using numbers !

This package is an extended and actively maintained version of the window-numbering package by Nikolaj Schumacher, with some ideas and code taken from ace-window.

This version brings, among other things, support for number sets across multiple frames, giving the user a smoother experience of multi-screen Emacs.

What's changed since window-numbering

This package brings a lot of additions to the old window-numbering:

• Number sets across multiple frames, giving a smoother experience of multi-screen Emacs
• 3 possible scopes: frame-local, visible frames or all frames
• get-window-by-number public function, needed in Spacemacs and for future developments.
• Unlimited window numbers
• select-window-by-number can now be used interactively to select a window using prefix arg or read-from-minibuffer, allowing the selection of an unlimited number.
• Ignore buffers by name
• ;;;###autoload all functions that should have public visibility
• Improved customize integration
• Removed window-numbering-before-assign-hook, which just duplicated window-numbering-assign-func in a more complicated fashion
• New default key bindings under the C-x w prefix, to be compliant with Emacs key bindings conventions and native Emacs key bindings
• winum-set-keymap-prefix helper function to change the prefix more easily
• More detailed README.org
• Improved docstrings
• Simplified implementation for better readability

Installation

Using Melpa

The recommended way of installing winum is from the Melpa package repository:

M-x package-install RET winum RET

You will find instructions to setup Melpa here if you don't have it setup yet.

Once the package is installed, you need to load and activate winum-mode in your Emacs configuration:

  (require 'winum)

  (winum-mode)

Manual installation

• Clone the repo:

  cd /path/to/install/folder
  git clone https://github.com/deb0ch/winum.el

• Add the following to your Emacs configuration:

  (add-to-list 'load-path "/path/to/install/folder/winum.el/")

  (require 'winum)

  (winum-mode)

How to use

Key binding	Description
C-x w <n>	select window <n>, where <n> ranges from 0 to 9. A negative argument deletes the window.
C-x w `	select window by number. Number can be given as prefix arg or will be read from minibuffer.

• select-window-0-or-10 By default, C-x w 0 is bound to select-window-0-or-10. If window 0 is not assigned, it will act on the window 10 instead. You can rebind this to the more straightforward select-window-0 if you prefer.

• select-window-by-number

  If you happen to have more than 10 windows, you can use the select-window-by-number function, bound by default to C-x w `.

  This function allows several ways to input the window number:

  • Use a numbered prefix argument.
    Ex: C-1 C-2 C-x w ` to select window 12.
  • Use a negative prefix argument to delete the window.
    Ex: C-- C-1 C-2 C-x w ` to delete window 12.
  • Use the negative prefix argument to delete window 0.
    Ex: C-- C-x w ` to delete window 0.
  • Use the default prefix argument to delete current window.
    Ex: C-u C-x w ` to delete current window.
  • If no prefix argument ig given, a number is read from minibuffer. A negative input will delete the window instead of selecting it.

Configuration

Keybindings

The default prefix for key bindings is C-x w for compatibility with native Emacs bindings.

If you don't like C-x w, you can set a prefix of your choosing using the function winum-set-keymap-prefix:

  (winum-set-keymap-prefix (kbd "C-c"))

This function overrides the value of winum-keymap, so you should call it before customization of winum-keymap and/or after customization of winum-base-map. Its argument must be a key sequence, like the ones returned by kbd.

If you prefer no to use a prefix and have even shorter bindings, you can also override winum-keymap in the minor mode bindings table:

  (setq winum-keymap
      (let ((map (make-sparse-keymap)))
        (define-key map (kbd "C-`") 'winum-select-window-by-number)
        (define-key map (kbd "C-²") 'winum-select-window-by-number)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-0") 'winum-select-window-0-or-10)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-1") 'winum-select-window-1)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-2") 'winum-select-window-2)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-3") 'winum-select-window-3)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-4") 'winum-select-window-4)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-5") 'winum-select-window-5)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-6") 'winum-select-window-6)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-7") 'winum-select-window-7)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-8") 'winum-select-window-8)
        map))

  (require 'winum)

  (winum-mode)

Note that it is important to set winum-keymap before the require.

You can also use the more conventional define-key on winum-keymap:

  (define-key winum-keymap (kbd "C-x y o l o") 'winum-select-window-by-number)

NB: Both ` and ² are mapped to winum-select-window-by-number by default to handle both qwerty and azerty keyboard layouts. If you are using a different kind of layout, the recommended place to map it is the key beside 1.

Customize options

Several options are available through Emacs' Customize interface under convenience > winum:

• winum-scope Frames affected by a number set. Choices are 'frame-local 'visible or 'global. Default: 'global
• winum-reverse-frame-list If t, order frames by reverse order of creation. Has effect only when winum-scope is not 'frame-local. Default: nil
• winum-auto-assign-0-to-minibuffer If non-nil, winum-mode assigns 0 to the minibuffer if active. Default: t
• winum-assign-func Function called for each window by winum-mode. This is called before automatic assignment begins. The function should return a number to have it assigned to the current-window, nil otherwise. This function along with `winum-auto-assign-0-to-minibuffer' are the only ways to have 0 assigned to a window. Example: always assign Calculator the number 9 and NeoTree the number 0:

  (defun my-winum-assign-func ()
    (cond
     ((equal (buffer-name) "*Calculator*")
      9)
     ((string-match-p (buffer-name) ".*\\*NeoTree\\*.*")
      0)
     (t
      nil)))

  (setq winum-assign-func 'my-winum-assign-func)

Default: nil

• winum-auto-setup-mode-line When nil, winum-mode will not display window numbers in the mode-line. You might want this to be nil if you use a package that already manages window numbers in the mode-line. Default: t
• winum-mode-line-position The position in the mode-line winum-mode displays the number. Default: 1
• winum-ignored-buffers List of buffers to ignore when assigning numbers. Default: '(" which-key")
• face: winum-face Face used for the number in the mode-line.

Configuration file example

Here is an example that you could put in your .emacs, which includes all available winum options.

  (setq winum-keymap
      (let ((map (make-sparse-keymap)))
        (define-key map (kbd "C-`") 'winum-select-window-by-number)
        (define-key map (kbd "C-²") 'winum-select-window-by-number)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-0") 'winum-select-window-0-or-10)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-1") 'winum-select-window-1)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-2") 'winum-select-window-2)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-3") 'winum-select-window-3)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-4") 'winum-select-window-4)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-5") 'winum-select-window-5)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-6") 'winum-select-window-6)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-7") 'winum-select-window-7)
        (define-key map (kbd "M-8") 'winum-select-window-8)
        map))

  (require 'winum)

  (defun my-winum-assign-func ()
    (cond
     ((equal (buffer-name) "*Calculator*")
      9)
     ((string-match-p (buffer-name) ".*\\*NeoTree\\*.*")
      0)
     (t
      nil)))

  (set-face-attribute 'winum-face nil :weight 'bold)

  (setq window-numbering-scope            'global
        winum-reverse-frame-list          nil
        winum-auto-assign-0-to-minibuffer t
        winum-assign-func                 'my-winum-assign-func
        winum-auto-setup-mode-line        t
        winum-mode-line-position          1
        winum-ignored-buffers             '(" *which-key*"))

  (winum-mode)

Future developments

• send buffer to numbered window Send current window's buffer to window N. With prefix argument focus will follow.
• swap buffer with numbered window Same as previous, but will swap buffers instead of just sending them.
• Evilify Adapt the package to the famous `evil-mode` and use a leader key.
• Override native other-window (C-x o) to use window numbers
• Autocomplete read-from-minibuffer
• Add winum-format customize variable Format string for displaying the window number in the mode-line. Default to " %n " to get a space on each side of the window number.
• Things that you have thought of and I haven't 😸