Bufler is like a butler for your buffers, presenting them to you in an organized way based on your instructions. The instructions are written as grouping rules in a simple language, allowing you to customize the way buffers are grouped. The default rules are designed to be generally useful, so you don’t have to write your own.
It also provides a workspace mode which allows frames to focus on buffers in certain groups. Since the groups are created automatically, the workspaces are created dynamically, rather than requiring you to put buffers in workspaces manually.
This screenshot shows bufler-list in the top window, and bufler-switch-buffer reading a buffer with completion in the bottom window. Note how the same, recursively grouped buffers are shown in both ways.
This screenshot compares Bufler and Ibuffer showing the same buffers with the default settings. Note how Bufler provides collapsible sections to group and hide uninteresting buffers. It also allows commands to be applied to selected sections: for example, pressing k in this Bufler list would kill the buffers in the groups compilation-mode and completion-list-mode (and, of course, since it calls kill-buffer, any unsaved, file-backed buffers would ask to be saved first).
This screenshot shows Bufler Tabs Mode, which works with the new tab-bar-mode and tab-line-mode from Emacs 27. The tab-bar selects the workspace, and the tab-line selects a buffer in the current workspace.
If you’ve installed from MELPA, you’re done!
If you prefer, you may install with quelpa-use-package, like this:
(use-package bufler
:quelpa (bufler :fetcher github :repo "alphapapa/bufler.el"
:files (:defaults (:exclude "helm-bufler.el"))))To install the additional helm-bufler package, use:
(use-package helm-bufler
:quelpa (helm-bufler :fetcher github :repo "alphapapa/bufler.el"
:files ("helm-bufler.el")))Bufler provides four primary, user-facing features. They complement each other, but each one may be used independently.
- The command
buflershows a list of buffers grouped according to the defined grouping rules. It allows manipulation of buffers and groups of buffers. - The command
bufler-switch-bufferprompts for a buffer with completion and switches to the selected one. Buffers are presented by their “path” in the groups. - The global minor mode
bufler-modeallows each frame to have a “workspace,” which is a buffer group selected by the user. When the mode is active, the commandbufler-switch-bufferpresents only buffers from the current workspace (unless called with a prefix, in which case it shows all buffers), and the current workspace is displayed in the mode line and the frame’s title. Buffers can also be manually assigned to named workspaces. - The global minor mode
bufler-tabs-modeuses the new Emacs 27tab-barandtab-linefeatures to display workspaces and buffers. Thetab-barshows top-level workspaces (and whatever the selected one is, even if not top-level), and thetab-lineshows buffers from the current workspace.
A workflow using Bufler could be something like this:
- Start Emacs.
- Activate
bufler-mode. - Open some buffers, find some files, etc.
- When you need to switch buffers, use
M-x bufler-switch-buffer. The buffers are presented by group with their “outline paths,” which makes it easier to find the buffer you’re looking for, since they’re organized by project, directory, mode, etc. - If you want to focus on a certain group’s buffers:
a. Use
C-u C-u M-x bufler-switch-buffer RETand select a buffer; or b. UseM-x bufler-workspace-frame-set RETand select a workspace; or c. UseM-x bufler RETand pressfto focus the current frame on a workspace, orFto open a new frame focused on a workspace. - The next time you call
bufler-switch-bufferin that frame, it will only offer buffers from that frame’s buffer group, making it easier to find buffers related to the current project. (Of course, existing commands likeswitch-to-bufferare not affected; Bufler doesn’t interfere with other modes or commands.) - When you need to switch to a buffer in a different group without changing the frame’s workspace, use
C-u M-x bufler-switch-bufferto select from all buffers in all groups. - When you need to kill or save a bunch of buffers at once, use
bufler-list, put the cursor on a group you want to kill or save, and presskors. If you want to see which buffers have unsaved (indicated with*) or uncommitted (indicated withedited) changes, you can browse through the list of buffers (enablebufler-vc-stateto show VC state for each buffer; this is disabled by default because getting up-to-date information on a buffer’s VC state can be slow).
Then, you can write your own buffer-grouping rules to make them as simple or as complex as you like. They’re just Lisp functions, so you can do anything with them, but the DSL provided by the macro makes simple ones easy to write.
bufler- Show the Bufler buffer list.
bufler-mode- Enable the Bufler workspace mode, which allows each frame to have a chosen workspace from Bufler’s groups.
bufler-tabs-mode- Enable the Bufler workspace tabs mode, which uses
tab-bar-modeandtab-line-modefrom Emacs 27+ to display Bufler workspaces and buffers. bufler-switch-buffer- Switch to a buffer selected from the frame’s workspace. Without any input, switch to the previous buffer. With prefix, select from all buffers. With two prefixes, also set the frame’s workspace.
bufler-workspace-focus-buffer- Set current frame’s workspace to the current buffer’s workspace.
bufler-workspace-frame-set- Set the frame’s workspace. Setting the workspace may be done automatically by
bufler-switch-buffer, but this command may be used to set the workspace to a group containing other groups, after whichbufler-switch-bufferwill present buffers from the selected group and its subgroups. bufler-workspace-buffer-set- Set the current buffer’s workspace name. With prefix, unset it. Note that, in order for a buffer to appear in a named workspace, the buffer must be matched by an
auto-workspacegroup before any other group.
In the Bufler buffer list, these keys are available (use C-h m to get the most up-to-date listing). They operate on all buffers in the section at point.
?Show key bindings Hydra.1–4Cycle section levels at point.M-1–M-4Cycle top-level sections.RETSwitch to buffer.SPCPeek at buffer, keeping focus in buffer list.gRefresh Bufler list (with prefix, force updating buffers’ VC state and grouping).fSet the current frame’s workspace to the group at point (with prefix, unset).FMake a new frame whose workspace is the group at point.NAdd buffers to named workspace (with prefix, remove from it).kKill buffers.sSave buffers.
bufler-switch-bufferworks best whencompletion-stylesincludes thesubstringstyle. It also works well withhelm-modeandivy-mode.- Customize settings in the
buflergroup.
See the =bufler= info page to view this information in Emacs.
The Bufler groups definition is a list stored in variable bufler-groups. Each element of the list is a function which takes a buffer as its only argument and returns a string naming the group the buffer should be in at that level (or nil if the buffer should not be grouped by the function), or a list of such functions; each list may contain more such lists. Each buffer is matched against these functions in-order until the list of functions is exhausted. A list of functions defines a subgroup which short-circuits other groups at the same level, preventing further grouping outside of the subgroup’s functions. Ultimately, it’s functions all the way down.
If this explanation doesn’t seem clear, please see the examples. Once you get the hang of it, it’s powerful and flexible.
For convenience, the macro bufler-defgroups provides a concise vocabulary for defining groups. Note that the macro does not set the variable bufler-groups, it only expands a groups form, so you should use, e.g. (setf bufler-groups (bufler-defgroups ...)) to actually set the groups.
The default groups are defined like this:
(bufler-defgroups
(group
;; Subgroup collecting all named workspaces.
(auto-workspace))
(group
;; Subgroup collecting all `help-mode' and `info-mode' buffers.
(group-or "*Help/Info*"
(mode-match "*Help*" (rx bos "help-"))
(mode-match "*Info*" (rx bos "info-"))))
(group
;; Subgroup collecting all special buffers (i.e. ones that are not
;; file-backed), except `magit-status-mode' buffers (which are allowed to fall
;; through to other groups, so they end up grouped with their project buffers).
(group-and "*Special*"
(lambda (buffer)
(unless (or (funcall (mode-match "Magit" (rx bos "magit-status"))
buffer)
(funcall (mode-match "Dired" (rx bos "dired"))
buffer)
(funcall (auto-file) buffer))
"*Special*")))
(group
;; Subgroup collecting these "special special" buffers
;; separately for convenience.
(name-match "**Special**"
(rx bos "*" (or "Messages" "Warnings" "scratch" "Backtrace") "*")))
(group
;; Subgroup collecting all other Magit buffers, grouped by directory.
(mode-match "*Magit* (non-status)" (rx bos (or "magit" "forge") "-"))
(auto-directory))
;; Subgroup for Helm buffers.
(mode-match "*Helm*" (rx bos "helm-"))
;; Remaining special buffers are grouped automatically by mode.
(auto-mode))
;; All buffers under "~/.emacs.d" (or wherever it is).
(dir user-emacs-directory)
(group
;; Subgroup collecting buffers in `org-directory' (or "~/org" if
;; `org-directory' is not yet defined).
(dir (if (bound-and-true-p org-directory)
org-directory
"~/org"))
(group
;; Subgroup collecting indirect Org buffers, grouping them by file.
;; This is very useful when used with `org-tree-to-indirect-buffer'.
(auto-indirect)
(auto-file))
;; Group remaining buffers by whether they're file backed, then by mode.
(group-not "*special*" (auto-file))
(auto-mode))
(group
;; Subgroup collecting buffers in a projectile project.
(auto-projectile))
(group
;; Subgroup collecting buffers in a version-control project,
;; grouping them by directory.
(auto-project))
;; Group remaining buffers by directory, then major mode.
(auto-directory)
(auto-mode))The following group types are available in bufler-defgroups. Note that each one is expanded into a lambda, so they may also be called by funcall (see example above).
- Meta types
- These types compose multiple of the other types into a single group.
group (TYPE...)Define a subgroup matching given types, which short-circuits other groups at the same level.group-not (NAME TYPE)Groups buffers which do not match the given type.group-and (NAME TYPE...)Groups buffers which match all of the given types.group-or (NAME TYPE...)Groups buffers which match any of the given types.
- Auto types
- These types automatically create groups for the buffer’s attribute of this type.
auto-directoryBuffer’s directory.auto-fileBuffer’s file name.auto-indirectWhether the buffer is indirect (e.g. a cloned indirect buffer).auto-modeBuffer’s major mode.auto-projectBuffer’s version-control project directory according toproject.el.auto-parent-projectLikeauto-project, but if the buffer’s parent directory is in a different project, use that one instead. Useful for git worktrees, whereauto-projectwould show each worktree as a separate project.
auto-projectileBuffer’s project as defined in theprojectilepackage (if installed).auto-specialWhether the buffer is special (i.e. whether its name starts with*).auto-trampWhether the buffer is opened via Tramp.auto-workspaceThe buffer’s named workspace, if any.
- Regexp types
- These types match a value against a buffer’s attribute and group buffers which match.
filename-match (NAME REGEXP)Match a regular expression against the buffer’s filename, if it has one.name-match (NAME REGEXP)Match a regular expression against the buffer’s name.mode-match (NAME REGEXP)Match a regular expression against the buffer’s major-mode.
- Other types
-
dir (DIRS DEPTH)Groups buffers which match one of the given DIRS. DIRS may be one or a list of directory paths. DEPTH may be nil or a depth above which to produce subdirectory groups (a feature probably broken at the moment). See example above.hiddenGroups buffers which are hidden (i.e. whose names start with a space and do not visit a file).
Bufler does not require nor depend on Helm, but because it uses completing-read, it requires no special configuration to work with helm-mode for selecting buffers.
To show Bufler’s grouped buffers in a Helm-specific command, a separate helm-bufler package is available, which includes helm-bufler-source, a Helm source that shows buffers in the current workspace (or when the Helm command is called with C-u, all buffers). It looks like this when showing all buffers:
After installing the package (see installation instructions above), use it like this:
(helm :sources '(helm-bufler-source))Bufler does not require nor depend on Ivy, but because it uses completing-read, Bufler requires no special configuration to work with ivy-mode for selecting buffers. For example, this shows bufler-switch-buffer with ivy-mode activated (in the spacemacs-dark theme):
Bufler does not require nor depend on Prism, but you can use Prism’s level faces with Bufler by using M-x customize-option RET bufler-face-prefix RET and choosing the Prism faces option. For example (showing an earlier version of the package, when it was called Sbuffer):
Bufler is primarily about grouping buffers automatically and dynamically, using smart, customizeable rules. While Ibuffer provides some powerful grouping features, they are restricted to single-level grouping, and they require extensive, manual configuration. Bufler offers recursive, multi-level grouping, and a set of default groups is provided which are designed to be generally useful. Bufler presents groups in bufler-list using the magit-section library, which allows groups and buffers to be toggled, marked, and operated on with commands.
Ibuffer groups must be manually and individually specified. So, for example, to group project A’s buffers into one group, and project B’s into another, Ibuffer requires the user to make a group for each project. Bufler provides a set of automatic grouping rules that create groups automatically. For example, with the rule (auto-project), Bufler would create one group for project A’s buffers and another for project B’s. When those projects’ buffers are closed, the groups are automatically removed.
Bufler also provides optional workspace features in the form of bufler-mode, which helps focus a frame on a group of buffers. When it’s active, the command bufler-switch-buffer presents buffers from that frame’s selected workspace; when called with a prefix argument, it presents all buffers, and then switches the frame’s workspace to the selected buffer’s group.
Of course, Ibuffer is a mature tool with many features, so Bufler doesn’t replace it completely. Bufler is a very young project.
This release includes additional support for Emacs’s tab-bar-mode. Basically, commands and features that formerly acted on the current frame now act on the current tab when tab-bar-mode is active, otherwise on the current frame.
Notably, these changes are also designed to facilitate integration with Burly’s burly-tabs-mode (e.g. when a Burly bookmark is opened in a tab-bar tab, the tab’s Bufler workspace can be set to the workspace containing the buffer, so that bufler-switch-buffer automatically offers buffers relevant to the tab).
Note as well that the existing bufler-workspace-workspaces-as-tabs-mode overrides some aspects of Emacs’s tab-bar-mode and tab-line-mode; this functionality is still somewhat experimental and may not suit every user’s taste. But while that mode may remain disabled, Bufler’s other features are still useful with standard tab-bar-mode. (Yes, all these names and modes and features do get confusing. The term “workspaces” is vague, encompassing a variety of ideas envisioned by a range of users. Bufler’s implementation is just one iteration of the concept.)
Additions
- Command
bufler-workspace-setsets the workspace of the currenttab-bartab or frame. - Option
bufler-workspace-switch-buffer-and-tab(enabled by default) automatically switches to a buffer’s workspace’s tab, if it has one, when usingbufler-switch-buffer. (This tries to solve the age-old problem of buffers not “staying in their workspace.”) - Commands
bufler-workspace-openandbufler-workspace-save. These open and save workspaces using Burly as a backend (which is now a dependency). (This is basically like callingburly-open-bookmarkandburly-bookmark-windows, but integrating somebufler-workspacefeatures automatically.) - Option
bufler-workspace-prefix-abbreviation, which abbreviates workspace names in tab/frame names. - Option
bufler-switch-buffer-include-recent-buffersincludes recently shown buffers in thebufler-switch-buffercommand’s list of buffers.
Changes
- Command
bufler-workspace-focus-buffersets the workspace of the currenttab-bartab or frame to the current buffer’s workspace. - Command
bufler-workspace-switch-bufferoffers buffers from the workspace of the currenttab-bartab or frame. - Mode
bufler-workspace-mode’s mode-line lighter shows the path of the currenttab-bartab or frame.
Fixes
- The
dirbuffer group uses the base buffer’s directory for indirect buffers. - When testing whether two directories are related, both the paths as-given and the canonicalized paths are compared (so that if a subdirectory is a symlink to a directory outside the parent directory, it will still be considered related).
Added
- Group type
auto-parent-project. - Option
bufler-vc-remote, which controls the displaying of the version control state of remote files (default: off). (Fixes #41. Thanks to Tory S. Anderson for reporting.) - Option
bufler-workspace-format-path-fn, which formats group paths for display in mode lines and frame titles (e.g. it may be customized to show just the last element). - Show an asterisk next to buffers with unsaved changes. (Thanks to Tatu Lahtela.)
- Name and path columns optionally limit width to that defined in their customization options. (Thanks to Tory S. Anderson.)
- Column
Modeshows buffer’s major mode, sans-modesuffix. - More filtering options:
bufler-filter-buffer-fns,bufler-workspace-switch-buffer-filter-fns,bufler-filter-buffer-modes, andbufler-filter-buffer-name-regexps. By default, more buffers will be hidden inbufler-listandbufler-switch-buffer, and filters may be disabled by calling those commands with universal prefix arguments. - Option
bufler-list-display-buffer-action, which controls how thebufler-listbuffer is displayed. - Option
bufler-list-switch-buffer-action, which controls how buffers are displayed when switched to from the buffer list. (Fixes #76. Thanks to Julian M. Burgos, Tory S. Anderson, and jcalve for reporting.) - Option
bufler-indent-per-level, which sets the indentation applied per level of depth. - Command
bufler-sidebardisplays the Bufler list in a side window. - Project metadata cache (because the
project-currentfunction can be slow when called for many paths in rapid succession, as when many buffers are open).
Fixed
- Option
bufler-filter-buffer-modeshad the wrong customization type. - Depend on at least version 2.1 of the
mappackage (required forpcasemacro expansion). - Columns’
max-widthoptions. (Fixes #79. Thanks to Tory S. Anderson for reporting.)
Changed
- Don’t show
*xref*buffers by default. - Command
bufler-switch-bufferallows entering a non-existent buffer name to create a buffer and switch to it (likeswitch-to-buffer).
Project expanded and renamed from Sbuffer to Bufler.
First tagged release.
- Thanks to Jonas Bernoulli for magit-section.
- Thanks to Magnar Sveen and Matus Goljer for dash.el.
- Thanks to Johan Andersson for f.el.
- Thanks to Jerry Peng for Pretty Hydra.
Bufler bufler bufler bufler bufler bufler bufler bufler.
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