Echo buffer status in echo area, get rid of mode-line !

• mini-echo.el
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• Emacs, version >= 29.1
• hide-mode-line

• Manually

Clone and add to load-path, require the package.

• Melpa

This package is available on [MELPA]. Install with M-x package-install RET mini-echo within Emacs.

• light-weight, very simple structure and no many configs
• don't use mode-line at all, same experience in terminal
• port lots of segments from doom-modeline
• easy to add new segment with macro

(require 'mini-echo)
(mini-echo-mode)

There are three ways to adjust mini-echo segments display:

1. mini-echo-default-segments: variable, plist of segments which are default to all major-modes

;; set default segments of long/short style
(setq mini-echo-default-segments
  '(:long ("major-mode" "buffer-name" "vcs" "buffer-position"
           "buffer-size" "flymake" "process" "selection-info"
           "narrow" "macro" "profiler")
    :short ("buffer-name-short" "buffer-position" "process"
            "profiler" "selection-info" "narrow" "macro")))

2. mini-echo-rules: variable, list of rules applied for major modes. if your emacs version >= 30, then you can write a rule for parent mode which will take effect in all children modes. Otherwise, write rules for every specific major mode instead.

;; Concell of (SEGMENT . POSITION) is required to adjust the appearence.
;; 0 means hide the segment in major mode if it's displayed by default.
;; non-zero number means the order of segment to be put, it's counted from 1.
(setq mini-echo-rules
      '((emacs-lisp-mode :both (("buffer-position" . 3))
                         :long (("evil" . 1) ("buffer-size" . 4))
                         :short (("vcs" . 0)))))

Explanation: when emacs-lisp-mode is enabled, long-style shows "evil" segment in first place, shows "buffer-size" segment in fourth place (right-align). short-style hide "vcs" segment. And both long/short style show "buffer-position" in third place.

3. mini-echo-toggle: command, show or hide some segment temporarily

Other options are here, see more info please check the file

;; write your own predicate function to switch style
(setq mini-echo-short-style-predicate #'your-own-predicate)

;; set separator to concat information
(setq mini-echo-separator " ")

;; adjust window-divider-mode appearence
(setq mini-echo-window-divider-args '(t 1 1))

;;; adjust update interval as you wish
(setq mini-echo-update-interval 0.3)

;;; adjust the number to avoid truncation or wrap line of minibuffer window
(setq mini-echo-right-padding 1)

Write a segment with mini-echo-define-segment, e.g.

(mini-echo-define-segment "vcs"
  "Return vcs info of current buffer.
Segment appearence depends on var `vc-display-status' and faces like
`vc-state-base' and related `vc-**-state'."
  :fetch
  (when (bound-and-true-p vc-mode)
    (mini-echo-segment--print (mini-echo-segment--extract vc-mode)
                              nil mini-echo-vcs-max-length)))

(mini-echo-define-segment "time"
  "Return current time."
  :setup (display-time-mode 1)
  :fetch (mini-echo-segment--extract display-time-string))

(defvar mini-echo--repeat nil)
(mini-echo-define-segment "repeat"
  "Indicator of whether repeating transient map is active."
  :update-advice '((repeat-post-hook . :after))
  :fetch
  (when mini-echo--repeat
    (mini-echo-segment--print "REPEAT" 'mini-echo-repeat))
  :update
  (setq mini-echo--repeat (and repeat-mode repeat-in-progress)))

(mini-echo-define-segment "keycast"
  "Display keycast info."
  :update-hook '(post-command-hook)
  :setup (require 'keycast)
  :fetch (keycast--format keycast-mode-line-format)
  :update (keycast--update))

• :fetch: sexp, which runs when mini-echo update by interval.
• :setup: sexp, which runs when the segment is first activated , e.g. load library keycast when activate keycast segment.
• :update: sexp, which runs when :update-hook or :update-advice is triggered.
• :update-hook: list of hooks which run :update after it called, e.g. update "keycast" status after hook post-command-hook.
• :update-advice: alist of (symbol . how) which runs :update after it called, e.g. update "repeat" status after run function (repeat-post-hook).

• mini-echo-segment--extract: extract segment info from mode-line construct.
• mini-echo-segment--print: trim, truncate string with ellipsis if needed.

For more information, please see mini-echo-segments.el.

• feebleline

• mini-modeline

• awesome-tray

• rewrite mini-echo-define-macro
• add minibuffer background to distinguish in terminal
• setup segments per buffer
• add environment support, such as python, node.js, asdf...
• add support to highlight current window
• add support for nerd-icons

• How to distinguish current window ?

  Highlight current window is still on development, you could set hl-line-mode, or use some dim other window package for now. e.g.

  ;; or (global-hl-line-mode)
  (hl-line-mode)
  ;; Only highliht current buffer in current window
  (setq hl-line-sticky-flag nil)
  (setq global-hl-line-sticky-flag nil)

• How to show window border in terminal?

  In GUI, customize face window-divider to show window border, due to window-divider-mode is not available in terminal, you need to use other measures to identify windows. In terminal, internal-border is displayed, so only need to solve horizontal border problem. Enable packages like tabbar or topsy to help highlight horizontal border instead.

• How to distinguish minibuffer window in terminal?

  Customize face mini-echo-minibuffer-window to set different background color from default.