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(emacs)Force Same Window

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Forcing Display in the Same Window
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   Certain Emacs commands switch to a specific buffer with special
contents.  For example, `M-x shell' switches to a buffer named
`*Shell*'.  By convention, all these commands are written to pop up the
buffer in a separate window.  But you can specify that certain of these
buffers should appear in the selected window.

   If you add a buffer name to the list `same-window-buffer-names', the
effect is that such commands display that particular buffer by
switching to it in the selected window.  For example, if you add the
element `"*grep*"' to the list, the `grep' command will display its
output buffer in the selected window.

   The default value of `same-window-buffer-names' is not `nil': it
specifies buffer names `*info*', `*mail*' and `*shell*' (as well as
others used by more obscure Emacs packages).  This is why `M-x shell'
normally switches to the `*shell*' buffer in the selected window.  If
you delete this element from the value of `same-window-buffer-names',
the behavior of `M-x shell' will change--it will pop up the buffer in
another window instead.

   You can specify these buffers more generally with the variable
`same-window-regexps'.  Set it to a list of regular expressions; then
any buffer whose name matches one of those regular expressions is
displayed by switching to it in the selected window.  (Once again, this
applies only to buffers that normally get displayed for you in a
separate window.)  The default value of this variable specifies Telnet
and rlogin buffers.

   An analogous feature lets you specify buffers which should be
displayed in their own individual frames.  Note: Special Buffer
Frames.