Re: Display *Help* in a dedicated frame

On Wednesday, April 1st, 2026 at 5:16 AM, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

> Heime <[email protected]> writes:
> 
> > I would like to show the *Help* buffer display in some frame.
> > But if it does not exist make one and name it something.
> >
> > How may I do so with an elisp function?
> >
> 
> (This is a guess about where you might look, assuming that
> you have Emacs 30.)
> 
> In Emacs 30, the new action entry ‘pop-up-frames’ for the
> function ‘display-buffer’ has been added:
> 
> C-h n:
>   ** New 'display-buffer' action alist entry 'pop-up-frames'.
>   This has the same effect as the variable of the same name and takes
>   precedence over the variable when present.

Although this function makes a new frame, the original frame still 
gets split to show the *Help*, whereas the new frame stays empty.

There are also the optional arguments in describe-symbol with some 
funky stuff happening in there. 

(defun ksymbol (sbl)
  "Show the full documentation of symbol SBL in a frame."

  (interactive
    (let ( (prompt (format "Describe Symbol [%s]: "
                     (or (symbol-name (symbol-at-point)) ""))) )
      (list (completing-read prompt obarray #'fboundp t nil nil
              (symbol-name (symbol-at-point))))))

  (let* ( (rnm  "[RDU] Quick Reference Display Unit")
	  (frm  (make-frame `((name . ,rnm) (minibuffer . nil))))
	  (bfr  (generate-new-buffer "Describe Symbol"))
          (sym  (intern sbl)) )
    (set-window-buffer (frame-root-window frm) bfr)
    (with-current-buffer bfr
      (describe-symbol sym)
      (help-mode-setup-buttons bfr)
      (setq buffer-read-only t))
    (select-frame-set-input-focus frm)))



 
> See:
>   (info "(elisp) Displaying Buffers")
>   (info "(elisp) Choosing Window")
> and
>   (info "(elisp) The Zen of Buffer Display")
> 
> --
> The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.
> - Geoffrey Chaucer, The Parliament of Birds.
> 
>