some musing about switch-to-buffer

musing.md

@@ -36,14 +36,52 @@ lua's standard types
 
 ## next steps
 
-* change define-command so that the parameters are ordered
+* [done] change define-command so that the parameters are ordered
 * display unbound key error
 * ESC to cancel interactive command
 * autocomplete command name
 * parameters with non-string values (e.g. buffer)
 * show current url when command inactive
-* show prompts for parameter
+* [done] show prompts for parameter
 * multiple buffers
   - create buffer
   - list buffers (where does the output go?)
   - find and switch to buffer
+
+
+how do we do the buffer list thing?
+- generate html, or
+- use native widgets
+
+native widgets seems neater
+- how do we permit commands to insert widgets into the frame?
+- how do we get rid of them?
+
+we could have an "output overlay" inserted underneath the commander.
+could we use the same thing for completions? we haven't addressed
+non-string parameters yet, really
+
+M-x switch-to-buffer
+ Buffer mai_
+
+ +------+  +---------+
+ | main |  | mailing |
+ +------+  +---------+
+
+
+-----
+
+so there are two things going on here
+
+1) how to implement switch-to-buffer with appropriate autocomplete
+on the buffer name - perhaps involving showing buffer thumbnails etc
+
+2) in emacs, not all buffers are files - e.g. the buffer list, or the
+process list, or the magit status buffer - there is a well-used
+affordance for elisp to put semi-persistent interactable content
+onscreen - do we need such a thing here or is it ok to say "just call
+gtk" to command authors
+
+are these the same problem or are they separate problems? do we have
+the second problem?  What I will do is address the first one and
+see if it's generalisable once I've done it.