Node:Changing the ECB-layout, Next:Redrawing the ECB-layout, Previous:The ECB-layout, Up:The ECB-layout

Changing and customizing the ECB-layout

ECB offers several predefined layouts with different sets and also different locations of ECB-windows. See below the "ascii-screenshot" of all currently built-in layouts¹.

In addition to these predefined layouts you can either interactively create new layouts "by example" (see Creating a new ECB-layout) or program new layouts with the macro ecb-layout-define (see The layout-engine). The former method is the recommended one!

There are two ways to interactively change the layout:

• Changing permanently: Customize the option ecb-layout-name and store it for future Emacs sessions.
• Switching between several layouts at runtime: If you want to switch fast between a certain sequence of layouts see the option ecb-toggle-layout-sequence and the command ecb-toggle-layout (see Simulating speedbar). For just selecting another layout during current Emacs-session use the command ecb-change-layout.

With the option ecb-show-sources-in-directories-buffer you can define if sources are displayed in the directory-window of a layout (see ECB Directories-buffer).

In addition to the general layout you can specify if the layout should contain a durable compilation-window at the bottom of the frame, see ecb-compile-window-height (see Temp- and compile-buffers).

Maybe you want also change the look&feel of the tree-buffers. Then you can change the location of the collapse- and expand-symbols and the indentation of sub-nodes in a tree. See ecb-tree-indent and ecb-tree-expand-symbol-before.

Here are all currently available layouts (for creating own new layouts see Creating a new ECB-layout); just customize the option ecb-layout-name to the related name:

Layout "left1"

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|              |                                      |
|  Directories |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                                      |
|      |       |                                      |
| Sour | Hist  |                 Edit                 |
|      |       |                                      |
|      |       |                                      |
|--------------|                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  Methods     |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "left2"

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|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  Directories |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                 Edit                 |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  Sources     |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "left3"

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|              |                                      |
|  Directories |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  Sources     |                 Edit                 |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  Methods     |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "left4"

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|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  Directories |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                 Edit                 |
|      |       |                                      |
|      |       |                                      |
|      |       |                                      |
| Sour | Hist  |                                      |
|      |       |                                      |
|      |       |                                      |
|      |       |                                      |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "left5"

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|              |                                      |
|  Directories |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  Sources     |                 Edit                 |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  History     |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "right1"

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|                                      |              |
|                                      |  Directories |
|                                      |              |
|                                      |              |
|                                      |--------------|
|                                      |              |
|                                      |              |
|             Edit                     |  Sources     |
|                                      |              |
|                                      |              |
|                                      |--------------|
|                                      |              |
|                                      |  Methods     |
|                                      |              |
|                                      |              |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "left6"

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|  Sources     |                                      |
|--------------|                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  Methods     |                 Edit                 |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                                      |
|  History     |                                      |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "top1"

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|                        |             |              |
|                        |             |              |
|      Directories       |  Sources    |  Methods     |
|                        |             |              |
|                        |             |              |
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|                                                     |
|                                                     |
|                                                     |
|                                                     |
|                    Edit                             |
|                                                     |
|                                                     |
|                                                     |
|                                                     |
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|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "left7"

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|              |                                      |
|  Directories |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                 Edit                 |
|              |                                      |
|  History     |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  Methods     |                                      |
|              |                                      |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "left8"

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|              |                                      |
|  Directories |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  Sources     |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                 Edit                 |
|              |                                      |
|  Methods     |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                                      |
|  History     |                                      |
|              |                                      |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "top2"

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|                                                     |
|                                                     |
|                    Methods                          |
|                                                     |
|                                                     |
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|                                                     |
|                                                     |
|                                                     |
|                                                     |
|                    Edit                             |
|                                                     |
|                                                     |
|                                                     |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "left9"

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|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|   Methods    |                 Edit                 |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "left10"

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|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  Methods     |                 Edit                 |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                                      |
|      |       |                                      |
| Sou  | Hist  |                                      |
|      |       |                                      |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "left11"

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|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  Methods     |                 Edit                 |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  History     |                                      |
|              |                                      |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "left12"

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|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|   History    |                 Edit                 |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "left13"

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|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
| Directories  |                 Edit                 |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "left14"

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|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
| Directories  |                 Edit                 |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  History     |                                      |
|              |                                      |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "left15"

-------------------------------------------------------
|              |                                      |
|  Directories |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|--------------|                 Edit                 |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|  Methods     |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
|              |                                      |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "leftright1"

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|             |                         |             |
| Directories |                         |  Methods    |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|-------------|          Edit           |             |
|             |                         |             |
| Sources     |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|-------------|                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
| History     |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                   Compilation                       |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "leftright2"

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|             |                         |             |
| Directories |                         |  Methods    |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |          Edit           |             |
|-------------|                         |-------------|
|             |                         |             |
| Sources     |                         |  History    |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                   Compilation                       |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "leftright3"

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|             |                         |             |
| Directories |                         |  Methods    |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |          Edit           |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
|             |                         |             |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Layout "left-dir-plus-speedbar"

-------------------------------------------------------
|             |                                       |
| Directories |                                       |
|             |                                       |
|             |                                       |
|             |                                       |
|             |                                       |
|             |                                       |
|-------------|                                       |
|             |                                       |
|             |                                       |
|             |                                       |
| Speedbar    |                                       |
|             |                                       |
|             |                                       |
|             |                                       |
-------------------------------------------------------
|                                                     |
|                    Compilation                      |
|                                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------

Footnotes

1. The command ecb-show-layout-help' shows the outline-picture for all built-in layouts.