Save and Revisit Editor State

This chapter saves and revisits a document location, stores selected and typed text, retains and updates a named number, and restores one pane layout through the shared named-state workflows.

Before You Begin

If you enter this chapter directly, first complete Prepare the User Guide Exercises.

Complete Undo and Redo Changes. Use the isolated configuration root activated during exercise setup so the tutorial entries do not mix with your ordinary Odra state:

odra ~/odra-guide/work/dirs/notes/editing-practice.txt

The exercise kit supplies the practice file. The named locations, slots, and layout created below belong to this chapter and remain inside the isolated guide configuration.

Restart Odra from the same activated guide shell. Named locations and slots persist across sessions under that root.

Save and Visit a Location

Use Next or Down to reach Page 2 checkpoint. Press C-x r m, enter guide-page-two, and press Enter. The saved location records the current file, point, mark when present, and active-region state.

Move away with Prior or several Up presses. Press C-x r b, type part of guide-page-two, and press Enter on the matching candidate. Odra reopens or activates the target document and restores its saved editing location.

Press C-x r l to inspect the complete named-location inventory. Type to filter, move with Up or Down, and press Enter to visit a row. Press C-g to close the list without moving.

Store Selected Text

Return to the beginning of Page 2 checkpoint with Home. Press C-SPC, then End to select the line. Press C-x r s, enter guide-page-heading, and press Enter.

The selected text is stored as a named text slot. A successful store deactivates the region while retaining mark.

Move point to a temporary insertion position and press C-x r i. The selector shows only compatible text slots and includes a short preview. Filter for guide-page-heading and press Enter. The retained heading is inserted as an ordinary reversible edit. Press C-/ to remove the practice insertion.

Store Typed Text and Numbers

Run M-x store-text, enter guide-publication-note, press Enter, enter ready for publication, and press Enter again. This stores text supplied by a prompt rather than copied from the buffer.

Press C-x r n, enter guide-retry-count, press Enter, enter 2, and press Enter again. To update it, press C-x r +, select guide-retry-count, enter 3, and press Enter. The checked result is 5; integer candidates show their current value as a preview.

Text and integer retrieval lists are type-specific. Rows do not repeat a type label that is already invariant for the active command.

Store and Restore a Layout

With the current file in one pane, press C-x r w, enter guide-single-pane, and press Enter. Press C-x 2 to split the active pane below.

Press C-x r j, filter for guide-single-pane, and press Enter. The stored single-pane arrangement returns. Layout entries remain name-only because their portable tree is not useful as a text preview.

The later Buffers and Panes part teaches complete layout composition. Here the exercise establishes that layout state uses the same persistent named selection model as other saved editor state.

Understand Names and Persistence

Names are unique in the shared persistent collection. Reusing a name for the same kind replaces that value atomically. Reusing it for a different kind requires explicit confirmation rather than silently changing its meaning.

C-x r SPC stores the current file and point as a position slot. Press C-x r j to visit that position later. The same typed selector restores a stored layout and rejects text or integer slots as non-visitable.

Close Odra, then launch it again with the same isolated configuration root and file. C-x r b, C-x r i, C-x r +, and C-x r j show the compatible entries created in the prior session.

Recover from Saved-State Problems

• A named location or position requires a regular local-file target.
• An unavailable file or stale position leaves the current location intact.
• Storing selected text requires an active non-empty region.
• Integer parsing or overflow leaves the prior stored value unchanged.
• Layout restoration may use only the compatible portion when current terminal geometry cannot display the complete tree.
• Press C-g to cancel any name, value, or candidate interaction without applying it.

Verify the Result

You have completed this chapter when guide-page-two restores its file location, guide-page-heading can be inserted and undone, the typed text and integer slots survive restart, and guide-single-pane removes the temporary split through layout restoration.

Continue with Recover Unsaved Work.

Previous: Undo and Redo Changes · User Guide · Next: Recover Unsaved Work