Variable: ido-use-virtual-buffers

ido-use-virtual-buffers is a customizable variable defined in ido.el.gz.

Value

nil

Documentation

If non-nil, refer to past ("virtual") buffers as well as existing ones.

The options are:
  nil: Do not use virtual buffers.
  t: Always use virtual buffers.
  auto: Use virtual buffers if the current input matches no existing buffer.

Essentially it works as follows: Say you are visiting a file and the buffer gets cleaned up by midnight.el. Later, you want to switch to that buffer, but find it's no longer open. With virtual buffers enabled, the buffer name stays in the buffer list (using the ido-virtual face, and always at the end), and if you select it, it opens the file back up again. This allows you to think less about whether recently opened files are still open or not. Most of the time you can quit Emacs, restart, and then switch to a file buffer that was previously open as if it still were.

This feature relies upon the recentf package, which will be enabled if this variable is configured to a non-nil value.

This variable was added, or its default value changed, in Emacs 24.1.

Probably introduced at or before Emacs version 24.4.

Source Code

;; Defined in /usr/src/emacs/lisp/ido.el.gz
(defcustom ido-use-virtual-buffers nil
  "If non-nil, refer to past (\"virtual\") buffers as well as existing ones.
The options are:
  nil:  Do not use virtual buffers.
  t:    Always use virtual buffers.
  auto: Use virtual buffers if the current input matches no existing buffer.

Essentially it works as follows: Say you are visiting a file and
the buffer gets cleaned up by midnight.el.  Later, you want to
switch to that buffer, but find it's no longer open.  With virtual
buffers enabled, the buffer name stays in the buffer list (using
the `ido-virtual' face, and always at the end), and if you select
it, it opens the file back up again.  This allows you to think
less about whether recently opened files are still open or not.
Most of the time you can quit Emacs, restart, and then switch to
a file buffer that was previously open as if it still were.

This feature relies upon the `recentf' package, which will be
enabled if this variable is configured to a non-nil value."
  :version "24.1"
  :type '(choice (const :tag "Always" t)
		 (const :tag "Automatic" auto)
		 (const :tag "Never" nil)))