@simendsjo it is possible to open the inspector for the prompt buffer, if you start Nyxt from the Common Lisp REPL. We don’t provide a user-facing way of doing it, but you can request it from us (it’s trivial to add it).
From the REPL, assuming you have a proper dev env:
(asdf:load-system :nyxt/gi-gtk)
(nyxt:start)
;; open the prompt buffer and issue
(ffi-inspector-show (current-prompt-buffer))
The prompt buffer is a buffer, just like the buffer that loads web pages. When you’re calling the Inspector, you’re calling it with respect to the web page buffer, not the prompt buffer. So, indeed, it is a separate entity.
It is possible to draw the prompt buffer elsewhere.
Nonetheless, let me try to approach your issue in a different way. You claim that when you call the follow-hint
command, the prompt buffer occupies an important part of the screen. You should try our non-default hinting system.
(define-configuration nyxt/mode/hint:hint-mode
((nyxt/mode/hint:hints-alphabet "KDJFLSAIEUROWPQCMVXZ")
(nyxt/mode/hint:hinting-type :vi)
(nyxt/mode/hint:show-hint-scope-p nil)))
From the hinting-type
docstring:
Set the hinting mechanism.
In :emacs, hints are computed for the whole page, and the usual prompt-buffer
facilities are available.
In :vi, the prompt-buffer is collapsed to the input area, hints are computed
in viewport only and they're followed when user input matches the hint string.
Another thing that you may want to request from us is a command that would toggle collapsing the prompt buffer to the input area. With that command in place, setting hinting-type
to :emacs
would be saner.
I’d be eager to listen to your experience on hint-mode
. Our users are frequently confused about the default behaviour of the mode. You may find this discussion interesting.