On startup, I want to create an empty buffer and switch to it, but only if no file has been specified in the command line.
The closest I have is
(switch-to-buffer "untitled")
at the end of init.el but this still creates an "untitled" buffer even when I specify a file in the command line. I don't want this because it slows things down and leaves an unneeded buffer lying around.
Using the *scratch* buffer as an empty buffer, as suggested in the comments, is a possible solution.
However, if you prefer to leave the *scratch* buffer alone, then this is an alternative
(add-hook 'emacs-startup-hook
(lambda () (when (cl-notany 'buffer-file-name (buffer-list))
(switch-to-buffer
(generate-new-buffer-name "untitled")))))
It will create a new "untitled" buffer and will switch to it, but only if there isn't any buffer that is visiting a file (as would occur when Emacs is started with a filename argument).
Customizing initial-buffer-choice didn't work for me, as it creates the buffer unconditionally.
initial-buffer-choice approach first. :-D It does allow specifying a function so one could presumably use the same conditional logic you've used here -- but the startup hook seems like a logical solution.
– glucas
Mar 17 '15 at 19:33
desktop), the *scratch* buffer will be the first buffer you see. – Kaushal Modi Mar 17 '15 at 17:19initial-buffer-choice. – glucas Mar 17 '15 at 17:39