This section describes the two primitives for creating buffers.
get-buffer-create creates a buffer if it finds no existing
buffer with the specified name; generate-new-buffer always
creates a new buffer and gives it a unique name.
Both functions accept an optional argument inhibit-buffer-hooks.
If it is non-nil, the buffer they create does not run the hooks
kill-buffer-hook, kill-buffer-query-functions
(see Killing Buffers), and buffer-list-update-hook
(see The Buffer List). This avoids slowing down internal or temporary
buffers that are never presented to users or passed on to other
applications.
Other functions you can use to create buffers include
with-output-to-temp-buffer (see Temporary Displays) and
create-file-buffer (see Visiting Files). Starting a
subprocess can also create a buffer (see Processes).
This function returns a buffer named buffer-or-name. The buffer returned does not become the current buffer—this function does not change which buffer is current.
buffer-or-name must be either a string or an existing buffer. If
it is a string and a live buffer with that name already exists,
get-buffer-create returns that buffer. If no such buffer exists,
it creates a new buffer. If buffer-or-name is a buffer instead of
a string, it is returned as given, even if it is dead.
(get-buffer-create "foo")
⇒ #<buffer foo>
The major mode for a newly created buffer is set to Fundamental mode.
(The default value of the variable major-mode is handled at a higher
level; see How Emacs Chooses a Major Mode.) If the name begins with a space, the
buffer initially disables undo information recording (see Undo).
This function returns a newly created, empty buffer, but does not make
it current. The name of the buffer is generated by passing name
to the function generate-new-buffer-name (see Buffer Names). Thus, if there is no buffer named name, then that is
the name of the new buffer; if that name is in use, a suffix of the
form ‘<n>’, where n is an integer, is appended to
name.
An error is signaled if name is not a string.
(generate-new-buffer "bar")
⇒ #<buffer bar>
(generate-new-buffer "bar")
⇒ #<buffer bar<2>>
(generate-new-buffer "bar")
⇒ #<buffer bar<3>>
The major mode for the new buffer is set to Fundamental mode. The default
value of the variable major-mode is handled at a higher level.
See How Emacs Chooses a Major Mode.