To avoid misunderstanding,
emacsclient --display "$DISPLAY" --eval ...
solves the problem (on Linux). For me, reasons to continue the discussion is that Stefan considered changes in Emacs code and that some suggestions was oversimplified.
On 30/11/2022 09:44, Stefan Monnier wrote:
No, I did not assume it, it the starting message I mentioned `server-select-display' that creates a hidden frame. I have not tested various window managers though, I hope it just works. I was aware of info "(elisp) Visibility of Frames" https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/elisp/Visibility-of-Frames.html The problem is how to determine proper display from an expression passed to emacsclient --eval.chad [2022-11-29 19:41:11] wrote:On Tue, Nov 29, 2022 at 1:11 PM Max Nikulin wrote:[...] Add to user notes content of X selection when emacs is started as daemong with no frames and the user prefers to avoid distraction due to creation of a new frame.In general, you seem to assume that there's no way for emacs to create a new X11 frame object without it being immediately visible to the user. In my experience, that's only true in the limited subset of cases where the user has chosen a window manager that enforces that choice.
Interesting, I had an impression that the main reason to invoke xclip/pbcopy/etc from Emacs is an alternative MIME type (selection target), e.g. text/html in the case of https://github.com/jkitchin/ox-clip`xclip.el` (from GNU ELPA) uses:
(setq xclip--hidden-frame
(make-frame-on-display (getenv "DISPLAY")
It is appropriate for Emacs compiled with no X11 support, but in general, when overridden by --display, it may cause connection to a wrong display. Another case
DISPLAY= emacs --daemon --display :0
'((visibility . nil)
(user-position . t)
(left . 0)
(top . 0)
(no-other-frame . t))))))
I consider it as another argument that `x-open-connection' is not enough to get selection and a frame is required.
I would say that, accordingly to the code, it is specific to (eq xclip-method 'emacs), not to X11.I haven't heard of a problem with that yet, but it probably hasn't been widely tested (and it is specific to X11).
I never expected getting selection without opening of an X connection. I think an X11 window (frame in Emacs parlance) is not strictly necessary, but I am quite happy with a hidden frame.This is a fundamentally different case from "the user wants to use a non-graphical X11-based mechanism that emacs normally doesn't enable until emacs actually connects to a working X11 display"
Despite server.el sets less frame properties, it skips creation a frame if another one already exists on the specified display. That is why I would not call its code simpler.server.el also does something similar to xclip-mode, tho with simpler code:
I have not noticed any problem with this code (besides tightly encapsulated value of display), but I have tried only Linux.This code has been used a lot more widely, but in many/most cases we end up making that frame visible soon after, so there might be cases where it is not 100% unobtrusive but users don't notice it.
chad [2022-11-29 19:41:11] wrote:
I agree with you in general but in the case of accessing selected text it is almost certainly display where emacsclient is called. Such choice is a reason that I did not consider the --display option at first. Usually its purpose is solely to override "$DISPLAY" value without additional effects.On Tue, Nov 29, 2022 at 1:11 PM Max Nikulin wrote:User connected to another machine through ssh (e.g. from a laptop to a desktop). In this case DISPLAY is different for the client and for the server process. (gui-get-selection) should be executed for client's DISPLAY.In the past, I have regularly seen both varieties of this: where the user was logged into two machines, with an emacs server running on one, X displays on both, and wanted a new emacs frame on either one, depending on circumstances. As near as I can tell, there is no "right" choice here; the user needs to (be able to) provide input on which display to use.
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