Search code examples
emacselisp

How can I check if a current buffer exists in Emacs?


I would like to write a function which takes action if a give buffer name already exists. For example:

(if (buffer-exists "my-buffer-name")
    ; do something
 )

Does elisp have a function that will check the for the existence of a buffer similar to how my made up "buffer-exists" function does?

Thanks


Solution

  • From the documentation:

    (get-buffer name)
    
    Return the buffer named name (a string).
    If there is no live buffer named name, return nil.
    name may also be a buffer; if so, the value is that buffer.
    
    (get-buffer-create name)
    
    Return the buffer named name, or create such a buffer and return it.
    A new buffer is created if there is no live buffer named name.
    If name starts with a space, the new buffer does not keep undo information.
    If name is a buffer instead of a string, then it is the value returned.
    The value is never nil.