cider-eval: support re-rendering the Inspector buffer when cider-inspector-auto-select-buffer is set to nil and there's a *cider-inspect* buffer shown in a non-visible frame

This supports the workflow of using the inspector occasionally (less intrusively), but ready to be shown anytime.

Author: vemv

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@
 
 ### Changes
 
+- `cider-eval`: support re-rendering the Inspector buffer when `cider-inspector-auto-select-buffer` is set to nil and there's a `*cider-inspect*` buffer shown in a non-visible frame.
+  - This supports the workflow of using the inspector occasionally (less intrusively), but ready to be shown anytime.
 - [#3626](https://github.com/clojure-emacs/cider/issues/3626): `cider-ns-refresh`: jump to the relevant file/line on errors.
 - [#3628](https://github.com/clojure-emacs/cider/issues/3628): `cider-ns-refresh`: summarize errors as an overlay.
 - Bump the injected nREPL to [1.1.1](https://github.com/nrepl/nrepl/blob/v1.1.1/CHANGELOG.md#111-2024-02-20).

cider-eval.el

@@ -1001,7 +1001,7 @@ when `cider-auto-inspect-after-eval' is non-nil."
                                      (cider--make-fringe-overlay end))
                                    (when (and cider-auto-inspect-after-eval
                                               (boundp 'cider-inspector-buffer)
-                                              (windowp (get-buffer-window cider-inspector-buffer 'visible)))
+                                              (windowp (cider--get-inspector-window)))
                                      (cider-inspect-last-result)
                                      (select-window (get-buffer-window buffer)))
                                    (when cider-eval-register

cider-inspector.el

@@ -31,13 +31,12 @@
 (require 'easymenu)
 (require 'seq)
 (require 'cider-eval)
+(require 'cider-util)
 
 ;; ===================================
 ;; Inspector Key Map and Derived Mode
 ;; ===================================
 
-(defconst cider-inspector-buffer "*cider-inspect*")
-
 ;;; Customization
 (defgroup cider-inspector nil
   "Presentation and behavior of the CIDER value inspector."

cider-util.el

@@ -826,6 +826,24 @@ KIND can be the symbols `ns', `var', `emph', `fn', or a face name."
              (t x)))
           menu-list))
 
+;; Defined here to avoid circular dependencies
+(defconst cider-inspector-buffer "*cider-inspect*")
+
+(defun cider--get-inspector-window ()
+  "Returns a window showing the *cider-inspect* buffer,
+honoring the `cider-inspector-auto-select-buffer' preference.
+
+May return nil."
+  (get-buffer-window cider-inspector-buffer
+                     ;; pass arguments that work well with the existing
+                     ;; `(cider-popup-buffer-display cider-inspector-buffer cider-inspector-auto-select-buffer)'
+                     ;; usage in cider-inspector.el,
+                     ;; namely: for `cider-inspector-auto-select-buffer' t, only consider windows that can be selected,
+                     ;; for `cider-inspector-auto-select-buffer' nil, consider windows in all frames.
+                     (if cider-inspector-auto-select-buffer
+                         'visible
+                       t)))
+
 (provide 'cider-util)
 
 ;;; cider-util.el ends here

doc/modules/ROOT/pages/debugging/inspector.adoc

@@ -17,7 +17,12 @@ Alternatively, after a regular eval command, you can inspect the last
 evaluated value using `cider-inspect-last-result`. When an inspector
 buffer is visible in the background, it is automatically updated with
 the last result. This behavior can be controlled with the variable
-`cider-auto-inspect-after-eval`.
+`cider-auto-inspect-after-eval` (and `cider-inspector-auto-select-buffer`
+for even more fine-grained control over the UX).
+
+TIP: setting `cider-auto-inspect-after-eval` to `t` and `cider-inspector-auto-select-buffer` to nil
+allows you to have the cider-inspector permanently open in a background frame. This way,
+it's always there as you eval forms, while it doesn't interrupt you when it's not needed.`
 
 TIP: The inspector can also be invoked in the middle of a debugging
 session, see xref:debugging/debugger.adoc[here] for more details.