window back

Synopsis

/window [<window>] back

Description

Make the input screen's previous current window current again. If that window is visible, select it and update input focus on its screen, much like window refnum. If it is invisible, attempt to swap it into the selected window's screen position, much like window swap. If the input screen has no recorded positive previous-window reference, use its top window instead, like window goto 1.

The history used is the last-window reference of the input screen, even when a window selector is supplied. The selector identifies the outgoing window for an invisible-window swap. If the destination is visible on another screen, it becomes that screen's input window; the original screen's input window remains unchanged.

Unlike window last, back can bring an invisible previous window into view. It does not choose a window by numeric order or apply the skip selection rule. Repeated use normally toggles between the last two windows as focus changes or swaps update the saved reference.

This built-in window operation takes no arguments or options. Additional words are processed as subsequent window operations. /window -back is a no-op. The command sends no IRC request; normal window/status updates and the switch_windows hook accompany current-window changes.

Swap limitations

The outgoing window must be visible, and both windows must permit swapping through window swappable. Otherwise, the swap helper reports a diagnostic such as Window name is not swappable or You can only SWAP an invisible window with a visible window.

The handler makes the destination logically current before attempting the swap. If the swap fails, that current-window change is not rolled back, so an invisible destination can remain logically current without becoming visible.

Example

/window back

Return to the previous window. If it was hidden after a swap, bring it back into the current window's place when swapping is allowed.

Source references

• source/window.c: windowcmd_back, set_screens_current_window, make_window_current_by_refnum, and swap_window implement history lookup, focus, swapping, diagnostics, and hook invocation; windowcmd_last handles the related visible-window operation.