#Shared buffer

Shared buffer is an Emacs extension that enables online collaborative editing for Emacs.

It is still at an experimental stage. I encourage you test it out, but make sure to back up files in case it breaks. There are still quite a few bugs.

There is a server running on virvel.de that you may use. You can also set up a server yourself. This is especially useful if you want to share a buffer with someone who is on the same local network.

##Quick-start

To install the Emacs extension just download the shared-buffer.el and store it in your load-path. It is dependent on

git clone https://github.com/larstvei/shared-buffer.git

Once loaded you can start sharing a buffer by interactively running the command:

M-x sb-share-this-buffer RET
Host: virvel.de RET
Key: this-is-a-key RET

The key is arbitrary, share it (i.e. by email) with the ones you want to share a buffer with. Unless an error-message occurs you will be sending updates to the server (located on the host provided) at every change in the buffer.

To connect to a shared buffer, run the following command:

M-x sb-connect-to-shared-buffer RET
Host: virvel.de RET
Key: this-is-a-key RET

Assuming that someone has shared their buffer with the provided host and key a new buffer will spawn containing whatever content is in the corresponding buffer. You can save the buffer to whatever file you choose, and use whatever mode you want.

You can disconnect by interactively running:

M-x sb-disconnect

or simply killing the buffer.

##Setting up a server

You will need a common lisp interpreter and quicklisp installed. SBCL is the only implementation that has been tested, and therefor also recommended. Download the shared-buffer-server.lisp and store it anywhere you like.

git clone https://github.com/larstvei/shared-buffer.git

All you need to do is spawn a common lisp interpreter and run:

CL-USER> (load "shared-buffer-server.lisp")

It will set up a server on address 0.0.0.0 and port 3705. To change this you can edit two lines of the code.

(defconstant +port+ 3705
  "Shared-buffer uses port 3705.")
  
(defvar *server* (shared-buffer-server "0.0.0.0"))

To stop the server run:

CL-USER> (SB-THREAD:destroy-thread *server*)

##How it works

You may either share the content of an arbitrary buffer or connect to a buffer that is already shared. When starting a shared buffer session you must choose a host (an address to a shared-buffer-server) and a key. To connect to a buffer that is already shared one must provide a host and a key. If this key matches a shared buffer on the chosen host a new buffer will spawn containing whatever content is in the corresponding buffer. A shared buffer stays shared as long as there are users connected to it (this means the one who initiated the shared-buffer-session has no special privileges).

There is no additional version control system, because you don't share files! You only share temporarily stored text (hence shared buffer). Each user is responsible to save the buffer to whatever file he/she may choose.

##TODO

• There are synchronization problems. If they emerge, there is currently no other solution than to disconnect and reconnecting.
• Implement a mode.
• Implement a chat feature.
• Make more user friendly.