# libtmux:show-buffer

- **Package:** libtmux
- **Language:** Common Lisp
- **Kind:** function
- **Source:** https://github.com/libtmux/libtmux-lisp/blob/c2e5fc4ed3befda21f45dfa5d5868c38fd138311/src/buffers.lisp#L87
- **Public owner:** libtmux
- **Page:** https://libtmux.org/en/lisp/latest/reference/libtmux-show-buffer/

```
(show-buffer client &key name cancel-token timeout output-limit)
```

Read a literal named buffer, or tmux's top buffer; return octets and an outcome.
Output is an owned octet vector with no text decoding or trimming. Uses an
ordinary unattached tmux client and requires normal completion with empty stderr.
Names select the buffer at dispatch, not an earlier incarnation. A post-launch
failure does not prove non-dispatch. Signals an operational condition retaining
its outcome and any partial bytes.

## Parameters

- `client`
- `name?`
- `cancel-token?`
- `timeout?`
- `output-limit?`

## tmux command

The tmux commands behind `show-buffer`.

- [`show-buffer`](/en/tmux/latest/manual/show-buffer/)

## tmux C API

The C declarations in tmux that implement these commands.

- [`cmd_show_buffer_entry`](/en/tmux/latest/reference/c-variable-cmd_show_buffer_entry/) (attribute)
- [`cmd_save_buffer_exec`](/en/tmux/latest/reference/c-function-cmd-save-buffer-c-cmd_save_buffer_exec/) (function)

## Guides

Pages that discuss `show-buffer`.

- [Explicit operations](/en/lisp/latest/guides/operations/)