1 This is ../info/xemacs.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.0 from
4 INFO-DIR-SECTION XEmacs Editor
6 * XEmacs: (xemacs). XEmacs Editor.
9 This file documents the XEmacs editor.
11 Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1988 Richard M. Stallman. Copyright (C)
12 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Lucid, Inc. Copyright (C) 1993, 1994 Sun
13 Microsystems, Inc. Copyright (C) 1995 Amdahl Corporation.
15 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
16 manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
17 preserved on all copies.
19 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
20 this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also
21 that the sections entitled "The GNU Manifesto", "Distribution" and "GNU
22 General Public License" are included exactly as in the original, and
23 provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the
24 terms of a permission notice identical to this one.
26 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
27 manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
28 versions, except that the sections entitled "The GNU Manifesto",
29 "Distribution" and "GNU General Public License" may be included in a
30 translation approved by the author instead of in the original English.
33 File: xemacs.info, Node: Expanding Abbrevs, Next: Editing Abbrevs, Prev: Defining Abbrevs, Up: Abbrevs
35 Controlling Abbrev Expansion
36 ============================
38 An abbrev expands whenever it is in a buffer just before point and
39 you type a self-inserting punctuation character (<SPC>, comma, etc.).
40 Most often an abbrev is used by inserting the abbrev followed by
43 Abbrev expansion preserves case; thus, `foo' expands into `find
44 outer otter', `Foo' into `Find outer otter', and `FOO' into `FIND OUTER
45 OTTER' or `Find Outer Otter' according to the variable
46 `abbrev-all-caps' (a non-`nil' value chooses the first of the two
49 Two commands are available to control abbrev expansion:
52 Separate a prefix from a following abbrev to be expanded
53 (`abbrev-prefix-mark').
56 Expand the abbrev before point (`expand-abbrev'). This is
57 effective even when Abbrev mode is not enabled.
60 Undo last abbrev expansion.
62 `M-x expand-region-abbrevs'
63 Expand some or all abbrevs found in the region.
65 You may wish to expand an abbrev with a prefix attached. For
66 example, if `cnst' expands into `construction', you may want to use it
67 to enter `reconstruction'. It does not work to type `recnst', because
68 that is not necessarily a defined abbrev. Instead, you can use the
69 command `M-'' (`abbrev-prefix-mark') between the prefix `re' and the
70 abbrev `cnst'. First, insert `re'. Then type `M-''; this inserts a
71 minus sign in the buffer to indicate that it has done its work. Then
72 insert the abbrev `cnst'. The buffer now contains `re-cnst'. Now
73 insert a punctuation character to expand the abbrev `cnst' into
74 `construction'. The minus sign is deleted at this point by `M-''. The
75 resulting text is the desired `reconstruction'.
77 If you actually want the text of the abbrev in the buffer, rather
78 than its expansion, insert the following punctuation with `C-q'. Thus,
79 `foo C-q -' leaves `foo-' in the buffer.
81 If you expand an abbrev by mistake, you can undo the expansion
82 (replace the expansion by the original abbrev text) with `M-x
83 unexpand-abbrev'. You can also use `C-_' (`undo') to undo the
84 expansion; but that will first undo the insertion of the punctuation
87 `M-x expand-region-abbrevs' searches through the region for defined
88 abbrevs, and offers to replace each one it finds with its expansion.
89 This command is useful if you have typed text using abbrevs but forgot
90 to turn on Abbrev mode first. It may also be useful together with a
91 special set of abbrev definitions for making several global
92 replacements at once. The command is effective even if Abbrev mode is
96 File: xemacs.info, Node: Editing Abbrevs, Next: Saving Abbrevs, Prev: Expanding Abbrevs, Up: Abbrevs
98 Examining and Editing Abbrevs
99 =============================
102 Print a list of all abbrev definitions.
105 Edit a list of abbrevs; you can add, alter, or remove definitions.
107 The output from `M-x list-abbrevs' looks like this:
109 (lisp-mode-abbrev-table)
111 (global-abbrev-table)
114 (Some blank lines of no semantic significance, and some other abbrev
115 tables, have been omitted.)
117 A line containing a name in parentheses is the header for abbrevs in
118 a particular abbrev table; `global-abbrev-table' contains all the global
119 abbrevs, and the other abbrev tables that are named after major modes
120 contain the mode-specific abbrevs.
122 Within each abbrev table, each non-blank line defines one abbrev.
123 The word at the beginning is the abbrev. The number that appears is
124 the number of times the abbrev has been expanded. Emacs keeps track of
125 this to help you see which abbrevs you actually use, in case you want
126 to eliminate those that you don't use often. The string at the end of
127 the line is the expansion.
129 `M-x edit-abbrevs' allows you to add, change or kill abbrev
130 definitions by editing a list of them in an Emacs buffer. The list has
131 the format described above. The buffer of abbrevs is called
132 `*Abbrevs*', and is in Edit-Abbrevs mode. This mode redefines the key
133 `C-c C-c' to install the abbrev definitions as specified in the buffer.
134 The `edit-abbrevs-redefine' command does this. Any abbrevs not
135 described in the buffer are eliminated when this is done.
137 `edit-abbrevs' is actually the same as `list-abbrevs', except that
138 it selects the buffer `*Abbrevs*' whereas `list-abbrevs' merely
139 displays it in another window.
142 File: xemacs.info, Node: Saving Abbrevs, Next: Dynamic Abbrevs, Prev: Editing Abbrevs, Up: Abbrevs
147 These commands allow you to keep abbrev definitions between editing
150 `M-x write-abbrev-file'
151 Write a file describing all defined abbrevs.
153 `M-x read-abbrev-file'
154 Read such an abbrev file and define abbrevs as specified there.
156 `M-x quietly-read-abbrev-file'
157 Similar, but do not display a message about what is going on.
160 Define abbrevs from buffer.
163 Insert all abbrevs and their expansions into the buffer.
165 Use `M-x write-abbrev-file' to save abbrev definitions for use in a
166 later session. The command reads a file name using the minibuffer and
167 writes a description of all current abbrev definitions into the
168 specified file. The text stored in the file looks like the output of
171 `M-x read-abbrev-file' prompts for a file name using the minibuffer
172 and reads the specified file, defining abbrevs according to its
173 contents. `M-x quietly-read-abbrev-file' is the same but does not
174 display a message in the echo area; it is actually useful primarily in
175 the `.emacs' file. If you give an empty argument to either of these
176 functions, the file name Emacs uses is the value of the variable
177 `abbrev-file-name', which is by default `"~/.abbrev_defs"'.
179 Emacs offers to save abbrevs automatically if you have changed any of
180 them, whenever it offers to save all files (for `C-x s' or `C-x C-c').
181 Set the variable `save-abbrevs' to `nil' to inhibit this feature.
183 The commands `M-x insert-abbrevs' and `M-x define-abbrevs' are
184 similar to the previous commands but work on text in an Emacs buffer.
185 `M-x insert-abbrevs' inserts text into the current buffer before point,
186 describing all current abbrev definitions; `M-x define-abbrevs' parses
187 the entire current buffer and defines abbrevs accordingly.
190 File: xemacs.info, Node: Dynamic Abbrevs, Prev: Saving Abbrevs, Up: Abbrevs
192 Dynamic Abbrev Expansion
193 ========================
195 The abbrev facility described above operates automatically as you
196 insert text, but all abbrevs must be defined explicitly. By contrast,
197 "dynamic abbrevs" allow the meanings of abbrevs to be determined
198 automatically from the contents of the buffer, but dynamic abbrev
199 expansion happens only when you request it explicitly.
202 Expand the word in the buffer before point as a "dynamic abbrev",
203 by searching in the buffer for words starting with that
204 abbreviation (`dabbrev-expand').
206 For example, if the buffer contains `does this follow ' and you type
207 `f o M-/', the effect is to insert `follow' because that is the last
208 word in the buffer that starts with `fo'. A numeric argument to `M-/'
209 says to take the second, third, etc. distinct expansion found looking
210 backward from point. Repeating `M-/' searches for an alternative
211 expansion by looking farther back. After the entire buffer before
212 point has been considered, the buffer after point is searched.
214 Dynamic abbrev expansion is completely independent of Abbrev mode;
215 the expansion of a word with `M-/' is completely independent of whether
216 it has a definition as an ordinary abbrev.
219 File: xemacs.info, Node: Picture, Next: Sending Mail, Prev: Abbrevs, Up: Top
224 If you want to create a picture made out of text characters (for
225 example, a picture of the division of a register into fields, as a
226 comment in a program), use the command `edit-picture' to enter Picture
229 In Picture mode, editing is based on the "quarter-plane" model of
230 text. In this model, the text characters lie studded on an area that
231 stretches infinitely far to the right and downward. The concept of the
232 end of a line does not exist in this model; the most you can say is
233 where the last non-blank character on the line is found.
235 Of course, Emacs really always considers text as a sequence of
236 characters, and lines really do have ends. But in Picture mode most
237 frequently-used keys are rebound to commands that simulate the
238 quarter-plane model of text. They do this by inserting spaces or by
239 converting tabs to spaces.
241 Most of the basic editing commands of Emacs are redefined by Picture
242 mode to do essentially the same thing but in a quarter-plane way. In
243 addition, Picture mode defines various keys starting with the `C-c'
244 prefix to run special picture editing commands.
246 One of these keys, `C-c C-c', is pretty important. Often a picture
247 is part of a larger file that is usually edited in some other major
248 mode. `M-x edit-picture' records the name of the previous major mode.
249 You can then use the `C-c C-c' command (`picture-mode-exit') to restore
250 that mode. `C-c C-c' also deletes spaces from the ends of lines,
251 unless you give it a numeric argument.
253 The commands used in Picture mode all work in other modes (provided
254 the `picture' library is loaded), but are only bound to keys in
255 Picture mode. Note that the descriptions below talk of moving "one
256 column" and so on, but all the picture mode commands handle numeric
257 arguments as their normal equivalents do.
259 Turning on Picture mode calls the value of the variable
260 `picture-mode-hook' as a function, with no arguments, if that value
261 exists and is non-`nil'.
265 * Basic Picture:: Basic concepts and simple commands of Picture Mode.
266 * Insert in Picture:: Controlling direction of cursor motion
267 after "self-inserting" characters.
268 * Tabs in Picture:: Various features for tab stops and indentation.
269 * Rectangles in Picture:: Clearing and superimposing rectangles.
272 File: xemacs.info, Node: Basic Picture, Next: Insert in Picture, Prev: Picture, Up: Picture
274 Basic Editing in Picture Mode
275 =============================
277 Most keys do the same thing in Picture mode that they usually do,
278 but do it in a quarter-plane style. For example, `C-f' is rebound to
279 run `picture-forward-column', which moves point one column to the
280 right, by inserting a space if necessary, so that the actual end of the
281 line makes no difference. `C-b' is rebound to run
282 `picture-backward-column', which always moves point left one column,
283 converting a tab to multiple spaces if necessary. `C-n' and `C-p' are
284 rebound to run `picture-move-down' and `picture-move-up', which can
285 either insert spaces or convert tabs as necessary to make sure that
286 point stays in exactly the same column. `C-e' runs
287 `picture-end-of-line', which moves to after the last non-blank
288 character on the line. There was no need to change `C-a', as the choice
289 of screen model does not affect beginnings of lines.
291 Insertion of text is adapted to the quarter-plane screen model
292 through the use of Overwrite mode (*note Minor Modes::).
293 Self-inserting characters replace existing text, column by column,
294 rather than pushing existing text to the right. <RET> runs
295 `picture-newline', which just moves to the beginning of the following
296 line so that new text will replace that line.
298 Text is erased instead of deleted and killed. <DEL>
299 (`picture-backward-clear-column') replaces the preceding character with
300 a space rather than removing it. `C-d' (`picture-clear-column') does
301 the same in a forward direction. `C-k' (`picture-clear-line') really
302 kills the contents of lines, but never removes the newlines from a
305 To do actual insertion, you must use special commands. `C-o'
306 (`picture-open-line') creates a blank line, but does so after the
307 current line; it never splits a line. `C-M-o', `split-line', makes
308 sense in Picture mode, so it remains unchanged. <LFD>
309 (`picture-duplicate-line') inserts another line with the same contents
310 below the current line.
312 To actually delete parts of the picture, use `C-w', or with `C-c
313 C-d' (which is defined as `delete-char', as `C-d' is in other modes),
314 or with one of the picture rectangle commands (*note Rectangles in
318 File: xemacs.info, Node: Insert in Picture, Next: Tabs in Picture, Prev: Basic Picture, Up: Picture
320 Controlling Motion After Insert
321 ===============================
323 Since "self-inserting" characters just overwrite and move point in
324 Picture mode, there is no essential restriction on how point should be
325 moved. Normally point moves right, but you can specify any of the eight
326 orthogonal or diagonal directions for motion after a "self-inserting"
327 character. This is useful for drawing lines in the buffer.
330 Move left after insertion (`picture-movement-left').
333 Move right after insertion (`picture-movement-right').
336 Move up after insertion (`picture-movement-up').
339 Move down after insertion (`picture-movement-down').
342 Move up and left ("northwest") after insertion
343 (`picture-movement-nw').
346 Move up and right ("northeast") after insertion
347 (`picture-movement-ne').
350 Move down and left ("southwest") after insertion
351 (`picture-movement-sw').
354 Move down and right ("southeast") after insertion
355 (`picture-movement-se').
357 Two motion commands move based on the current Picture insertion
358 direction. The command `C-c C-f' (`picture-motion') moves in the same
359 direction as motion after "insertion" currently does, while `C-c C-b'
360 (`picture-motion-reverse') moves in the opposite direction.
363 File: xemacs.info, Node: Tabs in Picture, Next: Rectangles in Picture, Prev: Insert in Picture, Up: Picture
368 Two kinds of tab-like action are provided in Picture mode.
369 Context-based tabbing is done with `M-<TAB>' (`picture-tab-search').
370 With no argument, it moves to a point underneath the next "interesting"
371 character that follows whitespace in the previous non-blank line.
372 "Next" here means "appearing at a horizontal position greater than the
373 one point starts out at". With an argument, as in `C-u M-<TAB>', the
374 command moves to the next such interesting character in the current
375 line. `M-<TAB>' does not change the text; it only moves point.
376 "Interesting" characters are defined by the variable
377 `picture-tab-chars', which contains a string of characters considered
378 interesting. Its default value is `"!-~"'.
380 <TAB> itself runs `picture-tab', which operates based on the current
381 tab stop settings; it is the Picture mode equivalent of
382 `tab-to-tab-stop'. Without arguments it just moves point, but with a
383 numeric argument it clears the text that it moves over.
385 The context-based and tab-stop-based forms of tabbing are brought
386 together by the command `C-c <TAB>' (`picture-set-tab-stops'.) This
387 command sets the tab stops to the positions which `M-<TAB>' would
388 consider significant in the current line. If you use this command with
389 <TAB>, you can get the effect of context-based tabbing. But `M-<TAB>'
390 is more convenient in the cases where it is sufficient.
393 File: xemacs.info, Node: Rectangles in Picture, Prev: Tabs in Picture, Up: Picture
395 Picture Mode Rectangle Commands
396 ===============================
398 Picture mode defines commands for working on rectangular pieces of
399 the text in ways that fit with the quarter-plane model. The standard
400 rectangle commands may also be useful (*note Rectangles::).
403 Clear out the region-rectangle (`picture-clear-rectangle'). With
407 Similar but save rectangle contents in register R first
408 (`picture-clear-rectangle-to-register').
411 Copy last killed rectangle into the buffer by overwriting, with
412 upper left corner at point (`picture-yank-rectangle'). With
413 argument, insert instead.
416 Similar, but use the rectangle in register R
417 (`picture-yank-rectangle-from-register').
419 The picture rectangle commands `C-c C-k' (`picture-clear-rectangle')
420 and `C-c C-w' (`picture-clear-rectangle-to-register') differ from the
421 standard rectangle commands in that they normally clear the rectangle
422 instead of deleting it; this is analogous with the way `C-d' is changed
425 However, deletion of rectangles can be useful in Picture mode, so
426 these commands delete the rectangle if given a numeric argument.
428 The Picture mode commands for yanking rectangles differ from the
429 standard ones in overwriting instead of inserting. This is the same
430 way that Picture mode insertion of other text is different from other
431 modes. `C-c C-y' (`picture-yank-rectangle') inserts (by overwriting)
432 the rectangle that was most recently killed, while `C-c C-x'
433 (`picture-yank-rectangle-from-register') does for the rectangle found
434 in a specified register.
436 Since most region commands in Picture mode operate on rectangles,
437 when you select a region of text with the mouse in Picture mode, it is
438 highlighted as a rectangle.
441 File: xemacs.info, Node: Sending Mail, Next: Reading Mail, Prev: Picture, Up: Top
446 To send a message in Emacs, start by typing the command (`C-x m') to
447 select and initialize the `*mail*' buffer. You can then edit the text
448 and headers of the message in the mail buffer, and type the command
449 (`C-c C-c') to send the message.
452 Begin composing a message to send (`mail').
455 Likewise, but display the message in another window
456 (`mail-other-window').
459 In Mail mode, send the message and switch to another buffer
460 (`mail-send-and-exit').
462 The command `C-x m' (`mail') selects a buffer named `*mail*' and
463 initializes it with the skeleton of an outgoing message. `C-x 4 m'
464 (`mail-other-window') selects the `*mail*' buffer in a different
465 window, leaving the previous current buffer visible.
467 Because the buffer for mail composition is an ordinary Emacs buffer,
468 you can switch to other buffers while in the middle of composing mail,
469 and switch back later (or never). If you use the `C-x m' command again
470 when you have been composing another message but have not sent it, a
471 new mail buffer will be created; in this way, you can compose multiple
472 messages at once. You can switch back to and complete an unsent
473 message by using the normal buffer selection mechanisms.
475 `C-u C-x m' is another way to switch back to a message in progress:
476 it will search for an existing, unsent mail message buffer and select
481 * Format: Mail Format. Format of the mail being composed.
482 * Headers: Mail Headers. Details of allowed mail header fields.
483 * Mode: Mail Mode. Special commands for editing mail being composed.
486 File: xemacs.info, Node: Mail Format, Next: Mail Headers, Prev: Sending Mail, Up: Sending Mail
488 The Format of the Mail Buffer
489 =============================
491 In addition to the "text" or contents, a message has "header
492 fields", which say who sent it, when, to whom, why, and so on. Some
493 header fields, such as the date and sender, are created automatically
494 after the message is sent. Others, such as the recipient names, must
495 be specified by you in order to send the message properly.
497 Mail mode provides a few commands to help you edit some header
498 fields, and some are preinitialized in the buffer automatically at
499 times. You can insert or edit any header fields using ordinary editing
502 The line in the buffer that says:
504 --text follows this line--
506 is a special delimiter that separates the headers you have specified
507 from the text. Whatever follows this line is the text of the message;
508 the headers precede it. The delimiter line itself does not appear in
509 the message actually sent. The text used for the delimiter line is
510 controlled by the variable `mail-header-separator'.
512 Here is an example of what the headers and text in the `*mail*'
513 buffer might look like.
517 Subject: The XEmacs User's Manual
518 --Text follows this line--
519 Please ignore this message.
522 File: xemacs.info, Node: Mail Headers, Next: Mail Mode, Prev: Mail Format, Up: Sending Mail
527 There are several header fields you can use in the `*mail*' buffer.
528 Each header field starts with a field name at the beginning of a line,
529 terminated by a colon. It does not matter whether you use upper or
530 lower case in the field name. After the colon and optional whitespace
531 comes the contents of the field.
534 This field contains the mailing addresses of the message.
537 The contents of the `Subject' field should be a piece of text that
538 says what the message is about. Subject fields are useful because
539 most mail-reading programs can provide a summary of messages,
540 listing the subject of each message but not its text.
543 This field contains additional mailing addresses to send the
544 message to, but whose readers should not regard the message as
548 This field contains additional mailing addresses to send the
549 message to, but which should not appear in the header of the
550 message actually sent.
553 This field contains the name of one file (in Unix mail file
554 format) to which a copy of the message should be appended when the
558 Use the `From' field to say who you are, when the account you are
559 using to send the mail is not your own. The contents of the
560 `From' field should be a valid mailing address, since replies will
564 Use the `Reply-To' field to direct replies to a different address,
565 not your own. `From' and `Reply-To' have the same effect on where
566 replies go, but they convey a different meaning to the person who
570 This field contains a piece of text describing a message you are
571 replying to. Some mail systems can use the information to
572 correlate related pieces of mail. This field is normally filled
573 in by your mail handling package when you are replying to a
574 message and you never need to think about it.
576 The `To', `CC', `BCC' and `FCC' fields can appear any number of times,
577 to specify many places to send the message.
579 The `To', `CC', and `BCC', fields can have continuation lines. All the
580 lines starting with whitespace, following the line on which the field
581 starts, are considered part of the field. For example,
583 To: foo@here, this@there,
584 me@gnu.cambridge.mass.usa.earth.spiral3281
586 If you have a `~/.mailrc' file, Emacs scans it for mail aliases the
587 first time you try to send mail in an Emacs session. Emacs expands
588 aliases found in the `To', `CC', and `BCC' fields where appropriate.
589 You can set the variable `mail-abbrev-mailrc-file' to the name of the
590 file with mail aliases. If `nil', `~/.mailrc' is used.
592 Your `.mailrc' file ensures that word-abbrevs are defined for each
593 of your mail aliases when point is in a `To', `CC', `BCC', or `From'
594 field. The aliases are defined in your `.mailrc' file or in a file
595 specified by the MAILRC environment variable if it exists. Your mail
596 aliases expand any time you type a word-delimiter at the end of an
599 In this version of Emacs, what you see is what you get: in contrast
600 to some other versions, no abbreviations are expanded after you have
601 sent the mail. This means you don't suffer the annoyance of having the
602 system do things behind your back -- if the system rewrites an address
603 you typed, you know it immediately, instead of after the mail has been
604 sent and it's too late to do anything about it. For example, you will
605 never again be in trouble because you forgot to delete an old alias
606 from your `.mailrc' and a new local user is given a userid which
607 conflicts with one of your aliases.
609 Your mail alias abbrevs are in effect only when point is in an
610 appropriate header field. The mail aliases will not expand in the body
611 of the message, or in other header fields. The default mode-specific
612 abbrev table `mail-mode-abbrev-table' is used instead if defined. That
613 means if you have been using mail-mode specific abbrevs, this code will
614 not adversely affect you. You can control which header fields the
615 abbrevs are used in by changing the variable `mail-abbrev-mode-regexp'.
617 If auto-fill mode is on, abbrevs wrap at commas instead of at word
618 boundaries, and header continuation lines will be properly indented.
620 You can also insert a mail alias with
621 `mail-interactive-insert-alias'. This function, which is bound to `C-c
622 C-a', prompts you for an alias (with completion) and inserts its
625 In this version of Emacs, it is possible to have lines like the
626 following in your `.mailrc' file:
628 alias someone "John Doe <doe@quux.com>"
630 That is, if you want an address to have embedded spaces, simply
631 surround it with double-quotes. The quotes are necessary because the
632 format of the `.mailrc' file uses spaces as address delimiters.
634 Aliases in the `.mailrc' file may be nested. For example, assume you
636 alias group1 fred ethel
637 alias group2 larry curly moe
638 alias everybody group1 group2
640 When you now type `everybody' on the `To' line, it will expand to:
641 fred, ethyl, larry, curly, moe
643 Aliases may contain forward references; the alias of `everybody' in
644 the example above can precede the aliases of `group1' and `group2'.
646 In this version of Emacs, you can use the `source' `.mailrc' command
647 for reading aliases from some other file as well.
649 Aliases may contain hyphens, as in `"alias foo-bar foo@bar"', even
650 though word-abbrevs normally cannot contain hyphens.
652 To read in the contents of another `.mailrc'-type file from Emacs,
653 use the command `M-x merge-mail-aliases'. The `rebuild-mail-aliases'
654 command is similar, but deletes existing aliases first.
656 If you want multiple addresses separated by a string other than `,'
657 (a comma), then set the variable `mail-alias-seperator-string' to it.
658 This has to be a comma bracketed by whitespace if you want any kind of
661 If the variable `mail-archive-file-name' is non-`nil', it should be
662 a string naming a file. Each time you start to edit a message to send,
663 an `FCC' field is entered for that file. Unless you remove the `FCC'
664 field, every message is written into that file when it is sent.
667 File: xemacs.info, Node: Mail Mode, Prev: Mail Headers, Up: Sending Mail
672 The major mode used in the `*mail*' buffer is Mail mode. Mail mode
673 is similar to Text mode, but several commands are provided on the `C-c'
674 prefix. These commands all deal specifically with editing or sending
678 Send the message, and leave the `*mail*' buffer selected
682 Send the message, and select some other buffer
683 (`mail-send-and-exit').
686 Move to the `To' header field, creating one if there is none
690 Move to the `Subject' header field, creating one if there is none
694 Move to the `CC' header field, creating one if there is none
698 Insert the file `~/.signature' at the end of the message text
702 Yank the selected message (`mail-yank-original').
705 Fill all paragraphs of yanked old messages, each individually
706 (`mail-fill-yanked-message').
709 Pops up a menu of useful mail-mode commands.
711 There are two ways to send a message. `C-c C-c'
712 (`mail-send-and-exit') is the usual way to send the message. It sends
713 the message and then deletes the window (if there is another window) or
714 switches to another buffer. It puts the `*mail*' buffer at the lowest
715 priority for automatic reselection, since you are finished with using
716 it. `C-c C-s' (`mail-send') sends the message and marks the `*mail*'
717 buffer unmodified, but leaves that buffer selected so that you can
718 modify the message (perhaps with new recipients) and send it again.
720 Mail mode provides some other special commands that are useful for
721 editing the headers and text of the message before you send it. There
722 are three commands defined to move point to particular header fields,
723 all based on the prefix `C-c C-f' (`C-f' is for "field"). They are
724 `C-c C-f C-t' (`mail-to') to move to the `To' field, `C-c C-f C-s'
725 (`mail-subject') for the `Subject' field, and `C-c C-f C-c' (`mail-cc')
726 for the `CC' field. These fields have special motion commands because
727 they are edited most frequently.
729 `C-c C-w' (`mail-signature') adds a standard piece of text at the
730 end of the message to say more about who you are. The text comes from
731 the file `.signature' in your home directory.
733 When you use an Rmail command to send mail from the Rmail mail
734 reader, you can use `C-c C-y' `mail-yank-original' inside the `*mail*'
735 buffer to insert the text of the message you are replying to. Normally
736 Rmail indents each line of that message four spaces and eliminates most
737 header fields. A numeric argument specifies the number of spaces to
738 indent. An argument of just `C-u' says not to indent at all and not to
739 eliminate anything. `C-c C-y' always uses the current message from the
740 `RMAIL' buffer, so you can insert several old messages by selecting one
741 in `RMAIL', switching to `*mail*' and yanking it, then switching back
742 to `RMAIL' to select another.
744 After using `C-c C-y', you can use the command `C-c C-q'
745 (`mail-fill-yanked-message') to fill the paragraphs of the yanked old
746 message or messages. One use of `C-c C-q' fills all such paragraphs,
749 Clicking the right mouse button in a mail buffer pops up a menu of
750 the above commands, for easy access.
752 Turning on Mail mode (which `C-x m' does automatically) calls the
753 value of `text-mode-hook', if it is not void or `nil', and then calls
754 the value of `mail-mode-hook' if that is not void or `nil'.
757 File: xemacs.info, Node: Reading Mail, Next: Calendar/Diary, Prev: Sending Mail, Up: Top
762 XEmacs provides three separate mail-reading packages. Each one
763 comes with its own manual, which is included standard with the XEmacs
766 The recommended mail-reading package for new users is VM. VM works
767 with standard Unix-mail-format folders and was designed as a replacement
770 XEmacs also provides a sophisticated and comfortable front-end to the
771 MH mail-processing system, called `mh-e'. Unlike in other mail
772 programs, folders in MH are stored as file-system directories, with
773 each message occupying one (numbered) file. This facilitates working
774 with mail using shell commands, and many other features of MH are also
775 designed to integrate well with the shell and with shell scripts. Keep
776 in mind, however, that in order to use mh-e you must have the MH
777 mail-processing system installed on your computer.
779 Finally, XEmacs provides the Rmail package. Rmail is (currently) the
780 only mail reading package distributed with FSF GNU Emacs, and is
781 powerful in its own right. However, it stores mail folders in a special
782 format called `Babyl', that is incompatible with all other
783 frequently-used mail programs. A utility program is provided for
784 converting Babyl folders to standard Unix-mail format; however, unless
785 you already have mail in Babyl-format folders, you should consider
786 using VM or mh-e instead. (If at times you have to use FSF Emacs, it is
787 not hard to obtain and install VM for that editor.)
790 File: xemacs.info, Node: Calendar/Diary, Next: Sorting, Prev: Reading Mail, Up: Top
792 Calendar Mode and the Diary
793 ===========================
795 Emacs provides the functions of a desk calendar, with a diary of
796 planned or past events. To enter the calendar, type `M-x calendar';
797 this displays a three-month calendar centered on the current month, with
798 point on the current date. With a numeric argument, as in `C-u M-x
799 calendar', it prompts you for the month and year to be the center of the
800 three-month calendar. The calendar uses its own buffer, whose major
801 mode is Calendar mode.
803 `Button2' in the calendar brings up a menu of operations on a
804 particular date; `Buttons3' brings up a menu of commonly used calendar
805 features that are independent of any particular date. To exit the
806 calendar, type `q'. *Note Customizing the Calendar and Diary:
807 (elisp)Calendar, for customization information about the calendar and
812 * Calendar Motion:: Moving through the calendar; selecting a date.
813 * Scroll Calendar:: Bringing earlier or later months onto the screen.
814 * Mark and Region:: Remembering dates, the mark ring.
815 * General Calendar:: Exiting or recomputing the calendar.
816 * LaTeX Calendar:: Print a calendar using LaTeX.
817 * Holidays:: Displaying dates of holidays.
818 * Sunrise/Sunset:: Displaying local times of sunrise and sunset.
819 * Lunar Phases:: Displaying phases of the moon.
820 * Other Calendars:: Converting dates to other calendar systems.
821 * Diary:: Displaying events from your diary.
822 * Calendar Customization:: Altering the behavior of the features above.
825 File: xemacs.info, Node: Calendar Motion, Next: Scroll Calendar, Prev: Calendar/Diary, Up: Calendar/Diary
827 Movement in the Calendar
828 ------------------------
830 Calendar mode lets you move through the calendar in logical units of
831 time such as days, weeks, months, and years. If you move outside the
832 three months originally displayed, the calendar display "scrolls"
833 automatically through time to make the selected date visible. Moving to
834 a date lets you view its holidays or diary entries, or convert it to
835 other calendars; moving longer time periods is also useful simply to
840 * Calendar Unit Motion:: Moving by days, weeks, months, and years.
841 * Move to Beginning or End:: Moving to start/end of weeks, months, and years.
842 * Specified Dates:: Moving to the current date or another
846 File: xemacs.info, Node: Calendar Unit Motion, Next: Move to Beginning or End, Prev: Calendar Motion, Up: Calendar Motion
848 Motion by Integral Days, Weeks, Months, Years
849 .............................................
851 The commands for movement in the calendar buffer parallel the
852 commands for movement in text. You can move forward and backward by
853 days, weeks, months, and years.
856 Move point one day forward (`calendar-forward-day').
859 Move point one day backward (`calendar-backward-day').
862 Move point one week forward (`calendar-forward-week').
865 Move point one week backward (`calendar-backward-week').
868 Move point one month forward (`calendar-forward-month').
871 Move point one month backward (`calendar-backward-month').
874 Move point one year forward (`calendar-forward-year').
877 Move point one year backward (`calendar-backward-year').
879 The day and week commands are natural analogues of the usual Emacs
880 commands for moving by characters and by lines. Just as `C-n' usually
881 moves to the same column in the following line, in Calendar mode it
882 moves to the same day in the following week. And `C-p' moves to the
883 same day in the previous week.
885 The arrow keys are equivalent to `C-f', `C-b', `C-n' and `C-p', just
886 as they normally are in other modes.
888 The commands for motion by months and years work like those for
889 weeks, but move a larger distance. The month commands `M-}' and `M-{'
890 move forward or backward by an entire month's time. The year commands
891 `C-x ]' and `C-x [' move forward or backward a whole year.
893 The easiest way to remember these commands is to consider months and
894 years analogous to paragraphs and pages of text, respectively. But the
895 commands themselves are not quite analogous. The ordinary Emacs
896 paragraph commands move to the beginning or end of a paragraph, whereas
897 these month and year commands move by an entire month or an entire
898 year, which usually involves skipping across the end of a month or year.
900 All these commands accept a numeric argument as a repeat count. For
901 convenience, the digit keys and the minus sign specify numeric
902 arguments in Calendar mode even without the Meta modifier. For example,
903 `100 C-f' moves point 100 days forward from its present location.
906 File: xemacs.info, Node: Move to Beginning or End, Next: Specified Dates, Prev: Calendar Unit Motion, Up: Calendar Motion
908 Beginning or End of Week, Month or Year
909 .......................................
911 A week (or month, or year) is not just a quantity of days; we think
912 of weeks (months, years) as starting on particular dates. So Calendar
913 mode provides commands to move to the beginning or end of a week, month
917 Move point to start of week (`calendar-beginning-of-week').
920 Move point to end of week (`calendar-end-of-week').
923 Move point to start of month (`calendar-beginning-of-month').
926 Move point to end of month (`calendar-end-of-month').
929 Move point to start of year (`calendar-beginning-of-year').
932 Move point to end of year (`calendar-end-of-year').
934 These commands also take numeric arguments as repeat counts, with the
935 repeat count indicating how many weeks, months, or years to move
938 By default, weeks begin on Sunday. To make them begin on Monday
939 instead, set the variable `calendar-week-start-day' to 1.
942 File: xemacs.info, Node: Specified Dates, Prev: Move to Beginning or End, Up: Calendar Motion
947 Calendar mode provides commands for moving to a particular date
948 specified in various ways.
951 Move point to specified date (`calendar-goto-date').
954 Center calendar around specified month (`calendar-other-month').
957 Move point to today's date (`calendar-goto-today').
959 `g d' (`calendar-goto-date') prompts for a year, a month, and a day
960 of the month, and then moves to that date. Because the calendar
961 includes all dates from the beginning of the current era, you must type
962 the year in its entirety; that is, type `1990', not `90'.
964 `o' (`calendar-other-month') prompts for a month and year, then
965 centers the three-month calendar around that month.
967 You can return to today's date with `.' (`calendar-goto-today').
970 File: xemacs.info, Node: Scroll Calendar, Next: Mark and Region, Prev: Calendar Motion, Up: Calendar/Diary
972 Scrolling the Calendar through Time
973 -----------------------------------
975 The calendar display scrolls automatically through time when you
976 move out of the visible portion. You can also scroll it manually.
977 Imagine that the calendar window contains a long strip of paper with
978 the months on it. Scrolling it means moving the strip so that new
979 months become visible in the window.
982 Scroll calendar one month forward (`scroll-calendar-left').
985 Scroll calendar one month backward (`scroll-calendar-right').
989 Scroll calendar three months forward
990 (`scroll-calendar-left-three-months').
994 Scroll calendar three months backward
995 (`scroll-calendar-right-three-months').
997 The most basic calendar scroll commands scroll by one month at a
998 time. This means that there are two months of overlap between the
999 display before the command and the display after. `C-x <' scrolls the
1000 calendar contents one month to the left; that is, it moves the display
1001 forward in time. `C-x >' scrolls the contents to the right, which
1002 moves backwards in time.
1004 The commands `C-v' and `M-v' scroll the calendar by an entire
1005 "screenful"--three months--in analogy with the usual meaning of these
1006 commands. `C-v' makes later dates visible and `M-v' makes earlier
1007 dates visible. These commands take a numeric argument as a repeat
1008 count; in particular, since `C-u' multiplies the next command by four,
1009 typing `C-u C-v' scrolls the calendar forward by a year and typing `C-u
1010 M-v' scrolls the calendar backward by a year.
1012 The function keys <NEXT> and <PRIOR> are equivalent to `C-v' and
1013 `M-v', just as they are in other modes.
1016 File: xemacs.info, Node: Mark and Region, Next: General Calendar, Prev: Scroll Calendar, Up: Calendar/Diary
1018 The Mark and the Region
1019 -----------------------
1021 The concept of the mark applies to the calendar just as to any other
1022 buffer, but it marks a _date_, not a _position_ in the buffer. The
1023 region consists of the days between the mark and point (including the
1024 starting and stopping dates).
1027 Set the mark to today's date (`calendar-set-mark').
1033 Interchange mark and point (`calendar-exchange-point-and-mark').
1036 Display the number of days in the current region
1037 (`calendar-count-days-region').
1039 You set the mark in the calendar, as in any other buffer, by using
1040 `C-@' or `C-SPC' (`calendar-set-mark'). You return to the marked date
1041 with the command `C-x C-x' (`calendar-exchange-point-and-mark') which
1042 puts the mark where point was and point where mark was. The calendar
1043 is scrolled as necessary, if the marked date was not visible on the
1044 screen. This does not change the extent of the region.
1046 To determine the number of days in the region, type `M-='
1047 (`calendar-count-days-region'). The numbers of days printed is
1048 _inclusive_; that is, it includes the days specified by mark and point.
1050 The main use of the mark in the calendar is to remember dates that
1051 you may want to go back to. To make this feature more useful, the mark
1052 ring (*note Mark Ring::) operates exactly as in other buffers: Emacs
1053 remembers 16 previous locations of the mark. To return to a marked
1054 date, type `C-u C-SPC' (or `C-u C-@'); this is the command
1055 `calendar-set-mark' given a numeric argument. It moves point to where
1056 the mark was, restores the mark from the ring of former marks, and
1057 stores the previous point at the end of the mark ring. So, repeated
1058 use of this command moves point through all the old marks on the ring,
1062 File: xemacs.info, Node: General Calendar, Next: LaTeX Calendar, Prev: Mark and Region, Up: Calendar/Diary
1064 Miscellaneous Calendar Commands
1065 -------------------------------
1068 Display day-in-year (`calendar-print-day-of-year').
1071 Briefly describe calendar commands (`describe-calendar-mode').
1074 Regenerate the calendar window (`redraw-calendar').
1077 Scroll the next window (`scroll-other-window').
1080 Exit from calendar (`exit-calendar').
1082 If you want to know how many days have elapsed since the start of
1083 the year, or the number of days remaining in the year, type the `p d'
1084 command (`calendar-print-day-of-year'). This displays both of those
1085 numbers in the echo area.
1087 To display a brief description of the calendar commands, type `?'
1088 (`describe-calendar-mode'). For a fuller description, type `C-h m'.
1090 You can use `SPC' (`scroll-other-window') to scroll the other
1091 window. This is handy when you display a list of holidays or diary
1092 entries in another window.
1094 If the calendar window text gets corrupted, type `C-c C-l'
1095 (`redraw-calendar') to redraw it. (This can only happen if you use
1096 non-Calendar-mode editing commands.)
1098 In Calendar mode, you can use `SPC' (`scroll-other-window') to
1099 scroll the other window. This is handy when you display a list of
1100 holidays or diary entries in another window.
1102 To exit from the calendar, type `q' (`exit-calendar'). This buries
1103 all buffers related to the calendar, selecting other buffers. (If a
1104 frame contains a dedicated calendar window, exiting from the calendar
1105 iconifies that frame.)
1108 File: xemacs.info, Node: LaTeX Calendar, Next: Holidays, Prev: General Calendar, Up: Calendar/Diary
1113 The Calendar LaTeX commands produce a buffer of LaTeX code that
1114 prints as a calendar. Depending on the command you use, the printed
1115 calendar covers the day, week, month or year that point is in.
1118 Generate a one-month calendar (`cal-tex-cursor-month').
1121 Generate a sideways-printing one-month calendar
1122 (`cal-tex-cursor-month-landscape').
1125 Generate a one-day calendar (`cal-tex-cursor-day').
1128 Generate a one-page calendar for one week (`cal-tex-cursor-week').
1131 Generate a two-page calendar for one week (`cal-tex-cursor-week2').
1134 Generate an ISO-style calendar for one week
1135 (`cal-tex-cursor-week-iso').
1138 Generate a calendar for one Monday-starting week
1139 (`cal-tex-cursor-week-monday').
1142 Generate a Filofax-style two-weeks-at-a-glance calendar
1143 (`cal-tex-cursor-filofax-2week').
1146 Generate a Filofax-style one-week-at-a-glance calendar
1147 (`cal-tex-cursor-filofax-week').
1150 Generate a calendar for one year (`cal-tex-cursor-year').
1153 Generate a sideways-printing calendar for one year
1154 (`cal-tex-cursor-year-landscape').
1157 Generate a Filofax-style calendar for one year
1158 (`cal-tex-cursor-filofax-year').
1160 Some of these commands print the calendar sideways (in "landscape
1161 mode"), so it can be wider than it is long. Some of them use Filofax
1162 paper size (3.75in x 6.75in). All of these commands accept a prefix
1163 argument which specifies how many days, weeks, months or years to print
1164 (starting always with the selected one).
1166 If the variable `cal-tex-holidays' is non-`nil' (the default), then
1167 the printed calendars show the holidays in `calendar-holidays'. If the
1168 variable `cal-tex-diary' is non-`nil' (the default is `nil'), diary
1169 entries are included also (in weekly and monthly calendars only).
1172 File: xemacs.info, Node: Holidays, Next: Sunrise/Sunset, Prev: LaTeX Calendar, Up: Calendar/Diary
1177 The Emacs calendar knows about all major and many minor holidays,
1178 and can display them.
1181 Display holidays for the selected date
1182 (`calendar-cursor-holidays').
1185 Display any holidays for the date you click on.
1188 Mark holidays in the calendar window (`mark-calendar-holidays').
1191 Unmark calendar window (`calendar-unmark').
1194 List all holidays for the displayed three months in another window
1195 (`list-calendar-holidays').
1198 List all holidays for three months around today's date in another
1202 List holidays in another window for a specified range of years.
1204 To see if any holidays fall on a given date, position point on that
1205 date in the calendar window and use the `h' command. Alternatively,
1206 click on that date with `Button2' and then choose `Holidays' from the
1207 menu that appears. Either way, this displays the holidays for that
1208 date, in the echo area if they fit there, otherwise in a separate
1211 To view the distribution of holidays for all the dates shown in the
1212 calendar, use the `x' command. This displays the dates that are
1213 holidays in a different face (or places a `*' after these dates, if
1214 display with multiple faces is not available). The command applies both
1215 to the currently visible months and to other months that subsequently
1216 become visible by scrolling. To turn marking off and erase the current
1217 marks, type `u', which also erases any diary marks (*note Diary::).
1219 To get even more detailed information, use the `a' command, which
1220 displays a separate buffer containing a list of all holidays in the
1221 current three-month range. You can use <SPC> in the calendar window to
1224 The command `M-x holidays' displays the list of holidays for the
1225 current month and the preceding and succeeding months; this works even
1226 if you don't have a calendar window. If you want the list of holidays
1227 centered around a different month, use `C-u M-x holidays', which
1228 prompts for the month and year.
1230 The holidays known to Emacs include United States holidays and the
1231 major Christian, Jewish, and Islamic holidays; also the solstices and
1234 The command `M-x list-holidays' displays the list of holidays for a
1235 range of years. This function asks you for the starting and stopping
1236 years, and allows you to choose all the holidays or one of several
1237 categories of holidays. You can use this command even if you don't have
1240 The dates used by Emacs for holidays are based on _current
1241 practice_, not historical fact. Historically, for instance, the start
1242 of daylight savings time and even its existence have varied from year to
1243 year, but present United States law mandates that daylight savings time
1244 begins on the first Sunday in April. When the daylight savings rules
1245 are set up for the United States, Emacs always uses the present
1246 definition, even though it is wrong for some prior years.