1 This is Info file ../info/xemacs.info, produced by Makeinfo version
2 1.68 from the input file xemacs/xemacs.texi.
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: Unasked-for Search, Next: Emergency Escape, Prev: Text Garbled, Up: Lossage
35 Spontaneous Entry to Incremental Search
36 ---------------------------------------
38 If Emacs spontaneously displays `I-search:' at the bottom of the
39 screen, it means that the terminal is sending `C-s' and `C-q' according
40 to the poorly designed xon/xoff "flow control" protocol. You should
41 try to prevent this by putting the terminal in a mode where it will not
42 use flow control, or by giving it enough padding that it will never
43 send a `C-s'. If that cannot be done, you must tell Emacs to expect
44 flow control to be used, until you can get a properly designed terminal.
46 Information on how to do these things can be found in the file
47 `INSTALL' in the Emacs distribution.
50 File: xemacs.info, Node: Emergency Escape, Next: Total Frustration, Prev: Unasked-for Search, Up: Lossage
55 Because at times there have been bugs causing Emacs to loop without
56 checking `quit-flag', a special feature causes Emacs to be suspended
57 immediately if you type a second `C-g' while the flag is already set,
58 so you can always get out of XEmacs. Normally Emacs recognizes and
59 clears `quit-flag' (and quits!) quickly enough to prevent this from
62 When you resume Emacs after a suspension caused by multiple `C-g', it
63 asks two questions before going back to what it had been doing:
66 Abort (and dump core)? (y or n)
68 Answer each one with `y' or `n' followed by <RET>.
70 Saying `y' to `Auto-save?' causes immediate auto-saving of all
71 modified buffers in which auto-saving is enabled.
73 Saying `y' to `Abort (and dump core)?' causes an illegal instruction
74 to be executed, dumping core. This is to enable a wizard to figure out
75 why Emacs was failing to quit in the first place. Execution does not
76 continue after a core dump. If you answer `n', execution does
77 continue. With luck, Emacs will ultimately check `quit-flag' and quit
78 normally. If not, and you type another `C-g', it is suspended again.
80 If Emacs is not really hung, but is just being slow, you may invoke
81 the double `C-g' feature without really meaning to. In that case,
82 simply resume and answer `n' to both questions, and you will arrive at
83 your former state. Presumably the quit you requested will happen soon.
85 The double-`C-g' feature may be turned off when Emacs is running
86 under a window system, since the window system always enables you to
87 kill Emacs or to create another window and run another program.
90 File: xemacs.info, Node: Total Frustration, Prev: Emergency Escape, Up: Lossage
92 Help for Total Frustration
93 --------------------------
95 If using Emacs (or something else) becomes terribly frustrating and
96 none of the techniques described above solve the problem, Emacs can
99 First, if the Emacs you are using is not responding to commands, type
100 `C-g C-g' to get out of it and then start a new one.
102 Second, type `M-x doctor <RET>'.
104 The doctor will make you feel better. Each time you say something to
105 the doctor, you must end it by typing <RET> <RET>. This lets the
106 doctor know you are finished.
109 File: xemacs.info, Node: Bugs, Prev: Lossage, Up: Top
114 Sometimes you will encounter a bug in Emacs. Although we cannot
115 promise we can or will fix the bug, and we might not even agree that it
116 is a bug, we want to hear about bugs you encounter in case we do want
119 To make it possible for us to fix a bug, you must report it. In
120 order to do so effectively, you must know when and how to do it.
125 If Emacs executes an illegal instruction, or dies with an operating
126 system error message that indicates a problem in the program (as
127 opposed to something like "disk full"), then it is certainly a bug.
129 If Emacs updates the display in a way that does not correspond to
130 what is in the buffer, then it is certainly a bug. If a command seems
131 to do the wrong thing but the problem corrects itself if you type
132 `C-l', it is a case of incorrect display updating.
134 Taking forever to complete a command can be a bug, but you must make
135 certain that it was really Emacs's fault. Some commands simply take a
136 long time. Type `C-g' and then `C-h l' to see whether the input Emacs
137 received was what you intended to type; if the input was such that you
138 KNOW it should have been processed quickly, report a bug. If you don't
139 know whether the command should take a long time, find out by looking
140 in the manual or by asking for assistance.
142 If a command you are familiar with causes an Emacs error message in a
143 case where its usual definition ought to be reasonable, it is probably a
146 If a command does the wrong thing, that is a bug. But be sure you
147 know for certain what it ought to have done. If you aren't familiar
148 with the command, or don't know for certain how the command is supposed
149 to work, then it might actually be working right. Rather than jumping
150 to conclusions, show the problem to someone who knows for certain.
152 Finally, a command's intended definition may not be best for editing
153 with. This is a very important sort of problem, but it is also a
154 matter of judgment. Also, it is easy to come to such a conclusion out
155 of ignorance of some of the existing features. It is probably best not
156 to complain about such a problem until you have checked the
157 documentation in the usual ways, feel confident that you understand it,
158 and know for certain that what you want is not available. If you are
159 not sure what the command is supposed to do after a careful reading of
160 the manual, check the index and glossary for any terms that may be
161 unclear. If you still do not understand, this indicates a bug in the
162 manual. The manual's job is to make everything clear. It is just as
163 important to report documentation bugs as program bugs.
165 If the online documentation string of a function or variable
166 disagrees with the manual, one of them must be wrong, so report the bug.
171 When you decide that there is a bug, it is important to report it
172 and to report it in a way which is useful. What is most useful is an
173 exact description of what commands you type, starting with the shell
174 command to run Emacs, until the problem happens. Always include the
175 version number of Emacs that you are using; type `M-x emacs-version' to
178 The most important principle in reporting a bug is to report FACTS,
179 not hypotheses or categorizations. It is always easier to report the
180 facts, but people seem to prefer to strain to posit explanations and
181 report them instead. If the explanations are based on guesses about
182 how Emacs is implemented, they will be useless; we will have to try to
183 figure out what the facts must have been to lead to such speculations.
184 Sometimes this is impossible. But in any case, it is unnecessary work
187 For example, suppose that you type `C-x C-f /glorp/baz.ugh <RET>',
188 visiting a file which (you know) happens to be rather large, and Emacs
189 prints out `I feel pretty today'. The best way to report the bug is
190 with a sentence like the preceding one, because it gives all the facts
191 and nothing but the facts.
193 Do not assume that the problem is due to the size of the file and
194 say, "When I visit a large file, Emacs prints out `I feel pretty
195 today'." This is what we mean by "guessing explanations". The problem
196 is just as likely to be due to the fact that there is a `z' in the file
197 name. If this is so, then when we got your report, we would try out
198 the problem with some "large file", probably with no `z' in its name,
199 and not find anything wrong. There is no way in the world that we
200 could guess that we should try visiting a file with a `z' in its name.
202 Alternatively, the problem might be due to the fact that the file
203 starts with exactly 25 spaces. For this reason, you should make sure
204 that you inform us of the exact contents of any file that is needed to
205 reproduce the bug. What if the problem only occurs when you have typed
206 the `C-x a l' command previously? This is why we ask you to give the
207 exact sequence of characters you typed since starting to use Emacs.
209 You should not even say "visit a file" instead of `C-x C-f' unless
210 you know that it makes no difference which visiting command is used.
211 Similarly, rather than saying "if I have three characters on the line,"
212 say "after I type `<RET> A B C <RET> C-p'," if that is the way you
215 If you are not in Fundamental mode when the problem occurs, you
216 should say what mode you are in.
218 If the manifestation of the bug is an Emacs error message, it is
219 important to report not just the text of the error message but a
220 backtrace showing how the Lisp program in Emacs arrived at the error.
221 To make the backtrace, you must execute the Lisp expression `(setq
222 debug-on-error t)' before the error happens (that is to say, you must
223 execute that expression and then make the bug happen). This causes the
224 Lisp debugger to run (*note Lisp Debug::.). The debugger's backtrace
225 can be copied as text into the bug report. This use of the debugger is
226 possible only if you know how to make the bug happen again. Do note
227 the error message the first time the bug happens, so if you can't make
228 it happen again, you can report at least that.
230 Check whether any programs you have loaded into the Lisp world,
231 including your `.emacs' file, set any variables that may affect the
232 functioning of Emacs. Also, see whether the problem happens in a
233 freshly started Emacs without loading your `.emacs' file (start Emacs
234 with the `-q' switch to prevent loading the init file). If the problem
235 does NOT occur then, it is essential that we know the contents of any
236 programs that you must load into the Lisp world in order to cause the
239 If the problem does depend on an init file or other Lisp programs
240 that are not part of the standard Emacs system, then you should make
241 sure it is not a bug in those programs by complaining to their
242 maintainers first. After they verify that they are using Emacs in a
243 way that is supposed to work, they should report the bug.
245 If you can tell us a way to cause the problem without visiting any
246 files, please do so. This makes it much easier to debug. If you do
247 need files, make sure you arrange for us to see their exact contents.
248 For example, it can often matter whether there are spaces at the ends
249 of lines, or a newline after the last line in the buffer (nothing ought
250 to care whether the last line is terminated, but tell that to the bugs).
252 The easy way to record the input to Emacs precisely is to write a
253 dribble file; execute the Lisp expression:
255 (open-dribble-file "~/dribble")
257 using `Meta-<ESC>' or from the `*scratch*' buffer just after starting
258 Emacs. From then on, all Emacs input will be written in the specified
259 dribble file until the Emacs process is killed.
261 For possible display bugs, it is important to report the terminal
262 type (the value of environment variable `TERM'), the complete termcap
263 entry for the terminal from `/etc/termcap' (since that file is not
264 identical on all machines), and the output that Emacs actually sent to
265 the terminal. The way to collect this output is to execute the Lisp
268 (open-termscript "~/termscript")
270 using `Meta-<ESC>' or from the `*scratch*' buffer just after starting
271 Emacs. From then on, all output from Emacs to the terminal will be
272 written in the specified termscript file as well, until the Emacs
273 process is killed. If the problem happens when Emacs starts up, put
274 this expression into your `.emacs' file so that the termscript file will
275 be open when Emacs displays the screen for the first time. Be warned:
276 it is often difficult, and sometimes impossible, to fix a
277 terminal-dependent bug without access to a terminal of the type that
280 The newsgroup `comp.emacs.xemacs' may be used for bug reports, other
281 discussions and requests for assistance.
283 If you don't have access to this newgroup, you can subscribe to the
284 mailing list version: the newsgroup is bidirectionally gatewayed into
285 the mailing list `xemacs@xemacs.org'.
287 To be added or removed from this mailing list, send mail to
288 `xemacs-request@xemacs.org'. Do not send requests for addition to the
291 The mailing lists and newsgroups are archived on our anonymous FTP
292 server, `ftp.xemacs.org', and at various other archive sites around the
293 net. You should also check the `FAQ' in `/pub/xemacs' on our anonymous
294 FTP server. It provides some introductory information and help for
295 initial configuration problems.
298 File: xemacs.info, Node: Glossary, Next: Manifesto, Prev: Intro, Up: Top
304 An abbrev is a text string which expands into a different text
305 string when present in the buffer. For example, you might define
306 a short word as an abbrev for a long phrase that you want to insert
307 frequently. *Note Abbrevs::.
310 Aborting means getting out of a recursive edit (q.v.). You can use
311 the commands `C-]' and `M-x top-level' for this. *Note Quitting::.
314 Auto Fill mode is a minor mode in which text you insert is
315 automatically broken into lines of fixed width. *Note Filling::.
318 Auto saving means that Emacs automatically stores the contents of
319 an Emacs buffer in a specially-named file so the information will
320 not be lost if the buffer is lost due to a system error or user
321 error. *Note Auto Save::.
324 A backup file records the contents that a file had before the
325 current editing session. Emacs creates backup files automatically
326 to help you track down or cancel changes you later regret. *Note
330 Emacs can balance parentheses manually or automatically. Manual
331 balancing is done by the commands to move over balanced expressions
332 (*note Lists::.). Automatic balancing is done by blinking the
333 parenthesis that matches one just inserted (*note Matching Parens:
337 To bind a key is to change its binding (q.v.). *Note Rebinding::.
340 A key gets its meaning in Emacs by having a binding which is a
341 command (q.v.), a Lisp function that is run when the key is typed.
342 *Note Binding: Commands. Customization often involves rebinding a
343 character to a different command function. The bindings of all
344 keys are recorded in the keymaps (q.v.). *Note Keymaps::.
347 Blank lines are lines that contain only whitespace. Emacs has
348 several commands for operating on the blank lines in a buffer.
351 The buffer is the basic editing unit; one buffer corresponds to one
352 piece of text being edited. You can have several buffers, but at
353 any time you are editing only one, the `selected' buffer, though
354 several buffers can be visible when you are using multiple
355 windows. *Note Buffers::.
357 Buffer Selection History
358 Emacs keeps a buffer selection history which records how recently
359 each Emacs buffer was selected. Emacs uses this list when
360 choosing a buffer to select. *Note Buffers::.
363 `C' in the name of a character is an abbreviation for Control.
364 *Note C-: Keystrokes.
367 `C-M-' in the name of a character is an abbreviation for
368 Control-Meta. *Note C-M-: Keystrokes.
371 Case conversion means changing text from upper case to lower case
372 or vice versa. *Note Case::, for the commands for case conversion.
375 Characters form the contents of an Emacs buffer; also, Emacs
376 commands are invoked by keys (q.v.), which are sequences of one or
377 more characters. *Note Keystrokes::.
380 A command is a Lisp function specially defined to be able to serve
381 as a key binding in Emacs. When you type a key (q.v.), Emacs
382 looks up its binding (q.v.) in the relevant keymaps (q.v.) to find
383 the command to run. *Note Commands::.
386 A command name is the name of a Lisp symbol which is a command
387 (*note Commands::.). You can invoke any command by its name using
388 `M-x' (*note M-x::.).
391 A comment is text in a program which is intended only for the
392 people reading the program, and is marked specially so that it
393 will be ignored when the program is loaded or compiled. Emacs
394 offers special commands for creating, aligning, and killing
395 comments. *Note Comments::.
398 Compilation is the process of creating an executable program from
399 source code. Emacs has commands for compiling files of Emacs Lisp
400 code (*note Lisp Libraries::.) and programs in C and other
401 languages (*note Compilation::.).
404 A complete key is a character or sequence of characters which,
405 when typed by the user, fully specifies one action to be performed
406 by Emacs. For example, `X' and `Control-f' and `Control-x m' are
407 keys. Keys derive their meanings from being bound (q.v.) to
408 commands (q.v.). Thus, `X' is conventionally bound to a command
409 to insert `X' in the buffer; `C-x m' is conventionally bound to a
410 command to begin composing a mail message. *Note Keystrokes::.
413 When Emacs automatically fills an abbreviation for a name into the
414 entire name, that process is called completion. Completion is
415 done for minibuffer (q.v.) arguments when the set of possible
416 valid inputs is known; for example, on command names, buffer
417 names, and file names. Completion occurs when you type <TAB>,
418 <SPC>, or <RET>. *Note Completion::.
421 When a line of text is longer than the width of the frame, it
422 takes up more than one screen line when displayed. We say that the
423 text line is continued, and all screen lines used for it after the
424 first are called continuation lines. *Note Continuation: Basic.
427 ASCII characters with octal codes 0 through 037, and also code
428 0177, do not have graphic images assigned to them. These are the
429 control characters. Any control character can be typed by holding
430 down the <CTRL> key and typing some other character; some have
431 special keys on the keyboard. <RET>, <TAB>, <ESC>, <LFD>, and
432 <DEL> are all control characters. *Note Keystrokes::.
435 A copyleft is a notice giving the public legal permission to
436 redistribute a program or other work of art. Copylefts are used
437 by leftists to enrich the public just as copyrights are used by
438 rightists to gain power over the public.
441 The current buffer in Emacs is the Emacs buffer on which most
442 editing commands operate. You can select any Emacs buffer as the
443 current one. *Note Buffers::.
446 The line point is on (*note Point::.).
449 The paragraph that point is in. If point is between paragraphs,
450 the current paragraph is the one that follows point. *Note
454 The defun (q.v.) that point is in. If point is between defuns, the
455 current defun is the one that follows point. *Note Defuns::.
458 The cursor is the rectangle on the screen which indicates the
459 position called point (q.v.) at which insertion and deletion takes
460 place. The cursor is on or under the character that follows
461 point. Often people speak of `the cursor' when, strictly
462 speaking, they mean `point'. *Note Cursor: Basic.
465 Customization is making minor changes in the way Emacs works. It
466 is often done by setting variables (*note Variables::.) or by
467 rebinding keys (*note Keymaps::.).
470 The default for an argument is the value that is used if you do not
471 specify one. When Emacs prompts you in the minibuffer for an
472 argument, the default argument is used if you just type <RET>.
476 When you specify a file name that does not start with `/' or `~',
477 it is interpreted relative to the current buffer's default
478 directory. *Note Default Directory: Minibuffer File.
481 A defun is a list at the top level of parenthesis or bracket
482 structure in a program. It is so named because most such lists in
483 Lisp programs are calls to the Lisp function `defun'. *Note
487 The <DEL> character runs the command that deletes one character of
488 text. *Note DEL: Basic.
491 Deleting text means erasing it without saving it. Emacs deletes
492 text only when it is expected not to be worth saving (all
493 whitespace, or only one character). The alternative is killing
494 (q.v.). *Note Deletion: Killing.
497 Deleting a file means removing it from the file system. *Note
501 Deleting a message means flagging it to be eliminated from your
502 mail file. Until the mail file is expunged, you can undo this by
503 undeleting the message.
506 When working under the multi-frame X-based version of XEmacs, you
507 can delete individual frames using the Close menu item from the
511 When you delete a subwindow of an Emacs frame, you eliminate it
512 from the frame. Other windows expand to use up the space. The
513 deleted window can never come back, but no actual text is lost.
517 Files in the Unix file system are grouped into file directories.
518 *Note Directories: ListDir.
521 Dired is the Emacs facility that displays the contents of a file
522 directory and allows you to "edit the directory", performing
523 operations on the files in the directory. *Note Dired::.
526 A disabled command is one that you may not run without special
527 confirmation. Commands are usually disabled because they are
528 confusing for beginning users. *Note Disabling::.
531 A file into which Emacs writes all the characters that the user
532 types on the keyboard. Dribble files are used to make a record for
533 debugging Emacs bugs. Emacs does not make a dribble file unless
534 you tell it to. *Note Bugs::.
537 The area at the bottom of the Emacs frame which is used for
538 echoing the arguments to commands, for asking questions, and for
539 printing brief messages (including error messages). *Note Echo
543 Echoing refers to acknowledging the receipt of commands by
544 displaying them (in the echo area). Emacs never echoes
545 single-character keys; longer keys echo only if you pause while
549 An error occurs when an Emacs command cannot execute in the current
550 circumstances. When an error occurs, execution of the command
551 stops (unless the command has been programmed to do otherwise) and
552 Emacs reports the error by printing an error message (q.v.).
553 Type-ahead is discarded. Then Emacs is ready to read another
557 Error messages are single lines of output printed by Emacs when the
558 user asks for something impossible to do (such as killing text
559 forward when point is at the end of the buffer). They appear in
560 the echo area, accompanied by a beep.
563 <ESC> is a character used as a prefix for typing Meta characters on
564 keyboards lacking a <META> key. Unlike the <META> key (which,
565 like the <SHIFT> key, is held down while another character is
566 typed), the <ESC> key is pressed and released, and applies to the
567 next character typed.
570 The fill prefix is a string that Emacs enters at the beginning of
571 each line when it performs filling. It is not regarded as part of
572 the text to be filled. *Note Filling::.
575 Filling text means moving text from line to line so that all the
576 lines are approximately the same length. *Note Filling::.
579 When running Emacs on a TTY terminal, "frame" means the terminal's
580 screen. When running Emacs under X, you can have multiple frames,
581 each corresponding to a top-level X window and each looking like
582 the screen on a TTY. Each frame contains one or more
583 non-overlapping Emacs windows (possibly with associated
584 scrollbars, under X), an echo area, and (under X) possibly a
588 Global means `independent of the current environment; in effect
589 throughout Emacs'. It is the opposite of local (q.v.). Examples
590 of the use of `global' appear below.
593 A global definition of an abbrev (q.v.) is effective in all major
594 modes that do not have local (q.v.) definitions for the same
595 abbrev. *Note Abbrevs::.
598 The global keymap (q.v.) contains key bindings that are in effect
599 unless local key bindings in a major mode's local keymap (q.v.)
600 override them.*Note Keymaps::.
603 Global substitution means replacing each occurrence of one string
604 by another string through a large amount of text. *Note Replace::.
607 The global value of a variable (q.v.) takes effect in all buffers
608 that do not have their own local (q.v.) values for the variable.
612 Graphic characters are those assigned pictorial images rather than
613 just names. All the non-Meta (q.v.) characters except for the
614 Control (q.v.) character are graphic characters. These include
615 letters, digits, punctuation, and spaces; they do not include
616 <RET> or <ESC>. In Emacs, typing a graphic character inserts that
617 character (in ordinary editing modes). *Note Basic Editing: Basic.
620 Grinding means adjusting the indentation in a program to fit the
621 nesting structure. *Note Grinding: Indentation.
624 Hardcopy means printed output. Emacs has commands for making
625 printed listings of text in Emacs buffers. *Note Hardcopy::.
628 You can type <HELP> at any time to ask what options you have, or
629 to ask what any command does. <HELP> is really `Control-h'.
633 An inbox is a file in which mail is delivered by the operating
634 system. Some mail handlers transfers mail from inboxes to mail
635 files (q.v.) in which the mail is then stored permanently or until
639 Indentation means blank space at the beginning of a line. Most
640 programming languages have conventions for using indentation to
641 illuminate the structure of the program, and Emacs has special
642 features to help you set up the correct indentation. *Note
646 Insertion means copying text into the buffer, either from the
647 keyboard or from some other place in Emacs.
650 Justification means adding extra spaces to lines of text to make
651 them come exactly to a specified width. *Note Justification:
655 Keyboard macros are a way of defining new Emacs commands from
656 sequences of existing ones, with no need to write a Lisp program.
657 *Note Keyboard Macros::.
660 A key is a sequence of characters that, when input to Emacs,
661 specify or begin to specify a single action for Emacs to perform.
662 That is, the sequence is considered a single unit. If the key is
663 enough to specify one action, it is a complete key (q.v.); if it
664 is less than enough, it is a prefix key (q.v.). *Note
668 The keymap is the data structure that records the bindings (q.v.)
669 of keys to the commands that they run. For example, the keymap
670 binds the character `C-n' to the command function `next-line'.
674 The kill ring is the place where all text you have killed recently
675 is saved. You can re-insert any of the killed text still in the
676 ring; this is called yanking (q.v.). *Note Yanking::.
679 Killing means erasing text and saving it on the kill ring so it
680 can be yanked (q.v.) later. Some other systems call this
681 "cutting." Most Emacs commands to erase text do killing, as
682 opposed to deletion (q.v.). *Note Killing::.
685 Killing a job (such as, an invocation of Emacs) means making it
686 cease to exist. Any data within it, if not saved in a file, is
687 lost. *Note Exiting::.
690 A list is, approximately, a text string beginning with an open
691 parenthesis and ending with the matching close parenthesis. In C
692 mode and other non-Lisp modes, groupings surrounded by other kinds
693 of matched delimiters appropriate to the language, such as braces,
694 are also considered lists. Emacs has special commands for many
695 operations on lists. *Note Lists::.
698 Local means `in effect only in a particular context'; the relevant
699 kind of context is a particular function execution, a particular
700 buffer, or a particular major mode. Local is the opposite of
701 `global' (q.v.). Specific uses of `local' in Emacs terminology
705 A local abbrev definition is effective only if a particular major
706 mode is selected. In that major mode, it overrides any global
707 definition for the same abbrev. *Note Abbrevs::.
710 A local keymap is used in a particular major mode; the key bindings
711 (q.v.) in the current local keymap override global bindings of the
712 same keys. *Note Keymaps::.
715 A local value of a variable (q.v.) applies to only one buffer.
719 `M-' in the name of a character is an abbreviation for <META>, one
720 of the modifier keys that can accompany any character. *Note
724 `M-C-' in the name of a character is an abbreviation for
725 Control-Meta; it means the same thing as `C-M-'. If your terminal
726 lacks a real <META> key, you type a Control-Meta character by
727 typing <ESC> and then typing the corresponding Control character.
728 *Note C-M-: Keystrokes.
731 `M-x' is the key which is used to call an Emacs command by name.
732 You use it to call commands that are not bound to keys. *Note
736 Mail means messages sent from one user to another through the
737 computer system, to be read at the recipient's convenience. Emacs
738 has commands for composing and sending mail, and for reading and
739 editing the mail you have received. *Note Sending Mail::.
742 The major modes are a mutually exclusive set of options each of
743 which configures Emacs for editing a certain sort of text.
744 Ideally, each programming language has its own major mode. *Note
748 The mark points to a position in the text. It specifies one end
749 of the region (q.v.), point being the other end. Many commands
750 operate on the whole region, that is, all the text from point to
751 the mark. *Note Mark::.
754 The mark ring is used to hold several recent previous locations of
755 the mark, just in case you want to move back to them. *Note Mark
762 Meta is the name of a modifier bit which a command character may
763 have. It is present in a character if the character is typed with
764 the <META> key held down. Such characters are given names that
765 start with `Meta-'. For example, `Meta-<' is typed by holding down
766 <META> and at the same time typing `<' (which itself is done, on
767 most terminals, by holding down <SHIFT> and typing `,'). *Note
771 A Meta character is one whose character code includes the Meta bit.
774 The minibuffer is the window that Emacs displays inside the echo
775 area (q.v.) when it prompts you for arguments to commands. *Note
779 A minor mode is an optional feature of Emacs which can be switched
780 on or off independent of the major mode. Each minor mode has a
781 command to turn it on or off. *Note Minor Modes::.
784 The mode line is the line at the bottom of each text window (q.v.),
785 which gives status information on the buffer displayed in that
786 window. *Note Mode Line::.
789 A buffer (q.v.) is modified if its text has been changed since the
790 last time the buffer was saved (or since it was created, if it has
791 never been saved). *Note Saving::.
794 Moving text means erasing it from one place and inserting it in
795 another. This is done by killing (q.v.) and then yanking (q.v.).
799 A named mark is a register (q.v.) in its role of recording a
800 location in text so that you can move point to that location.
804 Narrowing means creating a restriction (q.v.) that limits editing
805 in the current buffer to only a part of the text in the buffer.
806 Text outside that part is inaccessible to the user until the
807 boundaries are widened again, but it is still there, and saving
808 the file saves the invisible text. *Note Narrowing::.
811 <LFD> characters in the buffer terminate lines of text and are
812 called newlines. *Note Newline: Keystrokes.
815 A numeric argument is a number, specified before a command, to
816 change the effect of the command. Often the numeric argument
817 serves as a repeat count. *Note Arguments::.
820 An option is a variable (q.v.) that allows you to customize Emacs
821 by giving it a new value. *Note Variables::.
824 Overwrite mode is a minor mode. When it is enabled, ordinary text
825 characters replace the existing text after point rather than
826 pushing it to the right. *Note Minor Modes::.
829 A page is a unit of text, delimited by formfeed characters (ASCII
830 Control-L, code 014) coming at the beginning of a line. Some Emacs
831 commands are provided for moving over and operating on pages.
835 Paragraphs are the medium-size unit of English text. There are
836 special Emacs commands for moving over and operating on paragraphs.
840 We say that Emacs parses words or expressions in the text being
841 edited. Really, all it knows how to do is find the other end of a
842 word or expression. *Note Syntax::.
845 Point is the place in the buffer at which insertion and deletion
846 occur. Point is considered to be between two characters, not at
847 one character. The terminal's cursor (q.v.) indicates the
848 location of point. *Note Point: Basic.
851 A prefix key is a key (q.v.) whose sole function is to introduce a
852 set of multi-character keys. `Control-x' is an example of a prefix
853 key; any two-character sequence starting with `C-x' is also a
854 legitimate key. *Note Keystrokes::.
857 A prompt is text printed to ask the user for input. Printing a
858 prompt is called prompting. Emacs prompts always appear in the
859 echo area (q.v.). One kind of prompting happens when the
860 minibuffer is used to read an argument (*note Minibuffer::.); the
861 echoing which happens when you pause in the middle of typing a
862 multi-character key is also a kind of prompting (*note Echo
866 Quitting means cancelling a partially typed command or a running
867 command, using `C-g'. *Note Quitting::.
870 Quoting means depriving a character of its usual special
871 significance. In Emacs this is usually done with `Control-q'.
872 What constitutes special significance depends on the context and
873 on convention. For example, an "ordinary" character as an Emacs
874 command inserts itself; so in this context, a special character is
875 any character that does not normally insert itself (such as <DEL>,
876 for example), and quoting it makes it insert itself as if it were
877 not special. Not all contexts allow quoting. *Note Quoting:
881 A read-only buffer is one whose text you are not allowed to change.
882 Normally Emacs makes buffers read-only when they contain text which
883 has a special significance to Emacs, such asDired buffers.
884 Visiting a file that is write-protected also makes a read-only
885 buffer. *Note Buffers::.
887 Recursive Editing Level
888 A recursive editing level is a state in which part of the
889 execution of a command involves asking the user to edit some text.
890 This text may or may not be the same as the text to which the
891 command was applied. The mode line indicates recursive editing
892 levels with square brackets (`[' and `]'). *Note Recursive Edit::.
895 Redisplay is the process of correcting the image on the screen to
896 correspond to changes that have been made in the text being edited.
897 *Note Redisplay: Frame.
900 See `regular expression'.
903 The region is the text between point (q.v.) and the mark (q.v.).
904 Many commands operate on the text of the region. *Note Region:
908 Registers are named slots in which text or buffer positions or
909 rectangles can be saved for later use. *Note Registers::.
912 A regular expression is a pattern that can match various text
913 strings; for example, `l[0-9]+' matches `l' followed by one or more
914 digits. *Note Regexps::.
917 See `global substitution'.
920 A buffer's restriction is the amount of text, at the beginning or
921 the end of the buffer, that is temporarily invisible and
922 inaccessible. Giving a buffer a nonzero amount of restriction is
923 called narrowing (q.v.). *Note Narrowing::.
926 <RET> is the character than runs the command to insert a newline
927 into the text. It is also used to terminate most arguments read
928 in the minibuffer (q.v.). *Note Return: Keystrokes.
931 Saving a buffer means copying its text into the file that was
932 visited (q.v.) in that buffer. To actually change a file you have
933 edited in Emacs, you have to save it. *Note Saving::.
936 Scrolling means shifting the text in the Emacs window to make a
937 different part ot the buffer visible. *Note Scrolling: Display.
940 Searching means moving point to the next occurrence of a specified
941 string. *Note Search::.
944 Selecting a buffer means making it the current (q.v.) buffer.
945 *Note Selecting: Buffers.
948 Self-documentation is the feature of Emacs which can tell you what
949 any command does, or can give you a list of all commands related
950 to a topic you specify. You ask for self-documentation with the
951 help character, `C-h'. *Note Help::.
954 Emacs has commands for moving by or killing by sentences. *Note
958 An sexp (short for `s-expression,' itself short for `symbolic
959 expression') is the basic syntactic unit of Lisp in its textual
960 form: either a list, or Lisp atom. Many Emacs commands operate on
961 sexps. The term `sexp' is generalized to languages other than
962 Lisp to mean a syntactically recognizable expression. *Note
966 Simultaneous editing means two users modifying the same file at
967 once. If simultaneous editing is not detected, you may lose your
968 work. Emacs detects all cases of simultaneous editing and warns
969 the user to investigate them. *Note Simultaneous Editing:
973 A string is a kind of Lisp data object which contains a sequence of
974 characters. Many Emacs variables are intended to have strings as
975 values. The Lisp syntax for a string consists of the characters in
976 the string with a `"' before and another `"' after. Write a `"'
977 that is part of the string as `\"' and a `\' that is part of the
978 string as `\\'. You can include all other characters, including
979 newline, just by writing them inside the string. You can also
980 include escape sequences as in C, such as `\n' for newline or
981 `\241' using an octal character code.
984 See `global substitution'.
987 The syntax table tells Emacs which characters are part of a word,
988 which characters balance each other like parentheses, etc. *Note
992 A tag table is a file that serves as an index to the function
993 definitions in one or more other files. *Note Tags::.
996 A termscript file contains a record of all characters Emacs sent to
997 the terminal. It is used for tracking down bugs in Emacs
998 redisplay. Emacs does not make a termscript file unless
999 explicitly instructed to do so. *Note Bugs::.
1002 Text has two meanings (*note Text::.):
1004 * Data consisting of a sequence of characters, as opposed to
1005 binary numbers, images, graphics commands, executable
1006 programs, and the like. The contents of an Emacs buffer are
1007 always text in this sense.
1009 * Data consisting of written human language, as opposed to
1010 programs, or something that follows the stylistic conventions
1014 Top level is the normal state of Emacs, in which you are editing
1015 the text of the file you have visited. You are at top level
1016 whenever you are not in a recursive editing level (q.v.) or the
1017 minibuffer (q.v.), and not in the middle of a command. You can
1018 get back to top level by aborting (q.v.) and quitting (q.v.).
1022 Transposing two units of text means putting each one into the place
1023 formerly occupied by the other. There are Emacs commands to
1024 transpose two adjacent characters, words, sexps (q.v.), or lines
1025 (*note Transpose::.).
1028 Truncating text lines in the display means leaving out any text on
1029 a line that does not fit within the right margin of the window
1030 displaying it. See also `continuation line'. *Note Truncation:
1034 Undoing means making your previous editing go in reverse, bringing
1035 back the text that existed earlier in the editing session. *Note
1039 A variable is Lisp object that can store an arbitrary value.
1040 Emacs uses some variables for internal purposes, and has others
1041 (known as `options' (q.v.)) you can set to control the behavior of
1042 Emacs. The variables used in Emacs that you are likely to be
1043 interested in are listed in the Variables Index of this manual.
1044 *Note Variables::, for information on variables.
1047 Visiting a file means loading its contents into a buffer (q.v.)
1048 where they can be edited. *Note Visiting::.
1051 Whitespace is any run of consecutive formatting characters (spaces,
1052 tabs, newlines, and backspaces).
1055 Widening is removing any restriction (q.v.) on the current buffer;
1056 it is the opposite of narrowing (q.v.). *Note Narrowing::.
1059 Emacs divides the frame into one or more windows, each of which can
1060 display the contents of one buffer (q.v.) at any time. *Note
1061 Frame::, for basic information on how Emacs uses the frame. *Note
1062 Windows::, for commands to control the use of windows. Note that if
1063 you are running Emacs under X, terminology can be confusing: Each
1064 Emacs frame occupies a separate X window and can, in turn, be
1065 divided into different subwindows.
1068 Synonymous with `abbrev'.
1071 Word search is searching for a sequence of words, considering the
1072 punctuation between them as insignificant. *Note Word Search::.
1075 Yanking means reinserting text previously killed. It can be used
1076 to undo a mistaken kill, or for copying or moving text. Some other
1077 systems call this "pasting". *Note Yanking::.
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