-\1f
-File: xemacs.info, Node: Expanding Abbrevs, Next: Editing Abbrevs, Prev: Defining Abbrevs, Up: Abbrevs
-
-Controlling Abbrev Expansion
-============================
-
- An abbrev expands whenever it is in a buffer just before point and
-you type a self-inserting punctuation character (<SPC>, comma, etc.).
-Most often an abbrev is used by inserting the abbrev followed by
-punctuation.
-
- Abbrev expansion preserves case; thus, `foo' expands into `find
-outer otter', `Foo' into `Find outer otter', and `FOO' into `FIND OUTER
-OTTER' or `Find Outer Otter' according to the variable
-`abbrev-all-caps' (a non-`nil' value chooses the first of the two
-expansions).
-
- Two commands are available to control abbrev expansion:
-
-`M-''
- Separate a prefix from a following abbrev to be expanded
- (`abbrev-prefix-mark').
-
-`C-x a e'
- Expand the abbrev before point (`expand-abbrev'). This is
- effective even when Abbrev mode is not enabled.
-
-`M-x unexpand-abbrev'
- Undo last abbrev expansion.
-
-`M-x expand-region-abbrevs'
- Expand some or all abbrevs found in the region.
-
- You may wish to expand an abbrev with a prefix attached. For
-example, if `cnst' expands into `construction', you may want to use it
-to enter `reconstruction'. It does not work to type `recnst', because
-that is not necessarily a defined abbrev. Instead, you can use the
-command `M-'' (`abbrev-prefix-mark') between the prefix `re' and the
-abbrev `cnst'. First, insert `re'. Then type `M-''; this inserts a
-minus sign in the buffer to indicate that it has done its work. Then
-insert the abbrev `cnst'. The buffer now contains `re-cnst'. Now
-insert a punctuation character to expand the abbrev `cnst' into
-`construction'. The minus sign is deleted at this point by `M-''. The
-resulting text is the desired `reconstruction'.
-
- If you actually want the text of the abbrev in the buffer, rather
-than its expansion, insert the following punctuation with `C-q'. Thus,
-`foo C-q -' leaves `foo-' in the buffer.
-
- If you expand an abbrev by mistake, you can undo the expansion
-(replace the expansion by the original abbrev text) with `M-x
-unexpand-abbrev'. You can also use `C-_' (`undo') to undo the
-expansion; but that will first undo the insertion of the punctuation
-character.
-
- `M-x expand-region-abbrevs' searches through the region for defined
-abbrevs, and offers to replace each one it finds with its expansion.
-This command is useful if you have typed text using abbrevs but forgot
-to turn on Abbrev mode first. It may also be useful together with a
-special set of abbrev definitions for making several global
-replacements at once. The command is effective even if Abbrev mode is
-not enabled.
-
-\1f
-File: xemacs.info, Node: Editing Abbrevs, Next: Saving Abbrevs, Prev: Expanding Abbrevs, Up: Abbrevs
-
-Examining and Editing Abbrevs
-=============================
-
-`M-x list-abbrevs'
- Print a list of all abbrev definitions.
-
-`M-x edit-abbrevs'
- Edit a list of abbrevs; you can add, alter, or remove definitions.
-
- The output from `M-x list-abbrevs' looks like this:
-
- (lisp-mode-abbrev-table)
- "dk" 0 "define-key"
- (global-abbrev-table)
- "dfn" 0 "definition"
-
-(Some blank lines of no semantic significance, and some other abbrev
-tables, have been omitted.)
-
- A line containing a name in parentheses is the header for abbrevs in
-a particular abbrev table; `global-abbrev-table' contains all the global
-abbrevs, and the other abbrev tables that are named after major modes
-contain the mode-specific abbrevs.
-
- Within each abbrev table, each non-blank line defines one abbrev.
-The word at the beginning is the abbrev. The number that appears is
-the number of times the abbrev has been expanded. Emacs keeps track of
-this to help you see which abbrevs you actually use, in case you want
-to eliminate those that you don't use often. The string at the end of
-the line is the expansion.
-
- `M-x edit-abbrevs' allows you to add, change or kill abbrev
-definitions by editing a list of them in an Emacs buffer. The list has
-the format described above. The buffer of abbrevs is called
-`*Abbrevs*', and is in Edit-Abbrevs mode. This mode redefines the key
-`C-c C-c' to install the abbrev definitions as specified in the buffer.
-The `edit-abbrevs-redefine' command does this. Any abbrevs not
-described in the buffer are eliminated when this is done.
-
- `edit-abbrevs' is actually the same as `list-abbrevs', except that
-it selects the buffer `*Abbrevs*' whereas `list-abbrevs' merely
-displays it in another window.
-
-\1f
-File: xemacs.info, Node: Saving Abbrevs, Next: Dynamic Abbrevs, Prev: Editing Abbrevs, Up: Abbrevs
-
-Saving Abbrevs
-==============
-
- These commands allow you to keep abbrev definitions between editing
-sessions.
-
-`M-x write-abbrev-file'
- Write a file describing all defined abbrevs.
-
-`M-x read-abbrev-file'
- Read such an abbrev file and define abbrevs as specified there.
-
-`M-x quietly-read-abbrev-file'
- Similar, but do not display a message about what is going on.
-
-`M-x define-abbrevs'
- Define abbrevs from buffer.
-
-`M-x insert-abbrevs'
- Insert all abbrevs and their expansions into the buffer.
-
- Use `M-x write-abbrev-file' to save abbrev definitions for use in a
-later session. The command reads a file name using the minibuffer and
-writes a description of all current abbrev definitions into the
-specified file. The text stored in the file looks like the output of
-`M-x list-abbrevs'.
-
- `M-x read-abbrev-file' prompts for a file name using the minibuffer
-and reads the specified file, defining abbrevs according to its
-contents. `M-x quietly-read-abbrev-file' is the same but does not
-display a message in the echo area; it is actually useful primarily in
-the `.emacs' file. If you give an empty argument to either of these
-functions, the file name Emacs uses is the value of the variable
-`abbrev-file-name', which is by default `"~/.abbrev_defs"'.
-
- Emacs offers to save abbrevs automatically if you have changed any of
-them, whenever it offers to save all files (for `C-x s' or `C-x C-c').
-Set the variable `save-abbrevs' to `nil' to inhibit this feature.
-
- The commands `M-x insert-abbrevs' and `M-x define-abbrevs' are
-similar to the previous commands but work on text in an Emacs buffer.
-`M-x insert-abbrevs' inserts text into the current buffer before point,
-describing all current abbrev definitions; `M-x define-abbrevs' parses
-the entire current buffer and defines abbrevs accordingly.
-
-\1f
-File: xemacs.info, Node: Dynamic Abbrevs, Prev: Saving Abbrevs, Up: Abbrevs
-
-Dynamic Abbrev Expansion
-========================
-
- The abbrev facility described above operates automatically as you
-insert text, but all abbrevs must be defined explicitly. By contrast,
-"dynamic abbrevs" allow the meanings of abbrevs to be determined
-automatically from the contents of the buffer, but dynamic abbrev
-expansion happens only when you request it explicitly.
-
-`M-/'
- Expand the word in the buffer before point as a "dynamic abbrev",
- by searching in the buffer for words starting with that
- abbreviation (`dabbrev-expand').
-
- For example, if the buffer contains `does this follow ' and you type
-`f o M-/', the effect is to insert `follow' because that is the last
-word in the buffer that starts with `fo'. A numeric argument to `M-/'
-says to take the second, third, etc. distinct expansion found looking
-backward from point. Repeating `M-/' searches for an alternative
-expansion by looking farther back. After the entire buffer before
-point has been considered, the buffer after point is searched.
-
- Dynamic abbrev expansion is completely independent of Abbrev mode;
-the expansion of a word with `M-/' is completely independent of whether
-it has a definition as an ordinary abbrev.
-
-\1f
-File: xemacs.info, Node: Picture, Next: Sending Mail, Prev: Abbrevs, Up: Top
-
-Editing Pictures
-****************
-
- If you want to create a picture made out of text characters (for
-example, a picture of the division of a register into fields, as a
-comment in a program), use the command `edit-picture' to enter Picture
-mode.
-
- In Picture mode, editing is based on the "quarter-plane" model of
-text. In this model, the text characters lie studded on an area that
-stretches infinitely far to the right and downward. The concept of the
-end of a line does not exist in this model; the most you can say is
-where the last non-blank character on the line is found.
-
- Of course, Emacs really always considers text as a sequence of
-characters, and lines really do have ends. But in Picture mode most
-frequently-used keys are rebound to commands that simulate the
-quarter-plane model of text. They do this by inserting spaces or by
-converting tabs to spaces.
-
- Most of the basic editing commands of Emacs are redefined by Picture
-mode to do essentially the same thing but in a quarter-plane way. In
-addition, Picture mode defines various keys starting with the `C-c'
-prefix to run special picture editing commands.
-
- One of these keys, `C-c C-c', is pretty important. Often a picture
-is part of a larger file that is usually edited in some other major
-mode. `M-x edit-picture' records the name of the previous major mode.
-You can then use the `C-c C-c' command (`picture-mode-exit') to restore
-that mode. `C-c C-c' also deletes spaces from the ends of lines,
-unless you give it a numeric argument.
-
- The commands used in Picture mode all work in other modes (provided
-the `picture' library is loaded), but are only bound to keys in
-Picture mode. Note that the descriptions below talk of moving "one
-column" and so on, but all the picture mode commands handle numeric
-arguments as their normal equivalents do.
-
- Turning on Picture mode calls the value of the variable
-`picture-mode-hook' as a function, with no arguments, if that value
-exists and is non-`nil'.
-
-* Menu:
-
-* Basic Picture:: Basic concepts and simple commands of Picture Mode.
-* Insert in Picture:: Controlling direction of cursor motion
- after "self-inserting" characters.
-* Tabs in Picture:: Various features for tab stops and indentation.
-* Rectangles in Picture:: Clearing and superimposing rectangles.
-