XEmacs 21.4.15

[chise/xemacs-chise.git.1] / info / xemacs.info-2

This is ../info/xemacs.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.6 from
xemacs/xemacs.texi.

INFO-DIR-SECTION XEmacs Editor
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* XEmacs: (xemacs).             XEmacs Editor.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY

   This file documents the XEmacs editor.

   Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1988 Richard M. Stallman.  Copyright (C)
1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Lucid, Inc.  Copyright (C) 1993, 1994 Sun
Microsystems, Inc.  Copyright (C) 1995 Amdahl Corporation.

   Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
preserved on all copies.

   Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also
that the sections entitled "The GNU Manifesto", "Distribution" and "GNU
General Public License" are included exactly as in the original, and
provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the
terms of a permission notice identical to this one.

   Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
versions, except that the sections entitled "The GNU Manifesto",
"Distribution" and "GNU General Public License" may be included in a
translation approved by the author instead of in the original English.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Replacement and Case,  Next: Query Replace,  Prev: Regexp Replace,  Up: Replace

Replace Commands and Case
-------------------------

If the arguments to a replace command are in lower case, the command
preserves case when it makes a replacement.  Thus, the following
command:

     M-x replace-string <RET> foo <RET> bar <RET>

replaces a lower-case `foo' with a lower case `bar', `FOO' with `BAR',
and `Foo' with `Bar'.  If upper-case letters are used in the second
argument, they remain upper-case every time that argument is inserted.
If upper-case letters are used in the first argument, the second
argument is always substituted exactly as given, with no case
conversion.  Likewise, if the variable `case-replace' is set to `nil',
replacement is done without case conversion.  If `case-fold-search' is
set to `nil', case is significant in matching occurrences of `foo' to
replace; also, case conversion of the replacement string is not done.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Query Replace,  Prev: Replacement and Case,  Up: Replace

Query Replace
-------------

`M-% STRING <RET> NEWSTRING <RET>'
`M-x query-replace <RET> STRING <RET> NEWSTRING <RET>'
     Replace some occurrences of STRING with NEWSTRING.

`M-x query-replace-regexp <RET> REGEXP <RET> NEWSTRING <RET>'
     Replace some matches for REGEXP with NEWSTRING.

   If you want to change only some of the occurrences of `foo' to
`bar', not all of them, you can use `query-replace' instead of `M-%'.
This command finds occurrences of `foo' one by one, displays each
occurrence, and asks you whether to replace it.  A numeric argument to
`query-replace' tells it to consider only occurrences that are bounded
by word-delimiter characters.

   Aside from querying, `query-replace' works just like
`replace-string', and `query-replace-regexp' works just like
`replace-regexp'.

   The things you can type when you are shown an occurrence of STRING
or a match for REGEXP are:

`<SPC>'
     to replace the occurrence with NEWSTRING.  This preserves case,
     just like `replace-string', provided `case-replace' is non-`nil',
     as it normally is.

`<DEL>'
     to skip to the next occurrence without replacing this one.

`, (Comma)'
     to replace this occurrence and display the result.  You are then
     prompted for another input character.  However, since the
     replacement has already been made, <DEL> and <SPC> are equivalent.
     At this point, you can type `C-r' (see below) to alter the
     replaced text.  To undo the replacement, you can type `C-x u'.
     This exits the `query-replace'.  If you want to do further
     replacement you must use `C-x <ESC> <ESC>' to restart (*note
     Repetition::).

`<ESC>'
     to exit without doing any more replacements.

`. (Period)'
     to replace this occurrence and then exit.

`!'
     to replace all remaining occurrences without asking again.

`^'
     to go back to the location of the previous occurrence (or what
     used to be an occurrence), in case you changed it by mistake.
     This works by popping the mark ring.  Only one `^' in a row is
     allowed, because only one previous replacement location is kept
     during `query-replace'.

`C-r'
     to enter a recursive editing level, in case the occurrence needs
     to be edited rather than just replaced with NEWSTRING.  When you
     are done, exit the recursive editing level with `C-M-c' and the
     next occurrence will be displayed.  *Note Recursive Edit::.

`C-w'
     to delete the occurrence, and then enter a recursive editing level
     as in `C-r'.  Use the recursive edit to insert text to replace the
     deleted occurrence of STRING.  When done, exit the recursive
     editing level with `C-M-c' and the next occurrence will be
     displayed.

`C-l'
     to redisplay the screen and then give another answer.

`C-h'
     to display a message summarizing these options, then give another
     answer.

   If you type any other character, Emacs exits the `query-replace', and
executes the character as a command.  To restart the `query-replace',
use `C-x <ESC> <ESC>', which repeats the `query-replace' because it
used the minibuffer to read its arguments.  *Note C-x ESC ESC:
Repetition.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Other Repeating Search,  Prev: Replace,  Up: Search

Other Search-and-Loop Commands
==============================

Here are some other commands that find matches for a regular expression.
They all operate from point to the end of the buffer.

`M-x occur'
     Print each line that follows point and contains a match for the
     specified regexp.  A numeric argument specifies the number of
     context lines to print before and after each matching line; the
     default is none.

     The buffer `*Occur*' containing the output serves as a menu for
     finding occurrences in their original context.  Find an occurrence
     as listed in `*Occur*', position point there, and type `C-c C-c';
     this switches to the buffer that was searched and moves point to
     the original of the same occurrence.

`M-x list-matching-lines'
     Synonym for `M-x occur'.

`M-x count-matches'
     Print the number of matches following point for the specified
     regexp.

`M-x delete-non-matching-lines'
     Delete each line that follows point and does not contain a match
     for the specified regexp.

`M-x delete-matching-lines'
     Delete each line that follows point and contains a match for the
     specified regexp.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Fixit,  Next: Files,  Prev: Search,  Up: Top

Commands for Fixing Typos
*************************

This chapter describes commands that are especially useful when you
catch a mistake in your text just after you have made it, or when you
change your mind while composing text on line.

* Menu:

* Kill Errors:: Commands to kill a batch of recently entered text.
* Transpose::   Exchanging two characters, words, lines, lists...
* Fixing Case:: Correcting case of last word entered.
* Spelling::    Apply spelling checker to a word, or a whole file.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Kill Errors,  Next: Transpose,  Prev: Fixit,  Up: Fixit

Killing Your Mistakes
=====================

`<DEL>'
     Delete last character (`delete-backward-char').

`M-<DEL>'
     Kill last word (`backward-kill-word').

`C-x <DEL>'
     Kill to beginning of sentence (`backward-kill-sentence').

   The <DEL> character (`delete-backward-char') is the most important
correction command.  When used among graphic (self-inserting)
characters, it can be thought of as canceling the last character typed.

   When your mistake is longer than a couple of characters, it might be
more convenient to use `M-<DEL>' or `C-x <DEL>'.  `M-<DEL>' kills back
to the start of the last word, and `C-x <DEL>' kills back to the start
of the last sentence.  `C-x <DEL>' is particularly useful when you are
thinking of what to write as you type it, in case you change your mind
about phrasing.  `M-<DEL>' and `C-x <DEL>' save the killed text for
`C-y' and `M-y' to retrieve.  *Note Yanking::.

   `M-<DEL>' is often useful even when you have typed only a few
characters wrong, if you know you are confused in your typing and aren't
sure exactly what you typed.  At such a time, you cannot correct with
<DEL> except by looking at the screen to see what you did.  It requires
less thought to kill the whole word and start over.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Transpose,  Next: Fixing Case,  Prev: Kill Errors,  Up: Fixit

Transposing Text
================

`C-t'
     Transpose two characters (`transpose-chars').

`M-t'
     Transpose two words (`transpose-words').

`C-M-t'
     Transpose two balanced expressions (`transpose-sexps').

`C-x C-t'
     Transpose two lines (`transpose-lines').

   The common error of transposing two adjacent characters can be fixed
with the `C-t' command (`transpose-chars').  Normally, `C-t' transposes
the two characters on either side of point.  When given at the end of a
line, `C-t' transposes the last two characters on the line, rather than
transposing the last character of the line with the newline, which
would be useless.  If you catch a transposition error right away, you
can fix it with just `C-t'.  If you catch the error later,  move the
cursor back to between the two transposed characters.  If you
transposed a space with the last character of the word before it, the
word motion commands are a good way of getting there.  Otherwise, a
reverse search (`C-r') is often the best way.  *Note Search::.

   `Meta-t' (`transpose-words') transposes the word before point with
the word after point.  It moves point forward over a word, dragging the
word preceding or containing point forward as well.  The punctuation
characters between the words do not move.  For example, `FOO, BAR'
transposes into `BAR, FOO' rather than `BAR FOO,'.

   `C-M-t' (`transpose-sexps') is a similar command for transposing two
expressions (*note Lists::), and `C-x C-t' (`transpose-lines')
exchanges lines.  It works like `M-t' but in determines the division of
the text into syntactic units differently.

   A numeric argument to a transpose command serves as a repeat count:
it tells the transpose command to move the character (word, sexp, line)
before or containing point across several other characters (words,
sexps, lines).  For example, `C-u 3 C-t' moves the character before
point forward across three other characters.  This is equivalent to
repeating `C-t' three times.  `C-u - 4 M-t' moves the word before point
backward across four words.  `C-u - C-M-t' would cancel the effect of
plain `C-M-t'.

   A numeric argument of zero transposes the character (word, sexp,
line) ending after point with the one ending after the mark (otherwise a
command with a repeat count of zero would do nothing).

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Fixing Case,  Next: Spelling,  Prev: Transpose,  Up: Fixit

Case Conversion
===============

`M-- M-l'
     Convert last word to lower case.  Note that `Meta--' is
     "Meta-minus."

`M-- M-u'
     Convert last word to all upper case.

`M-- M-c'
     Convert last word to lower case with capital initial.

   A  common error is to type words in the wrong case.  Because of this,
the word case-conversion commands `M-l', `M-u', and `M-c' do not move
the cursor when used with a negative argument.  As soon as you see you
have mistyped the last word, you can simply case-convert it and
continue typing.  *Note Case::.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Spelling,  Prev: Fixing Case,  Up: Fixit

Checking and Correcting Spelling
================================

`M-$'
     Check and correct spelling of word (`spell-word').

`M-x spell-buffer'
     Check and correct spelling of each word in the buffer.

`M-x spell-region'
     Check and correct spelling of each word in the region.

`M-x spell-string'
     Check spelling of specified word.

   To check the spelling of the word before point, and optionally
correct it, use the command `M-$' (`spell-word').  This command runs an
inferior process containing the `spell' program to see whether the word
is correct English.  If it is not, it asks you to edit the word (in the
minibuffer) into a corrected spelling, and then performs a
`query-replace' to substitute the corrected spelling for the old one
throughout the buffer.

   If you exit the minibuffer without altering the original spelling, it
means you do not want to do anything to that word.  In that case, the
`query-replace' is not done.

   `M-x spell-buffer' checks each word in the buffer the same way that
`spell-word' does, doing a `query-replace' for every incorrect word if
appropriate.

   `M-x spell-region' is similar to `spell-buffer' but operates only on
the region, not the entire buffer.

   `M-x spell-string' reads a string as an argument and checks whether
that is a correctly spelled English word.  It prints a message giving
the answer in the echo area.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Files,  Next: Buffers,  Prev: Fixit,  Up: Top

File Handling
*************

The basic unit of stored data in Unix is the "file".  To edit a file,
you must tell Emacs to examine the file and prepare a buffer containing
a copy of the file's text.  This is called "visiting" the file.  Editing
commands apply directly to text in the buffer; that is, to the copy
inside Emacs.  Your changes appear in the file itself only when you
"save" the buffer back into the file.

   Emacs is also able to handle "remote files" which are stored on
other hosts.  Not only is Emacs somewhat aware of the special issues
involved with network file systems, but it can also use FTP and ssh (or
rsh) to make local copies of the files, and refresh them on the remote
host automatically when you save the buffer.  The FTP interface is
provided by the standard `efs' package *Note EFS: (efs)Top.  The
ssh/rsh interface is provided by the optional `tramp' package *Note
TRAMP: (tramp)Top.  These packages attempt to implement all of the
operations described below, making remote file use transparent (except
for unavoidable network delays).

   In addition to visiting and saving files, Emacs can delete, copy,
rename, and append to files, and operate on file directories.

* Menu:

* File Names::       How to type and edit file name arguments.
* Visiting::         Visiting a file prepares Emacs to edit the file.
* Saving::           Saving makes your changes permanent.
* Reverting::        Reverting cancels all the changes not saved.
* Auto Save::        Auto Save periodically protects against loss of data.
* Version Control::  Version control systems (RCS and SCCS).
* ListDir::          Listing the contents of a file directory.
* Comparing Files::  Finding where two files differ.
* Dired::            ``Editing'' a directory to delete, rename, etc.
                     the files in it.
* Misc File Ops::    Other things you can do on files.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: File Names,  Next: Visiting,  Prev: Files,  Up: Files

File Names
==========

Most Emacs commands that operate on a file require you to specify the
file name.  (Saving and reverting are exceptions; the buffer knows which
file name to use for them.)  File names are specified in the minibuffer
(*note Minibuffer::).  "Completion" is available, to make it easier to
specify long file names.  *Note Completion::.

   There is always a "default file name" which is used if you enter an
empty argument by typing just <RET>.  Normally the default file name is
the name of the file visited in the current buffer; this makes it easy
to operate on that file with any of the Emacs file commands.

   The syntax for accessing remote files unfortunately varies depending
on the method used.  The syntax for using FTP is
`/USER@REMOTE-HOST:PATH-ON-REMOTE-HOST'.  The syntax for using ssh is
`/[USER@REMOTE-HOST]PATH-ON-REMOTE-HOST'.

   In both cases the `USER@' portion is optional (it defaults to your
local user name).  PATH-ON-REMOTE-HOST may use the `~' notation to
indicate USER's home directory on the remote host.  The default file
name will reflect the remote host information.

   Each buffer has a default directory, normally the same as the
directory of the file visited in that buffer.  When Emacs reads a file
name, the default directory is used if you do not specify a directory.
If you specify a directory in a relative fashion, with a name that does
not start with a slash, it is interpreted with respect to the default
directory.  The default directory of the current buffer is kept in the
variable `default-directory', which has a separate value in every
buffer.  The value of the variable should end with a slash.

   For example, if the default file name is `/u/rms/gnu/gnu.tasks' then
the default directory is `/u/rms/gnu/'.  If you type just `foo', which
does not specify a directory, it is short for `/u/rms/gnu/foo'.
`../.login' would stand for `/u/rms/.login'.  `new/foo' would stand for
the filename `/u/rms/gnu/new/foo'.

   When visiting a remote file via EFS or TRAMP, the remote directory
becomes the default directory (*note Visiting::) for that buffer, just
as a local directory would.

   The variable `default-directory-alist' takes an alist of major modes
and their opinions on `default-directory' as a Lisp expression to
evaluate.  A resulting value of `nil' is ignored in favor of
`default-directory'.

   You can create a new directory with the function `make-directory',
which takes as an argument a file name string. The current directory is
displayed in the minibuffer when the function is called; you can delete
the old directory name and supply a new directory name. For example, if
the current directory is `/u/rms/gnu', you can delete `gnu' and type
`oryx' and <RET> to create `/u/rms/oryx'.  Removing a directory is
similar to creating one.  To remove a directory, use
`remove-directory'; it takes one argument, a file name string.

   The command `M-x pwd' prints the current buffer's default directory,
and the command `M-x cd' sets it (to a value read using the
minibuffer).  A buffer's default directory changes only when the `cd'
command is used.  A file-visiting buffer's default directory is
initialized to the directory of the file that is visited there.  If a
buffer is created with `C-x b', its default directory is copied from
that of the buffer that was current at the time.

   The default directory name actually appears in the minibuffer when
the minibuffer becomes active to read a file name.  This serves two
purposes: it shows you what the default is, so that you can type a
relative file name and know with certainty what it will mean, and it
allows you to edit the default to specify a different directory.  To
inhibit the insertion of the default directory, set the variable
`insert-default-directory' to `nil'.

   Note that it is legitimate to type an absolute file name after you
enter the minibuffer, ignoring the presence of the default directory
name.  The final minibuffer contents may look invalid, but that is not
so.  *Note Minibuffer File::.

   `$' in a file name is used to substitute environment variables.  For
example, if you have used the shell command `setenv FOO rms/hacks' to
set up an environment variable named `FOO', then you can use
`/u/$FOO/test.c' or `/u/${FOO}/test.c' as an abbreviation for
`/u/rms/hacks/test.c'.  The environment variable name consists of all
the alphanumeric characters after the `$'; alternatively, it may be
enclosed in braces after the `$'.  Note that the `setenv' command
affects Emacs only if done before Emacs is started.

   To access a file with `$' in its name, type `$$'.  This pair is
converted to a single `$' at the same time variable substitution is
performed for single `$'.  The Lisp function that performs the
substitution is called `substitute-in-file-name'.  The substitution is
performed only on filenames read as such using the minibuffer.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Visiting,  Next: Saving,  Prev: File Names,  Up: Files

Visiting Files
==============

`C-x C-f'
     Visit a file (`find-file').

`C-x C-v'
     Visit a different file instead of the one visited last
     (`find-alternate-file').

`C-x 4 C-f'
     Visit a file, in another window (`find-file-other-window').  Don't
     change this window.

`C-x 5 C-f'
     Visit a file, in another frame (`find-file-other-frame').  Don't
     change this window or frame.

   "Visiting" a file means copying its contents into an Emacs buffer so
you can edit it.  Emacs creates a new buffer for each file you visit.
We say that the buffer is visiting the file that it was created to
hold.  Emacs constructs the buffer name from the file name by throwing
away the directory and keeping just the file name.  For example, a file
named `/usr/rms/emacs.tex' is displayed in a buffer named `emacs.tex'.
If a buffer with that name exists, a unique name is constructed by
appending `<2>', `<3>',and so on, using the lowest number that makes a
name that is not already in use.

   Each window's mode line shows the name of the buffer that is being
displayed in that window, so you can always tell what buffer you are
editing.

   The changes you make with Emacs are made in the Emacs buffer.  They
do not take effect in the file that you visit, or any other permanent
place, until you "save" the buffer.  Saving the buffer means that Emacs
writes the current contents of the buffer into its visited file.  *Note
Saving::.

   If a buffer contains changes that have not been saved, the buffer is
said to be "modified".  This is important because it implies that some
changes will be lost if the buffer is not saved.  The mode line displays
two stars near the left margin if the buffer is modified.

   To visit a file, use the command `C-x C-f' (`find-file').  Follow
the command with the name of the file you wish to visit, terminated by a
<RET>.  If you are using XEmacs under X, you can also use the Open...
command from the File menu bar item.

   The file name is read using the minibuffer (*note Minibuffer::), with
defaulting and completion in the standard manner (*note File Names::).
While in the minibuffer, you can abort `C-x C-f' by typing `C-g'.

   `C-x C-f' has completed successfully when text appears on the screen
and a new buffer name appears in the mode line.  If the specified file
does not exist and could not be created or cannot be read, an error
results.  The error message is printed in the echo area, and includes
the name of the file that Emacs was trying to visit.

   If you visit a file that is already in Emacs, `C-x C-f' does not make
another copy.  It selects the existing buffer containing that file.
However, before doing so, it checks that the file itself has not changed
since you visited or saved it last.  If the file has changed, Emacs
prints a warning message.  *Note Simultaneous Editing: Interlocking.

   You can switch to a specific file called out in the current buffer by
calling the function `find-this-file'. By providing a prefix argument,
this function calls `filename-at-point' and switches to a buffer
visiting the file FILENAME. It creates one if none already exists. You
can use this function to edit the file mentioned in the buffer you are
working in or to test if the file exists. You can do that by using the
minibuffer completion after snatching the all or part of the filename.

   If the variable `find-file-use-truenames''s value is non-`nil', a
buffer's visited filename will always be traced back to the real file.
The filename will never be a symbolic link, and there will never be a
symbolic link anywhere in its directory path. In other words, the
`buffer-file-name' and `buffer-file-truename' will be equal.

   If the variable `find-file-compare-truenames' value is non-`nil',
the `find-file' command will check the `buffer-file-truename' of all
visited files when deciding whether a given file is already in a
buffer, instead of just `buffer-file-name'.  If you attempt to visit
another file which is a symbolic link to a file that is already in a
buffer, the existing buffer will be found instead of a newly created
one.  This works if any component of the pathname (including a
non-terminal component) is a symbolic link as well, but doesn't work
with hard links (nothing does).

   If you want to create a file, just visit it.  Emacs prints `(New
File)' in the echo area, but in other respects behaves as if you had
visited an existing empty file.  If you make any changes and save them,
the file is created.

   If you visit a nonexistent file unintentionally (because you typed
the wrong file name), use the `C-x C-v' (`find-alternate-file') command
to visit the file you wanted.  `C-x C-v' is similar to `C-x C-f', but
it kills the current buffer (after first offering to save it if it is
modified).  `C-x C-v' is allowed even if the current buffer is not
visiting a file.

   If the file you specify is actually a directory, Dired is called on
that directory (*note Dired::).  To inhibit this, set the variable
`find-file-run-dired' to `nil'; then it is an error to try to visit a
directory.

   `C-x 4 f' (`find-file-other-window') is like `C-x C-f' except that
the buffer containing the specified file is selected in another window.
The window that was selected before `C-x 4 f' continues to show the
same buffer it was already showing.  If you use this command when only
one window is being displayed, that window is split in two, with one
window showing the same buffer as before, and the other one showing the
newly requested file.  *Note Windows::.

   `C-x 5 C-f' (`find-file-other-frame') is like `C-x C-f' except that
it creates a new frame in which the file is displayed.

   Use the function `find-this-file-other-window' to edit a file
mentioned in the buffer you are editing or to test if that file exists.
To do this, use the minibuffer completion after snatching the part or
all of the filename. By providing a prefix argument, the function calls
`filename-at-point' and switches you to a buffer visiting the file
FILENAME in another window. The function creates a buffer if none
already exists. This function is similar to `find-file-other-window'.

   There are two hook variables that allow extensions to modify the
operation of visiting files.  Visiting a file that does not exist runs
the functions in the list `find-file-not-found-hooks'; the value of this
variable is expected to be a list of functions which are called one by
one until one of them returns non-`nil'.  Any visiting of a file,
whether extant or not, expects `find-file-hooks' to contain list of
functions and calls them all, one by one.  In both cases the functions
receive no arguments.  Visiting a nonexistent file runs the
`find-file-not-found-hooks' first.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Saving,  Next: Reverting,  Prev: Visiting,  Up: Files

Saving Files
============

"Saving" a buffer in Emacs means writing its contents back into the file
that was visited in the buffer.

`C-x C-s'
     Save the current buffer in its visited file (`save-buffer').

`C-x s'
     Save any or all buffers in their visited files
     (`save-some-buffers').

`M-~'
     Forget that the current buffer has been changed (`not-modified').

`C-x C-w'
     Save the current buffer in a specified file, and record that file
     as the one visited in the buffer (`write-file').

`M-x set-visited-file-name'
     Change file the name under which the current buffer will be saved.

   To save a file and make your changes permanent, type `C-x C-s'
(`save-buffer').  After saving is finished, `C-x C-s' prints a message
such as:

     Wrote /u/rms/gnu/gnu.tasks

If the selected buffer is not modified (no changes have been made in it
since the buffer was created or last saved), Emacs does not save it
because it would have no effect.  Instead, `C-x C-s' prints a message
in the echo area saying:

     (No changes need to be saved)

   The command `C-x s' (`save-some-buffers') can save any or all
modified buffers.  First it asks, for each modified buffer, whether to
save it.  The questions should be answered with `y' or `n'.  `C-x C-c',
the key that kills Emacs, invokes `save-some-buffers' and therefore
asks the same questions.

   If you have changed a buffer and do not want the changes to be saved,
you should take some action to prevent it.  Otherwise, you are liable to
save it by mistake each time you use `save-some-buffers' or a related
command.  One thing you can do is type `M-~' (`not-modified'), which
removes the indication that the buffer is modified.  If you do this,
none of the save commands will believe that the buffer needs to be
saved.  (`~' is often used as a mathematical symbol for `not'; thus
`Meta-~' is `not', metafied.)  You could also use
`set-visited-file-name' (see below) to mark the buffer as visiting a
different file name, not in use for anything important.

   You can also undo all the changes made since the file was visited or
saved, by reading the text from the file again.  This is called
"reverting".  *Note Reverting::.  Alternatively, you can undo all the
changes by repeating the undo command `C-x u'; but this only works if
you have not made more changes than the undo mechanism can remember.

   `M-x set-visited-file-name' alters the name of the file that the
current buffer is visiting.  It prompts you for the new file name in the
minibuffer.  You can also use `set-visited-file-name' on a buffer that
is not visiting a file.  The buffer's name is changed to correspond to
the file it is now visiting unless the new name is already used by a
different buffer; in that case, the buffer name is not changed.
`set-visited-file-name' does not save the buffer in the newly visited
file; it just alters the records inside Emacs so that it will save the
buffer in that file.  It also marks the buffer as "modified" so that
`C-x C-s' will save.

   If you wish to mark a buffer as visiting a different file and save it
right away, use `C-x C-w' (`write-file').  It is precisely equivalent
to `set-visited-file-name' followed by `C-x C-s'.  `C-x C-s' used on a
buffer that is not visiting  a file has the same effect as `C-x C-w';
that is, it reads a file name, marks the buffer as visiting that file,
and saves it there.  The default file name in a buffer that is not
visiting a file is made by combining the buffer name with the buffer's
default directory.

   If Emacs is about to save a file and sees that the date of the latest
version on disk does not match what Emacs last read or wrote, Emacs
notifies you of this fact, because it probably indicates a problem
caused by simultaneous editing and requires your immediate attention.
*Note Simultaneous Editing: Interlocking.

   If the variable `require-final-newline' is non-`nil', Emacs puts a
newline at the end of any file that doesn't already end in one, every
time a file is saved or written.

   Use the hook variable `write-file-hooks' to implement other ways to
write files, and specify things to be done before files are written.
The value of this variable should be a list of Lisp functions.  When a
file is to be written, the functions in the list are called, one by
one, with no arguments.  If one of them returns a non-`nil' value, Emacs
takes this to mean that the file has been written in some suitable
fashion; the rest of the functions are not called, and normal writing is
not done. Use the hook variable `after-save-hook' to list all the
functions to be called after writing out a buffer to a file.

* Menu:

* Backup::       How Emacs saves the old version of your file.
* Interlocking:: How Emacs protects against simultaneous editing
                  of one file by two users.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Backup,  Next: Interlocking,  Prev: Saving,  Up: Saving

Backup Files
------------

Because Unix does not provide version numbers in file names, rewriting a
file in Unix automatically destroys all record of what the file used to
contain.  Thus, saving a file from Emacs throws away the old contents of
the file--or it would, except that Emacs carefully copies the old
contents to another file, called the "backup" file, before actually
saving.  (Make sure that the variable `make-backup-files' is non-`nil'.
Backup files are not written if this variable is `nil').

   At your option, Emacs can keep either a single backup file or a
series of numbered backup files for each file you edit.

   Emacs makes a backup for a file only the first time a file is saved
from one buffer.  No matter how many times you save a file, its backup
file continues to contain the contents from before the file was visited.
Normally this means that the backup file contains the contents from
before the current editing session; however, if you kill the buffer and
then visit the file again, a new backup file is made by the next save.

* Menu:

* Names: Backup Names.          How backup files are named;
                                Choosing single or numbered backup files.
* Deletion: Backup Deletion.    Emacs deletes excess numbered backups.
* Copying: Backup Copying.      Backups can be made by copying or renaming.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Backup Names,  Next: Backup Deletion,  Prev: Backup,  Up: Backup

Single or Numbered Backups
..........................

If you choose to have a single backup file (the default), the backup
file's name is constructed by appending `~' to the file name being
edited; thus, the backup file for `eval.c' is `eval.c~'.

   If you choose to have a series of numbered backup files, backup file
names are made by appending `.~', the number, and another `~' to the
original file name.  Thus, the backup files of `eval.c' would be called
`eval.c.~1~', `eval.c.~2~', and so on, through names like
`eval.c.~259~' and beyond.

   If protection stops you from writing backup files under the usual
names, the backup file is written as `%backup%~' in your home directory.
Only one such file can exist, so only the most recently made backup is
available.

   The choice of single backup or numbered backups is controlled by the
variable `version-control'.  Its possible values are:

`t'
     Make numbered backups.

`nil'
     Make numbered backups for files that have numbered backups already.
     Otherwise, make single backups.

`never'
     Never make numbered backups; always make single backups.

`version-control' may be set locally in an individual buffer to control
the making of backups for that buffer's file.  For example, Rmail mode
locally sets `version-control' to `never' to make sure that there is
only one backup for an Rmail file.  *Note Locals::.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Backup Deletion,  Next: Backup Copying,  Prev: Backup Names,  Up: Backup

Automatic Deletion of Backups
.............................

To prevent unlimited consumption of disk space, Emacs can delete
numbered backup versions automatically.  Generally Emacs keeps the
first few backups and the latest few backups, deleting any in between.
This happens every time a new backup is made.  The two variables that
control the deletion are `kept-old-versions' and `kept-new-versions'.
Their values are, respectively the number of oldest (lowest-numbered)
backups to keep and the number of newest (highest-numbered) ones to
keep, each time a new backup is made.  The values are used just after a
new backup version is made; that newly made backup is included in the
count in `kept-new-versions'.  By default, both variables are 2.

   If `delete-old-versions' is non-`nil',  excess middle versions are
deleted without notification.  If it is `nil', the default, you are
asked whether the excess middle versions should really be deleted.

   You can also use Dired's `.' (Period) command to delete old versions.
*Note Dired::.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Backup Copying,  Prev: Backup Deletion,  Up: Backup

Copying vs. Renaming
....................

You can make backup files by copying the old file or by renaming it.
This makes a difference when the old file has multiple names.  If you
rename the old file into the backup file, the alternate names become
names for the backup file.  If you copy the old file instead, the
alternate names remain names for the file that you are editing, and the
contents accessed by those names will be the new contents.

   How you make a backup file may also affect the file's owner and
group.  If you use copying, they do not change.  If renaming is used,
you become the file's owner, and the file's group becomes the default
(different operating systems have different defaults for the group).

   Having the owner change is usually a good idea, because then the
owner is always the person who last edited the file.  Occasionally
there is a file whose owner should not change.  Since most files should
change owners, it is a good idea to use local variable lists to set
`backup-by-copying-when-mismatch' for the special cases where the owner
should not change (*note File Variables::).

   Three variables control the choice of renaming or copying.
Normally, renaming is done.  If the variable `backup-by-copying' is
non-`nil', copying is used.  Otherwise, if the variable
`backup-by-copying-when-linked' is non-`nil', copying is done for files
that have multiple names, but renaming may still be done when the file
being edited has only one name.  If the variable
`backup-by-copying-when-mismatch' is non-`nil', copying is done if
renaming would cause the file's owner or group to change.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Interlocking,  Prev: Backup,  Up: Saving

Protection Against Simultaneous Editing
---------------------------------------

Simultaneous editing occurs when two users visit the same file, both
make changes, and both save their changes.  If no one was informed that
this was happening, and you saved first, you would later find that your
changes were lost.  On some systems, Emacs notices immediately when the
second user starts to change a file already being edited, and issues a
warning.  When this is not possible, or if the second user has started
to change the file despite the warning, Emacs checks when the file is
saved, and issues a second warning when a user is about to overwrite a
file containing another user's changes.  If you are the user editing the
file, you can take corrective action at this point and prevent actual
loss of work.

   When you make the first modification in an Emacs buffer that is
visiting a file, Emacs records that you have locked the file.  (It does
this by writing another file in a directory reserved for this purpose.)
The lock is removed when you save the changes.  The idea is that the
file is locked whenever the buffer is modified.  If you begin to modify
the buffer while the visited file is locked by someone else, this
constitutes a collision, and Emacs asks you what to do.  It does this
by calling the Lisp function `ask-user-about-lock', which you can
redefine to customize what it does.  The standard definition of this
function asks you a question and accepts three possible answers:

`s'
     Steal the lock.  Whoever was already changing the file loses the
     lock, and you get the lock.

`p'
     Proceed.  Go ahead and edit the file despite its being locked by
     someone else.

`q'
     Quit.  This causes an error (`file-locked') and the modification
     you were trying to make in the buffer does not actually take place.

   Note that locking works on the basis of a file name; if a file has
multiple names, Emacs does not realize that the two names are the same
file and cannot prevent two users from editing it simultaneously under
different names.  However, basing locking on names means that Emacs can
interlock the editing of new files that do not really exist until they
are saved.

   Some systems are not configured to allow Emacs to make locks.  On
these systems, Emacs cannot detect trouble in advance, but it can still
detect it in time to prevent you from overwriting someone else's
changes.

   Every time Emacs saves a buffer, it first checks the
last-modification date of the existing file on disk to see that it has
not changed since the file was last visited or saved.  If the date does
not match, it implies that changes were made in the file in some other
way, and these changes are about to be lost if Emacs actually does
save.  To prevent this, Emacs prints a warning message and asks for
confirmation before saving.  Occasionally you will know why the file
was changed and know that it does not matter; then you can answer `yes'
and proceed.  Otherwise, you should cancel the save with `C-g' and
investigate the situation.

   The first thing you should do when notified that simultaneous editing
has already taken place is to list the directory with `C-u C-x C-d'
(*note Directory Listing: ListDir.).  This will show the file's current
author.  You should attempt to contact that person and ask him not to
continue editing.  Often the next step is to save the contents of your
Emacs buffer under a different name, and use `diff' to compare the two
files.

   Simultaneous editing checks are also made when you visit a file that
is already visited with `C-x C-f' and when you start to modify a file.
This is not strictly necessary, but it is useful to find out about such
a problem as early as possible, when corrective action takes less work.

   Another way to protect your file is to set the read, write, and
executable permissions for the file. Use the function
`set-default-file-modes' to set the UNIX `umask' value to the NMASK
argument. The `umask' value is the default protection mode for new
files.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Reverting,  Next: Auto Save,  Prev: Saving,  Up: Files

Reverting a Buffer
==================

If you have made extensive changes to a file and then change your mind
about them, you can get rid of all changes by reading in the previous
version of the file.  To do this, use `M-x revert-buffer', which
operates on the current buffer.  Since reverting a buffer can result in
very extensive changes, you must confirm it with `yes'.

   You may request that `revert-buffer' check for an auto-save file
that is more recent than the visited file by providing a prefix
argument.  If a recent auto-save file exists, `revert-buffer' offers to
read the auto-save file instead of the visited file (*note Auto
Save::).  Emacs asks you about the auto-save file before the request
for confirmation of the `revert-buffer' operation, and demands `y' or
`n' as an answer.  If you have started to type `yes' to confirm the
revert operation, the `y' will answer the question about using the
auto-save file, but the `es' will not be valid confirmation for the
reversion.  This gives you a chance to cancel the operation with `C-g'
and try again with the answers you really intend.

   `revert-buffer' preserves the value of point (in characters from the
beginning of the file).  If the file was edited only slightly, you will
be at approximately the same piece of text after reverting as before.
If you have made more extensive changes, after reversion point may be
in a totally different context than your last edits before reversion.

   A buffer reverted from its visited file is marked "not modified"
until you make a change.  The buffer's modes will also be recalculated,
by `normal-mode'.

   Some kinds of buffers whose contents reflect data bases other than
files, such as Dired buffers, can also be reverted.  For them,
reverting means refreshing their contents from the appropriate data.
Buffers created randomly with `C-x b' cannot be reverted;
`revert-buffer' reports an error when asked to do so.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Auto Save,  Next: Version Control,  Prev: Reverting,  Up: Files

Auto-Saving: Protection Against Disasters
=========================================

Emacs saves all the visited files from time to time (based on counting
your keystrokes) without being asked.  This is called "auto-saving".
It prevents you from losing more than a limited amount of work if the
system crashes.

   When Emacs determines it is time for auto-saving, each buffer is
considered and is auto-saved if auto-saving is turned on for it and it
has changed since the last time it was auto-saved.  If any auto-saving
is done, the message `Auto-saving...' is displayed in the echo area
until auto-saving is finished.  Errors occurring during auto-saving are
caught so that they do not interfere with the execution of commands you
have been typing.

* Menu:

* Files: Auto Save Files.
* Control: Auto Save Control.
* Recover::             Recovering text from auto-save files.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Auto Save Files,  Next: Auto Save Control,  Prev: Auto Save,  Up: Auto Save

Auto-Save Files
---------------

Auto-saving does not normally write to the files you visited, because
it can be undesirable to save a program that is in an inconsistent
state when you have made only half of a planned change.  Instead,
auto-saving is done in a different file called the "auto-save file",
and the visited file is changed only when you save explicitly, for
example, with `C-x C-s'.

   Normally, the name of the auto-save file is generated by appending
`#' to the front and back of the visited file name.  Thus, a buffer
visiting file `foo.c' would be auto-saved in a file `#foo.c#'.  Most
buffers that are not visiting files are auto-saved only if you request
it explicitly; when they are auto-saved, the auto-save file name is
generated by appending `#%' to the front and `#' to the back of buffer
name.  For example, the `*mail*' buffer in which you compose messages
to be sent is auto-saved in a file named `#%*mail*#'.  Names of
auto-save files are generated this way unless you customize the
functions `make-auto-save-file-name' and `auto-save-file-name-p' to do
something different.  The file name to be used for auto-saving a buffer
is calculated at the time auto-saving is turned on in that buffer.

   If you want auto-saving to be done in the visited file, set the
variable `auto-save-visited-file-name' to be non-`nil'.  In this mode,
there is really no difference between auto-saving and explicit saving.

   Emacs deletes a buffer's auto-save file when you explicitly save the
buffer.  To inhibit the deletion, set the variable
`delete-auto-save-files' to `nil'.  Changing the visited file name with
`C-x C-w' or `set-visited-file-name' renames any auto-save file to
correspond to the new visited name.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Auto Save Control,  Next: Recover,  Prev: Auto Save Files,  Up: Auto Save

Controlling Auto-Saving
-----------------------

Each time you visit a file, auto-saving is turned on for that file's
buffer if the variable `auto-save-default' is non-`nil' (but not in
batch mode; *note Entering Emacs::).  The default for this variable is
`t', so Emacs auto-saves buffers that visit files by default.  You can
use the command `M-x auto-save-mode' to turn auto-saving for a buffer
on or off.  Like other minor mode commands, `M-x auto-save-mode' turns
auto-saving on with a positive argument, off with a zero or negative
argument; with no argument, it toggles.

   Emacs performs auto-saving periodically based on counting how many
characters you have typed since the last time auto-saving happened.  The
variable `auto-save-interval' specifies the number of characters
between auto-saves.  By default, it is 300.  Emacs also auto-saves
whenever you call the function `do-auto-save'.

   Emacs also does auto-saving whenever it gets a fatal error.  This
includes killing the Emacs job with a shell command such as `kill
-emacs', or disconnecting a phone line or network connection.

   You can set the number of seconds of idle time before an auto-save is
done. Setting the value of the variable `auto-save-timeout' to zero or
`nil' will  disable auto-saving due to idleness.

   The actual amount of idle time between auto-saves is logarithmically
related to the size of the current buffer.  This variable is the number
of seconds after which an auto-save will happen when the current buffer
is 50k or less; the timeout will be 2 1/4 times this in a 200k buffer, 3
3/4 times this in a 1000k buffer, and 4 1/2 times this in a 2000k
buffer.

   For this variable to have any effect, you must do `(require 'timer)'.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Recover,  Prev: Auto Save Control,  Up: Auto Save

Recovering Data from Auto-Saves
-------------------------------

If you want to use the contents of an auto-save file to recover from a
loss of data, use the command `M-x recover-file <RET> FILE <RET>'.
Emacs visits FILE and then (after your confirmation) restores the
contents from the auto-save file `#FILE#'.  You can then save the file
with `C-x C-s' to put the recovered text into FILE itself.  For
example, to recover file `foo.c' from its auto-save file `#foo.c#', do:

     M-x recover-file <RET> foo.c <RET>
     C-x C-s

   Before asking for confirmation, `M-x recover-file' displays a
directory listing describing the specified file and the auto-save file,
so you can compare their sizes and dates.  If the auto-save file is
older, `M-x recover-file' does not offer to read it.

   Auto-saving is disabled by `M-x recover-file' because using this
command implies that the auto-save file contains valuable data from a
past session.  If you save the data in the visited file and then go on
to make new changes, turn auto-saving back on with `M-x auto-save-mode'.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Version Control,  Next: ListDir,  Prev: Auto Save,  Up: Files

Version Control
===============

"Version control systems" are packages that can record multiple
versions of a source file, usually storing the unchanged parts of the
file just once.  Version control systems also record history information
such as the creation time of each version, who created it, and a
description of what was changed in that version.

   The GNU project recommends the version control system known as RCS,
which is free software and available from the Free Software Foundation.
Emacs supports use of either RCS or SCCS (a proprietary, but widely
used, version control system that is not quite as powerful as RCS)
through a facility called VC.  The same Emacs commands work with either
RCS or SCCS, so you hardly have to know which one of them you are using.

* Menu:

* Concepts of VC::              Basic version control information;
                                  checking files in and out.
* Editing with VC::             Commands for editing a file maintained
                                  with version control.
* Variables for Check-in/out::  Variables that affect the commands used
                                  to check files in or out.
* Log Entries::                 Logging your changes.
* Change Logs and VC::          Generating a change log file from log
                                  entries.
* Old Versions::                Examining and comparing old versions.
* VC Status::                   Commands to view the VC status of files and
                                  look at log entries.
* Renaming and VC::             A command to rename both the source and
                                  master file correctly.
* Snapshots::                   How to make and use snapshots, a set of
                                  file versions that can be treated as a unit.
* Version Headers::             Inserting version control headers into
                                  working files.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Concepts of VC,  Next: Editing with VC,  Prev: Version Control,  Up: Version Control

Concepts of Version Control
---------------------------

When a file is under version control, we also say that it is
"registered" in the version control system.  Each registered file has a
corresponding "master file" which represents the file's present state
plus its change history, so that you can reconstruct from it either the
current version or any specified earlier version.  Usually the master
file also records a "log entry" for each version describing what was
changed in that version.

   The file that is maintained under version control is sometimes called
the "work file" corresponding to its master file.

   To examine a file, you "check it out".  This extracts a version of
the source file (typically, the most recent) from the master file.  If
you want to edit the file, you must check it out "locked".  Only one
user can do this at a time for any given source file.  (This kind of
locking is completely unrelated to the locking that Emacs uses to
detect simultaneous editing of a file.)

   When you are done with your editing, you must "check in" the new
version.  This records the new version in the master file, and unlocks
the source file so that other people can lock it and thus modify it.

   Checkin and checkout are the basic operations of version control.
You can do both of them with a single Emacs command: `C-x C-q'
(`vc-toggle-read-only').

   A "snapshot" is a coherent collection of versions of the various
files that make up a program.  *Note Snapshots::.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Editing with VC,  Next: Variables for Check-in/out,  Prev: Concepts of VC,  Up: Version Control

Editing with Version Control
----------------------------

When you visit a file that is maintained using version control, the
mode line displays `RCS' or `SCCS' to inform you that version control
is in use, and also (in case you care) which low-level system the file
is actually stored in.  Normally, such a source file is read-only, and
the mode line indicates this with `%%'.  With RCS, the mode line also
indicates the number of the head version, which is normally also the
version you are looking at.

   These are the commands for editing a file maintained with version
control:

`C-x C-q'
     Check the visited file in or out.

`C-x v u'
     Revert the buffer and the file to the last checked in version.

`C-x v c'
     Remove the last-entered change from the master for the visited
     file.  This undoes your last check-in.

`C-x v i'
     Register the visited file in version control.

(`C-x v' is the prefix key for version control commands; all of these
commands except for `C-x C-q' start with `C-x v'.)

   When you want to modify a file maintained with version control, type
`C-x C-q' (`vc-toggle-read-only').  This "checks out" the file, and
tells RCS or SCCS to lock the file.  This means making the file
writable for you (but not for anyone else).

   When you are finished editing the file, type `C-x C-q' again.  When
used on a file that is checked out, this command checks the file in.
But check-in does not start immediately; first, you must enter the "log
entry"--a description of the changes in the new version.  `C-x C-q'
pops up a buffer for you to enter this in.  When you are finished
typing in the log entry, type `C-c C-c' to terminate it; this is when
actual check-in takes place.

   Once you have checked in your changes, the file is unlocked, so that
other users can lock it and modify it.

   Emacs does not save backup files for source files that are maintained
with version control.  If you want to make backup files despite version
control, set the variable `vc-make-backup-files' to a non-`nil' value.

   Normally the work file exists all the time, whether it is locked or
not.  If you set `vc-keep-workfiles' to `nil', then checking in a new
version with `C-x C-q' deletes the work file; but any attempt to visit
the file with Emacs creates it again.

   It is not impossible to lock a file that someone else has locked.  If
you try to check out a file that is locked, `C-x C-q' asks you whether
you want to "steal the lock."  If you say yes, the file becomes locked
by you, but a message is sent to the person who had formerly locked the
file, to inform him of what has happened.  The mode line indicates that
a file is locked by someone else by displaying the login name of that
person, before the version number.

   If you want to discard your current set of changes and revert to the
last version checked in, use `C-x v u' (`vc-revert-buffer').  This
cancels your last check-out, leaving the file unlocked.  If you want to
make a different set of changes, you must first check the file out
again.  `C-x v u' requires confirmation, unless it sees that you
haven't made any changes since the last checked-in version.

   `C-x v u' is also the command to use if you lock a file and then
don't actually change it.

   You can cancel a change after checking it in, with `C-x v c'
(`vc-cancel-version').  This command discards all record of the most
recent checked in version, so be careful about using it.  It requires
confirmation with `yes'.  By default, `C-x v c' reverts your workfile
and buffer to the previous version (the one that precedes the version
that is deleted), but you can prevent the reversion by giving the
command a prefix argument.  Then the buffer does not change.

   This command with a prefix argument is useful when you have checked
in a change and then discover a trivial error in it; you can cancel the
erroneous check-in, fix the error, and repeat the check-in.

   Be careful when invoking `C-x v c', as it is easy to throw away a
lot of work with it.  To help you be careful, this command always
requires confirmation with `yes'.

   You can register the visited file for version control using
`C-x v i' (`vc-register').  If the variable `vc-default-back-end' is
non-`nil', it specifies which version control system to use; otherwise,
this uses RCS if it is installed on your system and SCCS if not.  After
`C-x v i', the file is unlocked and read-only.  Type `C-x C-q' if you
wish to edit it.

   By default, the initial version number is 1.1.  If you want to use a
different number, give `C-x v i' a prefix argument; then it reads the
initial version number using the minibuffer.

   If `vc-initial-comment' is non-`nil', `C-x v i' reads an initial
comment (much like a log entry) to describe the purpose of this source
file.

   To specify the version number for a subsequent checkin, use the
command `C-u C-x v v'.  `C-x v v' (`vc-next-action') is the command
that `C-x C-q' uses to do the "real work" when the visited file uses
version control.  When used for checkin, and given a prefix argument,
it reads the version number with the minibuffer.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Variables for Check-in/out,  Next: Log Entries,  Prev: Editing with VC,  Up: Version Control

Variables Affecting Check-in and Check-out
------------------------------------------

If `vc-suppress-confirm' is non-`nil', then `C-x C-q' and `C-x v i' can
save the current buffer without asking, and `C-x v u' also operates
without asking for confirmation.  (This variable does not affect `C-x v
c'; that is so drastic that it should always ask for confirmation.)

   VC mode does much of its work by running the shell commands for RCS
and SCCS.  If `vc-command-messages' is non-`nil', VC displays messages
to indicate which shell commands it runs, and additional messages when
the commands finish.

   Normally, VC assumes that it can deduce the locked/unlocked state of
files by looking at the file permissions of the work file; this is
fast.  However, if the `RCS' or `SCCS' subdirectory is actually a
symbolic link, then VC does not trust the file permissions to reflect
this status.

   You can specify the criterion for whether to trust the file
permissions by setting the variable `vc-mistrust-permissions'.  Its
value may be `t' (always mistrust the file permissions and check the
master file), `nil' (always trust the file permissions), or a function
of one argument which makes the decision.  The argument is the directory
name of the `RCS' or `SCCS' subdirectory.  A non-`nil' value from the
function says to mistrust the file permissions.

   If you find that the file permissions of work files are changed
erroneously, set `vc-mistrust-permissions' to `t'.  Then VC always
checks the master file to determine the file's status.

   You can specify additional directories to search for version control
programs by setting the variable `vc-path'.  These directories are
searched before the usual search path.  The proper result usually
happens automatically.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Log Entries,  Next: Change Logs and VC,  Prev: Variables for Check-in/out,  Up: Version Control

Log Entries
-----------

When you're editing an initial comment or log entry for inclusion in a
master file, finish your entry by typing `C-c C-c'.

`C-c C-c'
     Finish the comment edit normally (`vc-finish-logentry').  This
     finishes check-in.

   To abort check-in, just don't type `C-c C-c' in that buffer.  You
can switch buffers and do other editing.  As long as you don't try to
check in another file, the entry you were editing remains in its
buffer, and you can go back to that buffer at any time to complete the
check-in.

   If you change several source files for the same reason, it is often
convenient to specify the same log entry for many of the files.  To do
this, use the history of previous log entries.  The commands `M-n',
`M-p', `M-s' and `M-r' for doing this work just like the minibuffer
history commands (except that these versions are used outside the
minibuffer).

   Each time you check in a file, the log entry buffer is put into VC
Log mode, which involves running two hooks: `text-mode-hook' and
`vc-log-mode-hook'.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Change Logs and VC,  Next: Old Versions,  Prev: Log Entries,  Up: Version Control

Change Logs and VC
------------------

If you use RCS for a program and also maintain a change log file for it
(*note Change Log::), you can generate change log entries automatically
from the version control log entries:

`C-x v a'
     Visit the current directory's change log file and create new
     entries for versions checked in since the most recent entry in the
     change log file (`vc-update-change-log').

     This command works with RCS only; it does not work with SCCS.

   For example, suppose the first line of `ChangeLog' is dated 10 April
1992, and that the only check-in since then was by Nathaniel Bowditch
to `rcs2log' on 8 May 1992 with log text `Ignore log messages that
start with `#'.'.  Then `C-x v a' visits `ChangeLog' and inserts text
like this:

     Fri May  8 21:45:00 1992  Nathaniel Bowditch  (nat@apn.org)
     
             * rcs2log: Ignore log messages that start with `#'.

You can then edit the new change log entry further as you wish.

   Normally, the log entry for file `foo' is displayed as `* foo: TEXT
OF LOG ENTRY'.  The `:' after `foo' is omitted if the text of the log
entry starts with `(FUNCTIONNAME): '.  For example, if the log entry
for `vc.el' is `(vc-do-command): Check call-process status.', then the
text in `ChangeLog' looks like this:

     Wed May  6 10:53:00 1992  Nathaniel Bowditch  (nat@apn.org)
     
             * vc.el (vc-do-command): Check call-process status.

   When `C-x v a' adds several change log entries at once, it groups
related log entries together if they all are checked in by the same
author at nearly the same time.  If the log entries for several such
files all have the same text, it coalesces them into a single entry.
For example, suppose the most recent checkins have the following log
entries:

For `vc.texinfo':
     Fix expansion typos.
For `vc.el':
     Don't call expand-file-name.
For `vc-hooks.el':
     Don't call expand-file-name.

   They appear like this in `ChangeLog':

     Wed Apr  1 08:57:59 1992  Nathaniel Bowditch  (nat@apn.org)
     
             * vc.texinfo: Fix expansion typos.
     
             * vc.el, vc-hooks.el: Don't call expand-file-name.

   Normally, `C-x v a' separates log entries by a blank line, but you
can mark several related log entries to be clumped together (without an
intervening blank line) by starting the text of each related log entry
with a label of the form `{CLUMPNAME} '.  The label itself is not
copied to `ChangeLog'.  For example, suppose the log entries are:

For `vc.texinfo':
     {expand} Fix expansion typos.
For `vc.el':
     {expand} Don't call expand-file-name.
For `vc-hooks.el':
     {expand} Don't call expand-file-name.

Then the text in `ChangeLog' looks like this:

     Wed Apr  1 08:57:59 1992  Nathaniel Bowditch  (nat@apn.org)
     
             * vc.texinfo: Fix expansion typos.
             * vc.el, vc-hooks.el: Don't call expand-file-name.

   A log entry whose text begins with `#' is not copied to `ChangeLog'.
For example, if you merely fix some misspellings in comments, you can
log the change with an entry beginning with `#' to avoid putting such
trivia into `ChangeLog'.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Old Versions,  Next: VC Status,  Prev: Change Logs and VC,  Up: Version Control

Examining And Comparing Old Versions
------------------------------------

`C-x v ~ VERSION <RET>'
     Examine version VERSION of the visited file, in a buffer of its
     own (`vc-version-other-window').

`C-x v ='
     Compare the current buffer contents with the latest checked-in
     version of the file.

`C-u C-x v = FILE <RET> OLDVERS <RET> NEWVERS <RET>'
     Compare the specified two versions of FILE.

   You can examine any version of a file by first visiting it, and then
using `C-x v ~ VERSION <RET>' (`vc-version-other-window').  This puts
the text of version VERSION in a file named `FILENAME.~VERSION~', then
visits it in a separate window.

   To compare two versions of a file, use the command `C-x v ='
(`vc-diff').

   Plain `C-x v =' compares the current buffer contents (saving them in
the file if necessary) with the last checked-in version of the file.
With a prefix argument, `C-x v =' reads a file name and two version
numbers, then compares those versions of the specified file.

   If you supply a directory name instead of the name of a work file,
this command compares the two specified versions of all registered files
in that directory and its subdirectories.  You can also specify a
snapshot name (*note Snapshots::) instead of one or both version
numbers.

   You can specify a checked-in version by its number; you can specify
the most recent checked-in version with an empty version number.

   This command works by running the `vcdiff' utility, getting the
options from the variable `diff-switches'.  It displays the output in a
special buffer in another window.  Unlike the `M-x diff' command, `C-x
v =' does not try to find the changes in the old and new versions.
This is because one or both versions normally do not exist as files.
They exist only in the records of the master file.  *Note Comparing
Files::, for more information about `M-x diff'.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: VC Status,  Next: Renaming and VC,  Prev: Old Versions,  Up: Version Control

VC Status Commands
------------------

To view the detailed version control status and history of a file, type
`C-x v l' (`vc-print-log').  It displays the history of changes to the
current file, including the text of the log entries.  The output
appears in a separate window.

   When you are working on a large program, it's often useful to find
all the files that are currently locked, or all the files maintained in
version control at all.  You can use `C-x v d' (`vc-directory') to show
all the locked files in or beneath the current directory.  This
includes all files that are locked by any user.  `C-u C-x v d' lists
all files in or beneath the current directory that are maintained with
version control.

   The list of files is displayed as a buffer that uses an augmented
Dired mode.  The names of the users locking various files are shown (in
parentheses) in place of the owner and group.  All the normal Dired
commands work in this buffer.  Most interactive VC commands work also,
and apply to the file name on the current line.

   The `C-x v v' command (`vc-next-action'), when used in the augmented
Dired buffer, operates on all the marked files (or the file on the
current line).  If it operates on more than one file, it handles each
file according to its current state; thus, it may check out one file
and check in another (because it is already checked out).  If it has to
check in any files, it reads a single log entry, then uses that text
for all the files being checked in.  This can be convenient for
registering or checking in several files at once, as part of the same
change.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Renaming and VC,  Next: Snapshots,  Prev: VC Status,  Up: Version Control

Renaming VC Work Files and Master Files
---------------------------------------

When you rename a registered file, you must also rename its master file
correspondingly to get proper results.  Use `vc-rename-file' to rename
the source file as you specify, and rename its master file accordingly.
It also updates any snapshots (*note Snapshots::) that mention the
file, so that they use the new name; despite this, the snapshot thus
modified may not completely work (*note Snapshot Caveats::).

   You cannot use `vc-rename-file' on a file that is locked by someone
else.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Snapshots,  Next: Version Headers,  Prev: Renaming and VC,  Up: Version Control

Snapshots
---------

A "snapshot" is a named set of file versions (one for each registered
file) that you can treat as a unit.  One important kind of snapshot is
a "release", a (theoretically) stable version of the system that is
ready for distribution to users.

* Menu:

* Making Snapshots::            The snapshot facilities.
* Snapshot Caveats::            Things to be careful of when using snapshots.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Making Snapshots,  Next: Snapshot Caveats,  Prev: Snapshots,  Up: Snapshots

Making and Using Snapshots
..........................

There are two basic commands for snapshots; one makes a snapshot with a
given name, the other retrieves a named snapshot.

`C-x v s NAME <RET>'
     Define the last saved versions of every registered file in or
     under the current directory as a snapshot named NAME
     (`vc-create-snapshot').

`C-x v r NAME <RET>'
     Check out all registered files at or below the current directory
     level using whatever versions correspond to the snapshot NAME
     (`vc-retrieve-snapshot').

     This command reports an error if any files are locked at or below
     the current directory, without changing anything; this is to avoid
     overwriting work in progress.

   A snapshot uses a very small amount of resources--just enough to
record the list of file names and which version belongs to the
snapshot.  Thus, you need not hesitate to create snapshots whenever
they are useful.

   You can give a snapshot name as an argument to `C-x v =' or `C-x v
~' (*note Old Versions::).  Thus, you can use it to compare a snapshot
against the current files, or two snapshots against each other, or a
snapshot against a named version.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Snapshot Caveats,  Prev: Making Snapshots,  Up: Snapshots

Snapshot Caveats
................

VC's snapshot facilities are modeled on RCS's named-configuration
support.  They use RCS's native facilities for this, so under VC
snapshots made using RCS are visible even when you bypass VC.

   For SCCS, VC implements snapshots itself.  The files it uses contain
name/file/version-number triples.  These snapshots are visible only
through VC.

   A snapshot is a set of checked-in versions.  So make sure that all
the files are checked in and not locked when you make a snapshot.

   File renaming and deletion can create some difficulties with
snapshots.  This is not a VC-specific problem, but a general design
issue in version control systems that no one has solved very well yet.

   If you rename a registered file, you need to rename its master along
with it (the command `vc-rename-file' does this automatically).  If you
are using SCCS, you must also update the records of the snapshot, to
mention the file by its new name (`vc-rename-file' does this, too).  An
old snapshot that refers to a master file that no longer exists under
the recorded name is invalid; VC can no longer retrieve it.  It would
be beyond the scope of this manual to explain enough about RCS and SCCS
to explain how to update the snapshots by hand.

   Using `vc-rename-file' makes the snapshot remain valid for
retrieval, but it does not solve all problems.  For example, some of the
files in the program probably refer to others by name.  At the very
least, the makefile probably mentions the file that you renamed.  If you
retrieve an old snapshot, the renamed file is retrieved under its new
name, which is not the name that the makefile expects.  So the program
won't really work as retrieved.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Version Headers,  Prev: Snapshots,  Up: Version Control

Inserting Version Control Headers
---------------------------------

Sometimes it is convenient to put version identification strings
directly into working files.  Certain special strings called "version
headers" are replaced in each successive version by the number of that
version.

   You can use the `C-x v h' command (`vc-insert-headers') to insert a
suitable header string.

`C-x v h'
     Insert headers in a file for use with your version-control system.

   The default header string is `\$Id\$' for RCS and `\%W\%' for SCCS.
(The actual strings inserted do not have the backslashes in them.  They
were placed in the Info source file so that the strings don't get
interpreted as version-control headers when the Info source files are
maintained under version control.) You can specify other headers to
insert by setting the variable `vc-header-alist'.  Its value is a list
of elements of the form `(PROGRAM . STRING)' where PROGRAM is `RCS' or
`SCCS' and STRING is the string to use.

   Instead of a single string, you can specify a list of strings; then
each string in the list is inserted as a separate header on a line of
its own.

   It is often necessary to use "superfluous" backslashes when writing
the strings that you put in this variable.  This is to prevent the
string in the constant from being interpreted as a header itself if the
Emacs Lisp file containing it is maintained with version control.

   Each header is inserted surrounded by tabs, inside comment
delimiters, on a new line at the start of the buffer.  Normally the
ordinary comment start and comment end strings of the current mode are
used, but for certain modes, there are special comment delimiters for
this purpose; the variable `vc-comment-alist' specifies them.  Each
element of this list has the form `(MODE STARTER ENDER)'.

   The variable `vc-static-header-alist' specifies further strings to
add based on the name of the buffer.  Its value should be a list of
elements of the form `(REGEXP . FORMAT)'.  Whenever REGEXP matches the
buffer name, FORMAT is inserted as part of the header.  A header line
is inserted for each element that matches the buffer name, and for each
string specified by `vc-header-alist'.  The header line is made by
processing the string from `vc-header-alist' with the format taken from
the element.  The default value for `vc-static-header-alist' is:

     (("\\.c$" .
       "\n#ifndef lint\nstatic char vcid[] = \"\%s\";\n\
     #endif /* lint */\n"))

which specifies insertion of a string of this form:


     #ifndef lint
     static char vcid[] = "STRING";
     #endif /* lint */

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: ListDir,  Next: Comparing Files,  Prev: Version Control,  Up: Files

Listing a File Directory
========================

Files are organized by Unix into "directories".  A "directory listing"
is a list of all the files in a directory.  Emacs provides directory
listings in brief format (file names only) and verbose format (sizes,
dates, and authors included).

`C-x C-d DIR-OR-PATTERN'
     Print a brief directory listing (`list-directory').

`C-u C-x C-d DIR-OR-PATTERN'
     Print a verbose directory listing.

   To print a directory listing, use `C-x C-d' (`list-directory').
This command prompts in the minibuffer for a file name which is either
a  directory to be listed or pattern containing wildcards for the files
to be listed.  For example,

     C-x C-d /u2/emacs/etc <RET>

lists all the files in directory `/u2/emacs/etc'.  An example of
specifying a file name pattern is:

     C-x C-d /u2/emacs/src/*.c <RET>

   Normally, `C-x C-d' prints a brief directory listing containing just
file names.  A numeric argument (regardless of value) tells it to print
a verbose listing (like `ls -l').

   Emacs obtains the text of a directory listing by running `ls' in an
inferior process.  Two Emacs variables control the switches passed to
`ls': `list-directory-brief-switches' is a string giving the switches
to use in brief listings (`"-CF"' by default).
`list-directory-verbose-switches' is a string giving the switches to
use in a verbose listing (`"-l"' by default).

   The variable `directory-abbrev-alist' is an alist of abbreviations
for file directories.  The list consists of elements of the form `(FROM
.  TO)', each meaning to replace `FROM' with `TO' when it appears in a
directory name.  This replacement is done when setting up the default
directory of a newly visited file.  Every `FROM' string should start
with ``^''.

   Use this feature when you have directories which you normally refer
to via absolute symbolic links.  Make `TO' the name of the link, and
`FROM' the name it is linked to.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Comparing Files,  Next: Dired,  Prev: ListDir,  Up: Files

Comparing Files
===============

The command `M-x diff' compares two files, displaying the differences
in an Emacs buffer named `*Diff*'.  It works by running the `diff'
program, using options taken from the variable `diff-switches', whose
value should be a string.

   The buffer `*Diff*' has Compilation mode as its major mode, so you
can use `C-x `' to visit successive changed locations in the two source
files.  You can also move to a particular hunk of changes and type `C-c
C-c' to find the corresponding source location.  You can also use the
other special commands of Compilation mode: <SPC> and <DEL> for
scrolling, and `M-p' and `M-n' for cursor motion.  *Note Compilation::.

   The command `M-x diff-backup' compares a specified file with its most
recent backup.  If you specify the name of a backup file, `diff-backup'
compares it with the source file that it is a backup of.

   The command `M-x compare-windows' compares the text in the current
window with that in the next window.  Comparison starts at point in each
window.  Point moves forward in each window, a character at a time in
each window, until the next characters in the two windows are
different.  Then the command is finished.  For more information about
windows in Emacs, *Note Windows::.

   With a numeric argument, `compare-windows' ignores changes in
whitespace.  If the variable `compare-ignore-case' is non-`nil', it
ignores differences in case as well.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Dired,  Next: Misc File Ops,  Prev: Comparing Files,  Up: Files

Dired, the Directory Editor
===========================

Dired makes it easy to delete or visit many of the files in a single
directory at once.  It creates an Emacs buffer containing a listing of
the directory.  You can use the normal Emacs commands to move around in
this buffer and special Dired commands to operate on the files.

* Menu:

* Enter: Dired Enter.         How to invoke Dired.
* Edit: Dired Edit.           Editing the Dired buffer.
* Deletion: Dired Deletion.   Deleting files with Dired.
* Immed: Dired Immed.         Other file operations through Dired.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Dired Enter,  Next: Dired Edit,  Prev: Dired,  Up: Dired

Entering Dired
--------------

To invoke dired, type `C-x d' or `M-x dired'.  The command reads a
directory name or wildcard file name pattern as a minibuffer argument
just like the `list-directory' command, `C-x C-d'.  Where `dired'
differs from `list-directory' is in naming the buffer after the
directory name or the wildcard pattern used for the listing, and putting
the buffer into Dired mode so that the special commands of Dired are
available in it.  The variable `dired-listing-switches' is a string
used as an argument to `ls' in making the directory; this string must
contain `-l'.

   To display the Dired buffer in another window rather than in the
selected window, use `C-x 4 d' (`dired-other-window)' instead of `C-x
d'.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Dired Edit,  Next: Dired Deletion,  Prev: Dired Enter,  Up: Dired

Editing in Dired
----------------

Once the Dired buffer exists, you can switch freely between it and other
Emacs buffers.  Whenever the Dired buffer is selected, certain special
commands are provided that operate on files that are listed.  The Dired
buffer is "read-only", and inserting text in it is not useful, so
ordinary printing characters such as `d' and `x' are used for Dired
commands.  Most Dired commands operate on the file described by the line
that point is on.  Some commands perform operations immediately; others
"flag" a file to be operated on later.

   Most Dired commands that operate on the current line's file also
treat a numeric argument as a repeat count, meaning to act on the files
of the next few lines.  A negative argument means to operate on the
files of the preceding lines, and leave point on the first of those
lines.

   All the usual Emacs cursor motion commands are available in Dired
buffers.  Some special purpose commands are also provided.  The keys
`C-n' and `C-p' are redefined so that they try to position the cursor
at the beginning of the filename on the line, rather than at the
beginning of the line.

   For extra convenience, <SPC> and `n' in Dired are equivalent to
`C-n'.  `p' is equivalent to `C-p'.  Moving by lines is done so often
in Dired that it deserves to be easy to type.  <DEL> (move up and
unflag) is often useful simply for moving up.

   The `g' command in Dired runs `revert-buffer' to reinitialize the
buffer from the actual disk directory and show any changes made in the
directory by programs other than Dired.  All deletion flags in the Dired
buffer are lost when this is done.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Dired Deletion,  Next: Dired Immed,  Prev: Dired Edit,  Up: Dired

Deleting Files With Dired
-------------------------

The primary use of Dired is to flag files for deletion and then delete
them.

`d'
     Flag this file for deletion.

`u'
     Remove deletion-flag on this line.

`<DEL>'
     Remove deletion-flag on previous line, moving point to that line.

`x'
     Delete the files that are flagged for deletion.

`#'
     Flag all auto-save files (files whose names start and end with `#')
     for deletion (*note Auto Save::).

`~'
     Flag all backup files (files whose names end with `~') for deletion
     (*note Backup::).

`. (Period)'
     Flag excess numeric backup files for deletion.  The oldest and
     newest few backup files of any one file are exempt; the middle
     ones are flagged.

   You can flag a file for deletion by moving to the line describing the
file and typing `d' or `C-d'.  The deletion flag is visible as a `D' at
the beginning of the line.  Point is moved to the beginning of the next
line, so that repeated `d' commands flag successive files.

   The files are flagged for deletion rather than deleted immediately to
avoid the danger of deleting a file accidentally.  Until you direct
Dired to delete the flagged files, you can remove deletion flags using
the commands `u' and <DEL>.  `u' works just like `d', but removes flags
rather than making flags.  <DEL> moves upward, removing flags; it is
like `u' with numeric argument automatically negated.

   To delete the flagged files, type `x'.  This command first displays a
list of all the file names flagged for deletion, and requests
confirmation with `yes'.  Once you confirm, all the flagged files are
deleted, and their lines are deleted from the text of the Dired buffer.
The shortened Dired buffer remains selected.  If you answer `no' or
quit with `C-g', you return immediately to Dired, with the deletion
flags still present and no files actually deleted.

   The `#', `~', and `.' commands flag many files for deletion, based
on their names.  These commands are useful precisely because they do
not actually delete any files; you can remove the deletion flags from
any flagged files that you really wish to keep.

   `#' flags for deletion all files that appear to have been made by
auto-saving (that is, files whose names begin and end with `#').  `~'
flags for deletion all files that appear to have been made as backups
for files that were edited (that is, files whose names end with `~').

   `.' (Period) flags just some of the backup files for deletion: only
numeric backups that are not among the oldest few nor the newest few
backups of any one file.  Normally `dired-kept-versions' (not
`kept-new-versions'; that applies only when saving) specifies the
number of newest versions of each file to keep, and `kept-old-versions'
specifies the number of oldest versions to keep.  Period with a
positive numeric argument, as in `C-u 3 .', specifies the number of
newest versions to keep, overriding `dired-kept-versions'.  A negative
numeric argument overrides `kept-old-versions', using minus the value
of the argument to specify the number of oldest versions of each file
to keep.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Dired Immed,  Prev: Dired Deletion,  Up: Dired

Immediate File Operations in Dired
----------------------------------

Some file operations in Dired take place immediately when they are
requested.

`C'
     Copies the file described on the current line.  You must supply a
     file name to copy to, using the minibuffer.

`f'
     Visits the file described on the current line.  It is just like
     typing `C-x C-f' and supplying that file name.  If the file on
     this line is a subdirectory, `f' actually causes Dired to be
     invoked on that subdirectory.  *Note Visiting::.

`o'
     Like `f', but uses another window to display the file's buffer.
     The Dired buffer remains visible in the first window.  This is
     like using `C-x 4 C-f' to visit the file.  *Note Windows::.

`R'
     Renames the file described on the current line.  You must supply a
     file name to rename to, using the minibuffer.

`v'
     Views the file described on this line using `M-x view-file'.
     Viewing a file is like visiting it, but is slanted toward moving
     around in the file conveniently and does not allow changing the
     file.  *Note View File: Misc File Ops.  Viewing a file that is a
     directory runs Dired on that directory.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Misc File Ops,  Prev: Dired,  Up: Files

Miscellaneous File Operations
=============================

Emacs has commands for performing many other operations on files.  All
operate on one file; they do not accept wildcard file names.

   You can use the command `M-x add-name-to-file' to add a name to an
existing file without removing the old name.  The new name must belong
on the file system that the file is on.

   `M-x append-to-file' adds the text of the region to the end of the
specified file.

   `M-x copy-file' reads the file OLD and writes a new file named NEW
with the same contents.  Confirmation is required if a file named NEW
already exists, because copying overwrites the old contents of the file
NEW.

   `M-x delete-file' deletes a specified file, like the `rm' command in
the shell.  If you are deleting many files in one directory, it may be
more convenient to use Dired (*note Dired::).

   `M-x insert-file' inserts a copy of the contents of a specified file
into the current buffer at point, leaving point unchanged before the
contents and the mark after them.  *Note Mark::.

   `M-x make-symbolic-link' reads two file names OLD and LINKNAME, and
then creates a symbolic link named LINKNAME and pointing at OLD.
Future attempts to open file LINKNAME will then refer to the file named
OLD at the time the opening is done, or will result in an error if the
name OLD is not in use at that time.  Confirmation is required if you
create the link while LINKNAME is in use.  Note that not all systems
support symbolic links.

   `M-x rename-file' reads two file names OLD and NEW using the
minibuffer, then renames file OLD as NEW.  If a file named NEW already
exists, you must confirm with `yes' or renaming is not done; this is
because renaming causes the previous meaning of the name NEW to be
lost.  If OLD and NEW are on different file systems, the file OLD is
copied and deleted.

   `M-x view-file' allows you to scan or read a file by sequential
screenfuls.  It reads a file name argument using the minibuffer.  After
reading the file into an Emacs buffer, `view-file' reads and displays
one windowful.  You can then type <SPC> to scroll forward one window,
or <DEL> to scroll backward.  Various other commands are provided for
moving around in the file, but none for changing it; type `C-h' while
viewing a file for a list of them.  Most commands are the default Emacs
cursor motion commands.  To exit from viewing, type `C-c'.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Buffers,  Next: Windows,  Prev: Files,  Up: Top

Using Multiple Buffers
**********************

Text you are editing in Emacs resides in an object called a "buffer".
Each time you visit a file, Emacs creates a buffer to hold the file's
text.  Each time you invoke Dired, Emacs creates a buffer to hold the
directory listing.  If you send a message with `C-x m', a buffer named
`*mail*' is used to hold the text of the message.  When you ask for a
command's documentation, it appears in a buffer called `*Help*'.

   At any time, one and only one buffer is "selected".  It is also
called the "current buffer".  Saying a command operates on "the buffer"
really means that the command operates on the selected buffer, as most
commands do.

   When Emacs creates multiple windows, each window has a chosen buffer
which is displayed there, but at any time only one of the windows is
selected and its chosen buffer is the selected buffer.  Each window's
mode line displays the name of the buffer the window is displaying
(*note Windows::).

   Each buffer has a name which can be of any length but is
case-sensitive.  You can select a buffer using its name.  Most buffers
are created when you visit files; their names are derived from the
files' names.  You can also create an empty buffer with any name you
want.  A newly started Emacs has a buffer named `*scratch*' which you
can use for evaluating Lisp expressions in Emacs.

   Each buffer records what file it is visiting, whether it is
modified, and what major mode and minor modes are in effect in it
(*note Major Modes::).  Any Emacs variable can be made "local to" a
particular buffer, meaning its value in that buffer can be different
from the value in other buffers.  *Note Locals::.

* Menu:

* Select Buffer::   Creating a new buffer or reselecting an old one.
* List Buffers::    Getting a list of buffers that exist.
* Misc Buffer::     Renaming; changing read-onliness; copying text.
* Kill Buffer::     Killing buffers you no longer need.
* Several Buffers:: How to go through the list of all buffers
                     and operate variously on several of them.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Select Buffer,  Next: List Buffers,  Prev: Buffers,  Up: Buffers

Creating and Selecting Buffers
==============================

`C-x b BUFFER <RET>'
     Select or create a buffer named BUFFER (`switch-to-buffer').

`C-x 4 b BUFFER <RET>'
     Similar, but select a buffer named BUFFER in another window
     (`switch-to-buffer-other-window').

`M-x switch-to-other-buffer N'
     Switch to the previous buffer.

   To select a buffer named BUFNAME, type `C-x b BUFNAME <RET>'.  This
is the command `switch-to-buffer' with argument BUFNAME.  You can use
completion on an abbreviation for the buffer name you want (*note
Completion::).  An empty argument to `C-x b' specifies the most
recently selected buffer that is not displayed in any window.

   Most buffers are created when you visit files, or use Emacs commands
that display text.  You can also create a buffer explicitly by typing
`C-x b BUFNAME <RET>', which creates a new, empty buffer that is not
visiting any file, and selects it for editing.  The new buffer's major
mode is determined by the value of `default-major-mode' (*note Major
Modes::).  Buffers not visiting files are usually used for making notes
to yourself.  If you try to save one, you are asked for the file name
to use.

   The function `switch-to-buffer-other-frame' is similar to
`switch-to-buffer' except that it creates a new frame in which to
display the selected buffer.

   Use `M-x switch-to-other-buffer' to visit the previous buffer. If
you supply a positive integer N, the Nth most recent buffer is
displayed. If you supply an argument of 0, the current buffer is moved
to the bottom of the buffer stack.

   Note that you can also use `C-x C-f' and any other command for
visiting a file to switch buffers.  *Note Visiting::.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: List Buffers,  Next: Misc Buffer,  Prev: Select Buffer,  Up: Buffers

Listing Existing Buffers
========================

`C-x C-b'
     List the existing buffers (`list-buffers').

   To print a list of all existing buffers, type `C-x C-b'.  Each line
in the list shows one buffer's name, major mode, and visited file.  A
`*' at the beginning of a line indicates the buffer has been
"modified".  If several buffers are modified, it may be time to save
some with `C-x s' (*note Saving::).  A `%' indicates a read-only
buffer.  A `.' marks the selected buffer.  Here is an example of a
buffer list:

      MR Buffer         Size  Mode           File
      -- ------         ----  ----           ----
     .*  emacs.tex      383402 Texinfo       /u2/emacs/man/emacs.tex
         *Help*         1287  Fundamental
         files.el       23076 Emacs-Lisp     /u2/emacs/lisp/files.el
       % RMAIL          64042 RMAIL          /u/rms/RMAIL
      *% man            747   Dired          /u2/emacs/man/
         net.emacs      343885 Fundamental   /u/rms/net.emacs
         fileio.c       27691 C              /u2/emacs/src/fileio.c
         NEWS           67340 Text           /u2/emacs/etc/NEWS
         *scratch*      0     Lisp Interaction

Note that the buffer `*Help*' was made by a help request; it is not
visiting any file.  The buffer `man' was made by Dired on the directory
`/u2/emacs/man/'.

   As you move the mouse over the `*Buffer List*' buffer, the lines are
highlighted.  This visual cue indicates that clicking the right mouse
button (`button3') will pop up a menu of commands on the buffer
represented by this line.  This menu duplicates most of those commands
which are bound to keys in the `*Buffer List*' buffer.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Misc Buffer,  Next: Kill Buffer,  Prev: List Buffers,  Up: Buffers

Miscellaneous Buffer Operations
===============================

`C-x C-q'
     Toggle read-only status of buffer (`toggle-read-only').

`M-x rename-buffer'
     Change the name of the current buffer.

`M-x view-buffer'
     Scroll through a buffer.

   A buffer can be "read-only", which means that commands to change its
text are not allowed.  Normally, read-only buffers are created by
subsystems such as Dired and Rmail that have special commands to operate
on the text.  Emacs also creates a read-only buffer if you visit a file
that is protected.  To make changes in a read-only buffer, use the
command `C-x C-q' (`toggle-read-only').  It makes a read-only buffer
writable, and makes a writable buffer read-only.  This works by setting
the variable `buffer-read-only', which has a local value in each buffer
and makes a buffer read-only if its value is non-`nil'.

   `M-x rename-buffer' changes the name of the current buffer,
prompting for the new name in the minibuffer.  There is no default.  If
you specify a name that is used by a different buffer, an error is
signalled and renaming is not done.

   `M-x view-buffer' is similar to `M-x view-file' (*note Misc File
Ops::), but it examines an already existing Emacs buffer.  View mode
provides convenient commands for scrolling through the buffer but not
for changing it.  When you exit View mode, the resulting value of point
remains in effect.

   To copy text from one buffer to another, use the commands `M-x
append-to-buffer' and `M-x insert-buffer'.  *Note Accumulating Text::.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Kill Buffer,  Next: Several Buffers,  Prev: Misc Buffer,  Up: Buffers

Killing Buffers
===============

After using Emacs for a while, you may accumulate a large number of
buffers and may want to eliminate the ones you no longer need.  There
are several commands for doing this.

`C-x k'
     Kill a buffer, specified by name (`kill-buffer').

`M-x kill-some-buffers'
     Offer to kill each buffer, one by one.

   `C-x k' (`kill-buffer') kills one buffer, whose name you specify in
the minibuffer.  If you type just <RET> in the minibuffer, the default,
killing the current buffer, is used.  If the current buffer is killed,
the buffer that has been selected recently but does not appear in any
window now is selected.  If the buffer being killed contains unsaved
changes, you are asked to confirm with `yes' before the buffer is
killed.

   The command `M-x kill-some-buffers' asks about each buffer, one by
one.  An answer of `y' means to kill the buffer.  Killing the current
buffer or a buffer containing unsaved changes selects a new buffer or
asks for confirmation just like `kill-buffer'.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Several Buffers,  Prev: Kill Buffer,  Up: Buffers

Operating on Several Buffers
============================

The "buffer-menu" facility is like a "Dired for buffers"; it allows you
to request operations on various Emacs buffers by editing a buffer
containing a list of them.  You can save buffers, kill them (here
called "deleting" them, for consistency with Dired), or display them.

`M-x buffer-menu'
     Begin editing a buffer listing all Emacs buffers.

   The command `buffer-menu' writes a list of all Emacs buffers into
the buffer `*Buffer List*', and selects that buffer in Buffer Menu
mode.  The buffer is read-only.  You can only change it using the
special commands described in this section.  Most of the commands are
graphic characters.  You can use  Emacs cursor motion commands in the
`*Buffer List*' buffer.  If the cursor is on a line describing a
buffer, the following  special commands apply to that buffer:

`d'
     Request to delete (kill) the buffer, then move down.  A `D' before
     the buffer name on a line indicates a deletion request.  Requested
     deletions actually take place when you use the `x' command.

`k'
     Synonym for `d'.

`C-d'
     Like `d' but move up afterwards instead of down.

`s'
     Request to save the buffer.  An `S' before the buffer name on a
     line indicates the request.  Requested saves actually take place
     when you use the `x' command.  You can request both saving and
     deletion for the same buffer.

`~'
     Mark buffer "unmodified".  The command `~' does this immediately
     when typed.

`x'
     Perform previously requested deletions and saves.

`u'
     Remove any request made for the current line, and move down.

`<DEL>'
     Move to previous line and remove any request made for that line.

   All commands that add or remove flags to request later operations
also move down a line.  They accept a numeric argument as a repeat
count, unless otherwise specified.

   There are also special commands to use the buffer list to select
another buffer, and to specify one or more other buffers for display in
additional windows.

`1'
     Select the buffer in a full-frame window.  This command takes
     effect immediately.

`2'
     Immediately set up two windows, with this buffer in one and the
     buffer selected before `*Buffer List*' in the other.

`f'
     Immediately select the buffer in place of the `*Buffer List*'
     buffer.

`o'
     Immediately select the buffer in another window as if by `C-x 4 b',
     leaving `*Buffer List*' visible.

`q'
     Immediately select this buffer, and display any buffers previously
     flagged with the `m' command in other windows.  If there are no
     buffers flagged with `m', this command is equivalent to `1'.

`m'
     Flag this buffer to be displayed in another window if the `q'
     command is used.  The request shows as a `>' at the beginning of
     the line.  The same buffer may not have both a delete request and a
     display request.

   Going back between a `buffer-menu' buffer and other Emacs buffers is
easy.  You can, for example, switch from the `*Buffer List*' buffer to
another Emacs buffer, and edit there.  You can then reselect the
`buffer-menu' buffer and perform operations already requested, or you
can kill that buffer or pay no further attention to it.   All that
`buffer-menu' does directly is create and select a suitable buffer, and
turn on Buffer Menu mode.  All the other capabilities of the buffer
menu are implemented by special commands provided in Buffer Menu mode.

   The only difference between `buffer-menu' and `list-buffers' is that
`buffer-menu' selects the `*Buffer List*' buffer and `list-buffers'
does not.  If you run `list-buffers' (that is, type `C-x C-b') and
select the buffer list manually, you can use all the commands described
here.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Windows,  Next: Mule,  Prev: Buffers,  Up: Top

Multiple Windows
****************

Emacs can split the frame into two or many windows, which can display
parts of different buffers or different parts of one buffer.  If you are
running XEmacs under X, that means you can have the X window that
contains the Emacs frame have multiple subwindows.

* Menu:

* Basic Window::     Introduction to Emacs windows.
* Split Window::     New windows are made by splitting existing windows.
* Other Window::     Moving to another window or doing something to it.
* Pop Up Window::    Finding a file or buffer in another window.
* Change Window::    Deleting windows and changing their sizes.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Basic Window,  Next: Split Window,  Prev: Windows,  Up: Windows

Concepts of Emacs Windows
=========================

When Emacs displays multiple windows, each window has one Emacs buffer
designated for display.  The same buffer may appear in more than one
window; if it does, any changes in its text are displayed in all the
windows that display it.  Windows showing the same buffer can show
different parts of it, because each window has its own value of point.

   At any time, one  window is the "selected window"; the buffer
displayed by that window is the current buffer.  The cursor shows the
location of point in that window.  Each other window has a location of
point as well, but since the terminal has only one cursor, it cannot
show the location of point in the other windows.

   Commands to move point affect the value of point for the selected
Emacs window only.  They do not change the value of point in any other
Emacs window, including those showing the same buffer.  The same is
true for commands such as `C-x b' to change the selected buffer in the
selected window; they do not affect other windows at all.  However,
there are other commands such as `C-x 4 b' that select a different
window and switch buffers in it.  Also, all commands that display
information in a window, including (for example) `C-h f'
(`describe-function') and `C-x C-b' (`list-buffers'), work by switching
buffers in a non-selected window without affecting the selected window.

   Each window has its own mode line, which displays the buffer name,
modification status, and major and minor modes of the buffer that is
displayed in the window.  *Note Mode Line::, for details on the mode
line.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Split Window,  Next: Other Window,  Prev: Basic Window,  Up: Windows

Splitting Windows
=================

`C-x 2'
     Split the selected window into two windows, one above the other
     (`split-window-vertically').

`C-x 3'
     Split the selected window into two windows positioned side by side
     (`split-window-horizontally').

`C-x 6'
     Save the current window configuration in register REG (a letter).

`C-x 7'
     Restore (make current) the window configuration in register REG (a
     letter).  Use with a register previously set with `C-x 6'.

   The command `C-x 2' (`split-window-vertically') breaks the selected
window into two windows, one above the other.  Both windows start out
displaying the same buffer, with the same value of point.  By default
each of the two windows gets half the height of the window that was
split.  A numeric argument specifies how many lines to give to the top
window.

   `C-x 3' (`split-window-horizontally') breaks the selected window
into two side-by-side windows.  A numeric argument specifies how many
columns to give the one on the left.  A line of vertical bars separates
the two windows.  Windows that are not the full width of the frame have
truncated mode lines which do not always appear in inverse video,
because Emacs display routines cannot display a region of inverse video
that is only part of a line on the screen.

   When a window is less than the full width, many text lines are too
long to fit.  Continuing all those lines might be confusing.  Set the
variable `truncate-partial-width-windows' to non-`nil' to force
truncation in all windows less than the full width of the frame,
independent of the buffer and its value for `truncate-lines'.  *Note
Continuation Lines::.

   Horizontal scrolling is often used in side-by-side windows.  *Note
Display::.

   You can resize a window and store that configuration in a register by
supplying a REGISTER argument to `window-configuration-to-register'
(`C-x 6'). To return to the window configuration established with
`window-configuration-to-register', use `jump-to-register' (`C-x j').

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Other Window,  Next: Pop Up Window,  Prev: Split Window,  Up: Windows

Using Other Windows
===================

`C-x o'
     Select another window (`other-window').  That is the letter `o',
     not zero.

`M-C-v'
     Scroll the next window (`scroll-other-window').

`M-x compare-windows'
     Find the next place where the text in the selected window does not
     match the text in the next window.

`M-x other-window-any-frame N'
     Select the Nth different window on any frame.

   To select a different window, use `C-x o' (`other-window').  That is
an `o', for `other', not a zero.  When there are more than two windows,
the command moves through all the windows in a cyclic order, generally
top to bottom and left to right.  From the rightmost and bottommost
window, it goes back to the one at the upper left corner.  A numeric
argument, N, moves several steps in the cyclic order of windows. A
negative numeric argument moves around the cycle in the opposite order.
If the optional second argument WHICH-FRAMES is non-`nil', the
function cycles through all frames.  When the minibuffer is active, the
minibuffer is the last window in the cycle; you can switch from the
minibuffer window to one of the other windows, and later switch back
and finish supplying the minibuffer argument that is requested.  *Note
Minibuffer Edit::.

   The command `M-x other-window-any-frame' also selects the window N
steps away in the cyclic order.  However, unlike `other-window', this
command selects a window on the next or previous frame instead of
wrapping around to the top or bottom of the current frame, when there
are no more windows.

   The usual scrolling commands (*note Display::) apply to the selected
window only.  `M-C-v' (`scroll-other-window') scrolls the window that
`C-x o' would select.  Like `C-v', it takes positive and negative
arguments.

   The command `M-x compare-windows' compares the text in the current
window with the text in the next window.  Comparison starts at point in
each window.  Point moves forward in each window, a character at a time,
until the next set of characters in the two windows are different.
Then the command is finished.

   A prefix argument IGNORE-WHITESPACE means ignore changes in
whitespace.  The variable `compare-windows-whitespace' controls how
whitespace is skipped.

   If `compare-ignore-case' is non-`nil', changes in case are also
ignored.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Pop Up Window,  Next: Change Window,  Prev: Other Window,  Up: Windows

Displaying in Another Window
============================

`C-x 4' is a prefix key for commands that select another window
(splitting the window if there is only one) and select a buffer in that
window.  Different `C-x 4' commands have different ways of finding the
buffer to select.

`C-x 4 b BUFNAME <RET>'
     Select buffer BUFNAME in another window.  This runs
     `switch-to-buffer-other-window'.

`C-x 4 f FILENAME <RET>'
     Visit file FILENAME and select its buffer in another window.  This
     runs `find-file-other-window'.  *Note Visiting::.

`C-x 4 d DIRECTORY <RET>'
     Select a Dired buffer for directory DIRECTORY in another window.
     This runs `dired-other-window'.  *Note Dired::.

`C-x 4 m'
     Start composing a mail message in another window.  This runs
     `mail-other-window', and its same-window version is `C-x m' (*note
     Sending Mail::).

`C-x 4 .'
     Find a tag in the current tag table in another window.  This runs
     `find-tag-other-window', the multiple-window variant of `M-.'
     (*note Tags::).

   If the variable `display-buffer-function' is non-`nil', its value is
the function to call to handle `display-buffer'. It receives two
arguments, the buffer and a flag that if non-`nil' means that the
currently selected window is not acceptable. Commands such as
`switch-to-buffer-other-window' and `find-file-other-window' work using
this function.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Change Window,  Prev: Pop Up Window,  Up: Windows

Deleting and Rearranging Windows
================================

`C-x 0'
     Get rid of the selected window (`delete-window').  That is a zero.
     If there is more than one Emacs frame, deleting the sole remaining
     window on that frame deletes the frame as well. If the current
     frame is the only frame, it is not deleted.

`C-x 1'
     Get rid of all windows except the selected one
     (`delete-other-windows').

`C-x ^'
     Make the selected window taller, at the expense of the other(s)
     (`enlarge-window').

`C-x }'
     Make the selected window wider (`enlarge-window-horizontally').

   To delete a window, type `C-x 0' (`delete-window').  (That is a
zero.)  The space occupied by the deleted window is distributed among
the other active windows (but not the minibuffer window, even if that
is active at the time).  Once a window is deleted, its attributes are
forgotten; there is no automatic way to make another window of the same
shape or showing the same buffer.  The buffer continues to exist, and
you can select it in any window with `C-x b'.

   `C-x 1' (`delete-other-windows') is more powerful than `C-x 0'; it
deletes all the windows except the selected one (and the minibuffer).
The selected window expands to use the whole frame except for the echo
area.

   To readjust the division of space among existing windows, use `C-x
^' (`enlarge-window').  It makes the currently selected window longer
by one line or as many lines as a numeric argument specifies.  With a
negative argument, it makes the selected window smaller.  `C-x }'
(`enlarge-window-horizontally') makes the selected window wider by the
specified number of columns.  The extra screen space given to a window
comes from one of its neighbors, if that is possible; otherwise, all
the competing windows are shrunk in the same proportion.  If this makes
some windows too small, those windows are deleted and their space is
divided up.   Minimum window size is specified by the variables
`window-min-height' and `window-min-width'.

   You can also resize windows within a frame by clicking the left mouse
button on a modeline, and dragging.

   Clicking the right button on a mode line pops up a menu of common
window manager operations.  This menu contains the following options:

Delete Window
     Remove the window above this modeline from the frame.

Delete Other Windows
     Delete all windows on the frame except for the one above this
     modeline.

Split Window
     Split the window above the mode line in half, creating another
     window.

Split Window Horizontally
     Split the window above the mode line in half horizontally, so that
     there will be two windows side-by-side.

Balance Windows
     Readjust the sizes of all windows on the frame until all windows
     have roughly the same number of lines.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Mule,  Next: Major Modes,  Prev: Windows,  Up: Top

World Scripts Support
*********************

If you compile XEmacs with Mule option, it supports a wide variety of
world scripts, including Latin script, as well as Arabic script,
Simplified Chinese script (for mainland of China), Traditional Chinese
script (for Taiwan and Hong-Kong), Greek script, Hebrew script, IPA
symbols, Japanese scripts (Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji), Korean scripts
(Hangul and Hanja) and Cyrillic script (for Byelorussian, Bulgarian,
Russian, Serbian and Ukrainian).  These features have been merged from
the modified version of Emacs known as MULE (for "MULti-lingual
Enhancement to GNU Emacs").

* Menu:

* Mule Intro::              Basic concepts of Mule.
* Language Environments::   Setting things up for the language you use.
* Input Methods::           Entering text characters not on your keyboard.
* Select Input Method::     Specifying your choice of input methods.
* Mule and Fonts::          Additional font-related issues
* Coding Systems::          Character set conversion when you read and
                              write files, and so on.
* Recognize Coding::        How XEmacs figures out which conversion to use.
* Specify Coding::          Various ways to choose which conversion to use.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Mule Intro,  Next: Language Environments,  Prev: Mule,  Up: Mule

What is Mule?
=============

Mule is the MUltiLingual Extension to XEmacs.  It provides facilities
not only for handling text written in many different languages, but in
fact multilingual texts containing several languages in the same buffer.
This goes beyond the simple facilities offered by Unicode for
representation of multilingual text.  Mule also supports input methods,
composing display using fonts in various different encodings, changing
character syntax and other editing facilities to correspond to local
language usage, and more.

   The most obvious problem is that of the different character coding
systems used by different languages.  ASCII supplies all the characters
needed for most computer programming languages and US English (it lacks
the currency symbol for British English), but other Western European
languages (French, Spanish, German) require more than 96 code positions
for accented characters.  In fact, even with 8 bits to represent 96 more
character (including accented characters and symbols such as currency
symbols), some languages' alphabets remain incomplete (Croatian,
Polish).  (The 64 "missing characters" are reserved for control
characters.)  Furthermore, many European languages have their own
alphabets, which must conflict with the accented characters since the
ASCII characters are needed for computer interaction (error and log
messages are typically in ASCII).

   For economy of space, historical practice has been for each language
to establish its own encoding for the characters it needs.  This allows
most European languages to represented with one octet (byte) per
character.  However, many Asian languages have thousands of characters
and require two or more octets per character.  For multilingual
purposes, the ISO 2022 standard establishes escape codes that allow
switching encodings in midstream.  (It's also ISO 2022 that establishes
the standard that code points 0-31 and 128-159 are control codes.)

   However, this is error-prone and complex for internal processing.
For this reason XEmacs uses an internal coding system which can encode
all of the world's scripts.  Unfortunately, for historical reasons, this
code is not Unicode, although we are moving in that direction.

   XEmacs translates between the internal character encoding and various
other coding systems when reading and writing files, when exchanging
data with subprocesses, and (in some cases) in the `C-q' command (see
below).  The internal encoding is never visible to the user in a
production XEmacs, but unfortunately the process cannot be completely
transparent to the user.  This is because the same ranges of octets may
represent 1-octet ISO-8859-1 (which is satisfactory for most Western
European use prior to the introduction of the Euro currency), 1-octet
ISO-8859-15 (which substitutes the Euro for the rarely used "generic
currency" symbol), 1-octet ISO-8859-5 (Cyrillic), or multioctet EUC-JP
(Japanese).  There's no way to tell without being able to read!

   A number of heuristics are incorporated in Mule for automatic
recognition, there are facilities for the user to set defaults, and
where necessary (rarely, we hope) to set coding systems directly.

   The command `C-h h' (`view-hello-file') displays the file
`etc/HELLO', which shows how to say "hello" in many languages.  This
illustrates various scripts.

   Keyboards, even in the countries where these character sets are used,
generally don't have keys for all the characters in them.  So XEmacs
supports various "input methods", typically one for each script or
language, to make it convenient to type them.

   The prefix key `C-x <RET>' is used for commands that pertain to
world scripts, coding systems, and input methods.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Language Environments,  Next: Input Methods,  Prev: Mule Intro,  Up: Mule

Language Environments
=====================

All supported character sets are supported in XEmacs buffers if it is
compiled with Mule; there is no need to select a particular language in
order to display its characters in an XEmacs buffer.  However, it is
important to select a "language environment" in order to set various
defaults.  The language environment really represents a choice of
preferred script (more or less) rather that a choice of language.

   The language environment controls which coding systems to recognize
when reading text (*note Recognize Coding::).  This applies to files,
incoming mail, netnews, and any other text you read into XEmacs.  It may
also specify the default coding system to use when you create a file.
Each language environment also specifies a default input method.

   The command to select a language environment is `M-x
set-language-environment'.  It makes no difference which buffer is
current when you use this command, because the effects apply globally to
the XEmacs session.  The supported language environments include:

     ASCII, Chinese-BIG5, Chinese-GB, Croatian, Cyrillic-ALT,
     Cyrillic-ISO, Cyrillic-KOI8, Cyrillic-Win, Czech, English,
     Ethiopic, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, IPA, Japanese, Korean,
     Latin-1, Latin-2, Latin-3, Latin-4, Latin-5, Norwegian, Polish,
     Romanian, Slovenian, Thai-XTIS, Vietnamese.

   Some operating systems let you specify the language you are using by
setting locale environment variables.  XEmacs handles one common special
case of this: if your locale name for character types contains the
string `8859-N', XEmacs automatically selects the corresponding
language environment.

   To display information about the effects of a certain language
environment LANG-ENV, use the command `C-h L LANG-ENV <RET>'
(`describe-language-environment').  This tells you which languages this
language environment is useful for, and lists the character sets,
coding systems, and input methods that go with it.  It also shows some
sample text to illustrate scripts used in this language environment.
By default, this command describes the chosen language environment.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Input Methods,  Next: Select Input Method,  Prev: Language Environments,  Up: Mule

Input Methods
=============

An "input method" is a kind of character conversion designed
specifically for interactive input.  In XEmacs, typically each language
has its own input method; sometimes several languages which use the same
characters can share one input method.  A few languages support several
input methods.

   The simplest kind of input method works by mapping ASCII letters into
another alphabet.  This is how the Greek and Russian input methods work.

   A more powerful technique is composition: converting sequences of
characters into one letter.  Many European input methods use composition
to produce a single non-ASCII letter from a sequence that consists of a
letter followed by accent characters.  For example, some methods convert
the sequence `'a' into a single accented letter.

   The input methods for syllabic scripts typically use mapping followed
by composition.  The input methods for Thai and Korean work this way.
First, letters are mapped into symbols for particular sounds or tone
marks; then, sequences of these which make up a whole syllable are
mapped into one syllable sign.

   Chinese and Japanese require more complex methods.  In Chinese input
methods, first you enter the phonetic spelling of a Chinese word (in
input method `chinese-py', among others), or a sequence of portions of
the character (input methods `chinese-4corner' and `chinese-sw', and
others).  Since one phonetic spelling typically corresponds to many
different Chinese characters, you must select one of the alternatives
using special XEmacs commands.  Keys such as `C-f', `C-b', `C-n',
`C-p', and digits have special definitions in this situation, used for
selecting among the alternatives.  <TAB> displays a buffer showing all
the possibilities.

   In Japanese input methods, first you input a whole word using
phonetic spelling; then, after the word is in the buffer, XEmacs
converts it into one or more characters using a large dictionary.  One
phonetic spelling corresponds to many differently written Japanese
words, so you must select one of them; use `C-n' and `C-p' to cycle
through the alternatives.

   Sometimes it is useful to cut off input method processing so that the
characters you have just entered will not combine with subsequent
characters.  For example, in input method `latin-1-postfix', the
sequence `e '' combines to form an `e' with an accent.  What if you
want to enter them as separate characters?

   One way is to type the accent twice; that is a special feature for
entering the separate letter and accent.  For example, `e ' '' gives
you the two characters `e''.  Another way is to type another letter
after the `e'--something that won't combine with that--and immediately
delete it.  For example, you could type `e e <DEL> '' to get separate
`e' and `''.

   Another method, more general but not quite as easy to type, is to use
`C-\ C-\' between two characters to stop them from combining.  This is
the command `C-\' (`toggle-input-method') used twice.  *Note Select
Input Method::.

   `C-\ C-\' is especially useful inside an incremental search, because
stops waiting for more characters to combine, and starts searching for
what you have already entered.

   The variables `input-method-highlight-flag' and
`input-method-verbose-flag' control how input methods explain what is
happening.  If `input-method-highlight-flag' is non-`nil', the partial
sequence is highlighted in the buffer.  If `input-method-verbose-flag'
is non-`nil', the list of possible characters to type next is displayed
in the echo area (but not when you are in the minibuffer).

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Select Input Method,  Next: Mule and Fonts,  Prev: Input Methods,  Up: Mule

Selecting an Input Method
=========================

`C-\'
     Enable or disable use of the selected input method.

`C-x <RET> C-\ METHOD <RET>'
     Select a new input method for the current buffer.

`C-h I METHOD <RET>'
`C-h C-\ METHOD <RET>'
     Describe the input method METHOD (`describe-input-method').  By
     default, it describes the current input method (if any).

`M-x list-input-methods'
     Display a list of all the supported input methods.

   To choose an input method for the current buffer, use `C-x <RET>
C-\' (`select-input-method').  This command reads the input method name
with the minibuffer; the name normally starts with the language
environment that it is meant to be used with.  The variable
`current-input-method' records which input method is selected.

   Input methods use various sequences of ASCII characters to stand for
non-ASCII characters.  Sometimes it is useful to turn off the input
method temporarily.  To do this, type `C-\' (`toggle-input-method').
To reenable the input method, type `C-\' again.

   If you type `C-\' and you have not yet selected an input method, it
prompts for you to specify one.  This has the same effect as using `C-x
<RET> C-\' to specify an input method.

   Selecting a language environment specifies a default input method for
use in various buffers.  When you have a default input method, you can
select it in the current buffer by typing `C-\'.  The variable
`default-input-method' specifies the default input method (`nil' means
there is none).

   Some input methods for alphabetic scripts work by (in effect)
remapping the keyboard to emulate various keyboard layouts commonly used
for those scripts.  How to do this remapping properly depends on your
actual keyboard layout.  To specify which layout your keyboard has, use
the command `M-x quail-set-keyboard-layout'.

   To display a list of all the supported input methods, type `M-x
list-input-methods'.  The list gives information about each input
method, including the string that stands for it in the mode line.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Mule and Fonts,  Next: Coding Systems,  Prev: Select Input Method,  Up: Mule

Mule and Fonts
==============

(This section is X11-specific.)

   Text in XEmacs buffers is displayed using various faces.  In
addition to specifying properties of a face, such as font and color,
there are some additional properties of Mule charsets that are used in
text.

   There is currently two properties of a charset that could be
adjusted by user: font registry and so called "ccl-program".

   Font registry is a regular expression matching the font registry
field for this character set.  For example, both the `ascii' and
`latin-iso8859-1' charsets use the registry `"ISO8859-1"'.  This field
is used to choose an appropriate font when the user gives a general
font specification such as `-*-courier-medium-r-*-140-*', i.e. a
14-point upright medium-weight Courier font.

   You can set font registry for a charset using `set-charset-registry'
function in one of your startup files.  This function takes two
arguments: character set (as a symbol) and font registry (as a string).

   E. g., for Cyrillic texts Mule uses `cyrillic-iso8859-5' charset
with `"ISO8859-5"' as a default registry, and we want to use `"koi8-r"'
instead, because fonts in that encoding are installed on our system.
Use:

     (set-charset-registry 'cyrillic-iso8859-5 "koi8-r")

   (Please note that you probably also want to set font registry for
`ascii' charset so that mixed English/Cyrillic texts be displayed using
the same font.)

   "CCL-programs" are a little special-purpose scripts defined within
XEmacs or in some package.  Those scripts allow XEmacs to use fonts that
are in different encoding from the encoding that is used by Mule for
text in buffer.  Returning to the above example, we need to somehow tell
XEmacs that we have different encodings of fonts and text and so it
needs to convert characters between those encodings when displaying.
That's what `set-charset-ccl-program' function is used for.  There are
quite a few various CCL programs defined within XEmacs, and there is no
comprehensive list of them, so you currently have to consult sources.

   We know that there is a CCL program called `ccl-encode-koi8-r-font'
that is used exactly for needed purpose: to convert characters between
`ISO8859-5' encoding and `koi8-r'.  Use:

     (set-charset-ccl-program 'cyrillic-iso8859-5 'ccl-encode-koi8-r-font)

   There are several more uses for CCL programs, not related to fonts,
but those uses are not described here.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Coding Systems,  Next: Recognize Coding,  Prev: Mule and Fonts,  Up: Mule

Coding Systems
==============

Users of various languages have established many more-or-less standard
coding systems for representing them.  XEmacs does not use these coding
systems internally; instead, it converts from various coding systems to
its own system when reading data, and converts the internal coding
system to other coding systems when writing data.  Conversion is
possible in reading or writing files, in sending or receiving from the
terminal, and in exchanging data with subprocesses.

   XEmacs assigns a name to each coding system.  Most coding systems are
used for one language, and the name of the coding system starts with the
language name.  Some coding systems are used for several languages;
their names usually start with `iso'.  There are also special coding
systems `binary' and `no-conversion' which do not convert printing
characters at all.

   In addition to converting various representations of non-ASCII
characters, a coding system can perform end-of-line conversion.  XEmacs
handles three different conventions for how to separate lines in a file:
newline, carriage-return linefeed, and just carriage-return.

`C-h C CODING <RET>'
     Describe coding system CODING.

`C-h C <RET>'
     Describe the coding systems currently in use.

`M-x list-coding-systems'
     Display a list of all the supported coding systems.

`C-u M-x list-coding-systems'
     Display comprehensive list of specific details of all supported
     coding systems.

   The command `C-x RET C' (`describe-coding-system') displays
information about particular coding systems.  You can specify a coding
system name as argument; alternatively, with an empty argument, it
describes the coding systems currently selected for various purposes,
both in the current buffer and as the defaults, and the priority list
for recognizing coding systems (*note Recognize Coding::).

   To display a list of all the supported coding systems, type `M-x
list-coding-systems'.  The list gives information about each coding
system, including the letter that stands for it in the mode line (*note
Mode Line::).

   Each of the coding systems that appear in this list--except for
`binary', which means no conversion of any kind--specifies how and
whether to convert printing characters, but leaves the choice of
end-of-line conversion to be decided based on the contents of each file.
For example, if the file appears to use carriage-return linefeed between
lines, that end-of-line conversion will be used.

   Each of the listed coding systems has three variants which specify
exactly what to do for end-of-line conversion:

`...-unix'
     Don't do any end-of-line conversion; assume the file uses newline
     to separate lines.  (This is the convention normally used on Unix
     and GNU systems.)

`...-dos'
     Assume the file uses carriage-return linefeed to separate lines,
     and do the appropriate conversion.  (This is the convention
     normally used on Microsoft systems.)

`...-mac'
     Assume the file uses carriage-return to separate lines, and do the
     appropriate conversion.  (This is the convention normally used on
     the Macintosh system.)

   These variant coding systems are omitted from the
`list-coding-systems' display for brevity, since they are entirely
predictable.  For example, the coding system `iso-8859-1' has variants
`iso-8859-1-unix', `iso-8859-1-dos' and `iso-8859-1-mac'.

   In contrast, the coding system `binary' specifies no character code
conversion at all--none for non-Latin-1 byte values and none for end of
line.  This is useful for reading or writing binary files, tar files,
and other files that must be examined verbatim.

   The easiest way to edit a file with no conversion of any kind is with
the `M-x find-file-literally' command.  This uses `binary', and also
suppresses other XEmacs features that might convert the file contents
before you see them.  *Note Visiting::.

   The coding system `no-conversion' means that the file contains
non-Latin-1 characters stored with the internal XEmacs encoding.  It
handles end-of-line conversion based on the data encountered, and has
the usual three variants to specify the kind of end-of-line conversion.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Recognize Coding,  Next: Specify Coding,  Prev: Coding Systems,  Up: Mule

Recognizing Coding Systems
==========================

Most of the time, XEmacs can recognize which coding system to use for
any given file-once you have specified your preferences.

   Some coding systems can be recognized or distinguished by which byte
sequences appear in the data.  However, there are coding systems that
cannot be distinguished, not even potentially.  For example, there is no
way to distinguish between Latin-1 and Latin-2; they use the same byte
values with different meanings.

   XEmacs handles this situation by means of a priority list of coding
systems.  Whenever XEmacs reads a file, if you do not specify the coding
system to use, XEmacs checks the data against each coding system,
starting with the first in priority and working down the list, until it
finds a coding system that fits the data.  Then it converts the file
contents assuming that they are represented in this coding system.

   The priority list of coding systems depends on the selected language
environment (*note Language Environments::).  For example, if you use
French, you probably want XEmacs to prefer Latin-1 to Latin-2; if you
use Czech, you probably want Latin-2 to be preferred.  This is one of
the reasons to specify a language environment.

   However, you can alter the priority list in detail with the command
`M-x prefer-coding-system'.  This command reads the name of a coding
system from the minibuffer, and adds it to the front of the priority
list, so that it is preferred to all others.  If you use this command
several times, each use adds one element to the front of the priority
list.

   Sometimes a file name indicates which coding system to use for the
file.  The variable `file-coding-system-alist' specifies this
correspondence.  There is a special function
`modify-coding-system-alist' for adding elements to this list.  For
example, to read and write all `.txt' using the coding system
`china-iso-8bit', you can execute this Lisp expression:

     (modify-coding-system-alist 'file "\\.txt\\'" 'china-iso-8bit)

The first argument should be `file', the second argument should be a
regular expression that determines which files this applies to, and the
third argument says which coding system to use for these files.

   You can specify the coding system for a particular file using the
`-*-...-*-' construct at the beginning of a file, or a local variables
list at the end (*note File Variables::).  You do this by defining a
value for the "variable" named `coding'.  XEmacs does not really have a
variable `coding'; instead of setting a variable, it uses the specified
coding system for the file.  For example, `-*-mode: C; coding:
iso-8859-1;-*-' specifies use of the iso-8859-1 coding system, as well
as C mode.

   Once XEmacs has chosen a coding system for a buffer, it stores that
coding system in `buffer-file-coding-system' and uses that coding
system, by default, for operations that write from this buffer into a
file.  This includes the commands `save-buffer' and `write-region'.  If
you want to write files from this buffer using a different coding
system, you can specify a different coding system for the buffer using
`set-buffer-file-coding-system' (*note Specify Coding::).

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Specify Coding,  Prev: Recognize Coding,  Up: Mule

Specifying a Coding System
==========================

In cases where XEmacs does not automatically choose the right coding
system, you can use these commands to specify one:

`C-x <RET> f CODING <RET>'
     Use coding system CODING for the visited file in the current
     buffer.

`C-x <RET> c CODING <RET>'
     Specify coding system CODING for the immediately following command.

`C-x <RET> k CODING <RET>'
     Use coding system CODING for keyboard input.  (This feature is
     non-functional and is temporarily disabled.)

`C-x <RET> t CODING <RET>'
     Use coding system CODING for terminal output.

`C-x <RET> p CODING <RET>'
     Use coding system CODING for subprocess input and output in the
     current buffer.

   The command `C-x RET f' (`set-buffer-file-coding-system') specifies
the file coding system for the current buffer--in other words, which
coding system to use when saving or rereading the visited file.  You
specify which coding system using the minibuffer.  Since this command
applies to a file you have already visited, it affects only the way the
file is saved.

   Another way to specify the coding system for a file is when you visit
the file.  First use the command `C-x <RET> c'
(`universal-coding-system-argument'); this command uses the minibuffer
to read a coding system name.  After you exit the minibuffer, the
specified coding system is used for _the immediately following command_.

   So if the immediately following command is `C-x C-f', for example,
it reads the file using that coding system (and records the coding
system for when the file is saved).  Or if the immediately following
command is `C-x C-w', it writes the file using that coding system.
Other file commands affected by a specified coding system include `C-x
C-i' and `C-x C-v', as well as the other-window variants of `C-x C-f'.

   In addition, if you run some file input commands with the precedent
`C-u', you can specify coding system to read from minibuffer.  So if
the immediately following command is `C-x C-f', for example, it reads
the file using that coding system (and records the coding system for
when the file is saved).  Other file commands affected by a specified
coding system include `C-x C-i' and `C-x C-v', as well as the
other-window variants of `C-x C-f'.

   The variable `default-buffer-file-coding-system' specifies the
choice of coding system to use when you create a new file.  It applies
when you find a new file, and when you create a buffer and then save it
in a file.  Selecting a language environment typically sets this
variable to a good choice of default coding system for that language
environment.

   The command `C-x <RET> t' (`set-terminal-coding-system') specifies
the coding system for terminal output.  If you specify a character code
for terminal output, all characters output to the terminal are
translated into that coding system.

   This feature is useful for certain character-only terminals built to
support specific languages or character sets--for example, European
terminals that support one of the ISO Latin character sets.

   By default, output to the terminal is not translated at all.

   The command `C-x <RET> k' (`set-keyboard-coding-system') specifies
the coding system for keyboard input.  Character-code translation of
keyboard input is useful for terminals with keys that send non-ASCII
graphic characters--for example, some terminals designed for ISO
Latin-1 or subsets of it.

   By default, keyboard input is not translated at all.

   There is a similarity between using a coding system translation for
keyboard input, and using an input method: both define sequences of
keyboard input that translate into single characters.  However, input
methods are designed to be convenient for interactive use by humans, and
the sequences that are translated are typically sequences of ASCII
printing characters.  Coding systems typically translate sequences of
non-graphic characters.

   (This feature is non-functional and is temporarily disabled.)

   The command `C-x <RET> p' (`set-buffer-process-coding-system')
specifies the coding system for input and output to a subprocess.  This
command applies to the current buffer; normally, each subprocess has its
own buffer, and thus you can use this command to specify translation to
and from a particular subprocess by giving the command in the
corresponding buffer.

   By default, process input and output are not translated at all.

   The variable `file-name-coding-system' specifies a coding system to
use for encoding file names.  If you set the variable to a coding
system name (as a Lisp symbol or a string), XEmacs encodes file names
using that coding system for all file operations.  This makes it
possible to use non-Latin-1 characters in file names--or, at least,
those non-Latin-1 characters which the specified coding system can
encode.  By default, this variable is `nil', which implies that you
cannot use non-Latin-1 characters in file names.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Major Modes,  Next: Indentation,  Prev: Mule,  Up: Top

Major Modes
***********

Emacs has many different "major modes", each of which customizes Emacs
for editing text of a particular sort.  The major modes are mutually
exclusive;  at any time, each buffer has one major mode.  The mode line
normally contains the name of the current major mode in parentheses.
*Note Mode Line::.

   The least specialized major mode is called "Fundamental mode".  This
mode has no mode-specific redefinitions or variable settings.  Each
Emacs command behaves in its most general manner, and each option is in
its default state.  For editing any specific type of text, such as Lisp
code or English text, you should switch to the appropriate major mode,
such as Lisp mode or Text mode.

   Selecting a major mode changes the meanings of a few keys to become
more specifically adapted to the language being edited.  <TAB>, <DEL>,
and <LFD> are changed frequently.  In addition, commands which handle
comments use the mode to determine how to delimit comments.  Many major
modes redefine the syntactical properties of characters appearing in
the buffer.  *Note Syntax::.

   The major modes fall into three major groups.  Lisp mode (which has
several variants), C mode, and Muddle mode are for specific programming
languages.  Text mode, Nroff mode, TeX mode, and Outline mode are for
editing English text.  The remaining major modes are not intended for
use on users' files; they are used in buffers created by Emacs for
specific purposes and include Dired mode for buffers made by Dired
(*note Dired::), Mail mode for buffers made by `C-x m' (*note Sending
Mail::), and Shell mode for buffers used for communicating with an
inferior shell process (*note Interactive Shell::).

   Most programming language major modes specify that only blank lines
separate paragraphs.  This is so that the paragraph commands remain
useful.  *Note Paragraphs::.  They also cause Auto Fill mode to use the
definition of <TAB> to indent the new lines it creates.  This is
because most lines in a program are usually indented.  *Note
Indentation::.

* Menu:

* Choosing Modes::     How major modes are specified or chosen.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Choosing Modes,  Prev: Major Modes,  Up: Major Modes

Choosing Major Modes
====================

You can select a major mode explicitly for the current buffer, but most
of the time Emacs determines which mode to use based on the file name
or some text in the file.

   Use a `M-x' command to explicitly select a new major mode.  Add
`-mode' to the name of a major mode to get the name of a command to
select that mode.  For example, to enter Lisp mode, execute `M-x
lisp-mode'.

   When you visit a file, Emacs usually chooses the right major mode
based on the file's name.  For example, files whose names end in `.c'
are edited in C mode.  The variable `auto-mode-alist' controls the
correspondence between file names and major mode.  Its value is a list
in which each element has the form:

     (REGEXP . MODE-FUNCTION)

For example, one element normally found in the list has the form
`("\\.c$" . c-mode)'. It is responsible for selecting C mode for files
whose names end in `.c'.  (Note that `\\' is needed in Lisp syntax to
include a `\' in the string, which is needed to suppress the special
meaning of `.' in regexps.)  The only practical way to change this
variable is with Lisp code.

   You can specify which major mode should be used for editing a certain
file by a special sort of text in the first non-blank line of the file.
The mode name should appear in this line both preceded and followed by
`-*-'.  Other text may appear on the line as well.  For example,

     ;-*-Lisp-*-

tells Emacs to use Lisp mode.  Note how the semicolon is used to make
Lisp treat this line as a comment.  Such an explicit specification
overrides any default mode based on the file name.

   Another format of mode specification is:

     -*-Mode: MODENAME;-*-

which allows other things besides the major mode name to be specified.
However, Emacs does not look for anything except the mode name.

   The major mode can also be specified in a local variables list.
*Note File Variables::.

   When you visit a file that does not specify a major mode to use, or
when you create a new buffer with `C-x b', Emacs uses the major mode
specified by the variable `default-major-mode'.  Normally this value is
the symbol `fundamental-mode', which specifies Fundamental mode.  If
`default-major-mode' is `nil', the major mode is taken from the
previously selected buffer.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Indentation,  Next: Text,  Prev: Major Modes,  Up: Top

Indentation
***********

`<TAB>'
     Indent current line "appropriately" in a mode-dependent fashion.

`<LFD>'
     Perform <RET> followed by <TAB> (`newline-and-indent').

`M-^'
     Merge two lines (`delete-indentation').  This would cancel out the
     effect of <LFD>.

`C-M-o'
     Split line at point; text on the line after point becomes a new
     line indented to the same column that it now starts in
     (`split-line').

`M-m'
     Move (forward or back) to the first non-blank character on the
     current line (`back-to-indentation').

`C-M-\'
     Indent several lines to same column (`indent-region').

`C-x <TAB>'
     Shift block of lines rigidly right or left (`indent-rigidly').

`M-i'
     Indent from point to the next prespecified tab stop column
     (`tab-to-tab-stop').

`M-x indent-relative'
     Indent from point to under an indentation point in the previous
     line.

   Most programming languages have some indentation convention.  For
Lisp code, lines are indented according to their nesting in
parentheses.  The same general idea is used for C code, though details
differ.

   Use the <TAB> command to indent a line whatever the language.  Each
major mode defines this command to perform indentation appropriate for
the particular language.  In Lisp mode, <TAB> aligns a line according
to its depth in parentheses.  No matter where in the line you are when
you type <TAB>, it aligns the line as a whole.  In C mode, <TAB>
implements a subtle and sophisticated indentation style that knows
about many aspects of C syntax.

   In Text mode, <TAB> runs the command `tab-to-tab-stop', which
indents to the next tab stop column.  You can set the tab stops with
`M-x edit-tab-stops'.

* Menu:

* Indentation Commands:: Various commands and techniques for indentation.
* Tab Stops::            You can set arbitrary "tab stops" and then
                         indent to the next tab stop when you want to.
* Just Spaces::          You can request indentation using just spaces.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Indentation Commands,  Next: Tab Stops,  Prev: Indentation,  Up: Indentation

Indentation Commands and Techniques
===================================

If you just want to insert a tab character in the buffer, you can type
`C-q <TAB>'.

   To move over the indentation on a line, type `Meta-m'
(`back-to-indentation').  This command, given anywhere on a line,
positions point at the first non-blank character on the line.

   To insert an indented line before the current line, type `C-a C-o
<TAB>'.  To make an indented line after the current line, use `C-e
<LFD>'.

   `C-M-o' (`split-line') moves the text from point to the end of the
line vertically down, so that the current line becomes two lines.
`C-M-o' first moves point forward over any spaces and tabs.  Then it
inserts after point a newline and enough indentation to reach the same
column point is on.  Point remains before the inserted newline; in this
regard, `C-M-o' resembles `C-o'.

   To join two lines cleanly, use the `Meta-^' (`delete-indentation')
command to delete the indentation at the front of the current line, and
the line boundary as well.  Empty spaces are replaced by a single
space, or by no space if at the beginning of a line, before a close
parenthesis, or after an open parenthesis.  To delete just the
indentation of a line, go to the beginning of the line and use `Meta-\'
(`delete-horizontal-space'), which deletes all spaces and tabs around
the cursor.

   There are also commands for changing the indentation of several
lines at once.  `Control-Meta-\' (`indent-region') gives each line which
begins in the region the "usual" indentation by invoking <TAB> at the
beginning of the line.  A numeric argument specifies the column to
indent to.  Each line is shifted left or right so that its first
non-blank character appears in that column.  `C-x <TAB>'
(`indent-rigidly') moves all the lines in the region right by its
argument (left, for negative arguments).  The whole group of lines moves
rigidly sideways, which is how the command gets its name.

   `M-x indent-relative' indents at point based on the previous line
(actually, the last non-empty line.)  It inserts whitespace at point,
moving point, until it is underneath an indentation point in the
previous line.  An indentation point is the end of a sequence of
whitespace or the end of the line.  If point is farther right than any
indentation point in the previous line, the whitespace before point is
deleted and the first indentation point then applicable is used.  If no
indentation point is applicable even then, `tab-to-tab-stop' is run
(see next section).

   `indent-relative' is the definition of <TAB> in Indented Text mode.
*Note Text::.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Tab Stops,  Next: Just Spaces,  Prev: Indentation Commands,  Up: Indentation

Tab Stops
=========

For typing in tables, you can use Text mode's definition of <TAB>,
`tab-to-tab-stop'.  This command inserts indentation before point,
enough to reach the next tab stop column.  Even if you are not in Text
mode, this function is associated with `M-i' anyway.

   You can arbitrarily set the tab stops used by `M-i'.  They are
stored as a list of column-numbers in increasing order in the variable
`tab-stop-list'.

   The convenient way to set the tab stops is using `M-x
edit-tab-stops', which creates and selects a buffer containing a
description of the tab stop settings.  You can edit this buffer to
specify different tab stops, and then type `C-c C-c' to make those new
tab stops take effect.  In the tab stop buffer, `C-c C-c' runs the
function `edit-tab-stops-note-changes' rather than the default
`save-buffer'.  `edit-tab-stops' records which buffer was current when
you invoked it, and stores the tab stops in that buffer.  Normally all
buffers share the same tab stops and changing them in one buffer
affects all.  If you make `tab-stop-list' local in one buffer
`edit-tab-stops' in that buffer edits only the local settings.

   Below is the text representing ordinary tab stops every eight
columns:

             :       :       :       :       :       :
     0         1         2         3         4
     0123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678
     To install changes, type C-c C-c

   The first line contains a colon at each tab stop.  The remaining
lines help you see where the colons are and tell you what to do.

   Note that the tab stops that control `tab-to-tab-stop' have nothing
to do with displaying tab characters in the buffer.  *Note Display
Vars::, for more information on that.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Just Spaces,  Prev: Tab Stops,  Up: Indentation

Tabs vs. Spaces
===============

Emacs normally uses both tabs and spaces to indent lines.  If you
prefer, all indentation can be made from spaces only.  To request this,
set `indent-tabs-mode' to `nil'.  This is a per-buffer variable;
altering the variable affects only the current buffer, but there is a
default value which you can change as well.  *Note Locals::.

   There are also commands to convert tabs to spaces or vice versa,
always preserving the columns of all non-blank text.  `M-x tabify'
scans the region for sequences of spaces, and converts sequences of at
least three spaces to tabs if that is possible without changing
indentation.  `M-x untabify' changes all tabs in the region to
corresponding numbers of spaces.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Text,  Next: Programs,  Prev: Indentation,  Up: Top

Commands for Human Languages
****************************

The term "text" has two widespread meanings in our area of the computer
field.  One is data that is a sequence of characters.  In this sense of
the word any file that you edit with Emacs is text.  The other meaning
is more restrictive: a sequence of characters in a human language for
humans to read (possibly after processing by a text formatter), as
opposed to a program or commands for a program.

   Human languages have syntactic and stylistic conventions that editor
commands should support or use to advantage: conventions involving
words, sentences, paragraphs, and capital letters.  This chapter
describes Emacs commands for all these things.  There are also commands
for "filling", or rearranging paragraphs into lines of approximately
equal length.  The commands for moving over and killing words,
sentences, and paragraphs, while intended primarily for editing text,
are also often useful for editing programs.

   Emacs has several major modes for editing human language text.  If a
file contains plain text, use Text mode, which customizes Emacs in
small ways for the syntactic conventions of text.  For text which
contains embedded commands for text formatters, Emacs has other major
modes, each for a particular text formatter.  Thus, for input to TeX,
you can use TeX mode; for input to nroff, Nroff mode.

* Menu:

* Text Mode::   The major modes for editing text files.
* Nroff Mode::  The major mode for editing input to the formatter nroff.
* TeX Mode::    The major modes for editing input to the formatter TeX.
* Outline Mode:: The major mode for editing outlines.
* Words::       Moving over and killing words.
* Sentences::   Moving over and killing sentences.
* Paragraphs::  Moving over paragraphs.
* Pages::       Moving over pages.
* Filling::     Filling or justifying text
* Case::        Changing the case of text

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Text Mode,  Next: Words,  Prev: Text,  Up: Text

Text Mode
=========

You should use Text mode--rather than Fundamental or Lisp mode--to edit
files of text in a human language.  Invoke `M-x text-mode' to enter
Text mode.  In Text mode, <TAB> runs the function `tab-to-tab-stop',
which allows you to use arbitrary tab stops set with `M-x
edit-tab-stops' (*note Tab Stops::).  Features concerned with comments
in programs are turned off unless they are explicitly invoked.  The
syntax table is changed so that periods are not considered part of a
word, while apostrophes, backspaces and underlines are.

   A similar variant mode is Indented Text mode, intended for editing
text in which most lines are indented.  This mode defines <TAB> to run
`indent-relative' (*note Indentation::), and makes Auto Fill indent the
lines it creates.  As a result, a line made by Auto Filling, or by
<LFD>, is normally indented just like the previous line.  Use `M-x
indented-text-mode' to select this mode.

   Entering Text mode or Indented Text mode calls the value of the
variable `text-mode-hook' with no arguments, if that value exists and
is not `nil'.  This value is also called when modes related to Text
mode are entered; this includes Nroff mode, TeX mode, Outline mode, and
Mail mode.  Your hook can look at the value of `major-mode' to see
which of these modes is actually being entered.

   Two modes similar to Text mode are of use for editing text that is to
be passed through a text formatter before achieving its final readable
form.

* Menu:

* Nroff Mode::  The major mode for editing input to the formatter nroff.
* TeX Mode::    The major modes for editing input to the formatter TeX.


  Another similar mode is used for editing outlines.  It allows you
to view the text at various levels of detail.  You can view either
the outline headings alone or both headings and text; you can also
hide some of the headings at lower levels from view to make the high
level structure more visible.


* Outline Mode:: The major mode for editing outlines.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Nroff Mode,  Next: TeX Mode,  Prev: Text Mode,  Up: Text Mode

Nroff Mode
----------

Nroff mode is a mode like Text mode but modified to handle nroff
commands present in the text.  Invoke `M-x nroff-mode' to enter this
mode.  Nroff mode differs from Text mode in only a few ways.  All nroff
command lines are considered paragraph separators, so that filling never
garbles the nroff commands.  Pages are separated by `.bp' commands.
Comments start with backslash-doublequote.  There are also three special
commands that are not available in Text mode:

`M-n'
     Move to the beginning of the next line that isn't an nroff command
     (`forward-text-line').  An argument is a repeat count.

`M-p'
     Like `M-n' but move up (`backward-text-line').

`M-?'
     Prints in the echo area the number of text lines (lines that are
     not nroff commands) in the region (`count-text-lines').

   The other feature of Nroff mode is Electric Nroff newline mode.
This is a minor mode that you can turn on or off with `M-x
electric-nroff-mode' (*note Minor Modes::).  When the mode is on and
you use <RET> to end a line containing an nroff command that opens a
kind of grouping, Emacs automatically inserts the matching nroff
command to close that grouping on the following line.  For example, if
you are at the beginning of a line and type `.(b <RET>', the matching
command `.)b' will be inserted on a new line following point.

   Entering Nroff mode calls the value of the variable `text-mode-hook'
with no arguments, if that value exists and is not `nil'; then it does
the same with the variable `nroff-mode-hook'.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: TeX Mode,  Next: Outline Mode,  Prev: Nroff Mode,  Up: Text Mode

TeX Mode
--------

TeX is a powerful text formatter written by Donald Knuth; like GNU
Emacs, it is free.  LaTeX is a simplified input format for TeX,
implemented by TeX macros.  It is part of TeX.

   Emacs has a special TeX mode for editing TeX input files.  It
provides facilities for checking the balance of delimiters and for
invoking TeX on all or part of the file.

   TeX mode has two variants, Plain TeX mode and LaTeX mode, which are
two distinct major modes that differ only slightly.  These modes are
designed for editing the two different input formats.  The command `M-x
tex-mode' looks at the contents of a buffer to determine whether it
appears to be LaTeX input or not; it then selects the appropriate mode.
If it can't tell which is right (e.g., the buffer is empty), the
variable `tex-default-mode' controls which mode is used.

   The commands `M-x plain-tex-mode' and `M-x latex-mode' explicitly
select one of the variants of TeX mode.  Use these commands when `M-x
tex-mode' does not guess right.

* Menu:

* Editing: TeX Editing.   Special commands for editing in TeX mode.
* Printing: TeX Print.    Commands for printing part of a file with TeX.

   TeX for Unix systems can be obtained from the University of
Washington for a distribution fee.

   To order a full distribution, send $140.00 for a 1/2 inch 9-track
tape, $165.00 for two 4-track 1/4 inch cartridge tapes (foreign sites
$150.00, for 1/2 inch, $175.00 for 1/4 inch, to cover the extra
postage) payable to the University of Washington to:

     The Director
     Northwest Computer Support Group,  DW-10
     University of Washington
     Seattle, Washington 98195

Purchase orders are acceptable, but there is an extra charge of $10.00
to pay for processing charges. (The total cost comes to $150 for
domestic sites, $175 for foreign sites).

   The normal distribution is a tar tape, blocked 20, 1600 bpi, on an
industry standard 2400 foot half-inch reel.  The physical format for
the 1/4 inch streamer cartridges uses QIC-11, 8000 bpi, 4-track
serpentine recording for the SUN.  Also, SystemV tapes can be written
in cpio format, blocked 5120 bytes, ASCII headers.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: TeX Editing,  Next: TeX Print,  Prev: TeX Mode,  Up: TeX Mode

TeX Editing Commands
....................

Here are the special commands provided in TeX mode for editing the text
of the file.

`"'
     Insert, according to context, either ```' or `"' or `'''
     (`TeX-insert-quote').

`<LFD>'
     Insert a paragraph break (two newlines) and check the previous
     paragraph for unbalanced braces or dollar signs (`tex-terminate-
     paragraph').

`M-x validate-tex-buffer'
     Check each paragraph in the buffer for unbalanced braces or dollar
     signs.

`C-c {'
     Insert `{}' and position point between them (`tex-insert-braces').

`C-c }'
     Move forward past the next unmatched close brace (`up-list').

`C-c C-e'
     Close a block for LaTeX (`tex-close-latex-block').

   In TeX, the character `"' is not normally used; you use ```' to
start a quotation and `''' to end one.  TeX mode defines the key `"' to
insert ```' after whitespace or an open brace, `"' after a backslash,
or `''' otherwise.  This is done by the command `tex-insert-quote'.  If
you need the character `"' itself in unusual contexts, use `C-q' to
insert it.  Also, `"' with a numeric argument always inserts that
number of `"' characters.

   In TeX mode, `$' has a special syntax code which attempts to
understand the way TeX math mode delimiters match.  When you insert a
`$' that is meant to exit math mode, the position of the matching `$'
that entered math mode is displayed for a second.  This is the same
feature that displays the open brace that matches a close brace that is
inserted.  However, there is no way to tell whether a `$' enters math
mode or leaves it; so when you insert a `$' that enters math mode, the
previous `$' position is shown as if it were a match, even though they
are actually unrelated.

   If you prefer to keep braces balanced at all times, you can use `C-c
{' (`tex-insert-braces') to insert a pair of braces.  It leaves point
between the two braces so you can insert the text that belongs inside.
Afterward, use the command `C-c }' (`up-list') to move forward past the
close brace.

   There are two commands for checking the matching of braces.  <LFD>
(`tex-terminate-paragraph') checks the paragraph before point, and
inserts two newlines to start a new paragraph.  It prints a message in
the echo area if any mismatch is found.  `M-x validate-tex-buffer'
checks the entire buffer, paragraph by paragraph.  When it finds a
paragraph that contains a mismatch, it displays point at the beginning
of the paragraph for a few seconds and pushes a mark at that spot.
Scanning continues until the whole buffer has been checked or until you
type another key.  The positions of the last several paragraphs with
mismatches can be found in the mark ring (*note Mark Ring::).

   Note that square brackets and parentheses, not just braces, are
matched in TeX mode.  This is wrong if you want to  check TeX syntax.
However, parentheses and square brackets are likely to be used in text
as matching delimiters and it is useful for the various motion commands
and automatic match display to work with them.

   In LaTeX input, `\begin' and `\end' commands must balance.  After
you insert a `\begin', use `C-c C-f' (`tex-close-latex-block') to
insert automatically a matching `\end' (on a new line following the
`\begin').  A blank line is inserted between the two, and point is left
there.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: TeX Print,  Prev: TeX Editing,  Up: TeX Mode

TeX Printing Commands
.....................

You can invoke TeX as an inferior of Emacs on either the entire
contents of the buffer or just a region at a time.  Running TeX in this
way on just one chapter is a good way to see what your changes look
like without taking the time to format the entire file.

`C-c C-r'
     Invoke TeX on the current region, plus the buffer's header
     (`tex-region').

`C-c C-b'
     Invoke TeX on the entire current buffer (`tex-buffer').

`C-c C-l'
     Recenter the window showing output from the inferior TeX so that
     the last line can be seen (`tex-recenter-output-buffer').

`C-c C-k'
     Kill the inferior TeX (`tex-kill-job').

`C-c C-p'
     Print the output from the last `C-c C-r' or `C-c C-b' command
     (`tex-print').

`C-c C-q'
     Show the printer queue (`tex-show-print-queue').

   You can pass the current buffer through an inferior TeX using `C-c
C-b' (`tex-buffer').  The formatted output appears in a file in `/tmp';
to print it, type `C-c C-p' (`tex-print').  Afterward use `C-c C-q'
(`tex-show-print-queue') to view the progress of your output towards
being printed.

   The console output from TeX, including any error messages, appears
in a buffer called `*TeX-shell*'.  If TeX gets an error, you can switch
to this buffer and feed it input (this works as in Shell mode; *note
Interactive Shell::).  Without switching to this buffer, you can scroll
it so that its last line is visible by typing `C-c C-l'.

   Type `C-c C-k' (`tex-kill-job') to kill the TeX process if you see
that its output is no longer useful.  Using `C-c C-b' or `C-c C-r' also
kills any TeX process still running.

   You can pass an arbitrary region through an inferior TeX by typing
`C-c C-r' (`tex-region').  This is tricky, however, because most files
of TeX input contain commands at the beginning to set parameters and
define macros.  Without them, no later part of the file will format
correctly.  To solve this problem, `C-c C-r' allows you to designate a
part of the file as containing essential commands; it is included
before the specified region as part of the input to TeX.  The
designated part of the file is called the "header".

   To indicate the bounds of the header in Plain TeX mode, insert two
special strings in the file: `%**start of header' before the header,
and `%**end of header' after it.  Each string must appear entirely on
one line, but there may be other text on the line before or after.  The
lines containing the two strings are included in the header.  If
`%**start of header' does not appear within the first 100 lines of the
buffer, `C-c C-r' assumes there is no header.

   In LaTeX mode, the header begins with `\documentstyle' and ends with
`\begin{document}'.  These are commands that LaTeX requires you to use,
so you don't need to do anything special to identify the header.

   When you enter either kind of TeX mode, Emacs calls with no
arguments the value of the variable `text-mode-hook', if that value
exists and is not `nil'.  Emacs then calls the variable `TeX-mode-hook'
and either `plain-TeX-mode-hook' or `LaTeX-mode-hook' under the same
conditions.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Outline Mode,  Prev: TeX Mode,  Up: Text Mode

Outline Mode
------------

Outline mode is a major mode similar to Text mode but intended for
editing outlines.  It allows you to make parts of the text temporarily
invisible so that you can see just the overall structure of the
outline.  Type `M-x outline-mode' to turn on Outline mode in the
current buffer.

   When you enter Outline mode, Emacs calls with no arguments the value
of the variable `text-mode-hook', if that value exists and is not
`nil'; then it does the same with the variable `outline-mode-hook'.

   When a line is invisible in outline mode, it does not appear on the
screen.  The screen appears exactly as if the invisible line were
deleted, except that an ellipsis (three periods in a row) appears at
the end of the previous visible line (only one ellipsis no matter how
many invisible lines follow).

   All editing commands treat the text of the invisible line as part of
the previous visible line.  For example, `C-n' moves onto the next
visible line.  Killing an entire visible line, including its
terminating newline, really kills all the following invisible lines as
well; yanking everything back yanks the invisible lines and they remain
invisible.

* Menu:

* Format: Outline Format.         What the text of an outline looks like.
* Motion: Outline Motion.         Special commands for moving through outlines.
* Visibility: Outline Visibility. Commands to control what is visible.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Outline Format,  Next: Outline Motion,  Prev: Outline Mode,  Up: Outline Mode

Format of Outlines
..................

Outline mode assumes that the lines in the buffer are of two types:
"heading lines" and "body lines".  A heading line represents a topic in
the outline.  Heading lines start with one or more stars; the number of
stars determines the depth of the heading in the outline structure.
Thus, a heading line with one star is a major topic; all the heading
lines with two stars between it and the next one-star heading are its
subtopics; and so on.  Any line that is not a heading line is a body
line.  Body lines belong to the preceding heading line.  Here is an
example:

     * Food
     
     This is the body,
     which says something about the topic of food.
     
     ** Delicious Food
     
     This is the body of the second-level header.
     
     ** Distasteful Food
     
     This could have
     a body too, with
     several lines.
     
     *** Dormitory Food
     
     * Shelter
     
     A second first-level topic with its header line.

   A heading line together with all following body lines is called
collectively an "entry".  A heading line together with all following
deeper heading lines and their body lines is called a "subtree".

   You can customize the criterion for distinguishing heading lines by
setting the variable `outline-regexp'.  Any line whose beginning has a
match for this regexp is considered a heading line.  Matches that start
within a line (not at the beginning) do not count.  The length of the
matching text determines the level of the heading; longer matches make
a more deeply nested level.  Thus, for example, if a text formatter has
commands `@chapter', `@section' and `@subsection' to divide the
document into chapters and sections, you can make those lines count as
heading lines by setting `outline-regexp' to
`"@chap\\|@\\(sub\\)*section"'.  Note the trick: the two words
`chapter' and `section' are the same length, but by defining the regexp
to match only `chap' we ensure that the length of the text matched on a
chapter heading is shorter, so that Outline mode will know that
sections are contained in chapters.  This works as long as no other
command starts with `@chap'.

   Outline mode makes a line invisible by changing the newline before it
into an ASCII Control-M (code 015).  Most editing commands that work on
lines treat an invisible line as part of the previous line because,
strictly speaking, it is part of that line, since there is no longer a
newline in between.  When you save the file in Outline mode, Control-M
characters are saved as newlines, so the invisible lines become ordinary
lines in the file.  Saving does not change the visibility status of a
line inside Emacs.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Outline Motion,  Next: Outline Visibility,  Prev: Outline Format,  Up: Outline Mode

Outline Motion Commands
.......................

Some special commands in Outline mode move backward and forward to
heading lines.

`C-c C-n'
     Move point to the next visible heading line
     (`outline-next-visible-heading').

`C-c C-p'
     Move point to the previous visible heading line
     (`outline-previous-visible-heading').

`C-c C-f'
     Move point to the next visible heading line at the same level as
     the one point is on (`outline-forward-same-level').

`C-c C-b'
     Move point to the previous visible heading line at the same level
     (`outline-backward-same-level').

`C-c C-u'
     Move point up to a lower-level (more inclusive) visible heading
     line (`outline-up-heading').

   `C-c C-n' (`next-visible-heading') moves down to the next heading
line.  `C-c C-p' (`previous-visible-heading') moves similarly backward.
Both accept numeric arguments as repeat counts.  The names emphasize
that invisible headings are skipped, but this is not really a special
feature.  All editing commands that look for lines ignore the invisible
lines automatically.

   More advanced motion commands understand the levels of headings.
The commands `C-c C-f' (`outline-forward-same-level') and `C-c C-b'
(`outline-backward-same-level') move from one heading line to another
visible heading at the same depth in the outline.  `C-c C-u'
(`outline-up-heading') moves backward to another heading that is less
deeply nested.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Outline Visibility,  Prev: Outline Motion,  Up: Outline Mode

Outline Visibility Commands
...........................

The other special commands of outline mode are used to make lines
visible or invisible.  Their names all start with `hide' or `show'.
Most of them exist as pairs of opposites.  They are not undoable;
instead, you can undo right past them.  Making lines visible or
invisible is simply not recorded by the undo mechanism.

`M-x hide-body'
     Make all body lines in the buffer invisible.

`M-x show-all'
     Make all lines in the buffer visible.

`C-c C-d'
     Make everything under this heading invisible, not including this
     heading itself (`hide-subtree').

`C-c C-s'
     Make everything under this heading visible, including body,
     subheadings, and their bodies (`show-subtree').

`M-x hide-leaves'
     Make the body of this heading line, and of all its subheadings,
     invisible.

`M-x show-branches'
     Make all subheadings of this heading line, at all levels, visible.

`C-c C-i'
     Make immediate subheadings (one level down) of this heading line
     visible (`show-children').

`M-x hide-entry'
     Make this heading line's body invisible.

`M-x show-entry'
     Make this heading line's body visible.

   Two commands that are exact opposites are `M-x hide-entry' and `M-x
show-entry'.  They are used with point on a heading line, and apply
only to the body lines of that heading.  The subtopics and their bodies
are not affected.

   Two more powerful opposites are `C-c C-d' (`hide-subtree') and `C-c
C-s' (`show-subtree').  Both should be used when point is on a heading
line, and both apply to all the lines of that heading's "subtree": its
body, all its subheadings, both direct and indirect, and all of their
bodies.  In other words, the subtree contains everything following this
heading line, up to and not including the next heading of the same or
higher rank.

   Intermediate between a visible subtree and an invisible one is having
all the subheadings visible but none of the body.  There are two
commands for doing this, one that hides the bodies and one that makes
the subheadings visible.  They are `M-x hide-leaves' and `M-x
show-branches'.

   A little weaker than `show-branches' is `C-c C-i' (`show-children').
It makes just the direct subheadings visible--those one level down.
Deeper subheadings remain invisible.

   Two commands have a blanket effect on the whole file.  `M-x
hide-body' makes all body lines invisible, so that you see just the
outline structure.  `M-x show-all' makes all lines visible.  You can
think of these commands as a pair of opposites even though `M-x
show-all' applies to more than just body lines.

   You can turn off the use of ellipses at the ends of visible lines by
setting `selective-display-ellipses' to `nil'.  The result is no
visible indication of the presence of invisible lines.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Words,  Next: Sentences,  Prev: Text Mode,  Up: Text

Words
=====

Emacs has commands for moving over or operating on words.  By
convention, the keys for them are all `Meta-' characters.

`M-f'
     Move forward over a word (`forward-word').

`M-b'
     Move backward over a word (`backward-word').

`M-d'
     Kill up to the end of a word (`kill-word').

`M-<DEL>'
     Kill back to the beginning of a word (`backward-kill-word').

`M-@'
     Mark the end of the next word (`mark-word').

`M-t'
     Transpose two words;  drag a word forward or backward across other
     words (`transpose-words').

   Notice how these keys form a series that parallels the
character-based `C-f', `C-b', `C-d', `C-t' and <DEL>.  `M-@' is related
to `C-@', which is an alias for `C-<SPC>'.

   The commands `Meta-f' (`forward-word') and `Meta-b'
(`backward-word') move forward and backward over words.  They are
analogous to `Control-f' and `Control-b', which move over single
characters.  Like their `Control-' analogues, `Meta-f' and `Meta-b'
move several words if given an argument.  `Meta-f' with a negative
argument moves backward, and `Meta-b' with a negative argument moves
forward.  Forward motion stops after the last letter of the word, while
backward motion stops before the first letter.

   `Meta-d' (`kill-word') kills the word after point.  To be precise,
it kills everything from point to the place `Meta-f' would move to.
Thus, if point is in the middle of a word, `Meta-d' kills just the part
after point.  If some punctuation comes between point and the next
word, it is killed along with the word.  (To kill only the next word
but not the punctuation before it, simply type `Meta-f' to get to the
end and kill the word backwards with `Meta-<DEL>'.)  `Meta-d' takes
arguments just like `Meta-f'.

   `Meta-<DEL>' (`backward-kill-word') kills the word before point.  It
kills everything from point back to where `Meta-b' would move to.  If
point is after the space in `FOO, BAR', then `FOO, ' is killed.   To
kill just `FOO', type `Meta-b Meta-d' instead of `Meta-<DEL>'.

   `Meta-t' (`transpose-words') exchanges the word before or containing
point with the following word.  The delimiter characters between the
words do not move.  For example, transposing `FOO, BAR' results in
`BAR, FOO' rather than `BAR FOO,'.  *Note Transpose::, for more on
transposition and on arguments to transposition commands.

   To operate on the next N words with an operation which applies
between point and mark, you can either set the mark at point and then
move over the words, or you can use the command `Meta-@' (`mark-word')
which does not move point but sets the mark where `Meta-f' would move
to.  It can be given arguments just like `Meta-f'.

   The word commands' understanding of syntax is completely controlled
by the syntax table.  For example, any character can be declared to be
a word delimiter.  *Note Syntax::.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Sentences,  Next: Paragraphs,  Prev: Words,  Up: Text

Sentences
=========

The Emacs commands for manipulating sentences and paragraphs are mostly
on `Meta-' keys, and therefore are like the word-handling commands.

`M-a'
     Move back to the beginning of the sentence (`backward-sentence').

`M-e'
     Move forward to the end of the sentence (`forward-sentence').

`M-k'
     Kill forward to the end of the sentence (`kill-sentence').

`C-x <DEL>'
     Kill back to the beginning of the sentence
     (`backward-kill-sentence').

   The commands `Meta-a' and `Meta-e' (`backward-sentence' and
`forward-sentence') move to the beginning and end of the current
sentence, respectively.  They resemble `Control-a' and `Control-e',
which move to the beginning and end of a line.  Unlike their
counterparts, `Meta-a' and `Meta-e' move over successive sentences if
repeated or given numeric arguments.  Emacs assumes the typist's
convention is followed, and thus considers a sentence to end wherever
there is a `.', `?', or `!' followed by the end of a line or two
spaces, with any number of `)', `]', `'', or `"' characters allowed in
between.  A sentence also begins or ends wherever a paragraph begins or
ends.

   Neither `M-a' nor `M-e' moves past the newline or spaces beyond the
sentence edge at which it is stopping.

   `M-a' and `M-e' have a corresponding kill command, just like `C-a'
and `C-e' have `C-k'.  The command is  `M-k' (`kill-sentence') which
kills from point to the end of the sentence.  With minus one as an
argument it kills back to the beginning of the sentence.  Larger
arguments serve as repeat counts.

   There is a special command, `C-x <DEL>' (`backward-kill-sentence'),
for killing back to the beginning of a sentence, which is useful when
you change your mind in the middle of composing text.

   The variable `sentence-end' controls recognition of the end of a
sentence.  It is a regexp that matches the last few characters of a
sentence, together with the whitespace following the sentence.  Its
normal value is:

     "[.?!][]\"')]*\\($\\|\t\\|  \\)[ \t\n]*"

This example is explained in the section on regexps.  *Note Regexps::.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Paragraphs,  Next: Pages,  Prev: Sentences,  Up: Text

Paragraphs
==========

The Emacs commands for manipulating paragraphs are also `Meta-' keys.

`M-{'
     Move back to previous paragraph beginning
     (`backward-paragraph').

`M-}'
     Move forward to next paragraph end (`forward-paragraph').

`M-h'
     Put point and mark around this or next paragraph
     (`mark-paragraph').

   `Meta-{' moves to the beginning of the current or previous paragraph,
while `Meta-}' moves to the end of the current or next paragraph.
Blank lines and text formatter command lines separate paragraphs and are
not part of any paragraph.  An indented line starts a new paragraph.

   In major modes for programs (as opposed to Text mode), paragraphs
begin and end only at blank lines.  As a result, the paragraph commands
continue to be useful even though there are no paragraphs per se.

   When there is a fill prefix, paragraphs are delimited by all lines
which don't start with the fill prefix.  *Note Filling::.

   To operate on a paragraph, you can use the command `Meta-h'
(`mark-paragraph') to set the region around it.  This command puts
point at the beginning and mark at the end of the paragraph point was
in.  If point is between paragraphs (in a run of blank lines or at a
boundary), the paragraph following point is surrounded by point and
mark.  If there are blank lines preceding the first line of the
paragraph, one of the blank lines is included in the region.  Thus, for
example, `M-h C-w' kills the paragraph around or after point.

   The precise definition of a paragraph boundary is controlled by the
variables `paragraph-separate' and `paragraph-start'.  The value of
`paragraph-start' is a regexp that matches any line that either starts
or separates paragraphs.  The value of `paragraph-separate' is another
regexp that  matches only lines that separate paragraphs without being
part of any paragraph.  Lines that start a new paragraph and are
contained in it must match both regexps.  For example, normally
`paragraph-start' is `"^[ \t\n\f]"' and `paragraph-separate' is `"^[
\t\f]*$"'.

   Normally it is desirable for page boundaries to separate paragraphs.
The default values of these variables recognize the usual separator for
pages.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Pages,  Next: Filling,  Prev: Paragraphs,  Up: Text

Pages
=====

Files are often thought of as divided into "pages" by the "formfeed"
character (ASCII Control-L, octal code 014).  For example, if a file is
printed on a line printer, each "page" of the file starts on a new page
of paper.  Emacs treats a page-separator character just like any other
character.  It can be inserted with `C-q C-l' or deleted with <DEL>.
You are free to paginate your file or not.  However, since pages are
often meaningful divisions of the file, commands are provided to move
over them and operate on them.

`C-x ['
     Move point to previous page boundary (`backward-page').

`C-x ]'
     Move point to next page boundary (`forward-page').

`C-x C-p'
     Put point and mark around this page (or another page)
     (`mark-page').

`C-x l'
     Count the lines in this page (`count-lines-page').

   The `C-x [' (`backward-page') command moves point to immediately
after the previous page delimiter.  If point is already right after a
page delimiter, the command skips that one and stops at the previous
one.  A numeric argument serves as a repeat count.  The `C-x ]'
(`forward-page') command moves forward past the next page delimiter.

   The `C-x C-p' command (`mark-page') puts point at the beginning of
the current page and the mark at the end.  The page delimiter at the end
is included (the mark follows it).  The page delimiter at the front is
excluded (point follows it).  You can follow this command  by `C-w' to
kill a page you want to move elsewhere.  If you insert the page after a
page delimiter, at a place where `C-x ]' or `C-x [' would take you, the
page will be properly delimited before and after once again.

   A numeric argument to `C-x C-p' is used to specify which page to go
to, relative to the current one.  Zero means the current page.  One
means the next page, and -1 means the previous one.

   The `C-x l' command (`count-lines-page') can help you decide where
to break a page in two.  It prints the total number of lines in the
current page in the echo area, then divides the lines into those
preceding the current line and those following it, for example

     Page has 96 (72+25) lines

Notice that the sum is off by one; this is correct if point is not at
the beginning of a line.

   The variable `page-delimiter' should have as its value a regexp that
matches the beginning of a line that separates pages.  This defines
where pages begin.  The normal value of this variable is `"^\f"', which
matches a formfeed character at the beginning of a line.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Filling,  Next: Case,  Prev: Pages,  Up: Text

Filling Text
============

If you use Auto Fill mode, Emacs "fills" text (breaks it up into lines
that fit in a specified width) as you insert it.  When you alter
existing text it is often no longer be properly filled afterwards and
you can use explicit commands for filling.

* Menu:

* Auto Fill::     Auto Fill mode breaks long lines automatically.
* Fill Commands:: Commands to refill paragraphs and center lines.
* Fill Prefix::   Filling when every line is indented or in a comment, etc.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Auto Fill,  Next: Fill Commands,  Prev: Filling,  Up: Filling

Auto Fill Mode
--------------

"Auto Fill" mode is a minor mode in which lines are broken
automatically when they become too wide.  Breaking happens only when
you type a <SPC> or <RET>.

`M-x auto-fill-mode'
     Enable or disable Auto Fill mode.

`<SPC>'
`<RET>'
     In Auto Fill mode, break lines when appropriate.

   `M-x auto-fill-mode' turns Auto Fill mode on if it was off, or off
if it was on.  With a positive numeric argument the command always turns
Auto Fill mode on, and with a negative argument it always turns it off.
The presence of the word `Fill' in the mode line, inside the
parentheses, indicates that Auto Fill mode is in effect.  Auto Fill mode
is a minor mode; you can turn it on or off for each buffer individually.
*Note Minor Modes::.

   In Auto Fill mode, lines are broken automatically at spaces when
they get longer than desired.  Line breaking and rearrangement takes
place only when you type <SPC> or <RET>.  To insert a space or newline
without permitting line-breaking, type `C-q <SPC>' or `C-q <LFD>'
(recall that a newline is really a linefeed).  `C-o' inserts a newline
without line breaking.

   Auto Fill mode works well with Lisp mode: when it makes a new line in
Lisp mode, it indents that line with <TAB>.  If a line ending in a Lisp
comment gets too long, the text of the comment is split into two
comment lines.  Optionally, new comment delimiters are inserted at the
end of the first line and the beginning of the second, so that each line
is a separate comment.  The variable `comment-multi-line' controls the
choice (*note Comments::).

   Auto Fill mode does not refill entire paragraphs.  It can break
lines but cannot merge lines.  Editing in the middle of a paragraph can
result in a paragraph that is not correctly filled.  The easiest way to
make the paragraph properly filled again is using an explicit fill
commands.

   Many users like Auto Fill mode and want to use it in all text files.
The section on init files explains how you can arrange this permanently
for yourself.  *Note Init File::.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Fill Commands,  Next: Fill Prefix,  Prev: Auto Fill,  Up: Filling

Explicit Fill Commands
----------------------

`M-q'
     Fill current paragraph (`fill-paragraph').

`M-g'
     Fill each paragraph in the region (`fill-region').

`C-x f'
     Set the fill column (`set-fill-column').

`M-x fill-region-as-paragraph'
     Fill the region, considering it as one paragraph.

`M-s'
     Center a line.

   To refill a paragraph, use the command `Meta-q' (`fill-paragraph').
It causes the paragraph containing point, or the one after point if
point is between paragraphs, to be refilled.  All line breaks are
removed, and new ones are inserted where necessary.  `M-q' can be
undone with `C-_'.  *Note Undo::.

   To refill many paragraphs, use `M-g' (`fill-region'), which divides
the region into paragraphs and fills each of them.

   `Meta-q' and `Meta-g' use the same criteria as `Meta-h' for finding
paragraph boundaries (*note Paragraphs::).  For more control, you can
use `M-x fill-region-as-paragraph', which refills everything between
point and mark.  This command recognizes only blank lines as paragraph
separators.

   A numeric argument to `M-g' or `M-q' causes it to "justify" the text
as well as filling it.  Extra spaces are inserted to make the right
margin line up exactly at the fill column.  To remove the extra spaces,
use `M-q' or `M-g' with no argument.

   The variable `auto-fill-inhibit-regexp' takes as a value a regexp to
match lines that should not be auto-filled.

   The command `Meta-s' (`center-line') centers the current line within
the current fill column.  With an argument, it centers several lines
individually and moves past them.

   The maximum line width for filling is in the variable `fill-column'.
Altering the value of `fill-column' makes it local to the current
buffer; until then, the default value--initially 70--is in effect.
*Note Locals::.

   The easiest way to set `fill-column' is to use the command `C-x f'
(`set-fill-column').  With no argument, it sets `fill-column' to the
current horizontal position of point.  With a numeric argument, it uses
that number as the new fill column.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Fill Prefix,  Prev: Fill Commands,  Up: Filling

The Fill Prefix
---------------

To fill a paragraph in which each line starts with a special marker
(which might be a few spaces, giving an indented paragraph), use the
"fill prefix" feature.  The fill prefix is a string which is not
included in filling.  Emacs expects every line to start with a fill
prefix.

`C-x .'
     Set the fill prefix (`set-fill-prefix').

`M-q'
     Fill a paragraph using current fill prefix (`fill-paragraph').

`M-x fill-individual-paragraphs'
     Fill the region, considering each change of indentation as
     starting a new paragraph.

   To specify a fill prefix, move to a line that starts with the desired
prefix, put point at the end of the prefix, and give the command
`C-x .' (`set-fill-prefix').  That's a period after the `C-x'.  To turn
off the fill prefix, specify an empty prefix: type `C-x .' with point
at the beginning of a line.

   When a fill prefix is in effect, the fill commands remove the fill
prefix from each line before filling and insert it on each line after
filling.  Auto Fill mode also inserts the fill prefix inserted on new
lines it creates.  Lines that do not start with the fill prefix are
considered to start paragraphs, both in `M-q' and the paragraph
commands; this is just right if you are using paragraphs with hanging
indentation (every line indented except the first one).  Lines which are
blank or indented once the prefix is removed also separate or start
paragraphs; this is what you want if you are writing multi-paragraph
comments with a comment delimiter on each line.

   The fill prefix is stored in the variable `fill-prefix'.  Its value
is a string, or `nil' when there is no fill prefix.  This is a
per-buffer variable; altering the variable affects only the current
buffer, but there is a default value which you can change as well.
*Note Locals::.

   Another way to use fill prefixes is through `M-x
fill-individual-paragraphs'.  This function divides the region into
groups of consecutive lines with the same amount and kind of
indentation and fills each group as a paragraph, using its indentation
as a fill prefix.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Case,  Prev: Filling,  Up: Text

Case Conversion Commands
========================

Emacs has commands for converting either a single word or any arbitrary
range of text to upper case or to lower case.

`M-l'
     Convert following word to lower case (`downcase-word').

`M-u'
     Convert following word to upper case (`upcase-word').

`M-c'
     Capitalize the following word (`capitalize-word').

`C-x C-l'
     Convert region to lower case (`downcase-region').

`C-x C-u'
     Convert region to upper case (`upcase-region').

   The word conversion commands are used most frequently.  `Meta-l'
(`downcase-word') converts the word after point to lower case, moving
past it.  Thus, repeating `Meta-l' converts successive words.  `Meta-u'
(`upcase-word') converts to all capitals instead, while `Meta-c'
(`capitalize-word') puts the first letter of the word into upper case
and the rest into lower case.  The word conversion commands convert
several words at once if given an argument.  They are especially
convenient for converting a large amount of text from all upper case to
mixed case: you can move through the text using `M-l', `M-u', or `M-c'
on each word as appropriate, occasionally using `M-f' instead to skip a
word.

   When given a negative argument, the word case conversion commands
apply to the appropriate number of words before point, but do not move
point.  This is convenient when you have just typed a word in the wrong
case: you can give the case conversion command and continue typing.

   If a word case conversion command is given in the middle of a word,
it applies only to the part of the word which follows point.  This is
just like what `Meta-d' (`kill-word') does.  With a negative argument,
case conversion applies only to the part of the word before point.

   The other case conversion commands are `C-x C-u' (`upcase-region')
and `C-x C-l' (`downcase-region'), which convert everything between
point and mark to the specified case.  Point and mark do not move.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Programs,  Next: Running,  Prev: Text,  Up: Top

Editing Programs
****************

Emacs has many commands designed to understand the syntax of programming
languages such as Lisp and C.  These commands can:

   * Move over or kill balanced expressions or "sexps" (*note Lists::).

   * Move over or mark top-level balanced expressions ("defuns", in
     Lisp; functions, in C).

   * Show how parentheses balance (*note Matching::).

   * Insert, kill, or align comments (*note Comments::).

   * Follow the usual indentation conventions of the language (*note
     Grinding::).

   The commands available for words, sentences, and paragraphs are
useful in editing code even though their canonical application is for
editing human language text.  Most symbols contain words (*note
Words::); sentences can be found in strings and comments (*note
Sentences::).  Paragraphs per se are not present in code, but the
paragraph commands are useful anyway, because Lisp mode and C mode
define paragraphs to begin and end at blank lines (*note Paragraphs::).
Judicious use of blank lines to make the program clearer also provides
interesting chunks of text for the paragraph commands to work on.

   The selective display feature is useful for looking at the overall
structure of a function (*note Selective Display::).  This feature
causes only the lines that are indented less than a specified amount to
appear on the screen.

* Menu:

* Program Modes::       Major modes for editing programs.
* Lists::               Expressions with balanced parentheses.
                         There are editing commands to operate on them.
* Defuns::              Each program is made up of separate functions.
                         There are editing commands to operate on them.
* Grinding::            Adjusting indentation to show the nesting.
* Matching::            Insertion of a close-delimiter flashes matching open.
* Comments::            Inserting, filling and aligning comments.
* Balanced Editing::    Inserting two matching parentheses at once, etc.
* Lisp Completion::     Completion on symbol names in Lisp code.
* Documentation::       Getting documentation of functions you plan to call.
* Change Log::          Maintaining a change history for your program.
* Tags::                Go direct to any function in your program in one
                         command.  Tags remembers which file it is in.
* Fortran::             Fortran mode and its special features.
* Asm Mode::            Asm mode and its special features.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Program Modes,  Next: Lists,  Prev: Programs,  Up: Programs

Major Modes for Programming Languages
=====================================

Emacs has several major modes for the programming languages Lisp,
Scheme (a variant of Lisp), C, Fortran, and Muddle.  Ideally, a major
mode should be implemented for each programming language you might want
to edit with Emacs; but often the mode for one language can serve for
other syntactically similar languages.  The language modes that exist
are those that someone decided to take the trouble to write.

   There are several variants of Lisp mode, which differ in the way they
interface to Lisp execution.  *Note Lisp Modes::.

   Each of the programming language modes defines the <TAB> key to run
an indentation function that knows the indentation conventions of that
language and updates the current line's indentation accordingly.  For
example, in C mode <TAB> is bound to `c-indent-line'.  <LFD> is
normally defined to do <RET> followed by <TAB>; thus it, too, indents
in a mode-specific fashion.

   In most programming languages, indentation is likely to vary from
line to line.  So the major modes for those languages rebind <DEL> to
treat a tab as if it were the equivalent number of spaces (using the
command `backward-delete-char-untabify').  This makes it possible to
rub out indentation one column at a time without worrying whether it is
made up of spaces or tabs.  In these modes, use `C-b C-d' to delete a
tab character before point.

   Programming language modes define paragraphs to be separated only by
blank lines, so that the paragraph commands remain useful.  Auto Fill
mode, if enabled in a programming language major mode, indents the new
lines which it creates.

   Turning on a major mode calls a user-supplied function called the
"mode hook", which is the value of a Lisp variable.  For example,
turning on C mode calls the value of the variable `c-mode-hook' if that
value exists and is non-`nil'.  Mode hook variables for other
programming language modes include `lisp-mode-hook',
`emacs-lisp-mode-hook', `lisp-interaction-mode-hook',
`scheme-mode-hook', and `muddle-mode-hook'.  The mode hook function
receives no arguments.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Lists,  Next: Defuns,  Prev: Program Modes,  Up: Programs

Lists and Sexps
===============

By convention, Emacs keys for dealing with balanced expressions are
usually `Control-Meta-' characters.  They tend to be analogous in
function to their `Control-' and `Meta-' equivalents.  These commands
are usually thought of as pertaining to expressions in programming
languages, but can be useful with any language in which some sort of
parentheses exist (including English).

   The commands fall into two classes.  Some commands deal only with
"lists" (parenthetical groupings).  They see nothing except
parentheses, brackets, braces (depending on what must balance in the
language you are working with), and escape characters that might be used
to quote those.

   The other commands deal with expressions or "sexps".  The word `sexp'
is derived from "s-expression", the term for a symbolic expression in
Lisp.  In Emacs, the notion of `sexp' is not limited to Lisp.  It
refers to an expression in the language  your program is written in.
Each programming language has its own major mode, which customizes the
syntax tables so that expressions in that language count as sexps.

   Sexps typically include symbols, numbers, and string constants, as
well as anything contained in parentheses, brackets, or braces.

   In languages that use prefix and infix operators, such as C, it is
not possible for all expressions to be sexps.  For example, C mode does
not recognize `foo + bar' as an sexp, even though it is a C expression;
it recognizes `foo' as one sexp and `bar' as another, with the `+' as
punctuation between them.  This is a fundamental ambiguity: both `foo +
bar' and `foo' are legitimate choices for the sexp to move over if
point is at the `f'.  Note that `(foo + bar)' is a sexp in C mode.

   Some languages have obscure forms of syntax for expressions that
nobody has bothered to make Emacs understand properly.

`C-M-f'
     Move forward over an sexp (`forward-sexp').

`C-M-b'
     Move backward over an sexp (`backward-sexp').

`C-M-k'
     Kill sexp forward (`kill-sexp').

`C-M-u'
     Move up and backward in list structure (`backward-up-list').

`C-M-d'
     Move down and forward in list structure (`down-list').

`C-M-n'
     Move forward over a list (`forward-list').

`C-M-p'
     Move backward over a list (`backward-list').

`C-M-t'
     Transpose expressions (`transpose-sexps').

`C-M-@'
     Put mark after following expression (`mark-sexp').

   To move forward over an sexp, use `C-M-f' (`forward-sexp').  If the
first significant character after point is an opening delimiter (`(' in
Lisp; `(', `[', or `{' in C), `C-M-f' moves past the matching closing
delimiter.  If the character begins a symbol, string, or number,
`C-M-f' moves over that.  If the character after point is a closing
delimiter, `C-M-f' just moves past it.  (This last is not really moving
across an sexp; it is an exception which is included in the definition
of `C-M-f' because it is as useful a behavior as anyone can think of
for that situation.)

   The command `C-M-b' (`backward-sexp') moves backward over a sexp.
The detailed rules are like those above for `C-M-f', but with
directions reversed.  If there are any prefix characters (single quote,
back quote, and comma, in Lisp) preceding the sexp, `C-M-b' moves back
over them as well.

   `C-M-f' or `C-M-b' with an argument repeats that operation the
specified number of times; with a negative argument, it moves in the
opposite direction.

   In languages such as C where the comment-terminator can be
recognized, the sexp commands move across comments as if they were
whitespace.  In Lisp and other languages where comments run until the
end of a line, it is very difficult to ignore comments when parsing
backwards; therefore, in such languages the sexp commands treat the
text of comments as if it were code.

   Killing an sexp at a time can be done with `C-M-k' (`kill-sexp').
`C-M-k' kills the characters that `C-M-f' would move over.

   The "list commands", `C-M-n' (`forward-list') and `C-M-p'
(`backward-list'), move over lists like the sexp commands but skip over
any number of other kinds of sexps (symbols, strings, etc).  In some
situations, these commands are useful because they usually ignore
comments, since the comments usually do not contain any lists.

   `C-M-n' and `C-M-p' stay at the same level in parentheses, when that
is possible.  To move up one (or N) levels, use `C-M-u'
(`backward-up-list').  `C-M-u' moves backward up past one unmatched
opening delimiter.  A positive argument serves as a repeat count; a
negative argument reverses direction of motion and also requests
repetition, so it moves forward and up one or more levels.

   To move down in list structure, use `C-M-d' (`down-list').  In Lisp
mode, where `(' is the only opening delimiter, this is nearly the same
as searching for a `('.  An argument specifies the number of levels of
parentheses to go down.

   `C-M-t' (`transpose-sexps') drags the previous sexp across the next
one.  An argument serves as a repeat count, and a negative argument
drags backwards (thus canceling out the effect of `C-M-t' with a
positive argument).  An argument of zero, rather than doing nothing,
transposes the sexps ending after point and the mark.

   To make the region be the next sexp in the buffer, use `C-M-@'
(`mark-sexp') which sets the mark at the same place that `C-M-f' would
move to.  `C-M-@' takes arguments like `C-M-f'.  In particular, a
negative argument is useful for putting the mark at the beginning of
the previous sexp.

   The list and sexp commands' understanding of syntax is completely
controlled by the syntax table.  Any character can, for example, be
declared to be an opening delimiter and act like an open parenthesis.
*Note Syntax::.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Defuns,  Next: Grinding,  Prev: Lists,  Up: Programs

Defuns
======

In Emacs, a parenthetical grouping at the top level in the buffer is
called a "defun".  The name derives from the fact that most top-level
lists in Lisp are instances of the special form `defun', but Emacs
calls any top-level parenthetical grouping counts a defun regardless of
its contents or the programming language.  For example, in C, the body
of a function definition is a defun.

`C-M-a'
     Move to beginning of current or preceding defun
     (`beginning-of-defun').

`C-M-e'
     Move to end of current or following defun (`end-of-defun').

`C-M-h'
     Put region around whole current or following defun (`mark-defun').

   The commands to move to the beginning and end of the current defun
are `C-M-a' (`beginning-of-defun') and `C-M-e' (`end-of-defun').

   To operate on the current defun, use `C-M-h' (`mark-defun') which
puts point at the beginning and the mark at the end of the current or
next defun.  This is the easiest way to prepare for moving the defun to
a different place.  In C mode, `C-M-h' runs the function
`mark-c-function', which is almost the same as `mark-defun', but which
backs up over the argument declarations, function name, and returned
data type so that the entire C function is inside the region.

   To compile and evaluate the current defun, use `M-x compile-defun'.
This function prints the results in the minibuffer. If you include an
argument, it inserts the value in the current buffer after the defun.

   Emacs assumes that any open-parenthesis found in the leftmost column
is the start of a defun.  Therefore, never put an open-parenthesis at
the left margin in a Lisp file unless it is the start of a top level
list.  Never put an open-brace or other opening delimiter at the
beginning of a line of C code unless it starts the body of a function.
The most likely problem case is when you want an opening delimiter at
the start of a line inside a string.  To avoid trouble, put an escape
character (`\' in C and Emacs Lisp, `/' in some other Lisp dialects)
before the opening delimiter.  It will not affect the contents of the
string.

   The original Emacs found defuns by moving upward a level of
parentheses until there were no more levels to go up.  This required
scanning back to the beginning of the buffer for every function.  To
speed this up, Emacs was changed to assume that any `(' (or other
character assigned the syntactic class of opening-delimiter) at the
left margin is the start of a defun.  This heuristic is nearly always
right; however, it mandates the convention described above.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Grinding,  Next: Matching,  Prev: Defuns,  Up: Programs

Indentation for Programs
========================

The best way to keep a program properly indented ("ground") is to use
Emacs to re-indent it as you change the program.  Emacs has commands to
indent properly either a single line, a specified number of lines, or
all of the lines inside a single parenthetical grouping.

* Menu:

* Basic Indent::
* Multi-line Indent::   Commands to reindent many lines at once.
* Lisp Indent::         Specifying how each Lisp function should be indented.
* C Indent::            Choosing an indentation style for C code.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Basic Indent,  Next: Multi-line Indent,  Prev: Grinding,  Up: Grinding

Basic Program Indentation Commands
----------------------------------

`<TAB>'
     Adjust indentation of current line.

`<LFD>'
     Equivalent to <RET> followed by <TAB> (`newline-and-indent').

   The basic indentation command is <TAB>, which gives the current line
the correct indentation as determined from the previous lines.  The
function that <TAB> runs depends on the major mode; it is
`lisp-indent-line' in Lisp mode, `c-indent-line' in C mode, etc.  These
functions understand different syntaxes for different languages, but
they all do about the same thing.  <TAB> in any programming language
major mode inserts or deletes whitespace at the beginning of the
current line, independent of where point is in the line.  If point is
inside the whitespace at the beginning of the line, <TAB> leaves it at
the end of that whitespace; otherwise, <TAB> leaves point fixed with
respect to the characters around it.

   Use `C-q <TAB>' to insert a tab at point.

   When entering a large amount of new code, use <LFD>
(`newline-and-indent'), which is equivalent to a <RET> followed by a
<TAB>.  <LFD> creates a blank line, then gives it the appropriate
indentation.

   <TAB> indents the second and following lines of the body of a
parenthetical grouping each under the preceding one; therefore, if you
alter one line's indentation to be nonstandard, the lines below tend to
follow it.  This is the right behavior in cases where the standard
result of <TAB> does not look good.

   Remember that Emacs assumes that an open-parenthesis, open-brace, or
other opening delimiter at the left margin (including the indentation
routines) is the start of a function.  You should therefore never have
an opening delimiter in column zero that is not the beginning of a
function, not even inside a string.  This restriction is vital for
making the indentation commands fast. *Note Defuns::, for more
information on this behavior.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Multi-line Indent,  Next: Lisp Indent,  Prev: Basic Indent,  Up: Grinding

Indenting Several Lines
-----------------------

Several commands are available to re-indent several lines of code which
have been altered or moved to a different level in a list structure.

`C-M-q'
     Re-indent all the lines within one list (`indent-sexp').

`C-u <TAB>'
     Shift an entire list rigidly sideways so that its first line is
     properly indented.

`C-M-\'
     Re-indent all lines in the region (`indent-region').

   To re-indent the contents of a single list, position point before the
beginning of it and type `C-M-q'. This key is bound to `indent-sexp' in
Lisp mode, `indent-c-exp' in C mode, and bound to other suitable
functions in other modes.  The indentation of the line the sexp starts
on is not changed; therefore, only the relative indentation within the
list, and not its position, is changed.  To correct the position as
well, type a <TAB> before `C-M-q'.

   If the relative indentation within a list is correct but the
indentation of its beginning is not, go to the line on which the list
begins and type `C-u <TAB>'.  When you give <TAB> a numeric argument,
it moves all the lines in the group, starting on the current line,
sideways the same amount that the current line moves.  The command does
not move lines that start inside strings, or C preprocessor lines when
in C mode.

   Another way to specify a range to be re-indented is with point and
mark.  The command `C-M-\' (`indent-region') applies <TAB> to every
line whose first character is between point and mark.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Lisp Indent,  Next: C Indent,  Prev: Multi-line Indent,  Up: Grinding

Customizing Lisp Indentation
----------------------------

The indentation pattern for a Lisp expression can depend on the function
called by the expression.  For each Lisp function, you can choose among
several predefined patterns of indentation, or define an arbitrary one
with a Lisp program.

   The standard pattern of indentation is as follows: the second line
of the expression is indented under the first argument, if that is on
the same line as the beginning of the expression; otherwise, the second
line is indented underneath the function name.  Each following line is
indented under the previous line whose nesting depth is the same.

   If the variable `lisp-indent-offset' is non-`nil', it overrides the
usual indentation pattern for the second line of an expression, so that
such lines are always indented `lisp-indent-offset' more columns than
the containing list.

   Certain functions override the standard pattern.  Functions whose
names start with `def' always indent the second line by
`lisp-body-indention' extra columns beyond the open-parenthesis
starting the expression.

   Individual functions can override the standard pattern in various
ways, according to the `lisp-indent-function' property of the function
name.  (Note: `lisp-indent-function' was formerly called
`lisp-indent-hook').  There are four possibilities for this property:

`nil'
     This is the same as no property; the standard indentation pattern
     is used.

`defun'
     The pattern used for function names that start with `def' is used
     for this function also.

a number, NUMBER
     The first NUMBER arguments of the function are "distinguished"
     arguments; the rest are considered the "body" of the expression.
     A line in the expression is indented according to whether the
     first argument on it is distinguished or not.  If the argument is
     part of the body, the line is indented `lisp-body-indent' more
     columns than the open-parenthesis starting the containing
     expression.  If the argument is distinguished and is either the
     first or second argument, it is indented twice that many extra
     columns.  If the argument is distinguished and not the first or
     second argument, the standard pattern is followed for that line.

a symbol, SYMBOL
     SYMBOL should be a function name; that function is called to
     calculate the indentation of a line within this expression.  The
     function receives two arguments:
    STATE
          The value returned by `parse-partial-sexp' (a Lisp primitive
          for indentation and nesting computation) when it parses up to
          the beginning of this line.

    POS
          The position at which the line being indented begins.

     It should return either a number, which is the number of columns of
     indentation for that line, or a list whose first element is such a
     number.  The difference between returning a number and returning a
     list is that a number says that all following lines at the same
     nesting level should be indented just like this one; a list says
     that following lines might call for different indentations.  This
     makes a difference when the indentation is computed by `C-M-q'; if
     the value is a number, `C-M-q' need not recalculate indentation
     for the following lines until the end of the list.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: C Indent,  Prev: Lisp Indent,  Up: Grinding

Customizing C Indentation
-------------------------

Two variables control which commands perform C indentation and when.

   If `c-auto-newline' is non-`nil', newlines are inserted both before
and after braces that you insert and after colons and semicolons.
Correct C indentation is done on all the lines that are made this way.

   If `c-tab-always-indent' is non-`nil', the <TAB> command in C mode
does indentation only if point is at the left margin or within the
line's indentation.  If there is non-whitespace to the left of point,
<TAB> just inserts a tab character in the buffer.  Normally, this
variable is `nil', and <TAB> always reindents the current line.

   C does not have anything analogous to particular function names for
which special forms of indentation are desirable.  However, it has a
different need for customization facilities: many different styles of C
indentation are in common use.

   There are six variables you can set to control the style that Emacs C
mode will use.

`c-indent-level'
     Indentation of C statements within surrounding block.  The
     surrounding block's indentation is the indentation of the line on
     which the open-brace appears.

`c-continued-statement-offset'
     Extra indentation given to a substatement, such as the then-clause
     of an `if' or body of a `while'.

`c-brace-offset'
     Extra indentation for lines that start with an open brace.

`c-brace-imaginary-offset'
     An open brace following other text is treated as if it were this
     far to the right of the start of its line.

`c-argdecl-indent'
     Indentation level of declarations of C function arguments.

`c-label-offset'
     Extra indentation for a line that is a label, case, or default.

   The variable `c-indent-level' controls the indentation for C
statements with respect to the surrounding block.  In the example:

         {
           foo ();

the difference in indentation between the lines is `c-indent-level'.
Its standard value is 2.

   If the open-brace beginning the compound statement is not at the
beginning of its line, the `c-indent-level' is added to the indentation
of the line, not the column of the open-brace.  For example,

     if (losing) {
       do_this ();

One popular indentation style is that which results from setting
`c-indent-level' to 8 and putting open-braces at the end of a line in
this way.  Another popular style prefers to put the open-brace on a
separate line.

   In fact, the value of the variable `c-brace-imaginary-offset' is
also added to the indentation of such a statement.  Normally this
variable is zero.  Think of this variable as the imaginary position of
the open brace, relative to the first non-blank character on the line.
By setting the variable to 4 and `c-indent-level' to 0, you can get
this style:

     if (x == y) {
         do_it ();
         }

   When `c-indent-level' is zero, the statements inside most braces
line up exactly under the open brace.  An exception are braces in column
zero, like those surrounding a function's body.  The statements inside
those braces are not placed at column zero.  Instead, `c-brace-offset'
and `c-continued-statement-offset' (see below) are added to produce a
typical offset between brace levels, and the statements are indented
that far.

   `c-continued-statement-offset' controls the extra indentation for a
line that starts within a statement (but not within parentheses or
brackets).  These lines are usually statements inside other statements,
like the then-clauses of `if' statements and the bodies of `while'
statements.  The `c-continued-statement-offset' parameter determines
the difference in indentation between the two lines in:

     if (x == y)
       do_it ();

The default value for `c-continued-statement-offset' is 2.  Some
popular indentation styles correspond to a value of zero for
`c-continued-statement-offset'.

   `c-brace-offset' is the extra indentation given to a line that
starts with an open-brace.  Its standard value is zero; compare:

     if (x == y)
       {

with:

     if (x == y)
       do_it ();

If you set `c-brace-offset' to 4, the first example becomes:

     if (x == y)
           {

   `c-argdecl-indent' controls the indentation of declarations of the
arguments of a C function.  It is absolute: argument declarations
receive exactly `c-argdecl-indent' spaces.  The standard value is 5 and
results in code like this:

     char *
     index (string, char)
          char *string;
          int char;

   `c-label-offset' is the extra indentation given to a line that
contains a label, a case statement, or a `default:' statement.  Its
standard value is -2 and results in code like this:

     switch (c)
       {
       case 'x':

If `c-label-offset' were zero, the same code would be indented as:

     switch (c)
       {
         case 'x':

This example assumes that the other variables above also have their
default values.

   Using the indentation style produced by the default settings of the
variables just discussed and putting open braces on separate lines
produces clear and readable files.  For an example, look at any of the C
source files of XEmacs.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Matching,  Next: Comments,  Prev: Grinding,  Up: Programs

Automatic Display of Matching Parentheses
=========================================

The Emacs parenthesis-matching feature shows you automatically how
parentheses match in the text.  Whenever a self-inserting character that
is a closing delimiter is typed, the cursor moves momentarily to the
location of the matching opening delimiter, provided that is visible on
the screen.  If it is not on the screen, some text starting with that
opening delimiter is displayed in the echo area.  Either way, you see
the grouping you are closing off.

   In Lisp, automatic matching applies only to parentheses.  In C, it
also applies to braces and brackets.  Emacs knows which characters to
regard as matching delimiters based on the syntax table set by the major
mode.  *Note Syntax::.

   If the opening delimiter and closing delimiter are mismatched--as in
`[x)'--the echo area displays a warning message.  The correct matches
are specified in the syntax table.

   Two variables control parenthesis matching displays.
`blink-matching-paren' turns the feature on or off. The default is `t'
(match display is on); `nil' turns it off.
`blink-matching-paren-distance' specifies how many characters back
Emacs searches to find a matching opening delimiter.  If the match is
not found in the specified region, scanning stops, and nothing is
displayed.  This prevents wasting lots of time scanning when there is no
match.  The default is 4000.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Comments,  Next: Balanced Editing,  Prev: Matching,  Up: Programs

Manipulating Comments
=====================

The comment commands insert, kill and align comments.

`M-;'
     Insert or align comment (`indent-for-comment').

`C-x ;'
     Set comment column (`set-comment-column').

`C-u - C-x ;'
     Kill comment on current line (`kill-comment').

`M-<LFD>'
     Like <RET> followed by inserting and aligning a comment
     (`indent-new-comment-line').

   The command that creates a comment is `Meta-;'
(`indent-for-comment').  If there is no comment already on the line, a
new comment is created and aligned at a specific column called the
"comment column".  Emacs creates the comment by inserting the string at
the value of `comment-start'; see below.  Point is left after that
string.  If the text of the line extends past the comment column,
indentation is done to a suitable boundary (usually, at least one space
is inserted).  If the major mode has specified a string to terminate
comments, that string is inserted after point, to keep the syntax valid.

   You can also use `Meta-;' to align an existing comment.  If a line
already contains the string that starts comments, `M-;' just moves
point after it and re-indents it to the conventional place.  Exception:
comments starting in column 0 are not moved.

   Some major modes have special rules for indenting certain kinds of
comments in certain contexts.  For example, in Lisp code, comments which
start with two semicolons are indented as if they were lines of code,
instead of at the comment column.  Comments which start with three
semicolons are supposed to start at the left margin.  Emacs understands
these conventions by indenting a double-semicolon comment using <TAB>
and by not changing the indentation of a triple-semicolon comment at
all.

     ;; This function is just an example.
     ;;; Here either two or three semicolons are appropriate.
     (defun foo (x)
     ;;; And now, the first part of the function:
       ;; The following line adds one.
       (1+ x))           ; This line adds one.

   In C code, a comment preceded on its line by nothing but whitespace
is indented like a line of code.

   Even when an existing comment is properly aligned, `M-;' is still
useful for moving directly to the start of the comment.

   `C-u - C-x ;' (`kill-comment') kills the comment on the current
line, if there is one.  The indentation before the start of the comment
is killed as well.  If there does not appear to be a comment in the
line, nothing happens.  To reinsert the comment on another line, move
to the end of that line, type first `C-y', and then `M-;' to realign
the comment.  Note that `C-u - C-x ;' is not a distinct key; it is `C-x
;' (`set-comment-column') with a negative argument.  That command is
programmed to call `kill-comment' when called with a negative argument.
However, `kill-comment' is a valid command which you could bind
directly to a key if you wanted to.

Multiple Lines of Comments
--------------------------

If you are typing a comment and want to continue it on another line,
use the command `Meta-<LFD>' (`indent-new-comment-line'), which
terminates the comment you are typing, creates a new blank line
afterward, and begins a new comment indented under the old one.  If
Auto Fill mode is on and you go past the fill column while typing, the
comment is continued in just this fashion.  If point is not at the end
of the line when you type `M-<LFD>', the text on the rest of the line
becomes part of the new comment line.

Options Controlling Comments
----------------------------

The comment column is stored in the variable `comment-column'.  You can
explicitly set it to a number.  Alternatively, the command `C-x ;'
(`set-comment-column') sets the comment column to the column point is
at.  `C-u C-x ;' sets the comment column to match the last comment
before point in the buffer, and then calls `Meta-;' to align the
current line's comment under the previous one.  Note that `C-u - C-x ;'
runs the function `kill-comment' as described above.

   `comment-column' is a per-buffer variable; altering the variable
affects only the current buffer.  You can also change the default value.
*Note Locals::.  Many major modes initialize this variable for the
current buffer.

   The comment commands recognize comments based on the regular
expression that is the value of the variable `comment-start-skip'.
This regexp should not match the null string.  It may match more than
the comment starting delimiter in the strictest sense of the word; for
example, in C mode the value of the variable is `"/\\*+ *"', which
matches extra stars and spaces after the `/*' itself.  (Note that `\\'
is needed in Lisp syntax to include a `\' in the string, which is needed
to deny the first star its special meaning in regexp syntax.  *Note
Regexps::.)

   When a comment command makes a new comment, it inserts the value of
`comment-start' to begin it.  The value of `comment-end' is inserted
after point and will follow the text you will insert into the comment.
In C mode, `comment-start' has the value `"/* "' and `comment-end' has
the value `" */"'.

   `comment-multi-line' controls how `M-<LFD>'
(`indent-new-comment-line') behaves when used inside a comment.  If
`comment-multi-line' is `nil', as it normally is, then `M-<LFD>'
terminates the comment on the starting line and starts a new comment on
the new following line.  If `comment-multi-line' is not `nil', then
`M-<LFD>' sets up the new following line as part of the same comment
that was found on the starting line.  This is done by not inserting a
terminator on the old line and not inserting a starter on the new line.
In languages where multi-line comments are legal, the value you choose
for this variable is a matter of taste.

   The variable `comment-indent-hook' should contain a function that is
called to compute the indentation for a newly inserted comment or for
aligning an existing comment.  Major modes set this variable
differently.  The function is called with no arguments, but with point
at the beginning of the comment, or at the end of a line if a new
comment is to be inserted.  The function should return the column in
which the comment ought to start.  For example, in Lisp mode, the
indent hook function bases its decision on the number of semicolons
that begin an existing comment and on the code in the preceding lines.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Balanced Editing,  Next: Lisp Completion,  Prev: Comments,  Up: Programs

Editing Without Unbalanced Parentheses
======================================

`M-('
     Put parentheses around next sexp(s) (`insert-parentheses').

`M-)'
     Move past next close parenthesis and re-indent
     (`move-over-close-and-reindent').

   The commands `M-(' (`insert-parentheses') and `M-)'
(`move-over-close-and-reindent') are designed to facilitate a style of
editing which keeps parentheses balanced at all times.  `M-(' inserts a
pair of parentheses, either together as in `()', or, if given an
argument, around the next several sexps, and leaves point after the open
parenthesis.  Instead of typing `( F O O )', you can type `M-( F O O',
which has the same effect except for leaving the cursor before the
close parenthesis.  You can then type `M-)', which moves past the close
parenthesis, deletes any indentation preceding it (in this example
there is none), and indents with <LFD> after it.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Lisp Completion,  Next: Documentation,  Prev: Balanced Editing,  Up: Programs

Completion for Lisp Symbols
===========================

Completion usually happens in the minibuffer.  An exception is
completion for Lisp symbol names, which is available in all buffers.

   The command `M-<TAB>' (`lisp-complete-symbol') takes the partial
Lisp symbol before point to be an abbreviation, and compares it against
all non-trivial Lisp symbols currently known to Emacs.  Any additional
characters that they all have in common are inserted at point.
Non-trivial symbols are those that have function definitions, values, or
properties.

   If there is an open-parenthesis immediately before the beginning of
the partial symbol, only symbols with function definitions are
considered as completions.

   If the partial name in the buffer has more than one possible
completion and they have no additional characters in common, a list of
all possible completions is displayed in another window.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Documentation,  Next: Change Log,  Prev: Lisp Completion,  Up: Programs

Documentation Commands
======================

As you edit Lisp code to be run in Emacs, you can use the commands `C-h
f' (`describe-function') and `C-h v' (`describe-variable') to print
documentation of functions and variables you want to call.  These
commands use the minibuffer to read the name of a function or variable
to document, and display the documentation in a window.

   For extra convenience, these commands provide default arguments
based on the code in the neighborhood of point.  `C-h f' sets the
default to the function called in the innermost list containing point.
`C-h v' uses the symbol name around or adjacent to point as its default.

   The `M-x manual-entry' command gives you access to documentation on
Unix commands, system calls, and libraries.  The command reads a topic
as an argument, and displays the Unix manual page for that topic.
`manual-entry' always searches all 8 sections of the manual and
concatenates all the entries it finds.  For example, the topic
`termcap' finds the description of the termcap library from section 3,
followed by the description of the termcap data base from section 5.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Change Log,  Next: Tags,  Prev: Documentation,  Up: Programs

Change Logs
===========

The Emacs command `M-x add-change-log-entry' helps you keep a record of
when and why you have changed a program.  It assumes that you have a
file in which you write a chronological sequence of entries describing
individual changes.  The default is to store the change entries in a
file called `ChangeLog' in the same directory as the file you are
editing.  The same `ChangeLog' file therefore records changes for all
the files in a directory.

   A change log entry starts with a header line that contains your name
and the current date.  Except for these header lines, every line in the
change log starts with a tab.  One entry can describe several changes;
each change starts with a line starting with a tab and a star.  `M-x
add-change-log-entry' visits the change log file and creates a new entry
unless the most recent entry is for today's date and your name.  In
either case, it adds a new line to start the description of another
change just after the header line of the entry.  When `M-x
add-change-log-entry' is finished, all is prepared for you to edit in
the description of what you changed and how.  You must then save the
change log file yourself.

   The change log file is always visited in Indented Text mode, which
means that <LFD> and auto-filling indent each new line like the previous
line.  This is convenient for entering the contents of an entry, which
must be indented.  *Note Text Mode::.

   Here is an example of the formatting conventions used in the change
log for Emacs:

     Wed Jun 26 19:29:32 1985  Richard M. Stallman  (rms at mit-prep)
     
             * xdisp.c (try_window_id):
             If C-k is done at end of next-to-last line,
             this fn updates window_end_vpos and cannot leave
             window_end_pos nonnegative (it is zero, in fact).
             If display is preempted before lines are output,
             this is inconsistent.  Fix by setting
             blank_end_of_window to nonzero.
     
     Tue Jun 25 05:25:33 1985  Richard M. Stallman  (rms at mit-prep)
     
             * cmds.c (Fnewline):
             Call the auto fill hook if appropriate.
     
             * xdisp.c (try_window_id):
             If point is found by compute_motion after xp, record that
             permanently.  If display_text_line sets point position wrong
             (case where line is killed, point is at eob and that line is
             not displayed), set it again in final compute_motion.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Tags,  Next: Fortran,  Prev: Change Log,  Up: Programs

Tags Tables
===========

A "tags table" is a description of how a multi-file program is broken
up into files.  It lists the names of the component files and the names
and positions of the functions (or other named subunits) in each file.
Grouping the related files makes it possible to search or replace
through all the files with one command.  Recording the function names
and positions makes possible the `M-.' command which finds the
definition of a function by looking up which of the files it is in.

   Tags tables are stored in files called "tags table files".  The
conventional name for a tags table file is `TAGS'.

   Each entry in the tags table records the name of one tag, the name
of the file that the tag is defined in (implicitly), and the position
in that file of the tag's definition.

   Just what names from the described files are recorded in the tags
table depends on the programming language of the described file.  They
normally include all functions and subroutines, and may also include
global variables, data types, and anything else convenient.  Each name
recorded is called a "tag".

   The Ebrowse is a separate facility tailored for C++, with tags and a
class browser.  *Note Top: (ebrowse)Top.

* Menu:

* Tag Syntax::          Tag syntax for various types of code and text files.
* Create Tags Table::   Creating a tags table with `etags'.
* Etags Regexps::       Create arbitrary tags using regular expressions.
* Select Tags Table::   How to visit a tags table.
* Find Tag::            Commands to find the definition of a specific tag.
* Tags Search::         Using a tags table for searching and replacing.
* List Tags::           Listing and finding tags defined in a file.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Tag Syntax,  Next: Create Tags Table,  Up: Tags

Source File Tag Syntax
----------------------

Here is how tag syntax is defined for the most popular languages:

   * In C code, any C function or typedef is a tag, and so are
     definitions of `struct', `union' and `enum'.  You can tag function
     declarations and external variables in addition to function
     definitions by giving the `--declarations' option to `etags'.
     `#define' macro definitions and `enum' constants are also tags,
     unless you specify `--no-defines' when making the tags table.
     Similarly, global variables are tags, unless you specify
     `--no-globals'.  Use of `--no-globals' and `--no-defines' can make
     the tags table file much smaller.

   * In C++ code, in addition to all the tag constructs of C code,
     member functions are also recognized, and optionally member
     variables if you use the `--members' option.  Tags for variables
     and functions in classes are named `CLASS::VARIABLE' and
     `CLASS::FUNCTION'.  `operator' functions tags are named, for
     example `operator+'.

   * In Java code, tags include all the constructs recognized in C++,
     plus the `interface', `extends' and `implements' constructs.  Tags
     for variables and functions in classes are named `CLASS.VARIABLE'
     and `CLASS.FUNCTION'.

   * In LaTeX text, the argument of any of the commands `\chapter',
     `\section', `\subsection', `\subsubsection', `\eqno', `\label',
     `\ref', `\cite', `\bibitem', `\part', `\appendix', `\entry', or
     `\index', is a tag.

     Other commands can make tags as well, if you specify them in the
     environment variable `TEXTAGS' before invoking `etags'.  The value
     of this environment variable should be a colon-separated list of
     command names.  For example,

          TEXTAGS="def:newcommand:newenvironment"
          export TEXTAGS

     specifies (using Bourne shell syntax) that the commands `\def',
     `\newcommand' and `\newenvironment' also define tags.

   * In Lisp code, any function defined with `defun', any variable
     defined with `defvar' or `defconst', and in general the first
     argument of any expression that starts with `(def' in column zero,
     is a tag.

   * In Scheme code, tags include anything defined with `def' or with a
     construct whose name starts with `def'.  They also include
     variables set with `set!' at top level in the file.

   Several other languages are also supported:

   * In Ada code, functions, procedures, packages, tasks, and types are
     tags.  Use the `--packages-only' option to create tags for
     packages only.

     With Ada, it is possible to have the same name used for different
     entity kinds (e.g. the same name for a procedure and a function).
     Also, for things like packages, procedures and functions, there is
     the spec (i.e. the interface) and the body (i.e. the
     implementation).  To facilitate the choice to the user, a tag
     value is appended with a qualifier:

    function
          `/f'

    procedure
          `/p'

    package spec
          `/s'

    package body
          `/b'

    type
          `/t'

    task
          `/k'

     So, as an example, `M-x find-tag bidule/b' will go directly to the
     body of the package BIDULE while `M-x find-tag bidule' will just
     search for any tag BIDULE.

   * In assembler code, labels appearing at the beginning of a line,
     followed by a colon, are tags.

   * In Bison or Yacc input files, each rule defines as a tag the
     nonterminal it constructs.  The portions of the file that contain
     C code are parsed as C code.

   * In Cobol code, tags are paragraph names; that is, any word
     starting in column 8 and followed by a period.

   * In Erlang code, the tags are the functions, records, and macros
     defined in the file.

   * In Fortran code, functions, subroutines and blockdata are tags.

   * In makefiles, targets are tags.

   * In Objective C code, tags include Objective C definitions for
     classes, class categories, methods, and protocols.

   * In Pascal code, the tags are the functions and procedures defined
     in the file.

   * In Perl code, the tags are the procedures defined by the `sub',
     `my' and `local' keywords.  Use `--globals' if you want to tag
     global variables.

   * In PostScript code, the tags are the functions.

   * In Prolog code, a tag name appears at the left margin.

   * In Python code, `def' or `class' at the beginning of a line
     generate a tag.

   You can also generate tags based on regexp matching (*note Etags
Regexps::) to handle other formats and languages.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Create Tags Table,  Next: Etags Regexps,  Prev: Tag Syntax,  Up: Tags

Creating Tags Tables
--------------------

The `etags' program is used to create a tags table file.  It knows the
syntax of several languages, as described in *Note Tag Syntax::.  Here
is how to run `etags':

     etags INPUTFILES...

The `etags' program reads the specified files, and writes a tags table
named `TAGS' in the current working directory.  You can intermix
compressed and plain text source file names.  `etags' knows about the
most common compression formats, and does the right thing.  So you can
compress all your source files and have `etags' look for compressed
versions of its file name arguments, if it does not find uncompressed
versions.  Under MS-DOS, `etags' also looks for file names like
`mycode.cgz' if it is given `mycode.c' on the command line and
`mycode.c' does not exist.

   `etags' recognizes the language used in an input file based on its
file name and contents.  You can specify the language with the
`--language=NAME' option, described below.

   If the tags table data become outdated due to changes in the files
described in the table, the way to update the tags table is the same
way it was made in the first place.  It is not necessary to do this
often.

   If the tags table fails to record a tag, or records it for the wrong
file, then Emacs cannot possibly find its definition.  However, if the
position recorded in the tags table becomes a little bit wrong (due to
some editing in the file that the tag definition is in), the only
consequence is a slight delay in finding the tag.  Even if the stored
position is very wrong, Emacs will still find the tag, but it must
search the entire file for it.

   So you should update a tags table when you define new tags that you
want to have listed, or when you move tag definitions from one file to
another, or when changes become substantial.  Normally there is no need
to update the tags table after each edit, or even every day.

   One tags table can effectively include another.  Specify the included
tags file name with the `--include=FILE' option when creating the file
that is to include it.  The latter file then acts as if it contained
all the files specified in the included file, as well as the files it
directly contains.

   If you specify the source files with relative file names when you run
`etags', the tags file will contain file names relative to the
directory where the tags file was initially written.  This way, you can
move an entire directory tree containing both the tags file and the
source files, and the tags file will still refer correctly to the source
files.

   If you specify absolute file names as arguments to `etags', then the
tags file will contain absolute file names.  This way, the tags file
will still refer to the same files even if you move it, as long as the
source files remain in the same place.  Absolute file names start with
`/', or with `DEVICE:/' on MS-DOS and MS-Windows.

   When you want to make a tags table from a great number of files, you
may have problems listing them on the command line, because some systems
have a limit on its length.  The simplest way to circumvent this limit
is to tell `etags' to read the file names from its standard input, by
typing a dash in place of the file names, like this:

     find . -name "*.[chCH]" -print | etags -

   Use the option `--language=NAME' to specify the language explicitly.
You can intermix these options with file names; each one applies to
the file names that follow it.  Specify `--language=auto' to tell
`etags' to resume guessing the language from the file names and file
contents.  Specify `--language=none' to turn off language-specific
processing entirely; then `etags' recognizes tags by regexp matching
alone (*note Etags Regexps::).

   `etags --help' prints the list of the languages `etags' knows, and
the file name rules for guessing the language. It also prints a list of
all the available `etags' options, together with a short explanation.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Etags Regexps,  Next: Select Tags Table,  Prev: Create Tags Table,  Up: Tags

Etags Regexps
-------------

The `--regex' option provides a general way of recognizing tags based
on regexp matching.  You can freely intermix it with file names.  Each
`--regex' option adds to the preceding ones, and applies only to the
following files.  The syntax is:

     --regex=/TAGREGEXP[/NAMEREGEXP]/

where TAGREGEXP is used to match the lines to tag.  It is always
anchored, that is, it behaves as if preceded by `^'.  If you want to
account for indentation, just match any initial number of blanks by
beginning your regular expression with `[ \t]*'.  In the regular
expressions, `\' quotes the next character, and `\t' stands for the tab
character.  Note that `etags' does not handle the other C escape
sequences for special characters.

   The syntax of regular expressions in `etags' is the same as in
Emacs, augmented with the "interval operator", which works as in `grep'
and `ed'.  The syntax of an interval operator is `\{M,N\}', and its
meaning is to match the preceding expression at least M times and up to
N times.

   You should not match more characters with TAGREGEXP than that needed
to recognize what you want to tag.  If the match is such that more
characters than needed are unavoidably matched by TAGREGEXP (as will
usually be the case), you should add a NAMEREGEXP, to pick out just the
tag.  This will enable Emacs to find tags more accurately and to do
completion on tag names more reliably.  You can find some examples
below.

   The option `--ignore-case-regex' (or `-c') is like `--regex', except
that the regular expression provided will be matched without regard to
case, which is appropriate for various programming languages.

   The `-R' option deletes all the regexps defined with `--regex'
options.  It applies to the file names following it, as you can see
from the following example:

     etags --regex=/REG1/ voo.doo --regex=/REG2/ \
         bar.ber -R --lang=lisp los.er

Here `etags' chooses the parsing language for `voo.doo' and `bar.ber'
according to their contents.  `etags' also uses REG1 to recognize
additional tags in `voo.doo', and both REG1 and REG2 to recognize
additional tags in `bar.ber'.  `etags' uses the Lisp tags rules, and no
regexp matching, to recognize tags in `los.er'.

   A regular expression can be bound to a given language, by prepending
it with `{lang}'.  When you do this, `etags' will use the regular
expression only for files of that language.  `etags --help' prints the
list of languages recognised by `etags'.  The following example tags
the `DEFVAR' macros in the Emacs source files.  `etags' applies this
regular expression to C files only:

     --regex='{c}/[ \t]*DEFVAR_[A-Z_ \t(]+"\([^"]+\)"/'

This feature is particularly useful when storing a list of regular
expressions in a file.  The following option syntax instructs `etags'
to read two files of regular expressions.  The regular expressions
contained in the second file are matched without regard to case.

     --regex=@first-file --ignore-case-regex=@second-file

A regex file contains one regular expressions per line.  Empty lines,
and lines beginning with space or tab are ignored.  When the first
character in a line is `@', `etags' assumes that the rest of the line
is the name of a file of regular expressions.  This means that such
files can be nested.  All the other lines are taken to be regular
expressions.  For example, one can create a file called `emacs.tags'
with the following contents (the first line in the file is a comment):

             -- This is for GNU Emacs source files
     {c}/[ \t]*DEFVAR_[A-Z_ \t(]+"\([^"]+\)"/\1/

and then use it like this:

     etags --regex=@emacs.tags *.[ch] */*.[ch]

   Here are some more examples.  The regexps are quoted to protect them
from shell interpretation.

   * Tag Octave files:

          etags --language=none \
                --regex='/[ \t]*function.*=[ \t]*\([^ \t]*\)[ \t]*(/\1/' \
                --regex='/###key \(.*\)/\1/' \
                --regex='/[ \t]*global[ \t].*/' \
                *.m

     Note that tags are not generated for scripts so that you have to
     add a line by yourself of the form `###key <script-name>' if you
     want to jump to it.

   * Tag Tcl files:

          etags --language=none --regex='/proc[ \t]+\([^ \t]+\)/\1/' *.tcl

   * Tag VHDL files:

          --language=none \
          --regex='/[ \t]*\(ARCHITECTURE\|CONFIGURATION\) +[^ ]* +OF/' \
          --regex='/[ \t]*\(ATTRIBUTE\|ENTITY\|FUNCTION\|PACKAGE\
          \( BODY\)?\|PROCEDURE\|PROCESS\|TYPE\)[ \t]+\([^ \t(]+\)/\3/'

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Select Tags Table,  Next: Find Tag,  Prev: Etags Regexps,  Up: Tags

Selecting a Tags Table
----------------------

At any time Emacs has one "selected" tags table, and all the commands
for working with tags tables use the selected one.  To select a tags
table, use the variable `tag-table-alist'.

   The value of `tag-table-alist' is a list that determines which
`TAGS' files should be active for a given buffer.  This is not really
an association list, in that all elements are checked.  The car of each
element of this list is a pattern against which the buffers file name
is compared; if it matches, then the cdr of the list should be the name
of the tags table to use.  If more than one element of this list
matches the buffers file name, all of the associated tags tables are
used.  Earlier ones are searched first.

   If the car of elements of this list are strings, they are treated as
regular-expressions against which the file is compared (like the
`auto-mode-alist').  If they are not strings, they are evaluated.  If
they evaluate to non-`nil', the current buffer is considered to match.

   If the cdr of the elements of this list are strings, they are
assumed to name a tags file.  If they name a directory, the string
`tags' is appended to them to get the file name.  If they are not
strings, they are evaluated and must return an appropriate string.

   For example:

       (setq tag-table-alist
             '(("/usr/src/public/perl/" . "/usr/src/public/perl/perl-3.0/")
               ("\\.el$" . "/usr/local/emacs/src/")
               ("/jbw/gnu/" . "/usr15/degree/stud/jbw/gnu/")
               ("" . "/usr/local/emacs/src/")
               ))

   The example defines the tags table alist in the following way:

   * Anything in the directory `/usr/src/public/perl/' should use the
     `TAGS' file `/usr/src/public/perl/perl-3.0/TAGS'.

   * Files ending in `.el' should use the `TAGS' file
     `/usr/local/emacs/src/TAGS'.

   * Anything in or below the directory `/jbw/gnu/' should use the
     `TAGS' file `/usr15/degree/stud/jbw/gnu/TAGS'.

   If you had a file called `/usr/jbw/foo.el', it would use both `TAGS'
files,
`/usr/local/emacs/src/TAGS' and `/usr15/degree/stud/jbw/gnu/TAGS' (in
that order), because it matches both patterns.

   If the buffer-local variable `buffer-tag-table' is set, it names a
tags table that is searched before all others when `find-tag' is
executed from this buffer.

   If there is a file called `TAGS' in the same directory as the file
in question, then that tags file will always be used as well (after the
`buffer-tag-table' but before the tables specified by this list).

   If the variable `tags-file-name' is set, the `TAGS' file it names
will apply to all buffers (for backwards compatibility.)  It is searched
first.

   If the value of the variable `tags-always-build-completion-table' is
`t', the tags file will always be added to the completion table without
asking first, regardless of the size of the tags file.

   The function `M-x visit-tags-table', is largely made obsolete by the
variable `tag-table-alist', tells tags commands to use the tags table
file FILE first.  The FILE should be the name of a file created with
the `etags' program.  A directory name is also acceptable; it means the
file `TAGS' in that directory.  The function only stores the file name
you provide in the variable `tags-file-name'.  Emacs does not actually
read in the tags table contents until you try to use them.  You can set
the variable explicitly instead of using `visit-tags-table'.  The value
of the variable `tags-file-name' is the name of the tags table used by
all buffers.  This is for backward compatibility, and is largely
supplanted by the variable `tag-table-alist'.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Find Tag,  Next: Tags Search,  Prev: Select Tags Table,  Up: Tags

Finding a Tag
-------------

The most important thing that a tags table enables you to do is to find
the definition of a specific tag.

`M-. TAG &OPTIONAL OTHER-WINDOW'
     Find first definition of TAG (`find-tag').

`C-u M-.'
     Find next alternate definition of last tag specified.

`C-x 4 . TAG'
     Find first definition of TAG, but display it in another window
     (`find-tag-other-window').

   `M-.' (`find-tag') is the command to find the definition of a
specified tag.  It searches through the tags table for that tag, as a
string, then uses the tags table information to determine the file in
which the definition is used and the approximate character position of
the definition in the file.  Then `find-tag' visits the file, moves
point to the approximate character position, and starts searching
ever-increasing distances away for the text that should appear at the
beginning of the definition.

   If an empty argument is given (by typing <RET>), the sexp in the
buffer before or around point is used as the name of the tag to find.
*Note Lists::, for information on sexps.

   The argument to `find-tag' need not be the whole tag name; it can be
a substring of a tag name.  However, there can be many tag names
containing the substring you specify.  Since `find-tag' works by
searching the text of the tags table, it finds the first tag in the
table that the specified substring appears in.  To find other tags that
match the substring, give `find-tag' a numeric argument, as in `C-u
M-.'.  This does not read a tag name, but continues searching the tag
table's text for another tag containing the same substring last used.
If your keyboard has a real <META> key, `M-0 M-.' is an easier
alternative to `C-u M-.'.

   If the optional second argument OTHER-WINDOW is non-`nil', it uses
another window to display the tag.  Multiple active tags tables and
completion are supported.

   Variables of note include the following:

`tag-table-alist'
     Controls which tables apply to which buffers.

`tags-file-name'
     Stores a default tags table.

`tags-build-completion-table'
     Controls completion behavior.

`buffer-tag-table'
     Specifies a buffer-local table.

`make-tags-files-invisible'
     Sets whether tags tables should be very hidden.

`tag-mark-stack-max'
     Specifies how many tags-based hops to remember.

   Like most commands that can switch buffers, `find-tag' has another
similar command that displays the new buffer in another window.  `C-x 4
.' invokes the function `find-tag-other-window'.  (This key sequence
ends with a period.)

   Emacs comes with a tags table file `TAGS' (in the directory
containing Lisp libraries) that includes all the Lisp libraries and all
the C sources of Emacs.  By specifying this file with `visit-tags-table'
and then using `M-.' you can quickly look at the source of any Emacs
function.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Tags Search,  Next: List Tags,  Prev: Find Tag,  Up: Tags

Searching and Replacing with Tags Tables
----------------------------------------

The commands in this section visit and search all the files listed in
the selected tags table, one by one.  For these commands, the tags
table serves only to specify a sequence of files to search.  A related
command is `M-x grep' (*note Compilation::).

`M-x tags-search <RET> REGEXP <RET>'
     Search for REGEXP through the files in the selected tags table.

`M-x tags-query-replace <RET> REGEXP <RET> REPLACEMENT <RET>'
     Perform a `query-replace-regexp' on each file in the selected tags
     table.

`M-,'
     Restart one of the commands above, from the current location of
     point (`tags-loop-continue').

   `M-x tags-search' reads a regexp using the minibuffer, then searches
for matches in all the files in the selected tags table, one file at a
time.  It displays the name of the file being searched so you can
follow its progress.  As soon as it finds an occurrence, `tags-search'
returns.

   Having found one match, you probably want to find all the rest.  To
find one more match, type `M-,' (`tags-loop-continue') to resume the
`tags-search'.  This searches the rest of the current buffer, followed
by the remaining files of the tags table.

   `M-x tags-query-replace' performs a single `query-replace-regexp'
through all the files in the tags table.  It reads a regexp to search
for and a string to replace with, just like ordinary `M-x
query-replace-regexp'.  It searches much like `M-x tags-search', but
repeatedly, processing matches according to your input.  *Note
Replace::, for more information on query replace.

   It is possible to get through all the files in the tags table with a
single invocation of `M-x tags-query-replace'.  But often it is useful
to exit temporarily, which you can do with any input event that has no
special query replace meaning.  You can resume the query replace
subsequently by typing `M-,'; this command resumes the last tags search
or replace command that you did.

   The commands in this section carry out much broader searches than the
`find-tag' family.  The `find-tag' commands search only for definitions
of tags that match your substring or regexp.  The commands
`tags-search' and `tags-query-replace' find every occurrence of the
regexp, as ordinary search commands and replace commands do in the
current buffer.

   These commands create buffers only temporarily for the files that
they have to search (those which are not already visited in Emacs
buffers).  Buffers in which no match is found are quickly killed; the
others continue to exist.

   It may have struck you that `tags-search' is a lot like `grep'.  You
can also run `grep' itself as an inferior of Emacs and have Emacs show
you the matching lines one by one.  This works much like running a
compilation; finding the source locations of the `grep' matches works
like finding the compilation errors.  *Note Compilation::.

   If you wish to process all the files in a selected tags table, but
`M-x tags-search' and `M-x tags-query-replace' are not giving you the
desired result, you can use `M-x next-file'.

`C-u M-x next-file'
     With a numeric argument, regardless of its value, visit the first
     file in the tags table and prepare to advance sequentially by
     files.

`M-x next-file'
     Visit the next file in the selected tags table.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: List Tags,  Prev: Tags Search,  Up: Tags

Tags Table Inquiries
--------------------

`M-x list-tags'
     Display a list of the tags defined in a specific program file.

`M-x tags-apropos'
     Display a list of all tags matching a specified regexp.

   `M-x list-tags' reads the name of one of the files described by the
selected tags table, and displays a list of all the tags defined in that
file.  The "file name" argument is really just a string to compare
against the names recorded in the tags table; it is read as a string
rather than a file name.  Therefore, completion and defaulting are not
available, and you must enter the string the same way it appears in the
tag table.  Do not include a directory as part of the file name unless
the file name recorded in the tags table contains that directory.

   `M-x tags-apropos' is like `apropos' for tags.  It reads a regexp,
then finds all the tags in the selected tags table whose entries match
that regexp, and displays the tag names found.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Fortran,  Next: Asm Mode,  Prev: Tags,  Up: Programs

Fortran Mode
============

Fortran mode provides special motion commands for Fortran statements and
subprograms, and indentation commands that understand Fortran
conventions of nesting, line numbers, and continuation statements.

   Special commands for comments are provided because Fortran comments
are unlike those of other languages.

   Built-in abbrevs optionally save typing when you insert Fortran
keywords.

   Use `M-x fortran-mode' to switch to this major mode.  Doing so calls
the value of `fortran-mode-hook' as a function of no arguments if that
variable has a non-`nil' value.

* Menu:

* Motion: Fortran Motion.     Moving point by statements or subprograms.
* Indent: Fortran Indent.     Indentation commands for Fortran.
* Comments: Fortran Comments. Inserting and aligning comments.
* Columns: Fortran Columns.   Measuring columns for valid Fortran.
* Abbrev: Fortran Abbrev.     Built-in abbrevs for Fortran keywords.

   Fortran mode was contributed by Michael Prange.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Fortran Motion,  Next: Fortran Indent,  Prev: Fortran,  Up: Fortran

Motion Commands
---------------

Fortran mode provides special commands to move by subprograms (functions
and subroutines) and by statements.  There is also a command to put the
region around one subprogram, which is convenient for killing it or
moving it.

`C-M-a'
     Move to beginning of subprogram
     (`beginning-of-fortran-subprogram').

`C-M-e'
     Move to end of subprogram (`end-of-fortran-subprogram').

`C-M-h'
     Put point at beginning of subprogram and mark at end
     (`mark-fortran-subprogram').

`C-c C-n'
     Move to beginning of current or next statement (`fortran-next-
     statement').

`C-c C-p'
     Move to beginning of current or previous statement (`fortran-
     previous-statement').

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Fortran Indent,  Next: Fortran Comments,  Prev: Fortran Motion,  Up: Fortran

Fortran Indentation
-------------------

Special commands and features are available for indenting Fortran code.
They make sure various syntactic entities (line numbers, comment line
indicators, and continuation line flags) appear in the columns that are
required for standard Fortran.

* Menu:

* Commands: ForIndent Commands. Commands for indenting Fortran.
* Numbers:  ForIndent Num.      How line numbers auto-indent.
* Conv:     ForIndent Conv.     Conventions you must obey to avoid trouble.
* Vars:     ForIndent Vars.     Variables controlling Fortran indent style.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: ForIndent Commands,  Next: ForIndent Num,  Prev: Fortran Indent,  Up: Fortran Indent

Fortran Indentation Commands
............................

`<TAB>'
     Indent the current line (`fortran-indent-line').

`M-<LFD>'
     Break the current line and set up a continuation line.

`C-M-q'
     Indent all the lines of the subprogram point is in
     (`fortran-indent-subprogram').

   <TAB> is redefined by Fortran mode to reindent the current line for
Fortran (`fortran-indent-line').  Line numbers and continuation markers
are indented to their required columns, and the body of the statement
is independently indented, based on its nesting in the program.

   The key `C-M-q' is redefined as `fortran-indent-subprogram', a
command that reindents all the lines of the Fortran subprogram
(function or subroutine) containing point.

   The key `M-<LFD>' is redefined as `fortran-split-line', a command to
split a line in the appropriate fashion for Fortran.  In a non-comment
line, the second half becomes a continuation line and is indented
accordingly.  In a comment line, both halves become separate comment
lines.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: ForIndent Num,  Next: ForIndent Conv,  Prev: ForIndent Commands,  Up: Fortran Indent

Line Numbers and Continuation
.............................

If a number is the first non-whitespace in the line, it is assumed to be
a line number and is moved to columns 0 through 4.  (Columns are always
counted from 0 in XEmacs.)  If the text on the line starts with the
conventional Fortran continuation marker `$', it is moved to column 5.
If the text begins with any non whitespace character in column 5, it is
assumed to be an unconventional continuation marker and remains in
column 5.

   Line numbers of four digits or less are normally indented one space.
This amount is controlled by the variable `fortran-line-number-indent',
which is the maximum indentation a line number can have.  Line numbers
are indented to right-justify them to end in column 4 unless that would
require more than the maximum indentation.  The default value of the
variable is 1.

   Simply inserting a line number is enough to indent it according to
these rules.  As each digit is inserted, the indentation is recomputed.
To turn off this feature, set the variable
`fortran-electric-line-number' to `nil'.  Then inserting line numbers
is like inserting anything else.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: ForIndent Conv,  Next: ForIndent Vars,  Prev: ForIndent Num,  Up: Fortran Indent

Syntactic Conventions
.....................

Fortran mode assumes that you follow certain conventions that simplify
the task of understanding a Fortran program well enough to indent it
properly:

   * Two nested `do' loops never share a `continue' statement.

   * The same character appears in column 5 of all continuation lines.
     It is the value of the variable `fortran-continuation-char'.  By
     default, this character is `$'.

If you fail to follow these conventions, the indentation commands may
indent some lines unaesthetically.  However, a correct Fortran program
will retain its meaning when reindented even if the conventions are not
followed.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: ForIndent Vars,  Prev: ForIndent Conv,  Up: Fortran Indent

Variables for Fortran Indentation
.................................

Several additional variables control how Fortran indentation works.

`fortran-do-indent'
     Extra indentation within each level of `do' statement (the default
     is 3).

`fortran-if-indent'
     Extra indentation within each level of `if' statement (the default
     is 3).

`fortran-continuation-indent'
     Extra indentation for bodies of continuation lines (the default is
     5).

`fortran-check-all-num-for-matching-do'
     If this is `nil', indentation assumes that each `do' statement
     ends on a `continue' statement.  Therefore, when computing
     indentation for a statement other than `continue', it can save
     time by not checking for a `do' statement ending there.  If this
     is non-`nil', indenting any numbered statement must check for a
     `do' that ends there.  The default is `nil'.

`fortran-minimum-statement-indent'
     Minimum indentation for Fortran statements.  For standard Fortran,
     this is 6.  Statement bodies are always indented at least this
     much.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Fortran Comments,  Next: Fortran Columns,  Prev: Fortran Indent,  Up: Fortran

Comments
--------

The usual Emacs comment commands assume that a comment can follow a line
of code.  In Fortran, the standard comment syntax requires an entire
line to be just a comment.  Therefore, Fortran mode replaces the
standard Emacs comment commands and defines some new variables.

   Fortran mode can also handle a non-standard comment syntax where
comments start with `!' and can follow other text.  Because only some
Fortran compilers accept this syntax, Fortran mode will not insert such
comments unless you have specified to do so in advance by setting the
variable `comment-start' to `"!"' (*note Variables::).

`M-;'
     Align comment or insert new comment (`fortran-comment-indent').

`C-x ;'
     Applies to nonstandard `!' comments only.

`C-c ;'
     Turn all lines of the region into comments, or (with arg) turn
     them back into real code (`fortran-comment-region').

   `M-;' in Fortran mode is redefined as the command
`fortran-comment-indent'.  Like the usual `M-;' command, it recognizes
an existing comment and aligns its text appropriately.  If there is no
existing comment, a comment is inserted and aligned.

   Inserting and aligning comments is not the same in Fortran mode as in
other modes.  When a new comment must be inserted, a full-line comment
is inserted if the current line is blank.  On a non-blank line, a
non-standard `!' comment is inserted if you previously specified you
wanted to use them.  Otherwise a full-line comment is inserted on a new
line before the current line.

   Non-standard `!' comments are aligned like comments in other
languages, but full-line comments are aligned differently.  In a
standard full-line comment, the comment delimiter itself must always
appear in column zero.  What can be aligned is the text within the
comment.  You can choose from three styles of alignment by setting the
variable `fortran-comment-indent-style' to one of these values:

`fixed'
     The text is aligned at a fixed column, which is the value of
     `fortran-comment-line-column'.  This is the default.

`relative'
     The text is aligned as if it were a line of code, but with an
     additional `fortran-comment-line-column' columns of indentation.

`nil'
     Text in full-line columns is not moved automatically.

   You can also specify the character to be used to indent within
full-line comments by setting the variable `fortran-comment-indent-char'
to the character you want to use.

   Fortran mode introduces two variables `comment-line-start' and
`comment-line-start-skip', which do for full-line comments what
`comment-start' and `comment-start-skip' do for ordinary text-following
comments.  Normally these are set properly by Fortran mode, so you do
not need to change them.

   The normal Emacs comment command `C-x ;' has not been redefined.  It
can therefore be used if you use `!' comments, but is useless in
Fortran mode otherwise.

   The command `C-c ;' (`fortran-comment-region') turns all the lines
of the region into comments by inserting the string `C$$$' at the front
of each one.  With a numeric arg, the region is turned back into live
code by deleting `C$$$' from the front of each line.  You can control
the string used for the comments by setting the variable
`fortran-comment-region'.  Note that here we have an example of a
command and a variable with the same name; the two uses of the name
never conflict because in Lisp and in Emacs it is always clear from the
context which one is referred to.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Fortran Columns,  Next: Fortran Abbrev,  Prev: Fortran Comments,  Up: Fortran

Columns
-------

`C-c C-r'
     Displays a "column ruler" momentarily above the current line
     (`fortran-column-ruler').

`C-c C-w'
     Splits the current window horizontally so that it is 72 columns
     wide.  This may help you avoid going over that limit
     (`fortran-window-create').

   The command `C-c C-r' (`fortran-column-ruler') shows a column ruler
above the current line.  The comment ruler consists of two lines of
text that show you the locations of columns with special significance
in Fortran programs.  Square brackets show the limits of the columns for
line numbers, and curly brackets show the limits of the columns for the
statement body.  Column numbers appear above them.

   Note that the column numbers count from zero, as always in XEmacs.
As a result, the numbers may not be those you are familiar with; but the
actual positions in the line are standard Fortran.

   The text used to display the column ruler is the value of the
variable `fortran-comment-ruler'.  By changing this variable, you can
change the display.

   For even more help, use `C-c C-w' (`fortran-window-create'), a
command which splits the current window horizontally, resulting in a
window 72 columns wide.  When you edit in this window, you can
immediately see when a line gets too wide to be correct Fortran.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Fortran Abbrev,  Prev: Fortran Columns,  Up: Fortran

Fortran Keyword Abbrevs
-----------------------

Fortran mode provides many built-in abbrevs for common keywords and
declarations.  These are the same sort of abbrevs that you can define
yourself.  To use them, you must turn on Abbrev mode.  *note Abbrevs::.

   The built-in abbrevs are unusual in one way: they all start with a
semicolon.  You cannot normally use semicolon in an abbrev, but Fortran
mode makes this possible by changing the syntax of semicolon to "word
constituent".

   For example, one built-in Fortran abbrev is `;c' for `continue'.  If
you insert `;c' and then insert a punctuation character such as a space
or a newline, the `;c' changes automatically to `continue', provided
Abbrev mode is enabled.

   Type `;?' or `;C-h' to display a list of all built-in Fortran
abbrevs and what they stand for.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Asm Mode,  Prev: Fortran,  Up: Programs

Asm Mode
========

Asm mode is a major mode for editing files of assembler code.  It
defines these commands:

`<TAB>'
     `tab-to-tab-stop'.

`<LFD>'
     Insert a newline and then indent using `tab-to-tab-stop'.

`:'
     Insert a colon and then remove the indentation from before the
     label preceding colon.  Then do `tab-to-tab-stop'.

`;'
     Insert or align a comment.

   The variable `asm-comment-char' specifies which character starts
comments in assembler syntax.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Running,  Next: Abbrevs,  Prev: Programs,  Up: Top

Compiling and Testing Programs
******************************

The previous chapter discusses the Emacs commands that are useful for
making changes in programs.  This chapter deals with commands that
assist in the larger process of developing and maintaining programs.

* Menu:

* Compilation::        Compiling programs in languages other than Lisp
                        (C, Pascal, etc.)
* Modes: Lisp Modes.   Various modes for editing Lisp programs, with
                       different facilities for running the Lisp programs.
* Libraries: Lisp Libraries.      Creating Lisp programs to run in Emacs.
* Eval: Lisp Eval.     Executing a single Lisp expression in Emacs.
* Debug: Lisp Debug.   Debugging Lisp programs running in Emacs.
* Interaction: Lisp Interaction.  Executing Lisp in an Emacs buffer.
* External Lisp::      Communicating through Emacs with a separate Lisp.

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Compilation,  Next: Lisp Modes,  Prev: Running,  Up: Running

Running "make", or Compilers Generally
======================================

Emacs can run compilers for non-interactive languages like C and
Fortran as inferior processes, feeding the error log into an Emacs
buffer.  It can also parse the error messages and visit the files in
which errors are found, moving point to the line where the error
occurred.

`M-x compile'
     Run a compiler asynchronously under Emacs, with error messages to
     `*compilation*' buffer.

`M-x grep'
     Run `grep' asynchronously under Emacs, with matching lines listed
     in the buffer named `*compilation*'.

`M-x kill-compilation'
     Kill the process made by the `M-x compile' command.

`M-x kill-grep'
     Kill the running compilation or `grep' subprocess.

`C-x `'
     Visit the next compiler error message or `grep' match.

   To run `make' or another compiler, type `M-x compile'.  This command
reads a shell command line using the minibuffer, then executes the
specified command line in an inferior shell with output going to the
buffer named `*compilation*'.  By default, the current buffer's default
directory is used as the working directory for the execution of the
command; therefore, the makefile comes from this directory.

   When the shell command line is read, the minibuffer appears
containing a default command line (the command you used the last time
you typed `M-x compile').  If you type just <RET>, the same command
line is used again.  The first `M-x compile' provides `make -k' as the
default.  The default is taken from the variable `compile-command'; if
the appropriate compilation command for a file is something other than
`make -k', it can be useful to have the file specify a local value for
`compile-command' (*note File Variables::).

   When you start a compilation, the buffer `*compilation*' is
displayed in another window but not selected.  Its mode line displays
the word `run' or `exit' in the parentheses to tell you whether
compilation is finished.  You do not have to keep this buffer visible;
compilation continues in any case.

   To kill the compilation process, type `M-x kill-compilation'.  The
mode line of the `*compilation*' buffer changes to say `signal' instead
of `run'.  Starting a new compilation also kills any running
compilation, as only one can occur at any time.  Starting a new
compilation prompts for confirmation before actually killing a
compilation that is running.

   To parse the compiler error messages, type `C-x `' (`next-error').
The character following `C-x' is the grave accent, not the single
quote.  The command displays the buffer `*compilation*' in one window
and the buffer in which the next error occurred in another window.
Point in that buffer is moved to the line where the error was found.
The corresponding error message is scrolled to the top of the window in
which `*compilation*' is displayed.

   The first time you use `C-x `' after the start of a compilation, it
parses all the error messages, visits all the files that have error
messages, and creates markers pointing at the lines the error messages
refer to.  It then moves to the first error message location.
Subsequent uses of `C-x `' advance down the data set up by the first
use.  When the preparsed error messages are exhausted, the next `C-x `'
checks for any more error messages that have come in; this is useful if
you start editing compiler errors while compilation is still going on.
If no additional error messages have come in, `C-x `' reports an error.

   `C-u C-x `' discards the preparsed error message data and parses the
`*compilation*' buffer again, then displays the first error.  This way,
you can process the same set of errors again.

   Instead of running a compiler, you can run `grep' and see the lines
on which matches were found.  To do this, type `M-x grep' with an
argument line that contains the same arguments you would give to
`grep': a `grep'-style regexp (usually in single quotes to quote the
shell's special characters) followed by filenames, which may use
wildcard characters.  The output from `grep' goes in the
`*compilation*' buffer.  You can use `C-x `' to find the lines that
match as if they were compilation errors.

   Note: a shell is used to run the compile command, but the shell is
not run in interactive mode.  In particular, this means that the shell
starts up with no prompt.  If you find your usual shell prompt making an
unsightly appearance in the `*compilation*' buffer, it means you have
made a mistake in your shell's initialization file (`.cshrc' or `.shrc'
or ...) by setting the prompt unconditionally.  The shell
initialization file should set the prompt only if there already is a
prompt.  Here's how to do it in `csh':

     if ($?prompt) set prompt = ...

\1f
File: xemacs.info,  Node: Lisp Modes,  Next: Lisp Libraries,  Prev: Compilation,  Up: Running

Major Modes for Lisp
====================

Emacs has four different major modes for Lisp.  They are the same in
terms of editing commands, but differ in the commands for executing Lisp
expressions.

Emacs-Lisp mode
     The mode for editing source files of programs to run in Emacs Lisp.
     This mode defines `C-M-x' to evaluate the current defun.  *Note
     Lisp Libraries::.

Lisp Interaction mode
     The mode for an interactive session with Emacs Lisp.  It defines
     <LFD> to evaluate the sexp before point and insert its value in the
     buffer.  *Note Lisp Interaction::.

Lisp mode
     The mode for editing source files of programs that run in other
     dialects of Lisp than Emacs Lisp.  This mode defines `C-M-x' to
     send the current defun to an inferior Lisp process.  *Note
     External Lisp::.

Inferior Lisp mode
     The mode for an interactive session with an inferior Lisp process.
     This mode combines the special features of Lisp mode and Shell mode
     (*note Shell Mode::).

Scheme mode
     Like Lisp mode but for Scheme programs.

Inferior Scheme mode
     The mode for an interactive session with an inferior Scheme
     process.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Lisp Libraries,  Next: Lisp Eval,  Prev: Lisp Modes,  Up: Running

Libraries of Lisp Code for Emacs
================================

Lisp code for Emacs editing commands is stored in files whose names
conventionally end in `.el'.  This ending tells Emacs to edit them in
Emacs-Lisp mode (*note Lisp Modes::).

* Menu:

* Loading::             Loading libraries of Lisp code into Emacs for use.
* Compiling Libraries:: Compiling a library makes it load and run faster.
* Mocklisp::            Converting Mocklisp to Lisp so XEmacs can run it.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Loading,  Next: Compiling Libraries,  Prev: Lisp Libraries,  Up: Lisp Libraries

Loading Libraries
-----------------

`M-x load-file FILE'
     Load the file FILE of Lisp code.

`M-x load-library LIBRARY'
     Load the library named LIBRARY.

`M-x locate-library LIBRARY &optional NOSUFFIX'
     Show the full path name of Emacs library LIBRARY.

   To execute a file of Emacs Lisp, use `M-x load-file'.  This command
reads the file name you provide in the minibuffer, then executes the
contents of that file as Lisp code.  It is not necessary to visit the
file first; in fact, this command reads the file as found on disk, not
the text in an Emacs buffer.

   Once a file of Lisp code is installed in the Emacs Lisp library
directories, users can load it using `M-x load-library'.  Programs can
load it by calling `load-library', or with `load', a more primitive
function that is similar but accepts some additional arguments.

   `M-x load-library' differs from `M-x load-file' in that it searches
a sequence of directories and tries three file names in each directory.
The three names are: first, the specified name with `.elc' appended;
second, the name with `.el' appended; third, the specified name alone.
A `.elc' file would be the result of compiling the Lisp file into byte
code;  if possible, it is loaded in preference to the Lisp file itself
because the compiled file loads and runs faster.

   Because the argument to `load-library' is usually not in itself a
valid file name, file name completion is not available.  In fact, when
using this command, you usually do not know exactly what file name will
be used.

   The sequence of directories searched by `M-x load-library' is
specified by the variable `load-path', a list of strings that are
directory names.  The elements of this list may not begin with "`~'",
so you must call `expand-file-name' on them before adding them to the
list.  The default value of the list contains the directory where the
Lisp code for Emacs itself is stored.  If you have libraries of your
own, put them in a single directory and add that directory to
`load-path'.  `nil' in this list stands for the current default
directory, but it is probably not a good idea to put `nil' in the list.
If you start wishing that `nil' were in the list, you should probably
use `M-x load-file' for this case.

   The variable is initialized by the EMACSLOADPATH environment
variable. If no value is specified, the variable takes the default value
specified in the file `paths.h' when Emacs was built. If a path isn't
specified in `paths.h', a default value is obtained from the file
system, near the directory in which the Emacs executable resides.

   Like `M-x load-library', `M-x locate-library' searches the
directories in `load-path' to find the file that `M-x load-library'
would load.  If the optional second argument NOSUFFIX is non-`nil', the
suffixes `.elc' or `.el' are not added to the specified name LIBRARY
(like calling `load' instead of `load-library').

   You often do not have to give any command to load a library, because
the commands defined in the library are set up to "autoload" that
library.  Running any of those commands causes `load' to be called to
load the library; this replaces the autoload definitions with the real
ones from the library.

   If autoloading a file does not finish, either because of an error or
because of a `C-g' quit, all function definitions made by the file are
undone automatically.  So are any calls to `provide'.  As a
consequence, the entire file is loaded a second time if you use one of
the autoloadable commands again.  This prevents problems when the
command is no longer autoloading but is working incorrectly because the
file was only partially loaded.  Function definitions are undone only
for autoloading; explicit calls to `load' do not undo anything if
loading is not completed.

   The variable `after-load-alist' takes an alist of expressions to be
evaluated when particular files are loaded.  Each element has the form
`(FILENAME forms...)'.  When `load' is run and the filename argument is
FILENAME, the forms in the corresponding element are executed at the
end of loading.

   FILENAME must match exactly.  Normally FILENAME is the name of a
library, with no directory specified, since that is how load is
normally called.  An error in `forms' does not undo the load, but it
does prevent execution of the rest of the `forms'.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Compiling Libraries,  Next: Mocklisp,  Prev: Loading,  Up: Lisp Libraries

Compiling Libraries
-------------------

Emacs Lisp code can be compiled into byte-code which loads faster,
takes up less space when loaded, and executes faster.

`M-x batch-byte-compile'
     Run byte-compile-file on the files remaining on the command line.

`M-x byte-compile-buffer &optional BUFFER'
     Byte-compile and evaluate contents of BUFFER (default is current
     buffer).

`M-x byte-compile-file'
     Compile a file of Lisp code named FILENAME into a file of byte
     code.

`M-x byte-compile-and-load-file FILENAME'
     Compile a file of Lisp code named FILENAME into a file of byte
     code and load it.

`M-x byte-recompile-directory DIRECTORY'
     Recompile every `.el' file in DIRECTORY that needs recompilation.

`M-x disassemble'
     Print disassembled code for OBJECT on (optional) STREAM.

`M-x make-obsolete FUNCTION NEW'
     Make the byte-compiler warn that FUNCTION is obsolete and NEW
     should be used instead.

   `byte-compile-file' creates a byte-code compiled file from an
Emacs-Lisp source file.  The default argument for this function is the
file visited in the current buffer.  The function reads the specified
file, compiles it into byte code, and writes an output file whose name
is made by appending `c' to the input file name.  Thus, the file
`rmail.el' would be compiled into `rmail.elc'. To compile a file of
Lisp code named FILENAME into a file of byte code and then load it, use
`byte-compile-and-load-file'. To compile and evaluate Lisp code in a
given buffer, use `byte-compile-buffer'.

   To recompile all changed Lisp files in a directory, use `M-x
byte-recompile-directory'.  Specify just the directory name as an
argument.  Each `.el' file that has been byte-compiled before is
byte-compiled again if it has changed since the previous compilation.
A numeric argument to this command tells it to offer to compile each
`.el' file that has not been compiled yet.  You must answer `y' or `n'
to each offer.

   You can use the function `batch-byte-compile' to invoke Emacs
non-interactively from the shell to do byte compilation.  When you use
this function, the files to be compiled are specified with command-line
arguments.  Use a shell command of the form:

     emacs -batch -f batch-byte-compile FILES...

   Directory names may also be given as arguments; in that case,
`byte-recompile-directory' is invoked on each such directory.
`batch-byte-compile' uses all remaining command-line arguments as file
or directory names, then kills the Emacs process.

   `M-x disassemble' explains the result of byte compilation.  Its
argument is a function name.  It displays the byte-compiled code in a
help window in symbolic form, one instruction per line.  If the
instruction refers to a variable or constant, that is shown, too.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Mocklisp,  Prev: Compiling Libraries,  Up: Lisp Libraries

Converting Mocklisp to Lisp
---------------------------

XEmacs can run Mocklisp files by converting them to Emacs Lisp first.
To convert a Mocklisp file, visit it and then type `M-x
convert-mocklisp-buffer'.  Then save the resulting buffer of Lisp file
in a file whose name ends in `.el' and use the new file as a Lisp
library.

   You cannot currently byte-compile converted Mocklisp code.  The
reason is that converted Mocklisp code uses some special Lisp features
to deal with Mocklisp's incompatible ideas of how arguments are
evaluated and which values signify "true" or "false".

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Lisp Eval,  Next: Lisp Debug,  Prev: Lisp Libraries,  Up: Running

Evaluating Emacs-Lisp Expressions
=================================

Lisp programs intended to be run in Emacs should be edited in
Emacs-Lisp mode; this will happen automatically for file names ending in
`.el'.  By contrast, Lisp mode itself should be used for editing Lisp
programs intended for other Lisp systems.  Emacs-Lisp mode can be
selected with the command `M-x emacs-lisp-mode'.

   For testing of Lisp programs to run in Emacs, it is useful to be able
to evaluate part of the program as it is found in the Emacs buffer.  For
example, if you change the text of a Lisp function definition and then
evaluate the definition, Emacs installs the change for future calls to
the function.  Evaluation of Lisp expressions is also useful in any
kind of editing task for invoking non-interactive functions (functions
that are not commands).

`M-:'
     Read a Lisp expression in the minibuffer, evaluate it, and print
     the value in the minibuffer (`eval-expression').

`C-x C-e'
     Evaluate the Lisp expression before point, and print the value in
     the minibuffer (`eval-last-sexp').

`C-M-x'
     Evaluate the defun containing point or after point, and print the
     value in the minibuffer (`eval-defun').

`M-x eval-region'
     Evaluate all the Lisp expressions in the region.

`M-x eval-current-buffer'
     Evaluate all the Lisp expressions in the buffer.

   `M-:' (`eval-expression') is the most basic command for evaluating a
Lisp expression interactively.  It reads the expression using the
minibuffer, so you can execute any expression on a buffer regardless of
what the buffer contains.  When evaluation is complete, the current
buffer is once again the buffer that was current when `M-:' was typed.

   In Emacs-Lisp mode, the key `C-M-x' is bound to the function
`eval-defun', which parses the defun containing point or following point
as a Lisp expression and evaluates it.  The value is printed in the echo
area.  This command is convenient for installing in the Lisp environment
changes that you have just made in the text of a function definition.

   The command `C-x C-e' (`eval-last-sexp') performs a similar job but
is available in all major modes, not just Emacs-Lisp mode.  It finds
the sexp before point, reads it as a Lisp expression, evaluates it, and
prints the value in the echo area.  It is sometimes useful to type in an
expression and then, with point still after it, type `C-x C-e'.

   If `C-M-x' or `C-x C-e' are given a numeric argument, they print the
value by inserting it into the current buffer at point, rather than in
the echo area.  The argument value does not matter.

   The most general command for evaluating Lisp expressions from a
buffer is `eval-region'.  `M-x eval-region' parses the text of the
region as one or more Lisp expressions, evaluating them one by one.
`M-x eval-current-buffer' is similar, but it evaluates the entire
buffer.  This is a reasonable way to install the contents of a file of
Lisp code that you are just ready to test.  After finding and fixing a
bug, use `C-M-x' on each function that you change, to keep the Lisp
world in step with the source file.

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File: xemacs.info,  Node: Lisp Debug,  Next: Lisp Interaction,  Prev: Lisp Eval,  Up: Running

The Emacs-Lisp Debugger
=======================

XEmacs contains a debugger for Lisp programs executing inside it.  This
debugger is normally not used; many commands frequently get Lisp errors
when invoked in inappropriate contexts (such as `C-f' at the end of the
buffer) and it would be unpleasant to enter a special debugging mode in
this case.  When you want to make Lisp errors invoke the debugger, you
must set the variable `debug-on-error' to non-`nil'.  Quitting with
`C-g' is not considered an error, and `debug-on-error' has no effect on
the handling of `C-g'.  However, if you set `debug-on-quit' to be
non-`nil', `C-g' will invoke the debugger.  This can be useful for
debugging an infinite loop; type `C-g' once the loop has had time to
reach its steady state.  `debug-on-quit' has no effect on errors.

   You can make Emacs enter the debugger when a specified function is
called or at a particular place in Lisp code.  Use `M-x debug-on-entry'
with argument FUN-NAME to have Emacs enter the debugger as soon as
FUN-NAME is called. Use `M-x cancel-debug-on-entry' to make the
function stop entering the debugger when called.  (Redefining the
function also does this.)  To enter the debugger from some other place
in Lisp code, you must insert the expression `(debug)' there and
install the changed code with `C-M-x'.  *Note Lisp Eval::.

   When the debugger is entered, it displays the previously selected
buffer in one window and a buffer named `*Backtrace*' in another
window.  The backtrace buffer contains one line for each level of Lisp
function execution currently going on.  At the beginning of the buffer
is a message describing the reason that the debugger was invoked, for
example, an error message if it was invoked due to an error.

   The backtrace buffer is read-only and is in Backtrace mode, a special
major mode in which letters are defined as debugger commands.  The
usual Emacs editing commands are available; you can switch windows to
examine the buffer that was being edited at the time of the error, and
you can switch buffers, visit files, and perform any other editing
operations.  However, the debugger is a recursive editing level (*note
Recursive Edit::); it is a good idea to return to the backtrace buffer
and explicitly exit the debugger when you don't want to use it any
more.  Exiting the debugger kills the backtrace buffer.

   The contents of the backtrace buffer show you the functions that are
executing and the arguments that were given to them.  It also allows you
to specify a stack frame by moving point to the line describing that
frame.  The frame whose line point is on is considered the "current
frame".  Some of the debugger commands operate on the current frame.
Debugger commands are mainly used for stepping through code one
expression at a time.  Here is a list of them:

`c'
     Exit the debugger and continue execution.  In most cases,
     execution of the program continues as if the debugger had never
     been entered (aside from the effect of any variables or data
     structures you may have changed while inside the debugger).  This
     includes entry to the debugger due to function entry or exit,
     explicit invocation, and quitting or certain errors.  Most errors
     cannot be continued; trying to continue an error usually causes
     the same error to occur again.

`d'
     Continue execution, but enter the debugger the next time a Lisp
     function is called.  This allows you to step through the
     subexpressions of an expression, and see what the subexpressions
     do and what values they compute.

     When you enter the debugger this way, Emacs flags the stack frame
     for the function call from which you entered.  The same function
     is then called when you exit the frame.  To cancel this flag, use
     `u'.

`b'
     Set up to enter the debugger when the current frame is exited.
     Frames that invoke the debugger on exit are flagged with stars.

`u'
     Don't enter the debugger when the current frame is exited.  This
     cancels a `b' command on a frame.

`e'
     Read a Lisp expression in the minibuffer, evaluate it, and print
     the value in the echo area.  This is equivalent to the command
     `M-:'.

`q'
     Terminate the program being debugged; return to top-level Emacs
     command execution.

     If the debugger was entered due to a `C-g' but you really want to
     quit, not to debug, use the `q' command.

`r'
     Return a value from the debugger.  The value is computed by
     reading an expression with the minibuffer and evaluating it.

     The value returned by the debugger makes a difference when the
     debugger was invoked due to exit from a Lisp call frame (as
     requested with `b'); then the value specified in the `r' command
     is used as the value of that frame.

     The debugger's return value also matters with many errors.  For
     example, `wrong-type-argument' errors will use the debugger's
     return value instead of the invalid argument; `no-catch' errors
     will use the debugger value as a throw tag instead of the tag that
     was not found.  If an error was signaled by calling the Lisp
     function `signal', the debugger's return value is returned as the
     value of `signal'.