This is ../info/xemacs.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.8 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Unconditional Replace, Next: Regexp Replace, Prev: Replace, Up: Replace 12.7.1 Unconditional Replacement -------------------------------- `M-x replace-string STRING NEWSTRING ' Replace every occurrence of STRING with NEWSTRING. `M-x replace-regexp REGEXP NEWSTRING ' Replace every match for REGEXP with NEWSTRING. To replace every instance of `foo' after point with `bar', use the command `M-x replace-string' with the two arguments `foo' and `bar'. Replacement occurs only after point: if you want to cover the whole buffer you must go to the beginning first. By default, all occurrences up to the end of the buffer are replaced. To limit replacement to part of the buffer, narrow to that part of the buffer before doing the replacement (*note Narrowing::). When `replace-string' exits, point is left at the last occurrence replaced. The value of point when the `replace-string' command was issued is remembered on the mark ring; `C-u C-' moves back there. A numeric argument restricts replacement to matches that are surrounded by word boundaries.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Regexp Replace, Next: Replacement and Case, Prev: Unconditional Replace, Up: Replace 12.7.2 Regexp Replacement ------------------------- `replace-string' replaces exact matches for a single string. The similar command `replace-regexp' replaces any match for a specified pattern. In `replace-regexp', the NEWSTRING need not be constant. It can refer to all or part of what is matched by the REGEXP. `\&' in NEWSTRING stands for the entire text being replaced. `\D' in NEWSTRING, where D is a digit, stands for whatever matched the D'th parenthesized grouping in REGEXP. For example, M-x replace-regexp c[ad]+r \&-safe would replace (for example) `cadr' with `cadr-safe' and `cddr' with `cddr-safe'. M-x replace-regexp \(c[ad]+r\)-safe \1 would perform exactly the opposite replacements. To include a `\' in the text to replace with, you must give `\\'.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Replacement and Case, Next: Query Replace, Prev: Regexp Replace, Up: Replace 12.7.3 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 foo bar 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Query Replace, Prev: Replacement and Case, Up: Replace 12.7.4 Query Replace -------------------- `M-% STRING NEWSTRING ' `M-x query-replace STRING NEWSTRING ' Replace some occurrences of STRING with NEWSTRING. `M-x query-replace-regexp REGEXP NEWSTRING ' 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: `' to replace the occurrence with NEWSTRING. This preserves case, just like `replace-string', provided `case-replace' is non-`nil', as it normally is. `' 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, and 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 ' to restart (*note Repetition::). `' 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 ', which repeats the `query-replace' because it used the minibuffer to read its arguments. *Note C-x ESC ESC: Repetition.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Other Repeating Search, Prev: Replace, Up: Search 12.8 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Fixit, Next: Files, Prev: Search, Up: Top 13 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Kill Errors, Next: Transpose, Prev: Fixit, Up: Fixit 13.1 Killing Your Mistakes ========================== `' Delete last character (`delete-backward-char'). `M-' Kill last word (`backward-kill-word'). `C-x ' Kill to beginning of sentence (`backward-kill-sentence'). The 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-' or `C-x '. `M-' kills back to the start of the last word, and `C-x ' kills back to the start of the last sentence. `C-x ' is particularly useful when you are thinking of what to write as you type it, in case you change your mind about phrasing. `M-' and `C-x ' save the killed text for `C-y' and `M-y' to retrieve. *Note Yanking::. `M-' 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 except by looking at the screen to see what you did. It requires less thought to kill the whole word and start over.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Transpose, Next: Fixing Case, Prev: Kill Errors, Up: Fixit 13.2 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).  File: xemacs.info, Node: Fixing Case, Next: Spelling, Prev: Transpose, Up: Fixit 13.3 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::.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Spelling, Prev: Fixing Case, Up: Fixit 13.4 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Files, Next: Buffers, Prev: Fixit, Up: Top 14 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: File Names, Next: Visiting, Prev: Files, Up: Files 14.1 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 . 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 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Visiting, Next: Saving, Prev: File Names, Up: Files 14.2 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 . 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Saving, Next: Reverting, Prev: Visiting, Up: Files 14.3 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Backup, Next: Interlocking, Prev: Saving, Up: Saving 14.3.1 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Backup Names, Next: Backup Deletion, Prev: Backup, Up: Backup 14.3.1.1 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::.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Backup Deletion, Next: Backup Copying, Prev: Backup Names, Up: Backup 14.3.1.2 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::.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Backup Copying, Prev: Backup Deletion, Up: Backup 14.3.1.3 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Interlocking, Prev: Backup, Up: Saving 14.3.2 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Reverting, Next: Auto Save, Prev: Saving, Up: Files 14.4 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Auto Save, Next: Version Control, Prev: Reverting, Up: Files 14.5 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Auto Save Files, Next: Auto Save Control, Prev: Auto Save, Up: Auto Save 14.5.1 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Auto Save Control, Next: Recover, Prev: Auto Save Files, Up: Auto Save 14.5.2 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)'.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Recover, Prev: Auto Save Control, Up: Auto Save 14.5.3 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 FILE '. 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 foo.c 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'.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Version Control, Next: ListDir, Prev: Auto Save, Up: Files 14.6 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Concepts of VC, Next: Editing with VC, Prev: Version Control, Up: Version Control 14.6.1 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::.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Editing with VC, Next: Variables for Check-in/out, Prev: Concepts of VC, Up: Version Control 14.6.2 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Variables for Check-in/out, Next: Log Entries, Prev: Editing with VC, Up: Version Control 14.6.3 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Log Entries, Next: Change Logs and VC, Prev: Variables for Check-in/out, Up: Version Control 14.6.4 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'.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Change Logs and VC, Next: Old Versions, Prev: Log Entries, Up: Version Control 14.6.5 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'.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Old Versions, Next: VC Status, Prev: Change Logs and VC, Up: Version Control 14.6.6 Examining And Comparing Old Versions ------------------------------------------- `C-x v ~ VERSION ' 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 OLDVERS NEWVERS ' 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 ' (`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'.  File: xemacs.info, Node: VC Status, Next: Renaming and VC, Prev: Old Versions, Up: Version Control 14.6.7 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Renaming and VC, Next: Snapshots, Prev: VC Status, Up: Version Control 14.6.8 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Snapshots, Next: Version Headers, Prev: Renaming and VC, Up: Version Control 14.6.9 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Making Snapshots, Next: Snapshot Caveats, Prev: Snapshots, Up: Snapshots 14.6.9.1 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 ' 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 ' 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Snapshot Caveats, Prev: Making Snapshots, Up: Snapshots 14.6.9.2 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Version Headers, Prev: Snapshots, Up: Version Control 14.6.10 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 */  File: xemacs.info, Node: ListDir, Next: Comparing Files, Prev: Version Control, Up: Files 14.7 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 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 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Comparing Files, Next: Dired, Prev: ListDir, Up: Files 14.8 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: and 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Dired, Next: Misc File Ops, Prev: Comparing Files, Up: Files 14.9 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Dired Enter, Next: Dired Edit, Prev: Dired, Up: Dired 14.9.1 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'.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Dired Edit, Next: Dired Deletion, Prev: Dired Enter, Up: Dired 14.9.2 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, 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. (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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Dired Deletion, Next: Dired Immed, Prev: Dired Edit, Up: Dired 14.9.3 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. `' 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 . `u' works just like `d', but removes flags rather than making flags. 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Dired Immed, Prev: Dired Deletion, Up: Dired 14.9.4 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Misc File Ops, Prev: Dired, Up: Files 14.10 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 to scroll forward one window, or 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'.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Buffers, Next: Windows, Prev: Files, Up: Top 15 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Select Buffer, Next: List Buffers, Prev: Buffers, Up: Buffers 15.1 Creating and Selecting Buffers =================================== `C-x b BUFFER ' Select or create a buffer named BUFFER (`switch-to-buffer'). `C-x 4 b BUFFER ' 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 '. 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 ', 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::.  File: xemacs.info, Node: List Buffers, Next: Misc Buffer, Prev: Select Buffer, Up: Buffers 15.2 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Misc Buffer, Next: Kill Buffer, Prev: List Buffers, Up: Buffers 15.3 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::.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Kill Buffer, Next: Several Buffers, Prev: Misc Buffer, Up: Buffers 15.4 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 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'.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Several Buffers, Prev: Kill Buffer, Up: Buffers 15.5 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. `' 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Windows, Next: Mule, Prev: Buffers, Up: Top 16 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Basic Window, Next: Split Window, Prev: Windows, Up: Windows 16.1 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Split Window, Next: Other Window, Prev: Basic Window, Up: Windows 16.2 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').  File: xemacs.info, Node: Other Window, Next: Pop Up Window, Prev: Split Window, Up: Windows 16.3 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Pop Up Window, Next: Change Window, Prev: Other Window, Up: Windows 16.4 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 ' Select buffer BUFNAME in another window. This runs `switch-to-buffer-other-window'. `C-x 4 f FILENAME ' Visit file FILENAME and select its buffer in another window. This runs `find-file-other-window'. *Note Visiting::. `C-x 4 d DIRECTORY ' 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Change Window, Prev: Pop Up Window, Up: Windows 16.5 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Mule, Next: Major Modes, Prev: Windows, Up: Top 17 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Mule Intro, Next: Language Environments, Prev: Mule, Up: Mule 17.1 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 ' is used for commands that pertain to world scripts, coding systems, and input methods.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Language Environments, Next: Input Methods, Prev: Mule Intro, Up: Mule 17.2 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 ' (`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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Input Methods, Next: Select Input Method, Prev: Language Environments, Up: Mule 17.3 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. 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 '' 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).  File: xemacs.info, Node: Select Input Method, Next: Mule and Fonts, Prev: Input Methods, Up: Mule 17.4 Selecting an Input Method ============================== `C-\' Enable or disable use of the selected input method. `C-x C-\ METHOD ' Select a new input method for the current buffer. `C-h I METHOD ' `C-h C-\ METHOD ' 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 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 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Mule and Fonts, Next: Coding Systems, Prev: Select Input Method, Up: Mule 17.5 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Coding Systems, Next: Recognize Coding, Prev: Mule and Fonts, Up: Mule 17.6 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 ' Describe coding system CODING. `C-h C ' 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Recognize Coding, Next: Specify Coding, Prev: Coding Systems, Up: Mule 17.7 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::).  File: xemacs.info, Node: Specify Coding, Prev: Recognize Coding, Up: Mule 17.8 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 f CODING ' Use coding system CODING for the visited file in the current buffer. `C-x c CODING ' Specify coding system CODING for the immediately following command. `C-x k CODING ' Use coding system CODING for keyboard input. (This feature is non-functional and is temporarily disabled.) `C-x t CODING ' Use coding system CODING for terminal output. `C-x p CODING ' 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 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 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 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 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Major Modes, Next: Indentation, Prev: Mule, Up: Top 18 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. , , and 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. Programming modes (*note Programs::) are for specific programming languages. Text modes (like Nroff mode, TeX mode, Outline mode, XML mode, etc.) are for editing human readable text. The remaining major modes are not intended for direct use in editing user files; they are used in buffers created by Emacs for specific purposes. Examples of such modes include Dired mode which is used 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 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. * Mode Hooks:: Customizing a major mode  File: xemacs.info, Node: Choosing Modes, Next: Mode Hooks, Prev: Major Modes, Up: Major Modes 18.1 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Mode Hooks, Prev: Choosing Modes, Up: Major Modes 18.2 Mode Hook Variables ======================== The last step taken by a major mode, by convention, is to invoke a list of user supplied functions that are stored in a "hook" variable. This allows a user to further customize the major mode, and is particularly convenient for setting up buffer local variables (*note Locals::). The name of the hook variable is created by appending the string `-hook' to the name of the major mode. For example, the hook variable used by `text-mode' would be named `text-mode-hook'. By convention the mode hook function receives no arguments. If a hook variable does not exist, or it has the value `nil', the major mode simply ignores it. The recommended way to add functions to a hook variable is with the `add-hook' function. For example, to automatically turn on the Auto Fill mode when Text mode is invoked the following code can be used in the initialization file (*note Init File::) (add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-auto-fill) The `add-hook' function will check that the function is not already listed in the hook variable before adding it. It will also create a hook variable with the value `nil' if one does not exist before adding the function. `add-hook' adds functions to the front of the hook variable list. This means that the last hook added is run first by the major mode. It is considered very poor style to write hook functions that depend on the order that hooks are executed. Hooks can be removed from hook variables with `remove-hook'.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Indentation, Next: Text, Prev: Major Modes, Up: Top 19 Indentation ************** `' Indent current line "appropriately" in a mode-dependent fashion. `' Perform followed by (`newline-and-indent'). `M-^' Merge two lines (`delete-indentation'). This would cancel out the effect of . `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 ' 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 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, aligns a line according to its depth in parentheses. No matter where in the line you are when you type , it aligns the line as a whole. In C mode, implements a subtle and sophisticated indentation style that knows about many aspects of C syntax. In Text mode, 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Indentation Commands, Next: Tab Stops, Prev: Indentation, Up: Indentation 19.1 Indentation Commands and Techniques ======================================== If you just want to insert a tab character in the buffer, you can type `C-q '. 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 '. To make an indented line after the current line, use `C-e '. `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 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 ' (`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 in Indented Text mode. *Note Text::.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Tab Stops, Next: Just Spaces, Prev: Indentation Commands, Up: Indentation 19.2 Tab Stops ============== For typing in tables, you can use Text mode's definition of , `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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Just Spaces, Prev: Tab Stops, Up: Indentation 19.3 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Text, Next: Programs, Prev: Indentation, Up: Top 20 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  File: xemacs.info, Node: Text Mode, Next: Words, Prev: Text, Up: Text 20.1 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, 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 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 , 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Nroff Mode, Next: TeX Mode, Prev: Text Mode, Up: Text Mode 20.1.1 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 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 ', 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'.  File: xemacs.info, Node: TeX Mode, Next: Outline Mode, Prev: Nroff Mode, Up: Text Mode 20.1.2 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, $175 for foreign sites). The normal distribution is a tar tape, blocked 20, 1600 bpi, on an industry standard 2400 foot half-inch reel. The physical format for the 1/4 inch streamer cartridges uses QIC-11, 8000 bpi, 4-track serpentine recording for the SUN. Also, SystemV tapes can be written in cpio format, blocked 5120 bytes, ASCII headers.  File: xemacs.info, Node: TeX Editing, Next: TeX Print, Prev: TeX Mode, Up: TeX Mode 20.1.2.1 TeX Editing Commands ............................. Here are the special commands provided in TeX mode for editing the text of the file. `"' Insert, according to context, either ```' or `"' or `''' (`TeX-insert-quote'). `' Insert a paragraph break (two newlines) and check the previous paragraph for unbalanced braces or dollar signs (`tex-terminate- paragraph'). `M-x validate-tex-buffer' Check each paragraph in the buffer for unbalanced braces or dollar signs. `C-c {' Insert `{}' and position point between them (`tex-insert-braces'). `C-c }' Move forward past the next unmatched close brace (`up-list'). `C-c C-e' Close a block for LaTeX (`tex-close-latex-block'). In TeX, the character `"' is not normally used; you use ```' to start a quotation and `''' to end one. TeX mode defines the key `"' to insert ```' after whitespace or an open brace, `"' after a backslash, or `''' otherwise. This is done by the command `tex-insert-quote'. If you need the character `"' itself in unusual contexts, use `C-q' to insert it. Also, `"' with a numeric argument always inserts that number of `"' characters. In TeX mode, `$' 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. (`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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: TeX Print, Prev: TeX Editing, Up: TeX Mode 20.1.2.2 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Outline Mode, Prev: TeX Mode, Up: Text Mode 20.1.3 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Outline Format, Next: Outline Motion, Prev: Outline Mode, Up: Outline Mode 20.1.3.1 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Outline Motion, Next: Outline Visibility, Prev: Outline Format, Up: Outline Mode 20.1.3.2 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Outline Visibility, Prev: Outline Motion, Up: Outline Mode 20.1.3.3 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Words, Next: Sentences, Prev: Text Mode, Up: Text 20.2 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-' 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 . `M-@' is related to `C-@', which is an alias for `C-'. 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-'.) `Meta-d' takes arguments just like `Meta-f'. `Meta-' (`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-'. `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::.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Sentences, Next: Paragraphs, Prev: Words, Up: Text 20.3 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 ' 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 ' (`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::.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Paragraphs, Next: Pages, Prev: Sentences, Up: Text 20.4 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Pages, Next: Filling, Prev: Paragraphs, Up: Text 20.5 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 . 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Filling, Next: Case, Prev: Pages, Up: Text 20.6 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Auto Fill, Next: Fill Commands, Prev: Filling, Up: Filling 20.6.1 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 or . `M-x auto-fill-mode' Enable or disable Auto Fill mode. `' `' 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 or . To insert a space or newline without permitting line-breaking, type `C-q ' or `C-q ' (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 . 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::.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Fill Commands, Next: Fill Prefix, Prev: Auto Fill, Up: Filling 20.6.2 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Fill Prefix, Prev: Fill Commands, Up: Filling 20.6.3 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Case, Prev: Filling, Up: Text 20.7 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Programs, Next: Running, Prev: Text, Up: Top 21 Editing Programs ******************* XEmacs provides specialized support for editing source files for many different programming languages. For example it is possible to * Follow the usual indentation conventions of the language (*note Grinding::). * 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::). * Find functions and symbols in program by name (*note Tags::). 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. * CC Mode:: Modes for C, C++, Java and similar languages * Fortran:: Fortran mode and its special features. * Asm Mode:: Asm mode and its special features.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Program Modes, Next: Lists, Prev: Programs, Up: Programs 21.1 Major Modes for Programming Languages ========================================== Emacs has several major modes (*note Major Modes::) to support programming languages. These major modes will typically understand language syntax, provide automatic indentation features, syntax based highlighting of text, and will often provide interfaces to the programming environment to assist in compiling, executing and debugging programs. A language mode exist when someone decides to take the trouble to write it. At this time many widely used programming languages are supported by XEmacs. Examples include Ada, Awk, C, C++, CORBA (IDL), Fortran, Java, Lisp, Modula 2, Objective-C, Perl, Pike, Prolog, Python, Ruby, Scheme, Simula, SQL, Tcl, Unix Shell scripts, and VHDL. Some of these language have seperate manuals, and some times more than one mode may be available for a language. For example, there are several variants of Lisp mode, which differ in the way they interface to Lisp execution. *Note Lisp Modes::. Major modes for programming language support are distributed in optional XEmacs packages (*note Packages::) that must be installed before use. A notable exception to this rule is that a Lisp Mode is integral to XEmacs. The Programming Mode Package (`prog-modes') contains many such modes. Some languages are supported by packages of their own; prominent examples of such packages include `cc-mode' for C, C++, Java, Objective C etc., `python-modes' for Python, and `scheme' for Scheme. For a language named LANG the major mode for the language will typically be named `LANG-mode'. For example, the mode for C is called `c-mode', that for Bourne shell scripts is called `sh-mode' and so on. These modes will invoke the functions listed in the corresponding hook variables as a last step. *Note Mode Hooks::. A mode can be invoked by typing `M-x LANG-mode '. However this step is not normally required. If the package for a language mode is installed XEmacs usually knows when to automatically invoke the mode. This is normally done based on examining the file name to determine the language. *Note Choosing Modes::. Each of the programming language modes defines the key to run an indentation function that knows the indentation conventions of that language and updates the current line's indentation accordingly. is normally defined to do followed by ; 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 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Lists, Next: Defuns, Prev: Program Modes, Up: Programs 21.2 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. 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::.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Defuns, Next: Grinding, Prev: Lists, Up: Programs 21.3 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Grinding, Next: Matching, Prev: Defuns, Up: Programs 21.4 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Basic Indent, Next: Multi-line Indent, Prev: Grinding, Up: Grinding 21.4.1 Basic Program Indentation Commands ----------------------------------------- `' Adjust indentation of current line. `' Equivalent to followed by (`newline-and-indent'). The basic indentation command is , which gives the current line the correct indentation as determined from the previous lines. The function that 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. 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, leaves it at the end of that whitespace; otherwise, leaves point fixed with respect to the characters around it. Use `C-q ' to insert a tab at point. When entering a large amount of new code, use (`newline-and-indent'), which is equivalent to a followed by a . creates a blank line, then gives it the appropriate indentation. 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 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Multi-line Indent, Next: Lisp Indent, Prev: Basic Indent, Up: Grinding 21.4.2 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 ' 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 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 '. When you give 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 to every line whose first character is between point and mark.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Lisp Indent, Prev: Multi-line Indent, Up: Grinding 21.4.3 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Matching, Next: Comments, Prev: Grinding, Up: Programs 21.5 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Comments, Next: Balanced Editing, Prev: Matching, Up: Programs 21.6 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-' Like 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 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. 21.6.1 Multiple Lines of Comments --------------------------------- If you are typing a comment and want to continue it on another line, use the command `Meta-' (`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-', the text on the rest of the line becomes part of the new comment line. 21.6.2 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-' (`indent-new-comment-line') behaves when used inside a comment. If `comment-multi-line' is `nil', as it normally is, then `M-' 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-' 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Balanced Editing, Next: Lisp Completion, Prev: Comments, Up: Programs 21.7 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 after it.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Lisp Completion, Next: Documentation, Prev: Balanced Editing, Up: Programs 21.8 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-' (`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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Documentation, Next: Change Log, Prev: Lisp Completion, Up: Programs 21.9 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Change Log, Next: Tags, Prev: Documentation, Up: Programs 21.10 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 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Tags, Next: CC Mode, Prev: Change Log, Up: Programs 21.11 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Tag Syntax, Next: Create Tags Table, Up: Tags 21.11.1 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Create Tags Table, Next: Etags Regexps, Prev: Tag Syntax, Up: Tags 21.11.2 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Etags Regexps, Next: Select Tags Table, Prev: Create Tags Table, Up: Tags 21.11.3 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 ' 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/'  File: xemacs.info, Node: Select Tags Table, Next: Find Tag, Prev: Etags Regexps, Up: Tags 21.11.4 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'.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Find Tag, Next: Tags Search, Prev: Select Tags Table, Up: Tags 21.11.5 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 ), 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 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Tags Search, Next: List Tags, Prev: Find Tag, Up: Tags 21.11.6 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 REGEXP ' Search for REGEXP through the files in the selected tags table. `M-x tags-query-replace REGEXP REPLACEMENT ' 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: List Tags, Prev: Tags Search, Up: Tags 21.11.7 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: CC Mode, Next: Fortran, Prev: Tags, Up: Programs 21.12 Modes for C, C++, Java and similar languages ================================================== The recommended means for supporting the "C-like" programming languages in XEmacs is the `cc-mode' package. CC Mode is not included in the basic XEmacs distribution but is available as an optional package. If loading a file whose names ends in the `.cc' extension does not automatically invoke a C++ Mode then the `cc-mode' package is probably not yet installed. *Note Packages::. CC Mode provides modes for editing source files in Awk (`awk-mode'), C (`c-mode'), C++ (`c++-mode'), CORBA IDL (`idl-mode'), Java (`java-mode'), Objective C (`objc-mode'), and Pike (`pike-mode'). All these languages are supported with an sophisticated "indentation engine" that is feature rich, customizable and quite efficient. Each language major mode runs hooks in the conventionally named hook variables (*note Mode Hooks::). In addition to this conventional behavior all the CC Mode major modes will also run hooks in `c-mode-common-hook' _before_ invoking the major mode specific hook. CC Mode runs any hooks in `c-initialization-hook' exactly once when it is first loaded. CC Mode is a very comprehensive and flexible system and full description of its capabilities is beyond the scope of this manual. It is strongly recommended that the reader consult the CC Mode documentation for details once the package has been installed. *Note CC Mode: (cc-mode)Top. * Menu: * Older Modes:: Older Modes for C and AWK * Customizing CC Mode:: An Introduction to Customizing CC Mode.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Older Modes, Next: Customizing CC Mode, Prev: CC Mode, Up: CC Mode 21.12.1 Older Modes for C and AWK --------------------------------- XEmacs provides older versions of a C Mode and an AWK Mode in the `prog-modes' package. These older modes do not share the indentation engine in CC Mode have have their own specific means of customizing indentation. To use these modes the `prog-modes' package must be installed. This older C mode is known simply as the "Old C Mode". It supports only the C language and it lacks many of the features of CC Mode. However the old C mode offers modest space requirements and very fast operation. Old C Mode might be useful in space constrained environments, on slow machines, or for editing very large files. This old C mode is available in the `old-c-mode' library. *Note Old C Mode: (prog-modes)old-c-mode. The old AWK mode exists for similar reasons. It is available in the `awk-mode' library. *Note Old AWK Mode: (prog-modes)awk-mode. Note that the prog-modes package will never automatically invoke these older modes for a user. However installing the `cc-mode' package _will_ make CC Mode's versions available automatically. As a result a user who wants to use these older modes must explicitly load the old libraries to use them.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Customizing CC Mode, Prev: Older Modes, Up: CC Mode 21.12.2 Customizing Indentation in CC Mode ------------------------------------------ A very brief introduction is included here on customizing CC Mode. CC Mode has many features, including useful minor modes, that are completely documented in its own manual. CC Mode implements several different "styles" for C code (and the other languages supported by CC Mode). If you need to change the indentation style for CC Mode it is recommended that you first see if an existing style meets your requirements. The style chosen will affect the placement of language elements like braces, function declarations and comments. You can choose a style interactively by typing `C-c .' and pressing the space bar at the prompt to get a list of supported styles. `C-c .' runs the function `c-set-style' which applies to all CC Mode language modes though its name might suggest otherwise. A few of the the supported styles are listed below. * "gnu" -- The recommeded style from the Free Software Foundation for GNU software. * "k&r" -- The classic style from Kernighan and Ritchie. * "linux" -- The style recommended for code in the Linux kernel. * "bsd" -- The style recommended for software developed in BSD. * "java -- The "traditional" Java style. The default style in XEmacs is "gnu" except for Java mode where it is the "java" style (this is governed by the variable `c-default-style'). The styles included in CC Mode all use a buffer local variable called `c-basic-offset' as the basic indentation level (this buffer local variable is used in all CC Mode language modes though its name might suggest otherwise). All indentation is, by default, expressed in multiples of `c-basic-offset'. Each style defines a default value for `c-basic-offset', for the "gnu" style sets it to 2. A very common customization scenario is where a user wants to use an existing style but with a different basic offset value. An easy way to do this is to set `c-basic-offset' in the language mode hook after selecting the chosen style. For example, a user might want to follow a local coding convention of using the "k&r" style for C code with indentation in two columns multiples (instead of the five column default provided by the CC Mode "k&r" style). This can be achieved with the following code in the initialization file (*note Init File::) (defun my-c-mode-hook () (c-set-style "k&r") (setq c-basic-offset 2)) (add-hook 'c-mode-hook 'my-c-mode-hook) Most customizations for indentation in various CC modes can be accomplished by choosing a style and then choosing value for `c-basic-offset' that meets the local coding convention. CC Mode has a very customizable indentation engine and a furthur discussion is really beyond the scope of this manual. *Note Indentation Engine: (cc-mode)Indentation Engine.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Fortran, Next: Asm Mode, Prev: CC Mode, Up: Programs 21.13 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Fortran Motion, Next: Fortran Indent, Prev: Fortran, Up: Fortran 21.13.1 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').  File: xemacs.info, Node: Fortran Indent, Next: Fortran Comments, Prev: Fortran Motion, Up: Fortran 21.13.2 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: ForIndent Commands, Next: ForIndent Num, Prev: Fortran Indent, Up: Fortran Indent 21.13.2.1 Fortran Indentation Commands ...................................... `' Indent the current line (`fortran-indent-line'). `M-' 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'). 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-' 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: ForIndent Num, Next: ForIndent Conv, Prev: ForIndent Commands, Up: Fortran Indent 21.13.2.2 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: ForIndent Conv, Next: ForIndent Vars, Prev: ForIndent Num, Up: Fortran Indent 21.13.2.3 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: ForIndent Vars, Prev: ForIndent Conv, Up: Fortran Indent 21.13.2.4 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Fortran Comments, Next: Fortran Columns, Prev: Fortran Indent, Up: Fortran 21.13.3 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Fortran Columns, Next: Fortran Abbrev, Prev: Fortran Comments, Up: Fortran 21.13.4 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Fortran Abbrev, Prev: Fortran Columns, Up: Fortran 21.13.5 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Asm Mode, Prev: Fortran, Up: Programs 21.14 Asm Mode ============== Asm mode is a major mode for editing files of assembler code. It defines these commands: `' `tab-to-tab-stop'. `' 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Running, Next: Abbrevs, Prev: Programs, Up: Top 22 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Compilation, Next: Lisp Modes, Prev: Running, Up: Running 22.1 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 , 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 = ...  File: xemacs.info, Node: Lisp Modes, Next: Lisp Libraries, Prev: Compilation, Up: Running 22.2 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 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Lisp Libraries, Next: Lisp Eval, Prev: Lisp Modes, Up: Running 22.3 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Loading, Next: Compiling Libraries, Prev: Lisp Libraries, Up: Lisp Libraries 22.3.1 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'.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Compiling Libraries, Next: Mocklisp, Prev: Loading, Up: Lisp Libraries 22.3.2 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.  File: xemacs.info, Node: Mocklisp, Prev: Compiling Libraries, Up: Lisp Libraries 22.3.3 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".