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| author | Dave Love | 1999-09-01 11:06:25 +0000 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | Dave Love | 1999-09-01 11:06:25 +0000 |
| commit | 71e6882726cc7904f4e1852d6e703590748150d6 (patch) | |
| tree | e1fc00490af876782c347f45a9835794cd27d735 | |
| parent | 95ac0a6fa5cac9b075900d199dee9db6863ba22f (diff) | |
| download | emacs-71e6882726cc7904f4e1852d6e703590748150d6.tar.gz emacs-71e6882726cc7904f4e1852d6e703590748150d6.zip | |
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| 1 | \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- | ||
| 2 | @c %**start of header | ||
| 3 | @setfilename faq.info | ||
| 4 | @settitle GNU Emacs FAQ | ||
| 5 | @c %**end of header | ||
| 6 | |||
| 7 | @setchapternewpage odd | ||
| 8 | |||
| 9 | @c The @ifinfo stuff only appears in the Info version | ||
| 10 | @ifinfo | ||
| 11 | Copyright 1994-1999 Reuven M. Lerner@* | ||
| 12 | Copyright 1992-1993 Steven Byrnes@* | ||
| 13 | Copyright 1990-1992 Joseph Brian Wells@* | ||
| 14 | |||
| 15 | This list of frequently asked questions about GNU Emacs with answers | ||
| 16 | ("FAQ") may be translated into other languages, transformed into other | ||
| 17 | formats (e.g. Texinfo, Info, WWW, WAIS), and updated with new information. | ||
| 18 | |||
| 19 | The same conditions apply to any derivative of the FAQ as apply to the FAQ | ||
| 20 | itself. Every copy of the FAQ must include this notice or an approved | ||
| 21 | translation, information on who is currently maintaining the FAQ and how to | ||
| 22 | contact them (including their e-mail address), and information on where the | ||
| 23 | latest version of the FAQ is archived (including FTP information). | ||
| 24 | |||
| 25 | The FAQ may be copied and redistributed under these conditions, except that | ||
| 26 | the FAQ may not be embedded in a larger literary work unless that work | ||
| 27 | itself allows free copying and redistribution. | ||
| 28 | @end ifinfo | ||
| 29 | |||
| 30 | @c The @titlepage stuff only appears in the printed version | ||
| 31 | @titlepage | ||
| 32 | @sp 10 | ||
| 33 | @center @titlefont{GNU Emacs FAQ} | ||
| 34 | |||
| 35 | @c The following two commands start the copyright page. | ||
| 36 | @page | ||
| 37 | @vskip 0pt plus 1filll | ||
| 38 | Copyright @copyright{} 1994-1999 Reuven M. Lerner@* | ||
| 39 | Copyright @copyright{} 1992-1993 Steven Byrnes@* | ||
| 40 | Copyright @copyright{} 1990-1992 Joseph Brian Wells@* | ||
| 41 | |||
| 42 | This list of frequently asked questions about GNU Emacs with answers | ||
| 43 | ("FAQ") may be translated into other languages, transformed into other | ||
| 44 | formats (e.g. Texinfo, Info, WWW, WAIS), and updated with new information. | ||
| 45 | |||
| 46 | The same conditions apply to any derivative of the FAQ as apply to the FAQ | ||
| 47 | itself. Every copy of the FAQ must include this notice or an approved | ||
| 48 | translation, information on who is currently maintaining the FAQ and how to | ||
| 49 | contact them (including their e-mail address), and information on where the | ||
| 50 | latest version of the FAQ is archived (including FTP information). | ||
| 51 | |||
| 52 | The FAQ may be copied and redistributed under these conditions, except that | ||
| 53 | the FAQ may not be embedded in a larger literary work unless that work | ||
| 54 | itself allows free copying and redistribution. | ||
| 55 | @end titlepage | ||
| 56 | |||
| 57 | @node Top, FAQ notation, (dir), (dir) | ||
| 58 | |||
| 59 | This is the GNU Emacs FAQ, last updated on @today{}. | ||
| 60 | |||
| 61 | The FAQ is slowly but surely being turned into a Texinfo document, | ||
| 62 | allowing us to create HTML, Info, and TeX documents from a single source | ||
| 63 | file. Please bear with us as we improve on this format. If you have | ||
| 64 | any suggestions or questions, please contact | ||
| 65 | @email{emacs-faq@@lerner.co.il, the FAQ maintainers}. | ||
| 66 | |||
| 67 | @menu | ||
| 68 | * FAQ notation:: | ||
| 69 | * General questions:: | ||
| 70 | * Getting help:: | ||
| 71 | * Status of Emacs:: | ||
| 72 | * Common requests:: | ||
| 73 | * Bugs and problems:: | ||
| 74 | * Compiling and installing Emacs:: | ||
| 75 | * Finding Emacs and related packages:: | ||
| 76 | * Major packages and programs:: | ||
| 77 | * Key bindings:: | ||
| 78 | * Alternate character sets:: | ||
| 79 | * Mail and news:: | ||
| 80 | * Concept index:: | ||
| 81 | @end menu | ||
| 82 | |||
| 83 | @c ------------------------------------------------------------ | ||
| 84 | @node FAQ notation, General questions, Top, Top | ||
| 85 | @chapter FAQ notation | ||
| 86 | @cindex FAQ notation | ||
| 87 | |||
| 88 | This section describes notation used in the GNU Emacs FAQ, as well as in | ||
| 89 | the Emacs documentation. Consult this section if this is the first time | ||
| 90 | you are reading the FAQ, or if you are confused by notation or terms | ||
| 91 | used in the FAQ. | ||
| 92 | |||
| 93 | @menu | ||
| 94 | * Basic keys:: | ||
| 95 | * Extended commands:: | ||
| 96 | * On-line manual:: | ||
| 97 | * Filename conventions:: | ||
| 98 | * Common acronyms:: | ||
| 99 | @end menu | ||
| 100 | |||
| 101 | @node Basic keys, Extended commands, FAQ notation, FAQ notation | ||
| 102 | @section What do these mean: @kbd{C-h}, @kbd{M-C-a}, @key{RET}, @kbd{@key{ESC} a}, etc.? | ||
| 103 | @cindex Basic keys | ||
| 104 | @cindex Control key, notation for | ||
| 105 | @cindex @key{Meta} key, notation for | ||
| 106 | @cindex Control-meta characters, notation for | ||
| 107 | @cindex @kbd{C-h}, definition of | ||
| 108 | @cindex @kbd{M-C-h}, definition of | ||
| 109 | @cindex @key{DEL}, definition of | ||
| 110 | @cindex @key{ESC}, definition of | ||
| 111 | @cindex @key{LFD}, definition of | ||
| 112 | @cindex @key{RET}, definition of | ||
| 113 | @cindex @key{SPC}, definition of | ||
| 114 | @cindex @key{TAB}, definition of | ||
| 115 | |||
| 116 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 117 | |||
| 118 | @item | ||
| 119 | @kbd{C-x}: press the @key{x} key while holding down the @key{Control} key | ||
| 120 | |||
| 121 | @item | ||
| 122 | @kbd{M-x}: press the @key{x} key while holding down the @key{Meta} key | ||
| 123 | (if your computer doesn't have a @key{Meta} key, see @xref{No Meta key}) | ||
| 124 | |||
| 125 | @item | ||
| 126 | @kbd{M-C-x}: press the @key{x} key while holding down both @key{Control} | ||
| 127 | and @key{Meta} | ||
| 128 | |||
| 129 | @item | ||
| 130 | @kbd{C-M-x}: a synonym for the above | ||
| 131 | |||
| 132 | @item | ||
| 133 | @key{LFD}: Linefeed or Newline; same as @kbd{C-j} | ||
| 134 | |||
| 135 | @item | ||
| 136 | @key{RET}: @key{Return}, sometimes marked @key{Enter}; same as @kbd{C-m} | ||
| 137 | |||
| 138 | @item | ||
| 139 | @key{DEL}: @key{Delete}, usually not the same as @key{Backspace}; same | ||
| 140 | as @kbd{C-?} (@xref{Backspace invokes help} if deleting invokes Emacs help) | ||
| 141 | |||
| 142 | @item | ||
| 143 | @key{ESC}: Escape; same as @kbd{C-[} | ||
| 144 | |||
| 145 | @item | ||
| 146 | @key{TAB}: Tab; same as @kbd{C-i} | ||
| 147 | |||
| 148 | @item | ||
| 149 | @key{SPC}: Space bar | ||
| 150 | |||
| 151 | @end itemize | ||
| 152 | |||
| 153 | Key sequences longer than one key (and some single-key sequences) are | ||
| 154 | inside double quotes or on lines by themselves. Any real spaces in such | ||
| 155 | a key sequence should be ignored; only @key{SPC} really means press the | ||
| 156 | space key. | ||
| 157 | |||
| 158 | The ASCII code sent by @kbd{C-x} (except for @kbd{C-?}) is the value | ||
| 159 | that would be sent by pressing just @key{x} minus 96 (or 64 for | ||
| 160 | uppercase @key{X}) and will be from 0 to 31. The ASCII code sent by | ||
| 161 | @kbd{M-x} is the sum of 128 and the ASCII code that would be sent by | ||
| 162 | pressing just @key{x}. Essentially, @key{Control} turns off bits 5 and | ||
| 163 | 6 and @key{Meta} turns on bit 7. | ||
| 164 | |||
| 165 | @kbd{C-?} (aka @key{DEL}) is ASCII code 127. It is a misnomer to call | ||
| 166 | @kbd{C-?} a "control" key, since 127 has both bits 5 and 6 turned ON. | ||
| 167 | Also, on very few keyboards does @kbd{C-?} generate ASCII code 127. | ||
| 168 | |||
| 169 | @inforef{Characters, Characters, emacs} and @inforef{Keys, Keys, emacs} | ||
| 170 | for more information. (@xref{On-line manual} for more information about | ||
| 171 | Info.) | ||
| 172 | |||
| 173 | @node Extended commands, On-line manual, Basic keys, FAQ notation | ||
| 174 | @section What does @file{M-x @var{command}} mean? | ||
| 175 | @cindex Extended commands | ||
| 176 | @cindex Commands, extended | ||
| 177 | @cindex M-x, meaning of | ||
| 178 | |||
| 179 | @kbd{M-x @var{command}} means type @kbd{M-x}, then type the name of the | ||
| 180 | command, then type @key{RET}. (@xref{Basic keys} if you're not sure | ||
| 181 | what @kbd{M-x} and @key{RET} mean.) | ||
| 182 | |||
| 183 | @kbd{M-x} (by default) invokes the command | ||
| 184 | @code{execute-extended-command}. This command allows you to run any | ||
| 185 | Emacs command if you can remember the command's name. If you can't | ||
| 186 | remember the command's name, you can type @key{TAB} and @key{SPC} for | ||
| 187 | completion, @key{?} for a list of possibilities, and @kbd{M-p} and | ||
| 188 | @kbd{M-n} to see previous commands entered. An Emacs "command" is any | ||
| 189 | "interactive" Emacs function. | ||
| 190 | |||
| 191 | Your system administrator may have bound other key sequences to invoke | ||
| 192 | @code{execute-extended-command}. A function key labeled @kbd{Do} is a | ||
| 193 | good candidate for this. | ||
| 194 | |||
| 195 | To run non-interactive Emacs functions, @pxref{Evaluating Emacs Lisp code}. | ||
| 196 | |||
| 197 | @node On-line manual, Filename conventions, Extended commands, FAQ notation | ||
| 198 | @section How do I read topic XXX in the on-line manual? | ||
| 199 | @cindex On-line manual, reading topics in | ||
| 200 | @cindex Reading topics in the on-line manual | ||
| 201 | @cindex Finding topics in the on-line manual | ||
| 202 | @cindex Info, finding topics in | ||
| 203 | |||
| 204 | When we refer you to topic XXX in the on-line manual, you can read this | ||
| 205 | manual node inside Emacs (assuming nothing is broken) by typing @kbd{C-h | ||
| 206 | i m emacs @key{RET} m XXX @key{RET}}. | ||
| 207 | |||
| 208 | This invokes Info, the GNU hypertext documentation browser. If you don't | ||
| 209 | already know how to use Info, type @key{?} from within Info. | ||
| 210 | |||
| 211 | If we refer to topic XXX:YYY, type @kbd{C-h i m emacs @key{RET} m XXX | ||
| 212 | @key{RET} m YYY @key{RET}}. | ||
| 213 | |||
| 214 | Your system administrator may not have installed the Info files, or may | ||
| 215 | have installed them improperly. In this case you should complain. | ||
| 216 | |||
| 217 | @xref{Getting a printed manual} if you would like a paper copy of the | ||
| 218 | Emacs manual. | ||
| 219 | |||
| 220 | @node Filename conventions, Common acronyms, On-line manual, FAQ notation | ||
| 221 | @section What are @file{etc/SERVICE}, @file{src/config.h}, and @file{lisp/default.el}? | ||
| 222 | @cindex Filename conventions | ||
| 223 | @cindex Conventions for filenames | ||
| 224 | @cindex Directories and files that come with Emacs | ||
| 225 | |||
| 226 | These are files that come with Emacs. The Emacs distribution is divided | ||
| 227 | into subdirectories; the important ones are @file{etc}, @file{lisp}, and | ||
| 228 | @file{src}. | ||
| 229 | |||
| 230 | If you use Emacs, but don't know where it is kept on your system, start | ||
| 231 | Emacs, then type @kbd{C-h v data-directory @key{RET}}. The directory | ||
| 232 | name displayed by this will be the full pathname of the installed | ||
| 233 | @file{etc} directory. | ||
| 234 | |||
| 235 | The location of your Info directory (i.e., where on-line documentation | ||
| 236 | is stored) is kept in the variable @code{Info-default-directory-list}. Use | ||
| 237 | @kbd{C-h v Info-default-directory-list @key{RET}} to see the contents of | ||
| 238 | this variable, which will be a list of directory names. The last | ||
| 239 | directory in that list is probably where most Info files are stored. By | ||
| 240 | default, Info documentation is placed in @file{/usr/local/info}. | ||
| 241 | |||
| 242 | Some of these files are available individually via FTP or e-mail; | ||
| 243 | @pxref{Informational files for Emacs}. All are available in the source | ||
| 244 | distribution. Many of the files in the @file{etc} directory are also | ||
| 245 | available via the Emacs "help" menu, or by typing @kbd{C-h ?} (@kbd{M-x | ||
| 246 | help-for-help}). | ||
| 247 | |||
| 248 | Your system administrator may have removed the @file{src} directory and | ||
| 249 | many files from the @file{etc} directory. | ||
| 250 | |||
| 251 | @node Common acronyms, , Filename conventions, FAQ notation | ||
| 252 | @section What are FSF, LPF, OSF, GNU, RMS, FTP, and GPL? | ||
| 253 | @cindex FSF, definition of | ||
| 254 | @cindex LPF, definition of | ||
| 255 | @cindex OSF, definition of | ||
| 256 | @cindex GNU, definition of | ||
| 257 | @cindex RMS, definition of | ||
| 258 | @cindex Stallman, Richard, acronym for | ||
| 259 | @cindex Richard Stallman, acronym for | ||
| 260 | @cindex FTP, definition of | ||
| 261 | @cindex GPL, definition of | ||
| 262 | @cindex Acronyms, definitions for | ||
| 263 | @cindex Common acronyms, definitions for | ||
| 264 | |||
| 265 | @table @asis | ||
| 266 | |||
| 267 | @item FSF | ||
| 268 | Free Software Foundation | ||
| 269 | |||
| 270 | @item LPF | ||
| 271 | League for Programming Freedom | ||
| 272 | |||
| 273 | @item OSF | ||
| 274 | Open Software Foundation | ||
| 275 | |||
| 276 | @item GNU | ||
| 277 | GNU's Not Unix | ||
| 278 | |||
| 279 | @item RMS | ||
| 280 | Richard Matthew Stallman | ||
| 281 | |||
| 282 | @item FTP | ||
| 283 | File Transfer Protocol | ||
| 284 | |||
| 285 | @item GPL | ||
| 286 | GNU General Public License | ||
| 287 | |||
| 288 | @end table | ||
| 289 | |||
| 290 | Avoid confusing the FSF, the LPF, and the OSF. The LPF opposes | ||
| 291 | look-and-feel copyrights and software patents. The FSF aims to make | ||
| 292 | high quality free software available for everyone. The OSF is a | ||
| 293 | consortium of computer vendors which develops commercial software for | ||
| 294 | Unix systems. | ||
| 295 | |||
| 296 | The word "free" in the title of the Free Software Foundation refers to | ||
| 297 | "freedom," not "zero dollars." Anyone can charge any price for | ||
| 298 | GPL-covered software that they want to. However, in practice, the | ||
| 299 | freedom enforced by the GPL leads to low prices, because you can always | ||
| 300 | get the software for less money from someone else, because everyone has | ||
| 301 | the right to resell or give away GPL-covered software. | ||
| 302 | |||
| 303 | @c ------------------------------------------------------------ | ||
| 304 | @node General questions, Getting help, FAQ notation, Top | ||
| 305 | @chapter General questions | ||
| 306 | @cindex General questions | ||
| 307 | |||
| 308 | This section contains general questions having to do with Emacs, the | ||
| 309 | Free Software Foundation, and related organizations. | ||
| 310 | |||
| 311 | @menu | ||
| 312 | * The LPF:: | ||
| 313 | * Real meaning of copyleft:: | ||
| 314 | * Guidelines for newsgroup postings:: | ||
| 315 | * Newsgroup archives:: | ||
| 316 | * Reporting bugs:: | ||
| 317 | * Unsubscribing from Emacs lists:: | ||
| 318 | * Contacting the FSF:: | ||
| 319 | @end menu | ||
| 320 | |||
| 321 | @node The LPF, Real meaning of copyleft, General questions, General questions | ||
| 322 | @section What is the LPF? | ||
| 323 | @cindex LPF, description of | ||
| 324 | @cindex League for Programming Freedom | ||
| 325 | @cindex Software patents, opposition to | ||
| 326 | @cindex Patents for software, opposition to | ||
| 327 | |||
| 328 | The LPF opposes the expanding danger of software patents and | ||
| 329 | look-and-feel copyrights. To get more information, feel free to contact | ||
| 330 | the LPF via e-mail or otherwise. You may also contact | ||
| 331 | @email{jbw@@cs.bu.edu, Joe Wells}; he will be happy to talk with you | ||
| 332 | about the LPF. | ||
| 333 | |||
| 334 | You can find more information about the LPF in the file @file{etc/LPF}. | ||
| 335 | More papers describing the LPF's views are available on the Internet and | ||
| 336 | also from @uref{http://lpf.ai.mit.edu/, the LPF}. | ||
| 337 | |||
| 338 | @node Real meaning of copyleft, Guidelines for newsgroup postings, The LPF, General questions | ||
| 339 | @section What is the real legal meaning of the GNU copyleft? | ||
| 340 | @cindex Copyleft, real meaning of | ||
| 341 | @cindex GPL, real meaning of | ||
| 342 | @cindex General Public License, real meaning of | ||
| 343 | @cindex Discussion of the GPL | ||
| 344 | |||
| 345 | The real legal meaning of the GNU General Public License (copyleft) will | ||
| 346 | only be known if and when a judge rules on its validity and scope. | ||
| 347 | There has never been a copyright infringement case involving the GPL to | ||
| 348 | set any precedents. Please take any discussion regarding this issue to | ||
| 349 | the newsgroup @uref{news:gnu.misc.discuss}, which was created to hold the | ||
| 350 | extensive flame wars on the subject. | ||
| 351 | |||
| 352 | RMS writes: | ||
| 353 | |||
| 354 | @quotation | ||
| 355 | The legal meaning of the GNU copyleft is less important than the spirit, | ||
| 356 | which is that Emacs is a free software project and that work pertaining | ||
| 357 | to Emacs should also be free software. "Free" means that all users have | ||
| 358 | the freedom to study, share, change and improve Emacs. To make sure | ||
| 359 | everyone has this freedom, pass along source code when you distribute | ||
| 360 | any version of Emacs or a related program, and give the recipients the | ||
| 361 | same freedom that you enjoyed. | ||
| 362 | @end quotation | ||
| 363 | |||
| 364 | @node Guidelines for newsgroup postings, Newsgroup archives, Real meaning of copyleft, General questions | ||
| 365 | @section What are appropriate messages for @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help}, @uref{news:gnu.emacs.bug}, @uref{news:comp.emacs}, etc.? | ||
| 366 | @cindex Newsgroups, appropriate messages for | ||
| 367 | @cindex GNU newsgroups, appropriate messages for | ||
| 368 | @cindex Usenet groups, appropriate messages for | ||
| 369 | @cindex Mailing lists, appropriate messages for | ||
| 370 | |||
| 371 | The file @file{etc/MAILINGLISTS} discusses the purpose of each GNU | ||
| 372 | mailing-list. (@xref{Informational files for Emacs} if you want a copy | ||
| 373 | of the file.) For those lists which are gatewayed with newsgroups, it | ||
| 374 | lists both the newsgroup name and the mailing list address. | ||
| 375 | |||
| 376 | @uref{news:comp.emacs} is for discussion of Emacs programs in general. | ||
| 377 | This includes Emacs along with various other implementations, such as | ||
| 378 | JOVE, MicroEmacs, Freemacs, MG, Unipress, CCA, and Epsilon. | ||
| 379 | |||
| 380 | Many people post Emacs questions to @uref{news:comp.emacs} because they | ||
| 381 | don't receive any of the gnu.* newsgroups. Arguments have been made | ||
| 382 | both for and against posting GNU-Emacs-specific material to | ||
| 383 | @uref{news:comp.emacs}. You have to decide for yourself. | ||
| 384 | |||
| 385 | Messages advocating "non-free" software are considered unacceptable on | ||
| 386 | any of the gnu.* newsgroups except for @uref{news:gnu.misc.discuss}, | ||
| 387 | which was created to hold the extensive flame-wars on the subject. | ||
| 388 | "Non-free" software includes any software for which the end user can't | ||
| 389 | freely modify the source code and exchange enhancements. Be careful to | ||
| 390 | remove the gnu.* groups from the "Newsgroups:" line when posting a | ||
| 391 | followup that recommends such software. | ||
| 392 | |||
| 393 | @uref{news:gnu.emacs.bug} is a place where bug reports appear, but avoid | ||
| 394 | posting bug reports to this newsgroup (@pxref{Reporting bugs}). | ||
| 395 | |||
| 396 | @node Newsgroup archives, Reporting bugs, Guidelines for newsgroup postings, General questions | ||
| 397 | @section Where can I get old postings to @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} and other GNU groups? | ||
| 398 | @cindex Archived postings from @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} | ||
| 399 | @cindex Usenet archives for GNU groups | ||
| 400 | @cindex Old Usenet postings for GNU groups | ||
| 401 | |||
| 402 | The FSF has maintained archives of all of the GNU mailing lists for many | ||
| 403 | years, although there may be some unintentional gaps in coverage. The | ||
| 404 | archive is not particularly well organized or easy to retrieve | ||
| 405 | individual postings from, but pretty much everything is there. | ||
| 406 | |||
| 407 | The archive is at @uref{ftp://ftp-mailing-list-archives.gnu.org}. | ||
| 408 | |||
| 409 | As of this writing, the archives are not yet working. | ||
| 410 | |||
| 411 | Web-based Usenet search services, such as | ||
| 412 | @uref{http://www.dejanews.com, DejaNews}, also archive the | ||
| 413 | gnu.* groups. | ||
| 414 | |||
| 415 | @node Reporting bugs, Unsubscribing from Emacs lists, Newsgroup archives, General questions | ||
| 416 | @section Where should I report bugs and other problems with Emacs? | ||
| 417 | @cindex Bug reporting | ||
| 418 | @cindex Good bug reports | ||
| 419 | @cindex How to submit a bug report | ||
| 420 | @cindex Reporting bugs | ||
| 421 | |||
| 422 | The correct way to report Emacs bugs is by e-mail to | ||
| 423 | @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}. Anything sent here also appears in the | ||
| 424 | newsgroup @uref{news:gnu.emacs.bug}, but please use e-mail instead of | ||
| 425 | news to submit the bug report. This ensures a reliable return address | ||
| 426 | so you can be contacted for further details. | ||
| 427 | |||
| 428 | Be sure to read the "Bugs" section of the Emacs manual before reporting | ||
| 429 | a bug to bug-gnu-emacs! The manual describes in detail how to submit a | ||
| 430 | useful bug report. (@xref{On-line manual} if you don't know how to read the | ||
| 431 | manual.) | ||
| 432 | |||
| 433 | RMS says: | ||
| 434 | |||
| 435 | @quotation | ||
| 436 | Sending bug reports to @email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} (which has the | ||
| 437 | effect of posting on @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help}) is undesirable because | ||
| 438 | it takes the time of an unnecessarily large group of people, most of | ||
| 439 | whom are just users and have no idea how to fix these problem. | ||
| 440 | @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} reaches a much smaller group of people | ||
| 441 | who are more likely to know what to do and have expressed a wish to | ||
| 442 | receive more messages about Emacs than the others. | ||
| 443 | @end quotation | ||
| 444 | |||
| 445 | RMS says it is sometimes fine to post to @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help}: | ||
| 446 | |||
| 447 | @quotation | ||
| 448 | If you have reported a bug and you don't hear about a possible fix, | ||
| 449 | then after a suitable delay (such as a week) it is okay to post on | ||
| 450 | gnu.emacs.help asking if anyone can help you. | ||
| 451 | @end quotation | ||
| 452 | |||
| 453 | If you are unsure whether you have found a bug, consider the following | ||
| 454 | non-exhaustive list, courtesy of RMS: | ||
| 455 | |||
| 456 | @quotation | ||
| 457 | If Emacs crashes, that is a bug. If Emacs gets compilation errors | ||
| 458 | while building, that is a bug. If Emacs crashes while building, that | ||
| 459 | is a bug. If Lisp code does not do what the documentation says it | ||
| 460 | does, that is a bug. | ||
| 461 | @end quotation | ||
| 462 | |||
| 463 | @node Unsubscribing from Emacs lists, Contacting the FSF, Reporting bugs, General questions | ||
| 464 | @section How do I unsubscribe from this mailing list? | ||
| 465 | @cindex Unsubscribing from GNU mailing lists | ||
| 466 | @cindex Removing yourself from GNU mailing lists | ||
| 467 | |||
| 468 | If you are receiving a GNU mailing list named "XXX", you might be able | ||
| 469 | to unsubscribe from it by sending a request to the address | ||
| 470 | @email{XXX-request@@gnu.org}. However, this will not work if you are | ||
| 471 | not listed on the main mailing list, but instead receive the mail from a | ||
| 472 | distribution point. In that case, you will have to track down at which | ||
| 473 | distribution point you are listed. Inspecting the @samp{Received} headers | ||
| 474 | on the mail messages may help, along with liberal use of the "EXPN" or | ||
| 475 | "VRFY" sendmail commands through "telnet <site-address> smtp". Ask your | ||
| 476 | postmaster for help. | ||
| 477 | |||
| 478 | @node Contacting the FSF, , Unsubscribing from Emacs lists, General questions | ||
| 479 | @section What is the current address of the FSF? | ||
| 480 | @cindex Snail mail address of the FSF | ||
| 481 | @cindex Postal address of the FSF | ||
| 482 | @cindex Contracting the FSF | ||
| 483 | @cindex Free Software Foundation, contacting | ||
| 484 | |||
| 485 | @table @asis | ||
| 486 | |||
| 487 | @item E-mail | ||
| 488 | gnu@@gnu.org | ||
| 489 | |||
| 490 | @item Telephone | ||
| 491 | +1-617-542-5942 | ||
| 492 | |||
| 493 | @item Fax | ||
| 494 | +1-617-542-2652 | ||
| 495 | |||
| 496 | @item World Wide Web | ||
| 497 | @uref{http://www.gnu.org/} | ||
| 498 | |||
| 499 | @item Postal address | ||
| 500 | Free Software Foundation@* | ||
| 501 | 59 Temple Place - Suite 330@* | ||
| 502 | Boston, MA 02111-1307@* | ||
| 503 | USA@* | ||
| 504 | |||
| 505 | @end table | ||
| 506 | |||
| 507 | For details on how to order items directly from the FSF, see the file | ||
| 508 | @file{etc/ORDERS}. | ||
| 509 | |||
| 510 | @c ------------------------------------------------------------ | ||
| 511 | @node Getting help, Status of Emacs, General questions, Top | ||
| 512 | @chapter Getting help | ||
| 513 | @cindex Getting help | ||
| 514 | |||
| 515 | This section tells you how to get help with Emacs | ||
| 516 | |||
| 517 | @menu | ||
| 518 | * Basic editing:: | ||
| 519 | * Learning how to do something:: | ||
| 520 | * Getting a printed manual:: | ||
| 521 | * Emacs Lisp documentation:: | ||
| 522 | * Installing Texinfo documentation:: | ||
| 523 | * Printing a Texinfo file:: | ||
| 524 | * Viewing Info files outside of Emacs:: | ||
| 525 | * Informational files for Emacs:: | ||
| 526 | * Help installing Emacs:: | ||
| 527 | * Obtaining the FAQ:: | ||
| 528 | @end menu | ||
| 529 | |||
| 530 | @node Basic editing, Learning how to do something, Getting help, Getting help | ||
| 531 | @section I'm just starting Emacs; how do I do basic editing? | ||
| 532 | @cindex Basic editing with Emacs | ||
| 533 | @cindex Beginning editing | ||
| 534 | @cindex Tutorial, invoking the | ||
| 535 | @cindex Self-paced tutorial, invoking the | ||
| 536 | @cindex Help system, entering the | ||
| 537 | |||
| 538 | Type @kbd{C-h t} to invoke the self-paced tutorial. Just typing @kbd{C-h} | ||
| 539 | enters the help system. | ||
| 540 | |||
| 541 | Your system administrator may have changed @kbd{C-h} to act like | ||
| 542 | @key{DEL} to deal with local keyboards. You can use @kbd{M-x | ||
| 543 | help-for-help} instead to invoke help. To discover what key (if any) | ||
| 544 | invokes help on your system, type @kbd{M-x where-is @key{RET} | ||
| 545 | help-for-help @key{RET}}. This will print a comma-separated list of key | ||
| 546 | sequences in the echo area. Ignore the last character in each key | ||
| 547 | sequence listed. Each of the resulting key sequences invokes help. | ||
| 548 | |||
| 549 | Emacs help works best if it is invoked by a single key whose value | ||
| 550 | should be stored in the variable @code{help-char}. | ||
| 551 | |||
| 552 | There is also a WWW-based tutorial for Emacs 18, much of which is also | ||
| 553 | relevant for Emacs 20, available at | ||
| 554 | |||
| 555 | @uref{http://kufacts.cc.ukans.edu/cwis/writeups/misc/emacsguide.html} | ||
| 556 | |||
| 557 | @node Learning how to do something, Getting a printed manual, Basic editing, Getting help | ||
| 558 | @section How do I find out how to do something in Emacs? | ||
| 559 | @cindex Help for Emacs | ||
| 560 | @cindex Learning to do something in Emacs | ||
| 561 | @cindex Reference card for Emacs | ||
| 562 | @cindex Overview of help systems | ||
| 563 | |||
| 564 | There are several methods for finding out how to do things in Emacs. | ||
| 565 | |||
| 566 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 567 | |||
| 568 | @item | ||
| 569 | The complete text of the Emacs manual is available on-line via the Info | ||
| 570 | hypertext reader. Type @kbd{C-h i} to invoke Info. Typing @key{h} | ||
| 571 | immediately after entering Info will provide a short tutorial on how to | ||
| 572 | use it. | ||
| 573 | |||
| 574 | @item | ||
| 575 | You can order a hardcopy of the manual from the FSF. @xref{Getting a | ||
| 576 | printed manual}. | ||
| 577 | |||
| 578 | @item | ||
| 579 | You can get a printed reference card listing commands and keys to | ||
| 580 | invoke them. You can order one from the FSF for $1 (or 10 for $5), | ||
| 581 | or you can print your own from the @file{etc/refcard.tex} or | ||
| 582 | @file{etc/refcard.ps} files in the Emacs distribution. | ||
| 583 | |||
| 584 | @item | ||
| 585 | You can list all of the commands whose names contain a certain word | ||
| 586 | (actually which match a regular expression) using @kbd{C-h a} (@kbd{M-x | ||
| 587 | command-apropos}). | ||
| 588 | |||
| 589 | @item | ||
| 590 | You can list all of the functions and variables whose names contain a | ||
| 591 | certain word using @kbd{M-x apropos}. | ||
| 592 | |||
| 593 | @item | ||
| 594 | There are many other commands in Emacs for getting help and | ||
| 595 | information. To get a list of these commands, type @samp{?} after | ||
| 596 | @kbd{C-h}. | ||
| 597 | |||
| 598 | @end itemize | ||
| 599 | |||
| 600 | @node Getting a printed manual, Emacs Lisp documentation, Learning how to do something, Getting help | ||
| 601 | @section How do I get a printed copy of the Emacs manual? | ||
| 602 | @cindex Printed Emacs manual, obtaining | ||
| 603 | @cindex Manual, obtaining a printed copy of | ||
| 604 | @cindex Emacs manual, obtaining a printed copy of | ||
| 605 | |||
| 606 | You can order a printed copy of the Emacs manual from the FSF. For | ||
| 607 | details see the file @file{etc/ORDERS}. | ||
| 608 | |||
| 609 | The full @TeX{} source for the manual also comes in the @file{man} | ||
| 610 | directory of the Emacs distribution, if you're daring enough to try to | ||
| 611 | print out this 440-page manual yourself (@pxref{Printing a Texinfo | ||
| 612 | file}). | ||
| 613 | |||
| 614 | If you absolutely have to print your own copy, and you don't have @TeX{}, | ||
| 615 | you can get a PostScript version from | ||
| 616 | |||
| 617 | @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/gnu/manuals_ps/emacs-19.21.ps.gz} | ||
| 618 | |||
| 619 | Note that the above document is somewhat out of date, although most | ||
| 620 | major concepts are still relevant. This site requests that you please | ||
| 621 | @emph{confine any major ftping to late evenings or early mornings, local | ||
| 622 | time} (Pacific time zone, GMT-8). | ||
| 623 | |||
| 624 | A WWW version of the (somewhat outdated) Emacs 19.34 manual is at | ||
| 625 | |||
| 626 | @uref{http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/texinfodoc/emacs_toc.html} | ||
| 627 | |||
| 628 | @xref{Learning how to do something} for how to view the manual on-line. | ||
| 629 | |||
| 630 | @node Emacs Lisp documentation, Installing Texinfo documentation, Getting a printed manual, Getting help | ||
| 631 | @section Where can I get documentation on Emacs Lisp? | ||
| 632 | @cindex Documentation on Emacs Lisp | ||
| 633 | @cindex Function documentation | ||
| 634 | @cindex Variable documentation | ||
| 635 | @cindex Emacs Lisp Reference Manual | ||
| 636 | @cindex Reference manual for Emacs Lisp | ||
| 637 | |||
| 638 | Within Emacs, you can type @kbd{C-h f} to get the documentation for a | ||
| 639 | function, @kbd{C-h v} for a variable. | ||
| 640 | |||
| 641 | For more information, obtain the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. Details on | ||
| 642 | ordering it from FSF are in file @file{etc/ORDERS}. | ||
| 643 | |||
| 644 | The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual is also available on-line, in Info | ||
| 645 | format. Texinfo source for the manual (along with pregenerated Info | ||
| 646 | files) is available at | ||
| 647 | |||
| 648 | @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-manual-20-2.5.tar.gz} | ||
| 649 | |||
| 650 | and all mirrors of @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (@xref{Current GNU distributions} for a | ||
| 651 | list). @xref{Installing Texinfo documentation} if you want to install | ||
| 652 | the Info files, or @ref{Printing a Texinfo file} if you want to use the | ||
| 653 | Texinfo source to print the manual yourself. | ||
| 654 | |||
| 655 | WWW versions of the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual are available at | ||
| 656 | |||
| 657 | @uref{http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/texinfodoc/elisp_1.html} | ||
| 658 | |||
| 659 | and | ||
| 660 | |||
| 661 | @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/usr/local/www/elisp/lispref/elisp_toc.html} | ||
| 662 | |||
| 663 | @node Installing Texinfo documentation, Printing a Texinfo file, Emacs Lisp documentation, Getting help | ||
| 664 | @section How do I install a piece of Texinfo documentation? | ||
| 665 | @cindex Texinfo documentation, installing | ||
| 666 | @cindex Installing Texinfo documentation | ||
| 667 | @cindex New Texinfo files, installing | ||
| 668 | @cindex Documentation, installing new Texinfo files | ||
| 669 | |||
| 670 | First, you must turn the Texinfo files into Info files. You may do this | ||
| 671 | using the stand-alone @file{makeinfo} program, available as part of the latest | ||
| 672 | Texinfo package at | ||
| 673 | |||
| 674 | @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/texinfo/texinfo-3.12.tar.gz} | ||
| 675 | |||
| 676 | and all mirrors of @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (@xref{Current GNU distributions} for a list). | ||
| 677 | |||
| 678 | For information about the Texinfo format, read the Texinfo manual which | ||
| 679 | comes with Emacs. This manual also comes installed in Info format, so | ||
| 680 | you can read it on-line. | ||
| 681 | |||
| 682 | Neither @code{texinfo-format-buffer} nor @file{makeinfo} installs the | ||
| 683 | resulting Info files in Emacs's Info tree. To install Info files: | ||
| 684 | |||
| 685 | @enumerate | ||
| 686 | |||
| 687 | @item Move the files to the @file{info} directory in the installed Emacs | ||
| 688 | distribution. @xref{Filename conventions} if you don't know where that is. | ||
| 689 | |||
| 690 | @item Edit the file @file{info/dir} in the installed Emacs distribution, | ||
| 691 | and add a line for the top level node in the Info package that you are | ||
| 692 | installing. Follow the examples already in this file. The format is: | ||
| 693 | |||
| 694 | @example | ||
| 695 | * Topic: (relative-pathname). Short description of topic. | ||
| 696 | @end example | ||
| 697 | |||
| 698 | @end enumerate | ||
| 699 | |||
| 700 | If you want to install Info files and you don't have the necessary | ||
| 701 | privileges, you have several options: | ||
| 702 | |||
| 703 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 704 | |||
| 705 | @item | ||
| 706 | Info files don't actually need to be installed before being used. You | ||
| 707 | can feed a file name to the @code{Info-goto-node} command (invoked by | ||
| 708 | pressing @key{g} in Info mode) by typing the name of the file in | ||
| 709 | parentheses. This goes to the node named "Top" in that file. For | ||
| 710 | example, to view a Info file named "XXX" in your home directory, you can | ||
| 711 | type this: | ||
| 712 | |||
| 713 | @lisp | ||
| 714 | C-h i g (~/XXX) @key{RET} | ||
| 715 | @end lisp | ||
| 716 | |||
| 717 | @item | ||
| 718 | You can create your own Info directory. You can tell Emacs where the | ||
| 719 | Info directory is by adding its pathname to the value of the variable | ||
| 720 | @code{Info-default-directory-list}. For example, to use a private Info | ||
| 721 | directory which is a subdirectory of your home directory named "Info", | ||
| 722 | you could put this in your @file{.emacs} file: | ||
| 723 | |||
| 724 | @lisp | ||
| 725 | (setq Info-default-directory-list | ||
| 726 | (cons "~/Info" Info-default-directory-list)) | ||
| 727 | @end lisp | ||
| 728 | |||
| 729 | You will need a top-level Info file named @file{dir} in this directory | ||
| 730 | which has everything the system dir file has in it, except it should | ||
| 731 | list only entries for Info files in that directory. You might not need | ||
| 732 | it if all files in this directory were referenced by other @file{dir} | ||
| 733 | files. The node lists from all @file{dir} files in | ||
| 734 | @code{Info-default-directory-list} are merged by the Info system. | ||
| 735 | |||
| 736 | @end itemize | ||
| 737 | |||
| 738 | @node Printing a Texinfo file, Viewing Info files outside of Emacs, Installing Texinfo documentation, Getting help | ||
| 739 | @section How do I print a Texinfo file? | ||
| 740 | @cindex Printing a Texinfo file | ||
| 741 | @cindex Texinfo file, printing | ||
| 742 | |||
| 743 | You can't get nicely printed output from Info files; you must still have | ||
| 744 | the original Texinfo source file for the manual you want to print. | ||
| 745 | |||
| 746 | Assuming you have @TeX{} installed on your system, follow these steps: | ||
| 747 | |||
| 748 | @enumerate | ||
| 749 | |||
| 750 | @item Make sure the first line of the Texinfo file looks like this: | ||
| 751 | |||
| 752 | @example | ||
| 753 | \input texinfo | ||
| 754 | @end example | ||
| 755 | |||
| 756 | You may need to change @samp{texinfo} to the full pathname of the | ||
| 757 | texinfo.tex file, which comes with Emacs as @samp{man/texinfo.tex} (or | ||
| 758 | copy or link it into the current directory). | ||
| 759 | |||
| 760 | @item @code{tex XXX.texinfo} | ||
| 761 | |||
| 762 | @item @code{texindex XXX.??} | ||
| 763 | |||
| 764 | The @samp{texindex} program comes with Emacs as @file{man/texindex.c}. | ||
| 765 | |||
| 766 | @item @code{tex XXX.texinfo} | ||
| 767 | |||
| 768 | @item Print the DVI file @file{XXX.dvi} in the normal way for printing DVI files at your site. | ||
| 769 | |||
| 770 | @end enumerate | ||
| 771 | |||
| 772 | To get more general instructions, retrieve the latest Texinfo package | ||
| 773 | (@xref{Installing Texinfo documentation}). | ||
| 774 | |||
| 775 | @node Viewing Info files outside of Emacs, Informational files for Emacs, Printing a Texinfo file, Getting help | ||
| 776 | @section Can I view Info files without using Emacs? | ||
| 777 | @cindex Viewing Info files | ||
| 778 | @cindex Info file viewers | ||
| 779 | @cindex Alternative Info file viewers | ||
| 780 | |||
| 781 | Yes. Here are some alternative programs: | ||
| 782 | |||
| 783 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 784 | |||
| 785 | @item Info, a stand-alone version of the Info program, comes as part of the | ||
| 786 | Texinfo package. @xref{Installing Texinfo documentation} for details. | ||
| 787 | |||
| 788 | @item Xinfo, a stand-alone version of the Info program that runs under X | ||
| 789 | Windows. You can get it at | ||
| 790 | @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/xinfo/xinfo-1.01.01.tar.gz} and all | ||
| 791 | mirrors of @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (@xref{Current GNU distributions} for a list). | ||
| 792 | |||
| 793 | @item Tkinfo, an Info viewer that runs under X Windows and uses Tcl/Tk. You | ||
| 794 | can get Tkinfo at @uref{http://math-www.uni-paderborn.de/~axel/tkinfo/}. | ||
| 795 | |||
| 796 | @end itemize | ||
| 797 | |||
| 798 | @node Informational files for Emacs, Help installing Emacs, Viewing Info files outside of Emacs, Getting help | ||
| 799 | @section What informational files are available for Emacs? | ||
| 800 | @cindex Informational files included with Emacs | ||
| 801 | @cindex Files included with Emacs | ||
| 802 | @cindex @file{COPYING}, description of file | ||
| 803 | @cindex @file{DISTRIB}, description of file | ||
| 804 | @cindex @file{FAQ}, description of file | ||
| 805 | @cindex @file{FTP}, description of file | ||
| 806 | @cindex @file{GNU}, description of file | ||
| 807 | @cindex @file{INTERVIEW}, description of file | ||
| 808 | @cindex @file{LPF}, description of file | ||
| 809 | @cindex @file{MACHINES}, description of file | ||
| 810 | @cindex @file{MAILINGLISTS}, description of file | ||
| 811 | @cindex @file{NEWS}, description of file | ||
| 812 | @cindex @file{SERVICE}, description of file | ||
| 813 | @cindex @file{SUN-SUPPORT}, description of file | ||
| 814 | |||
| 815 | This isn't a frequently asked question, but it should be! A variety of | ||
| 816 | informational files about Emacs and relevant aspects of the GNU project | ||
| 817 | are available for you to read. | ||
| 818 | |||
| 819 | The following files are available in the @file{etc} directory of the | ||
| 820 | Emacs distribution (@pxref{Filename conventions} if you're not sure where that is). | ||
| 821 | |||
| 822 | @table @file | ||
| 823 | |||
| 824 | @item COPYING | ||
| 825 | Emacs General Public License | ||
| 826 | |||
| 827 | @item DISTRIB | ||
| 828 | Emacs Availability Information, including the popular "Free Software | ||
| 829 | Foundation Order Form" | ||
| 830 | |||
| 831 | @item FAQ | ||
| 832 | Emacs Frequently Asked Questions (You're reading it) | ||
| 833 | |||
| 834 | @item FTP | ||
| 835 | How to get GNU Software by Internet FTP or by UUCP | ||
| 836 | |||
| 837 | @item GNU | ||
| 838 | The GNU Manifesto | ||
| 839 | |||
| 840 | @item INTERVIEW | ||
| 841 | Richard Stallman discusses his public-domain UNIX-compatible software | ||
| 842 | system with BYTE editors | ||
| 843 | |||
| 844 | @item LPF | ||
| 845 | Why you should join the League for Programming Freedom | ||
| 846 | |||
| 847 | @item MACHINES | ||
| 848 | Status of Emacs on Various Machines and Systems | ||
| 849 | |||
| 850 | @item MAILINGLISTS | ||
| 851 | GNU Project Electronic Mailing Lists | ||
| 852 | |||
| 853 | @item NEWS | ||
| 854 | Emacs news, a history of user-visible changes | ||
| 855 | |||
| 856 | @item SERVICE | ||
| 857 | GNU Service Directory | ||
| 858 | |||
| 859 | @item SUN-SUPPORT | ||
| 860 | including "Using Emacstool with GNU Emacs" | ||
| 861 | |||
| 862 | @end table | ||
| 863 | |||
| 864 | Latest versions of the above files also available at | ||
| 865 | |||
| 866 | @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/GNUinfo/} | ||
| 867 | |||
| 868 | More GNU information, including back issues of the "GNU's Bulletin", are | ||
| 869 | at | ||
| 870 | |||
| 871 | @uref{http://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bulletins.html} and | ||
| 872 | |||
| 873 | @uref{http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~trent/gnu/gnu.html} | ||
| 874 | |||
| 875 | @node Help installing Emacs, Obtaining the FAQ, Informational files for Emacs, Getting help | ||
| 876 | @section Where can I get help in installing Emacs? | ||
| 877 | @cindex Installation help | ||
| 878 | @cindex Help installing Emacs | ||
| 879 | |||
| 880 | @xref{Installing Emacs} for some basic installation hints, and question | ||
| 881 | 83 if you have problems with the installation. | ||
| 882 | |||
| 883 | The file @file{etc/SERVICE} (@pxref{Filename conventions} if you're not | ||
| 884 | sure where that is) lists companies and individuals willing to sell you | ||
| 885 | help in installing or using Emacs. An up-to-date version this file is | ||
| 886 | available on @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (@pxref{Informational files for Emacs}). | ||
| 887 | |||
| 888 | @node Obtaining the FAQ, , Help installing Emacs, Getting help | ||
| 889 | @section Where can I get the latest version of this FAQ? | ||
| 890 | @cindex FAQ, obtaining the | ||
| 891 | @cindex Latest FAQ version, obtaining the | ||
| 892 | @cindex Retrieving the latest FAQ version | ||
| 893 | @cindex E-mail, retrieving the FAQ via | ||
| 894 | @cindex Web, reading the FAQ on the | ||
| 895 | |||
| 896 | The Emacs FAQ is available in several ways: | ||
| 897 | |||
| 898 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 899 | |||
| 900 | @item | ||
| 901 | Inside of Emacs itself. You can get it from selecting the "Emacs FAQ" | ||
| 902 | option from the "Help" menu at the top of any Emacs frame, or by typing | ||
| 903 | @kbd{C-h F} (@kbd{M-x view-emacs-FAQ}). | ||
| 904 | |||
| 905 | @item | ||
| 906 | Via USENET. If you can read news, the FAQ should be available in your | ||
| 907 | news spool, in both the @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} and | ||
| 908 | @uref{news:comp.emacs} newsgroups. Every news reader should allow you | ||
| 909 | to read any news article that is still in the news spool, even if you | ||
| 910 | have read the article before. You may need to read the instructions for | ||
| 911 | your news reader to discover how to do this. In @file{rn}, this command | ||
| 912 | will do this for you at the article selection level: | ||
| 913 | |||
| 914 | @example | ||
| 915 | ?GNU Emacs Frequently Asked Questions?rc:m | ||
| 916 | @end example | ||
| 917 | |||
| 918 | In Gnus, you should type @kbd{C-u C-x C-s} from the @file{*Summary*} | ||
| 919 | buffer or @kbd{C-u @key{SPC}} from the @file{*Newsgroup*} buffer to view | ||
| 920 | all articles in a newsgroup. | ||
| 921 | |||
| 922 | If the FAQ articles have expired and been deleted from your news spool, | ||
| 923 | it might (or might not) do some good to complain to your news | ||
| 924 | administrator, because the most recent FAQ should not expire for a | ||
| 925 | while. | ||
| 926 | |||
| 927 | @item Via HTTP or FTP. You can always fetch the latest FAQ from | ||
| 928 | |||
| 929 | @uref{http://www.lerner.co.il/emacs/} and | ||
| 930 | |||
| 931 | @uref{ftp://ftp.lerner.co.il/pub/emacs/} | ||
| 932 | |||
| 933 | @item | ||
| 934 | In the Emacs distribution. Since Emacs 18.56, the FAQ at the time | ||
| 935 | of release has been part of the Emacs distribution as @file{etc/FAQ} | ||
| 936 | (@pxref{Filename conventions}). | ||
| 937 | |||
| 938 | @item | ||
| 939 | Via the World Wide Web. A hypertext version is available at | ||
| 940 | |||
| 941 | @uref{http://www.lerner.co.il/emacs/} | ||
| 942 | |||
| 943 | @item | ||
| 944 | Via anonymous ftp and e-mail from @file{rtfm.mit.edu} (and its mirror in | ||
| 945 | Europe), the main repository for FAQs and other items posted to | ||
| 946 | news.answers. The Emacs FAQs are available at | ||
| 947 | |||
| 948 | @uref{ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.emacs/} and | ||
| 949 | |||
| 950 | @uref{ftp://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/pub/doc/FAQ/comp/emacs/} | ||
| 951 | |||
| 952 | If you do not have access to anonymous FTP, you can access the archives | ||
| 953 | using the @file{rtfm.mit.edu} mail server. The Emacs FAQ can be | ||
| 954 | retrieved by sending mail to @email{mail-server@@rtfm.mit.edu} with a | ||
| 955 | blank subject and containing | ||
| 956 | |||
| 957 | @example | ||
| 958 | send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/diffs | ||
| 959 | send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part1 | ||
| 960 | send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part2 | ||
| 961 | send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part3 | ||
| 962 | send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part4 | ||
| 963 | send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part5 | ||
| 964 | @end example | ||
| 965 | |||
| 966 | For more information, send email to @email{mail-server@@rtfm.mit.edu} | ||
| 967 | with "help" and "index" in the body on separate lines. | ||
| 968 | |||
| 969 | @item | ||
| 970 | As the very last resort, you can e-mail a request to | ||
| 971 | @email{emacs-faq@@lerner.co.il}. Don't do this unless you have made a | ||
| 972 | serious effort to obtain the FAQ list via one of the methods listed | ||
| 973 | above. | ||
| 974 | |||
| 975 | @end itemize | ||
| 976 | |||
| 977 | @c ------------------------------------------------------------ | ||
| 978 | @node Status of Emacs, Common requests, Getting help, Top | ||
| 979 | @chapter Status of Emacs | ||
| 980 | @cindex Status of Emacs | ||
| 981 | |||
| 982 | This section gives you basic information about Emacs, including its | ||
| 983 | latest version status. | ||
| 984 | |||
| 985 | @menu | ||
| 986 | * Origin of the term Emacs:: | ||
| 987 | * Latest version of Emacs:: | ||
| 988 | * New in Emacs 20:: | ||
| 989 | @end menu | ||
| 990 | |||
| 991 | @node Origin of the term Emacs, Latest version of Emacs, Status of Emacs, Status of Emacs | ||
| 992 | @section Where does the name "Emacs" come from? | ||
| 993 | @cindex Origin of the term "Emacs" | ||
| 994 | @cindex Emacs name origin | ||
| 995 | @cindex TECO | ||
| 996 | @cindex Original version of Emacs | ||
| 997 | |||
| 998 | Emacs originally was an acronym for Editor MACroS. RMS says he "picked | ||
| 999 | the name Emacs because @key{E} was not in use as an abbreviation on ITS at | ||
| 1000 | the time." The first Emacs was a set of macros written in 1976 at MIT | ||
| 1001 | by RMS for the editor TECO (Text Editor and COrrector, originally Tape | ||
| 1002 | Editor and COrrector) under ITS on a PDP-10. RMS had already extended | ||
| 1003 | TECO with a "real-time" full screen mode with reprogrammable keys. | ||
| 1004 | Emacs was started by @email{gls@@east.sun.com, Guy Steele} as a project | ||
| 1005 | to unify the many divergent TECO command sets and key bindings at MIT, | ||
| 1006 | and completed by RMS. | ||
| 1007 | |||
| 1008 | Many people have said that TECO code looks a lot like line noise; you | ||
| 1009 | can read more at @uref{news:alt.lang.teco}. Someone has written a TECO | ||
| 1010 | implementation in Emacs Lisp (to find it, @ref{Packages that do not come | ||
| 1011 | with Emacs}); it would be an interesting project to run the original | ||
| 1012 | TECO Emacs inside of Emacs. | ||
| 1013 | |||
| 1014 | For some not-so-serious alternative reasons for Emacs to have that | ||
| 1015 | name, check out @file{etc/JOKES} (@pxref{Filename conventions}). | ||
| 1016 | |||
| 1017 | @node Latest version of Emacs, New in Emacs 20, Origin of the term Emacs, Status of Emacs | ||
| 1018 | @section What is the latest version of Emacs? | ||
| 1019 | @cindex Version, latest | ||
| 1020 | @cindex Latest version | ||
| 1021 | |||
| 1022 | Emacs 20.4 is the current version as of this writing. | ||
| 1023 | |||
| 1024 | @node New in Emacs 20, , Latest version of Emacs, Status of Emacs | ||
| 1025 | @section What is different about Emacs 20? | ||
| 1026 | @cindex Differences between Emacs 19 and Emacs 20 | ||
| 1027 | @cindex Emacs 20, new features in | ||
| 1028 | @cindex Recently introduced features | ||
| 1029 | |||
| 1030 | To find out what has changed in recent versions, type @kbd{C-h n} | ||
| 1031 | (@kbd{M-x view-emacs-news}). The oldest changes are at the bottom of | ||
| 1032 | the file, so you might want to read it starting there, rather than at | ||
| 1033 | the top. | ||
| 1034 | |||
| 1035 | The differences between Emacs versions 18 and 19 was rather dramatic; | ||
| 1036 | the introduction of frames, faces, and colors on windowing systems was | ||
| 1037 | obvious to even the most casual user. | ||
| 1038 | |||
| 1039 | There are differences between Emacs versions 19 and 20 as well, but many | ||
| 1040 | are more subtle or harder to find. Among the changes are the inclusion | ||
| 1041 | of MULE code for languages that use non-Latin characters, the "customize" | ||
| 1042 | facility for modifying variables without having to use Lisp, and | ||
| 1043 | automatic conversion of files from Macintosh, Microsoft, and Unix | ||
| 1044 | platforms. | ||
| 1045 | |||
| 1046 | A number of older Lisp packages, such as Gnus, Supercite and the | ||
| 1047 | calendar/diary, have been updated and enhanced to work with Emacs 20, | ||
| 1048 | and are now included with the standard distribution. | ||
| 1049 | |||
| 1050 | |||
| 1051 | @c ------------------------------------------------------------ | ||
| 1052 | @node Common requests, Bugs and problems, Status of Emacs, Top | ||
| 1053 | @chapter Common requests | ||
| 1054 | @cindex Common requests | ||
| 1055 | |||
| 1056 | @menu | ||
| 1057 | * Setting up a customization file:: | ||
| 1058 | * Debugging a customization file:: | ||
| 1059 | * Displaying the current line or column:: | ||
| 1060 | * Displaying the current filename in the titlebar:: | ||
| 1061 | * Turning on abbrevs by default:: | ||
| 1062 | * Turning on auto-fill by default:: | ||
| 1063 | * Associating modes with files:: | ||
| 1064 | * Working with unprintable characters:: | ||
| 1065 | * Highlighting a region:: | ||
| 1066 | * Controlling case sensitivity:: | ||
| 1067 | * Wrapping words automatically:: | ||
| 1068 | * Spell-checkers:: | ||
| 1069 | * Checking TeX and *roff documents:: | ||
| 1070 | * Changing load-path:: | ||
| 1071 | * Using an already running Emacs process:: | ||
| 1072 | * Compiler error messages:: | ||
| 1073 | * Indenting switch statements:: | ||
| 1074 | * Horizontal scrolling:: | ||
| 1075 | * Overwrite mode:: | ||
| 1076 | * Turning off beeping:: | ||
| 1077 | * Turning the volume down:: | ||
| 1078 | * Automatic indentation:: | ||
| 1079 | * Matching parentheses:: | ||
| 1080 | * Hiding #ifdef lines:: | ||
| 1081 | * Repeating commands:: | ||
| 1082 | * Valid X resources:: | ||
| 1083 | * Evaluating Emacs Lisp code:: | ||
| 1084 | * Changing the length of a Tab:: | ||
| 1085 | * Inserting > at the beginning of each line:: | ||
| 1086 | * Underlining paragraphs:: | ||
| 1087 | * Repeating a command as many times as possible:: | ||
| 1088 | * Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column:: | ||
| 1089 | * Forcing Emacs to iconify itself:: | ||
| 1090 | * Using regular expressions:: | ||
| 1091 | * Replacing text across multiple files:: | ||
| 1092 | * Documentation for etags:: | ||
| 1093 | * Disabling backups:: | ||
| 1094 | * Disabling auto-save-mode:: | ||
| 1095 | * Modifying pull-down menus:: | ||
| 1096 | * Deleting menus and menu options:: | ||
| 1097 | * Turning on syntax highlighting:: | ||
| 1098 | * Scrolling only one line:: | ||
| 1099 | * Replacing highlighted text:: | ||
| 1100 | * Editing MS-DOS files:: | ||
| 1101 | * Filling paragraphs with a single space:: | ||
| 1102 | @end menu | ||
| 1103 | |||
| 1104 | @node Setting up a customization file, Debugging a customization file, Common requests, Common requests | ||
| 1105 | @section How do I set up a @file{.emacs} file properly? | ||
| 1106 | @cindex @file{.emacs} file, setting up | ||
| 1107 | @cindex Init file, setting up | ||
| 1108 | @cindex Customization file, setting up | ||
| 1109 | |||
| 1110 | @inforef{Init File, Init File, emacs} | ||
| 1111 | |||
| 1112 | In general, new Emacs users should not have @file{.emacs} files, because | ||
| 1113 | it causes confusing non-standard behavior. Then they send questions to | ||
| 1114 | @email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} asking why Emacs isn't behaving as | ||
| 1115 | documented. | ||
| 1116 | |||
| 1117 | Emacs 20 includes the new @code{customize} facility, which can be | ||
| 1118 | invoked using @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET}}. This allows users who are | ||
| 1119 | unfamiliar with Emacs Lisp to modify their @file{.emacs} files in a | ||
| 1120 | relatively straightforward way, using menus rather than Lisp code. Not | ||
| 1121 | all packages support Customize as of this writing, but the number is | ||
| 1122 | growing fairly steadily. | ||
| 1123 | |||
| 1124 | While @code{customize} might indeed make it easier to configure Emacs, | ||
| 1125 | consider taking a bit of time to learn Emacs Lisp and modifying your | ||
| 1126 | @file{.emacs} directly. Simple configuration options are described | ||
| 1127 | rather completely in @inforef{Init File, Init File, emacs}, for users | ||
| 1128 | interested in performing frequently requested, basic tasks. | ||
| 1129 | |||
| 1130 | @node Debugging a customization file, Displaying the current line or column, Setting up a customization file, Common requests | ||
| 1131 | @section How do I debug a @file{.emacs} file? | ||
| 1132 | @cindex Debugging @file{.emacs} file | ||
| 1133 | @cindex @file{.emacs} debugging | ||
| 1134 | @cindex Init file debugging | ||
| 1135 | @cindex @samp{-debug-init} | ||
| 1136 | |||
| 1137 | Start Emacs with the @samp{-debug-init} command-line option. This | ||
| 1138 | enables the Emacs Lisp debugger before evaluating your @file{.emacs} | ||
| 1139 | file, and places you in the debugger if something goes wrong. The top | ||
| 1140 | line in the @file{trace-back} buffer will be the error message, and the | ||
| 1141 | second or third line of that buffer will display the Lisp code from your | ||
| 1142 | @file{.emacs} file that caused the problem. | ||
| 1143 | |||
| 1144 | You can also evaluate an individual function or argument to a function | ||
| 1145 | in your @file{.emacs} file by moving the cursor to the end of the | ||
| 1146 | function or argument and typing @kbd{C-x C-e} (@kbd{M-x | ||
| 1147 | eval-last-sexp}). | ||
| 1148 | |||
| 1149 | Use @kbd{C-h v} (@kbd{M-x describe-variable}) to check the value of | ||
| 1150 | variables which you are trying to set or use. | ||
| 1151 | |||
| 1152 | @node Displaying the current line or column, Displaying the current filename in the titlebar, Debugging a customization file, Common requests | ||
| 1153 | @section How do I make Emacs display the current line (or column) number? | ||
| 1154 | @cindex @code{line-number-mode} | ||
| 1155 | @cindex Displaying the current line or column | ||
| 1156 | @cindex Line number, displaying the current | ||
| 1157 | @cindex Column, displaying the current | ||
| 1158 | @cindex @code{mode-line-format} | ||
| 1159 | |||
| 1160 | To have Emacs automatically display the current line number of the point | ||
| 1161 | in the mode line, do @kbd{M-x line-number-mode}. You can also put the | ||
| 1162 | form | ||
| 1163 | |||
| 1164 | @lisp | ||
| 1165 | (setq line-number-mode t) | ||
| 1166 | @end lisp | ||
| 1167 | |||
| 1168 | in your @file{.emacs} file to achieve this whenever you start Emacs. | ||
| 1169 | Note that Emacs will not display the line number if the buffer is larger | ||
| 1170 | than the value of the variable @code{line-number-display-limit}. | ||
| 1171 | |||
| 1172 | As of Emacs 20, you can similarly display the current column with | ||
| 1173 | @kbd{M-x column-number-mode}, or by putting the form | ||
| 1174 | |||
| 1175 | @lisp | ||
| 1176 | (setq column-number-mode t) | ||
| 1177 | @end lisp | ||
| 1178 | |||
| 1179 | in your @file{.emacs} file. | ||
| 1180 | |||
| 1181 | The "%c" format specifier in the variable @code{mode-line-format} will | ||
| 1182 | insert the current column's value into the mode line. See the | ||
| 1183 | documentation for @code{mode-line-format} (using @kbd{C-h v | ||
| 1184 | mode-line-format @key{RET}}) for more information on how to set and use | ||
| 1185 | this variable. | ||
| 1186 | |||
| 1187 | Users of all Emacs versions can display the current column using | ||
| 1188 | @email{abraham@@iesd.auc.dk, Per Abrahamsen's} "column" package. | ||
| 1189 | @xref{Packages that do not come with Emacs} for instructions on how to | ||
| 1190 | get it. | ||
| 1191 | |||
| 1192 | None of the vi emulation modes provide the "set number" capability of vi | ||
| 1193 | (as far as we know). | ||
| 1194 | |||
| 1195 | @node Displaying the current filename in the titlebar, Turning on abbrevs by default, Displaying the current line or column, Common requests | ||
| 1196 | @section How can I modify the titlebar to contain the current filename? | ||
| 1197 | @cindex Titlebar, displaying the current filename in | ||
| 1198 | @cindex Filename, displaying in the titlebar | ||
| 1199 | @cindex @code{frame-title-format} | ||
| 1200 | |||
| 1201 | The contains of an Emacs frame's titlebar is controlled by the variable | ||
| 1202 | @code{frame-title-format}, which has the same structure as the variable | ||
| 1203 | @code{mode-line-format}. (Use @kbd{C-h v} or @kbd{M-x | ||
| 1204 | describe-variable} to get information about one or both of these | ||
| 1205 | variables.) | ||
| 1206 | |||
| 1207 | By default, the titlebar for a frame does contain the name of the buffer | ||
| 1208 | currently being visited, except if there is a single frame. In such a | ||
| 1209 | case, the titlebar contains the name of the user and the machine at | ||
| 1210 | which Emacs was invoked. This is done by setting | ||
| 1211 | @code{frame-title-format} to the default value of | ||
| 1212 | |||
| 1213 | @lisp | ||
| 1214 | (multiple-frames "%b" ("" invocation-name "@@" system-name)) | ||
| 1215 | @end lisp | ||
| 1216 | |||
| 1217 | To modify the behavior such that frame titlebars contain the buffer's | ||
| 1218 | name regardless of the number of existing frames, include the following | ||
| 1219 | in your @file{.emacs}: | ||
| 1220 | |||
| 1221 | @lisp | ||
| 1222 | (setq frame-title-format "%b") | ||
| 1223 | @end lisp | ||
| 1224 | |||
| 1225 | @node Turning on abbrevs by default, Turning on auto-fill by default, Displaying the current filename in the titlebar, Common requests | ||
| 1226 | @section How do I turn on abbrevs by default just in mode XXX? | ||
| 1227 | @cindex Abbrevs, turning on by default | ||
| 1228 | |||
| 1229 | Put this in your @file{.emacs} file: | ||
| 1230 | |||
| 1231 | @lisp | ||
| 1232 | (condition-case () | ||
| 1233 | (quietly-read-abbrev-file) | ||
| 1234 | (file-error nil)) | ||
| 1235 | |||
| 1236 | (add-hook 'XXX-mode-hook | ||
| 1237 | (function | ||
| 1238 | (lambda () | ||
| 1239 | (setq abbrev-mode t)))) | ||
| 1240 | @end lisp | ||
| 1241 | |||
| 1242 | @node Turning on auto-fill by default, Associating modes with files, Turning on abbrevs by default, Common requests | ||
| 1243 | @section How do I turn on @code{auto-fill-mode} by default? | ||
| 1244 | @cindex @code{auto-fill-mode}, activating automatically | ||
| 1245 | @cindex Filling automatically | ||
| 1246 | @cindex Automatic entry to @code{auto-fill-mode} | ||
| 1247 | |||
| 1248 | To turn on @code{auto-fill-mode} just once for one buffer, use @kbd{M-x | ||
| 1249 | auto-fill-mode}. | ||
| 1250 | |||
| 1251 | To turn it on for every buffer in a certain mode, you must use the hook | ||
| 1252 | for that mode. For example, to turn on @code{auto-fill} mode for all | ||
| 1253 | text buffers, including the following in your @file{.emacs} file: | ||
| 1254 | |||
| 1255 | @lisp | ||
| 1256 | (add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-auto-fill) | ||
| 1257 | @end lisp | ||
| 1258 | |||
| 1259 | If you want @code{auto-fill} mode on in all major modes, do this: | ||
| 1260 | |||
| 1261 | @lisp | ||
| 1262 | (setq-default auto-fill-function 'do-auto-fill) | ||
| 1263 | @end lisp | ||
| 1264 | |||
| 1265 | @node Associating modes with files, Working with unprintable characters, Turning on auto-fill by default, Common requests | ||
| 1266 | @section How do I make Emacs use a certain major mode for certain files? | ||
| 1267 | @cindex Associating modes with files | ||
| 1268 | @cindex File extensions and modes | ||
| 1269 | @cindex @code{auto-mode-alist}, modifying | ||
| 1270 | @cindex Modes, associating with file extensions | ||
| 1271 | |||
| 1272 | If you want to use XXX mode for all files which end with the extension | ||
| 1273 | @samp{.YYY}, this will do it for you: | ||
| 1274 | |||
| 1275 | @lisp | ||
| 1276 | (setq auto-mode-alist (cons '("\\.YYY\\'" . XXX-mode) auto-mode-alist)) | ||
| 1277 | @end lisp | ||
| 1278 | |||
| 1279 | Otherwise put this somewhere in the first line of any file you want to | ||
| 1280 | edit in XXX mode (in the second line, if the first line begins with | ||
| 1281 | @samp{#!}): | ||
| 1282 | |||
| 1283 | @example | ||
| 1284 | -*-XXX-*- | ||
| 1285 | @end example | ||
| 1286 | |||
| 1287 | Beginning with Emacs 19, the variable @code{interpreter-mode-alist} | ||
| 1288 | specifies which mode to use when loading a shell script. (Emacs | ||
| 1289 | determines which interpreter you're using by examining the first line of | ||
| 1290 | the file.) This feature only applies when the file name doesn't | ||
| 1291 | indicate which mode to use. Use @kbd{C-h v} (or @kbd{M-x | ||
| 1292 | describe-variable}) on @code{interpreter-mode-alist} to learn more. | ||
| 1293 | |||
| 1294 | @node Working with unprintable characters, Highlighting a region, Associating modes with files, Common requests | ||
| 1295 | @section How do I search for, delete, or replace unprintable (eight-bit or control) characters? | ||
| 1296 | @cindex Unprintable characters, working with | ||
| 1297 | @cindex Working with unprintable characters | ||
| 1298 | @cindex Control characters, working with | ||
| 1299 | @cindex Eight-bit characters, working with | ||
| 1300 | @cindex Searching for unprintable characters | ||
| 1301 | @cindex Regexps and unprintable characters | ||
| 1302 | |||
| 1303 | To search for a single character that appears in the buffer as, for | ||
| 1304 | example, @samp{\237}, you can type @kbd{C-s C-q 2 3 7}. (This assumes | ||
| 1305 | the value of @code{search-quote-char} is 17 (i.e., @kbd{C-q}).) | ||
| 1306 | Searching for ALL unprintable characters is best done with a regular | ||
| 1307 | expression ("regexp") search. The easiest regexp to use for the | ||
| 1308 | unprintable chars is the complement of the regexp for the printable | ||
| 1309 | chars. | ||
| 1310 | |||
| 1311 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 1312 | |||
| 1313 | @item | ||
| 1314 | Regexp for the printable chars: @samp{[\t\n\r\f -~]} | ||
| 1315 | |||
| 1316 | @item | ||
| 1317 | Regexp for the unprintable chars: @samp{[^\t\n\r\f -~]} | ||
| 1318 | |||
| 1319 | @end itemize | ||
| 1320 | |||
| 1321 | To type these special characters in an interactive argument to | ||
| 1322 | @code{isearch-forward-regexp} or @code{re-search-forward}, you need to | ||
| 1323 | use @kbd{C-q}. (@samp{\t}, @samp{\n}, @samp{\r}, and @samp{\f} stand | ||
| 1324 | respectively for @key{TAB}, @key{LFD}, @key{RET}, and @kbd{C-l}.) So, | ||
| 1325 | to search for unprintable characters using @code{re-search-forward}: | ||
| 1326 | |||
| 1327 | @kbd{M-x re-search-forward @key{RET} [^ @key{TAB} C-q @key{LFD} C-q @key{RET} C-q C-l @key{SPC} -~] @key{RET}} | ||
| 1328 | |||
| 1329 | Using @code{isearch-forward-regexp}: | ||
| 1330 | |||
| 1331 | @kbd{M-C-s [^ @key{TAB} @key{RET} C-q @key{RET} C-q C-l @key{SPC} -~]} | ||
| 1332 | |||
| 1333 | To delete all unprintable characters, simply use replace-regexp: | ||
| 1334 | |||
| 1335 | @kbd{M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} [^ @key{TAB} C-q @key{LFD} C-q @key{RET} C-q C-l @key{SPC} -~] @key{RET} @key{RET}} | ||
| 1336 | |||
| 1337 | Replacing is similar to the above. To replace all unprintable | ||
| 1338 | characters with a colon, use: | ||
| 1339 | |||
| 1340 | M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} [^ @key{TAB} C-q @key{LFD} C-q @key{RET} C-q C-l @key{SPC} -~] @key{RET} : @key{RET} | ||
| 1341 | |||
| 1342 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 1343 | |||
| 1344 | @item You don't need to quote @key{TAB} with either isearch or typing | ||
| 1345 | something in the minibuffer. | ||
| 1346 | |||
| 1347 | @end itemize | ||
| 1348 | |||
| 1349 | @node Highlighting a region, Controlling case sensitivity, Working with unprintable characters, Common requests | ||
| 1350 | @section How can I highlight a region of text in Emacs? | ||
| 1351 | @cindex Highlighting text | ||
| 1352 | @cindex Text, highlighting | ||
| 1353 | @cindex @code{transient-mark-mode} | ||
| 1354 | @cindex Region, highlighting a | ||
| 1355 | |||
| 1356 | If you are using a windowing system such as X, you can cause the region | ||
| 1357 | to be highlighted when the mark is active by including | ||
| 1358 | |||
| 1359 | @lisp | ||
| 1360 | (transient-mark-mode t) | ||
| 1361 | @end lisp | ||
| 1362 | |||
| 1363 | in your @file{.emacs} file. (Also see @xref{Turning on syntax highlighting}.) | ||
| 1364 | |||
| 1365 | @node Controlling case sensitivity, Wrapping words automatically, Highlighting a region, Common requests | ||
| 1366 | @section How do I control Emacs's case-sensitivity when searching/replacing? | ||
| 1367 | @cindex @code{case-fold-search} | ||
| 1368 | @cindex Case sensitivity of searches | ||
| 1369 | @cindex @code{case-replace} | ||
| 1370 | @cindex Searching without case sensitivity | ||
| 1371 | @cindex Ignoring case in searches | ||
| 1372 | |||
| 1373 | For searching, the value of the variable @code{case-fold-search} | ||
| 1374 | determines whether they are case sensitive: | ||
| 1375 | |||
| 1376 | @lisp | ||
| 1377 | (setq case-fold-search nil) ; make searches case sensitive | ||
| 1378 | (setq case-fold-search t) ; make searches case insensitive | ||
| 1379 | @end lisp | ||
| 1380 | |||
| 1381 | Similarly, for replacing the variable @code{case-replace} determines | ||
| 1382 | whether replacements preserve case. | ||
| 1383 | |||
| 1384 | To change the case sensitivity just for one major mode, use the major | ||
| 1385 | mode's hook. For example: | ||
| 1386 | |||
| 1387 | @lisp | ||
| 1388 | (add-hook 'XXX-mode-hook | ||
| 1389 | (function | ||
| 1390 | (lambda () | ||
| 1391 | (setq case-fold-search nil)))) | ||
| 1392 | @end lisp | ||
| 1393 | |||
| 1394 | @node Wrapping words automatically, Spell-checkers, Controlling case sensitivity, Common requests | ||
| 1395 | @section How do I make Emacs wrap words for me? | ||
| 1396 | @cindex Wrapping word automatically | ||
| 1397 | @cindex @code{auto-fill-mode}, introduction to | ||
| 1398 | @cindex Maximum line width, default value | ||
| 1399 | @cindex @code{fill-column}, default value | ||
| 1400 | |||
| 1401 | Use @code{auto-fill-mode}, activated by typing @kbd{M-x auto-fill-mode}. | ||
| 1402 | The default maximum line width is 70, determined by the variable | ||
| 1403 | @code{fill-column}. To learn how to turn this on automatically, @pxref{Turning on auto-fill by default}. | ||
| 1404 | |||
| 1405 | @node Spell-checkers, Checking TeX and *roff documents, Wrapping words automatically, Common requests | ||
| 1406 | @section Where can I get a better spelling checker for Emacs? | ||
| 1407 | @cindex Checking spelling | ||
| 1408 | @cindex Spelling, checking text documents | ||
| 1409 | |||
| 1410 | Use Ispell. @xref{Ispell}. | ||
| 1411 | |||
| 1412 | @node Checking TeX and *roff documents, Changing load-path, Spell-checkers, Common requests | ||
| 1413 | @section How can I spell-check @TeX{} or *roff documents? | ||
| 1414 | @cindex Spelling, checking @TeX{} documents | ||
| 1415 | @cindex @TeX{} documents, checking spelling in | ||
| 1416 | |||
| 1417 | Use Ispell. Ispell can handle @TeX{} and *roff documents. | ||
| 1418 | @xref{Ispell}. | ||
| 1419 | |||
| 1420 | @node Changing load-path, Using an already running Emacs process, Checking TeX and *roff documents, Common requests | ||
| 1421 | @section How do I change @code{load-path}? | ||
| 1422 | @cindex @code{load-path}, modifying | ||
| 1423 | @cindex Modifying @code{load-path} | ||
| 1424 | @cindex Adding to @code{load-path} | ||
| 1425 | |||
| 1426 | In general, you should only add to the @code{load-path}. You can add | ||
| 1427 | directory @var{/XXX/YYY} to the load path like this: | ||
| 1428 | |||
| 1429 | @lisp | ||
| 1430 | (setq load-path (cons "/XXX/YYY/" load-path)) | ||
| 1431 | @end lisp | ||
| 1432 | |||
| 1433 | To do this relative to your home directory: | ||
| 1434 | |||
| 1435 | @lisp | ||
| 1436 | (setq load-path (cons "~/YYY/" load-path) | ||
| 1437 | @end lisp | ||
| 1438 | |||
| 1439 | @node Using an already running Emacs process, Compiler error messages, Changing load-path, Common requests | ||
| 1440 | @section How do I use an already running Emacs from another window? | ||
| 1441 | @cindex @code{emacsclient} | ||
| 1442 | @cindex Emacs server functions | ||
| 1443 | @cindex Using an existing Emacs process | ||
| 1444 | |||
| 1445 | @code{emacsclient}, which comes with Emacs, is for editing a file using | ||
| 1446 | an already running Emacs rather than starting up a new Emacs. It does | ||
| 1447 | this by sending a request to the already running Emacs, which must be | ||
| 1448 | expecting the request. | ||
| 1449 | |||
| 1450 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 1451 | |||
| 1452 | @item | ||
| 1453 | Setup | ||
| 1454 | |||
| 1455 | Emacs must have executed the @code{server-start} function for | ||
| 1456 | @samp{emacsclient} to work. This can be done either by a command line | ||
| 1457 | option: | ||
| 1458 | |||
| 1459 | @example | ||
| 1460 | emacs -f server-start | ||
| 1461 | @end example | ||
| 1462 | |||
| 1463 | or by invoking @code{server-start} from @file{.emacs}: | ||
| 1464 | |||
| 1465 | @lisp | ||
| 1466 | (if (some conditions are met) (server-start)) | ||
| 1467 | @end lisp | ||
| 1468 | |||
| 1469 | When this is done, Emacs starts a subprocess running a program called | ||
| 1470 | @samp{server}. @samp{server} creates a Unix domain socket, named | ||
| 1471 | @file{.emacs_server}, in the user's home directory. | ||
| 1472 | |||
| 1473 | To get your news reader, mail reader, etc., to invoke | ||
| 1474 | @samp{emacsclient}, try setting the environment variable @code{EDITOR} | ||
| 1475 | (or sometimes @code{VISUAL}) to the value @samp{emacsclient}. You may | ||
| 1476 | have to specify the full pathname of the @samp{emacsclient} program | ||
| 1477 | instead. Examples: | ||
| 1478 | |||
| 1479 | @example | ||
| 1480 | # csh commands: | ||
| 1481 | setenv EDITOR emacsclient | ||
| 1482 | |||
| 1483 | # using full pathname | ||
| 1484 | setenv EDITOR /usr/local/emacs/etc/emacsclient | ||
| 1485 | |||
| 1486 | # sh command: | ||
| 1487 | EDITOR=emacsclient ; export EDITOR | ||
| 1488 | @end example | ||
| 1489 | |||
| 1490 | @item Normal use | ||
| 1491 | |||
| 1492 | When @samp{emacsclient} is run, it connects to the @file{.emacs_server} | ||
| 1493 | socket and passes its command line options to @samp{server}. When | ||
| 1494 | @samp{server} receives these requests, it sends this information on the | ||
| 1495 | the Emacs process, which at the next opportunity will visit the files | ||
| 1496 | specified. (Line numbers can be specified just like with Emacs.) The | ||
| 1497 | user will have to switch to the Emacs window by hand. When the user is | ||
| 1498 | done editing a file, the user can type @kbd{C-x #} (or @kbd{M-x | ||
| 1499 | server-edit}) to indicate this. If there is another buffer requested by | ||
| 1500 | emacsclient, Emacs will switch to it; otherwise emacsclient will exit, | ||
| 1501 | signaling the calling program to continue. | ||
| 1502 | |||
| 1503 | @samp{emacsclient} and @samp{server} must be running on machines which | ||
| 1504 | share the same filesystem for this to work. The pathnames that | ||
| 1505 | @samp{emacsclient} specifies should be correct for the filesystem that | ||
| 1506 | the Emacs process sees. The Emacs process should not be suspended at | ||
| 1507 | the time @samp{emacsclient} is invoked. @samp{emacsclient} should | ||
| 1508 | either be invoked from another X window or from a shell window inside | ||
| 1509 | Emacs itself. | ||
| 1510 | |||
| 1511 | There is an enhanced version of @samp{emacsclient}/server called | ||
| 1512 | @samp{gnuserv} by @email{ange@@hplb.hpl.hp.com, Andy Norman} which is | ||
| 1513 | available in the Emacs Lisp Archive (@pxref{Packages that do not come | ||
| 1514 | with Emacs}). @samp{gnuserv} uses Internet domain sockets, so it can | ||
| 1515 | work across most network connections. It also supports the execution of | ||
| 1516 | arbitrary Emacs Lisp forms and does not require the client program to | ||
| 1517 | wait for completion. | ||
| 1518 | |||
| 1519 | The alpha version of an enhanced @samp{gnuserv} is available | ||
| 1520 | at | ||
| 1521 | |||
| 1522 | @uref{ftp://ftp.wellfleet.com/netman/psmith/emacs/gnuserv-2.1alpha.tar.gz} | ||
| 1523 | |||
| 1524 | @end itemize | ||
| 1525 | |||
| 1526 | @node Compiler error messages, Indenting switch statements, Using an already running Emacs process, Common requests | ||
| 1527 | @section How do I make Emacs recognize my compiler's funny error messages? | ||
| 1528 | @cindex Compiler error messages, recognizing | ||
| 1529 | @cindex Recognizing non-standard compiler errors | ||
| 1530 | @cindex Regexps for recognizing compiler errors | ||
| 1531 | @cindex Errors, recognizing compiler | ||
| 1532 | |||
| 1533 | The variable @code{compilation-error-regexp-alist} helps control how | ||
| 1534 | Emacs parses your compiler output. It is a list of triples of the form: | ||
| 1535 | @var{(REGEXP FILE-IDX LINE-IDX)}, where @var{REGEXP}, @var{FILE-IDX} and | ||
| 1536 | @var{LINE-IDX} are strings. To help determine what the constituent | ||
| 1537 | elements should be, load @file{compile.el} and then use @kbd{C-h v | ||
| 1538 | compilation-error-regexp-alist @key{RET}} | ||
| 1539 | |||
| 1540 | to see the current value. A good idea is to look at @file{compile.el} | ||
| 1541 | itself as the comments included for this variable are quite useful --- | ||
| 1542 | the regular expressions required for your compiler's output may be very | ||
| 1543 | close to one already provided. Once you have determined the proper | ||
| 1544 | regexps, use the following to inform Emacs of your changes: | ||
| 1545 | |||
| 1546 | @lisp | ||
| 1547 | (setq compilation-error-regexp-alist | ||
| 1548 | (cons '(REGEXP FILE-IDX LINE-IDX) | ||
| 1549 | compilation-error-regexp-alist)) | ||
| 1550 | @end lisp | ||
| 1551 | |||
| 1552 | @node Indenting switch statements, Horizontal scrolling, Compiler error messages, Common requests | ||
| 1553 | @section How do I change the indentation for @code{switch}? | ||
| 1554 | @cindex @code{switch}, indenting | ||
| 1555 | @cindex Indenting of @code{switch} | ||
| 1556 | |||
| 1557 | Many people want to indent their @code{switch} statements like this: | ||
| 1558 | |||
| 1559 | @example | ||
| 1560 | f() | ||
| 1561 | @{ | ||
| 1562 | switch(x) @{ | ||
| 1563 | case A: | ||
| 1564 | x1; | ||
| 1565 | break; | ||
| 1566 | case B: | ||
| 1567 | x2; | ||
| 1568 | break; | ||
| 1569 | default: | ||
| 1570 | x3; | ||
| 1571 | @} | ||
| 1572 | @} | ||
| 1573 | @end example | ||
| 1574 | |||
| 1575 | The solution at first appears to be: set @code{c-indent-level} to 4 and | ||
| 1576 | @code{c-label-offset} to -2. However, this will give you an indentation | ||
| 1577 | spacing of four instead of two. | ||
| 1578 | |||
| 1579 | The solution is to use @code{cc-mode} (the default mode for C | ||
| 1580 | programming in Emacs 20) and add the following line: | ||
| 1581 | |||
| 1582 | @lisp | ||
| 1583 | (c-set-offset 'case-label '+) | ||
| 1584 | @end lisp | ||
| 1585 | |||
| 1586 | There appears to be no way to do this with the old @code{c-mode}. | ||
| 1587 | |||
| 1588 | @node Horizontal scrolling, Overwrite mode, Indenting switch statements, Common requests | ||
| 1589 | @section How can I make Emacs automatically scroll horizontally? | ||
| 1590 | @cindex @code{hscroll-mode} | ||
| 1591 | @cindex Horizontal scrolling | ||
| 1592 | @cindex Scrolling horizontally | ||
| 1593 | |||
| 1594 | Use @code{hscroll-mode}, included in Emacs 20. Here is some information from | ||
| 1595 | the documentation, available by typing @kbd{C-h f hscroll-mode @key{RET}}: | ||
| 1596 | |||
| 1597 | Automatically scroll horizontally when the point moves off the | ||
| 1598 | left or right edge of the window. | ||
| 1599 | |||
| 1600 | @itemize @minus | ||
| 1601 | |||
| 1602 | @item Type @kbd{M-x hscroll-mode} to enable it in the current buffer. | ||
| 1603 | @item Type @kbd{M-x hscroll-global-mode} to enable it in every buffer. | ||
| 1604 | @item @code{turn-on-hscroll} is useful in mode hooks as in: | ||
| 1605 | |||
| 1606 | @lisp | ||
| 1607 | (add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-hscroll) | ||
| 1608 | @end lisp | ||
| 1609 | |||
| 1610 | @item @code{hscroll-margin} controls how close the cursor can get to the | ||
| 1611 | edge of the window. | ||
| 1612 | |||
| 1613 | @item @code{hscroll-step-percent} controls how far to jump once we decide to do so. | ||
| 1614 | |||
| 1615 | @end itemize | ||
| 1616 | |||
| 1617 | @node Overwrite mode, Turning off beeping, Horizontal scrolling, Common requests | ||
| 1618 | @section How do I make Emacs "typeover" or "overwrite" instead of inserting? | ||
| 1619 | @cindex @key{Insert} | ||
| 1620 | @cindex @code{overwrite-mode} | ||
| 1621 | @cindex Overwriting existing text | ||
| 1622 | @cindex Toggling @code{overwrite-mode} | ||
| 1623 | |||
| 1624 | @kbd{M-x overwrite-mode} (a minor mode). This toggles | ||
| 1625 | @code{overwrite-mode} on and off, so exiting from @code{overwrite-mode} | ||
| 1626 | is as easy as another @kbd{M-x overwrite-mode}. | ||
| 1627 | |||
| 1628 | On some workstations, @key{Insert} toggles @code{overwrite-mode} on and off. | ||
| 1629 | |||
| 1630 | @node Turning off beeping, Turning the volume down, Overwrite mode, Common requests | ||
| 1631 | @section How do I stop Emacs from beeping on a terminal? | ||
| 1632 | @cindex Beeping, turning off | ||
| 1633 | @cindex Visible bell | ||
| 1634 | @cindex Bell, visible | ||
| 1635 | |||
| 1636 | @email{martin@@cc.gatech.edu, Martin R. Frank} writes: | ||
| 1637 | |||
| 1638 | Tell Emacs to use the "visible bell" instead of the audible bell, and | ||
| 1639 | set the visible bell to nothing. | ||
| 1640 | |||
| 1641 | That is, put the following in your @code{TERMCAP} environment variable | ||
| 1642 | (assuming you have one): | ||
| 1643 | |||
| 1644 | @example | ||
| 1645 | ... :vb=: ... | ||
| 1646 | @end example | ||
| 1647 | |||
| 1648 | And evaluate the following Lisp form: | ||
| 1649 | |||
| 1650 | @example | ||
| 1651 | (setq visible-bell t) | ||
| 1652 | @end example | ||
| 1653 | |||
| 1654 | @node Turning the volume down, Automatic indentation, Turning off beeping, Common requests | ||
| 1655 | @section How do I turn down the bell volume in Emacs running under X Windows? | ||
| 1656 | @cindex Bell, volume of | ||
| 1657 | @cindex Volume of bell | ||
| 1658 | |||
| 1659 | You can adjust the bell volume and duration for all programs with the | ||
| 1660 | shell command @file{xset}. | ||
| 1661 | |||
| 1662 | Invoking @file{xset} without any arguments produces some basic information, | ||
| 1663 | including the following: | ||
| 1664 | |||
| 1665 | @example | ||
| 1666 | usage: xset [-display host:dpy] option ... | ||
| 1667 | To turn bell off: | ||
| 1668 | -b b off b 0 | ||
| 1669 | To set bell volume, pitch and duration: | ||
| 1670 | b [vol [pitch [dur]]] b on | ||
| 1671 | @end example | ||
| 1672 | |||
| 1673 | @node Automatic indentation, Matching parentheses, Turning the volume down, Common requests | ||
| 1674 | @section How do I tell Emacs to automatically indent a new line to the indentation of the previous line? | ||
| 1675 | @cindex Indenting new lines | ||
| 1676 | @cindex New lines, indenting of | ||
| 1677 | @cindex Previous line, indenting according to | ||
| 1678 | |||
| 1679 | Such behavior is automatic in Emacs 20. From the NEWS file for Emacs | ||
| 1680 | 20.2: | ||
| 1681 | |||
| 1682 | @example | ||
| 1683 | ** In Text mode, now only blank lines separate paragraphs. This makes | ||
| 1684 | it possible to get the full benefit of Adaptive Fill mode in Text mode, | ||
| 1685 | and other modes derived from it (such as Mail mode). @key{TAB} in Text | ||
| 1686 | mode now runs the command @code{indent-relative}; this makes a practical | ||
| 1687 | difference only when you use indented paragraphs. | ||
| 1688 | |||
| 1689 | As a result, the old Indented Text mode is now identical to Text mode, | ||
| 1690 | and is an alias for it. | ||
| 1691 | |||
| 1692 | If you want spaces at the beginning of a line to start a paragraph, use | ||
| 1693 | the new mode, Paragraph Indent Text mode. | ||
| 1694 | @end example | ||
| 1695 | |||
| 1696 | If you have @code{auto-fill-mode} on (@pxref{Turning on auto-fill by | ||
| 1697 | default}), you can tell Emacs to prefix every line with a certain | ||
| 1698 | character sequence, the "fill prefix." Type the prefix at the beginning | ||
| 1699 | of a line, position point after it, and then type @kbd{C-x .} | ||
| 1700 | (@code{set-fill-prefix}) to set the fill prefix. Thereafter, | ||
| 1701 | auto-filling will automatically put the fill prefix at the beginning of | ||
| 1702 | new lines, and @kbd{M-q} (@code{fill-paragraph}) will maintain any fill | ||
| 1703 | prefix when refilling the paragraph. | ||
| 1704 | |||
| 1705 | If you have paragraphs with different levels of indentation, you will | ||
| 1706 | have to set the fill prefix to the correct value each time you move to a | ||
| 1707 | new paragraph. To avoid this hassle, try one of the many packages | ||
| 1708 | available from the Emacs Lisp Archive (@pxref{Packages that do not come | ||
| 1709 | with Emacs}.) Look up "fill" and "indent" in the Lisp Code Directory | ||
| 1710 | for guidance. | ||
| 1711 | |||
| 1712 | @node Matching parentheses, Hiding #ifdef lines, Automatic indentation, Common requests | ||
| 1713 | @section How do I show which parenthesis matches the one I'm looking at? | ||
| 1714 | @cindex Parentheses, matching | ||
| 1715 | @cindex @file{paren.el} | ||
| 1716 | @cindex Highlighting matching parentheses | ||
| 1717 | @cindex Pairs of parentheses, highlighting | ||
| 1718 | @cindex Matching parentheses | ||
| 1719 | |||
| 1720 | As of version 19, Emacs comes with @file{paren.el}, which (when loaded) | ||
| 1721 | will automatically highlight matching parentheses whenever point (i.e., | ||
| 1722 | the cursor) is located over one. To load @file{paren.el} automatically, | ||
| 1723 | include the line | ||
| 1724 | |||
| 1725 | @lisp | ||
| 1726 | (require 'paren) | ||
| 1727 | @end lisp | ||
| 1728 | |||
| 1729 | in your @file{.emacs} file. @email{shutkoa@@ugsolutions.com, Alan Shutko} | ||
| 1730 | reports that as of version 20.1, you must also call @code{show-paren-mode} in | ||
| 1731 | your @file{.emacs} file: | ||
| 1732 | |||
| 1733 | @lisp | ||
| 1734 | (show-paren-mode 1) | ||
| 1735 | @end lisp | ||
| 1736 | |||
| 1737 | @code{customize} will let you turn on @code{show-paren-mode}. Use | ||
| 1738 | @kbd{M-x customize-group @key{RET} paren-showing @key{RET}}. From | ||
| 1739 | within @code{customize}, you can also go directly to the "paren-showing" | ||
| 1740 | group. | ||
| 1741 | |||
| 1742 | Alternatives to paren include: | ||
| 1743 | |||
| 1744 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 1745 | |||
| 1746 | @item | ||
| 1747 | If you're looking at a right parenthesis (or brace or bracket) you can | ||
| 1748 | delete it and reinsert it. Emacs will blink the cursor on the matching | ||
| 1749 | parenthesis. | ||
| 1750 | |||
| 1751 | @item | ||
| 1752 | @kbd{M-C-f} (@code{forward-sexp}) and @kbd{M-C-b} (@code{backward-sexp}) | ||
| 1753 | will skip over one set of balanced parentheses, so you can see which | ||
| 1754 | parentheses match. (You can train it to skip over balanced brackets | ||
| 1755 | and braces at the same time by modifying the syntax @key{TAB}le.) | ||
| 1756 | |||
| 1757 | @item | ||
| 1758 | Here is some Emacs Lisp that will make the @key{%} key show the matching | ||
| 1759 | parenthesis, like in vi. In addition, if the cursor isn't over a | ||
| 1760 | parenthesis, it simply inserts a % like normal. | ||
| 1761 | |||
| 1762 | @lisp | ||
| 1763 | ;; By an unknown contributor | ||
| 1764 | |||
| 1765 | (global-set-key "%" 'match-paren) | ||
| 1766 | |||
| 1767 | (defun match-paren (arg) | ||
| 1768 | "Go to the matching paren if on a paren; otherwise insert %." | ||
| 1769 | (interactive "p") | ||
| 1770 | (cond ((looking-at "\\s\(") (forward-list 1) (backward-char 1)) | ||
| 1771 | ((looking-at "\\s\)") (forward-char 1) (backward-list 1)) | ||
| 1772 | (t (self-insert-command (or arg 1))))) | ||
| 1773 | @end lisp | ||
| 1774 | |||
| 1775 | @end itemize | ||
| 1776 | |||
| 1777 | @node Hiding #ifdef lines, Repeating commands, Matching parentheses, Common requests | ||
| 1778 | @section In C mode, can I show just the lines that will be left after @code{#ifdef} commands are handled by the compiler? | ||
| 1779 | @cindex @code{#ifdef}, selective display of | ||
| 1780 | @cindex @code{hide-ifdef-mode} | ||
| 1781 | @cindex Hiding @code{#ifdef} text | ||
| 1782 | @cindex Selectively displaying @code{#ifdef} code | ||
| 1783 | |||
| 1784 | @kbd{M-x hide-ifdef-mode}. (This is a minor mode.) You might also want | ||
| 1785 | to try @file{cpp.el}, available at the Emacs Lisp Archive | ||
| 1786 | (@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). | ||
| 1787 | |||
| 1788 | @node Repeating commands, Valid X resources, Hiding #ifdef lines, Common requests | ||
| 1789 | @section Is there an equivalent to the @code{.} (dot) command of vi? | ||
| 1790 | @cindex Repeating commands as with vi | ||
| 1791 | @cindex Command, repeat last | ||
| 1792 | @cindex @code{.}, equivalent to vi command | ||
| 1793 | |||
| 1794 | (@code{.} is the redo command in vi. It redoes the last insertion/deletion.) | ||
| 1795 | |||
| 1796 | As of Emacs 20.3, there is indeed a @code{repeat} command (@kbd{C-x .}) | ||
| 1797 | that repeats the last command. If you preface it with a prefix | ||
| 1798 | argument, the prefix arg is applied to the command. | ||
| 1799 | |||
| 1800 | You can also type @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC}} | ||
| 1801 | (@code{repeat-complex-command}) to reinvoke commands that used the | ||
| 1802 | minibuffer to get arguments. In @code{repeat-complex-command} you can | ||
| 1803 | type @kbd{M-p} and @kbd{M-n} to scan through all the different complex | ||
| 1804 | commands you've typed. | ||
| 1805 | |||
| 1806 | To repeat a set of commands, use keyboard macros. (@inforef{Keyboard | ||
| 1807 | Macros, Keyboard Macros, emacs}.) | ||
| 1808 | |||
| 1809 | If you're really desperate for the @code{.} command, use VIPER, which comes | ||
| 1810 | with Emacs, and which appears to support it. (@xref{VIPER}.) | ||
| 1811 | |||
| 1812 | @node Valid X resources, Evaluating Emacs Lisp code, Repeating commands, Common requests | ||
| 1813 | @section What are the valid X resource settings (i.e., stuff in .Xdefaults)? | ||
| 1814 | @cindex Resources, X | ||
| 1815 | @cindex X resources | ||
| 1816 | @cindex Setting X resources | ||
| 1817 | |||
| 1818 | @inforef{Resources X, Resources X, emacs}. | ||
| 1819 | |||
| 1820 | You can also use a resource editor, such as editres (for X11R5 and | ||
| 1821 | onwards), to look at the resource names for the menu bar, assuming Emacs | ||
| 1822 | was compiled with the X toolkit. | ||
| 1823 | |||
| 1824 | @node Evaluating Emacs Lisp code, Changing the length of a Tab, Valid X resources, Common requests | ||
| 1825 | @section How do I execute ("evaluate") a piece of Emacs Lisp code? | ||
| 1826 | @cindex Evaluating Lisp code | ||
| 1827 | @cindex Lisp forms, evaluating | ||
| 1828 | |||
| 1829 | There are a number of ways to execute ("evaluate," in Lisp lingo) an | ||
| 1830 | Emacs Lisp "form": | ||
| 1831 | |||
| 1832 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 1833 | |||
| 1834 | @item | ||
| 1835 | If you want it evaluated every time you run Emacs, put it in a file | ||
| 1836 | named @file{.emacs} in your home directory. This is known as your ".emacs | ||
| 1837 | file," and contains all of your personal customizations. | ||
| 1838 | |||
| 1839 | @item | ||
| 1840 | You can type the form in the @file{*scratch*} buffer, and then type | ||
| 1841 | @key{LFD} (or @kbd{C-j}) after it. The result of evaluating the form | ||
| 1842 | will be inserted in the buffer. | ||
| 1843 | |||
| 1844 | @item | ||
| 1845 | In @code{emacs-lisp-mode}, typing @kbd{M-C-x} evaluates a top-level form | ||
| 1846 | before or around point. | ||
| 1847 | |||
| 1848 | @item | ||
| 1849 | Typing @kbd{C-x C-e} in any buffer evaluates the Lisp form immediately | ||
| 1850 | before point and prints its value in the echo area. | ||
| 1851 | |||
| 1852 | @item | ||
| 1853 | Typing @kbd{M-:} or @kbd{M-x eval-expression} allows you to type a Lisp | ||
| 1854 | form in the minibuffer which will be evaluated. | ||
| 1855 | |||
| 1856 | @item | ||
| 1857 | You can use @kbd{M-x load-file} to have Emacs evaluate all the Lisp | ||
| 1858 | forms in a file. (To do this from Lisp use the function @code{load} | ||
| 1859 | instead.) | ||
| 1860 | |||
| 1861 | The functions @code{load-library}, @code{eval-region}, | ||
| 1862 | @code{eval-current-buffer}, @code{require}, and @code{autoload} are also | ||
| 1863 | useful; @pxref{Emacs Lisp documentation} if you want to learn more about | ||
| 1864 | them. | ||
| 1865 | |||
| 1866 | @end itemize | ||
| 1867 | |||
| 1868 | @node Changing the length of a Tab, Inserting > at the beginning of each line, Evaluating Emacs Lisp code, Common requests | ||
| 1869 | @section How do I change Emacs's idea of the @key{TAB} character's length? | ||
| 1870 | @cindex Tab length | ||
| 1871 | @cindex Length of tab character | ||
| 1872 | @cindex @code{default-tab-width} | ||
| 1873 | |||
| 1874 | Set the variable @code{default-tab-width}. For example, to set | ||
| 1875 | @key{TAB} stops every 10 characters, insert the following in your | ||
| 1876 | @file{.emacs} file: | ||
| 1877 | |||
| 1878 | @lisp | ||
| 1879 | (setq default-tab-width 10) | ||
| 1880 | @end lisp | ||
| 1881 | |||
| 1882 | Do not confuse variable @code{tab-width} with variable | ||
| 1883 | @code{tab-stop-list}. The former is used for the display of literal | ||
| 1884 | @key{TAB} characters. The latter controls what characters are inserted | ||
| 1885 | when you press the @key{TAB} character in certain modes. | ||
| 1886 | |||
| 1887 | @node Inserting > at the beginning of each line, Underlining paragraphs, Changing the length of a Tab, Common requests | ||
| 1888 | @section How do I insert @samp{>} at the beginning of every line? | ||
| 1889 | @cindex Prefix character, inserting in mail/news replies | ||
| 1890 | @cindex Replies to mail/news, inserting a prefix character | ||
| 1891 | @cindex @code{mail-yank-prefix} | ||
| 1892 | @cindex Mail replies, inserting a prefix character | ||
| 1893 | @cindex News replies, inserting a prefix character | ||
| 1894 | |||
| 1895 | To do this to an entire buffer, type @kbd{M-< M-x replace-regexp | ||
| 1896 | @key{RET} ^ @key{RET} > @key{RET}}. | ||
| 1897 | |||
| 1898 | To do this to a region, use @code{string-rectangle} (@kbd{C-x r t}). | ||
| 1899 | Set the mark (@kbd{C-@key{SPC}}) at the beginning of the first line you | ||
| 1900 | want to prefix, move the cursor to last line to be prefixed, and type | ||
| 1901 | @kbd{C-x r t > @key{RET}}. To do this for the whole buffer, type | ||
| 1902 | @kbd{C-x h C-x r t > @key{RET}}. | ||
| 1903 | |||
| 1904 | If you are trying to prefix a yanked mail message with @samp{>}, you | ||
| 1905 | might want to set the variable @code{mail-yank-prefix}. Better yet, get | ||
| 1906 | the Supercite package (@pxref{Supercite}), which provides flexible | ||
| 1907 | citation for yanked mail and news messages. @xref{Changing the included | ||
| 1908 | text prefix} for additional information. | ||
| 1909 | |||
| 1910 | @node Underlining paragraphs, Repeating a command as many times as possible, Inserting > at the beginning of each line, Common requests | ||
| 1911 | @section How do I insert "_^H" before each character in a region to get an underlined paragraph? | ||
| 1912 | @cindex Underlining a region of text | ||
| 1913 | @cindex @code{underline-region} | ||
| 1914 | |||
| 1915 | @kbd{M-x underline-region}. | ||
| 1916 | |||
| 1917 | @node Repeating a command as many times as possible, Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column, Underlining paragraphs, Common requests | ||
| 1918 | @section How do I repeat a command as many times as possible? | ||
| 1919 | @cindex Repeating commands | ||
| 1920 | @cindex Commands, repeating | ||
| 1921 | |||
| 1922 | Use @kbd{C-x (} and @kbd{C-x )} to make a keyboard macro that invokes | ||
| 1923 | the command and then type @kbd{M-0 C-x e}. | ||
| 1924 | |||
| 1925 | Any messages your command prints in the echo area will be suppressed. | ||
| 1926 | |||
| 1927 | @node Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column, Forcing Emacs to iconify itself, Repeating a command as many times as possible, Common requests | ||
| 1928 | @section How do I make Emacs behave like this: when I go up or down, the cursor should stay in the same column even if the line is too short? | ||
| 1929 | @cindex @code{picture-mode} | ||
| 1930 | @cindex Remaining in the same column, regardless of contents | ||
| 1931 | @cindex Vertical movement in empty documents | ||
| 1932 | |||
| 1933 | @kbd{M-x picture-mode}. | ||
| 1934 | |||
| 1935 | @node Forcing Emacs to iconify itself, Using regular expressions, Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column, Common requests | ||
| 1936 | @section How do I tell Emacs to iconify itself? | ||
| 1937 | @cindex Iconification under X Windows | ||
| 1938 | @cindex X Windows and iconification | ||
| 1939 | @cindex Suspending Emacs | ||
| 1940 | |||
| 1941 | @kbd{C-z} iconifies Emacs when running under X Windows and suspends Emacs | ||
| 1942 | otherwise. @inforef{Misc X, Misc X, emacs}. | ||
| 1943 | |||
| 1944 | @node Using regular expressions, Replacing text across multiple files, Forcing Emacs to iconify itself, Common requests | ||
| 1945 | @section How do I use regexps (regular expressions) in Emacs? | ||
| 1946 | @cindex Regexps | ||
| 1947 | @cindex Regular expressions | ||
| 1948 | @cindex Differences between Unix and Emacs regexps | ||
| 1949 | @cindex Unix regeps, differences from Emacs | ||
| 1950 | @cindex Text strings, putting regexps in | ||
| 1951 | |||
| 1952 | @inforef{Regexps, Regexps, emacs}. | ||
| 1953 | |||
| 1954 | The "or" operator is @samp{\|}, not @samp{|}, and the grouping operators | ||
| 1955 | are @samp{\(} and @samp{\)}. Also, the string syntax for a backslash is | ||
| 1956 | @samp{\\}. To specify a regular expression like @samp{xxx\(foo\|bar\)} | ||
| 1957 | in a Lisp string, use @samp{xxx\\(foo\\|bar\\)}. | ||
| 1958 | |||
| 1959 | Notice the doubled backslashes! | ||
| 1960 | |||
| 1961 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 1962 | |||
| 1963 | @item Unlike in Unix @file{grep}, @file{sed}, etc., a complement | ||
| 1964 | character set (@samp{[^...]}) can match a newline character (@key{LFD} | ||
| 1965 | aka @kbd{C-j} aka @samp{\n}), unless newline is mentioned as one of the | ||
| 1966 | characters not to match. | ||
| 1967 | |||
| 1968 | @item The character syntax regexps (e.g., @samp{\sw}) are not | ||
| 1969 | meaningful inside character set regexps (e.g., @samp{[aeiou]}). (This | ||
| 1970 | is actually typical for regexp syntax.) | ||
| 1971 | |||
| 1972 | @end itemize | ||
| 1973 | |||
| 1974 | @node Replacing text across multiple files, Documentation for etags, Using regular expressions, Common requests | ||
| 1975 | @section How do I perform a replace operation across more than one file? | ||
| 1976 | @cindex Replacing strings across files | ||
| 1977 | @cindex Multiple files, replacing across | ||
| 1978 | @cindex Files, replacing strings across multiple | ||
| 1979 | |||
| 1980 | The "tags" feature of Emacs includes the command | ||
| 1981 | @code{tags-query-replace} which performs a query-replace across all the | ||
| 1982 | files mentioned in the TAGS file. @inforef{Tags Search, Tags Search, | ||
| 1983 | emacs}. | ||
| 1984 | |||
| 1985 | As of Emacs 19.29, Dired mode (@kbd{M-x dired @key{RET}}, or @kbd{C-x | ||
| 1986 | d}) supports the command @code{dired-do-query-replace}, which allows | ||
| 1987 | users to replace regular expressions in multiple files. | ||
| 1988 | |||
| 1989 | @node Documentation for etags, Disabling backups, Replacing text across multiple files, Common requests | ||
| 1990 | @section Where is the documentation for @file{etags}? | ||
| 1991 | @cindex Documentation for @file{etags} | ||
| 1992 | @cindex @file{etags}, documentation for | ||
| 1993 | |||
| 1994 | The @file{etags} man page should be in the same place as the | ||
| 1995 | @file{emacs} man page. | ||
| 1996 | |||
| 1997 | Quick command-line switch descriptions are also available. For example, | ||
| 1998 | @samp{etags -H}. | ||
| 1999 | |||
| 2000 | @node Disabling backups, Disabling auto-save-mode, Documentation for etags, Common requests | ||
| 2001 | @section How do I disable backup files? | ||
| 2002 | @cindex Backups, disabling | ||
| 2003 | @cindex Disabling backups | ||
| 2004 | |||
| 2005 | You probably don't want to do this, since backups are useful. | ||
| 2006 | |||
| 2007 | To avoid seeing backup files (and other "uninteresting" files) in Dired, | ||
| 2008 | load dired-x by adding the following to your @file{.emacs} file: | ||
| 2009 | |||
| 2010 | @lisp | ||
| 2011 | (add-hook 'dired-load-hook | ||
| 2012 | (function (lambda () | ||
| 2013 | (load "dired-x")))) | ||
| 2014 | @end lisp | ||
| 2015 | |||
| 2016 | With dired-x loaded, @kbd{M-o} toggles omitting in each dired buffer. | ||
| 2017 | You can make omitting the default for new dired buffers by putting the | ||
| 2018 | following in your @file{.emacs}: | ||
| 2019 | |||
| 2020 | @lisp | ||
| 2021 | (setq initial-dired-omit-files-p t) | ||
| 2022 | @end lisp | ||
| 2023 | |||
| 2024 | If you're tired of seeing backup files whenever you do an "ls" at the | ||
| 2025 | Unix shell, try GNU ls with the "-B" option. GNU ls is part of the GNU | ||
| 2026 | fileutils package, available at mirrors of @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (@pxref{Current GNU distributions} ). | ||
| 2027 | |||
| 2028 | To disable or change how backups are made, see "Backup Names" in the | ||
| 2029 | on-line manual. | ||
| 2030 | |||
| 2031 | @node Disabling auto-save-mode, Modifying pull-down menus, Disabling backups, Common requests | ||
| 2032 | @section How do I disable @code{auto-save-mode}? | ||
| 2033 | @cindex Disabling @code{auto-save-mode} | ||
| 2034 | @cindex Auto-saving | ||
| 2035 | @cindex Saving at frequent intervals | ||
| 2036 | |||
| 2037 | You probably don't want to do this, since auto-saving is useful, | ||
| 2038 | especially when Emacs or your computer crashes while you are editing a | ||
| 2039 | document. | ||
| 2040 | |||
| 2041 | Instead, you might want to change the variable | ||
| 2042 | @code{auto-save-interval}, which specifies how many keystrokes Emacs | ||
| 2043 | waits before auto-saving. Increasing this value forces Emacs to wait | ||
| 2044 | longer between auto-saves, which might annoy you less. | ||
| 2045 | |||
| 2046 | You might also want to look into Sebastian Kremer's @code{auto-save} | ||
| 2047 | package, available from the Lisp Code Archive (@pxref{Packages that do not come | ||
| 2048 | with Emacs}). This | ||
| 2049 | package also allows you to place all auto-save files in one directory, | ||
| 2050 | such as @file{/tmp}. | ||
| 2051 | |||
| 2052 | To disable or change how @code{auto-save-mode} works, see "Auto Save" in the | ||
| 2053 | on-line manual. | ||
| 2054 | |||
| 2055 | @node Modifying pull-down menus, Deleting menus and menu options, Disabling auto-save-mode, Common requests | ||
| 2056 | @section How can I create or modify new pull-down menu options? | ||
| 2057 | @cindex Pull-down menus, creating or modifying | ||
| 2058 | @cindex Menus, creating or modifying | ||
| 2059 | @cindex Creating new menu options | ||
| 2060 | @cindex Modifying pull-down menus | ||
| 2061 | @cindex Menus and keymaps | ||
| 2062 | @cindex Keymaps and menus | ||
| 2063 | |||
| 2064 | Each menu title (e.g., Buffers, File, Edit) represents a local or global | ||
| 2065 | keymap. Selecting a menu title with the mouse displays that keymap's | ||
| 2066 | non-nil contents in the form of a menu. | ||
| 2067 | |||
| 2068 | So to add a menu option to an existing menu, all you have to do is add a | ||
| 2069 | new definition to the appropriate keymap. Adding a "forward word" | ||
| 2070 | command to the "Edit" menu thus requires the following Lisp code: | ||
| 2071 | |||
| 2072 | @lisp | ||
| 2073 | (define-key global-map | ||
| 2074 | [menu-bar edit forward] | ||
| 2075 | '("Forward word" . forward-word)) | ||
| 2076 | @end lisp | ||
| 2077 | |||
| 2078 | The first line adds the entry to the global keymap, which includes | ||
| 2079 | global menu bar entries. Replacing the reference to @code{global-map} | ||
| 2080 | with a local keymap would add this menu option only within a particular | ||
| 2081 | mode. | ||
| 2082 | |||
| 2083 | The second line describes the path from the menu-bar to the new entry. | ||
| 2084 | Placing this menu entry underneath the "File" menu would mean changing | ||
| 2085 | the word "edit" in the second line to "file." | ||
| 2086 | |||
| 2087 | The third line is a cons cell whose first element is the title that will | ||
| 2088 | be displayed, and whose second element is the function that will be | ||
| 2089 | called when that menu option is invoked. | ||
| 2090 | |||
| 2091 | To add a new menu, rather than a new option to an existing menu, we must | ||
| 2092 | define an entirely new keymap: | ||
| 2093 | |||
| 2094 | @lisp | ||
| 2095 | (define-key global-map [menu-bar words] | ||
| 2096 | (cons "Words" (make-sparse-keymap "Words"))) | ||
| 2097 | @end lisp | ||
| 2098 | |||
| 2099 | The above code creates a new sparse keymap, gives it the name "Words", | ||
| 2100 | and attaches it to the global menu bar. Adding the "forward word" | ||
| 2101 | command to this new menu would thus require the following code: | ||
| 2102 | |||
| 2103 | @lisp | ||
| 2104 | (define-key global-map | ||
| 2105 | [menu-bar words forward] | ||
| 2106 | '("Forward word" . forward-word)) | ||
| 2107 | @end lisp | ||
| 2108 | |||
| 2109 | Note that because of the way keymaps work, menu options are displayed | ||
| 2110 | with the more recently defined items at the top. Thus if you were to | ||
| 2111 | define menu options "foo", "bar", and "baz" (in that order), menu option | ||
| 2112 | "baz" would appear at the top, and "foo" would be at the bottom. | ||
| 2113 | |||
| 2114 | One way to avoid this problem is to use the function @code{define-key-after}, | ||
| 2115 | which works the same as @code{define-key}, but lets you modify where items | ||
| 2116 | appear. The following Lisp code would insert the "forward word" function | ||
| 2117 | in the "edit" menu immediately following the "undo" option: | ||
| 2118 | |||
| 2119 | @lisp | ||
| 2120 | (define-key-after | ||
| 2121 | (lookup-key global-map [menu-bar edit]) | ||
| 2122 | [forward] | ||
| 2123 | '("Forward word" . forward-word) | ||
| 2124 | 'undo) | ||
| 2125 | @end lisp | ||
| 2126 | |||
| 2127 | Note how the second and third arguments to @code{define-key-after} are | ||
| 2128 | different from those of @code{define-key}, and that we have added a new | ||
| 2129 | (final) argument, the function after which our new key should be | ||
| 2130 | defined. | ||
| 2131 | |||
| 2132 | To move a menu option from one position to another, simply evaluate | ||
| 2133 | @code{define-key-after} with the appropriate final argument. | ||
| 2134 | |||
| 2135 | More detailed information --- and more examples of how to create and | ||
| 2136 | modify menu options --- are in the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual, under | ||
| 2137 | "Keymaps." (@xref{Emacs Lisp documentation} for information on this | ||
| 2138 | manual.) | ||
| 2139 | |||
| 2140 | @node Deleting menus and menu options, Turning on syntax highlighting, Modifying pull-down menus, Common requests | ||
| 2141 | @section How do I delete menus and menu options? | ||
| 2142 | @cindex Deleting menus and menu options | ||
| 2143 | @cindex Menus, deleting | ||
| 2144 | |||
| 2145 | The simplest way to remove a menu is to set its keymap to @samp{nil}. | ||
| 2146 | For example, to delete the "Words" menu (@pxref{Modifying pull-down | ||
| 2147 | menus}), use: | ||
| 2148 | |||
| 2149 | @lisp | ||
| 2150 | (define-key global-map [menu-bar words] nil) | ||
| 2151 | @end lisp | ||
| 2152 | |||
| 2153 | Similarly, removing a menu option requires redefining a keymap entry to | ||
| 2154 | @code{nil}. For example, to delete the "Forward word" menu option from the | ||
| 2155 | "Edit" menu (we added it in @ref{Modifying pull-down menus}), use: | ||
| 2156 | |||
| 2157 | @lisp | ||
| 2158 | (define-key global-map [menu-bar edit forward] nil) | ||
| 2159 | @end lisp | ||
| 2160 | |||
| 2161 | @node Turning on syntax highlighting, Scrolling only one line, Deleting menus and menu options, Common requests | ||
| 2162 | @section How do I turn on syntax highlighting? | ||
| 2163 | @cindex Syntax highlighting | ||
| 2164 | @cindex @code{font-lock-mode} | ||
| 2165 | @cindex Highlighting based on syntax | ||
| 2166 | @cindex Colorizing text | ||
| 2167 | @cindex FAQ, @code{font-lock-mode} | ||
| 2168 | |||
| 2169 | @code{font-lock-mode} is the standard way to have Emacs perform syntax | ||
| 2170 | highlighting. With @code{font-lock-mode} invoked, different types of | ||
| 2171 | text will appear in different colors. For instance, if you turn on | ||
| 2172 | @code{font-lock-mode} in a programming mode, variables will appear in one | ||
| 2173 | face, keywords in a second, and comments in a third. | ||
| 2174 | |||
| 2175 | Earlier versions of Emacs supported hilit19, a similar package. Use of | ||
| 2176 | hilit19 is now considered non-standard, although @file{hilit19.el} comes | ||
| 2177 | with the stock Emacs distribution. It is no longer maintained. | ||
| 2178 | |||
| 2179 | To turn @code{font-lock-mode} on within an existing buffer, use @kbd{M-x | ||
| 2180 | font-lock-mode @key{RET}}. | ||
| 2181 | |||
| 2182 | To automatically invoke @code{font-lock-mode} when a particular major | ||
| 2183 | mode is invoked, set the major mode's hook. For example, to fontify all | ||
| 2184 | @code{c-mode} buffers, add the following to your @file{.emacs} file: | ||
| 2185 | |||
| 2186 | @lisp | ||
| 2187 | (add-hook 'c-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock) | ||
| 2188 | @end lisp | ||
| 2189 | |||
| 2190 | To automatically invoke @code{font-lock-mode} for all major modes, you | ||
| 2191 | can turn on @code{global-font-lock-mode} by including the following line | ||
| 2192 | in your @file{.emacs} file: | ||
| 2193 | |||
| 2194 | @lisp | ||
| 2195 | (global-font-lock-mode 1) | ||
| 2196 | @end lisp | ||
| 2197 | |||
| 2198 | This instructs Emacs to turn on font-lock mode in those buffers for | ||
| 2199 | which a font-lock mode definition has been provided (in the variable | ||
| 2200 | @code{font-lock-global-modes}). If you edit a file in | ||
| 2201 | @code{pie-ala-mode}, and no font-lock definitions have been provided for | ||
| 2202 | @code{pie-ala} files, then the above setting will have no effect on that | ||
| 2203 | particular buffer. | ||
| 2204 | |||
| 2205 | Highlighting with @code{font-lock-mode} can take quite a while, and thus | ||
| 2206 | different levels of decoration are available, from slight to gaudy. To | ||
| 2207 | control how decorated your buffers should become, set the value of | ||
| 2208 | @code{font-lock-maximum-decoration} in your @file{.emacs} file, with a | ||
| 2209 | @code{nil} value indicating default (usually minimum) decoration, and a | ||
| 2210 | @code{t} value indicating the maximum decoration. For the gaudiest | ||
| 2211 | possible look, then, include the line | ||
| 2212 | |||
| 2213 | @lisp | ||
| 2214 | (setq font-lock-maximum-decoration t) | ||
| 2215 | @end lisp | ||
| 2216 | |||
| 2217 | in your @file{.emacs} file. You can also set this variable such that | ||
| 2218 | different modes are highlighted in a different ways; for more | ||
| 2219 | information, see the documentation for | ||
| 2220 | @code{font-lock-maximum-decoration} with @kbd{C-h v} (or @kbd{M-x | ||
| 2221 | describe-variable @key{RET}}). | ||
| 2222 | |||
| 2223 | You might also want to investigate @code{fast-lock-mode} and | ||
| 2224 | @code{lazy-lock-mode}, versions of @code{font-lock-mode} that speed up | ||
| 2225 | highlighting. The advantage of @code{lazy-lock-mode} is that it only | ||
| 2226 | fontifies buffers when certain conditions are met, such as after a | ||
| 2227 | certain amount of idle time, or after you have finished scrolling | ||
| 2228 | through text. See the documentation for @code{lazy-lock-mode} by typing @kbd{C-h f | ||
| 2229 | @code{lazy-lock-mode}} (@kbd{M-x describe-function @key{RET} | ||
| 2230 | lazy-lock-mode @key{RET}}). | ||
| 2231 | |||
| 2232 | Also see the documentation for the function @code{font-lock-mode}, | ||
| 2233 | available by typing @kbd{C-h f font-lock-mode} (@kbd{M-x | ||
| 2234 | describe-function @key{RET} font-lock-mode @key{RET}}). | ||
| 2235 | |||
| 2236 | For more information on font-lock mode, take a look at the | ||
| 2237 | @code{font-lock-mode} FAQ, maintained by | ||
| 2238 | @email{jari.aalto@@ntc.nokia.com, Jari Aalto} at | ||
| 2239 | |||
| 2240 | @uref{ftp://cs.uta.fi/pub/ssjaaa/ema-font.gui} | ||
| 2241 | |||
| 2242 | To print buffers with the faces (i.e., colors and fonts) intact, use | ||
| 2243 | @kbd{M-x ps-print-buffer-with-faces} or @kbd{M-x | ||
| 2244 | ps-print-region-with-faces}. | ||
| 2245 | |||
| 2246 | @node Scrolling only one line, Replacing highlighted text, Turning on syntax highlighting, Common requests | ||
| 2247 | @section How can I force Emacs to scroll only one line when I move past the bottom of the screen? | ||
| 2248 | @cindex Scrolling only one line | ||
| 2249 | @cindex Reducing the increment when scrollng | ||
| 2250 | |||
| 2251 | Place the following Lisp form in your @file{.emacs} file: | ||
| 2252 | |||
| 2253 | @lisp | ||
| 2254 | (setq scroll-step 1) | ||
| 2255 | @end lisp | ||
| 2256 | |||
| 2257 | @inforef{Scrolling, Scrolling, emacs}. | ||
| 2258 | |||
| 2259 | @node Replacing highlighted text, Editing MS-DOS files, Scrolling only one line, Common requests | ||
| 2260 | @section How can I replace highlighted text with what I type? | ||
| 2261 | @cindex @code{delete-selection-mode} | ||
| 2262 | @cindex Replacing highlighted text | ||
| 2263 | @cindex Highlighing and replacing text | ||
| 2264 | |||
| 2265 | Use @code{delete-selection mode}, which you can start automatically by | ||
| 2266 | placing the following Lisp form in your @file{.emacs} file: | ||
| 2267 | |||
| 2268 | @lisp | ||
| 2269 | (delete-selection-mode t) | ||
| 2270 | @end lisp | ||
| 2271 | |||
| 2272 | According to the documentation string for delete-selection mode (which | ||
| 2273 | you can read using @kbd{M-x describe-function @key{RET} | ||
| 2274 | delete-selection-mode @key{RET}}): | ||
| 2275 | |||
| 2276 | @quotation | ||
| 2277 | When ON, typed text replaces the selection if the selection is active. | ||
| 2278 | When OFF, typed text is just inserted at point. | ||
| 2279 | @end quotation | ||
| 2280 | |||
| 2281 | This mode also allows you to delete (not kill) the highlighted region by | ||
| 2282 | pressing @key{DEL}. | ||
| 2283 | |||
| 2284 | @node Editing MS-DOS files, Filling paragraphs with a single space, Replacing highlighted text, Common requests | ||
| 2285 | @section How can I edit MS-DOS files using Emacs? | ||
| 2286 | @cindex Editing MS-DOS files | ||
| 2287 | @cindex MS-DOS files, editing | ||
| 2288 | @cindex Microsoft files, editing | ||
| 2289 | @cindex Windows files, editing | ||
| 2290 | |||
| 2291 | As of Emacs 20, detection and handling of MS-DOS (and Windows) files is | ||
| 2292 | performed transparently. You can open MS-DOS files on a Unix system, | ||
| 2293 | edit it, and save it without having to worry about the file format. | ||
| 2294 | |||
| 2295 | When editing an MS-DOS style file, a backslash (@samp{\}) will appear in | ||
| 2296 | the mode line. | ||
| 2297 | |||
| 2298 | If you are running an earlier version of Emacs, get @code{crypt++} from | ||
| 2299 | the Emacs Lisp Archive (@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). | ||
| 2300 | Among other things, @code{crypt++} transparently modifies MS-DOS files | ||
| 2301 | as they are loaded and saved, allowing you to ignore the different | ||
| 2302 | conventions that Unix and MS-DOS have for delineating the end of a line. | ||
| 2303 | |||
| 2304 | @node Filling paragraphs with a single space, , Editing MS-DOS files, Common requests | ||
| 2305 | @section How can I tell Emacs to fill paragraphs with a single space after each period? | ||
| 2306 | @cindex One space following periods | ||
| 2307 | @cindex Single space following periods | ||
| 2308 | @cindex Periods, one space following | ||
| 2309 | |||
| 2310 | @email{ulm@@vsnhd1.cern.ch, Ulrich Mueller} suggests adding the | ||
| 2311 | following two lines to your @file{.emacs} file: | ||
| 2312 | |||
| 2313 | @lisp | ||
| 2314 | (setq sentence-end "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\|[ \t]\\)[ \t\n]*") | ||
| 2315 | (setq sentence-end-double-space nil) | ||
| 2316 | @end lisp | ||
| 2317 | |||
| 2318 | @c ------------------------------------------------------------ | ||
| 2319 | @node Bugs and problems, Compiling and installing Emacs, Common requests, Top | ||
| 2320 | @chapter Bugs and problems | ||
| 2321 | @cindex Bugs and problems | ||
| 2322 | |||
| 2323 | @menu | ||
| 2324 | * Problems with very large files:: | ||
| 2325 | * ^M in the shell buffer:: | ||
| 2326 | * Shell process exits abnormally:: | ||
| 2327 | * Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs:: | ||
| 2328 | * Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode:: | ||
| 2329 | * Problems talking to certain hosts:: | ||
| 2330 | * Errors with init files:: | ||
| 2331 | * Emacs ignores X resources:: | ||
| 2332 | * Emacs takes a long time to visit files:: | ||
| 2333 | * Editing files with $ in the name:: | ||
| 2334 | * Shell mode loses the current directory:: | ||
| 2335 | * Security risks with Emacs:: | ||
| 2336 | * Dired claims that no file is on this line:: | ||
| 2337 | @end menu | ||
| 2338 | |||
| 2339 | @node Problems with very large files, ^M in the shell buffer, Bugs and problems, Bugs and problems | ||
| 2340 | @section Does Emacs have problems with files larger than 8 megabytes? | ||
| 2341 | @cindex Very large files, opening | ||
| 2342 | @cindex Large files, opening | ||
| 2343 | @cindex Opening very large files | ||
| 2344 | @cindex Maximum file size | ||
| 2345 | @cindex Files, maximum size | ||
| 2346 | |||
| 2347 | Old versions (i.e., anything before 19.29) of Emacs had problems editing | ||
| 2348 | files larger than 8 megabytes. As of version 19.29, the maximum buffer | ||
| 2349 | size is at least 2^27-1, or 134,217,727 bytes. | ||
| 2350 | |||
| 2351 | If you are using an older version of Emacs and cannot upgrade, you will | ||
| 2352 | have to recompile. @email{lnz@@lucid.com, Leonard N. Zubkoff} suggests | ||
| 2353 | putting the following two lines in @file{src/config.h} before compiling | ||
| 2354 | Emacs to allow for 26-bit integers and pointers (and thus file sizes of | ||
| 2355 | up to 33,554,431 bytes): | ||
| 2356 | |||
| 2357 | @example | ||
| 2358 | #define VALBITS 26 | ||
| 2359 | #define GCTYPEBITS 5 | ||
| 2360 | @end example | ||
| 2361 | |||
| 2362 | This method may result in "ILLEGAL DATATYPE" and other random errors on | ||
| 2363 | some machines. | ||
| 2364 | |||
| 2365 | @email{daveg@@csvax.cs.caltech.edu, David Gillespie} explains how this | ||
| 2366 | problems crops up; while his numbers are true only for pre-19.29 | ||
| 2367 | versions of Emacs, the theory remains the same with current versions. | ||
| 2368 | |||
| 2369 | @quotation | ||
| 2370 | Emacs is largely written in a dialect of Lisp; Lisp is a freely-typed | ||
| 2371 | language in the sense that you can put any value of any type into any | ||
| 2372 | variable, or return it from a function, and so on. So each value | ||
| 2373 | must carry a "tag" along with it identifying what kind of thing it is, | ||
| 2374 | e.g., integer, pointer to a list, pointer to an editing buffer, and so | ||
| 2375 | on. Emacs uses standard 32-bit integers for data objects, taking the | ||
| 2376 | top 8 bits for the tag and the bottom 24 bits for the value. So | ||
| 2377 | integers (and pointers) are somewhat restricted compared to true C | ||
| 2378 | integers and pointers. | ||
| 2379 | @end quotation | ||
| 2380 | |||
| 2381 | @node ^M in the shell buffer, Shell process exits abnormally, Problems with very large files, Bugs and problems | ||
| 2382 | @section How do I get rid of @samp{^M} or echoed commands in my shell buffer? | ||
| 2383 | @cindex Shell buffer, echoed commands and @samp{^M} in | ||
| 2384 | @cindex Echoed commands in @code{shell-mode} | ||
| 2385 | |||
| 2386 | Try typing @kbd{M-x shell-strip-ctrl-m @key{RET}} while in @code{shell-mode} to | ||
| 2387 | make them go away. If that doesn't work, you have several options: | ||
| 2388 | |||
| 2389 | For tcsh, put this in your @file{.cshrc} (or @file{.tcshrc}) file: | ||
| 2390 | |||
| 2391 | @example | ||
| 2392 | if ($?EMACS) then | ||
| 2393 | if ("$EMACS" == t) then | ||
| 2394 | if ($?tcsh) unset edit | ||
| 2395 | stty nl | ||
| 2396 | endif | ||
| 2397 | endif | ||
| 2398 | @end example | ||
| 2399 | |||
| 2400 | Or put this in your @file{.emacs_tcsh} file: | ||
| 2401 | |||
| 2402 | @example | ||
| 2403 | unset edit | ||
| 2404 | stty nl | ||
| 2405 | @end example | ||
| 2406 | |||
| 2407 | Alternatively, use @file{csh} in your shell buffers instead of | ||
| 2408 | @file{tcsh}. One way is: | ||
| 2409 | |||
| 2410 | @lisp | ||
| 2411 | (setq explicit-shell-file-name "/bin/csh") | ||
| 2412 | @end lisp | ||
| 2413 | |||
| 2414 | and another is to do this in your @file{.cshrc} (or @file{.tcshrc}) | ||
| 2415 | file: | ||
| 2416 | |||
| 2417 | @example | ||
| 2418 | setenv ESHELL /bin/csh | ||
| 2419 | @end example | ||
| 2420 | |||
| 2421 | (You must start Emacs over again with the environment variable properly | ||
| 2422 | set for this to take effect.) | ||
| 2423 | |||
| 2424 | You can also set the @code{ESHELL} environment variable in Emacs Lisp | ||
| 2425 | with the following Lisp form, | ||
| 2426 | |||
| 2427 | @lisp | ||
| 2428 | (setenv "ESHELL" "/bin/csh") | ||
| 2429 | @end lisp | ||
| 2430 | |||
| 2431 | On a related note: If your shell is echoing your input line in the shell | ||
| 2432 | buffer, you might want to try the following command in your shell | ||
| 2433 | start-up file: | ||
| 2434 | |||
| 2435 | @example | ||
| 2436 | stty -icrnl -onlcr -echo susp ^Z | ||
| 2437 | @end example | ||
| 2438 | |||
| 2439 | @node Shell process exits abnormally, Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs, ^M in the shell buffer, Bugs and problems | ||
| 2440 | @section Why do I get "Process shell exited abnormally with code 1"? | ||
| 2441 | @cindex Abnormal exits from @code{shell-mode} | ||
| 2442 | @cindex @code{shell-mode} exits | ||
| 2443 | |||
| 2444 | The most likely reason for this message is that the @samp{env} program | ||
| 2445 | is not properly installed. Compile this program for your architecture, | ||
| 2446 | and install it with @samp{a+x} permission in the architecture-dependent | ||
| 2447 | Emacs program directory. (You can find what this directory is at your | ||
| 2448 | site by inspecting the value of the variable @code{exec-directory} by | ||
| 2449 | typing @kbd{C-h v exec-directory @key{RET}}.) | ||
| 2450 | |||
| 2451 | You should also check for other programs named @samp{env} in your path | ||
| 2452 | (e.g., SunOS has a program named @file{/usr/bin/env}). We don't | ||
| 2453 | understand why this can cause a failure and don't know a general | ||
| 2454 | solution for working around the problem in this case. | ||
| 2455 | |||
| 2456 | The @samp{make clean} command will remove @samp{env} and other vital | ||
| 2457 | programs, so be careful when using it. | ||
| 2458 | |||
| 2459 | It has been reported that this sometimes happened when Emacs was started | ||
| 2460 | as an X client from an xterm window (i.e., had a controlling tty) but the | ||
| 2461 | xterm was later terminated. | ||
| 2462 | |||
| 2463 | See also @samp{PROBLEMS} (in the top-level directory when you unpack the | ||
| 2464 | Emacs source) for other possible causes of this message. | ||
| 2465 | |||
| 2466 | @node Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs, Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode, Shell process exits abnormally, Bugs and problems | ||
| 2467 | @section Where is the termcap/terminfo entry for terminal type "emacs"? | ||
| 2468 | @cindex Termcap | ||
| 2469 | @cindex Terminfo | ||
| 2470 | @cindex Emacs entries for termcap/terminfo | ||
| 2471 | |||
| 2472 | The termcap entry for terminal type @samp{emacs} is ordinarily put in | ||
| 2473 | the @samp{TERMCAP} environment variable of subshells. It may help in | ||
| 2474 | certain situations (e.g., using rlogin from shell buffer) to add an | ||
| 2475 | entry for @samp{emacs} to the system-wide termcap file. Here is a | ||
| 2476 | correct termcap entry for @samp{emacs}: | ||
| 2477 | |||
| 2478 | @example | ||
| 2479 | emacs:tc=unknown: | ||
| 2480 | @end example | ||
| 2481 | |||
| 2482 | To make a terminfo entry for "emacs", use "tic" or "captoinfo." You need | ||
| 2483 | to generate @file{/usr/lib/terminfo/e/emacs}. It may work to simply copy | ||
| 2484 | @file{/usr/lib/terminfo/d/dumb} to @file{/usr/lib/terminfo/e/emac}s. | ||
| 2485 | |||
| 2486 | Having a termcap/terminfo entry will not enable the use of full screen | ||
| 2487 | programs in shell buffers. Use @kbd{M-x terminal-emulator} for that | ||
| 2488 | instead. | ||
| 2489 | |||
| 2490 | A workaround to the problem of missing termcap/terminfo entries is to | ||
| 2491 | change terminal type "emacs" to type "dumb" or "unknown" in your shell | ||
| 2492 | start up file. "csh" users could put this in their .cshrc files: | ||
| 2493 | |||
| 2494 | @example | ||
| 2495 | if ("$term" == emacs) set term=dumb | ||
| 2496 | @end example | ||
| 2497 | |||
| 2498 | @node Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode, Problems talking to certain hosts, Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs, Bugs and problems | ||
| 2499 | @section Why does Emacs spontaneously start displaying "I-search:" and beeping? | ||
| 2500 | @cindex Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode | ||
| 2501 | @cindex isearch-mode, spontaneous entry into | ||
| 2502 | @cindex Beeping without obvious reason | ||
| 2503 | |||
| 2504 | Your terminal (or something between your terminal and the computer) is | ||
| 2505 | sending @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} for flow control, and Emacs is receiving | ||
| 2506 | these characters and interpreting them as commands. (The @kbd{C-s} | ||
| 2507 | character normally invokes the @code{isearch-forward} command.) For | ||
| 2508 | possible solutions, @pxref{Handling C-s and C-q with flow control}. | ||
| 2509 | |||
| 2510 | @node Problems talking to certain hosts, Errors with init files, Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode, Bugs and problems | ||
| 2511 | @section Why can't Emacs talk to certain hosts (or certain hostnames)? | ||
| 2512 | @cindex Hosts, Emacs cannot talk to | ||
| 2513 | @cindex @code{gethostbyname}, problematic version | ||
| 2514 | |||
| 2515 | The problem may be that Emacs is linked with a wimpier version of | ||
| 2516 | @code{gethostbyname} than the rest of the programs on the machine. This | ||
| 2517 | is often manifested as a message on startup of "X server not responding. | ||
| 2518 | Check your @samp{DISPLAY} environment variable." or a message of | ||
| 2519 | "Unknown host" from @code{open-network-stream}. | ||
| 2520 | |||
| 2521 | On a Sun, this may be because Emacs had to be linked with the static C | ||
| 2522 | library. The version of @code{gethostbyname} in the static C library | ||
| 2523 | may only look in @file{/etc/hosts} and the NIS (YP) maps, while the | ||
| 2524 | version in the dynamic C library may be smart enough to check DNS in | ||
| 2525 | addition to or instead of NIS. On a Motorola Delta running System V | ||
| 2526 | R3.6, the version of @code{gethostbyname} in the standard library works, | ||
| 2527 | but the one that works with NIS doesn't (the one you get with -linet). | ||
| 2528 | Other operating systems have similar problems. | ||
| 2529 | |||
| 2530 | Try these options: | ||
| 2531 | |||
| 2532 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 2533 | |||
| 2534 | @item | ||
| 2535 | Explicitly add the host you want to communicate with to @file{/etc/hosts}. | ||
| 2536 | |||
| 2537 | @item | ||
| 2538 | Relink Emacs with this line in @file{src/config.h}: | ||
| 2539 | |||
| 2540 | @example | ||
| 2541 | #define LIBS_SYSTEM -lresolv | ||
| 2542 | @end example | ||
| 2543 | |||
| 2544 | @item | ||
| 2545 | Replace @code{gethostbyname} and friends in @file{libc.a} with more | ||
| 2546 | useful versions such as the ones in @file{libresolv.a}. Then relink | ||
| 2547 | Emacs. | ||
| 2548 | |||
| 2549 | @item | ||
| 2550 | If you are actually running NIS, make sure that "ypbind" is properly | ||
| 2551 | told to do DNS lookups with the correct command line switch. | ||
| 2552 | |||
| 2553 | @end itemize | ||
| 2554 | |||
| 2555 | @node Errors with init files, Emacs ignores X resources, Problems talking to certain hosts, Bugs and problems | ||
| 2556 | @section Why does Emacs say "Error in init file"? | ||
| 2557 | @cindex Error in @file{.emacs} | ||
| 2558 | @cindex Error in init file | ||
| 2559 | @cindex Init file, errors in | ||
| 2560 | @cindex @file{.emacs} file, errors in | ||
| 2561 | @cindex Debugging @file{.emacs} file | ||
| 2562 | |||
| 2563 | An error occurred while loading either your @file{.emacs} file or the | ||
| 2564 | system-wide file @file{lisp/default.el}. | ||
| 2565 | |||
| 2566 | For information on how to debug your @file{.emacs} file, | ||
| 2567 | @pxref{Debugging a customization file}. | ||
| 2568 | |||
| 2569 | It may be the case that you need to load some package first, or use a | ||
| 2570 | hook that will be evaluated after the package is loaded. A common case | ||
| 2571 | of this is explained in @ref{Terminal setup code works after Emacs has | ||
| 2572 | begun}. | ||
| 2573 | |||
| 2574 | @node Emacs ignores X resources, Emacs takes a long time to visit files, Errors with init files, Bugs and problems | ||
| 2575 | @section Why does Emacs ignore my X resources (my .Xdefaults file)? | ||
| 2576 | @cindex X resources being ignored | ||
| 2577 | @cindex Ignored X resources | ||
| 2578 | @cindex @file{.Xdefaults} | ||
| 2579 | |||
| 2580 | As of version 19, Emacs searches for X resources in the files specified | ||
| 2581 | by the following environment variables: | ||
| 2582 | |||
| 2583 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 2584 | |||
| 2585 | @item @code{XFILESEARCHPATH} | ||
| 2586 | @item @code{XUSERFILESEARCHPATH} | ||
| 2587 | @item @code{XAPPLRESDIR} | ||
| 2588 | |||
| 2589 | @end itemize | ||
| 2590 | |||
| 2591 | This emulates the functionality provided by programs written using Xt. | ||
| 2592 | |||
| 2593 | @code{XFILESEARCHPATH} and @code{XUSERFILESEARCHPATH} should be a list | ||
| 2594 | of file names separated by colons. @code{XAPPLRESDIR} should be a list | ||
| 2595 | of directory names separated by colons. | ||
| 2596 | |||
| 2597 | Emacs searches for X resources: | ||
| 2598 | |||
| 2599 | @enumerate | ||
| 2600 | |||
| 2601 | @item specified on the command line, with the @samp{-xrm RESOURCESTRING} option, | ||
| 2602 | @item then in the value of the @samp{XENVIRONMENT} environment variable, | ||
| 2603 | |||
| 2604 | @itemize @minus | ||
| 2605 | |||
| 2606 | @item or if that is unset, in the file named @samp{~/.Xdefaults-HOSTNAME} if it exists (where @samp{HOSTNAME} is the hostname of the machine Emacs is running on), | ||
| 2607 | |||
| 2608 | @end itemize | ||
| 2609 | |||
| 2610 | @item then in the screen-specific and server-wide resource properties provided by the server, | ||
| 2611 | |||
| 2612 | @itemize @minus | ||
| 2613 | |||
| 2614 | @item or if those properties are unset, in the file named ~/.Xdefaults if it exists, | ||
| 2615 | |||
| 2616 | @end itemize | ||
| 2617 | |||
| 2618 | @item then in the files listed in @samp{XUSERFILESEARCHPATH}, | ||
| 2619 | |||
| 2620 | @itemize @minus | ||
| 2621 | |||
| 2622 | @item or in files named @file{LANG/Emacs} in directories listed in @samp{XAPPLRESDIR} (where @samp{LANG} is the value of the @samp{LANG} environment variable), if the @samp{LANG} environment variable is set, | ||
| 2623 | @item or in files named Emacs in the directories listed in @samp{XAPPLRESDIR} | ||
| 2624 | @item or in @file{~/LANG/Emacs} (if the @samp{LANG} environment variable is set), | ||
| 2625 | @item or in @file{~/Emacs}, | ||
| 2626 | |||
| 2627 | @end itemize | ||
| 2628 | |||
| 2629 | @item then in the files listed in @code{XFILESEARCHPATH}. | ||
| 2630 | |||
| 2631 | @end enumerate | ||
| 2632 | |||
| 2633 | @node Emacs takes a long time to visit files, Editing files with $ in the name, Emacs ignores X resources, Bugs and problems | ||
| 2634 | @section Why does Emacs take 20 seconds to visit a file? | ||
| 2635 | @cindex Visiting files takes a long time | ||
| 2636 | @cindex Delay when visiting files | ||
| 2637 | @cindex Files, take a long time to visit | ||
| 2638 | |||
| 2639 | Old versions of Emacs (i.e., versions before Emacs 20.x) often | ||
| 2640 | encountered this when the master lock file, @file{!!!SuperLock!!!} has | ||
| 2641 | been left in the lock directory somehow. Delete it. | ||
| 2642 | |||
| 2643 | @email{meuer@@geom.umn.edu, Mark Meuer} says that NeXT NFS has a bug | ||
| 2644 | where an exclusive create succeeds but returns an error status. This | ||
| 2645 | can cause the same problem. Since Emacs's file locking doesn't work | ||
| 2646 | over NFS anyway, the best solution is to recompile Emacs with | ||
| 2647 | @code{CLASH_DETECTION} undefined. | ||
| 2648 | |||
| 2649 | @node Editing files with $ in the name, Shell mode loses the current directory, Emacs takes a long time to visit files, Bugs and problems | ||
| 2650 | @section How do I edit a file with a @samp{$} in its name? | ||
| 2651 | @cindex Editing files with @samp{$} in the name | ||
| 2652 | @cindex @samp{$} in filenames | ||
| 2653 | @cindex Filenames containing @samp{$}, editing | ||
| 2654 | |||
| 2655 | When entering a filename in the minibuffer, Emacs will attempt to expand | ||
| 2656 | a @samp{$} followed by a word as an environment variable. To suppress | ||
| 2657 | this behavior, type @kbd{$$} instead. | ||
| 2658 | |||
| 2659 | @node Shell mode loses the current directory, Security risks with Emacs, Editing files with $ in the name, Bugs and problems | ||
| 2660 | @section Why does shell mode lose track of the shell's current directory? | ||
| 2661 | @cindex Current directory and @code{shell-mode} | ||
| 2662 | @cindex @code{shell-mode} and current directory | ||
| 2663 | @cindex Directory, current in @code{shell-mode} | ||
| 2664 | |||
| 2665 | Emacs has no way of knowing when the shell actually changes its | ||
| 2666 | directory. This is an intrinsic limitation of Unix. So it tries to | ||
| 2667 | guess by recognizing @samp{cd} commands. If you type "cd" followed by a | ||
| 2668 | directory name with a variable reference (@samp{cd $HOME/bin}) or with a | ||
| 2669 | shell metacharacter (@samp{cd ../lib*}), Emacs will fail to correctly | ||
| 2670 | guess the shell's new current directory. A huge variety of fixes and | ||
| 2671 | enhancements to shell mode for this problem have been written to handle | ||
| 2672 | this problem. Check the Lisp Code Directory (@pxref{Finding a package | ||
| 2673 | with particular functionality}). | ||
| 2674 | |||
| 2675 | You can tell Emacs the shell's current directory with the command | ||
| 2676 | @kbd{M-x dirs}. | ||
| 2677 | |||
| 2678 | @node Security risks with Emacs, Dired claims that no file is on this line, Shell mode loses the current directory, Bugs and problems | ||
| 2679 | @section Are there any security risks in Emacs? | ||
| 2680 | @cindex Security with Emacs | ||
| 2681 | @cindex @samp{movemail} and security | ||
| 2682 | @cindex @code{file-local-variable} and security | ||
| 2683 | @cindex Synthetic X events and security | ||
| 2684 | @cindex X events and security | ||
| 2685 | |||
| 2686 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 2687 | |||
| 2688 | @item The @file{movemail} incident (No, this is not a risk.) | ||
| 2689 | |||
| 2690 | In his book @emph{The Cuckoo's Egg}, Cliff Stoll describes this in | ||
| 2691 | chapter 4. The site at LBL had installed the @file{etc/movemail} | ||
| 2692 | program setuid root. (As of version 19, @file{movemail} is in your | ||
| 2693 | architecture-specific directory; type @kbd{C-h v exec-directory | ||
| 2694 | @key{RET}} to see what it is.) Since @file{movemail} had not been | ||
| 2695 | designed for this situation, a security hole was created and users could | ||
| 2696 | get root privileges. | ||
| 2697 | |||
| 2698 | @file{movemail} has since been changed so that this security hole will | ||
| 2699 | not exist, even if it is installed setuid root. However, | ||
| 2700 | @file{movemail} no longer needs to be installed setuid root, which | ||
| 2701 | should eliminate this particular risk. | ||
| 2702 | |||
| 2703 | We have heard unverified reports that the 1988 Internet worm took | ||
| 2704 | advantage of this configuration problem. | ||
| 2705 | |||
| 2706 | @item The @code{file-local-variable} feature (Yes, a risk, but easy to change.) | ||
| 2707 | |||
| 2708 | There is an Emacs feature that allows the setting of local values for | ||
| 2709 | variables when editing a file by including specially formatted text near | ||
| 2710 | the end of the file. This feature also includes the ability to have | ||
| 2711 | arbitrary Emacs Lisp code evaluated when the file is visited. | ||
| 2712 | Obviously, there is a potential for Trojan horses to exploit this | ||
| 2713 | feature. | ||
| 2714 | |||
| 2715 | Emacs 18 allowed this feature by default; users could disable it by | ||
| 2716 | setting the variable @code{inhibit-local-variables} to a non-nil value. | ||
| 2717 | |||
| 2718 | As of Emacs 19, Emacs has a list of local variables that create a | ||
| 2719 | security risk. If a file tries to set one of them, it asks the user to | ||
| 2720 | confirm whether the variables should be set. You can also tell Emacs | ||
| 2721 | whether to allow the evaluation of Emacs Lisp code found at the bottom | ||
| 2722 | of files by setting the variable @code{enable-local-eval}. | ||
| 2723 | |||
| 2724 | For more information, @inforef{File Variables, File Variables, emacs}. | ||
| 2725 | |||
| 2726 | @item Synthetic X events (Yes, a risk; use @samp{MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1} or better.) | ||
| 2727 | |||
| 2728 | Emacs accepts synthetic X events generated by the SendEvent request as | ||
| 2729 | though they were regular events. As a result, if you are using the | ||
| 2730 | trivial host-based authentication, other users who can open X | ||
| 2731 | connections to your X workstation can make your Emacs process do | ||
| 2732 | anything, including run other processes with your privileges. | ||
| 2733 | |||
| 2734 | The only fix for this is to prevent other users from being able to open | ||
| 2735 | X connections. The standard way to prevent this is to use a real | ||
| 2736 | authentication mechanism, such as @samp{MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1}. If using | ||
| 2737 | the @file{xauth} program has any effect, then you are probably using | ||
| 2738 | @samp{MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1}. Your site may be using a superior | ||
| 2739 | authentication method; ask your system administrator. | ||
| 2740 | |||
| 2741 | If real authentication is not a possibility, you may be satisfied by | ||
| 2742 | just allowing hosts access for brief intervals while you start your X | ||
| 2743 | programs, then removing the access. This reduces the risk somewhat by | ||
| 2744 | narrowing the time window when hostile users would have access, but | ||
| 2745 | @emph{does not eliminate the risk}. | ||
| 2746 | |||
| 2747 | On most computers running Unix and X Windows, you enable and disable | ||
| 2748 | access using the @file{xhost} command. To allow all hosts access to | ||
| 2749 | your X server, use | ||
| 2750 | |||
| 2751 | @example | ||
| 2752 | xhost + | ||
| 2753 | @end example | ||
| 2754 | |||
| 2755 | at the shell prompt, which (on an HP machine, at least) produces the | ||
| 2756 | following message: | ||
| 2757 | |||
| 2758 | @example | ||
| 2759 | access control disabled, clients can connect from any host | ||
| 2760 | @end example | ||
| 2761 | |||
| 2762 | To deny all hosts access to your X server (except those explicitly | ||
| 2763 | allowed by name), use | ||
| 2764 | |||
| 2765 | @example | ||
| 2766 | xhost - | ||
| 2767 | @end example | ||
| 2768 | |||
| 2769 | On the test HP computer, this command generated the following message: | ||
| 2770 | |||
| 2771 | @example | ||
| 2772 | access control enabled, only authorized clients can connect | ||
| 2773 | @end example | ||
| 2774 | |||
| 2775 | @end itemize | ||
| 2776 | |||
| 2777 | @node Dired claims that no file is on this line, , Security risks with Emacs, Bugs and problems | ||
| 2778 | @section Dired says, "no file on this line" when I try to do something. | ||
| 2779 | @cindex Dired does not see a file | ||
| 2780 | |||
| 2781 | Chances are you're using a localized version of Unix that doesn't use US | ||
| 2782 | date format in dired listings. You can check this by looking at dired | ||
| 2783 | listings or by typing @code{ls -l} to a shell and looking at the dates that | ||
| 2784 | come out. | ||
| 2785 | |||
| 2786 | Dired uses a regular expression to find the beginning of a file name. | ||
| 2787 | In a long Unix-style directory listing ("ls -l"), the file name starts | ||
| 2788 | after the date. The regexp has thus been written to look for the date, | ||
| 2789 | the format of which can vary on non-US systems. | ||
| 2790 | |||
| 2791 | There are two approaches to solving this. The first one involves | ||
| 2792 | setting things up so that "ls -l" outputs US date format. This can be | ||
| 2793 | done by setting the locale. See your OS manual for more information. | ||
| 2794 | |||
| 2795 | The second approach involves changing the regular expression used by | ||
| 2796 | dired, @code{dired-move-to-filename-regexp}. | ||
| 2797 | |||
| 2798 | @c ------------------------------------------------------------ | ||
| 2799 | @node Compiling and installing Emacs, Finding Emacs and related packages, Bugs and problems, Top | ||
| 2800 | @chapter Compiling and installing Emacs | ||
| 2801 | @cindex Compiling and installing Emacs | ||
| 2802 | |||
| 2803 | @menu | ||
| 2804 | * Installing Emacs:: | ||
| 2805 | * Updating Emacs:: | ||
| 2806 | * Problems building Emacs:: | ||
| 2807 | * Linking with -lX11 fails:: | ||
| 2808 | @end menu | ||
| 2809 | |||
| 2810 | @node Installing Emacs, Updating Emacs, Compiling and installing Emacs, Compiling and installing Emacs | ||
| 2811 | @section How do I install Emacs? | ||
| 2812 | @cindex Installing Emacs | ||
| 2813 | @cindex Unix systems, installing Emacs on | ||
| 2814 | @cindex Downloading and installing Emacs | ||
| 2815 | @cindex Retrieving and installing Emacs | ||
| 2816 | @cindex Building Emacs from source | ||
| 2817 | @cindex Source code, building Emacs from | ||
| 2818 | @cindex Unpacking and installing Emacs | ||
| 2819 | |||
| 2820 | This answer is meant for users of Unix and Unix-like systems. Users of | ||
| 2821 | other operating systems should see the series of questions beginning | ||
| 2822 | with @ref{Emacs for MS-DOS}, which describe where to get non-Unix source | ||
| 2823 | and binaries. These packages should come with installation | ||
| 2824 | instructions. | ||
| 2825 | |||
| 2826 | For Unix and Unix-like systems, the easiest way is often to compile it | ||
| 2827 | from scratch. You will need: | ||
| 2828 | |||
| 2829 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 2830 | |||
| 2831 | @item | ||
| 2832 | Emacs sources. @xref{Current GNU distributions} for a list of ftp sites | ||
| 2833 | that make them available. On @file{ftp.gnu.org}, the main GNU | ||
| 2834 | distribution site, sources are available at | ||
| 2835 | |||
| 2836 | @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/emacs-20.4.tar.gz} | ||
| 2837 | |||
| 2838 | The above will obviously change as new versions of Emacs come out. For | ||
| 2839 | instance, when Emacs 20.5 is released, it will most probably be | ||
| 2840 | available at | ||
| 2841 | |||
| 2842 | @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/emacs-20.5.tar.gz} | ||
| 2843 | |||
| 2844 | Again, you should use one of the GNU mirror sites (@xref{Current GNU | ||
| 2845 | distributions} and adjust the URL accordingly) so as to reduce load on | ||
| 2846 | @file{ftp.gnu.org}. | ||
| 2847 | |||
| 2848 | @item | ||
| 2849 | @code{gzip}, the GNU compression utility. You can get @code{gzip} via | ||
| 2850 | anonymous ftp at mirrors of @file{ftp.gnu.org} sites; it should compile | ||
| 2851 | and install without much trouble on most systems. Once you have | ||
| 2852 | retrieved the Emacs sources, you will probably be able to uncompress | ||
| 2853 | them with the command | ||
| 2854 | |||
| 2855 | @example | ||
| 2856 | gunzip --verbose emacs-20.4.tar.gz | ||
| 2857 | @end example | ||
| 2858 | |||
| 2859 | changing the Emacs version (20.4), as necessary. Once gunzip has | ||
| 2860 | finished doing its job, a file by the name of "emacs-20.4.tar" should | ||
| 2861 | be in your build directory. | ||
| 2862 | |||
| 2863 | @item | ||
| 2864 | @file{tar}, the "tape archiving" program, which moves multiple files | ||
| 2865 | into and out of archive files, or "tarfiles." All of the files | ||
| 2866 | comprising the Emacs source come in a single tarfile, and must be | ||
| 2867 | extracted using @file{tar} before you can build Emacs. Typically, the | ||
| 2868 | extraction command would look like | ||
| 2869 | |||
| 2870 | @example | ||
| 2871 | tar -xvvf emacs-20.4.tar | ||
| 2872 | @end example | ||
| 2873 | |||
| 2874 | The @samp{x} indicates that we want to extract files from this tarfile, | ||
| 2875 | the two @samp{v}s force verbose output, and the @samp{f} tells | ||
| 2876 | @file{tar} to use a disk file, rather than one on tape. | ||
| 2877 | |||
| 2878 | If you're using GNU @file{tar} (available at mirrors of | ||
| 2879 | @file{ftp.gnu.org}), you can combine this step and the previous one by | ||
| 2880 | using the command | ||
| 2881 | |||
| 2882 | @example | ||
| 2883 | tar -zxvvf emacs-20.4.tar.gz | ||
| 2884 | @end example | ||
| 2885 | |||
| 2886 | The additional @samp{z} at the beginning of the options list tells GNU tar | ||
| 2887 | to uncompress the file with gunzip before extracting the tarfile's | ||
| 2888 | components. | ||
| 2889 | |||
| 2890 | @end itemize | ||
| 2891 | |||
| 2892 | At this point, the Emacs sources (all 25+ megabytes of them) should be | ||
| 2893 | sitting in a directory called @file{emacs-20.4}. On most common Unix and | ||
| 2894 | Unix-like systems, you should be able to compile Emacs (with X Windows | ||
| 2895 | support) with the following commands: | ||
| 2896 | |||
| 2897 | @example | ||
| 2898 | cd emacs-20.4 # change directory to emacs-20.4 | ||
| 2899 | ./configure # configure Emacs for your particular system | ||
| 2900 | make # use Makefile to build components, then Emacs | ||
| 2901 | @end example | ||
| 2902 | |||
| 2903 | If the @code{make} completes successfully, the odds are fairly good that | ||
| 2904 | the build has gone well. (@xref{Problems building Emacs} if you weren't | ||
| 2905 | successful.) | ||
| 2906 | |||
| 2907 | By default, Emacs is installed in the following directories: | ||
| 2908 | |||
| 2909 | @table @file | ||
| 2910 | |||
| 2911 | @item /usr/local/bin | ||
| 2912 | binaries | ||
| 2913 | |||
| 2914 | @item /usr/local/share/emacs/20.xx | ||
| 2915 | Lisp code and support files | ||
| 2916 | |||
| 2917 | @item /usr/local/info | ||
| 2918 | Info documentation | ||
| 2919 | |||
| 2920 | @end table | ||
| 2921 | |||
| 2922 | To install files in those default directories, become the superuser and | ||
| 2923 | type | ||
| 2924 | |||
| 2925 | @example | ||
| 2926 | make install | ||
| 2927 | @end example | ||
| 2928 | |||
| 2929 | Note that @code{make install} will overwrite @file{/usr/local/bin/emacs} | ||
| 2930 | and any Emacs Info files that might be in @file{/usr/local/info}. | ||
| 2931 | |||
| 2932 | Much more verbose instructions (with many more hints and suggestions) | ||
| 2933 | come with the Emacs sources, in the file @file{INSTALL}. | ||
| 2934 | |||
| 2935 | @node Updating Emacs, Problems building Emacs, Installing Emacs, Compiling and installing Emacs | ||
| 2936 | @section How do I update Emacs to the latest version? | ||
| 2937 | @cindex Updating Emacs | ||
| 2938 | |||
| 2939 | @xref{Installing Emacs}, and follow the instructions there for | ||
| 2940 | installation. | ||
| 2941 | |||
| 2942 | Most files are placed in version-specific directories. Emacs 20.4, for | ||
| 2943 | instance, places files in @file{/usr/local/share/emacs/20.4}. | ||
| 2944 | |||
| 2945 | Upgrading should overwrite only, @file{/usr/local/bin/emacs} (the Emacs | ||
| 2946 | binary) and documentation in @file{/usr/local/info}. Back up these | ||
| 2947 | files before you upgrade, and you shouldn't have too much trouble. | ||
| 2948 | |||
| 2949 | @node Problems building Emacs, Linking with -lX11 fails, Updating Emacs, Compiling and installing Emacs | ||
| 2950 | @section What should I do if I have trouble building Emacs? | ||
| 2951 | @cindex Problems building Emacs | ||
| 2952 | @cindex Errors when building Emacs | ||
| 2953 | |||
| 2954 | First look in the file @file{PROBLEMS} (in the top-level directory when | ||
| 2955 | you unpack the Emacs source) to see if there is already a solution for | ||
| 2956 | your problem. Next, look for other questions in this FAQ that have to | ||
| 2957 | do with Emacs installation and compilation problems. | ||
| 2958 | |||
| 2959 | If you'd like to have someone look at your problem and help solve it, | ||
| 2960 | @pxref{Help installing Emacs}. | ||
| 2961 | |||
| 2962 | If you cannot find a solution in the documentation, send a message to | ||
| 2963 | @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}. | ||
| 2964 | |||
| 2965 | Please do not post it to @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} or send e-mail to | ||
| 2966 | @email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}. For further guidelines, | ||
| 2967 | @pxref{Guidelines for newsgroup postings} and @ref{Reporting bugs}. | ||
| 2968 | |||
| 2969 | @node Linking with -lX11 fails, , Problems building Emacs, Compiling and installing Emacs | ||
| 2970 | @section Why does linking Emacs with -lX11 fail? | ||
| 2971 | @cindex Linking with -lX11 fails | ||
| 2972 | @cindex lX11, linking fails with | ||
| 2973 | |||
| 2974 | Emacs needs to be linked with the static version of the X11 library, | ||
| 2975 | @file{libX11.a}. This may be missing. | ||
| 2976 | |||
| 2977 | Under OpenWindows, you may need to use "add_services" to add the | ||
| 2978 | "OpenWindows Programmers" optional software category from the CD-ROM. | ||
| 2979 | |||
| 2980 | Under HP-UX 8.0, you may need to run "update" again to load the X11-PRG | ||
| 2981 | "fileset". This may be missing even if you specified "all filesets" the | ||
| 2982 | first time. If @file{libcurses.a} is missing, you may need to load the | ||
| 2983 | "Berkeley Development Option." | ||
| 2984 | |||
| 2985 | @email{zoo@@armadillo.com, David Zuhn} says that MIT X builds shared | ||
| 2986 | libraries by default, and only shared libraries, on those platforms that | ||
| 2987 | support them. These shared libraries can't be used when undumping | ||
| 2988 | temacs (the last stage of the Emacs build process). To get regular | ||
| 2989 | libraries in addition to shared libraries, add this to @file{site.cf}: | ||
| 2990 | |||
| 2991 | @example | ||
| 2992 | #define ForceNormalLib YES | ||
| 2993 | @end example | ||
| 2994 | |||
| 2995 | Other systems may have similar problems. You can always define | ||
| 2996 | CANNOT_DUMP and link with the shared libraries instead. | ||
| 2997 | |||
| 2998 | To get the Xmenu stuff to work, you need to find a copy of MIT's | ||
| 2999 | @file{liboldX.a}. | ||
| 3000 | |||
| 3001 | @c ------------------------------------------------------------ | ||
| 3002 | @node Finding Emacs and related packages, Major packages and programs, Compiling and installing Emacs, Top | ||
| 3003 | @chapter Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3004 | @cindex Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3005 | |||
| 3006 | @menu | ||
| 3007 | * Finding Emacs on the Internet:: | ||
| 3008 | * Finding a package with particular functionality:: | ||
| 3009 | * Packages that do not come with Emacs:: | ||
| 3010 | * Submitting to the Emacs Lisp Archive:: | ||
| 3011 | * Current GNU distributions:: | ||
| 3012 | * Difference between Emacs and XEmacs:: | ||
| 3013 | * Emacs for MS-DOS:: | ||
| 3014 | * Emacs for Windows:: | ||
| 3015 | * Emacs for OS/2:: | ||
| 3016 | * Emacs for Atari ST:: | ||
| 3017 | * Emacs for the Amiga :: | ||
| 3018 | * Emacs for NeXTSTEP:: | ||
| 3019 | * Emacs for Apple computers:: | ||
| 3020 | * Emacs for VMS and DECwindows:: | ||
| 3021 | * Modes for various languages:: | ||
| 3022 | * Translating names to IP addresses:: | ||
| 3023 | @end menu | ||
| 3024 | |||
| 3025 | @node Finding Emacs on the Internet, Finding a package with particular functionality, Finding Emacs and related packages, Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3026 | @section Where can I get Emacs on the net (or by snail mail)? | ||
| 3027 | @cindex Finding Emacs on the Internet | ||
| 3028 | @cindex Snail mail, ordering Emacs via | ||
| 3029 | @cindex Postal service, ordering Emacs via | ||
| 3030 | @cindex Distribution, retrieving Emacs | ||
| 3031 | @cindex Internet, retreiving from | ||
| 3032 | |||
| 3033 | Look in the files @file{etc/DISTRIB} and @file{etc/FTP} for information | ||
| 3034 | on nearby archive sites and @file{etc/ORDERS} for mail orders. If you | ||
| 3035 | don't already have Emacs, @pxref{Informational files for Emacs} for how | ||
| 3036 | to get these files. | ||
| 3037 | |||
| 3038 | @xref{Installing Emacs} for information on how to obtain and build the latest | ||
| 3039 | version of Emacs, and @pxref{Current GNU distributions} for a list of | ||
| 3040 | archive sites that make GNU software available. | ||
| 3041 | |||
| 3042 | @node Finding a package with particular functionality, Packages that do not come with Emacs, Finding Emacs on the Internet, Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3043 | @section How do I find a Emacs Lisp package that does XXX? | ||
| 3044 | @cindex Package, finding | ||
| 3045 | @cindex Finding an Emacs Lisp package | ||
| 3046 | @cindex Functionality, finding a particular package | ||
| 3047 | |||
| 3048 | First of all, you should check to make sure that the package isn't | ||
| 3049 | already available. For example, typing @kbd{M-x apropos @key{RET} | ||
| 3050 | wordstar @key{RET}} lists all functions and variables containing the | ||
| 3051 | string @samp{wordstar}. | ||
| 3052 | |||
| 3053 | It is also possible that the package is on your system, but has not been | ||
| 3054 | loaded. To see which packages are available for loading, look through | ||
| 3055 | your computer's lisp directory (@pxref{Filename conventions}). The Lisp | ||
| 3056 | source to most most packages contains a short description of how they | ||
| 3057 | should be loaded, invoked, and configured --- so before you use or | ||
| 3058 | modify a Lisp package, see if the author has provided any hints in the | ||
| 3059 | source code. | ||
| 3060 | |||
| 3061 | If a package does not come with Emacs, check the Lisp Code Directory. | ||
| 3062 | The LCD was originally maintained by @email{brennan@@hal.com, Dave | ||
| 3063 | Brennan}, but was recently taken over by @email{toby@@world.std.com, | ||
| 3064 | toby knudsen}, who maintains @uref{http://www.emacs.org}. The LCD is | ||
| 3065 | currently being reorganized and updated, but you can meanwhile find many | ||
| 3066 | packages at @uref{ftp://ftp.emacs.org/pub}. | ||
| 3067 | |||
| 3068 | For now, you can search through the LCD with @file{lispdir.el}, which is | ||
| 3069 | in the process of being updated. Download it from the LCD, in the | ||
| 3070 | @file{emacs-lisp-attic/misc} directory, and then evaluate the following | ||
| 3071 | Lisp form (@pxref{Evaluating Emacs Lisp code}): | ||
| 3072 | |||
| 3073 | @lisp | ||
| 3074 | (setq lisp-code-directory | ||
| 3075 | "/anonymous@@ftp.emacs.org:pub/emacs-lisp-attic/emacs-lisp/LCD-datafile.gz" | ||
| 3076 | elisp-archive-host "ftp.emacs.org" | ||
| 3077 | elisp-archive-directory "/pub/emacs-lisp-attic/emacs-lisp/") | ||
| 3078 | @end lisp | ||
| 3079 | |||
| 3080 | Once you have installed @file{lispdir.el}, you can use @kbd{M-x | ||
| 3081 | lisp-dir-apropos} to search the listing. For example, @kbd{M-x | ||
| 3082 | lisp-dir-apropos @key{RET} ange-ftp @key{RET}} produces this output: | ||
| 3083 | |||
| 3084 | @example | ||
| 3085 | GNU Emacs Lisp Code Directory Apropos --- "ange-ftp" | ||
| 3086 | "~/" refers to archive.cis.ohio-state.edu:pub/elisp-archive/ | ||
| 3087 | |||
| 3088 | ange-ftp (4.18) 15-Jul-1992 | ||
| 3089 | Andy Norman, <ange@@hplb.hpl.hp.com> | ||
| 3090 | ~/packages/ange-ftp.tar.Z | ||
| 3091 | transparent FTP Support for GNU Emacs | ||
| 3092 | auto-save (1.19) 01-May-1992 | ||
| 3093 | Sebastian Kremer, <sk@@thp.uni-koeln.de> | ||
| 3094 | ~/misc/auto-save.el.Z | ||
| 3095 | Safer autosaving with support for ange-ftp and /tmp | ||
| 3096 | ftp-quik (1.0) 28-Jul-1993 | ||
| 3097 | Terrence Brannon, <tb06@@pl122f.eecs.lehigh.edu> | ||
| 3098 | ~/modes/ftp-quik.el.Z | ||
| 3099 | Quik access to dired'ing of ange-ftp and normal paths | ||
| 3100 | @end example | ||
| 3101 | |||
| 3102 | @node Packages that do not come with Emacs, Submitting to the Emacs Lisp Archive, Finding a package with particular functionality, Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3103 | @section Where can I get Emacs Lisp packages that don't come with Emacs? | ||
| 3104 | @cindex Unbundled packages | ||
| 3105 | @cindex Finding other packages | ||
| 3106 | @cindex Lisp packages that do not come with Emacs | ||
| 3107 | @cindex Packages, those that do not come with Emacs | ||
| 3108 | @cindex Emacs Lisp Archive, description of | ||
| 3109 | @cindex Archive, description of the Emacs Lisp | ||
| 3110 | |||
| 3111 | First, check the Lisp Code Directory to find the name of the package you | ||
| 3112 | are looking for (@pxref{Finding a package with particular | ||
| 3113 | functionality}). Next, check local archives and the Emacs Lisp Archive | ||
| 3114 | to find a copy of the relevant files. If you still haven't found it, | ||
| 3115 | you can send e-mail to the author asking for a copy. If you find Emacs | ||
| 3116 | Lisp code that doesn't appear in the LCD, please submit a copy to the | ||
| 3117 | LCD (@pxref{Submitting to the Emacs Lisp Archive}). | ||
| 3118 | |||
| 3119 | You can access the Emacs Lisp Archive at | ||
| 3120 | |||
| 3121 | @uref{ftp://archive.cis.ohio-state.edu/pub/emacs-lisp/} | ||
| 3122 | |||
| 3123 | Retrieve and read the file @file{README} first. | ||
| 3124 | |||
| 3125 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 3126 | |||
| 3127 | @item The archive maintainers do not have time to answer individual | ||
| 3128 | requests for packages or the list of packages in the archive. If you | ||
| 3129 | cannot use FTP or UUCP to access the archive yourself, try to find a | ||
| 3130 | friend who can, but please don't ask the maintainers. | ||
| 3131 | |||
| 3132 | @item Any files with names ending in @samp{.Z}, @samp{.z}, or @samp{.gz} are | ||
| 3133 | compressed, so you should use "binary" mode in FTP to retrieve them. | ||
| 3134 | You should also use binary mode whenever you retrieve any files with | ||
| 3135 | names ending in @samp{.elc}. | ||
| 3136 | |||
| 3137 | @end itemize | ||
| 3138 | |||
| 3139 | @node Submitting to the Emacs Lisp Archive, Current GNU distributions, Packages that do not come with Emacs, Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3140 | @section How do I submit code to the Emacs Lisp Archive? | ||
| 3141 | @cindex Submitting code to the Emacs Lisp Archive | ||
| 3142 | @cindex Emacs Lisp Archive, submissions to | ||
| 3143 | @cindex Lisp Archive, submissions to | ||
| 3144 | @cindex Archive, submitting to the Emacs Lisp | ||
| 3145 | |||
| 3146 | Guidelines and procedures for submission to the archive can be found in | ||
| 3147 | the file @file{GUIDELINES} in the archive directory (@ref{Packages that | ||
| 3148 | do not come with Emacs}). It covers documentation, copyrights, | ||
| 3149 | packaging, submission, and the Lisp Code Directory Record. Anonymous | ||
| 3150 | FTP uploads are not permitted. Instead, all submissions are mailed to | ||
| 3151 | @email{elisp-archive@@cis.ohio-state.edu}. The @file{lispdir.el} | ||
| 3152 | package has a function named @code{submit-lcd-entry} which will help you | ||
| 3153 | with this. | ||
| 3154 | |||
| 3155 | @node Current GNU distributions, Difference between Emacs and XEmacs, Submitting to the Emacs Lisp Archive, Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3156 | @section Where can I get other up-to-date GNU stuff? | ||
| 3157 | @cindex Current GNU distributions | ||
| 3158 | @cindex Sources for current GNU distributions | ||
| 3159 | @cindex Stuff, current GNU | ||
| 3160 | @cindex Up-to-date GNU stuff | ||
| 3161 | @cindex Finding current GNU software | ||
| 3162 | @cindex Official GNU software sites | ||
| 3163 | |||
| 3164 | The most up-to-date official GNU software is normally kept at | ||
| 3165 | |||
| 3166 | @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu} | ||
| 3167 | |||
| 3168 | Read the files @file{etc/DISTRIB} and @file{etc/FTP} for more | ||
| 3169 | information. | ||
| 3170 | |||
| 3171 | A list of sites mirroring @samp{ftp.gnu.org} can be found at | ||
| 3172 | |||
| 3173 | @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/ftp.html} | ||
| 3174 | |||
| 3175 | @node Difference between Emacs and XEmacs, Emacs for MS-DOS, Current GNU distributions, Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3176 | @section What is the difference between Emacs and XEmacs (formerly "Lucid Emacs")? | ||
| 3177 | @cindex XEmacs | ||
| 3178 | @cindex Difference Emacs and XEmacs | ||
| 3179 | @cindex Lucid Emacs | ||
| 3180 | @cindex Epoch | ||
| 3181 | |||
| 3182 | First of all, they're both GNU Emacs. XEmacs is just as much a later | ||
| 3183 | version of GNU Emacs as the FSF-distributed version. This FAQ refers to | ||
| 3184 | the latest version to be distributed by the FSF as "Emacs," partly | ||
| 3185 | because the XEmacs maintainers now refer to their product using the | ||
| 3186 | "XEmacs" name, and partly because there isn't any accurate way to | ||
| 3187 | differentiate between the two without getting mired in paragraphs of | ||
| 3188 | legalese and history. | ||
| 3189 | |||
| 3190 | XEmacs, which began life as Lucid Emacs, is based on an early version of | ||
| 3191 | Emacs 19 and Epoch, an X-aware version of Emacs 18. | ||
| 3192 | |||
| 3193 | Emacs (i.e., the version distributed by the FSF) has a larger installed | ||
| 3194 | base, while XEmacs can do some clever tricks with X Windows, such as | ||
| 3195 | putting arbitrary graphics in a buffer. Emacs and XEmacs each come with | ||
| 3196 | Lisp packages that are lacking in the other; RMS says that the FSF would | ||
| 3197 | include more packages that come with XEmacs, but that the XEmacs | ||
| 3198 | maintainers don't always keep track of the authors of contributed code, | ||
| 3199 | which makes it impossible for the FSF to have certain legal papers | ||
| 3200 | signed. (Without these legal papers, the FSF will not distribute Lisp | ||
| 3201 | packages with Emacs.) | ||
| 3202 | |||
| 3203 | Many XEmacs features have found their way into recent versions of Emacs, | ||
| 3204 | and more features can be expected in the future, but there are still many | ||
| 3205 | differences between the two. | ||
| 3206 | |||
| 3207 | The latest version of XEmacs as of this writing is 21.1; you can get it | ||
| 3208 | at | ||
| 3209 | |||
| 3210 | @uref{ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/current/xemacs-21.1.4.tar.gz} | ||
| 3211 | |||
| 3212 | More information about XEmacs, including a list of frequently asked | ||
| 3213 | questions (FAQ), is available at | ||
| 3214 | |||
| 3215 | @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/faq/} | ||
| 3216 | |||
| 3217 | @node Emacs for MS-DOS, Emacs for Windows, Difference between Emacs and XEmacs, Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3218 | @section Where can I get Emacs for my PC running MS-DOS? | ||
| 3219 | @cindex MS-DOS, Emacs for | ||
| 3220 | @cindex DOS, Emacs for | ||
| 3221 | @cindex Compiling Emacs for DOS | ||
| 3222 | @cindex Emacs for MS-DOS | ||
| 3223 | @cindex Tools needed to compile Emacs under DOS | ||
| 3224 | |||
| 3225 | A pre-built binary distribution of Emacs is available from the Simtel | ||
| 3226 | archives. This version apparently works under MS-DOS and Windows (3.x, | ||
| 3227 | 95, and NT) and supports long file names. More information is availble | ||
| 3228 | from | ||
| 3229 | |||
| 3230 | @uref{ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/gnu/djgpp/v2gnu/emacs.README} | ||
| 3231 | |||
| 3232 | The binary itself is available in the files em1934*.zip in the | ||
| 3233 | directory | ||
| 3234 | |||
| 3235 | @uref{ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/gnu/djgpp/v2gnu/} | ||
| 3236 | |||
| 3237 | If you prefer to compile Emacs for yourself, you will need a 386 (or | ||
| 3238 | better) processor, and are running MS-DOS 3.0 or later. According to | ||
| 3239 | @email{eliz@@is.elta.co.il, Eli Zaretskii} and | ||
| 3240 | @email{hankedr@@dms.auburn.edu, Darrel Hankerson}, you will need the | ||
| 3241 | following: | ||
| 3242 | |||
| 3243 | @table @emph | ||
| 3244 | |||
| 3245 | @item Compiler | ||
| 3246 | djgpp version 1.12 maint 1 or later. Djgpp 2.0 or later is | ||
| 3247 | recommended, since 1.x is being phased out. Djgpp 2 supports | ||
| 3248 | long filenames under Windows 95. | ||
| 3249 | |||
| 3250 | You can get the latest release of djgpp by retrieving all of | ||
| 3251 | the files in | ||
| 3252 | |||
| 3253 | @uref{ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/gnu/djgpp} | ||
| 3254 | |||
| 3255 | @item Gunzip and tar | ||
| 3256 | The easiest way is to use "djtar" which comes with djgpp v2.x, | ||
| 3257 | because it can open gzip'ed tarfiles (i.e., those ending with | ||
| 3258 | ".tar.gz") in one step. Djtar comes in "djdev201.zip", from | ||
| 3259 | the URL mentioned above. | ||
| 3260 | |||
| 3261 | @item make, mv, sed, and rm | ||
| 3262 | All of these utilities are available at | ||
| 3263 | |||
| 3264 | @uref{ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/gnu/djgpp/v2gnu} | ||
| 3265 | |||
| 3266 | 16-bit utilities can be found in GNUish, at | ||
| 3267 | |||
| 3268 | @uref{ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/gnu/gnuish} | ||
| 3269 | |||
| 3270 | @end table | ||
| 3271 | |||
| 3272 | The files @file{INSTALL} and @file{PROBLEMS} in the top-level directory | ||
| 3273 | of the Emacs source contains some additional information regarding Emacs | ||
| 3274 | under MS-DOS. | ||
| 3275 | |||
| 3276 | For a list of other MS-DOS implementations of Emacs (and Emacs | ||
| 3277 | look-alikes), consult the list of "Emacs implementations and literature," | ||
| 3278 | available at | ||
| 3279 | |||
| 3280 | @uref{ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.emacs/} | ||
| 3281 | |||
| 3282 | Note that while many of these programs look similar to Emacs, they often | ||
| 3283 | lack certain features, such as the Emacs Lisp extension language. | ||
| 3284 | |||
| 3285 | @node Emacs for Windows, Emacs for OS/2, Emacs for MS-DOS, Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3286 | @section Where can I get Emacs for Microsoft Windows | ||
| 3287 | @cindex FAQ for NT Emacs | ||
| 3288 | @cindex Microsoft Windows, Emacs for | ||
| 3289 | @cindex Windows NT, Emacs for | ||
| 3290 | @cindex Windows '95 and '98, Emacs for | ||
| 3291 | |||
| 3292 | For information on Emacs for Windows 95 and NT, read the FAQ produced by | ||
| 3293 | @email{voelker@@cs.washington.edu, Geoff Voelker}, available at | ||
| 3294 | |||
| 3295 | @uref{http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/voelker/ntemacs.html} | ||
| 3296 | |||
| 3297 | @xref{Emacs for MS-DOS} for Windows 3.1. | ||
| 3298 | |||
| 3299 | @node Emacs for OS/2, Emacs for Atari ST, Emacs for Windows, Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3300 | @section Where can I get Emacs for my PC running OS/2? | ||
| 3301 | @cindex OS/2, Emacs for | ||
| 3302 | |||
| 3303 | Emacs 19.33 is ported for emx on OS/2 2.0 or 2.1, and is available at | ||
| 3304 | |||
| 3305 | @uref{ftp://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/os2/apps/editors/emacs/v19.33/} | ||
| 3306 | |||
| 3307 | @node Emacs for Atari ST, Emacs for the Amiga , Emacs for OS/2, Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3308 | @section Where can I get Emacs for my Atari ST? | ||
| 3309 | @cindex Atari ST, Emacs for | ||
| 3310 | @cindex TOS, Emacs for | ||
| 3311 | |||
| 3312 | Roland Schäuble reports that Emacs 18.58 running on plain TOS and MiNT | ||
| 3313 | is available at | ||
| 3314 | @uref{ftp://atari.archive.umich.edu/Editors/Emacs-18-58/1858b-d3.zoo}. | ||
| 3315 | |||
| 3316 | @node Emacs for the Amiga , Emacs for NeXTSTEP, Emacs for Atari ST, Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3317 | @section Where can I get Emacs for my Amiga? | ||
| 3318 | @cindex Amiga, Emacs for | ||
| 3319 | |||
| 3320 | The files you need are available at | ||
| 3321 | |||
| 3322 | @uref{ftp://ftp.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/util/gnu/} | ||
| 3323 | |||
| 3324 | @email{dgilbert@@gamiga.guelphnet.dweomer.org, David Gilbert} has released a | ||
| 3325 | beta version of Emacs 19.25 for the Amiga. You can get the binary at | ||
| 3326 | |||
| 3327 | @uref{ftp://ftp.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/util/gnu/a2.0bEmacs-bin.lha} | ||
| 3328 | |||
| 3329 | @node Emacs for NeXTSTEP, Emacs for Apple computers, Emacs for the Amiga , Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3330 | @section Where can I get Emacs for NeXTSTEP? | ||
| 3331 | @cindex NeXTSTEP, Emacs for | ||
| 3332 | |||
| 3333 | Emacs.app is a NeXTSTEP version of Emacs 19.34 which supports colors, | ||
| 3334 | menus, and multiple frames. You can get it from | ||
| 3335 | |||
| 3336 | @uref{ftp://next-ftp.peak.org/pub/next/apps/emacs/Emacs_for_NeXTstep.4.20a1.NIHS.b.tar.gz} | ||
| 3337 | |||
| 3338 | @node Emacs for Apple computers, Emacs for VMS and DECwindows, Emacs for NeXTSTEP, Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3339 | @section Where can I get Emacs for my Apple computer? | ||
| 3340 | @cindex Apple computers, Emacs for | ||
| 3341 | |||
| 3342 | An unofficial port of GNU Emacs 18.59 to the Macintosh is available at a | ||
| 3343 | number of ftp sites, the home being | ||
| 3344 | @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.cornell.edu/pub/parmet/Emacs-1.17.sit.bin}. | ||
| 3345 | |||
| 3346 | To the best of our knowledge, Emacs 19 has not been ported to the | ||
| 3347 | Macintosh. | ||
| 3348 | |||
| 3349 | Apple's forthcoming "OS X" is based largely on NeXTSTEP and OpenStep. | ||
| 3350 | @xref{Emacs for NeXTSTEP} for more details about that version. | ||
| 3351 | |||
| 3352 | @node Emacs for VMS and DECwindows, Modes for various languages, Emacs for Apple computers, Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3353 | @section Where do I get Emacs that runs on VMS under DECwindows? | ||
| 3354 | @cindex DECwindows, Emacs for | ||
| 3355 | @cindex VMS, Emacs for | ||
| 3356 | |||
| 3357 | Up-to-date information about GNU software (including Emacs) for VMS is | ||
| 3358 | available at @uref{http://vms.gnu.org/}. | ||
| 3359 | |||
| 3360 | @node Modes for various languages, Translating names to IP addresses, Emacs for VMS and DECwindows, Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3361 | @section Where can I get modes for Lex, Yacc/Bison, Bourne shell, csh, C++, Objective-C, Pascal, Java, and Awk? | ||
| 3362 | @cindex Awk, mode for | ||
| 3363 | @cindex @code{awk-mode} | ||
| 3364 | @cindex Bison, mode for | ||
| 3365 | @cindex Bourne Shell, mode for | ||
| 3366 | @cindex C++, mode for | ||
| 3367 | @cindex Java, mode for | ||
| 3368 | @cindex Lex mode | ||
| 3369 | @cindex Objective-C, mode for | ||
| 3370 | @cindex @code{pascal-mode} | ||
| 3371 | @cindex Shell mode | ||
| 3372 | @cindex Yacc mode | ||
| 3373 | @cindex @file{csh} mode | ||
| 3374 | @cindex @code{sh-mode} | ||
| 3375 | @cindex @code{cc-mode} | ||
| 3376 | |||
| 3377 | Most of these modes are now available in standard Emacs distribution. | ||
| 3378 | To get additional modes, look in the Lisp Code Directory (@pxref{Finding | ||
| 3379 | a package with particular functionality}). For C++, if you use | ||
| 3380 | @code{lisp-dir-apropos}, you must specify the pattern with something | ||
| 3381 | like @kbd{M-x lisp-dir-apropos @key{RET} c\+\+ @key{RET}}. | ||
| 3382 | |||
| 3383 | Barry Warsaw's @code{cc-mode} now works for C, C++, Objective-C, and | ||
| 3384 | Java code. You can get the latest version from the Emacs Lisp Archive; | ||
| 3385 | @pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs} for details. A FAQ for | ||
| 3386 | @code{cc-mode} is available at | ||
| 3387 | @uref{http://www.python.org/emacs/cc-mode/}. | ||
| 3388 | |||
| 3389 | @node Translating names to IP addresses, , Modes for various languages, Finding Emacs and related packages | ||
| 3390 | @section What is the IP address of XXX.YYY.ZZZ? | ||
| 3391 | @cindex Translating names to IP addresses | ||
| 3392 | @cindex IP addresses from names | ||
| 3393 | @cindex Using BIND to translate addresses | ||
| 3394 | @cindex DNS and IP addresses | ||
| 3395 | |||
| 3396 | If you are on a Unix machine, try using the @samp{nslookup} command, | ||
| 3397 | included in the Berkeley BIND package. For example, to find the IP | ||
| 3398 | address of @samp{ftp.gnu.org}, you would type @code{nslookup | ||
| 3399 | ftp.gnu.org}. | ||
| 3400 | |||
| 3401 | Your computer should then provide the IP address of that computer. | ||
| 3402 | |||
| 3403 | If your site's nameserver is deficient, you can use IP addresses to FTP | ||
| 3404 | files. You can get this information by | ||
| 3405 | |||
| 3406 | * E-mail: | ||
| 3407 | |||
| 3408 | @example | ||
| 3409 | To: dns@@[134.214.84.25] (to grasp.insa-lyon.fr) | ||
| 3410 | Body: ip XXX.YYY.ZZZ (or "help" for more information | ||
| 3411 | and options - no quotes) | ||
| 3412 | @end example | ||
| 3413 | |||
| 3414 | or: | ||
| 3415 | |||
| 3416 | @example | ||
| 3417 | To: resolve@@[147.31.254.130] (to laverne.cs.widener.edu) | ||
| 3418 | Body: site XXX.YYY.ZZZ | ||
| 3419 | @end example | ||
| 3420 | |||
| 3421 | @c ------------------------------------------------------------ | ||
| 3422 | @node Major packages and programs, Key bindings, Finding Emacs and related packages, Top | ||
| 3423 | @chapter Major packages and programs | ||
| 3424 | @cindex Major packages and programs | ||
| 3425 | |||
| 3426 | @menu | ||
| 3427 | * VM:: | ||
| 3428 | * Supercite:: | ||
| 3429 | * Calc:: | ||
| 3430 | * VIPER:: | ||
| 3431 | * AUC-TeX:: | ||
| 3432 | * BBDB:: | ||
| 3433 | * Ispell:: | ||
| 3434 | * w3-mode:: | ||
| 3435 | * EDB:: | ||
| 3436 | * Mailcrypt:: | ||
| 3437 | * JDE:: | ||
| 3438 | * Patch:: | ||
| 3439 | @end menu | ||
| 3440 | |||
| 3441 | @node VM, Supercite, Major packages and programs, Major packages and programs | ||
| 3442 | @section VM (View Mail) --- another mail reader within Emacs, with MIME support | ||
| 3443 | @cindex VM | ||
| 3444 | @cindex Alternative mail software | ||
| 3445 | @cindex View Mail | ||
| 3446 | @cindex E-mail reader, VM | ||
| 3447 | |||
| 3448 | @table @b | ||
| 3449 | |||
| 3450 | @item Author | ||
| 3451 | @email{kyle@@uunet.uu.net, Kyle Jones} | ||
| 3452 | |||
| 3453 | @item Latest version | ||
| 3454 | 6.72 | ||
| 3455 | |||
| 3456 | @item Distribution | ||
| 3457 | @uref{ftp://ftp.wonderworks.com/pub/vm/vm.tar.gz} | ||
| 3458 | |||
| 3459 | @item Informational newsgroup/mailing list | ||
| 3460 | @uref{news:gnu.emacs.vm.info}@* | ||
| 3461 | Subscription requests to @email{info-vm-request@@uunet.uu.net}@* | ||
| 3462 | Submissions to @email{info-vm@@uunet.uu.net} | ||
| 3463 | |||
| 3464 | @item Bug reports newsgroup/mailing list | ||
| 3465 | @uref{news:gnu.emacs.vm.bug}@* | ||
| 3466 | Subscription requests to @email{bug-vm-request@@uunet.uu.net}@* | ||
| 3467 | Submissions to @email{bug-vm@@uunet.uu.net} | ||
| 3468 | @end table | ||
| 3469 | |||
| 3470 | VM 6 works with Emacs 20.4, and may cause problems with Emacs 20.3 and | ||
| 3471 | below. (Note that many people seem to use Emacs 20.3 with VM 6, without | ||
| 3472 | any problems.) Risk-averse users might wish to try VM 5.97, available | ||
| 3473 | from @uref{ftp://ftp.wonderworks.com/pub/vm/, the same FTP site}. | ||
| 3474 | |||
| 3475 | @node Supercite, Calc, VM, Major packages and programs | ||
| 3476 | @section Supercite --- mail and news citation package within Emacs | ||
| 3477 | @cindex Supercite | ||
| 3478 | @cindex Superyank | ||
| 3479 | @cindex Mail and news citations | ||
| 3480 | @cindex News and mail citations | ||
| 3481 | @cindex Citations in mail and news | ||
| 3482 | |||
| 3483 | @table @b | ||
| 3484 | |||
| 3485 | @item Author | ||
| 3486 | @email{bwarsaw@@cen.com, Barry Warsaw} | ||
| 3487 | |||
| 3488 | @item Latest version | ||
| 3489 | 3.1 (comes with Emacs 20) | ||
| 3490 | |||
| 3491 | @item Distribution | ||
| 3492 | @uref{http://www.python.org/emacs/supercite.tar.gz} | ||
| 3493 | |||
| 3494 | @item Mailing list | ||
| 3495 | Subscription requests to @email{supercite-request@@python.org}@* | ||
| 3496 | Submissions @email{supercite@@python.org} | ||
| 3497 | |||
| 3498 | @end table | ||
| 3499 | |||
| 3500 | Superyank is an old version of Supercite. | ||
| 3501 | |||
| 3502 | @node Calc, VIPER, Supercite, Major packages and programs | ||
| 3503 | @section Calc --- poor man's Mathematica within Emacs | ||
| 3504 | @cindex Programmable calculator | ||
| 3505 | @cindex Calc | ||
| 3506 | |||
| 3507 | @table @b | ||
| 3508 | |||
| 3509 | @item Author | ||
| 3510 | @email{daveg@@csvax.cs.caltech.edu, Dave Gillespie} | ||
| 3511 | |||
| 3512 | @item Latest version | ||
| 3513 | 2.02f | ||
| 3514 | |||
| 3515 | @item Distribution | ||
| 3516 | @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/calc/calc-2.02f.tar.gz} | ||
| 3517 | |||
| 3518 | @end table | ||
| 3519 | |||
| 3520 | @node VIPER, AUC-TeX, Calc, Major packages and programs | ||
| 3521 | @section VIPER --- vi emulation for Emacs | ||
| 3522 | @cindex vi emulation | ||
| 3523 | @cindex VIPER | ||
| 3524 | @cindex Emulation of vi | ||
| 3525 | |||
| 3526 | Since Emacs 19.29, the preferred vi emulation in Emacs is VIPER | ||
| 3527 | (@kbd{M-x viper-mode @key{RET}}), which comes with Emacs. It extends | ||
| 3528 | and supersedes VIP (including VIP 4.3) and provides vi emulation at | ||
| 3529 | several levels, from one that closely follows vi to one that departs | ||
| 3530 | from vi in several significant ways. | ||
| 3531 | |||
| 3532 | For Emacs 19.28 and earlier, the following version of VIP is generally | ||
| 3533 | better than the one distributed with Emacs: | ||
| 3534 | |||
| 3535 | @table @b | ||
| 3536 | @item Author | ||
| 3537 | @email{sane@@cs.uiuc.edu, Aamod Sane} | ||
| 3538 | |||
| 3539 | @item Latest version | ||
| 3540 | 4.3 | ||
| 3541 | |||
| 3542 | @item Distribution | ||
| 3543 | @uref{ftp://archive.cis.ohio-state.edu/pub/emacs-lisp/modes/vip-mode.tar.Z} | ||
| 3544 | |||
| 3545 | @end table | ||
| 3546 | |||
| 3547 | @node AUC-TeX, BBDB, VIPER, Major packages and programs | ||
| 3548 | @section AUC TeX --- enhanced LaTeX mode with debugging facilities | ||
| 3549 | @cindex Mode for @TeX{} | ||
| 3550 | @cindex @TeX{} mode | ||
| 3551 | @cindex AUC-TeX mode for editing @TeX{} | ||
| 3552 | @cindex Writing and debugging @TeX{} | ||
| 3553 | |||
| 3554 | @table @b | ||
| 3555 | |||
| 3556 | @item Authors | ||
| 3557 | @email{krab@@iesd.auc.dk, Kresten Krab Thorup} and@* | ||
| 3558 | @email{abraham@@iesd.auc.dk, Per Abrahamsen} | ||
| 3559 | |||
| 3560 | @item Latest version | ||
| 3561 | 9.9p | ||
| 3562 | |||
| 3563 | @item Distribution | ||
| 3564 | @uref{ftp://sunsite.auc.dk/packages/auctex/auctex.tar.gz} | ||
| 3565 | |||
| 3566 | @item Web site | ||
| 3567 | @uref{http://sunsite.auc.dk/auctex/} | ||
| 3568 | |||
| 3569 | @item Mailing list: | ||
| 3570 | Subscription requests to @email{auc-tex-request@@iesd.auc.dk}@* | ||
| 3571 | Submissions to @email{auc-tex@@iesd.auc.dk}@* | ||
| 3572 | Development team is at @email{auc-tex_mgr@@iesd.auc.dk} | ||
| 3573 | |||
| 3574 | @end table | ||
| 3575 | |||
| 3576 | @node BBDB, Ispell, AUC-TeX, Major packages and programs | ||
| 3577 | @section BBDB --- personal Info Rolodex integrated with mail/news readers | ||
| 3578 | @cindex BBDB | ||
| 3579 | @cindex Rolodex-like functionality | ||
| 3580 | @cindex Integrated contact database | ||
| 3581 | @cindex Contact database | ||
| 3582 | @cindex Big Brother Database | ||
| 3583 | @cindex Address book | ||
| 3584 | |||
| 3585 | @table @b | ||
| 3586 | |||
| 3587 | @item Maintainer | ||
| 3588 | @email{simmonmt@@acm.org, Matt Simmons} | ||
| 3589 | |||
| 3590 | @item Latest version | ||
| 3591 | 2.00 | ||
| 3592 | |||
| 3593 | @item Distribution | ||
| 3594 | @uref{http://www.netcom.com/~simmonmt/bbdb/index.html} | ||
| 3595 | |||
| 3596 | @item Mailing lists | ||
| 3597 | Subscription requests to @email{info-bbdb-request@@xemacs.org}@* | ||
| 3598 | Submissions to @email{info-bbdb@@xemacs.org}@* | ||
| 3599 | Release announcements: @email{bbdb-announce-request@@xemacs.org} | ||
| 3600 | |||
| 3601 | @end table | ||
| 3602 | |||
| 3603 | @node Ispell, w3-mode, BBDB, Major packages and programs | ||
| 3604 | @section Ispell --- spell checker in C with interface for Emacs | ||
| 3605 | @cindex Spell-checker | ||
| 3606 | @cindex Checking spelling | ||
| 3607 | @cindex Ispell | ||
| 3608 | |||
| 3609 | @table @b | ||
| 3610 | |||
| 3611 | @item Author | ||
| 3612 | @email{geoff@@itcorp.com, Geoff Kuenning} | ||
| 3613 | |||
| 3614 | @item Latest version | ||
| 3615 | 3.1.20 | ||
| 3616 | |||
| 3617 | @item Distribution | ||
| 3618 | @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.ucla.edu/pub/ispell/ispell-3.1.20.tar.gz}@* | ||
| 3619 | |||
| 3620 | @item Web site | ||
| 3621 | @uref{http://fmg-www.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/ispell.html} | ||
| 3622 | |||
| 3623 | @end table | ||
| 3624 | |||
| 3625 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 3626 | |||
| 3627 | @item Do not ask Geoff to send you the latest version of Ispell. He does not have free e-mail. | ||
| 3628 | |||
| 3629 | @item This Ispell program is distinct from GNU Ispell 4.0. GNU Ispell | ||
| 3630 | 4.0 is no longer a supported product. | ||
| 3631 | |||
| 3632 | @end itemize | ||
| 3633 | |||
| 3634 | @node w3-mode, EDB, Ispell, Major packages and programs | ||
| 3635 | @section w3-mode --- A World Wide Web browser inside of Emacs | ||
| 3636 | @cindex WWW browser | ||
| 3637 | @cindex Web browser | ||
| 3638 | @cindex Browser in Emacs | ||
| 3639 | @cindex @code{w3-mode} | ||
| 3640 | |||
| 3641 | @table @b | ||
| 3642 | |||
| 3643 | @item Author | ||
| 3644 | @email{wmperry@@spry.com, Bill Perry} | ||
| 3645 | |||
| 3646 | @item Latest version | ||
| 3647 | 4.0pre.39 | ||
| 3648 | |||
| 3649 | @item Distribution | ||
| 3650 | @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.indiana.edu/pub/elisp/w3/w3.tar.gz} | ||
| 3651 | |||
| 3652 | @item Mailing lists | ||
| 3653 | Receive announcements from @email{w3-announce-request@@indiana.edu}@* | ||
| 3654 | Become a beta tester at @email{w3-beta-request@@indiana.edu}@* | ||
| 3655 | Help to develop @code{w3-mode} at @email{w3-dev@@indiana.edu} | ||
| 3656 | |||
| 3657 | @end table | ||
| 3658 | |||
| 3659 | @node EDB, Mailcrypt, w3-mode, Major packages and programs | ||
| 3660 | @section EDB --- Database program for Emacs; replaces forms editing modes | ||
| 3661 | @cindex EDB | ||
| 3662 | @cindex Database | ||
| 3663 | @cindex Forms mode | ||
| 3664 | |||
| 3665 | @table @b | ||
| 3666 | @item Author | ||
| 3667 | @email{mernst@@theory.lcs.mit.edu, Michael Ernst} | ||
| 3668 | |||
| 3669 | @item Latest version | ||
| 3670 | 1.21 | ||
| 3671 | |||
| 3672 | @item Distribution | ||
| 3673 | @uref{ftp://theory.lcs.mit.edu/pub/emacs/edb} | ||
| 3674 | |||
| 3675 | @end table | ||
| 3676 | |||
| 3677 | @node Mailcrypt, JDE, EDB, Major packages and programs | ||
| 3678 | @section Mailcrypt --- PGP interface within Emacs mail and news | ||
| 3679 | @cindex PGP | ||
| 3680 | @cindex GPG | ||
| 3681 | @cindex Interface to PGP from Emacs mail and news | ||
| 3682 | @cindex News, interface to PGP from | ||
| 3683 | @cindex Mail, interface to PGP from | ||
| 3684 | @cindex Encryption software, interface to | ||
| 3685 | |||
| 3686 | @table @b | ||
| 3687 | |||
| 3688 | @item Authors | ||
| 3689 | @email{patl@@lcs.mit.edu, Patrick J. LoPresti} and @email{jin@@atype.com, Jin S. Choi} | ||
| 3690 | |||
| 3691 | @item Maintainer | ||
| 3692 | @email{lbudney@@pobox.com, Len Budney} | ||
| 3693 | |||
| 3694 | @item Latest version | ||
| 3695 | 3.5.3 | ||
| 3696 | |||
| 3697 | @item Distribution | ||
| 3698 | @uref{http://www.nb.net/~lbudney/linux/software/mailcrypt/mailcrypt-3.5.3.tar.gz} | ||
| 3699 | |||
| 3700 | @item Web site | ||
| 3701 | @uref{http://www.nb.net/~lbudney/linux/software/mailcrypt.html} | ||
| 3702 | |||
| 3703 | @end table | ||
| 3704 | |||
| 3705 | @node JDE, Patch, Mailcrypt, Major packages and programs | ||
| 3706 | @section JDE --- Integrated development environment for Java | ||
| 3707 | @cindex Java development environment | ||
| 3708 | @cindex Integrated Java development environment | ||
| 3709 | @cindex JDE | ||
| 3710 | |||
| 3711 | @table @b | ||
| 3712 | |||
| 3713 | @item Author | ||
| 3714 | @email{paulk@@mathworks.com, Paul Kinnucan} | ||
| 3715 | |||
| 3716 | @item Mailing list | ||
| 3717 | jde-subscribe@@sunsite.auc.dk | ||
| 3718 | |||
| 3719 | @item Latest version | ||
| 3720 | 2.1.1 | ||
| 3721 | |||
| 3722 | @item Web site | ||
| 3723 | @uref{http://sunsite.auc.dk/jde/} | ||
| 3724 | |||
| 3725 | @end table | ||
| 3726 | |||
| 3727 | @node Patch, , JDE, Major packages and programs | ||
| 3728 | @section Patch --- program to apply "diffs" for updating files | ||
| 3729 | @cindex Updating files with diffs | ||
| 3730 | @cindex Patching source files with diffs | ||
| 3731 | @cindex Diffs and patching | ||
| 3732 | @cindex @file{patch} | ||
| 3733 | |||
| 3734 | @table @b | ||
| 3735 | |||
| 3736 | @item Author | ||
| 3737 | @email{lwall@@wall.org, Larry Wall} (with GNU modifications) | ||
| 3738 | |||
| 3739 | @item Latest version | ||
| 3740 | 2.5 | ||
| 3741 | |||
| 3742 | @item Distribution | ||
| 3743 | @xref{Current GNU distributions} | ||
| 3744 | |||
| 3745 | @end table | ||
| 3746 | |||
| 3747 | @c ------------------------------------------------------------ | ||
| 3748 | @node Key bindings, Alternate character sets, Major packages and programs, Top | ||
| 3749 | @chapter Key bindings | ||
| 3750 | @cindex Key bindings | ||
| 3751 | |||
| 3752 | @menu | ||
| 3753 | * Binding keys to commands:: | ||
| 3754 | * Invalid prefix characters:: | ||
| 3755 | * Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun:: | ||
| 3756 | * Using function keys under X:: | ||
| 3757 | * Working with function and arrow keys:: | ||
| 3758 | * X key translations for Emacs:: | ||
| 3759 | * Handling C-s and C-q with flow control:: | ||
| 3760 | * Binding C-s and C-q:: | ||
| 3761 | * Backspace invokes help:: | ||
| 3762 | * stty and Backspace key:: | ||
| 3763 | * Swapping keys:: | ||
| 3764 | * Producing C-XXX with the keyboard:: | ||
| 3765 | * No Meta key:: | ||
| 3766 | * No Escape key:: | ||
| 3767 | * Compose Character:: | ||
| 3768 | * Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys:: | ||
| 3769 | * Meta key does not work in xterm:: | ||
| 3770 | * ExtendChar key does not work as Meta:: | ||
| 3771 | @end menu | ||
| 3772 | |||
| 3773 | @node Binding keys to commands, Invalid prefix characters, Key bindings, Key bindings | ||
| 3774 | @section How do I bind keys (including function keys) to commands? | ||
| 3775 | @cindex Binding keys to commands | ||
| 3776 | @cindex Keys, binding to commands | ||
| 3777 | @cindex Commands, binding keys to | ||
| 3778 | |||
| 3779 | Keys can be bound to commands either interactively or in your | ||
| 3780 | @file{.emacs} file. To interactively bind keys for all modes, type | ||
| 3781 | @kbd{M-x global-set-key @key{RET} KEY CMD @key{RET}}. | ||
| 3782 | |||
| 3783 | To bind a key just in the current major mode, type @kbd{M-x local-set-key @key{RET} KEY CMD @key{RET}}. | ||
| 3784 | |||
| 3785 | See @inforef{Key Bindings, Key Bindings, emacs} for further details. | ||
| 3786 | |||
| 3787 | To bind keys on starting Emacs or on starting any given mode, use the | ||
| 3788 | following "trick": First bind the key interactively, then immediately | ||
| 3789 | type @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC} C-a C-k C-g}. Now, the command needed | ||
| 3790 | to bind the key is in the kill ring, and can be yanked into your | ||
| 3791 | @file{.emacs} file. If the key binding is global, no changes to the | ||
| 3792 | command are required. For example, | ||
| 3793 | |||
| 3794 | @lisp | ||
| 3795 | (global-set-key (quote [f1]) (quote help-for-help)) | ||
| 3796 | @end lisp | ||
| 3797 | |||
| 3798 | can be placed directly into the @file{.emacs} file. If the key binding is | ||
| 3799 | local, the command is used in conjunction with the "add-hook" command. | ||
| 3800 | For example, in tex-mode, a local binding might be | ||
| 3801 | |||
| 3802 | @lisp | ||
| 3803 | (add-hook 'tex-mode-hook | ||
| 3804 | (function (lambda () | ||
| 3805 | (local-set-key (quote [f1]) (quote help-for-help))))) | ||
| 3806 | @end lisp | ||
| 3807 | |||
| 3808 | |||
| 3809 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 3810 | |||
| 3811 | @item Control characters in key sequences, in the form yanked from the | ||
| 3812 | kill ring are given in their graphic form --- i.e., @key{CTRL} is shown | ||
| 3813 | as @samp{^}, @key{TAB} as a set of spaces (usually 8), etc. You may | ||
| 3814 | want to convert these into their vector or string forms. | ||
| 3815 | |||
| 3816 | @item If a prefix key of the character sequence to be bound is already | ||
| 3817 | bound as a complete key, then you must unbind it before the new | ||
| 3818 | binding. For example, if "ESC @{" is previously bound: | ||
| 3819 | |||
| 3820 | @lisp | ||
| 3821 | (global-unset-key [?\e ?@{]) ;; or | ||
| 3822 | (local-unset-key [?\e ?@{]) | ||
| 3823 | @end lisp | ||
| 3824 | |||
| 3825 | @item Aside from commands and "lambda lists," a vector or string also | ||
| 3826 | can be bound to a key and thus treated as a macro. For example: | ||
| 3827 | |||
| 3828 | @lisp | ||
| 3829 | (global-set-key [f10] [?\C-x?\e?\e?\C-a?\C-k?\C-g]) ;; or | ||
| 3830 | (global-set-key [f10] "\C-x\e\e\C-a\C-k\C-g") | ||
| 3831 | @end lisp | ||
| 3832 | |||
| 3833 | @end itemize | ||
| 3834 | |||
| 3835 | @node Invalid prefix characters, Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun, Binding keys to commands, Key bindings | ||
| 3836 | @section Why does Emacs say "Key sequence XXX uses invalid prefix characters"? | ||
| 3837 | @cindex Prefix characters, invalid | ||
| 3838 | @cindex Invalid prefix characters | ||
| 3839 | @cindex Misspecified key sequences | ||
| 3840 | |||
| 3841 | Usually, one of two things has happened. In one case, the control | ||
| 3842 | character in the key sequence has been misspecified (e.g. @samp{C-f} | ||
| 3843 | used instead of @samp{\C-f} within a Lisp expression). In the other | ||
| 3844 | case, a "prefix key" in the keystroke sequence you were trying to bind | ||
| 3845 | was already bound as a "complete key." Historically, the @samp{ESC [} | ||
| 3846 | prefix was usually the problem, in which case you should evaluate either | ||
| 3847 | of these forms before attempting to bind the key sequence: | ||
| 3848 | |||
| 3849 | @lisp | ||
| 3850 | (global-unset-key [?\e ?[]) ;; or | ||
| 3851 | (global-unset-key "\e[") | ||
| 3852 | @end lisp | ||
| 3853 | |||
| 3854 | @node Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun, Using function keys under X, Invalid prefix characters, Key bindings | ||
| 3855 | @section Why doesn't this [terminal or window-system setup] code work in my @file{.emacs} file, but it works just fine after Emacs starts up? | ||
| 3856 | @cindex Terminal setup code in @file{.emacs} | ||
| 3857 | |||
| 3858 | During startup, Emacs initializes itself according to a given code/file | ||
| 3859 | order. If some of the code executed in your @file{.emacs} file needs to | ||
| 3860 | be postponed until the initial terminal or window-system setup code has | ||
| 3861 | been executed but is not, then you will experience this problem (this | ||
| 3862 | code/file execution order is not enforced after startup). | ||
| 3863 | |||
| 3864 | To postpone the execution of Emacs Lisp code until after terminal or | ||
| 3865 | window-system setup, treat the code as a "lambda list" and set the value | ||
| 3866 | of either the @code{term-setup-hook} or @code{window-setup-hook} | ||
| 3867 | variable to this "lambda function." For example, | ||
| 3868 | |||
| 3869 | @lisp | ||
| 3870 | (setq term-setup-hook | ||
| 3871 | (function | ||
| 3872 | (lambda () | ||
| 3873 | (cond ((string-match "\\`vt220" (or (getenv "TERM") "")) | ||
| 3874 | ;; Make vt220's "Do" key behave like M-x: | ||
| 3875 | (global-set-key [do] 'execute-extended-command)) | ||
| 3876 | )))) | ||
| 3877 | @end lisp | ||
| 3878 | |||
| 3879 | For information on what Emacs does every time it is started, see the | ||
| 3880 | @file{lisp/startup.el} file. | ||
| 3881 | |||
| 3882 | @node Using function keys under X, Working with function and arrow keys, Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun, Key bindings | ||
| 3883 | @section How do I use function keys under X Windows? | ||
| 3884 | @cindex Function keys | ||
| 3885 | @cindex X Windows and function keys | ||
| 3886 | @cindex Binding function keys | ||
| 3887 | |||
| 3888 | With Emacs 19, functions keys under X are bound like any other key. @xref{Binding keys to commands} for details. | ||
| 3889 | |||
| 3890 | @node Working with function and arrow keys, X key translations for Emacs, Using function keys under X, Key bindings | ||
| 3891 | @section How do I tell what characters or symbols my function or arrow keys emit? | ||
| 3892 | @cindex Working with arrow keys | ||
| 3893 | @cindex Arrow keys, symbols generated by | ||
| 3894 | @cindex Working with function keys | ||
| 3895 | @cindex Function keys, symbols generated by | ||
| 3896 | @cindex Symbols generated by function keys | ||
| 3897 | |||
| 3898 | Type @kbd{C-h c} then the function or arrow keys. The command will | ||
| 3899 | return either a function key symbol or character sequence (see the | ||
| 3900 | Emacs on-line documentation for an explanation). This works for other | ||
| 3901 | keys as well. | ||
| 3902 | |||
| 3903 | @node X key translations for Emacs, Handling C-s and C-q with flow control, Working with function and arrow keys, Key bindings | ||
| 3904 | @section How do I set the X key "translations" for Emacs? | ||
| 3905 | @cindex X key translations | ||
| 3906 | @cindex Key translations under X | ||
| 3907 | @cindex Translations for keys under X | ||
| 3908 | |||
| 3909 | Emacs is not written using the Xt library by default, so there are no | ||
| 3910 | "translations" to be set. (We aren't sure how to set such translations | ||
| 3911 | if you do build Emacs with Xt; please let us know if you've done this!) | ||
| 3912 | |||
| 3913 | The only way to affect the behavior of keys within Emacs is through | ||
| 3914 | "xmodmap" (outside Emacs) or @code{define-key} (inside Emacs). The | ||
| 3915 | @code{define-key} command should be used in conjunction with the | ||
| 3916 | @code{function-key-map} map. For instance, | ||
| 3917 | |||
| 3918 | @lisp | ||
| 3919 | (define-key function-key-map [M-@key{TAB}] [?\M-\t]) | ||
| 3920 | @end lisp | ||
| 3921 | |||
| 3922 | defines the @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} key sequence. | ||
| 3923 | |||
| 3924 | @node Handling C-s and C-q with flow control, Binding C-s and C-q, X key translations for Emacs, Key bindings | ||
| 3925 | @section How do I handle @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} being used for flow control? | ||
| 3926 | @cindex Flow control, @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} with | ||
| 3927 | @cindex @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} with flow control | ||
| 3928 | |||
| 3929 | @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} are used in the XON/XOFF flow control protocol. | ||
| 3930 | This messes things up when you're using Emacs, because Emacs binds these | ||
| 3931 | keys to commands by default. Because Emacs won't honor them as flow | ||
| 3932 | control characters, too many of these characters are not passed on and | ||
| 3933 | overwhelm output buffers. Sometimes, intermediate software using | ||
| 3934 | XON/XOFF flow control will prevent Emacs from ever seeing @kbd{C-s} and | ||
| 3935 | @kbd{C-q}. | ||
| 3936 | |||
| 3937 | Possible solutions: | ||
| 3938 | |||
| 3939 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 3940 | |||
| 3941 | @item Disable the use of @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} for flow control. | ||
| 3942 | |||
| 3943 | You need to determine the cause of the flow control. | ||
| 3944 | |||
| 3945 | @itemize @minus | ||
| 3946 | |||
| 3947 | @item your terminal | ||
| 3948 | |||
| 3949 | Your terminal may use XON/XOFF flow control to have time to display | ||
| 3950 | all the characters it receives. For example, VT series terminals do | ||
| 3951 | this. It may be possible to turn this off from a setup menu. For | ||
| 3952 | example, on a VT220 you may select "No XOFF" in the setup menu. This | ||
| 3953 | is also true for some terminal emulation programs on PCs. | ||
| 3954 | |||
| 3955 | When you turn off flow control at the terminal, you will also need to | ||
| 3956 | turn it off at the other end, which might be at the computer you are | ||
| 3957 | logged in to or at some terminal server in between. | ||
| 3958 | |||
| 3959 | If you turn off flow control, characters may be lost; using a printer | ||
| 3960 | connected to the terminal may fail. You may be able to get around | ||
| 3961 | this problem by modifying the "termcap" entry for your terminal to | ||
| 3962 | include extra NUL padding characters. | ||
| 3963 | |||
| 3964 | @item a modem | ||
| 3965 | |||
| 3966 | If you are using a dialup connection, the modems may be using | ||
| 3967 | XON/XOFF flow control. It's not clear how to get around this. | ||
| 3968 | |||
| 3969 | @item a router or terminal server | ||
| 3970 | |||
| 3971 | Some network box between the terminal and your computer may be using | ||
| 3972 | XON/XOFF flow control. It may be possible to make it use some other | ||
| 3973 | kind of flow control. You will probably have to ask your local | ||
| 3974 | network experts for help with this. | ||
| 3975 | |||
| 3976 | @item tty and/or pty devices | ||
| 3977 | |||
| 3978 | If your connection to Emacs goes through multiple tty and/or pty | ||
| 3979 | devices, they may be using XON/XOFF flow control even when it is not | ||
| 3980 | necessary. | ||
| 3981 | |||
| 3982 | @email{eirik@@theory.tn.cornell.edu, Eirik Fuller} writes: | ||
| 3983 | |||
| 3984 | @quotation | ||
| 3985 | Some versions of "rlogin" (and possibly telnet) do not pass flow | ||
| 3986 | control characters to the remote system to which they connect. On | ||
| 3987 | such systems, Emacs on the remote system cannot disable flow | ||
| 3988 | control on the local system. Sometimes "rlogin -8" will avoid this | ||
| 3989 | problem. | ||
| 3990 | |||
| 3991 | One way to cure this is to disable flow control on the local host | ||
| 3992 | (the one running rlogin, not the one running rlogind) using the | ||
| 3993 | stty command, before starting the rlogin process. On many systems, | ||
| 3994 | @samp{stty start u stop u} will do this. | ||
| 3995 | |||
| 3996 | Some versions of @samp{tcsh} will prevent even this from working. One | ||
| 3997 | way around this is to start another shell before starting rlogin, | ||
| 3998 | and issue the @samp{stty} command to disable flow control from that shell. | ||
| 3999 | @end quotation | ||
| 4000 | |||
| 4001 | Use @samp{stty -ixon} instead of @samp{stty start u stop u} on some systems. | ||
| 4002 | |||
| 4003 | @end itemize | ||
| 4004 | |||
| 4005 | @item Make Emacs speak the XON/XOFF flow control protocol. | ||
| 4006 | |||
| 4007 | You can make Emacs treat @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} as flow control characters by | ||
| 4008 | evaluating the form | ||
| 4009 | |||
| 4010 | @lisp | ||
| 4011 | (enable-flow-control) | ||
| 4012 | @end lisp | ||
| 4013 | |||
| 4014 | to unconditionally enable flow control or | ||
| 4015 | |||
| 4016 | @lisp | ||
| 4017 | (enable-flow-control-on "vt100" "h19") | ||
| 4018 | @end lisp | ||
| 4019 | |||
| 4020 | (using your terminal names instead of @samp{vt100} or @samp{h19}) to | ||
| 4021 | enable selectively. These commands will automatically swap @kbd{C-s} | ||
| 4022 | and @kbd{C-q} to @kbd{C-\} and @kbd{C-^}. Variables can be used to | ||
| 4023 | change the default swap keys (@code{flow-control-c-s-replacement} and | ||
| 4024 | @code{flow-control-c-q-replacement}). | ||
| 4025 | |||
| 4026 | If you are fixing this for yourself, simply put the form in your | ||
| 4027 | @file{.emacs} file. If you are fixing this for your entire site, the | ||
| 4028 | best place to put it is in the @file{lisp/site-start.el} file. Putting | ||
| 4029 | this form in @file{lisp/default.el} has the problem that if the user's | ||
| 4030 | @file{.emacs} file has an error, this will prevent | ||
| 4031 | @file{lisp/default.el} from being loaded and Emacs may be unusable for | ||
| 4032 | the user, even for correcting their @file{.emacs} file (unless they're | ||
| 4033 | smart enough to move it to another name). | ||
| 4034 | |||
| 4035 | @end itemize | ||
| 4036 | |||
| 4037 | For further discussion of this issue, read the file @file{PROBLEMS} (in | ||
| 4038 | the top-level directory when you unpack the Emacs source). | ||
| 4039 | |||
| 4040 | @node Binding C-s and C-q, Backspace invokes help, Handling C-s and C-q with flow control, Key bindings | ||
| 4041 | @section How do I bind @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} (or any key) if these keys are filtered out? | ||
| 4042 | @cindex Binding @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} | ||
| 4043 | @cindex @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}, binding | ||
| 4044 | |||
| 4045 | To bind @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}, use either @code{enable-flow-control} | ||
| 4046 | or @sc{enable-flow-control-on}. @xref{Handling C-s and C-q with flow | ||
| 4047 | control} for usage and implementation details. | ||
| 4048 | |||
| 4049 | To bind other keys, use @code{keyboard-translate}. @xref{Swapping keys} | ||
| 4050 | for usage details. To do this for an entire site, you should swap the | ||
| 4051 | keys in @file{lisp/site-start.el}. @xref{Handling C-s and C-q with flow | ||
| 4052 | control} for an explanation of why @file{lisp/default.el} should not be | ||
| 4053 | used. | ||
| 4054 | |||
| 4055 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 4056 | |||
| 4057 | @item If you do this for an entire site, the users will be confused by | ||
| 4058 | the disparity between what the documentation says and how Emacs | ||
| 4059 | actually behaves. | ||
| 4060 | |||
| 4061 | @end itemize | ||
| 4062 | |||
| 4063 | @node Backspace invokes help, stty and Backspace key, Binding C-s and C-q, Key bindings | ||
| 4064 | @section Why does the @key{Backspace} key invoke help? | ||
| 4065 | @cindex Backspace key invokes help | ||
| 4066 | @cindex Help invoked by Backspace | ||
| 4067 | |||
| 4068 | The @key{Backspace} key (on most keyboards) generates ASCII code 8. | ||
| 4069 | @kbd{C-h} sends the same code. In Emacs by default @kbd{C-h} invokes | ||
| 4070 | help-command. This is intended to be easy to remember since the first | ||
| 4071 | letter of @samp{help} is @samp{h}. The easiest solution to this problem | ||
| 4072 | is to use @kbd{C-h} (and @key{Backspace}) for help and @key{DEL} (the | ||
| 4073 | @key{Delete} key) for deleting the previous character. | ||
| 4074 | |||
| 4075 | For many people this solution may be problematic: | ||
| 4076 | |||
| 4077 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 4078 | |||
| 4079 | @item | ||
| 4080 | They normally use @key{Backspace} outside of Emacs for deleting the | ||
| 4081 | previous character. This can be solved by making @key{DEL} the command | ||
| 4082 | for deleting the previous character outside of Emacs. On many Unix | ||
| 4083 | systems, this command will remap @key{DEL}: | ||
| 4084 | |||
| 4085 | @example | ||
| 4086 | stty erase `^?' | ||
| 4087 | @end example | ||
| 4088 | |||
| 4089 | @item | ||
| 4090 | The person may prefer using the @key{Backspace} key for deleting the | ||
| 4091 | previous character because it is more conveniently located on their | ||
| 4092 | keyboard or because they don't even have a separate Delete key. In | ||
| 4093 | this case, the @key{Backspace} key should be made to behave like | ||
| 4094 | @key{Delete}. There are several methods. | ||
| 4095 | |||
| 4096 | @item | ||
| 4097 | Some terminals (e.g., VT3## terminals) allow the character generated | ||
| 4098 | by the @key{Backspace} key to be changed from a setup menu. | ||
| 4099 | |||
| 4100 | @item | ||
| 4101 | You may be able to get a keyboard that is completely programmable. | ||
| 4102 | |||
| 4103 | @item | ||
| 4104 | Under X or on a dumb terminal, it is possible to swap the | ||
| 4105 | @key{Backspace} and @key{Delete} keys inside Emacs: | ||
| 4106 | |||
| 4107 | @lisp | ||
| 4108 | (keyboard-translate ?\C-h ?\C-?) | ||
| 4109 | @end lisp | ||
| 4110 | |||
| 4111 | @xref{Swapping keys} for further details of "keyboard-translate". | ||
| 4112 | |||
| 4113 | @item | ||
| 4114 | Another approach is to switch key bindings and put help on @kbd{C-x h} | ||
| 4115 | instead: | ||
| 4116 | |||
| 4117 | @lisp | ||
| 4118 | (global-set-key "\C-h" 'delete-backward-char) | ||
| 4119 | |||
| 4120 | ;;; overrides mark-whole-buffer | ||
| 4121 | (global-set-key "\C-xh" 'help-command) | ||
| 4122 | @end lisp | ||
| 4123 | |||
| 4124 | Other popular key bindings for help are @kbd{M-?} and @kbd{C-x ?}. | ||
| 4125 | |||
| 4126 | Don't try to bind @key{DEL} to @code{help-command}, because there are | ||
| 4127 | many modes that have local bindings of @key{DEL} that will interfere. | ||
| 4128 | |||
| 4129 | @end itemize | ||
| 4130 | |||
| 4131 | @node stty and Backspace key, Swapping keys, Backspace invokes help, Key bindings | ||
| 4132 | @section Why doesn't Emacs look at the @file{stty} settings for @key{Backspace} vs. @key{Delete}? | ||
| 4133 | @cindex @file{stty} and Emacs | ||
| 4134 | @cindex Backspace and @file{stty} | ||
| 4135 | @cindex Delete and @file{stty} | ||
| 4136 | |||
| 4137 | Good question! | ||
| 4138 | |||
| 4139 | @node Swapping keys, Producing C-XXX with the keyboard, stty and Backspace key, Key bindings | ||
| 4140 | @section How do I swap two keys? | ||
| 4141 | @cindex Swapping keys | ||
| 4142 | @cindex Keys, swapping | ||
| 4143 | @cindex @code{keyboard-translate} | ||
| 4144 | |||
| 4145 | In Emacs 19, you can swap two keys (or key sequences) by using the | ||
| 4146 | @code{keyboard-translate} function. For example, to turn @kbd{C-h} into | ||
| 4147 | @key{DEL} and @key{DEL} to @kbd{C-h}, use | ||
| 4148 | |||
| 4149 | @lisp | ||
| 4150 | (keyboard-translate ?\C-h ?\C-?) ; translate `C-h' to DEL | ||
| 4151 | (keyboard-translate ?\C-? ?\C-h) ; translate DEL to `C-h'. | ||
| 4152 | @end lisp | ||
| 4153 | |||
| 4154 | The first key sequence of the pair after the function identifies what is | ||
| 4155 | produced by the keyboard; the second, what is matched for in the | ||
| 4156 | keymaps. | ||
| 4157 | |||
| 4158 | Keyboard translations are not the same as key bindings in keymaps. | ||
| 4159 | Emacs contains numerous keymaps that apply in different situations, but | ||
| 4160 | there is only one set of keyboard translations, and it applies to every | ||
| 4161 | character that Emacs reads from the terminal. Keyboard translations | ||
| 4162 | take place at the lowest level of input processing; the keys that are | ||
| 4163 | looked up in keymaps contain the characters that result from keyboard | ||
| 4164 | translation. | ||
| 4165 | |||
| 4166 | @inforef{Keyboard Translations, Keyboard Translations, emacs}. | ||
| 4167 | |||
| 4168 | @node Producing C-XXX with the keyboard, No Meta key, Swapping keys, Key bindings | ||
| 4169 | @section How do I produce C-XXX with my keyboard? | ||
| 4170 | @cindex Producing control characters | ||
| 4171 | @cindex Generating control characters | ||
| 4172 | @cindex Control characters, generating | ||
| 4173 | |||
| 4174 | On terminals (but not under X), some common "aliases" are: | ||
| 4175 | |||
| 4176 | @table @asis | ||
| 4177 | |||
| 4178 | @item @kbd{C-2} or @kbd{C-@key{SPC}} | ||
| 4179 | @kbd{C-@@} | ||
| 4180 | |||
| 4181 | @item @kbd{C-6} | ||
| 4182 | @kbd{C-^} | ||
| 4183 | |||
| 4184 | @item @kbd{C-7} or @kbd{C-S--} | ||
| 4185 | @kbd{C-_} | ||
| 4186 | |||
| 4187 | @item @kbd{C-4} | ||
| 4188 | @kbd{C-\} | ||
| 4189 | |||
| 4190 | @item @kbd{C-5} | ||
| 4191 | @kbd{C-]} | ||
| 4192 | |||
| 4193 | @item @kbd{C-/} | ||
| 4194 | @kbd{C-?} | ||
| 4195 | |||
| 4196 | @end table | ||
| 4197 | |||
| 4198 | Often other aliases exist; use the @kbd{C-h c} command and try | ||
| 4199 | @key{CTRL} with all of the digits on your keyboard to see what gets | ||
| 4200 | generated. You can also try the @kbd{C-h w} command if you know the | ||
| 4201 | name of the command. | ||
| 4202 | |||
| 4203 | @node No Meta key, No Escape key, Producing C-XXX with the keyboard, Key bindings | ||
| 4204 | @section What if I don't have a @key{Meta} key? | ||
| 4205 | @cindex No @key{Meta} key | ||
| 4206 | @cindex @key{Meta} key, what to do if you lack it | ||
| 4207 | |||
| 4208 | Instead of typing @kbd{M-a}, you can type @kbd{@key{ESC} a}. In fact, | ||
| 4209 | Emacs converts @kbd{M-a} internally into @kbd{@key{ESC} a} anyway | ||
| 4210 | (depending on the value of @code{meta-prefix-char}). Note that you | ||
| 4211 | press @key{Meta} and @key{a} together, while you press @kbd{ESC}, | ||
| 4212 | release it, and then press @key{a}. | ||
| 4213 | |||
| 4214 | @node No Escape key, Compose Character, No Meta key, Key bindings | ||
| 4215 | @section What if I don't have an @key{Escape} key? | ||
| 4216 | @cindex No Escape key | ||
| 4217 | @cindex Lacking an Escape key | ||
| 4218 | @cindex Escape key, lacking | ||
| 4219 | |||
| 4220 | Type @kbd{C-[} instead. This should send ASCII code 27 just like an | ||
| 4221 | Escape key would. @kbd{C-3} may also work on some terminal (but not | ||
| 4222 | under X). For many terminals (notably DEC terminals) @key{F11} | ||
| 4223 | generates @key{ESC}. If not, the following form can be used to bind it: | ||
| 4224 | |||
| 4225 | @lisp | ||
| 4226 | ;;; F11 is the documented ESC replacement on DEC terminals. | ||
| 4227 | (define-key function-key-map [f11] [?\e]) | ||
| 4228 | @end lisp | ||
| 4229 | |||
| 4230 | @node Compose Character, Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys, No Escape key, Key bindings | ||
| 4231 | @section Can I make my @key{Compose Character} key behave like a @key{Meta} key? | ||
| 4232 | @cindex @key{Compose Character} key, using as @key{Meta} | ||
| 4233 | @cindex @key{Meta}, using @key{Compose Character} for | ||
| 4234 | |||
| 4235 | On a dumb terminal such as a VT220, no. It is rumored that certain | ||
| 4236 | VT220 clones could have their @key{Compose} key configured this way. If | ||
| 4237 | you're using X, you might be able to do this with the @file{xmodmap} program. | ||
| 4238 | |||
| 4239 | @node Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys, Meta key does not work in xterm, Compose Character, Key bindings | ||
| 4240 | @section How do I bind a combination of modifier key and function key? | ||
| 4241 | @cindex Modifiers and function keys | ||
| 4242 | @cindex Function keys and modifiers | ||
| 4243 | @cindex Binding modifiers and function keys | ||
| 4244 | |||
| 4245 | With Emacs 19 you can represent modified function keys in vector format | ||
| 4246 | by adding prefixes to the function key symbol. For example (from the | ||
| 4247 | on-line documentation): | ||
| 4248 | |||
| 4249 | @lisp | ||
| 4250 | (global-set-key [?\C-x right] 'forward-page) | ||
| 4251 | @end lisp | ||
| 4252 | |||
| 4253 | where @samp{?\C-x} is the Lisp character constant for the character @kbd{C-x}. | ||
| 4254 | |||
| 4255 | You can use the modifier keys @key{Control}, @key{Meta}, @key{Hyper}, | ||
| 4256 | @key{Super}, @key{Alt}, and @key{Shift} with function keys. To | ||
| 4257 | represent these modifiers, prepend the strings @samp{C-}, @samp{M-}, | ||
| 4258 | @samp{H-}, @samp{s-}, @samp{A-}, and @samp{S-} to the symbol name. Here | ||
| 4259 | is how to make @kbd{H-M-RIGHT} move forward a word: | ||
| 4260 | |||
| 4261 | @lisp | ||
| 4262 | (global-set-key [H-M-right] 'forward-word) | ||
| 4263 | @end lisp | ||
| 4264 | |||
| 4265 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 4266 | |||
| 4267 | @item Not all modifiers are permitted in all situations. @key{Hyper}, | ||
| 4268 | @key{Super}, and @key{Alt} are available only under X (provided there | ||
| 4269 | are such keys). Non-ASCII keys and mouse events (e.g. @kbd{C-=} and | ||
| 4270 | @kbd{mouse-1}) also fall under this category. | ||
| 4271 | |||
| 4272 | @end itemize | ||
| 4273 | |||
| 4274 | @xref{Binding keys to commands} for general key binding instructions. | ||
| 4275 | |||
| 4276 | @node Meta key does not work in xterm, ExtendChar key does not work as Meta, Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys, Key bindings | ||
| 4277 | @section Why doesn't my @key{Meta} key work in an xterm window? | ||
| 4278 | @cindex @key{Meta} key and xterm | ||
| 4279 | @cindex Xterm and @key{Meta} key | ||
| 4280 | |||
| 4281 | Try all of these methods before asking for further help: | ||
| 4282 | |||
| 4283 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 4284 | |||
| 4285 | @item | ||
| 4286 | You may have big problems using @file{mwm} as your window manager. | ||
| 4287 | (Does anyone know a good generic solution to allow the use of the | ||
| 4288 | @key{Meta} key in Emacs with @file{mwm}?) | ||
| 4289 | |||
| 4290 | @item | ||
| 4291 | For X11: Make sure it really is a @key{Meta} key. Use @file{xev} to | ||
| 4292 | find out what keysym your @key{Meta} key generates. It should be either | ||
| 4293 | @key{Meta}_L or @key{Meta}_R. If it isn't, use @file{xmodmap} to fix | ||
| 4294 | the situation. | ||
| 4295 | |||
| 4296 | @item | ||
| 4297 | Make sure the pty the xterm is using is passing 8 bit characters. | ||
| 4298 | @samp{stty -a} (or @samp{stty everything}) should show @samp{cs8} somewhere. | ||
| 4299 | If it shows @samp{cs7} instead, use @samp{stty cs8 -istrip} (or @samp{stty | ||
| 4300 | pass8}) to fix it. | ||
| 4301 | |||
| 4302 | @item | ||
| 4303 | If there is an rlogin connection between the xterm and the Emacs, the | ||
| 4304 | "-8" argument may need to be given to rlogin to make it pass all 8 bits | ||
| 4305 | of every character. | ||
| 4306 | |||
| 4307 | @item | ||
| 4308 | If the Emacs is running under Ultrix, it is reported that evaluating | ||
| 4309 | @code{(set-input-mode t nil)} helps. | ||
| 4310 | |||
| 4311 | @item | ||
| 4312 | If all else fails, you can make xterm generate @kbd{@key{ESC} W} when | ||
| 4313 | you type @kbd{M-W}, which is the same conversion Emacs would make if it | ||
| 4314 | got the @kbd{M-W} anyway. In X11R4, the following resource | ||
| 4315 | specification will do this: | ||
| 4316 | |||
| 4317 | @example | ||
| 4318 | XTerm.VT100.EightBitInput: false | ||
| 4319 | @end example | ||
| 4320 | |||
| 4321 | (This changes the behavior of the @code{insert-eight-bit} action.) | ||
| 4322 | |||
| 4323 | With older xterms, you can specify this behavior with a translation: | ||
| 4324 | |||
| 4325 | @example | ||
| 4326 | XTerm.VT100.Translations: #override \ | ||
| 4327 | Meta<KeyPress>: string(0x1b) insert() | ||
| 4328 | @end example | ||
| 4329 | |||
| 4330 | You might have to replace @samp{Meta} with @samp{Alt}. | ||
| 4331 | |||
| 4332 | @end itemize | ||
| 4333 | |||
| 4334 | @node ExtendChar key does not work as Meta, , Meta key does not work in xterm, Key bindings | ||
| 4335 | @section Why doesn't my @key{ExtendChar} key work as a @key{Meta} key under HP-UX 8.0 and 9.x? | ||
| 4336 | @cindex @key{ExtendChar} key as @key{Meta} | ||
| 4337 | @cindex @key{Meta}, using @key{ExtendChar} for | ||
| 4338 | |||
| 4339 | This is a result of an internationalization extension in X11R4 and the | ||
| 4340 | fact that HP is now using this extension. Emacs assumes that | ||
| 4341 | XLookupString returns the same result regardless of the @key{Meta} key | ||
| 4342 | state which is no longer necessarily true. Until Emacs is fixed, the | ||
| 4343 | temporary kludge is to run this command after each time the X server is | ||
| 4344 | started but preferably before any xterm clients are: | ||
| 4345 | |||
| 4346 | @example | ||
| 4347 | xmodmap -e 'remove mod1 = Mode_switch' | ||
| 4348 | @end example | ||
| 4349 | |||
| 4350 | This will disable the use of the extra keysyms systemwide, which may be | ||
| 4351 | undesirable if you actually intend to use them. | ||
| 4352 | |||
| 4353 | @c ------------------------------------------------------------ | ||
| 4354 | @node Alternate character sets, Mail and news, Key bindings, Top | ||
| 4355 | @chapter Alternate character sets | ||
| 4356 | @cindex Alternate character sets | ||
| 4357 | |||
| 4358 | @menu | ||
| 4359 | * Emacs does not display 8-bit characters:: | ||
| 4360 | * Inputting eight-bit characters:: | ||
| 4361 | * Kanji and Chinese characters:: | ||
| 4362 | * Right-to-left alphabets:: | ||
| 4363 | @end menu | ||
| 4364 | |||
| 4365 | @node Emacs does not display 8-bit characters, Inputting eight-bit characters, Alternate character sets, Alternate character sets | ||
| 4366 | @section How do I make Emacs display 8-bit characters? | ||
| 4367 | @cindex Displaying eight-bit characters | ||
| 4368 | @cindex Eight-bit characters, displaying | ||
| 4369 | |||
| 4370 | Emacs 19 has built-in support for eight-bit characters. See | ||
| 4371 | @inforef{European Display, European Display, emacs}, from which this | ||
| 4372 | excerpt is taken: | ||
| 4373 | |||
| 4374 | @quotation | ||
| 4375 | Some European languages use accented letters and other special symbols. | ||
| 4376 | The ISO 8859 Latin-1 character set defines character codes for many | ||
| 4377 | European languages in the range 160 to 255. | ||
| 4378 | |||
| 4379 | Emacs can display those characters according to Latin-1, provided the | ||
| 4380 | terminal or font in use supports them. The @kbd{M-x | ||
| 4381 | standard-display-european} command toggles European character display | ||
| 4382 | mode. With a numeric argument, @kbd{M-x standard-display-european} | ||
| 4383 | enables European character display if and only if the argument is | ||
| 4384 | positive. | ||
| 4385 | |||
| 4386 | Some operating systems let you specify the language you are using by | ||
| 4387 | setting a locale. Emacs handles one common special case of this: if | ||
| 4388 | your locale name for character types contains the string "8859-1" or | ||
| 4389 | "88591", Emacs automatically enables European character display mode | ||
| 4390 | when it starts up. | ||
| 4391 | @end quotation | ||
| 4392 | |||
| 4393 | @node Inputting eight-bit characters, Kanji and Chinese characters, Emacs does not display 8-bit characters, Alternate character sets | ||
| 4394 | @section How do I input eight-bit characters? | ||
| 4395 | @cindex Entering eight-bit characters | ||
| 4396 | @cindex Eight-bit characters, entering | ||
| 4397 | |||
| 4398 | @inforef{European Display, European Display, emacs}, from which this is | ||
| 4399 | taken: | ||
| 4400 | |||
| 4401 | @quotation | ||
| 4402 | If you enter non-ASCII ISO Latin-1 characters often, you might find ISO | ||
| 4403 | Accents mode convenient. When this minor mode is enabled, @key{`}, | ||
| 4404 | @key{'}, @key{"}, @key{^}, @key{/} and @key{~} modify the following | ||
| 4405 | letter by adding the corresponding diacritical mark to it, if possible. | ||
| 4406 | To enable or disable ISO Accents mode, use the command @kbd{M-x | ||
| 4407 | iso-accents-mode}. This command affects only the current buffer. | ||
| 4408 | |||
| 4409 | To enter one of those six special characters, type the character, | ||
| 4410 | followed by a space. Some of those characters have a corresponding | ||
| 4411 | "dead key" accent character in the ISO Latin-1 character set; to enter | ||
| 4412 | that character, type the corresponding ASCII character twice. For | ||
| 4413 | example, @kbd{''} enters the Latin-1 character acute-accent (character | ||
| 4414 | code 0264). | ||
| 4415 | @end quotation | ||
| 4416 | |||
| 4417 | @node Kanji and Chinese characters, Right-to-left alphabets, Inputting eight-bit characters, Alternate character sets | ||
| 4418 | @section Where can I get an Emacs that handles kanji, Chinese, or other character sets? | ||
| 4419 | @cindex Kanji, handling with Emacs | ||
| 4420 | @cindex Chinese, handling with Emacs | ||
| 4421 | @cindex Japanese, handling with Emacs | ||
| 4422 | @cindex Korean, handling with Emacs | ||
| 4423 | |||
| 4424 | Emacs 20 now includes many of the features of MULE, the Multilingual | ||
| 4425 | Enhancement of Emacs. @xref{Installing Emacs} for information on where | ||
| 4426 | to find and download Emacs. | ||
| 4427 | |||
| 4428 | @node Right-to-left alphabets, , Kanji and Chinese characters, Alternate character sets | ||
| 4429 | @section Where is an Emacs that can handle Semitic (right-to-left) alphabets? | ||
| 4430 | @cindex Right-to-left alphabets | ||
| 4431 | @cindex Hebrew, handling with Emacs | ||
| 4432 | @cindex Semitic alphabets | ||
| 4433 | |||
| 4434 | Emacs 20 supports Hebrew characters (ISO 8859-8), but does not yet | ||
| 4435 | support right-to-left character entry. | ||
| 4436 | |||
| 4437 | @email{joel@@exc.com, Joel M. Hoffman} has written a Lisp package called | ||
| 4438 | @file{hebrew.el} that allows right-to-left editing of Hebrew. It | ||
| 4439 | reportedly works out of the box with Emacs 19, but requires patches for | ||
| 4440 | Emacs 18. Write to Joel if you want the patches or package. | ||
| 4441 | |||
| 4442 | @file{hebrew.el} requires a Hebrew screen font, but no other Hardware support. | ||
| 4443 | Joel has a screen font for PCs running MS-DOS and Linux. | ||
| 4444 | |||
| 4445 | You might also try to query archie for files named with "hebrew"; | ||
| 4446 | several ftp sites in Israel may also have the necessary files. | ||
| 4447 | |||
| 4448 | @c ------------------------------------------------------------ | ||
| 4449 | @node Mail and news, Concept index, Alternate character sets, Top | ||
| 4450 | @chapter Mail and news | ||
| 4451 | @cindex Mail and news | ||
| 4452 | |||
| 4453 | @menu | ||
| 4454 | * Changing the included text prefix:: | ||
| 4455 | * Saving a copy of outgoing mail:: | ||
| 4456 | * Expanding aliases when sending mail:: | ||
| 4457 | * Rmail thinks all messages are one big one:: | ||
| 4458 | * Sorting the messages in an Rmail folder:: | ||
| 4459 | * Rmail writes to /usr/spool/mail:: | ||
| 4460 | * Recovering mail files when Rmail munges them:: | ||
| 4461 | * Replying to the sender of a message:: | ||
| 4462 | * MIME with Emacs mail packages:: | ||
| 4463 | * Automatically starting a mail or news reader:: | ||
| 4464 | * Reading news with Emacs:: | ||
| 4465 | * Gnus does not work with NNTP:: | ||
| 4466 | * Viewing articles with embedded underlining:: | ||
| 4467 | * Saving a multi-part Gnus posting:: | ||
| 4468 | * Starting Gnus faster:: | ||
| 4469 | * Catching up in all newsgroups:: | ||
| 4470 | * Killing based on nonstandard headers:: | ||
| 4471 | * Removing flashing messages:: | ||
| 4472 | * Catch-up is slow in Gnus:: | ||
| 4473 | * Gnus hangs for a long time:: | ||
| 4474 | * Learning more about Gnus:: | ||
| 4475 | @end menu | ||
| 4476 | |||
| 4477 | @node Changing the included text prefix, Saving a copy of outgoing mail, Mail and news, Mail and news | ||
| 4478 | @section How do I change the included text prefix in mail/news followups? | ||
| 4479 | @cindex Prefix in mail/news followups, changing | ||
| 4480 | @cindex Included text prefix, changing | ||
| 4481 | @cindex Setting the included text character | ||
| 4482 | |||
| 4483 | If you read mail with Rmail or news with Gnus, set the variable | ||
| 4484 | @code{mail-yank-prefix}. For VM, set @code{vm-included-text-prefix}. | ||
| 4485 | For mh-e, set @code{mh-ins-buf-prefix}. | ||
| 4486 | |||
| 4487 | For fancier control of citations, use Supercite. @xref{Supercite}. | ||
| 4488 | |||
| 4489 | To prevent Emacs from including various headers of the replied-to | ||
| 4490 | message, set the value of @code{mail-yank-ignored-headers} to an | ||
| 4491 | appropriate regexp. | ||
| 4492 | |||
| 4493 | @node Saving a copy of outgoing mail, Expanding aliases when sending mail, Changing the included text prefix, Mail and news | ||
| 4494 | @section How do I save a copy of outgoing mail? | ||
| 4495 | @cindex Saving a copy of outgoing mail | ||
| 4496 | @cindex Copying outgoing mail to a file | ||
| 4497 | @cindex Filing outgoing mail | ||
| 4498 | @cindex Automatic filing of outgoing mail | ||
| 4499 | @cindex Mail, saving outgoing automatically | ||
| 4500 | |||
| 4501 | You can either mail yourself a copy by including a @samp{BCC} header in the | ||
| 4502 | mail message, or store a copy of the message directly to a file by | ||
| 4503 | including an @samp{FCC} header. | ||
| 4504 | |||
| 4505 | If you use standard mail, you can automatically create a @samp{BCC} to | ||
| 4506 | yourself by putting | ||
| 4507 | |||
| 4508 | @lisp | ||
| 4509 | (setq mail-self-blind t) | ||
| 4510 | @end lisp | ||
| 4511 | |||
| 4512 | in your @file{.emacs} file. You can automatically include an "FCC:" field by | ||
| 4513 | putting something like the following in your @file{.emacs} file: | ||
| 4514 | |||
| 4515 | @lisp | ||
| 4516 | (setq mail-archive-file-name (expand-file-name "~/outgoing")) | ||
| 4517 | @end lisp | ||
| 4518 | |||
| 4519 | The output file will be in Unix mail format, which can be read directly | ||
| 4520 | by VM, but not always by Rmail. @xref{Learning how to do something}. | ||
| 4521 | |||
| 4522 | If you use @code{mh-e}, add an @samp{FCC} or @samp{BCC} field to your | ||
| 4523 | components file. | ||
| 4524 | |||
| 4525 | It does not work to put "set record filename" in the @file{.mailrc} | ||
| 4526 | file. | ||
| 4527 | |||
| 4528 | @node Expanding aliases when sending mail, Rmail thinks all messages are one big one, Saving a copy of outgoing mail, Mail and news | ||
| 4529 | @section Why doesn't Emacs expand my aliases when sending mail? | ||
| 4530 | @cindex Expanding aliases when sending mail | ||
| 4531 | @cindex Mail alias expansion | ||
| 4532 | @cindex Sending mail with aliases | ||
| 4533 | |||
| 4534 | @itemize @bullet | ||
| 4535 | |||
| 4536 | @item | ||
| 4537 | You must separate multiple addresses in the headers of the mail buffer | ||
| 4538 | with commas. This is because Emacs supports RFC822 standard addresses | ||
| 4539 | like this one: | ||
| 4540 | |||
| 4541 | @example | ||
| 4542 | To: Willy Smith <wks@@xpnsv.lwyrs.com> | ||
| 4543 | @end example | ||
| 4544 | |||
| 4545 | However, you do not need to --- and probably should not, unless your | ||
| 4546 | system's version of @file{/usr/ucb/mail} (aka mailx) supports RFC822 | ||
| 4547 | -- separate addresses with commas in your @file{~/.mailrc} file. | ||
| 4548 | |||
| 4549 | @item | ||
| 4550 | Emacs normally only reads the @file{.mailrc} file once per session, | ||
| 4551 | when you start to compose your first mail message. If you edit | ||
| 4552 | .mailrc, you can type @kbd{M-x rebuild-mail-abbrevs @key{RET}} to | ||
| 4553 | make Emacs reread @file{~/.mailrc}. | ||
| 4554 | |||
| 4555 | @item | ||
| 4556 | If you like, you can expand mail aliases as abbrevs, as soon as you | ||
| 4557 | type them in. To enable this feature, execute the following: | ||
| 4558 | |||
| 4559 | @lisp | ||
| 4560 | (add-hook 'mail-setup-hook 'mail-abbrevs-setup) | ||
| 4561 | @end lisp | ||
| 4562 | |||
| 4563 | Note that the aliases are expanded automatically only after you type | ||
| 4564 | @key{RET} or a punctuation character (e.g. @kbd{,}). You can force their | ||
| 4565 | expansion by moving point to the end of the alias and typing @kbd{C-x a e} | ||
| 4566 | @kbd{M-x expand-abbrev}. | ||
| 4567 | @end itemize | ||
| 4568 | |||
| 4569 | @node Rmail thinks all messages are one big one, Sorting the messages in an Rmail folder, Expanding aliases when sending mail, Mail and news | ||
| 4570 | @section Why does Rmail think all my saved messages are one big message? | ||
| 4571 | @cindex Rmail thinks all messages are one large message | ||
| 4572 | |||
| 4573 | A file created through the @samp{FCC} field in a message is in Unix mail | ||
| 4574 | format, not the format that Rmail uses (BABYL format). Rmail will try | ||
| 4575 | to convert a Unix mail file into BABYL format on input, but sometimes it | ||
| 4576 | makes errors. For guaranteed safety, you can make the | ||
| 4577 | @file{saved-messages} file be an inbox for your Rmail file by using the | ||
| 4578 | function @code{set-rmail-inbox-list}. | ||
| 4579 | |||
| 4580 | @node Sorting the messages in an Rmail folder, Rmail writes to /usr/spool/mail, Rmail thinks all messages are one big one, Mail and news | ||
| 4581 | @section How can I sort the messages in my Rmail folder? | ||
| 4582 | @cindex Rmail, sorting messages in | ||
| 4583 | @cindex Folder, sorting messages in an Rmail | ||
| 4584 | @cindex Sorting messages in an Rmail folder | ||
| 4585 | |||
| 4586 | In Rmail, type @kbd{C-c C-s C-h} to get a list of sorting functions | ||
| 4587 | and their key bindings. | ||
| 4588 | |||
| 4589 | @node Rmail writes to /usr/spool/mail, Recovering mail files when Rmail munges them, Sorting the messages in an Rmail folder, Mail and news | ||
| 4590 | @section Why does Rmail need to write to @file{/usr/spool/mail}? | ||
| 4591 | @cindex Rmail and @file{/usr/spool/mail} | ||
| 4592 | @cindex @file{/usr/spool/mail} and Rmail | ||
| 4593 | |||
| 4594 | This is the behavior of the @file{movemail} program which Rmail uses. | ||
| 4595 | This indicates that @file{movemail} is configured to use lock files. | ||
| 4596 | |||
| 4597 | RMS writes: | ||
| 4598 | |||
| 4599 | @quotation | ||
| 4600 | Certain systems require lock files to interlock access to mail files. | ||
| 4601 | On these systems, @file{movemail} must write lock files, or you risk losing | ||
| 4602 | mail. You simply must arrange to let @file{movemail} write them. | ||
| 4603 | |||
| 4604 | Other systems use the flock system call to interlock access. On these | ||
| 4605 | systems, you should configure @file{movemail} to use @code{flock}. | ||
| 4606 | @end quotation | ||
| 4607 | |||
| 4608 | @node Recovering mail files when Rmail munges them, Replying to the sender of a message, Rmail writes to /usr/spool/mail, Mail and news | ||
| 4609 | @section How do I recover my mail files after Rmail munges their format? | ||
| 4610 | @cindex Recovering munged mail files | ||
| 4611 | @cindex Rmail munged my files | ||
| 4612 | @cindex Mail files, recovering those munged by Rmail | ||
| 4613 | |||
| 4614 | If you have just done @code{rmail-input} on a file and you don't want to | ||
| 4615 | save it in Rmail's format (called BABYL), just kill the buffer (with | ||
| 4616 | @kbd{C-x k}). | ||
| 4617 | |||
| 4618 | If you typed @kbd{M-x rmail} and it read some messages out of your inbox | ||
| 4619 | and you want to put them in a Unix mail file, use @kbd{C-o} on each | ||
| 4620 | message. | ||
| 4621 | |||
| 4622 | If you want to convert an existing file from BABYL format to Unix mail | ||
| 4623 | format, use the command @kbd{M-x unrmail}: it will prompt you for the | ||
| 4624 | input and output file names. | ||
| 4625 | |||
| 4626 | @node Replying to the sender of a message, MIME with Emacs mail packages, Recovering mail files when Rmail munges them, Mail and news | ||
| 4627 | @section How can I force Rmail to reply to the sender of a message, but not the other recipients? | ||
| 4628 | @cindex Replying only to the sender of a message | ||
| 4629 | @cindex Sender, replying only to | ||
| 4630 | @cindex Rmail, replying to the sender of a message in | ||
| 4631 | |||
| 4632 | @email{isaacson@@seas.upenn.edu, Ron Isaacson} says: When you hit | ||
| 4633 | @key{r} to reply in Rmail, by default it CCs all of the original | ||
| 4634 | recipients (everyone on the original @samp{To} and @samp{CC} | ||
| 4635 | lists). With a prefix argument (i.e., typing @kbd{C-u} before @key{r}), | ||
| 4636 | it replies only to the sender. However, going through the whole | ||
| 4637 | @kbd{C-u} business every time you want to reply is a pain. This is the | ||
| 4638 | best fix I've been able to come up with: | ||
| 4639 | |||
| 4640 | @lisp | ||
| 4641 | (defun rmail-reply-t () | ||
| 4642 | "Reply only to the sender of the current message. (See rmail-reply.)" | ||
| 4643 | (interactive) | ||
| 4644 | (rmail-reply t)) | ||
| 4645 | |||
| 4646 | (add-hook 'rmail-mode-hook | ||
| 4647 | '(lambda () | ||
| 4648 | (define-key rmail-mode-map "r" 'rmail-reply-t) | ||
| 4649 | (define-key rmail-mode-map "R" 'rmail-reply))) | ||
| 4650 | @end lisp | ||
| 4651 | |||
| 4652 | @node MIME with Emacs mail packages, Automatically starting a mail or news reader, Replying to the sender of a message, Mail and news | ||
| 4653 | @section How can I get my favorite Emacs mail package to support MIME? | ||
| 4654 | @cindex MIME and Emacs mail packages | ||
| 4655 | @cindex Mail packages and MIME | ||
| 4656 | @cindex FAQ for MIME and Emacs | ||
| 4657 | |||
| 4658 | Read the Emacs MIME FAQ, maintained by @email{trey@@cs.berkeley.edu, | ||
| 4659 | MacDonald Hall Jackson} at | ||
| 4660 | |||
| 4661 | @uref{http://bmrc.berkeley.edu/~trey/emacs/mime.html} | ||
| 4662 | |||
| 4663 | Version 6.x of VM supports MIME. @xref{VM}. | ||
| 4664 | |||
| 4665 | @node Automatically starting a mail or news reader, Reading news with Emacs, MIME with Emacs mail packages, Mail and news | ||
| 4666 | @section How do I make Emacs automatically start my mail/news reader? | ||
| 4667 | @cindex Mail reader, starting automatically | ||
| 4668 | @cindex News reader, starting automatically | ||
| 4669 | @cindex Starting mail/news reader automatically | ||
| 4670 | |||
| 4671 | To start Emacs in Gnus: | ||
| 4672 | |||
| 4673 | @example | ||
| 4674 | emacs -f gnus | ||
| 4675 | @end example | ||
| 4676 | |||
| 4677 | in Rmail: | ||
| 4678 | |||
| 4679 | @example | ||
| 4680 | emacs -f rmail | ||
| 4681 | @end example | ||
| 4682 | |||
| 4683 | A more convenient way to start with Gnus: | ||
| 4684 | |||
| 4685 | @example | ||
| 4686 | alias gnus 'emacs -f gnus' | ||
| 4687 | gnus | ||
| 4688 | @end example | ||
| 4689 | |||
| 4690 | It is probably unwise to automatically start your mail or news reader | ||
| 4691 | from your @file{.emacs} file. This would cause problems if you needed to run | ||
| 4692 | two copies of Emacs at one time. Also, this would make it difficult for | ||
| 4693 | you to start Emacs quickly when you needed to. | ||
| 4694 | |||
| 4695 | @node Reading news with Emacs, Gnus does not work with NNTP, Automatically starting a mail or news reader, Mail and news | ||
| 4696 | @section How do I read news under Emacs? | ||
| 4697 | @cindex Reading news under Emacs | ||
| 4698 | @cindex Usenet reader in Emacs | ||
| 4699 | @cindex Gnus newsreader | ||
| 4700 | |||
| 4701 | Use @kbd{M-x gnus}. It is documented in Info (@pxref{Learning how to do something}). | ||
| 4702 | |||
| 4703 | @node Gnus does not work with NNTP, Viewing articles with embedded underlining, Reading news with Emacs, Mail and news | ||
| 4704 | @section Why doesn't Gnus work via NNTP? | ||
| 4705 | @cindex Gnus and NNTP | ||
| 4706 | @cindex NNTP, Gnus fails to work with | ||
| 4707 | |||
| 4708 | There is a bug in NNTP version 1.5.10, such that when multiple requests | ||
| 4709 | are sent to the NNTP server, the server only handles the first one | ||
| 4710 | before blocking waiting for more input which never comes. NNTP version | ||
| 4711 | 1.5.11 claims to fix this. | ||
| 4712 | |||
| 4713 | You can work around the bug inside Emacs like this: | ||
| 4714 | |||
| 4715 | @lisp | ||
| 4716 | (setq nntp-maximum-request 1) | ||
| 4717 | @end lisp | ||
| 4718 | |||
| 4719 | You can find out what version of NNTP your news server is running by | ||
| 4720 | telnetting to the NNTP port (usually 119) on the news server machine | ||
| 4721 | (i.e., "telnet server-machine 119"). The server should give its version | ||
| 4722 | number in the welcome message. Type "quit" to get out. | ||
| 4723 | |||
| 4724 | @xref{Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode} for some additional ideas. | ||
| 4725 | |||
| 4726 | @node Viewing articles with embedded underlining, Saving a multi-part Gnus posting, Gnus does not work with NNTP, Mail and news | ||
| 4727 | @section How do I view news articles with embedded underlining (e.g., ClariNews)? | ||
| 4728 | @cindex Underlining, embedded in news articles | ||
| 4729 | @cindex News articles with embedded underlining | ||
| 4730 | @cindex Embedded underlining in news articles | ||
| 4731 | |||
| 4732 | Underlining appears like this: | ||
| 4733 | |||
| 4734 | @example | ||
| 4735 | _^Hu_^Hn_^Hd_^He_^Hr_^Hl_^Hi_^Hn_^Hi_^Hn_^Hg | ||
| 4736 | @end example | ||
| 4737 | |||
| 4738 | @email{amanda@@iesd.auc.dk, Per Abrahamsen} suggests using the following | ||
| 4739 | code, which uses the underline face to turn such text into true | ||
| 4740 | underlining: | ||
| 4741 | |||
| 4742 | @lisp | ||
| 4743 | (defun gnus-article-prepare-overstrike () | ||
| 4744 | ;; Prepare article for overstrike commands. | ||
| 4745 | (save-excursion | ||
| 4746 | (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer) | ||
| 4747 | (let ((buffer-read-only nil)) | ||
| 4748 | (goto-char (point-min)) | ||
| 4749 | (while (search-forward "\b" nil t) | ||
| 4750 | (let ((next (following-char)) | ||
| 4751 | (previous (char-after (- (point) 2)))) | ||
| 4752 | (cond ((eq next previous) | ||
| 4753 | (delete-region (- (point) 2) (point)) | ||
| 4754 | (put-text-property (point) (1+ (point)) | ||
| 4755 | 'face 'bold)) | ||
| 4756 | ((eq next ?_) | ||
| 4757 | (delete-region (1- (point)) (1+ (point))) | ||
| 4758 | (put-text-property (1- (point)) (point) | ||
| 4759 | 'face 'underline)) | ||
| 4760 | ((eq previous ?_) | ||
| 4761 | (delete-region (- (point) 2) (point)) | ||
| 4762 | (put-text-property (point) (1+ (point)) | ||
| 4763 | 'face 'underline)))))))) | ||
| 4764 | |||
| 4765 | (add-hook 'gnus-article-prepare-hook 'gnus-article-prepare-overstrike) | ||
| 4766 | @end lisp | ||
| 4767 | |||
| 4768 | If you prefer to do away with underlining altogether, you can | ||
| 4769 | destructively remove it with @kbd{M-x ununderline-region}; do this | ||
| 4770 | automatically via | ||
| 4771 | |||
| 4772 | @lisp | ||
| 4773 | (add-hook 'gnus-article-prepare-hook | ||
| 4774 | '(lambda () (ununderline-region (point-min) (point-max)))) | ||
| 4775 | @end lisp | ||
| 4776 | |||
| 4777 | @node Saving a multi-part Gnus posting, Starting Gnus faster, Viewing articles with embedded underlining, Mail and news | ||
| 4778 | @section How do I save all the items of a multi-part posting in Gnus? | ||
| 4779 | @cindex Multi-part postings in Gnus, saving | ||
| 4780 | @cindex Saving multi-part postings in Gnus | ||
| 4781 | @cindex Gnus, saving multi-part postings in | ||
| 4782 | |||
| 4783 | Use @code{gnus-uu}. Type @kbd{C-c C-v C-h} in the Gnus summary buffer | ||
| 4784 | to see a list of available commands. | ||
| 4785 | |||
| 4786 | @node Starting Gnus faster, Catching up in all newsgroups, Saving a multi-part Gnus posting, Mail and news | ||
| 4787 | @section How do I make Gnus start up faster? | ||
| 4788 | @cindex Faster, starting Gnus | ||
| 4789 | @cindex Starting Gnus faster | ||
| 4790 | @cindex Gnus, starting faster | ||
| 4791 | |||
| 4792 | From the Gnus FAQ (@pxref{Learning more about Gnus}): | ||
| 4793 | |||
| 4794 | @quotation | ||
| 4795 | @email{pktiwari@@eos.ncsu.edu, Pranav Kumar Tiwari} writes: I posted | ||
| 4796 | the same query recently and I got an answer to it. I am going to | ||
| 4797 | repeat the answer. What you need is a newer version of gnus, version | ||
| 4798 | 5.0.4+. I am using 5.0.12 and it works fine with me with the | ||
| 4799 | following settings: | ||
| 4800 | |||
| 4801 | @lisp | ||
| 4802 | (setq gnus-check-new-newsgroups nil | ||
| 4803 | gnus-read-active-file 'some | ||
| 4804 | gnus-nov-is-evil nil | ||
| 4805 | gnus-select-method '(nntp gnus-nntp-server)) | ||
| 4806 | @end lisp | ||
| 4807 | @end quotation | ||
| 4808 | |||
| 4809 | @node Catching up in all newsgroups, Killing based on nonstandard headers, Starting Gnus faster, Mail and news | ||
| 4810 | @section How do I catch up all newsgroups in Gnus? | ||
| 4811 | @cindex Catching up all newsgroups in Gnus | ||
| 4812 | @cindex Gnus, Catching up all newsgroups in | ||
| 4813 | |||
| 4814 | In the @file{*Newsgroup*} buffer, type @kbd{M-< C-x ( c y C-x ) M-0 C-x e} | ||
| 4815 | |||
| 4816 | Leave off the initial @kbd{M-<} if you only want to catch up from point | ||
| 4817 | to the end of the @file{*Newsgroup*} buffer. | ||
| 4818 | |||
| 4819 | @node Killing based on nonstandard headers, Removing flashing messages, Catching up in all newsgroups, Mail and news | ||
| 4820 | @section Why can't I kill in Gnus based on the Newsgroups/Keywords/Control headers? | ||
| 4821 | @cindex Killing articles based on nonstandard headers | ||
| 4822 | @cindex Newsgroups header, killing articles based on | ||
| 4823 | @cindex Keywords header, killing articles based on | ||
| 4824 | @cindex Control header, killing articles based on | ||
| 4825 | |||
| 4826 | Gnus will complain that the @samp{Newsgroups}, @samp{Keywords}, and | ||
| 4827 | @samp{Control} headers are "Unknown header" fields. | ||
| 4828 | |||
| 4829 | For the @samp{Newsgroups} header, there is an easy workaround: kill on the | ||
| 4830 | @samp{Xref} header instead, which will be present on any cross-posted article | ||
| 4831 | (as long as your site carries the cross-post group). | ||
| 4832 | |||
| 4833 | If you really want to kill on one of these headers, you can do it like | ||
| 4834 | this: | ||
| 4835 | |||
| 4836 | @lisp | ||
| 4837 | (gnus-kill nil "^Newsgroups: .*\\(bad\\.group\\|worse\\.group\\)") | ||
| 4838 | @end lisp | ||
| 4839 | |||
| 4840 | @node Removing flashing messages, Catch-up is slow in Gnus, Killing based on nonstandard headers, Mail and news | ||
| 4841 | @section How do I get rid of flashing messages in Gnus for slow connections? | ||
| 4842 | @cindex Flashing Gnus messages, removing | ||
| 4843 | @cindex Removing flashing Gnus messages | ||
| 4844 | @cindex Slow connections causing flashing messages in Gnus | ||
| 4845 | @cindex Gnus, flashing messages in | ||
| 4846 | |||
| 4847 | Set @code{nntp-debug-read} to @code{nil}. | ||
| 4848 | |||
| 4849 | @node Catch-up is slow in Gnus, Gnus hangs for a long time, Removing flashing messages, Mail and news | ||
| 4850 | @section Why is catch up slow in Gnus? | ||
| 4851 | @cindex Slow catch up in Gnus | ||
| 4852 | @cindex Gnus is slow when catching up | ||
| 4853 | @cindex Crosspostings make Gnus catching up slow | ||
| 4854 | |||
| 4855 | Because Gnus is marking crosspostings read. You can control this with | ||
| 4856 | the variable @code{gnus-use-cross-reference}. | ||
| 4857 | |||
| 4858 | @node Gnus hangs for a long time, Learning more about Gnus, Catch-up is slow in Gnus, Mail and news | ||
| 4859 | @section Why does Gnus hang for a long time when posting? | ||
| 4860 | @cindex Hangs in Gnus | ||
| 4861 | @cindex Gnus hangs while posting | ||
| 4862 | @cindex Posting, Gnus hangs wile | ||
| 4863 | |||
| 4864 | @email{tale@@uunet.uu.net, David Lawrence} explains: | ||
| 4865 | |||
| 4866 | @quotation | ||
| 4867 | The problem is almost always interaction between NNTP and C News. NNTP | ||
| 4868 | POST asks C News's inews to not background itself but rather hang around | ||
| 4869 | and give its exit status so it knows whether the post was successful. | ||
| 4870 | (That wait will on some systems not return the exit status of the | ||
| 4871 | waited for job is a different sort of problem.) It ends up taking a | ||
| 4872 | long time because inews is calling relaynews, which often waits for | ||
| 4873 | another relaynews to free the lock on the news system so it can file the | ||
| 4874 | article. | ||
| 4875 | |||
| 4876 | My preferred solution is to change inews to not call relaynews, but | ||
| 4877 | rather use newsspool. This loses some error-catching functionality, but | ||
| 4878 | is for the most part safe as inews will detect a lot of the errors on | ||
| 4879 | its own. The C News folks have sped up inews, too, so speed should look | ||
| 4880 | better to most folks as that update propagates around. | ||
| 4881 | @end quotation | ||
| 4882 | |||
| 4883 | @node Learning more about Gnus, , Gnus hangs for a long time, Mail and news | ||
| 4884 | @section Where can I find out more about Gnus? | ||
| 4885 | @cindex FAQ for Gnus | ||
| 4886 | @cindex Gnus FAQ | ||
| 4887 | @cindex Learning more about GNU | ||
| 4888 | |||
| 4889 | Look for the Gnus FAQ, available at | ||
| 4890 | |||
| 4891 | @uref{http://www.ccs.neu.edu/software/contrib/gnus/} | ||
| 4892 | |||
| 4893 | @node Concept index, , Mail and news, Top | ||
| 4894 | @unnumbered Concept Index | ||
| 4895 | @printindex cp | ||
| 4896 | |||
| 4897 | @contents | ||
| 4898 | @bye | ||