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1\input texinfo @c -*- mode: texinfo; -*-
2@c %**start of header
3@setfilename ../info/efaq
4@settitle GNU Emacs FAQ
5@c %**end of header
6
7@setchapternewpage odd
8
9@c This is used in many places
10@set VER 22.1
11
12@c This file is maintained by Romain Francoise <rfrancoise@gnu.org>.
13@c Feel free to install changes without prior permission (but I'd
14@c appreciate a notice if you do).
15
16@copying
17Copyright @copyright{} 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
18Free Software Foundation, Inc.@*
19Copyright 1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000 Reuven M. Lerner@*
20Copyright 1992,1993 Steven Byrnes@*
21Copyright 1990,1991,1992 Joseph Brian Wells@*
22
23@quotation
24This list of frequently asked questions about GNU Emacs with answers
25(``FAQ'') may be translated into other languages, transformed into other
26formats (e.g. Texinfo, Info, WWW, WAIS), and updated with new information.
27
28The same conditions apply to any derivative of the FAQ as apply to the FAQ
29itself. Every copy of the FAQ must include this notice or an approved
30translation, information on who is currently maintaining the FAQ and how to
31contact them (including their e-mail address), and information on where the
32latest version of the FAQ is archived (including FTP information).
33
34The FAQ may be copied and redistributed under these conditions, except that
35the FAQ may not be embedded in a larger literary work unless that work
36itself allows free copying and redistribution.
37
38[This version has been heavily edited since it was included in the Emacs
39distribution.]
40@end quotation
41@end copying
42
43@dircategory Emacs
44@direntry
45* Emacs FAQ: (efaq). Frequently Asked Questions about Emacs.
46@end direntry
47
48@c The @titlepage stuff only appears in the printed version
49@titlepage
50@sp 10
51@center @titlefont{GNU Emacs FAQ}
52
53@c The following two commands start the copyright page.
54@page
55@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
56@insertcopying
57@end titlepage
58
59@node Top, FAQ notation, (dir), (dir)
60
61This is the GNU Emacs FAQ, last updated on @today{}.
62
63This FAQ is maintained as a part of GNU Emacs. If you find any errors,
64or have any suggestions, please use @kbd{M-x report-emacs-bug} to report
65them.
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
88This chapter describes notation used in the GNU Emacs FAQ, as well as in
89the Emacs documentation. Consult this section if this is the first time
90you are reading the FAQ, or if you are confused by notation or terms
91used in the FAQ.
92
93@menu
94* Basic keys::
95* Extended commands::
96* On-line manual::
97* File-name 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{C-M-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{C-M-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@cindex Notation for keys
116
117@itemize @bullet
118
119@item
120@kbd{C-x}: press the @key{x} key while holding down the @key{Control} key
121
122@item
123@kbd{M-x}: press the @key{x} key while holding down the @key{Meta} key
124(if your computer doesn't have a @key{Meta} key, @pxref{No Meta key})
125
126@item
127@kbd{M-C-x}: press the @key{x} key while holding down both @key{Control}
128and @key{Meta}
129
130@item
131@kbd{C-M-x}: a synonym for the above
132
133@item
134@key{LFD}: Linefeed or Newline; same as @kbd{C-j}
135
136@item
137@key{RET}: @key{Return}, sometimes marked @key{Enter}; same as @kbd{C-m}
138
139@item
140@key{DEL}: @key{Delete}, usually @strong{not} the same as
141@key{Backspace}; same as @kbd{C-?} (see @ref{Backspace invokes help}, if
142deleting invokes Emacs help)
143
144@item
145@key{ESC}: Escape; same as @kbd{C-[}
146
147@item
148@key{TAB}: Tab; same as @kbd{C-i}
149
150@item
151@key{SPC}: Space bar
152
153@end itemize
154
155Key sequences longer than one key (and some single-key sequences) are
156written inside quotes or on lines by themselves, like this:
157
158@display
159 @kbd{M-x frobnicate-while-foo RET}
160@end display
161
162@noindent
163Any real spaces in such a key sequence should be ignored; only @key{SPC}
164really means press the space key.
165
166The @acronym{ASCII} code sent by @kbd{C-x} (except for @kbd{C-?}) is the value
167that would be sent by pressing just @key{x} minus 96 (or 64 for
168upper-case @key{X}) and will be from 0 to 31. On Unix and GNU/Linux
169terminals, the @acronym{ASCII} code sent by @kbd{M-x} is the sum of 128 and the
170@acronym{ASCII} code that would be sent by pressing just @key{x}. Essentially,
171@key{Control} turns off bits 5 and 6 and @key{Meta} turns on bit
1727@footnote{
173DOS and Windows terminals don't set bit 7 when the @key{Meta} key is
174pressed.}.
175
176@kbd{C-?} (aka @key{DEL}) is @acronym{ASCII} code 127. It is a misnomer to call
177@kbd{C-?} a ``control'' key, since 127 has both bits 5 and 6 turned ON.
178Also, on very few keyboards does @kbd{C-?} generate @acronym{ASCII} code 127.
179
180@inforef{Text Characters, Text Characters, emacs}, and @inforef{Keys,
181Keys, emacs}, for more information. (@xref{On-line manual}, for more
182information about Info.)
183
184@node Extended commands, On-line manual, Basic keys, FAQ notation
185@section What does @file{M-x @var{command}} mean?
186@cindex Extended commands
187@cindex Commands, extended
188@cindex M-x, meaning of
189
190@kbd{M-x @var{command}} means type @kbd{M-x}, then type the name of the
191command, then type @key{RET}. (@xref{Basic keys}, if you're not sure
192what @kbd{M-x} and @key{RET} mean.)
193
194@kbd{M-x} (by default) invokes the command
195@code{execute-extended-command}. This command allows you to run any
196Emacs command if you can remember the command's name. If you can't
197remember the command's name, you can type @key{TAB} and @key{SPC} for
198completion, @key{?} for a list of possibilities, and @kbd{M-p} and
199@kbd{M-n} (or up-arrow and down-arrow on terminals that have these
200editing keys) to see previous commands entered. An Emacs @dfn{command}
201is an @dfn{interactive} Emacs function.
202
203@cindex @key{Do} key
204Your system administrator may have bound other key sequences to invoke
205@code{execute-extended-command}. A function key labeled @kbd{Do} is a
206good candidate for this, on keyboards that have such a key.
207
208If you need to run non-interactive Emacs functions, see @ref{Evaluating
209Emacs Lisp code}.
210
211@node On-line manual, File-name conventions, Extended commands, FAQ notation
212@section How do I read topic XXX in the on-line manual?
213@cindex On-line manual, reading topics in
214@cindex Reading topics in the on-line manual
215@cindex Finding topics in the on-line manual
216@cindex Info, finding topics in
217
218When we refer you to some @var{topic} in the on-line manual, you can
219read this manual node inside Emacs (assuming nothing is broken) by
220typing @kbd{C-h i m emacs @key{RET} m @var{topic} @key{RET}}.
221
222This invokes Info, the GNU hypertext documentation browser. If you don't
223already know how to use Info, type @key{?} from within Info.
224
225If we refer to @var{topic}:@var{subtopic}, type @kbd{C-h i m emacs
226@key{RET} m @var{topic} @key{RET} m @var{subtopic} @key{RET}}.
227
228If these commands don't work as expected, your system administrator may
229not have installed the Info files, or may have installed them
230improperly. In this case you should complain.
231
232@xref{Getting a printed manual}, if you would like a paper copy of the
233Emacs manual.
234
235@node File-name conventions, Common acronyms, On-line manual, FAQ notation
236@section What are @file{etc/SERVICE}, @file{src/config.h}, and @file{lisp/default.el}?
237@cindex File-name conventions
238@cindex Conventions for file names
239@cindex Directories and files that come with Emacs
240
241These are files that come with Emacs. The Emacs distribution is divided
242into subdirectories; the important ones are @file{etc}, @file{lisp}, and
243@file{src}.
244
245If you use Emacs, but don't know where it is kept on your system, start
246Emacs, then type @kbd{C-h v data-directory @key{RET}}. The directory
247name displayed by this will be the full pathname of the installed
248@file{etc} directory. (This full path is recorded in the Emacs variable
249@code{data-directory}, and @kbd{C-h v} displays the value and the
250documentation of a variable.)
251
252The location of your Info directory (i.e., where on-line documentation
253is stored) is kept in the variable @code{Info-default-directory-list}. Use
254@kbd{C-h v Info-default-directory-list @key{RET}} to see the value of
255this variable, which will be a list of directory names. The last
256directory in that list is probably where most Info files are stored. By
257default, Info documentation is placed in @file{/usr/local/info}.
258
259Some of these files are available individually via FTP or e-mail; see
260@ref{Informational files for Emacs}. They all are available in the
261source distribution. Many of the files in the @file{etc} directory are
262also available via the Emacs @samp{Help} menu, or by typing @kbd{C-h ?}
263(@kbd{M-x help-for-help}).
264
265Your system administrator may have removed the @file{src} directory and
266many files from the @file{etc} directory.
267
268@node Common acronyms, , File-name conventions, FAQ notation
269@section What are FSF, LPF, OSF, GNU, RMS, FTP, and GPL?
270@cindex FSF, definition of
271@cindex LPF, definition of
272@cindex OSF, definition of
273@cindex GNU, definition of
274@cindex RMS, definition of
275@cindex Stallman, Richard, acronym for
276@cindex Richard Stallman, acronym for
277@cindex FTP, definition of
278@cindex GPL, definition of
279@cindex Acronyms, definitions for
280@cindex Common acronyms, definitions for
281
282@table @asis
283
284@item FSF
285Free Software Foundation
286
287@item LPF
288League for Programming Freedom
289
290@item OSF
291Open Software Foundation
292
293@item GNU
294GNU's Not Unix
295
296@item RMS
297Richard Matthew Stallman
298
299@item FTP
300File Transfer Protocol
301
302@item GPL
303GNU General Public License
304
305@end table
306
307Avoid confusing the FSF, the LPF, and the OSF. The LPF opposes
308look-and-feel copyrights and software patents. The FSF aims to make
309high quality free software available for everyone. The OSF is a
310consortium of computer vendors which develops commercial software for
311Unix systems.
312
313The word ``free'' in the title of the Free Software Foundation refers to
314``freedom,'' not ``zero cost.'' Anyone can charge any price for
315GPL-covered software that they want to. However, in practice, the
316freedom enforced by the GPL leads to low prices, because you can always
317get the software for less money from someone else, since everyone has
318the right to resell or give away GPL-covered software.
319
320@c ------------------------------------------------------------
321@node General questions, Getting help, FAQ notation, Top
322@chapter General questions
323@cindex General questions
324
325This chapter contains general questions having to do with Emacs, the
326Free Software Foundation, and related organizations.
327
328@menu
329* The LPF::
330* Real meaning of copyleft::
331* Guidelines for newsgroup postings::
332* Newsgroup archives::
333* Reporting bugs::
334* Unsubscribing from Emacs lists::
335* Contacting the FSF::
336@end menu
337
338@node The LPF, Real meaning of copyleft, General questions, General questions
339@section What is the LPF?
340@cindex LPF, description of
341@cindex League for Programming Freedom
342@cindex Software patents, opposition to
343@cindex Patents for software, opposition to
344
345The LPF opposes the expanding danger of software patents and
346look-and-feel copyrights. To get more information, feel free to contact
347the LPF via e-mail or otherwise. You may also contact
348@email{jbw@@cs.bu.edu, Joe Wells}; he will be happy to talk to you
349about the LPF.
350
351You can find more information about the LPF in the file @file{etc/LPF}.
352More papers describing the LPF's views are available on the Internet and
353also from @uref{http://lpf.ai.mit.edu/, the LPF home page}.
354
355@node Real meaning of copyleft, Guidelines for newsgroup postings, The LPF, General questions
356@section What is the real legal meaning of the GNU copyleft?
357@cindex Copyleft, real meaning of
358@cindex GPL, real meaning of
359@cindex General Public License, real meaning of
360@cindex Discussion of the GPL
361
362The real legal meaning of the GNU General Public License (copyleft) will
363only be known if and when a judge rules on its validity and scope.
364There has never been a copyright infringement case involving the GPL to
365set any precedents. Please take any discussion regarding this issue to
366the newsgroup @uref{news:gnu.misc.discuss}, which was created to hold the
367extensive flame wars on the subject.
368
369RMS writes:
370
371@quotation
372The legal meaning of the GNU copyleft is less important than the spirit,
373which is that Emacs is a free software project and that work pertaining
374to Emacs should also be free software. ``Free'' means that all users
375have the freedom to study, share, change and improve Emacs. To make
376sure everyone has this freedom, pass along source code when you
377distribute any version of Emacs or a related program, and give the
378recipients the same freedom that you enjoyed.
379@end quotation
380
381@node Guidelines for newsgroup postings, Newsgroup archives, Real meaning of copyleft, General questions
382@section What are appropriate messages for @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help}, @uref{news:gnu.emacs.bug}, @uref{news:comp.emacs}, etc.?
383@cindex Newsgroups, appropriate messages for
384@cindex GNU newsgroups, appropriate messages for
385@cindex Usenet groups, appropriate messages for
386@cindex Mailing lists, appropriate messages for
387@cindex Posting messages to newsgroups
388
389@cindex GNU mailing lists
390The file @file{etc/MAILINGLISTS} describes the purpose of each GNU
391mailing list. (@xref{Informational files for Emacs}, if you want a copy
392of the file.) For those lists which are gatewayed with newsgroups, it
393lists both the newsgroup name and the mailing list address.
394
395The newsgroup @uref{news:comp.emacs} is for discussion of Emacs programs
396in general. This includes Emacs along with various other
397implementations, such as XEmacs, JOVE, MicroEmacs, Freemacs, MG,
398Unipress, CCA, and Epsilon.
399
400Many people post Emacs questions to @uref{news:comp.emacs} because they
401don't receive any of the @code{gnu.*} newsgroups. Arguments have been
402made both for and against posting GNU-Emacs-specific material to
403@uref{news:comp.emacs}. You have to decide for yourself.
404
405Messages advocating ``non-free'' software are considered unacceptable on
406any of the @code{gnu.*} newsgroups except for @uref{news:gnu.misc.discuss},
407which was created to hold the extensive flame-wars on the subject.
408``Non-free'' software includes any software for which the end user can't
409freely modify the source code and exchange enhancements. Be careful to
410remove the @code{gnu.*} groups from the @samp{Newsgroups:} line when
411posting a followup that recommends such software.
412
413@uref{news:gnu.emacs.bug} is a place where bug reports appear, but avoid
414posting bug reports to this newsgroup directly (@pxref{Reporting bugs}).
415
416@node Newsgroup archives, Reporting bugs, Guidelines for newsgroup postings, General questions
417@section Where can I get old postings to @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} and other GNU groups?
418@cindex Archived postings from @code{gnu.emacs.help}
419@cindex Usenet archives for GNU groups
420@cindex Old Usenet postings for GNU groups
421
422The FSF has maintained archives of all of the GNU mailing lists for many
423years, although there may be some unintentional gaps in coverage. The
424archive is not particularly well organized or easy to retrieve
425individual postings from, but pretty much everything is there.
426
427The archive is at @uref{ftp://lists.gnu.org/}.
428
429The archive can be browsed over the web at
430@uref{http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/, the GNU mail archive}.
431
432Web-based Usenet search services, such as
433@uref{http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?sel=33592484, Google}, also
434archive the @code{gnu.*} groups.
435
436You can read the archives of the @code{gnu.*} groups and post new
437messages at @uref{http://gmane.org/, Gmane}.
438
439@node Reporting bugs, Unsubscribing from Emacs lists, Newsgroup archives, General questions
440@section Where should I report bugs and other problems with Emacs?
441@cindex Bug reporting
442@cindex Good bug reports
443@cindex How to submit a bug report
444@cindex Reporting bugs
445
446The correct way to report Emacs bugs is to use the command
447@kbd{M-x report-emacs-bug}. It sets up a mail buffer with the
448essential information and the correct e-mail address which is
449@email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} for the released versions of Emacs.
450Anything sent to @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} also appears in the
451newsgroup @uref{news:gnu.emacs.bug}, but please use e-mail instead of
452news to submit the bug report. This ensures a reliable return address
453so you can be contacted for further details.
454
455Be sure to read the ``Bugs'' section of the Emacs manual before reporting
456a bug! The manual describes in detail how to submit a useful bug
457report (@pxref{Bugs, , Reporting Bugs, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}).
458(@xref{On-line manual}, if you don't know how to read the manual.)
459
460RMS says:
461
462@quotation
463Sending bug reports to @email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} (which has the
464effect of posting on @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help}) is undesirable because
465it takes the time of an unnecessarily large group of people, most of
466whom are just users and have no idea how to fix these problem.
467@email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} reaches a much smaller group of people
468who are more likely to know what to do and have expressed a wish to
469receive more messages about Emacs than the others.
470@end quotation
471
472RMS says it is sometimes fine to post to @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help}:
473
474@quotation
475If you have reported a bug and you don't hear about a possible fix,
476then after a suitable delay (such as a week) it is okay to post on
477@code{gnu.emacs.help} asking if anyone can help you.
478@end quotation
479
480If you are unsure whether you have found a bug, consider the following
481non-exhaustive list, courtesy of RMS:
482
483@quotation
484If Emacs crashes, that is a bug. If Emacs gets compilation errors
485while building, that is a bug. If Emacs crashes while building, that
486is a bug. If Lisp code does not do what the documentation says it
487does, that is a bug.
488@end quotation
489
490@node Unsubscribing from Emacs lists, Contacting the FSF, Reporting bugs, General questions
491@section How do I unsubscribe from this mailing list?
492@cindex Unsubscribing from GNU mailing lists
493@cindex Removing yourself from GNU mailing lists
494
495If you are receiving a GNU mailing list named @var{list}, you might be
496able to unsubscribe from it by sending a request to the address
497@email{@var{list}-request@@gnu.org}. However, this will not work if you are
498not listed on the main mailing list, but instead receive the mail from a
499distribution point. In that case, you will have to track down at which
500distribution point you are listed. Inspecting the @samp{Received} headers
501on the mail messages may help, along with liberal use of the @samp{EXPN} or
502@samp{VRFY} sendmail commands through @samp{telnet @var{site-address}
503smtp}. Ask your postmaster for help, if you cannot figure out these
504details.
505
506@node Contacting the FSF, , Unsubscribing from Emacs lists, General questions
507@section What is the current address of the FSF?
508@cindex Snail mail address of the FSF
509@cindex Postal address of the FSF
510@cindex Contracting the FSF
511@cindex Free Software Foundation, contacting
512
513@table @asis
514
515@item E-mail
516gnu@@gnu.org
517
518@item Telephone
519+1-617-542-5942
520
521@item Fax
522+1-617-542-2652
523
524@item World Wide Web
525@uref{http://www.gnu.org/}
526
527@item Postal address
528Free Software Foundation@*
52951 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor@*
530Boston, MA 02110-1301@*
531USA@*
532
533@end table
534
535@cindex Ordering GNU software
536For details on how to order items directly from the FSF, see the
537@uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}.
538
539@c ------------------------------------------------------------
540@node Getting help, Status of Emacs, General questions, Top
541@chapter Getting help
542@cindex Getting help
543
544This chapter tells you how to get help with Emacs
545
546@menu
547* Basic editing::
548* Learning how to do something::
549* Getting a printed manual::
550* Emacs Lisp documentation::
551* Installing Texinfo documentation::
552* Printing a Texinfo file::
553* Viewing Info files outside of Emacs::
554* Informational files for Emacs::
555* Help installing Emacs::
556* Obtaining the FAQ::
557@end menu
558
559@node Basic editing, Learning how to do something, Getting help, Getting help
560@section I'm just starting Emacs; how do I do basic editing?
561@cindex Basic editing with Emacs
562@cindex Beginning editing
563@cindex Tutorial, invoking the
564@cindex Self-paced tutorial, invoking the
565@cindex Help system, entering the
566
567Type @kbd{C-h t} to invoke the self-paced tutorial. Just typing
568@kbd{C-h} enters the help system. Starting with Emacs 22, the tutorial
569is available in many foreign languages such as French, German, Japanese,
570Russian, etc. Use @kbd{M-x help-with-tutorial-spec-language @key{RET}}
571to choose your language and start the tutorial.
572
573Your system administrator may have changed @kbd{C-h} to act like
574@key{DEL} to deal with local keyboards. You can use @kbd{M-x
575help-for-help} instead to invoke help. To discover what key (if any)
576invokes help on your system, type @kbd{M-x where-is @key{RET}
577help-for-help @key{RET}}. This will print a comma-separated list of key
578sequences in the echo area. Ignore the last character in each key
579sequence listed. Each of the resulting key sequences invokes help.
580
581Emacs help works best if it is invoked by a single key whose value
582should be stored in the variable @code{help-char}.
583
584@node Learning how to do something, Getting a printed manual, Basic editing, Getting help
585@section How do I find out how to do something in Emacs?
586@cindex Help for Emacs
587@cindex Learning to do something in Emacs
588@cindex Reference card for Emacs
589@cindex Overview of help systems
590
591There are several methods for finding out how to do things in Emacs.
592
593@itemize @bullet
594
595@cindex Reading the Emacs manual
596@item
597The complete text of the Emacs manual is available on-line via the Info
598hypertext reader. Type @kbd{C-h r} to display the manual in Info mode.
599Typing @key{h} immediately after entering Info will provide a short
600tutorial on how to use it.
601
602@cindex Lookup a subject in a manual
603@cindex Index search in a manual
604@item
605To quickly locate the section of the manual which discusses a certain
606issue, or describes a command or a variable, type @kbd{C-h i m emacs
607@key{RET} i @var{topic} @key{RET}}, where @var{topic} is the name of the
608topic, the command, or the variable which you are looking for. If this
609does not land you on the right place in the manual, press @kbd{,}
610(comma) repeatedly until you find what you need. (The @kbd{i} and
611@kbd{,} keys invoke the index-searching functions, which look for the
612@var{topic} you type in all the indices of the Emacs manual.)
613
614@cindex Apropos
615@item
616You can list all of the commands whose names contain a certain word
617(actually which match a regular expression) using @kbd{C-h a} (@kbd{M-x
618command-apropos}).
619
620@cindex Command description in the manual
621@item
622The command @kbd{C-h F} (@code{Info-goto-emacs-command-node}) prompts
623for the name of a command, and then attempts to find the section in the
624Emacs manual where that command is described.
625
626@cindex Finding commands and variables
627@item
628You can list all of the functions and variables whose names contain a
629certain word using @kbd{M-x apropos}.
630
631@item
632You can list all of the functions and variables whose documentation
633matches a regular expression or a string, using @kbd{M-x
634apropos-documentation}.
635
636@item
637You can order a hardcopy of the manual from the FSF. @xref{Getting a
638printed manual}.
639
640@cindex Reference cards, in other languages
641@item
642You can get a printed reference card listing commands and keys to
643invoke them. You can order one from the FSF for $1 (or 10 for $5),
644or you can print your own from the @file{etc/refcards/refcard.tex} or
645@file{etc/refcards/refcard.ps} files in the Emacs distribution.
646Beginning with version 21.1, the Emacs distribution comes with
647translations of the reference card into several languages; look for
648files named @file{etc/refcards/@var{lang}-refcard.*}, where @var{lang}
649is a two-letter code of the language. For example, the German version
650of the reference card is in the files @file{etc/refcards/de-refcard.tex}
651and @file{etc/recards/de-refcard.ps}.
652
653@item
654There are many other commands in Emacs for getting help and
655information. To get a list of these commands, type @samp{?} after
656@kbd{C-h}.
657
658@end itemize
659
660@node Getting a printed manual, Emacs Lisp documentation, Learning how to do something, Getting help
661@section How do I get a printed copy of the Emacs manual?
662@cindex Printed Emacs manual, obtaining
663@cindex Manual, obtaining a printed or HTML copy of
664@cindex Emacs manual, obtaining a printed or HTML copy of
665
666You can order a printed copy of the Emacs manual from the FSF. For
667details see the @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}.
668
669@c The number 620 below is version-dependent!
670The full Texinfo source for the manual also comes in the @file{man}
671directory of the Emacs distribution, if you're daring enough to try to
672print out this 620-page manual yourself (@pxref{Printing a Texinfo
673file}).
674
675If you absolutely have to print your own copy, and you don't have @TeX{},
676you can get a PostScript version from
677
678@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/emacs.ps.gz}
679
680@cindex HTML version of Emacs manual, obtaining
681An HTML version of the manual is at
682
683@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/emacs.html}
684
685The manual is available in other formats at
686
687@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/}
688
689@xref{Learning how to do something}, for how to view the manual on-line.
690
691@node Emacs Lisp documentation, Installing Texinfo documentation, Getting a printed manual, Getting help
692@section Where can I get documentation on Emacs Lisp?
693@cindex Documentation on Emacs Lisp
694@cindex Function documentation
695@cindex Variable documentation
696@cindex Emacs Lisp Reference Manual
697@cindex Reference manual for Emacs Lisp
698
699Within Emacs, you can type @kbd{C-h f} to get the documentation for a
700function, @kbd{C-h v} for a variable.
701
702For more information, the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual is available
703on-line, in Info format. @xref{Top, Emacs Lisp,, elisp, The
704Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
705
706You can also order a hardcopy of the manual, details on ordering it from
707FSF are on the @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}.
708
709An HTML version of the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual is available at
710
711@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/elisp-manual/elisp.html}
712
713@node Installing Texinfo documentation, Printing a Texinfo file, Emacs Lisp documentation, Getting help
714@section How do I install a piece of Texinfo documentation?
715@cindex Texinfo documentation, installing
716@cindex Installing Texinfo documentation
717@cindex New Texinfo files, installing
718@cindex Documentation, installing new Texinfo files
719@cindex Info files, how to install
720
721First, you must turn the Texinfo files into Info files. You may do this
722using the stand-alone @file{makeinfo} program, available as part of the latest
723Texinfo package at
724
725@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/texinfo/texinfo-4.8.tar.gz}
726
727and all mirrors of @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (for a list, @pxref{Current GNU
728distributions}).
729
730For information about the Texinfo format, read the Texinfo manual which
731comes with the Texinfo package. This manual also comes installed in
732Info format, so you can read it on-line; type @kbd{C-h i m texinfo
733@key{RET}}.
734
735Alternatively, you could use the Emacs command @kbd{M-x
736texinfo-format-buffer}, after visiting the Texinfo source file of the
737manual you want to convert.
738
739Neither @code{texinfo-format-buffer} nor @file{makeinfo} installs the
740resulting Info files in Emacs's Info tree. To install Info files,
741perform these steps:
742
743@enumerate
744@item
745Move the files to the @file{info} directory in the installed Emacs
746distribution. @xref{File-name conventions}, if you don't know where that
747is.
748
749@item
750Run the @code{install-info} command, which is part of the Texinfo
751distribution, to update the main Info directory menu, like this:
752
753@example
754 install-info --info-dir=@var{dir-path} @var{dir-path}/@var{file}
755@end example
756
757@noindent
758where @var{dir-path} is the full path to the directory where you copied
759the produced Info file(s), and @var{file} is the name of the Info file
760you produced and want to install.
761
762If you don't have the @code{install-info} command installed, you can
763edit the file @file{info/dir} in the installed Emacs distribution, and
764add a line for the top level node in the Info package that you are
765installing. Follow the examples already in this file. The format is:
766
767@example
768* Topic: (relative-pathname). Short description of topic.
769@end example
770
771@end enumerate
772
773If you want to install Info files and you don't have the necessary
774privileges, you have several options:
775
776@itemize @bullet
777@item
778Info files don't actually need to be installed before being used.
779You can use a prefix argument for the @code{info} command and specify
780the name of the Info file in the minibuffer. This goes to the node
781named @samp{Top} in that file. For example, to view a Info file named
782@file{@var{info-file}} in your home directory, you can type this:
783
784@example
785@kbd{C-u C-h i ~/@var{info-file} @key{RET}}
786@end example
787
788Alternatively, you can feed a file name to the @code{Info-goto-node}
789command (invoked by pressing @key{g} in Info mode) by typing the name
790of the file in parentheses, like this:
791
792@example
793@kbd{C-h i g (~/@var{info-file}) @key{RET}}
794@end example
795
796@item
797You can create your own Info directory. You can tell Emacs where that
798Info directory is by adding its pathname to the value of the variable
799@code{Info-default-directory-list}. For example, to use a private Info
800directory which is a subdirectory of your home directory named @file{Info},
801you could put this in your @file{.emacs} file:
802
803@lisp
804(setq Info-default-directory-list
805 (cons "~/Info" Info-default-directory-list))
806@end lisp
807
808You will need a top-level Info file named @file{dir} in this directory
809which has everything the system @file{dir} file has in it, except it should
810list only entries for Info files in that directory. You might not need
811it if all files in this directory were referenced by other @file{dir}
812files. The node lists from all @file{dir} files in
813@code{Info-default-directory-list} are merged by the Info system.
814
815@end itemize
816
817@node Printing a Texinfo file, Viewing Info files outside of Emacs, Installing Texinfo documentation, Getting help
818@section How do I print a Texinfo file?
819@cindex Printing a Texinfo file
820@cindex Texinfo file, printing
821@cindex Printing documentation
822
823You can't get nicely printed output from Info files; you must still have
824the original Texinfo source file for the manual you want to print.
825
826Assuming you have @TeX{} installed on your system, follow these steps:
827
828@enumerate
829
830@item
831Make sure the first line of the Texinfo file looks like this:
832
833@example
834\input texinfo
835@end example
836
837You may need to change @samp{texinfo} to the full pathname of the
838@file{texinfo.tex} file, which comes with Emacs as
839@file{man/texinfo.tex} (or copy or link it into the current directory).
840
841@item
842Type @kbd{texi2dvi @var{texinfo-source}}, where @var{texinfo-source} is
843the name of the Texinfo source file for which you want to produce a
844printed copy.
845
846The @samp{texi2dvi} script is part of the GNU Texinfo distribution
847(@pxref{Installing Texinfo documentation}).
848
849@item
850Print the DVI file @file{@var{texinfo-source}.dvi} in the normal way for
851printing DVI files at your site. For example, if you have a PostScript
852printer, run the @code{dvips} program to print the DVI file on that
853printer.
854
855@end enumerate
856
857To get more general instructions, retrieve the latest Texinfo package
858(@pxref{Installing Texinfo documentation}).
859
860@node Viewing Info files outside of Emacs, Informational files for Emacs, Printing a Texinfo file, Getting help
861@section Can I view Info files without using Emacs?
862@cindex Viewing Info files
863@cindex Info file viewers
864@cindex Alternative Info file viewers
865
866Yes. Here are some alternative programs:
867
868@itemize @bullet
869
870@item
871@code{info}, a stand-alone version of the Info program, comes as part of
872the Texinfo package. @xref{Installing Texinfo documentation}, for
873details.
874
875@item
876Xinfo, a stand-alone version of the Info program that runs under X
877Window system. You can get it at
878@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/xinfo/xinfo-1.01.01.tar.gz} and all
879mirrors of @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (see @ref{Current GNU distributions}, for a
880list of mirrors).
881
882@item
883Tkinfo, an Info viewer that runs under X Window system and uses Tcl/Tk.
884You can get Tkinfo at
885@uref{http://math-www.uni-paderborn.de/~axel/tkinfo/}.
886
887@end itemize
888
889@node Informational files for Emacs, Help installing Emacs, Viewing Info files outside of Emacs, Getting help
890@section What informational files are available for Emacs?
891@cindex Informational files included with Emacs
892@cindex Files included with Emacs
893@cindex @file{COPYING}, description of file
894@cindex @file{DISTRIB}, description of file
895@cindex @file{FTP}, description of file
896@cindex @file{GNU}, description of file
897@cindex @file{INTERVIEW}, description of file
898@cindex @file{LPF}, description of file
899@cindex @file{MACHINES}, description of file
900@cindex @file{MAILINGLISTS}, description of file
901@cindex @file{NEWS}, description of file
902@cindex @file{SERVICE}, description of file
903@cindex @file{SUN-SUPPORT}, description of file
904
905This isn't a frequently asked question, but it should be! A variety of
906informational files about Emacs and relevant aspects of the GNU project
907are available for you to read.
908
909The following files are available in the @file{etc} directory of the
910Emacs distribution (see @ref{File-name conventions}, if you're not sure
911where that is).
912
913@table @file
914
915@item COPYING
916GNU General Public License
917
918@item DISTRIB
919Emacs Availability Information, including the popular Free Software
920Foundation Order Form
921
922@item FTP
923How to get GNU Software by Internet FTP or by UUCP
924
925@item GNU
926The GNU Manifesto
927
928@item INTERVIEW
929Richard Stallman discusses his public-domain UNIX-compatible software
930system with BYTE editors
931
932@item LPF
933Why you should join the League for Programming Freedom
934
935@item MACHINES
936Status of Emacs on Various Machines and Systems
937
938@item MAILINGLISTS
939GNU Project Electronic Mailing Lists
940
941@item NEWS
942Emacs news, a history of recent user-visible changes
943
944@item SERVICE
945GNU Service Directory
946
947@item SUN-SUPPORT
948including ``Using Emacstool with GNU Emacs''
949
950@end table
951
952More GNU information, including back issues of the @cite{GNU's
953Bulletin}, are at
954
955@uref{http://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bulletins.html} and
956
957@uref{http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~trent/gnu/gnu.html}
958
959@node Help installing Emacs, Obtaining the FAQ, Informational files for Emacs, Getting help
960@section Where can I get help in installing Emacs?
961@cindex Installation help
962@cindex Help installing Emacs
963
964@xref{Installing Emacs}, for some basic installation hints, and see
965@ref{Problems building Emacs}, or @ref{Linking with -lX11 fails}, if you
966have problems with the installation.
967
968The file @file{etc/SERVICE} (see @ref{File-name conventions}, if you're
969not sure where that is) lists companies and individuals willing to sell
970you help in installing or using Emacs. An up-to-date version this file
971is available on @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (@pxref{Informational files for
972Emacs}).
973
974@node Obtaining the FAQ, , Help installing Emacs, Getting help
975@section Where can I get the latest version of this FAQ?
976@cindex FAQ, obtaining the
977@cindex Latest FAQ version, obtaining the
978@cindex Retrieving the latest FAQ version
979@cindex E-mail, retrieving the FAQ via
980@cindex Web, reading the FAQ on the
981
982The Emacs FAQ is available in several ways:
983
984@itemize @bullet
985
986@item
987Inside of Emacs itself. You can get it from selecting the @samp{Emacs
988FAQ} option from the @samp{Help} menu of the Emacs menu bar at the top
989of any Emacs frame, or by typing @kbd{C-h C-f} (@kbd{M-x view-emacs-FAQ}).
990
991@item
992Via USENET. If you can read news, the FAQ should be available in your
993news spool, in both the @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} and
994@uref{news:comp.emacs} newsgroups. Every news reader should allow you
995to read any news article that is still in the news spool, even if you
996have read the article before. You may need to read the instructions for
997your news reader to discover how to do this. In @file{rn}, this command
998will do this for you at the article selection level:
999
1000@example
1001?GNU Emacs Frequently Asked Questions?rc:m
1002@end example
1003
1004In Gnus, you should type @kbd{C-u C-x C-s} from the @file{*Summary*}
1005buffer or @kbd{C-u @key{SPC}} from the @file{*Newsgroup*} buffer to view
1006all articles in a newsgroup.
1007
1008If the FAQ articles have expired and have been deleted from your news
1009spool, it might (or might not) do some good to complain to your news
1010administrator, because the most recent FAQ should not expire for a
1011while.
1012
1013@item
1014In the Emacs distribution. Since Emacs 18.56, the FAQ at the time
1015of release has been part of the Emacs distribution as either
1016@file{etc/FAQ} or @file{man/faq.texi} (@pxref{File-name conventions}).
1017
1018@item
1019Via anonymous ftp and e-mail from @file{rtfm.mit.edu} (and its mirror in
1020Europe), the main repository for FAQs and other items posted to
1021news.answers. The Emacs FAQs are available at
1022
1023@uref{ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.emacs/} and
1024
1025@uref{ftp://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/pub/doc/FAQ/comp/emacs/}
1026
1027If you do not have access to anonymous FTP, you can access the archives
1028using the @file{rtfm.mit.edu} mail server. The Emacs FAQ can be
1029retrieved by sending mail to @email{mail-server@@rtfm.mit.edu} with a
1030blank subject and containing
1031
1032@example
1033send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/diffs
1034send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part1
1035send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part2
1036send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part3
1037send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part4
1038send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part5
1039@end example
1040
1041For more information, send email to @email{mail-server@@rtfm.mit.edu}
1042with @samp{help} and @samp{index} in the body on separate lines.
1043@end itemize
1044
1045@c ------------------------------------------------------------
1046@node Status of Emacs, Common requests, Getting help, Top
1047@chapter Status of Emacs
1048@cindex Status of Emacs
1049
1050This chapter gives you basic information about Emacs, including its
1051latest version status.
1052
1053@menu
1054* Origin of the term Emacs::
1055* Latest version of Emacs::
1056* New in Emacs 20::
1057* New in Emacs 21::
1058* New in Emacs 22::
1059@end menu
1060
1061@node Origin of the term Emacs, Latest version of Emacs, Status of Emacs, Status of Emacs
1062@section Where does the name ``Emacs'' come from?
1063@cindex Origin of the term ``Emacs''
1064@cindex Emacs name origin
1065@cindex TECO
1066@cindex Original version of Emacs
1067
1068Emacs originally was an acronym for Editor MACroS. RMS says he ``picked
1069the name Emacs because @key{E} was not in use as an abbreviation on ITS at
1070the time.'' The first Emacs was a set of macros written in 1976 at MIT
1071by RMS for the editor TECO (Text Editor and COrrector, originally Tape
1072Editor and COrrector) under ITS on a PDP-10. RMS had already extended
1073TECO with a ``real-time'' full-screen mode with reprogrammable keys.
1074Emacs was started by @email{gls@@east.sun.com, Guy Steele} as a project
1075to unify the many divergent TECO command sets and key bindings at MIT,
1076and completed by RMS.
1077
1078Many people have said that TECO code looks a lot like line noise; you
1079can read more at @uref{news:alt.lang.teco}. Someone has written a TECO
1080implementation in Emacs Lisp (to find it, see @ref{Packages that do not
1081come with Emacs}); it would be an interesting project to run the
1082original TECO Emacs inside of Emacs.
1083
1084@cindex Why Emacs?
1085For some not-so-serious alternative reasons for Emacs to have that
1086name, check out the file @file{etc/JOKES} (@pxref{File-name
1087conventions}).
1088
1089@node Latest version of Emacs, New in Emacs 20, Origin of the term Emacs, Status of Emacs
1090@section What is the latest version of Emacs?
1091@cindex Version, latest
1092@cindex Latest version of Emacs
1093
1094Emacs @value{VER} is the current version as of this writing.
1095
1096@node New in Emacs 20, New in Emacs 21, Latest version of Emacs, Status of Emacs
1097@section What is different about Emacs 20?
1098@cindex Differences between Emacs 19 and Emacs 20
1099@cindex Emacs 20, new features in
1100
1101To find out what has changed in recent versions, type @kbd{C-h C-n}
1102(@kbd{M-x view-emacs-news}). The oldest changes are at the bottom of
1103the file, so you might want to read it starting there, rather than at
1104the top.
1105
1106The differences between Emacs versions 18 and 19 was rather dramatic;
1107the introduction of frames, faces, and colors on windowing systems was
1108obvious to even the most casual user.
1109
1110There are differences between Emacs versions 19 and 20 as well, but many
1111are more subtle or harder to find. Among the changes are the inclusion
1112of MULE code for languages that use non-Latin characters and for mixing
1113several languages in the same document; the ``Customize'' facility for
1114modifying variables without having to use Lisp; and automatic conversion
1115of files from Macintosh, Microsoft, and Unix platforms.
1116
1117A number of older Lisp packages, such as Gnus, Supercite and the
1118calendar/diary, have been updated and enhanced to work with Emacs 20,
1119and are now included with the standard distribution.
1120
1121
1122@node New in Emacs 21, New in Emacs 22, New in Emacs 20, Status of Emacs
1123@section What is different about Emacs 21?
1124@cindex Differences between Emacs 20 and Emacs 21
1125@cindex Emacs 21, new features in
1126@cindex Recently introduced features
1127
1128@cindex Variable-size fonts
1129@cindex Toolbar support
1130Emacs 21 features a thorough rewrite of the display engine. The new
1131display engine supports variable-size fonts, images, and can play sounds
1132on platforms which support that. As a result, the visual appearance of
1133Emacs, when it runs on a windowed display, is much more reminiscent of
1134modern GUI programs, and includes 3D widgets (used for the mode line and
1135the scroll bars), a configurable and extensible toolbar, tooltips
1136(a.k.a.@: balloon help), and other niceties.
1137
1138@cindex Colors on text-only terminals
1139@cindex TTY colors
1140In addition, Emacs 21 supports faces on text-only terminals. This means
1141that you can now have colors when you run Emacs on a GNU/Linux console
1142and on @code{xterm} with @kbd{emacs -nw}.
1143
1144@node New in Emacs 22, , New in Emacs 21, Status of Emacs
1145@section What is different about Emacs 22?
1146@cindex Differences between Emacs 21 and Emacs 22
1147@cindex Emacs 22, new features in
1148@cindex Recently introduced features
1149@cindex Default features
1150
1151@itemize
1152@cindex GTK+ Toolkit
1153@cindex Drag-and-drop
1154@item
1155Emacs can be built with GTK+ widgets, and supports drag-and-drop
1156operation on X.
1157
1158@cindex Supported systems
1159@item
1160Emacs 22 features support for GNU/Linux systems on S390 and x86-64
1161machines, as well as support for the Mac OS X and Cygwin operating
1162systems.
1163
1164@item
1165The native MS-Windows, Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X builds include full support
1166for images, toolbar, and tooltips.
1167
1168@item
1169Font Lock mode, Auto Compression mode, and File Name Shadow Mode are
1170enabled by default.
1171
1172@item
1173The maximum size of buffers has been doubled and is 256M on 32-bit
1174machines.
1175
1176@item
1177Links can be followed with @kbd{mouse-1}, in addition to @kbd{mouse-2}.
1178
1179@cindex Mouse wheel
1180@item
1181Mouse wheel support is enabled by default.
1182
1183@item
1184Window fringes are customizable.
1185
1186@item
1187The mode line of the selected window is now highlighted.
1188
1189@item
1190The minibuffer prompt is displayed in a distinct face.
1191
1192@item
1193Abbrev definitions are read automatically at startup.
1194
1195@item
1196Grep mode is separate from Compilation mode and has many new options and
1197commands specific to grep.
1198
1199@item
1200The original Emacs macro system has been replaced by the new Kmacro
1201package, which provides many new commands and features and a simple
1202interface that uses the function keys F3 and F4. Macros are stored in a
1203macro ring, and can be debugged and edited interactively.
1204
1205@item
1206The Grand Unified Debugger (GUD) can be used with a full graphical user
1207interface to GDB; this provides many features found in traditional
1208development environments, making it easy to manipulate breakpoints, add
1209watch points, display the call stack, etc. Breakpoints are visually
1210indicated in the source buffer.
1211
1212@item
1213@cindex New modes
1214Many new modes and packages have been included in Emacs, such as Calc,
1215TRAMP, URL, IDO, CUA, ERC, rcirc, Table, Image-Dired, SES, Ruler, Org,
1216PGG, Flymake, Password, Printing, Reveal, wdired, t-mouse, longlines,
1217savehist, Conf mode, Python mode, DNS mode, etc.
1218
1219@cindex Multilingual Environment
1220@item
1221Leim is now part of Emacs. Unicode support has been much improved, and
1222the following input methods have been added: belarusian, bulgarian-bds,
1223bulgarian-phonetic, chinese-sisheng, croatian, dutch, georgian,
1224latin-alt-postfix, latin-postfix, latin-prefix, latvian-keyboard,
1225lithuanian-numeric, lithuanian-keyboard, malayalam-inscript, rfc1345,
1226russian-computer, sgml, slovenian, tamil-inscript, ucs,
1227ukrainian-computer, vietnamese-telex, and welsh.
1228
1229The following language environments have also been added: Belarusian,
1230Bulgarian, Chinese-EUC-TW, Croatian, French, Georgian, Italian, Latin-6,
1231Latin-7, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malayalam, Russian, Slovenian, Swedish,
1232Tajik, Tamil, UTF-8, Ukrainian, Welsh, and Windows-1255.
1233
1234@cindex Documentation
1235@cindex Emacs Lisp Manual
1236@item
1237In addition, Emacs 22 now includes the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual
1238(@pxref{Emacs Lisp documentation}) and the Emacs Lisp Intro.
1239@end itemize
1240
1241Many other changes have been made in Emacs 22, use @kbd{C-h n} to get a
1242full list.
1243
1244@c ------------------------------------------------------------
1245@node Common requests, Bugs and problems, Status of Emacs, Top
1246@chapter Common requests
1247@cindex Common requests
1248
1249@menu
1250* Setting up a customization file::
1251* Using Customize::
1252* Colors on a TTY::
1253* Debugging a customization file::
1254* Displaying the current line or column::
1255* Displaying the current file name in the titlebar::
1256* Turning on abbrevs by default::
1257* Associating modes with files::
1258* Highlighting a region::
1259* Replacing highlighted text::
1260* Controlling case sensitivity::
1261* Working with unprintable characters::
1262* Searching for/replacing newlines::
1263* Yanking text in isearch::
1264* Wrapping words automatically::
1265* Turning on auto-fill by default::
1266* Spell-checkers::
1267* Checking TeX and *roff documents::
1268* Changing load-path::
1269* Using an already running Emacs process::
1270* Compiler error messages::
1271* Indenting switch statements::
1272* Customizing C and C++ indentation::
1273* Horizontal scrolling::
1274* Overwrite mode::
1275* Turning off beeping::
1276* Turning the volume down::
1277* Automatic indentation::
1278* Matching parentheses::
1279* Hiding #ifdef lines::
1280* Repeating commands::
1281* Valid X resources::
1282* Evaluating Emacs Lisp code::
1283* Changing the length of a Tab::
1284* Inserting text at the beginning of each line::
1285* Underlining paragraphs::
1286* Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column::
1287* Forcing Emacs to iconify itself::
1288* Using regular expressions::
1289* Replacing text across multiple files::
1290* Documentation for etags::
1291* Disabling backups::
1292* Disabling auto-save-mode::
1293* Going to a line by number::
1294* Modifying pull-down menus::
1295* Deleting menus and menu options::
1296* Turning on syntax highlighting::
1297* Scrolling only one line::
1298* Editing MS-DOS files::
1299* Filling paragraphs with a single space::
1300* Escape sequences in shell output::
1301* Fullscreen mode on MS-Windows::
1302@end menu
1303
1304@node Setting up a customization file, Using Customize, Common requests, Common requests
1305@section How do I set up a @file{.emacs} file properly?
1306@cindex @file{.emacs} file, setting up
1307@cindex @file{.emacs} file, locating
1308@cindex Init file, setting up
1309@cindex Customization file, setting up
1310
1311@inforef{Init File, Init File, emacs}.
1312
1313In general, new Emacs users should not have @file{.emacs} files, because
1314it causes confusing non-standard behavior. Then they send questions to
1315@email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} asking why Emacs isn't behaving as
1316documented.
1317
1318Beginning with version 20.1, Emacs includes the new Customize facility
1319(@pxref{Using Customize}). This allows users who are unfamiliar with
1320Emacs Lisp to modify their @file{.emacs} files in a relatively
1321straightforward way, using menus rather than Lisp code. Most packages
1322support Customize as of this writing.
1323
1324While Customize might indeed make it easier to configure Emacs,
1325consider taking a bit of time to learn Emacs Lisp and modifying your
1326@file{.emacs} directly. Simple configuration options are described
1327rather completely in @inforef{Init File, Init File, emacs}, for users
1328interested in performing frequently requested, basic tasks.
1329
1330Sometimes users are unsure as to where their @file{.emacs} file should
1331be found. Visiting the file as @file{~/.emacs} from Emacs will find
1332the correct file.
1333
1334@node Using Customize, Colors on a TTY, Setting up a customization file, Common requests
1335@section How do I start using Customize?
1336@cindex Customize groups
1337@cindex Customizing variables
1338@cindex Customizing faces
1339
1340The main Customize entry point is @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET}}. This
1341command takes you to a buffer listing all the available Customize
1342groups. From there, you can access all customizable options and faces,
1343change their values, and save your changes to your init file.
1344@inforef{Easy Customization, Easy Customization, emacs}.
1345
1346If you know the name of the group in advance (e.g. ``shell''), use
1347@kbd{M-x customize-group @key{RET}}.
1348
1349If you wish to customize a single option, use @kbd{M-x customize-option
1350@key{RET}}. This command prompts you for the name of the option to
1351customize, with completion.
1352
1353@node Colors on a TTY, Debugging a customization file, Using Customize, Common requests
1354@section How do I get colors and syntax highlighting on a TTY?
1355@cindex Colors on a TTY
1356@cindex Syntax highlighting on a TTY
1357@cindex Console, colors
1358
1359In Emacs 21.1 and later, colors and faces are supported in non-windowed mode,
1360i.e.@: on Unix and GNU/Linux text-only terminals and consoles, and when
1361invoked as @samp{emacs -nw} on X, MS-Windows, and Mac. (Colors and faces were
1362supported in the MS-DOS port since Emacs 19.29.) Emacs automatically
1363detects color support at startup and uses it if available. If you think
1364that your terminal supports colors, but Emacs won't use them, check the
1365@code{termcap} entry for your display type for color-related
1366capabilities.
1367
1368The command @kbd{M-x list-colors-display} pops up a window which
1369exhibits all the colors Emacs knows about on the current display.
1370
1371Syntax highlighting is on by default since version 22.1.
1372
1373@node Debugging a customization file, Displaying the current line or column, Colors on a TTY, Common requests
1374@section How do I debug a @file{.emacs} file?
1375@cindex Debugging @file{.emacs} file
1376@cindex @file{.emacs} debugging
1377@cindex Init file debugging
1378@cindex @samp{-debug-init} option
1379
1380Start Emacs with the @samp{-debug-init} command-line option. This
1381enables the Emacs Lisp debugger before evaluating your @file{.emacs}
1382file, and places you in the debugger if something goes wrong. The top
1383line in the @file{trace-back} buffer will be the error message, and the
1384second or third line of that buffer will display the Lisp code from your
1385@file{.emacs} file that caused the problem.
1386
1387You can also evaluate an individual function or argument to a function
1388in your @file{.emacs} file by moving the cursor to the end of the
1389function or argument and typing @kbd{C-x C-e} (@kbd{M-x
1390eval-last-sexp}).
1391
1392Use @kbd{C-h v} (@kbd{M-x describe-variable}) to check the value of
1393variables which you are trying to set or use.
1394
1395@node Displaying the current line or column, Displaying the current file name in the titlebar, Debugging a customization file, Common requests
1396@section How do I make Emacs display the current line (or column) number?
1397@cindex @code{line-number-mode}
1398@cindex Displaying the current line or column
1399@cindex Line number, displaying the current
1400@cindex Column, displaying the current
1401@cindex @code{mode-line-format}
1402
1403To have Emacs automatically display the current line number of the point
1404in the mode line, do @kbd{M-x line-number-mode}. You can also put the
1405form
1406
1407@lisp
1408(setq line-number-mode t)
1409@end lisp
1410
1411@noindent
1412in your @file{.emacs} file to achieve this whenever you start Emacs.
1413(Line number display is on by default, unless your site-specific
1414initialization disables it.) Note that Emacs will not display the line
1415number if the buffer's size in bytes is larger than the value of the
1416variable @code{line-number-display-limit}.
1417
1418You can similarly display the current column with
1419@kbd{M-x column-number-mode}, or by putting the form
1420
1421@lisp
1422(setq column-number-mode t)
1423@end lisp
1424
1425@noindent
1426in your @file{.emacs} file.
1427
1428The @code{"%c"} format specifier in the variable @code{mode-line-format}
1429will insert the current column's value into the mode line. See the
1430documentation for @code{mode-line-format} (using @kbd{C-h v
1431mode-line-format @key{RET}}) for more information on how to set and use
1432this variable.
1433
1434Users of all Emacs versions can display the current column using the
1435@samp{column} package written by @email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per
1436Abrahamsen}. @xref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}, for
1437instructions on how to get it.
1438
1439@cindex Set number capability in @code{vi} emulators
1440None of the @code{vi} emulation modes provide the ``set number''
1441capability of @code{vi} (as far as we know). The @samp{setnu} package
1442written by @email{kyle@@wonderworks.com, Kyle Jones} provides this
1443feature. So too does @samp{wb-line-number}, written by
1444@email{naoki.y.nakamura@@nifty.com, Naoki Nakamura}.
1445
1446@node Displaying the current file name in the titlebar, Turning on abbrevs by default, Displaying the current line or column, Common requests
1447@section How can I modify the titlebar to contain the current file name?
1448@cindex Titlebar, displaying the current file name in
1449@cindex File name, displaying in the titlebar
1450@cindex @code{frame-title-format}
1451
1452The contents of an Emacs frame's titlebar is controlled by the variable
1453@code{frame-title-format}, which has the same structure as the variable
1454@code{mode-line-format}. (Use @kbd{C-h v} or @kbd{M-x
1455describe-variable} to get information about one or both of these
1456variables.)
1457
1458By default, the titlebar for a frame does contain the name of the buffer
1459currently being visited, except if there is a single frame. In such a
1460case, the titlebar contains Emacs invocation name and the name of the
1461machine at which Emacs was invoked. This is done by setting
1462@code{frame-title-format} to the default value of
1463
1464@lisp
1465(multiple-frames "%b" ("" invocation-name "@@" system-name))
1466@end lisp
1467
1468To modify the behavior such that frame titlebars contain the buffer's
1469name regardless of the number of existing frames, include the following
1470in your @file{.emacs}:
1471
1472@lisp
1473(setq frame-title-format "%b")
1474@end lisp
1475
1476@node Turning on abbrevs by default, Associating modes with files, Displaying the current file name in the titlebar, Common requests
1477@section How do I turn on abbrevs by default just in mode @var{mymode}?
1478@cindex Abbrevs, turning on by default
1479
1480Put this in your @file{.emacs} file:
1481
1482@lisp
1483(condition-case ()
1484 (quietly-read-abbrev-file)
1485 (file-error nil))
1486
1487(add-hook '@var{mymode}-mode-hook
1488 (lambda ()
1489 (setq abbrev-mode t)))
1490@end lisp
1491
1492Starting with Emacs 22, the standard abbrevs file is read automatically
1493at startup, so the first of these two forms becomes unnecessary.
1494
1495@node Associating modes with files, Highlighting a region, Turning on abbrevs by default, Common requests
1496@section How do I make Emacs use a certain major mode for certain files?
1497@cindex Associating modes with files
1498@cindex File extensions and modes
1499@cindex @code{auto-mode-alist}, modifying
1500@cindex Modes, associating with file extensions
1501
1502If you want to use a certain mode @var{foo} for all files whose names end
1503with the extension @file{.@var{bar}}, this will do it for you:
1504
1505@lisp
1506(setq auto-mode-alist (cons '("\\.@var{bar}\\'" . @var{foo}-mode) auto-mode-alist))
1507@end lisp
1508
1509Otherwise put this somewhere in the first line of any file you want to
1510edit in the mode @var{foo} (in the second line, if the first line begins
1511with @samp{#!}):
1512
1513@example
1514-*- @var{foo} -*-
1515@end example
1516
1517@cindex Major mode for shell scripts
1518Beginning with Emacs 19, the variable @code{interpreter-mode-alist}
1519specifies which mode to use when loading a shell script. (Emacs
1520determines which interpreter you're using by examining the first line of
1521the script.) This feature only applies when the file name doesn't
1522indicate which mode to use. Use @kbd{C-h v} (or @kbd{M-x
1523describe-variable}) on @code{interpreter-mode-alist} to learn more.
1524
1525@node Highlighting a region, Replacing highlighted text, Associating modes with files, Common requests
1526@section How can I highlight a region of text in Emacs?
1527@cindex Highlighting text
1528@cindex Text, highlighting
1529@cindex @code{transient-mark-mode}
1530@cindex Region, highlighting a
1531
1532You can cause the region to be highlighted when the mark is active by
1533including
1534
1535@lisp
1536(transient-mark-mode t)
1537@end lisp
1538
1539@noindent
1540in your @file{.emacs} file.
1541
1542@node Replacing highlighted text, Controlling case sensitivity, Highlighting a region, Common requests
1543@section How can I replace highlighted text with what I type?
1544@cindex @code{delete-selection-mode}
1545@cindex Replacing highlighted text
1546@cindex Highlighting and replacing text
1547
1548Use @code{delete-selection-mode}, which you can start automatically by
1549placing the following Lisp form in your @file{.emacs} file:
1550
1551@lisp
1552(delete-selection-mode 1)
1553@end lisp
1554
1555According to the documentation string for @code{delete-selection-mode}
1556(which you can read using @kbd{M-x describe-function @key{RET}
1557delete-selection-mode @key{RET}}):
1558
1559@quotation
1560When ON, typed text replaces the selection if the selection is active.
1561When OFF, typed text is just inserted at point.
1562@end quotation
1563
1564This mode also allows you to delete (not kill) the highlighted region by
1565pressing @key{DEL}.
1566
1567@node Controlling case sensitivity, Working with unprintable characters, Replacing highlighted text, Common requests
1568@section How do I control Emacs's case-sensitivity when searching/replacing?
1569@cindex @code{case-fold-search}
1570@cindex Case sensitivity of searches
1571@cindex Searching without case sensitivity
1572@cindex Ignoring case in searches
1573
1574For searching, the value of the variable @code{case-fold-search}
1575determines whether they are case sensitive:
1576
1577@lisp
1578(setq case-fold-search nil) ; make searches case sensitive
1579(setq case-fold-search t) ; make searches case insensitive
1580@end lisp
1581
1582@cindex Case sensitivity in replacements
1583@cindex Replacing, and case sensitivity
1584@cindex @code{case-replace}
1585Similarly, for replacing, the variable @code{case-replace} determines
1586whether replacements preserve case.
1587
1588You can also toggle case sensitivity at will in isearch with @kbd{M-c}.
1589
1590To change the case sensitivity just for one major mode, use the major
1591mode's hook. For example:
1592
1593@lisp
1594(add-hook '@var{foo}-mode-hook
1595 (lambda ()
1596 (setq case-fold-search nil)))
1597@end lisp
1598
1599@node Working with unprintable characters, Searching for/replacing newlines, Controlling case sensitivity, Common requests
1600@section How do I search for, delete, or replace unprintable (eight-bit or control) characters?
1601@cindex Unprintable characters, working with
1602@cindex Working with unprintable characters
1603@cindex Control characters, working with
1604@cindex Eight-bit characters, working with
1605@cindex Searching for unprintable characters
1606@cindex Regexps and unprintable characters
1607
1608To search for a single character that appears in the buffer as, for
1609example, @samp{\237}, you can type @kbd{C-s C-q 2 3 7}. (This assumes
1610the value of @code{search-quote-char} is 17 (i.e., @kbd{C-q}).)
1611Searching for @strong{all} unprintable characters is best done with a
1612regular expression (@dfn{regexp}) search. The easiest regexp to use for
1613the unprintable chars is the complement of the regexp for the printable
1614chars.
1615
1616@itemize @bullet
1617
1618@item
1619Regexp for the printable chars: @samp{[\t\n\r\f -~]}
1620
1621@item
1622Regexp for the unprintable chars: @samp{[^\t\n\r\f -~]}
1623
1624@end itemize
1625
1626To type these special characters in an interactive argument to
1627@code{isearch-forward-regexp} or @code{re-search-forward}, you need to
1628use @kbd{C-q}. (@samp{\t}, @samp{\n}, @samp{\r}, and @samp{\f} stand
1629respectively for @key{TAB}, @key{LFD}, @key{RET}, and @kbd{C-l}.) So,
1630to search for unprintable characters using @code{re-search-forward}:
1631
1632@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}}
1633
1634Using @code{isearch-forward-regexp}:
1635
1636@kbd{C-M-s [^ @key{TAB} @key{LFD} C-q @key{RET} C-q C-l @key{SPC} -~]}
1637
1638To delete all unprintable characters, simply use replace-regexp:
1639
1640@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}}
1641
1642Replacing is similar to the above. To replace all unprintable
1643characters with a colon, use:
1644
1645M-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}
1646
1647@node Searching for/replacing newlines, Yanking text in isearch, Working with unprintable characters, Common requests
1648@section How do I input a newline character in isearch or query-replace?
1649@cindex Searching for newlines
1650@cindex Replacing newlines
1651
1652Use @kbd{C-q C-j}. For more information, see @inforef{Special Isearch,
1653Special Input for Incremental Search, emacs}.
1654
1655
1656@node Yanking text in isearch, Wrapping words automatically, Searching for/replacing newlines, Common requests
1657@section How do I copy text from the kill ring into the search string?
1658@cindex Yanking text into the search string
1659@cindex isearch yanking
1660
1661Use @kbd{M-y}. @inforef{Isearch Yank, Isearch Yanking, emacs}.
1662
1663@node Wrapping words automatically, Turning on auto-fill by default, Yanking text in isearch, Common requests
1664@section How do I make Emacs wrap words for me?
1665@cindex Wrapping word automatically
1666@cindex Wrapping lines
1667@cindex Line wrap
1668@cindex @code{auto-fill-mode}, introduction to
1669@cindex Maximum line width, default value
1670@cindex @code{fill-column}, default value
1671
1672Use @code{auto-fill-mode}, activated by typing @kbd{M-x auto-fill-mode}.
1673The default maximum line width is 70, determined by the variable
1674@code{fill-column}. To learn how to turn this on automatically, see
1675@ref{Turning on auto-fill by default}.
1676
1677@node Turning on auto-fill by default, Spell-checkers, Wrapping words automatically, Common requests
1678@section How do I turn on @code{auto-fill-mode} by default?
1679@cindex @code{auto-fill-mode}, activating automatically
1680@cindex Filling automatically
1681@cindex Automatic entry to @code{auto-fill-mode}
1682
1683To turn on @code{auto-fill-mode} just once for one buffer, use @kbd{M-x
1684auto-fill-mode}.
1685
1686To turn it on for every buffer in a certain mode, you must use the hook
1687for that mode. For example, to turn on @code{auto-fill} mode for all
1688text buffers, including the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
1689
1690@lisp
1691(add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-auto-fill)
1692@end lisp
1693
1694If you want @code{auto-fill} mode on in all major modes, do this:
1695
1696@lisp
1697(setq-default auto-fill-function 'do-auto-fill)
1698@end lisp
1699
1700@node Spell-checkers, Checking TeX and *roff documents, Turning on auto-fill by default, Common requests
1701@section Where can I get a better spelling checker for Emacs?
1702@cindex Checking spelling
1703@cindex Spelling, checking text documents
1704
1705Use Ispell. @xref{Ispell}.
1706
1707@node Checking TeX and *roff documents, Changing load-path, Spell-checkers, Common requests
1708@section How can I spell-check @TeX{} or *roff documents?
1709@cindex Spelling, checking @TeX{} documents
1710@cindex @TeX{} documents, checking spelling in
1711
1712Use Ispell. Ispell can handle @TeX{} and *roff documents.
1713@xref{Ispell}.
1714
1715@node Changing load-path, Using an already running Emacs process, Checking TeX and *roff documents, Common requests
1716@section How do I change @code{load-path}?
1717@cindex @code{load-path}, modifying
1718@cindex Modifying @code{load-path}
1719@cindex Adding to @code{load-path}
1720
1721In general, you should only add to the @code{load-path}. You can add
1722directory @var{/dir/subdir} to the load path like this:
1723
1724@lisp
1725(setq load-path (cons "/dir/subdir/" load-path))
1726@end lisp
1727
1728To do this relative to your home directory:
1729
1730@lisp
1731(setq load-path (cons "~/mysubdir/" load-path))
1732@end lisp
1733
1734@node Using an already running Emacs process, Compiler error messages, Changing load-path, Common requests
1735@section How do I use an already running Emacs from another window?
1736@cindex @code{emacsclient}
1737@cindex Emacs server functions
1738@cindex Using an existing Emacs process
1739
1740@code{emacsclient}, which comes with Emacs, is for editing a file using
1741an already running Emacs rather than starting up a new Emacs. It does
1742this by sending a request to the already running Emacs, which must be
1743expecting the request.
1744
1745@itemize @bullet
1746
1747@item
1748Setup:
1749
1750Emacs must have executed the @code{server-start} function for
1751@samp{emacsclient} to work. This can be done either by a command line
1752option:
1753
1754@example
1755emacs -f server-start
1756@end example
1757
1758or by invoking @code{server-start} from @file{.emacs}:
1759
1760@lisp
1761(if (@var{some conditions are met}) (server-start))
1762@end lisp
1763
1764When this is done, Emacs creates a Unix domain socket named
1765@file{server} in @file{/tmp/emacs@var{userid}}. See
1766@code{server-socket-dir}.
1767
1768To get your news reader, mail reader, etc., to invoke
1769@samp{emacsclient}, try setting the environment variable @code{EDITOR}
1770(or sometimes @code{VISUAL}) to the value @samp{emacsclient}. You may
1771have to specify the full pathname of the @samp{emacsclient} program
1772instead. Examples:
1773
1774@example
1775# csh commands:
1776setenv EDITOR emacsclient
1777
1778# using full pathname
1779setenv EDITOR /usr/local/emacs/etc/emacsclient
1780
1781# sh command:
1782EDITOR=emacsclient ; export EDITOR
1783@end example
1784
1785@item
1786Normal use:
1787
1788When @samp{emacsclient} is run, it connects to the socket and passes its
1789command line options to Emacs, which at the next opportunity will visit
1790the files specified. (Line numbers can be specified just like with
1791Emacs.) The user will have to switch to the Emacs window by hand. When
1792the user is done editing a file, the user can type @kbd{C-x #} (or
1793@kbd{M-x server-edit}) to indicate this. If there is another buffer
1794requested by @code{emacsclient}, Emacs will switch to it; otherwise
1795@code{emacsclient} will exit, signaling the calling program to continue.
1796
1797@cindex @code{gnuserv}
1798There is an enhanced version of @samp{emacsclient} called
1799@samp{gnuserv}, written by @email{ange@@hplb.hpl.hp.com, Andy Norman}
1800(@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). @samp{gnuserv} uses
1801Internet domain sockets, so it can work across most network connections.
1802
1803The most recent @samp{gnuserv} package is available at
1804
1805@uref{http://meltin.net/hacks/emacs/}
1806
1807@end itemize
1808
1809@node Compiler error messages, Indenting switch statements, Using an already running Emacs process, Common requests
1810@section How do I make Emacs recognize my compiler's funny error messages?
1811@cindex Compiler error messages, recognizing
1812@cindex Recognizing non-standard compiler errors
1813@cindex Regexps for recognizing compiler errors
1814@cindex Errors, recognizing compiler
1815
1816Customize the @code{compilation-error-regexp-alist} variable.
1817
1818@node Indenting switch statements, Customizing C and C++ indentation, Compiler error messages, Common requests
1819@section How do I change the indentation for @code{switch}?
1820@cindex @code{switch}, indenting
1821@cindex Indenting of @code{switch}
1822
1823Many people want to indent their @code{switch} statements like this:
1824
1825@example
1826f()
1827@{
1828 switch(x) @{
1829 case A:
1830 x1;
1831 break;
1832 case B:
1833 x2;
1834 break;
1835 default:
1836 x3;
1837 @}
1838@}
1839@end example
1840
1841The solution at first appears to be: set @code{c-indent-level} to 4 and
1842@code{c-label-offset} to -2. However, this will give you an indentation
1843spacing of four instead of two.
1844
1845The @emph{real} solution is to use @code{cc-mode} (the default mode for
1846C programming in Emacs 20 and later) and add the following line to your
1847@file{.emacs}:
1848
1849@lisp
1850(c-set-offset 'case-label '+)
1851@end lisp
1852
1853There appears to be no way to do this with the old @code{c-mode}.
1854
1855@node Customizing C and C++ indentation, Horizontal scrolling, Indenting switch statements, Common requests
1856@section How to customize indentation in C, C@t{++}, and Java buffers?
1857@cindex Indentation, how to customize
1858@cindex Customize indentation
1859
1860The Emacs @code{cc-mode} features an interactive procedure for
1861customizing the indentation style, which is fully explained in the
1862@cite{CC Mode} manual that is part of the Emacs distribution, see
1863@ref{Customizing Indentation, , Customization Indentation, ccmode,
1864The CC Mode Manual}. Here's a short summary of the procedure:
1865
1866@enumerate
1867@item
1868Go to the beginning of the first line where you don't like the
1869indentation and type @kbd{C-c C-o}. Emacs will prompt you for the
1870syntactic symbol; type @key{RET} to accept the default it suggests.
1871
1872@item
1873Emacs now prompts for the offset of this syntactic symbol, showing the
1874default (the current definition) inside parentheses. You can choose
1875one of these:
1876
1877@table @code
1878@item 0
1879No extra indentation.
1880@item +
1881Indent one basic offset.
1882@item -
1883Outdent one basic offset.
1884@item ++
1885Indent two basic offsets
1886@item --
1887Outdent two basic offsets.
1888@item *
1889Indent half basic offset.
1890@item /
1891Outdent half basic offset.
1892@end table
1893
1894@item
1895After choosing one of these symbols, type @kbd{C-c C-q} to reindent
1896the line or the block according to what you just specified.
1897
1898@item
1899If you don't like the result, go back to step 1. Otherwise, add the
1900following line to your @file{.emacs}:
1901
1902@lisp
1903(c-set-offset '@var{syntactic-symbol} @var{offset})
1904@end lisp
1905
1906@noindent
1907where @var{syntactic-symbol} is the name Emacs shows in the minibuffer
1908when you type @kbd{C-c C-o} at the beginning of the line, and
1909@var{offset} is one of the indentation symbols listed above (@code{+},
1910@code{/}, @code{0}, etc.) that you've chosen during the interactive
1911procedure.
1912
1913@item
1914Go to the next line whose indentation is not to your liking and repeat
1915the process there.
1916@end enumerate
1917
1918It is recommended to put all the resulting @code{(c-set-offset ...)}
1919customizations inside a C mode hook, like this:
1920
1921@lisp
1922(defun my-c-mode-hook ()
1923 (c-set-offset ...)
1924 (c-set-offset ...))
1925(add-hook 'c-mode-hook 'my-c-mode-hook)
1926@end lisp
1927
1928@noindent
1929Using @code{c-mode-hook} avoids the need to put a @w{@code{(require
1930'cc-mode)}} into your @file{.emacs} file, because @code{c-set-offset}
1931might be unavailable when @code{cc-mode} is not loaded.
1932
1933Note that @code{c-mode-hook} runs for C source files only; use
1934@code{c++-mode-hook} for C@t{++} sources, @code{java-mode-hook} for
1935Java sources, etc. If you want the same customizations to be in
1936effect in @emph{all} languages supported by @code{cc-mode}, use
1937@code{c-mode-common-hook}.
1938
1939@node Horizontal scrolling, Overwrite mode, Customizing C and C++ indentation, Common requests
1940@section How can I make Emacs automatically scroll horizontally?
1941@cindex @code{hscroll-mode}
1942@cindex Horizontal scrolling
1943@cindex Scrolling horizontally
1944
1945In Emacs 21 and later, this is on by default: if the variable
1946@code{truncate-lines} is non-@code{nil} in the current buffer, Emacs
1947automatically scrolls the display horizontally when point moves off the
1948left or right edge of the window.
1949
1950Note that this is overridden by the variable
1951@code{truncate-partial-width-windows} if that variable is non-nil
1952and the current buffer is not full-frame width.
1953
1954In Emacs 20, use the @code{hscroll-mode}. Here is some information from
1955the documentation, available by typing @kbd{C-h f hscroll-mode @key{RET}}:
1956
1957Automatically scroll horizontally when the point moves off the
1958left or right edge of the window.
1959
1960@itemize @minus
1961@item
1962Type @kbd{M-x hscroll-mode} to enable it in the current buffer.
1963
1964@item
1965Type @kbd{M-x hscroll-global-mode} to enable it in every buffer.
1966
1967@item
1968@code{turn-on-hscroll} is useful in mode hooks as in:
1969
1970@lisp
1971(add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-hscroll)
1972@end lisp
1973
1974@item
1975@code{hscroll-margin} controls how close the cursor can get to the
1976edge of the window.
1977
1978@item
1979@code{hscroll-step-percent} controls how far to jump once we decide to do so.
1980@end itemize
1981
1982@node Overwrite mode, Turning off beeping, Horizontal scrolling, Common requests
1983@section How do I make Emacs ``typeover'' or ``overwrite'' instead of inserting?
1984@cindex @key{Insert}
1985@cindex @code{overwrite-mode}
1986@cindex Overwriting existing text
1987@cindex Toggling @code{overwrite-mode}
1988
1989@kbd{M-x overwrite-mode} (a minor mode). This toggles
1990@code{overwrite-mode} on and off, so exiting from @code{overwrite-mode}
1991is as easy as another @kbd{M-x overwrite-mode}.
1992
1993On some systems, @key{Insert} toggles @code{overwrite-mode} on and off.
1994
1995@node Turning off beeping, Turning the volume down, Overwrite mode, Common requests
1996@section How do I stop Emacs from beeping on a terminal?
1997@cindex Beeping, turning off
1998@cindex Visible bell
1999@cindex Bell, visible
2000
2001@email{martin@@cc.gatech.edu, Martin R. Frank} writes:
2002
2003Tell Emacs to use the @dfn{visible bell} instead of the audible bell,
2004and set the visible bell to nothing.
2005
2006That is, put the following in your @code{TERMCAP} environment variable
2007(assuming you have one):
2008
2009@example
2010... :vb=: ...
2011@end example
2012
2013And evaluate the following Lisp form:
2014
2015@example
2016(setq visible-bell t)
2017@end example
2018
2019@node Turning the volume down, Automatic indentation, Turning off beeping, Common requests
2020@section How do I turn down the bell volume in Emacs running under X?
2021@cindex Bell, volume of
2022@cindex Volume of bell
2023
2024On X Window system, you can adjust the bell volume and duration for all
2025programs with the shell command @code{xset}.
2026
2027Invoking @code{xset} without any arguments produces some basic
2028information, including the following:
2029
2030@example
2031usage: xset [-display host:dpy] option ...
2032 To turn bell off:
2033 -b b off b 0
2034 To set bell volume, pitch and duration:
2035 b [vol [pitch [dur]]] b on
2036@end example
2037
2038@node Automatic indentation, Matching parentheses, Turning the volume down, Common requests
2039@section How do I tell Emacs to automatically indent a new line to the indentation of the previous line?
2040@cindex Indenting new lines
2041@cindex New lines, indenting of
2042@cindex Previous line, indenting according to
2043@cindex Text indentation
2044
2045Such behavior is automatic in Emacs 20 and later. From the
2046@file{etc/NEWS} file for Emacs 20.2:
2047
2048@example
2049** In Text mode, now only blank lines separate paragraphs. This makes
2050it possible to get the full benefit of Adaptive Fill mode in Text mode,
2051and other modes derived from it (such as Mail mode). @key{TAB} in Text
2052mode now runs the command @code{indent-relative}; this makes a practical
2053difference only when you use indented paragraphs.
2054
2055As a result, the old Indented Text mode is now identical to Text mode,
2056and is an alias for it.
2057
2058If you want spaces at the beginning of a line to start a paragraph, use
2059the new mode, Paragraph Indent Text mode.
2060@end example
2061
2062@cindex Prefixing lines
2063@cindex Fill prefix
2064If you have @code{auto-fill-mode} turned on (@pxref{Turning on auto-fill
2065by default}), you can tell Emacs to prefix every line with a certain
2066character sequence, the @dfn{fill prefix}. Type the prefix at the
2067beginning of a line, position point after it, and then type @kbd{C-x .}
2068(@code{set-fill-prefix}) to set the fill prefix. Thereafter,
2069auto-filling will automatically put the fill prefix at the beginning of
2070new lines, and @kbd{M-q} (@code{fill-paragraph}) will maintain any fill
2071prefix when refilling the paragraph.
2072
2073If you have paragraphs with different levels of indentation, you will
2074have to set the fill prefix to the correct value each time you move to a
2075new paragraph. There are many packages available to deal with this
2076(@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). Look for ``fill'' and
2077``indent'' keywords for guidance.
2078
2079@node Matching parentheses, Hiding #ifdef lines, Automatic indentation, Common requests
2080@section How do I show which parenthesis matches the one I'm looking at?
2081@cindex Parentheses, matching
2082@cindex @file{paren.el}
2083@cindex Highlighting matching parentheses
2084@cindex Pairs of parentheses, highlighting
2085@cindex Matching parentheses
2086
2087Call @code{show-paren-mode} in your @file{.emacs} file:
2088
2089@lisp
2090(show-paren-mode 1)
2091@end lisp
2092
2093You can also enable this mode by selecting the @samp{Paren Match
2094Highlighting} option from the @samp{Options} menu of the Emacs menu bar
2095at the top of any Emacs frame.
2096
2097Alternatives to this mode include:
2098
2099@itemize @bullet
2100
2101@item
2102If you're looking at a right parenthesis (or brace or bracket) you can
2103delete it and reinsert it. Emacs will momentarily move the cursor to
2104the matching parenthesis.
2105
2106@item
2107@kbd{C-M-f} (@code{forward-sexp}) and @kbd{C-M-b} (@code{backward-sexp})
2108will skip over one set of balanced parentheses, so you can see which
2109parentheses match. (You can train it to skip over balanced brackets
2110and braces at the same time by modifying the syntax table.)
2111
2112@cindex Show matching paren as in @code{vi}
2113@item
2114Here is some Emacs Lisp that will make the @key{%} key show the matching
2115parenthesis, like in @code{vi}. In addition, if the cursor isn't over a
2116parenthesis, it simply inserts a % like normal.
2117
2118@lisp
2119;; By an unknown contributor
2120
2121(global-set-key "%" 'match-paren)
2122
2123(defun match-paren (arg)
2124 "Go to the matching paren if on a paren; otherwise insert %."
2125 (interactive "p")
2126 (cond ((looking-at "\\s\(") (forward-list 1) (backward-char 1))
2127 ((looking-at "\\s\)") (forward-char 1) (backward-list 1))
2128 (t (self-insert-command (or arg 1)))))
2129@end lisp
2130
2131@end itemize
2132
2133@node Hiding #ifdef lines, Repeating commands, Matching parentheses, Common requests
2134@section In C mode, can I show just the lines that will be left after @code{#ifdef} commands are handled by the compiler?
2135@cindex @code{#ifdef}, selective display of
2136@cindex @code{hide-ifdef-mode}
2137@cindex Hiding @code{#ifdef} text
2138@cindex Selectively displaying @code{#ifdef} code
2139
2140@kbd{M-x hide-ifdef-mode}. (This is a minor mode.) You might also want
2141to investigate @file{cpp.el}, which is distributed with Emacs.
2142
2143@node Repeating commands, Valid X resources, Hiding #ifdef lines, Common requests
2144@section How do I repeat a command as many times as possible?
2145@cindex Repeating commands many times
2146@cindex Commands, repeating many times
2147@cindex @code{.}, equivalent to @code{vi} command
2148
2149As of Emacs 20.3, there is indeed a @code{repeat} command (@kbd{C-x z})
2150that repeats the last command. If you preface it with a prefix
2151argument, the prefix arg is applied to the command.
2152
2153You can also type @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC}}
2154(@code{repeat-complex-command}) to reinvoke commands that used the
2155minibuffer to get arguments. In @code{repeat-complex-command} you can
2156type @kbd{M-p} and @kbd{M-n} (and also up-arrow and down-arrow, if your
2157keyboard has these keys) to scan through all the different complex
2158commands you've typed.
2159
2160To repeat a set of commands, use keyboard macros. Use @kbd{C-x (} and
2161@kbd{C-x )} to make a keyboard macro that invokes the command and then
2162type @kbd{C-x e}. (@inforef{Keyboard Macros, Keyboard Macros, emacs}.)
2163
2164If you're really desperate for the @code{.} command in @code{vi} that
2165redoes the last insertion/deletion, use VIPER, a @code{vi} emulation
2166mode which comes with Emacs, and which appears to support it.
2167(@xref{VIPER}.)
2168
2169@node Valid X resources, Evaluating Emacs Lisp code, Repeating commands, Common requests
2170@section What are the valid X resource settings (i.e., stuff in .Xdefaults)?
2171@cindex Resources, X
2172@cindex X resources
2173@cindex Setting X resources
2174
2175@inforef{X Resources, X Resources, emacs}.
2176
2177You can also use a resource editor, such as editres (for X11R5 and
2178onwards), to look at the resource names for the menu bar, assuming Emacs
2179was compiled with the X toolkit.
2180
2181@node Evaluating Emacs Lisp code, Changing the length of a Tab, Valid X resources, Common requests
2182@section How do I execute (``evaluate'') a piece of Emacs Lisp code?
2183@cindex Evaluating Lisp code
2184@cindex Lisp forms, evaluating
2185
2186There are a number of ways to execute (@dfn{evaluate}, in Lisp lingo) an
2187Emacs Lisp @dfn{form}:
2188
2189@itemize @bullet
2190
2191@item
2192If you want it evaluated every time you run Emacs, put it in a file
2193named @file{.emacs} in your home directory. This is known as ``your
2194@file{.emacs} file,'' and contains all of your personal customizations.
2195
2196@item
2197You can type the form in the @file{*scratch*} buffer, and then type
2198@key{LFD} (or @kbd{C-j}) after it. The result of evaluating the form
2199will be inserted in the buffer.
2200
2201@item
2202In @code{emacs-lisp-mode}, typing @kbd{C-M-x} evaluates a top-level form
2203before or around point.
2204
2205@item
2206Typing @kbd{C-x C-e} in any buffer evaluates the Lisp form immediately
2207before point and prints its value in the echo area.
2208
2209@item
2210Typing @kbd{M-:} or @kbd{M-x eval-expression} allows you to type a Lisp
2211form in the minibuffer which will be evaluated once you press @key{RET}.
2212
2213@item
2214You can use @kbd{M-x load-file} to have Emacs evaluate all the Lisp
2215forms in a file. (To do this from Lisp use the function @code{load}
2216instead.)
2217
2218The functions @code{load-library}, @code{eval-region},
2219@code{eval-buffer}, @code{require}, and @code{autoload} are also
2220useful; see @ref{Emacs Lisp documentation}, if you want to learn more
2221about them.
2222
2223@end itemize
2224
2225@node Changing the length of a Tab, Inserting text at the beginning of each line, Evaluating Emacs Lisp code, Common requests
2226@section How do I change Emacs's idea of the @key{TAB} character's length?
2227@cindex Tab length
2228@cindex Length of tab character
2229@cindex @code{default-tab-width}
2230
2231Set the variable @code{default-tab-width}. For example, to set
2232@key{TAB} stops every 10 characters, insert the following in your
2233@file{.emacs} file:
2234
2235@lisp
2236(setq default-tab-width 10)
2237@end lisp
2238
2239Do not confuse variable @code{tab-width} with variable
2240@code{tab-stop-list}. The former is used for the display of literal
2241@key{TAB} characters. The latter controls what characters are inserted
2242when you press the @key{TAB} character in certain modes.
2243
2244@node Inserting text at the beginning of each line, Underlining paragraphs, Changing the length of a Tab, Common requests
2245@section How do I insert <some text> at the beginning of every line?
2246@cindex Prefixing a region with some text
2247@cindex Prefix character, inserting in mail/news replies
2248@cindex Replies to mail/news, inserting a prefix character
2249@cindex @code{mail-yank-prefix}
2250@cindex Mail replies, inserting a prefix character
2251@cindex News replies, inserting a prefix character
2252
2253To do this to an entire buffer, type @kbd{M-< M-x replace-regexp
2254@key{RET} ^ @key{RET} your text @key{RET}}.
2255
2256To do this to a region, use @code{string-insert-rectangle}.
2257Set the mark (@kbd{C-@key{SPC}}) at the beginning of the first line you
2258want to prefix, move the cursor to last line to be prefixed, and type
2259@kbd{M-x string-insert-rectangle @key{RET}}. To do this for the whole
2260buffer, type @kbd{C-x h M-x string-insert-rectangle @key{RET}}.
2261
2262If you are trying to prefix a yanked mail message with @samp{>}, you
2263might want to set the variable @code{mail-yank-prefix}. In Message
2264buffers, you can even use @kbd{M-;} to cite yanked messages (@kbd{M-;}
2265runs the function @code{comment-region}, it is a general-purpose
2266mechanism to comment regions) (@pxref{Changing the included text prefix}).
2267
2268@node Underlining paragraphs, Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column, Inserting text at the beginning of each line, Common requests
2269@section How do I insert @samp{_^H} before each character in a region to get an underlined paragraph?
2270@cindex Underlining a region of text
2271@cindex @code{underline-region}
2272
2273Mark the region and then type @kbd{M-x underline-region @key{RET}}.
2274
2275@node Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column, Forcing Emacs to iconify itself, Underlining paragraphs, Common requests
2276@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?
2277@cindex @code{picture-mode}
2278@cindex Remaining in the same column, regardless of contents
2279@cindex Vertical movement in empty documents
2280
2281Use @kbd{M-x picture-mode}.
2282
2283See also the variable @code{track-eol} and the command
2284@code{set-goal-column} bound to @kbd{C-x C-n}
2285(@pxref{Moving Point, , , emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}).
2286
2287@node Forcing Emacs to iconify itself, Using regular expressions, Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column, Common requests
2288@section How do I tell Emacs to iconify itself?
2289@cindex Iconification under the X Window System
2290@cindex X Window System and iconification
2291@cindex Suspending Emacs
2292
2293@kbd{C-z} iconifies Emacs when running under X and suspends Emacs
2294otherwise. @inforef{Frame Commands, Frame Commands, emacs}.
2295
2296@node Using regular expressions, Replacing text across multiple files, Forcing Emacs to iconify itself, Common requests
2297@section How do I use regexps (regular expressions) in Emacs?
2298@cindex Regexps
2299@cindex Regular expressions
2300@cindex Differences between Unix and Emacs regexps
2301@cindex Unix regexps, differences from Emacs
2302@cindex Text strings, putting regexps in
2303
2304@inforef{Regexp Backslash, Regexp Backslash, emacs}.
2305
2306The @code{or} operator is @samp{\|}, not @samp{|}, and the grouping operators
2307are @samp{\(} and @samp{\)}. Also, the string syntax for a backslash is
2308@samp{\\}. To specify a regular expression like @samp{xxx\(foo\|bar\)}
2309in a Lisp string, use @samp{xxx\\(foo\\|bar\\)}.
2310
2311Note the doubled backslashes!
2312
2313@itemize @bullet
2314
2315@item
2316Unlike in Unix @file{grep}, @file{sed}, etc., a complement character set
2317(@samp{[^...]}) can match a newline character (@key{LFD} a.k.a.@:
2318@kbd{C-j} a.k.a.@: @samp{\n}), unless newline is mentioned as one of the
2319characters not to match.
2320
2321@item
2322The character syntax regexps (e.g., @samp{\sw}) are not
2323meaningful inside character set regexps (e.g., @samp{[aeiou]}). (This
2324is actually typical for regexp syntax.)
2325
2326@end itemize
2327
2328@node Replacing text across multiple files, Documentation for etags, Using regular expressions, Common requests
2329@section How do I perform a replace operation across more than one file?
2330@cindex Replacing strings across files
2331@cindex Multiple files, replacing across
2332@cindex Files, replacing strings across multiple
2333@cindex Recursive search/replace operations
2334
2335As of Emacs 19.29, Dired mode (@kbd{M-x dired @key{RET}}, or @kbd{C-x
2336d}) supports the command @code{dired-do-query-replace} (@kbd{Q}), which
2337allows users to replace regular expressions in multiple files.
2338
2339You can use this command to perform search/replace operations on
2340multiple files by following the following steps:
2341
2342@itemize @bullet
2343@item
2344Assemble a list of files you want to operate on with either
2345@code{find-dired}, @code{find-name-dired} or @code{find-grep-dired}.
2346
2347@item
2348Mark all files in the resulting Dired buffer using @kbd{t}.
2349
2350@item
2351Use @kbd{Q} to start a @code{query-replace-regexp} session on the marked
2352files.
2353
2354@item
2355To accept all replacements in each file, hit @kbd{!}.
2356@end itemize
2357
2358Another way to do the same thing is to use the ``tags'' feature of
2359Emacs: it includes the command @code{tags-query-replace} which performs
2360a query-replace across all the files mentioned in the @file{TAGS} file.
2361@inforef{Tags Search, Tags Search, emacs}.
2362
2363@node Documentation for etags, Disabling backups, Replacing text across multiple files, Common requests
2364@section Where is the documentation for @code{etags}?
2365@cindex Documentation for @code{etags}
2366@cindex @code{etags}, documentation for
2367
2368The @code{etags} man page should be in the same place as the
2369@code{emacs} man page.
2370
2371Quick command-line switch descriptions are also available. For example,
2372@samp{etags -H}.
2373
2374@node Disabling backups, Disabling auto-save-mode, Documentation for etags, Common requests
2375@section How do I disable backup files?
2376@cindex Backups, disabling
2377@cindex Disabling backups
2378
2379You probably don't want to do this, since backups are useful, especially
2380when something goes wrong.
2381
2382To avoid seeing backup files (and other ``uninteresting'' files) in Dired,
2383load @code{dired-x} by adding the following to your @file{.emacs} file:
2384
2385@lisp
2386(add-hook 'dired-load-hook
2387 (lambda ()
2388 (load "dired-x")))
2389@end lisp
2390
2391With @code{dired-x} loaded, @kbd{M-o} toggles omitting in each dired buffer.
2392You can make omitting the default for new dired buffers by putting the
2393following in your @file{.emacs}:
2394
2395@lisp
2396(add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'dired-omit-toggle)
2397@end lisp
2398
2399If you're tired of seeing backup files whenever you do an @samp{ls} at
2400the Unix shell, try GNU @code{ls} with the @samp{-B} option. GNU
2401@code{ls} is part of the GNU Fileutils package, available from
2402@samp{ftp.gnu.org} and its mirrors (@pxref{Current GNU distributions}).
2403
2404To disable or change the way backups are made, @inforef{Backup Names, ,
2405emacs}.
2406
2407@cindex Backup files in a single directory
2408Beginning with Emacs 21.1, you can control where Emacs puts backup files
2409by customizing the variable @code{backup-directory-alist}. This
2410variable's value specifies that files whose names match specific patters
2411should have their backups put in certain directories. A typical use is
2412to add the element @code{("." . @var{dir})} to force Emacs to put
2413@strong{all} backup files in the directory @file{dir}.
2414
2415@node Disabling auto-save-mode, Going to a line by number, Disabling backups, Common requests
2416@section How do I disable @code{auto-save-mode}?
2417@cindex Disabling @code{auto-save-mode}
2418@cindex Auto-saving
2419@cindex Saving at frequent intervals
2420
2421You probably don't want to do this, since auto-saving is useful,
2422especially when Emacs or your computer crashes while you are editing a
2423document.
2424
2425Instead, you might want to change the variable
2426@code{auto-save-interval}, which specifies how many keystrokes Emacs
2427waits before auto-saving. Increasing this value forces Emacs to wait
2428longer between auto-saves, which might annoy you less.
2429
2430You might also want to look into Sebastian Kremer's @code{auto-save}
2431package (@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). This
2432package also allows you to place all auto-save files in one directory,
2433such as @file{/tmp}.
2434
2435To disable or change how @code{auto-save-mode} works, @inforef{Auto
2436Save, , emacs}.
2437
2438@node Going to a line by number, Modifying pull-down menus, Disabling auto-save-mode, Common requests
2439@section How can I go to a certain line given its number?
2440@cindex Going to a line by number
2441@cindex Compilation error messages
2442@cindex Recompilation
2443
2444Are you sure you indeed need to go to a line by its number? Perhaps all
2445you want is to display a line in your source file for which a compiler
2446printed an error message? If so, compiling from within Emacs using the
2447@kbd{M-x compile} and @kbd{M-x recompile} commands is a much more
2448effective way of doing that. Emacs automatically intercepts the compile
2449error messages, inserts them into a special buffer called
2450@code{*compilation*}, and lets you visit the locus of each message in
2451the source. Type @kbd{C-x `} to step through the offending lines one by
2452one (starting with Emacs 22, you can also use @kbd{M-g M-p} and
2453@kbd{M-g M-n} to go to the previous and next matches directly). Click
2454@kbd{Mouse-2} or press @key{RET} on a message text in the
2455@code{*compilation*} buffer to go to the line whose number is mentioned
2456in that message.
2457
2458But if you indeed need to go to a certain text line, type @kbd{M-g M-g}
2459(which is the default binding of the @code{goto-line} function starting
2460with Emacs 22). Emacs will prompt you for the number of the line and go
2461to that line.
2462
2463You can do this faster by invoking @code{goto-line} with a numeric
2464argument that is the line's number. For example, @kbd{C-u 286 M-g M-g}
2465will jump to line number 286 in the current buffer.
2466
2467@node Modifying pull-down menus, Deleting menus and menu options, Going to a line by number, Common requests
2468@section How can I create or modify new pull-down menu options?
2469@cindex Pull-down menus, creating or modifying
2470@cindex Menus, creating or modifying
2471@cindex Creating new menu options
2472@cindex Modifying pull-down menus
2473@cindex Menus and keymaps
2474@cindex Keymaps and menus
2475
2476Each menu title (e.g., @samp{File}, @samp{Edit}, @samp{Buffers})
2477represents a local or global keymap. Selecting a menu title with the
2478mouse displays that keymap's non-@code{nil} contents in the form of a menu.
2479
2480So to add a menu option to an existing menu, all you have to do is add a
2481new definition to the appropriate keymap. Adding a @samp{Forward Word}
2482item to the @samp{Edit} menu thus requires the following Lisp code:
2483
2484@lisp
2485(define-key global-map
2486 [menu-bar edit forward]
2487 '("Forward word" . forward-word))
2488@end lisp
2489
2490@noindent
2491The first line adds the entry to the global keymap, which includes
2492global menu bar entries. Replacing the reference to @code{global-map}
2493with a local keymap would add this menu option only within a particular
2494mode.
2495
2496The second line describes the path from the menu-bar to the new entry.
2497Placing this menu entry underneath the @samp{File} menu would mean
2498changing the word @code{edit} in the second line to @code{file}.
2499
2500The third line is a cons cell whose first element is the title that will
2501be displayed, and whose second element is the function that will be
2502called when that menu option is invoked.
2503
2504To add a new menu, rather than a new option to an existing menu, we must
2505define an entirely new keymap:
2506
2507@lisp
2508(define-key global-map [menu-bar words]
2509 (cons "Words" (make-sparse-keymap "Words")))
2510@end lisp
2511
2512The above code creates a new sparse keymap, gives it the name
2513@samp{Words}, and attaches it to the global menu bar. Adding the
2514@samp{Forward Word} item to this new menu would thus require the
2515following code:
2516
2517@lisp
2518(define-key global-map
2519 [menu-bar words forward]
2520 '("Forward word" . forward-word))
2521@end lisp
2522
2523@noindent
2524Note that because of the way keymaps work, menu options are displayed
2525with the more recently defined items at the top. Thus if you were to
2526define menu options @samp{foo}, @samp{bar}, and @samp{baz} (in that
2527order), the menu option @samp{baz} would appear at the top, and
2528@samp{foo} would be at the bottom.
2529
2530One way to avoid this problem is to use the function @code{define-key-after},
2531which works the same as @code{define-key}, but lets you modify where items
2532appear. The following Lisp code would insert the @samp{Forward Word}
2533item in the @samp{Edit} menu immediately following the @samp{Undo} item:
2534
2535@lisp
2536(define-key-after
2537 (lookup-key global-map [menu-bar edit])
2538 [forward]
2539 '("Forward word" . forward-word)
2540 'undo)
2541@end lisp
2542
2543Note how the second and third arguments to @code{define-key-after} are
2544different from those of @code{define-key}, and that we have added a new
2545(final) argument, the function after which our new key should be
2546defined.
2547
2548To move a menu option from one position to another, simply evaluate
2549@code{define-key-after} with the appropriate final argument.
2550
2551More detailed information---and more examples of how to create and
2552modify menu options---are in the @cite{Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}, under
2553``Menu Keymaps.'' (@xref{Emacs Lisp documentation}, for information on
2554this manual.)
2555
2556@node Deleting menus and menu options, Turning on syntax highlighting, Modifying pull-down menus, Common requests
2557@section How do I delete menus and menu options?
2558@cindex Deleting menus and menu options
2559@cindex Menus, deleting
2560
2561The simplest way to remove a menu is to set its keymap to @samp{nil}.
2562For example, to delete the @samp{Words} menu (@pxref{Modifying pull-down
2563menus}), use:
2564
2565@lisp
2566(define-key global-map [menu-bar words] nil)
2567@end lisp
2568
2569Similarly, removing a menu option requires redefining a keymap entry to
2570@code{nil}. For example, to delete the @samp{Forward word} menu option
2571from the @samp{Edit} menu (we added it in @ref{Modifying pull-down
2572menus}), use:
2573
2574@lisp
2575(define-key global-map [menu-bar edit forward] nil)
2576@end lisp
2577
2578@node Turning on syntax highlighting, Scrolling only one line, Deleting menus and menu options, Common requests
2579@section How do I turn on syntax highlighting?
2580@cindex Syntax highlighting
2581@cindex @code{font-lock-mode}
2582@cindex Highlighting based on syntax
2583@cindex Colorizing text
2584@cindex FAQ, @code{font-lock-mode}
2585
2586@code{font-lock-mode} is the standard way to have Emacs perform syntax
2587highlighting in the current buffer. It is enabled by default in Emacs
258822.1 and later.
2589
2590With @code{font-lock-mode} turned on, different types of text will
2591appear in different colors. For instance, in a programming mode,
2592variables will appear in one face, keywords in a second, and comments in
2593a third.
2594
2595@cindex hilit19 is deprecated
2596Earlier versions of Emacs supported hilit19, a similar package. Use of
2597hilit19 is now considered non-standard, although @file{hilit19.el} comes
2598with the stock Emacs distribution. It is no longer maintained.
2599
2600To turn @code{font-lock-mode} off within an existing buffer, use
2601@kbd{M-x font-lock-mode @key{RET}}.
2602
2603In Emacs 21 and earlier versions, you could use the following code in
2604your @file{.emacs} file to turn on @code{font-lock-mode} globally:
2605
2606@lisp
2607(global-font-lock-mode 1)
2608@end lisp
2609
2610Highlighting a buffer with @code{font-lock-mode} can take quite a while,
2611and cause an annoying delay in display, so several features exist to
2612work around this.
2613
2614@cindex Just-In-Time syntax highlighting
2615In Emacs 21 and later, turning on @code{font-lock-mode} automatically
2616activates the new @dfn{Just-In-Time fontification} provided by
2617@code{jit-lock-mode}. @code{jit-lock-mode} defers the fontification of
2618portions of buffer until you actually need to see them, and can also
2619fontify while Emacs is idle. This makes display of the visible portion
2620of a buffer almost instantaneous. For details about customizing
2621@code{jit-lock-mode}, type @kbd{C-h f jit-lock-mode @key{RET}}.
2622
2623@cindex Levels of syntax highlighting
2624@cindex Decoration level, in @code{font-lock-mode}
2625In versions of Emacs before 21, different levels of decoration are
2626available, from slight to gaudy. More decoration means you need to wait
2627more time for a buffer to be fontified (or a faster machine). To
2628control how decorated your buffers should become, set the value of
2629@code{font-lock-maximum-decoration} in your @file{.emacs} file, with a
2630@code{nil} value indicating default (usually minimum) decoration, and a
2631@code{t} value indicating the maximum decoration. For the gaudiest
2632possible look, then, include the line
2633
2634@lisp
2635(setq font-lock-maximum-decoration t)
2636@end lisp
2637
2638@noindent
2639in your @file{.emacs} file. You can also set this variable such that
2640different modes are highlighted in a different ways; for more
2641information, see the documentation for
2642@code{font-lock-maximum-decoration} with @kbd{C-h v} (or @kbd{M-x
2643describe-variable @key{RET}}).
2644
2645Also see the documentation for the function @code{font-lock-mode},
2646available by typing @kbd{C-h f font-lock-mode} (@kbd{M-x
2647describe-function @key{RET} font-lock-mode @key{RET}}).
2648
2649To print buffers with the faces (i.e., colors and fonts) intact, use
2650@kbd{M-x ps-print-buffer-with-faces} or @kbd{M-x
2651ps-print-region-with-faces}. You will need a way to send text to a
2652PostScript printer, or a PostScript interpreter such as Ghostscript;
2653consult the documentation of the variables @code{ps-printer-name},
2654@code{ps-lpr-command}, and @code{ps-lpr-switches} for more details.
2655
2656@node Scrolling only one line, Editing MS-DOS files, Turning on syntax highlighting, Common requests
2657@section How can I force Emacs to scroll only one line when I move past the bottom of the screen?
2658@cindex Scrolling only one line
2659@cindex Reducing the increment when scrolling
2660
2661Customize the @code{scroll-conservatively} variable with @kbd{M-x
2662customize-variable @key{RET} scroll-conservatively @key{RET}} and set it
2663to a large value like, say, 10000. For an explanation of what this
2664means, @inforef{Auto Scrolling, Auto Scrolling, emacs}.
2665
2666Alternatively, use the following Lisp form in your @file{.emacs}:
2667
2668@lisp
2669(setq scroll-conservatively most-positive-fixnum)
2670@end lisp
2671
2672@node Editing MS-DOS files, Filling paragraphs with a single space, Scrolling only one line, Common requests
2673@section How can I edit MS-DOS files using Emacs?
2674@cindex Editing MS-DOS files
2675@cindex MS-DOS files, editing
2676@cindex Microsoft files, editing
2677@cindex Windows files, editing
2678
2679As of Emacs 20, detection and handling of MS-DOS (and Windows) files is
2680performed transparently. You can open MS-DOS files on a Unix system,
2681edit it, and save it without having to worry about the file format.
2682
2683When editing an MS-DOS style file, the mode line will indicate that it
2684is a DOS file. On Unix and GNU/Linux systems, and also on a Macintosh,
2685the string @samp{(DOS)} will appear near the left edge of the mode line;
2686on DOS and Windows, where the DOS end-of-line (EOL) format is the
2687default, a backslash (@samp{\}) will appear in the mode line.
2688
2689If you are running a version of Emacs before 20.1, get @code{crypt++}
2690(@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). Among other things,
2691@code{crypt++} transparently modifies MS-DOS files as they are loaded
2692and saved, allowing you to ignore the different conventions that Unix
2693and MS-DOS have for delineating the end of a line.
2694
2695@node Filling paragraphs with a single space, Escape sequences in shell output, Editing MS-DOS files, Common requests
2696@section How can I tell Emacs to fill paragraphs with a single space after each period?
2697@cindex One space following periods
2698@cindex Single space following periods
2699@cindex Periods, one space following
2700
2701Add the following line to your @file{.emacs} file:
2702
2703@lisp
2704(setq sentence-end-double-space nil)
2705@end lisp
2706
2707@node Escape sequences in shell output, Fullscreen mode on MS-Windows, Filling paragraphs with a single space, Common requests
2708@section Why these strange escape sequences from @code{ls} from the Shell mode?
2709@cindex Escape sequences in @code{ls} output
2710@cindex @code{ls} in Shell mode
2711
2712This happens because @code{ls} is aliased to @samp{ls --color} in your
2713shell init file. You have two alternatives to solve this:
2714
2715@itemize @bullet
2716@item
2717Make the alias conditioned on the @code{EMACS} variable in the
2718environment. When Emacs runs a subsidiary shell, it exports the
2719@code{EMACS} variable to that shell, with value equal to the absolute
2720file name of Emacs. You can
2721unalias @code{ls} when that happens, thus limiting the alias to your
2722interactive sessions.
2723
2724@item
2725Install the @code{ansi-color} package (bundled with Emacs 21.1 and
2726later), which converts these ANSI escape sequences into colors.
2727@end itemize
2728
2729@node Fullscreen mode on MS-Windows, , Escape sequences in shell output, Common requests
2730@section How can I start Emacs in fullscreen mode on MS-Windows?
2731@cindex Maximize frame
2732@cindex Fullscreen mode
2733
2734Use the function @code{w32-send-sys-command}. For example, you can
2735put the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
2736
2737@lisp
2738(add-hook 'term-setup-hook
2739 #'(lambda () (w32-send-sys-command ?\xF030)))
2740@end lisp
2741
2742To avoid the slightly distracting visual effect of Emacs starting with
2743its default frame size and then growing to fullscreen, you can add an
2744@samp{Emacs.Geometry} entry to the Windows registry settings (see
2745@pxref{(emacs)X Resources}).
2746
2747To compute the correct values for width and height, first maximize the
2748Emacs frame and then evaluate @code{(frame-height)} and
2749@code{(frame-width)} with @kbd{M-:}.
2750
2751@c ------------------------------------------------------------
2752@node Bugs and problems, Compiling and installing Emacs, Common requests, Top
2753@chapter Bugs and problems
2754@cindex Bugs and problems
2755
2756The Emacs manual lists some common kinds of trouble users could get
2757into, see @ref{Lossage, , Dealing with Emacs Trouble, emacs, The GNU
2758Emacs Manual}, so you might look there if the problem you encounter
2759isn't described in this chapter. If you decide you've discovered a bug,
2760see @ref{Bugs, , Reporting Bugs, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}, for
2761instructions how to do that.
2762
2763The file @file{etc/PROBLEMS} in the Emacs distribution lists various
2764known problems with building and using Emacs on specific platforms;
2765type @kbd{C-h C-e} to read it.
2766
2767@menu
2768* Problems with very large files::
2769* ^M in the shell buffer::
2770* Shell process exits abnormally::
2771* Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows::
2772* Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs::
2773* Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode::
2774* Problems talking to certain hosts::
2775* Errors with init files::
2776* Emacs ignores X resources::
2777* Emacs ignores frame parameters::
2778* Emacs takes a long time to visit files::
2779* Editing files with $ in the name::
2780* Shell mode loses the current directory::
2781* Security risks with Emacs::
2782* Dired claims that no file is on this line::
2783@end menu
2784
2785@node Problems with very large files, ^M in the shell buffer, Bugs and problems, Bugs and problems
2786@section Does Emacs have problems with files larger than 8 megabytes?
2787@cindex Very large files, opening
2788@cindex Large files, opening
2789@cindex Opening very large files
2790@cindex Maximum file size
2791@cindex Files, maximum size
2792
2793Old versions (i.e., anything before 19.29) of Emacs had problems editing
2794files larger than 8 megabytes. In versions 19.29 and later, the maximum
2795buffer size is at least 2^27-1, or 134,217,727 bytes, or 132 MBytes.
2796And in Emacs 22, the maximum buffer size has been increased to
2797268,435,455 bytes (or 256 MBytes) on 32-bit machines.
2798
2799@node ^M in the shell buffer, Shell process exits abnormally, Problems with very large files, Bugs and problems
2800@section How do I get rid of @samp{^M} or echoed commands in my shell buffer?
2801@cindex Shell buffer, echoed commands and @samp{^M} in
2802@cindex Echoed commands in @code{shell-mode}
2803
2804Try typing @kbd{M-x shell-strip-ctrl-m @key{RET}} while in @code{shell-mode} to
2805make them go away. If that doesn't work, you have several options:
2806
2807For @code{tcsh}, put this in your @file{.cshrc} (or @file{.tcshrc})
2808file:
2809
2810@example
2811if ($?EMACS) then
2812 if ("$EMACS" =~ /*) then
2813 if ($?tcsh) unset edit
2814 stty nl
2815 endif
2816endif
2817@end example
2818
2819Or put this in your @file{.emacs_tcsh} or @file{~/.emacs.d/init_tcsh.sh} file:
2820
2821@example
2822unset edit
2823stty nl
2824@end example
2825
2826Alternatively, use @code{csh} in your shell buffers instead of
2827@code{tcsh}. One way is:
2828
2829@lisp
2830(setq explicit-shell-file-name "/bin/csh")
2831@end lisp
2832
2833@noindent
2834and another is to do this in your @file{.cshrc} (or @file{.tcshrc})
2835file:
2836
2837@example
2838setenv ESHELL /bin/csh
2839@end example
2840
2841@noindent
2842(You must start Emacs over again with the environment variable properly
2843set for this to take effect.)
2844
2845You can also set the @code{ESHELL} environment variable in Emacs Lisp
2846with the following Lisp form,
2847
2848@lisp
2849(setenv "ESHELL" "/bin/csh")
2850@end lisp
2851
2852The above solutions try to prevent the shell from producing the
2853@samp{^M} characters in the first place. If this is not possible
2854(e.g., if you use a Windows shell), you can get Emacs to remove these
2855characters from the buffer by adding this to your @file{.emacs} init
2856file:
2857
2858@smalllisp
2859(add-hook 'comint-output-filter-functions 'shell-strip-ctrl-m)
2860@end smalllisp
2861
2862On a related note: if your shell is echoing your input line in the shell
2863buffer, you might want to customize the @code{comint-process-echoes}
2864variable in your shell buffers, or try the following command in your
2865shell start-up file:
2866
2867@example
2868stty -icrnl -onlcr -echo susp ^Z
2869@end example
2870
2871@node Shell process exits abnormally, Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows, ^M in the shell buffer, Bugs and problems
2872@section Why do I get ``Process shell exited abnormally with code 1''?
2873@cindex Abnormal exits from @code{shell-mode}
2874@cindex @code{shell-mode} exits
2875@cindex Process shell exited
2876
2877The most likely reason for this message is that the @samp{env} program
2878is not properly installed. Compile this program for your architecture,
2879and install it with @samp{a+x} permission in the architecture-dependent
2880Emacs program directory. (You can find what this directory is at your
2881site by inspecting the value of the variable @code{exec-directory} by
2882typing @kbd{C-h v exec-directory @key{RET}}.)
2883
2884You should also check for other programs named @samp{env} in your path
2885(e.g., SunOS has a program named @file{/usr/bin/env}). We don't
2886understand why this can cause a failure and don't know a general
2887solution for working around the problem in this case.
2888
2889The @samp{make clean} command will remove @samp{env} and other vital
2890programs, so be careful when using it.
2891
2892It has been reported that this sometimes happened when Emacs was started
2893as an X client from an xterm window (i.e., had a controlling tty) but the
2894xterm was later terminated.
2895
2896See also @samp{PROBLEMS} (in the @file{etc} subdirectory of the
2897top-level directory when you unpack the Emacs source) for other
2898possible causes of this message.
2899
2900@node Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows, Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs, Shell process exits abnormally, Bugs and problems
2901@section Why do I get an error message when I try to run @kbd{M-x shell}?
2902
2903@cindex Shell Mode, and MS-Windows
2904@cindex @code{explicit-shell-file-name}
2905On MS-Windows, this might happen because Emacs tries to look for the
2906shell in a wrong place. The default file name @file{/bin/sh} is
2907usually incorrect for non-Unix systems. If you know where your shell
2908executable is, set the variable @code{explicit-shell-file-name} in
2909your @file{.emacs} file to point to its full file name, like this:
2910
2911@lisp
2912(setq explicit-shell-file-name "d:/shells/bash.exe")
2913@end lisp
2914
2915If you don't know what shell does Emacs use, try the @kbd{M-!}
2916command; if that works, put the following line into your
2917@file{.emacs}:
2918
2919@lisp
2920(setq explicit-shell-file-name shell-file-name)
2921@end lisp
2922
2923@cindex Antivirus programs, and Shell Mode
2924Some people have trouble with Shell Mode because of intrusive
2925antivirus software; disabling the resident antivirus program solves
2926the problems in those cases.
2927
2928@node Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs, Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode, Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows, Bugs and problems
2929@section Where is the termcap/terminfo entry for terminal type @samp{emacs}?
2930@cindex Termcap
2931@cindex Terminfo
2932@cindex Emacs entries for termcap/terminfo
2933
2934The termcap entry for terminal type @samp{emacs} is ordinarily put in
2935the @samp{TERMCAP} environment variable of subshells. It may help in
2936certain situations (e.g., using rlogin from shell buffer) to add an
2937entry for @samp{emacs} to the system-wide termcap file. Here is a
2938correct termcap entry for @samp{emacs}:
2939
2940@example
2941emacs:tc=unknown:
2942@end example
2943
2944To make a terminfo entry for @samp{emacs}, use @code{tic} or
2945@code{captoinfo}. You need to generate
2946@file{/usr/lib/terminfo/e/emacs}. It may work to simply copy
2947@file{/usr/lib/terminfo/d/dumb} to @file{/usr/lib/terminfo/e/emacs}.
2948
2949Having a termcap/terminfo entry will not enable the use of full screen
2950programs in shell buffers. Use @kbd{M-x terminal-emulator} for that
2951instead.
2952
2953A workaround to the problem of missing termcap/terminfo entries is to
2954change terminal type @samp{emacs} to type @samp{dumb} or @samp{unknown}
2955in your shell start up file. @code{csh} users could put this in their
2956@file{.cshrc} files:
2957
2958@example
2959if ("$term" == emacs) set term=dumb
2960@end example
2961
2962@node Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode, Problems talking to certain hosts, Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs, Bugs and problems
2963@section Why does Emacs spontaneously start displaying @samp{I-search:} and beeping?
2964@cindex Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode
2965@cindex isearch-mode, spontaneous entry into
2966@cindex Beeping without obvious reason
2967
2968Your terminal (or something between your terminal and the computer) is
2969sending @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} for flow control, and Emacs is receiving
2970these characters and interpreting them as commands. (The @kbd{C-s}
2971character normally invokes the @code{isearch-forward} command.) For
2972possible solutions, see @ref{Handling C-s and C-q with flow control}.
2973
2974@node Problems talking to certain hosts, Errors with init files, Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode, Bugs and problems
2975@section Why can't Emacs talk to certain hosts (or certain hostnames)?
2976@cindex Hosts, Emacs cannot talk to
2977@cindex @code{gethostbyname}, problematic version
2978
2979The problem may be that Emacs is linked with a wimpier version of
2980@code{gethostbyname} than the rest of the programs on the machine. This
2981is often manifested as a message on startup of ``X server not responding.
2982Check your @samp{DISPLAY} environment variable.'' or a message of
2983``Unknown host'' from @code{open-network-stream}.
2984
2985On a Sun, this may be because Emacs had to be linked with the static C
2986library. The version of @code{gethostbyname} in the static C library
2987may only look in @file{/etc/hosts} and the NIS (YP) maps, while the
2988version in the dynamic C library may be smart enough to check DNS in
2989addition to or instead of NIS. On a Motorola Delta running System V
2990R3.6, the version of @code{gethostbyname} in the standard library works,
2991but the one that works with NIS doesn't (the one you get with -linet).
2992Other operating systems have similar problems.
2993
2994Try these options:
2995
2996@itemize @bullet
2997
2998@item
2999Explicitly add the host you want to communicate with to @file{/etc/hosts}.
3000
3001@item
3002Relink Emacs with this line in @file{src/config.h}:
3003
3004@example
3005#define LIBS_SYSTEM -lresolv
3006@end example
3007
3008@item
3009Replace @code{gethostbyname} and friends in @file{libc.a} with more
3010useful versions such as the ones in @file{libresolv.a}. Then relink
3011Emacs.
3012
3013@item
3014If you are actually running NIS, make sure that @code{ypbind} is
3015properly told to do DNS lookups with the correct command line switch.
3016
3017@end itemize
3018
3019@node Errors with init files, Emacs ignores X resources, Problems talking to certain hosts, Bugs and problems
3020@section Why does Emacs say @samp{Error in init file}?
3021@cindex Error in @file{.emacs}
3022@cindex Error in init file
3023@cindex Init file, errors in
3024@cindex @file{.emacs} file, errors in
3025@cindex Debugging @file{.emacs} file
3026
3027An error occurred while loading either your @file{.emacs} file or the
3028system-wide file @file{lisp/default.el}. Emacs 21.1 and later pops the
3029@file{*Messages*} buffer, and puts there some additional information
3030about the error, to provide some hints for debugging.
3031
3032For information on how to debug your @file{.emacs} file, see
3033@ref{Debugging a customization file}.
3034
3035It may be the case that you need to load some package first, or use a
3036hook that will be evaluated after the package is loaded. A common case
3037of this is explained in @ref{Terminal setup code works after Emacs has
3038begun}.
3039
3040@node Emacs ignores X resources, Emacs ignores frame parameters, Errors with init files, Bugs and problems
3041@section Why does Emacs ignore my X resources (my .Xdefaults file)?
3042@cindex X resources being ignored
3043@cindex Ignored X resources
3044@cindex @file{.Xdefaults}
3045
3046As of version 19, Emacs searches for X resources in the files specified
3047by the following environment variables:
3048
3049@itemize @bullet
3050
3051@item @code{XFILESEARCHPATH}
3052@item @code{XUSERFILESEARCHPATH}
3053@item @code{XAPPLRESDIR}
3054
3055@end itemize
3056
3057This emulates the functionality provided by programs written using the
3058Xt toolkit.
3059
3060@code{XFILESEARCHPATH} and @code{XUSERFILESEARCHPATH} should be a list
3061of file names separated by colons. @code{XAPPLRESDIR} should be a list
3062of directory names separated by colons.
3063
3064Emacs searches for X resources:
3065
3066@enumerate
3067
3068@item
3069specified on the command line, with the @samp{-xrm RESOURCESTRING} option,
3070
3071@item
3072then in the value of the @samp{XENVIRONMENT} environment variable,
3073
3074@itemize @minus
3075
3076@item
3077or if that is unset, in the file named
3078@file{~/.Xdefaults-@var{hostname}} if it exists (where @var{hostname} is
3079the name of the machine Emacs is running on),
3080
3081@end itemize
3082
3083@item
3084then in the screen-specific and server-wide resource properties provided
3085by the server,
3086
3087@itemize @minus
3088
3089@item
3090or if those properties are unset, in the file named @file{~/.Xdefaults}
3091if it exists,
3092
3093@end itemize
3094
3095@item
3096then in the files listed in @samp{XUSERFILESEARCHPATH},
3097
3098@itemize @minus
3099
3100@item
3101or in files named @file{@var{lang}/Emacs} in directories listed in
3102@samp{XAPPLRESDIR} (where @var{lang} is the value of the @code{LANG}
3103environment variable), if the @samp{LANG} environment variable is set,
3104@item
3105or in files named Emacs in the directories listed in @samp{XAPPLRESDIR}
3106@item
3107or in @file{~/@var{lang}/Emacs} (if the @code{LANG} environment variable
3108is set),
3109@item
3110or in @file{~/Emacs},
3111
3112@end itemize
3113
3114@item
3115then in the files listed in @code{XFILESEARCHPATH}.
3116
3117@end enumerate
3118
3119@node Emacs ignores frame parameters, Emacs takes a long time to visit files, Emacs ignores X resources, Bugs and problems
3120@section Why don't my customizations of the frame parameters work?
3121@cindex Frame parameters
3122
3123This probably happens because you have set the frame parameters in the
3124variable @code{initial-frame-alist}. That variable holds parameters
3125used only for the first frame created when Emacs starts. To customize
3126the parameters of all frames, change the variable
3127@code{default-frame-alist} instead.
3128
3129These two variables exist because many users customize the initial frame
3130in a special way. For example, you could determine the position and
3131size of the initial frame, but would like to control the geometry of the
3132other frames by individually positioning each one of them.
3133
3134
3135@node Emacs takes a long time to visit files, Editing files with $ in the name, Emacs ignores frame parameters, Bugs and problems
3136@section Why does Emacs take 20 seconds to visit a file?
3137@cindex Visiting files takes a long time
3138@cindex Delay when visiting files
3139@cindex Files, take a long time to visit
3140
3141Old versions of Emacs (i.e., versions before Emacs 20.x) often
3142encountered this when the master lock file, @file{!!!SuperLock!!!}, has
3143been left in the lock directory somehow. Delete it.
3144
3145@email{meuer@@geom.umn.edu, Mark Meuer} says that NeXT NFS has a bug
3146where an exclusive create succeeds but returns an error status. This
3147can cause the same problem. Since Emacs's file locking doesn't work
3148over NFS anyway, the best solution is to recompile Emacs with
3149@code{CLASH_DETECTION} undefined.
3150
3151@node Editing files with $ in the name, Shell mode loses the current directory, Emacs takes a long time to visit files, Bugs and problems
3152@section How do I edit a file with a @samp{$} in its name?
3153@cindex Editing files with @samp{$} in the name
3154@cindex @samp{$} in file names
3155@cindex File names containing @samp{$}, editing
3156
3157When entering a file name in the minibuffer, Emacs will attempt to expand
3158a @samp{$} followed by a word as an environment variable. To suppress
3159this behavior, type @kbd{$$} instead.
3160
3161@node Shell mode loses the current directory, Security risks with Emacs, Editing files with $ in the name, Bugs and problems
3162@section Why does shell mode lose track of the shell's current directory?
3163@cindex Current directory and @code{shell-mode}
3164@cindex @code{shell-mode} and current directory
3165@cindex Directory, current in @code{shell-mode}
3166
3167Emacs has no way of knowing when the shell actually changes its
3168directory. This is an intrinsic limitation of Unix. So it tries to
3169guess by recognizing @samp{cd} commands. If you type @kbd{cd} followed
3170by a directory name with a variable reference (@kbd{cd $HOME/bin}) or
3171with a shell metacharacter (@kbd{cd ../lib*}), Emacs will fail to
3172correctly guess the shell's new current directory. A huge variety of
3173fixes and enhancements to shell mode for this problem have been written
3174to handle this problem (@pxref{Finding a package with particular
3175functionality}).
3176
3177You can tell Emacs the shell's current directory with the command
3178@kbd{M-x dirs}.
3179
3180@node Security risks with Emacs, Dired claims that no file is on this line, Shell mode loses the current directory, Bugs and problems
3181@section Are there any security risks in Emacs?
3182@cindex Security with Emacs
3183@cindex @samp{movemail} and security
3184@cindex @code{file-local-variable} and security
3185@cindex Synthetic X events and security
3186@cindex X events and security
3187
3188@itemize @bullet
3189
3190@item
3191The @file{movemail} incident. (No, this is not a risk.)
3192
3193In his book @cite{The Cuckoo's Egg}, Cliff Stoll describes this in
3194chapter 4. The site at LBL had installed the @file{/etc/movemail}
3195program setuid root. (As of version 19, @file{movemail} is in your
3196architecture-specific directory; type @kbd{C-h v exec-directory
3197@key{RET}} to see what it is.) Since @code{movemail} had not been
3198designed for this situation, a security hole was created and users could
3199get root privileges.
3200
3201@code{movemail} has since been changed so that this security hole will
3202not exist, even if it is installed setuid root. However,
3203@code{movemail} no longer needs to be installed setuid root, which
3204should eliminate this particular risk.
3205
3206We have heard unverified reports that the 1988 Internet worm took
3207advantage of this configuration problem.
3208
3209@item
3210The @code{file-local-variable} feature. (Yes, a risk, but easy to
3211change.)
3212
3213There is an Emacs feature that allows the setting of local values for
3214variables when editing a file by including specially formatted text near
3215the end of the file. This feature also includes the ability to have
3216arbitrary Emacs Lisp code evaluated when the file is visited.
3217Obviously, there is a potential for Trojan horses to exploit this
3218feature.
3219
3220As of Emacs 22, Emacs has a list of local variables that are known to
3221be safe to set. If a file tries to set any variable outside this
3222list, it asks the user to confirm whether the variables should be set.
3223You can also tell Emacs whether to allow the evaluation of Emacs Lisp
3224code found at the bottom of files by setting the variable
3225@code{enable-local-eval}.
3226
3227For more information, @inforef{File Variables, File Variables, emacs}.
3228
3229@item
3230Synthetic X events. (Yes, a risk; use @samp{MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1} or
3231better.)
3232
3233Emacs accepts synthetic X events generated by the @code{SendEvent}
3234request as though they were regular events. As a result, if you are
3235using the trivial host-based authentication, other users who can open X
3236connections to your X workstation can make your Emacs process do
3237anything, including run other processes with your privileges.
3238
3239The only fix for this is to prevent other users from being able to open
3240X connections. The standard way to prevent this is to use a real
3241authentication mechanism, such as @samp{MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1}. If using
3242the @code{xauth} program has any effect, then you are probably using
3243@samp{MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1}. Your site may be using a superior
3244authentication method; ask your system administrator.
3245
3246If real authentication is not a possibility, you may be satisfied by
3247just allowing hosts access for brief intervals while you start your X
3248programs, then removing the access. This reduces the risk somewhat by
3249narrowing the time window when hostile users would have access, but
3250@emph{does not eliminate the risk}.
3251
3252On most computers running Unix and X, you enable and disable
3253access using the @code{xhost} command. To allow all hosts access to
3254your X server, use
3255
3256@example
3257xhost +
3258@end example
3259
3260@noindent
3261at the shell prompt, which (on an HP machine, at least) produces the
3262following message:
3263
3264@example
3265access control disabled, clients can connect from any host
3266@end example
3267
3268To deny all hosts access to your X server (except those explicitly
3269allowed by name), use
3270
3271@example
3272xhost -
3273@end example
3274
3275On the test HP computer, this command generated the following message:
3276
3277@example
3278access control enabled, only authorized clients can connect
3279@end example
3280
3281@end itemize
3282
3283@node Dired claims that no file is on this line, , Security risks with Emacs, Bugs and problems
3284@section Dired says, @samp{no file on this line} when I try to do something.
3285@cindex Dired does not see a file
3286
3287@c FIXME: I think this is fixed in Emacs 21, but I didn't have time to
3288@c check.
3289Chances are you're using a localized version of Unix that doesn't use US
3290date format in dired listings. You can check this by looking at dired
3291listings or by typing @kbd{ls -l} to a shell and looking at the dates that
3292come out.
3293
3294Dired uses a regular expression to find the beginning of a file name.
3295In a long Unix-style directory listing (@samp{ls -l}), the file name
3296starts after the date. The regexp has thus been written to look for the
3297date, the format of which can vary on non-US systems.
3298
3299There are two approaches to solving this. The first one involves
3300setting things up so that @samp{ls -l} outputs US date format. This can
3301be done by setting the locale. See your OS manual for more information.
3302
3303The second approach involves changing the regular expression used by
3304dired, @code{directory-listing-before-filename-regexp}.
3305
3306@c ------------------------------------------------------------
3307@node Compiling and installing Emacs, Finding Emacs and related packages, Bugs and problems, Top
3308@chapter Compiling and installing Emacs
3309@cindex Compiling and installing Emacs
3310
3311@menu
3312* Installing Emacs::
3313* Updating Emacs::
3314* Problems building Emacs::
3315* Linking with -lX11 fails::
3316@end menu
3317
3318@node Installing Emacs, Updating Emacs, Compiling and installing Emacs, Compiling and installing Emacs
3319@section How do I install Emacs?
3320@cindex Installing Emacs
3321@cindex Unix systems, installing Emacs on
3322@cindex Downloading and installing Emacs
3323@cindex Retrieving and installing Emacs
3324@cindex Building Emacs from source
3325@cindex Source code, building Emacs from
3326@cindex Unpacking and installing Emacs
3327
3328This answer is meant for users of Unix and Unix-like systems. Users of
3329other operating systems should see the series of questions beginning
3330with @ref{Emacs for MS-DOS}, which describe where to get non-Unix source
3331and binaries, and how to install Emacs on those systems.
3332
3333For Unix and Unix-like systems, the easiest way is often to compile it
3334from scratch. You will need:
3335
3336@itemize @bullet
3337
3338@item
3339Emacs sources. @xref{Current GNU distributions}, for a list of ftp sites
3340that make them available. On @file{ftp.gnu.org}, the main GNU
3341distribution site, sources are available as
3342
3343@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/emacs-@value{VER}.tar.gz}
3344
3345The above will obviously change as new versions of Emacs come out. For
3346instance, when Emacs 22.42 is released, it will most probably be
3347available as
3348
3349@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/emacs-22.42.tar.gz}
3350
3351Again, you should use one of the GNU mirror sites (see @ref{Current GNU
3352distributions}, and adjust the URL accordingly) so as to reduce load on
3353@file{ftp.gnu.org}.
3354
3355@item
3356@code{gzip}, the GNU compression utility. You can get @code{gzip} via
3357anonymous ftp at mirrors of @file{ftp.gnu.org} sites; it should compile
3358and install without much trouble on most systems. Once you have
3359retrieved the Emacs sources, you will probably be able to uncompress
3360them with the command
3361
3362@example
3363gunzip --verbose emacs-@value{VER}.tar.gz
3364@end example
3365
3366@noindent
3367changing the Emacs version (@value{VER}), as necessary. Once
3368@code{gunzip} has finished doing its job, a file by the name of
3369@file{emacs-@value{VER}.tar} should be in your build directory.
3370
3371@item
3372@code{tar}, the @dfn{tape archiving} program, which moves multiple files
3373into and out of archive files, or @dfn{tarfiles}. All of the files
3374comprising the Emacs source come in a single tarfile, and must be
3375extracted using @code{tar} before you can build Emacs. Typically, the
3376extraction command would look like
3377
3378@example
3379tar -xvvf emacs-@value{VER}.tar
3380@end example
3381
3382@noindent
3383The @samp{x} indicates that we want to extract files from this tarfile,
3384the two @samp{v}s force verbose output, and the @samp{f} tells
3385@code{tar} to use a disk file, rather than one on the tape drive.
3386
3387If you're using GNU @code{tar} (available at mirrors of
3388@file{ftp.gnu.org}), you can combine this step and the previous one by
3389using the command
3390
3391@example
3392tar -zxvvf emacs-@value{VER}.tar.gz
3393@end example
3394
3395@noindent
3396The additional @samp{z} at the beginning of the options list tells GNU
3397@code{tar} to uncompress the file with @code{gunzip} before extracting
3398the tarfile's components.
3399
3400@end itemize
3401
3402At this point, the Emacs sources (all 70+ megabytes of them) should be
3403sitting in a directory called @file{emacs-@value{VER}}. On most common
3404Unix and Unix-like systems, you should be able to compile Emacs (with X
3405Window system support) with the following commands:
3406
3407@example
3408cd emacs-@value{VER} # change directory to emacs-@value{VER}
3409./configure # configure Emacs for your particular system
3410make # use Makefile to build components, then Emacs
3411@end example
3412
3413If the @code{make} completes successfully, the odds are fairly good that
3414the build has gone well. (@xref{Problems building Emacs}, if you weren't
3415successful.)
3416
3417By default, Emacs is installed in the following directories:
3418
3419@table @file
3420@item /usr/local/bin
3421binaries.
3422
3423@item /usr/local/share/emacs/@value{VER}
3424Lisp code and support files.
3425
3426@item /usr/local/info
3427Info documentation.
3428@end table
3429
3430To install files in those default directories, become the superuser and
3431type
3432
3433@example
3434make install
3435@end example
3436
3437Note that @samp{make install} will overwrite @file{/usr/local/bin/emacs}
3438and any Emacs Info files that might be in @file{/usr/local/info}.
3439
3440Much more verbose instructions (with many more hints and suggestions)
3441come with the Emacs sources, in the file @file{INSTALL}.
3442
3443@node Updating Emacs, Problems building Emacs, Installing Emacs, Compiling and installing Emacs
3444@section How do I update Emacs to the latest version?
3445@cindex Updating Emacs
3446
3447@xref{Installing Emacs}, and follow the instructions there for
3448installation.
3449
3450Most files are placed in version-specific directories. Emacs
3451@value{VER}, for instance, places files in
3452@file{/usr/local/share/emacs/@value{VER}}.
3453
3454Upgrading should overwrite only, @file{/usr/local/bin/emacs} (the Emacs
3455binary) and documentation in @file{/usr/local/info}. Back up these
3456files before you upgrade, and you shouldn't have too much trouble.
3457
3458@node Problems building Emacs, Linking with -lX11 fails, Updating Emacs, Compiling and installing Emacs
3459@section What should I do if I have trouble building Emacs?
3460@cindex Problems building Emacs
3461@cindex Errors when building Emacs
3462
3463First look in the file @file{etc/PROBLEMS} (where you unpack the Emacs
3464source) to see if there is already a solution for your problem. Next,
3465look for other questions in this FAQ that have to do with Emacs
3466installation and compilation problems.
3467
3468If you'd like to have someone look at your problem and help solve it,
3469see @ref{Help installing Emacs}.
3470
3471If you cannot find a solution in the documentation, send a message to
3472@email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}.
3473
3474Please don't post it to @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} or send e-mail to
3475@email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}. For further guidelines, see
3476@ref{Guidelines for newsgroup postings} and @ref{Reporting bugs}.
3477
3478@node Linking with -lX11 fails, , Problems building Emacs, Compiling and installing Emacs
3479@section Why does linking Emacs with -lX11 fail?
3480@cindex Linking with -lX11 fails
3481@cindex lX11, linking fails with
3482
3483Emacs needs to be linked with the static version of the X11 library,
3484@file{libX11.a}. This may be missing.
3485
3486On OpenWindows, you may need to use @code{add_services} to add the
3487``OpenWindows Programmers'' optional software category from the CD-ROM.
3488
3489On HP-UX 8.0, you may need to run @code{update} again to load the
3490X11-PRG ``fileset.'' This may be missing even if you specified ``all
3491filesets'' the first time. If @file{libcurses.a} is missing, you may
3492need to load the ``Berkeley Development Option.''
3493
3494@email{zoo@@armadillo.com, David Zuhn} says that MIT X builds shared
3495libraries by default, and only shared libraries, on those platforms that
3496support them. These shared libraries can't be used when undumping
3497@code{temacs} (the last stage of the Emacs build process). To get
3498regular libraries in addition to shared libraries, add this to
3499@file{site.cf}:
3500
3501@example
3502#define ForceNormalLib YES
3503@end example
3504
3505Other systems may have similar problems. You can always define
3506@code{CANNOT_DUMP} and link with the shared libraries instead.
3507
3508@cindex X Menus don't work
3509To get the Xmenu stuff to work, you need to find a copy of MIT's
3510@file{liboldX.a}.
3511
3512@c ------------------------------------------------------------
3513@node Finding Emacs and related packages, Major packages and programs, Compiling and installing Emacs, Top
3514@chapter Finding Emacs and related packages
3515@cindex Finding Emacs and related packages
3516
3517@menu
3518* Finding Emacs on the Internet::
3519* Finding a package with particular functionality::
3520* Packages that do not come with Emacs::
3521* Current GNU distributions::
3522* Difference between Emacs and XEmacs::
3523* Emacs for MS-DOS::
3524* Emacs for Windows::
3525* Emacs for OS/2::
3526* Emacs for Atari ST::
3527* Emacs for the Amiga ::
3528* Emacs for NeXTSTEP::
3529* Emacs for Apple computers::
3530* Emacs for VMS and DECwindows::
3531* Modes for various languages::
3532@end menu
3533
3534@node Finding Emacs on the Internet, Finding a package with particular functionality, Finding Emacs and related packages, Finding Emacs and related packages
3535@section Where can I get Emacs on the net (or by snail mail)?
3536@cindex Finding Emacs on the Internet
3537@cindex Snail mail, ordering Emacs via
3538@cindex Postal service, ordering Emacs via
3539@cindex Distribution, retrieving Emacs
3540@cindex Internet, retrieving from
3541
3542Look in the files @file{etc/DISTRIB} and @file{etc/FTP} for
3543information on nearby archive sites. If you don't already have Emacs,
3544see @ref{Informational files for Emacs}, for how to get these files.
3545
3546@xref{Installing Emacs}, for information on how to obtain and build the latest
3547version of Emacs, and see @ref{Current GNU distributions}, for a list of
3548archive sites that make GNU software available.
3549
3550@node Finding a package with particular functionality, Packages that do not come with Emacs, Finding Emacs on the Internet, Finding Emacs and related packages
3551@section How do I find a Emacs Lisp package that does XXX?
3552@cindex Package, finding
3553@cindex Finding an Emacs Lisp package
3554@cindex Functionality, finding a particular package
3555
3556First of all, you should check to make sure that the package isn't
3557already available. For example, typing @kbd{M-x apropos @key{RET}
3558wordstar @key{RET}} lists all functions and variables containing the
3559string @samp{wordstar}.
3560
3561It is also possible that the package is on your system, but has not been
3562loaded. To see which packages are available for loading, look through
3563your computer's lisp directory (@pxref{File-name conventions}). The Lisp
3564source to most packages contains a short description of how they
3565should be loaded, invoked, and configured---so before you use or
3566modify a Lisp package, see if the author has provided any hints in the
3567source code.
3568
3569The command @kbd{C-h p} (@code{finder-by-keyword}) allows you to browse
3570the constituent Emacs packages.
3571
3572For advice on how to find extra packages that are not part of Emacs,
3573see @ref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}.
3574
3575@node Packages that do not come with Emacs, Current GNU distributions, Finding a package with particular functionality, Finding Emacs and related packages
3576@section Where can I get Emacs Lisp packages that don't come with Emacs?
3577@cindex Unbundled packages
3578@cindex Finding other packages
3579@cindex Lisp packages that do not come with Emacs
3580@cindex Packages, those that do not come with Emacs
3581@cindex Emacs Lisp List
3582@cindex Emacs Lisp Archive
3583
3584@uref{http://www.anc.ed.ac.uk/~stephen/emacs/ell.html, The Emacs Lisp
3585List (ELL)}, maintained by @email{stephen@@anc.ed.ac.uk, Stephen Eglen},
3586aims to provide one compact list with links to all of the current Emacs
3587Lisp files on the Internet. The ELL can be browsed over the web, or
3588from Emacs with @uref{http://www.anc.ed.ac.uk/~stephen/emacs/ell.el,
3589the @file{ell} package}.
3590
3591Many authors post their packages to the @uref{news:gnu.emacs.sources,
3592Emacs sources newsgroup}. You can search the archives of this
3593group with @uref{http://groups.google.com/group/gnu.emacs.sources, Google},
3594or @uref{http://dir.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.sources, Gmane}, for example.
3595
3596Several packages are stored in
3597@uref{http://emacswiki.org/elisp/, the Lisp area of the Emacs Wiki}.
3598
3599For a long time, the Emacs Lisp Archive provided a central repository
3600for Emacs packages. Sadly, it has not been active for some time,
3601although you can still access the old files at
3602
3603@uref{http://www.club.cc.cmu.edu/pub/gnu/elisp-archive/}
3604
3605Read the file @file{etc/MORE.STUFF} for more information about
3606external packages.
3607
3608@node Current GNU distributions, Difference between Emacs and XEmacs, Packages that do not come with Emacs, Finding Emacs and related packages
3609@section Where can I get other up-to-date GNU stuff?
3610@cindex Current GNU distributions
3611@cindex Sources for current GNU distributions
3612@cindex Stuff, current GNU
3613@cindex Up-to-date GNU stuff
3614@cindex Finding current GNU software
3615@cindex Official GNU software sites
3616
3617The most up-to-date official GNU software is normally kept at
3618
3619@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu}
3620
3621Read the files @file{etc/DISTRIB} and @file{etc/FTP} for more
3622information.
3623
3624A list of sites mirroring @samp{ftp.gnu.org} can be found at
3625
3626@uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/ftp.html}
3627
3628@node Difference between Emacs and XEmacs, Emacs for MS-DOS, Current GNU distributions, Finding Emacs and related packages
3629@section What is the difference between Emacs and XEmacs (formerly Lucid Emacs)?
3630@cindex XEmacs
3631@cindex Difference Emacs and XEmacs
3632@cindex Lucid Emacs
3633@cindex Epoch
3634
3635XEmacs is a branch version of Emacs. It was first called Lucid Emacs,
3636and was initially derived from a prerelease version of Emacs 19. In
3637this FAQ, we use the name ``Emacs'' only for the official version.
3638
3639Emacs and XEmacs each come with Lisp packages that are lacking in the
3640other. The two versions have some significant differences at the Lisp
3641programming level. Their current features are roughly comparable,
3642though the support for some operating systems, character sets and
3643specific packages might be quite different.
3644
3645Some XEmacs code has been contributed to Emacs, and we would like to
3646use other parts, but the earlier XEmacs maintainers did not always
3647keep track of the authors of contributed code, which makes it
3648impossible for the FSF to get copyright papers signed for that code.
3649(The FSF requires these papers for all the code included in the Emacs
3650release, aside from generic C support packages that retain their
3651separate identity and are not integrated into the code of Emacs
3652proper.)
3653
3654If you want to talk about these two versions and distinguish them,
3655please call them ``Emacs'' and ``XEmacs.'' To contrast ``XEmacs''
3656with ``GNU Emacs'' would be misleading, since XEmacs too has its
3657origin in the work of the GNU Project. Terms such as ``Emacsen'' and
3658``(X)Emacs'' are not wrong, but they are not very clear, so it
3659is better to write ``Emacs and XEmacs.''
3660
3661@node Emacs for MS-DOS, Emacs for Windows, Difference between Emacs and XEmacs, Finding Emacs and related packages
3662@section Where can I get Emacs for my PC running MS-DOS?
3663@cindex MS-DOS, Emacs for
3664@cindex DOS, Emacs for
3665@cindex Compiling Emacs for DOS
3666@cindex Emacs for MS-DOS
3667@cindex Tools needed to compile Emacs under DOS
3668
3669A pre-built binary distribution of Emacs is available from the
3670SimTel.NET archives. This version apparently works under MS-DOS and
3671Windows (3.X, 9X, ME, NT, and 2000) and supports long file names under
3672Windows 9X, Windows ME, and Windows 2000. More information is available
3673from
3674
3675@uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu/emacs.README}
3676
3677The binary itself is available in the files @file{em*.zip} in the
3678directory
3679
3680@uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu/}
3681
3682If you prefer to compile Emacs for yourself, you can do so with the
3683current distribution directly. You will need a 386 (or
3684better) processor, and to be running MS-DOS 3.0 or later. According to
3685@email{eliz@@gnu.org, Eli Zaretskii} and
3686@email{hankedr@@dms.auburn.edu, Darrel Hankerson}, you will need the
3687following:
3688
3689@table @emph
3690
3691@item Compiler
3692DJGPP version 1.12 maint 1 or later. Djgpp 2.0 or later is
3693recommended, since 1.x is very old an unmaintained. Djgpp 2 supports
3694long file names on Windows 9X/ME/2K.
3695
3696You can get the latest release of DJGPP by retrieving all of
3697the files in
3698
3699@uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2*}
3700
3701@item Unpacking program
3702The easiest way is to use @code{djtar} which comes with DJGPP v2.x,
3703because it can open gzip'ed tarfiles (i.e., those ending with
3704@file{.tar.gz}) in one step. @code{Djtar} comes in
3705@file{djdev@var{nnn}.zip} archive (where @var{nnn} is the DJGPP version
3706number), from the URL mentioned above.
3707
3708@strong{Warning!} Do @strong{not} use the popular WinZip program to
3709unpack the Emacs distribution! WinZip is known to corrupt some of the
3710files by converting them to the DOS CR-LF format, it doesn't always
3711preserve the directory structure recorded in the compressed Emacs
3712archive, and commits other atrocities. Some of these problems could
3713actually prevent Emacs from building successfully!
3714
3715@item make, mv, sed, and rm
3716All of these utilities are available at
3717
3718@uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu}
3719
372016-bit utilities can be found in GNUish, at
3721
3722@uref{http://www.simtel.net/pub/gnuish/}
3723
3724@noindent
3725(@code{mv} and @code{rm} are in the Fileutils package, @code{sed} and
3726@code{make} are each one in a separate package named after them.)
3727
3728@end table
3729
3730The files @file{INSTALL} (near its end) and @file{etc/PROBLEMS} in the
3731directory of the Emacs sources contains some additional information
3732regarding Emacs under MS-DOS.
3733
3734For a list of other MS-DOS implementations of Emacs (and Emacs
3735look-alikes), consult the list of ``Emacs implementations and literature,''
3736available at
3737
3738@uref{ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.emacs/}
3739
3740Note that while many of these programs look similar to Emacs, they often
3741lack certain features, such as the Emacs Lisp extension language.
3742
3743@node Emacs for Windows, Emacs for OS/2, Emacs for MS-DOS, Finding Emacs and related packages
3744@section Where can I get Emacs for Microsoft Windows?
3745@cindex FAQ for NT Emacs
3746@cindex Emacs for MS-Windows
3747@cindex Microsoft Windows, Emacs for
3748@cindex Windows 9X, ME, NT, 2K, and CE, Emacs for
3749
3750For information on Emacs for Windows 95 and NT, read the FAQ produced by
3751@email{voelker@@cs.washington.edu, Geoff Voelker} and currently maintained
3752by @email{ramprasad@@gnu.org, Ramprasad B}, available at
3753
3754@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/windows/ntemacs.html}
3755
3756@xref{Emacs for MS-DOS}, for Windows 3.1.
3757
3758A port of Emacs 20.7 for Windows CE, based on NTEmacs, is available at
3759
3760@uref{http://www.rainer-keuchel.de/software.html}
3761
3762@noindent
3763This port was done by @email{coyxc@@rainer-keuchel.de, Rainer Keuchel},
3764and supports all Emacs features except async subprocesses and menus.
3765You will need MSVC 6.0 and a Windows CE SDK to build this port.
3766
3767@node Emacs for OS/2, Emacs for Atari ST, Emacs for Windows, Finding Emacs and related packages
3768@section Where can I get Emacs for my PC running OS/2?
3769@cindex OS/2, Emacs for
3770
3771Emacs 20.6 is ported for emx on OS/2 2.0 or 2.1, and is available at
3772
3773@uref{ftp://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/os2/apps/editors/emacs/}
3774
3775@noindent
3776and also at
3777
3778@uref{http://www.dotemacs.de/os2/emacs.html}
3779
3780Instructions for installation, basic setup, and other useful information
3781for OS/2 users of Emacs can be found at
3782
3783@uref{http://home.snafu.de/ohei/emacs/emacs206-os2.html}
3784
3785@node Emacs for Atari ST, Emacs for the Amiga , Emacs for OS/2, Finding Emacs and related packages
3786@section Where can I get Emacs for my Atari ST?
3787@cindex Atari ST, Emacs for
3788@cindex TOS, Emacs for
3789
3790Roland Sch@"auble reports that Emacs 18.58 running on plain TOS and MiNT
3791is available at
3792@uref{ftp://atari.archive.umich.edu/Editors/Emacs-18-58/1858b-d3.zoo}.
3793
3794@node Emacs for the Amiga , Emacs for NeXTSTEP, Emacs for Atari ST, Finding Emacs and related packages
3795@section Where can I get Emacs for my Amiga?
3796@cindex Amiga, Emacs for
3797
3798The files you need are available at
3799
3800@uref{ftp://ftp.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/util/gnu/}
3801
3802@email{dgilbert@@gamiga.guelphnet.dweomer.org, David Gilbert} has released a
3803beta version of Emacs 19.25 for the Amiga. You can get the binary at
3804
3805@uref{ftp://ftp.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/util/gnu/a2.0bEmacs-bin.lha}
3806
3807@node Emacs for NeXTSTEP, Emacs for Apple computers, Emacs for the Amiga , Finding Emacs and related packages
3808@section Where can I get Emacs for NeXTSTEP?
3809@cindex NeXTSTEP, Emacs for
3810
3811Emacs.app is a NeXTSTEP version of Emacs 19.34 which supports colors,
3812menus, and multiple frames. You can get it from
3813
3814@uref{ftp://next-ftp.peak.org/pub/next-ftp/next/apps/emacs/Emacs_for_NeXTstep.4.20a1.NIHS.b.tar.gz}
3815
3816@node Emacs for Apple computers, Emacs for VMS and DECwindows, Emacs for NeXTSTEP, Finding Emacs and related packages
3817@section Where can I get Emacs for my Apple computer?
3818@cindex Apple computers, Emacs for
3819@cindex Macintosh, Emacs for
3820
3821Beginning with version 21.1, the Macintosh is supported in the official
3822Emacs distribution; see the files @file{mac/README} and
3823@file{mac/INSTALL} in the Emacs distribution for build instructions.
3824
3825Beginning with version 22.1, Emacs supports Mac OS X natively.
3826
3827@node Emacs for VMS and DECwindows, Modes for various languages, Emacs for Apple computers, Finding Emacs and related packages
3828@section Where do I get Emacs that runs on VMS under DECwindows?
3829@cindex DECwindows, Emacs for
3830@cindex VMS, Emacs for
3831
3832Up-to-date information about GNU software (including Emacs) for VMS is
3833available at @uref{http://www.lp.se/gnu-vms/}.
3834
3835@node Modes for various languages, , Emacs for VMS and DECwindows, Finding Emacs and related packages
3836@section Where can I get modes for Lex, Yacc/Bison, Bourne shell, csh, C@t{++}, Objective-C, Pascal, Java, and Awk?
3837@cindex Awk, mode for
3838@cindex @code{awk-mode}
3839@cindex Bison, mode for
3840@cindex Bourne Shell, mode for
3841@cindex C@t{++}, mode for
3842@cindex Java, mode for
3843@cindex Lex mode
3844@cindex Objective-C, mode for
3845@cindex @code{pascal-mode}
3846@cindex Shell mode
3847@cindex Yacc mode
3848@cindex @file{csh} mode
3849@cindex @code{sh-mode}
3850@cindex @code{cc-mode}
3851
3852Most of these modes are now available in standard Emacs distribution.
3853To get additional modes, see @ref{Finding a package with particular
3854functionality}.
3855
3856Barry Warsaw's @code{cc-mode} now works for C, C@t{++}, Objective-C, and
3857Java code. It is distributed with Emacs, but has
3858@uref{http://cc-mode.sourceforge.net/, its own homepage}.
3859
3860@c ------------------------------------------------------------
3861@node Major packages and programs, Key bindings, Finding Emacs and related packages, Top
3862@chapter Major packages and programs
3863@cindex Major packages and programs
3864
3865@menu
3866* VM::
3867* Supercite::
3868* Calc::
3869* VIPER::
3870* AUCTeX::
3871* BBDB::
3872* Ispell::
3873* Emacs/W3::
3874* EDB::
3875* Mailcrypt::
3876* JDE::
3877* Patch::
3878@end menu
3879
3880@node VM, Supercite, Major packages and programs, Major packages and programs
3881@section VM (View Mail) --- another mail reader within Emacs, with MIME support
3882@cindex VM
3883@cindex Alternative mail software
3884@cindex View Mail
3885@cindex E-mail reader, VM
3886
3887@table @b
3888
3889@item Author
3890@email{kyle_jones@@wonderworks.com, Kyle Jones}
3891
3892@item Latest version
38937.19
3894
3895@item Distribution
3896@uref{ftp://ftp.wonderworks.com/pub/vm/vm.tar.gz}
3897
3898@item Informational newsgroup
3899@uref{news:gnu.emacs.vm.info}@*
3900
3901@item Bug reports newsgroup
3902@uref{news:gnu.emacs.vm.bug}@*
3903Or send reports to @email{bug-vm@@wonderworks.com}
3904@end table
3905
3906VM 7 works well with Emacs 21 and Emacs 22. Older versions of VM
3907suitable for use with older versions of Emacs are available from
3908@uref{ftp://ftp.wonderworks.com/pub/vm/, the same FTP site}.
3909
3910
3911@node Supercite, Calc, VM, Major packages and programs
3912@section Supercite --- mail and news citation package within Emacs
3913@cindex Supercite
3914@cindex Superyank
3915@cindex Mail and news citations
3916@cindex News and mail citations
3917@cindex Citations in mail and news
3918
3919@table @b
3920
3921@item Author
3922@email{barry@@python.org, Barry Warsaw}
3923
3924@item Latest version
39253.54 (comes bundled with Emacs since version 20)
3926
3927@item Distribution
3928@uref{http://www.python.org/emacs/supercite.tar.gz}
3929
3930@item Mailing list
3931Subscription requests to @email{supercite-request@@python.org}@*
3932Submissions @email{supercite@@python.org}
3933
3934@end table
3935
3936Superyank is an old version of Supercite.
3937
3938@node Calc, VIPER, Supercite, Major packages and programs
3939@section Calc --- poor man's Mathematica within Emacs
3940@cindex Programmable calculator
3941@cindex Calc
3942@cindex Mathematical package
3943
3944@table @b
3945
3946@item Author
3947@email{daveg@@csvax.cs.caltech.edu, Dave Gillespie}
3948
3949@item Latest version
39502.1 (part of Emacs since version 22.1)
3951
3952@item Distribution
3953No separate distribution outside of Emacs. Older versions
3954are available at @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/calc/}.
3955
3956@end table
3957
3958Note that Calc 2.02f needs patching to work with Emacs 21 and later.
3959
3960@cindex @code{calculator}, a package
3961Emacs 21.1 and later comes with a package called @file{calculator.el}.
3962It doesn't support all the mathematical wizardry offered by Calc, such
3963as matrices, special functions, and statistics, but is more than
3964adequate as a replacement for @code{xcalc} and similar programs.
3965
3966@node VIPER, AUCTeX, Calc, Major packages and programs
3967@section VIPER --- @code{vi} emulation for Emacs
3968@cindex @code{vi} emulation
3969@cindex VIPER
3970@cindex Emulation of @code{vi}
3971
3972Since Emacs 19.29, the preferred @code{vi} emulation in Emacs is VIPER
3973(@kbd{M-x viper-mode @key{RET}}), which comes with Emacs. It extends
3974and supersedes VIP (including VIP 4.3) and provides @code{vi} emulation
3975at several levels, from one that closely follows @code{vi} to one that
3976departs from @code{vi} in several significant ways.
3977
3978For Emacs 19.28 and earlier, the following version of VIP is generally
3979better than the one distributed with Emacs:
3980
3981@table @b
3982@item Author
3983@email{sane@@cs.uiuc.edu, Aamod Sane}
3984
3985@item Latest version
39864.3
3987
3988@item Distribution
3989@uref{ftp://www.club.cc.cmu.edu/pub/gnu/elisp-archive/modes/vip-mode.tar.Z}
3990
3991@end table
3992
3993@node AUCTeX, BBDB, VIPER, Major packages and programs
3994@section AUC@TeX{} --- enhanced @TeX{} modes with debugging facilities
3995@cindex Mode for @TeX{}
3996@cindex @TeX{} mode
3997@cindex AUC@TeX{} mode for editing @TeX{}
3998@cindex Writing and debugging @TeX{}
3999
4000AUC@TeX{} is a set of sophisticated major modes for @TeX{}, LaTeX,
4001ConTeXt, and Texinfo offering context-sensitive syntax highlighting,
4002indentation, formatting and folding, macro completion, @TeX{} shell
4003functionality, and debugging. Be also sure to check out
4004@ref{Introduction, RefTeX, Introduction, reftex, Ref@TeX{} User Manual}.
4005Current versions of AUC@TeX{} include the
4006@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/preview-latex,preview-latex}
4007package for WYSIWYG previews of various LaTeX constructs in the Emacs
4008source buffer.
4009
4010@table @b
4011
4012@item Authors
4013@email{krab@@iesd.auc.dk, Kresten Krab Thorup}, @*
4014@email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen}, @* and others.
4015
4016@item Maintainer
4017@email{dak@@gnu.org, David Kastrup}
4018
4019@item Latest version
402011.84
4021
4022@item Distribution
4023@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/auctex/}
4024
4025@item Web site
4026@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/}
4027
4028@item Mailing list:
4029Subscription requests to @email{auctex-request@@gnu.org}@*
4030Submissions to @email{auctex@@gnu.org}
4031
4032@end table
4033
4034@node BBDB, Ispell, AUCTeX, Major packages and programs
4035@section BBDB --- personal Info Rolodex integrated with mail/news readers
4036@cindex BBDB
4037@cindex Rolodex-like functionality
4038@cindex Integrated contact database
4039@cindex Contact database
4040@cindex Big Brother Database
4041@cindex Address book
4042
4043@table @b
4044
4045@item Maintainer
4046@email{waider@@waider.ie, Ronan Waide}
4047
4048@item Latest version
40492.34
4050
4051@item Distribution
4052@uref{http://bbdb.sourceforge.net/}
4053
4054@item Mailing lists
4055Subscription requests to @email{bbdb-info-request@@lists.sourceforge.net}@*
4056Submissions to @email{bbdb-info@@lists.sourceforge.net}@*
4057Release announcements: @email{bbdb-announce-request@@lists.sourceforge.net}
4058
4059@end table
4060
4061@node Ispell, Emacs/W3, BBDB, Major packages and programs
4062@section Ispell --- spell checker in C with interface for Emacs
4063@cindex Spell-checker
4064@cindex Checking spelling
4065@cindex Ispell
4066
4067@table @b
4068
4069@item Author
4070@email{geoff@@cs.hmc.edu, Geoff Kuenning}
4071
4072@item Latest version
40733.3.02
4074
4075@item Distribution
4076@uref{http://fmg-www.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/tars/ispell-3.3.02.tar.gz}@*
4077
4078@item Web site
4079@uref{http://fmg-www.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/ispell.html}
4080
4081@end table
4082
4083This Ispell program is distinct from GNU Ispell 4.0. GNU Ispell 4.0 is
4084no longer a supported product.
4085
4086@node Emacs/W3, EDB, Ispell, Major packages and programs
4087@section Emacs/W3 --- A World Wide Web browser inside of Emacs
4088@cindex WWW browser
4089@cindex Web browser
4090@cindex HTML browser in Emacs
4091@cindex @code{w3-mode}
4092
4093@table @b
4094
4095@item Author
4096@email{wmperry@@gnu.org, Bill Perry}
4097
4098@item Maintainer
4099Emacs/W3 needs a maintainer. It has lain dormant for several years. If
4100you would like to take over the project, please contact
4101@email{maintainers@@gnu.org}.
4102
4103@item Latest version
41044.0pre.47
4105
4106@item Distribution
4107@uref{http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/w3}
4108
4109@item Mailing lists
4110Receive announcements from @email{w3-announce@@gnu.org}@*
4111Help to develop Emacs/W3 at @email{w3-dev@@gnu.org}
4112
4113@end table
4114
4115@node EDB, Mailcrypt, Emacs/W3, Major packages and programs
4116@section EDB --- Database program for Emacs; replaces forms editing modes
4117@cindex EDB
4118@cindex Database
4119@cindex Forms mode
4120
4121@table @b
4122@item Author
4123@email{mernst@@theory.lcs.mit.edu, Michael Ernst}
4124
4125@item Latest version
41261.21
4127
4128@item Distribution
4129@uref{ftp://theory.lcs.mit.edu/pub/emacs/edb}
4130
4131@end table
4132
4133@node Mailcrypt, JDE, EDB, Major packages and programs
4134@section Mailcrypt --- PGP interface within Emacs mail and news
4135@cindex PGP
4136@cindex GPG
4137@cindex Interface to PGP from Emacs mail and news
4138@cindex News, interface to PGP from
4139@cindex Mail, interface to PGP from
4140@cindex Encryption software, interface to
4141
4142@table @b
4143
4144@item Authors
4145@email{patl@@lcs.mit.edu, Patrick J. LoPresti} and
4146@email{jin@@atype.com, Jin S. Choi}
4147
4148@item Maintainer
4149@email{warner-mailcrypt@@lothar.com, Brian Warner}
4150
4151@item Latest version
41523.5.8
4153
4154@item Distribution
4155@uref{http://dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/mailcrypt/mailcrypt-3.5.8.tar.gz}
4156
4157@item Web site
4158@uref{http://mailcrypt.sourceforge.net/}
4159
4160@end table
4161
4162Note that a new package called PGG is bundled with Emacs starting with
4163version 22.1. It is a modern interface to various PGP implementations,
4164including @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/, The GNU Privacy Guard} and
4165supports symmetric encryption.
4166
4167@node JDE, Patch, Mailcrypt, Major packages and programs
4168@section JDE --- Integrated development environment for Java
4169@cindex Java development environment
4170@cindex Integrated Java development environment
4171@cindex JDE
4172
4173@table @b
4174
4175@item Author
4176@email{paulk@@mathworks.com, Paul Kinnucan}
4177
4178@item Latest version
41792.3.5
4180
4181@item Web site
4182@uref{http://jdee.sunsite.dk/}
4183
4184@item Mailing lists
4185Subscription requests to @email{jde-subscribe@@sunsite.dk}@*
4186Receive announcements from @email{jde-announce-subscribe@@sunsite.dk}
4187
4188@end table
4189
4190@node Patch, , JDE, Major packages and programs
4191@section Patch --- program to apply ``diffs'' for updating files
4192@cindex Updating files with diffs
4193@cindex Patching source files with diffs
4194@cindex Diffs and patching
4195@cindex @file{patch}
4196
4197@table @b
4198
4199@item Author
4200@email{lwall@@wall.org, Larry Wall} (with GNU modifications)
4201
4202@item Latest version
42032.5.4
4204
4205@item Distribution
4206@xref{Current GNU distributions}.
4207
4208@end table
4209
4210@c ------------------------------------------------------------
4211@node Key bindings, Alternate character sets, Major packages and programs, Top
4212@chapter Key bindings
4213@cindex Key bindings
4214
4215@menu
4216* Binding keys to commands::
4217* Invalid prefix characters::
4218* Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun::
4219* Using function keys under X::
4220* Working with function and arrow keys::
4221* X key translations for Emacs::
4222* Handling C-s and C-q with flow control::
4223* Binding C-s and C-q::
4224* Backspace invokes help::
4225* stty and Backspace key::
4226* Swapping keys::
4227* Producing C-XXX with the keyboard::
4228* No Meta key::
4229* No Escape key::
4230* Compose Character::
4231* Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys::
4232* Meta key does not work in xterm::
4233* ExtendChar key does not work as Meta::
4234* SPC no longer completes file names::
4235@end menu
4236
4237@node Binding keys to commands, Invalid prefix characters, Key bindings, Key bindings
4238@section How do I bind keys (including function keys) to commands?
4239@cindex Binding keys to commands
4240@cindex Keys, binding to commands
4241@cindex Commands, binding keys to
4242
4243Keys can be bound to commands either interactively or in your
4244@file{.emacs} file. To interactively bind keys for all modes, type
4245@kbd{M-x global-set-key @key{RET} @var{key} @var{cmd} @key{RET}}.
4246
4247To bind a key just in the current major mode, type @kbd{M-x
4248local-set-key @key{RET} @var{key} @var{cmd} @key{RET}}.
4249
4250@inforef{Key Bindings, Key Bindings, emacs}, for further details.
4251
4252To make the process of binding keys interactively easier, use the
4253following ``trick'': First bind the key interactively, then immediately
4254type @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC} C-a C-k C-g}. Now, the command needed
4255to bind the key is in the kill ring, and can be yanked into your
4256@file{.emacs} file. If the key binding is global, no changes to the
4257command are required. For example,
4258
4259@lisp
4260(global-set-key (quote [f1]) (quote help-for-help))
4261@end lisp
4262
4263@noindent
4264can be placed directly into the @file{.emacs} file. If the key binding is
4265local, the command is used in conjunction with the @samp{add-hook} function.
4266For example, in TeX mode, a local binding might be
4267
4268@lisp
4269(add-hook 'tex-mode-hook
4270 (lambda ()
4271 (local-set-key (quote [f1]) (quote help-for-help))))
4272@end lisp
4273
4274
4275@itemize @bullet
4276
4277@item
4278Control characters in key sequences, in the form yanked from the kill
4279ring are given in their graphic form---i.e., @key{CTRL} is shown as
4280@samp{^}, @key{TAB} as a set of spaces (usually 8), etc. You may want
4281to convert these into their vector or string forms.
4282
4283@item
4284If a prefix key of the character sequence to be bound is already
4285bound as a complete key, then you must unbind it before the new
4286binding. For example, if @kbd{ESC @{} is previously bound:
4287
4288@lisp
4289(global-unset-key [?\e ?@{]) ;; or
4290(local-unset-key [?\e ?@{])
4291@end lisp
4292
4293@item
4294Aside from commands and ``lambda lists,'' a vector or string also
4295can be bound to a key and thus treated as a macro. For example:
4296
4297@lisp
4298(global-set-key [f10] [?\C-x?\e?\e?\C-a?\C-k?\C-g]) ;; or
4299(global-set-key [f10] "\C-x\e\e\C-a\C-k\C-g")
4300@end lisp
4301
4302@end itemize
4303
4304@node Invalid prefix characters, Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun, Binding keys to commands, Key bindings
4305@section Why does Emacs say @samp{Key sequence XXX uses invalid prefix characters}?
4306@cindex Prefix characters, invalid
4307@cindex Invalid prefix characters
4308@cindex Misspecified key sequences
4309
4310Usually, one of two things has happened. In one case, the control
4311character in the key sequence has been misspecified (e.g. @samp{C-f}
4312used instead of @samp{\C-f} within a Lisp expression). In the other
4313case, a @dfn{prefix key} in the keystroke sequence you were trying to bind
4314was already bound as a @dfn{complete key}. Historically, the @samp{ESC [}
4315prefix was usually the problem, in which case you should evaluate either
4316of these forms before attempting to bind the key sequence:
4317
4318@lisp
4319(global-unset-key [?\e ?[]) ;; or
4320(global-unset-key "\e[")
4321@end lisp
4322
4323@node Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun, Using function keys under X, Invalid prefix characters, Key bindings
4324@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?
4325@cindex Terminal setup code in @file{.emacs}
4326
4327During startup, Emacs initializes itself according to a given code/file
4328order. If some of the code executed in your @file{.emacs} file needs to
4329be postponed until the initial terminal or window-system setup code has
4330been executed but is not, then you will experience this problem (this
4331code/file execution order is not enforced after startup).
4332
4333To postpone the execution of Emacs Lisp code until after terminal or
4334window-system setup, treat the code as a @dfn{lambda list} and set the
4335value of either the @code{term-setup-hook} or @code{window-setup-hook}
4336variable to this lambda function. For example,
4337
4338@lisp
4339(add-hook 'term-setup-hook
4340 (lambda ()
4341 (when (string-match "\\`vt220" (or (getenv "TERM") ""))
4342 ;; Make vt220's "Do" key behave like M-x:
4343 (global-set-key [do] 'execute-extended-command))))
4344@end lisp
4345
4346For information on what Emacs does every time it is started, see the
4347@file{lisp/startup.el} file.
4348
4349@node Using function keys under X, Working with function and arrow keys, Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun, Key bindings
4350@section How do I use function keys under X?
4351@cindex Function keys
4352@cindex X Window System and function keys
4353@cindex Binding function keys
4354
4355With Emacs 19, functions keys under X are bound like any other key. @xref{Binding keys to commands}, for details.
4356
4357@node Working with function and arrow keys, X key translations for Emacs, Using function keys under X, Key bindings
4358@section How do I tell what characters or symbols my function or arrow keys emit?
4359@cindex Working with arrow keys
4360@cindex Arrow keys, symbols generated by
4361@cindex Working with function keys
4362@cindex Function keys, symbols generated by
4363@cindex Symbols generated by function keys
4364
4365Type @kbd{C-h c} then the function or arrow keys. The command will
4366return either a function key symbol or character sequence (see the
4367Emacs on-line documentation for an explanation). This works for other
4368keys as well.
4369
4370@node X key translations for Emacs, Handling C-s and C-q with flow control, Working with function and arrow keys, Key bindings
4371@section How do I set the X key ``translations'' for Emacs?
4372@cindex X key translations
4373@cindex Key translations under X
4374@cindex Translations for keys under X
4375
4376Emacs is not written using the Xt library by default, so there are no
4377``translations'' to be set. (We aren't sure how to set such translations
4378if you do build Emacs with Xt; please let us know if you've done this!)
4379
4380The only way to affect the behavior of keys within Emacs is through
4381@code{xmodmap} (outside Emacs) or @code{define-key} (inside Emacs). The
4382@code{define-key} command should be used in conjunction with the
4383@code{function-key-map} map. For instance,
4384
4385@lisp
4386(define-key function-key-map [M-@key{TAB}] [?\M-\t])
4387@end lisp
4388
4389@noindent
4390defines the @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} key sequence.
4391
4392@node Handling C-s and C-q with flow control, Binding C-s and C-q, X key translations for Emacs, Key bindings
4393@section How do I handle @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} being used for flow control?
4394@cindex Flow control, @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} with
4395@cindex @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} with flow control
4396
4397@kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} are used in the XON/XOFF flow control protocol.
4398This messes things up when you're using Emacs over a serial line,
4399because Emacs binds these keys to commands by default. Because Emacs
4400won't honor them as flow control characters, too many of these
4401characters are not passed on and overwhelm output buffers. Sometimes,
4402intermediate software using XON/XOFF flow control will prevent Emacs
4403from ever seeing @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}.
4404
4405Possible solutions:
4406
4407@itemize @bullet
4408
4409@item
4410Disable the use of @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} for flow control.
4411
4412You need to determine the cause of the flow control.
4413
4414@itemize @minus
4415
4416@item
4417your terminal
4418
4419Your terminal may use XON/XOFF flow control to have time to display
4420all the characters it receives. For example, VT series terminals do
4421this. It may be possible to turn this off from a setup menu. For
4422example, on a VT220 you may select ``No XOFF'' in the setup menu. This
4423is also true for some terminal emulation programs on PCs.
4424
4425When you turn off flow control at the terminal, you will also need to
4426turn it off at the other end, which might be at the computer you are
4427logged in to or at some terminal server in between.
4428
4429If you turn off flow control, characters may be lost; using a printer
4430connected to the terminal may fail. You may be able to get around
4431this problem by modifying the @samp{termcap} entry for your terminal to
4432include extra NUL padding characters.
4433
4434@item
4435a modem
4436
4437If you are using a dialup connection, the modems may be using
4438XON/XOFF flow control. It's not clear how to get around this.
4439
4440@item
4441a router or terminal server
4442
4443Some network box between the terminal and your computer may be using
4444XON/XOFF flow control. It may be possible to make it use some other
4445kind of flow control. You will probably have to ask your local
4446network experts for help with this.
4447
4448@item
4449@code{tty} and/or @code{pty} devices
4450
4451If your connection to Emacs goes through multiple @code{tty} and/or
4452@code{pty} devices, they may be using XON/XOFF flow control even when it
4453is not necessary.
4454
4455@email{eirik@@theory.tn.cornell.edu, Eirik Fuller} writes:
4456
4457@quotation
4458Some versions of @code{rlogin} (and possibly @code{telnet}) do not pass
4459flow control characters to the remote system to which they connect. On
4460such systems, Emacs on the remote system cannot disable flow control on
4461the local system. Sometimes @samp{rlogin -8} will avoid this problem.
4462
4463One way to cure this is to disable flow control on the local host (the
4464one running @code{rlogin}, not the one running @code{rlogind}) using the
4465@code{stty} command, before starting the @code{rlogin} process. On many
4466systems, @samp{stty start u stop u} will do this.
4467
4468Some versions of @samp{tcsh} will prevent even this from working. One
4469way around this is to start another shell before starting rlogin,
4470and issue the @samp{stty} command to disable flow control from that shell.
4471@end quotation
4472
4473Use @samp{stty -ixon} instead of @samp{stty start u stop u} on some systems.
4474
4475@end itemize
4476
4477@item
4478Make Emacs speak the XON/XOFF flow control protocol.
4479
4480You can make Emacs treat @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} as flow control characters by
4481evaluating the form
4482
4483@lisp
4484(enable-flow-control)
4485@end lisp
4486
4487@noindent
4488to unconditionally enable flow control or
4489
4490@lisp
4491(enable-flow-control-on "vt100" "h19")
4492@end lisp
4493
4494@noindent
4495(using your terminal names instead of @samp{vt100} or @samp{h19}) to
4496enable selectively. These commands will automatically swap @kbd{C-s}
4497and @kbd{C-q} to @kbd{C-\} and @kbd{C-^}. Variables can be used to
4498change the default swap keys (@code{flow-control-c-s-replacement} and
4499@code{flow-control-c-q-replacement}).
4500
4501If you are fixing this for yourself, simply put the form in your
4502@file{.emacs} file. If you are fixing this for your entire site, the
4503best place to put it is in the @file{site-lisp/site-start.el} file.
4504(Here @file{site-lisp} is actually a subdirectory of your Emacs
4505installation directory, typically @file{/usr/local/share/emacs}.)
4506Putting this form in @file{site-lisp/default.el} has the problem that
4507if the user's @file{.emacs} file has an error, this will prevent
4508@file{default.el} from being loaded and Emacs may be unusable for the
4509user, even for correcting their @file{.emacs} file (unless they're
4510smart enough to move it to another name).
4511
4512@code{enable-flow-control} can be invoked interactively as well:
4513@kbd{M-x enable-flow-control @key{RET}}.
4514
4515@end itemize
4516
4517For further discussion of this issue, read the file @file{etc/PROBLEMS}
4518(in the Emacs source directory when you unpack the Emacs distribution).
4519
4520@node Binding C-s and C-q, Backspace invokes help, Handling C-s and C-q with flow control, Key bindings
4521@section How do I bind @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} (or any key) if these keys are filtered out?
4522@cindex Binding @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}
4523@cindex @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}, binding
4524
4525To bind @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}, use either @code{enable-flow-control}
4526or @code{enable-flow-control-on}. @xref{Handling C-s and C-q with flow
4527control}, for usage and implementation details.
4528
4529To bind other keys, use @code{keyboard-translate}. @xref{Swapping
4530keys}, for usage details. To do this for an entire site, you should
4531swap the keys in @file{site-lisp/site-start.el}. @xref{Handling C-s
4532and C-q with flow control}, for an explanation of why
4533@file{site-lisp/default.el} should not be used.
4534
4535@itemize @bullet
4536
4537@item
4538If you do this for an entire site, the users will be confused by
4539the disparity between what the documentation says and how Emacs
4540actually behaves.
4541
4542@end itemize
4543
4544@node Backspace invokes help, stty and Backspace key, Binding C-s and C-q, Key bindings
4545@section Why does the @key{Backspace} key invoke help?
4546@cindex Backspace key invokes help
4547@cindex Help invoked by Backspace
4548@cindex DEL key does not delete
4549
4550The @key{Backspace} key (on most keyboards) generates @acronym{ASCII} code 8.
4551@kbd{C-h} sends the same code. In Emacs by default @kbd{C-h} invokes
4552help-command. This is intended to be easy to remember since the first
4553letter of @samp{help} is @samp{h}. The easiest solution to this problem
4554is to use @kbd{C-h} (and @key{Backspace}) for help and @key{DEL} (the
4555@key{Delete} key) for deleting the previous character.
4556
4557For many people this solution may be problematic:
4558
4559@itemize @bullet
4560
4561@item
4562They normally use @key{Backspace} outside of Emacs for deleting the
4563previous character. This can be solved by making @key{DEL} the command
4564for deleting the previous character outside of Emacs. On many Unix
4565systems, this command will remap @key{DEL}:
4566
4567@example
4568stty erase `^?'
4569@end example
4570
4571@item
4572The user may prefer the @key{Backspace} key for deleting the
4573previous character because it is more conveniently located on their
4574keyboard or because they don't even have a separate @key{Delete} key.
4575In this case, the @key{Backspace} key should be made to behave like
4576@key{Delete}. There are several methods.
4577
4578@itemize @minus
4579@item
4580Some terminals (e.g., VT3## terminals) and terminal emulators (e.g.,
4581TeraTerm) allow the character generated by the @key{Backspace} key to be
4582changed from a setup menu.
4583
4584@item
4585You may be able to get a keyboard that is completely programmable, or a
4586terminal emulator that supports remapping of any key to any other key.
4587
4588@item
4589With Emacs 21.1 and later, you can control the effect of the
4590@key{Backspace} and @key{Delete} keys, on both dumb terminals and a
4591windowed displays, by customizing the option
4592@code{normal-erase-is-backspace-mode}, or by invoking @kbd{M-x
4593normal-erase-is-backspace}. See the documentation of these symbols
4594(@pxref{Emacs Lisp documentation}) for more info.
4595
4596@item
4597It is possible to swap the @key{Backspace} and @key{DEL} keys inside
4598Emacs:
4599
4600@lisp
4601(keyboard-translate ?\C-h ?\C-?)
4602@end lisp
4603
4604@noindent
4605This is the recommended method of forcing @key{Backspace} to act as
4606@key{DEL}, because it works even in modes which bind @key{DEL} to
4607something other than @code{delete-backward-char}.
4608
4609Similarly, you could remap @key{DEL} to act as @kbd{C-d}, which by
4610default deletes forward:
4611
4612@lisp
4613(keyboard-translate ?\C-? ?\C-d)
4614@end lisp
4615
4616@xref{Swapping keys}, for further details about @code{keyboard-translate}.
4617
4618@item
4619Another approach is to switch key bindings and put help on @kbd{C-x h}
4620instead:
4621
4622@lisp
4623(global-set-key "\C-h" 'delete-backward-char)
4624
4625;; overrides mark-whole-buffer
4626(global-set-key "\C-xh" 'help-command)
4627@end lisp
4628
4629@noindent
4630This method is not recommended, though: it only solves the problem for
4631those modes which bind @key{DEL} to @code{delete-backward-char}. Modes
4632which bind @key{DEL} to something else, such as @code{view-mode}, will
4633not work as you expect when you press the @key{Backspace} key. For this
4634reason, we recommend the @code{keyboard-translate} method, shown
4635above.
4636
4637Other popular key bindings for help are @kbd{M-?} and @kbd{C-x ?}.
4638@end itemize
4639
4640Don't try to bind @key{DEL} to @code{help-command}, because there are
4641many modes that have local bindings of @key{DEL} that will interfere.
4642
4643@end itemize
4644
4645When Emacs 21 or later runs on a windowed display, it binds the
4646@key{Delete} key to a command which deletes the character at point, to
4647make Emacs more consistent with keyboard operation on these systems.
4648
4649For more information about troubleshooting this problem, see @ref{DEL
4650Does Not Delete, , If @key{DEL} Fails to Delete, emacs, The GNU Emacs
4651Manual}.
4652
4653@node stty and Backspace key, Swapping keys, Backspace invokes help, Key bindings
4654@section Why doesn't Emacs look at the @file{stty} settings for @key{Backspace} vs. @key{Delete}?
4655@cindex @file{stty} and Emacs
4656@cindex Backspace and @file{stty}
4657@cindex Delete and @file{stty}
4658
4659Good question!
4660
4661@c FIXME: RMS explained the reasons for this on emacs-hackers. It's
4662@c probably worth putting that explanation here.
4663
4664@node Swapping keys, Producing C-XXX with the keyboard, stty and Backspace key, Key bindings
4665@section How do I swap two keys?
4666@cindex Swapping keys
4667@cindex Keys, swapping
4668@cindex @code{keyboard-translate}
4669
4670You can swap two keys (or key sequences) by using the
4671@code{keyboard-translate} function. For example, to turn @kbd{C-h}
4672into @key{DEL} and @key{DEL} to @kbd{C-h}, use
4673
4674@lisp
4675(keyboard-translate ?\C-h ?\C-?) ; translate `C-h' to DEL
4676(keyboard-translate ?\C-? ?\C-h) ; translate DEL to `C-h'.
4677@end lisp
4678
4679@noindent
4680The first key sequence of the pair after the function identifies what is
4681produced by the keyboard; the second, what is matched for in the
4682keymaps.
4683
4684However, in the specific case of @kbd{C-h} and @key{DEL}, you should
4685toggle @code{normal-erase-is-backspace-mode} instead of calling
4686@code{keyboard-translate}. @inforef{DEL Does Not Delete, DEL Does Not Delete,
4687emacs}.
4688
4689Keyboard translations are not the same as key bindings in keymaps.
4690Emacs contains numerous keymaps that apply in different situations, but
4691there is only one set of keyboard translations, and it applies to every
4692character that Emacs reads from the terminal. Keyboard translations
4693take place at the lowest level of input processing; the keys that are
4694looked up in keymaps contain the characters that result from keyboard
4695translation.
4696
4697@node Producing C-XXX with the keyboard, No Meta key, Swapping keys, Key bindings
4698@section How do I produce C-XXX with my keyboard?
4699@cindex Producing control characters
4700@cindex Generating control characters
4701@cindex Control characters, generating
4702
4703On terminals (but not under X), some common ``aliases'' are:
4704
4705@table @asis
4706
4707@item @kbd{C-2} or @kbd{C-@key{SPC}}
4708@kbd{C-@@}
4709
4710@item @kbd{C-6}
4711@kbd{C-^}
4712
4713@item @kbd{C-7} or @kbd{C-S--}
4714@kbd{C-_}
4715
4716@item @kbd{C-4}
4717@kbd{C-\}
4718
4719@item @kbd{C-5}
4720@kbd{C-]}
4721
4722@item @kbd{C-/}
4723@kbd{C-?}
4724
4725@end table
4726
4727Often other aliases exist; use the @kbd{C-h c} command and try
4728@key{CTRL} with all of the digits on your keyboard to see what gets
4729generated. You can also try the @kbd{C-h w} command if you know the
4730name of the command.
4731
4732@node No Meta key, No Escape key, Producing C-XXX with the keyboard, Key bindings
4733@section What if I don't have a @key{Meta} key?
4734@cindex No @key{Meta} key
4735@cindex @key{Meta} key, what to do if you lack it
4736
4737On many keyboards, the @key{Alt} key acts as @key{Meta}, so try it.
4738
4739Instead of typing @kbd{M-a}, you can type @kbd{@key{ESC} a}. In fact,
4740Emacs converts @kbd{M-a} internally into @kbd{@key{ESC} a} anyway
4741(depending on the value of @code{meta-prefix-char}). Note that you
4742press @key{Meta} and @key{a} together, but with @key{ESC}, you press
4743@key{ESC}, release it, and then press @key{a}.
4744
4745@node No Escape key, Compose Character, No Meta key, Key bindings
4746@section What if I don't have an @key{Escape} key?
4747@cindex No Escape key
4748@cindex Lacking an Escape key
4749@cindex Escape key, lacking
4750
4751Type @kbd{C-[} instead. This should send @acronym{ASCII} code 27 just like an
4752Escape key would. @kbd{C-3} may also work on some terminal (but not
4753under X). For many terminals (notably DEC terminals) @key{F11}
4754generates @key{ESC}. If not, the following form can be used to bind it:
4755
4756@lisp
4757;; F11 is the documented ESC replacement on DEC terminals.
4758(define-key function-key-map [f11] [?\e])
4759@end lisp
4760
4761@node Compose Character, Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys, No Escape key, Key bindings
4762@section Can I make my @key{Compose Character} key behave like a @key{Meta} key?
4763@cindex @key{Compose Character} key, using as @key{Meta}
4764@cindex @key{Meta}, using @key{Compose Character} for
4765
4766On a dumb terminal such as a VT220, no. It is rumored that certain
4767VT220 clones could have their @key{Compose} key configured this way. If
4768you're using X, you might be able to do this with the @code{xmodmap}
4769command.
4770
4771@node Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys, Meta key does not work in xterm, Compose Character, Key bindings
4772@section How do I bind a combination of modifier key and function key?
4773@cindex Modifiers and function keys
4774@cindex Function keys and modifiers
4775@cindex Binding modifiers and function keys
4776
4777With Emacs 19 and later, you can represent modified function keys in
4778vector format by adding prefixes to the function key symbol. For
4779example (from the on-line documentation):
4780
4781@lisp
4782(global-set-key [?\C-x right] 'forward-page)
4783@end lisp
4784
4785@noindent
4786where @samp{?\C-x} is the Lisp character constant for the character @kbd{C-x}.
4787
4788You can use the modifier keys @key{Control}, @key{Meta}, @key{Hyper},
4789@key{Super}, @key{Alt}, and @key{Shift} with function keys. To
4790represent these modifiers, prepend the strings @samp{C-}, @samp{M-},
4791@samp{H-}, @samp{s-}, @samp{A-}, and @samp{S-} to the symbol name. Here
4792is how to make @kbd{H-M-RIGHT} move forward a word:
4793
4794@lisp
4795(global-set-key [H-M-right] 'forward-word)
4796@end lisp
4797
4798@itemize @bullet
4799
4800@item
4801Not all modifiers are permitted in all situations. @key{Hyper},
4802@key{Super}, and @key{Alt} are not available on Unix character
4803terminals. Non-@acronym{ASCII} keys and mouse events (e.g. @kbd{C-=} and
4804@kbd{Mouse-1}) also fall under this category.
4805
4806@end itemize
4807
4808@xref{Binding keys to commands}, for general key binding instructions.
4809
4810@node Meta key does not work in xterm, ExtendChar key does not work as Meta, Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys, Key bindings
4811@section Why doesn't my @key{Meta} key work in an @code{xterm} window?
4812@cindex @key{Meta} key and @code{xterm}
4813@cindex Xterm and @key{Meta} key
4814
4815@inforef{Unibyte Mode, Single-Byte Character Set Support, emacs}.
4816
4817If the advice in the Emacs manual fails, try all of these methods before
4818asking for further help:
4819
4820@itemize @bullet
4821
4822@item
4823You may have big problems using @code{mwm} as your window manager.
4824(Does anyone know a good generic solution to allow the use of the
4825@key{Meta} key in Emacs with @file{mwm}?)
4826
4827@item
4828For X11: Make sure it really is a @key{Meta} key. Use @code{xev} to
4829find out what keysym your @key{Meta} key generates. It should be either
4830@code{Meta_L} or @code{Meta_R}. If it isn't, use @file{xmodmap} to fix
4831the situation. If @key{Meta} does generate @code{Meta_L} or
4832@code{Meta_R}, but @kbd{M-x} produces a non-@acronym{ASCII} character, put this in
4833your @file{~/.Xdefaults} file:
4834
4835@example
4836 XTerm*eightBitInput: false
4837 XTerm*eightBitOutput: true
4838@end example
4839
4840@item
4841Make sure the @code{pty} the @code{xterm} is using is passing 8 bit
4842characters. @samp{stty -a} (or @samp{stty everything}) should show
4843@samp{cs8} somewhere. If it shows @samp{cs7} instead, use @samp{stty
4844cs8 -istrip} (or @samp{stty pass8}) to fix it.
4845
4846@item
4847If there is an @code{rlogin} connection between @code{xterm} and Emacs, the
4848@samp{-8} argument may need to be given to rlogin to make it pass all 8 bits
4849of every character.
4850
4851@item
4852If Emacs is running on Ultrix, it is reported that evaluating
4853@code{(set-input-mode t nil)} helps.
4854
4855@item
4856If all else fails, you can make @code{xterm} generate @kbd{@key{ESC} W} when
4857you type @kbd{M-W}, which is the same conversion Emacs would make if it
4858got the @kbd{M-W} anyway. In X11R4, the following resource
4859specification will do this:
4860
4861@example
4862XTerm.VT100.EightBitInput: false
4863@end example
4864
4865@noindent
4866(This changes the behavior of the @code{insert-eight-bit} action.)
4867
4868With older @code{xterm}s, you can specify this behavior with a translation:
4869
4870@example
4871XTerm.VT100.Translations: #override \
4872 Meta<KeyPress>: string(0x1b) insert()
4873@end example
4874
4875@noindent
4876You might have to replace @samp{Meta} with @samp{Alt}.
4877
4878@end itemize
4879
4880@node ExtendChar key does not work as Meta, SPC no longer completes file names, Meta key does not work in xterm, Key bindings
4881@section Why doesn't my @key{ExtendChar} key work as a @key{Meta} key under HP-UX 8.0 and 9.x?
4882@cindex @key{ExtendChar} key as @key{Meta}
4883@cindex @key{Meta}, using @key{ExtendChar} for
4884@cindex HP-UX, the @key{ExtendChar} key
4885
4886This is a result of an internationalization extension in X11R4 and the
4887fact that HP is now using this extension. Emacs assumes that the
4888@code{XLookupString} function returns the same result regardless of the
4889@key{Meta} key state which is no longer necessarily true. Until Emacs
4890is fixed, the temporary kludge is to run this command after each time
4891the X server is started but preferably before any xterm clients are:
4892
4893@example
4894xmodmap -e 'remove mod1 = Mode_switch'
4895@end example
4896
4897@c FIXME: Emacs 21 supports I18N in X11; does that mean that this bug is
4898@c solved?
4899
4900This will disable the use of the extra keysyms systemwide, which may be
4901undesirable if you actually intend to use them.
4902
4903@node SPC no longer completes file names, , ExtendChar key does not work as Meta, Key bindings
4904@section Why doesn't SPC complete file names anymore?
4905@cindex @kbd{SPC} file name completion
4906
4907Starting with Emacs 22.1, @kbd{SPC} no longer completes file names in
4908the minibuffer, so that file names with embedded spaces could be typed
4909without the need to quote the spaces.
4910
4911You can get the old behavior by binding @kbd{SPC} to
4912@code{minibuffer-complete-word} in the minibuffer, as follows:
4913
4914@lisp
4915(define-key minibuffer-local-filename-completion-map (kbd "SPC")
4916 'minibuffer-complete-word)
4917
4918(define-key minibuffer-local-must-match-filename-map (kbd "SPC")
4919 'minibuffer-complete-word)
4920@end lisp
4921
4922@c ------------------------------------------------------------
4923@node Alternate character sets, Mail and news, Key bindings, Top
4924@chapter Alternate character sets
4925@cindex Alternate character sets
4926
4927@menu
4928* Emacs does not display 8-bit characters::
4929* Inputting eight-bit characters::
4930* Kanji and Chinese characters::
4931* Right-to-left alphabets::
4932* How to add fonts::
4933@end menu
4934
4935@node Emacs does not display 8-bit characters, Inputting eight-bit characters, Alternate character sets, Alternate character sets
4936@section How do I make Emacs display 8-bit characters?
4937@cindex Displaying eight-bit characters
4938@cindex Eight-bit characters, displaying
4939
4940@inforef{Unibyte Mode, Single-byte Character Set
4941Support, emacs}. On a Unix, when Emacs runs on a text-only terminal
4942display or is invoked with @samp{emacs -nw}, you typically need to use
4943@code{set-terminal-coding-system} to tell Emacs what the terminal can
4944display, even after setting the language environment; otherwise
4945non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will display as @samp{?}. On other operating
4946systems, such as MS-DOS and MS-Windows, Emacs queries the OS about the
4947character set supported by the display, and sets up the required
4948terminal coding system automatically.
4949
4950@node Inputting eight-bit characters, Kanji and Chinese characters, Emacs does not display 8-bit characters, Alternate character sets
4951@section How do I input eight-bit characters?
4952@cindex Entering eight-bit characters
4953@cindex Eight-bit characters, entering
4954@cindex Input, 8-bit characters
4955
4956Various methods are available for input of eight-bit characters. See
4957@inforef{Unibyte Mode, Single-byte Character Set
4958Support, emacs}. For more sophisticated methods, @inforef{Input
4959Methods, Input Methods, emacs}.
4960
4961@node Kanji and Chinese characters, Right-to-left alphabets, Inputting eight-bit characters, Alternate character sets
4962@section Where can I get an Emacs that handles kanji, Chinese, or other Far-Eastern character sets?
4963@cindex Kanji, handling with Emacs
4964@cindex Chinese, handling with Emacs
4965@cindex Japanese, handling with Emacs
4966@cindex Korean, handling with Emacs
4967
4968Emacs 20 and later includes many of the features of MULE, the MULtilingual
4969Enhancement to Emacs. @xref{Installing Emacs}, for information on where
4970to find and download the latest version of Emacs.
4971
4972@node Right-to-left alphabets, How to add fonts, Kanji and Chinese characters, Alternate character sets
4973@section Where is an Emacs that can handle Semitic (right-to-left) alphabets?
4974@cindex Right-to-left alphabets
4975@cindex Hebrew, handling with Emacs
4976@cindex Semitic alphabets
4977@cindex Arabic alphabets
4978
4979Emacs 20 and later supports Hebrew characters (ISO 8859-8), but does not
4980yet support right-to-left character entry and display.
4981
4982@email{joel@@exc.com, Joel M. Hoffman} has written a Lisp package called
4983@file{hebrew.el} that allows right-to-left editing of Hebrew. It
4984reportedly works out of the box with Emacs 19, but requires patches for
4985Emacs 18. Write to Joel if you want the patches or package.
4986
4987@c FIXME: Should we mention Ehud Karni's package?
4988
4989@file{hebrew.el} requires a Hebrew screen font, but no other hardware support.
4990Joel has a screen font for PCs running MS-DOS or GNU/Linux.
4991
4992You might also try querying @code{archie} for files named with
4993@file{hebrew}; several ftp sites in Israel may also have the necessary
4994files.
4995
4996@node How to add fonts, , Right-to-left alphabets, Alternate character sets
4997@section How do I add fonts for use with Emacs?
4998@cindex add fonts for use with Emacs
4999@cindex intlfonts
5000
5001First, download and install the BDF font files and any auxiliary
5002packages they need. The GNU Intlfonts distribution can be found on
5003@uref{http://directory.fsf.org/localization/intlfonts.html, the GNU
5004Software Directory Web site}.
5005
5006Next, if you are on X Window system, issue the following two commands
5007from the shell's prompt:
5008
5009@example
5010 xset +fp /usr/local/share/emacs/fonts
5011 xset fp rehash
5012@end example
5013
5014@noindent
5015(Modify the first command if you installed the fonts in a directory
5016that is not @file{/usr/local/share/emacs/fonts}.) You also need to
5017arrange for these two commands to run whenever you log in, e.g., by
5018adding them to your window-system startup file, such as
5019@file{~/.xsessionrc} or @file{~/.gnomerc}.
5020
5021Now, add the following line to your @file{~/.emacs} init file:
5022
5023@lisp
5024 (add-to-list 'bdf-directory-list "/usr/share/emacs/fonts/bdf")
5025@end lisp
5026
5027@noindent
5028(Again, modify the file name if you installed the fonts elsewhere.)
5029
5030Finally, if you wish to use the installed fonts with @code{ps-print},
5031add the following line to your @file{~/.emacs}:
5032
5033@lisp
5034 (setq ps-multibyte-buffer 'bdf-font-except-latin)
5035@end lisp
5036
5037A few additional steps are necessary for MS-Windows; they are listed
5038below.
5039
5040First, make sure @emph{all} the directories with BDF font files are
5041mentioned in @code{bdf-directory-list}. On Unix and GNU/Linux
5042systems, one normally runs @kbd{make install} to install the BDF fonts
5043in the same directory. By contrast, Windows users typically don't run
5044the Intlfonts installation command, but unpack the distribution in
5045some directory, which leaves the BDF fonts in its subdirectories. For
5046example, assume that you unpacked Intlfonts in @file{C:/Intlfonts};
5047then you should set @code{bdf-directory-list} as follows:
5048
5049@lisp
5050 (setq bdf-directory-list
5051 '("C:/Intlfonts/Asian"
5052 "C:/Intlfonts/Chinese" "C:/Intlfonts/Chinese.X"
5053 "C:/Intlfonts/Chinese.BIG" "C:/Intlfonts/Ethiopic"
5054 "C:/Intlfonts/European" "C:/Intlfonts/European.BIG"
5055 "C:/Intlfonts/Japanese" "C:/Intlfonts/Japanese.X"
5056 "C:/Intlfonts/Japanese.BIG" "C:/Intlfonts/Korean.X"
5057 "C:/Intlfonts/Misc"))
5058@end lisp
5059
5060@cindex @code{w32-bdf-filename-alist}
5061@cindex @code{w32-find-bdf-fonts}
5062Next, you need to set up the variable @code{w32-bdf-filename-alist} to
5063an alist of the BDF fonts and their corresponding file names.
5064Assuming you have set @code{bdf-directory-list} to name all the
5065directories with the BDF font files, the following Lisp snippet will
5066set up @code{w32-bdf-filename-alist}:
5067
5068@lisp
5069 (setq w32-bdf-filename-alist
5070 (w32-find-bdf-fonts bdf-directory-list))
5071@end lisp
5072
5073Now, create fontsets for the BDF fonts:
5074
5075@lisp
5076 (create-fontset-from-fontset-spec
5077 "-*-fixed-medium-r-normal-*-16-*-*-*-c-*-fontset-bdf,
5078 japanese-jisx0208:-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-16-*-*-*-c-*-jisx0208.1983-*,
5079 katakana-jisx0201:-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-16-*-*-*-c-*-jisx0201*-*,
5080 latin-jisx0201:-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-16-*-*-*-c-*-jisx0201*-*,
5081 japanese-jisx0208-1978:-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-16-*-*-*-c-*-jisx0208.1978-*,
5082 thai-tis620:-misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--16-160-72-72-m-80-tis620.2529-1,
5083 lao:-misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--16-160-72-72-m-80-MuleLao-1,
5084 tibetan-1-column:-TibMdXA-fixed-medium-r-normal--16-160-72-72-m-80-MuleTibetan-1,
5085 ethiopic:-Admas-Ethiomx16f-Medium-R-Normal--16-150-100-100-M-160-Ethiopic-Unicode,
5086 tibetan:-TibMdXA-fixed-medium-r-normal--16-160-72-72-m-160-MuleTibetan-0")
5087@end lisp
5088
5089Many of the international bdf fonts from Intlfonts are type 0, and
5090therefore need to be added to font-encoding-alist:
5091
5092@lisp
5093 (setq font-encoding-alist
5094 (append '(("MuleTibetan-0" (tibetan . 0))
5095 ("GB2312" (chinese-gb2312 . 0))
5096 ("JISX0208" (japanese-jisx0208 . 0))
5097 ("JISX0212" (japanese-jisx0212 . 0))
5098 ("VISCII" (vietnamese-viscii-lower . 0))
5099 ("KSC5601" (korean-ksc5601 . 0))
5100 ("MuleArabic-0" (arabic-digit . 0))
5101 ("MuleArabic-1" (arabic-1-column . 0))
5102 ("MuleArabic-2" (arabic-2-column . 0)))
5103 font-encoding-alist))
5104@end lisp
5105
5106You can now use the Emacs font menu to select the @samp{bdf: 16-dot medium}
5107fontset, or you can select it by setting the default font in your
5108@file{~/.emacs}:
5109
5110@lisp
5111 (set-default-font "fontset-bdf")
5112@end lisp
5113
5114
5115@c ------------------------------------------------------------
5116@node Mail and news, Concept index, Alternate character sets, Top
5117@chapter Mail and news
5118@cindex Mail and news
5119
5120@menu
5121* Changing the included text prefix::
5122* Saving a copy of outgoing mail::
5123* Expanding aliases when sending mail::
5124* Rmail thinks all messages are one big one::
5125* Sorting the messages in an Rmail folder::
5126* Rmail writes to /usr/spool/mail::
5127* Recovering mail files when Rmail munges them::
5128* Replying to the sender of a message::
5129* MIME with Emacs mail packages::
5130* Automatically starting a mail or news reader::
5131* Reading news with Emacs::
5132* Gnus does not work with NNTP::
5133* Viewing articles with embedded underlining::
5134* Saving a multi-part Gnus posting::
5135* Starting Gnus faster::
5136* Catching up in all newsgroups::
5137* Killing based on nonstandard headers::
5138* Removing flashing messages::
5139* Catch-up is slow in Gnus::
5140* Gnus hangs for a long time::
5141* Learning more about Gnus::
5142@end menu
5143
5144@node Changing the included text prefix, Saving a copy of outgoing mail, Mail and news, Mail and news
5145@section How do I change the included text prefix in mail/news followups?
5146@cindex Prefix in mail/news followups, changing
5147@cindex Included text prefix, changing
5148@cindex Setting the included text character
5149@cindex Quoting in mail messages
5150
5151If you read mail with Rmail or news with Gnus, set the variable
5152@code{mail-yank-prefix}. For VM, set @code{vm-included-text-prefix}.
5153For mh-e, set @code{mh-ins-buf-prefix}.
5154
5155For fancier control of citations, use Supercite. @xref{Supercite}.
5156
5157To prevent Emacs from including various headers of the replied-to
5158message, set the value of @code{mail-yank-ignored-headers} to an
5159appropriate regexp.
5160
5161@node Saving a copy of outgoing mail, Expanding aliases when sending mail, Changing the included text prefix, Mail and news
5162@section How do I save a copy of outgoing mail?
5163@cindex Saving a copy of outgoing mail
5164@cindex Copying outgoing mail to a file
5165@cindex Filing outgoing mail
5166@cindex Automatic filing of outgoing mail
5167@cindex Mail, saving outgoing automatically
5168
5169You can either mail yourself a copy by including a @samp{BCC} header in the
5170mail message, or store a copy of the message directly to a file by
5171including an @samp{FCC} header.
5172
5173If you use standard mail, you can automatically create a @samp{BCC} to
5174yourself by putting
5175
5176@lisp
5177(setq mail-self-blind t)
5178@end lisp
5179
5180@noindent
5181in your @file{.emacs} file. You can automatically include an @samp{FCC}
5182field by putting something like the following in your @file{.emacs}
5183file:
5184
5185@lisp
5186(setq mail-archive-file-name (expand-file-name "~/outgoing"))
5187@end lisp
5188
5189The output file will be in Unix mail format, which can be read directly
5190by VM, but not always by Rmail. @xref{Learning how to do something}.
5191
5192If you use @code{mh-e}, add an @samp{FCC} or @samp{BCC} field to your
5193components file.
5194
5195It does not work to put @samp{set record filename} in the @file{.mailrc}
5196file.
5197
5198@node Expanding aliases when sending mail, Rmail thinks all messages are one big one, Saving a copy of outgoing mail, Mail and news
5199@section Why doesn't Emacs expand my aliases when sending mail?
5200@cindex Expanding aliases when sending mail
5201@cindex Mail alias expansion
5202@cindex Sending mail with aliases
5203
5204@itemize @bullet
5205
5206@item
5207You must separate multiple addresses in the headers of the mail buffer
5208with commas. This is because Emacs supports RFC822 standard addresses
5209like this one:
5210
5211@example
5212To: Willy Smith <wks@@xpnsv.lwyrs.com>
5213@end example
5214
5215However, you do not need to---and probably should not, unless your
5216system's version of @file{/usr/ucb/mail} (a.k.a.@: @code{mailx})
5217supports RFC822---separate addresses with commas in your
5218@file{~/.mailrc} file.
5219
5220@item
5221Emacs normally only reads the @file{.mailrc} file once per session,
5222when you start to compose your first mail message. If you edit
5223@file{.mailrc}, you can type @kbd{M-x rebuild-mail-abbrevs @key{RET}} to
5224make Emacs reread @file{~/.mailrc}.
5225
5226@item
5227If you like, you can expand mail aliases as abbrevs, as soon as you
5228type them in. To enable this feature, execute the following:
5229
5230@lisp
5231(add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'mail-abbrevs-setup)
5232@end lisp
5233
5234Note that the aliases are expanded automatically only after you type
5235@key{RET} or a punctuation character (e.g. @kbd{,}). You can force their
5236expansion by moving point to the end of the alias and typing @kbd{C-x a e}
5237(@kbd{M-x expand-abbrev}).
5238@end itemize
5239
5240@node Rmail thinks all messages are one big one, Sorting the messages in an Rmail folder, Expanding aliases when sending mail, Mail and news
5241@section Why does Rmail think all my saved messages are one big message?
5242@cindex Rmail thinks all messages are one large message
5243
5244A file created through the @samp{FCC} field in a message is in Unix mail
5245format, not the format that Rmail uses (BABYL format). Rmail will try
5246to convert a Unix mail file into BABYL format on input, but sometimes it
5247makes errors. For guaranteed safety, you can make the
5248@file{saved-messages} file be an inbox for your Rmail file by using the
5249function @code{set-rmail-inbox-list}.
5250
5251@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
5252@section How can I sort the messages in my Rmail folder?
5253@cindex Rmail, sorting messages in
5254@cindex Folder, sorting messages in an Rmail
5255@cindex Sorting messages in an Rmail folder
5256
5257In Rmail, type @kbd{C-c C-s C-h} to get a list of sorting functions
5258and their key bindings.
5259
5260@node Rmail writes to /usr/spool/mail, Recovering mail files when Rmail munges them, Sorting the messages in an Rmail folder, Mail and news
5261@section Why does Rmail need to write to @file{/usr/spool/mail}?
5262@cindex Rmail and @file{/usr/spool/mail}
5263@cindex @file{/usr/spool/mail} and Rmail
5264
5265This is the behavior of the @code{movemail} program which Rmail uses.
5266This indicates that @code{movemail} is configured to use lock files.
5267
5268RMS writes:
5269
5270@quotation
5271Certain systems require lock files to interlock access to mail files.
5272On these systems, @code{movemail} must write lock files, or you risk losing
5273mail. You simply must arrange to let @code{movemail} write them.
5274
5275Other systems use the @code{flock} system call to interlock access. On
5276these systems, you should configure @code{movemail} to use @code{flock}.
5277@end quotation
5278
5279@node Recovering mail files when Rmail munges them, Replying to the sender of a message, Rmail writes to /usr/spool/mail, Mail and news
5280@section How do I recover my mail files after Rmail munges their format?
5281@cindex Recovering munged mail files
5282@cindex Rmail munged my files
5283@cindex Mail files, recovering those munged by Rmail
5284
5285If you have just done @kbd{M-x rmail-input} on a file and you don't want
5286to save it in Rmail's format (called BABYL), just kill the buffer (with
5287@kbd{C-x k}).
5288
5289@cindex Exporting messages as Unix mail files
5290If you typed @kbd{M-x rmail} and it read some messages out of your inbox
5291and you want to put them in a Unix mail file, use @kbd{C-o} on each
5292message.
5293
5294@cindex Converting from BABYL to Unix mail format
5295@cindex @code{unrmail} command
5296If you want to convert an existing file from BABYL format to Unix mail
5297format, use the command @kbd{M-x unrmail}: it will prompt you for the
5298input and output file names.
5299
5300@pindex b2m
5301Alternatively, you could use the @code{b2m} program supplied with
5302Emacs. @code{b2m} is a filter, and is used like this:
5303
5304@example
5305 b2m < @var{babyl-file} > @var{mbox-file}
5306@end example
5307
5308@noindent
5309where @var{babyl-file} is the name of the BABYL file, and
5310@var{mbox-file} is the name of the file where the converted mail will
5311be written.
5312
5313@node Replying to the sender of a message, MIME with Emacs mail packages, Recovering mail files when Rmail munges them, Mail and news
5314@section How can I force Rmail to reply to the sender of a message, but not the other recipients?
5315@cindex Replying only to the sender of a message
5316@cindex Sender, replying only to
5317@cindex Rmail, replying to the sender of a message in
5318
5319@email{isaacson@@seas.upenn.edu, Ron Isaacson} says: When you hit
5320@key{r} to reply in Rmail, by default it CCs all of the original
5321recipients (everyone on the original @samp{To} and @samp{CC}
5322lists). With a prefix argument (i.e., typing @kbd{C-u} before @key{r}),
5323it replies only to the sender. However, going through the whole
5324@kbd{C-u} business every time you want to reply is a pain. This is the
5325best fix I've been able to come up with:
5326
5327@lisp
5328(defun rmail-reply-t ()
5329 "Reply only to the sender of the current message. (See rmail-reply.)"
5330 (interactive)
5331 (rmail-reply t))
5332
5333(add-hook 'rmail-mode-hook
5334 (lambda ()
5335 (define-key rmail-mode-map "r" 'rmail-reply-t)
5336 (define-key rmail-mode-map "R" 'rmail-reply)))
5337@end lisp
5338
5339@node MIME with Emacs mail packages, Automatically starting a mail or news reader, Replying to the sender of a message, Mail and news
5340@section How can I get my favorite Emacs mail package to support MIME?
5341@cindex MIME and Emacs mail packages
5342@cindex Mail packages and MIME
5343@cindex FAQ for MIME and Emacs
5344
5345Version 6.x of VM supports MIME. @xref{VM}. Gnus supports MIME in mail
5346and news messages as of version 5.8.1 (Pterodactyl). Rmail has limited
5347support for single-part MIME messages beginning with Emacs 20.3.
5348
5349@node Automatically starting a mail or news reader, Reading news with Emacs, MIME with Emacs mail packages, Mail and news
5350@section How do I make Emacs automatically start my mail/news reader?
5351@cindex Mail reader, starting automatically
5352@cindex News reader, starting automatically
5353@cindex Starting mail/news reader automatically
5354
5355To start Emacs in Gnus:
5356
5357@example
5358emacs -f gnus
5359@end example
5360
5361@noindent
5362in Rmail:
5363
5364@example
5365emacs -f rmail
5366@end example
5367
5368A more convenient way to start with Gnus:
5369
5370@example
5371alias gnus 'emacs -f gnus'
5372gnus
5373@end example
5374
5375It is probably unwise to automatically start your mail or news reader
5376from your @file{.emacs} file. This would cause problems if you needed to run
5377two copies of Emacs at the same time. Also, this would make it difficult for
5378you to start Emacs quickly when you needed to.
5379
5380@node Reading news with Emacs, Gnus does not work with NNTP, Automatically starting a mail or news reader, Mail and news
5381@section How do I read news under Emacs?
5382@cindex Reading news under Emacs
5383@cindex Usenet reader in Emacs
5384@cindex Gnus newsreader
5385
5386Use @kbd{M-x gnus}. It is documented in Info (@pxref{Learning how to do
5387something}).
5388
5389@node Gnus does not work with NNTP, Viewing articles with embedded underlining, Reading news with Emacs, Mail and news
5390@section Why doesn't Gnus work via NNTP?
5391@cindex Gnus and NNTP
5392@cindex NNTP, Gnus fails to work with
5393
5394There is a bug in NNTP version 1.5.10, such that when multiple requests
5395are sent to the NNTP server, the server only handles the first one
5396before blocking waiting for more input which never comes. NNTP version
53971.5.11 claims to fix this.
5398
5399You can work around the bug inside Emacs like this:
5400
5401@lisp
5402(setq nntp-maximum-request 1)
5403@end lisp
5404
5405You can find out what version of NNTP your news server is running by
5406telnetting to the NNTP port (usually 119) on the news server machine
5407(i.e., @kbd{telnet server-machine 119}). The server should give its
5408version number in the welcome message. Type @kbd{quit} to get out.
5409
5410@xref{Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode}, for some additional ideas.
5411
5412@node Viewing articles with embedded underlining, Saving a multi-part Gnus posting, Gnus does not work with NNTP, Mail and news
5413@section How do I view news articles with embedded underlining (e.g., ClariNews)?
5414@cindex Underlining, embedded in news articles
5415@cindex News articles with embedded underlining
5416@cindex Embedded underlining in news articles
5417
5418Underlining appears like this:
5419
5420@example
5421_^Hu_^Hn_^Hd_^He_^Hr_^Hl_^Hi_^Hn_^Hi_^Hn_^Hg
5422@end example
5423
5424@email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen} suggests using the following
5425code, which uses the underline face to turn such text into true
5426underlining, inconjunction with Gnus:
5427
5428@lisp
5429(defun gnus-article-prepare-overstrike ()
5430 ;; Prepare article for overstrike commands.
5431 (save-excursion
5432 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
5433 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
5434 (goto-char (point-min))
5435 (while (search-forward "\b" nil t)
5436 (let ((next (following-char))
5437 (previous (char-after (- (point) 2))))
5438 (cond ((eq next previous)
5439 (delete-region (- (point) 2) (point))
5440 (put-text-property (point) (1+ (point))
5441 'face 'bold))
5442 ((eq next ?_)
5443 (delete-region (1- (point)) (1+ (point)))
5444 (put-text-property (1- (point)) (point)
5445 'face 'underline))
5446 ((eq previous ?_)
5447 (delete-region (- (point) 2) (point))
5448 (put-text-property (point) (1+ (point))
5449 'face 'underline))))))))
5450
5451(add-hook 'gnus-article-prepare-hook 'gnus-article-prepare-overstrike)
5452@end lisp
5453
5454Latest versions of Gnus do such a conversion automatically.
5455
5456If you prefer to do away with underlining altogether, you can
5457destructively remove it with @kbd{M-x ununderline-region}; do this
5458automatically via
5459
5460@lisp
5461(add-hook 'gnus-article-prepare-hook
5462 (lambda () (ununderline-region (point-min) (point-max))))
5463@end lisp
5464
5465@node Saving a multi-part Gnus posting, Starting Gnus faster, Viewing articles with embedded underlining, Mail and news
5466@section How do I save all the items of a multi-part posting in Gnus?
5467@cindex Multi-part postings in Gnus, saving
5468@cindex Saving multi-part postings in Gnus
5469@cindex Gnus, saving multi-part postings in
5470
5471Use @code{gnus-uu}. Type @kbd{C-c C-v C-h} in the Gnus summary buffer
5472to see a list of available commands.
5473
5474@node Starting Gnus faster, Catching up in all newsgroups, Saving a multi-part Gnus posting, Mail and news
5475@section How do I make Gnus start up faster?
5476@cindex Faster, starting Gnus
5477@cindex Starting Gnus faster
5478@cindex Gnus, starting faster
5479
5480From the Gnus FAQ (@pxref{Learning more about Gnus}):
5481
5482@quotation
5483@email{pktiwari@@eos.ncsu.edu, Pranav Kumar Tiwari} writes: I posted
5484the same query recently and I got an answer to it. I am going to
5485repeat the answer. What you need is a newer version of gnus, version
54865.0.4+. I am using 5.0.12 and it works fine with me with the
5487following settings:
5488
5489@lisp
5490(setq gnus-check-new-newsgroups nil
5491 gnus-read-active-file 'some
5492 gnus-nov-is-evil nil
5493 gnus-select-method '(nntp gnus-nntp-server))
5494@end lisp
5495@end quotation
5496
5497@node Catching up in all newsgroups, Killing based on nonstandard headers, Starting Gnus faster, Mail and news
5498@section How do I catch up all newsgroups in Gnus?
5499@cindex Catching up all newsgroups in Gnus
5500@cindex Gnus, Catching up all newsgroups in
5501
5502In the @file{*Newsgroup*} buffer, type @kbd{M-< C-x ( c y C-x ) M-0 C-x e}
5503
5504Leave off the initial @kbd{M-<} if you only want to catch up from point
5505to the end of the @file{*Newsgroup*} buffer.
5506
5507@node Killing based on nonstandard headers, Removing flashing messages, Catching up in all newsgroups, Mail and news
5508@section Why can't I kill in Gnus based on the Newsgroups/Keywords/Control headers?
5509@cindex Killing articles based on nonstandard headers
5510@cindex Newsgroups header, killing articles based on
5511@cindex Keywords header, killing articles based on
5512@cindex Control header, killing articles based on
5513
5514Gnus will complain that the @samp{Newsgroups}, @samp{Keywords}, and
5515@samp{Control} headers are ``Unknown header'' fields.
5516
5517For the @samp{Newsgroups} header, there is an easy workaround: kill on the
5518@samp{Xref} header instead, which will be present on any cross-posted article
5519(as long as your site carries the cross-post group).
5520
5521If you really want to kill on one of these headers, you can do it like
5522this:
5523
5524@lisp
5525(gnus-kill nil "^Newsgroups: .*\\(bad\\.group\\|worse\\.group\\)")
5526@end lisp
5527
5528@node Removing flashing messages, Catch-up is slow in Gnus, Killing based on nonstandard headers, Mail and news
5529@section How do I get rid of flashing messages in Gnus for slow connections?
5530@cindex Flashing Gnus messages, removing
5531@cindex Removing flashing Gnus messages
5532@cindex Slow connections causing flashing messages in Gnus
5533@cindex Gnus, flashing messages in
5534
5535Set @code{nntp-debug-read} to @code{nil}.
5536
5537@node Catch-up is slow in Gnus, Gnus hangs for a long time, Removing flashing messages, Mail and news
5538@section Why is catch up slow in Gnus?
5539@cindex Slow catch up in Gnus
5540@cindex Gnus is slow when catching up
5541@cindex Crosspostings make Gnus catching up slow
5542
5543Because Gnus is marking crosspostings read. You can control this with
5544the variable @code{gnus-use-cross-reference}.
5545
5546@node Gnus hangs for a long time, Learning more about Gnus, Catch-up is slow in Gnus, Mail and news
5547@section Why does Gnus hang for a long time when posting?
5548@cindex Hangs in Gnus
5549@cindex Gnus hangs while posting
5550@cindex Posting, Gnus hangs wile
5551
5552@email{tale@@uunet.uu.net, David Lawrence} explains:
5553
5554@quotation
5555The problem is almost always interaction between NNTP and C News. NNTP
5556POST asks C News's @code{inews} to not background itself but rather hang
5557around and give its exit status so it knows whether the post was successful.
5558(That wait will on some systems not return the exit status of the
5559waited for job is a different sort of problem.) It ends up taking a
5560long time because @code{inews} is calling @code{relaynews}, which often
5561waits for another @code{relaynews} to free the lock on the news system
5562so it can file the article.
5563
5564My preferred solution is to change @code{inews} to not call
5565@code{relaynews}, but rather use @code{newsspool}. This loses some
5566error-catching functionality, but is for the most part safe as
5567@code{inews} will detect a lot of the errors on its own. The C News
5568folks have sped up @code{inews}, too, so speed should look better to
5569most folks as that update propagates around.
5570@end quotation
5571
5572@node Learning more about Gnus, , Gnus hangs for a long time, Mail and news
5573@section Where can I find out more about Gnus?
5574@cindex FAQ for Gnus
5575@cindex Gnus FAQ
5576@cindex Learning more about Gnus
5577
5578For more information on Gnus, consult the Gnus manual and FAQ, which are
5579part of the Gnus distribution.
5580
5581@node Concept index, , Mail and news, Top
5582@unnumbered Concept Index
5583@printindex cp
5584
5585@contents
5586@bye
5587
5588@ignore
5589 arch-tag: fee0d62d-06cf-43d8-ac21-123408eaf10f
5590@end ignore