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6bf7aab6 | 1 | @c This is part of the Emacs manual. |
b65d8176 | 2 | @c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, |
3f548a7c | 3 | @c 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
6bf7aab6 | 4 | @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions. |
6bf7aab6 | 5 | |
1f67b1dd RS |
6 | @node Killing, Yanking, Mark, Top |
7 | @chapter Killing and Moving Text | |
6bf7aab6 | 8 | |
6cca5de0 LT |
9 | @ifnottex |
10 | @raisesections | |
11 | @end ifnottex | |
12 | ||
1f67b1dd RS |
13 | @dfn{Killing} means erasing text and copying it into the @dfn{kill |
14 | ring}, from which you can bring it back into the buffer by | |
15 | @dfn{yanking} it. (Some systems use the terms ``cutting'' and | |
16 | ``pasting'' for these operations.) This is the most common way of | |
17 | moving or copying text within Emacs. Killing and yanking is very safe | |
18 | because Emacs remembers several recent kills, not just the last one. | |
19 | It is versatile, because the many commands for killing syntactic units | |
20 | can also be used for moving those units. But there are other ways of | |
21 | copying text for special purposes. | |
22 | ||
23 | @iftex | |
6bf7aab6 | 24 | @section Deletion and Killing |
1f67b1dd | 25 | @end iftex |
6bf7aab6 DL |
26 | |
27 | @cindex killing text | |
28 | @cindex cutting text | |
29 | @cindex deletion | |
1f67b1dd RS |
30 | Most commands which erase text from the buffer save it in the kill |
31 | ring. These commands are known as @dfn{kill} commands. The commands | |
32 | that erase text but do not save it in the kill ring are known as | |
33 | @dfn{delete} commands. The @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) command | |
34 | (@pxref{Undo}) can undo both kill and delete commands; the importance | |
35 | of the kill ring is that you can also yank the text in a different | |
36 | place or places. Emacs has only one kill ring for all buffers, so you | |
37 | can kill text in one buffer and yank it in another buffer. | |
8b0645d6 | 38 | |
6bf7aab6 | 39 | The delete commands include @kbd{C-d} (@code{delete-char}) and |
58fa012d EZ |
40 | @key{DEL} (@code{delete-backward-char}), which delete only one |
41 | character at a time, and those commands that delete only spaces or | |
1f67b1dd | 42 | newlines. Commands that can erase significant amounts of nontrivial |
58fa012d EZ |
43 | data generally do a kill operation instead. The commands' names and |
44 | individual descriptions use the words @samp{kill} and @samp{delete} to | |
45 | say which kind of operation they perform. | |
6bf7aab6 | 46 | |
1f67b1dd RS |
47 | @vindex kill-read-only-ok |
48 | @cindex read-only text, killing | |
49 | You cannot kill read-only text, since such text does not allow any | |
50 | kind of modification. But some users like to use the kill commands to | |
51 | copy read-only text into the kill ring, without actually changing it. | |
52 | Therefore, the kill commands work specially in a read-only buffer: | |
53 | they move over text, and copy it to the kill ring, without actually | |
54 | deleting it from the buffer. Normally, kill commands beep and display | |
55 | an error message when this happens. But if you set the variable | |
56 | @code{kill-read-only-ok} to a non-@code{nil} value, they just print a | |
57 | message in the echo area to explain why the text has not been erased. | |
dd5c1ea9 | 58 | |
a21cc7d1 RS |
59 | You can also use the mouse to kill and yank. @xref{Cut and Paste}. |
60 | ||
6bf7aab6 DL |
61 | @menu |
62 | * Deletion:: Commands for deleting small amounts of text and | |
63 | blank areas. | |
64 | * Killing by Lines:: How to kill entire lines of text at one time. | |
65 | * Other Kill Commands:: Commands to kill large regions of text and | |
177c0ea7 | 66 | syntactic units such as words and sentences. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
67 | @end menu |
68 | ||
c46cabfa | 69 | @need 1500 |
6bf7aab6 DL |
70 | @node Deletion |
71 | @subsection Deletion | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
72 | @findex delete-backward-char |
73 | @findex delete-char | |
6bf7aab6 | 74 | |
ba5d9bfd RS |
75 | Deletion means erasing text and not saving it in the kill ring. For |
76 | the most part, the Emacs commands that delete text are those that | |
77 | erase just one character or only whitespace. | |
78 | ||
6bf7aab6 DL |
79 | @table @kbd |
80 | @item C-d | |
154897a3 | 81 | @itemx @key{DELETE} |
4933bc02 | 82 | Delete next character (@code{delete-char}). If your keyboard has a |
154897a3 | 83 | @key{DELETE} function key (usually located in the edit keypad), Emacs |
4933bc02 | 84 | binds it to @code{delete-char} as well. |
6bf7aab6 | 85 | @item @key{DEL} |
4933bc02 | 86 | @itemx @key{BS} |
144e981a | 87 | Delete previous character (@code{delete-backward-char}). |
6bf7aab6 DL |
88 | @item M-\ |
89 | Delete spaces and tabs around point (@code{delete-horizontal-space}). | |
90 | @item M-@key{SPC} | |
91 | Delete spaces and tabs around point, leaving one space | |
92 | (@code{just-one-space}). | |
93 | @item C-x C-o | |
94 | Delete blank lines around the current line (@code{delete-blank-lines}). | |
95 | @item M-^ | |
96 | Join two lines by deleting the intervening newline, along with any | |
97 | indentation following it (@code{delete-indentation}). | |
98 | @end table | |
99 | ||
2155102b RS |
100 | @kindex DEL |
101 | @kindex C-d | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
102 | The most basic delete commands are @kbd{C-d} (@code{delete-char}) and |
103 | @key{DEL} (@code{delete-backward-char}). @kbd{C-d} deletes the | |
104 | character after point, the one the cursor is ``on top of.'' This | |
105 | doesn't move point. @key{DEL} deletes the character before the cursor, | |
106 | and moves point back. You can delete newlines like any other characters | |
107 | in the buffer; deleting a newline joins two lines. Actually, @kbd{C-d} | |
108 | and @key{DEL} aren't always delete commands; when given arguments, they | |
109 | kill instead, since they can erase more than one character this way. | |
110 | ||
2155102b RS |
111 | @kindex BACKSPACE |
112 | @kindex BS | |
113 | @kindex DELETE | |
144e981a | 114 | Every keyboard has a large key which is a short distance above the |
2155102b | 115 | @key{RET} or @key{ENTER} key and is normally used for erasing what you |
144e981a RS |
116 | have typed. It may be labeled @key{DEL}, @key{BACKSPACE}, @key{BS}, |
117 | @key{DELETE}, or even with a left arrow. Regardless of the label on | |
118 | the key, in Emacs it called @key{DEL}, and it should delete one | |
119 | character backwards. | |
2155102b | 120 | |
79ea1938 RS |
121 | Many keyboards (including standard PC keyboards) have a |
122 | @key{BACKSPACE} key a short ways above @key{RET} or @key{ENTER}, and a | |
123 | @key{DELETE} key elsewhere. In that case, the @key{BACKSPACE} key is | |
124 | @key{DEL}, and the @key{DELETE} key is equivalent to @kbd{C-d}---or it | |
125 | should be. | |
2155102b | 126 | |
2155102b | 127 | Why do we say ``or it should be''? When Emacs starts up using a |
ab7c5459 | 128 | graphical display, it determines automatically which key or keys should be |
58fa012d | 129 | equivalent to @key{DEL}. As a result, @key{BACKSPACE} and/or @key{DELETE} |
9ab48fa6 RS |
130 | keys normally do the right things. But in some unusual cases Emacs |
131 | gets the wrong information from the system. If these keys don't do | |
79ea1938 | 132 | what they ought to do, you need to tell Emacs which key to use for |
82f6ab38 | 133 | @key{DEL}. @xref{DEL Does Not Delete}, for how to do this. |
9ab48fa6 RS |
134 | |
135 | @findex normal-erase-is-backspace-mode | |
79ea1938 RS |
136 | On most text-only terminals, Emacs cannot tell which keys the |
137 | keyboard really has, so it follows a uniform plan which may or may not | |
76dd3692 EZ |
138 | fit your keyboard. The uniform plan is that the @acronym{ASCII} @key{DEL} |
139 | character deletes, and the @acronym{ASCII} @key{BS} (backspace) character asks | |
79ea1938 | 140 | for help (it is the same as @kbd{C-h}). If this is not right for your |
0ec1f115 | 141 | keyboard, such as if you find that the key which ought to delete backwards |
82f6ab38 | 142 | enters Help instead, see @ref{DEL Does Not Delete}. |
4933bc02 | 143 | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
144 | @kindex M-\ |
145 | @findex delete-horizontal-space | |
146 | @kindex M-SPC | |
147 | @findex just-one-space | |
148 | The other delete commands are those which delete only whitespace | |
149 | characters: spaces, tabs and newlines. @kbd{M-\} | |
150 | (@code{delete-horizontal-space}) deletes all the spaces and tab | |
f111a3c6 CY |
151 | characters before and after point. With a prefix argument, this only |
152 | deletes spaces and tab characters before point. @kbd{M-@key{SPC}} | |
6bf7aab6 | 153 | (@code{just-one-space}) does likewise but leaves a single space after |
80b9df3a RS |
154 | point, regardless of the number of spaces that existed previously |
155 | (even if there were none before). With a numeric argument @var{n}, it | |
870f8c97 | 156 | leaves @var{n} spaces after point. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
157 | |
158 | @kbd{C-x C-o} (@code{delete-blank-lines}) deletes all blank lines | |
159 | after the current line. If the current line is blank, it deletes all | |
160 | blank lines preceding the current line as well (leaving one blank line, | |
fda95b3d | 161 | the current line). On a solitary blank line, it deletes that line. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
162 | |
163 | @kbd{M-^} (@code{delete-indentation}) joins the current line and the | |
164 | previous line, by deleting a newline and all surrounding spaces, usually | |
165 | leaving a single space. @xref{Indentation,M-^}. | |
166 | ||
167 | @node Killing by Lines | |
168 | @subsection Killing by Lines | |
169 | ||
170 | @table @kbd | |
171 | @item C-k | |
172 | Kill rest of line or one or more lines (@code{kill-line}). | |
533286e0 EZ |
173 | @item C-S-backspace |
174 | Kill an entire line at once (@code{kill-whole-line}) | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
175 | @end table |
176 | ||
177 | @kindex C-k | |
178 | @findex kill-line | |
179 | The simplest kill command is @kbd{C-k}. If given at the beginning of | |
180 | a line, it kills all the text on the line, leaving it blank. When used | |
181 | on a blank line, it kills the whole line including its newline. To kill | |
182 | an entire non-blank line, go to the beginning and type @kbd{C-k} twice. | |
183 | ||
184 | More generally, @kbd{C-k} kills from point up to the end of the line, | |
185 | unless it is at the end of a line. In that case it kills the newline | |
186 | following point, thus merging the next line into the current one. | |
187 | Spaces and tabs that you can't see at the end of the line are ignored | |
188 | when deciding which case applies, so if point appears to be at the end | |
189 | of the line, you can be sure @kbd{C-k} will kill the newline. | |
190 | ||
191 | When @kbd{C-k} is given a positive argument, it kills that many lines | |
192 | and the newlines that follow them (however, text on the current line | |
58fa012d | 193 | before point is not killed). With a negative argument @minus{}@var{n}, it |
6bf7aab6 DL |
194 | kills @var{n} lines preceding the current line (together with the text |
195 | on the current line before point). Thus, @kbd{C-u - 2 C-k} at the front | |
196 | of a line kills the two previous lines. | |
197 | ||
198 | @kbd{C-k} with an argument of zero kills the text before point on the | |
199 | current line. | |
200 | ||
201 | @vindex kill-whole-line | |
202 | If the variable @code{kill-whole-line} is non-@code{nil}, @kbd{C-k} at | |
203 | the very beginning of a line kills the entire line including the | |
204 | following newline. This variable is normally @code{nil}. | |
205 | ||
533286e0 EZ |
206 | @kindex C-S-backspace |
207 | @findex kill-whole-line | |
208 | @kbd{C-S-backspace} (@code{kill-whole-line}) will kill a whole line | |
209 | including its newline regardless of the position of point within the | |
210 | line. Note that many character terminals will prevent you from typing | |
211 | the key sequence @kbd{C-S-backspace}. | |
212 | ||
6bf7aab6 DL |
213 | @node Other Kill Commands |
214 | @subsection Other Kill Commands | |
215 | @findex kill-region | |
216 | @kindex C-w | |
217 | ||
6bf7aab6 DL |
218 | @table @kbd |
219 | @item C-w | |
220 | Kill region (from point to the mark) (@code{kill-region}). | |
221 | @item M-d | |
222 | Kill word (@code{kill-word}). @xref{Words}. | |
223 | @item M-@key{DEL} | |
224 | Kill word backwards (@code{backward-kill-word}). | |
225 | @item C-x @key{DEL} | |
226 | Kill back to beginning of sentence (@code{backward-kill-sentence}). | |
227 | @xref{Sentences}. | |
228 | @item M-k | |
229 | Kill to end of sentence (@code{kill-sentence}). | |
230 | @item C-M-k | |
46497336 | 231 | Kill the following balanced expression (@code{kill-sexp}). @xref{Expressions}. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
232 | @item M-z @var{char} |
233 | Kill through the next occurrence of @var{char} (@code{zap-to-char}). | |
234 | @end table | |
235 | ||
3423ce02 RS |
236 | The most general kill command is @kbd{C-w} (@code{kill-region}), |
237 | which kills everything between point and the mark. With this command, | |
238 | you can kill any contiguous sequence of characters, if you first set | |
239 | the region around them. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
240 | |
241 | @kindex M-z | |
242 | @findex zap-to-char | |
243 | A convenient way of killing is combined with searching: @kbd{M-z} | |
244 | (@code{zap-to-char}) reads a character and kills from point up to (and | |
245 | including) the next occurrence of that character in the buffer. A | |
246 | numeric argument acts as a repeat count. A negative argument means to | |
247 | search backward and kill text before point. | |
248 | ||
46497336 RS |
249 | Other syntactic units can be killed: words, with @kbd{M-@key{DEL}} |
250 | and @kbd{M-d} (@pxref{Words}); balanced expressions, with @kbd{C-M-k} | |
251 | (@pxref{Expressions}); and sentences, with @kbd{C-x @key{DEL}} and | |
252 | @kbd{M-k} (@pxref{Sentences}).@refill | |
6bf7aab6 | 253 | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
254 | @node Yanking, Accumulating Text, Killing, Top |
255 | @section Yanking | |
256 | @cindex moving text | |
257 | @cindex copying text | |
258 | @cindex kill ring | |
259 | @cindex yanking | |
260 | @cindex pasting | |
261 | ||
262 | @dfn{Yanking} means reinserting text previously killed. This is what | |
263 | some systems call ``pasting.'' The usual way to move or copy text is to | |
b3ada791 RS |
264 | kill it and then yank it elsewhere one or more times. This is very safe |
265 | because Emacs remembers many recent kills, not just the last one. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
266 | |
267 | @table @kbd | |
268 | @item C-y | |
269 | Yank last killed text (@code{yank}). | |
270 | @item M-y | |
271 | Replace text just yanked with an earlier batch of killed text | |
272 | (@code{yank-pop}). | |
273 | @item M-w | |
274 | Save region as last killed text without actually killing it | |
5a7f4c1b | 275 | (@code{kill-ring-save}). Some systems call this ``copying.'' |
6bf7aab6 DL |
276 | @item C-M-w |
277 | Append next kill to last batch of killed text (@code{append-next-kill}). | |
278 | @end table | |
279 | ||
144e981a RS |
280 | On graphical displays with window systems, if there is a current |
281 | selection in some other application, and you selected it more recently | |
282 | than you killed any text in Emacs, @kbd{C-y} copies the selection | |
283 | instead of text killed within Emacs. | |
7464a646 | 284 | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
285 | @menu |
286 | * Kill Ring:: Where killed text is stored. Basic yanking. | |
287 | * Appending Kills:: Several kills in a row all yank together. | |
288 | * Earlier Kills:: Yanking something killed some time ago. | |
289 | @end menu | |
290 | ||
291 | @node Kill Ring | |
292 | @subsection The Kill Ring | |
293 | ||
294 | All killed text is recorded in the @dfn{kill ring}, a list of blocks of | |
295 | text that have been killed. There is only one kill ring, shared by all | |
296 | buffers, so you can kill text in one buffer and yank it in another buffer. | |
297 | This is the usual way to move text from one file to another. | |
298 | (@xref{Accumulating Text}, for some other ways.) | |
299 | ||
300 | @kindex C-y | |
301 | @findex yank | |
302 | The command @kbd{C-y} (@code{yank}) reinserts the text of the most recent | |
303 | kill. It leaves the cursor at the end of the text. It sets the mark at | |
304 | the beginning of the text. @xref{Mark}. | |
305 | ||
306 | @kbd{C-u C-y} leaves the cursor in front of the text, and sets the | |
307 | mark after it. This happens only if the argument is specified with just | |
308 | a @kbd{C-u}, precisely. Any other sort of argument, including @kbd{C-u} | |
309 | and digits, specifies an earlier kill to yank (@pxref{Earlier Kills}). | |
310 | ||
c1a50bee RS |
311 | @cindex yanking and text properties |
312 | @vindex yank-excluded-properties | |
313 | The yank commands discard certain text properties from the text that | |
769508c9 | 314 | is yanked, those that might lead to annoying results. For instance, |
c1a50bee RS |
315 | they discard text properties that respond to the mouse or specify key |
316 | bindings. The variable @code{yank-excluded-properties} specifies the | |
317 | properties to discard. Yanking of register contents and rectangles | |
318 | also discard these properties. | |
319 | ||
6bf7aab6 DL |
320 | @kindex M-w |
321 | @findex kill-ring-save | |
322 | To copy a block of text, you can use @kbd{M-w} | |
323 | (@code{kill-ring-save}), which copies the region into the kill ring | |
324 | without removing it from the buffer. This is approximately equivalent | |
325 | to @kbd{C-w} followed by @kbd{C-x u}, except that @kbd{M-w} does not | |
326 | alter the undo history and does not temporarily change the screen. | |
327 | ||
328 | @node Appending Kills | |
329 | @subsection Appending Kills | |
330 | ||
331 | @cindex appending kills in the ring | |
332 | @cindex television | |
333 | Normally, each kill command pushes a new entry onto the kill ring. | |
334 | However, two or more kill commands in a row combine their text into a | |
335 | single entry, so that a single @kbd{C-y} yanks all the text as a unit, | |
336 | just as it was before it was killed. | |
337 | ||
338 | Thus, if you want to yank text as a unit, you need not kill all of it | |
339 | with one command; you can keep killing line after line, or word after | |
340 | word, until you have killed it all, and you can still get it all back at | |
341 | once. | |
342 | ||
343 | Commands that kill forward from point add onto the end of the previous | |
344 | killed text. Commands that kill backward from point add text onto the | |
345 | beginning. This way, any sequence of mixed forward and backward kill | |
346 | commands puts all the killed text into one entry without rearrangement. | |
347 | Numeric arguments do not break the sequence of appending kills. For | |
348 | example, suppose the buffer contains this text: | |
349 | ||
350 | @example | |
351 | This is a line @point{}of sample text. | |
352 | @end example | |
353 | ||
354 | @noindent | |
355 | with point shown by @point{}. If you type @kbd{M-d M-@key{DEL} M-d | |
356 | M-@key{DEL}}, killing alternately forward and backward, you end up with | |
357 | @samp{a line of sample} as one entry in the kill ring, and @samp{This | |
58fa012d EZ |
358 | is@ @ text.} in the buffer. (Note the double space between @samp{is} |
359 | and @samp{text}, which you can clean up with @kbd{M-@key{SPC}} or | |
360 | @kbd{M-q}.) | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
361 | |
362 | Another way to kill the same text is to move back two words with | |
363 | @kbd{M-b M-b}, then kill all four words forward with @kbd{C-u M-d}. | |
364 | This produces exactly the same results in the buffer and in the kill | |
365 | ring. @kbd{M-f M-f C-u M-@key{DEL}} kills the same text, all going | |
366 | backward; once again, the result is the same. The text in the kill ring | |
367 | entry always has the same order that it had in the buffer before you | |
368 | killed it. | |
369 | ||
370 | @kindex C-M-w | |
371 | @findex append-next-kill | |
372 | If a kill command is separated from the last kill command by other | |
373 | commands (not just numeric arguments), it starts a new entry on the kill | |
374 | ring. But you can force it to append by first typing the command | |
375 | @kbd{C-M-w} (@code{append-next-kill}) right before it. The @kbd{C-M-w} | |
376 | tells the following command, if it is a kill command, to append the text | |
377 | it kills to the last killed text, instead of starting a new entry. With | |
378 | @kbd{C-M-w}, you can kill several separated pieces of text and | |
379 | accumulate them to be yanked back in one place.@refill | |
380 | ||
381 | A kill command following @kbd{M-w} does not append to the text that | |
382 | @kbd{M-w} copied into the kill ring. | |
383 | ||
384 | @node Earlier Kills | |
385 | @subsection Yanking Earlier Kills | |
386 | ||
387 | @cindex yanking previous kills | |
388 | @kindex M-y | |
389 | @findex yank-pop | |
390 | To recover killed text that is no longer the most recent kill, use the | |
391 | @kbd{M-y} command (@code{yank-pop}). It takes the text previously | |
392 | yanked and replaces it with the text from an earlier kill. So, to | |
393 | recover the text of the next-to-the-last kill, first use @kbd{C-y} to | |
394 | yank the last kill, and then use @kbd{M-y} to replace it with the | |
395 | previous kill. @kbd{M-y} is allowed only after a @kbd{C-y} or another | |
396 | @kbd{M-y}. | |
397 | ||
398 | You can understand @kbd{M-y} in terms of a ``last yank'' pointer which | |
399 | points at an entry in the kill ring. Each time you kill, the ``last | |
400 | yank'' pointer moves to the newly made entry at the front of the ring. | |
401 | @kbd{C-y} yanks the entry which the ``last yank'' pointer points to. | |
402 | @kbd{M-y} moves the ``last yank'' pointer to a different entry, and the | |
403 | text in the buffer changes to match. Enough @kbd{M-y} commands can move | |
404 | the pointer to any entry in the ring, so you can get any entry into the | |
405 | buffer. Eventually the pointer reaches the end of the ring; the next | |
58fa012d | 406 | @kbd{M-y} loops back around to the first entry again. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
407 | |
408 | @kbd{M-y} moves the ``last yank'' pointer around the ring, but it does | |
409 | not change the order of the entries in the ring, which always runs from | |
410 | the most recent kill at the front to the oldest one still remembered. | |
411 | ||
412 | @kbd{M-y} can take a numeric argument, which tells it how many entries | |
413 | to advance the ``last yank'' pointer by. A negative argument moves the | |
414 | pointer toward the front of the ring; from the front of the ring, it | |
415 | moves ``around'' to the last entry and continues forward from there. | |
416 | ||
417 | Once the text you are looking for is brought into the buffer, you can | |
418 | stop doing @kbd{M-y} commands and it will stay there. It's just a copy | |
419 | of the kill ring entry, so editing it in the buffer does not change | |
420 | what's in the ring. As long as no new killing is done, the ``last | |
421 | yank'' pointer remains at the same place in the kill ring, so repeating | |
422 | @kbd{C-y} will yank another copy of the same previous kill. | |
423 | ||
0ec1f115 RS |
424 | If you know how many @kbd{M-y} commands it would take to find the |
425 | text you want, you can yank that text in one step using @kbd{C-y} with | |
426 | a numeric argument. @kbd{C-y} with an argument restores the text from | |
427 | the specified kill ring entry, counting back from the most recent as | |
428 | 1. Thus, @kbd{C-u 2 C-y} gets the next-to-the-last block of killed | |
429 | text---it is equivalent to @kbd{C-y M-y}. @kbd{C-y} with a numeric | |
430 | argument starts counting from the ``last yank'' pointer, and sets the | |
431 | ``last yank'' pointer to the entry that it yanks. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
432 | |
433 | @vindex kill-ring-max | |
434 | The length of the kill ring is controlled by the variable | |
435 | @code{kill-ring-max}; no more than that many blocks of killed text are | |
436 | saved. | |
437 | ||
438 | @vindex kill-ring | |
439 | The actual contents of the kill ring are stored in a variable named | |
440 | @code{kill-ring}; you can view the entire contents of the kill ring with | |
441 | the command @kbd{C-h v kill-ring}. | |
442 | ||
443 | @node Accumulating Text, Rectangles, Yanking, Top | |
444 | @section Accumulating Text | |
445 | @findex append-to-buffer | |
446 | @findex prepend-to-buffer | |
447 | @findex copy-to-buffer | |
448 | @findex append-to-file | |
449 | ||
450 | @cindex accumulating scattered text | |
451 | Usually we copy or move text by killing it and yanking it, but there | |
3423ce02 | 452 | are other convenient methods for copying one block of text in many |
6bf7aab6 DL |
453 | places, or for copying many scattered blocks of text into one place. To |
454 | copy one block to many places, store it in a register | |
455 | (@pxref{Registers}). Here we describe the commands to accumulate | |
456 | scattered pieces of text into a buffer or into a file. | |
457 | ||
458 | @table @kbd | |
459 | @item M-x append-to-buffer | |
0ec1f115 | 460 | Append region to the contents of a specified buffer. |
6bf7aab6 | 461 | @item M-x prepend-to-buffer |
0ec1f115 | 462 | Prepend region to the contents of a specified buffer. |
6bf7aab6 | 463 | @item M-x copy-to-buffer |
58fa012d | 464 | Copy region into a specified buffer, deleting that buffer's old contents. |
6bf7aab6 | 465 | @item M-x insert-buffer |
0ec1f115 | 466 | Insert the contents of a specified buffer into current buffer at point. |
6bf7aab6 | 467 | @item M-x append-to-file |
0ec1f115 | 468 | Append region to the contents of a specified file, at the end. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
469 | @end table |
470 | ||
471 | To accumulate text into a buffer, use @kbd{M-x append-to-buffer}. | |
472 | This reads a buffer name, then inserts a copy of the region into the | |
473 | buffer specified. If you specify a nonexistent buffer, | |
474 | @code{append-to-buffer} creates the buffer. The text is inserted | |
475 | wherever point is in that buffer. If you have been using the buffer for | |
476 | editing, the copied text goes into the middle of the text of the buffer, | |
58fa012d | 477 | starting from wherever point happens to be at that moment. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
478 | |
479 | Point in that buffer is left at the end of the copied text, so | |
480 | successive uses of @code{append-to-buffer} accumulate the text in the | |
481 | specified buffer in the same order as they were copied. Strictly | |
482 | speaking, @code{append-to-buffer} does not always append to the text | |
483 | already in the buffer---it appends only if point in that buffer is at the end. | |
484 | However, if @code{append-to-buffer} is the only command you use to alter | |
485 | a buffer, then point is always at the end. | |
486 | ||
487 | @kbd{M-x prepend-to-buffer} is just like @code{append-to-buffer} | |
488 | except that point in the other buffer is left before the copied text, so | |
489 | successive prependings add text in reverse order. @kbd{M-x | |
58fa012d | 490 | copy-to-buffer} is similar, except that any existing text in the other |
6bf7aab6 DL |
491 | buffer is deleted, so the buffer is left containing just the text newly |
492 | copied into it. | |
493 | ||
33fa6691 RS |
494 | To retrieve the accumulated text from another buffer, use the |
495 | command @kbd{M-x insert-buffer}; this too takes @var{buffername} as an | |
496 | argument. It inserts a copy of the whole text in buffer | |
0ec1f115 | 497 | @var{buffername} into the current buffer at point, and sets the mark |
33fa6691 RS |
498 | after the inserted text. Alternatively, you can select the other |
499 | buffer for editing, then copy text from it by killing. | |
500 | @xref{Buffers}, for background information on buffers. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
501 | |
502 | Instead of accumulating text within Emacs, in a buffer, you can append | |
503 | text directly into a file with @kbd{M-x append-to-file}, which takes | |
504 | @var{filename} as an argument. It adds the text of the region to the end | |
505 | of the specified file. The file is changed immediately on disk. | |
506 | ||
507 | You should use @code{append-to-file} only with files that are | |
508 | @emph{not} being visited in Emacs. Using it on a file that you are | |
509 | editing in Emacs would change the file behind Emacs's back, which | |
510 | can lead to losing some of your editing. | |
511 | ||
95a0306c | 512 | @node Rectangles, CUA Bindings, Accumulating Text, Top |
6bf7aab6 DL |
513 | @section Rectangles |
514 | @cindex rectangle | |
515 | @cindex columns (and rectangles) | |
516 | @cindex killing rectangular areas of text | |
517 | ||
518 | The rectangle commands operate on rectangular areas of the text: all | |
519 | the characters between a certain pair of columns, in a certain range of | |
520 | lines. Commands are provided to kill rectangles, yank killed rectangles, | |
521 | clear them out, fill them with blanks or text, or delete them. Rectangle | |
522 | commands are useful with text in multicolumn formats, and for changing | |
523 | text into or out of such formats. | |
524 | ||
077b72a4 | 525 | @cindex mark rectangle |
6bf7aab6 DL |
526 | When you must specify a rectangle for a command to work on, you do it |
527 | by putting the mark at one corner and point at the opposite corner. The | |
528 | rectangle thus specified is called the @dfn{region-rectangle} because | |
58fa012d | 529 | you control it in much the same way as the region is controlled. But |
6bf7aab6 DL |
530 | remember that a given combination of point and mark values can be |
531 | interpreted either as a region or as a rectangle, depending on the | |
532 | command that uses them. | |
533 | ||
534 | If point and the mark are in the same column, the rectangle they | |
535 | delimit is empty. If they are in the same line, the rectangle is one | |
536 | line high. This asymmetry between lines and columns comes about | |
537 | because point (and likewise the mark) is between two columns, but within | |
538 | a line. | |
539 | ||
540 | @table @kbd | |
541 | @item C-x r k | |
177c0ea7 | 542 | Kill the text of the region-rectangle, saving its contents as the |
6bf7aab6 DL |
543 | ``last killed rectangle'' (@code{kill-rectangle}). |
544 | @item C-x r d | |
545 | Delete the text of the region-rectangle (@code{delete-rectangle}). | |
546 | @item C-x r y | |
547 | Yank the last killed rectangle with its upper left corner at point | |
548 | (@code{yank-rectangle}). | |
549 | @item C-x r o | |
550 | Insert blank space to fill the space of the region-rectangle | |
551 | (@code{open-rectangle}). This pushes the previous contents of the | |
552 | region-rectangle rightward. | |
3b4d49d7 | 553 | @item C-x r c |
df7593dd | 554 | Clear the region-rectangle by replacing all of its contents with spaces |
3b4d49d7 | 555 | (@code{clear-rectangle}). |
6bf7aab6 DL |
556 | @item M-x delete-whitespace-rectangle |
557 | Delete whitespace in each of the lines on the specified rectangle, | |
558 | starting from the left edge column of the rectangle. | |
d621caf7 | 559 | @item C-x r t @var{string} @key{RET} |
df7593dd | 560 | Replace rectangle contents with @var{string} on each line |
6bf7aab6 | 561 | (@code{string-rectangle}). |
1e1e6d52 | 562 | @item M-x string-insert-rectangle @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} |
e9db3bf2 | 563 | Insert @var{string} on each line of the rectangle. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
564 | @end table |
565 | ||
58fa012d EZ |
566 | The rectangle operations fall into two classes: commands for |
567 | deleting and inserting rectangles, and commands for blank rectangles. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
568 | |
569 | @kindex C-x r k | |
570 | @kindex C-x r d | |
571 | @findex kill-rectangle | |
572 | @findex delete-rectangle | |
573 | There are two ways to get rid of the text in a rectangle: you can | |
574 | discard the text (delete it) or save it as the ``last killed'' | |
575 | rectangle. The commands for these two ways are @kbd{C-x r d} | |
576 | (@code{delete-rectangle}) and @kbd{C-x r k} (@code{kill-rectangle}). In | |
577 | either case, the portion of each line that falls inside the rectangle's | |
58fa012d | 578 | boundaries is deleted, causing any following text on the line to |
6bf7aab6 DL |
579 | move left into the gap. |
580 | ||
581 | Note that ``killing'' a rectangle is not killing in the usual sense; the | |
582 | rectangle is not stored in the kill ring, but in a special place that | |
583 | can only record the most recent rectangle killed. This is because yanking | |
584 | a rectangle is so different from yanking linear text that different yank | |
144e981a RS |
585 | commands have to be used. It is hard to define yank-popping for rectangles, |
586 | so we do not try. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
587 | |
588 | @kindex C-x r y | |
589 | @findex yank-rectangle | |
590 | To yank the last killed rectangle, type @kbd{C-x r y} | |
591 | (@code{yank-rectangle}). Yanking a rectangle is the opposite of killing | |
592 | one. Point specifies where to put the rectangle's upper left corner. | |
593 | The rectangle's first line is inserted there, the rectangle's second | |
d7d7da37 EZ |
594 | line is inserted at the same horizontal position, but one line |
595 | vertically down, and so on. The number of lines affected is determined | |
596 | by the height of the saved rectangle. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
597 | |
598 | You can convert single-column lists into double-column lists using | |
599 | rectangle killing and yanking; kill the second half of the list as a | |
600 | rectangle and then yank it beside the first line of the list. | |
601 | @xref{Two-Column}, for another way to edit multi-column text. | |
602 | ||
603 | You can also copy rectangles into and out of registers with @kbd{C-x r | |
604 | r @var{r}} and @kbd{C-x r i @var{r}}. @xref{RegRect,,Rectangle | |
605 | Registers}. | |
606 | ||
607 | @kindex C-x r o | |
608 | @findex open-rectangle | |
3b4d49d7 | 609 | @kindex C-x r c |
6bf7aab6 DL |
610 | @findex clear-rectangle |
611 | There are two commands you can use for making blank rectangles: | |
3b4d49d7 RS |
612 | @kbd{C-x r c} (@code{clear-rectangle}) which blanks out existing text, |
613 | and @kbd{C-x r o} (@code{open-rectangle}) which inserts a blank | |
614 | rectangle. Clearing a rectangle is equivalent to deleting it and then | |
615 | inserting a blank rectangle of the same size. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
616 | |
617 | @findex delete-whitespace-rectangle | |
618 | The command @kbd{M-x delete-whitespace-rectangle} deletes horizontal | |
619 | whitespace starting from a particular column. This applies to each of | |
620 | the lines in the rectangle, and the column is specified by the left | |
621 | edge of the rectangle. The right edge of the rectangle does not make | |
622 | any difference to this command. | |
623 | ||
624 | @kindex C-x r t | |
625 | @findex string-rectangle | |
d57211a3 | 626 | The command @kbd{C-x r t} (@code{string-rectangle}) replaces the |
1e1e6d52 GM |
627 | contents of a region-rectangle with a string on each line. The |
628 | string's width need not be the same as the width of the rectangle. If | |
629 | the string's width is less, the text after the rectangle shifts left; | |
630 | if the string is wider than the rectangle, the text after the | |
631 | rectangle shifts right. | |
632 | ||
633 | @findex string-insert-rectangle | |
177c0ea7 JB |
634 | The command @kbd{M-x string-insert-rectangle} is similar to |
635 | @code{string-rectangle}, but inserts the string on each line, | |
1e1e6d52 | 636 | shifting the original text to the right. |
ab5796a9 | 637 | |
95a0306c | 638 | @node CUA Bindings, Registers, Rectangles, Top |
38fe0612 | 639 | @section CUA Bindings |
95a0306c KS |
640 | @findex cua-mode |
641 | @vindex cua-mode | |
642 | @cindex CUA key bindings | |
643 | @vindex cua-enable-cua-keys | |
644 | The command @kbd{M-x cua-mode} sets up key bindings that are | |
645 | compatible with the Common User Access (CUA) system used in many other | |
646 | applications. @kbd{C-x} means cut (kill), @kbd{C-c} copy, @kbd{C-v} | |
647 | paste (yank), and @kbd{C-z} undo. Standard Emacs commands like | |
648 | @kbd{C-x C-c} still work, because @kbd{C-x} and @kbd{C-c} only take | |
19126168 | 649 | effect when the mark is active (and the region is highlighted). |
25e5d36a KS |
650 | However, if you don't want to override these bindings in Emacs at all, |
651 | set @code{cua-enable-cua-keys} to @code{nil}. | |
95a0306c KS |
652 | |
653 | In CUA mode, using @kbd{Shift} together with the movement keys | |
19126168 KS |
654 | activates and highlights the region over which they move. The |
655 | standard (unshifted) movement keys deactivate the mark, and typed text | |
656 | replaces the active region as in Delete-Selection mode | |
a21cc7d1 | 657 | (@pxref{Mouse Commands}). |
19126168 | 658 | |
144e981a RS |
659 | To enter an Emacs command like @kbd{C-x C-f} while the mark is |
660 | active, use one of the following methods: either hold @kbd{Shift} | |
661 | together with the prefix key, e.g. @kbd{S-C-x C-f}, or quickly type | |
662 | the prefix key twice, e.g. @kbd{C-x C-x C-f}. | |
95a0306c KS |
663 | |
664 | @cindex rectangle highlighting | |
665 | CUA mode provides enhanced rectangle support with visible | |
666 | rectangle highlighting. Use @kbd{C-RET} to start a rectangle, | |
667 | extend it using the movement commands, and cut or copy it using | |
19126168 KS |
668 | @kbd{C-x} or @kbd{C-c}. @kbd{RET} moves the cursor to the next |
669 | (clockwise) corner of the rectangle, so you can easily expand it in | |
670 | any direction. Normal text you type is inserted to the left or right | |
671 | of each line in the rectangle (on the same side as the cursor). | |
95a0306c KS |
672 | |
673 | With CUA you can easily copy text and rectangles into and out of | |
40b6cb79 | 674 | registers by providing a one-digit numeric prefix to the kill, copy, |
95a0306c KS |
675 | and yank commands, e.g. @kbd{C-1 C-c} copies the region into register |
676 | @code{1}, and @kbd{C-2 C-v} yanks the contents of register @code{2}. | |
677 | ||
678 | @cindex global mark | |
679 | CUA mode also has a global mark feature which allows easy moving and | |
680 | copying of text between buffers. Use @kbd{C-S-SPC} to toggle the | |
681 | global mark on and off. When the global mark is on, all text that you | |
682 | kill or copy is automatically inserted at the global mark, and text | |
683 | you type is inserted at the global mark rather than at the current | |
684 | position. | |
685 | ||
686 | For example, to copy words from various buffers into a word list in | |
687 | a given buffer, set the global mark in the target buffer, then | |
688 | navigate to each of the words you want in the list, mark it (e.g. with | |
689 | @kbd{S-M-f}), copy it to the list with @kbd{C-c} or @kbd{M-w}, and | |
690 | insert a newline after the word in the target list by pressing | |
691 | @key{RET}. | |
692 | ||
6cca5de0 LT |
693 | @ifnottex |
694 | @lowersections | |
695 | @end ifnottex | |
696 | ||
ab5796a9 MB |
697 | @ignore |
698 | arch-tag: d8da8f96-0928-449a-816e-ff2d3497866c | |
699 | @end ignore |