declare smobs in alloc.c
[bpt/emacs.git] / etc / NEWS.19
1 GNU Emacs NEWS -- history of user-visible changes. 1992.
2
3 Copyright (C) 1993-1995, 2001, 2006-2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 See the end of the file for license conditions.
5
6
7 This file is about changes in emacs versions 19.
8
9
10 \f
11 * Emacs 19.34 is a bug-fix release with no user-visible changes.
12
13
14 \f
15 * Changes in Emacs 19.33.
16
17 ** Bibtex mode no longer turns on Auto Fill automatically. (No major
18 mode should do that--it is the user's choice.)
19
20 ** The variable normal-auto-fill-function specifies the function to
21 use for auto-fill-function, if and when Auto Fill is turned on.
22 Major modes can set this locally to alter how Auto Fill works.
23
24
25 \f
26 * Editing Changes in Emacs 19.32
27
28 ** C-x f with no argument now signals an error.
29 To set the fill column at the current column, use C-u C-x f.
30
31 ** Expanding dynamic abbrevs with M-/ is now smarter about case
32 conversion. If you type the abbreviation with mixed case, and it
33 matches the beginning of the expansion including case, then the
34 expansion is copied verbatim. Using SPC M-/ to copy an additional
35 word always copies it verbatim except when the previous copied word is
36 all caps.
37
38 ** On a non-windowing terminal, which can display only one Emacs frame
39 at a time, creating a new frame with C-x 5 2 also selects that frame.
40
41 When using a display that can show multiple frames at once, C-x 5 2
42 does make the frame visible, but does not select it. This is the same
43 as in previous Emacs versions.
44
45 ** You can use C-x 5 2 to create multiple frames on MSDOS, just as on a
46 non-X terminal on Unix. Of course, only one frame is visible at any
47 time, since your terminal doesn't have the ability to display multiple
48 frames.
49
50 ** On Windows, set win32-pass-alt-to-system to a non-nil value
51 if you would like tapping the Alt key to invoke the Windows menu.
52 This feature is not enabled by default; since the Alt key is also the
53 Meta key, it is too easy and painful to activate this feature by
54 accident.
55
56 ** The command apply-macro-to-region-lines repeats the last defined
57 keyboard macro once for each complete line within the current region.
58 It does this line by line, by moving point to the beginning of that
59 line and then executing the macro.
60
61 This command is not new, but was never documented before.
62
63 ** You can now use Mouse-1 to place the region around a string constant
64 (something surrounded by doublequote characters or other delimiter
65 characters of like syntax) by double-clicking on one of the delimiting
66 characters.
67
68 ** Font Lock mode
69
70 *** Font Lock support modes
71
72 Font Lock can be configured to use Fast Lock mode and Lazy Lock mode (see
73 below) in a flexible way. Rather than adding the appropriate function to the
74 hook font-lock-mode-hook, you can use the new variable font-lock-support-mode
75 to control which modes have Fast Lock mode or Lazy Lock mode turned on when
76 Font Lock mode is enabled.
77
78 For example, to use Fast Lock mode when Font Lock mode is turned on, put:
79
80 (setq font-lock-support-mode 'fast-lock-mode)
81
82 in your ~/.emacs.
83
84 *** lazy-lock
85
86 The lazy-lock package speeds up Font Lock mode by making fontification occur
87 only when necessary, such as when a previously unfontified part of the buffer
88 becomes visible in a window. When you create a buffer with Font Lock mode and
89 Lazy Lock mode turned on, the buffer is not fontified. When certain events
90 occur (such as scrolling), Lazy Lock makes sure that the visible parts of the
91 buffer are fontified. Lazy Lock also defers on-the-fly fontification until
92 Emacs has been idle for a given amount of time.
93
94 To use this package, put in your ~/.emacs:
95
96 (setq font-lock-support-mode 'lazy-lock-mode)
97
98 To control the package behavior, see the documentation for `lazy-lock-mode'.
99
100 ** Changes in BibTeX mode.
101
102 *** For all entries allow spaces and tabs between opening brace or
103 paren and key.
104
105 *** Non-escaped double-quoted characters (as in `Sch"of') are now
106 supported.
107
108 ** Gnus changes.
109
110 Gnus, the Emacs news reader, has undergone further rewriting. Many new
111 commands and variables have been added. There should be no
112 significant incompatibilities between this Gnus version and the
113 previously released version, except in the message composition area.
114
115 Below is a list of the more user-visible changes. Coding changes
116 between Gnus 5.1 and 5.2 are more extensive.
117
118 *** A new message composition mode is used. All old customization
119 variables for mail-mode, rnews-reply-mode and gnus-msg are now
120 obsolete.
121
122 *** Gnus is now able to generate "sparse" threads -- threads where
123 missing articles are represented by empty nodes.
124
125 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
126
127 *** Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server.
128
129 To disable this: (setq gnus-message-archive-group nil)
130
131 *** Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
132 referred.
133
134 *** Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions:
135
136 (setq gnus-use-grouplens t)
137
138 *** A trn-line tree buffer can be displayed.
139
140 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
141
142 *** An nn-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
143 buffers.
144
145 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
146
147 *** In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode:
148
149 `M-x gnus-binary-mode'
150
151 *** Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy.
152
153 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
154
155 *** Gnus can re-send and bounce mail.
156
157 Use the `S D r' and `S D b'.
158
159 *** Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
160 is possible.
161
162 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
163
164 *** Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
165 groups of groups.
166
167 *** Caching is possible in virtual groups.
168
169 *** nndoc now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews news
170 batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything else.
171
172 *** Gnus has a new backend (nnsoup) to create/read SOUP packets.
173
174 *** The Gnus cache is much faster.
175
176 *** Groups can be sorted according to many criteria.
177
178 For instance: (setq gnus-group-sort-function 'gnus-group-sort-by-rank)
179
180 *** New group parameters have been introduced to set list-address and
181 expiration times.
182
183 *** All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used.
184
185 *** There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on
186 process marked articles on the `M P' submap.
187
188 *** The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
189 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
190 bound to keys on the `/' submap.
191
192 *** Articles can be made persistent -- as an alternative to saving
193 articles with the `*' command.
194
195 *** All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
196
197 *** Article headers can be buttonized.
198
199 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
200
201 *** All mail backends support fetching articles by Message-ID.
202
203 *** Duplicate mail can now be treated properly. See the
204 `nnmail-treat-duplicates' variable.
205
206 *** All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
207 buffer.
208
209 *** Frames can be part of `gnus-buffer-configuration'.
210
211 *** Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process.
212
213 *** Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to filter spam.
214
215 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
216
217 *** Groups can be made permanently visible.
218
219 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
220
221 *** Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
222
223 *** Gnus respects the Mail-Copies-To header.
224
225 *** Threads can be gathered by looking at the References header.
226
227 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
228 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
229
230 *** Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
231 refetching.
232
233 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
234
235 *** A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
236 buffer to allow easier treatment.
237
238 *** Gnus can suggest where to save articles. See `gnus-split-methods'.
239
240 *** Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving.
241
242 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
243
244 *** gnus-uu can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
245 articles.
246
247 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
248
249 *** Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text.
250
251 *** Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
252 cited text to hide is now customizable.
253
254 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
255
256 *** Boring headers can be hidden.
257
258 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers)
259
260 *** Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
261
262 *** Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
263
264 The Gnus manual has been expanded. It explains all these new features
265 in greater detail.
266
267 \f
268 * Lisp Changes in Emacs 19.32
269
270 ** The function set-visited-file-name now accepts an optional
271 second argument NO-QUERY. If it is non-nil, then the user is not
272 asked for confirmation in the case where the specified file already
273 exists.
274
275 ** The variable print-length applies to printing vectors and bitvectors,
276 as well as lists.
277
278 ** The new function keymap-parent returns the parent keymap
279 of a given keymap.
280
281 ** The new function set-keymap-parent specifies a new parent for a
282 given keymap. The arguments are KEYMAP and PARENT. PARENT must be a
283 keymap or nil.
284
285 ** Sometimes menu keymaps use a command name, a symbol, which is really
286 an automatically generated alias for some other command, the "real"
287 name. In such a case, you should give that alias symbol a non-nil
288 menu-alias property. That property tells the menu system to look for
289 equivalent keys for the real name instead of equivalent keys for the
290 alias.
291
292
293 \f
294 * Editing Changes in Emacs 19.31
295
296 ** Freedom of the press restricted in the United States.
297
298 Emacs has been censored in accord with the Communications Decency Act.
299 This includes removing some features of the doctor program. That law
300 was described by its supporters as a ban on pornography, but it bans
301 far more than that. The Emacs distribution has never contained any
302 pornography, but parts of it were nonetheless prohibited.
303
304 For information on US government censorship of the Internet, and what
305 you can do to bring back freedom of the press, see the web site
306 `http://www.vtw.org/'.
307
308 ** A note about C mode indentation customization.
309
310 The old (Emacs 19.29) ways of specifying a C indentation style
311 do not normally work in the new implementation of C mode.
312 It has its own methods of customizing indentation, which are
313 much more powerful than the old C mode. See the Editing Programs
314 chapter of the manual for details.
315
316 However, you can load the library cc-compat to make the old
317 customization variables take effect.
318
319 ** Marking with the mouse.
320
321 When you mark a region with the mouse, the region now remains
322 highlighted until the next input event, regardless of whether you are
323 using M-x transient-mark-mode.
324
325 ** Improved Windows NT/95 support.
326
327 *** Emacs now supports scroll bars on Windows NT and Windows 95.
328
329 *** Emacs now supports subprocesses on Windows 95. (Subprocesses used
330 to work on NT only and not on 95.)
331
332 *** There are difficulties with subprocesses, though, due to problems
333 in Windows, beyond the control of Emacs. They work fine as long as
334 you run Windows applications. The problems arise when you run a DOS
335 application in a subprocesses. Since current shells run as DOS
336 applications, these problems are significant.
337
338 If you run a DOS application in a subprocess, then the application is
339 likely to busy-wait, which means that your machine will be 100% busy.
340 However, if you don't mind the temporary heavy load, the subprocess
341 will work OK as long as you tell it to terminate before you start any
342 other DOS application as a subprocess.
343
344 Emacs is unable to terminate or interrupt a DOS subprocess.
345 You have to do this by providing input directly to the subprocess.
346
347 If you run two DOS applications at the same time in two separate
348 subprocesses, even if one of them is asynchronous, you will probably
349 have to reboot your machine--until then, it will remain 100% busy.
350 Windows simply does not cope when one Windows process tries to run two
351 separate DOS subprocesses. Typing CTL-ALT-DEL and then choosing
352 Shutdown seems to work although it may take a few minutes.
353
354 ** M-x resize-minibuffer-mode.
355
356 This command, not previously mentioned in NEWS, toggles a mode in
357 which the minibuffer window expands to show as many lines as the
358 minibuffer contains.
359
360 ** `title' frame parameter and resource.
361
362 The `title' X resource now specifies just the frame title, nothing else.
363 It does not affect the name used for looking up other X resources.
364 It works by setting the new `title' frame parameter, which likewise
365 affects just the displayed title of the frame.
366
367 The `name' parameter continues to do what it used to do:
368 it specifies the frame name for looking up X resources,
369 and also serves as the default for the displayed title
370 when the `title' parameter is unspecified or nil.
371
372 ** Emacs now uses the X toolkit by default, if you have a new
373 enough version of X installed (X11R5 or newer).
374
375 ** When you compile Emacs with the Motif widget set, Motif handles the
376 F10 key by activating the menu bar. To avoid confusion, the usual
377 Emacs binding of F10 is replaced with a no-op when using Motif.
378
379 If you want to be able to use F10 in Emacs, you can rebind the Motif
380 menubar to some other key which you don't use. To do so, add
381 something like this to your X resources file. This example rebinds
382 the Motif menu bar activation key to S-F12:
383
384 Emacs*defaultVirtualBindings: osfMenuBar : Shift<Key>F12
385
386 ** In overwrite mode, DEL now inserts spaces in most cases
387 to replace the characters it "deletes".
388
389 ** The Rmail summary now shows the number of lines in each message.
390
391 ** Rmail has a new command M-x unforward-rmail-message, which extracts
392 a forwarded message from the message that forwarded it. To use it,
393 select a message which contains a forwarded message and then type the command.
394 It inserts the forwarded message as a separate Rmail message
395 immediately after the selected one.
396
397 This command also undoes the textual modifications that are standardly
398 made, as part of forwarding, by Rmail and other mail reader programs.
399
400 ** Turning off saving of .saves-... files in your home directory.
401
402 Each Emacs session writes a file named .saves-... in your home
403 directory to record which files M-x recover-session should recover.
404 If you exit Emacs normally with C-x C-c, it deletes that file. If
405 Emacs or the operating system crashes, the file remains for M-x
406 recover-session.
407
408 You can turn off the writing of these files by setting
409 auto-save-list-file-name to nil. If you do this, M-x recover-session
410 will not work.
411
412 Some previous Emacs versions failed to delete these files even on
413 normal exit. This is fixed now. If you are thinking of turning off
414 this feature because of past experiences with versions that had this
415 bug, it would make sense to check whether you still want to do so
416 now that the bug is fixed.
417
418 ** Changes to Version Control (VC)
419
420 There is a new variable, vc-follow-symlinks. It indicates what to do
421 when you visit a link to a file that is under version control.
422 Editing the file through the link bypasses the version control system,
423 which is dangerous and probably not what you want.
424
425 If this variable is t, VC follows the link and visits the real file,
426 telling you about it in the echo area. If it is `ask' (the default),
427 VC asks for confirmation whether it should follow the link. If nil,
428 the link is visited and a warning displayed.
429
430 ** iso-acc.el now lets you specify a choice of language.
431 Languages include "latin-1" (the default) and "latin-2" (which
432 is designed for entering ISO Latin-2 characters).
433
434 There are also choices for specific human languages such as French and
435 Portuguese. These are subsets of Latin-1, which differ in that they
436 enable only the accent characters needed for particular language.
437 The other accent characters, not needed for the chosen language,
438 remain normal.
439
440 ** Posting articles and sending mail now has M-TAB completion on various
441 header fields (Newsgroups, To, CC, ...).
442
443 Completion in the Newsgroups header depends on the list of groups
444 known to your news reader. Completion in the Followup-To header
445 offers those groups which are in the Newsgroups header, since
446 Followup-To usually just holds one of those.
447
448 Completion in fields that hold mail addresses works based on the list
449 of local users plus your aliases. Additionally, if your site provides
450 a mail directory or a specific host to use for any unrecognized user
451 name, you can arrange to query that host for completion also. (See the
452 documentation of variables `mail-directory-process' and
453 `mail-directory-stream'.)
454
455 ** A greatly extended sgml-mode offers new features such as (to be configured)
456 skeletons with completing read for tags and attributes, typing named
457 characters including optionally all 8bit characters, making tags invisible
458 with optional alternate display text, skipping and deleting tag(pair)s.
459
460 Note: since Emacs' syntax feature cannot limit the special meaning of ', " and
461 - to inside <>, for some texts the result, especially of font locking, may be
462 wrong (see `sgml-specials' if you get wrong results).
463
464 The derived html-mode configures this with tags and attributes more or
465 less HTML3ish. It also offers optional quick keys like C-c 1 for
466 headline or C-c u for unordered list (see `html-quick-keys'). Edit /
467 Text Properties / Face or M-g combinations create tags as applicable.
468 Outline minor mode is supported and level 1 font-locking tries to
469 fontify tag contents (which only works when they fit on one line, due
470 to a limitation in font-lock).
471
472 External viewing via browse-url can occur automatically upon saving.
473
474 ** M-x imenu-add-to-menubar now adds to the menu bar for the current
475 buffer only. If you want to put an Imenu item in the menu bar for all
476 buffers that use a particular major mode, use the mode hook, as in
477 this example:
478
479 (add-hook 'emacs-lisp-mode-hook
480 '(lambda () (imenu-add-to-menubar "Index")))
481
482 ** Changes in BibTeX mode.
483
484 *** Field names may now contain digits, hyphens, and underscores.
485
486 *** Font Lock mode is now supported.
487
488 *** bibtex-make-optional-field is no longer interactive.
489
490 *** If bibtex-maintain-sorted-entries is non-nil, inserting new
491 entries is now done with a faster algorithm. However, inserting
492 will fail in this case if the buffer contains invalid entries or
493 isn't in sorted order, so you should finish each entry with C-c C-c
494 (bibtex-close-entry) after you have inserted or modified it.
495 The default value of bibtex-maintain-sorted-entries is nil.
496
497 *** Function `show-all' is no longer bound to a key, since C-u C-c C-q
498 does the same job.
499
500 *** Entries with quotes inside quote-delimited fields (as `author =
501 "Stefan Sch{\"o}f"') are now supported.
502
503 *** Case in field names doesn't matter anymore when searching for help
504 text.
505
506 ** Font Lock mode
507
508 *** Global Font Lock mode
509
510 Font Lock mode can be turned on globally, in buffers that support it, by the
511 new command global-font-lock-mode. You can use the new variable
512 font-lock-global-modes to control which modes have Font Lock mode automagically
513 turned on. By default, this variable is set so that Font Lock mode is turned
514 on globally where the buffer mode supports it.
515
516 For example, to automagically turn on Font Lock mode where supported, put:
517
518 (global-font-lock-mode t)
519
520 in your ~/.emacs.
521
522 *** Local Refontification
523
524 In Font Lock mode, editing a line automatically refontifies that line only.
525 However, if your change alters the syntactic context for following lines,
526 those lines remain incorrectly fontified. To refontify them, use the new
527 command M-g M-g (font-lock-fontify-block).
528
529 In certain major modes, M-g M-g refontifies the entire current function.
530 (The variable font-lock-mark-block-function controls how to find the
531 current function.) In other major modes, M-g M-g refontifies 16 lines
532 above and below point.
533
534 With a prefix argument N, M-g M-g refontifies N lines above and below point.
535
536 ** Follow mode
537
538 Follow mode is a new minor mode combining windows showing the same
539 buffer into one tall "virtual window". The windows are typically two
540 side-by-side windows. Follow mode makes them scroll together as if
541 they were a unit. To use it, go to a frame with just one window,
542 split it into two side-by-side windows using C-x 3, and then type M-x
543 follow-mode.
544
545 M-x follow-mode turns off Follow mode if it is already enabled.
546
547 To display two side-by-side windows and activate Follow mode, use the
548 command M-x follow-delete-other-windows-and-split.
549
550 ** hide-show changes.
551
552 The hooks hs-hide-hooks and hs-show-hooks have been renamed
553 to hs-hide-hook and hs-show-hook, to follow the convention for
554 normal hooks.
555
556 ** Simula mode now has a menu containing the most important commands.
557 The new command simula-indent-exp is bound to C-M-q.
558
559 ** etags can now handle programs written in Erlang. Files are
560 recognized by the extensions .erl and .hrl. The tagged lines are
561 those that begin a function, record, or macro.
562
563 ** MSDOS Changes
564
565 *** It is now possible to compile Emacs with the version 2 of DJGPP.
566 Compilation with DJGPP version 1 also still works.
567
568 *** The documentation of DOS-specific aspects of Emacs was rewritten
569 and expanded; see the ``MS-DOS'' node in the on-line docs.
570
571 *** Emacs now uses ~ for backup file names, not .bak.
572
573 *** You can simulate mouse-3 on two-button mice by simultaneously
574 pressing both mouse buttons.
575
576 *** A number of packages and commands which previously failed or had
577 restricted functionality on MS-DOS, now work. The most important ones
578 are:
579
580 **** Printing (both with `M-x lpr-buffer' and with `ps-print' package)
581 now works.
582
583 **** `Ediff' works (in a single-frame mode).
584
585 **** `M-x display-time' can be used on MS-DOS (due to the new
586 implementation of Emacs timers, see below).
587
588 **** `Dired' supports Unix-style shell wildcards.
589
590 **** The `c-macro-expand' command now works as on other platforms.
591
592 **** `M-x recover-session' works.
593
594 **** `M-x list-colors-display' displays all the available colors.
595
596 **** The `TPU-EDT' package works.
597
598 \f
599 * Lisp changes in Emacs 19.31.
600
601 ** The function using-unix-filesystems on Windows NT and Windows 95
602 tells Emacs to read and write files assuming that they reside on a
603 remote Unix filesystem. No CR/LF translation is done on any files in
604 this case. Invoking using-unix-filesystems with t activates this
605 behavior, and invoking it with any other value deactivates it.
606
607 ** Change in system-type and system-configuration values.
608
609 The value of system-type on a Linux-based GNU system is now `lignux',
610 not `linux'. This means that some programs which use `system-type'
611 need to be changed. The value of `system-configuration' will also
612 be different.
613
614 It is generally recommended to use `system-configuration' rather
615 than `system-type'.
616
617 See <http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html> for more about this.
618
619 ** The functions shell-command and dired-call-process
620 now run file name handlers for default-directory, if it has them.
621
622 ** Undoing the deletion of text now restores the positions of markers
623 that pointed into or next to the deleted text.
624
625 ** Timers created with run-at-time now work internally to Emacs, and
626 no longer use a separate process. Therefore, they now work more
627 reliably and can be used for shorter time delays.
628
629 The new function run-with-timer is a convenient way to set up a timer
630 to run a specified amount of time after the present. A call looks
631 like this:
632
633 (run-with-timer SECS REPEAT FUNCTION ARGS...)
634
635 SECS says how many seconds should elapse before the timer happens.
636 It may be an integer or a floating point number. When the timer
637 becomes ripe, the action is to call FUNCTION with arguments ARGS.
638
639 REPEAT gives the interval for repeating the timer (measured in
640 seconds). It may be an integer or a floating point number. nil or 0
641 means don't repeat at all--call FUNCTION just once.
642
643 *** with-timeout provides an easy way to do something but give
644 up if too much time passes.
645
646 (with-timeout (SECONDS TIMEOUT-FORMS...) BODY...)
647
648 This executes BODY, but gives up after SECONDS seconds.
649 If it gives up, it runs the TIMEOUT-FORMS and returns the value
650 of the last one of them. Normally it returns the value of the last
651 form in BODY.
652
653 *** You can now arrange to call a function whenever Emacs is idle for
654 a certain length of time. To do this, call run-with-idle-timer. A
655 call looks like this:
656
657 (run-with-idle-timer SECS REPEAT FUNCTION ARGS...)
658
659 SECS says how many seconds of idleness should elapse before the timer
660 runs. It may be an integer or a floating point number. When the
661 timer becomes ripe, the action is to call FUNCTION with arguments
662 ARGS.
663
664 Emacs becomes idle whenever it finishes executing a keyboard or mouse
665 command. It remains idle until it receives another keyboard or mouse
666 command.
667
668 REPEAT, if non-nil, means this timer should be activated again each
669 time Emacs becomes idle and remains idle for SECS seconds The timer
670 does not repeat if Emacs *remains* idle; it runs at most once after
671 each time Emacs becomes idle.
672
673 If REPEAT is nil, the timer runs just once, the first time Emacs is
674 idle for SECS seconds.
675
676 *** post-command-idle-hook is now obsolete; you shouldn't use it at
677 all, because it interferes with the idle timer mechanism. If your
678 programs use post-command-idle-hook, convert them to use idle timers
679 instead.
680
681 *** y-or-n-p-with-timeout lets you ask a question but give up if
682 there is no answer within a certain time.
683
684 (y-or-n-p-with-timeout PROMPT SECONDS DEFAULT-VALUE)
685
686 asks the question PROMPT (just like y-or-n-p). If the user answers
687 within SECONDS seconds, it returns the answer that the user gave.
688 Otherwise it gives up after SECONDS seconds, and returns DEFAULT-VALUE.
689
690 ** Minor change to `encode-time': you can now pass more than seven
691 arguments. If you do that, the first six arguments have the usual
692 meaning, the last argument is interpreted as the time zone, and the
693 arguments in between are ignored.
694
695 This means that it works to use the list returned by `decode-time' as
696 the list of arguments for `encode-time'.
697
698 ** The default value of load-path now includes the directory
699 /usr/local/share/emacs/VERSION/site-lisp In addition to
700 /usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp. You can use this new directory for
701 site-specific Lisp packages that belong with a particular Emacs
702 version.
703
704 It is not unusual for a Lisp package that works well in one Emacs
705 version to cause trouble in another. Sometimes packages need updating
706 for incompatible changes; sometimes they look at internal data that
707 has changed; sometimes the package has been installed in Emacs itself
708 and the installed version should be used. Whatever the reason for the
709 problem, this new feature makes it easier to solve.
710
711 ** When your program contains a fixed file name (like .completions or
712 .abbrev.defs), the file name usually needs to be different on operating
713 systems with limited file name syntax.
714
715 Now you can avoid ad-hoc conditionals by using the function
716 convert-standard-filename to convert the file name to a proper form
717 for each operating system. Here is an example of use, from the file
718 completions.el:
719
720 (defvar save-completions-file-name
721 (convert-standard-filename "~/.completions")
722 "*The filename to save completions to.")
723
724 This sets the variable save-completions-file-name to a value that
725 depends on the operating system, because the definition of
726 convert-standard-filename depends on the operating system. On
727 Unix-like systems, it returns the specified file name unchanged. On
728 MS-DOS, it adapts the name to fit the limitations of that system.
729
730 ** The interactive spec N now returns the numeric prefix argument
731 rather than the raw prefix argument. (It still reads a number using the
732 minibuffer if there is no prefix argument at all.)
733
734 ** When a process is deleted, this no longer disconnects the process
735 marker from its buffer position.
736
737 ** The variable garbage-collection-messages now controls whether
738 Emacs displays a message at the beginning and end of garbage collection.
739 The default is nil, meaning there are no messages.
740
741 ** The variable debug-ignored-errors specifies certain kinds of errors
742 that should not enter the debugger. Its value is a list of error
743 condition symbols and/or regular expressions. If the error has any
744 of the condition symbols listed, or if any of the regular expressions
745 matches the error message, then that error does not enter the debugger,
746 regardless of the value of debug-on-error.
747
748 This variable is initialized to match certain common but uninteresting
749 errors that happen often during editing.
750
751 ** The new function error-message-string converts an error datum
752 into its error message. The error datum is what condition-case
753 puts into the variable, to describe the error that happened.
754
755 ** Anything that changes which buffer appears in a given window
756 now runs the window-scroll-functions for that window.
757
758 ** The new function get-buffer-window-list returns a list of windows displaying
759 a buffer. The function is called with the buffer (a buffer object or a buffer
760 name) and two optional arguments specifying the minibuffer windows and frames
761 to search. Therefore this function takes optional args like next-window etc.,
762 and not get-buffer-window.
763
764 ** buffer-substring now runs the hook buffer-access-fontify-functions,
765 calling each function with two arguments--the range of the buffer
766 being accessed. buffer-substring-no-properties does not call them.
767
768 If you use this feature, you should set the variable
769 buffer-access-fontified-property to a non-nil symbol, which is a
770 property name. Then, if all the characters in the buffer range have a
771 non-nil value for that property, the buffer-access-fontify-functions
772 are not called. When called, these functions should put a non-nil
773 property on the text that they fontify, so that they won't get called
774 over and over for the same text.
775
776 ** Changes in lisp-mnt.el
777
778 *** The lisp-mnt package can now recognize file headers that are written
779 in the formats used by the `what' command and the RCS `ident' command:
780
781 ;; @(#) HEADER: text
782 ;; $HEADER: text $
783
784 in addition to the normal
785
786 ;; HEADER: text
787
788 *** The commands lm-verify and lm-synopsis are now interactive. lm-verify
789 checks that the library file has proper sections and headers, and
790 lm-synopsis extracts first line "synopsis'"information.
791
792
793 \f
794 * Editing Changes in Emacs 19.30.
795
796 ** Be sure to recompile your byte-compiled Emacs Lisp files
797 if you last compiled them with Emacs 19.28 or earlier.
798 You can use M-x byte-force-recompile to recompile all the .elc files
799 in a specified directory.
800
801 ** Emacs now provides multiple-frame support on Windows NT
802 and Windows 95.
803
804 ** M-x column-number-mode toggles a minor mode which displays
805 the current column number in the mode line.
806
807 ** Line Number mode is now enabled by default.
808
809 ** M-x what-line now displays the line number in the accessible
810 portion of the buffer as well as the line number in the full buffer,
811 when narrowing is in effect.
812
813 ** If you type a M-x command that has an equivalent key binding,
814 the equivalent is shown in the minibuffer before the command executes.
815 This feature is enabled by default for the sake of beginning users.
816 You can turn the feature off by setting suggest-key-bindings to nil.
817
818 ** The menu bar is now visible on text-only terminals. To choose a
819 command from the menu bar when you have no mouse, type M-`
820 (Meta-Backquote) or F10. To turn off menu bar display,
821 do (menu-bar-mode -1).
822
823 ** Whenever you invoke a minibuffer, it appears in the minibuffer
824 window that the current frame uses.
825
826 Emacs can only use one minibuffer window at a time. If you activate
827 the minibuffer while a minibuffer window is active in some other
828 frame, the outer minibuffer window disappears while the inner one is
829 active.
830
831 ** Echo area messages always appear in the minibuffer window that the
832 current frame uses. If a minibuffer is active in some other frame,
833 the echo area message does not hide it even temporarily.
834
835 ** The minibuffer now has a menu-bar menu. You can use it to exit or
836 abort the minibuffer, or to ask for completion.
837
838 ** Dead-key and composite character processing is done in the standard
839 X11R6 manner (through the default "input method" using the
840 /usr/lib/X11/locale/*/Compose databases of key combinations). I.e. if
841 it works in xterm, it should also work in emacs now.
842
843 ** Mouse changes
844
845 *** You can now use the mouse when running Emacs in an xterm.
846 Use M-x xterm-mouse-mode to let emacs take control over the mouse.
847
848 *** C-mouse-1 now once again provides a menu of buffers to select.
849 S-mouse-1 is now the way to select a default font for the frame.
850
851 *** There is a new mouse-scroll-min-lines variable to control the
852 minimum number of lines scrolled by dragging the mouse outside a
853 window's edge.
854
855 *** Dragging mouse-1 on a vertical line that separates windows
856 now moves the line, thus changing the widths of the two windows.
857 (This feature is available only if you don't have vertical scroll bars.
858 If you do use them, a scroll bar separates two side-by-side windows.)
859
860 *** Double-click mouse-1 on a character with "symbol" syntax (such as
861 underscore, in C mode) selects the entire symbol surrounding that
862 character. (Double-click mouse-1 on a letter selects a whole word.)
863
864 ** When incremental search wraps around to the beginning (or end) of
865 the buffer, if you keep on searching until you go past the original
866 starting point of the search, the echo area changes from "Wrapped" to
867 "Overwrapped". That tells you that you are revisiting matches that
868 you have already seen.
869
870 ** Filling changes.
871
872 *** If the variable colon-double-space is non-nil, the explicit fill
873 commands put two spaces after a colon.
874
875 *** Auto-Fill mode now supports Adaptive Fill mode just as the
876 explicit fill commands do. The variable adaptive-fill-regexp
877 specifies a regular expression to match text at the beginning of
878 a line that should be the fill prefix.
879
880 *** Adaptive Fill mode can take a fill prefix from the first line of a
881 paragraph, *provided* that line is not a paragraph-starter line.
882
883 Paragraph-starter lines are indented lines that start a new
884 paragraph because they are indented. This indentation shouldn't
885 be copied to additional lines.
886
887 Whether indented lines are paragraph lines depends on the value of the
888 variable paragraph-start. Some major modes set this; you can set it
889 by hand or in mode hooks as well. For editing text in which paragraph
890 first lines are not indented, and which contains paragraphs in which
891 all lines are indented, you should use Indented Text mode or arrange
892 for paragraph-start not to match these lines.
893
894 *** You can specify more complex ways of choosing a fill prefix
895 automatically by setting `adaptive-fill-function'. This function
896 is called with point after the left margin of a line, and it should
897 return the appropriate fill prefix based on that line.
898 If it returns nil, that means it sees no fill prefix in that line.
899
900 ** Gnus changes.
901
902 Gnus, the Emacs news reader, has been rewritten and expanded. Most
903 things that worked with the old version should still work with the new
904 version. Code that relies heavily on Gnus internals is likely to
905 fail, though.
906
907 *** Incompatibilities with the old GNUS.
908
909 **** All interactive commands have kept their names, but many internal
910 functions have changed names.
911
912 **** The summary mode gnus-uu commands have been moved from the `C-c
913 C-v' keymap to the `X' keymap.
914
915 **** There can now be several summary buffers active at once.
916 Variables that are relevant to each summary buffer are buffer-local to
917 that buffer.
918
919 **** Old hilit code doesn't work at all. Gnus performs its own
920 highlighting based not only on what's visible in the buffer, but on
921 other data structures.
922
923 **** Old packages like `expire-kill' will no longer work.
924
925 **** `C-c C-l' in the group buffer no longer switches to a different
926 buffer, but instead lists killed groups in the group buffer.
927
928 *** New features.
929
930 **** The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like
931 variables.
932
933 **** Local spool and several NNTP servers can be used at once.
934
935 **** Groups can be combined into virtual groups.
936
937 **** Different mail formats can be read much the same way as one would
938 read newsgroups. All the mail backends implement mail expiry schemes.
939
940 **** Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have
941 lost their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread)
942 or it can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete
943 thread.
944
945 **** Killed groups can be read.
946
947 **** Gnus can do partial group updates - you do not have to retrieve
948 the entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups.
949
950 **** Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups.
951
952 **** You can score articles according to any number of criteria. You
953 can get Gnus to score articles for you using adaptive scoring.
954
955 **** Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal
956 Emacs manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you
957 have read if your machine should go down.
958
959 **** Gnus now has its own startup file (`.gnus.el') to avoid
960 cluttering up the `.emacs' file.
961
962 **** You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and
963 perform operations on all the marked items.
964
965 **** You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from
966 the results.
967
968 **** You can list subsets of groups using matches on group names or
969 group descriptions.
970
971 **** You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
972 servers.
973
974 **** Gnus can pre-fetch articles asynchronously on a second connection
975 to the servers.
976
977 **** You can cache articles locally.
978
979 **** Gnus can fetch FAQs to and descriptions of groups.
980
981 **** Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups.
982
983 **** Articles can be highlighted and customized.
984
985 ** Changes to Version Control (VC)
986
987 *** General changes (all backends).
988
989 VC directory listings (C-x v d) are now kept up to date when you do a
990 vc-next-action (C-x v v) on the marked files. The `g' command updates
991 the buffer properly. `=' in a VC dired buffer produces a version
992 control diff, not an ordinary diff.
993
994 *** CVS changes.
995
996 Under CVS, you no longer need to type C-x C-q before you can edit a
997 file. VC doesn't write-protect unmodified buffers anymore; you can
998 freely change them at any time. The mode line keeps track of the
999 file status.
1000
1001 If you do want unmodified files to be write-protected, set your
1002 CVSREAD environment variable. VC sees this and behaves accordingly;
1003 that will give you the behavior of Emacs 19.29, similar to that under
1004 RCS and SCCS. In this mode, if the variable vc-mistrust-permissions
1005 is nil, VC learns the modification state from the file permissions.
1006 When setting CVSREAD for the first time, you should check out the
1007 whole module anew, so that the file permissions are set correctly.
1008
1009 VC also works with remote repositories now. When you visit a file, it
1010 doesn't run "cvs status" anymore, so there shouldn't be any long delays.
1011
1012 Directory listings under VC/CVS have been enhanced. Type C-x v d, and
1013 you get a list of all files in or below the current directory that are
1014 not up-to-date. The actual status (modified, merge, conflict, ...) is
1015 displayed for each file. If you give a prefix argument (C-u C-x v d),
1016 up-to-date files are also listed. You can mark any number of files,
1017 and execute the next logical version control command on them (C-x v v).
1018
1019 *** Starting a new branch.
1020
1021 If you try to lock a version that is not the latest on its branch,
1022 VC asks for confirmation in the minibuffer. If you say no, it offers
1023 to lock the latest version instead.
1024
1025 *** RCS non-strict locking.
1026
1027 VC can now handle RCS non-strict locking, too. In this mode, working
1028 files are always writable and you needn't lock the file before making
1029 changes, similar to the default mode under CVS. To enable non-strict
1030 locking for a file, use the "rcs -U" command.
1031
1032 *** Sharing RCS master files.
1033
1034 If you share RCS subdirs with other users (through symbolic links),
1035 and you always want to work on the latest version, set
1036 vc-consult-headers to nil and vc-mistrust-permissions to `t'.
1037 Then you see the state of the *latest* version on the mode line, not
1038 that of your working file. When you do a check out, VC overwrites
1039 your working file with the latest version from the master.
1040
1041 *** RCS customization.
1042
1043 There is a new variable vc-consult-headers. If it is t (the default),
1044 VC searches for RCS headers in working files (like `$Id$') and
1045 determines the state of the file from them, not from the master file.
1046 This is fast and more reliable when you use branches. (The variable
1047 was already present in Emacs 19.29, but didn't get mentioned in the
1048 NEWS.)
1049
1050 ** Calendar changes.
1051
1052 *** New calendars supported: Chinese, Coptic, Ethiopic
1053
1054 Here are the commands for converting to and from these calendars:
1055
1056 gC: calendar-goto-chinese-date
1057 gk: calendar-goto-coptic-date
1058 ge: calendar-goto-ethiopic-date
1059
1060 pC: calendar-print-chinese-date
1061 pk: calendar-print-coptic-date
1062 pe: calendar-print-ethiopic-date
1063
1064 *** Printed calendars
1065
1066 Calendar mode now has commands to produce fancy printed calendars via
1067 LaTeX. You can ask for a calendar for one or more days, weeks, months
1068 or years. The commands all start with `t'; see the manual for a list
1069 of them.
1070
1071 *** New sexp diary entry type
1072
1073 Reminders that apply in the days leading up to an event.
1074
1075 ** The CC-mode package now provides the default C and C++ modes.
1076 See the manual for documentation of its features.
1077
1078 ** The uniquify package chooses buffer names differently when you
1079 visit multiple files with the same name (in different directories).
1080
1081 ** RMAIL now always uses the movemail program when it renames an
1082 inbox file, so that it can interlock properly with the mailer
1083 no matter where it is delivering mail.
1084
1085 ** tex-start-of-header and tex-end-of-header are now regular expressions,
1086 not strings.
1087
1088 ** To enable automatic uncompression of compressed files,
1089 type M-x auto-compression-mode. (This command used to be called
1090 toggle-auto-compression, but was not documented before.) In Lisp,
1091 you can do
1092
1093 (auto-compression-mode 1)
1094
1095 to turn the mode on.
1096
1097 ** The new pc-select package emulates the key bindings for cutting and
1098 pasting, and selection of regions, found in Windows, Motif, and the
1099 Macintosh.
1100
1101 ** Help buffers now use a special major mode, Help mode. This mode
1102 normally turns on View mode; it also provides a hook, help-mode-hook,
1103 which you can use for other customization.
1104
1105 ** Apropos now uses faces for enhanced legibility. It now describes
1106 symbol properties as well as their function definitions and variable
1107 values. You can use Mouse-2 or RET to get more information about a
1108 function definition, variable, or property.
1109
1110 ** Font Lock mode
1111
1112 *** Supports Scheme, TCL and Help modes
1113
1114 For example, to automatically turn on Font Lock mode in the *Help*
1115 buffer, put:
1116
1117 (add-hook 'help-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock)
1118
1119 in your ~/.emacs.
1120
1121 *** Enhanced fontification
1122
1123 The structure of font-lock-keywords is extended to allow "anchored" keywords.
1124 Typically, a keyword item of font-lock-keywords comprises a regexp to search
1125 for and information to specify how the regexp should be highlighted. However,
1126 the highlighting information is extended so that it can be another keyword
1127 item. This keyword item, its regexp and highlighting information, is processed
1128 before resuming with the keyword item of which it is part.
1129
1130 For example, a typical keyword item might be:
1131
1132 ("\\<anchor\\>" (0 anchor-face))
1133
1134 which fontifies each occurrence of the discrete word "anchor" in the value of
1135 the variable anchor-face. However, the highlighting information can be used to
1136 fontify text that is anchored to the word "anchor". For example:
1137
1138 ("\\<anchor\\>" (0 anchor-face) ("\\=[ ,]*\\(item\\)" nil nil (1 item-face)))
1139
1140 which fontifies each occurrence of "anchor" as above, but for each occurrence
1141 of "anchor", each occurrence of "item", in any following comma separated list,
1142 is fontified in the value of the variable item-face. Thus the "item" text is
1143 anchored to the "anchor" text. See the variable documentation for further
1144 information.
1145
1146 This feature is used to extend the level and quality of fontification in a
1147 number of modes. For example, C/C++ modes now have level 3 decoration that
1148 includes the fontification of variable and function names in declaration lists.
1149 In this instance, the "anchor" described in the above example is a type or
1150 class name, and an "item" is a variable or function name.
1151
1152 *** Fontification levels
1153
1154 The variables font-lock-maximum-decoration and font-lock-maximum-size are
1155 extended to specify levels and sizes for specific modes. The variable
1156 font-lock-maximum-decoration specifies the preferred level of fontification for
1157 modes that provide multiple levels (typically from "subdued" to "gaudy"). The
1158 variable font-lock-maximum-size specifies the buffer size for which buffer
1159 fontification is suppressed when Font Lock mode is turned on (typically because
1160 it would take too long).
1161
1162 These variables can now specify values for individual modes, by supplying
1163 lists of mode names and values. For example, to use the above mentioned level
1164 3 decoration for buffers in C/C++ modes, and default decoration otherwise, put:
1165
1166 (setq font-lock-maximum-decoration '((c-mode . 3) (c++-mode . 3)))
1167
1168 in your ~/.emacs. Maximum buffer size values for individual modes are
1169 specified in the same way with the variable font-lock-maximum-size.
1170
1171 *** Font Lock configuration
1172
1173 The mechanism to provide default settings for Font Lock mode are the variables
1174 font-lock-defaults and font-lock-maximum-decoration. Typically, you should
1175 only need to change the value of font-lock-maximum-decoration. However, to
1176 support Font Lock mode for buffers in modes that currently do not support Font
1177 Lock mode, you should set a buffer local value of font-lock-defaults for that
1178 mode, typically via its mode hook.
1179
1180 These variables are used by Font Lock mode to set the values of the variables
1181 font-lock-keywords, font-lock-keywords-only, font-lock-syntax-table,
1182 font-lock-beginning-of-syntax-function and font-lock-keywords-case-fold-search.
1183
1184 You need not set these variables directly, and should not set them yourself
1185 since the underlining mechanism may change in future.
1186
1187 ** Archive mode is now the default mode for various sorts of
1188 archive files (files whose names end with .arc, .lzh, .zip, and .zoo).
1189
1190 ** You can automatically update the years in copyright notice by
1191 means of (add-hook 'write-file-hooks 'copyright-update).
1192 Optionally it can update the GPL version as well.
1193
1194 ** Scripts of various languages (Shell, AWK, Perl, makefiles ...) can
1195 be automatically provided with a magic number and be made executable
1196 by their respective modes under control of various user variables.
1197 The mode must call (executable-set-magic "perl") or
1198 (executable-set-magic "make" "-f"). The latter for example has no
1199 effect on [Mm]akefile.
1200
1201 ** Shell script mode now supports over 15 different shells. The new
1202 command C-c ! executes the region, and optionally beginning of script
1203 as well, by passing them to the shell.
1204
1205 Cases such as `sh' being a `bash' are now accounted for.
1206 Fontification now also does variables, the magic number and all
1207 builtin commands. Shell script mode no longer mingles `tab-width' and
1208 indentation style. The variable `sh-tab-width' has been renamed to
1209 `sh-indentation'. Empty lines are now indented like previous
1210 non-empty line, rather than just previous line.
1211
1212 The annoying $ variable prompting has been eliminated. Instead, shell
1213 script mode uses `comint-dynamic-completion' for commands, variables
1214 and filenames.
1215
1216 ** Two-column mode now automatically scrolls both buffers together,
1217 which makes it possible to eliminate the special scrolling commands
1218 that used to do so.
1219
1220 The commands that operate in two-column mode are no longer bound to
1221 keys outside that mode. f2 o will now position at the same point in
1222 associated buffer.
1223
1224 the new command f2 RET inserts a newline in both buffers, at point and
1225 at the corresponding position in the associated buffer.
1226
1227 ** Skeleton commands now work smoothly as abbrev definitions. The
1228 element < no longer exists, ' is a new element.
1229
1230 ** The autoinsert insert facility for prefilling empty files as soon
1231 as they are found has been extended to accommodate skeletons or calling
1232 functions. See the function auto-insert.
1233
1234 ** TPU-edt Changes
1235
1236 Loading tpu-edt no longer turns on tpu-edt mode. In fact, it is no
1237 longer necessary to explicitly load tpu-edt. All you need to do to
1238 turn on tpu-edt is run the tpu-edt function. Here's how to run
1239 tpu-edt instead of loading the file:
1240
1241 Running Emacs: Type emacs -f tpu-edt
1242 not emacs -l tpu-edt
1243
1244 Within Emacs: Type M-x tpu-edt <ret>
1245 not M-x load-library <ret> tpu-edt <ret>
1246
1247 In .emacs: Use (tpu-edt)
1248 not (load "tpu-edt")
1249
1250 The default name of the tpu-edt X key definition file has changed from
1251 ~/.tpu-gnu-keys to ~/.tpu-keys. If you don't rename the file yourself,
1252 tpu-edt will offer to rename it the first time you invoke it under
1253 x-windows.
1254
1255 ** MS-DOS Enhancements:
1256
1257 *** Better mouse control by adding the following functions [in dosfns.c]
1258 msdos-mouse-enable, msdos-mouse-disable, msdos-mouse-init.
1259
1260 *** If another foreground/background color than the default is setup in
1261 your ~/_emacs, then the screen briefly flickers with the default
1262 colors before changing to the colors you have specified. To avoid
1263 this, the EMACSCOLORS environment variable exists. It shall be
1264 defined as a string with the following elements:
1265
1266 set EMACSCOLORS=fb;fb
1267
1268 The first set of "fb" defines the initial foreground and background
1269 colors using standard dos color numbers (0=black,.., 7=white).
1270 If specified, the second set of "fb" defines the colors which are
1271 restored when you leave emacs.
1272
1273 *** The new SUSPEND environment variable can now be set as the shell to
1274 use when suspending emacs. This can be used to override the stupid
1275 limitation on the environment of sub-shells in MS-DOS (they are just
1276 large enough to hold the currently defined variables, not leaving
1277 room for more); to overcome this limitation, add this to autoexec.bat:
1278
1279 set SUSPEND=%COMSPEC% /E:2000
1280
1281 ** The escape character can now be displayed on X frames. Try
1282 this:
1283 (aset standard-display-table 27 (vector 27))
1284 after first creating a display table (you can do that by loading
1285 the disp-table library).
1286
1287 ** The new command-line option --eval specifies an expression to evaluate
1288 from the command line.
1289
1290 ** etags has now the ability to tag Perl files. They are recognized
1291 either by the .pm and .pl suffixes or by a first line which starts
1292 with `#!' and specifies a Perl interpreter. The tagged lines are
1293 those beginning with the `sub' keyword.
1294
1295 New suffixes recognized are .hpp for C++; .f90 for Fortran; .bib,
1296 .ltx, .TeX for TeX (.bbl, .dtx removed); .ml for Lisp; .prolog for
1297 prolog (.pl is now Perl).
1298
1299 ** The files etc/termcap.dat and etc/termcap.ucb have been replaced
1300 with a new, merged, and much more comprehensive termcap file. The
1301 new file should include all the special entries from the old one.
1302 This new file is under active development as part of the ncurses
1303 project. If you have any questions about this file, or problems with
1304 an entry in it, email terminfo@ccil.org.
1305
1306 \f
1307 * Lisp changes in Emacs 19.30.
1308
1309 ** New Data Types
1310
1311 *** There is a new data type called a char-table which is an array
1312 indexed by a character. Currently this is mostly equivalent to a
1313 vector of length 256, but in the future, when a wider character set is
1314 in use, it will be different. To create one, call
1315 (make-char-table SUBTYPE INITIAL-VALUE)
1316
1317 SUBTYPE is a symbol that identifies the specific use of this
1318 character table. It can be any of these values:
1319
1320 syntax-table
1321 display-table
1322 keyboard-translate-table
1323 case-table
1324
1325 The function `char-table-subtype' returns the subtype of a char-table.
1326 You cannot alter the subtype of an existing char-table.
1327
1328 A char-table has an element for each character code. It also has some
1329 "extra slots". The number of extra slots depends on the subtype and
1330 their use depends on the subtype. (Each subtype symbol has a
1331 `char-table-extra-slots' property that says how many extra slots to
1332 make.) Use (char-table-extra-slot TABLE N) to access extra slot N and
1333 (set-char-table-extra-slot TABLE N VALUE) to store VALUE in slot N.
1334
1335 A char-table T can have a parent, which should be another char-table
1336 P. If you look for the value in T for character C, and the table T
1337 actually holds nil, P's element for character C is used instead.
1338 The functions `char-table-parent' and `set-char-table-parent'
1339 let you read or set the parent of a char-table.
1340
1341 To scan all the values in a char-table, do not try to loop through all
1342 possible character codes. That would work for now, but will not work
1343 in the future. Instead, call map-char-table. (map-char-table
1344 FUNCTION TABLE) calls FUNCTION once for each character or character
1345 set that has a distinct value in TABLE. FUNCTION gets two arguments,
1346 RANGE and VALUE. RANGE specifies a range of TABLE that has one
1347 uniform value, and VALUE is the value in TABLE for that range.
1348
1349 Currently, RANGE is always a vector containing a single character
1350 and it refers to that character alone. In the future, other kinds
1351 of ranges will occur. You can set the value for a given range
1352 with (set-char-table-range TABLE RANGE VALUE) and examine the value
1353 for a range with (char-table-range TABLE RANGE).
1354
1355 *** Syntax tables are now represented as char-tables.
1356 All syntax tables other than the standard syntax table
1357 normally have the standard syntax table as their parent.
1358 Their subtype is `syntax-table'.
1359
1360 *** Display tables are now represented as char-tables.
1361 Their subtype is `display-table'.
1362
1363 *** Case tables are now represented as char-tables.
1364 Their subtype is `case-table'.
1365
1366 *** The value of keyboard-translate-table may now be a char-table
1367 instead of a string. Normally the char-tables used for this purpose
1368 have the subtype `keyboard-translate-table', but that is not required.
1369
1370 *** A new data type called a bool-vector is a vector of values
1371 that are either t or nil. To create one, do
1372 (make-bool-vector LENGTH INITIAL-VALUE)
1373
1374 ** You can now specify, for each marker, how it should relocate when
1375 text is inserted at the place where the marker points. This is called
1376 the "insertion type" of the marker.
1377
1378 To set the insertion type, do (set-marker-insertion-type MARKER TYPE).
1379 If TYPE is t, it means the marker advances when text is inserted. If
1380 TYPE is nil, it means the marker does not advance. (In Emacs 19.29,
1381 markers did not advance.)
1382
1383 The function marker-insertion-type reports the insertion type of a
1384 given marker. The function copy-marker takes a second argument TYPE
1385 which specifies the insertion type of the new copied marker.
1386
1387 ** When you create an overlay, you can specify the insertion type of
1388 the beginning and of the end. To do this, you can use two new
1389 arguments to make-overlay: front-advance and rear-advance.
1390
1391 ** The new function overlays-in returns a list of the overlays that
1392 overlap a specified range of the buffer. The returned list includes
1393 empty overlays at the beginning of this range, as well as within the
1394 range.
1395
1396 ** The new hook window-scroll-functions is run when a window has been
1397 scrolled. The functions in this list are called just before
1398 redisplay, after the new window-start has been computed. Each function
1399 is called with two arguments--the window that has been scrolled, and its
1400 new window-start position.
1401
1402 This hook is useful for on-the-fly fontification and other features
1403 that affect how the redisplayed text will look when it is displayed.
1404
1405 The window-end value of the window is not valid when these functions
1406 are called. The computation of window-end is byproduct of actual
1407 redisplay of the window contents, which means it has not yet happened
1408 when the hook is run. Computing window-end specially in advance for
1409 the sake of these functions would cause a slowdown.
1410
1411 The hook functions can determine where the text on the window will end
1412 by calling vertical-motion starting with the window-start position.
1413
1414 ** The new hook redisplay-end-trigger-functions is run whenever
1415 redisplay in window uses text that extends past a specified end
1416 trigger position. You set the end trigger position with the function
1417 set-window-redisplay-end-trigger. The functions are called with two
1418 arguments: the window, and the end trigger position. Storing nil for
1419 the end trigger position turns off the feature, and the trigger value
1420 is automatically reset to nil just after the hook is run.
1421
1422 You can use the function window-redisplay-end-trigger to read a
1423 window's current end trigger value.
1424
1425 ** The new function insert-file-contents-literally inserts the
1426 contents of a file without any character set translation or decoding.
1427
1428 ** The new function safe-length computes the length of a list.
1429 It never gets an error--it treats any non-list like nil.
1430 If given a circular list, it returns an upper bound for the number
1431 of elements before the circularity.
1432
1433 ** replace-match now takes a fifth argument, SUBEXP. If SUBEXP is
1434 non-nil, that says to replace just subexpression number SUBEXP of the
1435 regexp that was matched, not the entire match. For example, after
1436 matching `foo \(ba*r\)' calling replace-match with 1 as SUBEXP means
1437 to replace just the text that matched `\(ba*r\)'.
1438
1439 ** The new keymap special-event-map defines bindings for certain
1440 events that should be handled at a very low level--as soon as they
1441 are read. The read-event function processes these events itself,
1442 and never returns them.
1443
1444 Events that are handled in this way do not echo, they are never
1445 grouped into key sequences, and they never appear in the value of
1446 last-command-event or (this-command-keys). They do not discard a
1447 numeric argument, they cannot be unread with unread-command-events,
1448 they may not appear in a keyboard macro, and they are not recorded
1449 in a keyboard macro while you are defining one.
1450
1451 These events do, however, appear in last-input-event immediately after
1452 they are read, and this is the way for the event's definition to find
1453 the actual event.
1454
1455 The events types iconify-frame, make-frame-visible and delete-frame
1456 are normally handled in this way.
1457
1458 ** encode-time now supports simple date arithmetic by means of
1459 out-of-range values for its SEC, MINUTE, HOUR, DAY, and MONTH
1460 arguments; for example, day 0 means the day preceding the given month.
1461 Also, the ZONE argument can now be a TZ-style string.
1462
1463 ** command-execute and call-interactively now accept an optional third
1464 argument KEYS. If specified and non-nil, this specifies the key
1465 sequence containing the events that were used to invoke the command.
1466
1467 ** The environment variable NAME, if set, now specifies the value of
1468 (user-full-name), when Emacs starts up.
1469
1470
1471 \f
1472 * User Editing Changes in Emacs 19.29
1473
1474 ** If you run out of memory.
1475
1476 If you get the error message "Virtual memory exhausted", type C-x s.
1477 That way of saving files has the least additional memory needs. Emacs
1478 19.29 keeps a reserve of memory which it makes available when this
1479 error happens; that is to ensure that C-x s can complete its work.
1480
1481 Once you have saved your data, you can exit and restart Emacs, or use
1482 M-x kill-some-buffers to free up space. If you kill buffers
1483 containing a substantial amount of text, you can go on editing.
1484
1485 Do not use M-x buffer-menu to save or kill buffers when you are out of
1486 memory, because that needs a fair amount memory itself and you may not
1487 have enough to get it started.
1488
1489 ** The format of compiled files has changed incompatibly.
1490
1491 Byte-compiled files made with Emacs 19.29 normally use a new format
1492 that will not work in older Emacs versions. You can compile files
1493 in the old format if you wish; see "Changes in compilation," below.
1494
1495 ** Emacs 19.29 supports the DEC Alpha.
1496
1497 ** Emacs runs on Windows NT.
1498
1499 This port does not yet support windowing features. It works like a
1500 text-only terminal, but it does support a mouse.
1501
1502 In general, support for non-GNU-like operating systems is not a high
1503 priority for the GNU project. We merged in the support for Windows NT
1504 because that system is expected to be very widely used.
1505
1506 ** Emacs supports Motif widgets.
1507
1508 You can build Emacs with Motif widgets by specifying --with-x-toolkit=motif
1509 when you run configure.
1510
1511 Motif defines collections of windows called "tab groups", and uses the
1512 tab key and the cursor keys to move between windows in a tab group.
1513 Emacs naturally does not support this--it has other uses for the tab
1514 key and cursor keys. Emacs does not support Motif accelerators either,
1515 because it uses its normal keymap event binding features.
1516
1517 We give higher priority to operation with a free widget set than to
1518 operation with a proprietary one.
1519
1520 ** If Emacs or the computer crashes, you can recover all the files you
1521 were editing from their auto save files by typing M-x recover-session.
1522 This first shows you a list of recorded interrupted sessions. Move
1523 point to the one you choose, and type C-c C-c.
1524
1525 Then recover-session asks about each of the files that were being
1526 edited during that session, asking whether to recover that file. If
1527 you answer y, it calls recover-file, which works in its normal
1528 fashion. It shows the dates of the original file and its auto-save
1529 file and asks once again whether to recover that file.
1530
1531 When recover-session is done, the files you've chosen to recover
1532 are present in Emacs buffers. You should then save them.
1533 Only this--saving them--updates the files themselves.
1534
1535 ** Menu bar menus now stay up if you click on the menu bar item and
1536 release the mouse button within a certain amount of time. This is in
1537 the X Toolkit version.
1538
1539 ** The menu bar menus have been rearranged and split up to make for a
1540 better organization. Two new menu bar menus, Tools and Search,
1541 contain items that were formerly in the Files and Edit menus, as well
1542 as some that did not exist in the menu bar menus before.
1543
1544 ** Emacs can now display on more than one X display at the same time.
1545 Use the command make-frame-on-display to create a frame, specifying
1546 which display to use.
1547
1548 ** M-x talk-connect sets up a multi-user talk connection
1549 via Emacs. Specify the X display of the person you want to talk to.
1550 You can talk to any number of people (within reason) by using
1551 this command repeatedly to specify different people.
1552
1553 Emacs does not make a fuss about security; the people who you talk to
1554 can use all Emacs features, including visiting and editing files. If
1555 this frightens you, don't use M-x talk-connect.
1556
1557 ** The range of integer values is now at least 2**28 on all machines.
1558 This means the maximum size of a buffer is at least 2**27-1,
1559 or 134,217,727.
1560
1561 ** When you start Emacs, you can now specify option names in
1562 long GNU form (starting with `--') and you can abbreviate the names.
1563
1564 You can now specify the options in any order.
1565 The previous requirements about the order of options
1566 have been eliminated.
1567
1568 The -L or --directory option lets you specify an additional
1569 directory to search for Lisp libraries (including libraries
1570 that you specify with the -l or --load options).
1571
1572 ** Incremental search in Transient Mark mode, if the mark is already
1573 active, now leaves the mark active and does not change its position.
1574 You can make incremental search deactivate the mark once again with
1575 this expression.
1576
1577 (add-hook 'isearch-mode-hook 'deactivate-mark)
1578
1579 ** C-delete now deletes a word backwards. This is for compatibility
1580 with some editors in the PC world. (This key is not available on
1581 ordinary ASCII terminals, because C-delete is not a distinct character
1582 on those terminals.)
1583
1584 ** ESC ESC ESC is now a command to escape from various temporary modes
1585 and states.
1586
1587 ** M-x pc-bindings-mode sets up bindings compatible with many PC editors.
1588 In particular, Delete and its variants delete forward instead of backward.
1589 Use Backspace to delete backward.
1590
1591 C-Backspace kills backward a word (as C-Delete normally would).
1592 M-Backspace does undo.
1593 Home and End move to beginning and end of line
1594 C-Home and C-End move to beginning and end of buffer.
1595
1596 ** The key sequence for evaluating a Lisp expression using the minibuffer
1597 is now ESC :. It used to be ESC ESC, but we moved it to make way for
1598 the ESC ESC ESC feature, on the grounds that people who evaluate Lisp
1599 expressions are experienced users and can cope with a change.
1600 If you prefer the old ESC ESC binding, put in your `~/.emacs':
1601
1602 (global-set-key "\e\e" 'eval-expression)
1603
1604 ** The f1 function key is now equivalent to the help key. This is
1605 done with key-translation-map; delete the binding for f1 in that map
1606 if you want to use f1 for something else.
1607
1608 ** Mouse-3, in the simplest case, still sets the region. But now, it
1609 places the mark where point was, and sets point where you click.
1610 (It used to set the mark where you click and leave point alone.)
1611
1612 If you position point with Mouse-1, then scroll with the scroll bar
1613 and use Mouse-3, Mouse-3 uses the position you specified with Mouse-1
1614 even if it has scrolled off the screen (and point is no longer there).
1615 This makes it easier to select a region with the mouse which is bigger
1616 than a screenful.
1617
1618 Any editing of the buffer, and any cursor motion or scrolling for any
1619 reason other than the scroll bar, cancels the special state set up by
1620 Mouse-1--so that a subsequent Mouse-3 click will use the actual value
1621 of point.
1622
1623 ** C-mouse-3 now pops up a mode-specific menu of commands--normally
1624 the same ones available in the mode's own menu bar menus.
1625
1626 ** C-mouse-2 now pops up a menu of faces, indentation, justification,
1627 and certain other text properties. This menu is also available
1628 through the menu-bar Edit menu. It is meant for use with Enriched
1629 mode.
1630
1631 *** You can use this menu to change the face of the region.
1632 You can also set the face of the region with the new M-g command.
1633
1634 *** The menu also includes commands for indenting the region,
1635 which locally changes the values of left-margin and fill-column that
1636 are used.
1637
1638 *** All fill functions now indent every line to the left-margin. If
1639 there is also a fill-prefix, that goes after the margin indentation.
1640
1641 *** Open-line and newline also make sure that the lines they create
1642 are indented to the left margin.
1643
1644 *** It also allows you to set the "justification" of the region:
1645 whether it should be centered, flush right, and so forth. The fill
1646 functions (including auto-fill-mode) will maintain the justification
1647 and indentation that you request.
1648
1649 *** The new function `list-colors-display' shows you what colors are
1650 available. This is also accessible from the C-mouse-2 menu.
1651
1652 ** You can now save and load files including their faces and other
1653 text-properties by using Enriched-mode. Files are saved in an
1654 extended version of the MIME text/enriched format. You can use the
1655 menus described above, or M-g and other keyboard commands, to
1656 alter the formatting information.
1657
1658 ** C-mouse-1 now pops up the menu for changing the frame's default font.
1659
1660 ** You can input Hyper, Super, Meta, and Alt characters, as well as
1661 non-ASCII control characters, on an ASCII-only terminal.
1662 To do this, use
1663
1664 C-x @ h -- hyper
1665 C-x @ s -- super
1666 C-x @ m -- meta
1667 C-x @ a -- alt
1668 C-x @ S -- shift
1669 C-x @ c -- control
1670
1671 These are not ordinary key sequences; they operate through
1672 function-key-map, which means they can be used even in the
1673 middle of an ordinary key sequence.
1674
1675 ** Outline minor mode and Hideif mode now use C-c @ as their prefix
1676 character.
1677
1678 ** Echo area messages are now logged in the "*Messages*" buffer. The
1679 size of this buffer is limited to message-log-max lines.
1680
1681 ** RET in various special modes for read-only buffers that contain
1682 lists of items now selects the item point is on. These modes include
1683 Dired, Compilation buffers, Buffer-menu, Tar mode, and Occur mode.
1684 (In Info, RET follows the reference near point; in completion list
1685 buffers, RET chooses the completion around point.)
1686
1687 ** set-background-color now updates the modeline face in a special
1688 way. If that face was previously set up to be reverse video, the
1689 reverse of the default face, then set-background-color updates it so
1690 that it remains the reverse of the default face.
1691
1692 ** The functions raise-frame and lower-frame are now commands.
1693 When used interactively, they apply to the selected frame.
1694
1695 ** M-x buffer-menu now displays the buffer list in the selected window.
1696 Use M-x buffer-menu-other-window to display it in another window.
1697
1698 ** M-w followed by a kill command now *does not* append the text in
1699 the kill ring. In consequence, M-w followed by C-w works as you would
1700 expect: it leaves the top of the kill ring matching the region that
1701 you killed.
1702
1703 ** In Lisp mode, the C-M-x command now executes defvar forms in a
1704 special way: it unconditionally sets the variable to the specified
1705 default value, if there is one. Normal execution of defvar does not
1706 alter the variable if it already has a non-void value.
1707
1708 ** In completion list buffers, the left and right arrow keys run the
1709 new commands previous-completion and next-completion. They move one
1710 completion at a time.
1711
1712 ** While doing completion in the minibuffer, the `prior' or `pageup'
1713 key switches to the completion list window.
1714
1715 ** When you exit the minibuffer with empty contents, the empty string
1716 is not put in the minibuffer history.
1717
1718 ** The default buffer for insert-buffer is now the "first" buffer
1719 other than the current one. If you have more than one window, this
1720 is a buffer visible in another window. (Usually it is the buffer
1721 that C-M-v would scroll.)
1722
1723 ** The etags program is now capable of recording tags based on regular
1724 expressions provided on the command line.
1725
1726 This new feature allows easy support for constructs not normally
1727 handled by etags, such as the macros frequently used in big C/C++
1728 projects to define project-specific structures. It also enables the
1729 use of etags and TAGS files for languages not supported by etags.
1730
1731 The Emacs manual section on Tags contains explanations and examples
1732 for Emacs's DEFVAR, VHDL, Cobol, PostScript and TCL.
1733
1734 ** Various mode-specific commands that used to be bound to C-c LETTER
1735 have been moved.
1736
1737 *** In gnus-uu mode, gnus-uu-interactive-scan-directory is now on C-c C-d,
1738 and gnus-uu-interactive-save-current-file is on C-c C-z.
1739
1740 *** In Scribe mode, scribe-insert-environment is now on C-c C-v,
1741 scribe-chapter is on C-c C-c, scribe-subsection is on C-c C-s,
1742 scribe-section is on C-c C-t, scribe-bracket-region-be is on C-c C-e,
1743 scribe-italicize-word is on C-c C-i, scribe-bold-word is on C-c C-b,
1744 and scribe-underline-word is on C-c C-u.
1745
1746 *** In Gomoku mode, gomoku-human-takes-back is now on C-c C-b,
1747 gomoku-human-plays is on C-c C-p, gomoku-human-resigns is on C-c C-r,
1748 and gomoku-emacs-plays is on C-c C-e.
1749
1750 *** In the Outline mode defined in allout.el,
1751 outline-rebullet-current-heading is now on C-c *.
1752
1753 ** M-s in Info now searches through the nodes of the Info file,
1754 just like s. The alias M-s was added so that you can use the same
1755 command for searches in both Info and Rmail.
1756
1757 ** iso-acc.el now lets you enter inverted-! and inverted-?
1758 with the sequences ~! and ~?.
1759
1760 ** M-x compare-windows now pushes mark in both windows before
1761 it starts moving point.
1762
1763 ** There are two new commands in Dired, A (dired-do-search)
1764 and Q (dired-do-query-replace). These are similar to tags-search and
1765 tags-query-replace, but instead of searching the list of files that
1766 appears in a tags table, they search all the files marked in Dired.
1767
1768 ** Changes to dabbrev.
1769
1770 A new function, `dabbrev-completion' (bound to M-C-/), expands the
1771 unique part of an abbreviation.
1772
1773 Dabbrev now looks for expansions in other buffers, looks for symbols
1774 instead of words and it works in the minibuffer.
1775
1776 Dabbrev can be customized to work for shell scripts, with variables
1777 that sometimes have and sometimes haven't a leading "$". See the
1778 variable 'dabbrev-abbrev-skip-leading-regexp'.
1779
1780 ** In Rmail, the command rmail-input-menu has been eliminated. The
1781 feature of selecting an Rmail file from a menu is now implemented in
1782 another way.
1783
1784 ** Bookmarks changes.
1785
1786 *** It now works to set bookmarks in Info nodes.
1787
1788 *** Bookmarks can have annotations; type "C-h m" after doing
1789 "M-x list-bookmarks", for more information on annotations.
1790
1791 *** The bookmark-jump popup menu function is now `bookmark-menu-jump', for
1792 those who bind it to a mouse click.
1793
1794 *** The default bookmarks file name is now "~/.emacs.bmk". If you
1795 already have a bookmarks file, it will be renamed automagically when
1796 you next load it.
1797
1798 ** New package, ps-print.
1799
1800 The ps-print package generates PostScript printouts of buffers or
1801 regions, and includes face attributes such as color, underlining,
1802 boldface and italics in the printed output.
1803
1804 ** New package, msb.
1805
1806 The msb package provides a buffer-menu in the menubar with separate
1807 menus for different types of buffers.
1808
1809 ** `cpp.el' is a new library that can highlight or hide parts of a C
1810 file according to C preprocessor conditionals. To try it, run the
1811 command M-x cpp-highlight-buffer.
1812
1813 ** Changes in CC mode.
1814
1815 *** c-set-offset and related functions and variables can now accept
1816 variable symbols. Also ++ and -- which mean 2* positive and negative
1817 c-basic-offset respectively.
1818
1819 *** New variable, c-recognize-knr-p, which controls whether K&R C
1820 constructs will be recognized. Trying to recognize K&R constructs is a
1821 time hog so if you're programming strictly in ANSI C, set this
1822 variable to nil (it should already be nil in c++-mode).
1823
1824 *** New variable, c-hanging-comment-ender-p for controlling
1825 c-fill-paragraph's behavior.
1826
1827 *** New syntactic symbol: statement-case-open. This is assigned to lines
1828 containing an open brace just after a case/default label.
1829
1830 *** New variable, c-progress-interval, which controls minibuffer update
1831 message displays during long re-indentation. This is a new feature
1832 which prints percentage complete messages at specified intervals.
1833
1834 ** Makefile mode changes.
1835
1836 *** The electric keys are not enabled by default.
1837
1838 *** There is now a mode-specific menu bar menu.
1839
1840 *** The mode supports font-lock, add-log, and imenu.
1841
1842 *** The command M-TAB does completion of target names and variable names.
1843
1844 ** icomplete.el now works more like a minor mode. Use M-x icomplete-mode
1845 to turn it on and off.
1846
1847 Icomplete now supports an `icomplete-minibuffer-setup-hook', which is
1848 run on minibuffer setup whenever icompletion will be occurring. This
1849 hook can be used to customize interoperation of icomplete with other
1850 minibuffer-specific packages, eg rsz-mini. See the doc string for
1851 more info.
1852
1853 ** Ediff change.
1854
1855 Use ediff-revision instead of vc-ediff. It also replaces rcs-ediff,
1856 for those who use that; if you want to use a version control package
1857 other than vc.el, you must set the variable
1858 ediff-version-control-package to specify which package.
1859
1860 ** VC now supports branches with RCS.
1861
1862 You can use C-u C-x C-q to select any branch or version by number.
1863 It reads the version number or branch number with the minibuffer,
1864 then checks out the file unlocked.
1865
1866 Type C-x C-q again to lock the selected branch or version.
1867 When you check in changes to that branch or version, there are two
1868 possibilities:
1869
1870 -- If you've selected a branch, or a version at the tip of a branch,
1871 then the new version adds to that branch. If you wish to create a
1872 new branch, use C-u C-x C-q to specify a version number when you check
1873 in the new version.
1874
1875 -- If you've selected an inner version which is not the latest in its
1876 branch, then the new version automatically creates a new branch.
1877
1878 ** VC now supports CVS as well as RCS and SCCS.
1879
1880 Since there are no locks in CVS, some things behave slightly
1881 different when the backend is CVS. When vc-next-action is invoked
1882 in a directory handled by CVS, it does the following:
1883
1884 If the file is not already registered, this registers it for version
1885 control. This does a "cvs add", but no "cvs commit".
1886 If the file is added but not committed, it is committed.
1887 If the file has not been changed, neither in your working area or
1888 in the repository, a message is printed and nothing is done.
1889 If your working file is changed, but the repository file is
1890 unchanged, this pops up a buffer for entry of a log message; when you
1891 finish the log message with C-c C-c, that checks in the resulting
1892 changes along with the log message as change commentary. A writable
1893 file remains in existence.
1894
1895 If vc-next-action changes the repository file, it asks you
1896 whether to merge in the changes into your working copy.
1897
1898 vc-directory, when started in a CVS file hierarchy, reports
1899 all files that are modified (and thus need to be committed).
1900 (When the backend is RCS or SCCS vc-directory reports all
1901 locked files).
1902
1903 VC has no support for running the initial "cvs checkout" to get a
1904 working copy of a module. You can only use VC in a working copy of
1905 a module.
1906
1907 You can disable the CVS support as follows:
1908
1909 (setq vc-master-templates (delq 'vc-find-cvs-master vc-master-templates))
1910
1911 or by setting vc-handle-cvs to nil.
1912
1913 This may be desirable if you run a non-standard version of CVS, or
1914 if CVS was compiled with FORCE_USE_EDITOR or (possibly)
1915 RELATIVE_REPOS.
1916
1917 ** Comint and shell mode changes:
1918
1919 *** Completion works with file names containing quoted characters.
1920
1921 File names containing special characters (such as " ", "!", etc.) that are
1922 quoted with a "\" character are recognized during completion. Special
1923 characters are quoted when they are inserted during completion.
1924
1925 *** You can use M-x comint-truncate-buffer to truncate the buffer.
1926
1927 When this command is run, the buffer is truncated to a maximum number
1928 of lines, specified by the variable comint-buffer-maximum-size. Just
1929 like the command comint-strip-ctrl-m, this can be run automatically
1930 during process output by doing this:
1931
1932 (add-hook 'comint-output-filter-functions
1933 'comint-truncate-buffer)
1934
1935 ** Telnet mode buffer name changed.
1936
1937 The buffer name for a Telnet buffer is now *telnet-HOST*, not
1938 *HOST-telnet*. This is for consistency with other Emacs packages.
1939
1940 ** M-x man (man) is now faster and more robust. On systems where the
1941 entire man page is indented, the indentation is removed.
1942
1943 The user option names that used to end in -p now end in -flag. The
1944 new names are: Man-reuse-okay-flag, Man-downcase-section-letters-flag,
1945 Man-circular-pages-flag. The Man-notify user option has been renamed to
1946 Man-notify-method and accepts one more value, `pushy', that just
1947 switches the current buffer to the manpage buffer, without switching
1948 frames nor changing your windows configuration.
1949
1950 A new user option Man-fontify-manpage-flag disables fontification
1951 (thus speeding up man) when set to nil. Default is to fontify if a
1952 window system is used. Two new user options Man-overstrike-face
1953 (default 'bold) and Man-underline-face (default 'underline) can be set
1954 to the preferred faces to be used for the words that man overstrikes
1955 and underlines. Useful for those who like colored man pages.
1956
1957 Two new interactive functions are provided: Man-cleanup-manpage and
1958 Man-fontify-manpage. Both can be used on a buffer that contains the
1959 output of a `rsh host man manpage' command, or the output of an
1960 `nroff -man -Tman manpage' command to make them readable.
1961 Man-cleanup-manpage is faster, but does not fontify.
1962
1963 ** The new function modify-face makes it easy to specify
1964 all the attributes of a face, all at once.
1965
1966 ** Faces now support background stippling.
1967
1968 Use the command set-face-stipple to specify the stipple-pattern for a
1969 face. Use face-stipple to access the specified stipple pattern. The
1970 existing face functions now handle the stipple pattern when
1971 appropriate.
1972
1973 If you specify one of the standard gray colors as a face background
1974 color, and your display doesn't handle gray, Emacs automatically uses
1975 stipple instead to get the same effect.
1976
1977 ** Changes in Font Lock mode.
1978
1979 *** Fontification
1980
1981 Two new default faces are provided; `font-lock-variable-name-face' and
1982 `font-lock-reference-face'. The face `font-lock-doc-string-face' has
1983 been removed since it is the same as the existing
1984 `font-lock-string-face'. Where appropriate, fontification
1985 automatically uses these new faces.
1986
1987 Fontification via commands `font-lock-mode' and
1988 `font-lock-fontify-buffer' is now cleanly interruptible (i.e., with
1989 C-g). If you interrupt during the fontification process, the buffer
1990 remains in its previous modified state and all highlighting is removed
1991 from the buffer.
1992
1993 For C/C++ modes, Font Lock mode is much faster but highlights much
1994 more. Other modes are faster/more extensive/more discriminatory, or a
1995 combination of these.
1996
1997 To enable Font Lock mode, add the new function `turn-on-font-lock' in
1998 one of the following ways:
1999
2000 (add-hook 'c-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock)
2001
2002 Or for any visited file with:
2003
2004 (add-hook 'find-file-hooks 'turn-on-font-lock)
2005
2006 *** Supports color and grayscale displays
2007
2008 Font Lock mode supports different ways of highlighting, depending on
2009 the type of display and background shade. Attributes (face color,
2010 bold, italic and underline, and display type and background mode) can
2011 be controlled either from Emacs Lisp or X resources.
2012
2013 See the new variables `font-lock-display-type' and
2014 `font-lock-face-attributes'.
2015
2016 *** Supports more modes
2017
2018 The following modes are directly supported:
2019
2020 ada-mode, asm-mode, bibtex-mode, c++-c-mode, c++-mode, c-mode,
2021 change-log-mode, compilation-mode, dired-mode, emacs-lisp-mode,
2022 fortran-mode, latex-mode, lisp-mode, mail-mode, makefile-mode,
2023 outline-mode, pascal-mode, perl-mode, plain-tex-mode, rmail-mode,
2024 rmail-summary-mode, scheme-mode, shell-mode, slitex-mode, tex-mode,
2025 texinfo-mode.
2026
2027 See the new variables `font-lock-defaults-alist' and
2028 `font-lock-defaults'.
2029
2030 Some modes support different levels of fontification. You can choose
2031 to use the minimum or maximum available decoration by changing the
2032 value of the new variable `font-lock-maximum-decoration'.
2033
2034 Programmers are urged to make available to the community their own
2035 keywords for modes not yet supported. See font-lock.el for
2036 information about efficiency.
2037
2038 *** fast-lock
2039
2040 The fast-lock package speeds up Font Lock mode by saving font choices
2041 in associated cache files. When you visit a file with Font Lock mode
2042 and Fast Lock mode turned on for the first time, the file's buffer is
2043 fontified as normal. When certain events occur (such as exiting
2044 Emacs), Fast Lock saves the highlighting in a cache file. When you
2045 subsequently visit this file, its cache is used to restore the
2046 highlighting.
2047
2048 To use this package, put in your `~/.emacs':
2049
2050 (add-hook 'font-lock-mode-hook 'turn-on-fast-lock)
2051
2052 To control the use of caches, see the documentation for `fast-lock-mode'.
2053
2054 ** You can tell pop-to-buffer to display certain buffers in the selected
2055 window rather than finding some other window to display them in.
2056 There are two variables you can use to specify these buffers.
2057
2058 same-window-buffer-names holds a list of buffer names; if a buffer's
2059 name appears in this list, pop-to-buffer puts it in the selected window.
2060
2061 same-window-regexps holds a list of regexps--if any one of them
2062 matches a buffer's name, then pop-to-buffer puts that buffer in the
2063 selected window.
2064
2065 The default values of these variables are not nil: they list various
2066 buffers that normally appear, when you as for them, in the selected
2067 window. These include shell buffers, mail buffers, telnet buffers,
2068 and others. By removing elements from these variables, you can ask
2069 Emacs to display those buffers in separate windows.
2070
2071 ** The special-display-buffer-names and special-display-regexps lists
2072 have been generalized. An element may now be a list. The car of the list
2073 is the buffer name or regular expression for matching buffer names.
2074
2075 The cdr of the list can be an alist specifying additional frame
2076 parameters for use in constructing the special display frame.
2077
2078 Alternatively, the cdr can have this form:
2079
2080 (FUNCTION ARGS...)
2081
2082 where FUNCTION is a symbol. Then the frame is constructed by calling
2083 FUNCTION; its first argument is the buffer, and its remaining
2084 arguments are ARGS.
2085
2086 ** If the environment variable REPLYTO is set, its value is the default
2087 for mail-default-reply-to.
2088
2089 ** When you send a message in Emacs, if you specify an Rmail file with
2090 the FCC: header field, Emacs converts the message to Rmail format
2091 before writing it. Thus, the file never contains anything but Rmail
2092 format messages.
2093
2094 ** The new variable mail-from-style controls whether the From: header
2095 should include the sender's full name, and if so, which format to use.
2096
2097 ** The new variable mail-personal-alias-file specifies the name of the
2098 user's personal aliases. This defaults to the file ~/.mailrc.
2099 mailabbrev.el used to have its own variable for this purpose
2100 (mail-abbrev-mailrc-file). That variable is no longer used.
2101
2102 ** In Buffer-Menu mode, the d and C-d commands (which mark buffers for
2103 deletion) now accept a prefix argument which serves as a repeat count.
2104
2105 ** Changes in BibTeX mode.
2106
2107 *** Reference keys can now be entered with TAB completion. All
2108 reference keys defined in that buffer and all labels that appear in
2109 crossreference entries are object to completion.
2110
2111 *** Braces are supported as field delimiters in addition to quotes.
2112 BibTeX entries may have brace-delimited and quote-delimited fields
2113 intermixed. The delimiters generated for new entries are specified by
2114 the variables bibtex-field-left-delimiter and
2115 bibtex-field-right-delimiter on a buffer-local basis. Those variables
2116 default to braces, since it is easier to put quote accented characters
2117 (as the german umlauts) into a brace-delimited entry.
2118
2119 *** The function bibtex-clean-entry can now be invoked with a prefix
2120 argument. In this case, a label is automatically generated from
2121 various fields in the record. If bibtex-clean-entry is invoked on a
2122 record without label, a label is also generated automatically.
2123 Various variables (all beginning with `bibtex-autokey-') control the
2124 creation of that key. The variable bibtex-autokey-edit-before-use
2125 determines, if the user is allowed to edit auto-generated reference
2126 keys before they are used.
2127
2128 *** A New function bibtex-complete-string completes strings with
2129 respect to the strings defined in this buffer and a set of predefined
2130 strings (initialized to the string macros defined in the standard
2131 BibTeX style files) in the same way in which ispell-complete-word
2132 works with respect to words in a dictionary. Candidates for
2133 bibtex-complete-string are initialized from variable
2134 bibtex-predefined-strings and by parsing the files found in
2135 bibtex-string-files for @String definitions.
2136
2137 *** Every reference/field pair has now attached a comment which
2138 appears in the echo area when this field is edited. These comments
2139 should provide useful hints for BibTeX usage, especially for BibTeX
2140 beginners. New variable bibtex-help-message determines if these help
2141 messages are to appear in the minibuffer when moving to a text entry.
2142
2143 *** Inscriptions of menu bar changed from "Entry Types" to
2144 "Entry-Types" and "Bibtex Edit" to "BibTeX-Edit".
2145
2146 *** The variable bibtex-include-OPTcrossref is now not longer a binary
2147 switch but a list of reference names which should contain a crossref
2148 field. E.g., you can tell bibtex-mode you want a crossref field for
2149 @InProceedings and @InBook entries but for no other.
2150
2151 *** The function validate-bibtex-buffer was completely rewritten to
2152 validate if a buffer is syntactically correct. find-bibtex-duplicates
2153 is no longer a function itself but was moved into
2154 validate-bibtex-buffer.
2155
2156 *** Cleaning a BibTeX entry tests, if necessary fields are there.
2157 E.g., if you tell bibtex-mode to include a crossref entry, some fields
2158 are optional which would be required without the crossref entry. If
2159 you now leave the crossref entry empty and do a bibtex-clean-entry
2160 with some now required fields left empty, version 2.0 of bibtex.el
2161 complains about the absence of these fields, whereas version 1.3
2162 didn't.
2163
2164 *** Default value for variables bibtex-maintain-sorted-entries and
2165 bibtex-sort-ignore-string-entries is now t.
2166
2167 *** All interactive functions are renamed to begin with `bibtex-'.
2168
2169 *** Keybindings with \C-c\C-e entry changed for unification. Often
2170 used reference types are now on control-modified keys, mediocre used
2171 types are on unmodified keys, seldom used types are on shift-modified
2172 keys and almost never used types on meta-modified keys.
2173
2174 \f
2175 * Configuration Changes in Emacs 19.29
2176
2177 ** Emacs now uses directory /usr/local/share for most of its installed
2178 files. This follows a GNU convention for directory usage.
2179
2180 ** The option --with-x11 is no longer supported.
2181 X11 is the only version of X that Emacs 19.29 supports;
2182 use --with-x if you need to request X support explicitly.
2183 (Normally this should not be necessary, since configure should
2184 automatically enable X support if X is installed on your machine.)
2185
2186 ** If you use the site-init.el file to set the variable
2187 mail-host-address to a string in the dumped Emacs, that string becomes
2188 the default host address for initializing user-mail-address.
2189 It is used instead of the value of (system-name).
2190
2191 \f
2192 * Lisp-Level Changes in Emacs 19.29
2193
2194 ** Basic Lisp
2195
2196 *** The range of integer values is now at least 2**28 on all machines.
2197 This means the maximum size of a buffer is at least 2**27-1,
2198 or 134,217,727.
2199
2200 *** You can now use Common Lisp syntax for the backquote and comma
2201 macros. Thus, you can now write `(x ,y z) instead of (` (x (, y) z)).
2202
2203 The old syntax is still accepted.
2204
2205 *** The new function rassoc is like assoc, except that it compares the
2206 key against the cdr of each alist element, where assoc would compare
2207 it against the car of each alist element.
2208
2209 *** The new function unintern deletes a symbol from an obarray. The
2210 first argument can be the symbol to delete, or a string giving its
2211 name. The second argument specifies the obarray (nil means the
2212 current default obarray).
2213
2214 If the specified symbol is not in the obarray, or if there's no symbol
2215 in the obarray matching the specified string, unintern does nothing
2216 and returns nil. If it does delete a symbol, it returns t.
2217
2218 *** You can specify an alternative read function for use by load and
2219 eval-region by binding the variable load-read-function to some other
2220 function. This function should accept one argument just like read.
2221 If load-read-function is nil, load and eval-region use ordinary read.
2222
2223 *** The new function `type-of' takes any object as argument, and
2224 returns a symbol identifying the type of that object--one of `symbol',
2225 `integer', `float', `string', `cons', `vector', `marker', `overlay',
2226 `window', `buffer', `subr', `compiled-function',
2227 `window-configuration', `process'.
2228
2229 *** When you use eval-after-load for a file that is already loaded, it
2230 executes the FORM right away. As before, if the file is not yet
2231 loaded, it arranges to execute FORM if and when the file is loaded
2232 later. The result is: if you have called eval-after-load for a file,
2233 and if that file has been loaded, then regardless of the order of
2234 these two events, the specified form has been evaluated.
2235
2236 *** The Lisp construct #@NUMBER now skips the next NUMBER characters,
2237 treating them as a comment.
2238
2239 You would not want to use this in a file you edit by hand, but it is
2240 useful for commenting out parts of machine-generated files.
2241
2242 *** Two new functions, `plist-get' and `plist-put',
2243 allow you to modify and retrieve values from lists formatted as property-lists.
2244 They work like `get' and `put', but operate on any list.
2245 `plist-put' returns the modified property-list; you must store it
2246 back where you got it.
2247
2248 *** The new function add-to-list is called with two elements,
2249 a variable that holds a list and a new element.
2250 It adds the element to the list unless it is already present.
2251 It compares elements using `equal'. Here is an example:
2252
2253 (setq foo '(a b)) => (a b)
2254
2255 (add-to-list 'foo 'c) => (c a b)
2256
2257 (add-to-list 'foo 'b) => (c a b)
2258
2259 foo => (c a b)
2260
2261 ** Changes in compilation.
2262
2263 Functions and variables loaded from a byte-compiled file
2264 now refer to the file for their doc strings.
2265
2266 This has a few consequences:
2267
2268 -- Loading the file is faster and uses less memory.
2269 -- Reference to doc strings is a little slower (the same speed
2270 as reference to the doc strings of primitive and preloaded functions).
2271 -- The compiled files will not work in old versions of Emacs.
2272 -- If you move the compiled file after loading it, Emacs can no longer
2273 find these doc strings.
2274 -- If you alter the compiled file (such as by compiling a new
2275 version), then further access to documentation strings will get
2276 nonsense results.
2277
2278 The byte compiler now optionally supports lazy loading of compiled
2279 functions' definitions. If you enable this feature when you compile,
2280 loading the compiled file does not actually bring the function
2281 definitions into core. Instead it creates references to the compiled
2282 file, and brings each function's definition into core the first time
2283 you call that function, or when you force it with the new function
2284 `fetch-bytecode'.
2285
2286 Using the lazy loading feature has a few consequences:
2287
2288 -- Loading the file is faster and uses less memory.
2289 -- Calling any function in the file for the first time is slower.
2290 -- If you move the compiled file after loading it, Emacs can no longer
2291 find the function definitions.
2292 -- If you alter the compiled file (such as by compiling a new
2293 version), then further access to functions not already loaded
2294 will get nonsense results.
2295
2296 To enable the lazy loading feature, set up a non-nil file local
2297 variable binding for the variable `byte-compile-dynamic' in the Lisp
2298 source file. For example, put this on the first line:
2299
2300 -*-byte-compile-dynamic: t;-*-
2301
2302 It's a good idea to use the lazy loading feature for a file that
2303 contains many functions, most of which are not actually used by a
2304 given user in a given session.
2305
2306 To turn off the basic feature of referring to the file for doc
2307 strings, set byte-compile-dynamic-docstrings to nil. You can do this
2308 globally, or for one source file by adding this to the first line:
2309
2310 -*-byte-compile-dynamic-docstrings: nil;-*-
2311
2312 ** Strings
2313
2314 *** Do not pass integer arguments to `concat' (or `vconcat' or
2315 `append'). We are phasing out the old unrecommended support for
2316 integers as arguments to these functions, in preparation for treating
2317 numbers as single characters in a future release. To concatenate
2318 numbers in string form, use `number-to-string' first, or rewrite the
2319 call to use `format' instead of `concat'.
2320
2321 *** The new function match-string returns the string of text matched at
2322 the given parenthesized expression by the last regexp search, or nil
2323 if there was no match. If the last match was by `string-match' on a
2324 string, the string must be given. Therefore, this function can be
2325 used in place of `buffer-substring' and `substring', when using
2326 `match-beginning' and `match-end' to find match positions.
2327
2328 (match-string N) or (match-string N STRING)
2329
2330 *** The function replace-match now accepts an optional fourth argument,
2331 STRING. Use this after performing string-match on STRING, to replace
2332 the portion of STRING that was matched. When used in this way,
2333 replace-match returns a newly created string which is the same as
2334 STRING except for the matched portion.
2335
2336 *** The new function buffer-substring-no-properties
2337 is like buffer-substring except that the string it returns
2338 has no text properties.
2339
2340 *** The function `equal' now considers two strings to be different
2341 if they don't have the same text properties.
2342
2343 ** Completion
2344
2345 *** all-completions now takes an optional fourth argument.
2346 If that argument is non-nil, completions that start with a space
2347 are ignored unless the initial string also starts with a space.
2348 (This used to happen unconditionally.)
2349
2350 ** Local Variables
2351
2352 *** Local hook variables.
2353
2354 There is now a clean way to give a hook variable a buffer-local value.
2355 Call the function `make-local-hook' to do this.
2356
2357 Once a hook variable is buffer-local, you can add hooks to it either
2358 globally or locally. run-hooks runs the local hook functions
2359 of the current buffer, then all the global hook functions.
2360
2361 The functions add-hook and remove-hook take an additional optional
2362 argument LOCAL which says whether to add (or remove) a local hook
2363 function or a global one.
2364
2365 Local hooks use t as an element of the (local) value of the hook
2366 variable as a flag meaning to use the global value also.
2367
2368 *** The new function local-variable-p tells you whether a particular
2369 variable is buffer-local in the current buffer or a specified buffer.
2370
2371 ** Editing Facilities
2372
2373 *** The function copy-region-as-kill no longer sets this-command;
2374 as a result, a following kill command will not normally append
2375 to the text saved by copy-region-as-kill.
2376
2377 *** Regular expression searching and matching no longer performs full
2378 Posix backtracking by default. They now stop with the first match found
2379 instead of looking for the longest match--just as they did in Emacs 18.
2380 The reason for this change is to get higher speed.
2381
2382 There are new functions you can use if you really want to search or
2383 match with Posix behavior: posix-search-forward,
2384 posix-search-backward, posix-looking-at, and posix-string-match. Call
2385 these just like re-search-forward, re-search-backward, looking-at, and
2386 string-match.
2387
2388 ** Files
2389
2390 *** The new variable `format-alist' defines file formats,
2391 which are ways of translating between the data in a file and things
2392 (text, text-properties, and possibly other information) in a buffer.
2393
2394 `format-alist' has one element for each format. Each element is a
2395 list like this:
2396 (NAME DOC-STRING REGEXP FROM-FN TO-FN MODIFY MODE-FN)
2397 containing the name of the format, a documentation string, a regular
2398 expression which is used to recognize files in that format, a decoding
2399 function, an encoding function, a flag that indicates whether the
2400 encoding function modifies the buffer, and a mode function.
2401
2402 FROM-FN is called to decode files in that format; it gets two args, BEGIN
2403 and END, and can make any modifications it likes, returning the new
2404 end position. It must make sure that the beginning of the file no
2405 longer matches REGEXP, or else it will get called again.
2406 TO-FN is called to encode a region into that format; it is also passed BEGIN
2407 and END, and either returns a list of annotations as in
2408 `write-region-annotate-functions', or modifies the region and returns
2409 the new end position.
2410 MODIFY, if non-nil, means the TO-FN modifies the region. If nil, TO-FN may
2411 not make any changes and should return a list of annotations.
2412
2413 `insert-file-contents' checks the beginning of the file that it is
2414 inserting to see if it matches one of the regexps. If so, then it
2415 calls the decoding function, and then looks for another match. When
2416 visiting a file, it also calls the mode function, and sets the
2417 variable `buffer-file-format' to the list of formats that the file
2418 used.
2419
2420 `write-region' calls the encoding functions for each format in
2421 `buffer-file-format' before it writes the file. To save a file in a
2422 different format, either set `buffer-file-format' to a different
2423 value, or call the new function `format-write-file'.
2424
2425 Since some encoding functions may be slow, you can request that
2426 auto-save use a format different from the buffer's default by setting
2427 the variable `auto-save-file-format' to the desired format. This will
2428 determine the format of all auto-save files.
2429
2430 *** The new function file-ownership-preserved-p tells you whether
2431 deleting a file and recreating it would keep the file's owner
2432 unchanged.
2433
2434 *** The new function file-regular-p returns t if a file
2435 is a "regular" file (not a directory, symlink, named pipe,
2436 terminal, or other I/O device).
2437
2438 *** The new function file-name-sans-extension discards the extension
2439 of a file name. You call it with a file name, and returns a string
2440 lacking the extension.
2441
2442 *** The variable path-separator is a string which says which
2443 character separates directories in a search path. It is ":"
2444 for Unix and GNU systems, ";" for MSDOG and Windows NT.
2445
2446 ** Commands and Key Sequences
2447
2448 *** Key sequences consisting of C-c followed by {, }, <, >, : or ; are
2449 now reserved for major modes. Sequences consisting of C-c followed by
2450 any other punctuation character are now meant for minor modes. We don't
2451 plan to convert all existing major modes to stop using those sequences,
2452 but we hope to keep them to a minimum.
2453
2454 *** When the post-command-hook or the pre-command-hook gets an error, the error
2455 is silently ignored. Emacs no longer sets the hook variable to nil when this
2456 happens. Meanwhile, the hook functions can now alter the hook variable in
2457 a normal fashion; there is no need to do anything special.
2458
2459 *** define-key, lookup-key, and various other functions for changing or
2460 looking up key bindings now let you write an event type with a list
2461 like (ctrl meta newline) or (meta ?d), as in XEmacs. (ctrl meta newline)
2462 is equivalent to the event type symbol C-M-newline, and (meta ?d)
2463 is equivalent to the character ?\M-d.
2464
2465 *** The function event-convert-list converts a list such as
2466 (meta ?d) into the corresponding event type (a symbol or integer).
2467
2468 *** In an interactive spec, `k' means to read a key sequence. In this
2469 key sequence, upper case characters and shifted function keys which
2470 have no bindings are converted to lower case if that makes them
2471 defined.
2472
2473 The new interactive code `K' reads a key sequence similarly, but does
2474 not convert the last event. `K' is useful for reading a key sequence
2475 to be given a binding.
2476
2477 *** The variable overriding-local-map now has no effect on the menu bar
2478 display unless overriding-local-map-menu-flag is non-nil. This is why
2479 incremental search no longer temporarily changes the menu bars.
2480
2481 Note that overriding-local-map does still affect the execution of key
2482 sequences entered using the menu bar. So if you use
2483 overriding-local-map, and a menu bar key sequence comes in, you should
2484 make sure to clear overriding-local-map before that key sequence gets
2485 looked up and executed. But this is what you'd normally do anyway:
2486 programs that use overriding-local-map normally exit and "put back"
2487 any event such as menu-bar that they do not handle specially.
2488
2489 *** The new variable `overriding-terminal-local-map' is like
2490 overriding-local-map, but is specific to a single terminal.
2491
2492 *** delete-frame events.
2493
2494 When you use the X window manager's "delete window" command, this now
2495 generates a delete-frame event. The standard definition of this event
2496 is a command that deletes the frame that received the event, and kills
2497 Emacs when the last visible or iconified frame is deleted. You can
2498 rebind the event to some other command if you wish.
2499
2500 *** Two new types of events, iconify-frame and make-frame-visible,
2501 indicate that the user iconified or deiconified a frame with the
2502 window manager. Since the window manager has already done the work,
2503 the default definition for both event types in Emacs is to do nothing.
2504
2505 ** Frames and X
2506
2507 *** Certain Lisp variables are now local to an X terminal (in other
2508 words, all the screens of a single X server). The value in effect, at
2509 any given time, is the one that belongs to the terminal of the
2510 selected frame. The terminal-local variables are
2511 default-minibuffer-frame, system-key-alist, defining-kbd-macro, and
2512 last-kbd-macro. There is no way for Lisp programs to create others.
2513
2514 The terminal-local variables cannot be buffer-local.
2515
2516 *** When you create an X frame, for the `top' and `left' frame
2517 parameters, you can now use values of the form (+ N) or (- N), where N
2518 is an integer. (+ N) means N pixels to the right of the left edge of
2519 the screen and (- N) means N pixels to the left of the right edge. In
2520 both cases, N may be zero (exactly at the edge) or negative (putting
2521 the window partly off the screen).
2522
2523 The function x-parse-geometry can return values of these forms
2524 for certain inputs.
2525
2526 *** The variable menu-bar-file-menu has been renamed to
2527 menu-bar-files-menu to match the actual item that appears in the menu.
2528 (All the other such variable names do match.)
2529
2530 *** The new function active-minibuffer-window returns the minibuffer window
2531 currently active, or nil if none is now active.
2532
2533 *** In the functions next-window, previous-window, next-frame,
2534 previous-frame, get-buffer-window, get-lru-window, get-largest-window
2535 and delete-windows-on, if you specify 0 for the last argument,
2536 it means to consider all visible and iconified frames.
2537
2538 *** When you set a frame's cursor type with modify-frame-parameters,
2539 you can now specify (bar . INTEGER) as the cursor type. This stands
2540 for a bar cursor of width INTEGER.
2541
2542 *** The new function facep returns t if its argument is a face name
2543 (or if it is a vector such as is used internally by the Lisp code
2544 to represent a face).
2545
2546 *** Each frame can now have a buffer-predicate function,
2547 which is the `buffer-predicate' frame parameter.
2548 When `other-buffer' looks for an alternative buffer, it considers
2549 only the buffers that fit the selected frame's buffer predicate (if it
2550 has one). This is useful for applications that make their own frames.
2551
2552 *** When you create an X frame, you can now specify the frame parameter
2553 `display'. This says which display to put the frame on. The value
2554 should be a display name--a string of the form
2555 "HOST:DPYNUMBER.SCREENNUMBER".
2556
2557 The functions x-server-... and x-display-... now take an optional
2558 argument which specifies the display to ask about. You can use either
2559 a display name string or a frame. A value of nil stands for the
2560 selected frame.
2561
2562 To close the connection to an X display, use the function
2563 x-close-connection. Specify which display with a display name. You
2564 cannot close the connection if Emacs still has frames open on that
2565 display.
2566
2567 x-display-list returns a list indicating which displays Emacs has
2568 connections to. Its elements are display names (strings).
2569
2570 *** The icon-type frame parameter may now be a file name.
2571 Then the contents of that file specify the icon bitmap to use
2572 for that frame.
2573
2574 *** The title of an Emacs frame, displayed by most window managers, is
2575 set from frame-title-format or icon-title-format. These have the same
2576 structure as mode-line-format.
2577
2578 *** x-display-grayscale-p is a new function that returns non-nil if
2579 your X server can display shades of gray. Currently it returns
2580 non-nil for color displays (because they can display shades of gray);
2581 we may change it in the next version to return nil for color displays.
2582
2583 *** The frame parameter scroll-bar-width specifies the width of the
2584 scrollbar in pixels.
2585
2586 ** Buffers
2587
2588 *** Creating a buffer with get-buffer-create does not obey
2589 default-major-mode. That variable is now handled in a separate
2590 function, set-buffer-major-mode. get-buffer-create and generate-new-buffer
2591 always leave the newly created buffer in Fundamental mode.
2592
2593 Creating a new buffer by visiting a file or with switch-to-buffer,
2594 pop-to-buffer, and similar functions does call set-buffer-major-mode
2595 to select the default major mode specified with default-major-mode.
2596
2597 *** You can now create an "indirect buffer". An indirect buffer shares
2598 its text, including text properties, with another buffer (the "base
2599 buffer"), but has its own major mode, local variables, overlays, and
2600 narrowing. An indirect buffer has a name of its own, distinct from
2601 those of the base buffer and all other buffers. An indirect buffer
2602 cannot itself be visiting a file (though its base buffer can be).
2603 The base buffer cannot itself be indirect.
2604
2605 Use (make-indirect-buffer BASE-BUFFER NAME) to make an indirect buffer
2606 named NAME whose base is BASE-BUFFER. If BASE-BUFFER is an indirect
2607 buffer, its base buffer is used as the base for the new buffer.
2608
2609 You can make an indirect buffer current, or switch to it in a window,
2610 just as you would a non-indirect buffer.
2611
2612 The function buffer-base-buffer, given an indirect buffer, returns its
2613 base buffer. It returns nil when given an ordinary buffer (not
2614 indirect).
2615
2616 The library `noutline' has versions of Outline mode and Outline minor
2617 mode which let you display different parts of the outline in different
2618 indirect buffers.
2619
2620 ** Subprocesses
2621
2622 *** The functions call-process and call-process-region now allow
2623 you to direct error message output from the subprocess into a
2624 separate destination, instead of mixing it with ordinary output.
2625 To do this, specify for the third argument, BUFFER, a list of the form
2626 (BUFFER-OR-NAME ERROR-DESTINATION)
2627 BUFFER-OR-NAME specifies where to put ordinary output; it should
2628 be a buffer or buffer name, or t, nil or 0. This is what would
2629 have been the BUFFER argument, ordinarily.
2630
2631 ERROR-DESTINATION specifies where to put the error output.
2632 nil means discard it, t means mix it with the ordinary output,
2633 and a string specifies a file name to write this output into.
2634
2635 You can't specify a buffer to put the error output in; that is not
2636 easy to implement directly. You can put the error output into a
2637 buffer by sending it to a temporary file and then inserting the file
2638 into a buffer.
2639
2640 *** Comint mode changes:
2641
2642 **** The variable comint-completion-addsuffix can also be a cons pair
2643 of the form (DIRSUFFIX . FILESUFFIX), where DIRSUFFIX and FILESUFFIX are
2644 strings added on unambiguous or exact completion of directories and file
2645 names, respectively.
2646
2647 ** Text properties
2648
2649 *** You can now specify which values of the `invisible' property
2650 make text invisible in a given buffer. The variable
2651 `buffer-invisibility-spec', which is always local in all buffers,
2652 controls this.
2653
2654 If its value is t, then any non-nil `invisible' property makes
2655 a character invisible.
2656
2657 If its value is a list, then a character is invisible if its
2658 `invisible' property value appears as a member of the list, or if it
2659 appears as the car of a member of the list.
2660
2661 When the `invisible' property value appears as the car of a member of
2662 the `buffer-invisibility-spec' list, then the cdr of that member has
2663 an effect. If it is non-nil, then an ellipsis appears in place of the
2664 character. (This happens only for the *last* invisible character in a
2665 series of consecutive invisible characters, and only at the end of a
2666 line.)
2667
2668 If a character's `invisible' property is a list, then Emacs checks each
2669 element of the list against `buffer-invisibility-spec'. If any element
2670 matches, the character is invisible.
2671
2672 *** The command `list-text-properties-at' shows what text properties
2673 are in effect at point.
2674
2675 *** Frame objects now exist in Emacs even on systems that don't support
2676 X Windows. You can create multiple frames, and switch between them
2677 using select-frame. The selected frame is actually displayed on your
2678 terminal; other frames are not displayed at all. The selected frame
2679 number appears in the mode line after `Emacs', except for frame 1.
2680
2681 Switching frames on ASCII terminals is therefore more or less
2682 equivalent to switching between different window configurations.
2683
2684 *** The new variable window-size-change-functions holds a list of
2685 functions to be called if window sizes change (or if windows are
2686 created or deleted). The functions are called once for each frame on
2687 which changes have occurred, with the frame as the sole argument.
2688 This takes place shortly before redisplay.
2689
2690 *** The modification hook functions of overlays now work differently.
2691 They are called both before and after each change. This makes it
2692 possible for the functions to determine exactly what the change was.
2693
2694 This change affects three overlay properties: the modification-hooks
2695 property, a list of functions called for deletions overlapping the
2696 overlay's range and for insertions inside it; the
2697 insert-in-front-hooks, a list of functions called for insertions at
2698 the beginning of the overlay; and the insert-behind-hooks, a list of
2699 functions called for insertions at the end of the overlay.
2700
2701 Each function is called both before and after each change that it
2702 applies to. Before the change, it is called with four arguments:
2703 (funcall FUNCTION OVERLAY nil START END)
2704 START and END are the same arguments that the before-change-functions
2705 receive.
2706
2707 After the change, each function is called with five arguments:
2708 (funcall FUNCTION OVERLAY t START END OLDSIZE)
2709 The last arguments, START and END and OLDSIZE,
2710 are the same arguments that the after-change-functions receive.
2711
2712 This means the function must accept either four or five arguments.
2713
2714 *** You can set defaults for text-properties with the new variable
2715 `default-text-properties'. Its value is a property list; the values
2716 specified there are used whenever a character (or its category) does
2717 not specify a value.
2718
2719 *** The `face' property of a character or an overlay can now be a list
2720 of face names. Formerly it had to be just one face name.
2721
2722 *** Changes in handling the `intangible' text property.
2723
2724 **** If inhibit-point-motion-hooks is non-nil, then `intangible' properties
2725 are ignored.
2726
2727 **** Moving to just before a stretch of intangible text
2728 is no longer special in any way. Point stays at that place.
2729
2730 **** When you move point backwards into the midst of intangible text,
2731 point moves back to the beginning of that text. (It used to move
2732 forward to the end of that text, which was not very useful.)
2733
2734 **** When moving across intangible text, Emacs stops wherever the
2735 property value changes. So if you have two stretches of intangible
2736 text, with different non-nil intangible properties, it is possible to
2737 place point between them.
2738
2739 ** Overlays
2740
2741 *** Overlay changes.
2742
2743 **** The new function previous-overlay-change returns the position of
2744 the previous overlay start or end, before a specified position. This
2745 is the backwards-moving counterpart of next-overlay-change.
2746
2747 **** overlay-get now supports category properties on an overlay
2748 the same way get-text-property supports them as text properties.
2749
2750 Specifically, if an overlay does not have the property PROP that you
2751 ask for, but it does have a `category' property which is a symbol,
2752 then that symbol's PROP property is used.
2753
2754 **** If an overlay has a non-nil `evaporate' property, it will be
2755 deleted if it ever becomes empty (i.e., when it spans no characters).
2756
2757 **** If an overlay has a `before-string' and/or `after-string' property,
2758 these strings are displayed at the overlay's endpoints.
2759
2760 ** Filling
2761
2762 *** The new variable fill-paragraph-function provides a way for major
2763 modes to override the filling of paragraphs. If this is non-nil,
2764 fill-paragraph calls it as a function, passing along its sole
2765 argument. If the function returns non-nil, fill-paragraph assumes it
2766 has done the job and simply passes on whatever value it returned.
2767
2768 The usual use of this feature is to fill comments in programming
2769 language modes.
2770
2771 *** Text filling and justification changes:
2772
2773 **** The new variable use-hard-newlines can be used to make a
2774 distinction between "hard" and "soft" newlines; the fill functions
2775 will then never remove a newline that was manually inserted. Hard
2776 newlines are marked with a non-nil `hard' text-property.
2777
2778 **** The fill-column and left-margin can now be modified by text-properties.
2779 Most lisp programs should use the new functions (current-fill-column) and
2780 (current-left-margin), which return the proper values to use for the
2781 current line.
2782
2783 **** There are new functions for dealing with margins:
2784
2785 ***** Set-left-margin and set-right-margin (set the value for a region
2786 and re-fill). These functions take three arguments: two to specify
2787 a region, and the desired margin value.
2788
2789 ***** Increase-left-margin, decrease-left-margin, increase-right-margin, and
2790 decrease-right-margin (change settings relative to current values, and
2791 re-fill).
2792
2793 ***** move-to-left-margin moves point there, optionally adding
2794 indentation or changing tabs to spaces in order to make that possible.
2795 beginning-of-line-text also moves past the fill-prefix and any
2796 indentation added to center or right-justify a line, to the beginning
2797 of the text that the user actually typed.
2798
2799 ***** delete-to-left-margin removes any left-margin indentation, but
2800 does not change the property.
2801
2802 **** The paragraph-movement functions look for the paragraph-start and
2803 paragraph-separate regexps at the current left margin, not at the
2804 beginning of the line. This means that those regexps should NOT use ^
2805 to anchor the search. However, for backwards compatibility, a ^ at
2806 the beginning of the regexp will be ignored, so most packages won't break.
2807
2808 **** justify-current-line is now capable of doing left, center, or
2809 right justification as well as full justification.
2810
2811 **** The fill functions can do any kind of justification based on the new
2812 `justification' text-property and `default-justification' variable,
2813 or arguments to the functions. They also have a new option which
2814 defeats the normal removal of extra whitespace.
2815
2816 **** The new function `current-justification' returns the kind of
2817 justification used for the current line. The new function
2818 `set-justification' can be used to change it, including re-justifying
2819 the text of the region according to the new value.
2820
2821 **** Filling and auto-fill are disabled if justification is `none'.
2822
2823 **** The auto-fill-function is now called regardless of whether
2824 the fill-column has been exceeded; the function can determine on its
2825 own whether filling (or justification) is necessary.
2826
2827 ** Processes
2828
2829 *** process-tty-name is a new function that returns the name of the
2830 terminal that the process itself reads and writes on (not the name of
2831 the pty that Emacs uses to talk with that terminal).
2832
2833 *** Errors in process filters and sentinels are now normally caught
2834 automatically, so that they don't abort other Lisp programs.
2835
2836 Setting debug-on-error non-nil turns off this feature; then errors in
2837 filters and sentinels are not caught. As a result, they can invoke
2838 the debugger, under the control of debug-on-error.
2839
2840 *** Emacs now preserves the match data around the execution of process
2841 filters and sentinels. You can use search and match functions freely
2842 in filters and sentinels without explicitly bothering to save the
2843 match data.
2844
2845 ** Display
2846
2847 *** The variable message-log-max controls how messages are logged in the
2848 "*Messages*" buffer. An integer value means to keep that many lines;
2849 t means to log with no limit; nil means disable message logging. Lisp
2850 code that calls `message' excessively (e.g. isearch.el) should probably
2851 bind this variable to nil.
2852
2853 *** Display tables now have a new element, at index 261, specifying the
2854 glyph to use for the separator between two side-by-side windows. By
2855 default, this is the vertical bar character `|'. Probably the only
2856 other useful character to store for this element is a space, to make
2857 less visual separation between two side-by-side windows displaying
2858 related information.
2859
2860 *** The new mode-line-format spec %c displays the current column number.
2861
2862 *** The new variable blink-matching-delay specifies how long to keep
2863 the cursor at the matching open-paren, after you insert a close-paren.
2864 This is useful mainly on systems which can wait for a fraction of a
2865 second--you can then specify fractional values such as 0.5.
2866
2867 *** Faster processing of buffers with long lines
2868
2869 The new variable cache-long-line-scans determines whether Emacs
2870 should use caches to handle long lines more quickly. This variable is
2871 buffer-local, in all buffers.
2872
2873 Normally, the line-motion functions work by scanning the buffer for
2874 newlines. Columnar operations (like `move-to-column' and
2875 `compute-motion') also work by scanning the buffer, summing character
2876 widths as they go. This works well for ordinary text, but if the
2877 buffer's lines are very long (say, more than 500 characters), these
2878 motion functions will take longer to execute. Emacs may also take
2879 longer to update the display.
2880
2881 If cache-long-line-scans is non-nil, these motion functions cache
2882 the results of their scans, and consult the cache to avoid rescanning
2883 regions of the buffer until the text is modified. The caches are most
2884 beneficial when they prevent the most searching---that is, when the
2885 buffer contains long lines and large regions of characters with the
2886 same, fixed screen width.
2887
2888 When cache-long-line-scans is non-nil, processing short lines will
2889 become slightly slower (because of the overhead of consulting the
2890 cache), and the caches will use memory roughly proportional to the
2891 number of newlines and characters whose screen width varies.
2892
2893 The caches require no explicit maintenance; their accuracy is
2894 maintained internally by the Emacs primitives. Enabling or disabling
2895 the cache should not affect the behavior of any of the motion functions;
2896 it should only affect their performance.
2897
2898 ** System Interface
2899
2900 *** The function user-login-name now accepts an optional
2901 argument uid. If the argument is non-nil, user-login-name
2902 returns the login name for that user id.
2903
2904 *** system-name, user-name, user-full-name and user-real-name are now
2905 variables as well as functions. The variables hold the same values
2906 that the functions would return. The new variable multiple-frames
2907 is non-nil if at least two non-minibuffer frames are visible. These
2908 variables may be useful in constructing the value of frame-title-format
2909 or icon-title-format.
2910
2911 *** Changes in time-conversion functions.
2912
2913 **** The new function format-time-string takes a format string and a
2914 time value. It converts the time to a string, according to the format
2915 specified. You can specify what kind of conversion to use with
2916 %-specifications.
2917
2918 **** The new function decode-time converts a time value into a list of
2919 specific items of information: the year, month, day of week, day of
2920 month, hour, minute and second. (A time value is a list of two or
2921 three integers.)
2922
2923 **** The new function encode-time converts specific items of time
2924 information--the second, minute, hour, day, month, year, and time
2925 zone--into a time value.
2926
2927
2928 \f
2929 * Changes in Emacs 19.27
2930
2931 There are no changes; however, here is one bug fix made in 19.26 that users
2932 think should be documented here.
2933
2934 ** SPC and DEL in Info now handle menus consistently.
2935
2936 SPC and DEL scroll through an entire subtree an Info manual. Once you
2937 scroll through a node far enough to reach a menu, SPC begins moving
2938 into the subnodes of the menu, starting with the first one. When you
2939 reach the end of a subnode, SPC moves into the next subnode, and so
2940 on.
2941
2942 DEL more or less scrolls through the same text in reverse order.
2943
2944
2945 \f
2946 * User Editing Changes in Emacs 19.26
2947
2948 ** In the X toolkit version, if you click on a menu bar item and
2949 release the button quickly outside the menu, the menu remains visible
2950 until you click or type something else. If you click on the menu, you
2951 select from the menu. Any other mouse click makes the menu disappear.
2952 Keyboard input gets rid of the menu and then is processed normally.
2953
2954 "Quickly" means within double-click-time milliseconds.
2955
2956 ** The C-x 5 commands to select a buffer in "another frame" now use an
2957 existing iconified frame, if any, deiconifying it. They also raise
2958 the frame.
2959
2960 ** Region highlighting on a black-and-white-only display now uses
2961 underlining. Inverse-video had the problem that you couldn't see
2962 the cursor.
2963
2964 ** You can now change the height of a window by pressing mouse-1 on
2965 the mode line and dragging it up and down.
2966
2967 ** If you set the environment variable LC_CTYPE to iso_8859_1 or
2968 iso-8859-1, Emacs automatically sets up for display and syntactic
2969 handling of the ISO Latin-1 character set.
2970
2971 This does not automatically load any of the packages for input of
2972 these characters, because it's not yet clear what is right to do.
2973 You must still explicitly load either iso-transl or iso-acc.
2974
2975 ** For a read-only buffer that is also modified, the mode line now displays
2976 %* instead of %%.
2977
2978 ** M-prior (scroll-other-window-down) is a new command that works like
2979 M-next (and C-M-v) but scrolls in the opposite direction.
2980
2981 M-home moves to the beginning of the buffer, in the other window.
2982 M-end moves to the end of the buffer, in the other window. These two
2983 commands, along with M-next and M-prior, form a series of commands for
2984 moving around in the other window.
2985
2986 ** In change logs, the mail address is now delimited with <...> instead
2987 of (...).
2988
2989 This makes it a little more convenient to extract the mail address for
2990 use in mailing a message.
2991
2992 ** In Shell mode and other comint modes, C-a has now returned to
2993 its ordinary meaning: move to the beginning of the line.
2994 Use C-c C-a to move to the end of the prompt.
2995
2996 ** If you set mail-signature to t to cause automatic insertion of
2997 your .signature file, you now get a -- before the signature.
2998
2999 ** Setting rmail-highlighted-headers to nil entirely turns off
3000 highlighting in Rmail. However, if your motivation for doing this is
3001 that the highlighted text doesn't look good on your display, it might
3002 be better to change the appearance of the `highlight' face. Once
3003 you've done that, you may find Rmail highlighting is useful.
3004
3005 ** In the calendar, mouse-2 is now used only for commands that apply to a date.
3006 If you click it when not on a date, it gives an immediate error.
3007
3008 Mouse-3 in the calendar now gives a menu of commands that do not apply
3009 to a particular date.
3010
3011 The D command displays diary entries from a specified diary file (not
3012 your standard diary file).
3013
3014 ** In the gnus-uu package, the binding for gnus-uu-threaded-decode-and-view
3015 is now C-c C-v C-d, not C-c C-v C-h. Thus, C-c C-v C-h is now available
3016 for asking for a list of the subcommands of C-c C-v.
3017
3018 ** You can now specify "who you are" for various Emacs packages by
3019 setting just one variable, user-mail-address. This currently applies
3020 to posting news with GNUS and to making change log entries. It may
3021 apply to additional Emacs features in the future.
3022
3023 \f
3024 * Lisp-Level Changes in Emacs 19.26:
3025
3026 ** The function insert-char now takes an optional third argument
3027 which, if non-nil, says the inserted characters should inherit sticky
3028 text properties from the surrounding text.
3029
3030 ** The `diary' library has been renamed to `diary-lib'. If you refer
3031 to this library in your Lisp code, you must update the references.
3032
3033 ** Sending text to a subprocess can read input from subprocesses if it
3034 has to wait because the destination subprocess's terminal input buffer
3035 is full.
3036
3037 It was already possible in unusual occasions for this operation to
3038 read subprocess input, but it did not happen very often. It is now
3039 more likely to happen.
3040
3041 ** last-nonmenu-event is now bound to t around filter functions and sentinels.
3042 This is to ensure that y-or-n-p and yes-or-no-p use the keyboard by default.
3043
3044 ** In mode lines, %+ now displays as % for unmodified read-only
3045 buffers. It is now the same as %* except in the case of a modified
3046 read-only buffer; in that case, %+ displays as *.
3047
3048 The old meaning of %+ is now available on %&.
3049 It displays * for a modified buffer and - for an unmodified buffer,
3050 regardless of read-only status.
3051
3052 ** You can now use `underline' in the color list of a face.
3053 It serves as a last resort, and says to underline the face
3054 (if previous color list elements can't be used).
3055
3056 ** The new function x-color-values returns the list of color values
3057 for a given color name (a string). The list contains three integers
3058 which give the amounts of red, green and blue in the color: (R G B).
3059
3060 ** In run-at-time, 0 as the repeat interval means "don't repeat".
3061
3062 ** The variable trim-versions-without-asking has been renamed to
3063 delete-old-versions.
3064
3065 ** The new function other-window-for-scrolling returns the choice of
3066 other window for C-M-v to scroll.
3067
3068 ** Note that the function fceiling was mistakenly documented as fceil before.
3069
3070 \f
3071 * Changes in cc-mode.el in Emacs 19.26:
3072
3073 ** A new syntactic symbol has been added: substatement-open. It
3074 defines the open brace of a substatement block. These used to get:
3075 ((block-open ...) (substatement . ...)).
3076
3077 Non-block substatement lines still get just ((substatement . ...))
3078
3079 Note that the custom indent function c-adaptive-block-open has been
3080 removed as obsolete.
3081
3082 ** You can now specify the `hanginess' of closing braces. See
3083 c-hanging-braces-alist.
3084
3085 ** Recognizes try and catch blocks in C++. They are given the
3086 substatement syntactic symbol.
3087
3088 ** should be generally more forgiving about non-GNU standard top-level
3089 construct definition styles (i.e. where the function/class/struct
3090 opening brace does not start in column zero).
3091
3092 If you hang the braces that open a top-level construct on the right
3093 edge, and you find you still need to define defun-open-prompt (Emacs
3094 19) please let me know. Note that there may still be performance
3095 issues related to non-column zero opening braces.
3096
3097 ** c-macro-expand is put on C-c C-e
3098
3099 ** New style: "Default". Resets indentation to those shipped with
3100 cc-mode.el.
3101
3102 ** internal defun c-indent-via-language-element has been renamed
3103 c-indent-line for compatibility with c-mode.el and awk-mode.
3104
3105 ** new buffer-local variable c-comment-start-regexp for (potential)
3106 flexibility in adding new modes based on cc-mode.el
3107
3108
3109 \f
3110 * Changes in Emacs 19.25
3111
3112 The variable x-cross-pointer-shape (which didn't really exist) has
3113 been renamed to x-sensitive-text-pointer-shape, and now does exist.
3114
3115
3116 \f
3117 * Changes in Emacs 19.24
3118
3119 Here is a list of new Lisp packages introduced since 19.22.
3120
3121 derived.el Define new major modes based on old ones.
3122 dired-x.el Extra Dired features.
3123 double.el New mode for conveniently inputting non-beyond chars.
3124 easymenu.el Create menus easily.
3125 ediff.el Snazzy diff interface.
3126 foldout.el A kind of outline mode designed for editing programs.
3127 gnus-uu.el UUdecode in GNUS buffers.
3128 ielm.el Interactively evaluate Lisp.
3129 This is a replacement for Lisp Interaction Mode.
3130 iso-cvt.el Conversion of beyond-ASCII characters between
3131 various different representations.
3132 jka-compr.el Automatic compression/decompression.
3133 mldrag.el Drag modeline to change heights of windows.
3134 mail-hist.el Provides history for headers of outgoing mail.
3135 rsz-mini.el Automatically resizing minibuffers.
3136 s-region.el Set region by holding shift.
3137 skeleton.el Templates for statement insertion.
3138 soundex.el Classifying words by how they sound.
3139 tempo.el Template insertion with hotspots.
3140
3141
3142 \f
3143 * User Editing Changes in 19.23.
3144
3145 ** Emacs 19.23 uses Ispell version 3.
3146
3147 Previous Emacs 19 versions used Ispell version 4. That version had
3148 improvements in storing the dictionary compactly, but these are not
3149 very important nowadays. Meanwhile, in parallel to the work on Ispell
3150 4, many useful features were added to Ispell 3. Until a few months
3151 ago, the terms on Ispell 3 did not let us use it; but they have now
3152 been changed, so now we are using it. We are dropping Ispell 4.
3153
3154 ** Emacs 19.23 can run on MS-DOG. See the file MSDOS in the same
3155 directory as this file.
3156
3157 ** Emacs 19.23 can work with an X toolkit. You must specify toolkit
3158 operation when you configure Emacs: use the option
3159 --with-x-toolkit=yes. (This option uses code developed by Lucid;
3160 thanks to Frederic Pierresteguy for helping to adapt it.)
3161
3162 ** Emacs now has dialog boxes; yes/no and y/n questions automatically
3163 use them in commands invoked with the mouse. For more information,
3164 see below under "Lisp programming changes".
3165
3166 ** Menus now display the keyboard equivalents (if any) of the menu
3167 commands in parentheses after the menu item.
3168
3169 ** Kill commands, used in a read-only buffer, now move point across
3170 the text they would otherwise have killed. This way, you can use
3171 repeated kill commands to transfer text into the kill ring.
3172
3173 ** There is now a global mark ring in addition to the mark ring that is local
3174 to each buffer. The global mark ring stores positions in any buffer. Any
3175 time the mark is set and the current buffer is different from the last time
3176 the mark was set, the new mark is pushed on the global mark ring as well.
3177 The new command C-x C-SPC (pop-global-mark) pops the global mark ring and
3178 jumps to the last mark pushed, first switching to that buffer.
3179
3180 ** Query Replace is now available in the Edit menu.
3181
3182 ** ESC no longer simply exits a Query Replace. It now exits the Query
3183 Replace and remains pending. Thus, ESC A and M-A are now equivalent
3184 in Query Replace.
3185
3186 To simply exit a Query Replace, type RET or Period.
3187
3188 ** M-mouse-2 now puts point at the end of the yanked secondary selection.
3189
3190 ** Mouse-1 in the mode line now simply selects the window above that
3191 mode line. Mouse-2 in the mode line selects that window and expands
3192 it to fill the frame it is in.
3193
3194 ** You can now use mouse-2 in a Dired buffer or Tar mode buffer to find
3195 a file you click on, in a compilation buffer to go to a particular
3196 error message, and in a *Occur* buffer to go to a particular
3197 occurrence.
3198
3199 (It was already possible to do likewise in Info and in completion list
3200 buffers.)
3201
3202 What's more, the sensitive areas of the buffer now highlight when you
3203 move the mouse over them.
3204
3205 ** In a completion list buffer, the command RET now chooses the completion
3206 that is around or next to point.
3207
3208 ** If you specify the foreground color for the `mode-line' face, and
3209 mode-line-inverse-video is non-nil, then the default background color
3210 is the usual foreground color.
3211
3212 ** revert-buffer now preserves markers pointing within the unchanged
3213 text (if any) at the beginning and end of the file.
3214
3215 ** Version control checkin and checkout preserve all markers if the
3216 file does not contain any of the magic version header sequences that
3217 are updated automatically by RCS and SCCS. If such version headers
3218 are present, checkin and checkout preserve a marker unless it comes
3219 between two such sequences. (So it's a good idea to put all the
3220 header sequences close together.)
3221
3222 ** When a large deletion shuts off auto save temporarily in a buffer,
3223 you can now turn it on again by saving the buffer with C-x C-s (as was
3224 possible in Emacs 18). You can also turn it on again with M-1 M-x
3225 auto-save (as has been possible in Emacs 19).
3226
3227 ** C-x r d now runs the command delete-rectangle.
3228
3229 ** The new command imenu shows you a menu of interesting places in the
3230 current buffer and lets you select one; then it moves point there.
3231 The definition of interesting places depends on the major mode, but
3232 typically this includes function definitions and such. Normally,
3233 imenu displays the menu in a buffer; but if you bind it to a mouse
3234 event, it shows a mouse popup menu.
3235
3236 ** You can make certain chosen buffers, that normally appear in a
3237 separate window, appear in special frames of their own. To do this,
3238 set special-display-buffer-names to a list of buffer names; any buffer
3239 whose name is in that list automatically gets a special frame when it
3240 is to be displayed in another window.
3241
3242 A good value to try is ("*compilation*" "*grep*" "*TeX Shell*").
3243
3244 More generally, you can set special-display-regexps to a list of regular
3245 expressions; then each buffer whose name matches any of those regular
3246 expressions gets its own frame.
3247
3248 The variable special-display-frame-alist specifies the frame
3249 parameters for these frames. It has a default value, so you don't
3250 need to set it.
3251
3252 ** If you set sentence-end-double-space to nil, the fill commands
3253 expect just one space at the end of a sentence. (If you want the
3254 sentence commands to accept single spaces, you must modify the regexp
3255 sentence-end also.)
3256
3257 ** You can suppress the startup echo area message by adding text like
3258 this to your .emacs file:
3259
3260 (setq inhibit-startup-echo-area-message "YOUR-LOGIN-NAME")
3261
3262 Simply setting inhibit-startup-echo-area-message to your login name is
3263 not sufficient to inhibit the message; Emacs explicitly checks whether
3264 .emacs contains an expression as shown above. Your login name must
3265 appear in the expression as a Lisp string constant.
3266
3267 This way, you can easily inhibit the message for yourself if you wish,
3268 but thoughtless copying of your .emacs file will not inhibit the
3269 message for someone else.
3270
3271 ** Outline minor mode now uses C-c C-o as a prefix instead of just C-c.
3272
3273 ** In Outline mode, hide-subtree is now C-c C-d. (It was C-c C-h; but
3274 that is now a conventional way to ask for help about C-c commands.)
3275
3276 ** There are two additional commands in Outline mode.
3277 M-x hide-sublevels
3278 hides all headers except the topmost N levels.
3279 M-x hide-other
3280 hides everything about the body that point is in
3281 plus the headers leading up from there to the top of the tree.
3282
3283 ** In iso-transl and iso-insert, the sequences for entering A-ring and
3284 the AE ligature are now just A and E (plus the initial C-x 8 or Alt).
3285 You used to have to enter AA or AE, after the C-x 8 prefix of course.
3286 Likewise for lower case a-ring and ae.
3287
3288 ** iso-transl now defines convenient Alt keys as well as the C-x 8 prefix.
3289 Instead of prefixing a sequence with C-x 8, you can add Alt to the
3290 first character of the sequence. For example, Alt-" a is now a way
3291 to enter an a-umlaut.
3292
3293 ** CC mode is a greatly improved mode for C and C++.
3294 See the following page.
3295
3296 ** tcl mode is a new major mode. It provides features for
3297 editing, indenting and running tcl programs.
3298
3299 ** Compilation minor mode lets you parse error messages in any buffer,
3300 not just a normal compilation output buffer. Type M-x
3301 compilation-minor-mode to enable the minor mode; then C-c C-c jumps to
3302 the source location for the error at point, as in the `*compilation*'
3303 buffer. If you use compilation-minor-mode in an Rlogin buffer, it
3304 automatically accesses remote source files by ftp.
3305
3306 ** Comint and shell mode changes:
3307
3308 *** Comint modes (including Shell mode, GUD modes, etc.) now bind
3309 C-M-l to the command comint-show-output. This command scrolls the
3310 buffer to show the last batch of output from the subprogram.
3311
3312 *** Completion in Comint modes now truly operates on the string before
3313 point, rather than the word that point is within.
3314
3315 *** Comint mode file name completion ignores those files that end with a
3316 string in the new variable comint-completion-fignore. This variable's
3317 default value is nil.
3318
3319 *** Shell mode uses the variable shell-completion-fignore to set
3320 comint-completion-fignore. The default value is nil, but some
3321 people prefer ("~" "#" "%").
3322
3323 *** The function `comint-watch-for-password-prompt' can be used to
3324 suppress echoing when a subprocess asks for a password. To use it,
3325 do this:
3326
3327 (add-hook 'comint-output-filter-functions
3328 'comint-watch-for-password-prompt)
3329
3330 *** You can use M-x shell-strip-ctrl-m to strip ^M characters from
3331 process output.
3332
3333 *** In Shell mode, TAB now completes environment variables, if possible,
3334 and expands directory references.
3335
3336 *** You can use M-x comint-run to execute any program of your choice in
3337 a comint mode. Some programs such as shells, rlogin, and debuggers
3338 have their own specialized modes; this command is one way to use
3339 comint to run programs for which no such specialized mode exits. (You
3340 can also run a shell with M-x shell and run the program of your choice
3341 under the shell--but that gives you the specializations of Shell
3342 mode.)
3343
3344 ** When you run GUD (M-x gdb, M-x dbx, and so on), you can use TAB
3345 to do file name completion in the minibuffer.
3346
3347 The "Complete" menu includes an item for directory expansion.
3348
3349 ** GUD working with future versions of GDB will permit TAB for
3350 GDB-style symbol completion. This will work with GDB 4.13.
3351
3352 ** Rmail no longer gets new mail automatically when you visit an Rmail
3353 file specified by name--not even if it is your primary Rmail file. To
3354 get new mail, type `g'. This feature is an advantage because you now
3355 have a choice of whether to get new mail. (This change actually
3356 occurred in an earlier version, but wasn't listed here then, since it
3357 made the code do what the documentation already said.)
3358
3359 ** Rmail now highlights certain fields automatically, when you use X
3360 windows. The variable rmail-highlighted-headers controls which
3361 fields.
3362
3363 ** If you set rmail-summary-window-size to an integer, Rmail uses
3364 a window that many lines high for the summary buffer.
3365
3366 ** rmail-input-menu is a new command that visits an Rmail file letting
3367 you choose which file with a mouse menu. rmail-output-menu is
3368 similar; it outputs the current message, using a mouse menu to choose
3369 which Rmail file. These commands use the variables
3370 rmail-secondary-file-directory and rmail-secondary-file-regexp.
3371
3372 ** The mh-e package has been changed substantially.
3373 See the file ./MH-E-NEWS for details.
3374
3375 ** The calendar and diary have new features.
3376
3377 The menu bar for the calendar contains most of the calendar commands,
3378 arranged into logical categories.
3379
3380 Mouse-2 now performs specific-date-related commands when clicked on a
3381 date in the calendar window and common three-month-related commands
3382 when clicked elsewhere in the calendar window.
3383
3384 You can set up colored/shaded highlighting of holidays, diary entry
3385 dates, and today's date, by setting calendar-holiday-marker,
3386 diary-entry-marker, and calendar-today-marker to a face instead of a
3387 character. Using a special face is now the default if you are using a
3388 window system.
3389
3390 ** The appt package for displaying appointment reminders has new
3391 features.
3392
3393 *** The appt alarm window stays for the full duration of
3394 appt-display-duration. It no longer disappears when you start typing
3395 text.
3396
3397 *** You can change the way the appointment window is created/deleted by
3398 setting the variables appt-disp-window-function and
3399 appt-delete-window-function.
3400
3401 For instance, these variables can be set to functions that display
3402 appointments in pop-up frames, which are lowered or iconified after
3403 appt-display-duration seconds.
3404
3405 ** desktop.el can now save a list of buffer-local variables,
3406 and saves more global ones.
3407
3408 ** Pascal mode has been completely rewritten. It now features
3409 completing of function names, variables and type definitions around
3410 current point (like M-TAB does with lisp-symbols). There's also an
3411 outline mode (M-x pascal-outline) that hides the bodies of all
3412 functions you're not working with.
3413
3414 ** Edebug has a number of changes:
3415
3416 *** Edebug syntax error reporting is improved.
3417
3418 *** Top-level forms and defining forms other than defun and defmacro may
3419 now be debugged with Edebug.
3420
3421 *** Edebug specifications may now contain body, &define, name, arg or
3422 arglist, def-body, and def-form, to support definitions.
3423
3424 *** edebug-all-defuns is renamed to edebug-all-defs.
3425 def-edebug-form-spec is replaced by def-edebug-form whose arguments
3426 are unevaluated. The old names are still available for now.
3427
3428 *** Frequency counts and coverage data may be displayed for functions being
3429 debugged.
3430
3431 *** A global break condition is now checked at every stop point.
3432
3433 *** The previous condition at a breakpoint may now be edited.
3434
3435 *** A new "next" mode stops only after expression evaluation.
3436
3437 *** A new command, top-level-nonstop, does not even stop for unwind-protect,
3438 as top-level would.
3439
3440 \f
3441 * Changes in CC mode in Emacs 19.23.
3442
3443 `cc-mode' provides ANSI C, K&R C, and ARM C++ language editing. It
3444 represents the merge of c++-mode.el and c-mode.el. cc-mode provides a
3445 new, more flexible indentation engine so that indentation
3446 customization is more intuitive. There are two steps to calculating
3447 indentation: first, CC mode analyzes the line for syntactic content,
3448 then based on this content it applies user defined offsets and adds
3449 this offset to the indentation of some previous line.
3450
3451 The syntactic analysis determines if the line describes a `statement',
3452 `substatement', `class-open', `member-init-intro', etc. These are
3453 described in detail with C-h v c-offsets-alist. You can change the
3454 offsets interactively with C-c C-o (c-set-offsets), or
3455 programmatically in your c-mode-common-hook, which is run both by
3456 c-mode and c++-mode. You can also set up "styles" in the same way
3457 that you could with c-mode.el. The variable c-basic-offset controls
3458 the basic offset given to a level of indentation.
3459
3460 If, for example, you wanted to change this style:
3461
3462 int foo (int i)
3463 {
3464 switch (i) {
3465 case 1:
3466 printf ("its a foo\n");
3467 break;
3468 default:
3469 printf ("don't know what it is\n");
3470 break;
3471 }
3472 }
3473
3474 into this:
3475
3476 int foo (int i)
3477 {
3478 switch (i) {
3479 case 1:
3480 printf ("its a foo\n");
3481 break;
3482 default:
3483 printf ("don't know what it is\n");
3484 break;
3485 }
3486 }
3487
3488 you could add the following to your .emacs file:
3489
3490 (defun my-c-mode-common-hook ()
3491 (c-set-offset 'case-label 2)
3492 (c-set-offset 'statement-case-intro 2))
3493 (add-hook 'c-mode-common-hook 'my-c-mode-common-hook)
3494
3495 ** New variables:
3496
3497 c-offsets-alist contains an association list of syntactic symbols and
3498 their relative offsets. Do a "C-h v c-offsets-alist" to get a list of
3499 all syntactic symbols currently defined, and their meanings. You
3500 should not change this variable directly; use the supplied interface
3501 commands c-set-offset and c-set-style.
3502
3503 c-mode-common-hook is run by both c-mode and c++-mode during their
3504 common initializations. You should put any customizations that are
3505 the same for both C and C++ into this hook.
3506
3507 The variable c-strict-semantics-p is used mainly for debugging. When
3508 non-nil, CC mode signals an error if it returns a syntactic symbol
3509 that can't be found in c-offsets-alist.
3510
3511 If you want CC mode to echo the syntactic analysis for a particular
3512 line when you hit the TAB key, set c-echo-semantic-information-p to
3513 non-nil.
3514
3515 c-basic-offset controls the standard amount of offset for a level of
3516 indentation. You can set a syntactic symbol's offset to + or - as a
3517 short-hand for positive or negative c-basic-offset.
3518
3519 c-comment-only-line-offset lets you control indentation given to lines
3520 which contain only a comment, in the case of C++ line style comments,
3521 or the introduction to a C block comment. Comment-only lines at
3522 column zero can be anchored there independent of the indentation given
3523 to other comment-only lines.
3524
3525 c-block-comments-indent-p controls the style of C block comment
3526 re-indentation. If you put leading stars in front of comment
3527 continuation lines, you should set this variable to nil.
3528
3529 c-cleanup-list is a list describing certain C and C++ constructs to be
3530 "cleaned up" as they are typed, but only when the auto-newline feature
3531 is turned on. In C++, make sure this variable contains at least
3532 'scope-operator so that double colons will not be separated by a
3533 newline.
3534
3535 Colons (`:') and braces (`{` and `}') are special in C and C++. For
3536 certain constructs, you may like them to hang on the right edge of the
3537 code, or you may like them to start a new line of code. You can use
3538 the two variables c-hanging-braces-alist and c-hanging-colons-alist
3539 to control whether newlines are placed before and/or after colons and
3540 braces when certain C and C++ constructs are entered. For example,
3541 you can control whether the colon that introduces a C++ member
3542 initialization list hangs on the right edge, starts a new line, or has
3543 no newlines either before or after it.
3544
3545 c-special-indent-hook is run after a line is indented by CC mode. You
3546 can perform any custom indentations here.
3547
3548 c-delete-function is the function that is called when a single
3549 character is deleted with the c-electric-delete command (DEL).
3550
3551 c-electric-pound-behavior describes what happens when you enter the
3552 `#' that introduces a cpp macro.
3553
3554 If c-tab-always-indent is neither t nor nil, then TAB inserts a tab
3555 when within strings, comments, and cpp directives, but it reindents
3556 the line unconditionally.
3557
3558 c-inhibit-startup-warnings-p inhibits warnings about any old
3559 version of Emacs you might be running, which could be incompatible
3560 with cc-mode.
3561
3562 ** There are two new minor-mode features in CC mode: auto-newline and
3563 hungry-delete. Auto-newline inserts newlines automatically as you
3564 type certain constructs. Hungry-delete consumes all preceding
3565 whitespace (spaces, tabs, and newlines) when the delete key is hit.
3566 You can toggle auto-newline on and off on a per-buffer basis by
3567 hitting C-c C-a. You can toggle hungry-delete on and off by hitting
3568 C-c C-d. You can toggle them both on and off together with C-c C-t.
3569
3570 ** Slash (`/') and star (`*') are now both electric characters.
3571
3572 ** New commands:
3573
3574 The new C-c C-o (c-set-offset) command can be used to interactively change
3575 the offset for a particular syntactic symbol.
3576
3577 The new command C-c : (c-scope-operator) inserts the C++ scope operator in
3578 c++-mode only.
3579
3580 The new command C-c C-q (c-indent-defun) indents the entire enclosing
3581 top-level function or class.
3582
3583 The new command C-c C-s (c-show-semantic-information) echos the current
3584 syntactic analysis without re-indenting the current line.
3585
3586 The new commands M-x c-forward-into-nomenclature and M-x
3587 c-backward-into-nomenclature (currently otherwise unbound to a key
3588 sequence), make movement easier when using the C++ variable naming
3589 convention of VariableNamesWithoutUnderscoresButEachWordCapitalized.
3590
3591 ** Command from c-mode.el that have been renamed in cc-mode.el:
3592
3593 electric-c-brace => c-electric-brace
3594 electric-c-semi => c-electric-semi&comma
3595 electric-c-sharp-sign => c-electric-pound
3596 mark-c-function => c-mark-function
3597 electric-c-terminator => c-electric-colon
3598 indent-c-exp => c-indent-exp
3599 set-c-style => c-set-style
3600
3601 ** Variables from c-mode.el that are obsolete with cc-mode.el:
3602
3603 c-indent-level
3604 c-brace-imaginary-offset
3605 c-brace-offset
3606 c-argdecl-indent
3607 c-label-offset
3608 c-continued-statement-offset
3609 c-continued-brace-offset
3610
3611 \f
3612 * Lisp programming changes in Emacs 19.23.
3613
3614 ** To pop up a dialog box, call x-popup-dialog.
3615 It takes two arguments, POSITION and CONTENTS.
3616
3617 POSITION specifies which frame to place the dialog box over;
3618 the dialog box always goes on the center of the frame.
3619 POSITION may be a mouse event, a window, a frame,
3620 or t meaning use the frame that the mouse is in.
3621
3622 CONTENTS specifies the contents of the dialog box.
3623 It looks like a single pane of a popup menu:
3624 (TITLE ITEM1 ITEM2 ...), where each ITEM has the form (STRING . VALUE).
3625 The return value is VALUE from the chosen item.
3626
3627 An ITEM may also be just a string--that makes a nonselectable item.
3628 An ITEM may also be nil--that means to put all preceding items
3629 on the left of the dialog box and all following items on the right.
3630 (By default, approximately half appear on each side.)
3631
3632 If your Emacs is not using an X toolkit, then it cannot display a
3633 real dialog box; so instead it displays a pop-up menu in the center
3634 of the frame.
3635
3636 ** y-or-n-p, yes-or-no-p and map-y-or-n-p now use menus or dialog boxes
3637 to ask their question(s) if the command that is running was reached by
3638 a mouse event.
3639
3640 If you want to control which way these functions work, bind the
3641 variable last-nonmenu-event around the call. These functions use the
3642 keyboard if that variable holds a keyboard event (actually, any
3643 non-list); they use the mouse if that variable holds a mouse event
3644 (actually, any list).
3645
3646 ** The mouse-face property is now implemented, both in overlays and as
3647 a text property. It specifies a face to use when the mouse is in the
3648 range of text for which the property is specified.
3649
3650 ** When text has a non-nil `intangible' property, you cannot move point
3651 within it or right before it. If you try, point actually moves to the
3652 end of the intangible text. Note that this means that backward-char
3653 is a no-op when there is an intangible character to the left of point.
3654
3655 ** minibuffer-exit-hook is a new normal hook that is run when you
3656 exit the minibuffer.
3657
3658 ** The variable x-cross-pointer-shape specifies the cursor shape to use
3659 when the mouse is over text that has a mouse-face property.
3660
3661 ** The new variable interpreter-mode-alist specifies major modes to use
3662 for shell scripts that specify a command interpreter. Its elements
3663 look like (INTERPRETER . MODE); for example, ("perl" . perl-mode) is
3664 one element present by default. This feature applies only when the
3665 file name doesn't indicate which mode to use.
3666
3667 ** If you use a minibuffer-only frame, set the variable
3668 minibuffer-auto-raise to t, and entering the minibuffer will then
3669 raise the minibuffer frame.
3670
3671 ** If pop-up-frames is t, display-buffer now looks for an existing
3672 window in any visible frame, showing the specified buffer, and uses
3673 such a window in preference to making a new frame.
3674
3675 ** In the functions next-window, previous-window, next-frame,
3676 previous-frame, get-buffer-window, get-lru-window, get-largest-window
3677 and delete-windows-on, if you specify `visible' for the last argument,
3678 it means to consider all visible frames.
3679
3680 ** Mouse events now give the X and Y coordinates in pixels, rather than
3681 in characters. You can convert these values to characters by dividing by
3682 the values of (frame-char-width) and (frame-char-height).
3683
3684 ** The new functions mouse-pixel-position and set-mouse-pixel-position
3685 read and set the mouse position in units of pixels. The existing
3686 functions mouse-position and set-mouse-position continue to work with
3687 units of characters.
3688
3689 ** The new function compute-motion is useful for computing the width
3690 of certain text when it is displayed.
3691
3692 ** The function vertical-motion now takes an option second argument WINDOW
3693 which says which window to use for the display calculations.
3694
3695 vertical-motion always operates on the current buffer.
3696 It is ok to specify a window displaying some other buffer.
3697 Then vertical-motion uses the width, hscroll and display-table of
3698 the specified window, but still scans the current buffer.
3699
3700 ** An error no longer sets last-command to t; the value of last-command
3701 does reflect the previous command (the one that got an error).
3702
3703 If you do not want a particular command to be recognized as the
3704 previous command in the case where it got an error, you must code that
3705 command to prevent this. Set this-command to t at the beginning of
3706 the command, and set this-command back to its proper value at the end,
3707 like this:
3708
3709 (defun foo (args...)
3710 (interactive ...)
3711 (setq this-command t)
3712 ...do the work...
3713 (setq this-command 'foo))
3714
3715 or like this:
3716
3717 (defun foo (args...)
3718 (interactive ...)
3719 (let ((old-this-command this-command))
3720 (setq this-command t)
3721 ...do the work...
3722 (setq this-command old-this-command)))
3723
3724 The undo and yank commands do this.
3725
3726 ** If you specify an explicit title for a new frame when you create it,
3727 the title is used as the resource name when looking up X resources to
3728 control the shape of that frame. If you don't specify the frame title,
3729 the value of x-resource-name is used, as before.
3730
3731 ** The frame parameter user-position, if non-nil, says that the user
3732 has specified the frame position. Emacs reports this to the window
3733 manager, to tell it not to override the position that the user
3734 specified.
3735
3736 ** Major modes can now set change-major-mode-hook to arrange for state
3737 to be cleaned up when the user switches to a new major mode. The function
3738 kill-all-local-variables runs this hook. For best results, make the hook a
3739 buffer-local variable so that it will disappear after doing its job and will
3740 not interfere with the subsequent major mode.
3741
3742 ** The new variable overriding-local-map, if non-nil, specifies a keymap
3743 that overrides the current local map, all minor mode keymaps, and all
3744 text property keymaps. Incremental search uses this feature to override
3745 all other keymaps temporarily.
3746
3747 ** A key definition in a menu keymap can now have additional structure:
3748 in addition to (ITEMNAME [HELPSTRING] . COMMAND) which was allowed
3749 before, the form (ITEMNAME [HELPSTRING] (...) . COMMAND) is
3750 allowed. (HELPSTRING is optional, and is not currently used.)
3751
3752 Here (...) represents a sublist containing information about keyboard
3753 key sequences that run the same command COMMAND. Displaying the menu
3754 automatically creates and updates the sublist when appropriate; you
3755 need never set these up yourself.
3756
3757 lookup-key, key-binding, and similar functions return just COMMAND,
3758 not the whole binding.
3759
3760 To precompute this information for a given keymap, you can do
3761 (x-popup-menu nil KEYMAP).
3762
3763 ** When you specify coordinates for x-popup-menu as a list ((XOFFSET
3764 YOFFSET) WINDOW), the coordinates are now measured in pixels.
3765
3766 ** where-is-internal now takes just four arguments:
3767 DEFINITION KEYMAP FIRSTONLY NOINDIRECT.
3768 The single argument KEYMAP replaces two arguments KEYMAP and KEYMAP1.
3769
3770 If KEYMAP is non-nil, where-is-internal searches only KEYMAP and the
3771 global keymap.
3772
3773 If KEYMAP is nil, where-is-internal searches all the currently active
3774 keymaps, but finds the active keymaps as if overriding-local-map were
3775 nil.
3776
3777 If you pass a list of the form (keymap) as KEYMAP, where-is-internal
3778 searches only the global map. (This is not a special case--it follows
3779 from the specifications above.)
3780
3781 If you pass the value of overriding-local-map as KEYMAP, where-is-internal
3782 searches in exactly the same was as command execution does.
3783
3784 ** Use the macro define-derived-mode to define a new major mode that
3785 inherits the definition of another major mode. Here's how to define a
3786 command named hypertext-mode that inherits from the command text-mode:
3787
3788 (define-derived-mode hypertext-mode text-mode "Hypertext"
3789 "Major mode for hypertext.\n\n\\{hypertext-mode-map}"
3790 (setq case-fold-search nil))
3791
3792 (define-key hypertext-mode-map [down-mouse-3] 'do-hyper-link)
3793
3794 The new mode has its own keymap, which inherits from that of the
3795 original mode. It also has its own syntax and abbrev tables, which
3796 are initialized by copying those of the original mode. It also has
3797 its own mode hook. All are given names made by appending a suffix
3798 to the name of the new mode.
3799
3800 ** A syntax table can now inherit the data for some characters from
3801 standard-syntax-table, while specifying other characters itself.
3802 Syntax code 13 means "inherit this character from the standard syntax
3803 table." In modify-syntax-entry, the character `@' represents this code.
3804
3805 The function `make-syntax-table' now creates a syntax table which
3806 inherits all letters and control characters (0 to 31 and 128 to 255)
3807 from the standard syntax table, while copying the other characters
3808 from the standard syntax table. Most syntax tables in Emacs are set
3809 up this way.
3810
3811 This sort of inheritance is useful for people who set up character
3812 sets with additional alphabetic characters in the range 128 to 255.
3813 Just changing the standard syntax for these characters affects all
3814 major modes.
3815
3816 ** The new function transpose-regions swaps two regions of the buffer.
3817 It preserves the markers in those two regions, so that they stay with
3818 the surrounding text as it is swapped.
3819
3820 ** revert-buffer now runs before-revert-hook at the beginning and
3821 after-revert-hook at the end. These can be used by minor modes
3822 that need to clean up state variables.
3823
3824 ** The new function get-char-property is like get-text-property, but
3825 checks for overlays with properties as well as for text properties.
3826 It checks for overlays first, in order of descending priority, and
3827 text properties last.
3828
3829 get-char-property allows windows as the OBJECT argument, as well
3830 as buffers and strings. If you specify a window, then only overlays
3831 active on that window are considered.
3832
3833 ** Overlays can have the `invisible' property.
3834
3835 ** The function insert-file-contents now takes an optional fifth
3836 argument called REPLACE. If this is t, it means to replace the
3837 contents of the buffer (actually, just the accessible portion)
3838 with the contents of the file.
3839
3840 This is better than simply deleting and inserting the whole thing
3841 because (1) it preserves some marker positions and (2) it puts less
3842 data in the undo list.
3843
3844 ** The variable inhibit-first-line-modes-regexps specifies classes of
3845 file names for which -*- on the first line should not be looked for.
3846
3847 ** The variables before-change-functions and after-change-functions
3848 hold lists of functions to call before and after a change in the
3849 buffer's text. They work much like before-change-function and
3850 after-change-function, except that they hold a list of functions
3851 instead of just one.
3852
3853 These variables will eventually make before-change-function and
3854 after-change-function obsolete.
3855
3856 ** The variable kill-buffer-query-functions holds a list of functions
3857 to be called with no arguments when a buffer is about to be killed.
3858 (That buffer is the current buffer when the function is called.)
3859 If any of the functions returns nil, the buffer is not killed
3860 (and the remaining functions in the list are not called).
3861
3862 ** The variable kill-emacs-query-functions holds a list of functions
3863 to be called with no arguments when you ask to exit Emacs.
3864 If any of the functions returns nil, the exit is canceled
3865 (and the remaining functions in the list are not called).
3866
3867 ** The argument for buffer-disable-undo is now optional,
3868 like the argument for buffer-enable-undo.
3869
3870 ** The new variable system-configuration holds the canonical three-part
3871 GNU configuration name for which Emacs was built.
3872
3873 ** The function system-name now tries harder to return a fully qualified
3874 domain name.
3875
3876 ** The variable emacs-major-version holds the major version number
3877 of Emacs. (Currently 19.)
3878
3879 ** The variable emacs-minor-version holds the minor version number
3880 of Emacs. (Currently 23.)
3881
3882 ** The default value of comint-input-autoexpand is now nil.
3883 However, Shell mode sets it from the value of shell-input-autoexpand,
3884 whose default value is `history'.
3885
3886 ** The new function set-process-window-size specifies the terminal window
3887 size for a subprocess. On some systems it sends the subprocess a signal
3888 to let it know that the size has changed.
3889
3890 ** %P is a new way to display a percentage in the mode line. It
3891 displays the percentage of the buffer text that is above the *bottom*
3892 of the window (which includes the text visible, in the window as well
3893 as the text above the top). It displays `Top' as well as the
3894 percentage if the top of the buffer is visible on screen.
3895
3896 ** %+ in the mode line specs displays `*' if the buffer is modified,
3897 and otherwise `-'. It never displays `%', as `%*' would do; whether the
3898 buffer is read-only has no effect on %+.
3899
3900 ** The new functions ffloor, fceiling, fround and ftruncate take a
3901 floating point argument and return a floating point result whose value
3902 is a nearby integer. ffloor returns the nearest integer below; fceiling,
3903 the nearest integer above; ftruncate, the nearest integer in the
3904 direction towards zero; fround, the nearest integer.
3905
3906 ** Setting `print-escape-newlines' to a non-nil value now also makes
3907 formfeeds print as ``\f''.
3908
3909 ** auto-mode-alist now has a new feature. If an element has the form
3910 (REGEXP FUNCTION t), and REGEXP matches the file name, then after calling
3911 FUNCTION, Emacs deletes the part of the file name that matched REGEXP
3912 and then searches auto-mode-alist again for a new match.
3913
3914 This is useful for uncompression packages. An entry of this sort for
3915 .gz can uncompress the file and then put the uncompressed file in the
3916 proper mode according to the name sans .gz.
3917
3918 ** The new function emacs-pid returns the process ID number of Emacs.
3919
3920 ** user-login-name now consistently checks the LOGNAME environment
3921 variable before USER. user-original-login-name is obsolete, since it
3922 provides the same functionality. To ignore the environment variables,
3923 use user-real-login-name.
3924
3925 ** There is a more general way of handling the system-specific X
3926 keysyms. Set the variable system-key-alist to an alist containing
3927 elements of the form (CODE . SYMBOL), where CODE is the numeric keysym
3928 code minus the "vendor specific" bit, and symbol is the name for the
3929 function key.
3930
3931 ** You can use the variable command-line-functions to set up functions
3932 to process unrecognized command line arguments. The variable's value
3933 should be a list of functions of no arguments. The functions are
3934 called successively until one of them returns non-nil.
3935
3936 Each function should access the free variables argi (the current
3937 argument) and command-line-args-left (the remaining arguments). The
3938 function should return non-nil only if it recognizes and processes the
3939 argument in argi. If it does so, it may consume following arguments
3940 as well by removing them from command-line-args-left.
3941
3942 ** There's a new way for a magic file name handler to run a primitive
3943 and inhibit handling of the file name. Here is how to do it:
3944
3945 (let ((inhibit-file-name-handlers
3946 (cons 'ange-ftp-file-handler
3947 (and (eq inhibit-file-name-operation operation)
3948 inhibit-file-name-handlers)))
3949 (inhibit-file-name-operation operation))
3950 (apply this-operation args))
3951
3952 The function find-file-name-handler now takes two arguments. The
3953 second argument is OPERATION, the operation for which the handler is
3954 being sought.
3955
3956 People have suggested that the second argument should be optional, for
3957 backward compatibility. It would be nice if that were possible, but
3958 it is not. There is simply no way for find-file-name-handler to do
3959 the right thing without receiving the proper value for its second
3960 argument.
3961
3962 ** The variable completion-regexp-list affects the completion
3963 primitives try-completion and all-completions. They consider
3964 only the possible completions that match each regexp in the list.
3965
3966 ** Case conversion in the function replace-match has been changed.
3967
3968 The old behavior was this: if any word in the old text was
3969 capitalized, replace-match capitalized each word of the replacement
3970 text.
3971
3972 The new behavior is this: if the first word in the old text is capitalized,
3973 replace-match capitalizes the first word of the replacement text.
3974
3975 ** You can now specify a case table with CANON non-nil and EQV nil.
3976 Then the EQV part of the case table is deduced from CANON.
3977
3978 ** The new function minibuffer-prompt takes no arguments and returns
3979 the current minibuffer prompt string.
3980
3981 The new function minibuffer-prompt-width takes no arguments and
3982 returns the display width of the minibuffer prompt string.
3983
3984 ** The new function frame-first-window returns the window at the
3985 upper left corner of a given frame.
3986
3987 ** wholenump is a new alias for natnump.
3988
3989 ** The variable installation-directory, if non-@code{nil}, names a
3990 directory within which to look for the `lib-src' and `etc'
3991 subdirectories. This is non-nil when Emacs can't find those
3992 directories in their standard installed locations, but can find them
3993 near where the Emacs executable was found.
3994
3995 ** invocation-name and invocation-directory are now variables as well
3996 as functions. The variable values are the same values that the
3997 functions return: the Emacs program name sans directories, and the
3998 directory it was found in. (invocation-directory may be nil, if Emacs
3999 can't determine which directory it should be.)
4000
4001 ** Installation change regarding version number counting.
4002
4003 The version number of an Emacs executable contains three numbers.
4004 The first two describe the Emacs release and the third increments
4005 each time you build Emacs.
4006
4007 Now the file version.el contains only the first two version numbers.
4008 The third component is now determined on the basis of the names of the
4009 existing executable files. This means that version.el is not altered
4010 by building Emacs.
4011
4012
4013 \f
4014 * Changes in 19.22.
4015
4016 ** The mouse click M-mouse-2 now inserts the current secondary
4017 selection (from Emacs or any other X client) where you click.
4018 It does not move point.
4019 This command is called mouse-yank-secondary.
4020
4021 mouse-kill-secondary no longer has a key binding by default.
4022 Clicking M-mouse-3 (mouse-secondary-save-then-kill) twice
4023 may be a convenient enough way of killing the secondary selection.
4024 Or perhaps there should be a keyboard binding for killing the
4025 secondary selection. Any suggestions?
4026
4027 ** New packages:
4028
4029 *** `icomplete' provides character-by-character information
4030 about what you could complete if you type TAB.
4031
4032 *** `avoid' moves the mouse away from point so that it doesn't hide
4033 your typing.
4034
4035 *** `shadowfile' helps you update files that are supposed to be stored
4036 identically in different places (perhaps on different machines).
4037
4038 ** C-h p now knows about four additional keywords: data, faces, mouse,
4039 and matching.
4040
4041 ** The key for starting an inferior Lisp process, in Lisp mode,
4042 is now C-c C-z instead of C-c C-l.
4043
4044 ** When the VC commands ask whether to save the buffer, if you say no,
4045 they signal an error. This is so that you won't operate on the wrong
4046 data.
4047
4048 ** ISO Accents mode now supports `"s' as a way of typing German sharp s.
4049
4050 ** By default, comint buffers (including Shell mode and debuggers)
4051 no longer try to scroll to keep the cursor on the bottom line.
4052 This feature was added in 19.21 but did not work smoothly enough.
4053
4054 ** Emacs now handles the window manager "delete window" operation.
4055
4056 ** Display of buffers with text properties is much faster now.
4057
4058 ** The feature previously announced whereby `insert' does not inherit
4059 text properties from surrounding text was not fully implemented
4060 before; but now it is. use `insert-and-inherit' if you wish to
4061 inherit sticky properties from the surrounding text.
4062
4063 ** The functions next-property-change, previous-property-change,
4064 next-single-property-change, and previous-single-property-change
4065 now take one additional optional argument LIMIT that is a position at
4066 which to stop scanning. If scan ends without finding the property
4067 change sought, these functions return the specified limit.
4068
4069 The value returned by previous-single-property-change and
4070 previous-property-change, when they do find a change, is now one
4071 greater than what it used to be. It is the position between the two
4072 characters whose properties differ, which is one greater than the
4073 position of the first character found (while scanning back) with
4074 different properties.
4075
4076
4077 \f
4078 * User editing changes in version 19.21.
4079
4080 ** ISO Accents mode supports four additional characters:
4081 A-with-ring (entered as /A), AE ligature (entered as /E),
4082 and their lower-case equivalents.
4083
4084
4085 \f
4086 * User editing changes in version 19.20.
4087 (See following page for Lisp programming changes.)
4088
4089 Note that some of these changes were made subsequent to the Emacs 19.20
4090 editions of the Emacs manual and Emacs Lisp manual; therefore, if you
4091 have those editions, do read this page.
4092
4093 ** Dragging with mouse button 1 now puts the selected region
4094 in the kill ring so you can paste it into other X applications.
4095
4096 ** Double and triple clicks with button 1 now behave as in xterm,
4097 selecting the word or line surrounding where you click. If you drag
4098 after the last click, you can select a range of words or lines.
4099
4100 ** You can use button 3 to extend a mouse-selected region, as in xterm.
4101 This works for regions selected either by dragging Mouse-1 or by
4102 multiple-clicking Mouse-1. Clicking Mouse-3 moves the end of the
4103 region that is (initially) nearer to where you click.
4104
4105 If the selection was first made by multiple-clicking Mouse-1, and thus
4106 consists of entire words or lines, Mouse-3 preserves that state.
4107
4108 As before, clicking Mouse-3 again in the same place kills the region
4109 thus selected.
4110
4111 ** The secondary selection commands, M-Mouse-1 and M-Mouse-3, have been
4112 likewise modified.
4113
4114 ** You can now search for strings and regexps using the Edit menu bar menu.
4115
4116 ** You can now access bookmarks using the Bookmark submenu in the File
4117 menu in the menu bar.
4118
4119 ** ISO Accents mode, a buffer-local minor mode, provides a convenient
4120 way to type certain non-ASCII characters. It makes the characters `,
4121 ', ", ^, ~ and / serve as modifiers for the following letter. ` and '
4122 add accents, " adds an umlaut or dieresis, ^ adds a circumflex, ~
4123 adds a tilde, and / adds a slash to the following letter.
4124
4125 If the following character is not a letter, or cannot be modified as
4126 requested, then both characters stand for themselves. If you
4127 duplicate the modifier accent character, that enters the corresponding
4128 ISO non-spacing accent character (thus, '' enters the ISO acute-accent
4129 character). To enter a modifier character itself, type it followed by
4130 a space.
4131
4132 This feature can be used whenever a key sequence is expected: for
4133 ordinary insertion, for searching, and for certain command arguments.
4134
4135 A few special combinations:
4136
4137 ~c => c with cedilla
4138 ~d => d with stroke
4139 ~< => left guillemot
4140 ~> => right guillemot
4141
4142 ** iso-transl.el is a new library that replaces iso-insert.el.
4143 It defines C-x 8 as an insertion prefix for the ISO characters
4144 between 128 and 255, much like iso-insert, except that iso-transl
4145 works even in searches and help commands--wherever a key sequence
4146 is expected.
4147
4148 To define case-conversion for these characters for ISO 8859/1,
4149 load the library iso-syntax. (This is not new.)
4150
4151 ** M-TAB in Text mode now runs the command ispell-complete-word
4152 which performs completion using the spelling dictionary.
4153
4154 The spelling correction submenu now includes this command
4155 and another command which completes a word fragment (that is,
4156 it doesn't assume that the text to be completed starts at the
4157 beginning of a word.
4158
4159 ** In incremental search, you can use M-y to yank the most recent kill
4160 into the search string.
4161
4162 ** The new function ispell-message checks the spelling of a message
4163 you are about to send or post. It ignores text cited from other
4164 messages.
4165
4166 To automatically check all your outgoing messages, include the
4167 following line in your .emacs file:
4168 (setq news-inews-hook (setq mail-send-hook 'ispell-message))
4169
4170 ** There is now a separate minibuffer history list for the names of
4171 extended commands. This history list is used by M-x when reading
4172 the command name. The motivation for this is to prevent command
4173 names from appearing in the history used for other minibuffer
4174 arguments.
4175
4176 Note that the history list for entire commands that use the minibuffer
4177 is a separate feature. That history list records a command with all
4178 its arguments, and you must use C-x ESC ESC to access it.
4179
4180 ** You can use the new command C-x v ~ VERSION RET to examine a
4181 specified version of a file that is maintained with version control.
4182
4183 ** In Indented Text mode, only blank lines now separate paragraphs.
4184 Indented lines continue the paragraph that is in progress. This makes
4185 the user option variable adaptive-fill-mode have its intended effect.
4186
4187 ** Local variable specifications in files for variables whose names end
4188 in `-hook' and `-function' are now controlled by the variable
4189 `enable-local-eval', just like the `eval' variable.
4190
4191 ** C-x r j (jump-to-register) when restoring a frame configuration now
4192 makes all unwanted frames (existing frames not mentioned in the
4193 configuration) invisible.
4194
4195 If you want to delete these unwanted frames, use a prefix argument for
4196 C-x r j.
4197
4198 ** You can customize the calendar to display weeks beginning on
4199 Monday: set the variable `calendar-week-start-day' to 1.
4200
4201 ** Rmail changes.
4202
4203 If you save messages to a file in Unix format while viewing a message
4204 with its whole header, this now copies to the file the entire header
4205 of each message copied.
4206
4207 ** Comint mode changes.
4208
4209 C-c C-e shows as much output as possible in the window.
4210 C-c RET copies an old input (the one at point)
4211 and places the copy after the latest prompt.
4212 C-c C-p and C-c C-n move through the buffer, stopping at places
4213 where the subshell prompted for input.
4214 C-c C-h lists the input history in a `*Help*' buffer.
4215
4216 There are new menu bar items for completion/input/output/signal commands.
4217
4218 Input behavior is configurable. Variables control whether some windows
4219 showing the buffer scroll to the bottom before insertion. These are
4220 `comint-scroll-to-bottom-on-input' and `before-change-function'. By default,
4221 insertion causes the selected window to scroll to the bottom before insertion
4222 occurs.
4223
4224 Subprocess output now keeps point at the end of the buffer in each
4225 window individually if point was already at the end of the buffer in
4226 that window.
4227
4228 If `comint-scroll-show-maximum-output' is non-nil (which is the
4229 default), then scrolling due to arrival of output tries to place the
4230 last line of text at the bottom line of the window, so as to show as
4231 much useful text as possible. (This mimics the scrolling behavior of
4232 many terminals.)
4233
4234 By setting `comint-scroll-to-bottom-on-output', you can opt for having
4235 point jump to the end of the buffer whenever output arrives--no matter
4236 where in the buffer point was before. If the value is `this', point
4237 jumps in the selected window. If the value is `all', point jumps in
4238 each window that shows the comint buffer. If the value is `other',
4239 point jumps in all nonselected windows that show the current buffer.
4240 The default value is nil, which means point does not jump to the end.
4241
4242 Input history insertion is configurable. A variable controls whether only the
4243 first instance of successive identical inputs is stored in the input history.
4244 This is `comint-input-ignoredups'.
4245
4246 Completion (bound to TAB) is now more general. Depending on context,
4247 completion now operates on the input history, on command names, or (as
4248 before) on filenames.
4249
4250 Filename completion is configurable. Variables control whether
4251 file/directory suffix characters are added (`comint-completion-addsuffix'),
4252 whether shortest completion is acceptable when no further unambiguous
4253 completion is possible (`comint-completion-recexact'), and the timing of
4254 completion candidate listing (`comint-completion-autolist').
4255
4256 Comint mode now provides history expansion. Insert input using `!'
4257 and `^', in the same syntax that typical shells use; then type TAB.
4258 This searches the comint input history for a matching element,
4259 performs substitution if necessary, and places the result in the
4260 comint buffer in place of the original input.
4261
4262 History references in the input may be expanded before insertion into
4263 the input ring, or on input to the interpreter (and therefore
4264 visibly). The variable `comint-input-autoexpand' specifies which.
4265
4266 You can make the SPC key perform history expansion by binding
4267 SPC to the command `comint-magic-space'.
4268
4269 The command `comint-dynamic-complete-variable' does variable name
4270 completion using the environment variables as set within Emacs. The
4271 variables controlling filename completion apply to variable name
4272 completion too. This command is normally available through the menu
4273 bar.
4274
4275 ** Shell mode
4276
4277 Paragraph motion and marking commands (default bindings M-{, M-}, M-h) operate
4278 on output groups (i.e., shell prompt plus associated shell output).
4279
4280 TAB now completes commands, as well as file names and expand history.
4281 Commands are searched for along the path that Emacs has on startup.
4282
4283 C-c C-f now moves forward a command (`shell-forward-command') and
4284 C-c C-b now moves backward a command (`shell-backward-command').
4285
4286 Command completion is configurable. The variables controlling
4287 filename completion in comint mode apply, together with a variable
4288 controlling whether to restrict possible completions to only files
4289 that are executable (`shell-command-execonly').
4290
4291 The input history is initialized from the file name given in the
4292 variable `shell-input-ring-file-name'--normally `.history' in your
4293 home directory.
4294
4295 Directory tracking is more robust. It can cope with command sequences
4296 and forked commands, and can detect the failure of directory changing
4297 commands in most circumstances. It's still not infallible, of course.
4298
4299 You can now configure the behavior of `pushd'. Variables control
4300 whether `pushd' behaves like `cd' if no argument is given
4301 (`shell-pushd-tohome'), pop rather than rotate with a numeric argument
4302 (`shell-pushd-dextract'), and only add directories to the directory
4303 stack if they are not already on it (`shell-pushd-dunique'). The
4304 configuration you choose should match the underlying shell, of course.
4305
4306 \f
4307 * Emacs Lisp programming changes in Emacs 19.20.
4308
4309 ** A new function `remove-hook' is now used to remove a hook that you might
4310 have added with `add-hook'.
4311
4312 ** There is now a Lisp pretty-printer in the library `pp'.
4313
4314 ** The partial Common Lisp support has been entirely reimplemented.
4315
4316 ** When you insert text using `insert', `insert-before-markers' or
4317 `insert-buffer-substring', text properties are no longer inherited
4318 from the surrounding text.
4319
4320 When you want to inherit text properties, use the new functions
4321 `insert-and-inherit' or `insert-before-markers-and-inherit'.
4322
4323 The self-inserting character command does do inheritance.
4324
4325 ** Frame creation hooks.
4326
4327 The function make-frame now runs the normal hooks
4328 before-make-frame-hook and after-make-frame-hook.
4329
4330 ** You can now use function-key-map to make a key an alias for other
4331 key sequences that can vary depending on circumstances. To do this,
4332 give the key a definition in function-key-map which is a function
4333 rather than a specific expansion key sequence.
4334
4335 If the function reads input itself, it can have the effect of altering
4336 the event that follows. For example, here's how to define C-c h to
4337 turn the character that follows into a hyper character:
4338
4339 (define-key function-key-map "\C-ch" 'hyperify)
4340
4341 (defun hyperify (prompt)
4342 (let ((e (read-event)))
4343 (vector (if (numberp e)
4344 (logior (lsh 1 20) e)
4345 (if (memq 'hyper (event-modifiers e))
4346 e
4347 (add-event-modifier "H-" e))))))
4348
4349 (defun add-event-modifier (string e)
4350 (let ((symbol (if (symbolp e) e (car e))))
4351 (setq symbol (intern (concat string (symbol-name symbol))))
4352 (if (symbolp e)
4353 symbol
4354 (cons symbol (cdr e)))))
4355
4356 The character translation function gets one argument, which is the
4357 prompt that was specified in read-key-sequence--or nil if the key
4358 sequence is being read by the editor command loop. In most cases
4359 you can just ignore the prompt value.
4360
4361 ** Changes for reading and writing text properties.
4362
4363 New low-level Lisp features make it possible to write Lisp programs to
4364 save text properties in files, and read text properties from files.
4365 You can program any file format you like.
4366
4367 The variable `write-region-annotation-functions' should contain a list
4368 of functions to be run by `write-region' to encode text properties in
4369 some fashion as annotations to the text that is written.
4370
4371 Each function in the list is called with two arguments: the start and
4372 end of the region to be written. These functions should not alter the
4373 contents of the buffer. Instead, they should return lists indicating
4374 annotations to write in the file in addition to the text in the
4375 buffer.
4376
4377 Each function should return a list of elements of the form (POSITION
4378 . STRING), where POSITION is an integer specifying the relative
4379 position in the text to be written, and STRING is the annotation to
4380 add there.
4381
4382 Each list returned by one of these functions must be already sorted in
4383 increasing order by POSITION. If there is more than one function,
4384 `write-region' merges the lists destructively into one sorted list.
4385
4386 When `write-region' actually writes the text from the buffer to the
4387 file, it intermixes the specified annotations at the corresponding
4388 positions. All this takes place without modifying the buffer.
4389
4390 The variable `after-insert-file-functions' should contain a list of
4391 functions to be run each time a file's contents have been inserted into
4392 a buffer. Each function receives one argument, the length of the
4393 inserted text; point indicates the start of that text. The function
4394 should make whatever changes it wants to make, then return the updated
4395 length of the inserted text, as it stands after those changes. The
4396 value returned by one function is used as the argument to the next.
4397 These functions should always return with point at the beginning of
4398 the inserted text.
4399
4400 The intended use of `after-insert-file-functions' is for converting
4401 some sort of textual annotations into actual text properties. But many
4402 other uses may be possible.
4403
4404 We now invite users to begin implementing Lisp programs to store and
4405 retrieve text properties in files, using these new primitive features,
4406 and thus to experiment with various data formats and find good ones.
4407
4408 We suggest not trying to handle arbitrary Lisp objects as property
4409 names or property values--because a program that general is probably
4410 difficult to write, and slow. Instead, choose a set of possible data
4411 types that are reasonably flexible, and not too hard to encode.
4412
4413 ** Comint completion.
4414
4415 Currently comint-dynamic-complete-command (and associated variable
4416 comint-after-partial-pathname-command) are set by default to complete a
4417 filename. Other comint-mode users should have their own functions to achieve
4418 this. For example, gud-mode could complete debugger commands. A completion
4419 function is provided solely for this reason (comint-dynamic-simple-complete).
4420
4421 Other comint-mode users should bind comint-dynamic-complete (shell-mode does
4422 already).
4423
4424 ** Comint history reference expansion
4425
4426 Currently comint-input-autoexpand is 'history, which means only expand
4427 history on insertion to comint-input-ring. For non-shell modes, this is
4428 a strange default, since non-shells will not understand history references.
4429 Perhaps it would be better for the variable to be 'input, which means expand
4430 on RET.
4431
4432 The value 'history might possibly be wrong even for shells, since the
4433 expansion will be done both by comint and the underlying shell (except sh, of
4434 course). It would be better for expansion to be done by one or the other,
4435 not both since they may (ahem) disagree. Since it is silly to put a literal
4436 history reference into comint-input-ring, perhaps it would be better for the
4437 variable to be 'input too.
4438
4439 The reason the variable is not 'input by default is that I was attempting to
4440 adhere to The Principle of Least Astonishment. I didn't want to shock users
4441 by having their input change in front of their eyes.
4442
4443 ** Argument delimiters and Comint mode.
4444
4445 Currently comint-delimiter-argument-list is '(), which means no strings are
4446 to be treated as delimiters and arguments. In shell-mode, this variable is
4447 set to shell-delimiter-argument-list, '("|" "&" "<" ">" "(" ")" ";"). Other
4448 comint-mode users should set this variable too. For example, a lisp-type
4449 mode might want to set this to '("." "(" ")") or some such.
4450
4451 ** Comint output hook.
4452
4453 There is now a hook, comint-output-filter-hook, that is run-hooks'ed by the
4454 output filter, comint-output-filter. This is useful for scrolling (see
4455 below), but also things like processing output for specific text, output
4456 highlighting, etc.
4457
4458 So that such output processing may be done efficiently, there is a new
4459 variable, comint-last-output-start, that records the position of the start of
4460 the last output inserted into the buffer (effectively the previous value
4461 of process-mark). Output processing functions should process the text
4462 between comint-last-output-start (or perhaps the beginning of the line that
4463 the position lies on) and process-mark.
4464
4465 ** Comint scrolling.
4466
4467 There is now automatic scrolling of process windows.
4468
4469 Currently comint-scroll-show-maximum-output is t, which means when scrolling
4470 output put process-mark at the bottom of the window. There is a good case
4471 for it to be t, since the user is likely to want to see as much output as
4472 possible. But, then again, there is a comint-show-maximum-output command.
4473
4474 ** Comint history retrieval.
4475
4476 The input following point is not deleted when moving around the input history
4477 (with M-p etc.). Emacs maintainers may not like this. However, I feel this
4478 is a useful feature. The simple remedy is to put end-of-line in before
4479 delete-region in comint-previous-matching-input.
4480
4481 The input history retrieval commands still wrap-around the input ring, unlike
4482 Emacs command history.
4483
4484
4485 \f
4486 * Changes in version 19.19.
4487
4488 ** The new package bookmark.el records named bookmarks: positions that
4489 you can jump to. Bookmarks are saved automatically between Emacs
4490 sessions.
4491
4492 ** Another simpler package saveplace.el records your position in each
4493 file when you kill its buffer (or kill Emacs), and jumps to the same
4494 position when you visit the file again (even in another Emacs
4495 session). Use `toggle-save-place' to turn on place-saving in a given file;
4496 use (setq-default save-place t) to turn it on for all files.
4497
4498 ** In Outline mode, you can now customize how to compute the level of a
4499 heading line. Set `outline-level' to a function of no arguments which
4500 returns the level, assuming point is at the beginning of a heading
4501 line.
4502
4503 ** You can now specify the prefix key to use for Outline minor mode.
4504 (The default is C-c.) Set the variable outline-minor-mode-prefix to
4505 the key sequence you want to use (as a string or vector).
4506
4507 ** In Bibtex mode, C-c e has been changed to C-c C-b. This is because
4508 C-c followed by a letter is reserved for users.
4509
4510 ** The `mod' function is no longer an alias for `%', but is a separate function
4511 that yields a result with the same sign as the divisor. `floor' now takes an
4512 optional second argument, which divides the first argument before the floor is
4513 taken.
4514
4515 ** `%' no longer allows floating point arguments, since the results were often
4516 inconsistent with integer `%'.
4517
4518
4519 \f
4520 * Changes in version 19.18.
4521
4522 ** Typing C-z in an iconified Emacs frame now deiconifies it.
4523
4524 ** hilit19 is a new library for automatic highlighting of parts of the
4525 text in the buffer, based on its meaning and context.
4526
4527 ** Killing no longer sends the killed text to the X clipboard.
4528 And large strings are not put in the cut buffer either.
4529 The variable x-cut-buffer-max specifies the maximum number of characters
4530 to put in the cut buffer.
4531
4532 ** The new command C-x 5 o (other-frame) selects different frames,
4533 successively, in cyclic order. It does for frames what C-x o
4534 does for windows.
4535
4536 ** The command M-ESC (eval-expression) has its own command history.
4537
4538 ** The commands M-! and M-| for running shell commands have their own
4539 command history.
4540
4541 ** If the directory containing the Emacs executable has a sibling named
4542 `lisp', that `lisp' directory is added to the end of `load-path'
4543 (provided you don't override the normal value with the EMACSLOADPATH
4544 environment variable). This feature may make it easier to move
4545 an installed Emacs from place to place.
4546
4547 ** M-x validate-tex-buffer now records the locations of mismatches
4548 found in the `*Occur*' buffer. You can go to that buffer and type C-c
4549 C-c to visit a particular mismatch.
4550
4551 ** There are new commands in Shell mode.
4552
4553 C-c C-n and C-c C-p move point to the next or previous shell input line.
4554
4555 C-c C-d is now another way to send an end-of-file to the subshell.
4556
4557 ** Changes to calendar/diary.
4558
4559 Time zone data is now determined automatically, including the
4560 start/stop days and times of daylight saving time. The code now
4561 works correctly almost anywhere in the world.
4562
4563 The format of the holiday specifications has changed and IS NO LONGER
4564 COMPATIBLE with the old (version 18) format. See the documentation of
4565 the variable calendar-holidays for details of the new, improved
4566 format.
4567
4568 The hook `diary-display-hook' has been split into two:
4569 diary-display-hook which should be used ONLY for the display and
4570 `diary-hook' which should be used for appointment notification. If
4571 diary-display-hook is nil (the default), simple-diary-display is
4572 used. This allows the diary hooks to be correctly set with add-hook.
4573
4574 The forms used for dates in diary entries and general display are no
4575 longer autoloaded, but set at load time; this means they will be set
4576 correctly based on values you assign to various variables.
4577
4578 ** The functions x-rebind-key and x-rebind-keys have been deleted,
4579 because you can accomplish the same job by binding keys to keyboard
4580 macros.
4581
4582 ** Emacs now distinguishes double and triple drag events and double and
4583 triple button-down events. These work analogously to double and
4584 triple click events.
4585
4586 Double drag events, if not defined, convert to ordinary click events.
4587 Double down events, if not defined, convert first to ordinary down
4588 events, which are then discarded if not defined. Triple events that
4589 are not defined convert to the corresponding double event; if that is
4590 also not defined, it may convert further.
4591
4592 ** The new function event-click-count returns the number of clicks,
4593 from an event which is a list. It is 1 for an ordinary click, drag,
4594 or button-down event, 2 for a double event, and 3 or more for a triple
4595 event.
4596
4597 ** The new function previous-frame is like next-frame, but moves
4598 around through the set of existing frames in the opposite order.
4599
4600 ** The post-command-hook now runs even after commands that get an error
4601 and return to top level. As a consequence of the same change, this
4602 hook also runs before Emacs reads the first command. That might sound
4603 paradoxical, as if this hook were the same as the pre-command-hook.
4604 Actually, they are not similar; the latter runs before *execution* of
4605 a command, but after it has been read.
4606
4607 ** You can turn off the text property hooks that run when point moves
4608 to certain places in the buffer, by binding inhibit-point-motion-hooks
4609 to a non-nil value.
4610
4611 ** Inserting a string with no text properties into the buffer normally
4612 inherits the properties of the preceding character. You can now
4613 control this inheritance by setting the front-sticky and
4614 rear-nonsticky properties of a character.
4615
4616 If you make a character's front-sticky property t, then insertion
4617 before the character inherits its properties. If you make the
4618 rear-nonsticky property t, then insertion after the character does not
4619 inherit its properties. You can regard characters as normally being
4620 rear-sticky and not front-sticky, and this is why insertion normally
4621 inherits from the previous character.
4622
4623 If neither side of an insertion is suitably sticky, then the inserted
4624 text gets no properties. If both sides are sticky, then the inserted
4625 text gets the properties of both sides, with the previous character's
4626 properties taking precedence when both sides have a property in
4627 common.
4628
4629 You can also specify stickiness for individual properties. To do so,
4630 use a list of property names as the value of the front-sticky property
4631 or the rear-nonsticky property. For example, if a character has a
4632 rear-nonsticky property whose value is (face read-only), then
4633 insertion after the character will not inherit its face property or
4634 read-only property (if any), but will inherit any other properties.
4635
4636 The merging of properties when both sides of the insertion are sticky
4637 takes place one property at a time. If the preceding character is
4638 rear-sticky for the property, and the property is non-nil, it
4639 dominates. Otherwise, the following character's property value is
4640 used if it is front-sticky for that property.
4641
4642 ** If you give a character a non-nil `invisible' text property, the
4643 character does not appear on the screen. This works much like
4644 selective display.
4645
4646 The details of this feature are likely to change in future Emacs
4647 versions.
4648
4649 ** In Info, when you go to a node, it runs the normal hook
4650 Info-selection-hook.
4651
4652 ** You can use the new function `invocation-directory' to get the name
4653 of the directory containing the Emacs executable that was run.
4654
4655 ** Entry to the minibuffer runs the normal hook minibuffer-setup-hook.
4656
4657 ** The new function minibuffer-window-active-p takes one argument, a
4658 minibuffer window, and returns t if the window is currently active.
4659
4660
4661 \f
4662 * Changes in version 19.17.
4663
4664 ** When Emacs displays a list of completions in a buffer,
4665 you can select a completion by clicking mouse button 2
4666 on that completion.
4667
4668 ** Use the command `list-faces-display' to display a list of
4669 all the currently defined faces, showing what they look like.
4670
4671 ** Menu bar items from local maps now come after the usual items.
4672
4673 ** The Help menu bar item always comes last in the menu bar.
4674
4675 ** If you enable Font-Lock mode on a buffer containing a program
4676 (certain languages such as C and Lisp are supported), everything you
4677 type is automatically given a face property appropriate to its
4678 syntactic role. For example, there are faces for comments, string
4679 constants, names of functions being defined, and so on.
4680
4681 ** Dunnet, an adventure game, is now available.
4682
4683 ** Several major modes now have their own menu bar items,
4684 including Dired, Rmail, and Sendmail. We would like to add
4685 suitable menu bar items to other major modes.
4686
4687 ** The key binding C-x a C-h has been eliminated.
4688 This is because it got in the way of the general feature of typing
4689 C-h after a prefix character. If you want to run
4690 inverse-add-global-abbrev, you can use C-x a - or C-x a i g instead.
4691
4692 ** If you set the variable `rmail-mail-new-frame' to a non-nil value,
4693 all the Rmail commands to send mail make a new frame to do it in.
4694 When you send the message, or use the menu bar command not to send it,
4695 that frame is deleted.
4696
4697 ** In Rmail, the o and C-o commands are now almost interchangeable.
4698 Both commands check the format of the file you specify, and append
4699 the message to it in Rmail format if it is an Rmail file, and in
4700 inbox file format otherwise. C-o and o are different only when you
4701 specify a new file.
4702
4703 ** The function `copy-face' now takes an optional fourth argument
4704 NEW-FRAME. If you specify this, it copies the definition of face
4705 OLD-FACE on frame FRAME to face NEW-NAME on frame NEW-FRAME.
4706
4707 ** A local map can now cancel out one of the global map's menu items.
4708 Just define that subcommand of the menu item with `undefined'
4709 as the definition. For example, this cancels out the `Buffers' item
4710 for the current major mode:
4711
4712 (local-set-key [menu-bar buffer] 'undefined)
4713
4714 ** To put global items at the end of the menu bar, use the new variable
4715 `menu-bar-final-items'. It should be a list of symbols--event types
4716 bound in the menu bar. The menu bar items for these symbols are
4717 moved to the end.
4718
4719 ** The list returned by `buffer-local-variables' now contains cons-cell
4720 elements of the form (SYMBOL . VALUE) only for buffer-local variables
4721 that have values. For unbound buffer-local variables, the variable
4722 name (symbol) appears directly as an element of the list.
4723
4724 ** The `modification-hooks' property of a character no longer affects
4725 insertion; it runs only for deletion and modification of the character.
4726
4727 To detect insertion, use `insert-in-front-hooks' and
4728 `insert-behind-hooks' properties. The former runs when text is
4729 inserted immediately preceding the character that has the property;
4730 the latter runs when text is inserted immediately following the
4731 character.
4732
4733 ** Buffer modification now runs hooks belonging to overlays as well as
4734 hooks belonging to characters. If an overlay has a
4735 `modification-hooks' property, it applies to any change to text in the
4736 overlay, and any insertion within the overlay. If the overlay has a
4737 `insert-in-front-hooks' property, it runs for insertion at the
4738 beginning boundary of the overlay. If the overlay has an
4739 `insert-behind-hooks' property, it runs for insertion at the end
4740 boundary of the overlay.
4741
4742 The values of these properties should be lists of functions. Each
4743 function is called, receiving as arguments the overlay in question,
4744 followed by the bounds of the range being modified.
4745
4746 ** The new `-name NAME' option directs Emacs to search for its X
4747 resources using the name `NAME', and sets the title of the initial
4748 frame. This argument was added for consistency with other X clients.
4749
4750 ** The new `-xrm DATABASE' option tells Emacs to treat the string
4751 DATABASE as the text of an X resource database. Emacs searches
4752 DATABASE for resource values, in addition to the usual places. This
4753 argument was added for consistency with other X clients.
4754
4755 ** Emacs now searches for X resources in the files specified by the
4756 XFILESEARCHPATH, XUSERFILESEARCHPATH, and XAPPLRESDIR environment
4757 variables, emulating the functionality provided by programs written
4758 using Xt. Because of this change, Emacs will now notice system-wide
4759 application defaults files, as other X clients do.
4760
4761 XFILESEARCHPATH and XUSERFILESEARCHPATH should be a list of file names
4762 separated by colons; XAPPLRESDIR should be a list of directory names
4763 separated by colons.
4764
4765 Emacs searches for X resources
4766 + specified on the command line, with the `-xrm RESOURCESTRING'
4767 option,
4768 + then in the value of the XENVIRONMENT environment variable,
4769 - or if that is unset, in the file named ~/.Xdefaults-HOSTNAME if it exists
4770 (where HOSTNAME is the hostname of the machine Emacs is running on),
4771 + then in the screen-specific and server-wide resource properties
4772 provided by the server,
4773 - or if those properties are unset, in the file named ~/.Xdefaults
4774 if it exists,
4775 + then in the files listed in XUSERFILESEARCHPATH,
4776 - or in files named LANG/Emacs in directories listed in XAPPLRESDIR
4777 (where LANG is the value of the LANG environment variable), if
4778 the LANG environment variable is set,
4779 - or in files named Emacs in the directories listed in XAPPLRESDIR
4780 - or in ~/LANG/Emacs (if the LANG environment variable is set),
4781 - or in ~/Emacs,
4782 + then in the files listed in XFILESEARCHPATH.
4783
4784 The paths in the variables XFILESEARCHPATH, XUSERFILESEARCHPATH, and
4785 XAPPLRESDIR may contain %-escapes (like the control strings passed to
4786 the Emacs lisp `format' function or C printf function), which Emacs expands.
4787
4788 %N is replaced by the string "Emacs" wherever it occurs.
4789 %T is replaced by "app-defaults" wherever it occurs.
4790 %S is replaced by the empty string wherever it occurs.
4791 %L and %l are replaced by the value of the LANG environment variable; if LANG
4792 is not set, Emacs does not use that directory or file name at all.
4793 %C is replaced by the value of the resource named "customization"
4794 (class "Customization"), as retrieved from the server's resource
4795 properties or the user's ~/.Xdefaults file, or the empty string if
4796 that resource doesn't exist.
4797
4798 So, for example,
4799 if XFILESEARCHPATH is set to the value
4800 "/usr/lib/X11/%L/%T/%N%C:/usr/lib/X11/%T/%N%C:/usr/lib/X11/%T/%N",
4801 and the LANG environment variable is set to
4802 "english",
4803 and the customization resource is the string
4804 "-color",
4805 then, in the last step of the process described above, Emacs checks
4806 for resources in the first of the following files that is present and
4807 readable:
4808 /usr/lib/X11/english/app-defaults/Emacs-color
4809 /usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/Emacs-color
4810 /usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/Emacs
4811 If the LANG environment variable is not set, then Emacs never uses the
4812 first element of the path, "/usr/lib/X11/%L/%T/%N%C", because it
4813 contains the %L escape.
4814
4815 If XFILESEARCHPATH is unset, Emacs uses the default value
4816 "/usr/lib/X11/%L/app-defaults/Emacs%C:\
4817 /usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/Emacs%C:\
4818 /usr/lib/X11/%L/app-defaults/Emacs:\
4819 /usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/Emacs"
4820
4821 This feature was added for consistency with other X applications.
4822
4823 ** The new function `text-property-any' scans the region of text from
4824 START to END to see if any character's property PROP is `eq' to
4825 VALUE. If so, it returns the position of the first such character.
4826 Otherwise, it returns nil.
4827
4828 The optional fifth argument, OBJECT, specifies the string or buffer to
4829 be examined.
4830
4831 ** The new function `text-property-not-all' scans the region of text from
4832 START to END to see if any character's property PROP is not `eq' to
4833 VALUE. If so, it returns the position of the first such character.
4834 Otherwise, it returns nil.
4835
4836 The optional fifth argument, OBJECT, specifies the string or buffer to
4837 be examined.
4838
4839 ** The function `delete-windows-on' now takes an optional second
4840 argument FRAME, which specifies which frames it should affect.
4841 + If FRAME is nil or omitted, then `delete-windows-on' deletes windows
4842 showing BUFFER (its first argument) on all frames.
4843 + If FRAME is t, then `delete-windows-on' only deletes windows on the
4844 selected frame; other frames are unaffected.
4845 + If FRAME is a frame, then `delete-windows-on' only deletes windows on
4846 the given frame; other frames are unaffected.
4847
4848
4849 \f
4850 * Changes in version 19.16.
4851
4852 ** When dragging the mouse to select a region, Emacs now highlights the
4853 region as you drag (if Transient Mark mode is enabled). If you
4854 continue the drag beyond the boundaries of the window, Emacs scrolls
4855 the window at a steady rate until you either move the mouse back into
4856 the window or release the button.
4857
4858 ** RET now exits `query-replace' and `query-replace-regexp'; this makes it
4859 more consistent with the incremental search facility, which uses RET
4860 to end the search.
4861
4862 ** In C mode, C-c C-u now runs c-up-conditional.
4863 C-c C-n and C-c C-p now run new commands that move forward
4864 and back over balanced sets of C conditionals (c-forward-conditional
4865 and c-backward-conditional).
4866
4867 ** The Edit entry in the menu bar has a new alternative:
4868 "Choose Next Paste". It gives you a menu showing the various
4869 strings in the kill ring; click on one to select it as the text
4870 to be yanked ("pasted") the next time you yank.
4871
4872 ** If you enable Transient Mark mode and set `mark-even-if-inactive' to
4873 non-nil, then the region is highlighted in a transient fashion just as
4874 normally in Transient Mark mode, but the mark really remains active
4875 all the time; commands that use the region can be used even if the
4876 region highlighting turns off.
4877
4878 ** If you type C-h after a prefix key, it displays the bindings
4879 that start with that prefix.
4880
4881 ** The VC package now searches for version control commands in the
4882 directories named by the variable `vc-path'; its value should be a
4883 list of strings.
4884
4885 ** If you are visiting a file that has locks registered under RCS,
4886 VC now displays each lock's owner and version number in the mode line
4887 after the string `RCS'. If there are no locks, VC displays the head
4888 version number.
4889
4890 ** When using X, if you load the `paren' library, Emacs automatically
4891 underlines or highlights the matching paren whenever point is
4892 next to the outside of a paren. When point is before an open-paren,
4893 this shows the matching close; when point is after a close-paren,
4894 this shows the matching open.
4895
4896 ** The new function `define-key-after' is like `define-key',
4897 but takes an extra argument AFTER. It places the newly defined
4898 binding after the binding for the event AFTER.
4899
4900 ** `accessible-keymaps' now takes an optional second argument, PREFIX.
4901 If PREFIX is non-nil, it means the value should include only maps for
4902 keys that start with PREFIX.
4903
4904 `describe-bindings' also accepts an optional argument PREFIX which
4905 means to describe only the keys that start with PREFIX.
4906
4907 ** The variable `prefix-help-command' hold a command to run to display help
4908 whenever the character `help-char' follows a prefix key and does not have
4909 a key binding in that context.
4910
4911 ** Emacs now detects double- and triple-mouse clicks. A single mouse
4912 click produces a pair events of the form:
4913 (down-mouse-N POSITION)
4914 (mouse-N POSITION)
4915 Clicking the same mouse button again, soon thereafter and at the same
4916 location, produces another pair of events of the form:
4917 (down-mouse-N POSITION)
4918 (double-mouse-N POSITION 2)
4919 Another click will produce an event pair of the form:
4920 (down-mouse-N POSITION)
4921 (triple-mouse-N POSITION 3)
4922 All the POSITIONs in such a sequence would be identical, except for
4923 their timestamps.
4924
4925 To count as double- and triple-clicks, mouse clicks must be at the
4926 same location as the first click, and the number of milliseconds
4927 between the first release and the second must be less than the value
4928 of the lisp variable `double-click-time'. Setting `double-click-time'
4929 to nil disables multi-click detection. Setting it to t removes the
4930 time limit; Emacs then detects multi-clicks by position only.
4931
4932 If `read-key-sequence' finds no binding for a double-click event, but
4933 the corresponding single-click event would be bound,
4934 `read-key-sequence' demotes it to a single-click. Similarly, it
4935 demotes unbound triple-clicks to double- or single-clicks. This means
4936 you don't have to distinguish between single- and multi-clicks if you
4937 don't want to.
4938
4939 Emacs reports all clicks after the third as `triple-mouse-N' clicks,
4940 but increments the click count after POSITION. For example, a fourth
4941 click, soon after the third and at the same location, produces a pair
4942 of events of the form:
4943 (down-mouse-N POSITION)
4944 (triple-mouse-N POSITION 4)
4945
4946 ** The way Emacs reports positions of mouse events has changed
4947 slightly. If a mouse event includes a position list of the form:
4948 (WINDOW (PLACE-SYMBOL) (COLUMN . ROW) TIMESTAMP)
4949 this denotes exactly the same position as the list:
4950 (WINDOW PLACE-SYMBOL (COLUMN . ROW) TIMESTAMP)
4951 That is, the event occurred over a non-textual area of the frame,
4952 specified by PLACE-SYMBOL, a symbol like `mode-line' or
4953 `vertical-scroll-bar'.
4954
4955 Enclosing PLACE-SYMBOL in a singleton list does not change the
4956 position denoted, but the `read-key-sequence' function uses the
4957 presence or absence of the singleton list to tell whether or not it
4958 should prefix the event with its place symbol.
4959
4960 Normally, `read-key-sequence' prefixes mouse events occurring over
4961 non-textual areas with their PLACE-SYMBOLs, to select the sub-keymap
4962 appropriate for the event; for example, clicking on the mode line
4963 produces a sequence like
4964 [mode-line (mouse-1 POSN)]
4965 However, if lisp code elects to unread the resulting key sequence by
4966 placing it in the `unread-command-events' variable, it is important
4967 that `read-key-sequence' not insert the prefix symbol again; that
4968 would produce a malformed key sequence like
4969 [mode-line mode-line (mouse-1 POSN)]
4970 For this reason, `read-key-sequence' encloses the event's PLACE-SYMBOL
4971 in a singleton list when it first inserts the prefix, but doesn't
4972 insert the prefix when processing events whose PLACE-SYMBOLs are
4973 already thus enclosed.
4974
4975
4976 \f
4977 * Changes in version 19.15.
4978
4979 ** `make-frame-visible', which uniconified frames, is now a command,
4980 and thus may be bound to a key. This makes sense because frames
4981 respond to user input while iconified.
4982
4983 ** You can now use Meta mouse clicks to set and use the "secondary
4984 selection". You can drag M-Mouse-1 across the region you want to
4985 select. Or you can press M-Mouse-1 at one end and M-Mouse-3 at the
4986 other (this also copies the text to the kill ring). Repeating M-Mouse-3
4987 again at the same place kills that text.
4988
4989 M-Mouse-2 kills the secondary selection.
4990
4991 Setting the secondary selection does not move point or the mark. It
4992 is possible to make a secondary selection that does not all fit on the
4993 screen, by using M-Mouse-1 at one end, scrolling, then using M-Mouse-3
4994 at the other end.
4995
4996 Emacs has only one secondary selection at any time. Starting to set
4997 a new one cancels any previous one. The secondary selection displays
4998 using a face named `secondary-selection'.
4999
5000 ** There's a new way to request use of Supercite (sc.el). Do this:
5001
5002 (add-hook 'mail-citation-hook 'sc-cite-original)
5003
5004 Currently this works with Rmail. In the future, other Emacs based
5005 mail-readers should be modified to understand this hook also.
5006 In the mean time, you should keep doing what you have done in the past
5007 for those other mail readers.
5008
5009 ** When a regular expression contains `\(...\)' inside a repetition
5010 operator such as `*' or `+', and you ask about the range that was matched
5011 using `match-beginning' and `match-end', the range you get corresponds
5012 to the *last* repetition *only*. In Emacs 18, you would get a range
5013 corresponding to all the repetitions.
5014
5015 If you want to get a range corresponding to all the repetitions,
5016 put a `\(...\)' grouping *outside* the repetition operator. This
5017 is the syntax that corresponds logically to the desired result, and
5018 it works the same in Emacs 18 and Emacs 19.
5019
5020 (This change actually took place earlier, but we didn't know about it
5021 and thus didn't document it.)
5022
5023
5024 \f
5025 * Changes in version 19.14.
5026
5027 ** To modify read-only text, bind the variable `inhibit-read-only'
5028 to a non-nil value. If the value is t, then all reasons that might
5029 make text read-only are inhibited (including `read-only' text properties).
5030 If the value is a list, then a `read-only' property is inhibited
5031 if it is `memq' in the list.
5032
5033 ** If you call `get-buffer-window' passing t as its second argument, it
5034 will only search for windows on visible frames. Previously, passing t
5035 as the second argument caused `get-buffer-window' to search all
5036 frames, visible or not.
5037
5038 ** If you call `other-buffer' with a nil or omitted second argument, it
5039 will ignore buffers displayed windows on any visible frame, not just
5040 the selected frame.
5041
5042 ** You can specify a window or a frame for C-x # to use when
5043 selects a server buffer. Set the variable server-window
5044 to the window or frame that you want.
5045
5046 ** The command M-( now inserts spaces outside the open-parentheses in
5047 some cases--depending on the syntax classes of the surrounding
5048 characters. If the variable `parens-dont-require-spaces' is non-nil,
5049 it inhibits insertion of these spaces.
5050
5051 ** The GUD package now supports the debugger known as xdb on HP/UX
5052 systems. Use M-x xdb. The variable `gud-xdb-directories' lets you
5053 specify a list of directories to search for source code.
5054
5055 ** If you are using the mailabbrev package, you should note that its
5056 function for defining an alias is now called `define-mail-abbrev'.
5057 This package no longer contains a definition for `define-mail-alias';
5058 that name is used only in mailaliases.
5059
5060 ** Inserted characters now inherit the properties of the text before
5061 them, by default, rather than those of the following text.
5062
5063 ** The function `insert-file-contents' now takes optional arguments BEG
5064 and END that specify which part of the file to insert. BEG defaults to
5065 0 (the beginning of the file), and END defaults to the end of the file.
5066
5067 If you specify BEG or END, then the argument VISIT must be nil.
5068
5069
5070 \f
5071 * Changes in version 19.13.
5072
5073 ** Magic file names can now handle the `load' operation.
5074
5075 ** Bibtex mode now sets up special entries in the menu bar.
5076
5077 ** The incremental search commands C-w and C-y, which copy text from
5078 the buffer into the search string, now convert it to lower case
5079 if you are in a case-insensitive search. This is to avoid making
5080 the search a case-sensitive one.
5081
5082 ** GNUS now knows your time zone automatically if Emacs does.
5083
5084 ** Hide-ifdef mode no longer defines keys of the form
5085 C-c LETTER, since those keys are reserved for users.
5086 Those commands have been moved to C-c M-LETTER.
5087 We may move them again for greater consistency with other modes.
5088
5089
5090 \f
5091 * Changes in version 19.12.
5092
5093 ** You can now make many of the sort commands ignore case by setting
5094 `sort-fold-case' to a non-nil value.
5095
5096
5097 \f
5098 * Changes in version 19.11.
5099
5100 ** Supercite is installed.
5101
5102 ** `write-file-hooks' functions that return non-nil are responsible
5103 for making a backup file if you want that to be done.
5104 To do so, execute the following code:
5105
5106 (or buffer-backed-up (backup-buffer))
5107
5108 You might wish to save the file modes value returned by
5109 `backup-buffer' and use that to set the mode bits of the file
5110 that you write. This is what `basic-save-buffer' does when
5111 it writes a file in the usual way.
5112
5113 (This is not actually new, but wasn't documented before.)
5114
5115
5116 \f
5117 * Changes in version 19.10.
5118
5119 ** The command `repeat-complex-command' is now on C-x ESC ESC.
5120 It used to be bound to C-x ESC.
5121
5122 The reason for this change is to make function keys work after C-x.
5123
5124 ** The variable `highlight-nonselected-windows' now controls whether
5125 the region is highlighted in windows other than the selected window
5126 (in Transient Mark mode only, of course, and currently only when
5127 using X).
5128
5129
5130 \f
5131 * Changes in version 19.8.
5132
5133 ** It is now simpler to tell Emacs to display accented characters under
5134 X windows. M-x standard-display-european toggles the display of
5135 buffer text according to the ISO Latin-1 standard. With a prefix
5136 argument, this command enables European character display if and only
5137 if the argument is positive.
5138
5139 ** The `-i' command-line argument tells Emacs to use a picture of the
5140 GNU gnu as its icon, instead of letting the window manager choose an
5141 icon for it. This option used to insert a file into the current
5142 buffer; use `-insert' to do that now.
5143
5144 ** The `configure' script now supports `--prefix' and `--exec-prefix'
5145 options.
5146
5147 The `--prefix=PREFIXDIR' option specifies where the installation process
5148 should put emacs and its data files. This defaults to `/usr/local'.
5149 - Emacs (and the other utilities users run) go in PREFIXDIR/bin
5150 (unless the `--exec-prefix' option says otherwise).
5151 - The architecture-independent files go in PREFIXDIR/lib/emacs/VERSION
5152 (where VERSION is the version number of Emacs, like `19.7').
5153 - The architecture-dependent files go in
5154 PREFIXDIR/lib/emacs/VERSION/CONFIGURATION
5155 (where CONFIGURATION is the configuration name, like mips-dec-ultrix4.2),
5156 unless the `--exec-prefix' option says otherwise.
5157
5158 The `--exec-prefix=EXECDIR' option allows you to specify a separate
5159 portion of the directory tree for installing architecture-specific
5160 files, like executables and utility programs. If specified,
5161 - Emacs (and the other utilities users run) go in EXECDIR/bin, and
5162 - The architecture-dependent files go in
5163 EXECDIR/lib/emacs/VERSION/CONFIGURATION.
5164 EXECDIR/bin should be a directory that is normally in users' PATHs.
5165
5166 ** When running under X, the new lisp function `x-list-fonts'
5167 allows code to find out which fonts are available from the X server.
5168 The first argument PATTERN is a string, perhaps with wildcard characters;
5169 the * character matches any substring, and
5170 the ? character matches any single character.
5171 PATTERN is case-insensitive.
5172 If the optional arguments FACE and FRAME are specified, then
5173 `x-list-fonts' returns only fonts the same size as FACE on FRAME.
5174
5175
5176 \f
5177 * Changes in version 19.
5178
5179 ** When you kill buffers, Emacs now returns memory to the operating system,
5180 thus reducing the size of the Emacs process. All the space that you free
5181 up by killing buffers can now be reused for other buffers no matter what
5182 their sizes, or reused by other processes if Emacs doesn't need it.
5183
5184 ** Emacs now does garbage collection and auto saving while it is waiting
5185 for input, which often avoids the need to do these things while you
5186 are typing.
5187
5188 The variable `auto-save-timeout' says how many seconds Emacs should
5189 wait, after you stop typing, before it does an auto save and a garbage
5190 collection.
5191
5192 ** If auto saving detects that a buffer has shrunk greatly, it refrains
5193 from auto saving that buffer and displays a warning. Now it also turns
5194 off Auto Save mode in that buffer, so that you won't get the same
5195 warning again.
5196
5197 If you reenable Auto Save mode in that buffer, Emacs will start saving
5198 it again with no further warnings.
5199
5200 ** A new minor mode called Line Number mode displays the current line
5201 number in the mode line, updating it as necessary when you move
5202 point.
5203
5204 However, if the buffer is very large (larger than the value of
5205 `line-number-display-limit'), then the line number doesn't appear.
5206 This is because computing the line number can be painfully slow if the
5207 buffer is very large.
5208
5209 ** You can quit while Emacs is waiting to read or write files.
5210
5211 ** The arrow keys now have default bindings to move in the appropriate
5212 directions.
5213
5214 ** You can suppress next-line's habit of inserting a newline when
5215 called at the end of a buffer by setting next-line-add-newlines to nil
5216 (it defaults to t).
5217
5218 ** You can now get back recent minibuffer inputs conveniently. While
5219 in the minibuffer, type M-p to fetch the next earlier minibuffer
5220 input, and use M-n to fetch the next later input.
5221
5222 There are also commands to search forward or backward through the
5223 history for history elements that match a regular expression. M-r
5224 searches older elements in the history, while M-s searches newer
5225 elements. By special dispensation, these commands can always use the
5226 minibuffer to read their arguments even though you are already in the
5227 minibuffer when you issue them.
5228
5229 The history feature is available for all uses of the minibuffer, but
5230 there are separate history lists for different kinds of input. For
5231 example, there is a list for file names, used by all the commands that
5232 read file names. There is a list for arguments of commands like
5233 `query-replace'. There are also very specific history lists, such
5234 as the one that `compile' uses for compilation commands.
5235
5236 ** You can now display text in a mixture of fonts and colors, using the
5237 "face" feature, together with the overlay and text property features.
5238 See the Emacs Lisp manual for details. The Emacs Users Manual describes
5239 how to change the colors and font of standard predefined faces.
5240
5241 ** You can refer to files on other machines using special file name syntax:
5242
5243 /HOST:FILENAME
5244 /USER@HOST:FILENAME
5245
5246 When you do this, Emacs uses the FTP program to read and write files on
5247 the specified host. It logs in through FTP using your user name or the
5248 name USER. It may ask you for a password from time to time; this
5249 is used for logging in on HOST.
5250
5251 ** Some C-x key bindings have been moved onto new prefix keys.
5252
5253 C-x r is a prefix for registers and rectangles.
5254 C-x n is a prefix for narrowing.
5255 C-x a is a prefix for abbrev commands.
5256
5257 C-x r C-SPC
5258 C-x r SPC point-to-register (Was C-x /)
5259 C-x r j jump-to-register (Was C-x j)
5260 C-x r s copy-to-register (Was C-x x)
5261 C-x r i insert-register (Was C-x g)
5262 C-x r r copy-rectangle-to-register (Was C-x r)
5263 C-x r k kill-rectangle
5264 C-x r y yank-rectangle
5265 C-x r o open-rectangle
5266 C-x r f frame-configuration-to-register
5267 (This saves the state of all windows in all frames.)
5268 C-x r w window-configuration-to-register
5269 (This saves the state of all windows in the selected frame.)
5270
5271 (Use C-x r j to restore a configuration saved with C-x r f or C-x r w.)
5272
5273 C-x n n narrow-to-region (Was C-x n)
5274 C-x n p narrow-to-page (Was C-x p)
5275 C-x n w widen (Was C-x w)
5276
5277 C-x a l add-mode-abbrev (Was C-x C-a)
5278 C-x a g add-global-abbrev (Was C-x +)
5279 C-x a i l inverse-add-mode-abbrev (Was C-x C-h)
5280 C-x a i g inverse-add-global-abbrev (Was C-x -)
5281 C-x a e expand-abbrev (Was C-x ')
5282
5283 (The old key bindings C-x /, C-x j, C-x x and C-x g
5284 have not yet been removed.)
5285
5286 ** You can put a file name in a register to be able to visit the file
5287 quickly. Do this:
5288
5289 (set-register ?CHAR '(file . NAME))
5290
5291 where NAME is the file name as a string. Then C-x r j CHAR finds that
5292 file.
5293
5294 This is useful for files that you need to visit frequently,
5295 but that you don't want to keep in buffers all the time.
5296
5297 ** The keys M-g (fill-region) and C-x a (append-to-buffer)
5298 have been eliminated.
5299
5300 ** The new command `string-rectangle' inserts a specified string on
5301 each line of the region-rectangle.
5302
5303 ** C-x 4 r is now `find-file-read-only-other-window'.
5304
5305 ** C-x 4 C-o is now `display-buffer', which displays a specified buffer
5306 in another window without selecting it.
5307
5308 ** Picture mode has been substantially improved. The picture editing commands
5309 now arrange for automatic horizontal scrolling to keep point visible
5310 when editing a wide buffer with truncate-lines on. Picture-mode
5311 initialization now does a better job of rebinding standard commands;
5312 it finds not just their normal keybindings, but any function keys
5313 attached to them.
5314
5315 ** If you enable Transient Mark mode, then the mark becomes "inactive"
5316 after every command that modifies the buffer. While the mark is
5317 active, the region is highlighted (under X, at least). Most commands
5318 that use the mark give an error if the mark is inactive, but you can
5319 use C-x C-x to make it active again. This feature is also sometimes
5320 known as "Zmacs mode".
5321
5322 ** Outline mode is now available as a minor mode. This minor mode can
5323 combine with any major mode; it substitutes the C-c commands of
5324 Outline mode for those of the major mode. Use M-x outline-minor-mode
5325 to enable and disable the new mode.
5326
5327 M-x outline-mode is unchanged; it still switches to Outline mode as a
5328 major mode.
5329
5330 ** The default setting of `version-control' comes from the environment
5331 variable VERSION_CONTROL.
5332
5333 ** The user option for controlling whether files can set local
5334 variables is now called `enable-local-variables'. A value of t means
5335 local-variables lists are obeyed; nil means they are ignored; anything
5336 else means query the user.
5337
5338 The user option for controlling use of the `eval' local variable is
5339 now called is `enable-local-eval'; its values are interpreted like
5340 those of `enable-local-variables'.
5341
5342 ** X Window System changes:
5343
5344 C-x 5 C-f and C-x 5 b switch to a specified file or buffer in a new
5345 frame. Likewise, C-x 5 m starts outgoing mail in another frame, and
5346 C-x 5 . finds a tag in another frame.
5347
5348 When you are using X, C-z now iconifies the selected frame.
5349
5350 Emacs can now exchange text with other X applications. Killing or
5351 copying text in Emacs now makes that text available for pasting into
5352 other X applications. The Emacs yanking commands now insert the
5353 latest selection set by other applications, and add the text to the
5354 kill ring. The Emacs commands for selecting and inserting text with
5355 the mouse now use the kill ring in the same way the keyboard killing
5356 and yanking commands do.
5357
5358 The option to specify the title for the initial frame is now `-name NAME'.
5359 There is currently no way to specify an icon title; perhaps we will add
5360 one in the future.
5361
5362 ** Undoing a deletion now puts point back where it was before the
5363 deletion.
5364
5365 ** The variables that control how much undo information to save have
5366 been renamed to `undo-limit' and `undo-strong-limit'. They used to be
5367 called `undo-threshold' and `undo-high-threshold'.
5368
5369 ** You can now use kill commands in read-only buffers. They don't
5370 actually change the buffer, and Emacs will beep and warn you that the
5371 buffer is read-only, but they do copy the text you tried to kill into
5372 the kill ring, so you can yank it into other buffers.
5373
5374 ** C-o inserts the fill-prefix on the newly created line. The command
5375 M-^ deletes the prefix (if it occurs) after the newline that it
5376 deletes.
5377
5378 ** C-M-l now runs the command `reposition-window'. It scrolls the
5379 window heuristically in a way designed to get useful information onto
5380 the screen.
5381
5382 ** C-M-r is now reverse incremental regexp search.
5383
5384 ** M-z now kills through the target character. In version 18, it
5385 killed up to but not including the target character.
5386
5387 ** M-! now runs the specified shell command asynchronously if it
5388 ends in `&' (just as the shell does).
5389
5390 ** C-h C-f and C-h C-k are new help commands that display the Info
5391 node for a given Emacs function name or key sequence, respectively.
5392
5393 ** The C-h p command system lets you find Emacs Lisp packages by
5394 topic keywords. Here is a partial list of package categories:
5395
5396 abbrev abbreviation handling, typing shortcuts, macros
5397 bib code related to the bib bibliography processor
5398 c C and C++ language support
5399 calendar calendar and time management support
5400 comm communications, networking, remote access to files
5401 docs support for Emacs documentation
5402 emulations emulations of other editors
5403 extensions Emacs Lisp language extensions
5404 games games, jokes and amusements
5405 hardware support for interfacing with exotic hardware
5406 help support for on-line help systems
5407 i14n internationalization and alternate character-set support
5408 internal code for Emacs internals, build process, defaults
5409 languages specialized modes for editing programming languages
5410 lisp Lisp support, including Emacs Lisp
5411 local code local to your site
5412 maint maintenance aids for the Emacs development group
5413 mail modes for electronic-mail handling
5414 news support for netnews reading and posting
5415 processes process, subshell, compilation, and job control support
5416 terminals support for terminal types
5417 tex code related to the TeX formatter
5418 tools programming tools
5419 unix front-ends/assistants for, or emulators of, UNIX features
5420 vms support code for vms
5421 wp word processing
5422
5423 More will be added soon.
5424
5425 ** The command to split a window into two side-by-side windows is now
5426 C-x 3. It was C-x 5.
5427
5428 ** M-. (find-tag) no longer has any effect on what M-, will do
5429 subsequently. You can no longer use M-, to find the next similar tag;
5430 you must use M-. with a prefix argument, instead.
5431
5432 The motive for this change is so that you can more reliably use
5433 M-, to resume a suspended `tags-search' or `tags-query-replace'.
5434
5435 ** C-x s (`save-some-buffers') now gives you more options when it asks
5436 whether to save a particular buffer. In addition to `y' or `n', you
5437 can answer `!' to save all the remaining buffers, `.' to save this
5438 buffer but not save any others, ESC to stop saving and exit the
5439 command, and C-h to get help. These options are analogous to those
5440 of `query-replace'.
5441
5442 ** M-x make-symbolic-link does not expand its first argument.
5443 This lets you make a link with a target that is a relative file name.
5444
5445 ** M-x add-change-log-entry and C-x 4 a now automatically insert the
5446 name of the file and often the name of the function that you changed.
5447 They also handle grouping of entries.
5448
5449 There is now a special major mode for editing ChangeLog files. It
5450 makes filling work conveniently. Each bunch of grouped entries is one
5451 paragraph, and each collection of entries from one person on one day
5452 is considered a page.
5453
5454 ** The `comment-region' command adds comment delimiters to the lines that
5455 start in the region, thus commenting them out. With a negative argument,
5456 it deletes comment delimiters from the lines in the region--this cancels
5457 the effect of `comment-region' without an argument.
5458
5459 With a positive argument, `comment-region' adds comment delimiters
5460 but duplicates the last character of the comment start sequence as many
5461 times as the argument specifies. This is a way of calling attention to
5462 the comment. In Lisp, you should use an argument at least two, because
5463 the indentation convention for single semicolon comments does not leave
5464 them at the beginning of a line.
5465
5466 ** If `split-window-keep-point' is non-nil, C-x 2 tries to avoid
5467 shifting any text on the screen by putting point in whichever window
5468 happens to contain the screen line the cursor is already on.
5469 The default is that `split-window-keep-point' is non-nil on slow
5470 terminals.
5471
5472 ** M-x super-apropos is like M-x apropos except that it searches both
5473 Lisp symbol names and documentation strings for matches. It describes
5474 every symbol that has a match in either the symbol's name or its
5475 documentation.
5476
5477 Both M-x apropos and M-x super-apropos take an optional second
5478 argument DO-ALL which controls the more expensive part of the job.
5479 This includes looking up and printing the key bindings of all
5480 commands. It also includes checking documentation strings in
5481 super-apropos. DO-ALL is nil by default; use a prefix arg to make it
5482 non-nil.
5483
5484 ** M-x revert-buffer no longer offers to revert from a recent auto-save
5485 file unless you give it a prefix argument. Otherwise it always
5486 reverts from the real file regardless of whether there has been an
5487 auto-save since then. (Reverting from the auto-save file is no longer
5488 very useful now that the undo capacity is larger.)
5489
5490 ** M-x recover-file no longer turns off Auto Save mode when it reads
5491 the last Auto Save file.
5492
5493 ** M-x rename-buffer, if you give it a prefix argument,
5494 avoids errors by modifying the new name to make it unique.
5495
5496 ** M-x rename-uniquely renames the current buffer to a similar name
5497 with a numeric suffix added to make it both different and unique.
5498
5499 One use of this command is for creating multiple shell buffers.
5500 If you rename your shell buffer, and then do M-x shell again, it
5501 makes a new shell buffer. This method is also good for mail buffers,
5502 compilation buffers, and any Emacs feature which creates a special
5503 buffer with a particular name.
5504
5505 ** M-x compare-windows with a prefix argument ignores changes in whitespace.
5506 If `compare-ignore-case' is non-nil, then differences in case are also
5507 ignored.
5508
5509 ** `backward-paragraph' is now bound to M-{ by default, and `forward-paragraph'
5510 to M-}. Originally, these commands were bound to M-[ and M-], but they were
5511 running into conflicts with the use of function keys. On many terminals,
5512 function keys send a sequence beginning ESC-[, so many users have defined this
5513 as a prefix key.
5514
5515 ** C-x C-u (upcase-region) and C-x C-l (downcase-region) are now disabled by
5516 default; these commands seem to be often hit by accident, and can be
5517 quite destructive if their effects are not noticed immediately.
5518
5519 ** The function `erase-buffer' is now interactive, but disabled by default.
5520
5521 ** When visiting a new file, Emacs attempts to abbreviate the file's
5522 path using the symlinks listed in `directory-abbrev-alist'.
5523
5524 ** When you visit the same file in under two names that translate into
5525 the same name once symbolic links are handled, Emacs warns you that
5526 you have two buffers for the same file.
5527
5528 ** If you wish to avoid visiting the same file in two buffers under
5529 different names, set the variable `find-file-existing-other-name'
5530 non-nil. Then `find-file' uses the existing buffer visiting the file,
5531 no matter which of the file's names you specify.
5532
5533 ** If you set `find-file-visit-truename' non-nil, then the file name
5534 recorded for a buffer is the file's truename (in which all symbolic
5535 links have been removed), rather than the name you specify. Setting
5536 `find-file-visit-truename' also implies the effect of
5537 `find-file-existing-other-name'.
5538
5539 ** C-x C-v now inserts the entire current file name in the minibuffer.
5540 This is convenient if you made a small mistake in typing it. Point
5541 goes after the last slash, before the last file name component, so if
5542 you want to replace it entirely, you can use C-k right away to delete
5543 it.
5544
5545 ** Commands such as C-M-f in Lisp mode now ignore parentheses within comments.
5546
5547 ** C-x q now uses ESC to terminate all iterations of the keyboard
5548 macro, rather than C-d as before.
5549
5550 ** Use the command `setenv' to set an individual environment variable
5551 for Emacs subprocesses. Specify a variable name and a value, both as
5552 strings. This command applies only to subprocesses yet to be
5553 started.
5554
5555 ** Use `rot13-other-window' to examine a buffer with rot13.
5556
5557 This command does not change the text in the buffer. Instead, it
5558 creates a window with a funny display table that applies the code when
5559 displaying the text.
5560
5561 ** The command `M-x version' now prints the current Emacs version; The
5562 `version' command is an alias for the `emacs-version' command.
5563
5564 ** More complex changes in existing packages.
5565
5566 *** `fill-nonuniform-paragraphs' is a new command, much like
5567 `fill-individual-paragraphs' except that only separator lines separate
5568 paragraphs. Since this means that the lines of one paragraph may have
5569 different amounts of indentation, the fill prefix used is the smallest
5570 amount of indentation of any of the lines of the paragraph.
5571
5572 *** Filling is now partially controlled by a new minor mode, Adaptive
5573 Fill mode. When this mode is enabled (and it is enabled by default),
5574 if you use M-x fill-region-as-paragraph on an indented paragraph and
5575 you don't have a fill prefix, it uses the indentation of the second
5576 line of the paragraph as the fill prefix.
5577
5578 Adaptive Fill mode doesn't have much effect on M-q in most major
5579 modes, because an indented line will probably count as a paragraph
5580 starter and thus each line of an indented paragraph will be considered
5581 a paragraph of its own.
5582
5583 *** M-q in C mode now runs `c-fill-paragraph', which is designed
5584 for filling C comments. (We assume you don't want to fill
5585 the code in a C program.)
5586
5587 *** M-$ now runs the Ispell program instead of the Unix spell program.
5588
5589 M-$ starts an Ispell process the first time you use it. But the process
5590 stays alive, so that subsequent uses of M-$ run very fast.
5591 If you want to get rid of the process, use M-x kill-ispell.
5592
5593 To check the entire current buffer, use M-x ispell-buffer.
5594 Use M-x ispell-region to check just the current region.
5595
5596 Ispell commands often involve interactive replacement of words.
5597 You can interrupt the interactive replacement with C-g.
5598 You can restart it again afterward with C-u M-$.
5599
5600 During interactive replacement, you can type the following characters:
5601
5602 a Accept this word this time.
5603 DIGIT Replace the word (this time) with one of the displayed near-misses.
5604 The digit you use says which near-miss to use.
5605 i Insert this word in your private dictionary
5606 so that Ispell will consider it correct it from now on.
5607 r Replace the word this time with a string typed by you.
5608
5609 When the Ispell process starts, it reads your private dictionary which
5610 is the file `~/ispell.words'. If you "insert" words with the `i' command,
5611 these words are added to that file, but not right away--only at the end
5612 of the interactive replacement process.
5613
5614 Use M-x reload-ispell to reload your private dictionary from
5615 `~/ispell.words' if you edit it outside of Ispell.
5616
5617 ** Changes in existing modes.
5618
5619 *** gdb-mode has been replaced by gud-mode.
5620
5621 The package gud.el (Grand Unified Debugger) replaces gdb.el in Emacs
5622 19. It provides a gdb.el-like interface to any of three debuggers;
5623 gdb itself, the sdb debugger supported on some Unix systems, or the
5624 dbx debugger on Berkeley systems.
5625
5626 You start it up with one of the commands M-x gdb, M-x sdb, or
5627 M-x dbx. Each entry point finishes by executing a hook; gdb-mode-hook,
5628 sdb-mode-hook or dbx-mode-hook respectively.
5629
5630 These bindings have changed:
5631 C-x C-a > gud-down (was M-d)
5632 C-x C-a < gud-up (was M-u)
5633 C-x C-a C-r gud-cont (was M-c)
5634 C-x C-a C-n gud-next (was M-n)
5635 C-x C-a C-s gud-step (was M-s)
5636 C-x C-a C-i gud-stepi (was M-i)
5637 C-x C-a C-l gud-recenter (was C-l)
5638 C-d comint-delchar-or-maybe-eof (was C-c C-d)
5639
5640 These bindings have been removed:
5641 C-c C-r (was comint-show-output; now gud-cont)
5642
5643 Since GUD mode uses comint, it uses comint's input history commands,
5644 superseding C-c C-y (copy-last-shell-input):
5645 M-p comint-next-input
5646 M-n comint-previous-input
5647 M-r comint-previous-similar-input
5648 M-s comint-next-similar-input
5649 M-C-r comint-previous-input-matching
5650
5651 The C-x C-a bindings are also active in source files.
5652
5653 *** The old TeX mode bindings of M-{ and M-} have been moved to C-c {
5654 and C-c }. (These commands are `up-list' and `tex-insert-braces';
5655 they are the TeX equivalents of M-( and M-).) This is because M-{
5656 and M-} are now globally defined commands.
5657
5658 *** Changes in Mail mode.
5659
5660 `%' is now a word-separator character in Mail mode.
5661
5662 `mail-signature', if non-nil, tells M-x mail to insert your
5663 `.signature' file automatically. If you don't want your signature in
5664 a particular message, just delete it before you send the message.
5665
5666 You can specify the text to insert at the beginning of each line when
5667 you use C-c C-y to yank the message you are replying to. Set
5668 `mail-yank-prefix' to the desired string. A value of `nil' (the
5669 default) means to use indentation, as in Emacs 18. If you use just
5670 C-u as the prefix argument to C-c C-y, then it does not insert
5671 anything at the beginning of the lines, regardless of the value of
5672 `mail-yank-prefix'.
5673
5674 If you like, you can expand mail aliases as abbrevs, as soon as you
5675 type them in. To enable this feature, execute the following:
5676
5677 (add-hook 'mail-setup-hook 'mail-abbrevs-setup)
5678
5679 This can go in your .emacs file.
5680
5681 Word abbrevs don't expand unless you insert a word-separator character
5682 afterward. Any mail aliases that you didn't expand at insertion time
5683 are expanded subsequently when you send the message.
5684
5685 *** Changes in Rmail.
5686
5687 Rmail by default gets new mail only from the system inbox file,
5688 not from `~/mbox'.
5689
5690 In Rmail, you can retry sending a message that failed
5691 by typing `M-m' on the failure message.
5692
5693 By contrast, another new command M-x rmail-resend is used for
5694 forwarding a message and marking it as "resent from" you
5695 with header fields "Resent-From:" and "Resent-To:".
5696
5697 `e' is now the command to edit a message.
5698 To expunge, type `x'. We know this will surprise people
5699 some of the time, but the surprise will not be disastrous--if
5700 you type `e' meaning to expunge, just turn off editing with C-c C-c
5701 and then type `x'.
5702
5703 Another new Rmail command is `<', which moves to the first message.
5704 This is for symmetry with `>'.
5705
5706 Use the `b' command to bury the Rmail buffer and its summary buffer,
5707 if any, removing both of them from display on the screen.
5708
5709 The variable `rmail-output-file-alist' now controls the default
5710 for the file to output a message to.
5711
5712 In the Rmail summary buffer, all cursor motion commands select
5713 the message you move to. It's really neat when you use
5714 incremental search.
5715
5716 You can now issue most Rmail commands from an Rmail summary buffer.
5717 The commands do the same thing in that buffer that they do in the
5718 Rmail buffer. They apply to the message that is selected in the Rmail
5719 buffer, which is always the one described by the current summary
5720 line.
5721
5722 Conversely, motion and deletion commands in the Rmail buffer also
5723 update the summary buffer. If you set the variable
5724 `rmail-redisplay-summary' to a non-nil value, then they bring the
5725 summary buffer (if one exists) back onto the screen.
5726
5727 C-M-t is a new command to make a summary by topic. It uses regexp
5728 matching against just the subjects of the messages to decide which
5729 messages to show in the summary.
5730
5731 You can easily convert an Rmail file to system mailbox format with the
5732 command `unrmail'. This command reads two arguments, the name of
5733 the Rmail file to convert, and the name of the new mailbox file.
5734 (This command does not change the Rmail file itself.)
5735
5736 Rmail now handles Content Length fields in messages.
5737
5738 *** `mail-extract-address-components' unpacks mail addresses.
5739 It takes an address as a string (the contents of the From field, for
5740 example) and returns a list of the form (FULL-NAME
5741 CANONICAL-ADDRESS).
5742
5743 *** Changes in C mode and C-related commands.
5744
5745 **** M-x c-up-conditional
5746
5747 In C mode, `c-up-conditional' moves back to the containing
5748 preprocessor conditional, setting the mark where point was
5749 previously.
5750
5751 A prefix argument acts as a repeat count. With a negative argument,
5752 this command moves forward to the end of the containing preprocessor
5753 conditional. When going backwards, `#elif' acts like `#else' followed
5754 by `#if'. When going forwards, `#elif' is ignored.
5755
5756 **** In C mode, M-a and M-e are now defined as
5757 `c-beginning-of-statement' and `c-end-of-statement'.
5758
5759 **** In C mode, M-x c-backslash-region is a new command to insert or
5760 align `\' characters at the ends of the lines of the region, except
5761 for the last such line. This is useful after writing or editing a C
5762 macro definition.
5763
5764 If a line already ends in `\', this command adjusts the amount of
5765 whitespace before it. Otherwise, it inserts a new `\'.
5766
5767 *** New features in info.
5768
5769 When Info looks for an Info file, it searches the directories
5770 in `Info-directory-list'. This makes it easy to install the Info files
5771 that come with various packages. You can specify the path with
5772 the environment variable INFOPATH.
5773
5774 There are new commands in Info mode.
5775
5776 `]' now moves forward a node, going up and down levels as needed.
5777 `[' is similar but moves backward. These two commands try to traverse
5778 the entire Info tree, node by node. They are the equivalent of reading
5779 a printed manual sequentially.
5780
5781 `<' moves to the top node of the current Info file.
5782 `>' moves to the last node of the file.
5783
5784 SPC scrolls through the current node; at the end, it advances to the
5785 next node in depth-first order (like `]').
5786
5787 DEL scrolls backwards in the current node; at the end, it moves to the
5788 previous node in depth-first order (like `[').
5789
5790 After a menu select, the info `up' command now restores point in the
5791 menu. The combination of this and the previous two changes means that
5792 repeated SPC keystrokes do the right (depth-first traverse forward) thing.
5793
5794 `i STRING RET' moves to the node associated with STRING in the index
5795 or indices of this manual. If there is more than one match for
5796 STRING, the `i' command finds the first match.
5797
5798 `,' finds the next match for the string in the previous `i' command
5799
5800 If you click the middle mouse button near a cross-reference,
5801 menu item or node pointer while in Info, you will go to the node
5802 which is referenced.
5803
5804 *** Changes in M-x compile.
5805
5806 You can repeat any previous compilation command conveniently using the
5807 minibuffer history commands, while in the minibuffer entering the
5808 compilation command.
5809
5810 While a compilation is going on, the string `Compiling' appears in
5811 the mode line. When this string disappears, that tells you the
5812 compilation is finished.
5813
5814 The buffer of compiler messages is in Compilation mode. This mode
5815 provides the keys SPC and DEL to scroll by screenfuls, and M-n and M-p
5816 to move to the next or previous error message. You can also use C-c
5817 C-c on any error message to find the corresponding source code.
5818
5819 Emacs 19 has a more general parser for compiler messages. For example, it
5820 can understand messages from lint, and from certain C compilers whose error
5821 message format is unusual. Also, it only parses until it sees the error
5822 message you want; you never have to wait a long time to see the first
5823 error, no matter how big the buffer is.
5824
5825 *** M-x diff and M-x diff-backup.
5826
5827 This new command compares two files, displaying the differences in an
5828 Emacs buffer. The options for the `diff' program come from the
5829 variable `diff-switches', whose value should be a string.
5830
5831 The buffer of differences has Compilation mode as its major mode, so you
5832 can use C-x ` to visit successive changed locations in the two
5833 source files, or you can move to a particular hunk of changes and type
5834 C-c C-c to move to the corresponding source. You can also use the
5835 other special commands of Compilation mode: SPC and DEL for
5836 scrolling, and M-n and M-p for cursor motion.
5837
5838 M-x diff-backup compares a file with its most recent backup.
5839 If you specify the name of a backup file, `diff-backup' compares it
5840 with the source file that it is a backup of.
5841
5842 *** The View commands (such as M-x view-buffer and M-x view-file) no
5843 longer use recursive edits; instead, they switch temporarily to a
5844 different major mode (View mode) specifically designed for moving
5845 around through a buffer without editing it.
5846
5847 *** Changes in incremental search.
5848
5849 **** The character to terminate an incremental search is now RET.
5850 This is for compatibility with the way most other arguments are read.
5851
5852 To search for a newline in an incremental search, type LFD (also known
5853 as C-j).
5854
5855 **** Incremental search now maintains a ring of previous search
5856 strings. Use M-p and M-n to move through the ring to pick a search
5857 string to reuse. These commands leave the selected search ring
5858 element in the minibuffer, where you can edit it. Type C-s or C-r to
5859 finish editing and search for the chosen string.
5860
5861 **** If you type an upper case letter in incremental search, that turns
5862 off case-folding, so that you get a case-sensitive search.
5863
5864 **** If you type a space during regexp incremental search, it matches
5865 any sequence of whitespace characters. If you want to match just a space,
5866 type C-q SPC.
5867
5868 **** Incremental search is now implemented as a major mode. When you
5869 type C-s, it switches temporarily to a different keymap which defines
5870 each key to do what it ought to do for incremental search. This has
5871 next to no effect on the user-visible behavior of searching, but makes
5872 it easier to customize that behavior.
5873
5874 Emacs 19 eliminates the old variables `search-...-char' that used to
5875 be the way to specify the characters to use for various special
5876 purposes in incremental search. Instead, you can define the meaning
5877 of a character in incremental search by modifying `isearch-mode-map'.
5878
5879 *** New commands in Buffer Menu mode.
5880
5881 The command C-o now displays the current line's buffer in another
5882 window but does not select it. This is like the existing command `o'
5883 which selects the current line's buffer in another window.
5884
5885 The command % toggles the read-only flag of the current line's buffer.
5886
5887 The way to switch to a set of several buffers, including those marked
5888 with m, is now v. The q command simply quits, replacing the buffer
5889 menu buffer with the buffer that was displayed previously.
5890
5891 ** New major modes and packages.
5892
5893 *** The news reader GNUS is now installed.
5894
5895 *** There is a new interface for version control systems, called VC.
5896 It works with both RCS and SCCS; in fact, you don't really have to
5897 know which one of them is being used, because it automatically deals
5898 with either one.
5899
5900 Most of the time, the only command you have to know about is C-x C-q.
5901 This command normally toggles the read-only flag of the current
5902 buffer. If the buffer is visiting a file that is maintained with a
5903 version control system, the command still toggles read-only, but does
5904 so by checking the file in or checking it out.
5905
5906 When you check a file in, VC asks you for a log entry by popping up a
5907 buffer. Edit the entry there, then type C-c C-c when it is ready.
5908 That's when the actual checkin happens. If you change your mind about
5909 the checkin, simply switch buffers and don't ever go back to the log
5910 buffer.
5911
5912 To start using version control for a file, use the command C-x v v.
5913 This works like C-x C-q (performing the next logical version-control
5914 operation needed to change the file's writability) but it will also
5915 perform initial checkin on an unregistered file.
5916
5917 By default, VC uses RCS if RCS is installed on your machine;
5918 otherwise, SCCS. If you want to make the choice explicitly, you can do
5919 it by setting `vc-default-back-end' to the symbol `RCS' or the symbol
5920 `SCCS'.
5921
5922 You can tell when a file you visit is maintained with version control
5923 because either `RCS' or `SCCS' appears in the mode line.
5924
5925 *** A new Calendar mode has been added, the work of Edward M. Reingold.
5926 The mode can display the Gregorian calendar and a variety of other
5927 calendars at any date, and interacts with a diary facility similar to
5928 the UNIX `calendar' utility.
5929
5930 *** There is a new major mode for editing binary files: Hexl mode.
5931 To use it, use M-x hexl-find-file instead of C-x C-f to visit the file.
5932 This command converts the file's contents to hexadecimal and lets you
5933 edit the translation. When you save the file, it is converted
5934 automatically back to binary.
5935
5936 You can also use M-x hexl-mode to translate an existing buffer into hex.
5937 Do this if you have already visited a binary file.
5938
5939 Hexl mode has a few other commands:
5940
5941 C-M-d insert a byte with a code typed in decimal.
5942 C-M-o insert a byte with a code typed in octal.
5943 C-M-x insert a byte with a code typed in hex.
5944
5945 C-x [ move to the beginning of a 1k-byte "page".
5946 C-x ] move to the end of a 1k-byte "page".
5947
5948 M-g go to an address specified in hex.
5949 M-j go to an address specified in decimal.
5950
5951 C-c C-c leave hexl mode and go back to the previous major mode.
5952
5953 *** Miscellaneous new major modes include Awk mode, Icon mode, Makefile
5954 mode, Perl mode and SGML mode.
5955
5956 *** Edebug, a new source-level debugger for Emacs Lisp functions.
5957
5958 To use Edebug, use the command M-x edebug-defun to "evaluate" a
5959 function definition in an Emacs Lisp file. We put "evaluate" in
5960 quotation marks because it doesn't just evaluate the function, it also
5961 inserts additional information to support source-level debugging.
5962
5963 You must also do
5964
5965 (setq debugger 'edebug-debug)
5966
5967 to cause errors and single-stepping to use Edebug instead of the usual
5968 Emacs Lisp debugger.
5969
5970 For more information, see the Edebug manual, which should be included
5971 in the Emacs distribution.
5972
5973 *** C++ mode is like C mode, except that it understands C++ comment syntax
5974 and certain other differences between C and C++. It also has a command
5975 `fill-c++-comment' which fills a paragraph made of comment lines.
5976
5977 The command `comment-region' is useful in C++ mode for commenting out
5978 several consecutive lines, or removing the commenting out of such lines.
5979
5980 *** A new package for merging two variants of the same text.
5981
5982 It's not unusual for programmers to get their signals crossed and
5983 modify the same program in two different directions. Then somebody
5984 has to merge the two versions. The command `emerge-files' makes this
5985 easier.
5986
5987 `emerge-files' reads two file names and compares them. Then it
5988 displays three buffers: one for each file, and one for the
5989 differences.
5990
5991 If the original version of the file is available, you can make things
5992 even easier using `emerge-files-with-ancestor'. It reads three file
5993 names--variant 1, variant 2, and the common ancestor--and uses diff3
5994 to compare them.
5995
5996 You control the merging interactively. The main loop of Emerge
5997 consists of showing you one set of differences, asking you what to do
5998 about them, and doing it. You have a choice of two modes for giving
5999 directions to Emerge: "fast" mode and "edit" mode.
6000
6001 In Fast mode, Emerge commands are single characters, and ordinary
6002 Emacs commands are disabled. This makes Emerge operations fast, but
6003 prevents you from doing more than selecting the A or the B version of
6004 differences. In Edit mode, all emerge commands use the C-c prefix,
6005 and the usual Emacs commands are available. This allows editing the
6006 merge buffer, but slows down Emerge operations. Edit and fast modes
6007 are indicated by `F' and `E' in the minor modes in the mode line.
6008
6009 The Emerge commands are:
6010
6011 p go to the previous difference
6012 n go to the next difference
6013 a select the A version of this difference
6014 b select the B version of this difference
6015 j go to a particular difference (prefix argument
6016 specifies which difference) (0j suppresses display of
6017 the flags)
6018 q quit - finish the merge*
6019 f go into fast mode
6020 e go into edit mode
6021 l recenter (C-l) all three windows*
6022 - and 0 through 9
6023 prefix numeric arguments
6024 d a select the A version as the default from here down in
6025 the merge buffer*
6026 d b select the B version as the default from here down in
6027 the merge buffer*
6028 c a copy the A version of the difference into the kill
6029 ring
6030 c b copy the B version of the difference into the kill
6031 ring
6032 i a insert the A version of the difference at the point
6033 i b insert the B version of the difference at the point
6034 m put the point and mark around the difference region
6035 ^ scroll-down (like M-v) the three windows*
6036 v scroll-up (like C-v) the three windows*
6037 < scroll-left (like C-x <) the three windows*
6038 > scroll-right (like C-x >) the three windows*
6039 | reset horizontal scroll on the three windows*
6040 x 1 shrink the merge window to one line (use C-u l to restore it
6041 to full size)
6042 x a find the difference containing a location in the A buffer*
6043 x b find the difference containing a location in the B buffer*
6044 x c combine the two versions of this difference*
6045 x C combine the two versions of this difference, using a
6046 register's value as the template*
6047 x d find the difference containing a location in the merge buffer*
6048 x f show the files/buffers Emerge is operating on in Help window
6049 (use C-u l to restore windows)
6050 x j join this difference with the following one
6051 (C-u x j joins this difference with the previous one)
6052 x l show line numbers of points in A, B, and merge buffers
6053 x m change major mode of merge buffer*
6054 x s split this difference into two differences
6055 (first position the point in all three buffers to the places
6056 to split the difference)
6057 x t trim identical lines off top and bottom of difference
6058 (such lines occur when the A and B versions are
6059 identical but differ from the ancestor version)
6060 x x set the template for the x c command*
6061
6062 Normally, the merged output goes back in the first file specified.
6063 If you use a prefix argument, Emerge reads another file name to use
6064 for the output file.
6065
6066 Once Emerge has prepared the buffer of differences, it runs the hooks
6067 in `emerge-startup-hooks'.
6068
6069 *** Asm mode is a new major mode for editing files of assembler code.
6070 It defines these commands:
6071
6072 TAB tab-to-tab-stop.
6073 LFD Insert a newline and then indent using tab-to-tab-stop.
6074 : Insert a colon and then remove the indentation
6075 from before the label preceding colon. Then tab-to-tab-stop.
6076 ; Insert or align a comment.
6077
6078 *** Two-column mode lets you conveniently edit two side-by-side columns
6079 of text. It works using two side-by-side windows, each showing its
6080 own buffer.
6081
6082 Here are three ways to enter two-column mode:
6083
6084 C-x 6 2 makes the current buffer into the left-hand buffer. In the
6085 right-hand window it puts a buffer whose name is based on the current
6086 buffer's name.
6087
6088 C-x 6 b BUFFER RET makes the current buffer into the left-hand buffer,
6089 and uses buffer BUFFER as the right-hand buffer.
6090
6091 C-x 6 s splits the current buffer, which contains two-column text,
6092 into two side-by-side buffers. The old current buffer becomes the
6093 left-hand buffer, but the text in the right column is moved into the
6094 right-hand buffer. The current column specifies the split point.
6095 Splitting starts with the current line and continues to the end of the
6096 buffer.
6097
6098 C-x 6 s takes a prefix argument which specifies how many characters
6099 before point constitute the column separator. (The default argument
6100 is 1, as usual, so by default the column separator is the character
6101 before point.) Lines that don't have the column separator at the
6102 proper place remain unsplit; they stay in the left-hand buffer, and
6103 the right-hand buffer gets an empty line to correspond.
6104
6105 You can scroll both buffers together using C-x 6 SPC (scroll up), C-x
6106 6 DEL (scroll down), and C-x 6 RET (scroll up one line). C-x 6 C-l
6107 recenters both buffers together.
6108
6109 If you want to make a line which will span both columns, put it in
6110 the left-hand buffer, with an empty line in the corresponding place in
6111 the right-hand buffer.
6112
6113 When you have edited both buffers as you wish, merge them with C-x 6
6114 1. This copies the text from the right-hand buffer as a second column
6115 in the other buffer. To go back to two-column editing, use C-x 6 s.
6116
6117 Use C-x 6 d to dissociate the two buffers, leaving each as it
6118 stands. (If the other buffer, the one that was not current when you
6119 type C-x 6 d, is empty, C-x 6 d kills it.)
6120
6121 *** You can supply command arguments such as files to visit to an Emacs
6122 that is already running. To do this, you must do this in your .emacs
6123 file:
6124 (add-hook 'suspend-hook 'resume-suspend-hook)
6125 Also you must use the shellscript emacs.csh or emacs.sh, found in the
6126 etc subdirectory.
6127
6128 *** Shell mode has been completely replaced.
6129 The basic idea is the same, but there are new commands available in
6130 this mode.
6131
6132 TAB now completes the file name before point in the shell buffer.
6133 To get a list of all possible completions, type M-?.
6134
6135 There is a new convenient history mechanism for repeating previous
6136 commands. Use the command M-p to recall the last command; it copies
6137 the text of that command to the place where you are editing. If you
6138 repeat M-p, it replaces the copied command with the previous command.
6139 M-n is similar but goes in the opposite direction towards the present.
6140 When you find the command you wanted, you can edit it, or just
6141 resubmit it by typing RET.
6142
6143 You can also use M-r and M-s to search for (respectively) earlier or
6144 later inputs starting with a given string. First type the string,
6145 then type M-r to yank a previous input from the history which starts
6146 with that string. You can repeat M-r to find successively earlier
6147 inputs starting with the same string. You can start moving in the
6148 opposite direction (toward more recent inputs) by typing M-s instead
6149 of M-r. As long as you don't use any commands except M-r and M-s,
6150 they keep using the same string that you had entered initially.
6151
6152 C-c C-o kills the last batch of output from a shell command. This is
6153 useful if a shell command spews out lots of output that just gets in
6154 the way.
6155
6156 C-c C-r scrolls to display the beginning of the last batch of output
6157 at the top of the window; it also moves the cursor there.
6158
6159 C-a on a line that starts with a shell prompt moves to the end of the
6160 prompt, not to the very beginning of the line.
6161
6162 C-d typed at the end of the shell buffer sends EOF to the subshell.
6163 At any other position in the buffer, it deletes a character as usual.
6164
6165 If Emacs gets confused while trying to track changes in the shell's
6166 current directory, type M-x dirs to re-synchronize.
6167
6168 M-x send-invisible reads a line of text without echoing it, and
6169 sends it to the shell.
6170
6171 If you accidentally suspend your process, use M-x comint-continue-subjob
6172 to continue it.
6173
6174 *** There is now a convenient way to enable flow control on terminals
6175 where you can't win without it. Suppose you want to do this on
6176 VT-100 and H19 terminals; put the following in your `.emacs' file:
6177
6178 (enable-flow-control-on "vt100" "h19")
6179
6180 When flow control is enabled, you must type C-\ to get the effect of a
6181 C-s, and type C-^ to get the effect of a C-q.
6182
6183 The function `enable-flow-control' enables flow control unconditionally.
6184 \f
6185 ** Changes in Dired
6186
6187 Dired has many new features which allow you to do these things:
6188
6189 - Rename, copy, or make links to many files at once.
6190
6191 - Make distinguishable types of marks for different operations.
6192
6193 - Display contents of subdirectories in the same Dired buffer as the
6194 parent directory.
6195
6196 *** Setting and Clearing Marks
6197
6198 There are now two kinds of marker that you can put on a file in Dired:
6199 `D' for deletion, and `*' for any other kind of operation.
6200 The `x' command deletes only files marked with `D', and most
6201 other Dired commands operate only on the files marked with `*'.
6202
6203 To mark files with `D' (also called "flagging" the files), you
6204 can use `d' as usual. Here are some commands for marking with
6205 `*' (and also for unmarking):
6206
6207 **** `m' marks the current file with `*', for an operation other than
6208 deletion.
6209
6210 **** `*' marks all executable files. With a prefix argument, it
6211 unmarks all those files.
6212
6213 **** `@' marks all symbolic links. With a prefix argument, it unmarks
6214 all those files.
6215
6216 **** `/' marks all directory files except `.' and `..'. With a prefix
6217 argument, it unmarks all those files.
6218
6219 **** M-DEL removes a specific or all marks from every file. With an
6220 argument, queries for each marked file. Type your help character,
6221 usually C-h, at that time for help.
6222
6223 **** `c' replaces all marks that use the character OLD with marks that
6224 use the character NEW. You can use almost any character as a mark
6225 character by means of this command, to distinguish various classes of
6226 files. If OLD is ` ', then the command operates on all unmarked
6227 files; if NEW is ` ', then the command unmarks the files it acts on.
6228
6229 *** Operating on Multiple Files
6230
6231 The Dired commands to operate directly on files (rename them, copy
6232 them, and so on) have been generalized to work on multiple files.
6233 There are also some additional commands in this series.
6234
6235 All of these commands use the same convention to decide which files to
6236 manipulate:
6237
6238 - If you give the command a numeric prefix argument @var{n}, it operates
6239 on the next @var{n} files, starting with the current file.
6240
6241 - Otherwise, if there are marked files, the commands operate on all the
6242 marked files.
6243
6244 - Otherwise, the command operates on the current file only.
6245
6246 These are the commands:
6247
6248 **** `C' copies the specified files. You must specify a directory to
6249 copy into, or (if copying a single file) a new name.
6250
6251 If `dired-copy-preserve-time' is non-`nil', then copying sets
6252 the modification time of the new file to be the same as that of the old
6253 file.
6254
6255 **** `R' renames the specified files. You must specify a directory to
6256 rename into, or (if renaming a single file) a new name.
6257
6258 Dired automatically changes the visited file name of buffers associated
6259 with renamed files so that they refer to the new names.
6260
6261 **** `H' makes hard links to the specified files. You must specify a
6262 directory to make the links in, or (if making just one link) the name
6263 to give the link.
6264
6265 **** `S' makes symbolic links to the specified files. You must specify
6266 a directory to make the links in, or (if making just one link) the
6267 name to give the link.
6268
6269 **** `M' changes the mode of the specified files. This calls the
6270 `chmod' program, so you can describe the desired mode change with any
6271 argument that `chmod' would handle.
6272
6273 **** `G' changes the group of the specified files.
6274
6275 **** `O' changes the owner of the specified files. (On normal systems,
6276 only the superuser can do this.)
6277
6278 The variable `dired-chown-program' specifies the name of the
6279 program to use to do the work (different systems put `chown' in
6280 different places.
6281
6282 **** `Z' compresses or uncompresses the specified files.
6283
6284 **** `L' loads the specified Emacs Lisp files.
6285
6286 **** `B' byte compiles the specified Emacs Lisp files.
6287
6288 **** `P' prints the specified files. It uses the variables
6289 `lpr-command' and `lpr-switches' just as `lpr-file' does.
6290
6291 *** Shell Commands in Dired
6292
6293 `!' reads a shell command string in the minibuffer and runs the shell
6294 command on all the specified files. There are two ways of applying a
6295 shell command to multiple files:
6296
6297 - If you use `*' in the command, then the shell command runs just
6298 once, with the list of file names substituted for the `*'.
6299
6300 Thus, `! tar cf foo.tar * RET' runs `tar' on the entire list of file
6301 names, putting them into one tar file `foo.tar'. The file names are
6302 inserted in the order that they appear in the Dired buffer.
6303
6304 - If the command string doesn't contain `*', then it runs once for
6305 each file, with the file name attached at the end. For example, `!
6306 uudecode RET' runs `uudecode' on each file.
6307
6308 To run the shell command once for each file but without being limited
6309 to putting the file name inserted in the middle, use a shell loop.
6310 For example, this shell command would run `uuencode' on each of the
6311 specified files, writing the output into a corresponding `.uu' file:
6312
6313 for file in *; uuencode $file $file >$file.uu; done
6314
6315 The working directory for the shell command is the top level directory
6316 of the Dired buffer.
6317
6318 *** Regular Expression File Name Substitution
6319
6320 **** `% m REGEXP RET' marks all files whose names match the regular
6321 expression REGEXP.
6322
6323 Only the non-directory part of the file name is used in matching. Use
6324 `^' and `$' to anchor matches. Exclude subdirs by hiding them.
6325
6326 **** `% d REGEXP RET' flags for deletion all files whose names match
6327 the regular expression REGEXP.
6328
6329 **** `% R', `% C', `% H', `% S'
6330
6331 These four commands rename, copy, make hard links and make soft links,
6332 in each case computing the new name by regular expression substitution
6333 from the name of the old file. They effectively perform
6334 `query-replace-regexp' on the selected file names in the Dired buffer.
6335
6336 The commands read two arguments: a regular expression, and a
6337 substitution pattern. Each selected file name is matched against the
6338 regular expression, and then the part which matched is replaced with
6339 the substitution pattern. You can use `\&' and `\DIGIT' in the
6340 substitution pattern to refer to all or part of the old file name.
6341
6342 If the regular expression matches more than once in a file name,
6343 only the first match is replaced.
6344
6345 Normally, the replacement process does not consider the directory names;
6346 it operates on the file name within the directory. If you specify a
6347 prefix argument of zero, then replacement affects entire file name.
6348
6349 To apply the command to all files matching the same regexp that you
6350 use in the command, mark those files with `% m REGEXP RET', then use
6351 the same regular expression in `% R'. To make this easier, `% R' uses
6352 as a default the last regular expression specified in a `%' command.
6353
6354 *** Dired Case Conversion
6355
6356 **** `% u' renames each of the selected files to an upper case name.
6357
6358 **** `% l' renames each of the selected files to a lower case name.
6359
6360 *** File Comparison with Dired
6361
6362 **** `=' compares the current file with another file (the file at the
6363 mark), by running the `diff' program. The file at the mark is given
6364 to `diff' first.
6365
6366 **** `M-=' compares the current file with its backup file. If there
6367 are several numerical backups, it uses the most recent one. If this
6368 file is a backup, it is compared with its original.
6369
6370 The backup file is the first file given to `diff'.
6371
6372 *** Subdirectories in Dired
6373
6374 You can display more than one directory in one Dired buffer.
6375 The simplest way to do this is to specify the options `-lR' for
6376 running `ls'. That produces a recursive directory listing showing
6377 all subdirectories, all within the same Dired buffer.
6378
6379 You can also insert the contents of a particular subdirectory with the
6380 `i' command. Use this command on the line that describes a file which
6381 is a directory. Inserted subdirectory contents follow the top-level
6382 directory of the Dired buffer, just as they do in `ls -lR' output.
6383
6384 If the subdirectory's contents are already present in the buffer, the
6385 `i' command just moves to it (type `l' to refresh it). It sets the
6386 Emacs mark before moving, so C-x C-x takes you back to the old
6387 position in the buffer.
6388
6389 When you have subdirectories in the Dired buffer, you can use the page
6390 motion commands C-x [ and C-x ] to move by entire directories.
6391
6392 The following commands move up and down in the tree of directories
6393 in one Dired buffer:
6394
6395 **** C-M-u Go up to the parent directory's headerline.
6396
6397 **** C-M-d Go down in the tree, to the first subdirectory's
6398 headerline.
6399
6400 **** C-M-n Go to next subdirectory headerline, regardless of level.
6401
6402 **** C-M-p Go to previous subdirectory headerline, regardless of
6403 level.
6404
6405 *** Hiding Subdirectories
6406
6407 "Hiding" a subdirectory means to make it invisible, except for its
6408 headerline. Files inside a hidden subdirectory are never considered
6409 by Dired. For example, the commands to operate on marked files ignore
6410 files in hidden directories even if they are marked.
6411
6412 **** `$' hides or unhides the current subdirectory and move to next
6413 subdirectory. A prefix argument serves as a repeat count.
6414
6415 **** `M-$' hides all subdirectories, leaving only their header lines.
6416 Or, if at least one subdirectory is currently hidden, it makes
6417 everything visible again. You can use this command to get an overview
6418 in very deep directory trees or to move quickly to subdirectories far
6419 away.
6420
6421 *** Editing the Dired Buffer
6422
6423 **** `l' updates the specified files in a Dired buffer. This means
6424 reading their current status from the file system and changing the
6425 buffer to reflect it properly.
6426
6427 If you use this command on a subdirectory header line, it updates the
6428 contents of the subdirectory.
6429
6430 **** `g' updates the entire contents of the Dired buffer. It preserves
6431 all marks except for those on files that have vanished. Hidden
6432 subdirectories are updated but remain hidden.
6433
6434 **** `k' kills all marked lines (not the files). With a prefix
6435 argument, it kills that many lines starting with the current line.
6436
6437 This command does not delete files; it just deletes text from the Dired
6438 buffer.
6439
6440 If you kill the line for a file that is a directory, then its contents
6441 are also deleted from the buffer. Typing `C-u k' on the header line
6442 for a subdirectory is another way to delete a subdirectory from the
6443 Dired buffer.
6444
6445 *** `find' and Dired.
6446
6447 To search for files with names matching a wildcard pattern use
6448 `find-name-dired'. Its arguments are DIRECTORY and
6449 PATTERN. It selects all the files in DIRECTORY or its
6450 subdirectories whose own names match PATTERN.
6451
6452 The files thus selected are displayed in a Dired buffer in which the
6453 ordinary Dired commands are available.
6454
6455 If you want to test the contents of files, rather than their names, use
6456 `find-grep-dired'. This command takes two minibuffer arguments,
6457 DIRECTORY and REGEXP; it selects all the files in
6458 DIRECTORY or its subdirectories that contain a match for
6459 REGEXP. It works by running `find' and `grep'.
6460
6461 The most general command in this series is `find-dired', which lets
6462 you specify any condition that `find' can test. It takes two
6463 minibuffer arguments, DIRECTORY and FIND-ARGS; it runs `find' in
6464 DIRECTORY with using FIND-ARGS as the arguments to `find' specifying
6465 which files to accept. To use this command, you need to know how to
6466 use `find'.
6467 \f
6468 ** New amusements and novelties.
6469
6470 *** `M-x mpuz' displays a multiplication puzzle, in which each letter
6471 stands for a digit, and you must determine which digit. The puzzles
6472 are determined randomly, so they are always different.
6473
6474 *** `M-x gomoku' plays the game Gomoku with you. It needs more work.
6475
6476 *** `M-x spook' adds a line of randomly chosen keywords to an outgoing
6477 mail message. The keywords are chosen from a list of words that
6478 suggest you are discussing something subversive.
6479
6480 The idea is that the NSA reads all messages that contain keywords
6481 suggesting they might be interested, and that adding these lines could
6482 help to overload them. I would guess that they have modified their
6483 program by now to ignore these lines of keywords; perhaps the program
6484 can be updated if some clever hacker can determine what criterion they
6485 actually use now.
6486 \f
6487 ** Installation changes
6488
6489 *** The configure script has been provided to help with the
6490 installation process. It takes the place of editing the Makefiles and
6491 src/config.h, and can often guess the appropriate operating system to
6492 use for a particular machine type. See INSTALL for a more detailed
6493 description of the steps required for installation.
6494
6495 *** If you create a Lisp file named `site-start.el', Emacs loads the file
6496 whenever it starts up.
6497
6498 *** A new Lisp variable, `data-directory', indicates the directory
6499 containing the DOC file, tutorial, copying agreement, and other
6500 familiar `etc' files. The value of `data-directory' is a simple string.
6501 The default should be set at build time, and the person installing
6502 Emacs should place all the data files in this directory. The `help.el'
6503 functions that look for docstrings and information files check this
6504 variable. All Emacs Lisp packages should also be coded so that they
6505 refer to `data-directory' to find data files.
6506
6507 *** The PURESIZE definition has been moved from config.h to its own
6508 file, puresize.h. Since almost every file of C source in the
6509 distribution depends on config.h, but only alloc.c and data.c depend
6510 on puresize.h, this means that changing the value of PURESIZE causes
6511 only those two files to be recompiled.
6512
6513 *** The makefile at the top of the Emacs source tree now supports a
6514 `dist' target, which creates a compressed tar file suitable for
6515 distribution, using the contents of the source tree. Object files,
6516 old file versions, executables, DOC files, and other
6517 architecture-specific or easy-to-recreate files are not included in
6518 the tar file.
6519
6520
6521 \f
6522 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
6523 This file is part of GNU Emacs.
6524
6525 GNU Emacs is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
6526 it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
6527 the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
6528 (at your option) any later version.
6529
6530 GNU Emacs is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
6531 but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
6532 MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
6533 GNU General Public License for more details.
6534
6535 You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
6536 along with GNU Emacs. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
6537
6538 \f
6539 Local variables:
6540 mode: outline
6541 paragraph-separate: "[ \f]*$"
6542 end: