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6bf7aab6 | 1 | @c This is part of the Emacs manual. |
b65d8176 | 2 | @c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2002, |
8d99e09d | 3 | @c 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
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4 | @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions. |
5 | @node Screen, User Input, Acknowledgments, Top | |
6 | @chapter The Organization of the Screen | |
7 | @cindex screen | |
8 | @cindex parts of the screen | |
6bf7aab6 | 9 | |
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10 | On a text-only terminal, the Emacs display occupies the whole |
11 | screen. On a graphical display, such as on GNU/Linux using the X | |
12 | Window System, Emacs creates its own windows to use. We use the term | |
13 | @dfn{frame} to mean the entire text-only screen or an entire | |
14 | system-level window used by Emacs. Emacs uses both kinds of frames, | |
15 | in the same way, to display your editing. Emacs normally starts out | |
16 | with just one frame, but you can create additional frames if you wish. | |
17 | @xref{Frames}. | |
18 | ||
19 | When you start Emacs, the main central area of the frame, all except | |
20 | for the top and bottom and sides, displays the text you are editing. | |
21 | This area is called @dfn{the window}. At the top there is normally a | |
22 | @dfn{menu bar} where you can access a series of menus; then there may | |
23 | be a @dfn{tool bar}, a row of icons that perform editing commands if | |
24 | you click on them. Below this, the window begins, often with a | |
25 | @dfn{scroll bar} on one side. Below the window comes the last line of | |
26 | the frame, a special @dfn{echo area} or @dfn{minibuffer window}, where | |
27 | prompts appear and where you enter information when Emacs asks for it. | |
28 | See following sections for more information about these special lines. | |
29 | ||
30 | You can subdivide the window horizontally or vertically to make | |
31 | multiple text windows, each of which can independently display some | |
32 | file or text (@pxref{Windows}). In this manual, the word ``window'' | |
33 | refers to the initial large window if not subdivided, or any one of | |
34 | the multiple windows you have subdivided it into. | |
6bf7aab6 | 35 | |
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36 | At any time, one window is the @dfn{selected window}. On graphical |
37 | terminals, the selected window normally shows a more prominent cursor | |
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38 | (usually solid and blinking) while other windows show a weaker cursor |
39 | (such as a hollow box). On text terminals, which have just one | |
40 | cursor, that cursor always appears in the selected window. | |
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41 | |
42 | Most Emacs commands implicitly apply to the text in the selected | |
43 | window (though mouse commands generally operate on whatever window you | |
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44 | click them in, whether selected or not). The text in other windows is |
45 | mostly visible for reference, unless/until you select them. If you | |
46 | use multiple frames on a graphical display, then giving the input | |
47 | focus to a particular frame selects a window in that frame. | |
6bf7aab6 | 48 | |
8858fc50 | 49 | Each window's last line is a @dfn{mode line}, which describes what |
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50 | is going on in that window. It appears in different color and/or a |
51 | ``3D'' box, if the terminal supports that; its contents normally begin | |
52 | with @w{@samp{--:-- @ *scratch*}} when Emacs starts. The mode line | |
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53 | displays status information such as what buffer is being displayed |
54 | above it in the window, what major and minor modes are in use, and | |
55 | whether the buffer contains unsaved changes. | |
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56 | |
57 | @menu | |
58 | * Point:: The place in the text where editing commands operate. | |
59 | * Echo Area:: Short messages appear at the bottom of the screen. | |
60 | * Mode Line:: Interpreting the mode line. | |
61 | * Menu Bar:: How to use the menu bar. | |
62 | @end menu | |
63 | ||
64 | @node Point | |
65 | @section Point | |
66 | @cindex point | |
67 | @cindex cursor | |
68 | ||
03196404 | 69 | Within Emacs, the active cursor shows the location at which |
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70 | editing commands will take effect. This location is called @dfn{point}. |
71 | Many Emacs commands move point through the text, so that you can edit at | |
72 | different places in it. You can also place point by clicking mouse | |
391f0754 | 73 | button 1 (normally the left button). |
6bf7aab6 | 74 | |
391f0754 | 75 | While the cursor appears to be @emph{on} a character, you should |
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76 | think of point as @emph{between} two characters; it points @emph{before} |
77 | the character that appears under the cursor. For example, if your text | |
78 | looks like @samp{frob} with the cursor over the @samp{b}, then point is | |
79 | between the @samp{o} and the @samp{b}. If you insert the character | |
80 | @samp{!} at that position, the result is @samp{fro!b}, with point | |
81 | between the @samp{!} and the @samp{b}. Thus, the cursor remains over | |
82 | the @samp{b}, as before. | |
83 | ||
84 | Sometimes people speak of ``the cursor'' when they mean ``point,'' or | |
85 | speak of commands that move point as ``cursor motion'' commands. | |
86 | ||
6bf7aab6 | 87 | If you are editing several files in Emacs, each in its own buffer, |
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88 | each buffer has its own point location. A buffer that is not |
89 | currently displayed remembers its point location in case you display | |
90 | it again later. When Emacs displays multiple windows, each window has | |
91 | its own point location. If the same buffer appears in more than one | |
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92 | window, each window has its own position for point in that buffer, and |
93 | (when possible) its own cursor. | |
94 | ||
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95 | A text-only terminal has just one cursor, so Emacs puts it |
96 | in the selected window. The other windows do not show a cursor, even | |
97 | though they do have a location of point. When Emacs updates the | |
98 | screen on a text-only terminal, it has to put the cursor temporarily | |
99 | at the place the output goes. This doesn't mean point is there, | |
100 | though. Once display updating finishes, Emacs puts the cursor where | |
101 | point is. | |
102 | ||
103 | On graphical terminals, Emacs shows a cursor in each window; the | |
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104 | selected window's cursor is solid and blinking, and the other cursors |
105 | are just hollow. Thus, the most prominent cursor always shows you the | |
106 | selected window, on all kinds of terminals. | |
ffa7d02a | 107 | |
19b2c4ca | 108 | @xref{Cursor Display}, for customizable variables that control display |
883c005a | 109 | of the cursor or cursors. |
6bf7aab6 | 110 | |
2684ed46 | 111 | The term ``point'' comes from the character @samp{.}, which was the |
6bf7aab6 | 112 | command in TECO (the language in which the original Emacs was written) |
2684ed46 | 113 | for accessing the value now called ``point.'' |
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114 | |
115 | @node Echo Area | |
116 | @section The Echo Area | |
117 | @cindex echo area | |
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118 | |
119 | The line at the bottom of the frame (below the mode line) is the | |
120 | @dfn{echo area}. It is used to display small amounts of text for | |
03196404 | 121 | various purposes. |
6bf7aab6 | 122 | |
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123 | @dfn{Echoing} means displaying the characters that you type. At the |
124 | command line, the operating system normally echoes all your input. | |
125 | Emacs handles echoing differently. | |
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126 | |
127 | Single-character commands do not echo in Emacs, and multi-character | |
128 | commands echo only if you pause while typing them. As soon as you pause | |
129 | for more than a second in the middle of a command, Emacs echoes all the | |
130 | characters of the command so far. This is to @dfn{prompt} you for the | |
131 | rest of the command. Once echoing has started, the rest of the command | |
132 | echoes immediately as you type it. This behavior is designed to give | |
133 | confident users fast response, while giving hesitant users maximum | |
134 | feedback. You can change this behavior by setting a variable | |
af6eba70 | 135 | (@pxref{Display Custom}). |
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136 | |
137 | @cindex error message in the echo area | |
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138 | If a command cannot do its job, it may display an @dfn{error |
139 | message} in the echo area. Error messages are accompanied by beeping | |
140 | or by flashing the screen. The error also discards any input you have | |
141 | typed ahead. | |
6bf7aab6 | 142 | |
1ba2ce68 | 143 | Some commands display informative messages in the echo area. These |
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144 | messages look much like error messages, but they are not announced |
145 | with a beep and do not throw away input. Sometimes the message tells | |
146 | you what the command has done, when this is not obvious from looking | |
147 | at the text being edited. Sometimes the sole purpose of a command is | |
148 | to show you a message giving you specific information---for example, | |
149 | @kbd{C-x =} (hold down @key{CTRL} and type @kbd{x}, then let go of | |
150 | @key{CTRL} and type @kbd{=}) displays a message describing the | |
151 | character position of point in the text and its current column in the | |
152 | window. Commands that take a long time often display messages ending | |
153 | in @samp{...} while they are working, and add @samp{done} at the end | |
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154 | when they are finished. They may also indicate progress with |
155 | percentages. | |
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156 | |
157 | @cindex @samp{*Messages*} buffer | |
158 | @cindex saved echo area messages | |
159 | @cindex messages saved from echo area | |
160 | Echo-area informative messages are saved in an editor buffer named | |
161 | @samp{*Messages*}. (We have not explained buffers yet; see | |
162 | @ref{Buffers}, for more information about them.) If you miss a message | |
163 | that appears briefly on the screen, you can switch to the | |
164 | @samp{*Messages*} buffer to see it again. (Successive progress messages | |
165 | are often collapsed into one in that buffer.) | |
166 | ||
167 | @vindex message-log-max | |
168 | The size of @samp{*Messages*} is limited to a certain number of lines. | |
169 | The variable @code{message-log-max} specifies how many lines. Once the | |
170 | buffer has that many lines, each line added at the end deletes one line | |
171 | from the beginning. @xref{Variables}, for how to set variables such as | |
172 | @code{message-log-max}. | |
173 | ||
174 | The echo area is also used to display the @dfn{minibuffer}, a window that | |
175 | is used for reading arguments to commands, such as the name of a file to be | |
176 | edited. When the minibuffer is in use, the echo area begins with a prompt | |
177 | string that usually ends with a colon; also, the cursor appears in that line | |
178 | because it is the selected window. You can always get out of the | |
179 | minibuffer by typing @kbd{C-g}. @xref{Minibuffer}. | |
180 | ||
181 | @node Mode Line | |
182 | @section The Mode Line | |
183 | @cindex mode line | |
184 | @cindex top level | |
185 | @c | |
186 | ||
446809ab | 187 | Each text window's last line is a @dfn{mode line}, which describes |
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188 | what is going on in that window. The mode line starts and ends with |
189 | dashes. When there is only one text window, the mode line appears | |
190 | right above the echo area; it is the next-to-last line in the frame. | |
191 | On a text-mode display, the mode line is in inverse video if the | |
192 | terminal supports that; on a graphics display, the mode line has a 3D | |
193 | box appearance to help it stand out. The mode line of the selected | |
194 | window has a slightly different appearance than those of other | |
195 | windows; see @ref{Optional Mode Line}, for more about this. | |
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196 | |
197 | Normally, the mode line looks like this: | |
198 | ||
199 | @example | |
391f0754 | 200 | -@var{cs}:@var{ch}-@var{fr} @var{buf} @var{pos} @var{line} (@var{major} @var{minor})------ |
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201 | @end example |
202 | ||
203 | @noindent | |
204 | This gives information about the buffer being displayed in the window: the | |
205 | buffer's name, what major and minor modes are in use, whether the buffer's | |
206 | text has been changed, and how far down the buffer you are currently | |
207 | looking. | |
208 | ||
209 | @var{ch} contains two stars @samp{**} if the text in the buffer has | |
210 | been edited (the buffer is ``modified''), or @samp{--} if the buffer has | |
211 | not been edited. For a read-only buffer, it is @samp{%*} if the buffer | |
212 | is modified, and @samp{%%} otherwise. | |
213 | ||
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214 | @var{fr} appears only on text-only terminals, to show the selected |
215 | frame name. @xref{Frames}. The initial frame's name is @samp{F1}. | |
216 | ||
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217 | @var{buf} is the name of the window's @dfn{buffer}. In most cases |
218 | this is the same as the name of a file you are editing. @xref{Buffers}. | |
219 | ||
220 | The buffer displayed in the selected window (the window that the | |
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221 | cursor is in) is the @dfn{current buffer}--the one that editing takes |
222 | place in. When we speak of what some command does to ``the buffer,'' | |
223 | we mean it does those things to the current buffer. | |
6bf7aab6 | 224 | |
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225 | @var{pos} tells you whether there is additional text above the top of |
226 | the window, or below the bottom. If your buffer is small and it is all | |
227 | visible in the window, @var{pos} is @samp{All}. Otherwise, it is | |
228 | @samp{Top} if you are looking at the beginning of the buffer, @samp{Bot} | |
229 | if you are looking at the end of the buffer, or @samp{@var{nn}%}, where | |
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230 | @var{nn} is the percentage of the buffer above the top of the window. |
231 | With Size Indication mode, you can display the size of the buffer as | |
232 | well. @xref{Optional Mode Line}. | |
233 | ||
234 | @var{line} is @samp{L} followed by the current line number of point. | |
235 | This is present when Line Number mode is enabled (which it normally is). | |
236 | You can optionally display the current column number too, by turning on | |
237 | Column Number mode (which is not enabled by default because it is | |
238 | somewhat slower). @xref{Optional Mode Line}. | |
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239 | |
240 | @var{major} is the name of the @dfn{major mode} in effect in the | |
241 | buffer. At any time, each buffer is in one and only one of the possible | |
242 | major modes. The major modes available include Fundamental mode (the | |
243 | least specialized), Text mode, Lisp mode, C mode, Texinfo mode, and many | |
244 | others. @xref{Major Modes}, for details of how the modes differ and how | |
245 | to select one.@refill | |
246 | ||
247 | Some major modes display additional information after the major mode | |
248 | name. For example, Rmail buffers display the current message number and | |
249 | the total number of messages. Compilation buffers and Shell buffers | |
250 | display the status of the subprocess. | |
251 | ||
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252 | @var{minor} is a list of some of the @dfn{minor modes} that are |
253 | turned on at the moment in the window's chosen buffer. For example, | |
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254 | @samp{Fill} means that Auto Fill mode is on. @samp{Abbrev} means that |
255 | Word Abbrev mode is on. @samp{Ovwrt} means that Overwrite mode is on. | |
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256 | @xref{Minor Modes}, for more information. @samp{Narrow} means that |
257 | the buffer being displayed has editing restricted to only a portion of | |
258 | its text. (This is not really a minor mode, but is like one.) | |
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259 | @xref{Narrowing}. @samp{Def} means that a keyboard macro is being |
260 | defined. @xref{Keyboard Macros}. | |
261 | ||
262 | In addition, if Emacs is currently inside a recursive editing level, | |
263 | square brackets (@samp{[@dots{}]}) appear around the parentheses that | |
264 | surround the modes. If Emacs is in one recursive editing level within | |
265 | another, double square brackets appear, and so on. Since recursive | |
266 | editing levels affect Emacs globally, not just one buffer, the square | |
267 | brackets appear in every window's mode line or not in any of them. | |
268 | @xref{Recursive Edit}.@refill | |
269 | ||
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270 | @var{cs} states the coding system used for the file you are editing. |
271 | A dash indicates the default state of affairs: no code conversion, | |
272 | except for end-of-line translation if the file contents call for that. | |
273 | @samp{=} means no conversion whatsoever. Nontrivial code conversions | |
274 | are represented by various letters---for example, @samp{1} refers to ISO | |
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275 | Latin-1. @xref{Coding Systems}, for more information. |
276 | ||
277 | On a text-only terminal, @var{cs} includes two additional characters | |
278 | which describe the coding system for keyboard input and the coding | |
279 | system for terminal output. They come right before the coding system | |
280 | used for the file you are editing. | |
6bf7aab6 | 281 | |
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282 | If you are using an input method, a string of the form |
283 | @samp{@var{i}>} is added to the beginning of @var{cs}; @var{i} | |
284 | identifies the input method. (Some input methods show @samp{+} or | |
285 | @samp{@@} instead of @samp{>}.) @xref{Input Methods}. | |
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286 | |
287 | When multibyte characters are not enabled, @var{cs} does not appear at | |
288 | all. @xref{Enabling Multibyte}. | |
289 | ||
290 | @cindex end-of-line conversion, mode-line indication | |
291 | The colon after @var{cs} can change to another string in certain | |
ad4a78d6 | 292 | circumstances. Emacs uses newline characters to separate lines in the buffer. |
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293 | Some files use different conventions for separating lines: either |
294 | carriage-return linefeed (the MS-DOS convention) or just carriage-return | |
295 | (the Macintosh convention). If the buffer's file uses carriage-return | |
296 | linefeed, the colon changes to either a backslash (@samp{\}) or | |
297 | @samp{(DOS)}, depending on the operating system. If the file uses just | |
298 | carriage-return, the colon indicator changes to either a forward slash | |
299 | (@samp{/}) or @samp{(Mac)}. On some systems, Emacs displays | |
300 | @samp{(Unix)} instead of the colon even for files that use newline to | |
301 | separate lines. | |
302 | ||
6bf7aab6 | 303 | @xref{Optional Mode Line}, for features that add other handy |
424bc822 | 304 | information to the mode line, such as the size of the buffer, the |
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305 | current column number of point, and whether new mail for you has |
306 | arrived. | |
6bf7aab6 | 307 | |
391f0754 | 308 | The mode line is mouse-sensitive; when you move the mouse across |
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309 | various parts of it, Emacs displays help text to say what a click in |
310 | that place will do. @xref{Mode Line Mouse}. | |
ad4a78d6 | 311 | |
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312 | @node Menu Bar |
313 | @section The Menu Bar | |
314 | @cindex menu bar | |
315 | ||
316 | Each Emacs frame normally has a @dfn{menu bar} at the top which you | |
317 | can use to perform certain common operations. There's no need to list | |
318 | them here, as you can more easily see for yourself. | |
319 | ||
320 | @kindex M-` | |
321 | @kindex F10 | |
322 | @findex tmm-menubar | |
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323 | On a graphical terminal, you can use the mouse to choose a command |
324 | from the menu bar. An arrow pointing right, after the menu item, | |
325 | indicates that the item leads to a subsidiary menu; @samp{...} at the | |
326 | end means that the command will read arguments (further input from | |
327 | you) before it actually does anything. | |
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328 | |
329 | To view the full command name and documentation for a menu item, type | |
330 | @kbd{C-h k}, and then select the menu bar with the mouse in the usual | |
331 | way (@pxref{Key Help}). | |
332 | ||
333 | On text-only terminals with no mouse, you can use the menu bar by | |
334 | typing @kbd{M-`} or @key{F10} (these run the command | |
335 | @code{tmm-menubar}). This command enters a mode in which you can select | |
336 | a menu item from the keyboard. A provisional choice appears in the echo | |
05a7c229 | 337 | area. You can use the up and down arrow keys to move through the |
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338 | menu to different choices. When you have found the choice you want, |
339 | type @key{RET} to select it. | |
340 | ||
341 | Each menu item also has an assigned letter or digit which designates | |
342 | that item; it is usually the initial of some word in the item's name. | |
343 | This letter or digit is separated from the item name by @samp{=>}. You | |
344 | can type the item's letter or digit to select the item. | |
345 | ||
346 | Some of the commands in the menu bar have ordinary key bindings as | |
347 | well; if so, the menu lists one equivalent key binding in parentheses | |
348 | after the item itself. | |
ab5796a9 MB |
349 | |
350 | @ignore | |
351 | arch-tag: 104ba40e-d972-4866-a542-a98be94bdf2f | |
352 | @end ignore |