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4873755c | 1 | Emacs tutorial. See end for copying conditions. |
f751376f | 2 | |
1869e50a KH |
3 | Emacs commands generally involve the CONTROL key (sometimes labeled |
4 | CTRL or CTL) or the META key (sometimes labeled EDIT or ALT). Rather than | |
4a3142d2 | 5 | write that in full each time, we'll use the following abbreviations: |
f751376f JB |
6 | |
7 | C-<chr> means hold the CONTROL key while typing the character <chr> | |
8 | Thus, C-f would be: hold the CONTROL key and type f. | |
8a4aff68 | 9 | M-<chr> means hold the META or EDIT or ALT key down while typing <chr>. |
4a3142d2 KH |
10 | If there is no META, EDIT or ALT key, instead press and release the |
11 | ESC key and then type <chr>. We write <ESC> for the ESC key. | |
f751376f JB |
12 | |
13 | Important note: to end the Emacs session, type C-x C-c. (Two characters.) | |
15f54450 | 14 | To quit a partially entered command, type C-g. |
f751376f JB |
15 | The characters ">>" at the left margin indicate directions for you to |
16 | try using a command. For instance: | |
39296e3a RS |
17 | <<Blank lines inserted around following line by help-with-tutorial>> |
18 | [Middle of page left blank for didactic purposes. Text continues below] | |
95486d46 | 19 | >> Now type C-v (View next screen) to move to the next screen. |
1e78d347 | 20 | (go ahead, do it by holding down the CONTROL key while typing v). |
82e312c7 | 21 | From now on, you should do this again whenever you finish |
f751376f JB |
22 | reading the screen. |
23 | ||
82e312c7 RS |
24 | Note that there is an overlap of two lines when you move from screen |
25 | to screen; this provides some continuity so you can continue reading | |
26 | the text. | |
f751376f | 27 | |
82e312c7 RS |
28 | The first thing that you need to know is how to move around from place |
29 | to place in the text. You already know how to move forward one screen, | |
30 | with C-v. To move backwards one screen, type M-v (hold down the META key | |
bec1289c | 31 | and type v, or type <ESC>v if you do not have a META, EDIT, or ALT key). |
f751376f | 32 | |
95486d46 | 33 | >> Try typing M-v and then C-v, a few times. |
f751376f JB |
34 | |
35 | ||
26dc36e6 JB |
36 | * SUMMARY |
37 | --------- | |
f751376f JB |
38 | |
39 | The following commands are useful for viewing screenfuls: | |
40 | ||
41 | C-v Move forward one screenful | |
42 | M-v Move backward one screenful | |
82e312c7 RS |
43 | C-l Clear screen and redisplay all the text, |
44 | moving the text around the cursor | |
45 | to the center of the screen. | |
1e78d347 | 46 | (That's CONTROL-L, not CONTROL-1.) |
f751376f | 47 | |
45ea35bf GM |
48 | >> Find the cursor, and note what text is near it. Then type C-l. |
49 | Find the cursor again and notice that the same text is still near | |
50 | the cursor, but now it is in the center of the screen. | |
51 | If you press C-l again, this piece of text will move to the top of | |
52 | the screen. Press C-l again, and it moves to the bottom. | |
f751376f | 53 | |
3d9a3367 RS |
54 | You can also use the PageUp and PageDn keys to move by screenfuls, if |
55 | your terminal has them, but you can edit more efficiently if you use | |
56 | C-v and M-v. | |
49a8a2f5 | 57 | |
f751376f | 58 | |
26dc36e6 JB |
59 | * BASIC CURSOR CONTROL |
60 | ---------------------- | |
f751376f | 61 | |
82e312c7 RS |
62 | Moving from screenful to screenful is useful, but how do you |
63 | move to a specific place within the text on the screen? | |
64 | ||
49a8a2f5 RS |
65 | There are several ways you can do this. You can use the arrow keys, |
66 | but it's more efficient to keep your hands in the standard position | |
67 | and use the commands C-p, C-b, C-f, and C-n. These characters | |
68 | are equivalent to the four arrow keys, like this: | |
177c0ea7 | 69 | |
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70 | Previous line, C-p |
71 | : | |
72 | : | |
73 | Backward, C-b .... Current cursor position .... Forward, C-f | |
74 | : | |
75 | : | |
82e312c7 | 76 | Next line, C-n |
f751376f JB |
77 | |
78 | >> Move the cursor to the line in the middle of that diagram | |
82e312c7 RS |
79 | using C-n or C-p. Then type C-l to see the whole diagram |
80 | centered in the screen. | |
f751376f | 81 | |
49a8a2f5 RS |
82 | You'll find it easy to remember these letters by words they stand for: |
83 | P for previous, N for next, B for backward and F for forward. You | |
84 | will be using these basic cursor positioning commands all the time. | |
f751376f JB |
85 | |
86 | >> Do a few C-n's to bring the cursor down to this line. | |
87 | ||
88 | >> Move into the line with C-f's and then up with C-p's. | |
89 | See what C-p does when the cursor is in the middle of the line. | |
90 | ||
5b85892b | 91 | Each line of text ends with a Newline character, which serves to |
45ea35bf GM |
92 | separate it from the following line. (Normally, the last line in |
93 | a file will have a Newline at the end, but Emacs does not require it.) | |
82e312c7 RS |
94 | |
95 | >> Try to C-b at the beginning of a line. It should move to | |
96 | the end of the previous line. This is because it moves back | |
97 | across the Newline character. | |
f751376f | 98 | |
82e312c7 | 99 | C-f can move across a Newline just like C-b. |
f751376f | 100 | |
82e312c7 RS |
101 | >> Do a few more C-b's, so you get a feel for where the cursor is. |
102 | Then do C-f's to return to the end of the line. | |
103 | Then do one more C-f to move to the following line. | |
f751376f | 104 | |
82e312c7 RS |
105 | When you move past the top or bottom of the screen, the text beyond |
106 | the edge shifts onto the screen. This is called "scrolling". It | |
107 | enables Emacs to move the cursor to the specified place in the text | |
108 | without moving it off the screen. | |
109 | ||
110 | >> Try to move the cursor off the bottom of the screen with C-n, and | |
f751376f JB |
111 | see what happens. |
112 | ||
113 | If moving by characters is too slow, you can move by words. M-f | |
1e78d347 | 114 | (META-f) moves forward a word and M-b moves back a word. |
f751376f | 115 | |
82e312c7 RS |
116 | >> Type a few M-f's and M-b's. |
117 | ||
118 | When you are in the middle of a word, M-f moves to the end of the word. | |
119 | When you are in whitespace between words, M-f moves to the end of the | |
120 | following word. M-b works likewise in the opposite direction. | |
121 | ||
122 | >> Type M-f and M-b a few times, interspersed with C-f's and C-b's | |
123 | so that you can observe the action of M-f and M-b from various | |
124 | places inside and between words. | |
f751376f JB |
125 | |
126 | Notice the parallel between C-f and C-b on the one hand, and M-f and | |
127 | M-b on the other hand. Very often Meta characters are used for | |
82e312c7 RS |
128 | operations related to the units defined by language (words, sentences, |
129 | paragraphs), while Control characters operate on basic units that are | |
130 | independent of what you are editing (characters, lines, etc). | |
131 | ||
132 | This parallel applies between lines and sentences: C-a and C-e move to | |
133 | the beginning or end of a line, and M-a and M-e move to the beginning | |
134 | or end of a sentence. | |
f751376f JB |
135 | |
136 | >> Try a couple of C-a's, and then a couple of C-e's. | |
137 | Try a couple of M-a's, and then a couple of M-e's. | |
138 | ||
82e312c7 RS |
139 | See how repeated C-a's do nothing, but repeated M-a's keep moving one |
140 | more sentence. Although these are not quite analogous, each one seems | |
141 | natural. | |
f751376f JB |
142 | |
143 | The location of the cursor in the text is also called "point". To | |
144 | paraphrase, the cursor shows on the screen where point is located in | |
145 | the text. | |
146 | ||
82e312c7 RS |
147 | Here is a summary of simple cursor-moving operations, including the |
148 | word and sentence moving commands: | |
f751376f JB |
149 | |
150 | C-f Move forward a character | |
151 | C-b Move backward a character | |
152 | ||
153 | M-f Move forward a word | |
154 | M-b Move backward a word | |
155 | ||
156 | C-n Move to next line | |
157 | C-p Move to previous line | |
158 | ||
159 | C-a Move to beginning of line | |
160 | C-e Move to end of line | |
161 | ||
162 | M-a Move back to beginning of sentence | |
163 | M-e Move forward to end of sentence | |
164 | ||
f751376f | 165 | >> Try all of these commands now a few times for practice. |
82e312c7 RS |
166 | These are the most often used commands. |
167 | ||
1e78d347 PJ |
168 | Two other important cursor motion commands are M-< (META Less-than), |
169 | which moves to the beginning of the whole text, and M-> (META | |
82e312c7 RS |
170 | Greater-than), which moves to the end of the whole text. |
171 | ||
172 | On most terminals, the "<" is above the comma, so you must use the | |
173 | shift key to type it. On these terminals you must use the shift key | |
174 | to type M-< also; without the shift key, you would be typing M-comma. | |
175 | ||
176 | >> Try M-< now, to move to the beginning of the tutorial. | |
177 | Then use C-v repeatedly to move back here. | |
178 | ||
179 | >> Try M-> now, to move to the end of the tutorial. | |
180 | Then use M-v repeatedly to move back here. | |
181 | ||
182 | You can also move the cursor with the arrow keys, if your terminal has | |
183 | arrow keys. We recommend learning C-b, C-f, C-n and C-p for three | |
184 | reasons. First, they work on all kinds of terminals. Second, once | |
8806d20f | 185 | you gain practice at using Emacs, you will find that typing these Control |
82e312c7 RS |
186 | characters is faster than typing the arrow keys (because you do not |
187 | have to move your hands away from touch-typing position). Third, once | |
8806d20f | 188 | you form the habit of using these Control character commands, you can |
82e312c7 RS |
189 | easily learn to use other advanced cursor motion commands as well. |
190 | ||
191 | Most Emacs commands accept a numeric argument; for most commands, this | |
192 | serves as a repeat-count. The way you give a command a repeat count | |
193 | is by typing C-u and then the digits before you type the command. If | |
6f108a37 | 194 | you have a META (or EDIT or ALT) key, there is another, alternative way |
bec1289c KH |
195 | to enter a numeric argument: type the digits while holding down the |
196 | META key. We recommend learning the C-u method because it works on | |
973cefd2 RS |
197 | any terminal. The numeric argument is also called a "prefix argument", |
198 | because you type the argument before the command it applies to. | |
f751376f JB |
199 | |
200 | For instance, C-u 8 C-f moves forward eight characters. | |
177c0ea7 | 201 | |
82e312c7 RS |
202 | >> Try using C-n or C-p with a numeric argument, to move the cursor |
203 | to a line near this one with just one command. | |
f751376f | 204 | |
973cefd2 RS |
205 | Most commands use the numeric argument as a repeat count, but some |
206 | commands use it in some other way. Several commands (but none of | |
207 | those you have learned so far) use it as a flag--the presence of a | |
208 | prefix argument, regardless of its value, makes the command do | |
209 | something different. | |
210 | ||
211 | C-v and M-v are another kind of exception. When given an argument, | |
95486d46 MW |
212 | they scroll the text up or down by that many lines, rather than by a |
213 | screenful. For example, C-u 8 C-v scrolls by 8 lines. | |
f751376f JB |
214 | |
215 | >> Try typing C-u 8 C-v now. | |
216 | ||
95486d46 | 217 | This should have scrolled the text up by 8 lines. If you would like |
82e312c7 | 218 | to scroll it down again, you can give an argument to M-v. |
f751376f | 219 | |
107ddb97 | 220 | If you are using a graphical display, such as X or MS-Windows, there |
45ea35bf | 221 | should be a tall rectangular area called a scroll bar on one side of |
107ddb97 CY |
222 | the Emacs window. You can scroll the text by clicking the mouse in |
223 | the scroll bar. | |
b0874bbd | 224 | |
45ea35bf | 225 | If your mouse has a wheel button, you can also use this to scroll. |
f751376f | 226 | |
45ea35bf GM |
227 | |
228 | * IF EMACS STOPS RESPONDING | |
229 | --------------------------- | |
f751376f | 230 | |
82e312c7 RS |
231 | If Emacs stops responding to your commands, you can stop it safely by |
232 | typing C-g. You can use C-g to stop a command which is taking too | |
233 | long to execute. | |
234 | ||
f751376f | 235 | You can also use C-g to discard a numeric argument or the beginning of |
82e312c7 | 236 | a command that you do not want to finish. |
f751376f | 237 | |
45ea35bf | 238 | >> Type C-u 100 to make a numeric argument of 100, then type C-g. |
107ddb97 CY |
239 | Now type C-f. It should move just one character, because you |
240 | canceled the argument with C-g. | |
f751376f | 241 | |
45ea35bf | 242 | If you have typed an <ESC> by mistake, you can get rid of it with a C-g. |
335b1952 | 243 | |
82e312c7 RS |
244 | |
245 | * DISABLED COMMANDS | |
246 | ------------------- | |
247 | ||
248 | Some Emacs commands are "disabled" so that beginning users cannot use | |
249 | them by accident. | |
250 | ||
251 | If you type one of the disabled commands, Emacs displays a message | |
252 | saying what the command was, and asking you whether you want to go | |
253 | ahead and execute the command. | |
254 | ||
41835686 LK |
255 | If you really want to try the command, type <SPC> (the Space bar) in |
256 | answer to the question. Normally, if you do not want to execute the | |
257 | disabled command, answer the question with "n". | |
82e312c7 | 258 | |
70f4a594 | 259 | >> Type C-x C-l (which is a disabled command), |
82e312c7 | 260 | then type n to answer the question. |
f751376f JB |
261 | |
262 | ||
26dc36e6 JB |
263 | * WINDOWS |
264 | --------- | |
f751376f | 265 | |
107ddb97 CY |
266 | Emacs can have several "windows", each displaying its own text. We |
267 | will explain later on how to use multiple windows. Right now we want | |
268 | to explain how to get rid of extra windows and go back to basic | |
82e312c7 | 269 | one-window editing. It is simple: |
f751376f JB |
270 | |
271 | C-x 1 One window (i.e., kill all other windows). | |
272 | ||
1e78d347 | 273 | That is CONTROL-x followed by the digit 1. C-x 1 expands the window |
82e312c7 RS |
274 | which contains the cursor, to occupy the full screen. It deletes all |
275 | other windows. | |
f751376f JB |
276 | |
277 | >> Move the cursor to this line and type C-u 0 C-l. | |
107ddb97 | 278 | >> Type C-h k C-f. |
f751376f | 279 | See how this window shrinks, while a new one appears |
107ddb97 | 280 | to display documentation on the C-f command. |
f751376f JB |
281 | |
282 | >> Type C-x 1 and see the documentation listing window disappear. | |
283 | ||
1e78d347 | 284 | There is a whole series of commands that start with CONTROL-x; many of |
8806d20f RS |
285 | them have to do with windows, files, buffers, and related things. |
286 | These commands are two, three or four characters long. | |
287 | ||
f751376f | 288 | |
26dc36e6 JB |
289 | * INSERTING AND DELETING |
290 | ------------------------ | |
f751376f | 291 | |
107ddb97 CY |
292 | If you want to insert text, just type the text. Ordinary characters, |
293 | like A, 7, *, etc., are inserted as you type them. To insert a | |
294 | Newline character, type <Return> (this is the key on the keyboard | |
295 | which is sometimes labeled "Enter"). | |
50d326a4 | 296 | |
861df977 | 297 | To delete the character immediately before the current cursor |
107ddb97 CY |
298 | position, type <DEL>. This is the key on the keyboard usually labeled |
299 | "Backspace"--the same one you normally use, outside Emacs, to delete | |
300 | the last character typed. | |
d6635fa1 | 301 | |
107ddb97 CY |
302 | There may also be another key on your keyboard labeled <Delete>, but |
303 | that's not the one we refer to as <DEL>. | |
f751376f | 304 | |
107ddb97 CY |
305 | >> Do this now--type a few characters, then delete them by |
306 | typing <DEL> a few times. Don't worry about this file | |
307 | being changed; you will not alter the master tutorial. | |
308 | This is your personal copy of it. | |
82e312c7 RS |
309 | |
310 | When a line of text gets too big for one line on the screen, the line | |
107ddb97 CY |
311 | of text is "continued" onto a second screen line. If you're using a |
312 | graphical display, little curved arrows appear in the narrow spaces on | |
313 | each side of the text area (the left and right "fringes"), to indicate | |
314 | where a line has been continued. If you're using a text terminal, the | |
315 | continued line is indicated by a backslash ("\") on the rightmost | |
316 | screen column. | |
82e312c7 RS |
317 | |
318 | >> Insert text until you reach the right margin, and keep on inserting. | |
319 | You'll see a continuation line appear. | |
320 | ||
107ddb97 | 321 | >> Use <DEL>s to delete the text until the line fits on one screen |
f751376f JB |
322 | line again. The continuation line goes away. |
323 | ||
82e312c7 RS |
324 | You can delete a Newline character just like any other character. |
325 | Deleting the Newline character between two lines merges them into | |
326 | one line. If the resulting combined line is too long to fit in the | |
327 | screen width, it will be displayed with a continuation line. | |
328 | ||
107ddb97 | 329 | >> Move the cursor to the beginning of a line and type <DEL>. This |
82e312c7 RS |
330 | merges that line with the previous line. |
331 | ||
f751376f JB |
332 | >> Type <Return> to reinsert the Newline you deleted. |
333 | ||
334 | Remember that most Emacs commands can be given a repeat count; | |
82e312c7 RS |
335 | this includes text characters. Repeating a text character inserts |
336 | it several times. | |
f751376f | 337 | |
95486d46 | 338 | >> Try that now -- type C-u 8 * to insert ********. |
f751376f JB |
339 | |
340 | You've now learned the most basic way of typing something in | |
341 | Emacs and correcting errors. You can delete by words or lines | |
342 | as well. Here is a summary of the delete operations: | |
343 | ||
107ddb97 | 344 | <DEL> Delete the character just before the cursor |
41835686 | 345 | C-d Delete the next character after the cursor |
f751376f | 346 | |
107ddb97 | 347 | M-<DEL> Kill the word immediately before the cursor |
41835686 | 348 | M-d Kill the next word after the cursor |
f751376f | 349 | |
41835686 LK |
350 | C-k Kill from the cursor position to end of line |
351 | M-k Kill to the end of the current sentence | |
f751376f | 352 | |
107ddb97 CY |
353 | Notice that <DEL> and C-d vs M-<DEL> and M-d extend the parallel |
354 | started by C-f and M-f (well, <DEL> is not really a control character, | |
355 | but let's not worry about that). C-k and M-k are like C-e and M-e, | |
356 | sort of, in that lines are paired with sentences. | |
f751376f | 357 | |
107ddb97 CY |
358 | You can also kill a segment of text with one uniform method. Move to |
359 | one end of that part, and type C-<SPC>. (<SPC> is the Space bar.) | |
360 | Next, move the cursor to the other end of the text you intend to kill. | |
361 | As you do this, Emacs highlights the text between the cursor and the | |
362 | position where you typed C-<SPC>. Finally, type C-w. This kills all | |
363 | the text between the two positions. | |
6f311043 KH |
364 | |
365 | >> Move the cursor to the Y at the start of the previous paragraph. | |
41835686 | 366 | >> Type C-<SPC>. Emacs should display a message "Mark set" |
6f311043 KH |
367 | at the bottom of the screen. |
368 | >> Move the cursor to the n in "end", on the second line of the | |
369 | paragraph. | |
370 | >> Type C-w. This will kill the text starting from the Y, | |
371 | and ending just before the n. | |
372 | ||
5b85892b | 373 | The difference between "killing" and "deleting" is that "killed" text |
45ea35bf | 374 | can be reinserted (at any position), whereas "deleted" things cannot |
262a3aac XF |
375 | be reinserted in this way (you can, however, undo a deletion--see |
376 | below). Reinsertion of killed text is called "yanking". (Think of it | |
377 | as yanking back, or pulling back, some text that was taken away.) | |
378 | Generally, the commands that can remove a lot of text kill the text | |
379 | (they are set up so that you can yank the text), while the commands | |
380 | that remove just one character, or only remove blank lines and spaces, | |
381 | do deletion (so you cannot yank that text). <DEL> and C-d do deletion | |
382 | in the simplest case, with no argument. When given an argument, they | |
383 | kill instead. | |
f751376f | 384 | |
107ddb97 | 385 | >> Move the cursor to the beginning of a line which is not empty. |
82e312c7 RS |
386 | Then type C-k to kill the text on that line. |
387 | >> Type C-k a second time. You'll see that it kills the Newline | |
388 | which follows that line. | |
f751376f JB |
389 | |
390 | Note that a single C-k kills the contents of the line, and a second | |
6f108a37 | 391 | C-k kills the line itself, and makes all the other lines move up. C-k |
82e312c7 RS |
392 | treats a numeric argument specially: it kills that many lines AND |
393 | their contents. This is not mere repetition. C-u 2 C-k kills two | |
394 | lines and their newlines; typing C-k twice would not do that. | |
f751376f | 395 | |
262a3aac XF |
396 | You can yank the killed text either at the same place where it was |
397 | killed, or at some other place in the text you are editing, or even in | |
398 | a different file. You can yank the same text several times; that | |
399 | makes multiple copies of it. Some other editors call killing and | |
400 | yanking "cutting" and "pasting" (see the Glossary in the Emacs | |
401 | manual). | |
5b85892b RS |
402 | |
403 | The command for yanking is C-y. It reinserts the last killed text, | |
404 | at the current cursor position. | |
f751376f JB |
405 | |
406 | >> Try it; type C-y to yank the text back. | |
407 | ||
5b85892b RS |
408 | If you do several C-k's in a row, all of the killed text is saved |
409 | together, so that one C-y will yank all of the lines at once. | |
f751376f JB |
410 | |
411 | >> Do this now, type C-k several times. | |
412 | ||
413 | Now to retrieve that killed text: | |
414 | ||
415 | >> Type C-y. Then move the cursor down a few lines and type C-y | |
416 | again. You now see how to copy some text. | |
417 | ||
418 | What do you do if you have some text you want to yank back, and then | |
419 | you kill something else? C-y would yank the more recent kill. But | |
420 | the previous text is not lost. You can get back to it using the M-y | |
421 | command. After you have done C-y to get the most recent kill, typing | |
bec1289c | 422 | M-y replaces that yanked text with the previous kill. Typing M-y |
82e312c7 RS |
423 | again and again brings in earlier and earlier kills. When you have |
424 | reached the text you are looking for, you do not have to do anything to | |
425 | keep it. Just go on with your editing, leaving the yanked text where | |
426 | it is. | |
427 | ||
428 | If you M-y enough times, you come back to the starting point (the most | |
429 | recent kill). | |
f751376f JB |
430 | |
431 | >> Kill a line, move around, kill another line. | |
432 | Then do C-y to get back the second killed line. | |
433 | Then do M-y and it will be replaced by the first killed line. | |
434 | Do more M-y's and see what you get. Keep doing them until | |
435 | the second kill line comes back, and then a few more. | |
436 | If you like, you can try giving M-y positive and negative | |
437 | arguments. | |
438 | ||
439 | ||
26dc36e6 JB |
440 | * UNDO |
441 | ------ | |
f751376f | 442 | |
82e312c7 | 443 | If you make a change to the text, and then decide that it was a |
107ddb97 | 444 | mistake, you can undo the change with the undo command, C-/. |
82e312c7 | 445 | |
107ddb97 CY |
446 | Normally, C-/ undoes the changes made by one command; if you repeat |
447 | C-/ several times in a row, each repetition undoes one more command. | |
82e312c7 | 448 | |
107ddb97 CY |
449 | But there are two exceptions: commands that do not change the text |
450 | don't count (this includes cursor motion commands and scrolling | |
45ea35bf | 451 | commands), and self-inserting characters are usually handled in groups |
107ddb97 CY |
452 | of up to 20. (This is to reduce the number of C-/'s you have to type |
453 | to undo insertion of text.) | |
f751376f | 454 | |
107ddb97 | 455 | >> Kill this line with C-k, then type C-/ and it should reappear. |
f751376f | 456 | |
107ddb97 CY |
457 | C-_ is an alternative undo command; it works exactly the same as C-/. |
458 | On some text terminals, typing C-/ actually sends C-_ to Emacs. | |
459 | Alternatively, C-x u also works exactly like C-/, but is a little less | |
460 | convenient to type. | |
f751376f | 461 | |
107ddb97 | 462 | A numeric argument to C-/, C-_, or C-x u acts as a repeat count. |
f751376f | 463 | |
5b85892b RS |
464 | You can undo deletion of text just as you can undo killing of text. |
465 | The distinction between killing something and deleting it affects | |
466 | whether you can yank it with C-y; it makes no difference for undo. | |
467 | ||
f751376f | 468 | |
26dc36e6 JB |
469 | * FILES |
470 | ------- | |
f751376f JB |
471 | |
472 | In order to make the text you edit permanent, you must put it in a | |
107ddb97 CY |
473 | file. Otherwise, it will go away when you exit Emacs. In order to |
474 | put your text in a file, you must "find" the file before you enter the | |
475 | text. (This is also called "visiting" the file.) | |
82e312c7 RS |
476 | |
477 | Finding a file means that you see the contents of the file within | |
478 | Emacs. In many ways, it is as if you were editing the file itself. | |
479 | However, the changes you make using Emacs do not become permanent | |
480 | until you "save" the file. This is so you can avoid leaving a | |
481 | half-changed file on the system when you do not want to. Even when | |
482 | you save, Emacs leaves the original file under a changed name in case | |
483 | you later decide that your changes were a mistake. | |
f751376f JB |
484 | |
485 | If you look near the bottom of the screen you will see a line that | |
107ddb97 | 486 | begins with dashes, and starts with " -:--- TUTORIAL" or something |
3f12b18c | 487 | like that. This part of the screen normally shows the name of the |
107ddb97 CY |
488 | file that you are visiting. Right now, you are visiting your personal |
489 | copy of the Emacs tutorial, which is called "TUTORIAL". When you find | |
490 | a file with Emacs, that file's name will appear in that precise spot. | |
f751376f | 491 | |
8806d20f RS |
492 | One special thing about the command for finding a file is that you |
493 | have to say what file name you want. We say the command "reads an | |
107ddb97 CY |
494 | argument" (in this case, the argument is the name of the file). After |
495 | you type the command | |
f751376f JB |
496 | |
497 | C-x C-f Find a file | |
498 | ||
82e312c7 RS |
499 | Emacs asks you to type the file name. The file name you type appears |
500 | on the bottom line of the screen. The bottom line is called the | |
501 | minibuffer when it is used for this sort of input. You can use | |
502 | ordinary Emacs editing commands to edit the file name. | |
503 | ||
504 | While you are entering the file name (or any minibuffer input), | |
505 | you can cancel the command with C-g. | |
f751376f JB |
506 | |
507 | >> Type C-x C-f, then type C-g. This cancels the minibuffer, | |
508 | and also cancels the C-x C-f command that was using the | |
509 | minibuffer. So you do not find any file. | |
510 | ||
82e312c7 | 511 | When you have finished entering the file name, type <Return> to |
107ddb97 CY |
512 | terminate it. The minibuffer disappears, and the C-x C-f command goes |
513 | to work to find the file you chose. | |
82e312c7 | 514 | |
107ddb97 CY |
515 | The file contents now appear on the screen, and you can edit the |
516 | contents. When you wish to make your changes permanent, type the | |
517 | command | |
f751376f JB |
518 | |
519 | C-x C-s Save the file | |
520 | ||
82e312c7 RS |
521 | This copies the text within Emacs into the file. The first time you |
522 | do this, Emacs renames the original file to a new name so that it is | |
523 | not lost. The new name is made by adding "~" to the end of the | |
95486d46 MW |
524 | original file's name. When saving is finished, Emacs displays the |
525 | name of the file written. | |
f751376f | 526 | |
107ddb97 CY |
527 | >> Type C-x C-s TUTORIAL <Return>. |
528 | This should save this tutorial to a file named TUTORIAL, and show | |
529 | "Wrote ...TUTORIAL" at the bottom of the screen. | |
f751376f | 530 | |
82e312c7 RS |
531 | You can find an existing file, to view it or edit it. You can also |
532 | find a file which does not already exist. This is the way to create a | |
95486d46 MW |
533 | file with Emacs: find the file, which starts out empty, and then begin |
534 | inserting the text for the file. When you ask to "save" the file, | |
535 | Emacs actually creates the file with the text that you have inserted. | |
536 | From then on, you can consider yourself to be editing an already | |
537 | existing file. | |
f751376f JB |
538 | |
539 | ||
26dc36e6 JB |
540 | * BUFFERS |
541 | --------- | |
f751376f JB |
542 | |
543 | If you find a second file with C-x C-f, the first file remains | |
544 | inside Emacs. You can switch back to it by finding it again with | |
545 | C-x C-f. This way you can get quite a number of files inside Emacs. | |
546 | ||
73635959 | 547 | Emacs stores each file's text inside an object called a "buffer". |
82e312c7 | 548 | Finding a file makes a new buffer inside Emacs. To see a list of the |
107ddb97 | 549 | buffers that currently exist, type |
f751376f JB |
550 | |
551 | C-x C-b List buffers | |
552 | ||
553 | >> Try C-x C-b now. | |
554 | ||
8d60818b RS |
555 | See how each buffer has a name, and it may also have a file name for |
556 | the file whose contents it holds. ANY text you see in an Emacs window | |
82e312c7 | 557 | is always part of some buffer. |
f751376f JB |
558 | |
559 | >> Type C-x 1 to get rid of the buffer list. | |
560 | ||
f458a8e0 | 561 | When you have several buffers, only one of them is "current" at any |
8d60818b RS |
562 | time. That buffer is the one you edit. If you want to edit another |
563 | buffer, you need to "switch" to it. If you want to switch to a buffer | |
564 | that corresponds to a file, you can do it by visiting the file again | |
565 | with C-x C-f. But there is an easier way: use the C-x b command. | |
566 | In that command, you have to type the buffer's name. | |
567 | ||
107ddb97 CY |
568 | >> Create a file named "foo" by typing C-x C-f foo <Return>. |
569 | Then type C-x b TUTORIAL <Return> to come back to this tutorial. | |
8d60818b RS |
570 | |
571 | Most of the time, the buffer's name is the same as the file name | |
572 | (without the file directory part). However, this is not always true. | |
107ddb97 CY |
573 | The buffer list you make with C-x C-b shows you both the buffer name |
574 | and the file name of every buffer. | |
8d60818b | 575 | |
107ddb97 CY |
576 | Some buffers do not correspond to files. The buffer named |
577 | "*Buffer List*", which contains the buffer list that you made with | |
578 | C-x C-b, does not have any file. This TUTORIAL buffer initially did | |
579 | not have a file, but now it does, because in the previous section you | |
580 | typed C-x C-s and saved it to a file. | |
581 | ||
582 | The buffer named "*Messages*" also does not correspond to any file. | |
583 | This buffer contains the messages that have appeared on the bottom | |
584 | line during your Emacs session. | |
8d60818b RS |
585 | |
586 | >> Type C-x b *Messages* <Return> to look at the buffer of messages. | |
ff7de4ee | 587 | Then type C-x b TUTORIAL <Return> to come back to this tutorial. |
8d60818b | 588 | |
f751376f JB |
589 | If you make changes to the text of one file, then find another file, |
590 | this does not save the first file. Its changes remain inside Emacs, | |
591 | in that file's buffer. The creation or editing of the second file's | |
592 | buffer has no effect on the first file's buffer. This is very useful, | |
593 | but it also means that you need a convenient way to save the first | |
95486d46 MW |
594 | file's buffer. Having to switch back to that buffer, in order to save |
595 | it with C-x C-s, would be a nuisance. So we have | |
f751376f JB |
596 | |
597 | C-x s Save some buffers | |
598 | ||
82e312c7 RS |
599 | C-x s asks you about each buffer which contains changes that you have |
600 | not saved. It asks you, for each such buffer, whether to save the | |
601 | buffer. | |
f751376f | 602 | |
82e312c7 RS |
603 | >> Insert a line of text, then type C-x s. |
604 | It should ask you whether to save the buffer named TUTORIAL. | |
605 | Answer yes to the question by typing "y". | |
f751376f | 606 | |
5577e2b2 | 607 | |
26dc36e6 JB |
608 | * EXTENDING THE COMMAND SET |
609 | --------------------------- | |
f751376f JB |
610 | |
611 | There are many, many more Emacs commands than could possibly be put | |
612 | on all the control and meta characters. Emacs gets around this with | |
613 | the X (eXtend) command. This comes in two flavors: | |
614 | ||
615 | C-x Character eXtend. Followed by one character. | |
616 | M-x Named command eXtend. Followed by a long name. | |
617 | ||
45ea35bf | 618 | These are commands that are generally useful but are used less than the |
41835686 LK |
619 | commands you have already learned about. You have already seen a few |
620 | of them: the file commands C-x C-f to Find and C-x C-s to Save, for | |
621 | example. Another example is the command to end the Emacs | |
622 | session--this is the command C-x C-c. (Do not worry about losing | |
623 | changes you have made; C-x C-c offers to save each changed file before | |
45ea35bf | 624 | it kills Emacs.) |
f751376f | 625 | |
107ddb97 CY |
626 | If you are using a graphical display, you don't need any special |
627 | command to move from Emacs to another application. You can do this | |
628 | with the mouse or with window manager commands. However, if you're | |
629 | using a text terminal which can only show one application at a time, | |
95486d46 | 630 | you need to "suspend" Emacs to move to any other application. |
82e312c7 | 631 | |
288b9df9 RS |
632 | C-z is the command to exit Emacs *temporarily*--so that you can go |
633 | back to the same Emacs session afterward. When Emacs is running on a | |
634 | text terminal, C-z "suspends" Emacs; that is, it returns to the shell | |
107ddb97 CY |
635 | but does not destroy the Emacs job. In the most common shells, you |
636 | can resume Emacs with the `fg' command or with `%emacs'. | |
e7662099 RS |
637 | |
638 | The time to use C-x C-c is when you are about to log out. It's also | |
95486d46 MW |
639 | the right thing to use to exit an Emacs invoked for a quick edit, such |
640 | as by a mail handling utility. | |
f751376f | 641 | |
82e312c7 | 642 | There are many C-x commands. Here is a list of the ones you have learned: |
f751376f | 643 | |
41835686 LK |
644 | C-x C-f Find file |
645 | C-x C-s Save file | |
646 | C-x s Save some buffers | |
647 | C-x C-b List buffers | |
648 | C-x b Switch buffer | |
649 | C-x C-c Quit Emacs | |
650 | C-x 1 Delete all but one window | |
651 | C-x u Undo | |
f751376f JB |
652 | |
653 | Named eXtended commands are commands which are used even less | |
82e312c7 | 654 | frequently, or commands which are used only in certain modes. An |
95486d46 MW |
655 | example is the command replace-string, which replaces one string with |
656 | another in the buffer. When you type M-x, Emacs prompts you at the | |
82e312c7 RS |
657 | bottom of the screen with M-x and you should type the name of the |
658 | command; in this case, "replace-string". Just type "repl s<TAB>" and | |
dcb14dc0 | 659 | Emacs will complete the name. (<TAB> is the Tab key, usually found |
2f6e6410 | 660 | above the CapsLock or Shift key near the left edge of the keyboard.) |
107ddb97 | 661 | Submit the command name with <Return>. |
82e312c7 RS |
662 | |
663 | The replace-string command requires two arguments--the string to be | |
664 | replaced, and the string to replace it with. You must end each | |
665 | argument with <Return>. | |
f751376f JB |
666 | |
667 | >> Move the cursor to the blank line two lines below this one. | |
668 | Then type M-x repl s<Return>changed<Return>altered<Return>. | |
669 | ||
95486d46 MW |
670 | Notice how this line has changed: you've replaced the word |
671 | "changed" with "altered" wherever it occurred, after the | |
672 | initial position of the cursor. | |
f751376f JB |
673 | |
674 | ||
4a630427 RS |
675 | * AUTO SAVE |
676 | ----------- | |
677 | ||
678 | When you have made changes in a file, but you have not saved them yet, | |
679 | they could be lost if your computer crashes. To protect you from | |
82e312c7 RS |
680 | this, Emacs periodically writes an "auto save" file for each file that |
681 | you are editing. The auto save file name has a # at the beginning and | |
682 | the end; for example, if your file is named "hello.c", its auto save | |
683 | file's name is "#hello.c#". When you save the file in the normal way, | |
684 | Emacs deletes its auto save file. | |
4a630427 RS |
685 | |
686 | If the computer crashes, you can recover your auto-saved editing by | |
687 | finding the file normally (the file you were editing, not the auto | |
45ea35bf | 688 | save file) and then typing M-x recover-file <Return>. When it asks for |
73635959 | 689 | confirmation, type yes<Return> to go ahead and recover the auto-save |
4a630427 RS |
690 | data. |
691 | ||
692 | ||
82e312c7 | 693 | * ECHO AREA |
26dc36e6 | 694 | ----------- |
f751376f | 695 | |
e64159dd RS |
696 | If Emacs sees that you are typing multicharacter commands slowly, it |
697 | shows them to you at the bottom of the screen in an area called the | |
698 | "echo area". The echo area contains the bottom line of the screen. | |
f751376f | 699 | |
f751376f | 700 | |
82e312c7 RS |
701 | * MODE LINE |
702 | ----------- | |
703 | ||
e64159dd | 704 | The line immediately above the echo area is called the "mode line". |
82e312c7 RS |
705 | The mode line says something like this: |
706 | ||
107ddb97 | 707 | -:**- TUTORIAL 63% L749 (Fundamental) |
82e312c7 RS |
708 | |
709 | This line gives useful information about the status of Emacs and | |
710 | the text you are editing. | |
f751376f JB |
711 | |
712 | You already know what the filename means--it is the file you have | |
107ddb97 CY |
713 | found. NN% indicates your current position in the buffer text; it |
714 | means that NN percent of the buffer is above the top of the screen. | |
715 | If the top of the buffer is on the screen, it will say "Top" instead | |
716 | of " 0%". If the bottom of the buffer is on the screen, it will say | |
717 | "Bot". If you are looking at a buffer so small that all of it fits on | |
718 | the screen, the mode line says "All". | |
f751376f | 719 | |
dcf671d2 GM |
720 | The L and digits indicate position in another way: they give the |
721 | current line number of point. | |
722 | ||
f751376f | 723 | The stars near the front mean that you have made changes to the text. |
82e312c7 RS |
724 | Right after you visit or save a file, that part of the mode line shows |
725 | no stars, just dashes. | |
f751376f JB |
726 | |
727 | The part of the mode line inside the parentheses is to tell you what | |
82e312c7 | 728 | editing modes you are in. The default mode is Fundamental which is |
177c0ea7 | 729 | what you are using now. It is an example of a "major mode". |
82e312c7 RS |
730 | |
731 | Emacs has many different major modes. Some of them are meant for | |
bec1289c | 732 | editing different languages and/or kinds of text, such as Lisp mode, |
82e312c7 RS |
733 | Text mode, etc. At any time one and only one major mode is active, |
734 | and its name can always be found in the mode line just where | |
735 | "Fundamental" is now. | |
736 | ||
737 | Each major mode makes a few commands behave differently. For example, | |
738 | there are commands for creating comments in a program, and since each | |
739 | programming language has a different idea of what a comment should | |
740 | look like, each major mode has to insert comments differently. Each | |
741 | major mode is the name of an extended command, which is how you can | |
bec1289c | 742 | switch to that mode. For example, M-x fundamental-mode is a command to |
82e312c7 | 743 | switch to Fundamental mode. |
f751376f | 744 | |
ab380f51 | 745 | If you are going to be editing human-language text, such as this file, you |
f751376f | 746 | should probably use Text Mode. |
41835686 | 747 | |
45ea35bf | 748 | >> Type M-x text-mode <Return>. |
f751376f | 749 | |
45ea35bf | 750 | Don't worry, none of the Emacs commands you have learned changes in |
82e312c7 RS |
751 | any great way. But you can observe that M-f and M-b now treat |
752 | apostrophes as part of words. Previously, in Fundamental mode, | |
753 | M-f and M-b treated apostrophes as word-separators. | |
f751376f | 754 | |
82e312c7 RS |
755 | Major modes usually make subtle changes like that one: most commands |
756 | do "the same job" in each major mode, but they work a little bit | |
757 | differently. | |
758 | ||
759 | To view documentation on your current major mode, type C-h m. | |
f751376f | 760 | |
95486d46 | 761 | >> Move the cursor to the line following this line. |
107ddb97 | 762 | >> Type C-l C-l to bring this line to the top of screen. |
f751376f JB |
763 | >> Type C-h m, to see how Text mode differs from Fundamental mode. |
764 | >> Type C-x 1 to remove the documentation from the screen. | |
765 | ||
766 | Major modes are called major because there are also minor modes. | |
6f108a37 | 767 | Minor modes are not alternatives to the major modes, just minor |
bec1289c KH |
768 | modifications of them. Each minor mode can be turned on or off by |
769 | itself, independent of all other minor modes, and independent of your | |
770 | major mode. So you can use no minor modes, or one minor mode, or any | |
771 | combination of several minor modes. | |
f751376f | 772 | |
ab380f51 RS |
773 | One minor mode which is very useful, especially for editing |
774 | human-language text, is Auto Fill mode. When this mode is on, Emacs | |
775 | breaks the line in between words automatically whenever you insert | |
776 | text and make a line that is too wide. | |
82e312c7 | 777 | |
45ea35bf GM |
778 | You can turn Auto Fill mode on by doing M-x auto-fill-mode <Return>. |
779 | When the mode is on, you can turn it off again by doing | |
780 | M-x auto-fill-mode <Return>. If the mode is off, this command turns | |
781 | it on, and if the mode is on, this command turns it off. We say that | |
782 | the command "toggles the mode". | |
f751376f | 783 | |
45ea35bf | 784 | >> Type M-x auto-fill-mode <Return> now. Then insert a line of "asdf " |
f751376f JB |
785 | over again until you see it divide into two lines. You must put in |
786 | spaces between them because Auto Fill breaks lines only at spaces. | |
787 | ||
788 | The margin is usually set at 70 characters, but you can change it | |
789 | with the C-x f command. You should give the margin setting you want | |
790 | as a numeric argument. | |
791 | ||
792 | >> Type C-x f with an argument of 20. (C-u 2 0 C-x f). | |
793 | Then type in some text and see Emacs fill lines of 20 | |
794 | characters with it. Then set the margin back to 70 using | |
795 | C-x f again. | |
796 | ||
e64159dd | 797 | If you make changes in the middle of a paragraph, Auto Fill mode |
f751376f | 798 | does not re-fill it for you. |
1e78d347 | 799 | To re-fill the paragraph, type M-q (META-q) with the cursor inside |
f751376f JB |
800 | that paragraph. |
801 | ||
802 | >> Move the cursor into the previous paragraph and type M-q. | |
803 | ||
5577e2b2 | 804 | |
26dc36e6 JB |
805 | * SEARCHING |
806 | ----------- | |
f751376f | 807 | |
107ddb97 CY |
808 | Emacs can do searches for strings (a "string" is a group of contiguous |
809 | characters) either forward through the text or backward through it. | |
810 | Searching for a string is a cursor motion command; it moves the cursor | |
811 | to the next place where that string appears. | |
82e312c7 | 812 | |
45ea35bf | 813 | The Emacs search command is "incremental". This means that the |
82e312c7 RS |
814 | search happens while you type in the string to search for. |
815 | ||
816 | The command to initiate a search is C-s for forward search, and C-r | |
817 | for reverse search. BUT WAIT! Don't try them now. | |
818 | ||
819 | When you type C-s you'll notice that the string "I-search" appears as | |
820 | a prompt in the echo area. This tells you that Emacs is in what is | |
821 | called an incremental search waiting for you to type the thing that | |
8806d20f | 822 | you want to search for. <Return> terminates a search. |
f751376f JB |
823 | |
824 | >> Now type C-s to start a search. SLOWLY, one letter at a time, | |
825 | type the word 'cursor', pausing after you type each | |
826 | character to notice what happens to the cursor. | |
82e312c7 RS |
827 | Now you have searched for "cursor", once. |
828 | >> Type C-s again, to search for the next occurrence of "cursor". | |
107ddb97 | 829 | >> Now type <DEL> four times and see how the cursor moves. |
8806d20f | 830 | >> Type <Return> to terminate the search. |
f751376f JB |
831 | |
832 | Did you see what happened? Emacs, in an incremental search, tries to | |
82e312c7 RS |
833 | go to the occurrence of the string that you've typed out so far. To |
834 | go to the next occurrence of 'cursor' just type C-s again. If no such | |
6f108a37 RS |
835 | occurrence exists, Emacs beeps and tells you the search is currently |
836 | "failing". C-g would also terminate the search. | |
f751376f | 837 | |
233ae900 EZ |
838 | If you are in the middle of an incremental search and type <DEL>, the |
839 | search "retreats" to an earlier location. If you type <DEL> just | |
107ddb97 CY |
840 | after you had typed C-s to advance to the next occurrence of a search |
841 | string, the <DEL> moves the cursor back to an earlier occurrence. If | |
842 | there are no earlier occurrences, the <DEL> erases the last character | |
843 | in the search string. For instance, suppose you have typed "c", to | |
844 | search for the first occurrence of "c". Now if you type "u", the | |
845 | cursor will move to the first occurrence of "cu". Now type <DEL>. | |
846 | This erases the "u" from the search string, and the cursor moves back | |
847 | to the first occurrence of "c". | |
f751376f | 848 | |
3242b6f0 | 849 | If you are in the middle of a search and type a control or meta |
107ddb97 CY |
850 | character (with a few exceptions--characters that are special in a |
851 | search, such as C-s and C-r), the search is terminated. | |
f751376f | 852 | |
107ddb97 CY |
853 | C-s starts a search that looks for any occurrence of the search string |
854 | AFTER the current cursor position. If you want to search for | |
82e312c7 RS |
855 | something earlier in the text, type C-r instead. Everything that we |
856 | have said about C-s also applies to C-r, except that the direction of | |
857 | the search is reversed. | |
f751376f JB |
858 | |
859 | ||
26dc36e6 JB |
860 | * MULTIPLE WINDOWS |
861 | ------------------ | |
e652a34a | 862 | |
107ddb97 CY |
863 | One of the nice features of Emacs is that you can display more than |
864 | one window on the screen at the same time. (Note that Emacs uses the | |
865 | term "frames"--described in the next section--for what some other | |
45ea35bf GM |
866 | applications call "windows". The Emacs manual contains a Glossary of |
867 | Emacs terms.) | |
e652a34a | 868 | |
107ddb97 | 869 | >> Move the cursor to this line and type C-l C-l. |
e652a34a JB |
870 | |
871 | >> Now type C-x 2 which splits the screen into two windows. | |
107ddb97 CY |
872 | Both windows display this tutorial. The editing cursor stays in |
873 | the top window. | |
e652a34a JB |
874 | |
875 | >> Type C-M-v to scroll the bottom window. | |
41835686 | 876 | (If you do not have a real META key, type <ESC> C-v.) |
e652a34a JB |
877 | |
878 | >> Type C-x o ("o" for "other") to move the cursor to the bottom window. | |
879 | >> Use C-v and M-v in the bottom window to scroll it. | |
880 | Keep reading these directions in the top window. | |
881 | ||
882 | >> Type C-x o again to move the cursor back to the top window. | |
82e312c7 | 883 | The cursor in the top window is just where it was before. |
e652a34a | 884 | |
107ddb97 CY |
885 | You can keep using C-x o to switch between the windows. The "selected |
886 | window", where most editing takes place, is the one with a prominent | |
887 | cursor which blinks when you are not typing. The other windows have | |
888 | their own cursor positions; if you are running Emacs in a graphical | |
889 | display, those cursors are drawn as unblinking hollow boxes. | |
e652a34a JB |
890 | |
891 | The command C-M-v is very useful when you are editing text in one | |
107ddb97 | 892 | window and using the other window just for reference. Without leaving |
95486d46 MW |
893 | the selected window, you can scroll the text in the other window with |
894 | C-M-v. | |
e652a34a | 895 | |
107ddb97 CY |
896 | C-M-v is an example of a CONTROL-META character. If you have a META |
897 | (or Alt) key, you can type C-M-v by holding down both CONTROL and META | |
898 | while typing v. It does not matter whether CONTROL or META "comes | |
899 | first," as both of these keys act by modifying the characters you | |
900 | type. | |
8a4aff68 | 901 | |
107ddb97 CY |
902 | If you do not have a META key, and you use <ESC> instead, the order |
903 | does matter: you must type <ESC> followed by CONTROL-v, because | |
41835686 LK |
904 | CONTROL-<ESC> v will not work. This is because <ESC> is a character |
905 | in its own right, not a modifier key. | |
8a4aff68 | 906 | |
e652a34a JB |
907 | >> Type C-x 1 (in the top window) to get rid of the bottom window. |
908 | ||
909 | (If you had typed C-x 1 in the bottom window, that would get rid | |
910 | of the top one. Think of this command as "Keep just one | |
911 | window--the window I am already in.") | |
912 | ||
82e312c7 RS |
913 | You do not have to display the same buffer in both windows. If you |
914 | use C-x C-f to find a file in one window, the other window does not | |
915 | change. You can find a file in each window independently. | |
e652a34a | 916 | |
45ea35bf | 917 | Here is another way to use two windows to display two different things: |
e652a34a JB |
918 | |
919 | >> Type C-x 4 C-f followed by the name of one of your files. | |
82e312c7 | 920 | End with <Return>. See the specified file appear in the bottom |
e652a34a JB |
921 | window. The cursor goes there, too. |
922 | ||
923 | >> Type C-x o to go back to the top window, and C-x 1 to delete | |
924 | the bottom window. | |
925 | ||
926 | ||
45ea35bf GM |
927 | * MULTIPLE FRAMES |
928 | ------------------ | |
929 | ||
107ddb97 CY |
930 | Emacs can also create multiple "frames". A frame is what we call one |
931 | collection of windows, together with its menus, scroll bars, echo | |
932 | area, etc. On graphical displays, what Emacs calls a "frame" is what | |
933 | most other applications call a "window". Multiple graphical frames | |
934 | can be shown on the screen at the same time. On a text terminal, only | |
935 | one frame can be shown at a time. | |
45ea35bf GM |
936 | |
937 | >> Type M-x make-frame <Return>. | |
938 | See a new frame appear on your screen. | |
939 | ||
940 | You can do everything you did in the original frame in the new frame. | |
941 | There is nothing special about the first frame. | |
942 | ||
943 | >> Type M-x delete-frame <Return>. | |
944 | This removes the selected frame. | |
945 | ||
107ddb97 CY |
946 | You can also remove a frame by using the normal method provided by the |
947 | graphical system (often clicking a button with an "X" at a top corner | |
948 | of the frame). If you remove the Emacs job's last frame this way, | |
949 | that exits Emacs. | |
45ea35bf GM |
950 | |
951 | ||
26dc36e6 JB |
952 | * RECURSIVE EDITING LEVELS |
953 | -------------------------- | |
f751376f JB |
954 | |
955 | Sometimes you will get into what is called a "recursive editing | |
956 | level". This is indicated by square brackets in the mode line, | |
957 | surrounding the parentheses around the major mode name. For | |
958 | example, you might see [(Fundamental)] instead of (Fundamental). | |
959 | ||
41835686 LK |
960 | To get out of the recursive editing level, type <ESC> <ESC> <ESC>. |
961 | That is an all-purpose "get out" command. You can also use it for | |
962 | eliminating extra windows, and getting out of the minibuffer. | |
f751376f | 963 | |
41835686 LK |
964 | >> Type M-x to get into a minibuffer; then type <ESC> <ESC> <ESC> to |
965 | get out. | |
f751376f | 966 | |
82e312c7 RS |
967 | You cannot use C-g to get out of a recursive editing level. This is |
968 | because C-g is used for canceling commands and arguments WITHIN the | |
969 | recursive editing level. | |
f751376f JB |
970 | |
971 | ||
26dc36e6 JB |
972 | * GETTING MORE HELP |
973 | ------------------- | |
f751376f JB |
974 | |
975 | In this tutorial we have tried to supply just enough information to | |
976 | get you started using Emacs. There is so much available in Emacs that | |
977 | it would be impossible to explain it all here. However, you may want | |
82e312c7 RS |
978 | to learn more about Emacs since it has many other useful features. |
979 | Emacs provides commands for reading documentation about Emacs | |
980 | commands. These "help" commands all start with the character | |
1e78d347 | 981 | CONTROL-h, which is called "the Help character". |
f751376f | 982 | |
82e312c7 | 983 | To use the Help features, type the C-h character, and then a |
f751376f JB |
984 | character saying what kind of help you want. If you are REALLY lost, |
985 | type C-h ? and Emacs will tell you what kinds of help it can give. | |
82e312c7 | 986 | If you have typed C-h and decide you do not want any help, just |
3242b6f0 | 987 | type C-g to cancel it. |
f751376f | 988 | |
45ea35bf GM |
989 | (If C-h does not display a message about help at the bottom of the |
990 | screen, try typing the F1 key or M-x help <Return> instead.) | |
1c71da93 RS |
991 | |
992 | The most basic HELP feature is C-h c. Type C-h, the character c, and | |
993 | a command character or sequence; then Emacs displays a very brief | |
f751376f JB |
994 | description of the command. |
995 | ||
dcf671d2 | 996 | >> Type C-h c C-p. |
ff7de4ee RS |
997 | |
998 | The message should be something like this: | |
f751376f JB |
999 | |
1000 | C-p runs the command previous-line | |
1001 | ||
45ea35bf GM |
1002 | This tells you the "name of the function". Since function names |
1003 | are chosen to indicate what the command does, they can serve as | |
82e312c7 RS |
1004 | very brief documentation--sufficient to remind you of commands you |
1005 | have already learned. | |
f751376f JB |
1006 | |
1007 | Multi-character commands such as C-x C-s and (if you have no META or | |
bec1289c | 1008 | EDIT or ALT key) <ESC>v are also allowed after C-h c. |
f751376f | 1009 | |
82e312c7 | 1010 | To get more information about a command, use C-h k instead of C-h c. |
f751376f | 1011 | |
dcf671d2 | 1012 | >> Type C-h k C-p. |
f751376f | 1013 | |
107ddb97 CY |
1014 | This displays the documentation of the function, as well as its name, |
1015 | in an Emacs window. When you are finished reading the output, type | |
1016 | C-x 1 to get rid of that window. You do not have to do this right | |
1017 | away. You can do some editing while referring to the help text, and | |
1018 | then type C-x 1. | |
f751376f JB |
1019 | |
1020 | Here are some other useful C-h options: | |
1021 | ||
1022 | C-h f Describe a function. You type in the name of the | |
1023 | function. | |
1024 | ||
45ea35bf | 1025 | >> Try typing C-h f previous-line <Return>. |
fafee579 | 1026 | This displays all the information Emacs has about the |
3242b6f0 | 1027 | function which implements the C-p command. |
f751376f | 1028 | |
45ea35bf GM |
1029 | A similar command C-h v displays the documentation of variables, |
1030 | including those whose values you can set to customize Emacs behavior. | |
1031 | You need to type in the name of the variable when Emacs prompts for it. | |
ee31752e | 1032 | |
f751376f JB |
1033 | C-h a Command Apropos. Type in a keyword and Emacs will list |
1034 | all the commands whose names contain that keyword. | |
1e78d347 | 1035 | These commands can all be invoked with META-x. |
f751376f | 1036 | For some commands, Command Apropos will also list a one |
bec1289c | 1037 | or two character sequence which runs the same command. |
f751376f | 1038 | |
45ea35bf | 1039 | >> Type C-h a file <Return>. |
10a4c11f | 1040 | |
82e312c7 | 1041 | This displays in another window a list of all M-x commands with "file" |
95486d46 MW |
1042 | in their names. You will see character-commands listed beside the |
1043 | corresponding command names (such as C-x C-f beside find-file). | |
10a4c11f JB |
1044 | |
1045 | >> Type C-M-v to scroll the help window. Do this a few times. | |
1046 | ||
1047 | >> Type C-x 1 to delete the help window. | |
f751376f | 1048 | |
45ea35bf | 1049 | C-h i Read included Manuals (a.k.a. Info). This command puts |
ee31752e | 1050 | you into a special buffer called `*info*' where you |
45ea35bf GM |
1051 | can read manuals for the packages installed on your system. |
1052 | Type m emacs <Return> to read the Emacs manual. | |
1053 | If you have never before used Info, type ? and Emacs | |
1054 | will take you on a guided tour of Info mode facilities. | |
1055 | Once you are through with this tutorial, you should | |
1056 | consult the Emacs Info manual as your primary documentation. | |
ee31752e | 1057 | |
f751376f | 1058 | |
da40fe46 RS |
1059 | * MORE FEATURES |
1060 | --------------- | |
1061 | ||
45ea35bf GM |
1062 | You can learn more about Emacs by reading its manual, either as a |
1063 | printed book, or inside Emacs (use the Help menu or type C-h r). | |
1064 | Two features that you may like especially are completion, which saves | |
1065 | typing, and dired, which simplifies file handling. | |
da40fe46 RS |
1066 | |
1067 | Completion is a way to avoid unnecessary typing. For instance, if you | |
1068 | want to switch to the *Messages* buffer, you can type C-x b *M<Tab> | |
1069 | and Emacs will fill in the rest of the buffer name as far as it can | |
45ea35bf GM |
1070 | determine from what you have already typed. Completion also works for |
1071 | command names and file names. Completion is described in the Emacs | |
1072 | manual in the node called "Completion". | |
da40fe46 RS |
1073 | |
1074 | Dired enables you to list files in a directory (and optionally its | |
1075 | subdirectories), move around that list, visit, rename, delete and | |
45ea35bf GM |
1076 | otherwise operate on the files. Dired is described in the Emacs |
1077 | manual in the node called "Dired". | |
da40fe46 RS |
1078 | |
1079 | The manual also describes many other Emacs features. | |
1080 | ||
1081 | ||
26dc36e6 JB |
1082 | * CONCLUSION |
1083 | ------------ | |
f751376f | 1084 | |
45ea35bf | 1085 | To exit Emacs use C-x C-c. |
f751376f JB |
1086 | |
1087 | This tutorial is meant to be understandable to all new users, so if | |
1088 | you found something unclear, don't sit and blame yourself - complain! | |
1089 | ||
1090 | ||
5577e2b2 KH |
1091 | * COPYING |
1092 | --------- | |
f751376f JB |
1093 | |
1094 | This tutorial descends from a long line of Emacs tutorials | |
1095 | starting with the one written by Stuart Cracraft for the original Emacs. | |
1096 | ||
09b77670 GM |
1097 | This version of the tutorial is a part of GNU Emacs. It is copyrighted |
1098 | and comes with permission to distribute copies on certain conditions: | |
1099 | ||
ab422c4d PE |
1100 | Copyright (C) 1985, 1996, 1998, 2001-2013 Free Software Foundation, |
1101 | Inc. | |
09b77670 GM |
1102 | |
1103 | This file is part of GNU Emacs. | |
ab73e885 GM |
1104 | |
1105 | GNU Emacs is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify | |
09b77670 | 1106 | it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by |
ab73e885 GM |
1107 | the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or |
1108 | (at your option) any later version. | |
1109 | ||
09b77670 GM |
1110 | GNU Emacs is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, |
1111 | but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of | |
1112 | MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the | |
1113 | GNU General Public License for more details. | |
ab73e885 | 1114 | |
09b77670 | 1115 | You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License |
ab73e885 | 1116 | along with GNU Emacs. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. |
09b77670 GM |
1117 | |
1118 | Please read the file COPYING and then do give copies of GNU Emacs to | |
1119 | your friends. Help stamp out software obstructionism ("ownership") by | |
1120 | using, writing, and sharing free software! | |
ab5796a9 | 1121 |