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6bf7aab6 | 1 | @c This is part of the Emacs manual. |
acaf905b | 2 | @c Copyright (C) 1985-1987, 1993-1995, 2001-2012 |
73b0cd50 | 3 | @c Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
6bf7aab6 | 4 | @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions. |
321ca37f | 5 | @iftex |
6bf7aab6 | 6 | @chapter Entering and Exiting Emacs |
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7 | |
8 | This chapter explains how to enter Emacs, and how to exit it. | |
9 | @end iftex | |
10 | ||
11 | @ifnottex | |
12 | @raisesections | |
13 | @end ifnottex | |
14 | ||
15 | @node Entering Emacs, Exiting, Commands, Top | |
16 | @section Entering Emacs | |
6bf7aab6 | 17 | @cindex entering Emacs |
177c0ea7 | 18 | @cindex starting Emacs |
6bf7aab6 | 19 | |
708bf232 | 20 | The usual way to invoke Emacs is with the shell command |
321ca37f | 21 | @command{emacs}. From a terminal window running in the X Window |
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22 | System, you can run Emacs in the background with @command{emacs &}; |
23 | this way, Emacs won't tie up the terminal window, so you can use it to | |
24 | run other shell commands. | |
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25 | |
26 | @cindex startup screen | |
27 | When Emacs starts up, the initial frame displays a special buffer | |
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28 | named @samp{*GNU Emacs*}. This @dfn{startup screen} contains |
29 | information about Emacs and @dfn{links} to common tasks that are | |
30 | useful for beginning users. For instance, activating the @samp{Emacs | |
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31 | Tutorial} link opens the Emacs tutorial; this does the same thing as |
32 | the command @kbd{C-h t} (@code{help-with-tutorial}). To activate a | |
33 | link, either move point onto it and type @kbd{@key{RET}}, or click on | |
34 | it with @kbd{mouse-1} (the left mouse button). | |
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35 | |
36 | Using a command line argument, you can tell Emacs to visit one or | |
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37 | more files as soon as it starts up. For example, @command{emacs |
38 | foo.txt} starts Emacs with a buffer displaying the contents of the | |
39 | file @samp{foo.txt}. This feature exists mainly for compatibility | |
40 | with other editors, which are designed to be launched from the shell | |
41 | for short editing sessions. If you call Emacs this way, the initial | |
42 | frame is split into two windows---one showing the specified file, and | |
43 | the other showing the startup screen. @xref{Windows}. | |
44 | ||
45 | Generally, it is unnecessary and wasteful to start Emacs afresh each | |
46 | time you want to edit a file. The recommended way to use Emacs is to | |
47 | start it just once, just after you log in, and do all your editing in | |
48 | the same Emacs session. @xref{Files}, for information on visiting | |
49 | more than one file. If you use Emacs this way, the Emacs session | |
50 | accumulates valuable context, such as the kill ring, registers, undo | |
51 | history, and mark ring data, which together make editing more | |
52 | convenient. These features are described later in the manual. | |
6bf7aab6 | 53 | |
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54 | To edit a file from another program while Emacs is running, you can |
55 | use the @command{emacsclient} helper program to open a file in the | |
de0bde62 | 56 | existing Emacs session. @xref{Emacs Server}. |
9f1cc7eb | 57 | |
321ca37f | 58 | Emacs accepts other command line arguments that tell it to load |
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59 | certain Lisp files, where to put the initial frame, and so forth. |
60 | @xref{Emacs Invocation}. | |
6cca5de0 | 61 | |
6edf847b | 62 | @vindex inhibit-startup-screen |
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63 | If the variable @code{inhibit-startup-screen} is non-@code{nil}, |
64 | Emacs does not display the startup screen. In that case, if one or | |
65 | more files were specified on the command line, Emacs simply displays | |
66 | those files; otherwise, it displays a buffer named @samp{*scratch*}, | |
67 | which can be used to evaluate Emacs Lisp expressions interactively. | |
68 | @xref{Lisp Interaction}. You can set the variable | |
69 | @code{inhibit-startup-screen} using the Customize facility | |
61b9fed1 | 70 | (@pxref{Easy Customization}), or by editing your initialization file |
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71 | (@pxref{Init File}).@footnote{Setting @code{inhibit-startup-screen} in |
72 | @file{site-start.el} doesn't work, because the startup screen is set | |
73 | up before reading @file{site-start.el}. @xref{Init File}, for | |
74 | information about @file{site-start.el}.} | |
6edf847b | 75 | |
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76 | You can also force Emacs to display a file or directory at startup |
77 | by setting the variable @code{initial-buffer-choice} to a | |
78 | non-@code{nil} value. (In that case, even if you specify one or more | |
79 | files on the command line, Emacs opens but does not display them.) | |
80 | The value of @code{initial-buffer-choice} can be either the name of | |
81 | the desired file or directory, or @code{t}, which means to display the | |
82 | @samp{*scratch*} buffer. | |
83 | ||
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84 | @node Exiting, Basic, Entering Emacs, Top |
85 | @section Exiting Emacs | |
86 | @cindex exiting | |
87 | @cindex killing Emacs | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
88 | @cindex leaving Emacs |
89 | @cindex quitting Emacs | |
90 | ||
6bf7aab6 | 91 | @table @kbd |
321ca37f | 92 | @item C-x C-c |
a115d013 | 93 | Kill Emacs (@code{save-buffers-kill-terminal}). |
6bf7aab6 | 94 | @item C-z |
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95 | On a text terminal, suspend Emacs; on a graphical display, |
96 | ``minimize'' the selected frame (@code{suspend-emacs}). | |
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97 | @end table |
98 | ||
6bf7aab6 | 99 | @kindex C-x C-c |
a115d013 | 100 | @findex save-buffers-kill-terminal |
321ca37f | 101 | @dfn{Killing} Emacs means terminating the Emacs program. To do |
a115d013 | 102 | this, type @kbd{C-x C-c} (@code{save-buffers-kill-terminal}). A |
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103 | two-character key sequence is used to make it harder to type by |
104 | accident. If there are any modified file-visiting buffers when you | |
105 | type @kbd{C-x C-c}, Emacs first offers to save these buffers. If you | |
106 | do not save them all, it asks for confirmation again, since the | |
107 | unsaved changes will be lost. Emacs also asks for confirmation if any | |
108 | subprocesses are still running, since killing Emacs will also kill the | |
109 | subprocesses (@pxref{Shell}). | |
321ca37f | 110 | |
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111 | @kbd{C-x C-c} behaves specially if you are using Emacs as a server. |
112 | If you type it from a ``client frame'', it closes the client | |
113 | connection. @xref{Emacs Server}. | |
114 | ||
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115 | Emacs can, optionally, record certain session information when you |
116 | kill it, such as the files you were visiting at the time. This | |
117 | information is then available the next time you start Emacs. | |
118 | @xref{Saving Emacs Sessions}. | |
6bf7aab6 | 119 | |
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120 | @vindex confirm-kill-emacs |
121 | If the value of the variable @code{confirm-kill-emacs} is | |
122 | non-@code{nil}, @kbd{C-x C-c} assumes that its value is a predicate | |
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123 | function, and calls that function. If the result of the function call |
124 | is non-@code{nil}, the session is killed, otherwise Emacs continues to | |
125 | run. One convenient function to use as the value of | |
126 | @code{confirm-kill-emacs} is the function @code{yes-or-no-p}. The | |
127 | default value of @code{confirm-kill-emacs} is @code{nil}. | |
128 | ||
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129 | @findex kill-emacs |
130 | To kill Emacs without being prompted about saving, type @kbd{M-x | |
131 | kill-emacs}. | |
132 | ||
321ca37f | 133 | @kindex C-z |
8ba46c89 | 134 | @findex suspend-frame |
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135 | @cindex minimizing |
136 | @cindex iconifying | |
137 | @cindex suspending | |
8ba46c89 | 138 | @kbd{C-z} runs the command @code{suspend-frame}. On a graphical |
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139 | display, this command @dfn{minimizes} (or @dfn{iconifies}) the |
140 | selected Emacs frame, hiding it in a way that lets you bring it back | |
141 | later (exactly how this hiding occurs depends on the window system). | |
142 | On a text terminal, the @kbd{C-z} command @dfn{suspends} Emacs, | |
143 | stopping the program temporarily and returning control to the parent | |
144 | process (usually a shell); in most shells, you can resume Emacs after | |
145 | suspending it with the shell command @command{%emacs}. | |
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146 | |
147 | Text-only terminals usually listen for certain special characters | |
6bf7aab6 | 148 | whose meaning is to kill or suspend the program you are running. |
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149 | @b{This terminal feature is turned off while you are in Emacs.} The |
150 | meanings of @kbd{C-z} and @kbd{C-x C-c} as keys in Emacs were inspired | |
151 | by the use of @kbd{C-z} and @kbd{C-c} on several operating systems as | |
152 | the characters for stopping or killing a program, but that is their | |
153 | only relationship with the operating system. You can customize these | |
154 | keys to run any commands of your choice (@pxref{Keymaps}). | |
ab5796a9 | 155 | |
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156 | @ifnottex |
157 | @lowersections | |
158 | @end ifnottex |