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[bpt/emacs.git] / doc / emacs / programs.texi
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1@c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2@c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000,
3@c 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4@c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5@node Programs, Building, Text, Top
6@chapter Editing Programs
7@cindex Lisp editing
8@cindex C editing
9@cindex program editing
10
11 Emacs provides many features to facilitate editing programs. Some
12of these features can
13
14@itemize @bullet
15@item
16Find or move over top-level definitions (@pxref{Defuns}).
17@item
18Apply the usual indentation conventions of the language
19(@pxref{Program Indent}).
20@item
21Balance parentheses (@pxref{Parentheses}).
22@item
23Insert, kill or align comments (@pxref{Comments}).
24@item
25Highlight program syntax (@pxref{Font Lock}).
26@end itemize
27
28 This chapter describes these features and many more.
29
30@menu
31* Program Modes:: Major modes for editing programs.
32* Defuns:: Commands to operate on major top-level parts
33 of a program.
34* Program Indent:: Adjusting indentation to show the nesting.
35* Parentheses:: Commands that operate on parentheses.
36* Comments:: Inserting, killing, and aligning comments.
37* Documentation:: Getting documentation of functions you plan to call.
38* Hideshow:: Displaying blocks selectively.
39* Symbol Completion:: Completion on symbol names of your program or language.
40* Glasses:: Making identifiersLikeThis more readable.
41* Misc for Programs:: Other Emacs features useful for editing programs.
42* C Modes:: Special commands of C, C++, Objective-C,
43 Java, and Pike modes.
44* Asm Mode:: Asm mode and its special features.
45@ifnottex
46* Fortran:: Fortran mode and its special features.
47@end ifnottex
48@end menu
49
50@node Program Modes
51@section Major Modes for Programming Languages
52@cindex modes for programming languages
53
54 Emacs has specialized major modes for various programming languages.
55@xref{Major Modes}. A programming language major mode typically
56specifies the syntax of expressions, the customary rules for
57indentation, how to do syntax highlighting for the language, and how
58to find the beginning of a function definition. It often customizes
59or provides facilities for compiling and debugging programs as well.
60
61 Ideally, Emacs should provide a major mode for each programming
62language that you might want to edit; if it doesn't have a mode for
63your favorite language, you can contribute one. But often the mode
64for one language can serve for other syntactically similar languages.
65The major mode for language @var{l} is called @code{@var{l}-mode},
66and you can select it by typing @kbd{M-x @var{l}-mode @key{RET}}.
67@xref{Choosing Modes}.
68
69@cindex Perl mode
70@cindex Icon mode
71@cindex Makefile mode
72@cindex Tcl mode
73@cindex CPerl mode
74@cindex DSSSL mode
75@cindex Octave mode
76@cindex Metafont mode
77@cindex Modula2 mode
78@cindex Prolog mode
79@cindex Python mode
80@cindex Simula mode
81@cindex VHDL mode
82@cindex M4 mode
83@cindex Shell-script mode
84@cindex Delphi mode
85@cindex PostScript mode
86@cindex Conf mode
87@cindex DNS mode
88 The existing programming language major modes include Lisp, Scheme (a
89variant of Lisp) and the Scheme-based DSSSL expression language, Ada,
90ASM, AWK, C, C++, Delphi (Object Pascal), Fortran (free format and fixed
91format), Icon, IDL (CORBA), IDLWAVE, Java, Metafont (@TeX{}'s
92companion for font creation), Modula2, Objective-C, Octave, Pascal,
93Perl, Pike, PostScript, Prolog, Python, Simula, Tcl, and VHDL. An
94alternative mode for Perl is called CPerl mode. Modes are available for
95the scripting languages of the common GNU and Unix shells, VMS DCL, and
96MS-DOS/MS-Windows @samp{BAT} files. There are also major modes for
97editing makefiles, DNS master files, and various sorts of configuration
98files.
99
100@kindex DEL @r{(programming modes)}
101@findex c-electric-backspace
102 In most programming languages, indentation should vary from line to
103line to illustrate the structure of the program. So the major modes
104for programming languages arrange for @key{TAB} to update the
105indentation of the current line. They also rebind @key{DEL} to treat
106a tab as if it were the equivalent number of spaces; this lets you
107delete one column of indentation without worrying whether the
108whitespace consists of spaces or tabs. Use @kbd{C-b C-d} to delete a
109tab character before point, in these modes.
110
111 Separate manuals are available for the modes for Ada (@pxref{Top, , Ada
112Mode, ada-mode, Ada Mode}), C/C++/Objective C/Java/Corba IDL/Pike/AWK
113(@pxref{Top, , CC Mode, ccmode, CC Mode}) and the IDLWAVE modes
114(@pxref{Top, , IDLWAVE, idlwave, IDLWAVE User Manual}). For Fortran
115mode, see
116@iftex
117@ref{Fortran,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
118@end iftex
119@ifnottex
120@ref{Fortran}.
121@end ifnottex
122
123
124@cindex mode hook
125@vindex c-mode-hook
126@vindex lisp-mode-hook
127@vindex emacs-lisp-mode-hook
128@vindex lisp-interaction-mode-hook
129@vindex scheme-mode-hook
130 Turning on a major mode runs a normal hook called the @dfn{mode
131hook}, which is the value of a Lisp variable. Each major mode has a
132mode hook, and the hook's name is always made from the mode command's
133name by adding @samp{-hook}. For example, turning on C mode runs the
134hook @code{c-mode-hook}, while turning on Lisp mode runs the hook
135@code{lisp-mode-hook}. The purpose of the mode hook is to give you a
136place to set up customizations for that major mode. @xref{Hooks}.
137
138@node Defuns
139@section Top-Level Definitions, or Defuns
140
141 In Emacs, a major definition at the top level in the buffer,
142something like a function, is called a @dfn{defun}. The name comes
143from Lisp, but in Emacs we use it for all languages.
144
145@menu
146* Left Margin Paren:: An open-paren or similar opening delimiter
147 starts a defun if it is at the left margin.
148* Moving by Defuns:: Commands to move over or mark a major definition.
149* Imenu:: Making buffer indexes as menus.
150* Which Function:: Which Function mode shows which function you are in.
151@end menu
152
153@node Left Margin Paren
154@subsection Left Margin Convention
155
156@cindex open-parenthesis in leftmost column
157@cindex ( in leftmost column
158 Emacs assumes by default that any opening delimiter found at the
159left margin is the start of a top-level definition, or defun.
160Therefore, @strong{don't put an opening delimiter at the left margin
161unless it should have that significance}. For instance, never put an
162open-parenthesis at the left margin in a Lisp file unless it is the
163start of a top-level list.
164
165 If you don't follow this convention, not only will you have trouble
166when you explicitly use the commands for motion by defuns; other
167features that use them will also give you trouble. This includes
168the indentation commands (@pxref{Program Indent}) and Font Lock
169mode (@pxref{Font Lock}).
170
171 The most likely problem case is when you want an opening delimiter
172at the start of a line inside a string. To avoid trouble, put an
173escape character (@samp{\}, in C and Emacs Lisp, @samp{/} in some
174other Lisp dialects) before the opening delimiter. This will not
175affect the contents of the string, but will prevent that opening
176delimiter from starting a defun. Here's an example:
177
178@example
179 (insert "Foo:
180\(bar)
181")
182@end example
183
184 To help you catch violations of this convention, Font Lock mode
185highlights confusing opening delimiters (those that ought to be
186quoted) in bold red.
187
188If you need to override this convention, you can so by setting this
189user option:
190
191@defvar open-paren-in-column-0-is-defun-start
192If this user option is set to @code{t} (the default), opening
193parentheses or braces at column zero always start defuns. When it's
194@code{nil}, defuns are found by searching for parens or braces at the
195outermost level.
196@end defvar
197
198 Usually, you shouldn't need to set
199@code{open-paren-in-column-0-is-defun-start} to @code{nil}. However,
200if your buffer contains parentheses or braces in column zero which
201don't start defuns and this confuses Emacs, it sometimes helps to set
202the option to @code{nil}. Be aware, though, that this will make
203scrolling and display in large buffers quite sluggish, and that
204parentheses and braces must be correctly matched throughout the buffer
205for it to work properly.
206
207 In the earliest days, the original Emacs found defuns by moving
208upward a level of parentheses or braces until there were no more
209levels to go up. This always required scanning all the way back to
210the beginning of the buffer, even for a small function. To speed up
211the operation, we changed Emacs to assume that any opening delimiter
212at the left margin is the start of a defun. This heuristic is nearly
213always right, and avoids the need to scan back to the beginning of the
214buffer. However, now that modern computers are so powerful, this
215scanning is rarely slow enough to annoy, so we've provided a way to
216disable the heuristic.
217
218@node Moving by Defuns
219@subsection Moving by Defuns
220@cindex defuns
221
222 These commands move point or set up the region based on top-level
223major definitions, also called @dfn{defuns}.
224
225@table @kbd
226@item C-M-a
227Move to beginning of current or preceding defun
228(@code{beginning-of-defun}).
229@item C-M-e
230Move to end of current or following defun (@code{end-of-defun}).
231@item C-M-h
232Put region around whole current or following defun (@code{mark-defun}).
233@end table
234
235@cindex move to beginning or end of function
236@cindex function, move to beginning or end
237@kindex C-M-a
238@kindex C-M-e
239@kindex C-M-h
240@findex beginning-of-defun
241@findex end-of-defun
242@findex mark-defun
243 The commands to move to the beginning and end of the current defun
244are @kbd{C-M-a} (@code{beginning-of-defun}) and @kbd{C-M-e}
245(@code{end-of-defun}). If you repeat one of these commands, or use a
246positive numeric argument, each repetition moves to the next defun in
247the direction of motion.
248
249 @kbd{C-M-a} with a negative argument @minus{}@var{n} moves forward
250@var{n} times to the next beginning of a defun. This is not exactly
251the same place that @kbd{C-M-e} with argument @var{n} would move to;
252the end of this defun is not usually exactly the same place as the
253beginning of the following defun. (Whitespace, comments, and perhaps
254declarations can separate them.) Likewise, @kbd{C-M-e} with a
255negative argument moves back to an end of a defun, which is not quite
256the same as @kbd{C-M-a} with a positive argument.
257
258@kindex C-M-h @r{(C mode)}
259@findex c-mark-function
260 To operate on the current defun, use @kbd{C-M-h} (@code{mark-defun})
261which puts point at the beginning and mark at the end of the current
262defun. This is the easiest way to get ready to kill the defun in
263order to move it to a different place in the file. If you use the
264command while point is between defuns, it uses the following defun.
265Successive uses of @kbd{C-M-h}, or using it in Transient Mark mode
266when the mark is active, extends the end of the region to include one
267more defun each time.
268
269 In C mode, @kbd{C-M-h} runs the function @code{c-mark-function},
270which is almost the same as @code{mark-defun}; the difference is that
271it backs up over the argument declarations, function name and returned
272data type so that the entire C function is inside the region. This is
273an example of how major modes adjust the standard key bindings so that
274they do their standard jobs in a way better fitting a particular
275language. Other major modes may replace any or all of these key
276bindings for that purpose.
277
278@node Imenu
279@subsection Imenu
280@cindex index of buffer definitions
281@cindex buffer definitions index
282@cindex tags
283
284 The Imenu facility offers a way to find the major definitions in
285a file by name. It is also useful in text formatter major modes,
286where it treats each chapter, section, etc., as a definition.
287(@xref{Tags}, for a more powerful feature that handles multiple files
288together.)
289
290@findex imenu
291 If you type @kbd{M-x imenu}, it reads the name of a definition using
292the minibuffer, then moves point to that definition. You can use
293completion to specify the name; the command always displays the whole
294list of valid names.
295
296@findex imenu-add-menubar-index
297 Alternatively, you can bind the command @code{imenu} to a mouse
298click. Then it displays mouse menus for you to select a definition
299name. You can also add the buffer's index to the menu bar by calling
300@code{imenu-add-menubar-index}. If you want to have this menu bar
301item available for all buffers in a certain major mode, you can do
302this by adding @code{imenu-add-menubar-index} to its mode hook. But
303if you have done that, you will have to wait a little while each time
304you visit a file in that mode, while Emacs finds all the definitions
305in that buffer.
306
307@vindex imenu-auto-rescan
308 When you change the contents of a buffer, if you add or delete
309definitions, you can update the buffer's index based on the
310new contents by invoking the @samp{*Rescan*} item in the menu.
311Rescanning happens automatically if you set @code{imenu-auto-rescan} to
312a non-@code{nil} value. There is no need to rescan because of small
313changes in the text.
314
315@vindex imenu-sort-function
316 You can customize the way the menus are sorted by setting the
317variable @code{imenu-sort-function}. By default, names are ordered as
318they occur in the buffer; if you want alphabetic sorting, use the
319symbol @code{imenu--sort-by-name} as the value. You can also
320define your own comparison function by writing Lisp code.
321
322 Imenu provides the information to guide Which Function mode
323@ifnottex
324(@pxref{Which Function}).
325@end ifnottex
326@iftex
327(see below).
328@end iftex
329The Speedbar can also use it (@pxref{Speedbar}).
330
331@node Which Function
332@subsection Which Function Mode
333@cindex current function name in mode line
334
335 Which Function mode is a minor mode that displays the current
336function name in the mode line, updating it as you move around in a
337buffer.
338
339@findex which-function-mode
340@vindex which-func-modes
341 To either enable or disable Which Function mode, use the command
342@kbd{M-x which-function-mode}. This command is global; it applies to
343all buffers, both existing ones and those yet to be created. However,
344it takes effect only in certain major modes, those listed in the value
345of @code{which-func-modes}. If the value is @code{t}, then Which
346Function mode applies to all major modes that know how to support
347it---in other words, all the major modes that support Imenu.
348
349@node Program Indent
350@section Indentation for Programs
351@cindex indentation for programs
352
353 The best way to keep a program properly indented is to use Emacs to
354reindent it as you change it. Emacs has commands to indent properly
355either a single line, a specified number of lines, or all of the lines
356inside a single parenthetical grouping.
357
358@menu
359* Basic Indent:: Indenting a single line.
360* Multi-line Indent:: Commands to reindent many lines at once.
361* Lisp Indent:: Specifying how each Lisp function should be indented.
362* C Indent:: Extra features for indenting C and related modes.
363* Custom C Indent:: Controlling indentation style for C and related modes.
364@end menu
365
366@cindex pretty-printer
367 Emacs also provides a Lisp pretty-printer in the library @code{pp}.
368This program reformats a Lisp object with indentation chosen to look nice.
369
370@node Basic Indent
371@subsection Basic Program Indentation Commands
372
373 The basic indentation commands indent a single line according to the
374usual conventions of the language you are editing.
375
376@need 1000
377@table @kbd
378@item @key{TAB}
379Adjust indentation of current line.
380@item C-j
381Insert a newline, then adjust indentation of following line
382(@code{newline-and-indent}).
383@end table
384
385@kindex TAB @r{(programming modes)}
386@findex c-indent-command
387@findex indent-line-function
388@findex indent-for-tab-command
389 The basic indentation command is @key{TAB}, which gives the current line
390the correct indentation as determined from the previous lines. The
391function that @key{TAB} runs depends on the major mode; it is
392@code{lisp-indent-line}
393in Lisp mode, @code{c-indent-command} in C mode, etc. These functions
394understand the syntax and conventions of different languages, but they all do
395conceptually the same job: @key{TAB} in any programming-language major mode
396inserts or deletes whitespace at the beginning of the current line,
397independent of where point is in the line. If point was inside the
398whitespace at the beginning of the line, @key{TAB} puts it at the end of
399that whitespace; otherwise, @key{TAB} keeps point fixed with respect to
400the characters around it.
401
402 Use @kbd{C-q @key{TAB}} to insert a tab character at point.
403
404@kindex C-j
405@findex newline-and-indent
406 When entering lines of new code, use @kbd{C-j}
407(@code{newline-and-indent}), which inserts a newline and then adjusts
408indentation after it. (It also deletes any trailing whitespace which
409remains before the new newline.) Thus, @kbd{C-j} at the end of a line
410creates a blank line with appropriate indentation. In programming
411language modes, it is equivalent to @key{RET} @key{TAB}.
412
413 @key{TAB} indents a line that starts within a parenthetical grouping
414under the preceding line within the grouping, or the text after the
415parenthesis. Therefore, if you manually give one of these lines a
416nonstandard indentation, the lines below will tend to follow it. This
417behavior is convenient in cases where you have overridden the standard
418result of @key{TAB} because you find it unaesthetic for a particular
419line.
420
421 In some modes, an open-parenthesis, open-brace or other opening
422delimiter at the left margin is assumed by Emacs (including the
423indentation routines) to be the start of a function. This speeds up
424indentation commands. If you will be editing text which contains
425opening delimiters in column zero that aren't the beginning of a
426functions, even inside strings or comments, you must set
427@code{open-paren-in-column-0-is-defun-start}. @xref{Left Margin
428Paren}, for more information on this.
429
430 Normally, lines are indented with tabs and spaces. If you want Emacs
431to use spaces only, set @code{indent-tabs-mode} (@pxref{Just Spaces}).
432
433@node Multi-line Indent
434@subsection Indenting Several Lines
435
436 When you wish to reindent several lines of code which have been
437altered or moved to a different level in the parenthesis structure,
438you have several commands available.
439
440@table @kbd
441@item C-M-q
442Reindent all the lines within one parenthetical grouping (@code{indent-pp-sexp}).
443@item C-M-\
444Reindent all lines in the region (@code{indent-region}).
445@item C-u @key{TAB}
446Shift an entire parenthetical grouping rigidly sideways so that its
447first line is properly indented.
448@item M-x indent-code-rigidly
449Shift all the lines in the region rigidly sideways, but do not alter
450lines that start inside comments and strings.
451@end table
452
453@kindex C-M-q
454@findex indent-pp-sexp
455 You can reindent the contents of a single parenthetical grouping by
456positioning point before the beginning of it and typing @kbd{C-M-q}
457(@code{indent-pp-sexp} in Lisp mode, @code{c-indent-exp} in C mode; also
458bound to other suitable commands in other modes). The indentation of
459the line where the grouping starts is not changed; therefore this
460changes only the relative indentation within the grouping, not its
461overall indentation. To correct that as well, type @key{TAB} first.
462
463 Another way to specify the range to be reindented is with the
464region. The command @kbd{C-M-\} (@code{indent-region}) applies
465@key{TAB} to every line whose first character is between point and
466mark.
467
468@kindex C-u TAB
469 If you like the relative indentation within a grouping, but not the
470indentation of its first line, you can type @kbd{C-u @key{TAB}} to
471reindent the whole grouping as a rigid unit. (This works in Lisp
472modes and C and related modes.) @key{TAB} with a numeric argument
473reindents the current line as usual, then reindents by the same amount
474all the lines in the parenthetical grouping starting on the current
475line. It is clever, though, and does not alter lines that start
476inside strings. Neither does it alter C preprocessor lines when in C
477mode, but it does reindent any continuation lines that may be attached
478to them.
479
480@findex indent-code-rigidly
481 You can also perform this operation on the region, using the command
482@kbd{M-x indent-code-rigidly}. It rigidly shifts all the lines in the
483region sideways, like @code{indent-rigidly} does (@pxref{Indentation
484Commands}). It doesn't alter the indentation of lines that start
485inside a string, unless the region also starts inside that string.
486The prefix arg specifies the number of columns to indent.
487
488@node Lisp Indent
489@subsection Customizing Lisp Indentation
490@cindex customizing Lisp indentation
491
492 The indentation pattern for a Lisp expression can depend on the function
493called by the expression. For each Lisp function, you can choose among
494several predefined patterns of indentation, or define an arbitrary one with
495a Lisp program.
496
497 The standard pattern of indentation is as follows: the second line of the
498expression is indented under the first argument, if that is on the same
499line as the beginning of the expression; otherwise, the second line is
500indented underneath the function name. Each following line is indented
501under the previous line whose nesting depth is the same.
502
503@vindex lisp-indent-offset
504 If the variable @code{lisp-indent-offset} is non-@code{nil}, it overrides
505the usual indentation pattern for the second line of an expression, so that
506such lines are always indented @code{lisp-indent-offset} more columns than
507the containing list.
508
509@vindex lisp-body-indent
510 Certain functions override the standard pattern. Functions whose
511names start with @code{def} treat the second lines as the start of
512a @dfn{body}, by indenting the second line @code{lisp-body-indent}
513additional columns beyond the open-parenthesis that starts the
514expression.
515
516@cindex @code{lisp-indent-function} property
517 You can override the standard pattern in various ways for individual
518functions, according to the @code{lisp-indent-function} property of
519the function name. Normally you would use this for macro definitions
520and specify it using the @code{declare} construct (@pxref{Defining
521Macros,,, elisp, the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}).
522
523@node C Indent
524@subsection Commands for C Indentation
525
526 Here are special features for indentation in C mode and related modes:
527
528@table @code
529@item C-c C-q
530@kindex C-c C-q @r{(C mode)}
531@findex c-indent-defun
532Reindent the current top-level function definition or aggregate type
533declaration (@code{c-indent-defun}).
534
535@item C-M-q
536@kindex C-M-q @r{(C mode)}
537@findex c-indent-exp
538Reindent each line in the balanced expression that follows point
539(@code{c-indent-exp}). A prefix argument inhibits warning messages
540about invalid syntax.
541
542@item @key{TAB}
543@findex c-indent-command
544Reindent the current line, and/or in some cases insert a tab character
545(@code{c-indent-command}).
546
547@vindex c-tab-always-indent
548If @code{c-tab-always-indent} is @code{t}, this command always reindents
549the current line and does nothing else. This is the default.
550
551If that variable is @code{nil}, this command reindents the current line
552only if point is at the left margin or in the line's indentation;
553otherwise, it inserts a tab (or the equivalent number of spaces,
554if @code{indent-tabs-mode} is @code{nil}).
555
556Any other value (not @code{nil} or @code{t}) means always reindent the
557line, and also insert a tab if within a comment or a string.
558@end table
559
560 To reindent the whole current buffer, type @kbd{C-x h C-M-\}. This
561first selects the whole buffer as the region, then reindents that
562region.
563
564 To reindent the current block, use @kbd{C-M-u C-M-q}. This moves
565to the front of the block and then reindents it all.
566
567@node Custom C Indent
568@subsection Customizing C Indentation
569@cindex style (for indentation)
570
571 C mode and related modes use a flexible mechanism for customizing
572indentation. C mode indents a source line in two steps: first it
573classifies the line syntactically according to its contents and
574context; second, it determines the indentation offset associated by
575your selected @dfn{style} with the syntactic construct and adds this
576onto the indentation of the @dfn{anchor statement}.
577
578@table @kbd
579@item C-c . @key{RET} @var{style} @key{RET}
580Select a predefined style @var{style} (@code{c-set-style}).
581@end table
582
583 A @dfn{style} is a named collection of customizations that can be
584used in C mode and the related modes. @ref{Styles,,, ccmode, The CC
585Mode Manual}, for a complete description. Emacs comes with several
586predefined styles, including @code{gnu}, @code{k&r}, @code{bsd},
587@code{stroustrup}, @code{linux}, @code{python}, @code{java},
588@code{whitesmith}, @code{ellemtel}, and @code{awk}. Some of these
589styles are primarily intended for one language, but any of them can be
590used with any of the languages supported by these modes. To find out
591what a style looks like, select it and reindent some code, e.g., by
592typing @key{C-M-q} at the start of a function definition.
593
594@kindex C-c . @r{(C mode)}
595@findex c-set-style
596 To choose a style for the current buffer, use the command @w{@kbd{C-c
597.}}. Specify a style name as an argument (case is not significant).
598This command affects the current buffer only, and it affects only
599future invocations of the indentation commands; it does not reindent
600the code already in the buffer. To reindent the whole buffer in the
601new style, you can type @kbd{C-x h C-M-\}.
602
603@vindex c-default-style
604 You can also set the variable @code{c-default-style} to specify the
605default style for various major modes. Its value should be either the
606style's name (a string) or an alist, in which each element specifies
607one major mode and which indentation style to use for it. For
608example,
609
610@example
611(setq c-default-style
612 '((java-mode . "java") (awk-mode . "awk") (other . "gnu")))
613@end example
614
615@noindent
616specifies explicit choices for Java and AWK modes, and the default
617@samp{gnu} style for the other C-like modes. (These settings are
618actually the defaults.) This variable takes effect when you select
619one of the C-like major modes; thus, if you specify a new default
620style for Java mode, you can make it take effect in an existing Java
621mode buffer by typing @kbd{M-x java-mode} there.
622
623 The @code{gnu} style specifies the formatting recommended by the GNU
624Project for C; it is the default, so as to encourage use of our
625recommended style.
626
627 @xref{Indentation Engine Basics,,, ccmode, the CC Mode Manual}, and
628@ref{Customizing Indentation,,, ccmode, the CC Mode Manual}, for more
629information on customizing indentation for C and related modes,
630including how to override parts of an existing style and how to define
631your own styles.
632
633@node Parentheses
634@section Commands for Editing with Parentheses
635
636@findex check-parens
637@cindex unbalanced parentheses and quotes
638 This section describes the commands and features that take advantage
639of the parenthesis structure in a program, or help you keep it
640balanced.
641
642 When talking about these facilities, the term ``parenthesis'' also
643includes braces, brackets, or whatever delimiters are defined to match
644in pairs. The major mode controls which delimiters are significant,
645through the syntax table (@pxref{Syntax}). In Lisp, only parentheses
646count; in C, these commands apply to braces and brackets too.
647
648 You can use @kbd{M-x check-parens} to find any unbalanced
649parentheses and unbalanced string quotes in the buffer.
650
651@menu
652* Expressions:: Expressions with balanced parentheses.
653* Moving by Parens:: Commands for moving up, down and across
654 in the structure of parentheses.
655* Matching:: Insertion of a close-delimiter flashes matching open.
656@end menu
657
658@node Expressions
659@subsection Expressions with Balanced Parentheses
660
661@cindex sexp
662@cindex expression
663@cindex balanced expression
664 These commands deal with balanced expressions, also called
665@dfn{sexps}@footnote{The word ``sexp'' is used to refer to an
666expression in Lisp.}.
667
668@table @kbd
669@item C-M-f
670Move forward over a balanced expression (@code{forward-sexp}).
671@item C-M-b
672Move backward over a balanced expression (@code{backward-sexp}).
673@item C-M-k
674Kill balanced expression forward (@code{kill-sexp}).
675@item C-M-t
676Transpose expressions (@code{transpose-sexps}).
677@item C-M-@@
678@itemx C-M-@key{SPC}
679Put mark after following expression (@code{mark-sexp}).
680@end table
681
682 Each programming language major mode customizes the definition of
683balanced expressions to suit that language. Balanced expressions
684typically include symbols, numbers, and string constants, as well as
685any pair of matching delimiters and their contents. Some languages
686have obscure forms of expression syntax that nobody has bothered to
687implement in Emacs.
688
689@cindex Control-Meta
690 By convention, the keys for these commands are all Control-Meta
691characters. They usually act on expressions just as the corresponding
692Meta characters act on words. For instance, the command @kbd{C-M-b}
693moves backward over a balanced expression, just as @kbd{M-b} moves
694back over a word.
695
696@kindex C-M-f
697@kindex C-M-b
698@findex forward-sexp
699@findex backward-sexp
700 To move forward over a balanced expression, use @kbd{C-M-f}
701(@code{forward-sexp}). If the first significant character after point
702is an opening delimiter (@samp{(} in Lisp; @samp{(}, @samp{[} or
703@samp{@{} in C), @kbd{C-M-f} moves past the matching closing
704delimiter. If the character begins a symbol, string, or number,
705@kbd{C-M-f} moves over that.
706
707 The command @kbd{C-M-b} (@code{backward-sexp}) moves backward over a
708balanced expression. The detailed rules are like those above for
709@kbd{C-M-f}, but with directions reversed. If there are prefix
710characters (single-quote, backquote and comma, in Lisp) preceding the
711expression, @kbd{C-M-b} moves back over them as well. The balanced
712expression commands move across comments as if they were whitespace,
713in most modes.
714
715 @kbd{C-M-f} or @kbd{C-M-b} with an argument repeats that operation the
716specified number of times; with a negative argument, it moves in the
717opposite direction.
718
719@cindex killing expressions
720@kindex C-M-k
721@findex kill-sexp
722 Killing a whole balanced expression can be done with @kbd{C-M-k}
723(@code{kill-sexp}). @kbd{C-M-k} kills the characters that @kbd{C-M-f}
724would move over.
725
726@cindex transposition of expressions
727@kindex C-M-t
728@findex transpose-sexps
729 A somewhat random-sounding command which is nevertheless handy is
730@kbd{C-M-t} (@code{transpose-sexps}), which drags the previous
731balanced expression across the next one. An argument serves as a
732repeat count, moving the previous expression over that many following
733ones. A negative argument drags the previous balanced expression
734backwards across those before it (thus canceling out the effect of
735@kbd{C-M-t} with a positive argument). An argument of zero, rather
736than doing nothing, transposes the balanced expressions ending at or
737after point and the mark.
738
739@kindex C-M-@@
740@kindex C-M-@key{SPC}
741@findex mark-sexp
742 To set the region around the next balanced expression in the buffer,
743use @kbd{C-M-@@} (@code{mark-sexp}), which sets mark at the same place
744that @kbd{C-M-f} would move to. @kbd{C-M-@@} takes arguments like
745@kbd{C-M-f}. In particular, a negative argument is useful for putting
746the mark at the beginning of the previous balanced expression. The
747alias @kbd{C-M-@key{SPC}} is equivalent to @kbd{C-M-@@}. When you
748repeat this command, or use it in Transient Mark mode when the mark is
749active, it extends the end of the region by one sexp each time.
750
751 In languages that use infix operators, such as C, it is not possible
752to recognize all balanced expressions as such because there can be
753multiple possibilities at a given position. For example, C mode does
754not treat @samp{foo + bar} as a single expression, even though it
755@emph{is} one C expression; instead, it recognizes @samp{foo} as one
756expression and @samp{bar} as another, with the @samp{+} as punctuation
757between them. Both @samp{foo + bar} and @samp{foo} are legitimate
758choices for ``the expression following point'' when point is at the
759@samp{f}, so the expression commands must perforce choose one or the
760other to operate on. Note that @samp{(foo + bar)} is recognized as a
761single expression in C mode, because of the parentheses.
762
763@node Moving by Parens
764@subsection Moving in the Parenthesis Structure
765
766@cindex parenthetical groupings
767@cindex parentheses, moving across
768@cindex matching parenthesis and braces, moving to
769@cindex braces, moving across
770@cindex list commands
771 The Emacs commands for handling parenthetical groupings see nothing
772except parentheses (or whatever characters must balance in the
773language you are working with), and the escape characters that might
774be used to quote those. They are mainly intended for editing
775programs, but can be useful for editing any text that has parentheses.
776They are sometimes called ``list'' commands because in Lisp these
777groupings are lists.
778
779@table @kbd
780@item C-M-n
781Move forward over a parenthetical group (@code{forward-list}).
782@item C-M-p
783Move backward over a parenthetical group (@code{backward-list}).
784@item C-M-u
785Move up in parenthesis structure (@code{backward-up-list}).
786@item C-M-d
787Move down in parenthesis structure (@code{down-list}).
788@end table
789
790@kindex C-M-n
791@kindex C-M-p
792@findex forward-list
793@findex backward-list
794 The ``list'' commands @kbd{C-M-n} (@code{forward-list}) and
795@kbd{C-M-p} (@code{backward-list}) move over one (or @var{n})
796parenthetical groupings, skipping blithely over any amount of text
797that doesn't include meaningful parentheses (symbols, strings, etc.).
798
799@kindex C-M-u
800@findex backward-up-list
801 @kbd{C-M-n} and @kbd{C-M-p} try to stay at the same level in the
802parenthesis structure. To move @emph{up} one (or @var{n}) levels, use
803@kbd{C-M-u} (@code{backward-up-list}). @kbd{C-M-u} moves backward up
804past one unmatched opening delimiter. A positive argument serves as a
805repeat count; a negative argument reverses the direction of motion, so
806that the command moves forward and up one or more levels.
807
808@kindex C-M-d
809@findex down-list
810 To move @emph{down} in the parenthesis structure, use @kbd{C-M-d}
811(@code{down-list}). In Lisp mode, where @samp{(} is the only opening
812delimiter, this is nearly the same as searching for a @samp{(}. An
813argument specifies the number of levels to go down.
814
815@node Matching
816@subsection Automatic Display Of Matching Parentheses
817@cindex matching parentheses
818@cindex parentheses, displaying matches
819
820 The Emacs parenthesis-matching feature is designed to show
821automatically how parentheses (and other matching delimiters) match in
822the text. Whenever you type a self-inserting character that is a
823closing delimiter, the cursor moves momentarily to the location of the
824matching opening delimiter, provided that is on the screen. If it is
825not on the screen, Emacs displays some of the text near it in the echo
826area. Either way, you can tell which grouping you are closing off.
827
828 If the opening delimiter and closing delimiter are mismatched---such
829as in @samp{[x)}---a warning message is displayed in the echo area.
830
831@vindex blink-matching-paren
832@vindex blink-matching-paren-distance
833@vindex blink-matching-delay
834 Three variables control parenthesis match display:
835
836 @code{blink-matching-paren} turns the feature on or off: @code{nil}
837disables it, but the default is @code{t} to enable match display.
838
839 @code{blink-matching-delay} says how many seconds to leave the
840cursor on the matching opening delimiter, before bringing it back to
841the real location of point; the default is 1, but on some systems it
842is useful to specify a fraction of a second.
843
844 @code{blink-matching-paren-distance} specifies how many characters
845back to search to find the matching opening delimiter. If the match
846is not found in that distance, scanning stops, and nothing is displayed.
847This is to prevent the scan for the matching delimiter from wasting
848lots of time when there is no match. The default is 25600.
849
850@cindex Show Paren mode
851@cindex highlighting matching parentheses
852@findex show-paren-mode
853 Show Paren mode provides a more powerful kind of automatic matching.
854Whenever point is after a closing delimiter, that delimiter and its
855matching opening delimiter are both highlighted; otherwise, if point
856is before an opening delimiter, the matching closing delimiter is
857highlighted. (There is no need to highlight the opening delimiter in
858that case, because the cursor appears on top of that character.) Use
859the command @kbd{M-x show-paren-mode} to enable or disable this mode.
860
861 Show Paren mode uses the faces @code{show-paren-match} and
862@code{show-paren-mismatch} to highlight parentheses; you can customize
863them to control how highlighting looks. @xref{Face Customization}.
864
865@node Comments
866@section Manipulating Comments
867@cindex comments
868
869 Because comments are such an important part of programming, Emacs
870provides special commands for editing and inserting comments. It can
871also do spell checking on comments with Flyspell Prog mode
872(@pxref{Spelling}).
873
874@menu
875* Comment Commands:: Inserting, killing, and aligning comments.
876* Multi-Line Comments:: Commands for adding and editing multi-line comments.
877* Options for Comments::Customizing the comment features.
878@end menu
879
880@node Comment Commands
881@subsection Comment Commands
882@cindex indentation for comments
883@cindex alignment for comments
884
885 The comment commands in this table insert, kill and align comments.
886They are described in this section and following sections.
887
888@table @asis
889@item @kbd{M-;}
890Insert or realign comment on current line; alternatively, comment or
891uncomment the region (@code{comment-dwim}).
892@item @kbd{C-u M-;}
893Kill comment on current line (@code{comment-kill}).
894@item @kbd{C-x ;}
895Set comment column (@code{comment-set-column}).
896@item @kbd{C-M-j}
897@itemx @kbd{M-j}
898Like @key{RET} followed by inserting and aligning a comment
899(@code{comment-indent-new-line}). @xref{Multi-Line Comments}.
900@item @kbd{M-x comment-region}
901@itemx @kbd{C-c C-c} (in C-like modes)
902Add or remove comment delimiters on all the lines in the region.
903@end table
904
905@kindex M-;
906@findex comment-dwim
907 The command to create or align a comment is @kbd{M-;}
908(@code{comment-dwim}). The word ``dwim'' is an acronym for ``Do What
909I Mean''; it indicates that this command can be used for many
910different jobs relating to comments, depending on the situation where
911you use it.
912
913 If there is no comment already on the line, @kbd{M-;} inserts a new
914comment, aligned at a specific column called the @dfn{comment column}.
915The new comment begins with the string Emacs thinks comments should
916start with (the value of @code{comment-start}; see below). Point is
917after that string, so you can insert the text of the comment right
918away. If the major mode has specified a string to terminate comments,
919@kbd{M-;} inserts that after point, to keep the syntax valid.
920
921 If the text of the line extends past the comment column, this
922command aligns the comment start string to a suitable boundary
923(usually, at least one space is inserted).
924
925 You can also use @kbd{M-;} to align an existing comment. If a line
926already contains the comment-start string, @kbd{M-;} realigns it to
927the conventional alignment and moves point after it. (Exception:
928comments starting in column 0 are not moved.) Even when an existing
929comment is properly aligned, @kbd{M-;} is still useful for moving
930directly to the start of the text inside the comment.
931
932@findex comment-kill
933@kindex C-u M-;
934 @kbd{C-u M-;} kills any comment on the current line, along with the
935whitespace before it. To reinsert the comment on another line, move
936to the end of that line, do @kbd{C-y}, and then do @kbd{M-;} to
937realign it.
938
939 Note that @kbd{C-u M-;} is not a distinct key; it is @kbd{M-;}
940(@code{comment-dwim}) with a prefix argument. That command is
941programmed so that when it receives a prefix argument it calls
942@code{comment-kill}. However, @code{comment-kill} is a valid command
943in its own right, and you can bind it directly to a key if you wish.
944
945 @kbd{M-;} does two other jobs when used with an active region in
946Transient Mark mode (@pxref{Transient Mark}). Then it either adds or
947removes comment delimiters on each line of the region. (If every line
948is a comment, it removes comment delimiters from each; otherwise, it
949adds comment delimiters to each.) If you are not using Transient Mark
950mode, then you should use the commands @code{comment-region} and
951@code{uncomment-region} to do these jobs (@pxref{Multi-Line Comments}),
952or else enable Transient Mark mode momentarily (@pxref{Momentary Mark}).
953A prefix argument used in these circumstances specifies how many
954comment delimiters to add or how many to delete.
955
956 Some major modes have special rules for aligning certain kinds of
957comments in certain contexts. For example, in Lisp code, comments which
958start with two semicolons are indented as if they were lines of code,
959instead of at the comment column. Comments which start with three
960semicolons are supposed to start at the left margin and are often used
961for sectioning purposes. Emacs understands
962these conventions by indenting a double-semicolon comment using @key{TAB},
963and by not changing the indentation of a triple-semicolon comment at all.
964
965@example
966;; This function is just an example.
967;;; Here either two or three semicolons are appropriate.
968(defun foo (x)
969;;; And now, the first part of the function:
970 ;; The following line adds one.
971 (1+ x)) ; This line adds one.
972@end example
973
974 For C-like modes, you can configure the exact effect of @kbd{M-;}
975more flexibly than for most buffers by setting the variables
976@code{c-indent-comment-alist} and
977@code{c-indent-comments-syntactically-p}. For example, on a line
978ending in a closing brace, @kbd{M-;} puts the comment one space after
979the brace rather than at @code{comment-column}. For full details see
980@ref{Comment Commands,,, ccmode, The CC Mode Manual}.
981
982@node Multi-Line Comments
983@subsection Multiple Lines of Comments
984
985@kindex C-M-j
986@kindex M-j
987@cindex blank lines in programs
988@findex comment-indent-new-line
989
990 If you are typing a comment and wish to continue it on another line,
991you can use the command @kbd{C-M-j} or @kbd{M-j}
992(@code{comment-indent-new-line}). If @code{comment-multi-line}
993(@pxref{Options for Comments}) is non-@code{nil}, it moves to a new
994line within the comment. Otherwise it closes the comment and starts a
995new comment on a new line. When Auto Fill mode is on, going past the
996fill column while typing a comment causes the comment to be continued
997in just this fashion.
998
999@kindex C-c C-c (C mode)
1000@findex comment-region
1001 To turn existing lines into comment lines, use the @kbd{M-x
1002comment-region} command (or type @kbd{C-c C-c} in C-like modes). It
1003adds comment delimiters to the lines that start in the region, thus
1004commenting them out. With a negative argument, it does the
1005opposite---it deletes comment delimiters from the lines in the region.
1006
1007 With a positive argument, @code{comment-region} duplicates the last
1008character of the comment start sequence it adds; the argument
1009specifies how many copies of the character to insert. Thus, in Lisp
1010mode, @kbd{C-u 2 M-x comment-region} adds @samp{;;} to each line.
1011Duplicating the comment delimiter is a way of calling attention to the
1012comment. It can also affect how the comment is aligned or indented.
1013In Lisp, for proper indentation, you should use an argument of two or
1014three, if between defuns; if within a defun, it must be three.
1015
1016 You can configure C Mode such that when you type a @samp{/} at the
1017start of a line in a multi-line block comment, this closes the
1018comment. Enable the @code{comment-close-slash} clean-up for this.
1019@xref{Clean-ups,,, ccmode, The CC Mode Manual}.
1020
1021@node Options for Comments
1022@subsection Options Controlling Comments
1023
1024@vindex comment-column
1025@kindex C-x ;
1026@findex comment-set-column
1027 The @dfn{comment column}, the column at which Emacs tries to place
1028comments, is stored in the variable @code{comment-column}. You can
1029set it to a number explicitly. Alternatively, the command @kbd{C-x ;}
1030(@code{comment-set-column}) sets the comment column to the column
1031point is at. @kbd{C-u C-x ;} sets the comment column to match the
1032last comment before point in the buffer, and then does a @kbd{M-;} to
1033align the current line's comment under the previous one.
1034
1035 The variable @code{comment-column} is per-buffer: setting the variable
1036in the normal fashion affects only the current buffer, but there is a
1037default value which you can change with @code{setq-default}.
1038@xref{Locals}. Many major modes initialize this variable for the
1039current buffer.
1040
1041@vindex comment-start-skip
1042 The comment commands recognize comments based on the regular
1043expression that is the value of the variable @code{comment-start-skip}.
1044Make sure this regexp does not match the null string. It may match more
1045than the comment starting delimiter in the strictest sense of the word;
1046for example, in C mode the value of the variable is
1047@c This stops M-q from breaking the line inside that @code.
1048@code{@w{"/\\*+ *\\|//+ *"}}, which matches extra stars and spaces
1049after the @samp{/*} itself, and accepts C++ style comments also.
1050(Note that @samp{\\} is needed in Lisp syntax to include a @samp{\} in
1051the string, which is needed to deny the first star its special meaning
1052in regexp syntax. @xref{Regexp Backslash}.)
1053
1054@vindex comment-start
1055@vindex comment-end
1056 When a comment command makes a new comment, it inserts the value of
1057@code{comment-start} to begin it. The value of @code{comment-end} is
1058inserted after point, so that it will follow the text that you will
1059insert into the comment. When @code{comment-end} is non-empty, it
1060should start with a space. For example, in C mode,
1061@code{comment-start} has the value @w{@code{"/* "}} and
1062@code{comment-end} has the value @w{@code{" */"}}.
1063
1064@vindex comment-padding
1065 The variable @code{comment-padding} specifies how many spaces
1066@code{comment-region} should insert on each line between the comment
1067delimiter and the line's original text. The default is 1, to insert
1068one space. @code{nil} means 0. Alternatively, @code{comment-padding}
1069can hold the actual string to insert.
1070
1071@vindex comment-multi-line
1072 The variable @code{comment-multi-line} controls how @kbd{C-M-j}
1073(@code{indent-new-comment-line}) behaves when used inside a comment.
1074Specifically, when @code{comment-multi-line} is @code{nil}, the
1075command inserts a comment terminator, begins a new line, and finally
1076inserts a comment starter. Otherwise it does not insert the
1077terminator and starter, so it effectively continues the current
1078comment across multiple lines. In languages that allow multi-line
1079comments, the choice of value for this variable is a matter of taste.
1080The default for this variable depends on the major mode.
1081
1082@vindex comment-indent-function
1083 The variable @code{comment-indent-function} should contain a function
1084that will be called to compute the alignment for a newly inserted
1085comment or for aligning an existing comment. It is set differently by
1086various major modes. The function is called with no arguments, but with
1087point at the beginning of the comment, or at the end of a line if a new
1088comment is to be inserted. It should return the column in which the
1089comment ought to start. For example, in Lisp mode, the indent hook
1090function bases its decision on how many semicolons begin an existing
1091comment, and on the code in the preceding lines.
1092
1093@node Documentation
1094@section Documentation Lookup
1095
1096 Emacs provides several features you can use to look up the
1097documentation of functions, variables and commands that you plan to
1098use in your program.
1099
1100@menu
1101* Info Lookup:: Looking up library functions and commands
1102 in Info files.
1103* Man Page:: Looking up man pages of library functions and commands.
1104* Lisp Doc:: Looking up Emacs Lisp functions, etc.
1105@end menu
1106
1107@node Info Lookup
1108@subsection Info Documentation Lookup
1109
1110@findex info-lookup-symbol
1111@findex info-lookup-file
1112@kindex C-h S
1113 For many major modes, that apply to languages that have
1114documentation in Info, you can use @kbd{C-h S}
1115(@code{info-lookup-symbol}) to view the Info documentation for a
1116symbol used in the program. You specify the symbol with the
1117minibuffer; the default is the symbol appearing in the buffer at
1118point. For example, in C mode this looks for the symbol in the C
1119Library Manual. The command only works if the appropriate manual's
1120Info files are installed.
1121
1122 The major mode determines where to look for documentation for the
1123symbol---which Info files to look in, and which indices to search.
1124You can also use @kbd{M-x info-lookup-file} to look for documentation
1125for a file name.
1126
1127 If you use @kbd{C-h S} in a major mode that does not support it,
1128it asks you to specify the ``symbol help mode.'' You should enter
1129a command such as @code{c-mode} that would select a major
1130mode which @kbd{C-h S} does support.
1131
1132@node Man Page
1133@subsection Man Page Lookup
1134
1135@cindex manual page
1136 On Unix, the main form of on-line documentation was the @dfn{manual
1137page} or @dfn{man page}. In the GNU operating system, we aim to
1138replace man pages with better-organized manuals that you can browse
1139with Info (@pxref{Misc Help}). This process is not finished, so it is
1140still useful to read manual pages.
1141
1142@findex manual-entry
1143 You can read the man page for an operating system command, library
1144function, or system call, with the @kbd{M-x man} command. It
1145runs the @code{man} program to format the man page; if the system
1146permits, it runs @code{man} asynchronously, so that you can keep on
1147editing while the page is being formatted. (On MS-DOS and MS-Windows
11483, you cannot edit while Emacs waits for @code{man} to finish.) The
1149result goes in a buffer named @samp{*Man @var{topic}*}. These buffers
1150use a special major mode, Man mode, that facilitates scrolling and
1151jumping to other manual pages. For details, type @kbd{C-h m} while in
1152a man page buffer.
1153
1154@cindex sections of manual pages
1155 Each man page belongs to one of ten or more @dfn{sections}, each
1156named by a digit or by a digit and a letter. Sometimes there are
1157multiple man pages with the same name in different sections. To read
1158a man page from a specific section, type
1159@samp{@var{topic}(@var{section})} or @samp{@var{section} @var{topic}}
1160when @kbd{M-x manual-entry} prompts for the topic. For example, to
1161read the man page for the C library function @code{chmod} (as opposed
1162to a command of the same name), type @kbd{M-x manual-entry @key{RET}
1163chmod(2) @key{RET}}. (@code{chmod} is a system call, so it is in
1164section @samp{2}.)
1165
1166@vindex Man-switches
1167 If you do not specify a section, the results depend on how the
1168@code{man} program works on your system. Some of them display only
1169the first man page they find. Others display all man pages that have
1170the specified name, so you can move between them with the @kbd{M-n}
1171and @kbd{M-p} keys@footnote{On some systems, the @code{man} program
1172accepts a @samp{-a} command-line option which tells it to display all
1173the man pages for the specified topic. If you want this behavior, you
1174can add this option to the value of the variable @code{Man-switches}.}.
1175The mode line shows how many manual pages are present in the Man buffer.
1176
1177@vindex Man-fontify-manpage-flag
1178 By default, Emacs highlights the text in man pages. For a long man
1179page, highlighting can take substantial time. You can turn off
1180highlighting of man pages by setting the variable
1181@code{Man-fontify-manpage-flag} to @code{nil}.
1182
1183@findex Man-fontify-manpage
1184 If you insert the text of a man page into an Emacs buffer in some
1185other fashion, you can use the command @kbd{M-x Man-fontify-manpage} to
1186perform the same conversions that @kbd{M-x manual-entry} does.
1187
1188@findex woman
1189@cindex manual pages, on MS-DOS/MS-Windows
1190 An alternative way of reading manual pages is the @kbd{M-x woman}
1191command@footnote{The name of the command, @code{woman}, is an acronym
1192for ``w/o (without) man,'' since it doesn't use the @code{man}
1193program.}. Unlike @kbd{M-x man}, it does not run any external
1194programs to format and display the man pages; instead it does the job
1195in Emacs Lisp, so it works on systems such as MS-Windows, where the
1196@code{man} program (and other programs it uses) are not generally
1197available.
1198
1199 @kbd{M-x woman} prompts for a name of a manual page, and provides
1200completion based on the list of manual pages that are installed on
1201your machine; the list of available manual pages is computed
1202automatically the first time you invoke @code{woman}. The word at
1203point in the current buffer is used to suggest the default for the
1204name the manual page.
1205
1206 With a numeric argument, @kbd{M-x woman} recomputes the list of the
1207manual pages used for completion. This is useful if you add or delete
1208manual pages.
1209
1210 If you type a name of a manual page and @kbd{M-x woman} finds that
1211several manual pages by the same name exist in different sections, it
1212pops up a window with possible candidates asking you to choose one of
1213them.
1214
1215 For more information about setting up and using @kbd{M-x woman}, see
1216@ref{Top, WoMan, Browse UN*X Manual Pages WithOut Man, woman, The WoMan
1217Manual}.
1218
1219@node Lisp Doc
1220@subsection Emacs Lisp Documentation Lookup
1221
1222 As you edit Lisp code to be run in Emacs, you can use the commands
1223@kbd{C-h f} (@code{describe-function}) and @kbd{C-h v}
1224(@code{describe-variable}) to view documentation of functions and
1225variables that you want to use. These commands use the minibuffer to
1226read the name of a function or variable to document, and display the
1227documentation in a window. Their default arguments are based on the
1228code in the neighborhood of point. For @kbd{C-h f}, the default is
1229the function called in the innermost list containing point. @kbd{C-h
1230v} uses the symbol name around or adjacent to point as its default.
1231
1232@cindex Eldoc mode
1233@findex eldoc-mode
1234 A more automatic but less powerful method is Eldoc mode. This minor
1235mode constantly displays in the echo area the argument list for the
1236function being called at point. (In other words, it finds the
1237function call that point is contained in, and displays the argument
1238list of that function.) If point is over a documented variable, it
1239shows the first line of the variable's docstring. Eldoc mode applies
1240in Emacs Lisp and Lisp Interaction modes, and perhaps a few others
1241that provide special support for looking up doc strings. Use the
1242command @kbd{M-x eldoc-mode} to enable or disable this feature.
1243
1244@node Hideshow
1245@section Hideshow minor mode
1246
1247@findex hs-minor-mode
1248 Hideshow minor mode provides selective display of portions of a
1249program, known as @dfn{blocks}. You can use @kbd{M-x hs-minor-mode}
1250to enable or disable this mode, or add @code{hs-minor-mode} to the
1251mode hook for certain major modes in order to enable it automatically
1252for those modes.
1253
1254 Just what constitutes a block depends on the major mode. In C mode
1255or C++ mode, they are delimited by braces, while in Lisp mode and
1256similar modes they are delimited by parentheses. Multi-line comments
1257also count as blocks.
1258
1259@findex hs-hide-all
1260@findex hs-hide-block
1261@findex hs-show-all
1262@findex hs-show-block
1263@findex hs-show-region
1264@findex hs-hide-level
1265@findex hs-minor-mode
1266@kindex C-c @@ C-h
1267@kindex C-c @@ C-s
1268@kindex C-c @@ C-M-h
1269@kindex C-c @@ C-M-s
1270@kindex C-c @@ C-r
1271@kindex C-c @@ C-l
1272@kindex S-Mouse-2
1273@table @kbd
1274@item C-c @@ C-h
1275Hide the current block (@code{hs-hide-block}).
1276@item C-c @@ C-s
1277Show the current block (@code{hs-show-block}).
1278@item C-c @@ C-c
1279Either hide or show the current block (@code{hs-toggle-hiding}).
1280@item S-Mouse-2
1281Either hide or show the block you click on (@code{hs-mouse-toggle-hiding}).
1282@item C-c @@ C-M-h
1283Hide all top-level blocks (@code{hs-hide-all}).
1284@item C-c @@ C-M-s
1285Show everything in the buffer (@code{hs-show-all}).
1286@item C-c @@ C-l
1287Hide all blocks @var{n} levels below this block
1288(@code{hs-hide-level}).
1289@end table
1290
1291@vindex hs-hide-comments-when-hiding-all
1292@vindex hs-isearch-open
1293@vindex hs-special-modes-alist
1294 These variables exist for customizing Hideshow mode.
1295
1296@table @code
1297@item hs-hide-comments-when-hiding-all
1298Non-@code{nil} says that @kbd{hs-hide-all} should hide comments too.
1299
1300@item hs-isearch-open
1301Specifies what kind of hidden blocks incremental search should make
1302visible. The value should be one of these four symbols:
1303
1304@table @code
1305@item code
1306Open only code blocks.
1307@item comment
1308Open only comments.
1309@item t
1310Open both code blocks and comments.
1311@item nil
1312Open neither code blocks nor comments.
1313@end table
1314
1315@item hs-special-modes-alist
1316A list of elements, each specifying how to initialize Hideshow
1317variables for one major mode. See the variable's documentation string
1318for more information.
1319@end table
1320
1321@node Symbol Completion
1322@section Completion for Symbol Names
1323@cindex completion (symbol names)
1324
1325 In Emacs, completion is something you normally do in the minibuffer.
1326But one kind of completion is available in all buffers: completion for
1327symbol names.
1328
1329@kindex M-TAB
1330 The character @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} runs a command to complete the
1331partial symbol before point against the set of meaningful symbol
1332names. This command inserts at point any additional characters that
1333it can determine from the partial name.
1334
1335 If your window manager defines @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} to switch windows,
1336you can type @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{TAB}} or @kbd{C-M-i} instead.
1337However, most window managers let you customize these shortcuts, and
1338we recommend that you change any that get in the way of use of Emacs.
1339
1340 If the partial name in the buffer has multiple possible completions
1341that differ in the very next character, so that it is impossible to
1342complete even one more character, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} displays a list of
1343all possible completions in another window.
1344
1345@cindex tags-based completion
1346@cindex Info index completion
1347@findex complete-symbol
1348 In most programming language major modes, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} runs the
1349command @code{complete-symbol}, which provides two kinds of completion.
1350Normally it does completion based on a tags table (@pxref{Tags}); with a
1351numeric argument (regardless of the value), it does completion based on
1352the names listed in the Info file indexes for your language. Thus, to
1353complete the name of a symbol defined in your own program, use
1354@kbd{M-@key{TAB}} with no argument; to complete the name of a standard
1355library function, use @kbd{C-u M-@key{TAB}}. Of course, Info-based
1356completion works only if there is an Info file for the standard library
1357functions of your language, and only if it is installed at your site.
1358
1359@cindex Lisp symbol completion
1360@cindex completion (Lisp symbols)
1361@findex lisp-complete-symbol
1362 In Emacs-Lisp mode, the name space for completion normally consists of
1363nontrivial symbols present in Emacs---those that have function
1364definitions, values or properties. However, if there is an
1365open-parenthesis immediately before the beginning of the partial symbol,
1366only symbols with function definitions are considered as completions.
1367The command which implements this is @code{lisp-complete-symbol}.
1368
1369 In Text mode and related modes, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} completes words
1370based on the spell-checker's dictionary. @xref{Spelling}.
1371
1372@node Glasses
1373@section Glasses minor mode
1374@cindex Glasses mode
1375@cindex identifiers, making long ones readable
1376@cindex StudlyCaps, making them readable
1377@findex glasses-mode
1378
1379 Glasses minor mode makes @samp{unreadableIdentifiersLikeThis}
1380readable by altering the way they display. It knows two different
1381ways to do this: by displaying underscores between a lower-case letter
1382and the following capital letter, and by emboldening the capital
1383letters. It does not alter the buffer text, only the way they
1384display, so you can use it even on read-only buffers. You can use the
1385command @kbd{M-x glasses-mode} to enable or disable the mode in the
1386current buffer; you can also add @code{glasses-mode} to the mode hook
1387of the programming language major modes in which you normally want
1388to use Glasses mode.
1389
1390@node Misc for Programs
1391@section Other Features Useful for Editing Programs
1392
1393 A number of Emacs commands that aren't designed specifically for
1394editing programs are useful for that nonetheless.
1395
1396 The Emacs commands that operate on words, sentences and paragraphs
1397are useful for editing code. Most symbols names contain words
1398(@pxref{Words}); sentences can be found in strings and comments
1399(@pxref{Sentences}). Paragraphs in the strict sense can be found in
1400program code (in long comments), but the paragraph commands are useful
1401in other places too, because programming language major modes define
1402paragraphs to begin and end at blank lines (@pxref{Paragraphs}).
1403Judicious use of blank lines to make the program clearer will also
1404provide useful chunks of text for the paragraph commands to work on.
1405Auto Fill mode, if enabled in a programming language major mode,
1406indents the new lines which it creates.
1407
1408 The selective display feature is useful for looking at the overall
1409structure of a function (@pxref{Selective Display}). This feature
1410hides the lines that are indented more than a specified amount.
1411Programming modes often support Outline minor mode (@pxref{Outline
1412Mode}). The Foldout package provides folding-editor features
1413(@pxref{Foldout}).
1414
1415 The ``automatic typing'' features may be useful for writing programs.
1416@xref{Top,,Autotyping, autotype, Autotyping}.
1417
1418@node C Modes
1419@section C and Related Modes
1420@cindex C mode
1421@cindex Java mode
1422@cindex Pike mode
1423@cindex IDL mode
1424@cindex CORBA IDL mode
1425@cindex Objective C mode
1426@cindex C++ mode
1427@cindex AWK mode
1428@cindex mode, Java
1429@cindex mode, C
1430@cindex mode, C++
1431@cindex mode, Objective C
1432@cindex mode, CORBA IDL
1433@cindex mode, Pike
1434@cindex mode, AWK
1435
1436 This section gives a brief description of the special features
1437available in C, C++, Objective-C, Java, CORBA IDL, Pike and AWK modes.
1438(These are called ``C mode and related modes.'') @xref{Top, , CC Mode,
1439ccmode, CC Mode}, for a more extensive description of these modes
1440and their special features.
1441
1442@menu
1443* Motion in C:: Commands to move by C statements, etc.
1444* Electric C:: Colon and other chars can automatically reindent.
1445* Hungry Delete:: A more powerful DEL command.
1446* Other C Commands:: Filling comments, viewing expansion of macros,
1447 and other neat features.
1448@end menu
1449
1450@node Motion in C
1451@subsection C Mode Motion Commands
1452
1453 This section describes commands for moving point, in C mode and
1454related modes.
1455
1456@table @code
1457@item M-x c-beginning-of-defun
1458@itemx M-x c-end-of-defun
1459@findex c-beginning-of-defun
1460@findex c-end-of-defun
1461Move point to the beginning or end of the current function or
1462top-level definition. These are found by searching for the least
1463enclosing braces. (By contrast, @code{beginning-of-defun} and
1464@code{end-of-defun} search for braces in column zero.) If you are
1465editing code where the opening brace of a function isn't placed in
1466column zero, you may wish to bind @code{C-M-a} and @code{C-M-e} to
1467these commands. @xref{Moving by Defuns}.
1468
1469@item C-c C-u
1470@kindex C-c C-u @r{(C mode)}
1471@findex c-up-conditional
1472Move point back to the containing preprocessor conditional, leaving the
1473mark behind. A prefix argument acts as a repeat count. With a negative
1474argument, move point forward to the end of the containing
1475preprocessor conditional.
1476
1477@samp{#elif} is equivalent to @samp{#else} followed by @samp{#if}, so
1478the function will stop at a @samp{#elif} when going backward, but not
1479when going forward.
1480
1481@item C-c C-p
1482@kindex C-c C-p @r{(C mode)}
1483@findex c-backward-conditional
1484Move point back over a preprocessor conditional, leaving the mark
1485behind. A prefix argument acts as a repeat count. With a negative
1486argument, move forward.
1487
1488@item C-c C-n
1489@kindex C-c C-n @r{(C mode)}
1490@findex c-forward-conditional
1491Move point forward across a preprocessor conditional, leaving the mark
1492behind. A prefix argument acts as a repeat count. With a negative
1493argument, move backward.
1494
1495@item M-a
1496@kindex M-a (C mode)
1497@findex c-beginning-of-statement
1498Move point to the beginning of the innermost C statement
1499(@code{c-beginning-of-statement}). If point is already at the beginning
1500of a statement, move to the beginning of the preceding statement. With
1501prefix argument @var{n}, move back @var{n} @minus{} 1 statements.
1502
1503In comments or in strings which span more than one line, this command
1504moves by sentences instead of statements.
1505
1506@item M-e
1507@kindex M-e (C mode)
1508@findex c-end-of-statement
1509Move point to the end of the innermost C statement or sentence; like
1510@kbd{M-a} except that it moves in the other direction
1511(@code{c-end-of-statement}).
1512@end table
1513
1514@node Electric C
1515@subsection Electric C Characters
1516
1517 In C mode and related modes, certain printing characters are
1518@dfn{electric}---in addition to inserting themselves, they also
1519reindent the current line, and optionally also insert newlines. The
1520``electric'' characters are @kbd{@{}, @kbd{@}}, @kbd{:}, @kbd{#},
1521@kbd{;}, @kbd{,}, @kbd{<}, @kbd{>}, @kbd{/}, @kbd{*}, @kbd{(}, and
1522@kbd{)}.
1523
1524 You might find electric indentation inconvenient if you are editing
1525chaotically indented code. If you are new to CC Mode, you might find
1526it disconcerting. You can toggle electric action with the command
1527@kbd{C-c C-l}; when it is enabled, @samp{/l} appears in the mode line
1528after the mode name:
1529
1530@table @kbd
1531@item C-c C-l
1532@kindex C-c C-l @r{(C mode)}
1533@findex c-toggle-electric-state
1534Toggle electric action (@code{c-toggle-electric-state}). With a
1535prefix argument, this command enables electric action if the argument
1536is positive, disables it if it is negative.
1537@end table
1538
1539 Electric characters insert newlines only when, in addition to the
1540electric state, the @dfn{auto-newline} feature is enabled (indicated
1541by @samp{/la} in the mode line after the mode name). You can turn
1542this feature on or off with the command @kbd{C-c C-a}:
1543
1544@table @kbd
1545@item C-c C-a
1546@kindex C-c C-a @r{(C mode)}
1547@findex c-toggle-auto-newline
1548Toggle the auto-newline feature (@code{c-toggle-auto-newline}). With a
1549prefix argument, this command turns the auto-newline feature on if the
1550argument is positive, and off if it is negative.
1551@end table
1552
1553 Usually the CC Mode style configures the exact circumstances in
1554which Emacs inserts auto-newlines. You can also configure this
1555directly. @xref{Custom Auto-newlines,,, ccmode, The CC Mode Manual}.
1556
1557@node Hungry Delete
1558@subsection Hungry Delete Feature in C
1559@cindex hungry deletion (C Mode)
1560
1561 If you want to delete an entire block of whitespace at point, you
1562can use @dfn{hungry deletion}. This deletes all the contiguous
1563whitespace either before point or after point in a single operation.
1564@dfn{Whitespace} here includes tabs and newlines, but not comments or
1565preprocessor commands.
1566
1567@table @kbd
1568@item C-c C-@key{DEL}
1569@itemx C-c @key{DEL}
1570@findex c-hungry-delete-backwards
1571@kindex C-c C-@key{DEL} (C Mode)
1572@kindex C-c @key{DEL} (C Mode)
1573@code{c-hungry-delete-backwards}---Delete the entire block of whitespace
1574preceding point.
1575
1576@item C-c C-d
1577@itemx C-c C-@key{DELETE}
1578@itemx C-c @key{DELETE}
1579@findex c-hungry-delete-forward
1580@kindex C-c C-d (C Mode)
1581@kindex C-c C-@key{DELETE} (C Mode)
1582@kindex C-c @key{DELETE} (C Mode)
1583@code{c-hungry-delete-forward}---Delete the entire block of whitespace
1584following point.
1585@end table
1586
1587 As an alternative to the above commands, you can enable @dfn{hungry
1588delete mode}. When this feature is enabled (indicated by @samp{/h} in
1589the mode line after the mode name), a single @key{DEL} deletes all
1590preceding whitespace, not just one space, and a single @kbd{C-c C-d}
1591(but @emph{not} plain @key{DELETE}) deletes all following whitespace.
1592
1593@table @kbd
1594@item M-x c-toggle-hungry-state
1595@findex c-toggle-hungry-state
1596Toggle the hungry-delete feature
1597(@code{c-toggle-hungry-state})@footnote{This command had the binding
1598@kbd{C-c C-d} in earlier versions of Emacs. @kbd{C-c C-d} is now
1599bound to @code{c-hungry-delete-forward}.}. With a prefix argument,
1600this command turns the hungry-delete feature on if the argument is
1601positive, and off if it is negative.
1602@end table
1603
1604@vindex c-hungry-delete-key
1605 The variable @code{c-hungry-delete-key} controls whether the
1606hungry-delete feature is enabled.
1607
1608@node Other C Commands
1609@subsection Other Commands for C Mode
1610
1611@table @kbd
1612@item C-c C-w
1613@itemx M-x c-subword-mode
1614@findex c-subword-mode
1615Enable (or disable) @dfn{subword mode}. In subword mode, Emacs's word
1616commands recognize upper case letters in
1617@samp{StudlyCapsIdentifiers} as word boundaries. This is indicated by
1618the flag @samp{/w} on the mode line after the mode name
1619(e.g. @samp{C/law}). You can even use @kbd{M-x c-subword-mode} in
1620non-CC Mode buffers.
1621
1622In the GNU project, we recommend using underscores to separate words
1623within an identifier in C or C++, rather than using case distinctions.
1624
1625@item M-x c-context-line-break
1626@findex c-context-line-break
1627This command inserts a line break and indents the new line in a manner
1628appropriate to the context. In normal code, it does the work of
1629@kbd{C-j} (@code{newline-and-indent}), in a C preprocessor line it
1630additionally inserts a @samp{\} at the line break, and within comments
1631it's like @kbd{M-j} (@code{c-indent-new-comment-line}).
1632
1633@code{c-context-line-break} isn't bound to a key by default, but it
1634needs a binding to be useful. The following code will bind it to
1635@kbd{C-j}. We use @code{c-initialization-hook} here to make sure
1636the keymap is loaded before we try to change it.
1637
1638@smallexample
1639(defun my-bind-clb ()
1640 (define-key c-mode-base-map "\C-j" 'c-context-line-break))
1641(add-hook 'c-initialization-hook 'my-bind-clb)
1642@end smallexample
1643
1644@item C-M-h
1645Put mark at the end of a function definition, and put point at the
1646beginning (@code{c-mark-function}).
1647
1648@item M-q
1649@kindex M-q @r{(C mode)}
1650@findex c-fill-paragraph
1651Fill a paragraph, handling C and C++ comments (@code{c-fill-paragraph}).
1652If any part of the current line is a comment or within a comment, this
1653command fills the comment or the paragraph of it that point is in,
1654preserving the comment indentation and comment delimiters.
1655
1656@item C-c C-e
1657@cindex macro expansion in C
1658@cindex expansion of C macros
1659@findex c-macro-expand
1660@kindex C-c C-e @r{(C mode)}
1661Run the C preprocessor on the text in the region, and show the result,
1662which includes the expansion of all the macro calls
1663(@code{c-macro-expand}). The buffer text before the region is also
1664included in preprocessing, for the sake of macros defined there, but the
1665output from this part isn't shown.
1666
1667When you are debugging C code that uses macros, sometimes it is hard to
1668figure out precisely how the macros expand. With this command, you
1669don't have to figure it out; you can see the expansions.
1670
1671@item C-c C-\
1672@findex c-backslash-region
1673@kindex C-c C-\ @r{(C mode)}
1674Insert or align @samp{\} characters at the ends of the lines of the
1675region (@code{c-backslash-region}). This is useful after writing or
1676editing a C macro definition.
1677
1678If a line already ends in @samp{\}, this command adjusts the amount of
1679whitespace before it. Otherwise, it inserts a new @samp{\}. However,
1680the last line in the region is treated specially; no @samp{\} is
1681inserted on that line, and any @samp{\} there is deleted.
1682
1683@item M-x cpp-highlight-buffer
1684@cindex preprocessor highlighting
1685@findex cpp-highlight-buffer
1686Highlight parts of the text according to its preprocessor conditionals.
1687This command displays another buffer named @samp{*CPP Edit*}, which
1688serves as a graphic menu for selecting how to display particular kinds
1689of conditionals and their contents. After changing various settings,
1690click on @samp{[A]pply these settings} (or go to that buffer and type
1691@kbd{a}) to rehighlight the C mode buffer accordingly.
1692
1693@item C-c C-s
1694@findex c-show-syntactic-information
1695@kindex C-c C-s @r{(C mode)}
1696Display the syntactic information about the current source line
1697(@code{c-show-syntactic-information}). This information directs how
1698the line is indented.
1699
1700@item M-x cwarn-mode
1701@itemx M-x global-cwarn-mode
1702@findex cwarn-mode
1703@findex global-cwarn-mode
1704@vindex global-cwarn-mode
1705@cindex CWarn mode
1706@cindex suspicious constructions in C, C++
1707CWarn minor mode highlights certain suspicious C and C++ constructions:
1708
1709@itemize @bullet{}
1710@item
1711Assignments inside expressions.
1712@item
1713Semicolon following immediately after @samp{if}, @samp{for}, and @samp{while}
1714(except after a @samp{do @dots{} while} statement);
1715@item
1716C++ functions with reference parameters.
1717@end itemize
1718
1719@noindent
1720You can enable the mode for one buffer with the command @kbd{M-x
1721cwarn-mode}, or for all suitable buffers with the command @kbd{M-x
1722global-cwarn-mode} or by customizing the variable
1723@code{global-cwarn-mode}. You must also enable Font Lock mode to make
1724it work.
1725
1726@item M-x hide-ifdef-mode
1727@findex hide-ifdef-mode
1728@cindex Hide-ifdef mode
1729Hide-ifdef minor mode hides selected code within @samp{#if} and
1730@samp{#ifdef} preprocessor blocks. See the documentation string of
1731@code{hide-ifdef-mode} for more information.
1732
1733@item M-x ff-find-related-file
1734@cindex related files
1735@findex ff-find-related-file
1736@vindex ff-related-file-alist
1737Find a file ``related'' in a special way to the file visited by the
1738current buffer. Typically this will be the header file corresponding
1739to a C/C++ source file, or vice versa. The variable
1740@code{ff-related-file-alist} specifies how to compute related file
1741names.
1742@end table
1743
1744@node Asm Mode
1745@section Asm Mode
1746
1747@cindex Asm mode
1748@cindex assembler mode
1749Asm mode is a major mode for editing files of assembler code. It
1750defines these commands:
1751
1752@table @kbd
1753@item @key{TAB}
1754@code{tab-to-tab-stop}.
1755@item C-j
1756Insert a newline and then indent using @code{tab-to-tab-stop}.
1757@item :
1758Insert a colon and then remove the indentation from before the label
1759preceding colon. Then do @code{tab-to-tab-stop}.
1760@item ;
1761Insert or align a comment.
1762@end table
1763
1764 The variable @code{asm-comment-char} specifies which character
1765starts comments in assembler syntax.
1766
1767@ifnottex
1768@include fortran-xtra.texi
1769@end ifnottex
1770
1771@ignore
1772 arch-tag: c7ee7409-40a4-45c7-bfb7-ae7f2c74d0c0
1773@end ignore