@c This is part of the Emacs manual.
-@c Copyright (C) 1985, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 1997 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+@c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2002,
+@c 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
@node Screen, User Input, Acknowledgments, Top
@chapter The Organization of the Screen
@cindex screen
@cindex parts of the screen
-@c
- On a text-only terminal, the Emacs display occupies the whole screen.
-On the X Window System, Emacs creates its own X windows to use. We use
-the term @dfn{frame} to mean an entire text-only screen or an entire X
-window used by Emacs. Emacs uses both kinds of frames in the same way
-to display your editing. Emacs normally starts out with just one frame,
-but you can create additional frames if you wish. @xref{Frames}.
-
- When you start Emacs, the entire frame except for the top and bottom
-is devoted to the text you are editing. This area is called the
-@dfn{window}. At the top there is normally a @dfn{menu bar} where you
-can access a series of menus; then there may be a @dfn{tool bar}, a
-row of icons that perform editing commands if you click on them.
-Below this, the window begins. The last line is a special @dfn{echo
-area} or @dfn{minibuffer window}, where prompts appear and where you
-can enter information when Emacs asks for it. See below for more
-information about these special lines.
-
- You can subdivide the large text window horizontally or vertically
-into multiple text windows, each of which can be used for a different
-file (@pxref{Windows}). In this manual, the word ``window'' always
-refers to the subdivisions of a frame within Emacs.
-
- The window that the cursor is in is the @dfn{selected window}, in
-which editing takes place. Most Emacs commands implicitly apply to the
-text in the selected window (though mouse commands generally operate on
-whatever window you click them in, whether selected or not). The other
-windows display text for reference only, unless/until you select them.
-If you use multiple frames under the X Window System, then giving the
-input focus to a particular frame selects a window in that frame.
+ On a text-only terminal, the Emacs display occupies the whole
+screen. On a graphical display, such as on GNU/Linux using the X
+Window System, Emacs creates its own windows to use. We use the term
+@dfn{frame} to mean the entire text-only screen or an entire
+system-level window used by Emacs. Emacs uses both kinds of frames,
+in the same way, to display your editing. Emacs normally starts out
+with just one frame, but you can create additional frames if you wish.
+@xref{Frames}.
+
+ When you start Emacs, the main central area of the frame, all except
+for the top and bottom and sides, displays the text you are editing.
+This area is called @dfn{the window}. At the top there is normally a
+@dfn{menu bar} where you can access a series of menus; then there may
+be a @dfn{tool bar}, a row of icons that perform editing commands if
+you click on them. Below this, the window begins, often with a
+@dfn{scroll bar} on one side. Below the window comes the last line of
+the frame, a special @dfn{echo area} or @dfn{minibuffer window}, where
+prompts appear and you enter information when Emacs asks for it. See
+following sections for more information about these special lines.
+
+ You can subdivide the window horizontally or vertically to make
+multiple text windows, each of which can independently display some
+file or text (@pxref{Windows}). In this manual, the word ``window''
+refers to the initial large window if not subdivided, or any one of
+the multiple windows you have subdivided it into.
+
+ At any time, one window is the @dfn{selected window}. On graphical
+displays, the selected window normally shows a more prominent cursor
+(usually solid and blinking) while other windows show a weaker cursor
+(such as a hollow box). Text terminals have just one cursor, so it
+always appears in the selected window.
+
+ Most Emacs commands implicitly apply to the text in the selected
+window; the text in unselected windows is mostly visible for
+reference. However, mouse commands generally operate on whatever
+window you click them in, whether selected or not. If you use
+multiple frames on a graphical display, then giving the input focus to
+a particular frame selects a window in that frame.
Each window's last line is a @dfn{mode line}, which describes what
-is going on in that window. It appears in inverse video, if the
-terminal supports that; its contents normally begin with
+is going on in that window. It appears in different color and/or a ``3D''
+box if the terminal supports them; its contents normally begin with
@w{@samp{--:-- @ *scratch*}} when Emacs starts. The mode line
displays status information such as what buffer is being displayed
above it in the window, what major and minor modes are in use, and
@cindex point
@cindex cursor
- Within Emacs, the terminal's cursor shows the location at which
+ Within Emacs, the active cursor shows the location at which
editing commands will take effect. This location is called @dfn{point}.
Many Emacs commands move point through the text, so that you can edit at
different places in it. You can also place point by clicking mouse
-button 1.
+button 1 (normally the left button).
- While the cursor appears to point @emph{at} a character, you should
+ While the cursor appears to be @emph{on} a character, you should
think of point as @emph{between} two characters; it points @emph{before}
the character that appears under the cursor. For example, if your text
looks like @samp{frob} with the cursor over the @samp{b}, then point is
Sometimes people speak of ``the cursor'' when they mean ``point,'' or
speak of commands that move point as ``cursor motion'' commands.
- Terminals have only one cursor, and when output is in progress it must
-appear where the typing is being done. This does not mean that point is
-moving. It is only that Emacs has no way to show you the location of point
-except when the terminal is idle.
-
If you are editing several files in Emacs, each in its own buffer,
-each buffer has its own point location. A buffer that is not currently
-displayed remembers where point is in case you display it again later.
-
- When there are multiple windows in a frame, each window has its own
-point location. The cursor shows the location of point in the selected
-window. This also is how you can tell which window is selected. If the
-same buffer appears in more than one window, each window has its own
-position for point in that buffer.
-
- When there are multiple frames, each frame can display one cursor.
-The cursor in the selected frame is solid; the cursor in other frames is
-a hollow box, and appears in the window that would be selected if you
-give the input focus to that frame.
+each buffer has its own point location. A buffer that is not
+currently displayed remembers its point location in case you display
+it again later. When Emacs displays multiple windows, each window has
+its own point location. If the same buffer appears in more than one
+window, each window has its own point position in that buffer, and (when
+possible) its own cursor.
+
+ A text-only terminal has just one cursor, in the selected window.
+The other windows do not show a cursor, even though they do have their
+own position of point. When Emacs updates the screen on a text-only
+terminal, it has to put the cursor temporarily at the place the output
+goes. This doesn't mean point is there, though. Once display
+updating finishes, Emacs puts the cursor where point is.
+
+ On graphical displays, Emacs shows a cursor in each window; the
+selected window's cursor is solid and blinking, and the other cursors
+are just hollow. Thus, the most prominent cursor always shows you the
+selected window, on all kinds of terminals.
+
+ @xref{Cursor Display}, for customizable variables that control display
+of the cursor or cursors.
The term ``point'' comes from the character @samp{.}, which was the
command in TECO (the language in which the original Emacs was written)
@node Echo Area
@section The Echo Area
@cindex echo area
-@c
The line at the bottom of the frame (below the mode line) is the
@dfn{echo area}. It is used to display small amounts of text for
-several purposes.
+various purposes.
- @dfn{Echoing} means displaying the characters that you type. Outside
-Emacs, the operating system normally echoes all your input. Emacs
-handles echoing differently.
+ @dfn{Echoing} means displaying the characters that you type. At the
+command line, the operating system normally echoes all your input.
+Emacs handles echoing differently.
Single-character commands do not echo in Emacs, and multi-character
commands echo only if you pause while typing them. As soon as you pause
(@pxref{Display Custom}).
@cindex error message in the echo area
- If a command cannot be executed, it may print an @dfn{error message} in
-the echo area. Error messages are accompanied by a beep or by flashing the
-screen. Also, any input you have typed ahead is thrown away when an error
-happens.
-
- Some commands print informative messages in the echo area. These
-messages look much like error messages, but they are not announced with
-a beep and do not throw away input. Sometimes the message tells you
-what the command has done, when this is not obvious from looking at the
-text being edited. Sometimes the sole purpose of a command is to print
-a message giving you specific information---for example, @kbd{C-x =}
-prints a message describing the character position of point in the text
-and its current column in the window. Commands that take a long time
-often display messages ending in @samp{...} while they are working, and
-add @samp{done} at the end when they are finished.
+ If a command cannot do its job, it may display an @dfn{error
+message} in the echo area. Error messages are accompanied by beeping
+or by flashing the screen. The error also discards any input you have
+typed ahead.
+
+ Some commands display informative messages in the echo area. These
+messages look much like error messages, but they are not announced
+with a beep and do not throw away input. Sometimes the message tells
+you what the command has done, when this is not obvious from looking
+at the text being edited. Sometimes the sole purpose of a command is
+to show you a message giving you specific information---for example,
+@kbd{C-x =} (hold down @key{CTRL} and type @kbd{x}, then let go of
+@key{CTRL} and type @kbd{=}) displays a message describing the
+character position of point in the text and its current column in the
+window. Commands that take a long time often display messages ending
+in @samp{...} while they are working, and add @samp{done} at the end
+when they are finished. They may also indicate progress with
+percentages.
@cindex @samp{*Messages*} buffer
@cindex saved echo area messages
are often collapsed into one in that buffer.)
@vindex message-log-max
- The size of @samp{*Messages*} is limited to a certain number of lines.
-The variable @code{message-log-max} specifies how many lines. Once the
-buffer has that many lines, each line added at the end deletes one line
-from the beginning. @xref{Variables}, for how to set variables such as
-@code{message-log-max}.
-
- The echo area is also used to display the @dfn{minibuffer}, a window that
-is used for reading arguments to commands, such as the name of a file to be
-edited. When the minibuffer is in use, the echo area begins with a prompt
-string that usually ends with a colon; also, the cursor appears in that line
-because it is the selected window. You can always get out of the
-minibuffer by typing @kbd{C-g}. @xref{Minibuffer}.
+ The size of @samp{*Messages*} is limited to a certain number of
+lines. The variable @code{message-log-max} specifies how many lines.
+Once the buffer has that many lines, adding lines at the end deletes lines
+from the beginning, to keep the size constant. @xref{Variables}, for
+how to set variables such as @code{message-log-max}.
+
+ The echo area is also used to display the @dfn{minibuffer}, a window
+where you can input arguments to commands, such as the name of a file
+to be edited. When the minibuffer is in use, the echo area begins
+with a prompt string that usually ends with a colon; also, the cursor
+appears in that line because it is the selected window. You can
+always get out of the minibuffer by typing @kbd{C-g}.
+@xref{Minibuffer}.
@node Mode Line
@section The Mode Line
@c
Each text window's last line is a @dfn{mode line}, which describes
-what is going on in that window. When there is only one text window,
-the mode line appears right above the echo area; it is the
-next-to-last line in the frame. The mode line starts and ends with
-dashes. On a text-mode display, the mode line is in inverse video if
-the terminal supports that; on a graphics display, the mode line has a
-3D box appearence to help it stand out.
+what is going on in that window. The mode line starts and ends with
+dashes. When there is only one text window, the mode line appears
+right above the echo area; it is the next-to-last line in the frame.
+On a text-only terminal, the mode line is in inverse video if the
+terminal supports that; on a graphics display, the mode line has a 3D
+box appearance to help it stand out. The mode line of the selected
+window is highlighted if possible; see @ref{Optional Mode Line}, for
+more information.
Normally, the mode line looks like this:
@example
--@var{cs}:@var{ch} @var{buf} (@var{major} @var{minor})--@var{line}--@var{pos}------
+-@var{cs}:@var{ch}-@var{fr} @var{buf} @var{pos} @var{line} (@var{major} @var{minor})------
@end example
@noindent
-This gives information about the buffer being displayed in the window: the
-buffer's name, what major and minor modes are in use, whether the buffer's
-text has been changed, and how far down the buffer you are currently
-looking.
+This gives information about the window and the buffer it displays: the
+buffer's name, what major and minor modes are in use, whether the
+buffer's text has been changed, and how far down the buffer you are
+currently looking.
@var{ch} contains two stars @samp{**} if the text in the buffer has
been edited (the buffer is ``modified''), or @samp{--} if the buffer has
not been edited. For a read-only buffer, it is @samp{%*} if the buffer
is modified, and @samp{%%} otherwise.
- @var{buf} is the name of the window's @dfn{buffer}. In most cases
-this is the same as the name of a file you are editing. @xref{Buffers}.
+ @var{fr} gives the selected frame name (@pxref{Frames}). It appears
+only on text-only terminals. The initial frame's name is @samp{F1}.
- The buffer displayed in the selected window (the window that the
-cursor is in) is also Emacs's selected buffer, the one that editing
-takes place in. When we speak of what some command does to ``the
-buffer,'' we are talking about the currently selected buffer.
+ @var{buf} is the name of the window's @dfn{buffer}. Usually this is
+the same as the name of a file you are editing. @xref{Buffers}.
- @var{line} is @samp{L} followed by the current line number of point.
-This is present when Line Number mode is enabled (which it normally is).
-You can optionally display the current column number too, by turning on
-Column Number mode (which is not enabled by default because it is
-somewhat slower). @xref{Optional Mode Line}.
+ The buffer displayed in the selected window (the window with the
+cursor) is the @dfn{current buffer}, where editing happens. When a
+command's effect applies to ``the buffer,'' we mean it does those
+things to the current buffer.
@var{pos} tells you whether there is additional text above the top of
the window, or below the bottom. If your buffer is small and it is all
visible in the window, @var{pos} is @samp{All}. Otherwise, it is
@samp{Top} if you are looking at the beginning of the buffer, @samp{Bot}
if you are looking at the end of the buffer, or @samp{@var{nn}%}, where
-@var{nn} is the percentage of the buffer above the top of the
-window.@refill
+@var{nn} is the percentage of the buffer above the top of the window.
+With Size Indication mode, you can display the size of the buffer as
+well. @xref{Optional Mode Line}.
+
+ @var{line} is @samp{L} followed by the current line number of point.
+This is present when Line Number mode is enabled (it normally is).
+You can display the current column number too, by turning on Column
+Number mode. It is not enabled by default because it is somewhat
+slower. @xref{Optional Mode Line}.
@var{major} is the name of the @dfn{major mode} in effect in the
-buffer. At any time, each buffer is in one and only one of the possible
-major modes. The major modes available include Fundamental mode (the
-least specialized), Text mode, Lisp mode, C mode, Texinfo mode, and many
-others. @xref{Major Modes}, for details of how the modes differ and how
-to select one.@refill
+buffer. A buffer can only be in one major mode at a time. The major
+modes available include Fundamental mode (the least specialized), Text
+mode, Lisp mode, C mode, Texinfo mode, and many others. @xref{Major
+Modes}, for details of how the modes differ and how to select
+them.
Some major modes display additional information after the major mode
name. For example, Rmail buffers display the current message number and
the total number of messages. Compilation buffers and Shell buffers
display the status of the subprocess.
- @var{minor} is a list of some of the @dfn{minor modes} that are turned
-on at the moment in the window's chosen buffer. For example,
+ @var{minor} is a list of some of the @dfn{minor modes} that are
+turned on at the moment in the window's chosen buffer. For example,
@samp{Fill} means that Auto Fill mode is on. @samp{Abbrev} means that
Word Abbrev mode is on. @samp{Ovwrt} means that Overwrite mode is on.
-@xref{Minor Modes}, for more information. @samp{Narrow} means that the
-buffer being displayed has editing restricted to only a portion of its
-text. This is not really a minor mode, but is like one.
-@xref{Narrowing}. @samp{Def} means that a keyboard macro is being
-defined. @xref{Keyboard Macros}.
-
- In addition, if Emacs is currently inside a recursive editing level,
-square brackets (@samp{[@dots{}]}) appear around the parentheses that
+@xref{Minor Modes}, for more information.
+
+ @samp{Narrow} means that the buffer being displayed has editing
+restricted to only a portion of its text. (This is not really a minor
+mode, but is like one.) @xref{Narrowing}. @samp{Def} means that a
+keyboard macro is being defined. @xref{Keyboard Macros}.
+
+ In addition, if Emacs is inside a recursive editing level, square
+brackets (@samp{[@dots{}]}) appear around the parentheses that
surround the modes. If Emacs is in one recursive editing level within
another, double square brackets appear, and so on. Since recursive
editing levels affect Emacs globally, not just one buffer, the square
brackets appear in every window's mode line or not in any of them.
@xref{Recursive Edit}.@refill
- Non-windowing terminals can only show a single Emacs frame at a time
-(@pxref{Frames}). On such terminals, the mode line displays the name of
-the selected frame, after @var{ch}. The initial frame's name is
-@samp{F1}.
-
@var{cs} states the coding system used for the file you are editing.
A dash indicates the default state of affairs: no code conversion,
except for end-of-line translation if the file contents call for that.
@samp{=} means no conversion whatsoever. Nontrivial code conversions
are represented by various letters---for example, @samp{1} refers to ISO
-Latin-1. @xref{Coding Systems}, for more information. If you are using
-an input method, a string of the form @samp{@var{i}>} is added to the
-beginning of @var{cs}; @var{i} identifies the input method. (Some input
-methods show @samp{+} or @samp{@@} instead of @samp{>}.) @xref{Input
-Methods}.
+Latin-1. @xref{Coding Systems}, for more information.
+
+ On a text-only terminal, @var{cs} includes two additional characters
+which describe the coding system for keyboard input and the coding
+system for terminal output. They come right before the coding system
+used for the file you are editing.
- When you are using a character-only terminal (not a window system),
-@var{cs} uses three characters to describe, respectively, the coding
-system for keyboard input, the coding system for terminal output, and
-the coding system used for the file you are editing.
+ If you are using an input method, a string of the form
+@samp{@var{i}>} is added to the beginning of @var{cs}; @var{i}
+identifies the input method. (Some input methods show @samp{+} or
+@samp{@@} instead of @samp{>}.) @xref{Input Methods}.
When multibyte characters are not enabled, @var{cs} does not appear at
all. @xref{Enabling Multibyte}.
@cindex end-of-line conversion, mode-line indication
- The colon after @var{cs} can change to another string in certain
-circumstances. Emacs uses newline characters to separate lines in the buffer.
-Some files use different conventions for separating lines: either
-carriage-return linefeed (the MS-DOS convention) or just carriage-return
-(the Macintosh convention). If the buffer's file uses carriage-return
-linefeed, the colon changes to either a backslash (@samp{\}) or
-@samp{(DOS)}, depending on the operating system. If the file uses just
-carriage-return, the colon indicator changes to either a forward slash
-(@samp{/}) or @samp{(Mac)}. On some systems, Emacs displays
-@samp{(Unix)} instead of the colon even for files that use newline to
-separate lines.
-
-@vindex eol-mnemonic-unix
-@vindex eol-mnemonic-dos
-@vindex eol-mnemonic-mac
-@vindex eol-mnemonic-undecided
- You can customize the mode line display for each of the end-of-line
-formats by setting each of the variables @code{eol-mnemonic-unix},
-@code{eol-mnemonic-dos}, @code{eol-mnemonic-mac}, and
-@code{eol-mnemonic-undecided} to any string you find appropriate.
-@xref{Variables}, for an explanation how to set variables.
-
- @xref{Optional Mode Line}, for features that add other handy
-information to the mode line, such as the current column number of
-point, the current time, and whether new mail for you has arrived.
-
-The mode line is mouse-sensitive; when you move the mouse across
+ The colon after @var{cs} changes to another string in some cases.
+Emacs uses newline characters to separate lines in the buffer. Some
+files use different conventions for separating lines: either
+carriage-return linefeed (the MS-DOS convention) or just
+carriage-return (the Macintosh convention). If the buffer's file uses
+carriage-return linefeed, the colon changes to either a backslash
+(@samp{\}) or @samp{(DOS)}, depending on the operating system. If the
+file uses just carriage-return, the colon indicator changes to either
+a forward slash (@samp{/}) or @samp{(Mac)}. On some systems, Emacs
+displays @samp{(Unix)} instead of the colon for files that use newline
+as the line separator.
+
+ @xref{Optional Mode Line}, to add other handy information to the
+mode line, such as the size of the buffer, the current column number
+of point, and whether new mail for you has arrived.
+
+ The mode line is mouse-sensitive; when you move the mouse across
various parts of it, Emacs displays help text to say what a click in
that place will do. @xref{Mode Line Mouse}.
@cindex menu bar
Each Emacs frame normally has a @dfn{menu bar} at the top which you
-can use to perform certain common operations. There's no need to list
-them here, as you can more easily see for yourself.
+can use to perform common operations. There's no need to list them
+here, as you can more easily see them yourself.
@kindex M-`
@kindex F10
@findex tmm-menubar
- When you are using a window system, you can use the mouse to choose a
-command from the menu bar. An arrow pointing right, after the menu
-item, indicates that the item leads to a subsidiary menu; @samp{...} at
-the end means that the command will read arguments from the keyboard
-before it actually does anything.
+@findex menu-bar-open
+ On a graphical display, you can use the mouse to choose a command
+from the menu bar. A right-arrow at the end of the menu item means it
+leads to a subsidiary menu; @samp{...} at the end means that the
+command invoked will read arguments (further input from you) before it
+actually does anything.
+
+ You can also invoke the first menu bar item by pressing @key{F10} (to run
+the command @code{menu-bar-open}). You can then navigate the menus with
+the arrow keys. You select an item by pressing @key{RET} and cancel menu
+navigation with @key{ESC}.
To view the full command name and documentation for a menu item, type
@kbd{C-h k}, and then select the menu bar with the mouse in the usual
On text-only terminals with no mouse, you can use the menu bar by
typing @kbd{M-`} or @key{F10} (these run the command
-@code{tmm-menubar}). This command enters a mode in which you can select
-a menu item from the keyboard. A provisional choice appears in the echo
-area. You can use the left and right arrow keys to move through the
-menu to different choices. When you have found the choice you want,
-type @key{RET} to select it.
+@code{tmm-menubar}). This lets you select a menu item with the
+keyboard. A provisional choice appears in the echo area. You can use
+the up and down arrow keys to move through the menu to different
+items, and then you can type @key{RET} to select the item.
Each menu item also has an assigned letter or digit which designates
that item; it is usually the initial of some word in the item's name.
can type the item's letter or digit to select the item.
Some of the commands in the menu bar have ordinary key bindings as
-well; if so, the menu lists one equivalent key binding in parentheses
-after the item itself.
+well; one such binding is shown in parentheses after the item itself.
+
+@ignore
+ arch-tag: 104ba40e-d972-4866-a542-a98be94bdf2f
+@end ignore
HCoop / bpt / emacs.git / blobdiff