it is started up is as follows:
@enumerate
+@item
+It adds subdirectories to @code{load-path}, by running the file
+named @file{subdirs.el} in each directory that is listed.
+
+@item
+It sets the language environment and the terminal coding system,
+if requested by environment variables such as @code{LANG}.
+
@item
It loads the initialization library for the window system, if you are
using a window system. This library's name is
@cindex @file{site-start.el}
@item
-It loads the file @file{~/.emacs}, unless @samp{-q} was specified on the
-command line. (This is not done in @samp{-batch} mode.) The @samp{-u}
-option can specify another user name whose home directory should be used
-instead of @file{~}.
+It loads the file @file{~/.emacs}, unless @samp{-q} or @samp{-batch} was
+specified on the command line. The @samp{-u} option can specify another
+user name whose home directory should be used instead of @file{~}.
@item
It loads the library @file{default}, unless @code{inhibit-default-init}
"@var{your-login-name}")
@end example
-Simply setting @code{inhibit-startup-echo-area-message} to your login
-name is not sufficient to inhibit the message; Emacs explicitly checks
-whether @file{.emacs} contains an expression as shown above. Your login
-name must appear in the expression as a Lisp string constant.
+Emacs explicitly checks for an expression as shown above in your
+@file{.emacs} file; your login name must appear in the expression as a
+Lisp string constant. Other methods of setting
+@code{inhibit-startup-echo-area-message} to the same value do not
+inhibit the startup message.
This way, you can easily inhibit the message for yourself if you wish,
but thoughtless copying of your @file{.emacs} file will not inhibit the
@end defopt
@defvar before-init-hook
-@defvarx after-init-hook
-These two normal hooks are run just before, and just after, loading of
-the user's init file, @file{default.el}, and/or @file{site-start.el}.
+This normal hook is run, once, just before loading of all the init files
+(the user's init file, @file{default.el}, and/or @file{site-start.el}).
+@end defvar
+
+@defvar after-init-hook
+This normal hook is run, once, just after loading of all the init files
+(the user's init file, @file{default.el}, and/or @file{site-start.el}),
+before the terminal-specific initialization.
@end defvar
@node Terminal-Specific
@cindex terminal-specific initialization
Each terminal type can have its own Lisp library that Emacs loads when
-run on that type of terminal. For a terminal type named @var{termtype},
-the library is called @file{term/@var{termtype}}. Emacs finds the file
-by searching the @code{load-path} directories as it does for other
-files, and trying the @samp{.elc} and @samp{.el} suffixes. Normally,
-terminal-specific Lisp library is located in @file{emacs/lisp/term}, a
-subdirectory of the @file{emacs/lisp} directory in which most Emacs Lisp
-libraries are kept.@refill
-
- The library's name is constructed by concatenating the value of the
-variable @code{term-file-prefix} and the terminal type. Normally,
-@code{term-file-prefix} has the value @code{"term/"}; changing this
-is not recommended.
+run on that type of terminal. The library's name is constructed by
+concatenating the value of the variable @code{term-file-prefix} and the
+terminal type. Normally, @code{term-file-prefix} has the value
+@code{"term/"}; changing this is not recommended. Emacs finds the file
+in the normal manner, by searching the @code{load-path} directories, and
+trying the @samp{.elc} and @samp{.el} suffixes.
The usual function of a terminal-specific library is to enable special
keys to send sequences that Emacs can recognize. It may also need to
This function returns the name of the machine you are running on.
@example
(system-name)
- @result{} "prep.ai.mit.edu"
+ @result{} "www.gnu.org"
@end example
@end defun
containing the Emacs executable.
@end defvar
-@defun load-average
+@defun load-average &optional use-float
This function returns the current 1-minute, 5-minute and 15-minute load
-averages in a list. The values are integers that are 100 times the
-system load averages, which indicate the average number of processes
-trying to run. It would be more logical to use floating point numbers,
-but this function was introduced before Emacs supported floating point
-numbers, and it is not worth changing it now.
+averages in a list.
+
+By default, the values are integers that are 100 times the system load
+averages, which indicate the average number of processes trying to run.
+If @var{use-float} is non-@code{nil}, then they are returned
+as floating point numbers instead.
@example
@group
(load-average)
@result{} (169 48 36)
@end group
+@group
+(load-average t)
+ @result{} (1.69 0.48 0.36)
+@end group
@group
lewis@@rocky[5] % uptime
This function returns the process @sc{id} of the Emacs process.
@end defun
-@tindex tty-erase-char
@defvar tty-erase-char
+@tindex tty-erase-char
This variable holds the erase character that was selected
in the system's terminal driver, before Emacs was started.
@end defvar
zone.
@defun current-time-string &optional time-value
-This function returns the current time and date as a humanly-readable
+This function returns the current time and date as a human-readable
string. The format of the string is unvarying; the number of characters
used for each part is always the same, so you can reliably use
@code{substring} to extract pieces of it. It is wise to count the
You can also specify the field width and type of padding for any of
these @samp{%}-sequences. This works as in @code{printf}: you write
the field width as digits in the middle of a @samp{%}-sequences. If you
-start the field width with 0, it means to pad with zeros.
+start the field width with @samp{0}, it means to pad with zeros. If you
+start the field width with @samp{_}, it means to pad with spaces.
For example, @samp{%S} specifies the number of seconds since the minute;
@samp{%03S} means to pad this with zeros to 3 positions, @samp{%_3S} to
You can perform simple date arithmetic by using out-of-range values for
the @var{sec}, @var{minute}, @var{hour}, @var{day}, and @var{month}
arguments; for example, day 0 means the day preceding the given month.
+
+The operating system puts limits on the range of possible time values;
+if you try to encode a time that is out of range, an error results.
@end defun
@node Timers
The time @var{time} is specified as a string.
Absolute times may be specified in a wide variety of formats, and tries
-to accept all common date formats. One valid format is
-@samp{@var{hour}:@var{min}:@var{sec} @var{timezone}
-@var{month}/@var{day}/@var{year}}, where all fields are numbers; the
-format that @code{current-time-string} returns is also allowed.
+to accept all common date formats. Valid formats include these two,
+
+@example
+@var{year}-@var{month}-@var{day} @var{hour}:@var{min}:@var{sec} @var{timezone}
+
+@var{hour}:@var{min}:@var{sec} @var{timezone} @var{month}/@var{day}/@var{year}
+@end example
+
+@noindent
+where in both examples all fields are numbers; the format that
+@code{current-time-string} returns is also allowed, and many others
+as well.
To specify a relative time, use numbers followed by units.
For example:
executes all the @var{timeout-forms} and returns the value of the last
of them.
-This macro works by set a timer to run after @var{seconds} seconds. If
+This macro works by setting a timer to run after @var{seconds} seconds. If
@var{body} finishes before that time, it cancels the timer. If the
timer actually runs, it terminates execution of @var{body}, then
executes @var{timeout-forms}.
@code{nil}, Emacs is using @sc{cbreak} mode.
@item flow
is non-@code{nil} if Emacs uses @sc{xon/xoff} (@kbd{C-q}, @kbd{C-s})
-flow control for output to the terminal. This value has effect when
-unless @var{interrupt} is @code{nil}.
+flow control for output to the terminal. This value is meaningful only
+when @var{interrupt} is @code{nil}.
@item meta
is @code{t} if Emacs treats the eighth bit of input characters as
the meta bit; @code{nil} means Emacs clears the eighth bit of every
@end group
@group
(setq keyboard-translate-table
- (make-char-table 'keyboard-translate-table nil)))
+ (make-char-table 'keyboard-translate-table nil))
@end group
@group
;; @r{Swap @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-\}.}
HCoop / bpt / emacs.git / blobdiff