@c %**end of header
@c This is used in many places
-@set VER 23.0.94
+@set VER 23.1.91
@c This file is maintained by Romain Francoise <rfrancoise@gnu.org>.
@c Feel free to install changes without prior permission (but I'd
@c appreciate a notice if you do).
@copying
-Copyright @copyright{} 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
-Free Software Foundation, Inc.@*
-Copyright 1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000 Reuven M. Lerner@*
-Copyright 1992,1993 Steven Byrnes@*
-Copyright 1990,1991,1992 Joseph Brian Wells@*
+Copyright @copyright{} 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008,
+2009, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.@*
+Copyright @copyright{} 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
+Reuven M. Lerner@*
+Copyright @copyright{} 1992, 1993 Steven Byrnes@*
+Copyright @copyright{} 1990, 1991, 1992 Joseph Brian Wells@*
@quotation
This list of frequently asked questions about GNU Emacs with answers
@node Top, FAQ notation, (dir), (dir)
@top The GNU Emacs FAQ
+@c FIXME @today is just the day we ran `makeinfo'.
This is the GNU Emacs FAQ, last updated on @today{}.
This FAQ is maintained as a part of GNU Emacs. If you find any errors,
or have any suggestions, please use @kbd{M-x report-emacs-bug} to report
them.
+This is the version of the FAQ distributed with Emacs @value{VER}, and
+mainly describes that version. Although there is some information on
+older versions, details about very old releases (now only of historical
+interest) have been removed. If you are interested in this, consult
+either the version of the FAQ distributed with older versions of Emacs,
+or the history of this document in the Emacs source repository.
+
+Since Emacs releases are very stable, we recommend always running the
+latest release.
+
+This FAQ is not updated very frequently. When you have a question about
+Emacs, the Emacs manual is often the best starting point.
+
@ifnottex
@insertcopying
@end ifnottex
@menu
* Basic keys::
* Extended commands::
-* On-line manual::
+* Emacs manual::
* File-name conventions::
* Common acronyms::
@end menu
@kbd{C-?} (aka @key{DEL}) is @acronym{ASCII} code 127. It is a misnomer to call
@kbd{C-?} a ``control'' key, since 127 has both bits 5 and 6 turned ON.
Also, on very few keyboards does @kbd{C-?} generate @acronym{ASCII} code 127.
+@c FIXME I cannot understand the previous sentence.
-@inforef{Text Characters, Text Characters, emacs}, and @inforef{Keys,
-Keys, emacs}, for more information. (@xref{On-line manual}, for more
-information about Info.)
+@inforef{Keys, Keys, emacs}, for more information. (@xref{Emacs
+manual}, for more information about Info.)
@node Extended commands
@section What does @file{M-x @var{command}} mean?
Emacs command if you can remember the command's name. If you can't
remember the command's name, you can type @key{TAB} and @key{SPC} for
completion, @key{?} for a list of possibilities, and @kbd{M-p} and
-@kbd{M-n} (or up-arrow and down-arrow on terminals that have these
-editing keys) to see previous commands entered. An Emacs @dfn{command}
-is an @dfn{interactive} Emacs function.
+@kbd{M-n} (or up-arrow and down-arrow) to see previous commands entered.
+An Emacs @dfn{command} is an @dfn{interactive} Emacs function.
@cindex @key{Do} key
Your system administrator may have bound other key sequences to invoke
If you need to run non-interactive Emacs functions, see @ref{Evaluating
Emacs Lisp code}.
-@node On-line manual
-@section How do I read topic XXX in the on-line manual?
-@cindex On-line manual, reading topics in
-@cindex Reading topics in the on-line manual
-@cindex Finding topics in the on-line manual
+@node Emacs manual
+@section How do I read topic XXX in the Emacs manual?
+@cindex Emacs manual, reading topics in
+@cindex Reading topics in the Emacs manual
+@cindex Finding topics in the Emacs manual
@cindex Info, finding topics in
-When we refer you to some @var{topic} in the on-line manual, you can
+When we refer you to some @var{topic} in the Emacs manual, you can
read this manual node inside Emacs (assuming nothing is broken) by
typing @kbd{C-h i m emacs @key{RET} m @var{topic} @key{RET}}.
not have installed the Info files, or may have installed them
improperly. In this case you should complain.
+If you are reading this FAQ in Info, you can simply press @key{RET} on a
+reference to follow it.
+
@xref{Getting a printed manual}, if you would like a paper copy of the
Emacs manual.
@node File-name conventions
-@section What are @file{etc/SERVICE}, @file{src/config.h}, and @file{lisp/default.el}?
+@section What are @file{etc/GNU}, @file{src/config.h}, @file{site-lisp/default.el}, etc.?
@cindex File-name conventions
@cindex Conventions for file names
@cindex Directories and files that come with Emacs
These are files that come with Emacs. The Emacs distribution is divided
-into subdirectories; the important ones are @file{etc}, @file{lisp}, and
-@file{src}.
+into subdirectories; e.g. @file{etc}, @file{lisp}, and @file{src}.
+Some of these (e.g. @file{etc} and @file{lisp}) are present both in
+an installed Emacs and in the sources, but some (e.g. @file{src}) are
+only found in the sources.
If you use Emacs, but don't know where it is kept on your system, start
Emacs, then type @kbd{C-h v data-directory @key{RET}}. The directory
@code{data-directory}, and @kbd{C-h v} displays the value and the
documentation of a variable.)
-The location of your Info directory (i.e., where on-line documentation
+The location of your Info directory (i.e., where Info documentation
is stored) is kept in the variable @code{Info-default-directory-list}. Use
@kbd{C-h v Info-default-directory-list @key{RET}} to see the value of
this variable, which will be a list of directory names. The last
directory in that list is probably where most Info files are stored. By
-default, Info documentation is placed in @file{/usr/local/info}.
+default, Emacs Info documentation is placed in @file{/usr/local/share/info}.
-Some of these files are available individually via FTP or e-mail; see
-@ref{Informational files for Emacs}. They all are available in the
-source distribution. Many of the files in the @file{etc} directory are
-also available via the Emacs @samp{Help} menu, or by typing @kbd{C-h ?}
-(@kbd{M-x help-for-help}).
-
-Your system administrator may have removed the @file{src} directory and
-many files from the @file{etc} directory.
+For information on some of the files in the @file{etc} directory,
+@pxref{Informational files for Emacs}.
@node Common acronyms
@section What are FSF, LPF, GNU, RMS, FTP, and GPL?
The real legal meaning of the GNU General Public License (copyleft) will
only be known if and when a judge rules on its validity and scope.
There has never been a copyright infringement case involving the GPL to
-set any precedents. Please take any discussion regarding this issue to
-the newsgroup @uref{news:gnu.misc.discuss}, which was created to hold the
-extensive flame wars on the subject.
+set any precedents. Although legal actions have been brought against
+companies for violating the terms of the GPL, so far all have been
+settled out of court (in favour of the plaintiffs). Please take any
+discussion regarding this issue to the newsgroup
+@uref{news:gnu.misc.discuss}, which was created to hold the extensive
+flame wars on the subject.
RMS writes:
@end quotation
@node Guidelines for newsgroup postings
-@section What are appropriate messages for @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help}, @uref{news:gnu.emacs.bug}, @uref{news:comp.emacs}, etc.?
+@section What are appropriate messages for the various Emacs newsgroups?
@cindex Newsgroups, appropriate messages for
@cindex GNU newsgroups, appropriate messages for
@cindex Usenet groups, appropriate messages for
@cindex GNU mailing lists
The file @file{etc/MAILINGLISTS} describes the purpose of each GNU
-mailing list. (@xref{Informational files for Emacs}, if you want a copy
-of the file.) For those lists which are gatewayed with newsgroups, it
-lists both the newsgroup name and the mailing list address.
+mailing list (@pxref{Informational files for Emacs}). For those lists
+which are gatewayed with newsgroups, it lists both the newsgroup name
+and the mailing list address. The Emacs mailing lists are also
+described at @uref{http://savannah.gnu.org/mail/?group=emacs, the Emacs
+Savannah page}.
The newsgroup @uref{news:comp.emacs} is for discussion of Emacs programs
-in general. This includes Emacs along with various other
-implementations, such as XEmacs, JOVE, MicroEmacs, Freemacs, MG,
-Unipress, CCA, and Epsilon.
-
-Many people post Emacs questions to @uref{news:comp.emacs} because they
-don't receive any of the @code{gnu.*} newsgroups. Arguments have been
-made both for and against posting GNU-Emacs-specific material to
-@uref{news:comp.emacs}. You have to decide for yourself.
+in general. The newsgroup @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} is specifically
+for GNU Emacs. It therefore makes no sense to cross-post to both
+groups, since only one can be appropriate to any question.
Messages advocating ``non-free'' software are considered unacceptable on
any of the @code{gnu.*} newsgroups except for @uref{news:gnu.misc.discuss},
The FSF has maintained archives of all of the GNU mailing lists for many
years, although there may be some unintentional gaps in coverage. The
-archive is not particularly well organized or easy to retrieve
-individual postings from, but pretty much everything is there.
-
-The archive is at @uref{ftp://lists.gnu.org/}.
-
-The archive can be browsed over the web at
-@uref{http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/, the GNU mail archive}.
+archive can be browsed over the web at
+@uref{http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/, the GNU mail archive}. Raw
+files can be downloaded from @uref{ftp://lists.gnu.org/}.
Web-based Usenet search services, such as
-@uref{http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?sel=33592484, Google}, also
+@uref{http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?q=gnu&, Google}, also
archive the @code{gnu.*} groups.
-You can read the archives of the @code{gnu.*} groups and post new
-messages at @uref{http://gmane.org/, Gmane}.
+You can also read the archives of the @code{gnu.*} groups and post new
+messages at @uref{http://gmane.org/, Gmane}. Gmane is a service that
+presents mailing lists as newsgroups (even those without a traditional
+mail-to-news gateway).
@node Reporting bugs
@section Where should I report bugs and other problems with Emacs?
The correct way to report Emacs bugs is to use the command
@kbd{M-x report-emacs-bug}. It sets up a mail buffer with the
-essential information and the correct e-mail address which is
+essential information and the correct e-mail address, which is
@email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} for the released versions of Emacs.
Anything sent to @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} also appears in the
newsgroup @uref{news:gnu.emacs.bug}, but please use e-mail instead of
Be sure to read the ``Bugs'' section of the Emacs manual before reporting
a bug! The manual describes in detail how to submit a useful bug
report (@pxref{Bugs, , Reporting Bugs, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}).
-(@xref{On-line manual}, if you don't know how to read the manual.)
+(@xref{Emacs manual}, if you don't know how to read the manual.)
RMS says:
@end quotation
@node Unsubscribing from Emacs lists
-@section How do I unsubscribe from this mailing list?
+@section How do I unsubscribe from a mailing list?
@cindex Unsubscribing from GNU mailing lists
@cindex Removing yourself from GNU mailing lists
-If you are receiving a GNU mailing list named @var{list}, you might be
+If you are receiving a GNU mailing list named @var{list}, you should be
able to unsubscribe from it by sending a request to the address
-@email{@var{list}-request@@gnu.org}. However, this will not work if you are
-not listed on the main mailing list, but instead receive the mail from a
-distribution point. In that case, you will have to track down at which
-distribution point you are listed. Inspecting the @samp{Received} headers
-on the mail messages may help, along with liberal use of the @samp{EXPN} or
-@samp{VRFY} sendmail commands through @samp{telnet @var{site-address}
-smtp}. Ask your postmaster for help, if you cannot figure out these
-details.
+@email{@var{list}-request@@gnu.org}. Mailing lists mails normally
+contain information in either the message header
+(@samp{List-Unsubscribe:}) or as a footer that tells you how to
+unsubscribe.
@node Contacting the FSF
@section What is the current address of the FSF?
@cindex Contracting the FSF
@cindex Free Software Foundation, contacting
+For up-to-date information, see
+@uref{http://www.fsf.org/about/contact.html, the FSF contact web-page}.
+
@table @asis
@item E-mail
-gnu@@gnu.org
+info@@fsf.org
@item Telephone
+1-617-542-5942
+1-617-542-2652
@item World Wide Web
-@uref{http://www.gnu.org/}
+@uref{http://www.fsf.org/}
@item Postal address
Free Software Foundation@*
@cindex Ordering GNU software
For details on how to order items directly from the FSF, see the
-@uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}.
+@uref{http://shop.fsf.org/, FSF on-line store}.
@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node Getting help
@chapter Getting help
@cindex Getting help
-This chapter tells you how to get help with Emacs
+This chapter tells you how to get help with Emacs.
@menu
* Basic editing::
invokes help on your system, type @kbd{M-x where-is @key{RET}
help-for-help @key{RET}}. This will print a comma-separated list of key
sequences in the echo area. Ignore the last character in each key
-sequence listed. Each of the resulting key sequences invokes help.
+sequence listed. Each of the resulting key sequences (e.g. @key{F1} is
+common) invokes help.
Emacs help works best if it is invoked by a single key whose value
should be stored in the variable @code{help-char}.
@cindex Reading the Emacs manual
@item
-The complete text of the Emacs manual is available on-line via the Info
+The complete text of the Emacs manual is available via the Info
hypertext reader. Type @kbd{C-h r} to display the manual in Info mode.
Typing @key{h} immediately after entering Info will provide a short
tutorial on how to use it.
@cindex Emacs manual, obtaining a printed or HTML copy of
You can order a printed copy of the Emacs manual from the FSF. For
-details see the @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}.
+details see the @uref{http://shop.fsf.org/, FSF on-line store}.
-@c The number 620 below is version-dependent!
The full Texinfo source for the manual also comes in the @file{doc/emacs}
directory of the Emacs distribution, if you're daring enough to try to
print out this several-hundred-page manual yourself (@pxref{Printing a Texinfo
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/}
-@xref{Learning how to do something}, for how to view the manual on-line.
+@xref{Learning how to do something}, for how to view the manual from Emacs.
@node Emacs Lisp documentation
@section Where can I get documentation on Emacs Lisp?
function, @kbd{C-h v} for a variable.
For more information, the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual is available
-on-line, in Info format. @xref{Top, Emacs Lisp,, elisp, The
-Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
+in Info format (@pxref{Top, Emacs Lisp,, elisp, The
+Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}).
-You can also order a hardcopy of the manual, details on ordering it from
-FSF are on the @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}.
+You can also order a hardcopy of the manual from the FSF, for details
+see the @uref{http://shop.fsf.org/, FSF on-line store}. (This manual is
+not always in print.)
An HTML version of the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual is available at
@cindex Documentation, installing new Texinfo files
@cindex Info files, how to install
-First, you must turn the Texinfo files into Info files. You may do this
-using the stand-alone @file{makeinfo} program, available as part of the latest
-Texinfo package at
+Emacs releases come with pre-built Info files, and the normal install
+process places them in the correct location. This is true for most
+applications that provide Info files. The following section is only
+relevant if you want to install extra Info files by hand.
-@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/texinfo/texinfo-4.8.tar.gz}
+First, you must turn the Texinfo source files into Info files. You may
+do this using the stand-alone @file{makeinfo} program, available as part
+of the Texinfo package at
-and all mirrors of @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (for a list, @pxref{Current GNU
-distributions}).
+@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/}
For information about the Texinfo format, read the Texinfo manual which
comes with the Texinfo package. This manual also comes installed in
-Info format, so you can read it on-line; type @kbd{C-h i m texinfo
+Info format, so you can read it from Emacs; type @kbd{C-h i m texinfo
@key{RET}}.
+@c FIXME is this a complete alternative?
+@c Probably not, given that we require makeinfo to build Emacs.
Alternatively, you could use the Emacs command @kbd{M-x
texinfo-format-buffer}, after visiting the Texinfo source file of the
manual you want to convert.
you could put this in your @file{.emacs} file:
@lisp
-(setq Info-default-directory-list
- (cons "~/Info" Info-default-directory-list))
+(add-to-list 'Info-default-directory-list "~/Info")
@end lisp
You will need a top-level Info file named @file{dir} in this directory
-which has everything the system @file{dir} file has in it, except it should
-list only entries for Info files in that directory. You might not need
-it if all files in this directory were referenced by other @file{dir}
-files. The node lists from all @file{dir} files in
-@code{Info-default-directory-list} are merged by the Info system.
+which has everything the system @file{dir} file has in it, except it
+should list only entries for Info files in that directory. You might
+not need it if (fortuitously) all files in this directory were
+referenced by other @file{dir} files. The node lists from all
+@file{dir} files in @code{Info-default-directory-list} are merged by the
+Info system.
@end itemize
@item
Type @kbd{texi2dvi @var{texinfo-source}}, where @var{texinfo-source} is
the name of the Texinfo source file for which you want to produce a
-printed copy.
+printed copy. The @samp{texi2dvi} script is part of the GNU Texinfo
+distribution.
-The @samp{texi2dvi} script is part of the GNU Texinfo distribution
-(@pxref{Installing Texinfo documentation}).
+Alternatively, @samp{texi2pdf} produces PDF files.
@item
Print the DVI file @file{@var{texinfo-source}.dvi} in the normal way for
@cindex Files included with Emacs
@cindex @file{COPYING}, description of file
@cindex @file{DISTRIB}, description of file
-@cindex @file{FTP}, description of file
@cindex @file{GNU}, description of file
@cindex @file{INTERVIEW}, description of file
@cindex @file{MACHINES}, description of file
@cindex @file{MAILINGLISTS}, description of file
@cindex @file{NEWS}, description of file
-@cindex @file{SERVICE}, description of file
This isn't a frequently asked question, but it should be! A variety of
informational files about Emacs and relevant aspects of the GNU project
are available for you to read.
-The following files are available in the @file{etc} directory of the
-Emacs distribution (see @ref{File-name conventions}, if you're not sure
-where that is).
+The following files (and others) are available in the @file{etc}
+directory of the Emacs distribution (see @ref{File-name conventions}, if
+you're not sure where that is). Many of these files are available via
+the Emacs @samp{Help} menu, or by typing @kbd{C-h ?} (@kbd{M-x
+help-for-help}).
@table @file
@item DISTRIB
Emacs Availability Information
-@item FTP
-How to get GNU Software by Internet FTP
-
@item GNU
The GNU Manifesto
@item NEWS
Emacs news, a history of recent user-visible changes
-@item SERVICE
-GNU Service Directory
-
@end table
More GNU information, including back issues of the @cite{GNU's
@xref{Installing Emacs}, for some basic installation hints, and see
@ref{Problems building Emacs}, if you have problems with the installation.
-The web-page @uref{http://www.fsf.org/resources/service/} lists
-companies and individuals willing to sell you help in installing or
-using Emacs.
+@uref{http://www.fsf.org/resources/service/, The GNU Service directory}
+lists companies and individuals willing to sell you help in installing
+or using Emacs and other GNU software.
@node Obtaining the FAQ
@section Where can I get the latest version of this FAQ?
The Emacs FAQ is distributed with Emacs in Info format. You can read it
by selecting the @samp{Emacs FAQ} option from the @samp{Help} menu of
the Emacs menu bar at the top of any Emacs frame, or by typing @kbd{C-h
-C-f} (@kbd{M-x view-emacs-FAQ}).
-
+C-f} (@kbd{M-x view-emacs-FAQ}). The very latest version is available
+in the Emacs development repository (@pxref{Latest version of Emacs}).
@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node Status of Emacs
@chapter Status of Emacs
@cindex Status of Emacs
-This chapter gives you basic information about Emacs, including its
-latest version status.
+This chapter gives you basic information about Emacs, including the
+status of its latest version.
@menu
* Origin of the term Emacs::
* Latest version of Emacs::
-* New in Emacs 20::
-* New in Emacs 21::
+* New in Emacs 23::
* New in Emacs 22::
+* New in Emacs 21::
+* New in Emacs 20::
@end menu
@node Origin of the term Emacs
the name Emacs because @key{E} was not in use as an abbreviation on ITS at
the time.'' The first Emacs was a set of macros written in 1976 at MIT
by RMS for the editor TECO (Text Editor and COrrector, originally Tape
-Editor and COrrector) under ITS on a PDP-10. RMS had already extended
-TECO with a ``real-time'' full-screen mode with reprogrammable keys.
-Emacs was started by @email{gls@@east.sun.com, Guy Steele} as a project
-to unify the many divergent TECO command sets and key bindings at MIT,
-and completed by RMS.
+Editor and COrrector) under ITS (the Incompatible Timesharing System) on
+a PDP-10. RMS had already extended TECO with a ``real-time''
+full-screen mode with reprogrammable keys. Emacs was started by
+@email{gls@@east.sun.com, Guy Steele} as a project to unify the many
+divergent TECO command sets and key bindings at MIT, and completed by
+RMS.
Many people have said that TECO code looks a lot like line noise; you
can read more at @uref{news:alt.lang.teco}. Someone has written a TECO
@section What is the latest version of Emacs?
@cindex Version, latest
@cindex Latest version of Emacs
+@cindex Development, Emacs
+@cindex Repository, Emacs
+@cindex CVS repository, Emacs
+@cindex Arch repository, Emacs
+@cindex Git repository, Emacs
+
+Emacs @value{VER} is the current version as of this writing. A version
+number with two components (e.g. @samp{22.1}) indicates a released
+version; three components indicate a development
+version (e.g. @samp{23.0.50} is what will eventually become @samp{23.1}).
+
+Emacs is under active development, hosted at
+@uref{http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/emacs/, Savannah}. The source
+code can be retrieved anonymously following the
+@uref{http://savannah.gnu.org/cvs/?group=emacs, instructions}.
+The primary repository is CVS, but Arch and Git mirrors are also
+available.
-Emacs @value{VER} is the current version as of this writing.
+Because Emacs undergoes many changes before a release, the version
+number of a development version is not especially meaningful. It is
+better to refer to the date on which the sources were retrieved from the
+development repository. The development version is usually quite robust
+for every-day use, but if stability is more important to you than the
+latest features, you may want to stick to the releases.
+
+The following sections list some of the major new features in the last
+few Emacs releases. For full details of the changes in any version of
+Emacs, type @kbd{C-h C-n} (@kbd{M-x view-emacs-news}). As of Emacs 22,
+you can give this command a prefix argument to read about which features
+were new in older versions.
+
+@node New in Emacs 23
+@section What is different about Emacs 23?
+@cindex Differences between Emacs 22 and Emacs 23
+@cindex Emacs 23, new features in
+@cindex Recently introduced features
+@cindex Default features
-@node New in Emacs 20
-@section What is different about Emacs 20?
-@cindex Differences between Emacs 19 and Emacs 20
-@cindex Emacs 20, new features in
+@itemize
-To find out what has changed in recent versions, type @kbd{C-h C-n}
-(@kbd{M-x view-emacs-news}). The oldest changes are at the bottom of
-the file, so you might want to read it starting there, rather than at
-the top.
+@cindex Anti-aliased fonts
+@cindex Freetype fonts
+@item
+Emacs has a new font code that can use multiple font backends,
+including freetype and fontconfig. Emacs can use the Xft library for
+anti-aliasing, and the otf and m17n libraries for complex text layout and
+text shaping.
-The differences between Emacs versions 18 and 19 was rather dramatic;
-the introduction of frames, faces, and colors on windowing systems was
-obvious to even the most casual user.
+@cindex Unicode
+@cindex Character sets
+@item
+The Emacs character set is now a superset of Unicode. Several new
+language environments have been added.
-There are differences between Emacs versions 19 and 20 as well, but many
-are more subtle or harder to find. Among the changes are the inclusion
-of MULE code for languages that use non-Latin characters and for mixing
-several languages in the same document; the ``Customize'' facility for
-modifying variables without having to use Lisp; and automatic conversion
-of files from Macintosh, Microsoft, and Unix platforms.
+@cindex Multi-tty support
+@cindex X and tty displays
+@item
+Emacs now supports using both X displays and ttys in the same session
+(@samp{multi-tty}).
-A number of older Lisp packages, such as Gnus, Supercite and the
-calendar/diary, have been updated and enhanced to work with Emacs 20,
-and are now included with the standard distribution.
+@cindex Daemon mode
+@item
+Emacs can be started as a daemon in the background.
+@cindex NeXTSTEP port
+@cindex GNUstep port
+@cindex Mac OS X Cocoa
+@item
+There is a new NeXTSTEP port of Emacs. This supports GNUstep and Mac OS
+X (via the Cocoa libraries). The Carbon port of Emacs, which supported
+Mac OS X in Emacs 22, has been removed.
-@node New in Emacs 21
-@section What is different about Emacs 21?
-@cindex Differences between Emacs 20 and Emacs 21
-@cindex Emacs 21, new features in
-@cindex Recently introduced features
+@cindex Directory-local variables
+@item
+Directory-local variables can now be defined, in a similar manner to
+file-local variables.
-@cindex Variable-size fonts
-@cindex Toolbar support
-Emacs 21 features a thorough rewrite of the display engine. The new
-display engine supports variable-size fonts, images, and can play sounds
-on platforms which support that. As a result, the visual appearance of
-Emacs, when it runs on a windowed display, is much more reminiscent of
-modern GUI programs, and includes 3D widgets (used for the mode line and
-the scroll bars), a configurable and extensible toolbar, tooltips
-(a.k.a.@: balloon help), and other niceties.
+@item
+Transient Mark mode (@pxref{Highlighting a region}) is on by default.
+
+@end itemize
+
+@noindent
+Other changes include: support for serial port access; D-Bus bindings; a
+new Visual Line mode for line-motion; improved completion; a new mode
+(@samp{DocView}) for viewing of PDF, PostScript, and DVI documents; nXML
+mode (for editing XML documents) is included; VC has been updated for
+newer version control systems; etc. As always, consult the @file{NEWS}
+file for more information.
-@cindex Colors on text-only terminals
-@cindex TTY colors
-In addition, Emacs 21 supports faces on text-only terminals. This means
-that you can now have colors when you run Emacs on a GNU/Linux console
-and on @code{xterm} with @kbd{emacs -nw}.
@node New in Emacs 22
@section What is different about Emacs 22?
@cindex Differences between Emacs 21 and Emacs 22
@cindex Emacs 22, new features in
-@cindex Recently introduced features
-@cindex Default features
@itemize
@cindex GTK+ Toolkit
enabled by default.
@item
-The maximum size of buffers has been doubled and is 256M on 32-bit
-machines.
+The maximum size of buffers is increased: on 32-bit machines, it is
+256 MBytes for Emacs 23.1, and 512 MBytes for Emacs 23.2 and above.
@item
Links can be followed with @kbd{mouse-1}, in addition to @kbd{mouse-2}.
(@pxref{Emacs Lisp documentation}) and the Emacs Lisp Intro.
@end itemize
-Many other changes have been made in Emacs 22, use @kbd{C-h n} to get a
-full list.
+
+@node New in Emacs 21
+@section What is different about Emacs 21?
+@cindex Differences between Emacs 20 and Emacs 21
+@cindex Emacs 21, new features in
+
+@cindex Variable-size fonts
+@cindex Toolbar support
+Emacs 21 features a thorough rewrite of the display engine. The new
+display engine supports variable-size fonts, images, and can play sounds
+on platforms which support that. As a result, the visual appearance of
+Emacs, when it runs on a windowed display, is much more reminiscent of
+modern GUI programs, and includes 3D widgets (used for the mode line and
+the scroll bars), a configurable and extensible toolbar, tooltips
+(a.k.a.@: balloon help), and other niceties.
+
+@cindex Colors on text-only terminals
+@cindex TTY colors
+In addition, Emacs 21 supports faces on text-only terminals. This means
+that you can now have colors when you run Emacs on a GNU/Linux console
+and on @code{xterm} with @kbd{emacs -nw}.
+
+
+@node New in Emacs 20
+@section What is different about Emacs 20?
+@cindex Differences between Emacs 19 and Emacs 20
+@cindex Emacs 20, new features in
+
+The differences between Emacs versions 18 and 19 were rather dramatic;
+the introduction of frames, faces, and colors on windowing systems was
+obvious to even the most casual user.
+
+There are differences between Emacs versions 19 and 20 as well, but many
+are more subtle or harder to find. Among the changes are the inclusion
+of MULE code for languages that use non-Latin characters and for mixing
+several languages in the same document; the ``Customize'' facility for
+modifying variables without having to use Lisp; and automatic conversion
+of files from Macintosh, Microsoft, and Unix platforms.
@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node Common requests
* Yanking text in isearch::
* Wrapping words automatically::
* Turning on auto-fill by default::
-* Spell-checkers::
-* Checking TeX and *roff documents::
* Changing load-path::
* Using an already running Emacs process::
* Compiler error messages::
* Evaluating Emacs Lisp code::
* Changing the length of a Tab::
* Inserting text at the beginning of each line::
-* Underlining paragraphs::
* Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column::
* Forcing Emacs to iconify itself::
* Using regular expressions::
@inforef{Init File, Init File, emacs}.
-In general, new Emacs users should not have @file{.emacs} files, because
-it causes confusing non-standard behavior. Then they send questions to
-@email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} asking why Emacs isn't behaving as
-documented.
+In general, new Emacs users should not be provided with @file{.emacs}
+files, because this can cause confusing non-standard behavior. Then
+they send questions to @email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} asking why Emacs
+isn't behaving as documented.
-Beginning with version 20.1, Emacs includes the new Customize facility
-(@pxref{Using Customize}). This allows users who are unfamiliar with
-Emacs Lisp to modify their @file{.emacs} files in a relatively
-straightforward way, using menus rather than Lisp code. Most packages
-support Customize as of this writing.
+Emacs includes the Customize facility (@pxref{Using Customize}). This
+allows users who are unfamiliar with Emacs Lisp to modify their
+@file{.emacs} files in a relatively straightforward way, using menus
+rather than Lisp code.
While Customize might indeed make it easier to configure Emacs,
consider taking a bit of time to learn Emacs Lisp and modifying your
@cindex Column, displaying the current
@cindex @code{mode-line-format}
-To have Emacs automatically display the current line number of the point
-in the mode line, do @kbd{M-x line-number-mode}. You can also put the
-form
-
-@lisp
-(setq line-number-mode t)
-@end lisp
-
-@noindent
-in your @file{.emacs} file to achieve this whenever you start Emacs.
-(Line number display is on by default, unless your site-specific
-initialization disables it.) Note that Emacs will not display the line
+By default, Emacs displays the current line number of the point in the
+mode line. You can toggle this feature off or on with the command
+@kbd{M-x line-number-mode}, or by setting the variable
+@code{line-number-mode}. Note that Emacs will not display the line
number if the buffer's size in bytes is larger than the value of the
variable @code{line-number-display-limit}.
@end lisp
@noindent
-in your @file{.emacs} file.
+in your @file{.emacs} file. This feature is off by default.
The @code{"%c"} format specifier in the variable @code{mode-line-format}
will insert the current column's value into the mode line. See the
mode-line-format @key{RET}}) for more information on how to set and use
this variable.
-Users of all Emacs versions can display the current column using the
-@samp{column} package written by @email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per
-Abrahamsen}. @xref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}, for
-instructions on how to get it.
-
@cindex Set number capability in @code{vi} emulators
-None of the @code{vi} emulation modes provide the ``set number''
-capability of @code{vi} (as far as we know). The @samp{setnu} package
-written by @email{kyle@@wonderworks.com, Kyle Jones} provides this
-feature. So too does @samp{wb-line-number}, written by
-@email{naoki.y.nakamura@@nifty.com, Naoki Nakamura}.
+The @samp{linum} package (distributed with Emacs since version 23.1)
+displays line numbers in the left margin, like the ``set number''
+capability of @code{vi}. The packages @samp{setnu} and
+@samp{wb-line-number} (not distributed with Emacs) also implement this
+feature.
@node Displaying the current file name in the titlebar
@section How can I modify the titlebar to contain the current file name?
@section How do I turn on abbrevs by default just in mode @var{mymode}?
@cindex Abbrevs, turning on by default
-Put this in your @file{.emacs} file:
+Abbrev mode expands abbreviations as you type them. To turn it on in a
+specific buffer, use @kbd{M-x abbrev-mode}. To turn it on in every
+buffer by default, put this in your @file{.emacs} file:
@lisp
-(condition-case ()
- (quietly-read-abbrev-file)
- (file-error nil))
+(setq-default abbrev-mode t)
+@end lisp
+@noindent To turn it on in a specific mode, use:
+
+@lisp
(add-hook '@var{mymode}-mode-hook
(lambda ()
(setq abbrev-mode t)))
@end lisp
-Starting with Emacs 22, the standard abbrevs file is read automatically
-at startup, so the first of these two forms becomes unnecessary.
+@noindent If your Emacs version is older then 22.1, you will also need to use:
+
+@lisp
+(condition-case ()
+ (quietly-read-abbrev-file)
+ (file-error nil))
+@end lisp
@node Associating modes with files
@section How do I make Emacs use a certain major mode for certain files?
with the extension @file{.@var{bar}}, this will do it for you:
@lisp
-(setq auto-mode-alist (cons '("\\.@var{bar}\\'" . @var{foo}-mode) auto-mode-alist))
+(add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.@var{bar}\\'" . @var{foo}-mode))
@end lisp
-Otherwise put this somewhere in the first line of any file you want to
+Alternatively, put this somewhere in the first line of any file you want to
edit in the mode @var{foo} (in the second line, if the first line begins
with @samp{#!}):
@end example
@cindex Major mode for shell scripts
-Beginning with Emacs 19, the variable @code{interpreter-mode-alist}
-specifies which mode to use when loading a shell script. (Emacs
+The variable @code{interpreter-mode-alist} specifies which mode to use
+when loading an interpreted script (e.g. shell, python, etc.). Emacs
determines which interpreter you're using by examining the first line of
-the script.) Use @kbd{C-h v} (or @kbd{M-x describe-variable})
-on @code{interpreter-mode-alist} to learn more.
+the script. Use @kbd{C-h v} (or @kbd{M-x describe-variable}) on
+@code{interpreter-mode-alist} to learn more.
@node Highlighting a region
@section How can I highlight a region of text in Emacs?
including
@lisp
-(transient-mark-mode t)
+(transient-mark-mode 1)
@end lisp
@noindent
-in your @file{.emacs} file.
+in your @file{.emacs} file. Since Emacs 23.1, this feature is on by default.
@node Replacing highlighted text
@section How can I replace highlighted text with what I type?
delete-selection-mode @key{RET}}):
@quotation
-When ON, typed text replaces the selection if the selection is active.
-When OFF, typed text is just inserted at point.
+When Delete Selection mode is enabled, Transient Mark mode is also
+enabled and typed text replaces the selection if the selection is
+active. Otherwise, typed text is just inserted at point regardless of
+any selection.
@end quotation
This mode also allows you to delete (not kill) the highlighted region by
@cindex Searching without case sensitivity
@cindex Ignoring case in searches
-For searching, the value of the variable @code{case-fold-search}
-determines whether they are case sensitive:
+@c FIXME
+The value of the variable @code{case-fold-search} determines whether
+searches are case sensitive:
@lisp
(setq case-fold-search nil) ; make searches case sensitive
@cindex Regexps and unprintable characters
To search for a single character that appears in the buffer as, for
-example, @samp{\237}, you can type @kbd{C-s C-q 2 3 7}. (This assumes
-the value of @code{search-quote-char} is 17 (i.e., @kbd{C-q}).)
+example, @samp{\237}, you can type @kbd{C-s C-q 2 3 7}.
Searching for @strong{all} unprintable characters is best done with a
regular expression (@dfn{regexp}) search. The easiest regexp to use for
the unprintable chars is the complement of the regexp for the printable
(setq-default auto-fill-function 'do-auto-fill)
@end lisp
-@node Spell-checkers
-@section Where can I get a better spelling checker for Emacs?
-@cindex Checking spelling
-@cindex Spelling, checking text documents
-
-Use Ispell. @xref{Ispell}.
-
-@node Checking TeX and *roff documents
-@section How can I spell-check @TeX{} or *roff documents?
-@cindex Spelling, checking @TeX{} documents
-@cindex @TeX{} documents, checking spelling in
-
-Use Ispell. Ispell can handle @TeX{} and *roff documents.
-@xref{Ispell}.
-
@node Changing load-path
@section How do I change @code{load-path}?
@cindex @code{load-path}, modifying
directory @var{/dir/subdir} to the load path like this:
@lisp
-(setq load-path (cons "/dir/subdir/" load-path))
+(add-to-list 'load-path "/dir/subdir/")
@end lisp
To do this relative to your home directory:
@lisp
-(setq load-path (cons "~/mysubdir/" load-path))
+(add-to-list 'load-path "~/mysubdir/")
@end lisp
@node Using an already running Emacs process
@code{emacsclient} will exit, signaling the calling program to continue.
@cindex @code{gnuserv}
-There is an enhanced version of @samp{emacsclient} called
+There is an alternative version of @samp{emacsclient} called
@samp{gnuserv}, written by @email{ange@@hplb.hpl.hp.com, Andy Norman}
(@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). @samp{gnuserv} uses
Internet domain sockets, so it can work across most network connections.
@}
@end example
-The solution at first appears to be: set @code{c-indent-level} to 4 and
-@code{c-label-offset} to -2. However, this will give you an indentation
-spacing of four instead of two.
-
-The @emph{real} solution is to use @code{cc-mode} (the default mode for
-C programming in Emacs 20 and later) and add the following line to your
-@file{.emacs}:
+@noindent To achieve this, add the following line to your @file{.emacs}:
@lisp
(c-set-offset 'case-label '+)
@end lisp
-There appears to be no way to do this with the old @code{c-mode}.
-
@node Customizing C and C++ indentation
@section How to customize indentation in C, C@t{++}, and Java buffers?
@cindex Indentation, how to customize
@code{truncate-partial-width-windows} if that variable is non-nil
and the current buffer is not full-frame width.
-In Emacs 20, use the @code{hscroll-mode}. Here is some information from
-the documentation, available by typing @kbd{C-h f hscroll-mode @key{RET}}:
-
-Automatically scroll horizontally when the point moves off the
-left or right edge of the window.
-
-@itemize @minus
-@item
-Type @kbd{M-x hscroll-mode} to enable it in the current buffer.
-
-@item
-Type @kbd{M-x hscroll-global-mode} to enable it in every buffer.
-
-@item
-@code{turn-on-hscroll} is useful in mode hooks as in:
-
-@lisp
-(add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-hscroll)
-@end lisp
-
-@item
-@code{hscroll-margin} controls how close the cursor can get to the
-edge of the window.
-
-@item
-@code{hscroll-step-percent} controls how far to jump once we decide to do so.
-@end itemize
+In Emacs 20, use @code{hscroll-mode}.
@node Overwrite mode
@section How do I make Emacs ``typeover'' or ``overwrite'' instead of inserting?
@cindex Previous line, indenting according to
@cindex Text indentation
-Such behavior is automatic in Emacs 20 and later. From the
+Such behavior is automatic (in Text mode) in Emacs 20 and later. From the
@file{etc/NEWS} file for Emacs 20.2:
@example
mode now runs the command @code{indent-relative}; this makes a practical
difference only when you use indented paragraphs.
-As a result, the old Indented Text mode is now identical to Text mode,
-and is an alias for it.
-
If you want spaces at the beginning of a line to start a paragraph, use
the new mode, Paragraph Indent Text mode.
@end example
@section How do I change Emacs's idea of the @key{TAB} character's length?
@cindex Tab length
@cindex Length of tab character
-@cindex @code{default-tab-width}
-Set the variable @code{default-tab-width}. For example, to set
+Set the default value of the variable @code{tab-width}. For example, to set
@key{TAB} stops every 10 characters, insert the following in your
@file{.emacs} file:
@lisp
-(setq default-tab-width 10)
+(setq-default tab-width 10)
@end lisp
Do not confuse variable @code{tab-width} with variable
runs the function @code{comment-region}, it is a general-purpose
mechanism to comment regions) (@pxref{Changing the included text prefix}).
-@node Underlining paragraphs
-@section How do I insert @samp{_^H} before each character in a region to get an underlined paragraph?
-@cindex Underlining a region of text
-@cindex @code{underline-region}
-
-Mark the region and then type @kbd{M-x underline-region @key{RET}}.
-
@node Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column
@section How do I make Emacs behave like this: when I go up or down, the cursor should stay in the same column even if the line is too short?
@cindex @code{picture-mode}
@cindex Files, replacing strings across multiple
@cindex Recursive search/replace operations
-As of Emacs 19.29, Dired mode (@kbd{M-x dired @key{RET}}, or @kbd{C-x
-d}) supports the command @code{dired-do-query-replace} (@kbd{Q}), which
-allows users to replace regular expressions in multiple files.
+Dired mode (@kbd{M-x dired @key{RET}}, or @kbd{C-x d}) supports the
+command @code{dired-do-query-replace-regexp} (@kbd{Q}), which allows
+users to replace regular expressions in multiple files.
You can use this command to perform search/replace operations on
multiple files by following the following steps:
@lisp
(add-hook 'dired-load-hook
(lambda ()
- (load "dired-x")))
+ (require 'dired-x)))
@end lisp
With @code{dired-x} loaded, @kbd{M-o} toggles omitting in each dired buffer.
variables will appear in one face, keywords in a second, and comments in
a third.
-@cindex hilit19 is deprecated
-Earlier versions of Emacs supported hilit19, a similar package. Use of
-hilit19 is now considered non-standard, although @file{hilit19.el} comes
-with the stock Emacs distribution. It is no longer maintained.
-
To turn @code{font-lock-mode} off within an existing buffer, use
@kbd{M-x font-lock-mode @key{RET}}.
on DOS and Windows, where the DOS end-of-line (EOL) format is the
default, a backslash (@samp{\}) will appear in the mode line.
-If you are running a version of Emacs before 20.1, get @code{crypt++}
-(@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). Among other things,
-@code{crypt++} transparently modifies MS-DOS files as they are loaded
-and saved, allowing you to ignore the different conventions that Unix
-and MS-DOS have for delineating the end of a line.
-
@node Filling paragraphs with a single space
@section How can I tell Emacs to fill paragraphs with a single space after each period?
@cindex One space following periods
The file @file{etc/PROBLEMS} in the Emacs distribution lists various
known problems with building and using Emacs on specific platforms;
-type @kbd{C-h C-e} to read it.
+type @kbd{C-h C-p} to read it.
@menu
* Problems with very large files::
* ^M in the shell buffer::
-* Shell process exits abnormally::
-* Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows::
+* Problems with Shell Mode::
* Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs::
-* Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode::
-* Problems talking to certain hosts::
* Errors with init files::
* Emacs ignores X resources::
* Emacs ignores frame parameters::
-* Emacs takes a long time to visit files::
* Editing files with $ in the name::
* Shell mode loses the current directory::
* Security risks with Emacs::
Old versions (i.e., anything before 19.29) of Emacs had problems editing
files larger than 8 megabytes. In versions 19.29 and later, the maximum
buffer size is at least 2^27-1, or 134,217,727 bytes, or 132 MBytes.
-And in Emacs 22, the maximum buffer size has been increased to
-268,435,455 bytes (or 256 MBytes) on 32-bit machines.
+The maximum buffer size on 32-bit machines increased to 256 MBytes in
+Emacs 22, and again to 512 MBytes in Emacs 23.2.
+
+Emacs compiled on a 64-bit machine can handle much larger buffers.
@node ^M in the shell buffer
@section How do I get rid of @samp{^M} or echoed commands in my shell buffer?
stty -icrnl -onlcr -echo susp ^Z
@end example
-@node Shell process exits abnormally
-@section Why do I get ``Process shell exited abnormally with code 1''?
-@cindex Abnormal exits from @code{shell-mode}
-@cindex @code{shell-mode} exits
-@cindex Process shell exited
-
-The most likely reason for this message is that the @samp{env} program
-is not properly installed. Compile this program for your architecture,
-and install it with @samp{a+x} permission in the architecture-dependent
-Emacs program directory. (You can find what this directory is at your
-site by inspecting the value of the variable @code{exec-directory} by
-typing @kbd{C-h v exec-directory @key{RET}}.)
-
-You should also check for other programs named @samp{env} in your path
-(e.g., SunOS has a program named @file{/usr/bin/env}). We don't
-understand why this can cause a failure and don't know a general
-solution for working around the problem in this case.
-
-The @samp{make clean} command will remove @samp{env} and other vital
-programs, so be careful when using it.
-
-It has been reported that this sometimes happened when Emacs was started
-as an X client from an xterm window (i.e., had a controlling tty) but the
-xterm was later terminated.
-
-See also @samp{PROBLEMS} (in the @file{etc} subdirectory of the
-top-level directory when you unpack the Emacs source) for other
-possible causes of this message.
-
-@node Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows
+@node Problems with Shell Mode
@section Why do I get an error message when I try to run @kbd{M-x shell}?
-@cindex Shell Mode, and MS-Windows
+@cindex Shell Mode, problems
@cindex @code{explicit-shell-file-name}
-On MS-Windows, this might happen because Emacs tries to look for the
-shell in a wrong place. The default file name @file{/bin/sh} is
-usually incorrect for non-Unix systems. If you know where your shell
-executable is, set the variable @code{explicit-shell-file-name} in
-your @file{.emacs} file to point to its full file name, like this:
-
-@lisp
-(setq explicit-shell-file-name "d:/shells/bash.exe")
-@end lisp
-
-If you don't know what shell does Emacs use, try the @kbd{M-!}
-command; if that works, put the following line into your
-@file{.emacs}:
-
-@lisp
-(setq explicit-shell-file-name shell-file-name)
-@end lisp
+This might happen because Emacs tries to look for the shell in a wrong
+place. If you know where your shell executable is, set the variable
+@code{explicit-shell-file-name} in your @file{.emacs} file to point to
+its full file name.
@cindex Antivirus programs, and Shell Mode
-Some people have trouble with Shell Mode because of intrusive
-antivirus software; disabling the resident antivirus program solves
-the problems in those cases.
+Some people have trouble with Shell Mode on MS-Windows because of
+intrusive antivirus software; disabling the resident antivirus program
+solves the problems in those cases.
@node Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs
@section Where is the termcap/terminfo entry for terminal type @samp{emacs}?
if ("$term" == emacs) set term=dumb
@end example
-@node Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode
-@section Why does Emacs spontaneously start displaying @samp{I-search:} and beeping?
-@cindex Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode
-@cindex isearch-mode, spontaneous entry into
-@cindex Beeping without obvious reason
-
-Your terminal (or something between your terminal and the computer) is
-sending @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} for flow control, and Emacs is receiving
-these characters and interpreting them as commands. (The @kbd{C-s}
-character normally invokes the @code{isearch-forward} command.) For
-possible solutions, see @ref{Handling C-s and C-q with flow control}.
-
-@node Problems talking to certain hosts
-@section Why can't Emacs talk to certain hosts (or certain hostnames)?
-@cindex Hosts, Emacs cannot talk to
-@cindex @code{gethostbyname}, problematic version
-
-The problem may be that Emacs is linked with a wimpier version of
-@code{gethostbyname} than the rest of the programs on the machine. This
-is often manifested as a message on startup of ``X server not responding.
-Check your @samp{DISPLAY} environment variable.'' or a message of
-``Unknown host'' from @code{open-network-stream}.
-
-On a Sun, this may be because Emacs had to be linked with the static C
-library. The version of @code{gethostbyname} in the static C library
-may only look in @file{/etc/hosts} and the NIS (YP) maps, while the
-version in the dynamic C library may be smart enough to check DNS in
-addition to or instead of NIS. On a Motorola Delta running System V
-R3.6, the version of @code{gethostbyname} in the standard library works,
-but the one that works with NIS doesn't (the one you get with -linet).
-Other operating systems have similar problems.
-
-Try these options:
-
-@itemize @bullet
-
-@item
-Explicitly add the host you want to communicate with to @file{/etc/hosts}.
-
-@item
-Relink Emacs with this line in @file{src/config.h}:
-
-@example
-#define LIBS_SYSTEM -lresolv
-@end example
-
-@item
-Replace @code{gethostbyname} and friends in @file{libc.a} with more
-useful versions such as the ones in @file{libresolv.a}. Then relink
-Emacs.
-
-@item
-If you are actually running NIS, make sure that @code{ypbind} is
-properly told to do DNS lookups with the correct command line switch.
-
-@end itemize
-
@node Errors with init files
@section Why does Emacs say @samp{Error in init file}?
@cindex Error in @file{.emacs}
@cindex Debugging @file{.emacs} file
An error occurred while loading either your @file{.emacs} file or the
-system-wide file @file{lisp/default.el}. Emacs 21.1 and later pops the
+system-wide file @file{site-lisp/default.el}. Emacs 21.1 and later pops the
@file{*Messages*} buffer, and puts there some additional information
about the error, to provide some hints for debugging.
other frames by individually positioning each one of them.
-@node Emacs takes a long time to visit files
-@section Why does Emacs take 20 seconds to visit a file?
-@cindex Visiting files takes a long time
-@cindex Delay when visiting files
-@cindex Files, take a long time to visit
-
-Old versions of Emacs (i.e., versions before Emacs 20.x) often
-encountered this when the master lock file, @file{!!!SuperLock!!!}, has
-been left in the lock directory somehow. Delete it.
-
-@email{meuer@@geom.umn.edu, Mark Meuer} says that NeXT NFS has a bug
-where an exclusive create succeeds but returns an error status. This
-can cause the same problem. Since Emacs's file locking doesn't work
-over NFS anyway, the best solution is to recompile Emacs with
-@code{CLASH_DETECTION} undefined.
-
@node Editing files with $ in the name
@section How do I edit a file with a @samp{$} in its name?
@cindex Editing files with @samp{$} in the name
@section Dired says, @samp{no file on this line} when I try to do something.
@cindex Dired does not see a file
-@c FIXME: I think this is fixed in Emacs 21, but I didn't have time to
-@c check.
-Chances are you're using a localized version of Unix that doesn't use US
-date format in dired listings. You can check this by looking at dired
-listings or by typing @kbd{ls -l} to a shell and looking at the dates that
-come out.
-
Dired uses a regular expression to find the beginning of a file name.
In a long Unix-style directory listing (@samp{ls -l}), the file name
starts after the date. The regexp has thus been written to look for the
-date, the format of which can vary on non-US systems.
+date. By default, it should understand dates and times regardless of
+the language, but if your directory listing has an unusual format, Dired
+may get confused.
There are two approaches to solving this. The first one involves
-setting things up so that @samp{ls -l} outputs US date format. This can
-be done by setting the locale. See your OS manual for more information.
+setting things up so that @samp{ls -l} outputs a more standard format.
+See your OS manual for more information.
The second approach involves changing the regular expression used by
dired, @code{directory-listing-before-filename-regexp}.
@menu
* Installing Emacs::
-* Updating Emacs::
* Problems building Emacs::
@end menu
@cindex Installing Emacs
@cindex Unix systems, installing Emacs on
@cindex Downloading and installing Emacs
-@cindex Retrieving and installing Emacs
@cindex Building Emacs from source
@cindex Source code, building Emacs from
-@cindex Unpacking and installing Emacs
This answer is meant for users of Unix and Unix-like systems. Users of
other operating systems should see the series of questions beginning
with @ref{Emacs for MS-DOS}, which describe where to get non-Unix source
and binaries, and how to install Emacs on those systems.
-For Unix and Unix-like systems, the easiest way is often to compile it
-from scratch. You will need:
+Most GNU/Linux distributions provide pre-built Emacs packages.
+If Emacs is not installed already, you can install it by running (as
+root) a command such as @samp{yum install emacs} (Red Hat and
+derivatives) or @samp{apt-get install emacs} (Debian and derivatives).
+
+If you want to compile Emacs yourself, read the file @file{INSTALL} in
+the source distribution. In brief:
@itemize @bullet
@item
-Emacs sources. @xref{Current GNU distributions}, for a list of ftp sites
-that make them available. On @file{ftp.gnu.org}, the main GNU
-distribution site, sources are available as
-
-@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/emacs-@value{VER}.tar.gz}
+First download the Emacs sources. @xref{Current GNU distributions}, for
+a list of ftp sites that make them available. On @file{ftp.gnu.org},
+the main GNU distribution site, sources are available as
-The above will obviously change as new versions of Emacs come out. For
-instance, when Emacs 24.3 is released, it will most probably be
-available as
+@c Don't include VER in the file name, because pretests are not there.
+@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/emacs-VERSION.tar.gz}
-@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/emacs-24.3.tar.gz}
+(Replace @samp{VERSION} with the relevant version number, e.g. @samp{23.1}.)
-Again, you should use one of the GNU mirror sites (see @ref{Current GNU
-distributions}, and adjust the URL accordingly) so as to reduce load on
+@item
+Next uncompress and extract the source files. This requires
+the @code{gzip} and @code{tar} programs, which are standard utilities.
+If your system does not have them, these can also be downloaded from
@file{ftp.gnu.org}.
-@item
-@code{gzip}, the GNU compression utility. You can get @code{gzip} via
-anonymous ftp at mirrors of @file{ftp.gnu.org} sites; it should compile
-and install without much trouble on most systems. Once you have
-retrieved the Emacs sources, you will probably be able to uncompress
-them with the command
+GNU @code{tar} can uncompress and extract in a single-step:
@example
-gunzip --verbose emacs-@value{VER}.tar.gz
+tar -zxvf emacs-VERSION.tar.gz
@end example
-@noindent
-changing the Emacs version (@value{VER}), as necessary. Once
-@code{gunzip} has finished doing its job, a file by the name of
-@file{emacs-@value{VER}.tar} should be in your build directory.
-
@item
-@code{tar}, the @dfn{tape archiving} program, which moves multiple files
-into and out of archive files, or @dfn{tarfiles}. All of the files
-comprising the Emacs source come in a single tarfile, and must be
-extracted using @code{tar} before you can build Emacs. Typically, the
-extraction command would look like
-
-@example
-tar -xvvf emacs-@value{VER}.tar
-@end example
-
-@noindent
-The @samp{x} indicates that we want to extract files from this tarfile,
-the two @samp{v}s force verbose output, and the @samp{f} tells
-@code{tar} to use a disk file, rather than one on the tape drive.
-
-If you're using GNU @code{tar} (available at mirrors of
-@file{ftp.gnu.org}), you can combine this step and the previous one by
-using the command
+At this point, the Emacs sources should be sitting in a directory called
+@file{emacs-VERSION}. On most common Unix and Unix-like systems,
+you should be able to compile Emacs with the following commands:
@example
-tar -zxvvf emacs-@value{VER}.tar.gz
-@end example
-
-@noindent
-The additional @samp{z} at the beginning of the options list tells GNU
-@code{tar} to uncompress the file with @code{gunzip} before extracting
-the tarfile's components.
-
-@end itemize
-
-At this point, the Emacs sources (all 70+ megabytes of them) should be
-sitting in a directory called @file{emacs-@value{VER}}. On most common
-Unix and Unix-like systems, you should be able to compile Emacs (with X
-Window system support) with the following commands:
-
-@example
-cd emacs-@value{VER} # change directory to emacs-@value{VER}
+cd emacs-VERSION
./configure # configure Emacs for your particular system
make # use Makefile to build components, then Emacs
@end example
the build has gone well. (@xref{Problems building Emacs}, if you weren't
successful.)
-By default, Emacs is installed in the following directories:
-
-@table @file
-@item /usr/local/bin
-binaries.
-
-@item /usr/local/share/emacs/@value{VER}
-Lisp code and support files.
-
-@item /usr/local/info
-Info documentation.
-@end table
-
-To install files in those default directories, become the superuser and
-type
+@item
+By default, Emacs is installed in @file{/usr/local}. To actually
+install files, become the superuser and type
@example
make install
@end example
Note that @samp{make install} will overwrite @file{/usr/local/bin/emacs}
-and any Emacs Info files that might be in @file{/usr/local/info}.
-
-Much more verbose instructions (with many more hints and suggestions)
-come with the Emacs sources, in the file @file{INSTALL}.
-
-@node Updating Emacs
-@section How do I update Emacs to the latest version?
-@cindex Updating Emacs
-
-@xref{Installing Emacs}, and follow the instructions there for
-installation.
+and any Emacs Info files that might be in @file{/usr/local/share/info/}.
-Most files are placed in version-specific directories. Emacs
-@value{VER}, for instance, places files in
-@file{/usr/local/share/emacs/@value{VER}}.
-
-Upgrading should overwrite only, @file{/usr/local/bin/emacs} (the Emacs
-binary) and documentation in @file{/usr/local/info}. Back up these
-files before you upgrade, and you shouldn't have too much trouble.
+@end itemize
@node Problems building Emacs
@section What should I do if I have trouble building Emacs?
If you'd like to have someone look at your problem and help solve it,
see @ref{Help installing Emacs}.
-If you cannot find a solution in the documentation, send a message to
-@email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}.
-
-Please don't post it to @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} or send e-mail to
-@email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}. For further guidelines, see
-@ref{Guidelines for newsgroup postings} and @ref{Reporting bugs}.
+If you cannot find a solution in the documentation, please report the
+problem (@pxref{Reporting bugs}).
@c ------------------------------------------------------------
* Difference between Emacs and XEmacs::
* Emacs for minimalists::
* Emacs for MS-DOS::
-* Emacs for Windows::
+* Emacs for MS-Windows::
* Emacs for GNUstep::
-* Emacs for Apple computers::
-* Modes for various languages::
+* Emacs for Mac OS X::
@end menu
@node Finding Emacs on the Internet
-@section Where can I get Emacs on the net (or by snail mail)?
+@section Where can I get Emacs on the net?
@cindex Finding Emacs on the Internet
-@cindex Snail mail, ordering Emacs via
-@cindex Postal service, ordering Emacs via
-@cindex Distribution, retrieving Emacs
-@cindex Internet, retrieving from
+@cindex Downloading Emacs
-Look in the files @file{etc/DISTRIB} and @file{etc/FTP} for
-information on nearby archive sites. If you don't already have Emacs,
-see @ref{Informational files for Emacs}, for how to get these files.
+Information on downloading Emacs is available at
+@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/, the Emacs home-page}.
@xref{Installing Emacs}, for information on how to obtain and build the latest
version of Emacs, and see @ref{Current GNU distributions}, for a list of
@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu}
-Read the files @file{etc/DISTRIB} and @file{etc/FTP} for more
-information.
-
A list of sites mirroring @samp{ftp.gnu.org} can be found at
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/ftp.html}
@node Emacs for MS-DOS
-@section Where can I get Emacs for my PC running MS-DOS?
+@section Where can I get Emacs for MS-DOS?
@cindex MS-DOS, Emacs for
@cindex DOS, Emacs for
@cindex Compiling Emacs for DOS
@cindex Emacs for MS-DOS
-@cindex Tools needed to compile Emacs under DOS
-
-A pre-built binary distribution of Emacs is available from the
-SimTel.NET archives. This version apparently works under MS-DOS and
-Windows (3.X, 9X, ME, NT, and 2000) and supports long file names under
-Windows 9X, Windows ME, and Windows 2000. More information is available
-from
-
-@uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu/emacs.README}
-
-The binary itself is available in the files @file{em*.zip} in the
-directory
-
-@uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu/}
-
-If you prefer to compile Emacs for yourself, you can do so with the
-current distribution directly. You will need a 386 (or
-better) processor, and to be running MS-DOS 3.0 or later. According to
-@email{eliz@@gnu.org, Eli Zaretskii} and
-@email{hankedr@@dms.auburn.edu, Darrel Hankerson}, you will need the
-following:
-
-@table @emph
-
-@item Compiler
-DJGPP version 1.12 maint 1 or later. Djgpp 2.0 or later is
-recommended, since 1.x is very old an unmaintained. Djgpp 2 supports
-long file names on Windows 9X/ME/2K.
-
-You can get the latest release of DJGPP by retrieving all of
-the files in
-
-@uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2*}
-@item Unpacking program
-The easiest way is to use @code{djtar} which comes with DJGPP v2.x,
-because it can open gzip'ed tarfiles (i.e., those ending with
-@file{.tar.gz}) in one step. @code{Djtar} comes in
-@file{djdev@var{nnn}.zip} archive (where @var{nnn} is the DJGPP version
-number), from the URL mentioned above.
+To build Emacs from source for MS-DOS, see the instructions in the file
+@file{msdos/INSTALL} in the distribution. The DOS port builds and runs
+on plain DOS, and also on all versions of MS-Windows from version 3.X
+onwards, including Windows XP and Vista.
-@strong{Warning!} Do @strong{not} use the popular WinZip program to
-unpack the Emacs distribution! WinZip is known to corrupt some of the
-files by converting them to the DOS CR-LF format, it doesn't always
-preserve the directory structure recorded in the compressed Emacs
-archive, and commits other atrocities. Some of these problems could
-actually prevent Emacs from building successfully!
-
-@item make, mv, sed, and rm
-All of these utilities are available at
-
-@uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu}
-
-16-bit utilities can be found in GNUish, at
-
-@uref{http://www.simtel.net/pub/gnuish/}
-
-@noindent
-(@code{mv} and @code{rm} are in the Fileutils package, @code{sed} and
-@code{make} are each one in a separate package named after them.)
+The file @file{etc/PROBLEMS} contains some additional information
+regarding Emacs under MS-DOS.
-@end table
+A pre-built binary distribution of the old Emacs 20 is available, as
+described at
-The files @file{INSTALL} (near its end) and @file{etc/PROBLEMS} in the
-directory of the Emacs sources contains some additional information
-regarding Emacs under MS-DOS.
+@uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu/emacs.README}
For a list of other MS-DOS implementations of Emacs (and Emacs
look-alikes), consult the list of ``Emacs implementations and literature,''
available at
-@uref{ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.emacs/}
+@uref{http://www.finseth.com/emacs.html}
Note that while many of these programs look similar to Emacs, they often
lack certain features, such as the Emacs Lisp extension language.
-@node Emacs for Windows
+@node Emacs for MS-Windows
@section Where can I get Emacs for Microsoft Windows?
-@cindex FAQ for NT Emacs
+@cindex FAQ for Emacs on MS-Windows
@cindex Emacs for MS-Windows
@cindex Microsoft Windows, Emacs for
-@cindex Windows 9X, ME, NT, 2K, and CE, Emacs for
-
-For information on Emacs for Windows 95 and NT, read the FAQ produced by
-@email{voelker@@cs.washington.edu, Geoff Voelker} and currently maintained
-by @email{ramprasad@@gnu.org, Ramprasad B}, available at
-@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/windows/ntemacs.html}
-
-@xref{Emacs for MS-DOS}, for Windows 3.1.
+There is a @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/windows/ntemacs.html,
+separate FAQ} for Emacs on MS-Windows. For MS-DOS, @pxref{Emacs for MS-DOS}.
@node Emacs for GNUstep
@section Where can I get Emacs for GNUstep?
-@cindex GNUSTEP, Emacs for
+@cindex GNUstep, Emacs for
Beginning with version 23.1, Emacs supports GNUstep natively.
+See the file @file{nextstep/INSTALL} in the distribution.
-@node Emacs for Apple computers
-@section Where can I get Emacs for my Apple computer?
+@node Emacs for Mac OS X
+@section Where can I get Emacs for Mac OS X?
@cindex Apple computers, Emacs for
@cindex Macintosh, Emacs for
+@cindex Mac OS X, Emacs for
Beginning with version 22.1, Emacs supports Mac OS X natively.
-
-@node Modes for various languages
-@section Where can I get modes for Lex, Yacc/Bison, Bourne shell, csh, C@t{++}, Objective-C, Pascal, Java, and Awk?
-@cindex Awk, mode for
-@cindex @code{awk-mode}
-@cindex Bison, mode for
-@cindex Bourne Shell, mode for
-@cindex C@t{++}, mode for
-@cindex Java, mode for
-@cindex Lex mode
-@cindex Objective-C, mode for
-@cindex @code{pascal-mode}
-@cindex Shell mode
-@cindex Yacc mode
-@cindex @file{csh} mode
-@cindex @code{sh-mode}
-@cindex @code{cc-mode}
-
-Most of these modes are now available in standard Emacs distribution.
-To get additional modes, see @ref{Finding a package with particular
-functionality}.
-
-Barry Warsaw's @code{cc-mode} now works for C, C@t{++}, Objective-C, and
-Java code. It is distributed with Emacs, but has
-@uref{http://cc-mode.sourceforge.net/, its own homepage}.
+See the file @file{nextstep/INSTALL} in the distribution.
@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node Major packages and programs
* VM::
* AUCTeX::
* BBDB::
-* Ispell::
+* Spell-checkers::
* Emacs/W3::
* EDB::
-* Mailcrypt::
-* JDE::
-* Patch::
+* JDEE::
@end menu
@node VM
@table @b
-@item Maintainer
-@email{hack@@robf.de, Robert Widhopf-Fenk}
-
-@item Latest version
-8.0
-
@item Web site
-@uref{http://www.nongnu.org/viewmail/}
+@uref{http://launchpad.net/vm}
+(was @uref{http://www.nongnu.org/viewmail/})
@item Informational newsgroup
@uref{news:gnu.emacs.vm.info}@*
package for WYSIWYG previews of various LaTeX constructs in the Emacs
source buffer.
-@table @b
-
-@item Authors
-@email{krab@@iesd.auc.dk, Kresten Krab Thorup}, @*
-@email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen}, @* and others.
-
-@item Maintainer
-@email{dak@@gnu.org, David Kastrup}
-
-@item Latest version
-11.85
-
-@item Distribution
-@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/auctex/}
-
-@item Web site
-@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/}
-
-@item Mailing list:
-Subscription requests to @email{auctex-request@@gnu.org}@*
-Submissions to @email{auctex@@gnu.org}
-
-@end table
+@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/, AUCTeX}
@node BBDB
@section BBDB --- personal Info Rolodex integrated with mail/news readers
@cindex Big Brother Database
@cindex Address book
-@table @b
-
-@item Maintainer
-@email{hack@@robf.de, Robert Widhopf-Fenk}
+@uref{http://bbdb.sourceforge.net/, The Insidious Big Brother Database}
-@item Latest version
-2.35
-
-@item Distribution
-@uref{http://bbdb.sourceforge.net/}
-
-@item Mailing lists
-Subscription requests to @email{bbdb-info-request@@lists.sourceforge.net}@*
-Submissions to @email{bbdb-info@@lists.sourceforge.net}@*
-Release announcements: @email{bbdb-announce-request@@lists.sourceforge.net}
-
-@end table
-
-@node Ispell
-@section Ispell --- spell checker in C with interface for Emacs
+@node Spell-checkers
+@section Spell-checkers
@cindex Spell-checker
@cindex Checking spelling
@cindex Ispell
+@cindex Aspell
+@cindex Hunspell
-@table @b
+Various spell-checkers are compatible with Emacs, including:
-@item Author
-@email{geoff@@cs.hmc.edu, Geoff Kuenning}
-
-@item Latest version
-3.3.02
+@table @b
-@item Distribution
-@uref{http://fmg-www.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/tars/ispell-3.3.02.tar.gz}@*
+@item GNU Aspell
+@uref{http://aspell.net/}
-@item Web site
+@item Ispell
@uref{http://fmg-www.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/ispell.html}
-@end table
+@item Hunspell
+@uref{http://hunspell.sourceforge.net/}
-This Ispell program is distinct from GNU Ispell 4.0. GNU Ispell 4.0 is
-no longer a supported product.
+@end table
@node Emacs/W3
@section Emacs/W3 --- A World Wide Web browser inside of Emacs
@cindex HTML browser in Emacs
@cindex @code{w3-mode}
-@table @b
-
-@item Author
-@email{wmperry@@gnu.org, Bill Perry}
-
-@item Maintainer
-Emacs/W3 needs a maintainer. It has lain dormant for several years. If
-you would like to take over the project, please contact
-@email{maintainers@@gnu.org}.
-
-@item Latest version
-4.0pre.47
-
-@item Distribution
-@uref{http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/w3}
-
-@item Mailing lists
-Receive announcements from @email{w3-announce@@gnu.org}@*
-Help to develop Emacs/W3 at @email{w3-dev@@gnu.org}
-
-@end table
+@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/w3/, Emacs/W3}
@node EDB
@section EDB --- Database program for Emacs; replaces forms editing modes
@cindex Database
@cindex Forms mode
-@table @b
-@item Author
-@email{mernst@@theory.lcs.mit.edu, Michael Ernst}
-
-@item Latest version
-1.21
+@uref{http://gnuvola.org/software/edb/, The Emacs Database}
-@item Distribution
-@uref{ftp://theory.lcs.mit.edu/pub/emacs/edb}
-
-@end table
-
-@node Mailcrypt
-@section Mailcrypt --- PGP interface within Emacs mail and news
-@cindex PGP
-@cindex GPG
-@cindex Interface to PGP from Emacs mail and news
-@cindex News, interface to PGP from
-@cindex Mail, interface to PGP from
-@cindex Encryption software, interface to
-
-@table @b
-
-@item Authors
-@email{patl@@lcs.mit.edu, Patrick J. LoPresti} and
-@email{jin@@atype.com, Jin S. Choi}
-
-@item Maintainer
-@email{warner-mailcrypt@@lothar.com, Brian Warner}
-
-@item Latest version
-3.5.8
-
-@item Distribution
-@uref{http://dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/mailcrypt/mailcrypt-3.5.8.tar.gz}
-
-@item Web site
-@uref{http://mailcrypt.sourceforge.net/}
-
-@end table
-
-Note that a new package called PGG is bundled with Emacs starting with
-version 22.1. It is a modern interface to various PGP implementations,
-including @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/, The GNU Privacy Guard} and
-supports symmetric encryption.
-
-@node JDE
-@section JDE --- Integrated development environment for Java
+@node JDEE
+@section JDEE --- Integrated development environment for Java
@cindex Java development environment
@cindex Integrated Java development environment
-@cindex JDE
-
-@table @b
-
-@item Author
-@email{paulk@@mathworks.com, Paul Kinnucan}
+@cindex JDEE
-@item Latest version
-2.3.5
-
-@item Web site
-@uref{http://jdee.sunsite.dk/}
-
-@item Mailing lists
-Subscription requests to @email{jde-subscribe@@sunsite.dk}@*
-Receive announcements from @email{jde-announce-subscribe@@sunsite.dk}
-
-@end table
-
-@node Patch
-@section Patch --- program to apply ``diffs'' for updating files
-@cindex Updating files with diffs
-@cindex Patching source files with diffs
-@cindex Diffs and patching
-@cindex @file{patch}
-
-@table @b
-
-@item Author
-@email{lwall@@wall.org, Larry Wall} (with GNU modifications)
-
-@item Latest version
-2.5.4
-
-@item Distribution
-@xref{Current GNU distributions}.
-
-@end table
+@uref{http://jdee.sourceforge.net/, A Java Development Environment for Emacs}
@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node Key bindings
* Binding keys to commands::
* Invalid prefix characters::
* Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun::
-* Using function keys under X::
* Working with function and arrow keys::
* X key translations for Emacs::
-* Handling C-s and C-q with flow control::
-* Binding C-s and C-q::
* Backspace invokes help::
-* stty and Backspace key::
* Swapping keys::
* Producing C-XXX with the keyboard::
* No Meta key::
For information on what Emacs does every time it is started, see the
@file{lisp/startup.el} file.
-@node Using function keys under X
-@section How do I use function keys under X?
-@cindex Function keys
-@cindex X Window System and function keys
-@cindex Binding function keys
-
-With Emacs 19, functions keys under X are bound like any other key. @xref{Binding keys to commands}, for details.
-
@node Working with function and arrow keys
@section How do I tell what characters or symbols my function or arrow keys emit?
@cindex Working with arrow keys
Type @kbd{C-h c} then the function or arrow keys. The command will
return either a function key symbol or character sequence (see the
-Emacs on-line documentation for an explanation). This works for other
+Emacs documentation for an explanation). This works for other
keys as well.
@node X key translations for Emacs
@noindent
defines the @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} key sequence.
-@node Handling C-s and C-q with flow control
-@section How do I handle @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} being used for flow control?
-@cindex Flow control, @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} with
-@cindex @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} with flow control
-
-@kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} are used in the XON/XOFF flow control protocol.
-This messes things up when you're using Emacs over a serial line,
-because Emacs binds these keys to commands by default. Because Emacs
-won't honor them as flow control characters, too many of these
-characters are not passed on and overwhelm output buffers. Sometimes,
-intermediate software using XON/XOFF flow control will prevent Emacs
-from ever seeing @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}.
-
-Possible solutions:
-
-@itemize @bullet
-
-@item
-Disable the use of @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} for flow control.
-
-You need to determine the cause of the flow control.
-
-@itemize @minus
-
-@item
-your terminal
-
-Your terminal may use XON/XOFF flow control to have time to display
-all the characters it receives. For example, VT series terminals do
-this. It may be possible to turn this off from a setup menu. For
-example, on a VT220 you may select ``No XOFF'' in the setup menu. This
-is also true for some terminal emulation programs on PCs.
-
-When you turn off flow control at the terminal, you will also need to
-turn it off at the other end, which might be at the computer you are
-logged in to or at some terminal server in between.
-
-If you turn off flow control, characters may be lost; using a printer
-connected to the terminal may fail. You may be able to get around
-this problem by modifying the @samp{termcap} entry for your terminal to
-include extra NUL padding characters.
-
-@item
-a modem
-
-If you are using a dialup connection, the modems may be using
-XON/XOFF flow control. It's not clear how to get around this.
-
-@item
-a router or terminal server
-
-Some network box between the terminal and your computer may be using
-XON/XOFF flow control. It may be possible to make it use some other
-kind of flow control. You will probably have to ask your local
-network experts for help with this.
-
-@item
-@code{tty} and/or @code{pty} devices
-
-If your connection to Emacs goes through multiple @code{tty} and/or
-@code{pty} devices, they may be using XON/XOFF flow control even when it
-is not necessary.
-
-@email{eirik@@theory.tn.cornell.edu, Eirik Fuller} writes:
-
-@quotation
-Some versions of @code{rlogin} (and possibly @code{telnet}) do not pass
-flow control characters to the remote system to which they connect. On
-such systems, Emacs on the remote system cannot disable flow control on
-the local system. Sometimes @samp{rlogin -8} will avoid this problem.
-
-One way to cure this is to disable flow control on the local host (the
-one running @code{rlogin}, not the one running @code{rlogind}) using the
-@code{stty} command, before starting the @code{rlogin} process. On many
-systems, @samp{stty start u stop u} will do this.
-
-Some versions of @samp{tcsh} will prevent even this from working. One
-way around this is to start another shell before starting rlogin,
-and issue the @samp{stty} command to disable flow control from that shell.
-@end quotation
-
-Use @samp{stty -ixon} instead of @samp{stty start u stop u} on some systems.
-
-@end itemize
-
-@item
-Make Emacs speak the XON/XOFF flow control protocol.
-
-You can make Emacs treat @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} as flow control characters by
-evaluating the form
-
-@lisp
-(enable-flow-control)
-@end lisp
-
-@noindent
-to unconditionally enable flow control or
-
-@lisp
-(enable-flow-control-on "vt100" "h19")
-@end lisp
-
-@noindent
-(using your terminal names instead of @samp{vt100} or @samp{h19}) to
-enable selectively. These commands will automatically swap @kbd{C-s}
-and @kbd{C-q} to @kbd{C-\} and @kbd{C-^}. Variables can be used to
-change the default swap keys (@code{flow-control-c-s-replacement} and
-@code{flow-control-c-q-replacement}).
-
-If you are fixing this for yourself, simply put the form in your
-@file{.emacs} file. If you are fixing this for your entire site, the
-best place to put it is in the @file{site-lisp/site-start.el} file.
-(Here @file{site-lisp} is actually a subdirectory of your Emacs
-installation directory, typically @file{/usr/local/share/emacs}.)
-Putting this form in @file{site-lisp/default.el} has the problem that
-if the user's @file{.emacs} file has an error, this will prevent
-@file{default.el} from being loaded and Emacs may be unusable for the
-user, even for correcting their @file{.emacs} file (unless they're
-smart enough to move it to another name).
-
-@code{enable-flow-control} can be invoked interactively as well:
-@kbd{M-x enable-flow-control @key{RET}}.
-
-@end itemize
-
-For further discussion of this issue, read the file @file{etc/PROBLEMS}
-(in the Emacs source directory when you unpack the Emacs distribution).
-
-@node Binding C-s and C-q
-@section How do I bind @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} (or any key) if these keys are filtered out?
-@cindex Binding @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}
-@cindex @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}, binding
-
-To bind @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}, use either @code{enable-flow-control}
-or @code{enable-flow-control-on}. @xref{Handling C-s and C-q with flow
-control}, for usage and implementation details.
-
-To bind other keys, use @code{keyboard-translate}. @xref{Swapping
-keys}, for usage details. To do this for an entire site, you should
-swap the keys in @file{site-lisp/site-start.el}. @xref{Handling C-s
-and C-q with flow control}, for an explanation of why
-@file{site-lisp/default.el} should not be used.
-
-@itemize @bullet
-
-@item
-If you do this for an entire site, the users will be confused by
-the disparity between what the documentation says and how Emacs
-actually behaves.
-
-@end itemize
-
@node Backspace invokes help
@section Why does the @key{Backspace} key invoke help?
@cindex Backspace key invokes help
Does Not Delete, , If @key{DEL} Fails to Delete, emacs, The GNU Emacs
Manual}.
-@node stty and Backspace key
-@section Why doesn't Emacs look at the @file{stty} settings for @key{Backspace} vs. @key{Delete}?
-@cindex @file{stty} and Emacs
-@cindex Backspace and @file{stty}
-@cindex Delete and @file{stty}
-
-Good question!
-
-@c FIXME: RMS explained the reasons for this on emacs-hackers. It's
-@c probably worth putting that explanation here.
-
@node Swapping keys
@section How do I swap two keys?
@cindex Swapping keys
With Emacs 19 and later, you can represent modified function keys in
vector format by adding prefixes to the function key symbol. For
-example (from the on-line documentation):
+example (from the Emacs documentation):
@lisp
(global-set-key [?\C-x right] 'forward-page)
@menu
* Emacs does not display 8-bit characters::
* Inputting eight-bit characters::
-* Kanji and Chinese characters::
* Right-to-left alphabets::
* How to add fonts::
@end menu
Support, emacs}. For more sophisticated methods, @inforef{Input
Methods, Input Methods, emacs}.
-@node Kanji and Chinese characters
-@section Where can I get an Emacs that handles kanji, Chinese, or other Far-Eastern character sets?
-@cindex Kanji, handling with Emacs
-@cindex Chinese, handling with Emacs
-@cindex Japanese, handling with Emacs
-@cindex Korean, handling with Emacs
-
-Emacs 20 and later includes many of the features of MULE, the MULtilingual
-Enhancement to Emacs. @xref{Installing Emacs}, for information on where
-to find and download the latest version of Emacs.
-
@node Right-to-left alphabets
@section Where is an Emacs that can handle Semitic (right-to-left) alphabets?
@cindex Right-to-left alphabets
@cindex Hebrew, handling with Emacs
@cindex Semitic alphabets
@cindex Arabic alphabets
+@cindex Bidirectional text
-Emacs 20 and later supports Hebrew characters (ISO 8859-8), but does not
-yet support right-to-left character entry and display.
+Emacs supports Hebrew characters (ISO 8859-8) since version 20, but does
+not yet support right-to-left character entry and display. The
+@uref{http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-bidi, emacs-bidi
+mailing list} discusses development of support for this feature.
-@email{joel@@exc.com, Joel M. Hoffman} has written a Lisp package called
-@file{hebrew.el} that allows right-to-left editing of Hebrew. It
-reportedly works out of the box with Emacs 19, but requires patches for
-Emacs 18. Write to Joel if you want the patches or package.
-
-@c FIXME: Should we mention Ehud Karni's package?
-
-@file{hebrew.el} requires a Hebrew screen font, but no other hardware support.
-Joel has a screen font for PCs running MS-DOS or GNU/Linux.
-
-You might also try querying @code{archie} for files named with
-@file{hebrew}; several ftp sites in Israel may also have the necessary
-files.
@node How to add fonts
@section How do I add fonts for use with Emacs?
* Saving a copy of outgoing mail::
* Expanding aliases when sending mail::
* Sorting the messages in an Rmail folder::
-* Rmail writes to /usr/spool/mail::
+* Rmail writes to /var/spool/mail::
* Replying to the sender of a message::
-* MIME with Emacs mail packages::
* Automatically starting a mail or news reader::
* Reading news with Emacs::
* Gnus does not work with NNTP::
-* Viewing articles with embedded underlining::
-* Saving a multi-part Gnus posting::
-* Starting Gnus faster::
+* Making Gnus faster::
* Catching up in all newsgroups::
-* Killing based on nonstandard headers::
-* Catch-up is slow in Gnus::
-* Gnus hangs for a long time::
-* Learning more about Gnus::
@end menu
@node Changing the included text prefix
@cindex Setting the included text character
@cindex Quoting in mail messages
-If you read mail with Rmail or news with Gnus, set the variable
-@code{mail-yank-prefix}. For VM, set @code{vm-included-text-prefix}.
-For mh-e, set @code{mh-ins-buf-prefix}.
+If you read mail with Rmail, set the variable @code{mail-yank-prefix}.
+For Gnus, set @code{message-yank-prefix}. For VM, set
+@code{vm-included-text-prefix}. For mh-e, set @code{mh-ins-buf-prefix}.
-For fancier control of citations, use Supercite (part of Emacs).
+For fancier control of citations, use Supercite (@pxref{Top,, the Supercite
+Manual, sc, The Supercite Manual}).
To prevent Emacs from including various headers of the replied-to
message, set the value of @code{mail-yank-ignored-headers} to an
(setq mail-archive-file-name (expand-file-name "~/outgoing"))
@end lisp
-The output file will be in Unix mail format, which can be read directly
-by VM or Rmail (since Emacs 23).
+The output file will be in Unix mail format.
If you use @code{mh-e}, add an @samp{FCC} or @samp{BCC} field to your
components file.
@cindex Mail alias expansion
@cindex Sending mail with aliases
+@xref{Mail Aliases,, The Emacs Manual, emacs, The Emacs Manual}.
+
@itemize @bullet
@item
-You must separate multiple addresses in the headers of the mail buffer
-with commas. This is because Emacs supports RFC822 standard addresses
-like this one:
-
-@example
-To: Willy Smith <wks@@xpnsv.lwyrs.com>
-@end example
-
-However, you do not need to---and probably should not, unless your
-system's version of @file{/usr/ucb/mail} (a.k.a.@: @code{mailx})
-supports RFC822---separate addresses with commas in your
-@file{~/.mailrc} file.
+Normally, Emacs expands aliases when you send the message.
+To expand them before this, use @kbd{M-x expand-mail-aliases}.
+@c FIXME there should be an interactive rebuild command for this.
@item
Emacs normally only reads the @file{.mailrc} file once per session,
when you start to compose your first mail message. If you edit
-@file{.mailrc}, you can type @kbd{M-x rebuild-mail-abbrevs @key{RET}} to
+@file{.mailrc}, you can type @kbd{M-: (build-mail-aliases) @key{RET}} to
make Emacs reread @file{~/.mailrc}.
@item
@end lisp
Note that the aliases are expanded automatically only after you type
-@key{RET} or a punctuation character (e.g. @kbd{,}). You can force their
+a word-separator character (e.g. @key{RET} or @kbd{,}). You can force their
expansion by moving point to the end of the alias and typing @kbd{C-x a e}
(@kbd{M-x expand-abbrev}).
@end itemize
In Rmail, type @kbd{C-c C-s C-h} to get a list of sorting functions
and their key bindings.
-@node Rmail writes to /usr/spool/mail
-@section Why does Rmail need to write to @file{/usr/spool/mail}?
-@cindex Rmail and @file{/usr/spool/mail}
-@cindex @file{/usr/spool/mail} and Rmail
+@node Rmail writes to /var/spool/mail
+@section Why does Rmail need to write to @file{/var/spool/mail}?
+@cindex Rmail and @file{/var/spool/mail}
+@cindex @file{/var/spool/mail} and Rmail
This is the behavior of the @code{movemail} program which Rmail uses.
This indicates that @code{movemail} is configured to use lock files.
(define-key rmail-mode-map "R" 'rmail-reply)))
@end lisp
-@node MIME with Emacs mail packages
-@section How can I get my favorite Emacs mail package to support MIME?
-@cindex MIME and Emacs mail packages
-@cindex Mail packages and MIME
-@cindex FAQ for MIME and Emacs
-
-Version 6.x of VM supports MIME. @xref{VM}. Gnus supports MIME in mail
-and news messages as of version 5.8.1 (Pterodactyl). Rmail has limited
-support for single-part MIME messages beginning with Emacs 20.3.
-
@node Automatically starting a mail or news reader
@section How do I make Emacs automatically start my mail/news reader?
@cindex Mail reader, starting automatically
@cindex Reading news under Emacs
@cindex Usenet reader in Emacs
@cindex Gnus newsreader
+@cindex FAQ for Gnus
+@cindex Gnus FAQ
+@cindex Learning more about Gnus
+
+Use @kbd{M-x gnus}. For more information on Gnus, @pxref{Top,, the Gnus
+Manual, gnus, The Gnus Manual}, which includes @ref{Frequently Asked
+Questions,, the Gnus FAQ, gnus}.
-Use @kbd{M-x gnus}. It is documented in Info (@pxref{Learning how to do
-something}).
@node Gnus does not work with NNTP
@section Why doesn't Gnus work via NNTP?
(i.e., @kbd{telnet server-machine 119}). The server should give its
version number in the welcome message. Type @kbd{quit} to get out.
-@xref{Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode}, for some additional ideas.
-
-@node Viewing articles with embedded underlining
-@section How do I view news articles with embedded underlining (e.g., ClariNews)?
-@cindex Underlining, embedded in news articles
-@cindex News articles with embedded underlining
-@cindex Embedded underlining in news articles
-
-Underlining appears like this:
-
-@example
-_^Hu_^Hn_^Hd_^He_^Hr_^Hl_^Hi_^Hn_^Hi_^Hn_^Hg
-@end example
-
-@email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen} suggests using the following
-code, which uses the underline face to turn such text into true
-underlining, inconjunction with Gnus:
-
-@lisp
-(defun gnus-article-prepare-overstrike ()
- ;; Prepare article for overstrike commands.
- (save-excursion
- (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
- (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
- (goto-char (point-min))
- (while (search-forward "\b" nil t)
- (let ((next (following-char))
- (previous (char-after (- (point) 2))))
- (cond ((eq next previous)
- (delete-region (- (point) 2) (point))
- (put-text-property (point) (1+ (point))
- 'face 'bold))
- ((eq next ?_)
- (delete-region (1- (point)) (1+ (point)))
- (put-text-property (1- (point)) (point)
- 'face 'underline))
- ((eq previous ?_)
- (delete-region (- (point) 2) (point))
- (put-text-property (point) (1+ (point))
- 'face 'underline))))))))
-
-(add-hook 'gnus-article-prepare-hook 'gnus-article-prepare-overstrike)
-@end lisp
-
-Latest versions of Gnus do such a conversion automatically.
-
-If you prefer to do away with underlining altogether, you can
-destructively remove it with @kbd{M-x ununderline-region}; do this
-automatically via
-
-@lisp
-(add-hook 'gnus-article-prepare-hook
- (lambda () (ununderline-region (point-min) (point-max))))
-@end lisp
-
-@node Saving a multi-part Gnus posting
-@section How do I save all the items of a multi-part posting in Gnus?
-@cindex Multi-part postings in Gnus, saving
-@cindex Saving multi-part postings in Gnus
-@cindex Gnus, saving multi-part postings in
-
-Use @code{gnus-uu}. Type @kbd{C-c C-v C-h} in the Gnus summary buffer
-to see a list of available commands.
-
-@node Starting Gnus faster
-@section How do I make Gnus start up faster?
+@node Making Gnus faster
+@section How do I make Gnus faster?
@cindex Faster, starting Gnus
@cindex Starting Gnus faster
@cindex Gnus, starting faster
+@cindex Slow catch up in Gnus
+@cindex Gnus is slow when catching up
+@cindex Crosspostings make Gnus catching up slow
-From the Gnus FAQ (@pxref{Learning more about Gnus}):
+From the Gnus FAQ (@pxref{Reading news with Emacs}):
@quotation
-@email{pktiwari@@eos.ncsu.edu, Pranav Kumar Tiwari} writes: I posted
-the same query recently and I got an answer to it. I am going to
-repeat the answer. What you need is a newer version of gnus, version
-5.0.4+. I am using 5.0.12 and it works fine with me with the
-following settings:
+If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
+few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-check-new-newsgroups nil
- gnus-read-active-file 'some
- gnus-nov-is-evil nil
- gnus-select-method '(nntp gnus-nntp-server))
-@end lisp
+Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
+@code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
+
+Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
+@code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
+summary buffer faster.
@end quotation
@node Catching up in all newsgroups
Leave off the initial @kbd{M-<} if you only want to catch up from point
to the end of the @file{*Newsgroup*} buffer.
-@node Killing based on nonstandard headers
-@section Why can't I kill in Gnus based on the Newsgroups/Keywords/Control headers?
-@cindex Killing articles based on nonstandard headers
-@cindex Newsgroups header, killing articles based on
-@cindex Keywords header, killing articles based on
-@cindex Control header, killing articles based on
-
-Gnus will complain that the @samp{Newsgroups}, @samp{Keywords}, and
-@samp{Control} headers are ``Unknown header'' fields.
-
-For the @samp{Newsgroups} header, there is an easy workaround: kill on the
-@samp{Xref} header instead, which will be present on any cross-posted article
-(as long as your site carries the cross-post group).
-
-If you really want to kill on one of these headers, you can do it like
-this:
-
-@lisp
-(gnus-kill nil "^Newsgroups: .*\\(bad\\.group\\|worse\\.group\\)")
-@end lisp
-
-@node Catch-up is slow in Gnus
-@section Why is catch up slow in Gnus?
-@cindex Slow catch up in Gnus
-@cindex Gnus is slow when catching up
-@cindex Crosspostings make Gnus catching up slow
-
-Because Gnus is marking crosspostings read. You can control this with
-the variable @code{gnus-use-cross-reference}.
-
-@node Gnus hangs for a long time
-@section Why does Gnus hang for a long time when posting?
-@cindex Hangs in Gnus
-@cindex Gnus hangs while posting
-@cindex Posting, Gnus hangs wile
-
-@email{tale@@uunet.uu.net, David Lawrence} explains:
-
-@quotation
-The problem is almost always interaction between NNTP and C News. NNTP
-POST asks C News's @code{inews} to not background itself but rather hang
-around and give its exit status so it knows whether the post was successful.
-(That wait will on some systems not return the exit status of the
-waited for job is a different sort of problem.) It ends up taking a
-long time because @code{inews} is calling @code{relaynews}, which often
-waits for another @code{relaynews} to free the lock on the news system
-so it can file the article.
-
-My preferred solution is to change @code{inews} to not call
-@code{relaynews}, but rather use @code{newsspool}. This loses some
-error-catching functionality, but is for the most part safe as
-@code{inews} will detect a lot of the errors on its own. The C News
-folks have sped up @code{inews}, too, so speed should look better to
-most folks as that update propagates around.
-@end quotation
-
-@node Learning more about Gnus
-@section Where can I find out more about Gnus?
-@cindex FAQ for Gnus
-@cindex Gnus FAQ
-@cindex Learning more about Gnus
-
-For more information on Gnus, consult the Gnus manual and FAQ, which are
-part of the Gnus distribution.
-
@node Concept index
@unnumbered Concept Index
@printindex cp
HCoop / bpt / emacs.git / blobdiff