1 \input texinfo @c -*- mode: texinfo; -*-
3 @setfilename ../../info/efaq
4 @settitle GNU Emacs FAQ
7 @c This is used in many places
10 @c This file is maintained by Romain Francoise <rfrancoise@gnu.org>.
11 @c Feel free to install changes without prior permission (but I'd
12 @c appreciate a notice if you do).
15 Copyright @copyright{} 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
16 Free Software Foundation, Inc.@*
17 Copyright 1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000 Reuven M. Lerner@*
18 Copyright 1992,1993 Steven Byrnes@*
19 Copyright 1990,1991,1992 Joseph Brian Wells@*
22 This list of frequently asked questions about GNU Emacs with answers
23 (``FAQ'') may be translated into other languages, transformed into other
24 formats (e.g. Texinfo, Info, WWW, WAIS), and updated with new information.
26 The same conditions apply to any derivative of the FAQ as apply to the FAQ
27 itself. Every copy of the FAQ must include this notice or an approved
28 translation, information on who is currently maintaining the FAQ and how to
29 contact them (including their e-mail address), and information on where the
30 latest version of the FAQ is archived (including FTP information).
32 The FAQ may be copied and redistributed under these conditions, except that
33 the FAQ may not be embedded in a larger literary work unless that work
34 itself allows free copying and redistribution.
36 [This version has been heavily edited since it was included in the Emacs
43 * Emacs FAQ: (efaq). Frequently Asked Questions about Emacs.
46 @c The @titlepage stuff only appears in the printed version
49 @center @titlefont{GNU Emacs FAQ}
51 @c The following two commands start the copyright page.
53 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
59 @node Top, FAQ notation, (dir), (dir)
60 @top The GNU Emacs FAQ
62 This is the GNU Emacs FAQ, last updated on @today{}.
64 This FAQ is maintained as a part of GNU Emacs. If you find any errors,
65 or have any suggestions, please use @kbd{M-x report-emacs-bug} to report
79 * Compiling and installing Emacs::
80 * Finding Emacs and related packages::
81 * Major packages and programs::
83 * Alternate character sets::
88 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
93 This chapter describes notation used in the GNU Emacs FAQ, as well as in
94 the Emacs documentation. Consult this section if this is the first time
95 you are reading the FAQ, or if you are confused by notation or terms
100 * Extended commands::
102 * File-name conventions::
107 @section What do these mean: @kbd{C-h}, @kbd{C-M-a}, @key{RET}, @kbd{@key{ESC} a}, etc.?
109 @cindex Control key, notation for
110 @cindex @key{Meta} key, notation for
111 @cindex Control-Meta characters, notation for
112 @cindex @kbd{C-h}, definition of
113 @cindex @kbd{C-M-h}, definition of
114 @cindex @key{DEL}, definition of
115 @cindex @key{ESC}, definition of
116 @cindex @key{LFD}, definition of
117 @cindex @key{RET}, definition of
118 @cindex @key{SPC}, definition of
119 @cindex @key{TAB}, definition of
120 @cindex Notation for keys
125 @kbd{C-x}: press the @key{x} key while holding down the @key{Control} key
128 @kbd{M-x}: press the @key{x} key while holding down the @key{Meta} key
129 (if your computer doesn't have a @key{Meta} key, @pxref{No Meta key})
132 @kbd{M-C-x}: press the @key{x} key while holding down both @key{Control}
136 @kbd{C-M-x}: a synonym for the above
139 @key{LFD}: Linefeed or Newline; same as @kbd{C-j}
142 @key{RET}: @key{Return}, sometimes marked @key{Enter}; same as @kbd{C-m}
145 @key{DEL}: @key{Delete}, usually @strong{not} the same as
146 @key{Backspace}; same as @kbd{C-?} (see @ref{Backspace invokes help}, if
147 deleting invokes Emacs help)
150 @key{ESC}: Escape; same as @kbd{C-[}
153 @key{TAB}: Tab; same as @kbd{C-i}
160 Key sequences longer than one key (and some single-key sequences) are
161 written inside quotes or on lines by themselves, like this:
164 @kbd{M-x frobnicate-while-foo RET}
168 Any real spaces in such a key sequence should be ignored; only @key{SPC}
169 really means press the space key.
171 The @acronym{ASCII} code sent by @kbd{C-x} (except for @kbd{C-?}) is the value
172 that would be sent by pressing just @key{x} minus 96 (or 64 for
173 upper-case @key{X}) and will be from 0 to 31. On Unix and GNU/Linux
174 terminals, the @acronym{ASCII} code sent by @kbd{M-x} is the sum of 128 and the
175 @acronym{ASCII} code that would be sent by pressing just @key{x}. Essentially,
176 @key{Control} turns off bits 5 and 6 and @key{Meta} turns on bit
178 DOS and Windows terminals don't set bit 7 when the @key{Meta} key is
181 @kbd{C-?} (aka @key{DEL}) is @acronym{ASCII} code 127. It is a misnomer to call
182 @kbd{C-?} a ``control'' key, since 127 has both bits 5 and 6 turned ON.
183 Also, on very few keyboards does @kbd{C-?} generate @acronym{ASCII} code 127.
185 @inforef{Text Characters, Text Characters, emacs}, and @inforef{Keys,
186 Keys, emacs}, for more information. (@xref{On-line manual}, for more
187 information about Info.)
189 @node Extended commands
190 @section What does @file{M-x @var{command}} mean?
191 @cindex Extended commands
192 @cindex Commands, extended
193 @cindex M-x, meaning of
195 @kbd{M-x @var{command}} means type @kbd{M-x}, then type the name of the
196 command, then type @key{RET}. (@xref{Basic keys}, if you're not sure
197 what @kbd{M-x} and @key{RET} mean.)
199 @kbd{M-x} (by default) invokes the command
200 @code{execute-extended-command}. This command allows you to run any
201 Emacs command if you can remember the command's name. If you can't
202 remember the command's name, you can type @key{TAB} and @key{SPC} for
203 completion, @key{?} for a list of possibilities, and @kbd{M-p} and
204 @kbd{M-n} (or up-arrow and down-arrow on terminals that have these
205 editing keys) to see previous commands entered. An Emacs @dfn{command}
206 is an @dfn{interactive} Emacs function.
209 Your system administrator may have bound other key sequences to invoke
210 @code{execute-extended-command}. A function key labeled @kbd{Do} is a
211 good candidate for this, on keyboards that have such a key.
213 If you need to run non-interactive Emacs functions, see @ref{Evaluating
217 @section How do I read topic XXX in the on-line manual?
218 @cindex On-line manual, reading topics in
219 @cindex Reading topics in the on-line manual
220 @cindex Finding topics in the on-line manual
221 @cindex Info, finding topics in
223 When we refer you to some @var{topic} in the on-line manual, you can
224 read this manual node inside Emacs (assuming nothing is broken) by
225 typing @kbd{C-h i m emacs @key{RET} m @var{topic} @key{RET}}.
227 This invokes Info, the GNU hypertext documentation browser. If you don't
228 already know how to use Info, type @key{?} from within Info.
230 If we refer to @var{topic}:@var{subtopic}, type @kbd{C-h i m emacs
231 @key{RET} m @var{topic} @key{RET} m @var{subtopic} @key{RET}}.
233 If these commands don't work as expected, your system administrator may
234 not have installed the Info files, or may have installed them
235 improperly. In this case you should complain.
237 @xref{Getting a printed manual}, if you would like a paper copy of the
240 @node File-name conventions
241 @section What are @file{etc/SERVICE}, @file{src/config.h}, and @file{lisp/default.el}?
242 @cindex File-name conventions
243 @cindex Conventions for file names
244 @cindex Directories and files that come with Emacs
246 These are files that come with Emacs. The Emacs distribution is divided
247 into subdirectories; the important ones are @file{etc}, @file{lisp}, and
250 If you use Emacs, but don't know where it is kept on your system, start
251 Emacs, then type @kbd{C-h v data-directory @key{RET}}. The directory
252 name displayed by this will be the full pathname of the installed
253 @file{etc} directory. (This full path is recorded in the Emacs variable
254 @code{data-directory}, and @kbd{C-h v} displays the value and the
255 documentation of a variable.)
257 The location of your Info directory (i.e., where on-line documentation
258 is stored) is kept in the variable @code{Info-default-directory-list}. Use
259 @kbd{C-h v Info-default-directory-list @key{RET}} to see the value of
260 this variable, which will be a list of directory names. The last
261 directory in that list is probably where most Info files are stored. By
262 default, Info documentation is placed in @file{/usr/local/info}.
264 Some of these files are available individually via FTP or e-mail; see
265 @ref{Informational files for Emacs}. They all are available in the
266 source distribution. Many of the files in the @file{etc} directory are
267 also available via the Emacs @samp{Help} menu, or by typing @kbd{C-h ?}
268 (@kbd{M-x help-for-help}).
270 Your system administrator may have removed the @file{src} directory and
271 many files from the @file{etc} directory.
273 @node Common acronyms
274 @section What are FSF, LPF, GNU, RMS, FTP, and GPL?
275 @cindex FSF, definition of
276 @cindex LPF, definition of
277 @cindex GNU, definition of
278 @cindex RMS, definition of
279 @cindex Stallman, Richard, acronym for
280 @cindex Richard Stallman, acronym for
281 @cindex FTP, definition of
282 @cindex GPL, definition of
283 @cindex Acronyms, definitions for
284 @cindex Common acronyms, definitions for
289 Free Software Foundation
292 League for Programming Freedom
298 Richard Matthew Stallman
301 File Transfer Protocol
304 GNU General Public License
308 Avoid confusing the FSF and the LPF. The LPF opposes
309 look-and-feel copyrights and software patents. The FSF aims to make
310 high quality free software available for everyone.
312 The word ``free'' in the title of the Free Software Foundation refers to
313 ``freedom,'' not ``zero cost.'' Anyone can charge any price for
314 GPL-covered software that they want to. However, in practice, the
315 freedom enforced by the GPL leads to low prices, because you can always
316 get the software for less money from someone else, since everyone has
317 the right to resell or give away GPL-covered software.
319 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
320 @node General questions
321 @chapter General questions
322 @cindex General questions
324 This chapter contains general questions having to do with Emacs, the
325 Free Software Foundation, and related organizations.
329 * Real meaning of copyleft::
330 * Guidelines for newsgroup postings::
331 * Newsgroup archives::
333 * Unsubscribing from Emacs lists::
334 * Contacting the FSF::
338 @section What is the LPF?
339 @cindex LPF, description of
340 @cindex League for Programming Freedom
341 @cindex Software patents, opposition to
342 @cindex Patents for software, opposition to
344 The LPF opposes the expanding danger of software patents and
345 look-and-feel copyrights. More information on the LPF's views is
346 available at @uref{http://progfree.org/, the LPF home page}.
348 @node Real meaning of copyleft
349 @section What is the real legal meaning of the GNU copyleft?
350 @cindex Copyleft, real meaning of
351 @cindex GPL, real meaning of
352 @cindex General Public License, real meaning of
353 @cindex Discussion of the GPL
355 The real legal meaning of the GNU General Public License (copyleft) will
356 only be known if and when a judge rules on its validity and scope.
357 There has never been a copyright infringement case involving the GPL to
358 set any precedents. Please take any discussion regarding this issue to
359 the newsgroup @uref{news:gnu.misc.discuss}, which was created to hold the
360 extensive flame wars on the subject.
365 The legal meaning of the GNU copyleft is less important than the spirit,
366 which is that Emacs is a free software project and that work pertaining
367 to Emacs should also be free software. ``Free'' means that all users
368 have the freedom to study, share, change and improve Emacs. To make
369 sure everyone has this freedom, pass along source code when you
370 distribute any version of Emacs or a related program, and give the
371 recipients the same freedom that you enjoyed.
374 @node Guidelines for newsgroup postings
375 @section What are appropriate messages for @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help}, @uref{news:gnu.emacs.bug}, @uref{news:comp.emacs}, etc.?
376 @cindex Newsgroups, appropriate messages for
377 @cindex GNU newsgroups, appropriate messages for
378 @cindex Usenet groups, appropriate messages for
379 @cindex Mailing lists, appropriate messages for
380 @cindex Posting messages to newsgroups
382 @cindex GNU mailing lists
383 The file @file{etc/MAILINGLISTS} describes the purpose of each GNU
384 mailing list. (@xref{Informational files for Emacs}, if you want a copy
385 of the file.) For those lists which are gatewayed with newsgroups, it
386 lists both the newsgroup name and the mailing list address.
388 The newsgroup @uref{news:comp.emacs} is for discussion of Emacs programs
389 in general. This includes Emacs along with various other
390 implementations, such as XEmacs, JOVE, MicroEmacs, Freemacs, MG,
391 Unipress, CCA, and Epsilon.
393 Many people post Emacs questions to @uref{news:comp.emacs} because they
394 don't receive any of the @code{gnu.*} newsgroups. Arguments have been
395 made both for and against posting GNU-Emacs-specific material to
396 @uref{news:comp.emacs}. You have to decide for yourself.
398 Messages advocating ``non-free'' software are considered unacceptable on
399 any of the @code{gnu.*} newsgroups except for @uref{news:gnu.misc.discuss},
400 which was created to hold the extensive flame-wars on the subject.
401 ``Non-free'' software includes any software for which the end user can't
402 freely modify the source code and exchange enhancements. Be careful to
403 remove the @code{gnu.*} groups from the @samp{Newsgroups:} line when
404 posting a followup that recommends such software.
406 @uref{news:gnu.emacs.bug} is a place where bug reports appear, but avoid
407 posting bug reports to this newsgroup directly (@pxref{Reporting bugs}).
409 @node Newsgroup archives
410 @section Where can I get old postings to @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} and other GNU groups?
411 @cindex Archived postings from @code{gnu.emacs.help}
412 @cindex Usenet archives for GNU groups
413 @cindex Old Usenet postings for GNU groups
415 The FSF has maintained archives of all of the GNU mailing lists for many
416 years, although there may be some unintentional gaps in coverage. The
417 archive is not particularly well organized or easy to retrieve
418 individual postings from, but pretty much everything is there.
420 The archive is at @uref{ftp://lists.gnu.org/}.
422 The archive can be browsed over the web at
423 @uref{http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/, the GNU mail archive}.
425 Web-based Usenet search services, such as
426 @uref{http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?sel=33592484, Google}, also
427 archive the @code{gnu.*} groups.
429 You can read the archives of the @code{gnu.*} groups and post new
430 messages at @uref{http://gmane.org/, Gmane}.
433 @section Where should I report bugs and other problems with Emacs?
434 @cindex Bug reporting
435 @cindex Good bug reports
436 @cindex How to submit a bug report
437 @cindex Reporting bugs
439 The correct way to report Emacs bugs is to use the command
440 @kbd{M-x report-emacs-bug}. It sets up a mail buffer with the
441 essential information and the correct e-mail address which is
442 @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} for the released versions of Emacs.
443 Anything sent to @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} also appears in the
444 newsgroup @uref{news:gnu.emacs.bug}, but please use e-mail instead of
445 news to submit the bug report. This ensures a reliable return address
446 so you can be contacted for further details.
448 Be sure to read the ``Bugs'' section of the Emacs manual before reporting
449 a bug! The manual describes in detail how to submit a useful bug
450 report (@pxref{Bugs, , Reporting Bugs, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}).
451 (@xref{On-line manual}, if you don't know how to read the manual.)
456 Sending bug reports to @email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} (which has the
457 effect of posting on @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help}) is undesirable because
458 it takes the time of an unnecessarily large group of people, most of
459 whom are just users and have no idea how to fix these problem.
460 @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} reaches a much smaller group of people
461 who are more likely to know what to do and have expressed a wish to
462 receive more messages about Emacs than the others.
465 RMS says it is sometimes fine to post to @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help}:
468 If you have reported a bug and you don't hear about a possible fix,
469 then after a suitable delay (such as a week) it is okay to post on
470 @code{gnu.emacs.help} asking if anyone can help you.
473 If you are unsure whether you have found a bug, consider the following
474 non-exhaustive list, courtesy of RMS:
477 If Emacs crashes, that is a bug. If Emacs gets compilation errors
478 while building, that is a bug. If Emacs crashes while building, that
479 is a bug. If Lisp code does not do what the documentation says it
483 @node Unsubscribing from Emacs lists
484 @section How do I unsubscribe from this mailing list?
485 @cindex Unsubscribing from GNU mailing lists
486 @cindex Removing yourself from GNU mailing lists
488 If you are receiving a GNU mailing list named @var{list}, you might be
489 able to unsubscribe from it by sending a request to the address
490 @email{@var{list}-request@@gnu.org}. However, this will not work if you are
491 not listed on the main mailing list, but instead receive the mail from a
492 distribution point. In that case, you will have to track down at which
493 distribution point you are listed. Inspecting the @samp{Received} headers
494 on the mail messages may help, along with liberal use of the @samp{EXPN} or
495 @samp{VRFY} sendmail commands through @samp{telnet @var{site-address}
496 smtp}. Ask your postmaster for help, if you cannot figure out these
499 @node Contacting the FSF
500 @section What is the current address of the FSF?
501 @cindex Snail mail address of the FSF
502 @cindex Postal address of the FSF
503 @cindex Contracting the FSF
504 @cindex Free Software Foundation, contacting
518 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/}
521 Free Software Foundation@*
522 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor@*
523 Boston, MA 02110-1301@*
528 @cindex Ordering GNU software
529 For details on how to order items directly from the FSF, see the
530 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}.
532 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
534 @chapter Getting help
537 This chapter tells you how to get help with Emacs
541 * Learning how to do something::
542 * Getting a printed manual::
543 * Emacs Lisp documentation::
544 * Installing Texinfo documentation::
545 * Printing a Texinfo file::
546 * Viewing Info files outside of Emacs::
547 * Informational files for Emacs::
548 * Help installing Emacs::
549 * Obtaining the FAQ::
553 @section I'm just starting Emacs; how do I do basic editing?
554 @cindex Basic editing with Emacs
555 @cindex Beginning editing
556 @cindex Tutorial, invoking the
557 @cindex Self-paced tutorial, invoking the
558 @cindex Help system, entering the
560 Type @kbd{C-h t} to invoke the self-paced tutorial. Just typing
561 @kbd{C-h} enters the help system. Starting with Emacs 22, the tutorial
562 is available in many foreign languages such as French, German, Japanese,
563 Russian, etc. Use @kbd{M-x help-with-tutorial-spec-language @key{RET}}
564 to choose your language and start the tutorial.
566 Your system administrator may have changed @kbd{C-h} to act like
567 @key{DEL} to deal with local keyboards. You can use @kbd{M-x
568 help-for-help} instead to invoke help. To discover what key (if any)
569 invokes help on your system, type @kbd{M-x where-is @key{RET}
570 help-for-help @key{RET}}. This will print a comma-separated list of key
571 sequences in the echo area. Ignore the last character in each key
572 sequence listed. Each of the resulting key sequences invokes help.
574 Emacs help works best if it is invoked by a single key whose value
575 should be stored in the variable @code{help-char}.
577 @node Learning how to do something
578 @section How do I find out how to do something in Emacs?
579 @cindex Help for Emacs
580 @cindex Learning to do something in Emacs
581 @cindex Reference card for Emacs
582 @cindex Overview of help systems
584 There are several methods for finding out how to do things in Emacs.
588 @cindex Reading the Emacs manual
590 The complete text of the Emacs manual is available on-line via the Info
591 hypertext reader. Type @kbd{C-h r} to display the manual in Info mode.
592 Typing @key{h} immediately after entering Info will provide a short
593 tutorial on how to use it.
595 @cindex Lookup a subject in a manual
596 @cindex Index search in a manual
598 To quickly locate the section of the manual which discusses a certain
599 issue, or describes a command or a variable, type @kbd{C-h i m emacs
600 @key{RET} i @var{topic} @key{RET}}, where @var{topic} is the name of the
601 topic, the command, or the variable which you are looking for. If this
602 does not land you on the right place in the manual, press @kbd{,}
603 (comma) repeatedly until you find what you need. (The @kbd{i} and
604 @kbd{,} keys invoke the index-searching functions, which look for the
605 @var{topic} you type in all the indices of the Emacs manual.)
609 You can list all of the commands whose names contain a certain word
610 (actually which match a regular expression) using @kbd{C-h a} (@kbd{M-x
613 @cindex Command description in the manual
615 The command @kbd{C-h F} (@code{Info-goto-emacs-command-node}) prompts
616 for the name of a command, and then attempts to find the section in the
617 Emacs manual where that command is described.
619 @cindex Finding commands and variables
621 You can list all of the functions and variables whose names contain a
622 certain word using @kbd{M-x apropos}.
625 You can list all of the functions and variables whose documentation
626 matches a regular expression or a string, using @kbd{M-x
627 apropos-documentation}.
630 You can order a hardcopy of the manual from the FSF. @xref{Getting a
633 @cindex Reference cards, in other languages
635 You can get a printed reference card listing commands and keys to
636 invoke them. You can order one from the FSF for $2 (or 10 for $18),
637 or you can print your own from the @file{etc/refcards/refcard.tex} or
638 @file{etc/refcards/refcard.pdf} files in the Emacs distribution.
639 Beginning with version 21.1, the Emacs distribution comes with
640 translations of the reference card into several languages; look for
641 files named @file{etc/refcards/@var{lang}-refcard.*}, where @var{lang}
642 is a two-letter code of the language. For example, the German version
643 of the reference card is in the files @file{etc/refcards/de-refcard.tex}
644 and @file{etc/recards/de-refcard.pdf}.
647 There are many other commands in Emacs for getting help and
648 information. To get a list of these commands, type @samp{?} after
653 @node Getting a printed manual
654 @section How do I get a printed copy of the Emacs manual?
655 @cindex Printed Emacs manual, obtaining
656 @cindex Manual, obtaining a printed or HTML copy of
657 @cindex Emacs manual, obtaining a printed or HTML copy of
659 You can order a printed copy of the Emacs manual from the FSF. For
660 details see the @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}.
662 @c The number 620 below is version-dependent!
663 The full Texinfo source for the manual also comes in the @file{doc/emacs}
664 directory of the Emacs distribution, if you're daring enough to try to
665 print out this several-hundred-page manual yourself (@pxref{Printing a Texinfo
668 If you absolutely have to print your own copy, and you don't have @TeX{},
669 you can get a PostScript or PDF (or HTML) version from
671 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/}
673 @xref{Learning how to do something}, for how to view the manual on-line.
675 @node Emacs Lisp documentation
676 @section Where can I get documentation on Emacs Lisp?
677 @cindex Documentation on Emacs Lisp
678 @cindex Function documentation
679 @cindex Variable documentation
680 @cindex Emacs Lisp Reference Manual
681 @cindex Reference manual for Emacs Lisp
683 Within Emacs, you can type @kbd{C-h f} to get the documentation for a
684 function, @kbd{C-h v} for a variable.
686 For more information, the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual is available
687 on-line, in Info format. @xref{Top, Emacs Lisp,, elisp, The
688 Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
690 You can also order a hardcopy of the manual, details on ordering it from
691 FSF are on the @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}.
693 An HTML version of the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual is available at
695 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/elisp-manual/elisp.html}
697 @node Installing Texinfo documentation
698 @section How do I install a piece of Texinfo documentation?
699 @cindex Texinfo documentation, installing
700 @cindex Installing Texinfo documentation
701 @cindex New Texinfo files, installing
702 @cindex Documentation, installing new Texinfo files
703 @cindex Info files, how to install
705 First, you must turn the Texinfo files into Info files. You may do this
706 using the stand-alone @file{makeinfo} program, available as part of the latest
709 @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/texinfo/texinfo-4.8.tar.gz}
711 and all mirrors of @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (for a list, @pxref{Current GNU
714 For information about the Texinfo format, read the Texinfo manual which
715 comes with the Texinfo package. This manual also comes installed in
716 Info format, so you can read it on-line; type @kbd{C-h i m texinfo
719 Alternatively, you could use the Emacs command @kbd{M-x
720 texinfo-format-buffer}, after visiting the Texinfo source file of the
721 manual you want to convert.
723 Neither @code{texinfo-format-buffer} nor @file{makeinfo} installs the
724 resulting Info files in Emacs's Info tree. To install Info files,
729 Move the files to the @file{info} directory in the installed Emacs
730 distribution. @xref{File-name conventions}, if you don't know where that
734 Run the @code{install-info} command, which is part of the Texinfo
735 distribution, to update the main Info directory menu, like this:
738 install-info --info-dir=@var{dir-path} @var{dir-path}/@var{file}
742 where @var{dir-path} is the full path to the directory where you copied
743 the produced Info file(s), and @var{file} is the name of the Info file
744 you produced and want to install.
746 If you don't have the @code{install-info} command installed, you can
747 edit the file @file{info/dir} in the installed Emacs distribution, and
748 add a line for the top level node in the Info package that you are
749 installing. Follow the examples already in this file. The format is:
752 * Topic: (relative-pathname). Short description of topic.
757 If you want to install Info files and you don't have the necessary
758 privileges, you have several options:
762 Info files don't actually need to be installed before being used.
763 You can use a prefix argument for the @code{info} command and specify
764 the name of the Info file in the minibuffer. This goes to the node
765 named @samp{Top} in that file. For example, to view a Info file named
766 @file{@var{info-file}} in your home directory, you can type this:
769 @kbd{C-u C-h i ~/@var{info-file} @key{RET}}
772 Alternatively, you can feed a file name to the @code{Info-goto-node}
773 command (invoked by pressing @key{g} in Info mode) by typing the name
774 of the file in parentheses, like this:
777 @kbd{C-h i g (~/@var{info-file}) @key{RET}}
781 You can create your own Info directory. You can tell Emacs where that
782 Info directory is by adding its pathname to the value of the variable
783 @code{Info-default-directory-list}. For example, to use a private Info
784 directory which is a subdirectory of your home directory named @file{Info},
785 you could put this in your @file{.emacs} file:
788 (setq Info-default-directory-list
789 (cons "~/Info" Info-default-directory-list))
792 You will need a top-level Info file named @file{dir} in this directory
793 which has everything the system @file{dir} file has in it, except it should
794 list only entries for Info files in that directory. You might not need
795 it if all files in this directory were referenced by other @file{dir}
796 files. The node lists from all @file{dir} files in
797 @code{Info-default-directory-list} are merged by the Info system.
801 @node Printing a Texinfo file
802 @section How do I print a Texinfo file?
803 @cindex Printing a Texinfo file
804 @cindex Texinfo file, printing
805 @cindex Printing documentation
807 You can't get nicely printed output from Info files; you must still have
808 the original Texinfo source file for the manual you want to print.
810 Assuming you have @TeX{} installed on your system, follow these steps:
815 Make sure the first line of the Texinfo file looks like this:
821 You may need to change @samp{texinfo} to the full pathname of the
822 @file{texinfo.tex} file, which comes with Emacs as
823 @file{doc/misc/texinfo.tex} (or copy or link it into the current directory).
826 Type @kbd{texi2dvi @var{texinfo-source}}, where @var{texinfo-source} is
827 the name of the Texinfo source file for which you want to produce a
830 The @samp{texi2dvi} script is part of the GNU Texinfo distribution
831 (@pxref{Installing Texinfo documentation}).
834 Print the DVI file @file{@var{texinfo-source}.dvi} in the normal way for
835 printing DVI files at your site. For example, if you have a PostScript
836 printer, run the @code{dvips} program to print the DVI file on that
841 To get more general instructions, retrieve the latest Texinfo package
842 (@pxref{Installing Texinfo documentation}).
844 @node Viewing Info files outside of Emacs
845 @section Can I view Info files without using Emacs?
846 @cindex Viewing Info files
847 @cindex Info file viewers
848 @cindex Alternative Info file viewers
850 Yes. Here are some alternative programs:
855 @code{info}, a stand-alone version of the Info program, comes as part of
856 the Texinfo package. @xref{Installing Texinfo documentation}, for
860 Tkinfo, an Info viewer that runs under X Window system and uses Tcl/Tk.
861 You can get Tkinfo at
862 @uref{http://math-www.uni-paderborn.de/~axel/tkinfo/}.
866 @node Informational files for Emacs
867 @section What informational files are available for Emacs?
868 @cindex Informational files included with Emacs
869 @cindex Files included with Emacs
870 @cindex @file{COPYING}, description of file
871 @cindex @file{DISTRIB}, description of file
872 @cindex @file{FTP}, description of file
873 @cindex @file{GNU}, description of file
874 @cindex @file{INTERVIEW}, description of file
875 @cindex @file{MACHINES}, description of file
876 @cindex @file{MAILINGLISTS}, description of file
877 @cindex @file{NEWS}, description of file
878 @cindex @file{SERVICE}, description of file
880 This isn't a frequently asked question, but it should be! A variety of
881 informational files about Emacs and relevant aspects of the GNU project
882 are available for you to read.
884 The following files are available in the @file{etc} directory of the
885 Emacs distribution (see @ref{File-name conventions}, if you're not sure
891 GNU General Public License
894 Emacs Availability Information
897 How to get GNU Software by Internet FTP
903 Richard Stallman discusses his public-domain UNIX-compatible software
904 system with BYTE editors
907 Status of Emacs on Various Machines and Systems
910 GNU Project Electronic Mailing Lists
913 Emacs news, a history of recent user-visible changes
916 GNU Service Directory
920 More GNU information, including back issues of the @cite{GNU's
923 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bulletins.html} and
925 @uref{http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~trent/gnu/gnu.html}
927 @node Help installing Emacs
928 @section Where can I get help in installing Emacs?
929 @cindex Installation help
930 @cindex Help installing Emacs
932 @xref{Installing Emacs}, for some basic installation hints, and see
933 @ref{Problems building Emacs}, if you have problems with the installation.
935 The web-page @uref{http://www.fsf.org/resources/service/} lists
936 companies and individuals willing to sell you help in installing or
939 @node Obtaining the FAQ
940 @section Where can I get the latest version of this FAQ?
941 @cindex FAQ, obtaining the
942 @cindex Latest FAQ version, obtaining the
944 The Emacs FAQ is distributed with Emacs in Info format. You can read it
945 by selecting the @samp{Emacs FAQ} option from the @samp{Help} menu of
946 the Emacs menu bar at the top of any Emacs frame, or by typing @kbd{C-h
947 C-f} (@kbd{M-x view-emacs-FAQ}).
950 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
951 @node Status of Emacs
952 @chapter Status of Emacs
953 @cindex Status of Emacs
955 This chapter gives you basic information about Emacs, including its
956 latest version status.
959 * Origin of the term Emacs::
960 * Latest version of Emacs::
966 @node Origin of the term Emacs
967 @section Where does the name ``Emacs'' come from?
968 @cindex Origin of the term ``Emacs''
969 @cindex Emacs name origin
971 @cindex Original version of Emacs
973 Emacs originally was an acronym for Editor MACroS. RMS says he ``picked
974 the name Emacs because @key{E} was not in use as an abbreviation on ITS at
975 the time.'' The first Emacs was a set of macros written in 1976 at MIT
976 by RMS for the editor TECO (Text Editor and COrrector, originally Tape
977 Editor and COrrector) under ITS on a PDP-10. RMS had already extended
978 TECO with a ``real-time'' full-screen mode with reprogrammable keys.
979 Emacs was started by @email{gls@@east.sun.com, Guy Steele} as a project
980 to unify the many divergent TECO command sets and key bindings at MIT,
981 and completed by RMS.
983 Many people have said that TECO code looks a lot like line noise; you
984 can read more at @uref{news:alt.lang.teco}. Someone has written a TECO
985 implementation in Emacs Lisp (to find it, see @ref{Packages that do not
986 come with Emacs}); it would be an interesting project to run the
987 original TECO Emacs inside of Emacs.
990 For some not-so-serious alternative reasons for Emacs to have that
991 name, check out the file @file{etc/JOKES} (@pxref{File-name
994 @node Latest version of Emacs
995 @section What is the latest version of Emacs?
996 @cindex Version, latest
997 @cindex Latest version of Emacs
999 Emacs @value{VER} is the current version as of this writing.
1001 @node New in Emacs 20
1002 @section What is different about Emacs 20?
1003 @cindex Differences between Emacs 19 and Emacs 20
1004 @cindex Emacs 20, new features in
1006 To find out what has changed in recent versions, type @kbd{C-h C-n}
1007 (@kbd{M-x view-emacs-news}). The oldest changes are at the bottom of
1008 the file, so you might want to read it starting there, rather than at
1011 The differences between Emacs versions 18 and 19 was rather dramatic;
1012 the introduction of frames, faces, and colors on windowing systems was
1013 obvious to even the most casual user.
1015 There are differences between Emacs versions 19 and 20 as well, but many
1016 are more subtle or harder to find. Among the changes are the inclusion
1017 of MULE code for languages that use non-Latin characters and for mixing
1018 several languages in the same document; the ``Customize'' facility for
1019 modifying variables without having to use Lisp; and automatic conversion
1020 of files from Macintosh, Microsoft, and Unix platforms.
1022 A number of older Lisp packages, such as Gnus, Supercite and the
1023 calendar/diary, have been updated and enhanced to work with Emacs 20,
1024 and are now included with the standard distribution.
1027 @node New in Emacs 21
1028 @section What is different about Emacs 21?
1029 @cindex Differences between Emacs 20 and Emacs 21
1030 @cindex Emacs 21, new features in
1031 @cindex Recently introduced features
1033 @cindex Variable-size fonts
1034 @cindex Toolbar support
1035 Emacs 21 features a thorough rewrite of the display engine. The new
1036 display engine supports variable-size fonts, images, and can play sounds
1037 on platforms which support that. As a result, the visual appearance of
1038 Emacs, when it runs on a windowed display, is much more reminiscent of
1039 modern GUI programs, and includes 3D widgets (used for the mode line and
1040 the scroll bars), a configurable and extensible toolbar, tooltips
1041 (a.k.a.@: balloon help), and other niceties.
1043 @cindex Colors on text-only terminals
1045 In addition, Emacs 21 supports faces on text-only terminals. This means
1046 that you can now have colors when you run Emacs on a GNU/Linux console
1047 and on @code{xterm} with @kbd{emacs -nw}.
1049 @node New in Emacs 22
1050 @section What is different about Emacs 22?
1051 @cindex Differences between Emacs 21 and Emacs 22
1052 @cindex Emacs 22, new features in
1053 @cindex Recently introduced features
1054 @cindex Default features
1057 @cindex GTK+ Toolkit
1058 @cindex Drag-and-drop
1060 Emacs can be built with GTK+ widgets, and supports drag-and-drop
1063 @cindex Supported systems
1065 Emacs 22 features support for GNU/Linux systems on S390 and x86-64
1066 machines, as well as support for the Mac OS X and Cygwin operating
1070 The native MS-Windows, and Mac OS X builds include full support
1071 for images, toolbar, and tooltips.
1074 Font Lock mode, Auto Compression mode, and File Name Shadow Mode are
1078 The maximum size of buffers has been doubled and is 256M on 32-bit
1082 Links can be followed with @kbd{mouse-1}, in addition to @kbd{mouse-2}.
1086 Mouse wheel support is enabled by default.
1089 Window fringes are customizable.
1092 The mode line of the selected window is now highlighted.
1095 The minibuffer prompt is displayed in a distinct face.
1098 Abbrev definitions are read automatically at startup.
1101 Grep mode is separate from Compilation mode and has many new options and
1102 commands specific to grep.
1105 The original Emacs macro system has been replaced by the new Kmacro
1106 package, which provides many new commands and features and a simple
1107 interface that uses the function keys F3 and F4. Macros are stored in a
1108 macro ring, and can be debugged and edited interactively.
1111 The Grand Unified Debugger (GUD) can be used with a full graphical user
1112 interface to GDB; this provides many features found in traditional
1113 development environments, making it easy to manipulate breakpoints, add
1114 watch points, display the call stack, etc. Breakpoints are visually
1115 indicated in the source buffer.
1119 Many new modes and packages have been included in Emacs, such as Calc,
1120 TRAMP, URL, IDO, CUA, ERC, rcirc, Table, Image-Dired, SES, Ruler, Org,
1121 PGG, Flymake, Password, Printing, Reveal, wdired, t-mouse, longlines,
1122 savehist, Conf mode, Python mode, DNS mode, etc.
1124 @cindex Multilingual Environment
1126 Leim is now part of Emacs. Unicode support has been much improved, and
1127 the following input methods have been added: belarusian, bulgarian-bds,
1128 bulgarian-phonetic, chinese-sisheng, croatian, dutch, georgian,
1129 latin-alt-postfix, latin-postfix, latin-prefix, latvian-keyboard,
1130 lithuanian-numeric, lithuanian-keyboard, malayalam-inscript, rfc1345,
1131 russian-computer, sgml, slovenian, tamil-inscript, ucs,
1132 ukrainian-computer, vietnamese-telex, and welsh.
1134 The following language environments have also been added: Belarusian,
1135 Bulgarian, Chinese-EUC-TW, Croatian, French, Georgian, Italian, Latin-6,
1136 Latin-7, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malayalam, Russian, Slovenian, Swedish,
1137 Tajik, Tamil, UTF-8, Ukrainian, Welsh, and Windows-1255.
1139 @cindex Documentation
1140 @cindex Emacs Lisp Manual
1142 In addition, Emacs 22 now includes the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual
1143 (@pxref{Emacs Lisp documentation}) and the Emacs Lisp Intro.
1146 Many other changes have been made in Emacs 22, use @kbd{C-h n} to get a
1149 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
1150 @node Common requests
1151 @chapter Common requests
1152 @cindex Common requests
1155 * Setting up a customization file::
1158 * Debugging a customization file::
1159 * Displaying the current line or column::
1160 * Displaying the current file name in the titlebar::
1161 * Turning on abbrevs by default::
1162 * Associating modes with files::
1163 * Highlighting a region::
1164 * Replacing highlighted text::
1165 * Controlling case sensitivity::
1166 * Working with unprintable characters::
1167 * Searching for/replacing newlines::
1168 * Yanking text in isearch::
1169 * Wrapping words automatically::
1170 * Turning on auto-fill by default::
1172 * Checking TeX and *roff documents::
1173 * Changing load-path::
1174 * Using an already running Emacs process::
1175 * Compiler error messages::
1176 * Indenting switch statements::
1177 * Customizing C and C++ indentation::
1178 * Horizontal scrolling::
1180 * Turning off beeping::
1181 * Turning the volume down::
1182 * Automatic indentation::
1183 * Matching parentheses::
1184 * Hiding #ifdef lines::
1185 * Repeating commands::
1186 * Valid X resources::
1187 * Evaluating Emacs Lisp code::
1188 * Changing the length of a Tab::
1189 * Inserting text at the beginning of each line::
1190 * Underlining paragraphs::
1191 * Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column::
1192 * Forcing Emacs to iconify itself::
1193 * Using regular expressions::
1194 * Replacing text across multiple files::
1195 * Documentation for etags::
1196 * Disabling backups::
1197 * Disabling auto-save-mode::
1198 * Going to a line by number::
1199 * Modifying pull-down menus::
1200 * Deleting menus and menu options::
1201 * Turning on syntax highlighting::
1202 * Scrolling only one line::
1203 * Editing MS-DOS files::
1204 * Filling paragraphs with a single space::
1205 * Escape sequences in shell output::
1206 * Fullscreen mode on MS-Windows::
1209 @node Setting up a customization file
1210 @section How do I set up a @file{.emacs} file properly?
1211 @cindex @file{.emacs} file, setting up
1212 @cindex @file{.emacs} file, locating
1213 @cindex Init file, setting up
1214 @cindex Customization file, setting up
1216 @inforef{Init File, Init File, emacs}.
1218 In general, new Emacs users should not have @file{.emacs} files, because
1219 it causes confusing non-standard behavior. Then they send questions to
1220 @email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} asking why Emacs isn't behaving as
1223 Beginning with version 20.1, Emacs includes the new Customize facility
1224 (@pxref{Using Customize}). This allows users who are unfamiliar with
1225 Emacs Lisp to modify their @file{.emacs} files in a relatively
1226 straightforward way, using menus rather than Lisp code. Most packages
1227 support Customize as of this writing.
1229 While Customize might indeed make it easier to configure Emacs,
1230 consider taking a bit of time to learn Emacs Lisp and modifying your
1231 @file{.emacs} directly. Simple configuration options are described
1232 rather completely in @inforef{Init File, Init File, emacs}, for users
1233 interested in performing frequently requested, basic tasks.
1235 Sometimes users are unsure as to where their @file{.emacs} file should
1236 be found. Visiting the file as @file{~/.emacs} from Emacs will find
1239 @node Using Customize
1240 @section How do I start using Customize?
1241 @cindex Customize groups
1242 @cindex Customizing variables
1243 @cindex Customizing faces
1245 The main Customize entry point is @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET}}. This
1246 command takes you to a buffer listing all the available Customize
1247 groups. From there, you can access all customizable options and faces,
1248 change their values, and save your changes to your init file.
1249 @inforef{Easy Customization, Easy Customization, emacs}.
1251 If you know the name of the group in advance (e.g. ``shell''), use
1252 @kbd{M-x customize-group @key{RET}}.
1254 If you wish to customize a single option, use @kbd{M-x customize-option
1255 @key{RET}}. This command prompts you for the name of the option to
1256 customize, with completion.
1258 @node Colors on a TTY
1259 @section How do I get colors and syntax highlighting on a TTY?
1260 @cindex Colors on a TTY
1261 @cindex Syntax highlighting on a TTY
1262 @cindex Console, colors
1264 In Emacs 21.1 and later, colors and faces are supported in non-windowed mode,
1265 i.e.@: on Unix and GNU/Linux text-only terminals and consoles, and when
1266 invoked as @samp{emacs -nw} on X, and MS-Windows. (Colors and faces were
1267 supported in the MS-DOS port since Emacs 19.29.) Emacs automatically
1268 detects color support at startup and uses it if available. If you think
1269 that your terminal supports colors, but Emacs won't use them, check the
1270 @code{termcap} entry for your display type for color-related
1273 The command @kbd{M-x list-colors-display} pops up a window which
1274 exhibits all the colors Emacs knows about on the current display.
1276 Syntax highlighting is on by default since version 22.1.
1278 @node Debugging a customization file
1279 @section How do I debug a @file{.emacs} file?
1280 @cindex Debugging @file{.emacs} file
1281 @cindex @file{.emacs} debugging
1282 @cindex Init file debugging
1283 @cindex @samp{-debug-init} option
1285 Start Emacs with the @samp{-debug-init} command-line option. This
1286 enables the Emacs Lisp debugger before evaluating your @file{.emacs}
1287 file, and places you in the debugger if something goes wrong. The top
1288 line in the @file{trace-back} buffer will be the error message, and the
1289 second or third line of that buffer will display the Lisp code from your
1290 @file{.emacs} file that caused the problem.
1292 You can also evaluate an individual function or argument to a function
1293 in your @file{.emacs} file by moving the cursor to the end of the
1294 function or argument and typing @kbd{C-x C-e} (@kbd{M-x
1297 Use @kbd{C-h v} (@kbd{M-x describe-variable}) to check the value of
1298 variables which you are trying to set or use.
1300 @node Displaying the current line or column
1301 @section How do I make Emacs display the current line (or column) number?
1302 @cindex @code{line-number-mode}
1303 @cindex Displaying the current line or column
1304 @cindex Line number, displaying the current
1305 @cindex Column, displaying the current
1306 @cindex @code{mode-line-format}
1308 To have Emacs automatically display the current line number of the point
1309 in the mode line, do @kbd{M-x line-number-mode}. You can also put the
1313 (setq line-number-mode t)
1317 in your @file{.emacs} file to achieve this whenever you start Emacs.
1318 (Line number display is on by default, unless your site-specific
1319 initialization disables it.) Note that Emacs will not display the line
1320 number if the buffer's size in bytes is larger than the value of the
1321 variable @code{line-number-display-limit}.
1323 You can similarly display the current column with
1324 @kbd{M-x column-number-mode}, or by putting the form
1327 (setq column-number-mode t)
1331 in your @file{.emacs} file.
1333 The @code{"%c"} format specifier in the variable @code{mode-line-format}
1334 will insert the current column's value into the mode line. See the
1335 documentation for @code{mode-line-format} (using @kbd{C-h v
1336 mode-line-format @key{RET}}) for more information on how to set and use
1339 Users of all Emacs versions can display the current column using the
1340 @samp{column} package written by @email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per
1341 Abrahamsen}. @xref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}, for
1342 instructions on how to get it.
1344 @cindex Set number capability in @code{vi} emulators
1345 None of the @code{vi} emulation modes provide the ``set number''
1346 capability of @code{vi} (as far as we know). The @samp{setnu} package
1347 written by @email{kyle@@wonderworks.com, Kyle Jones} provides this
1348 feature. So too does @samp{wb-line-number}, written by
1349 @email{naoki.y.nakamura@@nifty.com, Naoki Nakamura}.
1351 @node Displaying the current file name in the titlebar
1352 @section How can I modify the titlebar to contain the current file name?
1353 @cindex Titlebar, displaying the current file name in
1354 @cindex File name, displaying in the titlebar
1355 @cindex @code{frame-title-format}
1357 The contents of an Emacs frame's titlebar is controlled by the variable
1358 @code{frame-title-format}, which has the same structure as the variable
1359 @code{mode-line-format}. (Use @kbd{C-h v} or @kbd{M-x
1360 describe-variable} to get information about one or both of these
1363 By default, the titlebar for a frame does contain the name of the buffer
1364 currently being visited, except if there is a single frame. In such a
1365 case, the titlebar contains Emacs invocation name and the name of the
1366 machine at which Emacs was invoked. This is done by setting
1367 @code{frame-title-format} to the default value of
1370 (multiple-frames "%b" ("" invocation-name "@@" system-name))
1373 To modify the behavior such that frame titlebars contain the buffer's
1374 name regardless of the number of existing frames, include the following
1375 in your @file{.emacs}:
1378 (setq frame-title-format "%b")
1381 @node Turning on abbrevs by default
1382 @section How do I turn on abbrevs by default just in mode @var{mymode}?
1383 @cindex Abbrevs, turning on by default
1385 Put this in your @file{.emacs} file:
1389 (quietly-read-abbrev-file)
1392 (add-hook '@var{mymode}-mode-hook
1394 (setq abbrev-mode t)))
1397 Starting with Emacs 22, the standard abbrevs file is read automatically
1398 at startup, so the first of these two forms becomes unnecessary.
1400 @node Associating modes with files
1401 @section How do I make Emacs use a certain major mode for certain files?
1402 @cindex Associating modes with files
1403 @cindex File extensions and modes
1404 @cindex @code{auto-mode-alist}, modifying
1405 @cindex Modes, associating with file extensions
1407 If you want to use a certain mode @var{foo} for all files whose names end
1408 with the extension @file{.@var{bar}}, this will do it for you:
1411 (setq auto-mode-alist (cons '("\\.@var{bar}\\'" . @var{foo}-mode) auto-mode-alist))
1414 Otherwise put this somewhere in the first line of any file you want to
1415 edit in the mode @var{foo} (in the second line, if the first line begins
1422 @cindex Major mode for shell scripts
1423 Beginning with Emacs 19, the variable @code{interpreter-mode-alist}
1424 specifies which mode to use when loading a shell script. (Emacs
1425 determines which interpreter you're using by examining the first line of
1426 the script.) Use @kbd{C-h v} (or @kbd{M-x describe-variable})
1427 on @code{interpreter-mode-alist} to learn more.
1429 @node Highlighting a region
1430 @section How can I highlight a region of text in Emacs?
1431 @cindex Highlighting text
1432 @cindex Text, highlighting
1433 @cindex @code{transient-mark-mode}
1434 @cindex Region, highlighting a
1436 You can cause the region to be highlighted when the mark is active by
1440 (transient-mark-mode t)
1444 in your @file{.emacs} file.
1446 @node Replacing highlighted text
1447 @section How can I replace highlighted text with what I type?
1448 @cindex @code{delete-selection-mode}
1449 @cindex Replacing highlighted text
1450 @cindex Highlighting and replacing text
1452 Use @code{delete-selection-mode}, which you can start automatically by
1453 placing the following Lisp form in your @file{.emacs} file:
1456 (delete-selection-mode 1)
1459 According to the documentation string for @code{delete-selection-mode}
1460 (which you can read using @kbd{M-x describe-function @key{RET}
1461 delete-selection-mode @key{RET}}):
1464 When ON, typed text replaces the selection if the selection is active.
1465 When OFF, typed text is just inserted at point.
1468 This mode also allows you to delete (not kill) the highlighted region by
1471 @node Controlling case sensitivity
1472 @section How do I control Emacs's case-sensitivity when searching/replacing?
1473 @cindex @code{case-fold-search}
1474 @cindex Case sensitivity of searches
1475 @cindex Searching without case sensitivity
1476 @cindex Ignoring case in searches
1478 For searching, the value of the variable @code{case-fold-search}
1479 determines whether they are case sensitive:
1482 (setq case-fold-search nil) ; make searches case sensitive
1483 (setq case-fold-search t) ; make searches case insensitive
1486 @cindex Case sensitivity in replacements
1487 @cindex Replacing, and case sensitivity
1488 @cindex @code{case-replace}
1489 Similarly, for replacing, the variable @code{case-replace} determines
1490 whether replacements preserve case.
1492 You can also toggle case sensitivity at will in isearch with @kbd{M-c}.
1494 To change the case sensitivity just for one major mode, use the major
1495 mode's hook. For example:
1498 (add-hook '@var{foo}-mode-hook
1500 (setq case-fold-search nil)))
1503 @node Working with unprintable characters
1504 @section How do I search for, delete, or replace unprintable (eight-bit or control) characters?
1505 @cindex Unprintable characters, working with
1506 @cindex Working with unprintable characters
1507 @cindex Control characters, working with
1508 @cindex Eight-bit characters, working with
1509 @cindex Searching for unprintable characters
1510 @cindex Regexps and unprintable characters
1512 To search for a single character that appears in the buffer as, for
1513 example, @samp{\237}, you can type @kbd{C-s C-q 2 3 7}. (This assumes
1514 the value of @code{search-quote-char} is 17 (i.e., @kbd{C-q}).)
1515 Searching for @strong{all} unprintable characters is best done with a
1516 regular expression (@dfn{regexp}) search. The easiest regexp to use for
1517 the unprintable chars is the complement of the regexp for the printable
1523 Regexp for the printable chars: @samp{[\t\n\r\f -~]}
1526 Regexp for the unprintable chars: @samp{[^\t\n\r\f -~]}
1530 To type these special characters in an interactive argument to
1531 @code{isearch-forward-regexp} or @code{re-search-forward}, you need to
1532 use @kbd{C-q}. (@samp{\t}, @samp{\n}, @samp{\r}, and @samp{\f} stand
1533 respectively for @key{TAB}, @key{LFD}, @key{RET}, and @kbd{C-l}.) So,
1534 to search for unprintable characters using @code{re-search-forward}:
1536 @kbd{M-x re-search-forward @key{RET} [^ @key{TAB} C-q @key{LFD} C-q @key{RET} C-q C-l @key{SPC} -~] @key{RET}}
1538 Using @code{isearch-forward-regexp}:
1540 @kbd{C-M-s [^ @key{TAB} @key{LFD} C-q @key{RET} C-q C-l @key{SPC} -~]}
1542 To delete all unprintable characters, simply use replace-regexp:
1544 @kbd{M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} [^ @key{TAB} C-q @key{LFD} C-q @key{RET} C-q C-l @key{SPC} -~] @key{RET} @key{RET}}
1546 Replacing is similar to the above. To replace all unprintable
1547 characters with a colon, use:
1549 M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} [^ @key{TAB} C-q @key{LFD} C-q @key{RET} C-q C-l @key{SPC} -~] @key{RET} : @key{RET}
1551 @node Searching for/replacing newlines
1552 @section How do I input a newline character in isearch or query-replace?
1553 @cindex Searching for newlines
1554 @cindex Replacing newlines
1556 Use @kbd{C-q C-j}. For more information, see @inforef{Special Isearch,
1557 Special Input for Incremental Search, emacs}.
1560 @node Yanking text in isearch
1561 @section How do I copy text from the kill ring into the search string?
1562 @cindex Yanking text into the search string
1563 @cindex isearch yanking
1565 Use @kbd{M-y}. @inforef{Isearch Yank, Isearch Yanking, emacs}.
1567 @node Wrapping words automatically
1568 @section How do I make Emacs wrap words for me?
1569 @cindex Wrapping word automatically
1570 @cindex Wrapping lines
1572 @cindex @code{auto-fill-mode}, introduction to
1573 @cindex Maximum line width, default value
1574 @cindex @code{fill-column}, default value
1576 Use @code{auto-fill-mode}, activated by typing @kbd{M-x auto-fill-mode}.
1577 The default maximum line width is 70, determined by the variable
1578 @code{fill-column}. To learn how to turn this on automatically, see
1579 @ref{Turning on auto-fill by default}.
1581 @node Turning on auto-fill by default
1582 @section How do I turn on @code{auto-fill-mode} by default?
1583 @cindex @code{auto-fill-mode}, activating automatically
1584 @cindex Filling automatically
1585 @cindex Automatic entry to @code{auto-fill-mode}
1587 To turn on @code{auto-fill-mode} just once for one buffer, use @kbd{M-x
1590 To turn it on for every buffer in a certain mode, you must use the hook
1591 for that mode. For example, to turn on @code{auto-fill} mode for all
1592 text buffers, including the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
1595 (add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-auto-fill)
1598 If you want @code{auto-fill} mode on in all major modes, do this:
1601 (setq-default auto-fill-function 'do-auto-fill)
1604 @node Spell-checkers
1605 @section Where can I get a better spelling checker for Emacs?
1606 @cindex Checking spelling
1607 @cindex Spelling, checking text documents
1609 Use Ispell. @xref{Ispell}.
1611 @node Checking TeX and *roff documents
1612 @section How can I spell-check @TeX{} or *roff documents?
1613 @cindex Spelling, checking @TeX{} documents
1614 @cindex @TeX{} documents, checking spelling in
1616 Use Ispell. Ispell can handle @TeX{} and *roff documents.
1619 @node Changing load-path
1620 @section How do I change @code{load-path}?
1621 @cindex @code{load-path}, modifying
1622 @cindex Modifying @code{load-path}
1623 @cindex Adding to @code{load-path}
1625 In general, you should only add to the @code{load-path}. You can add
1626 directory @var{/dir/subdir} to the load path like this:
1629 (setq load-path (cons "/dir/subdir/" load-path))
1632 To do this relative to your home directory:
1635 (setq load-path (cons "~/mysubdir/" load-path))
1638 @node Using an already running Emacs process
1639 @section How do I use an already running Emacs from another window?
1640 @cindex @code{emacsclient}
1641 @cindex Emacs server functions
1642 @cindex Using an existing Emacs process
1644 @code{emacsclient}, which comes with Emacs, is for editing a file using
1645 an already running Emacs rather than starting up a new Emacs. It does
1646 this by sending a request to the already running Emacs, which must be
1647 expecting the request.
1654 Emacs must have executed the @code{server-start} function for
1655 @samp{emacsclient} to work. This can be done either by a command line
1659 emacs -f server-start
1662 or by invoking @code{server-start} from @file{.emacs}:
1665 (if (@var{some conditions are met}) (server-start))
1668 When this is done, Emacs creates a Unix domain socket named
1669 @file{server} in @file{/tmp/emacs@var{userid}}. See
1670 @code{server-socket-dir}.
1672 To get your news reader, mail reader, etc., to invoke
1673 @samp{emacsclient}, try setting the environment variable @code{EDITOR}
1674 (or sometimes @code{VISUAL}) to the value @samp{emacsclient}. You may
1675 have to specify the full pathname of the @samp{emacsclient} program
1680 setenv EDITOR emacsclient
1682 # using full pathname
1683 setenv EDITOR /usr/local/emacs/etc/emacsclient
1686 EDITOR=emacsclient ; export EDITOR
1692 When @samp{emacsclient} is run, it connects to the socket and passes its
1693 command line options to Emacs, which at the next opportunity will visit
1694 the files specified. (Line numbers can be specified just like with
1695 Emacs.) The user will have to switch to the Emacs window by hand. When
1696 the user is done editing a file, the user can type @kbd{C-x #} (or
1697 @kbd{M-x server-edit}) to indicate this. If there is another buffer
1698 requested by @code{emacsclient}, Emacs will switch to it; otherwise
1699 @code{emacsclient} will exit, signaling the calling program to continue.
1701 @cindex @code{gnuserv}
1702 There is an enhanced version of @samp{emacsclient} called
1703 @samp{gnuserv}, written by @email{ange@@hplb.hpl.hp.com, Andy Norman}
1704 (@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). @samp{gnuserv} uses
1705 Internet domain sockets, so it can work across most network connections.
1707 The most recent @samp{gnuserv} package is available at
1709 @uref{http://meltin.net/hacks/emacs/}
1713 @node Compiler error messages
1714 @section How do I make Emacs recognize my compiler's funny error messages?
1715 @cindex Compiler error messages, recognizing
1716 @cindex Recognizing non-standard compiler errors
1717 @cindex Regexps for recognizing compiler errors
1718 @cindex Errors, recognizing compiler
1720 Customize the @code{compilation-error-regexp-alist} variable.
1722 @node Indenting switch statements
1723 @section How do I change the indentation for @code{switch}?
1724 @cindex @code{switch}, indenting
1725 @cindex Indenting of @code{switch}
1727 Many people want to indent their @code{switch} statements like this:
1745 The solution at first appears to be: set @code{c-indent-level} to 4 and
1746 @code{c-label-offset} to -2. However, this will give you an indentation
1747 spacing of four instead of two.
1749 The @emph{real} solution is to use @code{cc-mode} (the default mode for
1750 C programming in Emacs 20 and later) and add the following line to your
1754 (c-set-offset 'case-label '+)
1757 There appears to be no way to do this with the old @code{c-mode}.
1759 @node Customizing C and C++ indentation
1760 @section How to customize indentation in C, C@t{++}, and Java buffers?
1761 @cindex Indentation, how to customize
1762 @cindex Customize indentation
1764 The Emacs @code{cc-mode} features an interactive procedure for
1765 customizing the indentation style, which is fully explained in the
1766 @cite{CC Mode} manual that is part of the Emacs distribution, see
1767 @ref{Customizing Indentation, , Customization Indentation, ccmode,
1768 The CC Mode Manual}. Here's a short summary of the procedure:
1772 Go to the beginning of the first line where you don't like the
1773 indentation and type @kbd{C-c C-o}. Emacs will prompt you for the
1774 syntactic symbol; type @key{RET} to accept the default it suggests.
1777 Emacs now prompts for the offset of this syntactic symbol, showing the
1778 default (the current definition) inside parentheses. You can choose
1783 No extra indentation.
1785 Indent one basic offset.
1787 Outdent one basic offset.
1789 Indent two basic offsets
1791 Outdent two basic offsets.
1793 Indent half basic offset.
1795 Outdent half basic offset.
1799 After choosing one of these symbols, type @kbd{C-c C-q} to reindent
1800 the line or the block according to what you just specified.
1803 If you don't like the result, go back to step 1. Otherwise, add the
1804 following line to your @file{.emacs}:
1807 (c-set-offset '@var{syntactic-symbol} @var{offset})
1811 where @var{syntactic-symbol} is the name Emacs shows in the minibuffer
1812 when you type @kbd{C-c C-o} at the beginning of the line, and
1813 @var{offset} is one of the indentation symbols listed above (@code{+},
1814 @code{/}, @code{0}, etc.) that you've chosen during the interactive
1818 Go to the next line whose indentation is not to your liking and repeat
1822 It is recommended to put all the resulting @code{(c-set-offset ...)}
1823 customizations inside a C mode hook, like this:
1826 (defun my-c-mode-hook ()
1829 (add-hook 'c-mode-hook 'my-c-mode-hook)
1833 Using @code{c-mode-hook} avoids the need to put a @w{@code{(require
1834 'cc-mode)}} into your @file{.emacs} file, because @code{c-set-offset}
1835 might be unavailable when @code{cc-mode} is not loaded.
1837 Note that @code{c-mode-hook} runs for C source files only; use
1838 @code{c++-mode-hook} for C@t{++} sources, @code{java-mode-hook} for
1839 Java sources, etc. If you want the same customizations to be in
1840 effect in @emph{all} languages supported by @code{cc-mode}, use
1841 @code{c-mode-common-hook}.
1843 @node Horizontal scrolling
1844 @section How can I make Emacs automatically scroll horizontally?
1845 @cindex @code{hscroll-mode}
1846 @cindex Horizontal scrolling
1847 @cindex Scrolling horizontally
1849 In Emacs 21 and later, this is on by default: if the variable
1850 @code{truncate-lines} is non-@code{nil} in the current buffer, Emacs
1851 automatically scrolls the display horizontally when point moves off the
1852 left or right edge of the window.
1854 Note that this is overridden by the variable
1855 @code{truncate-partial-width-windows} if that variable is non-nil
1856 and the current buffer is not full-frame width.
1858 In Emacs 20, use the @code{hscroll-mode}. Here is some information from
1859 the documentation, available by typing @kbd{C-h f hscroll-mode @key{RET}}:
1861 Automatically scroll horizontally when the point moves off the
1862 left or right edge of the window.
1866 Type @kbd{M-x hscroll-mode} to enable it in the current buffer.
1869 Type @kbd{M-x hscroll-global-mode} to enable it in every buffer.
1872 @code{turn-on-hscroll} is useful in mode hooks as in:
1875 (add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-hscroll)
1879 @code{hscroll-margin} controls how close the cursor can get to the
1883 @code{hscroll-step-percent} controls how far to jump once we decide to do so.
1886 @node Overwrite mode
1887 @section How do I make Emacs ``typeover'' or ``overwrite'' instead of inserting?
1888 @cindex @key{Insert}
1889 @cindex @code{overwrite-mode}
1890 @cindex Overwriting existing text
1891 @cindex Toggling @code{overwrite-mode}
1893 @kbd{M-x overwrite-mode} (a minor mode). This toggles
1894 @code{overwrite-mode} on and off, so exiting from @code{overwrite-mode}
1895 is as easy as another @kbd{M-x overwrite-mode}.
1897 On some systems, @key{Insert} toggles @code{overwrite-mode} on and off.
1899 @node Turning off beeping
1900 @section How do I stop Emacs from beeping on a terminal?
1901 @cindex Beeping, turning off
1902 @cindex Visible bell
1903 @cindex Bell, visible
1905 @email{martin@@cc.gatech.edu, Martin R. Frank} writes:
1907 Tell Emacs to use the @dfn{visible bell} instead of the audible bell,
1908 and set the visible bell to nothing.
1910 That is, put the following in your @code{TERMCAP} environment variable
1911 (assuming you have one):
1917 And evaluate the following Lisp form:
1920 (setq visible-bell t)
1923 @node Turning the volume down
1924 @section How do I turn down the bell volume in Emacs running under X?
1925 @cindex Bell, volume of
1926 @cindex Volume of bell
1928 On X Window system, you can adjust the bell volume and duration for all
1929 programs with the shell command @code{xset}.
1931 Invoking @code{xset} without any arguments produces some basic
1932 information, including the following:
1935 usage: xset [-display host:dpy] option ...
1938 To set bell volume, pitch and duration:
1939 b [vol [pitch [dur]]] b on
1942 @node Automatic indentation
1943 @section How do I tell Emacs to automatically indent a new line to the indentation of the previous line?
1944 @cindex Indenting new lines
1945 @cindex New lines, indenting of
1946 @cindex Previous line, indenting according to
1947 @cindex Text indentation
1949 Such behavior is automatic in Emacs 20 and later. From the
1950 @file{etc/NEWS} file for Emacs 20.2:
1953 ** In Text mode, now only blank lines separate paragraphs. This makes
1954 it possible to get the full benefit of Adaptive Fill mode in Text mode,
1955 and other modes derived from it (such as Mail mode). @key{TAB} in Text
1956 mode now runs the command @code{indent-relative}; this makes a practical
1957 difference only when you use indented paragraphs.
1959 As a result, the old Indented Text mode is now identical to Text mode,
1960 and is an alias for it.
1962 If you want spaces at the beginning of a line to start a paragraph, use
1963 the new mode, Paragraph Indent Text mode.
1966 @cindex Prefixing lines
1968 If you have @code{auto-fill-mode} turned on (@pxref{Turning on auto-fill
1969 by default}), you can tell Emacs to prefix every line with a certain
1970 character sequence, the @dfn{fill prefix}. Type the prefix at the
1971 beginning of a line, position point after it, and then type @kbd{C-x .}
1972 (@code{set-fill-prefix}) to set the fill prefix. Thereafter,
1973 auto-filling will automatically put the fill prefix at the beginning of
1974 new lines, and @kbd{M-q} (@code{fill-paragraph}) will maintain any fill
1975 prefix when refilling the paragraph.
1977 If you have paragraphs with different levels of indentation, you will
1978 have to set the fill prefix to the correct value each time you move to a
1979 new paragraph. There are many packages available to deal with this
1980 (@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). Look for ``fill'' and
1981 ``indent'' keywords for guidance.
1983 @node Matching parentheses
1984 @section How do I show which parenthesis matches the one I'm looking at?
1985 @cindex Parentheses, matching
1986 @cindex @file{paren.el}
1987 @cindex Highlighting matching parentheses
1988 @cindex Pairs of parentheses, highlighting
1989 @cindex Matching parentheses
1991 Call @code{show-paren-mode} in your @file{.emacs} file:
1997 You can also enable this mode by selecting the @samp{Paren Match
1998 Highlighting} option from the @samp{Options} menu of the Emacs menu bar
1999 at the top of any Emacs frame.
2001 Alternatives to this mode include:
2006 If you're looking at a right parenthesis (or brace or bracket) you can
2007 delete it and reinsert it. Emacs will momentarily move the cursor to
2008 the matching parenthesis.
2011 @kbd{C-M-f} (@code{forward-sexp}) and @kbd{C-M-b} (@code{backward-sexp})
2012 will skip over one set of balanced parentheses, so you can see which
2013 parentheses match. (You can train it to skip over balanced brackets
2014 and braces at the same time by modifying the syntax table.)
2016 @cindex Show matching paren as in @code{vi}
2018 Here is some Emacs Lisp that will make the @key{%} key show the matching
2019 parenthesis, like in @code{vi}. In addition, if the cursor isn't over a
2020 parenthesis, it simply inserts a % like normal.
2023 ;; By an unknown contributor
2025 (global-set-key "%" 'match-paren)
2027 (defun match-paren (arg)
2028 "Go to the matching paren if on a paren; otherwise insert %."
2030 (cond ((looking-at "\\s\(") (forward-list 1) (backward-char 1))
2031 ((looking-at "\\s\)") (forward-char 1) (backward-list 1))
2032 (t (self-insert-command (or arg 1)))))
2037 @node Hiding #ifdef lines
2038 @section In C mode, can I show just the lines that will be left after @code{#ifdef} commands are handled by the compiler?
2039 @cindex @code{#ifdef}, selective display of
2040 @cindex @code{hide-ifdef-mode}
2041 @cindex Hiding @code{#ifdef} text
2042 @cindex Selectively displaying @code{#ifdef} code
2044 @kbd{M-x hide-ifdef-mode}. (This is a minor mode.) You might also want
2045 to investigate @file{cpp.el}, which is distributed with Emacs.
2047 @node Repeating commands
2048 @section How do I repeat a command as many times as possible?
2049 @cindex Repeating commands many times
2050 @cindex Commands, repeating many times
2051 @cindex @code{.}, equivalent to @code{vi} command
2053 As of Emacs 20.3, there is indeed a @code{repeat} command (@kbd{C-x z})
2054 that repeats the last command. If you preface it with a prefix
2055 argument, the prefix arg is applied to the command.
2057 You can also type @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC}}
2058 (@code{repeat-complex-command}) to reinvoke commands that used the
2059 minibuffer to get arguments. In @code{repeat-complex-command} you can
2060 type @kbd{M-p} and @kbd{M-n} (and also up-arrow and down-arrow, if your
2061 keyboard has these keys) to scan through all the different complex
2062 commands you've typed.
2064 To repeat a set of commands, use keyboard macros. Use @kbd{C-x (} and
2065 @kbd{C-x )} to make a keyboard macro that invokes the command and then
2066 type @kbd{C-x e}. (@inforef{Keyboard Macros, Keyboard Macros, emacs}.)
2068 If you're really desperate for the @code{.} command in @code{vi} that
2069 redoes the last insertion/deletion, use VIPER, a @code{vi} emulation
2070 mode which comes with Emacs, and which appears to support it.
2072 @node Valid X resources
2073 @section What are the valid X resource settings (i.e., stuff in .Xdefaults)?
2074 @cindex Resources, X
2076 @cindex Setting X resources
2078 @inforef{X Resources, X Resources, emacs}.
2080 You can also use a resource editor, such as editres (for X11R5 and
2081 onwards), to look at the resource names for the menu bar, assuming Emacs
2082 was compiled with the X toolkit.
2084 @node Evaluating Emacs Lisp code
2085 @section How do I execute (``evaluate'') a piece of Emacs Lisp code?
2086 @cindex Evaluating Lisp code
2087 @cindex Lisp forms, evaluating
2089 There are a number of ways to execute (@dfn{evaluate}, in Lisp lingo) an
2090 Emacs Lisp @dfn{form}:
2095 If you want it evaluated every time you run Emacs, put it in a file
2096 named @file{.emacs} in your home directory. This is known as ``your
2097 @file{.emacs} file,'' and contains all of your personal customizations.
2100 You can type the form in the @file{*scratch*} buffer, and then type
2101 @key{LFD} (or @kbd{C-j}) after it. The result of evaluating the form
2102 will be inserted in the buffer.
2105 In @code{emacs-lisp-mode}, typing @kbd{C-M-x} evaluates a top-level form
2106 before or around point.
2109 Typing @kbd{C-x C-e} in any buffer evaluates the Lisp form immediately
2110 before point and prints its value in the echo area.
2113 Typing @kbd{M-:} or @kbd{M-x eval-expression} allows you to type a Lisp
2114 form in the minibuffer which will be evaluated once you press @key{RET}.
2117 You can use @kbd{M-x load-file} to have Emacs evaluate all the Lisp
2118 forms in a file. (To do this from Lisp use the function @code{load}
2121 The functions @code{load-library}, @code{eval-region},
2122 @code{eval-buffer}, @code{require}, and @code{autoload} are also
2123 useful; see @ref{Emacs Lisp documentation}, if you want to learn more
2128 @node Changing the length of a Tab
2129 @section How do I change Emacs's idea of the @key{TAB} character's length?
2131 @cindex Length of tab character
2132 @cindex @code{default-tab-width}
2134 Set the variable @code{default-tab-width}. For example, to set
2135 @key{TAB} stops every 10 characters, insert the following in your
2139 (setq default-tab-width 10)
2142 Do not confuse variable @code{tab-width} with variable
2143 @code{tab-stop-list}. The former is used for the display of literal
2144 @key{TAB} characters. The latter controls what characters are inserted
2145 when you press the @key{TAB} character in certain modes.
2147 @node Inserting text at the beginning of each line
2148 @section How do I insert <some text> at the beginning of every line?
2149 @cindex Prefixing a region with some text
2150 @cindex Prefix character, inserting in mail/news replies
2151 @cindex Replies to mail/news, inserting a prefix character
2152 @cindex @code{mail-yank-prefix}
2153 @cindex Mail replies, inserting a prefix character
2154 @cindex News replies, inserting a prefix character
2156 To do this to an entire buffer, type @kbd{M-< M-x replace-regexp
2157 @key{RET} ^ @key{RET} your text @key{RET}}.
2159 To do this to a region, use @code{string-insert-rectangle}.
2160 Set the mark (@kbd{C-@key{SPC}}) at the beginning of the first line you
2161 want to prefix, move the cursor to last line to be prefixed, and type
2162 @kbd{M-x string-insert-rectangle @key{RET}}. To do this for the whole
2163 buffer, type @kbd{C-x h M-x string-insert-rectangle @key{RET}}.
2165 If you are trying to prefix a yanked mail message with @samp{>}, you
2166 might want to set the variable @code{mail-yank-prefix}. In Message
2167 buffers, you can even use @kbd{M-;} to cite yanked messages (@kbd{M-;}
2168 runs the function @code{comment-region}, it is a general-purpose
2169 mechanism to comment regions) (@pxref{Changing the included text prefix}).
2171 @node Underlining paragraphs
2172 @section How do I insert @samp{_^H} before each character in a region to get an underlined paragraph?
2173 @cindex Underlining a region of text
2174 @cindex @code{underline-region}
2176 Mark the region and then type @kbd{M-x underline-region @key{RET}}.
2178 @node Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column
2179 @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?
2180 @cindex @code{picture-mode}
2181 @cindex Remaining in the same column, regardless of contents
2182 @cindex Vertical movement in empty documents
2184 Use @kbd{M-x picture-mode}.
2186 See also the variable @code{track-eol} and the command
2187 @code{set-goal-column} bound to @kbd{C-x C-n}
2188 (@pxref{Moving Point, , , emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}).
2190 @node Forcing Emacs to iconify itself
2191 @section How do I tell Emacs to iconify itself?
2192 @cindex Iconification under the X Window System
2193 @cindex X Window System and iconification
2194 @cindex Suspending Emacs
2196 @kbd{C-z} iconifies Emacs when running under X and suspends Emacs
2197 otherwise. @inforef{Frame Commands, Frame Commands, emacs}.
2199 @node Using regular expressions
2200 @section How do I use regexps (regular expressions) in Emacs?
2202 @cindex Regular expressions
2203 @cindex Differences between Unix and Emacs regexps
2204 @cindex Unix regexps, differences from Emacs
2205 @cindex Text strings, putting regexps in
2207 @inforef{Regexp Backslash, Regexp Backslash, emacs}.
2209 The @code{or} operator is @samp{\|}, not @samp{|}, and the grouping operators
2210 are @samp{\(} and @samp{\)}. Also, the string syntax for a backslash is
2211 @samp{\\}. To specify a regular expression like @samp{xxx\(foo\|bar\)}
2212 in a Lisp string, use @samp{xxx\\(foo\\|bar\\)}.
2214 Note the doubled backslashes!
2219 Unlike in Unix @file{grep}, @file{sed}, etc., a complement character set
2220 (@samp{[^...]}) can match a newline character (@key{LFD} a.k.a.@:
2221 @kbd{C-j} a.k.a.@: @samp{\n}), unless newline is mentioned as one of the
2222 characters not to match.
2225 The character syntax regexps (e.g., @samp{\sw}) are not
2226 meaningful inside character set regexps (e.g., @samp{[aeiou]}). (This
2227 is actually typical for regexp syntax.)
2231 @node Replacing text across multiple files
2232 @section How do I perform a replace operation across more than one file?
2233 @cindex Replacing strings across files
2234 @cindex Multiple files, replacing across
2235 @cindex Files, replacing strings across multiple
2236 @cindex Recursive search/replace operations
2238 As of Emacs 19.29, Dired mode (@kbd{M-x dired @key{RET}}, or @kbd{C-x
2239 d}) supports the command @code{dired-do-query-replace} (@kbd{Q}), which
2240 allows users to replace regular expressions in multiple files.
2242 You can use this command to perform search/replace operations on
2243 multiple files by following the following steps:
2247 Assemble a list of files you want to operate on with either
2248 @code{find-dired}, @code{find-name-dired} or @code{find-grep-dired}.
2251 Mark all files in the resulting Dired buffer using @kbd{t}.
2254 Use @kbd{Q} to start a @code{query-replace-regexp} session on the marked
2258 To accept all replacements in each file, hit @kbd{!}.
2261 Another way to do the same thing is to use the ``tags'' feature of
2262 Emacs: it includes the command @code{tags-query-replace} which performs
2263 a query-replace across all the files mentioned in the @file{TAGS} file.
2264 @inforef{Tags Search, Tags Search, emacs}.
2266 @node Documentation for etags
2267 @section Where is the documentation for @code{etags}?
2268 @cindex Documentation for @code{etags}
2269 @cindex @code{etags}, documentation for
2271 The @code{etags} man page should be in the same place as the
2272 @code{emacs} man page.
2274 Quick command-line switch descriptions are also available. For example,
2277 @node Disabling backups
2278 @section How do I disable backup files?
2279 @cindex Backups, disabling
2280 @cindex Disabling backups
2282 You probably don't want to do this, since backups are useful, especially
2283 when something goes wrong.
2285 To avoid seeing backup files (and other ``uninteresting'' files) in Dired,
2286 load @code{dired-x} by adding the following to your @file{.emacs} file:
2289 (add-hook 'dired-load-hook
2294 With @code{dired-x} loaded, @kbd{M-o} toggles omitting in each dired buffer.
2295 You can make omitting the default for new dired buffers by putting the
2296 following in your @file{.emacs}:
2299 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'dired-omit-toggle)
2302 If you're tired of seeing backup files whenever you do an @samp{ls} at
2303 the Unix shell, try GNU @code{ls} with the @samp{-B} option. GNU
2304 @code{ls} is part of the GNU Fileutils package, available from
2305 @samp{ftp.gnu.org} and its mirrors (@pxref{Current GNU distributions}).
2307 To disable or change the way backups are made, @inforef{Backup Names, ,
2310 @cindex Backup files in a single directory
2311 Beginning with Emacs 21.1, you can control where Emacs puts backup files
2312 by customizing the variable @code{backup-directory-alist}. This
2313 variable's value specifies that files whose names match specific patters
2314 should have their backups put in certain directories. A typical use is
2315 to add the element @code{("." . @var{dir})} to force Emacs to put
2316 @strong{all} backup files in the directory @file{dir}.
2318 @node Disabling auto-save-mode
2319 @section How do I disable @code{auto-save-mode}?
2320 @cindex Disabling @code{auto-save-mode}
2322 @cindex Saving at frequent intervals
2324 You probably don't want to do this, since auto-saving is useful,
2325 especially when Emacs or your computer crashes while you are editing a
2328 Instead, you might want to change the variable
2329 @code{auto-save-interval}, which specifies how many keystrokes Emacs
2330 waits before auto-saving. Increasing this value forces Emacs to wait
2331 longer between auto-saves, which might annoy you less.
2333 You might also want to look into Sebastian Kremer's @code{auto-save}
2334 package (@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). This
2335 package also allows you to place all auto-save files in one directory,
2336 such as @file{/tmp}.
2338 To disable or change how @code{auto-save-mode} works, @inforef{Auto
2341 @node Going to a line by number
2342 @section How can I go to a certain line given its number?
2343 @cindex Going to a line by number
2344 @cindex Compilation error messages
2345 @cindex Recompilation
2347 Are you sure you indeed need to go to a line by its number? Perhaps all
2348 you want is to display a line in your source file for which a compiler
2349 printed an error message? If so, compiling from within Emacs using the
2350 @kbd{M-x compile} and @kbd{M-x recompile} commands is a much more
2351 effective way of doing that. Emacs automatically intercepts the compile
2352 error messages, inserts them into a special buffer called
2353 @code{*compilation*}, and lets you visit the locus of each message in
2354 the source. Type @kbd{C-x `} to step through the offending lines one by
2355 one (starting with Emacs 22, you can also use @kbd{M-g M-p} and
2356 @kbd{M-g M-n} to go to the previous and next matches directly). Click
2357 @kbd{Mouse-2} or press @key{RET} on a message text in the
2358 @code{*compilation*} buffer to go to the line whose number is mentioned
2361 But if you indeed need to go to a certain text line, type @kbd{M-g M-g}
2362 (which is the default binding of the @code{goto-line} function starting
2363 with Emacs 22). Emacs will prompt you for the number of the line and go
2366 You can do this faster by invoking @code{goto-line} with a numeric
2367 argument that is the line's number. For example, @kbd{C-u 286 M-g M-g}
2368 will jump to line number 286 in the current buffer.
2370 @node Modifying pull-down menus
2371 @section How can I create or modify new pull-down menu options?
2372 @cindex Pull-down menus, creating or modifying
2373 @cindex Menus, creating or modifying
2374 @cindex Creating new menu options
2375 @cindex Modifying pull-down menus
2376 @cindex Menus and keymaps
2377 @cindex Keymaps and menus
2379 Each menu title (e.g., @samp{File}, @samp{Edit}, @samp{Buffers})
2380 represents a local or global keymap. Selecting a menu title with the
2381 mouse displays that keymap's non-@code{nil} contents in the form of a menu.
2383 So to add a menu option to an existing menu, all you have to do is add a
2384 new definition to the appropriate keymap. Adding a @samp{Forward Word}
2385 item to the @samp{Edit} menu thus requires the following Lisp code:
2388 (define-key global-map
2389 [menu-bar edit forward]
2390 '("Forward word" . forward-word))
2394 The first line adds the entry to the global keymap, which includes
2395 global menu bar entries. Replacing the reference to @code{global-map}
2396 with a local keymap would add this menu option only within a particular
2399 The second line describes the path from the menu-bar to the new entry.
2400 Placing this menu entry underneath the @samp{File} menu would mean
2401 changing the word @code{edit} in the second line to @code{file}.
2403 The third line is a cons cell whose first element is the title that will
2404 be displayed, and whose second element is the function that will be
2405 called when that menu option is invoked.
2407 To add a new menu, rather than a new option to an existing menu, we must
2408 define an entirely new keymap:
2411 (define-key global-map [menu-bar words]
2412 (cons "Words" (make-sparse-keymap "Words")))
2415 The above code creates a new sparse keymap, gives it the name
2416 @samp{Words}, and attaches it to the global menu bar. Adding the
2417 @samp{Forward Word} item to this new menu would thus require the
2421 (define-key global-map
2422 [menu-bar words forward]
2423 '("Forward word" . forward-word))
2427 Note that because of the way keymaps work, menu options are displayed
2428 with the more recently defined items at the top. Thus if you were to
2429 define menu options @samp{foo}, @samp{bar}, and @samp{baz} (in that
2430 order), the menu option @samp{baz} would appear at the top, and
2431 @samp{foo} would be at the bottom.
2433 One way to avoid this problem is to use the function @code{define-key-after},
2434 which works the same as @code{define-key}, but lets you modify where items
2435 appear. The following Lisp code would insert the @samp{Forward Word}
2436 item in the @samp{Edit} menu immediately following the @samp{Undo} item:
2440 (lookup-key global-map [menu-bar edit])
2442 '("Forward word" . forward-word)
2446 Note how the second and third arguments to @code{define-key-after} are
2447 different from those of @code{define-key}, and that we have added a new
2448 (final) argument, the function after which our new key should be
2451 To move a menu option from one position to another, simply evaluate
2452 @code{define-key-after} with the appropriate final argument.
2454 More detailed information---and more examples of how to create and
2455 modify menu options---are in the @cite{Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}, under
2456 ``Menu Keymaps.'' (@xref{Emacs Lisp documentation}, for information on
2459 @node Deleting menus and menu options
2460 @section How do I delete menus and menu options?
2461 @cindex Deleting menus and menu options
2462 @cindex Menus, deleting
2464 The simplest way to remove a menu is to set its keymap to @samp{nil}.
2465 For example, to delete the @samp{Words} menu (@pxref{Modifying pull-down
2469 (define-key global-map [menu-bar words] nil)
2472 Similarly, removing a menu option requires redefining a keymap entry to
2473 @code{nil}. For example, to delete the @samp{Forward word} menu option
2474 from the @samp{Edit} menu (we added it in @ref{Modifying pull-down
2478 (define-key global-map [menu-bar edit forward] nil)
2481 @node Turning on syntax highlighting
2482 @section How do I turn on syntax highlighting?
2483 @cindex Syntax highlighting
2484 @cindex @code{font-lock-mode}
2485 @cindex Highlighting based on syntax
2486 @cindex Colorizing text
2487 @cindex FAQ, @code{font-lock-mode}
2489 @code{font-lock-mode} is the standard way to have Emacs perform syntax
2490 highlighting in the current buffer. It is enabled by default in Emacs
2493 With @code{font-lock-mode} turned on, different types of text will
2494 appear in different colors. For instance, in a programming mode,
2495 variables will appear in one face, keywords in a second, and comments in
2498 @cindex hilit19 is deprecated
2499 Earlier versions of Emacs supported hilit19, a similar package. Use of
2500 hilit19 is now considered non-standard, although @file{hilit19.el} comes
2501 with the stock Emacs distribution. It is no longer maintained.
2503 To turn @code{font-lock-mode} off within an existing buffer, use
2504 @kbd{M-x font-lock-mode @key{RET}}.
2506 In Emacs 21 and earlier versions, you could use the following code in
2507 your @file{.emacs} file to turn on @code{font-lock-mode} globally:
2510 (global-font-lock-mode 1)
2513 Highlighting a buffer with @code{font-lock-mode} can take quite a while,
2514 and cause an annoying delay in display, so several features exist to
2517 @cindex Just-In-Time syntax highlighting
2518 In Emacs 21 and later, turning on @code{font-lock-mode} automatically
2519 activates the new @dfn{Just-In-Time fontification} provided by
2520 @code{jit-lock-mode}. @code{jit-lock-mode} defers the fontification of
2521 portions of buffer until you actually need to see them, and can also
2522 fontify while Emacs is idle. This makes display of the visible portion
2523 of a buffer almost instantaneous. For details about customizing
2524 @code{jit-lock-mode}, type @kbd{C-h f jit-lock-mode @key{RET}}.
2526 @cindex Levels of syntax highlighting
2527 @cindex Decoration level, in @code{font-lock-mode}
2528 In versions of Emacs before 21, different levels of decoration are
2529 available, from slight to gaudy. More decoration means you need to wait
2530 more time for a buffer to be fontified (or a faster machine). To
2531 control how decorated your buffers should become, set the value of
2532 @code{font-lock-maximum-decoration} in your @file{.emacs} file, with a
2533 @code{nil} value indicating default (usually minimum) decoration, and a
2534 @code{t} value indicating the maximum decoration. For the gaudiest
2535 possible look, then, include the line
2538 (setq font-lock-maximum-decoration t)
2542 in your @file{.emacs} file. You can also set this variable such that
2543 different modes are highlighted in a different ways; for more
2544 information, see the documentation for
2545 @code{font-lock-maximum-decoration} with @kbd{C-h v} (or @kbd{M-x
2546 describe-variable @key{RET}}).
2548 Also see the documentation for the function @code{font-lock-mode},
2549 available by typing @kbd{C-h f font-lock-mode} (@kbd{M-x
2550 describe-function @key{RET} font-lock-mode @key{RET}}).
2552 To print buffers with the faces (i.e., colors and fonts) intact, use
2553 @kbd{M-x ps-print-buffer-with-faces} or @kbd{M-x
2554 ps-print-region-with-faces}. You will need a way to send text to a
2555 PostScript printer, or a PostScript interpreter such as Ghostscript;
2556 consult the documentation of the variables @code{ps-printer-name},
2557 @code{ps-lpr-command}, and @code{ps-lpr-switches} for more details.
2559 @node Scrolling only one line
2560 @section How can I force Emacs to scroll only one line when I move past the bottom of the screen?
2561 @cindex Scrolling only one line
2562 @cindex Reducing the increment when scrolling
2564 Customize the @code{scroll-conservatively} variable with @kbd{M-x
2565 customize-variable @key{RET} scroll-conservatively @key{RET}} and set it
2566 to a large value like, say, 10000. For an explanation of what this
2567 means, @inforef{Auto Scrolling, Auto Scrolling, emacs}.
2569 Alternatively, use the following Lisp form in your @file{.emacs}:
2572 (setq scroll-conservatively most-positive-fixnum)
2575 @node Editing MS-DOS files
2576 @section How can I edit MS-DOS files using Emacs?
2577 @cindex Editing MS-DOS files
2578 @cindex MS-DOS files, editing
2579 @cindex Microsoft files, editing
2580 @cindex Windows files, editing
2582 As of Emacs 20, detection and handling of MS-DOS (and Windows) files is
2583 performed transparently. You can open MS-DOS files on a Unix system,
2584 edit it, and save it without having to worry about the file format.
2586 When editing an MS-DOS style file, the mode line will indicate that it
2587 is a DOS file. On Unix and GNU/Linux systems, and also on a Macintosh,
2588 the string @samp{(DOS)} will appear near the left edge of the mode line;
2589 on DOS and Windows, where the DOS end-of-line (EOL) format is the
2590 default, a backslash (@samp{\}) will appear in the mode line.
2592 If you are running a version of Emacs before 20.1, get @code{crypt++}
2593 (@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). Among other things,
2594 @code{crypt++} transparently modifies MS-DOS files as they are loaded
2595 and saved, allowing you to ignore the different conventions that Unix
2596 and MS-DOS have for delineating the end of a line.
2598 @node Filling paragraphs with a single space
2599 @section How can I tell Emacs to fill paragraphs with a single space after each period?
2600 @cindex One space following periods
2601 @cindex Single space following periods
2602 @cindex Periods, one space following
2604 Add the following line to your @file{.emacs} file:
2607 (setq sentence-end-double-space nil)
2610 @node Escape sequences in shell output
2611 @section Why these strange escape sequences from @code{ls} from the Shell mode?
2612 @cindex Escape sequences in @code{ls} output
2613 @cindex @code{ls} in Shell mode
2615 This happens because @code{ls} is aliased to @samp{ls --color} in your
2616 shell init file. You have two alternatives to solve this:
2620 Make the alias conditioned on the @code{EMACS} variable in the
2621 environment. When Emacs runs a subsidiary shell, it exports the
2622 @code{EMACS} variable to that shell, with value equal to the absolute
2623 file name of Emacs. You can
2624 unalias @code{ls} when that happens, thus limiting the alias to your
2625 interactive sessions.
2628 Install the @code{ansi-color} package (bundled with Emacs 21.1 and
2629 later), which converts these ANSI escape sequences into colors.
2632 @node Fullscreen mode on MS-Windows
2633 @section How can I start Emacs in fullscreen mode on MS-Windows?
2634 @cindex Maximize frame
2635 @cindex Fullscreen mode
2637 Use the function @code{w32-send-sys-command}. For example, you can
2638 put the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
2641 (add-hook 'term-setup-hook
2642 #'(lambda () (w32-send-sys-command ?\xF030)))
2645 To avoid the slightly distracting visual effect of Emacs starting with
2646 its default frame size and then growing to fullscreen, you can add an
2647 @samp{Emacs.Geometry} entry to the Windows registry settings (see
2648 @pxref{(emacs)X Resources}).
2650 To compute the correct values for width and height, first maximize the
2651 Emacs frame and then evaluate @code{(frame-height)} and
2652 @code{(frame-width)} with @kbd{M-:}.
2654 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
2655 @node Bugs and problems
2656 @chapter Bugs and problems
2657 @cindex Bugs and problems
2659 The Emacs manual lists some common kinds of trouble users could get
2660 into, see @ref{Lossage, , Dealing with Emacs Trouble, emacs, The GNU
2661 Emacs Manual}, so you might look there if the problem you encounter
2662 isn't described in this chapter. If you decide you've discovered a bug,
2663 see @ref{Bugs, , Reporting Bugs, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}, for
2664 instructions how to do that.
2666 The file @file{etc/PROBLEMS} in the Emacs distribution lists various
2667 known problems with building and using Emacs on specific platforms;
2668 type @kbd{C-h C-e} to read it.
2671 * Problems with very large files::
2672 * ^M in the shell buffer::
2673 * Shell process exits abnormally::
2674 * Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows::
2675 * Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs::
2676 * Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode::
2677 * Problems talking to certain hosts::
2678 * Errors with init files::
2679 * Emacs ignores X resources::
2680 * Emacs ignores frame parameters::
2681 * Emacs takes a long time to visit files::
2682 * Editing files with $ in the name::
2683 * Shell mode loses the current directory::
2684 * Security risks with Emacs::
2685 * Dired claims that no file is on this line::
2688 @node Problems with very large files
2689 @section Does Emacs have problems with files larger than 8 megabytes?
2690 @cindex Very large files, opening
2691 @cindex Large files, opening
2692 @cindex Opening very large files
2693 @cindex Maximum file size
2694 @cindex Files, maximum size
2696 Old versions (i.e., anything before 19.29) of Emacs had problems editing
2697 files larger than 8 megabytes. In versions 19.29 and later, the maximum
2698 buffer size is at least 2^27-1, or 134,217,727 bytes, or 132 MBytes.
2699 And in Emacs 22, the maximum buffer size has been increased to
2700 268,435,455 bytes (or 256 MBytes) on 32-bit machines.
2702 @node ^M in the shell buffer
2703 @section How do I get rid of @samp{^M} or echoed commands in my shell buffer?
2704 @cindex Shell buffer, echoed commands and @samp{^M} in
2705 @cindex Echoed commands in @code{shell-mode}
2707 Try typing @kbd{M-x shell-strip-ctrl-m @key{RET}} while in @code{shell-mode} to
2708 make them go away. If that doesn't work, you have several options:
2710 For @code{tcsh}, put this in your @file{.cshrc} (or @file{.tcshrc})
2715 if ("$EMACS" =~ /*) then
2716 if ($?tcsh) unset edit
2722 Or put this in your @file{.emacs_tcsh} or @file{~/.emacs.d/init_tcsh.sh} file:
2729 Alternatively, use @code{csh} in your shell buffers instead of
2730 @code{tcsh}. One way is:
2733 (setq explicit-shell-file-name "/bin/csh")
2737 and another is to do this in your @file{.cshrc} (or @file{.tcshrc})
2741 setenv ESHELL /bin/csh
2745 (You must start Emacs over again with the environment variable properly
2746 set for this to take effect.)
2748 You can also set the @code{ESHELL} environment variable in Emacs Lisp
2749 with the following Lisp form,
2752 (setenv "ESHELL" "/bin/csh")
2755 The above solutions try to prevent the shell from producing the
2756 @samp{^M} characters in the first place. If this is not possible
2757 (e.g., if you use a Windows shell), you can get Emacs to remove these
2758 characters from the buffer by adding this to your @file{.emacs} init
2762 (add-hook 'comint-output-filter-functions 'shell-strip-ctrl-m)
2765 On a related note: if your shell is echoing your input line in the shell
2766 buffer, you might want to customize the @code{comint-process-echoes}
2767 variable in your shell buffers, or try the following command in your
2768 shell start-up file:
2771 stty -icrnl -onlcr -echo susp ^Z
2774 @node Shell process exits abnormally
2775 @section Why do I get ``Process shell exited abnormally with code 1''?
2776 @cindex Abnormal exits from @code{shell-mode}
2777 @cindex @code{shell-mode} exits
2778 @cindex Process shell exited
2780 The most likely reason for this message is that the @samp{env} program
2781 is not properly installed. Compile this program for your architecture,
2782 and install it with @samp{a+x} permission in the architecture-dependent
2783 Emacs program directory. (You can find what this directory is at your
2784 site by inspecting the value of the variable @code{exec-directory} by
2785 typing @kbd{C-h v exec-directory @key{RET}}.)
2787 You should also check for other programs named @samp{env} in your path
2788 (e.g., SunOS has a program named @file{/usr/bin/env}). We don't
2789 understand why this can cause a failure and don't know a general
2790 solution for working around the problem in this case.
2792 The @samp{make clean} command will remove @samp{env} and other vital
2793 programs, so be careful when using it.
2795 It has been reported that this sometimes happened when Emacs was started
2796 as an X client from an xterm window (i.e., had a controlling tty) but the
2797 xterm was later terminated.
2799 See also @samp{PROBLEMS} (in the @file{etc} subdirectory of the
2800 top-level directory when you unpack the Emacs source) for other
2801 possible causes of this message.
2803 @node Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows
2804 @section Why do I get an error message when I try to run @kbd{M-x shell}?
2806 @cindex Shell Mode, and MS-Windows
2807 @cindex @code{explicit-shell-file-name}
2808 On MS-Windows, this might happen because Emacs tries to look for the
2809 shell in a wrong place. The default file name @file{/bin/sh} is
2810 usually incorrect for non-Unix systems. If you know where your shell
2811 executable is, set the variable @code{explicit-shell-file-name} in
2812 your @file{.emacs} file to point to its full file name, like this:
2815 (setq explicit-shell-file-name "d:/shells/bash.exe")
2818 If you don't know what shell does Emacs use, try the @kbd{M-!}
2819 command; if that works, put the following line into your
2823 (setq explicit-shell-file-name shell-file-name)
2826 @cindex Antivirus programs, and Shell Mode
2827 Some people have trouble with Shell Mode because of intrusive
2828 antivirus software; disabling the resident antivirus program solves
2829 the problems in those cases.
2831 @node Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs
2832 @section Where is the termcap/terminfo entry for terminal type @samp{emacs}?
2835 @cindex Emacs entries for termcap/terminfo
2837 The termcap entry for terminal type @samp{emacs} is ordinarily put in
2838 the @samp{TERMCAP} environment variable of subshells. It may help in
2839 certain situations (e.g., using rlogin from shell buffer) to add an
2840 entry for @samp{emacs} to the system-wide termcap file. Here is a
2841 correct termcap entry for @samp{emacs}:
2847 To make a terminfo entry for @samp{emacs}, use @code{tic} or
2848 @code{captoinfo}. You need to generate
2849 @file{/usr/lib/terminfo/e/emacs}. It may work to simply copy
2850 @file{/usr/lib/terminfo/d/dumb} to @file{/usr/lib/terminfo/e/emacs}.
2852 Having a termcap/terminfo entry will not enable the use of full screen
2853 programs in shell buffers. Use @kbd{M-x terminal-emulator} for that
2856 A workaround to the problem of missing termcap/terminfo entries is to
2857 change terminal type @samp{emacs} to type @samp{dumb} or @samp{unknown}
2858 in your shell start up file. @code{csh} users could put this in their
2859 @file{.cshrc} files:
2862 if ("$term" == emacs) set term=dumb
2865 @node Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode
2866 @section Why does Emacs spontaneously start displaying @samp{I-search:} and beeping?
2867 @cindex Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode
2868 @cindex isearch-mode, spontaneous entry into
2869 @cindex Beeping without obvious reason
2871 Your terminal (or something between your terminal and the computer) is
2872 sending @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} for flow control, and Emacs is receiving
2873 these characters and interpreting them as commands. (The @kbd{C-s}
2874 character normally invokes the @code{isearch-forward} command.) For
2875 possible solutions, see @ref{Handling C-s and C-q with flow control}.
2877 @node Problems talking to certain hosts
2878 @section Why can't Emacs talk to certain hosts (or certain hostnames)?
2879 @cindex Hosts, Emacs cannot talk to
2880 @cindex @code{gethostbyname}, problematic version
2882 The problem may be that Emacs is linked with a wimpier version of
2883 @code{gethostbyname} than the rest of the programs on the machine. This
2884 is often manifested as a message on startup of ``X server not responding.
2885 Check your @samp{DISPLAY} environment variable.'' or a message of
2886 ``Unknown host'' from @code{open-network-stream}.
2888 On a Sun, this may be because Emacs had to be linked with the static C
2889 library. The version of @code{gethostbyname} in the static C library
2890 may only look in @file{/etc/hosts} and the NIS (YP) maps, while the
2891 version in the dynamic C library may be smart enough to check DNS in
2892 addition to or instead of NIS. On a Motorola Delta running System V
2893 R3.6, the version of @code{gethostbyname} in the standard library works,
2894 but the one that works with NIS doesn't (the one you get with -linet).
2895 Other operating systems have similar problems.
2902 Explicitly add the host you want to communicate with to @file{/etc/hosts}.
2905 Relink Emacs with this line in @file{src/config.h}:
2908 #define LIBS_SYSTEM -lresolv
2912 Replace @code{gethostbyname} and friends in @file{libc.a} with more
2913 useful versions such as the ones in @file{libresolv.a}. Then relink
2917 If you are actually running NIS, make sure that @code{ypbind} is
2918 properly told to do DNS lookups with the correct command line switch.
2922 @node Errors with init files
2923 @section Why does Emacs say @samp{Error in init file}?
2924 @cindex Error in @file{.emacs}
2925 @cindex Error in init file
2926 @cindex Init file, errors in
2927 @cindex @file{.emacs} file, errors in
2928 @cindex Debugging @file{.emacs} file
2930 An error occurred while loading either your @file{.emacs} file or the
2931 system-wide file @file{lisp/default.el}. Emacs 21.1 and later pops the
2932 @file{*Messages*} buffer, and puts there some additional information
2933 about the error, to provide some hints for debugging.
2935 For information on how to debug your @file{.emacs} file, see
2936 @ref{Debugging a customization file}.
2938 It may be the case that you need to load some package first, or use a
2939 hook that will be evaluated after the package is loaded. A common case
2940 of this is explained in @ref{Terminal setup code works after Emacs has
2943 @node Emacs ignores X resources
2944 @section Why does Emacs ignore my X resources (my .Xdefaults file)?
2945 @cindex X resources being ignored
2946 @cindex Ignored X resources
2947 @cindex @file{.Xdefaults}
2949 As of version 19, Emacs searches for X resources in the files specified
2950 by the following environment variables:
2954 @item @code{XFILESEARCHPATH}
2955 @item @code{XUSERFILESEARCHPATH}
2956 @item @code{XAPPLRESDIR}
2960 This emulates the functionality provided by programs written using the
2963 @code{XFILESEARCHPATH} and @code{XUSERFILESEARCHPATH} should be a list
2964 of file names separated by colons. @code{XAPPLRESDIR} should be a list
2965 of directory names separated by colons.
2967 Emacs searches for X resources:
2972 specified on the command line, with the @samp{-xrm RESOURCESTRING} option,
2975 then in the value of the @samp{XENVIRONMENT} environment variable,
2980 or if that is unset, in the file named
2981 @file{~/.Xdefaults-@var{hostname}} if it exists (where @var{hostname} is
2982 the name of the machine Emacs is running on),
2987 then in the screen-specific and server-wide resource properties provided
2993 or if those properties are unset, in the file named @file{~/.Xdefaults}
2999 then in the files listed in @samp{XUSERFILESEARCHPATH},
3004 or in files named @file{@var{lang}/Emacs} in directories listed in
3005 @samp{XAPPLRESDIR} (where @var{lang} is the value of the @code{LANG}
3006 environment variable), if the @samp{LANG} environment variable is set,
3008 or in files named Emacs in the directories listed in @samp{XAPPLRESDIR}
3010 or in @file{~/@var{lang}/Emacs} (if the @code{LANG} environment variable
3013 or in @file{~/Emacs},
3018 then in the files listed in @code{XFILESEARCHPATH}.
3022 @node Emacs ignores frame parameters
3023 @section Why don't my customizations of the frame parameters work?
3024 @cindex Frame parameters
3026 This probably happens because you have set the frame parameters in the
3027 variable @code{initial-frame-alist}. That variable holds parameters
3028 used only for the first frame created when Emacs starts. To customize
3029 the parameters of all frames, change the variable
3030 @code{default-frame-alist} instead.
3032 These two variables exist because many users customize the initial frame
3033 in a special way. For example, you could determine the position and
3034 size of the initial frame, but would like to control the geometry of the
3035 other frames by individually positioning each one of them.
3038 @node Emacs takes a long time to visit files
3039 @section Why does Emacs take 20 seconds to visit a file?
3040 @cindex Visiting files takes a long time
3041 @cindex Delay when visiting files
3042 @cindex Files, take a long time to visit
3044 Old versions of Emacs (i.e., versions before Emacs 20.x) often
3045 encountered this when the master lock file, @file{!!!SuperLock!!!}, has
3046 been left in the lock directory somehow. Delete it.
3048 @email{meuer@@geom.umn.edu, Mark Meuer} says that NeXT NFS has a bug
3049 where an exclusive create succeeds but returns an error status. This
3050 can cause the same problem. Since Emacs's file locking doesn't work
3051 over NFS anyway, the best solution is to recompile Emacs with
3052 @code{CLASH_DETECTION} undefined.
3054 @node Editing files with $ in the name
3055 @section How do I edit a file with a @samp{$} in its name?
3056 @cindex Editing files with @samp{$} in the name
3057 @cindex @samp{$} in file names
3058 @cindex File names containing @samp{$}, editing
3060 When entering a file name in the minibuffer, Emacs will attempt to expand
3061 a @samp{$} followed by a word as an environment variable. To suppress
3062 this behavior, type @kbd{$$} instead.
3064 @node Shell mode loses the current directory
3065 @section Why does shell mode lose track of the shell's current directory?
3066 @cindex Current directory and @code{shell-mode}
3067 @cindex @code{shell-mode} and current directory
3068 @cindex Directory, current in @code{shell-mode}
3070 Emacs has no way of knowing when the shell actually changes its
3071 directory. This is an intrinsic limitation of Unix. So it tries to
3072 guess by recognizing @samp{cd} commands. If you type @kbd{cd} followed
3073 by a directory name with a variable reference (@kbd{cd $HOME/bin}) or
3074 with a shell metacharacter (@kbd{cd ../lib*}), Emacs will fail to
3075 correctly guess the shell's new current directory. A huge variety of
3076 fixes and enhancements to shell mode for this problem have been written
3077 to handle this problem (@pxref{Finding a package with particular
3080 You can tell Emacs the shell's current directory with the command
3083 @node Security risks with Emacs
3084 @section Are there any security risks in Emacs?
3085 @cindex Security with Emacs
3086 @cindex @samp{movemail} and security
3087 @cindex @code{file-local-variable} and security
3088 @cindex Synthetic X events and security
3089 @cindex X events and security
3094 The @file{movemail} incident. (No, this is not a risk.)
3096 In his book @cite{The Cuckoo's Egg}, Cliff Stoll describes this in
3097 chapter 4. The site at LBL had installed the @file{/etc/movemail}
3098 program setuid root. (As of version 19, @file{movemail} is in your
3099 architecture-specific directory; type @kbd{C-h v exec-directory
3100 @key{RET}} to see what it is.) Since @code{movemail} had not been
3101 designed for this situation, a security hole was created and users could
3102 get root privileges.
3104 @code{movemail} has since been changed so that this security hole will
3105 not exist, even if it is installed setuid root. However,
3106 @code{movemail} no longer needs to be installed setuid root, which
3107 should eliminate this particular risk.
3109 We have heard unverified reports that the 1988 Internet worm took
3110 advantage of this configuration problem.
3113 The @code{file-local-variable} feature. (Yes, a risk, but easy to
3116 There is an Emacs feature that allows the setting of local values for
3117 variables when editing a file by including specially formatted text near
3118 the end of the file. This feature also includes the ability to have
3119 arbitrary Emacs Lisp code evaluated when the file is visited.
3120 Obviously, there is a potential for Trojan horses to exploit this
3123 As of Emacs 22, Emacs has a list of local variables that are known to
3124 be safe to set. If a file tries to set any variable outside this
3125 list, it asks the user to confirm whether the variables should be set.
3126 You can also tell Emacs whether to allow the evaluation of Emacs Lisp
3127 code found at the bottom of files by setting the variable
3128 @code{enable-local-eval}.
3130 For more information, @inforef{File Variables, File Variables, emacs}.
3133 Synthetic X events. (Yes, a risk; use @samp{MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1} or
3136 Emacs accepts synthetic X events generated by the @code{SendEvent}
3137 request as though they were regular events. As a result, if you are
3138 using the trivial host-based authentication, other users who can open X
3139 connections to your X workstation can make your Emacs process do
3140 anything, including run other processes with your privileges.
3142 The only fix for this is to prevent other users from being able to open
3143 X connections. The standard way to prevent this is to use a real
3144 authentication mechanism, such as @samp{MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1}. If using
3145 the @code{xauth} program has any effect, then you are probably using
3146 @samp{MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1}. Your site may be using a superior
3147 authentication method; ask your system administrator.
3149 If real authentication is not a possibility, you may be satisfied by
3150 just allowing hosts access for brief intervals while you start your X
3151 programs, then removing the access. This reduces the risk somewhat by
3152 narrowing the time window when hostile users would have access, but
3153 @emph{does not eliminate the risk}.
3155 On most computers running Unix and X, you enable and disable
3156 access using the @code{xhost} command. To allow all hosts access to
3164 at the shell prompt, which (on an HP machine, at least) produces the
3168 access control disabled, clients can connect from any host
3171 To deny all hosts access to your X server (except those explicitly
3172 allowed by name), use
3178 On the test HP computer, this command generated the following message:
3181 access control enabled, only authorized clients can connect
3186 @node Dired claims that no file is on this line
3187 @section Dired says, @samp{no file on this line} when I try to do something.
3188 @cindex Dired does not see a file
3190 @c FIXME: I think this is fixed in Emacs 21, but I didn't have time to
3192 Chances are you're using a localized version of Unix that doesn't use US
3193 date format in dired listings. You can check this by looking at dired
3194 listings or by typing @kbd{ls -l} to a shell and looking at the dates that
3197 Dired uses a regular expression to find the beginning of a file name.
3198 In a long Unix-style directory listing (@samp{ls -l}), the file name
3199 starts after the date. The regexp has thus been written to look for the
3200 date, the format of which can vary on non-US systems.
3202 There are two approaches to solving this. The first one involves
3203 setting things up so that @samp{ls -l} outputs US date format. This can
3204 be done by setting the locale. See your OS manual for more information.
3206 The second approach involves changing the regular expression used by
3207 dired, @code{directory-listing-before-filename-regexp}.
3209 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
3210 @node Compiling and installing Emacs
3211 @chapter Compiling and installing Emacs
3212 @cindex Compiling and installing Emacs
3215 * Installing Emacs::
3217 * Problems building Emacs::
3220 @node Installing Emacs
3221 @section How do I install Emacs?
3222 @cindex Installing Emacs
3223 @cindex Unix systems, installing Emacs on
3224 @cindex Downloading and installing Emacs
3225 @cindex Retrieving and installing Emacs
3226 @cindex Building Emacs from source
3227 @cindex Source code, building Emacs from
3228 @cindex Unpacking and installing Emacs
3230 This answer is meant for users of Unix and Unix-like systems. Users of
3231 other operating systems should see the series of questions beginning
3232 with @ref{Emacs for MS-DOS}, which describe where to get non-Unix source
3233 and binaries, and how to install Emacs on those systems.
3235 For Unix and Unix-like systems, the easiest way is often to compile it
3236 from scratch. You will need:
3241 Emacs sources. @xref{Current GNU distributions}, for a list of ftp sites
3242 that make them available. On @file{ftp.gnu.org}, the main GNU
3243 distribution site, sources are available as
3245 @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/emacs-@value{VER}.tar.gz}
3247 The above will obviously change as new versions of Emacs come out. For
3248 instance, when Emacs 24.3 is released, it will most probably be
3251 @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/emacs-24.3.tar.gz}
3253 Again, you should use one of the GNU mirror sites (see @ref{Current GNU
3254 distributions}, and adjust the URL accordingly) so as to reduce load on
3258 @code{gzip}, the GNU compression utility. You can get @code{gzip} via
3259 anonymous ftp at mirrors of @file{ftp.gnu.org} sites; it should compile
3260 and install without much trouble on most systems. Once you have
3261 retrieved the Emacs sources, you will probably be able to uncompress
3262 them with the command
3265 gunzip --verbose emacs-@value{VER}.tar.gz
3269 changing the Emacs version (@value{VER}), as necessary. Once
3270 @code{gunzip} has finished doing its job, a file by the name of
3271 @file{emacs-@value{VER}.tar} should be in your build directory.
3274 @code{tar}, the @dfn{tape archiving} program, which moves multiple files
3275 into and out of archive files, or @dfn{tarfiles}. All of the files
3276 comprising the Emacs source come in a single tarfile, and must be
3277 extracted using @code{tar} before you can build Emacs. Typically, the
3278 extraction command would look like
3281 tar -xvvf emacs-@value{VER}.tar
3285 The @samp{x} indicates that we want to extract files from this tarfile,
3286 the two @samp{v}s force verbose output, and the @samp{f} tells
3287 @code{tar} to use a disk file, rather than one on the tape drive.
3289 If you're using GNU @code{tar} (available at mirrors of
3290 @file{ftp.gnu.org}), you can combine this step and the previous one by
3294 tar -zxvvf emacs-@value{VER}.tar.gz
3298 The additional @samp{z} at the beginning of the options list tells GNU
3299 @code{tar} to uncompress the file with @code{gunzip} before extracting
3300 the tarfile's components.
3304 At this point, the Emacs sources (all 70+ megabytes of them) should be
3305 sitting in a directory called @file{emacs-@value{VER}}. On most common
3306 Unix and Unix-like systems, you should be able to compile Emacs (with X
3307 Window system support) with the following commands:
3310 cd emacs-@value{VER} # change directory to emacs-@value{VER}
3311 ./configure # configure Emacs for your particular system
3312 make # use Makefile to build components, then Emacs
3315 If the @code{make} completes successfully, the odds are fairly good that
3316 the build has gone well. (@xref{Problems building Emacs}, if you weren't
3319 By default, Emacs is installed in the following directories:
3322 @item /usr/local/bin
3325 @item /usr/local/share/emacs/@value{VER}
3326 Lisp code and support files.
3328 @item /usr/local/info
3332 To install files in those default directories, become the superuser and
3339 Note that @samp{make install} will overwrite @file{/usr/local/bin/emacs}
3340 and any Emacs Info files that might be in @file{/usr/local/info}.
3342 Much more verbose instructions (with many more hints and suggestions)
3343 come with the Emacs sources, in the file @file{INSTALL}.
3345 @node Updating Emacs
3346 @section How do I update Emacs to the latest version?
3347 @cindex Updating Emacs
3349 @xref{Installing Emacs}, and follow the instructions there for
3352 Most files are placed in version-specific directories. Emacs
3353 @value{VER}, for instance, places files in
3354 @file{/usr/local/share/emacs/@value{VER}}.
3356 Upgrading should overwrite only, @file{/usr/local/bin/emacs} (the Emacs
3357 binary) and documentation in @file{/usr/local/info}. Back up these
3358 files before you upgrade, and you shouldn't have too much trouble.
3360 @node Problems building Emacs
3361 @section What should I do if I have trouble building Emacs?
3362 @cindex Problems building Emacs
3363 @cindex Errors when building Emacs
3365 First look in the file @file{etc/PROBLEMS} (where you unpack the Emacs
3366 source) to see if there is already a solution for your problem. Next,
3367 look for other questions in this FAQ that have to do with Emacs
3368 installation and compilation problems.
3370 If you'd like to have someone look at your problem and help solve it,
3371 see @ref{Help installing Emacs}.
3373 If you cannot find a solution in the documentation, send a message to
3374 @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}.
3376 Please don't post it to @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} or send e-mail to
3377 @email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}. For further guidelines, see
3378 @ref{Guidelines for newsgroup postings} and @ref{Reporting bugs}.
3381 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
3382 @node Finding Emacs and related packages
3383 @chapter Finding Emacs and related packages
3384 @cindex Finding Emacs and related packages
3387 * Finding Emacs on the Internet::
3388 * Finding a package with particular functionality::
3389 * Packages that do not come with Emacs::
3390 * Current GNU distributions::
3391 * Difference between Emacs and XEmacs::
3392 * Emacs for minimalists::
3393 * Emacs for MS-DOS::
3394 * Emacs for Windows::
3395 * Emacs for GNUstep::
3396 * Emacs for Apple computers::
3397 * Modes for various languages::
3400 @node Finding Emacs on the Internet
3401 @section Where can I get Emacs on the net (or by snail mail)?
3402 @cindex Finding Emacs on the Internet
3403 @cindex Snail mail, ordering Emacs via
3404 @cindex Postal service, ordering Emacs via
3405 @cindex Distribution, retrieving Emacs
3406 @cindex Internet, retrieving from
3408 Look in the files @file{etc/DISTRIB} and @file{etc/FTP} for
3409 information on nearby archive sites. If you don't already have Emacs,
3410 see @ref{Informational files for Emacs}, for how to get these files.
3412 @xref{Installing Emacs}, for information on how to obtain and build the latest
3413 version of Emacs, and see @ref{Current GNU distributions}, for a list of
3414 archive sites that make GNU software available.
3416 @node Finding a package with particular functionality
3417 @section How do I find a Emacs Lisp package that does XXX?
3418 @cindex Package, finding
3419 @cindex Finding an Emacs Lisp package
3420 @cindex Functionality, finding a particular package
3422 First of all, you should check to make sure that the package isn't
3423 already available. For example, typing @kbd{M-x apropos @key{RET}
3424 wordstar @key{RET}} lists all functions and variables containing the
3425 string @samp{wordstar}.
3427 It is also possible that the package is on your system, but has not been
3428 loaded. To see which packages are available for loading, look through
3429 your computer's lisp directory (@pxref{File-name conventions}). The Lisp
3430 source to most packages contains a short description of how they
3431 should be loaded, invoked, and configured---so before you use or
3432 modify a Lisp package, see if the author has provided any hints in the
3435 The command @kbd{C-h p} (@code{finder-by-keyword}) allows you to browse
3436 the constituent Emacs packages.
3438 For advice on how to find extra packages that are not part of Emacs,
3439 see @ref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}.
3441 @node Packages that do not come with Emacs
3442 @section Where can I get Emacs Lisp packages that don't come with Emacs?
3443 @cindex Unbundled packages
3444 @cindex Finding other packages
3445 @cindex Lisp packages that do not come with Emacs
3446 @cindex Packages, those that do not come with Emacs
3447 @cindex Emacs Lisp List
3448 @cindex Emacs Lisp Archive
3450 @uref{http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/sje30/emacs/ell.html, The Emacs Lisp
3451 List (ELL)}, maintained by @email{S.J.Eglen@@damtp.cam.ac.uk, Stephen Eglen},
3452 aims to provide one compact list with links to all of the current Emacs
3453 Lisp files on the Internet. The ELL can be browsed over the web, or
3454 from Emacs with @uref{http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/sje30/emacs/ell.el,
3455 the @file{ell} package}.
3457 Many authors post their packages to the @uref{news:gnu.emacs.sources,
3458 Emacs sources newsgroup}. You can search the archives of this
3459 group with @uref{http://groups.google.com/group/gnu.emacs.sources, Google},
3460 or @uref{http://dir.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.sources, Gmane}, for example.
3462 Several packages are stored in
3463 @uref{http://emacswiki.org/elisp/, the Lisp area of the Emacs Wiki}.
3465 Read the file @file{etc/MORE.STUFF} for more information about
3468 @node Current GNU distributions
3469 @section Where can I get other up-to-date GNU stuff?
3470 @cindex Current GNU distributions
3471 @cindex Sources for current GNU distributions
3472 @cindex Stuff, current GNU
3473 @cindex Up-to-date GNU stuff
3474 @cindex Finding current GNU software
3475 @cindex Official GNU software sites
3477 The most up-to-date official GNU software is normally kept at
3479 @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu}
3481 Read the files @file{etc/DISTRIB} and @file{etc/FTP} for more
3484 A list of sites mirroring @samp{ftp.gnu.org} can be found at
3486 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/ftp.html}
3488 @node Difference between Emacs and XEmacs
3489 @section What is the difference between Emacs and XEmacs (formerly Lucid Emacs)?
3491 @cindex Difference Emacs and XEmacs
3495 XEmacs is a branch version of Emacs. It was first called Lucid Emacs,
3496 and was initially derived from a prerelease version of Emacs 19. In
3497 this FAQ, we use the name ``Emacs'' only for the official version.
3499 Emacs and XEmacs each come with Lisp packages that are lacking in the
3500 other. The two versions have some significant differences at the Lisp
3501 programming level. Their current features are roughly comparable,
3502 though the support for some operating systems, character sets and
3503 specific packages might be quite different.
3505 Some XEmacs code has been contributed to Emacs, and we would like to
3506 use other parts, but the earlier XEmacs maintainers did not always
3507 keep track of the authors of contributed code, which makes it
3508 impossible for the FSF to get copyright papers signed for that code.
3509 (The FSF requires these papers for all the code included in the Emacs
3510 release, aside from generic C support packages that retain their
3511 separate identity and are not integrated into the code of Emacs
3514 If you want to talk about these two versions and distinguish them,
3515 please call them ``Emacs'' and ``XEmacs.'' To contrast ``XEmacs''
3516 with ``GNU Emacs'' would be misleading, since XEmacs too has its
3517 origin in the work of the GNU Project. Terms such as ``Emacsen'' and
3518 ``(X)Emacs'' are not wrong, but they are not very clear, so it
3519 is better to write ``Emacs and XEmacs.''
3521 @node Emacs for minimalists
3522 @section I don't have enough disk space to install Emacs
3524 @cindex Not enough disk space to install Emacs
3526 GNU Zile is a lightweight Emacs clone. Zile is short for @samp{Zile Is
3527 Lossy Emacs}. It has all of Emacs's basic editing features. The Zile
3528 binary typically has a size of about 130 kbytes, so this can be useful
3529 if you are in an extremely space-restricted environment. More
3530 information is available from
3532 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/zile/}
3535 @node Emacs for MS-DOS
3536 @section Where can I get Emacs for my PC running MS-DOS?
3537 @cindex MS-DOS, Emacs for
3538 @cindex DOS, Emacs for
3539 @cindex Compiling Emacs for DOS
3540 @cindex Emacs for MS-DOS
3541 @cindex Tools needed to compile Emacs under DOS
3543 A pre-built binary distribution of Emacs is available from the
3544 SimTel.NET archives. This version apparently works under MS-DOS and
3545 Windows (3.X, 9X, ME, NT, and 2000) and supports long file names under
3546 Windows 9X, Windows ME, and Windows 2000. More information is available
3549 @uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu/emacs.README}
3551 The binary itself is available in the files @file{em*.zip} in the
3554 @uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu/}
3556 If you prefer to compile Emacs for yourself, you can do so with the
3557 current distribution directly. You will need a 386 (or
3558 better) processor, and to be running MS-DOS 3.0 or later. According to
3559 @email{eliz@@gnu.org, Eli Zaretskii} and
3560 @email{hankedr@@dms.auburn.edu, Darrel Hankerson}, you will need the
3566 DJGPP version 1.12 maint 1 or later. Djgpp 2.0 or later is
3567 recommended, since 1.x is very old an unmaintained. Djgpp 2 supports
3568 long file names on Windows 9X/ME/2K.
3570 You can get the latest release of DJGPP by retrieving all of
3573 @uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2*}
3575 @item Unpacking program
3576 The easiest way is to use @code{djtar} which comes with DJGPP v2.x,
3577 because it can open gzip'ed tarfiles (i.e., those ending with
3578 @file{.tar.gz}) in one step. @code{Djtar} comes in
3579 @file{djdev@var{nnn}.zip} archive (where @var{nnn} is the DJGPP version
3580 number), from the URL mentioned above.
3582 @strong{Warning!} Do @strong{not} use the popular WinZip program to
3583 unpack the Emacs distribution! WinZip is known to corrupt some of the
3584 files by converting them to the DOS CR-LF format, it doesn't always
3585 preserve the directory structure recorded in the compressed Emacs
3586 archive, and commits other atrocities. Some of these problems could
3587 actually prevent Emacs from building successfully!
3589 @item make, mv, sed, and rm
3590 All of these utilities are available at
3592 @uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu}
3594 16-bit utilities can be found in GNUish, at
3596 @uref{http://www.simtel.net/pub/gnuish/}
3599 (@code{mv} and @code{rm} are in the Fileutils package, @code{sed} and
3600 @code{make} are each one in a separate package named after them.)
3604 The files @file{INSTALL} (near its end) and @file{etc/PROBLEMS} in the
3605 directory of the Emacs sources contains some additional information
3606 regarding Emacs under MS-DOS.
3608 For a list of other MS-DOS implementations of Emacs (and Emacs
3609 look-alikes), consult the list of ``Emacs implementations and literature,''
3612 @uref{ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.emacs/}
3614 Note that while many of these programs look similar to Emacs, they often
3615 lack certain features, such as the Emacs Lisp extension language.
3617 @node Emacs for Windows
3618 @section Where can I get Emacs for Microsoft Windows?
3619 @cindex FAQ for NT Emacs
3620 @cindex Emacs for MS-Windows
3621 @cindex Microsoft Windows, Emacs for
3622 @cindex Windows 9X, ME, NT, 2K, and CE, Emacs for
3624 For information on Emacs for Windows 95 and NT, read the FAQ produced by
3625 @email{voelker@@cs.washington.edu, Geoff Voelker} and currently maintained
3626 by @email{ramprasad@@gnu.org, Ramprasad B}, available at
3628 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/windows/ntemacs.html}
3630 @xref{Emacs for MS-DOS}, for Windows 3.1.
3633 @node Emacs for GNUstep
3634 @section Where can I get Emacs for GNUstep?
3635 @cindex GNUSTEP, Emacs for
3637 Beginning with version 23.1, Emacs supports GNUstep natively.
3639 @node Emacs for Apple computers
3640 @section Where can I get Emacs for my Apple computer?
3641 @cindex Apple computers, Emacs for
3642 @cindex Macintosh, Emacs for
3644 Beginning with version 22.1, Emacs supports Mac OS X natively.
3646 @node Modes for various languages
3647 @section Where can I get modes for Lex, Yacc/Bison, Bourne shell, csh, C@t{++}, Objective-C, Pascal, Java, and Awk?
3648 @cindex Awk, mode for
3649 @cindex @code{awk-mode}
3650 @cindex Bison, mode for
3651 @cindex Bourne Shell, mode for
3652 @cindex C@t{++}, mode for
3653 @cindex Java, mode for
3655 @cindex Objective-C, mode for
3656 @cindex @code{pascal-mode}
3659 @cindex @file{csh} mode
3660 @cindex @code{sh-mode}
3661 @cindex @code{cc-mode}
3663 Most of these modes are now available in standard Emacs distribution.
3664 To get additional modes, see @ref{Finding a package with particular
3667 Barry Warsaw's @code{cc-mode} now works for C, C@t{++}, Objective-C, and
3668 Java code. It is distributed with Emacs, but has
3669 @uref{http://cc-mode.sourceforge.net/, its own homepage}.
3671 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
3672 @node Major packages and programs
3673 @chapter Major packages and programs
3674 @cindex Major packages and programs
3689 @section VM (View Mail) --- another mail reader within Emacs, with MIME support
3691 @cindex Alternative mail software
3693 @cindex E-mail reader, VM
3698 @email{hack@@robf.de, Robert Widhopf-Fenk}
3700 @item Latest version
3704 @uref{http://www.nongnu.org/viewmail/}
3706 @item Informational newsgroup
3707 @uref{news:gnu.emacs.vm.info}@*
3709 @item Bug reports newsgroup
3710 @uref{news:gnu.emacs.vm.bug}@*
3713 VM was originally written by @uref{http://www.wonderworks.com/vm/,Kyle Jones}.
3714 @uref{ftp://ftp.wonderworks.com/pub/vm/,Older versions} of VM remain
3719 @section AUC@TeX{} --- enhanced @TeX{} modes with debugging facilities
3720 @cindex Mode for @TeX{}
3722 @cindex AUC@TeX{} mode for editing @TeX{}
3723 @cindex Writing and debugging @TeX{}
3725 AUC@TeX{} is a set of sophisticated major modes for @TeX{}, LaTeX,
3726 ConTeXt, and Texinfo offering context-sensitive syntax highlighting,
3727 indentation, formatting and folding, macro completion, @TeX{} shell
3728 functionality, and debugging. Be also sure to check out
3729 @ref{Introduction, RefTeX, Introduction, reftex, Ref@TeX{} User Manual}.
3730 Current versions of AUC@TeX{} include the
3731 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/preview-latex.html,preview-latex}
3732 package for WYSIWYG previews of various LaTeX constructs in the Emacs
3738 @email{krab@@iesd.auc.dk, Kresten Krab Thorup}, @*
3739 @email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen}, @* and others.
3742 @email{dak@@gnu.org, David Kastrup}
3744 @item Latest version
3748 @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/auctex/}
3751 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/}
3754 Subscription requests to @email{auctex-request@@gnu.org}@*
3755 Submissions to @email{auctex@@gnu.org}
3760 @section BBDB --- personal Info Rolodex integrated with mail/news readers
3762 @cindex Rolodex-like functionality
3763 @cindex Integrated contact database
3764 @cindex Contact database
3765 @cindex Big Brother Database
3766 @cindex Address book
3771 @email{hack@@robf.de, Robert Widhopf-Fenk}
3773 @item Latest version
3777 @uref{http://bbdb.sourceforge.net/}
3780 Subscription requests to @email{bbdb-info-request@@lists.sourceforge.net}@*
3781 Submissions to @email{bbdb-info@@lists.sourceforge.net}@*
3782 Release announcements: @email{bbdb-announce-request@@lists.sourceforge.net}
3787 @section Ispell --- spell checker in C with interface for Emacs
3788 @cindex Spell-checker
3789 @cindex Checking spelling
3795 @email{geoff@@cs.hmc.edu, Geoff Kuenning}
3797 @item Latest version
3801 @uref{http://fmg-www.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/tars/ispell-3.3.02.tar.gz}@*
3804 @uref{http://fmg-www.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/ispell.html}
3808 This Ispell program is distinct from GNU Ispell 4.0. GNU Ispell 4.0 is
3809 no longer a supported product.
3812 @section Emacs/W3 --- A World Wide Web browser inside of Emacs
3815 @cindex HTML browser in Emacs
3816 @cindex @code{w3-mode}
3821 @email{wmperry@@gnu.org, Bill Perry}
3824 Emacs/W3 needs a maintainer. It has lain dormant for several years. If
3825 you would like to take over the project, please contact
3826 @email{maintainers@@gnu.org}.
3828 @item Latest version
3832 @uref{http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/w3}
3835 Receive announcements from @email{w3-announce@@gnu.org}@*
3836 Help to develop Emacs/W3 at @email{w3-dev@@gnu.org}
3841 @section EDB --- Database program for Emacs; replaces forms editing modes
3848 @email{mernst@@theory.lcs.mit.edu, Michael Ernst}
3850 @item Latest version
3854 @uref{ftp://theory.lcs.mit.edu/pub/emacs/edb}
3859 @section Mailcrypt --- PGP interface within Emacs mail and news
3862 @cindex Interface to PGP from Emacs mail and news
3863 @cindex News, interface to PGP from
3864 @cindex Mail, interface to PGP from
3865 @cindex Encryption software, interface to
3870 @email{patl@@lcs.mit.edu, Patrick J. LoPresti} and
3871 @email{jin@@atype.com, Jin S. Choi}
3874 @email{warner-mailcrypt@@lothar.com, Brian Warner}
3876 @item Latest version
3880 @uref{http://dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/mailcrypt/mailcrypt-3.5.8.tar.gz}
3883 @uref{http://mailcrypt.sourceforge.net/}
3887 Note that a new package called PGG is bundled with Emacs starting with
3888 version 22.1. It is a modern interface to various PGP implementations,
3889 including @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/, The GNU Privacy Guard} and
3890 supports symmetric encryption.
3893 @section JDE --- Integrated development environment for Java
3894 @cindex Java development environment
3895 @cindex Integrated Java development environment
3901 @email{paulk@@mathworks.com, Paul Kinnucan}
3903 @item Latest version
3907 @uref{http://jdee.sunsite.dk/}
3910 Subscription requests to @email{jde-subscribe@@sunsite.dk}@*
3911 Receive announcements from @email{jde-announce-subscribe@@sunsite.dk}
3916 @section Patch --- program to apply ``diffs'' for updating files
3917 @cindex Updating files with diffs
3918 @cindex Patching source files with diffs
3919 @cindex Diffs and patching
3920 @cindex @file{patch}
3925 @email{lwall@@wall.org, Larry Wall} (with GNU modifications)
3927 @item Latest version
3931 @xref{Current GNU distributions}.
3935 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
3937 @chapter Key bindings
3938 @cindex Key bindings
3941 * Binding keys to commands::
3942 * Invalid prefix characters::
3943 * Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun::
3944 * Using function keys under X::
3945 * Working with function and arrow keys::
3946 * X key translations for Emacs::
3947 * Handling C-s and C-q with flow control::
3948 * Binding C-s and C-q::
3949 * Backspace invokes help::
3950 * stty and Backspace key::
3952 * Producing C-XXX with the keyboard::
3955 * Compose Character::
3956 * Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys::
3957 * Meta key does not work in xterm::
3958 * ExtendChar key does not work as Meta::
3959 * SPC no longer completes file names::
3962 @node Binding keys to commands
3963 @section How do I bind keys (including function keys) to commands?
3964 @cindex Binding keys to commands
3965 @cindex Keys, binding to commands
3966 @cindex Commands, binding keys to
3968 Keys can be bound to commands either interactively or in your
3969 @file{.emacs} file. To interactively bind keys for all modes, type
3970 @kbd{M-x global-set-key @key{RET} @var{key} @var{cmd} @key{RET}}.
3972 To bind a key just in the current major mode, type @kbd{M-x
3973 local-set-key @key{RET} @var{key} @var{cmd} @key{RET}}.
3975 @inforef{Key Bindings, Key Bindings, emacs}, for further details.
3977 To make the process of binding keys interactively easier, use the
3978 following ``trick'': First bind the key interactively, then immediately
3979 type @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC} C-a C-k C-g}. Now, the command needed
3980 to bind the key is in the kill ring, and can be yanked into your
3981 @file{.emacs} file. If the key binding is global, no changes to the
3982 command are required. For example,
3985 (global-set-key (quote [f1]) (quote help-for-help))
3989 can be placed directly into the @file{.emacs} file. If the key binding is
3990 local, the command is used in conjunction with the @samp{add-hook} function.
3991 For example, in TeX mode, a local binding might be
3994 (add-hook 'tex-mode-hook
3996 (local-set-key (quote [f1]) (quote help-for-help))))
4003 Control characters in key sequences, in the form yanked from the kill
4004 ring are given in their graphic form---i.e., @key{CTRL} is shown as
4005 @samp{^}, @key{TAB} as a set of spaces (usually 8), etc. You may want
4006 to convert these into their vector or string forms.
4009 If a prefix key of the character sequence to be bound is already
4010 bound as a complete key, then you must unbind it before the new
4011 binding. For example, if @kbd{ESC @{} is previously bound:
4014 (global-unset-key [?\e ?@{]) ;; or
4015 (local-unset-key [?\e ?@{])
4019 Aside from commands and ``lambda lists,'' a vector or string also
4020 can be bound to a key and thus treated as a macro. For example:
4023 (global-set-key [f10] [?\C-x?\e?\e?\C-a?\C-k?\C-g]) ;; or
4024 (global-set-key [f10] "\C-x\e\e\C-a\C-k\C-g")
4029 @node Invalid prefix characters
4030 @section Why does Emacs say @samp{Key sequence XXX uses invalid prefix characters}?
4031 @cindex Prefix characters, invalid
4032 @cindex Invalid prefix characters
4033 @cindex Misspecified key sequences
4035 Usually, one of two things has happened. In one case, the control
4036 character in the key sequence has been misspecified (e.g. @samp{C-f}
4037 used instead of @samp{\C-f} within a Lisp expression). In the other
4038 case, a @dfn{prefix key} in the keystroke sequence you were trying to bind
4039 was already bound as a @dfn{complete key}. Historically, the @samp{ESC [}
4040 prefix was usually the problem, in which case you should evaluate either
4041 of these forms before attempting to bind the key sequence:
4044 (global-unset-key [?\e ?[]) ;; or
4045 (global-unset-key "\e[")
4048 @node Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun
4049 @section Why doesn't this [terminal or window-system setup] code work in my @file{.emacs} file, but it works just fine after Emacs starts up?
4050 @cindex Terminal setup code in @file{.emacs}
4052 During startup, Emacs initializes itself according to a given code/file
4053 order. If some of the code executed in your @file{.emacs} file needs to
4054 be postponed until the initial terminal or window-system setup code has
4055 been executed but is not, then you will experience this problem (this
4056 code/file execution order is not enforced after startup).
4058 To postpone the execution of Emacs Lisp code until after terminal or
4059 window-system setup, treat the code as a @dfn{lambda list} and set the
4060 value of either the @code{term-setup-hook} or @code{window-setup-hook}
4061 variable to this lambda function. For example,
4064 (add-hook 'term-setup-hook
4066 (when (string-match "\\`vt220" (or (getenv "TERM") ""))
4067 ;; Make vt220's "Do" key behave like M-x:
4068 (global-set-key [do] 'execute-extended-command))))
4071 For information on what Emacs does every time it is started, see the
4072 @file{lisp/startup.el} file.
4074 @node Using function keys under X
4075 @section How do I use function keys under X?
4076 @cindex Function keys
4077 @cindex X Window System and function keys
4078 @cindex Binding function keys
4080 With Emacs 19, functions keys under X are bound like any other key. @xref{Binding keys to commands}, for details.
4082 @node Working with function and arrow keys
4083 @section How do I tell what characters or symbols my function or arrow keys emit?
4084 @cindex Working with arrow keys
4085 @cindex Arrow keys, symbols generated by
4086 @cindex Working with function keys
4087 @cindex Function keys, symbols generated by
4088 @cindex Symbols generated by function keys
4090 Type @kbd{C-h c} then the function or arrow keys. The command will
4091 return either a function key symbol or character sequence (see the
4092 Emacs on-line documentation for an explanation). This works for other
4095 @node X key translations for Emacs
4096 @section How do I set the X key ``translations'' for Emacs?
4097 @cindex X key translations
4098 @cindex Key translations under X
4099 @cindex Translations for keys under X
4101 Emacs is not written using the Xt library by default, so there are no
4102 ``translations'' to be set. (We aren't sure how to set such translations
4103 if you do build Emacs with Xt; please let us know if you've done this!)
4105 The only way to affect the behavior of keys within Emacs is through
4106 @code{xmodmap} (outside Emacs) or @code{define-key} (inside Emacs). The
4107 @code{define-key} command should be used in conjunction with the
4108 @code{function-key-map} map. For instance,
4111 (define-key function-key-map [M-@key{TAB}] [?\M-\t])
4115 defines the @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} key sequence.
4117 @node Handling C-s and C-q with flow control
4118 @section How do I handle @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} being used for flow control?
4119 @cindex Flow control, @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} with
4120 @cindex @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} with flow control
4122 @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} are used in the XON/XOFF flow control protocol.
4123 This messes things up when you're using Emacs over a serial line,
4124 because Emacs binds these keys to commands by default. Because Emacs
4125 won't honor them as flow control characters, too many of these
4126 characters are not passed on and overwhelm output buffers. Sometimes,
4127 intermediate software using XON/XOFF flow control will prevent Emacs
4128 from ever seeing @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}.
4135 Disable the use of @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} for flow control.
4137 You need to determine the cause of the flow control.
4144 Your terminal may use XON/XOFF flow control to have time to display
4145 all the characters it receives. For example, VT series terminals do
4146 this. It may be possible to turn this off from a setup menu. For
4147 example, on a VT220 you may select ``No XOFF'' in the setup menu. This
4148 is also true for some terminal emulation programs on PCs.
4150 When you turn off flow control at the terminal, you will also need to
4151 turn it off at the other end, which might be at the computer you are
4152 logged in to or at some terminal server in between.
4154 If you turn off flow control, characters may be lost; using a printer
4155 connected to the terminal may fail. You may be able to get around
4156 this problem by modifying the @samp{termcap} entry for your terminal to
4157 include extra NUL padding characters.
4162 If you are using a dialup connection, the modems may be using
4163 XON/XOFF flow control. It's not clear how to get around this.
4166 a router or terminal server
4168 Some network box between the terminal and your computer may be using
4169 XON/XOFF flow control. It may be possible to make it use some other
4170 kind of flow control. You will probably have to ask your local
4171 network experts for help with this.
4174 @code{tty} and/or @code{pty} devices
4176 If your connection to Emacs goes through multiple @code{tty} and/or
4177 @code{pty} devices, they may be using XON/XOFF flow control even when it
4180 @email{eirik@@theory.tn.cornell.edu, Eirik Fuller} writes:
4183 Some versions of @code{rlogin} (and possibly @code{telnet}) do not pass
4184 flow control characters to the remote system to which they connect. On
4185 such systems, Emacs on the remote system cannot disable flow control on
4186 the local system. Sometimes @samp{rlogin -8} will avoid this problem.
4188 One way to cure this is to disable flow control on the local host (the
4189 one running @code{rlogin}, not the one running @code{rlogind}) using the
4190 @code{stty} command, before starting the @code{rlogin} process. On many
4191 systems, @samp{stty start u stop u} will do this.
4193 Some versions of @samp{tcsh} will prevent even this from working. One
4194 way around this is to start another shell before starting rlogin,
4195 and issue the @samp{stty} command to disable flow control from that shell.
4198 Use @samp{stty -ixon} instead of @samp{stty start u stop u} on some systems.
4203 Make Emacs speak the XON/XOFF flow control protocol.
4205 You can make Emacs treat @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} as flow control characters by
4209 (enable-flow-control)
4213 to unconditionally enable flow control or
4216 (enable-flow-control-on "vt100" "h19")
4220 (using your terminal names instead of @samp{vt100} or @samp{h19}) to
4221 enable selectively. These commands will automatically swap @kbd{C-s}
4222 and @kbd{C-q} to @kbd{C-\} and @kbd{C-^}. Variables can be used to
4223 change the default swap keys (@code{flow-control-c-s-replacement} and
4224 @code{flow-control-c-q-replacement}).
4226 If you are fixing this for yourself, simply put the form in your
4227 @file{.emacs} file. If you are fixing this for your entire site, the
4228 best place to put it is in the @file{site-lisp/site-start.el} file.
4229 (Here @file{site-lisp} is actually a subdirectory of your Emacs
4230 installation directory, typically @file{/usr/local/share/emacs}.)
4231 Putting this form in @file{site-lisp/default.el} has the problem that
4232 if the user's @file{.emacs} file has an error, this will prevent
4233 @file{default.el} from being loaded and Emacs may be unusable for the
4234 user, even for correcting their @file{.emacs} file (unless they're
4235 smart enough to move it to another name).
4237 @code{enable-flow-control} can be invoked interactively as well:
4238 @kbd{M-x enable-flow-control @key{RET}}.
4242 For further discussion of this issue, read the file @file{etc/PROBLEMS}
4243 (in the Emacs source directory when you unpack the Emacs distribution).
4245 @node Binding C-s and C-q
4246 @section How do I bind @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} (or any key) if these keys are filtered out?
4247 @cindex Binding @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}
4248 @cindex @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}, binding
4250 To bind @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}, use either @code{enable-flow-control}
4251 or @code{enable-flow-control-on}. @xref{Handling C-s and C-q with flow
4252 control}, for usage and implementation details.
4254 To bind other keys, use @code{keyboard-translate}. @xref{Swapping
4255 keys}, for usage details. To do this for an entire site, you should
4256 swap the keys in @file{site-lisp/site-start.el}. @xref{Handling C-s
4257 and C-q with flow control}, for an explanation of why
4258 @file{site-lisp/default.el} should not be used.
4263 If you do this for an entire site, the users will be confused by
4264 the disparity between what the documentation says and how Emacs
4269 @node Backspace invokes help
4270 @section Why does the @key{Backspace} key invoke help?
4271 @cindex Backspace key invokes help
4272 @cindex Help invoked by Backspace
4273 @cindex DEL key does not delete
4275 The @key{Backspace} key (on most keyboards) generates @acronym{ASCII} code 8.
4276 @kbd{C-h} sends the same code. In Emacs by default @kbd{C-h} invokes
4277 help-command. This is intended to be easy to remember since the first
4278 letter of @samp{help} is @samp{h}. The easiest solution to this problem
4279 is to use @kbd{C-h} (and @key{Backspace}) for help and @key{DEL} (the
4280 @key{Delete} key) for deleting the previous character.
4282 For many people this solution may be problematic:
4287 They normally use @key{Backspace} outside of Emacs for deleting the
4288 previous character. This can be solved by making @key{DEL} the command
4289 for deleting the previous character outside of Emacs. On many Unix
4290 systems, this command will remap @key{DEL}:
4297 The user may prefer the @key{Backspace} key for deleting the
4298 previous character because it is more conveniently located on their
4299 keyboard or because they don't even have a separate @key{Delete} key.
4300 In this case, the @key{Backspace} key should be made to behave like
4301 @key{Delete}. There are several methods.
4305 Some terminals (e.g., VT3## terminals) and terminal emulators (e.g.,
4306 TeraTerm) allow the character generated by the @key{Backspace} key to be
4307 changed from a setup menu.
4310 You may be able to get a keyboard that is completely programmable, or a
4311 terminal emulator that supports remapping of any key to any other key.
4314 With Emacs 21.1 and later, you can control the effect of the
4315 @key{Backspace} and @key{Delete} keys, on both dumb terminals and a
4316 windowed displays, by customizing the option
4317 @code{normal-erase-is-backspace-mode}, or by invoking @kbd{M-x
4318 normal-erase-is-backspace}. See the documentation of these symbols
4319 (@pxref{Emacs Lisp documentation}) for more info.
4322 It is possible to swap the @key{Backspace} and @key{DEL} keys inside
4326 (keyboard-translate ?\C-h ?\C-?)
4330 This is the recommended method of forcing @key{Backspace} to act as
4331 @key{DEL}, because it works even in modes which bind @key{DEL} to
4332 something other than @code{delete-backward-char}.
4334 Similarly, you could remap @key{DEL} to act as @kbd{C-d}, which by
4335 default deletes forward:
4338 (keyboard-translate ?\C-? ?\C-d)
4341 @xref{Swapping keys}, for further details about @code{keyboard-translate}.
4344 Another approach is to switch key bindings and put help on @kbd{C-x h}
4348 (global-set-key "\C-h" 'delete-backward-char)
4350 ;; overrides mark-whole-buffer
4351 (global-set-key "\C-xh" 'help-command)
4355 This method is not recommended, though: it only solves the problem for
4356 those modes which bind @key{DEL} to @code{delete-backward-char}. Modes
4357 which bind @key{DEL} to something else, such as @code{view-mode}, will
4358 not work as you expect when you press the @key{Backspace} key. For this
4359 reason, we recommend the @code{keyboard-translate} method, shown
4362 Other popular key bindings for help are @kbd{M-?} and @kbd{C-x ?}.
4365 Don't try to bind @key{DEL} to @code{help-command}, because there are
4366 many modes that have local bindings of @key{DEL} that will interfere.
4370 When Emacs 21 or later runs on a windowed display, it binds the
4371 @key{Delete} key to a command which deletes the character at point, to
4372 make Emacs more consistent with keyboard operation on these systems.
4374 For more information about troubleshooting this problem, see @ref{DEL
4375 Does Not Delete, , If @key{DEL} Fails to Delete, emacs, The GNU Emacs
4378 @node stty and Backspace key
4379 @section Why doesn't Emacs look at the @file{stty} settings for @key{Backspace} vs. @key{Delete}?
4380 @cindex @file{stty} and Emacs
4381 @cindex Backspace and @file{stty}
4382 @cindex Delete and @file{stty}
4386 @c FIXME: RMS explained the reasons for this on emacs-hackers. It's
4387 @c probably worth putting that explanation here.
4390 @section How do I swap two keys?
4391 @cindex Swapping keys
4392 @cindex Keys, swapping
4393 @cindex @code{keyboard-translate}
4395 You can swap two keys (or key sequences) by using the
4396 @code{keyboard-translate} function. For example, to turn @kbd{C-h}
4397 into @key{DEL} and @key{DEL} to @kbd{C-h}, use
4400 (keyboard-translate ?\C-h ?\C-?) ; translate `C-h' to DEL
4401 (keyboard-translate ?\C-? ?\C-h) ; translate DEL to `C-h'.
4405 The first key sequence of the pair after the function identifies what is
4406 produced by the keyboard; the second, what is matched for in the
4409 However, in the specific case of @kbd{C-h} and @key{DEL}, you should
4410 toggle @code{normal-erase-is-backspace-mode} instead of calling
4411 @code{keyboard-translate}. @inforef{DEL Does Not Delete, DEL Does Not Delete,
4414 Keyboard translations are not the same as key bindings in keymaps.
4415 Emacs contains numerous keymaps that apply in different situations, but
4416 there is only one set of keyboard translations, and it applies to every
4417 character that Emacs reads from the terminal. Keyboard translations
4418 take place at the lowest level of input processing; the keys that are
4419 looked up in keymaps contain the characters that result from keyboard
4422 @node Producing C-XXX with the keyboard
4423 @section How do I produce C-XXX with my keyboard?
4424 @cindex Producing control characters
4425 @cindex Generating control characters
4426 @cindex Control characters, generating
4428 On terminals (but not under X), some common ``aliases'' are:
4432 @item @kbd{C-2} or @kbd{C-@key{SPC}}
4438 @item @kbd{C-7} or @kbd{C-S--}
4452 Often other aliases exist; use the @kbd{C-h c} command and try
4453 @key{CTRL} with all of the digits on your keyboard to see what gets
4454 generated. You can also try the @kbd{C-h w} command if you know the
4455 name of the command.
4458 @section What if I don't have a @key{Meta} key?
4459 @cindex No @key{Meta} key
4460 @cindex @key{Meta} key, what to do if you lack it
4462 On many keyboards, the @key{Alt} key acts as @key{Meta}, so try it.
4464 Instead of typing @kbd{M-a}, you can type @kbd{@key{ESC} a}. In fact,
4465 Emacs converts @kbd{M-a} internally into @kbd{@key{ESC} a} anyway
4466 (depending on the value of @code{meta-prefix-char}). Note that you
4467 press @key{Meta} and @key{a} together, but with @key{ESC}, you press
4468 @key{ESC}, release it, and then press @key{a}.
4471 @section What if I don't have an @key{Escape} key?
4472 @cindex No Escape key
4473 @cindex Lacking an Escape key
4474 @cindex Escape key, lacking
4476 Type @kbd{C-[} instead. This should send @acronym{ASCII} code 27 just like an
4477 Escape key would. @kbd{C-3} may also work on some terminal (but not
4478 under X). For many terminals (notably DEC terminals) @key{F11}
4479 generates @key{ESC}. If not, the following form can be used to bind it:
4482 ;; F11 is the documented ESC replacement on DEC terminals.
4483 (define-key function-key-map [f11] [?\e])
4486 @node Compose Character
4487 @section Can I make my @key{Compose Character} key behave like a @key{Meta} key?
4488 @cindex @key{Compose Character} key, using as @key{Meta}
4489 @cindex @key{Meta}, using @key{Compose Character} for
4491 On a dumb terminal such as a VT220, no. It is rumored that certain
4492 VT220 clones could have their @key{Compose} key configured this way. If
4493 you're using X, you might be able to do this with the @code{xmodmap}
4496 @node Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys
4497 @section How do I bind a combination of modifier key and function key?
4498 @cindex Modifiers and function keys
4499 @cindex Function keys and modifiers
4500 @cindex Binding modifiers and function keys
4502 With Emacs 19 and later, you can represent modified function keys in
4503 vector format by adding prefixes to the function key symbol. For
4504 example (from the on-line documentation):
4507 (global-set-key [?\C-x right] 'forward-page)
4511 where @samp{?\C-x} is the Lisp character constant for the character @kbd{C-x}.
4513 You can use the modifier keys @key{Control}, @key{Meta}, @key{Hyper},
4514 @key{Super}, @key{Alt}, and @key{Shift} with function keys. To
4515 represent these modifiers, prepend the strings @samp{C-}, @samp{M-},
4516 @samp{H-}, @samp{s-}, @samp{A-}, and @samp{S-} to the symbol name. Here
4517 is how to make @kbd{H-M-RIGHT} move forward a word:
4520 (global-set-key [H-M-right] 'forward-word)
4526 Not all modifiers are permitted in all situations. @key{Hyper},
4527 @key{Super}, and @key{Alt} are not available on Unix character
4528 terminals. Non-@acronym{ASCII} keys and mouse events (e.g. @kbd{C-=} and
4529 @kbd{Mouse-1}) also fall under this category.
4533 @xref{Binding keys to commands}, for general key binding instructions.
4535 @node Meta key does not work in xterm
4536 @section Why doesn't my @key{Meta} key work in an @code{xterm} window?
4537 @cindex @key{Meta} key and @code{xterm}
4538 @cindex Xterm and @key{Meta} key
4540 @inforef{Unibyte Mode, Single-Byte Character Set Support, emacs}.
4542 If the advice in the Emacs manual fails, try all of these methods before
4543 asking for further help:
4548 You may have big problems using @code{mwm} as your window manager.
4549 (Does anyone know a good generic solution to allow the use of the
4550 @key{Meta} key in Emacs with @file{mwm}?)
4553 For X11: Make sure it really is a @key{Meta} key. Use @code{xev} to
4554 find out what keysym your @key{Meta} key generates. It should be either
4555 @code{Meta_L} or @code{Meta_R}. If it isn't, use @file{xmodmap} to fix
4556 the situation. If @key{Meta} does generate @code{Meta_L} or
4557 @code{Meta_R}, but @kbd{M-x} produces a non-@acronym{ASCII} character, put this in
4558 your @file{~/.Xdefaults} file:
4561 XTerm*eightBitInput: false
4562 XTerm*eightBitOutput: true
4566 Make sure the @code{pty} the @code{xterm} is using is passing 8 bit
4567 characters. @samp{stty -a} (or @samp{stty everything}) should show
4568 @samp{cs8} somewhere. If it shows @samp{cs7} instead, use @samp{stty
4569 cs8 -istrip} (or @samp{stty pass8}) to fix it.
4572 If there is an @code{rlogin} connection between @code{xterm} and Emacs, the
4573 @samp{-8} argument may need to be given to rlogin to make it pass all 8 bits
4577 If Emacs is running on Ultrix, it is reported that evaluating
4578 @code{(set-input-mode t nil)} helps.
4581 If all else fails, you can make @code{xterm} generate @kbd{@key{ESC} W} when
4582 you type @kbd{M-W}, which is the same conversion Emacs would make if it
4583 got the @kbd{M-W} anyway. In X11R4, the following resource
4584 specification will do this:
4587 XTerm.VT100.EightBitInput: false
4591 (This changes the behavior of the @code{insert-eight-bit} action.)
4593 With older @code{xterm}s, you can specify this behavior with a translation:
4596 XTerm.VT100.Translations: #override \
4597 Meta<KeyPress>: string(0x1b) insert()
4601 You might have to replace @samp{Meta} with @samp{Alt}.
4605 @node ExtendChar key does not work as Meta
4606 @section Why doesn't my @key{ExtendChar} key work as a @key{Meta} key under HP-UX 8.0 and 9.x?
4607 @cindex @key{ExtendChar} key as @key{Meta}
4608 @cindex @key{Meta}, using @key{ExtendChar} for
4609 @cindex HP-UX, the @key{ExtendChar} key
4611 This is a result of an internationalization extension in X11R4 and the
4612 fact that HP is now using this extension. Emacs assumes that the
4613 @code{XLookupString} function returns the same result regardless of the
4614 @key{Meta} key state which is no longer necessarily true. Until Emacs
4615 is fixed, the temporary kludge is to run this command after each time
4616 the X server is started but preferably before any xterm clients are:
4619 xmodmap -e 'remove mod1 = Mode_switch'
4622 @c FIXME: Emacs 21 supports I18N in X11; does that mean that this bug is
4625 This will disable the use of the extra keysyms systemwide, which may be
4626 undesirable if you actually intend to use them.
4628 @node SPC no longer completes file names
4629 @section Why doesn't SPC complete file names anymore?
4630 @cindex @kbd{SPC} file name completion
4632 Starting with Emacs 22.1, @kbd{SPC} no longer completes file names in
4633 the minibuffer, so that file names with embedded spaces could be typed
4634 without the need to quote the spaces.
4636 You can get the old behavior by binding @kbd{SPC} to
4637 @code{minibuffer-complete-word} in the minibuffer, as follows:
4640 (define-key minibuffer-local-filename-completion-map (kbd "SPC")
4641 'minibuffer-complete-word)
4643 (define-key minibuffer-local-must-match-filename-map (kbd "SPC")
4644 'minibuffer-complete-word)
4647 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
4648 @node Alternate character sets
4649 @chapter Alternate character sets
4650 @cindex Alternate character sets
4653 * Emacs does not display 8-bit characters::
4654 * Inputting eight-bit characters::
4655 * Kanji and Chinese characters::
4656 * Right-to-left alphabets::
4657 * How to add fonts::
4660 @node Emacs does not display 8-bit characters
4661 @section How do I make Emacs display 8-bit characters?
4662 @cindex Displaying eight-bit characters
4663 @cindex Eight-bit characters, displaying
4665 @inforef{Unibyte Mode, Single-byte Character Set
4666 Support, emacs}. On a Unix, when Emacs runs on a text-only terminal
4667 display or is invoked with @samp{emacs -nw}, you typically need to use
4668 @code{set-terminal-coding-system} to tell Emacs what the terminal can
4669 display, even after setting the language environment; otherwise
4670 non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will display as @samp{?}. On other operating
4671 systems, such as MS-DOS and MS-Windows, Emacs queries the OS about the
4672 character set supported by the display, and sets up the required
4673 terminal coding system automatically.
4675 @node Inputting eight-bit characters
4676 @section How do I input eight-bit characters?
4677 @cindex Entering eight-bit characters
4678 @cindex Eight-bit characters, entering
4679 @cindex Input, 8-bit characters
4681 Various methods are available for input of eight-bit characters. See
4682 @inforef{Unibyte Mode, Single-byte Character Set
4683 Support, emacs}. For more sophisticated methods, @inforef{Input
4684 Methods, Input Methods, emacs}.
4686 @node Kanji and Chinese characters
4687 @section Where can I get an Emacs that handles kanji, Chinese, or other Far-Eastern character sets?
4688 @cindex Kanji, handling with Emacs
4689 @cindex Chinese, handling with Emacs
4690 @cindex Japanese, handling with Emacs
4691 @cindex Korean, handling with Emacs
4693 Emacs 20 and later includes many of the features of MULE, the MULtilingual
4694 Enhancement to Emacs. @xref{Installing Emacs}, for information on where
4695 to find and download the latest version of Emacs.
4697 @node Right-to-left alphabets
4698 @section Where is an Emacs that can handle Semitic (right-to-left) alphabets?
4699 @cindex Right-to-left alphabets
4700 @cindex Hebrew, handling with Emacs
4701 @cindex Semitic alphabets
4702 @cindex Arabic alphabets
4704 Emacs 20 and later supports Hebrew characters (ISO 8859-8), but does not
4705 yet support right-to-left character entry and display.
4707 @email{joel@@exc.com, Joel M. Hoffman} has written a Lisp package called
4708 @file{hebrew.el} that allows right-to-left editing of Hebrew. It
4709 reportedly works out of the box with Emacs 19, but requires patches for
4710 Emacs 18. Write to Joel if you want the patches or package.
4712 @c FIXME: Should we mention Ehud Karni's package?
4714 @file{hebrew.el} requires a Hebrew screen font, but no other hardware support.
4715 Joel has a screen font for PCs running MS-DOS or GNU/Linux.
4717 You might also try querying @code{archie} for files named with
4718 @file{hebrew}; several ftp sites in Israel may also have the necessary
4721 @node How to add fonts
4722 @section How do I add fonts for use with Emacs?
4723 @cindex add fonts for use with Emacs
4726 First, download and install the BDF font files and any auxiliary
4727 packages they need. The GNU Intlfonts distribution can be found on
4728 @uref{http://directory.fsf.org/localization/intlfonts.html, the GNU
4729 Software Directory Web site}.
4731 Next, if you are on X Window system, issue the following two commands
4732 from the shell's prompt:
4735 xset +fp /usr/local/share/emacs/fonts
4740 (Modify the first command if you installed the fonts in a directory
4741 that is not @file{/usr/local/share/emacs/fonts}.) You also need to
4742 arrange for these two commands to run whenever you log in, e.g., by
4743 adding them to your window-system startup file, such as
4744 @file{~/.xsessionrc} or @file{~/.gnomerc}.
4746 Now, add the following line to your @file{~/.emacs} init file:
4749 (add-to-list 'bdf-directory-list "/usr/share/emacs/fonts/bdf")
4753 (Again, modify the file name if you installed the fonts elsewhere.)
4755 Finally, if you wish to use the installed fonts with @code{ps-print},
4756 add the following line to your @file{~/.emacs}:
4759 (setq ps-multibyte-buffer 'bdf-font-except-latin)
4762 A few additional steps are necessary for MS-Windows; they are listed
4765 First, make sure @emph{all} the directories with BDF font files are
4766 mentioned in @code{bdf-directory-list}. On Unix and GNU/Linux
4767 systems, one normally runs @kbd{make install} to install the BDF fonts
4768 in the same directory. By contrast, Windows users typically don't run
4769 the Intlfonts installation command, but unpack the distribution in
4770 some directory, which leaves the BDF fonts in its subdirectories. For
4771 example, assume that you unpacked Intlfonts in @file{C:/Intlfonts};
4772 then you should set @code{bdf-directory-list} as follows:
4775 (setq bdf-directory-list
4776 '("C:/Intlfonts/Asian"
4777 "C:/Intlfonts/Chinese" "C:/Intlfonts/Chinese.X"
4778 "C:/Intlfonts/Chinese.BIG" "C:/Intlfonts/Ethiopic"
4779 "C:/Intlfonts/European" "C:/Intlfonts/European.BIG"
4780 "C:/Intlfonts/Japanese" "C:/Intlfonts/Japanese.X"
4781 "C:/Intlfonts/Japanese.BIG" "C:/Intlfonts/Korean.X"
4782 "C:/Intlfonts/Misc"))
4785 @cindex @code{w32-bdf-filename-alist}
4786 @cindex @code{w32-find-bdf-fonts}
4787 Next, you need to set up the variable @code{w32-bdf-filename-alist} to
4788 an alist of the BDF fonts and their corresponding file names.
4789 Assuming you have set @code{bdf-directory-list} to name all the
4790 directories with the BDF font files, the following Lisp snippet will
4791 set up @code{w32-bdf-filename-alist}:
4794 (setq w32-bdf-filename-alist
4795 (w32-find-bdf-fonts bdf-directory-list))
4798 Now, create fontsets for the BDF fonts:
4801 (create-fontset-from-fontset-spec
4802 "-*-fixed-medium-r-normal-*-16-*-*-*-c-*-fontset-bdf,
4803 japanese-jisx0208:-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-16-*-*-*-c-*-jisx0208.1983-*,
4804 katakana-jisx0201:-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-16-*-*-*-c-*-jisx0201*-*,
4805 latin-jisx0201:-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-16-*-*-*-c-*-jisx0201*-*,
4806 japanese-jisx0208-1978:-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-16-*-*-*-c-*-jisx0208.1978-*,
4807 thai-tis620:-misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--16-160-72-72-m-80-tis620.2529-1,
4808 lao:-misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--16-160-72-72-m-80-MuleLao-1,
4809 tibetan-1-column:-TibMdXA-fixed-medium-r-normal--16-160-72-72-m-80-MuleTibetan-1,
4810 ethiopic:-Admas-Ethiomx16f-Medium-R-Normal--16-150-100-100-M-160-Ethiopic-Unicode,
4811 tibetan:-TibMdXA-fixed-medium-r-normal--16-160-72-72-m-160-MuleTibetan-0")
4814 Many of the international bdf fonts from Intlfonts are type 0, and
4815 therefore need to be added to font-encoding-alist:
4818 (setq font-encoding-alist
4819 (append '(("MuleTibetan-0" (tibetan . 0))
4820 ("GB2312" (chinese-gb2312 . 0))
4821 ("JISX0208" (japanese-jisx0208 . 0))
4822 ("JISX0212" (japanese-jisx0212 . 0))
4823 ("VISCII" (vietnamese-viscii-lower . 0))
4824 ("KSC5601" (korean-ksc5601 . 0))
4825 ("MuleArabic-0" (arabic-digit . 0))
4826 ("MuleArabic-1" (arabic-1-column . 0))
4827 ("MuleArabic-2" (arabic-2-column . 0)))
4828 font-encoding-alist))
4831 You can now use the Emacs font menu to select the @samp{bdf: 16-dot medium}
4832 fontset, or you can select it by setting the default font in your
4836 (set-default-font "fontset-bdf")
4840 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
4842 @chapter Mail and news
4843 @cindex Mail and news
4846 * Changing the included text prefix::
4847 * Saving a copy of outgoing mail::
4848 * Expanding aliases when sending mail::
4849 * Sorting the messages in an Rmail folder::
4850 * Rmail writes to /usr/spool/mail::
4851 * Replying to the sender of a message::
4852 * MIME with Emacs mail packages::
4853 * Automatically starting a mail or news reader::
4854 * Reading news with Emacs::
4855 * Gnus does not work with NNTP::
4856 * Viewing articles with embedded underlining::
4857 * Saving a multi-part Gnus posting::
4858 * Starting Gnus faster::
4859 * Catching up in all newsgroups::
4860 * Killing based on nonstandard headers::
4861 * Catch-up is slow in Gnus::
4862 * Gnus hangs for a long time::
4863 * Learning more about Gnus::
4866 @node Changing the included text prefix
4867 @section How do I change the included text prefix in mail/news followups?
4868 @cindex Prefix in mail/news followups, changing
4869 @cindex Included text prefix, changing
4870 @cindex Setting the included text character
4871 @cindex Quoting in mail messages
4873 If you read mail with Rmail or news with Gnus, set the variable
4874 @code{mail-yank-prefix}. For VM, set @code{vm-included-text-prefix}.
4875 For mh-e, set @code{mh-ins-buf-prefix}.
4877 For fancier control of citations, use Supercite (part of Emacs).
4879 To prevent Emacs from including various headers of the replied-to
4880 message, set the value of @code{mail-yank-ignored-headers} to an
4883 @node Saving a copy of outgoing mail
4884 @section How do I save a copy of outgoing mail?
4885 @cindex Saving a copy of outgoing mail
4886 @cindex Copying outgoing mail to a file
4887 @cindex Filing outgoing mail
4888 @cindex Automatic filing of outgoing mail
4889 @cindex Mail, saving outgoing automatically
4891 You can either mail yourself a copy by including a @samp{BCC} header in the
4892 mail message, or store a copy of the message directly to a file by
4893 including an @samp{FCC} header.
4895 If you use standard mail, you can automatically create a @samp{BCC} to
4899 (setq mail-self-blind t)
4903 in your @file{.emacs} file. You can automatically include an @samp{FCC}
4904 field by putting something like the following in your @file{.emacs}
4908 (setq mail-archive-file-name (expand-file-name "~/outgoing"))
4911 The output file will be in Unix mail format, which can be read directly
4912 by VM or Rmail (since Emacs 23).
4914 If you use @code{mh-e}, add an @samp{FCC} or @samp{BCC} field to your
4917 It does not work to put @samp{set record filename} in the @file{.mailrc}
4920 @node Expanding aliases when sending mail
4921 @section Why doesn't Emacs expand my aliases when sending mail?
4922 @cindex Expanding aliases when sending mail
4923 @cindex Mail alias expansion
4924 @cindex Sending mail with aliases
4929 You must separate multiple addresses in the headers of the mail buffer
4930 with commas. This is because Emacs supports RFC822 standard addresses
4934 To: Willy Smith <wks@@xpnsv.lwyrs.com>
4937 However, you do not need to---and probably should not, unless your
4938 system's version of @file{/usr/ucb/mail} (a.k.a.@: @code{mailx})
4939 supports RFC822---separate addresses with commas in your
4940 @file{~/.mailrc} file.
4943 Emacs normally only reads the @file{.mailrc} file once per session,
4944 when you start to compose your first mail message. If you edit
4945 @file{.mailrc}, you can type @kbd{M-x rebuild-mail-abbrevs @key{RET}} to
4946 make Emacs reread @file{~/.mailrc}.
4949 If you like, you can expand mail aliases as abbrevs, as soon as you
4950 type them in. To enable this feature, execute the following:
4953 (add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'mail-abbrevs-setup)
4956 Note that the aliases are expanded automatically only after you type
4957 @key{RET} or a punctuation character (e.g. @kbd{,}). You can force their
4958 expansion by moving point to the end of the alias and typing @kbd{C-x a e}
4959 (@kbd{M-x expand-abbrev}).
4962 @node Sorting the messages in an Rmail folder
4963 @section How can I sort the messages in my Rmail folder?
4964 @cindex Rmail, sorting messages in
4965 @cindex Folder, sorting messages in an Rmail
4966 @cindex Sorting messages in an Rmail folder
4968 In Rmail, type @kbd{C-c C-s C-h} to get a list of sorting functions
4969 and their key bindings.
4971 @node Rmail writes to /usr/spool/mail
4972 @section Why does Rmail need to write to @file{/usr/spool/mail}?
4973 @cindex Rmail and @file{/usr/spool/mail}
4974 @cindex @file{/usr/spool/mail} and Rmail
4976 This is the behavior of the @code{movemail} program which Rmail uses.
4977 This indicates that @code{movemail} is configured to use lock files.
4982 Certain systems require lock files to interlock access to mail files.
4983 On these systems, @code{movemail} must write lock files, or you risk losing
4984 mail. You simply must arrange to let @code{movemail} write them.
4986 Other systems use the @code{flock} system call to interlock access. On
4987 these systems, you should configure @code{movemail} to use @code{flock}.
4990 @node Replying to the sender of a message
4991 @section How can I force Rmail to reply to the sender of a message, but not the other recipients?
4992 @cindex Replying only to the sender of a message
4993 @cindex Sender, replying only to
4994 @cindex Rmail, replying to the sender of a message in
4996 @email{isaacson@@seas.upenn.edu, Ron Isaacson} says: When you hit
4997 @key{r} to reply in Rmail, by default it CCs all of the original
4998 recipients (everyone on the original @samp{To} and @samp{CC}
4999 lists). With a prefix argument (i.e., typing @kbd{C-u} before @key{r}),
5000 it replies only to the sender. However, going through the whole
5001 @kbd{C-u} business every time you want to reply is a pain. This is the
5002 best fix I've been able to come up with:
5005 (defun rmail-reply-t ()
5006 "Reply only to the sender of the current message. (See rmail-reply.)"
5010 (add-hook 'rmail-mode-hook
5012 (define-key rmail-mode-map "r" 'rmail-reply-t)
5013 (define-key rmail-mode-map "R" 'rmail-reply)))
5016 @node MIME with Emacs mail packages
5017 @section How can I get my favorite Emacs mail package to support MIME?
5018 @cindex MIME and Emacs mail packages
5019 @cindex Mail packages and MIME
5020 @cindex FAQ for MIME and Emacs
5022 Version 6.x of VM supports MIME. @xref{VM}. Gnus supports MIME in mail
5023 and news messages as of version 5.8.1 (Pterodactyl). Rmail has limited
5024 support for single-part MIME messages beginning with Emacs 20.3.
5026 @node Automatically starting a mail or news reader
5027 @section How do I make Emacs automatically start my mail/news reader?
5028 @cindex Mail reader, starting automatically
5029 @cindex News reader, starting automatically
5030 @cindex Starting mail/news reader automatically
5032 To start Emacs in Gnus:
5045 A more convenient way to start with Gnus:
5048 alias gnus 'emacs -f gnus'
5052 It is probably unwise to automatically start your mail or news reader
5053 from your @file{.emacs} file. This would cause problems if you needed to run
5054 two copies of Emacs at the same time. Also, this would make it difficult for
5055 you to start Emacs quickly when you needed to.
5057 @node Reading news with Emacs
5058 @section How do I read news under Emacs?
5059 @cindex Reading news under Emacs
5060 @cindex Usenet reader in Emacs
5061 @cindex Gnus newsreader
5063 Use @kbd{M-x gnus}. It is documented in Info (@pxref{Learning how to do
5066 @node Gnus does not work with NNTP
5067 @section Why doesn't Gnus work via NNTP?
5068 @cindex Gnus and NNTP
5069 @cindex NNTP, Gnus fails to work with
5071 There is a bug in NNTP version 1.5.10, such that when multiple requests
5072 are sent to the NNTP server, the server only handles the first one
5073 before blocking waiting for more input which never comes. NNTP version
5074 1.5.11 claims to fix this.
5076 You can work around the bug inside Emacs like this:
5079 (setq nntp-maximum-request 1)
5082 You can find out what version of NNTP your news server is running by
5083 telnetting to the NNTP port (usually 119) on the news server machine
5084 (i.e., @kbd{telnet server-machine 119}). The server should give its
5085 version number in the welcome message. Type @kbd{quit} to get out.
5087 @xref{Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode}, for some additional ideas.
5089 @node Viewing articles with embedded underlining
5090 @section How do I view news articles with embedded underlining (e.g., ClariNews)?
5091 @cindex Underlining, embedded in news articles
5092 @cindex News articles with embedded underlining
5093 @cindex Embedded underlining in news articles
5095 Underlining appears like this:
5098 _^Hu_^Hn_^Hd_^He_^Hr_^Hl_^Hi_^Hn_^Hi_^Hn_^Hg
5101 @email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen} suggests using the following
5102 code, which uses the underline face to turn such text into true
5103 underlining, inconjunction with Gnus:
5106 (defun gnus-article-prepare-overstrike ()
5107 ;; Prepare article for overstrike commands.
5109 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
5110 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
5111 (goto-char (point-min))
5112 (while (search-forward "\b" nil t)
5113 (let ((next (following-char))
5114 (previous (char-after (- (point) 2))))
5115 (cond ((eq next previous)
5116 (delete-region (- (point) 2) (point))
5117 (put-text-property (point) (1+ (point))
5120 (delete-region (1- (point)) (1+ (point)))
5121 (put-text-property (1- (point)) (point)
5124 (delete-region (- (point) 2) (point))
5125 (put-text-property (point) (1+ (point))
5126 'face 'underline))))))))
5128 (add-hook 'gnus-article-prepare-hook 'gnus-article-prepare-overstrike)
5131 Latest versions of Gnus do such a conversion automatically.
5133 If you prefer to do away with underlining altogether, you can
5134 destructively remove it with @kbd{M-x ununderline-region}; do this
5138 (add-hook 'gnus-article-prepare-hook
5139 (lambda () (ununderline-region (point-min) (point-max))))
5142 @node Saving a multi-part Gnus posting
5143 @section How do I save all the items of a multi-part posting in Gnus?
5144 @cindex Multi-part postings in Gnus, saving
5145 @cindex Saving multi-part postings in Gnus
5146 @cindex Gnus, saving multi-part postings in
5148 Use @code{gnus-uu}. Type @kbd{C-c C-v C-h} in the Gnus summary buffer
5149 to see a list of available commands.
5151 @node Starting Gnus faster
5152 @section How do I make Gnus start up faster?
5153 @cindex Faster, starting Gnus
5154 @cindex Starting Gnus faster
5155 @cindex Gnus, starting faster
5157 From the Gnus FAQ (@pxref{Learning more about Gnus}):
5160 @email{pktiwari@@eos.ncsu.edu, Pranav Kumar Tiwari} writes: I posted
5161 the same query recently and I got an answer to it. I am going to
5162 repeat the answer. What you need is a newer version of gnus, version
5163 5.0.4+. I am using 5.0.12 and it works fine with me with the
5167 (setq gnus-check-new-newsgroups nil
5168 gnus-read-active-file 'some
5169 gnus-nov-is-evil nil
5170 gnus-select-method '(nntp gnus-nntp-server))
5174 @node Catching up in all newsgroups
5175 @section How do I catch up all newsgroups in Gnus?
5176 @cindex Catching up all newsgroups in Gnus
5177 @cindex Gnus, Catching up all newsgroups in
5179 In the @file{*Newsgroup*} buffer, type @kbd{M-< C-x ( c y C-x ) M-0 C-x e}
5181 Leave off the initial @kbd{M-<} if you only want to catch up from point
5182 to the end of the @file{*Newsgroup*} buffer.
5184 @node Killing based on nonstandard headers
5185 @section Why can't I kill in Gnus based on the Newsgroups/Keywords/Control headers?
5186 @cindex Killing articles based on nonstandard headers
5187 @cindex Newsgroups header, killing articles based on
5188 @cindex Keywords header, killing articles based on
5189 @cindex Control header, killing articles based on
5191 Gnus will complain that the @samp{Newsgroups}, @samp{Keywords}, and
5192 @samp{Control} headers are ``Unknown header'' fields.
5194 For the @samp{Newsgroups} header, there is an easy workaround: kill on the
5195 @samp{Xref} header instead, which will be present on any cross-posted article
5196 (as long as your site carries the cross-post group).
5198 If you really want to kill on one of these headers, you can do it like
5202 (gnus-kill nil "^Newsgroups: .*\\(bad\\.group\\|worse\\.group\\)")
5205 @node Catch-up is slow in Gnus
5206 @section Why is catch up slow in Gnus?
5207 @cindex Slow catch up in Gnus
5208 @cindex Gnus is slow when catching up
5209 @cindex Crosspostings make Gnus catching up slow
5211 Because Gnus is marking crosspostings read. You can control this with
5212 the variable @code{gnus-use-cross-reference}.
5214 @node Gnus hangs for a long time
5215 @section Why does Gnus hang for a long time when posting?
5216 @cindex Hangs in Gnus
5217 @cindex Gnus hangs while posting
5218 @cindex Posting, Gnus hangs wile
5220 @email{tale@@uunet.uu.net, David Lawrence} explains:
5223 The problem is almost always interaction between NNTP and C News. NNTP
5224 POST asks C News's @code{inews} to not background itself but rather hang
5225 around and give its exit status so it knows whether the post was successful.
5226 (That wait will on some systems not return the exit status of the
5227 waited for job is a different sort of problem.) It ends up taking a
5228 long time because @code{inews} is calling @code{relaynews}, which often
5229 waits for another @code{relaynews} to free the lock on the news system
5230 so it can file the article.
5232 My preferred solution is to change @code{inews} to not call
5233 @code{relaynews}, but rather use @code{newsspool}. This loses some
5234 error-catching functionality, but is for the most part safe as
5235 @code{inews} will detect a lot of the errors on its own. The C News
5236 folks have sped up @code{inews}, too, so speed should look better to
5237 most folks as that update propagates around.
5240 @node Learning more about Gnus
5241 @section Where can I find out more about Gnus?
5242 @cindex FAQ for Gnus
5244 @cindex Learning more about Gnus
5246 For more information on Gnus, consult the Gnus manual and FAQ, which are
5247 part of the Gnus distribution.
5250 @unnumbered Concept Index
5256 arch-tag: fee0d62d-06cf-43d8-ac21-123408eaf10f