1 \input texinfo @c -*- mode: texinfo; -*-
3 @setfilename ../info/efaq
4 @settitle GNU Emacs FAQ
9 @c This is used in many places
12 @c This file is maintained by Romain Francoise <rfrancoise@gnu.org>.
13 @c Feel free to install changes without prior permission (but I'd
14 @c appreciate a notice if you do).
17 Copyright (C) 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
18 Copyright 1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000 Reuven M. Lerner@*
19 Copyright 1992,1993 Steven Byrnes@*
20 Copyright 1990,1991,1992 Joseph Brian Wells@*
23 This list of frequently asked questions about GNU Emacs with answers
24 (``FAQ'') may be translated into other languages, transformed into other
25 formats (e.g. Texinfo, Info, WWW, WAIS), and updated with new information.
27 The same conditions apply to any derivative of the FAQ as apply to the FAQ
28 itself. Every copy of the FAQ must include this notice or an approved
29 translation, information on who is currently maintaining the FAQ and how to
30 contact them (including their e-mail address), and information on where the
31 latest version of the FAQ is archived (including FTP information).
33 The FAQ may be copied and redistributed under these conditions, except that
34 the FAQ may not be embedded in a larger literary work unless that work
35 itself allows free copying and redistribution.
37 [This version has been heavily edited since it was included in the Emacs
44 * Emacs FAQ: (efaq). Frequently Asked Questions about Emacs.
47 @c The @titlepage stuff only appears in the printed version
50 @center @titlefont{GNU Emacs FAQ}
52 @c The following two commands start the copyright page.
54 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
58 @node Top, FAQ notation, (dir), (dir)
60 This is the GNU Emacs FAQ, last updated on @today{}.
62 This FAQ is maintained as a part of GNU Emacs. If you find any errors,
63 or have any suggestions, please use @kbd{M-x report-emacs-bug} to report
73 * Compiling and installing Emacs::
74 * Finding Emacs and related packages::
75 * Major packages and programs::
77 * Alternate character sets::
82 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
83 @node FAQ notation, General questions, Top, Top
87 This chapter describes notation used in the GNU Emacs FAQ, as well as in
88 the Emacs documentation. Consult this section if this is the first time
89 you are reading the FAQ, or if you are confused by notation or terms
96 * File-name conventions::
100 @node Basic keys, Extended commands, FAQ notation, FAQ notation
101 @section What do these mean: @kbd{C-h}, @kbd{C-M-a}, @key{RET}, @kbd{@key{ESC} a}, etc.?
103 @cindex Control key, notation for
104 @cindex @key{Meta} key, notation for
105 @cindex Control-Meta characters, notation for
106 @cindex @kbd{C-h}, definition of
107 @cindex @kbd{C-M-h}, definition of
108 @cindex @key{DEL}, definition of
109 @cindex @key{ESC}, definition of
110 @cindex @key{LFD}, definition of
111 @cindex @key{RET}, definition of
112 @cindex @key{SPC}, definition of
113 @cindex @key{TAB}, definition of
114 @cindex Notation for keys
119 @kbd{C-x}: press the @key{x} key while holding down the @key{Control} key
122 @kbd{M-x}: press the @key{x} key while holding down the @key{Meta} key
123 (if your computer doesn't have a @key{Meta} key, @pxref{No Meta key})
126 @kbd{M-C-x}: press the @key{x} key while holding down both @key{Control}
130 @kbd{C-M-x}: a synonym for the above
133 @key{LFD}: Linefeed or Newline; same as @kbd{C-j}
136 @key{RET}: @key{Return}, sometimes marked @key{Enter}; same as @kbd{C-m}
139 @key{DEL}: @key{Delete}, usually @strong{not} the same as
140 @key{Backspace}; same as @kbd{C-?} (see @ref{Backspace invokes help}, if
141 deleting invokes Emacs help)
144 @key{ESC}: Escape; same as @kbd{C-[}
147 @key{TAB}: Tab; same as @kbd{C-i}
154 Key sequences longer than one key (and some single-key sequences) are
155 written inside quotes or on lines by themselves, like this:
158 @kbd{M-x frobnicate-while-foo RET}
162 Any real spaces in such a key sequence should be ignored; only @key{SPC}
163 really means press the space key.
165 The @acronym{ASCII} code sent by @kbd{C-x} (except for @kbd{C-?}) is the value
166 that would be sent by pressing just @key{x} minus 96 (or 64 for
167 upper-case @key{X}) and will be from 0 to 31. On Unix and GNU/Linux
168 terminals, the @acronym{ASCII} code sent by @kbd{M-x} is the sum of 128 and the
169 @acronym{ASCII} code that would be sent by pressing just @key{x}. Essentially,
170 @key{Control} turns off bits 5 and 6 and @key{Meta} turns on bit
172 DOS and Windows terminals don't set bit 7 when the @key{Meta} key is
175 @kbd{C-?} (aka @key{DEL}) is @acronym{ASCII} code 127. It is a misnomer to call
176 @kbd{C-?} a ``control'' key, since 127 has both bits 5 and 6 turned ON.
177 Also, on very few keyboards does @kbd{C-?} generate @acronym{ASCII} code 127.
179 @inforef{Text Characters, Text Characters, emacs}, and @inforef{Keys,
180 Keys, emacs}, for more information. (@xref{On-line manual}, for more
181 information about Info.)
183 @node Extended commands, On-line manual, Basic keys, FAQ notation
184 @section What does @file{M-x @var{command}} mean?
185 @cindex Extended commands
186 @cindex Commands, extended
187 @cindex M-x, meaning of
189 @kbd{M-x @var{command}} means type @kbd{M-x}, then type the name of the
190 command, then type @key{RET}. (@xref{Basic keys}, if you're not sure
191 what @kbd{M-x} and @key{RET} mean.)
193 @kbd{M-x} (by default) invokes the command
194 @code{execute-extended-command}. This command allows you to run any
195 Emacs command if you can remember the command's name. If you can't
196 remember the command's name, you can type @key{TAB} and @key{SPC} for
197 completion, @key{?} for a list of possibilities, and @kbd{M-p} and
198 @kbd{M-n} (or up-arrow and down-arrow on terminals that have these
199 editing keys) to see previous commands entered. An Emacs @dfn{command}
200 is an @dfn{interactive} Emacs function.
203 Your system administrator may have bound other key sequences to invoke
204 @code{execute-extended-command}. A function key labeled @kbd{Do} is a
205 good candidate for this, on keyboards that have such a key.
207 If you need to run non-interactive Emacs functions, see @ref{Evaluating
210 @node On-line manual, File-name conventions, Extended commands, FAQ notation
211 @section How do I read topic XXX in the on-line manual?
212 @cindex On-line manual, reading topics in
213 @cindex Reading topics in the on-line manual
214 @cindex Finding topics in the on-line manual
215 @cindex Info, finding topics in
217 When we refer you to some @var{topic} in the on-line manual, you can
218 read this manual node inside Emacs (assuming nothing is broken) by
219 typing @kbd{C-h i m emacs @key{RET} m @var{topic} @key{RET}}.
221 This invokes Info, the GNU hypertext documentation browser. If you don't
222 already know how to use Info, type @key{?} from within Info.
224 If we refer to @var{topic}:@var{subtopic}, type @kbd{C-h i m emacs
225 @key{RET} m @var{topic} @key{RET} m @var{subtopic} @key{RET}}.
227 If these commands don't work as expected, your system administrator may
228 not have installed the Info files, or may have installed them
229 improperly. In this case you should complain.
231 @xref{Getting a printed manual}, if you would like a paper copy of the
234 @node File-name conventions, Common acronyms, On-line manual, FAQ notation
235 @section What are @file{etc/SERVICE}, @file{src/config.h}, and @file{lisp/default.el}?
236 @cindex File-name conventions
237 @cindex Conventions for file names
238 @cindex Directories and files that come with Emacs
240 These are files that come with Emacs. The Emacs distribution is divided
241 into subdirectories; the important ones are @file{etc}, @file{lisp}, and
244 If you use Emacs, but don't know where it is kept on your system, start
245 Emacs, then type @kbd{C-h v data-directory @key{RET}}. The directory
246 name displayed by this will be the full pathname of the installed
247 @file{etc} directory. (This full path is recorded in the Emacs variable
248 @code{data-directory}, and @kbd{C-h v} displays the value and the
249 documentation of a variable.)
251 The location of your Info directory (i.e., where on-line documentation
252 is stored) is kept in the variable @code{Info-default-directory-list}. Use
253 @kbd{C-h v Info-default-directory-list @key{RET}} to see the value of
254 this variable, which will be a list of directory names. The last
255 directory in that list is probably where most Info files are stored. By
256 default, Info documentation is placed in @file{/usr/local/info}.
258 Some of these files are available individually via FTP or e-mail; see
259 @ref{Informational files for Emacs}. They all are available in the
260 source distribution. Many of the files in the @file{etc} directory are
261 also available via the Emacs @samp{Help} menu, or by typing @kbd{C-h ?}
262 (@kbd{M-x help-for-help}).
264 Your system administrator may have removed the @file{src} directory and
265 many files from the @file{etc} directory.
267 @node Common acronyms, , File-name conventions, FAQ notation
268 @section What are FSF, LPF, OSF, GNU, RMS, FTP, and GPL?
269 @cindex FSF, definition of
270 @cindex LPF, definition of
271 @cindex OSF, definition of
272 @cindex GNU, definition of
273 @cindex RMS, definition of
274 @cindex Stallman, Richard, acronym for
275 @cindex Richard Stallman, acronym for
276 @cindex FTP, definition of
277 @cindex GPL, definition of
278 @cindex Acronyms, definitions for
279 @cindex Common acronyms, definitions for
284 Free Software Foundation
287 League for Programming Freedom
290 Open Software Foundation
296 Richard Matthew Stallman
299 File Transfer Protocol
302 GNU General Public License
306 Avoid confusing the FSF, the LPF, and the OSF. The LPF opposes
307 look-and-feel copyrights and software patents. The FSF aims to make
308 high quality free software available for everyone. The OSF is a
309 consortium of computer vendors which develops commercial software for
312 The word ``free'' in the title of the Free Software Foundation refers to
313 ``freedom,'' not ``zero dollars.'' 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, Getting help, FAQ notation, Top
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::
337 @node The LPF, Real meaning of copyleft, General questions, General questions
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. To get more information, feel free to contact
346 the LPF via e-mail or otherwise. You may also contact
347 @email{jbw@@cs.bu.edu, Joe Wells}; he will be happy to talk to you
350 You can find more information about the LPF in the file @file{etc/LPF}.
351 More papers describing the LPF's views are available on the Internet and
352 also from @uref{http://lpf.ai.mit.edu/, the LPF home page}.
354 @node Real meaning of copyleft, Guidelines for newsgroup postings, The LPF, General questions
355 @section What is the real legal meaning of the GNU copyleft?
356 @cindex Copyleft, real meaning of
357 @cindex GPL, real meaning of
358 @cindex General Public License, real meaning of
359 @cindex Discussion of the GPL
361 The real legal meaning of the GNU General Public License (copyleft) will
362 only be known if and when a judge rules on its validity and scope.
363 There has never been a copyright infringement case involving the GPL to
364 set any precedents. Please take any discussion regarding this issue to
365 the newsgroup @uref{news:gnu.misc.discuss}, which was created to hold the
366 extensive flame wars on the subject.
371 The legal meaning of the GNU copyleft is less important than the spirit,
372 which is that Emacs is a free software project and that work pertaining
373 to Emacs should also be free software. ``Free'' means that all users
374 have the freedom to study, share, change and improve Emacs. To make
375 sure everyone has this freedom, pass along source code when you
376 distribute any version of Emacs or a related program, and give the
377 recipients the same freedom that you enjoyed.
380 @node Guidelines for newsgroup postings, Newsgroup archives, Real meaning of copyleft, General questions
381 @section What are appropriate messages for @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help}, @uref{news:gnu.emacs.bug}, @uref{news:comp.emacs}, etc.?
382 @cindex Newsgroups, appropriate messages for
383 @cindex GNU newsgroups, appropriate messages for
384 @cindex Usenet groups, appropriate messages for
385 @cindex Mailing lists, appropriate messages for
386 @cindex Posting messages to newsgroups
388 @cindex GNU mailing lists
389 The file @file{etc/MAILINGLISTS} describes the purpose of each GNU
390 mailing list. (@xref{Informational files for Emacs}, if you want a copy
391 of the file.) For those lists which are gatewayed with newsgroups, it
392 lists both the newsgroup name and the mailing list address.
394 The newsgroup @uref{news:comp.emacs} is for discussion of Emacs programs
395 in general. This includes Emacs along with various other
396 implementations, such as XEmacs, JOVE, MicroEmacs, Freemacs, MG,
397 Unipress, CCA, and Epsilon.
399 Many people post Emacs questions to @uref{news:comp.emacs} because they
400 don't receive any of the @code{gnu.*} newsgroups. Arguments have been
401 made both for and against posting GNU-Emacs-specific material to
402 @uref{news:comp.emacs}. You have to decide for yourself.
404 Messages advocating ``non-free'' software are considered unacceptable on
405 any of the @code{gnu.*} newsgroups except for @uref{news:gnu.misc.discuss},
406 which was created to hold the extensive flame-wars on the subject.
407 ``Non-free'' software includes any software for which the end user can't
408 freely modify the source code and exchange enhancements. Be careful to
409 remove the @code{gnu.*} groups from the @samp{Newsgroups:} line when
410 posting a followup that recommends such software.
412 @uref{news:gnu.emacs.bug} is a place where bug reports appear, but avoid
413 posting bug reports to this newsgroup directly (@pxref{Reporting bugs}).
415 @node Newsgroup archives, Reporting bugs, Guidelines for newsgroup postings, General questions
416 @section Where can I get old postings to @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} and other GNU groups?
417 @cindex Archived postings from @code{gnu.emacs.help}
418 @cindex Usenet archives for GNU groups
419 @cindex Old Usenet postings for GNU groups
421 The FSF has maintained archives of all of the GNU mailing lists for many
422 years, although there may be some unintentional gaps in coverage. The
423 archive is not particularly well organized or easy to retrieve
424 individual postings from, but pretty much everything is there.
426 The archive is at @uref{ftp://lists.gnu.org/}.
428 The archive can be browsed over the web at
429 @uref{http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/, the GNU mail archive}.
431 Web-based Usenet search services, such as
432 @uref{http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?sel=33592484, Google}, also
433 archive the @code{gnu.*} groups.
435 You can read the archives of the @code{gnu.*} groups and post new
436 messages at @uref{http://gmane.org/, Gmane}.
438 @node Reporting bugs, Unsubscribing from Emacs lists, Newsgroup archives, General questions
439 @section Where should I report bugs and other problems with Emacs?
440 @cindex Bug reporting
441 @cindex Good bug reports
442 @cindex How to submit a bug report
443 @cindex Reporting bugs
445 The correct way to report Emacs bugs is to use the command
446 @kbd{M-x report-emacs-bug}. It sets up a mail buffer with the
447 essential information and the correct e-mail address which is
448 @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} for the released versions of Emacs.
449 Anything sent to @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} also appears in the
450 newsgroup @uref{news:gnu.emacs.bug}, but please use e-mail instead of
451 news to submit the bug report. This ensures a reliable return address
452 so you can be contacted for further details.
454 Be sure to read the ``Bugs'' section of the Emacs manual before reporting
455 a bug! The manual describes in detail how to submit a useful bug
456 report (@pxref{Bugs, , Reporting Bugs, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}).
457 (@xref{On-line manual}, if you don't know how to read the manual.)
462 Sending bug reports to @email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} (which has the
463 effect of posting on @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help}) is undesirable because
464 it takes the time of an unnecessarily large group of people, most of
465 whom are just users and have no idea how to fix these problem.
466 @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} reaches a much smaller group of people
467 who are more likely to know what to do and have expressed a wish to
468 receive more messages about Emacs than the others.
471 RMS says it is sometimes fine to post to @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help}:
474 If you have reported a bug and you don't hear about a possible fix,
475 then after a suitable delay (such as a week) it is okay to post on
476 @code{gnu.emacs.help} asking if anyone can help you.
479 If you are unsure whether you have found a bug, consider the following
480 non-exhaustive list, courtesy of RMS:
483 If Emacs crashes, that is a bug. If Emacs gets compilation errors
484 while building, that is a bug. If Emacs crashes while building, that
485 is a bug. If Lisp code does not do what the documentation says it
489 @node Unsubscribing from Emacs lists, Contacting the FSF, Reporting bugs, General questions
490 @section How do I unsubscribe from this mailing list?
491 @cindex Unsubscribing from GNU mailing lists
492 @cindex Removing yourself from GNU mailing lists
494 If you are receiving a GNU mailing list named @var{list}, you might be
495 able to unsubscribe from it by sending a request to the address
496 @email{@var{list}-request@@gnu.org}. However, this will not work if you are
497 not listed on the main mailing list, but instead receive the mail from a
498 distribution point. In that case, you will have to track down at which
499 distribution point you are listed. Inspecting the @samp{Received} headers
500 on the mail messages may help, along with liberal use of the @samp{EXPN} or
501 @samp{VRFY} sendmail commands through @samp{telnet @var{site-address}
502 smtp}. Ask your postmaster for help, if you cannot figure out these
505 @node Contacting the FSF, , Unsubscribing from Emacs lists, General questions
506 @section What is the current address of the FSF?
507 @cindex Snail mail address of the FSF
508 @cindex Postal address of the FSF
509 @cindex Contracting the FSF
510 @cindex Free Software Foundation, contacting
524 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/}
527 Free Software Foundation@*
528 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor@*
529 Boston, MA 02110-1301@*
534 @cindex Ordering GNU software
535 For details on how to order items directly from the FSF, see the
536 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}.
538 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
539 @node Getting help, Status of Emacs, General questions, Top
540 @chapter Getting help
543 This chapter tells you how to get help with Emacs
547 * Learning how to do something::
548 * Getting a printed manual::
549 * Emacs Lisp documentation::
550 * Installing Texinfo documentation::
551 * Printing a Texinfo file::
552 * Viewing Info files outside of Emacs::
553 * Informational files for Emacs::
554 * Help installing Emacs::
555 * Obtaining the FAQ::
558 @node Basic editing, Learning how to do something, Getting help, Getting help
559 @section I'm just starting Emacs; how do I do basic editing?
560 @cindex Basic editing with Emacs
561 @cindex Beginning editing
562 @cindex Tutorial, invoking the
563 @cindex Self-paced tutorial, invoking the
564 @cindex Help system, entering the
566 Type @kbd{C-h t} to invoke the self-paced tutorial. Just typing
567 @kbd{C-h} enters the help system. Starting with Emacs 22, the tutorial
568 is available in many foreign languages such as French, German, Japanese,
569 Russian, etc. Use @kbd{M-x help-with-tutorial-spec-language @key{RET}}
570 to choose your language and start the tutorial.
572 Your system administrator may have changed @kbd{C-h} to act like
573 @key{DEL} to deal with local keyboards. You can use @kbd{M-x
574 help-for-help} instead to invoke help. To discover what key (if any)
575 invokes help on your system, type @kbd{M-x where-is @key{RET}
576 help-for-help @key{RET}}. This will print a comma-separated list of key
577 sequences in the echo area. Ignore the last character in each key
578 sequence listed. Each of the resulting key sequences invokes help.
580 Emacs help works best if it is invoked by a single key whose value
581 should be stored in the variable @code{help-char}.
583 @node Learning how to do something, Getting a printed manual, Basic editing, Getting help
584 @section How do I find out how to do something in Emacs?
585 @cindex Help for Emacs
586 @cindex Learning to do something in Emacs
587 @cindex Reference card for Emacs
588 @cindex Overview of help systems
590 There are several methods for finding out how to do things in Emacs.
594 @cindex Reading the Emacs manual
596 The complete text of the Emacs manual is available on-line via the Info
597 hypertext reader. Type @kbd{C-h r} to display the manual in Info mode.
598 Typing @key{h} immediately after entering Info will provide a short
599 tutorial on how to use it.
601 @cindex Lookup a subject in a manual
602 @cindex Index search in a manual
604 To quickly locate the section of the manual which discusses a certain
605 issue, or describes a command or a variable, type @kbd{C-h i m emacs
606 @key{RET} i @var{topic} @key{RET}}, where @var{topic} is the name of the
607 topic, the command, or the variable which you are looking for. If this
608 does not land you on the right place in the manual, press @kbd{,}
609 (comma) repeatedly until you find what you need. (The @kbd{i} and
610 @kbd{,} keys invoke the index-searching functions, which look for the
611 @var{topic} you type in all the indices of the Emacs manual.)
615 You can list all of the commands whose names contain a certain word
616 (actually which match a regular expression) using @kbd{C-h a} (@kbd{M-x
619 @cindex Command description in the manual
621 The command @kbd{C-h F} (@code{Info-goto-emacs-command-node}) prompts
622 for the name of a command, and then attempts to find the section in the
623 Emacs manual where that command is described.
625 @cindex Finding commands and variables
627 You can list all of the functions and variables whose names contain a
628 certain word using @kbd{M-x apropos}.
631 You can list all of the functions and variables whose documentation
632 matches a regular expression or a string, using @kbd{M-x
633 apropos-documentation}.
636 You can order a hardcopy of the manual from the FSF. @xref{Getting a
639 @cindex Reference cards, in other languages
641 You can get a printed reference card listing commands and keys to
642 invoke them. You can order one from the FSF for $1 (or 10 for $5),
643 or you can print your own from the @file{etc/refcard.tex} or
644 @file{etc/refcard.ps} files in the Emacs distribution. Beginning with
645 version 21.1, the Emacs distribution comes with translations of the
646 reference card into several languages; look for files named
647 @file{etc/@var{lang}-refcard.*}, where @var{lang} is a two-letter code
648 of the language. For example, the German version of the reference card
649 is in the files @file{etc/de-refcard.tex} and @file{etc/de-refcard.ps}.
652 There are many other commands in Emacs for getting help and
653 information. To get a list of these commands, type @samp{?} after
658 @node Getting a printed manual, Emacs Lisp documentation, Learning how to do something, Getting help
659 @section How do I get a printed copy of the Emacs manual?
660 @cindex Printed Emacs manual, obtaining
661 @cindex Manual, obtaining a printed or HTML copy of
662 @cindex Emacs manual, obtaining a printed or HTML copy of
664 You can order a printed copy of the Emacs manual from the FSF. For
665 details see the @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}.
667 @c The number 620 below is version-dependent!
668 The full Texinfo source for the manual also comes in the @file{man}
669 directory of the Emacs distribution, if you're daring enough to try to
670 print out this 620-page manual yourself (@pxref{Printing a Texinfo
673 If you absolutely have to print your own copy, and you don't have @TeX{},
674 you can get a PostScript version from
676 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/emacs.ps.gz}
678 @cindex HTML version of Emacs manual, obtaining
679 An HTML version of the manual is at
681 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/emacs.html}
683 The manual is available in other formats at
685 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/}
687 @xref{Learning how to do something}, for how to view the manual on-line.
689 @node Emacs Lisp documentation, Installing Texinfo documentation, Getting a printed manual, Getting help
690 @section Where can I get documentation on Emacs Lisp?
691 @cindex Documentation on Emacs Lisp
692 @cindex Function documentation
693 @cindex Variable documentation
694 @cindex Emacs Lisp Reference Manual
695 @cindex Reference manual for Emacs Lisp
697 Within Emacs, you can type @kbd{C-h f} to get the documentation for a
698 function, @kbd{C-h v} for a variable.
700 For more information, the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual is available
701 on-line, in Info format. @xref{Top, Emacs Lisp,, elisp, The
702 Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
704 You can also order a hardcopy of the manual, details on ordering it from
705 FSF are on the @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}.
707 An HTML version of the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual is available at
709 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/elisp-manual/elisp.html}
711 @node Installing Texinfo documentation, Printing a Texinfo file, Emacs Lisp documentation, Getting help
712 @section How do I install a piece of Texinfo documentation?
713 @cindex Texinfo documentation, installing
714 @cindex Installing Texinfo documentation
715 @cindex New Texinfo files, installing
716 @cindex Documentation, installing new Texinfo files
717 @cindex Info files, how to install
719 First, you must turn the Texinfo files into Info files. You may do this
720 using the stand-alone @file{makeinfo} program, available as part of the latest
723 @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/texinfo/texinfo-4.8.tar.gz}
725 and all mirrors of @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (for a list, @pxref{Current GNU
728 For information about the Texinfo format, read the Texinfo manual which
729 comes with the Texinfo package. This manual also comes installed in
730 Info format, so you can read it on-line; type @kbd{C-h i m texinfo
733 Alternatively, you could use the Emacs command @kbd{M-x
734 texinfo-format-buffer}, after visiting the Texinfo source file of the
735 manual you want to convert.
737 Neither @code{texinfo-format-buffer} nor @file{makeinfo} installs the
738 resulting Info files in Emacs's Info tree. To install Info files,
743 Move the files to the @file{info} directory in the installed Emacs
744 distribution. @xref{File-name conventions}, if you don't know where that
748 Run the @code{install-info} command, which is part of the Texinfo
749 distribution, to update the main Info directory menu, like this:
752 install-info --info-dir=@var{dir-path} @var{dir-path}/@var{file}
756 where @var{dir-path} is the full path to the directory where you copied
757 the produced Info file(s), and @var{file} is the name of the Info file
758 you produced and want to install.
760 If you don't have the @code{install-info} command installed, you can
761 edit the file @file{info/dir} in the installed Emacs distribution, and
762 add a line for the top level node in the Info package that you are
763 installing. Follow the examples already in this file. The format is:
766 * Topic: (relative-pathname). Short description of topic.
771 If you want to install Info files and you don't have the necessary
772 privileges, you have several options:
776 Info files don't actually need to be installed before being used.
777 You can use a prefix argument for the @code{info} command and specify
778 the name of the Info file in the minibuffer. This goes to the node
779 named @samp{Top} in that file. For example, to view a Info file named
780 @file{@var{info-file}} in your home directory, you can type this:
783 @kbd{C-u C-h i ~/@var{info-file} @key{RET}}
786 Alternatively, you can feed a file name to the @code{Info-goto-node}
787 command (invoked by pressing @key{g} in Info mode) by typing the name
788 of the file in parentheses, like this:
791 @kbd{C-h i g (~/@var{info-file}) @key{RET}}
795 You can create your own Info directory. You can tell Emacs where that
796 Info directory is by adding its pathname to the value of the variable
797 @code{Info-default-directory-list}. For example, to use a private Info
798 directory which is a subdirectory of your home directory named @file{Info},
799 you could put this in your @file{.emacs} file:
802 (setq Info-default-directory-list
803 (cons "~/Info" Info-default-directory-list))
806 You will need a top-level Info file named @file{dir} in this directory
807 which has everything the system @file{dir} file has in it, except it should
808 list only entries for Info files in that directory. You might not need
809 it if all files in this directory were referenced by other @file{dir}
810 files. The node lists from all @file{dir} files in
811 @code{Info-default-directory-list} are merged by the Info system.
815 @node Printing a Texinfo file, Viewing Info files outside of Emacs, Installing Texinfo documentation, Getting help
816 @section How do I print a Texinfo file?
817 @cindex Printing a Texinfo file
818 @cindex Texinfo file, printing
819 @cindex Printing documentation
821 You can't get nicely printed output from Info files; you must still have
822 the original Texinfo source file for the manual you want to print.
824 Assuming you have @TeX{} installed on your system, follow these steps:
829 Make sure the first line of the Texinfo file looks like this:
835 You may need to change @samp{texinfo} to the full pathname of the
836 @file{texinfo.tex} file, which comes with Emacs as
837 @file{man/texinfo.tex} (or copy or link it into the current directory).
840 Type @kbd{texi2dvi @var{texinfo-source}}, where @var{texinfo-source} is
841 the name of the Texinfo source file for which you want to produce a
844 The @samp{texi2dvi} script is part of the GNU Texinfo distribution
845 (@pxref{Installing Texinfo documentation}).
848 Print the DVI file @file{@var{texinfo-source}.dvi} in the normal way for
849 printing DVI files at your site. For example, if you have a PostScript
850 printer, run the @code{dvips} program to print the DVI file on that
855 To get more general instructions, retrieve the latest Texinfo package
856 (@pxref{Installing Texinfo documentation}).
858 @node Viewing Info files outside of Emacs, Informational files for Emacs, Printing a Texinfo file, Getting help
859 @section Can I view Info files without using Emacs?
860 @cindex Viewing Info files
861 @cindex Info file viewers
862 @cindex Alternative Info file viewers
864 Yes. Here are some alternative programs:
869 @code{info}, a stand-alone version of the Info program, comes as part of
870 the Texinfo package. @xref{Installing Texinfo documentation}, for
874 Xinfo, a stand-alone version of the Info program that runs under X
875 Window system. You can get it at
876 @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/xinfo/xinfo-1.01.01.tar.gz} and all
877 mirrors of @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (see @ref{Current GNU distributions}, for a
881 Tkinfo, an Info viewer that runs under X Window system and uses Tcl/Tk.
882 You can get Tkinfo at
883 @uref{http://math-www.uni-paderborn.de/~axel/tkinfo/}.
887 @node Informational files for Emacs, Help installing Emacs, Viewing Info files outside of Emacs, Getting help
888 @section What informational files are available for Emacs?
889 @cindex Informational files included with Emacs
890 @cindex Files included with Emacs
891 @cindex @file{COPYING}, description of file
892 @cindex @file{DISTRIB}, description of file
893 @cindex @file{FTP}, description of file
894 @cindex @file{GNU}, description of file
895 @cindex @file{INTERVIEW}, description of file
896 @cindex @file{LPF}, description of file
897 @cindex @file{MACHINES}, description of file
898 @cindex @file{MAILINGLISTS}, description of file
899 @cindex @file{NEWS}, description of file
900 @cindex @file{SERVICE}, description of file
901 @cindex @file{SUN-SUPPORT}, description of file
903 This isn't a frequently asked question, but it should be! A variety of
904 informational files about Emacs and relevant aspects of the GNU project
905 are available for you to read.
907 The following files are available in the @file{etc} directory of the
908 Emacs distribution (see @ref{File-name conventions}, if you're not sure
914 GNU General Public License
917 Emacs Availability Information, including the popular Free Software
918 Foundation Order Form
921 How to get GNU Software by Internet FTP or by UUCP
927 Richard Stallman discusses his public-domain UNIX-compatible software
928 system with BYTE editors
931 Why you should join the League for Programming Freedom
934 Status of Emacs on Various Machines and Systems
937 GNU Project Electronic Mailing Lists
940 Emacs news, a history of recent user-visible changes
943 GNU Service Directory
946 including ``Using Emacstool with GNU Emacs''
950 More GNU information, including back issues of the @cite{GNU's
953 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bulletins.html} and
955 @uref{http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~trent/gnu/gnu.html}
957 @node Help installing Emacs, Obtaining the FAQ, Informational files for Emacs, Getting help
958 @section Where can I get help in installing Emacs?
959 @cindex Installation help
960 @cindex Help installing Emacs
962 @xref{Installing Emacs}, for some basic installation hints, and see
963 @ref{Problems building Emacs}, or @ref{Linking with -lX11 fails}, if you
964 have problems with the installation.
966 The file @file{etc/SERVICE} (see @ref{File-name conventions}, if you're
967 not sure where that is) lists companies and individuals willing to sell
968 you help in installing or using Emacs. An up-to-date version this file
969 is available on @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (@pxref{Informational files for
972 @node Obtaining the FAQ, , Help installing Emacs, Getting help
973 @section Where can I get the latest version of this FAQ?
974 @cindex FAQ, obtaining the
975 @cindex Latest FAQ version, obtaining the
976 @cindex Retrieving the latest FAQ version
977 @cindex E-mail, retrieving the FAQ via
978 @cindex Web, reading the FAQ on the
980 The Emacs FAQ is available in several ways:
985 Inside of Emacs itself. You can get it from selecting the @samp{Emacs
986 FAQ} option from the @samp{Help} menu of the Emacs menu bar at the top
987 of any Emacs frame, or by typing @kbd{C-h C-f} (@kbd{M-x view-emacs-FAQ}).
990 Via USENET. If you can read news, the FAQ should be available in your
991 news spool, in both the @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} and
992 @uref{news:comp.emacs} newsgroups. Every news reader should allow you
993 to read any news article that is still in the news spool, even if you
994 have read the article before. You may need to read the instructions for
995 your news reader to discover how to do this. In @file{rn}, this command
996 will do this for you at the article selection level:
999 ?GNU Emacs Frequently Asked Questions?rc:m
1002 In Gnus, you should type @kbd{C-u C-x C-s} from the @file{*Summary*}
1003 buffer or @kbd{C-u @key{SPC}} from the @file{*Newsgroup*} buffer to view
1004 all articles in a newsgroup.
1006 If the FAQ articles have expired and have been deleted from your news
1007 spool, it might (or might not) do some good to complain to your news
1008 administrator, because the most recent FAQ should not expire for a
1012 In the Emacs distribution. Since Emacs 18.56, the FAQ at the time
1013 of release has been part of the Emacs distribution as either
1014 @file{etc/FAQ} or @file{man/faq.texi} (@pxref{File-name conventions}).
1017 Via anonymous ftp and e-mail from @file{rtfm.mit.edu} (and its mirror in
1018 Europe), the main repository for FAQs and other items posted to
1019 news.answers. The Emacs FAQs are available at
1021 @uref{ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.emacs/} and
1023 @uref{ftp://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/pub/doc/FAQ/comp/emacs/}
1025 If you do not have access to anonymous FTP, you can access the archives
1026 using the @file{rtfm.mit.edu} mail server. The Emacs FAQ can be
1027 retrieved by sending mail to @email{mail-server@@rtfm.mit.edu} with a
1028 blank subject and containing
1031 send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/diffs
1032 send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part1
1033 send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part2
1034 send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part3
1035 send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part4
1036 send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part5
1039 For more information, send email to @email{mail-server@@rtfm.mit.edu}
1040 with @samp{help} and @samp{index} in the body on separate lines.
1043 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
1044 @node Status of Emacs, Common requests, Getting help, Top
1045 @chapter Status of Emacs
1046 @cindex Status of Emacs
1048 This chapter gives you basic information about Emacs, including its
1049 latest version status.
1052 * Origin of the term Emacs::
1053 * Latest version of Emacs::
1059 @node Origin of the term Emacs, Latest version of Emacs, Status of Emacs, Status of Emacs
1060 @section Where does the name ``Emacs'' come from?
1061 @cindex Origin of the term ``Emacs''
1062 @cindex Emacs name origin
1064 @cindex Original version of Emacs
1066 Emacs originally was an acronym for Editor MACroS. RMS says he ``picked
1067 the name Emacs because @key{E} was not in use as an abbreviation on ITS at
1068 the time.'' The first Emacs was a set of macros written in 1976 at MIT
1069 by RMS for the editor TECO (Text Editor and COrrector, originally Tape
1070 Editor and COrrector) under ITS on a PDP-10. RMS had already extended
1071 TECO with a ``real-time'' full-screen mode with reprogrammable keys.
1072 Emacs was started by @email{gls@@east.sun.com, Guy Steele} as a project
1073 to unify the many divergent TECO command sets and key bindings at MIT,
1074 and completed by RMS.
1076 Many people have said that TECO code looks a lot like line noise; you
1077 can read more at @uref{news:alt.lang.teco}. Someone has written a TECO
1078 implementation in Emacs Lisp (to find it, see @ref{Packages that do not
1079 come with Emacs}); it would be an interesting project to run the
1080 original TECO Emacs inside of Emacs.
1083 For some not-so-serious alternative reasons for Emacs to have that
1084 name, check out the file @file{etc/JOKES} (@pxref{File-name
1087 @node Latest version of Emacs, New in Emacs 20, Origin of the term Emacs, Status of Emacs
1088 @section What is the latest version of Emacs?
1089 @cindex Version, latest
1090 @cindex Latest version of Emacs
1092 Emacs @value{VER} is the current version as of this writing.
1094 @node New in Emacs 20, New in Emacs 21, Latest version of Emacs, Status of Emacs
1095 @section What is different about Emacs 20?
1096 @cindex Differences between Emacs 19 and Emacs 20
1097 @cindex Emacs 20, new features in
1099 To find out what has changed in recent versions, type @kbd{C-h C-n}
1100 (@kbd{M-x view-emacs-news}). The oldest changes are at the bottom of
1101 the file, so you might want to read it starting there, rather than at
1104 The differences between Emacs versions 18 and 19 was rather dramatic;
1105 the introduction of frames, faces, and colors on windowing systems was
1106 obvious to even the most casual user.
1108 There are differences between Emacs versions 19 and 20 as well, but many
1109 are more subtle or harder to find. Among the changes are the inclusion
1110 of MULE code for languages that use non-Latin characters and for mixing
1111 several languages in the same document; the ``Customize'' facility for
1112 modifying variables without having to use Lisp; and automatic conversion
1113 of files from Macintosh, Microsoft, and Unix platforms.
1115 A number of older Lisp packages, such as Gnus, Supercite and the
1116 calendar/diary, have been updated and enhanced to work with Emacs 20,
1117 and are now included with the standard distribution.
1120 @node New in Emacs 21, New in Emacs 22, New in Emacs 20, Status of Emacs
1121 @section What is different about Emacs 21?
1122 @cindex Differences between Emacs 20 and Emacs 21
1123 @cindex Emacs 21, new features in
1124 @cindex Recently introduced features
1126 @cindex Variable-size fonts
1127 @cindex Toolbar support
1128 Emacs 21 features a thorough rewrite of the display engine. The new
1129 display engine supports variable-size fonts, images, and can play sounds
1130 on platforms which support that. As a result, the visual appearance of
1131 Emacs, when it runs on a windowed display, is much more reminiscent of
1132 modern GUI programs, and includes 3D widgets (used for the mode line and
1133 the scroll bars), a configurable and extensible toolbar, tooltips
1134 (a.k.a.@: balloon help), and other niceties.
1136 @cindex Colors on text-only terminals
1138 In addition, Emacs 21 supports faces on text-only terminals. This means
1139 that you can now have colors when you run Emacs on a GNU/Linux console
1140 and on @code{xterm} with @kbd{emacs -nw}.
1142 @node New in Emacs 22, , New in Emacs 21, Status of Emacs
1143 @section What is different about Emacs 22?
1144 @cindex Differences between Emacs 21 and Emacs 22
1145 @cindex Emacs 22, new features in
1146 @cindex Recently introduced features
1148 @c FIXME: Improve this node before the 22.1 release.
1149 @cindex Default features
1150 Font-lock mode, auto-compression mode, and file name shadow mode are now
1151 enabled by default. It is now possible to follow links with
1154 @cindex Supported systems
1155 Emacs 22 features support for GNU/Linux systems on S390 and X86-64
1156 machines, as well as support for the Mac OS X and Cygwin operating
1159 @cindex GTK+ Toolkit
1160 @cindex Drag-and-drop
1162 Emacs can now be built with GTK+ widgets, and supports drag-and-drop
1163 operation on X. Mouse wheel support is now enabled by default.
1166 Many new modes and packages have been included in Emacs, such as Leim,
1167 Calc, Tramp and URL, as well as IDO, CUA, rcirc, ERC, conf-mode,
1168 python-mode, table, tumme, SES, ruler, Flymake, Org, etc.
1170 @cindex Documentation
1171 @cindex Emacs Lisp Manual
1172 In addition, Emacs 22 now includes the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual
1173 (@pxref{Emacs Lisp documentation}) and the Emacs Lisp Intro.
1175 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
1176 @node Common requests, Bugs and problems, Status of Emacs, Top
1177 @chapter Common requests
1178 @cindex Common requests
1181 * Setting up a customization file::
1184 * Debugging a customization file::
1185 * Displaying the current line or column::
1186 * Displaying the current file name in the titlebar::
1187 * Turning on abbrevs by default::
1188 * Turning on auto-fill by default::
1189 * Associating modes with files::
1190 * Working with unprintable characters::
1191 * Highlighting a region::
1192 * Controlling case sensitivity::
1193 * Searching for/replacing newlines::
1194 * Yanking text in isearch::
1195 * Wrapping words automatically::
1197 * Checking TeX and *roff documents::
1198 * Changing load-path::
1199 * Using an already running Emacs process::
1200 * Compiler error messages::
1201 * Indenting switch statements::
1202 * Customizing C and C++ indentation::
1203 * Horizontal scrolling::
1205 * Turning off beeping::
1206 * Turning the volume down::
1207 * Automatic indentation::
1208 * Matching parentheses::
1209 * Hiding #ifdef lines::
1210 * Repeating commands::
1211 * Valid X resources::
1212 * Evaluating Emacs Lisp code::
1213 * Changing the length of a Tab::
1214 * Inserting text at the beginning of each line::
1215 * Underlining paragraphs::
1216 * Repeating a command as many times as possible::
1217 * Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column::
1218 * Forcing Emacs to iconify itself::
1219 * Using regular expressions::
1220 * Replacing text across multiple files::
1221 * Documentation for etags::
1222 * Disabling backups::
1223 * Disabling auto-save-mode::
1224 * Going to a line by number::
1225 * Modifying pull-down menus::
1226 * Deleting menus and menu options::
1227 * Turning on syntax highlighting::
1228 * Scrolling only one line::
1229 * Replacing highlighted text::
1230 * Editing MS-DOS files::
1231 * Filling paragraphs with a single space::
1232 * Escape sequences in shell output::
1235 @node Setting up a customization file, Using Customize, Common requests, Common requests
1236 @section How do I set up a @file{.emacs} file properly?
1237 @cindex @file{.emacs} file, setting up
1238 @cindex @file{.emacs} file, locating
1239 @cindex Init file, setting up
1240 @cindex Customization file, setting up
1242 @inforef{Init File, Init File, emacs}.
1244 In general, new Emacs users should not have @file{.emacs} files, because
1245 it causes confusing non-standard behavior. Then they send questions to
1246 @email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} asking why Emacs isn't behaving as
1249 Beginning with version 20.1, Emacs includes the new Customize facility
1250 (@pxref{Using Customize}). This allows users who are unfamiliar with
1251 Emacs Lisp to modify their @file{.emacs} files in a relatively
1252 straightforward way, using menus rather than Lisp code. Most packages
1253 support Customize as of this writing.
1255 While Customize might indeed make it easier to configure Emacs,
1256 consider taking a bit of time to learn Emacs Lisp and modifying your
1257 @file{.emacs} directly. Simple configuration options are described
1258 rather completely in @inforef{Init File, Init File, emacs}, for users
1259 interested in performing frequently requested, basic tasks.
1261 Sometimes users are unsure as to where their @file{.emacs} file should
1262 be found. Visiting the file as @file{~/.emacs} from Emacs will find
1265 @node Using Customize, Colors on a TTY, Setting up a customization file, Common requests
1266 @section How do I start using Customize?
1267 @cindex Customize groups
1268 @cindex Customizing variables
1269 @cindex Customizing faces
1271 The main Customize entry point is @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET}}. This
1272 command takes you to a buffer listing all the available Customize
1273 groups. From there, you can access all customizable options and faces,
1274 change their values, and save your changes to your init file.
1275 @inforef{Easy Customization, Easy Customization, emacs}.
1277 If you know the name of the group in advance (e.g. ``shell''), use
1278 @kbd{M-x customize-group @key{RET}}.
1280 If you wish to customize a single option, use @kbd{M-x customize-option
1281 @key{RET}}. This command prompts you for the name of the option to
1282 customize, with completion.
1284 @node Colors on a TTY, Debugging a customization file, Using Customize, Common requests
1285 @section How do I get colors and syntax highlighting on a TTY?
1286 @cindex Colors on a TTY
1287 @cindex Syntax highlighting on a TTY
1288 @cindex Console, colors
1290 In Emacs 21.1 and later, colors and faces are supported in non-windowed mode,
1291 i.e.@: on Unix and GNU/Linux text-only terminals and consoles, and when
1292 invoked as @samp{emacs -nw} on X, MS-Windows, and Mac. (Colors and faces were
1293 supported in the MS-DOS port since Emacs 19.29.) Emacs automatically
1294 detects color support at startup and uses it if available. If you think
1295 that your terminal supports colors, but Emacs won't use them, check the
1296 @code{termcap} entry for your display type for color-related
1299 The command @kbd{M-x list-colors-display} pops up a window which
1300 exhibits all the colors Emacs knows about on the current display.
1302 Syntax highlighting is on by default since version 22.1.
1304 @node Debugging a customization file, Displaying the current line or column, Colors on a TTY, Common requests
1305 @section How do I debug a @file{.emacs} file?
1306 @cindex Debugging @file{.emacs} file
1307 @cindex @file{.emacs} debugging
1308 @cindex Init file debugging
1309 @cindex @samp{-debug-init} option
1311 Start Emacs with the @samp{-debug-init} command-line option. This
1312 enables the Emacs Lisp debugger before evaluating your @file{.emacs}
1313 file, and places you in the debugger if something goes wrong. The top
1314 line in the @file{trace-back} buffer will be the error message, and the
1315 second or third line of that buffer will display the Lisp code from your
1316 @file{.emacs} file that caused the problem.
1318 You can also evaluate an individual function or argument to a function
1319 in your @file{.emacs} file by moving the cursor to the end of the
1320 function or argument and typing @kbd{C-x C-e} (@kbd{M-x
1323 Use @kbd{C-h v} (@kbd{M-x describe-variable}) to check the value of
1324 variables which you are trying to set or use.
1326 @node Displaying the current line or column, Displaying the current file name in the titlebar, Debugging a customization file, Common requests
1327 @section How do I make Emacs display the current line (or column) number?
1328 @cindex @code{line-number-mode}
1329 @cindex Displaying the current line or column
1330 @cindex Line number, displaying the current
1331 @cindex Column, displaying the current
1332 @cindex @code{mode-line-format}
1334 To have Emacs automatically display the current line number of the point
1335 in the mode line, do @kbd{M-x line-number-mode}. You can also put the
1339 (setq line-number-mode t)
1343 in your @file{.emacs} file to achieve this whenever you start Emacs.
1344 (Line number display is on by default, unless your site-specific
1345 initialization disables it.) Note that Emacs will not display the line
1346 number if the buffer's size in bytes is larger than the value of the
1347 variable @code{line-number-display-limit}.
1349 As of Emacs 20, you can similarly display the current column with
1350 @kbd{M-x column-number-mode}, or by putting the form
1353 (setq column-number-mode t)
1357 in your @file{.emacs} file.
1359 The @code{"%c"} format specifier in the variable @code{mode-line-format}
1360 will insert the current column's value into the mode line. See the
1361 documentation for @code{mode-line-format} (using @kbd{C-h v
1362 mode-line-format @key{RET}}) for more information on how to set and use
1365 Users of all Emacs versions can display the current column using the
1366 @samp{column} package written by @email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per
1367 Abrahamsen}. @xref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}, for
1368 instructions on how to get it.
1370 @cindex Set number capability in @code{vi} emulators
1371 None of the @code{vi} emulation modes provide the ``set number''
1372 capability of @code{vi} (as far as we know). The @samp{setnu} package
1373 written by @email{kyle@@wonderworks.com, Kyle Jones} provides this
1374 feature. So too does @samp{wb-line-number}, written by
1375 @email{naoki.y.nakamura@@nifty.com, Naoki Nakamura}.
1377 @node Displaying the current file name in the titlebar, Turning on abbrevs by default, Displaying the current line or column, Common requests
1378 @section How can I modify the titlebar to contain the current file name?
1379 @cindex Titlebar, displaying the current file name in
1380 @cindex File name, displaying in the titlebar
1381 @cindex @code{frame-title-format}
1383 The contents of an Emacs frame's titlebar is controlled by the variable
1384 @code{frame-title-format}, which has the same structure as the variable
1385 @code{mode-line-format}. (Use @kbd{C-h v} or @kbd{M-x
1386 describe-variable} to get information about one or both of these
1389 By default, the titlebar for a frame does contain the name of the buffer
1390 currently being visited, except if there is a single frame. In such a
1391 case, the titlebar contains Emacs invocation name and the name of the
1392 machine at which Emacs was invoked. This is done by setting
1393 @code{frame-title-format} to the default value of
1396 (multiple-frames "%b" ("" invocation-name "@@" system-name))
1399 To modify the behavior such that frame titlebars contain the buffer's
1400 name regardless of the number of existing frames, include the following
1401 in your @file{.emacs}:
1404 (setq frame-title-format "%b")
1407 @node Turning on abbrevs by default, Turning on auto-fill by default, Displaying the current file name in the titlebar, Common requests
1408 @section How do I turn on abbrevs by default just in mode @var{mymode}?
1409 @cindex Abbrevs, turning on by default
1411 Put this in your @file{.emacs} file:
1415 (quietly-read-abbrev-file)
1418 (add-hook '@var{mymode}-mode-hook
1420 (setq abbrev-mode t)))
1423 Starting with Emacs 22, the standard abbrevs file is read automatically
1424 at startup, so the first of these two forms becomes unnecessary.
1426 @node Turning on auto-fill by default, Associating modes with files, Turning on abbrevs by default, Common requests
1427 @section How do I turn on @code{auto-fill-mode} by default?
1428 @cindex @code{auto-fill-mode}, activating automatically
1429 @cindex Filling automatically
1430 @cindex Automatic entry to @code{auto-fill-mode}
1432 To turn on @code{auto-fill-mode} just once for one buffer, use @kbd{M-x
1435 To turn it on for every buffer in a certain mode, you must use the hook
1436 for that mode. For example, to turn on @code{auto-fill} mode for all
1437 text buffers, including the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
1440 (add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-auto-fill)
1443 If you want @code{auto-fill} mode on in all major modes, do this:
1446 (setq-default auto-fill-function 'do-auto-fill)
1449 @node Associating modes with files, Working with unprintable characters, Turning on auto-fill by default, Common requests
1450 @section How do I make Emacs use a certain major mode for certain files?
1451 @cindex Associating modes with files
1452 @cindex File extensions and modes
1453 @cindex @code{auto-mode-alist}, modifying
1454 @cindex Modes, associating with file extensions
1456 If you want to use a certain mode @var{foo} for all files whose names end
1457 with the extension @file{.@var{bar}}, this will do it for you:
1460 (setq auto-mode-alist (cons '("\\.@var{bar}\\'" . @var{foo}-mode) auto-mode-alist))
1463 Otherwise put this somewhere in the first line of any file you want to
1464 edit in the mode @var{foo} (in the second line, if the first line begins
1471 @cindex Major mode for shell scripts
1472 Beginning with Emacs 19, the variable @code{interpreter-mode-alist}
1473 specifies which mode to use when loading a shell script. (Emacs
1474 determines which interpreter you're using by examining the first line of
1475 the script.) This feature only applies when the file name doesn't
1476 indicate which mode to use. Use @kbd{C-h v} (or @kbd{M-x
1477 describe-variable}) on @code{interpreter-mode-alist} to learn more.
1479 @node Working with unprintable characters, Highlighting a region, Associating modes with files, Common requests
1480 @section How do I search for, delete, or replace unprintable (eight-bit or control) characters?
1481 @cindex Unprintable characters, working with
1482 @cindex Working with unprintable characters
1483 @cindex Control characters, working with
1484 @cindex Eight-bit characters, working with
1485 @cindex Searching for unprintable characters
1486 @cindex Regexps and unprintable characters
1488 To search for a single character that appears in the buffer as, for
1489 example, @samp{\237}, you can type @kbd{C-s C-q 2 3 7}. (This assumes
1490 the value of @code{search-quote-char} is 17 (i.e., @kbd{C-q}).)
1491 Searching for @strong{all} unprintable characters is best done with a
1492 regular expression (@dfn{regexp}) search. The easiest regexp to use for
1493 the unprintable chars is the complement of the regexp for the printable
1499 Regexp for the printable chars: @samp{[\t\n\r\f -~]}
1502 Regexp for the unprintable chars: @samp{[^\t\n\r\f -~]}
1506 To type these special characters in an interactive argument to
1507 @code{isearch-forward-regexp} or @code{re-search-forward}, you need to
1508 use @kbd{C-q}. (@samp{\t}, @samp{\n}, @samp{\r}, and @samp{\f} stand
1509 respectively for @key{TAB}, @key{LFD}, @key{RET}, and @kbd{C-l}.) So,
1510 to search for unprintable characters using @code{re-search-forward}:
1512 @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}}
1514 Using @code{isearch-forward-regexp}:
1516 @kbd{C-M-s [^ @key{TAB} @key{LFD} C-q @key{RET} C-q C-l @key{SPC} -~]}
1518 To delete all unprintable characters, simply use replace-regexp:
1520 @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}}
1522 Replacing is similar to the above. To replace all unprintable
1523 characters with a colon, use:
1525 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}
1530 You don't need to quote @key{TAB} with either isearch or typing
1531 something in the minibuffer.
1535 @node Highlighting a region, Controlling case sensitivity, Working with unprintable characters, Common requests
1536 @section How can I highlight a region of text in Emacs?
1537 @cindex Highlighting text
1538 @cindex Text, highlighting
1539 @cindex @code{transient-mark-mode}
1540 @cindex Region, highlighting a
1542 You can cause the region to be highlighted when the mark is active by
1546 (transient-mark-mode t)
1550 in your @file{.emacs} file.
1552 @node Controlling case sensitivity, Searching for/replacing newlines, Highlighting a region, Common requests
1553 @section How do I control Emacs's case-sensitivity when searching/replacing?
1554 @cindex @code{case-fold-search}
1555 @cindex Case sensitivity of searches
1556 @cindex Searching without case sensitivity
1557 @cindex Ignoring case in searches
1559 For searching, the value of the variable @code{case-fold-search}
1560 determines whether they are case sensitive:
1563 (setq case-fold-search nil) ; make searches case sensitive
1564 (setq case-fold-search t) ; make searches case insensitive
1567 @cindex Case sensitivity in replacements
1568 @cindex Replacing, and case sensitivity
1569 @cindex @code{case-replace}
1570 Similarly, for replacing, the variable @code{case-replace} determines
1571 whether replacements preserve case.
1573 You can also toggle case sensitivity at will in isearch with @kbd{M-c}.
1575 To change the case sensitivity just for one major mode, use the major
1576 mode's hook. For example:
1579 (add-hook '@var{foo}-mode-hook
1581 (setq case-fold-search nil)))
1584 @node Searching for/replacing newlines, Yanking text in isearch, Controlling case sensitivity, Common requests
1585 @section How do I input a newline character in isearch or query-replace?
1586 @cindex Searching for newlines
1587 @cindex Replacing newlines
1589 Use @kbd{C-q C-j}. For more information, see @inforef{Special Isearch,
1590 Special Input for Incremental Search, emacs}.
1593 @node Yanking text in isearch, Wrapping words automatically, Searching for/replacing newlines, Common requests
1594 @section How do I copy text from the kill ring into the search string?
1595 @cindex Yanking text into the search string
1596 @cindex isearch yanking
1598 Use @kbd{M-y}. @inforef{Isearch Yank, Isearch Yanking, emacs}.
1600 @node Wrapping words automatically, Spell-checkers, Yanking text in isearch, Common requests
1601 @section How do I make Emacs wrap words for me?
1602 @cindex Wrapping word automatically
1603 @cindex Wrapping lines
1605 @cindex @code{auto-fill-mode}, introduction to
1606 @cindex Maximum line width, default value
1607 @cindex @code{fill-column}, default value
1609 Use @code{auto-fill-mode}, activated by typing @kbd{M-x auto-fill-mode}.
1610 The default maximum line width is 70, determined by the variable
1611 @code{fill-column}. To learn how to turn this on automatically, see
1612 @ref{Turning on auto-fill by default}.
1614 @node Spell-checkers, Checking TeX and *roff documents, Wrapping words automatically, Common requests
1615 @section Where can I get a better spelling checker for Emacs?
1616 @cindex Checking spelling
1617 @cindex Spelling, checking text documents
1619 Use Ispell. @xref{Ispell}.
1621 @node Checking TeX and *roff documents, Changing load-path, Spell-checkers, Common requests
1622 @section How can I spell-check @TeX{} or *roff documents?
1623 @cindex Spelling, checking @TeX{} documents
1624 @cindex @TeX{} documents, checking spelling in
1626 Use Ispell. Ispell can handle @TeX{} and *roff documents.
1629 @node Changing load-path, Using an already running Emacs process, Checking TeX and *roff documents, Common requests
1630 @section How do I change @code{load-path}?
1631 @cindex @code{load-path}, modifying
1632 @cindex Modifying @code{load-path}
1633 @cindex Adding to @code{load-path}
1635 In general, you should only add to the @code{load-path}. You can add
1636 directory @var{/dir/subdir} to the load path like this:
1639 (setq load-path (cons "/dir/subdir/" load-path))
1642 To do this relative to your home directory:
1645 (setq load-path (cons "~/mysubdir/" load-path))
1648 @node Using an already running Emacs process, Compiler error messages, Changing load-path, Common requests
1649 @section How do I use an already running Emacs from another window?
1650 @cindex @code{emacsclient}
1651 @cindex Emacs server functions
1652 @cindex Using an existing Emacs process
1654 @code{emacsclient}, which comes with Emacs, is for editing a file using
1655 an already running Emacs rather than starting up a new Emacs. It does
1656 this by sending a request to the already running Emacs, which must be
1657 expecting the request.
1664 Emacs must have executed the @code{server-start} function for
1665 @samp{emacsclient} to work. This can be done either by a command line
1669 emacs -f server-start
1672 or by invoking @code{server-start} from @file{.emacs}:
1675 (if (@var{some conditions are met}) (server-start))
1678 When this is done, Emacs creates a Unix domain socket named
1679 @file{server} in @file{/tmp/emacs@var{userid}}. See
1680 @code{server-socket-dir}.
1682 To get your news reader, mail reader, etc., to invoke
1683 @samp{emacsclient}, try setting the environment variable @code{EDITOR}
1684 (or sometimes @code{VISUAL}) to the value @samp{emacsclient}. You may
1685 have to specify the full pathname of the @samp{emacsclient} program
1690 setenv EDITOR emacsclient
1692 # using full pathname
1693 setenv EDITOR /usr/local/emacs/etc/emacsclient
1696 EDITOR=emacsclient ; export EDITOR
1702 When @samp{emacsclient} is run, it connects to the socket and passes its
1703 command line options to Emacs, which at the next opportunity will visit
1704 the files specified. (Line numbers can be specified just like with
1705 Emacs.) The user will have to switch to the Emacs window by hand. When
1706 the user is done editing a file, the user can type @kbd{C-x #} (or
1707 @kbd{M-x server-edit}) to indicate this. If there is another buffer
1708 requested by @code{emacsclient}, Emacs will switch to it; otherwise
1709 @code{emacsclient} will exit, signaling the calling program to continue.
1711 @cindex @code{gnuserv}
1712 There is an enhanced version of @samp{emacsclient} called
1713 @samp{gnuserv}, written by @email{ange@@hplb.hpl.hp.com, Andy Norman}
1714 (@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). @samp{gnuserv} uses
1715 Internet domain sockets, so it can work across most network connections.
1717 The most recent @samp{gnuserv} package is available at
1719 @uref{http://meltin.net/hacks/emacs/}
1723 @node Compiler error messages, Indenting switch statements, Using an already running Emacs process, Common requests
1724 @section How do I make Emacs recognize my compiler's funny error messages?
1725 @cindex Compiler error messages, recognizing
1726 @cindex Recognizing non-standard compiler errors
1727 @cindex Regexps for recognizing compiler errors
1728 @cindex Errors, recognizing compiler
1730 Customize the @code{compilation-error-regexp-alist} variable.
1732 @node Indenting switch statements, Customizing C and C++ indentation, Compiler error messages, Common requests
1733 @section How do I change the indentation for @code{switch}?
1734 @cindex @code{switch}, indenting
1735 @cindex Indenting of @code{switch}
1737 Many people want to indent their @code{switch} statements like this:
1755 The solution at first appears to be: set @code{c-indent-level} to 4 and
1756 @code{c-label-offset} to -2. However, this will give you an indentation
1757 spacing of four instead of two.
1759 The @emph{real} solution is to use @code{cc-mode} (the default mode for
1760 C programming in Emacs 20 and later) and add the following line to your
1764 (c-set-offset 'case-label '+)
1767 There appears to be no way to do this with the old @code{c-mode}.
1769 @node Customizing C and C++ indentation, Horizontal scrolling, Indenting switch statements, Common requests
1770 @section How to customize indentation in C, C@t{++}, and Java buffers?
1771 @cindex Indentation, how to customize
1772 @cindex Customize indentation
1774 The Emacs @code{cc-mode} features an interactive procedure for
1775 customizing the indentation style, which is fully explained in the
1776 @cite{CC Mode} manual that is part of the Emacs distribution, see
1777 @ref{Customizing Indentation, , Customization Indentation, ccmode,
1778 The CC Mode Manual}. Here's a short summary of the procedure:
1782 Go to the beginning of the first line where you don't like the
1783 indentation and type @kbd{C-c C-o}. Emacs will prompt you for the
1784 syntactic symbol; type @key{RET} to accept the default it suggests.
1787 Emacs now prompts for the offset of this syntactic symbol, showing the
1788 default (the current definition) inside parentheses. You can choose
1793 No extra indentation.
1795 Indent one basic offset.
1797 Outdent one basic offset.
1799 Indent two basic offsets
1801 Outdent two basic offsets.
1803 Indent half basic offset.
1805 Outdent half basic offset.
1809 After choosing one of these symbols, type @kbd{C-c C-q} to reindent
1810 the line or the block according to what you just specified.
1813 If you don't like the result, go back to step 1. Otherwise, add the
1814 following line to your @file{.emacs}:
1817 (c-set-offset '@var{syntactic-symbol} @var{offset})
1821 where @var{syntactic-symbol} is the name Emacs shows in the minibuffer
1822 when you type @kbd{C-c C-o} at the beginning of the line, and
1823 @var{offset} is one of the indentation symbols listed above (@code{+},
1824 @code{/}, @code{0}, etc.) that you've chosen during the interactive
1828 Go to the next line whose indentation is not to your liking and repeat
1832 It is recommended to put all the resulting @code{(c-set-offset ...)}
1833 customizations inside a C mode hook, like this:
1836 (defun my-c-mode-hook ()
1839 (add-hook 'c-mode-hook 'my-c-mode-hook)
1843 Using @code{c-mode-hook} avoids the need to put a @w{@code{(require
1844 'cc-mode)}} into your @file{.emacs} file, because @code{c-set-offset}
1845 might be unavailable when @code{cc-mode} is not loaded.
1847 Note that @code{c-mode-hook} runs for C source files only; use
1848 @code{c++-mode-hook} for C@t{++} sources, @code{java-mode-hook} for
1849 Java sources, etc. If you want the same customizations to be in
1850 effect in @emph{all} languages supported by @code{cc-mode}, use
1851 @code{c-mode-common-hook}.
1853 @node Horizontal scrolling, Overwrite mode, Customizing C and C++ indentation, Common requests
1854 @section How can I make Emacs automatically scroll horizontally?
1855 @cindex @code{hscroll-mode}
1856 @cindex Horizontal scrolling
1857 @cindex Scrolling horizontally
1859 In Emacs 21 and later, this is on by default: if the variable
1860 @code{truncate-lines} is non-@code{nil} in the current buffer, Emacs
1861 automatically scrolls the display horizontally when point moves off the
1862 left or right edge of the window.
1864 Note that this is overridden by the variable
1865 @code{truncate-partial-width-windows} if that variable is non-nil
1866 and the current buffer is not full-frame width.
1868 In Emacs 20, use the @code{hscroll-mode}. Here is some information from
1869 the documentation, available by typing @kbd{C-h f hscroll-mode @key{RET}}:
1871 Automatically scroll horizontally when the point moves off the
1872 left or right edge of the window.
1876 Type @kbd{M-x hscroll-mode} to enable it in the current buffer.
1879 Type @kbd{M-x hscroll-global-mode} to enable it in every buffer.
1882 @code{turn-on-hscroll} is useful in mode hooks as in:
1885 (add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-hscroll)
1889 @code{hscroll-margin} controls how close the cursor can get to the
1893 @code{hscroll-step-percent} controls how far to jump once we decide to do so.
1896 @node Overwrite mode, Turning off beeping, Horizontal scrolling, Common requests
1897 @section How do I make Emacs ``typeover'' or ``overwrite'' instead of inserting?
1898 @cindex @key{Insert}
1899 @cindex @code{overwrite-mode}
1900 @cindex Overwriting existing text
1901 @cindex Toggling @code{overwrite-mode}
1903 @kbd{M-x overwrite-mode} (a minor mode). This toggles
1904 @code{overwrite-mode} on and off, so exiting from @code{overwrite-mode}
1905 is as easy as another @kbd{M-x overwrite-mode}.
1907 On some systems, @key{Insert} toggles @code{overwrite-mode} on and off.
1909 @node Turning off beeping, Turning the volume down, Overwrite mode, Common requests
1910 @section How do I stop Emacs from beeping on a terminal?
1911 @cindex Beeping, turning off
1912 @cindex Visible bell
1913 @cindex Bell, visible
1915 @email{martin@@cc.gatech.edu, Martin R. Frank} writes:
1917 Tell Emacs to use the @dfn{visible bell} instead of the audible bell,
1918 and set the visible bell to nothing.
1920 That is, put the following in your @code{TERMCAP} environment variable
1921 (assuming you have one):
1927 And evaluate the following Lisp form:
1930 (setq visible-bell t)
1933 @node Turning the volume down, Automatic indentation, Turning off beeping, Common requests
1934 @section How do I turn down the bell volume in Emacs running under X?
1935 @cindex Bell, volume of
1936 @cindex Volume of bell
1938 On X Window system, you can adjust the bell volume and duration for all
1939 programs with the shell command @code{xset}.
1941 Invoking @code{xset} without any arguments produces some basic
1942 information, including the following:
1945 usage: xset [-display host:dpy] option ...
1948 To set bell volume, pitch and duration:
1949 b [vol [pitch [dur]]] b on
1952 @node Automatic indentation, Matching parentheses, Turning the volume down, Common requests
1953 @section How do I tell Emacs to automatically indent a new line to the indentation of the previous line?
1954 @cindex Indenting new lines
1955 @cindex New lines, indenting of
1956 @cindex Previous line, indenting according to
1957 @cindex Text indentation
1959 Such behavior is automatic in Emacs 20 and later. From the
1960 @file{etc/NEWS} file for Emacs 20.2:
1963 ** In Text mode, now only blank lines separate paragraphs. This makes
1964 it possible to get the full benefit of Adaptive Fill mode in Text mode,
1965 and other modes derived from it (such as Mail mode). @key{TAB} in Text
1966 mode now runs the command @code{indent-relative}; this makes a practical
1967 difference only when you use indented paragraphs.
1969 As a result, the old Indented Text mode is now identical to Text mode,
1970 and is an alias for it.
1972 If you want spaces at the beginning of a line to start a paragraph, use
1973 the new mode, Paragraph Indent Text mode.
1976 @cindex Prefixing lines
1978 If you have @code{auto-fill-mode} turned on (@pxref{Turning on auto-fill
1979 by default}), you can tell Emacs to prefix every line with a certain
1980 character sequence, the @dfn{fill prefix}. Type the prefix at the
1981 beginning of a line, position point after it, and then type @kbd{C-x .}
1982 (@code{set-fill-prefix}) to set the fill prefix. Thereafter,
1983 auto-filling will automatically put the fill prefix at the beginning of
1984 new lines, and @kbd{M-q} (@code{fill-paragraph}) will maintain any fill
1985 prefix when refilling the paragraph.
1987 If you have paragraphs with different levels of indentation, you will
1988 have to set the fill prefix to the correct value each time you move to a
1989 new paragraph. There are many packages available to deal with this
1990 (@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). Look for ``fill'' and
1991 ``indent'' keywords for guidance.
1993 @node Matching parentheses, Hiding #ifdef lines, Automatic indentation, Common requests
1994 @section How do I show which parenthesis matches the one I'm looking at?
1995 @cindex Parentheses, matching
1996 @cindex @file{paren.el}
1997 @cindex Highlighting matching parentheses
1998 @cindex Pairs of parentheses, highlighting
1999 @cindex Matching parentheses
2001 Call @code{show-paren-mode} in your @file{.emacs} file:
2007 You can also enable this mode by selecting the @samp{Paren Match
2008 Highlighting} option from the @samp{Options} menu of the Emacs menu bar
2009 at the top of any Emacs frame.
2011 Alternatives to this mode include:
2016 If you're looking at a right parenthesis (or brace or bracket) you can
2017 delete it and reinsert it. Emacs will momentarily move the cursor to
2018 the matching parenthesis.
2021 @kbd{C-M-f} (@code{forward-sexp}) and @kbd{C-M-b} (@code{backward-sexp})
2022 will skip over one set of balanced parentheses, so you can see which
2023 parentheses match. (You can train it to skip over balanced brackets
2024 and braces at the same time by modifying the syntax table.)
2026 @cindex Show matching paren as in @code{vi}
2028 Here is some Emacs Lisp that will make the @key{%} key show the matching
2029 parenthesis, like in @code{vi}. In addition, if the cursor isn't over a
2030 parenthesis, it simply inserts a % like normal.
2033 ;; By an unknown contributor
2035 (global-set-key "%" 'match-paren)
2037 (defun match-paren (arg)
2038 "Go to the matching paren if on a paren; otherwise insert %."
2040 (cond ((looking-at "\\s\(") (forward-list 1) (backward-char 1))
2041 ((looking-at "\\s\)") (forward-char 1) (backward-list 1))
2042 (t (self-insert-command (or arg 1)))))
2047 @node Hiding #ifdef lines, Repeating commands, Matching parentheses, Common requests
2048 @section In C mode, can I show just the lines that will be left after @code{#ifdef} commands are handled by the compiler?
2049 @cindex @code{#ifdef}, selective display of
2050 @cindex @code{hide-ifdef-mode}
2051 @cindex Hiding @code{#ifdef} text
2052 @cindex Selectively displaying @code{#ifdef} code
2054 @kbd{M-x hide-ifdef-mode}. (This is a minor mode.) You might also want
2055 to investigate @file{cpp.el}, which is distributed with Emacs.
2057 @node Repeating commands, Valid X resources, Hiding #ifdef lines, Common requests
2058 @section Is there an equivalent to the @code{.} (dot) command of vi?
2059 @cindex Repeating commands as with @code{vi}
2060 @cindex Command, repeat last
2061 @cindex @code{.}, equivalent to @code{vi} command
2063 (@code{.} is the redo command in @code{vi}. It redoes the last
2064 insertion/deletion.)
2066 As of Emacs 20.3, there is indeed a @code{repeat} command (@kbd{C-x z})
2067 that repeats the last command. If you preface it with a prefix
2068 argument, the prefix arg is applied to the command.
2070 You can also type @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC}}
2071 (@code{repeat-complex-command}) to reinvoke commands that used the
2072 minibuffer to get arguments. In @code{repeat-complex-command} you can
2073 type @kbd{M-p} and @kbd{M-n} (and also up-arrow and down-arrow, if your
2074 keyboard has these keys) to scan through all the different complex
2075 commands you've typed.
2077 To repeat a set of commands, use keyboard macros. (@inforef{Keyboard
2078 Macros, Keyboard Macros, emacs}.)
2080 If you're really desperate for the @code{.} command, use VIPER, a
2081 @code{vi} emulation mode which comes with Emacs, and which appears to
2082 support it. (@xref{VIPER}.)
2084 @node Valid X resources, Evaluating Emacs Lisp code, Repeating commands, Common requests
2085 @section What are the valid X resource settings (i.e., stuff in .Xdefaults)?
2086 @cindex Resources, X
2088 @cindex Setting X resources
2090 @inforef{X Resources, X Resources, emacs}.
2092 You can also use a resource editor, such as editres (for X11R5 and
2093 onwards), to look at the resource names for the menu bar, assuming Emacs
2094 was compiled with the X toolkit.
2096 @node Evaluating Emacs Lisp code, Changing the length of a Tab, Valid X resources, Common requests
2097 @section How do I execute (``evaluate'') a piece of Emacs Lisp code?
2098 @cindex Evaluating Lisp code
2099 @cindex Lisp forms, evaluating
2101 There are a number of ways to execute (@dfn{evaluate}, in Lisp lingo) an
2102 Emacs Lisp @dfn{form}:
2107 If you want it evaluated every time you run Emacs, put it in a file
2108 named @file{.emacs} in your home directory. This is known as ``your
2109 @file{.emacs} file,'' and contains all of your personal customizations.
2112 You can type the form in the @file{*scratch*} buffer, and then type
2113 @key{LFD} (or @kbd{C-j}) after it. The result of evaluating the form
2114 will be inserted in the buffer.
2117 In @code{emacs-lisp-mode}, typing @kbd{C-M-x} evaluates a top-level form
2118 before or around point.
2121 Typing @kbd{C-x C-e} in any buffer evaluates the Lisp form immediately
2122 before point and prints its value in the echo area.
2125 Typing @kbd{M-:} or @kbd{M-x eval-expression} allows you to type a Lisp
2126 form in the minibuffer which will be evaluated once you press @key{RET}.
2129 You can use @kbd{M-x load-file} to have Emacs evaluate all the Lisp
2130 forms in a file. (To do this from Lisp use the function @code{load}
2133 The functions @code{load-library}, @code{eval-region},
2134 @code{eval-current-buffer}, @code{require}, and @code{autoload} are also
2135 useful; see @ref{Emacs Lisp documentation}, if you want to learn more
2140 @node Changing the length of a Tab, Inserting text at the beginning of each line, Evaluating Emacs Lisp code, Common requests
2141 @section How do I change Emacs's idea of the @key{TAB} character's length?
2143 @cindex Length of tab character
2144 @cindex @code{default-tab-width}
2146 Set the variable @code{default-tab-width}. For example, to set
2147 @key{TAB} stops every 10 characters, insert the following in your
2151 (setq default-tab-width 10)
2154 Do not confuse variable @code{tab-width} with variable
2155 @code{tab-stop-list}. The former is used for the display of literal
2156 @key{TAB} characters. The latter controls what characters are inserted
2157 when you press the @key{TAB} character in certain modes.
2159 @node Inserting text at the beginning of each line, Underlining paragraphs, Changing the length of a Tab, Common requests
2160 @section How do I insert <some text> at the beginning of every line?
2161 @cindex Prefixing a region with some text
2162 @cindex Prefix character, inserting in mail/news replies
2163 @cindex Replies to mail/news, inserting a prefix character
2164 @cindex @code{mail-yank-prefix}
2165 @cindex Mail replies, inserting a prefix character
2166 @cindex News replies, inserting a prefix character
2168 To do this to an entire buffer, type @kbd{M-< M-x replace-regexp
2169 @key{RET} ^ @key{RET} your text @key{RET}}.
2171 To do this to a region, use @code{string-insert-rectangle}.
2172 Set the mark (@kbd{C-@key{SPC}}) at the beginning of the first line you
2173 want to prefix, move the cursor to last line to be prefixed, and type
2174 @kbd{M-x string-insert-rectangle @key{RET}}. To do this for the whole
2175 buffer, type @kbd{C-x h M-x string-insert-rectangle @key{RET}}.
2177 If you are trying to prefix a yanked mail message with @samp{>}, you
2178 might want to set the variable @code{mail-yank-prefix}. In Message
2179 buffers, you can even use @kbd{M-;} to cite yanked messages (@kbd{M-;}
2180 runs the function @code{comment-region}, it is a general-purpose
2181 mechanism to comment regions) (@pxref{Changing the included text prefix}).
2183 @node Underlining paragraphs, Repeating a command as many times as possible, Inserting text at the beginning of each line, Common requests
2184 @section How do I insert @samp{_^H} before each character in a region to get an underlined paragraph?
2185 @cindex Underlining a region of text
2186 @cindex @code{underline-region}
2188 Mark the region and then type @kbd{M-x underline-region @key{RET}}.
2190 @node Repeating a command as many times as possible, Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column, Underlining paragraphs, Common requests
2191 @section How do I repeat a command as many times as possible?
2192 @cindex Repeating commands many times
2193 @cindex Commands, repeating many times
2195 Use @kbd{C-x (} and @kbd{C-x )} to make a keyboard macro that invokes
2196 the command and then type @kbd{M-0 C-x e}.
2198 Any messages your command prints in the echo area will be suppressed.
2200 If you need to repeat a command a small number of times, you can use
2201 @kbd{C-x z} (@pxref{Repeating commands}) or @kbd{C-x e}.
2203 @node Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column, Forcing Emacs to iconify itself, Repeating a command as many times as possible, Common requests
2204 @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?
2205 @cindex @code{picture-mode}
2206 @cindex Remaining in the same column, regardless of contents
2207 @cindex Vertical movement in empty documents
2209 Use @kbd{M-x picture-mode}.
2211 See also the variable @code{track-eol} and the command
2212 @code{set-goal-column} bound to @kbd{C-x C-n}
2213 (@pxref{Moving Point, , , emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}).
2215 @node Forcing Emacs to iconify itself, Using regular expressions, Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column, Common requests
2216 @section How do I tell Emacs to iconify itself?
2217 @cindex Iconification under the X Window System
2218 @cindex X Window System and iconification
2219 @cindex Suspending Emacs
2221 @kbd{C-z} iconifies Emacs when running under X and suspends Emacs
2222 otherwise. @inforef{Frame Commands, Frame Commands, emacs}.
2224 @node Using regular expressions, Replacing text across multiple files, Forcing Emacs to iconify itself, Common requests
2225 @section How do I use regexps (regular expressions) in Emacs?
2227 @cindex Regular expressions
2228 @cindex Differences between Unix and Emacs regexps
2229 @cindex Unix regeps, differences from Emacs
2230 @cindex Text strings, putting regexps in
2232 @inforef{Regexp Backslash, Regexp Backslash, emacs}.
2234 The @code{or} operator is @samp{\|}, not @samp{|}, and the grouping operators
2235 are @samp{\(} and @samp{\)}. Also, the string syntax for a backslash is
2236 @samp{\\}. To specify a regular expression like @samp{xxx\(foo\|bar\)}
2237 in a Lisp string, use @samp{xxx\\(foo\\|bar\\)}.
2239 Note the doubled backslashes!
2244 Unlike in Unix @file{grep}, @file{sed}, etc., a complement character set
2245 (@samp{[^...]}) can match a newline character (@key{LFD} a.k.a.@:
2246 @kbd{C-j} a.k.a.@: @samp{\n}), unless newline is mentioned as one of the
2247 characters not to match.
2250 The character syntax regexps (e.g., @samp{\sw}) are not
2251 meaningful inside character set regexps (e.g., @samp{[aeiou]}). (This
2252 is actually typical for regexp syntax.)
2256 @node Replacing text across multiple files, Documentation for etags, Using regular expressions, Common requests
2257 @section How do I perform a replace operation across more than one file?
2258 @cindex Replacing strings across files
2259 @cindex Multiple files, replacing across
2260 @cindex Files, replacing strings across multiple
2262 The ``tags'' feature of Emacs includes the command
2263 @code{tags-query-replace} which performs a query-replace across all the
2264 files mentioned in the @file{TAGS} file. @inforef{Tags Search, Tags Search,
2267 As of Emacs 19.29, Dired mode (@kbd{M-x dired @key{RET}}, or @kbd{C-x d})
2268 supports the command @code{dired-do-query-replace} (@kbd{Q}), which allows
2269 users to replace regular expressions in multiple files.
2271 @node Documentation for etags, Disabling backups, Replacing text across multiple files, Common requests
2272 @section Where is the documentation for @code{etags}?
2273 @cindex Documentation for @code{etags}
2274 @cindex @code{etags}, documentation for
2276 The @code{etags} man page should be in the same place as the
2277 @code{emacs} man page.
2279 Quick command-line switch descriptions are also available. For example,
2282 @node Disabling backups, Disabling auto-save-mode, Documentation for etags, Common requests
2283 @section How do I disable backup files?
2284 @cindex Backups, disabling
2285 @cindex Disabling backups
2287 You probably don't want to do this, since backups are useful, especially
2288 when something goes wrong.
2290 To avoid seeing backup files (and other ``uninteresting'' files) in Dired,
2291 load @code{dired-x} by adding the following to your @file{.emacs} file:
2294 (add-hook 'dired-load-hook
2299 With @code{dired-x} loaded, @kbd{M-o} toggles omitting in each dired buffer.
2300 You can make omitting the default for new dired buffers by putting the
2301 following in your @file{.emacs}:
2304 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'dired-omit-toggle)
2307 If you're tired of seeing backup files whenever you do an @samp{ls} at
2308 the Unix shell, try GNU @code{ls} with the @samp{-B} option. GNU
2309 @code{ls} is part of the GNU Fileutils package, available from
2310 @samp{ftp.gnu.org} and its mirrors (@pxref{Current GNU distributions}).
2312 To disable or change the way backups are made, @inforef{Backup Names, ,
2315 @cindex Backup files in a single directory
2316 Beginning with Emacs 21.1, you can control where Emacs puts backup files
2317 by customizing the variable @code{backup-directory-alist}. This
2318 variable's value specifies that files whose names match specific patters
2319 should have their backups put in certain directories. A typical use is
2320 to add the element @code{("." . @var{dir})} to force Emacs to put
2321 @strong{all} backup files in the directory @file{dir}.
2323 @node Disabling auto-save-mode, Going to a line by number, Disabling backups, Common requests
2324 @section How do I disable @code{auto-save-mode}?
2325 @cindex Disabling @code{auto-save-mode}
2327 @cindex Saving at frequent intervals
2329 You probably don't want to do this, since auto-saving is useful,
2330 especially when Emacs or your computer crashes while you are editing a
2333 Instead, you might want to change the variable
2334 @code{auto-save-interval}, which specifies how many keystrokes Emacs
2335 waits before auto-saving. Increasing this value forces Emacs to wait
2336 longer between auto-saves, which might annoy you less.
2338 You might also want to look into Sebastian Kremer's @code{auto-save}
2339 package (@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). This
2340 package also allows you to place all auto-save files in one directory,
2341 such as @file{/tmp}.
2343 To disable or change how @code{auto-save-mode} works, @inforef{Auto
2346 @node Going to a line by number, Modifying pull-down menus, Disabling auto-save-mode, Common requests
2347 @section How can I go to a certain line given its number?
2348 @cindex Going to a line by number
2349 @cindex Compilation error messages
2350 @cindex Recompilation
2352 Are you sure you indeed need to go to a line by its number? Perhaps all
2353 you want is to display a line in your source file for which a compiler
2354 printed an error message? If so, compiling from within Emacs using the
2355 @kbd{M-x compile} and @kbd{M-x recompile} commands is a much more
2356 effective way of doing that. Emacs automatically intercepts the compile
2357 error messages, inserts them into a special buffer called
2358 @code{*compilation*}, and lets you visit the locus of each message in
2359 the source. Type @kbd{C-x `} to step through the offending lines one by
2360 one (starting with Emacs 22, you can also use @kbd{M-g M-p} and
2361 @kbd{M-g M-n} to go to the previous and next matches directly). Click
2362 @kbd{Mouse-2} or press @key{RET} on a message text in the
2363 @code{*compilation*} buffer to go to the line whose number is mentioned
2366 But if you indeed need to go to a certain text line, type @kbd{M-g M-g}
2367 (which is the default binding of the @code{goto-line} function starting
2368 with Emacs 22). Emacs will prompt you for the number of the line and go
2371 You can do this faster by invoking @code{goto-line} with a numeric
2372 argument that is the line's number. For example, @kbd{C-u 286 M-g M-g}
2373 will jump to line number 286 in the current buffer.
2375 @node Modifying pull-down menus, Deleting menus and menu options, Going to a line by number, Common requests
2376 @section How can I create or modify new pull-down menu options?
2377 @cindex Pull-down menus, creating or modifying
2378 @cindex Menus, creating or modifying
2379 @cindex Creating new menu options
2380 @cindex Modifying pull-down menus
2381 @cindex Menus and keymaps
2382 @cindex Keymaps and menus
2384 Each menu title (e.g., @samp{File}, @samp{Edit}, @samp{Buffers})
2385 represents a local or global keymap. Selecting a menu title with the
2386 mouse displays that keymap's non-@code{nil} contents in the form of a menu.
2388 So to add a menu option to an existing menu, all you have to do is add a
2389 new definition to the appropriate keymap. Adding a @samp{Forward Word}
2390 item to the @samp{Edit} menu thus requires the following Lisp code:
2393 (define-key global-map
2394 [menu-bar edit forward]
2395 '("Forward word" . forward-word))
2399 The first line adds the entry to the global keymap, which includes
2400 global menu bar entries. Replacing the reference to @code{global-map}
2401 with a local keymap would add this menu option only within a particular
2404 The second line describes the path from the menu-bar to the new entry.
2405 Placing this menu entry underneath the @samp{File} menu would mean
2406 changing the word @code{edit} in the second line to @code{file}.
2408 The third line is a cons cell whose first element is the title that will
2409 be displayed, and whose second element is the function that will be
2410 called when that menu option is invoked.
2412 To add a new menu, rather than a new option to an existing menu, we must
2413 define an entirely new keymap:
2416 (define-key global-map [menu-bar words]
2417 (cons "Words" (make-sparse-keymap "Words")))
2420 The above code creates a new sparse keymap, gives it the name
2421 @samp{Words}, and attaches it to the global menu bar. Adding the
2422 @samp{Forward Word} item to this new menu would thus require the
2426 (define-key global-map
2427 [menu-bar words forward]
2428 '("Forward word" . forward-word))
2432 Note that because of the way keymaps work, menu options are displayed
2433 with the more recently defined items at the top. Thus if you were to
2434 define menu options @samp{foo}, @samp{bar}, and @samp{baz} (in that
2435 order), the menu option @samp{baz} would appear at the top, and
2436 @samp{foo} would be at the bottom.
2438 One way to avoid this problem is to use the function @code{define-key-after},
2439 which works the same as @code{define-key}, but lets you modify where items
2440 appear. The following Lisp code would insert the @samp{Forward Word}
2441 item in the @samp{Edit} menu immediately following the @samp{Undo} item:
2445 (lookup-key global-map [menu-bar edit])
2447 '("Forward word" . forward-word)
2451 Note how the second and third arguments to @code{define-key-after} are
2452 different from those of @code{define-key}, and that we have added a new
2453 (final) argument, the function after which our new key should be
2456 To move a menu option from one position to another, simply evaluate
2457 @code{define-key-after} with the appropriate final argument.
2459 More detailed information---and more examples of how to create and
2460 modify menu options---are in the @cite{Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}, under
2461 ``Menu Keymaps''. (@xref{Emacs Lisp documentation}, for information on
2464 @node Deleting menus and menu options, Turning on syntax highlighting, Modifying pull-down menus, Common requests
2465 @section How do I delete menus and menu options?
2466 @cindex Deleting menus and menu options
2467 @cindex Menus, deleting
2469 The simplest way to remove a menu is to set its keymap to @samp{nil}.
2470 For example, to delete the @samp{Words} menu (@pxref{Modifying pull-down
2474 (define-key global-map [menu-bar words] nil)
2477 Similarly, removing a menu option requires redefining a keymap entry to
2478 @code{nil}. For example, to delete the @samp{Forward word} menu option
2479 from the @samp{Edit} menu (we added it in @ref{Modifying pull-down
2483 (define-key global-map [menu-bar edit forward] nil)
2486 @node Turning on syntax highlighting, Scrolling only one line, Deleting menus and menu options, Common requests
2487 @section How do I turn on syntax highlighting?
2488 @cindex Syntax highlighting
2489 @cindex @code{font-lock-mode}
2490 @cindex Highlighting based on syntax
2491 @cindex Colorizing text
2492 @cindex FAQ, @code{font-lock-mode}
2494 @code{font-lock-mode} is the standard way to have Emacs perform syntax
2495 highlighting in the current buffer. It is enabled by default in Emacs
2498 With @code{font-lock-mode} turned on, different types of text will
2499 appear in different colors. For instance, in a programming mode,
2500 variables will appear in one face, keywords in a second, and comments in
2503 @cindex hilit19 is deprecated
2504 Earlier versions of Emacs supported hilit19, a similar package. Use of
2505 hilit19 is now considered non-standard, although @file{hilit19.el} comes
2506 with the stock Emacs distribution. It is no longer maintained.
2508 To turn @code{font-lock-mode} off within an existing buffer, use
2509 @kbd{M-x font-lock-mode @key{RET}}.
2511 In Emacs 21 and earlier versions, you could use the following code in
2512 your @file{.emacs} file to turn on @code{font-lock-mode} globally:
2515 (global-font-lock-mode 1)
2518 Highlighting a buffer with @code{font-lock-mode} can take quite a while,
2519 and cause an annoying delay in display, so several features exist to
2522 @cindex Just-In-Time syntax highlighting
2523 In Emacs 21 and later, turning on @code{font-lock-mode} automatically
2524 activates the new @dfn{Just-In-Time fontification} provided by
2525 @code{jit-lock-mode}. @code{jit-lock-mode} defers the fontification of
2526 portions of buffer until you actually need to see them, and can also
2527 fontify while Emacs is idle. This makes display of the visible portion
2528 of a buffer almost instantaneous. For details about customizing
2529 @code{jit-lock-mode}, type @kbd{C-h f jit-lock-mode @key{RET}}.
2531 @cindex Levels of syntax highlighting
2532 @cindex Decoration level, in @code{font-lock-mode}
2533 In versions of Emacs before 21, different levels of decoration are
2534 available, from slight to gaudy. More decoration means you need to wait
2535 more time for a buffer to be fontified (or a faster machine). To
2536 control how decorated your buffers should become, set the value of
2537 @code{font-lock-maximum-decoration} in your @file{.emacs} file, with a
2538 @code{nil} value indicating default (usually minimum) decoration, and a
2539 @code{t} value indicating the maximum decoration. For the gaudiest
2540 possible look, then, include the line
2543 (setq font-lock-maximum-decoration t)
2547 in your @file{.emacs} file. You can also set this variable such that
2548 different modes are highlighted in a different ways; for more
2549 information, see the documentation for
2550 @code{font-lock-maximum-decoration} with @kbd{C-h v} (or @kbd{M-x
2551 describe-variable @key{RET}}).
2553 Also see the documentation for the function @code{font-lock-mode},
2554 available by typing @kbd{C-h f font-lock-mode} (@kbd{M-x
2555 describe-function @key{RET} font-lock-mode @key{RET}}).
2557 To print buffers with the faces (i.e., colors and fonts) intact, use
2558 @kbd{M-x ps-print-buffer-with-faces} or @kbd{M-x
2559 ps-print-region-with-faces}. You will need a way to send text to a
2560 PostScript printer, or a PostScript interpreter such as Ghostscript;
2561 consult the documentation of the variables @code{ps-printer-name},
2562 @code{ps-lpr-command}, and @code{ps-lpr-switches} for more details.
2564 @node Scrolling only one line, Replacing highlighted text, Turning on syntax highlighting, Common requests
2565 @section How can I force Emacs to scroll only one line when I move past the bottom of the screen?
2566 @cindex Scrolling only one line
2567 @cindex Reducing the increment when scrolling
2569 Customize the @code{scroll-conservatively} variable with @kbd{M-x
2570 customize-variable @key{RET} scroll-conservatively @key{RET}} and set it
2571 to a large value like, say, 10000. For an explanation of what this
2572 means, @inforef{Scrolling, Scrolling, emacs}.
2574 Alternatively, use the following Lisp form in your @file{.emacs}:
2577 (setq scroll-conservatively most-positive-fixnum)
2580 @node Replacing highlighted text, Editing MS-DOS files, Scrolling only one line, Common requests
2581 @section How can I replace highlighted text with what I type?
2582 @cindex @code{delete-selection-mode}
2583 @cindex Replacing highlighted text
2584 @cindex Highlighting and replacing text
2586 Use @code{delete-selection-mode}, which you can start automatically by
2587 placing the following Lisp form in your @file{.emacs} file:
2590 (delete-selection-mode 1)
2593 According to the documentation string for @code{delete-selection-mode}
2594 (which you can read using @kbd{M-x describe-function @key{RET}
2595 delete-selection-mode @key{RET}}):
2598 When ON, typed text replaces the selection if the selection is active.
2599 When OFF, typed text is just inserted at point.
2602 This mode also allows you to delete (not kill) the highlighted region by
2605 @node Editing MS-DOS files, Filling paragraphs with a single space, Replacing highlighted text, Common requests
2606 @section How can I edit MS-DOS files using Emacs?
2607 @cindex Editing MS-DOS files
2608 @cindex MS-DOS files, editing
2609 @cindex Microsoft files, editing
2610 @cindex Windows files, editing
2612 As of Emacs 20, detection and handling of MS-DOS (and Windows) files is
2613 performed transparently. You can open MS-DOS files on a Unix system,
2614 edit it, and save it without having to worry about the file format.
2616 When editing an MS-DOS style file, the mode line will indicate that it
2617 is a DOS file. On Unix and GNU/Linux systems, and also on a Macintosh,
2618 the string @samp{(DOS)} will appear near the left edge of the mode line;
2619 on DOS and Windows, where the DOS end-of-line (EOL) format is the
2620 default, a backslash (@samp{\}) will appear in the mode line.
2622 If you are running a version of Emacs before 20.1, get @code{crypt++}
2623 (@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}). Among other things,
2624 @code{crypt++} transparently modifies MS-DOS files as they are loaded
2625 and saved, allowing you to ignore the different conventions that Unix
2626 and MS-DOS have for delineating the end of a line.
2628 @node Filling paragraphs with a single space, Escape sequences in shell output, Editing MS-DOS files, Common requests
2629 @section How can I tell Emacs to fill paragraphs with a single space after each period?
2630 @cindex One space following periods
2631 @cindex Single space following periods
2632 @cindex Periods, one space following
2634 Add the following line to your @file{.emacs} file:
2637 (setq sentence-end-double-space nil)
2640 @node Escape sequences in shell output, , Filling paragraphs with a single space, Common requests
2641 @section Why these strange escape sequences from @code{ls} from the Shell mode?
2642 @cindex Escape sequences in @code{ls} output
2643 @cindex @code{ls} in Shell mode
2645 This happens because @code{ls} is aliased to @samp{ls --color} in your
2646 shell init file. You have two alternatives to solve this:
2650 Make the alias conditioned on the @code{EMACS} variable in the
2651 environment. When Emacs runs a subsidiary shell, it exports the
2652 @code{EMACS} variable with the value @code{t} to that shell. You can
2653 unalias @code{ls} when that happens, thus limiting the alias to your
2654 interactive sessions.
2657 Install the @code{ansi-color} package (bundled with Emacs 21.1 and
2658 later), which converts these ANSI escape sequences into colors.
2661 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
2662 @node Bugs and problems, Compiling and installing Emacs, Common requests, Top
2663 @chapter Bugs and problems
2664 @cindex Bugs and problems
2666 The Emacs manual lists some common kinds of trouble users could get
2667 into, see @ref{Lossage, , Dealing with Emacs Trouble, emacs, The GNU
2668 Emacs Manual}, so you might look there if the problem you encounter
2669 isn't described in this chapter. If you decide you've discovered a bug,
2670 see @ref{Bugs, , Reporting Bugs, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}, for
2671 instructions how to do that.
2673 The file @file{etc/PROBLEMS} in the Emacs distribution lists various
2674 known problems with building and using Emacs on specific platforms;
2675 type @kbd{C-h C-e} to read it.
2678 * Problems with very large files::
2679 * ^M in the shell buffer::
2680 * Shell process exits abnormally::
2681 * Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows::
2682 * Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs::
2683 * Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode::
2684 * Problems talking to certain hosts::
2685 * Errors with init files::
2686 * Emacs ignores X resources::
2687 * Emacs ignores frame parameters::
2688 * Emacs takes a long time to visit files::
2689 * Editing files with $ in the name::
2690 * Shell mode loses the current directory::
2691 * Security risks with Emacs::
2692 * Dired claims that no file is on this line::
2695 @node Problems with very large files, ^M in the shell buffer, Bugs and problems, Bugs and problems
2696 @section Does Emacs have problems with files larger than 8 megabytes?
2697 @cindex Very large files, opening
2698 @cindex Large files, opening
2699 @cindex Opening very large files
2700 @cindex Maximum file size
2701 @cindex Files, maximum size
2703 Old versions (i.e., anything before 19.29) of Emacs had problems editing
2704 files larger than 8 megabytes. In versions 19.29 and later, the maximum
2705 buffer size is at least 2^27-1, or 134,217,727 bytes, or 132 MBytes.
2706 And in Emacs 22, the maximum buffer size has been increased to
2707 268,435,455 bytes (or 256 MBytes) on 32-bit machines.
2709 @node ^M in the shell buffer, Shell process exits abnormally, Problems with very large files, Bugs and problems
2710 @section How do I get rid of @samp{^M} or echoed commands in my shell buffer?
2711 @cindex Shell buffer, echoed commands and @samp{^M} in
2712 @cindex Echoed commands in @code{shell-mode}
2714 Try typing @kbd{M-x shell-strip-ctrl-m @key{RET}} while in @code{shell-mode} to
2715 make them go away. If that doesn't work, you have several options:
2717 For @code{tcsh}, put this in your @file{.cshrc} (or @file{.tcshrc})
2722 if ("$EMACS" == t) then
2723 if ($?tcsh) unset edit
2729 Or put this in your @file{.emacs_tcsh} file:
2736 Alternatively, use @code{csh} in your shell buffers instead of
2737 @code{tcsh}. One way is:
2740 (setq explicit-shell-file-name "/bin/csh")
2744 and another is to do this in your @file{.cshrc} (or @file{.tcshrc})
2748 setenv ESHELL /bin/csh
2752 (You must start Emacs over again with the environment variable properly
2753 set for this to take effect.)
2755 You can also set the @code{ESHELL} environment variable in Emacs Lisp
2756 with the following Lisp form,
2759 (setenv "ESHELL" "/bin/csh")
2762 The above solutions try to prevent the shell from producing the
2763 @samp{^M} characters in the first place. If this is not possible
2764 (e.g., if you use a Windows shell), you can get Emacs to remove these
2765 characters from the buffer by adding this to your @file{.emacs} init
2769 (add-hook 'comint-output-filter-functions 'shell-strip-ctrl-m)
2772 On a related note: if your shell is echoing your input line in the shell
2773 buffer, you might want to customize the @code{comint-process-echoes}
2774 variable in your shell buffers, or try the following command in your
2775 shell start-up file:
2778 stty -icrnl -onlcr -echo susp ^Z
2781 @node Shell process exits abnormally, Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows, ^M in the shell buffer, Bugs and problems
2782 @section Why do I get ``Process shell exited abnormally with code 1''?
2783 @cindex Abnormal exits from @code{shell-mode}
2784 @cindex @code{shell-mode} exits
2785 @cindex Process shell exited
2787 The most likely reason for this message is that the @samp{env} program
2788 is not properly installed. Compile this program for your architecture,
2789 and install it with @samp{a+x} permission in the architecture-dependent
2790 Emacs program directory. (You can find what this directory is at your
2791 site by inspecting the value of the variable @code{exec-directory} by
2792 typing @kbd{C-h v exec-directory @key{RET}}.)
2794 You should also check for other programs named @samp{env} in your path
2795 (e.g., SunOS has a program named @file{/usr/bin/env}). We don't
2796 understand why this can cause a failure and don't know a general
2797 solution for working around the problem in this case.
2799 The @samp{make clean} command will remove @samp{env} and other vital
2800 programs, so be careful when using it.
2802 It has been reported that this sometimes happened when Emacs was started
2803 as an X client from an xterm window (i.e., had a controlling tty) but the
2804 xterm was later terminated.
2806 See also @samp{PROBLEMS} (in the @file{etc} subdirectory of the
2807 top-level directory when you unpack the Emacs source) for other
2808 possible causes of this message.
2810 @node Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows, Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs, Shell process exits abnormally, Bugs and problems
2811 @section Why do I get an error message when I try to run @kbd{M-x shell}?
2813 @cindex Shell Mode, and MS-Windows
2814 @cindex @code{explicit-shell-file-name}
2815 On MS-Windows, this might happen because Emacs tries to look for the
2816 shell in a wrong place. The default file name @file{/bin/sh} is
2817 usually incorrect for non-Unix systems. If you know where your shell
2818 executable is, set the variable @code{explicit-shell-file-name} in
2819 your @file{.emacs} file to point to its full file name, like this:
2822 (setq explicit-shell-file-name "d:/shells/bash.exe")
2825 If you don't know what shell does Emacs use, try the @kbd{M-!}
2826 command; if that works, put the following line into your
2830 (setq explicit-shell-file-name shell-file-name)
2833 @cindex Antivirus programs, and Shell Mode
2834 Some people have trouble with Shell Mode because of intrusive
2835 antivirus software; disabling the resident antivirus program solves
2836 the problems in those cases.
2838 @node Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs, Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode, Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows, Bugs and problems
2839 @section Where is the termcap/terminfo entry for terminal type @samp{emacs}?
2842 @cindex Emacs entries for termcap/terminfo
2844 The termcap entry for terminal type @samp{emacs} is ordinarily put in
2845 the @samp{TERMCAP} environment variable of subshells. It may help in
2846 certain situations (e.g., using rlogin from shell buffer) to add an
2847 entry for @samp{emacs} to the system-wide termcap file. Here is a
2848 correct termcap entry for @samp{emacs}:
2854 To make a terminfo entry for @samp{emacs}, use @code{tic} or
2855 @code{captoinfo}. You need to generate
2856 @file{/usr/lib/terminfo/e/emacs}. It may work to simply copy
2857 @file{/usr/lib/terminfo/d/dumb} to @file{/usr/lib/terminfo/e/emacs}.
2859 Having a termcap/terminfo entry will not enable the use of full screen
2860 programs in shell buffers. Use @kbd{M-x terminal-emulator} for that
2863 A workaround to the problem of missing termcap/terminfo entries is to
2864 change terminal type @samp{emacs} to type @samp{dumb} or @samp{unknown}
2865 in your shell start up file. @code{csh} users could put this in their
2866 @file{.cshrc} files:
2869 if ("$term" == emacs) set term=dumb
2872 @node Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode, Problems talking to certain hosts, Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs, Bugs and problems
2873 @section Why does Emacs spontaneously start displaying @samp{I-search:} and beeping?
2874 @cindex Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode
2875 @cindex isearch-mode, spontaneous entry into
2876 @cindex Beeping without obvious reason
2878 Your terminal (or something between your terminal and the computer) is
2879 sending @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} for flow control, and Emacs is receiving
2880 these characters and interpreting them as commands. (The @kbd{C-s}
2881 character normally invokes the @code{isearch-forward} command.) For
2882 possible solutions, see @ref{Handling C-s and C-q with flow control}.
2884 @node Problems talking to certain hosts, Errors with init files, Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode, Bugs and problems
2885 @section Why can't Emacs talk to certain hosts (or certain hostnames)?
2886 @cindex Hosts, Emacs cannot talk to
2887 @cindex @code{gethostbyname}, problematic version
2889 The problem may be that Emacs is linked with a wimpier version of
2890 @code{gethostbyname} than the rest of the programs on the machine. This
2891 is often manifested as a message on startup of ``X server not responding.
2892 Check your @samp{DISPLAY} environment variable.'' or a message of
2893 ``Unknown host'' from @code{open-network-stream}.
2895 On a Sun, this may be because Emacs had to be linked with the static C
2896 library. The version of @code{gethostbyname} in the static C library
2897 may only look in @file{/etc/hosts} and the NIS (YP) maps, while the
2898 version in the dynamic C library may be smart enough to check DNS in
2899 addition to or instead of NIS. On a Motorola Delta running System V
2900 R3.6, the version of @code{gethostbyname} in the standard library works,
2901 but the one that works with NIS doesn't (the one you get with -linet).
2902 Other operating systems have similar problems.
2909 Explicitly add the host you want to communicate with to @file{/etc/hosts}.
2912 Relink Emacs with this line in @file{src/config.h}:
2915 #define LIBS_SYSTEM -lresolv
2919 Replace @code{gethostbyname} and friends in @file{libc.a} with more
2920 useful versions such as the ones in @file{libresolv.a}. Then relink
2924 If you are actually running NIS, make sure that @code{ypbind} is
2925 properly told to do DNS lookups with the correct command line switch.
2929 @node Errors with init files, Emacs ignores X resources, Problems talking to certain hosts, Bugs and problems
2930 @section Why does Emacs say @samp{Error in init file}?
2931 @cindex Error in @file{.emacs}
2932 @cindex Error in init file
2933 @cindex Init file, errors in
2934 @cindex @file{.emacs} file, errors in
2935 @cindex Debugging @file{.emacs} file
2937 An error occurred while loading either your @file{.emacs} file or the
2938 system-wide file @file{lisp/default.el}. Emacs 21.1 and later pops the
2939 @file{*Messages*} buffer, and puts there some additional information
2940 about the error, to provide some hints for debugging.
2942 For information on how to debug your @file{.emacs} file, see
2943 @ref{Debugging a customization file}.
2945 It may be the case that you need to load some package first, or use a
2946 hook that will be evaluated after the package is loaded. A common case
2947 of this is explained in @ref{Terminal setup code works after Emacs has
2950 @node Emacs ignores X resources, Emacs ignores frame parameters, Errors with init files, Bugs and problems
2951 @section Why does Emacs ignore my X resources (my .Xdefaults file)?
2952 @cindex X resources being ignored
2953 @cindex Ignored X resources
2954 @cindex @file{.Xdefaults}
2956 As of version 19, Emacs searches for X resources in the files specified
2957 by the following environment variables:
2961 @item @code{XFILESEARCHPATH}
2962 @item @code{XUSERFILESEARCHPATH}
2963 @item @code{XAPPLRESDIR}
2967 This emulates the functionality provided by programs written using the
2970 @code{XFILESEARCHPATH} and @code{XUSERFILESEARCHPATH} should be a list
2971 of file names separated by colons. @code{XAPPLRESDIR} should be a list
2972 of directory names separated by colons.
2974 Emacs searches for X resources:
2979 specified on the command line, with the @samp{-xrm RESOURCESTRING} option,
2982 then in the value of the @samp{XENVIRONMENT} environment variable,
2987 or if that is unset, in the file named
2988 @file{~/.Xdefaults-@var{hostname}} if it exists (where @var{hostname} is
2989 the name of the machine Emacs is running on),
2994 then in the screen-specific and server-wide resource properties provided
3000 or if those properties are unset, in the file named @file{~/.Xdefaults}
3006 then in the files listed in @samp{XUSERFILESEARCHPATH},
3011 or in files named @file{@var{lang}/Emacs} in directories listed in
3012 @samp{XAPPLRESDIR} (where @var{lang} is the value of the @code{LANG}
3013 environment variable), if the @samp{LANG} environment variable is set,
3015 or in files named Emacs in the directories listed in @samp{XAPPLRESDIR}
3017 or in @file{~/@var{lang}/Emacs} (if the @code{LANG} environment variable
3020 or in @file{~/Emacs},
3025 then in the files listed in @code{XFILESEARCHPATH}.
3029 @node Emacs ignores frame parameters, Emacs takes a long time to visit files, Emacs ignores X resources, Bugs and problems
3030 @section Why don't my customizations of the frame parameters work?
3031 @cindex Frame parameters
3033 This probably happens because you have set the frame parameters in the
3034 variable @code{initial-frame-alist}. That variable holds parameters
3035 used only for the first frame created when Emacs starts. To customize
3036 the parameters of all frames, change the variable
3037 @code{default-frame-alist} instead.
3039 These two variables exist because many users customize the initial frame
3040 in a special way. For example, you could determine the position and
3041 size of the initial frame, but would like to control the geometry of the
3042 other frames by individually positioning each one of them.
3045 @node Emacs takes a long time to visit files, Editing files with $ in the name, Emacs ignores frame parameters, Bugs and problems
3046 @section Why does Emacs take 20 seconds to visit a file?
3047 @cindex Visiting files takes a long time
3048 @cindex Delay when visiting files
3049 @cindex Files, take a long time to visit
3051 Old versions of Emacs (i.e., versions before Emacs 20.x) often
3052 encountered this when the master lock file, @file{!!!SuperLock!!!}, has
3053 been left in the lock directory somehow. Delete it.
3055 @email{meuer@@geom.umn.edu, Mark Meuer} says that NeXT NFS has a bug
3056 where an exclusive create succeeds but returns an error status. This
3057 can cause the same problem. Since Emacs's file locking doesn't work
3058 over NFS anyway, the best solution is to recompile Emacs with
3059 @code{CLASH_DETECTION} undefined.
3061 @node Editing files with $ in the name, Shell mode loses the current directory, Emacs takes a long time to visit files, Bugs and problems
3062 @section How do I edit a file with a @samp{$} in its name?
3063 @cindex Editing files with @samp{$} in the name
3064 @cindex @samp{$} in file names
3065 @cindex File names containing @samp{$}, editing
3067 When entering a file name in the minibuffer, Emacs will attempt to expand
3068 a @samp{$} followed by a word as an environment variable. To suppress
3069 this behavior, type @kbd{$$} instead.
3071 @node Shell mode loses the current directory, Security risks with Emacs, Editing files with $ in the name, Bugs and problems
3072 @section Why does shell mode lose track of the shell's current directory?
3073 @cindex Current directory and @code{shell-mode}
3074 @cindex @code{shell-mode} and current directory
3075 @cindex Directory, current in @code{shell-mode}
3077 Emacs has no way of knowing when the shell actually changes its
3078 directory. This is an intrinsic limitation of Unix. So it tries to
3079 guess by recognizing @samp{cd} commands. If you type @kbd{cd} followed
3080 by a directory name with a variable reference (@kbd{cd $HOME/bin}) or
3081 with a shell metacharacter (@kbd{cd ../lib*}), Emacs will fail to
3082 correctly guess the shell's new current directory. A huge variety of
3083 fixes and enhancements to shell mode for this problem have been written
3084 to handle this problem (@pxref{Finding a package with particular
3087 You can tell Emacs the shell's current directory with the command
3090 @node Security risks with Emacs, Dired claims that no file is on this line, Shell mode loses the current directory, Bugs and problems
3091 @section Are there any security risks in Emacs?
3092 @cindex Security with Emacs
3093 @cindex @samp{movemail} and security
3094 @cindex @code{file-local-variable} and security
3095 @cindex Synthetic X events and security
3096 @cindex X events and security
3101 The @file{movemail} incident. (No, this is not a risk.)
3103 In his book @cite{The Cuckoo's Egg}, Cliff Stoll describes this in
3104 chapter 4. The site at LBL had installed the @file{/etc/movemail}
3105 program setuid root. (As of version 19, @file{movemail} is in your
3106 architecture-specific directory; type @kbd{C-h v exec-directory
3107 @key{RET}} to see what it is.) Since @code{movemail} had not been
3108 designed for this situation, a security hole was created and users could
3109 get root privileges.
3111 @code{movemail} has since been changed so that this security hole will
3112 not exist, even if it is installed setuid root. However,
3113 @code{movemail} no longer needs to be installed setuid root, which
3114 should eliminate this particular risk.
3116 We have heard unverified reports that the 1988 Internet worm took
3117 advantage of this configuration problem.
3120 The @code{file-local-variable} feature. (Yes, a risk, but easy to
3123 There is an Emacs feature that allows the setting of local values for
3124 variables when editing a file by including specially formatted text near
3125 the end of the file. This feature also includes the ability to have
3126 arbitrary Emacs Lisp code evaluated when the file is visited.
3127 Obviously, there is a potential for Trojan horses to exploit this
3130 Emacs 18 allowed this feature by default; users could disable it by
3131 setting the variable @code{inhibit-local-variables} to a non-@code{nil} value.
3133 As of Emacs 19, Emacs has a list of local variables that create a
3134 security risk. If a file tries to set one of them, it asks the user to
3135 confirm whether the variables should be set. You can also tell Emacs
3136 whether to allow the evaluation of Emacs Lisp code found at the bottom
3137 of files by setting the variable @code{enable-local-eval}.
3139 For more information, @inforef{File Variables, File Variables, emacs}.
3142 Synthetic X events. (Yes, a risk; use @samp{MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1} or
3145 Emacs accepts synthetic X events generated by the @code{SendEvent}
3146 request as though they were regular events. As a result, if you are
3147 using the trivial host-based authentication, other users who can open X
3148 connections to your X workstation can make your Emacs process do
3149 anything, including run other processes with your privileges.
3151 The only fix for this is to prevent other users from being able to open
3152 X connections. The standard way to prevent this is to use a real
3153 authentication mechanism, such as @samp{MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1}. If using
3154 the @code{xauth} program has any effect, then you are probably using
3155 @samp{MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1}. Your site may be using a superior
3156 authentication method; ask your system administrator.
3158 If real authentication is not a possibility, you may be satisfied by
3159 just allowing hosts access for brief intervals while you start your X
3160 programs, then removing the access. This reduces the risk somewhat by
3161 narrowing the time window when hostile users would have access, but
3162 @emph{does not eliminate the risk}.
3164 On most computers running Unix and X, you enable and disable
3165 access using the @code{xhost} command. To allow all hosts access to
3173 at the shell prompt, which (on an HP machine, at least) produces the
3177 access control disabled, clients can connect from any host
3180 To deny all hosts access to your X server (except those explicitly
3181 allowed by name), use
3187 On the test HP computer, this command generated the following message:
3190 access control enabled, only authorized clients can connect
3195 @node Dired claims that no file is on this line, , Security risks with Emacs, Bugs and problems
3196 @section Dired says, @samp{no file on this line} when I try to do something.
3197 @cindex Dired does not see a file
3199 @c FIXME: I think this is fixed in Emacs 21, but I didn't have time to
3201 Chances are you're using a localized version of Unix that doesn't use US
3202 date format in dired listings. You can check this by looking at dired
3203 listings or by typing @kbd{ls -l} to a shell and looking at the dates that
3206 Dired uses a regular expression to find the beginning of a file name.
3207 In a long Unix-style directory listing (@samp{ls -l}), the file name
3208 starts after the date. The regexp has thus been written to look for the
3209 date, the format of which can vary on non-US systems.
3211 There are two approaches to solving this. The first one involves
3212 setting things up so that @samp{ls -l} outputs US date format. This can
3213 be done by setting the locale. See your OS manual for more information.
3215 The second approach involves changing the regular expression used by
3216 dired, @code{directory-listing-before-filename-regexp}.
3218 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
3219 @node Compiling and installing Emacs, Finding Emacs and related packages, Bugs and problems, Top
3220 @chapter Compiling and installing Emacs
3221 @cindex Compiling and installing Emacs
3224 * Installing Emacs::
3226 * Problems building Emacs::
3227 * Linking with -lX11 fails::
3230 @node Installing Emacs, Updating Emacs, Compiling and installing Emacs, Compiling and installing Emacs
3231 @section How do I install Emacs?
3232 @cindex Installing Emacs
3233 @cindex Unix systems, installing Emacs on
3234 @cindex Downloading and installing Emacs
3235 @cindex Retrieving and installing Emacs
3236 @cindex Building Emacs from source
3237 @cindex Source code, building Emacs from
3238 @cindex Unpacking and installing Emacs
3240 This answer is meant for users of Unix and Unix-like systems. Users of
3241 other operating systems should see the series of questions beginning
3242 with @ref{Emacs for MS-DOS}, which describe where to get non-Unix source
3243 and binaries, and how to install Emacs on those systems.
3245 For Unix and Unix-like systems, the easiest way is often to compile it
3246 from scratch. You will need:
3251 Emacs sources. @xref{Current GNU distributions}, for a list of ftp sites
3252 that make them available. On @file{ftp.gnu.org}, the main GNU
3253 distribution site, sources are available as
3255 @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/emacs-@value{VER}.tar.gz}
3257 The above will obviously change as new versions of Emacs come out. For
3258 instance, when Emacs 22.42 is released, it will most probably be
3261 @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/emacs-22.42.tar.gz}
3263 Again, you should use one of the GNU mirror sites (see @ref{Current GNU
3264 distributions}, and adjust the URL accordingly) so as to reduce load on
3268 @code{gzip}, the GNU compression utility. You can get @code{gzip} via
3269 anonymous ftp at mirrors of @file{ftp.gnu.org} sites; it should compile
3270 and install without much trouble on most systems. Once you have
3271 retrieved the Emacs sources, you will probably be able to uncompress
3272 them with the command
3275 gunzip --verbose emacs-@value{VER}.tar.gz
3279 changing the Emacs version (@value{VER}), as necessary. Once
3280 @code{gunzip} has finished doing its job, a file by the name of
3281 @file{emacs-@value{VER}.tar} should be in your build directory.
3284 @code{tar}, the @dfn{tape archiving} program, which moves multiple files
3285 into and out of archive files, or @dfn{tarfiles}. All of the files
3286 comprising the Emacs source come in a single tarfile, and must be
3287 extracted using @code{tar} before you can build Emacs. Typically, the
3288 extraction command would look like
3291 tar -xvvf emacs-@value{VER}.tar
3295 The @samp{x} indicates that we want to extract files from this tarfile,
3296 the two @samp{v}s force verbose output, and the @samp{f} tells
3297 @code{tar} to use a disk file, rather than one on the tape drive.
3299 If you're using GNU @code{tar} (available at mirrors of
3300 @file{ftp.gnu.org}), you can combine this step and the previous one by
3304 tar -zxvvf emacs-@value{VER}.tar.gz
3308 The additional @samp{z} at the beginning of the options list tells GNU
3309 @code{tar} to uncompress the file with @code{gunzip} before extracting
3310 the tarfile's components.
3314 At this point, the Emacs sources (all 70+ megabytes of them) should be
3315 sitting in a directory called @file{emacs-@value{VER}}. On most common
3316 Unix and Unix-like systems, you should be able to compile Emacs (with X
3317 Window system support) with the following commands:
3320 cd emacs-@value{VER} # change directory to emacs-@value{VER}
3321 ./configure # configure Emacs for your particular system
3322 make # use Makefile to build components, then Emacs
3325 If the @code{make} completes successfully, the odds are fairly good that
3326 the build has gone well. (@xref{Problems building Emacs}, if you weren't
3329 By default, Emacs is installed in the following directories:
3332 @item /usr/local/bin
3335 @item /usr/local/share/emacs/@value{VER}
3336 Lisp code and support files.
3338 @item /usr/local/info
3342 To install files in those default directories, become the superuser and
3349 Note that @samp{make install} will overwrite @file{/usr/local/bin/emacs}
3350 and any Emacs Info files that might be in @file{/usr/local/info}.
3352 Much more verbose instructions (with many more hints and suggestions)
3353 come with the Emacs sources, in the file @file{INSTALL}.
3355 @node Updating Emacs, Problems building Emacs, Installing Emacs, Compiling and installing Emacs
3356 @section How do I update Emacs to the latest version?
3357 @cindex Updating Emacs
3359 @xref{Installing Emacs}, and follow the instructions there for
3362 Most files are placed in version-specific directories. Emacs
3363 @value{VER}, for instance, places files in
3364 @file{/usr/local/share/emacs/@value{VER}}.
3366 Upgrading should overwrite only, @file{/usr/local/bin/emacs} (the Emacs
3367 binary) and documentation in @file{/usr/local/info}. Back up these
3368 files before you upgrade, and you shouldn't have too much trouble.
3370 @node Problems building Emacs, Linking with -lX11 fails, Updating Emacs, Compiling and installing Emacs
3371 @section What should I do if I have trouble building Emacs?
3372 @cindex Problems building Emacs
3373 @cindex Errors when building Emacs
3375 First look in the file @file{etc/PROBLEMS} (where you unpack the Emacs
3376 source) to see if there is already a solution for your problem. Next,
3377 look for other questions in this FAQ that have to do with Emacs
3378 installation and compilation problems.
3380 If you'd like to have someone look at your problem and help solve it,
3381 see @ref{Help installing Emacs}.
3383 If you cannot find a solution in the documentation, send a message to
3384 @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}.
3386 Please don't post it to @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} or send e-mail to
3387 @email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}. For further guidelines, see
3388 @ref{Guidelines for newsgroup postings} and @ref{Reporting bugs}.
3390 @node Linking with -lX11 fails, , Problems building Emacs, Compiling and installing Emacs
3391 @section Why does linking Emacs with -lX11 fail?
3392 @cindex Linking with -lX11 fails
3393 @cindex lX11, linking fails with
3395 Emacs needs to be linked with the static version of the X11 library,
3396 @file{libX11.a}. This may be missing.
3398 On OpenWindows, you may need to use @code{add_services} to add the
3399 ``OpenWindows Programmers'' optional software category from the CD-ROM.
3401 On HP-UX 8.0, you may need to run @code{update} again to load the
3402 X11-PRG ``fileset''. This may be missing even if you specified ``all
3403 filesets'' the first time. If @file{libcurses.a} is missing, you may
3404 need to load the ``Berkeley Development Option.''
3406 @email{zoo@@armadillo.com, David Zuhn} says that MIT X builds shared
3407 libraries by default, and only shared libraries, on those platforms that
3408 support them. These shared libraries can't be used when undumping
3409 @code{temacs} (the last stage of the Emacs build process). To get
3410 regular libraries in addition to shared libraries, add this to
3414 #define ForceNormalLib YES
3417 Other systems may have similar problems. You can always define
3418 @code{CANNOT_DUMP} and link with the shared libraries instead.
3420 @cindex X Menus don't work
3421 To get the Xmenu stuff to work, you need to find a copy of MIT's
3424 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
3425 @node Finding Emacs and related packages, Major packages and programs, Compiling and installing Emacs, Top
3426 @chapter Finding Emacs and related packages
3427 @cindex Finding Emacs and related packages
3430 * Finding Emacs on the Internet::
3431 * Finding a package with particular functionality::
3432 * Packages that do not come with Emacs::
3433 * Current GNU distributions::
3434 * Difference between Emacs and XEmacs::
3435 * Emacs for MS-DOS::
3436 * Emacs for Windows::
3438 * Emacs for Atari ST::
3439 * Emacs for the Amiga ::
3440 * Emacs for NeXTSTEP::
3441 * Emacs for Apple computers::
3442 * Emacs for VMS and DECwindows::
3443 * Modes for various languages::
3446 @node Finding Emacs on the Internet, Finding a package with particular functionality, Finding Emacs and related packages, Finding Emacs and related packages
3447 @section Where can I get Emacs on the net (or by snail mail)?
3448 @cindex Finding Emacs on the Internet
3449 @cindex Snail mail, ordering Emacs via
3450 @cindex Postal service, ordering Emacs via
3451 @cindex Distribution, retrieving Emacs
3452 @cindex Internet, retrieving from
3454 Look in the files @file{etc/DISTRIB} and @file{etc/FTP} for
3455 information on nearby archive sites. If you don't already have Emacs,
3456 see @ref{Informational files for Emacs}, for how to get these files.
3458 @xref{Installing Emacs}, for information on how to obtain and build the latest
3459 version of Emacs, and see @ref{Current GNU distributions}, for a list of
3460 archive sites that make GNU software available.
3462 @node Finding a package with particular functionality, Packages that do not come with Emacs, Finding Emacs on the Internet, Finding Emacs and related packages
3463 @section How do I find a Emacs Lisp package that does XXX?
3464 @cindex Package, finding
3465 @cindex Finding an Emacs Lisp package
3466 @cindex Functionality, finding a particular package
3468 First of all, you should check to make sure that the package isn't
3469 already available. For example, typing @kbd{M-x apropos @key{RET}
3470 wordstar @key{RET}} lists all functions and variables containing the
3471 string @samp{wordstar}.
3473 It is also possible that the package is on your system, but has not been
3474 loaded. To see which packages are available for loading, look through
3475 your computer's lisp directory (@pxref{File-name conventions}). The Lisp
3476 source to most packages contains a short description of how they
3477 should be loaded, invoked, and configured---so before you use or
3478 modify a Lisp package, see if the author has provided any hints in the
3481 The command @kbd{C-h p} (@code{finder-by-keyword}) allows you to browse
3482 the constituent Emacs packages.
3484 For advice on how to find extra packages that are not part of Emacs,
3485 see @ref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}.
3487 @node Packages that do not come with Emacs, Current GNU distributions, Finding a package with particular functionality, Finding Emacs and related packages
3488 @section Where can I get Emacs Lisp packages that don't come with Emacs?
3489 @cindex Unbundled packages
3490 @cindex Finding other packages
3491 @cindex Lisp packages that do not come with Emacs
3492 @cindex Packages, those that do not come with Emacs
3493 @cindex Emacs Lisp List
3494 @cindex Emacs Lisp Archive
3496 @uref{http://www.anc.ed.ac.uk/~stephen/emacs/ell.html, The Emacs Lisp
3497 List (ELL)}, maintained by @email{stephen@@anc.ed.ac.uk, Stephen Eglen},
3498 aims to provide one compact list with links to all of the current Emacs
3499 Lisp files on the internet. The ELL can be browsed over the web, or
3500 from Emacs with @uref{http://www.anc.ed.ac.uk/~stephen/emacs/ell.el,
3501 the @file{ell} package}.
3503 Many authors post their packages to the @uref{news:gnu.emacs.sources,
3504 Emacs sources newsgroup}. You can search the archives of this
3505 group with @uref{http://groups.google.com, Google}, for example.
3507 Several packages are stored in
3508 @uref{http://emacswiki.org/elisp/, the Lisp area of the Emacs Wiki}.
3510 For a long time, the Emacs Lisp Archive provided a central repository
3511 for Emacs packages. Sadly, it has not been active for some time,
3512 although you can still access the old files at
3514 @uref{ftp://ftp.cis.ohio-state.edu/pub/emacs-lisp/WWW/index.html}
3516 @node Current GNU distributions, Difference between Emacs and XEmacs, Packages that do not come with Emacs, Finding Emacs and related packages
3517 @section Where can I get other up-to-date GNU stuff?
3518 @cindex Current GNU distributions
3519 @cindex Sources for current GNU distributions
3520 @cindex Stuff, current GNU
3521 @cindex Up-to-date GNU stuff
3522 @cindex Finding current GNU software
3523 @cindex Official GNU software sites
3525 The most up-to-date official GNU software is normally kept at
3527 @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu}
3529 Read the files @file{etc/DISTRIB} and @file{etc/FTP} for more
3532 A list of sites mirroring @samp{ftp.gnu.org} can be found at
3534 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/ftp.html}
3536 @node Difference between Emacs and XEmacs, Emacs for MS-DOS, Current GNU distributions, Finding Emacs and related packages
3537 @section What is the difference between Emacs and XEmacs (formerly Lucid Emacs)?
3539 @cindex Difference Emacs and XEmacs
3543 XEmacs is a branch version of Emacs. It was first called Lucid Emacs,
3544 and was initially derived from a prerelease version of Emacs 19. In
3545 this FAQ, we use the name ``Emacs'' only for the official version.
3547 Emacs and XEmacs each come with Lisp packages that are lacking in the
3548 other. The two versions have some significant differences at the Lisp
3549 programming level. Their current features are roughly comparable,
3550 though the support for some operating systems, character sets and
3551 specific packages might be quite different.
3553 Some XEmacs code has been contributed to Emacs, and we would like to
3554 use other parts, but the earlier XEmacs maintainers did not always
3555 keep track of the authors of contributed code, which makes it
3556 impossible for the FSF to get copyright papers signed for that code.
3557 (The FSF requires these papers for all the code included in the Emacs
3558 release, aside from generic C support packages that retain their
3559 separate identity and are not integrated into the code of Emacs
3562 If you want to talk about these two versions and distinguish them,
3563 please call them ``Emacs'' and ``XEmacs.'' To contrast ``XEmacs''
3564 with ``GNU Emacs'' would be misleading, since XEmacs too has its
3565 origin in the work of the GNU Project. Terms such as ``Emacsen'' and
3566 ``(X)Emacs'' are not wrong, but they are not very clear, so it
3567 is better to write ``Emacs and XEmacs.''
3569 @node Emacs for MS-DOS, Emacs for Windows, Difference between Emacs and XEmacs, Finding Emacs and related packages
3570 @section Where can I get Emacs for my PC running MS-DOS?
3571 @cindex MS-DOS, Emacs for
3572 @cindex DOS, Emacs for
3573 @cindex Compiling Emacs for DOS
3574 @cindex Emacs for MS-DOS
3575 @cindex Tools needed to compile Emacs under DOS
3577 A pre-built binary distribution of Emacs is available from the
3578 SimTel.NET archives. This version apparently works under MS-DOS and
3579 Windows (3.X, 9X, ME, NT, and 2000) and supports long file names under
3580 Windows 9X, Windows ME, and Windows 2000. More information is available
3583 @uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu/emacs.README}
3585 The binary itself is available in the files @file{em*.zip} in the
3588 @uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu/}
3590 If you prefer to compile Emacs for yourself, you can do so with the
3591 current distribution directly. You will need a 386 (or
3592 better) processor, and to be running MS-DOS 3.0 or later. According to
3593 @email{eliz@@gnu.org, Eli Zaretskii} and
3594 @email{hankedr@@dms.auburn.edu, Darrel Hankerson}, you will need the
3600 DJGPP version 1.12 maint 1 or later. Djgpp 2.0 or later is
3601 recommended, since 1.x is very old an unmaintained. Djgpp 2 supports
3602 long file names on Windows 9X/ME/2K.
3604 You can get the latest release of DJGPP by retrieving all of
3607 @uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2*}
3609 @item Unpacking program
3610 The easiest way is to use @code{djtar} which comes with DJGPP v2.x,
3611 because it can open gzip'ed tarfiles (i.e., those ending with
3612 @file{.tar.gz}) in one step. @code{Djtar} comes in
3613 @file{djdev@var{nnn}.zip} archive (where @var{nnn} is the DJGPP version
3614 number), from the URL mentioned above.
3616 @strong{Warning!} Do @strong{not} use the popular WinZip program to
3617 unpack the Emacs distribution! WinZip is known to corrupt some of the
3618 files by converting them to the DOS CR-LF format, it doesn't always
3619 preserve the directory structure recorded in the compressed Emacs
3620 archive, and commits other atrocities. Some of these problems could
3621 actually prevent Emacs from building successfully!
3623 @item make, mv, sed, and rm
3624 All of these utilities are available at
3626 @uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu}
3628 16-bit utilities can be found in GNUish, at
3630 @uref{http://www.simtel.net/pub/gnuish/}
3633 (@code{mv} and @code{rm} are in the Fileutils package, @code{sed} and
3634 @code{make} are each one in a separate package named after them.)
3638 The files @file{INSTALL} (near its end) and @file{etc/PROBLEMS} in the
3639 directory of the Emacs sources contains some additional information
3640 regarding Emacs under MS-DOS.
3642 For a list of other MS-DOS implementations of Emacs (and Emacs
3643 look-alikes), consult the list of ``Emacs implementations and literature,''
3646 @uref{ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.emacs/}
3648 Note that while many of these programs look similar to Emacs, they often
3649 lack certain features, such as the Emacs Lisp extension language.
3651 @node Emacs for Windows, Emacs for OS/2, Emacs for MS-DOS, Finding Emacs and related packages
3652 @section Where can I get Emacs for Microsoft Windows?
3653 @cindex FAQ for NT Emacs
3654 @cindex Emacs for MS-Windows
3655 @cindex Microsoft Windows, Emacs for
3656 @cindex Windows 9X, ME, NT, 2K, and CE, Emacs for
3658 For information on Emacs for Windows 95 and NT, read the FAQ produced by
3659 @email{voelker@@cs.washington.edu, Geoff Voelker}, available at
3661 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/windows/ntemacs.html}
3663 @xref{Emacs for MS-DOS}, for Windows 3.1.
3665 A port of Emacs 20.7 for Windows CE, based on NTEmacs, is available at
3667 @uref{http://www.rainer-keuchel.de/software.html}
3670 This port was done by @email{coyxc@@rainer-keuchel.de, Rainer Keuchel},
3671 and supports all Emacs features except async subprocesses and menus.
3672 You will need MSVC 6.0 and a Windows CE SDK to build this port.
3674 @node Emacs for OS/2, Emacs for Atari ST, Emacs for Windows, Finding Emacs and related packages
3675 @section Where can I get Emacs for my PC running OS/2?
3676 @cindex OS/2, Emacs for
3678 Emacs 20.6 is ported for emx on OS/2 2.0 or 2.1, and is available at
3680 @uref{ftp://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/os2/apps/editors/emacs/e206*.zip}
3685 @uref{http://archiv.leo.org/pub/comp/os/os2/leo/gnu/emacs%2d20/}
3687 Instructions for installation, basic setup, and other useful information
3688 for OS/2 users of Emacs can be found at
3690 @uref{http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~oheiabbd/emacs/emacs206-os2.html}
3692 @node Emacs for Atari ST, Emacs for the Amiga , Emacs for OS/2, Finding Emacs and related packages
3693 @section Where can I get Emacs for my Atari ST?
3694 @cindex Atari ST, Emacs for
3695 @cindex TOS, Emacs for
3697 Roland Sch@"auble reports that Emacs 18.58 running on plain TOS and MiNT
3699 @uref{ftp://atari.archive.umich.edu/Editors/Emacs-18-58/1858b-d3.zoo}.
3701 @node Emacs for the Amiga , Emacs for NeXTSTEP, Emacs for Atari ST, Finding Emacs and related packages
3702 @section Where can I get Emacs for my Amiga?
3703 @cindex Amiga, Emacs for
3705 The files you need are available at
3707 @uref{ftp://ftp.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/util/gnu/}
3709 @email{dgilbert@@gamiga.guelphnet.dweomer.org, David Gilbert} has released a
3710 beta version of Emacs 19.25 for the Amiga. You can get the binary at
3712 @uref{ftp://ftp.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/util/gnu/a2.0bEmacs-bin.lha}
3714 @node Emacs for NeXTSTEP, Emacs for Apple computers, Emacs for the Amiga , Finding Emacs and related packages
3715 @section Where can I get Emacs for NeXTSTEP?
3716 @cindex NeXTSTEP, Emacs for
3718 Emacs.app is a NeXTSTEP version of Emacs 19.34 which supports colors,
3719 menus, and multiple frames. You can get it from
3721 @uref{ftp://next-ftp.peak.org/pub/next/apps/emacs/Emacs_for_NeXTstep.4.20a1.NIHS.b.tar.gz}
3723 @node Emacs for Apple computers, Emacs for VMS and DECwindows, Emacs for NeXTSTEP, Finding Emacs and related packages
3724 @section Where can I get Emacs for my Apple computer?
3725 @cindex Apple computers, Emacs for
3726 @cindex Macintosh, Emacs for
3728 Beginning with version 21.1, the Macintosh is supported in the official
3729 Emacs distribution; see the files @file{mac/README} and
3730 @file{mac/INSTALL} in the Emacs distribution for build instructions.
3732 Beginning with version 22.1, Emacs supports Mac OS X natively.
3734 @node Emacs for VMS and DECwindows, Modes for various languages, Emacs for Apple computers, Finding Emacs and related packages
3735 @section Where do I get Emacs that runs on VMS under DECwindows?
3736 @cindex DECwindows, Emacs for
3737 @cindex VMS, Emacs for
3739 Up-to-date information about GNU software (including Emacs) for VMS is
3740 available at @uref{http://vms.gnu.org/}.
3742 @node Modes for various languages, , Emacs for VMS and DECwindows, Finding Emacs and related packages
3743 @section Where can I get modes for Lex, Yacc/Bison, Bourne shell, csh, C@t{++}, Objective-C, Pascal, Java, and Awk?
3744 @cindex Awk, mode for
3745 @cindex @code{awk-mode}
3746 @cindex Bison, mode for
3747 @cindex Bourne Shell, mode for
3748 @cindex C@t{++}, mode for
3749 @cindex Java, mode for
3751 @cindex Objective-C, mode for
3752 @cindex @code{pascal-mode}
3755 @cindex @file{csh} mode
3756 @cindex @code{sh-mode}
3757 @cindex @code{cc-mode}
3759 Most of these modes are now available in standard Emacs distribution.
3760 To get additional modes, see @ref{Finding a package with particular
3763 Barry Warsaw's @code{cc-mode} now works for C, C@t{++}, Objective-C, and
3764 Java code. It is distributed with Emacs, but has
3765 @uref{http://cc-mode.sourceforge.net/, its own homepage}.
3767 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
3768 @node Major packages and programs, Key bindings, Finding Emacs and related packages, Top
3769 @chapter Major packages and programs
3770 @cindex Major packages and programs
3787 @node VM, Supercite, Major packages and programs, Major packages and programs
3788 @section VM (View Mail) --- another mail reader within Emacs, with MIME support
3790 @cindex Alternative mail software
3792 @cindex E-mail reader, VM
3797 @email{kyle_jones@@wonderworks.com, Kyle Jones}
3799 @item Latest version
3803 @uref{ftp://ftp.wonderworks.com/pub/vm/vm.tar.gz}
3805 @item Informational newsgroup
3806 @uref{news:gnu.emacs.vm.info}@*
3808 @item Bug reports newsgroup
3809 @uref{news:gnu.emacs.vm.bug}@*
3810 Or send reports to @email{bug-vm@@wonderworks.com}
3813 VM 7 works well with Emacs 21. Older versions of VM suitable for use
3814 with older versions of Emacs are available from
3815 @uref{ftp://ftp.wonderworks.com/pub/vm/, the same FTP site}.
3818 @node Supercite, Calc, VM, Major packages and programs
3819 @section Supercite --- mail and news citation package within Emacs
3822 @cindex Mail and news citations
3823 @cindex News and mail citations
3824 @cindex Citations in mail and news
3829 @email{barry@@python.org, Barry Warsaw}
3831 @item Latest version
3832 3.54 (comes bundled with Emacs since version 20)
3835 @uref{http://www.python.org/emacs/supercite.tar.gz}
3838 Subscription requests to @email{supercite-request@@python.org}@*
3839 Submissions @email{supercite@@python.org}
3843 Superyank is an old version of Supercite.
3845 @node Calc, VIPER, Supercite, Major packages and programs
3846 @section Calc --- poor man's Mathematica within Emacs
3847 @cindex Programmable calculator
3849 @cindex Mathematical package
3854 @email{daveg@@csvax.cs.caltech.edu, Dave Gillespie}
3856 @item Latest version
3857 2.1 (part of Emacs since version 22.1)
3860 No separate distribution outside of Emacs. Older versions
3861 are available at @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/calc/}.
3865 Note that Calc 2.02f needs patching to work with Emacs 21 and later.
3867 @cindex @code{calculator}, a package
3868 Emacs 21.1 and later comes with a package called @file{calculator.el}.
3869 It doesn't support all the mathematical wizardry offered by Calc, such
3870 as matrices, special functions, and statistics, but is more than
3871 adequate as a replacement for @code{xcalc} and similar programs.
3873 @node VIPER, AUCTeX, Calc, Major packages and programs
3874 @section VIPER --- @code{vi} emulation for Emacs
3875 @cindex @code{vi} emulation
3877 @cindex Emulation of @code{vi}
3879 Since Emacs 19.29, the preferred @code{vi} emulation in Emacs is VIPER
3880 (@kbd{M-x viper-mode @key{RET}}), which comes with Emacs. It extends
3881 and supersedes VIP (including VIP 4.3) and provides @code{vi} emulation
3882 at several levels, from one that closely follows @code{vi} to one that
3883 departs from @code{vi} in several significant ways.
3885 For Emacs 19.28 and earlier, the following version of VIP is generally
3886 better than the one distributed with Emacs:
3890 @email{sane@@cs.uiuc.edu, Aamod Sane}
3892 @item Latest version
3896 @uref{ftp://archive.cis.ohio-state.edu/pub/emacs-lisp/old-archive/modes/vip-mode.tar.Z}
3900 @node AUCTeX, BBDB, VIPER, Major packages and programs
3901 @section AUC@TeX{} --- enhanced @TeX{} modes with debugging facilities
3902 @cindex Mode for @TeX{}
3904 @cindex AUC@TeX{} mode for editing @TeX{}
3905 @cindex Writing and debugging @TeX{}
3907 AUC@TeX{} is a set of sophisticated major modes for @TeX{}, LaTeX,
3908 ConTeXt, and Texinfo offering context-sensitive syntax highlighting,
3909 indentation, formatting and folding, macro completion, @TeX{} shell
3910 functionality, and debugging. Be also sure to check out
3911 @ref{Introduction, RefTeX, Introduction, reftex, Ref@TeX{} User Manual}.
3912 Current versions of AUC@TeX{} include the
3913 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/preview-latex,preview-latex}
3914 package for WYSIWYG previews of various LaTeX constructs in the Emacs
3920 @email{krab@@iesd.auc.dk, Kresten Krab Thorup}, @*
3921 @email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen}, @* and others.
3924 @email{dak@@gnu.org, David Kastrup}
3926 @item Latest version
3930 @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/auctex/}
3933 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/}
3936 Subscription requests to @email{auctex-request@@gnu.org}@*
3937 Submissions to @email{auctex@@gnu.org}
3941 @node BBDB, Ispell, AUCTeX, Major packages and programs
3942 @section BBDB --- personal Info Rolodex integrated with mail/news readers
3944 @cindex Rolodex-like functionality
3945 @cindex Integrated contact database
3946 @cindex Contact database
3947 @cindex Big Brother Database
3948 @cindex Address book
3953 @email{waider@@waider.ie, Ronan Waide}
3955 @item Latest version
3959 @uref{http://bbdb.sourceforge.net/}
3962 Subscription requests to @email{bbdb-info-request@@lists.sourceforge.net}@*
3963 Submissions to @email{bbdb-info@@lists.sourceforge.net}@*
3964 Release announcements: @email{bbdb-announce-request@@lists.sourceforge.net}
3968 @node Ispell, w3-mode, BBDB, Major packages and programs
3969 @section Ispell --- spell checker in C with interface for Emacs
3970 @cindex Spell-checker
3971 @cindex Checking spelling
3977 @email{geoff@@itcorp.com, Geoff Kuenning}
3979 @item Latest version
3983 @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.ucla.edu/pub/ispell/ispell-3.1.20.tar.gz}@*
3986 @uref{http://fmg-www.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/ispell.html}
3993 Do not ask Geoff to send you the latest version of Ispell. He does not
3997 This Ispell program is distinct from GNU Ispell 4.0. GNU Ispell 4.0 is
3998 no longer a supported product.
4002 @node w3-mode, EDB, Ispell, Major packages and programs
4003 @section w3-mode --- A World Wide Web browser inside of Emacs
4006 @cindex HTML browser in Emacs
4007 @cindex @code{w3-mode}
4012 @email{wmperry@@spry.com, Bill Perry}
4014 @item Latest version
4018 @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.indiana.edu/pub/elisp/w3/w3.tar.gz}
4021 Receive announcements from @email{w3-announce-request@@indiana.edu}@*
4022 Become a beta tester at @email{w3-beta-request@@indiana.edu}@*
4023 Help to develop @code{w3-mode} at @email{w3-dev@@indiana.edu}
4027 @node EDB, Mailcrypt, w3-mode, Major packages and programs
4028 @section EDB --- Database program for Emacs; replaces forms editing modes
4035 @email{mernst@@theory.lcs.mit.edu, Michael Ernst}
4037 @item Latest version
4041 @uref{ftp://theory.lcs.mit.edu/pub/emacs/edb}
4045 @node Mailcrypt, JDE, EDB, Major packages and programs
4046 @section Mailcrypt --- PGP interface within Emacs mail and news
4049 @cindex Interface to PGP from Emacs mail and news
4050 @cindex News, interface to PGP from
4051 @cindex Mail, interface to PGP from
4052 @cindex Encryption software, interface to
4057 @email{patl@@lcs.mit.edu, Patrick J. LoPresti} and
4058 @email{jin@@atype.com, Jin S. Choi}
4061 @email{warner-mailcrypt@@lothar.com, Brian Warner}
4063 @item Latest version
4067 @uref{http://dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/mailcrypt/mailcrypt-3.5.8.tar.gz}
4070 @uref{http://mailcrypt.sourceforge.net/}
4074 @node JDE, Patch, Mailcrypt, Major packages and programs
4075 @section JDE --- Integrated development environment for Java
4076 @cindex Java development environment
4077 @cindex Integrated Java development environment
4083 @email{paulk@@mathworks.com, Paul Kinnucan}
4086 jde-subscribe@@sunsite.auc.dk
4088 @item Latest version
4092 @uref{http://sunsite.auc.dk/jde/}
4096 @node Patch, , JDE, Major packages and programs
4097 @section Patch --- program to apply ``diffs'' for updating files
4098 @cindex Updating files with diffs
4099 @cindex Patching source files with diffs
4100 @cindex Diffs and patching
4101 @cindex @file{patch}
4106 @email{lwall@@wall.org, Larry Wall} (with GNU modifications)
4108 @item Latest version
4112 @xref{Current GNU distributions}.
4116 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
4117 @node Key bindings, Alternate character sets, Major packages and programs, Top
4118 @chapter Key bindings
4119 @cindex Key bindings
4122 * Binding keys to commands::
4123 * Invalid prefix characters::
4124 * Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun::
4125 * Using function keys under X::
4126 * Working with function and arrow keys::
4127 * X key translations for Emacs::
4128 * Handling C-s and C-q with flow control::
4129 * Binding C-s and C-q::
4130 * Backspace invokes help::
4131 * stty and Backspace key::
4133 * Producing C-XXX with the keyboard::
4136 * Compose Character::
4137 * Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys::
4138 * Meta key does not work in xterm::
4139 * ExtendChar key does not work as Meta::
4140 * SPC no longer completes file names::
4143 @node Binding keys to commands, Invalid prefix characters, Key bindings, Key bindings
4144 @section How do I bind keys (including function keys) to commands?
4145 @cindex Binding keys to commands
4146 @cindex Keys, binding to commands
4147 @cindex Commands, binding keys to
4149 Keys can be bound to commands either interactively or in your
4150 @file{.emacs} file. To interactively bind keys for all modes, type
4151 @kbd{M-x global-set-key @key{RET} @var{key} @var{cmd} @key{RET}}.
4153 To bind a key just in the current major mode, type @kbd{M-x
4154 local-set-key @key{RET} @var{key} @var{cmd} @key{RET}}.
4156 @inforef{Key Bindings, Key Bindings, emacs}, for further details.
4158 To make the process of binding keys interactively easier, use the
4159 following ``trick'': First bind the key interactively, then immediately
4160 type @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC} C-a C-k C-g}. Now, the command needed
4161 to bind the key is in the kill ring, and can be yanked into your
4162 @file{.emacs} file. If the key binding is global, no changes to the
4163 command are required. For example,
4166 (global-set-key (quote [f1]) (quote help-for-help))
4170 can be placed directly into the @file{.emacs} file. If the key binding is
4171 local, the command is used in conjunction with the @samp{add-hook} function.
4172 For example, in TeX mode, a local binding might be
4175 (add-hook 'tex-mode-hook
4177 (local-set-key (quote [f1]) (quote help-for-help))))
4184 Control characters in key sequences, in the form yanked from the kill
4185 ring are given in their graphic form---i.e., @key{CTRL} is shown as
4186 @samp{^}, @key{TAB} as a set of spaces (usually 8), etc. You may want
4187 to convert these into their vector or string forms.
4190 If a prefix key of the character sequence to be bound is already
4191 bound as a complete key, then you must unbind it before the new
4192 binding. For example, if @kbd{ESC @{} is previously bound:
4195 (global-unset-key [?\e ?@{]) ;; or
4196 (local-unset-key [?\e ?@{])
4200 Aside from commands and ``lambda lists,'' a vector or string also
4201 can be bound to a key and thus treated as a macro. For example:
4204 (global-set-key [f10] [?\C-x?\e?\e?\C-a?\C-k?\C-g]) ;; or
4205 (global-set-key [f10] "\C-x\e\e\C-a\C-k\C-g")
4210 @node Invalid prefix characters, Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun, Binding keys to commands, Key bindings
4211 @section Why does Emacs say @samp{Key sequence XXX uses invalid prefix characters}?
4212 @cindex Prefix characters, invalid
4213 @cindex Invalid prefix characters
4214 @cindex Misspecified key sequences
4216 Usually, one of two things has happened. In one case, the control
4217 character in the key sequence has been misspecified (e.g. @samp{C-f}
4218 used instead of @samp{\C-f} within a Lisp expression). In the other
4219 case, a @dfn{prefix key} in the keystroke sequence you were trying to bind
4220 was already bound as a @dfn{complete key}. Historically, the @samp{ESC [}
4221 prefix was usually the problem, in which case you should evaluate either
4222 of these forms before attempting to bind the key sequence:
4225 (global-unset-key [?\e ?[]) ;; or
4226 (global-unset-key "\e[")
4229 @node Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun, Using function keys under X, Invalid prefix characters, Key bindings
4230 @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?
4231 @cindex Terminal setup code in @file{.emacs}
4233 During startup, Emacs initializes itself according to a given code/file
4234 order. If some of the code executed in your @file{.emacs} file needs to
4235 be postponed until the initial terminal or window-system setup code has
4236 been executed but is not, then you will experience this problem (this
4237 code/file execution order is not enforced after startup).
4239 To postpone the execution of Emacs Lisp code until after terminal or
4240 window-system setup, treat the code as a @dfn{lambda list} and set the
4241 value of either the @code{term-setup-hook} or @code{window-setup-hook}
4242 variable to this lambda function. For example,
4245 (add-hook 'term-setup-hook
4247 (when (string-match "\\`vt220" (or (getenv "TERM") ""))
4248 ;; Make vt220's "Do" key behave like M-x:
4249 (global-set-key [do] 'execute-extended-command))))
4252 For information on what Emacs does every time it is started, see the
4253 @file{lisp/startup.el} file.
4255 @node Using function keys under X, Working with function and arrow keys, Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun, Key bindings
4256 @section How do I use function keys under X?
4257 @cindex Function keys
4258 @cindex X Window System and function keys
4259 @cindex Binding function keys
4261 With Emacs 19, functions keys under X are bound like any other key. @xref{Binding keys to commands}, for details.
4263 @node Working with function and arrow keys, X key translations for Emacs, Using function keys under X, Key bindings
4264 @section How do I tell what characters or symbols my function or arrow keys emit?
4265 @cindex Working with arrow keys
4266 @cindex Arrow keys, symbols generated by
4267 @cindex Working with function keys
4268 @cindex Function keys, symbols generated by
4269 @cindex Symbols generated by function keys
4271 Type @kbd{C-h c} then the function or arrow keys. The command will
4272 return either a function key symbol or character sequence (see the
4273 Emacs on-line documentation for an explanation). This works for other
4276 @node X key translations for Emacs, Handling C-s and C-q with flow control, Working with function and arrow keys, Key bindings
4277 @section How do I set the X key ``translations'' for Emacs?
4278 @cindex X key translations
4279 @cindex Key translations under X
4280 @cindex Translations for keys under X
4282 Emacs is not written using the Xt library by default, so there are no
4283 ``translations'' to be set. (We aren't sure how to set such translations
4284 if you do build Emacs with Xt; please let us know if you've done this!)
4286 The only way to affect the behavior of keys within Emacs is through
4287 @code{xmodmap} (outside Emacs) or @code{define-key} (inside Emacs). The
4288 @code{define-key} command should be used in conjunction with the
4289 @code{function-key-map} map. For instance,
4292 (define-key function-key-map [M-@key{TAB}] [?\M-\t])
4296 defines the @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} key sequence.
4298 @node Handling C-s and C-q with flow control, Binding C-s and C-q, X key translations for Emacs, Key bindings
4299 @section How do I handle @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} being used for flow control?
4300 @cindex Flow control, @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} with
4301 @cindex @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} with flow control
4303 @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} are used in the XON/XOFF flow control protocol.
4304 This messes things up when you're using Emacs over a serial line,
4305 because Emacs binds these keys to commands by default. Because Emacs
4306 won't honor them as flow control characters, too many of these
4307 characters are not passed on and overwhelm output buffers. Sometimes,
4308 intermediate software using XON/XOFF flow control will prevent Emacs
4309 from ever seeing @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}.
4316 Disable the use of @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} for flow control.
4318 You need to determine the cause of the flow control.
4325 Your terminal may use XON/XOFF flow control to have time to display
4326 all the characters it receives. For example, VT series terminals do
4327 this. It may be possible to turn this off from a setup menu. For
4328 example, on a VT220 you may select ``No XOFF'' in the setup menu. This
4329 is also true for some terminal emulation programs on PCs.
4331 When you turn off flow control at the terminal, you will also need to
4332 turn it off at the other end, which might be at the computer you are
4333 logged in to or at some terminal server in between.
4335 If you turn off flow control, characters may be lost; using a printer
4336 connected to the terminal may fail. You may be able to get around
4337 this problem by modifying the @samp{termcap} entry for your terminal to
4338 include extra NUL padding characters.
4343 If you are using a dialup connection, the modems may be using
4344 XON/XOFF flow control. It's not clear how to get around this.
4347 a router or terminal server
4349 Some network box between the terminal and your computer may be using
4350 XON/XOFF flow control. It may be possible to make it use some other
4351 kind of flow control. You will probably have to ask your local
4352 network experts for help with this.
4355 @code{tty} and/or @code{pty} devices
4357 If your connection to Emacs goes through multiple @code{tty} and/or
4358 @code{pty} devices, they may be using XON/XOFF flow control even when it
4361 @email{eirik@@theory.tn.cornell.edu, Eirik Fuller} writes:
4364 Some versions of @code{rlogin} (and possibly @code{telnet}) do not pass
4365 flow control characters to the remote system to which they connect. On
4366 such systems, Emacs on the remote system cannot disable flow control on
4367 the local system. Sometimes @samp{rlogin -8} will avoid this problem.
4369 One way to cure this is to disable flow control on the local host (the
4370 one running @code{rlogin}, not the one running @code{rlogind}) using the
4371 @code{stty} command, before starting the @code{rlogin} process. On many
4372 systems, @samp{stty start u stop u} will do this.
4374 Some versions of @samp{tcsh} will prevent even this from working. One
4375 way around this is to start another shell before starting rlogin,
4376 and issue the @samp{stty} command to disable flow control from that shell.
4379 Use @samp{stty -ixon} instead of @samp{stty start u stop u} on some systems.
4384 Make Emacs speak the XON/XOFF flow control protocol.
4386 You can make Emacs treat @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} as flow control characters by
4390 (enable-flow-control)
4394 to unconditionally enable flow control or
4397 (enable-flow-control-on "vt100" "h19")
4401 (using your terminal names instead of @samp{vt100} or @samp{h19}) to
4402 enable selectively. These commands will automatically swap @kbd{C-s}
4403 and @kbd{C-q} to @kbd{C-\} and @kbd{C-^}. Variables can be used to
4404 change the default swap keys (@code{flow-control-c-s-replacement} and
4405 @code{flow-control-c-q-replacement}).
4407 If you are fixing this for yourself, simply put the form in your
4408 @file{.emacs} file. If you are fixing this for your entire site, the
4409 best place to put it is in the @file{site-lisp/site-start.el} file.
4410 (Here @file{site-lisp} is actually a subdirectory of your Emacs
4411 installation directory, typically @file{/usr/local/share/emacs}.)
4412 Putting this form in @file{site-lisp/default.el} has the problem that
4413 if the user's @file{.emacs} file has an error, this will prevent
4414 @file{default.el} from being loaded and Emacs may be unusable for the
4415 user, even for correcting their @file{.emacs} file (unless they're
4416 smart enough to move it to another name).
4418 @code{enable-flow-control} can be invoked interactively as well:
4419 @kbd{M-x enable-flow-control @key{RET}}.
4423 For further discussion of this issue, read the file @file{etc/PROBLEMS}
4424 (in the Emacs source directory when you unpack the Emacs distribution).
4426 @node Binding C-s and C-q, Backspace invokes help, Handling C-s and C-q with flow control, Key bindings
4427 @section How do I bind @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} (or any key) if these keys are filtered out?
4428 @cindex Binding @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}
4429 @cindex @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}, binding
4431 To bind @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q}, use either @code{enable-flow-control}
4432 or @code{enable-flow-control-on}. @xref{Handling C-s and C-q with flow
4433 control}, for usage and implementation details.
4435 To bind other keys, use @code{keyboard-translate}. @xref{Swapping
4436 keys}, for usage details. To do this for an entire site, you should
4437 swap the keys in @file{site-lisp/site-start.el}. @xref{Handling C-s
4438 and C-q with flow control}, for an explanation of why
4439 @file{site-lisp/default.el} should not be used.
4444 If you do this for an entire site, the users will be confused by
4445 the disparity between what the documentation says and how Emacs
4450 @node Backspace invokes help, stty and Backspace key, Binding C-s and C-q, Key bindings
4451 @section Why does the @key{Backspace} key invoke help?
4452 @cindex Backspace key invokes help
4453 @cindex Help invoked by Backspace
4454 @cindex DEL key does not delete
4456 The @key{Backspace} key (on most keyboards) generates @acronym{ASCII} code 8.
4457 @kbd{C-h} sends the same code. In Emacs by default @kbd{C-h} invokes
4458 help-command. This is intended to be easy to remember since the first
4459 letter of @samp{help} is @samp{h}. The easiest solution to this problem
4460 is to use @kbd{C-h} (and @key{Backspace}) for help and @key{DEL} (the
4461 @key{Delete} key) for deleting the previous character.
4463 For many people this solution may be problematic:
4468 They normally use @key{Backspace} outside of Emacs for deleting the
4469 previous character. This can be solved by making @key{DEL} the command
4470 for deleting the previous character outside of Emacs. On many Unix
4471 systems, this command will remap @key{DEL}:
4478 The user may prefer the @key{Backspace} key for deleting the
4479 previous character because it is more conveniently located on their
4480 keyboard or because they don't even have a separate @key{Delete} key.
4481 In this case, the @key{Backspace} key should be made to behave like
4482 @key{Delete}. There are several methods.
4486 Some terminals (e.g., VT3## terminals) and terminal emulators (e.g.,
4487 TeraTerm) allow the character generated by the @key{Backspace} key to be
4488 changed from a setup menu.
4491 You may be able to get a keyboard that is completely programmable, or a
4492 terminal emulator that supports remapping of any key to any other key.
4495 With Emacs 21.1 and later, you can control the effect of the
4496 @key{Backspace} and @key{Delete} keys, on both dumb terminals and a
4497 windowed displays, by customizing the option
4498 @code{normal-erase-is-backspace-mode}, or by invoking @kbd{M-x
4499 normal-erase-is-backspace}. See the documentation of these symbols
4500 (@pxref{Emacs Lisp documentation}) for more info.
4503 It is possible to swap the @key{Backspace} and @key{DEL} keys inside
4507 (keyboard-translate ?\C-h ?\C-?)
4511 This is the recommended method of forcing @key{Backspace} to act as
4512 @key{DEL}, because it works even in modes which bind @key{DEL} to
4513 something other than @code{delete-backward-char}.
4515 Similarly, you could remap @key{DEL} to act as @kbd{C-d}, which by
4516 default deletes forward:
4519 (keyboard-translate ?\C-? ?\C-d)
4522 @xref{Swapping keys}, for further details about @code{keyboard-translate}.
4525 Another approach is to switch key bindings and put help on @kbd{C-x h}
4529 (global-set-key "\C-h" 'delete-backward-char)
4531 ;;; overrides mark-whole-buffer
4532 (global-set-key "\C-xh" 'help-command)
4536 This method is not recommended, though: it only solves the problem for
4537 those modes which bind @key{DEL} to @code{delete-backward-char}. Modes
4538 which bind @key{DEL} to something else, such as @code{view-mode}, will
4539 not work as you expect when you press the @key{Backspace} key. For this
4540 reason, we recommend the @code{keyboard-translate} method, shown
4543 Other popular key bindings for help are @kbd{M-?} and @kbd{C-x ?}.
4546 Don't try to bind @key{DEL} to @code{help-command}, because there are
4547 many modes that have local bindings of @key{DEL} that will interfere.
4551 When Emacs 21 or later runs on a windowed display, it binds the
4552 @key{Delete} key to a command which deletes the character at point, to
4553 make Emacs more consistent with keyboard operation on these systems.
4555 For more information about troubleshooting this problem, see @ref{DEL
4556 Does Not Delete, , If @key{DEL} Fails to Delete, emacs, The GNU Emacs
4559 @node stty and Backspace key, Swapping keys, Backspace invokes help, Key bindings
4560 @section Why doesn't Emacs look at the @file{stty} settings for @key{Backspace} vs. @key{Delete}?
4561 @cindex @file{stty} and Emacs
4562 @cindex Backspace and @file{stty}
4563 @cindex Delete and @file{stty}
4567 @c FIXME: RMS explained the reasons for this on emacs-hackers. It's
4568 @c probably worth putting that explanation here.
4570 @node Swapping keys, Producing C-XXX with the keyboard, stty and Backspace key, Key bindings
4571 @section How do I swap two keys?
4572 @cindex Swapping keys
4573 @cindex Keys, swapping
4574 @cindex @code{keyboard-translate}
4576 You can swap two keys (or key sequences) by using the
4577 @code{keyboard-translate} function. For example, to turn @kbd{C-h}
4578 into @key{DEL} and @key{DEL} to @kbd{C-h}, use
4581 (keyboard-translate ?\C-h ?\C-?) ; translate `C-h' to DEL
4582 (keyboard-translate ?\C-? ?\C-h) ; translate DEL to `C-h'.
4586 The first key sequence of the pair after the function identifies what is
4587 produced by the keyboard; the second, what is matched for in the
4590 However, in the specific case of @kbd{C-h} and @key{DEL}, you should
4591 toggle @code{normal-erase-is-backspace-mode} instead of calling
4592 @code{keyboard-translate}. @inforef{DEL Does Not Delete, DEL Does Not Delete,
4595 Keyboard translations are not the same as key bindings in keymaps.
4596 Emacs contains numerous keymaps that apply in different situations, but
4597 there is only one set of keyboard translations, and it applies to every
4598 character that Emacs reads from the terminal. Keyboard translations
4599 take place at the lowest level of input processing; the keys that are
4600 looked up in keymaps contain the characters that result from keyboard
4603 @node Producing C-XXX with the keyboard, No Meta key, Swapping keys, Key bindings
4604 @section How do I produce C-XXX with my keyboard?
4605 @cindex Producing control characters
4606 @cindex Generating control characters
4607 @cindex Control characters, generating
4609 On terminals (but not under X), some common ``aliases'' are:
4613 @item @kbd{C-2} or @kbd{C-@key{SPC}}
4619 @item @kbd{C-7} or @kbd{C-S--}
4633 Often other aliases exist; use the @kbd{C-h c} command and try
4634 @key{CTRL} with all of the digits on your keyboard to see what gets
4635 generated. You can also try the @kbd{C-h w} command if you know the
4636 name of the command.
4638 @node No Meta key, No Escape key, Producing C-XXX with the keyboard, Key bindings
4639 @section What if I don't have a @key{Meta} key?
4640 @cindex No @key{Meta} key
4641 @cindex @key{Meta} key, what to do if you lack it
4643 On many keyboards, the @key{Alt} key acts as @key{Meta}, so try it.
4645 Instead of typing @kbd{M-a}, you can type @kbd{@key{ESC} a}. In fact,
4646 Emacs converts @kbd{M-a} internally into @kbd{@key{ESC} a} anyway
4647 (depending on the value of @code{meta-prefix-char}). Note that you
4648 press @key{Meta} and @key{a} together, but with @key{ESC}, you press
4649 @key{ESC}, release it, and then press @key{a}.
4651 @node No Escape key, Compose Character, No Meta key, Key bindings
4652 @section What if I don't have an @key{Escape} key?
4653 @cindex No Escape key
4654 @cindex Lacking an Escape key
4655 @cindex Escape key, lacking
4657 Type @kbd{C-[} instead. This should send @acronym{ASCII} code 27 just like an
4658 Escape key would. @kbd{C-3} may also work on some terminal (but not
4659 under X). For many terminals (notably DEC terminals) @key{F11}
4660 generates @key{ESC}. If not, the following form can be used to bind it:
4663 ;;; F11 is the documented ESC replacement on DEC terminals.
4664 (define-key function-key-map [f11] [?\e])
4667 @node Compose Character, Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys, No Escape key, Key bindings
4668 @section Can I make my @key{Compose Character} key behave like a @key{Meta} key?
4669 @cindex @key{Compose Character} key, using as @key{Meta}
4670 @cindex @key{Meta}, using @key{Compose Character} for
4672 On a dumb terminal such as a VT220, no. It is rumored that certain
4673 VT220 clones could have their @key{Compose} key configured this way. If
4674 you're using X, you might be able to do this with the @code{xmodmap}
4677 @node Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys, Meta key does not work in xterm, Compose Character, Key bindings
4678 @section How do I bind a combination of modifier key and function key?
4679 @cindex Modifiers and function keys
4680 @cindex Function keys and modifiers
4681 @cindex Binding modifiers and function keys
4683 With Emacs 19 and later, you can represent modified function keys in
4684 vector format by adding prefixes to the function key symbol. For
4685 example (from the on-line documentation):
4688 (global-set-key [?\C-x right] 'forward-page)
4692 where @samp{?\C-x} is the Lisp character constant for the character @kbd{C-x}.
4694 You can use the modifier keys @key{Control}, @key{Meta}, @key{Hyper},
4695 @key{Super}, @key{Alt}, and @key{Shift} with function keys. To
4696 represent these modifiers, prepend the strings @samp{C-}, @samp{M-},
4697 @samp{H-}, @samp{s-}, @samp{A-}, and @samp{S-} to the symbol name. Here
4698 is how to make @kbd{H-M-RIGHT} move forward a word:
4701 (global-set-key [H-M-right] 'forward-word)
4707 Not all modifiers are permitted in all situations. @key{Hyper},
4708 @key{Super}, and @key{Alt} are not available on Unix character
4709 terminals. Non-@acronym{ASCII} keys and mouse events (e.g. @kbd{C-=} and
4710 @kbd{Mouse-1}) also fall under this category.
4714 @xref{Binding keys to commands}, for general key binding instructions.
4716 @node Meta key does not work in xterm, ExtendChar key does not work as Meta, Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys, Key bindings
4717 @section Why doesn't my @key{Meta} key work in an @code{xterm} window?
4718 @cindex @key{Meta} key and @code{xterm}
4719 @cindex Xterm and @key{Meta} key
4721 @inforef{Unibyte Mode, Single-Byte Character Set Support, emacs}.
4723 If the advice in the Emacs manual fails, try all of these methods before
4724 asking for further help:
4729 You may have big problems using @code{mwm} as your window manager.
4730 (Does anyone know a good generic solution to allow the use of the
4731 @key{Meta} key in Emacs with @file{mwm}?)
4734 For X11: Make sure it really is a @key{Meta} key. Use @code{xev} to
4735 find out what keysym your @key{Meta} key generates. It should be either
4736 @code{Meta_L} or @code{Meta_R}. If it isn't, use @file{xmodmap} to fix
4737 the situation. If @key{Meta} does generate @code{Meta_L} or
4738 @code{Meta_R}, but @kbd{M-x} produces a non-@acronym{ASCII} character, put this in
4739 your @file{~/.Xdefaults} file:
4742 XTerm*eightBitInput: false
4743 XTerm*eightBitOutput: true
4747 Make sure the @code{pty} the @code{xterm} is using is passing 8 bit
4748 characters. @samp{stty -a} (or @samp{stty everything}) should show
4749 @samp{cs8} somewhere. If it shows @samp{cs7} instead, use @samp{stty
4750 cs8 -istrip} (or @samp{stty pass8}) to fix it.
4753 If there is an @code{rlogin} connection between @code{xterm} and Emacs, the
4754 @samp{-8} argument may need to be given to rlogin to make it pass all 8 bits
4758 If Emacs is running on Ultrix, it is reported that evaluating
4759 @code{(set-input-mode t nil)} helps.
4762 If all else fails, you can make @code{xterm} generate @kbd{@key{ESC} W} when
4763 you type @kbd{M-W}, which is the same conversion Emacs would make if it
4764 got the @kbd{M-W} anyway. In X11R4, the following resource
4765 specification will do this:
4768 XTerm.VT100.EightBitInput: false
4772 (This changes the behavior of the @code{insert-eight-bit} action.)
4774 With older @code{xterm}s, you can specify this behavior with a translation:
4777 XTerm.VT100.Translations: #override \
4778 Meta<KeyPress>: string(0x1b) insert()
4782 You might have to replace @samp{Meta} with @samp{Alt}.
4786 @node ExtendChar key does not work as Meta, SPC no longer completes file names, Meta key does not work in xterm, Key bindings
4787 @section Why doesn't my @key{ExtendChar} key work as a @key{Meta} key under HP-UX 8.0 and 9.x?
4788 @cindex @key{ExtendChar} key as @key{Meta}
4789 @cindex @key{Meta}, using @key{ExtendChar} for
4790 @cindex HP-UX, the @key{ExtendChar} key
4792 This is a result of an internationalization extension in X11R4 and the
4793 fact that HP is now using this extension. Emacs assumes that the
4794 @code{XLookupString} function returns the same result regardless of the
4795 @key{Meta} key state which is no longer necessarily true. Until Emacs
4796 is fixed, the temporary kludge is to run this command after each time
4797 the X server is started but preferably before any xterm clients are:
4800 xmodmap -e 'remove mod1 = Mode_switch'
4803 @c FIXME: Emacs 21 supports I18N in X11; does that mean that this bug is
4806 This will disable the use of the extra keysyms systemwide, which may be
4807 undesirable if you actually intend to use them.
4809 @node SPC no longer completes file names, , ExtendChar key does not work as Meta, Key bindings
4810 @section Why doesn't SPC complete file names anymore?
4811 @cindex @kbd{SPC} file name completion
4813 Starting with Emacs 22.1, @kbd{SPC} no longer completes file names in
4814 the minibuffer, so that file names with embedded spaces could be typed
4815 without the need to quote the spaces.
4817 You can get the old behavior by binding @kbd{SPC} to
4818 @code{minibuffer-complete-word} in the minibuffer, as follows:
4821 (define-key minibuffer-local-filename-completion-map (kbd "SPC")
4822 'minibuffer-complete-word)
4824 (define-key minibuffer-local-must-match-filename-map (kbd "SPC")
4825 'minibuffer-complete-word)
4828 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
4829 @node Alternate character sets, Mail and news, Key bindings, Top
4830 @chapter Alternate character sets
4831 @cindex Alternate character sets
4834 * Emacs does not display 8-bit characters::
4835 * Inputting eight-bit characters::
4836 * Kanji and Chinese characters::
4837 * Right-to-left alphabets::
4840 @node Emacs does not display 8-bit characters, Inputting eight-bit characters, Alternate character sets, Alternate character sets
4841 @section How do I make Emacs display 8-bit characters?
4842 @cindex Displaying eight-bit characters
4843 @cindex Eight-bit characters, displaying
4845 @inforef{Unibyte Mode, Single-byte Character Set
4846 Support, emacs}. On a Unix, when Emacs runs on a text-only terminal
4847 display or is invoked with @samp{emacs -nw}, you typically need to use
4848 @code{set-terminal-coding-system} to tell Emacs what the terminal can
4849 display, even after setting the language environment; otherwise
4850 non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will display as @samp{?}. On other operating
4851 systems, such as MS-DOS and MS-Windows, Emacs queries the OS about the
4852 character set supported by the display, and sets up the required
4853 terminal coding system automatically.
4855 @node Inputting eight-bit characters, Kanji and Chinese characters, Emacs does not display 8-bit characters, Alternate character sets
4856 @section How do I input eight-bit characters?
4857 @cindex Entering eight-bit characters
4858 @cindex Eight-bit characters, entering
4859 @cindex Input, 8-bit characters
4861 Various methods are available for input of eight-bit characters. See
4862 @inforef{Unibyte Mode, Single-byte Character Set
4863 Support, emacs}. For more sophisticated methods, @inforef{Input
4864 Methods, Input Methods, emacs}.
4866 @node Kanji and Chinese characters, Right-to-left alphabets, Inputting eight-bit characters, Alternate character sets
4867 @section Where can I get an Emacs that handles kanji, Chinese, or other Far-Eastern character sets?
4868 @cindex Kanji, handling with Emacs
4869 @cindex Chinese, handling with Emacs
4870 @cindex Japanese, handling with Emacs
4871 @cindex Korean, handling with Emacs
4873 Emacs 20 and later includes many of the features of MULE, the MULtilingual
4874 Enhancement to Emacs. @xref{Installing Emacs}, for information on where
4875 to find and download the latest version of Emacs.
4877 @node Right-to-left alphabets, , Kanji and Chinese characters, Alternate character sets
4878 @section Where is an Emacs that can handle Semitic (right-to-left) alphabets?
4879 @cindex Right-to-left alphabets
4880 @cindex Hebrew, handling with Emacs
4881 @cindex Semitic alphabets
4882 @cindex Arabic alphabets
4884 Emacs 20 and later supports Hebrew characters (ISO 8859-8), but does not
4885 yet support right-to-left character entry and display.
4887 @email{joel@@exc.com, Joel M. Hoffman} has written a Lisp package called
4888 @file{hebrew.el} that allows right-to-left editing of Hebrew. It
4889 reportedly works out of the box with Emacs 19, but requires patches for
4890 Emacs 18. Write to Joel if you want the patches or package.
4892 @c FIXME: Should we mention Ehud Karni's package?
4894 @file{hebrew.el} requires a Hebrew screen font, but no other hardware support.
4895 Joel has a screen font for PCs running MS-DOS or GNU/Linux.
4897 You might also try to query archie for files named with @file{hebrew};
4898 several ftp sites in Israel may also have the necessary files.
4900 @c ------------------------------------------------------------
4901 @node Mail and news, Concept index, Alternate character sets, Top
4902 @chapter Mail and news
4903 @cindex Mail and news
4906 * Changing the included text prefix::
4907 * Saving a copy of outgoing mail::
4908 * Expanding aliases when sending mail::
4909 * Rmail thinks all messages are one big one::
4910 * Sorting the messages in an Rmail folder::
4911 * Rmail writes to /usr/spool/mail::
4912 * Recovering mail files when Rmail munges them::
4913 * Replying to the sender of a message::
4914 * MIME with Emacs mail packages::
4915 * Automatically starting a mail or news reader::
4916 * Reading news with Emacs::
4917 * Gnus does not work with NNTP::
4918 * Viewing articles with embedded underlining::
4919 * Saving a multi-part Gnus posting::
4920 * Starting Gnus faster::
4921 * Catching up in all newsgroups::
4922 * Killing based on nonstandard headers::
4923 * Removing flashing messages::
4924 * Catch-up is slow in Gnus::
4925 * Gnus hangs for a long time::
4926 * Learning more about Gnus::
4929 @node Changing the included text prefix, Saving a copy of outgoing mail, Mail and news, Mail and news
4930 @section How do I change the included text prefix in mail/news followups?
4931 @cindex Prefix in mail/news followups, changing
4932 @cindex Included text prefix, changing
4933 @cindex Setting the included text character
4934 @cindex Quoting in mail messages
4936 If you read mail with Rmail or news with Gnus, set the variable
4937 @code{mail-yank-prefix}. For VM, set @code{vm-included-text-prefix}.
4938 For mh-e, set @code{mh-ins-buf-prefix}.
4940 For fancier control of citations, use Supercite. @xref{Supercite}.
4942 To prevent Emacs from including various headers of the replied-to
4943 message, set the value of @code{mail-yank-ignored-headers} to an
4946 @node Saving a copy of outgoing mail, Expanding aliases when sending mail, Changing the included text prefix, Mail and news
4947 @section How do I save a copy of outgoing mail?
4948 @cindex Saving a copy of outgoing mail
4949 @cindex Copying outgoing mail to a file
4950 @cindex Filing outgoing mail
4951 @cindex Automatic filing of outgoing mail
4952 @cindex Mail, saving outgoing automatically
4954 You can either mail yourself a copy by including a @samp{BCC} header in the
4955 mail message, or store a copy of the message directly to a file by
4956 including an @samp{FCC} header.
4958 If you use standard mail, you can automatically create a @samp{BCC} to
4962 (setq mail-self-blind t)
4966 in your @file{.emacs} file. You can automatically include an @samp{FCC}
4967 field by putting something like the following in your @file{.emacs}
4971 (setq mail-archive-file-name (expand-file-name "~/outgoing"))
4974 The output file will be in Unix mail format, which can be read directly
4975 by VM, but not always by Rmail. @xref{Learning how to do something}.
4977 If you use @code{mh-e}, add an @samp{FCC} or @samp{BCC} field to your
4980 It does not work to put @samp{set record filename} in the @file{.mailrc}
4983 @node Expanding aliases when sending mail, Rmail thinks all messages are one big one, Saving a copy of outgoing mail, Mail and news
4984 @section Why doesn't Emacs expand my aliases when sending mail?
4985 @cindex Expanding aliases when sending mail
4986 @cindex Mail alias expansion
4987 @cindex Sending mail with aliases
4992 You must separate multiple addresses in the headers of the mail buffer
4993 with commas. This is because Emacs supports RFC822 standard addresses
4997 To: Willy Smith <wks@@xpnsv.lwyrs.com>
5000 However, you do not need to---and probably should not, unless your
5001 system's version of @file{/usr/ucb/mail} (a.k.a.@: @code{mailx})
5002 supports RFC822---separate addresses with commas in your
5003 @file{~/.mailrc} file.
5006 Emacs normally only reads the @file{.mailrc} file once per session,
5007 when you start to compose your first mail message. If you edit
5008 @file{.mailrc}, you can type @kbd{M-x rebuild-mail-abbrevs @key{RET}} to
5009 make Emacs reread @file{~/.mailrc}.
5012 If you like, you can expand mail aliases as abbrevs, as soon as you
5013 type them in. To enable this feature, execute the following:
5016 (add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'mail-abbrevs-setup)
5019 Note that the aliases are expanded automatically only after you type
5020 @key{RET} or a punctuation character (e.g. @kbd{,}). You can force their
5021 expansion by moving point to the end of the alias and typing @kbd{C-x a e}
5022 (@kbd{M-x expand-abbrev}).
5025 @node Rmail thinks all messages are one big one, Sorting the messages in an Rmail folder, Expanding aliases when sending mail, Mail and news
5026 @section Why does Rmail think all my saved messages are one big message?
5027 @cindex Rmail thinks all messages are one large message
5029 A file created through the @samp{FCC} field in a message is in Unix mail
5030 format, not the format that Rmail uses (BABYL format). Rmail will try
5031 to convert a Unix mail file into BABYL format on input, but sometimes it
5032 makes errors. For guaranteed safety, you can make the
5033 @file{saved-messages} file be an inbox for your Rmail file by using the
5034 function @code{set-rmail-inbox-list}.
5036 @node Sorting the messages in an Rmail folder, Rmail writes to /usr/spool/mail, Rmail thinks all messages are one big one, Mail and news
5037 @section How can I sort the messages in my Rmail folder?
5038 @cindex Rmail, sorting messages in
5039 @cindex Folder, sorting messages in an Rmail
5040 @cindex Sorting messages in an Rmail folder
5042 In Rmail, type @kbd{C-c C-s C-h} to get a list of sorting functions
5043 and their key bindings.
5045 @node Rmail writes to /usr/spool/mail, Recovering mail files when Rmail munges them, Sorting the messages in an Rmail folder, Mail and news
5046 @section Why does Rmail need to write to @file{/usr/spool/mail}?
5047 @cindex Rmail and @file{/usr/spool/mail}
5048 @cindex @file{/usr/spool/mail} and Rmail
5050 This is the behavior of the @code{movemail} program which Rmail uses.
5051 This indicates that @code{movemail} is configured to use lock files.
5056 Certain systems require lock files to interlock access to mail files.
5057 On these systems, @code{movemail} must write lock files, or you risk losing
5058 mail. You simply must arrange to let @code{movemail} write them.
5060 Other systems use the @code{flock} system call to interlock access. On
5061 these systems, you should configure @code{movemail} to use @code{flock}.
5064 @node Recovering mail files when Rmail munges them, Replying to the sender of a message, Rmail writes to /usr/spool/mail, Mail and news
5065 @section How do I recover my mail files after Rmail munges their format?
5066 @cindex Recovering munged mail files
5067 @cindex Rmail munged my files
5068 @cindex Mail files, recovering those munged by Rmail
5070 If you have just done @kbd{M-x rmail-input} on a file and you don't want
5071 to save it in Rmail's format (called BABYL), just kill the buffer (with
5074 @cindex Exporting messages as Unix mail files
5075 If you typed @kbd{M-x rmail} and it read some messages out of your inbox
5076 and you want to put them in a Unix mail file, use @kbd{C-o} on each
5079 @cindex Converting from BABYL to Unix mail format
5080 @cindex @code{unrmail} command
5081 If you want to convert an existing file from BABYL format to Unix mail
5082 format, use the command @kbd{M-x unrmail}: it will prompt you for the
5083 input and output file names.
5086 Alternatively, you could use the @code{b2m} program supplied with
5087 Emacs. @code{b2m} is a filter, and is used like this:
5090 b2m < @var{babyl-file} > @var{mbox-file}
5094 where @var{babyl-file} is the name of the BABYL file, and
5095 @var{mbox-file} is the name of the file where the converted mail will
5098 @node Replying to the sender of a message, MIME with Emacs mail packages, Recovering mail files when Rmail munges them, Mail and news
5099 @section How can I force Rmail to reply to the sender of a message, but not the other recipients?
5100 @cindex Replying only to the sender of a message
5101 @cindex Sender, replying only to
5102 @cindex Rmail, replying to the sender of a message in
5104 @email{isaacson@@seas.upenn.edu, Ron Isaacson} says: When you hit
5105 @key{r} to reply in Rmail, by default it CCs all of the original
5106 recipients (everyone on the original @samp{To} and @samp{CC}
5107 lists). With a prefix argument (i.e., typing @kbd{C-u} before @key{r}),
5108 it replies only to the sender. However, going through the whole
5109 @kbd{C-u} business every time you want to reply is a pain. This is the
5110 best fix I've been able to come up with:
5113 (defun rmail-reply-t ()
5114 "Reply only to the sender of the current message. (See rmail-reply.)"
5118 (add-hook 'rmail-mode-hook
5120 (define-key rmail-mode-map "r" 'rmail-reply-t)
5121 (define-key rmail-mode-map "R" 'rmail-reply)))
5124 @node MIME with Emacs mail packages, Automatically starting a mail or news reader, Replying to the sender of a message, Mail and news
5125 @section How can I get my favorite Emacs mail package to support MIME?
5126 @cindex MIME and Emacs mail packages
5127 @cindex Mail packages and MIME
5128 @cindex FAQ for MIME and Emacs
5130 Version 6.x of VM supports MIME. @xref{VM}. Gnus supports MIME in mail
5131 and news messages as of version 5.8.1 (Pterodactyl). Rmail has limited
5132 support for single-part MIME messages beginning with Emacs 20.3.
5134 @node Automatically starting a mail or news reader, Reading news with Emacs, MIME with Emacs mail packages, Mail and news
5135 @section How do I make Emacs automatically start my mail/news reader?
5136 @cindex Mail reader, starting automatically
5137 @cindex News reader, starting automatically
5138 @cindex Starting mail/news reader automatically
5140 To start Emacs in Gnus:
5153 A more convenient way to start with Gnus:
5156 alias gnus 'emacs -f gnus'
5160 It is probably unwise to automatically start your mail or news reader
5161 from your @file{.emacs} file. This would cause problems if you needed to run
5162 two copies of Emacs at the same time. Also, this would make it difficult for
5163 you to start Emacs quickly when you needed to.
5165 @node Reading news with Emacs, Gnus does not work with NNTP, Automatically starting a mail or news reader, Mail and news
5166 @section How do I read news under Emacs?
5167 @cindex Reading news under Emacs
5168 @cindex Usenet reader in Emacs
5169 @cindex Gnus newsreader
5171 Use @kbd{M-x gnus}. It is documented in Info (@pxref{Learning how to do
5174 @node Gnus does not work with NNTP, Viewing articles with embedded underlining, Reading news with Emacs, Mail and news
5175 @section Why doesn't Gnus work via NNTP?
5176 @cindex Gnus and NNTP
5177 @cindex NNTP, Gnus fails to work with
5179 There is a bug in NNTP version 1.5.10, such that when multiple requests
5180 are sent to the NNTP server, the server only handles the first one
5181 before blocking waiting for more input which never comes. NNTP version
5182 1.5.11 claims to fix this.
5184 You can work around the bug inside Emacs like this:
5187 (setq nntp-maximum-request 1)
5190 You can find out what version of NNTP your news server is running by
5191 telnetting to the NNTP port (usually 119) on the news server machine
5192 (i.e., @kbd{telnet server-machine 119}). The server should give its
5193 version number in the welcome message. Type @kbd{quit} to get out.
5195 @xref{Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode}, for some additional ideas.
5197 @node Viewing articles with embedded underlining, Saving a multi-part Gnus posting, Gnus does not work with NNTP, Mail and news
5198 @section How do I view news articles with embedded underlining (e.g., ClariNews)?
5199 @cindex Underlining, embedded in news articles
5200 @cindex News articles with embedded underlining
5201 @cindex Embedded underlining in news articles
5203 Underlining appears like this:
5206 _^Hu_^Hn_^Hd_^He_^Hr_^Hl_^Hi_^Hn_^Hi_^Hn_^Hg
5209 @email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen} suggests using the following
5210 code, which uses the underline face to turn such text into true
5211 underlining, inconjunction with Gnus:
5214 (defun gnus-article-prepare-overstrike ()
5215 ;; Prepare article for overstrike commands.
5217 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
5218 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
5219 (goto-char (point-min))
5220 (while (search-forward "\b" nil t)
5221 (let ((next (following-char))
5222 (previous (char-after (- (point) 2))))
5223 (cond ((eq next previous)
5224 (delete-region (- (point) 2) (point))
5225 (put-text-property (point) (1+ (point))
5228 (delete-region (1- (point)) (1+ (point)))
5229 (put-text-property (1- (point)) (point)
5232 (delete-region (- (point) 2) (point))
5233 (put-text-property (point) (1+ (point))
5234 'face 'underline))))))))
5236 (add-hook 'gnus-article-prepare-hook 'gnus-article-prepare-overstrike)
5239 Latest versions of Gnus do such a conversion automatically.
5241 If you prefer to do away with underlining altogether, you can
5242 destructively remove it with @kbd{M-x ununderline-region}; do this
5246 (add-hook 'gnus-article-prepare-hook
5247 (lambda () (ununderline-region (point-min) (point-max))))
5250 @node Saving a multi-part Gnus posting, Starting Gnus faster, Viewing articles with embedded underlining, Mail and news
5251 @section How do I save all the items of a multi-part posting in Gnus?
5252 @cindex Multi-part postings in Gnus, saving
5253 @cindex Saving multi-part postings in Gnus
5254 @cindex Gnus, saving multi-part postings in
5256 Use @code{gnus-uu}. Type @kbd{C-c C-v C-h} in the Gnus summary buffer
5257 to see a list of available commands.
5259 @node Starting Gnus faster, Catching up in all newsgroups, Saving a multi-part Gnus posting, Mail and news
5260 @section How do I make Gnus start up faster?
5261 @cindex Faster, starting Gnus
5262 @cindex Starting Gnus faster
5263 @cindex Gnus, starting faster
5265 From the Gnus FAQ (@pxref{Learning more about Gnus}):
5268 @email{pktiwari@@eos.ncsu.edu, Pranav Kumar Tiwari} writes: I posted
5269 the same query recently and I got an answer to it. I am going to
5270 repeat the answer. What you need is a newer version of gnus, version
5271 5.0.4+. I am using 5.0.12 and it works fine with me with the
5275 (setq gnus-check-new-newsgroups nil
5276 gnus-read-active-file 'some
5277 gnus-nov-is-evil nil
5278 gnus-select-method '(nntp gnus-nntp-server))
5282 @node Catching up in all newsgroups, Killing based on nonstandard headers, Starting Gnus faster, Mail and news
5283 @section How do I catch up all newsgroups in Gnus?
5284 @cindex Catching up all newsgroups in Gnus
5285 @cindex Gnus, Catching up all newsgroups in
5287 In the @file{*Newsgroup*} buffer, type @kbd{M-< C-x ( c y C-x ) M-0 C-x e}
5289 Leave off the initial @kbd{M-<} if you only want to catch up from point
5290 to the end of the @file{*Newsgroup*} buffer.
5292 @node Killing based on nonstandard headers, Removing flashing messages, Catching up in all newsgroups, Mail and news
5293 @section Why can't I kill in Gnus based on the Newsgroups/Keywords/Control headers?
5294 @cindex Killing articles based on nonstandard headers
5295 @cindex Newsgroups header, killing articles based on
5296 @cindex Keywords header, killing articles based on
5297 @cindex Control header, killing articles based on
5299 Gnus will complain that the @samp{Newsgroups}, @samp{Keywords}, and
5300 @samp{Control} headers are ``Unknown header'' fields.
5302 For the @samp{Newsgroups} header, there is an easy workaround: kill on the
5303 @samp{Xref} header instead, which will be present on any cross-posted article
5304 (as long as your site carries the cross-post group).
5306 If you really want to kill on one of these headers, you can do it like
5310 (gnus-kill nil "^Newsgroups: .*\\(bad\\.group\\|worse\\.group\\)")
5313 @node Removing flashing messages, Catch-up is slow in Gnus, Killing based on nonstandard headers, Mail and news
5314 @section How do I get rid of flashing messages in Gnus for slow connections?
5315 @cindex Flashing Gnus messages, removing
5316 @cindex Removing flashing Gnus messages
5317 @cindex Slow connections causing flashing messages in Gnus
5318 @cindex Gnus, flashing messages in
5320 Set @code{nntp-debug-read} to @code{nil}.
5322 @node Catch-up is slow in Gnus, Gnus hangs for a long time, Removing flashing messages, Mail and news
5323 @section Why is catch up slow in Gnus?
5324 @cindex Slow catch up in Gnus
5325 @cindex Gnus is slow when catching up
5326 @cindex Crosspostings make Gnus catching up slow
5328 Because Gnus is marking crosspostings read. You can control this with
5329 the variable @code{gnus-use-cross-reference}.
5331 @node Gnus hangs for a long time, Learning more about Gnus, Catch-up is slow in Gnus, Mail and news
5332 @section Why does Gnus hang for a long time when posting?
5333 @cindex Hangs in Gnus
5334 @cindex Gnus hangs while posting
5335 @cindex Posting, Gnus hangs wile
5337 @email{tale@@uunet.uu.net, David Lawrence} explains:
5340 The problem is almost always interaction between NNTP and C News. NNTP
5341 POST asks C News's @code{inews} to not background itself but rather hang
5342 around and give its exit status so it knows whether the post was successful.
5343 (That wait will on some systems not return the exit status of the
5344 waited for job is a different sort of problem.) It ends up taking a
5345 long time because @code{inews} is calling @code{relaynews}, which often
5346 waits for another @code{relaynews} to free the lock on the news system
5347 so it can file the article.
5349 My preferred solution is to change @code{inews} to not call
5350 @code{relaynews}, but rather use @code{newsspool}. This loses some
5351 error-catching functionality, but is for the most part safe as
5352 @code{inews} will detect a lot of the errors on its own. The C News
5353 folks have sped up @code{inews}, too, so speed should look better to
5354 most folks as that update propagates around.
5357 @node Learning more about Gnus, , Gnus hangs for a long time, Mail and news
5358 @section Where can I find out more about Gnus?
5359 @cindex FAQ for Gnus
5361 @cindex Learning more about Gnus
5363 For more information on Gnus, consult the Gnus manual and FAQ, which are
5364 part of the Gnus distribution.
5366 @node Concept index, , Mail and news, Top
5367 @unnumbered Concept Index
5374 arch-tag: fee0d62d-06cf-43d8-ac21-123408eaf10f