1 GNU Emacs FAQ: Introduction
3 This is the introduction to a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ)
4 about GNU Emacs with answers.
6 The FAQ is posted to reduce the noise level in the `gnu.emacs.help'
7 newsgroup (which is also the `help-gnu-emacs' mailing list) which results
8 from the repetition of frequently asked questions, wrong answers to these
9 questions, corrections to the wrong answers, corrections to the
10 corrections, debate, name calling, etc. Also, it serves as a repository of
11 the canonical "best" answers to these questions. However, if you know a
12 better answer or even a slight change that improves an answer, please tell
15 If you know the answer to a question in the FAQ list, please reply to the
16 question by e-mail instead of posting. Help reduce noise!
18 The FAQ is crossposted to `comp.emacs' because some sites do not receive
19 the `gnu.*' newsgroups. The FAQ is also crossposted to `news.answers'.
21 Full instructions for getting the latest FAQ are in question 22.
23 It has been so long since the FAQ was last edited and released that the
24 maintainers decided to take a two-step approach. This edition corrects
25 many basic inaccuracies in the old FAQ, most of them having to do with ftp
26 sites and version numbers. In addition, we have deleted a number of
27 questions that are no longer relevant with the release of GNU Emacs 19.
29 Many questions specific to recent releases of GNU Emacs 19 remain
30 unanswered in this version of the FAQ; the maintainers will spend time over
31 the next month or two adding new questions (and answers), based in no small
32 part on the questions that have come across help-gnu-emacs in recent
35 There is no diff file for this version of the FAQ, as many things have
36 changed since it was last updated.
38 Please suggest new questions, answers, wording changes, deletions, etc.
39 The most helpful form for suggestions is a context diff (i.e., the output
40 of `diff -c'). Include `FAQ' in the subject of messages sent to us about
43 Please do not send questions to us just because you do not want to disturb
44 a lot of people and you think we would know the answer. We do not have
45 time to answer questions individually. :-(
48 Reuven M. Lerner <reuven@the-tech.mit.edu> and the FAQ team (a full list is
49 at the bottom of the FAQ).
51 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
55 1: What do these mean: C-h, M-C-a, RET, "ESC a", etc.?
56 2: What does "M-x command" mean?
57 3: How do I read topic XXX in the on-line manual?
58 4: What do these mean: etc/SERVICE, src/config.h, lisp/default.el?
59 5: What are FSF, LPF, OSF, GNU, RMS, FTP, and GPL?
64 7: What is the real legal meaning of the GNU copyleft?
65 8: What are appropriate messages for gnu.emacs.help, gnu.emacs.bug,
67 9: Where can I get old postings to gnu.emacs.help and other GNU groups?
68 10: Where should I report bugs and other problems with GNU Emacs?
69 11: How do I unsubscribe to this mailing list?
70 12: What is the current address of the FSF?
72 On-line Help, Printed Manuals, Other Sources of Help
74 13: I'm just starting GNU Emacs; how do I do basic editing?
75 14: How do I find out how to do something in GNU Emacs?
76 15: How do I get a printed copy of the GNU Emacs manual?
77 16: Where can I get documentation on GNU Emacs Lisp?
78 17: How do I install a piece of Texinfo documentation?
79 18: How do I print a Texinfo file?
80 19: Can I view Info files without using GNU Emacs?
81 20: What informational files are available for GNU Emacs?
82 21: Where can I get help in installing GNU Emacs?
83 22: Where can I get the latest version of this document (the FAQ list)?
87 23: Where does the name "Emacs" come from?
88 24: What is the latest version of GNU Emacs?
89 25: What is different about GNU Emacs 19?
91 Common Things People Want To Do
93 26: How do I set up a .emacs file properly?
94 27: How do I debug a .emacs file?
95 28: How do I make Emacs display the current line (or column) number?
96 29: How do I turn on abbrevs by default just in mode XXX?
97 30: How do I turn on auto-fill mode by default?
98 31: How do I make Emacs use a certain major mode for certain files?
99 32: How do I search for, delete, or replace unprintable (8-bit or control)
101 33: How can I highlight a region of text in Emacs?
102 34: How do I control Emacs's case-sensitivity when searching/replacing?
103 35: How do I make Emacs wrap words for me?
104 36: Where can I get a better spelling checker for Emacs?
105 37: How can I spell-check TeX or *roff documents?
106 38: How do I change load-path?
107 39: How do I use an already running Emacs from another window?
108 40: How do I make Emacs recognize my compiler's funny error messages?
109 41: How do I indent switch statements like this?
110 42: How can I make Emacs automatically scroll horizontally?
111 43: How do I make Emacs "typeover" or "overwrite" instead of inserting?
112 44: How do I stop Emacs from beeping on a terminal?
113 45: How do I turn down the bell volume in Emacs running under X Windows?
114 46: How do I tell Emacs to automatically indent a new line to the
115 indentation of the previous line?
116 47: How do I show which parenthesis matches the one I'm looking at?
117 48: In C mode, can I show just the lines that will be left after #ifdef
118 commands are handled by the compiler?
119 49: Is there an equivalent to the `.' (dot) command of vi?
120 50: What are the valid X resource settings (i.e., stuff in .Xdefaults)?
121 51: How do I execute a piece of Emacs Lisp code?
122 52: How do I change Emacs's idea of the tab character's length?
123 53: How do I insert `>' at the beginning of every line?
124 54: How do I insert `_^H' before each character in a paragraph to get an
125 underlined paragraph?
126 55: How do I repeat a command as many times as possible?
127 56: How do I make Emacs behave like this: when I go up or down, the cursor
128 should stay in the same column even if the line is too short?
129 57: How do I tell Emacs to iconify itself?
130 58: How do I use regexps (regular expressions) in Emacs?
131 59: How do I perform a replace operation across more than one file?
132 60: Where is the documentation for `etags'?
136 61: Does Emacs have problems with files larger than 8 megabytes?
137 62: How do I get rid of the ^M junk in my shell buffer?
138 63: Why do I get `Process shell exited abnormally with code 1'?
139 64: Where is the termcap/terminfo entry for terminal type `emacs'?
140 65: Why does Emacs spontaneously start displaying `I-search:' and beeping?
141 66: Why can't Emacs talk to certain hosts (or certain hostnames)?
142 67: Why does Emacs say `Error in init file'?
143 68: Why does Emacs ignore my X resources (my .Xdefaults file)?
144 69: Why does Emacs take 20 seconds to visit a file?
145 70: How do I edit a file with a `$' in its name?
146 71: Why does shell mode lose track of the shell's current directory?
147 72: Are there any security risks in GNU Emacs?
149 Difficulties Building/Installing/Porting Emacs
151 73: What should I do if I have trouble building Emacs?
152 74: How do I stop Emacs from failing when the executable is stripped?
153 75: Why does linking Emacs with -lX11 fail?
155 Finding/Getting Emacs and Related Packages
157 76: Where can I get GNU Emacs on the net (or by snail mail)?
158 77: How do I find a GNU Emacs Lisp package that does XXX?
159 78: Where can I get GNU Emacs Lisp packages that don't come with Emacs?
160 79: How do I submit code to the Emacs Lisp Archive?
161 80: Where can I get other up-to-date GNU stuff?
162 81: What is the difference between GNU Emacs and Epoch?
163 82: What is the difference between GNU Emacs and XEmacs (formerly "Lucid
165 83: Where can I get Emacs for my PC running MS-DOS?
166 84: Where can I get Emacs for my PC running Microsoft Windows?
167 85: Where can I get Emacs for my PC running OS/2?
168 86: Where can I get Emacs for my Atari ST?
169 87: Where can I get Emacs for my Amiga?
170 88: Where can I get Emacs for my Apple computer?
171 89: Where do I get Emacs that runs on VMS under DECwindows?
172 90: Where can I get modes for Lex, Yacc/Bison, Bourne shell, Csh, C++,
173 Objective C, Pascal, and Awk?
174 91: What is the IP address of XXX.YYY.ZZZ?
176 Major Emacs Lisp Packages, Emacs Extensions, and Related Programs
178 92: VM (View Mail) -- another mail reader within Emacs
179 93: Supercite -- mail and news citation package within Emacs
180 94: Gnus -- news reader within Emacs
181 95: Calc -- poor man's Mathematica within Emacs
182 96: Ange-FTP -- transparent FTP access for Emacs's file access routines
183 97: VIP -- vi emulation for Emacs
184 98: AUC TeX -- enhanced LaTeX mode with debugging facilities
185 99: Hyperbole -- extensible hypertext management system within Emacs
186 100: BBDB -- personal Info Rolodex integrated with mail/news readers
187 101: Ispell -- spell checker in C with interface for Emacs
188 102: XEmacs -- alternative Emacs 19 with better X interface; formerly
189 known as Lucid Emacs or lemacs.
190 103: Patch -- program to apply "diffs" for updating files
192 Changing Key Bindings and Handling Key Binding Problems
194 104: How do I bind keys (including function keys) to commands?
195 105: Why does Emacs say `Key sequence XXX uses invalid prefix characters'?
196 106: Why doesn't this [terminal or window-system setup] code work in my
197 .emacs file, but it works just fine after Emacs starts up?
198 107: How do I use function keys under X Windows?
199 108: How do I tell what characters or symbols my function or arrow keys
201 109: How do I set the X key "translations" for Emacs?
202 110: How do I handle C-s and C-q being used for flow control?
203 111: How do I bind `C-s' and `C-q' (or any key) if these keys are filtered
205 112: Why does the `Backspace' key invoke help?
206 113: Why doesn't Emacs look at the stty settings for Backspace vs. Delete?
207 114: How do I "swap" two keys?
208 115: How do I produce C-XXX with my keyboard?
209 116: What if I don't have a Meta key?
210 117: What if I don't have an Escape key?
211 118: Can I make my `Compose Character' key behave like a Meta key?
212 119: How do I bind a combination of modifier key and function key?
213 120: Why doesn't my Meta key work in an xterm window?
214 121: Why doesn't my ExtendChar key work as a Meta key under HP-UX 8.0?
215 122: Where can I get key bindings to make Emacs emulate WordStar?
216 123: Where can I get an XEDIT emulator for Emacs?
218 Using Emacs with Alternate Character Sets
220 124: How do I make Emacs display 8-bit characters?
221 125: How do I input 8-bit characters?
222 126: Where can I get an Emacs that can handle kanji characters?
223 127: Where can I get an Emacs that can handle Chinese?
224 128: Where is an Emacs that can handle Semitic (right-to-left) alphabets?
228 129: How do I change the included text prefix in mail/news followups?
229 130: How do I save a copy of outgoing mail?
230 131: Why doesn't Emacs expand my aliases when sending mail?
231 132: Why does Rmail think all my saved messages are one big message?
232 133: How can I sort the messages in my Rmail folder?
233 134: Why does Rmail need to write to /usr/spool/mail?
234 135: How do I recover my mail files after Rmail munges their format?
235 136: How do I make Emacs automatically start my mail/news reader?
236 137: How do I read news under Emacs?
237 138: Why doesn't Gnus work via NNTP?
238 139: How do I view text with embedded underlining (e.g., ClariNews)?
239 140: How do I save all the items of a multi-part posting in Gnus?
240 141: Why does Gnus put the subjects in replies beyond the 80th column?
241 142: How do I make Gnus start up faster?
242 143: How do I catch up all newsgroups in Gnus?
243 144: Why can't I kill in Gnus on the Newsgroups/Keywords/Control line?
244 145: How do I get rid of flashing messages in Gnus for slow connections?
245 146: Why is catch up slow in Gnus?
246 147: Why does Gnus hang for a long time when posting?
247 148: Why don't my news postings in Gnus get past the local machine?
248 149: Why doesn't Gnus generate the `Lines:' header?
249 150: How do I kill all articles in Gnus but those matching a pattern?
251 ------------------------------------------------------------
253 If you are viewing this text in a GNU Emacs Buffer, you can type "M-2 C-x
254 $" to get an overview of just the questions. Then, when you want to look
255 at the text of the answers, just type "C-x $".
257 To search for a question numbered XXX, type "M-C-s ^XXX:", followed by a
258 C-r if that doesn't work, then type ESC to end the search.
260 Full instructions for getting the latest FAQ are in question 22, or use
261 anonymous FTP to the-tech.mit.edu.
265 Skip this section and then come back if you don't understand some of the
268 1: What do these mean: C-h, M-C-a, RET, "ESC a", etc.?
270 C-x means press the `x' key while holding down the Control key. M-x
271 means press the `x' key while holding down the Meta key. M-C-x means
272 press the `x' key while holding down both the Control key and the Meta
273 key. C-M-a is a synonym for M-C-a. RET, LFD, DEL, ESC, and TAB
274 respectively refer to pressing the Return, Linefeed (aka Newline),
275 Delete, Escape, and Tab keys and are equivalent to C-m, C-j, C-?, C-[,
276 and C-i. SPC means press the Space bar.
278 Key sequences longer than one key (and some single-key sequences) are
279 inside double quotes or on lines by themselves. Any real spaces in such
280 a key sequence should be ignored; only SPC really means press the space
283 The ASCII code sent by C-x (except for C-?) is the value that would be
284 sent by pressing just `x' minus 96 (or 64 for uppercase `X') and will be
285 from 0 to 31. The ASCII code sent by M-x is the sum of 128 and the ASCII
286 code that would be sent by pressing just the `x' key. Essentially, the
287 Control key turns off bits 5 and 6 and the Meta key turns on bit 7.
289 For further information, see `Characters' and `Keys' in the on-line
292 NOTE: C-? (aka DEL) is ASCII code 127. It is a misnomer to call C-? a
293 "control" key, since 127 has both bits 5 and 6 turned ON. Also, on very
294 few keyboards does Control-? generate ASCII code 127.
296 2: What does "M-x command" mean?
298 "M-x command" means type M-x, then type the name of the command, then
301 M-x (by default) invokes the command `execute-extended-command'. This
302 command allows you to run any Emacs command if you can remember the
303 command's name. If you can't remember the command's name, you can type
304 TAB and SPC for completion, "?" for a list of possibilities, and M-p and
305 M-n to see previous commands entered. An Emacs "command" is any
306 "interactive" Emacs function.
308 NOTE: Your system administrator may have bound other key sequences to
309 invoke execute-extended-command. A function key labeled `Do' is a good
312 To run non-interactive Emacs functions, see question 51.
314 3: How do I read topic XXX in the on-line manual?
316 When we refer you to topic XXX in the on-line manual, you can read this
317 manual node inside Emacs (assuming nothing is broken) by typing this:
319 C-h i m emacs RET m XXX RET
321 This invokes Info, the GNU hypertext documentation browser. If you don't
322 already know how to use Info, type "?" from within Info.
324 If we refer to topic XXX:YYY, type this:
326 C-h i m emacs RET m XXX RET m YYY RET
328 WARNING: Your system administrator may not have installed the Info files,
329 or may have installed them improperly. In this case you should complain.
331 4: What do these mean: etc/SERVICE, src/config.h, lisp/default.el?
333 These are files that come with GNU Emacs. The GNU Emacs distribution is
334 divided into subdirectories; the important ones are `etc', `lisp', and
337 If you use GNU Emacs, but don't know where it is kept on your system,
338 start Emacs, then type "C-h v data-directory RET". The directory name
339 displayed by this will be the full pathname of the installed `etc'
342 Some of these files are available individually via FTP or e-mail; see
343 question 20. All are available in the source distribution.
345 WARNING: Your system administrator may have removed the src directory and
346 many files from the etc directory.
348 5: What are FSF, LPF, OSF, GNU, RMS, FTP, and GPL?
350 FSF == Free Software Foundation
351 LPF == League for Programming Freedom
352 OSF == Open Software Foundation
353 GNU == GNU's Not Unix
354 RMS == Richard Matthew Stallman
355 FTP == File Transfer Protocol
356 GPL == GNU General Public Licence
358 NOTE: Avoid confusing the FSF, the LPF, and the OSF. The LPF opposes
359 look-and-feel copyrights and software patents. The FSF aims to make high
360 quality free software available for everyone. The OSF is a consortium of
361 computer vendors which develops commercial software for Unix systems.
363 NOTE: The word "free" in the title of the Free Software Foundation refers
364 to "freedom," not "zero dollars." Anyone can charge any price for
365 GPL-covered software that they want to. However, in practice, the
366 freedom enforced by the GPL leads to low prices, because you can always
367 get the software for less money from someone else, because everyone has
368 the right to resell or give away GPL-covered software.
375 The LPF opposes the expanding danger of software patents and
376 look-and-feel copyrights. To get more information, feel free to contact
377 the LPF via e-mail or otherwise. You may also contact Joe Wells
378 <jbw@cs.bu.edu>; he will be happy to talk with you about the LPF.
380 You can find more information about the LPF in the file etc/LPF. More
381 papers describing the LPF's views are available on the Internet and also
385 /prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/lpf/
386 /archive.cis.ohio-state.edu:pub/lpf/
390 7: What is the real legal meaning of the GNU copyleft?
392 The real legal meaning of the GNU General Public Licence (copyleft) will
393 only be known if and when a judge rules on its validity and scope. There
394 has never been a copyright infringement case involving the GPL to set any
395 precedents. Please take any discussion regarding this issue to the
396 newsgroup gnu.misc.discuss, which was created to hold the extensive flame
401 The legal meaning of the GNU copyleft is less important than the
402 spirit, which is that Emacs is a free software project and that work
403 pertaining to Emacs should also be free software. "Free" means that
404 all users have the freedom to study, share, change and improve Emacs.
405 To make sure everyone has this freedom, pass along source code when you
406 distribute any version of Emacs or a related program, and give the
407 recipients the same freedom that you enjoyed.
409 8: What are appropriate messages for gnu.emacs.help, gnu.emacs.bug,
412 The file etc/MAILINGLISTS discusses the purpose of each GNU mailing-list.
413 (See question 20 on how to get a copy.) For those which are gatewayed
414 with newsgroups, it lists both the newsgroup name and the mailing list
417 comp.emacs is for discussion of Emacs programs in general. This includes
418 GNU Emacs along with various other implementations like JOVE, MicroEmacs,
419 Freemacs, MG, Unipress, CCA, and Epsilon..
421 Many people post GNU Emacs questions to comp.emacs because they don't
422 receive any of the gnu.* newsgroups. Arguments have been made both for
423 and against posting GNU-Emacs-specific material to comp.emacs. You have
424 to decide for yourself.
426 Messages advocating "non-free" software are considered unacceptable on
427 any of the gnu.* newsgroups except for gnu.misc.discuss, which was
428 created to hold the extensive flame-wars on the subject. "non-free"
429 software includes any software for which the end user can't freely modify
430 the source code and exchange enhancements. Be careful to remove the
431 gnu.* groups from the `Newsgroups:' line when posting a followup that
432 recommends such software.
434 gnu.emacs.bug is a place where bug reports appear, but avoid posting bug
435 reports to this newsgroup (see question 10).
437 9: Where can I get old postings to gnu.emacs.help and other GNU groups?
439 The FSF has maintained archives of all of the GNU mailing lists for many
440 years, although there may be some unintentional gaps in coverage. The
441 archive is not particularly well organized or easy to retrieve individual
442 postings from, but pretty much everything is there. The archive is
443 available via anonymous ftp at
445 /prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/gnu/MailingListArchives/
447 10: Where should I report bugs and other problems with GNU Emacs?
449 The correct way to report GNU Emacs bugs is by e-mail to
450 bug-gnu-emacs@prep.ai.mit.edu. Anything sent here also appears in the
451 newsgroup gnu.emacs.bug, but please use e-mail instead of news to submit
452 the bug report. This way a reliable return address is available so you
453 can be contacted for further details.
457 Sending bug reports to help-gnu-emacs (which has the effect of posting
458 on gnu.emacs.help) is undesirable because it takes the time of an
459 unnecessarily large group of people, most of whom are just users and
460 have no idea how to fix these problem. bug-gnu-emacs reaches a much
461 smaller group of people who are more likely to know what to do and have
462 expressed a wish to receive more messages about Emacs than the others.
464 However, RMS says there are circumstances when it is okay to post to
467 If you have reported a bug and you don't hear about a possible fix,
468 then after a suitable delay (such as a week) it is okay to post on
469 gnu.emacs.help asking if anyone can help you.
471 If you are unsure whether you have a bug, RMS describes how to tell:
473 ... if Emacs crashes, that is a bug. If Emacs gets compilation errors
474 while building, that is a bug. If Emacs crashes while building, that
475 is a bug. If Lisp code does not do what the documentation says it
478 11: How do I unsubscribe to this mailing list?
480 If you are receiving a GNU mailing list named `XXX', you might be able to
481 unsubscribe to it by sending a request to the address
482 `XXX-request@prep.ai.mit.edu'. However, this will not work if you are
483 not listed on the main mailing list, but instead receive the mail from a
484 distribution point. In that case, you will have to track down at which
485 distribution point you are listed. Inspecting the `Received:' headers on
486 the mail messages may help, along with liberal use of the `EXPN' or
487 `VRFY' sendmail commands through `telnet <site-address> smtp'. Ask your
490 12: What is the current address of the FSF?
492 E-mail address: gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu
493 Phone number: (617) 542-5942
495 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
496 59 Temple Place - Suite 330
497 Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
499 For details on how to order, see the file etc/ORDERS.
502 On-line Help, Printed Manuals, Other Sources of Help
504 13: I'm just starting GNU Emacs; how do I do basic editing?
506 Type "C-h t" to invoke the self-paced tutorial. Typing just C-h is how
507 to enter the help system.
509 WARNING: Your system administrator may have changed C-h to act like DEL
510 to deal with local keyboards. You can use M-x help-for-help instead to
511 invoke help. To discover what key (if any) invokes help on your system,
512 type "M-x where-is RET help-for-help RET". This will print a
513 comma-separated list of key sequences in the echo area. Ignore the last
514 character in each key sequence listed. Each of the resulting key
515 sequences invokes help.
517 NOTE: Emacs help works best if it is invoked by a single key whose value
518 should be stored in the variable help-char. Andrew Arensburger
519 <arensb@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov> wrote a patch that allows the help facility
520 to work properly when invoked by multiple character sequences.
522 14: How do I find out how to do something in GNU Emacs?
524 There are several methods for finding out how to do things in Emacs.
526 * The complete text of the Emacs manual is available on-line via the Info
527 hypertext reader. Type "C-h i" to invoke Info.
529 * You can order a hardcopy of the manual from the FSF. See question 15.
531 * You can get a printed reference card listing commands and keys to
532 invoke them. You can order one from the FSF for $1 (or 10 for $5), or
533 you can print your own from the etc/refcard.tex or etc/refcard.ps files
534 in the Emacs distribution.
536 * You can list all of the commands whose names contain a certain word
537 (actually which match a regular expression) using "C-h a" (M-x
540 * You can list all of the functions and variables whose names contain a
541 certain word using M-x apropos.
543 * There are many other commands in Emacs for getting help and
544 information. To get a list of these commands, type "C-h C-h C-h".
546 15: How do I get a printed copy of the GNU Emacs manual?
548 You can order a printed copy of the GNU Emacs manual from the FSF. For
549 details see the file etc/ORDERS.
551 The full TeX source for the manual also comes in the `man' directory of
552 the Emacs distribution, if you're daring enough to try to print out this
553 420 page manual yourself (see question 18).
555 If you absolutely have to print your own copy, and you don't have TeX,
556 you can get a PostScript version via anonymous FTP:
558 /ftp.cs.ubc.ca:pub/archive/gnu/manuals_ps/emacs-19.21.ps.gz
560 This site requests that you please CONFINE ANY MAJOR FTPING TO LATE
561 EVENINGS OR EARLY MORNINGS OUR TIME (Pacific time zone, GMT-8). A DVI
562 version is also available via FTP:
564 /prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/gnu/emacs-manual-6.0.dvi.gz
566 and all prep mirrors (See question 80 for a list).
568 A WWW version of the Emacs manual is available on the World-Wide Web at
571 http://asis01.cern.ch/infohtml/emacs/emacs.html
573 See also question 14 for how to view the manual on-line.
575 16: Where can I get documentation on GNU Emacs Lisp?
577 Within Emacs, you can type "C-h f" to get the documentation for a
578 function, "C-h v" for a variable.
580 For more information, obtain the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual.
581 Details on ordering it from FSF are in file etc/ORDERS.
583 For on-line use, a set of pregenerated Info files is available with the
584 Texinfo source for the Emacs Lisp manual via anonymous FTP at
586 /prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/gnu/elisp-manual-19-2.3.tar.gz
588 and all prep mirrors (See question 80 for a list).
590 You can also create the Info files from the Texinfo source. See question
591 17 for details on how to install these files on-line.
593 A WWW version of the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual is available at
595 http://www.cs.indiana.edu/usr/local/www/elisp/lispref/elisp_toc.html
597 An introduction to Emacs Lisp is available at
599 http://www.cs.indiana.edu/usr/local/www/elisp/elisp-intro.html
601 Of course, you can also print this 760-page manual yourself. For
602 instructions on how to do this, see question 18.
604 17: How do I install a piece of Texinfo documentation?
606 First, you must turn the Texinfo files into Info files. You may do this
607 within Emacs, using "M-x texinfo-format-buffer", or with the standalone
608 `makeinfo' program, available as part of the latest Texinfo package via
611 /prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/gnu/texinfo-3.1.tar.gz
613 and all prep mirrors (See question 80 for a list).
615 For information about the Texinfo format, read the Texinfo manual which
616 comes with Emacs. This manual also comes installed in Info format, so
617 you can read it on-line.
619 Neither texinfo-format-buffer nor makeinfo installs the resulting Info
620 files in Emacs's Info tree. To install Info files:
622 1. Move the files to the `info' directory in the installed Emacs
623 distribution. See question 4 if you don't know where that is.
625 2. Edit the file info/dir in the installed Emacs distribution, and add a
626 line for the top level node in the Info package that you are
627 installing. Follow the examples already in this file. The format is:
629 * Topic: (relative-pathname). Short description of topic.
631 If you want to install Info files and you don't have the necessary
632 privileges, you have several options:
634 * Info files don't actually need to be installed before being used. You
635 can feed a file name to the Info-goto-node command (invoked by pressing
636 "g" in Info mode) by typing the name of the file in parentheses. This
637 goes to the node named `Top' in that file. For example, to view a Info
638 file named `XXX' in your home directory, you can type this:
642 * You can create your own Info directory. You can tell Emacs where the
643 Info directory is by adding its pathname to the value of the variable
644 Info-default-directory-list. For example, to use a private Info
645 directory which is a subdirectory of your home directory named `Info',
646 you could put this in your .emacs file:
648 (setq Info-default-directory-list
649 (cons "~/Info" Info-default-directory-list))
651 You will need a top-level Info file named `dir' in this directory which
652 has everything the system dir file has in it, except it should list
653 only entries for Info files in that directory. You might not need it
654 if all files in this directory were referenced by other `dir' files.
655 The node lists from all dir files in Info-default-directory-list are
656 merged by the Info system.
658 18: How do I print a Texinfo file?
660 NOTE: You can't get nice printed output from Info files; you must still
661 have the original Texinfo source file for the manual you want to print.
663 1. Make sure the first line of the Texinfo file looks like this:
667 You may need to alter `texinfo' to the full pathname of the
668 texinfo.tex file, which comes with Emacs as man/texinfo.tex (or copy
669 or link it into the current directory).
675 The `texindex' program comes with Emacs as man/texindex.c.
679 5. Print the DVI file XXX.dvi in the normal way for printing DVI files at
682 To get more general instructions, retrieve the latest Texinfo package
683 mentioned in question 17.
685 19: Can I view Info files without using GNU Emacs?
687 Yes, the `info', `xinfo', `tkinfo', and `ivinfo' programs do this. Info
688 uses curses, xinfo uses standard X11 libraries, tkinfo uses Tk/Tcl and
689 ivinfo uses InterViews. You can get Info as part of the latest Texinfo
690 package (see question 17). xinfo is available separately:
692 /prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/gnu/xinfo-1.01.01.tar.gz
694 and all prep mirrors (See question 80 for a list).
696 ivinfo is available in a comp.sources.misc archive or from Tom Horsley
697 <tom@ssd.csd.harris.com>. tkinfo is available by anonymous ftp from:
699 /ptolemy.eecs.berkeley.edu:pub/misc/tkinfo-0.6.tar.Z
700 /ftp.aud.alcatel.com:tcl/code/tkinfo-0.6.tar.gz
702 For ivinfo, you need Stanford's InterViews C++ X library, available via
703 anonymous ftp from interviews.stanford.edu. (A FAQ on InterViews is
704 available at that site in pub/FAQ.)
706 20: What informational files are available for GNU Emacs?
708 This isn't a frequently asked question, but it should be! A variety of
709 informational files about GNU Emacs and relevant aspects of the GNU
710 project are available for you to read.
712 The following files are available in the `etc' directory of the GNU Emacs
713 distribution, and also the latest versions are available individually via
714 anonymous FTP (prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/gnu/GNUinfo/):
716 DISTRIB -- GNU Emacs Availability Information,
717 including the popular "Free Software Foundation Order Form"
718 FTP -- How to get GNU Software by Internet FTP or by UUCP
719 GNU -- The GNU Manifesto
720 INTERVIEW -- Richard Stallman discusses his public-domain
721 UNIX-compatible software system with BYTE editors
722 MACHINES -- Status of GNU Emacs on Various Machines and Systems
723 MAILINGLISTS -- GNU Project Electronic Mailing Lists
724 SERVICE -- GNU Service Directory
725 SUN-SUPPORT -- including "Using Emacstool with GNU Emacs"
727 These files are available in the `etc' directory of the GNU Emacs
730 COPYING -- GNU Emacs General Public License
731 NEWS -- GNU Emacs news, a history of user-visible changes
732 LPF -- Why you should join the League for Programming Freedom
733 FAQ -- GNU Emacs Frequently Asked Questions (You're reading it)
735 These files are available via anonymous FTP (prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/gnu/):
737 tasks -- GNU Task List
738 standards.text -- GNU Coding Standards
740 In addition, all of the above files are available directly from the FSF
741 via e-mail. Of course, please try to get them from a local source first
742 (See question 80 for a list).
744 These additional files are available from the FSF via e-mail:
746 * GNU's Bulletin, January 1994
749 What Is the Free Software Foundation?
751 Donations Translate Into Free Software
752 Cygnus Matches Donations!
756 Free Software Support
757 Project GNU Wish List
758 Towards a New Strategy of OS Design
759 Part 1: A More Usable Approach to OS Design
760 Part 2: A Look at Some of the Hurd's Beasts
761 Second Annual GNU Seminar in Japan
762 GNU and other Free Software in Japan
763 Freely Available Texts
764 OCEAN Integrated-Circuit Design System
765 Hundred Acre Consulting Expands
766 Project GNU Status Report
768 GNU Software Available Now
770 Compiler Tools Binaries CD-ROM
771 Tape & CD-ROM Subscription Service
772 How to Get GNU Software
773 The Deluxe Distribution
775 Free Software for Microcomputers
778 Free Software Foundation Order Form
779 * Legal issues about contributing code to GNU
780 * GNU Project Status Report
782 A collection of past GNU's Bulletins is available via anonymous FTP from:
784 /ftp.funet.fi:pub/gnu/Bulletins/
786 The latest bulletin is available on the World-Wide Web at URL:
788 http://info.desy.de/gnu/www/gnu_bulletin_9401/gnu_bulletin_9401_toc.html
790 21: Where can I get help in installing GNU Emacs?
792 Look in etc/SERVICE for names of companies and individuals who will sell
793 you this type of service. An up-to-date version of the SERVICE file is
794 available on prep.ai.mit.edu (also see question 20).
796 You might also try the help-gnu-emacs mailing list, which is also known
797 as the gnu.emacs.help newsgroup, although many installation questions can
798 easily be answered by looking at the PROBLEMS file (in the top-level
799 directory when you unpack the Emacs source).
801 22: Where can I get the latest version of this document (the FAQ list)?
803 The GNU Emacs FAQ is available in several ways:
805 * Via USENET. If you can read news, the FAQ should be available in your
806 news spool, in both the gnu.emacs.help and comp.emacs newsgroups.
807 Every news reader should allow you to read any news article that is
808 still in the news spool, even if you have read the article before. You
809 may need to read the instructions for your news reader to discover how
810 to do this. In `rn', this command will do this for you at the article
815 In Gnus, you should type "C-u c-x c-s" from the *Summary* buffer or
816 "C-u SPC" from the *Newsgroup* buffer to view all articles in a
819 If the FAQ articles have expired and been deleted from your news spool,
820 it might (or might not) do some good to complain to your news
821 administrator, because the most recent FAQ should not expire before for
824 * Via anonymous FTP. You can fetch the FAQ articles via anonymous FTP
825 from the-tech.mit.edu, in ~ftp/pub/GNU-Emacs/.
827 * In the GNU Emacs distribution. Since GNU Emacs 18.56, the latest
828 available version of the FAQ at the time of release has been part of
829 the GNU Emacs distribution as file etc/FAQ.
831 * Via the World-Wide Web. Point your favorite Web browser (Mosaic, Lynx,
832 w3-mode) to one of the following URLs:
834 http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/top.html
835 http://scwww.ucs.indiana.edu/FAQ/Emacs/
837 * If all goes well, this FAQ should also be available via anonymous ftp
838 and e-mail from rtfm.mit.edu, the main repository for FAQs and other
839 items posted to news.answers. However, we are omitting explicit
840 directions on how to retrieve the FAQ from rtfm.mit.edu, since it's
841 possible that it won't end up there right away. (We're new at this
842 FAQ-posting business.) Instructions on how to retrieve the FAQ from
843 rtfm.mit.edu should be in the next version of the FAQ.
845 * As the very last resort, you can e-mail a request to
846 gnu-emacs-faq-maintainers@bigbird.bu.edu. Don't do this unless you
847 have made a serious effort to obtain the FAQ list via one of the
848 methods listed above.
852 23: Where does the name "Emacs" come from?
854 Emacs originally was an acronym for Editor MACroS. RMS says he "picked
855 the name `Emacs' because `E' was not in use as an abbreviation on ITS at
856 the time." The first Emacs was a set of macros written in 1976 at MIT by
857 RMS for the editor TECO (Text Editor and COrrector (originally Tape
858 Editor and COrrector)) under ITS on a PDP-10. RMS had already extended
859 TECO with a "real-time" full screen mode with active keys. Emacs was
860 started by Guy Steele <gls@think.com> as a project to unify the many
861 divergent TECO command sets and key bindings at MIT.
863 Many people have said that TECO code looks a lot like line noise. See
864 alt.lang.teco if you are interested. Someone has written a TECO
865 implementation in Emacs Lisp; it would be an interesting project to run
866 the original TECO Emacs inside of GNU Emacs.
868 24: What is the latest version of GNU Emacs?
870 GNU Emacs 19.27 is the current version as of 6 September, 1994.
872 25: What is different about GNU Emacs 19?
874 To find out what has changed in recent versions, type C-h n (M-x
875 view-emacs-news). The oldest changes are at the bottom of the file, so
876 you might want to read it starting there, rather than at the top.
878 The most obvious changes have to do with the user interface -- GNU Emacs
879 19 is fully X-aware, and provides pull-down menus and scroll bars. Emacs
880 19 also supports fonts and colors, including context-specific
881 highlighting of source code and other types of buffers.
883 Other changes include a line number mode, which displays the current line
884 number in the mode line, and default bindings for arrow and paging keys
887 Lower-level changes include a smarter memory allocation scheme (Emacs now
888 returns memory to the operating system when you kill buffers), a better
889 byte-compiler, and a source-level Emacs Lisp debugger.
891 There are also a number of new Lisp packages, ranging from dunnet (an
892 Adventure-like program) to mldrag (allows you to drag the mode line up
893 and down with the mouse buttons) to gud (Grand Unified Debugger mode, for
894 many flavors of debuggers). A number of popular Lisp packages, such as
895 SuperCite and the calendar/diary, are also included.
897 Common Things People Want To Do
899 26: How do I set up a .emacs file properly?
901 See `Init File' in the on-line manual.
903 WARNING: In general, new Emacs users should not have .emacs files,
904 because it causes confusing non-standard behavior. Then they send
905 questions to help-gnu-emacs asking why Emacs isn't behaving as
908 27: How do I debug a .emacs file?
910 First start Emacs with the `-debug-init' command-line option. This
911 option enables the Emacs Lisp debugger before evaluating your .emacs
912 file, and places you in the debugger if something goes wrong. The top
913 line in the trace-back buffer will be the error message, and the second
914 or third line of that buffer will display the Lisp code from your .emacs
915 that caused the problem.
917 You can also evaluate an individual function or argument to a function in
918 your .emacs file by moving the cursor to the end of the function or
919 argument and typing "C-x C-e" (M-x eval-last-sexp).
921 Use "C-h v" (M-x describe-variable) to check the value of variables which
922 you are trying to set or use.
924 28: How do I make Emacs display the current column number?
926 Do M-x column-number-mode.
928 29: How do I turn on abbrevs by default just in mode XXX?
930 Put this in your .emacs file:
933 (quietly-read-abbrev-file)
936 (add-hook 'XXX-mode-hook
939 (setq abbrev-mode t))))
941 30: How do I turn on auto-fill mode by default?
943 To turn on auto-fill mode just once for one buffer, use "M-x
944 auto-fill-mode". To turn it on for every buffer in, for example, Text
947 (add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-auto-fill)
949 If you want auto-fill mode on in all major modes, do this:
951 (setq-default auto-fill-function 'do-auto-fill)
953 31: How do I make Emacs use a certain major mode for certain files?
955 If you want to use XXX mode for all files which end with the extension
956 `.YYY', this will do it for you:
958 (setq auto-mode-alist (cons '("\\.YYY\\'" . XXX-mode) auto-mode-alist))
960 Otherwise put this somewhere in the first line of any file you want to
965 Emacs 19 also includes a new variable, interpreter-mode-alist, that
966 specifies which mode to use when loading a shell script. (Emacs
967 determines which interpreter you're using by examining the first line of
968 the file.) This feature only applies when the file name doesn't indicate
969 which mode to use. Use "C-h v" (or M-x describe-variable) to learn more
972 32: How do I search for, delete, or replace unprintable (8-bit or control)
975 To search for a single character that appears in the buffer as, for
976 example, `\237', you can type "C-s C-q 2 3 7". (This assumes the value
977 of search-quote-char is 17 (i.e., C-q).) Searching for ALL unprintable
978 characters is best done with a "regexp" search. The easiest regexp to
979 use for the unprintable chars is the complement of the regexp for the
982 Regexp for the printable chars: [\t\n\r\f -~]
984 Regexp for the unprintable chars: [^\t\n\r\f -~]
986 To type some of these special characters in an interactive argument to
987 isearch-forward-regexp or re-search-forward, you need to use C-q. (`\t',
988 `\n', `\r', and `\f' stand respectively for TAB, LFD, RET, and C-l.) So,
989 to search for unprintable characters using re-search-forward:
991 M-x re-search-forward RET [^ TAB C-q LFD C-q RET C-q C-l SPC -~] RET
993 Using isearch-forward-regexp:
995 M-C-s [^ TAB RET C-q RET C-q C-l SPC -~]
997 To delete all unprintable characters, simply use replace-regexp:
999 M-x replace-regexp RET [^ TAB C-q LFD C-q RET C-q C-l SPC -~] RET RET
1001 Replacing is similar to the above. To replace all unprintable characters
1004 M-x replace-regexp RET [^ TAB C-q LFD C-q RET C-q C-l SPC -~] RET : RET
1006 NOTE: * You don't need to quote TAB with either isearch or typing
1007 something in the minibuffer.
1009 33: How can I highlight a region of text in Emacs?
1011 If you are using a windowing system such as X, you can cause the region
1012 to be highlighted when the mark is active by including
1014 (transient-mark-mode t)
1016 in your .emacs. There are also the following packages for content- based
1022 34: How do I control Emacs's case-sensitivity when searching/replacing?
1024 For searching, the value of the variable case-fold-search determines
1025 whether they are case sensitive:
1027 (setq case-fold-search nil) ; make searches case sensitive
1028 (setq case-fold-search t) ; make searches case insensitive
1030 Similarly, for replacing the variable case-replace determines whether
1031 replacements preserve case.
1033 To change the case sensitivity just for one major mode, use the major
1034 mode's hook. For example:
1036 (add-hook 'XXX-mode-hook
1039 (setq case-fold-search nil))))
1041 35: How do I make Emacs wrap words for me?
1043 Use auto-fill mode, activated by typing "M-x auto-fill-mode". The
1044 default maximum line width is 70, determined by the variable fill-column.
1045 To learn how to turn this on automatically, see question 30.
1047 36: Where can I get a better spelling checker for Emacs?
1049 Use Ispell. See question 101.
1051 37: How can I spell-check TeX or *roff documents?
1053 Use Ispell. See question 101. Ispell can handle TeX and *roff
1056 38: How do I change load-path?
1058 In general, you should only *add* to the load-path. You can add
1059 directory /XXX/YYY to the load path like this:
1061 (setq load-path (cons "/XXX/YYY/" load-path))
1063 To do this relative to your home directory:
1065 (setq load-path (cons "~/YYY/" load-path)
1067 39: How do I use an already running Emacs from another window?
1069 The `emacsclient' program is for editing a file using an already running
1070 Emacs rather than starting up a new Emacs. It does this by sending a
1071 request to the already running Emacs, which must be expecting the
1076 Emacs must have executed the `server-start' function for emacsclient to
1077 work. This can be done either by a command line option:
1079 emacs -f server-start
1081 or by invoking server-start from the .emacs file:
1083 (if (some conditions are met) (server-start))
1085 When this is done, Emacs starts a subprocess running a program called
1086 `server'. `server' creates a Unix domain socket in the user's home
1087 directory named `.emacs_server'.
1089 To get your news reader, mail reader, etc., to invoke emacsclient, try
1090 setting the environment variable EDITOR (or sometimes VISUAL) to the
1091 value `emacsclient'. You may have to specify the full pathname of the
1092 emacsclient program instead. Examples:
1095 setenv EDITOR emacsclient
1096 setenv EDITOR /usr/local/emacs/etc/emacsclient # using full pathname
1099 EDITOR=emacsclient ; export EDITOR
1103 When emacsclient is run, it connects to the `.emacs_server' socket and
1104 passes its command line options to `server'. When `server' receives
1105 these requests, it sends this information on the the Emacs process,
1106 which at the next opportunity will visit the files specified. (Line
1107 numbers can be specified just like with Emacs.) The user will have to
1108 switch to the Emacs window by hand. When the user is done editing a
1109 file, the user can type "C-x #" (or M-x server-edit) to indicate this.
1110 If there is another buffer requested by emacsclient, Emacs will switch
1111 to it; otherwise emacsclient will exit, signaling the calling program
1114 NOTE: `emacsclient' and `server' must be running on machines which
1115 share the same filesystem for this to work. The pathnames that
1116 emacsclient specifies should be correct for the filesystem that the
1117 Emacs process sees. The Emacs process should not be suspended at the
1118 time emacsclient is invoked. emacsclient should either be invoked from
1119 another X window or from a shell window inside Emacs itself.
1121 There is an enhanced version of emacsclient/server called `gnuserv' by
1122 Andy Norman <ange@hplb.hpl.hp.com> which is available in the Emacs Lisp
1123 Archive. gnuserv uses Internet domain sockets, so it can work across
1124 most network connections. It also supports the execution of arbitrary
1125 Emacs Lisp forms and also does not require the client program to wait
1126 for completion. It is available via anonymous FTP (Emacs Lisp Archive:
1127 packages/gnuserv.shar).
1129 40: How do I make Emacs recognize my compiler's funny error messages?
1131 The variable compilation-error-regexp-alist helps control how Emacs
1132 parses your compiler output. It is a list of triples of the form:
1134 (REGEXP FILE-IDX LINE-IDX)
1136 where REGEXP, FILE-IDX and LINE-IDX are strings. To help determine what
1137 the constituent elements should be, load compile.el and then use
1139 C-h v compilation-error-regexp-alist RET
1141 to see the current value. A good idea is to look at compile.el itself as
1142 the comments included for this variable are quite useful -- the regular
1143 expressions required for your compiler's output may be very close to one
1144 already provided. Once you have determined the proper regexps, use the
1145 following to inform Emacs of your changes:
1147 (setq compilation-error-regexp-alist
1148 (cons '(REGEXP FILE-IDX LINE-IDX)
1149 compilation-error-regexp-alist))
1151 41: How do I indent switch statements like this?
1153 Many people want to indent their switch statements like this:
1169 The solution at first appears to be: set c-indent-level to 4 and
1170 c-label-offset to -2. However, this will give you an indentation spacing
1171 of four instead of two.
1173 The solution is to use cc-mode (available from the Emacs Lisp Archive)
1174 and add the following line:
1176 (c-set-offset 'case-label '+)
1178 There appears to be no way to do this with the old c-mode.
1180 42: How can I make Emacs automatically scroll horizontally?
1182 Use hscroll.el by Wayne Mesard <wmesard@esd.sgi.com>.
1184 43: How do I make Emacs "typeover" or "overwrite" instead of inserting?
1186 M-x overwrite-mode (a minor mode).
1188 On some workstations, the "Insert" key toggles insert and overwrite
1191 44: How do I stop Emacs from beeping on a terminal?
1193 Martin R. Frank <martin@cc.gatech.edu> writes:
1195 Tell Emacs to use the `visible bell' instead of the audible bell, and
1196 set the visible bell to nothing.
1198 Put this in your TERMCAP environment variable:
1204 (setq visible-bell t)
1206 45: How do I turn down the bell volume in Emacs running under X Windows?
1208 You can adjust the bell volume and duration for all programs with the
1211 Invoking xset without any arguments produces some basic information,
1212 including the following:
1214 usage: xset [-display host:dpy] option ...
1217 To set bell volume, pitch and duration:
1218 b [vol [pitch [dur]]] b on
1220 46: How do I tell Emacs to automatically indent a new line to the
1221 indentation of the previous line?
1223 One solution is Indented Text Mode (M-x indented-text-mode).
1225 If you have auto-fill mode on (a minor mode, see question 30), you can
1226 tell Emacs to prefix every line with a certain character sequence, the
1227 "fill prefix." Type the prefix at the beginning of a line, position
1228 point after it, and then type "C-x ." (set-fill-prefix) to set the fill
1229 prefix. Thereafter, auto-filling will automatically put the fill prefix
1230 at the beginning of new lines, and M-q (fill-paragraph) will maintain any
1231 fill prefix when refilling the paragraph.
1233 NOTE: If you have paragraphs with different levels of indentation, you
1234 will have to set the fill prefix to the correct value each time you move
1235 to a new paragraph. To avoid this hassle, try one of the many packages
1236 available from the Emacs Lisp Archive. Look up `fill' and `indent' in
1237 the Lisp Code Directory for guidance.
1239 47: How do I show which parenthesis matches the one I'm looking at?
1241 GNU Emacs 19 comes with paren.el, which (when loaded) will automatically
1242 highlight matching parentheses whenever point (i.e., the cursor) is
1243 located over one. To load paren automatically, include the line
1247 in your .emacs file.
1249 Alternatives to paren include:
1251 * If you're looking at a right parenthesis (or brace or bracket) you can
1252 delete it and reinsert it. Emacs will blink the cursor on the matching
1255 * M-C-f (forward-sexp) and M-C-b (backward-sexp) will skip over one set
1256 of balanced parentheses, so you can see which parentheses match. (You
1257 can train it to skip over balanced brackets and braces at the same time
1258 by modifying the syntax table.)
1260 * Here is some Emacs Lisp that will make the % key show the matching
1261 parenthesis, like in vi. In addition, if the cursor isn't over a
1262 parenthesis, it simply inserts a % like normal.
1264 ;; By an unknown contributor
1266 (global-set-key "%" 'match-paren)
1268 (defun match-paren (arg)
1269 "Go to the matching parenthesis if on parenthesis otherwise insert %."
1271 (cond ((looking-at "\\s\(") (forward-list 1) (backward-char 1))
1272 ((looking-at "\\s\)") (forward-char 1) (backward-list 1))
1273 (t (self-insert-command (or arg 1)))))
1275 48: In C mode, can I show just the lines that will be left after #ifdef
1276 commands are handled by the compiler?
1278 M-x hide-ifdef-mode. (This is a minor mode.)
1280 49: Is there an equivalent to the `.' (dot) command of vi?
1282 (`.' is the redo command in vi. It redoes the last insertion/deletion.)
1286 You can type "C-x ESC ESC" (repeat-complex-command) to reinvoke commands
1287 that used the minibuffer to get arguments. In repeat-complex-command you
1288 can type M-p and M-n to scan through all the different complex commands
1291 To repeat something on each line, use keyboard macros. (See `Keyboard
1292 Macros' in the on-line manual.)
1294 50: What are the valid X resource settings (i.e., stuff in .Xdefaults)?
1296 See Emacs man page, or "Resources X" in the on-line manual.
1298 You can also use a resource editor, such as editres (for X11R5 and
1299 onwards), to look at the resource names for the menu bar, assuming Emacs
1300 was compiled with the X toolkit.
1302 51: How do I execute a piece of Emacs Lisp code?
1304 There are a number of ways to execute (called "evaluate") an Emacs Lisp
1307 * If you want it evaluated every time you run Emacs, put it in a file
1308 named `.emacs' in your home directory.
1310 * You can type the form in the *scratch* buffer, and then type LFD (or
1311 C-j) after it. The result of evaluating the form will be inserted in
1314 * In Emacs-Lisp mode, typing M-C-x evaluates a top-level form before or
1317 * Typing "C-x C-e" in any buffer evaluates the Lisp form immediately
1318 before point and prints its value in the echo area.
1320 * Typing M-: or M-x eval-expression allows you to type a Lisp form in
1321 the minibuffer which will be evaluated.
1323 * You can use M-x load-file to have Emacs evaluate all the Lisp forms in
1324 a file. (To do this from Lisp use the function `load' instead.)
1326 These functions are also used for evaluating Lisp forms:
1328 load-library, eval-region, eval-current-buffer, require, autoload
1330 52: How do I change Emacs's idea of the tab character's length?
1332 Set the variable default-tab-width. For example, to set tab stops every
1333 10 characters, insert the following in your .emacs file:
1335 (setq default-tab-width 10)
1337 53: How do I insert `>' at the beginning of every line?
1339 Type "M-x replace-regexp RET ^ RET > RET".
1341 To do this only in the region, type "C-x n n M-x replace-regexp RET ^ RET
1344 WARNING: The command narrow-to-region (C-x n n) is disabled by default
1345 because it can be very confusing (i.e., "Oh no! Where did my file go?").
1347 54: How do I insert `_^H' before each character in a paragraph to get an
1348 underlined paragraph?
1350 M-x underline-region.
1352 55: How do I repeat a command as many times as possible?
1354 Use "C-x (" and "C-x )" to make a keyboard macro that invokes the command
1355 and then type "M-0 C-x e".
1357 WARNING: any messages your command prints in the echo area will be
1360 56: How do I make Emacs behave like this: when I go up or down, the cursor
1361 should stay in the same column even if the line is too short?
1363 M-x picture-mode. (This is a minor mode, in theory anyway ...)
1365 57: How do I tell Emacs to iconify itself?
1367 "C-z" iconifies Emacs when running in X and suspends Emacs otherwise.
1368 See `Misc X' in the on-line manual.
1370 58: How do I use regexps (regular expressions) in Emacs?
1372 See `Regexps' in the on-line manual.
1374 WARNING: The "or" operator is `\|', not `|', and the grouping operators
1375 are `\(' and `\)'. Also, the string syntax for a backslash is "\\".
1376 Thus, the string syntax for a regular expression like xxx\(foo\|bar\) is
1377 "xxx\\(foo\\|bar\\)". Notice the duplicated backslashes!
1379 WARNING: Unlike in Unix grep, sed, etc., a complement character set
1380 ([^...]) can match a newline character (LFD aka C-j aka \n), unless
1381 newline is mentioned as one of the characters not to match.
1383 WARNING: The character syntax regexps (e.g., `\sw') are not meaningful
1384 inside character set regexps (e.g., `[aeiou]'). (This is actually
1385 typical for regexp syntax.)
1387 59: How do I perform a replace operation across more than one file?
1389 The "tags" feature of Emacs includes the command tags-query-replace which
1390 performs a query-replace across all the files mentioned in the TAGS file.
1391 See `Tags:Tags Search' in the on-line manual.
1393 In addition, Martin Boyer has written a package named global-replace
1394 which will perform a query-replace across all the files mentioned in the
1395 *compilation* buffer (usually done after a `grep'), which is available
1398 /ireq-robot.hydro.qc.ca:pub/emacs/lisp/compile.el.z
1399 /ireq-robot.hydro.qc.ca:pub/emacs/lisp/global-replace.el.z
1400 /ireq-robot.hydro.qc.ca:pub/emacs/lisp/query.el.z
1402 NOTE: These files are compressed using GNU zip ("gzip"); you can get a
1403 copy from gzip from prep and its mirrors (see question 80).
1405 60: Where is the documentation for `etags'?
1407 The `etags' man page should be in the same place as the `emacs' man page.
1409 Quick command-line switch descriptions are also available. For example,
1415 61: Does Emacs have problems with files larger than 8 megabytes?
1416 [This problem has been solved better in Emacs 19.29 because the buffer
1417 size limit is now 16 times as large.]
1419 Most installed versions of GNU Emacs will use 24-bit signed integers (and
1420 24-bit pointers) internally. This limits the file size that Emacs can
1421 handle to 8,388,607 bytes (2^23 - 1).
1423 Leonard N. Zubkoff <lnz@lucid.com> suggests putting the following two
1424 lines in src/config.h before compiling Emacs to allow for 26-bit integers
1425 and pointers (and thus filesizes of up to 33,554,431 bytes):
1428 #define GCTYPEBITS 5
1430 WARNING: This method may result in `ILLEGAL DATATYPE' and other random
1431 errors on some machines.
1433 David Gillespie <daveg@csvax.cs.caltech.edu> gives an explanation of why
1434 Emacs uses 24 bit integers and pointers:
1436 Emacs is largely written in a dialect of Lisp; Lisp is a freely-typed
1437 language in the sense that you can put any value of any type into any
1438 variable, or return it from a function, and so on. So each value must
1439 carry a "tag" along with it identifying what kind of thing it is, e.g.,
1440 integer, pointer to a list, pointer to an editing buffer, and so on.
1441 Emacs uses standard 32-bit integers for data objects, taking the top 8
1442 bits for the tag and the bottom 24 bits for the value. So integers
1443 (and pointers) are somewhat restricted compared to true C integers and
1446 Emacs uses 8-bit tags because that's a little faster on byte-oriented
1447 machines, but there are only really enough tags to require 6 bits.
1449 62: How do I get rid of the ^M junk in my shell buffer?
1451 Try typing "M-x shell-strip-ctrl-m RET" while in shell-mode to make them
1452 go away. If that doesn't work, you have several options:
1454 For tcsh, put this in your `.cshrc' (or `.tcshrc') file:
1457 if ("$EMACS" == t) then
1458 if ($?tcsh) unset edit
1463 Or put this in your .emacs_tcsh file:
1468 Alternatively, use csh in your shell buffers instead of tcsh. One way
1471 (setq explicit-shell-file-name "/bin/csh")
1473 and another is to do this in your .cshrc (or .tcshrc) file:
1475 setenv ESHELL /bin/csh
1477 (You must start Emacs over again with the environment variable properly
1478 set for this to take effect.)
1480 63: Why do I get `Process shell exited abnormally with code 1'?
1482 The most likely reason for this message is that the `env' program is not
1483 properly installed. Compile this program for your architecture, and
1484 install it with a+x permission in the architecture-dependent Emacs
1485 program directory. (You can find what this directory is at your site by
1486 inspecting the value of the variable exec-directory by typing "C-h v
1487 exec-directory RET".)
1489 You should also check for other programs named `env' in your path (e.g.,
1490 SunOS has a program named /usr/bin/env). We don't understand why this
1491 can cause a failure and don't know a general solution for working around
1492 the problem in this case.
1494 The `make clean' command will remove `env' and other vital programs, so
1495 be careful when using it.
1497 It has been reported that this sometimes happened when Emacs was started
1498 as an X client from an xterm window (i.e., had a controlling tty) but the
1499 xterm was later terminated.
1501 See also PROBLEMS (in the top-level directory when you unpack the Emacs
1502 source) for other possible causes of this message.
1504 64: Where is the termcap/terminfo entry for terminal type `emacs'?
1506 The termcap entry for terminal type `emacs' is ordinarily put in the
1507 TERMCAP environment variable of subshells. It may help in certain
1508 situations (e.g., using rlogin from shell buffer) to add an entry for
1509 `emacs' to the system-wide termcap file. Here is a correct termcap entry
1514 To make a terminfo entry for `emacs', use `tic' or `captoinfo'. You need
1515 to generate /usr/lib/terminfo/e/emacs. It may work to simply copy
1516 /usr/lib/terminfo/d/dumb to /usr/lib/terminfo/e/emacs.
1518 Having a termcap/terminfo entry will not enable the use of full screen
1519 programs in shell buffers. Use M-x terminal-emulator for that instead.
1521 A workaround to the problem of missing termcap/terminfo entries is to
1522 change terminal type `emacs' to type `dumb' or `unknown' in your shell
1523 start up file. `csh' users could put this in their .cshrc files:
1525 if ("$term" == emacs) set term=dumb
1527 65: Why does Emacs spontaneously start displaying `I-search:' and beeping?
1529 Your terminal (or something between your terminal and the computer) is
1530 sending C-s and C-q for flow control, and Emacs is receiving these
1531 characters and interpreting them as commands. (The C-s character
1532 normally invokes the isearch-forward command.) For possible solutions,
1535 66: Why can't Emacs talk to certain hosts (or certain hostnames)?
1537 The problem may be that Emacs is linked with a wimpier version of
1538 gethostbyname than the rest of the programs on the machine. This is
1539 often manifested as a message on startup of `X server not responding.
1540 Check your DISPLAY environment variable.' or a message of `Unknown host'
1541 from open-network-stream.
1543 On a Sun, this may be because Emacs had to be linked with the static C
1544 library. The version of gethostbyname in the static C library may only
1545 look in /etc/hosts and the NIS (YP) maps, while the version in the
1546 dynamic C library may be smart enough to check DNS in addition to or
1547 instead of NIS. On a Motorola Delta running System V R3.6, the version
1548 of gethostbyname in the standard library works, but the one that works
1549 with NIS doesn't (the one you get with -linet). Other operating systems
1550 have similar problems.
1554 * Explicitly add the host you want to communicate with to /etc/hosts.
1556 * Relink Emacs with this line in src/config.h:
1558 #define LIBS_SYSTEM -lresolv
1560 * Replace gethostbyname and friends in libc.a with more useful versions
1561 such as the ones in libresolv.a. Then relink Emacs.
1563 * If you are actually running NIS, make sure that `ypbind' is properly
1564 told to do DNS lookups with the correct command line switch.
1566 * Use tcp.el and tcp.c from Gnus. This has the additional advantage that
1567 you can use numeric IP addresses instead of names. open-network-stream
1568 currently can't handle numeric addresses. Brian Thomson
1569 <thomson@hub.toronto.edu> has a enhancement to open-network-stream to
1570 allow it to handle numeric addresses.
1572 67: Why does Emacs say `Error in init file'?
1574 An error occurred while loading either your .emacs file or the
1575 system-wide lisp/default.el file. For information on how to debug your
1576 .emacs file, see question 27.
1578 It may be the case that you may need to load some package first, or use a
1579 hook that will be evaluated after the package is loaded. A common case
1580 of this is explained in question 106.
1582 68: Why does Emacs ignore my X resources (my .Xdefaults file)?
1584 As of version 19, Emacs searches for X resources in the files specified
1585 by the XFILESEARCHPATH, XUSERFILESEARCHPATH, and XAPPLRESDIR environment
1586 variables, emulating the functionality provided by programs written using
1589 XFILESEARCHPATH and XUSERFILESEARCHPATH should be a list of file names
1590 separated by colons; XAPPLRESDIR should be a list of directory names
1591 separated by colons.
1593 Emacs searches for X resources
1595 + specified on the command line, with the `-xrm RESOURCESTRING'
1597 + then in the value of the XENVIRONMENT environment variable,
1598 - or if that is unset, in the file named ~/.Xdefaults-HOSTNAME if it
1600 (where HOSTNAME is the hostname of the machine Emacs is running on),
1601 + then in the screen-specific and server-wide resource properties
1602 provided by the server,
1603 - or if those properties are unset, in the file named ~/.Xdefaults
1605 + then in the files listed in XUSERFILESEARCHPATH,
1606 - or in files named LANG/Emacs in directories listed in XAPPLRESDIR
1607 (where LANG is the value of the LANG environment variable), if
1608 the LANG environment variable is set,
1609 - or in files named Emacs in the directories listed in XAPPLRESDIR
1610 - or in ~/LANG/Emacs (if the LANG environment variable is set),
1612 + then in the files listed in XFILESEARCHPATH.
1614 69: Why does Emacs take 20 seconds to visit a file?
1616 The usual cause is that the master lock file, `!!!SuperLock!!!' has been
1617 left in the lock directory somehow. Delete it.
1619 Mark Meuer <meuer@geom.umn.edu> says that NeXT NFS has a bug where an
1620 exclusive create succeeds but returns an error status. This can cause the
1621 same problem. Since Emacs's file locking doesn't work over NFS anyway,
1622 the best solution is to recompile Emacs with CLASH_DETECTION undefined.
1624 70: How do I edit a file with a `$' in its name?
1626 When entering a filename in the minibuffer, Emacs will attempt to expand
1627 a `$' followed by a word as an environment variable. To suppress this
1628 behavior, type "$$" instead.
1630 71: Why does shell mode lose track of the shell's current directory?
1632 Emacs has no way of knowing when the shell actually changes its
1633 directory. This is an intrinsic limitation of Unix. So it tries to
1634 guess by recognizing `cd' commands. If you type `cd' followed by a
1635 directory name with a variable reference (`cd $HOME/bin') or with a shell
1636 metacharacter (`cd ../lib*'), Emacs will fail to correctly guess the
1637 shell's new current directory. A huge variety of fixes and enhancements
1638 to shell mode for this problem have been written to handle this problem.
1639 Check the Lisp Code Directory (see question 77).
1641 You can tell Emacs the shell's current directory with the command "M-x
1644 72: Are there any security risks in GNU Emacs?
1646 * the `movemail' incident (No, this is not a risk.)
1648 In his book "The Cuckoo's Egg," Cliff Stoll describes this in chapter
1649 4. The site at LBL had installed the `etc/movemail' program setuid
1650 root. (As of version 19, movemail is in your architecture-specific
1651 directory; type "C-h v directory RET" to see what it is.) Since
1652 `movemail' had not been designed for this situation, a security hole
1653 was created and users could get root privileges.
1655 `movemail' has since been changed so that even if it is installed
1656 setuid root this security hole will not be a result.
1658 We have heard unverified reports that the Internet worm took advantage
1659 of this configuration problem.
1661 * the file-local-variable feature (Yes, a risk, but easy to change.)
1663 There is an Emacs feature that allows the setting of local values for
1664 variables when editing a file by including specially formatted text
1665 near the end of the file. This feature also includes the ability to
1666 have arbitrary Emacs Lisp code evaluated when the file is visited.
1667 Obviously, there is a potential for Trojan horses to exploit this
1670 If you set the variable inhibit-local-variables to a non-nil value,
1671 Emacs will display the special local variable settings of a file that
1672 you visit and ask you if you really want them. This variable is not
1673 mentioned in the manual.
1675 It is wise to do this in lisp/site-init.el before building Emacs:
1677 (setq inhibit-local-variables t)
1679 If Emacs has already been built, the expression can be put in
1680 lisp/default.el instead, or an individual can put it in their own
1683 The ability to exploit this feature by sending e-mail to an Rmail user
1684 was fixed sometime after Emacs 18.52. However, any new package that
1685 uses find-file or find-file-noselect has to be careful about this.
1687 For more information, see `File Variables' in the on-line manual
1688 (which, incidentally, does not describe how to disable the feature).
1690 * synthetic X events (Yes, a risk, use MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 or better.)
1692 Emacs accepts synthetic X events generated by the SendEvent request as
1693 though they were regular events. As a result, if you are using the
1694 trivial host-based authentication, other users who can open X
1695 connections to your X workstation can make your Emacs process do
1696 anything, including run other processes with your privileges.
1698 The only fix for this is to prevent other users from being able to open
1699 X connections. The standard way to prevent this is to use a real
1700 authentication mechanism, such as MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1. If using the
1701 `xauth' program has any effect, then you are probably using
1702 MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1. Your site may be using a superior authentication
1703 method; ask your system administrator.
1705 If real authentication is not a possibility, you may be satisfied by
1706 just allowing hosts access for brief intervals while you start your X
1707 programs, then removing the access. This reduces the risk somewhat by
1708 narrowing the time window when hostile users would have access, but
1709 DOES NOT ELIMINATE THE RISK.
1712 Difficulties Building/Installing/Porting Emacs
1714 73: What should I do if I have trouble building Emacs?
1716 First look in the file PROBLEMS (in the top-level directory when you
1717 unpack the Emacs source) to see if there is already a solution for your
1718 problem. Next check the FAQ (you're reading it). If you don't find a
1719 solution, then report your problem via e-mail to
1720 bug-gnu-emacs@prep.ai.mit.edu. Please do not post it to gnu.emacs.help
1721 or e-mail it to help-gnu-emacs@prep.ai.mit.edu. For further guidelines,
1724 74: How do I stop Emacs from failing when the executable is stripped?
1728 This problem has been reported on SGI Indigo machines running Irix 4.0.*
1729 and RS/6000 machines. Scott Henry <scotth@hoshi.corp.SGi.COM> posted a
1730 patch that fixes the problem for Irix.
1732 75: Why does linking Emacs with -lX11 fail?
1734 Emacs needs to be linked with the static version of the X11 library,
1735 libX11.a. This may be missing.
1737 Under OpenWindows, you may need to use `add_services' to add the
1738 `OpenWindows Programmers' optional software category from the CD-ROM.
1740 Under HP-UX 8.0, you may need to run `update' again to load the X11-PRG
1741 `fileset'. This may be missing even if you specified `all filesets' the
1742 first time. If libcurses.a is missing, you may need to load the
1743 `Berkeley Development Option' {???}.
1745 If you are building the MIT X11 sources, you may need to modify your
1746 `site.cf' file to get static versions of the libraries. (Info from David
1747 Zuhn <zoo@cygnus.com>.)
1749 Other systems may have similar problems. You can always define
1750 CANNOT_DUMP and link with the shared libraries instead.
1752 To get the Xmenu stuff to work, you need to find a copy of MIT's
1756 Finding/Getting Emacs and Related Packages
1758 76: Where can I get GNU Emacs on the net (or by snail mail)?
1760 Look in the files etc/DISTRIB and etc/FTP for information on nearby
1761 archive sites and etc/ORDERS for mail orders. If you don't already have
1762 GNU Emacs, see question 20 for how to get these files.
1764 The latest version is always available via anonymous FTP at MIT:
1766 /prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/gnu/emacs-19.27.tar.gz
1768 See question 80 for information on where to get other GNU software.
1770 77: How do I find a GNU Emacs Lisp package that does XXX?
1772 A listing of Emacs Lisp packages, called the Lisp Code Directory, is
1773 being maintained by Dave Brennan <brennan@hal.com>. You can search
1774 through this list to learn if someone has written something that fits
1777 This list is file LCD-datafile.Z in the Emacs Lisp Archive (see the next
1778 question for retrieval instructions). The files lispdir.el.Z and
1779 lispdir.doc in the archive contain Lisp code and information to help you
1780 use the list. Once you have installed lispdir.el and LCD-datafile, then
1781 you can use the `M-x lisp-dir-apropos' command to search the listing.
1782 For example, the command `M-x lisp-dir-apropos RET ange-ftp RET' produces
1785 GNU Emacs Lisp Code Directory Apropos -- "ange-ftp"
1786 "~/" refers to archive.cis.ohio-state.edu:pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/
1788 ange-ftp (4.18) 15-Jul-1992
1789 Andy Norman, <ange@hplb.hpl.hp.com>
1790 ~/packages/ange-ftp.tar.Z
1791 transparent FTP Support for GNU Emacs
1792 auto-save (1.19) 01-May-1992
1793 Sebastian Kremer, <sk@thp.uni-koeln.de>
1794 ~/misc/auto-save.el.Z
1795 Safer autosaving with support for ange-ftp and /tmp
1796 ftp-quik (1.0) 28-Jul-1993
1797 Terrence Brannon, <tb06@pl122f.eecs.lehigh.edu>
1798 ~/modes/ftp-quik.el.Z
1799 Quik access to dired'ing of ange-ftp and normal paths
1801 78: Where can I get GNU Emacs Lisp packages that don't come with Emacs?
1803 First, check the Lisp Code Directory to find the name of the package you
1804 are looking for (see question 77). Next, check local archives and the
1805 Emacs Lisp Archive to find a copy of the relevant files. If you still
1806 haven't found it, you can send e-mail to the author asking for a copy.
1808 You can access the Emacs Lisp Archive via anonymous FTP:
1810 /archive.cis.ohio-state.edu:pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/
1811 /ftp.cs.umn.edu:pub/elisp-archive/
1812 /calypso-2.oit.unc.edu:pub/gnu/elisp-archive/
1813 /ftp.uu.net:packages/gnu/emacs-lisp/
1814 /gatekeeper.dec.com:pub/GNU/elisp-archive/
1815 /nic.switch.ch:mirror/elisp-archive/
1816 /ftp.diku.dk:pub/elisp-archive/
1817 /quepasa.cs.tu-berlin.de:pub/gnu/elisp/
1818 /faui43.informatik.uni-erlangen.de:pub/gnu/elisp-archive/
1819 /ftp.uni-mainz.de:pub/gnu/elisp-archive/
1820 /nic.funet.fi:pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/
1821 /src.doc.ic.ac.uk:gnu/EmacsBits/elisp-archive/
1823 Retrieve and read the file README first.
1825 NOTE: * The archive maintainers do not have time to answer individual
1826 requests for packages or the list of packages in the archive. If
1827 you cannot use FTP or UUCP to access the archive yourself, try to
1828 find a friend who can, but please don't ask the maintainers.
1830 * Any files with names ending in `.Z', `.z', or `.gz' are
1831 compressed, so you should use `binary' mode in FTP to retrieve
1832 them. You should also use binary mode whenever you retrieve any
1833 files with names ending in `.elc'.
1835 79: How do I submit code to the Emacs Lisp Archive?
1837 Guidelines and procedures for submission to the archive can be found in
1838 the file GUIDELINES in the archive directory (see question 78). It
1839 covers documentation, copyrights, packaging, submission, and the Lisp
1840 Code Directory Record. Anonymous FTP uploads are not permitted.
1841 Instead, all submissions are mailed to elisp-archive@cis.ohio-state.edu.
1842 The lispdir.el package has a function named submit-lcd-entry which will
1845 80: Where can I get other up-to-date GNU stuff?
1847 The most up-to-date official GNU stuff is normally kept on
1848 prep.ai.mit.edu and is available for anonymous FTP in the pub/gnu
1849 directory. Read the files etc/DISTRIB and etc/FTP for more information
1850 (see question 20 for retrieval instructions).
1852 The following sites are all mirror images of the GNU distribution area:
1854 /col.hp.com:mirrors/gnu/
1855 /ftp.uu.net:packages/gnu/
1856 /ftp.win.tue.nl:pub/gnu/
1857 /gatekeeper.dec.com:pub/GNU/
1858 /nic.funet.fi:pub/gnu/
1859 /src.doc.ic.ac.uk:gnu/ (available via FTP, NIFTP, FTAM)
1860 /utsun.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp:ftpsync/prep/
1861 /wuarchive.wustl.edu:systems/gnu/
1863 The directory at ftp.uu.net is a mirror of prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/gnu,
1864 except that files larger than one megabyte are split into multiple parts.
1865 If you have trouble transferring large files, you should try here. A
1866 file normally named `XXX' is split into files XXX-split/part[0-9][0-9],
1867 and there will be a file named XXX-split/README which contains the list
1868 of parts (especially helpful when FTP-ing by e-mail), their checksums,
1869 and reassembly instructions.
1871 81: What is the difference between Emacs and Epoch?
1873 Epoch was a modified version of GNU Emacs. It was merged
1874 into XEmacs (formerly "Lucid Emacs"), and the Epoch redisplay, now
1875 being totally rewritten, is slated to be merged into Emacs when the
1878 82: What is the difference between Emacs and XEmacs (formerly "Lucid
1881 XEmacs is a modified version of GNU Emacs.
1883 A comparison between the two versions, written by the XEmacs
1884 maintainers, had been included here. Richard Stallman removed it
1885 from this copy of the FAQ because it was unfair. It was (1)
1886 one-sided, listing only advantages of XEmacs and not advantages of
1887 the principal version of Emacs, (2) biased, stating the opinions
1888 of the XEmacs maintainers, and (3) out of date, listing as advantages of
1889 XEmacs features which in fact both versions have.
1891 83: Where can I get Emacs for my PC running MS-DOS?
1893 Recent releases of GNU Emacs 19 should compile right out of the box on
1894 PCs with a 386 or better, running MS-DOS 3.0 or later. You will need the
1895 following to compile it:
1897 Compiler: djgpp version 1.12 maint 1 or later. Djgpp v2.0 or later is
1898 recommended, since v1.x is being phased out--if you'll have any
1899 djgpp-related problem for which there is no known solution, you
1900 are on your own when you use djgpp v1.x.
1902 You can get the latest release of either v1.x or v2.0 by
1903 grabbing everything in the following directory (using anonymous
1906 ftp.simtel.net:/pub/simtelnet/gnu/djgpp
1908 There are a few directories under djgpp whose names begin with
1909 `v1' or `v2'; get the contents of `v2' and `v2gnu' (for djgpp
1910 v2) or `v1' and `v1gnu' (for djgpp v1).
1914 The easiest way is to use `djtar' which comes with DJGPP v2.x,
1915 because it can unzip .tar.gz archives on-the-fly (so you won't
1916 need twice the required disk space while untarring the
1917 archive). You get `djtar' with the `v2/djdev201.zip' file from
1918 the above FTP server.
1920 Another (slower) version of Tar which unzips automatically is
1921 available by anonymous ftp on this site:
1923 ftp.kiae.su:msdos/arcers/tar320fp.zip
1925 Or you can unZip the archive with the DJGPP port of GZip (from
1926 the above directory at ftp.simtel.net look for v2/gzp124b.zip),
1927 then unTar it with any of the Tar ports floating around. A
1928 DOS version of GNU tar is available via anonymous ftp from
1930 ftp.unipg.it:/pub/msdos/aspi/gtar-exe.zip
1932 Note that DOS ports of GNU Tar usually cannot unzip compressed
1935 Another version of Tar for DOS can be found at
1937 ftp.urc.tue.nl:pub/unixtools/dos
1939 However, be warned that not all DOS versions of tar work
1940 equally well, so you might have to try others if this one gives
1943 Utilities: chmod, make, mv, sed, rm.
1945 All of these utilities are available via anonymous ftp from
1948 ftp.simtel.net:/pub/simtelnet/gnu/djgpp/v2gnu
1950 You should grab the file fil313b.zip (contains chmod.exe,
1951 mv.exe, and rm.exe).
1953 A port of GNU Sed is available in the djgpp archives in the
1954 above directory on ftp.coast.net. Look for a file named
1955 v2/sed118b.zip or v1/sed118bn.zip.
1957 The file etc/MSDOS contains some information on the differences between
1958 the Unix and MS-DOS versions of GNU Emacs.
1960 MS-DOS systems are notorious in the problems they present when installing
1961 programs, due to a great variability in both hardware and software. If
1962 you have any unusual problems compiling or using Emacs, please consult
1963 the latest version of the djgpp FAQ list, available as v2/faqNNNb.zip,
1964 where `NNN' is the version number. For v1, get the file v1/faq102.zip.
1966 If you would prefer not to compile Emacs by yourself, you can get
1967 binaries for Emacs via anonymous ftp from many sites; use your Archie
1968 client to search for them.
1970 You might also be interested in Demacs, which runs under MS-DOS (*not*
1971 Microsoft Windows; see question 84) on 386- and 486-based PCs. Demacs is
1972 a port of Nemacs (see question 126), rather than a straight port of GNU
1975 Demacs was developed using an MS-DOS version of gcc called djgpp by
1976 DJ Delorie <dj@delorie.com> which can compile and run large programs
1977 under MS-DOS and under MS Windows. Demacs was derived from Nemacs
1978 rather than straight from GNU Emacs. You can get the most recent version
1979 of Demacs via anonymous ftp from ftp.sigmath.osaka-u.ac.jp in
1982 For a list of other MS-DOS implementations of Emacs (and Emacs
1983 look-alikes), consult the list of "Emacs implementations and literature,"
1984 available via anonymous ftp from rtfm.mit.edu in pub/usenet/comp.emacs.
1986 84: Where can I get Emacs for my PC running Microsoft Windows?
1988 * If you compile GNU Emacs with the tools listed above, it will run under
1989 Microsoft Windows in a DOS box.
1991 There are currently two other ports of Emacs that runs under Microsoft
1996 Current version of Oemacs4.1 is based on Emacs-19.19 and runs in either
1997 MS-DOS or Microsoft Windows. There is rumor that the author Darryl
1998 Okahata <darrylo@sr.hp.com> would not update unless there is
1999 demonstrated interest. It is nearly a full porting of GNU Emacs except
2000 that shell-mode does not work due to the limitation of MS-DOS.
2001 Anonymous ftp information:
2003 ftp.coast.net:SimTel/vendors/gnu/oemacs/
2005 * The other uses a proprietary X Windows emulator and therefore
2006 the FSF does not think it deserves publicity.
2008 85: Where can I get Emacs for my PC running OS/2?
2010 Emacs 19.27 is ported for emx on OS/2 2.0 or 2.1.
2014 hobbes.nmsu.edu:os2/2_x/unix/emacs27
2016 86: Where can I get Emacs for my Atari ST?
2020 87: Where can I get Emacs for my Amiga?
2022 Amiga software is available through Aminet, a set of interconnected FTP
2023 sites and other file accessing services for Amiga software. The primary
2024 sites for Aminet are ftp.wustl.edu (128.252.135.4) and ftp.cdrom.com
2025 (192.153.46.2). In the directory pub/aminet/util/gnu, there are
2027 a1.26-emacs-bin.lha -- Amiga GNU Emacs V1.26, binaries
2028 a1.26-emacs-src.lha -- Amiga GNU Emacs V1.26, sources
2030 There are also quite a few Emacs related files/programs. Please search
2031 the index of Aminet.
2033 We have no access to an Amiga, so please send in your experience and
2034 comments on the implementation.
2036 88: Where can I get Emacs for my Apple computer?
2038 There used to be a boycott of Apple because of its "look and feel"
2039 lawsuit. The lawsuit failed, and the boycott is over.
2040 Currently the GNU project treats Apple like other computer companies.
2042 Since the Mac operating system is very different from Unix and GNU,
2043 support for it would be a big job. And this job would be tangential
2044 to the GNU project's goals. Meanwhile, we don't have the resources
2045 to do all we want to do on supporting Emacs for GNU-like systems.
2046 So if we had to do work on support for the Macintosh, that would
2047 directly harm the GNU project.
2049 Of course, the same is true for MSDOS and Windows NT. We decided to
2050 incorporate support for those systems because the code was very modular,
2051 because volunteers not only wrote all the code but also investigate
2052 all the bugs reported on those systems, and because we hoped that we
2053 will be able to raise funds for GNU using these versions, and in this
2054 way these ports will make up for the effort that they took. (We still
2055 hope so, but it has not happened yet.)
2057 89: Where do I get Emacs that runs on VMS under DECwindows?
2059 Version 19.27 has a VMS directory containing installation instructions, a
2060 makefile, and various .com files. But according to Richard Levitte
2061 <levitte@e.kth.se>, it does not run out of the box. Even if it does, the
2062 VMSNOTES indicates that the Emacs on VMS is going to have much more
2063 limited functionality. Richard Levitte has a patched 19.22 that
2064 supposedly has subprocess and networking functionality just as on Unix,
2065 with virtually the same lisp interface. The source is available via
2068 ftp.vms.stacken.kth.se:GNU-VMS/Beta/EMACS-19_22-********.TAR-GZ
2070 where ******** is the release date of the kit. You should also read
2071 http://www.e.kth.se/elev/levitte/gnu/emacs.html for more information.
2073 90: Where can I get modes for Lex, Yacc/Bison, Bourne shell, Csh, C++,
2074 Objective C, Pascal, and Awk?
2076 Most of these modes are now available in standard Emacs distribution. To
2077 get additional modes, look in the Lisp Code Directory (see question 77).
2078 For C++, if you use lisp-dir-apropos, you must specify the pattern like
2081 M-x lisp-dir-apropos RET c\+\+ RET
2083 Note that Barry Warsaw's cc-mode now works for C, C++, and Objective-C
2084 code. You can get the latest version (4.85, as of this writing) from the
2087 91: What is the IP address of XXX.YYY.ZZZ?
2089 If you are at a site with a deficient nameserver, you may need to know
2090 the IP address of a host to FTP files from it. You can get this
2091 information in two ways:
2095 telnet nic.ddn.mil hostnames (or `telnet 192.112.36.5 101')
2097 Whois: host XXX.YYY.ZZZ
2101 To: service@nic.ddn.mil
2102 Subject: host XXX.YYY.ZZZ
2103 or: whois XXX.YYY.ZZZ
2108 To: resolve@cs.widener.edu
2109 body: site XXX.YYY.ZZZ
2111 Information from Brendan Kehoe <brendan@cs.widener.edu>.
2114 Major Emacs Lisp Packages, Emacs Extensions, and Related Programs
2116 This section lists version numbers, FTP sites, mailing lists, newsgroups,
2117 and other information for many important packages, extensions, and
2118 related programs. There is some overlap with the Lisp Code Directory,
2119 but these entries give more detailed information.
2121 If you know of any other packages that are so substantial that they
2122 deserve to be mentioned here, please let us know. Having its own mailing
2123 list or newsgroup or more than half a megabyte of source code are good
2126 92: VM (View Mail) -- another mail reader within Emacs
2128 Author: Kyle Jones <kyle@uunet.uu.net>
2129 Latest version: 5.72 (beta)
2131 /ftp.uu.net:networking/mail/vm-5.72beta.tar.gz
2132 Newsgroups and mailing lists:
2134 gnu.emacs.vm.info (newsgroup)
2135 info-vm-request@uunet.uu.net (for subscriptions)
2136 info-vm@uunet.uu.net (for submissions)
2138 gnu.emacs.vm.bug (newsgroup)
2139 bug-vm-request@uunet.uu.net (for subscriptions)
2140 bug-vm@uunet.uu.net (for submissions)
2142 93: Supercite -- mail and news citation package within Emacs
2144 Author: Barry Warsaw <bwarsaw@cen.com>
2145 Latest version: 3.54 (comes with GNU Emacs 19)
2146 3.1 (available from the Emacs Lisp Archive)
2148 /archive.cis.ohio-state.edu:pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/packages/sc3.1.tar.Z
2149 Mailing list: supercite-request@anthem.nlm.nih.gov (for subscriptions)
2150 supercite@anthem.nlm.nih.gov (for submissions)
2151 NOTE: Superyank is an old version of Supercite.
2153 94: Gnus -- news reader within Emacs
2155 Author: Masanobu Umeda <umerin@mse.kyutech.ac.jp>
2156 Latest version: 4.1 (comes with GNU Emacs 19)
2158 /src.doc.ic.ac.uk:gnu/EmacsBits/elisp-archive/packages/gnus-4.1.tar.Z
2159 /archive.cis.ohio-state.edu:pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/packages/gnus-4.1.tar.Z
2160 Newsgroups and mailing lists:
2162 gnu.emacs.gnus (newsgroup)
2163 info-gnus-english-request@cis.ohio-state.edu (for subscriptions)
2164 info-gnus-english@cis.ohio-state.edu (for submissions)
2165 Japanese (and some English):
2166 info-gnus-request@flab.fujitsu.co.jp (for subscriptions)
2167 info-gnus@flab.fujitsu.co.jp (for submissions)
2169 95: Calc -- poor man's Mathematica within Emacs
2171 Author: Dave Gillespie <daveg@csvax.cs.caltech.edu>
2172 Latest version: 2.02c
2174 /prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/gnu/calc-2.02c.tar.gz
2175 NOTE: Unlike Wolfram Research, Dave has never threatened to sue
2176 anyone for having a program with a similar command language to
2179 96: Ange-FTP -- transparent FTP access for Emacs's file access routines
2181 Author: Andy Norman <ange@hplb.hpl.hp.com>
2182 Latest version: 1.56 (comes with GNU Emacs 19)
2184 /archive.cis.ohio-state.edu:pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/packages/ange-ftp.tar.Z
2187 ange-ftp-lovers-request@anorman.hpl.hp.com (for subscriptions)
2188 ange-ftp-lovers@anorman.hpl.hp.com (for submissions)
2189 /ftp.reed.edu:pub/mailing-lists/ange-ftp/ (archives)
2190 Ange-FTP Announcements:
2191 ange-ftp-lovers-announce@anorman.hpl.hp.com
2192 NOTE: now supports VMS, CMS, and MTS ftp servers
2194 97: VIP -- vi emulation for Emacs
2196 Author: Aamod Sane <sane@cs.uiuc.edu>
2199 /cs.uiuc.edu:pub/vip4.3.tar.Z
2200 /archive.cis.ohio-state.edu:pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/modes/vip-mode.tar.Z
2201 NOTE: This version much more closely emulates vi than the one
2202 distributed with Emacs.
2204 98: AUC TeX -- enhanced LaTeX mode with debugging facilities
2206 Author: Kresten Krab Thorup <krab@iesd.auc.dk>
2207 Latest version: 9.1i
2209 /iesd.auc.dk:pub/emacs-lisp/auctex-9.1i.tar.gz
2211 auc-tex-request@iesd.auc.dk (for subscriptions)
2212 auc-tex@iesd.auc.dk (for submissions)
2213 auc-tex_mgr@iesd.auc.dk (auc-tex development team)
2215 99: Hyperbole -- extensible hypertext management system within Emacs
2217 Author: Bob Weiner <rsw@cs.brown.edu>
2218 Latest version: 3.15
2220 /wilma.cs.brown.edu:pub/hyperbole/h3.15.tar.Z
2222 hyperbole-announce -- Hyperbole release announcements only.
2224 To: hyperbole-request@cs.brown.edu
2225 Subject: Add <mailbox@domain.name> to hyperbole-announce
2226 hyperbole -- Hyperbole discussion.
2228 To: hyperbole-request@cs.brown.edu
2229 Subject: Add <mailbox@domain.name> to hyperbole
2231 hyperbole@cs.brown.edu
2232 NOTE: Any member of the hyperbole mailing list is automatically a
2233 member of the hyperbole-announce mailing list.
2234 NOTE: No .UUCP or ! addresses are allowed on these mailing lists.
2236 100: BBDB -- personal Info Rolodex integrated with mail/news readers
2238 Author: Jamie Zawinski <jwz@lucid.com>
2239 Latest released version: 1.50
2241 /archive.cis.ohio-state.edu:pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/packages/bbdb-1.50.tar.Z
2243 info-bbdb-request@cs.uiuc.edu (for subscriptions)
2244 info-bbdb@cs.uiuc.edu (for submissions)
2245 bbdb-announce-request@cs.uiuc.edu (to be informed of new releases)
2246 NOTE: BBDB does not work with VM 4. It does work with VM 5,
2247 Rmail, Gnus, and MH-E.
2249 101: Ispell -- spell checker in C with interface for Emacs
2251 Author: Geoff Kuenning <geoff@itcorp.com>
2252 Latest released version: 3.1.08
2255 /ftp.cs.ucla.edu:pub/ispell/ispell-3.1.08.tar.gz
2256 /ftp.math.orst.edu:pub/ispell/ispell-3.1.08.tar.gz
2257 Known Mirror Sites: (only directory names shown)
2258 /ftp.th-darmstadt.de:pub/dicts/ispell/
2259 /ftp.nl.net:pub/textproc/ispell/
2261 NOTE: * Do not ask Geoff to send you the latest version of Ispell.
2262 He does not have free e-mail.
2264 * This Ispell program is distinct from GNU Ispell 4.0. GNU
2265 Ispell 4.0 is no longer a supported product.
2267 102: XEmacs -- alternative Emacs 19 with better X interface; formerly
2268 known as Lucid Emacs or lemacs.
2270 Primary Maintainer: Chuck Thompson <cthomp@cs.uiuc.edu>
2271 Other Developers: Ben Wing <wing@netcom.com>
2272 Richard Mlynarik <mly@adoc.xerox.com>
2273 Jamie Zawinski <jwz@mcom.com>
2274 Latest released version: 19.11
2276 /ftp.cs.uiuc.edu:pub/xemacs/xemacs-19.11.tar.gz
2277 Newsgroup and mailing lists:
2280 bug-lucid-emacs-request@cs.uiuc.edu (for subscriptions)
2281 bug-lucid-emacs@cs.uiuc.edu (for submissions)
2283 alt.lucid-emacs.help
2284 help-lucid-emacs-request@cs.uiuc.edu (for subscriptions)
2285 help-lucid-emacs@cs.uiuc.edu (for submissions)
2286 NOTE: The XEmacs FAQ is available via the World-Wide Web at URL
2287 http://xemacs.cs.uiuc.edu/.
2289 103: Patch -- program to apply "diffs" for updating files
2291 Author: Larry Wall <lwall@netlabs.com>
2294 /prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/gnu/patch-2.1.tar.gz
2295 /ftp.funet.fi:pub/gnu/patch-2.1.tar.gz
2296 /ftp.uni-stuttgart.de:pub/unix/gnu/patch-2.1.tar.gz
2297 NOTE: See question 80 for other GNU distribution sites.
2300 Changing Key Bindings and Handling Key Binding Problems
2302 104: How do I bind keys (including function keys) to commands?
2304 Keys can be bound to commands either interactively or by predefinition
2305 (e.g. in the .emacs file). To interactively bind keys for all modes,
2306 type `M-x global-set-key RET KEY CMD RET'; for the current major mode
2307 only, type `M-x local-set-key RET KEY CMD RET' (see the Emacs on-line
2308 documentation for further details).
2310 To bind keys on starting Emacs or on starting any given mode, you can use
2311 the following "trick." First bind the key interactively, then
2312 immediately afterwards type `C-x ESC ESC C-a C-k C-g'. Now, the command
2313 needed to bind the key is in the kill ring and can be yanked into the
2314 .emacs file. If the key binding is global, no changes to the command are
2315 required. For example,
2317 (global-set-key (quote [f1]) (quote help-for-help))
2319 can be place directly into the .emacs file. If the key binding is local,
2320 the command is used in conjunction with the `add-hook' command. For
2321 example, in tex-mode, a local binding might be
2323 (add-hook 'tex-mode-hook
2324 (function (lambda ()
2325 (local-set-key (quote [f1]) (quote help-for-help))))
2327 NOTE: * Control characters in key sequence position of the form yanked
2328 from the kill ring are given in their graphic form - i.e. CTRL is
2329 shown as `^', TAB as a set of spaces (usually 8), etc. You may
2330 want to convert these into their vector or string forms.
2332 * If some prefix key of the character sequence to be bound is
2333 already bound as a complete key, then you must unbind it before
2334 the new binding. For example, if `ESC {' is previously bound:
2336 (global-unset-key [?\e ?{]) ;; or
2337 (local-unset-key [?\e ?{])
2339 * Aside from commands and "lambda lists," a vector or string also
2340 can be bound to a key and thus treated as a macro. For example:
2342 (global-set-key [f10] [?\C-x?\e?\e?\C-a?\C-k?\C-g]) ;; or
2343 (global-set-key [f10] "\C-x\e\e\C-a\C-k\C-g")
2345 See `Key Bindings' in the Emacs on-line documentation for further
2348 105: Why does Emacs say `Key sequence XXX uses invalid prefix characters'?
2350 Usually one of two things has happened. In one case, the control
2351 character in the key sequence has been misspecified (e.g. `C-f' used
2352 instead of `\C-f' within a Lisp expression). In the other case, a
2353 "prefix key" in the keystroke sequence you were trying to bind was
2354 already bound as a "complete key." Historically, the `ESC [' prefix was
2355 usually the problem, in which case you should evaluate either of these
2356 forms before attempting to bind the key sequence:
2358 (global-unset-key [?\e ?[]) ;; or
2359 (global-unset-key "\e[")
2361 106: Why doesn't this [terminal or window-system setup] code work in my
2362 .emacs file, but it works just fine after Emacs starts up?
2364 During startup, Emacs initializes itself according to a given code/file
2365 order. If some of the code executed in your .emacs file needs to be
2366 postponed until the initial terminal or window-system setup code has been
2367 executed but is not, then you will experience this problem (this
2368 code/file execution order is not enforced after startup).
2370 To postpone the execution of Emacs Lisp code until after terminal or
2371 window-system setup, treat the code as a "lambda list" and set the value
2372 of either the `term-setup-hook' or `window-setup-hook' variable to this
2373 "lambda function." For example,
2375 (setq term-setup-hook
2378 (cond ((string-match "\\`vt220" (or (getenv "TERM") ""))
2379 ;; Make vt220's "Do" key behave like M-x:
2380 (global-set-key [do] 'execute-extended-command))
2383 For information on what Emacs does every time it is started, see the
2384 lisp/startup.el file.
2386 107: How do I use function keys under X Windows?
2388 With Emacs 19, functions keys under X are bound like any other key. See
2389 question 104 for details.
2391 108: How do I tell what characters or symbols my function or arrow keys
2394 Put the following in your .emacs file and type `M-x see-chars' to use:
2397 "Display events received, terminated by a 3-second timeout."
2401 (message "Enter characters or other events, terminated by a 3-second
2403 (while (not (sit-for 3))
2404 (setq chars (nconc chars (list (read-event)))
2405 quit-flag nil) ; quit-flag might be set by C-g.
2406 (if (not (input-pending-p))
2407 (message "Events received until now: %s..."
2408 (key-description chars))))
2409 (message "Events received: %s" (key-description chars))))
2411 Alternatively, type "C-h c" then the function or arrow keys. The command
2412 will return either a function key symbol or character sequence (see the
2413 Emacs on-line documentation for an explanation). This works for other
2416 109: How do I set the X key "translations" for Emacs?
2418 Sorry, you can't; there are no "translations" to be set. Emacs is not
2419 written using the Xt library. The only way to affect the behavior of
2420 keys within Emacs is through `xmodmap' (outside Emacs) or `define-key'
2421 (inside Emacs). The `define-key' command should be used in conjunction
2422 with the `function-key-map' map. For instance,
2424 (define-key function-key-map [M-tab] [?\M-\t])
2426 defines the `META TAB' key sequence.
2428 110: How do I handle C-s and C-q being used for flow control?
2430 C-s and C-q are used in the XON/XOFF flow control protocol. This screws
2431 up Emacs because it binds these characters to commands. Also, by default
2432 Emacs will not honor them as flow control characters and may overwhelm
2433 output buffers. Sometimes, intermediate software using XON/XOFF flow
2434 control will prevent Emacs from ever seeing C-s and C-q.
2438 * Disable the use of C-s and C-q for flow control.
2440 You need to determine the cause of the flow control.
2444 Your terminal may use XON/XOFF flow control to have time to display
2445 all the characters it receives. For example, VT series terminals do
2446 this. It may be possible to turn this off from a setup menu. For
2447 example, on a VT220 you may select `No XOFF' in the setup menu. This
2448 is also true for some terminal emulation programs on PCs.
2450 When you turn off flow control at the terminal, you will also need to
2451 turn it off at the other end, which might be at the computer you are
2452 logged in to or at some terminal server in between.
2454 If you turn off flow control, characters may be lost; using a printer
2455 connected to the terminal may fail. You may be able to get around
2456 this problem by modifying the `termcap' entry for your terminal to
2457 include extra NUL padding characters.
2461 If you are using a dialup connection, the modems may be using
2462 XON/XOFF flow control. It's not clear how to get around this.
2464 * a router or terminal server
2466 Some network box between the terminal and your computer may be using
2467 XON/XOFF flow control. It may be possible to make it use some other
2468 kind of flow control. You will probably have to ask your local
2469 network experts for help with this.
2471 * tty and/or pty devices
2473 If your connection to Emacs goes through multiple tty and/or pty
2474 devices, they may be using XON/XOFF flow control even when it is not
2477 Eirik Fuller <eirik@theory.tn.cornell.edu> writes:
2479 Some versions of `rlogin' (and possibly telnet) do not pass flow
2480 control characters to the remote system to which they connect. On
2481 such systems, Emacs on the remote system cannot disable flow
2482 control on the local system. Sometimes `rlogin -8' will avoid this
2485 One way to cure this is to disable flow control on the local host
2486 (the one running rlogin, not the one running rlogind) using the
2487 stty command, before starting the rlogin process. On many systems,
2488 `stty start u stop u' will do this.
2490 Some versions of `tcsh' will prevent even this from working. One
2491 way around this is to start another shell before starting rlogin,
2492 and issue the stty command to disable flow control from that shell.
2494 Use `stty -ixon' instead of `stty start u stop u' on some systems.
2496 * Make Emacs speak the XON/XOFF flow control protocol.
2498 You can make Emacs treat C-s and C-q as flow control characters by
2501 (enable-flow-control)
2503 to unconditionally enable flow control or
2505 (enable-flow-control-on "vt100" "h19")
2507 (using your terminal names instead of "vt100" or "h19") to enable
2508 selectively. These commands will automatically swap `C-s' and `C-q' to
2509 `C-\' and `C-^'. Variables can be used to change the default swap keys
2510 (`flow-control-c-s-replacement' and `flow-control-c-q-replacement').
2512 If you are fixing this for yourself, simply put the form in your .emacs
2513 file. If you are fixing this for your entire site, the best place to
2514 put it is in the lisp/site-start.el file. Putting this form in
2515 lisp/default.el has the problem that if the user's .emacs file has an
2516 error, this will prevent lisp/default.el from being loaded and Emacs
2517 may be unusable for the user, even for correcting their .emacs file
2518 (unless they're smart enough to move it to another name).
2520 For further discussion of this issue, read the file PROBLEMS (in the
2521 top-level directory when you unpack the Emacs source).
2523 111: How do I bind `C-s' and `C-q' (or any key) if these keys are filtered
2526 To bind `C-s' and `C-q', use either `enable-flow-control' or
2527 `enable-flow-control-on'. See question 110 for usage and implementation
2530 To bind other keys, use `keyboard-translate'. See question 114 for usage
2531 details. To do this for an entire site, you should swap the keys in
2532 lisp/site-start.el. See question 110 for an explanation of why
2533 lisp/default.el should not be used.
2535 NOTE: * If you do this for an entire site, the users will be confused by
2536 the disparity between what the documentation says and how Emacs
2539 112: Why does the `Backspace' key invoke help?
2541 The `Backspace' key (on most keyboards) generates ASCII code 8. `C-h'
2542 sends the same code. In Emacs by default `C-h' invokes help-command.
2543 This is intended to be easy to remember since the first letter of "help"
2544 is "h." The easiest solution to this problem is to use `C-h' (and
2545 Backspace) for help and DEL (the Delete key) for deleting the previous
2548 For many people this solution may be problematic:
2550 * They normally use Backspace outside of Emacs for deleting the previous
2551 character typed. This can be solved by making DEL be the command for
2552 deleting the previous character outside of Emacs. This command will do
2553 this on many Unix systems:
2557 * The person may prefer using the Backspace key for deleting the previous
2558 character because it is more conveniently located on their keyboard or
2559 because they don't even have a separate Delete key. In this case, the
2560 Backspace key should be made to behave like Delete. There are several
2563 * Some terminals (e.g., VT3## terminals) allow the character generated by
2564 the Backspace key to be changed from a setup menu.
2566 * You may be able to get a keyboard that is completely programmable.
2568 * Under X or on a dumb terminal, it is possible to swap the Backspace and
2569 Delete keys inside Emacs:
2571 (keyboard-translate ?\C-h ?\C-?)
2573 See question 114 for further details of `keyboard-translate'.
2575 * Another approach is to switch key bindings and put help on "C-x h"
2578 (global-set-key [?\C-h] 'delete-backward-char)
2579 (global-set-key [?\C-x ?h] 'help-command)
2580 ;; overrides mark-whole-buffer
2582 Other popular key bindings for help are M-? and "C-x ?".
2584 NOTE: * Don't try to bind DEL to help-command, because there are many
2585 modes that have local bindings of DEL that will interfere.
2587 113: Why doesn't Emacs look at the stty settings for Backspace vs. Delete?
2591 114: How do I "swap" two keys?
2593 In Emacs 19, you can swap two keys (or key sequences) by using the
2594 `keyboard-translate' function. For example, to turn `C-h' into DEL and
2597 (keyboard-translate ?\C-h ?\C-?) ; translate `C-h' to DEL
2598 (keyboard-translate ?\C-? ?\C-h) ; translate DEL to `C-h'.
2600 The first key sequence of the pair after the function identifies what is
2601 produced by the keyboard; the second, what is matched for in the keymaps.
2603 Keyboard translations are not the same as key bindings in keymaps. Emacs
2604 contains numerous keymaps that apply in different situations, but there
2605 is only one set of keyboard translations, and it applies to every
2606 character that Emacs reads from the terminal. Keyboard translations take
2607 place at the lowest level of input processing; the keys that are looked
2608 up in keymaps contain the characters that result from keyboard
2611 Also see `Keyboard Translations' in the on-line manual.
2613 115: How do I produce C-XXX with my keyboard?
2615 On terminals (but not under X), some common "aliases" are:
2617 CTRL-2 or CTRL-SPC for C-@
2619 CTRL-7 or CTRL-SHIFT-- for C-_
2624 Often other aliases exist; use the `C-h c' command and try `CTRL' with
2625 all of the digits on your keyboard to see what gets generated. You can
2626 also try the `C-h w' command if you know the name of the command.
2628 116: What if I don't have a Meta key?
2630 Instead of typing "M-a", you can type "ESC a". In fact, Emacs converts
2631 M-a internally into "ESC a" anyway (depending on the value of
2632 meta-prefix-char). Note that you press "Meta" and "a" together, while
2633 you press "ESC", release it, and then press "a".
2635 117: What if I don't have an Escape key?
2637 Type "C-[" instead. This should send ASCII code 27 just like an Escape
2638 key would. "C-3" may also work on some terminal (but not under X). For
2639 many terminals (notably DEC terminals) "F11" generates the "ESC" key. If
2640 not, the following form can be used bind it:
2642 (define-key function-key-map [f11] [?\e]) ; F11 is the documented ESC
2643 ; replacement on DEC terminals.
2645 118: Can I make my `Compose Character' key behave like a Meta key?
2647 On a dumb terminal such as a VT220, no. It is rumored that certain VT220
2648 clones could have their Compose key configured this way. If you're using
2649 X, you might be able to do this with the `xmodmap' program.
2651 119: How do I bind a combination of modifier key and function key?
2653 With Emacs 19 you can indicate modified function keys in vector format
2654 through multi-prefixing the function key symbol. For example (from the
2655 Emacs on-line documentation):
2657 (global-set-key [?\C-x right] 'forward-page)
2659 where "?\C-x" is the Lisp character constant for the character "C-x".
2661 You can use the modifier keys CTRL, META, HYPER, SUPER, ALT and SHIFT
2662 with function keys. To represent these modifiers, prepend the strings
2663 "C-", "M-", "H-", "s-", "A-" and "S-" to the symbol name. Thus, here is
2664 how to make "Hyper-Meta-RIGHT" move forward a word:
2666 (global-set-key [H-M-right] 'forward-word)
2668 NOTE: * Not all modifiers are permitted in all situations. HYPER, SUPER,
2669 and ALT are available only under X (provided there are such
2670 keys). Non-ASCII keys and mouse events (e.g. "C-=" and
2671 "mouse-1") also fall under this category.
2673 See question 104 for general key binding instructions.
2675 120: Why doesn't my Meta key work in an xterm window?
2677 Try all of these methods before asking for further help:
2679 * You may have big problems using `mwm' as your window manager. {Does
2680 anyone know a good generic solution to allow the use of the Meta key in
2683 * For X11: Make sure it really is a Meta key. Use `xev' to find out what
2684 keysym your Meta key generates. It should be either Meta_L or Meta_R.
2685 If it isn't, use xmodmap to fix the situation.
2687 * Make sure the pty the xterm is using is passing 8 bit characters.
2688 `stty -a' (or `stty everything') should show `cs8' somewhere. If it
2689 shows `cs7' instead, use `stty cs8 -istrip' (or `stty pass8') to fix
2692 * If there is an rlogin connection between the xterm and the Emacs, the
2693 `-8' argument may need to be given to rlogin to make it pass all 8 bits
2696 * If the Emacs is running under Ultrix, it is reported that evaluating
2697 (set-input-mode t nil) helps.
2699 * If all else fails, you can make xterm generate "ESC W" when you type
2700 M-W, which is the same conversion Emacs would make if it got the M-W
2701 anyway. In X11R4, the following resource specification will do this:
2703 XTerm.VT100.EightBitInput: false
2705 (This changes the behavior of the insert-eight-bit action.)
2707 With older xterms, you can specify this behavior with a translation:
2709 XTerm.VT100.Translations: #override \
2710 Meta<KeyPress>: string(0x1b) insert()
2712 You might have to replace `Meta' with `Alt'.
2714 121: Why doesn't my ExtendChar key work as a Meta key under HP-UX 8.0?
2716 This is a result of an internationalization extension in X11R4 and the
2717 fact that HP is now using this extension. Emacs assumes that
2718 XLookupString returns the same result regardless of the Meta key state
2719 which is no longer necessarily true. Until Emacs is fixed, the temporary
2720 kludge is to run this command after each time the X server is started but
2721 preferably before any xterm clients are:
2723 xmodmap -e 'remove mod1 = Mode_switch'
2725 NOTE: This will disable the use of the extra keysyms systemwide, which
2726 may be undesirable if you actually intend to use them.
2728 122: Where can I get key bindings to make Emacs emulate WordStar?
2730 There is a package `wordstar' by Jim Frost <jimf@saber.com> located under
2731 the "misc" directory at the Emacs Lisp Archive.
2733 123: Where can I get an XEDIT emulator for Emacs?
2735 This question comes up once every couple of months. Searing for "xedit"
2736 through most recent Lisp Code Directory fails to match any entries.
2738 Using Emacs with Alternate Character Sets
2740 124: How do I make Emacs display 8-bit characters?
2742 GNU Emacs 19 has built-in support for 8-bit characters. Here is an
2743 excerpt from the `European Display' page of the on-line manual:
2745 Some European languages use accented letters and other special symbols.
2746 The ISO 8859 Latin-1 character set defines character codes for many
2747 European languages in the range 160 to 255.
2749 Emacs can display those characters according to Latin-1, provided the
2750 terminal or font in use supports them. The `M-x
2751 standard-display-european' command toggles European character display
2752 mode. With a numeric argument, `M-x standard-display-european' enables
2753 European character display if and only if the argument is positive.
2755 Some operating systems let you specify the language you are using by
2756 setting a locale. Emacs handles one common special case of this: if
2757 your locale name for character types contains the string `8859-1' or
2758 `88591', Emacs automatically enables European character display mode
2761 125: How do I input 8-bit characters?
2763 Again, from the `European Display' page of the on-line manual:
2765 If you enter non-ASCII ISO Latin-1 characters often, you might find ISO
2766 Accents mode convenient. When this minor mode is enabled, the
2767 characters ``', `'', `"', `^', `/' and `~' modify the following letter
2768 by adding the corresponding diacritical mark to it, if possible. To
2769 enable or disable ISO Accents mode, use the command `M-x
2770 iso-accents-mode'. This command affects only the current buffer.
2772 To enter one of those six special characters, type the character,
2773 followed by a space. Some of those characters have a corresponding
2774 "dead key" accent character in the ISO Latin-1 character set; to enter
2775 that character, type the corresponding ASCII character twice. For
2776 example, `''' enters the Latin-1 character acute-accent (character code
2779 126: Where can I get an Emacs that can handle kanji characters?
2781 Nemacs 3.3.2 (Nihongo GNU Emacs) is a modified version of GNU Emacs 18.55
2782 that handles kanji characters. It is available via anonymous FTP:
2784 /crl.nmsu.edu:pub/misc/nemacs-3.3.2.tar.Z
2785 /ftp.cs.titech.ac.jp:pub/gnu-rel/nemacs/nemacs-3.3.2.tar.gz
2787 You might also need files for "wnn," a kanji input method
2788 (wnn-4.0.3{-README,.tar.Z} {on which machine?}). You need a terminal (or
2789 terminal emulator) that can display text encoded in JIS, Shift-JIS, or
2790 EUC (Extended Unix Code), or the ability to run Nemacs as a direct X
2793 127: Where can I get an Emacs that can handle Chinese?
2795 Cemacs by Stephen G. Simpson <simpson@math.psu.edu> is a patch to Emacs
2796 18.57 (the ctl-arrow patch) and some Emacs Lisp code that combined with
2797 Cxterm allows using Chinese characters. It is available via anonymous
2800 /cs.purdue.edu:pub/ygz/cemacs.tar.Z
2802 Cxterm, a patch to Emacs 18.57 that allows you to enter Chinese
2803 characters, is available from the same place:
2805 /cs.purdue.edu:pub/ygz/cxterm-11.5.1.tar.Z
2807 128: Where is an Emacs that can handle Semitic (right-to-left) alphabets?
2809 Joel M. Hoffman <joel@wam.umd.edu> writes:
2811 A couple of years ago a wrote a hebrew.el file that allows
2812 right-to-left editing of Hebrew. I relied on the hardware to display
2813 the Hebrew letters, given the right codes, but not for any
2814 right-to-left support; the hardware also doesn't have to send any
2815 specific char. codes. Emacs keeps track of when the user is typing
2816 Hebrew vs. English. (The VT-* terminals in Israel contain built-in
2817 support for Hebrew.)
2819 To get it to work I had to modify only a few lines of GNU Emacs's
2820 source code --- just enough to make it 8-bit clean.
2822 [and in a separate message:]
2824 It doesn't produce time-order ["sefer" format] (I wouldn't recommend
2825 trying that with Emacs, because converting time-order to screen-order
2826 with arbitrarily long lines is a bit tricky), but I also concocted a
2827 quick filter to convert screen-order into time-order. I'll be happy to
2828 send you the requisite files if you want them. If you're using it for
2829 anything large, however, you'll want something that works better.
2831 Joel Hoffman has also written a "bi-directional bi-lingual Emacs-like"
2832 editor for MS-DOS named Ibelbe (Itty Bitty Emacs-Like Bidirectional
2833 Editor). Ibelbe is written in Turbo Pascal and comes with source code.
2834 Here is the description:
2836 Ibelbe looks like Emacs (it even has a minibuffer and filename
2837 completion), and fully supports both right-to-left and left-to-right
2838 editing. Other than an EGA monitor or better, no special hardware is
2839 required. You will need an EGA Hebrew font to use Ibelbe with Hebrew.
2842 /israel.nysernet.org:israel/computers/software/msdos/ibelbe.zip
2843 /israel.nysernet.org:israel/computers/software/msdos/hebfont.zip
2845 Joseph Friedman <yossi@deshaw.com, yossi@Neon.Stanford.EDU> has written
2846 patches for Emacs 18.55 and 18.58 that provide Semitic language support
2849 Warren Burstein <warren@itex.jct.ac.il> says he has mapped 7-bit keys by
2850 modifying self-insert-command "for Hebrew input on 7-bit keyboards."
2852 A good suggestion is to query archie for files named with `hebrew'.
2857 129: How do I change the included text prefix in mail/news followups?
2859 If you read mail with Rmail or news with Gnus, set the variable
2860 mail-yank-prefix. For VM, set vm-included-text-prefix. For mh-e, set
2863 For fancier control of citations, use Supercite. See question 93.
2865 A related problem is how to prevent Emacs from including various headers
2866 of the replied-to message. For this, you should set the value of
2867 mail-yank-ignored-headers, which takes a regexp value.
2869 130: How do I save a copy of outgoing mail?
2871 You can either mail yourself a copy by including a `BCC:' header in the
2872 mail message, or store a copy of the message directly to a file by
2873 including an `FCC:' header.
2875 If you use standard mail, you can automatically create a `BCC:' to
2878 (setq mail-self-blind t)
2880 in your .emacs. You can automatically include an `FCC:' field by putting
2881 something like the following in your .emacs file:
2883 (setq mail-archive-file-name (expand-file-name "~/outgoing"))
2885 The output file will be in Unix mail format, which can be read directly
2886 by VM, but not always by Rmail. See question 132.
2888 If you use mh-e add an FCC: or BCC: field to your components file.
2890 It does not work to put `set record filename' in the .mailrc file.
2892 131: Why doesn't Emacs expand my aliases when sending mail?
2894 * You must separate multiple addresses in the headers of the mail buffer
2895 with commas. This is because Emacs supports RFC822 standard addresses
2898 To: Willy Smith <wks@xpnsv.lwyrs.com>
2900 However, you do not need to separate addresses with commas in your
2903 WARNING: Emacs breaks up aliases in the .mailrc file into multiple
2904 addresses both on commas and on whitespace, regardless of any use of
2905 quotes. This is probably a bug. You can get around this by directly
2906 setting the value of mail-aliases.
2908 * Emacs normally only reads the `.mailrc' file once per session, when you
2909 start to compose your first mail message. If you edit .mailrc, you can
2910 type "M-: (build-mail-aliases) RET" to make Emacs reread .mailrc.
2911 (You have to include the parentheses where they are shown!)
2913 * Emacs does not interpret vendor-specific additions to the format of the
2914 .mailrc file such as the `source' command. It also ignores any `set'
2915 commands. The only commands it looks at are `alias' and `group'
2918 * If you like, you can expand mail aliases as abbrevs, as soon as you
2919 type them in. To enable this feature, execute the following:
2921 (add-hook 'mail-setup-hook 'mail-abbrevs-setup)
2923 132: Why does Rmail think all my saved messages are one big message?
2925 A file created through the FCC: field in a message is in Unix Mail
2926 format, not the format that Rmail uses (BABYL format). Rmail will try to
2927 convert a Unix mail file into BABYL format on input, but sometimes it
2928 makes errors. For guaranteed safety, you can make the saved- messages
2929 file be an inbox for your Rmail file by using the function
2930 set-rmail-inbox-list.
2932 133: How can I sort the messages in my Rmail folder?
2934 In Rmail, type C-c C-s C-h to get a list of sorting functions and their
2937 134: Why does Rmail need to write to /usr/spool/mail?
2939 This is the behavior of the `movemail' program which Rmail uses. This
2940 indicates that movemail is configured to use lock files.
2944 Certain systems require lock files to interlock access to mail files.
2945 On these systems, movemail must write lock files, or you risk losing
2946 mail. You simply must arrange to let movemail write them.
2948 Other systems use the flock system call to interlock access. On these
2949 systems, you should configure movemail to use flock.
2951 135: How do I recover my mail files after Rmail munges their format?
2953 If you have just done rmail-input on a file and you don't want to save it
2954 in Rmail's format (called BABYL), just kill the buffer (with C-x k).
2956 If you typed M-x rmail and it read some messages out of your inbox and
2957 you want to put them in a Unix mail file, use C-o on each message.
2959 If you want to convert an existing file from BABYL format to Unix mail
2960 format, use the command M-x unrmail: it will prompt you for the input and
2963 136: How do I make Emacs automatically start my mail/news reader?
2965 To start Emacs in Gnus:
2973 A more convenient way to start with Gnus:
2975 alias gnus 'emacs -f gnus'
2978 It is probably unwise to automatically start your mail or news reader
2979 from your .emacs file. This would cause problems if you needed to run
2980 two copies of Emacs at one time. Also, this would make it difficult for
2981 you to start Emacs quickly when you needed to.
2983 137: How do I read news under Emacs?
2985 Use M-x gnus. It is documented in Info (see question 14).
2987 138: Why doesn't Gnus work via NNTP?
2989 There is a bug in NNTP version 1.5.10, such that when multiple requests
2990 are sent to the NNTP server, the server only handles the first one before
2991 blocking waiting for more input which never comes. NNTP version 1.5.11
2994 You can work around the bug inside Emacs like this:
2996 (setq nntp-maximum-request 1)
2998 You can find out what version of NNTP your news server is running by
2999 telnetting to the NNTP port (usually 119) on the news server machine
3000 (i.e., `telnet server-machine 119'). The server should give its version
3001 number in the welcome message. Type `quit' to get out.
3003 139: How do I view text with embedded underlining (e.g., ClariNews)?
3005 Underlining appears like this:
3007 _^Hu_^Hn_^Hd_^He_^Hr_^Hl_^Hi_^Hn_^Hi_^Hn_^Hg
3009 You can destructively remove underlining with M-x ununderline-region.
3011 For ClariNews articles, clari-clean.el by David N. Blank-Edelman
3012 <dnb@meshugge.media.mit.edu> will remove both underlining and
3013 overstriking automatically. It is available on the Lisp Code Directory
3016 140: How do I save all the items of a multi-part posting in Gnus?
3018 Use gnus-uu. Type C-c C-v C-h in the Gnus summary buffer to see a list
3019 of available commands.
3021 141: Why does Gnus put the subjects in replies beyond the 80th column?
3023 This is a feature. If you set gnus-thread-hide-subject to non-nil, Gnus
3024 will only display the subject of the first posting in a thread, even if
3025 some of the replies use different subjects. It hides the subjects by
3026 putting them past the edge of the window and setting truncate lines to t.
3028 If your screen looks messed up, then for some reason truncate-lines in
3029 your `*Subject*' buffer has been set to nil. It should be set to t.
3031 142: How do I make Gnus start up faster?
3033 Remove all the newsgroups in which you have no interest from your .newsrc
3034 file by using Gnus's C-k or C-w commands in the `*Newsgroup*' buffer,
3035 perhaps after displaying all newsgroups with the L command.
3036 Unsubscribing will not speed up Gnus.
3038 143: How do I catch up all newsgroups in Gnus?
3040 In the `*Newsgroup*' buffer, type the following magical incantation:
3042 M-< C-x ( c y M-0 C-x )
3044 Leave off the "M-<" if you only want to catch up from point to the end of
3045 the `*Newsgroup' buffer.
3047 144: Why can't I kill in Gnus on the Newsgroups/Keywords/Control line?
3049 Gnus will complain that the `Newsgroups:', `Keywords:', and `Control:'
3050 headers are `Unknown header field's.
3052 For the `Newsgroups:' header, there is an easy workaround: kill on the
3053 `Xref' header instead, which will be present on any cross-posted article
3054 (as long as your site carries the cross-post group).
3056 If you really want to kill on one of these headers, you can do it like
3059 (gnus-kill nil "^Newsgroups: .*\\(bad\\.group\\|worse\\.group\\)")
3061 145: How do I get rid of flashing messages in Gnus for slow connections?
3063 Set nntp-debug-read to nil.
3065 146: Why is catch up slow in Gnus?
3067 Because Gnus is marking crosspostings read. You can control this with
3068 the variable gnus-use-cross-reference.
3070 147: Why does Gnus hang for a long time when posting?
3072 David Lawrence <tale@uunet.uu.net> explains:
3074 The problem is almost always interaction between NNTP and C News. NNTP
3075 POST asks C News's inews to not background itself but rather hang
3076 around and give its exit status so it knows whether the post was
3077 successful. (That wait will on some systems not return the exit status
3078 of the waited for job is a different sort of problem.) It ends up
3079 taking a long time because inews is calling relaynews, which often
3080 waits for another relaynews to free the lock on the news system so it
3081 can file the article.
3083 My preferred solution is to change inews to not call relaynews, but
3084 rather use newsspool. This loses some error-catching functionality,
3085 but is for the most part safe as inews will detect a lot of the errors
3086 on its own. The C News folks have sped up inews, too, so speed should
3087 look better to most folks as that update propagates around.
3089 148: Why don't my news postings in Gnus get past the local machine?
3091 It could be that your Distribution: field is "local" or a synonym, or
3092 your Path: field may be wrong. This piece of code may fix the latter
3095 (setq gnus-use-generic-path t)
3097 149: Why doesn't Gnus generate the `Lines:' header?
3099 The posting software down the line from Gnus often generates a "Lines:"
3100 header so Gnus doesn't have to. If you want it to, just add Lines to the
3101 list in gnus-required-headers:
3103 (add-hook 'gnus-startup-hook
3105 (setq gnus-required-headers (cons 'Lines gnus-required-headers))))
3107 150: How do I kill all articles in Gnus but those matching a pattern?
3109 Example kill file code:
3112 (gnus-kill "subject" "" nil nil)
3113 ;; then restore stuff by our favorite poster
3114 (gnus-kill "from" "good-guy"
3117 (if (eq ?X (char-after (save-excursion
3118 (beginning-of-line 1)
3120 (gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward 1))))
3124 ------------------------------------------------------------
3125 Slightly modified by Richard Stallman
3126 Copyright 1994 Reuven M. Lerner
3127 Copyright 1992, 1993 Steven Byrnes
3128 Copyright 1990, 1991, 1992 Joseph Brian Wells
3130 This list of frequently asked questions about GNU Emacs with answers
3131 ("FAQ") may be translated into other languages, transformed into other
3132 formats (e.g. Texinfo, Info, WWW, WAIS), and updated with new information.
3134 The same conditions apply to any derivative of the FAQ as apply to the FAQ
3135 itself. Every copy of the FAQ must include this notice or an approved
3136 translation, information on who is currently maintaining the FAQ and how to
3137 contact them (including their e-mail address), and information on where the
3138 latest version of the FAQ is archived (including FTP information).
3140 The FAQ may be copied and redistributed under these conditions, except that
3141 the FAQ may not be embedded in a larger literary work unless that work
3142 itself allows free copying and redistribution.
3144 ------------------------------------------------------------
3146 Special thanks to members of the FAQ team, who worked hard to ensure that
3147 answers were up-to-date:
3149 Ethan Bradford <ethanb@u.washington.edu>, Luis Fernandes
3150 <elf@eccles.ee.ryerson.ca>, Denby Wong <3dw16@qlink.QueensU.CA>, Yair
3151 Friedman <yair@cs.huji.ac.il>, Thi <ttn@netcom.com>, Richard Levitte
3152 <levitte@e.kth.se>, "William G. Dubuque" <wgd@martigny.ai.mit.edu>,
3153 and Guan-Hsong Hsu <ghsu@relay.nswc.navy.mil>.