@cindex default argument
Sometimes a @dfn{default argument} appears in parentheses after the
colon; it too is part of the prompt. The default will be used as the
-argument value if you enter an empty argument (for example, just type
+argument value if you enter an empty argument (that is, just type
@key{RET}). For example, commands that read buffer names always show a
default, which is the name of the buffer that will be used if you type
just @key{RET}.
anything.
@item
-If in the minibuffer you use a command whose purpose is to print a
-message in the echo area, such as @kbd{C-x =}, the message is printed
-normally, and the minibuffer is hidden for a while. It comes back
-after a few seconds, or as soon as you type anything.
+If in the minibuffer you use a command whose purpose is to display a
+message in the echo area, such as @kbd{C-x =}, the message hides the
+minibuffer for a while. The minibuffer contents come back after a few
+seconds, or as soon as you type anything.
@item
Echoing of keystrokes does not take place while the minibuffer is in
you which directory the file will be found in if you do not specify a
directory.
-@c Separate paragraph to clean up ugly pagebreak--rms
+@c Separate paragraph to clean up ugly page break--rms
@need 1500
For example, the minibuffer might start out with these contents:
@end example
@noindent
-where @samp{Find File:@: } is the prompt. Typing @kbd{buffer.c}
-specifies the file @file{/u2/emacs/src/buffer.c}. To find files in
-nearby directories, use @kbd{..}; thus, if you type
+where @samp{Find File:@: } is the prompt. Typing @kbd{buffer.c} as
+input specifies the file @file{/u2/emacs/src/buffer.c}. To find files
+in nearby directories, use @kbd{..}; thus, if you type
@kbd{../lisp/simple.el}, you will get the file named
@file{/u2/emacs/lisp/simple.el}. Alternatively, you can kill with
@kbd{M-@key{DEL}} the directory names you don't want (@pxref{Words}).
with @kbd{C-x ^}.
@vindex resize-mini-windows
- The minibuffer window expands vertically as necessary to hold the text
-that you put in the minibuffer if @code{resize-mini-windows} is
+ The minibuffer window expands vertically as necessary to hold the
+text that you put in the minibuffer, if @code{resize-mini-windows} is
non-@code{nil}. If @code{resize-mini-windows} is @code{t}, the window
is always resized to fit the size of the text it displays. If
@code{resize-mini-windows} is the symbol @code{grow-only}, the window
-is enlarged only, until it becomes empty again, at which point it
-shrinks to its normal size again.
+grows when the size of displayed text increases, but shrinks (back to
+the normal size) only when the minibuffer becomes inactive.
@vindex max-mini-window-height
The variable @code{max-mini-window-height} controls the maximum
If while in the minibuffer you issue a command that displays help text
of any sort in another window, you can use the @kbd{C-M-v} command while
in the minibuffer to scroll the help text. This lasts until you exit
-the minibuffer. This feature is especially useful if a completing
-minibuffer gives you a list of possible completions. @xref{Other Window}.
+the minibuffer. This feature is especially useful when you display
+a buffer listing possible completions. @xref{Other Window}.
@vindex enable-recursive-minibuffers
Emacs normally disallows most commands that use the minibuffer while
can be determined from the part you have typed.
When completion is available, certain keys---@key{TAB}, @key{RET}, and
-@key{SPC}---are rebound to complete the text present in the minibuffer
+@key{SPC}---are rebound to complete the text in the minibuffer before point
into a longer string that it stands for, by matching it against a set of
@dfn{completion alternatives} provided by the command reading the
argument. @kbd{?} is defined to display a list of possible completions
For example, when @kbd{M-x} uses the minibuffer to read the name of a
command, it provides a list of all available Emacs command names to
-complete against. The completion keys match the text in the minibuffer
+complete against. The completion keys match the minibuffer text
against all the command names, find any additional name characters
implied by the ones already present in the minibuffer, and add those
characters to the ones you have given. This is what makes it possible
@table @kbd
@item @key{TAB}
-Complete the text in the minibuffer as much as possible
+Complete the text before point in the minibuffer as much as possible
(@code{minibuffer-complete}).
@item @key{SPC}
-Complete the minibuffer text, but don't go beyond one word
+Complete the minibuffer text before point, but don't go beyond one word
(@code{minibuffer-complete-word}).
@item @key{RET}
Submit the text in the minibuffer as the argument, possibly completing
first as described below (@code{minibuffer-complete-and-exit}).
@item ?
-Print a list of all possible completions of the text in the minibuffer
+Display a list of all possible completions of the text in the minibuffer
(@code{minibuffer-list-completions}).
@end table
type @key{SPC}, it finds that the completion is @samp{auto-fill-mode},
but it stops completing after @samp{fill-}. This gives
@samp{auto-fill-}. Another @key{SPC} at this point completes all the
-way to @samp{auto-fill-mode}. @key{SPC} in the minibuffer when
-completion is available runs the command
-@code{minibuffer-complete-word}.
+way to @samp{auto-fill-mode}. The command that implements this
+behavior is called @code{minibuffer-complete-word}.
Here are some commands you can use to choose a completion from a
window that displays a list of completions:
@item Mouse-2
Clicking mouse button 2 on a completion in the list of possible
completions chooses that completion (@code{mouse-choose-completion}).
-You normally use this command while point is in the minibuffer; but you
+You normally use this command while point is in the minibuffer, but you
must click in the list of completions, not in the minibuffer itself.
@findex switch-to-completions
strings, then they are not ignored. Ignored extensions do not apply to
lists of completions---those always mention all possible completions.
+ If an element of the list in @code{completion-ignored-extensions} ends
+in a slash @file{/}, it indicates a subdirectory that should be ignored
+when completing file names. (Elements of
+@code{completion-ignored-extensions} which do not end in a slash are
+never considered when a completion candidate is a directory; thus,
+completion returns directories whose names end in @file{.elc} even
+though there's an element @code{".elc"} in the list.)
+
@vindex completion-auto-help
- Normally, a completion command that finds the next character is undetermined
-automatically displays a list of all possible completions. If the variable
-@code{completion-auto-help} is set to @code{nil}, this does not happen,
-and you must type @kbd{?} to display the possible completions.
+ Normally, a completion command that cannot determine even one
+additional character automatically displays a list of all possible
+completions. If the variable @code{completion-auto-help} is set to
+@code{nil}, this automatic display is disabled, so you must type
+@kbd{?} to display the list of completions.
@cindex Partial Completion mode
@vindex partial-completion-mode
the command name.
@findex list-command-history
-@c widecommands
@table @kbd
@item C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC}
Re-execute a recent minibuffer command (@code{repeat-complex-command}).
you can edit its expression as usual and then resubmit it by typing
@key{RET} as usual.
+@vindex isearch-resume-enabled
+ Incremental search does not, strictly speaking, use the minibuffer,
+but it does something similar, so normally it is treated as a complex
+command and it appears in the history list for @kbd{C-x @key{ESC}
+@key{ESC}}. You can disable that by setting
+@code{isearch-resume-enabled} to @code{nil}.
+
@vindex command-history
The list of previous minibuffer-using commands is stored as a Lisp
list in the variable @code{command-history}. Each element is a Lisp