@node Visiting
@section Visiting Files
@cindex visiting files
+@cindex open file
@table @kbd
@item C-x C-f
@cindex files, visiting and saving
@cindex saving files
- @dfn{Visiting} a file means copying its contents into an Emacs
+ @dfn{Visiting} a file means reading its contents into an Emacs
buffer so you can edit them. Emacs makes a new buffer for each file
that you visit. We often say that this buffer ``is visiting'' that
file, or that the buffer's ``visited file'' is that file. Emacs
The file name is read using the minibuffer (@pxref{Minibuffer}), with
defaulting and completion in the standard manner (@pxref{File Names}).
While in the minibuffer, you can abort @kbd{C-x C-f} by typing
-@kbd{C-g}. File-name completion ignores certain filenames; for more
+@kbd{C-g}. File-name completion ignores certain file names; for more
about this, see @ref{Completion Options}.
Your confirmation that @kbd{C-x C-f} has completed successfully is
you had visited an existing empty file. If you make any changes and
save them, the file is created.
- Emacs recognizes from the contents of a file which convention it uses
-to separate lines---newline (used on GNU/Linux and on Unix),
-carriage-return linefeed (used on Microsoft systems), or just
-carriage-return (used on the Macintosh)---and automatically converts the
-contents to the normal Emacs convention, which is that the newline
-character separates lines. This is a part of the general feature of
-coding system conversion (@pxref{Coding Systems}), and makes it possible
-to edit files imported from different operating systems with
-equal convenience. If you change the text and save the file, Emacs
-performs the inverse conversion, changing newlines back into
-carriage-return linefeed or just carriage-return if appropriate.
+ Emacs recognizes from the contents of a file which end-of-line
+convention it uses to separate lines---newline (used on GNU/Linux and
+on Unix), carriage-return linefeed (used on Microsoft systems), or
+just carriage-return (used on the Macintosh)---and automatically
+converts the contents to the normal Emacs convention, which is that
+the newline character separates lines. This is a part of the general
+feature of coding system conversion (@pxref{Coding Systems}), and
+makes it possible to edit files imported from different operating
+systems with equal convenience. If you change the text and save the
+file, Emacs performs the inverse conversion, changing newlines back
+into carriage-return linefeed or just carriage-return if appropriate.
@vindex find-file-run-dired
If the file you specify is actually a directory, @kbd{C-x C-f} invokes
@cindex wildcard characters in file names
@vindex find-file-wildcards
If the file name you specify contains shell-style wildcard
-characters, Emacs visits all the files that match it. Wildcards
-include @samp{?}, @samp{*}, and @samp{[@dots{}]} sequences. To enter
-the wild card @samp{?} in a file name in the minibuffer, you need to
-type @kbd{C-q ?}. @xref{Quoted File Names}, for information on how to
-visit a file whose name actually contains wildcard characters. You
-can disable the wildcard feature by customizing
-@code{find-file-wildcards}.
+characters, Emacs visits all the files that match it. (On
+case-insensitive filesystems, Emacs matches the wildcards disregarding
+the letter case.) Wildcards include @samp{?}, @samp{*}, and
+@samp{[@dots{}]} sequences. To enter the wild card @samp{?} in a file
+name in the minibuffer, you need to type @kbd{C-q ?}. @xref{Quoted
+File Names}, for information on how to visit a file whose name
+actually contains wildcard characters. You can disable the wildcard
+feature by customizing @code{find-file-wildcards}.
If you visit a file that the operating system won't let you modify,
or that is marked read-only, Emacs makes the buffer read-only too, so
One general feature of Diff mode is that manual edits to the patch
automatically correct line numbers, including those in the hunk
header, so that you can actually apply the edited patch. Diff mode
-also provides the following commands to navigate, manipulate and apply
-parts of patches:
+treats each hunk location as an ``error message,'' so that you can use
+commands such as @kbd{C-x '} to visit the corresponding source
+locations. It also provides the following commands to navigate,
+manipulate and apply parts of patches:
@table @kbd
@item M-n
contents of the specified file into the current buffer at point,
leaving point unchanged before the contents and the mark after them.
+@findex insert-file-literally
+ @kbd{M-x insert-file-literally} is like @kbd{C-x i}, except it
+inserts the specified file with no conversion of the contents: no
+format conversion (@pxref{Formatted Text}), no character code
+conversion (@pxref{Coding Systems}), and no automatic uncompression
+(@pxref{Compressed Files}).
+
@findex write-region
@kbd{M-x write-region} is the inverse of @kbd{M-x insert-file}; it
copies the contents of the region into the specified file. @kbd{M-x