@c Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
-@node Killing, Registers, Mark, Top
+@node Killing
@chapter Killing and Moving Text
In Emacs, @dfn{killing} means erasing text and copying it into the
@cindex deletion
Most commands which erase text from the buffer save it in the kill
ring. These are known as @dfn{kill} commands, and their names
-normally contain the word @samp{kill} (e.g. @code{kill-line}). The
+normally contain the word @samp{kill} (e.g., @code{kill-line}). The
kill ring stores several recent kills, not just the last one, so
killing is a very safe operation: you don't have to worry much about
losing text that you previously killed. The kill ring is shared by
(even if there were none before). With a numeric argument @var{n}, it
leaves @var{n} spaces before point if @var{n} is positive; if @var{n}
is negative, it deletes newlines in addition to spaces and tabs,
-leaving a single space before point.
+leaving @var{-n} spaces before point.
@kbd{C-x C-o} (@code{delete-blank-lines}) deletes all blank lines
after the current line. If the current line is blank, it deletes all
With a plain prefix argument (@kbd{C-u C-y}), the command instead
leaves the cursor in front of the inserted text, and sets the mark at
the end. Using any other prefix argument specifies an earlier kill;
-e.g. @kbd{C-u 4 C-y} reinserts the fourth most recent kill.
+e.g., @kbd{C-u 4 C-y} reinserts the fourth most recent kill.
@xref{Earlier Kills}.
On graphical displays, @kbd{C-y} first checks if another application
has placed any text in the system clipboard more recently than the
-last Emacs kill. If so, it inserts the text in the clipboard instead.
+last Emacs kill. If so, it inserts the clipboard's text instead.
Thus, Emacs effectively treats ``cut'' or ``copy'' clipboard
operations performed in other applications like Emacs kills, except
that they are not recorded in the kill ring. @xref{Cut and Paste},
To prevent kill and yank commands from accessing the clipboard,
change the variable @code{x-select-enable-clipboard} to @code{nil}.
+@cindex clipboard manager
+@vindex x-select-enable-clipboard-manager
+ Many X desktop environments support a feature called the
+@dfn{clipboard manager}. If you exit Emacs while it is the current
+``owner'' of the clipboard data, and there is a clipboard manager
+running, Emacs transfers the clipboard data to the clipboard manager
+so that it is not lost. In some circumstances, this may cause a delay
+when exiting Emacs; if you wish to prevent Emacs from transferring
+data to the clipboard manager, change the variable
+@code{x-select-enable-clipboard-manager} to @code{nil}.
+
@vindex x-select-enable-primary
@findex clipboard-kill-region
@findex clipboard-kill-ring-save
Under X, whenever the region is active (@pxref{Mark}), the text in
the region is saved in the primary selection. This applies regardless
of whether the region was made by dragging or clicking the mouse
-(@pxref{Mouse Commands}), or by keyboard commands (e.g. by typing
+(@pxref{Mouse Commands}), or by keyboard commands (e.g., by typing
@kbd{C-@key{SPC}} and moving point; @pxref{Setting Mark}).
@vindex select-active-regions
If you change the variable @code{select-active-regions} to
@code{only}, Emacs saves only temporarily active regions to the
-primary selection, i.e. those made with the mouse or with shift
+primary selection, i.e., those made with the mouse or with shift
selection (@pxref{Shift Selection}). If you change
@code{select-active-regions} to @code{nil}, Emacs avoids saving active
regions to the primary selection entirely.
@item C-x r k
Kill the text of the region-rectangle, saving its contents as the
``last killed rectangle'' (@code{kill-rectangle}).
+@item C-x r M-w
+Save the text of the region-rectangle as the ``last killed rectangle''
+(@code{copy-rectangle-as-kill}).
@item C-x r d
Delete the text of the region-rectangle (@code{delete-rectangle}).
@item C-x r y
different yank commands have to be used. Yank-popping is not defined
for rectangles.
+@kindex C-x r M-w
+@findex copy-rectangle-as-kill
+ @kbd{C-x r M-w} (@code{copy-rectangle-as-kill}) is the equivalent of
+@kbd{M-w} for rectangles: it records the rectangle as the ``last
+killed rectangle'', without deleting the text from the buffer.
+
@kindex C-x r y
@findex yank-rectangle
To yank the last killed rectangle, type @kbd{C-x r y}
To enter an Emacs command like @kbd{C-x C-f} while the mark is
active, use one of the following methods: either hold @kbd{Shift}
-together with the prefix key, e.g. @kbd{S-C-x C-f}, or quickly type
-the prefix key twice, e.g. @kbd{C-x C-x C-f}.
+together with the prefix key, e.g., @kbd{S-C-x C-f}, or quickly type
+the prefix key twice, e.g., @kbd{C-x C-x C-f}.
To disable the overriding of standard Emacs binding by CUA mode,
while retaining the other features of CUA mode described below, set
With CUA you can easily copy text and rectangles into and out of
registers by providing a one-digit numeric prefix to the kill, copy,
-and yank commands, e.g. @kbd{C-1 C-c} copies the region into register
+and yank commands, e.g., @kbd{C-1 C-c} copies the region into register
@code{1}, and @kbd{C-2 C-v} yanks the contents of register @code{2}.
@cindex global mark
For example, to copy words from various buffers into a word list in
a given buffer, set the global mark in the target buffer, then
-navigate to each of the words you want in the list, mark it (e.g. with
+navigate to each of the words you want in the list, mark it (e.g., with
@kbd{S-M-f}), copy it to the list with @kbd{C-c} or @kbd{M-w}, and
insert a newline after the word in the target list by pressing
@key{RET}.