+++ /dev/null
-@c This is part of the Emacs manual.
-@c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001,
-@c 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
-@c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
-@node Buffers, Windows, Files, Top
-@chapter Using Multiple Buffers
-
-@cindex buffers
- The text you are editing in Emacs resides in an object called a
-@dfn{buffer}. Each time you visit a file, a buffer is created to hold the
-file's text. Each time you invoke Dired, a buffer is created to hold the
-directory listing. If you send a message with @kbd{C-x m}, a buffer named
-@samp{*mail*} is used to hold the text of the message. When you ask for a
-command's documentation, that appears in a buffer called @samp{*Help*}.
-
-@cindex selected buffer
-@cindex current buffer
- At any time, one and only one buffer is @dfn{current}. It is also
-called the @dfn{selected buffer}. Often we say that a command operates on
-``the buffer'' as if there were only one; but really this means that the
-command operates on the current buffer (most commands do).
-
- When Emacs has multiple windows, each window has its own chosen
-buffer and displays it; at any time, only one of the windows is
-selected, and its chosen buffer is the current buffer. Each window's
-mode line normally displays the name of the window's chosen buffer
-(@pxref{Windows}).
-
- Each buffer has a name, which can be of any length, and you can select
-any buffer by giving its name. Most buffers are made by visiting files,
-and their names are derived from the files' names. But you can also create
-an empty buffer with any name you want. A newly started Emacs has a buffer
-named @samp{*scratch*} which can be used for evaluating Lisp expressions in
-Emacs. The distinction between upper and lower case matters in buffer
-names.
-
- Each buffer records individually what file it is visiting, whether it is
-modified, and what major mode and minor modes are in effect in it
-(@pxref{Major Modes}). Any Emacs variable can be made @dfn{local to} a
-particular buffer, meaning its value in that buffer can be different from
-the value in other buffers. @xref{Locals}.
-
-@cindex buffer size, maximum
- A buffer's size cannot be larger than some maximum, which is defined
-by the largest buffer position representable by the @dfn{Emacs integer}
-data type. This is because Emacs tracks buffer positions using that
-data type. For 32-bit machines, the largest buffer size is 256
-megabytes.
-
-@menu
-* Select Buffer:: Creating a new buffer or reselecting an old one.
-* List Buffers:: Getting a list of buffers that exist.
-* Misc Buffer:: Renaming; changing read-onlyness; copying text.
-* Kill Buffer:: Killing buffers you no longer need.
-* Several Buffers:: How to go through the list of all buffers
- and operate variously on several of them.
-* Indirect Buffers:: An indirect buffer shares the text of another buffer.
-* Buffer Convenience:: Convenience and customization features for
- buffer handling.
-@end menu
-
-@node Select Buffer
-@section Creating and Selecting Buffers
-@cindex change buffers
-@cindex switch buffers
-
-@table @kbd
-@item C-x b @var{buffer} @key{RET}
-Select or create a buffer named @var{buffer} (@code{switch-to-buffer}).
-@item C-x 4 b @var{buffer} @key{RET}
-Similar, but select @var{buffer} in another window
-(@code{switch-to-buffer-other-window}).
-@item C-x 5 b @var{buffer} @key{RET}
-Similar, but select @var{buffer} in a separate frame
-(@code{switch-to-buffer-other-frame}).
-@item C-x @key{LEFT}
-Select the previous buffer in the list of existing buffers.
-@item C-x @key{RIGHT}
-Select the next buffer in the list of existing buffers.
-@item C-u M-g M-g
-@itemx C-u M-g g
-Read a number @var{n} and move to line @var{n} in the most recently
-selected buffer other than the current buffer.
-@end table
-
-@kindex C-x b
-@findex switch-to-buffer
- To select the buffer named @var{bufname}, type @kbd{C-x b @var{bufname}
-@key{RET}}. This runs the command @code{switch-to-buffer} with argument
-@var{bufname}. You can use completion to enter the buffer
-name (@pxref{Completion}). An empty argument to @kbd{C-x b}
-specifies the buffer that was current most recently among those not
-now displayed in any window.
-
-@kindex C-x @key{LEFT}
-@kindex C-x @key{RIGHT}
-@findex next-buffer
-@findex previous-buffer
- For conveniently switching between a few buffers, use the commands
-@kbd{C-x @key{LEFT}} and @kbd{C-x @key{RIGHT}}. @kbd{C-x @key{RIGHT}}
-(@code{previous-buffer}) selects the previous buffer (following the order
-of most recent selection in the current frame), while @kbd{C-x @key{LEFT}}
-(@code{next-buffer}) moves through buffers in the reverse direction.
-
-@kindex C-x 4 b
-@findex switch-to-buffer-other-window
-@vindex even-window-heights
- To select a buffer in a window other than the current one, type
-@kbd{C-x 4 b @var{bufname} @key{RET}}. This runs the command
-@code{switch-to-buffer-other-window} which displays the buffer
-@var{bufname} in another window. By default, if displaying the buffer
-causes two vertically adjacent windows to be displayed, the heights of
-those windows are evened out; to countermand that and preserve the
-window configuration, set the variable @code{even-window-heights} to
-@code{nil}.
-
-@kindex C-x 5 b
-@findex switch-to-buffer-other-frame
- Similarly, @kbd{C-x 5 b @var{buffer} @key{RET}} runs the command
-@code{switch-to-buffer-other-frame} which selects a buffer in another
-frame.
-
-@vindex display-buffer-reuse-frames
- You can control how certain buffers are handled by these commands by
-customizing the variables @code{special-display-buffer-names},
-@code{special-display-regexps}, @code{same-window-buffer-names}, and
-@code{same-window-regexps}. See @ref{Force Same Window}, and
-@ref{Special Buffer Frames}, for more about these variables. In
-addition, if the value of @code{display-buffer-reuse-frames} is
-non-@code{nil}, and the buffer you want to switch to is already
-displayed in some frame, Emacs will just raise that frame.
-
- Most buffers are created by visiting files, or by Emacs commands that
-want to display some text, but you can also create a buffer explicitly
-by typing @kbd{C-x b @var{bufname} @key{RET}}. This makes a new, empty
-buffer that is not visiting any file, and selects it for editing. Such
-buffers are used for making notes to yourself. If you try to save one,
-you are asked for the file name to use. The new buffer's major mode is
-determined by the value of @code{default-major-mode} (@pxref{Major
-Modes}).
-
- Note that @kbd{C-x C-f}, and any other command for visiting a file,
-can also be used to switch to an existing file-visiting buffer.
-@xref{Visiting}.
-
- @kbd{C-u M-g M-g}, that is @code{goto-line} with a prefix argument
-of just @kbd{C-u}, reads a number @var{n} using the minibuffer,
-selects the most recently selected buffer other than the current
-buffer in another window, and then moves point to the beginning of
-line number @var{n} in that buffer. This is mainly useful in a buffer
-that refers to line numbers in another buffer: if point is on or just
-after a number, @code{goto-line} uses that number as the default for
-@var{n}. Note that prefix arguments other than just @kbd{C-u} behave
-differently. @kbd{C-u 4 M-g M-g} goes to line 4 in the @emph{current}
-buffer, without reading a number from the minibuffer. (Remember that
-@kbd{M-g M-g} without prefix argument reads a number @var{n} and then
-moves to line number @var{n} in the current buffer.)
-
- Emacs uses buffer names that start with a space for internal purposes.
-It treats these buffers specially in minor ways---for example, by
-default they do not record undo information. It is best to avoid using
-such buffer names yourself.
-
-@node List Buffers
-@section Listing Existing Buffers
-
-@table @kbd
-@item C-x C-b
-List the existing buffers (@code{list-buffers}).
-@end table
-
-@cindex listing current buffers
-@kindex C-x C-b
-@findex list-buffers
- To display a list of existing buffers, type @kbd{C-x C-b}. Each
-line in the list shows one buffer's name, major mode and visited file.
-The buffers are listed in the order that they were current; the
-buffers that were current most recently come first.
-
- @samp{*} in the first field of a line indicates the buffer is
-``modified.'' If several buffers are modified, it may be time to save
-some with @kbd{C-x s} (@pxref{Save Commands}). @samp{%} indicates a
-read-only buffer. @samp{.} marks the current buffer. Here is an
-example of a buffer list:@refill
-
-@smallexample
-CRM Buffer Size Mode File
-. * .emacs 3294 Emacs-Lisp ~/.emacs
- % *Help* 101 Help
- search.c 86055 C ~/cvs/emacs/src/search.c
- % src 20959 Dired by name ~/cvs/emacs/src/
- * *mail* 42 Mail
- % HELLO 1607 Fundamental ~/cvs/emacs/etc/HELLO
- % NEWS 481184 Outline ~/cvs/emacs/etc/NEWS
- *scratch* 191 Lisp Interaction
- * *Messages* 1554 Fundamental
-@end smallexample
-
-@noindent
-Note that the buffer @samp{*Help*} was made by a help request; it is
-not visiting any file. The buffer @code{src} was made by Dired on the
-directory @file{~/cvs/emacs/src/}. You can list only buffers that are
-visiting files by giving the command a prefix argument, as in
-@kbd{C-u C-x C-b}.
-
- @code{list-buffers} omits buffers whose names begin with a space,
-unless they visit files: such buffers are used internally by Emacs.
-
-@need 2000
-@node Misc Buffer
-@section Miscellaneous Buffer Operations
-
-@table @kbd
-@item C-x C-q
-Toggle read-only status of buffer (@code{toggle-read-only}).
-@item M-x rename-buffer @key{RET} @var{name} @key{RET}
-Change the name of the current buffer.
-@item M-x rename-uniquely
-Rename the current buffer by adding @samp{<@var{number}>} to the end.
-@item M-x view-buffer @key{RET} @var{buffer} @key{RET}
-Scroll through buffer @var{buffer}.
-@end table
-
-@kindex C-x C-q
-@vindex buffer-read-only
-@cindex read-only buffer
- A buffer can be @dfn{read-only}, which means that commands to change
-its contents are not allowed. The mode line indicates read-only
-buffers with @samp{%%} or @samp{%*} near the left margin. Read-only
-buffers are usually made by subsystems such as Dired and Rmail that
-have special commands to operate on the text; also by visiting a file
-whose access control says you cannot write it.
-
-@findex toggle-read-only
- If you wish to make changes in a read-only buffer, use the command
-@kbd{C-x C-q} (@code{toggle-read-only}). It makes a read-only buffer
-writable, and makes a writable buffer read-only. This
-works by setting the variable @code{buffer-read-only}, which has a local
-value in each buffer and makes the buffer read-only if its value is
-non-@code{nil}. If you have files under version control, you may find
-it convenient to bind @kbd{C-x C-q} to @code{vc-toggle-read-only}
-instead. Then, typing @kbd{C-x C-q} not only changes the read-only
-flag, but it also checks the file in or out. @xref{Version
-Control}.
-
-@findex rename-buffer
- @kbd{M-x rename-buffer} changes the name of the current buffer. You
-specify the new name as a minibuffer argument; there is no default.
-If you specify a name that is in use for some other buffer, an error
-happens and no renaming is done.
-
-@findex rename-uniquely
- @kbd{M-x rename-uniquely} renames the current buffer to a similar
-name with a numeric suffix added to make it both different and unique.
-This command does not need an argument. It is useful for creating
-multiple shell buffers: if you rename the @samp{*shell*} buffer, then
-do @kbd{M-x shell} again, it makes a new shell buffer named
-@samp{*shell*}; meanwhile, the old shell buffer continues to exist
-under its new name. This method is also good for mail buffers,
-compilation buffers, and most Emacs features that create special
-buffers with particular names. (With some of these features, such as
-@kbd{M-x compile}, @kbd{M-x grep} an @kbd{M-x info}, you need to
-switch to some other buffer before using the command, in order for it
-to make a different buffer.)
-
-@findex view-buffer
- @kbd{M-x view-buffer} is much like @kbd{M-x view-file} (@pxref{Misc
-File Ops}) except that it examines an already existing Emacs buffer.
-View mode provides commands for scrolling through the buffer
-conveniently but not for changing it. When you exit View mode with
-@kbd{q}, that switches back to the buffer (and the position) which was
-previously displayed in the window. Alternatively, if you exit View
-mode with @kbd{e}, the buffer and the value of point that resulted from
-your perusal remain in effect.
-
- The commands @kbd{M-x append-to-buffer} and @kbd{M-x insert-buffer}
-can be used to copy text from one buffer to another. @xref{Accumulating
-Text}.
-
-@node Kill Buffer
-@section Killing Buffers
-
-@cindex killing buffers
- If you continue an Emacs session for a while, you may accumulate a
-large number of buffers. You may then find it convenient to @dfn{kill}
-the buffers you no longer need. On most operating systems, killing a
-buffer releases its space back to the operating system so that other
-programs can use it. Here are some commands for killing buffers:
-
-@table @kbd
-@item C-x k @var{bufname} @key{RET}
-Kill buffer @var{bufname} (@code{kill-buffer}).
-@item M-x kill-some-buffers
-Offer to kill each buffer, one by one.
-@end table
-
-@findex kill-buffer
-@findex kill-some-buffers
-@kindex C-x k
-
- @kbd{C-x k} (@code{kill-buffer}) kills one buffer, whose name you
-specify in the minibuffer. The default, used if you type just
-@key{RET} in the minibuffer, is to kill the current buffer. If you
-kill the current buffer, another buffer becomes current: one that was
-current in the recent past but is not displayed in any window now. If
-you ask to kill a file-visiting buffer that is modified (has unsaved
-editing), then you must confirm with @kbd{yes} before the buffer is
-killed.
-
- The command @kbd{M-x kill-some-buffers} asks about each buffer, one by
-one. An answer of @kbd{y} means to kill the buffer. Killing the current
-buffer or a buffer containing unsaved changes selects a new buffer or asks
-for confirmation just like @code{kill-buffer}.
-
- The buffer menu feature (@pxref{Several Buffers}) is also convenient
-for killing various buffers.
-
-@vindex kill-buffer-hook
- If you want to do something special every time a buffer is killed, you
-can add hook functions to the hook @code{kill-buffer-hook} (@pxref{Hooks}).
-
-@findex clean-buffer-list
- If you run one Emacs session for a period of days, as many people do,
-it can fill up with buffers that you used several days ago. The command
-@kbd{M-x clean-buffer-list} is a convenient way to purge them; it kills
-all the unmodified buffers that you have not used for a long time. An
-ordinary buffer is killed if it has not been displayed for three days;
-however, you can specify certain buffers that should never be killed
-automatically, and others that should be killed if they have been unused
-for a mere hour.
-
-@cindex Midnight mode
-@vindex midnight-mode
-@vindex midnight-hook
- You can also have this buffer purging done for you, every day at
-midnight, by enabling Midnight mode. Midnight mode operates each day at
-midnight; at that time, it runs @code{clean-buffer-list}, or whichever
-functions you have placed in the normal hook @code{midnight-hook}
-(@pxref{Hooks}).
-
- To enable Midnight mode, use the Customization buffer to set the
-variable @code{midnight-mode} to @code{t}. @xref{Easy Customization}.
-
-@node Several Buffers
-@section Operating on Several Buffers
-@cindex buffer menu
-
- The @dfn{buffer-menu} facility is like a ``Dired for buffers''; it allows
-you to request operations on various Emacs buffers by editing an Emacs
-buffer containing a list of them. You can save buffers, kill them
-(here called @dfn{deleting} them, for consistency with Dired), or display
-them.
-
-@table @kbd
-@item M-x buffer-menu
-Begin editing a buffer listing all Emacs buffers.
-@item M-x buffer-menu-other-window.
-Similar, but do it in another window.
-@end table
-
-@findex buffer-menu
-@findex buffer-menu-other-window
- The command @code{buffer-menu} writes a list of all Emacs
-buffers@footnote{Buffers which don't visit files and whose names begin
-with a space are omitted: these are used internally by Emacs.} into the
-buffer @samp{*Buffer List*}, and selects that buffer in Buffer Menu
-mode.
-
- The buffer is read-only, and can be
-changed only through the special commands described in this section.
-The usual Emacs cursor motion commands can be used in the @samp{*Buffer
-List*} buffer. The following commands apply to the buffer described on
-the current line.
-
-@table @kbd
-@item d
-Request to delete (kill) the buffer, then move down. The request
-shows as a @samp{D} on the line, before the buffer name. Requested
-deletions take place when you type the @kbd{x} command.
-@item C-d
-Like @kbd{d} but move up afterwards instead of down.
-@item s
-Request to save the buffer. The request shows as an @samp{S} on the
-line. Requested saves take place when you type the @kbd{x} command.
-You may request both saving and deletion for the same buffer.
-@item x
-Perform previously requested deletions and saves.
-@item u
-Remove any request made for the current line, and move down.
-@item @key{DEL}
-Move to previous line and remove any request made for that line.
-@end table
-
- The @kbd{d}, @kbd{C-d}, @kbd{s} and @kbd{u} commands to add or remove
-flags also move down (or up) one line. They accept a numeric argument
-as a repeat count.
-
- These commands operate immediately on the buffer listed on the current
-line:
-
-@table @kbd
-@item ~
-Mark the buffer ``unmodified.'' The command @kbd{~} does this
-immediately when you type it.
-@item %
-Toggle the buffer's read-only flag. The command @kbd{%} does
-this immediately when you type it.
-@item t
-Visit the buffer as a tags table. @xref{Select Tags Table}.
-@end table
-
- There are also commands to select another buffer or buffers:
-
-@table @kbd
-@item q
-Quit the buffer menu---immediately display the most recent formerly
-visible buffer in its place.
-@item @key{RET}
-@itemx f
-Immediately select this line's buffer in place of the @samp{*Buffer
-List*} buffer.
-@item o
-Immediately select this line's buffer in another window as if by
-@kbd{C-x 4 b}, leaving @samp{*Buffer List*} visible.
-@item C-o
-Immediately display this line's buffer in another window, but don't
-select the window.
-@item 1
-Immediately select this line's buffer in a full-screen window.
-@item 2
-Immediately set up two windows, with this line's buffer selected in
-one, and the previously current buffer (aside from the buffer
-@samp{*Buffer List*}) displayed in the other.
-@item b
-Bury the buffer listed on this line.
-@item m
-Mark this line's buffer to be displayed in another window if you exit
-with the @kbd{v} command. The request shows as a @samp{>} at the
-beginning of the line. (A single buffer may not have both a delete
-request and a display request.)
-@item v
-Immediately select this line's buffer, and also display in other windows
-any buffers previously marked with the @kbd{m} command. If you have not
-marked any buffers, this command is equivalent to @kbd{1}.
-@end table
-
- There is also a command that affects the entire buffer list:
-
-@table @kbd
-@item T
-Delete, or reinsert, lines for non-file buffers. This command toggles
-the inclusion of such buffers in the buffer list.
-@end table
-
- What @code{buffer-menu} actually does is create and switch to a
-suitable buffer, and turn on Buffer Menu mode in it. Everything else
-described above is implemented by the special commands provided in
-Buffer Menu mode. One consequence of this is that you can switch from
-the @samp{*Buffer List*} buffer to another Emacs buffer, and edit
-there. You can reselect the @samp{*Buffer List*} buffer later, to
-perform the operations already requested, or you can kill it, or pay
-no further attention to it.
-
- The list in the @samp{*Buffer List*} buffer looks exactly like the
-buffer list described in @ref{List Buffers}, because they really are
-the same. The only difference between @code{buffer-menu} and
-@code{list-buffers} is that @code{buffer-menu} switches to the
-@samp{*Buffer List*} buffer in the selected window;
-@code{list-buffers} displays the same buffer in another window. If
-you run @code{list-buffers} (that is, type @kbd{C-x C-b}) and select
-the buffer list manually, you can use all of the commands described
-here.
-
- Normally, the buffer @samp{*Buffer List*} is not updated
-automatically when buffers are created and killed; its contents are
-just text. If you have created, deleted or renamed buffers, the way
-to update @samp{*Buffer List*} to show what you have done is to type
-@kbd{g} (@code{revert-buffer}). You can make this happen regularly
-every @code{auto-revert-interval} seconds if you enable Auto Revert
-mode in this buffer, as long as it is not marked modified. Global
-Auto Revert mode applies to the @samp{*Buffer List*} buffer only if
-@code{global-auto-revert-non-file-buffers} is non-@code{nil}.
-@iftex
-@inforef{Autorevert,, emacs-xtra}, for details.
-@end iftex
-@ifnottex
-@xref{Autorevert, global-auto-revert-non-file-buffers}, for details.
-@end ifnottex
-
-
- The command @code{buffer-menu-other-window} works the same as
-@code{buffer-menu}, except that it displays the buffers list in
-another window.
-
-@node Indirect Buffers
-@section Indirect Buffers
-@cindex indirect buffer
-@cindex base buffer
-
- An @dfn{indirect buffer} shares the text of some other buffer, which
-is called the @dfn{base buffer} of the indirect buffer. In some ways it
-is the analogue, for buffers, of a symbolic link between files.
-
-@table @kbd
-@findex make-indirect-buffer
-@item M-x make-indirect-buffer @key{RET} @var{base-buffer} @key{RET} @var{indirect-name} @key{RET}
-Create an indirect buffer named @var{indirect-name} whose base buffer
-is @var{base-buffer}.
-@findex clone-indirect-buffer
-@item M-x clone-indirect-buffer @key{RET}
-Create an indirect buffer that is a twin copy of the current buffer.
-@item C-x 4 c
-@kindex C-x 4 c
-@findex clone-indirect-buffer-other-window
-Create an indirect buffer that is a twin copy of the current buffer, and
-select it in another window (@code{clone-indirect-buffer-other-window}).
-@end table
-
- The text of the indirect buffer is always identical to the text of its
-base buffer; changes made by editing either one are visible immediately
-in the other. But in all other respects, the indirect buffer and its
-base buffer are completely separate. They have different names,
-different values of point, different narrowing, different markers,
-different major modes, and different local variables.
-
- An indirect buffer cannot visit a file, but its base buffer can. If
-you try to save the indirect buffer, that actually works by saving the
-base buffer. Killing the base buffer effectively kills the indirect
-buffer, but killing an indirect buffer has no effect on its base buffer.
-
- One way to use indirect buffers is to display multiple views of an
-outline. @xref{Outline Views}.
-
- A quick and handy way to make an indirect buffer is with the command
-@kbd{M-x clone-indirect-buffer}. It creates and selects an indirect
-buffer whose base buffer is the current buffer. With a numeric
-argument, it prompts for the name of the indirect buffer; otherwise it
-uses the name of the current buffer, with a @samp{<@var{n}>} suffix
-added. @kbd{C-x 4 c} (@code{clone-indirect-buffer-other-window})
-works like @kbd{M-x clone-indirect-buffer}, but it selects the new
-buffer in another window.
-
- The more general way to make an indirect buffer is with the command
-@kbd{M-x make-indirect-buffer}. It creates an indirect buffer from
-buffer @var{base-buffer}, under the name @var{indirect-name}. It
-prompts for both @var{base-buffer} and @var{indirect-name} using the
-minibuffer.
-
-@node Buffer Convenience
-@section Convenience Features and Customization of Buffer Handling
-
- This section describes several modes and features that make it more
-convenient to switch between buffers.
-
-@menu
-* Uniquify:: Making buffer names unique with directory parts.
-* Iswitchb:: Switching between buffers with substrings.
-* Buffer Menus:: Configurable buffer menu.
-@end menu
-
-@node Uniquify
-@subsection Making Buffer Names Unique
-
-@cindex unique buffer names
-@cindex directories in buffer names
- When several buffers visit identically-named files, Emacs must give
-the buffers distinct names. The usual method for making buffer names
-unique adds @samp{<2>}, @samp{<3>}, etc. to the end of the buffer
-names (all but one of them).
-
-@vindex uniquify-buffer-name-style
- Other methods work by adding parts of each file's directory to the
-buffer name. To select one, customize the variable
-@code{uniquify-buffer-name-style} (@pxref{Easy Customization}).
-
- To begin with, the @code{forward} naming method includes part of the
-file's directory name at the beginning of the buffer name; using this
-method, buffers visiting the files @file{/u/rms/tmp/Makefile} and
-@file{/usr/projects/zaphod/Makefile} would be named
-@samp{tmp/Makefile} and @samp{zaphod/Makefile}, respectively (instead
-of @samp{Makefile} and @samp{Makefile<2>}).
-
- In contrast, the @code{post-forward} naming method would call the
-buffers @samp{Makefile|tmp} and @samp{Makefile|zaphod}, and the
-@code{reverse} naming method would call them @samp{Makefile\tmp} and
-@samp{Makefile\zaphod}. The nontrivial difference between
-@code{post-forward} and @code{reverse} occurs when just one directory
-name is not enough to distinguish two files; then @code{reverse} puts
-the directory names in reverse order, so that @file{/top/middle/file}
-becomes @samp{file\middle\top}, while @code{post-forward} puts them in
-forward order after the file name, as in @samp{file|top/middle}.
-
- Which rule to follow for putting the directory names in the buffer
-name is not very important if you are going to @emph{look} at the
-buffer names before you type one. But as an experienced user, if you
-know the rule, you won't have to look. And then you may find that one
-rule or another is easier for you to remember and apply quickly.
-
-@node Iswitchb
-@subsection Switching Between Buffers using Substrings
-
-@findex iswitchb-mode
-@cindex Iswitchb mode
-@cindex mode, Iswitchb
-@kindex C-x b @r{(Iswitchb mode)}
-@kindex C-x 4 b @r{(Iswitchb mode)}
-@kindex C-x 5 b @r{(Iswitchb mode)}
-@kindex C-x 4 C-o @r{(Iswitchb mode)}
-
- Iswitchb global minor mode provides convenient switching between
-buffers using substrings of their names. It replaces the normal
-definitions of @kbd{C-x b}, @kbd{C-x 4 b}, @kbd{C-x 5 b}, and @kbd{C-x
-4 C-o} with alternative commands that are somewhat ``smarter.''
-
- When one of these commands prompts you for a buffer name, you can
-type in just a substring of the name you want to choose. As you enter
-the substring, Iswitchb mode continuously displays a list of buffers
-that match the substring you have typed.
-
- At any time, you can type @key{RET} to select the first buffer in
-the list. So the way to select a particular buffer is to make it the
-first in the list. There are two ways to do this. You can type more
-of the buffer name and thus narrow down the list, excluding unwanted
-buffers above the desired one. Alternatively, you can use @kbd{C-s}
-and @kbd{C-r} to rotate the list until the desired buffer is first.
-
- @key{TAB} while entering the buffer name performs completion on the
-string you have entered, based on the displayed list of buffers.
-
- To enable Iswitchb mode, type @kbd{M-x iswitchb-mode}, or customize
-the variable @code{iswitchb-mode} to @code{t} (@pxref{Easy
-Customization}).
-
-@node Buffer Menus
-@subsection Customizing Buffer Menus
-
-@findex bs-show
-@cindex buffer list, customizable
-@table @kbd
-@item M-x bs-show
-Make a list of buffers similarly to @kbd{M-x list-buffers} but
-customizable.
-@end table
-
- @kbd{M-x bs-show} pops up a buffer list similar to the one normally
-displayed by @kbd{C-x C-b} but which you can customize. If you prefer
-this to the usual buffer list, you can bind this command to @kbd{C-x
-C-b}. To customize this buffer list, use the @code{bs} Custom group
-(@pxref{Easy Customization}).
-
-@findex msb-mode
-@cindex mode, MSB
-@cindex MSB mode
-@cindex buffer menu
-@findex mouse-buffer-menu
-@kindex C-Down-Mouse-1
- MSB global minor mode (``MSB'' stands for ``mouse select buffer'')
-provides a different and customizable mouse buffer menu which you may
-prefer. It replaces the bindings of @code{mouse-buffer-menu},
-normally on @kbd{C-Down-Mouse-1}, and the menu bar buffer menu. You
-can customize the menu in the @code{msb} Custom group.
-
-@ignore
- arch-tag: 08c43460-f4f4-4b43-9cb5-1ea9ad991695
-@end ignore