@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, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+@c 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
@node Basic, Minibuffer, Exiting, Top
@chapter Basic Editing Commands
For instance, @kbd{DEL} runs the command @code{delete-backward-char}
by default (some modes bind it to a different command); it does not
insert a literal @samp{DEL} character (@acronym{ASCII} character code
-127). To insert a non-graphic character, first @dfn{quote} it by
-typing @kbd{C-q} (@code{quoted-insert}). There are two ways to use
-@kbd{C-q}:
+127).
+
+ To insert a non-graphic character, or a character that your keyboard
+does not support, first @dfn{quote} it by typing @kbd{C-q}
+(@code{quoted-insert}). There are two ways to use @kbd{C-q}:
@itemize @bullet
@item
of overwriting with it.
@end itemize
-@cindex 8-bit character codes
-@noindent
-If you specify a code in the octal range 0200 through 0377, @kbd{C-q}
-assumes that you intend to use some ISO 8859-@var{n} character set,
-and converts the specified code to the corresponding Emacs character
-code. Your choice of language environment determines which of the ISO
-8859 character sets to use (@pxref{Language Environments}). This
-feature is disabled if multibyte characters are disabled
-(@pxref{Enabling Multibyte}).
-
@vindex read-quoted-char-radix
+@noindent
To use decimal or hexadecimal instead of octal, set the variable
-@code{read-quoted-char-radix} to 10 or 16. If the radix is greater than
-10, some letters starting with @kbd{a} serve as part of a character
-code, just like digits.
+@code{read-quoted-char-radix} to 10 or 16. If the radix is greater
+than 10, some letters starting with @kbd{a} serve as part of a
+character code, just like digits.
-A numeric argument tells @kbd{C-q} how many copies of the quoted
+ A numeric argument tells @kbd{C-q} how many copies of the quoted
character to insert (@pxref{Arguments}).
-@findex newline
-@findex self-insert
- Customization information: @key{DEL} in most modes runs the command
-@code{delete-backward-char}; @key{RET} runs the command
-@code{newline}, and self-inserting printing characters run the command
-@code{self-insert}, which inserts whatever character you typed. Some
-major modes rebind @key{DEL} to other commands.
+@findex ucs-insert
+@cindex Unicode
+ Instead of @kbd{C-q}, you can use @kbd{C-x 8 @key{RET}}
+(@code{ucs-insert}) to insert a character based on its Unicode name or
+code-point. This commands prompts for a character to insert, using
+the minibuffer; you can specify the character using either (i) the
+character's name in the Unicode standard, or (ii) the character's
+code-point in the Unicode standard.
@node Moving Point
@section Changing the Location of Point
Move to the end of the buffer (@code{end-of-buffer}).
@item C-v
@itemx @key{PageDown}
-@itemx @key{PRIOR}
+@itemx @key{next}
Scroll the display one screen forward, and move point if necessary to
put it on the screen (@code{scroll-up}). If your keyboard has a
-@key{PageDown} key (sometimes labelled @key{PRIOR}), it does the same
-thing as as @key{C-v}. Scrolling commands are described further in
+@key{PageDown} key (sometimes labelled @key{next}), it does the same
+thing as @key{C-v}. Scrolling commands are described further in
@ref{Scrolling}.
@item M-v
@itemx @key{PageUp}
-@itemx @key{NEXT}
+@itemx @key{prior}
Scroll one screen backward, and move point if necessary to put it on
the screen (@code{scroll-down}). If your keyboard has a @key{PageUp}
-key (sometimes labelled @key{NEXT}), it does the same thing as
-@key{M-v}.
+key (sometimes labelled @key{prior}), it does the same thing as
+@kbd{M-v}.
@item M-x goto-char
Read a number @var{n} and move point to buffer position @var{n}.
Position 1 is the beginning of the buffer.
@item M-g M-g
@itemx M-g g
Read a number @var{n} and move point to the beginning of line number
-@var{n} (@code{goto-line}). Line 1 is the beginning of the buffer.
-If point is on or just after a number in the buffer, and you type
-@key{RET} with the minibuffer empty, that number is used for @var{n}.
+@var{n} (@code{goto-line}). Line 1 is the beginning of the buffer. If
+point is on or just after a number in the buffer, that is the default
+for @var{n}. Just type @key{RET} in the minibuffer to use it. You can
+also specify @var{n} by giving @kbd{M-g M-g} a numeric prefix argument.
+@xref{Select Buffer}, for the behavior of @kbd{M-g M-g} when you give it
+a plain prefix argument.
@item C-x C-n
@findex set-goal-column
@kindex C-x C-n
@itemx M-x column-number-mode
Toggle automatic display of the current line number or column number.
@xref{Optional Mode Line}.
-@item M-=
-Display the number of lines in the current region (@code{count-lines-region}).
-@xref{Mark}, for information about the region.
+@item M-x count-lines-region
+Display the number of lines in the current region. Normally bound to
+@kbd{M-=}, except in a few specialist modes. @xref{Mark}, for
+information about the region.
@item C-x =
Display the character code of character after point, character position of
point, and column of point (@code{what-cursor-position}).
@kbd{M-x what-line} displays the current line number in the echo
area. This command is usually redundant, because the current line
number is shown in the mode line (@pxref{Mode Line}). However, if you
-narrow the buffer, the mode line shows the the line number relative to
+narrow the buffer, the mode line shows the line number relative to
the accessible portion (@pxref{Narrowing}). By contrast,
@code{what-line} displays both the line number relative to the
narrowed region and the line number relative to the whole buffer.
@kindex M-=
@findex count-lines-region
- Use @kbd{M-=} (@code{count-lines-region}) to display the number of
-lines in the region (@pxref{Mark}). @xref{Pages}, for the command
-@kbd{C-x l} which counts the lines in the current page.
+ Use @kbd{M-x count-lines-region} (normally bound to @kbd{M-=}) to
+display the number of lines in the region (@pxref{Mark}). @xref{Pages},
+for the command @kbd{C-x l} which counts the lines in the current page.
@kindex C-x =
@findex what-cursor-position
@kindex M-@t{-}
@findex digit-argument
@findex negative-argument
- The easiest way to specify a numeric argument is to type digits
+ The easiest way to specify a numeric argument is to type a digit
and/or a minus sign while holding down the @key{META} key. For
example,
@code{negative-argument}) that set up an argument for the next
command. @kbd{Meta--} without digits normally means @minus{}1.
+If you enter more than one digit, you need not hold down the
+@key{META} key for the second and subsequent digits. Thus, to move
+down fifty lines, type
+
+@example
+M-5 0 C-n
+@end example
+
+@noindent
+Note that this @emph{does not} insert five copies of @samp{0} and move
+down one line, as you might expect---the @samp{0} is treated as part
+of the prefix argument.
+
+(What if you do want to insert five copies of @samp{0}? Type @kbd{M-5
+C-u 0}. Here, @kbd{C-u} ``terminates'' the prefix argument, so that
+the next keystroke begins the command that you want to execute. Note
+that this meaning of @kbd{C-u} applies only to this case. For the
+usual role of @kbd{C-u}, see below.)
+
@kindex C-u
@findex universal-argument
- You can also specify a numeric argument by typing @kbd{C-u}
-(@code{universal-argument}) followed by the digits. The advantage of
-@kbd{C-u} is that you can type the digits without holding down the
-@key{META} key. For a negative argument, type a minus sign after
-@kbd{C-u}. A minus sign without digits normally means @minus{}1.
+ Instead of typing @kbd{M-1}, @kbd{M-2}, and so on, another way to
+specify a numeric argument is to type @kbd{C-u}
+(@code{universal-argument}) followed by some digits, or (for a
+negative argument) a minus sign followed by digits. A minus sign
+without digits normally means @minus{}1.
@kbd{C-u} alone has the special meaning of ``four times'': it
multiplies the argument for the next command by four. @kbd{C-u C-u}