X-Git-Url: https://code.delx.au/gnu-emacs/blobdiff_plain/50556a88a68a714bc5765dbbe3596f45d77790b8..4ec5239cc90673a066fa12caffb1ac9461f2dd2f:/man/trouble.texi diff --git a/man/trouble.texi b/man/trouble.texi index 52aaa24264..f9d56d2219 100644 --- a/man/trouble.texi +++ b/man/trouble.texi @@ -1,5 +1,6 @@ @c This is part of the Emacs manual. -@c Copyright (C) 1985, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 1997 Free Software Foundation, Inc. +@c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2002, +@c 2003, 2004, 2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc. @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions. @iftex @chapter Dealing with Common Problems @@ -10,6 +11,10 @@ recover from a mysterious situation. Emacs bugs and system crashes are also considered. @end iftex +@ifnottex +@raisesections +@end ifnottex + @node Quitting, Lossage, Customization, Top @section Quitting and Aborting @cindex quitting @@ -53,7 +58,7 @@ successive @kbd{C-g} characters to get out of a search like @kbd{C-g}. The reason is that it is not feasible, on MS-DOS, to recognize @kbd{C-g} while a command is running, between interactions with the user. By contrast, it @emph{is} feasible to recognize -@kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} at all times. @xref{MS-DOS Input}. +@kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} at all times. @xref{MS-DOS Keyboard}. @findex keyboard-quit @kbd{C-g} works by setting the variable @code{quit-flag} to @code{t} @@ -62,9 +67,9 @@ frequently and quits if it is non-@code{nil}. @kbd{C-g} is only actually executed as a command if you type it while Emacs is waiting for input. In that case, the command it runs is @code{keyboard-quit}. - If you quit with @kbd{C-g} a second time before the first @kbd{C-g} is -recognized, you activate the ``emergency escape'' feature and return to -the shell. @xref{Emergency Escape}. + On a text terminal, if you quit with @kbd{C-g} a second time before +the first @kbd{C-g} is recognized, you activate the ``emergency +escape'' feature and return to the shell. @xref{Emergency Escape}. @cindex NFS and quitting There may be times when you cannot quit. When Emacs is waiting for @@ -73,7 +78,7 @@ special pains are taken for the particular system call within Emacs where the waiting occurs. We have done this for the system calls that users are likely to want to quit from, but it's possible you will find another. In one very common case---waiting for file input or output -using NFS---Emacs itself knows how to quit, but most NFS implementations +using NFS---Emacs itself knows how to quit, but many NFS implementations simply do not allow user programs to stop waiting for NFS when the NFS server is hung. @@ -114,28 +119,33 @@ keymap. @xref{Recursive Edit}. @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is not strictly speaking a way of canceling a command, but you can think of it as canceling a command that already -finished executing. @xref{Undo}. +finished executing. @xref{Undo}, for more information +about the undo facility. @node Lossage, Bugs, Quitting, Top @section Dealing with Emacs Trouble This section describes various conditions in which Emacs fails to work -normally, and how to recognize them and correct them. +normally, and how to recognize them and correct them. For a list of +additional problems you might encounter, see @ref{Bugs and problems, , +Bugs and problems, efaq, GNU Emacs FAQ}, and the file @file{etc/PROBLEMS} +in the Emacs distribution. Type @kbd{C-h C-f} to read the FAQ; type +@kbd{C-h C-e} to read the @file{PROBLEMS} file. @menu -* DEL Gets Help:: What to do if @key{DEL} doesn't delete. -* Stuck Recursive:: `[...]' in mode line around the parentheses. -* Screen Garbled:: Garbage on the screen. -* Text Garbled:: Garbage in the text. -* Unasked-for Search:: Spontaneous entry to incremental search. -* Memory Full:: How to cope when you run out of memory. -* After a Crash:: Recovering editing in an Emacs session that crashed. -* Emergency Escape:: Emergency escape--- - What to do if Emacs stops responding. -* Total Frustration:: When you are at your wits' end. +* DEL Does Not Delete:: What to do if @key{DEL} doesn't delete. +* Stuck Recursive:: `[...]' in mode line around the parentheses. +* Screen Garbled:: Garbage on the screen. +* Text Garbled:: Garbage in the text. +* Unasked-for Search:: Spontaneous entry to incremental search. +* Memory Full:: How to cope when you run out of memory. +* After a Crash:: Recovering editing in an Emacs session that crashed. +* Emergency Escape:: Emergency escape--- + What to do if Emacs stops responding. +* Total Frustration:: When you are at your wits' end. @end menu -@node DEL Gets Help +@node DEL Does Not Delete @subsection If @key{DEL} Fails to Delete @cindex @key{DEL} vs @key{BACKSPACE} @cindex @key{BACKSPACE} vs @key{DEL} @@ -159,8 +169,8 @@ what happened---Emacs ought to be treating the @key{DELETE} key as @key{BACKSPACE} and there is a @key{DELETE} key elsewhere, but the @key{DELETE} key deletes backward instead of forward, that too suggests Emacs got the wrong information---but in the opposite sense. -It ought to be treating the @key{BACKSPACE} key as @key{DEL}, but it -isn't. +It ought to be treating the @key{BACKSPACE} key as @key{DEL}, and +treating @key{DELETE} differently, but it isn't. On a text-only terminal, if you find the usual erasure key prompts for a Help command, like @kbd{Control-h}, instead of deleting a @@ -169,22 +179,28 @@ character. Emacs ought to be treating @key{BS} as @key{DEL}, but it isn't. In all of those cases, the immediate remedy is the same: use the -command @kbd{M-x normal-erase-is-backspace-mode}. That should make -the proper key work as @key{DEL}. On a text-only terminal, if you do -want to ask for help, use @key{F1} or @kbd{C-?}. +command @kbd{M-x normal-erase-is-backspace-mode}. This toggles +between the two modes that Emacs supports for handling @key{DEL}, so +if Emacs starts in the wrong mode, it should switch to the right mode. +On a text-only terminal, if you want to ask for help when @key{BS} is +treated as @key{DEL}, use @key{F1}; @kbd{C-?} may also work, if it +sends character code 127. @findex normal-erase-is-backspace-mode To fix the problem automatically for every Emacs session, you can put one of the following lines into your @file{.emacs} file -(@pxref{Init File}). For the first case above, where @key{DEL} -deletes forwards instead of backwards, use this line: +(@pxref{Init File}). For the first case above, where @key{DELETE} +deletes forwards instead of backwards, use this line to make +@key{DELETE} act as @key{DEL} (resulting in behavior compatible +with Emacs 20 and previous versions): @lisp (normal-erase-is-backspace-mode 0) @end lisp @noindent -For the other two cases, use this line: +For the other two cases, where @key{BACKSPACE} ought to act as +@key{DEL}, use this line: @lisp (normal-erase-is-backspace-mode 1) @@ -197,6 +213,15 @@ customize the variable @code{normal-erase-is-backspace}: the value @key{DEL}, and @code{nil} specifies the other mode. @xref{Easy Customization}. + With a window system, it can also happen that the usual erasure key +is labeled @key{BACKSPACE}, there is a @key{DELETE} key elsewhere, and +both keys delete forward. This probably means that someone has +redefined your @key{BACKSPACE} key as a @key{DELETE} key. With X, +this is typically done with a command to the @code{xmodmap} program +when you start the server or log in. The most likely motive for this +customization was to support old versions of Emacs, so we recommend +you simply remove it now. + @node Stuck Recursive @subsection Recursive Editing Levels @@ -213,11 +238,11 @@ back to top level. @xref{Recursive Edit}. @node Screen Garbled @subsection Garbage on the Screen - If the data on the screen looks wrong, the first thing to do is see -whether the text is really wrong. Type @kbd{C-l} to redisplay the -entire screen. If the screen appears correct after this, the problem -was entirely in the previous screen update. (Otherwise, see @ref{Text -Garbled}.) + If the text on a text terminal looks wrong, the first thing to do is +see whether it is wrong in the buffer. Type @kbd{C-l} to redisplay +the entire screen. If the screen appears correct after this, the +problem was entirely in the previous screen update. (Otherwise, see +the following section.) Display updating problems often result from an incorrect termcap entry for the terminal you are using. The file @file{etc/TERMS} in the Emacs @@ -279,8 +304,7 @@ the following in your @file{.emacs} file: When flow control is enabled, you must type @kbd{C-\} to get the effect of a @kbd{C-s}, and type @kbd{C-^} to get the effect of a -@kbd{C-q}. (These aliases work by means of keyboard translations; see -@ref{Keyboard Translations}.) +@kbd{C-q}. @node Memory Full @subsection Running out of Memory @@ -301,7 +325,7 @@ its memory reserve automatically when it sees sufficient free space available, in case you run out of memory another time. Do not use @kbd{M-x buffer-menu} to save or kill buffers when you run -out of memory, because the buffer menu needs a fair amount memory +out of memory, because the buffer menu needs a fair amount of memory itself, and the reserve supply may not be enough. @node After a Crash @@ -327,6 +351,25 @@ visits the file but gets the text from the auto-save file. recover are present in Emacs buffers. You should then save them. Only this---saving them---updates the files themselves. + As a last resort, if you had buffers with content which were not +associated with any files, or if the autosave was not recent enough to +have recorded important changes, you can use the +@file{etc/emacs-buffer.gdb} script with GDB (the GNU Debugger) to +retrieve them from a core dump--provided that a core dump was saved, +and that the Emacs executable was not stripped of its debugging +symbols. + + To use this script, run @code{gdb} with the file name of your Emacs +executable and the file name of the core dump, e.g. @samp{gdb +/usr/bin/emacs core.emacs}. At the @code{(gdb)} prompt, load the +recovery script: @samp{source /usr/src/emacs/etc/emacs-buffer.gdb}. +Then type the command @code{ybuffer-list} to see which buffers are +available. For each buffer, it lists a buffer number. To save a +buffer, use @code{ysave-buffer}; you specify the buffer number, and +the file name to write that buffer into. You should use a file name +which does not already exist; if the file does exist, the script does +not make a backup of its old contents. + @node Emergency Escape @subsection Emergency Escape @@ -364,7 +407,7 @@ If not, and you type another @kbd{C-g}, it is suspended again. @kbd{n} to both questions, and you will arrive at your former state. Presumably the quit you requested will happen soon. - The double-@kbd{C-g} feature is turned off when Emacs is running under + The double @kbd{C-g} feature is turned off when Emacs is running under the X Window System, since you can use the window manager to kill Emacs or to create another window and run another program. @@ -404,6 +447,14 @@ they are bugs and want to fix them. To make it possible for us to fix a bug, you must report it. In order to do so effectively, you must know when and how to do it. + Before reporting a bug, it is a good idea to see if it is already +known. You can find the list of known problems in the file +@file{etc/PROBLEMS} in the Emacs distribution; type @kbd{C-h C-e} to read +it. Some additional user-level problems can be found in @ref{Bugs and +problems, , Bugs and problems, efaq, GNU Emacs FAQ}. Looking up your +problem in these two documents might provide you with a solution or a +work-around, or give you additional information about related issues. + @menu * Criteria: Bug Criteria. Have you really found a bug? * Understanding Bug Reporting:: How to report a bug effectively. @@ -528,12 +579,15 @@ newsgroup @samp{gnu.emacs.bug}; keep in mind, however, that as a spectator you should not criticize anything about what you see there. The purpose of bug reports is to give information to the Emacs maintainers. Spectators are welcome only as long as they do not -interfere with this. In particular, some bug reports contain large -amounts of data; spectators should not complain about this. +interfere with this. In particular, some bug reports contain fairly +large amounts of data; spectators should not complain about this. Please do not post bug reports using netnews; mail is more reliable -than netnews about reporting your correct address, which we may need in -order to ask you for more information. +than netnews about reporting your correct address, which we may need +in order to ask you for more information. If your data is more than +500,000 bytes, please don't include it directly in the bug report; +instead, offer to send it on request, or make it available by ftp and +say where. If you can't send electronic mail, then mail the bug report on paper or machine-readable media to this address: @@ -541,8 +595,8 @@ or machine-readable media to this address: @format GNU Emacs Bugs Free Software Foundation -59 Temple Place, Suite 330 -Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA +51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor +Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA @end format We do not promise to fix the bug; but if the bug is serious, @@ -652,15 +706,15 @@ terminal-dependent bug without access to a terminal of the type that stimulates the bug.@refill @item -If non-ASCII text or internationalization is relevant, the locale that +If non-@acronym{ASCII} text or internationalization is relevant, the locale that was current when you started Emacs. On GNU/Linux and Unix systems, or -if you use a Unix-style shell such as Bash, you can use this shell +if you use a Posix-style shell such as Bash, you can use this shell command to view the relevant values: -@example -echo LC_ALL=$LC_ALL LC_COLLATE=$LC_COLLATE LC_TYPE=$LC_TYPE \ +@smallexample +echo LC_ALL=$LC_ALL LC_COLLATE=$LC_COLLATE LC_CTYPE=$LC_CTYPE \ LC_MESSAGES=$LC_MESSAGES LC_TIME=$LC_TIME LANG=$LANG -@end example +@end smallexample Alternatively, use the @command{locale} command, if your system has it, to display your locale settings. @@ -668,7 +722,7 @@ to display your locale settings. You can use the @kbd{M-!} command to execute these commands from Emacs, and then copy the output from the @samp{*Messages*} buffer into the bug report. Alternatively, @kbd{M-x getenv @key{RET} LC_ALL -@key{RET}} will print the value of @code{LC_ALL} in the echo area, and +@key{RET}} will display the value of @code{LC_ALL} in the echo area, and you can copy its output from the @samp{*Messages*} buffer. @item @@ -706,13 +760,14 @@ To get the error message text accurately, copy it from the part. @findex toggle-debug-on-error +@pindex Edebug To make a backtrace for the error, use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-error} before the error happens (that is to say, you must give that command and then make the bug happen). This causes the error to run the Lisp debugger, which shows you a backtrace. Copy the text of the debugger's backtrace into the bug report. @xref{Debugger,, The Lisp Debugger, elisp, the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}, for information on -debugging Emacs Lisp programs. +debugging Emacs Lisp programs with the Edebug package. This use of the debugger is possible only if you know how to make the bug happen again. If you can't make it happen again, at least copy @@ -786,7 +841,7 @@ To make Lisp errors stop Emacs and return to GDB, put a breakpoint at @code{Fsignal}. For a short listing of Lisp functions running, type the GDB -command @code{xbacktrace}. +command @code{xbacktrace}. The file @file{.gdbinit} defines several other commands that are useful for examining the data types and contents of Lisp objects. Their names @@ -802,11 +857,8 @@ That file also includes instructions for investigating problems whereby Emacs stops responding (many people assume that Emacs is ``hung,'' whereas in fact it might be in an infinite loop). -In an installed Emacs, the file @file{etc/DEBUG} is in the same -directory where the Emacs on-line documentation file @file{DOC}, -typically in the @file{/usr/local/share/emacs/@var{version}/etc/} -directory. The directory for your installation is stored in the -variable @code{data-directory}. +To find the file @file{etc/DEBUG} in your Emacs installation, use the +directory name stored in the variable @code{data-directory}. @end itemize Here are some things that are not necessary in a bug report: @@ -821,9 +873,11 @@ which changes to the input file will make the bug go away and which changes will not affect it. This is often time-consuming and not very useful, because the way we -will find the bug is by running a single example under the debugger with -breakpoints, not by pure deduction from a series of examples. You might -as well save time by not searching for additional examples. +will find the bug is by running a single example under the debugger +with breakpoints, not by pure deduction from a series of examples. +You might as well save time by not searching for additional examples. +It is better to send the bug report right away, go back to editing, +and find another bug to report. Of course, if you can find a simpler example to report @emph{instead} of the original one, that is a convenience. Errors in the output will be @@ -832,6 +886,15 @@ easier to spot, running under the debugger will take less time, etc. However, simplification is not vital; if you can't do this or don't have time to try, please report the bug with your original test case. +@item +A core dump file. + +Debugging the core dump might be useful, but it can only be done on +your machine, with your Emacs executable. Therefore, sending the core +dump file to the Emacs maintainers won't be useful. Above all, don't +include the core file in an email bug report! Such a large message +can be extremely inconvenient. + @item A system-call trace of Emacs execution. @@ -993,18 +1056,23 @@ form that is clearly safe to install. If you would like to help pretest Emacs releases to assure they work well, or if you would like to work on improving Emacs, please contact -the maintainers at @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}. A pretester +the maintainers at @email{emacs-devel@@gnu.org}. A pretester should be prepared to investigate bugs as well as report them. If you'd like to work on improving Emacs, please ask for suggested projects or suggest your own ideas. If you have already written an improvement, please tell us about it. If you have not yet started work, it is useful to contact -@email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} before you start; it might be +@email{emacs-devel@@gnu.org} before you start; it might be possible to suggest ways to make your extension fit in better with the rest of Emacs. -@node Service, Command Arguments, Contributing, Top +The development version of Emacs can be downloaded from the CVS +repository where it is actively maintained by a group of developers. +See the Emacs project page http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/emacs/ for +details. + +@node Service, Copying, Contributing, Top @section How To Get Help with GNU Emacs If you need help installing, using or changing GNU Emacs, there are two @@ -1022,3 +1090,11 @@ Look in the service directory for someone who might help you for a fee. The service directory is found in the file named @file{etc/SERVICE} in the Emacs distribution. @end itemize + +@ifnottex +@lowersections +@end ifnottex + +@ignore + arch-tag: c9cba76d-b2cb-4e0c-ae3f-19d5ef35817c +@end ignore