Welcome to Emacs!
-Emacs is a text-editor with many advanced features. Its original purpose was
-for programmers to edit source code, but it has now expanded beyond this. It
-can be used to write documents, web pages, send email, calendaring and,
-indeed, edit source code. Since it is possible to control most things that a
-computer can do with text, Emacs can also be used to interface and control
-anything that a computer can do.
-
-Emacs has a long history having been in continous development since 1985. In
-this sense, it is a very old piece of software. One significant advantage of
-this is that the core of Emacs is fairly stable; this means that knowledge
-learned today is likely to remain useful far into the future. Emacs is also highly
-extensible, coming with its own rich extension language. In this sense, it is
-also a very new piece of software. It can be and is continually extended and
+Emacs is a text-editor with many advanced features. Its original
+purpose was for programmers to edit source code, but it has now
+expanded beyond this. It can be used to write documents, web pages,
+send email, calendaring and, indeed, edit source code. Since it is
+possible to control most things that a computer can do with text,
+Emacs can also be used to interface and control anything that a
+computer can do.
+
+Emacs has a long history having been in continous development
+since 1985. In this sense, it is a very old piece of software. One
+significant advantage of this is that the core of Emacs is fairly
+stable; this means that knowledge learned today is likely to remain
+useful far into the future. Emacs is also highly extensible, coming
+with its own rich extension language. In this sense, it is also a very
+new piece of software. It can be and is continually extended and
adapted, providing new tools, for new purposes.
-The purpose of this tutorial is to give a brief introduction to Emacs, enough
-to make sense of what you are seeing and to start the journey to Emacs
-mastery.
+The purpose of this tutorial is to give a brief introduction to Emacs,
+enough to make sense of what you are seeing and to start the journey
+to Emacs mastery.
* What you can see
-In this section, we introduce the basic elements that are visible on-screen
-and the terminology that it used to describe it. Emacs can run on many
-different operating systems and in many different ways. One advantage of Emacs
-is that it provides essentially the same experience in these different
-environments. However, for the majority of users it is generally used on a
-windowing system and we will assume that this is the case here. One slight
-disadvantage of Emacs long history is that some of its terminology predates
-windowing systems and in one case conflicts with it. We describe these
-differences here.
+In this section, we introduce the basic elements that are visible
+on-screen and the terminology that it used to describe it. Emacs can
+run on many different operating systems and in many different
+ways. One advantage of Emacs is that it provides essentially the same
+experience in these different environments. However, for the majority
+of users it is generally used on a windowing system and we will assume
+that this is the case here. One slight disadvantage of Emacs long
+history is that some of its terminology predates windowing systems and
+in one case conflicts with it. We describe these differences here.
** Frames
-If you have just started Emacs and this tutorial, you will be looking at a
-single window showing this tutorial. In Emacs terminology, this is not a
-described as a window but as a /frame/. As with many applications, a single
-running Emacs can create any number of frames. We can do this using the menu
-system (we will investigate other ways later); try this now, but remember,
-these are /frames/ and not /windows/. Do not use the /New Window/ menu item,
-but instead:
+If you have just started Emacs and this tutorial, you will be looking
+at a single window showing this tutorial. In Emacs terminology, this
+is not a described as a window but as a /frame/. As with many
+applications, a single running Emacs can create any number of
+frames. We can do this using the menu system (we will investigate
+other ways later); try this now, but remember, these are /frames/ and
+not /windows/. Do not use the /New Window/ menu item, but instead:
#+begin_menu
File
New Frame
#+end_menu
-The spare frame can be removed freely either using whatever close window
-facilities your desktop environment provides, or:
+The spare frame can be removed freely either using whatever close
+window facilities your desktop environment provides, or:
#+begin_menu
File
Delete Frame
#+end_menu
-Closing the last frame also closes Emacs. It will warn you if doing so is
-problematic in some way, such as in the case of having unsaved files.
+Closing the last frame also closes Emacs. It will warn you if doing so
+is problematic in some way, such as in the case of having unsaved
+files.
** Windows
-Often, you will want to edit two pieces of text at the same time. It is
-possible to use multiple frames to do this, and some Emacs users prefer this.
-Emacs also has a light-weight alternative which it calls a /window/. It is
-possible to have any number of windows visible in a single frame, to resize
-them and change their arrangement, not unlike frames.
+Often, you will want to edit two pieces of text at the same time. It
+is possible to use multiple frames to do this, and some Emacs users
+prefer this. Emacs also has a light-weight alternative which it calls
+a /window/. It is possible to have any number of windows visible in a
+single frame, to resize them and change their arrangement, not unlike
+frames.
We can create a new frame with:
New Window Below
#+end_menu
-Doing so now will result in the frame splitting leaving the tutorial visible
-twice. We can return to a single window with:
+Doing so now will result in the frame splitting leaving the tutorial
+visible twice. We can return to a single window with:
#+begin_menu
File
Remove other windows
#+end_menu
-Frames and windows fulfil roughly similar purposes for the user perspective.
-So, which is best to use? Broadly, windows can be manipulated entirely within
-Emacs, and work where-ever Emacs works, while frames can also be manipulated
-using tools from the desktop environment. Later in the tutorial, we will
-demonstrate more rapid ways of manipulating windows than the menu bars we have
-used so far.
+Frames and windows fulfil roughly similar purposes for the user
+perspective. So, which is best to use? Broadly, windows can be
+manipulated entirely within Emacs, and work where-ever Emacs works,
+while frames can also be manipulated using tools from the desktop
+environment. Later in the tutorial, we will demonstrate more rapid
+ways of manipulating windows than the menu bars we have used so far.
** Buffers
-In each window, Emacs displays a /buffer/. In most cases, (including the
-buffer you reading now), a buffer contains the contents of a file, or what
-will become the contents of the file when it is saved. However, Emacs also
-uses buffers to contain anything that you might want to interact with: the
-contents of a directory, a process or even the configuration options of Emacs
-itself.
+In each window, Emacs displays a /buffer/. In most cases, (including
+the buffer you reading now), a buffer contains the contents of a file,
+or what will become the contents of the file when it is
+saved. However, Emacs also uses buffers to contain anything that you
+might want to interact with: the contents of a directory, a process or
+even the configuration options of Emacs itself.
-At any point in time, a buffer may or may not be visible, but they can be
-displayed in a window when you choose. We try this now. First, we split our
-window:
+At any point in time, a buffer may or may not be visible, but they can
+be displayed in a window when you choose. We try this now. First, we
+split our window:
#+begin_menu
File
New Window Below
#+end_menu
-You should now see this tutorial twice in two windows; although it appears
-twice, there is only one copy. This makes it possible to edit two parts of a
-file at the same time. Now we can change the buffer being displayed in one
-window.
+You should now see this tutorial twice in two windows; although it
+appears twice, there is only one copy. This makes it possible to edit
+two parts of a file at the same time. Now we can change the buffer
+being displayed in one window.
#+begin_menu
Buffers
*scratch*
#+end_menu
-The `*scratch*` buffer is created automatically when Emacs starts and is just
-used as a temporary storage location for text, or code. Now we can hide this
-window again. Ensure that you select the window showing this tutorial by
-clicking into it first, or you will end up with just the `*scratch*` buffer.
+The `*scratch*` buffer is created automatically when Emacs starts and
+is just used as a temporary storage location for text, or code. Now we
+can hide this window again. Ensure that you select the window showing
+this tutorial by clicking into it first, or you will end up with just
+the `*scratch*` buffer.
#+begin_menu
File
** Mode lines and Mini-buffers
-Emacs has two more unusual features: the mode line and the mini-buffer. The mode
-line appears immediately below each Emacs window. It probably looks something
-like this:
+Emacs has two more unusual features: the mode line and the
+mini-buffer. The mode line appears immediately below each Emacs
+window. It probably looks something like this:
#+begin_example
-:--- TUTORIAL 24% L138 (Fundamental)
#+end_example
-For more experienced Emacs, this line can become very full, containing much
-essential information about Emacs and the current window. For now, it simply
-contains the name of this file, the location within the file (as a percentage,
-Top or Bottom), the line number and information about the current mode (more
-on which later).
+For more experienced Emacs, this line can become very full, containing
+much essential information about Emacs and the current window. For
+now, it simply contains the name of this file, the location within the
+file (as a percentage, Top or Bottom), the line number and information
+about the current mode (more on which later).
-Each Frame also has a /minibuffer/, which appears at the bottom of the frame,
-under the bottom mode line. As with the mode-line, the minibuffer is heavily
-used by experienced Emacs users, but for now its use is limited to providing
-status messages. Swap into the `*scratch*` buffer and back again. You should
-see a rather cryptic message underneath the mode-line, at the bottom of the
-frame, like this:
+Each Frame also has a /minibuffer/, which appears at the bottom of the
+frame, under the bottom mode line. As with the mode-line, the
+minibuffer is heavily used by experienced Emacs users, but for now its
+use is limited to providing status messages. Swap into the `*scratch*`
+buffer and back again. You should see a rather cryptic message
+underneath the mode-line, at the bottom of the frame, like this:
#+begin_todo
menu-bar buffer C-c
** Menu, Toolbars and Scrollbars
-Finally, Emacs has menu bars, a toolbar and scrollbar. These work as you would
-expect for most applications, except that they are easy to control,
-configure and change in the running application, or even disable them
-entirely. Emacs really is extensible!
+Finally, Emacs has menu bars, a toolbar and scrollbar. These work as
+you would expect for most applications, except that they are easy to
+control, configure and change in the running application, or even
+disable them entirely. Emacs really is extensible!
** Away from a Windowing System
-Although it is less frequently used in this way, Emacs also works away from a
-windowing system in a terminal. In this environment, most of the features that
-have been described so far are still usable, in particular Emacs windows,
-although it is not possible to start a new frame.
+Although it is less frequently used in this way, Emacs also works away
+from a windowing system in a terminal. In this environment, most of
+the features that have been described so far are still usable, in
+particular Emacs windows, although it is not possible to start a new
+frame.
-While this use of Emacs is less common these days, it does allow some nice
-tricks. For instance, combined with GNU Screen, Emacs can be opened
-persistently on a server, or even shared by several users at the same time for
-remote, collaborative working. It is also extremely useful for systems
-administration either when running over SSH or as a root user.
+While this use of Emacs is less common these days, it does allow some
+nice tricks. For instance, combined with GNU Screen, Emacs can be
+opened persistently on a server, or even shared by several users at
+the same time for remote, collaborative working. It is also extremely
+useful for systems administration either when running over SSH or as a
+root user.
* Text in Emacs
-In this section, we consider how Emacs allows you to view and to change text
-within Emacs. This is mostly straight-forward, but Emacs gives you a some
-extra options useful for changing text rapidly.
+In this section, we consider how Emacs allows you to view and to
+change text within Emacs. This is mostly straight-forward, but Emacs
+gives you a some extra options useful for changing text rapidly.
** Editing Text
-Changing text happens in Emacs as with most other applications. A blinking
-cursor shows the current location in the file. Text can be selected with a
-mouse, and deleted in bulk.
+Changing text happens in Emacs as with most other applications. A
+blinking cursor shows the current location in the file. Text can be
+selected with a mouse, and deleted in bulk.
-Emacs has a specialised display feature for text with longlines. You can see
-this by changing the size of the frame and making it narrower than the width
-of the text. By default, Emacs shows all of the text by wrapping the text onto
-the next line, and placing a small arrow to the right of the text to show that
-this has been done.
+Emacs has a specialised display feature for text with longlines. You
+can see this by changing the size of the frame and making it narrower
+than the width of the text. By default, Emacs shows all of the text by
+wrapping the text onto the next line, and placing a small arrow to the
+right of the text to show that this has been done.
-One feature that will not surprise you is that Emacs uses multiple keypresses
-for some punctuation --- to type the double quote, you press "shift" and "2"
-or "'" depending on your keyboard layout. What may surprise you is the extent
-to which Emacs expands on this idea of multiple keypresses, and it is this
-that we will consider in the next section.
+One feature that will not surprise you is that Emacs uses multiple
+keypresses for some punctuation --- to type the double quote, you
+press "shift" and "2" or "'" depending on your keyboard layout. What
+may surprise you is the extent to which Emacs expands on this idea of
+multiple keypresses, and it is this that we will consider in the next
+section.
* Keyboard Control
-We said earlier, that as well as being modifiable, it is possible to disable
-the Emacs menu system entirely. In fact, many seasoned Emacs users prefer it
-that way, to maximise the editing area on screen. How, then, do they access
-the functionality in the menu system?
+We said earlier, that as well as being modifiable, it is possible to
+disable the Emacs menu system entirely. In fact, many seasoned Emacs
+users prefer it that way, to maximise the editing area on screen. How,
+then, do they access the functionality in the menu system?
-With its long history, Emacs actually predates widespread use of mice, menus
-and windowing systems. As a result, it used a different way to allow complex
-interaction with the user, which it achieved by combining multiple keypresses,
-or /keychords/. This approach has a number of advantages over menus:
+With its long history, Emacs actually predates widespread use of mice,
+menus and windowing systems. As a result, it used a different way to
+allow complex interaction with the user, which it achieved by
+combining multiple keypresses, or /keychords/. This approach has a
+number of advantages over menus:
- It is often very fast.
- Hands can be left in place at the keyboard, reducing wrist strain
-- Combined with the modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt and Shift which we describe more
- later), you can use a very large number of commands.
+- Combined with the modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt and Shift which we
+ describe more later), you can use a very large number of commands.
-It is for this reason that is has survived and is, in fact, commonly used by
-experienced Emacs users. Because of this, experienced users will often
-exchange advice and information using reference to these keypresses: you may
-see cryptic advice like "Use C-x C-f to open a file". This also demonstrates
-another advantage of keychords -- they are easy to describe: compare "go to
-the File menu, then Open File, then select the item, then click the "Open"
-button near the bottom right".
+It is for this reason that is has survived and is, in fact, commonly
+used by experienced Emacs users. Because of this, experienced users
+will often exchange advice and information using reference to these
+keypresses: you may see cryptic advice like "Use C-x C-f to open a
+file". This also demonstrates another advantage of keychords -- they
+are easy to describe: compare "go to the File menu, then Open File,
+then select the item, then click the "Open" button near the bottom
+right".
-In this section, we describe a few keychord commands, and introduce the basic
-background.
+In this section, we describe a few keychord commands, and introduce
+the basic background.
** Modifiers
-The basic keys on the keyboard are, of course, used for inserting characters.
-So, Emacs must use "modifier keys" to access it's commands. Emacs uses four
-by default, which are:
+The basic keys on the keyboard are, of course, used for inserting
+characters. So, Emacs must use "modifier keys" to access it's
+commands. Emacs uses four by default, which are:
- - The /Ctrl/ or /control/ key, which is normally found on the bottom row
- either side of the keyboard.
+ - The /Ctrl/ or /control/ key, which is normally found on the bottom
+ row either side of the keyboard.
- The /Alt/ key, which is normally found next to space bar.
- The /Shift/ key, which is normally found above the Ctrl key.
- The /Esc/ key, which is normally found at the top left.
-By default, Emacs does not use most of the /function/ keys along the top of
-the keyboard, although, being highly customizable, it is possible to use
-those if you so wish.
+By default, Emacs does not use most of the /function/ keys along the
+top of the keyboard, although, being highly customizable, it is
+possible to use those if you so wish.
-Of these, Ctrl is normally abbreviated to "C" while Alt is abbreviated to,
-confusingly, "M". The reason for this is historical, as keyboards used to have
-a key labelled "Meta". Shift is refered to using capital letters. Esc is
-rarely abbreviated, but is, instead a different way of accessing Alt.
+Of these, Ctrl is normally abbreviated to "C" while Alt is abbreviated
+to, confusingly, "M". The reason for this is historical, as keyboards
+used to have a key labelled "Meta". Shift is refered to using capital
+letters. Esc is rarely abbreviated, but is, instead a different way of
+accessing Alt.
-So, "C-x f" means "press the Ctrl key, and simultaneously the x, then release
-both, then press the f key".
+So, "C-x f" means "press the Ctrl key, and simultaneously the x, then
+release both, then press the f key".
"C-x C-f" means "press the Ctrl key and x, then, still holding Ctrl,
release x and press f".
Or, "M-a" means "press the Alt key, and simultaneously the a key".
-Alternatively, for "M-a" you can use the Esc key, "press and release the Esc
-key and then the a key".
+Alternatively, for "M-a" you can use the Esc key, "press and release
+the Esc key and then the a key".
** Keychords in action.
-Emacs has a wide variety of keychord controls. For example, if you prefer to
-keep your hands in one place, you can use keychords instead of the arrow keys
-to move the cursor around, as follows:
+Emacs has a wide variety of keychord controls. For example, if you
+prefer to keep your hands in one place, you can use keychords instead
+of the arrow keys to move the cursor around, as follows:
#+begin_example
Previous line, C-p
Next line, C-n
#+end_example
-Similarly, C-a (<Ctrl> and <a> simultaneously) and C-e move to the start and end
-of the line, rather like the Home and End keys. Emacs also has "logical"
-variants of these cursor controls which cannot be accessed via other keys; for
-example, M-a (<Alt> and <a> simultaneously, or <Esc> followed by <a>) moves
-not to the start of the line, but the start of the *sentence*.
+Similarly, C-a (<Ctrl> and <a> simultaneously) and C-e move to the
+start and end of the line, rather like the Home and End keys. Emacs
+also has "logical" variants of these cursor controls which cannot be
+accessed via other keys; for example, M-a (<Alt> and <a>
+simultaneously, or <Esc> followed by <a>) moves not to the start of
+the line, but the start of the *sentence*.
-The use of double press keys expands the keyboard significantly, but Emacs
-takes this considerably further, as we will describe after a brief excursion.
+The use of double press keys expands the keyboard significantly, but
+Emacs takes this considerably further, as we will describe after a
+brief excursion.
** Ctrl-g saves the day
-The use of keyboard modifiers mean that, some times, Emacs will get stuck. For
-example, if you type Esc, Emacs is expecting another keypress as part of the
-keychord next. How do you get out of this, if you press Esc by mistake?
+The use of keyboard modifiers mean that, some times, Emacs will get
+stuck. For example, if you type Esc, Emacs is expecting another
+keypress as part of the keychord next. How do you get out of this, if
+you press Esc by mistake?
-The answer is with Ctrl-g (abbreviated as C-g). C-g is also more generally
-useful, as it can be used to stop any running command.
+The answer is with Ctrl-g (abbreviated as C-g). C-g is also more
+generally useful, as it can be used to stop any running command.
What is a command? We will investigate this next.
* Commands
-Users interact with Emacs by running /commands/. Everything that you do that
-changes Emacs happens via running one or more commands. Underneath, these
-commands are (mostly) implemented in Emacs' extension language (Emacs Lisp).
-Although it may not seem like it, you have already been interacting with Emacs
-via a stream of commands.
-
-The most commonly used command is ~self-insert-command~ (you may also see this
-written as `self-insert-command', a tradition which stems from its use in
-Emacs' source code). By default, most of the keys on the keyboard are /bound/
-to ~self-insert-command~: i.e. pressing the key calls this command. It does
-pretty much what its name suggests. It inserts into the buffer whichever key
-was pressed. Pressing the <a> key or the <e> key has the same effect but with
-different results.
+Users interact with Emacs by running /commands/. Everything that you
+do that changes Emacs happens via running one or more
+commands. Underneath, these commands are (mostly) implemented in
+Emacs' extension language (Emacs Lisp). Although it may not seem like
+it, you have already been interacting with Emacs via a stream of
+commands.
+
+The most commonly used command is ~self-insert-command~ (you may also
+see this written as `self-insert-command', a tradition which stems
+from its use in Emacs' source code). By default, most of the keys on
+the keyboard are /bound/ to ~self-insert-command~: i.e. pressing the
+key calls this command. It does pretty much what its name suggests. It
+inserts into the buffer whichever key was pressed. Pressing the <a>
+key or the <e> key has the same effect but with different results.
Keychords are also bound to commands. So, C-x C-f runs the command
~find-file~. Commands can also be run from the menu bar. So:
runs a similar, related file ~menu-find-file-existing~.
-Sometimes, menu items and keys are bound to the same command. For example,
-try:
+Sometimes, menu items and keys are bound to the same command. For
+example, try:
#+begin_menu
Help
Remove Other Windows
#+end_menu
-Instead of running the second command, we get the documentation instead, the
-beginning of which looks something like this:
+Instead of running the second command, we get the documentation
+instead, the beginning of which looks something like this:
#+begin_example
It is bound to C-x 1, <menu-bar> <file> <one-window>.
#+end_example
-This tells you keychord or menu sequence that you called (~<menu-bar> <file>
-<one-window>~), the name of the command (~delete-other-windows~), and a link
-to the source code (~‘window.el’~). It also describes all the ways to run this
-command, which include, in this case C-x 1. We can now replicate the window
-management we performed earlier. Type C-x 2 to split the window and C-x 1 to
-get back again. Or, type C-h k followed by C-x 1 to get to the same help
-screen as the last menu.
-
-Finally, if this was not enough, it is also possible to run commands using the
-command name. Try M-x split-window-below to split the window, followed by M-x
-delete-other-windows to get back again. The ability to access commands
-directly in this way means that Emacs can provide any number of commands, not
-limited by restrictions of the keyboard or its graphical interface.
-
-Some commands are bound to many places, because of their utility. Try, for
-example, C-h k C-h k, which gets runs the command ~describe-key~ on itself.
-This produces:
+This tells you keychord or menu sequence that you called (~<menu-bar>
+<file> <one-window>~), the name of the command
+(~delete-other-windows~), and a link to the source code
+(~‘window.el’~). It also describes all the ways to run this command,
+which include, in this case C-x 1. We can now replicate the window
+management we performed earlier. Type C-x 2 to split the window and
+C-x 1 to get back again. Or, type C-h k followed by C-x 1 to get to
+the same help screen as the last menu.
+
+Finally, if this was not enough, it is also possible to run commands
+using the command name. Try M-x split-window-below to split the
+window, followed by M-x delete-other-windows to get back again. The
+ability to access commands directly in this way means that Emacs can
+provide any number of commands, not limited by restrictions of the
+keyboard or its graphical interface.
+
+Some commands are bound to many places, because of their utility. Try,
+for example, C-h k C-h k, which gets runs the command ~describe-key~
+on itself. This produces:
#+begin_example
C-h k runs the command describe-key (found in global-map), which is an
* Clashing Keys
-Emacs' extensive use of keypresses sometimes clashes with keypresses from
-other environments. This can be a common cause of confusions for people new to
-Emacs. We will consider the two most common of these keypresses next.
+Emacs' extensive use of keypresses sometimes clashes with keypresses
+from other environments. This can be a common cause of confusions for
+people new to Emacs. We will consider the two most common of these
+keypresses next.
** Undo
-In many applications, the keypress Ctrl-z runs the undo system, which is,
-unfortunately, not true with Emacs. In fact, it minimizes Emacs; this can be
-rather disconcerting the first time it happens, when Emacs suddenly
-dissappears from the screen.
+In many applications, the keypress Ctrl-z runs the undo system, which
+is, unfortunately, not true with Emacs. In fact, it minimizes Emacs;
+this can be rather disconcerting the first time it happens, when Emacs
+suddenly dissappears from the screen.
Emacs actually has a quite powerful undo system. To find out how to
access it, try C-h f undo which displays the help screen which prints
A numeric ARG serves as a repeat count.
#+end_example
-We show slightly more of the help screen than previously, as it allows us to
-introduce a new feature. ~undo~ accepts a /numeric argument/. You can supply
-this argument with the keypress C-u. So C-u 10 C-/ undoes the last ten
-actions.
+We show slightly more of the help screen than previously, as it allows
+us to introduce a new feature. ~undo~ accepts a /numeric
+argument/. You can supply this argument with the keypress C-u. So C-u
+10 C-/ undoes the last ten actions.
** Cut and Paste, Yank and Kill
-A second area that Emacs uses different keys from many environments is with
-Cut and Paste. The keyboard short-cuts for these are often Ctrl-c (short for
-"copy"), Ctrl-x (because "x" looks like a pair of scissors) and Ctrl-v (because
-it looks like the graphical sign people use to insert a word between
-two others).
+A second area that Emacs uses different keys from many environments is
+with Cut and Paste. The keyboard short-cuts for these are often Ctrl-c
+(short for "copy"), Ctrl-x (because "x" looks like a pair of scissors)
+and Ctrl-v (because it looks like the graphical sign people use to
+insert a word between two others).
These keys all do something different in Emacs -- in fact, in most
cases, two of them appear to do nothing at all, as they are the start
of larger keychords. Emacs does, however, have a fully functional
cut-and-paste system, although it behaves slightly differently.
-First, Emacs does not have a separate operation for cut or copy. While the
-simplest form of deletion (backspace) does really delete text, most other
-commands actually /kill/ the text; that is they delete it and save it at the
-same time; or alternatively, they cut the text. In fact, it is quite
-difficult to actually /delete/ text in Emacs in a totally irreversible
-way!
+First, Emacs does not have a separate operation for cut or copy. While
+the simplest form of deletion (backspace) does really delete text,
+most other commands actually /kill/ the text; that is they delete it
+and save it at the same time; or alternatively, they cut the text. In
+fact, it is quite difficult to actually /delete/ text in Emacs in a
+totally irreversible way!
We can try this now. Move to the beginning of a line (C-a), then run
-~kill-line~ (C-k). As normal, it is possible to reverse this using undo this
-(C-/). However, you can also /yank/ the text back with C-y. Why have these
-two mechanisms? Yank is actually operating like a paste operation; if you move
-the cursor to another line and run C-y again. The line you killed will be
-pasted once again.
+~kill-line~ (C-k). As normal, it is possible to reverse this using
+undo this (C-/). However, you can also /yank/ the text back with
+C-y. Why have these two mechanisms? Yank is actually operating like a
+paste operation; if you move the cursor to another line and run C-y
+again. The line you killed will be pasted once again.
It is possible to kill text in many different ways, as well as a line
or other unit at a time. Here are a few:
- Select a region with the mouse, then M-w.
- Move the cursor to a different place, then yank (C-y).
-Emacs' kill-and-yank mechanism, although different, is actually very flexible,
-since it is completely integrated with text deletion. There is no necessity
-for having two different set of commands for deleting, cutting or copying.
-Also, it has some unique features, like the fact that consecutive
-kills are treated as one for yanking purposes, or the ability to
-easily recall not only the last one, but also previous kills.
+Emacs' kill-and-yank mechanism, although different, is actually very
+flexible, since it is completely integrated with text deletion. There
+is no necessity for having two different set of commands for deleting,
+cutting or copying. Also, it has some unique features, like the fact
+that consecutive kills are treated as one for yanking purposes, or the
+ability to easily recall not only the last one, but also previous
+kills.
** Why is it like this, and how do I stop it?
-Of course, one valid question is why did Emacs choose keyboard commands which
-conflict with standard keypresses. The answer, as always, is that Emacs is a
-piece of software with a long heritage and it predates these standard
-keypresses. In addition, in some cases, these standard keypresses are,
-not that standard: for example, in command line terminal, Ctrl-z normally
-causes not an undo operation, but suspends the current process. If you are
-running Emacs in a terminal, in fact, this is what it does to Emacs also; from
-the perspective of the user, in a grapical environment, minimizing Emacs
+Of course, one valid question is why did Emacs choose keyboard
+commands which conflict with standard keypresses. The answer, as
+always, is that Emacs is a piece of software with a long heritage and
+it predates these standard keypresses. In addition, in some cases,
+these standard keypresses are, not that standard: for example, in
+command line terminal, Ctrl-z normally causes not an undo operation,
+but suspends the current process. If you are running Emacs in a
+terminal, in fact, this is what it does to Emacs also; from the
+perspective of the user, in a grapical environment, minimizing Emacs
achieves about the same thing.
-Of course, Emacs could be updated to change this behaviour, but many users are
-happy with the defaults. However, Emacs can also be configured to use these
-standard defaults, which you can access with:
+Of course, Emacs could be updated to change this behaviour, but many
+users are happy with the defaults. However, Emacs can also be
+configured to use these standard defaults, which you can access with:
#+begin_menu
Options
Use CUA keys
#+end_menu
-or, alternatively, "M-x cua-mode". If you like this mode, you can use it all
-the time by running:
+or, alternatively, "M-x cua-mode". If you like this mode, you can use
+it all the time by running:
#+begin_menu
Options
* Files and Directories
-So far, we have looked at how to control Emacs. Of course, being a text
-editor, the most common use for Emacs is to open, change and save files.
+So far, we have looked at how to control Emacs. Of course, being a
+text editor, the most common use for Emacs is to open, change and save
+files.
First, we should recap the difference between a /file/ and a /buffer/.
-Everything that you see on screen is a buffer. Buffers are often /associated/
-with a file: that is, they show the contents of a file, and will save changes
-to that file.
+Everything that you see on screen is a buffer. Buffers are often
+/associated/ with a file: that is, they show the contents of a file,
+and will save changes to that file.
Opening a file in Emacs is straight-forward. In the menu system use:
Open File
#+end_menu
-Or, alternatively, C-x C-f. The former will result in a file dialog, the
-latter will use the mini-buffer for interaction. Files can be saved in a
-similar way either with the menu:
+Or, alternatively, C-x C-f. The former will result in a file dialog,
+the latter will use the mini-buffer for interaction. Files can be
+saved in a similar way either with the menu:
#+begin_menu
File
Save
#+end_menu
-or the keys C-x C-s. Emacs also provides another, very useful, alternative
-command called ~save-some-buffers~ (C-x s) which saves any buffer that needs
-to be saved -- you can save all of your files together rather than one at a
-time.
-
-Emacs can also display directories. Unlike many editors, which only show
-directories in a dialog box, Emacs uses a buffer, and this persists until you
-delete it. You can change to a file buffer, and then back again, as you
-choose. We access this with the same command used to open a file. Try C-x C-f,
-then hit enter to accept the default value which will be a directory
-(probably, your home directory). Emacs provides extensive facilities for
-operating on and changing directories and the files that they contain in bulk,
-together called dired (for directory editor).
-
-Emacs was originally intended for programmers, who tend to open a lot of
-files, often spread widely around the file system. Although, we will not look
-at them in further detail, Emacs has been extended in a number of ways to make
-file navigation very quick, including, for example ~ido-mode~.
+or the keys C-x C-s. Emacs also provides another, very useful,
+alternative command called ~save-some-buffers~ (C-x s) which saves any
+buffer that needs to be saved -- you can save all of your files
+together rather than one at a time.
+
+Emacs can also display directories. Unlike many editors, which only
+show directories in a dialog box, Emacs uses a buffer, and this
+persists until you delete it. You can change to a file buffer, and
+then back again, as you choose. We access this with the same command
+used to open a file. Try C-x C-f, then hit enter to accept the default
+value which will be a directory (probably, your home directory). Emacs
+provides extensive facilities for operating on and changing
+directories and the files that they contain in bulk, together called
+dired (for directory editor).
+
+Emacs was originally intended for programmers, who tend to open a lot
+of files, often spread widely around the file system. Although, we
+will not look at them in further detail, Emacs has been extended in a
+number of ways to make file navigation very quick, including, for
+example ~ido-mode~.
* Working With Buffers
-We described buffers earlier when looking at windows. Nearly everything that
-you interact with in Emacs happens in a buffer. The can contain simple text,
-they can be associated with files, they can be connected to processes, or to
-network sockets. A single Emacs can have any number of tabs open at once. Any
-buffer can be displayed in no, one or many frames, and likewise, no, one or
-many windows.
-
-In many ways, Emacs buffers operate like "tabbed windows" in other systems,
-although, unlike tabs, they are not have a visible tab on screen the whole
-time. Which raises the obvious question, how do we select a buffer which is
-not visible? Emacs provides two main mechanisms for achieving this. First the
-menu called, logically enough, "Buffers". This menu also provides access to
-the second mechanism -- try:
+We described buffers earlier when looking at windows. Nearly
+everything that you interact with in Emacs happens in a buffer. The
+can contain simple text, they can be associated with files, they can
+be connected to processes, or to network sockets. A single Emacs can
+have any number of tabs open at once. Any buffer can be displayed in
+no, one or many frames, and likewise, no, one or many windows.
+
+In many ways, Emacs buffers operate like "tabbed windows" in other
+systems, although, unlike tabs, they are not have a visible tab on
+screen the whole time. Which raises the obvious question, how do we
+select a buffer which is not visible? Emacs provides two main
+mechanisms for achieving this. First the menu called, logically
+enough, "Buffers". This menu also provides access to the second
+mechanism -- try:
#+begin_menu
Buffers
List All Buffers
#+end_menu
-This displays a buffer which contains a list of all the other buffers. From
-here it is possible to select, save or kill any buffers. The "Buffer-Menu"
-enables this and, of course, there are keychord shortcuts available.
+This displays a buffer which contains a list of all the other
+buffers. From here it is possible to select, save or kill any
+buffers. The "Buffer-Menu" enables this and, of course, there are
+keychord shortcuts available.
-As with directories, "List All Buffers" works by creating and then displaying
-its own buffer. When you have finished try C-x 1 to remove the window showing
-this buffer, or C-x C-b to kill the buffer.
+As with directories, "List All Buffers" works by creating and then
+displaying its own buffer. When you have finished try C-x 1 to remove
+the window showing this buffer, or C-x C-b to kill the buffer.
* Modal Editing or Why the Menu Bar Keeps changing
-You may have noticed while listing directories or buffers that the menu bar
-changes frequently. In fact, this is a symptom of a larger feature of Emacs --
-modal editing.
-
-Most operating systems have a form of modal editing. Different kinds of files
-open in different applications, each of which behave in a different way.
-Emacs allows editing of many different files but supports the same idea; it
-provides a different set of editing commands for different file types or, more
-accurately, different types of buffer. Every buffer has a /major-mode/ and it
-this mode that determines the editing commands -- including the menu bar --
-available. So, the ability to mark a buffer, then delete it is available when
-listing buffers, the ability to mark and delete a file when viewing
-directories, and the ability to fill a paragraph in text. Most modes support
-the same cursor movement commands: C-e to move to the end of the line, for
-instance, although even here there are special cases.
-
-Emacs has many, many different major-modes -- at a rough count, there are over
-300 in the standard Emacs. Of course, Emacs is extensible: it is possible to
-add write new major-modes or use other peoples.
-
-Modes help the process of editing enormously, but can some times be a source
-of confusion. If this are not behaving as you expect, mostly likely you are in
-a specialised mode.
+You may have noticed while listing directories or buffers that the
+menu bar changes frequently. In fact, this is a symptom of a larger
+feature of Emacs -- modal editing.
+
+Most operating systems have a form of modal editing. Different kinds
+of files open in different applications, each of which behave in a
+different way. Emacs allows editing of many different files but
+supports the same idea; it provides a different set of editing
+commands for different file types or, more accurately, different types
+of buffer. Every buffer has a /major-mode/ and it this mode that
+determines the editing commands -- including the menu bar --
+available. So, the ability to mark a buffer, then delete it is
+available when listing buffers, the ability to mark and delete a file
+when viewing directories, and the ability to fill a paragraph in
+text. Most modes support the same cursor movement commands: C-e to
+move to the end of the line, for instance, although even here there
+are special cases.
+
+Emacs has many, many different major-modes -- at a rough count, there
+are over 300 in the standard Emacs. Of course, Emacs is extensible: it
+is possible to add write new major-modes or use other peoples.
+
+Modes help the process of editing enormously, but can some times be a
+source of confusion. If this are not behaving as you expect, mostly
+likely you are in a specialised mode.
* Help!
In the last section, we mentioned that some modes change even cursor
-movement. An example of this is Emacs' help system, called /info/. Emacs has
-an extensive manual describing every aspect of its functionality; actually, it
-has two manuals as it also has one describing its implementation language.
+movement. An example of this is Emacs' help system, called
+/info/. Emacs has an extensive manual describing every aspect of its
+functionality; actually, it has two manuals as it also has one
+describing its implementation language.
The Info manual can be reached through:
Read the Emacs Manual
#+end_menu
-or C-h r. Once you are reading the manual you can use the space bar to read
-through the manual from start to finish should you wish to!
+or C-h r. Once you are reading the manual you can use the space bar to
+read through the manual from start to finish should you wish to!
* Packages
Through out the tutorial, we have said that Emacs is completely
-extensibile. Of course, extensions like Free Software in general is meant to
-be shared; Emacs also contains a package system which allows adding this new
-functionality. As always, Emacs provides a buffer and major mode for
-interacting and managing packages which can be accessed via:
+extensibile. Of course, extensions like Free Software in general is
+meant to be shared; Emacs also contains a package system which allows
+adding this new functionality. As always, Emacs provides a buffer and
+major mode for interacting and managing packages which can be accessed
+via:
#+begin_menu
Options
projects / emacs.git / commitdiff