@cindex prompt
When the minibuffer is in use, it appears in the echo area, and the
terminal's cursor moves there. The beginning of the minibuffer line
-displays a @dfn{prompt} which says what kind of input you should supply and
-how it will be used. Often this prompt is derived from the name of the
-command that the argument is for. The prompt normally ends with a colon.
+displays a @dfn{prompt} in a special color, to say what kind of input
+you should supply and how it will be used. Often this prompt is
+derived from the name of the command that the argument is for. The
+prompt normally ends with a colon.
@cindex default argument
Sometimes a @dfn{default argument} appears in parentheses after the
Since @key{RET} in the minibuffer is defined to exit the minibuffer,
you can't use it to insert a newline in the minibuffer. To do that,
-type @kbd{C-o} or @kbd{C-q C-j}. (Recall that a newline is really the
-character control-J.)
+type @kbd{C-o} or @kbd{C-q C-j}. (On text terminals, newline is
+really the @acronym{ASCII} character control-J.)
The minibuffer has its own window which always has space on the screen
but acts as if it were not there when the minibuffer is not in use. When
@vindex resize-mini-windows
The minibuffer window expands vertically as necessary to hold the
-text that you put in the minibuffer, if @code{resize-mini-windows} is
-non-@code{nil}. If @code{resize-mini-windows} is @code{t}, the window
-is always resized to fit the size of the text it displays. If
-@code{resize-mini-windows} is the symbol @code{grow-only}, the window
-grows when the size of displayed text increases, but shrinks (back to
-the normal size) only when the minibuffer becomes inactive.
+text that you put in the minibuffer. If @code{resize-mini-windows} is
+@code{t} (the default), the window is always resized to fit the size
+of the text it displays. If its value is the symbol @code{grow-only},
+the window grows when the size of displayed text increases, but
+shrinks (back to the normal size) only when the minibuffer becomes
+inactive. If its value is @code{nil}, you have to adjust the height
+yourself.
@vindex max-mini-window-height
The variable @code{max-mini-window-height} controls the maximum
maximum number of lines; @code{nil} means do not resize the minibuffer
window automatically. The default value is 0.25.
- If while in the minibuffer you issue a command that displays help text
-of any sort in another window, you can use the @kbd{C-M-v} command while
-in the minibuffer to scroll the help text. This lasts until you exit
-the minibuffer. This feature is especially useful when you display
-a buffer listing possible completions. @xref{Other Window}.
+ If, while in the minibuffer, you issue a command that displays help
+text of any sort in another window, you can use the @kbd{C-M-v}
+command while in the minibuffer to scroll the help text.
+(@kbd{M-@key{PAGEUP}} and @kbd{M-@key{PAGEDOWN}} also operate on that
+help text.) This lasts until you exit the minibuffer. This feature
+is especially useful when you display a buffer listing possible
+completions. @xref{Other Window}.
@vindex enable-recursive-minibuffers
Emacs normally disallows most commands that use the minibuffer while
@table @kbd
@findex mouse-choose-completion
-@item Mouse-2
-Clicking mouse button 2 on a completion in the list of possible
+@item Mouse-1
+@itemx Mouse-2
+Clicking mouse button 1 or 2 on a completion in the list of possible
completions chooses that completion (@code{mouse-choose-completion}).
You normally use this command while point is in the minibuffer, but you
must click in the list of completions, not in the minibuffer itself.
@findex previous-history-element
The simplest way to reuse the saved arguments in the history list is
to move through the history list one element at a time. While in the
-minibuffer, use @kbd{M-p} or up-arrow (@code{previous-history-element})
-to ``move to'' the next earlier minibuffer input, and use @kbd{M-n} or
-down-arrow (@code{next-history-element}) to ``move to'' the next later
-input.
+minibuffer, use @kbd{M-p} or up-arrow
+(@code{previous-history-element}) to ``move to'' the next earlier
+minibuffer input, and use @kbd{M-n} or down-arrow
+(@code{next-history-element}) to ``move to'' the next later input.
+These commands don't move the cursor, they bring different saved
+strings into the minibuffer. But you can think of them as ``moving''
+through the history list.
The previous input that you fetch from the history entirely replaces
the contents of the minibuffer. To use it as the argument, exit the
it normally does not appear in the history list for @kbd{C-x
@key{ESC} @key{ESC}}. You can make it appear in the history by
setting @code{isearch-resume-in-command-history} to a non-@code{nil}
-value.
+value. @xref{Incremental Search}.
@vindex command-history
The list of previous minibuffer-using commands is stored as a Lisp
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