From da6e9d86abb9abd281b732a750f8dbb164e06fb5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Richard M. Stallman" Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2001 16:45:01 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Explain more clearly what it takes to make a customization permanent. Explain global vs local minor modes first thing, then list the modes. --- man/custom.texi | 63 +++++++++++++++++++++++++------------------------ 1 file changed, 32 insertions(+), 31 deletions(-) diff --git a/man/custom.texi b/man/custom.texi index bd554b5d4e8..ddd51360177 100644 --- a/man/custom.texi +++ b/man/custom.texi @@ -10,14 +10,13 @@ behavior of Emacs in minor ways. See @cite{The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual} for how to make more far-reaching changes. - All kinds of customization affect only the particular Emacs session -that you do them in. They are completely lost when you kill the Emacs -session, and have no effect on other Emacs sessions you may run at the -same time or later. The only way an Emacs session can affect anything -outside of it is by writing a file; in particular, the only way to make -a customization ``permanent'' is to put something in your @file{.emacs} -file or other appropriate file to do the customization in each session. -@xref{Init File}. + Customization that you do within Emacs normally affects only the +particular Emacs session that you do it in--it does not persist +between sessions unless you save the customization in a file such as +@file{.emacs} or @file{.Xdefaults} that will change future sessions. +@xref{Init File}. In the customization buffer, if you use a +command to save customizations for future sessions, this actually +works by editing @file{.emacs} for you. @menu * Minor Modes:: Each minor mode is one feature you can turn on @@ -61,12 +60,31 @@ off and off if it was on. This is known as @dfn{toggling}. A positive argument always turns the mode on, and an explicit zero argument or a negative argument always turns it off. - Enabling or disabling some minor modes applies only to the current -buffer; each buffer is independent of the other buffers. Therefore, you -can enable the mode in particular buffers and disable it in others. The -per-buffer minor modes include Abbrev mode, Auto Fill mode, Auto Save -mode, Font-Lock mode, ISO Accents mode, Outline minor -mode, Overwrite mode, and Binary Overwrite mode. + Some minor modes are global: while enabled, they affect everything +you do in the Emacs session, in all buffers. Other minor modes are +buffer-local; they apply only to the current buffer, so you can enable +the mode in certain buffers and not others. + + For most minor modes, the command name is also the name of a +variable which directly controls the mode. The mode is enabled +whenever this variable's value is non-@code{nil}, and the minor-mode +command works by setting the variable. For example, the command +@code{outline-minor-mode} works by setting the value of +@code{outline-minor-mode} as a variable; it is this variable that +directly turns Outline minor mode on and off. To check whether a +given minor mode works this way, use @kbd{C-h v} to ask for +documentation on the variable name. + + These minor-mode variables provide a good way for Lisp programs to turn +minor modes on and off; they are also useful in a file's local variables +list. But please think twice before setting minor modes with a local +variables list, because most minor modes are matter of user +preference---other users editing the same file might not want the same +minor modes you prefer. + + The buffer-local minor modes include Abbrev mode, Auto Fill mode, +Auto Save mode, Font-Lock mode, ISO Accents mode, Outline minor mode, +Overwrite mode, and Binary Overwrite mode. Abbrev mode allows you to define abbreviations that automatically expand as you type them. For example, @samp{amd} might expand to @samp{abbrev @@ -149,23 +167,6 @@ explicitly ``reactivate'' it, before each command that uses the region. The advantage of Transient Mark mode is that Emacs can display the region highlighted (currently only when using X). @xref{Mark}. - For most minor modes, the command name is also the name of a variable -which directly controls the mode. The mode is enabled whenever this -variable's value is non-@code{nil}, and the minor-mode command works by -setting the variable. For example, the command -@code{outline-minor-mode} works by setting the value of -@code{outline-minor-mode} as a variable; it is this variable that -directly turns Outline minor mode on and off. To check whether a given -minor mode works this way, use @kbd{C-h v} to ask for documentation on -the variable name. - - These minor-mode variables provide a good way for Lisp programs to turn -minor modes on and off; they are also useful in a file's local variables -list. But please think twice before setting minor modes with a local -variables list, because most minor modes are matter of user -preference---other users editing the same file might not want the same -minor modes you prefer. - @node Variables @section Variables @cindex variable -- 2.39.5