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annotate man/trouble.texi @ 63482:0f66f455f7d7
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author | David Ponce <david@dponce.com> |
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date | Thu, 16 Jun 2005 05:39:56 +0000 |
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25829 | 1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual. |
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2 @c Copyright (C) 1985,86,87,93,94,95,1997,2001,2004 Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
25829 | 3 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions. |
4 @iftex | |
5 @chapter Dealing with Common Problems | |
6 | |
7 If you type an Emacs command you did not intend, the results are often | |
8 mysterious. This chapter tells what you can do to cancel your mistake or | |
9 recover from a mysterious situation. Emacs bugs and system crashes are | |
10 also considered. | |
11 @end iftex | |
12 | |
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13 @ifnottex |
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14 @raisesections |
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15 @end ifnottex |
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16 |
25829 | 17 @node Quitting, Lossage, Customization, Top |
18 @section Quitting and Aborting | |
19 @cindex quitting | |
20 | |
21 @table @kbd | |
22 @item C-g | |
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23 @itemx C-@key{BREAK} @r{(MS-DOS only)} |
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24 Quit: cancel running or partially typed command. |
25829 | 25 @item C-] |
26 Abort innermost recursive editing level and cancel the command which | |
27 invoked it (@code{abort-recursive-edit}). | |
28 @item @key{ESC} @key{ESC} @key{ESC} | |
29 Either quit or abort, whichever makes sense (@code{keyboard-escape-quit}). | |
30 @item M-x top-level | |
31 Abort all recursive editing levels that are currently executing. | |
32 @item C-x u | |
33 Cancel a previously made change in the buffer contents (@code{undo}). | |
34 @end table | |
35 | |
36 There are two ways of canceling commands which are not finished | |
37 executing: @dfn{quitting} with @kbd{C-g}, and @dfn{aborting} with | |
38 @kbd{C-]} or @kbd{M-x top-level}. Quitting cancels a partially typed | |
39 command or one which is already running. Aborting exits a recursive | |
40 editing level and cancels the command that invoked the recursive edit. | |
41 (@xref{Recursive Edit}.) | |
42 | |
43 @cindex quitting | |
44 @kindex C-g | |
45 Quitting with @kbd{C-g} is used for getting rid of a partially typed | |
46 command, or a numeric argument that you don't want. It also stops a | |
47 running command in the middle in a relatively safe way, so you can use | |
48 it if you accidentally give a command which takes a long time. In | |
49 particular, it is safe to quit out of killing; either your text will | |
50 @emph{all} still be in the buffer, or it will @emph{all} be in the kill | |
51 ring (or maybe both). Quitting an incremental search does special | |
52 things documented under searching; in general, it may take two | |
53 successive @kbd{C-g} characters to get out of a search | |
54 (@pxref{Incremental Search}). | |
55 | |
56 On MS-DOS, the character @kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} serves as a quit character | |
57 like @kbd{C-g}. The reason is that it is not feasible, on MS-DOS, to | |
58 recognize @kbd{C-g} while a command is running, between interactions | |
59 with the user. By contrast, it @emph{is} feasible to recognize | |
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60 @kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} at all times. @xref{MS-DOS Keyboard}. |
25829 | 61 |
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62 @findex keyboard-quit |
25829 | 63 @kbd{C-g} works by setting the variable @code{quit-flag} to @code{t} |
64 the instant @kbd{C-g} is typed; Emacs Lisp checks this variable | |
65 frequently and quits if it is non-@code{nil}. @kbd{C-g} is only | |
66 actually executed as a command if you type it while Emacs is waiting for | |
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67 input. In that case, the command it runs is @code{keyboard-quit}. |
25829 | 68 |
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69 On a text terminal, if you quit with @kbd{C-g} a second time before |
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70 the first @kbd{C-g} is recognized, you activate the ``emergency |
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71 escape'' feature and return to the shell. @xref{Emergency Escape}. |
25829 | 72 |
73 @cindex NFS and quitting | |
74 There may be times when you cannot quit. When Emacs is waiting for | |
75 the operating system to do something, quitting is impossible unless | |
76 special pains are taken for the particular system call within Emacs | |
77 where the waiting occurs. We have done this for the system calls that | |
78 users are likely to want to quit from, but it's possible you will find | |
79 another. In one very common case---waiting for file input or output | |
37869 | 80 using NFS---Emacs itself knows how to quit, but many NFS implementations |
25829 | 81 simply do not allow user programs to stop waiting for NFS when the NFS |
82 server is hung. | |
83 | |
84 @cindex aborting recursive edit | |
85 @findex abort-recursive-edit | |
86 @kindex C-] | |
87 Aborting with @kbd{C-]} (@code{abort-recursive-edit}) is used to get | |
88 out of a recursive editing level and cancel the command which invoked | |
89 it. Quitting with @kbd{C-g} does not do this, and could not do this, | |
90 because it is used to cancel a partially typed command @emph{within} the | |
91 recursive editing level. Both operations are useful. For example, if | |
92 you are in a recursive edit and type @kbd{C-u 8} to enter a numeric | |
93 argument, you can cancel that argument with @kbd{C-g} and remain in the | |
94 recursive edit. | |
95 | |
96 @findex keyboard-escape-quit | |
97 @kindex ESC ESC ESC | |
98 The command @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{ESC} @key{ESC}} | |
99 (@code{keyboard-escape-quit}) can either quit or abort. This key was | |
100 defined because @key{ESC} is used to ``get out'' in many PC programs. | |
101 It can cancel a prefix argument, clear a selected region, or get out of | |
102 a Query Replace, like @kbd{C-g}. It can get out of the minibuffer or a | |
103 recursive edit, like @kbd{C-]}. It can also get out of splitting the | |
104 frame into multiple windows, like @kbd{C-x 1}. One thing it cannot do, | |
105 however, is stop a command that is running. That's because it executes | |
106 as an ordinary command, and Emacs doesn't notice it until it is ready | |
107 for a command. | |
108 | |
109 @findex top-level | |
110 The command @kbd{M-x top-level} is equivalent to ``enough'' @kbd{C-]} | |
111 commands to get you out of all the levels of recursive edits that you | |
112 are in. @kbd{C-]} gets you out one level at a time, but @kbd{M-x | |
113 top-level} goes out all levels at once. Both @kbd{C-]} and @kbd{M-x | |
114 top-level} are like all other commands, and unlike @kbd{C-g}, in that | |
115 they take effect only when Emacs is ready for a command. @kbd{C-]} is | |
116 an ordinary key and has its meaning only because of its binding in the | |
117 keymap. @xref{Recursive Edit}. | |
118 | |
119 @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is not strictly speaking a way of canceling | |
120 a command, but you can think of it as canceling a command that already | |
37869 | 121 finished executing. @xref{Undo}, for more information |
122 about the undo facility. | |
25829 | 123 |
124 @node Lossage, Bugs, Quitting, Top | |
125 @section Dealing with Emacs Trouble | |
126 | |
127 This section describes various conditions in which Emacs fails to work | |
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128 normally, and how to recognize them and correct them. For a list of |
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129 additional problems you might encounter, see @ref{Bugs and problems, , |
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130 Bugs and problems, efaq, GNU Emacs FAQ}, and the file @file{etc/PROBLEMS} |
54478 | 131 in the Emacs distribution. Type @kbd{C-h C-f} to read the FAQ; type |
132 @kbd{C-h C-e} to read the @file{PROBLEMS} file. | |
25829 | 133 |
134 @menu | |
46235 | 135 * DEL Does Not Delete:: What to do if @key{DEL} doesn't delete. |
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136 * Stuck Recursive:: `[...]' in mode line around the parentheses. |
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137 * Screen Garbled:: Garbage on the screen. |
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138 * Text Garbled:: Garbage in the text. |
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139 * Unasked-for Search:: Spontaneous entry to incremental search. |
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140 * Memory Full:: How to cope when you run out of memory. |
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141 * After a Crash:: Recovering editing in an Emacs session that crashed. |
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142 * Emergency Escape:: Emergency escape--- |
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143 What to do if Emacs stops responding. |
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144 * Total Frustration:: When you are at your wits' end. |
25829 | 145 @end menu |
146 | |
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147 @node DEL Does Not Delete |
25829 | 148 @subsection If @key{DEL} Fails to Delete |
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149 @cindex @key{DEL} vs @key{BACKSPACE} |
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150 @cindex @key{BACKSPACE} vs @key{DEL} |
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151 @cindex usual erasure key |
25829 | 152 |
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153 Every keyboard has a large key, a little ways above the @key{RET} or |
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154 @key{ENTER} key, which you normally use outside Emacs to erase the |
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155 last character that you typed. We call this key @dfn{the usual |
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156 erasure key}. In Emacs, it is supposed to be equivalent to @key{DEL}, |
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157 and when Emacs is properly configured for your terminal, it translates |
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158 that key into the character @key{DEL}. |
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159 |
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160 When Emacs starts up using a window system, it determines |
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161 automatically which key should be @key{DEL}. In some unusual cases |
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162 Emacs gets the wrong information from the system. If the usual |
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163 erasure key deletes forwards instead of backwards, that is probably |
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164 what happened---Emacs ought to be treating the @key{DELETE} key as |
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165 @key{DEL}, but it isn't. |
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166 |
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167 With a window system, if the usual erasure key is labeled |
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168 @key{BACKSPACE} and there is a @key{DELETE} key elsewhere, but the |
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169 @key{DELETE} key deletes backward instead of forward, that too |
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170 suggests Emacs got the wrong information---but in the opposite sense. |
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171 It ought to be treating the @key{BACKSPACE} key as @key{DEL}, and |
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172 treating @key{DELETE} differently, but it isn't. |
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173 |
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174 On a text-only terminal, if you find the usual erasure key prompts |
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175 for a Help command, like @kbd{Control-h}, instead of deleting a |
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176 character, it means that key is actually sending the @key{BS} |
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177 character. Emacs ought to be treating @key{BS} as @key{DEL}, but it |
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178 isn't. |
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179 |
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180 In all of those cases, the immediate remedy is the same: use the |
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181 command @kbd{M-x normal-erase-is-backspace-mode}. This toggles |
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182 between the two modes that Emacs supports for handling @key{DEL}, so |
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183 if Emacs starts in the wrong mode, it should switch to the right mode. |
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184 On a text-only terminal, if you want to ask for help when @key{BS} is |
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185 treated as @key{DEL}, use @key{F1}; @kbd{C-?} may also work, if it |
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186 sends character code 127. |
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187 |
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188 @findex normal-erase-is-backspace-mode |
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189 To fix the problem automatically for every Emacs session, you can |
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190 put one of the following lines into your @file{.emacs} file |
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191 (@pxref{Init File}). For the first case above, where @key{DELETE} |
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192 deletes forwards instead of backwards, use this line to make |
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193 @key{DELETE} act as @key{DEL} (resulting in behavior compatible |
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194 with Emacs 20 and previous versions): |
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195 |
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196 @lisp |
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197 (normal-erase-is-backspace-mode 0) |
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198 @end lisp |
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199 |
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200 @noindent |
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201 For the other two cases, where @key{BACKSPACE} ought to act as |
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202 @key{DEL}, use this line: |
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203 |
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204 @lisp |
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205 (normal-erase-is-backspace-mode 1) |
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206 @end lisp |
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207 |
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208 @vindex normal-erase-is-backspace |
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209 Another way to fix the problem for every Emacs session is to |
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210 customize the variable @code{normal-erase-is-backspace}: the value |
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211 @code{t} specifies the mode where @key{BS} or @key{BACKSPACE} is |
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212 @key{DEL}, and @code{nil} specifies the other mode. @xref{Easy |
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213 Customization}. |
25829 | 214 |
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215 With a window system, it can also happen that the usual erasure key |
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216 is labeled @key{BACKSPACE}, there is a @key{DELETE} key elsewhere, and |
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217 both keys delete forward. This probably means that someone has |
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218 redefined your @key{BACKSPACE} key as a @key{DELETE} key. With X, |
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219 this is typically done with a command to the @code{xmodmap} program |
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220 when you start the server or log in. The most likely motive for this |
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221 customization was to support old versions of Emacs, so we recommend |
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222 you simply remove it now. |
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223 |
25829 | 224 @node Stuck Recursive |
225 @subsection Recursive Editing Levels | |
226 | |
227 Recursive editing levels are important and useful features of Emacs, but | |
228 they can seem like malfunctions to the user who does not understand them. | |
229 | |
230 If the mode line has square brackets @samp{[@dots{}]} around the parentheses | |
231 that contain the names of the major and minor modes, you have entered a | |
232 recursive editing level. If you did not do this on purpose, or if you | |
233 don't understand what that means, you should just get out of the recursive | |
234 editing level. To do so, type @kbd{M-x top-level}. This is called getting | |
235 back to top level. @xref{Recursive Edit}. | |
236 | |
237 @node Screen Garbled | |
238 @subsection Garbage on the Screen | |
239 | |
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240 If the text on a text terminal looks wrong, the first thing to do is |
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241 see whether it is wrong in the buffer. Type @kbd{C-l} to redisplay |
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242 the entire screen. If the screen appears correct after this, the |
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243 problem was entirely in the previous screen update. (Otherwise, see |
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244 the following section.) |
25829 | 245 |
246 Display updating problems often result from an incorrect termcap entry | |
247 for the terminal you are using. The file @file{etc/TERMS} in the Emacs | |
248 distribution gives the fixes for known problems of this sort. | |
249 @file{INSTALL} contains general advice for these problems in one of its | |
250 sections. Very likely there is simply insufficient padding for certain | |
251 display operations. To investigate the possibility that you have this sort | |
252 of problem, try Emacs on another terminal made by a different manufacturer. | |
253 If problems happen frequently on one kind of terminal but not another kind, | |
254 it is likely to be a bad termcap entry, though it could also be due to a | |
255 bug in Emacs that appears for terminals that have or that lack specific | |
256 features. | |
257 | |
258 @node Text Garbled | |
259 @subsection Garbage in the Text | |
260 | |
261 If @kbd{C-l} shows that the text is wrong, try undoing the changes to it | |
262 using @kbd{C-x u} until it gets back to a state you consider correct. Also | |
263 try @kbd{C-h l} to find out what command you typed to produce the observed | |
264 results. | |
265 | |
266 If a large portion of text appears to be missing at the beginning or | |
267 end of the buffer, check for the word @samp{Narrow} in the mode line. | |
268 If it appears, the text you don't see is probably still present, but | |
269 temporarily off-limits. To make it accessible again, type @kbd{C-x n | |
270 w}. @xref{Narrowing}. | |
271 | |
272 @node Unasked-for Search | |
273 @subsection Spontaneous Entry to Incremental Search | |
274 | |
275 If Emacs spontaneously displays @samp{I-search:} at the bottom of the | |
276 screen, it means that the terminal is sending @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} | |
277 according to the poorly designed xon/xoff ``flow control'' protocol. | |
278 | |
279 If this happens to you, your best recourse is to put the terminal in a | |
280 mode where it will not use flow control, or give it so much padding that | |
281 it will never send a @kbd{C-s}. (One way to increase the amount of | |
282 padding is to set the variable @code{baud-rate} to a larger value. Its | |
283 value is the terminal output speed, measured in the conventional units | |
284 of baud.) | |
285 | |
286 @cindex flow control | |
287 @cindex xon-xoff | |
288 @findex enable-flow-control | |
289 If you don't succeed in turning off flow control, the next best thing | |
290 is to tell Emacs to cope with it. To do this, call the function | |
291 @code{enable-flow-control}. | |
292 | |
293 @findex enable-flow-control-on | |
294 Typically there are particular terminal types with which you must use | |
295 flow control. You can conveniently ask for flow control on those | |
296 terminal types only, using @code{enable-flow-control-on}. For example, | |
297 if you find you must use flow control on VT-100 and H19 terminals, put | |
298 the following in your @file{.emacs} file: | |
299 | |
300 @example | |
301 (enable-flow-control-on "vt100" "h19") | |
302 @end example | |
303 | |
304 When flow control is enabled, you must type @kbd{C-\} to get the | |
305 effect of a @kbd{C-s}, and type @kbd{C-^} to get the effect of a | |
306 @kbd{C-q}. (These aliases work by means of keyboard translations; see | |
307 @ref{Keyboard Translations}.) | |
308 | |
309 @node Memory Full | |
310 @subsection Running out of Memory | |
311 @cindex memory full | |
312 @cindex out of memory | |
313 | |
314 If you get the error message @samp{Virtual memory exceeded}, save your | |
315 modified buffers with @kbd{C-x s}. This method of saving them has the | |
316 smallest need for additional memory. Emacs keeps a reserve of memory | |
317 which it makes available when this error happens; that should be enough | |
318 to enable @kbd{C-x s} to complete its work. | |
319 | |
320 Once you have saved your modified buffers, you can exit this Emacs job | |
321 and start another, or you can use @kbd{M-x kill-some-buffers} to free | |
322 space in the current Emacs job. If you kill buffers containing a | |
323 substantial amount of text, you can safely go on editing. Emacs refills | |
324 its memory reserve automatically when it sees sufficient free space | |
325 available, in case you run out of memory another time. | |
326 | |
327 Do not use @kbd{M-x buffer-menu} to save or kill buffers when you run | |
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328 out of memory, because the buffer menu needs a fair amount of memory |
25829 | 329 itself, and the reserve supply may not be enough. |
330 | |
331 @node After a Crash | |
332 @subsection Recovery After a Crash | |
333 | |
334 If Emacs or the computer crashes, you can recover the files you were | |
335 editing at the time of the crash from their auto-save files. To do | |
336 this, start Emacs again and type the command @kbd{M-x recover-session}. | |
337 | |
338 This command initially displays a buffer which lists interrupted | |
339 session files, each with its date. You must choose which session to | |
340 recover from. Typically the one you want is the most recent one. Move | |
341 point to the one you choose, and type @kbd{C-c C-c}. | |
342 | |
343 Then @code{recover-session} asks about each of the files that you were | |
344 editing during that session; it asks whether to recover that file. If | |
345 you answer @kbd{y} for a file, it shows the dates of that file and its | |
346 auto-save file, then asks once again whether to recover that file. For | |
347 the second question, you must confirm with @kbd{yes}. If you do, Emacs | |
348 visits the file but gets the text from the auto-save file. | |
349 | |
350 When @code{recover-session} is done, the files you've chosen to | |
351 recover are present in Emacs buffers. You should then save them. Only | |
352 this---saving them---updates the files themselves. | |
353 | |
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354 As a last resort, if you had buffers with content which were not |
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355 associated with any files, or if the autosave was not recent enough to |
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356 have recorded important changes, you can use the |
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357 @file{etc/emacs-buffer.gdb} script with GDB (the GNU Debugger) to |
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358 retrieve them from a core dump--provided that a core dump was saved, |
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359 and that the Emacs executable was not stripped of its debugging |
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360 symbols. |
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361 |
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362 To use this script, run @code{gdb} with the file name of your Emacs |
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363 executable and the file name of the core dump, e.g. @samp{gdb |
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364 /usr/bin/emacs core.emacs}. At the @code{(gdb)} prompt, load the |
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365 recovery script: @samp{source /usr/src/emacs/etc/emacs-buffer.gdb}. |
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366 Then type the command @code{ybuffer-list} to see which buffers are |
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367 available. For each buffer, it lists a buffer number. To save a |
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368 buffer, use @code{ysave-buffer}; you specify the buffer number, and |
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369 the file name to write that buffer into. You should use a file name |
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370 which does not already exist; if the file does exist, the script does |
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371 not make make a backup of its old contents. |
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372 |
25829 | 373 @node Emergency Escape |
374 @subsection Emergency Escape | |
375 | |
376 Because at times there have been bugs causing Emacs to loop without | |
377 checking @code{quit-flag}, a special feature causes Emacs to be suspended | |
378 immediately if you type a second @kbd{C-g} while the flag is already set, | |
379 so you can always get out of GNU Emacs. Normally Emacs recognizes and | |
380 clears @code{quit-flag} (and quits!) quickly enough to prevent this from | |
381 happening. (On MS-DOS and compatible systems, type @kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} | |
382 twice.) | |
383 | |
384 When you resume Emacs after a suspension caused by multiple @kbd{C-g}, it | |
385 asks two questions before going back to what it had been doing: | |
386 | |
387 @example | |
388 Auto-save? (y or n) | |
389 Abort (and dump core)? (y or n) | |
390 @end example | |
391 | |
392 @noindent | |
393 Answer each one with @kbd{y} or @kbd{n} followed by @key{RET}. | |
394 | |
395 Saying @kbd{y} to @samp{Auto-save?} causes immediate auto-saving of all | |
396 modified buffers in which auto-saving is enabled. | |
397 | |
398 Saying @kbd{y} to @samp{Abort (and dump core)?} causes an illegal instruction to be | |
399 executed, dumping core. This is to enable a wizard to figure out why Emacs | |
400 was failing to quit in the first place. Execution does not continue | |
401 after a core dump. If you answer @kbd{n}, execution does continue. With | |
402 luck, GNU Emacs will ultimately check @code{quit-flag} and quit normally. | |
403 If not, and you type another @kbd{C-g}, it is suspended again. | |
404 | |
405 If Emacs is not really hung, just slow, you may invoke the double | |
406 @kbd{C-g} feature without really meaning to. Then just resume and answer | |
407 @kbd{n} to both questions, and you will arrive at your former state. | |
408 Presumably the quit you requested will happen soon. | |
409 | |
37869 | 410 The double @kbd{C-g} feature is turned off when Emacs is running under |
25829 | 411 the X Window System, since you can use the window manager to kill Emacs |
412 or to create another window and run another program. | |
413 | |
414 On MS-DOS and compatible systems, the emergency escape feature is | |
415 sometimes unavailable, even if you press @kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} twice, when | |
416 some system call (MS-DOS or BIOS) hangs, or when Emacs is stuck in a | |
417 very tight endless loop (in C code, @strong{not} in Lisp code). | |
418 | |
419 @node Total Frustration | |
420 @subsection Help for Total Frustration | |
421 @cindex Eliza | |
422 @cindex doctor | |
423 | |
424 If using Emacs (or something else) becomes terribly frustrating and none | |
425 of the techniques described above solve the problem, Emacs can still help | |
426 you. | |
427 | |
428 First, if the Emacs you are using is not responding to commands, type | |
429 @kbd{C-g C-g} to get out of it and then start a new one. | |
430 | |
431 @findex doctor | |
432 Second, type @kbd{M-x doctor @key{RET}}. | |
433 | |
434 The doctor will help you feel better. Each time you say something to | |
435 the doctor, you must end it by typing @key{RET} @key{RET}. This lets | |
436 the doctor know you are finished. | |
437 | |
438 @node Bugs, Contributing, Lossage, Top | |
439 @section Reporting Bugs | |
440 | |
441 @cindex bugs | |
442 Sometimes you will encounter a bug in Emacs. Although we cannot | |
443 promise we can or will fix the bug, and we might not even agree that it | |
444 is a bug, we want to hear about problems you encounter. Often we agree | |
445 they are bugs and want to fix them. | |
446 | |
447 To make it possible for us to fix a bug, you must report it. In order | |
448 to do so effectively, you must know when and how to do it. | |
449 | |
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450 Before reporting a bug, it is a good idea to see if it is already |
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451 known. You can find the list of known problems in the file |
54478 | 452 @file{etc/PROBLEMS} in the Emacs distribution; type @kbd{C-h C-e} to read |
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453 it. Some additional user-level problems can be found in @ref{Bugs and |
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454 problems, , Bugs and problems, efaq, GNU Emacs FAQ}. Looking up your |
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455 problem in these two documents might provide you with a solution or a |
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456 work-around, or give you additional information about related issues. |
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457 |
25829 | 458 @menu |
459 * Criteria: Bug Criteria. Have you really found a bug? | |
460 * Understanding Bug Reporting:: How to report a bug effectively. | |
461 * Checklist:: Steps to follow for a good bug report. | |
462 * Sending Patches:: How to send a patch for GNU Emacs. | |
463 @end menu | |
464 | |
465 @node Bug Criteria | |
466 @subsection When Is There a Bug | |
467 | |
468 If Emacs executes an illegal instruction, or dies with an operating | |
469 system error message that indicates a problem in the program (as opposed to | |
470 something like ``disk full''), then it is certainly a bug. | |
471 | |
472 If Emacs updates the display in a way that does not correspond to what is | |
473 in the buffer, then it is certainly a bug. If a command seems to do the | |
474 wrong thing but the problem corrects itself if you type @kbd{C-l}, it is a | |
475 case of incorrect display updating. | |
476 | |
477 Taking forever to complete a command can be a bug, but you must make | |
478 certain that it was really Emacs's fault. Some commands simply take a | |
479 long time. Type @kbd{C-g} (@kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} on MS-DOS) and then @kbd{C-h l} | |
480 to see whether the input Emacs received was what you intended to type; | |
481 if the input was such that you @emph{know} it should have been processed | |
482 quickly, report a bug. If you don't know whether the command should | |
483 take a long time, find out by looking in the manual or by asking for | |
484 assistance. | |
485 | |
486 If a command you are familiar with causes an Emacs error message in a | |
487 case where its usual definition ought to be reasonable, it is probably a | |
488 bug. | |
489 | |
490 If a command does the wrong thing, that is a bug. But be sure you know | |
491 for certain what it ought to have done. If you aren't familiar with the | |
492 command, or don't know for certain how the command is supposed to work, | |
493 then it might actually be working right. Rather than jumping to | |
494 conclusions, show the problem to someone who knows for certain. | |
495 | |
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496 Finally, a command's intended definition may not be the best |
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497 possible definition for editing with. This is a very important sort |
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498 of problem, but it is also a matter of judgment. Also, it is easy to |
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499 come to such a conclusion out of ignorance of some of the existing |
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500 features. It is probably best not to complain about such a problem |
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501 until you have checked the documentation in the usual ways, feel |
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502 confident that you understand it, and know for certain that what you |
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503 want is not available. If you are not sure what the command is |
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504 supposed to do after a careful reading of the manual, check the index |
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505 and glossary for any terms that may be unclear. |
25829 | 506 |
507 If after careful rereading of the manual you still do not understand | |
508 what the command should do, that indicates a bug in the manual, which | |
509 you should report. The manual's job is to make everything clear to | |
510 people who are not Emacs experts---including you. It is just as | |
511 important to report documentation bugs as program bugs. | |
512 | |
513 If the on-line documentation string of a function or variable disagrees | |
514 with the manual, one of them must be wrong; that is a bug. | |
515 | |
516 @node Understanding Bug Reporting | |
517 @subsection Understanding Bug Reporting | |
518 | |
519 @findex emacs-version | |
520 When you decide that there is a bug, it is important to report it and to | |
521 report it in a way which is useful. What is most useful is an exact | |
522 description of what commands you type, starting with the shell command to | |
523 run Emacs, until the problem happens. | |
524 | |
525 The most important principle in reporting a bug is to report | |
526 @emph{facts}. Hypotheses and verbal descriptions are no substitute for | |
527 the detailed raw data. Reporting the facts is straightforward, but many | |
528 people strain to posit explanations and report them instead of the | |
529 facts. If the explanations are based on guesses about how Emacs is | |
530 implemented, they will be useless; meanwhile, lacking the facts, we will | |
531 have no real information about the bug. | |
532 | |
533 For example, suppose that you type @kbd{C-x C-f /glorp/baz.ugh | |
534 @key{RET}}, visiting a file which (you know) happens to be rather large, | |
535 and Emacs displayed @samp{I feel pretty today}. The best way to report | |
536 the bug is with a sentence like the preceding one, because it gives all | |
537 the facts. | |
538 | |
539 A bad way would be to assume that the problem is due to the size of | |
540 the file and say, ``I visited a large file, and Emacs displayed @samp{I | |
541 feel pretty today}.'' This is what we mean by ``guessing | |
542 explanations.'' The problem is just as likely to be due to the fact | |
543 that there is a @samp{z} in the file name. If this is so, then when we | |
544 got your report, we would try out the problem with some ``large file,'' | |
545 probably with no @samp{z} in its name, and not see any problem. There | |
546 is no way in the world that we could guess that we should try visiting a | |
547 file with a @samp{z} in its name. | |
548 | |
549 Alternatively, the problem might be due to the fact that the file starts | |
550 with exactly 25 spaces. For this reason, you should make sure that you | |
551 inform us of the exact contents of any file that is needed to reproduce the | |
552 bug. What if the problem only occurs when you have typed the @kbd{C-x C-a} | |
553 command previously? This is why we ask you to give the exact sequence of | |
554 characters you typed since starting the Emacs session. | |
555 | |
556 You should not even say ``visit a file'' instead of @kbd{C-x C-f} unless | |
557 you @emph{know} that it makes no difference which visiting command is used. | |
558 Similarly, rather than saying ``if I have three characters on the line,'' | |
559 say ``after I type @kbd{@key{RET} A B C @key{RET} C-p},'' if that is | |
560 the way you entered the text.@refill | |
561 | |
562 So please don't guess any explanations when you report a bug. If you | |
563 want to actually @emph{debug} the problem, and report explanations that | |
564 are more than guesses, that is useful---but please include the facts as | |
565 well. | |
566 | |
567 @node Checklist | |
568 @subsection Checklist for Bug Reports | |
569 | |
570 @cindex reporting bugs | |
571 The best way to send a bug report is to mail it electronically to the | |
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572 Emacs maintainers at @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}, or to |
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573 @email{emacs-pretest-bug@@gnu.org} if you are pretesting an Emacs beta |
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574 release. (If you want to suggest a change as an improvement, use the |
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575 same address.) |
25829 | 576 |
577 If you'd like to read the bug reports, you can find them on the | |
578 newsgroup @samp{gnu.emacs.bug}; keep in mind, however, that as a | |
579 spectator you should not criticize anything about what you see there. | |
580 The purpose of bug reports is to give information to the Emacs | |
581 maintainers. Spectators are welcome only as long as they do not | |
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582 interfere with this. In particular, some bug reports contain fairly |
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583 large amounts of data; spectators should not complain about this. |
25829 | 584 |
585 Please do not post bug reports using netnews; mail is more reliable | |
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586 than netnews about reporting your correct address, which we may need |
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587 in order to ask you for more information. If your data is more than |
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588 500,000 bytes, please don't include it directly in the bug report; |
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589 instead, offer to send it on request, or make it available by ftp and |
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590 say where. |
25829 | 591 |
592 If you can't send electronic mail, then mail the bug report on paper | |
593 or machine-readable media to this address: | |
594 | |
595 @format | |
596 GNU Emacs Bugs | |
597 Free Software Foundation | |
598 59 Temple Place, Suite 330 | |
599 Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA | |
600 @end format | |
601 | |
602 We do not promise to fix the bug; but if the bug is serious, | |
603 or ugly, or easy to fix, chances are we will want to. | |
604 | |
605 @findex report-emacs-bug | |
606 A convenient way to send a bug report for Emacs is to use the command | |
607 @kbd{M-x report-emacs-bug}. This sets up a mail buffer (@pxref{Sending | |
608 Mail}) and automatically inserts @emph{some} of the essential | |
609 information. However, it cannot supply all the necessary information; | |
610 you should still read and follow the guidelines below, so you can enter | |
611 the other crucial information by hand before you send the message. | |
612 | |
613 To enable maintainers to investigate a bug, your report | |
614 should include all these things: | |
615 | |
616 @itemize @bullet | |
617 @item | |
618 The version number of Emacs. Without this, we won't know whether there | |
619 is any point in looking for the bug in the current version of GNU | |
620 Emacs. | |
621 | |
622 You can get the version number by typing @kbd{M-x emacs-version | |
623 @key{RET}}. If that command does not work, you probably have something | |
624 other than GNU Emacs, so you will have to report the bug somewhere | |
625 else. | |
626 | |
627 @item | |
628 The type of machine you are using, and the operating system name and | |
629 version number. @kbd{M-x emacs-version @key{RET}} provides this | |
630 information too. Copy its output from the @samp{*Messages*} buffer, so | |
631 that you get it all and get it accurately. | |
632 | |
633 @item | |
634 The operands given to the @code{configure} command when Emacs was | |
635 installed. | |
636 | |
637 @item | |
638 A complete list of any modifications you have made to the Emacs source. | |
639 (We may not have time to investigate the bug unless it happens in an | |
640 unmodified Emacs. But if you've made modifications and you don't tell | |
641 us, you are sending us on a wild goose chase.) | |
642 | |
643 Be precise about these changes. A description in English is not | |
644 enough---send a context diff for them. | |
645 | |
646 Adding files of your own, or porting to another machine, is a | |
647 modification of the source. | |
648 | |
649 @item | |
650 Details of any other deviations from the standard procedure for installing | |
651 GNU Emacs. | |
652 | |
653 @item | |
654 The complete text of any files needed to reproduce the bug. | |
655 | |
656 If you can tell us a way to cause the problem without visiting any files, | |
657 please do so. This makes it much easier to debug. If you do need files, | |
658 make sure you arrange for us to see their exact contents. For example, it | |
659 can often matter whether there are spaces at the ends of lines, or a | |
660 newline after the last line in the buffer (nothing ought to care whether | |
661 the last line is terminated, but try telling the bugs that). | |
662 | |
663 @item | |
664 The precise commands we need to type to reproduce the bug. | |
665 | |
666 @findex open-dribble-file | |
667 @cindex dribble file | |
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668 @cindex logging keystrokes |
25829 | 669 The easy way to record the input to Emacs precisely is to write a |
670 dribble file. To start the file, execute the Lisp expression | |
671 | |
672 @example | |
673 (open-dribble-file "~/dribble") | |
674 @end example | |
675 | |
676 @noindent | |
677 using @kbd{M-:} or from the @samp{*scratch*} buffer just after | |
678 starting Emacs. From then on, Emacs copies all your input to the | |
679 specified dribble file until the Emacs process is killed. | |
680 | |
681 @item | |
682 @findex open-termscript | |
683 @cindex termscript file | |
29107 | 684 @cindex @env{TERM} environment variable |
25829 | 685 For possible display bugs, the terminal type (the value of environment |
29107 | 686 variable @env{TERM}), the complete termcap entry for the terminal from |
25829 | 687 @file{/etc/termcap} (since that file is not identical on all machines), |
688 and the output that Emacs actually sent to the terminal. | |
689 | |
690 The way to collect the terminal output is to execute the Lisp expression | |
691 | |
692 @example | |
693 (open-termscript "~/termscript") | |
694 @end example | |
695 | |
696 @noindent | |
697 using @kbd{M-:} or from the @samp{*scratch*} buffer just after | |
698 starting Emacs. From then on, Emacs copies all terminal output to the | |
699 specified termscript file as well, until the Emacs process is killed. | |
700 If the problem happens when Emacs starts up, put this expression into | |
701 your @file{.emacs} file so that the termscript file will be open when | |
702 Emacs displays the screen for the first time. | |
703 | |
704 Be warned: it is often difficult, and sometimes impossible, to fix a | |
705 terminal-dependent bug without access to a terminal of the type that | |
706 stimulates the bug.@refill | |
707 | |
708 @item | |
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709 If non-@acronym{ASCII} text or internationalization is relevant, the locale that |
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710 was current when you started Emacs. On GNU/Linux and Unix systems, or |
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711 if you use a Posix-style shell such as Bash, you can use this shell |
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712 command to view the relevant values: |
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|
713 |
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ac2f45ecf299
Use @smallexample for the echo LC... command.
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|
714 @smallexample |
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Finish previous change.
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715 echo LC_ALL=$LC_ALL LC_COLLATE=$LC_COLLATE LC_CTYPE=$LC_CTYPE \ |
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|
716 LC_MESSAGES=$LC_MESSAGES LC_TIME=$LC_TIME LANG=$LANG |
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|
717 @end smallexample |
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|
718 |
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(Checklist): Mention the `locale' command as an alternative method of
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|
719 Alternatively, use the @command{locale} command, if your system has it, |
f4039f11318f
(Checklist): Mention the `locale' command as an alternative method of
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|
720 to display your locale settings. |
f4039f11318f
(Checklist): Mention the `locale' command as an alternative method of
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|
721 |
f4039f11318f
(Checklist): Mention the `locale' command as an alternative method of
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|
722 You can use the @kbd{M-!} command to execute these commands from |
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|
723 Emacs, and then copy the output from the @samp{*Messages*} buffer into |
36620
639ad3d05eb6
(Checklist): Mention that `getenv' can be used to get at the value
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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diff
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|
724 the bug report. Alternatively, @kbd{M-x getenv @key{RET} LC_ALL |
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|
725 @key{RET}} will display the value of @code{LC_ALL} in the echo area, and |
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|
726 you can copy its output from the @samp{*Messages*} buffer. |
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727 |
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728 @item |
25829 | 729 A description of what behavior you observe that you believe is |
730 incorrect. For example, ``The Emacs process gets a fatal signal,'' or, | |
731 ``The resulting text is as follows, which I think is wrong.'' | |
732 | |
733 Of course, if the bug is that Emacs gets a fatal signal, then one can't | |
734 miss it. But if the bug is incorrect text, the maintainer might fail to | |
735 notice what is wrong. Why leave it to chance? | |
736 | |
737 Even if the problem you experience is a fatal signal, you should still | |
738 say so explicitly. Suppose something strange is going on, such as, your | |
739 copy of the source is out of sync, or you have encountered a bug in the | |
740 C library on your system. (This has happened!) Your copy might crash | |
741 and the copy here might not. If you @emph{said} to expect a crash, then | |
742 when Emacs here fails to crash, we would know that the bug was not | |
743 happening. If you don't say to expect a crash, then we would not know | |
744 whether the bug was happening---we would not be able to draw any | |
745 conclusion from our observations. | |
746 | |
747 @item | |
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748 If the bug is that the Emacs Manual or the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual |
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749 fails to describe the actual behavior of Emacs, or that the text is |
252e21b04fb1
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750 confusing, copy in the text from the online manual which you think is |
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751 at fault. If the section is small, just the section name is enough. |
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752 |
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753 @item |
25829 | 754 If the manifestation of the bug is an Emacs error message, it is |
755 important to report the precise text of the error message, and a | |
756 backtrace showing how the Lisp program in Emacs arrived at the error. | |
757 | |
758 To get the error message text accurately, copy it from the | |
759 @samp{*Messages*} buffer into the bug report. Copy all of it, not just | |
760 part. | |
761 | |
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762 @findex toggle-debug-on-error |
37508
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(Checklist): Mention Edebug.
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763 @pindex Edebug |
37347
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764 To make a backtrace for the error, use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-error} |
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765 before the error happens (that is to say, you must give that command |
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|
766 and then make the bug happen). This causes the error to run the Lisp |
bd817d6f9ba3
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767 debugger, which shows you a backtrace. Copy the text of the |
bd817d6f9ba3
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|
768 debugger's backtrace into the bug report. @xref{Debugger,, The Lisp |
bd817d6f9ba3
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|
769 Debugger, elisp, the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}, for information on |
37508
e2849d417d6d
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770 debugging Emacs Lisp programs with the Edebug package. |
25829 | 771 |
772 This use of the debugger is possible only if you know how to make the | |
773 bug happen again. If you can't make it happen again, at least copy | |
774 the whole error message. | |
775 | |
776 @item | |
777 Check whether any programs you have loaded into the Lisp world, | |
778 including your @file{.emacs} file, set any variables that may affect the | |
779 functioning of Emacs. Also, see whether the problem happens in a | |
780 freshly started Emacs without loading your @file{.emacs} file (start | |
781 Emacs with the @code{-q} switch to prevent loading the init file). If | |
782 the problem does @emph{not} occur then, you must report the precise | |
783 contents of any programs that you must load into the Lisp world in order | |
784 to cause the problem to occur. | |
785 | |
786 @item | |
787 If the problem does depend on an init file or other Lisp programs that | |
788 are not part of the standard Emacs system, then you should make sure it | |
789 is not a bug in those programs by complaining to their maintainers | |
790 first. After they verify that they are using Emacs in a way that is | |
791 supposed to work, they should report the bug. | |
792 | |
793 @item | |
794 If you wish to mention something in the GNU Emacs source, show the line | |
795 of code with a few lines of context. Don't just give a line number. | |
796 | |
797 The line numbers in the development sources don't match those in your | |
798 sources. It would take extra work for the maintainers to determine what | |
799 code is in your version at a given line number, and we could not be | |
800 certain. | |
801 | |
802 @item | |
803 Additional information from a C debugger such as GDB might enable | |
804 someone to find a problem on a machine which he does not have available. | |
805 If you don't know how to use GDB, please read the GDB manual---it is not | |
806 very long, and using GDB is easy. You can find the GDB distribution, | |
807 including the GDB manual in online form, in most of the same places you | |
808 can find the Emacs distribution. To run Emacs under GDB, you should | |
809 switch to the @file{src} subdirectory in which Emacs was compiled, then | |
810 do @samp{gdb emacs}. It is important for the directory @file{src} to be | |
811 current so that GDB will read the @file{.gdbinit} file in this | |
812 directory. | |
813 | |
814 However, you need to think when you collect the additional information | |
815 if you want it to show what causes the bug. | |
816 | |
817 @cindex backtrace for bug reports | |
818 For example, many people send just a backtrace, but that is not very | |
819 useful by itself. A simple backtrace with arguments often conveys | |
820 little about what is happening inside GNU Emacs, because most of the | |
821 arguments listed in the backtrace are pointers to Lisp objects. The | |
822 numeric values of these pointers have no significance whatever; all that | |
823 matters is the contents of the objects they point to (and most of the | |
824 contents are themselves pointers). | |
825 | |
826 @findex debug_print | |
827 To provide useful information, you need to show the values of Lisp | |
828 objects in Lisp notation. Do this for each variable which is a Lisp | |
829 object, in several stack frames near the bottom of the stack. Look at | |
830 the source to see which variables are Lisp objects, because the debugger | |
831 thinks of them as integers. | |
832 | |
833 To show a variable's value in Lisp syntax, first print its value, then | |
834 use the user-defined GDB command @code{pr} to print the Lisp object in | |
835 Lisp syntax. (If you must use another debugger, call the function | |
836 @code{debug_print} with the object as an argument.) The @code{pr} | |
837 command is defined by the file @file{.gdbinit}, and it works only if you | |
838 are debugging a running process (not with a core dump). | |
839 | |
840 To make Lisp errors stop Emacs and return to GDB, put a breakpoint at | |
841 @code{Fsignal}. | |
842 | |
27729 | 843 For a short listing of Lisp functions running, type the GDB |
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844 command @code{xbacktrace}. |
27729 | 845 |
25829 | 846 The file @file{.gdbinit} defines several other commands that are useful |
847 for examining the data types and contents of Lisp objects. Their names | |
848 begin with @samp{x}. These commands work at a lower level than | |
849 @code{pr}, and are less convenient, but they may work even when | |
850 @code{pr} does not, such as when debugging a core dump or when Emacs has | |
851 had a fatal signal. | |
852 | |
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853 @cindex debugging Emacs, tricks and techniques |
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854 More detailed advice and other useful techniques for debugging Emacs |
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855 are available in the file @file{etc/DEBUG} in the Emacs distribution. |
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856 That file also includes instructions for investigating problems |
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857 whereby Emacs stops responding (many people assume that Emacs is |
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858 ``hung,'' whereas in fact it might be in an infinite loop). |
25829 | 859 |
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860 To find the file @file{etc/DEBUG} in your Emacs installation, use the |
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861 directory name stored in the variable @code{data-directory}. |
25829 | 862 @end itemize |
863 | |
864 Here are some things that are not necessary in a bug report: | |
865 | |
866 @itemize @bullet | |
867 @item | |
868 A description of the envelope of the bug---this is not necessary for a | |
869 reproducible bug. | |
870 | |
871 Often people who encounter a bug spend a lot of time investigating | |
872 which changes to the input file will make the bug go away and which | |
873 changes will not affect it. | |
874 | |
875 This is often time-consuming and not very useful, because the way we | |
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876 will find the bug is by running a single example under the debugger |
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877 with breakpoints, not by pure deduction from a series of examples. |
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878 You might as well save time by not searching for additional examples. |
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879 It is better to send the bug report right away, go back to editing, |
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880 and find another bug to report. |
25829 | 881 |
882 Of course, if you can find a simpler example to report @emph{instead} of | |
883 the original one, that is a convenience. Errors in the output will be | |
884 easier to spot, running under the debugger will take less time, etc. | |
885 | |
886 However, simplification is not vital; if you can't do this or don't have | |
887 time to try, please report the bug with your original test case. | |
888 | |
889 @item | |
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890 A core dump file. |
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891 |
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892 Debugging the core dump might be useful, but it can only be done on |
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893 your machine, with your Emacs executable. Therefore, sending the core |
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894 dump file to the Emacs maintainers won't be useful. Above all, don't |
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895 include the core file in an email bug report! Such a large message |
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896 can be extremely inconvenient. |
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897 |
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898 @item |
25829 | 899 A system-call trace of Emacs execution. |
900 | |
901 System-call traces are very useful for certain special kinds of | |
902 debugging, but in most cases they give little useful information. It is | |
903 therefore strange that many people seem to think that @emph{the} way to | |
904 report information about a crash is to send a system-call trace. Perhaps | |
905 this is a habit formed from experience debugging programs that don't | |
906 have source code or debugging symbols. | |
907 | |
908 In most programs, a backtrace is normally far, far more informative than | |
909 a system-call trace. Even in Emacs, a simple backtrace is generally | |
910 more informative, though to give full information you should supplement | |
911 the backtrace by displaying variable values and printing them as Lisp | |
912 objects with @code{pr} (see above). | |
913 | |
914 @item | |
915 A patch for the bug. | |
916 | |
917 A patch for the bug is useful if it is a good one. But don't omit the | |
918 other information that a bug report needs, such as the test case, on the | |
919 assumption that a patch is sufficient. We might see problems with your | |
920 patch and decide to fix the problem another way, or we might not | |
921 understand it at all. And if we can't understand what bug you are | |
922 trying to fix, or why your patch should be an improvement, we mustn't | |
923 install it. | |
924 | |
925 @ifinfo | |
926 @xref{Sending Patches}, for guidelines on how to make it easy for us to | |
927 understand and install your patches. | |
928 @end ifinfo | |
929 | |
930 @item | |
931 A guess about what the bug is or what it depends on. | |
932 | |
933 Such guesses are usually wrong. Even experts can't guess right about | |
934 such things without first using the debugger to find the facts. | |
935 @end itemize | |
936 | |
937 @node Sending Patches | |
938 @subsection Sending Patches for GNU Emacs | |
939 | |
940 @cindex sending patches for GNU Emacs | |
941 @cindex patches, sending | |
942 If you would like to write bug fixes or improvements for GNU Emacs, | |
943 that is very helpful. When you send your changes, please follow these | |
944 guidelines to make it easy for the maintainers to use them. If you | |
945 don't follow these guidelines, your information might still be useful, | |
946 but using it will take extra work. Maintaining GNU Emacs is a lot of | |
947 work in the best of circumstances, and we can't keep up unless you do | |
948 your best to help. | |
949 | |
950 @itemize @bullet | |
951 @item | |
952 Send an explanation with your changes of what problem they fix or what | |
953 improvement they bring about. For a bug fix, just include a copy of the | |
954 bug report, and explain why the change fixes the bug. | |
955 | |
956 (Referring to a bug report is not as good as including it, because then | |
957 we will have to look it up, and we have probably already deleted it if | |
958 we've already fixed the bug.) | |
959 | |
960 @item | |
961 Always include a proper bug report for the problem you think you have | |
962 fixed. We need to convince ourselves that the change is right before | |
963 installing it. Even if it is correct, we might have trouble | |
964 understanding it if we don't have a way to reproduce the problem. | |
965 | |
966 @item | |
967 Include all the comments that are appropriate to help people reading the | |
968 source in the future understand why this change was needed. | |
969 | |
970 @item | |
971 Don't mix together changes made for different reasons. | |
972 Send them @emph{individually}. | |
973 | |
974 If you make two changes for separate reasons, then we might not want to | |
975 install them both. We might want to install just one. If you send them | |
976 all jumbled together in a single set of diffs, we have to do extra work | |
977 to disentangle them---to figure out which parts of the change serve | |
978 which purpose. If we don't have time for this, we might have to ignore | |
979 your changes entirely. | |
980 | |
981 If you send each change as soon as you have written it, with its own | |
982 explanation, then two changes never get tangled up, and we can consider | |
983 each one properly without any extra work to disentangle them. | |
984 | |
985 @item | |
986 Send each change as soon as that change is finished. Sometimes people | |
987 think they are helping us by accumulating many changes to send them all | |
988 together. As explained above, this is absolutely the worst thing you | |
989 could do. | |
990 | |
991 Since you should send each change separately, you might as well send it | |
992 right away. That gives us the option of installing it immediately if it | |
993 is important. | |
994 | |
995 @item | |
996 Use @samp{diff -c} to make your diffs. Diffs without context are hard | |
997 to install reliably. More than that, they are hard to study; we must | |
998 always study a patch to decide whether we want to install it. Unidiff | |
999 format is better than contextless diffs, but not as easy to read as | |
1000 @samp{-c} format. | |
1001 | |
1002 If you have GNU diff, use @samp{diff -c -F'^[_a-zA-Z0-9$]+ *('} when | |
1003 making diffs of C code. This shows the name of the function that each | |
1004 change occurs in. | |
1005 | |
1006 @item | |
1007 Avoid any ambiguity as to which is the old version and which is the new. | |
1008 Please make the old version the first argument to diff, and the new | |
1009 version the second argument. And please give one version or the other a | |
1010 name that indicates whether it is the old version or your new changed | |
1011 one. | |
1012 | |
1013 @item | |
1014 Write the change log entries for your changes. This is both to save us | |
1015 the extra work of writing them, and to help explain your changes so we | |
1016 can understand them. | |
1017 | |
1018 The purpose of the change log is to show people where to find what was | |
1019 changed. So you need to be specific about what functions you changed; | |
1020 in large functions, it's often helpful to indicate where within the | |
1021 function the change was. | |
1022 | |
1023 On the other hand, once you have shown people where to find the change, | |
1024 you need not explain its purpose in the change log. Thus, if you add a | |
1025 new function, all you need to say about it is that it is new. If you | |
1026 feel that the purpose needs explaining, it probably does---but put the | |
1027 explanation in comments in the code. It will be more useful there. | |
1028 | |
1029 Please read the @file{ChangeLog} files in the @file{src} and @file{lisp} | |
1030 directories to see what sorts of information to put in, and to learn the | |
1031 style that we use. If you would like your name to appear in the header | |
1032 line, showing who made the change, send us the header line. | |
1033 @xref{Change Log}. | |
1034 | |
1035 @item | |
1036 When you write the fix, keep in mind that we can't install a change that | |
1037 would break other systems. Please think about what effect your change | |
1038 will have if compiled on another type of system. | |
1039 | |
1040 Sometimes people send fixes that @emph{might} be an improvement in | |
1041 general---but it is hard to be sure of this. It's hard to install | |
1042 such changes because we have to study them very carefully. Of course, | |
1043 a good explanation of the reasoning by which you concluded the change | |
1044 was correct can help convince us. | |
1045 | |
1046 The safest changes are changes to the configuration files for a | |
1047 particular machine. These are safe because they can't create new bugs | |
1048 on other machines. | |
1049 | |
1050 Please help us keep up with the workload by designing the patch in a | |
1051 form that is clearly safe to install. | |
1052 @end itemize | |
1053 | |
1054 @node Contributing, Service, Bugs, Top | |
1055 @section Contributing to Emacs Development | |
1056 | |
1057 If you would like to help pretest Emacs releases to assure they work | |
1058 well, or if you would like to work on improving Emacs, please contact | |
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1059 the maintainers at @email{emacs-devel@@gnu.org}. A pretester |
25829 | 1060 should be prepared to investigate bugs as well as report them. If you'd |
1061 like to work on improving Emacs, please ask for suggested projects or | |
1062 suggest your own ideas. | |
1063 | |
1064 If you have already written an improvement, please tell us about it. If | |
1065 you have not yet started work, it is useful to contact | |
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1066 @email{emacs-devel@@gnu.org} before you start; it might be |
25829 | 1067 possible to suggest ways to make your extension fit in better with the |
1068 rest of Emacs. | |
1069 | |
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1070 The development version of Emacs can be downloaded from the CVS |
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1071 repository where it is actively maintained by a group of developers. |
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1072 See the Emacs project page http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/emacs/ for |
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1073 details. |
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1074 |
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1075 @node Service, Copying, Contributing, Top |
25829 | 1076 @section How To Get Help with GNU Emacs |
1077 | |
1078 If you need help installing, using or changing GNU Emacs, there are two | |
1079 ways to find it: | |
1080 | |
1081 @itemize @bullet | |
1082 @item | |
1083 Send a message to the mailing list | |
29107 | 1084 @email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}, or post your request on |
25829 | 1085 newsgroup @code{gnu.emacs.help}. (This mailing list and newsgroup |
1086 interconnect, so it does not matter which one you use.) | |
1087 | |
1088 @item | |
1089 Look in the service directory for someone who might help you for a fee. | |
1090 The service directory is found in the file named @file{etc/SERVICE} in the | |
1091 Emacs distribution. | |
1092 @end itemize | |
52401 | 1093 |
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1094 @ifnottex |
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1095 @lowersections |
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1096 @end ifnottex |
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1097 |
52401 | 1098 @ignore |
1099 arch-tag: c9cba76d-b2cb-4e0c-ae3f-19d5ef35817c | |
1100 @end ignore |