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1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
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2 @c Copyright (C) 1985, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 1997 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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3 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
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4 @node M-x, Help, Minibuffer, Top
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5 @chapter Running Commands by Name
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6
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7 The Emacs commands that are used often or that must be quick to type are
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8 bound to keys---short sequences of characters---for convenient use. Other
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9 Emacs commands that do not need to be brief are not bound to keys; to run
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10 them, you must refer to them by name.
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11
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12 A command name is, by convention, made up of one or more words,
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13 separated by hyphens; for example, @code{auto-fill-mode} or
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14 @code{manual-entry}. The use of English words makes the command name
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15 easier to remember than a key made up of obscure characters, even though
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16 it is more characters to type.
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17
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18 @kindex M-x
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19 The way to run a command by name is to start with @kbd{M-x}, type the
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20 command name, and finish it with @key{RET}. @kbd{M-x} uses the
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21 minibuffer to read the command name. @key{RET} exits the minibuffer and
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22 runs the command. The string @samp{M-x} appears at the beginning of the
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23 minibuffer as a @dfn{prompt} to remind you to enter the name of a
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24 command to be run. @xref{Minibuffer}, for full information on the
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25 features of the minibuffer.
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26
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27 You can use completion to enter the command name. For example, the
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28 command @code{forward-char} can be invoked by name by typing
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29
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30 @example
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31 M-x forward-char @key{RET}
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32 @end example
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33
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34 @noindent
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35 or
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36
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37 @example
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38 M-x forw @key{TAB} c @key{RET}
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39 @end example
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40
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41 @noindent
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42 Note that @code{forward-char} is the same command that you invoke with
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43 the key @kbd{C-f}. You can run any Emacs command by name using
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44 @kbd{M-x}, whether or not any keys are bound to it.
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45
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46 If you type @kbd{C-g} while the command name is being read, you cancel
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47 the @kbd{M-x} command and get out of the minibuffer, ending up at top level.
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48
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49 To pass a numeric argument to the command you are invoking with
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50 @kbd{M-x}, specify the numeric argument before the @kbd{M-x}. @kbd{M-x}
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51 passes the argument along to the command it runs. The argument value
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52 appears in the prompt while the command name is being read.
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53
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54 @vindex suggest-key-bindings
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55 If the command you type has a key binding of its own, Emacs mentions
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56 this in the echo area, two seconds after the command finishes (if you
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57 don't type anything else first). For example, if you type @kbd{M-x
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58 forward-word}, the message says that you can run the same command more
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59 easily by typing @kbd{M-f}. You can turn off these messages by setting
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60 @code{suggest-key-bindings} to @code{nil}.
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61
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62 Normally, when describing in this manual a command that is run by
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63 name, we omit the @key{RET} that is needed to terminate the name. Thus
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64 we might speak of @kbd{M-x auto-fill-mode} rather than @kbd{M-x
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65 auto-fill-mode @key{RET}}. We mention the @key{RET} only when there is
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66 a need to emphasize its presence, such as when we show the command
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67 together with following arguments.
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68
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69 @findex execute-extended-command
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70 @kbd{M-x} works by running the command
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71 @code{execute-extended-command}, which is responsible for reading the
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72 name of another command and invoking it.
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