Mercurial > emacs
annotate doc/lispref/syntax.texi @ 104078:2658bfb08516
Better docstring for `called-interactively-p'.
author | Bastien Guerry <bzg@altern.org> |
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date | Mon, 27 Jul 2009 02:02:49 +0000 |
parents | b269cabac20c |
children | 1d1d5d9bd884 |
rev | line source |
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84102 | 1 @c -*-texinfo-*- |
2 @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. | |
3 @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, | |
100974 | 4 @c 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
84102 | 5 @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. |
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6 @setfilename ../../info/syntax |
84102 | 7 @node Syntax Tables, Abbrevs, Searching and Matching, Top |
8 @chapter Syntax Tables | |
9 @cindex parsing buffer text | |
10 @cindex syntax table | |
11 @cindex text parsing | |
12 | |
13 A @dfn{syntax table} specifies the syntactic textual function of each | |
14 character. This information is used by the @dfn{parsing functions}, the | |
15 complex movement commands, and others to determine where words, symbols, | |
16 and other syntactic constructs begin and end. The current syntax table | |
17 controls the meaning of the word motion functions (@pxref{Word Motion}) | |
18 and the list motion functions (@pxref{List Motion}), as well as the | |
19 functions in this chapter. | |
20 | |
21 @menu | |
22 * Basics: Syntax Basics. Basic concepts of syntax tables. | |
23 * Desc: Syntax Descriptors. How characters are classified. | |
24 * Syntax Table Functions:: How to create, examine and alter syntax tables. | |
25 * Syntax Properties:: Overriding syntax with text properties. | |
26 * Motion and Syntax:: Moving over characters with certain syntaxes. | |
27 * Parsing Expressions:: Parsing balanced expressions | |
28 using the syntax table. | |
29 * Standard Syntax Tables:: Syntax tables used by various major modes. | |
30 * Syntax Table Internals:: How syntax table information is stored. | |
31 * Categories:: Another way of classifying character syntax. | |
32 @end menu | |
33 | |
34 @node Syntax Basics | |
35 @section Syntax Table Concepts | |
36 | |
37 @ifnottex | |
38 A @dfn{syntax table} provides Emacs with the information that | |
39 determines the syntactic use of each character in a buffer. This | |
40 information is used by the parsing commands, the complex movement | |
41 commands, and others to determine where words, symbols, and other | |
42 syntactic constructs begin and end. The current syntax table controls | |
43 the meaning of the word motion functions (@pxref{Word Motion}) and the | |
44 list motion functions (@pxref{List Motion}) as well as the functions in | |
45 this chapter. | |
46 @end ifnottex | |
47 | |
48 A syntax table is a char-table (@pxref{Char-Tables}). The element at | |
49 index @var{c} describes the character with code @var{c}. The element's | |
50 value should be a list that encodes the syntax of the character in | |
51 question. | |
52 | |
53 Syntax tables are used only for moving across text, not for the Emacs | |
54 Lisp reader. Emacs Lisp uses built-in syntactic rules when reading Lisp | |
55 expressions, and these rules cannot be changed. (Some Lisp systems | |
56 provide ways to redefine the read syntax, but we decided to leave this | |
57 feature out of Emacs Lisp for simplicity.) | |
58 | |
59 Each buffer has its own major mode, and each major mode has its own | |
60 idea of the syntactic class of various characters. For example, in Lisp | |
61 mode, the character @samp{;} begins a comment, but in C mode, it | |
62 terminates a statement. To support these variations, Emacs makes the | |
63 choice of syntax table local to each buffer. Typically, each major | |
64 mode has its own syntax table and installs that table in each buffer | |
65 that uses that mode. Changing this table alters the syntax in all | |
66 those buffers as well as in any buffers subsequently put in that mode. | |
67 Occasionally several similar modes share one syntax table. | |
68 @xref{Example Major Modes}, for an example of how to set up a syntax | |
69 table. | |
70 | |
71 A syntax table can inherit the data for some characters from the | |
72 standard syntax table, while specifying other characters itself. The | |
73 ``inherit'' syntax class means ``inherit this character's syntax from | |
74 the standard syntax table.'' Just changing the standard syntax for a | |
75 character affects all syntax tables that inherit from it. | |
76 | |
77 @defun syntax-table-p object | |
78 This function returns @code{t} if @var{object} is a syntax table. | |
79 @end defun | |
80 | |
81 @node Syntax Descriptors | |
82 @section Syntax Descriptors | |
83 @cindex syntax class | |
84 | |
85 This section describes the syntax classes and flags that denote the | |
86 syntax of a character, and how they are represented as a @dfn{syntax | |
87 descriptor}, which is a Lisp string that you pass to | |
88 @code{modify-syntax-entry} to specify the syntax you want. | |
89 | |
90 The syntax table specifies a syntax class for each character. There | |
91 is no necessary relationship between the class of a character in one | |
92 syntax table and its class in any other table. | |
93 | |
94 Each class is designated by a mnemonic character, which serves as the | |
95 name of the class when you need to specify a class. Usually the | |
96 designator character is one that is often assigned that class; however, | |
97 its meaning as a designator is unvarying and independent of what syntax | |
98 that character currently has. Thus, @samp{\} as a designator character | |
99 always gives ``escape character'' syntax, regardless of what syntax | |
100 @samp{\} currently has. | |
101 | |
102 @cindex syntax descriptor | |
103 A syntax descriptor is a Lisp string that specifies a syntax class, a | |
104 matching character (used only for the parenthesis classes) and flags. | |
105 The first character is the designator for a syntax class. The second | |
106 character is the character to match; if it is unused, put a space there. | |
107 Then come the characters for any desired flags. If no matching | |
108 character or flags are needed, one character is sufficient. | |
109 | |
110 For example, the syntax descriptor for the character @samp{*} in C | |
111 mode is @samp{@w{. 23}} (i.e., punctuation, matching character slot | |
112 unused, second character of a comment-starter, first character of a | |
113 comment-ender), and the entry for @samp{/} is @samp{@w{. 14}} (i.e., | |
114 punctuation, matching character slot unused, first character of a | |
115 comment-starter, second character of a comment-ender). | |
116 | |
117 @menu | |
118 * Syntax Class Table:: Table of syntax classes. | |
119 * Syntax Flags:: Additional flags each character can have. | |
120 @end menu | |
121 | |
122 @node Syntax Class Table | |
123 @subsection Table of Syntax Classes | |
124 | |
125 Here is a table of syntax classes, the characters that stand for them, | |
126 their meanings, and examples of their use. | |
127 | |
128 @deffn {Syntax class} @w{whitespace character} | |
129 @dfn{Whitespace characters} (designated by @w{@samp{@ }} or @samp{-}) | |
130 separate symbols and words from each other. Typically, whitespace | |
131 characters have no other syntactic significance, and multiple whitespace | |
132 characters are syntactically equivalent to a single one. Space, tab, | |
133 newline and formfeed are classified as whitespace in almost all major | |
134 modes. | |
135 @end deffn | |
136 | |
137 @deffn {Syntax class} @w{word constituent} | |
138 @dfn{Word constituents} (designated by @samp{w}) are parts of words in | |
139 human languages, and are typically used in variable and command names | |
140 in programs. All upper- and lower-case letters, and the digits, are | |
141 typically word constituents. | |
142 @end deffn | |
143 | |
144 @deffn {Syntax class} @w{symbol constituent} | |
145 @dfn{Symbol constituents} (designated by @samp{_}) are the extra | |
146 characters that are used in variable and command names along with word | |
147 constituents. For example, the symbol constituents class is used in | |
148 Lisp mode to indicate that certain characters may be part of symbol | |
149 names even though they are not part of English words. These characters | |
150 are @samp{$&*+-_<>}. In standard C, the only non-word-constituent | |
151 character that is valid in symbols is underscore (@samp{_}). | |
152 @end deffn | |
153 | |
154 @deffn {Syntax class} @w{punctuation character} | |
155 @dfn{Punctuation characters} (designated by @samp{.}) are those | |
156 characters that are used as punctuation in English, or are used in some | |
157 way in a programming language to separate symbols from one another. | |
158 Some programming language modes, such as Emacs Lisp mode, have no | |
159 characters in this class since the few characters that are not symbol or | |
160 word constituents all have other uses. Other programming language modes, | |
161 such as C mode, use punctuation syntax for operators. | |
162 @end deffn | |
163 | |
164 @deffn {Syntax class} @w{open parenthesis character} | |
165 @deffnx {Syntax class} @w{close parenthesis character} | |
166 @cindex parenthesis syntax | |
167 Open and close @dfn{parenthesis characters} are characters used in | |
168 dissimilar pairs to surround sentences or expressions. Such a grouping | |
169 is begun with an open parenthesis character and terminated with a close. | |
170 Each open parenthesis character matches a particular close parenthesis | |
171 character, and vice versa. Normally, Emacs indicates momentarily the | |
172 matching open parenthesis when you insert a close parenthesis. | |
173 @xref{Blinking}. | |
174 | |
175 The class of open parentheses is designated by @samp{(}, and that of | |
176 close parentheses by @samp{)}. | |
177 | |
178 In English text, and in C code, the parenthesis pairs are @samp{()}, | |
179 @samp{[]}, and @samp{@{@}}. In Emacs Lisp, the delimiters for lists and | |
180 vectors (@samp{()} and @samp{[]}) are classified as parenthesis | |
181 characters. | |
182 @end deffn | |
183 | |
184 @deffn {Syntax class} @w{string quote} | |
185 @dfn{String quote characters} (designated by @samp{"}) are used in | |
186 many languages, including Lisp and C, to delimit string constants. The | |
187 same string quote character appears at the beginning and the end of a | |
188 string. Such quoted strings do not nest. | |
189 | |
190 The parsing facilities of Emacs consider a string as a single token. | |
191 The usual syntactic meanings of the characters in the string are | |
192 suppressed. | |
193 | |
194 The Lisp modes have two string quote characters: double-quote (@samp{"}) | |
195 and vertical bar (@samp{|}). @samp{|} is not used in Emacs Lisp, but it | |
196 is used in Common Lisp. C also has two string quote characters: | |
197 double-quote for strings, and single-quote (@samp{'}) for character | |
198 constants. | |
199 | |
200 English text has no string quote characters because English is not a | |
201 programming language. Although quotation marks are used in English, | |
202 we do not want them to turn off the usual syntactic properties of | |
203 other characters in the quotation. | |
204 @end deffn | |
205 | |
206 @deffn {Syntax class} @w{escape-syntax character} | |
207 An @dfn{escape character} (designated by @samp{\}) starts an escape | |
208 sequence such as is used in C string and character constants. The | |
209 character @samp{\} belongs to this class in both C and Lisp. (In C, it | |
210 is used thus only inside strings, but it turns out to cause no trouble | |
211 to treat it this way throughout C code.) | |
212 | |
213 Characters in this class count as part of words if | |
214 @code{words-include-escapes} is non-@code{nil}. @xref{Word Motion}. | |
215 @end deffn | |
216 | |
217 @deffn {Syntax class} @w{character quote} | |
218 A @dfn{character quote character} (designated by @samp{/}) quotes the | |
219 following character so that it loses its normal syntactic meaning. This | |
220 differs from an escape character in that only the character immediately | |
221 following is ever affected. | |
222 | |
223 Characters in this class count as part of words if | |
224 @code{words-include-escapes} is non-@code{nil}. @xref{Word Motion}. | |
225 | |
226 This class is used for backslash in @TeX{} mode. | |
227 @end deffn | |
228 | |
229 @deffn {Syntax class} @w{paired delimiter} | |
230 @dfn{Paired delimiter characters} (designated by @samp{$}) are like | |
231 string quote characters except that the syntactic properties of the | |
232 characters between the delimiters are not suppressed. Only @TeX{} mode | |
233 uses a paired delimiter presently---the @samp{$} that both enters and | |
234 leaves math mode. | |
235 @end deffn | |
236 | |
237 @deffn {Syntax class} @w{expression prefix} | |
238 An @dfn{expression prefix operator} (designated by @samp{'}) is used for | |
239 syntactic operators that are considered as part of an expression if they | |
240 appear next to one. In Lisp modes, these characters include the | |
241 apostrophe, @samp{'} (used for quoting), the comma, @samp{,} (used in | |
242 macros), and @samp{#} (used in the read syntax for certain data types). | |
243 @end deffn | |
244 | |
245 @deffn {Syntax class} @w{comment starter} | |
246 @deffnx {Syntax class} @w{comment ender} | |
247 @cindex comment syntax | |
248 The @dfn{comment starter} and @dfn{comment ender} characters are used in | |
249 various languages to delimit comments. These classes are designated | |
250 by @samp{<} and @samp{>}, respectively. | |
251 | |
252 English text has no comment characters. In Lisp, the semicolon | |
253 (@samp{;}) starts a comment and a newline or formfeed ends one. | |
254 @end deffn | |
255 | |
256 @deffn {Syntax class} @w{inherit standard syntax} | |
257 This syntax class does not specify a particular syntax. It says to look | |
258 in the standard syntax table to find the syntax of this character. The | |
259 designator for this syntax class is @samp{@@}. | |
260 @end deffn | |
261 | |
262 @deffn {Syntax class} @w{generic comment delimiter} | |
263 A @dfn{generic comment delimiter} (designated by @samp{!}) starts | |
264 or ends a special kind of comment. @emph{Any} generic comment delimiter | |
265 matches @emph{any} generic comment delimiter, but they cannot match | |
266 a comment starter or comment ender; generic comment delimiters can only | |
267 match each other. | |
268 | |
269 This syntax class is primarily meant for use with the | |
270 @code{syntax-table} text property (@pxref{Syntax Properties}). You can | |
271 mark any range of characters as forming a comment, by giving the first | |
272 and last characters of the range @code{syntax-table} properties | |
273 identifying them as generic comment delimiters. | |
274 @end deffn | |
275 | |
276 @deffn {Syntax class} @w{generic string delimiter} | |
277 A @dfn{generic string delimiter} (designated by @samp{|}) starts or ends | |
278 a string. This class differs from the string quote class in that @emph{any} | |
279 generic string delimiter can match any other generic string delimiter; but | |
280 they do not match ordinary string quote characters. | |
281 | |
282 This syntax class is primarily meant for use with the | |
283 @code{syntax-table} text property (@pxref{Syntax Properties}). You can | |
284 mark any range of characters as forming a string constant, by giving the | |
285 first and last characters of the range @code{syntax-table} properties | |
286 identifying them as generic string delimiters. | |
287 @end deffn | |
288 | |
289 @node Syntax Flags | |
290 @subsection Syntax Flags | |
291 @cindex syntax flags | |
292 | |
293 In addition to the classes, entries for characters in a syntax table | |
294 can specify flags. There are seven possible flags, represented by the | |
295 characters @samp{1}, @samp{2}, @samp{3}, @samp{4}, @samp{b}, @samp{n}, | |
296 and @samp{p}. | |
297 | |
298 All the flags except @samp{n} and @samp{p} are used to describe | |
299 multi-character comment delimiters. The digit flags indicate that a | |
300 character can @emph{also} be part of a comment sequence, in addition to | |
301 the syntactic properties associated with its character class. The flags | |
302 are independent of the class and each other for the sake of characters | |
303 such as @samp{*} in C mode, which is a punctuation character, @emph{and} | |
304 the second character of a start-of-comment sequence (@samp{/*}), | |
305 @emph{and} the first character of an end-of-comment sequence | |
306 (@samp{*/}). | |
307 | |
308 Here is a table of the possible flags for a character @var{c}, | |
309 and what they mean: | |
310 | |
311 @itemize @bullet | |
312 @item | |
313 @samp{1} means @var{c} is the start of a two-character comment-start | |
314 sequence. | |
315 | |
316 @item | |
317 @samp{2} means @var{c} is the second character of such a sequence. | |
318 | |
319 @item | |
320 @samp{3} means @var{c} is the start of a two-character comment-end | |
321 sequence. | |
322 | |
323 @item | |
324 @samp{4} means @var{c} is the second character of such a sequence. | |
325 | |
326 @item | |
327 @c Emacs 19 feature | |
328 @samp{b} means that @var{c} as a comment delimiter belongs to the | |
329 alternative ``b'' comment style. | |
330 | |
331 Emacs supports two comment styles simultaneously in any one syntax | |
332 table. This is for the sake of C++. Each style of comment syntax has | |
333 its own comment-start sequence and its own comment-end sequence. Each | |
334 comment must stick to one style or the other; thus, if it starts with | |
335 the comment-start sequence of style ``b,'' it must also end with the | |
336 comment-end sequence of style ``b.'' | |
337 | |
338 The two comment-start sequences must begin with the same character; only | |
339 the second character may differ. Mark the second character of the | |
340 ``b''-style comment-start sequence with the @samp{b} flag. | |
341 | |
342 A comment-end sequence (one or two characters) applies to the ``b'' | |
343 style if its first character has the @samp{b} flag set; otherwise, it | |
344 applies to the ``a'' style. | |
345 | |
346 The appropriate comment syntax settings for C++ are as follows: | |
347 | |
348 @table @asis | |
349 @item @samp{/} | |
350 @samp{124b} | |
351 @item @samp{*} | |
352 @samp{23} | |
353 @item newline | |
354 @samp{>b} | |
355 @end table | |
356 | |
357 This defines four comment-delimiting sequences: | |
358 | |
359 @table @asis | |
360 @item @samp{/*} | |
361 This is a comment-start sequence for ``a'' style because the | |
362 second character, @samp{*}, does not have the @samp{b} flag. | |
363 | |
364 @item @samp{//} | |
365 This is a comment-start sequence for ``b'' style because the second | |
366 character, @samp{/}, does have the @samp{b} flag. | |
367 | |
368 @item @samp{*/} | |
369 This is a comment-end sequence for ``a'' style because the first | |
370 character, @samp{*}, does not have the @samp{b} flag. | |
371 | |
372 @item newline | |
373 This is a comment-end sequence for ``b'' style, because the newline | |
374 character has the @samp{b} flag. | |
375 @end table | |
376 | |
377 @item | |
378 @samp{n} on a comment delimiter character specifies | |
379 that this kind of comment can be nested. For a two-character | |
380 comment delimiter, @samp{n} on either character makes it | |
381 nestable. | |
382 | |
383 @item | |
384 @c Emacs 19 feature | |
385 @samp{p} identifies an additional ``prefix character'' for Lisp syntax. | |
386 These characters are treated as whitespace when they appear between | |
387 expressions. When they appear within an expression, they are handled | |
388 according to their usual syntax classes. | |
389 | |
390 The function @code{backward-prefix-chars} moves back over these | |
391 characters, as well as over characters whose primary syntax class is | |
392 prefix (@samp{'}). @xref{Motion and Syntax}. | |
393 @end itemize | |
394 | |
395 @node Syntax Table Functions | |
396 @section Syntax Table Functions | |
397 | |
398 In this section we describe functions for creating, accessing and | |
399 altering syntax tables. | |
400 | |
401 @defun make-syntax-table &optional table | |
402 This function creates a new syntax table, with all values initialized | |
403 to @code{nil}. If @var{table} is non-@code{nil}, it becomes the | |
404 parent of the new syntax table, otherwise the standard syntax table is | |
405 the parent. Like all char-tables, a syntax table inherits from its | |
406 parent. Thus the original syntax of all characters in the returned | |
407 syntax table is determined by the parent. @xref{Char-Tables}. | |
408 | |
409 Most major mode syntax tables are created in this way. | |
410 @end defun | |
411 | |
412 @defun copy-syntax-table &optional table | |
413 This function constructs a copy of @var{table} and returns it. If | |
414 @var{table} is not supplied (or is @code{nil}), it returns a copy of the | |
415 standard syntax table. Otherwise, an error is signaled if @var{table} is | |
416 not a syntax table. | |
417 @end defun | |
418 | |
419 @deffn Command modify-syntax-entry char syntax-descriptor &optional table | |
420 This function sets the syntax entry for @var{char} according to | |
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421 @var{syntax-descriptor}. @var{char} can be a character, or a cons |
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422 cell of the form @code{(@var{min} . @var{max})}; in the latter case, |
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423 the function sets the syntax entries for all characters in the range |
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424 between @var{min} and @var{max}, inclusive. |
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425 |
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426 The syntax is changed only for @var{table}, which defaults to the |
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427 current buffer's syntax table, and not in any other syntax table. The |
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428 argument @var{syntax-descriptor} specifies the desired syntax; this is |
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429 a string beginning with a class designator character, and optionally |
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430 containing a matching character and flags as well. @xref{Syntax |
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431 Descriptors}. |
84102 | 432 |
433 This function always returns @code{nil}. The old syntax information in | |
434 the table for this character is discarded. | |
435 | |
436 An error is signaled if the first character of the syntax descriptor is not | |
437 one of the seventeen syntax class designator characters. An error is also | |
438 signaled if @var{char} is not a character. | |
439 | |
440 @example | |
441 @group | |
442 @exdent @r{Examples:} | |
443 | |
444 ;; @r{Put the space character in class whitespace.} | |
445 (modify-syntax-entry ?\s " ") | |
446 @result{} nil | |
447 @end group | |
448 | |
449 @group | |
450 ;; @r{Make @samp{$} an open parenthesis character,} | |
451 ;; @r{with @samp{^} as its matching close.} | |
452 (modify-syntax-entry ?$ "(^") | |
453 @result{} nil | |
454 @end group | |
455 | |
456 @group | |
457 ;; @r{Make @samp{^} a close parenthesis character,} | |
458 ;; @r{with @samp{$} as its matching open.} | |
459 (modify-syntax-entry ?^ ")$") | |
460 @result{} nil | |
461 @end group | |
462 | |
463 @group | |
464 ;; @r{Make @samp{/} a punctuation character,} | |
465 ;; @r{the first character of a start-comment sequence,} | |
466 ;; @r{and the second character of an end-comment sequence.} | |
467 ;; @r{This is used in C mode.} | |
468 (modify-syntax-entry ?/ ". 14") | |
469 @result{} nil | |
470 @end group | |
471 @end example | |
472 @end deffn | |
473 | |
474 @defun char-syntax character | |
475 This function returns the syntax class of @var{character}, represented | |
476 by its mnemonic designator character. This returns @emph{only} the | |
477 class, not any matching parenthesis or flags. | |
478 | |
479 An error is signaled if @var{char} is not a character. | |
480 | |
481 The following examples apply to C mode. The first example shows that | |
482 the syntax class of space is whitespace (represented by a space). The | |
483 second example shows that the syntax of @samp{/} is punctuation. This | |
484 does not show the fact that it is also part of comment-start and -end | |
485 sequences. The third example shows that open parenthesis is in the class | |
486 of open parentheses. This does not show the fact that it has a matching | |
487 character, @samp{)}. | |
488 | |
489 @example | |
490 @group | |
491 (string (char-syntax ?\s)) | |
492 @result{} " " | |
493 @end group | |
494 | |
495 @group | |
496 (string (char-syntax ?/)) | |
497 @result{} "." | |
498 @end group | |
499 | |
500 @group | |
501 (string (char-syntax ?\()) | |
502 @result{} "(" | |
503 @end group | |
504 @end example | |
505 | |
506 We use @code{string} to make it easier to see the character returned by | |
507 @code{char-syntax}. | |
508 @end defun | |
509 | |
510 @defun set-syntax-table table | |
511 This function makes @var{table} the syntax table for the current buffer. | |
512 It returns @var{table}. | |
513 @end defun | |
514 | |
515 @defun syntax-table | |
516 This function returns the current syntax table, which is the table for | |
517 the current buffer. | |
518 @end defun | |
519 | |
520 @defmac with-syntax-table @var{table} @var{body}@dots{} | |
521 This macro executes @var{body} using @var{table} as the current syntax | |
522 table. It returns the value of the last form in @var{body}, after | |
523 restoring the old current syntax table. | |
524 | |
525 Since each buffer has its own current syntax table, we should make that | |
526 more precise: @code{with-syntax-table} temporarily alters the current | |
527 syntax table of whichever buffer is current at the time the macro | |
528 execution starts. Other buffers are not affected. | |
529 @end defmac | |
530 | |
531 @node Syntax Properties | |
532 @section Syntax Properties | |
533 @kindex syntax-table @r{(text property)} | |
534 | |
535 When the syntax table is not flexible enough to specify the syntax of | |
536 a language, you can use @code{syntax-table} text properties to | |
537 override the syntax table for specific character occurrences in the | |
538 buffer. @xref{Text Properties}. You can use Font Lock mode to set | |
539 @code{syntax-table} text properties. @xref{Setting Syntax | |
540 Properties}. | |
541 | |
542 The valid values of @code{syntax-table} text property are: | |
543 | |
544 @table @asis | |
545 @item @var{syntax-table} | |
546 If the property value is a syntax table, that table is used instead of | |
547 the current buffer's syntax table to determine the syntax for this | |
548 occurrence of the character. | |
549 | |
550 @item @code{(@var{syntax-code} . @var{matching-char})} | |
551 A cons cell of this format specifies the syntax for this | |
552 occurrence of the character. (@pxref{Syntax Table Internals}) | |
553 | |
554 @item @code{nil} | |
555 If the property is @code{nil}, the character's syntax is determined from | |
556 the current syntax table in the usual way. | |
557 @end table | |
558 | |
559 @defvar parse-sexp-lookup-properties | |
560 If this is non-@code{nil}, the syntax scanning functions pay attention | |
561 to syntax text properties. Otherwise they use only the current syntax | |
562 table. | |
563 @end defvar | |
564 | |
565 @node Motion and Syntax | |
566 @section Motion and Syntax | |
567 | |
568 This section describes functions for moving across characters that | |
569 have certain syntax classes. | |
570 | |
571 @defun skip-syntax-forward syntaxes &optional limit | |
572 This function moves point forward across characters having syntax | |
573 classes mentioned in @var{syntaxes} (a string of syntax class | |
574 characters). It stops when it encounters the end of the buffer, or | |
575 position @var{limit} (if specified), or a character it is not supposed | |
576 to skip. | |
577 | |
578 If @var{syntaxes} starts with @samp{^}, then the function skips | |
579 characters whose syntax is @emph{not} in @var{syntaxes}. | |
580 | |
581 The return value is the distance traveled, which is a nonnegative | |
582 integer. | |
583 @end defun | |
584 | |
585 @defun skip-syntax-backward syntaxes &optional limit | |
586 This function moves point backward across characters whose syntax | |
587 classes are mentioned in @var{syntaxes}. It stops when it encounters | |
588 the beginning of the buffer, or position @var{limit} (if specified), or | |
589 a character it is not supposed to skip. | |
590 | |
591 If @var{syntaxes} starts with @samp{^}, then the function skips | |
592 characters whose syntax is @emph{not} in @var{syntaxes}. | |
593 | |
594 The return value indicates the distance traveled. It is an integer that | |
595 is zero or less. | |
596 @end defun | |
597 | |
598 @defun backward-prefix-chars | |
599 This function moves point backward over any number of characters with | |
600 expression prefix syntax. This includes both characters in the | |
601 expression prefix syntax class, and characters with the @samp{p} flag. | |
602 @end defun | |
603 | |
604 @node Parsing Expressions | |
605 @section Parsing Expressions | |
606 | |
607 This section describes functions for parsing and scanning balanced | |
608 expressions, also known as @dfn{sexps}. Basically, a sexp is either a | |
609 balanced parenthetical grouping, a string, or a symbol name (a | |
610 sequence of characters whose syntax is either word constituent or | |
611 symbol constituent). However, characters whose syntax is expression | |
612 prefix are treated as part of the sexp if they appear next to it. | |
613 | |
614 The syntax table controls the interpretation of characters, so these | |
615 functions can be used for Lisp expressions when in Lisp mode and for C | |
616 expressions when in C mode. @xref{List Motion}, for convenient | |
617 higher-level functions for moving over balanced expressions. | |
618 | |
619 A character's syntax controls how it changes the state of the | |
620 parser, rather than describing the state itself. For example, a | |
621 string delimiter character toggles the parser state between | |
622 ``in-string'' and ``in-code,'' but the syntax of characters does not | |
623 directly say whether they are inside a string. For example (note that | |
624 15 is the syntax code for generic string delimiters), | |
625 | |
626 @example | |
627 (put-text-property 1 9 'syntax-table '(15 . nil)) | |
628 @end example | |
629 | |
630 @noindent | |
631 does not tell Emacs that the first eight chars of the current buffer | |
632 are a string, but rather that they are all string delimiters. As a | |
633 result, Emacs treats them as four consecutive empty string constants. | |
634 | |
635 @menu | |
636 * Motion via Parsing:: Motion functions that work by parsing. | |
637 * Position Parse:: Determining the syntactic state of a position. | |
638 * Parser State:: How Emacs represents a syntactic state. | |
639 * Low-Level Parsing:: Parsing across a specified region. | |
640 * Control Parsing:: Parameters that affect parsing. | |
641 @end menu | |
642 | |
643 @node Motion via Parsing | |
644 @subsection Motion Commands Based on Parsing | |
645 | |
646 This section describes simple point-motion functions that operate | |
647 based on parsing expressions. | |
648 | |
649 @defun scan-lists from count depth | |
650 This function scans forward @var{count} balanced parenthetical groupings | |
651 from position @var{from}. It returns the position where the scan stops. | |
652 If @var{count} is negative, the scan moves backwards. | |
653 | |
654 If @var{depth} is nonzero, parenthesis depth counting begins from that | |
655 value. The only candidates for stopping are places where the depth in | |
656 parentheses becomes zero; @code{scan-lists} counts @var{count} such | |
657 places and then stops. Thus, a positive value for @var{depth} means go | |
658 out @var{depth} levels of parenthesis. | |
659 | |
660 Scanning ignores comments if @code{parse-sexp-ignore-comments} is | |
661 non-@code{nil}. | |
662 | |
663 If the scan reaches the beginning or end of the buffer (or its | |
664 accessible portion), and the depth is not zero, an error is signaled. | |
665 If the depth is zero but the count is not used up, @code{nil} is | |
666 returned. | |
667 @end defun | |
668 | |
669 @defun scan-sexps from count | |
670 This function scans forward @var{count} sexps from position @var{from}. | |
671 It returns the position where the scan stops. If @var{count} is | |
672 negative, the scan moves backwards. | |
673 | |
674 Scanning ignores comments if @code{parse-sexp-ignore-comments} is | |
675 non-@code{nil}. | |
676 | |
677 If the scan reaches the beginning or end of (the accessible part of) the | |
678 buffer while in the middle of a parenthetical grouping, an error is | |
679 signaled. If it reaches the beginning or end between groupings but | |
680 before count is used up, @code{nil} is returned. | |
681 @end defun | |
682 | |
683 @defun forward-comment count | |
684 This function moves point forward across @var{count} complete comments | |
685 (that is, including the starting delimiter and the terminating | |
686 delimiter if any), plus any whitespace encountered on the way. It | |
687 moves backward if @var{count} is negative. If it encounters anything | |
688 other than a comment or whitespace, it stops, leaving point at the | |
689 place where it stopped. This includes (for instance) finding the end | |
690 of a comment when moving forward and expecting the beginning of one. | |
691 The function also stops immediately after moving over the specified | |
692 number of complete comments. If @var{count} comments are found as | |
693 expected, with nothing except whitespace between them, it returns | |
694 @code{t}; otherwise it returns @code{nil}. | |
695 | |
696 This function cannot tell whether the ``comments'' it traverses are | |
697 embedded within a string. If they look like comments, it treats them | |
698 as comments. | |
699 @end defun | |
700 | |
701 To move forward over all comments and whitespace following point, use | |
702 @code{(forward-comment (buffer-size))}. @code{(buffer-size)} is a good | |
703 argument to use, because the number of comments in the buffer cannot | |
704 exceed that many. | |
705 | |
706 @node Position Parse | |
707 @subsection Finding the Parse State for a Position | |
708 | |
709 For syntactic analysis, such as in indentation, often the useful | |
710 thing is to compute the syntactic state corresponding to a given buffer | |
711 position. This function does that conveniently. | |
712 | |
713 @defun syntax-ppss &optional pos | |
714 This function returns the parser state (see next section) that the | |
715 parser would reach at position @var{pos} starting from the beginning | |
716 of the buffer. This is equivalent to @code{(parse-partial-sexp | |
717 (point-min) @var{pos})}, except that @code{syntax-ppss} uses a cache | |
718 to speed up the computation. Due to this optimization, the 2nd value | |
719 (previous complete subexpression) and 6th value (minimum parenthesis | |
720 depth) of the returned parser state are not meaningful. | |
721 @end defun | |
722 | |
723 @code{syntax-ppss} automatically hooks itself to | |
724 @code{before-change-functions} to keep its cache consistent. But | |
725 updating can fail if @code{syntax-ppss} is called while | |
726 @code{before-change-functions} is temporarily let-bound, or if the | |
727 buffer is modified without obeying the hook, such as when using | |
728 @code{inhibit-modification-hooks}. For this reason, it is sometimes | |
729 necessary to flush the cache manually. | |
730 | |
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731 @defun syntax-ppss-flush-cache beg &rest ignored-args |
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732 This function flushes the cache used by @code{syntax-ppss}, starting |
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733 at position @var{beg}. The remaining arguments, @var{ignored-args}, |
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734 are ignored; this function accepts them so that it can be directly |
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735 used on hooks such as @code{before-change-functions} (@pxref{Change |
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736 Hooks}). |
84102 | 737 @end defun |
738 | |
739 Major modes can make @code{syntax-ppss} run faster by specifying | |
740 where it needs to start parsing. | |
741 | |
742 @defvar syntax-begin-function | |
743 If this is non-@code{nil}, it should be a function that moves to an | |
744 earlier buffer position where the parser state is equivalent to | |
745 @code{nil}---in other words, a position outside of any comment, | |
746 string, or parenthesis. @code{syntax-ppss} uses it to further | |
747 optimize its computations, when the cache gives no help. | |
748 @end defvar | |
749 | |
750 @node Parser State | |
751 @subsection Parser State | |
752 @cindex parser state | |
753 | |
754 A @dfn{parser state} is a list of ten elements describing the final | |
755 state of parsing text syntactically as part of an expression. The | |
756 parsing functions in the following sections return a parser state as | |
757 the value, and in some cases accept one as an argument also, so that | |
758 you can resume parsing after it stops. Here are the meanings of the | |
759 elements of the parser state: | |
760 | |
761 @enumerate 0 | |
762 @item | |
763 The depth in parentheses, counting from 0. @strong{Warning:} this can | |
764 be negative if there are more close parens than open parens between | |
765 the start of the defun and point. | |
766 | |
767 @item | |
768 @cindex innermost containing parentheses | |
769 The character position of the start of the innermost parenthetical | |
770 grouping containing the stopping point; @code{nil} if none. | |
771 | |
772 @item | |
773 @cindex previous complete subexpression | |
774 The character position of the start of the last complete subexpression | |
775 terminated; @code{nil} if none. | |
776 | |
777 @item | |
778 @cindex inside string | |
779 Non-@code{nil} if inside a string. More precisely, this is the | |
780 character that will terminate the string, or @code{t} if a generic | |
781 string delimiter character should terminate it. | |
782 | |
783 @item | |
784 @cindex inside comment | |
785 @code{t} if inside a comment (of either style), | |
786 or the comment nesting level if inside a kind of comment | |
787 that can be nested. | |
788 | |
789 @item | |
790 @cindex quote character | |
791 @code{t} if point is just after a quote character. | |
792 | |
793 @item | |
794 The minimum parenthesis depth encountered during this scan. | |
795 | |
796 @item | |
797 What kind of comment is active: @code{nil} for a comment of style | |
798 ``a'' or when not inside a comment, @code{t} for a comment of style | |
799 ``b,'' and @code{syntax-table} for a comment that should be ended by a | |
800 generic comment delimiter character. | |
801 | |
802 @item | |
803 The string or comment start position. While inside a comment, this is | |
804 the position where the comment began; while inside a string, this is the | |
805 position where the string began. When outside of strings and comments, | |
806 this element is @code{nil}. | |
807 | |
808 @item | |
809 Internal data for continuing the parsing. The meaning of this | |
810 data is subject to change; it is used if you pass this list | |
811 as the @var{state} argument to another call. | |
812 @end enumerate | |
813 | |
814 Elements 1, 2, and 6 are ignored in a state which you pass as an | |
815 argument to continue parsing, and elements 8 and 9 are used only in | |
816 trivial cases. Those elements serve primarily to convey information | |
817 to the Lisp program which does the parsing. | |
818 | |
819 One additional piece of useful information is available from a | |
820 parser state using this function: | |
821 | |
822 @defun syntax-ppss-toplevel-pos state | |
823 This function extracts, from parser state @var{state}, the last | |
824 position scanned in the parse which was at top level in grammatical | |
825 structure. ``At top level'' means outside of any parentheses, | |
826 comments, or strings. | |
827 | |
828 The value is @code{nil} if @var{state} represents a parse which has | |
829 arrived at a top level position. | |
830 @end defun | |
831 | |
832 We have provided this access function rather than document how the | |
833 data is represented in the state, because we plan to change the | |
834 representation in the future. | |
835 | |
836 @node Low-Level Parsing | |
837 @subsection Low-Level Parsing | |
838 | |
839 The most basic way to use the expression parser is to tell it | |
840 to start at a given position with a certain state, and parse up to | |
841 a specified end position. | |
842 | |
843 @defun parse-partial-sexp start limit &optional target-depth stop-before state stop-comment | |
844 This function parses a sexp in the current buffer starting at | |
845 @var{start}, not scanning past @var{limit}. It stops at position | |
846 @var{limit} or when certain criteria described below are met, and sets | |
847 point to the location where parsing stops. It returns a parser state | |
848 describing the status of the parse at the point where it stops. | |
849 | |
850 @cindex parenthesis depth | |
851 If the third argument @var{target-depth} is non-@code{nil}, parsing | |
852 stops if the depth in parentheses becomes equal to @var{target-depth}. | |
853 The depth starts at 0, or at whatever is given in @var{state}. | |
854 | |
855 If the fourth argument @var{stop-before} is non-@code{nil}, parsing | |
856 stops when it comes to any character that starts a sexp. If | |
857 @var{stop-comment} is non-@code{nil}, parsing stops when it comes to the | |
858 start of a comment. If @var{stop-comment} is the symbol | |
859 @code{syntax-table}, parsing stops after the start of a comment or a | |
860 string, or the end of a comment or a string, whichever comes first. | |
861 | |
862 If @var{state} is @code{nil}, @var{start} is assumed to be at the top | |
863 level of parenthesis structure, such as the beginning of a function | |
864 definition. Alternatively, you might wish to resume parsing in the | |
865 middle of the structure. To do this, you must provide a @var{state} | |
866 argument that describes the initial status of parsing. The value | |
867 returned by a previous call to @code{parse-partial-sexp} will do | |
868 nicely. | |
869 @end defun | |
870 | |
871 @node Control Parsing | |
872 @subsection Parameters to Control Parsing | |
873 | |
874 @defvar multibyte-syntax-as-symbol | |
875 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, @code{scan-sexps} treats all | |
876 non-@acronym{ASCII} characters as symbol constituents regardless | |
877 of what the syntax table says about them. (However, text properties | |
878 can still override the syntax.) | |
879 @end defvar | |
880 | |
881 @defopt parse-sexp-ignore-comments | |
882 @cindex skipping comments | |
883 If the value is non-@code{nil}, then comments are treated as | |
884 whitespace by the functions in this section and by @code{forward-sexp}, | |
885 @code{scan-lists} and @code{scan-sexps}. | |
886 @end defopt | |
887 | |
888 @vindex parse-sexp-lookup-properties | |
889 The behavior of @code{parse-partial-sexp} is also affected by | |
890 @code{parse-sexp-lookup-properties} (@pxref{Syntax Properties}). | |
891 | |
892 You can use @code{forward-comment} to move forward or backward over | |
893 one comment or several comments. | |
894 | |
895 @node Standard Syntax Tables | |
896 @section Some Standard Syntax Tables | |
897 | |
898 Most of the major modes in Emacs have their own syntax tables. Here | |
899 are several of them: | |
900 | |
901 @defun standard-syntax-table | |
902 This function returns the standard syntax table, which is the syntax | |
903 table used in Fundamental mode. | |
904 @end defun | |
905 | |
906 @defvar text-mode-syntax-table | |
907 The value of this variable is the syntax table used in Text mode. | |
908 @end defvar | |
909 | |
910 @defvar c-mode-syntax-table | |
911 The value of this variable is the syntax table for C-mode buffers. | |
912 @end defvar | |
913 | |
914 @defvar emacs-lisp-mode-syntax-table | |
915 The value of this variable is the syntax table used in Emacs Lisp mode | |
916 by editing commands. (It has no effect on the Lisp @code{read} | |
917 function.) | |
918 @end defvar | |
919 | |
920 @node Syntax Table Internals | |
921 @section Syntax Table Internals | |
922 @cindex syntax table internals | |
923 | |
924 Lisp programs don't usually work with the elements directly; the | |
925 Lisp-level syntax table functions usually work with syntax descriptors | |
926 (@pxref{Syntax Descriptors}). Nonetheless, here we document the | |
927 internal format. This format is used mostly when manipulating | |
928 syntax properties. | |
929 | |
930 Each element of a syntax table is a cons cell of the form | |
931 @code{(@var{syntax-code} . @var{matching-char})}. The @sc{car}, | |
932 @var{syntax-code}, is an integer that encodes the syntax class, and any | |
933 flags. The @sc{cdr}, @var{matching-char}, is non-@code{nil} if | |
934 a character to match was specified. | |
935 | |
936 This table gives the value of @var{syntax-code} which corresponds | |
937 to each syntactic type. | |
938 | |
939 @multitable @columnfractions .05 .3 .3 .31 | |
940 @item | |
941 @tab | |
942 @i{Integer} @i{Class} | |
943 @tab | |
944 @i{Integer} @i{Class} | |
945 @tab | |
946 @i{Integer} @i{Class} | |
947 @item | |
948 @tab | |
949 0 @ @ whitespace | |
950 @tab | |
951 5 @ @ close parenthesis | |
952 @tab | |
953 10 @ @ character quote | |
954 @item | |
955 @tab | |
956 1 @ @ punctuation | |
957 @tab | |
958 6 @ @ expression prefix | |
959 @tab | |
960 11 @ @ comment-start | |
961 @item | |
962 @tab | |
963 2 @ @ word | |
964 @tab | |
965 7 @ @ string quote | |
966 @tab | |
967 12 @ @ comment-end | |
968 @item | |
969 @tab | |
970 3 @ @ symbol | |
971 @tab | |
972 8 @ @ paired delimiter | |
973 @tab | |
974 13 @ @ inherit | |
975 @item | |
976 @tab | |
977 4 @ @ open parenthesis | |
978 @tab | |
979 9 @ @ escape | |
980 @tab | |
981 14 @ @ generic comment | |
982 @item | |
983 @tab | |
984 15 @ generic string | |
985 @end multitable | |
986 | |
987 For example, the usual syntax value for @samp{(} is @code{(4 . 41)}. | |
988 (41 is the character code for @samp{)}.) | |
989 | |
990 The flags are encoded in higher order bits, starting 16 bits from the | |
991 least significant bit. This table gives the power of two which | |
992 corresponds to each syntax flag. | |
993 | |
994 @multitable @columnfractions .05 .3 .3 .3 | |
995 @item | |
996 @tab | |
997 @i{Prefix} @i{Flag} | |
998 @tab | |
999 @i{Prefix} @i{Flag} | |
1000 @tab | |
1001 @i{Prefix} @i{Flag} | |
1002 @item | |
1003 @tab | |
1004 @samp{1} @ @ @code{(lsh 1 16)} | |
1005 @tab | |
1006 @samp{4} @ @ @code{(lsh 1 19)} | |
1007 @tab | |
1008 @samp{b} @ @ @code{(lsh 1 21)} | |
1009 @item | |
1010 @tab | |
1011 @samp{2} @ @ @code{(lsh 1 17)} | |
1012 @tab | |
1013 @samp{p} @ @ @code{(lsh 1 20)} | |
1014 @tab | |
1015 @samp{n} @ @ @code{(lsh 1 22)} | |
1016 @item | |
1017 @tab | |
1018 @samp{3} @ @ @code{(lsh 1 18)} | |
1019 @end multitable | |
1020 | |
1021 @defun string-to-syntax @var{desc} | |
1022 This function returns the internal form corresponding to the syntax | |
1023 descriptor @var{desc}, a cons cell @code{(@var{syntax-code} | |
1024 . @var{matching-char})}. | |
1025 @end defun | |
1026 | |
1027 @defun syntax-after pos | |
1028 This function returns the syntax code of the character in the buffer | |
1029 after position @var{pos}, taking account of syntax properties as well | |
1030 as the syntax table. If @var{pos} is outside the buffer's accessible | |
1031 portion (@pxref{Narrowing, accessible portion}), this function returns | |
1032 @code{nil}. | |
1033 @end defun | |
1034 | |
1035 @defun syntax-class syntax | |
1036 This function returns the syntax class of the syntax code | |
1037 @var{syntax}. (It masks off the high 16 bits that hold the flags | |
1038 encoded in the syntax descriptor.) If @var{syntax} is @code{nil}, it | |
1039 returns @code{nil}; this is so evaluating the expression | |
1040 | |
1041 @example | |
1042 (syntax-class (syntax-after pos)) | |
1043 @end example | |
1044 | |
1045 @noindent | |
1046 where @code{pos} is outside the buffer's accessible portion, will | |
1047 yield @code{nil} without throwing errors or producing wrong syntax | |
1048 class codes. | |
1049 @end defun | |
1050 | |
1051 @node Categories | |
1052 @section Categories | |
1053 @cindex categories of characters | |
1054 @cindex character categories | |
1055 | |
1056 @dfn{Categories} provide an alternate way of classifying characters | |
1057 syntactically. You can define several categories as needed, then | |
1058 independently assign each character to one or more categories. Unlike | |
1059 syntax classes, categories are not mutually exclusive; it is normal for | |
1060 one character to belong to several categories. | |
1061 | |
1062 @cindex category table | |
1063 Each buffer has a @dfn{category table} which records which categories | |
1064 are defined and also which characters belong to each category. Each | |
1065 category table defines its own categories, but normally these are | |
1066 initialized by copying from the standard categories table, so that the | |
1067 standard categories are available in all modes. | |
1068 | |
1069 Each category has a name, which is an @acronym{ASCII} printing character in | |
1070 the range @w{@samp{ }} to @samp{~}. You specify the name of a category | |
1071 when you define it with @code{define-category}. | |
1072 | |
1073 The category table is actually a char-table (@pxref{Char-Tables}). | |
1074 The element of the category table at index @var{c} is a @dfn{category | |
1075 set}---a bool-vector---that indicates which categories character @var{c} | |
1076 belongs to. In this category set, if the element at index @var{cat} is | |
1077 @code{t}, that means category @var{cat} is a member of the set, and that | |
1078 character @var{c} belongs to category @var{cat}. | |
1079 | |
1080 For the next three functions, the optional argument @var{table} | |
1081 defaults to the current buffer's category table. | |
1082 | |
1083 @defun define-category char docstring &optional table | |
1084 This function defines a new category, with name @var{char} and | |
1085 documentation @var{docstring}, for the category table @var{table}. | |
1086 @end defun | |
1087 | |
1088 @defun category-docstring category &optional table | |
1089 This function returns the documentation string of category @var{category} | |
1090 in category table @var{table}. | |
1091 | |
1092 @example | |
1093 (category-docstring ?a) | |
1094 @result{} "ASCII" | |
1095 (category-docstring ?l) | |
1096 @result{} "Latin" | |
1097 @end example | |
1098 @end defun | |
1099 | |
1100 @defun get-unused-category &optional table | |
1101 This function returns a category name (a character) which is not | |
1102 currently defined in @var{table}. If all possible categories are in use | |
1103 in @var{table}, it returns @code{nil}. | |
1104 @end defun | |
1105 | |
1106 @defun category-table | |
1107 This function returns the current buffer's category table. | |
1108 @end defun | |
1109 | |
1110 @defun category-table-p object | |
1111 This function returns @code{t} if @var{object} is a category table, | |
1112 otherwise @code{nil}. | |
1113 @end defun | |
1114 | |
1115 @defun standard-category-table | |
1116 This function returns the standard category table. | |
1117 @end defun | |
1118 | |
1119 @defun copy-category-table &optional table | |
1120 This function constructs a copy of @var{table} and returns it. If | |
1121 @var{table} is not supplied (or is @code{nil}), it returns a copy of the | |
1122 standard category table. Otherwise, an error is signaled if @var{table} | |
1123 is not a category table. | |
1124 @end defun | |
1125 | |
1126 @defun set-category-table table | |
1127 This function makes @var{table} the category table for the current | |
1128 buffer. It returns @var{table}. | |
1129 @end defun | |
1130 | |
1131 @defun make-category-table | |
1132 This creates and returns an empty category table. In an empty category | |
1133 table, no categories have been allocated, and no characters belong to | |
1134 any categories. | |
1135 @end defun | |
1136 | |
1137 @defun make-category-set categories | |
1138 This function returns a new category set---a bool-vector---whose initial | |
1139 contents are the categories listed in the string @var{categories}. The | |
1140 elements of @var{categories} should be category names; the new category | |
1141 set has @code{t} for each of those categories, and @code{nil} for all | |
1142 other categories. | |
1143 | |
1144 @example | |
1145 (make-category-set "al") | |
1146 @result{} #&128"\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\2\20\0\0" | |
1147 @end example | |
1148 @end defun | |
1149 | |
1150 @defun char-category-set char | |
1151 This function returns the category set for character @var{char} in the | |
1152 current buffer's category table. This is the bool-vector which | |
1153 records which categories the character @var{char} belongs to. The | |
1154 function @code{char-category-set} does not allocate storage, because | |
1155 it returns the same bool-vector that exists in the category table. | |
1156 | |
1157 @example | |
1158 (char-category-set ?a) | |
1159 @result{} #&128"\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\2\20\0\0" | |
1160 @end example | |
1161 @end defun | |
1162 | |
1163 @defun category-set-mnemonics category-set | |
1164 This function converts the category set @var{category-set} into a string | |
1165 containing the characters that designate the categories that are members | |
1166 of the set. | |
1167 | |
1168 @example | |
1169 (category-set-mnemonics (char-category-set ?a)) | |
1170 @result{} "al" | |
1171 @end example | |
1172 @end defun | |
1173 | |
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1174 @defun modify-category-entry char category &optional table reset |
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1175 This function modifies the category set of @var{char} in category |
84102 | 1176 table @var{table} (which defaults to the current buffer's category |
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1177 table). @var{char} can be a character, or a cons cell of the form |
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1178 @code{(@var{min} . @var{max})}; in the latter case, the function |
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1179 modifies the category sets of all characters in the range between |
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1180 @var{min} and @var{max}, inclusive. |
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1182 Normally, it modifies a category set by adding @var{category} to it. |
84102 | 1183 But if @var{reset} is non-@code{nil}, then it deletes @var{category} |
1184 instead. | |
1185 @end defun | |
1186 | |
1187 @deffn Command describe-categories &optional buffer-or-name | |
1188 This function describes the category specifications in the current | |
1189 category table. It inserts the descriptions in a buffer, and then | |
1190 displays that buffer. If @var{buffer-or-name} is non-@code{nil}, it | |
1191 describes the category table of that buffer instead. | |
1192 @end deffn | |
1193 | |
1194 @ignore | |
1195 arch-tag: 4d914e96-0283-445c-9233-75d33662908c | |
1196 @end ignore |