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annotate man/trouble.texi @ 28877:607e317d50b5
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author | Gerd Moellmann <gerd@gnu.org> |
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date | Thu, 11 May 2000 15:44:54 +0000 |
parents | 75463d908406 |
children | 203ba1f77b7b |
rev | line source |
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25829 | 1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual. |
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 1997 Free Software Foundation, Inc. | |
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 | |
13 @node Quitting, Lossage, Customization, Top | |
14 @section Quitting and Aborting | |
15 @cindex quitting | |
16 | |
17 @table @kbd | |
18 @item C-g | |
19 @itemx C-@key{BREAK} (MS-DOS) | |
20 Quit. Cancel running or partially typed command. | |
21 @item C-] | |
22 Abort innermost recursive editing level and cancel the command which | |
23 invoked it (@code{abort-recursive-edit}). | |
24 @item @key{ESC} @key{ESC} @key{ESC} | |
25 Either quit or abort, whichever makes sense (@code{keyboard-escape-quit}). | |
26 @item M-x top-level | |
27 Abort all recursive editing levels that are currently executing. | |
28 @item C-x u | |
29 Cancel a previously made change in the buffer contents (@code{undo}). | |
30 @end table | |
31 | |
32 There are two ways of canceling commands which are not finished | |
33 executing: @dfn{quitting} with @kbd{C-g}, and @dfn{aborting} with | |
34 @kbd{C-]} or @kbd{M-x top-level}. Quitting cancels a partially typed | |
35 command or one which is already running. Aborting exits a recursive | |
36 editing level and cancels the command that invoked the recursive edit. | |
37 (@xref{Recursive Edit}.) | |
38 | |
39 @cindex quitting | |
40 @kindex C-g | |
41 Quitting with @kbd{C-g} is used for getting rid of a partially typed | |
42 command, or a numeric argument that you don't want. It also stops a | |
43 running command in the middle in a relatively safe way, so you can use | |
44 it if you accidentally give a command which takes a long time. In | |
45 particular, it is safe to quit out of killing; either your text will | |
46 @emph{all} still be in the buffer, or it will @emph{all} be in the kill | |
47 ring (or maybe both). Quitting an incremental search does special | |
48 things documented under searching; in general, it may take two | |
49 successive @kbd{C-g} characters to get out of a search | |
50 (@pxref{Incremental Search}). | |
51 | |
52 On MS-DOS, the character @kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} serves as a quit character | |
53 like @kbd{C-g}. The reason is that it is not feasible, on MS-DOS, to | |
54 recognize @kbd{C-g} while a command is running, between interactions | |
55 with the user. By contrast, it @emph{is} feasible to recognize | |
56 @kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} at all times. @xref{MS-DOS Input}. | |
57 | |
58 @kbd{C-g} works by setting the variable @code{quit-flag} to @code{t} | |
59 the instant @kbd{C-g} is typed; Emacs Lisp checks this variable | |
60 frequently and quits if it is non-@code{nil}. @kbd{C-g} is only | |
61 actually executed as a command if you type it while Emacs is waiting for | |
62 input. | |
63 | |
64 If you quit with @kbd{C-g} a second time before the first @kbd{C-g} is | |
65 recognized, you activate the ``emergency escape'' feature and return to | |
66 the shell. @xref{Emergency Escape}. | |
67 | |
68 @cindex NFS and quitting | |
69 There may be times when you cannot quit. When Emacs is waiting for | |
70 the operating system to do something, quitting is impossible unless | |
71 special pains are taken for the particular system call within Emacs | |
72 where the waiting occurs. We have done this for the system calls that | |
73 users are likely to want to quit from, but it's possible you will find | |
74 another. In one very common case---waiting for file input or output | |
75 using NFS---Emacs itself knows how to quit, but most NFS implementations | |
76 simply do not allow user programs to stop waiting for NFS when the NFS | |
77 server is hung. | |
78 | |
79 @cindex aborting recursive edit | |
80 @findex abort-recursive-edit | |
81 @kindex C-] | |
82 Aborting with @kbd{C-]} (@code{abort-recursive-edit}) is used to get | |
83 out of a recursive editing level and cancel the command which invoked | |
84 it. Quitting with @kbd{C-g} does not do this, and could not do this, | |
85 because it is used to cancel a partially typed command @emph{within} the | |
86 recursive editing level. Both operations are useful. For example, if | |
87 you are in a recursive edit and type @kbd{C-u 8} to enter a numeric | |
88 argument, you can cancel that argument with @kbd{C-g} and remain in the | |
89 recursive edit. | |
90 | |
91 @findex keyboard-escape-quit | |
92 @kindex ESC ESC ESC | |
93 The command @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{ESC} @key{ESC}} | |
94 (@code{keyboard-escape-quit}) can either quit or abort. This key was | |
95 defined because @key{ESC} is used to ``get out'' in many PC programs. | |
96 It can cancel a prefix argument, clear a selected region, or get out of | |
97 a Query Replace, like @kbd{C-g}. It can get out of the minibuffer or a | |
98 recursive edit, like @kbd{C-]}. It can also get out of splitting the | |
99 frame into multiple windows, like @kbd{C-x 1}. One thing it cannot do, | |
100 however, is stop a command that is running. That's because it executes | |
101 as an ordinary command, and Emacs doesn't notice it until it is ready | |
102 for a command. | |
103 | |
104 @findex top-level | |
105 The command @kbd{M-x top-level} is equivalent to ``enough'' @kbd{C-]} | |
106 commands to get you out of all the levels of recursive edits that you | |
107 are in. @kbd{C-]} gets you out one level at a time, but @kbd{M-x | |
108 top-level} goes out all levels at once. Both @kbd{C-]} and @kbd{M-x | |
109 top-level} are like all other commands, and unlike @kbd{C-g}, in that | |
110 they take effect only when Emacs is ready for a command. @kbd{C-]} is | |
111 an ordinary key and has its meaning only because of its binding in the | |
112 keymap. @xref{Recursive Edit}. | |
113 | |
114 @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is not strictly speaking a way of canceling | |
115 a command, but you can think of it as canceling a command that already | |
116 finished executing. @xref{Undo}. | |
117 | |
118 @node Lossage, Bugs, Quitting, Top | |
119 @section Dealing with Emacs Trouble | |
120 | |
121 This section describes various conditions in which Emacs fails to work | |
122 normally, and how to recognize them and correct them. | |
123 | |
124 @menu | |
125 * DEL Gets Help:: What to do if @key{DEL} doesn't delete. | |
126 * Stuck Recursive:: `[...]' in mode line around the parentheses. | |
127 * Screen Garbled:: Garbage on the screen. | |
128 * Text Garbled:: Garbage in the text. | |
129 * Unasked-for Search:: Spontaneous entry to incremental search. | |
130 * Memory Full:: How to cope when you run out of memory. | |
131 * After a Crash:: Recovering editing in an Emacs session that crashed. | |
132 * Emergency Escape:: Emergency escape--- | |
133 What to do if Emacs stops responding. | |
134 * Total Frustration:: When you are at your wits' end. | |
135 @end menu | |
136 | |
137 @node DEL Gets Help | |
138 @subsection If @key{DEL} Fails to Delete | |
139 | |
140 If you find that @key{DEL} enters Help like @kbd{Control-h} instead of | |
141 deleting a character, your terminal is sending the wrong code for | |
142 @key{DEL}. You can work around this problem by changing the keyboard | |
143 translation table (@pxref{Keyboard Translations}). | |
144 | |
145 @node Stuck Recursive | |
146 @subsection Recursive Editing Levels | |
147 | |
148 Recursive editing levels are important and useful features of Emacs, but | |
149 they can seem like malfunctions to the user who does not understand them. | |
150 | |
151 If the mode line has square brackets @samp{[@dots{}]} around the parentheses | |
152 that contain the names of the major and minor modes, you have entered a | |
153 recursive editing level. If you did not do this on purpose, or if you | |
154 don't understand what that means, you should just get out of the recursive | |
155 editing level. To do so, type @kbd{M-x top-level}. This is called getting | |
156 back to top level. @xref{Recursive Edit}. | |
157 | |
158 @node Screen Garbled | |
159 @subsection Garbage on the Screen | |
160 | |
161 If the data on the screen looks wrong, the first thing to do is see | |
162 whether the text is really wrong. Type @kbd{C-l}, to redisplay the | |
163 entire screen. If the screen appears correct after this, the problem | |
164 was entirely in the previous screen update. (Otherwise, see @ref{Text | |
165 Garbled}.) | |
166 | |
167 Display updating problems often result from an incorrect termcap entry | |
168 for the terminal you are using. The file @file{etc/TERMS} in the Emacs | |
169 distribution gives the fixes for known problems of this sort. | |
170 @file{INSTALL} contains general advice for these problems in one of its | |
171 sections. Very likely there is simply insufficient padding for certain | |
172 display operations. To investigate the possibility that you have this sort | |
173 of problem, try Emacs on another terminal made by a different manufacturer. | |
174 If problems happen frequently on one kind of terminal but not another kind, | |
175 it is likely to be a bad termcap entry, though it could also be due to a | |
176 bug in Emacs that appears for terminals that have or that lack specific | |
177 features. | |
178 | |
179 @node Text Garbled | |
180 @subsection Garbage in the Text | |
181 | |
182 If @kbd{C-l} shows that the text is wrong, try undoing the changes to it | |
183 using @kbd{C-x u} until it gets back to a state you consider correct. Also | |
184 try @kbd{C-h l} to find out what command you typed to produce the observed | |
185 results. | |
186 | |
187 If a large portion of text appears to be missing at the beginning or | |
188 end of the buffer, check for the word @samp{Narrow} in the mode line. | |
189 If it appears, the text you don't see is probably still present, but | |
190 temporarily off-limits. To make it accessible again, type @kbd{C-x n | |
191 w}. @xref{Narrowing}. | |
192 | |
193 @node Unasked-for Search | |
194 @subsection Spontaneous Entry to Incremental Search | |
195 | |
196 If Emacs spontaneously displays @samp{I-search:} at the bottom of the | |
197 screen, it means that the terminal is sending @kbd{C-s} and @kbd{C-q} | |
198 according to the poorly designed xon/xoff ``flow control'' protocol. | |
199 | |
200 If this happens to you, your best recourse is to put the terminal in a | |
201 mode where it will not use flow control, or give it so much padding that | |
202 it will never send a @kbd{C-s}. (One way to increase the amount of | |
203 padding is to set the variable @code{baud-rate} to a larger value. Its | |
204 value is the terminal output speed, measured in the conventional units | |
205 of baud.) | |
206 | |
207 @cindex flow control | |
208 @cindex xon-xoff | |
209 @findex enable-flow-control | |
210 If you don't succeed in turning off flow control, the next best thing | |
211 is to tell Emacs to cope with it. To do this, call the function | |
212 @code{enable-flow-control}. | |
213 | |
214 @findex enable-flow-control-on | |
215 Typically there are particular terminal types with which you must use | |
216 flow control. You can conveniently ask for flow control on those | |
217 terminal types only, using @code{enable-flow-control-on}. For example, | |
218 if you find you must use flow control on VT-100 and H19 terminals, put | |
219 the following in your @file{.emacs} file: | |
220 | |
221 @example | |
222 (enable-flow-control-on "vt100" "h19") | |
223 @end example | |
224 | |
225 When flow control is enabled, you must type @kbd{C-\} to get the | |
226 effect of a @kbd{C-s}, and type @kbd{C-^} to get the effect of a | |
227 @kbd{C-q}. (These aliases work by means of keyboard translations; see | |
228 @ref{Keyboard Translations}.) | |
229 | |
230 @node Memory Full | |
231 @subsection Running out of Memory | |
232 @cindex memory full | |
233 @cindex out of memory | |
234 | |
235 If you get the error message @samp{Virtual memory exceeded}, save your | |
236 modified buffers with @kbd{C-x s}. This method of saving them has the | |
237 smallest need for additional memory. Emacs keeps a reserve of memory | |
238 which it makes available when this error happens; that should be enough | |
239 to enable @kbd{C-x s} to complete its work. | |
240 | |
241 Once you have saved your modified buffers, you can exit this Emacs job | |
242 and start another, or you can use @kbd{M-x kill-some-buffers} to free | |
243 space in the current Emacs job. If you kill buffers containing a | |
244 substantial amount of text, you can safely go on editing. Emacs refills | |
245 its memory reserve automatically when it sees sufficient free space | |
246 available, in case you run out of memory another time. | |
247 | |
248 Do not use @kbd{M-x buffer-menu} to save or kill buffers when you run | |
249 out of memory, because the buffer menu needs a fair amount memory | |
250 itself, and the reserve supply may not be enough. | |
251 | |
252 @node After a Crash | |
253 @subsection Recovery After a Crash | |
254 | |
255 If Emacs or the computer crashes, you can recover the files you were | |
256 editing at the time of the crash from their auto-save files. To do | |
257 this, start Emacs again and type the command @kbd{M-x recover-session}. | |
258 | |
259 This command initially displays a buffer which lists interrupted | |
260 session files, each with its date. You must choose which session to | |
261 recover from. Typically the one you want is the most recent one. Move | |
262 point to the one you choose, and type @kbd{C-c C-c}. | |
263 | |
264 Then @code{recover-session} asks about each of the files that you were | |
265 editing during that session; it asks whether to recover that file. If | |
266 you answer @kbd{y} for a file, it shows the dates of that file and its | |
267 auto-save file, then asks once again whether to recover that file. For | |
268 the second question, you must confirm with @kbd{yes}. If you do, Emacs | |
269 visits the file but gets the text from the auto-save file. | |
270 | |
271 When @code{recover-session} is done, the files you've chosen to | |
272 recover are present in Emacs buffers. You should then save them. Only | |
273 this---saving them---updates the files themselves. | |
274 | |
275 @node Emergency Escape | |
276 @subsection Emergency Escape | |
277 | |
278 Because at times there have been bugs causing Emacs to loop without | |
279 checking @code{quit-flag}, a special feature causes Emacs to be suspended | |
280 immediately if you type a second @kbd{C-g} while the flag is already set, | |
281 so you can always get out of GNU Emacs. Normally Emacs recognizes and | |
282 clears @code{quit-flag} (and quits!) quickly enough to prevent this from | |
283 happening. (On MS-DOS and compatible systems, type @kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} | |
284 twice.) | |
285 | |
286 When you resume Emacs after a suspension caused by multiple @kbd{C-g}, it | |
287 asks two questions before going back to what it had been doing: | |
288 | |
289 @example | |
290 Auto-save? (y or n) | |
291 Abort (and dump core)? (y or n) | |
292 @end example | |
293 | |
294 @noindent | |
295 Answer each one with @kbd{y} or @kbd{n} followed by @key{RET}. | |
296 | |
297 Saying @kbd{y} to @samp{Auto-save?} causes immediate auto-saving of all | |
298 modified buffers in which auto-saving is enabled. | |
299 | |
300 Saying @kbd{y} to @samp{Abort (and dump core)?} causes an illegal instruction to be | |
301 executed, dumping core. This is to enable a wizard to figure out why Emacs | |
302 was failing to quit in the first place. Execution does not continue | |
303 after a core dump. If you answer @kbd{n}, execution does continue. With | |
304 luck, GNU Emacs will ultimately check @code{quit-flag} and quit normally. | |
305 If not, and you type another @kbd{C-g}, it is suspended again. | |
306 | |
307 If Emacs is not really hung, just slow, you may invoke the double | |
308 @kbd{C-g} feature without really meaning to. Then just resume and answer | |
309 @kbd{n} to both questions, and you will arrive at your former state. | |
310 Presumably the quit you requested will happen soon. | |
311 | |
312 The double-@kbd{C-g} feature is turned off when Emacs is running under | |
313 the X Window System, since you can use the window manager to kill Emacs | |
314 or to create another window and run another program. | |
315 | |
316 On MS-DOS and compatible systems, the emergency escape feature is | |
317 sometimes unavailable, even if you press @kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} twice, when | |
318 some system call (MS-DOS or BIOS) hangs, or when Emacs is stuck in a | |
319 very tight endless loop (in C code, @strong{not} in Lisp code). | |
320 | |
321 @node Total Frustration | |
322 @subsection Help for Total Frustration | |
323 @cindex Eliza | |
324 @cindex doctor | |
325 | |
326 If using Emacs (or something else) becomes terribly frustrating and none | |
327 of the techniques described above solve the problem, Emacs can still help | |
328 you. | |
329 | |
330 First, if the Emacs you are using is not responding to commands, type | |
331 @kbd{C-g C-g} to get out of it and then start a new one. | |
332 | |
333 @findex doctor | |
334 Second, type @kbd{M-x doctor @key{RET}}. | |
335 | |
336 The doctor will help you feel better. Each time you say something to | |
337 the doctor, you must end it by typing @key{RET} @key{RET}. This lets | |
338 the doctor know you are finished. | |
339 | |
340 @node Bugs, Contributing, Lossage, Top | |
341 @section Reporting Bugs | |
342 | |
343 @cindex bugs | |
344 Sometimes you will encounter a bug in Emacs. Although we cannot | |
345 promise we can or will fix the bug, and we might not even agree that it | |
346 is a bug, we want to hear about problems you encounter. Often we agree | |
347 they are bugs and want to fix them. | |
348 | |
349 To make it possible for us to fix a bug, you must report it. In order | |
350 to do so effectively, you must know when and how to do it. | |
351 | |
352 @menu | |
353 * Criteria: Bug Criteria. Have you really found a bug? | |
354 * Understanding Bug Reporting:: How to report a bug effectively. | |
355 * Checklist:: Steps to follow for a good bug report. | |
356 * Sending Patches:: How to send a patch for GNU Emacs. | |
357 @end menu | |
358 | |
359 @node Bug Criteria | |
360 @subsection When Is There a Bug | |
361 | |
362 If Emacs executes an illegal instruction, or dies with an operating | |
363 system error message that indicates a problem in the program (as opposed to | |
364 something like ``disk full''), then it is certainly a bug. | |
365 | |
366 If Emacs updates the display in a way that does not correspond to what is | |
367 in the buffer, then it is certainly a bug. If a command seems to do the | |
368 wrong thing but the problem corrects itself if you type @kbd{C-l}, it is a | |
369 case of incorrect display updating. | |
370 | |
371 Taking forever to complete a command can be a bug, but you must make | |
372 certain that it was really Emacs's fault. Some commands simply take a | |
373 long time. Type @kbd{C-g} (@kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} on MS-DOS) and then @kbd{C-h l} | |
374 to see whether the input Emacs received was what you intended to type; | |
375 if the input was such that you @emph{know} it should have been processed | |
376 quickly, report a bug. If you don't know whether the command should | |
377 take a long time, find out by looking in the manual or by asking for | |
378 assistance. | |
379 | |
380 If a command you are familiar with causes an Emacs error message in a | |
381 case where its usual definition ought to be reasonable, it is probably a | |
382 bug. | |
383 | |
384 If a command does the wrong thing, that is a bug. But be sure you know | |
385 for certain what it ought to have done. If you aren't familiar with the | |
386 command, or don't know for certain how the command is supposed to work, | |
387 then it might actually be working right. Rather than jumping to | |
388 conclusions, show the problem to someone who knows for certain. | |
389 | |
390 Finally, a command's intended definition may not be best for editing | |
391 with. This is a very important sort of problem, but it is also a matter of | |
392 judgment. Also, it is easy to come to such a conclusion out of ignorance | |
393 of some of the existing features. It is probably best not to complain | |
394 about such a problem until you have checked the documentation in the usual | |
395 ways, feel confident that you understand it, and know for certain that what | |
396 you want is not available. If you are not sure what the command is | |
397 supposed to do after a careful reading of the manual, check the index and | |
398 glossary for any terms that may be unclear. | |
399 | |
400 If after careful rereading of the manual you still do not understand | |
401 what the command should do, that indicates a bug in the manual, which | |
402 you should report. The manual's job is to make everything clear to | |
403 people who are not Emacs experts---including you. It is just as | |
404 important to report documentation bugs as program bugs. | |
405 | |
406 If the on-line documentation string of a function or variable disagrees | |
407 with the manual, one of them must be wrong; that is a bug. | |
408 | |
409 @node Understanding Bug Reporting | |
410 @subsection Understanding Bug Reporting | |
411 | |
412 @findex emacs-version | |
413 When you decide that there is a bug, it is important to report it and to | |
414 report it in a way which is useful. What is most useful is an exact | |
415 description of what commands you type, starting with the shell command to | |
416 run Emacs, until the problem happens. | |
417 | |
418 The most important principle in reporting a bug is to report | |
419 @emph{facts}. Hypotheses and verbal descriptions are no substitute for | |
420 the detailed raw data. Reporting the facts is straightforward, but many | |
421 people strain to posit explanations and report them instead of the | |
422 facts. If the explanations are based on guesses about how Emacs is | |
423 implemented, they will be useless; meanwhile, lacking the facts, we will | |
424 have no real information about the bug. | |
425 | |
426 For example, suppose that you type @kbd{C-x C-f /glorp/baz.ugh | |
427 @key{RET}}, visiting a file which (you know) happens to be rather large, | |
428 and Emacs displayed @samp{I feel pretty today}. The best way to report | |
429 the bug is with a sentence like the preceding one, because it gives all | |
430 the facts. | |
431 | |
432 A bad way would be to assume that the problem is due to the size of | |
433 the file and say, ``I visited a large file, and Emacs displayed @samp{I | |
434 feel pretty today}.'' This is what we mean by ``guessing | |
435 explanations.'' The problem is just as likely to be due to the fact | |
436 that there is a @samp{z} in the file name. If this is so, then when we | |
437 got your report, we would try out the problem with some ``large file,'' | |
438 probably with no @samp{z} in its name, and not see any problem. There | |
439 is no way in the world that we could guess that we should try visiting a | |
440 file with a @samp{z} in its name. | |
441 | |
442 Alternatively, the problem might be due to the fact that the file starts | |
443 with exactly 25 spaces. For this reason, you should make sure that you | |
444 inform us of the exact contents of any file that is needed to reproduce the | |
445 bug. What if the problem only occurs when you have typed the @kbd{C-x C-a} | |
446 command previously? This is why we ask you to give the exact sequence of | |
447 characters you typed since starting the Emacs session. | |
448 | |
449 You should not even say ``visit a file'' instead of @kbd{C-x C-f} unless | |
450 you @emph{know} that it makes no difference which visiting command is used. | |
451 Similarly, rather than saying ``if I have three characters on the line,'' | |
452 say ``after I type @kbd{@key{RET} A B C @key{RET} C-p},'' if that is | |
453 the way you entered the text.@refill | |
454 | |
455 So please don't guess any explanations when you report a bug. If you | |
456 want to actually @emph{debug} the problem, and report explanations that | |
457 are more than guesses, that is useful---but please include the facts as | |
458 well. | |
459 | |
460 @node Checklist | |
461 @subsection Checklist for Bug Reports | |
462 | |
463 @cindex reporting bugs | |
464 The best way to send a bug report is to mail it electronically to the | |
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Add emacs-prestest-bug@gnu.org analogous to bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org.
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465 Emacs maintainers at @samp{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}, or to |
4f5e4ec69f6a
Add emacs-prestest-bug@gnu.org analogous to bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org.
Gerd Moellmann <gerd@gnu.org>
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466 @samp{emacs-pretest-bug@@gnu.org} if you are pretesting an Emacs beta |
4f5e4ec69f6a
Add emacs-prestest-bug@gnu.org analogous to bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org.
Gerd Moellmann <gerd@gnu.org>
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467 release. (If you want to suggest a change as an improvement, use the |
4f5e4ec69f6a
Add emacs-prestest-bug@gnu.org analogous to bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org.
Gerd Moellmann <gerd@gnu.org>
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468 same address.) |
25829 | 469 |
470 If you'd like to read the bug reports, you can find them on the | |
471 newsgroup @samp{gnu.emacs.bug}; keep in mind, however, that as a | |
472 spectator you should not criticize anything about what you see there. | |
473 The purpose of bug reports is to give information to the Emacs | |
474 maintainers. Spectators are welcome only as long as they do not | |
475 interfere with this. In particular, some bug reports contain large | |
476 amounts of data; spectators should not complain about this. | |
477 | |
478 Please do not post bug reports using netnews; mail is more reliable | |
479 than netnews about reporting your correct address, which we may need in | |
480 order to ask you for more information. | |
481 | |
482 If you can't send electronic mail, then mail the bug report on paper | |
483 or machine-readable media to this address: | |
484 | |
485 @format | |
486 GNU Emacs Bugs | |
487 Free Software Foundation | |
488 59 Temple Place, Suite 330 | |
489 Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA | |
490 @end format | |
491 | |
492 We do not promise to fix the bug; but if the bug is serious, | |
493 or ugly, or easy to fix, chances are we will want to. | |
494 | |
495 @findex report-emacs-bug | |
496 A convenient way to send a bug report for Emacs is to use the command | |
497 @kbd{M-x report-emacs-bug}. This sets up a mail buffer (@pxref{Sending | |
498 Mail}) and automatically inserts @emph{some} of the essential | |
499 information. However, it cannot supply all the necessary information; | |
500 you should still read and follow the guidelines below, so you can enter | |
501 the other crucial information by hand before you send the message. | |
502 | |
503 To enable maintainers to investigate a bug, your report | |
504 should include all these things: | |
505 | |
506 @itemize @bullet | |
507 @item | |
508 The version number of Emacs. Without this, we won't know whether there | |
509 is any point in looking for the bug in the current version of GNU | |
510 Emacs. | |
511 | |
512 You can get the version number by typing @kbd{M-x emacs-version | |
513 @key{RET}}. If that command does not work, you probably have something | |
514 other than GNU Emacs, so you will have to report the bug somewhere | |
515 else. | |
516 | |
517 @item | |
518 The type of machine you are using, and the operating system name and | |
519 version number. @kbd{M-x emacs-version @key{RET}} provides this | |
520 information too. Copy its output from the @samp{*Messages*} buffer, so | |
521 that you get it all and get it accurately. | |
522 | |
523 @item | |
524 The operands given to the @code{configure} command when Emacs was | |
525 installed. | |
526 | |
527 @item | |
528 A complete list of any modifications you have made to the Emacs source. | |
529 (We may not have time to investigate the bug unless it happens in an | |
530 unmodified Emacs. But if you've made modifications and you don't tell | |
531 us, you are sending us on a wild goose chase.) | |
532 | |
533 Be precise about these changes. A description in English is not | |
534 enough---send a context diff for them. | |
535 | |
536 Adding files of your own, or porting to another machine, is a | |
537 modification of the source. | |
538 | |
539 @item | |
540 Details of any other deviations from the standard procedure for installing | |
541 GNU Emacs. | |
542 | |
543 @item | |
544 The complete text of any files needed to reproduce the bug. | |
545 | |
546 If you can tell us a way to cause the problem without visiting any files, | |
547 please do so. This makes it much easier to debug. If you do need files, | |
548 make sure you arrange for us to see their exact contents. For example, it | |
549 can often matter whether there are spaces at the ends of lines, or a | |
550 newline after the last line in the buffer (nothing ought to care whether | |
551 the last line is terminated, but try telling the bugs that). | |
552 | |
553 @item | |
554 The precise commands we need to type to reproduce the bug. | |
555 | |
556 @findex open-dribble-file | |
557 @cindex dribble file | |
558 The easy way to record the input to Emacs precisely is to write a | |
559 dribble file. To start the file, execute the Lisp expression | |
560 | |
561 @example | |
562 (open-dribble-file "~/dribble") | |
563 @end example | |
564 | |
565 @noindent | |
566 using @kbd{M-:} or from the @samp{*scratch*} buffer just after | |
567 starting Emacs. From then on, Emacs copies all your input to the | |
568 specified dribble file until the Emacs process is killed. | |
569 | |
570 @item | |
571 @findex open-termscript | |
572 @cindex termscript file | |
573 @cindex @code{TERM} environment variable | |
574 For possible display bugs, the terminal type (the value of environment | |
575 variable @code{TERM}), the complete termcap entry for the terminal from | |
576 @file{/etc/termcap} (since that file is not identical on all machines), | |
577 and the output that Emacs actually sent to the terminal. | |
578 | |
579 The way to collect the terminal output is to execute the Lisp expression | |
580 | |
581 @example | |
582 (open-termscript "~/termscript") | |
583 @end example | |
584 | |
585 @noindent | |
586 using @kbd{M-:} or from the @samp{*scratch*} buffer just after | |
587 starting Emacs. From then on, Emacs copies all terminal output to the | |
588 specified termscript file as well, until the Emacs process is killed. | |
589 If the problem happens when Emacs starts up, put this expression into | |
590 your @file{.emacs} file so that the termscript file will be open when | |
591 Emacs displays the screen for the first time. | |
592 | |
593 Be warned: it is often difficult, and sometimes impossible, to fix a | |
594 terminal-dependent bug without access to a terminal of the type that | |
595 stimulates the bug.@refill | |
596 | |
597 @item | |
598 A description of what behavior you observe that you believe is | |
599 incorrect. For example, ``The Emacs process gets a fatal signal,'' or, | |
600 ``The resulting text is as follows, which I think is wrong.'' | |
601 | |
602 Of course, if the bug is that Emacs gets a fatal signal, then one can't | |
603 miss it. But if the bug is incorrect text, the maintainer might fail to | |
604 notice what is wrong. Why leave it to chance? | |
605 | |
606 Even if the problem you experience is a fatal signal, you should still | |
607 say so explicitly. Suppose something strange is going on, such as, your | |
608 copy of the source is out of sync, or you have encountered a bug in the | |
609 C library on your system. (This has happened!) Your copy might crash | |
610 and the copy here might not. If you @emph{said} to expect a crash, then | |
611 when Emacs here fails to crash, we would know that the bug was not | |
612 happening. If you don't say to expect a crash, then we would not know | |
613 whether the bug was happening---we would not be able to draw any | |
614 conclusion from our observations. | |
615 | |
616 @item | |
617 If the manifestation of the bug is an Emacs error message, it is | |
618 important to report the precise text of the error message, and a | |
619 backtrace showing how the Lisp program in Emacs arrived at the error. | |
620 | |
621 To get the error message text accurately, copy it from the | |
622 @samp{*Messages*} buffer into the bug report. Copy all of it, not just | |
623 part. | |
624 | |
625 To make a backtrace for the error, evaluate the Lisp expression | |
626 @code{(setq @w{debug-on-error t})} before the error happens (that is to | |
627 say, you must execute that expression and then make the bug happen). | |
628 This causes the error to run the Lisp debugger, which shows you a | |
629 backtrace. Copy the text of the debugger's backtrace into the bug | |
630 report. | |
631 | |
632 This use of the debugger is possible only if you know how to make the | |
633 bug happen again. If you can't make it happen again, at least copy | |
634 the whole error message. | |
635 | |
636 @item | |
637 Check whether any programs you have loaded into the Lisp world, | |
638 including your @file{.emacs} file, set any variables that may affect the | |
639 functioning of Emacs. Also, see whether the problem happens in a | |
640 freshly started Emacs without loading your @file{.emacs} file (start | |
641 Emacs with the @code{-q} switch to prevent loading the init file). If | |
642 the problem does @emph{not} occur then, you must report the precise | |
643 contents of any programs that you must load into the Lisp world in order | |
644 to cause the problem to occur. | |
645 | |
646 @item | |
647 If the problem does depend on an init file or other Lisp programs that | |
648 are not part of the standard Emacs system, then you should make sure it | |
649 is not a bug in those programs by complaining to their maintainers | |
650 first. After they verify that they are using Emacs in a way that is | |
651 supposed to work, they should report the bug. | |
652 | |
653 @item | |
654 If you wish to mention something in the GNU Emacs source, show the line | |
655 of code with a few lines of context. Don't just give a line number. | |
656 | |
657 The line numbers in the development sources don't match those in your | |
658 sources. It would take extra work for the maintainers to determine what | |
659 code is in your version at a given line number, and we could not be | |
660 certain. | |
661 | |
662 @item | |
663 Additional information from a C debugger such as GDB might enable | |
664 someone to find a problem on a machine which he does not have available. | |
665 If you don't know how to use GDB, please read the GDB manual---it is not | |
666 very long, and using GDB is easy. You can find the GDB distribution, | |
667 including the GDB manual in online form, in most of the same places you | |
668 can find the Emacs distribution. To run Emacs under GDB, you should | |
669 switch to the @file{src} subdirectory in which Emacs was compiled, then | |
670 do @samp{gdb emacs}. It is important for the directory @file{src} to be | |
671 current so that GDB will read the @file{.gdbinit} file in this | |
672 directory. | |
673 | |
674 However, you need to think when you collect the additional information | |
675 if you want it to show what causes the bug. | |
676 | |
677 @cindex backtrace for bug reports | |
678 For example, many people send just a backtrace, but that is not very | |
679 useful by itself. A simple backtrace with arguments often conveys | |
680 little about what is happening inside GNU Emacs, because most of the | |
681 arguments listed in the backtrace are pointers to Lisp objects. The | |
682 numeric values of these pointers have no significance whatever; all that | |
683 matters is the contents of the objects they point to (and most of the | |
684 contents are themselves pointers). | |
685 | |
686 @findex debug_print | |
687 To provide useful information, you need to show the values of Lisp | |
688 objects in Lisp notation. Do this for each variable which is a Lisp | |
689 object, in several stack frames near the bottom of the stack. Look at | |
690 the source to see which variables are Lisp objects, because the debugger | |
691 thinks of them as integers. | |
692 | |
693 To show a variable's value in Lisp syntax, first print its value, then | |
694 use the user-defined GDB command @code{pr} to print the Lisp object in | |
695 Lisp syntax. (If you must use another debugger, call the function | |
696 @code{debug_print} with the object as an argument.) The @code{pr} | |
697 command is defined by the file @file{.gdbinit}, and it works only if you | |
698 are debugging a running process (not with a core dump). | |
699 | |
700 To make Lisp errors stop Emacs and return to GDB, put a breakpoint at | |
701 @code{Fsignal}. | |
702 | |
27729 | 703 For a short listing of Lisp functions running, type the GDB |
704 command @code{xbacktrace}. | |
705 | |
706 If you want to examine Lisp function arguments, move up the stack, and | |
707 each time you get to a frame for the function @code{Ffuncall}, type | |
708 these GDB commands: | |
25829 | 709 |
710 @example | |
711 p *args | |
712 pr | |
713 @end example | |
714 | |
715 @noindent | |
716 To print the first argument that the function received, use these | |
717 commands: | |
718 | |
719 @example | |
720 p args[1] | |
721 pr | |
722 @end example | |
723 | |
724 @noindent | |
725 You can print the other arguments likewise. The argument @code{nargs} | |
726 of @code{Ffuncall} says how many arguments @code{Ffuncall} received; | |
727 these include the Lisp function itself and the arguments for that | |
728 function. | |
729 | |
730 The file @file{.gdbinit} defines several other commands that are useful | |
731 for examining the data types and contents of Lisp objects. Their names | |
732 begin with @samp{x}. These commands work at a lower level than | |
733 @code{pr}, and are less convenient, but they may work even when | |
734 @code{pr} does not, such as when debugging a core dump or when Emacs has | |
735 had a fatal signal. | |
736 | |
737 @item | |
738 If the symptom of the bug is that Emacs fails to respond, don't assume | |
739 Emacs is ``hung''---it may instead be in an infinite loop. To find out | |
740 which, make the problem happen under GDB and stop Emacs once it is not | |
741 responding. (If Emacs is using X Windows directly, you can stop Emacs | |
742 by typing @kbd{C-z} at the GDB job.) Then try stepping with | |
743 @samp{step}. If Emacs is hung, the @samp{step} command won't return. | |
744 If it is looping, @samp{step} will return. | |
745 | |
746 If this shows Emacs is hung in a system call, stop it again and examine | |
747 the arguments of the call. In your bug report, state exactly where in | |
748 the source the system call is, and what the arguments are. | |
749 | |
750 If Emacs is in an infinite loop, please determine where the loop starts | |
751 and ends. The easiest way to do this is to use the GDB command | |
752 @samp{finish}. Each time you use it, Emacs resumes execution until it | |
753 exits one stack frame. Keep typing @samp{finish} until it doesn't | |
754 return---that means the infinite loop is in the stack frame which you | |
755 just tried to finish. | |
756 | |
757 Stop Emacs again, and use @samp{finish} repeatedly again until you get | |
758 @emph{back to} that frame. Then use @samp{next} to step through that | |
759 frame. By stepping, you will see where the loop starts and ends. Also | |
760 please examine the data being used in the loop and try to determine why | |
761 the loop does not exit when it should. Include all of this information | |
762 in your bug report. | |
763 @end itemize | |
764 | |
765 Here are some things that are not necessary in a bug report: | |
766 | |
767 @itemize @bullet | |
768 @item | |
769 A description of the envelope of the bug---this is not necessary for a | |
770 reproducible bug. | |
771 | |
772 Often people who encounter a bug spend a lot of time investigating | |
773 which changes to the input file will make the bug go away and which | |
774 changes will not affect it. | |
775 | |
776 This is often time-consuming and not very useful, because the way we | |
777 will find the bug is by running a single example under the debugger with | |
778 breakpoints, not by pure deduction from a series of examples. You might | |
779 as well save time by not searching for additional examples. | |
780 | |
781 Of course, if you can find a simpler example to report @emph{instead} of | |
782 the original one, that is a convenience. Errors in the output will be | |
783 easier to spot, running under the debugger will take less time, etc. | |
784 | |
785 However, simplification is not vital; if you can't do this or don't have | |
786 time to try, please report the bug with your original test case. | |
787 | |
788 @item | |
789 A system-call trace of Emacs execution. | |
790 | |
791 System-call traces are very useful for certain special kinds of | |
792 debugging, but in most cases they give little useful information. It is | |
793 therefore strange that many people seem to think that @emph{the} way to | |
794 report information about a crash is to send a system-call trace. Perhaps | |
795 this is a habit formed from experience debugging programs that don't | |
796 have source code or debugging symbols. | |
797 | |
798 In most programs, a backtrace is normally far, far more informative than | |
799 a system-call trace. Even in Emacs, a simple backtrace is generally | |
800 more informative, though to give full information you should supplement | |
801 the backtrace by displaying variable values and printing them as Lisp | |
802 objects with @code{pr} (see above). | |
803 | |
804 @item | |
805 A patch for the bug. | |
806 | |
807 A patch for the bug is useful if it is a good one. But don't omit the | |
808 other information that a bug report needs, such as the test case, on the | |
809 assumption that a patch is sufficient. We might see problems with your | |
810 patch and decide to fix the problem another way, or we might not | |
811 understand it at all. And if we can't understand what bug you are | |
812 trying to fix, or why your patch should be an improvement, we mustn't | |
813 install it. | |
814 | |
815 @ifinfo | |
816 @xref{Sending Patches}, for guidelines on how to make it easy for us to | |
817 understand and install your patches. | |
818 @end ifinfo | |
819 | |
820 @item | |
821 A guess about what the bug is or what it depends on. | |
822 | |
823 Such guesses are usually wrong. Even experts can't guess right about | |
824 such things without first using the debugger to find the facts. | |
825 @end itemize | |
826 | |
827 @node Sending Patches | |
828 @subsection Sending Patches for GNU Emacs | |
829 | |
830 @cindex sending patches for GNU Emacs | |
831 @cindex patches, sending | |
832 If you would like to write bug fixes or improvements for GNU Emacs, | |
833 that is very helpful. When you send your changes, please follow these | |
834 guidelines to make it easy for the maintainers to use them. If you | |
835 don't follow these guidelines, your information might still be useful, | |
836 but using it will take extra work. Maintaining GNU Emacs is a lot of | |
837 work in the best of circumstances, and we can't keep up unless you do | |
838 your best to help. | |
839 | |
840 @itemize @bullet | |
841 @item | |
842 Send an explanation with your changes of what problem they fix or what | |
843 improvement they bring about. For a bug fix, just include a copy of the | |
844 bug report, and explain why the change fixes the bug. | |
845 | |
846 (Referring to a bug report is not as good as including it, because then | |
847 we will have to look it up, and we have probably already deleted it if | |
848 we've already fixed the bug.) | |
849 | |
850 @item | |
851 Always include a proper bug report for the problem you think you have | |
852 fixed. We need to convince ourselves that the change is right before | |
853 installing it. Even if it is correct, we might have trouble | |
854 understanding it if we don't have a way to reproduce the problem. | |
855 | |
856 @item | |
857 Include all the comments that are appropriate to help people reading the | |
858 source in the future understand why this change was needed. | |
859 | |
860 @item | |
861 Don't mix together changes made for different reasons. | |
862 Send them @emph{individually}. | |
863 | |
864 If you make two changes for separate reasons, then we might not want to | |
865 install them both. We might want to install just one. If you send them | |
866 all jumbled together in a single set of diffs, we have to do extra work | |
867 to disentangle them---to figure out which parts of the change serve | |
868 which purpose. If we don't have time for this, we might have to ignore | |
869 your changes entirely. | |
870 | |
871 If you send each change as soon as you have written it, with its own | |
872 explanation, then two changes never get tangled up, and we can consider | |
873 each one properly without any extra work to disentangle them. | |
874 | |
875 @item | |
876 Send each change as soon as that change is finished. Sometimes people | |
877 think they are helping us by accumulating many changes to send them all | |
878 together. As explained above, this is absolutely the worst thing you | |
879 could do. | |
880 | |
881 Since you should send each change separately, you might as well send it | |
882 right away. That gives us the option of installing it immediately if it | |
883 is important. | |
884 | |
885 @item | |
886 Use @samp{diff -c} to make your diffs. Diffs without context are hard | |
887 to install reliably. More than that, they are hard to study; we must | |
888 always study a patch to decide whether we want to install it. Unidiff | |
889 format is better than contextless diffs, but not as easy to read as | |
890 @samp{-c} format. | |
891 | |
892 If you have GNU diff, use @samp{diff -c -F'^[_a-zA-Z0-9$]+ *('} when | |
893 making diffs of C code. This shows the name of the function that each | |
894 change occurs in. | |
895 | |
896 @item | |
897 Avoid any ambiguity as to which is the old version and which is the new. | |
898 Please make the old version the first argument to diff, and the new | |
899 version the second argument. And please give one version or the other a | |
900 name that indicates whether it is the old version or your new changed | |
901 one. | |
902 | |
903 @item | |
904 Write the change log entries for your changes. This is both to save us | |
905 the extra work of writing them, and to help explain your changes so we | |
906 can understand them. | |
907 | |
908 The purpose of the change log is to show people where to find what was | |
909 changed. So you need to be specific about what functions you changed; | |
910 in large functions, it's often helpful to indicate where within the | |
911 function the change was. | |
912 | |
913 On the other hand, once you have shown people where to find the change, | |
914 you need not explain its purpose in the change log. Thus, if you add a | |
915 new function, all you need to say about it is that it is new. If you | |
916 feel that the purpose needs explaining, it probably does---but put the | |
917 explanation in comments in the code. It will be more useful there. | |
918 | |
919 Please read the @file{ChangeLog} files in the @file{src} and @file{lisp} | |
920 directories to see what sorts of information to put in, and to learn the | |
921 style that we use. If you would like your name to appear in the header | |
922 line, showing who made the change, send us the header line. | |
923 @xref{Change Log}. | |
924 | |
925 @item | |
926 When you write the fix, keep in mind that we can't install a change that | |
927 would break other systems. Please think about what effect your change | |
928 will have if compiled on another type of system. | |
929 | |
930 Sometimes people send fixes that @emph{might} be an improvement in | |
931 general---but it is hard to be sure of this. It's hard to install | |
932 such changes because we have to study them very carefully. Of course, | |
933 a good explanation of the reasoning by which you concluded the change | |
934 was correct can help convince us. | |
935 | |
936 The safest changes are changes to the configuration files for a | |
937 particular machine. These are safe because they can't create new bugs | |
938 on other machines. | |
939 | |
940 Please help us keep up with the workload by designing the patch in a | |
941 form that is clearly safe to install. | |
942 @end itemize | |
943 | |
944 @node Contributing, Service, Bugs, Top | |
945 @section Contributing to Emacs Development | |
946 | |
947 If you would like to help pretest Emacs releases to assure they work | |
948 well, or if you would like to work on improving Emacs, please contact | |
949 the maintainers at @code{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}. A pretester | |
950 should be prepared to investigate bugs as well as report them. If you'd | |
951 like to work on improving Emacs, please ask for suggested projects or | |
952 suggest your own ideas. | |
953 | |
954 If you have already written an improvement, please tell us about it. If | |
955 you have not yet started work, it is useful to contact | |
956 @code{bug-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} before you start; it might be | |
957 possible to suggest ways to make your extension fit in better with the | |
958 rest of Emacs. | |
959 | |
960 @node Service, Command Arguments, Contributing, Top | |
961 @section How To Get Help with GNU Emacs | |
962 | |
963 If you need help installing, using or changing GNU Emacs, there are two | |
964 ways to find it: | |
965 | |
966 @itemize @bullet | |
967 @item | |
968 Send a message to the mailing list | |
969 @code{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org}, or post your request on | |
970 newsgroup @code{gnu.emacs.help}. (This mailing list and newsgroup | |
971 interconnect, so it does not matter which one you use.) | |
972 | |
973 @item | |
974 Look in the service directory for someone who might help you for a fee. | |
975 The service directory is found in the file named @file{etc/SERVICE} in the | |
976 Emacs distribution. | |
977 @end itemize |