annotate man/commands.texi @ 72161:736ffad44f50

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author Thien-Thi Nguyen <ttn@gnuvola.org>
date Fri, 28 Jul 2006 21:00:15 +0000
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children c918cd93c615 858cb33ae39d
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1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
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2 @c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003,
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3 @c 2004, 2005, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
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5 @iftex
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6 @chapter Characters, Keys and Commands
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7
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8 This chapter explains the character sets used by Emacs for input
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9 commands and for the contents of files, and the fundamental concepts of
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10 @dfn{keys} and @dfn{commands}, whereby Emacs interprets your keyboard
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11 and mouse input.
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12 @end iftex
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13
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14 @ifnottex
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15 @raisesections
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16 @end ifnottex
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17
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18 @node User Input, Keys, Screen, Top
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19 @section Kinds of User Input
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20 @cindex input with the keyboard
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21 @cindex keyboard input
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22 @cindex character set (keyboard)
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23 @cindex @acronym{ASCII}
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24 @cindex C-
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25 @cindex Control
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26 @cindex control characters
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27
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28 GNU Emacs is designed for use with keyboard commands because that is
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29 the most efficient way to edit. You can do editing with the mouse, as
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30 in other editors, and you can give commands with the menu bar and tool
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31 bar, and scroll with the scroll bar. But if you keep on editing that
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32 way, you won't get the benefits of Emacs. Therefore, this manual
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33 documents primarily how to edit with the keyboard. You can force
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34 yourself to practice using the keyboard by using the shell command
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35 @samp{emacs -nw} to start Emacs, so that the mouse won't work.
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36
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37 Emacs uses an extension of the @acronym{ASCII} character set for
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38 keyboard input; it also accepts non-character input events including
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39 function keys and mouse button actions.
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40
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41 @acronym{ASCII} consists of 128 character codes. Some of these codes are
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42 assigned graphic symbols such as @samp{a} and @samp{=}; the rest are
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43 control characters, such as @kbd{Control-a} (usually written @kbd{C-a}
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44 for short). @kbd{C-a} gets its name from the fact that you type it by
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45 holding down the @key{CTRL} key while pressing @kbd{a}.
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46
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47 Some @acronym{ASCII} control characters have special names, and most
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48 terminals have special keys you can type them with: for example,
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49 @key{RET}, @key{TAB}, @key{DEL} and @key{ESC}. The space character is
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50 usually known as @key{SPC}, even though strictly speaking it is a
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51 graphic character that is blank.
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52
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53 Emacs extends the @acronym{ASCII} character set with thousands more printing
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54 characters (@pxref{International}), additional control characters, and a
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55 few more modifiers that can be combined with any character.
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56
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57 On @acronym{ASCII} terminals, there are only 32 possible control characters.
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58 These are the control variants of letters and @samp{@@[]\^_}. In
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59 addition, the shift key is meaningless with control characters:
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60 @kbd{C-a} and @kbd{C-A} are the same character, and Emacs cannot
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61 distinguish them.
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62
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63 The Emacs character set has room for control variants of all
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64 printing characters, and distinguishes @kbd{C-A} from @kbd{C-a}.
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65 Graphical terminals make it possible to enter all these characters.
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66 For example, @kbd{C--} (that's Control-Minus) and @kbd{C-5} are
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67 meaningful Emacs commands on a graphical terminal.
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68
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69 Another Emacs character-set extension is additional modifier bits.
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70 Only one modifier bit is commonly used; it is called Meta. Every
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71 character has a Meta variant; examples include @kbd{Meta-a} (normally
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72 written @kbd{M-a}, for short), @kbd{M-A} (different from @kbd{M-a},
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73 but they are normally equivalent in Emacs), @kbd{M-@key{RET}}, and
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74 @kbd{M-C-a}. That last means @kbd{a} with both the @key{CTRL} and
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75 @key{META} modifiers. We usually write it as @kbd{C-M-a} rather than
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76 @kbd{M-C-a}, for reasons of tradition.
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77
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78 @cindex Meta
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79 @cindex M-
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80 @cindex @key{ESC} replacing @key{META} key
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81 Some terminals have a @key{META} key, and allow you to type Meta
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82 characters by holding this key down. Thus, you can type @kbd{Meta-a}
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83 by holding down @key{META} and pressing @kbd{a}. The @key{META} key
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84 works much like the @key{SHIFT} key. In fact, this key is more often
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85 labeled @key{ALT} or @key{EDIT}, instead of @key{META}; on a Sun
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86 keyboard, it may have a diamond on it.
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87
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88 If there is no @key{META} key, you can still type Meta characters
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89 using two-character sequences starting with @key{ESC}. Thus, you can
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90 enter @kbd{M-a} by typing @kbd{@key{ESC} a}. You can enter
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91 @kbd{C-M-a} by typing @kbd{@key{ESC} C-a}. Unlike @key{META}, which
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92 modifies other characters, @key{ESC} is a separate character. You
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93 don't hold down @key{ESC} while typing the next character; instead,
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94 you press it and release it, then you enter the next character.
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95 @key{ESC} is allowed on terminals with @key{META} keys, too, in case
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96 you have formed a habit of using it.
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97
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98 Emacs defines several other modifier keys that can be applied to any
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99 input character. These are called @key{SUPER}, @key{HYPER} and
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100 @key{ALT}. We write @samp{s-}, @samp{H-} and @samp{A-} to say that a
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101 character uses these modifiers. Thus, @kbd{s-H-C-x} is short for
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102 @kbd{Super-Hyper-Control-x}. Not all graphical terminals actually
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103 provide keys for these modifier flags---in fact, many terminals have a
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104 key labeled @key{ALT} which is really a @key{META} key. The standard
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105 key bindings of Emacs do not include any characters with these
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106 modifiers. But you can assign them meanings of your own by
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107 customizing Emacs.
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108
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109 If your keyboard lacks one of these modifier keys, you can enter it
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110 using @kbd{C-x @@}: @kbd{C-x @@ h} adds the ``hyper'' flag to the next
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111 character, @kbd{C-x @@ s} adds the ``super'' flag, and @kbd{C-x @@ a}
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112 adds the ``alt'' flag. For instance, @kbd{C-x @@ h C-a} is a way to
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113 enter @kbd{Hyper-Control-a}. (Unfortunately there is no way to add
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114 two modifiers by using @kbd{C-x @@} twice for the same character,
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115 because the first one goes to work on the @kbd{C-x}.)
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116
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117 Keyboard input includes keyboard keys that are not characters at
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118 all, such as function keys and arrow keys. Mouse buttons are also not
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119 characters. However, you can modify these events with the modifier
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120 keys @key{CTRL}, @key{META}, @key{SUPER}, @key{HYPER} and @key{ALT},
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121 just like keyboard characters.
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122
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123 @cindex input event
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124 Input characters and non-character inputs are collectively called
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125 @dfn{input events}. @xref{Input Events,,, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
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126 Reference Manual}, for the full Lisp-level details. If you are not
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127 doing Lisp programming, but simply want to redefine the meaning of
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128 some characters or non-character events, see @ref{Customization}.
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129
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130 @acronym{ASCII} terminals cannot really send anything to the computer except
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131 @acronym{ASCII} characters. These terminals use a sequence of characters to
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132 represent each function key. But that is invisible to the Emacs user,
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133 because the keyboard input routines catch these special sequences
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134 and convert them to function key events before any other part of Emacs
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135 gets to see them.
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136
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137 @node Keys, Commands, User Input, Top
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138 @section Keys
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139
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140 @cindex key sequence
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141 @cindex key
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142 A @dfn{key sequence} (@dfn{key}, for short) is a sequence of input
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143 events that is meaningful as a unit---a ``single command.'' Some
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144 Emacs command sequences are invoked by just one character or one
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145 event; for example, just @kbd{C-f} moves forward one character in the
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146 buffer. But Emacs also has commands that take two or more events to
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147 invoke.
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148
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149 @cindex complete key
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150 @cindex prefix key
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151 If a sequence of events is enough to invoke a command, it is a
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152 @dfn{complete key}. Examples of complete keys include @kbd{C-a},
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153 @kbd{X}, @key{RET}, @key{NEXT} (a function key), @key{DOWN} (an arrow
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154 key), @kbd{C-x C-f}, and @kbd{C-x 4 C-f}. If it isn't long enough to be
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155 complete, we call it a @dfn{prefix key}. The above examples show that
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156 @kbd{C-x} and @kbd{C-x 4} are prefix keys. Every key sequence is either
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157 a complete key or a prefix key.
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158
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159 Most single characters constitute complete keys in the standard Emacs
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160 command bindings. A few of them are prefix keys. A prefix key combines
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161 with the following input event to make a longer key sequence, which may
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162 itself be complete or a prefix. For example, @kbd{C-x} is a prefix key,
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163 so @kbd{C-x} and the next input event combine to make a two-event
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164 key sequence. Most of these key sequences are complete keys, including
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165 @kbd{C-x C-f} and @kbd{C-x b}. A few, such as @kbd{C-x 4} and @kbd{C-x
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166 r}, are themselves prefix keys that lead to three-event key
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167 sequences. There's no limit to the length of a key sequence, but in
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168 practice people rarely use sequences longer than four events.
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169
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170 You can't add input events onto a complete key. For example, the
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171 two-event sequence @kbd{C-f C-k} is not a key, because the @kbd{C-f}
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172 is a complete key in itself. It's impossible to give @kbd{C-f C-k} an
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173 independent meaning as a command. @kbd{C-f C-k} is two key sequences,
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174 not one.@refill
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175
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176 All told, the prefix keys in Emacs are @kbd{C-c}, @kbd{C-h},
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177 @kbd{C-x}, @kbd{C-x @key{RET}}, @kbd{C-x @@}, @kbd{C-x a}, @kbd{C-x
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178 n}, @w{@kbd{C-x r}}, @kbd{C-x v}, @kbd{C-x 4}, @kbd{C-x 5}, @kbd{C-x
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179 6}, @key{ESC}, @kbd{M-g}, and @kbd{M-o}. (@key{F1} and @key{F2} are
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180 aliases for @kbd{C-h} and @kbd{C-x 6}.) This list is not cast in stone;
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181 it describes the standard key bindings. If you customize Emacs, you can make
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182 new prefix keys, or eliminate some of the standard ones (not
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183 recommended for most users). @xref{Key Bindings}.
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184
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185 If you make or eliminate prefix keys, that changes the set of
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186 possible key sequences. For example, if you redefine @kbd{C-f} as a
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187 prefix, @kbd{C-f C-k} automatically becomes a key (complete, unless
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188 you define that too as a prefix). Conversely, if you remove the
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189 prefix definition of @kbd{C-x 4}, then @kbd{C-x 4 f} and @kbd{C-x 4
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190 @var{anything}} are no longer keys.
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191
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192 Typing the help character (@kbd{C-h} or @key{F1}) after a prefix key
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193 displays a list of the commands starting with that prefix. There are
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194 a few prefix keys after which @kbd{C-h} does not work---for historical
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195 reasons, they define other meanings for @kbd{C-h} which are painful to
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196 change. @key{F1} works after all prefix keys.
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197
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198 @node Commands, Text Characters, Keys, Top
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199 @section Keys and Commands
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200
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201 @cindex binding
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202 @cindex command
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203 @cindex function definition
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204 This manual is full of passages that tell you what particular keys
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205 do. But Emacs does not assign meanings to keys directly. Instead,
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206 Emacs assigns meanings to named @dfn{commands}, and then gives keys
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207 their meanings by @dfn{binding} them to commands.
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208
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209 Every command has a name chosen by a programmer. The name is
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210 usually made of a few English words separated by dashes; for example,
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211 @code{next-line} or @code{forward-word}. A command also has a
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212 @dfn{function definition} which is a Lisp program; this is how the
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213 command does its work. In Emacs Lisp, a command is a Lisp function with
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214 special options to read arguments and for interactive use. For more
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215 information on commands and functions, see @ref{What Is a Function,,
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216 What Is a Function, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}. (The
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217 definition here is simplified slightly.)
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218
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219 The bindings between keys and commands are recorded in tables called
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220 @dfn{keymaps}. @xref{Keymaps}.
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221
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222 When we say that ``@kbd{C-n} moves down vertically one line'' we are
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223 glossing over a subtle distinction that is irrelevant in ordinary use,
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224 but vital for Emacs customization. The command @code{next-line} does
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225 a vertical move downward. @kbd{C-n} has this effect @emph{because} it
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226 is bound to @code{next-line}. If you rebind @kbd{C-n} to the command
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227 @code{forward-word}, @kbd{C-n} will move forward one word instead.
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228 Rebinding keys is an important method of customization.
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229
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230 In the rest of this manual, we usually ignore this distinction to
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231 keep things simple. We will often speak of keys like @kbd{C-n} as
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232 commands, even though strictly speaking the key is bound to a command.
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233 Usually we state the name of the command which really does the work in
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234 parentheses after mentioning the key that runs it. For example, we
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235 will say that ``The command @kbd{C-n} (@code{next-line}) moves point
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236 vertically down,'' meaning that the command @code{next-line} moves
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237 vertically down, and the key @kbd{C-n} is normally bound to it.
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238
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239 Since we are discussing customization, we should tell you about
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240 @dfn{variables}. Often the description of a command will say, ``To
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241 change this, set the variable @code{mumble-foo}.'' A variable is a
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242 name used to store a value. Most of the variables documented in this
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243 manual are meant for customization: some command or other part of
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244 Emacs examines the variable and behaves differently according to the
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245 value that you set. You can ignore the information about variables
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246 until you are interested in customizing them. Then read the basic
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247 information on variables (@pxref{Variables}) and the information about
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248 specific variables will make sense.
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249
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250 @node Text Characters, Entering Emacs, Commands, Top
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251 @section Character Set for Text
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252 @cindex characters (in text)
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253
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254 Text in Emacs buffers is a sequence of characters. In the simplest
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255 case, these are @acronym{ASCII} characters, each stored in one 8-bit
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256 byte. Both @acronym{ASCII} control characters (octal codes 000
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257 through 037, and 0177) and @acronym{ASCII} printing characters (codes
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258 040 through 0176) are allowed. The other modifier flags used in
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259 keyboard input, such as Meta, are not allowed in buffers.
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260
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261 Non-@acronym{ASCII} printing characters can also appear in buffers,
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262 when multibyte characters are enabled. They have character codes
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263 starting at 256, octal 0400, and each one is represented as a sequence
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264 of two or more bytes. @xref{International}. Single-byte characters
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265 with codes 128 through 255 can also appear in multibyte buffers.
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266 However, non-@acronym{ASCII} control characters cannot appear in a
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267 buffer.
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268
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269 Some @acronym{ASCII} control characters serve special purposes in text, and have
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270 special names. For example, the newline character (octal code 012) is
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271 used in the buffer to end a line, and the tab character (octal code 011)
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272 is used for indenting to the next tab stop column (normally every 8
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273 columns). @xref{Text Display}.
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274
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275 If you disable multibyte characters, then you can use only one
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276 alphabet of non-@acronym{ASCII} characters, which all fit in one byte.
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277 They use octal codes 0200 through 0377. @xref{Unibyte Mode}.
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278
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279 @ifnottex
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280 @lowersections
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281 @end ifnottex
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282
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283 @ignore
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284 arch-tag: 9be43eef-d1f4-4d03-a916-c741ea713a45
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285 @end ignore