Mercurial > emacs
annotate man/m-x.texi @ 75636:dccc7ead1ede
Fix typo.
author | Chong Yidong <cyd@stupidchicken.com> |
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date | Sat, 03 Feb 2007 17:14:45 +0000 |
parents | 4ad431d8e164 |
children | 02b9a9aa5b0c 95d0cdf160ea |
rev | line source |
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25829 | 1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual. |
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2 @c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2002, |
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3 @c 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
25829 | 4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions. |
5 @node M-x, Help, Minibuffer, Top | |
6 @chapter Running Commands by Name | |
7 | |
71585 | 8 Every Emacs command has a name that you can use to run it. For |
9 convenience, many commands also have key bindings. You can run those | |
10 commands by typing the keys, or run them by name. Most Emacs commands | |
11 have no key bindings, so the only way to run them is by name. | |
12 (@xref{Key Bindings}, for how to set up key bindings.) | |
25829 | 13 |
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14 By convention, a command name consists of one or more words, |
25829 | 15 separated by hyphens; for example, @code{auto-fill-mode} or |
71585 | 16 @code{manual-entry}. Command names mostly use complete English words |
17 to make them easier to remember. | |
25829 | 18 |
19 @kindex M-x | |
71585 | 20 To run a command by name, start with @kbd{M-x}, type the command |
21 name, then terminate it with @key{RET}. @kbd{M-x} uses the minibuffer | |
22 to read the command name. The string @samp{M-x} appears at the | |
23 beginning of the minibuffer as a @dfn{prompt} to remind you to enter a | |
24 command name to be run. @key{RET} exits the minibuffer and runs the | |
25 command. @xref{Minibuffer}, for more information on the minibuffer. | |
25829 | 26 |
71592 | 27 You can use completion to enter the command name. For example, |
71585 | 28 to invoke the command @code{forward-char}, you can type |
25829 | 29 |
30 @example | |
31 M-x forward-char @key{RET} | |
32 @end example | |
33 | |
34 @noindent | |
35 or | |
36 | |
37 @example | |
38 M-x forw @key{TAB} c @key{RET} | |
39 @end example | |
40 | |
41 @noindent | |
42 Note that @code{forward-char} is the same command that you invoke with | |
71585 | 43 the key @kbd{C-f}. The existence of a key binding does not stop you |
44 from running the command by name. | |
25829 | 45 |
71585 | 46 To cancel the @kbd{M-x} and not run a command, type @kbd{C-g} instead |
47 of entering the command name. This takes you back to command level. | |
25829 | 48 |
49 To pass a numeric argument to the command you are invoking with | |
71585 | 50 @kbd{M-x}, specify the numeric argument before @kbd{M-x}. The |
51 argument value appears in the prompt while the command name is being | |
52 read, and finally @kbd{M-x} passes the argument to that command. | |
25829 | 53 |
54 @vindex suggest-key-bindings | |
71585 | 55 When the command you run with @kbd{M-x} has a key binding, Emacs |
56 mentions this in the echo area after running the command. For | |
57 example, if you type @kbd{M-x forward-word}, the message says that you | |
58 can run the same command by typing @kbd{M-f}. You can turn off these | |
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59 messages by setting the variable @code{suggest-key-bindings} to |
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60 @code{nil}. |
25829 | 61 |
71585 | 62 In this manual, when we speak of running a command by name, we often |
63 omit the @key{RET} that terminates the name. Thus we might say | |
64 @kbd{M-x auto-fill-mode} rather than @kbd{M-x auto-fill-mode | |
65 @key{RET}}. We mention the @key{RET} only for emphasis, such as when | |
66 the command is followed by arguments. | |
25829 | 67 |
68 @findex execute-extended-command | |
69 @kbd{M-x} works by running the command | |
70 @code{execute-extended-command}, which is responsible for reading the | |
71 name of another command and invoking it. | |
52401 | 72 |
73 @ignore | |
74 arch-tag: b67bff53-9628-4666-b94e-eda972a7ba56 | |
75 @end ignore |