comparison man/programs.texi @ 38867:bd208373c5a8

Many clarifications.

38866:662d4bf4871a

@chapter Editing Programs
@cindex Lisp editing
@cindex C editing
@cindex program editing

  Emacs provides many features to facilitate editing programs.  These
features can:

@itemize @bullet
@item
Find or move over top-level definitions (@pxref{Defuns}).
@item

@item
Balance parentheses (@pxref{Parentheses}).
@item
Highlight program syntax (@pxref{Font Lock}).
@end itemize

@menu
* Program Modes::       Major modes for editing programs.
* Defuns::              Commands to operate on major top-level parts
                          of a program.

  Emacs has specialized major modes for various programming languages.
@xref{Major Modes}.  A programming language major mode typically
specifies the syntax of expressions, the customary rules for
indentation, how to do syntax highlighting for the language, and how
to find the beginning of a function definition.  They often provide
facilities for compiling and debugging programs as well.

  Ideally, Emacs should provide a major mode for each programming
language that you might want to edit; if it doesn't have a mode for
your favorite language, you can contribute one.  But often the mode
for one language can serve for other syntactically similar languages.
The major mode for language @var{l} is called @code{@var{l}-mode},
and you can enable it by typing @kbd{M-x @var{l}-mode @key{RET}}.
@xref{Choosing Modes}.

@cindex Perl mode
@cindex Icon mode
@cindex Awk mode

format), Icon, IDL (CORBA), IDLWAVE, Java, Metafont (@TeX{}'s
companion for font creation), Modula2, Objective-C, Octave, Pascal,
Perl, Pike, PostScript, Prolog, Simula, Tcl, and VHDL.  There is
also a major mode for makefiles, called Makefile mode.  An alternative
mode for Perl is called CPerl mode.  Modes are available for the
scripting languages of the common Unix shells, VMS DCL, and
MS-DOS/MS-Windows @samp{BAT} files.  There are also major modes for
editing various sorts of configuration files.

@kindex DEL @r{(programming modes)}
@findex c-electric-backspace
  In most programming languages, indentation should vary from line to
line to illustrate the structure of the program.  So the major modes
for program languages arrange for @key{TAB} to update the indentation
of the current line.  They also rebind @key{DEL} to treat a tab as if
it were the equivalent number of spaces.  This makes it possible to
reduce indentation one column at a time without worrying whether it is
made up of spaces or tabs.  Use @kbd{C-b C-d} to delete a tab
character before point, in these modes.

  Separate manuals are available for the modes for Ada (@pxref{Top, , Ada
Mode, ada-mode, Ada Mode}), C/C++/Objective C/Java/Corba IDL
(@pxref{Top, , CC Mode, ccmode, CC Mode}) and the IDLWAVE modes
(@pxref{Top, , IDLWAVE, idlwave, IDLWAVE User Manual}).

command while point is between defuns, it uses the following defun.

  In C mode, @kbd{C-M-h} runs the function @code{c-mark-function},
which is almost the same as @code{mark-defun}; the difference is that
it backs up over the argument declarations, function name and returned
data type so that the entire C function is inside the region.
@xref{Marking Objects}.  This is an example of how major modes adjust
the standard key bindings so that they do their standard jobs in a way
better fitting a particular language.  Other major modes may adjust
any or all of these key bindings for that purpose.

@node Imenu
@subsection Imenu
@cindex indexes of buffer contents
@cindex buffer content indexes
@cindex tags

  The Imenu facility offers a way to find the the major definitions in
a file by name.  It is also useful in text formatter major modes,
where it treats each chapter, section, etc., as a definition.
(@pxref{Tags}, for a more powerful feature that handles multiple files
together.)

@findex imenu
  If you type @kbd{M-x imenu}, it reads the name of a definition using
the minibuffer, then goes to that definition.  You can use completion
to specify the name, and a complete list of possible names is always
displayed.

@findex imenu-add-menubar-index
  Alternatively, you can bind the command @code{imenu} to a mouse
click.  Then it displays mouse menus for you to select the definition
you want.  You can also add the buffer's index to the menu bar by
calling @code{imenu-add-menubar-index}.  If you want to have this
menu bar item available for all buffers in a certain major mode, you
can do this by adding @code{imenu-add-menubar-index} to its mode
hook.  But then you will have to wait for the buffer to be searched
for definitions, each time you visit a file which uses that mode.

@vindex imenu-auto-rescan
  When you change the contents of a buffer, if you add or delete
definitions, you can update the buffer's index to correspond to the
new contents by invoking the @samp{*Rescan*} item in the menu.
Rescanning happens automatically if @code{imenu-auto-rescan} is
non-@code{nil}.  There is no need to rescan because of small changes
in the text.

@vindex imenu-sort-function
  You can customize the way the menus are sorted by setting the
variable @code{imenu-sort-function}.  By default names are ordered as
they occur in the buffer; if you want alphabetic sorting, use the
symbol @code{imenu--sort-by-name} as the value.  You can also
define your own comparison function by writing Lisp code.

  Imenu provides the information to guide Which Function mode

@findex which-function-mode
@vindex which-func-modes
  To enable (or disable) Which Function mode, use the command @kbd{M-x
which-function-mode}.  This command is global; it applies to all
buffers, both existing ones and those yet to be created.  However, this
only affects certain major modes, those listed in the value of
@code{which-func-modes}.  If the value is @code{t}, then Which Function
mode applies to all major modes that know how to support it---which are
the major modes that support Imenu.

@node Program Indent
@section Indentation for Programs
@cindex indentation for programs

@item @key{TAB}
Adjust indentation of current line.
@item C-j
Equivalent to @key{RET} followed by @key{TAB} (@code{newline-and-indent}).
@item @key{LINEFEED}
This key is a way to enter @kbd{C-j}, on some keyboards.
@end table

@kindex TAB @r{(programming modes)}
@findex c-indent-command
@findex indent-line-function

you have several commands available.

@table @kbd
@item C-M-q
Reindent all the lines within one parenthetical grouping(@code{indent-sexp}).
@item C-u @key{TAB}
Shift an entire parenthetical grouping rigidly sideways so that its
first line is properly indented.
@item C-M-\
Reindent all lines in the region (@code{indent-region}).
@item M-x indent-code-rigidly
Shift all the lines in the region rigidly sideways, but do not alter
lines that start inside comments and strings.
@end table

bound to other suitable commands in other modes).  The indentation of
the line where the grouping starts is not changed; therefore, this
changes only the relative indentation within the grouping, not its
overall indentation.  To correct that as well, type @key{TAB} first.

@kindex C-u TAB
  If you like the relative indentation within a grouping, but not the
indentation of its first line, you can type @kbd{C-u @key{TAB}} to
reindent the whole grouping as a rigid unit.  (This works in Lisp
modes and C and related modes.)  @key{TAB} with a numeric argument

all the lines in the parenthetical grouping starting on the current
line.  It is clever, though, and does not alter lines that start
inside strings, or C preprocessor lines when in C mode.

@findex indent-code-rigidly
  Another way to specify the range to be reindented is with the region.
The command @kbd{C-M-\} (@code{indent-region}) applies @key{TAB} to
every line whose first character is between point and mark.  The command
@kbd{M-x indent-code-rigidly} rigidly shifts all the lines in the region
sideways, like @code{indent-rigidly} does (@pxref{Indentation
Commands}), except that it doesn't alter the indentation of lines that
start inside a comment or a string, unless the region starts inside that
comment or string.

@node Lisp Indent
@subsection Customizing Lisp Indentation
@cindex customizing Lisp indentation

@table @asis
@item @code{nil}
This is the same as no property---use the standard indentation pattern.
@item @code{defun}
Handle this function like a @samp{def} construct: treat the second
line the start of a @dfn{body}.
@item a number, @var{number}
The first @var{number} arguments of the function are
@dfn{distinguished} arguments; the rest are considered the body
of the expression.  A line in the expression is indented according to
whether the first argument on it is distinguished or not.  If the

@findex c-set-style
  To choose a style for the current buffer, use the command @kbd{M-x
c-set-style}.  Specify a style name as an argument (case is not
significant).  This command affects the current buffer only, and it
affects only future invocations of the indentation commands; it does
not change the indentation of the code in the buffer.  To reindent the
whole buffer in the new style, you can type @kbd{C-x h C-M-\}.

@vindex c-default-style
  You can also set the variable @code{c-default-style} to specify the
default style for various major modes.  Its value should be an alist,
in which each element specifies one major mode and which indentation

@end example

@noindent
specifies an explicit choice for Java mode, and the default @samp{gnu}
style for the other C-like modes.  This variable takes effect when you
switch to one of the C-like major modes; thus, if you specify a new
default style for Java mode, you can make it take effect in an
existing Java mode buffer by typing @kbd{M-x java-mode} there.

  The @code{gnu} style specifies the formatting recommended by the GNU
Project for C; it is the default, so as to encourage use of our
recommended style.

  @xref{Customizing Indentation,, cc-mode, the CC Mode Manual}, for
more information on customizing indentation for C and related modes,
including how to override parts of an existing style and how to define
your own styles.

@node Parentheses

of the parenthesis structure in a program, or help you keep it
balanced.

  When talking about these facilities, the term ``parenthesis'' also
includes braces, brackets, or whatever delimiters are defined to match
in pairs.  This is controlled by the major mode, through the syntax
table (@pxref{Syntax}).  In Lisp, only parentheses count; in C, these
commands apply to braces and brackets too.

  You can use @kbd{M-x check-parens} to find any unbalanced
parentheses and unbalanced string quotes in the buffer.

@menu

@end table

  Each programming language major mode customizes the definition of
balanced expressions to suit that language.  Balanced expressions
typically include symbols, numbers, and string constants, as well as
anything contained in parentheses, brackets or braces.  Some languages
have obscure forms of expression syntax that nobody has bothered to
implement in Emacs.

@cindex Control-Meta
  By convention, the keys for these commands are always Control-Meta
characters.  They usually act like the corresponding Meta characters,
except that they take note of parentheses and their contents.  For
instance, the command @kbd{C-M-b} moves backward over a balanced
expression, just as @kbd{M-b} moves back over a word.

@kindex C-M-f
@kindex C-M-b
@findex forward-sexp
@findex backward-sexp

@kindex C-M-t
@findex transpose-sexps
  A somewhat random-sounding command which is nevertheless handy is
@kbd{C-M-t} (@code{transpose-sexps}), which drags the previous
balanced expression across the next one.  An argument serves as a
repeat count, and a negative argument drags backwards (thus canceling
out the effect of @kbd{C-M-t} with a positive argument).  An argument
of zero, rather than doing nothing, transposes the balanced
expressions ending after point and the mark.

@kindex C-M-@@
@findex mark-sexp
  To set the region around the next balanced expression in the buffer,
use @kbd{C-M-@@} (@code{mark-sexp}), which sets mark at the same place

not treat @samp{foo + bar} as a single expression, even though it
@emph{is} one C expression; instead, it recognizes @samp{foo} as one
expression and @samp{bar} as another, with the @samp{+} as punctuation
between them.  Both @samp{foo + bar} and @samp{foo} are legitimate
choices for ``the expression following point'' when point is at the
@samp{f}.  Note that @samp{(foo + bar)} does act as a single
expression in C mode.

@node Moving by Parens
@subsection Moving in the Parenthesis Structure

@cindex parenthetical groupings

  The Emacs parenthesis-matching feature is designed to show
automatically how parentheses (and other matching delimiters) match in
the text.  Whenever you type a self-inserting character that is a
closing delimiter, the cursor moves momentarily to the location of the
matching opening delimiter, provided that is on the screen.  If it is
not on the screen, Emacs displays some text near it in the echo area.
Either way, you can tell what grouping you are closing off.

  If the opening delimiter and closing delimiter are mismatched---such
as in @samp{[x)}---a warning message is displayed in the echo area.

@vindex blink-matching-paren

typically available with the appropriate GNU package.

@node Man Page
@subsection Man Page Lookup

  Eventually the GNU project hopes to replace most man pages in the
GNU operating system with better-organized manuals that you can browse
with Info (@pxref{Misc Help}).  Since this process is not finished, it
is still useful to read manual pages.

@findex manual-entry
@cindex manual pages
  You can read the ``man page'' for an operating system command,
library function, or system call, with the @kbd{M-x manual-entry}
command.  It runs the @code{man} program to format the man page, and
runs it asynchronously if your system permits, so that you can keep on
editing while the page is being formatted.  (MS-DOS and MS-Windows 3
do not permit asynchronous subprocesses, so on these systems you
cannot edit while Emacs waits for @code{man} to finish.)  The result
goes in a buffer named @samp{*Man @var{topic}*}.  These buffers use a
special major mode, Man mode, that facilitates scrolling and jumping
to other manual pages.  For details, type @kbd{C-h m} while in a man
page buffer.

@cindex sections of manual pages
  Each man page belongs to one of around ten @dfn{sections}; sometimes
there are multiple man pages with the same name in different sections.
To read a man page from a specific section, type
@samp{@var{topic}(@var{section})} or @samp{@var{section} @var{topic}}
when @kbd{M-x manual-entry} prompts for the topic.  For example, to
read the man page for the C library function @code{chmod} (as opposed
to a command by the same name), type @kbd{M-x manual-entry @key{RET}
chmod(2v) @key{RET}} (assuming @code{chmod} is in section @samp{2v}).

@vindex Man-switches
  If you do not specify a section, the results depend on how the
@code{man} program works on your system.  Some of them display only
the first man page they find.  Others display all man pages that have

the man pages for the specified topic.  If you want this behavior, you
can add this option to the value of the variable @code{Man-switches}.}.
The mode line shows how many manual pages are present in the Man buffer.

@vindex Man-fontify-manpage-flag
  By default, Emacs uses faces in man pages if Emacs can display
different fonts or colors.  For a long man page, setting the faces
properly can take substantial time.  You can turn off use of faces in
man pages by setting the variable @code{Man-fontify-manpage-flag} to
@code{nil}.

@findex Man-fontify-manpage
  If you insert the text of a man page into an Emacs buffer in some
other fashion, you can use the command @kbd{M-x Man-fontify-manpage} to
perform the same conversions that @kbd{M-x manual-entry} does.

@vindex woman-manpath
  By default, @kbd{M-x woman} looks for manual pages in the
directories specified in the @code{MANPATH} environment variable.  (If
@code{MANPATH} is not set, @code{woman} uses a suitable default value,
which can be customized.)  More precisely, @code{woman} looks for
subdirectories that match the shell wildcard @file{man*} in each one
of these directories, and tries to find the manual pages in those
subdirectories.  When first invoked, @kbd{M-x woman} converts the
value of @code{MANPATH} to a list of directory names and stores that
list in the @code{woman-manpath} variable.  Changing the value of this
variable is another way to control the list of directories used.

@item nil
Open neither blocks nor comments.
@end table

@item hs-special-modes-alist
A list of elements, each Specifying how to initialize Hideshow
variables for one major mode.  See the variable's documentation string
for more information.
@end table

@node Symbol Completion
@section Completion for Symbol Names
@cindex completion (symbol names)

  Usually completion happens in the minibuffer.  But one kind of completion
is available in all buffers: completion for symbol names.

@kindex M-TAB
  The character @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} runs a command to complete the partial
symbol before point against the set of meaningful symbol names.  Any
additional characters determined by the partial name are inserted at
point.

  If the partial name in the buffer has more than one possible completion
and they have no additional characters in common, a list of all possible
completions is displayed in another window.

@cindex tags-based completion
@cindex Info index completion
@findex complete-symbol
  In most programming language major modes, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} runs the

@cindex identifiers, making long ones readable
@cindex StudlyCaps, making them readable
@findex glasses-mode

  Glasses minor mode makes @samp{unreadableIdentifiersLikeThis}
readable by altering the display.  It knows two different ways to do
this: by displaying underscores between a lower-case letter and the
following capital letter, or by emboldening the capital letters.  It
does not alter the buffer text, only the way they display, so you can
use it even on read-only buffers.  You can use the command @kbd{M-x
glasses-mode} to enable or disable the mode; you can also add
@code{glasses-mode} to the mode hook of appropriate programming
language major modes.

@node Misc for Programs
@section Other Features Useful for Editing Programs

  A number of Emacs commands that aren't designed specifically for
editing programs are useful for it nonetheless.

  The Emacs commands that operate on words, sentences and paragraphs
are useful for editing code.  Most symbols names contain words
(@pxref{Words}); sentences can be found in strings and comments
(@pxref{Sentences}).  Paragraphs in the strict sense may be found in
program code (in long comments), but the paragraph commands are useful
in other places too, because programming language major modes define
paragraphs to begin and end at blank lines (@pxref{Paragraphs}).
Judicious use of blank lines to make the program clearer will also
provide useful chunks of text for the paragraph commands to work on.

38867:bd208373c5a8

@chapter Editing Programs
@cindex Lisp editing
@cindex C editing
@cindex program editing

  Emacs provides many features to facilitate editing programs.  Some
of these features can

@itemize @bullet
@item
Find or move over top-level definitions (@pxref{Defuns}).
@item

@item
Balance parentheses (@pxref{Parentheses}).
@item
Highlight program syntax (@pxref{Font Lock}).
@end itemize

  This chapter describes these features and many more.

@menu
* Program Modes::       Major modes for editing programs.
* Defuns::              Commands to operate on major top-level parts
                          of a program.

  Emacs has specialized major modes for various programming languages.
@xref{Major Modes}.  A programming language major mode typically
specifies the syntax of expressions, the customary rules for
indentation, how to do syntax highlighting for the language, and how
to find the beginning of a function definition.  It often customizes
or provides facilities for compiling and debugging programs as well.

  Ideally, Emacs should provide a major mode for each programming
language that you might want to edit; if it doesn't have a mode for
your favorite language, you can contribute one.  But often the mode
for one language can serve for other syntactically similar languages.
The major mode for language @var{l} is called @code{@var{l}-mode},
and you can select it by typing @kbd{M-x @var{l}-mode @key{RET}}.
@xref{Choosing Modes}.

@cindex Perl mode
@cindex Icon mode
@cindex Awk mode

format), Icon, IDL (CORBA), IDLWAVE, Java, Metafont (@TeX{}'s
companion for font creation), Modula2, Objective-C, Octave, Pascal,
Perl, Pike, PostScript, Prolog, Simula, Tcl, and VHDL.  There is
also a major mode for makefiles, called Makefile mode.  An alternative
mode for Perl is called CPerl mode.  Modes are available for the
scripting languages of the common GNU and Unix shells, VMS DCL, and
MS-DOS/MS-Windows @samp{BAT} files.  There are also major modes for
editing various sorts of configuration files.

@kindex DEL @r{(programming modes)}
@findex c-electric-backspace
  In most programming languages, indentation should vary from line to
line to illustrate the structure of the program.  So the major modes
for programming languages arrange for @key{TAB} to update the
indentation of the current line.  They also rebind @key{DEL} to treat
a tab as if it were the equivalent number of spaces; this lets you
delete one column of indentation without worrying whether the
whitespace consists of spaces or tabs.  Use @kbd{C-b C-d} to delete a
tab character before point, in these modes.

  Separate manuals are available for the modes for Ada (@pxref{Top, , Ada
Mode, ada-mode, Ada Mode}), C/C++/Objective C/Java/Corba IDL
(@pxref{Top, , CC Mode, ccmode, CC Mode}) and the IDLWAVE modes
(@pxref{Top, , IDLWAVE, idlwave, IDLWAVE User Manual}).

command while point is between defuns, it uses the following defun.

  In C mode, @kbd{C-M-h} runs the function @code{c-mark-function},
which is almost the same as @code{mark-defun}; the difference is that
it backs up over the argument declarations, function name and returned
data type so that the entire C function is inside the region.  This is
an example of how major modes adjust the standard key bindings so that
they do their standard jobs in a way better fitting a particular
language.  Other major modes may replace any or all of these key
bindings for that purpose.

@node Imenu
@subsection Imenu
@cindex index of buffer definitions
@cindex buffer definitions index
@cindex tags

  The Imenu facility offers a way to find the the major definitions in
a file by name.  It is also useful in text formatter major modes,
where it treats each chapter, section, etc., as a definition.
(@xref{Tags}, for a more powerful feature that handles multiple files
together.)

@findex imenu
  If you type @kbd{M-x imenu}, it reads the name of a definition using
the minibuffer, then moves point to that definition.  You can use
completion to specify the name; the command always displays the whole
list of valid names.

@findex imenu-add-menubar-index
  Alternatively, you can bind the command @code{imenu} to a mouse
click.  Then it displays mouse menus for you to select a definition
name.  You can also add the buffer's index to the menu bar by calling
@code{imenu-add-menubar-index}.  If you want to have this menu bar
item available for all buffers in a certain major mode, you can do
this by adding @code{imenu-add-menubar-index} to its mode hook.  But
if you have done that, you will have to wait each time you visit a
file in that mode, while Emacs finds all the definitions in that
buffer.

@vindex imenu-auto-rescan
  When you change the contents of a buffer, if you add or delete
definitions, you can update the buffer's index based on the
new contents by invoking the @samp{*Rescan*} item in the menu.
Rescanning happens automatically you set @code{imenu-auto-rescan} to a
non-@code{nil} value.  There is no need to rescan because of small
changes in the text.

@vindex imenu-sort-function
  You can customize the way the menus are sorted by setting the
variable @code{imenu-sort-function}.  By default, names are ordered as
they occur in the buffer; if you want alphabetic sorting, use the
symbol @code{imenu--sort-by-name} as the value.  You can also
define your own comparison function by writing Lisp code.

  Imenu provides the information to guide Which Function mode

@findex which-function-mode
@vindex which-func-modes
  To enable (or disable) Which Function mode, use the command @kbd{M-x
which-function-mode}.  This command is global; it applies to all
buffers, both existing ones and those yet to be created.  However,
it only takes effect in certain major modes, those listed in the value of
@code{which-func-modes}.  If the value is @code{t}, then Which
Function mode applies to all major modes that know how to support
it---in other words, all the major modes that support Imenu.

@node Program Indent
@section Indentation for Programs
@cindex indentation for programs

@item @key{TAB}
Adjust indentation of current line.
@item C-j
Equivalent to @key{RET} followed by @key{TAB} (@code{newline-and-indent}).
@item @key{LINEFEED}
This key, if the keyboard has it, is another way to enter @kbd{C-j}.
@end table

@kindex TAB @r{(programming modes)}
@findex c-indent-command
@findex indent-line-function

you have several commands available.

@table @kbd
@item C-M-q
Reindent all the lines within one parenthetical grouping(@code{indent-sexp}).
@item C-M-\
Reindent all lines in the region (@code{indent-region}).
@item C-u @key{TAB}
Shift an entire parenthetical grouping rigidly sideways so that its
first line is properly indented.
@item M-x indent-code-rigidly
Shift all the lines in the region rigidly sideways, but do not alter
lines that start inside comments and strings.
@end table

bound to other suitable commands in other modes).  The indentation of
the line where the grouping starts is not changed; therefore, this
changes only the relative indentation within the grouping, not its
overall indentation.  To correct that as well, type @key{TAB} first.

  Another way to specify the range to be reindented is with the
region.  The command @kbd{C-M-\} (@code{indent-region}) applies
@key{TAB} to every line whose first character is between point and
mark.

@kindex C-u TAB
  If you like the relative indentation within a grouping, but not the
indentation of its first line, you can type @kbd{C-u @key{TAB}} to
reindent the whole grouping as a rigid unit.  (This works in Lisp
modes and C and related modes.)  @key{TAB} with a numeric argument

all the lines in the parenthetical grouping starting on the current
line.  It is clever, though, and does not alter lines that start
inside strings, or C preprocessor lines when in C mode.

@findex indent-code-rigidly
  You can also perform this operation on the region, using the command
@kbd{M-x indent-code-rigidly}.  It rigidly shifts all the lines in the
region sideways, like @code{indent-rigidly} does (@pxref{Indentation
Commands}).  It doesn't alter the indentation of lines that start
inside a comment or a string, unless the region starts inside that
comment or string.

@node Lisp Indent
@subsection Customizing Lisp Indentation
@cindex customizing Lisp indentation

@table @asis
@item @code{nil}
This is the same as no property---use the standard indentation pattern.
@item @code{defun}
Handle this function like a @samp{def} construct: treat the second
line as the start of a @dfn{body}.
@item a number, @var{number}
The first @var{number} arguments of the function are
@dfn{distinguished} arguments; the rest are considered the body
of the expression.  A line in the expression is indented according to
whether the first argument on it is distinguished or not.  If the

@findex c-set-style
  To choose a style for the current buffer, use the command @kbd{M-x
c-set-style}.  Specify a style name as an argument (case is not
significant).  This command affects the current buffer only, and it
affects only future invocations of the indentation commands; it does
not reindent the code in the buffer.  To reindent the whole buffer in
the new style, you can type @kbd{C-x h C-M-\}.

@vindex c-default-style
  You can also set the variable @code{c-default-style} to specify the
default style for various major modes.  Its value should be an alist,
in which each element specifies one major mode and which indentation

@end example

@noindent
specifies an explicit choice for Java mode, and the default @samp{gnu}
style for the other C-like modes.  This variable takes effect when you
select one of the C-like major modes; thus, if you specify a new
default style for Java mode, you can make it take effect in an
existing Java mode buffer by typing @kbd{M-x java-mode} there.

  The @code{gnu} style specifies the formatting recommended by the GNU
Project for C; it is the default, so as to encourage use of our
recommended style.

  @xref{Customizing Indentation,,, cc-mode, the CC Mode Manual}, for
more information on customizing indentation for C and related modes,
including how to override parts of an existing style and how to define
your own styles.

@node Parentheses

of the parenthesis structure in a program, or help you keep it
balanced.

  When talking about these facilities, the term ``parenthesis'' also
includes braces, brackets, or whatever delimiters are defined to match
in pairs.  The major mode controls which delimiters are significant,
through the syntax table (@pxref{Syntax}).  In Lisp, only parentheses
count; in C, these commands apply to braces and brackets too.

  You can use @kbd{M-x check-parens} to find any unbalanced
parentheses and unbalanced string quotes in the buffer.

@menu

@end table

  Each programming language major mode customizes the definition of
balanced expressions to suit that language.  Balanced expressions
typically include symbols, numbers, and string constants, as well as
any pair of matching delimiters and their contents.  Some languages
have obscure forms of expression syntax that nobody has bothered to
implement in Emacs.

@cindex Control-Meta
  By convention, the keys for these commands are all Control-Meta
characters.  They usually act on expressions just as the corresponding
Meta characters act on words.  For instance, the command @kbd{C-M-b}
moves backward over a balanced expression, just as @kbd{M-b} moves
back over a word.

@kindex C-M-f
@kindex C-M-b
@findex forward-sexp
@findex backward-sexp

@kindex C-M-t
@findex transpose-sexps
  A somewhat random-sounding command which is nevertheless handy is
@kbd{C-M-t} (@code{transpose-sexps}), which drags the previous
balanced expression across the next one.  An argument serves as a
repeat count, and a negative argument drags the previous balanced
expression backwards across those before it (thus canceling out the
effect of @kbd{C-M-t} with a positive argument).  An argument of zero,
rather than doing nothing, transposes the balanced expressions ending
at or after point and the mark.

@kindex C-M-@@
@findex mark-sexp
  To set the region around the next balanced expression in the buffer,
use @kbd{C-M-@@} (@code{mark-sexp}), which sets mark at the same place

not treat @samp{foo + bar} as a single expression, even though it
@emph{is} one C expression; instead, it recognizes @samp{foo} as one
expression and @samp{bar} as another, with the @samp{+} as punctuation
between them.  Both @samp{foo + bar} and @samp{foo} are legitimate
choices for ``the expression following point'' when point is at the
@samp{f}, so the expression commands must perforce choose one or the
other to operate on.  Note that @samp{(foo + bar)} is recognized as a
single expression in C mode, because of the parentheses.

@node Moving by Parens
@subsection Moving in the Parenthesis Structure

@cindex parenthetical groupings

  The Emacs parenthesis-matching feature is designed to show
automatically how parentheses (and other matching delimiters) match in
the text.  Whenever you type a self-inserting character that is a
closing delimiter, the cursor moves momentarily to the location of the
matching opening delimiter, provided that is on the screen.  If it is
not on the screen, Emacs displays some of the text near it in the echo
area.  Either way, you can tell which grouping you are closing off.

  If the opening delimiter and closing delimiter are mismatched---such
as in @samp{[x)}---a warning message is displayed in the echo area.

@vindex blink-matching-paren

typically available with the appropriate GNU package.

@node Man Page
@subsection Man Page Lookup

@cindex manual page
  On Unix, the main form of on-line documentation was the @dfn{manual
page} or @dfn{man page}.  In the GNU operating system, we hope to
replace man pages with better-organized manuals that you can browse
with Info (@pxref{Misc Help}).  This process is not finished, so it is
still useful to read manual pages.

@findex manual-entry
  You can read the man page for an operating system command, library
function, or system call, with the @kbd{M-x manual-entry} command.  It
runs the @code{man} program to format the man page; if the system
permits, it runs @code{man} asynchronously, so that you can keep on
editing while the page is being formatted.  (On MS-DOS and MS-Windows
3, you cannot edit while Emacs waits for @code{man} to finish.)  The
result goes in a buffer named @samp{*Man @var{topic}*}.  These buffers
use a special major mode, Man mode, that facilitates scrolling and
jumping to other manual pages.  For details, type @kbd{C-h m} while in
a man page buffer.

@cindex sections of manual pages
  Each man page belongs to one of ten or more @dfn{sections}, each
named by a digit or by a digit and a letter.  Sometimes there are
multiple man pages with the same name in different sections.  To read
a man page from a specific section, type
@samp{@var{topic}(@var{section})} or @samp{@var{section} @var{topic}}
when @kbd{M-x manual-entry} prompts for the topic.  For example, to
read the man page for the C library function @code{chmod} (as opposed
to a command of the same name), type @kbd{M-x manual-entry @key{RET}
chmod(2) @key{RET}} (@code{chmod} is a system call, so it is in
section @samp{2}).

@vindex Man-switches
  If you do not specify a section, the results depend on how the
@code{man} program works on your system.  Some of them display only
the first man page they find.  Others display all man pages that have

the man pages for the specified topic.  If you want this behavior, you
can add this option to the value of the variable @code{Man-switches}.}.
The mode line shows how many manual pages are present in the Man buffer.

@vindex Man-fontify-manpage-flag
  By default, Emacs highlights the text in man pages.  For a long man
page, highlighting can take substantial time.  You can turn off
highlighting of man pages by setting the variable
@code{Man-fontify-manpage-flag} to @code{nil}.

@findex Man-fontify-manpage
  If you insert the text of a man page into an Emacs buffer in some
other fashion, you can use the command @kbd{M-x Man-fontify-manpage} to
perform the same conversions that @kbd{M-x manual-entry} does.

@vindex woman-manpath
  By default, @kbd{M-x woman} looks for manual pages in the
directories specified in the @code{MANPATH} environment variable.  (If
@code{MANPATH} is not set, @code{woman} uses a suitable default value,
which can be customized.)  More precisely, @code{woman} looks for
subdirectories that match the shell wildcard pattern @file{man*} in each one
of these directories, and tries to find the manual pages in those
subdirectories.  When first invoked, @kbd{M-x woman} converts the
value of @code{MANPATH} to a list of directory names and stores that
list in the @code{woman-manpath} variable.  Changing the value of this
variable is another way to control the list of directories used.

@item nil
Open neither blocks nor comments.
@end table

@item hs-special-modes-alist
A list of elements, each specifying how to initialize Hideshow
variables for one major mode.  See the variable's documentation string
for more information.
@end table

@node Symbol Completion
@section Completion for Symbol Names
@cindex completion (symbol names)

  In Emacs, completion is something you normally do in the minibuffer.
But one kind of completion is available in all buffers: completion for
symbol names.

@kindex M-TAB
  The character @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} runs a command to complete the
partial symbol before point against the set of meaningful symbol
names.  This command inserts at point any additional characters that
it can determine from the partial name.

  If the partial name in the buffer has multiple possible completions
that differ in the very next character, so that it is impossible to
complete even one more character, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} displays a list of
all possible completions in another window.

@cindex tags-based completion
@cindex Info index completion
@findex complete-symbol
  In most programming language major modes, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} runs the

@cindex identifiers, making long ones readable
@cindex StudlyCaps, making them readable
@findex glasses-mode

  Glasses minor mode makes @samp{unreadableIdentifiersLikeThis}
readable by altering the way they display.  It knows two different
ways to do this: by displaying underscores between a lower-case letter
and the following capital letter, and by emboldening the capital
letters.  It does not alter the buffer text, only the way they
display, so you can use it even on read-only buffers.  You can use the
command @kbd{M-x glasses-mode} to enable or disable the mode in the
current buffer; you can also add @code{glasses-mode} to the mode hook
of the programming language major modes in which you normally want
to use Glasses mode.        

@node Misc for Programs
@section Other Features Useful for Editing Programs

  A number of Emacs commands that aren't designed specifically for
editing programs are useful for that nonetheless.

  The Emacs commands that operate on words, sentences and paragraphs
are useful for editing code.  Most symbols names contain words
(@pxref{Words}); sentences can be found in strings and comments
(@pxref{Sentences}).  Paragraphs in the strict sense can be found in
program code (in long comments), but the paragraph commands are useful
in other places too, because programming language major modes define
paragraphs to begin and end at blank lines (@pxref{Paragraphs}).
Judicious use of blank lines to make the program clearer will also
provide useful chunks of text for the paragraph commands to work on.