comparison lispref/commands.texi @ 72212:c6f585c55a73

Update xrefs. (Event Mod): New node, cut out from old Translating Input.

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terminal can distinguish between them, Emacs conveys the distinction to
Lisp programs by representing the former as the integer 9, and the
latter as the symbol @code{tab}.

Most of the time, it's not useful to distinguish the two.  So normally
@code{function-key-map} (@pxref{Translating Input}) is set up to map
@code{tab} into 9.  Thus, a key binding for character code 9 (the
character @kbd{C-i}) also applies to @code{tab}.  Likewise for the other
symbols in this group.  The function @code{read-char} likewise converts
these events into characters.

@code{read-key-sequence}, which uses @code{read-event}.  These and other
functions for event input are also available for use in Lisp programs.
See also @code{momentary-string-display} in @ref{Temporary Displays},
and @code{sit-for} in @ref{Waiting}.  @xref{Terminal Input}, for
functions and variables for controlling terminal input modes and
debugging terminal input.  @xref{Translating Input}, for features you
can use for translating or modifying input events while reading them.

  For higher-level input facilities, see @ref{Minibuffers}.

@menu
* Key Sequence Input::		How to read one key sequence.
* Reading One Event::		How to read just one event.
* Invoking the Input Method::   How reading an event uses the input method.
* Quoted Character Input::	Asking the user to specify a character.
* Event Input Misc::    	How to reread or throw away input events.
@end menu

Otherwise, it returns a vector, since a vector can hold all kinds of
events---characters, symbols, and lists.  The elements of the string or
vector are the events in the key sequence.

Reading a key sequence includes translating the events in various
ways.  @xref{Translating Input}.

The argument @var{prompt} is either a string to be displayed in the
echo area as a prompt, or @code{nil}, meaning not to display a prompt.
The argument @var{continue-echo}, if non-@code{nil}, means to echo
this key as a continuation of the previous key.

@defvar num-nonmacro-input-events
This variable holds the total number of input events received so far
from the terminal---not counting those generated by keyboard macros.
@end defvar

@node Invoking the Input Method
@subsection Invoking the Input Method

  The event-reading functions invoke the current input method, if any
(@pxref{Input Methods}).  If the value of @code{input-method-function}

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terminal can distinguish between them, Emacs conveys the distinction to
Lisp programs by representing the former as the integer 9, and the
latter as the symbol @code{tab}.

Most of the time, it's not useful to distinguish the two.  So normally
@code{function-key-map} (@pxref{Translation Keymaps}) is set up to map
@code{tab} into 9.  Thus, a key binding for character code 9 (the
character @kbd{C-i}) also applies to @code{tab}.  Likewise for the other
symbols in this group.  The function @code{read-char} likewise converts
these events into characters.

@code{read-key-sequence}, which uses @code{read-event}.  These and other
functions for event input are also available for use in Lisp programs.
See also @code{momentary-string-display} in @ref{Temporary Displays},
and @code{sit-for} in @ref{Waiting}.  @xref{Terminal Input}, for
functions and variables for controlling terminal input modes and
debugging terminal input.

  For higher-level input facilities, see @ref{Minibuffers}.

@menu
* Key Sequence Input::		How to read one key sequence.
* Reading One Event::		How to read just one event.
* Event Mod::                   How Emacs modifies events as they are read.
* Invoking the Input Method::   How reading an event uses the input method.
* Quoted Character Input::	Asking the user to specify a character.
* Event Input Misc::    	How to reread or throw away input events.
@end menu

Otherwise, it returns a vector, since a vector can hold all kinds of
events---characters, symbols, and lists.  The elements of the string or
vector are the events in the key sequence.

Reading a key sequence includes translating the events in various
ways.  @xref{Translation Keymaps}.

The argument @var{prompt} is either a string to be displayed in the
echo area as a prompt, or @code{nil}, meaning not to display a prompt.
The argument @var{continue-echo}, if non-@code{nil}, means to echo
this key as a continuation of the previous key.

@defvar num-nonmacro-input-events
This variable holds the total number of input events received so far
from the terminal---not counting those generated by keyboard macros.
@end defvar

@node Event Mod
@subsection Modifying and Translating Input Events

  Emacs modifies every event it reads according to
@code{extra-keyboard-modifiers}, then translates it through
@code{keyboard-translate-table} (if applicable), before returning it
from @code{read-event}.

@c Emacs 19 feature
@defvar extra-keyboard-modifiers
This variable lets Lisp programs ``press'' the modifier keys on the
keyboard.  The value is a character.  Only the modifiers of the
character matter.  Each time the user types a keyboard key, it is
altered as if those modifier keys were held down.  For instance, if
you bind @code{extra-keyboard-modifiers} to @code{?\C-\M-a}, then all
keyboard input characters typed during the scope of the binding will
have the control and meta modifiers applied to them.  The character
@code{?\C-@@}, equivalent to the integer 0, does not count as a control
character for this purpose, but as a character with no modifiers.
Thus, setting @code{extra-keyboard-modifiers} to zero cancels any
modification.

When using a window system, the program can ``press'' any of the
modifier keys in this way.  Otherwise, only the @key{CTL} and @key{META}
keys can be virtually pressed.

Note that this variable applies only to events that really come from
the keyboard, and has no effect on mouse events or any other events.
@end defvar

@defvar keyboard-translate-table
This variable is the translate table for keyboard characters.  It lets
you reshuffle the keys on the keyboard without changing any command
bindings.  Its value is normally a char-table, or else @code{nil}.
(It can also be a string or vector, but this is considered obsolete.)

If @code{keyboard-translate-table} is a char-table
(@pxref{Char-Tables}), then each character read from the keyboard is
looked up in this char-table.  If the value found there is
non-@code{nil}, then it is used instead of the actual input character.

Note that this translation is the first thing that happens to a
character after it is read from the terminal.  Record-keeping features
such as @code{recent-keys} and dribble files record the characters after
translation.

Note also that this translation is done before the characters are
supplied to input methods (@pxref{Input Methods}).  Use
@code{translation-table-for-input} (@pxref{Translation of Characters}),
if you want to translate characters after input methods operate.
@end defvar

@defun keyboard-translate from to
This function modifies @code{keyboard-translate-table} to translate
character code @var{from} into character code @var{to}.  It creates
the keyboard translate table if necessary.
@end defun

  Here's an example of using the @code{keyboard-translate-table} to
make @kbd{C-x}, @kbd{C-c} and @kbd{C-v} perform the cut, copy and paste
operations:

@example
(keyboard-translate ?\C-x 'control-x)
(keyboard-translate ?\C-c 'control-c)
(keyboard-translate ?\C-v 'control-v)
(global-set-key [control-x] 'kill-region)
(global-set-key [control-c] 'kill-ring-save)
(global-set-key [control-v] 'yank)
@end example

@noindent
On a graphical terminal that supports extended @acronym{ASCII} input,
you can still get the standard Emacs meanings of one of those
characters by typing it with the shift key.  That makes it a different
character as far as keyboard translation is concerned, but it has the
same usual meaning.

  @xref{Translation Keymaps}, for mechanisms that translate event sequences
at the level of @code{read-key-sequence}.

@node Invoking the Input Method
@subsection Invoking the Input Method

  The event-reading functions invoke the current input method, if any
(@pxref{Input Methods}).  If the value of @code{input-method-function}