comparison man/faq.texi @ 88155:d7ddb3e565de

sync with trunk

88154:8ce476d3ba36

@c %**end of header

@setchapternewpage odd

@c This is used in many places
@set VER 21.3

@copying
Copyright 2001, 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Copyright 1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000 Reuven M. Lerner@*
Copyright 1992,1993 Steven Byrnes@*
Copyright 1990,1991,1992 Joseph Brian Wells@*

@quotation
This list of frequently asked questions about GNU Emacs with answers
("FAQ") may be translated into other languages, transformed into other
formats (e.g. Texinfo, Info, WWW, WAIS), and updated with new information.

The same conditions apply to any derivative of the FAQ as apply to the FAQ
itself.  Every copy of the FAQ must include this notice or an approved
translation, information on who is currently maintaining the FAQ and how to

The FAQ may be copied and redistributed under these conditions, except that
the FAQ may not be embedded in a larger literary work unless that work
itself allows free copying and redistribution.

[This version has been somewhat edited from the last-posted version
(as of August 1999) for inclusion in the Emacs distribution.]
@end quotation
@end copying

@dircategory Emacs
@direntry

This is the GNU Emacs FAQ, last updated on @today{}.

The FAQ is maintained as a Texinfo document, allowing us to create HTML,
Info, and TeX documents from a single source file, and is slowly but
surely being improved.  Please bear with us as we improve on this
format.  If you have any suggestions or questions, please contact
@email{emacs-faq@@lerner.co.il, the FAQ maintainers}.

@menu
* FAQ notation::
* General questions::
* Getting help::

@noindent
Any real spaces in such a key sequence should be ignored; only @key{SPC}
really means press the space key.

The ASCII code sent by @kbd{C-x} (except for @kbd{C-?}) is the value
that would be sent by pressing just @key{x} minus 96 (or 64 for
upper-case @key{X}) and will be from 0 to 31.  On Unix and GNU/Linux
terminals, the ASCII code sent by @kbd{M-x} is the sum of 128 and the
ASCII code that would be sent by pressing just @key{x}.  Essentially,
@key{Control} turns off bits 5 and 6 and @key{Meta} turns on bit
7@footnote{
DOS and Windows terminals don't set bit 7 when the @key{Meta} key is
pressed.}.

@kbd{C-?} (aka @key{DEL}) is ASCII code 127.  It is a misnomer to call
@kbd{C-?}  a ``control'' key, since 127 has both bits 5 and 6 turned ON.
Also, on very few keyboards does @kbd{C-?} generate ASCII code 127.

@inforef{Text Characters, Text Characters, emacs}, and @inforef{Keys,
Keys, emacs}, for more information.  (@xref{On-line manual}, for more
information about Info.)

archive is not particularly well organized or easy to retrieve
individual postings from, but pretty much everything is there.

The archive is at @uref{ftp://ftp-mailing-list-archives.gnu.org}.

As of this writing, the archives are not yet working.

Web-based Usenet search services, such as
@uref{http://www.dejanews.com, DejaNews}, also archive the
@code{gnu.*} groups.

@node Reporting bugs, Unsubscribing from Emacs lists, Newsgroup archives, General questions
@section Where should I report bugs and other problems with Emacs?
@cindex Bug reporting

@item World Wide Web
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/}

@item Postal address
Free Software Foundation@*
59 Temple Place - Suite 330@*
Boston, MA 02111-1307@*
USA@*

@end table

@cindex Ordering GNU software
For details on how to order items directly from the FSF, see the
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}, and also the
files @file{etc/ORDERS}, @file{ORDERS.EUROPE}, and @file{ORDERS.JAPAN}.

@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node Getting help, Status of Emacs, General questions, Top
@chapter Getting help
@cindex Getting help

@cindex Beginning editing
@cindex Tutorial, invoking the
@cindex Self-paced tutorial, invoking the
@cindex Help system, entering the

Type @kbd{C-h t} to invoke the self-paced tutorial.  Just typing @kbd{C-h}
enters the help system.

Your system administrator may have changed @kbd{C-h} to act like
@key{DEL} to deal with local keyboards.  You can use @kbd{M-x
help-for-help} instead to invoke help.  To discover what key (if any)
invokes help on your system, type @kbd{M-x where-is @key{RET}

sequence listed.  Each of the resulting key sequences invokes help.

Emacs help works best if it is invoked by a single key whose value
should be stored in the variable @code{help-char}.

There is also a WWW-based tutorial for Emacs 18, much of which is also
relevant for later versions of Emacs, available at

@uref{http://kufacts.cc.ukans.edu/cwis/writeups/misc/emacsguide.html}

@node Learning how to do something, Getting a printed manual, Basic editing, Getting help
@section How do I find out how to do something in Emacs?
@cindex Help for Emacs
@cindex Learning to do something in Emacs
@cindex Reference card for Emacs

@itemize @bullet

@cindex Reading the Emacs manual
@item
The complete text of the Emacs manual is available on-line via the Info
hypertext reader.  Type @kbd{C-h i} to invoke Info.  Typing @key{h}
immediately after entering Info will provide a short tutorial on how to
use it.

@cindex Lookup a subject in a manual
@cindex Index search in a manual
@item
To quickly locate the section of the manual which discusses a certain

(actually which match a regular expression) using @kbd{C-h a} (@kbd{M-x
command-apropos}).

@cindex Command description in the manual
@item
The command @kbd{C-h C-f} (@code{Info-goto-emacs-command-node}) prompts
for the name of a command, and then attempts to find the section in the
Emacs manual where that command is described.

@cindex Finding commands and variables
@item

@cindex Printed Emacs manual, obtaining
@cindex Manual, obtaining a printed or HTML copy of
@cindex Emacs manual, obtaining a printed or HTML copy of

You can order a printed copy of the Emacs manual from the FSF.  For
details see the @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}
and the file @file{etc/ORDERS}.

@c The number 620 below is version-dependent!
The full Texinfo source for the manual also comes in the @file{man}
directory of the Emacs distribution, if you're daring enough to try to
print out this 620-page manual yourself (@pxref{Printing a Texinfo
file}).

If you absolutely have to print your own copy, and you don't have @TeX{},
you can get a PostScript version from

@uref{http://www.gnu.org/manual/emacs/ps/emacs.ps.gz}

@cindex HTML version of Emacs manual, obtaining
An HTML version of the manual is at

@uref{www.gnu.org/manual/emacs/index.html}

@xref{Learning how to do something}, for how to view the manual on-line.

@node Emacs Lisp documentation, Installing Texinfo documentation, Getting a printed manual, Getting help
@section Where can I get documentation on Emacs Lisp?

@cindex Reference manual for Emacs Lisp

Within Emacs, you can type @kbd{C-h f} to get the documentation for a
function, @kbd{C-h v} for a variable.

For more information, obtain the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual.  Details
on ordering it from FSF are on the
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site} and in the file
@file{etc/ORDERS}.

The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual is also available on-line, in Info
format.  Texinfo source for the manual (along with pregenerated Info
files) is available at

@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-manual-21-2.6.tar.gz}

and all mirrors of @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (for a list, @pxref{Current GNU
distributions}).  @xref{Installing Texinfo documentation}, if you want
to install the Info files, or @ref{Printing a Texinfo file}, if you want
to use the Texinfo source to print the manual yourself.

An HTML version of the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual is available at

@uref{http://www.gnu.org/manual/elisp-manual-21-2.6/elisp.html}

@node Installing Texinfo documentation, Printing a Texinfo file, Emacs Lisp documentation, Getting help
@section How do I install a piece of Texinfo documentation?
@cindex Texinfo documentation, installing
@cindex Installing Texinfo documentation

First, you must turn the Texinfo files into Info files.  You may do this
using the stand-alone @file{makeinfo} program, available as part of the latest
Texinfo package at

@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/texinfo/texinfo-4.0.tar.gz}

and all mirrors of @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (for a list, @pxref{Current GNU
distributions}).

For information about the Texinfo format, read the Texinfo manual which

where that is).

@table @file

@item COPYING
Emacs General Public License

@item DISTRIB
Emacs Availability Information, including the popular "Free Software
Foundation Order Form"

@item FTP
How to get GNU Software by Internet FTP or by UUCP

@item GNU

@item SERVICE
GNU Service Directory

@item SUN-SUPPORT
including "Using Emacstool with GNU Emacs"

@end table

Latest versions of the above files also available at

@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/GNUinfo/}

More GNU information, including back issues of the @cite{GNU's
Bulletin}, are at

@uref{http://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bulletins.html} and

@itemize @bullet

@item
Inside of Emacs itself.  You can get it from selecting the @samp{Emacs
FAQ} option from the @samp{Help} menu of the Emacs menu bar at the top
of any Emacs frame, or by typing @kbd{C-h F} (@kbd{M-x view-emacs-FAQ}).

@item
Via USENET.  If you can read news, the FAQ should be available in your
news spool, in both the @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} and
@uref{news:comp.emacs} newsgroups.  Every news reader should allow you

spool, it might (or might not) do some good to complain to your news
administrator, because the most recent FAQ should not expire for a
while.

@item
Via HTTP or FTP.  You can always fetch the latest FAQ from

@uref{http://www.lerner.co.il/emacs/} and

@uref{ftp://ftp.lerner.co.il/pub/emacs/}

@item
In the Emacs distribution.  Since Emacs 18.56, the FAQ at the time
of release has been part of the Emacs distribution as either
@file{etc/FAQ} or @file{man/faq.texi} (@pxref{File-name conventions}).

@item
Via the World Wide Web.  A hypertext version is available at

@uref{http://www.lerner.co.il/emacs/}

@item
Via anonymous ftp and e-mail from @file{rtfm.mit.edu} (and its mirror in
Europe), the main repository for FAQs and other items posted to
news.answers.  The Emacs FAQs are available at

send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part4
send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part5
@end example

For more information, send email to @email{mail-server@@rtfm.mit.edu}
with "help" and "index" in the body on separate lines.

@item
As the very last resort, you can e-mail a request to
@email{emacs-faq@@lerner.co.il}.  Don't do this unless you have made a
good-faith effort to obtain the FAQ list via one of the methods listed
above.

@end itemize

@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node    Status of Emacs, Common requests, Getting help, Top
@chapter Status of Emacs

@menu
* Origin of the term Emacs::
* Latest version of Emacs::
* New in Emacs 20::
* New in Emacs 21::
@end menu

@node Origin of the term Emacs, Latest version of Emacs, Status of Emacs, Status of Emacs
@section Where does the name ``Emacs'' come from?
@cindex Origin of the term ``Emacs''

@node New in Emacs 20,  New in Emacs 21, Latest version of Emacs, Status of Emacs
@section What is different about Emacs 20?
@cindex Differences between Emacs 19 and Emacs 20
@cindex Emacs 20, new features in

To find out what has changed in recent versions, type @kbd{C-h n}
(@kbd{M-x view-emacs-news}).  The oldest changes are at the bottom of
the file, so you might want to read it starting there, rather than at
the top.

The differences between Emacs versions 18 and 19 was rather dramatic;

A number of older Lisp packages, such as Gnus, Supercite and the
calendar/diary, have been updated and enhanced to work with Emacs 20,
and are now included with the standard distribution.


@node New in Emacs 21, , New in Emacs 20, Status of Emacs
@section What is different about Emacs 21?
@cindex Differences between Emacs 20 and Emacs 21
@cindex Emacs 21, new features in
@cindex Recently introduced features

@cindex TTY colors
In addition, Emacs 21 supports faces on text-only terminals.  This means
that you can now have colors when you run Emacs on a GNU/Linux console
and on @code{xterm} with @kbd{emacs -nw}.

@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node    Common requests, Bugs and problems, Status of Emacs, Top
@chapter Common requests
@cindex Common requests

@menu
* Setting up a customization file::
* Debugging a customization file::
* Colors on a TTY::
* Displaying the current line or column::
* Displaying the current file name in the titlebar::
* Turning on abbrevs by default::

* Editing MS-DOS files::
* Filling paragraphs with a single space::
* Escape sequences in shell output::
@end menu

@node Setting up a customization file, Colors on a TTY, Common requests, Common requests
@section How do I set up a @file{.emacs} file properly?
@cindex @file{.emacs} file, setting up
@cindex Init file, setting up
@cindex Customization file, setting up

@inforef{Init File, Init File, emacs}

In general, new Emacs users should not have @file{.emacs} files, because
it causes confusing non-standard behavior.  Then they send questions to
@email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} asking why Emacs isn't behaving as
documented.

Beginning with version 20.1, Emacs includes the new Customize
facility, which can be invoked using @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET}}.
This allows users who are unfamiliar with Emacs Lisp to modify their
@file{.emacs} files in a relatively straightforward way, using menus
rather than Lisp code.  Not all packages support Customize as of this
writing, but the number is growing fairly steadily.

While Customize might indeed make it easier to configure Emacs,
consider taking a bit of time to learn Emacs Lisp and modifying your
@file{.emacs} directly.  Simple configuration options are described
rather completely in @inforef{Init File, Init File, emacs}, for users
interested in performing frequently requested, basic tasks.

@node Colors on a TTY, Debugging a customization file, Setting up a customization file, Common requests
@section How do I get colors and syntax highlighting on a TTY?
@cindex Colors on a TTY
@cindex Syntax highlighting on a TTY
@cindex Console, colors

capabilities.

The command @kbd{M-x list-colors-display} pops up a window which
exhibits all the colors Emacs knows about on the current display.

Syntax highlighting is usually turned off by default; see @ref{Turning
on syntax highlighting}, for instructions how to turn it on.

@node Debugging a customization file, Displaying the current line or column, Colors on a TTY, Common requests
@section How do I debug a @file{.emacs} file?
@cindex Debugging @file{.emacs} file
@cindex @file{.emacs} debugging

Abrahamsen}.  @xref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}, for
instructions on how to get it.

@cindex Set number capability in @code{vi} emulators
None of the @code{vi} emulation modes provide the ``set number''
capability of @code{vi} (as far as we know).

@node Displaying the current file name in the titlebar, Turning on abbrevs by default, Displaying the current line or column, Common requests
@section How can I modify the titlebar to contain the current file name?
@cindex Titlebar, displaying the current file name in
@cindex File name, displaying in the titlebar

(add-hook '@var{mymode}-mode-hook
          (lambda ()
           (setq abbrev-mode t)))
@end lisp

@node Turning on auto-fill by default, Associating modes with files, Turning on abbrevs by default, Common requests
@section How do I turn on @code{auto-fill-mode} by default?
@cindex @code{auto-fill-mode}, activating automatically
@cindex Filling automatically

@cindex Replacing, and case sensitivity
@cindex @code{case-replace}
Similarly, for replacing, the variable @code{case-replace} determines
whether replacements preserve case.

To change the case sensitivity just for one major mode, use the major
mode's hook.  For example:

@lisp
(add-hook '@var{foo}-mode-hook

@end lisp

To do this relative to your home directory:

@lisp
(setq load-path (cons "~/mysubdir/" load-path)
@end lisp

@node Using an already running Emacs process, Compiler error messages, Changing load-path, Common requests
@section How do I use an already running Emacs from another window?
@cindex @code{emacsclient}

@lisp
(if (@var{some conditions are met}) (server-start))
@end lisp

When this is done, Emacs creates a Unix domain socket.
The socket is either named @file{.emacs_server}, in the user's home directory,
or @file{esrv-@var{userid}-@var{systemname}}, in the @file{/tmp}
directory, depending on your system.  See @code{server-socket-name}.

To get your news reader, mail reader, etc., to invoke
@samp{emacsclient}, try setting the environment variable @code{EDITOR}
(or sometimes @code{VISUAL}) to the value @samp{emacsclient}.  You may
have to specify the full pathname of the @samp{emacsclient} program

@end example

@item
Normal use:

When @samp{emacsclient} is run, it connects to the @file{.emacs_server}
socket and passes its command line options to @samp{server}.  When
@samp{server} receives these requests, it sends this information to the
the Emacs process, which at the next opportunity will visit the files
specified.  (Line numbers can be specified just like with Emacs.)  The
user will have to switch to the Emacs window by hand.  When the user is
done editing a file, the user can type @kbd{C-x #} (or @kbd{M-x
server-edit}) to indicate this.  If there is another buffer requested by
@code{emacsclient}, Emacs will switch to it; otherwise
@code{emacsclient} will exit, signaling the calling program to continue.

@samp{emacsclient} and @samp{server} must be running on machines which
share the same filesystem for this to work.  The pathnames that
@samp{emacsclient} specifies should be correct for the filesystem that
the Emacs process sees.  The Emacs process should not be suspended at
the time @samp{emacsclient} is invoked.  On Unix and GNU/Linux systems,
@samp{emacsclient} should either be invoked from another X window, or
from a shell window inside Emacs itself, or from another interactive
session, e.g., by means of a @code{screen} program.

@cindex @code{gnuserv}
There is an enhanced version of @samp{emacsclient}/server called
@samp{gnuserv}, written by @email{ange@@hplb.hpl.hp.com, Andy Norman}
which is available in the Emacs Lisp Archive (@pxref{Packages that do
not come with Emacs}).  @samp{gnuserv} uses Internet domain sockets, so
it can work across most network connections.  It also supports the
execution of arbitrary Emacs Lisp forms and does not require the client
program to wait for completion.

The alpha version of an enhanced @samp{gnuserv} is available at

@uref{ftp://ftp.wellfleet.com/netman/psmith/emacs/gnuserv-2.1alpha.tar.gz}

@end itemize

@node Compiler error messages, Indenting switch statements, Using an already running Emacs process, Common requests
@section How do I make Emacs recognize my compiler's funny error messages?
@cindex Compiler error messages, recognizing
@cindex Recognizing non-standard compiler errors
@cindex Regexps for recognizing compiler errors
@cindex Errors, recognizing compiler

The variable @code{compilation-error-regexp-alist} helps control how
Emacs parses your compiler output.  It is a list of triplets of the form:
@code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-idx} @var{line-idx})}, where @var{regexp},
@var{file-idx} and @var{line-idx} are strings.  To help determine what
the constituent elements should be, load @file{compile.el} and then type
@kbd{C-h v compilation-error-regexp-alist @key{RET}} to see the current
value.  A good idea is to look at @file{compile.el} itself as the
comments included for this variable are quite useful---the regular
expressions required for your compiler's output may be very close to one
already provided.  Once you have determined the proper regexps, use the
following to inform Emacs of your changes:

@lisp
(setq compilation-error-regexp-alist
      (cons '(@var{regexp} @var{file-idx} @var{line-idx})
         compilation-error-regexp-alist))
@end lisp

@node Indenting switch statements, Customizing C and C++ indentation, Compiler error messages, Common requests
@section How do I change the indentation for @code{switch}?
@cindex @code{switch}, indenting
@cindex Indenting of @code{switch}

The solution at first appears to be: set @code{c-indent-level} to 4 and
@code{c-label-offset} to -2.  However, this will give you an indentation
spacing of four instead of two.

The @emph{real} solution is to use @code{cc-mode} (the default mode for
C programming in Emacs 20 and later) and add the following line to yoyr
@file{.emacs}:

@lisp
(c-set-offset 'case-label '+)
@end lisp

@item
@code{hscroll-step-percent} controls how far to jump once we decide to do so.
@end itemize

@node Overwrite mode, Turning off beeping, Horizontal scrolling, Common requests
@section How do I make Emacs "typeover" or "overwrite" instead of inserting?
@cindex @key{Insert}
@cindex @code{overwrite-mode}
@cindex Overwriting existing text
@cindex Toggling @code{overwrite-mode}

new lines, and @kbd{M-q} (@code{fill-paragraph}) will maintain any fill
prefix when refilling the paragraph.

If you have paragraphs with different levels of indentation, you will
have to set the fill prefix to the correct value each time you move to a
new paragraph.  To avoid this hassle, try one of the many packages
available from the Emacs Lisp Archive (@pxref{Packages that do not come
with Emacs}.)  Look up ``fill'' and ``indent'' in the Lisp Code
Directory for guidance.

@node Matching parentheses, Hiding #ifdef lines, Automatic indentation, Common requests
@section How do I show which parenthesis matches the one I'm looking at?
@cindex Parentheses, matching
@cindex @file{paren.el}
@cindex Highlighting matching parentheses
@cindex Pairs of parentheses, highlighting
@cindex Matching parentheses

As of version 19, Emacs comes with @file{paren.el}, which (when loaded)
will automatically highlight matching parentheses whenever point (i.e.,
the cursor) is located over one.  To load @file{paren.el} automatically,
include the line

@lisp
(require 'paren)
@end lisp

in your @file{.emacs} file.  @email{shutkoa@@ugsolutions.com, Alan Shutko}
reports that as of version 20.1, you must also call @code{show-paren-mode} in
your @file{.emacs} file:

@lisp
(show-paren-mode 1)
@end lisp

Customize will let you turn on @code{show-paren-mode}.  Use @kbd{M-x
customize-group @key{RET} paren-showing @key{RET}}.  From within
Customize, you can also go directly to the ``paren-showing'' group.

Alternatives to paren include:

@itemize @bullet

@item
If you're looking at a right parenthesis (or brace or bracket) you can

@cindex @code{hide-ifdef-mode}
@cindex Hiding @code{#ifdef} text
@cindex Selectively displaying @code{#ifdef} code

@kbd{M-x hide-ifdef-mode}.  (This is a minor mode.)  You might also want
to try @file{cpp.el}, available at the Emacs Lisp Archive
(@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}).

@node Repeating commands, Valid X resources, Hiding #ifdef lines, Common requests
@section Is there an equivalent to the @code{.} (dot) command of vi?
@cindex Repeating commands as with @code{vi}
@cindex Command, repeat last

@section What are the valid X resource settings (i.e., stuff in .Xdefaults)?
@cindex Resources, X
@cindex X resources
@cindex Setting X resources

@inforef{Resources X, Resources X, emacs}.

You can also use a resource editor, such as editres (for X11R5 and
onwards), to look at the resource names for the menu bar, assuming Emacs
was compiled with the X toolkit.

@node Evaluating Emacs Lisp code, Changing the length of a Tab, Valid X resources, Common requests
@section How do I execute ("evaluate") a piece of Emacs Lisp code?
@cindex Evaluating Lisp code
@cindex Lisp forms, evaluating

There are a number of ways to execute (@dfn{evaluate}, in Lisp lingo) an
Emacs Lisp @dfn{form}:

citation for yanked mail and news messages; it is included in Emacs
since version 19.20.  @xref{Changing the included text prefix}, for
additional information.

@node Underlining paragraphs, Repeating a command as many times as possible, Inserting > at the beginning of each line, Common requests
@section How do I insert "_^H" before each character in a region to get an underlined paragraph?
@cindex Underlining a region of text
@cindex @code{underline-region}

Mark the region and then type @kbd{M-x underline-region @key{RET}}.

the command and then type @kbd{M-0 C-x e}.

Any messages your command prints in the echo area will be suppressed.

If you need to repeat a command a small number of times, you can use
@kbd{C-x z}, see @ref{Repeating commands}.

@node Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column, Forcing Emacs to iconify itself, Repeating a command as many times as possible, Common requests
@section How do I make Emacs behave like this: when I go up or down, the cursor should stay in the same column even if the line is too short?
@cindex @code{picture-mode}
@cindex Remaining in the same column, regardless of contents

@cindex Iconification under the X Window System
@cindex X Window System and iconification
@cindex Suspending Emacs

@kbd{C-z} iconifies Emacs when running under X and suspends Emacs
otherwise.  @inforef{Misc X, Misc X, emacs}.

@node Using regular expressions, Replacing text across multiple files, Forcing Emacs to iconify itself, Common requests
@section How do I use regexps (regular expressions) in Emacs?
@cindex Regexps
@cindex Regular expressions
@cindex Differences between Unix and Emacs regexps
@cindex Unix regeps, differences from Emacs
@cindex Text strings, putting regexps in

@inforef{Regexps, Regexps, emacs}.

The @code{or} operator is @samp{\|}, not @samp{|}, and the grouping operators
are @samp{\(} and @samp{\)}.  Also, the string syntax for a backslash is
@samp{\\}.  To specify a regular expression like @samp{xxx\(foo\|bar\)}
in a Lisp string, use @samp{xxx\\(foo\\|bar\\)}.

@cindex Disabling backups

You probably don't want to do this, since backups are useful, especially
when something goes wrong.

To avoid seeing backup files (and other "uninteresting" files) in Dired,
load @code{dired-x} by adding the following to your @file{.emacs} file:

@lisp
(add-hook 'dired-load-hook
          (lambda ()

@code{auto-save-interval}, which specifies how many keystrokes Emacs
waits before auto-saving.  Increasing this value forces Emacs to wait
longer between auto-saves, which might annoy you less.

You might also want to look into Sebastian Kremer's @code{auto-save}
package, available from the Lisp Code Archive (@pxref{Packages that do not come
with Emacs}).  This
package also allows you to place all auto-save files in one directory,
such as @file{/tmp}.

To disable or change how @code{auto-save-mode} works, @inforef{Auto
Save, , emacs}.

@kbd{M-x compile} and @kbd{M-x recompile} commands is a much more
effective way of doing that.  Emacs automatically intercepts the compile
error messages, inserts them into a special buffer called
@code{*compilation*}, and lets you visit the locus of each message in
the source.  Type @kbd{C-x `} to step through the offending lines one by
one.  Click @kbd{Mouse-2} or press @key{RET} on a message text in the
@code{*compilation*} buffer to go to the line whose number is mentioned
in that message.

But if you indeed need to go to a certain text line, type @kbd{M-x
goto-line @key{RET}}.  Emacs will prompt you for the number of the line
and go to that line.

You can do this faster by invoking @code{goto-line} with a numeric
argument that is the line's number.  For example, @kbd{C-u 286 M-x
goto-line @key{RET}} will jump to line number 286 in the current
buffer.

If you need to use this command frequently, you might consider binding
it to a key.  The following snippet, if added to your @file{~/.emacs}
file, will bind the sequence @kbd{C-x g} to @code{goto-line}:

@lisp
 (global-set-key "\C-xg" 'goto-line)
@end lisp


@node Modifying pull-down menus, Deleting menus and menu options, Going to a line by number, Common requests
@section How can I create or modify new pull-down menu options?
@cindex Pull-down menus, creating or modifying
@cindex Menus, creating or modifying

@cindex Menus and keymaps
@cindex Keymaps and menus

Each menu title (e.g., @samp{File}, @samp{Edit}, @samp{Buffers})
represents a local or global keymap.  Selecting a menu title with the
mouse displays that keymap's non-nil contents in the form of a menu.

So to add a menu option to an existing menu, all you have to do is add a
new definition to the appropriate keymap.  Adding a @samp{Forward Word}
item to the @samp{Edit} menu thus requires the following Lisp code:

@cindex Highlighting based on syntax
@cindex Colorizing text
@cindex FAQ, @code{font-lock-mode}

@code{font-lock-mode} is the standard way to have Emacs perform syntax
highlighting in the current buffer.  With @code{font-lock-mode} turned
on, different types of text will appear in different colors.  For
instance, if you turn on @code{font-lock-mode} in a programming mode,
variables will appear in one face, keywords in a second, and comments in
a third.

@cindex hilit19 is deprecated
Earlier versions of Emacs supported hilit19, a similar package.  Use of
hilit19 is now considered non-standard, although @file{hilit19.el} comes
with the stock Emacs distribution.  It is no longer maintained.

To turn @code{font-lock-mode} on within an existing buffer, use @kbd{M-x
font-lock-mode @key{RET}}.

To automatically invoke @code{font-lock-mode} when a particular major
mode is invoked, set the major mode's hook.  For example, to fontify all
@code{c-mode} buffers, add the following to your @file{.emacs} file:

@lisp
(add-hook 'c-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock)
@end lisp

To automatically invoke @code{font-lock-mode} for all major modes, you
can turn on @code{global-font-lock-mode} by including the following line
in your @file{.emacs} file:

@lisp
(global-font-lock-mode 1)
@end lisp

@noindent
This instructs Emacs to turn on font-lock mode in those buffers for
which a font-lock mode definition has been provided (in the variable
@code{font-lock-global-modes}).  If you edit a file in
@code{pie-ala-mode}, and no font-lock definitions have been provided for
@code{pie-ala} files, then the above setting will have no effect on that
particular buffer.

Highlighting a buffer with @code{font-lock-mode} can take quite a while,
and cause an annoying delay in display, so several features exist to
work around this.

different modes are highlighted in a different ways; for more
information, see the documentation for
@code{font-lock-maximum-decoration} with @kbd{C-h v} (or @kbd{M-x
describe-variable @key{RET}}).

@cindex Lazy font-lock
You might also want to investigate @code{fast-lock-mode} and
@code{lazy-lock-mode}, versions of @code{font-lock-mode} that speed up
highlighting.  These are the alternatives for @code{jit-lock-mode} in
versions of Emacs before 21.1.  The advantage of @code{lazy-lock-mode}
is that it only fontifies buffers when certain conditions are met, such
as after a certain amount of idle time, or after you have finished
scrolling through text.  See the documentation for @code{lazy-lock-mode}
by typing @kbd{C-h f @code{lazy-lock-mode}} (@kbd{M-x describe-function
@key{RET} lazy-lock-mode @key{RET}}).

Also see the documentation for the function @code{font-lock-mode},
available by typing @kbd{C-h f font-lock-mode} (@kbd{M-x
describe-function @key{RET} font-lock-mode @key{RET}}).

For more information on font-lock mode, take a look at the
@code{font-lock-mode} FAQ, maintained by
@email{jari.aalto@@ntc.nokia.com, Jari Aalto} at

@uref{ftp://cs.uta.fi/pub/ssjaaa/ema-font.gui}

To print buffers with the faces (i.e., colors and fonts) intact, use
@kbd{M-x ps-print-buffer-with-faces} or @kbd{M-x
ps-print-region-with-faces}.  You will need a way to send text to a
PostScript printer, or a PostScript interpreter such as Ghostscript;

@node Scrolling only one line, Replacing highlighted text, Turning on syntax highlighting, Common requests
@section How can I force Emacs to scroll only one line when I move past the bottom of the screen?
@cindex Scrolling only one line
@cindex Reducing the increment when scrolling

Place the following Lisp form in your @file{.emacs} file:

@lisp
(setq scroll-step 1)
@end lisp

@inforef{Scrolling, Scrolling, emacs}.

@node Replacing highlighted text, Editing MS-DOS files, Scrolling only one line, Common requests
@section How can I replace highlighted text with what I type?
@cindex @code{delete-selection-mode}
@cindex Replacing highlighted text

Use @code{delete-selection-mode}, which you can start automatically by
placing the following Lisp form in your @file{.emacs} file:

@lisp
(delete-selection-mode t)
@end lisp

According to the documentation string for @code{delete-selection-mode}
(which you can read using @kbd{M-x describe-function @key{RET}
delete-selection-mode @key{RET}}):

the string @samp{(DOS)} will appear near the left edge of the mode line;
on DOS and Windows, where the DOS end-of-line (EOL) format is the
default, a backslash (@samp{\}) will appear in the mode line.

If you are running a version of Emacs before 20.1, get @code{crypt++}
from the Emacs Lisp Archive (@pxref{Packages that do not come with
Emacs}).  Among other things, @code{crypt++} transparently modifies
MS-DOS files as they are loaded and saved, allowing you to ignore the
different conventions that Unix and MS-DOS have for delineating the end
of a line.

@node Filling paragraphs with a single space,  Escape sequences in shell output, Editing MS-DOS files, Common requests
@section How can I tell Emacs to fill paragraphs with a single space after each period?
@cindex One space following periods
@cindex Single space following periods
@cindex Periods, one space following

@email{ulm@@vsnhd1.cern.ch, Ulrich Mueller} suggests adding the
following two lines to your @file{.emacs} file:

@lisp
(setq sentence-end "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\|[ \t]\\)[ \t\n]*")
(setq sentence-end-double-space nil)
@end lisp

@node Escape sequences in shell output, , Filling paragraphs with a single space, Common requests
@section Why these strange escape sequences from @code{ls} from the Shell mode?

see @ref{Bugs, , Reporting Bugs, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}, for
instructions how to do that.

The file @file{etc/PROBLEMS} in the Emacs distribution lists various
known problems with building and using Emacs on specific platforms;
type @kbd{C-h P} to read it.

@menu
* Problems with very large files::
* ^M in the shell buffer::
* Shell process exits abnormally::

@cindex Opening very large files
@cindex Maximum file size
@cindex Files, maximum size

Old versions (i.e., anything before 19.29) of Emacs had problems editing
files larger than 8 megabytes.  As of version 19.29, the maximum buffer
size is at least 2^27-1, or 134,217,727 bytes, or 132 MBytes.  Emacs 20
can be compiled on some 64-bit systems in a way that enlarges the buffer
size up to 576,460,752,303,423,487 bytes, or 549,755,813 GBytes.

If you are using a version of Emacs older than 19.29 and cannot upgrade,
you will have to recompile. @email{lnz@@lucid.com, Leonard N. Zubkoff}
suggests putting the following two lines in @file{src/config.h} before
compiling Emacs to allow for 26-bit integers and pointers (and thus file
sizes of up to 33,554,431 bytes):

@example
#define VALBITS 26
#define GCTYPEBITS 5
@end example

@noindent
This method may result in "ILLEGAL DATATYPE" and other random errors on
some machines.

@email{daveg@@csvax.cs.caltech.edu, David Gillespie} explains how this
problems crops up; while his numbers are true only for pre-19.29
versions of Emacs, the theory remains the same with current versions.

@quotation
Emacs is largely written in a dialect of Lisp; Lisp is a freely-typed
language in the sense that you can put any value of any type into any
variable, or return it from a function, and so on.  So each value
must carry a @dfn{tag} along with it identifying what kind of thing it
is, e.g., integer, pointer to a list, pointer to an editing buffer, and
so on.  Emacs uses standard 32-bit integers for data objects, taking the
top 8 bits for the tag and the bottom 24 bits for the value.  So
integers (and pointers) are somewhat restricted compared to true C
integers and pointers.
@end quotation

@node ^M in the shell buffer, Shell process exits abnormally, Problems with very large files, Bugs and problems
@section How do I get rid of @samp{^M} or echoed commands in my shell buffer?
@cindex Shell buffer, echoed commands and @samp{^M} in
@cindex Echoed commands in @code{shell-mode}

@smalllisp
(add-hook 'comint-output-filter-functions 'shell-strip-ctrl-m)
@end smalllisp

On a related note: If your shell is echoing your input line in the shell
buffer, you might want to try the following command in your shell
start-up file:

@example
stty -icrnl -onlcr -echo susp ^Z
@end example

@node Shell process exits abnormally, Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows, ^M in the shell buffer, Bugs and problems
@section Why do I get "Process shell exited abnormally with code 1"?
@cindex Abnormal exits from @code{shell-mode}
@cindex @code{shell-mode} exits
@cindex Process shell exited

The most likely reason for this message is that the @samp{env} program

Some people have trouble with Shell Mode because of intrusive
antivirus software; disabling the resident antivirus program solves
the problems in those cases.

@node Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs, Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode, Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows, Bugs and problems
@section Where is the termcap/terminfo entry for terminal type "emacs"?
@cindex Termcap
@cindex Terminfo
@cindex Emacs entries for termcap/terminfo

The termcap entry for terminal type @samp{emacs} is ordinarily put in

@example
if ("$term" == emacs) set term=dumb
@end example

@node Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode, Problems talking to certain hosts, Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs, Bugs and problems
@section Why does Emacs spontaneously start displaying "I-search:" and beeping?
@cindex Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode
@cindex isearch-mode, spontaneous entry into
@cindex Beeping without obvious reason

Your terminal (or something between your terminal and the computer) is

properly told to do DNS lookups with the correct command line switch.

@end itemize

@node Errors with init files, Emacs ignores X resources, Problems talking to certain hosts, Bugs and problems
@section Why does Emacs say "Error in init file"?
@cindex Error in @file{.emacs}
@cindex Error in init file
@cindex Init file, errors in
@cindex @file{.emacs} file, errors in
@cindex Debugging @file{.emacs} file

guess by recognizing @samp{cd} commands.  If you type @kbd{cd} followed
by a directory name with a variable reference (@kbd{cd $HOME/bin}) or
with a shell metacharacter (@kbd{cd ../lib*}), Emacs will fail to
correctly guess the shell's new current directory.  A huge variety of
fixes and enhancements to shell mode for this problem have been written
to handle this problem.  Check the Lisp Code Directory (@pxref{Finding a
package with particular functionality}).

You can tell Emacs the shell's current directory with the command
@kbd{M-x dirs}.

@node Security risks with Emacs, Dired claims that no file is on this line, Shell mode loses the current directory, Bugs and problems

arbitrary Emacs Lisp code evaluated when the file is visited.
Obviously, there is a potential for Trojan horses to exploit this
feature.

Emacs 18 allowed this feature by default; users could disable it by
setting the variable @code{inhibit-local-variables} to a non-nil value.

As of Emacs 19, Emacs has a list of local variables that create a
security risk.  If a file tries to set one of them, it asks the user to
confirm whether the variables should be set.  You can also tell Emacs
whether to allow the evaluation of Emacs Lisp code found at the bottom

@end example

@end itemize

@node Dired claims that no file is on this line,  , Security risks with Emacs, Bugs and problems
@section Dired says, "no file on this line" when I try to do something.
@cindex Dired does not see a file

@c FIXME: I think this is fixed in Emacs 21, but I didn't have time to
@c check.
Chances are you're using a localized version of Unix that doesn't use US

There are two approaches to solving this.  The first one involves
setting things up so that @samp{ls -l} outputs US date format.  This can
be done by setting the locale.  See your OS manual for more information.

The second approach involves changing the regular expression used by
dired, @code{dired-move-to-filename-regexp}.

@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node Compiling and installing Emacs, Finding Emacs and related packages, Bugs and problems, Top
@chapter    Compiling and installing Emacs
@cindex    Compiling and installing Emacs

distribution site, sources are available as

@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/emacs-@value{VER}.tar.gz}

The above will obviously change as new versions of Emacs come out.  For
instance, when Emacs 21.42 is released, it will most probably be
available as

@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/emacs-21.42.tar.gz}

Again, you should use one of the GNU mirror sites (see @ref{Current GNU
distributions}, and adjust the URL accordingly) so as to reduce load on
@file{ftp.gnu.org}.

Emacs needs to be linked with the static version of the X11 library,
@file{libX11.a}.  This may be missing.

On OpenWindows, you may need to use @code{add_services} to add the
"OpenWindows Programmers" optional software category from the CD-ROM.

On HP-UX 8.0, you may need to run @code{update} again to load the
X11-PRG ``fileset''.  This may be missing even if you specified ``all
filesets'' the first time.  If @file{libcurses.a} is missing, you may
need to load the ``Berkeley Development Option.''

@menu
* Finding Emacs on the Internet::
* Finding a package with particular functionality::
* Packages that do not come with Emacs::
* Submitting to the Emacs Lisp Archive::
* Current GNU distributions::
* Difference between Emacs and XEmacs::
* Emacs for MS-DOS::
* Emacs for Windows::
* Emacs for OS/2::

* Emacs for the Amiga ::
* Emacs for NeXTSTEP::
* Emacs for Apple computers::
* Emacs for VMS and DECwindows::
* Modes for various languages::
* Translating names to IP addresses::
@end menu

@node Finding Emacs on the Internet, Finding a package with particular functionality, Finding Emacs and related packages, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where can I get Emacs on the net (or by snail mail)?
@cindex Finding Emacs on the Internet
@cindex Snail mail, ordering Emacs via
@cindex Postal service, ordering Emacs via
@cindex Distribution, retrieving Emacs
@cindex Internet, retrieving from

Look in the files @file{etc/DISTRIB} and @file{etc/FTP} for information
on nearby archive sites and @file{etc/ORDERS} for mail orders.  If you
don't already have Emacs, see @ref{Informational files for Emacs}, for how
to get these files.

@xref{Installing Emacs}, for information on how to obtain and build the latest
version of Emacs, and see @ref{Current GNU distributions}, for a list of
archive sites that make GNU software available.

source to most packages contains a short description of how they
should be loaded, invoked, and configured---so before you use or
modify a Lisp package, see if the author has provided any hints in the
source code.

If a package does not come with Emacs, check the Lisp Code Directory.
The LCD was originally maintained by @email{brennan@@hal.com, Dave
Brennan}, but was recently taken over by @email{toby@@world.std.com,
toby knudsen}, who maintains @uref{http://www.emacs.org}.  The LCD is
currently being reorganized and updated, but you can meanwhile find many
packages at @uref{ftp://ftp.emacs.org/pub}.

For now, you can search through the LCD with @file{lispdir.el}, which is
in the process of being updated.  Download it from the LCD, in the
@file{emacs-lisp-attic/misc} directory, and then evaluate the following
Lisp form (@pxref{Evaluating Emacs Lisp code}):

@lisp
(setq lisp-code-directory
 "/anonymous@@ftp.emacs.org:pub/emacs-lisp-attic/emacs-lisp/LCD-datafile.gz"
  elisp-archive-host "ftp.emacs.org"
  elisp-archive-directory "/pub/emacs-lisp-attic/emacs-lisp/")
@end lisp

Once you have installed @file{lispdir.el}, you can use @kbd{M-x
lisp-dir-apropos} to search the listing.  For example, @kbd{M-x
lisp-dir-apropos @key{RET} ange-ftp @key{RET}} produces this output:

@example
         GNU Emacs Lisp Code Directory Apropos --- "ange-ftp"
"~/" refers to archive.cis.ohio-state.edu:pub/elisp-archive/

     ange-ftp (4.18)       15-Jul-1992
          Andy Norman, <ange@@hplb.hpl.hp.com>
          ~/packages/ange-ftp.tar.Z
          transparent FTP Support for GNU Emacs
     auto-save (1.19)      01-May-1992
          Sebastian Kremer, <sk@@thp.uni-koeln.de>
          ~/misc/auto-save.el.Z
          Safer autosaving with support for ange-ftp and /tmp
     ftp-quik (1.0)        28-Jul-1993
          Terrence Brannon, <tb06@@pl122f.eecs.lehigh.edu>
          ~/modes/ftp-quik.el.Z
          Quik access to dired'ing of ange-ftp and normal paths
@end example

@node Packages that do not come with Emacs, Submitting to the Emacs Lisp Archive, Finding a package with particular functionality, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where can I get Emacs Lisp packages that don't come with Emacs?
@cindex Unbundled packages
@cindex Finding other packages
@cindex Lisp packages that do not come with Emacs
@cindex Packages, those that do not come with Emacs
@cindex Emacs Lisp Archive, description of
@cindex Archive, description of the Emacs Lisp

First, check the Lisp Code Directory to find the name of the package you
are looking for (@pxref{Finding a package with particular
functionality}).  Next, check local archives and the Emacs Lisp Archive
to find a copy of the relevant files.  If you still haven't found it,
you can send e-mail to the author asking for a copy.  If you find Emacs
Lisp code that doesn't appear in the LCD, please submit a copy to the
LCD (@pxref{Submitting to the Emacs Lisp Archive}).

You can access the Emacs Lisp Archive at

@uref{ftp://archive.cis.ohio-state.edu/pub/emacs-lisp/}

@noindent
or at

@uref{http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/emacs-lisp}

@noindent
Retrieve and read the file @file{README} first.

@itemize @bullet

@item
The archive maintainers do not have time to answer individual
requests for packages or the list of packages in the archive.  If you
cannot use FTP or UUCP to access the archive yourself, try to find a
friend who can, but please don't ask the maintainers.

@item
Any files with names ending in @file{.Z}, @file{.z}, or @file{.gz} are
compressed, so you should use "binary" mode in FTP to retrieve them.
You should also use binary mode whenever you retrieve any files with
names ending in @file{.elc}.

@end itemize

@node Submitting to the Emacs Lisp Archive, Current GNU distributions, Packages that do not come with Emacs, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section How do I submit code to the Emacs Lisp Archive?
@cindex Submitting code to the Emacs Lisp Archive
@cindex Emacs Lisp Archive, submissions to
@cindex Lisp Archive, submissions to
@cindex Archive, submitting to the Emacs Lisp

Guidelines and procedures for submission to the archive can be found in
the file @file{GUIDELINES} in the archive directory (@pxref{Packages that
do not come with Emacs}).  It covers documentation, copyrights,
packaging, submission, and the Lisp Code Directory Record.  Anonymous
FTP uploads are not permitted.  Instead, all submissions are mailed to
@email{elisp-archive@@cis.ohio-state.edu}.  The @file{lispdir.el}
package has a function named @code{submit-lcd-entry} which will help you
with this.

@node Current GNU distributions, Difference between Emacs and XEmacs, Submitting to the Emacs Lisp Archive, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where can I get other up-to-date GNU stuff?
@cindex Current GNU distributions
@cindex Sources for current GNU distributions
@cindex Stuff, current GNU
@cindex Up-to-date GNU stuff

A list of sites mirroring @samp{ftp.gnu.org} can be found at

@uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/ftp.html}

@node Difference between Emacs and XEmacs, Emacs for MS-DOS, Current GNU distributions, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section What is the difference between Emacs and XEmacs (formerly "Lucid Emacs")?
@cindex XEmacs
@cindex Difference Emacs and XEmacs
@cindex Lucid Emacs
@cindex Epoch

First of all, they're both GNU Emacs.  XEmacs is just as much a later
version of GNU Emacs as the FSF-distributed version.  This FAQ refers to
the latest version to be distributed by the FSF as ``Emacs,'' partly
because the XEmacs maintainers now refer to their product using the
``XEmacs'' name, and partly because there isn't any accurate way to
differentiate between the two without getting mired in paragraphs of
legalese and history.

XEmacs, which began life as Lucid Emacs, is based on an early version of
Emacs 19 and Epoch, an X-aware version of Emacs 18.

Emacs (i.e., the version distributed by the FSF) has a larger installed
base and now always contains the MULE multilingual facilities.
XEmacs can do some clever tricks with X and MS-Windows, such as
putting arbitrary graphics in a buffer.  Similar facilities have been
implemented for Emacs as part of a new redisplay implementation for
Emacs 21, and are available in the latest Emacs releases.
Emacs and XEmacs each come with
Lisp packages that are lacking in the other; RMS says that the FSF would
include more packages that come with XEmacs, but that the XEmacs
maintainers don't always keep track of the authors of contributed code,
which makes it impossible for the FSF to have certain legal papers
signed.  (Without these legal papers, the FSF will not distribute Lisp
packages with Emacs.)  The two versions have some
significant differences at the Lisp programming level.

Many XEmacs features have found their way into recent versions of Emacs,
and more features can be expected in the future, but there are still many
differences between the two.

The latest stable branch of XEmacs as of this writing is 21.1; you can
get it at

@uref{ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/xemacs-21.1.14.tar.gz}

More information about XEmacs, including a list of frequently asked
questions (FAQ), is available at

@uref{http://www.xemacs.org/}

@node Emacs for MS-DOS, Emacs for Windows, Difference between Emacs and XEmacs, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where can I get Emacs for my PC running MS-DOS?
@cindex MS-DOS, Emacs for
@cindex DOS, Emacs for

SimTel.NET archives.  This version apparently works under MS-DOS and
Windows (3.X, 9X, ME, NT, and 2000) and supports long file names under
Windows 9X, Windows ME, and Windows 2000.  More information is available
from

@uref{http://www.simtel.net/pub/djgpp/v2gnu/emacs.README}

The binary itself is available in the files @file{em*.zip} in the
directory

@uref{http://www.simtel.net/pub/djgpp/v2gnu/}

If you prefer to compile Emacs for yourself, you can do so with the
current distribution directly.  You will need a 386 (or
better) processor, and to be running MS-DOS 3.0 or later.  According to
@email{eliz@@is.elta.co.il, Eli Zaretskii} and
@email{hankedr@@dms.auburn.edu, Darrel Hankerson}, you will need the
following:

@table @emph

long file names on Windows 9X/ME/2K.

You can get the latest release of DJGPP by retrieving all of
the files in

@uref{http://www.simtel.net/pub/gnu/djgpp/v2*}

@item Unpacking program
The easiest way is to use @code{djtar} which comes with DJGPP v2.x,
because it can open gzip'ed tarfiles (i.e., those ending with
@file{.tar.gz}) in one step.  @code{Djtar} comes in

actually prevent Emacs from building successfully!

@item make, mv, sed, and rm
All of these utilities are available at

@uref{http://www.simtel.net/pub/gnu/djgpp/v2gnu}

16-bit utilities can be found in GNUish, at

@uref{http://www.simtel.net/pub/gnuish/}

The files @file{INSTALL} (near its end) and @file{etc/PROBLEMS} in the
directory of the Emacs sources contains some additional information
regarding Emacs under MS-DOS.

For a list of other MS-DOS implementations of Emacs (and Emacs
look-alikes), consult the list of "Emacs implementations and literature,"
available at

@uref{ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.emacs/}

Note that while many of these programs look similar to Emacs, they often
lack certain features, such as the Emacs Lisp extension language.

@node Emacs for Windows, Emacs for OS/2, Emacs for MS-DOS, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where can I get Emacs for Microsoft Windows
@cindex FAQ for NT Emacs
@cindex Emacs for MS-Windows
@cindex Microsoft Windows, Emacs for
@cindex Windows 9X, ME, NT, 2K, and CE, Emacs for

@node Emacs for Apple computers, Emacs for VMS and DECwindows, Emacs for NeXTSTEP, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where can I get Emacs for my Apple computer?
@cindex Apple computers, Emacs for
@cindex Macintosh, Emacs for

An unofficial port of GNU Emacs 18.59 to the Macintosh is available at a
number of ftp sites, the home being
@uref{ftp://ftp.cs.cornell.edu/pub/parmet/Emacs-1.17.sit.bin}.

A port of Emacs 20.4 is available at
@uref{http://www.cs.hku.hk/~choi/emacs/index.html}.

Beginning with version 21.1, the Macintosh is supported in the official
Emacs distribution; see the files @file{mac/README} and
@file{mac/INSTALL} in the Emacs distribution for build instructions.

Apple's forthcoming "OS X" is based largely on NeXTSTEP and OpenStep.
@xref{Emacs for NeXTSTEP}, for more details about that version.

@node Emacs for VMS and DECwindows, Modes for various languages, Emacs for Apple computers, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where do I get Emacs that runs on VMS under DECwindows?
@cindex DECwindows, Emacs for
@cindex VMS, Emacs for

Up-to-date information about GNU software (including Emacs) for VMS is
available at @uref{http://vms.gnu.org/}.

@node Modes for various languages, Translating names to IP addresses, Emacs for VMS and DECwindows, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where can I get modes for Lex, Yacc/Bison, Bourne shell, csh, C@t{++}, Objective-C, Pascal, Java, and Awk?
@cindex Awk, mode for
@cindex @code{awk-mode}
@cindex Bison, mode for
@cindex Bourne Shell, mode for

@cindex @file{csh} mode
@cindex @code{sh-mode}
@cindex @code{cc-mode}

Most of these modes are now available in standard Emacs distribution.
To get additional modes, look in the Lisp Code Directory (@pxref{Finding
a package with particular functionality}).  For C@t{++}, if you use
@code{lisp-dir-apropos}, you must specify the pattern with something
like @kbd{M-x lisp-dir-apropos @key{RET} c\+\+ @key{RET}}.@footnote{
The backslashes in @samp{\+\+} are required because @kbd{M-x
lisp-dir-apropos} expects a regular expression as its argument
(@pxref{Using regular expressions}), and @samp{+} has a special meaning
in regular expressions.}

Barry Warsaw's @code{cc-mode} now works for C, C@t{++}, Objective-C, and
Java code.  You can get the latest version from the Emacs Lisp Archive;
@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs} for details.  A FAQ for
@code{cc-mode} is available at
@uref{http://www.python.org/emacs/cc-mode/}.

@node Translating names to IP addresses,  , Modes for various languages, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section What is the IP address of XXX.YYY.ZZZ?
@cindex Translating names to IP addresses
@cindex IP addresses from names
@cindex Using BIND to translate addresses
@cindex DNS and IP addresses

If you are on a Unix machine, try using the @samp{nslookup} command,
included in the Berkeley BIND package.  For example, to find the IP
address of @samp{ftp.gnu.org}, you would type @code{nslookup
ftp.gnu.org}.

Your computer should then provide the IP address of that machine.

If your site's nameserver is deficient, you can use IP addresses to FTP
files.  You can get this information by e-mail:

@example
To: dns@@[134.214.84.25]    (to grasp.insa-lyon.fr)
Body: ip XXX.YYY.ZZZ        (or "help" for more information
                             and options - no quotes)
@end example

@noindent
or:

@example
To: resolve@@[147.31.254.130]         (to laverne.cs.widener.edu)
Body: site XXX.YYY.ZZZ
@end example

@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node Major packages and programs, Key bindings, Finding Emacs and related packages, Top
@chapter Major packages and programs
@cindex Major packages and programs

@menu
* VM::
* Supercite::
* Calc::
* VIPER::
* AUC-TeX::
* BBDB::
* Ispell::
* w3-mode::
* EDB::
* Mailcrypt::

@cindex E-mail reader, VM

@table @b

@item Author
@email{kyle@@uunet.uu.net, Kyle Jones}

@item Latest version
6.72

@item Distribution
@uref{ftp://ftp.wonderworks.com/pub/vm/vm.tar.gz}

@item Informational newsgroup/mailing list
@uref{news:gnu.emacs.vm.info}@*
Subscription requests to @email{info-vm-request@@uunet.uu.net}@*
Submissions to @email{info-vm@@uunet.uu.net}

@item Bug reports newsgroup/mailing list
@uref{news:gnu.emacs.vm.bug}@*
Subscription requests to @email{bug-vm-request@@uunet.uu.net}@*
Submissions to @email{bug-vm@@uunet.uu.net}
@end table

VM 6 works with Emacs 20.4, and may cause problems with Emacs 20.3 and
below.  (But note that many people seem to use Emacs 20.3 with VM 6,
without any problems.)  Risk-averse users might wish to try VM 5.97,
available from @uref{ftp://ftp.wonderworks.com/pub/vm/, the same FTP
site}.

@node Supercite, Calc, VM, Major packages and programs
@section Supercite --- mail and news citation package within Emacs
@cindex Supercite
@cindex Superyank

@cindex Citations in mail and news

@table @b

@item Author
@email{bwarsaw@@cen.com, Barry Warsaw}

@item Latest version
3.54 (comes bundled with Emacs 20)

@item Distribution
@uref{http://www.python.org/emacs/supercite.tar.gz}

@item Mailing list

@item Author
@email{daveg@@csvax.cs.caltech.edu, Dave Gillespie}

@item Latest version
2.02f

@item Distribution
@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/calc/calc-2.02f.tar.gz}

@end table

Note that Calc 2.02f needs patching to work with Emacs 21 and later.

Emacs 21.1 and later comes with a package called @file{calculator.el}.
It doesn't support all the mathematical wizardry offered by Calc, such
as matrices, special functions, and statistics, but is more than
adequate as a replacement for @code{xcalc} and similar programs.

@node VIPER, AUC-TeX, Calc, Major packages and programs
@section VIPER --- @code{vi} emulation for Emacs
@cindex @code{vi} emulation
@cindex VIPER
@cindex Emulation of @code{vi}

@item Distribution
@uref{ftp://archive.cis.ohio-state.edu/pub/emacs-lisp/old-archive/modes/vip-mode.tar.Z}

@end table

@node AUC-TeX, BBDB, VIPER, Major packages and programs
@section AUC TeX --- enhanced LaTeX mode with debugging facilities
@cindex Mode for @TeX{}
@cindex @TeX{} mode
@cindex AUC-TeX mode for editing @TeX{}
@cindex Writing and debugging @TeX{}

@table @b

@item Authors
@email{krab@@iesd.auc.dk, Kresten Krab Thorup} and@*
@email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen}

@item Latest version
9.9p

@item Distribution
@uref{ftp://sunsite.auc.dk/packages/auctex/auctex.tar.gz}

@item Web site
@uref{http://sunsite.auc.dk/auctex/}

@item Mailing list:
Subscription requests to @email{auc-tex-request@@iesd.auc.dk}@*
Submissions to @email{auc-tex@@iesd.auc.dk}@*
Development team is at @email{auc-tex_mgr@@iesd.auc.dk}

@end table

@node BBDB, Ispell, AUC-TeX, Major packages and programs
@section BBDB --- personal Info Rolodex integrated with mail/news readers
@cindex BBDB
@cindex Rolodex-like functionality
@cindex Integrated contact database
@cindex Contact database

@cindex Address book

@table @b

@item Maintainer
@email{simmonmt@@acm.org, Matt Simmons}

@item Latest version
2.00

@item Distribution
@uref{http://bbdb.sf.net/}

@item Mailing lists
Subscription requests to @email{info-bbdb-request@@xemacs.org}@*
Submissions to @email{info-bbdb@@xemacs.org}@*
Release announcements: @email{bbdb-announce-request@@xemacs.org}

@end table

@node Ispell, w3-mode, BBDB, Major packages and programs
@section Ispell --- spell checker in C with interface for Emacs

@item Authors
@email{patl@@lcs.mit.edu, Patrick J. LoPresti} and
@email{jin@@atype.com, Jin S. Choi}

@item Maintainer
@email{lbudney@@pobox.com, Len Budney}

@item Latest version
3.5.3

@item Distribution
@uref{http://www.nb.net/~lbudney/linux/software/mailcrypt/mailcrypt-3.5.3.tar.gz}

@item Web site
@uref{http://www.nb.net/~lbudney/linux/software/mailcrypt.html}

@end table

@node JDE, Patch, Mailcrypt, Major packages and programs
@section JDE --- Integrated development environment for Java

@uref{http://sunsite.auc.dk/jde/}

@end table

@node Patch,  , JDE, Major packages and programs
@section Patch --- program to apply "diffs" for updating files
@cindex Updating files with diffs
@cindex Patching source files with diffs
@cindex Diffs and patching
@cindex @file{patch}

* No Escape key::
* Compose Character::
* Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys::
* Meta key does not work in xterm::
* ExtendChar key does not work as Meta::
@end menu

@node Binding keys to commands, Invalid prefix characters, Key bindings, Key bindings
@section How do I bind keys (including function keys) to commands?
@cindex Binding keys to commands

To bind a key just in the current major mode, type @kbd{M-x
local-set-key @key{RET} @var{key} @var{cmd} @key{RET}}.

@inforef{Key Bindings, Key Bindings, emacs}, for further details.

To make the process of binding keys interactively eaiser, use the
following ``trick'': First bind the key interactively, then immediately
type @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC} C-a C-k C-g}.  Now, the command needed
to bind the key is in the kill ring, and can be yanked into your
@file{.emacs} file.  If the key binding is global, no changes to the
command are required.  For example,

(global-set-key (quote [f1]) (quote help-for-help))
@end lisp

@noindent
can be placed directly into the @file{.emacs} file.  If the key binding is
local, the command is used in conjunction with the "add-hook" command.
For example, in tex-mode, a local binding might be

@lisp
(add-hook 'tex-mode-hook
  (lambda ()
   (local-set-key (quote [f1]) (quote help-for-help))))

@end lisp

@end itemize

@node Invalid prefix characters, Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun, Binding keys to commands, Key bindings
@section Why does Emacs say "Key sequence XXX uses invalid prefix characters"?
@cindex Prefix characters, invalid
@cindex Invalid prefix characters
@cindex Misspecified key sequences

Usually, one of two things has happened.  In one case, the control

@section Why does the @key{Backspace} key invoke help?
@cindex Backspace key invokes help
@cindex Help invoked by Backspace
@cindex DEL key does not delete

The @key{Backspace} key (on most keyboards) generates ASCII code 8.
@kbd{C-h} sends the same code.  In Emacs by default @kbd{C-h} invokes
help-command.  This is intended to be easy to remember since the first
letter of @samp{help} is @samp{h}.  The easiest solution to this problem
is to use @kbd{C-h} (and @key{Backspace}) for help and @key{DEL} (the
@key{Delete} key) for deleting the previous character.

@section How do I swap two keys?
@cindex Swapping keys
@cindex Keys, swapping
@cindex @code{keyboard-translate}

In Emacs 19, you can swap two keys (or key sequences) by using the
@code{keyboard-translate} function.  For example, to turn @kbd{C-h} into
@key{DEL} and @key{DEL} to @kbd{C-h}, use

@lisp
(keyboard-translate ?\C-h ?\C-?)  ; translate `C-h' to DEL
(keyboard-translate ?\C-? ?\C-h)  ; translate DEL to `C-h'.
@end lisp

@noindent
The first key sequence of the pair after the function identifies what is
produced by the keyboard; the second, what is matched for in the
keymaps.

Keyboard translations are not the same as key bindings in keymaps.
Emacs contains numerous keymaps that apply in different situations, but
there is only one set of keyboard translations, and it applies to every
character that Emacs reads from the terminal.  Keyboard translations
take place at the lowest level of input processing; the keys that are
looked up in keymaps contain the characters that result from keyboard
translation.

@inforef{Keyboard Translations, Keyboard Translations, emacs}.

@node Producing C-XXX with the keyboard, No Meta key, Swapping keys, Key bindings
@section How do I produce C-XXX with my keyboard?
@cindex Producing control characters
@cindex Generating control characters
@cindex Control characters, generating

On terminals (but not under X), some common "aliases" are:

@table @asis

@item @kbd{C-2}  or  @kbd{C-@key{SPC}}
@kbd{C-@@}

@section What if I don't have an @key{Escape} key?
@cindex No Escape key
@cindex Lacking an Escape key
@cindex Escape key, lacking

Type @kbd{C-[} instead.  This should send ASCII code 27 just like an
Escape key would.  @kbd{C-3} may also work on some terminal (but not
under X).  For many terminals (notably DEC terminals) @key{F11}
generates @key{ESC}.  If not, the following form can be used to bind it:

@lisp

@itemize @bullet

@item
Not all modifiers are permitted in all situations.  @key{Hyper},
@key{Super}, and @key{Alt} are not available on Unix character
terminals.  Non-ASCII keys and mouse events (e.g. @kbd{C-=} and
@kbd{Mouse-1}) also fall under this category.

@end itemize

@xref{Binding keys to commands}, for general key binding instructions.

@item
For X11: Make sure it really is a @key{Meta} key.  Use @code{xev} to
find out what keysym your @key{Meta} key generates.  It should be either
@code{Meta_L} or @code{Meta_R}.  If it isn't, use @file{xmodmap} to fix
the situation.  If @key{Meta} does generate @code{Meta_L} or
@code{Meta_R}, but @kbd{M-x} produces a non-ASCII character, put this in
your @file{~/.Xdefaults} file:

@example
 XTerm*eightBitInput:   false
 XTerm*eightBitOutput:  true

@noindent
You might have to replace @samp{Meta} with @samp{Alt}.

@end itemize

@node ExtendChar key does not work as Meta,  , Meta key does not work in xterm, Key bindings
@section Why doesn't my @key{ExtendChar} key work as a @key{Meta} key under HP-UX 8.0 and 9.x?
@cindex @key{ExtendChar} key as @key{Meta}
@cindex @key{Meta}, using @key{ExtendChar} for
@cindex HP-UX, the @key{ExtendChar} key

@c solved?

This will disable the use of the extra keysyms systemwide, which may be
undesirable if you actually intend to use them.

@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node Alternate character sets, Mail and news, Key bindings, Top
@chapter Alternate character sets
@cindex Alternate character sets

@inforef{Single-Byte Character Support, Single-byte Character Set
Support, emacs}.  On a Unix, when Emacs runs on a text-only terminal
display or is invoked with @samp{emacs -nw}, you typically need to use
@code{set-terminal-coding-system} to tell Emacs what the terminal can
display, even after setting the language environment; otherwise
non-ASCII characters will display as @samp{?}.  On other operating
systems, such as MS-DOS and MS-Windows, Emacs queries the OS about the
character set supported by the display, and sets up the required
terminal coding system automatically.

@node Inputting eight-bit characters, Kanji and Chinese characters, Emacs does not display 8-bit characters, Alternate character sets

@section How can I get my favorite Emacs mail package to support MIME?
@cindex MIME and Emacs mail packages
@cindex Mail packages and MIME
@cindex FAQ for MIME and Emacs

Read the Emacs MIME FAQ, maintained by @email{trey@@cs.berkeley.edu,
MacDonald Hall Jackson} at

@uref{http://bmrc.berkeley.edu/~trey/emacs/mime.html}

Version 6.x of VM supports MIME.  @xref{VM}.  Gnus supports MIME in mail
and news messages as of version 5.8.1 (Pterodactyl).  Rmail has limited
support for single-part MIME messages beginning with Emacs 20.3.

@node Automatically starting a mail or news reader, Reading news with Emacs, MIME with Emacs mail packages, Mail and news

@node Learning more about Gnus,  , Gnus hangs for a long time, Mail and news
@section Where can I find out more about Gnus?
@cindex FAQ for Gnus
@cindex Gnus FAQ
@cindex Learning more about GNU

Look for the Gnus FAQ, available at

@uref{http://www.ccs.neu.edu/software/contrib/gnus/}

@node Concept index,  , Mail and news, Top
@unnumbered Concept Index
@printindex cp

@contents
@bye

88155:d7ddb3e565de

@c %**end of header

@setchapternewpage odd

@c This is used in many places
@set VER 22.1

@copying
Copyright (C) 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Copyright 1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000 Reuven M. Lerner@*
Copyright 1992,1993 Steven Byrnes@*
Copyright 1990,1991,1992 Joseph Brian Wells@*

@quotation
This list of frequently asked questions about GNU Emacs with answers
(``FAQ'') may be translated into other languages, transformed into other
formats (e.g. Texinfo, Info, WWW, WAIS), and updated with new information.

The same conditions apply to any derivative of the FAQ as apply to the FAQ
itself.  Every copy of the FAQ must include this notice or an approved
translation, information on who is currently maintaining the FAQ and how to

The FAQ may be copied and redistributed under these conditions, except that
the FAQ may not be embedded in a larger literary work unless that work
itself allows free copying and redistribution.

[This version has been heavily edited since it was included in the Emacs
distribution.]
@end quotation
@end copying

@dircategory Emacs
@direntry

This is the GNU Emacs FAQ, last updated on @today{}.

The FAQ is maintained as a Texinfo document, allowing us to create HTML,
Info, and TeX documents from a single source file, and is slowly but
surely being improved.  Please bear with us as we improve on this
format.  This FAQ is maintained as a part of GNU Emacs.  If you find
any errors, or have any suggestions, please use @kbd{M-x report-emacs-bug}
to report them.

@menu
* FAQ notation::
* General questions::
* Getting help::

@noindent
Any real spaces in such a key sequence should be ignored; only @key{SPC}
really means press the space key.

The @acronym{ASCII} code sent by @kbd{C-x} (except for @kbd{C-?}) is the value
that would be sent by pressing just @key{x} minus 96 (or 64 for
upper-case @key{X}) and will be from 0 to 31.  On Unix and GNU/Linux
terminals, the @acronym{ASCII} code sent by @kbd{M-x} is the sum of 128 and the
@acronym{ASCII} code that would be sent by pressing just @key{x}.  Essentially,
@key{Control} turns off bits 5 and 6 and @key{Meta} turns on bit
7@footnote{
DOS and Windows terminals don't set bit 7 when the @key{Meta} key is
pressed.}.

@kbd{C-?} (aka @key{DEL}) is @acronym{ASCII} code 127.  It is a misnomer to call
@kbd{C-?}  a ``control'' key, since 127 has both bits 5 and 6 turned ON.
Also, on very few keyboards does @kbd{C-?} generate @acronym{ASCII} code 127.

@inforef{Text Characters, Text Characters, emacs}, and @inforef{Keys,
Keys, emacs}, for more information.  (@xref{On-line manual}, for more
information about Info.)

archive is not particularly well organized or easy to retrieve
individual postings from, but pretty much everything is there.

The archive is at @uref{ftp://ftp-mailing-list-archives.gnu.org}.

The archive can be browsed over the web at
@uref{http://mail.gnu.org/archive/html/, the GNU mail archive}.

Web-based Usenet search services, such as
@uref{http://groups.google.com, Google}, also archive the
@code{gnu.*} groups.

@node Reporting bugs, Unsubscribing from Emacs lists, Newsgroup archives, General questions
@section Where should I report bugs and other problems with Emacs?
@cindex Bug reporting

@item World Wide Web
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/}

@item Postal address
Free Software Foundation@*
51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor@*
Boston, MA 02110-1301@*
USA@*

@end table

@cindex Ordering GNU software
For details on how to order items directly from the FSF, see the
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}.

@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node Getting help, Status of Emacs, General questions, Top
@chapter Getting help
@cindex Getting help

@cindex Beginning editing
@cindex Tutorial, invoking the
@cindex Self-paced tutorial, invoking the
@cindex Help system, entering the

Type @kbd{C-h t} to invoke the self-paced tutorial.  Just typing
@kbd{C-h} enters the help system.  Starting with Emacs 22, the tutorial
is available in many foreign languages such as French, German, Japanese,
Russian, etc.  Use @kbd{M-x help-with-tutorial-spec-language @key{RET}}
to choose your language and start the tutorial.

Your system administrator may have changed @kbd{C-h} to act like
@key{DEL} to deal with local keyboards.  You can use @kbd{M-x
help-for-help} instead to invoke help.  To discover what key (if any)
invokes help on your system, type @kbd{M-x where-is @key{RET}

sequence listed.  Each of the resulting key sequences invokes help.

Emacs help works best if it is invoked by a single key whose value
should be stored in the variable @code{help-char}.

@node Learning how to do something, Getting a printed manual, Basic editing, Getting help
@section How do I find out how to do something in Emacs?
@cindex Help for Emacs
@cindex Learning to do something in Emacs
@cindex Reference card for Emacs

@itemize @bullet

@cindex Reading the Emacs manual
@item
The complete text of the Emacs manual is available on-line via the Info
hypertext reader.  Type @kbd{C-h r} to display the manual in Info mode.
Typing @key{h} immediately after entering Info will provide a short
tutorial on how to use it.

@cindex Lookup a subject in a manual
@cindex Index search in a manual
@item
To quickly locate the section of the manual which discusses a certain

(actually which match a regular expression) using @kbd{C-h a} (@kbd{M-x
command-apropos}).

@cindex Command description in the manual
@item
The command @kbd{C-h F} (@code{Info-goto-emacs-command-node}) prompts
for the name of a command, and then attempts to find the section in the
Emacs manual where that command is described.

@cindex Finding commands and variables
@item

@cindex Printed Emacs manual, obtaining
@cindex Manual, obtaining a printed or HTML copy of
@cindex Emacs manual, obtaining a printed or HTML copy of

You can order a printed copy of the Emacs manual from the FSF.  For
details see the @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}.

@c The number 620 below is version-dependent!
The full Texinfo source for the manual also comes in the @file{man}
directory of the Emacs distribution, if you're daring enough to try to
print out this 620-page manual yourself (@pxref{Printing a Texinfo
file}).

If you absolutely have to print your own copy, and you don't have @TeX{},
you can get a PostScript version from

@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/emacs.ps.gz}

@cindex HTML version of Emacs manual, obtaining
An HTML version of the manual is at

@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/emacs.html}

@xref{Learning how to do something}, for how to view the manual on-line.

@node Emacs Lisp documentation, Installing Texinfo documentation, Getting a printed manual, Getting help
@section Where can I get documentation on Emacs Lisp?

@cindex Reference manual for Emacs Lisp

Within Emacs, you can type @kbd{C-h f} to get the documentation for a
function, @kbd{C-h v} for a variable.

For more information, the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual is available
on-line, in Info format.  @xref{Top, Emacs Lisp,, elisp, The
Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.

You can also order a hardcopy of the manual, details on ordering it from
FSF are on the @uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html, GNU Web site}.

An HTML version of the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual is available at

@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/elisp-manual/elisp.html}

@node Installing Texinfo documentation, Printing a Texinfo file, Emacs Lisp documentation, Getting help
@section How do I install a piece of Texinfo documentation?
@cindex Texinfo documentation, installing
@cindex Installing Texinfo documentation

First, you must turn the Texinfo files into Info files.  You may do this
using the stand-alone @file{makeinfo} program, available as part of the latest
Texinfo package at

@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/texinfo/texinfo-4.8.tar.gz}

and all mirrors of @samp{ftp.gnu.org} (for a list, @pxref{Current GNU
distributions}).

For information about the Texinfo format, read the Texinfo manual which

where that is).

@table @file

@item COPYING
GNU General Public License

@item DISTRIB
Emacs Availability Information, including the popular Free Software
Foundation Order Form

@item FTP
How to get GNU Software by Internet FTP or by UUCP

@item GNU

@item SERVICE
GNU Service Directory

@item SUN-SUPPORT
including ``Using Emacstool with GNU Emacs''

@end table

More GNU information, including back issues of the @cite{GNU's
Bulletin}, are at

@uref{http://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bulletins.html} and

@itemize @bullet

@item
Inside of Emacs itself.  You can get it from selecting the @samp{Emacs
FAQ} option from the @samp{Help} menu of the Emacs menu bar at the top
of any Emacs frame, or by typing @kbd{C-h C-f} (@kbd{M-x view-emacs-FAQ}).

@item
Via USENET.  If you can read news, the FAQ should be available in your
news spool, in both the @uref{news:gnu.emacs.help} and
@uref{news:comp.emacs} newsgroups.  Every news reader should allow you

spool, it might (or might not) do some good to complain to your news
administrator, because the most recent FAQ should not expire for a
while.

@item
In the Emacs distribution.  Since Emacs 18.56, the FAQ at the time
of release has been part of the Emacs distribution as either
@file{etc/FAQ} or @file{man/faq.texi} (@pxref{File-name conventions}).

@item
Via anonymous ftp and e-mail from @file{rtfm.mit.edu} (and its mirror in
Europe), the main repository for FAQs and other items posted to
news.answers.  The Emacs FAQs are available at

send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part4
send usenet/news.answers/GNU-Emacs-FAQ/part5
@end example

For more information, send email to @email{mail-server@@rtfm.mit.edu}
with @samp{help} and @samp{index} in the body on separate lines.
@end itemize

@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node    Status of Emacs, Common requests, Getting help, Top
@chapter Status of Emacs

@menu
* Origin of the term Emacs::
* Latest version of Emacs::
* New in Emacs 20::
* New in Emacs 21::
* New in Emacs 22::
@end menu

@node Origin of the term Emacs, Latest version of Emacs, Status of Emacs, Status of Emacs
@section Where does the name ``Emacs'' come from?
@cindex Origin of the term ``Emacs''

@node New in Emacs 20,  New in Emacs 21, Latest version of Emacs, Status of Emacs
@section What is different about Emacs 20?
@cindex Differences between Emacs 19 and Emacs 20
@cindex Emacs 20, new features in

To find out what has changed in recent versions, type @kbd{C-h C-n}
(@kbd{M-x view-emacs-news}).  The oldest changes are at the bottom of
the file, so you might want to read it starting there, rather than at
the top.

The differences between Emacs versions 18 and 19 was rather dramatic;

A number of older Lisp packages, such as Gnus, Supercite and the
calendar/diary, have been updated and enhanced to work with Emacs 20,
and are now included with the standard distribution.


@node New in Emacs 21, New in Emacs 22, New in Emacs 20, Status of Emacs
@section What is different about Emacs 21?
@cindex Differences between Emacs 20 and Emacs 21
@cindex Emacs 21, new features in
@cindex Recently introduced features

@cindex TTY colors
In addition, Emacs 21 supports faces on text-only terminals.  This means
that you can now have colors when you run Emacs on a GNU/Linux console
and on @code{xterm} with @kbd{emacs -nw}.

@node New in Emacs 22, , New in Emacs 21, Status of Emacs
@section What is different about Emacs 22?
@cindex Differences between Emacs 21 and Emacs 22
@cindex Emacs 22, new features in
@cindex Recently introduced features

@c FIXME: Improve this node before the 22.1 release.
@cindex Default features
Font-lock mode, auto-compression mode, and file name shadow mode are now
enabled by default.  It is now possible to follow links with
@kbd{mouse-1}.

@cindex Supported systems
Emacs 22 features support for GNU/Linux systems on S390 and X86-64
machines, as well as support for the Mac OS X and Cygwin operating
systems.

@cindex GTK+ Toolkit
@cindex Drag-and-drop
@cindex Mouse wheel
Emacs can now be built with GTK+ widgets, and supports drag-and-drop
operation on X.  Mouse wheel support is now enabled by default.

@cindex New modes
Many new modes and packages have been included in Emacs, such as Leim,
Calc, Tramp and URL, as well as IDO, CUA, rcirc, conf-mode,
python-mode, table, tumme, SES, ruler, Flymake, Org, etc.

@cindex Documentation
@cindex Emacs Lisp Manual
In addition, Emacs 22 now includes the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual
(@pxref{Emacs Lisp documentation}) and the Emacs Lisp Intro.

@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node    Common requests, Bugs and problems, Status of Emacs, Top
@chapter Common requests
@cindex Common requests

@menu
* Setting up a customization file::
* Using Customize::
* Debugging a customization file::
* Colors on a TTY::
* Displaying the current line or column::
* Displaying the current file name in the titlebar::
* Turning on abbrevs by default::

* Editing MS-DOS files::
* Filling paragraphs with a single space::
* Escape sequences in shell output::
@end menu

@node Setting up a customization file, Using Customize, Common requests, Common requests
@section How do I set up a @file{.emacs} file properly?
@cindex @file{.emacs} file, setting up
@cindex @file{.emacs} file, locating
@cindex Init file, setting up
@cindex Customization file, setting up

@inforef{Init File, Init File, emacs}.

In general, new Emacs users should not have @file{.emacs} files, because
it causes confusing non-standard behavior.  Then they send questions to
@email{help-gnu-emacs@@gnu.org} asking why Emacs isn't behaving as
documented.

Beginning with version 20.1, Emacs includes the new Customize facility
(@pxref{Using Customize}).  This allows users who are unfamiliar with
Emacs Lisp to modify their @file{.emacs} files in a relatively
straightforward way, using menus rather than Lisp code.  Most packages
support Customize as of this writing.

While Customize might indeed make it easier to configure Emacs,
consider taking a bit of time to learn Emacs Lisp and modifying your
@file{.emacs} directly.  Simple configuration options are described
rather completely in @inforef{Init File, Init File, emacs}, for users
interested in performing frequently requested, basic tasks.

Sometimes users are unsure as to where their @file{.emacs} file should
be found.  Visiting the file as @file{~/.emacs} from Emacs will find
the correct file.

@node Using Customize, Colors on a TTY, Setting up a customization file, Common requests
@section How do I start using Customize?
@cindex Customize groups
@cindex Customizing variables
@cindex Customizing faces

The main Customize entry point is @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET}}.  This
command takes you to a buffer listing all the available Customize
groups.  From there, you can access all customizable options and faces,
change their values, and save your changes to your init file.
@inforef{Easy Customization, Easy Customization, emacs}.

If you know the name of the group in advance (e.g. ``shell''), use
@kbd{M-x customize-group @key{RET}}.

If you wish to customize a single option, use @kbd{M-x customize-option
@key{RET}}.  This command prompts you for the name of the option to
customize, with completion.

@node Colors on a TTY, Debugging a customization file, Using Customize, Common requests
@section How do I get colors and syntax highlighting on a TTY?
@cindex Colors on a TTY
@cindex Syntax highlighting on a TTY
@cindex Console, colors

capabilities.

The command @kbd{M-x list-colors-display} pops up a window which
exhibits all the colors Emacs knows about on the current display.

Syntax highlighting is on by default since version 22.1.

@node Debugging a customization file, Displaying the current line or column, Colors on a TTY, Common requests
@section How do I debug a @file{.emacs} file?
@cindex Debugging @file{.emacs} file
@cindex @file{.emacs} debugging

Abrahamsen}.  @xref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}, for
instructions on how to get it.

@cindex Set number capability in @code{vi} emulators
None of the @code{vi} emulation modes provide the ``set number''
capability of @code{vi} (as far as we know).  The @samp{setnu} package
written by @email{kyle@@wonderworks.com, Kyle Jones} provides this
feature.  So too does @samp{wb-line-number}, written by
@email{naoki.y.nakamura@@nifty.com, Naoki Nakamura}.

@node Displaying the current file name in the titlebar, Turning on abbrevs by default, Displaying the current line or column, Common requests
@section How can I modify the titlebar to contain the current file name?
@cindex Titlebar, displaying the current file name in
@cindex File name, displaying in the titlebar

(add-hook '@var{mymode}-mode-hook
          (lambda ()
           (setq abbrev-mode t)))
@end lisp

Starting with Emacs 22, the standard abbrevs file is read automatically
at startup, so the first of these two forms becomes unnecessary.

@node Turning on auto-fill by default, Associating modes with files, Turning on abbrevs by default, Common requests
@section How do I turn on @code{auto-fill-mode} by default?
@cindex @code{auto-fill-mode}, activating automatically
@cindex Filling automatically

@cindex Replacing, and case sensitivity
@cindex @code{case-replace}
Similarly, for replacing, the variable @code{case-replace} determines
whether replacements preserve case.

You can also toggle case sensitivity at will in isearch with @kbd{M-c}.

To change the case sensitivity just for one major mode, use the major
mode's hook.  For example:

@lisp
(add-hook '@var{foo}-mode-hook

@end lisp

To do this relative to your home directory:

@lisp
(setq load-path (cons "~/mysubdir/" load-path))
@end lisp

@node Using an already running Emacs process, Compiler error messages, Changing load-path, Common requests
@section How do I use an already running Emacs from another window?
@cindex @code{emacsclient}

@lisp
(if (@var{some conditions are met}) (server-start))
@end lisp

When this is done, Emacs creates a Unix domain socket named
@file{server} in @file{/tmp/emacs@var{userid}}. See
@code{server-socket-dir}.

To get your news reader, mail reader, etc., to invoke
@samp{emacsclient}, try setting the environment variable @code{EDITOR}
(or sometimes @code{VISUAL}) to the value @samp{emacsclient}.  You may
have to specify the full pathname of the @samp{emacsclient} program

@end example

@item
Normal use:

When @samp{emacsclient} is run, it connects to the socket and passes its
command line options to Emacs, which at the next opportunity will visit
the files specified.  (Line numbers can be specified just like with
Emacs.)  The user will have to switch to the Emacs window by hand.  When
the user is done editing a file, the user can type @kbd{C-x #} (or
@kbd{M-x server-edit}) to indicate this.  If there is another buffer
requested by @code{emacsclient}, Emacs will switch to it; otherwise
@code{emacsclient} will exit, signaling the calling program to continue.

@cindex @code{gnuserv}
There is an enhanced version of @samp{emacsclient} called
@samp{gnuserv}, written by @email{ange@@hplb.hpl.hp.com, Andy Norman}
(@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}).  @samp{gnuserv} uses
Internet domain sockets, so it can work across most network connections.

The most recent @samp{gnuserv} package is available at

@uref{http://meltin.net/hacks/emacs/}

@end itemize

@node Compiler error messages, Indenting switch statements, Using an already running Emacs process, Common requests
@section How do I make Emacs recognize my compiler's funny error messages?
@cindex Compiler error messages, recognizing
@cindex Recognizing non-standard compiler errors
@cindex Regexps for recognizing compiler errors
@cindex Errors, recognizing compiler

Customize the @code{compilation-error-regexp-alist} variable.

@node Indenting switch statements, Customizing C and C++ indentation, Compiler error messages, Common requests
@section How do I change the indentation for @code{switch}?
@cindex @code{switch}, indenting
@cindex Indenting of @code{switch}

The solution at first appears to be: set @code{c-indent-level} to 4 and
@code{c-label-offset} to -2.  However, this will give you an indentation
spacing of four instead of two.

The @emph{real} solution is to use @code{cc-mode} (the default mode for
C programming in Emacs 20 and later) and add the following line to your
@file{.emacs}:

@lisp
(c-set-offset 'case-label '+)
@end lisp

@item
@code{hscroll-step-percent} controls how far to jump once we decide to do so.
@end itemize

@node Overwrite mode, Turning off beeping, Horizontal scrolling, Common requests
@section How do I make Emacs ``typeover'' or ``overwrite'' instead of inserting?
@cindex @key{Insert}
@cindex @code{overwrite-mode}
@cindex Overwriting existing text
@cindex Toggling @code{overwrite-mode}

new lines, and @kbd{M-q} (@code{fill-paragraph}) will maintain any fill
prefix when refilling the paragraph.

If you have paragraphs with different levels of indentation, you will
have to set the fill prefix to the correct value each time you move to a
new paragraph.  There are many packages available to deal with this
(@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}).  Look for ``fill'' and
``indent'' keywords for guidance.

@node Matching parentheses, Hiding #ifdef lines, Automatic indentation, Common requests
@section How do I show which parenthesis matches the one I'm looking at?
@cindex Parentheses, matching
@cindex @file{paren.el}
@cindex Highlighting matching parentheses
@cindex Pairs of parentheses, highlighting
@cindex Matching parentheses

Call @code{show-paren-mode} in your @file{.emacs} file:

@lisp
(show-paren-mode 1)
@end lisp

You can also enable this mode by selecting the @samp{Paren Match
Highlighting} option from the @samp{Options} menu of the Emacs menu bar
at the top of any Emacs frame.

Alternatives to this mode include:

@itemize @bullet

@item
If you're looking at a right parenthesis (or brace or bracket) you can

@cindex @code{hide-ifdef-mode}
@cindex Hiding @code{#ifdef} text
@cindex Selectively displaying @code{#ifdef} code

@kbd{M-x hide-ifdef-mode}.  (This is a minor mode.)  You might also want
to investigate @file{cpp.el}, which is distributed with Emacs.

@node Repeating commands, Valid X resources, Hiding #ifdef lines, Common requests
@section Is there an equivalent to the @code{.} (dot) command of vi?
@cindex Repeating commands as with @code{vi}
@cindex Command, repeat last

@section What are the valid X resource settings (i.e., stuff in .Xdefaults)?
@cindex Resources, X
@cindex X resources
@cindex Setting X resources

@inforef{X Resources, X Resources, emacs}.

You can also use a resource editor, such as editres (for X11R5 and
onwards), to look at the resource names for the menu bar, assuming Emacs
was compiled with the X toolkit.

@node Evaluating Emacs Lisp code, Changing the length of a Tab, Valid X resources, Common requests
@section How do I execute (``evaluate'') a piece of Emacs Lisp code?
@cindex Evaluating Lisp code
@cindex Lisp forms, evaluating

There are a number of ways to execute (@dfn{evaluate}, in Lisp lingo) an
Emacs Lisp @dfn{form}:

citation for yanked mail and news messages; it is included in Emacs
since version 19.20.  @xref{Changing the included text prefix}, for
additional information.

@node Underlining paragraphs, Repeating a command as many times as possible, Inserting > at the beginning of each line, Common requests
@section How do I insert @samp{_^H} before each character in a region to get an underlined paragraph?
@cindex Underlining a region of text
@cindex @code{underline-region}

Mark the region and then type @kbd{M-x underline-region @key{RET}}.

the command and then type @kbd{M-0 C-x e}.

Any messages your command prints in the echo area will be suppressed.

If you need to repeat a command a small number of times, you can use
@kbd{C-x z} (@pxref{Repeating commands}) or @kbd{C-x e}.

@node Forcing the cursor to remain in the same column, Forcing Emacs to iconify itself, Repeating a command as many times as possible, Common requests
@section How do I make Emacs behave like this: when I go up or down, the cursor should stay in the same column even if the line is too short?
@cindex @code{picture-mode}
@cindex Remaining in the same column, regardless of contents

@cindex Iconification under the X Window System
@cindex X Window System and iconification
@cindex Suspending Emacs

@kbd{C-z} iconifies Emacs when running under X and suspends Emacs
otherwise.  @inforef{Frame Commands, Frame Commands, emacs}.

@node Using regular expressions, Replacing text across multiple files, Forcing Emacs to iconify itself, Common requests
@section How do I use regexps (regular expressions) in Emacs?
@cindex Regexps
@cindex Regular expressions
@cindex Differences between Unix and Emacs regexps
@cindex Unix regeps, differences from Emacs
@cindex Text strings, putting regexps in

@inforef{Regexp Backslash, Regexp Backslash, emacs}.

The @code{or} operator is @samp{\|}, not @samp{|}, and the grouping operators
are @samp{\(} and @samp{\)}.  Also, the string syntax for a backslash is
@samp{\\}.  To specify a regular expression like @samp{xxx\(foo\|bar\)}
in a Lisp string, use @samp{xxx\\(foo\\|bar\\)}.

@cindex Disabling backups

You probably don't want to do this, since backups are useful, especially
when something goes wrong.

To avoid seeing backup files (and other ``uninteresting'' files) in Dired,
load @code{dired-x} by adding the following to your @file{.emacs} file:

@lisp
(add-hook 'dired-load-hook
          (lambda ()

@code{auto-save-interval}, which specifies how many keystrokes Emacs
waits before auto-saving.  Increasing this value forces Emacs to wait
longer between auto-saves, which might annoy you less.

You might also want to look into Sebastian Kremer's @code{auto-save}
package (@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}).  This
package also allows you to place all auto-save files in one directory,
such as @file{/tmp}.

To disable or change how @code{auto-save-mode} works, @inforef{Auto
Save, , emacs}.

@kbd{M-x compile} and @kbd{M-x recompile} commands is a much more
effective way of doing that.  Emacs automatically intercepts the compile
error messages, inserts them into a special buffer called
@code{*compilation*}, and lets you visit the locus of each message in
the source.  Type @kbd{C-x `} to step through the offending lines one by
one (starting with Emacs 22, you can also use @kbd{M-g M-p} and
@kbd{M-g M-n} to go to the previous and next matches directly).  Click
@kbd{Mouse-2} or press @key{RET} on a message text in the
@code{*compilation*} buffer to go to the line whose number is mentioned
in that message.

But if you indeed need to go to a certain text line, type @kbd{M-g M-g}
(which is the default binding of the @code{goto-line} function starting
with Emacs 22).  Emacs will prompt you for the number of the line and go
to that line.

You can do this faster by invoking @code{goto-line} with a numeric
argument that is the line's number.  For example, @kbd{C-u 286 M-g M-g}
will jump to line number 286 in the current buffer.

@node Modifying pull-down menus, Deleting menus and menu options, Going to a line by number, Common requests
@section How can I create or modify new pull-down menu options?
@cindex Pull-down menus, creating or modifying
@cindex Menus, creating or modifying

@cindex Menus and keymaps
@cindex Keymaps and menus

Each menu title (e.g., @samp{File}, @samp{Edit}, @samp{Buffers})
represents a local or global keymap.  Selecting a menu title with the
mouse displays that keymap's non-@code{nil} contents in the form of a menu.

So to add a menu option to an existing menu, all you have to do is add a
new definition to the appropriate keymap.  Adding a @samp{Forward Word}
item to the @samp{Edit} menu thus requires the following Lisp code:

@cindex Highlighting based on syntax
@cindex Colorizing text
@cindex FAQ, @code{font-lock-mode}

@code{font-lock-mode} is the standard way to have Emacs perform syntax
highlighting in the current buffer.  It is enabled by default in Emacs
22.1 and later.

With @code{font-lock-mode} turned on, different types of text will
appear in different colors.  For instance, in a programming mode,
variables will appear in one face, keywords in a second, and comments in
a third.

@cindex hilit19 is deprecated
Earlier versions of Emacs supported hilit19, a similar package.  Use of
hilit19 is now considered non-standard, although @file{hilit19.el} comes
with the stock Emacs distribution.  It is no longer maintained.

To turn @code{font-lock-mode} off within an existing buffer, use
@kbd{M-x font-lock-mode @key{RET}}.

In Emacs 21 and earlier versions, you could use the following code in
your @file{.emacs} file to turn on @code{font-lock-mode} globally:

@lisp
(global-font-lock-mode 1)
@end lisp

Highlighting a buffer with @code{font-lock-mode} can take quite a while,
and cause an annoying delay in display, so several features exist to
work around this.

different modes are highlighted in a different ways; for more
information, see the documentation for
@code{font-lock-maximum-decoration} with @kbd{C-h v} (or @kbd{M-x
describe-variable @key{RET}}).

Also see the documentation for the function @code{font-lock-mode},
available by typing @kbd{C-h f font-lock-mode} (@kbd{M-x
describe-function @key{RET} font-lock-mode @key{RET}}).

To print buffers with the faces (i.e., colors and fonts) intact, use
@kbd{M-x ps-print-buffer-with-faces} or @kbd{M-x
ps-print-region-with-faces}.  You will need a way to send text to a
PostScript printer, or a PostScript interpreter such as Ghostscript;

@node Scrolling only one line, Replacing highlighted text, Turning on syntax highlighting, Common requests
@section How can I force Emacs to scroll only one line when I move past the bottom of the screen?
@cindex Scrolling only one line
@cindex Reducing the increment when scrolling

Customize the @code{scroll-conservatively} variable with @kbd{M-x
customize-variable @key{RET} scroll-conservatively @key{RET}} and set it
to a large value like, say, 10000.  For an explanation of what this
means, @inforef{Scrolling, Scrolling, emacs}.

Alternatively, use the following Lisp form in your @file{.emacs}:

@lisp
(setq scroll-conservatively most-positive-fixnum)
@end lisp

@node Replacing highlighted text, Editing MS-DOS files, Scrolling only one line, Common requests
@section How can I replace highlighted text with what I type?
@cindex @code{delete-selection-mode}
@cindex Replacing highlighted text

Use @code{delete-selection-mode}, which you can start automatically by
placing the following Lisp form in your @file{.emacs} file:

@lisp
(delete-selection-mode 1)
@end lisp

According to the documentation string for @code{delete-selection-mode}
(which you can read using @kbd{M-x describe-function @key{RET}
delete-selection-mode @key{RET}}):

the string @samp{(DOS)} will appear near the left edge of the mode line;
on DOS and Windows, where the DOS end-of-line (EOL) format is the
default, a backslash (@samp{\}) will appear in the mode line.

If you are running a version of Emacs before 20.1, get @code{crypt++}
(@pxref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}).  Among other things,
@code{crypt++} transparently modifies MS-DOS files as they are loaded
and saved, allowing you to ignore the different conventions that Unix
and MS-DOS have for delineating the end of a line.

@node Filling paragraphs with a single space,  Escape sequences in shell output, Editing MS-DOS files, Common requests
@section How can I tell Emacs to fill paragraphs with a single space after each period?
@cindex One space following periods
@cindex Single space following periods
@cindex Periods, one space following

Add the following line to your @file{.emacs} file:

@lisp
(setq sentence-end-double-space nil)
@end lisp

@node Escape sequences in shell output, , Filling paragraphs with a single space, Common requests
@section Why these strange escape sequences from @code{ls} from the Shell mode?

see @ref{Bugs, , Reporting Bugs, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}, for
instructions how to do that.

The file @file{etc/PROBLEMS} in the Emacs distribution lists various
known problems with building and using Emacs on specific platforms;
type @kbd{C-h C-e} to read it.

@menu
* Problems with very large files::
* ^M in the shell buffer::
* Shell process exits abnormally::

@cindex Opening very large files
@cindex Maximum file size
@cindex Files, maximum size

Old versions (i.e., anything before 19.29) of Emacs had problems editing
files larger than 8 megabytes.  In versions 19.29 and later, the maximum
buffer size is at least 2^27-1, or 134,217,727 bytes, or 132 MBytes.
And in Emacs 22, the maximum buffer size has been increased to
268,435,455 bytes (or 256 MBytes) on 32-bit machines.

@node ^M in the shell buffer, Shell process exits abnormally, Problems with very large files, Bugs and problems
@section How do I get rid of @samp{^M} or echoed commands in my shell buffer?
@cindex Shell buffer, echoed commands and @samp{^M} in
@cindex Echoed commands in @code{shell-mode}

@smalllisp
(add-hook 'comint-output-filter-functions 'shell-strip-ctrl-m)
@end smalllisp

On a related note: if your shell is echoing your input line in the shell
buffer, you might want to customize the @code{comint-process-echoes}
variable in your shell buffers, or try the following command in your
shell start-up file:

@example
stty -icrnl -onlcr -echo susp ^Z
@end example

@node Shell process exits abnormally, Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows, ^M in the shell buffer, Bugs and problems
@section Why do I get ``Process shell exited abnormally with code 1''?
@cindex Abnormal exits from @code{shell-mode}
@cindex @code{shell-mode} exits
@cindex Process shell exited

The most likely reason for this message is that the @samp{env} program

Some people have trouble with Shell Mode because of intrusive
antivirus software; disabling the resident antivirus program solves
the problems in those cases.

@node Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs, Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode, Problems with Shell Mode on MS-Windows, Bugs and problems
@section Where is the termcap/terminfo entry for terminal type @samp{emacs}?
@cindex Termcap
@cindex Terminfo
@cindex Emacs entries for termcap/terminfo

The termcap entry for terminal type @samp{emacs} is ordinarily put in

@example
if ("$term" == emacs) set term=dumb
@end example

@node Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode, Problems talking to certain hosts, Termcap/Terminfo entries for Emacs, Bugs and problems
@section Why does Emacs spontaneously start displaying @samp{I-search:} and beeping?
@cindex Spontaneous entry into isearch-mode
@cindex isearch-mode, spontaneous entry into
@cindex Beeping without obvious reason

Your terminal (or something between your terminal and the computer) is

properly told to do DNS lookups with the correct command line switch.

@end itemize

@node Errors with init files, Emacs ignores X resources, Problems talking to certain hosts, Bugs and problems
@section Why does Emacs say @samp{Error in init file}?
@cindex Error in @file{.emacs}
@cindex Error in init file
@cindex Init file, errors in
@cindex @file{.emacs} file, errors in
@cindex Debugging @file{.emacs} file

guess by recognizing @samp{cd} commands.  If you type @kbd{cd} followed
by a directory name with a variable reference (@kbd{cd $HOME/bin}) or
with a shell metacharacter (@kbd{cd ../lib*}), Emacs will fail to
correctly guess the shell's new current directory.  A huge variety of
fixes and enhancements to shell mode for this problem have been written
to handle this problem (@pxref{Finding a package with particular
functionality}).

You can tell Emacs the shell's current directory with the command
@kbd{M-x dirs}.

@node Security risks with Emacs, Dired claims that no file is on this line, Shell mode loses the current directory, Bugs and problems

arbitrary Emacs Lisp code evaluated when the file is visited.
Obviously, there is a potential for Trojan horses to exploit this
feature.

Emacs 18 allowed this feature by default; users could disable it by
setting the variable @code{inhibit-local-variables} to a non-@code{nil} value.

As of Emacs 19, Emacs has a list of local variables that create a
security risk.  If a file tries to set one of them, it asks the user to
confirm whether the variables should be set.  You can also tell Emacs
whether to allow the evaluation of Emacs Lisp code found at the bottom

@end example

@end itemize

@node Dired claims that no file is on this line,  , Security risks with Emacs, Bugs and problems
@section Dired says, @samp{no file on this line} when I try to do something.
@cindex Dired does not see a file

@c FIXME: I think this is fixed in Emacs 21, but I didn't have time to
@c check.
Chances are you're using a localized version of Unix that doesn't use US

There are two approaches to solving this.  The first one involves
setting things up so that @samp{ls -l} outputs US date format.  This can
be done by setting the locale.  See your OS manual for more information.

The second approach involves changing the regular expression used by
dired, @code{directory-listing-before-filename-regexp}.

@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node Compiling and installing Emacs, Finding Emacs and related packages, Bugs and problems, Top
@chapter    Compiling and installing Emacs
@cindex    Compiling and installing Emacs

distribution site, sources are available as

@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/emacs-@value{VER}.tar.gz}

The above will obviously change as new versions of Emacs come out.  For
instance, when Emacs 22.42 is released, it will most probably be
available as

@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/emacs-22.42.tar.gz}

Again, you should use one of the GNU mirror sites (see @ref{Current GNU
distributions}, and adjust the URL accordingly) so as to reduce load on
@file{ftp.gnu.org}.

Emacs needs to be linked with the static version of the X11 library,
@file{libX11.a}.  This may be missing.

On OpenWindows, you may need to use @code{add_services} to add the
``OpenWindows Programmers'' optional software category from the CD-ROM.

On HP-UX 8.0, you may need to run @code{update} again to load the
X11-PRG ``fileset''.  This may be missing even if you specified ``all
filesets'' the first time.  If @file{libcurses.a} is missing, you may
need to load the ``Berkeley Development Option.''

@menu
* Finding Emacs on the Internet::
* Finding a package with particular functionality::
* Packages that do not come with Emacs::
* Current GNU distributions::
* Difference between Emacs and XEmacs::
* Emacs for MS-DOS::
* Emacs for Windows::
* Emacs for OS/2::

* Emacs for the Amiga ::
* Emacs for NeXTSTEP::
* Emacs for Apple computers::
* Emacs for VMS and DECwindows::
* Modes for various languages::
@end menu

@node Finding Emacs on the Internet, Finding a package with particular functionality, Finding Emacs and related packages, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where can I get Emacs on the net (or by snail mail)?
@cindex Finding Emacs on the Internet
@cindex Snail mail, ordering Emacs via
@cindex Postal service, ordering Emacs via
@cindex Distribution, retrieving Emacs
@cindex Internet, retrieving from

Look in the files @file{etc/DISTRIB} and @file{etc/FTP} for
information on nearby archive sites.  If you don't already have Emacs,
see @ref{Informational files for Emacs}, for how to get these files.

@xref{Installing Emacs}, for information on how to obtain and build the latest
version of Emacs, and see @ref{Current GNU distributions}, for a list of
archive sites that make GNU software available.

source to most packages contains a short description of how they
should be loaded, invoked, and configured---so before you use or
modify a Lisp package, see if the author has provided any hints in the
source code.

The command @kbd{C-h p} (@code{finder-by-keyword}) allows you to browse
the constituent Emacs packages.

For advice on how to find extra packages that are not part of Emacs,
see @ref{Packages that do not come with Emacs}.

@node Packages that do not come with Emacs, Current GNU distributions, Finding a package with particular functionality, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where can I get Emacs Lisp packages that don't come with Emacs?
@cindex Unbundled packages
@cindex Finding other packages
@cindex Lisp packages that do not come with Emacs
@cindex Packages, those that do not come with Emacs
@cindex Emacs Lisp List
@cindex Emacs Lisp Archive

@uref{http://www.anc.ed.ac.uk/~stephen/emacs/ell.html, The Emacs Lisp
List (ELL)}, maintained by @email{stephen@@anc.ed.ac.uk, Stephen Eglen},
aims to provide one compact list with links to all of the current Emacs
Lisp files on the internet.  The ELL can be browsed over the web, or
from Emacs with @uref{http://www.anc.ed.ac.uk/~stephen/emacs/ell.el,
the @file{ell} package}.

Many authors post their packages to the @uref{news:gnu.emacs.sources,
Emacs sources newsgroup}.  You can search the archives of this
group with @uref{http://groups.google.com, Google}, for example.

Several packages are stored in
@uref{http://emacswiki.org/elisp/, the Lisp area of the Emacs Wiki}.

For a long time, the Emacs Lisp Archive provided a central repository
for Emacs packages.  Sadly, it has not been active for some time,
although you can still access the old files at

@uref{ftp://ftp.cis.ohio-state.edu/pub/emacs-lisp/WWW/index.html}

@node Current GNU distributions, Difference between Emacs and XEmacs, Packages that do not come with Emacs, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where can I get other up-to-date GNU stuff?
@cindex Current GNU distributions
@cindex Sources for current GNU distributions
@cindex Stuff, current GNU
@cindex Up-to-date GNU stuff

A list of sites mirroring @samp{ftp.gnu.org} can be found at

@uref{http://www.gnu.org/order/ftp.html}

@node Difference between Emacs and XEmacs, Emacs for MS-DOS, Current GNU distributions, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section What is the difference between Emacs and XEmacs (formerly Lucid Emacs)?
@cindex XEmacs
@cindex Difference Emacs and XEmacs
@cindex Lucid Emacs
@cindex Epoch

XEmacs is a branch version of Emacs.  It was first called Lucid Emacs,
and was initially derived from a prerelease version of Emacs 19.  In
this FAQ, we use the name ``Emacs'' only for the official version.

Emacs and XEmacs each come with Lisp packages that are lacking in the
other.  The two versions have some significant differences at the Lisp
programming level.  Their current features are roughly comparable,
though the support for some operating systems, character sets and
specific packages might be quite different.

Some XEmacs code has been contributed to Emacs, and we would like to
use other parts, but the earlier XEmacs maintainers did not always
keep track of the authors of contributed code, which makes it
impossible for the FSF to get copyright papers signed for that code.
(The FSF requires these papers for all the code included in the Emacs
release, aside from generic C support packages that retain their
separate identity and are not integrated into the code of Emacs
proper.)

If you want to talk about these two versions and distinguish them,
please call them ``Emacs'' and ``XEmacs.''  To contrast ``XEmacs''
with ``GNU Emacs'' would be misleading, since XEmacs too has its
origin in the work of the GNU Project.  Terms such as ``Emacsen'' and
``(X)Emacs'' are not wrong, but they are not very clear, so it
is better to write ``Emacs and XEmacs.''

@node Emacs for MS-DOS, Emacs for Windows, Difference between Emacs and XEmacs, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where can I get Emacs for my PC running MS-DOS?
@cindex MS-DOS, Emacs for
@cindex DOS, Emacs for

SimTel.NET archives.  This version apparently works under MS-DOS and
Windows (3.X, 9X, ME, NT, and 2000) and supports long file names under
Windows 9X, Windows ME, and Windows 2000.  More information is available
from

@uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu/emacs.README}

The binary itself is available in the files @file{em*.zip} in the
directory

@uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu/}

If you prefer to compile Emacs for yourself, you can do so with the
current distribution directly.  You will need a 386 (or
better) processor, and to be running MS-DOS 3.0 or later.  According to
@email{eliz@@gnu.org, Eli Zaretskii} and
@email{hankedr@@dms.auburn.edu, Darrel Hankerson}, you will need the
following:

@table @emph

long file names on Windows 9X/ME/2K.

You can get the latest release of DJGPP by retrieving all of
the files in

@uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2*}

@item Unpacking program
The easiest way is to use @code{djtar} which comes with DJGPP v2.x,
because it can open gzip'ed tarfiles (i.e., those ending with
@file{.tar.gz}) in one step.  @code{Djtar} comes in

actually prevent Emacs from building successfully!

@item make, mv, sed, and rm
All of these utilities are available at

@uref{ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu}

16-bit utilities can be found in GNUish, at

@uref{http://www.simtel.net/pub/gnuish/}

The files @file{INSTALL} (near its end) and @file{etc/PROBLEMS} in the
directory of the Emacs sources contains some additional information
regarding Emacs under MS-DOS.

For a list of other MS-DOS implementations of Emacs (and Emacs
look-alikes), consult the list of ``Emacs implementations and literature,''
available at

@uref{ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.emacs/}

Note that while many of these programs look similar to Emacs, they often
lack certain features, such as the Emacs Lisp extension language.

@node Emacs for Windows, Emacs for OS/2, Emacs for MS-DOS, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where can I get Emacs for Microsoft Windows?
@cindex FAQ for NT Emacs
@cindex Emacs for MS-Windows
@cindex Microsoft Windows, Emacs for
@cindex Windows 9X, ME, NT, 2K, and CE, Emacs for

@node Emacs for Apple computers, Emacs for VMS and DECwindows, Emacs for NeXTSTEP, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where can I get Emacs for my Apple computer?
@cindex Apple computers, Emacs for
@cindex Macintosh, Emacs for

Beginning with version 21.1, the Macintosh is supported in the official
Emacs distribution; see the files @file{mac/README} and
@file{mac/INSTALL} in the Emacs distribution for build instructions.

Beginning with version 22.1, Emacs supports Mac OS X natively.

@node Emacs for VMS and DECwindows, Modes for various languages, Emacs for Apple computers, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where do I get Emacs that runs on VMS under DECwindows?
@cindex DECwindows, Emacs for
@cindex VMS, Emacs for

Up-to-date information about GNU software (including Emacs) for VMS is
available at @uref{http://vms.gnu.org/}.

@node Modes for various languages, , Emacs for VMS and DECwindows, Finding Emacs and related packages
@section Where can I get modes for Lex, Yacc/Bison, Bourne shell, csh, C@t{++}, Objective-C, Pascal, Java, and Awk?
@cindex Awk, mode for
@cindex @code{awk-mode}
@cindex Bison, mode for
@cindex Bourne Shell, mode for

@cindex @file{csh} mode
@cindex @code{sh-mode}
@cindex @code{cc-mode}

Most of these modes are now available in standard Emacs distribution.
To get additional modes, see @ref{Finding a package with particular
functionality}.

Barry Warsaw's @code{cc-mode} now works for C, C@t{++}, Objective-C, and
Java code.  It is distributed with Emacs, but has
@uref{http://cc-mode.sourceforge.net/, its own homepage}.

@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node Major packages and programs, Key bindings, Finding Emacs and related packages, Top
@chapter Major packages and programs
@cindex Major packages and programs

@menu
* VM::
* Supercite::
* Calc::
* VIPER::
* AUCTeX::
* BBDB::
* Ispell::
* w3-mode::
* EDB::
* Mailcrypt::

@cindex E-mail reader, VM

@table @b

@item Author
@email{kyle_jones@@wonderworks.com, Kyle Jones}

@item Latest version
7.15

@item Distribution
@uref{ftp://ftp.wonderworks.com/pub/vm/vm.tar.gz}

@item Informational newsgroup
@uref{news:gnu.emacs.vm.info}@*

@item Bug reports newsgroup
@uref{news:gnu.emacs.vm.bug}@*
Or send reports to @email{bug-vm@@wonderworks.com}
@end table

VM 7 works well with Emacs 21. Older versions of VM suitable for use
with older versions of Emacs are available from
@uref{ftp://ftp.wonderworks.com/pub/vm/, the same FTP site}.


@node Supercite, Calc, VM, Major packages and programs
@section Supercite --- mail and news citation package within Emacs
@cindex Supercite
@cindex Superyank

@cindex Citations in mail and news

@table @b

@item Author
@email{barry@@python.org, Barry Warsaw}

@item Latest version
3.54 (comes bundled with Emacs since version 20)

@item Distribution
@uref{http://www.python.org/emacs/supercite.tar.gz}

@item Mailing list

@item Author
@email{daveg@@csvax.cs.caltech.edu, Dave Gillespie}

@item Latest version
2.1 (part of Emacs since version 22.1)

@item Distribution
No separate distribution outside of Emacs.  Older versions
are available at @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/calc/}.

@end table

Note that Calc 2.02f needs patching to work with Emacs 21 and later.

Emacs 21.1 and later comes with a package called @file{calculator.el}.
It doesn't support all the mathematical wizardry offered by Calc, such
as matrices, special functions, and statistics, but is more than
adequate as a replacement for @code{xcalc} and similar programs.

@node VIPER, AUCTeX, Calc, Major packages and programs
@section VIPER --- @code{vi} emulation for Emacs
@cindex @code{vi} emulation
@cindex VIPER
@cindex Emulation of @code{vi}

@item Distribution
@uref{ftp://archive.cis.ohio-state.edu/pub/emacs-lisp/old-archive/modes/vip-mode.tar.Z}

@end table

@node AUCTeX, BBDB, VIPER, Major packages and programs
@section AUC@TeX{} --- enhanced @TeX{} modes with debugging facilities
@cindex Mode for @TeX{}
@cindex @TeX{} mode
@cindex AUC@TeX{} mode for editing @TeX{}
@cindex Writing and debugging @TeX{}

AUC@TeX{} is a set of sophisticated major modes for @TeX{}, LaTeX,
ConTeXt, and Texinfo offering context-sensitive syntax highlighting,
indentation, formatting and folding, macro completion, @TeX{} shell
functionality, and debugging.  Be also sure to check out
@ref{Introduction, RefTeX, Introduction, reftex, Ref@TeX{} User Manual}.
Current versions of AUC@TeX{} include the
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/preview-latex,preview-latex}
package for WYSIWYG previews of various LaTeX constructs in the Emacs
source buffer.

@table @b

@item Authors
@email{krab@@iesd.auc.dk, Kresten Krab Thorup}, @*
@email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen}, @* and others.

@item Maintainer
@email{dak@@gnu.org, David Kastrup}

@item Latest version
11.82

@item Distribution
@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/auctex/}

@item Web site
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/}

@item Mailing list:
Subscription requests to @email{auctex-request@@gnu.org}@*
Submissions to @email{auctex@@gnu.org}

@end table

@node BBDB, Ispell, AUCTeX, Major packages and programs
@section BBDB --- personal Info Rolodex integrated with mail/news readers
@cindex BBDB
@cindex Rolodex-like functionality
@cindex Integrated contact database
@cindex Contact database

@cindex Address book

@table @b

@item Maintainer
@email{waider@@waider.ie, Ronan Waide}

@item Latest version
2.34

@item Distribution
@uref{http://bbdb.sourceforge.net/}

@item Mailing lists
Subscription requests to @email{bbdb-info-request@@lists.sourceforge.net}@*
Submissions to @email{bbdb-info@@lists.sourceforge.net}@*
Release announcements: @email{bbdb-announce-request@@lists.sourceforge.net}

@end table

@node Ispell, w3-mode, BBDB, Major packages and programs
@section Ispell --- spell checker in C with interface for Emacs

@item Authors
@email{patl@@lcs.mit.edu, Patrick J. LoPresti} and
@email{jin@@atype.com, Jin S. Choi}

@item Maintainer
@email{warner-mailcrypt@@lothar.com, Brian Warner}

@item Latest version
3.5.8

@item Distribution
@uref{http://dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/mailcrypt/mailcrypt-3.5.8.tar.gz}

@item Web site
@uref{http://mailcrypt.sourceforge.net/}

@end table

@node JDE, Patch, Mailcrypt, Major packages and programs
@section JDE --- Integrated development environment for Java

@uref{http://sunsite.auc.dk/jde/}

@end table

@node Patch,  , JDE, Major packages and programs
@section Patch --- program to apply ``diffs'' for updating files
@cindex Updating files with diffs
@cindex Patching source files with diffs
@cindex Diffs and patching
@cindex @file{patch}

* No Escape key::
* Compose Character::
* Binding combinations of modifiers and function keys::
* Meta key does not work in xterm::
* ExtendChar key does not work as Meta::
* SPC no longer completes file names::
@end menu

@node Binding keys to commands, Invalid prefix characters, Key bindings, Key bindings
@section How do I bind keys (including function keys) to commands?
@cindex Binding keys to commands

To bind a key just in the current major mode, type @kbd{M-x
local-set-key @key{RET} @var{key} @var{cmd} @key{RET}}.

@inforef{Key Bindings, Key Bindings, emacs}, for further details.

To make the process of binding keys interactively easier, use the
following ``trick'': First bind the key interactively, then immediately
type @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC} C-a C-k C-g}.  Now, the command needed
to bind the key is in the kill ring, and can be yanked into your
@file{.emacs} file.  If the key binding is global, no changes to the
command are required.  For example,

(global-set-key (quote [f1]) (quote help-for-help))
@end lisp

@noindent
can be placed directly into the @file{.emacs} file.  If the key binding is
local, the command is used in conjunction with the @samp{add-hook} function.
For example, in TeX mode, a local binding might be

@lisp
(add-hook 'tex-mode-hook
  (lambda ()
   (local-set-key (quote [f1]) (quote help-for-help))))

@end lisp

@end itemize

@node Invalid prefix characters, Terminal setup code works after Emacs has begun, Binding keys to commands, Key bindings
@section Why does Emacs say @samp{Key sequence XXX uses invalid prefix characters}?
@cindex Prefix characters, invalid
@cindex Invalid prefix characters
@cindex Misspecified key sequences

Usually, one of two things has happened.  In one case, the control

@section Why does the @key{Backspace} key invoke help?
@cindex Backspace key invokes help
@cindex Help invoked by Backspace
@cindex DEL key does not delete

The @key{Backspace} key (on most keyboards) generates @acronym{ASCII} code 8.
@kbd{C-h} sends the same code.  In Emacs by default @kbd{C-h} invokes
help-command.  This is intended to be easy to remember since the first
letter of @samp{help} is @samp{h}.  The easiest solution to this problem
is to use @kbd{C-h} (and @key{Backspace}) for help and @key{DEL} (the
@key{Delete} key) for deleting the previous character.

@section How do I swap two keys?
@cindex Swapping keys
@cindex Keys, swapping
@cindex @code{keyboard-translate}

You can swap two keys (or key sequences) by using the
@code{keyboard-translate} function.  For example, to turn @kbd{C-h}
into @key{DEL} and @key{DEL} to @kbd{C-h}, use

@lisp
(keyboard-translate ?\C-h ?\C-?)  ; translate `C-h' to DEL
(keyboard-translate ?\C-? ?\C-h)  ; translate DEL to `C-h'.
@end lisp

@noindent
The first key sequence of the pair after the function identifies what is
produced by the keyboard; the second, what is matched for in the
keymaps.

However, in the specific case of @kbd{C-h} and @key{DEL}, you should
toggle @code{normal-erase-is-backspace-mode} instead of calling
@code{keyboard-translate}.  @inforef{DEL Does Not Delete, DEL Does Not Delete,
emacs}.

Keyboard translations are not the same as key bindings in keymaps.
Emacs contains numerous keymaps that apply in different situations, but
there is only one set of keyboard translations, and it applies to every
character that Emacs reads from the terminal.  Keyboard translations
take place at the lowest level of input processing; the keys that are
looked up in keymaps contain the characters that result from keyboard
translation.

@node Producing C-XXX with the keyboard, No Meta key, Swapping keys, Key bindings
@section How do I produce C-XXX with my keyboard?
@cindex Producing control characters
@cindex Generating control characters
@cindex Control characters, generating

On terminals (but not under X), some common ``aliases'' are:

@table @asis

@item @kbd{C-2}  or  @kbd{C-@key{SPC}}
@kbd{C-@@}

@section What if I don't have an @key{Escape} key?
@cindex No Escape key
@cindex Lacking an Escape key
@cindex Escape key, lacking

Type @kbd{C-[} instead.  This should send @acronym{ASCII} code 27 just like an
Escape key would.  @kbd{C-3} may also work on some terminal (but not
under X).  For many terminals (notably DEC terminals) @key{F11}
generates @key{ESC}.  If not, the following form can be used to bind it:

@lisp

@itemize @bullet

@item
Not all modifiers are permitted in all situations.  @key{Hyper},
@key{Super}, and @key{Alt} are not available on Unix character
terminals.  Non-@acronym{ASCII} keys and mouse events (e.g. @kbd{C-=} and
@kbd{Mouse-1}) also fall under this category.

@end itemize

@xref{Binding keys to commands}, for general key binding instructions.

@item
For X11: Make sure it really is a @key{Meta} key.  Use @code{xev} to
find out what keysym your @key{Meta} key generates.  It should be either
@code{Meta_L} or @code{Meta_R}.  If it isn't, use @file{xmodmap} to fix
the situation.  If @key{Meta} does generate @code{Meta_L} or
@code{Meta_R}, but @kbd{M-x} produces a non-@acronym{ASCII} character, put this in
your @file{~/.Xdefaults} file:

@example
 XTerm*eightBitInput:   false
 XTerm*eightBitOutput:  true

@noindent
You might have to replace @samp{Meta} with @samp{Alt}.

@end itemize

@node ExtendChar key does not work as Meta, SPC no longer completes file names, Meta key does not work in xterm, Key bindings
@section Why doesn't my @key{ExtendChar} key work as a @key{Meta} key under HP-UX 8.0 and 9.x?
@cindex @key{ExtendChar} key as @key{Meta}
@cindex @key{Meta}, using @key{ExtendChar} for
@cindex HP-UX, the @key{ExtendChar} key

@c solved?

This will disable the use of the extra keysyms systemwide, which may be
undesirable if you actually intend to use them.

@node SPC no longer completes file names, , ExtendChar key does not work as Meta, Key bindings
@section Why doesn't SPC complete file names anymore?
@cindex @kbd{SPC} file name completion

Starting with Emacs 22.1, @kbd{SPC} no longer completes file names in
the minibuffer, so that file names with embedded spaces could be typed
without the need to quote the spaces.

You can get the old behavior by binding @kbd{SPC} to
@code{minibuffer-complete-word} in the minibuffer, as follows:

@lisp
(define-key minibuffer-local-filename-completion-map (kbd "SPC") 
  'minibuffer-complete-word)

(define-key minibuffer-local-must-match-filename-map (kbd "SPC") 
  'minibuffer-complete-word)
@end lisp

@c ------------------------------------------------------------
@node Alternate character sets, Mail and news, Key bindings, Top
@chapter Alternate character sets
@cindex Alternate character sets

@inforef{Single-Byte Character Support, Single-byte Character Set
Support, emacs}.  On a Unix, when Emacs runs on a text-only terminal
display or is invoked with @samp{emacs -nw}, you typically need to use
@code{set-terminal-coding-system} to tell Emacs what the terminal can
display, even after setting the language environment; otherwise
non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will display as @samp{?}.  On other operating
systems, such as MS-DOS and MS-Windows, Emacs queries the OS about the
character set supported by the display, and sets up the required
terminal coding system automatically.

@node Inputting eight-bit characters, Kanji and Chinese characters, Emacs does not display 8-bit characters, Alternate character sets

@section How can I get my favorite Emacs mail package to support MIME?
@cindex MIME and Emacs mail packages
@cindex Mail packages and MIME
@cindex FAQ for MIME and Emacs

Version 6.x of VM supports MIME.  @xref{VM}.  Gnus supports MIME in mail
and news messages as of version 5.8.1 (Pterodactyl).  Rmail has limited
support for single-part MIME messages beginning with Emacs 20.3.

@node Automatically starting a mail or news reader, Reading news with Emacs, MIME with Emacs mail packages, Mail and news

@node Learning more about Gnus,  , Gnus hangs for a long time, Mail and news
@section Where can I find out more about Gnus?
@cindex FAQ for Gnus
@cindex Gnus FAQ
@cindex Learning more about Gnus

For more information on Gnus, consult the Gnus manual and FAQ, which are
part of the Gnus distribution.

@node Concept index,  , Mail and news, Top
@unnumbered Concept Index
@printindex cp

@contents
@bye

@ignore
   arch-tag: fee0d62d-06cf-43d8-ac21-123408eaf10f
@end ignore