comparison man/basic.texi @ 71045:ddc3087f4c41

Many simplifications and improvements in wording.

71044:da5fa425123d

@node Basic, Minibuffer, Exiting, Top
@chapter Basic Editing Commands

@kindex C-h t
@findex help-with-tutorial
  We now give the basics of how to enter text, make corrections, and
save the text in a file.  If this material is new to you, you might
learn it more easily by running the Emacs learn-by-doing tutorial.  To
use the tutorial, run Emacs and type @kbd{Control-h t}
(@code{help-with-tutorial}).

  To clear the screen and redisplay, type @kbd{C-l} (@code{recenter}).

@menu

* Inserting Text::      Inserting text by simply typing it.
* Moving Point::        How to move the cursor to the place where you want to
			  change something.
* Erasing::	        Deleting and killing text.
* Basic Undo::	        Undoing recent changes in the text.
* Files: Basic Files.   Visiting, creating, and saving files.
* Help: Basic Help.     Asking what a character does.
* Blank Lines::	        Commands to make or delete blank lines.
* Continuation Lines::  Lines too wide for the screen.
* Position Info::       What page, line, row, or column is point on?
* Arguments::	        Numeric arguments for repeating a command.
* Repeating::           A short-cut for repeating the previous command.
@end menu

@node Inserting Text
@section Inserting Text

@cindex insertion
@cindex graphic characters
  To insert printing characters into the text you are editing, just type
them.  This inserts the characters you type into the buffer at the
cursor (that is, at @dfn{point}; @pxref{Point}).  The cursor moves
forward, and any text after the cursor moves forward too.  If the text
in the buffer is @samp{FOOBAR}, with the cursor before the @samp{B},
then if you type @kbd{XX}, you get @samp{FOOXXBAR}, with the cursor
still before the @samp{B}.

   To @dfn{delete} text you have just inserted, use the large key
labeled @key{DEL}, @key{BACKSPACE} or @key{DELETE} which is a short
distance above the @key{RET} or @key{ENTER} key.  This is the key you
normally use, outside Emacs, for erasing the last character that you
typed.  Regardless of the label on that key, Emacs thinks of it as
@key{DEL}, and that's what we call it in this manual.

  The @key{DEL} key deletes the character @emph{before} the cursor.
As a consequence, the cursor and all the characters after it move
backwards.  If you type a printing character and then type @key{DEL},
they cancel out.

  On most computers, Emacs recognizes automatically which key ought to
be @key{DEL}, and sets it up that way.  But in some cases, especially
with text-only terminals, you will need to tell Emacs which key to use
for that purpose.  If the large key not far above the @key{RET} or
@key{ENTER} key doesn't delete backwards, you need to do this.
@xref{DEL Does Not Delete}, for an explanation of how.

  Most PC keyboards have both a @key{BACKSPACE} key not far above
@key{RET} or @key{ENTER}, and a @key{DELETE} key elsewhere.  On these
keyboards, Emacs supports when possible the usual convention that the
@key{BACKSPACE} key deletes backwards (it is @key{DEL}), while the
@key{DELETE} key deletes ``forwards,'' deleting the character after
point, the one underneath the cursor, like @kbd{C-d} (see below).

@kindex RET
@cindex newline
   To end a line and start typing a new one, type @key{RET}.  This
inserts a newline character in the buffer.  If point is in the middle of
a line, the effect is to split the line.  Typing @key{DEL} when the cursor is
at the beginning of a line deletes the preceding newline, thus joining
the line with the preceding line.

  Emacs can split lines automatically when they become too long, if you
turn on a special minor mode called @dfn{Auto Fill} mode.
@xref{Filling}, for how to use Auto Fill mode and other modes for
@dfn{filling} text.

  If you prefer to have text characters replace (overwrite) existing
text rather than shove it to the right, you can enable Overwrite mode,
a minor mode.  @xref{Minor Modes}.

@cindex quoting
@kindex C-q
@findex quoted-insert
  Direct insertion works for printing characters and @key{SPC}, but other
characters act as editing commands and do not insert themselves.  If you
need to insert a control character or a character whose code is above 200
octal, you must @dfn{quote} it by typing the character @kbd{Control-q}
(@code{quoted-insert}) first.  (This character's name is normally written
@kbd{C-q} for short.)  There are two ways to use @kbd{C-q}:@refill

@itemize @bullet
@item
@kbd{C-q} followed by any non-graphic character (even @kbd{C-g})
inserts that character.

To use decimal or hexadecimal instead of octal, set the variable
@code{read-quoted-char-radix} to 10 or 16.  If the radix is greater than
10, some letters starting with @kbd{a} serve as part of a character
code, just like digits.

A numeric argument to @kbd{C-q} specifies how many copies of the
quoted character should be inserted (@pxref{Arguments}).

@findex newline
@findex self-insert
  Customization information: @key{DEL} in most modes runs the command
@code{delete-backward-char}; @key{RET} runs the command @code{newline}, and
self-inserting printing characters run the command @code{self-insert},
which inserts whatever character was typed to invoke it.  Some major modes
rebind @key{DEL} to other commands.

@node Moving Point
@section Changing the Location of Point

@cindex arrow keys

@item M-f
Move forward one word (@code{forward-word}).
@item M-b
Move backward one word (@code{backward-word}).
@item C-n
Move down one line, vertically (@code{next-line}).  This command
attempts to keep the horizontal position unchanged, so if you start in
the middle of one line, you end in the middle of the next.  The
down-arrow key does the same thing.
@item C-p
Move up one line, vertically (@code{previous-line}).  The up-arrow key
has the same effect.
@item M-r
Move point to left margin, vertically centered in the window
(@code{move-to-window-line}).  Text does not move on the screen.

A numeric argument says which screen line to place point on.  It counts
screen lines down from the top of the window (zero for the top line).  A
negative argument counts lines from the bottom (@minus{}1 for the bottom
line).
@item M-<
Move to the top of the buffer (@code{beginning-of-buffer}).  With
numeric argument @var{n}, move to @var{n}/10 of the way from the top.
@xref{Arguments}, for more information on numeric arguments.@refill
@item M->

Scroll the display one screen forward, and move point if necessary to
put it on the screen (@code{scroll-up}).  This doesn't always move
point, but it is commonly used to do so.  If your keyboard has a
@key{PAGEDOWN} or @key{PRIOR} key, it does the same thing.

Scrolling commands are further described in @ref{Scrolling}.
@item M-v
@itemx @key{PAGEUP}
@itemx @key{NEXT}
Scroll one screen backward, and move point if necessary to put it on
the screen (@code{scroll-down}).  This doesn't always move point, but

@item M-g M-g
@itemx M-g g
@itemx M-x goto-line
Read a number @var{n} and move point to the beginning of line number
@var{n}.  Line 1 is the beginning of the buffer.  If point is on or
just after a number, then that is the default for @var{n}, if you just
press @key{RET} with an empty minibuffer.
@item C-x C-n
@findex set-goal-column
@kindex C-x C-n
Use the current column of point as the @dfn{semipermanent goal column} for
@kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} (@code{set-goal-column}).  Henceforth, those
commands always move to this column in each line moved into, or as
close as possible given the contents of the line.  This goal column remains
in effect until canceled.
@item C-u C-x C-n
Cancel the goal column.  Henceforth, @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} once
again try to stick to a fixed horizontal position, as usual.
@end table

@vindex track-eol
  If you set the variable @code{track-eol} to a non-@code{nil} value,
then @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p}, when starting at the end of the line, move
to the end of another line.  Normally, @code{track-eol} is @code{nil}.
@xref{Variables}, for how to set variables such as @code{track-eol}.

@vindex next-line-add-newlines
  @kbd{C-n} normally stops at the end of the buffer when you use it on
the last line of the buffer.  But if you set the variable
@code{next-line-add-newlines} to a non-@code{nil} value, @kbd{C-n} on
the last line of a buffer creates an additional line at the end and
moves down onto it.

@node Erasing
@section Erasing Text

@table @kbd

  You already know about the @key{DEL} key which deletes the character
before point (that is, before the cursor).  Another key, @kbd{Control-d}
(@kbd{C-d} for short), deletes the character after point (that is, the
character that the cursor is on).  This shifts the rest of the text on
the line to the left.  If you type @kbd{C-d} at the end of a line, it
joins together that line and the next line.

  To erase a larger amount of text, use the @kbd{C-k} key, which kills a
line at a time.  If you type @kbd{C-k} at the beginning or middle of a
line, it kills all the text up to the end of the line.  If you type
@kbd{C-k} at the end of a line, it joins that line and the next line.

  @xref{Killing}, for more flexible ways of killing text.

@node Basic Undo
@section Undoing Changes

  Emacs records a list of changes made in the buffer text, so you can
you can undo all the recent changes, as far as the records go.
Usually each editing command makes a separate entry in the undo
records, but sometimes an entry covers just part of a command, and
very simple commands may be grouped.

@table @kbd

@itemx C-/
The same.
@end table

  The command @kbd{C-x u} (or @kbd{C-_} or @kbd{C-/}) is how you undo.
The first time you give this command, it undoes the last change.
Point moves back to where it was before the command that made the
change.

  Consecutive repetitions of @kbd{C-x u} (or its aliases) undo earlier
and earlier changes, back to the limit of the undo information
available.  If all recorded changes have already been undone, the undo
command displays an error message and does nothing.

  The undo command applies only to changes in the buffer; you can't
use it to undo mere cursor motion.  However, some cursor motion

popping the mark ring (@pxref{Mark Ring}).

@node Basic Files
@section Files

  The commands described above are sufficient for creating and altering
text in an Emacs buffer; the more advanced Emacs commands just make
things easier.  However, to keep any text permanently you must put it in a
@dfn{file}.  Files are named units of text which are stored by the
operating system for you to retrieve later by name.  To look at or use
the contents of a file in any way, including editing the file with
Emacs, you must specify the file name.

  Consider a file named @file{test.emacs}.  (We can assume it is in
your home directory.)  In Emacs, to begin editing this file, type

@example
C-x C-f test.emacs @key{RET}
@end example

@noindent
Here the file name is given as an @dfn{argument} to the command @kbd{C-x
C-f} (@code{find-file}).  That command uses the @dfn{minibuffer} to
read the argument, and you type @key{RET} to terminate the argument
(@pxref{Minibuffer}).@refill

  Emacs obeys the command by @dfn{visiting} the file: creating a buffer,
copying the contents of the file into the buffer, and then displaying
the buffer for you to edit.  If you alter the text, you can @dfn{save}
the new text in the file by typing @kbd{C-x C-s} (@code{save-buffer}).
This makes the changes permanent by copying the altered buffer contents
back into the file @file{test.emacs}.  Until you save, the changes
exist only inside Emacs, and the file @file{test.emacs} is unaltered.

  To create a file, just visit the file with @kbd{C-x C-f} as if it
already existed.  This creates an empty buffer in which you can insert
the text you want to put in the file.  The file is actually created when
you save this buffer with @kbd{C-x C-s}.

  Of course, there is a lot more to learn about using files.  @xref{Files}.

@node Basic Help
@section Help

@cindex getting help with keys
  If you forget what a key does, you can find out with the Help
character, which is @kbd{C-h} (or @key{F1}, which is an alias for
@kbd{C-h}).  Type @kbd{C-h k} followed by the key you want to know
about; for example, @kbd{C-h k C-n} tells you all about what @kbd{C-n}
does.  @kbd{C-h} is a prefix key; @kbd{C-h k} is just one of its
subcommands (the command @code{describe-key}).  The other subcommands of
@kbd{C-h} provide different kinds of help.  Type @kbd{C-h} twice to get
a description of all the help facilities.  @xref{Help}.@refill

@node Blank Lines
@section Blank Lines

@cindex inserting blank lines
@cindex deleting blank lines
  Here are special commands and techniques for putting in and taking out
blank lines.

@table @kbd
@item C-o
Insert one or more blank lines after the cursor (@code{open-line}).

@kindex C-o
@kindex C-x C-o
@cindex blank lines
@findex open-line
@findex delete-blank-lines
  When you want to insert a new line of text before an existing line, you
can do it by typing the new line of text, followed by @key{RET}.
However, it may be easier to see what you are doing if you first make a
blank line and then insert the desired text into it.  This is easy to do
using the key @kbd{C-o} (@code{open-line}), which inserts a newline
after point but leaves point in front of the newline.  After @kbd{C-o},
type the text for the new line.  @kbd{C-o F O O} has the same effect as
@w{@kbd{F O O @key{RET}}}, except for the final location of point.

  You can make several blank lines by typing @kbd{C-o} several times, or
by giving it a numeric argument to tell it how many blank lines to make.
@xref{Arguments}, for how.  If you have a fill prefix, the @kbd{C-o}
command inserts the fill prefix on the new line, when you use it at the
beginning of a line.  @xref{Fill Prefix}.

  The easy way to get rid of extra blank lines is with the command
@kbd{C-x C-o} (@code{delete-blank-lines}).  @kbd{C-x C-o} in a run of
several blank lines deletes all but one of them.  @kbd{C-x C-o} on a
solitary blank line deletes that blank line.  When point is on a
nonblank line, @kbd{C-x C-o} deletes any blank lines following that
nonblank line.

@node Continuation Lines
@section Continuation Lines

@cindex continuation line
@cindex wrapping
@cindex line wrapping
@cindex fringes, and continuation lines
  If you add too many characters to one line without breaking it with
@key{RET}, the line grows to occupy two (or more) lines on the screen.
On graphical displays, Emacs indicates line wrapping with small bent
arrows in the fringes to the left and right of the window.  On
text-only terminals, Emacs displays a @samp{\} character at the right
margin of a screen line if it is not the last in its text line.  This
@samp{\} character says that the following screen line is not really a
distinct line in the text, just a @dfn{continuation} of a line too
long to fit the screen.  Continuation is also called @dfn{line
wrapping}.

  When line wrapping occurs before a character that is wider than one
column, some columns at the end of the previous screen line may be
``empty.''  In this case, Emacs displays additional @samp{\}
characters in the ``empty'' columns, just before the @samp{\}
character that indicates continuation.

  Continued lines can be rather difficult to read, since each line is
typically broken in the middle of a word.  You can have Emacs insert a
newline automatically when a line gets too long, by using Auto Fill
mode.  Another approach, intermediate between continued lines and Auto
Fill mode, is Long Lines mode, which ensures that wrapping only occurs
in the spaces between words.  @xref{Filling}.

@cindex truncation
@cindex line truncation, and fringes
  Emacs can also display long lines by @dfn{truncation}.  This means
that all the characters that do not fit in the width of the screen or
window do not appear at all.  @samp{$} in the last column or a small
straight arrow in the fringe to the right of the window indicates a
truncated line.

  @xref{Display Custom}, for more information about line truncation,
and other variables that affect how text is displayed.

@node Position Info
@section Cursor Position Information

  Here are commands to get information about the size and position of
parts of the buffer, and to count lines.

@table @kbd
@item M-x what-page
Display the page number of point, and the line number within the page.
@item M-x what-line
Display the line number of point in the buffer.
@item M-x line-number-mode
@itemx M-x column-number-mode
Toggle automatic display of current line number or column number.
@xref{Optional Mode Line}.
@item M-=
Display the number of lines in the current region (@code{count-lines-region}).
@xref{Mark}, for information about the region.
@item C-x =

@findex what-line
@cindex line number commands
@cindex location of point
@cindex cursor location
@cindex point location
  @kbd{M-x what-line} computes the current line number and displays it
in the echo area.  You can also see the current line number in the
mode line; see @ref{Mode Line}.  If you narrow the buffer, then the
line number in the mode line is relative to the accessible portion
(@pxref{Narrowing}).  By contrast, @code{what-line} shows both the
line number relative to the narrowed region and the line number
relative to the whole buffer.

counts lines within the page, showing both numbers in the echo area.
@xref{Pages}.

@kindex M-=
@findex count-lines-region
  While on this subject, we might as well mention @kbd{M-=} (@code{count-lines-region}),
which displays the number of lines in the region (@pxref{Mark}).
@xref{Pages}, for the command @kbd{C-x l} which counts the lines in the
current page.

@kindex C-x =
@findex what-cursor-position
  The command @kbd{C-x =} (@code{what-cursor-position}) shows what
column the cursor is in, and other miscellaneous information about
point and the character after it.  It displays a line in the echo area
that looks like this:

@smallexample
Char: c (99, #o143, #x63) point=28062 of 36168 (78%) column=53
@end smallexample

a file.  In Emacs, that byte is represented as a sequence of 8-bit
characters, but all of them together display as the original invalid
byte, in octal code.  In this case, @kbd{C-x =} shows @samp{part of
display ...} instead of @samp{file}.

  @samp{point=} is followed by the position of point expressed as a character
count.  The front of the buffer counts as position 1, one character later
as 2, and so on.  The next, larger, number is the total number of characters
in the buffer.  Afterward in parentheses comes the position expressed as a
percentage of the total size.

  @samp{column=} is followed by the horizontal position of point, in
columns from the left edge of the window.

  If the buffer has been narrowed, making some of the text at the

@item
The character's encodings, both internally in the buffer, and externally
if you were to save the file.

@item
What to type to input the character in the current input method
(if it supports the character).

@item
If you are running Emacs on a graphical display, the font name and
glyph code for the character.  If you are running Emacs on a text-only

@section Numeric Arguments
@cindex numeric arguments
@cindex prefix arguments
@cindex arguments to commands

  In mathematics and computer usage, the word @dfn{argument} means
``data provided to a function or operation.''  You can give any Emacs
command a @dfn{numeric argument} (also called a @dfn{prefix argument}).
Some commands interpret the argument as a repetition count.  For
example, @kbd{C-f} with an argument of ten moves forward ten characters
instead of one.  With these commands, no argument is equivalent to an

@example
M-5 C-n
@end example

@noindent
would move down five lines.  The characters @kbd{Meta-1}, @kbd{Meta-2},
and so on, as well as @kbd{Meta--}, do this because they are keys bound
to commands (@code{digit-argument} and @code{negative-argument}) that
are defined to contribute to an argument for the next command.
@kbd{Meta--} without digits normally means @minus{}1.  Digits and
@kbd{-} modified with Control, or Control and Meta, also specify numeric
arguments.

@kindex C-u
@findex universal-argument
  Another way of specifying an argument is to use the @kbd{C-u}
(@code{universal-argument}) command followed by the digits of the
argument.  With @kbd{C-u}, you can type the argument digits without
holding down modifier keys; @kbd{C-u} works on all terminals.  To type a
negative argument, type a minus sign after @kbd{C-u}.  Just a minus sign
without digits normally means @minus{}1.

  @kbd{C-u} without digits or minus sign has the special meaning of
``four times'': it multiplies the argument for the next command by
four.  @kbd{C-u C-u} multiplies it by sixteen.  Thus, @kbd{C-u C-u
C-f} moves forward sixteen characters.  This is a good way to move
forward ``fast,'' since it moves about 1/5 of a line in the usual size
screen.  Other useful combinations are @kbd{C-u C-n}, @kbd{C-u C-u
C-n} (move down a good fraction of a screen), @kbd{C-u C-u C-o} (make
``a lot'' of blank lines), and @kbd{C-u C-k} (kill four lines).@refill

  Some commands care only about whether there is an argument, and not about
its value.  For example, the command @kbd{M-q} (@code{fill-paragraph}) with
no argument fills text; with an argument, it justifies the text as well.
(@xref{Filling}, for more information on @kbd{M-q}.)  Plain @kbd{C-u} is a
handy way of providing an argument for such commands.

  Some commands use the value of the argument as a repeat count, but do
something peculiar when there is no argument.  For example, the command
@kbd{C-k} (@code{kill-line}) with argument @var{n} kills @var{n} lines,
including their terminating newlines.  But @kbd{C-k} with no argument is
special: it kills the text up to the next newline, or, if point is right at
the end of the line, it kills the newline itself.  Thus, two @kbd{C-k}
commands with no arguments can kill a nonblank line, just like @kbd{C-k}
with an argument of one.  (@xref{Killing}, for more information on
@kbd{C-k}.)@refill

  A few commands treat a plain @kbd{C-u} differently from an ordinary
argument.  A few others may treat an argument of just a minus sign
differently from an argument of @minus{}1.  These unusual cases are
described when they come up; they are always for reasons of
convenience of use of the individual command, and they are documented
in the command's documentation string.

  You can use a numeric argument to insert multiple copies of a
character.  This is straightforward unless the character is a digit; for
example, @kbd{C-u 6 4 a} inserts 64 copies of the character @samp{a}.
But this does not work for inserting digits; @kbd{C-u 6 4 1} specifies
an argument of 641, rather than inserting anything.  To separate the
digit to insert from the argument, type another @kbd{C-u}; for example,
@kbd{C-u 6 4 C-u 1} does insert 64 copies of the character @samp{1}.

  We use the term ``prefix argument'' as well as ``numeric argument'' to
emphasize that you type the argument before the command, and to
distinguish these arguments from minibuffer arguments that come after
the command.

@node Repeating
@section Repeating a Command
@cindex repeating a command

  Many simple commands, such as those invoked with a single key or
with @kbd{M-x @var{command-name} @key{RET}}, can be repeated by
invoking them with a numeric argument that serves as a repeat count
(@pxref{Arguments}).  However, if the command you want to repeat
prompts for some input, or uses a numeric argument in another way,
repetition using a numeric argument might be problematical.

@kindex C-x z
@findex repeat
  The command @kbd{C-x z} (@code{repeat}) provides another way to repeat
an Emacs command many times.  This command repeats the previous Emacs

71045:ddc3087f4c41

@node Basic, Minibuffer, Exiting, Top
@chapter Basic Editing Commands

@kindex C-h t
@findex help-with-tutorial
  Here we explain the basics of how to enter text, make corrections,
and save the text in a file.  If this material is new to you, we
suggest you first run the Emacs learn-by-doing tutorial, by typing
@kbd{Control-h t} inside Emacs.  (@code{help-with-tutorial}).

  To clear and redisplay the screen, type @kbd{C-l} (@code{recenter}).

@menu

* Inserting Text::      Inserting text by simply typing it.
* Moving Point::        Moving the cursor to the place where you want to
			  change something.
* Erasing::	        Deleting and killing text.
* Basic Undo::	        Undoing recent changes in the text.
* Files: Basic Files.   Visiting, creating, and saving files.
* Help: Basic Help.     Asking what a character does.
* Blank Lines::	        Making and deleting blank lines.
* Continuation Lines::  How Emacs displays lines too wide for the screen.
* Position Info::       What page, line, row, or column is point on?
* Arguments::	        Numeric arguments for repeating a command N times.
* Repeating::           Repeating the previous command quickly.
@end menu

@node Inserting Text
@section Inserting Text

@cindex insertion
@cindex graphic characters
  Typing printing characters inserts them into the text you are
editing.  It inserts them into the buffer at the cursor; more
precisely, it inserts them at @dfn{point}, but the cursor normally
shows where point is.  @xref{Point}.

  Insertion moves the cursor forward, and the following text moves
forward with the cursor.  If the text in the buffer is @samp{FOOBAR},
with the cursor before the @samp{B}, and you type @kbd{XX}, you get
@samp{FOOXXBAR}, with the cursor still before the @samp{B}.

   To @dfn{delete} text you have just inserted, use the large key
labeled @key{DEL}, @key{BACKSPACE} or @key{DELETE} which is a short
distance above the @key{RET} or @key{ENTER} key.  Regardless of the
label on that key, Emacs thinks of it as @key{DEL}, and that's what we
call it in this manual.  @key{DEL} is the key you normally use outside
Emacs to erase the last character that you typed.

  The @key{DEL} key deletes the character @emph{before} the cursor.
As a consequence, the cursor and all the characters after it move
backwards.  If you type a printing character and then type @key{DEL},
they cancel out.

  On most computers, Emacs sets up @key{DEL} automatically.  In some
cases, especially with text-only terminals, Emacs may guess wrong.  If
the key that ought to erase the last character doesn't do it in Emacs,
see @ref{DEL Does Not Delete}.

  Most PC keyboards have both a @key{BACKSPACE} key a little ways
above @key{RET} or @key{ENTER}, and a @key{DELETE} key elsewhere.  On
these keyboards, Emacs tries to set up @key{BACKSPACE} as @key{DEL}.
The @key{DELETE} key deletes ``forwards'' like @kbd{C-d} (see below),
which means it deletes the character underneath the cursor (after
point).

@kindex RET
@cindex newline
   To end a line and start typing a new one, type @key{RET}.  (This
key may be labeled @key{RETURN} or @key{ENTER}, but in Emacs we call
it @key{RET}.)  This inserts a newline character in the buffer.  If
point is at the end of the line, this creates a new blank line after
it.  If point is in the middle of a line, the effect is to split that
line.  Typing @key{DEL} when the cursor is at the beginning of a line
deletes the preceding newline character, thus joining the line with
the one before it.

  Emacs can split lines automatically when they become too long, if
you turn on a special minor mode called @dfn{Auto Fill} mode.
@xref{Filling}, for Auto Fill mode and other methods of @dfn{filling}
text.

  If you prefer printing characters to replace (overwrite) existing
text, rather than shove it to the right, you should enable Overwrite
mode, a minor mode.  @xref{Minor Modes}.

@cindex quoting
@kindex C-q
@findex quoted-insert
  Only printing characters and @key{SPC} insert themselves in Emacs.
Other characters act as editing commands and do not insert themselves.
These include control characters, and characters with codes above 200
octal.  If you need to insert one of these characters in the buffer,
you must @dfn{quote} it by typing the character @kbd{Control-q}
(@code{quoted-insert}) first.  (This character's name is normally
written @kbd{C-q} for short.)  There are two ways to use
@kbd{C-q}:

@itemize @bullet
@item
@kbd{C-q} followed by any non-graphic character (even @kbd{C-g})
inserts that character.

To use decimal or hexadecimal instead of octal, set the variable
@code{read-quoted-char-radix} to 10 or 16.  If the radix is greater than
10, some letters starting with @kbd{a} serve as part of a character
code, just like digits.

A numeric argument tells @kbd{C-q} how many copies of the quoted
character to insert (@pxref{Arguments}).

@findex newline
@findex self-insert
  Customization information: @key{DEL} in most modes runs the command
@code{delete-backward-char}; @key{RET} runs the command
@code{newline}, and self-inserting printing characters run the command
@code{self-insert}, which inserts whatever character you typed.  Some
major modes rebind @key{DEL} to other commands.

@node Moving Point
@section Changing the Location of Point

@cindex arrow keys

@item M-f
Move forward one word (@code{forward-word}).
@item M-b
Move backward one word (@code{backward-word}).
@item C-n
Move down one line vertically (@code{next-line}).  This command
attempts to keep the horizontal position unchanged, so if you start in
the middle of one line, you move to the middle of the next.  The
down-arrow key does the same thing.
@item C-p
Move up one line, vertically (@code{previous-line}).  The up-arrow key
has the same effect.  This command preserves position within the line,
like @kbd{C-n}.
@item M-r
Move point to left margin, vertically centered in the window
(@code{move-to-window-line}).  Text does not move on the screen.
A numeric argument says which screen line to place point on, counting
downward from the top of the window (zero means the top line).  A
negative argument counts lines up from the bottom (@minus{}1 means the
bottom line).
@item M-<
Move to the top of the buffer (@code{beginning-of-buffer}).  With
numeric argument @var{n}, move to @var{n}/10 of the way from the top.
@xref{Arguments}, for more information on numeric arguments.@refill
@item M->

Scroll the display one screen forward, and move point if necessary to
put it on the screen (@code{scroll-up}).  This doesn't always move
point, but it is commonly used to do so.  If your keyboard has a
@key{PAGEDOWN} or @key{PRIOR} key, it does the same thing.

Scrolling commands are described further in @ref{Scrolling}.
@item M-v
@itemx @key{PAGEUP}
@itemx @key{NEXT}
Scroll one screen backward, and move point if necessary to put it on
the screen (@code{scroll-down}).  This doesn't always move point, but

@item M-g M-g
@itemx M-g g
@itemx M-x goto-line
Read a number @var{n} and move point to the beginning of line number
@var{n}.  Line 1 is the beginning of the buffer.  If point is on or
just after a number in the buffer, and you type @key{RET} with the
minibuffer empty, that number is used for @var{n}.
@item C-x C-n
@findex set-goal-column
@kindex C-x C-n
Use the current column of point as the @dfn{semipermanent goal column}
for @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} (@code{set-goal-column}).  Henceforth,
those commands always try move to this column, or as close as possible
to it, after moving vertically.  The goal column remains in effect
until canceled.
@item C-u C-x C-n
Cancel the goal column.  Henceforth, @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} try to
preserve the horizontal position, as usual.
@end table

@vindex track-eol
  If you set the variable @code{track-eol} to a non-@code{nil} value,
then @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p}, when starting at the end of the line, move
to the end of another line.  Normally, @code{track-eol} is @code{nil}.
@xref{Variables}, for how to set variables such as @code{track-eol}.

@vindex next-line-add-newlines
  @kbd{C-n} normally stops at the end of the buffer when you use it on
the last line of the buffer.  However, if you set the variable
@code{next-line-add-newlines} to a non-@code{nil} value, @kbd{C-n} on
the last line of a buffer creates an additional line at the end and
moves down into it.

@node Erasing
@section Erasing Text

@table @kbd

  You already know about the @key{DEL} key which deletes the character
before point (that is, before the cursor).  Another key, @kbd{Control-d}
(@kbd{C-d} for short), deletes the character after point (that is, the
character that the cursor is on).  This shifts the rest of the text on
the line to the left.  If you type @kbd{C-d} at the end of a line, it
joins that line with the following line.

  To erase a larger amount of text, use the @kbd{C-k} key, which
erases (kills) a line at a time.  If you type @kbd{C-k} at the
beginning or middle of a line, it kills all the text up to the end of
the line.  If you type @kbd{C-k} at the end of a line, it joins that
line with the following line.

  @xref{Killing}, for more flexible ways of killing text.

@node Basic Undo
@section Undoing Changes

  Emacs records a list of changes made in the buffer text, so you can
you can undo recent changes, as far as the records go.
Usually each editing command makes a separate entry in the undo
records, but sometimes an entry covers just part of a command, and
very simple commands may be grouped.

@table @kbd

@itemx C-/
The same.
@end table

  The command @kbd{C-x u} (or @kbd{C-_} or @kbd{C-/}) is how you undo.
Normally this command undoes the last change, and moves point back to
where it was before the change.

  If you repeat @kbd{C-x u} (or its aliases), each repetition undoes
another, earlier change, back to the limit of the undo information
available.  If all recorded changes have already been undone, the undo
command displays an error message and does nothing.

  The undo command applies only to changes in the buffer; you can't
use it to undo mere cursor motion.  However, some cursor motion

popping the mark ring (@pxref{Mark Ring}).

@node Basic Files
@section Files

  Text that you insert in an Emacs buffer lasts only as long as the
Emacs session.  To keep any text permanently you must put it in a
@dfn{file}.  Files are named units of text which are stored by the
operating system for you to retrieve later by name.  To use the
contents of a file in any way, you must specify the file name.  That
includes editing the file with Emacs.

  Suppose there is a file named @file{test.emacs} in your home
directory.  To begin editing this file in Emacs, type

@example
C-x C-f test.emacs @key{RET}
@end example

@noindent
Here the file name is given as an @dfn{argument} to the command @kbd{C-x
C-f} (@code{find-file}).  That command uses the @dfn{minibuffer} to
read the argument, and you type @key{RET} to terminate the argument
(@pxref{Minibuffer}).

  Emacs obeys this command by @dfn{visiting} the file: it creates a
buffer, it copies the contents of the file into the buffer, and then
displays the buffer for editing.  If you alter the text, you can
@dfn{save} the new text in the file by typing @kbd{C-x C-s}
(@code{save-buffer}).  This copies the altered buffer contents back
into the file @file{test.emacs}, making them permanent.  Until you
save, the changed text exists only inside Emacs, and the file
@file{test.emacs} is unaltered.

  To create a file, just visit it with @kbd{C-x C-f} as if it already
existed.  This creates an empty buffer, in which you can insert the
text you want to put in the file.  Emacs actually creates the file the
first time you save this buffer with @kbd{C-x C-s}.

  To learn more about using files in Emacs, see @ref{Files}.

@node Basic Help
@section Help

@cindex getting help with keys
  If you forget what a key does, you can find out with the Help
character, which is @kbd{C-h} (or @key{F1}, which is an alias for
@kbd{C-h}).  Type @kbd{C-h k} followed by the key of interest; for
example, @kbd{C-h k C-n} tells you what @kbd{C-n} does.  @kbd{C-h} is
a prefix key; @kbd{C-h k} is just one of its subcommands (the command
@code{describe-key}).  The other subcommands of @kbd{C-h} provide
different kinds of help.  Type @kbd{C-h} twice to get a description of
all the help facilities.  @xref{Help}.

@node Blank Lines
@section Blank Lines

@cindex inserting blank lines
@cindex deleting blank lines
  Here are special commands and techniques for inserting and deleting
blank lines.

@table @kbd
@item C-o
Insert one or more blank lines after the cursor (@code{open-line}).

@kindex C-o
@kindex C-x C-o
@cindex blank lines
@findex open-line
@findex delete-blank-lines
  To insert a new line of text before an existing line,
type the new line of text, followed by @key{RET}.
However, it may be easier to see what you are doing if you first make a
blank line and then insert the desired text into it.  This is easy to do
using the key @kbd{C-o} (@code{open-line}), which inserts a newline
after point but leaves point in front of the newline.  After @kbd{C-o},
type the text for the new line.  @kbd{C-o F O O} has the same effect as
@w{@kbd{F O O @key{RET}}}, except for the final location of point.

  You can make several blank lines by typing @kbd{C-o} several times, or
by giving it a numeric argument specifying how many blank lines to make.
@xref{Arguments}, for how.  If you have a fill prefix, the @kbd{C-o}
command inserts the fill prefix on the new line, if typed at the
beginning of a line.  @xref{Fill Prefix}.

  The easy way to get rid of extra blank lines is with the command
@kbd{C-x C-o} (@code{delete-blank-lines}).  @kbd{C-x C-o} in a run of
several blank lines deletes all but one of them.  @kbd{C-x C-o} on a
lone blank line deletes that one.  When point is on a nonblank line,
@kbd{C-x C-o} deletes all following blank lines (if any).

@node Continuation Lines
@section Continuation Lines

@cindex continuation line
@cindex wrapping
@cindex line wrapping
@cindex fringes, and continuation lines
  When a text line is too long to fit in one screen line, Emacs
displays it on two or more screen lines.  This is called
@dfn{continuation} or @dfn{line wrapping}.  On graphical displays,
Emacs indicates line wrapping with small bent arrows in the left and
right window fringes.  On text-only terminals, Emacs displays a
@samp{\} character at the right margin of a screen line if it is not
the last in its text line.  This @samp{\} character says that the
following screen line is not really a new text line.

  When line wrapping occurs just before a character that is wider than one
column, some columns at the end of the previous screen line may be
``empty.''  In this case, Emacs displays additional @samp{\}
characters in the ``empty'' columns before the @samp{\}
character that indicates continuation.

  Continued lines can be difficult to read, since lines can break in
the middle of a word.  If you prefer, you can make Emacs insert a
newline automatically when a line gets too long, by using Auto Fill
mode.  Or enable Long Lines mode, which ensures that wrapping only
occurs between words.  @xref{Filling}.

@cindex truncation
@cindex line truncation, and fringes
  Emacs can optionally @dfn{truncate} long lines---this means
displaying just one screen line worth, and the rest of the long line
does not appear at all.  @samp{$} in the last column or a small
straight arrow in the window's right fringe indicates a truncated
line.

  @xref{Display Custom}, for more about line truncation,
and other variables that control how text is displayed.

@node Position Info
@section Cursor Position Information

  Here are commands to get information about the size and position of
parts of the buffer, and to count lines.

@table @kbd
@item M-x what-page
Display the page number of point, and the line number within that page.
@item M-x what-line
Display the line number of point in the whole buffer.
@item M-x line-number-mode
@itemx M-x column-number-mode
Toggle automatic display of the current line number or column number.
@xref{Optional Mode Line}.
@item M-=
Display the number of lines in the current region (@code{count-lines-region}).
@xref{Mark}, for information about the region.
@item C-x =

@findex what-line
@cindex line number commands
@cindex location of point
@cindex cursor location
@cindex point location
  @kbd{M-x what-line} displays the current line number
in the echo area.  You can also see the current line number in the
mode line; see @ref{Mode Line}; but if you narrow the buffer, the
line number in the mode line is relative to the accessible portion
(@pxref{Narrowing}).  By contrast, @code{what-line} shows both the
line number relative to the narrowed region and the line number
relative to the whole buffer.

counts lines within the page, showing both numbers in the echo area.
@xref{Pages}.

@kindex M-=
@findex count-lines-region
  Use @kbd{M-=} (@code{count-lines-region}) to displays the number of
lines in the region (@pxref{Mark}).  @xref{Pages}, for the command
@kbd{C-x l} which counts the lines in the current page.

@kindex C-x =
@findex what-cursor-position
  The command @kbd{C-x =} (@code{what-cursor-position}) shows what
cursor's column position, and other information about point and the
character after it.  It displays a line in the echo area that looks
like this:

@smallexample
Char: c (99, #o143, #x63) point=28062 of 36168 (78%) column=53
@end smallexample

a file.  In Emacs, that byte is represented as a sequence of 8-bit
characters, but all of them together display as the original invalid
byte, in octal code.  In this case, @kbd{C-x =} shows @samp{part of
display ...} instead of @samp{file}.

  @samp{point=} is followed by the position of point expressed as a
character count.  The start of the buffer is position 1, one character
later is position 2, and so on.  The next, larger, number is the total
number of characters in the buffer.  Afterward in parentheses comes
the position expressed as a percentage of the total size.

  @samp{column=} is followed by the horizontal position of point, in
columns from the left edge of the window.

  If the buffer has been narrowed, making some of the text at the

@item
The character's encodings, both internally in the buffer, and externally
if you were to save the file.

@item
What keys to type to input the character in the current input method
(if it supports the character).

@item
If you are running Emacs on a graphical display, the font name and
glyph code for the character.  If you are running Emacs on a text-only

@section Numeric Arguments
@cindex numeric arguments
@cindex prefix arguments
@cindex arguments to commands

  In mathematics and computer usage, @dfn{argument} means
``data provided to a function or operation.''  You can give any Emacs
command a @dfn{numeric argument} (also called a @dfn{prefix argument}).
Some commands interpret the argument as a repetition count.  For
example, @kbd{C-f} with an argument of ten moves forward ten characters
instead of one.  With these commands, no argument is equivalent to an

@example
M-5 C-n
@end example

@noindent
moves down five lines.  The characters @kbd{Meta-1}, @kbd{Meta-2},
and so on, as well as @kbd{Meta--}, do this because they are keys bound
to commands (@code{digit-argument} and @code{negative-argument}) that
are defined to set up an argument for the next command.
@kbd{Meta--} without digits normally means @minus{}1.  Digits and
@kbd{-} modified with Control, or Control and Meta, also specify numeric
arguments.

@kindex C-u
@findex universal-argument
  You can also specify a numeric argument by typing @kbd{C-u}
(@code{universal-argument}) followed by the digits.  The advantage of
@kbd{C-u} is that you can type the digits without modifier keys; thus,
@kbd{C-u} works on all terminals.  For a negative argument, type a
minus sign after @kbd{C-u}.  A minus sign without digits normally
means @minus{}1.

  @kbd{C-u} alone has the special meaning of
``four times'': it multiplies the argument for the next command by
four.  @kbd{C-u C-u} multiplies it by sixteen.  Thus, @kbd{C-u C-u
C-f} moves forward sixteen characters.  This is a good way to move
forward ``fast,'' since it moves about 1/5 of a line in the usual size
screen.  Other useful combinations are @kbd{C-u C-n}, @kbd{C-u C-u
C-n} (move down a good fraction of a screen), @kbd{C-u C-u C-o} (make
``a lot'' of blank lines), and @kbd{C-u C-k} (kill four lines).

  Some commands care whether there is an argument, but ignore its
value.  For example, the command @kbd{M-q} (@code{fill-paragraph})
fills text; with an argument, it justifies the text as well.
(@xref{Filling}, for more information on @kbd{M-q}.)  Plain @kbd{C-u}
is a handy way of providing an argument for such commands.

  Some commands use the value of the argument as a repeat count, but do
something peculiar when there is no argument.  For example, the command
@kbd{C-k} (@code{kill-line}) with argument @var{n} kills @var{n} lines,
including their terminating newlines.  But @kbd{C-k} with no argument is
special: it kills the text up to the next newline, or, if point is right at
the end of the line, it kills the newline itself.  Thus, two @kbd{C-k}
commands with no arguments can kill a nonblank line, just like @kbd{C-k}
with an argument of one.  (@xref{Killing}, for more information on
@kbd{C-k}.)

  A few commands treat a plain @kbd{C-u} differently from an ordinary
argument.  A few others may treat an argument of just a minus sign
differently from an argument of @minus{}1.  These unusual cases are
described when they come up; they exist to make an individual command
more convenient, and they are documented in that command's
documentation string.

  You can use a numeric argument before a self-inserting character to
insert multiple copies of it.  This is straightforward when the
character is not a digit; for example, @kbd{C-u 6 4 a} inserts 64
copies of the character @samp{a}.  But this does not work for
inserting digits; @kbd{C-u 6 4 1} specifies an argument of 641.  You
can separate the argument from the digit to insert with another
@kbd{C-u}; for example, @kbd{C-u 6 4 C-u 1} does insert 64 copies of
the character @samp{1}.

  We use the term ``prefix argument'' as well as ``numeric argument'',
to emphasize that you type these argument before the command, and to
distinguish them from minibuffer arguments that come after the
command.

@node Repeating
@section Repeating a Command
@cindex repeating a command

  Many simple commands, such as those invoked with a single key or
with @kbd{M-x @var{command-name} @key{RET}}, can be repeated by
invoking them with a numeric argument that serves as a repeat count
(@pxref{Arguments}).  However, if the command you want to repeat
prompts for input, or uses a numeric argument in another way, that
method won't work.

@kindex C-x z
@findex repeat
  The command @kbd{C-x z} (@code{repeat}) provides another way to repeat
an Emacs command many times.  This command repeats the previous Emacs