view man/m-x.texi @ 66114:13abee3a9bc6

* message.el (message-expand-group): Pass the common prefix substring of completion to `display-completion-list'. * mh-comp.el (mh-complete-word): Pass the common prefix substring of completion to `display-completion-list'. * dabbrev.el (dabbrev-completion): Pass the common prefix substring of completion to `display-completion-list'. * filecache.el (file-cache-minibuffer-complete) (file-cache-complete): Ditto. * tempo.el (tempo-display-completions): Ditto. * wid-edit.el (widget-file-complete, widget-color-complete): Ditto. * emacs-lisp/lisp.el (lisp-complete-symbol): Ditto. * eshell/em-hist.el (eshell-list-history): Ditto. * mail/mailabbrev.el (mail-abbrev-complete-alias): Ditto. * progmodes/etags.el (complete-tag): Ditto. * progmodes/make-mode.el (makefile-complete): Ditto. * progmodes/meta-mode.el (meta-complete-symbol): Ditto. * progmodes/octave-mod.el (octave-complete-symbol): Ditto. * progmodes/pascal.el (pascal-complete-word) (pascal-show-completions): Ditto. * textmodes/bibtex.el (bibtex-complete-internal): Ditto. * simple.el (completion-common-substring): New variable. (completion-setup-function): Use `completion-common-substring' to put faces. * minibuf.c (Fdisplay_completion_list): Add new optional argument COMMON_SUBSTRING. Bind `completion-common-substring' to the optional argument during running `completion-setup-hook'.

@c This is part of the Emacs manual.
@c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003,
@c   2004, 2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
@node M-x, Help, Minibuffer, Top
@chapter Running Commands by Name

  Every Emacs command has a name that you can use to run it.  Commands
that are used often, or that must be quick to type, are also bound to
keys---short sequences of characters---for convenient use.  You can
run them by name if you don't remember the keys.  Other Emacs commands
that do not need to be quick are not bound to keys; the only way to
run them is by name.  @xref{Key Bindings}, for the description of
how to bind commands to keys.

  By convention, a command name consists of one or more words,
separated by hyphens; for example, @code{auto-fill-mode} or
@code{manual-entry}.  The use of English words makes the command name
easier to remember than a key made up of obscure characters, even
though it is more characters to type.

@kindex M-x
  The way to run a command by name is to start with @kbd{M-x}, type the
command name, and finish it with @key{RET}.  @kbd{M-x} uses the
minibuffer to read the command name.  @key{RET} exits the minibuffer and
runs the command.  The string @samp{M-x} appears at the beginning of the
minibuffer as a @dfn{prompt} to remind you to enter the name of a
command to be run.  @xref{Minibuffer}, for full information on the
features of the minibuffer.

  You can use completion to enter the command name.  For example, you
can invoke the command @code{forward-char} by name by typing either

@example
M-x forward-char @key{RET}
@end example

@noindent
or

@example
M-x forw @key{TAB} c @key{RET}
@end example

@noindent
Note that @code{forward-char} is the same command that you invoke with
the key @kbd{C-f}.  You can run any Emacs command by name using
@kbd{M-x}, whether or not any keys are bound to it.

  If you type @kbd{C-g} while the command name is being read, you
cancel the @kbd{M-x} command and get out of the minibuffer, ending up
at command level.

  To pass a numeric argument to the command you are invoking with
@kbd{M-x}, specify the numeric argument before the @kbd{M-x}.  @kbd{M-x}
passes the argument along to the command it runs.  The argument value
appears in the prompt while the command name is being read.

@vindex suggest-key-bindings
  If the command you type has a key binding of its own, Emacs mentions
this in the echo area.  For example, if you type @kbd{M-x
forward-word}, the message says that you can run the same command more
easily by typing @kbd{M-f}.  You can turn off these messages by
setting @code{suggest-key-bindings} to @code{nil}.

  Normally, when describing in this manual a command that is run by
name, we omit the @key{RET} that is needed to terminate the name.  Thus
we might speak of @kbd{M-x auto-fill-mode} rather than @kbd{M-x
auto-fill-mode @key{RET}}.  We mention the @key{RET} only when there is
a need to emphasize its presence, such as when we show the command
together with following arguments.

@findex execute-extended-command
  @kbd{M-x} works by running the command
@code{execute-extended-command}, which is responsible for reading the
name of another command and invoking it.

@ignore
   arch-tag: b67bff53-9628-4666-b94e-eda972a7ba56
@end ignore