view man/m-x.texi @ 61394:31aa9a390538

* mh-customize.el (mh-speedbar-selected-folder-face): Special case high number of colors displays. * textmodes/table.el (table-cell-face): Add special case for displays supporting a high number of colors. * progmodes/vhdl-mode.el (vhdl-font-lock-prompt-face) (vhdl-font-lock-reserved-words-face) (vhdl-speedbar-architecture-face) (vhdl-speedbar-instantiation-face) (vhdl-speedbar-architecture-selected-face) (vhdl-speedbar-instantiation-selected-face): Likewise. * progmodes/sh-script.el (sh-heredoc-face): Likewise. * progmodes/idlw-help.el (idlwave-help-link-face): Likewise. * progmodes/ebrowse.el (ebrowse-tree-mark-face) (ebrowse-root-class-face, ebrowse-member-attribute-face) (ebrowse-progress-face): Likewise. * progmodes/compile.el (compilation-info-face): Likewise. * progmodes/cc-fonts.el (c-invalid-face): Likewise. * emacs-lisp/re-builder.el (reb-match-3): Likewise. * calendar/calendar.el (diary-face): Likewise. * woman.el (woman-italic-face, woman-bold-face) (woman-unknown-face): Likewise. * wid-edit.el (widget-button-pressed-face): Likewise. * whitespace.el (whitespace-highlight-face): Likewise. * smerge-mode.el (smerge-mine-face, smerge-base-face): Likewise. * pcvs-info.el (cvs-marked-face): Likewise. * info.el (info-xref): Likewise. * ido.el (ido-subdir-face, ido-indicator-face): Likewise. * hilit-chg.el (highlight-changes-face) (highlight-changes-delete-face): Likewise. * hi-lock.el (hi-yellow, hi-green, hi-blue-b, hi-green-b) (hi-red-b): Likewise. * generic-x.el (show-tabs-tab-face, show-tabs-space-face): Likewise. * font-lock.el (font-lock-keyword-face) (font-lock-function-name-face, font-lock-warning-face): Likewise. * cus-edit.el (custom-invalid-face, custom-modified-face) (custom-set-face, custom-changed-face, custom-variable-tag-face) (custom-group-tag-face-1, custom-group-tag-face): Likewise. * comint.el (comint-highlight-prompt): Likewise.

@c This is part of the Emacs manual.
@c Copyright (C) 1985, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 1997 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