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author | Gerd Moellmann <gerd@gnu.org> |
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date | Sun, 14 Nov 1999 12:07:12 +0000 |
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@c -*-texinfo-*- @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Free Software Foundation, Inc. @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. @setfilename ../info/abbrevs @node Abbrevs, Processes, Syntax Tables, Top @chapter Abbrevs and Abbrev Expansion @cindex abbrev @cindex abbrev table An abbreviation or @dfn{abbrev} is a string of characters that may be expanded to a longer string. The user can insert the abbrev string and find it replaced automatically with the expansion of the abbrev. This saves typing. The set of abbrevs currently in effect is recorded in an @dfn{abbrev table}. Each buffer has a local abbrev table, but normally all buffers in the same major mode share one abbrev table. There is also a global abbrev table. Normally both are used. An abbrev table is represented as an obarray containing a symbol for each abbreviation. The symbol's name is the abbreviation; its value is the expansion; its function definition is the hook function to do the expansion (@pxref{Defining Abbrevs}); its property list cell contains the use count, the number of times the abbreviation has been expanded. Because these symbols are not interned in the usual obarray, they will never appear as the result of reading a Lisp expression; in fact, normally they are never used except by the code that handles abbrevs. Therefore, it is safe to use them in an extremely nonstandard way. @xref{Creating Symbols}. For the user-level commands for abbrevs, see @ref{Abbrevs,, Abbrev Mode, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}. @menu * Abbrev Mode:: Setting up Emacs for abbreviation. * Tables: Abbrev Tables. Creating and working with abbrev tables. * Defining Abbrevs:: Specifying abbreviations and their expansions. * Files: Abbrev Files. Saving abbrevs in files. * Expansion: Abbrev Expansion. Controlling expansion; expansion subroutines. * Standard Abbrev Tables:: Abbrev tables used by various major modes. @end menu @node Abbrev Mode, Abbrev Tables, Abbrevs, Abbrevs @comment node-name, next, previous, up @section Setting Up Abbrev Mode Abbrev mode is a minor mode controlled by the value of the variable @code{abbrev-mode}. @defvar abbrev-mode A non-@code{nil} value of this variable turns on the automatic expansion of abbrevs when their abbreviations are inserted into a buffer. If the value is @code{nil}, abbrevs may be defined, but they are not expanded automatically. This variable automatically becomes buffer-local when set in any fashion. @end defvar @defvar default-abbrev-mode This is the value of @code{abbrev-mode} for buffers that do not override it. This is the same as @code{(default-value 'abbrev-mode)}. @end defvar @node Abbrev Tables, Defining Abbrevs, Abbrev Mode, Abbrevs @section Abbrev Tables This section describes how to create and manipulate abbrev tables. @defun make-abbrev-table This function creates and returns a new, empty abbrev table---an obarray containing no symbols. It is a vector filled with zeros. @end defun @defun clear-abbrev-table table This function undefines all the abbrevs in abbrev table @var{table}, leaving it empty. The function returns @code{nil}. @end defun @defun define-abbrev-table tabname definitions This function defines @var{tabname} (a symbol) as an abbrev table name, i.e., as a variable whose value is an abbrev table. It defines abbrevs in the table according to @var{definitions}, a list of elements of the form @code{(@var{abbrevname} @var{expansion} @var{hook} @var{usecount})}. The return value is always @code{nil}. @end defun @defvar abbrev-table-name-list This is a list of symbols whose values are abbrev tables. @code{define-abbrev-table} adds the new abbrev table name to this list. @end defvar @defun insert-abbrev-table-description name &optional human This function inserts before point a description of the abbrev table named @var{name}. The argument @var{name} is a symbol whose value is an abbrev table. The return value is always @code{nil}. If @var{human} is non-@code{nil}, the description is human-oriented. Otherwise the description is a Lisp expression---a call to @code{define-abbrev-table} that would define @var{name} exactly as it is currently defined. @end defun @node Defining Abbrevs, Abbrev Files, Abbrev Tables, Abbrevs @comment node-name, next, previous, up @section Defining Abbrevs These functions define an abbrev in a specified abbrev table. @code{define-abbrev} is the low-level basic function, while @code{add-abbrev} is used by commands that ask for information from the user. @defun add-abbrev table type arg This function adds an abbreviation to abbrev table @var{table} based on information from the user. The argument @var{type} is a string describing in English the kind of abbrev this will be (typically, @code{"global"} or @code{"mode-specific"}); this is used in prompting the user. The argument @var{arg} is the number of words in the expansion. The return value is the symbol that internally represents the new abbrev, or @code{nil} if the user declines to confirm redefining an existing abbrev. @end defun @defun define-abbrev table name expansion &optional hook count This function defines an abbrev named @var{name}, in @var{table}, to expand to @var{expansion} and call @var{hook}. The value of @var{count}, if specified, initializes the abbrev's usage-count. If @var{count} is not specified or @code{nil}, the use count is initialized to zero. The return value is a symbol that represents the abbrev inside Emacs; its name is @var{name}. The argument @var{name} should be a string. The argument @var{expansion} is normally the desired expansion (a string), or @code{nil} to undefine the abbrev. If it is anything but a string or @code{nil}, then the abbreviation ``expands'' solely by running @var{hook}. The argument @var{hook} is a function or @code{nil}. If @var{hook} is non-@code{nil}, then it is called with no arguments after the abbrev is replaced with @var{expansion}; point is located at the end of @var{expansion} when @var{hook} is called. @end defun @defopt only-global-abbrevs If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it means that the user plans to use global abbrevs only. This tells the commands that define mode-specific abbrevs to define global ones instead. This variable does not alter the behavior of the functions in this section; it is examined by their callers. @end defopt @node Abbrev Files, Abbrev Expansion, Defining Abbrevs, Abbrevs @section Saving Abbrevs in Files A file of saved abbrev definitions is actually a file of Lisp code. The abbrevs are saved in the form of a Lisp program to define the same abbrev tables with the same contents. Therefore, you can load the file with @code{load} (@pxref{How Programs Do Loading}). However, the function @code{quietly-read-abbrev-file} is provided as a more convenient interface. User-level facilities such as @code{save-some-buffers} can save abbrevs in a file automatically, under the control of variables described here. @defopt abbrev-file-name This is the default file name for reading and saving abbrevs. @end defopt @defun quietly-read-abbrev-file &optional filename This function reads abbrev definitions from a file named @var{filename}, previously written with @code{write-abbrev-file}. If @var{filename} is omitted or @code{nil}, the file specified in @code{abbrev-file-name} is used. @code{save-abbrevs} is set to @code{t} so that changes will be saved. This function does not display any messages. It returns @code{nil}. @end defun @defopt save-abbrevs A non-@code{nil} value for @code{save-abbrev} means that Emacs should save abbrevs when files are saved. @code{abbrev-file-name} specifies the file to save the abbrevs in. @end defopt @defvar abbrevs-changed This variable is set non-@code{nil} by defining or altering any abbrevs. This serves as a flag for various Emacs commands to offer to save your abbrevs. @end defvar @deffn Command write-abbrev-file &optional filename Save all abbrev definitions, in all abbrev tables, in the file @var{filename}, in the form of a Lisp program that when loaded will define the same abbrevs. If @var{filename} is @code{nil} or omitted, @code{abbrev-file-name} is used. This function returns @code{nil}. @end deffn @node Abbrev Expansion, Standard Abbrev Tables, Abbrev Files, Abbrevs @comment node-name, next, previous, up @section Looking Up and Expanding Abbreviations Abbrevs are usually expanded by certain interactive commands, including @code{self-insert-command}. This section describes the subroutines used in writing such commands, as well as the variables they use for communication. @defun abbrev-symbol abbrev &optional table This function returns the symbol representing the abbrev named @var{abbrev}. The value returned is @code{nil} if that abbrev is not defined. The optional second argument @var{table} is the abbrev table to look it up in. If @var{table} is @code{nil}, this function tries first the current buffer's local abbrev table, and second the global abbrev table. @end defun @defun abbrev-expansion abbrev &optional table This function returns the string that @var{abbrev} would expand into (as defined by the abbrev tables used for the current buffer). The optional argument @var{table} specifies the abbrev table to use, as in @code{abbrev-symbol}. @end defun @deffn Command expand-abbrev This command expands the abbrev before point, if any. If point does not follow an abbrev, this command does nothing. The command returns the abbrev symbol if it did expansion, @code{nil} otherwise. @end deffn @deffn Command abbrev-prefix-mark &optional arg Mark current point as the beginning of an abbrev. The next call to @code{expand-abbrev} will use the text from here to point (where it is then) as the abbrev to expand, rather than using the previous word as usual. @end deffn @defopt abbrev-all-caps When this is set non-@code{nil}, an abbrev entered entirely in upper case is expanded using all upper case. Otherwise, an abbrev entered entirely in upper case is expanded by capitalizing each word of the expansion. @end defopt @defvar abbrev-start-location This is the buffer position for @code{expand-abbrev} to use as the start of the next abbrev to be expanded. (@code{nil} means use the word before point instead.) @code{abbrev-start-location} is set to @code{nil} each time @code{expand-abbrev} is called. This variable is also set by @code{abbrev-prefix-mark}. @end defvar @defvar abbrev-start-location-buffer The value of this variable is the buffer for which @code{abbrev-start-location} has been set. Trying to expand an abbrev in any other buffer clears @code{abbrev-start-location}. This variable is set by @code{abbrev-prefix-mark}. @end defvar @defvar last-abbrev This is the @code{abbrev-symbol} of the most recent abbrev expanded. This information is left by @code{expand-abbrev} for the sake of the @code{unexpand-abbrev} command (@pxref{Expanding Abbrevs,, Expanding Abbrevs, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}). @end defvar @defvar last-abbrev-location This is the location of the most recent abbrev expanded. This contains information left by @code{expand-abbrev} for the sake of the @code{unexpand-abbrev} command. @end defvar @defvar last-abbrev-text This is the exact expansion text of the most recent abbrev expanded, after case conversion (if any). Its value is @code{nil} if the abbrev has already been unexpanded. This contains information left by @code{expand-abbrev} for the sake of the @code{unexpand-abbrev} command. @end defvar @c Emacs 19 feature @defvar pre-abbrev-expand-hook This is a normal hook whose functions are executed, in sequence, just before any expansion of an abbrev. @xref{Hooks}. Since it is a normal hook, the hook functions receive no arguments. However, they can find the abbrev to be expanded by looking in the buffer before point. Running the hook is the first thing that @code{expand-abbrev} does, and so a hook function can be used to change the current abbrev table before abbrev lookup happens. @end defvar The following sample code shows a simple use of @code{pre-abbrev-expand-hook}. If the user terminates an abbrev with a punctuation character, the hook function asks for confirmation. Thus, this hook allows the user to decide whether to expand the abbrev, and aborts expansion if it is not confirmed. @smallexample (add-hook 'pre-abbrev-expand-hook 'query-if-not-space) ;; @r{This is the function invoked by @code{pre-abbrev-expand-hook}.} ;; @r{If the user terminated the abbrev with a space, the function does} ;; @r{nothing (that is, it returns so that the abbrev can expand). If the} ;; @r{user entered some other character, this function asks whether} ;; @r{expansion should continue.} ;; @r{If the user answers the prompt with @kbd{y}, the function returns} ;; @r{@code{nil} (because of the @code{not} function), but that is} ;; @r{acceptable; the return value has no effect on expansion.} (defun query-if-not-space () (if (/= ?\ (preceding-char)) (if (not (y-or-n-p "Do you want to expand this abbrev? ")) (error "Not expanding this abbrev")))) @end smallexample @node Standard Abbrev Tables, , Abbrev Expansion, Abbrevs @comment node-name, next, previous, up @section Standard Abbrev Tables Here we list the variables that hold the abbrev tables for the preloaded major modes of Emacs. @defvar global-abbrev-table This is the abbrev table for mode-independent abbrevs. The abbrevs defined in it apply to all buffers. Each buffer may also have a local abbrev table, whose abbrev definitions take precedence over those in the global table. @end defvar @defvar local-abbrev-table The value of this buffer-local variable is the (mode-specific) abbreviation table of the current buffer. @end defvar @defvar fundamental-mode-abbrev-table This is the local abbrev table used in Fundamental mode; in other words, it is the local abbrev table in all buffers in Fundamental mode. @end defvar @defvar text-mode-abbrev-table This is the local abbrev table used in Text mode. @end defvar @defvar lisp-mode-abbrev-table This is the local abbrev table used in Lisp mode and Emacs Lisp mode. @end defvar