@c This is part of the Emacs manual.@c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001,@c 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc.@c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.@node Text, Programs, Indentation, Top@chapter Commands for Human Languages@cindex text@cindex manipulating text The term @dfn{text} has two widespread meanings in our area of thecomputer field. One is data that is a sequence of characters. Any filethat you edit with Emacs is text, in this sense of the word. The othermeaning is more restrictive: a sequence of characters in a human languagefor humans to read (possibly after processing by a text formatter), asopposed to a program or commands for a program. Human languages have syntactic/stylistic conventions that can besupported or used to advantage by editor commands: conventions involvingwords, sentences, paragraphs, and capital letters. This chapterdescribes Emacs commands for all of these things. There are alsocommands for @dfn{filling}, which means rearranging the lines of aparagraph to be approximately equal in length. The commands for movingover and killing words, sentences and paragraphs, while intendedprimarily for editing text, are also often useful for editing programs. Emacs has several major modes for editing human-language text. If thefile contains text pure and simple, use Text mode, which customizesEmacs in small ways for the syntactic conventions of text. Outline modeprovides special commands for operating on text with an outlinestructure.@iftex@xref{Outline Mode}.@end iftex For text which contains embedded commands for text formatters, Emacshas other major modes, each for a particular text formatter. Thus, forinput to @TeX{}, you would use @TeX{}@iftexmode (@pxref{TeX Mode}).@end iftex@ifinfomode.@end ifinfoFor input to nroff, use Nroff mode. Instead of using a text formatter, you can edit formatted text inWYSIWYG style (``what you see is what you get''), with Enriched mode.Then the formatting appears on the screen in Emacs while you edit.@iftex@xref{Formatted Text}.@end iftex@cindex skeletons@cindex templates@cindex autotyping@cindex automatic typing The ``automatic typing'' features may be useful when writing text.@inforef{Top,, autotype}.@menu* Words:: Moving over and killing words.* Sentences:: Moving over and killing sentences.* Paragraphs:: Moving over paragraphs.* Pages:: Moving over pages.* Filling:: Filling or justifying text.* Case:: Changing the case of text.* Text Mode:: The major modes for editing text files.* Outline Mode:: Editing outlines.* TeX Mode:: Editing input to the formatter TeX.* HTML Mode:: Editing HTML, SGML, and XML files.* Nroff Mode:: Editing input to the formatter nroff.* Formatted Text:: Editing formatted text directly in WYSIWYG fashion.* Text Based Tables:: Editing text-based tables in WYSIWYG fashion.@end menu@node Words@section Words@cindex words@cindex Meta commands and words Emacs has commands for moving over or operating on words. By convention,the keys for them are all Meta characters.@table @kbd@item M-fMove forward over a word (@code{forward-word}).@item M-bMove backward over a word (@code{backward-word}).@item M-dKill up to the end of a word (@code{kill-word}).@item M-@key{DEL}Kill back to the beginning of a word (@code{backward-kill-word}).@item M-@@Mark the end of the next word (@code{mark-word}).@item M-tTranspose two words or drag a word across other words(@code{transpose-words}).@end table Notice how these keys form a series that parallels the character-based@kbd{C-f}, @kbd{C-b}, @kbd{C-d}, @key{DEL} and @kbd{C-t}. @kbd{M-@@} iscognate to @kbd{C-@@}, which is an alias for @kbd{C-@key{SPC}}.@kindex M-f@kindex M-b@findex forward-word@findex backward-word The commands @kbd{M-f} (@code{forward-word}) and @kbd{M-b}(@code{backward-word}) move forward and backward over words. TheseMeta characters are thus analogous to the corresponding controlcharacters, @kbd{C-f} and @kbd{C-b}, which move over single charactersin the text. The analogy extends to numeric arguments, which serve asrepeat counts. @kbd{M-f} with a negative argument moves backward, and@kbd{M-b} with a negative argument moves forward. Forward motionstops right after the last letter of the word, while backward motionstops right before the first letter.@refill@kindex M-d@findex kill-word @kbd{M-d} (@code{kill-word}) kills the word after point. To beprecise, it kills everything from point to the place @kbd{M-f} wouldmove to. Thus, if point is in the middle of a word, @kbd{M-d} killsjust the part after point. If some punctuation comes between point and thenext word, it is killed along with the word. (If you wish to kill only thenext word but not the punctuation before it, simply do @kbd{M-f} to getthe end, and kill the word backwards with @kbd{M-@key{DEL}}.)@kbd{M-d} takes arguments just like @kbd{M-f}.@findex backward-kill-word@kindex M-DEL @kbd{M-@key{DEL}} (@code{backward-kill-word}) kills the word beforepoint. It kills everything from point back to where @kbd{M-b} wouldmove to. If point is after the space in @w{@samp{FOO, BAR}}, then@w{@samp{FOO, }} is killed. (If you wish to kill just @samp{FOO}, andnot the comma and the space, use @kbd{M-b M-d} instead of@kbd{M-@key{DEL}}.)@c Don't index M-t and transpose-words here, they are indexed in@c fixit.texi, in the node "Transpose".@c @kindex M-t@c @findex transpose-words @kbd{M-t} (@code{transpose-words}) exchanges the word before orcontaining point with the following word. The delimiter characters betweenthe words do not move. For example, @w{@samp{FOO, BAR}} transposes into@w{@samp{BAR, FOO}} rather than @samp{@w{BAR FOO,}}. @xref{Transpose}, formore on transposition and on arguments to transposition commands.@kindex M-@@@findex mark-word To operate on the next @var{n} words with an operation which appliesbetween point and mark, you can either set the mark at point and then moveover the words, or you can use the command @kbd{M-@@} (@code{mark-word})which does not move point, but sets the mark where @kbd{M-f} would moveto. @kbd{M-@@} accepts a numeric argument that says how many words toscan for the place to put the mark. In Transient Mark mode, this commandactivates the mark. The word commands' understanding of syntax is completely controlled bythe syntax table. Any character can, for example, be declared to be a worddelimiter. @xref{Syntax}.@node Sentences@section Sentences@cindex sentences@cindex manipulating sentences The Emacs commands for manipulating sentences and paragraphs are mostlyon Meta keys, so as to be like the word-handling commands.@table @kbd@item M-aMove back to the beginning of the sentence (@code{backward-sentence}).@item M-eMove forward to the end of the sentence (@code{forward-sentence}).@item M-kKill forward to the end of the sentence (@code{kill-sentence}).@item C-x @key{DEL}Kill back to the beginning of the sentence (@code{backward-kill-sentence}).@end table@kindex M-a@kindex M-e@findex backward-sentence@findex forward-sentence The commands @kbd{M-a} and @kbd{M-e} (@code{backward-sentence} and@code{forward-sentence}) move to the beginning and end of the currentsentence, respectively. They were chosen to resemble @kbd{C-a} and@kbd{C-e}, which move to the beginning and end of a line. Unlikethem, @kbd{M-a} and @kbd{M-e} move over successive sentences ifrepeated. Moving backward over a sentence places point just before the firstcharacter of the sentence; moving forward places point right after thepunctuation that ends the sentence. Neither one moves over thewhitespace at the sentence boundary.@kindex M-k@kindex C-x DEL@findex kill-sentence@findex backward-kill-sentence Just as @kbd{C-a} and @kbd{C-e} have a kill command, @kbd{C-k}, to gowith them, so @kbd{M-a} and @kbd{M-e} have a corresponding kill command@kbd{M-k} (@code{kill-sentence}) which kills from point to the end ofthe sentence. With minus one as an argument it kills back to thebeginning of the sentence. Larger arguments serve as a repeat count.There is also a command, @kbd{C-x @key{DEL}}(@code{backward-kill-sentence}), for killing back to the beginning of asentence. This command is useful when you change your mind in themiddle of composing text.@refill The sentence commands assume that you follow the American typist'sconvention of putting two spaces at the end of a sentence; they considera sentence to end wherever there is a @samp{.}, @samp{?} or @samp{!}followed by the end of a line or two spaces, with any number of@samp{)}, @samp{]}, @samp{'}, or @samp{"} characters allowed in between.A sentence also begins or ends wherever a paragraph begins or ends.@vindex sentence-end The variable @code{sentence-end} controls recognition of the end ofa sentence. If non-@code{nil}, it is a regexp that matches the lastfew characters of a sentence, together with the whitespace followingthe sentence. If the value is @code{nil}, the default, then Emacscomputes the regexp according to various criteria. The result isnormally similar to the following regexp:@example"[.?!][]\"')]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*"@end example@noindentThis example is explained in the section on regexps. @xref{Regexp Example}. If you want to use just one space between sentences, you shouldset @code{sentence-end} to this value:@example"[.?!][]\"')]*\\($\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*"@end example@noindentThis is what setting the variable @code{sentence-end-double-space} to@code{nil} automatically does. But note that this makes it impossibleto distinguish between periods that end sentences and those thatindicate abbreviations.@node Paragraphs@section Paragraphs@cindex paragraphs@cindex manipulating paragraphs@kindex M-@{@kindex M-@}@findex backward-paragraph@findex forward-paragraph The Emacs commands for manipulating paragraphs are also Meta keys.@table @kbd@item M-@{Move back to previous paragraph beginning (@code{backward-paragraph}).@item M-@}Move forward to next paragraph end (@code{forward-paragraph}).@item M-hPut point and mark around this or next paragraph (@code{mark-paragraph}).@end table @kbd{M-@{} moves to the beginning of the current or previousparagraph, while @kbd{M-@}} moves to the end of the current or nextparagraph. Blank lines and text-formatter command lines separateparagraphs and are not considered part of any paragraph. InParagraph-Indent Text mode, but not in Text mode, an indented linealso starts a new paragraph. If there is a blank line before theparagraph, @kbd{M-@{} moves to the blank line, because that isconvenient in practice. In major modes for programs, paragraphs begin and end only at blanklines. This makes the paragraph commands continue to be useful eventhough there are no paragraphs per se. When there is a fill prefix, then paragraphs are delimited by all lineswhich don't start with the fill prefix. @xref{Filling}.@kindex M-h@findex mark-paragraph When you wish to operate on a paragraph, you can use the command@kbd{M-h} (@code{mark-paragraph}) to set the region around it. Thus,for example, @kbd{M-h C-w} kills the paragraph around or after point.The @kbd{M-h} command puts point at the beginning and mark at the end ofthe paragraph point was in. In Transient Mark mode, it activates themark. If point is between paragraphs (in a run of blank lines, or at aboundary), the paragraph following point is surrounded by point andmark. If there are blank lines preceding the first line of theparagraph, one of these blank lines is included in the region.@vindex paragraph-start@vindex paragraph-separate The precise definition of a paragraph boundary is controlled by thevariables @code{paragraph-separate} and @code{paragraph-start}. Thevalue of @code{paragraph-start} is a regexp that should match any linethat either starts or separates paragraphs. The value of@code{paragraph-separate} is another regexp that should match only linesthat separate paragraphs without being part of any paragraph (forexample, blank lines). Lines that start a new paragraph and arecontained in it must match only @code{paragraph-start}, not@code{paragraph-separate}. Each regular expression must match at theleft margin. For example, in Fundamental mode, @code{paragraph-start}is @w{@code{"\f\\|[ \t]*$"}}, and @code{paragraph-separate} is@w{@code{"[ \t\f]*$"}}. Normally it is desirable for page boundaries to separate paragraphs.The default values of these variables recognize the usual separator forpages.@node Pages@section Pages@cindex pages@cindex formfeed Files are often thought of as divided into @dfn{pages} by the@dfn{formfeed} character (@acronym{ASCII} control-L, octal code 014).When you print hardcopy for a file, this character forces a page break;thus, each page of the file goes on a separate page on paper. Most Emacscommands treat the page-separator character just like any othercharacter: you can insert it with @kbd{C-q C-l}, and delete it with@key{DEL}. Thus, you are free to paginate your file or not. However,since pages are often meaningful divisions of the file, Emacs providescommands to move over them and operate on them.@table @kbd@item C-x [Move point to previous page boundary (@code{backward-page}).@item C-x ]Move point to next page boundary (@code{forward-page}).@item C-x C-pPut point and mark around this page (or another page) (@code{mark-page}).@item C-x lCount the lines in this page (@code{count-lines-page}).@end table@kindex C-x [@kindex C-x ]@findex forward-page@findex backward-page The @kbd{C-x [} (@code{backward-page}) command moves point to immediatelyafter the previous page delimiter. If point is already right after a pagedelimiter, it skips that one and stops at the previous one. A numericargument serves as a repeat count. The @kbd{C-x ]} (@code{forward-page})command moves forward past the next page delimiter.@kindex C-x C-p@findex mark-page The @kbd{C-x C-p} command (@code{mark-page}) puts point at thebeginning of the current page and the mark at the end. The pagedelimiter at the end is included (the mark follows it). The pagedelimiter at the front is excluded (point follows it). In TransientMark mode, this command activates the mark. @kbd{C-x C-p C-w} is a handy way to kill a page to move itelsewhere. If you move to another page delimiter with @kbd{C-x [} and@kbd{C-x ]}, then yank the killed page, all the pages will be properlydelimited once again. The reason @kbd{C-x C-p} includes only thefollowing page delimiter in the region is to ensure that. A numeric argument to @kbd{C-x C-p} is used to specify which page to goto, relative to the current one. Zero means the current page. One meansthe next page, and @minus{}1 means the previous one.@kindex C-x l@findex count-lines-page The @kbd{C-x l} command (@code{count-lines-page}) is good for decidingwhere to break a page in two. It displays in the echo area the total numberof lines in the current page, and then divides it up into those precedingthe current line and those following, as in@examplePage has 96 (72+25) lines@end example@noindent Notice that the sum is off by one; this is correct if point is not at thebeginning of a line.@vindex page-delimiter The variable @code{page-delimiter} controls where pages begin. Itsvalue is a regexp that matches the beginning of a line that separatespages. The normal value of this variable is @code{"^\f"}, whichmatches a formfeed character at the beginning of a line.@node Filling@section Filling Text@cindex filling text @dfn{Filling} text means breaking it up into lines that fit aspecified width. Emacs does filling in two ways. In Auto Fill mode,inserting text with self-inserting characters also automatically fillsit. There are also explicit fill commands that you can use when editingtext leaves it unfilled. When you edit formatted text, you can specifya style of filling for each portion of the text (@pxref{FormattedText}).@menu* Auto Fill:: Auto Fill mode breaks long lines automatically.* Refill:: Keeping paragraphs filled.* Fill Commands:: Commands to refill paragraphs and center lines.* Fill Prefix:: Filling paragraphs that are indented or in a comment, etc.* Adaptive Fill:: How Emacs can determine the fill prefix automatically.* Longlines:: Editing text with very long lines.@end menu@node Auto Fill@subsection Auto Fill Mode@cindex Auto Fill mode@cindex mode, Auto Fill @dfn{Auto Fill} mode is a minor mode in which lines are brokenautomatically when they become too wide. Breaking happens only whenyou type a @key{SPC} or @key{RET}.@table @kbd@item M-x auto-fill-modeEnable or disable Auto Fill mode.@item @key{SPC}@itemx @key{RET}In Auto Fill mode, break lines when appropriate.@end table@findex auto-fill-mode @kbd{M-x auto-fill-mode} turns Auto Fill mode on if it was off, or offif it was on. With a positive numeric argument it always turns AutoFill mode on, and with a negative argument always turns it off. You cansee when Auto Fill mode is in effect by the presence of the word@samp{Fill} in the mode line, inside the parentheses. Auto Fill mode isa minor mode which is enabled or disabled for each buffer individually.@xref{Minor Modes}. In Auto Fill mode, lines are broken automatically at spaces when theyget longer than the desired width. Line breaking and rearrangementtakes place only when you type @key{SPC} or @key{RET}. If you wish toinsert a space or newline without permitting line-breaking, type@kbd{C-q @key{SPC}} or @kbd{C-q C-j} (recall that a newline is really acontrol-J). Also, @kbd{C-o} inserts a newline without line breaking. Auto Fill mode works well with programming-language modes, because itindents new lines with @key{TAB}. If a line ending in a comment getstoo long, the text of the comment is split into two comment lines.Optionally, new comment delimiters are inserted at the end of the firstline and the beginning of the second so that each line is a separatecomment; the variable @code{comment-multi-line} controls the choice(@pxref{Comments}). Adaptive filling (@pxref{Adaptive Fill}) works for Auto Filling aswell as for explicit fill commands. It takes a fill prefixautomatically from the second or first line of a paragraph. Auto Fill mode does not refill entire paragraphs; it can break lines butcannot merge lines. So editing in the middle of a paragraph can result ina paragraph that is not correctly filled. The easiest way to make theparagraph properly filled again is usually with the explicit fill commands.@ifinfo@xref{Fill Commands}.@end ifinfo Many users like Auto Fill mode and want to use it in all text files.The section on init files says how to arrange this permanently for yourself.@xref{Init File}.@node Refill@subsection Refill Mode@cindex refilling text, word processor style@cindex modes, Refill@cindex Refill minor mode Refill minor mode provides support for keeping paragraphs filled asyou type or modify them in other ways. It provides an effect similarto typical word processor behavior. This works by running aparagraph-filling command at suitable times. To toggle the use of Refill mode in the current buffer, type@kbd{M-x refill-mode}. When you are typing text, only characterswhich normally trigger auto filling, like the space character, willtrigger refilling. This is to avoid making it too slow. Apart fromself-inserting characters, other commands which modify the text causerefilling. The current implementation is preliminary and not robust. You canget better ``line wrapping'' behavior using Longlines mode.@xref{Longlines}. However, Longlines mode has an importantside-effect: the newlines that it inserts for you are not saved todisk, so the files that you make with Longlines mode will appear to becompletely unfilled if you edit them without Longlines mode.@node Fill Commands@subsection Explicit Fill Commands@table @kbd@item M-qFill current paragraph (@code{fill-paragraph}).@item C-x fSet the fill column (@code{set-fill-column}).@item M-x fill-regionFill each paragraph in the region (@code{fill-region}).@item M-x fill-region-as-paragraphFill the region, considering it as one paragraph.@item M-sCenter a line.@end table@kindex M-q@findex fill-paragraph To refill a paragraph, use the command @kbd{M-q}(@code{fill-paragraph}). This operates on the paragraph that point isinside, or the one after point if point is between paragraphs.Refilling works by removing all the line-breaks, then inserting new oneswhere necessary.@findex fill-region To refill many paragraphs, use @kbd{M-x fill-region}, whichdivides the region into paragraphs and fills each of them.@findex fill-region-as-paragraph @kbd{M-q} and @code{fill-region} use the same criteria as @kbd{M-h}for finding paragraph boundaries (@pxref{Paragraphs}). For morecontrol, you can use @kbd{M-x fill-region-as-paragraph}, which refillseverything between point and mark. This command deletes any blank lineswithin the region, so separate blocks of text end up combined into oneblock.@refill@cindex justification A numeric argument to @kbd{M-q} causes it to @dfn{justify} the text aswell as filling it. This means that extra spaces are inserted to makethe right margin line up exactly at the fill column. To remove theextra spaces, use @kbd{M-q} with no argument. (Likewise for@code{fill-region}.) Another way to control justification, and chooseother styles of filling, is with the @code{justification} text property;see @ref{Format Justification}.@kindex M-s @r{(Text mode)}@cindex centering@findex center-line The command @kbd{M-s} (@code{center-line}) centers the current linewithin the current fill column. With an argument @var{n}, it centers@var{n} lines individually and moves past them. This binding ismade by Text mode and is available only in that and related modes(@pxref{Text Mode}).@vindex fill-column@kindex C-x f@findex set-fill-column The maximum line width for filling is in the variable@code{fill-column}. Altering the value of @code{fill-column} makes itlocal to the current buffer; until that time, the default value is ineffect. The default is initially 70. @xref{Locals}. The easiest wayto set @code{fill-column} is to use the command @kbd{C-x f}(@code{set-fill-column}). With a numeric argument, it uses that as thenew fill column. With just @kbd{C-u} as argument, it sets@code{fill-column} to the current horizontal position of point. Emacs commands normally consider a period followed by two spaces or bya newline as the end of a sentence; a period followed by just one spaceindicates an abbreviation and not the end of a sentence. To preservethe distinction between these two ways of using a period, the fillcommands do not break a line after a period followed by just one space.@vindex sentence-end-double-space If the variable @code{sentence-end-double-space} is @code{nil}, thefill commands expect and leave just one space at the end of a sentence.Ordinarily this variable is @code{t}, so the fill commands insist ontwo spaces for the end of a sentence, as explained above. @xref{Sentences}.@vindex colon-double-space If the variable @code{colon-double-space} is non-@code{nil}, thefill commands put two spaces after a colon.@vindex sentence-end-without-period Some languages do not use period to indicate end of sentence. Forexample, a sentence in Thai text ends with double space but without aperiod. Set the variable @code{sentence-end-without-period} to@code{t} to tell the sentence commands that a period is not necessary.@vindex fill-nobreak-predicate The variable @code{fill-nobreak-predicate} specifies additionalconditions for where line-breaking is allowed. Its value is either@code{nil} or a Lisp function; the function is called with noarguments, and if it returns a non-@code{nil} value, then point is nota good place to break the line. Two standard functions you can use are@code{fill-single-word-nobreak-p} (don't break after the first word ofa sentence or before the last) and @code{fill-french-nobreak-p} (don'tbreak after @samp{(} or before @samp{)}, @samp{:} or @samp{?}).@node Fill Prefix@subsection The Fill Prefix@cindex fill prefix To fill a paragraph in which each line starts with a special marker(which might be a few spaces, giving an indented paragraph), you can usethe @dfn{fill prefix} feature. The fill prefix is a string that Emacsexpects every line to start with, and which is not included in filling.You can specify a fill prefix explicitly; Emacs can also deduce thefill prefix automatically (@pxref{Adaptive Fill}).@table @kbd@item C-x .Set the fill prefix (@code{set-fill-prefix}).@item M-qFill a paragraph using current fill prefix (@code{fill-paragraph}).@item M-x fill-individual-paragraphsFill the region, considering each change of indentation as starting anew paragraph.@item M-x fill-nonuniform-paragraphsFill the region, considering only paragraph-separator lines as startinga new paragraph.@end table@kindex C-x .@findex set-fill-prefix To specify a fill prefix for the current buffer, move to a line thatstarts with the desired prefix, put point at the end of the prefix,and give the command @w{@kbd{C-x .}}@: (@code{set-fill-prefix}).That's a period after the @kbd{C-x}. To turn off the fill prefix,specify an empty prefix: type @w{@kbd{C-x .}}@: with point at thebeginning of a line.@refill When a fill prefix is in effect, the fill commands remove the fillprefix from each line before filling and insert it on each line afterfilling. (The beginning of the first line is left unchanged, sinceoften that is intentionally different.) Auto Fill mode also insertsthe fill prefix automatically when it makes a new line. The @kbd{C-o}command inserts the fill prefix on new lines it creates, when you useit at the beginning of a line (@pxref{Blank Lines}). Conversely, thecommand @kbd{M-^} deletes the prefix (if it occurs) after the newlinethat it deletes (@pxref{Indentation}). For example, if @code{fill-column} is 40 and you set the fill prefixto @samp{;; }, then @kbd{M-q} in the following text@example;; This is an;; example of a paragraph;; inside a Lisp-style comment.@end example@noindentproduces this:@example;; This is an example of a paragraph;; inside a Lisp-style comment.@end example Lines that do not start with the fill prefix are considered to startparagraphs, both in @kbd{M-q} and the paragraph commands; this givesgood results for paragraphs with hanging indentation (every lineindented except the first one). Lines which are blank or indented oncethe prefix is removed also separate or start paragraphs; this is whatyou want if you are writing multi-paragraph comments with a commentdelimiter on each line.@findex fill-individual-paragraphs You can use @kbd{M-x fill-individual-paragraphs} to set the fillprefix for each paragraph automatically. This command divides theregion into paragraphs, treating every change in the amount ofindentation as the start of a new paragraph, and fills each of theseparagraphs. Thus, all the lines in one ``paragraph'' have the sameamount of indentation. That indentation serves as the fill prefix forthat paragraph.@findex fill-nonuniform-paragraphs @kbd{M-x fill-nonuniform-paragraphs} is a similar command that dividesthe region into paragraphs in a different way. It considers onlyparagraph-separating lines (as defined by @code{paragraph-separate}) asstarting a new paragraph. Since this means that the lines of oneparagraph may have different amounts of indentation, the fill prefixused is the smallest amount of indentation of any of the lines of theparagraph. This gives good results with styles that indent a paragraph'sfirst line more or less that the rest of the paragraph.@vindex fill-prefix The fill prefix is stored in the variable @code{fill-prefix}. Its valueis a string, or @code{nil} when there is no fill prefix. This is aper-buffer variable; altering the variable affects only the current buffer,but there is a default value which you can change as well. @xref{Locals}. The @code{indentation} text property provides another way to controlthe amount of indentation paragraphs receive. @xref{Format Indentation}.@node Adaptive Fill@subsection Adaptive Filling@cindex adaptive filling The fill commands can deduce the proper fill prefix for a paragraphautomatically in certain cases: either whitespace or certain punctuationcharacters at the beginning of a line are propagated to all lines of theparagraph. If the paragraph has two or more lines, the fill prefix is taken fromthe paragraph's second line, but only if it appears on the first line aswell. If a paragraph has just one line, fill commands @emph{may} take aprefix from that line. The decision is complicated because there arethree reasonable things to do in such a case:@itemize @bullet@itemUse the first line's prefix on all the lines of the paragraph.@itemIndent subsequent lines with whitespace, so that they line up under thetext that follows the prefix on the first line, but don't actually copythe prefix from the first line.@itemDon't do anything special with the second and following lines.@end itemize All three of these styles of formatting are commonly used. So thefill commands try to determine what you would like, based on the prefixthat appears and on the major mode. Here is how.@vindex adaptive-fill-first-line-regexp If the prefix found on the first line matches@code{adaptive-fill-first-line-regexp}, or if it appears to be acomment-starting sequence (this depends on the major mode), then theprefix found is used for filling the paragraph, provided it would notact as a paragraph starter on subsequent lines. Otherwise, the prefix found is converted to an equivalent number ofspaces, and those spaces are used as the fill prefix for the rest of thelines, provided they would not act as a paragraph starter on subsequentlines. In Text mode, and other modes where only blank lines and pagedelimiters separate paragraphs, the prefix chosen by adaptive fillingnever acts as a paragraph starter, so it can always be used for filling.@vindex adaptive-fill-mode@vindex adaptive-fill-regexp The variable @code{adaptive-fill-regexp} determines what kinds of linebeginnings can serve as a fill prefix: any characters at the start ofthe line that match this regular expression are used. If you set thevariable @code{adaptive-fill-mode} to @code{nil}, the fill prefix isnever chosen automatically.@vindex adaptive-fill-function You can specify more complex ways of choosing a fill prefixautomatically by setting the variable @code{adaptive-fill-function} to afunction. This function is called with point after the left margin of aline, and it should return the appropriate fill prefix based on thatline. If it returns @code{nil}, @code{adaptive-fill-regexp} getsa chance to find a prefix.@node Longlines@subsection Long Lines Mode@cindex refilling text, word processor style@cindex modes, Long Lines@cindex word wrap@cindex Long Lines minor mode Long Lines mode is a minor mode for @dfn{word wrapping}; it lets youedit ``unfilled'' text files, which Emacs would normally display as abunch of extremely long lines. Many text editors, such as those builtinto many web browsers, normally do word wrapping.@findex longlines-mode To enable Long Lines mode, type @kbd{M-x longlines-mode}. If thetext is full of long lines, this will ``wrap'' themimmediately---i.e., break up to fit in the window. As you edit thetext, Long Lines mode automatically re-wraps lines by inserting ordeleting @dfn{soft newlines} as necessary (@pxref{Hard and SoftNewlines}.) These soft newlines won't show up when you save thebuffer into a file, or when you copy the text into the kill ring,clipboard, or a register.@findex longlines-auto-wrap Word wrapping is @emph{not} the same as ordinary filling(@pxref{Fill Commands}). It does not contract multiple spaces into asingle space, recognize fill prefixes (@pxref{Fill Prefix}), orperform adaptive filling (@pxref{Adaptive Fill}). The reason for thisis that a wrapped line is still, conceptually, a single line. Eachsoft newline is equivalent to exactly one space in that long line, andvice versa. However, you can still call filling functions such as@kbd{M-q}, and these will work as expected, inserting soft newlinesthat won't show up on disk or when the text is copied. You can evenrely entirely on the normal fill commands by turning off automaticline wrapping, with @kbd{C-u M-x longlines-auto-wrap}. To turnautomatic line wrapping back on, type @kbd{M-x longlines-auto-wrap}.@findex longlines-show-hard-newlines Whenever you type @kbd{RET}, you are inserting a hard newline. Ifyou want to see where all the hard newlines are, type @kbd{M-xlonglines-show-hard-newlines}. This will mark each hard newline witha special symbol. The same command with a prefix argument turns thisdisplay off. Long Lines mode does not change normal text files that are alreadyfilled, since the existing newlines are considered hard newlines.Before Long Lines can do anything, you need to transform eachparagraph into a long line. One way is to set @code{fill-column} to alarge number (e.g., @kbd{C-u 9999 C-x f}), re-fill all the paragraphs,and then set @code{fill-column} back to its original value.@node Case@section Case Conversion Commands@cindex case conversion Emacs has commands for converting either a single word or any arbitraryrange of text to upper case or to lower case.@table @kbd@item M-lConvert following word to lower case (@code{downcase-word}).@item M-uConvert following word to upper case (@code{upcase-word}).@item M-cCapitalize the following word (@code{capitalize-word}).@item C-x C-lConvert region to lower case (@code{downcase-region}).@item C-x C-uConvert region to upper case (@code{upcase-region}).@end table@kindex M-l@kindex M-u@kindex M-c@cindex words, case conversion@cindex converting text to upper or lower case@cindex capitalizing words@findex downcase-word@findex upcase-word@findex capitalize-word The word conversion commands are the most useful. @kbd{M-l}(@code{downcase-word}) converts the word after point to lower case, movingpast it. Thus, repeating @kbd{M-l} converts successive words.@kbd{M-u} (@code{upcase-word}) converts to all capitals instead, while@kbd{M-c} (@code{capitalize-word}) puts the first letter of the wordinto upper case and the rest into lower case. All these commands convertseveral words at once if given an argument. They are especially convenientfor converting a large amount of text from all upper case to mixed case,because you can move through the text using @kbd{M-l}, @kbd{M-u} or@kbd{M-c} on each word as appropriate, occasionally using @kbd{M-f} insteadto skip a word. When given a negative argument, the word case conversion commands applyto the appropriate number of words before point, but do not move point.This is convenient when you have just typed a word in the wrong case: youcan give the case conversion command and continue typing. If a word case conversion command is given in the middle of a word, itapplies only to the part of the word which follows point. This is justlike what @kbd{M-d} (@code{kill-word}) does. With a negative argument,case conversion applies only to the part of the word before point.@kindex C-x C-l@kindex C-x C-u@findex downcase-region@findex upcase-region The other case conversion commands are @kbd{C-x C-u}(@code{upcase-region}) and @kbd{C-x C-l} (@code{downcase-region}), whichconvert everything between point and mark to the specified case. Point andmark do not move. The region case conversion commands @code{upcase-region} and@code{downcase-region} are normally disabled. This means that they askfor confirmation if you try to use them. When you confirm, you mayenable the command, which means it will not ask for confirmation again.@xref{Disabling}.@node Text Mode@section Text Mode@cindex Text mode@cindex mode, Text@findex text-mode When you edit files of text in a human language, it's more convenientto use Text mode rather than Fundamental mode. To enter Text mode, type@kbd{M-x text-mode}. In Text mode, only blank lines and page delimiters separateparagraphs. As a result, paragraphs can be indented, and adaptivefilling determines what indentation to use when filling a paragraph.@xref{Adaptive Fill}.@kindex TAB @r{(Text mode)} Text mode defines @key{TAB} to run @code{indent-relative}(@pxref{Indentation}), so that you can conveniently indent a line likethe previous line. Text mode turns off the features concerned with comments except whenyou explicitly invoke them. It changes the syntax table so thatsingle-quotes are considered part of words. However, if a word startswith single-quotes, then these are treated as a prefix for purposessuch as capitalization. That is, @kbd{M-c} will convert@samp{'hello'} into @samp{'Hello'}, as expected.@cindex Paragraph-Indent Text mode@cindex mode, Paragraph-Indent Text@findex paragraph-indent-text-mode@findex paragraph-indent-minor-mode If you indent the first lines of paragraphs, then you should useParagraph-Indent Text mode rather than Text mode. In this mode, you donot need to have blank lines between paragraphs, because the first-lineindentation is sufficient to start a paragraph; however paragraphs inwhich every line is indented are not supported. Use @kbd{M-xparagraph-indent-text-mode} to enter this mode. Use @kbd{M-xparagraph-indent-minor-mode} to enter an equivalent minor mode, forinstance during mail composition.@kindex M-TAB @r{(Text mode)} Text mode, and all the modes based on it, define @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}as the command @code{ispell-complete-word}, which performs completionof the partial word in the buffer before point, using the spellingdictionary as the space of possible words. @xref{Spelling}. If yourwindow manager defines @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} to switch windows, you cantype @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{TAB}} or @kbd{C-M-i}.@vindex text-mode-hook Entering Text mode runs the hook @code{text-mode-hook}. Other majormodes related to Text mode also run this hook, followed by hooks oftheir own; this includes Paragraph-Indent Text mode, Nroff mode, @TeX{}mode, Outline mode, and Mail mode. Hook functions on@code{text-mode-hook} can look at the value of @code{major-mode} to seewhich of these modes is actually being entered. @xref{Hooks}.@ifinfo Emacs provides two other modes for editing text that is to be passedthrough a text formatter to produce fancy formatted printed output.@xref{Nroff Mode}, for editing input to the formatter nroff.@xref{TeX Mode}, for editing input to the formatter TeX. Another mode is used for editing outlines. It allows you to view thetext at various levels of detail. You can view either the outlineheadings alone or both headings and text; you can also hide some of theheadings at lower levels from view to make the high level structure morevisible. @xref{Outline Mode}.@end ifinfo@node Outline Mode@section Outline Mode@cindex Outline mode@cindex mode, Outline@cindex invisible lines@findex outline-mode@findex outline-minor-mode@vindex outline-minor-mode-prefix Outline mode is a major mode much like Text mode but intended forediting outlines. It allows you to make parts of the text temporarilyinvisible so that you can see the outline structure. Type @kbd{M-xoutline-mode} to switch to Outline mode as the major mode of the currentbuffer. When Outline mode makes a line invisible, the line does not appearon the screen. The screen appears exactly as if the invisible linewere deleted, except that an ellipsis (three periods in a row) appearsat the end of the previous visible line. (Multiple consecutiveinvisible lines produce just one ellipsis.) Editing commands that operate on lines, such as @kbd{C-n} and@kbd{C-p}, treat the text of the invisible line as part of the previousvisible line. Killing the ellipsis at the end of a visible linereally kills all the following invisible lines. Outline minor mode provides the same commands as the major mode,Outline mode, but you can use it in conjunction with other major modes.Type @kbd{M-x outline-minor-mode} to enable the Outline minor mode inthe current buffer. You can also specify this in the text of a file,with a file local variable of the form @samp{mode: outline-minor}(@pxref{File Variables}).@kindex C-c @@ @r{(Outline minor mode)} The major mode, Outline mode, provides special key bindings on the@kbd{C-c} prefix. Outline minor mode provides similar bindings with@kbd{C-c @@} as the prefix; this is to reduce the conflicts with themajor mode's special commands. (The variable@code{outline-minor-mode-prefix} controls the prefix used.)@vindex outline-mode-hook Entering Outline mode runs the hook @code{text-mode-hook} followed bythe hook @code{outline-mode-hook} (@pxref{Hooks}).@menu* Format: Outline Format. What the text of an outline looks like.* Motion: Outline Motion. Special commands for moving through outlines.* Visibility: Outline Visibility. Commands to control what is visible.* Views: Outline Views. Outlines and multiple views.* Foldout:: Folding means zooming in on outlines.@end menu@node Outline Format@subsection Format of Outlines@cindex heading lines (Outline mode)@cindex body lines (Outline mode) Outline mode assumes that the lines in the buffer are of two types:@dfn{heading lines} and @dfn{body lines}. A heading line represents atopic in the outline. Heading lines start with one or more stars; thenumber of stars determines the depth of the heading in the outlinestructure. Thus, a heading line with one star is a major topic; all theheading lines with two stars between it and the next one-star headingare its subtopics; and so on. Any line that is not a heading line is abody line. Body lines belong with the preceding heading line. Here isan example:@example* FoodThis is the body,which says something about the topic of food.** Delicious FoodThis is the body of the second-level header.** Distasteful FoodThis could havea body too, withseveral lines.*** Dormitory Food* ShelterAnother first-level topic with its header line.@end example A heading line together with all following body lines is calledcollectively an @dfn{entry}. A heading line together with all followingdeeper heading lines and their body lines is called a @dfn{subtree}.@vindex outline-regexp You can customize the criterion for distinguishing heading linesby setting the variable @code{outline-regexp}. Any line whosebeginning has a match for this regexp is considered a heading line.Matches that start within a line (not at the left margin) do not count.The length of the matching text determines the level of the heading;longer matches make a more deeply nested level. Thus, for example,if a text formatter has commands @samp{@@chapter}, @samp{@@section}and @samp{@@subsection} to divide the document into chapters andsections, you could make those lines count as heading lines bysetting @code{outline-regexp} to @samp{"@@chap\\|@@\\(sub\\)*section"}.Note the trick: the two words @samp{chapter} and @samp{section} are equallylong, but by defining the regexp to match only @samp{chap} we ensurethat the length of the text matched on a chapter heading is shorter,so that Outline mode will know that sections are contained in chapters.This works as long as no other command starts with @samp{@@chap}.@vindex outline-level You can change the rule for calculating the level of a heading lineby setting the variable @code{outline-level}. The value of@code{outline-level} should be a function that takes no arguments andreturns the level of the current heading. Some major modes such as C,Nroff, and Emacs Lisp mode set this variable and @code{outline-regexp}in order to work with Outline minor mode.@node Outline Motion@subsection Outline Motion Commands Outline mode provides special motion commands that move backward andforward to heading lines.@table @kbd@item C-c C-nMove point to the next visible heading line(@code{outline-next-visible-heading}).@item C-c C-pMove point to the previous visible heading line(@code{outline-previous-visible-heading}).@item C-c C-fMove point to the next visible heading line at the same levelas the one point is on (@code{outline-forward-same-level}).@item C-c C-bMove point to the previous visible heading line at the same level(@code{outline-backward-same-level}).@item C-c C-uMove point up to a lower-level (more inclusive) visible heading line(@code{outline-up-heading}).@end table@findex outline-next-visible-heading@findex outline-previous-visible-heading@kindex C-c C-n @r{(Outline mode)}@kindex C-c C-p @r{(Outline mode)} @kbd{C-c C-n} (@code{outline-next-visible-heading}) moves down to the nextheading line. @kbd{C-c C-p} (@code{outline-previous-visible-heading}) movessimilarly backward. Both accept numeric arguments as repeat counts. Thenames emphasize that invisible headings are skipped, but this is not reallya special feature. All editing commands that look for lines ignore theinvisible lines automatically.@refill@findex outline-up-heading@findex outline-forward-same-level@findex outline-backward-same-level@kindex C-c C-f @r{(Outline mode)}@kindex C-c C-b @r{(Outline mode)}@kindex C-c C-u @r{(Outline mode)} More powerful motion commands understand the level structure of headings.@kbd{C-c C-f} (@code{outline-forward-same-level}) and@kbd{C-c C-b} (@code{outline-backward-same-level}) move from oneheading line to another visible heading at the same depth inthe outline. @kbd{C-c C-u} (@code{outline-up-heading}) movesbackward to another heading that is less deeply nested.@node Outline Visibility@subsection Outline Visibility Commands The other special commands of outline mode are used to make lines visibleor invisible. Their names all start with @code{hide} or @code{show}.Most of them fall into pairs of opposites. They are not undoable; instead,you can undo right past them. Making lines visible or invisible is simplynot recorded by the undo mechanism. Many of these commands act on the ``current'' heading line. Ifpoint is on a heading line, that is the current heading line; if pointis on a body line, the current heading line is the nearest precedingheader line.@table @kbd@item C-c C-cMake the current heading line's body invisible (@code{hide-entry}).@item C-c C-eMake the current heading line's body visible (@code{show-entry}).@item C-c C-dMake everything under the current heading invisible, not including theheading itself (@code{hide-subtree}).@item C-c C-sMake everything under the current heading visible, including body,subheadings, and their bodies (@code{show-subtree}).@item C-c C-lMake the body of the current heading line, and of all its subheadings,invisible (@code{hide-leaves}).@item C-c C-kMake all subheadings of the current heading line, at all levels,visible (@code{show-branches}).@item C-c C-iMake immediate subheadings (one level down) of the current headingline visible (@code{show-children}).@item C-c C-tMake all body lines in the buffer invisible (@code{hide-body}).@item C-c C-aMake all lines in the buffer visible (@code{show-all}).@item C-c C-qHide everything except the top @var{n} levels of heading lines(@code{hide-sublevels}).@item C-c C-oHide everything except for the heading or body that point is in, plusthe headings leading up from there to the top level of the outline(@code{hide-other}).@end table@findex hide-entry@findex show-entry@kindex C-c C-c @r{(Outline mode)}@kindex C-c C-e @r{(Outline mode)} Two commands that are exact opposites are @kbd{C-c C-c}(@code{hide-entry}) and @kbd{C-c C-e} (@code{show-entry}). They applyto the body lines directly following the current heading line.Subheadings and their bodies are not affected.@findex hide-subtree@findex show-subtree@kindex C-c C-s @r{(Outline mode)}@kindex C-c C-d @r{(Outline mode)}@cindex subtree (Outline mode) Two more powerful opposites are @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{hide-subtree})and @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{show-subtree}). Both apply to the currentheading line's @dfn{subtree}: its body, all its subheadings, bothdirect and indirect, and all of their bodies. In other words, thesubtree contains everything following the current heading line, up toand not including the next heading of the same or higher rank.@refill@findex hide-leaves@findex show-branches@kindex C-c C-l @r{(Outline mode)}@kindex C-c C-k @r{(Outline mode)} Intermediate between a visible subtree and an invisible one is havingall the subheadings visible but none of the body. There are twocommands for doing this, depending on whether you want to hide thebodies or make the subheadings visible. They are @kbd{C-c C-l}(@code{hide-leaves}) and @kbd{C-c C-k} (@code{show-branches}).@kindex C-c C-i @r{(Outline mode)}@findex show-children A little weaker than @code{show-branches} is @kbd{C-c C-i}(@code{show-children}). It makes just the direct subheadingsvisible---those one level down. Deeper subheadings remain invisible, ifthey were invisible.@refill@findex hide-body@findex show-all@kindex C-c C-t @r{(Outline mode)}@kindex C-c C-a @r{(Outline mode)} Two commands have a blanket effect on the whole file. @kbd{C-c C-t}(@code{hide-body}) makes all body lines invisible, so that you see justthe outline structure (as a special exception, it will not hide linesat the top of the file, preceding the first header line, even thoughthese are technically body lines). @kbd{C-c C-a} (@code{show-all})makes all lines visible. These commands can be thought of as a pairof opposites even though @kbd{C-c C-a} applies to more than just bodylines.@findex hide-sublevels@kindex C-c C-q @r{(Outline mode)} The command @kbd{C-c C-q} (@code{hide-sublevels}) hides all but thetop level headings. With a numeric argument @var{n}, it hides everythingexcept the top @var{n} levels of heading lines.@findex hide-other@kindex C-c C-o @r{(Outline mode)} The command @kbd{C-c C-o} (@code{hide-other}) hides everything exceptthe heading and body text that point is in, plus its parents (the headersleading up from there to top level in the outline) and the top levelheadings.@findex reveal-mode When incremental search finds text that is hidden by Outline mode,it makes that part of the buffer visible. If you exit the searchat that position, the text remains visible. You can alsoautomatically make text visible as you navigate in it by using@kbd{M-x reveal-mode}.@node Outline Views@subsection Viewing One Outline in Multiple Views@cindex multiple views of outline@cindex views of an outline@cindex outline with multiple views@cindex indirect buffers and outlines You can display two views of a single outline at the same time, indifferent windows. To do this, you must create an indirect buffer using@kbd{M-x make-indirect-buffer}. The first argument of this command isthe existing outline buffer name, and its second argument is the name touse for the new indirect buffer. @xref{Indirect Buffers}. Once the indirect buffer exists, you can display it in a window in thenormal fashion, with @kbd{C-x 4 b} or other Emacs commands. The Outlinemode commands to show and hide parts of the text operate on each bufferindependently; as a result, each buffer can have its own view. If youwant more than two views on the same outline, create additional indirectbuffers.@node Foldout@subsection Folding Editing@cindex folding editing The Foldout package extends Outline mode and Outline minor mode with``folding'' commands. The idea of folding is that you zoom in on anested portion of the outline, while hiding its relatives at higherlevels. Consider an Outline mode buffer with all the text and subheadings underlevel-1 headings hidden. To look at what is hidden under one of theseheadings, you could use @kbd{C-c C-e} (@kbd{M-x show-entry}) to exposethe body, or @kbd{C-c C-i} to expose the child (level-2) headings.@kindex C-c C-z@findex foldout-zoom-subtree With Foldout, you use @kbd{C-c C-z} (@kbd{M-x foldout-zoom-subtree}).This exposes the body and child subheadings, and narrows the buffer sothat only the @w{level-1} heading, the body and the level-2 headings arevisible. Now to look under one of the level-2 headings, position thecursor on it and use @kbd{C-c C-z} again. This exposes the level-2 bodyand its level-3 child subheadings and narrows the buffer again. Zoomingin on successive subheadings can be done as much as you like. A stringin the mode line shows how deep you've gone. When zooming in on a heading, to see only the child subheadings specifya numeric argument: @kbd{C-u C-c C-z}. The number of levels of childrencan be specified too (compare @kbd{M-x show-children}), e.g.@: @kbd{M-2C-c C-z} exposes two levels of child subheadings. Alternatively, thebody can be specified with a negative argument: @kbd{M-- C-c C-z}. Thewhole subtree can be expanded, similarly to @kbd{C-c C-s} (@kbd{M-xshow-subtree}), by specifying a zero argument: @kbd{M-0 C-c C-z}. While you're zoomed in, you can still use Outline mode's exposure andhiding functions without disturbing Foldout. Also, since the buffer isnarrowed, ``global'' editing actions will only affect text under thezoomed-in heading. This is useful for restricting changes to aparticular chapter or section of your document.@kindex C-c C-x@findex foldout-exit-fold To unzoom (exit) a fold, use @kbd{C-c C-x} (@kbd{M-x foldout-exit-fold}).This hides all the text and subheadings under the top-level heading andreturns you to the previous view of the buffer. Specifying a numericargument exits that many levels of folds. Specifying a zero argumentexits all folds. To cancel the narrowing of a fold without hiding the text andsubheadings, specify a negative argument. For example, @kbd{M--2 C-cC-x} exits two folds and leaves the text and subheadings exposed. Foldout mode also provides mouse commands for entering and exitingfolds, and for showing and hiding text:@table @asis@item @kbd{C-M-Mouse-1} zooms in on the heading clicked on@itemize @asis@itemsingle click: expose body.@itemdouble click: expose subheadings.@itemtriple click: expose body and subheadings.@itemquad click: expose entire subtree.@end itemize@item @kbd{C-M-Mouse-2} exposes text under the heading clicked on@itemize @asis@itemsingle click: expose body.@itemdouble click: expose subheadings.@itemtriple click: expose body and subheadings.@itemquad click: expose entire subtree.@end itemize@item @kbd{C-M-Mouse-3} hides text under the heading clicked on or exits fold@itemize @asis@itemsingle click: hide subtree.@itemdouble click: exit fold and hide text.@itemtriple click: exit fold without hiding text.@itemquad click: exit all folds and hide text.@end itemize@end table@vindex foldout-mouse-modifiers You can specify different modifier keys (instead of@kbd{Control-Meta-}) by setting @code{foldout-mouse-modifiers}; but ifyou have already loaded the @file{foldout.el} library, you must reloadit in order for this to take effect. To use the Foldout package, you can type @kbd{M-x load-library@key{RET} foldout @key{RET}}; or you can arrange for to do thatautomatically by putting this in your @file{.emacs} file:@example(eval-after-load "outline" '(require 'foldout))@end example@node TeX Mode@section @TeX{} Mode@cindex @TeX{} mode@cindex La@TeX{} mode@cindex Sli@TeX{} mode@cindex Doc@TeX{} mode@cindex mode, @TeX{}@cindex mode, La@TeX{}@cindex mode, Sli@TeX{}@cindex mode, Doc@TeX{}@findex tex-mode@findex plain-tex-mode@findex latex-mode@findex slitex-mode@findex doctex-mode @TeX{} is a powerful text formatter written by Donald Knuth; it is alsofree, like GNU Emacs. La@TeX{} is a simplified input format for @TeX{},implemented by @TeX{} macros; it comes with @TeX{}. Sli@TeX{} is a specialform of La@TeX{}.@footnote{Sli@TeX{} is obsoleted by the @samp{slides}document class in recent La@TeX{} versions.} Doc@TeX{} (@file{.dtx})is a special file format in which the La@TeX{} sources are written,combining sources with documentation. Emacs has a special @TeX{} mode for editing @TeX{} input files.It provides facilities for checking the balance of delimiters and forinvoking @TeX{} on all or part of the file.@vindex tex-default-mode @TeX{} mode has four variants: Plain @TeX{} mode, La@TeX{} mode,Sli@TeX{} mode, and Doc@TeX{} mode (these distinct major modes differonly slightly). They are designed for editing the four differentformats. The command @kbd{M-x tex-mode} looks at the contents of thebuffer to determine whether the contents appear to be either La@TeX{}input, Sli@TeX{}, or Doc@TeX{} input; if so, it selects theappropriate mode. If the file contents do not appear to be La@TeX{},Sli@TeX{} or Doc@TeX{}, it selects Plain @TeX{} mode. If the contentsare insufficient to determine this, the variable@code{tex-default-mode} controls which mode is used. When @kbd{M-x tex-mode} does not guess right, you can use the commands@kbd{M-x plain-tex-mode}, @kbd{M-x latex-mode}, @kbd{M-x slitex-mode},and @kbd{doctex-mode} to select explicitly the particular variants of@TeX{} mode.@menu* Editing: TeX Editing. Special commands for editing in TeX mode.* LaTeX: LaTeX Editing. Additional commands for LaTeX input files.* Printing: TeX Print. Commands for printing part of a file with TeX.* Misc: TeX Misc. Customization of TeX mode, and related features.@end menu@node TeX Editing@subsection @TeX{} Editing Commands Here are the special commands provided in @TeX{} mode for editing thetext of the file.@table @kbd@item "Insert, according to context, either @samp{``} or @samp{"} or@samp{''} (@code{tex-insert-quote}).@item C-jInsert a paragraph break (two newlines) and check the previousparagraph for unbalanced braces or dollar signs(@code{tex-terminate-paragraph}).@item M-x tex-validate-regionCheck each paragraph in the region for unbalanced braces or dollar signs.@item C-c @{Insert @samp{@{@}} and position point between them (@code{tex-insert-braces}).@item C-c @}Move forward past the next unmatched close brace (@code{up-list}).@end table@findex tex-insert-quote@kindex " @r{(@TeX{} mode)} In @TeX{}, the character @samp{"} is not normally used; we use@samp{``} to start a quotation and @samp{''} to end one. To makeediting easier under this formatting convention, @TeX{} mode overridesthe normal meaning of the key @kbd{"} with a command that inserts a pairof single-quotes or backquotes (@code{tex-insert-quote}). To beprecise, this command inserts @samp{``} after whitespace or an openbrace, @samp{"} after a backslash, and @samp{''} after any othercharacter. If you need the character @samp{"} itself in unusual contexts, use@kbd{C-q} to insert it. Also, @kbd{"} with a numeric argument alwaysinserts that number of @samp{"} characters. You can turn off thefeature of @kbd{"} expansion by eliminating that binding in the localmap (@pxref{Key Bindings}). In @TeX{} mode, @samp{$} has a special syntax code which attempts tounderstand the way @TeX{} math mode delimiters match. When you insert a@samp{$} that is meant to exit math mode, the position of the matching@samp{$} that entered math mode is displayed for a second. This is thesame feature that displays the open brace that matches a close brace thatis inserted. However, there is no way to tell whether a @samp{$} entersmath mode or leaves it; so when you insert a @samp{$} that enters mathmode, the previous @samp{$} position is shown as if it were a match, eventhough they are actually unrelated.@findex tex-insert-braces@kindex C-c @{ @r{(@TeX{} mode)}@findex up-list@kindex C-c @} @r{(@TeX{} mode)} @TeX{} uses braces as delimiters that must match. Some users preferto keep braces balanced at all times, rather than inserting themsingly. Use @kbd{C-c @{} (@code{tex-insert-braces}) to insert a pair ofbraces. It leaves point between the two braces so you can insert thetext that belongs inside. Afterward, use the command @kbd{C-c @}}(@code{up-list}) to move forward past the close brace.@findex tex-validate-region@findex tex-terminate-paragraph@kindex C-j @r{(@TeX{} mode)} There are two commands for checking the matching of braces. @kbd{C-j}(@code{tex-terminate-paragraph}) checks the paragraph before point, andinserts two newlines to start a new paragraph. It outputs a message inthe echo area if any mismatch is found. @kbd{M-x tex-validate-region}checks a region, paragraph by paragraph. The errors are listed in the@samp{*Occur*} buffer, and you can use @kbd{C-c C-c} or @kbd{Mouse-2} inthat buffer to go to a particular mismatch. Note that Emacs commands count square brackets and parentheses in@TeX{} mode, not just braces. This is not strictly correct for thepurpose of checking @TeX{} syntax. However, parentheses and squarebrackets are likely to be used in text as matching delimiters and it isuseful for the various motion commands and automatic match display towork with them.@node LaTeX Editing@subsection La@TeX{} Editing Commands La@TeX{} mode, and its variant, Sli@TeX{} mode, provide a few extrafeatures not applicable to plain @TeX{}.@table @kbd@item C-c C-oInsert @samp{\begin} and @samp{\end} for La@TeX{} block and positionpoint on a line between them (@code{tex-latex-block}).@item C-c C-eClose the innermost La@TeX{} block not yet closed(@code{tex-close-latex-block}).@end table@findex tex-latex-block@kindex C-c C-o @r{(La@TeX{} mode)}@vindex latex-block-names In La@TeX{} input, @samp{\begin} and @samp{\end} commands are used togroup blocks of text. To insert a @samp{\begin} and a matching@samp{\end} (on a new line following the @samp{\begin}), use @kbd{C-cC-o} (@code{tex-latex-block}). A blank line is inserted between thetwo, and point is left there. You can use completion when you enter theblock type; to specify additional block type names beyond the standardlist, set the variable @code{latex-block-names}. For example, here'show to add @samp{theorem}, @samp{corollary}, and @samp{proof}:@example(setq latex-block-names '("theorem" "corollary" "proof"))@end example@findex tex-close-latex-block@kindex C-c C-e @r{(La@TeX{} mode)} In La@TeX{} input, @samp{\begin} and @samp{\end} commands mustbalance. You can use @kbd{C-c C-e} (@code{tex-close-latex-block}) toinsert automatically a matching @samp{\end} to match the last unmatched@samp{\begin}. It indents the @samp{\end} to match the corresponding@samp{\begin}. It inserts a newline after @samp{\end} if point is atthe beginning of a line.@node TeX Print@subsection @TeX{} Printing Commands You can invoke @TeX{} as an inferior of Emacs on either the entirecontents of the buffer or just a region at a time. Running @TeX{} inthis way on just one chapter is a good way to see what your changeslook like without taking the time to format the entire file.@table @kbd@item C-c C-rInvoke @TeX{} on the current region, together with the buffer's header(@code{tex-region}).@item C-c C-bInvoke @TeX{} on the entire current buffer (@code{tex-buffer}).@item C-c @key{TAB}Invoke Bib@TeX{} on the current file (@code{tex-bibtex-file}).@item C-c C-fInvoke @TeX{} on the current file (@code{tex-file}).@item C-c C-lRecenter the window showing output from the inferior @TeX{} so thatthe last line can be seen (@code{tex-recenter-output-buffer}).@item C-c C-kKill the @TeX{} subprocess (@code{tex-kill-job}).@item C-c C-pPrint the output from the last @kbd{C-c C-r}, @kbd{C-c C-b}, or @kbd{C-cC-f} command (@code{tex-print}).@item C-c C-vPreview the output from the last @kbd{C-c C-r}, @kbd{C-c C-b}, or @kbd{C-cC-f} command (@code{tex-view}).@item C-c C-qShow the printer queue (@code{tex-show-print-queue}).@item C-c C-cInvoke some other compilation command on the entire current buffer(@code{tex-compile}).@end table@findex tex-buffer@kindex C-c C-b @r{(@TeX{} mode)}@findex tex-print@kindex C-c C-p @r{(@TeX{} mode)}@findex tex-view@kindex C-c C-v @r{(@TeX{} mode)}@findex tex-show-print-queue@kindex C-c C-q @r{(@TeX{} mode)} You can pass the current buffer through an inferior @TeX{} by means of@kbd{C-c C-b} (@code{tex-buffer}). The formatted output appears in atemporary file; to print it, type @kbd{C-c C-p} (@code{tex-print}).Afterward, you can use @kbd{C-c C-q} (@code{tex-show-print-queue}) toview the progress of your output towards being printed. If your terminalhas the ability to display @TeX{} output files, you can preview theoutput on the terminal with @kbd{C-c C-v} (@code{tex-view}).@cindex @env{TEXINPUTS} environment variable@vindex tex-directory You can specify the directory to use for running @TeX{} by setting thevariable @code{tex-directory}. @code{"."} is the default value. Ifyour environment variable @env{TEXINPUTS} contains relative directorynames, or if your files contains @samp{\input} commands with relativefile names, then @code{tex-directory} @emph{must} be @code{"."} or youwill get the wrong results. Otherwise, it is safe to specify some otherdirectory, such as @code{"/tmp"}.@vindex tex-run-command@vindex latex-run-command@vindex slitex-run-command@vindex tex-dvi-print-command@vindex tex-dvi-view-command@vindex tex-show-queue-command If you want to specify which shell commands are used in the inferior @TeX{},you can do so by setting the values of the variables @code{tex-run-command},@code{latex-run-command}, @code{slitex-run-command},@code{tex-dvi-print-command}, @code{tex-dvi-view-command}, and@code{tex-show-queue-command}. You @emph{must} set the value of@code{tex-dvi-view-command} for your particular terminal; this variablehas no default value. The other variables have default values that may(or may not) be appropriate for your system. Normally, the file name given to these commands comes at the end ofthe command string; for example, @samp{latex @var{filename}}. In somecases, however, the file name needs to be embedded in the command; anexample is when you need to provide the file name as an argument to onecommand whose output is piped to another. You can specify where to putthe file name with @samp{*} in the command string. For example,@example(setq tex-dvi-print-command "dvips -f * | lpr")@end example@findex tex-kill-job@kindex C-c C-k @r{(@TeX{} mode)}@findex tex-recenter-output-buffer@kindex C-c C-l @r{(@TeX{} mode)} The terminal output from @TeX{}, including any error messages, appearsin a buffer called @samp{*tex-shell*}. If @TeX{} gets an error, you canswitch to this buffer and feed it input (this works as in Shell mode;@pxref{Interactive Shell}). Without switching to this buffer you canscroll it so that its last line is visible by typing @kbd{C-cC-l}. Type @kbd{C-c C-k} (@code{tex-kill-job}) to kill the @TeX{} process ifyou see that its output is no longer useful. Using @kbd{C-c C-b} or@kbd{C-c C-r} also kills any @TeX{} process still running.@refill@findex tex-region@kindex C-c C-r @r{(@TeX{} mode)} You can also pass an arbitrary region through an inferior @TeX{} by typing@kbd{C-c C-r} (@code{tex-region}). This is tricky, however, because most filesof @TeX{} input contain commands at the beginning to set parameters anddefine macros, without which no later part of the file will formatcorrectly. To solve this problem, @kbd{C-c C-r} allows you to designate apart of the file as containing essential commands; it is included beforethe specified region as part of the input to @TeX{}. The designated partof the file is called the @dfn{header}.@cindex header (@TeX{} mode) To indicate the bounds of the header in Plain @TeX{} mode, you insert twospecial strings in the file. Insert @samp{%**start of header} before theheader, and @samp{%**end of header} after it. Each string must appearentirely on one line, but there may be other text on the line before orafter. The lines containing the two strings are included in the header.If @samp{%**start of header} does not appear within the first 100 lines ofthe buffer, @kbd{C-c C-r} assumes that there is no header. In La@TeX{} mode, the header begins with @samp{\documentclass} or@samp{\documentstyle} and ends with @samp{\begin@{document@}}. Theseare commands that La@TeX{} requires you to use in any case, so nothingspecial needs to be done to identify the header.@findex tex-file@kindex C-c C-f @r{(@TeX{} mode)} The commands (@code{tex-buffer}) and (@code{tex-region}) do all of theirwork in a temporary directory, and do not have available any of the auxiliaryfiles needed by @TeX{} for cross-references; these commands are generallynot suitable for running the final copy in which all of the cross-referencesneed to be correct. When you want the auxiliary files for cross references, use @kbd{C-cC-f} (@code{tex-file}) which runs @TeX{} on the current buffer's file,in that file's directory. Before running @TeX{}, it offers to save anymodified buffers. Generally, you need to use (@code{tex-file}) twice toget the cross-references right.@vindex tex-start-options The value of the variable @code{tex-start-options} specifiesoptions for the @TeX{} run.@vindex tex-start-commands The value of the variable @code{tex-start-commands} specifies @TeX{}commands for starting @TeX{}. The default value causes @TeX{} to runin nonstop mode. To run @TeX{} interactively, set the variable to@code{""}.@vindex tex-main-file Large @TeX{} documents are often split into several files---one mainfile, plus subfiles. Running @TeX{} on a subfile typically does notwork; you have to run it on the main file. In order to make@code{tex-file} useful when you are editing a subfile, you can set thevariable @code{tex-main-file} to the name of the main file. Then@code{tex-file} runs @TeX{} on that file. The most convenient way to use @code{tex-main-file} is to specify itin a local variable list in each of the subfiles. @xref{FileVariables}.@findex tex-bibtex-file@kindex C-c TAB @r{(@TeX{} mode)}@vindex tex-bibtex-command For La@TeX{} files, you can use Bib@TeX{} to process the auxiliaryfile for the current buffer's file. Bib@TeX{} looks up bibliographiccitations in a data base and prepares the cited references for thebibliography section. The command @kbd{C-c TAB}(@code{tex-bibtex-file}) runs the shell command(@code{tex-bibtex-command}) to produce a @samp{.bbl} file for thecurrent buffer's file. Generally, you need to do @kbd{C-c C-f}(@code{tex-file}) once to generate the @samp{.aux} file, then do@kbd{C-c TAB} (@code{tex-bibtex-file}), and then repeat @kbd{C-c C-f}(@code{tex-file}) twice more to get the cross-references correct.@findex tex-compile@kindex C-c C-c @r{(@TeX{} mode)} To invoke some other compilation program on the current @TeX{}buffer, type @kbd{C-c C-c} (@code{tex-compile}). This command knowshow to pass arguments to many common programs, including@file{pdflatex}, @file{yap}, @file{xdvi}, and @file{dvips}. You canselect your desired compilation program using the standard completionkeys (@pxref{Completion}).@node TeX Misc@subsection @TeX{} Mode Miscellany@vindex tex-shell-hook@vindex tex-mode-hook@vindex latex-mode-hook@vindex slitex-mode-hook@vindex plain-tex-mode-hook Entering any variant of @TeX{} mode runs the hooks@code{text-mode-hook} and @code{tex-mode-hook}. Then it runs either@code{plain-tex-mode-hook}, @code{latex-mode-hook}, or@code{slitex-mode-hook}, whichever is appropriate. Starting the@TeX{} shell runs the hook @code{tex-shell-hook}. @xref{Hooks}.@findex iso-iso2tex@findex iso-tex2iso@findex iso-iso2gtex@findex iso-gtex2iso@cindex Latin-1 @TeX{} encoding@cindex @TeX{} encoding The commands @kbd{M-x iso-iso2tex}, @kbd{M-x iso-tex2iso}, @kbd{M-xiso-iso2gtex} and @kbd{M-x iso-gtex2iso} can be used to convertbetween Latin-1 encoded files and @TeX{}-encoded equivalents.@ignore@c Too cryptic to be useful, too cryptic for me to make it better -- rms. Theyare included by default in the @code{format-alist} variable, so theycan be used with @kbd{M-x format-find-file}, for instance.@end ignore@ignore @c Not worth documenting if it is only for Czech -- rms.@findex tildify-buffer@findex tildify-region@cindex ties, @TeX{}, inserting@cindex hard spaces, @TeX{}, inserting The commands @kbd{M-x tildify-buffer} and @kbd{M-x tildify-region}insert @samp{~} (@dfn{tie}) characters where they are conventionallyrequired. This is set up for Czech---customize the group@samp{tildify} for other languages or for other sorts of markup.@end ignore@cindex Ref@TeX{} package@cindex references, La@TeX{}@cindex La@TeX{} references For managing all kinds of references for La@TeX{}, you can useRef@TeX{}. @inforef{Top,, reftex}.@node HTML Mode@section SGML, XML, and HTML Modes The major modes for SGML and HTML include indentation support andcommands to operate on tags. This section describes the specialcommands of these modes. (HTML mode is a slightly customized variantof SGML mode.)@table @kbd@item C-c C-n@kindex C-c C-n @r{(SGML mode)}@findex sgml-name-charInteractively specify a special character and insert the SGML@samp{&}-command for that character.@item C-c C-t@kindex C-c C-t @r{(SGML mode)}@findex sgml-tagInteractively specify a tag and its attributes (@code{sgml-tag}).This command asks you for a tag name and for the attribute values,then inserts both the opening tag and the closing tag, leaving pointbetween them.With a prefix argument @var{n}, the command puts the tag around the@var{n} words already present in the buffer after point. With@minus{}1 as argument, it puts the tag around the region. (InTransient Mark mode, it does this whenever a region is active.)@item C-c C-a@kindex C-c C-a @r{(SGML mode)}@findex sgml-attributesInteractively insert attribute values for the current tag(@code{sgml-attributes}).@item C-c C-f@kindex C-c C-f @r{(SGML mode)}@findex sgml-skip-tag-forwardSkip across a balanced tag group (which extends from an opening tagthrough its corresponding closing tag) (@code{sgml-skip-tag-forward}).A numeric argument acts as a repeat count.@item C-c C-b@kindex C-c C-b @r{(SGML mode)}@findex sgml-skip-tag-backwardSkip backward across a balanced tag group (which extends from anopening tag through its corresponding closing tag)(@code{sgml-skip-tag-forward}). A numeric argument acts as a repeatcount.@item C-c C-d@kindex C-c C-d @r{(SGML mode)}@findex sgml-delete-tagDelete the tag at or after point, and delete the matching tag too(@code{sgml-delete-tag}). If the tag at or after point is an openingtag, delete the closing tag too; if it is a closing tag, delete theopening tag too.@item C-c ? @var{tag} @key{RET}@kindex C-c ? @r{(SGML mode)}@findex sgml-tag-helpDisplay a description of the meaning of tag @var{tag}(@code{sgml-tag-help}). If the argument @var{tag} is empty, describethe tag at point.@item C-c /@kindex C-c / @r{(SGML mode)}@findex sgml-close-tagInsert a close tag for the innermost unterminated tag(@code{sgml-close-tag}). If called from within a tag or a comment,close this element instead of inserting a close tag.@item C-c 8@kindex C-c 8 @r{(SGML mode)}@findex sgml-name-8bit-modeToggle a minor mode in which Latin-1 characters insert thecorresponding SGML commands that stand for them, instead of thecharacters themselves (@code{sgml-name-8bit-mode}).@item C-c C-v@kindex C-c C-v @r{(SGML mode)}@findex sgml-validateRun a shell command (which you must specify) to validate the currentbuffer as SGML (@code{sgml-validate}).@item C-x TAB@kindex C-c TAB @r{(SGML mode)}@findex sgml-tags-invisibleToggle the visibility of existing tags in the buffer. This can beused as a cheap preview.@end table@vindex sgml-xml-mode SGML mode and HTML mode support XML also. In XML, every opening tagmust have an explicit closing tag. When @code{sgml-xml-mode} isnon-@code{nil}, SGML mode (and HTML mode) always insert explicitclosing tags. When you visit a file, these modes determine from thefile contents whether it is XML or not, and set @code{sgml-xml-mode}accordingly, so that they do the right thing for the file in eithercase.@node Nroff Mode@section Nroff Mode@cindex nroff@findex nroff-mode Nroff mode is a mode like Text mode but modified to handle nroff commandspresent in the text. Invoke @kbd{M-x nroff-mode} to enter this mode. Itdiffers from Text mode in only a few ways. All nroff command lines areconsidered paragraph separators, so that filling will never garble thenroff commands. Pages are separated by @samp{.bp} commands. Commentsstart with backslash-doublequote. Also, three special commands areprovided that are not in Text mode:@findex forward-text-line@findex backward-text-line@findex count-text-lines@kindex M-n @r{(Nroff mode)}@kindex M-p @r{(Nroff mode)}@kindex M-? @r{(Nroff mode)}@table @kbd@item M-nMove to the beginning of the next line that isn't an nroff command(@code{forward-text-line}). An argument is a repeat count.@item M-pLike @kbd{M-n} but move up (@code{backward-text-line}).@item M-?Displays in the echo area the number of text lines (lines that are notnroff commands) in the region (@code{count-text-lines}).@end table@findex electric-nroff-mode The other feature of Nroff mode is that you can turn on Electric Nroffmode. This is a minor mode that you can turn on or off with @kbd{M-xelectric-nroff-mode} (@pxref{Minor Modes}). When the mode is on, eachtime you use @key{RET} to end a line that contains an nroff command thatopens a kind of grouping, the matching nroff command to close thatgrouping is automatically inserted on the following line. For example,if you are at the beginning of a line and type @kbd{.@: ( b @key{RET}},this inserts the matching command @samp{.)b} on a new line followingpoint. If you use Outline minor mode with Nroff mode (@pxref{Outline Mode}),heading lines are lines of the form @samp{.H} followed by a number (theheader level).@vindex nroff-mode-hook Entering Nroff mode runs the hook @code{text-mode-hook}, followed bythe hook @code{nroff-mode-hook} (@pxref{Hooks}).@node Formatted Text@section Editing Formatted Text@cindex Enriched mode@cindex mode, Enriched@cindex formatted text@cindex WYSIWYG@cindex word processing @dfn{Enriched mode} is a minor mode for editing files that containformatted text in WYSIWYG fashion, as in a word processor. Currently,formatted text in Enriched mode can specify fonts, colors, underlining,margins, and types of filling and justification. In the future, we planto implement other formatting features as well. Enriched mode is a minor mode (@pxref{Minor Modes}). It istypically used in conjunction with Text mode (@pxref{Text Mode}), butyou can also use it with other major modes such as Outline mode andParagraph-Indent Text mode.@cindex text/enriched MIME format Potentially, Emacs can store formatted text files in various fileformats. Currently, only one format is implemented: @dfn{text/enriched}format, which is defined by the MIME protocol. @xref{FormatConversion,, Format Conversion, elisp, the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual},for details of how Emacs recognizes and converts file formats. The Emacs distribution contains a formatted text file that can serve asan example. Its name is @file{etc/enriched.doc}. It contains samplesillustrating all the features described in this section. It alsocontains a list of ideas for future enhancements.@menu* Requesting Formatted Text:: Entering and exiting Enriched mode.* Hard and Soft Newlines:: There are two different kinds of newlines.* Editing Format Info:: How to edit text properties.* Faces: Format Faces. Bold, italic, underline, etc.* Color: Format Colors. Changing the color of text.* Indent: Format Indentation. Changing the left and right margins.* Justification: Format Justification. Centering, setting text flush with the left or right margin, etc.* Other: Format Properties. The "special" text properties submenu.* Forcing Enriched Mode:: How to force use of Enriched mode.@end menu@node Requesting Formatted Text@subsection Requesting to Edit Formatted Text Whenever you visit a file that Emacs saved in the text/enrichedformat, Emacs automatically converts the formatting information in thefile into Emacs's own internal format (known as @dfn{textproperties}), and turns on Enriched mode.@findex enriched-mode To create a new file of formatted text, first visit the nonexistentfile, then type @kbd{M-x enriched-mode} before you start inserting text.This command turns on Enriched mode. Do this before you begin insertingtext, to ensure that the text you insert is handled properly. More generally, the command @code{enriched-mode} turns Enriched modeon if it was off, and off if it was on. With a prefix argument, thiscommand turns Enriched mode on if the argument is positive, and turnsthe mode off otherwise. When you save a buffer while Enriched mode is enabled in it, Emacsautomatically converts the text to text/enriched format while writing itinto the file. When you visit the file again, Emacs will automaticallyrecognize the format, reconvert the text, and turn on Enriched modeagain.@vindex enriched-translations You can add annotations for saving additional text properties, whichEmacs normally does not save, by adding to @code{enriched-translations}.Note that the text/enriched standard requires any non-standardannotations to have names starting with @samp{x-}, as in@samp{x-read-only}. This ensures that they will not conflict withstandard annotations that may be added later. @xref{Text Properties,,, elisp, the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual},for more information about text properties.@node Hard and Soft Newlines@subsection Hard and Soft Newlines@cindex hard newline@cindex soft newline@cindex newlines, hard and soft@cindex use-hard-newlines In formatted text, Emacs distinguishes between two different kinds ofnewlines, @dfn{hard} newlines and @dfn{soft} newlines. (You can enableor disable this feature separately in any buffer with the command@code{use-hard-newlines}.) Hard newlines are used to separate paragraphs, or items in a list, oranywhere that there should always be a line break regardless of themargins. The @key{RET} command (@code{newline}) and @kbd{C-o}(@code{open-line}) insert hard newlines. Soft newlines are used to make text fit between the margins. All thefill commands, including Auto Fill, insert soft newlines---and theydelete only soft newlines. Although hard and soft newlines look the same, it is important to bearthe difference in mind. Do not use @key{RET} to break lines in themiddle of filled paragraphs, or else you will get hard newlines that arebarriers to further filling. Instead, let Auto Fill mode break lines,so that if the text or the margins change, Emacs can refill the linesproperly. @xref{Auto Fill}. On the other hand, in tables and lists, where the lines should alwaysremain as you type them, you can use @key{RET} to end lines. For theselines, you may also want to set the justification style to@code{unfilled}. @xref{Format Justification}.@node Editing Format Info@subsection Editing Format Information There are two ways to alter the formatting information for a formattedtext file: with keyboard commands, and with the mouse. The easiest way to add properties to your document is with the TextProperties menu. You can get to this menu in two ways: from the Editmenu in the menu bar (use @kbd{@key{F10} e t} if you have no mouse),or with @kbd{C-Mouse-2} (hold the @key{CTRL} key and press the middlemouse button). There are also keyboard commands described in thefollowing section. Most of the items in the Text Properties menu lead to other submenus.These are described in the sections that follow. Some items runcommands directly:@table @code@findex facemenu-remove-face-props@item Remove Face PropertiesDelete from the region all face and color text properties(@code{facemenu-remove-face-props}).@findex facemenu-remove-all@item Remove Text PropertiesDelete @emph{all} text properties from the region(@code{facemenu-remove-all}).@findex describe-text-properties@cindex text properties of characters@cindex overlays at character position@cindex widgets at buffer position@cindex buttons at buffer position@item Describe PropertiesList all the text properties, widgets, buttons, and overlays of thecharacter following point (@code{describe-text-properties}).@item Display FacesDisplay a list of all the defined faces (@code{list-faces-display}).@item Display ColorsDisplay a list of all the defined colors (@code{list-colors-display}).@end table@node Format Faces@subsection Faces in Formatted Text The Faces submenu lists various Emacs faces including @code{bold},@code{italic}, and @code{underline}. Selecting one of these adds thechosen face to the region. @xref{Faces}. You can also specify a facewith these keyboard commands:@table @kbd@kindex M-o d @r{(Enriched mode)}@findex facemenu-set-default@item M-o dSet the region, or the next inserted character, to the @code{default} face(@code{facemenu-set-default}).@kindex M-o b @r{(Enriched mode)}@findex facemenu-set-bold@item M-o bSet the region, or the next inserted character, to the @code{bold} face(@code{facemenu-set-bold}).@kindex M-o i @r{(Enriched mode)}@findex facemenu-set-italic@item M-o iSet the region, or the next inserted character, to the @code{italic} face(@code{facemenu-set-italic}).@kindex M-o l @r{(Enriched mode)}@findex facemenu-set-bold-italic@item M-o lSet the region, or the next inserted character, to the @code{bold-italic} face(@code{facemenu-set-bold-italic}).@kindex M-o u @r{(Enriched mode)}@findex facemenu-set-underline@item M-o uSet the region, or the next inserted character, to the @code{underline} face(@code{facemenu-set-underline}).@kindex M-o o @r{(Enriched mode)}@findex facemenu-set-face@item M-o o @var{face} @key{RET}Set the region, or the next inserted character, to the face @var{face}(@code{facemenu-set-face}).@end table If you use these commands with a prefix argument---or, in Transient Markmode, if the region is not active---then these commands specify a faceto use for any immediately following self-inserting input.@xref{Transient Mark}. This applies to both the keyboard commands andthe menu commands. Specifying the @code{default} face also resets foreground andbackground color to their defaults.(@pxref{Format Colors}). Any self-inserting character you type inherits, by default, the faceproperties (as well as most other text properties) of the precedingcharacter. Specifying any face property, including foreground orbackground color, for your next self-inserting character will preventit from inheriting any face properties from the preceding character,although it will still inherit other text properties. Charactersinserted by yanking do not inherit text properties. Enriched mode defines two additional faces: @code{excerpt} and@code{fixed}. These correspond to codes used in the text/enriched fileformat. The @code{excerpt} face is intended for quotations. This face is thesame as @code{italic} unless you customize it (@pxref{Face Customization}). The @code{fixed} face means, ``Use a fixed-width font for this partof the text.'' Applying the @code{fixed} face to a part of the textwill cause that part of the text to appear in a fixed-width font, evenif the default font is variable-width. This applies to Emacs and toother systems that display text/enriched format. So if youspecifically want a certain part of the text to use a fixed-widthfont, you should specify the @code{fixed} face for that part. By default, the @code{fixed} face looks the same as @code{bold}.This is an attempt to distinguish it from @code{default}. You maywish to customize @code{fixed} to some other fixed-width medium font.@xref{Face Customization}. If your terminal cannot display different faces, you will not beable to see them, but you can still edit documents containing faces,and even add faces and colors to documents. The faces you specifywill be visible when the file is viewed on a terminal that can displaythem.@node Format Colors@subsection Colors in Formatted Text You can specify foreground and background colors for portions of thetext. There is a menu for specifying the foreground color and a menufor specifying the background color. Each color menu lists all thecolors that you have used in Enriched mode in the current Emacs session. If you specify a color with a prefix argument---or, in TransientMark mode, if the region is not active---then it applies to anyimmediately following self-inserting input. @xref{Transient Mark}.Otherwise, the command applies to the region. Each color menu contains one additional item: @samp{Other}. You can usethis item to specify a color that is not listed in the menu; it readsthe color name with the minibuffer. To display a list of available colorsand their names, use the @samp{Display Colors} menu item in the TextProperties menu (@pxref{Editing Format Info}). Any color that you specify in this way, or that is mentioned in aformatted text file that you read in, is added to the correspondingcolor menu for the duration of the Emacs session.@findex facemenu-set-foreground@findex facemenu-set-background There are no key bindings for specifying colors, but you can do sowith the extended commands @kbd{M-x facemenu-set-foreground} and@kbd{M-x facemenu-set-background}. Both of these commands read the nameof the color with the minibuffer.@node Format Indentation@subsection Indentation in Formatted Text When editing formatted text, you can specify different amounts ofindentation for the right or left margin of an entire paragraph or apart of a paragraph. The margins you specify automatically affect theEmacs fill commands (@pxref{Filling}) and line-breaking commands. The Indentation submenu provides a convenient interface for specifyingthese properties. The submenu contains four items:@table @code@kindex C-x TAB @r{(Enriched mode)}@findex increase-left-margin@item Indent MoreIndent the region by 4 columns (@code{increase-left-margin}). InEnriched mode, this command is also available on @kbd{C-x @key{TAB}}; ifyou supply a numeric argument, that says how many columns to add to themargin (a negative argument reduces the number of columns).@item Indent LessRemove 4 columns of indentation from the region.@item Indent Right MoreMake the text narrower by indenting 4 columns at the right margin.@item Indent Right LessRemove 4 columns of indentation from the right margin.@end table You can use these commands repeatedly to increase or decrease theindentation. The most common way to use them is to change the indentation of anentire paragraph. For other uses, the effects of refilling can behard to predict, except in some special cases like the one describednext. The most common other use is to format paragraphs with @dfn{hangingindents}, which means that the first line is indented less thansubsequent lines. To set up a hanging indent, increase theindentation of the region starting after the first word of theparagraph and running until the end of the paragraph. Indenting the first line of a paragraph is easier. Set the margin forthe whole paragraph where you want it to be for the body of theparagraph, then indent the first line by inserting extra spaces or tabs.@vindex standard-indent The variable @code{standard-indent} specifies how many columns thesecommands should add to or subtract from the indentation. The defaultvalue is 4. The overall default right margin for Enriched mode iscontrolled by the variable @code{fill-column}, as usual.@kindex C-c [ @r{(Enriched mode)}@kindex C-c ] @r{(Enriched mode)}@findex set-left-margin@findex set-right-margin There are also two commands for setting the left or right margin ofthe region absolutely: @code{set-left-margin} and@code{set-right-margin}. Enriched mode binds these commands to@kbd{C-c [} and @kbd{C-c ]}, respectively. You can specify themargin width either with a numeric argument or in the minibuffer. Sometimes, as a result of editing, the filling of a paragraph becomesmessed up---parts of the paragraph may extend past the left or rightmargins. When this happens, use @kbd{M-q} (@code{fill-paragraph}) torefill the paragraph. The fill prefix, if any, works in addition to the specified paragraphindentation: @kbd{C-x .} does not include the specified indentation'swhitespace in the new value for the fill prefix, and the fill commandslook for the fill prefix after the indentation on each line. @xref{FillPrefix}.@node Format Justification@subsection Justification in Formatted Text When editing formatted text, you can specify various styles ofjustification for a paragraph. The style you specify automaticallyaffects the Emacs fill commands. The Justification submenu provides a convenient interface for specifyingthe style. The submenu contains five items:@table @code@item LeftThis is the most common style of justification (at least for English).Lines are aligned at the left margin but left uneven at the right.@item RightThis aligns each line with the right margin. Spaces and tabs are addedon the left, if necessary, to make lines line up on the right.@item FullThis justifies the text, aligning both edges of each line. Justifiedtext looks very nice in a printed book, where the spaces can all beadjusted equally, but it does not look as nice with a fixed-width fonton the screen. Perhaps a future version of Emacs will be able to adjustthe width of spaces in a line to achieve elegant justification.@item CenterThis centers every line between the current margins.@item UnfilledThis turns off filling entirely. Each line will remain as you wrote it;the fill and auto-fill functions will have no effect on text which hasthis setting. You can, however, still indent the left margin. Inunfilled regions, all newlines are treated as hard newlines (@pxref{Hardand Soft Newlines}) .@end table In Enriched mode, you can also specify justification from the keyboardusing the @kbd{M-j} prefix character:@table @kbd@kindex M-j l @r{(Enriched mode)}@findex set-justification-left@item M-j lMake the region left-filled (@code{set-justification-left}).@kindex M-j r @r{(Enriched mode)}@findex set-justification-right@item M-j rMake the region right-filled (@code{set-justification-right}).@kindex M-j b @r{(Enriched mode)}@findex set-justification-full@item M-j bMake the region fully justified (@code{set-justification-full}).@kindex M-j c @r{(Enriched mode)}@kindex M-S @r{(Enriched mode)}@findex set-justification-center@item M-j c@itemx M-SMake the region centered (@code{set-justification-center}).@kindex M-j u @r{(Enriched mode)}@findex set-justification-none@item M-j uMake the region unfilled (@code{set-justification-none}).@end table Justification styles apply to entire paragraphs. All thejustification-changing commands operate on the paragraph containingpoint, or, if the region is active, on all paragraphs which overlap theregion.@vindex default-justification The default justification style is specified by the variable@code{default-justification}. Its value should be one of the symbols@code{left}, @code{right}, @code{full}, @code{center}, or @code{none}.This is a per-buffer variable. Setting the variable directly affectsonly the current buffer. However, customizing it in a Custom buffersets (as always) the default value for buffers that do not override it.@xref{Locals}, and @ref{Easy Customization}.@node Format Properties@subsection Setting Other Text Properties The Special Properties menu lets you add or remove three other useful textproperties: @code{read-only}, @code{invisible} and @code{intangible}.The @code{intangible} property disallows moving point within the text,the @code{invisible} text property hides text from display, and the@code{read-only} property disallows alteration of the text. Each of these special properties has a menu item to add it to theregion. The last menu item, @samp{Remove Special}, removes all of thesespecial properties from the text in the region. Currently, the @code{invisible} and @code{intangible} properties are@emph{not} saved in the text/enriched format. The @code{read-only}property is saved, but it is not a standard part of the text/enrichedformat, so other editors may not respect it.@node Forcing Enriched Mode@subsection Forcing Enriched Mode Normally, Emacs knows when you are editing formatted text because itrecognizes the special annotations used in the file that you visited.However, there are situations in which you must take special actionsto convert file contents or turn on Enriched mode:@itemize @bullet@itemWhen you visit a file that was created with some other editor, Emacs maynot recognize the file as being in the text/enriched format. In thiscase, when you visit the file you will see the formatting commandsrather than the formatted text. Type @kbd{M-x format-decode-buffer} totranslate it. This also automatically turns on Enriched mode.@itemWhen you @emph{insert} a file into a buffer, rather than visiting it,Emacs does the necessary conversions on the text which you insert, butit does not enable Enriched mode. If you wish to do that, type @kbd{M-xenriched-mode}.@end itemize The command @code{format-decode-buffer} translates text in variousformats into Emacs's internal format. It asks you to specify the formatto translate from; however, normally you can type just @key{RET}, whichtells Emacs to guess the format.@findex format-find-file If you wish to look at a text/enriched file in its raw form, as asequence of characters rather than as formatted text, use the @kbd{M-xfind-file-literally} command. This visits a file, like@code{find-file}, but does not do format conversion. It also inhibitscharacter code conversion (@pxref{Coding Systems}) and automaticuncompression (@pxref{Compressed Files}). To disable format conversionbut allow character code conversion and/or automatic uncompression ifappropriate, use @code{format-find-file} with suitable arguments.@node Text Based Tables@section Editing Text-based Tables@cindex table mode@cindex text-based tables Table Mode provides an easy and intuitive way to create and edit WYSIWYGtext-based tables. Here is an example of such a table:@smallexample+-----------------+--------------------------------+-----------------+| Command | Description | Key Binding |+-----------------+--------------------------------+-----------------+| forward-char |Move point right N characters | C-f || |(left if N is negative). | || | | || |On reaching end of buffer, stop | || |and signal error. | |+-----------------+--------------------------------+-----------------+| backward-char |Move point left N characters | C-b || |(right if N is negative). | || | | || |On attempt to pass beginning or | || |end of buffer, stop and signal | || |error. | |+-----------------+--------------------------------+-----------------+@end smallexample Table Mode allows the contents of the table such as this one to beeasily manipulated by inserting or deleting characters inside a cell.A cell is effectively a localized rectangular edit region and edits toa cell do not affect the contents of the surrounding cells. If thecontents do not fit into a cell, then the cell is automaticallyexpanded in the vertical and/or horizontal directions and the rest ofthe table is restructured and reformatted in accordance with thegrowth of the cell.@menu* Table Definition:: What is a text based table.* Table Creation:: How to create a table.* Table Recognition:: How to activate and deactivate tables.* Cell Commands:: Cell-oriented commands in a table.* Cell Justification:: Justifying cell contents.* Row Commands:: Manipulating rows of table cell.* Column Commands:: Manipulating columns of table cell.* Fixed Width Mode:: Fixing cell width.* Table Conversion:: Converting between plain text and tables.* Measuring Tables:: Analyzing table dimension.* Table Misc:: Table miscellany.@end menu@node Table Definition@subsection What is a Text-based Table? Look at the following examples of valid tables as a reference whileyou read this section:@example +--+----+---+ +-+ +--+-----+ | | | | | | | | | +--+----+---+ +-+ | +--+--+ | | | | | | | | +--+----+---+ +--+--+ | | | | +-----+--+@end example A table consists of a rectangular frame and the contents inside theframe. A table's cells must be at least one character wide and onecharacter high with two adjacent cells sharing a boarder line. A cellcan be subdivided into multiple rectangular cells but cannot nest oroverlap. Both the table frame and cell border lines must consist of one ofthree special characters. The variables that hold these charactersare described below:@table @code@vindex table-cell-vertical-char@item table-cell-vertical-charHolds the character used for vertical lines. The default value is@samp{|}.@vindex table-cell-horizontal-char@item table-cell-horizontal-charHolds the character used for horizontal lines. The default value is@samp{-}.@vindex table-cell-intersection-char@item table-cell-intersection-charHolds the character used at where horizontal line and vertical linemeet. The default value is @samp{+}.@end table@noindentBased on this definition, the following five tables are examples of invalidtables:@example +-----+ +-----+ +--+ +-++--+ ++ | | | | | | | || | ++ | +-+ | | | | | | || | | | | | +--+ | +--+--+ +-++--+ | +-+ | | | | | | | +-++--+ | | | | | | | | | || | +-----+ +--+--+ +--+--+ +-++--+ a b c d e@end exampleFrom left to right:@enumerate a@itemNested cells are not allowed.@itemOverlapped cells or non-rectangular cells are not allowed.@itemThe border must be rectangular.@itemCells must have a minimum width/height of one character.@itemSame as d.@end enumerate@node Table Creation@subsection How to Create a Table?@cindex create a text-based table@cindex table creation@findex table-insert The command to create a table is @code{table-insert}. When calledinteractively, it asks for the number of columns, number of rows, cellwidth and cell height. The number of columns is a number of cellswithin the table's width. The number of rows is the number of cellswithin the table's height. The cell width is a number of charactersthat fit within a cell width. The cell height is a number of lineswithin cell height. While the number of columns and number of rowsmust be an integer number, the cell width and the cell height can beeither an integer number (when the value is constant across the table)or a series of integer numbers, separated by spaces or commas, whereeach number corresponds to each cell width within a row from left toright or each cell height within a column from top to bottom.@node Table Recognition@subsection Table Recognition@cindex table recognition@findex table-recognize@findex table-unrecognize Table Mode maintains special text properties in the buffer to allowediting in a convenient fashion. When a buffer with tables is savedto its file, these text properties are lost, so when you visit thisfile again later, Emacs does not see a table, but just formatted text.To resurrect the table text properties, issue the @kbd{M-xtable-recognize} command. It scans the current buffer, recognizesvalid table cells, and attaches appropriate text properties to allowfor table editing. The converse command, @code{table-unrecognize}, isused to remove the special text properties and revert the buffer backto plain text. An optional numeric prefix argument can precede the@code{table-recognize} command. If the argument is negative, tablesin the buffer become inactive. This is equivalent to invoking@code{table-unrecognize}. Similar functions exist to enable or disable tables within a region,enable or disable individual tables, and enable/disable individualcells. These commands are:@table @kbd@findex table-recognize-region@item M-x table-recognize-regionRecognize tables within the current region and activate them.@findex table-unrecognize-region@item M-x table-unrecognize-regionDeactivate tables within the current region.@findex table-recognize-table@item M-x table-recognize-tableRecognize the table under point and activate it.@findex table-unrecognize-table@item M-x table-unrecognize-tableDeactivate the table under point.@findex table-recognize-cell@item M-x table-recognize-cellRecognize the cell under point and activate it.@findex table-unrecognize-cell@item M-x table-unrecognize-cellDeactivate the cell under point.@end table For another way of converting text into tables, see @ref{TableConversion}.@node Cell Commands@subsection Commands for Table Cells@findex table-forward-cell@findex table-backward-cell The commands @code{table-forward-cell} and@code{table-backward-cell} move point from the current cell to anadjacent cell forward and backward respectively. The order of thecell is wrapped. When point is positioned in the last cell of atable, typing @kbd{M-x table-forward-cell} moves point to the firstcell in the table. Likewise @kbd{M-x table-backward-cell} from thefirst cell in a table moves point to the last cell in the table.@findex table-span-cell The command @code{table-span-cell} spans the current cell into oneof the four directions---right, left, above or below---and merges thecurrent cell with the adjacent cell. It does not allow directions towhich spanning does not produce a legitimate cell.@findex table-split-cell@cindex text-based tables, split a cell@cindex split table cell The command @code{table-split-cell} splits the current cellvertically or horizontally. This command is a wrapper to thedirection specific commands @code{table-split-cell-vertically} and@code{table-split-cell-horizontally}.@findex table-split-cell-vertically The command @code{table-split-cell-vertically} splits the currentcell vertically and creates a pair of cells above and below wherepoint is located. The content in the original cell is split as well.@findex table-split-cell-horizontally The command @code{table-split-cell-horizontally} splits the currentcell horizontally and creates a pair of cells right and left of wherepoint is located. If the subject cell to split is not empty the useris asked how to handle the cell contents. The three options are:@code{split}, @code{left}, or @code{right}. @code{split} splits thecontents at point literally while the @code{left} and @code{right}options move the entire contents into the left or right cellrespectively.@cindex enlarge a table cell@cindex shrink a table cell The next four commands enlarge or shrink a cell. These commandsaccept numeric arguments (@pxref{Arguments}) to specify how manycolumns or rows to enlarge or shrink a particular table.@table @kbd@findex table-heighten-cell@item M-x table-heighten-cellEnlarge the current cell vertically.@findex table-shorten-cell@item M-x table-shorten-cellShrink the current cell vertically.@findex table-widen-cell@item M-x table-widen-cellEnlarge the current cell horizontally.@findex table-narrow-cell@item M-x table-narrow-cellShrink the current cell horizontally.@end table@node Cell Justification@subsection Cell Justification@cindex cell text justification You can specify text justification for each cell. The justificationis remembered independently for each cell and the subsequent editingof cell contents is subject to the specified justification.@findex table-justify The command @code{table-justify} requests the user to specify whatto justify: a cell,a column, or a row. If you select celljustification, this command sets the justification only to the currentcell. Selecting column or row justification set the justification toall the cells within a column or row respectively. The command thenrequests the user to enter which justification to apply: @code{left},@code{center}, @code{right}, @code{top}, @code{middle}, @code{bottom},or @code{none}. The options @code{left}, @code{center}, and@code{right} specify horizontal justification while the options@code{top}, @code{middle}, @code{bottom}, and @code{none} specifyvertical justification. The vertical justification @code{none}effectively removes vertical justification while horizontaljustification must be one of @code{left}, @code{center}, or@code{right}. Horizontal justification and vertical justification arespecified independently.@vindex table-detect-cell-alignment Justification information is stored in the buffer as a part of textproperty. Therefore, this information is ephemeral and does notsurvive through the loss of the buffer (closing the buffer andrevisiting the buffer erase any previous text properties). Tocountermand for this, the command @code{table-recognize} and otherrecognition commands (@pxref{Table Recognition}) are equipped with aconvenience feature (turned on by default). During table recognition,the contents of a cell are examined to determine which justificationwas originally applied to the cell and then applies this justificationto the cell. This is a speculative algorithm and is therefore notperfect, however, the justification is deduced correctly most of thetime. If you desire to disable this feature, customize the variable@code{table-detect-cell-alignment} to set it to @code{nil}.@node Row Commands@subsection Commands for Table Rows@cindex table row commands@cindex insert row in table@findex table-insert-row The command @code{table-insert-row} inserts a row of cells beforethe current row in a table. The current row where point is located ispushed down after the newly inserted row. A numeric prefix argumentspecifies the number of rows to insert. Note that in order to insertrows @emph{after} the last row at the bottom of a table, you mustplace point below the table, i.e.@: outside the table, prior toinvoking this command.@cindex delete row in table@findex table-delete-row The command @code{table-delete-row} deletes a row of cells at point.A numeric prefix argument specifies the number of rows to delete.@node Column Commands@subsection Commands for Table Columns@cindex table column commands@cindex insert column in table@findex table-insert-column The command @code{table-insert-column} inserts a column of cells tothe left of the current row in a table. The current column wherepoint is located at is pushed right of the newly inserted column. Toinsert a column to the right side of the right most column, placepoint to the right of the rightmost column, which is outside of thetable, prior to invoking this command. A numeric prefix argumentspecifies the number of columns to insert.@cindex delete column in table A command @code{table-delete-column} deletes a column of cells atpoint. A numeric prefix argument specifies the number of columns todelete.@node Fixed Width Mode@subsection Fix Width of Cells@cindex fix width of table cells@findex table-fixed-width-mode The command @code{table-fixed-width-mode} toggles fixed width modeon and off. When the fixed width mode is turned on, editing inside acell never changes the cell width; when it is off, the cell widthexpands automatically in order to prevent a word from being foldedinto multiple lines. By default, the fixed width mode is turned off.@node Table Conversion@subsection Conversion Between Plain Text and Tables@cindex text to table@cindex table to text@findex table-capture The command @code{table-capture} captures plain text in a region andturns it into a table. Unlike @code{table-recognize} (@pxref{TableRecognition}), the original text does not have a table appearance butmay hold a logical table structure. For example, some elementsseparated by known patterns form a two dimensional structure which canbe turned into a table. Look at the numbers below. The numbers arehorizontally separated by a comma and vertically separated by anewline character.@example1, 2, 3, 45, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10@end example@noindentWhen you invoke @kbd{M-x table-capture} on the above three-lineregion, the region can be turned into the next table:@example+-----+-----+-----+-----+|1 |2 |3 |4 |+-----+-----+-----+-----+|5 |6 |7 |8 |+-----+-----+-----+-----+| |9 |10 | |+-----+-----+-----+-----+@end example@noindentwhere @samp{,} is used for a column delimiter regexp, a newline isused for a row delimiter regexp, cells are left justified, and minimumcell width is 5.@findex table-release The command @code{table-release} does the opposite of@code{table-capture}. It releases a table by removing the table frameand cell borders. This leaves the table contents as plain text. Oneof the useful applications of @code{table-capture} and@code{table-release} is to edit a text in layout. Look at thefollowing three paragraphs (the latter two are indented with headerlines):@example@samp{table-capture} is a powerful command however mastering its powerrequires some practice. Here is a list of items what it can do.Parse Cell Items By using column delimiter regular expression and raw delimiter regular expression, it parses the specified text area and extracts cell items from non-table text and then forms a table out of them.Capture Text Area When no delimiters are specified it creates a single cell table. The text in the specified region is placed in that cell.@end example@noindentApplying @code{table-capture} to a region containing the above threeparagraphs, with empty strings for column delimiter regexp and rowdelimiter regexp, creates a table with a single cell like thefollowing one.@c The first line's right-hand frame in the following two examples@c sticks out to accommodate for the removal of @samp in the@c produced output!!@example+-----------------------------------------------------------------+|@samp{table-capture} is a powerful command however mastering its ||power requires some practice. Here is a list of items what it ||can do. || ||Parse Cell Items By using column delimiter regular || expression and raw delimiter regular || expression, it parses the specified text || area and extracts cell items from || non-table text and then forms a table out || of them. || ||Capture Text Area When no delimiters are specified it || creates a single cell table. The text in || the specified region is placed in that || cell. |+-----------------------------------------------------------------+@end example@noindentBy splitting the cell appropriately we now have a table consisting ofparagraphs occupying its own cell. Each cell can now be editedindependently without affecting the layout of other cells.@example+-----------------------------------------------------------------+|@samp{table-capture} is a powerful command however mastering its ||power requires some practice. Here is a list of items what it ||can do. |+---------------------+-------------------------------------------+|Parse Cell Items |By using column delimiter regular || |expression and raw delimiter regular || |expression, it parses the specified text || |area and extracts cell items from || |non-table text and then forms a table out || |of them. |+---------------------+-------------------------------------------+|Capture Text Area |When no delimiters are specified it || |creates a single cell table. The text in || |the specified region is placed in that || |cell. |+---------------------+-------------------------------------------+@end example@noindentBy applying @code{table-release}, which does the opposite process, thecontents become once again plain text. @code{table-release} works asa companion command to @code{table-capture}.@node Measuring Tables@subsection Analyzing Table Dimensions@cindex table dimensions@findex table-query-dimension The command @code{table-query-dimension} analyzes a table structureand reports information regarding its dimensions. In case of theabove example table, the @code{table-query-dimension} command displaysin echo area:@smallexampleCell: (21w, 6h), Table: (67w, 16h), Dim: (2c, 3r), Total Cells: 5@end smallexample@noindentThis indicates that the current cell is 21 character wide and 6 lineshigh, the entire table is 67 characters wide and 16 lines high. Thetable has 2 columns and 3 rows. It has a total of 5 cells, since thefirst row has a spanned cell.@node Table Misc@subsection Table Miscellany@cindex insert string into table cells@findex table-insert-sequence The command @code{table-insert-sequence} inserts a string into eachcell. Each string is a part of a sequence i.e.@: a series ofincreasing integer numbers.@cindex table in language format@cindex table for HTML and LaTeX@findex table-generate-sourceThe command @code{table-generate-source} generates a table formattedfor a specific markup language. It asks for a language (which must beone of @code{html}, @code{latex}, or @code{cals}), a destinationbuffer where to put the result, and the table caption (a string), andthen inserts the generated table in the proper syntax into thedestination buffer. The default destination buffer is@code{table.@var{lang}}, where @var{lang} is the language youspecified.@ignore arch-tag: 8db54ed8-2036-49ca-b0df-23811d03dc70@end ignore