view man/m-x.texi @ 35362:f6b85f5a5397

(isearch-highlight): Set isearch-overlay priority to 1 here rather than each time through isearch-lazy-highlight-new-loop. (isearch-lazy-highlight-max): Variable deleted. (isearch-lazy-highlight-max-at-a-time): New user variable, like isearch-lazy-highlight-max but controls a single invocation of isearch-lazy-highlight-update. (isearch-lazy-highlight-wrapped): Variable recreated. (isearch-lazy-highlight-window-start): New variable. (isearch-lazy-highlight-cleanup): Restored to behavior of before 2-Jan. (isearch-lazy-highlight-remove-overlays): Function deleted; behavior folded into isearch-lazy-highlight-cleanup. "Keep" behavior removed. (isearch-lazy-highlight-new-loop): Restore old behavior of calling isearch-lazy-highlight-update in a loop rather than just once. Test isearch-invalid-regexp here and decide not to start a new loop, rather than testing it each time through isearch-lazy-highlight-update. (isearch-lazy-highlight-search): Function restored. (isearch-lazy-highlight-update): Get called in a timer loop again, but this time highlight more than one match each time through. Only highlight matches in the visible part of the window. Start at point, move in the direction of the search, and wrap around at the edge of the window. Use sit-for to force redisplay and ensure window-start is credible. "Face suppressing" behavior removed; overlay priorities should make it unnecessary, right? (isearch-highlight): Face suppressing behavior removed. (isearch-dehighlight): Face suppressing behavior removed. (isearch-set-lazy-highlight-faces-at): Removed.

@c This is part of the Emacs manual.
@c Copyright (C) 1985, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 1997 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
@node M-x, Help, Minibuffer, Top
@chapter Running Commands by Name

  The Emacs commands that are used often or that must be quick to type are
bound to keys---short sequences of characters---for convenient use.  Other
Emacs commands that do not need to be brief are not bound to keys; to run
them, you must refer to them by name.

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

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

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

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

@noindent
or

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

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

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

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

@vindex suggest-key-bindings
  If the command you type has a key binding of its own, Emacs mentions
this in the echo area, two seconds after the command finishes (if you
don't type anything else first).  For example, if you type @kbd{M-x
forward-word}, the message says that you can run the same command more
easily by typing @kbd{M-f}.  You can turn off these messages by setting
@code{suggest-key-bindings} to @code{nil}.

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

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