# HG changeset patch # User Richard M. Stallman # Date 1138731597 0 # Node ID 2186cb97b75097e5f48d3f1def73d87f88cf2be5 # Parent e5f28eac5ad6de27085916100ac45d2ed3f5b8ac (Undo): New node, mostly copied from basic.texi. Selective undo text merged in. (Spelling): Mention Aspell along with Ispell. diff -r e5f28eac5ad6 -r 2186cb97b750 man/fixit.texi --- a/man/fixit.texi Tue Jan 31 18:18:04 2006 +0000 +++ b/man/fixit.texi Tue Jan 31 18:19:57 2006 +0000 @@ -20,12 +20,126 @@ available. @xref{Undo}, for more information. @menu +* Undo:: The Undo commands. * Kill Errors:: Commands to kill a batch of recently entered text. * Transpose:: Exchanging two characters, words, lines, lists... * Fixing Case:: Correcting case of last word entered. * Spelling:: Apply spelling checker to a word, or a whole file. @end menu +@node Undo +@section Undo +@cindex undo +@cindex changes, undoing + + The @dfn{undo} commands undo recent changes in the buffer's text. +Each buffer records changes individually, and the undo command always +applies to the current buffer. You can undo all the changes in a +buffer for as far as back these records go. Usually each editing +command makes a separate entry in the undo records, but some commands +such as @code{query-replace} divide their changes into multiple +entries for flexibility in undoing. Meanwhile, self-inserting +characters are usually grouped to make undoing less tedious. + +@table @kbd +@item C-x u +@itemx C-_ +@itemx C-/ +Undo one entry in the current buffer's undo records (@code{undo}). +@end table + +@kindex C-x u +@kindex C-_ +@kindex C-/ +@findex undo + To begin to undo, type the command @kbd{C-x u} (or its aliases, +@kbd{C-_} or @kbd{C-/}). This undoes the most recent change in the +buffer, and moves point back to where it was before that change. + + Consecutive repetitions of @kbd{C-x u} (or its aliases) undo earlier +and earlier changes in the current buffer, back to the limit of the +current buffer's undo records. If all the recorded changes have +already been undone, the undo command just signals an error. + + If you notice that a buffer has been modified accidentally, the +easiest way to recover is to type @kbd{C-_} repeatedly until the stars +disappear from the front of the mode line. At this time, all the +modifications you made have been canceled. Whenever an undo command +makes the stars disappear from the mode line, it means that the buffer +contents are the same as they were when the file was last read in or +saved. + + If you do not remember whether you changed the buffer deliberately, +type @kbd{C-_} once. When you see the last change you made undone, you +will see whether it was an intentional change. If it was an accident, +leave it undone. If it was deliberate, redo the change as described +below. + +@findex undo-only + Any command other than an undo command breaks the sequence of undo +commands. Starting from that moment, the previous undo commands +become ordinary changes that you can undo. Thus, to redo changes you +have undone, type @kbd{C-f} or any other command that will harmlessly +break the sequence of undoing, then type undo commands again. On the +other hand, if you want to resume undoing, without redoing previous +undo commands, use @kbd{M-x undo-only}. This is like @code{undo}, but +will not redo changes you have just undone. + +@cindex selective undo +@kindex C-u C-x u + Ordinary undo applies to all changes made in the current buffer. You +can also perform @dfn{selective undo}, limited to the region. + + To do this, specify the region you want, then run the @code{undo} +command with a prefix argument (the value does not matter): @kbd{C-u +C-x u} or @kbd{C-u C-_}. This undoes the most recent change in the +region. To undo further changes in the same region, repeat the +@code{undo} command (no prefix argument is needed). In Transient Mark +mode (@pxref{Transient Mark}), any use of @code{undo} when there is an +active region performs selective undo; you do not need a prefix +argument. + + Some specialized buffers do not make undo records. Buffers +whose names start with spaces never do; these buffers are used +internally by Emacs and its extensions to hold text that users don't +normally look at or edit. + +@vindex undo-limit +@vindex undo-strong-limit +@vindex undo-outer-limit +@cindex undo limit + When the undo records for a buffer becomes too large, Emacs +discards the oldest undo records from time to time (during garbage +collection). You can specify how much undo records to keep by +setting three variables: @code{undo-limit}, @code{undo-strong-limit}, +and @code{undo-outer-limit}. Their values are expressed in units of +bytes of space. + + The variable @code{undo-limit} sets a soft limit: Emacs keeps undo +data for enough commands to reach this size, and perhaps exceed it, +but does not keep data for any earlier commands beyond that. Its +default value is 20000. The variable @code{undo-strong-limit} sets a +stricter limit: a previous command (not the most recent one) which +pushes the size past this amount is itself forgotten. The default +value of @code{undo-strong-limit} is 30000. + + Regardless of the values of those variables, the most recent change +is never discarded unless it gets bigger than @code{undo-outer-limit} +(normally 3,000,000). At that point, Emacs discards the undo data and +warns you about it. This is the only situation in which you cannot +undo the last command. If this happens, you can increase the value of +@code{undo-outer-limit} to make it even less likely to happen in the +future. But if you didn't expect the command to create such large +undo data, then it is probably a bug and you should report it. +@xref{Bugs,, Reporting Bugs}. + + The reason the @code{undo} command has three key bindings, @kbd{C-x +u}, @kbd{C-_} and @kbd{C-/}, is that it is worthy of a +single-character key, but @kbd{C-x u} is more straightforward for +beginners to remember and type. Meanwhile, @kbd{C--} on a text-only +terminal is really @kbd{C-_}, which makes it a natural and easily +typed binding for undoing. + @node Kill Errors @section Killing Your Mistakes @@ -41,7 +155,7 @@ The @key{DEL} character (@code{delete-backward-char}) is the most important correction command. It deletes the character before point. When @key{DEL} follows a self-inserting character command, you can think -of it as canceling that command. However, avoid the mistake of thinking +of it as canceling that command. However, avoid the confusion of thinking of @key{DEL} as a general way to cancel a command! When your mistake is longer than a couple of characters, it might be @@ -152,9 +266,9 @@ This section describes the commands to check the spelling of a single word or of a portion of a buffer. These commands work with the spelling -checker program Ispell, which is not part of Emacs. +checker programs Aspell and Ispell, which are not part of Emacs. @ifinfo -@xref{Top, Ispell, Overview ispell, ispell, The Ispell Manual}. +@xref{Top, Aspell,, aspell, The Aspell Manual}. @end ifinfo @table @kbd @@ -178,9 +292,9 @@ Check and correct spelling of each word in a draft mail message, excluding cited material. @item M-x ispell-change-dictionary @key{RET} @var{dict} @key{RET} -Restart the Ispell process, using @var{dict} as the dictionary. +Restart the Aspell or Ispell process, using @var{dict} as the dictionary. @item M-x ispell-kill-ispell -Kill the Ispell subprocess. +Kill the Aspell or Ispell subprocess. @end table @cindex Flyspell mode @@ -261,7 +375,7 @@ editing session and for this buffer. @item i -Insert this word in your private dictionary file so that Ispell will +Insert this word in your private dictionary file so that Aspell or Ispell will consider it correct from now on, even in future sessions. @item u @@ -328,26 +442,27 @@ @cindex @code{ispell} program @findex ispell-kill-ispell - Once started, the Ispell subprocess continues to run (waiting for -something to do), so that subsequent spell checking commands complete -more quickly. If you want to get rid of the Ispell process, use -@kbd{M-x ispell-kill-ispell}. This is not usually necessary, since the -process uses no time except when you do spelling correction. + Once started, the Aspell or Ispell subprocess continues to run +(waiting for something to do), so that subsequent spell checking +commands complete more quickly. If you want to get rid of the +process, use @kbd{M-x ispell-kill-ispell}. This is not usually +necessary, since the process uses no time except when you do spelling +correction. @vindex ispell-dictionary - Ispell uses two dictionaries together for spell checking: the + Ispell and Aspell use two dictionaries together for spell checking: the standard dictionary and your private dictionary. The variable @code{ispell-dictionary} specifies the file name to use for the standard dictionary; a value of @code{nil} selects the default dictionary. The command @kbd{M-x ispell-change-dictionary} sets this -variable and then restarts the Ispell subprocess, so that it will use +variable and then restarts the subprocess, so that it will use a different standard dictionary. @vindex ispell-complete-word-dict - Ispell uses a separate dictionary for word completion. The variable -@code{ispell-complete-word-dict} specifies the file name of this -dictionary. The completion dictionary must be different because it -cannot use root and affix information. For some languages + Aspell and Ispell use a separate dictionary for word completion. +The variable @code{ispell-complete-word-dict} specifies the file name +of this dictionary. The completion dictionary must be different +because it cannot use root and affix information. For some languages there is a spell checking dictionary but no word completion dictionary.