# HG changeset patch # User Richard M. Stallman # Date 987345263 0 # Node ID ad563f9185fb3647ecf43fefa5ba4fffb40027c8 # Parent c9bd237ce0925fe38e2f4a98d30a6de9049b2381 Minor clarifications of BACKSPACE vs DEL. diff -r c9bd237ce092 -r ad563f9185fb man/killing.texi --- a/man/killing.texi Sun Apr 15 14:28:45 2001 +0000 +++ b/man/killing.texi Sun Apr 15 14:34:23 2001 +0000 @@ -121,27 +121,28 @@ have typed. Regardless of the actual name on the key, in Emacs it is equivalent to @key{DEL}---or it should be. - Many keyboards have a @key{BACKSPACE} key a short ways above -@key{RET} or @key{ENTER}, and a @key{DELETE} key elsewhere. In that -case, the @key{BACKSPACE} key is @key{DEL}, and the @key{DELETE} key -is equivalent to @kbd{C-d}---or it should be. + Many keyboards (including standard PC keyboards) have a +@key{BACKSPACE} key a short ways above @key{RET} or @key{ENTER}, and a +@key{DELETE} key elsewhere. In that case, the @key{BACKSPACE} key is +@key{DEL}, and the @key{DELETE} key is equivalent to @kbd{C-d}---or it +should be. Why do we say ``or it should be''? When Emacs starts up using a window system, it determines automatically which key or keys should be equivalent to @key{DEL}. So the @key{BACKSPACE} and/or @key{DELETE} keys normally do the right things. But in some unusual cases Emacs gets the wrong information from the system. If these keys don't do -what they ought to do, you should tell Emacs which key to use for +what they ought to do, you need to tell Emacs which key to use for @key{DEL}. @xref{DEL Gets Help}, for how to do this. @findex normal-erase-is-backspace-mode - On most text-only terminals, Emacs cannot tell which key is where, -so it follows a uniform plan which may or may not fit your keyboard. -The uniform plan is that the ASCII @key{DEL} character deletes, and -the ASCII @key{BS} (backspace) character asks for help (it is the same -as @kbd{C-h}). If this is not right for your keyboard, if you find -that the key which ought to delete backwards enters Help instead, see -@ref{DEL Gets Help}. + On most text-only terminals, Emacs cannot tell which keys the +keyboard really has, so it follows a uniform plan which may or may not +fit your keyboard. The uniform plan is that the ASCII @key{DEL} +character deletes, and the ASCII @key{BS} (backspace) character asks +for help (it is the same as @kbd{C-h}). If this is not right for your +keyboard, if you find that the key which ought to delete backwards +enters Help instead, see @ref{DEL Gets Help}. @kindex M-\ @findex delete-horizontal-space diff -r c9bd237ce092 -r ad563f9185fb man/trouble.texi --- a/man/trouble.texi Sun Apr 15 14:28:45 2001 +0000 +++ b/man/trouble.texi Sun Apr 15 14:34:23 2001 +0000 @@ -159,8 +159,8 @@ @key{BACKSPACE} and there is a @key{DELETE} key elsewhere, but the @key{DELETE} key deletes backward instead of forward, that too suggests Emacs got the wrong information---but in the opposite sense. -It ought to be treating the @key{BACKSPACE} key as @key{DEL}, but it -isn't. +It ought to be treating the @key{BACKSPACE} key as @key{DEL}, and +treating @key{DELETE} differently, but it isn't. On a text-only terminal, if you find the usual erasure key prompts for a Help command, like @kbd{Control-h}, instead of deleting a @@ -176,15 +176,17 @@ @findex normal-erase-is-backspace-mode To fix the problem automatically for every Emacs session, you can put one of the following lines into your @file{.emacs} file -(@pxref{Init File}). For the first case above, where @key{DEL} -deletes forwards instead of backwards, use this line: +(@pxref{Init File}). For the first case above, where @key{DELETE} +deletes forwards instead of backwards, use this line to make +@key{DELETE} act as @key{DEL}: @lisp (normal-erase-is-backspace-mode 0) @end lisp @noindent -For the other two cases, use this line: +For the other two cases, where @key{BACKSPACE} ought to act as +@key{DEL}, use this line: @lisp (normal-erase-is-backspace-mode 1)