# HG changeset patch # User Eli Zaretskii # Date 1165597353 0 # Node ID ad8a70083559c60a061c2dc7b13356b310c86766 # Parent 817f7407b88f2a7ee650ea3b6ff6d7bda2ed4add (Emacs Server): Improve wording. Don't mention the ``server program''. Add a cross-reference to "Init File" node. (Invoking emacsclient): Add index entries. Document both short and long versions of command-line options. Document the -f option. diff -r 817f7407b88f -r ad8a70083559 man/misc.texi --- a/man/misc.texi Fri Dec 08 16:26:50 2006 +0000 +++ b/man/misc.texi Fri Dec 08 17:02:33 2006 +0000 @@ -1244,28 +1244,36 @@ @env{EDITOR} to @samp{emacs}, they invoke Emacs---but in an inconvenient fashion, by starting a new, separate Emacs process. This is inconvenient because it takes time and because the new Emacs process -doesn't share the buffers in any existing Emacs process. +doesn't share the buffers with any existing Emacs process. You can arrange to use your existing Emacs process as the editor for -programs like @code{mail} by using the Emacs client and Emacs server -programs. Here is how. +programs like @code{mail} by using the Emacs client program and the +server that is part of Emacs. Here is how. @cindex @env{TEXEDIT} environment variable - First, the preparation. Within Emacs, call the function -@code{server-start}. (Your @file{.emacs} file can do this automatically -if you add the expression @code{(server-start)} to it.) Then, outside -Emacs, set the @env{EDITOR} environment variable to @samp{emacsclient}. -(Note that some programs use a different environment variable; for -example, to make @TeX{} use @samp{emacsclient}, you should set the -@env{TEXEDIT} environment variable to @samp{emacsclient +%d %s}.) +@findex server-start + First, the preparations. Within Emacs, call the function +@code{server-start}. (Your @file{.emacs} init file can do this +automatically if you add the expression @code{(server-start)} to it, +see @ref{Init File}.) Then, outside Emacs, set the @env{EDITOR} +environment variable to @samp{emacsclient}. (Note that some programs +use a different environment variable; for example, to make @TeX{} use +@samp{emacsclient}, you should set the @env{TEXEDIT} environment +variable to @samp{emacsclient +%d %s}.) + +@pindex emacs.bash +@cindex Bash command to use Emacs server + As an alternative to using @code{emacsclient}, the file +@file{etc/emacs.bash} defines a Bash command @code{edit} which will +communicate with a running Emacs session, or start one if none exist. @kindex C-x # @findex server-edit - Then, whenever any program invokes your specified @env{EDITOR} + Now, whenever any program invokes your specified @env{EDITOR} program, the effect is to send a message to your principal Emacs telling it to visit a file. (That's what the program @code{emacsclient} does.) Emacs displays the buffer immediately and you can immediately begin -editing it. +editing it in the already running Emacs session. When you've finished editing that buffer, type @kbd{C-x #} (@code{server-edit}). This saves the file and sends a message back to @@ -1297,8 +1305,8 @@ each one a unique ``server name'', using the variable @code{server-name}. For example, @kbd{M-x set-variable @key{RET} server-name @key{RET} foo @key{RET}} sets the server name to -@samp{foo}. The @code{emacsclient} program can visit a server by name -using the @samp{-s} option. @xref{Invoking emacsclient}. +@samp{foo}. The @code{emacsclient} program can specify a server by +name using the @samp{-s} option. @xref{Invoking emacsclient}. While @code{mail} or another application is waiting for @code{emacsclient} to finish, @code{emacsclient} does not read terminal @@ -1335,6 +1343,7 @@ @node Invoking emacsclient,, Emacs Server, Emacs Server @subsection Invoking @code{emacsclient} +@cindex @code{emacsclient} invocation and options To run the @code{emacsclient} program, specify file names as arguments, and optionally line numbers as well, like this: @@ -1363,37 +1372,57 @@ @code{emacsclient}, then it returns immediately. (You can take as long as you like to edit the files in Emacs.) - The option @samp{--alternate-editor=@var{command}} specifies a -command to run if @code{emacsclient} fails to contact Emacs. This is -useful when running @code{emacsclient} in a script. For example, the -following setting for the @env{EDITOR} environment variable will -always give you an editor, even if no Emacs server is running: + The option @samp{-a @var{command}} or +@samp{--alternate-editor=@var{command}} specifies a command to run if +@code{emacsclient} fails to contact Emacs. This is useful when +running @code{emacsclient} in a script. For example, the following +setting for the @env{EDITOR} environment variable will always give you +an editor, even if no Emacs server is running: @example EDITOR="emacsclient --alternate-editor emacs +%d %s" @end example @noindent +@cindex @env{ALTERNATE_EDITOR} environment variable The environment variable @env{ALTERNATE_EDITOR} has the same effect, with the value of the @samp{--alternate-editor} option taking precedence. -@pindex emacs.bash - Alternatively, the file @file{etc/emacs.bash} defines a bash -function which will communicate with a running Emacs server, or start -one if none exists. - If you use several displays, you can tell Emacs on which display to -open the given files with the option @samp{--display=@var{DISPLAY}}. -This can be used typically when connecting from home to an Emacs -server running on your machine at your workplace. +open the given files with the @samp{-d @var{display}} or +@samp{--display=@var{display}} option to @code{emacsclient}. This is +handy when connecting from home to an Emacs session running on your +machine at your workplace. If there is more than one Emacs server running, you can specify a -server name with the option @samp{-s @var{name}}. +server name with the @samp{-s @var{name}} or +@samp{--socket-name=@var{name}} option to @code{emacsclient}. (This +option is not supported on MS-Windows.) You can also use @code{emacsclient} to execute any piece of Emacs Lisp -code, using the option @samp{--eval}. When this option is given, the -rest of the arguments is not taken as a list of files to visit but as -a list of expressions to evaluate. +code, using the @samp{-e} or @samp{--eval} option. When this option +is given, the rest of the arguments is interpreted as a list of +expressions to evaluate, not a list of files to visit. + +@cindex @env{EMACS_SERVER_FILE} environment variable +When you start the Emacs server (by calling @code{server-start}), +Emacs creates a file with information about the TCP connection to the +server: the host where Emacs runs, the port where it listens for +@code{emacsclient} requests, and the authentication string to use for +the connection. @code{emacsclient} uses this information if it needs +to connect to the server via TCP. By default, this TCP configuration +file is placed in the @file{~/.emacs.d/server/} directory@footnote{ +On MS-Windows, if @env{HOME} is not set or the TCP configuration file +cannot be found there, Emacs in addition attempts to find the file in +the @file{.emacs.d/server/} subdirectory of the directory pointed +to by the @env{APPDATA} environment variable, which is a user-specific +directory for application data files. This is similar to what Emacs +does on MS-Windows to search for the user's @file{.emacs} file.} +; you can +direct @code{emacsclient} to use a different file with the @samp{-f +@var{file}} or @samp{--server-file=@var{file}} option, or by defining +the @env{EMACS_SERVER_FILE} environment variable that points to the +non-default TCP configuration file. @node Printing, Sorting, Emacs Server, Top @section Printing Hard Copies