Mercurial > emacs
changeset 82683:d8fec7430e25
Move tutorials from etc/ to etc/tutorials/
| author | Glenn Morris <rgm@gnu.org> |
|---|---|
| date | Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:36:00 +0000 |
| parents | 4bdbc3d9b88d |
| children | bc60af8c3ff8 |
| files | etc/TUTORIAL |
| diffstat | 1 files changed, 0 insertions(+), 1131 deletions(-) [+] |
line wrap: on
line diff
--- a/etc/TUTORIAL Wed Aug 22 07:28:23 2007 +0000 +++ /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 @@ -1,1131 +0,0 @@ -Emacs tutorial. See end for copying conditions. - -Emacs commands generally involve the CONTROL key (sometimes labeled -CTRL or CTL) or the META key (sometimes labeled EDIT or ALT). Rather than -write that in full each time, we'll use the following abbreviations: - - C-<chr> means hold the CONTROL key while typing the character <chr> - Thus, C-f would be: hold the CONTROL key and type f. - M-<chr> means hold the META or EDIT or ALT key down while typing <chr>. - If there is no META, EDIT or ALT key, instead press and release the - ESC key and then type <chr>. We write <ESC> for the ESC key. - -Important note: to end the Emacs session, type C-x C-c. (Two characters.) -The characters ">>" at the left margin indicate directions for you to -try using a command. For instance: -<<Blank lines inserted around following line by help-with-tutorial>> -[Middle of page left blank for didactic purposes. Text continues below] ->> Now type C-v (View next screen) to move to the next screen. - (go ahead, do it by holding down the CONTROL key while typing v). - From now on, you should do this again whenever you finish - reading the screen. - -Note that there is an overlap of two lines when you move from screen -to screen; this provides some continuity so you can continue reading -the text. - -The first thing that you need to know is how to move around from place -to place in the text. You already know how to move forward one screen, -with C-v. To move backwards one screen, type M-v (hold down the META key -and type v, or type <ESC>v if you do not have a META, EDIT, or ALT key). - ->> Try typing M-v and then C-v, a few times. - - -* SUMMARY ---------- - -The following commands are useful for viewing screenfuls: - - C-v Move forward one screenful - M-v Move backward one screenful - C-l Clear screen and redisplay all the text, - moving the text around the cursor - to the center of the screen. - (That's CONTROL-L, not CONTROL-1.) - ->> Find the cursor, and note what text is near it. - Then type C-l. - Find the cursor again and notice that the same text - is near the cursor now. - -You can also use the PageUp and PageDn keys to move by screenfuls, if -your terminal has them, but you can edit more efficiently if you use -C-v and M-v. - - -* BASIC CURSOR CONTROL ----------------------- - -Moving from screenful to screenful is useful, but how do you -move to a specific place within the text on the screen? - -There are several ways you can do this. You can use the arrow keys, -but it's more efficient to keep your hands in the standard position -and use the commands C-p, C-b, C-f, and C-n. These characters -are equivalent to the four arrow keys, like this: - - Previous line, C-p - : - : - Backward, C-b .... Current cursor position .... Forward, C-f - : - : - Next line, C-n - ->> Move the cursor to the line in the middle of that diagram - using C-n or C-p. Then type C-l to see the whole diagram - centered in the screen. - -You'll find it easy to remember these letters by words they stand for: -P for previous, N for next, B for backward and F for forward. You -will be using these basic cursor positioning commands all the time. - ->> Do a few C-n's to bring the cursor down to this line. - ->> Move into the line with C-f's and then up with C-p's. - See what C-p does when the cursor is in the middle of the line. - -Each line of text ends with a Newline character, which serves to -separate it from the following line. The last line in your file ought -to have a Newline at the end (but Emacs does not require it to have -one). - ->> Try to C-b at the beginning of a line. It should move to - the end of the previous line. This is because it moves back - across the Newline character. - -C-f can move across a Newline just like C-b. - ->> Do a few more C-b's, so you get a feel for where the cursor is. - Then do C-f's to return to the end of the line. - Then do one more C-f to move to the following line. - -When you move past the top or bottom of the screen, the text beyond -the edge shifts onto the screen. This is called "scrolling". It -enables Emacs to move the cursor to the specified place in the text -without moving it off the screen. - ->> Try to move the cursor off the bottom of the screen with C-n, and - see what happens. - -If moving by characters is too slow, you can move by words. M-f -(META-f) moves forward a word and M-b moves back a word. - ->> Type a few M-f's and M-b's. - -When you are in the middle of a word, M-f moves to the end of the word. -When you are in whitespace between words, M-f moves to the end of the -following word. M-b works likewise in the opposite direction. - ->> Type M-f and M-b a few times, interspersed with C-f's and C-b's - so that you can observe the action of M-f and M-b from various - places inside and between words. - -Notice the parallel between C-f and C-b on the one hand, and M-f and -M-b on the other hand. Very often Meta characters are used for -operations related to the units defined by language (words, sentences, -paragraphs), while Control characters operate on basic units that are -independent of what you are editing (characters, lines, etc). - -This parallel applies between lines and sentences: C-a and C-e move to -the beginning or end of a line, and M-a and M-e move to the beginning -or end of a sentence. - ->> Try a couple of C-a's, and then a couple of C-e's. - Try a couple of M-a's, and then a couple of M-e's. - -See how repeated C-a's do nothing, but repeated M-a's keep moving one -more sentence. Although these are not quite analogous, each one seems -natural. - -The location of the cursor in the text is also called "point". To -paraphrase, the cursor shows on the screen where point is located in -the text. - -Here is a summary of simple cursor-moving operations, including the -word and sentence moving commands: - - C-f Move forward a character - C-b Move backward a character - - M-f Move forward a word - M-b Move backward a word - - C-n Move to next line - C-p Move to previous line - - C-a Move to beginning of line - C-e Move to end of line - - M-a Move back to beginning of sentence - M-e Move forward to end of sentence - ->> Try all of these commands now a few times for practice. - These are the most often used commands. - -Two other important cursor motion commands are M-< (META Less-than), -which moves to the beginning of the whole text, and M-> (META -Greater-than), which moves to the end of the whole text. - -On most terminals, the "<" is above the comma, so you must use the -shift key to type it. On these terminals you must use the shift key -to type M-< also; without the shift key, you would be typing M-comma. - ->> Try M-< now, to move to the beginning of the tutorial. - Then use C-v repeatedly to move back here. - ->> Try M-> now, to move to the end of the tutorial. - Then use M-v repeatedly to move back here. - -You can also move the cursor with the arrow keys, if your terminal has -arrow keys. We recommend learning C-b, C-f, C-n and C-p for three -reasons. First, they work on all kinds of terminals. Second, once -you gain practice at using Emacs, you will find that typing these Control -characters is faster than typing the arrow keys (because you do not -have to move your hands away from touch-typing position). Third, once -you form the habit of using these Control character commands, you can -easily learn to use other advanced cursor motion commands as well. - -Most Emacs commands accept a numeric argument; for most commands, this -serves as a repeat-count. The way you give a command a repeat count -is by typing C-u and then the digits before you type the command. If -you have a META (or EDIT or ALT) key, there is another, alternative way -to enter a numeric argument: type the digits while holding down the -META key. We recommend learning the C-u method because it works on -any terminal. The numeric argument is also called a "prefix argument", -because you type the argument before the command it applies to. - -For instance, C-u 8 C-f moves forward eight characters. - ->> Try using C-n or C-p with a numeric argument, to move the cursor - to a line near this one with just one command. - -Most commands use the numeric argument as a repeat count, but some -commands use it in some other way. Several commands (but none of -those you have learned so far) use it as a flag--the presence of a -prefix argument, regardless of its value, makes the command do -something different. - -C-v and M-v are another kind of exception. When given an argument, -they scroll the screen up or down by that many lines, rather than by a -screenful. For example, C-u 8 C-v scrolls the screen by 8 lines. - ->> Try typing C-u 8 C-v now. - -This should have scrolled the screen up by 8 lines. If you would like -to scroll it down again, you can give an argument to M-v. - -If you are using a windowed display, such as X11 or MS-Windows, there -should be a tall rectangular area called a scroll bar at the -side of the Emacs window. You can scroll the text by clicking the -mouse in the scroll bar. - ->> Try pressing the middle button at the top of the highlighted area - within the scroll bar. This should scroll the text to a position - determined by how high or low you click. - ->> Try moving the mouse up and down, while holding the middle button - pressed down. You'll see that the text scrolls up and down as - you move the mouse. - - -* WHEN EMACS IS HUNG --------------------- - -If Emacs stops responding to your commands, you can stop it safely by -typing C-g. You can use C-g to stop a command which is taking too -long to execute. - -You can also use C-g to discard a numeric argument or the beginning of -a command that you do not want to finish. - ->> Type C-u 100 to make a numeric arg of 100, then type C-g. - Now type C-f. It should move just one character, - because you canceled the argument with C-g. - -If you have typed an <ESC> by mistake, you can get rid of it -with a C-g. - - -* DISABLED COMMANDS -------------------- - -Some Emacs commands are "disabled" so that beginning users cannot use -them by accident. - -If you type one of the disabled commands, Emacs displays a message -saying what the command was, and asking you whether you want to go -ahead and execute the command. - -If you really want to try the command, type <SPC> (the Space bar) in -answer to the question. Normally, if you do not want to execute the -disabled command, answer the question with "n". - ->> Type C-x C-l (which is a disabled command), - then type n to answer the question. - - -* WINDOWS ---------- - -Emacs can have several windows, each displaying its own text. We will -explain later on how to use multiple windows. Right now we want to -explain how to get rid of extra windows and go back to basic -one-window editing. It is simple: - - C-x 1 One window (i.e., kill all other windows). - -That is CONTROL-x followed by the digit 1. C-x 1 expands the window -which contains the cursor, to occupy the full screen. It deletes all -other windows. - ->> Move the cursor to this line and type C-u 0 C-l. ->> Type CONTROL-h k CONTROL-f. - See how this window shrinks, while a new one appears - to display documentation on the CONTROL-f command. - ->> Type C-x 1 and see the documentation listing window disappear. - -This command is unlike the other commands you have learned in that it -consists of two characters. It starts with the character CONTROL-x. -There is a whole series of commands that start with CONTROL-x; many of -them have to do with windows, files, buffers, and related things. -These commands are two, three or four characters long. - - -* INSERTING AND DELETING ------------------------- - -If you want to insert text, just type the text. Characters which you -can see, such as A, 7, *, etc. are taken by Emacs as text and inserted -immediately. Type <Return> (the carriage-return key) to insert a -Newline character. - -You can delete the last character you typed by typing <Delback>. -<Delback> is a key on the keyboard--the same one you normally use, -outside Emacs, for deleting the last character you typed. It is -normally a large key a couple of lines up from the <Return> key, and -it is usually labeled "Delete", "Del" or "Backspace". - -If the large key there is labeled "Backspace", then that's the one you -use for <Delback>. There may also be another key labeled "Delete" -somewhere else, but that's not <Delback>. - -More generally, <Delback> deletes the character immediately before the -current cursor position. - ->> Do this now--type a few characters, then delete them - by typing <Delback> a few times. Don't worry about this file - being changed; you will not alter the master tutorial. This is - your personal copy of it. - -When a line of text gets too big for one line on the screen, the line -of text is "continued" onto a second screen line. A backslash ("\") -(or, if you're using a windowed display, a little curved arrow) at the -right margin indicates a line which has been continued. - ->> Insert text until you reach the right margin, and keep on inserting. - You'll see a continuation line appear. - ->> Use <Delback>s to delete the text until the line fits on one screen - line again. The continuation line goes away. - -You can delete a Newline character just like any other character. -Deleting the Newline character between two lines merges them into -one line. If the resulting combined line is too long to fit in the -screen width, it will be displayed with a continuation line. - ->> Move the cursor to the beginning of a line and type <Delback>. This - merges that line with the previous line. - ->> Type <Return> to reinsert the Newline you deleted. - -Remember that most Emacs commands can be given a repeat count; -this includes text characters. Repeating a text character inserts -it several times. - ->> Try that now -- type C-u 8 * to insert ********. - -You've now learned the most basic way of typing something in -Emacs and correcting errors. You can delete by words or lines -as well. Here is a summary of the delete operations: - - <Delback> Delete the character just before the cursor - C-d Delete the next character after the cursor - - M-<Delback> Kill the word immediately before the cursor - M-d Kill the next word after the cursor - - C-k Kill from the cursor position to end of line - M-k Kill to the end of the current sentence - -Notice that <Delback> and C-d vs M-<Delback> and M-d extend the parallel -started by C-f and M-f (well, <Delback> is not really a control -character, but let's not worry about that). C-k and M-k are like C-e -and M-e, sort of, in that lines are opposite sentences. - -You can also kill any part of the text with one uniform method. Move -to one end of that part, and type C-@ or C-<SPC> (either one). (<SPC> -is the Space bar.) Move to the other end of that part, and type C-w. -That kills all the text between the two positions. - ->> Move the cursor to the Y at the start of the previous paragraph. ->> Type C-<SPC>. Emacs should display a message "Mark set" - at the bottom of the screen. ->> Move the cursor to the n in "end", on the second line of the - paragraph. ->> Type C-w. This will kill the text starting from the Y, - and ending just before the n. - -The difference between "killing" and "deleting" is that "killed" text -can be reinserted, whereas "deleted" things cannot be reinserted. -Reinsertion of killed text is called "yanking". Generally, the -commands that can remove a lot of text kill the text (they set up so -that you can yank the text), while the commands that remove just one -character, or only remove blank lines and spaces, do deletion (so you -cannot yank that text). <Delback> and C-d do deletion in the simplest -case, with no argument. When given an argument, they kill instead. - ->> Move the cursor to the beginning of a line which is not empty. - Then type C-k to kill the text on that line. ->> Type C-k a second time. You'll see that it kills the Newline - which follows that line. - -Note that a single C-k kills the contents of the line, and a second -C-k kills the line itself, and makes all the other lines move up. C-k -treats a numeric argument specially: it kills that many lines AND -their contents. This is not mere repetition. C-u 2 C-k kills two -lines and their newlines; typing C-k twice would not do that. - -Bringing back killed text is called "yanking". (Think of it as -yanking back, or pulling back, some text that was taken away.) You -can yank the killed text either at the same place where it was killed, -or at some other place in the text you are editing, or even in a -different file. You can yank the same text several times; that makes -multiple copies of it. - -The command for yanking is C-y. It reinserts the last killed text, -at the current cursor position. - ->> Try it; type C-y to yank the text back. - -If you do several C-k's in a row, all of the killed text is saved -together, so that one C-y will yank all of the lines at once. - ->> Do this now, type C-k several times. - -Now to retrieve that killed text: - ->> Type C-y. Then move the cursor down a few lines and type C-y - again. You now see how to copy some text. - -What do you do if you have some text you want to yank back, and then -you kill something else? C-y would yank the more recent kill. But -the previous text is not lost. You can get back to it using the M-y -command. After you have done C-y to get the most recent kill, typing -M-y replaces that yanked text with the previous kill. Typing M-y -again and again brings in earlier and earlier kills. When you have -reached the text you are looking for, you do not have to do anything to -keep it. Just go on with your editing, leaving the yanked text where -it is. - -If you M-y enough times, you come back to the starting point (the most -recent kill). - ->> Kill a line, move around, kill another line. - Then do C-y to get back the second killed line. - Then do M-y and it will be replaced by the first killed line. - Do more M-y's and see what you get. Keep doing them until - the second kill line comes back, and then a few more. - If you like, you can try giving M-y positive and negative - arguments. - - -* UNDO ------- - -If you make a change to the text, and then decide that it was a -mistake, you can undo the change with the undo command, C-x u. - -Normally, C-x u undoes the changes made by one command; if you repeat -the C-x u several times in a row, each repetition undoes one -additional command. - -But there are two exceptions: commands that do not change the text do -not count (this includes cursor motion commands and scrolling -command), and self-inserting characters are usually handled in groups -of up to 20. (This is to reduce the number of C-x u's you have to -type to undo insertion of text.) - ->> Kill this line with C-k, then type C-x u and it should reappear. - -C-_ is an alternative undo command; it works just the same as C-x u, -but it is easier to type several times in a row. The disadvantage of -C-_ is that on some keyboards it is not obvious how to type it. That -is why we provide C-x u as well. On some terminals, you can type C-_ -by typing / while holding down CONTROL. - -A numeric argument to C-_ or C-x u acts as a repeat count. - -You can undo deletion of text just as you can undo killing of text. -The distinction between killing something and deleting it affects -whether you can yank it with C-y; it makes no difference for undo. - - -* FILES -------- - -In order to make the text you edit permanent, you must put it in a -file. Otherwise, it will go away when your invocation of Emacs goes -away. In order to put your text in a file, you must "find" the file -before you enter the text. (This is also called "visiting" the file.) - -Finding a file means that you see the contents of the file within -Emacs. In many ways, it is as if you were editing the file itself. -However, the changes you make using Emacs do not become permanent -until you "save" the file. This is so you can avoid leaving a -half-changed file on the system when you do not want to. Even when -you save, Emacs leaves the original file under a changed name in case -you later decide that your changes were a mistake. - -If you look near the bottom of the screen you will see a line that -begins and ends with dashes, and starts with "--:-- TUTORIAL" or -something like that. This part of the screen normally shows the name -of the file that you are visiting. Right now, you are visiting a file -called "TUTORIAL" which is your personal scratch copy of the Emacs -tutorial. When you find a file with Emacs, that file's name will -appear in that precise spot. - -One special thing about the command for finding a file is that you -have to say what file name you want. We say the command "reads an -argument from the terminal" (in this case, the argument is the name of -the file). After you type the command - - C-x C-f Find a file - -Emacs asks you to type the file name. The file name you type appears -on the bottom line of the screen. The bottom line is called the -minibuffer when it is used for this sort of input. You can use -ordinary Emacs editing commands to edit the file name. - -While you are entering the file name (or any minibuffer input), -you can cancel the command with C-g. - ->> Type C-x C-f, then type C-g. This cancels the minibuffer, - and also cancels the C-x C-f command that was using the - minibuffer. So you do not find any file. - -When you have finished entering the file name, type <Return> to -terminate it. Then C-x C-f command goes to work, and finds the file -you chose. The minibuffer disappears when the C-x C-f command is -finished. - -In a little while the file contents appear on the screen, and you can -edit the contents. When you wish to make your changes permanent, -type the command - - C-x C-s Save the file - -This copies the text within Emacs into the file. The first time you -do this, Emacs renames the original file to a new name so that it is -not lost. The new name is made by adding "~" to the end of the -original file's name. - -When saving is finished, Emacs displays the name of the file written. -You should save fairly often, so that you will not lose very much -work if the system should crash. - ->> Type C-x C-s, saving your copy of the tutorial. - This should show "Wrote ...TUTORIAL" at the bottom of the screen. - -NOTE: On some systems, typing C-x C-s will freeze the screen and you -will see no further output from Emacs. This indicates that an -operating system "feature" called "flow control" is intercepting the -C-s and not letting it get through to Emacs. To unfreeze the screen, -type C-q. Then see the section "Spontaneous Entry to Incremental -Search" in the Emacs manual for advice on dealing with this "feature". - -You can find an existing file, to view it or edit it. You can also -find a file which does not already exist. This is the way to create a -file with Emacs: find the file, which will start out empty, and then -begin inserting the text for the file. When you ask to "save" the -file, Emacs will really create the file with the text that you have -inserted. From then on, you can consider yourself to be editing an -already existing file. - - -* BUFFERS ---------- - -If you find a second file with C-x C-f, the first file remains -inside Emacs. You can switch back to it by finding it again with -C-x C-f. This way you can get quite a number of files inside Emacs. - ->> Create a file named "foo" by typing C-x C-f foo <Return>. - Then insert some text, edit it, and save "foo" by typing C-x C-s. - Finally, type C-x C-f TUTORIAL <Return> - to come back to the tutorial. - -Emacs stores each file's text inside an object called a "buffer". -Finding a file makes a new buffer inside Emacs. To see a list of the -buffers that currently exist in your Emacs job, type - - C-x C-b List buffers - ->> Try C-x C-b now. - -See how each buffer has a name, and it may also have a file name for -the file whose contents it holds. ANY text you see in an Emacs window -is always part of some buffer. - ->> Type C-x 1 to get rid of the buffer list. - -When you have several buffers, only one of them is "current" at any -time. That buffer is the one you edit. If you want to edit another -buffer, you need to "switch" to it. If you want to switch to a buffer -that corresponds to a file, you can do it by visiting the file again -with C-x C-f. But there is an easier way: use the C-x b command. -In that command, you have to type the buffer's name. - ->> Type C-x b foo <Return> to go back to the buffer "foo" which holds - the text of the file "foo". Then type C-x b TUTORIAL <Return> - to come back to this tutorial. - -Most of the time, the buffer's name is the same as the file name -(without the file directory part). However, this is not always true. -The buffer list you make with C-x C-b always shows you the name of -every buffer. - -ANY text you see in an Emacs window is always part of some buffer. -Some buffers do not correspond to files. For example, the buffer -named "*Buffer List*" does not have any file. It is the buffer which -contains the buffer list that you made with C-x C-b. The buffer named -"*Messages*" also does not correspond to any file; it contains the -messages that have appeared on the bottom line during your Emacs -session. - ->> Type C-x b *Messages* <Return> to look at the buffer of messages. - Then type C-x b TUTORIAL <Return> to come back to this tutorial. - -If you make changes to the text of one file, then find another file, -this does not save the first file. Its changes remain inside Emacs, -in that file's buffer. The creation or editing of the second file's -buffer has no effect on the first file's buffer. This is very useful, -but it also means that you need a convenient way to save the first -file's buffer. It would be a nuisance to have to switch back to -it with C-x C-f in order to save it with C-x C-s. So we have - - C-x s Save some buffers - -C-x s asks you about each buffer which contains changes that you have -not saved. It asks you, for each such buffer, whether to save the -buffer. - ->> Insert a line of text, then type C-x s. - It should ask you whether to save the buffer named TUTORIAL. - Answer yes to the question by typing "y". - - -* EXTENDING THE COMMAND SET ---------------------------- - -There are many, many more Emacs commands than could possibly be put -on all the control and meta characters. Emacs gets around this with -the X (eXtend) command. This comes in two flavors: - - C-x Character eXtend. Followed by one character. - M-x Named command eXtend. Followed by a long name. - -These are commands that are generally useful but used less than the -commands you have already learned about. You have already seen a few -of them: the file commands C-x C-f to Find and C-x C-s to Save, for -example. Another example is the command to end the Emacs -session--this is the command C-x C-c. (Do not worry about losing -changes you have made; C-x C-c offers to save each changed file before -it kills the Emacs.) - -If you are using a graphical display that supports multiple -applications in parallel, you don't need any special command to move -from Emacs to another application. You can do this with the mouse or -with window manager commands. However, if you're using a text -terminal which can only show one application at a time, you need to -"suspend" Emacs to move to any other program. - -C-z is the command to exit Emacs *temporarily*--so that you can go -back to the same Emacs session afterward. When Emacs is running on a -text terminal, C-z "suspends" Emacs; that is, it returns to the shell -but does not destroy the Emacs. In the most common shells, you can -resume Emacs with the `fg' command or with `%emacs'. - -The time to use C-x C-c is when you are about to log out. It's also -the right thing to use to exit an Emacs invoked under mail handling -programs and other miscellaneous utilities, since they may not know -how to cope with suspension of Emacs. In ordinary circumstances, -though, if you are not about to log out, it is better to suspend Emacs -with C-z instead of exiting Emacs. - -There are many C-x commands. Here is a list of the ones you have learned: - - C-x C-f Find file - C-x C-s Save file - C-x s Save some buffers - C-x C-b List buffers - C-x b Switch buffer - C-x C-c Quit Emacs - C-x 1 Delete all but one window - C-x u Undo - -Named eXtended commands are commands which are used even less -frequently, or commands which are used only in certain modes. An -example is the command replace-string, which globally replaces one -string with another. When you type M-x, Emacs prompts you at the -bottom of the screen with M-x and you should type the name of the -command; in this case, "replace-string". Just type "repl s<TAB>" and -Emacs will complete the name. (<TAB> is the Tab key, usually found -above the CapsLock or Shift key near the left edge of the keyboard.) -End the command name with <Return>. - -The replace-string command requires two arguments--the string to be -replaced, and the string to replace it with. You must end each -argument with <Return>. - ->> Move the cursor to the blank line two lines below this one. - Then type M-x repl s<Return>changed<Return>altered<Return>. - - Notice how this line has changed: you've replaced - the word c-h-a-n-g-e-d with "altered" wherever it occurred, - after the initial position of the cursor. - - -* AUTO SAVE ------------ - -When you have made changes in a file, but you have not saved them yet, -they could be lost if your computer crashes. To protect you from -this, Emacs periodically writes an "auto save" file for each file that -you are editing. The auto save file name has a # at the beginning and -the end; for example, if your file is named "hello.c", its auto save -file's name is "#hello.c#". When you save the file in the normal way, -Emacs deletes its auto save file. - -If the computer crashes, you can recover your auto-saved editing by -finding the file normally (the file you were editing, not the auto -save file) and then typing M-x recover file<Return>. When it asks for -confirmation, type yes<Return> to go ahead and recover the auto-save -data. - - -* ECHO AREA ------------ - -If Emacs sees that you are typing multicharacter commands slowly, it -shows them to you at the bottom of the screen in an area called the -"echo area". The echo area contains the bottom line of the screen. - - -* MODE LINE ------------ - -The line immediately above the echo area is called the "mode line". -The mode line says something like this: - ---:** TUTORIAL 63% L749 (Fundamental)----------------------- - -This line gives useful information about the status of Emacs and -the text you are editing. - -You already know what the filename means--it is the file you have -found. NN% indicates your current position in the text; it means that -NN percent of the text is above the top of the screen. If the top of -the file is on the screen, it will say "Top" instead of " 0%". If the -bottom of the text is on the screen, it will say "Bot". If you are -looking at text so small that all of it fits on the screen, the mode -line says "All". - -The L and digits indicate position in another way: they give the -current line number of point. - -The stars near the front mean that you have made changes to the text. -Right after you visit or save a file, that part of the mode line shows -no stars, just dashes. - -The part of the mode line inside the parentheses is to tell you what -editing modes you are in. The default mode is Fundamental which is -what you are using now. It is an example of a "major mode". - -Emacs has many different major modes. Some of them are meant for -editing different languages and/or kinds of text, such as Lisp mode, -Text mode, etc. At any time one and only one major mode is active, -and its name can always be found in the mode line just where -"Fundamental" is now. - -Each major mode makes a few commands behave differently. For example, -there are commands for creating comments in a program, and since each -programming language has a different idea of what a comment should -look like, each major mode has to insert comments differently. Each -major mode is the name of an extended command, which is how you can -switch to that mode. For example, M-x fundamental-mode is a command to -switch to Fundamental mode. - -If you are going to be editing human-language text, such as this file, you -should probably use Text Mode. - ->> Type M-x text mode<Return>. - -Don't worry, none of the Emacs commands you have learned changes in -any great way. But you can observe that M-f and M-b now treat -apostrophes as part of words. Previously, in Fundamental mode, -M-f and M-b treated apostrophes as word-separators. - -Major modes usually make subtle changes like that one: most commands -do "the same job" in each major mode, but they work a little bit -differently. - -To view documentation on your current major mode, type C-h m. - ->> Use C-u C-v once or more to bring this line near the top of screen. ->> Type C-h m, to see how Text mode differs from Fundamental mode. ->> Type C-x 1 to remove the documentation from the screen. - -Major modes are called major because there are also minor modes. -Minor modes are not alternatives to the major modes, just minor -modifications of them. Each minor mode can be turned on or off by -itself, independent of all other minor modes, and independent of your -major mode. So you can use no minor modes, or one minor mode, or any -combination of several minor modes. - -One minor mode which is very useful, especially for editing -human-language text, is Auto Fill mode. When this mode is on, Emacs -breaks the line in between words automatically whenever you insert -text and make a line that is too wide. - -You can turn Auto Fill mode on by doing M-x auto fill mode<Return>. -When the mode is on, you can turn it off again by doing M-x -auto fill mode<Return>. If the mode is off, this command turns it on, -and if the mode is on, this command turns it off. We say that the -command "toggles the mode". - ->> Type M-x auto fill mode<Return> now. Then insert a line of "asdf " - over again until you see it divide into two lines. You must put in - spaces between them because Auto Fill breaks lines only at spaces. - -The margin is usually set at 70 characters, but you can change it -with the C-x f command. You should give the margin setting you want -as a numeric argument. - ->> Type C-x f with an argument of 20. (C-u 2 0 C-x f). - Then type in some text and see Emacs fill lines of 20 - characters with it. Then set the margin back to 70 using - C-x f again. - -If you make changes in the middle of a paragraph, Auto Fill mode -does not re-fill it for you. -To re-fill the paragraph, type M-q (META-q) with the cursor inside -that paragraph. - ->> Move the cursor into the previous paragraph and type M-q. - - -* SEARCHING ------------ - -Emacs can do searches for strings (these are groups of contiguous -characters or words) either forward through the text or backward -through it. Searching for a string is a cursor motion command; -it moves the cursor to the next place where that string appears. - -The Emacs search command is different from the search commands -of most editors, in that it is "incremental". This means that the -search happens while you type in the string to search for. - -The command to initiate a search is C-s for forward search, and C-r -for reverse search. BUT WAIT! Don't try them now. - -When you type C-s you'll notice that the string "I-search" appears as -a prompt in the echo area. This tells you that Emacs is in what is -called an incremental search waiting for you to type the thing that -you want to search for. <Return> terminates a search. - ->> Now type C-s to start a search. SLOWLY, one letter at a time, - type the word 'cursor', pausing after you type each - character to notice what happens to the cursor. - Now you have searched for "cursor", once. ->> Type C-s again, to search for the next occurrence of "cursor". ->> Now type <Delback> four times and see how the cursor moves. ->> Type <Return> to terminate the search. - -Did you see what happened? Emacs, in an incremental search, tries to -go to the occurrence of the string that you've typed out so far. To -go to the next occurrence of 'cursor' just type C-s again. If no such -occurrence exists, Emacs beeps and tells you the search is currently -"failing". C-g would also terminate the search. - -NOTE: On some systems, typing C-s will freeze the screen and you will -see no further output from Emacs. This indicates that an operating -system "feature" called "flow control" is intercepting the C-s and not -letting it get through to Emacs. To unfreeze the screen, type C-q. -Then see the section "Spontaneous Entry to Incremental Search" in the -Emacs manual for advice on dealing with this "feature". - -If you are in the middle of an incremental search and type <Delback>, -you'll notice that the last character in the search string is erased -and the search backs up to the last place of the search. For -instance, suppose you have typed "c", to search for the first -occurrence of "c". Now if you type "u", the cursor will move -to the first occurrence of "cu". Now type <Delback>. This erases -the "u" from the search string, and the cursor moves back to -the first occurrence of "c". - -If you are in the middle of a search and type a control or meta -character (with a few exceptions--characters that are special in -a search, such as C-s and C-r), the search is terminated. - -The C-s starts a search that looks for any occurrence of the search -string AFTER the current cursor position. If you want to search for -something earlier in the text, type C-r instead. Everything that we -have said about C-s also applies to C-r, except that the direction of -the search is reversed. - - -* MULTIPLE WINDOWS ------------------- - -One of the nice features of Emacs is that you can display more than one -window on the screen at the same time. - ->> Move the cursor to this line and type C-u 0 C-l (that's CONTROL-L, not - CONTROL-1). - ->> Now type C-x 2 which splits the screen into two windows. - Both windows display this tutorial. The cursor stays in the top window. - ->> Type C-M-v to scroll the bottom window. - (If you do not have a real META key, type <ESC> C-v.) - ->> Type C-x o ("o" for "other") to move the cursor to the bottom window. ->> Use C-v and M-v in the bottom window to scroll it. - Keep reading these directions in the top window. - ->> Type C-x o again to move the cursor back to the top window. - The cursor in the top window is just where it was before. - -You can keep using C-x o to switch between the windows. Each -window has its own cursor position, but only one window actually -shows the cursor. All the ordinary editing commands apply to the -window that the cursor is in. We call this the "selected window". - -The command C-M-v is very useful when you are editing text in one -window and using the other window just for reference. You can keep -the cursor always in the window where you are editing, and advance -through the other window sequentially with C-M-v. - -C-M-v is an example of a CONTROL-META character. If you have a real -META key, you can type C-M-v by holding down both CONTROL and META while -typing v. It does not matter whether CONTROL or META "comes first," -because both of these keys act by modifying the characters you type. - -If you do not have a real META key, and you use <ESC> instead, the -order does matter: you must type <ESC> followed by CONTROL-v, because -CONTROL-<ESC> v will not work. This is because <ESC> is a character -in its own right, not a modifier key. - ->> Type C-x 1 (in the top window) to get rid of the bottom window. - -(If you had typed C-x 1 in the bottom window, that would get rid -of the top one. Think of this command as "Keep just one -window--the window I am already in.") - -You do not have to display the same buffer in both windows. If you -use C-x C-f to find a file in one window, the other window does not -change. You can find a file in each window independently. - -Here is another way to use two windows to display two different -things: - ->> Type C-x 4 C-f followed by the name of one of your files. - End with <Return>. See the specified file appear in the bottom - window. The cursor goes there, too. - ->> Type C-x o to go back to the top window, and C-x 1 to delete - the bottom window. - - -* RECURSIVE EDITING LEVELS --------------------------- - -Sometimes you will get into what is called a "recursive editing -level". This is indicated by square brackets in the mode line, -surrounding the parentheses around the major mode name. For -example, you might see [(Fundamental)] instead of (Fundamental). - -To get out of the recursive editing level, type <ESC> <ESC> <ESC>. -That is an all-purpose "get out" command. You can also use it for -eliminating extra windows, and getting out of the minibuffer. - ->> Type M-x to get into a minibuffer; then type <ESC> <ESC> <ESC> to - get out. - -You cannot use C-g to get out of a recursive editing level. This is -because C-g is used for canceling commands and arguments WITHIN the -recursive editing level. - - -* GETTING MORE HELP -------------------- - -In this tutorial we have tried to supply just enough information to -get you started using Emacs. There is so much available in Emacs that -it would be impossible to explain it all here. However, you may want -to learn more about Emacs since it has many other useful features. -Emacs provides commands for reading documentation about Emacs -commands. These "help" commands all start with the character -CONTROL-h, which is called "the Help character". - -To use the Help features, type the C-h character, and then a -character saying what kind of help you want. If you are REALLY lost, -type C-h ? and Emacs will tell you what kinds of help it can give. -If you have typed C-h and decide you do not want any help, just -type C-g to cancel it. - -(Some sites change the meaning of the character C-h. They really -should not do this as a blanket measure for all users, so you have -grounds to complain to the system administrator. Meanwhile, if C-h -does not display a message about help at the bottom of the screen, try -typing the F1 key or M-x help <Return> instead.) - -The most basic HELP feature is C-h c. Type C-h, the character c, and -a command character or sequence; then Emacs displays a very brief -description of the command. - ->> Type C-h c C-p. - -The message should be something like this: - - C-p runs the command previous-line - -This tells you the "name of the function". Function names are used -mainly for customizing and extending Emacs. But since function names -are chosen to indicate what the command does, they can serve also as -very brief documentation--sufficient to remind you of commands you -have already learned. - -Multi-character commands such as C-x C-s and (if you have no META or -EDIT or ALT key) <ESC>v are also allowed after C-h c. - -To get more information about a command, use C-h k instead of C-h c. - ->> Type C-h k C-p. - -This displays the documentation of the function, as well as its -name, in an Emacs window. When you are finished reading the -output, type C-x 1 to get rid of the help text. You do not have -to do this right away. You can do some editing while referring -to the help text, and then type C-x 1. - -Here are some other useful C-h options: - - C-h f Describe a function. You type in the name of the - function. - ->> Try typing C-h f previous-line<Return>. - This displays all the information Emacs has about the - function which implements the C-p command. - -A similar command C-h v displays the documentation of variables whose -values you can set to customize Emacs behavior. You need to type in -the name of the variable when Emacs prompts for it. - - C-h a Command Apropos. Type in a keyword and Emacs will list - all the commands whose names contain that keyword. - These commands can all be invoked with META-x. - For some commands, Command Apropos will also list a one - or two character sequence which runs the same command. - ->> Type C-h a file<Return>. - -This displays in another window a list of all M-x commands with "file" -in their names. You will see character-commands like C-x C-f listed -beside the corresponding command names such as find-file. - ->> Type C-M-v to scroll the help window. Do this a few times. - ->> Type C-x 1 to delete the help window. - - C-h i Read On-line Manuals (a.k.a. Info). This command puts - you into a special buffer called `*info*' where you - can read on-line manuals for the packages installed on - your system. Type m emacs <Return> to read the Emacs - manual. If you have never before used Info, type ? - and Emacs will take you on a guided tour of Info mode - facilities. Once you are through with this tutorial, - you should consult the Emacs Info manual as your - primary documentation. - - -* MORE FEATURES ---------------- - -You can learn more about Emacs by reading its manual, either as a book -or on-line in Info (use the Help menu or type F10 h r). Two features -that you may like especially are completion, which saves typing, and -dired, which simplifies file handling. - -Completion is a way to avoid unnecessary typing. For instance, if you -want to switch to the *Messages* buffer, you can type C-x b *M<Tab> -and Emacs will fill in the rest of the buffer name as far as it can -determine from what you have already typed. Completion is described -in Info in the Emacs manual in the node called "Completion". - -Dired enables you to list files in a directory (and optionally its -subdirectories), move around that list, visit, rename, delete and -otherwise operate on the files. Dired is described in Info in the -Emacs manual in the node called "Dired". - -The manual also describes many other Emacs features. - - -* CONCLUSION ------------- - -Remember, to exit Emacs permanently use C-x C-c. To exit to a shell -temporarily, so that you can come back to Emacs afterward, use C-z. - -This tutorial is meant to be understandable to all new users, so if -you found something unclear, don't sit and blame yourself - complain! - - -* COPYING ---------- - -This tutorial descends from a long line of Emacs tutorials -starting with the one written by Stuart Cracraft for the original Emacs. - -This version of the tutorial is a part of GNU Emacs. It is copyrighted -and comes with permission to distribute copies on certain conditions: - - Copyright (C) 1985, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, - 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc. - - This file is part of GNU Emacs. - - GNU Emacs is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify - it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by - the Free Software Foundation; either version 3, or (at your option) - any later version. - - GNU Emacs is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, - but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of - MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the - GNU General Public License for more details. - - You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License - along with GNU Emacs; see the file COPYING. If not, write to the - Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, - Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA. - -Please read the file COPYING and then do give copies of GNU Emacs to -your friends. Help stamp out software obstructionism ("ownership") by -using, writing, and sharing free software! - -;;; arch-tag: a0f84628-777f-4238-8865-451a73167f55