Top node.

This is the manual of Emacs template package

1. Overview

When you create a new file with Emacs, package Template supplies an initial buffer content via a template: a file with normal text and expansion forms. There is a menu to easily create such templates. You can also use new commands to decorate comments and update the buffer contents.

The main difference between Template and other similar packages is that you can define very flexible templates without having to learn Lisp or changing your Emacs init file. This package does not help Lisp programmers to define complex macros.

• The template mechanism is hooked into the normal find/open file command. There are also new commands for creating a new file using a template and inserting & expanding a template.
• You do not have to enter the file name of the template file. This package uses a sophisticated search to find the most appropritate template (supporting project- and subproject specific template files). You can change the suggestion, of course.
• A template file can be easily created. Most of the file usually contains simple text; only expansion forms which look like ‘(>>>Key<<<)’ will get replaced.
• There are various useful predefined expansions: set point (the cursor position), mark and registers to the current position; insert various parts of the filename, the user/system name, the current date/time in various formats, and some text to be entered by the user.
• Template-specific expansions can be defined at the end of the template file. There are commands to create these definitions; only complex expansions would require some knowledge of Lisp.

There is a menu to support the creation of template files. Additionally, this package provides the following features:

• When saving a buffer, some parts of the buffer contents (header and time stamps) are automatically updated if necessary.
• There are commands to decorate comments with dashes and alike. Works for languages with any comment style, even languages having mixed comments like C++ and Java.

1.1 Packages Related to Template

There are template packages of two different categories, which are determined by one question:

What do you want to do with templates? Do you want to use templates when creating new files, or do you want to insert some stuff during editing (but you are not satisfied with the standard macro mechanism)?

Well, templates could be seen as both new-file templates and macro-like template, but the main application of templates determines the answers for the following questions:

• How do you define a template? You can define it by one file per template or by customizing some Emacs variables. The first solution (which is used by package Template) avoids Emacs hacking but might not be optimal if you just want to define complex macros or if you want to use templates to program a new Emacs major-mode.
• How is an appropriate template selected? If you want to use complex macro during editing, the answer is clear: the user have to provide the name of the template. For new files, the appropriate template should be automatically selected. But of course, you don’t want to loose any flexibility and you don’t want to customize your Emacs for every project you start.
• How do you do "clever" things in the template? The aims are to have many predefined expansions (e.g., the current date) and to define some non-trivial things without learning Lisp. Any functionality here is the overlapping point of both template categories.

Here is a little list of related files, collected around 1998, some discarded later (no URLs, no active updating, but you can send me a mail):

• Package autoinsert.el uses templates when creating new files. These templates are defined via files or by customizing Emacs. For each new template you want to introduce, you must customize your Emacs, the selection is restricted to one template per major-mode or regexp match. No predefined expansions; clever things are provided by usual Lisp expressions or the macro-like templates of package skeleton.
• Package skeleton.el is a Lisp language extension for writing statement skeletons, i.e., you get macro-like Lisp commands.
• Package tempo.el helps you defining and using named macro-like templates. Its predefined macros are similar to some predefined expansions of package Template. A specific template is used by <code class="lisp">html-helper-mode</code> when creating a new html file. (This is turned off with the default installation of package Template.)
• Package hm–html-menus provides a command to insert templates editing. These templates are defined via files. There are no predefined expansions (except setting point), non-trivial expansions are defined via Lisp.

2. Installation

2.1 Installation Instructions

1. Copy file ‘template/lisp/template.el’ into your load-path and byte-compile it.
2. Insert the following code into your Emacs init file (‘~/.emacs’):

   (require 'template) (template-initialize)

3. If you want to customize package Template, use M-x customize-group <RET> template <RET> or the customize entry in menu Options.
4. You might want to copy the template files from directory ‘template/templates/’ to ‘~/.templates/’ and change them according to your preferences.

Installation instructions with further explanations can be found in file ‘template/INSTALL’ of the distribution.

3. Basics

Emacs, template, file template, comment decoration, auto-updating, time stamp, details

3.1 Menus and Key-Bindings

For Emacs-21.1+ and XEmacs, this package defines the following menu entries and key-bindings:

• In menu File , there is a new menu item New File Using Template... . The corresponding command is also bound to the key sequence C-x t.
• At the end of menu Cmds (in XEmacs if it exists) or menu Edit , there is a new submenu Template Creation.
• Enter C-x C-= (command template-single-comment) to insert dashes and alike into the current line and end the comment.
• Enter C-x C-; (command template-single-comment) to insert dashes and alike around the current comment block.
• At the end of menu Edit , there is a new submenu Comment. It also contains the two commands just mentioned.

3.2 Using a Template

Package Template offers various ways how to use template files:

In Emacs, the usual way to create a new file is by typing C-x C-f, using the menu or the toolbar (running command find-file or ffap) and entering a non-existent file name. In this case, you will be asked whether to use a template for the new file. You can turn off this feature.

• Here a first undefined xref @xref{EExpansion}. There is a new command template-new-file (1) to create a new file using a template. Here, you have the chance to edit the name of the template file. This command also supports file name refinement which is useful to create a file in a series of files like ‘exercise2.tex’ etc.
• There is also a command (M-x template-expand-template) to insert a template file into the current buffer and expand its expansion forms.

For more template-new-file and template-auto-insert, See section Customization of keyword expansion rules.

3.3 Finding a Template

The algorithm for finding the most appropriate template can be best explained with a little example:

• You have a project ‘~/proj/’ with subprojects ‘foo/’ and ‘bar/’ containing ‘.java’ files.
• You want to define a general template for the ‘.java’ in your project files, although ‘.java’ files in subproject ‘foo/’ should use their own template. You also want to define a special template for all files ‘proj.java’ in the project.
• Since you do not want to clutter the project directory with template files, you first create a directory ‘~/proj/Templates/’. In this directory, you create new files ‘TEMPLATE.java.tpl’ and ‘proj.java.tpl’. In directory ‘~/proj/foo/’, you create a new file ‘TEMPLATE.java.tpl’.

The creation of the template files in the right directory is already enough for packages Template to find the most appropriate template for a new file:

• If you create a new file ‘~/proj/foo/abc.java’, this package tries to find a template based on the file extension of the new file. The generic base file name for a template is ‘TEMPLATE’ and the additional extension is ‘.tpl’, a file ‘TEMPLATE.java.tpl’ exists in ‘~/proj/foo/’, so that file is used as the template.
• If you create a new file ‘~/proj/bar/abc.java’, this package again tries to find ‘TEMPLATE.java.tpl’. Since this file doesn’t exist in ‘~/proj/bar/’, it first inspects the subdirectory ‘Templates/’ which doesn’t exist. The search continues with the parent directory ‘~/proj/’ and then its subdirectory ‘Templates/’. Thus ‘~/proj/Templates/TEMPLATE.java.tpl’ will be used.
• If you create a new file ‘~/proj/foo/proj.java’, this package finds a template file with the same base name: it uses ‘~/proj/Templates/proj.java.tpl’. You might argue that ‘~/proj/foo/TEMPLATE.java.tpl’ resides in a more specific directory, but having the same base name is considered to be more important (remember that some file like Makefiles do not have file extensions).
• If you create a new file ‘~/other_proj/foo/proj.java’, i.e., a project where you have defined no template files, this package uses one of the default templates, in this case ‘~/.templates/TEMPLATE.java.tpl’.

For more on derivation See section Customization of how templates are derived.

3.4 Creating a Template

There are various predefined expansions which are probably enough for most templates. A corresponding expansion forms can be easily inserted by selecting the appropriate entry in the new submenu Template Creation :

• Remember positions: use ‘(>>>POINT<<<)’ to set point (the cursor position), ‘(>>>MARK<<<)’ to set mark (e.g., the opposite position when a region is highlighted), and ‘(>>>1<<<)’ to ‘(>>>0<<<)’ to registers to the current position. Remember that C-x r j Key jumps to the position stored in register Key.
• Insert parts of the file name, e.g., when creating the new file ‘~/proj/foo/abc1.java’: ‘(>>>DIR<<<)’ is replaced by ‘/home/user/proj/foo/’, ‘(>>>FILE<<<)’ by ‘abc1.java’, ‘(>>>FILE_SANS<<<)’ by ‘abc1’ , ‘(>>>FILE_UPCASE<<<)’ by ‘ABC1’ , ‘(>>>FILE_RAW<<<)’ by ‘abc’, ‘(>>>FILE_NUM<<<)’ by ‘1’ , and ‘(>>>FILE_EXT<<<)’ by ‘java’.
• Insert the current date/time in two customizable and three fixed formats: use ‘(>>>DATE<<<)’ for ‘20 Feb 2002’, ‘(>>>TIME<<<)’ for ‘20:01:13’ , ‘(>>>YEAR<<<)’ for ‘2002’ , ‘(>>>ISO_DATE<<<)’ for ‘2002-02-20’ , and ‘(>>>VC_DATE<<<)’ for ‘2002/02/20 19:01:13’
• Insert the user/system name in various formats: use ‘(>>>AUTHOR<<<)’ for Christoph Wedler <wedler@fmi.uni-passau.de>, ‘(>>>USER_NAME<<<)’ for ‘Christoph Wedler’ , ‘(>>>LOGIN_NAME<<<)’ for ‘wedler’ , and ‘(>>>HOST_ADDR<<<)’ for ‘fmi.uni-passau.de’ .
• Ask the user for some initial comment. If this expansion is used, the buffer for the new file will be marked as modified. For each undefined expansion, the user is also asked.
• Disabling the search for expansion forms: ‘(>>>ZERO_FORM<<<)’ can be inserted into a string which will be otherwise regarded as an expansion form, the region between ‘(>>>LITERAL<<<)’ and the first ‘(>>>/LITERAL<<<)’ after it will be skipped.

You can define your own expansions in your Emacs init file and at the end of a template file. A corresponding definition can be easily inserted by selecting the appropriate entry in the new submenu Template Creation:

• Define User Input . Ask the user to insert some text using some specific prompt. Optionally, ask for a text with completion, or for a sequence of user input (exit with empty input).
• Define Text Register . Define a text for register Reg which can be inserted with C-x r i Reg. Optionally, provide a comment for it which will be temporarily shown at point.
• Define Message . Define a message which will be temporarily shown at point or before/after the expansion in a special buffer. There is also a computed message in the echo area.
• Execute some Lisp coding defined at the end of the template. By default, you have to confirm it first, since it is insecure to execute unchecked coding. (You do not have menu support to define this kind of expansion.)

User Option: template-default-expansion-alist

User Option: template-definition-start

3.5 Decorating a Comment

There are commands to decorate comments with dashes and alike (‘-’, ‘=’ and ‘#’ by default). Both commands are included in the new submenu Comments and bound to keys:

• Use command template-single-comment to jump to the end of the current line and insert the dashes and the final comment end-string up-to the fill position. This command works with any comment style, including for languages having mixed comments like C++ and Java. It also works in major modes without a defined comment syntax.
• Use command template-block-comment to surround the current comment block (i.e., contiguous comment lines) with extra lines containing dashes and alike and to put the correct number of newlines around the block. This command only works with comments which are terminated with the end of the line (like Java’s // comment).

The comment decoration style is highly customizable and can be controlled by

• The prefix argument given to the two commands.
• The existing comment decoration style when present.
• Determined by the indentation or the repetition of a single-character comment start (like Emacs-Lisp’s ;).

For more on comments See section Customization of comments.

3.6 Updating a Buffer

A buffer is automatically updated according to some rules when saving the file. This updating can be invoked explicitly by selecting the menu entry Update Buffer in the new submenu Comments .

• Update the file name in the first three lines of the buffer if the file name is indicated by @(#) FileName or ;;; FileName -- where ;;; stands for any comment start (with optional repetition of a single-character comment start).
• Update the date if it is the last text inside the address element of a HTML buffer.
• Automatic updating is optional, as is user confirmation for it. Automatic updating can be disabled for buffers whose file name matches a regular expression.
• If nothing will be changed by the updating, there will be no user confirmation and the buffer will not be marked as modified.

User Option: template-update-buffer

User Option: template-auto-update

User Option: template-update-buffer-alist

User Option: template-header-regexp-alist

4. Templates for advanced users

4.1 Templates customization

4.1.1 Customization of keyword expansion rules

Interactive Command: template-new-file file template with-undo

Open a new file file by using a template. Using a template for creating a new file consists of, steps 1 to 3 are only executed when called interactively:

1. Prompt for the name of the new file.
2. Template derivation: suggest a reasonable template file to the user see template-derivation-alist.
3. File name refinement: e.g., if the given file name is ‘exercise’ and there are two files ‘exercise1.tex’ and ‘exercise2.tex’ in the same directory and if we have a template ‘exercise.tex.tpl’, the file name is refined to ‘exercise3.tex’. This is turned off when C-x t is called with a prefix argument.
4. Template insertion: insert the template file into the empty buffer.
5. Read per-template expansion definition section starting at template-definition-start and delete it.
6. Display: before message in template-message-buffer.
7. Execute pre-expansion commands defined in the definition section.
8. Set local variables defined in the definition section.
9. Expansion: expand the expansion forms (text matched by template-expansion-regexp) They are defined in the definition section, in template-expansion-alist, or provided by default, see template-expansion-regexp and template-register-regexp.
10. Execute post-expansion commands defined in the definition section.
11. Run normal-mode and functions in find-file-hooks.
12. Update header according to template-update-header with argument if-exists.
13. Display: after message in template-message-buffer.
14. Report: display a temporary message at point defined in the definition section and an automatically generated message in the minibuffer area, see template-message-timeout.

If optional with-undo is non-nil, store corresponding changes in buffer-undo-list. If file is nil, the buffer for file has already been created and the accessible part will be replaced by the expanded template. If template is nil (empty input when called interactively), do not use a template.

User Option: template-auto-insert

4.1.2 Customization of how templates are derived

User Option: template-derivation-alist

4.1.3 Customization of comments

User Option: template-single-comment

Interactive command: template-block-comment arg

It is bound to C-x C-;, and <menu-bar> <edit> <Comment> <Decorate Comment Block>.

Decorate the current block of comment-only lines with dashes and alike. That is, surround the the contiguous comment-only lines around point with extra lines containing dashes and alike and to put the correct number of newlines around the block.

Barf if the comment syntax at point has a non-empty comment-end or if point is not in a comment-only line.

A block comment consists of all neighboring lines which start with spaces and comment-start. If comment-start is a string of length 1, the number of repetitions of comment-start must be the same or larger than in the line where the command is invoked from, too.

Prefix argument arg and template-comment-specification determines the comment style to use. The length of the separator line is determined by template-max-column.

This command can also be used with point in an empty line after a block comment. A second invocation of this command directly after a successful invocation deletes the remaining empty lines from the current line on.

User Option: template-comment-specification-alist

List of specifications for comment functions. Each specification at level, starting at 1, is a list (separator before-block after-block DELETE-LINES)

separator is the string which is inserted repeatedly by commands C-x C-= and C-x C-; up to template-max-column.

After that, C-x C-; deletes DELETE-LINES after the comment block and inserts string after-block at the end of the block and before-block at the front of the block.

The specification level to use is determined by:

1. If the prefix argument is non-nil and its numeric value is > 0, this value is the level.
2. If the prefix argument is nil, and there is an old comment style, use old comment style.
3. If template-comment-specification-special is a function or the current major mode has a property with this name and its value is a function, this function returns the specification.
4. If comment-end is empty and comment-start is a string of length 1: level is number of repetitions of comment-start at the beginning of the line. Otherwise, if the correctly indented line starts at the beginning of the line, level=3, else level=2.

5. Indexes for commands, keyword, and variable

5.1 Keyword Index

5.2 Keyword Index

5.3 Variable Index

6. News for Package Template

Latest Version:

3.1c (21 Aug 2003).

Requirements:

Emacs-20.2, XEmacs-20.2, or higher.

No menu support for Emacs before Version 21.1.

Licence:

GNU General Public License.

6.1 Changes with Release 3.1c

• Bug fix: on XEmacs, initialization would fail without menus "File" and "Edit" in menubar.
• Allow messages to be displayed in a separate buffer "*Template Messages*" instead at point.
• Correct and improve header updating.
• Extend use of M-x template-single-comment.
• Minor bug fixes. Miscellaneous.

6.2 Changes with Release 3.1

• Moved to SourceForge.net. Less technical description on web page.
• Remove examples from distribution, they were more confusing than helpful.
• Bug fix: would sometimes indent the current line when using the menubar.
• Menus work with Emacs-21, too. Rename some menu entries.
• Don’t search further for remote templates. Nuke this home/base directory stuff, stop search at root.
• Don’t rely on command ffap to always add an entry to command-history if the filename is read from terminal. Special setup for ffap and html-helper.
• Make date/time formats work as names suggest.
• Command to insert & expand a template file.
• Allow user to define a choice in the definition section to be answered via y-or-n-p.
• Various miscellaneous improvements. Minor bug fixes.

Christoph Wedler http://sourceforge.net/users/wedler/, 21 Aug 2003

Footnotes

(1)

for the menu entry and its key-binding type C-h f template-new-file, @xref{EExpansion}

About This Document

This document was generated by a tester on a sunny day using texi2html.

The buttons in the navigation panels have the following meaning:

where the Example assumes that the current position is at Subsubsection One-Two-Three of a document of the following structure:

• 1. Section One
  • 1.1 Subsection One-One
    • ...
  • 1.2 Subsection One-Two
    • 1.2.1 Subsubsection One-Two-One
    • 1.2.2 Subsubsection One-Two-Two
    • 1.2.3 Subsubsection One-Two-Three     <== Current Position
    • 1.2.4 Subsubsection One-Two-Four
  • 1.3 Subsection One-Three
    • ...
  • 1.4 Subsection One-Four

This document was generated by a tester on a sunny day using texi2html.