This file documents the XEmacs editor.

Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1988 Richard M. Stallman. Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Lucid, Inc. Copyright © 1993, 1994 Sun Microsystems, Inc. Copyright © 1995 Amdahl Corporation.

Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies.

Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the sections entitled “The GNU Manifesto”, “Distribution” and “GNU General Public License” are included exactly as in the original, and provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this one.

Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions, except that the sections entitled “The GNU Manifesto”, “Distribution” and “GNU General Public License” may be included in a translation approved by the author instead of in the original English.

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The XEmacs Editor

XEmacs is the extensible, customizable, self-documenting real-time display editor. This Info file describes how to edit with Emacs and some of how to customize it, but not how to extend it. It corresponds to XEmacs version 21.0.

This manual is intended as a detailed reference to XEmacs. If you are looking for an introductory manual, see the New User’s Guide.

GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE   The GNU General Public License gives you permission to redistribute XEmacs on certain terms; and also explains that there is no warranty.
Distribution   How to get XEmacs.
Introduction   An introduction to XEmacs concepts.
Glossary   The glossary.
The GNU Manifesto   What’s GNU? Gnu’s Not Unix! 
Indices, nodes containing large menus
Key (Character) Index   An item for each standard XEmacs key sequence.
Command and Function Index   An item for each command name.
Variable Index   An item for each documented variable.
Concept Index   An item for each concept. 
Important General Concepts
1. The XEmacs Frame   How to interpret what you see on the screen.
2. Keystrokes, Key Sequences, and Key Bindings   Keyboard gestures XEmacs recognizes.
2.4 XEmacs Pull-down Menus   The XEmacs Pull-down Menus available under X.
3. Entering and Exiting Emacs   Starting Emacs from the shell.
3.1 Exiting Emacs   Stopping or killing XEmacs.
3.2 Command Line Switches and Arguments   Hairy startup options.
3.3 How XEmacs finds Directories and Files  
22.8 Packages   How XEmacs organizes its high-level functionality. 
Fundamental Editing Commands
4. Basic Editing Commands   The most basic editing commands.
5. Undoing Changes   Undoing recently made changes in the text.
6. The Minibuffer   Entering arguments that are prompted for.
7. Running Commands by Name   Invoking commands by their names.
8. Help   Commands for asking XEmacs about its commands. 
Important Text-Changing Commands
9. Selecting Text   The mark: how to delimit a “region” of text.
9.2 Selecting Text with the Mouse   Selecting text with the mouse.
9.3 Additional Mouse Operations   Other operations available from the mouse.
9.4 Deletion and Killing   Killing text.
9.5 Yanking   Recovering killed text. Moving text.
9.6 Using X Selections   Using primary selection, cut buffers, and highlighted regions.
9.7 Accumulating Text   Other ways of copying text.
9.8 Rectangles   Operating on the text inside a rectangle on the screen.
10. Registers   Saving a text string or a location in the buffer.
11. Controlling the Display   Controlling what text is displayed.
12. Searching and Replacement   Finding or replacing occurrences of a string.
13. Commands for Fixing Typos   Commands especially useful for fixing typos. 
Larger Units of Text
14. File Handling   All about handling files.
15. Using Multiple Buffers   Multiple buffers; editing several files at once.
16. Multiple Windows   Viewing two pieces of text at once.
17. World Scripts Support   Using world scripts. 
Advanced Features
18. Major Modes   Text mode vs. Lisp mode vs. C mode ...
19. Indentation   Editing the white space at the beginnings of lines.
20. Commands for Human Languages   Commands and modes for editing English.
21. Editing Programs   Commands and modes for editing programs.
22. Compiling and Testing Programs   Compiling, running and debugging programs.
23. Abbrevs   How to define text abbreviations to reduce the number of characters you must type.
24. Editing Pictures   Editing pictures made up of characters using the quarter-plane screen model.
25. Sending Mail   Sending mail in XEmacs.
26. Reading Mail   Reading mail in XEmacs.
26.1 Calendar Mode and the Diary   A Calendar and diary facility in XEmacs.
26.6 Sorting Text   Sorting lines, paragraphs or pages within XEmacs.
26.7 Running Shell Commands from XEmacs   Executing shell commands from XEmacs.
26.8 Narrowing   Restricting display and editing to a portion of the buffer.
26.9 Hardcopy Output   Printing buffers or regions.
26.10 Recursive Editing Levels   A command can allow you to do editing "within the command". This is called a ‘recursive editing level’.
26.11 Dissociated Press   Dissociating text for fun.
26.12 CONX   A different kind of dissociation.
26.13 Other Amusements   Various games and hacks.
26.14 Emulation   Emulating some other editors with XEmacs.
27. Customization   Modifying the behavior of XEmacs. 
Recovery from Problems.
27.11 Quitting and Aborting   Quitting and aborting.
27.12 Dealing With Emacs Trouble   What to do if XEmacs is hung or malfunctioning.
27.13 Reporting Bugs   How and when to report a bug. 
Here are some other nodes which are really inferiors of the ones
already listed, mentioned here so you can get to them in one step:

 — The Detailed Node Listing —

The Organization of the Frame
1.1 Point   The place in the text where editing commands operate.
1.2 The Echo Area   Short messages appear at the bottom of the frame.
1.3 The Mode Line   Interpreting the mode line.
1.12 Using XEmacs Under the X Window System   Some information on using XEmacs under the X Window System. 
Keystrokes
2.1 Keystrokes as Building Blocks of Key Sequences   Keystrokes as building blocks of key sequences.
2.1.1 Representing Keystrokes   Using lists of modifiers and keysyms to represent keystrokes.
2.1.2 Representing Key Sequences   Combine key strokes into key sequences you can bind to commands.
2.1.3 String Key Sequences   Available for upward compatibility.
2.1.4 Assignment of the <META> Key   Using <ESC> to represent <Meta>
2.1.5 Assignment of the <SUPER> and <HYPER> Keys   Adding modifier keys on certain keyboards.
2.2 Representation of Characters   How characters appear in XEmacs buffers.
2.3 Keys and Commands   How commands are bound to key sequences. 
                    
Pull-down Menus
2.4.1 The File Menu   Items on the File menu.
2.4.2 The Edit Menu   Items on the Edit menu.
2.4.3 The Apps Menu   Items on the Apps menu.
2.4.4 The Options Menu   Items on the Options menu.
2.4.5 The Buffers Menu   Information about the Buffers menu.
2.4.6 The Tools Menu   Items on the Tools menu.
2.4.7 The Help Menu   Items on the Help menu.
2.4.8 Customizing XEmacs Menus   Adding and removing menu items and related operations. 
Packages
22.8 Packages   Introduction to XEmacs Packages.
22.8.1 Package Flavors   Understanding different kinds of packages.
22.8.5 Getting Started   How to install packages.
22.8.8 Prerequisites for Building Source Packages   Building packages from sources.
• Local.rules File   An important part of building packages.
• Creating Packages   The basics.
22.8.10 Normal Packages   A brief directory of packaged LISP. 
Basic Editing Commands
4.6 Blank Lines   Commands to make or delete blank lines.
4.7 Continuation Lines   Lines too wide for the frame.
4.8 Cursor Position Information   What page, line, row, or column is point on?
4.9 Numeric Arguments   Numeric arguments for repeating a command. 
The Minibuffer
6.1 Minibuffers for File Names   Entering file names with the minibuffer.
6.2 Editing in the Minibuffer   How to edit in the minibuffer.
6.3 Completion   An abbreviation facility for minibuffer input.
6.5 Repeating Minibuffer Commands   Re-executing commands that used the minibuffer. 
The Mark and the Region
9.1.1 Setting the Mark   Commands to set the mark.
9.1.2 Operating on the Region   Summary of ways to operate on contents of the region.
9.1.3 Commands to Mark Textual Objects   Commands to put region around textual units.
9.1.4 The Mark Ring   Previous mark positions saved so you can go back there. 
Yanking
9.5.1 The Kill Ring   Where killed text is stored. Basic yanking.
9.5.2 Appending Kills   Several kills in a row all yank together.
9.5.3 Yanking Earlier Kills   Yanking something killed some time ago. 
Using X Selections
9.6.1 The Clipboard Selection   Pasting to the X clipboard.
9.6.2 Miscellaneous X Selection Commands   Other operations on the selection.
9.6.3 X Cut Buffers   X cut buffers are available for compatibility.
9.6.4 Active Regions   Using zmacs-style highlighting of the selected region. 
Registers
10.1 Saving Positions in Registers   Saving positions in registers.
10.2 Saving Text in Registers   Saving text in registers.
10.3 Saving Rectangles in Registers   Saving rectangles in registers.
10.4 Saving Window Configurations in Registers   Saving window configurations in registers.
10.6 Keeping File Names in Registers   File names in registers.
10.5 Keeping Numbers in Registers   Numbers in registers.
10.7 Bookmarks   Bookmarks are like registers, but persistent. 
Controlling the Display
11.1 Scrolling   Moving text up and down in a window.
11.2 Horizontal Scrolling   Moving text left and right in a window.
11.3 Selective Display   Hiding lines with lots of indentation.
11.4 Variables Controlling Display   Information on variables for customizing display. 
Searching and Replacement
12.1 Incremental Search   Search happens as you type the string.
12.2 Non-Incremental Search   Specify entire string and then search.
12.3 Word Search   Search for sequence of words.
12.4 Regular Expression Search   Search for match for a regexp.
12.5 Syntax of Regular Expressions   Syntax of regular expressions.
12.6 Searching and Case   To ignore case while searching, or not.
12.7 Replacement Commands   Search, and replace some or all matches.
12.8 Other Search-and-Loop Commands   Operating on all matches for some regexp. 
Replacement Commands
12.7.1 Unconditional Replacement   Replacing all matches for a string.
12.7.2 Regexp Replacement   Replacing all matches for a regexp.
12.7.3 Replace Commands and Case   How replacements preserve case of letters.
12.7.4 Query Replace   How to use querying. 
Commands for Fixing Typos
13.1 Killing Your Mistakes   Commands to kill a batch of recently entered text.
13.2 Transposing Text   Exchanging two characters, words, lines, lists...
13.3 Case Conversion   Correcting case of last word entered.
13.4 Checking and Correcting Spelling   Apply spelling checker to a word, or a whole file. 
File Handling
14.1 File Names   How to type and edit file name arguments.
14.2 Visiting Files   Visiting a file prepares XEmacs to edit the file.
14.3 Saving Files   Saving makes your changes permanent.
14.4 Reverting a Buffer   Reverting cancels all the changes not saved.
14.5 Auto-Saving: Protection Against Disasters   Auto Save periodically protects against loss of data.
14.6 Version Control   Version control systems (RCS and SCCS).
14.7 Listing a File Directory   Listing the contents of a file directory.
14.8 Comparing Files   Finding where two files differ.
14.9 Dired, the Directory Editor   “Editing” a directory to delete, rename, etc. the files in it.
14.10 Miscellaneous File Operations   Other things you can do on files. 
Saving Files
14.3.1 Backup Files   How XEmacs saves the old version of your file.
14.3.2 Protection Against Simultaneous Editing   How XEmacs protects against simultaneous editing of one file by two users. 
Backup Files
14.3.1.1 Single or Numbered Backups   How backup files are named; Choosing single or numbered backup files.
14.3.1.2 Automatic Deletion of Backups   XEmacs deletes excess numbered backups.
14.3.1.3 Copying vs. Renaming   Backups can be made by copying or renaming. 
Auto-Saving: Protection Against Disasters
14.5.1 Auto-Save Files  
14.5.2 Controlling Auto-Saving  
14.5.3 Recovering Data from Auto-Saves   Recovering text from auto-save files. 
Version Control
14.6.1 Concepts of Version Control   Basic version control information; checking files in and out.
14.6.2 Editing with Version Control   Commands for editing a file maintained with version control.
14.6.3 Variables Affecting Check-in and Check-out   Variables that affect the commands used to check files in or out.
14.6.4 Log Entries   Logging your changes.
14.6.5 Change Logs and VC   Generating a change log file from log entries.
14.6.6 Examining And Comparing Old Versions   Examining and comparing old versions.
14.6.7 VC Status Commands   Commands to view the VC status of files and look at log entries.
14.6.8 Renaming VC Work Files and Master Files   A command to rename both the source and master file correctly.
14.6.9 Snapshots   How to make and use snapshots, a set of file versions that can be treated as a unit.
14.6.10 Inserting Version Control Headers   Inserting version control headers into working files. 
Snapshots
14.6.9.1 Making and Using Snapshots   The snapshot facilities.
14.6.9.2 Snapshot Caveats   Things to be careful of when using snapshots. 
Dired, the Directory Editor
14.9.1 Entering Dired   How to invoke Dired.
14.9.2 Editing in Dired   Editing the Dired buffer.
14.9.3 Deleting Files With Dired   Deleting files with Dired.
14.9.4 Immediate File Operations in Dired   Other file operations through Dired. 
Using Multiple Buffers
15.1 Creating and Selecting Buffers   Creating a new buffer or reselecting an old one.
15.2 Listing Existing Buffers   Getting a list of buffers that exist.
15.3 Miscellaneous Buffer Operations   Renaming; changing read-onliness; copying text.
15.4 Killing Buffers   Killing buffers you no longer need.
15.5 Operating on Several Buffers   How to go through the list of all buffers and operate variously on several of them. 
Multiple Windows
16.1 Concepts of Emacs Windows   Introduction to XEmacs windows.
16.2 Splitting Windows   New windows are made by splitting existing windows.
16.3 Using Other Windows   Moving to another window or doing something to it.
16.4 Displaying in Another Window   Finding a file or buffer in another window.
16.5 Deleting and Rearranging Windows   Deleting windows and changing their sizes. 
Major Modes
18.1 Choosing Major Modes   How major modes are specified or chosen. 
Indentation
19.1 Indentation Commands and Techniques   Various commands and techniques for indentation.
19.2 Tab Stops   You can set arbitrary "tab stops" and then indent to the next tab stop when you want to.
19.3 Tabs vs. Spaces   You can request indentation using just spaces. 
Commands for Human Languages
20.1 Text Mode   The major modes for editing text files.
20.1.1 Nroff Mode   The major mode for editing input to the formatter nroff.
20.1.2 TeX Mode   The major modes for editing input to the formatter TeX.
20.1.3 Outline Mode   The major mode for editing outlines.
20.2 Words   Moving over and killing words.
20.3 Sentences   Moving over and killing sentences.
20.4 Paragraphs   Moving over paragraphs.
20.5 Pages   Moving over pages.
20.6 Filling Text   Filling or justifying text
20.7 Case Conversion Commands   Changing the case of text 
TeX Mode
20.1.2.1 TeX Editing Commands   Special commands for editing in TeX mode.
20.1.2.2 TeX Printing Commands   Commands for printing part of a file with TeX. 
Outline Mode
20.1.3.1 Format of Outlines   What the text of an outline looks like.
20.1.3.2 Outline Motion Commands   Special commands for moving through outlines.
20.1.3.3 Outline Visibility Commands   Commands to control what is visible. 
Filling Text
20.6.1 Auto Fill Mode   Auto Fill mode breaks long lines automatically.
20.6.2 Explicit Fill Commands   Commands to refill paragraphs and center lines.
20.6.3 The Fill Prefix   Filling when every line is indented or in a comment, etc. 
Editing Programs
21.1 Major Modes for Programming Languages   Major modes for editing programs.
21.2 Lists and Sexps   Expressions with balanced parentheses. There are editing commands to operate on them.
21.3 Defuns   Each program is made up of separate functions. There are editing commands to operate on them.
21.4 Indentation for Programs   Adjusting indentation to show the nesting.
21.5 Automatic Display of Matching Parentheses   Insertion of a close-delimiter flashes matching open.
21.6 Manipulating Comments   Inserting, filling and aligning comments.
21.7 Editing Without Unbalanced Parentheses   Inserting two matching parentheses at once, etc.
21.8 Completion for Lisp Symbols   Completion on symbol names in Lisp code.
21.9 Documentation Commands   Getting documentation of functions you plan to call.
21.10 Change Logs   Maintaining a change history for your program.
21.11 Tags Tables   Go directly to any function in your program in one command. Tags remembers which file it is in.
21.12 Fortran Mode   Fortran mode and its special features.
21.13 Asm Mode   Asm mode and its special features. 
Indentation for Programs
21.4.1 Basic Program Indentation Commands  
21.4.2 Indenting Several Lines   Commands to reindent many lines at once.
21.4.3 Customizing Lisp Indentation   Specifying how each Lisp function should be indented.
21.4.4 Customizing C Indentation   Choosing an indentation style for C code. 
Tags Tables
21.11.1 Source File Tag Syntax   Tag syntax for various types of code and text files.
21.11.2 Creating Tags Tables   Creating a tags table with etags.
21.11.4 Selecting a Tags Table   How to visit a tags table.
21.11.5 Finding a Tag   Commands to find the definition of a specific tag.
21.11.6 Searching and Replacing with Tags Tables   Using a tags table for searching and replacing.
21.11.7 Tags Table Inquiries   Listing and finding tags defined in a file. 
Fortran Mode
21.12.1 Motion Commands   Moving point by statements or subprograms.
21.12.2 Fortran Indentation   Indentation commands for Fortran.
21.12.3 Comments   Inserting and aligning comments.
21.12.4 Columns   Measuring columns for valid Fortran.
21.12.5 Fortran Keyword Abbrevs   Built-in abbrevs for Fortran keywords. 
Fortran Indentation
21.12.2.1 Fortran Indentation Commands   Commands for indenting Fortran.
21.12.2.2 Line Numbers and Continuation   How line numbers auto-indent.
21.12.2.3 Syntactic Conventions   Conventions you must obey to avoid trouble.
21.12.2.4 Variables for Fortran Indentation   Variables controlling Fortran indent style. 
Compiling and Testing Programs
22.1 Running “make”, or Compilers Generally   Compiling programs in languages other than Lisp (C, Pascal, etc.)
22.2 Major Modes for Lisp   Various modes for editing Lisp programs, with different facilities for running the Lisp programs.
22.3 Libraries of Lisp Code for Emacs   Creating Lisp programs to run in XEmacs.
22.4 Evaluating Emacs-Lisp Expressions   Executing a single Lisp expression in XEmacs.
22.5 The Emacs-Lisp Debugger   Debugging Lisp programs running in XEmacs.
22.6 Lisp Interaction Buffers   Executing Lisp in an XEmacs buffer.
22.7 Running an External Lisp   Communicating through XEmacs with a separate Lisp. 
Lisp Libraries
22.3.1 Loading Libraries   Loading libraries of Lisp code into XEmacs for use.
22.3.2 Compiling Libraries   Compiling a library makes it load and run faster.
22.3.3 Converting Mocklisp to Lisp   Converting Mocklisp to Lisp so XEmacs can run it. 
Abbrevs
23.1 Defining Abbrevs   Defining an abbrev, so it will expand when typed.
23.2 Controlling Abbrev Expansion   Controlling expansion: prefixes, canceling expansion.
23.3 Examining and Editing Abbrevs   Viewing or editing the entire list of defined abbrevs.
23.4 Saving Abbrevs   Saving the entire list of abbrevs for another session.
23.5 Dynamic Abbrev Expansion   Abbreviations for words already in the buffer. 
Editing Pictures
24.1 Basic Editing in Picture Mode   Basic concepts and simple commands of Picture Mode.
24.2 Controlling Motion After Insert   Controlling direction of cursor motion after "self-inserting" characters.
24.3 Picture Mode Tabs   Various features for tab stops and indentation.
24.4 Picture Mode Rectangle Commands   Clearing and superimposing rectangles. 
Sending Mail
25.1 The Format of the Mail Buffer   Format of the mail being composed.
25.2 Mail Header Fields   Details of allowed mail header fields.
25.3 Mail Mode   Special commands for editing mail being composed. 
Running Shell Commands from XEmacs
26.7.1 Single Shell Commands   How to run one shell command and return.
26.7.2 Interactive Inferior Shell   Permanent shell taking input via XEmacs.
26.7.3 Shell Mode   Special XEmacs commands used with permanent shell. 
Customization
27.1 Minor Modes   Each minor mode is one feature you can turn on independently of any others.
27.2 Variables   Many XEmacs commands examine XEmacs variables to decide what to do; by setting variables, you can control their functioning.
27.3 Keyboard Macros   A keyboard macro records a sequence of keystrokes to be replayed with a single command.
27.4 Customizing Key Bindings   The keymaps say what command each key runs. By changing them, you can "redefine keys".
27.5 The Syntax Table   The syntax table controls how words and expressions are parsed.
27.6 The Init File   How to write common customizations in the init file.
27.7 Changing the Bell Sound   Changing how XEmacs sounds the bell.
27.8 Faces   Changing the fonts and colors of a region of text.
27.10 X Resources   X resources controlling various aspects of the behavior of XEmacs. 
Variables
27.2.1 Examining and Setting Variables   Examining or setting one variable’s value.
27.2.2 Easy Customization Interface   Convenient and easy customization of variables.
27.2.3 Editing Variable Values   Examining or editing list of all variables’ values.
27.2.4 Local Variables   Per-buffer values of variables.
27.2.5 Local Variables in Files   How files can specify variable values. 
Keyboard Macros
27.3.1 Basic Use   Defining and running keyboard macros.
27.3.2 Naming and Saving Keyboard Macros   Giving keyboard macros names; saving them in files.
27.3.3 Executing Macros With Variations   Keyboard macros that do different things each use. 
Customizing Key Bindings
27.4.1 Keymaps   Definition of the keymap data structure. Names of XEmacs’s standard keymaps.
27.4.2 Changing Key Bindings   How to redefine one key’s meaning conveniently.
27.4.3 Disabling Commands   Disabling a command means confirmation is required before it can be executed. This is done to protect beginners from surprises. 
The Syntax Table
27.5.1 Information About Each Character   What the syntax table records for each character.
27.5.2 Altering Syntax Information   How to change the information. 
The Init File
27.6.1 Init File Syntax   Syntax of constants in Emacs Lisp.
27.6.2 Init File Examples   How to do some things with an init file.
27.6.3 Terminal-Specific Initialization   Each terminal type can have an init file. 
Dealing with XEmacs Trouble
27.12.1 Recursive Editing Levels   ‘[...]’ in mode line around the parentheses.
27.12.2 Garbage on the Screen   Garbage on the screen.
27.12.3 Garbage in the Text   Garbage in the text.
27.12.4 Spontaneous Entry to Incremental Search   Spontaneous entry to incremental search.
27.12.5 Emergency Escape   Emergency escape— What to do if XEmacs stops responding.
27.12.6 Help for Total Frustration   When you are at your wits’ end. 








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