1.4 The Mode Line

When you enter SXEmacs, each text window's last line is a mode line which describes what is going on in that window. Normally, the mode line looks like :

     

     --ch-SXEmacs: buf     (major minor)----pos------
     

This gives information about the buffer being displayed in the window: the buffer's name, what major and minor modes are in use, whether the buffer's text has been changed, and how far down the buffer you are currently looking.

The ch contains :

‘**’

if the text in the buffer has been edited

‘--’

if the text in the buffer has not been edited

‘%%’

if the buffer is a read-only-buffer i.e. it cannot be edited

buf is the name of the window's chosen buffer. If you are editing a file (which is the selected buffer), the file name appears in buf. See Buffers.

pos contains :

‘All’

if your entire file is visible on the screen.

‘Top’

if you are looking at the beginning of the file.

‘Bot’

if you are looking at the end of the file.

‘nn%’

nn will be a number corresponding to the percentage of the file above the top of the screen, for example ‘52’, which means that 52% of the file is above the top of the screen.

major is the name of the major mode in effect in the buffer. At any time, each buffer is in one and only one major mode. The available major modes include Fundamental mode (the least specialized), Text mode, Lisp mode, and C mode. See Major Modes, for details on how the modes differ and how you select one.

minor is a list of some of the minor modes that are turned on in the window's chosen buffer. For example, ‘Fill’ means that Auto Fill mode is on which means that lines are broken automatically when they become too wide. See Minor Modes, for more information on various minor modes and how to enable them.

You can also display time in the mode line. See The Mode Line, for more information regarding the mode line.