SXEmacs User's Manual

The SXEmacs Editor

SXEmacs 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:

steve@sxemacs.org–2008/sxemacs–main–22.1.10–version-0

Although, it hasn't had a complete rewrite for quite some time.

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

• License: The GNU General Public License gives you permission to redistribute SXEmacs on certain terms; and also explains that there is no warranty.
• Distrib: How to get SXEmacs.
• Intro: An introduction to SXEmacs concepts.
• Glossary: The glossary.

Indices, nodes containing large menus

• Key Index: An item for each standard SXEmacs key sequence.
• Command 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

• Frame: How to interpret what you see on the screen.
• Keystrokes: Keyboard gestures SXEmacs recognizes.
• Pull-down Menus The SXEmacs Pull-down Menus available under X.
• Entering Emacs Starting Emacs from the shell.
• Exiting: Stopping or killing SXEmacs.
• Command Switches Hairy startup options.
• Startup Paths How SXEmacs finds Directories and Files.
• Packages: How SXEmacs organizes its high-level functionality.

Fundamental Editing Commands

• Basic: The most basic editing commands.
• Undo: Undoing recently made changes in the text.
• Minibuffer: Entering arguments that are prompted for.
• M-x: Invoking commands by their names.
• Help: Commands for asking SXEmacs about its commands.

Important Text-Changing Commands

• Mark: The mark: how to delimit a ``region'' of text.
• Mouse Selection Selecting text with the mouse.
• Additional Mouse Operations Other operations available from the mouse.
• Killing: Killing text.
• Yanking: Recovering killed text. Moving text.
• Using X Selections Using primary selection, cut buffers, and highlighted regions.
• Accumulating Text Other ways of copying text.
• Rectangles: Operating on the text inside a rectangle on the screen.
• Registers: Saving a text string or a location in the buffer.
• Display: Controlling what text is displayed.
• Search: Finding or replacing occurrences of a string.
• Fixit: Commands especially useful for fixing typos.

Larger Units of Text

• Files: All about handling files.
• Buffers: Multiple buffers; editing several files at once.
• Windows: Viewing two pieces of text at once.
• Mule: Using world scripts.

Advanced Features

• Major Modes: Text mode vs. Lisp mode vs. C mode ...
• Indentation: Editing the white space at the beginnings of lines.
• Text: Commands and modes for editing English.
• Programs: Commands and modes for editing programs.
• Running: Compiling, running and debugging programs.
• Abbrevs: How to define text abbreviations to reduce the number of characters you must type.
• Picture: Editing pictures made up of characters using the quarter-plane screen model.
• Sending Mail: Sending mail in SXEmacs.
• Reading Mail: Reading mail in SXEmacs.
• Calendar/Diary: A Calendar and diary facility in SXEmacs.
• Sorting: Sorting lines, paragraphs or pages within SXEmacs.
• Shell: Executing shell commands from SXEmacs.
• Narrowing: Restricting display and editing to a portion of the buffer.
• Hardcopy: Printing buffers or regions.
• Recursive Edit A command can allow you to do editing "within the command". This is called a `recursive editing level'.
• Dissociated Press: Dissociating text for fun.
• CONX: A different kind of dissociation.
• Amusements: Various games and hacks.
• Emulation: Emulating some other editors with SXEmacs.
• Customization: Modifying the behavior of SXEmacs.

Recovery from Problems.

• Quitting: Quitting and aborting.
• Lossage: What to do if SXEmacs is hung or malfunctioning.
• 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

• Point: The place in the text where editing commands operate.
• Echo Area: Short messages appear at the bottom of the frame.
• Mode Line: Interpreting the mode line.
• SXEmacs under X: Some information on using SXEmacs under the X Window System.

Keystrokes

• Intro to Keystrokes: Keystrokes as building blocks of key sequences.
• Representing Keystrokes: Using lists of modifiers and keysyms to represent keystrokes.
• Key Sequences: Combine key strokes into key sequences you can bind to commands.
• String Key Sequences: Available for upward compatibility.
• Meta Key: Using <ESC> to represent <Meta>
• Super and Hyper Keys: Adding modifier keys on certain keyboards.
• Character Representation: How characters appear in SXEmacs buffers.
• Commands: How commands are bound to key sequences.

Pull-down Menus

• File Menu: Items on the File menu.
• Edit Menu: Items on the Edit menu.
• Apps Menu: Items on the Apps menu.
• Options Menu: Items on the Options menu.
• Buffers Menu: Information about the Buffers menu.
• Tools Menu: Items on the Tools menu.
• Help Menu: Items on the Help menu.
• Menu Customization: Adding and removing menu items and related operations.

Packages

• Packages: Introduction to SXEmacs Packages.
• Package Terminology: Understanding different kinds of packages.
• Installing Packages: How to install packages.
• Building Packages: Building packages from sources.
• Local.rules File: An important part of building packages.
• Available Packages: A brief directory of packaged LISP.

Basic Editing Commands

• Blank Lines: Commands to make or delete blank lines.
• Continuation Lines: Lines too wide for the frame.
• Position Info: What page, line, row, or column is point on?
• Arguments: Numeric arguments for repeating a command.

The Minibuffer

• File: Entering file names with the minibuffer.
• Edit: How to edit in the minibuffer.
• Completion: An abbreviation facility for minibuffer input.
• Repetition: Re-executing commands that used the minibuffer.

The Mark and the Region

• Setting Mark: Commands to set the mark.
• Using Region: Summary of ways to operate on contents of the region.
• Marking Objects: Commands to put region around textual units.
• Mark Ring: Previous mark positions saved so you can go back there.

Yanking

• Kill Ring: Where killed text is stored. Basic yanking.
• Appending Kills: Several kills in a row all yank together.
• Earlier Kills: Yanking something killed some time ago.

Using X Selections

• X Clipboard Selection: Pasting to the X clipboard.
• X Selection Commands: Other operations on the selection.
• X Cut Buffers: X cut buffers are available for compatibility.
• Active Regions: Using zmacs-style highlighting of the selected region.

Registers

• Position: Saving positions in registers.
• Text: Saving text in registers.
• Rectangle: Saving rectangles in registers.
• Configurations: Saving window configurations in registers.
• Files: File names in registers.
• Numbers: Numbers in registers.
• Bookmarks: Bookmarks are like registers, but persistent.

Controlling the Display

• Scrolling: Moving text up and down in a window.
• Horizontal Scrolling: Moving text left and right in a window.
• Selective Display: Hiding lines with lots of indentation.
• Display Vars: Information on variables for customizing display.

Searching and Replacement

• Incremental Search: Search happens as you type the string.
• Non-Incremental Search: Specify entire string and then search.
• Word Search: Search for sequence of words.
• Regexp Search: Search for match for a regexp.
• Regexps: Syntax of regular expressions.
• Search Case: To ignore case while searching, or not.
• Replace: Search, and replace some or all matches.
• Other Repeating Search: Operating on all matches for some regexp.

Replacement Commands

• Unconditional Replace: Replacing all matches for a string.
• Regexp Replace: Replacing all matches for a regexp.
• Replacement and Case: How replacements preserve case of letters.
• Query Replace: How to use querying.

Commands for Fixing Typos

• Kill Errors: Commands to kill a batch of recently entered text.
• Transpose: Exchanging two characters, words, lines, lists...
• Fixing Case: Correcting case of last word entered.
• Spelling: Apply spelling checker to a word, or a whole file.

File Handling

• File Names: How to type and edit file name arguments.
• Visiting: Visiting a file prepares SXEmacs to edit the file.
• Saving: Saving makes your changes permanent.
• Reverting: Reverting cancels all the changes not saved.
• Auto Save: Auto Save periodically protects against loss of data.
• Version Control: Version control systems (RCS and SCCS).
• ListDir: Listing the contents of a file directory.
• Comparing Files: Finding where two files differ.
• Dired: ``Editing'' a directory to delete, rename, etc. the files in it.
• Misc File Ops: Other things you can do on files.

Saving Files

• Backup: How SXEmacs saves the old version of your file.
• Interlocking: How SXEmacs protects against simultaneous editing of one file by two users.

Backup Files

• Names: How backup files are named; Choosing single or numbered backup files.
• Deletion: SXEmacs deletes excess numbered backups.
• Copying: Backups can be made by copying or renaming.

Auto-Saving: Protection Against Disasters

• Files
• Control
• Recover: Recovering text from auto-save files.

Version Control

• Concepts of VC: Basic version control information; checking files in and out.
• Editing with VC: Commands for editing a file maintained with version control.
• Variables for Check-in/out: Variables that affect the commands used to check files in or out.
• Log Entries: Logging your changes.
• Change Logs and VC: Generating a change log file from log entries.
• Old Versions: Examining and comparing old versions.
• VC Status: Commands to view the VC status of files and look at log entries.
• Renaming and VC: A command to rename both the source and master file correctly.
• Snapshots: How to make and use snapshots, a set of file versions that can be treated as a unit.
• Version Headers: Inserting version control headers into working files.

Snapshots

• Making Snapshots: The snapshot facilities.
• Snapshot Caveats: Things to be careful of when using snapshots.

Dired, the Directory Editor

• Enter: How to invoke Dired.
• Edit: Editing the Dired buffer.
• Deletion: Deleting files with Dired.
• Immed: Other file operations through Dired.

Using Multiple Buffers

• Select Buffer: Creating a new buffer or reselecting an old one.
• List Buffers: Getting a list of buffers that exist.
• Misc Buffer: Renaming; changing read-onliness; copying text.
• Kill Buffer: Killing buffers you no longer need.
• Several Buffers: How to go through the list of all buffers and operate variously on several of them.

Multiple Windows

• Basic Window: Introduction to SXEmacs windows.
• Split Window: New windows are made by splitting existing windows.
• Other Window: Moving to another window or doing something to it.
• Pop Up Window: Finding a file or buffer in another window.
• Change Window: Deleting windows and changing their sizes.

Major Modes

• Choosing Modes: How major modes are specified or chosen.

Indentation

• Indentation Commands: Various commands and techniques for indentation.
• Tab Stops: You can set arbitrary "tab stops" and then indent to the next tab stop when you want to.
• Just Spaces: You can request indentation using just spaces.

Commands for Human Languages

• Text Mode: The major modes for editing text files.
• Nroff Mode: The major mode for editing input to the formatter nroff.
• TeX Mode: The major modes for editing input to the formatter TeX.
• Outline Mode: The major mode for editing outlines.
• Words: Moving over and killing words.
• Sentences: Moving over and killing sentences.
• Paragraphs: Moving over paragraphs.
• Pages: Moving over pages.
• Filling: Filling or justifying text
• Case: Changing the case of text

TeX Mode

• Editing: Special commands for editing in TeX mode.
• Printing: Commands for printing part of a file with TeX.

Outline Mode

• Format: What the text of an outline looks like.
• Motion: Special commands for moving through outlines.
• Visibility: Commands to control what is visible.

Filling Text

• Auto Fill: Auto Fill mode breaks long lines automatically.
• Fill Commands: Commands to refill paragraphs and center lines.
• Fill Prefix: Filling when every line is indented or in a comment, etc.

Editing Programs

• Program Modes: Major modes for editing programs.
• Lists: Expressions with balanced parentheses. There are editing commands to operate on them.
• Defuns: Each program is made up of separate functions. There are editing commands to operate on them.
• Grinding: Adjusting indentation to show the nesting.
• Matching: Insertion of a close-delimiter flashes matching open.
• Comments: Inserting, filling and aligning comments.
• Balanced Editing: Inserting two matching parentheses at once, etc.
• Lisp Completion: Completion on symbol names in Lisp code.
• Documentation: Getting documentation of functions you plan to call.
• Change Log: Maintaining a change history for your program.
• Tags: Go directly to any function in your program in one command. Tags remembers which file it is in.
• CC Mode: Modes for C, C++, Java and similar languages
• Fortran: Fortran mode and its special features.
• Asm Mode: Asm mode and its special features.

Indentation for Programs

• Basic Indent
• Multi-line Indent: Commands to reindent many lines at once.
• Lisp Indent: Specifying how each Lisp function should be indented.

Tags Tables

• Tag Syntax: Tag syntax for various types of code and text files.
• Create Tags Table: Creating a tags table with etags.
• Select Tags Table: How to visit a tags table.
• Find Tag: Commands to find the definition of a specific tag.
• Tags Search: Using a tags table for searching and replacing.
• List Tags: Listing and finding tags defined in a file.

Fortran Mode

• Motion: Moving point by statements or subprograms.
• Indent: Indentation commands for Fortran.
• Comments: Inserting and aligning comments.
• Columns: Measuring columns for valid Fortran.
• Abbrev: Built-in abbrevs for Fortran keywords.

Fortran Indentation

• Commands: Commands for indenting Fortran.
• Numbers: How line numbers auto-indent.
• Conv: Conventions you must obey to avoid trouble.
• Vars: Variables controlling Fortran indent style.

Compiling and Testing Programs

• Compilation: Compiling programs in languages other than Lisp (C, Pascal, etc.)
• Modes: Various modes for editing Lisp programs, with different facilities for running the Lisp programs.
• Libraries: Creating Lisp programs to run in SXEmacs.
• Eval: Executing a single Lisp expression in SXEmacs.
• Debug: Debugging Lisp programs running in SXEmacs.
• Interaction: Executing Lisp in an SXEmacs buffer.
• External Lisp: Communicating through SXEmacs with a separate Lisp.

Lisp Libraries

• Loading: Loading libraries of Lisp code into SXEmacs for use.
• Compiling Libraries: Compiling a library makes it load and run faster.
• Mocklisp: Converting Mocklisp to Lisp so SXEmacs can run it.

Abbrevs

• Defining Abbrevs: Defining an abbrev, so it will expand when typed.
• Expanding Abbrevs: Controlling expansion: prefixes, canceling expansion.
• Editing Abbrevs: Viewing or editing the entire list of defined abbrevs.
• Saving Abbrevs: Saving the entire list of abbrevs for another session.
• Dynamic Abbrevs: Abbreviations for words already in the buffer.

Editing Pictures

• Basic Picture: Basic concepts and simple commands of Picture Mode.
• Insert in Picture: Controlling direction of cursor motion after "self-inserting" characters.
• Tabs in Picture: Various features for tab stops and indentation.
• Rectangles in Picture: Clearing and superimposing rectangles.

Sending Mail

• Format: Format of the mail being composed.
• Headers: Details of allowed mail header fields.
• Mode: Special commands for editing mail being composed.

Running Shell Commands from SXEmacs

• Single Shell: How to run one shell command and return.
• Interactive Shell: Permanent shell taking input via SXEmacs.
• Shell Mode: Special SXEmacs commands used with permanent shell.

Customization

• Minor Modes: Each minor mode is one feature you can turn on independently of any others.
• Variables: Many SXEmacs commands examine SXEmacs variables to decide what to do; by setting variables, you can control their functioning.
• Keyboard Macros: A keyboard macro records a sequence of keystrokes to be replayed with a single command.
• Key Bindings: The keymaps say what command each key runs. By changing them, you can "redefine keys".
• Syntax: The syntax table controls how words and expressions are parsed.
• Init File: How to write common customizations in the init file.
• Audible Bell: Changing how SXEmacs sounds the bell.
• Faces: Changing the fonts and colors of a region of text.
• X Resources: X resources controlling various aspects of the behavior of SXEmacs.

Variables

• Examining: Examining or setting one variable's value.
• Easy Customization: Convenient and easy customization of variables.
• Edit Options: Examining or editing list of all variables' values.
• Locals: Per-buffer values of variables.
• File Variables: How files can specify variable values.

Keyboard Macros

• Basic Kbd Macro: Defining and running keyboard macros.
• Save Kbd Macro: Giving keyboard macros names; saving them in files.
• Kbd Macro Query: Keyboard macros that do different things each use.

Customizing Key Bindings

• Keymaps: Definition of the keymap data structure. Names of SXEmacs's standard keymaps.
• Rebinding: How to redefine one key's meaning conveniently.
• Disabling: Disabling a command means confirmation is required before it can be executed. This is done to protect beginners from surprises.

The Syntax Table

• Entry: What the syntax table records for each character.
• Change: How to change the information.

The Init File

• Init Syntax: Syntax of constants in Emacs Lisp.
• Init Examples: How to do some things with an init file.
• Terminal Init: Each terminal type can have an init file.

Dealing with SXEmacs Trouble

• Stuck Recursive: `[...]' in mode line around the parentheses.
• Screen Garbled: Garbage on the screen.
• Text Garbled: Garbage in the text.
• Unasked-for Search: Spontaneous entry to incremental search.
• Emergency Escape: Emergency escape--- What to do if SXEmacs stops responding.
• Total Frustration: When you are at your wits' end.