2.4.4 The Options Menu

The Options pull-down menu contains the Read Only, Case Sensitive Search, Overstrike, Auto Delete Selection, Teach Extended Commands, Syntax Highlighting, Paren Highlighting, Font, Size, Weight, Buffers Menu Length..., Buffers Sub-Menus and Save Options menu items. When you select a menu item, Emacs executes the equivalent command. For some of the menu items, there are sub-menus which you will need to select.

Read Only

Selecting this item will cause the buffer to visit the file in a read-only mode. Changes to the file will not be allowed. This is equivalent to the Emacs command toggle-read-only (C-x C-q).

Case Sensitive Search

Selecting this item will cause searches to be case-sensitive. If its not selected then searches will ignore case. This option is local to the buffer.

Overstrike

After selecting this item, when you type letters they will replace existing text on a one-to-one basis, rather than pushing it to the right. At the end of a line, such characters extend the line. Before a tab, such characters insert until the tab is filled in. This is the same as Emacs command quoted-insert (C-q).

Auto Delete Selection

Selecting this item will cause automatic deletion of the selected region. The typed text will replace the selection if the selection is active (i.e. if its highlighted). If the option is not selected then the typed text is just inserted at the point.

Teach Extended Commands

After you select this item, any time you execute a command with M-xwhich has a shorter keybinding, you will be shown the alternate binding before the command executes.

Syntax Highlighting

You can customize your init file to include the font-lock mode so that when you select this item, the comments will be displayed in one face, strings in another, reserved words in another, and so on. See Init File. When Fonts is selected, different parts of the program will appear in different Fonts. When Colors is selected, then the program will be displayed in different colors. Selecting None causes the program to appear in just one Font and Color. Selecting Less resets the Fonts and Colors to a fast, minimal set of decorations. Selecting More resets the Fonts and Colors to a larger set of decorations. For example, if Less is selected (which is the default setting) then you might have all comments in green color. Whereas, if More is selected then a function name in the comments themselves might appear in a different Color or Font.

Paren Highlighting

After selecting Blink from this item, if you place the cursor on a parenthesis, the matching parenthesis will blink. If you select Highlight and place the cursor on a parenthesis, the whole expression of the parenthesis under the cursor will be highlighted. Selecting None will turn off the options (regarding Paren Highlighting) which you had selected earlier.

Font

You can select any Font for your program by choosing from one of the available Fonts.

Size

You can select any size ranging from 2 to 24 by selecting the appropriate option.

Weight

You can choose either Bold or Medium for the weight.

Buffers Menu Length...

Prompts you for the number of buffers to display. Then it will display that number of most recently selected buffers.

Buffers Sub-Menus

After selection of this item the Buffers menu will contain several commands, as submenus of each buffer line. If this item is unselected, then there are no submenus for each buffer line, the only command available will be selecting that buffer.

Save Options

Selecting this item will save the current settings of your Options menu to your init file. See Init File.