2.4 SXEmacs Pull-down Menus
If you are running SXEmacs under X, a menu bar on top of the
Emacs frame provides access to pull-down menus of file, edit, and
help-related commands. The menus provide convenient shortcuts and an
easy interface for novice users. They do not provide additions to the
functionality available via key commands; you can still invoke commands
from the keyboard as in previous versions of Emacs.
- File
- Perform file and buffer-related operations, such as opening and closing
files, saving and printing buffers, as well as exiting Emacs.
- Edit
- Perform standard editing operations, such as
cutting, copying, pasting, and killing selected text.
- Apps
- Access to sub-applications implemented within SXEmacs, such as the mail
reader, the World Wide Web browser, the spell-checker, and the calendar
program.
- Options
- Control various options regarding the way SXEmacs works, such as controlling
which elements of the frame are visible, selecting the fonts to be used for
text, specifying whether searches are case-sensitive, etc.
- Buffers
- Present a menu of buffers for selection as well as the option to display
a buffer list.
- Tools
- Perform various actions designed to automate software development and
similar technical work, such as searching through many files, compiling
a program, and comparing or merging two or three files.
- Help
- Access to Emacs Info.
There are two ways of selecting an item from a pull-down menu:
- Select an item in the menu bar by moving the cursor over it and click the
left mouse-button. Then move the cursor over the menu item you want to choose
and click left again.
- Select an item in the menu bar by moving the cursor over it and click and
hold the left mouse-button. With the mouse-button depressed, move the
cursor over the menu item you want, then release it to make your selection.
If a command in the pull-down menu is not applicable in a given
situation, the command is disabled and its name appears faded. You
cannot invoke items that are faded. For example, many commands on the
Edit menu appear faded until you select text on which they are to
operate; after you select a block of text, edit commands are enabled.
See Mouse Selection, for information on using the mouse to select
text. See Using X Selections, for related information.
There are also M-x equivalents for each menu item. To find the
equivalent for any left-button menu item, do the following:
- Type C-h k to get the
Describe Key prompt.
- Select the menu item and click.
Emacs displays the function associated with the menu item in a separate
window, usually together with some documentation.