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MicroEMACS
Full Screen Text Editor
Reference Manual
Version 3.10
March 19, 1989
(C)opyright 1988, 1989 by Daniel M. Lawrence
Reference Manual (C)opyright 1988, 1989
by Brian Straight and Daniel M.
Lawrence
All Rights Reserved
MicroEMACS 3.10 can be copied and
distributed freely
for any non-commercial purposes. MicroEMACS
3.10 can
only be incorporated into commercial
software with
the permission of the current author.
Introduction
MicroEMACS is a tool for creating and changing
documents, programs, and other text files. It is both
relatively easy for the novice to use, but also very
powerful in the hands of an expert. MicroEMACS can be
extensively customized for the needs of the individual user.
MicroEMACS allows several files to be edited at the
same time. The screen can be split into different windows,
and text may be moved freely from one window to the next.
Depending on the type of file being edited, MicroEMACS can
change how it behaves to make editing simple. Editing
standard text files, program files and word processing
documents are all possible at the same time.
There are extensive capabilities to make word
processing and editing easier. These include commands for
string searching and replacing, paragraph reformatting and
deleting, automatic word wrapping, word move and deletes,
easy case controlling, and automatic word counts.
For complex and repetitive editing tasks editing
macroes can be written. These macroes allow the user a
great degree of flexibility in determining how MicroEMACS
behaves. Also, any and all the commands can be used by any
keystroke by changing, or rebinding, what commands various
keys invoke.
Special features are also available to perform a
diverse set of operations such as file encryption, automatic
backup file generation, entabbing and detabbing lines,
executing operating system commands and filtering of text
through other programs (like SORT to allow sorting text).
History
EMACS was originally a text editor written by
Richard Stallman at MIT in the early 1970s for Digital
Equipment computers. Various versions, rewrites and clones
have made an appearance since.
This version of MicroEMACS is derived from code
written by Dave G. Conroy in 1985. Later modifications were
performed by Steve Wilhite and George Jones. In December of
1985 Daniel Lawrence picked up the then current source
(version 2.0) and made extensive modifications and additions
to it over the course of the next three years. Updates and
support for the current version are still available.
Commercial support and usage licences are also available.
The current program author can be contacted by writing to:
USMAIL: Daniel Lawrence
617 New York St
Lafayette, IN 47901
UUCP: pur-ee!pur-phy!j.cc.purdue.edu!nwd
ARPA: nwd@j.cc.purdue.edu
FIDO: Opus 201/10 The Programmer's Room (317) 742-5533
Credits
Many people have been involved in creating this
software and we wish to credit some of them here. Dave
Conroy, of course, wrote the very first version of
MicroEMACS, and it is a credit to his clean coding that so
much work was able to be done to expand it. John Gamble is
responsible for writing the MAGIC mode search routines, and
for maintaining all the search code. Dana Hoggatt supplied
the encryption routines for encrypt mode and continues to
answer really hard questions about MSDOS and UNIX. Jeff
Lomicka wrote the appendix on DEC VMS and has supplied a lot
of code to support VMS and the ATARI 1040ST versions. Curtis
Smith wrote the original VMS code and help support the
Commodore AMIGA. Also Lance Jones has done a lot of work on
the AMIGA code. Professor Suresh Konda at Purdue University
has put a lot of effort into writing complex macros and
finding all the bugs in the macro language before anyone
else does.
As to people sending source code and text
translations over computer networks like USENET and ARPA
net, there are simply more than can be listed here. [The
comments in the edit history in the main.c file mention each
and the piece they contributed]. All these people should be
thanked for the hard work they have put into MicroEMACS.
Daniel M. Lawrence
Basic Concepts MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Chapter 1
Basic Concepts
The current version of MicroEMACS is 3.10 (Third
major re-write, tenth public release), and for the rest of
this document, we shall simply refer to this version as
"EMACS". Any modifications for later versions will be in the
file README on the MicroEMACS distribution disk.
1.1 Keys and the Keyboard
Many times throughout this manual we will be talking
about commands and the keys on the keyboard needed to use
them. There are a number of "special" keys which can be
used and are listed here:
<NL> NewLine which is also called RETURN or ENTER,
this key is used to end different commands.
^ The control key can be used before any
alphabetic character and some symbols. For
example, ^C means to hold down the <CONTROL>
key and type the C key at the same time.
^X The CONTROL-X key is used at the beginning of
many different commands.
META or M- This is a special EMACS key used to begin many
commands as well. This key is pressed and then
released before typing the next character. On
most systems, this is the <ESC> key, but it
can be changed. (consult appendix E to learn
what key is used for META on your computer).
Whenever a command is described, the manual will
list the actual keystrokes needed to execute it in boldface
using the above conventions, and also the name of the
command in italics.
1
MicroEMACS Reference Manual Basic Concepts
1.2 Getting Started
In order to use EMACS, you must call it up from your
system or computer's command prompt. On UNIX and MSDOS
machines, just type "emacs" from the main command prompt and
follow it with the <RETURN> or <ENTER> key (we will refer to
this key as <NL> for "new-line" for the remainder of this
manual). On the Macintosh, the Amiga, the ATARI ST and
other icon based operating systems, double click on the
uEMACS icon. Shortly after this, a screen similar to the one
below should appear.
1.3 Parts and Pieces
The screen is divided into a number of areas or
windows. On some systems the top window contains a function
list of unshifted and shifted function keys. We will discuss
these keys later. Below them is an EMACS mode line which, as
we will see, informs you of the present mode of operation of
the editor--for example "(WRAP)" if you set EMACS to wrap at
the end of each line. Under the mode line is the text window
where text appears and is manipulated. Since each window
has its own mode line, below the text window is it's mode
line. The last line of the screen is the command line where
EMACS takes commands and reports on what it is doing.
===============================================================================
f1 search-> f2 <-search | MicroEMACS: Text Editor
f3 hunt-> f4 <-hunt |
f5 fkeys f6 help | Available function key Pages include:
f7 nxt wind f8 pg[ ] | WORD BOX EMACS PASCAL C
f9 save f10 exit | [use the f8 key to load Pages]
===============================================================================
MicroEMACS 3.10 () Function Keys
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
---- MicroEMACS 3.10 () -- Main
----------------------------------------------
===============================================================================
2
Basic Concepts MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Fig 1: EMACS screen on an IBM-PC
1.4 Entering Text
Entering text in EMACS is simple. Type the
following sentence fragment:
Fang Rock lighthouse, center of a series of
mysterious and
The text is displayed at the top of the text window. Now
type:
terrifying events at the turn of the century
Notice that some of your text has dissapeared off
the left side of the screen. Don't panic--your text is
safe!!! You've just discovered that EMACS doesn't "wrap"
text to the next line like most word processors unless you
hit <NL>. But since EMACS is used for both word processing,
and text editing, it has a bit of a dual personality. You
can change the way it works by setting various modes. In
this case, you need to set WRAP mode, using the add-mode
command, by typing ^XM. The command line at the base of the
screen will prompt you for the mode you wish to add. Type
wrap followed by the <NL> key and any text you now enter
will be wrapped. However, the command doesn't wrap text
already entered. To get rid of the long line, press and
hold down the <BACKSPACE> key until the line is gone. Now
type in the words you deleted, watch how EMACS goes down to
the next line at the right time. (In some versions of
EMACS, WRAP is a default mode in which case you don't have
to worry about the instructions relating to adding this
mode.)
Now let's type a longer insert. Hit <NL> a couple
of times to tab down from the text you just entered. Now
type the following paragraphs. Press <NL> twice to indicate
a paragraph break.
Fang Rock lighthouse, center of a series of
mysterious and terrifying events at the turn of
the century, is built on a rocky island a few
miles of the Channel coast. So small is the
island that wherever you stand its rocks are wet
with sea spray.
The lighthouse tower is in the center of the
island. A steep flight of steps leads to the
heavy door in its base. Winding stairs lead up to
the crew room.
3
MicroEMACS Reference Manual Basic Concepts
1.5 Basic cursor movement
Now let's practice moving around in this text.
To move the
cursor back
to the word "Winding," enter M-B previous-word.
This command moves the cursor
backwards by one
word at a time. Note you have to press the key combination
every time the cursor steps back by one word. Continuously
pressing META and toggling B produces an error message. To
move forward to the word "stairs" enter M-F next-word, which
moves the cursor forward by one word at a time.
Notice that EMACS commands are usually mnemonic--F
for forward, B for backward, for example.
To move the cursor up one line, enter ^P previous-
line, down one line ^N next-line. Practice this movement by
moving the cursor to the word "terrifying" in the second
line.
The cursor may also be moved forward or backward in
smaller increments. To move forward by one character, enter
^F forward-character, to move backward, ^B backward-
character. EMACS also allows you to specify a number which
is normally used to tell a command to execute many times.
To repeat most commands, press META and then the number
before you enter the command. Thus, the command META 5 ^F
(M-5^F) will move the cursor forward by five characters.
Try moving around in the text by using these commands. For
extra practice, see how close you can come to the word
"small" in the first paragraph by giving an argument to the
commands listed here.
Two other simple cursor commands that are useful to
help us move around in the text are M-N next-paragraph which
moves the cursor to the second paragraph, and M-P previous-
paragraph which moves it back to the previous paragraph.
The cursor may also be moved rapidly from one end of the
line to the other. Move the cursor to the word "few" in the
second line. Press ^A beginning-of-line. Notice the cursor
moves to the word "events" at the beginning of the line.
Pressing ^E end-of-line moves the cursor to the end of the
line.
Finally, the cursor may be moved from any point in
the file to the end or beginning of the file. Entering M->
end-of-file moves the cursor to the end of the buffer, M-<
beginning-of-file to the first character of the file.
On the IBM-PC, the ATARI ST and many other machines,
the cursor keys can also be used to move the cursor.
4
Basic Concepts MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Practice moving the cursor in the text until you are
comfortable with the commands we've explored in this
chapter.
1.6 Saving your text
When you've finished practicing cursor movement,
save your file. Your file currently resides in a BUFFER.
The buffer is a temporary storage area for your text, and is
lost when the computer is turned off. You can save the
buffer to a file by entering ^X^S save-file. Notice that
EMACS informs you that your file has no name and will not
let you save it.
To save your buffer to a file with a different name
than it's current one (which is empty), press ^X^W write-
file. EMACS will prompt you for the filename you wish to
write. Enter the name fang.txt and press return. On a
micro, the drive light will come on, and EMACS will inform
you it is writing the file. When it finishes, it will
inform you of the number of lines it has written to the
disk.
Congratulations!! You've just saved your first EMACS
file!
5
MicroEMACS Reference Manual Basic Concepts
Chapter 1 Summary
In chapter 1, you learned how to enter text, how to
use wrap mode, how to move the cursor, and to save a buffer.
The following is a table of the commands covered in this
chapter and their corresponding key bindings:
Key Binding Keystroke Effect
abort-command ^G aborts current command
add-mode ^XM allows addition of EMACS
mode such as WRAP
backward-character ^B moves cursor left one
character
beginning-of-file M-< moves cursor to beginning of
file
beginning-of-line ^A moves cursor to beginning of
line
end-of-file M-> moves cursor to end of file
end-of-line ^E moves cursor to end of line
forward-character ^F moves cursor right one
character
next-line ^N moves cursor to next line
next-paragraph M-N moves cursor to next paragraph
next-word M-F moves cursor forward one word
previous-line ^P moves cursor backward by one
line
previous-paragraph M-P moves cursor to previous
paragraph
previous-word M-B moves cursor backward by one
word
save-file ^X^S saves current buffer to a file
write-file ^X^W save current buffer under a
new name
6
Basic Editing--Simple Insertions and Deletions MicroEMACS
Reference Manual
Chapter 2
Basic Editing--Simple Insertions and Deletions
2.1 A Word About Windows, Buffers, Screens, and Modes
In the first chapter, you learned how to create and
save a file in EMACS. Let's do some more editing on this
file. Call up emacs by typing in the following command.
emacs fang.txt
On icon oriented systems, double click on the uEMACS
icon, usually a file dialog box of some sort will appear.
Choose FANG.TXT from the appropriate folder.
Shortly after you invoke EMACS, the text should
appear on the screen ready for you to edit. The text you are
looking at currently resides in a buffer. A buffer is a
temporary area of computer memory which is the primary unit
internal to EMACS -- this is the place where EMACS goes to
work. The mode line at the bottom of the screen lists the
buffer name, FANG.TXT and the name of the file with which
this buffer is associated, FANG.TXT
The computer talks to you through the use of its
screen. This screen usually has an area of 24 lines each of
80 characters across. You can use EMACS to subdivide the
screen into several separate work areas, or windows, each of
which can be 'looking into' different files or sections of
text. Using windows, you can work on several related texts
at one time, copying and moving blocks of text between
windows with ease. To keep track of what you are editing,
each window is identified by a mode line on the last line of
the window which lists the name of the buffer which it is
looking into, the file from which the text was read, and how
the text is being edited.
An EMACS mode tells EMACS how to deal with user
input. As we have already seen, the mode 'WRAP' controls
how EMACS deals with long lines (lines with over 79
characters) while the user is typing them in. The 'VIEW'
mode, allows you to read a file without modifying it. Modes
are associated with buffers and not with files; hence, a
mode needs to be explicitly set or removed every time you
7
MicroEMACS Reference Manual Basic Editing--Simple
Insertions and Deletions
edit a file. A new file read into a buffer with a
previously specified mode will be edited under this mode.
If you use specific modes frequently, EMACS allows you to
set the modes which are used by all new buffers, called
global modes.
2.2 Insertions
Your previously-saved text should look like this:
Fang Rock lighthouse, center of a series of
mysterious and terrifying events at the turn of
the century, is built on a rocky island a few
miles of the Channel coast. So small is the
island that wherever you stand its rocks are wet
with sea spray.
The lighthouse tower is in the center of the
island. A steep flight of steps leads to the
heavy door in its base. Winding stairs lead up to
the crew room.
Let's assume you want to add a sentence in the
second paragraph after the word "base." Move the cursor
until it is on the "W" of "Winding". Now type the following:
This gives entry to the lower floor where the big
steam generator throbs steadily away, providing
power for the electric lantern.
If the line fails to wrap and you end up with a '$'
sign in the right margin, just enter M-Q fill-paragraph to
reformat the paragraph. This new command attempts to fill
out a paragraph. Long lines are divided up, and words are
shuffled around to make the paragraph look nicer.
Notice that all visible EMACS characters are self-
inserting -- all you had to do was type the characters to
insert and the existing text made space for it. With a few
exceptions discussed later, all non-printing characters
(such as control or escape sequences) are commands. To
insert spaces, simply use the space bar. Now move to the
first line of the file and type ^O open-line (Oh, not zero).
You've just learned how to insert a blank line in your text.
2.3 Deletions
EMACS offers a number of deletion options. For
example, move the cursor until it's under the period at the
8
Basic Editing--Simple Insertions and Deletions MicroEMACS
Reference Manual
end of the insertion you just did. Press the backspace key.
Notice the "n" on "lantern" disappeared. The backspace
implemented on EMACS is called a destructive backspace--it
removes text immediately before the current cursor position
from the buffer. Now type ^H delete-previous-character.
Notice that the cursor moves back and obliterates the "r"--
either command will backspace the cursor.
Type in the two letters you erased to restore your
text and move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer M->
beginning-of-file. Move the cursor down one line to the
beginning of the first paragraph.
To delete the forward character, type ^D delete-
next-character. The "F" of "Fang" disappears. Continue to
type ^D until the whole word is erased EMACS also permits
the deletion of larger elements of text. Move the cursor to
the word "center" in the first line of text. Pressing
M-<backspace> delete-previous-word kills the word
immediately before the cursor. M-^H has the same effect.
Notice that the commands are very similar to the
control commands you used to delete individual letters. As
a general rule in EMACS, control sequences affect small
areas of text, META sequences larger areas. The word
forward of the cursor position can therefore be deleted by
typing M-D delete-next-word. Now let's take out the
remainder of the first line by typing ^K kill-to-end-of-line
. You now have a blank line at the top of your screen.
Typing ^K again or ^X^O delete-blank-lines deletes the blank
line and flushes the second line to the top of the text.
Now exit EMACS by typing ^X^C exit-emacs. Notice EMACS
reminds you that you have not saved your buffer. Ignore the
warning and exit. This way you can exit EMACS without
saving any of the changes you just made.
9
MicroEMACS Reference Manual Basic Editing--Simple
Insertions and Deletions
Chapter 2 Summary
In Chapter 2, you learned about the basic 'building
blocks' of an EMACS text file--buffers, windows, and files.
Key binding Keystroke Effect
delete-previous-character
^H deletes character immediately
before
the current cursor position
delete-next-character ^D deletes character immediately
after
current cursor position
delete-previous-word M-^H deletes word immediately
before
current cursor position
delete-next-word M-D deletes word immediately after
current cursor position
kill-to-end-of-line ^K deletes from current cursor
position to end of line
insert-space ^C inserts a space to right of
cursor
open-line ^O inserts blank line
delete-blank-lines ^X^O removes blank line
exit-emacs ^X^C exits emacs
10
Using Regions MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Chapter 3
Using Regions
3.1 Defining and Deleting a Region
At this point its time to familiarize ourselves with
two more EMACS terms--the point and the mark. The point is
located directly behind the current cursor position. The
mark (as we shall see shortly) is user defined. These two
elements together are called the current region and limit
the region of text on which EMACS performs many of its
editing functions.
Let's begin by entering some new text.
Don't forget to add
wrap
mode if its not set on this buffer. Start EMACS and open a
file called PUBLISH.TXT. Type in the following text:
One of the largest growth areas in personal
computing is electronic publishing. There are
packages available for practically every machine
from elegantly simple programs for the humble
Commodore 64 to sophisticated professional
packages for PC and Macintosh computers.
Electronic publishing is as revolutionary in its
way as the Gutenburg press. Whereas the printing
press allowed the mass production and distribution
of the written word, electronic publishing puts
the means of production in the hands of nearly
every individual. From the class magazine to the
corporate report, electronic publishing is
changing the way we produce and disseminate
information.
Personal publishing greatly increases the utility
of practically every computer. Thousands of
people who joined the computer revolution of this
decade only to hide their machines unused in
closets have discovered a new use for them as
dedicated publishing workstations.
Now let's do some editing. The last paragraph seems
a little out of place. To see what the document looks like
11
MicroEMACS Reference Manual Using Regions
without it we can cut it from the text by moving the cursor
to the beginning of the paragraph. Enter M-<space> set-mark
. EMACS will respond with "[Mark set]". Now move the
cursor to the end of the paragraph. You have just defined a
region of text. To remove this text from the screen, type
^W kill-region. The paragraph disappears from the screen.
On further consideration, however, perhaps the
paragraph we cut wasn't so bad after all. The problem may
have been one of placement. If we could tack it on to the
end of the first paragraph it might work quite well to
support and strengthen the argument. Move the cursor to the
end of the first paragraph and enter ^Y yank. Your text
should now look like this:
One of the largest growth areas in personal
computing is electronic publishing. There are
packages available for practically every machine
from elegantly simple programs for the humble
Commodore 64 to sophisticated professional
packages for PC and Macintosh computers. Personal
publishing greatly increases the utility of
practically every computer. Thousands of people
who joined the computer revolution of this decade
only to hide their machines unused in closets have
discovered a new use for them as dedicated
publishing workstations.
Electronic publishing is as revolutionary in its
way as the Gutenburg press. Whereas the printing
press allowed the mass production and distribution
of the written word, electronic publishing puts
the means of production in the hands of nearly
every individual. From the class magazine to the
corporate report, electronic publishing is
changing the way we produce and disseminate
information.
3.2 Yanking a Region
The text you cut initially didn't simply just
disappear, it was cut into a buffer that retains the
'killed' text appropriately called the kill buffer. ^Y
"yanks" the text back from this buffer into the current
buffer. If you have a long line (indicated, remember, by the
"$" sign), simply hit M-Q to reformat the paragraph.
There are other uses to which the kill buffer can be
put. Using the method we've already learned, define the
last paragraph as a region. Now type M-W copy-region.
Nothing seems to have happened; the cursor stays blinking at
12
Using Regions MicroEMACS Reference Manual
the point. But things have changed, even though you may not
be able to see any alteration.
To see what has happened to the contents of the kill
buffer, move the cursor down a couple of lines and "yank"
the contents of the kill buffer back with ^Y. Notice the
last paragraph is now repeated. The region you defined is
"tacked on" to the end of your file because M-W copies a
region to the kill buffer while leaving the original text in
your working buffer. Some caution is needed however,
because the contents of the kill buffer are updated when you
delete any regions, lines or words. If you are moving large
quantities of text, complete the operation before you do any
more deletions or you could find that the text you want to
move has been replaced by the most recent deletion.
Remember--a buffer is a temporary area of computer memory
that is lost when the machine is powered down or switched
off. In order to make your changes permanent, they must be
saved to a file before you leave EMACS. Let's delete the
section of text we just added and save the file to disk.
Chapter 3 Summary
In Chapter 3, you learned how to achieve longer
insertions and deletions. The EMACS terms point and mark
were introduced and you learned how to manipulate text with
the kill buffer.
Key Binding Keystroke Effect
set-mark M-<space> Marks the beginning of a region
delete-region ^W Deletes region between point and mark
and
places it in KILL buffer
copy-region M-W Copies text between point and mark
into
KILL buffer
yank-text ^Y Inserts a copy of the KILL buffer into
current buffer at point
13
MicroEMACS Reference Manual Search and Replace
Chapter 4
Search and Replace
4.1 Forward Search
Load EMACS and bring in the file you just saved.
Your file should look like the one below.
One of the largest growth areas in personal
computing is electronic publishing. There are
packages available for practically every machine
from elegantly simple programs for the humble
Commodore 64 to sophisticated professional
packages for PC and Macintosh computers. Personal
publishing greatly increases the utility of
practically every computer. Thousands of people
who joined the computer revolution of this decade
only to hide their machines unused in closets have
discovered a new use for them as dedicated
publishing workstations.
Electronic publishing is as revolutionary in its
way as the Gutenburg press. Whereas the printing
press allowed the mass production and distribution
of the written word, electronic publishing puts
the means of production in the hands of nearly
every individual. From the class magazine to the
corporate report, electronic publishing is
changing the way we produce and disseminate
information.
Let's use EMACS to search for the word
"revolutionary" in the second paragraph. Because EMACS
searches from the current cursor position toward the end of
buffers, and we intend to search forward, move the cursor to
the beginning of the text. Enter ^S search-forward. Note
that the command line now reads
"Search [] <META>:"
EMACS is prompting you to enter the search string --
the text you want to find. Enter the word revolutionary and
hit the META key. The cursor moves to the end of the word
"revolutionary."
14
Search and Replace MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Notice that you must enter the <META> key to start
the search. If you simply press <NL> the command line
responds with "<NL>". Although this may seem infuriating to
users who are used to pressing the return key to execute any
command, EMACS' use of <META> to begin searches allows it to
pinpoint text with great accuracy. After every line wrap or
carriage return, EMACS 'sees' a new line character (<NL>).
If you need to search for a word at the end of a line, you
can specify this word uniquely in EMACS.
In our sample text for example, the word "and"
occurs a number of times, but only once at the end of a
line. To search for this particular occurrence of the word,
move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer and type ^S.
Notice that EMACS stores the last specified search string as
the default string. If you press <META> now, EMACS will
search for the default string, in this case,
"revolutionary."
To change this string so we can search for our
specified "and" simply enter the word and followed by <NL>.
The command line now shows:
"search [and<NL>]<META>:"
Press <META> and the cursor moves to "and" at the
end of the second last line.
4.2 Exact Searches
If the mode EXACT is active in the current buffer,
EMACS searches on a case sensitive basis. Thus, for example
you could search for Publishing as distinct from publishing.
4.3 Backward Search
Backward searching is very similar to forward
searching except that it is implemented in the reverse
direction. To implement a reverse search, type ^R search-
reverse. Because EMACS makes no distinction between forward
and backward stored search strings, the last search item you
entered appears as the default string. Try searching back
for any word that lies between the cursor and the beginning
of the buffer. Notice that when the item is found, the
point moves to the beginning of the found string (i.e., the
cursor appears under the first letter of the search item).
Practice searching for other words in your text.
15
MicroEMACS Reference Manual Search and Replace
4.4 Searching and Replacing
Searching and replacing is a powerful and quick way
of making changes to your text. Our sample text is about
electronic publishing, but the correct term is 'desktop'
publishing. To make the necessary changes we need to
replace all occurrences of the word "electronic" with
"desktop." First, move the cursor to the top of the current
buffer with the M-< command. Then type M-R replace-string.
The command line responds:
"Replace []<META>:"
where the square brackets enclose the default
string. Type the word electronic and hit <META>. The
command line responds:
"with []<META>"
type desktop<META>. EMACS replaces all instances of
the original word with your revision. Of course, you will
have to capitalize the first letter of "desktop" where it
occurs at the beginning of a sentence.
You have just completed an unconditional replace.
In this operation, EMACS replaces every instance of the
found string with the replacement string.
4.5 Query-Replace
You may also replace text on a case by case basis.
The M-^R query-replace-string command causes EMACS to pause
at each instance of the found string.
For example, assume we want to replace some
instances of the word "desktop" with the word "personal." Go
back to the beginning of the current buffer and enter the M-
^R query-replace command. The procedure is very similar to
that which you followed in the unconditional search/replace
option. When the search begins however, you will notice that
EMACS pauses at each instance of "publishing" and asks
whether you wish to replace it with the replacement string.
You have a number of options available for response:
Response Effect
Y(es) Make the current replacement and skip to the next
occurrence of the search string
N(o) Do not make this replacement but continue
! Do the rest of the replacements with no more queries
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Search and Replace MicroEMACS Reference Manual
U(ndo) Undo just the last replacement and query for it
again (This can only go back ONE time)
^G Abort the replacement command (This action does not
undo previously-authorized replacements
. Same effect as ^G, but cursor returns to the point at
which the replacement command was given
? This lists help for the query replacement command
Practice searching and searching and replacing until
you feel comfortable with the commands and their effects.
Chapter 4 Summary
In this chapter, you learned how to search for
specified strings of text in EMACS. The chapter also dealt
with searching for and replacing elements within a buffer.
Key Binding Keystroke Effect
search-forward ^S Searches from point to end of buffer.
Point is moved from current location
to
the end of the found string
search-backward ^R Searches from point to beginning of
buffer.
Point is moved from current location
to
beginning of found string
replace M-R Replace ALL occurrences of search string
with
specified (null) string from point to
the
end of the current buffer
query-replace M-^R As above, but pause at each found string
and query for action
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Windows
Chapter 5
Windows
5.1 Creating Windows
We have already met windows in an earlier chapter.
In this chapter, we will explore one of EMACS' more powerful
features -- text manipulation through multiple windowing.
Windows offer you a powerful and easy way to edit text. By
manipulating a number of windows and buffers on the screen
simultaneously, you can perform complete edits and revisions
on the computer screen while having your draft text or
original data available for reference in another window.
You will recall that windows are areas of buffer
text that you can see on the screen. Because EMACS can
support several screen windows simultaneously you can use
them to look into different places in the same buffer. You
can also use them to look at text in different buffers. In
effect, you can edit several files at the same time.
Let's invoke EMACS and pull back our file on desktop
publishing by typing
emacs publish.txt
When the text appears, type the ^X2 split-current-
window command. The window splits into two windows. The
window where the cursor resides is called the current window
-- in this case the bottom window. Notice that each window
has a text area and a mode line. The command line is
however, common to all windows on the screen.
The two windows on your screen are virtually mirror
images of each other because the new window is opened into
the same buffer as the one you are in when you issue the
open-window command. All commands issued to EMACS are
executed on the current buffer in the current window.
To move the cursor to the upper window (i.e., to
make that window the current window, type ^XP previous-
window. Notice the cursor moves to the upper or previous
window. Entering ^XO next-window moves to the next window.
Practice moving between windows. You will notice that you
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Windows MicroEMACS Reference Manual
can also move into the Function Key menu by entering these
commands.
Now move to the upper window. Let's open a new
file. On the EMACS disk is a tutorial file. Let's call it
into the upper window by typing:
^X^F
and press return.
Enter the filename emacs.tut.
In a short time, the tutorial file will appear in
the window. We now have two windows on the screen, each
looking into different buffers. We have just used the ^X^F
find-file command to find a file and bring it into our
current window.
You can scroll any window up and down with the
cursor keys, or with the commands we've learned so far.
However, because the area of visible text in each window is
relatively small, you can scroll the current window a line
at a time.
Type ^X^N move-window-down
The current window scrolls down by one line -- the
top line of text scrolls out of view, and the bottom line
moves towards the top of the screen. You can imagine, if
you like, the whole window slowly moving down to the end of
the buffer in increments of one line. The command ^X^P
move-window-up scrolls the window in the opposite direction.
As we have seen, EMACS editing commands are executed
in the current window, but the program does support a useful
feature that allows you to scroll the next window. M-^Z
scroll-next-up scrolls the next window up, M-^V scroll-next-
down scrolls it downward. From the tutorial window,
practice scrolling the window with the desktop publishing
text in it up and down.
When you're finished, exit EMACS without saving any
changes in your files.
Experiment with splitting the windows on your
screen. Open windows into different buffers and experiment
with any other files you may have. Try editing the text in
each window, but don't forget to save any changes you want
to keep -- you still have to save each buffer separately.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Windows
5.2 Deleting Windows
Windows allow you to perform complex editing tasks with
ease. However, they become an inconvenience when your
screen is cluttered with open windows you have finished
using. The simplest solution is to delete unneeded windows.
The command ^X0 delete-window will delete the window you are
currently working in and move you to the next window.
If you have a number of windows open, you can delete
all but the current window by entering ^X1 delete-other-
windows.
5.3 Resizing Windows
During complex editing tasks, you will probably find
it convenient to have a number of windows on the screen
simultaneously. However this situation may present
inconveniences because the more windows you have on the
screen the smaller they are; in some cases, a window may
show only a couple of lines of text. To increase the
flexibility and utility of the window environment, EMACS
allows you to resize the window you are working in (called,
as you will recall, the current window) to a convenient size
for easier editing, and then shrink it when you no longer
need it to be so large.
Let's try an example. Load in any EMACS text file
and split the current window into two. Now type
^X^(Shift-6), grow-window. Your current window should be
the lower one on the screen. Notice that it increases in
size upwards by one line. If you are in the upper window,
it increases in size in a downward direction. The command
^X^Z, shrink-window correspondingly decreases window size by
one line at a time.
EMACS also allows you to resize a window more
precisely by entering a numeric argument specifying the size
of the window in lines. To resize the window this way,
press the META key and enter a numeric argument (remember to
keep it smaller than the number of lines on your screen
display) then press ^XW resize-window. The current window
will be enlarged or shrunk to the number of lines specified
in the numeric argument. For example entering:
M-8 ^XW
will resize the current window to 8 lines.
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Windows MicroEMACS Reference Manual
5.4 Repositioning within a Window
The cursor may be centered within a window by
entering M-! or M-^L redraw-display. This command is
especially useful in allowing you to quickly locate the
cursor if you are moving frequently from window to window.
You can also use this command to move the line containing
the cursor to any position within the current window. This
is done by using a numeric argument before the command. Type
M-<n> M-^L where <n> is the number of the line within the
window that you wish the current line to be displayed.
The ^L Refresh-screen command is useful for
'cleaning up' a 'messy' screen that can result of using
EMACS on a mainframe system and being interrupted by a
system message.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Windows
Chapter 5 summary
In Chapter 5 you learned how to manipulate windows
and the editing flexibility they offer.
Key Binding Keystroke Effect
open-window ^X2 Splits current window into two windows
if
space available
close-windows ^X1 Closes all windows except current
window
next-window ^XO[oh] Moves point into next (i.e. downward)
window
previous-window ^XP Moves point to previous (i.e. upward)
window
move-window-down ^X^N Scrolls current window down one line
move-window-up ^X^P Scrolls current window up one line
redraw-display M ! or Window is moved so line with point
M ^L (with cursor) is at center of window
grow-window M-X ^ Current window is enlarged by one
line and nearest window is shrunk by
one line
shrink-window ^X^Z Current window is shrunk by one line
and nearest window is enlarged by one
line
clear-and-redraw ^L Screen is blanked and redrawn. Keeps
screen updates in sync with your
commands
scroll-next-up M-^Z Scrolls next window up by one line
scroll-next-down M-^V Scrolls next window down by one line
delete-window ^X0 Deletes current window
delete-other-windows ^X1 Deletes all but current window
resize-window ^X^W Resizes window to a given numeric
argument
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Using a Mouse MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Chapter 6
Using a Mouse
On computers equipped with a mouse, the mouse can
usually be used to make editing easier. If your computer
has a mouse, let's try using it. Start MicroEMACS by
typing:
emacs publish.txt
This brings EMACS up and allows it to edit the file
from the last chapter. If the function key window is
visible on the screen, press the F5 key to cause it to
disappear. Now use the ^X2 split-current-window command to
split the screen into two windows. Next use the ^X^F find-
file command to read in the fang.txt file. Now your screen
should have two windows looking into two different files.
Grab the mouse and move it around. On the screen an
arrow, or block of color appears. This is called the mouse
cursor and can be positioned on any character on the screen.
On some computers, positioning the mouse cursor in the
extreme upper right or left corner may bring down menus
which allow you to access that computers utilities,
sometimes called Desk Accessories.
6.1 Moving around with the mouse
Using the mouse button (or the left button if the
mouse has more than one), position the mouse over some
character in the current window. Click the mouse button
once. The point will move to where the mouse cursor is. If
you place the mouse cursor past the end of a line, the point
will move to the end of that line.
Move the mouse cursor into the other window and
click on one of the characters there. MicroEMACS will
automatically make this window the current window (notice
that the mode line changes) and position the point to the
mouse cursor. This makes it very easy to use the mouse to
switch to a different window quickly.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Using a Mouse
6.2 Dragging around
Besides just using the mouse to move around on the
screen, you can use the same button to move text. Move the
mouse cursor to a character in one of the windows, and click
down... but don't let the button up yet! The point will move
to where the mouse cursor is. Now move the mouse cursor up
or down on the screen, and release the button. The point
will again move to where the mouse cursor is, but this time
it will bring the text under it along for the ride. This is
called dragging, and is how you can make the text appear
just where you want it to. If you try to drag text out of
the current window, EMACS will ignore your attempt and leave
the point where you first clicked down.
Now, click down on a word in one of the windows, and
drag it directly to the left. Release the button and watch
as the entire window slides, or scrolls to the left. The
missing text has not been deleted, it is simply not visible,
off the left hand side of the screen. Notice the mode line
has changed and now looks like:
==== MicroEMACS 3.10 [<12] () == fang.txt == File: fang.txt
=========
The [] delimits a new field which indicates that the
screen is now scrolled 12 characters from the left margin.
Now grab the same text again, and drag it to the
right, pulling the rest of the text back into the current
window. The [<] field will disappear, meaning that the
window is no longer scrolled to the left. This feature is
very useful for looking at wide charts and tables.
Remember, MicroEMACS will only scroll the text in the
current window sideways if you drag it straight to the side,
otherwise it will drag the text vertically.
Now, place the mouse cursor over a character on the
upper mode line, click down, move the mouse cursor up or
down a few lines and let go of the button. The mode line
moves to where you dragged it, changing the size of the
windows above and below it. If you try to make a window
with less than one line, EMACS will not let you. Dragging
the mode lines can make it very fast and easy for you to
rearrange the windows as you would like.
If you have a number of different windows visible on
the screen, positioning the mouse over the mode line of one
window and clicking the right mouse button will cause that
window to be deleted.
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Using a Mouse MicroEMACS Reference Manual
6.3 Cut and Paste
If your mouse has two buttons, then you can use the
right button to do some other things as well. Earlier, we
learned how to define a region by using the M-<space> set-
mark command. Now, position the mouse over at the beginning
of a region you would like to copy. Next click and hold
down the right mouse button. Notice that the point jumps to
the mouse cursor and EMACS reports "[Mark Set]". Holding
the button down move the mouse to the end of the text you
wish to copy and release the mouse button. Emacs reports
"[Region Copied]" to let you know it has copied the region
into the KILL buffer. If you now click the right mouse
button, without moving the mouse, the region you defined
would be deleted or cut from the current buffer.
If you move the mouse again, and click the right
mouse button down and up without moving the mouse, the text
in the KILL buffer gets inserted, or pasted into the current
buffer at the point.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Using a Mouse
Chapter 6 Summary
In Chapter 6, you learned how to use the mouse to
move the point, switch windows, drag text, and resize
windows. You also learned how to use the right mouse button
in order to copy and delete regions and yank them back at
other places.
Action Mouse Directions
Move Cursor position mouse cursor over desired location
click down and up with left button
Drag Text position mouse cursor over desired text
click left button down
move to new screen location for text
release mouse button
Resize Windows position mouse cursor over mode line to move
click left button down
move to new location for mode line
release mouse button
Delete Window position mouse cursor over mode line of window to
delete
click right mouse button
Resize Screen position mouse cursor over last character on message
line
click left button down
move to new lower right corner of screen
release mouse button
Copy Region position mouse at beginning of region
click right button down
move to end of region
release mouse button
Cut Region position mouse at beginning of region
click right button down
move to end of region
release mouse button
click right button down and up
Paste region Position mouse at place to paste
click right button down and up
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Buffers MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Chapter 7
Buffers
We have already learned a number of things about
buffers. As you will recall, they are the major internal
entities in EMACS -- the place where editing commands are
executed. They are characterized by their names, their
modes, and by the file with which they are associated. Each
buffer also "remembers" its mark and point. This convenient
feature allows you to go to other buffers and return to the
original location in the "current" buffer.
Advanced users of EMACS frequently have a number of
buffers in the computer's memory simultaneously. In the
last chapter, for example, you opened at least two buffers
-- one into the text you were editing, and the other into
the EMACS on-line tutorial. If you deal with complex text
files -- say, sectioned chapters of a book, you may have
five or six buffers in the computer's memory. You could
select different buffers by simply calling up the file with
^X^F find-file, and let EMACS open or reopen the buffer.
However, EMACS offers fast and sophisticated buffering
techniques that you will find easy to master and much more
convenient to use.
Let's begin by opening three buffers. You can open
any three you choose, for example call the following files
into memory: fang.txt, publish.txt, and emacs.tut in the
order listed here. When you've finished this process,
you'll be looking at a screen showing the EMACS tutorial.
Let's assume that you want to move to the fang.txt buffer.
Enter:
^XX next-buffer
This command moves you to the next buffer.
B ec a u s e
EMACS cycles
through the buffer list, which is alphabetized, you will now
be in the fang.txt buffer. Using ^XX again places you in the
publish.txt buffer. If you are on a machine that supports
function keys, using ^XX again places you in the Function
Keys buffer. Using ^XX one last time cycles you back to the
beginning of the list.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Buffers
If you have a large number of buffers to deal with,
this cycling process may be slow and inconvenient. The
command ^XB select-buffer allows you to specify the buffer
you wish to be switched to. When the command is entered,
EMACS prompts, "Use buffer:". Simply enter the buffer name
(NOT the file name), and that buffer will then become the
current buffer. If you type in part of the file name and
press the space bar, EMACS will attempt to complete the name
from the list of current buffers. If it succeeds, it will
print the rest of the name and you can hit <NL> to switch to
that buffer. If EMACS beeps the bell, there is no such
buffer, and you may continue editing the name on the command
line.
Multiple buffer manipulation and editing is a
complex activity, and you will probably find it very
inconvenient to re-save each buffer as you modify it. The
command ^X^B list-buffers creates a new window that gives
details about all the buffers currently known to EMACS.
Buffers that have been modified are identified by the
"buffer changed" indicator (an asterisk in the second
column). You can thus quickly and easily identify buffers
that need to be saved to files before you exit EMACS. The
buffer window also provides other information -- buffer
specific modes, buffer size, and buffer name are also
listed. To close this window, simply type the close-windows
command, ^X1.
To delete any buffer, type ^XK delete-buffer.
EMACS prompts you "Kill buffer:".
Enter the
buffer name you want to delete. As this is destructive
command, EMACS will ask for confirmation if the buffer was
changed and not saved. Answer Y(es) or N(o). As usual ^G
cancels the command.
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Buffers MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Chapter 7 Summary
In Chapter 7 you learned how to manipulate buffers.
Key Binding Keystroke Effect
next-buffer ^X^X Switch to the next buffer in
the
buffer list
select-buffer ^XB Switch to a particular buffer
list-buffers ^X^B List all buffers
delete-buffer ^XK Delete a particular buffer if
it
is off-screen
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Modes
Chapter 8
Modes
EMACS allows you to change the way it works in order
to customized it to the style of editing you are using. It
does this by providing a number of different modes. These
modes can effect either a single buffer, or any new buffer
that is created. To add a mode to the current buffer, type
^XM add-mode. EMACS will then prompt you for the name of a
mode to add. When you type in a legal mode name, and type a
<NL>, EMACS will add the mode name to the list of current
mode names in the mode line of the current buffer.
To remove an existing mode, typing the ^X^M delete-
mode will cause EMACS to prompt you for the name of a mode
to delete from the current buffer. This will remove that
mode from the mode list on the current mode line.
Global modes are the modes which are inherited by
any new buffers which are created. For example, if you wish
to always do string searching with character case being
significant, you would want global mode EXACT to be set so
that any new files read in inherent the EXACT mode. Global
modes are set with the M-M add-global-mode command, and
unset with the M-^M delete-global-mode command. Also, the
current global modes are displayed in the first line of a
^X^B list-buffers command.
On machines which are capable of displaying colors,
the mode commands can also set the background and foreground
character colors. Using add-mode or delete-mode with a
lowercase color will set the background color in the current
window. An uppercase color will set the foreground color in
the current window. Colors that EMACS knows about are:
white, cyan, magenta, yellow, blue, red, green, and black.
If the computer you are running on does not have eight
colors, EMACS will attempt to make some intelligent guess at
what color to use when you ask for one which is not there.
8.1 ASAVE mode
Automatic Save mode tells EMACS to automatically
write out the current buffer to its associated file on a
regular basis. Normally this will be every 256 characters
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Modes MicroEMACS Reference Manual
typed into the file. The environment variable $ACOUNT
counts down to the next auto-save, and $ASAVE is the value
used to reset $ACOUNT after a save occurs.
8.2 CMODE mode
CMODE is useful to C programmers. When CMODE is
active, EMACS will try to assist the user in a number of
ways. This mode is set automatically with files that have a
.c or .h extension.
The <NL> key will normally attempt to return the
user to the next line at the same level of indentation as
the last non blank line, unless the current line ends with a
open brace ({) in which case the new line will be further
indented by one tab position.
A close brace (}) will search for the corresponding
open brace and line up with it.
A pound sign (#) with only leading white space will
delete all the white space preceding itself. This will
always bring preprocessor directives flush to the left
margin.
Whenever any close fence is typed, IE )]>}, if the
matching open fence is on screen in the current window, the
cursor will briefly flash to it, and then back. This makes
balancing expressions, and matching blocks much easier.
8.3 CRYPT mode
When a buffer is in CRYPT mode, it is encrypted
whenever it is written to a file, and decrypted when it is
read from the file. The encryption key can be specified on
the command line with the -k switch, or with the M-E set-
encryption-key command. If you attempt to read or write a
buffer in crypt mode and now key has not been set, EMACS
will execute set-encryption-key automatically, prompting you
for the needed key. Whenever EMACS prompts you for a key,
it will not echo the key to your screen as you type it (IE
make SURE you get it right when you set it originally).
The encryption algorithm used changes all characters
into normal printing characters, thus the resulting file is
suitable for sending via electronic mail. All version of
MicroEMACS should be able decrypt the resulting file
regardless of what machine encrypted it. Also available
with EMACS is the stand alone program, MicroCRYPT, which can
en/decrypt the files produced by CRYPT mode in EMACS.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Modes
8.4 EXACT mode
All string searches and replacements will take
upper/lower case into account. Normally the case of a string
during a search or replace is not taken into account.
8.5 MAGIC mode
In the MAGIC mode certain characters gain special
meanings when used in a search pattern. Collectively they
are know as regular expressions, and a limited number of
them are supported in MicroEmacs. They grant greater
flexibility when using the search command. However, they do
not affect the incremental search command.
The symbols that have special meaning in MAGIC mode
are ^, $, ., &, *, [ (and ], used with it), and \.
The characters ^ and $ fix the search pattern to the
beginning and end of line, respectively. The ^ character
must appear at the beginning of the search string, and the $
must appear at the end, otherwise they loose their meaning
and are treated just like any other character. For example,
in MAGIC mode, searching for the pattern "t$" would put the
cursor at the end of any line that ended with the letter
't'. Note that this is different than searching for
"t<NL>", that is, 't' followed by a newline character. The
character $ (and ^, for that matter) matches a position, not
a character, so the cursor remains at the end of the line.
But a newline is a character that must be matched, just like
any other character, which means that the cursor is placed
just after it - on the beginning of the next line.
The character . has a very simple meaning -- it
matches any single character, except the newline. Thus a
search for "bad.er" could match "badger", "badder" (slang),
or up to the 'r' of "bad error".
The character * is known as closure, and means that
zero or more of the preceding character will match. If
there is no character preceding, * has no special meaning,
and since it will not match with a newline, * will have no
special meaning if preceded by the beginning of line symbol
^ or the literal newline character <NL>.
The notion of zero or more characters is important.
If, for example, your cursor was on the line
This line is missing two vowels.
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Modes MicroEMACS Reference Manual
and a search was made for "a*", the cursor would not
move, because it is guaranteed to match no letter 'a' ,
which satisfies the search conditions. If you wanted to
search for one or more of the letter 'a', you would search
for "aa*", which would match the letter a, then zero or more
of them.
The character [ indicates the beginning of a
character class. It is similar to the 'any' character .,
but you get to choose which characters you want to match.
The character class is ended with the character ]. So,
while a search for "ba.e" will match "bane", "bade", "bale",
"bate", et cetera, you can limit it to matching "babe" and
"bake" by searching for "ba[bk]e". Only one of the
characters inside the [ and ] will match a character. If in
fact you want to match any character except those in the
character class, you can put a ^ as the first character. It
must be the first character of the class, or else it has no
special meaning. So, a search for [^aeiou] will match any
character except a vowel, but a search for [aeiou^] will
match any vowel or a ^.
If you have a lot of characters in order that you
want to put in the character class, you may use a dash (-)
as a range character. So, [a-z] will match any letter (or
any lower case letter if EXACT mode is on), and [0-9a-f]
will match any digit or any letter 'a' through 'f', which
happen to be the characters for hexadecimal numbers. If the
dash is at the beginning or end of a character class, it is
taken to be just a dash.
The character & (ampersand) is a replacement
character, and represents the characters which matched the
search string. When used in the M-R replace-string or the
M-^R query-replace-string commands, the & will be
substituted for the search string.
The escape character \ is for those times when you
want to be in MAGIC mode, but also want to use a regular
expression character to be just a character. It turns off
the special meaning of the character. So a search for
"it\." will search for a line with "it.", and not "it"
followed by any other character. The escape character will
also let you put ^, -, or ] inside a character class with no
special side effects.
8.6 OVER mode
OVER mode stands for overwrite mode. When in this
mode, when characters are typed, instead of simply inserting
them into the file, EMACS will attempt to overwrite an
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Modes
existing character past the point. This is very useful for
adjusting tables and diagrams.
8.7 WRAP mode
Wrap mode is used when typing in continuous text.
Whenever the cursor is past the currently set fill column
(72 by default) and the user types a space or a <NL>, the
last word of the line is brought down to the beginning of
the next line. Using this, one just types a continuous
stream of words and EMACS automatically inserts <NL>s at
appropriate places.
NOTE to programmers:
The EMACS variable $wraphook contains the name of
the function which executes when EMACS detects it
is time to wrap. This is set to the function wrap-
word by default, but can be changed to activate
different functions and macros at wrap time.
8.8 VIEW mode
VIEW mode disables all commands which can change the
current buffer. EMACS will display an error message and
ring the bell every time you attempt to change a buffer in
VIEW mode.
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Modes MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Chapter 8 Summary
In Chapter 8 you learned about modes and their
effects.
Key Binding Keystroke Effect
add-mode ^XM Add a mode to the current
buffer
delete-mode ^X^M Delete a mode from the current
buffer
add-global-mode M-M Add a global mode to the
current buffer
delete-global-mode M-^M Delete a global mode from the
current buffer
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Files
Chapter 9
Files
A file is simply a collection of related data.
In EMACS we
are dealing
with text files -- named collections of text residing on a
disk (or some other storage medium). You will recall that
the major entities EMACS deals with are buffers. Disk-based
versions of files are only active in EMACS when you are
reading into or writing out of buffers. As we have already
seen, buffers and physical files are linked by associated
file names. For example, the buffer "ch7.txt" which is
associated with the physical disk file "ch7.txt." You will
notice that the file is usually specified by the drive name
or (in the case of a hard drive) a path. Thus you can
specify full file names in EMACS,
e.g. disk:\directories\filename.extension
If you do not specify a disk and directories, the
default disk and the current directory is used.
IMPORTANT -- If you do not explicitly save your
buffer to a file, all your edits will be lost when you leave
EMACS (although EMACS will prompt you when you are about to
lose edits by exiting). In addition, EMACS does not protect
your disk-based files from overwriting when it saves files.
Thus when you instruct EMACS to save a file to disk, it will
create a file if the specified file doesn't exist, or it
will overwrite the previously saved version of the file thus
replacing it. Your old version is gone forever.
If you are at all unsure about your edits, or if
(for any reason) you wish to keep previous versions of a
file, you can change the name of the associated file with
the command ^XN change-file-name. When this file is saved
to disk, EMACS will create a new physical file under the new
name. The earlier disk file will be preserved.
For example, let's load the file fang.txt into
EMACS. Now, type ^XN. The EMACS command line prompts
"Name:". Enter a new name for the file -- say new.txt and
press <NL>. The file will be saved under the new filename,
and your disk directory will show both fang.txt and new.txt.
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Files MicroEMACS Reference Manual
An alternative method is to write the file directly
to disk under a new filename. Let's pull our "publish.txt"
file into EMACS. To write this file under another filename,
type ^X^W write-file. EMACS will prompt you "write file:".
Enter an alternate filename -- desktop.txt. Your file will
be saved as the physical file "desktop.txt".
Note that in the examples above, although you have
changed the names of the related files, the buffer names
remain the same. However, when you pull the physical file
back into EMACS, you will find that the buffer name now
relates to the filename.
For example -- You are working with a buffer
"fang.txt" with the related file "fang.txt". You change the
name of the file to "new.txt". EMACS now shows you working
with the buffer "fang.txt" and the related file "new.txt".
Now pull the file "new.txt" into EMACS. Notice that the
buffer name has now changed to "new.txt".
If for any reason a conflict of buffer names
occurs,(if you have files of the same name on different
drives for example) EMACS will prompt you "use buffer:".
Enter an alternative buffer name if you need to.
For a list of file related commands (including some
we`ve already seen), see the summary page.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Files
Chapter 9 Summary
In Chapter 9 you learned some of the more advanced
concepts of file naming and manipulation. The relationship
between files and buffers was discussed in some detail.
Key Binding Keystroke Effect
save-file ^X^S Saves contents of current buffer with
associated filename on default disk/
directory (if not specified)
write-file ^X^W Current buffer contents will be
saved under specified name
change-file-name
^XN The associated filename is changed
(or associated if not previously
specified) as specified
find-file ^X^F Reads specified file into buffer and
switches you to that buffer, or
switches
to buffer in which the file has
previously
been read
read-file ^X^R Reads file into buffer thus
overwriting
buffer contents. If file has already
been read into another buffer, you
will
be switched to it
view-file ^X^V The same as read-file except the
buffer
is automatically put into VIEW mode
thus
preventing any changes from being made
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Screen Formatting MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Chapter 10
Screen Formatting
10.1 Wrapping Text
As we learned in the introduction, EMACS is not a
word processor, but an editor. Some simple formatting
options are available however, although in most cases they
will not affect the appearance of the finished text when it
is run through the formatter. We have already encountered
WRAP mode which wraps lines longer than a certain length
(default is 75 characters). You will recall that WRAP is
enabled by entering ^XM and responding to the command line
prompt with wrap.
You can also set your own wrap margin with the
command ^XF set-fill-column. Notice EMACS responds "[Fill
column is 1]." Now try typing some text. You'll notice some
very strange things happening -- your text wraps at every
word!! This effect occurs because the set wrap margin
command must be preceded by a numeric argument or EMACS sets
it to the first column. Thus any text you type that extends
past the first column will wrap at the most convenient line
break.
To reset the wrap column to 72 characters, press the
<META> key and enter 72. EMACS will respond "Arg: 72". Now
press ^XF. EMACS will respond "[Fill column is 72]". Your
text will again wrap at the margin you've been using up to
this point.
10.2 Reformatting Paragraphs
After an intensive editing session, you may find
that you have paragraphs containing lines of differing
lengths. Although this disparity will not affect the
formatted text, aesthetic and technical concerns may make it
desirable to have consistent paragraph blocks on the screen.
If you are in WRAP mode, you can reformat a paragraph with
the command M-Q fill-paragraph. This command 'fills' the
current paragraph reformatting it so all the lines are
filled and wrap logically.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Screen Formatting
10.3 Changing Case
There may be occasions when you find it necessary to
change the case of the text you've entered. EMACS allows
you to change the case of even large amounts of text with
ease. Let's try and convert a few of the office
traditionalists to the joy of word processing. Type in the
following text:
Throw away your typewriter and learn to use a word
processor. Word processing is relatively easy to
learn and will increase your productivity
enormously. Enter the Computer Age and find out
just how much fun it can be!!
Let's give it a little more impact by capitalizing
the first four words. The first step is to define the
region of text just as you would if you were doing an
extensive deletion. Set the mark at the beginning of the
paragraph with M-<space> set-mark and move the cursor to the
space beyond "typewriter." Now enter ^X^U case-region-upper.
Your text should now look like this:
THROW AWAY YOUR TYPEWRITER and learn to use a word
processor. Word processing is relatively easy to
learn and will increase your productivity
enormously. Enter the Computer Age and find out
just how much fun it can be!!
If you want to change the text back to lower case,
type ^X^L case-region-lower. You can also capitalize
individual words. To capitalize the word "fun", position
the cursor in front of the word and type M-U case-word-upper
. The word is now capitalized. To change it ck to lower
case, move the cursor back to the beginning of the word and
type M-L case-word-lower.
You may also capitalize individual letters in EMACS.
The command M-C case-word-capitalize capitalizes the first
letter after the point. This command would normally be
issued with the cursor positioned in front of the first
letter of the word you wish to capitalize. If you issue it
in the middle of a word, you can end up with some strAnge
looking text.
10.4 Tabs
Unless your formatter is instructed to take screen
text literally (as MicroSCRIBE does in the 'verbatim'
environment for example), tabs in EMACS generally affect
screen formatting only.
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Screen Formatting MicroEMACS Reference Manual
When EMACS is first started, it sets the default tab
to every eighth column. As long as you stay with default,
every time you press the tab key a tab character, ^I is
inserted. This character, like other control characters, is
invisible -- but it makes a subtle and significant
difference to your file and editing.
For example, in default mode, press the tab key and
then type the word Test. "Test" appears at the eighth
column. Move your cursor to the beginning of the word and
delete the backward character. The word doesn't move back
just one character, but flushes to the left margin. The
reason for this behavior is easily explained. In tab
default, EMACS inserts a 'real' tab character when you press
the tab key. This character is inserted at the default
position, but NO SPACES are inserted between the tab
character and the margin (or previous tab character). As
you will recall, EMACS only recognizes characters (such as
spaces or letters) and thus when the tab character is
removed, the text beyond the tab is flushed back to the
margin or previous tab mark.
This situation changes if you alter the default
configuration. The default value may be changed by entering
a numeric argument before pressing the tab key. As we saw
earlier, pressing the META key and entering a number allows
you to specify how EMACS performs a given action. In this
case, let's specify an argument of 10 and hit the tab key.
Now hit the tab key again and type Test. Notice the
word now appears at the tenth column. Now move to the
beginning of the word and delete the backward character.
"Test" moves back by one character.
EMACS behaves differently in these circumstances
because the ^I handle-tab function deals with tabbing in two
distinct ways. In default conditions, or if the numeric
argument of zero is used, handle-tab inserts a true tab
character. If, however, a non-zero numeric argument is
specified, handle-tab inserts the correct number of spaces
needed to position the cursor at the next specified tab
position. It does NOT insert the single tab character and
hence any editing functions should take account of the
number of spaces between tabbed columns.
The distance which a true tab character moves the
cursor can be modified by changing the value of the $hardtab
environment variable. Initially set to 8, this will
determine how far each tab stop is placed from the previous
one. (Use the ^XA set command to set the value of an
environment variable).
Many times you would like to take text which has
been created using the tab character and change it to use
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Screen Formatting
just spaces. The command ^X^D detab-region changes any tabs
in the currently selected region into the right number of
spaces so the text does not change. This is very useful for
times when the file must be printed or transferred to a
machine which does not understand tabs.
Also, the inverse command, ^X^E entab-region changes
multiple spaces to tabs where possible. This is a good way
to shrink the size of large documents, especially with data
tables. Both of these commands can take a numeric argument
which will be interpreted as the number of lines to
en/detab.
Another function, related to those above is provided
for by the ^X^T trim-region when invoked will delete any
trailing white space in the selected region. A preceding
numeric argument will do this for that number of lines.
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Screen Formatting MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Chapter 10 Summary
In Chapter 10 introduced some of the formatting
features of EMACS. Text-wrap, paragraph reformatting, and
tabs were discussed in some detail. The commands in the
following table were covered in the chapter.
Key Binding Keystroke Effect
add-mode/WRAP ^XM[WRAP] Add wrap mode to current
buffer
delete-mode/WRAP ^X^M[WRAP] Remove wrap mode from current
buffer
set-fill-column ^XF Set fill column to given
numeric
argument
fill-paragraph M-Q Logically reformats the
current
paragraph
case-word-upper M-U Text from point to end of the
current word is changed to
uppercase
case-word-lower M-L Text from point to end of the
current word is changed to
lowercase
case-word-capitalize M-C First word (or letter) after
the
point is capitalized
case-region-upper ^X^U The current region is
uppercased
case-region-lower ^X^L The current region is
lowercased
handle-tab ^I Tab interval is set to the
given
numeric argument
entab-region ^X^E Changes multiple spaces to
tabs
characters where possible
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Screen Formatting
detab-region ^X^D Changes tab characters to the
appropriate number of spaces
trim-region ^X^T Trims white space from the end
of the lines in the current
region
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Access to the Outside World MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Chapter 11
Access to the Outside World
EMACS has the ability to interface to other programs
and the environment of the computer outside of itself. It
does this through a series of commands that allow it to talk
to the computer's command processor or shell. Just what
this is varies between different computers. Under MSDOS or
PCDOS this is the command.com command processor. Under UNIX
it is the csh shell. On the Atari ST is can be the Mark
Williams MSH or the Beckmeyer shell. In each case, it is
the part of the computer's operating system that is
responsible for determining what programs are executed, and
when.
The ^X! shell-command command prompts the user for a
command line to send out to the shell to execute. This can
be very useful for doing file listings and changing the
current directory or folder. EMACS gives control to the
shell, which executed the command, and then types [END] and
waits for the user to type a character before redrawing the
screen and resuming editing. If the shell-command command is
used from within the macro language, there is no pause.
^X@ pipe-command command allows EMACS to execute a
shell command, and if the particular computer allows it,
send the results into a buffer which is automatically
displayed on the screen. The resulting buffer, called
"command" can be manipulated just like any other editing
buffer. Text can be copied out of it or rearranged as
needed. This buffer is originally created in VIEW mode, so
remember to ^X^Mview<NL> in order to change it.
Many computers provide tools which will allow you to
filter text, making some modifications to it along the way.
A very common tool is the SORT program which accepts a file,
sorts it, and prints the result out. The EMACS command, ^X#
filter-buffer sends the current buffer through such a
filter. Therefore, if you wished to sort the current buffer
on a system which supplied a sort filter, you would type
^X#sort<NL>. You can also create your own filters by
writing programs and utilities which read text from the
keyboard and display the results. EMACS will use any of
these which would normally be available from the current
shell.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Access to the Outside World
If you would like to execute another program
directly, without the overhead of an intervening shell, you
can use the ^X$ execute-program command. It will prompt you
for an external program and its arguments and attempt to
execute it. Like when EMACS looks for command files, EMACS
will look first in the HOME directory, then down the execute
PATH, and finally in the current directory for the named
program. On some systems, it will automatically tack the
proper extension on the file name to indicate it is a
program. On some systems that don't support this function,
^X$ will be equivalent to ^X! shell-command.
Sometimes, you would like to get back to the shell
and execute other commands, without losing the current
contents of EMACS. The ^XC i-shell command shells out of
EMACS, leaving EMACS in the computer and executing another
command shell. Most systems would allow you to return to
EMACS with the "exit" command.
On some systems, mainly advanced versions of UNIX,
you can
direct EMACS to "go into the background" with the ^XD
suspend-emacs command. This places EMACS in the background
returning you to the original command shell. EMACS can then
be returned to at any time with the "fg" foreground command.
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Access to the Outside World MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Chapter 11 Summary
In Chapter 11 introduced different ways to access
the computers shell or command processor from within EMACS.
The commands in the following table were covered in the
chapter.
Key Binding Keystroke Effect
execute-program ^X$ Execute an external program
directly
filter-command ^X# Send the current buffer
through
a shell filter
i-shell ^XC Escape to a new shell
pipe-command ^X@ Send the results of an
external
shell command to a buffer
shell-command ^X! Execute one shell command
suspend-emacs ^XD Place EMACS in the background
(some UNIX systems only)
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Keyboard Macros
Chapter 12
Keyboard Macros
In many applications, it may be necessary to repeat
a series of characters or commands frequently. For example,
a paper may require the frequent repetition of a complex
formula or a long name. You may also have a series of EMACS
commands that you invoke frequently. Keyboard macros offer
a convenient method of recording and repeating these
commands.
Imagine, for example, you are writing a scholarly
paper on Asplenium platyneuron, the spleenwort fern. Even
the dedicated botanist would probably find it a task
bordering on the agonizing to type Asplenium platyneuron
frequently throughout the paper. An alternative method is
'record' the name in a keyboard macro. Try it yourself.
The command ^X( begin-macro starts recording the all
the keystrokes and commands you input. After you've typed
it, enter Asplenium platyneuron. To stop recording, type
^X) end-macro. EMACS has stored all the keystrokes between
the two commands. To repeat the name you've stored, just
enter ^XE execute-macro, and the name "Asplenium
platyneuron" appears. You can repeat this action as often
as you want, and of course as with any EMACS command, you
may precede it with a numerical argument.
Because EMACS records keystrokes, you may freely
intermix commands and text. Unfortunately, you can only
store one macro at a time. Thus, if you begin to record
another macro, the previously defined macro is lost. Be
careful to ensure that you've finished with one macro before
defining another. If you have a series of commands that you
would like to 'record' for future use, use the macro or
procedure facilities detailed in chapter <X>.
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Keyboard Macros MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Chapter 12 Summary
Chapter 12 covered keyboard macros. You learned how
to record keystrokes and how to repeat the stored sequence.
Key Binding Keystroke Effect
start-macro ^X( Starts recording all keyboard
input
end-macro ^X) Stops recording keystrokes for
macro
execute-macro ^XE Entire sequence of recorded
keystrokes is replayed
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual MicroEMACS Macros
Chapter 13
MicroEMACS Macros
Macros are programs that are used to customize the
editor and to perform complicated editing tasks. They may
be stored in files or buffers and may be executed using an
appropriate command, or bound to a particular keystroke.
Portions of the standard start-up file are implemented via
macros, as well as the example menu system. The execute-
macro-<n> commands cause the macro, numbered from 1 to 40,
to be executed. The execute-file command allows you to
execute a macro stored in a disk file, and the execute-
buffer command allows you to execute a macro stored in a
buffer. Macros are stored for easy execution by executing
files that contain the store-macro command.
If you need more than 40 macros, named macroes,
called procedures, can be used. The store-procedure command
takes a string argument which is the name of a procedure to
store. These procedures than can be executed with the M-^E
execute-procedure or the run commands. Also, giving the
name of a stored procedure within another macro will
executed that named procedure as if it had been called up
with the run command.
Some fairly length examples of MicroEMACS macroes
can be seen by examining the standard files that come with
EMACS. The emacs.rc file (called .emacsrc) under UNIX) is
the EMACS macro file which is executed when EMACS is
normally run. It contains a number of different stored
macroes along with the lines to setup and display the
Function key window and to call up other commands and macro
files using function keys.
There are many different aspects to the macro
language within MicroEMACS. Editor commands are the various
commands that manipulate text, buffers, windows, et cetera,
within the editor. Directives are commands which control
what lines get executed within a macro. Also there are
various types of variables. Environmental variables both
control and report on different aspects of the editor. User
variables hold string values which may be changed and
inspected. Buffer variables allow text to be placed into
variables. Interactive variable allow the program to prompt
the user for information. Functions can be used to
manipulate all these variables.
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MicroEMACS Macros MicroEMACS Reference Manual
13.1 Constants
All constants and variable contents in EMACS are
stored as strings of characters. Numbers are stored digit by
digit as characters. This allows EMACS to be "typeless", not
having different variables types be legal in different
contexts. This has the disadvantage of forcing the user to
be more careful about the context of the statements
variables are placed in, but in turn gives them more
flexibility in where they can place variables. Needless to
say, this also allows EMACS's expression evaluator to be
both concise and quick.
Wherever statements need to have arguments, it is
legal to place constants. A constant is a double quote
character, followed by a string of characters, and
terminated by another double quote character. To represent
various special characters within a constant, the tilde (~)
character is used. The character following the tilde is
interpreted according to the following table:
Sequence Result
~n EMACS newline character (breaks lines)
~r ^M carriage return
~l ^J linefeed
~~ ~ tilde
~b ^H backspace
~f ^L formfeed
~t ^I tab
~" " quote
Any character not in the table which follows a tilde
will be passed unmodified. This action is similar to the ^Q
quote-character command available from the keyboard.
EMACS may use different characters for line
terminators on different computers. The ~n combination will
always get the proper line terminating sequence for the
current system.
The double quotes around constants are not needed if
the constant contains no internal white space and it also
does not happen to meet the rules for any other EMACS
commands, directives, variables, or functions. This is
reasonable useful for numeric constants.
13.2 Variables
Variables in MicroEMACS can be used to return values
within expressions, as repeat counts to editing commands, or
as text to be inserted into buffers and messages. The value
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual MicroEMACS Macros
of these variables is set using the set (^XA) command. For
example, to set the current fill column to 64 characters,
the following macro line would be used:
set $fillcol 64
or to have the contents of %name inserted at the
point in the current buffer, the command to use would be:
insert-string %name
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MicroEMACS Macros MicroEMACS Reference Manual
13.2.1 Environmental Variables
"What good is a quote if you can't change it?"
These variables are used to change different aspects
of the way the editor works. Also they will return the
current settings if used as part of an expression. All
environmental variable names begin with a dollar sign ($)
and are in lower case.
$acount The countdown of inserted characters until the
next save-file
$asave The number of inserted characters between
automatic file-saves in ASAVE mode
$bufhook The function named in this variable is run
when a buffer is entered. It can be used to
implement modes which are specific to a
paricular file or file type.
$cbflags Current buffer attribute flags (See appendix G
for details)
$cbufname Name of the current buffer
$cfname File name of the current buffer
$cmdhook Name of function to run before accepting a
command. This is by default set to nop
$cmode Integer containing the mode of the current
buffer. (See Appendix F for values)
$curchar Ascii value of the character currently at the
point
$curcol Current column of point in current buffer
$curline Current line of point in current buffer
$curwidth Number of columns used currently
$cwline Current display line in current window
$debug Flag to trigger macro debugging
$diagflag If set to TRUE, diagonal dragging of text and
mode lines is enabled. If FALSE, text and
modelines can only be dragged horizontally or
vertically at one time.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual MicroEMACS Macros
$discmd Flag to disable the echoing of messages on the
command line
$disinp Flag to disable the echoing of characters
during command line input
$exbhook This variable holds the name of a function or
macro which is run whenever you are switching
out of a buffer.
$fcol The current line position being displayed in
the first column of the current window.
$fillcol Current fill column
$flicker Flicker Flag set to TRUE if IBM CGA set to
FALSE for most others
$gflags Global flags controlling some EMACS internal
functions (See appendix G for details)
$gmode Global mode flags. (See Appendix F for values)
$hardtab Number of spaces between hard tab stops.
Normally 8, this can be used to change
indentation only within the editor.
$hjump The number in here tells EMACS how many
columns to scroll the screen horizontally when
a horizontal scroll is required.
$hscroll This flag determines if EMACS will scroll the
entire current window horizontally, or just
the current line. The default value, TRUE,
results in the entire current window being
shifted left and right when the cursor goes
off the edge of the screen.
$kill This contains the first 127 characters
currently in the kill buffer and can be used
to set the contents of the kill buffer
$language [READ ONLY]Contains the name of the language
which the current EMACS's message will
display. (Currently EMACS is available in
English, French, Spanish, Pig Latin,
Portuguese, Dutch, German and Esperonto).
$lastkey [READ ONLY]Last keyboard character typed
$lastmesg [READ ONLY]Contains the text of the last
message which emacs wrote on the command line
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MicroEMACS Macros MicroEMACS Reference Manual
$line The current line in the current buffer can be
retrieved and set with this environment
variable
$lwidth [READ ONLY]Returns the number of characters in
the current line
$match [READ ONLY]Last string matched in a magic mode
search
$modeflag Determines if mode lines are currently
displayed
$msflag If TRUE, the mouse (if present) is active. If
FALSE, no mouse cursor is displayed, and no
mouse actions are taken.
$pagelen Number of screen lines used currently
$palette string used to control the palette register
settings on graphics versions. The usually
form consists of groups of three octal digits
setting the red, green, and blue levels.
$pending [READ ONLY]Flag to determine if there are user
keystrokes waiting to be processed.
$progname [READ ONLY]Always contains the string
"MicroEMACS" for standard MicroEMACS. Could
be something else if EMACS is incorporated as
part of someone else's program
$readhook This variable holds the name of a function to
execute whenever a file is read into EMACS.
Normally, using the standard emacs.rc file,
this is bound to a function which places EMACS
into CMODE if the extension of the file read
is .c or .h
$replace Current default replace string
$rval This contains the return value from the last
subprocess which was invoked from EMACS
$search Current default search string
$seed Integer seed of the random number generator
$softtab Number of spaces inserted by EMACS when the
handle-tab command (which is normally bound to
the TAB key) is invoked.
$sres Current screen resolution (CGA, MONO, EGA or
VGA on the IBM-PC driver. LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual MicroEMACS Macros
or DENSE on the Atari ST1040, NORMAL on all
others)
$ssave If TRUE, when EMACS is asked to save the
current file, it writes all files out to a
temporary file, deletes the original, and then
renames the temporary to the old file name.
The default value of this is TRUE.
$sscroll Changes EMACS, when set to TRUE, to smoothly
scroll windows (one line at a time) when
cursoring off the ends of the current window.
$status [READ ONLY]Status of the success of the last
command (TRUE or FALSE). This is usually used
with !force to check on the success of a
search, or a file operation.
$sterm This is the character used to terminate search
string inputs. The default for this is the
last key bound to meta-prefix
$target Current target for line moves (setting this
fool's EMACS into believing the last command
was a line move)
$time [READ ONLY]Contains a string corresponding to
the current date and time. Usually this is in
a form similar to "Mon May 09 10:10:58 1988".
Not all operating systems will support this.
$tpause Controls the length of the pause to display a
matched fence when the current buffer is in
CMODE and a close fence has been typed
$version [READ ONLY]Contains the current MicroEMACS
version number
$wline Number of display lines in current window
$wraphook This variable contains the name of an EMACS
function which is executed when a buffer is in
WRAP mode and it is time to wrap. By default
this is bound to wrap-word.
$writehook This variable contains the name of an EMACS
function or macro which is invoked whenever
EMACS attempts to write a file out to disk.
This is executed before the file is written,
allowing you to process a file on the way out.
$xpos The column the mouse was at the last mouse
button press
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MicroEMACS Macros MicroEMACS Reference Manual
$ypos The line which the mouse was on during the
last mouse button press
Obviously, many more of these variables will be
available in future releases of MicroEMACS. (Yes, send a
vote for your favorite new environmental variables today).
13.2.2 User variables
User variables allow you, the user, to store strings
and manipulate them. These strings can be pieces of text,
numbers (in text form), or the logical values TRUE and
FALSE. These variables can be combined, tested, inserted
into buffers, and otherwise used to control the way your
macros execute. At the moment, up to 255 user variables may
be in use in one editing session. All users variable names
must begin with a percent sign (%) and may contain any
printing characters. Only the first 10 characters are
significant (IE differences beyond the tenth character are
ignored). Most operators will truncate strings to a length
of 128 characters.
13.2.3 Buffer Variables
Buffer variables are special in that they can only
be queried and cannot be set. What buffer variables are is
a way to take text from a buffer and place it in a variable.
For example, if I have a buffer by the name of RIGEL2, and
it contains the text:
Richmond
Lafayette
<*>Bloomington (where <*> is the current point)
Indianapolis
Gary
=* MicroEMACS 3.10 (WRAP) == rigel2 == File: /data/rigel2.txt
=====
and within a command I reference #rigel2, like:
insert-string #rigel2
MicroEMACS would start at the current point in the
RIGEL2 buffer and grab all the text up to the end of that
line and pass that back. Then it would advance the point to
the beginning of the next line. Thus, after our last command
executes, the string "Bloomington" gets inserted into the
current buffer, and the buffer RIGEL2 now looks like this:
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual MicroEMACS Macros
Richmond
Lafayette
Bloomington
<*>Indianapolis (where <*> is the current point)
Gary
=* MicroEMACS 3.10 (WRAP) == rigel2 == File: /data/rigel2.txt
=====
as you have probably noticed, a buffer variable
consists of the buffer name, preceded by a pound sign (#).
13.2.4 Interactive variables
Interactive variables are actually a method to
prompt the user for a string. This is done by using an at
sign (@) followed either with a quoted string, or a variable
containing a string. The string is the placed on the bottom
line, and the editor waits for the user to type in a string.
Then the string typed in by the users is returned as the
value of the interactive variable. For example:
set %quest "What file? "
find-file @%quest
will ask the user for a file name, and then attempt
to find it. Note also that complex expressions can be built
up with these operators, such as:
@&cat &cat "File to decode[" %default "]: "
which prompts the user with the concatenated string.
13.3 Functions
Functions can be used to manipulate variables in
various ways. Functions can have one, two, or three
arguments. These arguments will always be placed after the
function on the current command line. For example, if we
wanted to increase the current fill column by two, using
emacs's set (^XA) command, we would write:
set $fillcol &add $fillcol 2
\ \ \ \ \____second operand
\ \ \ \_________first operand
\ \ \_______________function to execute
\ \_____________________variable to set
\___________________________set (^XA) command
Function names always begin with the ampersand (&)
character, and are only significant to the first three
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MicroEMACS Macros MicroEMACS Reference Manual
characters after the ampersand. Functions will normal
expect one of three types of arguments, and will
automatically convert types when needed.
<num> an ascii string of digits which is interpreted
as a numeric value. Any string which does not
start with a digit or a minus sign (-) will be
considered zero.
<str> An arbitrary string of characters. At the
moment, strings are limited to 128 characters
in length.
<log> A logical value consisting of the string
"TRUE" or "FALSE". Numeric strings will also
evaluate to "FALSE" if they are equal to zero,
and "TRUE" if they are non-zero. Arbitrary
text strings will have the value of "FALSE".
A list of the currently available functions follows:
(Once again, send in those votes on what kind of functions
you would like to see added!) Functions are always used in
lower case, the uppercase letters in the function table are
the short form of the function (IE &div for ÷).
Numeric Functions: (returns <num>)
&ADD <num> <num> Add two numbers
&SUB <num> <num> Subtract the second number from the
first
&TIMes <num> <num> Multiply two numbers
&DIVide <num> <num> Divide the first number by the second
giving an integer result
&MOD <num> <num> Return the reminder of dividing the
first number by the second
&NEGate <neg> Multiply the arg by -1
&LENgth <str> Returns length of string
&SINdex <str1> <str2> Finds the position of <str2> within
<str1>. Returns zero if not found.
&ASCii <str> Return the ascii code of the first
character in <str>
&RND <num> Returns a random integer between 1 and
<num>
&ABS <num> Returns the absolute value of <num>
&BANd <num> <num> Bitwise AND function
&BOR <num> <num> Bitwise OR function
&BXOr <num> <num> Bitwise XOR function
&BNOt <num> Bitwise NOT function
String manipulation functions: (returns <str>)
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual MicroEMACS Macros
&CAT <str> <str> Concatenate the two strings to form
one
&LEFt <str> <num> return the <num> leftmost characters
from <str>
&RIGht <str> <num> return the <num> rightmost characters
from <str>
&MID <str> <num1> <num2>
Starting from <num1> position in
<str>,
return <num2> characters.
&UPPer <str> Uppercase <str>
&LOWer <str> lowercase <str>
&CHR <num> return a string with the character
represented by ascii code <num>
>C returns a string of characters
containing a EMACS command input from
the user
>K return a string containing a single
keystroke from the user
&ENV <str> If the operating system is capable,
this
returns the environment string
associated
with <str>
&BIND <str> return the function name bound to the
keystroke <str>
&XLATE <str1> <str2> <str3>
&FINd <str> Find the named file <str> along the
path and return its full file
specification
or an empty string if none exists
&TRIM <str> Trim the trailing whitespace from a
string
Logical Testing functions: (returns <log>)
&NOT <log> Return the opposite logical value
&AND <log1> <log2> Returns TRUE if BOTH logical arguments
are TRUE
&OR <log1> <log2> Returns TRUE if either argument
is TRUE
&EQUal <num> <num> If <num> and <num> are numerically
equal, return TRUE
&LESs <num1> <num2> If <num1> is less than <num2>, return
TRUE.
&GREater <num1> <num2> If <num1> is greater than, or equal to
<num2>, return TRUE.
&SEQual <str1> <str2> If the two strings are the same,
return
TRUE.
&SLEss <str1> <str2> If <str1> is less alphabetically than
<str2>, return TRUE.
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MicroEMACS Macros MicroEMACS Reference Manual
&SGReater <str1> <str2> If <str1> is alphabetically greater
than
or equal to <str2>, return TRUE.
&EXIst <str> Does the named file <str> exist?
Special Functions:
&INDirect <str> Evaluate <str> as a variable.
This last function deserves more explanation. The
&IND function evaluates its argument, takes the resulting
string, and then uses it as a variable name. For example,
given the following code sequence:
; set up reference table
set %one "elephant"
set %two "giraffe"
set %three "donkey"
set %index "two"
insert-string &ind %index
the string "giraffe" would have been inserted at the
point in the current buffer. This indirection can be safely
nested up to about 10 levels.
13.4 Directives
Directives are commands which only operate within an
executing macro, IE they do not make sense as a single
command. As such, they cannot be called up singly or bound
to keystroke. Used within macros, they control what lines
are executed and in what order.
Directives always start with the exclamation mark
(!) character and must be the first thing placed on a line.
Directives executed interactively (via the execute-command-
line command) will be ignored.
13.4.1 !ENDM Directive
This directive is used to terminate a macro being
stored. For example, if a file is being executed contains
the text:
; Read in a file in view mode, and make the window red
26 store-macro
find-file @"File to view: "
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual MicroEMACS Macros
add-mode "view"
add-mode "red"
!endm
write-message "[Consult macro has been loaded]"
only the lines between the store-macro command and
the !ENDM directive are stored in macro 26. Both numbered
macroes and named procedures (via the store-procedure
command) should be terminated with this directive.
13.4.2 !FORCE Directive
When MicroEMACS executes a macro, if any command
fails, the macro is terminated at that point. If a line is
preceded by a !FORCE directive, execution continues whether
the command succeeds or not. For example:
; Merge the top two windows
save-window ;remember what window we are at
1 next-window ;go to the top window
delete-window ;merge it with the second window
!force restore-window ;This will continue regardless
add-mode "red"
13.4.3 !IF, !ELSE, and !ENDIF Directives
This directive allows statements only to be executed
if a condition specified in the directive is met. Every
line following the !IF directive, until the first !ELSE or
!ENDIF directive, is only executed if the expression
following the !IF directive evaluates to a TRUE value. For
example, the following macro segment creates the portion of
a text file automatically. (yes believe me, this will be
easier to understand then that last explanation....)
!if &sequal %curplace "timespace vortex"
insert-string "First, rematerialize~n"
!endif
!if &sequal %planet "earth" ;If we have landed on earth...
!if &sequal %time "late 20th century" ;and we are
then
write-message "Contact U.N.I.T."
!else
insert-string "Investigate the
situation....~n"
insert-string "(SAY 'stay here Sara')~n"
!endif
!else
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set %conditions @"Atmosphere conditions outside? "
!if &sequal %conditions "safe"
insert-string &cat "Go outside......" "~n"
insert-string "lock the door~n"
!else
insert-string "Dematerialize..try somewhen
else"
newline
!endif
!endif
13.4.4 !GOTO Directive
Flow can be controlled within a MicroEMACS macro
using the !GOTO directive. It takes as an argument a label.
A label consists of a line starting with an asterisk (*) and
then an alphanumeric label. Only labels in the currently
executing macro can be jumped to, and trying to jump to a
non-existing label terminates execution of a macro. For
example..
;Create a block of DATA statements for a BASIC program
insert-string "1000 DATA "
set %linenum 1000
*nxtin
update-screen ;make sure we see the changes
set %data @"Next number: "
!if &equal %data 0
!goto finish
!endif
!if &greater $curcol 60
2 delete-previous-character
newline
set %linenum &add %linenum 10
insert-string &cat %linenum " DATA "
!endif
insert-string &cat %data ", "
!goto nxtin
*finish
2 delete-previous-character
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual MicroEMACS Macros
newline
13.4.5 !WHILE and !ENDWHILE Directives
This directive allows you to set up repetitive tasks
easily and efficiently. If a group of statements need to be
executed while a certain condition is true, enclose them
with a while loop. For example,
!while &less $curcol 70
insert-string &cat &cat "[" #stuff "]"
!endwhile
places items from buffer "item" in the current line
until the cursor is at or past column 70. While loops may
be nested and can contain and be the targets of !GOTOs with
no ill effects. Using a while loop to enclose a repeated
task will run much faster than the corresponding construct
using !IFs.
13.4.6 !BREAK Directive
This directive allows the user to abort out of the
currently most inner while loop, regardless of the
condition. It is often used to abort processing for error
conditions. For example:
; Read in files and substitute "begining" with "beginning"
set %filename #list
!while ¬ &seq %filename "<end>"
!force find-file %filename
!if &seq $status FALSE
write-message "[File read error]"
!break
!endif
beginning-of-file
replace-string "begining" "beginning"
save-file
set %filename #list
!endwhile
This while loop will process files until the list is
exhausted or there is an error while reading a file.
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13.4.7 !RETURN Directive
The !RETURN Directive causes the current macro to
exit, either returning to the caller (if any) or to
interactive mode. For example:
; Check the monitor type and set %mtyp
!if &sres "CGA"
set %mtyp 1
!return
!else
set %mtyp 2
!endif
insert-string "You are on a MONOCHROME machine!~n"
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Debugging MicroEMACS macroes
Chapter 14
Debugging MicroEMACS macroes
When developing new macroes, it is very convenient
to be able to trace their execution to find errors. The
$debug environment variable enables macro debugging. While
this variable is TRUE, emacs will stop at each macro line it
intends to execute and allow you to view it, and issue a
number of different commands to help determine how the macro
is executing.
For example, we will step through the macro which
toggles the function key window off. The first thing to do,
is to set $debug, using the ^XA set command. Type ^XA and
emacs will prompt you on the command line with "Variable to
set: ". Type in "$debug" and press the enter key. Emacs
will then ask "Value: ". Type in "TRUE" (in capital
letters) and press the enter key.
While macro debugging is enabled (as it is now)
emacs will report each time a variable is assigned a value,
by displaying the variable and its value on the command
line. Right now,
((($debug <- TRUE)))
appears on the command line to tell you that $debug
now has been assigned the value of TRUE. Press the space
bar to continue.
Now, lets try to debug a macro. Press function key
5 which normally toggles the function key window. The first
thing that appears is:
<<<[Macro 01]:!if %rcfkeys>>>
At this point, emacs is waiting for a command. I t
i s
prepared
to see if the user variable %rcfkeys is TRUE, and execute
some lines if they are. Suppose we want to see the value of
this variable, type the letter "e" to evaluate an
expression. Emacs will prompt with "EXP: ". Type
"%rcfkeys" followed by the enter key. Emacs should then
respond with "TRUE" to indicate that the function key window
is currently on screen.
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Press the space bar to allow the !if directive to
execute. Emacs will decide that it is TRUE, and then
display the next macro command to execute.
<<<[Macro 01]:!goto rcfoff>>>
Notice emacs tells us what macro we are currently
executing (in this case, the macro bound to execute-
macro-1). Press the space bar again to execute the !goto
directive.
<<<[Macro 01]:save-window>>>
Emacs is saving the position of the current window
so that it can attempt to return to it after it has brought
up the function key window.
[...THIS CHAPTER IS NOT FINISHED...]
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Key Bindings, What they are and
why
Chapter 15
Key Bindings, What they are and why
One of the features which makes MicroEMACS very
adaptable is its ability to use different keystrokes to
execute different commands. The process of changing the
particular command a key invokes is called rebinding. This
allows us to make the editor look like other popular editors
and programs.
Each command in MicroEMACS has a name which is used
for binding purposes. For example, the command to move the
cursor down one page is called next-line and is normally
bound to the ^N key. If you decided that you also wanted to
use the ^D key to move the cursor down one line, you would
use the M-K bind-to-key command. EMACS would respond with
": bind-to-key " on the command line and allow you to type
in a command name. Then type in the name of the command
you want to change, in this case next-line, followed by the
<NL> key. EMACS will then wait for you to type in the keys
you want to activate the named function. Type a single ^D.
From now on, typing ^D will cause EMACS to move down one
line, rather than its original function of deleting
characters.
To find out the name of a command, consult the list
of valid EMACS commands in Appendix B. Also, you can use
the ^X? describe-key command to look up the name of a
command. Type ^X? and then the key to use that command, and
EMACS will show you the name of the command.
After you have experimented with changing your key
bindings, you may decide that you want to change some
bindings permanently. To have EMACS rebind keys to your
pleasure each time you start EMACS, you can add statements
to the end of your startup file (emacs.rc or .emacsrc
depending on the system). For example,
bind-to-key next-line ^D
Notice, that control D character in the startup file
is represented visibly as an uparrow key followed by a
capital D. To know how to represent any keys you want to
bind, use the describe-key command on the key, and use the
sequence that is displayed.
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Manual
bind-to-key split-current-window FN1
This example would make function key 1 activate the
command that splits the current window in two.
EMACS will let you define a large number of keys,
but will report "Binding table FULL!" when it runs out of
space to bind keys. Normally EMACS will allow up to 512
key bindings (including approx. 300 originally bound keys).
If you want to get a current listing of all the
commands and the keys bound to them, use the describe-
bindings command. Notice, that this command is not bound to
any keys!
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual MicroEMACS Command Line
Switches and Startup Files
Appendix A
MicroEMACS Command Line Switches and Startup Files
When EMACS first executes, it always searches for a
file, called .emacsrc under most UNIX systems or emacs.rc on
most other systems which it will execute as EMACS macros
before it reads in the named source files. This file
normally contains EMACS macroes to bind the function keys to
useful functions and load various useful macros. The
contents of this file will probably vary from system to
system and can be modified by the user as desired.
When searching for this file, EMACS looks for it in
this order. First, it attempts to find a definition for
"HOME" in the environment. It will look in that directory
first. Then it searches all the directories listed in the
"PATH" environment variable. Then it looks through a list
of predefined standard directories which vary from system to
system. Finally, failing all of these, it looks in the
current directory. This is also the same method EMACS uses
to look up any files to execute, and to find it's help file
EMACS.HLP.
On computers that call up EMACS via a command line
process, such as MSDOS and UNIX, there are different things
that can be added to the command line to control the way
EMACS operates. These can be switches, which are a dash
('-') followed by a letter, and possible other parameters,
or a startup file specifier, which is an at sign '@'
followed by a file name.
@<file> This causes the named file to be executed
instead of the standard emacs.rc file before
emacs reads in any other files. More than one
of these can be placed on the command line,
and they will be executed in the order that
they appear.
-C The following source files on the command line
can be changed (as opposed to being in VIEW
mode). This is mainly used to cancel the
effects of the -v switch used previously in
the same command line.
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Files MicroEMACS Reference Manual
-E This flag causes emacs to automatically run
the startup file "error.cmd" instead of
emacs.rc. This is used by various C compilers
for error processing (for example, Mark
Williams C).
-G<num> Upon entering EMACS, position the cursor at
the <num> line of the first file.
-I<var> <value>
Initialize an EMACS variable with <value>.
This can be useful to force EMACS to start in
a particular mode. (For example, invoke EMACS
with "emacs -i$sres VGA foo.bar" to edit file
foo.bar in VGA 50 line mode on an IBM-PC).
-K<key> This key tells emacs to place the source files
in CRYPT mode and read it in using <key> as
the encryption key. If no key is listed
immediately after the -K switch, EMACS will
prompt for a key, and not echo it as it is
typed.
-R This places EMACS in "restricted mode" where
any commands allowing the user to read or
write any files other than the ones listed on
the command line are disabled. Also all
commands allowing the user access to the
operating system are disabled. This makes
EMACS very useful as a "safe" environment for
use within other applications and especially
used as a remote editor for a BBS or
electronic bulletin board system.
-S<string> After EMACS is started, it automatically
searches for <string> in the first source
file.
-V This tells EMACS that all the following
sources files on the command line should be in
VIEW mode to prevent any changes being made to
them.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Command Completion
Chapter 16
Command Completion
Some versions of MicroEMACS will allow you to
abbrieviate buffer names, command names and file names as
you enter them. To use this, type in the first few
characters of the name you wish, and then hit either the
space bar, the META key or the TAB key. MicroEMACS will
then attempt to look at the list of all the availible names
and if there is only one which will fit, it will choose that
name. If there are several names that quailify, as many
characters as are common to ALL of them will be entered. If
there are no possible matches, the bell will ring to
indicate MicroEMACS can not complete the command.
For example, if you have several files in your
current directory with the following names:
prog1.c
prog1.obj
prog1.exe
prog1.doc
program.one
project.one
test.c
tes
and you enter the ^X^F find-file command, if you
type 'p' and then hit the space bar, EMACS will respond by
typing the 'r' that is common to all the above file names
begining with 'p'. If you then type 'ogr' and hit the tab
key, EMACS will respond with 'am.one' and automatically hit
the enter key for you.
If you were to instead type an 'a' and hit the space
bar, EMACS will beep, informing you that there is no
possible match.
If you type a 'te' and hit the space bar, EMACS will
then type the following 's', but it will not automatically
enter it because it is possible you mean to get to the
test.c file.
Buffer name, and command name completion is
available in all versions of MicroEMACS. File name
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual MicroEMACS commands
completion is available on UNIX BSD4.3, the Atari ST, the
AMIGA and under MSDOS.
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Appendix B
MicroEMACS commands
Below is a complete list of the commands in EMACS,
the keys normally used to do the command, and what the
command does. Remember, on some computers there may also be
additional ways of using a command (cursor keys and special
function keys for example).
Command Binding Meaning
abort-command ^G This allows the user to abort out of
any
command that is waiting for input
add-mode ^XM Add a mode to the current buffer
add-global-mode M-M Add a global mode for all new buffers
apropos M-A List out commands whose name contains
the string specified
backward-character ^B Move one character to the left
begin-macro ^X( Begin recording a keyboard macro
beginning-of-file M-< Move to the beginning of the file in
the current buffer
beginning-of-line ^A Move to the beginning of the current
line
bind-to-key M-K Bind a key to a function
buffer-position ^X= List the position of the cursor in the
current window on the command line
case-region-lower ^X^L Make a marked region all lower case
case-region-upper ^X^U Make a marked region all upper case
case-word-capitalize M-C Capitalize the following word
case-word-lower M-L Lower case the following word
case-word-upper M-U Upper case the following word
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual MicroEMACS commands
change-file-name ^XN Change the name of the file in the
current buffer
change-screen-size (none) Change the number of lines of the
screen
currently being used
change-screen-width (none) Change the number of columns of the
screen currently being used
clear-and-redraw ^L Clear the physical screen and redraw
it
clear-message-line (none) Clear the command line
copy-region M-W Copy the currently marked region into
the kill buffer
count-words M-^C Count how many words, lines and
characters are in the current marked
region
ctlx-prefix ^X Change the key used as the ^X prefix
delete-blank-lines ^X^O Delete all blank lines around the
cursor
delete-buffer ^XK Delete a buffer which is not being
currently displayed in a window
delete-mode ^X^M Turn off a mode in the current buffer
delete-global-mode M-^M Turn off a global mode
delete-next-character ^D Delete the character following the
cursor
delete-next-word M-D Delete the word following the cursor
delete-other-windows ^X1 Make the current window cover the
entire
screen
delete-previous-character^H Delete the character to the left of
the
cursor
delete-previous-word M-^H Delete the word to the left of the
cursor
delete-window ^X0 Remove the current window from the
screen
describe-bindings (none) Make a list of all legal commands
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MicroEMACS commands MicroEMACS Reference Manual
describe-key ^X? Describe what command is bound to a
keystroke sequence
detab-region ^X^D Change all tabs in a region to the
equivalent spaces
display ^XG Prompts the user for a variable and
displays its current value
dump-variables none Places into a buffer the current
values
of all environment and user variables
end-macro ^X) stop recording a keyboard macro
end-of-file M-> Move cursor to the end of the current
buffer
end-of-line ^E Move to the end of the current line
entab-region ^X^E Change multiple spaces to tabs where
possible
exchange-point-and-mark ^X^X Move cursor to the last marked spot,
make the original position be marked
execute-buffer (none) Execute a buffer as a macro
execute-command-line (none) Execute a line typed on the command
line as a macro command
execute-file (none) Execute a file as a macro
execute-macro ^XE Execute the keyboard macro (play back
the recorded keystrokes)
execute-macro-<n> (none) Execute numbered macro <N> where <N>
is
an integer from 1 to 40
execute-named-command M-X Execute a command by name
execute-procedure M-^E Execute a procedure by name
execute-program ^X$ Execute a program directly (not
through
an intervening shell)
exit-emacs ^X^C Exit EMACS. If there are unwritten,
changed buffers EMACS will ask to
confirm
fill-paragraph M-Q Fill the current paragraph
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual MicroEMACS commands
filter-buffer ^X# Filter the current buffer through an
external filter
find-file ^X^F Find a file to edit in the current
window
forward-character ^F Move cursor one character to the right
goto-line M-G Goto a numbered line
goto-matching-fence M-^F Goto the matching fence
grow-window ^X^ Make the current window larger
handle-tab ^I Insert a tab or set tab stops
hunt-forward A-S Hunt for the next match of the last
search string
hunt-backward A-R Hunt for the last match of the last
search string
help M-? Read EMACS.HLP into a buffer and
display it
i-shell ^XC Shell up to a new command processor
incremental-search ^XS Search for a string, incrementally
insert-file ^X^I insert a file at the cursor in the
current file
insert-space ^C Insert a space to the right of the
cursor
insert-string (none) Insert a string at the cursor
kill-paragraph M-^W Delete the current paragraph
kill-region ^W Delete the current marked region,
moving
it to the kill buffer
kill-to-end-of-line ^K Delete the rest of the current line
list-buffers ^X^B List all existing buffers
meta-prefix <ESC> Key used to precede all META commands
mouse-move-down MSa
mouse-move-up MSb
mouse-resize-screen MS1
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MicroEMACS commands MicroEMACS Reference Manual
mouse-region-down MSe
mouse-region-up MSf
move-window-down ^X^N Move all the lines in the current
window down
move-window-up ^X^P Move all the lines in the current
window up
name-buffer M-^N Change the name of the current buffer
narrow-to-region ^X< hides all text not in the current
region
newline ^M Insert a <NL> at the cursor
newline-and-indent ^J Insert a <NL> at the cursor and indent
the new line the same as the preceding
line
next-buffer ^XX Bring the next buffer in the list into
the current window
next-line ^N Move the cursor down one line
next-page ^V Move the cursor down one page
next-paragraph M-N Move cursor to the next paragraph
next-window ^XO Move cursor to the next window
next-word M-F Move cursor to the beginning of the
next word
nop (none) Does nothing
open-line ^O Open a line at the cursor
overwrite-string (none) Overwrite a string at the cursor
pipe-command ^X@ Execute an external command and place
its output in a buffer
previous-line ^P Move cursor up one line
previous-page ^Z Move cursor up one page
previous-paragraph M-P Move back one paragraph
previous-window ^XP Move the cursor to the last window
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual MicroEMACS commands
previous-word M-B Move the cursor to the beginning of
the
word to the left of the cursor
print (none) Display a string on the command line
(a synonim to write-message)
query-replace-string M-^R Replace all of one string with another
string, interactively querying the
user
quick-exit M-Z Exit EMACS, writing out all changed
buffers
quote-character ^Q Insert the next character literally
read-file ^X^R Read a file into the current buffer
redraw-display M-^L Redraw the display, centering the
current line
resize-window ^XW Change the number of lines in the
current window
restore-window (none) Move cursor to the last saved window
replace-string M-R Replace all occurrences of one string
with another string from the cursor
to the end of the buffer
reverse-incremental-search^XR Search backwards, incrementally
run M-^E Execute a named procedure
save-file ^X^S Save the current buffer if it is
changed
save-window (none) Remember current window (to restore
later)
scroll-next-up M-^Z Scroll the next window up
scroll-next-down M-^V Scroll the next window down
search-forward ^S Search for a string
search-reverse ^R Search backwards for a string
select-buffer ^XB Select a buffer to display in the
current window
set ^XA Set a variable to a value
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MicroEMACS commands MicroEMACS Reference Manual
set-encryption-key M-E Set the encryption key of the current
buffer
set-fill-column ^XF Set the current fill column
set-mark Set the mark
shell-command ^X! Causes an external shell to execute
a command
shrink-window ^X^Z Make the current window smaller
source (none) Execute a file as a macro
split-current-window ^X2 Split the current window in two
store-macro (none) Store the following macro lines to a
numbered macro
store-procedure (none) Store the following macro lines to a
named procedure
transpose-characters ^T Transpose the character at the cursor
with the character to the left
trim-region ^X^T Trim any trailing white space from a
region
unbind-key M-^K Unbind a key from a function
universal-argument ^U Execute the following command 4 times
unmark-buffer M-~ Unmark the current buffer (so it is
no longer changed)
update-screen (none) Force a screen update during macro
execution
view-file ^X^V Find a file,and put it in view mode
widen-from-region ^X> restores hidden text (see narrow-to-
region)
wrap-word (none) Wrap the current word, this is an
internal function
write-file ^X^W Write the current buffer under a new
file name
write-message (none) Display a string on the command line
yank ^Y yank the kill buffer into the current
buffer at the cursor
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual MicroEMACS Bindings
Appendix C
MicroEMACS Bindings
Below is a complete list of the key bindings used in
MicroEMACS. This can be used as a wall chart reference for
MicroEMACS commands.
Default Key Bindings for MicroEmacs 3.10
^A Move to start of line ESC A Apropos (list some
commands)
^B Move backward by characters ESC B Backup by words
^C Insert space ESC C Initial capitalize word
^D Forward delete ESC D Delete forward word
^E Goto end of line ESC E Reset Encryption Key
^F Move forward by characters ESC F Advance by words
^G Abort out of things ESC G Go to a line
^H Backward delete
^I Insert tab/Set tab stops
^J Insert <NL>, then indent
^K Kill forward ESC K Bind Key to function
^L Refresh the screen ESC L Lower case word
^M Insert <NL> ESC M Add global mode
^N Move forward by lines ESC N Goto End paragraph
^O Open up a blank line
^P Move backward by lines ESC P Goto Begining of
paragraph
^Q Insert literal ESC Q Fill current paragraph
^R Search backwards ESC R Search and replace
^S Search forward ESC S Suspend (BSD only)
^T Transpose characters
^U Repeat command four times ESC U Upper case word
^V Move forward by pages ESC V Move backward by pages
^W Kill region ESC W Copy region to kill
buffer
^Y Yank back from killbuffer ESC X Execute named command
^Z Move backward by pages ESC Z Save all buffers and
exit
ESC ^C Count words in region ESC ~ Unmark current buffer
ESC ^E Execute named procedure
ESC ^F Goto matching fence ESC ! Reposition window
ESC ^H Delete backward word ESC < Move to start of buffer
ESC ^K Unbind Key from function ESC > Move to end of buffer
ESC ^L Reposition window ESC . Set mark
ESC ^M Delete global mode ESC space Set mark
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MicroEMACS Bindings MicroEMACS Reference Manual
ESC ^N Rename current buffer ESC rubout Delete backward
word
ESC ^R Search & replace w/query rubout Backward delete
ESC ^S Source command file
ESC ^V Scroll next window down
ESC ^W Delete Paragraph
ESC ^X Execute command line
ESC ^Z Scroll next window up
^X < Narrow-to-region ^X ? Describe a key
^X > Widen-from-region ^X ! Run 1 command in a shell
^X = Show the cursor position ^X @ Pipe shell command to
buffer
^X ^ Enlarge display window ^X # Filter buffer thru shell
filter
^X 0 Delete current window ^X $ Execute an external program
^X 1 Delete other windows ^X ( Begin macro
^X 2 Split current window ^X ) End macro
^X A Set variable value
^X ^B Display buffer list ^X B Switch a window to a buffer
^X ^C Exit MicroEMACS ^X C Start a new command
processor
^X ^D Detab line ^X D Suspend MicroEMACS (BSD4.2
only)
^X ^E Entab line ^X E Execute macro
^X ^F Find file ^X F Set fill column
^X ^I Insert file
^X K Delete buffer
^X ^L Lower case region
^X ^M Delete Mode ^X M Add a mode
^X ^N Move window down ^X N Rename current filename
^X ^O Delete blank lines ^X O Move to the next window
^X ^P Move window up ^X P Move to the previous window
^X ^R Get a file from disk ^X R Incremental reverse search
^X ^S Save current file ^X S Incremental forward search
^X ^T Trim line (Incremental search
^X ^U Upper case region not always available)
^X ^V View file
^X ^W Write a file to disk ^X W resize Window
^X ^X Swap "." and mark ^X X Use next buffer
^X ^Z Shrink window ^X Z Enlarge display window
Usable Modes
WRAP Lines going past right margin "wrap" to a new line
VIEW Read-Only mode where no modifications are allowed
CMODE Change behavior of some commands to work better with C
EXACT Exact case matching on search strings
OVER Overwrite typed characters instead of inserting them
CRYPT Current buffer will be encrypted on write, decrypted on read
MAGIC Use regular expression matching in searches
ASAVE Save the file every 256 inserted characters
WHITE/CYAN/MAGENTA/YELLOW/BLUE/RED/GREEN/BLACK Sets foreground color
white/cyan/magenta/yellow/blue/red/green/black Sets background color
83
MicroEMACS Reference Manual Supported machines
Appendix D
Supported machines
The following table lists all the hardware/compilers
for which I currently support MicroEMACS. This is not
exclusive of all machines which MicroEMACS will run on, but
I have either run it myself, or had a first hand report of
it running.
Hardware OS Compiler Comments
VAX 780 UNIX V5 native
UNIX V7 native
BSD 4.2 native job control supported
*VMS native
NCR Tower UNIX V5 native
IBM-RT PC BSD 4.3 native
HP9000 UNIX V5 native
Fortune 32:16 UNIX V7 native
IBM-PC MSDOS LATTICE 2.15 Large CODE/Large DATA
2.0 & 3.2 AZTEC 3.4e Large CODE/Large DATA
TURBO C v1.5 LARGE memory model
MSC 4.0
*MWC 86
SCO XENIX native
HP150 MSDOS Lattice 2.15 Function key labels
for the touch screen
HP110 MSDOS Lattice 2.15
Aztec 3.4e
*Data General 10
MSDOS Lattice 2.1 Texas Instruments
Professional
MSDOS Lattice 2.15
Amiga Intuition Lattice 3.03
Aztec 3.6
ST520 TOS Mark Williams C Spawns under MSH
Lattice 3.10 (no shell commands)
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Supported machines MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Systems to be supported (IE some code is already written:)
Macintosh Finder 5.0 Aztec
*means that I do not own or have access to the listed compiler and/or
machine and must rely upon others to help support it.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Function Keys
Appendix E
Function Keys
On the IBMPC, the ATARI ST, the Commodore AMIGA and
UNIX now support a set of machine independant bindings for
function keys. Below is a list of these bindings (not all
of these are supported on all systems).
Function keys in MicroEmacs
function Function ^function Alt-function
f1) FN1 S-FN1 FN^1 A-FN1
f2) FN2 S-FN2 FN^2 A-FN2
f3) FN3 S-FN3 FN^3 A-FN3
f4) FN4 S-FN4 FN^4 A-FN4
f5) FN5 S-FN5 FN^5 A-FN5
f6) FN6 S-FN6 FN^6 A-FN6
f7) FN7 S-FN7 FN^7 A-FN7
f8) FN8 S-FN8 FN^8 A-FN8
f9) FN9 S-FN9 FN^9 A-FN9
f10) FN0 S-FN0 FN^0 A-FN0
home) FN< FN^<
CsUp) FNP FN^P
PgUp) FNZ FN^Z
CsLf) FNB FN^B
5 )
CsRt) FNF FN^F
End) FN> FN^>
CsDn) FNN FN^N
PgDn) FNV FN^V
Ins) FNC FN^C
Del) FND FN^D
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Machine Dependent Notes MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Appendix F
Machine Dependent Notes
This appendix lists some notes specific to
individual implementations of MicroEMACS. Every attempt has
been made to allow EMACS to be identical on all machines,
but we have also tried to take advantage of function keys,
cursor keys, mice, and special screen modes where possible.
F.1 IBM-PC/XT/AT and its clones
The IBM-PC family of computers is supported with a
variety of different display adapters. EMACS will attempt
to discover what adapter is connected and use the proper
driver for it. Below is a list of the currently supported
video adapters:
Adapter $sres Original mode used
Monochrome Graphics Adapter MONO MONO
Color Graphics Adapter CGA CGA
Enhanced Graphics Adapter EGA CGA
Video Graphics Adapter VGA CGA
If a driver for a Microsoft compatable mouse is
installed on the system, EMACS will use the mouse in text
mode and allow the user all the standard mouse functions.
The mouse cursor will appear to be a block of color in the
color opposite of it's background.
EMACS also takes advantage of various function keys
and the keys on the keypad on an IBM-PC. The function keys
are initially not bound to any particular functions (except
by the emacs.rc startup file), but the keypad keys do
default to the following:
Keypad key Function
Home beginning-of-file
CSRS UP previous-line
Pg Up previous-page
CSRS LEFT backward-character
CSRS RIGHT forward-character
End end-of-file
CSRS DOWN next-line
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Machine Dependent Notes
Pg Dn Next-page
All these special keys are indicated in EMACS
macroes by use of the FN prefix. Below is a list of many of
the keys and the codes used to specify them. Also the codes
may be gotten by using the describe-key (^X ?) command on
the suspect key.
Compiling under TURBO C
To compile MicroEMACS under TURBO C, set the TURBO
integrated environment with the following options:
Memory model LARGE
Floating point NONE
Default char type UNSIGNED
Data alignment BYTE
Merge duplicate strings ON
Standard stack frame off
Test stack overflow off
Optimize for SIZE
Use register optimization ON
Register optimization ON
Jump optimization ON
Initialize segments OFF
Stack warnings OFF
Names: Code names
Segment name *
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Machine Dependent Notes MicroEMACS Reference Manual
F.2 HP 150
This machine from Hewlett Packard is very unusual
for an MSDOS machine. It has a touch screen and is very
function key oriented. An additional command, label-
function-key allows you to place labels on the on screen
function key labels. A numeric argument indicates which
function key to label (one through eight) and then the
program prompts for a 16 character label, which will be used
as two lines of eight characters. To label function key
three with "save file" from a macro, you would use:
3 label-function-key "save file"
Notice the 4 spaces after "save". This forces
"file" to begin on the second line of the label.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Machine Dependent Notes
F.3 Atari 520/1040ST
The ATARI ST family of computers have a dual
personality. They may use either a monochrome or a color
screen. EMACS supports two screen resolutions on each
monitor.
NOTE
When you set MicroEMACS up on your system, please
remember to install it on the desktop as a GEM
application. If you have EMACS set as a TOS
application, the mouse will not function properly,
and EMACS will alert you to this problem by
beeping the bell.
Monitor $sres size #color $palette format
Color LOW 40x25 16 000111222333444555666777
MEDIUM 80x25 4 000111222333
Mono HIGH 80x25 2 000
DENSE 80x50 2 000
The $palette environment variable can be used to
change what color is associated with each color name. With
a color monitor, each group of three digits indicates an
octal number specifying the RED, GREEN and BLUE levels of
that color. Each color digit can vary from 0 to 7. For
example, the initial setting of $palette in LOW resolution
is:
000700070770007707077777
which broken up is:
000 700 070 770 007 707 077 777
which means:
000 Black
700 Red
070 Green
770 Yellow
007 Blue
707 Magenta
077 Cyan
777 White
Also the mouse buttons are bound to mouse functions
as described in the chapter about mice. The cursor keys and
the function keys are bound similarly to IBM-PC.
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Machine Dependent Notes MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Files generated by EMACS on the ATARI ST have a
single return character at the end of each line, unlike the
desktop files which want to have two returns. This makes it
display files strangely from GEM's [SHOW] option, but makes
the files port to other computers much nicer. When compiling
MicroEMACS, the ADDCR symbol in estruct.h will cause emacs
to generate line ending sequences compatible with GEM.
Currently, when operating under the Mark Williams
MSH program, EMACS can shell out and perform external
commands. This capability will be added later for the
Beckmeyer shell and under GEMDOS.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Machine Dependent Notes
F.4 Amiga 1000
The Commodore AMIGA 1000 version of MicroEMACS does
fully support the mouse, window resizing and the close
gadget. It runs in medium resolution, using the colors
defined for the workbench.
Note about Compiling MicroEMACS
If you are compiling the sources on the
AMIGA to produce an executable image, and you are
using the Lattice compiler, be sure to give the
CLI command 'STACK 40000' before compiling to make
sure the compiler has sufficient stack space to
successfully complete compilation.
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Machine Dependent Notes MicroEMACS Reference Manual
F.5 UNIX V5, V7, and BSD4.[23]
MicroEMACS under UNIX utilizes the TERMCAP library
to provide machine independent screen functions. Make sure
that termcap is available and properly set on your account
before attempting to use MicroEMACS.
Under systems which support job control, you can use
the ^XD suspend-emacs command to place EMACS into the
background. This carries a much smaller overhead than
bringing up a new shell under EMACS. EMACS will properly
redraw the screen when you bring it back to the foreground.
If the symbol VT100 has been set to 1 in the
estruct.h options file, EMACS will recognize the key
sequence <ESC>[ as the lead in sequence for the FN function
key prefix.
With the addition of some very machine/operating
system specific code, EMACS can prevent two or more people
from modifying the same file at the same time. The upper
level of a set of functions to provide file locking exist in
the source file LOCK.C. It requires two machine specific
functions written and linked into EMACS for it to operate
properly.
char *dolock(fname)
char *fname;
dolock() locks a file, preventing others from modifying it. If
it succeeds, it returns NULL, otherwise it returns a pointer
to
a string in the form "LOCK ERROR: explanation".
char *undolock(fname)
char *fname;
undolock() unlocks a file, allowing others to modifying it. If
it succeeds, it returns NULL, otherwise it returns a pointer
to
a string in the form "LOCK ERROR: explanation".
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Machine Dependent Notes
F.6 DEC VMS operating system
TERMINALS
MicroEMACS uses the capabilities of VMS SMG, and
should work with any terminal that is defined in
SMGTERMS.TXT or TERMTABLE.TXT. (See your SMG manual for
more information.) Full keyboard support, with function keys
and everything, is provided for VT100 and VT200 series
compatible terminals. Mouse support is provided for the
VSII workstation's VT220 terminal emulator, and other
terminal emulators that use the same escape sequences for
mouse control. (There is some partial support for the BBN
BitGraph mouse sequences in the sources, but this is not yet
complete.) Terminals may have up to 100 lines and 160
columns.
KEYBOARD
The VMS version understands the LK201 functions of
VT200 series, vt300 series, and compatible terminals and
terminal emulators, and allows you to bind to them as
function keys. In addition, the VT100 numeric keypad, in
application mode, is available as function keys. MicroEMACS
does not, however, put the keypad into application mode for
you. This is done by issuing the command "SET TERM
/APPLICATION" before entering MicroEMACS.
VT200 keys
F6 = FN^Q F7 = FN^R F8 = FN^S F9 = FN^T F10 =
FN^U
F11 = FN^W F12 = FN^X F13 = FN^Y F14 = FN^Z HELP =
FN^\
DO = FN^] F17 = FN^_ F18 = "FN " F19 = FN! F20 =
FN"
FIND = FN^A INSERT = FN^B REMOVE = FN^C SELECT = FN^D PREV =
FN^E
NEXT = FN^F
VT100 and VT200 Arrow keys
Up = FNA Down = FNB Right = FNC Left = FND
VT100 and VT200 numeric keypad in SET TERM /APPLICATION mode
PF1 = FNP9 PF2 = FNQ PF3 = FNR PF4 = FNS
7 = FNw 8 = FMx 9 = FNy - = FNm
4 = FNt 5 = FNu 6 = FNv , = FNl
1 = FNq 2 = FNr 3 = FNs ENTER = FNM
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Machine Dependent Notes MicroEMACS Reference Manual
0 = FNp . = FNn
WARNING
The VMS version contains code for
interpreting function keys that are sent as Ansi
sequences that begin with the ESC character.
Because of this, MicroEMACS cannot process an
incoming ESC until it knows what character follows
it. This can cause problems with terminating
search and replace strings. If you use ESC as the
meta-prefix character (which is the default) you
must type one additional keystroke following ESC
before emacs will recognize that you have edited
the search command prompt, and are continuing.
(The additional character is processed normally be
MicroEMACS, it is NOT discarded.)
Flow control
Some terminals will require the use of XON/XOFF flow
control when used with MicroEMACS. When XON/XOFF flow
control is used, you will not be able to use functions bound
to ^S or ^Q, and should use bind-to-key to put these
functions on other keys. MicroEMACS does not change the
flow control characteristics of your terminal line while it
is running. If your terminal requires flow control, you
should:
$ SET TERM/HOSTSYNC/TTSYNC
before entering MicroEMACS. If you are on a VSII
emulated workstation terminal, are using the SSU multi-
session protocol (VT330 and VT340 with SSU enabled), or are
certain that your terminal does not require XON/XOFF flow
control, you should
$ SET TERM /HOSTSYNC/NOTTSYNC
This will allow you to use ^S and ^Q for MicroEMACS
commands. Note that if you are using a VSII with VWS V3.2 or
later, you must leave the /HOSTSYNC enabled in order for the
cross/session cut and paste capability to work properly.
Search List for EMACS.RC
VMS MicroEMACS will first search logical name
MICROEMACS$LIB:, and then "sys$sysdevice:[vmstools]" when
looking for startup files or help files.
Please use MICROEMACS$LIB:, and allow the secondary
search of [vmstools] to become archaic. If desired,
MICROEMACS$LIB may be defined to be a VMS search list that
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Machine Dependent Notes
first searches a user directory, and then a system
directory.
Generally, you should create a private directory
where you keep all your .CMD files, and in your LOGIN.COM
$DEFINE a logical name to point to this area.
Using MicroEMACS with VMS MAIL and NOTES
There are two ways of using MicroEMACS with MAIL and
NOTES. The first way requires the cooperation of your
system manager, but is faster and less taxing on system
resources. The second way can be done by any random user
that has PRCLM quota that is greater than 1, but it creates
a new subprocess each time MicroEMACS is called up from the
application, and is therefore slower to invoke and more
demanding on system resources. Obviously, the first way is
recommended.
First way
1. $ SET PROC/PRIV=ALL
2. $ Copy MESHR.EXE SYS$SHARE:MESHR.EXE/PROT=WO:RE
3. $ INSTALL :== $INSTALL
4. $ INSTALL/COMMAND ADD SYS$SHARE:MESHR.EXE
Step 4, and possibly step 3, must be incorporated
into the system-wide startup command file, usually
SYS$MANAGER:SYSTARTUP.COM, so that MicroEMACS will be
installed each time the system boots. Note that the
filename MUST be "MESHR.EXE".
5. $ DEFINE MAIL$EDIT CALLABLE_ME
Step 5 must be added to the LOGIN.COM of each user
that wishes to have MicroEMACS as their MAIL editor.
Additionally, they may wish to have the line $ ME :==
$SYS$SHARE:MESHR.EXE, which will allow them to use the "ME"
command for invoking MicroEMACS from DCL.
6. $ NOTES
NOTES> SET PROFILE/EDIT=(ME,CALL)
Step 6 must be performed by each user that wishes to
have MicroEMACS as their NOTES editor.
NOTE: If you already have a version of MicroEMACS
installed, and you wish to install a new version in a
running system, you must REMOVE the old image and INSTALL
the new one before MAIL or NOTES will recognize it. To
perform the upgrade, use following sequence of commands:
$ install :== $install
$ set proc /priv=all
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Machine Dependent Notes MicroEMACS Reference Manual
$ install/command remove sys$share:meshr.exe
$ copy meshr.exe sys$share:/log/prot=wo:re
$ install/command add sys$share:meshr.exe
Second way
In the event that you cannot get your system manager
to INSTALL MicroEMACS as known image, you can use the
following technique:
1. In MICROEMACS$LIB:MEMAIL.COM, put the following command file:
$! Use on VAX/VMS as MAIL$EDIT for using MicroEMACS as mail editor.
$ if "''P1'" .NES. "_NL:" then if "''P1'" .NES. "" then copy 'P1' 'P2'
$ define/user sys$input sys$output
$ me 'P2'
$ exit
This file may have come with your MicroEMACS kit.
2. In your LOGIN.COM, put the following lines:
$ me :== $MICROEMACS$LIB:MESHR.EXE ! Assumes meshr.exe is there
$ define mail$edit microemacs$lib:me_edit.com
3. In NOTES, give the command
NOTES> SET PROFILE/EDIT=(@MicroEMACS$lib:me_edit.com,SPAWN)
Building MicroEMACS for VMS
The configuration options are set in file estruct.h:
- Under the category of "Machine/OS definitions", set VMS to "1" and
all
others to "0".
- Under "Compiler definitions", set all selections to "0". Selecting
VMS implies that you are using VAXC.
- Under "Special keyboard definitions", be sure "VT100" is set to "0".
This option is not required for the VMS version, it is for versions
linked with ANSI terminal support. VMSVT already handles the special
characteristics of Ansi keyboards.
- Under "Terminal Output definitions", set VMSVT to "1" and all others
to "0".
- Under "Configuration options", you may select as you wish, with the
following notes:
- COLOR support does not exist for VMS, even when using
color workstations.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Machine Dependent Notes
- MOUSE support should be enabled if you have any VSII
workstations
If you have MMS, you can use the supplied
DESCRIP.MMS to build MicroEMACS. If you do not have MMS,
simply compile each module with "CC", and link with the
command:
$ LINK MESHR/OPTION/SHARE
Note that the executable filename must end in "SHR"
in order for MicroEMACS to be used as a callable editor from
MAIL or NOTES. (Method 1 above.)
If you edit any of the Emacs sources, note that any
global or external data must be declared as "noshare" in
order for the VMS callable editor support to work properly.
This applies to all global data used in the VMS version, but
not to routines or to "static "data. The "noshare"
declaration is #define'd away on non-VMS systems. If you
fail to do this, VMS will not allow you to INSTALL
MicroEMACS as a sharable library.
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Mode Flags MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Appendix G
Mode Flags
The two environment variables, $cmode and $gmode,
contain a number the corresponds to the modes set for the
current buffer and the editor as a whole. These are encoded
as the sum of the following numbers for each of the possible
modes:
WRAP 1 Word wrap
CMODE 2 C indentation and fence match
SPELL 4 Interactive spell checking (Not Implemented
Yet)
EXACT 8 Exact matching for searches
VIEW 16 Read-only buffer
OVER 32 Overwrite mode
MAGIC 64 Regular expressions in search
CRYPT 128 Encryption mode active
ASAVE 256 Auto-save mode
So, if you wished to set the current buffer to have
CMODE, EXACT, and MAGIC on, and all the others off, you
would add up the values for those three, CMODE 2 + EXACT 8
+ MAGIC 64 = 74, and use a statement like:
set $cmode 74
or, use the binary or operator to combine the
different modes:
set $cmode &bor &bor 2 8 64
Internal Flags
Some of the ways EMACS controls its internal
functions can be modified by the value in the $gflags
environment variable. Each bit in this variable will be
used to control a different function.
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MicroEMACS Reference Manual Mode Flags
GFFLAG 1 If this bit is set to zero, EMACS will not
automatically switch to the buffer of the
first file after executing the startup macros.
Current buffer flags
The $cbflags environment variable allows the user to
modify some of the characteristics of the current buffer.
The various characteristics are encoded as the sum of the
following numbers:
BFINVS 1 Internal invisible buffer
BFCHG 2 Changed since last write
BFTRUNC 4 buffer was truncated when read
BFNAROW 8 buffer has been narrowed
Only the invisible and changed flags can be modified
by setting the $cbflags variable. The truncated file and
narrowed flags are read only.
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Index MicroEMACS Reference Manual
Index
$cbflags 99 cut 25
$debug 66
$gflags 99 D
.emacsrc 50, 70 debugging 66
<NL> 15 default string 15
delete-blank-lines
A 9
add-global-mode 30 delete-buffer 28
add-mode 3, 30 delete-global-mode
ASAVE mode 30 30
delete-mode 30
B delete-next-
backward-character character 9
4 delete-next-word 9
BBS 71 delete-previous-
begin-macro 48 character 9
beginning-of-file delete-previous-
4, 9 word 9
beginning-of-line describe-bindings
4 69
bind-to-key 68 describe-key 68
buffer 5, 7, 27 desk accessories
23
C detab-region 42
case-region-lower dragging 24
40
case-word- E
capitalize 40 emacs.rc 50, 70
case-word-lower 40 encryption 31
case-word-upper 40 end-macro 48
change-file-name end-of-file 4
36 end-of-line 4
CMODE mode 31 entab-region 42
color 30 error parsing 71
color pallette 55 EXACT mode 32
command.com 45 execute-buffer 50
command line 18 execute-file 50
command processor execute-macro 48
45 execute-macro-<n>
control-x 1 50
control key 1 execute-procedure
copy-region 12 50
CRYPT mode 31, 71 execute-program 46
cshell 45 exit-emacs 9
cursor keys 4
101
MicroEMACS Reference Manual Index
next-buffer 27
F next-line 4
file locking 93 next-paragraph 4
fill-paragraph 8, next-word 4
39
fill column 34 O
filter 45 open-line 8
filter-buffer 45 open-window 18
find-file 19, 27 OVER mode 33
forward-character
4 P
function key paste 25
window 50 PATH environment
variable 70
G pipe-command 45
grow-window 20 point 11
previous-line 4
H previous-paragraph
handle-tab 41 4
Help File 70 previous-window 18
HOME environment previous-word 4
variable 70 procedures 50
horizontal
scrolling 24 Q
query-replace 16
I query-replace-
i-shell 46 string 16, 33
K R
kill-region 12 rebinding 68
kill-to-end-of- redraw-display 21
line 9 refresh-screen 21
kill buffer 12 region 25
replace-string 16,
L 33
label-function-key resize-window 20
89 restricted mode 71
list-buffers 28, run 50
30
S
M save-file 5
MAGIC mode 32 screen 7
mark 11 screen resolution
meta key 1 56
mode line 2, 7 scroll-next-down
modes 3, 30 19
mouse 23, 55 scroll-next-up 19
mouse cursor 23 search-forward 14
move-window-down search-reverse 15
19 select-buffer 28
move-window-up 19 set 41
set-encryption-key
N 31
newline 1 set-fill-column 39
102
Index MicroEMACS Reference Manual
set-mark 12 VIEW mode 34
shell 45
shell-command 45 W
shrink-window 20 window 7
special keys 1 windows 2, 18
split-current- Creating 18
window 18 Deleting 20
startup files 70 Resizing 20
store-procedure 50 wrap-word 34
suspend-emacs 46, WRAP mode 34
93 wrapping text 39
switches 70 write-file 5
writefile 37
T
tab handling 41 Y
tabs 54, 55 yank 12
termcap 93
text window 2
trim-region 42
V
vertical scrolling
24
103
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Basic Concepts 1
1.1 Keys and the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.3 Parts and Pieces . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.4 Entering Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.5 Basic cursor movement . . . . . . . . . 4
1.6 Saving your text . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 2 Basic Editing--Simple Insertions and
Deletions 7
2.1 A Word About Windows, Buffers, Screens,
and Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.2 Insertions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.3 Deletions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter 3 Using Regions 11
3.1 Defining and Deleting a Region . . . . 11
3.2 Yanking a Region . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Chapter 4 Search and Replace 14
4.1 Forward Search . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.2 Exact Searches . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.3 Backward Search . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.4 Searching and Replacing . . . . . . . 16
4.5 Query-Replace . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Chapter 5 Windows 18
5.1 Creating Windows . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.2 Deleting Windows . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5.3 Resizing Windows . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5.4 Repositioning within a Window . . . . 21
Chapter 6 Using a Mouse 23
6.1 Moving around with the mouse . . . . . 23
6.2 Dragging around . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6.3 Cut and Paste . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Chapter 7 Buffers 27
Chapter 8 Modes 30
8.1 ASAVE mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
8.2 CMODE mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
8.3 CRYPT mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
8.4 EXACT mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
8.5 MAGIC mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
i
8.6 OVER mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
8.7 WRAP mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
8.8 VIEW mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Chapter 9 Files 36
Chapter 10 Screen Formatting 39
10.1 Wrapping Text . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
10.2 Reformatting Paragraphs . . . . . . . 39
10.3 Changing Case . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
10.4 Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Chapter 11 Access to the Outside World 45
Chapter 12 Keyboard Macros 48
Chapter 13 MicroEMACS Macros 50
13.1 Constants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
13.2 Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
13.2.1 Environmental Variables . . . . . 53
13.2.2 User variables . . . . . . . . . 57
13.2.3 Buffer Variables . . . . . . . . 57
13.2.4 Interactive variables . . . . . . 58
13.3 Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
13.4 Directives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
13.4.1 !ENDM Directive . . . . . . . . . 61
13.4.2 !FORCE Directive . . . . . . . . 62
13.4.3 !IF, !ELSE, and !ENDIF
Directives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
13.4.4 !GOTO Directive . . . . . . . . . 63
13.4.5 !WHILE and !ENDWHILE Directives . 64
13.4.6 !BREAK Directive . . . . . . . . 64
13.4.7 !RETURN Directive . . . . . . . . 64
Chapter 14 Debugging MicroEMACS macroes 66
Chapter 15 Key Bindings, What they are and why 68
Appendix A MicroEMACS Command Line Switches and
Startup Files 70
Chapter 16 Command Completion 72
Appendix B MicroEMACS commands 75
Appendix C MicroEMACS Bindings 82
Appendix D Supported machines 84
Appendix E Function Keys 86
Appendix F Machine Dependent Notes 87
F.1 IBM-PC/XT/AT and its clones . . . . . . 87
F.2 HP 150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
F.3 Atari 520/1040ST . . . . . . . . . . . 90
ii
F.4 Amiga 1000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
F.5 UNIX V5, V7, and BSD4.[23] . . . . . . 93
F.6 DEC VMS operating system . . . . . . . 94
Appendix G Mode Flags 99
iii
