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This is Info file elisp, produced by Makeinfo-1.63 from the input file elisp.texi. This version is the edition 2.4.2 of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. It corresponds to Emacs Version 19.34. Published by the Free Software Foundation 59 Temple Place, Suite 330 Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 Free Software Foundation, Inc. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this one. Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved by the Foundation. Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the section entitled "GNU General Public License" is included exactly as in the original, and provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this one. Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions, except that the section entitled "GNU General Public License" may be included in a translation approved by the Free Software Foundation instead of in the original English. File: elisp, Node: Minibuffer History, Next: Completion, Prev: Object from Minibuffer, Up: Minibuffers Minibuffer History ================== A "minibuffer history list" records previous minibuffer inputs so the user can reuse them conveniently. A history list is actually a symbol, not a list; it is a variable whose value is a list of strings (previous inputs), most recent first. There are many separate history lists, used for different kinds of inputs. It's the Lisp programmer's job to specify the right history list for each use of the minibuffer. The basic minibuffer input functions `read-from-minibuffer' and `completing-read' both accept an optional argument named HIST which is how you specify the history list. Here are the possible values: VARIABLE Use VARIABLE (a symbol) as the history list. (VARIABLE . STARTPOS) Use VARIABLE (a symbol) as the history list, and assume that the initial history position is STARTPOS (an integer, counting from zero which specifies the most recent element of the history). If you specify STARTPOS, then you should also specify that element of the history as the initial minibuffer contents, for consistency. If you don't specify HIST, then the default history list `minibuffer-history' is used. For other standard history lists, see below. You can also create your own history list variable; just initialize it to `nil' before the first use. Both `read-from-minibuffer' and `completing-read' add new elements to the history list automatically, and provide commands to allow the user to reuse items on the list. The only thing your program needs to do to use a history list is to initialize it and to pass its name to the input functions when you wish. But it is safe to modify the list by hand when the minibuffer input functions are not using it. - Variable: minibuffer-history The default history list for minibuffer history input. - Variable: query-replace-history A history list for arguments to `query-replace' (and similar arguments to other commands). - Variable: file-name-history A history list for file name arguments. - Variable: regexp-history A history list for regular expression arguments. - Variable: extended-command-history A history list for arguments that are names of extended commands. - Variable: shell-command-history A history list for arguments that are shell commands. - Variable: read-expression-history A history list for arguments that are Lisp expressions to evaluate. File: elisp, Node: Completion, Next: Yes-or-No Queries, Prev: Minibuffer History, Up: Minibuffers Completion ========== "Completion" is a feature that fills in the rest of a name starting from an abbreviation for it. Completion works by comparing the user's input against a list of valid names and determining how much of the name is determined uniquely by what the user has typed. For example, when you type `C-x b' (`switch-to-buffer') and then type the first few letters of the name of the buffer to which you wish to switch, and then type TAB (`minibuffer-complete'), Emacs extends the name as far as it Standard Emacs commands offer completion for names of symbols, files, buffers, and processes; with the functions in this section, you can implement completion for other kinds of names. The `try-completion' function is the basic primitive for completion: it returns the longest determined completion of a given initial string, with a given set of strings to match against. The function `completing-read' provides a higher-level interface for completion. A call to `completing-read' specifies how to determine the list of valid names. The function then activates the minibuffer with a local keymap that binds a few keys to commands useful for completion. Other functions provide convenient simple interfaces for reading certain kinds of names with completion. * Menu: * Basic Completion:: Low-level functions for completing strings. (These are too low level to use the minibuffer.) * Minibuffer Completion:: Invoking the minibuffer with completion. * Completion Commands:: Minibuffer commands that do completion. * High-Level Completion:: Convenient special cases of completion (reading buffer name, file name, etc.) * Reading File Names:: Using completion to read file names. * Programmed Completion:: Finding the completions for a given file name. File: elisp, Node: Basic Completion, Next: Minibuffer Completion, Up: Completion Basic Completion Functions -------------------------- The two functions `try-completion' and `all-completions' have nothing in themselves to do with minibuffers. We describe them in this chapter so as to keep them near the higher-level completion features that do use the minibuffer. - Function: try-completion STRING COLLECTION &optional PREDICATE This function returns the longest common substring of all possible completions of STRING in COLLECTION. The value of COLLECTION must be an alist, an obarray, or a function that implements a virtual set of strings (see below). Completion compares STRING against each of the permissible completions specified by COLLECTION; if the beginning of the permissible completion equals STRING, it matches. If no permissible completions match, `try-completion' returns `nil'. If only one permissible completion matches, and the match is exact, then `try-completion' returns `t'. Otherwise, the value is the longest initial sequence common to all the permissible completions that match. If COLLECTION is an alist (*note Association Lists::.), the CARs of the alist elements form the set of permissible completions. If COLLECTION is an obarray (*note Creating Symbols::.), the names of all symbols in the obarray form the set of permissible completions. The global variable `obarray' holds an obarray containing the names of all interned Lisp symbols. Note that the only valid way to make a new obarray is to create it empty and then add symbols to it one by one using `intern'. Also, you cannot intern a given symbol in more than one obarray. If the argument PREDICATE is non-`nil', then it must be a function of one argument. It is used to test each possible match, and the match is accepted only if PREDICATE returns non-`nil'. The argument given to PREDICATE is either a cons cell from the alist (the CAR of which is a string) or else it is a symbol (*not* a symbol name) from the obarray. You can also use a symbol that is a function as COLLECTION. Then the function is solely responsible for performing completion; `try-completion' returns whatever this function returns. The function is called with three arguments: STRING, PREDICATE and `nil'. (The reason for the third argument is so that the same function can be used in `all-completions' and do the appropriate thing in either case.) *Note Programmed Completion::. In the first of the following examples, the string `foo' is matched by three of the alist CARs. All of the matches begin with the characters `fooba', so that is the result. In the second example, there is only one possible match, and it is exact, so the value is `t'. (try-completion "foo" '(("foobar1" 1) ("barfoo" 2) ("foobaz" 3) ("foobar2" 4))) => "fooba" (try-completion "foo" '(("barfoo" 2) ("foo" 3))) => t In the following example, numerous symbols begin with the characters `forw', and all of them begin with the word `forward'. In most of the symbols, this is followed with a `-', but not in all, so no more than `forward' can be completed. (try-completion "forw" obarray) => "forward" Finally, in the following example, only two of the three possible matches pass the predicate `test' (the string `foobaz' is too short). Both of those begin with the string `foobar'. (defun test (s) (> (length (car s)) 6)) => test (try-completion "foo" '(("foobar1" 1) ("barfoo" 2) ("foobaz" 3) ("foobar2" 4)) 'test) => "foobar" - Function: all-completions STRING COLLECTION &optional PREDICATE NOSPACE This function returns a list of all possible completions of STRING. The parameters to this function are the same as to `try-completion'. If COLLECTION is a function, it is called with three arguments: STRING, PREDICATE and `t'; then `all-completions' returns whatever the function returns. *Note Programmed Completion::. If NOSPACE is non-`nil', completions that start with a space are ignored unless STRING also starts with a space. Here is an example, using the function `test' shown in the example for `try-completion': (defun test (s) (> (length (car s)) 6)) => test (all-completions "foo" '(("foobar1" 1) ("barfoo" 2) ("foobaz" 3) ("foobar2" 4)) 'test) => ("foobar1" "foobar2") - Variable: completion-ignore-case If the value of this variable is non-`nil', Emacs does not consider case significant in completion. File: elisp, Node: Minibuffer Completion, Next: Completion Commands, Prev: Basic Completion, Up: Completion Completion and the Minibuffer ----------------------------- This section describes the basic interface for reading from the minibuffer with completion. - Function: completing-read PROMPT COLLECTION &optional PREDICATE REQUIRE-MATCH INITIAL HIST This function reads a string in the minibuffer, assisting the user by providing completion. It activates the minibuffer with prompt PROMPT, which must be a string. If INITIAL is non-`nil', `completing-read' inserts it into the minibuffer as part of the input. Then it allows the user to edit the input, providing several commands to attempt completion. The actual completion is done by passing COLLECTION and PREDICATE to the function `try-completion'. This happens in certain commands bound in the local keymaps used for completion. If REQUIRE-MATCH is `t', the usual minibuffer exit commands won't exit unless the input completes to an element of COLLECTION. If REQUIRE-MATCH is neither `nil' nor `t', then the exit commands won't exit unless the input typed is itself an element of COLLECTION. If REQUIRE-MATCH is `nil', the exit commands work regardless of the input in the minibuffer. The user can exit with null input by typing RET with an empty minibuffer. Then `completing-read' returns `""'. This is how the user requests whatever default the command uses for the value being read. The user can return using RET in this way regardless of the value of REQUIRE-MATCH, and regardless of whether the empty string is included in COLLECTION. The function `completing-read' works by calling `read-minibuffer'. It uses `minibuffer-local-completion-map' as the keymap if REQUIRE-MATCH is `nil', and uses `minibuffer-local-must-match-map' if REQUIRE-MATCH is non-`nil'. *Note Completion Commands::. The argument HIST specifies which history list variable to use for saving the input and for minibuffer history commands. It defaults to `minibuffer-history'. *Note Minibuffer History::. Completion ignores case when comparing the input against the possible matches, if the built-in variable `completion-ignore-case' is non-`nil'. *Note Basic Completion::. Here's an example of using `completing-read': (completing-read "Complete a foo: " '(("foobar1" 1) ("barfoo" 2) ("foobaz" 3) ("foobar2" 4)) nil t "fo") ;; After evaluation of the preceding expression, ;; the following appears in the minibuffer: ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- Complete a foo: fo-!- ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- If the user then types `DEL DEL b RET', `completing-read' returns `barfoo'. The `completing-read' function binds three variables to pass information to the commands that actually do completion. These variables are `minibuffer-completion-table', `minibuffer-completion-predicate' and `minibuffer-completion-confirm'. For more information about them, see *Note Completion Commands::. File: elisp, Node: Completion Commands, Next: High-Level Completion, Prev: Minibuffer Completion, Up: Completion Minibuffer Commands That Do Completion -------------------------------------- This section describes the keymaps, commands and user options used in the minibuffer to do completion. - Variable: minibuffer-local-completion-map `completing-read' uses this value as the local keymap when an exact match of one of the completions is not required. By default, this keymap makes the following bindings: `?' `minibuffer-completion-help' SPC `minibuffer-complete-word' TAB `minibuffer-complete' with other characters bound as in `minibuffer-local-map' (*note Text from Minibuffer::.). - Variable: minibuffer-local-must-match-map `completing-read' uses this value as the local keymap when an exact match of one of the completions is required. Therefore, no keys are bound to `exit-minibuffer', the command that exits the minibuffer unconditionally. By default, this keymap makes the following bindings: `?' `minibuffer-completion-help' SPC `minibuffer-complete-word' TAB `minibuffer-complete' LFD `minibuffer-complete-and-exit' RET `minibuffer-complete-and-exit' with other characters bound as in `minibuffer-local-map'. - Variable: minibuffer-completion-table The value of this variable is the alist or obarray used for completion in the minibuffer. This is the global variable that contains what `completing-read' passes to `try-completion'. It is used by minibuffer completion commands such as `minibuffer-complete-word'. - Variable: minibuffer-completion-predicate This variable's value is the predicate that `completing-read' passes to `try-completion'. The variable is also used by the other minibuffer completion functions. - Command: minibuffer-complete-word This function completes the minibuffer contents by at most a single word. Even if the minibuffer contents have only one completion, `minibuffer-complete-word' does not add any characters beyond the first character that is not a word constituent. *Note Syntax Tables::. - Command: minibuffer-complete This function completes the minibuffer contents as far as possible. - Command: minibuffer-complete-and-exit This function completes the minibuffer contents, and exits if confirmation is not required, i.e., if `minibuffer-completion-confirm' is `nil'. If confirmation *is* required, it is given by repeating this command immediately--the command is programmed to work without confirmation when run twice in succession. - Variable: minibuffer-completion-confirm When the value of this variable is non-`nil', Emacs asks for confirmation of a completion before exiting the minibuffer. The function `minibuffer-complete-and-exit' checks the value of this variable before it exits. - Command: minibuffer-completion-help This function creates a list of the possible completions of the current minibuffer contents. It works by calling `all-completions' using the value of the variable `minibuffer-completion-table' as the COLLECTION argument, and the value of `minibuffer-completion-predicate' as the PREDICATE argument. The list of completions is displayed as text in a buffer named `*Completions*'. - Function: display-completion-list COMPLETIONS This function displays COMPLETIONS to the stream in `standard-output', usually a buffer. (*Note Read and Print::, for more information about streams.) The argument COMPLETIONS is normally a list of completions just returned by `all-completions', but it does not have to be. Each element may be a symbol or a string, either of which is simply printed, or a list of two strings, which is printed as if the strings were concatenated. This function is called by `minibuffer-completion-help'. The most common way to use it is together with `with-output-to-temp-buffer', like this: (with-output-to-temp-buffer "*Completions*" (display-completion-list (all-completions (buffer-string) my-alist))) - User Option: completion-auto-help If this variable is non-`nil', the completion commands automatically display a list of possible completions whenever nothing can be completed because the next character is not uniquely determined. File: elisp, Node: High-Level Completion, Next: Reading File Names, Prev: Completion Commands, Up: Completion High-Level Completion Functions -------------------------------- This section describes the higher-level convenient functions for reading certain sorts of names with completion. In most cases, you should not call these functions in the middle of a Lisp function. When possible, do all minibuffer input as part of reading the arguments for a command, in the `interactive' spec. *Note Defining Commands::. - Function: read-buffer PROMPT &optional DEFAULT EXISTING This function reads the name of a buffer and returns it as a string. The argument DEFAULT is the default name to use, the value to return if the user exits with an empty minibuffer. If non-`nil', it should be a string or a buffer. It is mentioned in the prompt, but is not inserted in the minibuffer as initial input. If EXISTING is non-`nil', then the name specified must be that of an existing buffer. The usual commands to exit the minibuffer do not exit if the text is not valid, and RET does completion to attempt to find a valid name. (However, DEFAULT is not checked for validity; it is returned, whatever it is, if the user exits with the minibuffer empty.) In the following example, the user enters `minibuffer.t', and then types RET. The argument EXISTING is `t', and the only buffer name starting with the given input is `minibuffer.texi', so that name is the value. (read-buffer "Buffer name? " "foo" t) ;; After evaluation of the preceding expression, ;; the following prompt appears, ;; with an empty minibuffer: ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- Buffer name? (default foo) -!- ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- ;; The user types `minibuffer.t RET'. => "minibuffer.texi" - Function: read-command PROMPT This function reads the name of a command and returns it as a Lisp symbol. The argument PROMPT is used as in `read-from-minibuffer'. Recall that a command is anything for which `commandp' returns `t', and a command name is a symbol for which `commandp' returns `t'. *Note Interactive Call::. (read-command "Command name? ") ;; After evaluation of the preceding expression, ;; the following prompt appears with an empty minibuffer: ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- Command name? ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- If the user types `forward-c RET', then this function returns `forward-char'. The `read-command' function is a simplified interface to `completing-read'. It uses the variable `obarray' so as to complete in the set of extant Lisp symbols, and it uses the `commandp' predicate so as to accept only command names: (read-command PROMPT) == (intern (completing-read PROMPT obarray 'commandp t nil)) - Function: read-variable PROMPT This function reads the name of a user variable and returns it as a symbol. (read-variable "Variable name? ") ;; After evaluation of the preceding expression, ;; the following prompt appears, ;; with an empty minibuffer: ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- Variable name? -!- ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- If the user then types `fill-p RET', `read-variable' returns `fill-prefix'. This function is similar to `read-command', but uses the predicate `user-variable-p' instead of `commandp': (read-variable PROMPT) == (intern (completing-read PROMPT obarray 'user-variable-p t nil)) File: elisp, Node: Reading File Names, Next: Programmed Completion, Prev: High-Level Completion, Up: Completion Reading File Names ------------------ Here is another high-level completion function, designed for reading a file name. It provides special features including automatic insertion of the default directory. - Function: read-file-name PROMPT &optional DIRECTORY DEFAULT EXISTING INITIAL This function reads a file name in the minibuffer, prompting with PROMPT and providing completion. If DEFAULT is non-`nil', then the function returns DEFAULT if the user just types RET. DEFAULT is not checked for validity; it is returned, whatever it is, if the user exits with the minibuffer empty. If EXISTING is non-`nil', then the user must specify the name of an existing file; RET performs completion to make the name valid if possible, and then refuses to exit if it is not valid. If the value of EXISTING is neither `nil' nor `t', then RET also requires confirmation after completion. If EXISTING is `nil', then the name of a nonexistent file is acceptable. The argument DIRECTORY specifies the directory to use for completion of relative file names. If `insert-default-directory' is non-`nil', DIRECTORY is also inserted in the minibuffer as initial input. It defaults to the current buffer's value of `default-directory'. If you specify INITIAL, that is an initial file name to insert in the buffer (after with DIRECTORY, if that is inserted). In this case, point goes at the beginning of INITIAL. The default for INITIAL is `nil'--don't insert any file name. To see what INITIAL does, try the command `C-x C-v'. Here is an example: (read-file-name "The file is ") ;; After evaluation of the preceding expression, ;; the following appears in the minibuffer: ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- The file is /gp/gnu/elisp/-!- ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- Typing `manual TAB' results in the following: ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- The file is /gp/gnu/elisp/manual.texi-!- ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- If the user types RET, `read-file-name' returns the file name as the string `"/gp/gnu/elisp/manual.texi"'. - User Option: insert-default-directory This variable is used by `read-file-name'. Its value controls whether `read-file-name' starts by placing the name of the default directory in the minibuffer, plus the initial file name if any. If the value of this variable is `nil', then `read-file-name' does not place any initial input in the minibuffer (unless you specify initial input with the INITIAL argument). In that case, the default directory is still used for completion of relative file names, but is not displayed. For example: ;; Here the minibuffer starts out with the default directory. (let ((insert-default-directory t)) (read-file-name "The file is ")) ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- The file is ~lewis/manual/-!- ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- ;; Here the minibuffer is empty and only the prompt ;; appears on its line. (let ((insert-default-directory nil)) (read-file-name "The file is ")) ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- The file is -!- ---------- Buffer: Minibuffer ---------- File: elisp, Node: Programmed Completion, Prev: Reading File Names, Up: Completion Programmed Completion --------------------- Sometimes it is not possible to create an alist or an obarray containing all the intended possible completions. In such a case, you can supply your own function to compute the completion of a given string. This is called "programmed completion". To use this feature, pass a symbol with a function definition as the COLLECTION argument to `completing-read'. The function `completing-read' arranges to pass your completion function along to `try-completion' and `all-completions', which will then let your function do all the work. The completion function should accept three arguments: * The string to be completed. * The predicate function to filter possible matches, or `nil' if none. Your function should call the predicate for each possible match, and ignore the possible match if the predicate returns `nil'. * A flag specifying the type of operation. There are three flag values for three operations: * `nil' specifies `try-completion'. The completion function should return the completion of the specified string, or `t' if the string is a unique and exact match already, or `nil' if the string matches no possibility. If the string is an exact match for one possibility, but also matches other longer possibilities, the function shuold return the string, not `t'. * `t' specifies `all-completions'. The completion function should return a list of all possible completions of the specified string. * `lambda' specifies a test for an exact match. The completion function should return `t' if the specified string is an exact match for some possibility; `nil' otherwise. It would be consistent and clean for completion functions to allow lambda expressions (lists that are functions) as well as function symbols as COLLECTION, but this is impossible. Lists as completion tables are already assigned another meaning--as alists. It would be unreliable to fail to handle an alist normally because it is also a possible function. So you must arrange for any function you wish to use for completion to be encapsulated in a symbol. Emacs uses programmed completion when completing file names. *Note File Name Completion::. File: elisp, Node: Yes-or-No Queries, Next: Multiple Queries, Prev: Completion, Up: Minibuffers Yes-or-No Queries ================= This section describes functions used to ask the user a yes-or-no question. The function `y-or-n-p' can be answered with a single character; it is useful for questions where an inadvertent wrong answer will not have serious consequences. `yes-or-no-p' is suitable for more momentous questions, since it requires three or four characters to answer. If either of these functions is called in a command that was invoked using the mouse--more precisely, if `last-nonmenu-event' (*note Command Loop Info::.) is either `nil' or a list--then it uses a dialog box or pop-up menu to ask the question. Otherwise, it uses keyboard input. You can force use of the mouse or use of keyboard input by binding `last-nonmenu-event' to a suitable value around the call. Strictly speaking, `yes-or-no-p' uses the minibuffer and `y-or-n-p' does not; but it seems best to describe them together. - Function: y-or-n-p PROMPT This function asks the user a question, expecting input in the echo area. It returns `t' if the user types `y', `nil' if the user types `n'. This function also accepts SPC to mean yes and DEL to mean no. It accepts `C-]' to mean "quit", like `C-g', because the question might look like a minibuffer and for that reason the user might try to use `C-]' to get out. The answer is a single character, with no RET needed to terminate it. Upper and lower case are equivalent. "Asking the question" means printing PROMPT in the echo area, followed by the string `(y or n) '. If the input is not one of the expected answers (`y', `n', `SPC', `DEL', or something that quits), the function responds `Please answer y or n.', and repeats the request. This function does not actually use the minibuffer, since it does not allow editing of the answer. It actually uses the echo area (*note The Echo Area::.), which uses the same screen space as the minibuffer. The cursor moves to the echo area while the question is being asked. The answers and their meanings, even `y' and `n', are not hardwired. The keymap `query-replace-map' specifies them. *Note Search and Replace::. In the following example, the user first types `q', which is invalid. At the next prompt the user types `y'. (y-or-n-p "Do you need a lift? ") ;; After evaluation of the preceding expression, ;; the following prompt appears in the echo area: ---------- Echo area ---------- Do you need a lift? (y or n) ---------- Echo area ---------- ;; If the user then types `q', the following appears: ---------- Echo area ---------- Please answer y or n. Do you need a lift? (y or n) ---------- Echo area ---------- ;; When the user types a valid answer, ;; it is displayed after the question: ---------- Echo area ---------- Do you need a lift? (y or n) y ---------- Echo area ---------- We show successive lines of echo area messages, but only one actually appears on the screen at a time. - Function: y-or-n-p-with-timeout PROMPT SECONDS DEFAULT-VALUE Like `y-or-n-p', except that if the user fails to answer within SECONDS seconds, this function stops waiting and returns DEFAULT-VALUE. It works by setting up a timer; see *Note Timers::. The argument SECONDS may be an integer or a floating point number. - Function: yes-or-no-p PROMPT This function asks the user a question, expecting input in the minibuffer. It returns `t' if the user enters `yes', `nil' if the user types `no'. The user must type RET to finalize the response. Upper and lower case are equivalent. `yes-or-no-p' starts by displaying PROMPT in the echo area, followed by `(yes or no) '. The user must type one of the expected responses; otherwise, the function responds `Please answer yes or no.', waits about two seconds and repeats the request. `yes-or-no-p' requires more work from the user than `y-or-n-p' and is appropriate for more crucial decisions. Here is an example: (yes-or-no-p "Do you really want to remove everything? ") ;; After evaluation of the preceding expression, ;; the following prompt appears, ;; with an empty minibuffer: ---------- Buffer: minibuffer ---------- Do you really want to remove everything? (yes or no) ---------- Buffer: minibuffer ---------- If the user first types `y RET', which is invalid because this function demands the entire word `yes', it responds by displaying these prompts, with a brief pause between them: ---------- Buffer: minibuffer ---------- Please answer yes or no. Do you really want to remove everything? (yes or no) ---------- Buffer: minibuffer ---------- File: elisp, Node: Multiple Queries, Next: Minibuffer Misc, Prev: Yes-or-No Queries, Up: Minibuffers Asking Multiple Y-or-N Questions ================================ When you have a series of similar questions to ask, such as "Do you want to save this buffer" for each buffer in turn, you should use `map-y-or-n-p' to ask the collection of questions, rather than asking each question individually. This gives the user certain convenient facilities such as the ability to answer the whole series at once. - Function: map-y-or-n-p PROMPTER ACTOR LIST &optional HELP ACTION-ALIST This function, new in Emacs 19, asks the user a series of questions, reading a single-character answer in the echo area for each one. The value of LIST specifies the objects to ask questions about. It should be either a list of objects or a generator function. If it is a function, it should expect no arguments, and should return either the next object to ask about, or `nil' meaning stop asking questions. The argument PROMPTER specifies how to ask each question. If PROMPTER is a string, the question text is computed like this: (format PROMPTER OBJECT) where OBJECT is the next object to ask about (as obtained from LIST). If not a string, PROMPTER should be a function of one argument (the next object to ask about) and should return the question text. If the value is a string, that is the question to ask the user. The function can also return `t' meaning do act on this object (and don't ask the user), or `nil' meaning ignore this object (and don't ask the user). The argument ACTOR says how to act on the answers that the user gives. It should be a function of one argument, and it is called with each object that the user says yes for. Its argument is always an object obtained from LIST. If the argument HELP is given, it should be a list of this form: (SINGULAR PLURAL ACTION) where SINGULAR is a string containing a singular noun that describes the objects conceptually being acted on, PLURAL is the corresponding plural noun, and ACTION is a transitive verb describing what ACTOR does. If you don't specify HELP, the default is `("object" "objects" "act on")'. Each time a question is asked, the user may enter `y', `Y', or SPC to act on that object; `n', `N', or DEL to skip that object; `!' to act on all following objects; ESC or `q' to exit (skip all following objects); `.' (period) to act on the current object and then exit; or `C-h' to get help. These are the same answers that `query-replace' accepts. The keymap `query-replace-map' defines their meaning for `map-y-or-n-p' as well as for `query-replace'; see *Note Search and Replace::. You can use ACTION-ALIST to specify additional possible answers and what they mean. It is an alist of elements of the form `(CHAR FUNCTION HELP)', each of which defines one additional answer. In this element, CHAR is a character (the answer); FUNCTION is a function of one argument (an object from LIST); HELP is a string. When the user responds with CHAR, `map-y-or-n-p' calls FUNCTION. If it returns non-`nil', the object is considered "acted upon", and `map-y-or-n-p' advances to the next object in LIST. If it returns `nil', the prompt is repeated for the same object. If `map-y-or-n-p' is called in a command that was invoked using the mouse--more precisely, if `last-nonmenu-event' (*note Command Loop Info::.) is either `nil' or a list--then it uses a dialog box or pop-up menu to ask the question. In this case, it does not use keyboard input or the echo area. You can force use of the mouse or use of keyboard input by binding `last-nonmenu-event' to a suitable value around the call. The return value of `map-y-or-n-p' is the number of objects acted on. File: elisp, Node: Minibuffer Misc, Prev: Multiple Queries, Up: Minibuffers Minibuffer Miscellany ===================== This section describes some basic functions and variables related to minibuffers. - Command: exit-minibuffer This command exits the active minibuffer. It is normally bound to keys in minibuffer local keymaps. - Command: self-insert-and-exit This command exits the active minibuffer after inserting the last character typed on the keyboard (found in `last-command-char'; *note Command Loop Info::.). - Command: previous-history-element N This command replaces the minibuffer contents with the value of the Nth previous (older) history element. - Command: next-history-element N This command replaces the minibuffer contents with the value of the Nth more recent history element. - Command: previous-matching-history-element PATTERN This command replaces the minibuffer contents with the value of the previous (older) history element that matches PATTERN (a regular expression). - Command: next-matching-history-element PATTERN This command replaces the minibuffer contents with the value of the next (newer) history element that matches PATTERN (a regular expression). - Function: minibuffer-prompt This function returns the prompt string of the currently active minibuffer. If no minibuffer is active, it returns `nil'. - Function: minibuffer-prompt-width This function returns the display width of the prompt string of the currently active minibuffer. If no minibuffer is active, it returns 0. - Variable: minibuffer-setup-hook This is a normal hook that is run whenever the minibuffer is entered. *Note Hooks::. - Variable: minibuffer-exit-hook This is a normal hook that is run whenever the minibuffer is exited. *Note Hooks::. - Variable: minibuffer-help-form The current value of this variable is used to rebind `help-form' locally inside the minibuffer (*note Help Functions::.). - Function: active-minibuffer-window This function returns the currently active minibuffer window, or `nil' if none is currently active. - Function: minibuffer-window &optional FRAME This function returns the minibuffer window used for frame FRAME. If FRAME is `nil', that stands for the current frame. Note that the minibuffer window used by a frame need not be part of that frame--a frame that has no minibuffer of its own necessarily uses some other frame's minibuffer window. - Function: window-minibuffer-p WINDOW This function returns non-`nil' if WINDOW is a minibuffer window. It is not correct to determine whether a given window is a minibuffer by comparing it with the result of `(minibuffer-window)', because there can be more than one minibuffer window if there is more than one frame. - Function: minibuffer-window-active-p WINDOW This function returns non-`nil' if WINDOW, assumed to be a minibuffer window, is currently active. - Variable: minibuffer-scroll-window If the value of this variable is non-`nil', it should be a window object. When the function `scroll-other-window' is called in the minibuffer, it scrolls this window. Finally, some functions and variables deal with recursive minibuffers (*note Recursive Editing::.): - Function: minibuffer-depth This function returns the current depth of activations of the minibuffer, a nonnegative integer. If no minibuffers are active, it returns zero. - User Option: enable-recursive-minibuffers If this variable is non-`nil', you can invoke commands (such as `find-file') that use minibuffers even while in the minibuffer window. Such invocation produces a recursive editing level for a new minibuffer. The outer-level minibuffer is invisible while you are editing the inner one. This variable only affects invoking the minibuffer while the minibuffer window is selected. If you switch windows while in the minibuffer, you can always invoke minibuffer commands while some other window is selected. If a command name has a property `enable-recursive-minibuffers' that is non-`nil', then the command can use the minibuffer to read arguments even if it is invoked from the minibuffer. The minibuffer command `next-matching-history-element' (normally `M-s' in the minibuffer) uses this feature. File: elisp, Node: Command Loop, Next: Keymaps, Prev: Minibuffers, Up: Top Command Loop ************ When you run Emacs, it enters the "editor command loop" almost immediately. This loop reads key sequences, executes their definitions, and displays the results. In this chapter, we describe how these things are done, and the subroutines that allow Lisp programs to do them. * Menu: * Command Overview:: How the command loop reads commands. * Defining Commands:: Specifying how a function should read arguments. * Interactive Call:: Calling a command, so that it will read arguments. * Command Loop Info:: Variables set by the command loop for you to examine. * Input Events:: What input looks like when you read it. * Reading Input:: How to read input events from the keyboard or mouse. * Waiting:: Waiting for user input or elapsed time. * Quitting:: How `C-g' works. How to catch or defer quitting. * Prefix Command Arguments:: How the commands to set prefix args work. * Recursive Editing:: Entering a recursive edit, and why you usually shouldn't. * Disabling Commands:: How the command loop handles disabled commands. * Command History:: How the command history is set up, and how accessed. * Keyboard Macros:: How keyboard macros are implemented. File: elisp, Node: Command Overview, Next: Defining Commands, Up: Command Loop Command Loop Overview ===================== The first thing the command loop must do is read a key sequence, which is a sequence of events that translates into a command. It does this by calling the function `read-key-sequence'. Your Lisp code can also call this function (*note Key Sequence Input::.). Lisp programs can also do input at a lower level with `read-event' (*note Reading One Event::.) or discard pending input with `discard-input' (*note Event Input Misc::.). The key sequence is translated into a command through the currently active keymaps. *Note Key Lookup::, for information on how this is done. The result should be a keyboard macro or an interactively callable function. If the key is `M-x', then it reads the name of another command, which it then calls. This is done by the command `execute-extended-command' (*note Interactive Call::.). To execute a command requires first reading the arguments for it. This is done by calling `command-execute' (*note Interactive Call::.). For commands written in Lisp, the `interactive' specification says how to read the arguments. This may use the prefix argument (*note Prefix Command Arguments::.) or may read with prompting in the minibuffer (*note Minibuffers::.). For example, the command `find-file' has an `interactive' specification which says to read a file name using the minibuffer. The command's function body does not use the minibuffer; if you call this command from Lisp code as a function, you must supply the file name string as an ordinary Lisp function argument. If the command is a string or vector (i.e., a keyboard macro) then `execute-kbd-macro' is used to execute it. You can call this function yourself (*note Keyboard Macros::.). To terminate the execution of a running command, type `C-g'. This character causes "quitting" (*note Quitting::.). - Variable: pre-command-hook The editor command loop runs this normal hook before each command. At that time, `this-command' contains the command that is about to run, and `last-command' describes the previous command. *Note Hooks::. - Variable: post-command-hook The editor command loop runs this normal hook after each command (including commands terminated prematurely by quitting or by errors), and also when the command loop is first entered. At that time, `this-command' describes the command that just ran, and `last-command' describes the command before that. *Note Hooks::. Quitting is suppressed while running `pre-command-hook' and `post-command-hook'. If an error happens while executing one of these hooks, it terminates execution of the hook, but that is all it does. File: elisp, Node: Defining Commands, Next: Interactive Call, Prev: Command Overview, Up: Command Loop Defining Commands ================= A Lisp function becomes a command when its body contains, at top level, a form that calls the special form `interactive'. This form does nothing when actually executed, but its presence serves as a flag to indicate that interactive calling is permitted. Its argument controls the reading of arguments for an interactive call. * Menu: * Using Interactive:: General rules for `interactive'. * Interactive Codes:: The standard letter-codes for reading arguments in various ways. * Interactive Examples:: Examples of how to read interactive arguments.