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authorJim Blandy <jimb@redhat.com>1990-12-10 05:14:16 +0000
committerJim Blandy <jimb@redhat.com>1990-12-10 05:14:16 +0000
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+This is a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) about GNU Emacs with
+answers. This list is designed to cut down on the noise in the
+gnu.emacs.help newsgroup (which is also the help-gnu-emacs mailing list)
+that results from people repeatedly asking many of the same questions.
+
+This list is maintained by me, Joe Wells. My e-mail address is
+jbw@bu.edu. If jbw@bu.edu doesn't work try jbw@bucsf.bu.edu.
+
+Feel free to contribute text for the answers that I haven't written yet,
+to suggest new questions, to suggest changes in the wording, to suggest
+deletions, etc. Please include either "FAQ" or "frequently asked
+questions" in the subject of messages you send to me to help keep me from
+accidentally filing your message in the wrong mail folder.
+
+Here is a short list of new questions and questions that are now answered:
+
+New questions:
+
+ Why doesn't "C-c C-c" interrupt subprocesses under HP/UX?
+ How do I make Emacs send 8-bit characters to my terminal?
+ Why does ispell sometimes ignore the local dictionary?
+ Where can I get Emacs with NeWS support?
+
+Questions with improved answers:
+
+ Has someone written an GNU Emacs Lisp package that does XXX?
+ How do I get Emacs running on VMS under DECwindows?
+ Why does Emacs crash from a bus error in XLookupString under OpenLook?
+ Why does Emacs hang with message "Unknown XMenu" with X11R4?
+ How do I use regexps (regular expressions) in Emacs?
+ How do I make Emacs "typeover" or "overwrite" when I type instead of
+ always inserting?
+ How do I get Emacs for my PC?
+ How can I highlight a region?
+ Where can I get GNU Emacs Lisp packages that don't come with Emacs?
+ Where can I get the latest VM, Supercite, GNUS, Calc, Calendar, or Patch?
+
+Minor changes:
+
+ Where does the name "Emacs" come from?
+ In C mode, can I show just the lines that will be left after #ifdef
+ commands are handled by the compiler?
+ What does "M-x command" mean?
+ How do I get a printed copy of the GNU Emacs manual?
+ What do things like this mean: C-h, M-C-a, RET, etc.?
+ Why doesn't GNUS work anymore via NNTP?
+ What does Emacs do every time it starts up?
+
+Enjoy,
+
+--
+Joe Wells <jbw@bu.edu>
+-------------------------------------------------
+GNU Emacs Frequently Asked Questions with Answers (part 1 of 2)
+
+Sat Dec 8 01:30:53 1990
+
+
+If you are viewing this file in a GNU Emacs Buffer, you can type "M-2 C-x
+$" to get an overview of just the questions. Then, when you want to look
+at the text of the answers, just type "C-x $".
+
+To search for a question numbered XXX, type "M-C-s ^XXX:", followed by a
+C-r if that doesn't work, then type ESC to end the search.
+
+
+Notation Used in the Answers (READ THIS SECTION FIRST!)
+
+ You may skip this section if you are reasonably familiar with GNU Emacs.
+ Some of these are not actually frequently asked questions, but knowing
+ them is important for understanding the answers to the rest of the
+ questions.
+
+1: What do things like this mean: C-h, M-C-a, RET, etc.?
+
+ C-a means while holding down the "Control" key press the "a" key. The
+ ASCII code this sends will generally be the value that would be sent by
+ pressing just "a" minus 96 or 64. Either way it will be a number from 0
+ to 31.
+
+ M-a means while holding down the "Meta" key press the "a" key. The
+ ASCII code this sends is the sum of the ASCII code that would be sent by
+ pressing just "a" and 128.
+
+ M-C-a means while holding down both the "Control" key and the "Meta" key
+ press the "a" key.
+
+ C-M-a is a synonym for M-C-a.
+
+ RET means press the "Return" key. RET is the same as C-m. This sends
+ ASCII code 13.
+
+ LFD means press the "Linefeed" key. LFD is also the same as C-j. This
+ sends ASCII code 10. Under Unix, ASCII code 10 is more often called
+ "Newline".
+
+ DEL means press the "Delete" key. DEL is the same as C-?. This sends
+ ASCII code 127.
+
+ ESC means press the "Escape" key. ESC is the same as C-[. This sends
+ ASCII code 27.
+
+ SPC means press the "Space" key. This send ASCII code 32.
+
+ TAB means press the "Tab" key. TAB is the same as C-i. This send ASCII
+ code 9.
+
+ To read more about this online, type "C-h i m emacs RET m characters
+ RET", and also "C-h i m emacs RET m keys RET".
+
+2: What do you mean when you write things like this: type "ESC a"?
+
+ I will enclose key sequences that are longer than one key inside double
+ quotes. These notations refer to single keys (some with modifiers):
+
+ C-x, M-x, M-C-x
+ RET, LFD, DEL, ESC, SPC, TAB
+
+ I separate these from other keys within double quotes by spaces. Any
+ real spaces that I write inside double quotes can be ignored, only SPC
+ means press the space key. All other characters within double quotes
+ represent single keys (some shifted).
+
+3: What if I don't have a Meta key?
+
+ Instead of typing M-a, you can type "ESC a" instead. In fact, Emacs
+ converts M-a internally into "ESC a" anyway.
+
+4: What if I don't have an Escape key?
+
+ Type C-[ instead. This should send ASCII code 27 just like an Escape
+ key would.
+
+5: What does "M-x command" mean?
+
+ "M-x command" means type M-x, then type the name of the command, then
+ type RET.
+
+ M-x is simply the default key sequence that invokes the command
+ "execute-extended-command". This command allows you to run any Emacs
+ command if you can remember the command's name. If you can't remember
+ the command's name, you can type TAB and SPC for completion, and ? for a
+ list of possibilities. An Emacs "command" is any "interactive" Emacs
+ function.
+
+ NOTE: Your system administrator may have bound other key sequences to
+ invoke execute-extended-command. A function key labeled "Do" is a good
+ candidate for this.
+
+ To run non-interactive Emacs functions, use M-ESC instead and type a
+ Lisp form.
+
+6: What do things like this mean: etc/SERVICE, src/config.h,
+ lisp/default.el?
+
+ These are the names of files that are part of the GNU Emacs
+ distribution. The GNU Emacs distribution is so big that it is divided
+ into several subdirectories; the important subdirectories are named
+ "etc", "lisp", and "src".
+
+ If you use GNU Emacs, but don't know where it is kept on your system,
+ start Emacs, then type "C-h v exec-directory RET". The directory name
+ that is displayed by this will be the full pathname of the "etc"
+ directory of your installed GNU Emacs distribution.
+
+ Some of these files are available individually via FTP or e-mail, see
+ question 16.
+
+7: What are FSF, LPF, OSF, GNU, RMS, FTP, BTW, and GPL?
+
+ FSF == Free Software Foundation
+ LPF == League for Programming Freedom
+ OSF == Open Software Foundation
+ GNU == GNU's Not Unix
+ RMS == Richard M. Stallman
+ FTP == File Transfer Protocol
+ BTW == By the way
+ GPL == GNU General Public Licence
+
+ NOTE: Avoid confusing the FSF, the LPF, and the OSF. The LPF only
+ opposes look-and-feel copyrights and software patents. The FSF aims to
+ make high quality free software available for everyone. The OSF is a
+ commercial organization which wants to provide an alternative,
+ standardized version of Unix not controlled by AT&T.
+
+
+
+Sources of Information and Help
+
+8: I'm just starting GNU Emacs; how do I do basic editing?
+
+ Type "C-h t" to invoke the self-paced tutorial. Typing just C-h is
+ how to enter the help system.
+
+ WARNING: your system administrator may have changed C-h to act like DEL.
+ You can use M-x help-for-help instead to invoke help. To discover what
+ key (if any) invokes help on your system, type "M-x where-is RET
+ help-for-help RET". This will print a comma-separated list of key
+ sequences in the echo area. Ignore the last character in each key
+ sequence listed. Each of the resulting key sequences invokes help.
+
+ NOTE: Emacs's help facility works best if help is invoked by a single
+ key. The variable help-char should hold the value of this character.
+
+9: How do I find out how to do something in GNU Emacs?
+
+ There are several methods for finding out how to do things in Emacs.
+
+ You should become familiar with the online documentation for Emacs. The
+ complete text of the Emacs manual is available online in a hypertext
+ format via the "Info" manual reader. Type "C-h i" to invoke Info.
+
+ You can order a hardcopy of the manual from the FSF. See question 12.
+
+ You can list all of the commands whose names contain a certain word
+ (actually which match a regular expression) using the "command-apropos"
+ command. Type "C-h a" to invoke this command.
+
+ You can list all of the functions and variables whose names contain a
+ certain word using the "apropos" command. M-x apropos invokes this
+ command.
+
+ You may find that command-apropos and apropos are extremely slow on your
+ system. This will be fixed in Emacs 19. If you can't wait that long,
+ I can send you the "fast-apropos.el" file that contains the fix. This
+ file also contains a "super-apropos" command that will list all the
+ functions and variables whose documentation strings contain a certain
+ word.
+
+ There are many other commands in Emacs for getting help and information.
+ To get a list of these commands, type "C-h C-h C-h".
+
+10: Where can I get GNU Emacs on the net (or by snail mail)?
+
+ Look in the files etc/DISTRIB and etc/FTP for information. If you don't
+ already have GNU Emacs, see question 16.
+
+11: Where can I get help in installing GNU Emacs?
+
+ Look in the file etc/SERVICE for names of companies and individuals who
+ will sell you this type of service.
+
+ This file in the version 18.55 distribution is not completely up to
+ date. The imminent release of 18.56 will help that. An up-to-date
+ version of the SERVICE file is available on prep.ai.mit.edu. See
+ question 16 for how to retrieve this file.
+
+12: How do I get a printed copy of the GNU Emacs manual?
+
+ You can order a printed copy of the GNU Emacs manual from the FSF for
+ $15. A set of 6 manuals is $60.
+
+ The full TeX source for the manual also comes with Emacs, if you're
+ daring enough to try to print out this 300 page manual yourself. (We're
+ talking about killing an entire tree here. This kind of printer usage
+ can make you very unpopular. Besides, if you order it from the FSF, the
+ price may be tax-deductible as a business expense.)
+
+ If you absolutely have to print your own copy, and you don't have TeX,
+ you can get a PostScript version from:
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: abcfd20.larc.nasa.gov
+ file: /pub/docs/emacs-18.55.PS.Z (size: 472K)
+
+ Carl Witty <cwitty@cs.stanford.edu> writes:
+
+ The Emacs manual is also available online in the Info system, which is
+ available by typing "C-h i". In this form, it has hypertext links and
+ is very easy to browse or search; many people prefer it to the printed
+ manual.
+
+13: Has someone written an GNU Emacs Lisp package that does XXX?
+
+ Probably. A listing of Emacs Lisp packages, called the Lisp Code
+ Directory, is being maintained by Dave Brennan <brennan@dg-rtp.dg.com>.
+ You can search through this list to find if someone has written
+ something that fits your needs.
+
+ This list is file "LCD-datafile.Z" in the Emacs Lisp Archive. (See
+ question 14.) The files "lispdir.el.Z" and "lispdir.doc.Z"
+ in the archive contain information to help you use the list.
+
+14: Where can I get GNU Emacs Lisp packages that don't come with Emacs?
+
+ First, check the Lisp Code Directory to find the name of the package you
+ are looking for. (See question 13). Then check local archives and
+ the Emacs Lisp Archive to find a copy of the relevant files. Then, if
+ you still haven't found it, you can send e-mail to the author asking for
+ a copy.
+
+ You can access the Emacs Lisp Archive via:
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
+ directory: /pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive
+ file: README.Z
+
+ NOTE: Any files with names ending in ".Z" are compressed, and you should
+ use "binary" mode in FTP to retrive them. You should also use binary
+ mode whenever you retrieve any files with names ending in ".elc".
+
+ Submissions for the archive should be sent to Dave Sill <de5@ornl.gov>.
+ If you have ftp access, the submission can be deposited in the directory
+ /pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/incoming on tut.cis.ohio-state.edu.
+ Whenever possible submissions should contain an LCD-datafile entry since
+ this helps reduce administrative overhead for the maintainers. Before
+ submitting anything, first read the file "guidelines.Z", which is
+ available in the archive.
+
+15: Where can I get documentation on GNU Emacs Lisp?
+
+ Obtain the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual for Emacs 18 under Unix. It
+ is available from the FSF for $50. The latest revision is edition 1.02
+ dated July 1990.
+
+ Within Emacs, you can type "C-h f" to get the documentation for a
+ function, "C-h v" for a variable.
+
+ Also, as a popular USENET saying goes, "Use the Force, Read the Source".
+
+ You can also get the Texinfo source for the manual, if you are daring
+ enough to try to print this 550 page manual out yourself. This is
+ available in the Emacs Lisp Archive and also via:
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: prep.ai.mit.edu
+ file: /pub/gnu/elisp.tar.Z
+
+ A set of pregenerated Info files comes with the Texinfo source for the
+ Emacs Lisp manual, so you don't have to format it yourself for online
+ use. (You can create the Info files from the Texinfo source.) See
+ question 21 for details on how to install these files online.
+
+16: What informational files are available?
+
+ This isn't a frequently asked question, but it should be!
+
+ The following files are available in the "etc" directory of the GNU
+ Emacs distribution, and also the latest versions are available
+ individually via:
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: prep.ai.mit.edu
+ directory: /pub/gnu/etc
+
+ APPLE -- Special Report: Apple's New Look and Feel
+ DISTRIB -- GNU Emacs Availability Information,
+ including the popular "Free Software Foundation Order Form"
+ FTP -- How to get GNU Software by Internet FTP or by UUCP
+ GNU -- The GNU Manifesto
+ INTERVIEW -- Richard Stallman discusses his public-domain
+ UNIX-compatible software system
+ with BYTE editors
+ MACHINES -- Status of GNU Emacs on Various Machines and Systems
+ MAILINGLISTS -- GNU Project Electronic Mailing Lists
+ SERVICE -- GNU Service Directory
+ SUN-SUPPORT -- includes the popular "Using Emacstool with GNU Emacs"
+
+ These files are available in the "etc" directory of the GNU Emacs
+ distribution:
+
+ DIFF -- Differences between GNU Emacs and Twenex Emacs
+ CCADIFF -- Differences between GNU Emacs and CCA Emacs
+ GOSDIFF -- Differences between GNU Emacs and Gosling (Unipress??) Emacs
+ COPYING -- GNU Emacs General Public License
+ NEWS -- GNU Emacs News, a history of user-visible changes
+
+ In addition, all of the above files are available directly from the FSF
+ via e-mail. Of course, please try to get them from a local source
+ first.
+
+ These files are available from the FSF via e-mail:
+
+ * GNU's Bulletin, June, 1990 -- this file includes:
+ GNU'S Who
+ What Is the Free Software Foundation?
+ What Is Copyleft?
+ GNUs Flashes
+ Possible New Terms for GNU Libraries by Richard Stallman
+ "League for Programming Freedom" by Michael Bloom and Richard Stallman
+ Free Software Support
+ GNU Project Status Report
+ GNU Wish List
+ GNU Documentation
+ GNU Software Available Now
+ Contents of the Emacs Release Tape
+ Contents of the Pre-Release Tape
+ Contents of the X11 Tapes
+ VMS Emacs and Compiler Tapes
+ How to Get GNU Software
+ Freemacs, an Extensible Editor for MS-DOS
+ Thank GNUs
+ FSF Order Form
+ * GNU Task List
+ * GNU Coding Standards
+ * Legal issues about contributing code to GNU
+ * GNU Project Status Report
+
+17: What is the current address of the FSF?
+
+ Snail mail address:
+ Free Software Foundation
+ 675 Massachusetts Avenue
+ Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
+
+ Phone number:
+ (617) 876-3296
+
+ E-mail addresses:
+ gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu {probably read by Len Tower}
+ gnulists@prep
+
+18: What is the current address of the LPF?
+
+ Snail mail address:
+ League for Programming Freedom
+ 1 Kendall Square, Number 143
+ Post Office Box 9171
+ Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
+
+ Phone number:
+ (617) 243-4061 { or 243-4091, I'm not sure ... }
+
+ E-mail address:
+ league@prep.ai.mit.edu
+
+19: Where can I get the up-to-date GNU stuff?
+
+ The most up-to-date official GNU stuff is normally kept on
+ prep.ai.mit.edu and is available for anonymous FTP. See the files
+ etc/DISTRIB and etc/FTP for more information. (To get copies of these
+ files, see question 16.)
+
+20: Where can I get the latest VM, Supercite, GNUS, Calc, Calendar, or Patch?
+
+ 1. VM:
+
+ Author: Kyle Jones <kyle@xanth.cs.odu.edu>
+
+ Mailing lists: info-vm-request@uunet.uu.net
+ info-vm@uunet.uu.net
+ bug-vm-request@uunet.uu.net
+ bug-vm@uunet.uu.net
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+
+ Last released version: 4.41
+ site: tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
+ file: /pub/gnu/vm/vm-4.41.tar.Z
+
+ Beta test version: 5.18
+ site: abcfd20.larc.nasa.gov
+ directory: /pub/vm
+
+ 2. Supercite:
+
+ Author: Barry Warsaw <warsaw@warsaw.nlm.nih.gov>
+
+ Latest version: 2.1
+
+ Mailing lists: supercite@warsaw.nlm.nih.gov
+ supercite-request@warsaw.nlm.nih.gov
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: durer.cme.nist.gov [129.6.32.4]
+ files:/pub/gnu/elisp/supercite-2.1.shar.0# (where # is replaced by 1 or 2)
+
+ NOTE: Superyank is an old version of Supercite.
+
+ 3. GNUS:
+
+ Author: Masanobu Umeda
+
+ Latest version: 3.13
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
+ files: /pub/gnu/gnus/3.13.##-of-11.Z (where ## is replaced by 00 -- 11)
+
+ 4. Calc:
+
+ Author: Dave Gillespie <daveg@csvax.cs.caltech.edu>
+
+ Latest version: 1.06
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: csvax.cs.caltech.edu [131.215.131.131]
+ or any comp.sources.misc archive
+
+ 5. Calendar/Diary
+
+ Author: Ed Reingold <reingold@cs.uiuc.edu>
+
+ Latest version: 4
+
+ E-mail:
+ Subject: send-emacs-cal
+ body: your best internet e-mail address
+
+ 6. Patch
+
+ Author: Larry Wall <lwall@jpl-devvax.jpl.nasa.gov>
+
+ Latest version: 2.0 patchlevel 12
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: any comp.sources.unix archive
+
+ or, for Europeans:
+
+ site: archive.cs.ruu.nl [131.211.80.5]
+ file: /pub/UNIX/patch-2.0.tar.Z
+
+21: How do I install a piece of Texinfo documentation?
+
+ First create Info files from the Texinfo files with M-x
+ texinfo-format-buffer. There is also a program called "makeinfo" that
+ provides better error checking and runs faster. Currently, it comes
+ with the Emacs Lisp manual (which comes on the GNU Emacs tape).
+
+ For information about the Texinfo format, read the Texinfo manual which
+ comes with Emacs. This manual also comes installed in Info format, so
+ you can read it online.
+
+ Neither texinfo-format-buffer nor the makeinfo program install the
+ resulting Info files in Emacs's Info tree. To install Info files:
+
+ 1. Move the files to the "info" directory in the installed Emacs
+ distribution. See question 6 if you don't know where that
+ is.
+
+ 2. Edit the file info/dir in the installed Emacs distribution, and add a
+ line for the top level node in the Info package that you are
+ installing.
+
+22: What is the real legal meaning of the GNU copyleft?
+
+ RMS writes:
+
+ The legal meaning of the GNU copyleft is less important than the spirit,
+ which is that Emacs is a free software project and that work pertaining
+ to Emacs should also be free software. "Free" means that all users have
+ the freedom to study, share, change and improve Emacs. To make sure
+ everyone has this freedom, pass along source code when you distribute
+ any version of Emacs or a related program, and give the recipients the
+ same freedom that you enjoyed.
+
+ If you still want to find out about the legal meaning of the copyleft,
+ please ask yourself if this means you are not paying attention to the
+ spirit.
+
+23: What are appropriate messages for gnu.emacs.help/gnu.emacs.bug/comp.emacs
+ etc.?
+
+ The file etc/MAILINGLISTS discusses the purpose of each GNU
+ mailing-list. (See question 16 on how to get a copy.) For
+ those which are gatewayed with newsgroups, it lists both the newsgroup
+ name and the mailing list address.
+
+ comp.emacs is for discussion of Emacs programs in general. This
+ includes GNU Emacs along with various other implementations like JOVE,
+ MicroEmacs, Freemacs, MG, Unipress, CCA, etc.
+
+ Many people post GNU Emacs questions to comp.emacs because they don't
+ receive any of the gnu.* newsgroups. Arguments have been made both for
+ and against posting GNU-Emacs-specific material to comp.emacs. You have
+ to decide for yourself.
+
+24: Should I send questions directly to people who post a lot on the net,
+ instead of posting myself?
+
+ I don't know about the others, but please don't send such messages to me
+ just because you don't want to disturb a lot of people. Send messages
+ to individuals that concern things that individual has written.
+
+
+
+GNU Emacs, all its Variants, and other Editors
+
+25: Where does the name "Emacs" come from?
+
+ EMACS originally was an acronym for Editor MACroS. The first Emacs was
+ a set of macros written by Richard Stallman for the editor TECO (Tape
+ Editor and COrrector {Text Editor and COrrector?}) on a PDP-10.
+ (Amusing fact: many people have told me that TECO code looks a lot like
+ line noise.)
+
+26: What is the latest version of GNU Emacs?
+
+ GNU Emacs 18.55. GNU Emacs 18.56 is coming out with some bug fixes, but
+ no additional functionality.
+
+27: When will GNU Emacs 19 be available?
+
+ Good question, I don't know. For that matter, neither do the
+ developers. It will undoubtedly be available sometime in the 1990s.
+
+28: What will be different about GNU Emacs 19?
+
+ From the latest "GNU's Bulletin":
+
+ Version 19 approaches release with a host of new features: before and
+ after change hooks; X selection processing (including CLIPBOARD
+ selections); scrollbars; support for European character sets; floating
+ point numbers; per-buffer mouse commands; interfacing with the X
+ resource manager; mouse-tracking; Lisp-level binding of function keys;
+ and multiple X windows (`screens' to Emacs).
+
+ Thanks go to Alan Carroll and the people who worked on Epoch for
+ generating initial feedback to a multi-windowed Emacs. Emacs 19
+ supports two styles of multiple windows, one with a separate screen for
+ the minibuffer, and another with a minibuffer attached to each screen.
+
+ More features of Version 19 are buffer allocation, which uses a new
+ mechanism capable of returning storage to the system when a buffer is
+ killed, and a new input system---all input now arrives in the form of
+ Lisp objects.
+
+ Other features being considered for Version 19 include:
+
+ * Associating property lists with regions of text in a buffer.
+ * Multiple font, color, and pixmaps defined by those properties.
+ * Different visibility conditions for the regions, and for the various
+ windows showing one buffer.
+ * Incremental syntax analysis for various programming languages.
+ * Hooks to be run if point or mouse moves outside a certain range.
+ * Source-level debugging for Emacs Lisp.
+ * Incrementally saving undo history in a file, so that recover-file also
+ reinstalls buffer's undo history.
+ * Static menu bars, and better pop-up menus.
+ * A more sophisticated emacsclient/server model, which would provide
+ network transparent Emacs widget functionality.
+
+ Also, Emacs 19 will have a Emacs Lisp source code debugger.
+
+29: Is there an Emacs that has better mouse and X window support?
+
+ Emacs 18 has some limited X Window System support, but there are
+ problems. Emacs 19 will have amazing mouse and window support. Right
+ now, there is a modified version of Emacs 18.55 called "Epoch" which has
+ greatly improved mouse and window support. The latest version of Epoch
+ is available via:
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: cs.uiuc.edu
+ directory: pub/epoch-files/epoch
+ file: epoch-3.2b (b stands for beta)
+
+ NOTE: Epoch only works with the X Window System; it does not work on
+ ordinary terminals.
+
+30: How do I get Emacs for my PC?
+
+ GNU Emacs won't run on a PC directly under MS-DOS. There have been
+ reports of people running GNU Emacs under a special program under MS-DOS
+ on 286 or 386 machines, but I don't know the details.
+
+ You can try a variety of similar programs such as MG, MicroEmacs,
+ Freemacs, etc.
+
+ Russ Nelson <nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu>, the author, describes
+ Freemacs:
+
+ * Freemacs is free, and it was designed from the start to be
+ programmable.
+ * Freemacs is the only IBM-PC editor that tries to be like GNU Emacs.
+ * Freemacs can only edit files less than 64K in length.
+ * Freemacs doesn't have undo.
+
+ Carl Witty <cwitty@cs.stanford.edu> writes about Freemacs:
+
+ Better is Freemacs, which follows the tradition of ITS and GNU Emacs
+ by having an full, turing-complete extension language which is
+ incompatible with everything else. In fact, it's even closer to ITS
+ Emacs than GNU Emacs is, because Mint (Freemacs' extension language)
+ is absolutely illegible without weeks of study, much like TECO.
+
+ You can get Freemacs several ways:
+
+ 1. Anonymous FTP:
+ site: simtel20.army.mil, directory: PD:<MSDOS.FREEMACS>
+ site: grape.ecs.clarkson.edu [128.153.13.196], directory: /e/freemacs
+
+ 2. E-mail:
+ address: archive-server@sun.soe.clarkson.edu, or
+ archive-server%sun.soe@omnigate (BITNET), or
+ {smart-host}!sun.soe.clarkson.edu!archive-server (UUCP)
+ body: help
+
+ 3. Snail mail:
+ address: Russell Nelson, 11 Grant St., Potsdam, NY 13676
+ Send $15 copying fee, and specify preferred floppy disk format:
+ 5.25", 1.2 Meg, or 5.25", 360K, or 3.50", 720K
+
+ I don't know much about MicroEmacs. All I know is that the latest
+ version is 3.10 and it is available via:
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: durer.cme.nist.gov
+
+ Another Emacs for small machines is Jove (Jonathan's Own Version of
+ Emacs). The latest version is 4.9. It is available via:
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ sites: hipl.psych.nyu.edu, cs.toronto.edu, cayuga.cs.rochester.edu
+
+ Yet another Emacs is "mg", which used to stand for MicroGNUEmacs, but
+ now just stands for "mg". It is available via:
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: snow.white.toronto.edu
+
+31: Where can I get Emacs for my Atari ST?
+
+ The latest version for the ST is available via:
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: cs.uni-sb.de [134.96.7.254]
+ directory: /pub/atari/emacs
+
+32: Where can I get Emacs with NeWS support?
+
+ Chris Maio's NeWS support package for GNU Emacs is available via:
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: columbia.edu
+ file: /pub/ps-emacs.tar.Z
+
+ site: tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
+ file: /pub/gnu/emacs/ps-emacs.tar.Z
+
+
+
+Binding Keys to Commands
+
+33: Why does my key binding fail?
+
+ Most likely, it failed because "ESC [" was already defined. Evaluate
+ this form first:
+
+ (define-key esc-map "[" nil)
+
+34: Why doesn't this [terminal or window-system setup] code work in my
+ .emacs file, but it works just fine after Emacs starts up?
+
+ This is because you're trying to do something in your .emacs file that
+ needs to be postponed until after the terminal/window-system setup code
+ is loaded. This is a result of the order in which things are done
+ during the startup of Emacs.
+
+ In order to postpone the execution of Emacs Lisp code until after the
+ terminal/window-system setup, set the value of the variable
+ term-setup-hook or window-setup-hook to be a function which does what
+ you want.
+
+ See question 72 for a complete explanation of what Emacs
+ does every time it is started.
+
+ Here is a simple example of how to set term-setup-hook:
+
+ (setq term-setup-hook
+ (function
+ (lambda ()
+ (if (string-match "^vt220" (or (getenv "TERM") ""))
+ ;; Make vt220's "Do" key behave like M-x:
+ (define-key CSI-map "29~" 'execute-extended-command)))))
+
+35: How do I use function keys under X Windows?
+
+ If compiled on a Sun, Emacs recognizes the function keys that are
+ normally on a Sun keyboard, and you can bind them the same way you
+ normally bind Sun keys. Each function key will generate a key sequence
+ that looks like "ESC [ ### z", where ### is replaced by a number.
+
+ If not compiled on a Sun, the function keys will appear to Emacs in a
+ way remarkably similar to the keys of a VT220 terminal. Each function
+ key will generate a key sequence that looks like "ESC [ ### ~".
+
+ For the complete list of the numbers which are generated by the function
+ keys, look in the file src/x11term.c.
+
+ However, this may be inadequate for you if you have function keys Emacs
+ doesn't know about. Johan Vromans <jv@mh.nl> explains:
+
+ There are a number of tricks that can be helpful. The most elegant
+ solution, however, is to use the function "x-rebind-key". This function
+ is commented out in the source for good reasons --- it's buggy.
+
+ It is rather easy to replace this function with the function
+ epoch:rebind-key from the Epoch distribution.
+
+ After implementing this, all keyboard keys can be configured to send
+ user definable sequences, e.g.
+
+ (x-rebind-key "KP_F1" 0 "\033OP")
+
+ This will have the keypad key PF1 send the sequence \eOP, just like an
+ ordinary VTxxx terminal.
+
+ Another method is to handle the keys in the C source. Although this may
+ be slightly more efficient, it is much less flexible.
+
+ Finally, some people have established a convention to have the special
+ keys send a sequence of characters that indicate the key and its
+ modifiers instead of a plain escape sequence. This is also a good
+ method. The advantage of sending the plain escape sequences is that you
+ require only one setup for Emacs running under X and on normal
+ terminals, e.g.
+
+ (x-rebind-key "KP_F1" 0 "\033OP")
+
+ will have key PF1 send \eOP, and, probably in another setup file:
+
+ (global-set-key "\eOP" 'specific-function)
+
+ to bind PF1 to a function. The last statement applies for normal VTxxx
+ terminal also.
+
+36: How do I tell what characters my function keys emit?
+
+ Use this function by Randal L. Schwartz <merlyn@iwarp.intel.com>:
+
+ (defun see-chars ()
+ "Displays characters typed, terminated by a 3-second timeout."
+ (interactive)
+ (let ((chars "")
+ (inhibit-quit t))
+ (message "Enter characters, terminated by 3-second timeout.")
+ (while (not (sit-for 3))
+ (setq chars (concat chars (list (read-char)))
+ quit-flag nil)) ; quit-flag maybe set by C-g
+ (message "Characters entered: %s" (key-description chars))))
+
+
+
+Problems with Key Bindings and Input
+
+37: Why does Emacs spontaneously go into "I-search:" mode?
+
+ Your terminal (or something between your terminal and the computer) is
+ sending C-s and C-q for flow control, and Emacs is receiving these
+ characters and interpreting them as commands. (The C-s character
+ normally invokes the isearch-forward command.)
+
+ For a more detailed discussion, read the file PROBLEMS in the Emacs
+ distribution.
+
+38: What do I do if my terminal is sending C-s and C-q for flow control and
+ I can't disable it?
+
+ Use this piece of Emacs Lisp:
+
+ (set-input-mode nil t)
+
+39: How do I make Emacs use C-s and C-q for flow control instead of for
+ commands?
+
+ Same answer as previous question.
+
+40: How do I use commands bound to C-s and C-q (or any key) if these keys
+ are filtered out?
+
+ I suggest swapping C-s with C-\ and C-q with C-^:
+
+ (swap-keys ?\C-s ?\C-\\)
+ (swap-keys ?\C-q ?\C-^)
+
+ See question 41 for the implementation of swap-keys.
+
+41: How do I "swap" two keys?
+
+ When Emacs receives a character, you can make Emacs behave as though it
+ received another character by setting the value of
+ keyboard-translate-table. The following Emacs Lisp will do this for
+ you, allowing you to "swap" keys.
+
+ WARNING: the value of C-g (7) is hard coded in several places both
+ before and after the translation specified by keyboard-translate-table
+ is carried out. Thus, swapping C-g with another key may cause problems;
+ rebinding C-g may also cause problems. (Well, I've never done it, so I
+ don't know for sure.)
+
+ (defun swap-keys (key1 key2)
+ "Swap keys KEY1 and KEY2 using map-key."
+ (map-key key1 key2 t)
+ (map-key key2 key1))
+
+ (defvar map-keys-alist nil
+ "Association list of key mappings currently in effect.
+ If (FROM . TO) is an element, that means key FROM is currently mapped to TO.")
+
+ (defun map-key (from to &optional no-update)
+ "Make key FROM behave as though key TO was typed instead.
+ If optional argument NO-UPDATE is non-nil, the key-mapping does not take
+ effect until a subsequent map-key or unmap-key."
+ (let ((alist-entry (assq from map-keys-alist)))
+ (if alist-entry
+ (setcdr alist-entry to)
+ (setq map-keys-alist (cons (cons from to) map-keys-alist))))
+ (or no-update (map-keys-update)))
+
+ (defun unmap-key (key)
+ "Undo any mapping of key KEY."
+ (setq map-keys-alist (delq (assq key map-keys-alist) map-keys-alist))
+ (map-keys-update))
+
+ ;; Makes keyboard-translate-table reflect the key mappings in
+ ;; map-keys-alist.
+
+ (defun map-keys-update ()
+ (if (null map-keys-alist)
+ ;; Emacs runs fasted if keyboard-translate-table is nil
+ (setq keyboard-translate-table nil)
+ (let ((max-key-mapped
+ ;; Find the mapped key with largest value
+ (apply 'max
+ (mapcar
+ (function
+ (lambda (x)
+ (car x)))
+ map-keys-alist)))
+ (i 0))
+ ;; keyboard-translate-table doesn't have to be any longer than
+ ;; necessary. This speeds up Emacs.
+ (setq keyboard-translate-table (make-string (1+ max-key-mapped) 0))
+ (while (<= i max-key-mapped)
+ (aset keyboard-translate-table i (or (cdr (assq i map-keys-alist)) i))
+ (setq i (1+ i))))))
+
+42: Why does the "Backspace" key invoke help?
+
+ The Backspace key (on every keyboard I've used) sends ASCII code 8. C-h
+ sends the same code. In Emacs by default C-h invokes "help-command".
+ The easiest solution to this problem is to use C-h (and Backspace) for
+ help and DEL (the Delete key) for deleting the previous character.
+
+ For some people this solution may be problematic:
+
+ 1. They normally use Backspace outside of Emacs for deleting the
+ previous character typed. This can be solved by making DEL be the
+ command for deleting the previous character outside of Emacs. This
+ command will do this on many Unix systems:
+
+ stty erase ^?
+
+ 2. The person may prefer using the Backspace key for deleting the
+ previous character because it is more conveniently located on their
+ keyboard or because they don't even have a separate Delete key. In
+ this case, the best solution is to swap C-h and DEL:
+
+ (swap-keys ?\C-h ?\C-?)
+
+ See question 41 for the implementation of swap-keys.
+
+43: How do I type DEL on PC terminal emulators?
+
+ Someone whose name I forgot wrote:
+
+ Most PCs have deficient keyboards that don't have both Backspace and
+ Delete keys. Whether C-h (backspace) or DEL is generated by the
+ "Backspace" key varies from one terminal emulator to another. If you're
+ lucky, you can reconfigure the keyboard so that it generates DEL. If
+ not, you will have to hunt to figure out what keystroke will do it ---
+ possibilities include various shifted and controlled versions of
+ "Backspace", the "Del" key on the numeric keypad (which might depend on
+ "Shift" or "NumLock"), or perhaps C-? (Control-?).
+
+ If this is too hard, you may want to swap the delete key with some other
+ key. See question 42.
+
+
+
+Building/Installing/Porting Emacs and Machine/OS-Specific Bugs:
+
+44: Why do I get an "f68881_used undefined" error, when I build Emacs on my
+ Sun 3?
+
+ Barry A. Warsaw <warsaw@cme.nist.gov> writes:
+
+ Some of the code that is being linked on the "ld" line of emacs'
+ build command has been compiled with the -f68881 option. Most
+ common reason is that you're linking with X libraries which were
+ built with -f68881 option set. You need to either remove all
+ dependencies to the 68881 (may mean a recompile of the X libraries
+ with -fswitch or -fsoft option), or you need to link emacs with
+ the 68881 startup file /usr/lib/Mcrt1.o. Make this change to
+ src/ymakefile:
+
+ change: #define START_FILES crt0.o
+ to: #define START_FILES crt0.o /usr/lib/Mcrt1.o
+
+ The order of these start files is critical.
+
+45: Why does Emacs crash under SunOS 4.1?
+
+ Under SunOS 4.1, Emacs dies with this message:
+
+ Fatal error (6).Abort
+
+ There is a bug in the "localtime" routine supplied with SunOS 4.1.
+ A private function called by tzsetwall zeroes the byte just past an
+ eight byte region it mallocs. This corrupts GNU malloc's memory pool.
+
+ Put "#define SYSTEM_MALLOC" in src/config.h.
+
+ Or, for the purists:
+
+ Put "#define SUNOS_LOCALTIME_BUG" in src/config.h and apply the following
+ patch to src/malloc.c.
+
+ (Patch by Eirik Fuller <eirik@elf.tn.cornell.edu>.)
+
+ >*** malloc.c~ Fri Apr 7 22:12:10 1989
+ >--- malloc.c Tue May 8 07:07:22 1990
+ >***************
+ >*** 476,482 ****
+ >--- 476,487 ----
+ > multiple of 8, then figure out which nestf[] area to use.
+ > Both the beginning of the header and the beginning of the
+ > block should be on an eight byte boundary. */
+ >+ #ifdef SUNOS_LOCALTIME_BUG
+ >+ /* SunOS 4.1 localtime scribbles on the ninth byte. */
+ >+ nbytes = (n + ((sizeof *p + 15) & ~15) + EXTRA + 15) & ~15;
+ >+ #else
+ > nbytes = (n + ((sizeof *p + 7) & ~7) + EXTRA + 7) & ~7;
+ >+ #endif
+ > {
+ > register unsigned int shiftr = (nbytes - 1) >> 2;
+ >
+
+46: Why does Emacs occasionally cause segmentation faults and machine
+ panics on my DECstation 3100?
+
+ Bruce Cole <cole@dip.cs.wisc.edu> writes:
+
+ > We're running Emacs 18.54 on an Ultrix Risc DECsystem 5400. Three
+ > times we've had the machine hang with the following message:
+ >
+ > panic: tblmod on invalid pte
+ >
+ > Ultrix support tells us this is caused by Emacs. Has anyone
+ > experienced this? DEC says it only happens on RISC boxes.
+
+ This is due to a MIPS specific Ultrix kernel bug. I sent DEC a
+ description of the bug with a bug fix. The Kernel bug manifests itself
+ with Emacs since Emacs uses a non-standard data start address on Ultrix
+ MIPS machines.
+
+ I haven't often seen Emacs cause MIPS machines to panic. Usually you
+ just see one of the following errors when you try to start up Emacs:
+
+ segmentation fault (core dumped)
+ emacs: Bad address
+ Out of memory
+ data size rlimit exceeded, pid 6523, process tcsh (for example)
+
+ Until DEC fixes their kernel, you can avoid the bug by changing the data
+ start address used by Emacs.
+
+ > I have built two newer versions of GNU Emacs and it still happens. I
+ > should also mention that these faults happen quite rarely to some
+ > users (I may see it once a month), while other users see it a few
+ > times a week or even daily!
+
+ The problem only occurs when a MIPS machine is doing a lot of paging.
+ Users who don't cause their workstation to page will not see this
+ problem.
+
+ Patch to GNU Emacs 18.55:
+
+ >*** m-pmax.h Thu Jun 8 11:53:55 1989
+ >--- m-pmax.h.new Mon Jul 9 10:21:21 1990
+ >***************
+ >*** 1,3 ****
+ >--- 1,7 ----
+ > #include "m-mips.h"
+ > #undef LIBS_MACHINE
+ > #undef BIG_ENDIAN
+ >+ #undef LD_SWITCH_MACHINE
+ >+ #undef DATA_START
+ >+ #define DATA_START 0x10000000
+ >+ #define DATA_SEG_BITS 0x10000000
+
+47: How do I get Emacs running on VMS under DECwindows?
+
+ Hal R. Brand <BRAND@addvax.llnl.gov> is said to have a VMS save set with
+ a ready-to-run VMS version of Emacs for X Windows. It is available via:
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: addvax.llnl.gov
+
+ Johan Vromans <jv@mh.nl> writes:
+
+ Getting Emacs to run on VMS with DECwindows requires a number of changes
+ to the sources. Fortunately this has been done already. Joshua Marantz
+ <josh@viewlogic.com> did most of the work for Emacs 18.52, and the mods
+ were ported to 18.55 by Johan Vromans <jv@mh.nl>. Also included is the
+ handling of DEC's LK201 keyboard. You need to apply the changes to a
+ fresh Emacs 18.55 distribution on a Unix system, and then you can copy
+ the sources to VMS to perform the compile/link/build.
+
+ The set of changes have been posted a number of times three times the
+ last 12 months, so they should be widely available.
+
+48: Why won't src/alloc.c compile on a SPARCstation?
+
+ {Could someone send me a better description of the symptoms ... Does it
+ really not compile, or does it refuse to link, or does it die when it's
+ run?}
+
+ An object in src/alloc.c is declared as an array of char. However, on a
+ SPARCstation, this object must be aligned on a longword boundary.
+ gcc will align this object not on a longword boundary because it thinks
+ this is ok because the object is an array of char.
+
+ Here is a solution:
+
+ (Patch from the Epoch source code.)
+
+ >*** dist-18.55.dist/src/alloc.c Mon Feb 13 05:23:35 1989
+ >--- dist-18.55/src/alloc.c Mon Nov 27 23:30:13 1989
+ >***************
+ >*** 665,673 ****
+ > #define NSTATICS 200
+ >
+ >- char staticvec1[NSTATICS * sizeof (Lisp_Object *)] = {0};
+ >-
+ > int staticidx = 0;
+ >
+ > #define staticvec ((Lisp_Object **) staticvec1)
+ >
+ > /* Put an entry in staticvec, pointing at the variable whose address is given */
+ >--- 665,676 ----
+ > #define NSTATICS 200
+ >
+ > int staticidx = 0;
+ >
+ >+ #ifdef __GNUC__
+ >+ Lisp_Object *staticvec[NSTATICS] = {0};
+ >+ #else
+ >+ char staticvec1[NSTATICS * sizeof (Lisp_Object *)] = {0};
+ > #define staticvec ((Lisp_Object **) staticvec1)
+ >+ #endif
+ >
+ > /* Put an entry in staticvec, pointing at the variable whose address is given */
+
+ {Does anyone understand why one might want to declare staticvec as an
+ array of char instead of an array of LispObject?}
+
+49: Why do shells started from Emacs suspend themselves under SunOS 4.1?
+
+ In SunOS 4.1, when subprocesses are started by an Emacs process started
+ by "rsh", the process stops with a message like this:
+
+ Process shell stopped (tty input)
+
+ SunOS 4.1 uses the POSIX standard's specification for job control.
+ Basically, a process must be a session leader to acquire a new
+ controlling terminal.
+
+ A quick fix is to run Emacs as "/usr/etc/setsid emacs" instead.
+
+ To fix it in Emacs, use this patch:
+
+ (Patch by Eirik Fuller <eirik@elf.tn.cornell.edu>.)
+
+ >*** /tmp/,RCSt1a12635 Fri Jul 6 11:29:10 1990
+ >--- process.c Sat Jun 16 14:04:55 1990
+ >***************
+ >*** 1031,1036 ****
+ >--- 1031,1039 ----
+ > int j = open ("/dev/tty", O_RDWR, 0);
+ > ioctl (j, TIOCNOTTY, 0);
+ > close (j);
+ >+ #ifndef USG
+ >+ setpgrp (0, 0);
+ >+ #endif
+ > }
+ > #endif /* TIOCNOTTY */
+ >
+
+50: Why does Emacs crash from a bus error in XLookupString under OpenLook?
+
+ The Sun OpenLook libraries use the XComposeStatus parameter on
+ XLookupString for composing key sequences. I'm told this is actually
+ supposed to be an optional parameter.
+
+ (Patch by David J. MacKenzie <djm@eng.umd.edu>.)
+
+ >*** dist-18.55.dist/src/x11term.c Wed Aug 2 21:56:42 1989
+ >--- dist-18.55/src/x11term.c Fri Jul 13 19:22:32 1990
+ >***************
+ >*** 1213,1216 ****
+ >--- 1213,1218 ----
+ > #endif /* not sun */
+ >
+ >+ static XComposeStatus status;
+ >+
+ > internal_socket_read(bufp, numchars)
+ > register unsigned char *bufp;
+ >***************
+ >*** 1223,1227 ****
+ > BLOCK_INPUT_DECLARE ();
+ > XEvent event;
+ >- XComposeStatus status;
+ > KeySym keysym;
+ >
+ >--- 1225,1228 ----
+ >***************
+ >*** 1330,1334 ****
+ > nbytes = XLookupString (&event,
+ > mapping_buf, 20, &keysym,
+ >! 0);
+ > /* Someday this will be unnecessary as we will
+ > be able to use XRebindKeysym so XLookupString
+ >--- 1331,1335 ----
+ > nbytes = XLookupString (&event,
+ > mapping_buf, 20, &keysym,
+ >! &status);
+ > /* Someday this will be unnecessary as we will
+ > be able to use XRebindKeysym so XLookupString
+
+51: Why doesn't "C-c C-c" interrupt subprocesses under HP/UX?
+
+ Paul Stravers <stravers@dutentb.tudelft.nl> writes:
+
+ In HP/UX we can (must) combine the two distinct calls
+ 1. ioctl (fildes, TIOCGPGRP, &gid);
+ 2. kill (-gid, signo);
+ into the single call
+ 1+2. ioctl (fildes, TIOCSIGSEND, signo);
+
+ This is apparently the case under at least HP/UX versions 6.5 and 7.0.
+
+ Here is a set of patches courtesy of Piet van Oostrum <piet@cs.ruu.nl>
+ that fixes these problems:
+
+ 1. Signals to child processes work now (like the C-c C-c mentioned above)
+
+ 2. When running under X11, C-g now correctly interrupts long-running commands
+
+ 3. When running under X11, the window is redislayed even if emacs is doing
+ some work (e.g. if your window becomes visible after being behind another
+ one.
+
+ 4. A nasty bug in alloca is solved. This bug is very infrequent unless you
+ apply the other patches.
+
+ {I don't know for sure whether all of these patches are applicable only
+ under HP/UX. Perhaps someone can tell me.}
+
+ >*** alloca.s.~1~ Fri Sep 15 16:35:39 1989
+ >--- alloca.s Tue May 1 17:18:08 1990
+ >***************
+ >*** 92,103 ****
+ > sub.l &MAXREG*4,%d1 # space for saving registers
+ > mov.l %d1,%sp # save new value of sp
+ > tst.b PROBE(%sp) # create pages (sigh)
+ > move.w &MAXREG-1,%d0
+ > copy_regs_loop: /* save caller's saved registers */
+ >! mov.l (%a1)+,(%sp)+
+ > dbra %d0,copy_regs_loop
+ >! mov.l %sp,%d0 # return value
+ >! mov.l %d1,%sp
+ > add.l &-4,%sp # adjust tos
+ > jmp (%a0) # rts
+ > #endif /* new hp assembler */
+ >--- 92,105 ----
+ > sub.l &MAXREG*4,%d1 # space for saving registers
+ > mov.l %d1,%sp # save new value of sp
+ > tst.b PROBE(%sp) # create pages (sigh)
+ >+ mov.l %a2,%d1 # save reg a2
+ >+ mov.l %sp,%a2
+ > move.w &MAXREG-1,%d0
+ > copy_regs_loop: /* save caller's saved registers */
+ >! mov.l (%a1)+,(%a2)+
+ > dbra %d0,copy_regs_loop
+ >! mov.l %a2,%d0 # return value
+ >! mov.l %d1,%a2 # restore a2
+ > add.l &-4,%sp # adjust tos
+ > jmp (%a0) # rts
+ > #endif /* new hp assembler */
+
+ >*** keyboard.c.~1~ Wed Apr 4 14:53:49 1990
+ >--- keyboard.c Thu Apr 26 14:46:27 1990
+ >***************
+ >*** 719,724 ****
+ >--- 719,773 ----
+ > errno = old_errno;
+ > }
+ >
+ >+ #ifdef HPUX
+ >+ /* tells if an alarm is outstanding for emptying the socket */
+ >+ int socket_alarm;
+ >+
+ >+ static void
+ >+ empty_socket_interrupt()
+ >+ {
+ >+ int nread;
+ >+ char buf[256 * BUFFER_SIZE_FACTOR];
+ >+ register int i;
+ >+ int old_errno = errno;
+ >+
+ >+ if (waiting_for_input) return;
+ >+
+ >+ fcntl (fileno (stdin), F_SETFL, O_NDELAY);
+ >+
+ >+ /* Read what is waiting. */
+ >+
+ >+ nread = (*read_socket_hook) (0, buf, sizeof buf);
+ >+
+ >+ #ifdef EBADSLT
+ >+ if (nread == -1 && (errno == EAGAIN || errno == EBADSLT))
+ >+ #else
+ >+ if (nread == -1 && errno == EAGAIN)
+ >+ #endif
+ >+ nread = 0;
+ >+
+ >+ fcntl (fileno (stdin), F_SETFL, 0);
+ >+
+ >+ /* Scan the chars for C-g and store them in kbd_buffer. */
+ >+ kbd_ptr = kbd_buffer;
+ >+ for (i = 0; i < nread; i++)
+ >+ {
+ >+ kbd_buffer_store_char (buf[i]);
+ >+ /* Don't look at input that follows a C-g too closely.
+ >+ This reduces lossage due to autorepeat on C-g. */
+ >+ if (buf[i] == Ctl ('G'))
+ >+ break;
+ >+ }
+ >+
+ >+ /* reestablish interrupt */
+ >+ signal (SIGALRM, empty_socket_interrupt);
+ >+ alarm (1);
+ >+
+ >+ errno = old_errno;
+ >+ }
+ >+
+ >+ #endif /* HPUX */
+ >+
+ > /* read a character from the keyboard; call the redisplay if needed */
+ > /* commandflag 0 means do not do auto-saving, but do do redisplay.
+ > -1 means do not do redisplay, but do do autosaving.
+ >***************
+ >*** 733,738 ****
+ >--- 782,794 ----
+ > Lisp_Object tem;
+ > extern request_echo ();
+ >
+ >+ #ifdef HPUX
+ >+ if (socket_alarm) {
+ >+ alarm (0);
+ >+ socket_alarm = 0;
+ >+ }
+ >+ #endif
+ >+
+ > if ((c = unread_command_char) >= 0)
+ > {
+ > unread_command_char = -1;
+ >***************
+ >*** 869,874 ****
+ >--- 925,938 ----
+ > }
+ > }
+ >
+ >+ #ifdef HPUX
+ >+ if (read_socket_hook) {
+ >+ socket_alarm = 1;
+ >+ signal (SIGALRM, empty_socket_interrupt);
+ >+ alarm (1);
+ >+ }
+ >+ #endif
+ >+
+ > return c;
+ > }
+ >
+ >***************
+ >*** 1094,1119 ****
+ >
+ > #else /* no FIONREAD */
+ > #ifdef USG
+ > if (kbd_count)
+ > abort ();
+ >
+ > fcntl (fileno (stdin), F_SETFL, O_NDELAY);
+ >! kbd_ptr = kbd_buffer;
+ > if (read_socket_hook)
+ >! {
+ >! kbd_count = (*read_socket_hook) (0, kbd_buffer, sizeof kbd_buffer);
+ >! }
+ > else
+ >! {
+ >! kbd_count = read (fileno (stdin), kbd_buffer, sizeof kbd_buffer);
+ >! }
+ > #ifdef EBADSLT
+ >! if (kbd_count == -1 && (errno == EAGAIN || errno == EBADSLT))
+ > #else
+ >! if (kbd_count == -1 && errno == EAGAIN)
+ > #endif
+ >! kbd_count = 0;
+ > fcntl (fileno (stdin), F_SETFL, 0);
+ > #else /* not USG */
+ > you lose
+ > #endif /* not USG */
+ >--- 1158,1209 ----
+ >
+ > #else /* no FIONREAD */
+ > #ifdef USG
+ >+ char buf[256 * BUFFER_SIZE_FACTOR];
+ >+ register int i;
+ >+ #ifdef HPUX
+ >+ int mask;
+ >+ #endif
+ >+
+ > if (kbd_count)
+ > abort ();
+ >
+ >+ #ifdef HPUX
+ >+ if (socket_alarm)
+ >+ mask = sigblock (sigmask (SIGALRM));
+ >+ #endif
+ >+
+ > fcntl (fileno (stdin), F_SETFL, O_NDELAY);
+ >!
+ >! /* Read what is waiting. */
+ > if (read_socket_hook)
+ >! nread = (*read_socket_hook) (0, buf, sizeof buf);
+ > else
+ >! nread = read (fileno(stdin), buf, sizeof buf);
+ > #ifdef EBADSLT
+ >! if (nread == -1 && (errno == EAGAIN || errno == EBADSLT))
+ > #else
+ >! if (nread == -1 && errno == EAGAIN)
+ > #endif
+ >! nread = 0;
+ >!
+ > fcntl (fileno (stdin), F_SETFL, 0);
+ >+
+ >+ /* Scan the chars for C-g and store them in kbd_buffer. */
+ >+ kbd_ptr = kbd_buffer;
+ >+ for (i = 0; i < nread; i++)
+ >+ {
+ >+ kbd_buffer_store_char (buf[i]);
+ >+ /* Don't look at input that follows a C-g too closely.
+ >+ This reduces lossage due to autorepeat on C-g. */
+ >+ if (buf[i] == Ctl ('G'))
+ >+ break;
+ >+ }
+ >+
+ >+ #ifdef HPUX
+ >+ if (socket_alarm)
+ >+ sigsetmask(mask);
+ >+ #endif
+ >+
+ > #else /* not USG */
+ > you lose
+ > #endif /* not USG */
+
+ >*** x11term.h~ Fri Sep 15 15:20:26 1989
+ >--- x11term.h Thu Apr 26 14:03:25 1990
+ >***************
+ >*** 11,17 ****
+ >--- 11,22 ----
+ > #define sigmask(no) (1L << ((no) - 1))
+ > #endif
+ >
+ >+ #ifdef HPUX
+ > #define BLOCK_INPUT_DECLARE() int BLOCK_INPUT_mask
+ >+ #define BLOCK_INPUT() BLOCK_INPUT_mask = sigblock (sigmask (SIGALRM))
+ >+ #define UNBLOCK_INPUT() sigsetmask (BLOCK_INPUT_mask)
+ >+ #else /* not HPUX */
+ >+ #define BLOCK_INPUT_DECLARE() int BLOCK_INPUT_mask
+ > #ifdef SIGIO
+ > #define BLOCK_INPUT() BLOCK_INPUT_mask = sigblock (sigmask (SIGIO))
+ > #define UNBLOCK_INPUT() sigsetmask (BLOCK_INPUT_mask)
+ >***************
+ >*** 19,23 ****
+ >--- 24,29 ----
+ > #define BLOCK_INPUT()
+ > #define UNBLOCK_INPUT()
+ > #endif /* SIGIO */
+ >+ #endif /* HPUX */
+ >
+ > #define CLASS "emacs" /* class id for GNU Emacs, used in .Xdefaults, etc. */
+
+ >*** process.c.orig Fri Sep 15 16:28:36 1989
+ >--- process.c Fri Apr 20 13:17:06 1990
+ >***************
+ >*** 1057,1062 ****
+ >--- 1057,1079 ----
+ > signal (SIGHUP, SIG_DFL);
+ > #endif
+ > #endif /* HAVE_PTYS */
+ >+
+ >+ /* Give child clean slate for signals */
+ >+ #ifdef SIGCHLD
+ >+ #ifdef BSD4_1
+ >+ sigrelse (SIGCHLD);
+ >+ #else /* not BSD4_1 */
+ >+ #ifdef HPUX
+ >+ sigsetmask (0);
+ >+ #endif /* HPUX */
+ >+ #if defined (BSD) || defined (UNIPLUS)
+ >+ sigsetmask (0);
+ >+ #else /* ordinary USG */
+ >+ signal (SIGCHLD, sigchld);
+ >+ #endif /* ordinary USG */
+ >+ #endif /* not BSD4_1 */
+ >+ #endif /* SIGCHLD */
+ >+
+ > child_setup_tty (xforkout);
+ > child_setup (xforkin, xforkout, xforkout, new_argv, env);
+ > }
+ >***************
+ >*** 1413,1427 ****
+ > if (read_kbd && kbd_count)
+ > nfds = 0;
+ > else
+ >! #ifdef IBMRTAIX
+ > nfds = select (MAXDESC, &Available, 0, 0, &timeout);
+ > #else
+ >- #ifdef HPUX
+ >- nfds = select (MAXDESC, &Available, 0, 0, &timeout);
+ >- #else
+ > nfds = select (MAXDESC, &Available, 0, &Exception, &timeout);
+ > #endif
+ >- #endif
+ > xerrno = errno;
+ >
+ > if (fix_screen_hook)
+ >--- 1430,1440 ----
+ > if (read_kbd && kbd_count)
+ > nfds = 0;
+ > else
+ >! #if defined (IBMRTAIX) || defined (HPUX)
+ > nfds = select (MAXDESC, &Available, 0, 0, &timeout);
+ > #else
+ > nfds = select (MAXDESC, &Available, 0, &Exception, &timeout);
+ > #endif
+ > xerrno = errno;
+ >
+ > if (fix_screen_hook)
+ >***************
+ >*** 1771,1776 ****
+ >--- 1784,1790 ----
+ > error ("Process %s is not active",
+ > XSTRING (p->name)->data);
+ >
+ >+ #ifndef HPUX /* Can't get gid of tty's controlling session */
+ > #ifdef TIOCGPGRP /* Not sure about this! (fnf) */
+ > /* If we are using pgrps, get a pgrp number and make it negative. */
+ > if (!NULL (current_group))
+ >***************
+ >*** 1785,1790 ****
+ >--- 1799,1805 ----
+ > the child itself heads the pgrp. */
+ > gid = - XFASTINT (p->pid);
+ > #endif /* not using pgrps */
+ >+ #endif /* not HPUX */
+ >
+ > switch (signo)
+ > {
+ >***************
+ >*** 1800,1805 ****
+ >--- 1815,1827 ----
+ > flush_pending_output (XFASTINT (p->infd));
+ > break;
+ > }
+ >+
+ >+ #ifdef HPUX
+ >+ if (!NULL (current_group))
+ >+ ioctl (XFASTINT (p->infd), TIOCSIGSEND, signo);
+ >+ else
+ >+ kill (XFASTINT (p->pid), signo);
+ >+ #else /* not HPUX */
+ > /* gid may be a pid, or minus a pgrp's number */
+ > #ifdef BSD
+ > /* On bsd, [man says] kill does not accept a negative number to kill a pgrp.
+ >***************
+ >*** 1808,1813 ****
+ >--- 1830,1836 ----
+ > #else /* Not BSD. */
+ > kill (gid, signo);
+ > #endif /* Not BSD. */
+ >+ #endif /* Not HPUX */
+ >
+ > /* Put notices in buffers now, since it is safe now.
+ > Because of this, we know that a process we have just killed
+ >%
+
+ This is a separate patch to process.c, distinct from the immediately
+ preceding one. Both should be applied.
+
+ >*** process.c.~1~ Fri Apr 20 13:17:06 1990
+ >--- process.c Wed Oct 24 16:38:15 1990
+ >***************
+ >*** 1085,1095 ****
+ > /* If the subfork execv fails, and it exits,
+ > this close hangs. I don't know why.
+ > So have an interrupt jar it loose. */
+ >! signal (SIGALRM, create_process_1);
+ >! alarm (1);
+ >! if (forkin >= 0)
+ >! close (forkin);
+ >! alarm (0);
+ > if (forkin != forkout && forkout >= 0)
+ > close (forkout);
+ >
+ >--- 1085,1100 ----
+ > /* If the subfork execv fails, and it exits,
+ > this close hangs. I don't know why.
+ > So have an interrupt jar it loose. */
+ >!
+ >! { int old_trap = signal (SIGALRM, create_process_1);
+ >! int old_alarm = alarm (1);
+ >! if (forkin >= 0)
+ >! close (forkin);
+ >! alarm (0);
+ >! signal (SIGALRM, old_trap);
+ >! /* don't bother with possible 1 sec loss */
+ >! if (old_alarm) alarm (old_alarm);
+ >! }
+ > if (forkin != forkout && forkout >= 0)
+ > close (forkout);
+
+52: What should I do if I have trouble building Emacs?
+
+ RMS writes:
+
+ If you try to build Emacs and it does not run, the first thing to do is
+ look in the file called PROBLEMS to see if a solution is given there.
+
+ If none is given, then please send a report by mail to
+ bug-gnu-emacs@prep.ai.mit.edu. Please do not send it to
+ help-gnu-emacs@prep.ai.mit.edu.
+
+ Sending to help-gnu-emacs (which has the effect of posting on
+ gnu.emacs.help) is undesirable because it takes the time of an
+ unnecessarily large group of people, most of whom are just users and
+ have no idea how to fix these problem. bug-gnu-emacs reaches a much
+ smaller group of people who are more likely to know what to do and have
+ expressed a wish to receive more messages about Emacs than the others.
+
+Weird/Confusing Problems:
+
+53: Does Emacs have problems with files larger than 8 Megs?
+
+ Most installed versions of GNU Emacs will use 24 bit signed integers
+ (and 24 bit pointers!) internally. This limits the file size that Emacs
+ can handle to 8388608 bytes.
+
+ Leonard N. Zubkoff <lnz@lucid.com> writes:
+
+ Putting the following two lines in src/config.h before compiling Emacs
+ allows for 26 bit integers and pointers:
+
+ #define VALBITS 26
+ #define GCTYPEBITS 5
+
+ See question 54 for an explanation.
+
+54: Why does Emacs use 24 bit integers and pointers?
+
+ David Gillespie <daveg@csvax.cs.caltech.edu> writes:
+
+ Emacs is largely written in a dialect of Lisp; Lisp is a freely-typed
+ language in the sense that you can put any value of any type into any
+ variable, or return it from a function, and so on. So each value must
+ carry a "tag" along with it identifying what kind of thing it is, e.g.,
+ integer, pointer to a list, pointer to an editing buffer, and so on.
+ Emacs uses standard 32-bit integers for data objects, taking the top 8
+ bits for the tag and the bottom 24 bits for the value. So integers (and
+ pointers) are somewhat restricted compared to true C integers and
+ pointers.
+
+ Emacs uses 8-bit tags because that's a little faster on byte-oriented
+ machines, but there are only really enough tags to require 6 bits. See
+ question 53 to find how to recompile Emacs with 6-bit tags and
+ 26-bit integers and pointers if space is at a premium for you.
+
+55: Why does Emacs start up using the wrong directory?
+
+ Most likely, you have an environment variable named PWD that is set to a
+ value other than the name of your current directory. This is most
+ likely caused by using two different shell programs. "ksh" and (some
+ versions of) "csh" set and maintain the value of the PWD environment
+ variable, but "sh" doesn't. If you start sh from ksh, change your
+ current directory inside sh, and then start Emacs from inside sh, PWD
+ will have the wrong value but Emacs will use this value. See question
+ 72.
+
+56: How do I edit a file with a "$" in its name?
+
+ When entering a filename in the minibuffer, Emacs will attempt to expand
+ a "$" followed by a word as an environment variable. To suppress this
+ behavior, type "$$" instead.
+
+57: Why does Shell Mode lose track of the shell's current directory?
+
+ Emacs has no way of knowing when the shell actually changes its
+ directory. So it tries to guess by recognizing cd commands. A number
+ of fixes and enhancements to Shell Mode have been written, check the
+ Emacs Lisp Archive (question 14).
+
+58: Why doesn't Emacs expand my aliases when sending mail?
+
+ First, you must separate multiple addresses with commas.
+
+ Emacs normally only reads the ".mailrc" file once per session, when you
+ start to compose your first mail message. If you edit .mailrc, you can
+ type "M-ESC (build-mail-aliases) RET" to make Emacs reread .mailrc.
+
+59: Why doesn't setting default-directory always work?
+
+ There is a separate value of default-directory for each Emacs buffer.
+ The value in the current buffer is the one that is used.
+
+60: Why does my change to load-path not work?
+
+ If you added file names with tildes (~) in them to your load-path,
+ you'll need to do something like this:
+
+ (setq-default load-path (mapcar 'expand-file-name load-path))
+
+61: Why does the cursor always go to the wrong column when I move up or
+ down one line?
+
+ You have inadvertently typed "C-x C-n" (set-goal-column) which sets the
+ "goal-column" to the column where the cursor was. To undo this type
+ "C-u C-x C-n".
+
+ If you make this mistake frequently, you might want to unbind this
+ command by doing (define-key ctl-x-map "\C-n" nil).
+
+62: Why don't the command line switches documented in the man page work?
+
+ The "man page", ie. the file etc/emacs.1, hasn't been updated in a
+ while. The command line switches that it says work with X Windows are
+ for X10. See question 72 for details on what switches are
+ available using X11. {Would someone like to rewrite the man page? RMS
+ asked me and I haven't had time yet.}
+
+63: Why does gnus-Subject-mail-reply chop off the last character of the
+ article headers?
+
+ There is a bug in some rnews functions that GNUS uses. Here is a patch:
+
+ (Patch supplied by Karl Kleinpaste <karl_kleinpaste@cis.ohio-state.edu>.)
+
+ >*** rnewspost.el.orig Thu Oct 5 10:32:47 1989
+ >--- rnewspost.el Thu Oct 5 10:32:47 1989
+ >***************
+ >*** 252,258 ****
+ > (save-restriction
+ > (narrow-to-region (point-min) (progn (goto-line (point-min))
+ > (search-forward "\n\n")
+ >! (- (point) 2)))
+ > (setq from (mail-fetch-field "from")
+ > subject (mail-fetch-field "subject")
+ > reply-to (mail-fetch-field "reply-to")
+ >--- 252,258 ----
+ > (save-restriction
+ > (narrow-to-region (point-min) (progn (goto-line (point-min))
+ > (search-forward "\n\n")
+ >! (- (point) 1)))
+ > (setq from (mail-fetch-field "from")
+ > subject (mail-fetch-field "subject")
+ > reply-to (mail-fetch-field "reply-to")
+ >***************
+ >*** 289,295 ****
+ > ;@@ but rnews.el lacks support
+ > (narrow-to-region (point-min) (progn (goto-char (point-min))
+ > (search-forward "\n\n")
+ >! (- (point) 2)))))
+ > (setq from (mail-fetch-field "from")
+ > news-reply-yank-from from
+ > ;; @@ not handling old Title: field
+ >--- 289,295 ----
+ > ;@@ but rnews.el lacks support
+ > (narrow-to-region (point-min) (progn (goto-char (point-min))
+ > (search-forward "\n\n")
+ >! (- (point) 1)))))
+ > (setq from (mail-fetch-field "from")
+ > news-reply-yank-from from
+ > ;; @@ not handling old Title: field
+ >***************
+ >*** 365,371 ****
+ > ;@@ but rnews.el lacks support
+ > (narrow-to-region (point-min) (progn (goto-char (point-min))
+ > (search-forward "\n\n")
+ >! (- (point) 2)))))
+ > (setq news-reply-yank-from (mail-fetch-field "from")
+ > ;; @@ not handling old Article-I.D.: field
+ > news-reply-yank-message-id (mail-fetch-field "message-id")))
+ >--- 365,371 ----
+ > ;@@ but rnews.el lacks support
+ > (narrow-to-region (point-min) (progn (goto-char (point-min))
+ > (search-forward "\n\n")
+ >! (- (point) 1)))))
+ > (setq news-reply-yank-from (mail-fetch-field "from")
+ > ;; @@ not handling old Article-I.D.: field
+ > news-reply-yank-message-id (mail-fetch-field "message-id")))
+
+64: Why does Emacs hang with message "Unknown XMenu" with X11R4?
+
+ Many different X errors can produce this message. Here is the solution
+ to one problem:
+
+ X11 Release 4 now enforces some conditions in the X protocol that were
+ previously allowed to pass unnoticed. You need to put the X11R4 server
+ into X11R3 bug compatibility mode for Emacs's Xmenu code to work. You
+ can do this with the command "xset bc".
+
+65: Why isn't the load average displayed by display-time?
+
+ The most likely cause of the problem is that "loadst" can't read the
+ special file /dev/kmem. To properly install loadst, it should be either
+ setuid to the owner of /dev/kmem, or is should be setgid to the group to
+ which /dev/kmem belongs. In either case, /dev/kmem should be readable by
+ its owner or its group, respectively.
+
+ Another possibility is that your version of Unix doesn't have the load
+ average data available in /dev/kmem. Your version of Unix might have a
+ special system call to retrieve this information (eg., inq_stats under
+ UMAX).
+
+66: Why doesn't GNUS work anymore via NNTP?
+
+ There is a bug in NNTP version 1.5.10, such that when multiple requests
+ are sent to the NNTP server, the server only handles the first one before
+ blocking waiting for more input which never comes.
+
+ You can work around the bug inside Emacs like this:
+
+ (setq nntp-maximum-request 1)
+ (setq nntp-buggy-select t)
+
+ Or you could fix the NNTP server in one of these ways:
+
+ 1. Test whether there is data in stdin's stdio buffer before calling
+ "select" using something like "((fileptr)->_cnt > 0)". Best choice.
+ 2. Remove call to select by not defining "TIMEOUT" in "common/conf.h".
+ 3. Put "setbuf (stdin, NULL)" in the NNTP server in the right spot.
+ This would be very inefficient.
+ 4. Rewrite the server to use an alarm instead of "select".
+
+67: Why can't I paste a selection I made in Emacs into my xterm window?
+
+ A person whose name I lost writes:
+
+ The strange interaction between Emacs, xterm, and the cut buffers is
+ because most xterm clients use selections instead of (well, superceding)
+ cut buffers. If there is a selection around, xterms will use that
+ instead of the cut buffer. Emacs doesn't know about selections, but you
+ can convince xterm to always use the cut buffer instead of selections by
+ adding this to your .Xdefaults:
+
+ ! Solution by Thomas Narten, should work under X11R3 and later
+ ! GNU Emacs only copies to CUT_BUFFER0. xterm by default wants to paste
+ ! from the PRIMARY selection.
+ XTerm*VT100.Translations: #override \
+ ~Meta <Btn2Up>: insert-selection(CUT_BUFFER0)
+
+
+68: Why does ispell sometimes ignore the local dictionary?
+
+ You need to update the version of ispell to 2.0.02. A patch is
+ available via:
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
+ file: /pub/gnu/ispell/patch2.Z
+
+ You also need to change a line in ispell.el from:
+
+ (defconst ispell-version "2.0.01") ;; Check against output of "ispell -v".
+
+ to:
+
+ (defconst ispell-version "2.0.02") ;; Check against output of "ispell -v".
+
+
+
+Configuring Emacs for yourself:
+
+69: How do I set up a .emacs file properly?
+
+ I'm going to be sending out a sample .emacs file in a separate message
+ later this month. It will be based largely on AT&T's sample .emacs
+ file, which was sent to me by Dan Jacobson. In fact it might be
+ identical.
+
+70: How do you debug a .emacs file?
+
+ First start Emacs with the "-q" command line option. Then, in the
+ *scratch* buffer, type the following:
+
+ (setq debug-on-error t) C-j
+ (load-file "~/.emacs") C-j
+
+ (C-j stands for Control-J, ie., hold the control key and press J.)
+
+ If you have an error in your .emacs file, this will invoke the debugger
+ when the error occurs. If you don't know how to use the debugger do
+ (setq stack-trace-on-error t) instead.
+
+ WARNING: this will not discover errors caused by trying to do something
+ that requires the terminal/window-system initialization code to have
+ been loaded. See question 34.
+
+71: How do I turn on abbrevs by default just in mode XXX?
+
+ Put this in your .emacs file:
+
+ (condition-case ()
+ (read-abbrev-file nil t)
+ (file-error nil))
+
+ (setq XXX-mode-hook
+ (function
+ (lambda ()
+ (setq abbrev-mode t))))
+
+72: What does Emacs do every time it starts up?
+
+ This question is not itself frequently asked, but helps to answer other
+ questions.
+
+ Here is a complete explanation of the order in which things are done
+ during startup.
+
+ 1. These command line switches are handled, only if they appear before
+ all other command line arguments, and only if they appear in this
+ order:
+
+ "-map". Only under VMS. Instead of "undumping", under VMS the
+ contents of a dump file are mapped over a section of memory (very
+ quickly initializing lots of variables).
+
+ "-t". The next argument is treated as the name of a terminal to use
+ instead of whatever is connected to the stdin, stdout, and stderr
+ FILE pointers.
+
+ "-display" (synonym: "-d"). The next argument is treated as the
+ name of an X Window System server with which to connect. This
+ overrides the DISPLAY environment variable.
+
+ "-nw". This means don't connect to an X Window server even if the
+ DISPLAY environment variable was set or the "-display" switch was
+ specified. Instead, Emacs talks to a regular dumb terminal.
+
+ "-batch". Emacs is noninteractive. The variable "noninteractive"
+ is t. This disables any full screen interaction either with a
+ dumb terminal or with a window system. In addition, Emacs will
+ die after processing all command line arguments.
+
+ All of Emacs's internal data structures are initialized between steps 2
+ and 5.
+
+ 2. The "*scratch*" buffer is created and its value of default-directory
+ is set from the result of calling the "getwd" library routine.
+ (getwd does what the "pwd" program does.)
+
+ 3. If X11 is being used, Emacs determines the name under which it looks
+ for X resource values. (I haven't checked how it does this under
+ X10.)
+
+ 1. If there is a "-rn" command line switch, it is handled now, no
+ matter where it is on the command line. (Later it will be
+ processed again and ignored.) The next argument is used as
+ Emacs's resource name.
+
+ 2. If the "-rn" switch was missing, Emacs looks for the WM_RES_NAME
+ environment variable.
+
+ 3. If neither of the previous two steps succeed, Emacs uses the
+ filename with which it was invoked as its resource name.
+
+ 4. If X11 is being used, these command line switches are handled now,
+ no matter where they appear in the command line. (Under X10, they
+ are not handled until step 13.) WARNING: this can cause strange
+ interactions with the processing of the remaining command line
+ arguments in step 13.
+
+ In addition, under both X11 and X10, X resources (ie. the stuff in
+ an .Xdefaults file) are handled now. Command line switches take
+ precedence over resources.
+
+ After each command line switch are given the equivalent resource
+ names in this format: (X10 name / X11 instance name / X11 class name).
+
+ "-r". Reverse video. (ReverseVideo/reverseVideo/ReverseVideo)
+ "-font" (synonym: "-fn"). Font. (BodyFont/font/Font)
+ "-wn". Window name (X11 only). (/title/Title)
+ "-in". Icon name (X11 only). (/iconName/Title)
+ "-i". Use built-in icon bitmap. (BitMapIcon//)
+
+ "-b". Border width (in pixels).
+ (BorderWidth/borderWidth/BorderWidth)
+
+ "-ib". Internal border width (in pixels) (default: 1).
+ (/internalBorder/BorderWidth)
+
+ "-geometry" (synonym: "-w"). Window shape and size. "-geometry" is
+ X11 only, but its synonym "-w" was available under X10.
+ (/geometry/Geometry)
+
+ Color options only:
+
+ "-fg". Foreground color. (Foreground/foreground/Foreground)
+ "-bg". Background color. (Background/background/Background)
+ "-bd". Border color. (Border/borderColor/BorderColor)
+ "-cr". Cursor color. (Cursor/cursorColor/Foreground)
+ "-ms". Mouse pointer color. (Mouse/pointerColor/Foreground)
+
+ In addition, under X10, the resource "Keymap" was handled now.
+
+ 5. If your Emacs isn't "dumped", the default Lisp libraries are
+ "loaded" now.
+
+ 6. Emacs enters a "recursive edit". The first time Emacs does a
+ recursive edit, steps 7 through 15 are followed, and then Emacs
+ enters its normal editing mode.
+
+ 7. If the environment variable PWD exists, the value of
+ default-directory in the *scratch* buffer is set to the value of
+ PWD. This often causes problems and confusion when the value of PWD
+ doesn't actually contain the pathname of the current directory.
+
+ 8. Now the "-no-init-file" (synonym: "-q") and "-user" (synonym: "-u")
+ command line switches are handled. They must follow the switches
+ mentioned in step 1, and must precede any other command line
+ arguments. Actually, both of these options can be specified;
+ whichever is last on the command line wins.
+
+ 9. The user's ".emacs" file is loaded now, if the -no-init-file option
+ was not specified. If the -user option was specified, that user's
+ .emacs file is loaded instead. A user's .emacs file is a file named
+ ".emacs" in the user's "home" directory. If no such file exists,
+ this step has no effect.
+
+ 10. The system wide "default" file is loaded now, if the variable
+ inhibit-default-init is nil. The user can set this variable in the
+ .emacs file to skip this step.
+
+ 11. If the *scratch* buffer still exists now, the value of
+ initial-major-mode is called as a function in this buffer.
+ Normally, this puts this buffer in Lisp Interaction mode.
+
+ 12. Now the terminal/window-system setup file is loaded. The name of
+ this file is determined as follows:
+
+ 1. It starts with the value of term-file-prefix. Normally this is
+ "term/", but the user can set it to another value. If this
+ variable is nil, this entire step is skipped.
+
+ 2. For a window system, the prefix is followed by the name of the
+ value of the variable window-system, followed by "-win". For X
+ Windows, this means the name is "term/x-win".
+
+ 3. For a terminal, the prefix is followed by the value of the
+ environment variable TERM, for example, "term/vt200". If Emacs
+ cannot find such a file to load, it retries by stripping off
+ suffixes that begin with a hyphen. For example, if TERM is
+ "vt200-40", first Emacs will try "term/vt200-40", and if that
+ fails it will try "term/vt200".
+
+ 13. The rest of the command line arguments are handled at this point, in
+ the order they appear:
+
+ "-funcall" (synonyms: "-f", "-e"). The next argument is treated as
+ the name of a function, which is called with no arguments.
+
+ "-load" (synonym: "-l"). The next argument is treated as the name
+ of a file to load. NOTE: the value of the variable load-path
+ will be restored after this file is done loading. Thus, trying
+ to change load-path in such a file will fail!!
+
+ "-kill". When this argument is handled, Emacs kills itself.
+
+ "+DDD", where D is a digit. DDD is used as a line number to go to.
+ When the next ordinary file argument on the command line is
+ handled, Emacs positions point in that file on line DDD.
+
+ An ordinary filename. Emacs edits this file using the function
+ find-file. If the filename is not an "absolute" filename, it is
+ expanded relative to the value that default-directory in the
+ *scratch* buffer had at the beginning of step 11. The buffer
+ visiting this file becomes the current buffer.
+
+ "-insert" (synonym: "-i"). The next argument is treated as the name
+ of a file. This file is inserted in the current buffer.
+ Initially, this is the *scratch* buffer. Otherwise it is the
+ buffer visiting the file most recently specified on the command
+ line. WARNING: the synonym "-i" doesn't work under X11.
+
+ Other command line switches may have been created by modifying the
+ value of the variable command-switch-alist. If X Windows is being
+ used, all X-specific switches mentioned above in steps 3 and 4 will
+ be processed. Under X11, they will have already been handled, and
+ will be ignored now. Under X10, they are being handled for the
+ first time.
+
+ 14. The values of the variables term-setup-hook and window-setup-hook
+ are called as functions with no arguments, in the order listed.
+
+ 15. If the user did not specify any of the command line options handled
+ in step 13, and the variable inhibit-startup-message is still nil,
+ the familiar Emacs startup message is displayed.
+
+73: What are the valid X resource settings (ie., stuff in .Xdefaults file)?
+
+ See question 72.
+
+ WARNING: Don't pay any attention to the documentation in etc/XDOC or
+ etc/emacs.1. It's way out of date. {Would someone like to rewrite it?
+ RMS asked me and I haven't had time yet.}
+
+74: How do I turn down the bell volume in Emacs running under X Windows?
+
+ Under Epoch you can do:
+
+ (setq epoch::bell-volume 20)
+
+ Under normal GNU Emacs you must modify the XTfeep function in
+ src/x11term.c, and change the number 50 to some other number:
+
+ XTfeep ()
+ {
+ BLOCK_INPUT_DECLARE ();
+ #ifdef XDEBUG
+ fprintf (stderr, "XTfeep\n");
+ #endif
+ BLOCK_INPUT ();
+ XBell (XXdisplay,50); /* change this 50 */
+ UNBLOCK_INPUT ();
+ }
+
+75: How do I make Emacs send 8-bit characters to my terminal?
+
+ Johan Widen <jw@sics.se> writes:
+
+ A patch for emacs-18.55 is available by ftp and mail-server from
+ sics.se.
+
+ Anonymous FTP:
+ site: sics.se [192.16.123.90]
+ file: archive/emacs-18.55-8bit-diff
+
+ E-mail:
+ To: mail-server@sics.se
+ body: send emacs-18.55-8bit-diff
+
+
+
+Emacs Lisp programming:
+
+76: What dialect of Lisp is Emacs Lisp?
+
+ It's the dialect of Lisp called Emacs Lisp. (No joke!) People also
+ call it elisp or e-lisp. (NOTE: The term "Elisp" is trademarked by
+ someone else.)
+
+77: How close is Emacs Lisp to Common Lisp?
+
+ Pretty far. GNU Emacs Lisp is case-sensitive, uses dynamic scoping,
+ doesn't have packages, doesn't have multiple return values, doesn't have
+ reader macros, etc. For people used to Common Lisp, some of the
+ functions in Common Lisp that are not in Emacs Lisp by default are
+ provided in the file lisp/cl.el. There is a Texinfo manual describing
+ these functions in man/cl.texinfo.
+
+78: How do I execute a piece of Emacs Lisp code?
+
+ There are a number of ways to execute (called "evaluate") an Emacs Lisp
+ "form":
+
+ * If you want it evaluated every time you run Emacs, put it in a file
+ named ".emacs" in your home directory.
+
+ * You can type the form in the "*scratch*" buffer, and then type C-j
+ after it. The result of evaluating the form will be inserted in the
+ buffer.
+
+ * In in Emacs-Lisp mode, typing M-C-x evaluates a top-level form before
+ or around point.
+
+ * Typing "C-x C-e" in any buffer evaluates the Lisp form immediately
+ before point and prints its value in the echo area.
+
+ * Typing M-ESC or M-x eval-expression allows you to type a Lisp form in
+ the minibuffer which will be evaluated.
+
+ * You can use M-x load-file to have Emacs evaluate all the Lisp forms in
+ a file. (To do this from Lisp use the function "load" instead.)
+
+79: How do I make a set of operations fully local to a region?
+
+ Use narrow-to-region inside of save-restriction.
+
+80: How can I highlight a region?
+
+ There are ways to get highlighting in GNU Emacs 18.55, but they all
+ require patching the C code of Emacs and rebuilding. They are also slow
+ and the highlighting disappears if you scroll or redraw the screen. One
+ patch is by Kenichi Handa <handa@etl.go.jp>.
+
+ You can hightlight regions in a variety of ways in Epoch. GNU Emacs 19
+ will have everything you need, but won't be out soon.
+
+81: How do I change Emacs's idea of the tab character's length?
+
+ Example: (setq default-tab-width 10).
+
+82: What is the difference between (interactive "P") and (interactive "p")?
+
+ The value that is a result of "P" can be a list, a symbol, or an
+ integer; the value that is a result of "p" is always an integer:
+
+ Prefix keys typed result of: "P" "p"
+ nothing nil 1
+ "M-1" 1 1
+ "C-u 1" 1 1
+ "M--" '- -1
+ "C-u -" '- -1
+ "C-u" (4) 4
+ "C-u C-u" (16) 16
+
+
+
+Carrying Out Common Tasks:
+
+83: How do I insert ">"'s in the beginning of every line in a buffer?
+
+ Type "M-x replace-regexp RET ^ RET > RET". ("replace-regexp" can be
+ shortened to "repl TAB r".)
+
+ To do this only in the region, type "C-x n M-x replace-regexp RET ^ RET
+ > RET C-x w". (You're going to remember that, right?)
+
+84: How do I insert "_^H" characters before each character in a
+ paragraph to get an underlined paragraph?
+
+ M-x underline-region.
+
+85: How do I repeat a command as many times as possible?
+
+ Make a keyboard macro that invokes the command and then type "M-0 C-x
+ e". WARNING: any messages your command prints in the echo area will be
+ suppressed.
+
+86: How do I search for an unprintable (8-bit) character that appears
+ in a buffer as \237?
+
+ C-s C-q 2 3 7
+
+ (This assumes the value of search-quote-char is 17 (C-q).)
+
+87: How do I tell Emacs to automatically indent a new line to the
+ indentation of the previous line?
+
+ M-x indented-text-mode. (This is a major mode.)
+
+ If you have auto-fill mode on (minor mode), you can tell Emacs to prefix
+ every line with a certain character sequence, the "fill prefix". Type
+ the prefix at the beginning of a line, position point after it, and then
+ type "C-x ." (set-fill-prefix) to set the fill prefix. Thereafter,
+ auto-filling will automatically put the fill prefix at the beginning of
+ new lines, and M-q (fill-paragraph) will maintain any fill prefix when
+ refilling the paragraph.
+
+88: How do I make Emacs "typeover" or "overwrite" when I type instead of
+ always inserting?
+
+ M-x overwrite-mode (minor mode).
+
+ WARNING: delete-backward-char (usually the delete key) doesn't work
+ properly in overwrite mode. It deletes the character to the left,
+ rather than replacing it with a space.
+
+89: How do I show which parenthesis matches the one I'm looking at?
+
+ If you're looking at a right parenthesis (or brace or bracket) you can
+ delete it and reinsert it.
+
+ M-C-f (forward-sexp) and M-C-b (backward-sexp) will skip over balanced
+ parentheses, so you can see which parentheses match. (You can train it
+ to skip over balanced brackets and braces at the same time by modifying
+ the syntax table.)
+
+ Here is some Emacs Lisp that will make the % key show the matching
+ parenthese, like in vi. In addition, if the cursor isn't over a
+ parenthese, it simply inserts a % like normal.
+
+ (By an unknown contributor.)
+
+ (global-set-key "%" 'match-paren)
+
+ (defun match-paren (arg)
+ "Go to the matching parenthesis if on parenthesis otherwise insert %."
+ (interactive "p")
+ (cond ((looking-at "[([{]") (forward-sexp 1) (backward-char))
+ ((looking-at "[])}]") (forward-char) (backward-sexp 1))
+ (t (self-insert-command (or arg 1)))))
+
+90: How do I make Emacs behave like this: when I go up or down, the cursor
+ should stay in the same column even if the line is too short?
+
+ M-x picture-mode. (This is a minor mode, in theory anyway ...)
+
+91: How do I read news under Emacs?
+
+ There are at least three news reading packages that operate inside
+ Emacs. "rnews" comes with Emacs. "GNUS" and "Gnews" come separately.
+
+ {I've never used rnews; could someone write a description? BTW, rnews
+ will be replaced with GNUS in Emacs 19.}
+
+ Both GNUS and Gnews handle reading news over NNTP. I think both can
+ also read from a local news spool. GNUS also supports reading mail
+ stored in MH folders or articles saved by GNUS.
+
+ GNUS is written (mostly) by Masanobu Umeda. His (?) latest e-mail
+ address was umerin@tc.nagasaki.go.jp, but I don't think he has an e-mail
+ address right now. The latest version is GNUS 3.13. There is a
+ newsgroup for discussion of GNUS called gnu.emacs.gnus. This newsgroup
+ is gatewayed with the mailing list info-gnus-english to subscribe send
+ mail to info-gnus-english-request@cis.ohio-state.edu. There is also a
+ mailing list called info-gnus, which includes discussion in Japanese.
+
+ Gnews was written by Matthew Wiener <e-mail address?>. {Could someone
+ tell me the # of the latest version, and how long it has been since
+ anyone has heard from Matthew?}. There is a newsgroup for Gnews called
+ gnu.emacs.gnews.
+
+92: In C mode, can I show just the lines that will be left after #ifdef
+ commands are handled by the compiler?
+
+ M-x hide-ifdef-mode. (This is a minor mode.)
+
+ You may have to (load "hideif") first. If you want to do this
+ regularly, put this in your .emacs file:
+
+ (autoload 'hide-ifdef-mode "hideif" nil t)
+
+93: Is there an equivalent to the "." (dot) command of vi?
+
+ ("." is the redo command in vi. It redoes the last insertion/deletion.)
+
+ No, not really.
+
+ You can type "C-x ESC" (repeat-complex-command) to reinvoke commands
+ that used the minibuffer to get arguments. In repeat-complex-command
+ you can type M-p and M-n to scan through all the different complex
+ commands you've typed.
+
+ To repeat something on each line I recommend using keyboard macros.
+
+94: How do I use emacstool under SunView?
+
+ The file etc/SUN-SUPPORT includes the document "Using Emacstool with GNU
+ Emacs". Also read the man page for emacstool (etc/emacstool.1).
+
+95: How do I get Emacs to display the current line number on the mode line?
+
+ There is no "correct" way to constantly display the current line number
+ on the mode line in Emacs 18. Emacs is not a line-oriented editor, and
+ really has no idea what "lines" of the buffer are displayed in the
+ window. It would require a lot of work at the C code level to make
+ Emacs keep track of this.
+
+ Emacs 19 will probably be able to do this, but probably not with great
+ efficiency.
+
+ To find out what line of the buffer you are on right now, do "M-x
+ what-line". Typing "C-x l" will also tell you what line you are on,
+ provided the buffer isn't separated into "pages" with C-l characters.
+ In that case, it will only tell you what line of the current "page" you
+ are on. WARNING: "C-x l" gives the wrong value when point is at the
+ beginning of a line.
+
+ People have written various kludges to display the current line number
+ on the mode line. Look in the Lisp Code Directory. (See question 13.)
+
+96: How do I tell Emacs to iconify itself?
+
+ You need to modify C source and recompile. Either that or get Epoch
+ instead. For the interested I have a patch to allow Emacs to iconify
+ itself.
+
+97: How do I use regexps (regular expressions) in Emacs?
+
+ This is documented in the Emacs manual. To read the manual section
+ online, type "C-h i m emacs RET m regexps RET".
+
+ WARNING: Unlike in Unix grep, sed, etc., a complement character set
+ ([^...]) can match a Newline, unless Newline is mentioned as one of the
+ characters not to match.
+