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1.1 root 1: This is Info file ../info/emacs, produced by Makeinfo-1.49 from the
2: input file emacs.texi.
3:
4: This file documents the GNU Emacs editor.
5:
6: Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1988, 1992 Richard M. Stallman.
7:
8: Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
9: manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
10: preserved on all copies.
11:
12: Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
13: this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also
14: that the sections entitled "The GNU Manifesto", "Distribution" and "GNU
15: General Public License" are included exactly as in the original, and
16: provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the
17: terms of a permission notice identical to this one.
18:
19: Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
20: manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
21: versions, except that the sections entitled "The GNU Manifesto",
22: "Distribution" and "GNU General Public License" may be included in a
23: translation approved by the author instead of in the original English.
24:
25:
26: File: emacs, Node: Glossary, Next: Key Index, Prev: Intro, Up: Top
27:
28: Glossary
29: ********
30:
31: Abbrev
32: An abbrev is a text string which expands into a different text
33: string when present in the buffer. For example, you might define
34: a short word as an abbrev for a long phrase that you want to insert
35: frequently. *Note Abbrevs::.
36:
37: Aborting
38: Aborting means getting out of a recursive edit (q.v.). The
39: commands `C-]' and `M-x top-level' are used for this. *Note
40: Quitting::.
41:
42: Auto Fill mode
43: Auto Fill mode is a minor mode in which text that you insert is
44: automatically broken into lines of fixed width. *Note Filling::.
45:
46: Auto Saving
47: Auto saving is when Emacs automatically stores the contents of an
48: Emacs buffer in a specially-named file so that the information will
49: not be lost if the buffer is lost due to a system error or user
50: error. *Note Auto Save::.
51:
52: Backup File
53: A backup file records the contents that a file had before the
54: current editing session. Emacs makes backup files automatically
55: to help you track down or cancel changes you later regret making.
56: *Note Backup::.
57:
58: Balance Parentheses
59: Emacs can balance parentheses manually or automatically. Manual
60: balancing is done by the commands to move over balanced expressions
61: (*note Lists::.). Automatic balancing is done by blinking the
62: parenthesis that matches one just inserted (*note Matching Parens:
63: Matching.).
64:
65: Bind
66: To bind a key is to change its binding (q.v.). *Note Rebinding::.
67:
68: Binding
69: A key gets its meaning in Emacs by having a binding which is a
70: command (q.v.), a Lisp function that is run when the key is typed.
71: *Note Binding: Commands. Customization often involves rebinding a
72: character to a different command function. The bindings of all
73: keys are recorded in the keymaps (q.v.). *Note Keymaps::.
74:
75: Blank Lines
76: Blank lines are lines that contain only whitespace. Emacs has
77: several commands for operating on the blank lines in the buffer.
78:
79: Buffer
80: The buffer is the basic editing unit; one buffer corresponds to one
81: piece of text being edited. You can have several buffers, but at
82: any time you are editing only one, the `selected' buffer, though
83: several can be visible when you are using multiple windows. *Note
84: Buffers::.
85:
86: Buffer Selection History
87: Emacs keeps a buffer selection history which records how recently
88: each Emacs buffer has been selected. This is used for choosing a
89: buffer to select. *Note Buffers::.
90:
91: C-
92: `C' in the name of a character is an abbreviation for Control.
93: *Note C-: Characters.
94:
95: C-M-
96: `C-M-' in the name of a character is an abbreviation for
97: Control-Meta. *Note C-M-: Characters.
98:
99: Case Conversion
100: Case conversion means changing text from upper case to lower case
101: or vice versa. *Note Case::, for the commands for case conversion.
102:
103: Characters
104: Characters form the contents of an Emacs buffer; also, Emacs
105: commands are invoked by keys (q.v.), which are sequences of one or
106: more characters. *Note Characters::.
107:
108: Command
109: A command is a Lisp function specially defined to be able to serve
110: as a key binding in Emacs. When you type a key (q.v.), its binding
111: (q.v.) is looked up in the relevant keymaps (q.v.) to find the
112: command to run. *Note Commands::.
113:
114: Command Name
115: A command name is the name of a Lisp symbol which is a command
116: (*note Commands::.). You can invoke any command by its name using
117: `M-x' (*note M-x::.).
118:
119: Comments
120: A comment is text in a program which is intended only for humans
121: reading the program, and is marked specially so that it will be
122: ignored when the program is loaded or compiled. Emacs offers
123: special commands for creating, aligning and killing comments.
124: *Note Comments::.
125:
126: Compilation
127: Compilation is the process of creating an executable program from
128: source code. Emacs has commands for compiling files of Emacs Lisp
129: code (*note Lisp Libraries::.) and programs in C and other
130: languages (*note Compilation::.).
131:
132: Complete Key
133: A complete key is a character or sequence of characters which,
134: when typed by the user, fully specifies one action to be performed
135: by Emacs. For example, `X' and `Control-f' and `Control-x m' are
136: keys. Keys derive their meanings from being bound (q.v.) to
137: commands (q.v.). Thus, `X' is conventionally bound to a command to
138: insert `X' in the buffer; `C-x m' is conventionally bound to a
139: command to begin composing a mail message. *Note Keys::.
140:
141: Completion
142: Completion is what Emacs does when it automatically fills out an
143: abbreviation for a name into the entire name. Completion is done
144: for minibuffer (q.v.) arguments when the set of possible valid
145: inputs is known; for example, on command names, buffer names, and
146: file names. Completion occurs when TAB, SPC or RET is typed.
147: *Note Completion::.
148:
149: Continuation Line
150: When a line of text is longer than the width of the screen, it
151: takes up more than one screen line when displayed. We say that the
152: text line is continued, and all screen lines used for it after the
153: first are called continuation lines. *Note Continuation: Basic.
154:
155: Control-Character
156: ASCII characters with octal codes 0 through 037, and also code
157: 0177, do not have graphic images assigned to them. These are the
158: control characters. Any control character can be typed by holding
159: down the CTRL key and typing some other character; some have
160: special keys on the keyboard. RET, TAB, ESC, LFD and DEL are all
161: control characters. *Note Characters::.
162:
163: Copyleft
164: A copyleft is a notice giving the public legal permission to
165: redistribute a program or other work of art. Copylefts are used
166: by leftists to enrich the public just as copyrights are used by
167: rightists to gain power over the public.
168:
169: Current Buffer
170: The current buffer in Emacs is the Emacs buffer on which most
171: editing commands operate. You can select any Emacs buffer as the
172: current one. *Note Buffers::.
173:
174: Current Line
175: The line point is on (*note Point::.).
176:
177: Current Paragraph
178: The paragraph that point is in. If point is between paragraphs,
179: the current paragraph is the one that follows point. *Note
180: Paragraphs::.
181:
182: Current Defun
183: The defun (q.v.) that point is in. If point is between defuns, the
184: current defun is the one that follows point. *Note Defuns::.
185:
186: Cursor
187: The cursor is the rectangle on the screen which indicates the
188: position called point (q.v.) at which insertion and deletion takes
189: place. The cursor is on or under the character that follows point.
190: Often people speak of `the cursor' when, strictly speaking, they
191: mean `point'. *Note Cursor: Basic.
192:
193: Customization
194: Customization is making minor changes in the way Emacs works. It
195: is often done by setting variables (*note Variables::.) or by
196: rebinding keys (*note Keymaps::.).
197:
198: Default Argument
199: The default for an argument is the value that will be assumed if
200: you do not specify one. When the minibuffer is used to read an
201: argument, the default argument is used if you just type RET. *Note
202: Minibuffer::.
203:
204: Default Directory
205: When you specify a file name that does not start with `/' or `~',
206: it is interpreted relative to the current buffer's default
207: directory. *Note Default Directory: Minibuffer File.
208:
209: Defun
210: A defun is a list at the top level of parenthesis or bracket
211: structure in a program. It is so named because most such lists in
212: Lisp programs are calls to the Lisp function `defun'. *Note
213: Defuns::.
214:
215: DEL
216: DEL is a character that runs the command to delete one character of
217: text. *Note DEL: Basic.
218:
219: Deletion
220: Deletion means erasing text without saving it. Emacs deletes text
221: only when it is expected not to be worth saving (all whitespace, or
222: only one character). The alternative is killing (q.v.). *Note
223: Deletion: Killing.
224:
225: Deletion of Files
226: Deleting a file means erasing it from the file system. *Note Misc
227: File Ops::.
228:
229: Deletion of Messages
230: Deleting a message means flagging it to be eliminated from your
231: mail file. This can be undone by undeletion until the mail file
232: is expunged. *Note Rmail Deletion::.
233:
234: Deletion of Windows
235: Deleting a window means eliminating it from the screen. Other
236: windows expand to use up the space. The deleted window can never
237: come back, but no actual text is thereby lost. *Note Windows::.
238:
239: Directory
240: Files in the Unix file system are grouped into file directories.
241: *Note Directories: ListDir.
242:
243: Dired
244: Dired is the Emacs facility that displays the contents of a file
245: directory and allows you to "edit the directory", performing
246: operations on the files in the directory. *Note Dired::.
247:
248: Disabled Command
249: A disabled command is one that you may not run without special
250: confirmation. The usual reason for disabling a command is that it
251: is confusing for beginning users. *Note Disabling::.
252:
253: Dribble File
254: A file into which Emacs writes all the characters that the user
255: types on the keyboard. Dribble files are used to make a record for
256: debugging Emacs bugs. Emacs does not make a dribble file unless
257: you tell it to. *Note Bugs::.
258:
259: Echo Area
260: The echo area is the bottom line of the screen, used for echoing
261: the arguments to commands, for asking questions, and printing brief
262: messages (including error messages). *Note Echo Area::.
263:
264: Echoing
265: Echoing is acknowledging the receipt of commands by displaying them
266: (in the echo area). Emacs never echoes single-character keys;
267: longer keys echo only if you pause while typing them.
268:
269: Error
270: An error occurs when an Emacs command cannot execute in the current
271: circumstances. When an error occurs, execution of the command
272: stops (unless the command has been programmed to do otherwise) and
273: Emacs reports the error by printing an error message (q.v.).
274: Type-ahead is discarded. Then Emacs is ready to read another
275: editing command.
276:
277: Error Messages
278: Error messages are single lines of output printed by Emacs when the
279: user asks for something impossible to do (such as, killing text
280: forward when point is at the end of the buffer). They appear in
281: the echo area, accompanied by a beep.
282:
283: ESC
284: ESC is a character, used to end incremental searches and as a
285: prefix for typing Meta characters on keyboards lacking a META key.
286: Unlike the META key (which, like the SHIFT key, is held down
287: while another character is typed), the ESC key is pressed once and
288: applies to the next character typed.
289:
290: Fill Prefix
291: The fill prefix is a string that should be expected at the
292: beginning of each line when filling is done. It is not regarded
293: as part of the text to be filled. *Note Filling::.
294:
295: Filling
296: Filling text means moving text from line to line so that all the
297: lines are approximately the same length. *Note Filling::.
298:
299: Global
300: Global means `independent of the current environment; in effect
301: throughout Emacs'. It is the opposite of local (q.v.). Particular
302: examples of the use of `global' appear below.
303:
304: Global Abbrev
305: A global definition of an abbrev (q.v.) is effective in all major
306: modes that do not have local (q.v.) definitions for the same
307: abbrev. *Note Abbrevs::.
308:
309: Global Keymap
310: The global keymap (q.v.) contains key bindings that are in effect
311: except when overridden by local key bindings in a major mode's
312: local keymap (q.v.). *Note Keymaps::.
313:
314: Global Substitution
315: Global substitution means replacing each occurrence of one string
316: by another string through a large amount of text. *Note Replace::.
317:
318: Global Variable
319: The global value of a variable (q.v.) takes effect in all buffers
320: that do not have their own local (q.v.) values for the variable.
321: *Note Variables::.
322:
323: Graphic Character
324: Graphic characters are those assigned pictorial images rather than
325: just names. All the non-Meta (q.v.) characters except for the
326: Control (q.v.) characters are graphic characters. These include
327: letters, digits, punctuation, and spaces; they do not include RET
328: or ESC. In Emacs, typing a graphic character inserts that
329: character (in ordinary editing modes). *Note Basic Editing: Basic.
330:
331: Grinding
332: Grinding means adjusting the indentation in a program to fit the
333: nesting structure. *Note Grinding: Indentation.
334:
335: Hardcopy
336: Hardcopy means printed output. Emacs has commands for making
337: printed listings of text in Emacs buffers. *Note Hardcopy::.
338:
339: HELP
340: You can type HELP at any time to ask what options you have, or to
341: ask what any command does. HELP is really `Control-h'. *Note
342: Help::.
343:
344: Inbox
345: An inbox is a file in which mail is delivered by the operating
346: system. Rmail transfers mail from inboxes to mail files (q.v.) in
347: which the mail is then stored permanently or until explicitly
348: deleted. *Note Rmail Inbox::.
349:
350: Indentation
351: Indentation means blank space at the beginning of a line. Most
352: programming languages have conventions for using indentation to
353: illuminate the structure of the program, and Emacs has special
354: features to help you set up the correct indentation. *Note
355: Indentation::.
356:
357: Insertion
358: Insertion means copying text into the buffer, either from the
359: keyboard or from some other place in Emacs.
360:
361: Justification
362: Justification means adding extra spaces to lines of text to make
363: them come exactly to a specified width. *Note Justification:
364: Filling.
365:
366: Keyboard Macros
367: Keyboard macros are a way of defining new Emacs commands from
368: sequences of existing ones, with no need to write a Lisp program.
369: *Note Keyboard Macros::.
370:
371: Key
372: A key is a sequence of characters that, when input to Emacs,
373: specify or begin to specify a single action for Emacs to perform.
374: That is, the sequence is not more than a single unit. If the key
375: is enough to specify one action, it is a complete key (q.v.); if
376: it is less than enough, it is a prefix key (q.v.). *Note Keys::.
377:
378: Keymap
379: The keymap is the data structure that records the bindings (q.v.)
380: of keys to the commands that they run. For example, the keymap
381: binds the character `C-n' to the command function `next-line'.
382: *Note Keymaps::.
383:
384: Kill Ring
385: The kill ring is where all text you have killed recently is saved.
386: You can reinsert any of the killed text still in the ring; this is
387: called yanking (q.v.). *Note Yanking::.
388:
389: Killing
390: Killing means erasing text and saving it on the kill ring so it
391: can be yanked (q.v.) later. Some other systems call this
392: "cutting". Most Emacs commands to erase text do killing, as
393: opposed to deletion (q.v.). *Note Killing::.
394:
395: Killing Jobs
396: Killing a job (such as, an invocation of Emacs) means making it
397: cease to exist. Any data within it, if not saved in a file, is
398: lost. *Note Exiting::.
399:
400: List
401: A list is, approximately, a text string beginning with an open
402: parenthesis and ending with the matching close parenthesis. In C
403: mode and other non-Lisp modes, groupings surrounded by other kinds
404: of matched delimiters appropriate to the language, such as braces,
405: are also considered lists. Emacs has special commands for many
406: operations on lists. *Note Lists::.
407:
408: Local
409: Local means `in effect only in a particular context'; the relevant
410: kind of context is a particular function execution, a particular
411: buffer, or a particular major mode. It is the opposite of `global'
412: (q.v.). Specific uses of `local' in Emacs terminology appear
413: below.
414:
415: Local Abbrev
416: A local abbrev definition is effective only if a particular major
417: mode is selected. In that major mode, it overrides any global
418: definition for the same abbrev. *Note Abbrevs::.
419:
420: Local Keymap
421: A local keymap is used in a particular major mode; the key bindings
422: (q.v.) in the current local keymap override global bindings of the
423: same keys. *Note Keymaps::.
424:
425: Local Variable
426: A local value of a variable (q.v.) applies to only one buffer.
427: *Note Locals::.
428:
429: M-
430: `M-' in the name of a character is an abbreviation for META, one
431: of the modifier keys that can accompany any character. *Note
432: Characters::.
433:
434: M-C-
435: `M-C-' in the name of a character is an abbreviation for
436: Control-Meta; it means the same thing as `C-M-'. If your terminal
437: lacks a real META key, you type a Control-Meta character by typing
438: ESC and then typing the corresponding Control character. *Note
439: C-M-: Characters.
440:
441: M-x
442: `M-x' is the key which is used to call an Emacs command by name.
443: This is how commands that are not bound to keys are called. *Note
444: M-x::.
445:
446: Mail
447: Mail means messages sent from one user to another through the
448: computer system, to be read at the recipient's convenience. Emacs
449: has commands for composing and sending mail, and for reading and
450: editing the mail you have received. *Note Sending Mail::. *Note
451: Rmail::, for how to read mail.
452:
453: Mail File
454: A mail file is a file which is edited using Rmail and in which
455: Rmail stores mail. *Note Rmail::.
456:
457: Major Mode
458: The major modes are a mutually exclusive set of options each of
459: which configures Emacs for editing a certain sort of text.
460: Ideally, each programming language has its own major mode. *Note
461: Major Modes::.
462:
463: Mark
464: The mark points to a position in the text. It specifies one end of
465: the region (q.v.), point being the other end. Many commands
466: operate on all the text from point to the mark. *Note Mark::.
467:
468: Mark Ring
469: The mark ring is used to hold several recent previous locations of
470: the mark, just in case you want to move back to them. *Note Mark
471: Ring::.
472:
473: Message
474: See `mail'.
475:
476: Meta
477: Meta is the name of a modifier bit which a command character may
478: have. It is present in a character if the character is typed with
479: the META key held down. Such characters are given names that start
480: with `Meta-'. For example, `Meta-<' is typed by holding down META
481: and at the same time typing `<' (which itself is done, on most
482: terminals, by holding down SHIFT and typing `,'). *Note Meta:
483: Characters.
484:
485: Meta Character
486: A Meta character is one whose character code includes the Meta bit.
487:
488: Minibuffer
489: The minibuffer is the window that appears when necessary inside the
490: echo area (q.v.), used for reading arguments to commands. *Note
491: Minibuffer::.
492:
493: Minor Mode
494: A minor mode is an optional feature of Emacs which can be switched
495: on or off independently of all other features. Each minor mode
496: has a command to turn it on or off. *Note Minor Modes::.
497:
498: Mode Line
499: The mode line is the line at the bottom of each text window (q.v.),
500: which gives status information on the buffer displayed in that
501: window. *Note Mode Line::.
502:
503: Modified Buffer
504: A buffer (q.v.) is modified if its text has been changed since the
505: last time the buffer was saved (or since when it was created, if it
506: has never been saved). *Note Saving::.
507:
508: Moving Text
509: Moving text means erasing it from one place and inserting it in
510: another. This is done by killing (q.v.) and then yanking (q.v.).
511: *Note Killing::.
512:
513: Named Mark
514: A named mark is a register (q.v.) in its role of recording a
515: location in text so that you can move point to that location.
516: *Note Registers::.
517:
518: Narrowing
519: Narrowing means creating a restriction (q.v.) that limits editing
520: in the current buffer to only a part of the text in the buffer.
521: Text outside that part is inaccessible to the user until the
522: boundaries are widened again, but it is still there, and saving
523: the file saves it all. *Note Narrowing::.
524:
525: Newline
526: LFD characters in the buffer terminate lines of text and are
527: called newlines. *Note Newline: Characters.
528:
529: Numeric Argument
530: A numeric argument is a number, specified before a command, to
531: change the effect of the command. Often the numeric argument
532: serves as a repeat count. *Note Arguments::.
533:
534: Option
535: An option is a variable (q.v.) that exists so that you can
536: customize Emacs by giving it a new value. *Note Variables::.
537:
538: Overwrite Mode
539: Overwrite mode is a minor mode. When it is enabled, ordinary text
540: characters replace the existing text after point rather than
541: pushing it to the right. *Note Minor Modes::.
542:
543: Page
544: A page is a unit of text, delimited by formfeed characters (ASCII
545: Control-L, code 014) coming at the beginning of a line. Some Emacs
546: commands are provided for moving over and operating on pages.
547: *Note Pages::.
548:
549: Paragraphs
550: Paragraphs are the medium-size unit of English text. There are
551: special Emacs commands for moving over and operating on paragraphs.
552: *Note Paragraphs::.
553:
554: Parsing
555: We say that Emacs parses words or expressions in the text being
556: edited. Really, all it knows how to do is find the other end of a
557: word or expression. *Note Syntax::.
558:
559: Point
560: Point is the place in the buffer at which insertion and deletion
561: occur. Point is considered to be between two characters, not at
562: one character. The terminal's cursor (q.v.) indicates the
563: location of point. *Note Point: Basic.
564:
565: Prefix Key
566: A prefix key is a key (q.v.) whose sole function is to introduce a
567: set of multi-character keys. `Control-x' is an example of prefix
568: key; thus, any two-character sequence starting with `C-x' is also
569: a legitimate key. *Note Keys::.
570:
571: Primary Mail File
572: Your primary mail file is the file named `RMAIL' in your home
573: directory, where all mail that you receive is stored by Rmail
574: unless you make arrangements to do otherwise. *Note Rmail::.
575:
576: Prompt
577: A prompt is text printed to ask the user for input. Printing a
578: prompt is called prompting. Emacs prompts always appear in the
579: echo area (q.v.). One kind of prompting happens when the
580: minibuffer is used to read an argument (*note Minibuffer::.); the
581: echoing which happens when you pause in the middle of typing a
582: multicharacter key is also a kind of prompting (*note Echo
583: Area::.).
584:
585: Quitting
586: Quitting means cancelling a partially typed command or a running
587: command, using `C-g'. *Note Quitting::.
588:
589: Quoting
590: Quoting means depriving a character of its usual special
591: significance. In Emacs this is usually done with `Control-q'.
592: What constitutes special significance depends on the context and
593: on convention. For example, an "ordinary" character as an Emacs
594: command inserts itself; so in this context, a special character is
595: any character that does not normally insert itself (such as DEL,
596: for example), and quoting it makes it insert itself as if it were
597: not special. Not all contexts allow quoting. *Note Quoting:
598: Basic.
599:
600: Read-only Buffer
601: A read-only buffer is one whose text you are not allowed to change.
602: Normally Emacs makes buffers read-only when they contain text which
603: has a special significance to Emacs; for example, Dired buffers.
604: Visiting a file that is write protected also makes a read-only
605: buffer. *Note Buffers::.
606:
607: Recursive Editing Level
608: A recursive editing level is a state in which part of the
609: execution of a command involves asking the user to edit some text.
610: This text may or may not be the same as the text to which the
611: command was applied. The mode line indicates recursive editing
612: levels with square brackets (`[' and `]'). *Note Recursive Edit::.
613:
614: Redisplay
615: Redisplay is the process of correcting the image on the screen to
616: correspond to changes that have been made in the text being edited.
617: *Note Redisplay: Screen.
618:
619: Regexp
620: See `regular expression'.
621:
622: Region
623: The region is the text between point (q.v.) and the mark (q.v.).
624: Many commands operate on the text of the region. *Note Region:
625: Mark.
626:
627: Registers
628: Registers are named slots in which text or buffer positions or
629: rectangles can be saved for later use. *Note Registers::.
630:
631: Regular Expression
632: A regular expression is a pattern that can match various text
633: strings; for example, `l[0-9]+' matches `l' followed by one or more
634: digits. *Note Regexps::.
635:
636: Replacement
637: See `global substitution'.
638:
639: Restriction
640: A buffer's restriction is the amount of text, at the beginning or
641: the end of the buffer, that is temporarily invisible and
642: inaccessible. Giving a buffer a nonzero amount of restriction is
643: called narrowing (q.v.). *Note Narrowing::.
644:
645: RET
646: RET is a character that in Emacs runs the command to insert a
647: newline into the text. It is also used to terminate most arguments
648: read in the minibuffer (q.v.). *Note Return: Characters.
649:
650: Saving
651: Saving a buffer means copying its text into the file that was
652: visited (q.v.) in that buffer. This is the way text in files
653: actually gets changed by your Emacs editing. *Note Saving::.
654:
655: Scrolling
656: Scrolling means shifting the text in the Emacs window so as to see
657: a different part of the buffer. *Note Scrolling: Display.
658:
659: Searching
660: Searching means moving point to the next occurrence of a specified
661: string. *Note Search::.
662:
663: Selecting
664: Selecting a buffer means making it the current (q.v.) buffer.
665: *Note Selecting: Buffers.
666:
667: Self-documentation
668: Self-documentation is the feature of Emacs which can tell you what
669: any command does, or give you a list of all commands related to a
670: topic you specify. You ask for self-documentation with the help
671: character, `C-h'. *Note Help::.
672:
673: Sentences
674: Emacs has commands for moving by or killing by sentences. *Note
675: Sentences::.
676:
677: Sexp
678: A sexp (short for `s-expression') is the basic syntactic unit of
679: Lisp in its textual form: either a list, or Lisp atom. Many Emacs
680: commands operate on sexps. The term `sexp' is generalized to
681: languages other than Lisp, to mean a syntactically recognizable
682: expression. *Note Sexps: Lists.
683:
684: Simultaneous Editing
685: Simultaneous editing means two users modifying the same file at
686: once. Simultaneous editing if not detected can cause one user to
687: lose his work. Emacs detects all cases of simultaneous editing
688: and warns the user to investigate them. *Note Simultaneous
689: Editing: Interlocking.
690:
691: String
692: A string is a kind of Lisp data object which contains a sequence of
693: characters. Many Emacs variables are intended to have strings as
694: values. The Lisp syntax for a string consists of the characters in
695: the string with a `"' before and another `"' after. A `"' that is
696: part of the string must be written as `\"' and a `\' that is part
697: of the string must be written as `\\'. All other characters,
698: including newline, can be included just by writing them inside the
699: string; however, escape sequences as in C, such as `\n' for
700: newline or `\241' using an octal character code, are allowed as
701: well.
702:
703: String Substitution
704: See `global substitution'.
705:
706: Syntax Table
707: The syntax table tells Emacs which characters are part of a word,
708: which characters balance each other like parentheses, etc. *Note
709: Syntax::.
710:
711: Tag Table
712: A tag table is a file that serves as an index to the function
713: definitions in one or more other files. *Note Tags::.
714:
715: Termscript File
716: A termscript file contains a record of all characters sent by
717: Emacs to the terminal. It is used for tracking down bugs in Emacs
718: redisplay. Emacs does not make a termscript file unless you tell
719: it to. *Note Bugs::.
720:
721: Text
722: Two meanings (*note Text::.):
723:
724: * Data consisting of a sequence of characters, as opposed to
725: binary numbers, images, graphics commands, executable
726: programs, and the like. The contents of an Emacs buffer are
727: always text in this sense.
728:
729: * Data consisting of written human language, as opposed to
730: programs, or following the stylistic conventions of human
731: language.
732:
733: Top Level
734: Top level is the normal state of Emacs, in which you are editing
735: the text of the file you have visited. You are at top level
736: whenever you are not in a recursive editing level (q.v.) or the
737: minibuffer (q.v.), and not in the middle of a command. You can
738: get back to top level by aborting (q.v.) and quitting (q.v.).
739: *Note Quitting::.
740:
741: Transposition
742: Transposing two units of text means putting each one into the place
743: formerly occupied by the other. There are Emacs commands to
744: transpose two adjacent characters, words, sexps (q.v.) or lines
745: (*note Transpose::.).
746:
747: Truncation
748: Truncating text lines in the display means leaving out any text on
749: a line that does not fit within the right margin of the window
750: displaying it. See also `continuation line'. *Note Truncation:
751: Basic.
752:
753: Undoing
754: Undoing means making your previous editing go in reverse, bringing
755: back the text that existed earlier in the editing session. *Note
756: Undo::.
757:
758: Variable
759: A variable is an object in Lisp that can store an arbitrary value.
760: Emacs uses some variables for internal purposes, and has others
761: (known as `options' (q.v.)) just so that you can set their values
762: to control the behavior of Emacs. The variables used in Emacs
763: that you are likely to be interested in are listed in the
764: Variables Index in this manual. *Note Variables::, for
765: information on variables.
766:
767: Visiting
768: Visiting a file means loading its contents into a buffer (q.v.)
769: where they can be edited. *Note Visiting::.
770:
771: Whitespace
772: Whitespace is any run of consecutive formatting characters (space,
773: tab, newline, and backspace).
774:
775: Widening
776: Widening is removing any restriction (q.v.) on the current buffer;
777: it is the opposite of narrowing (q.v.). *Note Narrowing::.
778:
779: Window
780: Emacs divides the screen into one or more windows, each of which
781: can display the contents of one buffer (q.v.) at any time. *Note
782: Screen::, for basic information on how Emacs uses the screen.
783: *Note Windows::, for commands to control the use of windows.
784:
785: Word Abbrev
786: Synonymous with `abbrev'.
787:
788: Word Search
789: Word search is searching for a sequence of words, considering the
790: punctuation between them as insignificant. *Note Word Search::.
791:
792: Yanking
793: Yanking means reinserting text previously killed. It can be used
794: to undo a mistaken kill, or for copying or moving text. Some other
795: systems call this "pasting". *Note Yanking::.
796:
797:
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