This is Info file ../../info/new-users-guide.info, produced by
Makeinfo-1.63 from the input file new-users-guide.texi.

   This manual serves as an introduction to the XEmacs editor.

   Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1988 Richard M. Stallman.  Copyright (C)
1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Lucid, Inc.  Copyright (C) 1993, 1994 Sun
Microsystems, Inc.

   Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
preserved on all copies.


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Help,  Next: Modes,  Prev: Customization Basics,  Up: Top

Help
****

   XEmacs provides a comprehensive Help facility. On the extreme right
of the menu-bar there is a Help menu. There are several help commands
provided by this menu. You can also use `C-h' for invoking the Help
facility. Type "?" for a list of keys you can type after typing `C-h'.
If you want more information on what your options are and what kind of
help you can get type "?" again. You will get a listing of all the keys
you can type and what they will do. Initially if you want help, type
`C-h' three times.

* Menu:

* The Help Menu::                   Items on the Help menu


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: The Help Menu,  Prev: Help,  Up: Help

Help menu
=========

   When you click on the Help menu with any of the mouse buttons you
will get the following menu items:

Info
     Selecting this item will take you to the Info page which is the
     online documentation browsing system. You can simply click on the
     highlighted items and "Info" will take you to the document
     providing information about that topic.

Describe Mode
     After you select this item, you will get a documentation on the
     major and minor modes which are enabled in the buffer you are
     working with. *Note Modes::, for information on Modes.

Hyper Apropos...
     After you select this item, you will see the following message in
     the echo area:

          List symbols matching regexp:

     If you type "mode" and hit RET, you will get a list of all the
     symbols (like functions and commands). You can now get
     documentation on any of the given symbols by "clicking" on any of
     the symbols (i.e. drag your mouse on the appropriate symbol and
     release the button). For example, if you "click" on the
     'auto-fill-mode' you will get the following message in the window
     at the bottom:

          auto-fill-mode
          
          Function, Command:
          
            Toggle auto-fill mode.
            With arg, turn auto-fill mode on if and only if arg is positive.
            In auto-fill mode, inserting a space at a column beyond `fill-column'
            automatically breaks the line at a previous space.
          
          Variable:
          
            value = nil
          
            variable not documented

Command Apropos...
     Selecting this item will prompt you for a string just like when you
     select Hyper Apropos.... After you give a string name, you will get
     a listing of all the functions and commands containing that string
     name with a very short description about what that command does.

Full Apropos...
     After you select this item, you will be prompted for a string name
     in the echo area:

          Apropos (regexp):

     Now you can give any string name, for example "mode" and hit RET.
     You will get a listing of all the variables and commands
     containing that string i.e "mode" with a short description of its
     function.

List Keybindings
     Select this item and you will get a listing of all the keys and the
     commands that they execute. Depending on which Major mode your
     buffer is in, you will get a listing of the special keybindings
     for that particular buffer also. For example, if you are in
     "Texinfo" mode, part of your list will contain:

          C-c C-c n	texinfo-insert-@node
          C-c C-c o	texinfo-insert-@noindent
          C-c C-c s	texinfo-insert-@samp
          C-c C-c t	texinfo-insert-@table
          C-c C-c v	texinfo-insert-@var
          C-c C-c x	texinfo-insert-@example
          C-c C-c {	texinfo-insert-braces

     These keybindings apply only to "Texinfo" mode. *Note Modes::, for
     more information on various modes.

Describe Key...
     After you select this item, you will be see the following message
     in the echo area:

          Describe Key:
     After you type a command key sequence, full documentation of that
     command will be displayed. For example if you type `C-g', you will
     see the following documentation for `C-g':

          keyboard-quit:
          Signal a `quit' condition.
     This means that `C-g' will quit whatever command you gave earlier.

Describe Function...
     This menu item provides documentation for a function. After you
     select this item, it will prompt you for a function name in the
     echo area:

          Describe function (default <some function name>):

     If you hit RET without giving a function name, you will get
     documentation for that default function name, otherwise if you
     type a function name and hit RET, you will get documentation for
     the given function.

Describe Variable...
     You can get documentation on any variable by selecting this menu
     item. It is similar to Describe Function and will prompt you for a
     variable name.

Unix Manual...
     After you select this item you will be prompted for a Unix command
     for which you wish to see the man page. You will see the following
     message in the echo area:

          Manual entry: (default <some name>)

     Now you can type any command, for example type `who' and press
     RET. You will get the man page for the Unix command `who' which
     lists who is on the system.

Emacs Tutorial
     Select this item and you will get a tutorial on Emacs. It is good
     for new users.

Emacs News
     Select this item and you will get a lot of historical and current
     news on Emacs !

   For more information on the Help facility, *Note Help: ()Help.


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Modes,  Next: Files,  Prev: Help,  Up: Top

Major and Minor Modes
*********************

   XEmacs is "language sensitive". It has several "major" and "minor"
modes.  The major modes customize Emacs to edit text of a particular
sort. There are major modes for C, Lisp, Emacs Lisp, LaTeX, English
etc. Within each major mode, certain functions and keys are redefined
to "suit" that particular sort of text. The minor modes provide certain
features which can be turned off or on at any time. Emacs can only be
in one major mode at any time, but it can turn on several minor modes
at the same time. After you have selected any major or minor mode, you
can select Describe Mode from the Help menu and you will get
documentation about those modes.

* Menu:

* Major Modes::                 Choosing Major Modes
* Minor Modes::                 Auto-Fill, Abbrev and other minor modes


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Major Modes,  Next: Minor Modes,  Prev: Modes,  Up: Modes

Major Modes
===========

   Emacs has several major modes which customize Emacs to edit text of
various sorts. You can have only one major mode at any time. Within each
major mode, Emacs redefines certain functions (like cursor movement,
indentation and text killing) to suit the needs of the text being
edited. When you are editing a specific type of text you should switch
to the appropriate mode. If you are working with C code, you should
switch to C mode; if you are working with Lisp code, then switch to lisp
mode and if you are working with English text switch to Text mode.

   When you open a file to work on, Emacs usually selects the
appropriate mode. For example, if you open a file called `guide.c' then
Emacs will select the C mode because of the ".c" extension of the file.
To explicitly select a mode type the following command:

     ;;; selects lisp mode
     M-x lisp-mode
     
     ;;; selects C mode
     M-x c-mode

To select any other mode, just add the major mode name before the
'-mode'. The current mode in which you are in will be displayed in
parenthesis in the mode-line at the bottom of the frame. All major
modes have some special keybindings and you can get a listing of those
keybindings by selecting List Keybindings from the Help menu on the
menu bar.

   Some of the available modes in XEmacs are :

fundamental-mode
     When you start XEmacs, usually you start with the default
     "Fundamental" mode. This mode has no special definitions or
     settings.

nroff-mode
     Use this mode when you have to format a text with nroff before it
     can be available in readable form. It redefines some indentation
     commands. *Note Nroff Mode: ()Nroff Mode, for information on this
     mode.

tex-mode
     Use this mode if you are using the LaTeX text-formatter. It
     provides commands for insertion of quotes, braces and other
     characters. It also allows you to format the buffer for printing.
     *Note TeX Mode: ()TeX Mode, for information on this mode.

texinfo-mode
     Texinfo is a documentation system that uses a single source file to
     produce both printed output and on-line documentation. When you
     use this mode, there will be some special keybindings for
     inserting some characters and executing some commands.

     This info file which you are reading right now is produced by
     'Texinfo'

outline-mode
     Use this mode for editing outlines. When you enable this mode, you
     can make part of the text temporarily invisible so that you can
     see the overall structure of the outline. *Note Outline Mode:
     ()Outline Mode, for information on this mode.

c-mode
     Use this mode for C programs. It will redefine some indentation
     commands. *Note C Indent: ()C Indent.

lisp-mode
     Use this mode for Lisp programs. Look at the XEmacs User's Manual
     for more information.

fortran-mode
     Use this mode for Fortran programs. This mode provides special
     commands to move around and some other indentation commands.  For
     more information on this mode, *Note Fortran: ()Fortran.

edit-picture
     This is the picture mode which you can use to create a picture out
     of text characters. *Note Picture: ()Picture, for more information.

asm-mode
     Use asm-mode for editing files of assembler code. Look at the file
     ` /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.11/lisp/modes/asm.el' for more
     information.

   There are some other modes and commands for working with other kinds
of text or programs. Emacs also provides commands for reading and
sending Mail. For more information on these features look at the XEmacs
Manual. Emacs also provides the functions of a desk calendar, with a
diary of past or planned events. For more information on the calendar
mode look at the manual for Calendar Mode and Diary.


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Minor Modes,  Prev: Major Modes,  Up: Modes

Minor Modes
===========

   The minor modes in Emacs provide some optional features which you can
turn on or off. Any number of minor modes can be active at the same time
with any major mode. You can enable a minor mode in one buffer and
disable it in other mode. To enable a minor mode, for example the
font-lock mode type the following command:

     M-x font-lock-mode

To enable the other minor modes, replace the "font-lock" with the name
of the minor mode. To disable the mode type the command again. A
positive argument will always turn the mode on. Whenever you type this
command, it will turn the mode on if it was off, OR it will turn it off
if it was on i.e. it toggles. Look at the mode-line at the bottom of the
frame. If it says FLock in parentheses, then it means that this mode is
on, otherwise it is off.

   The following are some of the minor modes available in XEmacs. To
enable any one of them type "M-x" in front of them.

font-lock-mode
     You can also choose this mode by selecting the Syntax Highlighting
     menu item from the Options menu on the menu-bar at the top. If you
     wish to have this mode enabled permanently, choose Save Options
     from the Options menu. *Note Options Menu::, for more information
     on the Options menu.  You can also add statements in your `.emacs'
     file. For each major mode in which you wish to enable this minor
     mode, you need a statement in your `.emacs' file. The following
     example shows how to enable the font-lock mode when the major mode
     is c-mode.

          (add-hook 'c-mode-hook		'turn-on-font-lock)

     *Note Other Customizations::.

     When you enable this mode, the text will be displayed in different
     colors and fonts depending on the type of the text. This makes the
     text very easy to read and understand. For example, comments might
     be displayed in red, variables in black, functions in blue and
     other keywords in different colors and fonts. When you select More
     from the Syntax Highlighting option, you get very detailed display
     of colors and fonts; function names within comments themselves
     might appear in a different font and color.

auto-fill-mode
     Enabling this mode will provide automatic word-wrapping. The SPC
     key will break lines i.e. insert newlines as you type to prevent
     lines from becoming too long.

overwrite-mode
     When you enable this mode, the text that you type will replace the
     existing text rather than moving it to the right (the default
     case). You can enable this mode by selecting Overstrike menu-item
     from the Options menu from the menu-bar.

abbrev-mode
     After you enable this mode, you can define words which will expand
     into some different text i.e. you can define abbreviations. For
     example, you might define "expand" to "expand will eventually
     expand to this text". After this definition you will be able to
     get "expand will eventually expand to this text" simply by typing

          expand SPC

     *Note Abbrevs: ()Abbrevs, for more information on this mode and on
     defining abbreviations.

auto-save-mode
     After you enable this mode in a buffer, the contents of that
     buffer will be saved periodically. This will reduce the amount you
     might lose in case of a system crash.

line-number-mode
     After you enable this mode, the line number at which your cursor is
     present will be displayed continously in the mode line.

blink-paren
     To enable this command, just type
          M-x blink-paren

     Do not add the "-mode" to it.  You can also select the Paren
     Highlighting option from the Options menu. After you enable this
     command, put your cursor on one of the left parenthesis. The other
     matching parenthesis will start blinking. *Note Options Menu:: for
     more information on the Paren Highlighting option.

   For information on some other modes, look at the XEmacs User's Manual
and the associated files.


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Files,  Next: Other Customizations,  Prev: Modes,  Up: Top

Files
*****

   The basic unit of stored data in Unix is the "file".  To edit a file,
you must tell Emacs to read the file into a buffer. This is called
"visiting" the file. You can now edit the buffer and to save the
changes you must write the buffer back to the file.

   In addition to visiting and saving files, Emacs can delete, copy,
rename, and append to files, and operate on file directories.

* Menu:

* File Names::                  How to type and edit file name arguments.
* Visiting::                    Visiting a file prepares Emacs to edit the file.
* Saving Files::                How to save Emacs files.


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: File Names,  Next: Visiting,  Prev: Files,  Up: Files

File Names
==========

   Most of the Emacs commands that operate on a file require you to
specify a file name. For example, you might specify the file name
initially when you enter Emacs :

     xemacs myfile RET

After you hit RET, you will enter XEmacs with "myfile" read into the
current buffer. If you do not specify the filename when entering Emacs,
you can use the Open... option from the File menu. You will be prompted
for a filename in the echo area:

     Find file: /usr/workspace/

Type in a file name which you want to open after the "/" and hit RET.
The specified file will be read into the current buffer. The
"/usr/workspace" might be the "default directory". When Emacs prompts
you for a file, it uses the default-directory unless you specify a
directory. You can see what the default directory of the current buffer
is by using the Describe Variable option from the Help menu. When Emacs
prompts you for the variable name to describe, type DEFAULT-DIRECTORY.
If you wish to open a file in some other directory, use DEL or the
BackSpace key to go back and type the path name of the new directory.

   You can create a new directory by typing `M-x make-directory'. This
command will prompt you for a directory name:

     Create directory: /usr/workspace/

After you type a directory name and press RET, a new directory with the
specified name will be created. If you do not wish to create a new
directory, then simply press `C-g' to quit the command. Similarly, you
can also remove a directory by using the command `remove-directory'.
The command `M-x pwd' will print the current buffer's default
directory. For more information on file names, *Note File Names: ()File
Names.


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Visiting,  Next: Saving Files,  Prev: File Names,  Up: Files

Visiting Files
==============

   To edit a file in Emacs you need to "visit" it. "Visiting" a file
means copying its contents (or reading them) into the current buffer.
Emacs will create a new buffer for each file that you visit. The buffer
will be named after the file that you open. If you open a file
`/usr/workspace/myfile.texinfo', the buffer will be called
"myfile.texinfo". If a buffer with this name already exists, a unique
name will be constructed by appending `<2>', `<3>', etc. If this is the
second buffer with the same name, a "<2>" will be appended, "<3>" for a
third buffer and so on. The name of the buffer which is being displayed
in the window will be shown both at the top and bottom of the frame.
Once you are in XEmacs, you can use the following commands:

`C-x C-f'
     This command will visit a file (`find-file'). It will prompt you
     for a file name to visit. The Open... option from the File menu
     does the same thing:

          Find file: /usr/workspace/

     Type in a filename and press RET. You will see a new buffer on the
     screen with its name in the mode-line. If the filename you specify
     already exists in Emacs, the buffer containing that file will be
     selected. You will get an error message if the filename does not
     exist. If you still press RET, a new buffer with the given
     filename will be displayed on the screen.

`C-x C-v'
     This command (`find-alternate-file'), will visit a different file
     instead of the one visited last. It is similar to `C-c C-f' except
     that it kills the current buffer (after offering to save it).

`C-x 5 C-f'
     This command will visit a file in another frame
     (`find-file-other-frame') without changing the current window or
     frame. The Open in New Frame... from the File menu will do the
     same thing. It will prompt you for a file name in the echo area.
     After you type the file name and press RET, the specified file
     will be read into a new buffer and displayed on a new frame.


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Saving Files,  Prev: Visiting,  Up: Files

Saving Files
============

   The changes that you make after visiting a file will not be saved
unless you save the buffer. When you save the buffer, Emacs writes the
current contents of the buffer into the visited file. Some commands to
save buffers are:

`C-x C-s'
     This command will permanently save the current buffer in its
     visited file (`save-buffer'). You will see the following message
     in the echo area if you save a file called "myfile.texinfo" :

          Wrote /usr/workspace/myfile.texinfo

     Try using this command twice. You will get the above message the
     first time you use this command, the second time you will get the
     following message:

          (No changes need to be saved)

     This message indicates that you haven't made any changes since the
     last time you saved the file.

`C-x s'
     This command will save all the buffers in their visited files
     (`save-some-buffers'). It will prompt you for typing yes or no:

          Save file /usr/workspace/myfile.texinfo? (y or n)

     You will get the above message for all the buffers. Type "y" if
     you want to save the buffer.

`C-x C-w'
     This command will prompt you for a file name and save the current
     buffer in that file. (`write-file'). You will see the following
     message in the echo area:

          Write file: /usr/workspace/

     After you type in a file name, press RET. The buffer will be saved
     in a new file. You can make copies of a particular file using this
     command.

   You can also undo all the changes made since the file was visited or
saved by reading the text from the file again (called "reverting"). For
more information on this option, *Note Reverting: ()Reverting.

   When you save a file in Emacs, it destroys its old contents. However,
if you set the variable MAKE-BACKUP-FILES to non-NIL i.e. `t', Emacs
will create a "backup" file. Select the Describe variable option from
the Help menu and look at the documentation for this variable. Its
default value should be `t'. However, if its not then use `M-x
set-variable' to set it to `t' (*note Setting Variables::.). The backup
file will contain the contents from the last time you visited the file.
Emacs also provides options for creating numbered backups. For more
information on backups, *Note Backup: ()Backup.

   Emacs also saves all the files from time to time so that in case of a
system crash you don't lose lot of your work. You will see the message
`Auto-saving...' displayed in the echo area when the buffer is being
saved automatically. The auto saved files are named by putting the
character `#' in front and back. For example a file called
"myfile.texinfo" would be named as `#myfile.texinfo#'. For information
on controlling auto-saving and recovering data from auto-saving, *Note
Auto Save Files: ()Auto Save Files.

   Emacs provides protection from simultaneous editing which occurs if
two users are visiting the same file and trying to save their changes.
It will put a lock on a file which is being visited and modified. If
any other user tries to modify that file, it will inform the user about
the lock and provide some options. For more information on protection
against simultaneous editing, *Note Interlocking: ()Interlocking.


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Other Customizations,  Next: Select and Move,  Prev: Files,  Up: Top

Other Customizations
********************

   You can modify the behavior of Emacs in minor ways permanently by
putting your changes in your `.emacs' file. This file contains Lisp
function call expressions. Each of these expressions will consist of a
function name followed by arguments, all surrounded by parentheses. For
example, to turn on the auto-fill-mode (i.e. break lines automatically
when they become too long) , put the following  line in your `.emacs'
file:

     (add-hook 'text-mode-hook
             '(lambda() (auto-fill-mode 1)))

Emacs has a function named "turn-on-auto-fill" which is defined as
"(lambda() (auto-fill-mode 1))". Therefore you can also write the above
as:

     (add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-auto-fill)

Emacs provides a number of hooks for the sake of customization. The hook
variables contain list of functions to be called with no arguments. To
turn on the auto-fill-mode, add the appropriate hook as shown in the
example above.

   Similarly, to enable the "font-lock mode" which displays your
program in different fonts and colors(*note Modes::.), put the
following in your `.emacs' file. The comments above the statement
explain what the statements do.

     ;;; enables the font-lock-mode in Lisp Mode
     (add-hook 'lisp-mode-hook    'turn-on-font-lock)
     
     ;;; enables the font-lock-mode in Texinfo Mode
     (add-hook 'texinfo-mode-hook    'turn-on-font-lock)
     
     ;;; enables the font-lock mode in C Mode
     (add-hook 'c-mode-hook		'turn-on-font-lock)

   To turn on the font-lock mode in other Major Modes like emacs-lisp,
just put the name of the mode with "-hook" appended to it as the middle
parameter in the above examples. You can also select the color that the
functions, comments or other keywords  should be displayed in :

     ;;; the function names will now be displayed in blue color
     (set-face-foreground 'font-lock-function-name-face "blue")
     
     ;;; the comments will be displayed in forest green
      (set-face-foreground 'font-lock-comment-face "forest green")

For other customizations regarding the font-lock face, look at the file
`/usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.11/etc/sample.emacs'.

* Menu:

* Setting Variables::           Customizing Emacs variables
* Init File::                   Some examples of Lisp expressions in
                                .emacs file


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Setting Variables,  Next: Init File,  Prev: Other Customizations,  Up: Other Customizations

Other Customizations
====================

   In XEmacs, "variables" are used for internal record-keeping and
customizations. There are some variables called "options" which you can
use for customizations. To examine a variable use:

     ;;; print the value and documentation of the variable, use either of the
     ;;; following commands
     C-h v
     M-x describe variable

   After you type any of the above commands, you will be prompted for a
variable name in the "echo area". Type in the name of the variable, for
example, type  CASE-FOLD-SEARCH RET Your window will split into two and
you will see the following message in that window:

     case-fold-search's value is t
     This value is specific to the current buffer.
     
     Documentation:
     *Non-nil if searches should ignore case.
     Automatically becomes buffer-local when set in any fashion.

Since this variable's value is 't' searches will ignore case. If you
want case-sensitive-search (i.e. if you are searching for "Foo" and you
do not want "foo" to be included in the search, you need to set this
variable to "nil". In order to do that, use:

     M-x set-variable

Emacs will prompt you for the variable which you wish to set. Type in
"case-fold-search" and hit RET. You will see the following message:

     Set case-fold-search to value:

Type "nil" and hit RET.  Now if you again use `M-x describe variable' ,
you will see that the new value of case-fold-search will be "nil" and
your searches will be case-sensitive. This will be effective only for
that Emacs session. If you want to change the value of a variable
permanently put the following statement in your `.emacs' file :

     (setq case-fold-search nil)

This statement will make searches case-sensitive only in the current
buffer which is the `.emacs' file. This will not be very useful. To
make searches case-sensitive globally in all buffers, use:

     (setq-default case-fold-search nil)

   If you want to change the value of any other variable, use :

     (setq <variable-name> <new value>)

"setq" will assign the "new value" to the "variable-name" .

   If you want a list of the "options" i.e. the variables available for
customization type:


     ;;; displays a buffer listing names, values and documentation of options
     M-x list-options
     
     ;;; displays options and allows you to edit those list of options
     M-x edit-options

Try these options. If you are using edit-options to edit a variable,
just point at the variable you wish to edit and use one of the following
commands:

1
     Set the value of the variable to t (non-nil).

0
     Set the value of the variable to nil.

n
     Move to the next variable.

p
     Move to the previous variable.

   There are some other options available to make the value of a
variable local to a buffer and then to switch to its global value. You
can also have a "local variables list" in a file which specifies the
values to use for certain Emacs variables when you edit that file.
*Note Variables: ()Variables, for information on these options.


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Init File,  Prev: Setting Variables,  Up: Other Customizations

Init File Examples
==================

   For customizing Emacs, you need to put Lisp expressions in your
`.emacs' file. The following are some useful Lisp expressions. If you
find any of them useful, just type them in your `.emacs' file:

   * The following expression will make TAB in C mode insert a real tab
     character if the cursor or point is in the middle of the line. Now
     hitting the TAB key will indent a line only if the cursor is at
     the left margin or in the line's indentation:

          (setq c-tab-always-indent nil)

     The value of the variable C-TAB-ALWAYS-INDENT is usually `t' for
     `true'. When this variable is true, then hitting the TAB key
     always indents the current line.

   * This expression will turn on the AUTO-FILL-MODE when you are in
     text mode:

          (setq text-mode-hook 'turn-on-auto-fill)

     This mode will automatically break lines when you type a space so
     that the lines don't become too long. The length of the lines is
     controlled by the variable FILL-COLUMN. You can set this variable
     to a value you wish. Look at the documentation for this variable
     to see its default value. To change the value to 75 for example,
     use:

          (setq-default fill-column 75)

     This will change the value of this variable globally.

   * The following expression will enable the use of EVAL-EXPRESSION
     without confirmation:

          (put 'eval-expression 'disabled nil)

     Now when you use EVAL-EXPRESSION, it will print the value of the
     expression you specify in the "echo area" without confirming with
     you.

   * This expression will remove the binding of `C-x C-c', because its
     easy to hit this key by mistake and you will exit Emacs
     unintentionally. You can use the Exit Emacs option from the File
     menu to exit Emacs.

          (global-set-key "\C-x\C-c" nil)

     Now if you type `C-x C-c', you won't exit Emacs.

   * The following expression will make the BACKSPACE and the DEL key
     work in the same manner:

          (global-set-key 'backspace [delete])

   * This expression will make searches case sensitive:

          (setq-default case-fold-search nil)

     If we use "setq" instead of "setq-default" then searches will be
     case-sensitive only in the current buffer's local value. In this
     case the buffer would be the `.emacs' file. Since this would not
     be too helpful and we want to have case-sensitive searches in all
     buffers, we have to use "setq-default".

   * This expression will enable the font-lock mode when you are using
     texinfo mode:

          (add-hook 'texinfo-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock)

     *Note Minor Modes::, for information on font-lock mode.

   * Rebinds the key `C-x l' to run the function `make-symbolic-link':

          (global-set-key "\C-xl" 'make-symbolic-link)

     We use the single quote before "make-symbolic-link" because its a
     function name. You can also use the following expression which
     does the same thing:

          (define-key global-map "C-xl" 'make-symbolic-link)

   * The following expression will bind `C-x l' to run the function
     `make-symbolic-link' in C mode only:

          (define-key c-mode-map "C-xl" 'make-symbolic-link)

     Instead of binding `C-xl' to run `make-symbolic-link', you can
     bind the F1 key to run this function:

          (define-key c-mode-map 'f1 'make-symbolic-link)

     Here, you have to use lower case for naming function keys like F1.

   * You can bind the function `undo' i.e. `C-x u' to any key, for
     example to F2:

          (global-set-key 'f2 'undo)

   * The following statement will display the current time in the
     modeline of the buffer:

          (display-time)

   * This displays the current line number on which the cursor is
     present in the modeline:

          (setq line-number-mode t)

   * If you don't want the text to be highlighted when you use commands
     for marking regions so as to use the "kill" and "yank" commands
     later, you can use the following expression in your `.emacs' file:

          (setq zmacs-regions nil)

     Now if you use a command like `C-x C-p' (`mark-page'), the text
     will not be highlighted.

   * To control the number of buffers listed when you select the Buffers
     menu, you need to set the variable BUFFERS-MENU-MAX-SIZE to
     whatever value you wish. For example, if you want 20 buffers to be
     listed when you select Buffers use:

          (setq buffers-menu-max-size 20)

   * If you want the window title area to display the full
     directory/name of the current buffer's file, and not just the
     name, use:

          (setq frame-title-format "%S: %f")

   * To get rid of the menu, use :

          (set-menubar nil)

   * If you want an extensive menu-bar use the following expression in
     your `.emacs' file.

          (load "big-menubar")

     If you want to write your own menus, you can look at some of the
     examples in
     `/usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/packages/big-menubar.el' file.

   For more information on initializing your `.emacs' file, *Note Init
File: ()Init File. You should also look at
`/usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/etc/sample.emacs', which is a sample
`.emacs' file. It contains some of the commonly desired customizations
in Emacs.


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Select and Move,  Next: Search and Replace,  Prev: Other Customizations,  Up: Top

Selecting and Moving Text
*************************

   Many Emacs commands operate on an arbitrary contiguous part of the
current buffer. You can select some part of the buffer and edit only
that part of the buffer. This selected buffer is called a "region". You
can select text in two ways:

   * You use special keys to select text by defining a region between
     the cursor and "the mark" (which you set).

   * If you are running XEmacs under X, you can also select text with
     the mouse.

* Menu:

* Selecting Text::              Select a region of text by setting the Mark
* Mouse::                       Selecting Text with Mouse
* Region Operation::            Various ways to operate on a selected text
* Moving Text::                 Moving Text
* Accumulating text::           Accumulating Text from several buffers


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Selecting Text,  Next: Mouse,  Prev: Select and Move,  Up: Select and Move

Setting the Mark
================

   To define a region you need to set "the mark" at one end of it and
move the cursor to the other end. Once you set the mark, it remains
there until you set it again to some other place. Each buffer has its
own "mark ring" (a place where Emacs remembers 16 previous locations of
the mark). To set "the mark", you can use the following commands:

`C-SPC'
     This command will set "the mark" at the position of your cursor
     (`set-mark-command').  You can move your cursor around and "the
     mark" will stay there.

`C-x C-x'
     Interchange mark and point (`exchange-point-and-mark'). Since Emacs
     will have only one cursor, after you move the cursor it will be
     unable to show you where you set the "the mark". In order to see
     "the mark" you can type the command `C-x C-x' which will put your
     cursor on the position of your mark and your mark on the position
     of your cursor. Use the command again to reset the positions of
     your cursor and mark.

`C-<'
     This command will push the mark at the beginning of the buffer
     without changing the position of your cursor.

`C->'
     This command will push the mark at the end of the buffer without
     changing the position of your cursor.

You can also give arguments to `C-<' or `C->'. *Note The Mark and the
Region: ()The Mark and the Region, for more information.


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Mouse,  Next: Region Operation,  Prev: Selecting Text,  Up: Select and Move

Selecting Text with Mouse
=========================

   If you are using XEmacs under X, you can use the mouse to select
text. The selected text will always be highlighted, so just by looking
at the text you know what you have selected so far. To select a word
just double-click with the left-mouse-button on the word. To select a
whole line triple-click anywhere on the line with the
left-mouse-button. You can also use the Copy item from the Edit menu on
the menu-bar to select text. This kind of selection is called Clipboard
selection, *Note X Clipboard Selection: ()X Clipboard Selection, for
more information. To select an arbitrary region, follow these steps:

  1. Move the mouse cursor over the character at the beginning of the
     region of text you want to select.

  2. Press and hold the left mouse button.

  3. While holding the left mouse button down, drag the cursor to the
     character at the end of the region of text you want to select.

  4. Release the left mouse button.
        The selected region of text is highlighted.

   *Note Selecting Text with the Mouse: ()Selecting Text with the
Mouse, for more information regarding the Mouse and additional mouse
operations.


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Region Operation,  Next: Moving Text,  Prev: Mouse,  Up: Select and Move

Operating on the Region
=======================

   Once you have selected a region you can do a lot of things to the
text in the region:
   * Kill the text with `C-w'. For example if you want to kill a
     paragraph, position the cursor to the beginning of the paragraph
     and type `C-SPC'. Then go to the end of the paragraph and type
     `C-w'. The entire paragraph will be deleted. You can also select
     the text with a mouse and type `C-w' to kill the entire region.
     *Note Killing: ()Killing, for more information.

   * Save the text in a buffer or a file (*note Accumulating Text:
     ()Accumulating Text.).

   * You can convert the case of the text with `C-x C-l' or `C-x C-u'
     If you type `C-x C-u' the selected text will become all
     upper-case. If you type `C-x C-l' the selected text will become all
     lower-case.

   * Print hardcopy with `M-x print-region'. *Note Hardcopy:
     ()Hardcopy, for more information. This command will print a
     hardcopy of only the selected text.

   * Indent it with `C-x TAB' or `C-M-\' *Note Indentation:
     ()Indentation, for more information.


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Moving Text,  Next: Accumulating text,  Prev: Region Operation,  Up: Select and Move

Moving Text
===========

   The most common way to move or copy text in Emacs is through
"killing" or `cutting' it and then "yanking" or `pasting' it. You can
also use the Cut or Copy option from the Edit menu for killing and
copying respectively. *Note Edit menu:: for reviewing the commands for
killing text. All the killed text in Emacs is recorded in the "kill
ring". Since there is only one kill ring in Emacs, you can kill text in
one buffer and yank it in another buffer. To `paste' or `yank' the
killed text you can use the following commands:
`C-y'
     This command will yank or paste the last killed text (`yank').

`M-w'
     Save region as last killed text without actually killing it
     (`copy-region-as-kill'). You can use this command to copy a
     selected region and then yank (or paste) it without actually
     removing it from the buffer.

`C-M-w'
     Append next kill to last batch of killed text
     (`append-next-kill'). This command will append whatever you killed
     last to what you kill now. Then later you will be able to yank the
     entire appended text from the "kill ring".


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Accumulating text,  Prev: Moving Text,  Up: Select and Move

Accumulating Text
=================

   The following commands can be used for accumulating text from
different buffers into one place or for copying one region of text into
many buffers:

`M-x append-to-buffer'
     Append region to contents of specified buffer
     (`append-to-buffer'). After you type in this command and press
     RET, Emacs will prompt you for a buffer name. You will see a
     message in the echo area:
          Append to buffer: (default <buffer name>)

     After you type in a buffer name, a copy of the region will be
     inserted at the location of the cursor into that buffer. If there
     is no buffer with the name given by you, Emacs will create a new
     buffer with that name. By default the cursor's position in the
     <buffer name> is at the end.

`M-x prepend-to-buffer'
     Prepend region to contents of specified buffer. This command is
     similar to the above command except that the cursor in the buffer
     (by default) is at the beginning rather than at the end.

`M-x copy-to-buffer'
     Copy region into specified buffer, deleting that buffer's old
     contents. This command will also prompt you for a buffer name.

`M-x insert-buffer'
     Insert contents of specified buffer into current buffer at point.
     This command will prompt you for a buffername which you want to be
     copied into the current buffer at the location of the cursor.

`M-x append-to-file'
     This command will prompt you for a filename and append the region
     to the end of the contents of the specified file.

*Note Accumulating Text: ()Accumulating Text, for more information
regarding this topic.

   You can also use "rectangle commands" for operating on rectangular
areas of text. *Note Rectangles: ()Rectangles, for more information
regarding rectangle commands.

   Emacs also provides "registers" which serve as temporary storage for
text or positions. Each register has a one character name and they can
store "regions", a "rectangle", or a "mark" i.e. a cursor position.
Whatever you store in register stays there until you store something
else in that register. To find out about commands which manipulate
registers *Note Registers: ()Registers.


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Search and Replace,  Prev: Select and Move,  Up: Top

Searching and Replacing
***********************

   Emacs provides commands for searching for occurrences of a particular
string. The search is incremental i.e. it begins even before you
complete typing the whole string. All searches in Emacs ignore the case
of the text they are searching, i.e. if you are searching for "String",
then "string" will also be one of the selections. If you want a case
sensitive search select the Case Sensitive Search from the Option menu.
You can also set the variable CASE-FOLD-SEARCH to NIL for making
searches case-sensitive. For information on setting variables, *Note
Setting Variables::. The two commands for searching for strings in
XEmacs are:

`C-s'
     This command will prompt you for a string to search :

          I-search:

     If you type "myname" as the string to be searched, then Emacs will
     start searching for "m", "my", "myn", etc as you go on typing the
     whole string in the forward direction. The cursor will be on the
     matching string which has been found so far. If you find the
     correct match just hit RET or type `C-f' or `C-b' to set the
     cursor's position. If you find a matching string "myname" but you
     were looking for a different occurrence of it, use `C-s' again. If
     the search is unable to find the string, it will give you an error
     message.

`C-r'
     This command will perform an incremental search in the backward
     direction. It will prompt you for a string name:

          I-search backward:

     After you start typing the string name, it will search for the
     string in the same fashion as it does for `C-s' except that it
     will search in the backward direction. If it cannot find the
     string name, it will give you an error message.

   If you make a mistake while typing the string names when you use the
above commands, you can use the DEL key to erase characters. Each DEL
will erase the last character. At any time if you want to quit the
search, just type `C-g'.

   To do a non-incremental search i.e. to start the search only after
you have typed the whole string you can use the following commands:

`C-s RET "string" RET'
     This command will search for the specified string in the forward
     direction and will give an error message if the string is not
     found.

`C-r RET "string" RET'
     This command will search for the specified string in the backward
     direction.

   For information on how Emacs searches for words and regular
expressions, *Note Search: ()Search.

   To replace all occurrences of a string in Emacs, you can use the
following command:
     M-x replace-string

After you type `M-x replace-string', you will be prompted for a string
name to replace:

     Replace string:

After you type in a string name, for example "FOO" and press RET, you
will see another prompt:

     Replace string FOO with:

Now type the string which you want to replace "FOO" with and press RET.
After all the occurrences are replaced you will see the message "Done"
in the echo area.  If you want only some occurrences of the string to
be replaced, use `M-x query-replace RET <string> RET <newstring> RET'.
For more information, *Note Query Replace: ()Query Replace.

   XEmacs also provides a utility for checking spellings. Use `M-x
ispell-buffer' to check for spellings in the whole buffer. You can also
check the spelling of a word or a region. You can use menus to check
for spellings:

Evaluate the expression `(load "big-menubar")'. To evaluate this
expression you need to hit the META or the ESC key twice and type in
the expression in the echo area before hitting RET. You will get an
extensive menubar. Select the Spell Check menu item from the Utilities
menu for checking spellings.


File: new-users-guide.info,  Node: Key Index,  Next: Command Index,  Prev: Intro,  Up: Top

Key (Character) Index
*********************

* Menu:

* C-<:                                  Selecting Text.
* C->:                                  Selecting Text.
* C-a:                                  Cursor Position.
* C-b:                                  Cursor Position.
* C-d:                                  Erase.
* C-e:                                  Cursor Position.
* C-fx:                                 Cursor Position.
* C-g:                                  The Help Menu.
* C-h d:                                The Help Menu.
* C-h k:                                The Help Menu.
* C-h t:                                Edit.
* C-k:                                  Erase.
* C-M-\:                                Region Operation.
* C-n:                                  Cursor Position.
* C-p:                                  Cursor Position.
* C-r:                                  Search and Replace.
* C-s:                                  Search and Replace.
* C-SPC <1>:                            Selecting Text.
* C-SPC:                                Region Operation.
* C-t:                                  Cursor Position.
* C-u:                                  Numeric Argument.
* C-v:                                  Cursor Position.
* C-w:                                  Region Operation.
* C-x 0:                                XEmacs Window.
* C-x 1:                                XEmacs Window.
* C-x 2:                                XEmacs Window.
* C-x 3:                                XEmacs Window.
* C-x 4:                                XEmacs Window.
* C-x 4 b:                              XEmacs Window.
* C-x 4 d:                              XEmacs Window.
* C-x 4 f:                              XEmacs Window.
* C-x 4 m:                              XEmacs Window.
* C-x 5 C-f:                            Visiting.
* C-x C-c:                              Exiting.
* C-x C-f:                              Visiting.
* C-x C-l:                              Region Operation.
* C-x C-s:                              Saving Files.
* C-x C-u:                              Region Operation.
* C-x C-v:                              Visiting.
* C-x C-w:                              Saving Files.
* C-x C-x:                              Selecting Text.
* C-x s:                                Saving Files.
* C-x TAB:                              Region Operation.
* C-x u:                                Undo.
* C-y:                                  Moving Text.
* C-z:                                  Exiting.
* DEL:                                  Insert.
* M-<:                                  Cursor Position.
* M->:                                  Cursor Position.
* M--:                                  Numeric Argument.
* M-C-v:                                XEmacs Window.
* M-d:                                  Erase.
* M-DEL:                                Erase.
* M-k:                                  Erase.
* M-v:                                  Cursor Position.
* M-z:                                  Erase.
* RET:                                  Insert.

