1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001,
3 @c 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5 @node Basic, Minibuffer, Exiting, Top
6 @chapter Basic Editing Commands
9 @findex help-with-tutorial
10 Here we explain the basics of how to enter text, make corrections,
11 and save the text in a file. If this material is new to you, we
12 suggest you first run the Emacs learn-by-doing tutorial, by typing
13 @kbd{Control-h t} inside Emacs. (@code{help-with-tutorial}).
17 * Inserting Text:: Inserting text by simply typing it.
18 * Moving Point:: Moving the cursor to the place where you want to
20 * Erasing:: Deleting and killing text.
21 * Basic Undo:: Undoing recent changes in the text.
22 * Files: Basic Files. Visiting, creating, and saving files.
23 * Help: Basic Help. Asking what a character does.
24 * Blank Lines:: Making and deleting blank lines.
25 * Continuation Lines:: How Emacs displays lines too wide for the screen.
26 * Position Info:: What page, line, row, or column is point on?
27 * Arguments:: Numeric arguments for repeating a command N times.
28 * Repeating:: Repeating the previous command quickly.
32 @section Inserting Text
35 @cindex graphic characters
36 You can insert an ordinary @dfn{graphic character} (e.g., @samp{a},
37 @samp{B}, @samp{3}, and @samp{=}) by typing the associated key. This
38 adds the character to the buffer at point. Insertion moves point
39 forward, so that point remains just after the inserted text.
44 To end a line and start a new one, type @key{RET}. This key may be
45 labeled @key{Return} or @key{Enter} on your keyboard, but we refer to
46 it as @key{RET} in this manual. Pressing it inserts a newline
47 character in the buffer. If point is at the end of the line, this
48 creates a new blank line after it; if point is in the middle of a
49 line, the line is split at that position.
51 As we explain later in this manual, you can change the way Emacs
52 handles text insertion by turning on @dfn{minor modes}. For instance,
53 if you turn on a minor mode called @dfn{Auto Fill} mode, Emacs can
54 split lines automatically when they become too long (@pxref{Filling}).
55 If you turn on a minor mode called @dfn{Overwrite} mode, inserted
56 characters replace (overwrite) existing text, instead of shoving it to
57 the right. @xref{Minor Modes}.
62 Only graphic characters can be inserted by typing the associated
63 key; other keys act as editing commands and do not insert themselves.
64 For instance, @kbd{DEL} runs the command @code{delete-backward-char}
65 by default (some modes bind it to a different command); it does not
66 insert a literal @samp{DEL} character (@acronym{ASCII} character code
69 To insert a non-graphic character, or a character that your keyboard
70 does not support, first @dfn{quote} it by typing @kbd{C-q}
71 (@code{quoted-insert}). There are two ways to use @kbd{C-q}:
75 @kbd{C-q} followed by any non-graphic character (even @kbd{C-g})
76 inserts that character. For instance, @kbd{C-q @key{DEL}} inserts a
77 literal @samp{DEL} character.
80 @kbd{C-q} followed by a sequence of octal digits inserts the character
81 with the specified octal character code. You can use any number of
82 octal digits; any non-digit terminates the sequence. If the
83 terminating character is @key{RET}, it serves only to terminate the
84 sequence. Any other non-digit terminates the sequence and then acts
85 as normal input---thus, @kbd{C-q 1 0 1 B} inserts @samp{AB}.
87 The use of octal sequences is disabled in ordinary non-binary
88 Overwrite mode, to give you a convenient way to insert a digit instead
89 of overwriting with it.
92 @vindex read-quoted-char-radix
94 To use decimal or hexadecimal instead of octal, set the variable
95 @code{read-quoted-char-radix} to 10 or 16. If the radix is greater
96 than 10, some letters starting with @kbd{a} serve as part of a
97 character code, just like digits.
99 A numeric argument tells @kbd{C-q} how many copies of the quoted
100 character to insert (@pxref{Arguments}).
105 Instead of @kbd{C-q}, you can use @kbd{C-x 8 @key{RET}}
106 (@code{ucs-insert}) to insert a character based on its Unicode name or
107 code-point. This commands prompts for a character to insert, using
108 the minibuffer; you can specify the character using either (i) the
109 character's name in the Unicode standard, or (ii) the character's
110 code-point in the Unicode standard. If you specify the character's
111 name, the command provides completion.
114 @section Changing the Location of Point
119 @cindex cursor motion
120 @cindex moving the cursor
121 To do more than insert characters, you have to know how to move
122 point (@pxref{Point}). The keyboard commands @kbd{C-f}, @kbd{C-b},
123 @kbd{C-n}, and @kbd{C-p} move point to the right, left, up and down
124 respectively. These are equivalent to the commands @kbd{@key{right}},
125 @kbd{@key{left}}, @kbd{@key{down}}, and @kbd{@key{up}}, entered using
126 the @dfn{arrow keys} present on many keyboards. Many Emacs users find
127 that it is slower to use the arrow keys than the equivalent control
128 keys. You can also click the left mouse button to move point to the
129 position clicked. Emacs also provides a variety of additional
130 keyboard commands that move point in more sophisticated ways.
145 @findex move-beginning-of-line
146 @findex move-end-of-line
148 @findex backward-char
150 @findex previous-line
151 @findex beginning-of-buffer
152 @findex end-of-buffer
155 @findex move-to-window-line
159 Move to the beginning of the line (@code{move-beginning-of-line}).
162 Move to the end of the line (@code{move-end-of-line}).
165 Move forward one character (@code{forward-char}).
168 Move backward one character (@code{backward-char}).
172 Move forward one word (@code{forward-word}).
176 Move backward one word (@code{backward-word}).
179 Move down one screen line (@code{next-line}). This command attempts
180 to keep the horizontal position unchanged, so if you start in the
181 middle of one line, you move to the middle of the next.
184 Move up one screen line (@code{previous-line}). This command
185 preserves position within the line, like @kbd{C-n}.
187 Without moving the text on the screen, reposition point on the left
188 margin of the center-most text line of the window; on subsequent
189 consecutive invocations, move point to the left margin of the top-most
190 line, the bottom-most line, and so forth, in cyclic order
191 (@code{move-to-window-line-top-bottom}).
193 A numeric argument says which screen line to place point on, counting
194 downward from the top of the window (zero means the top line). A
195 negative argument counts lines up from the bottom (@minus{}1 means the
199 Move to the top of the buffer (@code{beginning-of-buffer}). With
200 numeric argument @var{n}, move to @var{n}/10 of the way from the top.
201 @xref{Arguments}, for more information on numeric arguments.@refill
203 Move to the end of the buffer (@code{end-of-buffer}).
205 @itemx @key{PageDown}
207 Scroll the display one screen forward, and move point if necessary to
208 put it on the screen (@code{scroll-up}). If your keyboard has a
209 @key{PageDown} key (sometimes labelled @key{next}), it does the same
210 thing as @key{C-v}. Scrolling commands are described further in
215 Scroll one screen backward, and move point if necessary to put it on
216 the screen (@code{scroll-down}). If your keyboard has a @key{PageUp}
217 key (sometimes labelled @key{prior}), it does the same thing as
220 Read a number @var{n} and move point to buffer position @var{n}.
221 Position 1 is the beginning of the buffer.
224 Read a number @var{n} and move point to the beginning of line number
225 @var{n} (@code{goto-line}). Line 1 is the beginning of the buffer. If
226 point is on or just after a number in the buffer, that is the default
227 for @var{n}. Just type @key{RET} in the minibuffer to use it. You can
228 also specify @var{n} by giving @kbd{M-g M-g} a numeric prefix argument.
229 @xref{Select Buffer}, for the behavior of @kbd{M-g M-g} when you give it
230 a plain prefix argument.
232 @findex set-goal-column
234 Use the current column of point as the @dfn{semipermanent goal column}
235 for @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} (@code{set-goal-column}). When a
236 semipermanent goal column is in effect, those commands always try to
237 move to this column, or as close as possible to it, after moving
238 vertically. The goal column remains in effect until canceled.
240 Cancel the goal column. Henceforth, @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} try to
241 preserve the horizontal position, as usual.
244 @vindex line-move-visual
245 When a line of text in the buffer is longer than the width of the
246 window, Emacs usually displays it on two or more @dfn{screen lines}.
247 For convenience, @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} move point by screen lines,
248 as do the equivalent keys @kbd{@key{down}} and @kbd{@key{up}}. You
249 can force these commands to move according to @dfn{logical lines}
250 (i.e., according to the text lines in the buffer) by setting the
251 variable @code{line-move-visual} to @code{nil}; if a logical line
252 occupies multiple screen lines, the cursor then skips over the
253 additional screen lines. Moving by logical lines was the default
254 behavior prior to Emacs 23.1. For details, see @ref{Continuation
255 Lines}. @xref{Variables}, for how to set variables such as
256 @code{line-move-visual}.
258 Unlike @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p}, most of the Emacs commands that work
259 on lines work on @emph{logical} lines. For instance, @kbd{C-a}
260 (@code{move-beginning-of-line}) and @kbd{C-e}
261 (@code{move-end-of-line}) respectively move to the beginning and end
262 of the logical line. Whenever we encounter commands that work on
263 screen lines, such as @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p}, we will point these
267 When @code{line-move-visual} is @code{nil}, you can also set the
268 variable @code{track-eol} to a non-@code{nil} value. Then @kbd{C-n}
269 and @kbd{C-p}, when starting at the end of the logical line, move to
270 the end of the next logical line. Normally, @code{track-eol} is
273 @vindex next-line-add-newlines
274 @kbd{C-n} normally stops at the end of the buffer when you use it on
275 the last line of the buffer. However, if you set the variable
276 @code{next-line-add-newlines} to a non-@code{nil} value, @kbd{C-n} on
277 the last line of a buffer creates an additional line at the end and
281 @section Erasing Text
285 @itemx @key{Backspace}
286 Delete the character before point (@code{delete-backward-char}).
289 Delete the character after point (@code{delete-char}).
291 Kill to the end of the line (@code{kill-line}).
293 Kill forward to the end of the next word (@code{kill-word}).
295 Kill back to the beginning of the previous word
296 (@code{backward-kill-word}).
299 The key @kbd{@key{DEL}} (@code{delete-backward-char}) removes the
300 character before point, moving the cursor and all the characters after
301 it backwards. On most keyboards, @key{DEL} is labelled
302 @key{Backspace}, but we refer to it as @key{DEL} in this manual. Do
303 not confuse @key{DEL} with another key, labelled @key{Delete}, that
304 exists on many keyboards; we will discuss @key{Delete} momentarily.
306 Typing @key{DEL} when the cursor is at the beginning of a line
307 deletes the preceding newline character, joining the line with the one
310 On some text-only terminals, Emacs may not recognize the @key{DEL}
311 key properly. If @key{DEL} does not do the right thing (e.g., if it
312 deletes characters forwards), see @ref{DEL Does Not Delete}.
314 @cindex killing characters and lines
315 @cindex deleting characters and lines
316 @cindex erasing characters and lines
317 The key @kbd{C-d} (@code{delete-char}) deletes the character after
318 point, i.e., the character under the cursor. This shifts the rest of
319 the text on the line to the left. If you type @kbd{C-d} at the end of
320 a line, it joins that line with the following line. This command is
321 also bound to the key labelled @key{Delete} on many keyboards.
323 To erase a larger amount of text, use the @kbd{C-k} key, which
324 erases (kills) a line at a time. If you type @kbd{C-k} at the
325 beginning or middle of a line, it kills all the text up to the end of
326 the line. If you type @kbd{C-k} at the end of a line, it joins that
327 line with the following line.
329 To learn more about killing text, see @ref{Killing}.
332 @section Undoing Changes
336 Undo one entry of the undo records---usually, one command worth
343 Emacs records a list of changes made in the buffer text, so you can
344 undo recent changes. This is done using the @code{undo} command,
345 which is bound to @kbd{C-/} (as well as @kbd{C-x u} and @kbd{C-_}).
346 Normally, this command undoes the last change, moving point back to
347 where it was before the change. The undo command applies only to
348 changes in the buffer; you can't use it to undo cursor motion.
350 Although each editing command usually makes a separate entry in the
351 undo records, very simple commands may be grouped together.
352 Sometimes, an entry may cover just part of a complex command.
354 If you repeat @kbd{C-/} (or its aliases), each repetition undoes
355 another, earlier change, back to the limit of the undo information
356 available. If all recorded changes have already been undone, the undo
357 command displays an error message and does nothing.
359 To learn more about the @code{undo} command, see @ref{Undo}.
364 Text that you insert in an Emacs buffer lasts only as long as the
365 Emacs session. To keep any text permanently, you must put it in a
366 @dfn{file}. Files are named units of text which are stored by the
367 operating system for you to retrieve later by name. To use the
368 contents of a file in any way, including editing it with Emacs, you
369 must specify the file name.
371 Suppose there is a file named @file{test.emacs} in your home
372 directory. To begin editing this file in Emacs, type
375 C-x C-f test.emacs @key{RET}
379 Here the file name is given as an @dfn{argument} to the command @kbd{C-x
380 C-f} (@code{find-file}). That command uses the @dfn{minibuffer} to
381 read the argument, and you type @key{RET} to terminate the argument
382 (@pxref{Minibuffer}).
384 Emacs obeys this command by @dfn{visiting} the file: it creates a
385 buffer, copies the contents of the file into the buffer, and then
386 displays the buffer for editing. If you alter the text, you can
387 @dfn{save} the new text in the file by typing @kbd{C-x C-s}
388 (@code{save-buffer}). This copies the altered buffer contents back
389 into the file @file{test.emacs}, making them permanent. Until you
390 save, the changed text exists only inside Emacs, and the file
391 @file{test.emacs} is unaltered.
393 To create a file, just visit it with @kbd{C-x C-f} as if it already
394 existed. This creates an empty buffer, in which you can insert the
395 text you want to put in the file. Emacs actually creates the file the
396 first time you save this buffer with @kbd{C-x C-s}.
398 To learn more about using files in Emacs, see @ref{Files}.
403 @cindex getting help with keys
404 If you forget what a key does, you can find out with the Help
405 character, which is @kbd{C-h} (or @key{F1}, which is an alias for
406 @kbd{C-h}). Type @kbd{C-h k}, followed by the key of interest; for
407 example, @kbd{C-h k C-n} tells you what @kbd{C-n} does. @kbd{C-h} is
408 a prefix key; @kbd{C-h k} is just one of its subcommands (the command
409 @code{describe-key}). The other subcommands of @kbd{C-h} provide
410 different kinds of help. Type @kbd{C-h} twice to get a description of
411 all the help facilities. @xref{Help}.
416 @cindex inserting blank lines
417 @cindex deleting blank lines
418 Here are special commands and techniques for inserting and deleting
423 Insert a blank line after the cursor (@code{open-line}).
425 Delete all but one of many consecutive blank lines
426 (@code{delete-blank-lines}).
433 @findex delete-blank-lines
434 We have seen how @kbd{@key{RET}} (@code{newline}) starts a new line
435 of text. However, it may be easier to see what you are doing if you
436 first make a blank line and then insert the desired text into it.
437 This is easy to do using the key @kbd{C-o} (@code{open-line}), which
438 inserts a newline after point but leaves point in front of the
439 newline. After @kbd{C-o}, type the text for the new line.
441 You can make several blank lines by typing @kbd{C-o} several times, or
442 by giving it a numeric argument specifying how many blank lines to make.
443 @xref{Arguments}, for how. If you have a fill prefix, the @kbd{C-o}
444 command inserts the fill prefix on the new line, if typed at the
445 beginning of a line. @xref{Fill Prefix}.
447 The easy way to get rid of extra blank lines is with the command
448 @kbd{C-x C-o} (@code{delete-blank-lines}). If point lies within a run
449 of several blank lines, @kbd{C-x C-o} deletes all but one of them. If
450 point is on a single blank line, @kbd{C-x C-o} deletes it. If point
451 is on a nonblank line, @kbd{C-x C-o} deletes all following blank
452 lines, if any exists.
454 @node Continuation Lines
455 @section Continuation Lines
457 @cindex continuation line
459 @cindex line wrapping
460 @cindex fringes, and continuation lines
461 Sometimes, a line of text in the buffer---a @dfn{logical line}---is
462 too long to fit in the window, and Emacs displays it as two or more
463 @dfn{screen lines}. This is called @dfn{line wrapping} or
464 @dfn{continuation}, and the long logical line is called a
465 @dfn{continued line}. On a graphical display, Emacs indicates line
466 wrapping with small bent arrows in the left and right window fringes.
467 On a text-only terminal, Emacs indicates line wrapping by displaying a
468 @samp{\} character at the right margin.
470 Most commands that act on lines act on logical lines, not screen
471 lines. For instance, @kbd{C-k} kills a logical line. As described
472 earlier, @kbd{C-n} (@code{next-line}) and @kbd{C-p}
473 (@code{previous-line}) are special exceptions: they move point down
474 and up, respectively, by one screen line (@pxref{Moving Point}).
477 @cindex line truncation, and fringes
478 Emacs can optionally @dfn{truncate} long logical lines instead of
479 continuing them. This means that every logical line occupies a single
480 screen line; if it is longer than the width of the window, the rest of
481 the line is not displayed. On a graphical display, a truncated line
482 is indicated by a small straight arrow in the right fringe; on a
483 text-only terminal, it is indicated by a @samp{$} character in the
484 right margin. @xref{Line Truncation}.
486 By default, continued lines are wrapped at the right window edge.
487 Since the wrapping may occur in the middle of a word, continued lines
488 can be difficult to read. The usual solution is to break your lines
489 before they get too long, by inserting newlines. If you prefer, you
490 can make Emacs insert a newline automatically when a line gets too
491 long, by using Auto Fill mode. @xref{Filling}.
494 Sometimes, you may need to edit files containing many long logical
495 lines, and it may not be practical to break them all up by adding
496 newlines. In that case, you can use Visual Line mode, which enables
497 @dfn{word wrapping}: instead of wrapping long lines exactly at the
498 right window edge, Emacs wraps them at the word boundaries (i.e.,
499 space or tab characters) nearest to the right window edge. Visual
500 Line mode also redefines editing commands such as @code{C-a},
501 @code{C-n}, and @code{C-k} to operate on screen lines rather than
502 logical lines. @xref{Visual Line Mode}.
505 @section Cursor Position Information
507 Here are commands to get information about the size and position of
508 parts of the buffer, and to count lines.
512 Display the page number of point, and the line number within that page.
514 Display the line number of point in the whole buffer.
515 @item M-x line-number-mode
516 @itemx M-x column-number-mode
517 Toggle automatic display of the current line number or column number.
518 @xref{Optional Mode Line}.
519 @item M-x count-lines-region
520 Display the number of lines in the current region. Normally bound to
521 @kbd{M-=}, except in a few specialist modes. @xref{Mark}, for
522 information about the region.
524 Display the character code of character after point, character position of
525 point, and column of point (@code{what-cursor-position}).
526 @item M-x hl-line-mode
527 Enable or disable highlighting of the current line. @xref{Cursor
529 @item M-x size-indication-mode
530 Toggle automatic display of the size of the buffer.
531 @xref{Optional Mode Line}.
536 @cindex line number commands
537 @cindex location of point
538 @cindex cursor location
539 @cindex point location
540 @kbd{M-x what-line} displays the current line number in the echo
541 area. This command is usually redundant, because the current line
542 number is shown in the mode line (@pxref{Mode Line}). However, if you
543 narrow the buffer, the mode line shows the line number relative to
544 the accessible portion (@pxref{Narrowing}). By contrast,
545 @code{what-line} displays both the line number relative to the
546 narrowed region and the line number relative to the whole buffer.
548 @kbd{M-x what-page} counts pages from the beginning of the file, and
549 counts lines within the page, showing both numbers in the echo area.
553 @findex count-lines-region
554 Use @kbd{M-x count-lines-region} (normally bound to @kbd{M-=}) to
555 display the number of lines in the region (@pxref{Mark}). @xref{Pages},
556 for the command @kbd{C-x l} which counts the lines in the current page.
559 @findex what-cursor-position
560 The command @kbd{C-x =} (@code{what-cursor-position}) shows
561 information about the current cursor position and the buffer contents
562 at that position. It displays a line in the echo area that looks like
566 Char: c (99, #o143, #x63) point=28062 of 36168 (78%) column=53
569 After @samp{Char:}, this shows the character in the buffer at point.
570 The text inside the parenthesis shows the corresponding decimal, octal
571 and hex character codes; for more information about how @kbd{C-x =}
572 displays character information, see @ref{International Chars}. After
573 @samp{point=} is the position of point as a character count (the first
574 character in the buffer is position 1, the second character is
575 position 2, and so on). The number after that is the total number of
576 characters in the buffer, and the number in parenthesis expresses the
577 position as a percentage of the total. After @samp{column=} is the
578 horizontal position of point, in columns counting from the left edge
581 If the buffer has been narrowed, making some of the text at the
582 beginning and the end temporarily inaccessible, @kbd{C-x =} displays
583 additional text describing the currently accessible range. For
584 example, it might display this:
587 Char: C (67, #o103, #x43) point=252 of 889 (28%) <231-599> column=0
591 where the two extra numbers give the smallest and largest character
592 position that point is allowed to assume. The characters between
593 those two positions are the accessible ones. @xref{Narrowing}.
596 @section Numeric Arguments
597 @cindex numeric arguments
598 @cindex prefix arguments
599 @cindex arguments to commands
601 In the terminology of mathematics and computing, @dfn{argument}
602 means ``data provided to a function or operation.'' You can give any
603 Emacs command a @dfn{numeric argument} (also called a @dfn{prefix
604 argument}). Some commands interpret the argument as a repetition
605 count. For example, giving @kbd{C-f} an argument of ten causes it to
606 move point forward by ten characters instead of one. With these
607 commands, no argument is equivalent to an argument of one, and
608 negative arguments cause them to move or act in the opposite
613 @findex digit-argument
614 @findex negative-argument
615 The easiest way to specify a numeric argument is to type a digit
616 and/or a minus sign while holding down the @key{META} key. For
624 moves down five lines. The keys @kbd{M-1}, @kbd{M-2}, and so on, as
625 well as @kbd{M--}, are bound to commands (@code{digit-argument} and
626 @code{negative-argument}) that set up an argument for the next
627 command. @kbd{Meta--} without digits normally means @minus{}1.
629 If you enter more than one digit, you need not hold down the
630 @key{META} key for the second and subsequent digits. Thus, to move
631 down fifty lines, type
638 Note that this @emph{does not} insert five copies of @samp{0} and move
639 down one line, as you might expect---the @samp{0} is treated as part
640 of the prefix argument.
642 (What if you do want to insert five copies of @samp{0}? Type @kbd{M-5
643 C-u 0}. Here, @kbd{C-u} ``terminates'' the prefix argument, so that
644 the next keystroke begins the command that you want to execute. Note
645 that this meaning of @kbd{C-u} applies only to this case. For the
646 usual role of @kbd{C-u}, see below.)
649 @findex universal-argument
650 Instead of typing @kbd{M-1}, @kbd{M-2}, and so on, another way to
651 specify a numeric argument is to type @kbd{C-u}
652 (@code{universal-argument}) followed by some digits, or (for a
653 negative argument) a minus sign followed by digits. A minus sign
654 without digits normally means @minus{}1.
656 @kbd{C-u} alone has the special meaning of ``four times'': it
657 multiplies the argument for the next command by four. @kbd{C-u C-u}
658 multiplies it by sixteen. Thus, @kbd{C-u C-u C-f} moves forward
659 sixteen characters. Other useful combinations are @kbd{C-u C-n},
660 @kbd{C-u C-u C-n} (move down a good fraction of a screen), @kbd{C-u
661 C-u C-o} (make ``a lot'' of blank lines), and @kbd{C-u C-k} (kill four
664 You can use a numeric argument before a self-inserting character to
665 insert multiple copies of it. This is straightforward when the
666 character is not a digit; for example, @kbd{C-u 6 4 a} inserts 64
667 copies of the character @samp{a}. But this does not work for
668 inserting digits; @kbd{C-u 6 4 1} specifies an argument of 641. You
669 can separate the argument from the digit to insert with another
670 @kbd{C-u}; for example, @kbd{C-u 6 4 C-u 1} does insert 64 copies of
671 the character @samp{1}.
673 Some commands care whether there is an argument, but ignore its
674 value. For example, the command @kbd{M-q} (@code{fill-paragraph})
675 fills text; with an argument, it justifies the text as well.
676 (@xref{Filling}, for more information on @kbd{M-q}.) For these
677 commands, it is enough to the argument with a single @kbd{C-u}.
679 Some commands use the value of the argument as a repeat count, but
680 do something special when there is no argument. For example, the
681 command @kbd{C-k} (@code{kill-line}) with argument @var{n} kills
682 @var{n} lines, including their terminating newlines. But @kbd{C-k}
683 with no argument is special: it kills the text up to the next newline,
684 or, if point is right at the end of the line, it kills the newline
685 itself. Thus, two @kbd{C-k} commands with no arguments can kill a
686 nonblank line, just like @kbd{C-k} with an argument of one.
687 (@xref{Killing}, for more information on @kbd{C-k}.)
689 A few commands treat a plain @kbd{C-u} differently from an ordinary
690 argument. A few others may treat an argument of just a minus sign
691 differently from an argument of @minus{}1. These unusual cases are
692 described when they come up; they exist to make an individual command
693 more convenient, and they are documented in that command's
694 documentation string.
696 We use the term ``prefix argument'' as well as ``numeric argument,''
697 to emphasize that you type these argument before the command, and to
698 distinguish them from minibuffer arguments that come after the
702 @section Repeating a Command
703 @cindex repeating a command
705 Many simple commands, such as those invoked with a single key or
706 with @kbd{M-x @var{command-name} @key{RET}}, can be repeated by
707 invoking them with a numeric argument that serves as a repeat count
708 (@pxref{Arguments}). However, if the command you want to repeat
709 prompts for input, or uses a numeric argument in another way, that
714 The command @kbd{C-x z} (@code{repeat}) provides another way to repeat
715 an Emacs command many times. This command repeats the previous Emacs
716 command, whatever that was. Repeating a command uses the same arguments
717 that were used before; it does not read new arguments each time.
719 To repeat the command more than once, type additional @kbd{z}'s: each
720 @kbd{z} repeats the command one more time. Repetition ends when you
721 type a character other than @kbd{z}, or press a mouse button.
723 For example, suppose you type @kbd{C-u 2 0 C-d} to delete 20
724 characters. You can repeat that command (including its argument) three
725 additional times, to delete a total of 80 characters, by typing @kbd{C-x
726 z z z}. The first @kbd{C-x z} repeats the command once, and each
727 subsequent @kbd{z} repeats it once again.
730 arch-tag: cda8952a-c439-41c1-aecf-4bc0d6482956