1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000,
3 @c 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5 @node Programs, Building, Text, Top
6 @chapter Editing Programs
9 @cindex program editing
11 Emacs provides many features to facilitate editing programs. Some
16 Find or move over top-level definitions (@pxref{Defuns}).
18 Apply the usual indentation conventions of the language
19 (@pxref{Program Indent}).
21 Balance parentheses (@pxref{Parentheses}).
23 Insert, kill or align comments (@pxref{Comments}).
25 Highlight program syntax (@pxref{Font Lock}).
28 This chapter describes these features and many more.
31 * Program Modes:: Major modes for editing programs.
32 * Defuns:: Commands to operate on major top-level parts
34 * Program Indent:: Adjusting indentation to show the nesting.
35 * Parentheses:: Commands that operate on parentheses.
36 * Comments:: Inserting, killing, and aligning comments.
37 * Documentation:: Getting documentation of functions you plan to call.
38 * Hideshow:: Displaying blocks selectively.
39 * Symbol Completion:: Completion on symbol names of your program or language.
40 * Glasses:: Making identifiersLikeThis more readable.
41 * Misc for Programs:: Other Emacs features useful for editing programs.
42 * C Modes:: Special commands of C, C++, Objective-C,
44 * Asm Mode:: Asm mode and its special features.
46 * Fortran:: Fortran mode and its special features.
51 @section Major Modes for Programming Languages
52 @cindex modes for programming languages
54 Emacs has specialized major modes for various programming languages.
55 @xref{Major Modes}. A programming language major mode typically
56 specifies the syntax of expressions, the customary rules for
57 indentation, how to do syntax highlighting for the language, and how
58 to find the beginning of a function definition. It often customizes
59 or provides facilities for compiling and debugging programs as well.
61 Ideally, Emacs should provide a major mode for each programming
62 language that you might want to edit; if it doesn't have a mode for
63 your favorite language, you can contribute one. But often the mode
64 for one language can serve for other syntactically similar languages.
65 The major mode for language @var{l} is called @code{@var{l}-mode},
66 and you can select it by typing @kbd{M-x @var{l}-mode @key{RET}}.
67 @xref{Choosing Modes}.
83 @cindex Shell-script mode
85 @cindex PostScript mode
88 The existing programming language major modes include Lisp, Scheme (a
89 variant of Lisp) and the Scheme-based DSSSL expression language, Ada,
90 ASM, AWK, C, C++, Delphi (Object Pascal), Fortran (free format and fixed
91 format), Icon, IDL (CORBA), IDLWAVE, Java, Metafont (@TeX{}'s
92 companion for font creation), Modula2, Objective-C, Octave, Pascal,
93 Perl, Pike, PostScript, Prolog, Python, Simula, Tcl, and VHDL. An
94 alternative mode for Perl is called CPerl mode. Modes are available for
95 the scripting languages of the common GNU and Unix shells, VMS DCL, and
96 MS-DOS/MS-Windows @samp{BAT} files. There are also major modes for
97 editing makefiles, DNS master files, and various sorts of configuration
100 @kindex DEL @r{(programming modes)}
101 @findex c-electric-backspace
102 In most programming languages, indentation should vary from line to
103 line to illustrate the structure of the program. So the major modes
104 for programming languages arrange for @key{TAB} to update the
105 indentation of the current line. They also rebind @key{DEL} to treat
106 a tab as if it were the equivalent number of spaces; this lets you
107 delete one column of indentation without worrying whether the
108 whitespace consists of spaces or tabs. Use @kbd{C-b C-d} to delete a
109 tab character before point, in these modes.
111 Separate manuals are available for the modes for Ada (@pxref{Top, , Ada
112 Mode, ada-mode, Ada Mode}), C/C++/Objective C/Java/Corba IDL/Pike/AWK
113 (@pxref{Top, , CC Mode, ccmode, CC Mode}) and the IDLWAVE modes
114 (@pxref{Top, , IDLWAVE, idlwave, IDLWAVE User Manual}). For Fortran
117 @ref{Fortran,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
126 @vindex lisp-mode-hook
127 @vindex emacs-lisp-mode-hook
128 @vindex lisp-interaction-mode-hook
129 @vindex scheme-mode-hook
130 Turning on a major mode runs a normal hook called the @dfn{mode
131 hook}, which is the value of a Lisp variable. Each major mode has a
132 mode hook, and the hook's name is always made from the mode command's
133 name by adding @samp{-hook}. For example, turning on C mode runs the
134 hook @code{c-mode-hook}, while turning on Lisp mode runs the hook
135 @code{lisp-mode-hook}. The purpose of the mode hook is to give you a
136 place to set up customizations for that major mode. @xref{Hooks}.
139 @section Top-Level Definitions, or Defuns
141 In Emacs, a major definition at the top level in the buffer,
142 something like a function, is called a @dfn{defun}. The name comes
143 from Lisp, but in Emacs we use it for all languages.
146 * Left Margin Paren:: An open-paren or similar opening delimiter
147 starts a defun if it is at the left margin.
148 * Moving by Defuns:: Commands to move over or mark a major definition.
149 * Imenu:: Making buffer indexes as menus.
150 * Which Function:: Which Function mode shows which function you are in.
153 @node Left Margin Paren
154 @subsection Left Margin Convention
156 @cindex open-parenthesis in leftmost column
157 @cindex ( in leftmost column
158 Emacs assumes by default that any opening delimiter found at the
159 left margin is the start of a top-level definition, or defun. You can
160 override this default by setting this user option:
162 @defvar open-paren-in-column-0-is-defun-start
163 If this user option is set to @code{t} (the default), opening
164 parentheses or braces at column zero always start defuns. When it's
165 @code{nil}, defuns are found by searching for parens or braces at the
166 outermost level. Some major modes, including C and related modes, set
167 @code{open-paren-in-column-0-is-defun-start} buffer-locally to
171 In modes where @code{open-paren-in-column-0-is-defun-start} is
172 @code{t}, @strong{don't put an opening delimiter at the left margin
173 unless it is a defun start}. For instance, never put an
174 open-parenthesis at the left margin in a Lisp file unless it is the
175 start of a top-level list.
177 If you don't follow this convention, not only will you have trouble
178 when you explicitly use the commands for motion by defuns; other
179 features that use them will also give you trouble. This includes
180 the indentation commands (@pxref{Program Indent}) and Font Lock
181 mode (@pxref{Font Lock}).
183 The most likely problem case is when you want an opening delimiter
184 at the start of a line inside a string. To avoid trouble, put an
185 escape character (@samp{\}, in Emacs Lisp, @samp{/} in some other Lisp
186 dialects) before the opening delimiter. This will not affect the
187 contents of the string, but will prevent that opening delimiter from
188 starting a defun. Here's an example:
196 To help you catch violations of this convention, Font Lock mode
197 highlights confusing opening delimiters (those that ought to be
200 In the earliest days, the original Emacs found defuns by moving
201 upward a level of parentheses or braces until there were no more
202 levels to go up. This always required scanning all the way back to
203 the beginning of the buffer, even for a small function. To speed up
204 the operation, we changed Emacs to assume that any opening delimiter
205 at the left margin is the start of a defun. This heuristic is nearly
206 always right, and avoids the need to scan back to the beginning of the
207 buffer. However, now that modern computers are so powerful, this
208 scanning is rarely slow enough to annoy, so we've provided a way to
209 disable the heuristic.
211 @node Moving by Defuns
212 @subsection Moving by Defuns
215 These commands move point or set up the region based on top-level
216 major definitions, also called @dfn{defuns}.
220 Move to beginning of current or preceding defun
221 (@code{beginning-of-defun}).
223 Move to end of current or following defun (@code{end-of-defun}).
225 Put region around whole current or following defun (@code{mark-defun}).
228 @cindex move to beginning or end of function
229 @cindex function, move to beginning or end
233 @findex beginning-of-defun
236 The commands to move to the beginning and end of the current defun
237 are @kbd{C-M-a} (@code{beginning-of-defun}) and @kbd{C-M-e}
238 (@code{end-of-defun}). If you repeat one of these commands, or use a
239 positive numeric argument, each repetition moves to the next defun in
240 the direction of motion.
242 @kbd{C-M-a} with a negative argument @minus{}@var{n} moves forward
243 @var{n} times to the next beginning of a defun. This is not exactly
244 the same place that @kbd{C-M-e} with argument @var{n} would move to;
245 the end of this defun is not usually exactly the same place as the
246 beginning of the following defun. (Whitespace, comments, and perhaps
247 declarations can separate them.) Likewise, @kbd{C-M-e} with a
248 negative argument moves back to an end of a defun, which is not quite
249 the same as @kbd{C-M-a} with a positive argument.
251 @kindex C-M-h @r{(C mode)}
252 @findex c-mark-function
253 To operate on the current defun, use @kbd{C-M-h} (@code{mark-defun})
254 which puts point at the beginning and mark at the end of the current
255 defun. This is the easiest way to get ready to kill the defun in
256 order to move it to a different place in the file. If you use the
257 command while point is between defuns, it uses the following defun.
258 Successive uses of @kbd{C-M-h}, or using it in Transient Mark mode
259 when the mark is active, extends the end of the region to include one
260 more defun each time.
262 In C mode, @kbd{C-M-h} runs the function @code{c-mark-function},
263 which is almost the same as @code{mark-defun}; the difference is that
264 it backs up over the argument declarations, function name and returned
265 data type so that the entire C function is inside the region. This is
266 an example of how major modes adjust the standard key bindings so that
267 they do their standard jobs in a way better fitting a particular
268 language. Other major modes may replace any or all of these key
269 bindings for that purpose.
273 @cindex index of buffer definitions
274 @cindex buffer definitions index
277 The Imenu facility offers a way to find the major definitions in
278 a file by name. It is also useful in text formatter major modes,
279 where it treats each chapter, section, etc., as a definition.
280 (@xref{Tags}, for a more powerful feature that handles multiple files
284 If you type @kbd{M-x imenu}, it reads the name of a definition using
285 the minibuffer, then moves point to that definition. You can use
286 completion to specify the name; the command always displays the whole
289 @findex imenu-add-menubar-index
290 Alternatively, you can bind the command @code{imenu} to a mouse
291 click. Then it displays mouse menus for you to select a definition
292 name. You can also add the buffer's index to the menu bar by calling
293 @code{imenu-add-menubar-index}. If you want to have this menu bar
294 item available for all buffers in a certain major mode, you can do
295 this by adding @code{imenu-add-menubar-index} to its mode hook. But
296 if you have done that, you will have to wait a little while each time
297 you visit a file in that mode, while Emacs finds all the definitions
300 @vindex imenu-auto-rescan
301 When you change the contents of a buffer, if you add or delete
302 definitions, you can update the buffer's index based on the
303 new contents by invoking the @samp{*Rescan*} item in the menu.
304 Rescanning happens automatically if you set @code{imenu-auto-rescan} to
305 a non-@code{nil} value. There is no need to rescan because of small
308 @vindex imenu-sort-function
309 You can customize the way the menus are sorted by setting the
310 variable @code{imenu-sort-function}. By default, names are ordered as
311 they occur in the buffer; if you want alphabetic sorting, use the
312 symbol @code{imenu--sort-by-name} as the value. You can also
313 define your own comparison function by writing Lisp code.
315 Imenu provides the information to guide Which Function mode
317 (@pxref{Which Function}).
322 The Speedbar can also use it (@pxref{Speedbar}).
325 @subsection Which Function Mode
326 @cindex current function name in mode line
328 Which Function mode is a minor mode that displays the current
329 function name in the mode line, updating it as you move around in a
332 @findex which-function-mode
333 @vindex which-func-modes
334 To enable (or disable) Which Function mode, use the command @kbd{M-x
335 which-function-mode}. This command is global; it applies to all
336 buffers, both existing ones and those yet to be created. However, it
337 takes effect only in certain major modes, those listed in the value of
338 @code{which-func-modes}. If the value is @code{t}, then Which Function
339 mode applies to all major modes that know how to support it---in other
340 words, all the major modes that support Imenu.
343 @section Indentation for Programs
344 @cindex indentation for programs
346 The best way to keep a program properly indented is to use Emacs to
347 reindent it as you change it. Emacs has commands to indent properly
348 either a single line, a specified number of lines, or all of the lines
349 inside a single parenthetical grouping.
352 * Basic Indent:: Indenting a single line.
353 * Multi-line Indent:: Commands to reindent many lines at once.
354 * Lisp Indent:: Specifying how each Lisp function should be indented.
355 * C Indent:: Extra features for indenting C and related modes.
356 * Custom C Indent:: Controlling indentation style for C and related modes.
359 @cindex pretty-printer
360 Emacs also provides a Lisp pretty-printer in the library @code{pp}.
361 This program reformats a Lisp object with indentation chosen to look nice.
364 @subsection Basic Program Indentation Commands
366 The basic indentation commands indent a single line according to the
367 usual conventions of the language you are editing.
372 Adjust indentation of current line.
374 Insert a newline, then adjust indentation of following line
375 (@code{newline-and-indent}).
378 @kindex TAB @r{(programming modes)}
379 @findex c-indent-command
380 @findex indent-line-function
381 @findex indent-for-tab-command
382 The basic indentation command is @key{TAB}, which gives the current line
383 the correct indentation as determined from the previous lines. The
384 function that @key{TAB} runs depends on the major mode; it is
385 @code{lisp-indent-line}
386 in Lisp mode, @code{c-indent-command} in C mode, etc. These functions
387 understand the syntax and conventions of different languages, but they all do
388 conceptually the same job: @key{TAB} in any programming-language major mode
389 inserts or deletes whitespace at the beginning of the current line,
390 independent of where point is in the line. If point was inside the
391 whitespace at the beginning of the line, @key{TAB} puts it at the end of
392 that whitespace; otherwise, @key{TAB} keeps point fixed with respect to
393 the characters around it.
395 Use @kbd{C-q @key{TAB}} to insert a tab character at point.
398 @findex newline-and-indent
399 When entering lines of new code, use @kbd{C-j}
400 (@code{newline-and-indent}), which inserts a newline and then adjusts
401 indentation after it. (It also deletes any trailing whitespace which
402 remains before the new newline.) Thus, @kbd{C-j} at the end of a line
403 creates a blank line with appropriate indentation. In programming
404 language modes, it is equivalent to @key{RET} @key{TAB}.
406 @key{TAB} indents a line that starts within a parenthetical grouping
407 under the preceding line within the grouping, or the text after the
408 parenthesis. Therefore, if you manually give one of these lines a
409 nonstandard indentation, the lines below will tend to follow it. This
410 behavior is convenient in cases where you have overridden the standard
411 result of @key{TAB} because you find it unaesthetic for a particular
414 In some modes, an open-parenthesis, open-brace or other opening
415 delimiter at the left margin is assumed by Emacs (including the
416 indentation routines) to be the start of a function. This speeds up
417 indentation commands. If you will be editing text which contains
418 opening delimiters in column zero that aren't the beginning of a
419 functions, even inside strings or comments, you must set
420 @code{open-paren-in-column-0-is-defun-start}. @xref{Left Margin
421 Paren}, for more information on this.
423 Normally, lines are indented with tabs and spaces. If you want Emacs
424 to use spaces only, set @code{indent-tabs-mode} (@pxref{Just Spaces}).
426 @node Multi-line Indent
427 @subsection Indenting Several Lines
429 When you wish to reindent several lines of code which have been
430 altered or moved to a different level in the parenthesis structure,
431 you have several commands available.
435 Reindent all the lines within one parenthetical grouping (@code{indent-pp-sexp}).
437 Reindent all lines in the region (@code{indent-region}).
439 Shift an entire parenthetical grouping rigidly sideways so that its
440 first line is properly indented.
441 @item M-x indent-code-rigidly
442 Shift all the lines in the region rigidly sideways, but do not alter
443 lines that start inside comments and strings.
447 @findex indent-pp-sexp
448 You can reindent the contents of a single parenthetical grouping by
449 positioning point before the beginning of it and typing @kbd{C-M-q}
450 (@code{indent-pp-sexp} in Lisp mode, @code{c-indent-exp} in C mode; also
451 bound to other suitable commands in other modes). The indentation of
452 the line where the grouping starts is not changed; therefore this
453 changes only the relative indentation within the grouping, not its
454 overall indentation. To correct that as well, type @key{TAB} first.
456 Another way to specify the range to be reindented is with the
457 region. The command @kbd{C-M-\} (@code{indent-region}) applies
458 @key{TAB} to every line whose first character is between point and
462 If you like the relative indentation within a grouping, but not the
463 indentation of its first line, you can type @kbd{C-u @key{TAB}} to
464 reindent the whole grouping as a rigid unit. (This works in Lisp
465 modes and C and related modes.) @key{TAB} with a numeric argument
466 reindents the current line as usual, then reindents by the same amount
467 all the lines in the parenthetical grouping starting on the current
468 line. It is clever, though, and does not alter lines that start
469 inside strings. Neither does it alter C preprocessor lines when in C
470 mode, but it does reindent any continuation lines that may be attached
473 @findex indent-code-rigidly
474 You can also perform this operation on the region, using the command
475 @kbd{M-x indent-code-rigidly}. It rigidly shifts all the lines in the
476 region sideways, like @code{indent-rigidly} does (@pxref{Indentation
477 Commands}). It doesn't alter the indentation of lines that start
478 inside a string, unless the region also starts inside that string.
479 The prefix arg specifies the number of columns to indent.
482 @subsection Customizing Lisp Indentation
483 @cindex customizing Lisp indentation
485 The indentation pattern for a Lisp expression can depend on the function
486 called by the expression. For each Lisp function, you can choose among
487 several predefined patterns of indentation, or define an arbitrary one with
490 The standard pattern of indentation is as follows: the second line of the
491 expression is indented under the first argument, if that is on the same
492 line as the beginning of the expression; otherwise, the second line is
493 indented underneath the function name. Each following line is indented
494 under the previous line whose nesting depth is the same.
496 @vindex lisp-indent-offset
497 If the variable @code{lisp-indent-offset} is non-@code{nil}, it overrides
498 the usual indentation pattern for the second line of an expression, so that
499 such lines are always indented @code{lisp-indent-offset} more columns than
502 @vindex lisp-body-indent
503 Certain functions override the standard pattern. Functions whose
504 names start with @code{def} treat the second lines as the start of
505 a @dfn{body}, by indenting the second line @code{lisp-body-indent}
506 additional columns beyond the open-parenthesis that starts the
509 @cindex @code{lisp-indent-function} property
510 You can override the standard pattern in various ways for individual
511 functions, according to the @code{lisp-indent-function} property of
512 the function name. Normally you would use this for macro definitions
513 and specify it using the @code{declare} construct (@pxref{Defining
514 Macros,,, elisp, the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}).
517 @subsection Commands for C Indentation
519 Here are special features for indentation in C mode and related modes:
523 @kindex C-c C-q @r{(C mode)}
524 @findex c-indent-defun
525 Reindent the current top-level function definition or aggregate type
526 declaration (@code{c-indent-defun}).
529 @kindex C-M-q @r{(C mode)}
531 Reindent each line in the balanced expression that follows point
532 (@code{c-indent-exp}). A prefix argument inhibits warning messages
533 about invalid syntax.
536 @findex c-indent-command
537 Reindent the current line, and/or in some cases insert a tab character
538 (@code{c-indent-command}).
540 @vindex c-tab-always-indent
541 If @code{c-tab-always-indent} is @code{t}, this command always reindents
542 the current line and does nothing else. This is the default.
544 If that variable is @code{nil}, this command reindents the current line
545 only if point is at the left margin or in the line's indentation;
546 otherwise, it inserts a tab (or the equivalent number of spaces,
547 if @code{indent-tabs-mode} is @code{nil}).
549 Any other value (not @code{nil} or @code{t}) means always reindent the
550 line, and also insert a tab if within a comment or a string.
553 To reindent the whole current buffer, type @kbd{C-x h C-M-\}. This
554 first selects the whole buffer as the region, then reindents that
557 To reindent the current block, use @kbd{C-M-u C-M-q}. This moves
558 to the front of the block and then reindents it all.
560 @node Custom C Indent
561 @subsection Customizing C Indentation
562 @cindex style (for indentation)
564 C mode and related modes use a flexible mechanism for customizing
565 indentation. C mode indents a source line in two steps: first it
566 classifies the line syntactically according to its contents and
567 context; second, it determines the indentation offset associated by
568 your selected @dfn{style} with the syntactic construct and adds this
569 onto the indentation of the @dfn{anchor statement}.
572 @item C-c . @key{RET} @var{style} @key{RET}
573 Select a predefined style @var{style} (@code{c-set-style}).
576 A @dfn{style} is a named collection of customizations that can be
577 used in C mode and the related modes. @ref{Styles,,, ccmode, The CC
578 Mode Manual}, for a complete description. Emacs comes with several
579 predefined styles, including @code{gnu}, @code{k&r}, @code{bsd},
580 @code{stroustrup}, @code{linux}, @code{python}, @code{java},
581 @code{whitesmith}, @code{ellemtel}, and @code{awk}. Some of these
582 styles are primarily intended for one language, but any of them can be
583 used with any of the languages supported by these modes. To find out
584 what a style looks like, select it and reindent some code, e.g., by
585 typing @key{C-M-q} at the start of a function definition.
587 @kindex C-c . @r{(C mode)}
589 To choose a style for the current buffer, use the command @w{@kbd{C-c
590 .}}. Specify a style name as an argument (case is not significant).
591 This command affects the current buffer only, and it affects only
592 future invocations of the indentation commands; it does not reindent
593 the code already in the buffer. To reindent the whole buffer in the
594 new style, you can type @kbd{C-x h C-M-\}.
596 @vindex c-default-style
597 You can also set the variable @code{c-default-style} to specify the
598 default style for various major modes. Its value should be either the
599 style's name (a string) or an alist, in which each element specifies
600 one major mode and which indentation style to use for it. For
604 (setq c-default-style
605 '((java-mode . "java") (awk-mode . "awk") (other . "gnu")))
609 specifies explicit choices for Java and AWK modes, and the default
610 @samp{gnu} style for the other C-like modes. (These settings are
611 actually the defaults.) This variable takes effect when you select
612 one of the C-like major modes; thus, if you specify a new default
613 style for Java mode, you can make it take effect in an existing Java
614 mode buffer by typing @kbd{M-x java-mode} there.
616 The @code{gnu} style specifies the formatting recommended by the GNU
617 Project for C; it is the default, so as to encourage use of our
620 @xref{Indentation Engine Basics,,, ccmode, the CC Mode Manual}, and
621 @ref{Customizing Indentation,,, ccmode, the CC Mode Manual}, for more
622 information on customizing indentation for C and related modes,
623 including how to override parts of an existing style and how to define
627 @section Commands for Editing with Parentheses
630 @cindex unbalanced parentheses and quotes
631 This section describes the commands and features that take advantage
632 of the parenthesis structure in a program, or help you keep it
635 When talking about these facilities, the term ``parenthesis'' also
636 includes braces, brackets, or whatever delimiters are defined to match
637 in pairs. The major mode controls which delimiters are significant,
638 through the syntax table (@pxref{Syntax}). In Lisp, only parentheses
639 count; in C, these commands apply to braces and brackets too.
641 You can use @kbd{M-x check-parens} to find any unbalanced
642 parentheses and unbalanced string quotes in the buffer.
645 * Expressions:: Expressions with balanced parentheses.
646 * Moving by Parens:: Commands for moving up, down and across
647 in the structure of parentheses.
648 * Matching:: Insertion of a close-delimiter flashes matching open.
652 @subsection Expressions with Balanced Parentheses
656 @cindex balanced expression
657 These commands deal with balanced expressions, also called
658 @dfn{sexps}@footnote{The word ``sexp'' is used to refer to an
659 expression in Lisp.}.
663 Move forward over a balanced expression (@code{forward-sexp}).
665 Move backward over a balanced expression (@code{backward-sexp}).
667 Kill balanced expression forward (@code{kill-sexp}).
669 Transpose expressions (@code{transpose-sexps}).
672 Put mark after following expression (@code{mark-sexp}).
675 Each programming language major mode customizes the definition of
676 balanced expressions to suit that language. Balanced expressions
677 typically include symbols, numbers, and string constants, as well as
678 any pair of matching delimiters and their contents. Some languages
679 have obscure forms of expression syntax that nobody has bothered to
683 By convention, the keys for these commands are all Control-Meta
684 characters. They usually act on expressions just as the corresponding
685 Meta characters act on words. For instance, the command @kbd{C-M-b}
686 moves backward over a balanced expression, just as @kbd{M-b} moves
692 @findex backward-sexp
693 To move forward over a balanced expression, use @kbd{C-M-f}
694 (@code{forward-sexp}). If the first significant character after point
695 is an opening delimiter (@samp{(} in Lisp; @samp{(}, @samp{[} or
696 @samp{@{} in C), @kbd{C-M-f} moves past the matching closing
697 delimiter. If the character begins a symbol, string, or number,
698 @kbd{C-M-f} moves over that.
700 The command @kbd{C-M-b} (@code{backward-sexp}) moves backward over a
701 balanced expression. The detailed rules are like those above for
702 @kbd{C-M-f}, but with directions reversed. If there are prefix
703 characters (single-quote, backquote and comma, in Lisp) preceding the
704 expression, @kbd{C-M-b} moves back over them as well. The balanced
705 expression commands move across comments as if they were whitespace,
708 @kbd{C-M-f} or @kbd{C-M-b} with an argument repeats that operation the
709 specified number of times; with a negative argument, it moves in the
712 @cindex killing expressions
715 Killing a whole balanced expression can be done with @kbd{C-M-k}
716 (@code{kill-sexp}). @kbd{C-M-k} kills the characters that @kbd{C-M-f}
719 @cindex transposition of expressions
721 @findex transpose-sexps
722 A somewhat random-sounding command which is nevertheless handy is
723 @kbd{C-M-t} (@code{transpose-sexps}), which drags the previous
724 balanced expression across the next one. An argument serves as a
725 repeat count, moving the previous expression over that many following
726 ones. A negative argument drags the previous balanced expression
727 backwards across those before it (thus canceling out the effect of
728 @kbd{C-M-t} with a positive argument). An argument of zero, rather
729 than doing nothing, transposes the balanced expressions ending at or
730 after point and the mark.
733 @kindex C-M-@key{SPC}
735 To set the region around the next balanced expression in the buffer,
736 use @kbd{C-M-@@} (@code{mark-sexp}), which sets mark at the same place
737 that @kbd{C-M-f} would move to. @kbd{C-M-@@} takes arguments like
738 @kbd{C-M-f}. In particular, a negative argument is useful for putting
739 the mark at the beginning of the previous balanced expression. The
740 alias @kbd{C-M-@key{SPC}} is equivalent to @kbd{C-M-@@}. When you
741 repeat this command, or use it in Transient Mark mode when the mark is
742 active, it extends the end of the region by one sexp each time.
744 In languages that use infix operators, such as C, it is not possible
745 to recognize all balanced expressions as such because there can be
746 multiple possibilities at a given position. For example, C mode does
747 not treat @samp{foo + bar} as a single expression, even though it
748 @emph{is} one C expression; instead, it recognizes @samp{foo} as one
749 expression and @samp{bar} as another, with the @samp{+} as punctuation
750 between them. Both @samp{foo + bar} and @samp{foo} are legitimate
751 choices for ``the expression following point'' when point is at the
752 @samp{f}, so the expression commands must perforce choose one or the
753 other to operate on. Note that @samp{(foo + bar)} is recognized as a
754 single expression in C mode, because of the parentheses.
756 @node Moving by Parens
757 @subsection Moving in the Parenthesis Structure
759 @cindex parenthetical groupings
760 @cindex parentheses, moving across
761 @cindex matching parenthesis and braces, moving to
762 @cindex braces, moving across
763 @cindex list commands
764 The Emacs commands for handling parenthetical groupings see nothing
765 except parentheses (or whatever characters must balance in the
766 language you are working with), and the escape characters that might
767 be used to quote those. They are mainly intended for editing
768 programs, but can be useful for editing any text that has parentheses.
769 They are sometimes called ``list'' commands because in Lisp these
774 Move forward over a parenthetical group (@code{forward-list}).
776 Move backward over a parenthetical group (@code{backward-list}).
778 Move up in parenthesis structure (@code{backward-up-list}).
780 Move down in parenthesis structure (@code{down-list}).
786 @findex backward-list
787 The ``list'' commands @kbd{C-M-n} (@code{forward-list}) and
788 @kbd{C-M-p} (@code{backward-list}) move over one (or @var{n})
789 parenthetical groupings, skipping blithely over any amount of text
790 that doesn't include meaningful parentheses (symbols, strings, etc.).
793 @findex backward-up-list
794 @kbd{C-M-n} and @kbd{C-M-p} try to stay at the same level in the
795 parenthesis structure. To move @emph{up} one (or @var{n}) levels, use
796 @kbd{C-M-u} (@code{backward-up-list}). @kbd{C-M-u} moves backward up
797 past one unmatched opening delimiter. A positive argument serves as a
798 repeat count; a negative argument reverses the direction of motion, so
799 that the command moves forward and up one or more levels.
803 To move @emph{down} in the parenthesis structure, use @kbd{C-M-d}
804 (@code{down-list}). In Lisp mode, where @samp{(} is the only opening
805 delimiter, this is nearly the same as searching for a @samp{(}. An
806 argument specifies the number of levels to go down.
809 @subsection Automatic Display Of Matching Parentheses
810 @cindex matching parentheses
811 @cindex parentheses, displaying matches
813 The Emacs parenthesis-matching feature is designed to show
814 automatically how parentheses (and other matching delimiters) match in
815 the text. Whenever you type a self-inserting character that is a
816 closing delimiter, the cursor moves momentarily to the location of the
817 matching opening delimiter, provided that is on the screen. If it is
818 not on the screen, Emacs displays some of the text near it in the echo
819 area. Either way, you can tell which grouping you are closing off.
821 If the opening delimiter and closing delimiter are mismatched---such
822 as in @samp{[x)}---a warning message is displayed in the echo area.
824 @vindex blink-matching-paren
825 @vindex blink-matching-paren-distance
826 @vindex blink-matching-delay
827 Three variables control parenthesis match display:
829 @code{blink-matching-paren} turns the feature on or off: @code{nil}
830 disables it, but the default is @code{t} to enable match display.
832 @code{blink-matching-delay} says how many seconds to leave the
833 cursor on the matching opening delimiter, before bringing it back to
834 the real location of point; the default is 1, but on some systems it
835 is useful to specify a fraction of a second.
837 @code{blink-matching-paren-distance} specifies how many characters
838 back to search to find the matching opening delimiter. If the match
839 is not found in that distance, scanning stops, and nothing is displayed.
840 This is to prevent the scan for the matching delimiter from wasting
841 lots of time when there is no match. The default is 25600.
843 @cindex Show Paren mode
844 @cindex highlighting matching parentheses
845 @findex show-paren-mode
846 Show Paren mode provides a more powerful kind of automatic matching.
847 Whenever point is after a closing delimiter, that delimiter and its
848 matching opening delimiter are both highlighted; otherwise, if point
849 is before an opening delimiter, the matching closing delimiter is
850 highlighted. (There is no need to highlight the opening delimiter in
851 that case, because the cursor appears on top of that character.) Use
852 the command @kbd{M-x show-paren-mode} to enable or disable this mode.
854 Show Paren mode uses the faces @code{show-paren-match} and
855 @code{show-paren-mismatch} to highlight parentheses; you can customize
856 them to control how highlighting looks. @xref{Face Customization}.
859 @section Manipulating Comments
862 Because comments are such an important part of programming, Emacs
863 provides special commands for editing and inserting comments. It can
864 also do spell checking on comments with Flyspell Prog mode
868 * Comment Commands:: Inserting, killing, and aligning comments.
869 * Multi-Line Comments:: Commands for adding and editing multi-line comments.
870 * Options for Comments::Customizing the comment features.
873 @node Comment Commands
874 @subsection Comment Commands
875 @cindex indentation for comments
876 @cindex alignment for comments
878 The comment commands in this table insert, kill and align comments.
879 They are described in this section and following sections.
883 Insert or realign comment on current line; alternatively, comment or
884 uncomment the region (@code{comment-dwim}).
886 Kill comment on current line (@code{comment-kill}).
888 Set comment column (@code{comment-set-column}).
891 Like @key{RET} followed by inserting and aligning a comment
892 (@code{comment-indent-new-line}). @xref{Multi-Line Comments}.
893 @item @kbd{M-x comment-region}
894 @itemx @kbd{C-c C-c} (in C-like modes)
895 Add or remove comment delimiters on all the lines in the region.
900 The command to create or align a comment is @kbd{M-;}
901 (@code{comment-dwim}). The word ``dwim'' is an acronym for ``Do What
902 I Mean''; it indicates that this command can be used for many
903 different jobs relating to comments, depending on the situation where
906 If there is no comment already on the line, @kbd{M-;} inserts a new
907 comment, aligned at a specific column called the @dfn{comment column}.
908 The new comment begins with the string Emacs thinks comments should
909 start with (the value of @code{comment-start}; see below). Point is
910 after that string, so you can insert the text of the comment right
911 away. If the major mode has specified a string to terminate comments,
912 @kbd{M-;} inserts that after point, to keep the syntax valid.
914 If the text of the line extends past the comment column, this
915 command aligns the comment start string to a suitable boundary
916 (usually, at least one space is inserted).
918 You can also use @kbd{M-;} to align an existing comment. If a line
919 already contains the comment-start string, @kbd{M-;} realigns it to
920 the conventional alignment and moves point after it. (Exception:
921 comments starting in column 0 are not moved.) Even when an existing
922 comment is properly aligned, @kbd{M-;} is still useful for moving
923 directly to the start of the text inside the comment.
927 @kbd{C-u M-;} kills any comment on the current line, along with the
928 whitespace before it. To reinsert the comment on another line, move
929 to the end of that line, do @kbd{C-y}, and then do @kbd{M-;} to
932 Note that @kbd{C-u M-;} is not a distinct key; it is @kbd{M-;}
933 (@code{comment-dwim}) with a prefix argument. That command is
934 programmed so that when it receives a prefix argument it calls
935 @code{comment-kill}. However, @code{comment-kill} is a valid command
936 in its own right, and you can bind it directly to a key if you wish.
938 @kbd{M-;} does two other jobs when used with an active region in
939 Transient Mark mode (@pxref{Transient Mark}). Then it either adds or
940 removes comment delimiters on each line of the region. (If every line
941 is a comment, it removes comment delimiters from each; otherwise, it
942 adds comment delimiters to each.) If you are not using Transient Mark
943 mode, then you should use the commands @code{comment-region} and
944 @code{uncomment-region} to do these jobs (@pxref{Multi-Line Comments}),
945 or else enable Transient Mark mode momentarily (@pxref{Momentary Mark}).
946 A prefix argument used in these circumstances specifies how many
947 comment delimiters to add or how many to delete.
949 Some major modes have special rules for aligning certain kinds of
950 comments in certain contexts. For example, in Lisp code, comments which
951 start with two semicolons are indented as if they were lines of code,
952 instead of at the comment column. Comments which start with three
953 semicolons are supposed to start at the left margin and are often used
954 for sectioning purposes. Emacs understands
955 these conventions by indenting a double-semicolon comment using @key{TAB},
956 and by not changing the indentation of a triple-semicolon comment at all.
959 ;; This function is just an example.
960 ;;; Here either two or three semicolons are appropriate.
962 ;;; And now, the first part of the function:
963 ;; The following line adds one.
964 (1+ x)) ; This line adds one.
967 For C-like modes, you can configure the exact effect of @kbd{M-;}
968 more flexibly than for most buffers by setting the variables
969 @code{c-indent-comment-alist} and
970 @code{c-indent-comments-syntactically-p}. For example, on a line
971 ending in a closing brace, @kbd{M-;} puts the comment one space after
972 the brace rather than at @code{comment-column}. For full details see
973 @ref{Comment Commands,,, ccmode, The CC Mode Manual}.
975 @node Multi-Line Comments
976 @subsection Multiple Lines of Comments
980 @cindex blank lines in programs
981 @findex comment-indent-new-line
983 If you are typing a comment and wish to continue it on another line,
984 you can use the command @kbd{C-M-j} or @kbd{M-j}
985 (@code{comment-indent-new-line}). If @code{comment-multi-line}
986 (@pxref{Options for Comments}) is non-@code{nil}, it moves to a new
987 line within the comment. Otherwise it closes the comment and starts a
988 new comment on a new line. When Auto Fill mode is on, going past the
989 fill column while typing a comment causes the comment to be continued
990 in just this fashion.
992 @kindex C-c C-c (C mode)
993 @findex comment-region
994 To turn existing lines into comment lines, use the @kbd{M-x
995 comment-region} command (or type @kbd{C-c C-c} in C-like modes). It
996 adds comment delimiters to the lines that start in the region, thus
997 commenting them out. With a negative argument, it does the
998 opposite---it deletes comment delimiters from the lines in the region.
1000 With a positive argument, @code{comment-region} duplicates the last
1001 character of the comment start sequence it adds; the argument
1002 specifies how many copies of the character to insert. Thus, in Lisp
1003 mode, @kbd{C-u 2 M-x comment-region} adds @samp{;;} to each line.
1004 Duplicating the comment delimiter is a way of calling attention to the
1005 comment. It can also affect how the comment is aligned or indented.
1006 In Lisp, for proper indentation, you should use an argument of two or
1007 three, if between defuns; if within a defun, it must be three.
1009 You can configure C Mode such that when you type a @samp{/} at the
1010 start of a line in a multi-line block comment, this closes the
1011 comment. Enable the @code{comment-close-slash} clean-up for this.
1012 @xref{Clean-ups,,, ccmode, The CC Mode Manual}.
1014 @node Options for Comments
1015 @subsection Options Controlling Comments
1017 @vindex comment-column
1019 @findex comment-set-column
1020 The @dfn{comment column}, the column at which Emacs tries to place
1021 comments, is stored in the variable @code{comment-column}. You can
1022 set it to a number explicitly. Alternatively, the command @kbd{C-x ;}
1023 (@code{comment-set-column}) sets the comment column to the column
1024 point is at. @kbd{C-u C-x ;} sets the comment column to match the
1025 last comment before point in the buffer, and then does a @kbd{M-;} to
1026 align the current line's comment under the previous one.
1028 The variable @code{comment-column} is per-buffer: setting the variable
1029 in the normal fashion affects only the current buffer, but there is a
1030 default value which you can change with @code{setq-default}.
1031 @xref{Locals}. Many major modes initialize this variable for the
1034 @vindex comment-start-skip
1035 The comment commands recognize comments based on the regular
1036 expression that is the value of the variable @code{comment-start-skip}.
1037 Make sure this regexp does not match the null string. It may match more
1038 than the comment starting delimiter in the strictest sense of the word;
1039 for example, in C mode the value of the variable is
1040 @c This stops M-q from breaking the line inside that @code.
1041 @code{@w{"/\\*+ *\\|//+ *"}}, which matches extra stars and spaces
1042 after the @samp{/*} itself, and accepts C++ style comments also.
1043 (Note that @samp{\\} is needed in Lisp syntax to include a @samp{\} in
1044 the string, which is needed to deny the first star its special meaning
1045 in regexp syntax. @xref{Regexp Backslash}.)
1047 @vindex comment-start
1049 When a comment command makes a new comment, it inserts the value of
1050 @code{comment-start} to begin it. The value of @code{comment-end} is
1051 inserted after point, so that it will follow the text that you will
1052 insert into the comment. When @code{comment-end} is non-empty, it
1053 should start with a space. For example, in C mode,
1054 @code{comment-start} has the value @w{@code{"/* "}} and
1055 @code{comment-end} has the value @w{@code{" */"}}.
1057 @vindex comment-padding
1058 The variable @code{comment-padding} specifies how many spaces
1059 @code{comment-region} should insert on each line between the comment
1060 delimiter and the line's original text. The default is 1, to insert
1061 one space. @code{nil} means 0. Alternatively, @code{comment-padding}
1062 can hold the actual string to insert.
1064 @vindex comment-multi-line
1065 The variable @code{comment-multi-line} controls how @kbd{C-M-j}
1066 (@code{indent-new-comment-line}) behaves when used inside a comment.
1067 Specifically, when @code{comment-multi-line} is @code{nil}, the
1068 command inserts a comment terminator, begins a new line, and finally
1069 inserts a comment starter. Otherwise it does not insert the
1070 terminator and starter, so it effectively continues the current
1071 comment across multiple lines. In languages that allow multi-line
1072 comments, the choice of value for this variable is a matter of taste.
1073 The default for this variable depends on the major mode.
1075 @vindex comment-indent-function
1076 The variable @code{comment-indent-function} should contain a function
1077 that will be called to compute the alignment for a newly inserted
1078 comment or for aligning an existing comment. It is set differently by
1079 various major modes. The function is called with no arguments, but with
1080 point at the beginning of the comment, or at the end of a line if a new
1081 comment is to be inserted. It should return the column in which the
1082 comment ought to start. For example, in Lisp mode, the indent hook
1083 function bases its decision on how many semicolons begin an existing
1084 comment, and on the code in the preceding lines.
1087 @section Documentation Lookup
1089 Emacs provides several features you can use to look up the
1090 documentation of functions, variables and commands that you plan to
1091 use in your program.
1094 * Info Lookup:: Looking up library functions and commands
1096 * Man Page:: Looking up man pages of library functions and commands.
1097 * Lisp Doc:: Looking up Emacs Lisp functions, etc.
1101 @subsection Info Documentation Lookup
1103 @findex info-lookup-symbol
1104 @findex info-lookup-file
1106 For many major modes, that apply to languages that have
1107 documentation in Info, you can use @kbd{C-h S}
1108 (@code{info-lookup-symbol}) to view the Info documentation for a
1109 symbol used in the program. You specify the symbol with the
1110 minibuffer; the default is the symbol appearing in the buffer at
1111 point. For example, in C mode this looks for the symbol in the C
1112 Library Manual. The command only works if the appropriate manual's
1113 Info files are installed.
1115 The major mode determines where to look for documentation for the
1116 symbol---which Info files to look in, and which indices to search.
1117 You can also use @kbd{M-x info-lookup-file} to look for documentation
1120 If you use @kbd{C-h S} in a major mode that does not support it,
1121 it asks you to specify the ``symbol help mode.'' You should enter
1122 a command such as @code{c-mode} that would select a major
1123 mode which @kbd{C-h S} does support.
1126 @subsection Man Page Lookup
1129 On Unix, the main form of on-line documentation was the @dfn{manual
1130 page} or @dfn{man page}. In the GNU operating system, we aim to
1131 replace man pages with better-organized manuals that you can browse
1132 with Info (@pxref{Misc Help}). This process is not finished, so it is
1133 still useful to read manual pages.
1135 @findex manual-entry
1136 You can read the man page for an operating system command, library
1137 function, or system call, with the @kbd{M-x man} command. It
1138 runs the @code{man} program to format the man page; if the system
1139 permits, it runs @code{man} asynchronously, so that you can keep on
1140 editing while the page is being formatted. (On MS-DOS and MS-Windows
1141 3, you cannot edit while Emacs waits for @code{man} to finish.) The
1142 result goes in a buffer named @samp{*Man @var{topic}*}. These buffers
1143 use a special major mode, Man mode, that facilitates scrolling and
1144 jumping to other manual pages. For details, type @kbd{C-h m} while in
1147 @cindex sections of manual pages
1148 Each man page belongs to one of ten or more @dfn{sections}, each
1149 named by a digit or by a digit and a letter. Sometimes there are
1150 multiple man pages with the same name in different sections. To read
1151 a man page from a specific section, type
1152 @samp{@var{topic}(@var{section})} or @samp{@var{section} @var{topic}}
1153 when @kbd{M-x manual-entry} prompts for the topic. For example, to
1154 read the man page for the C library function @code{chmod} (as opposed
1155 to a command of the same name), type @kbd{M-x manual-entry @key{RET}
1156 chmod(2) @key{RET}}. (@code{chmod} is a system call, so it is in
1159 @vindex Man-switches
1160 If you do not specify a section, the results depend on how the
1161 @code{man} program works on your system. Some of them display only
1162 the first man page they find. Others display all man pages that have
1163 the specified name, so you can move between them with the @kbd{M-n}
1164 and @kbd{M-p} keys@footnote{On some systems, the @code{man} program
1165 accepts a @samp{-a} command-line option which tells it to display all
1166 the man pages for the specified topic. If you want this behavior, you
1167 can add this option to the value of the variable @code{Man-switches}.}.
1168 The mode line shows how many manual pages are present in the Man buffer.
1170 @vindex Man-fontify-manpage-flag
1171 By default, Emacs highlights the text in man pages. For a long man
1172 page, highlighting can take substantial time. You can turn off
1173 highlighting of man pages by setting the variable
1174 @code{Man-fontify-manpage-flag} to @code{nil}.
1176 @findex Man-fontify-manpage
1177 If you insert the text of a man page into an Emacs buffer in some
1178 other fashion, you can use the command @kbd{M-x Man-fontify-manpage} to
1179 perform the same conversions that @kbd{M-x manual-entry} does.
1182 @cindex manual pages, on MS-DOS/MS-Windows
1183 An alternative way of reading manual pages is the @kbd{M-x woman}
1184 command@footnote{The name of the command, @code{woman}, is an acronym
1185 for ``w/o (without) man,'' since it doesn't use the @code{man}
1186 program.}. Unlike @kbd{M-x man}, it does not run any external
1187 programs to format and display the man pages; instead it does the job
1188 in Emacs Lisp, so it works on systems such as MS-Windows, where the
1189 @code{man} program (and other programs it uses) are not generally
1192 @kbd{M-x woman} prompts for a name of a manual page, and provides
1193 completion based on the list of manual pages that are installed on
1194 your machine; the list of available manual pages is computed
1195 automatically the first time you invoke @code{woman}. The word at
1196 point in the current buffer is used to suggest the default for the
1197 name the manual page.
1199 With a numeric argument, @kbd{M-x woman} recomputes the list of the
1200 manual pages used for completion. This is useful if you add or delete
1203 If you type a name of a manual page and @kbd{M-x woman} finds that
1204 several manual pages by the same name exist in different sections, it
1205 pops up a window with possible candidates asking you to choose one of
1208 For more information about setting up and using @kbd{M-x woman}, see
1209 @ref{Top, WoMan, Browse UN*X Manual Pages WithOut Man, woman, The WoMan
1213 @subsection Emacs Lisp Documentation Lookup
1215 As you edit Lisp code to be run in Emacs, you can use the commands
1216 @kbd{C-h f} (@code{describe-function}) and @kbd{C-h v}
1217 (@code{describe-variable}) to view documentation of functions and
1218 variables that you want to use. These commands use the minibuffer to
1219 read the name of a function or variable to document, and display the
1220 documentation in a window. Their default arguments are based on the
1221 code in the neighborhood of point. For @kbd{C-h f}, the default is
1222 the function called in the innermost list containing point. @kbd{C-h
1223 v} uses the symbol name around or adjacent to point as its default.
1227 A more automatic but less powerful method is Eldoc mode. This minor
1228 mode constantly displays in the echo area the argument list for the
1229 function being called at point. (In other words, it finds the
1230 function call that point is contained in, and displays the argument
1231 list of that function.) If point is over a documented variable, it
1232 shows the first line of the variable's docstring. Eldoc mode applies
1233 in Emacs Lisp and Lisp Interaction modes, and perhaps a few others
1234 that provide special support for looking up doc strings. Use the
1235 command @kbd{M-x eldoc-mode} to enable or disable this feature.
1238 @section Hideshow minor mode
1240 @findex hs-minor-mode
1241 Hideshow minor mode provides selective display of portions of a
1242 program, known as @dfn{blocks}. You can use @kbd{M-x hs-minor-mode}
1243 to enable or disable this mode, or add @code{hs-minor-mode} to the
1244 mode hook for certain major modes in order to enable it automatically
1247 Just what constitutes a block depends on the major mode. In C mode
1248 or C++ mode, they are delimited by braces, while in Lisp mode and
1249 similar modes they are delimited by parentheses. Multi-line comments
1250 also count as blocks.
1253 @findex hs-hide-block
1255 @findex hs-show-block
1256 @findex hs-show-region
1257 @findex hs-hide-level
1258 @findex hs-minor-mode
1261 @kindex C-c @@ C-M-h
1262 @kindex C-c @@ C-M-s
1268 Hide the current block (@code{hs-hide-block}).
1270 Show the current block (@code{hs-show-block}).
1272 Either hide or show the current block (@code{hs-toggle-hiding}).
1274 Either hide or show the block you click on (@code{hs-mouse-toggle-hiding}).
1276 Hide all top-level blocks (@code{hs-hide-all}).
1278 Show everything in the buffer (@code{hs-show-all}).
1280 Hide all blocks @var{n} levels below this block
1281 (@code{hs-hide-level}).
1284 @vindex hs-hide-comments-when-hiding-all
1285 @vindex hs-isearch-open
1286 @vindex hs-special-modes-alist
1287 These variables exist for customizing Hideshow mode.
1290 @item hs-hide-comments-when-hiding-all
1291 Non-@code{nil} says that @kbd{hs-hide-all} should hide comments too.
1293 @item hs-isearch-open
1294 Specifies what kind of hidden blocks incremental search should make
1295 visible. The value should be one of these four symbols:
1299 Open only code blocks.
1303 Open both code blocks and comments.
1305 Open neither code blocks nor comments.
1308 @item hs-special-modes-alist
1309 A list of elements, each specifying how to initialize Hideshow
1310 variables for one major mode. See the variable's documentation string
1311 for more information.
1314 @node Symbol Completion
1315 @section Completion for Symbol Names
1316 @cindex completion (symbol names)
1318 In Emacs, completion is something you normally do in the minibuffer.
1319 But one kind of completion is available in all buffers: completion for
1323 The character @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} runs a command to complete the
1324 partial symbol before point against the set of meaningful symbol
1325 names. This command inserts at point any additional characters that
1326 it can determine from the partial name. (If your window manager
1327 defines @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} to switch windows, you can type
1328 @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{TAB}} or @kbd{C-M-i}.)
1330 If the partial name in the buffer has multiple possible completions
1331 that differ in the very next character, so that it is impossible to
1332 complete even one more character, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} displays a list of
1333 all possible completions in another window.
1335 @cindex tags-based completion
1336 @cindex Info index completion
1337 @findex complete-symbol
1338 In most programming language major modes, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} runs the
1339 command @code{complete-symbol}, which provides two kinds of completion.
1340 Normally it does completion based on a tags table (@pxref{Tags}); with a
1341 numeric argument (regardless of the value), it does completion based on
1342 the names listed in the Info file indexes for your language. Thus, to
1343 complete the name of a symbol defined in your own program, use
1344 @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} with no argument; to complete the name of a standard
1345 library function, use @kbd{C-u M-@key{TAB}}. Of course, Info-based
1346 completion works only if there is an Info file for the standard library
1347 functions of your language, and only if it is installed at your site.
1349 @cindex Lisp symbol completion
1350 @cindex completion (Lisp symbols)
1351 @findex lisp-complete-symbol
1352 In Emacs-Lisp mode, the name space for completion normally consists of
1353 nontrivial symbols present in Emacs---those that have function
1354 definitions, values or properties. However, if there is an
1355 open-parenthesis immediately before the beginning of the partial symbol,
1356 only symbols with function definitions are considered as completions.
1357 The command which implements this is @code{lisp-complete-symbol}.
1359 In Text mode and related modes, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} completes words
1360 based on the spell-checker's dictionary. @xref{Spelling}.
1363 @section Glasses minor mode
1364 @cindex Glasses mode
1365 @cindex identifiers, making long ones readable
1366 @cindex StudlyCaps, making them readable
1367 @findex glasses-mode
1369 Glasses minor mode makes @samp{unreadableIdentifiersLikeThis}
1370 readable by altering the way they display. It knows two different
1371 ways to do this: by displaying underscores between a lower-case letter
1372 and the following capital letter, and by emboldening the capital
1373 letters. It does not alter the buffer text, only the way they
1374 display, so you can use it even on read-only buffers. You can use the
1375 command @kbd{M-x glasses-mode} to enable or disable the mode in the
1376 current buffer; you can also add @code{glasses-mode} to the mode hook
1377 of the programming language major modes in which you normally want
1378 to use Glasses mode.
1380 @node Misc for Programs
1381 @section Other Features Useful for Editing Programs
1383 A number of Emacs commands that aren't designed specifically for
1384 editing programs are useful for that nonetheless.
1386 The Emacs commands that operate on words, sentences and paragraphs
1387 are useful for editing code. Most symbols names contain words
1388 (@pxref{Words}); sentences can be found in strings and comments
1389 (@pxref{Sentences}). Paragraphs in the strict sense can be found in
1390 program code (in long comments), but the paragraph commands are useful
1391 in other places too, because programming language major modes define
1392 paragraphs to begin and end at blank lines (@pxref{Paragraphs}).
1393 Judicious use of blank lines to make the program clearer will also
1394 provide useful chunks of text for the paragraph commands to work on.
1395 Auto Fill mode, if enabled in a programming language major mode,
1396 indents the new lines which it creates.
1398 The selective display feature is useful for looking at the overall
1399 structure of a function (@pxref{Selective Display}). This feature
1400 hides the lines that are indented more than a specified amount.
1401 Programming modes often support Outline minor mode (@pxref{Outline
1402 Mode}). The Foldout package provides folding-editor features
1405 The ``automatic typing'' features may be useful for writing programs.
1406 @xref{Top,,Autotyping, autotype, Autotyping}.
1409 @section C and Related Modes
1414 @cindex CORBA IDL mode
1415 @cindex Objective C mode
1421 @cindex mode, Objective C
1422 @cindex mode, CORBA IDL
1426 This section gives a brief description of the special features
1427 available in C, C++, Objective-C, Java, CORBA IDL, Pike and AWK modes.
1428 (These are called ``C mode and related modes.'') @xref{Top, , CC Mode,
1429 ccmode, CC Mode}, for a more extensive description of these modes
1430 and their special features.
1433 * Motion in C:: Commands to move by C statements, etc.
1434 * Electric C:: Colon and other chars can automatically reindent.
1435 * Hungry Delete:: A more powerful DEL command.
1436 * Other C Commands:: Filling comments, viewing expansion of macros,
1437 and other neat features.
1441 @subsection C Mode Motion Commands
1443 This section describes commands for moving point, in C mode and
1447 @item M-x c-beginning-of-defun
1448 @itemx M-x c-end-of-defun
1449 @findex c-beginning-of-defun
1450 @findex c-end-of-defun
1451 Move point to the beginning or end of the current function or
1452 top-level definition. These are found by searching for the least
1453 enclosing braces. (By contrast, @code{beginning-of-defun} and
1454 @code{end-of-defun} search for braces in column zero.) If you are
1455 editing code where the opening brace of a function isn't placed in
1456 column zero, you may wish to bind @code{C-M-a} and @code{C-M-e} to
1457 these commands. @xref{Moving by Defuns}.
1460 @kindex C-c C-u @r{(C mode)}
1461 @findex c-up-conditional
1462 Move point back to the containing preprocessor conditional, leaving the
1463 mark behind. A prefix argument acts as a repeat count. With a negative
1464 argument, move point forward to the end of the containing
1465 preprocessor conditional.
1467 @samp{#elif} is equivalent to @samp{#else} followed by @samp{#if}, so
1468 the function will stop at a @samp{#elif} when going backward, but not
1472 @kindex C-c C-p @r{(C mode)}
1473 @findex c-backward-conditional
1474 Move point back over a preprocessor conditional, leaving the mark
1475 behind. A prefix argument acts as a repeat count. With a negative
1476 argument, move forward.
1479 @kindex C-c C-n @r{(C mode)}
1480 @findex c-forward-conditional
1481 Move point forward across a preprocessor conditional, leaving the mark
1482 behind. A prefix argument acts as a repeat count. With a negative
1483 argument, move backward.
1486 @kindex M-a (C mode)
1487 @findex c-beginning-of-statement
1488 Move point to the beginning of the innermost C statement
1489 (@code{c-beginning-of-statement}). If point is already at the beginning
1490 of a statement, move to the beginning of the preceding statement. With
1491 prefix argument @var{n}, move back @var{n} @minus{} 1 statements.
1493 In comments or in strings which span more than one line, this command
1494 moves by sentences instead of statements.
1497 @kindex M-e (C mode)
1498 @findex c-end-of-statement
1499 Move point to the end of the innermost C statement or sentence; like
1500 @kbd{M-a} except that it moves in the other direction
1501 (@code{c-end-of-statement}).
1505 @subsection Electric C Characters
1507 In C mode and related modes, certain printing characters are
1508 @dfn{electric}---in addition to inserting themselves, they also
1509 reindent the current line, and optionally also insert newlines. The
1510 ``electric'' characters are @kbd{@{}, @kbd{@}}, @kbd{:}, @kbd{#},
1511 @kbd{;}, @kbd{,}, @kbd{<}, @kbd{>}, @kbd{/}, @kbd{*}, @kbd{(}, and
1514 You might find electric indentation inconvenient if you are editing
1515 chaotically indented code. If you are new to CC Mode, you might find
1516 it disconcerting. You can toggle electric action with the command
1517 @kbd{C-c C-l}; when it is enabled, @samp{/l} appears in the mode line
1518 after the mode name:
1522 @kindex C-c C-l @r{(C mode)}
1523 @findex c-toggle-electric-state
1524 Toggle electric action (@code{c-toggle-electric-state}). With a
1525 prefix argument, this command enables electric action if the argument
1526 is positive, disables it if it is negative.
1529 Electric characters insert newlines only when, in addition to the
1530 electric state, the @dfn{auto-newline} feature is enabled (indicated
1531 by @samp{/la} in the mode line after the mode name). You can turn
1532 this feature on or off with the command @kbd{C-c C-a}:
1536 @kindex C-c C-a @r{(C mode)}
1537 @findex c-toggle-auto-newline
1538 Toggle the auto-newline feature (@code{c-toggle-auto-newline}). With a
1539 prefix argument, this command turns the auto-newline feature on if the
1540 argument is positive, and off if it is negative.
1543 Usually the CC Mode style configures the exact circumstances in
1544 which Emacs inserts auto-newlines. You can also configure this
1545 directly. @xref{Custom Auto-newlines,,, ccmode, The CC Mode Manual}.
1548 @subsection Hungry Delete Feature in C
1549 @cindex hungry deletion (C Mode)
1551 If you want to delete an entire block of whitespace at point, you
1552 can use @dfn{hungry deletion}. This deletes all the contiguous
1553 whitespace either before point or after point in a single operation.
1554 @dfn{Whitespace} here includes tabs and newlines, but not comments or
1555 preprocessor commands.
1558 @item C-c C-@key{DEL}
1559 @itemx C-c @key{DEL}
1560 @findex c-hungry-backspace
1561 @kindex C-c C-@key{DEL} (C Mode)
1562 @kindex C-c @key{DEL} (C Mode)
1563 @code{c-hungry-backspace}---Delete the entire block of whitespace
1567 @itemx C-c C-@key{DELETE}
1568 @itemx C-c @key{DELETE}
1569 @findex c-hungry-delete-forward
1570 @kindex C-c C-d (C Mode)
1571 @kindex C-c C-@key{DELETE} (C Mode)
1572 @kindex C-c @key{DELETE} (C Mode)
1573 @code{c-hungry-delete-forward}---Delete the entire block of whitespace
1577 As an alternative to the above commands, you can enable @dfn{hungry
1578 delete mode}. When this feature is enabled (indicated by @samp{/h} in
1579 the mode line after the mode name), a single @key{DEL} deletes all
1580 preceding whitespace, not just one space, and a single @kbd{C-c C-d}
1581 (but @emph{not} plain @key{DELETE}) deletes all following whitespace.
1584 @item M-x c-toggle-hungry-state
1585 @findex c-toggle-hungry-state
1586 Toggle the hungry-delete feature
1587 (@code{c-toggle-hungry-state})@footnote{This command had the binding
1588 @kbd{C-c C-d} in earlier versions of Emacs. @kbd{C-c C-d} is now
1589 bound to @code{c-hungry-delete-forward}.}. With a prefix argument,
1590 this command turns the hungry-delete feature on if the argument is
1591 positive, and off if it is negative.
1594 @vindex c-hungry-delete-key
1595 The variable @code{c-hungry-delete-key} controls whether the
1596 hungry-delete feature is enabled.
1598 @node Other C Commands
1599 @subsection Other Commands for C Mode
1603 @itemx M-x c-subword-mode
1604 @findex c-subword-mode
1605 Enable (or disable) @dfn{subword mode}. In subword mode, Emacs's word
1606 commands recognize upper case letters in
1607 @samp{StudlyCapsIdentifiers} as word boundaries. This is indicated by
1608 the flag @samp{/w} on the mode line after the mode name
1609 (e.g. @samp{C/law}). You can even use @kbd{M-x c-subword-mode} in
1610 non-CC Mode buffers.
1612 In the GNU project, we recommend using underscores to separate words
1613 within an identifier in C or C++, rather than using case distinctions.
1615 @item M-x c-context-line-break
1616 @findex c-context-line-break
1617 This command inserts a line break and indents the new line in a manner
1618 appropriate to the context. In normal code, it does the work of
1619 @kbd{C-j} (@code{newline-and-indent}), in a C preprocessor line it
1620 additionally inserts a @samp{\} at the line break, and within comments
1621 it's like @kbd{M-j} (@code{c-indent-new-comment-line}).
1623 @code{c-context-line-break} isn't bound to a key by default, but it
1624 needs a binding to be useful. The following code will bind it to
1625 @kbd{C-j}. We use @code{c-initialization-hook} here to make sure
1626 the keymap is loaded before we try to change it.
1629 (defun my-bind-clb ()
1630 (define-key c-mode-base-map "\C-j" 'c-context-line-break))
1631 (add-hook 'c-initialization-hook 'my-bind-clb)
1635 Put mark at the end of a function definition, and put point at the
1636 beginning (@code{c-mark-function}).
1639 @kindex M-q @r{(C mode)}
1640 @findex c-fill-paragraph
1641 Fill a paragraph, handling C and C++ comments (@code{c-fill-paragraph}).
1642 If any part of the current line is a comment or within a comment, this
1643 command fills the comment or the paragraph of it that point is in,
1644 preserving the comment indentation and comment delimiters.
1647 @cindex macro expansion in C
1648 @cindex expansion of C macros
1649 @findex c-macro-expand
1650 @kindex C-c C-e @r{(C mode)}
1651 Run the C preprocessor on the text in the region, and show the result,
1652 which includes the expansion of all the macro calls
1653 (@code{c-macro-expand}). The buffer text before the region is also
1654 included in preprocessing, for the sake of macros defined there, but the
1655 output from this part isn't shown.
1657 When you are debugging C code that uses macros, sometimes it is hard to
1658 figure out precisely how the macros expand. With this command, you
1659 don't have to figure it out; you can see the expansions.
1662 @findex c-backslash-region
1663 @kindex C-c C-\ @r{(C mode)}
1664 Insert or align @samp{\} characters at the ends of the lines of the
1665 region (@code{c-backslash-region}). This is useful after writing or
1666 editing a C macro definition.
1668 If a line already ends in @samp{\}, this command adjusts the amount of
1669 whitespace before it. Otherwise, it inserts a new @samp{\}. However,
1670 the last line in the region is treated specially; no @samp{\} is
1671 inserted on that line, and any @samp{\} there is deleted.
1673 @item M-x cpp-highlight-buffer
1674 @cindex preprocessor highlighting
1675 @findex cpp-highlight-buffer
1676 Highlight parts of the text according to its preprocessor conditionals.
1677 This command displays another buffer named @samp{*CPP Edit*}, which
1678 serves as a graphic menu for selecting how to display particular kinds
1679 of conditionals and their contents. After changing various settings,
1680 click on @samp{[A]pply these settings} (or go to that buffer and type
1681 @kbd{a}) to rehighlight the C mode buffer accordingly.
1684 @findex c-show-syntactic-information
1685 @kindex C-c C-s @r{(C mode)}
1686 Display the syntactic information about the current source line
1687 (@code{c-show-syntactic-information}). This information directs how
1688 the line is indented.
1690 @item M-x cwarn-mode
1691 @itemx M-x global-cwarn-mode
1693 @findex global-cwarn-mode
1694 @vindex global-cwarn-mode
1696 @cindex suspicious constructions in C, C++
1697 CWarn minor mode highlights certain suspicious C and C++ constructions:
1701 Assignments inside expressions.
1703 Semicolon following immediately after @samp{if}, @samp{for}, and @samp{while}
1704 (except after a @samp{do @dots{} while} statement);
1706 C++ functions with reference parameters.
1710 You can enable the mode for one buffer with the command @kbd{M-x
1711 cwarn-mode}, or for all suitable buffers with the command @kbd{M-x
1712 global-cwarn-mode} or by customizing the variable
1713 @code{global-cwarn-mode}. You must also enable Font Lock mode to make
1716 @item M-x hide-ifdef-mode
1717 @findex hide-ifdef-mode
1718 @cindex Hide-ifdef mode
1719 Hide-ifdef minor mode hides selected code within @samp{#if} and
1720 @samp{#ifdef} preprocessor blocks. See the documentation string of
1721 @code{hide-ifdef-mode} for more information.
1723 @item M-x ff-find-related-file
1724 @cindex related files
1725 @findex ff-find-related-file
1726 @vindex ff-related-file-alist
1727 Find a file ``related'' in a special way to the file visited by the
1728 current buffer. Typically this will be the header file corresponding
1729 to a C/C++ source file, or vice versa. The variable
1730 @code{ff-related-file-alist} specifies how to compute related file
1738 @cindex assembler mode
1739 Asm mode is a major mode for editing files of assembler code. It
1740 defines these commands:
1744 @code{tab-to-tab-stop}.
1746 Insert a newline and then indent using @code{tab-to-tab-stop}.
1748 Insert a colon and then remove the indentation from before the label
1749 preceding colon. Then do @code{tab-to-tab-stop}.
1751 Insert or align a comment.
1754 The variable @code{asm-comment-char} specifies which character
1755 starts comments in assembler syntax.
1758 @include fortran-xtra.texi
1762 arch-tag: c7ee7409-40a4-45c7-bfb7-ae7f2c74d0c0