1 @c -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
2 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
3 @c Copyright (C) 1985-1987, 1993-1995, 1997, 1999-2017 Free Software
5 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
7 @chapter Editing Programs
10 @cindex program editing
12 This chapter describes Emacs features for facilitating editing
13 programs. Some of the things these features can do are:
17 Find or move over top-level definitions (@pxref{Defuns}).
19 Apply the usual indentation conventions of the language
20 (@pxref{Program Indent}).
22 Balance parentheses (@pxref{Parentheses}).
24 Insert, kill or align comments (@pxref{Comments}).
26 Highlight program syntax (@pxref{Font Lock}).
30 * Program Modes:: Major modes for editing programs.
31 * Defuns:: Commands to operate on major top-level parts
33 * Program Indent:: Adjusting indentation to show the nesting.
34 * Parentheses:: Commands that operate on parentheses.
35 * Comments:: Inserting, killing, and aligning comments.
36 * Documentation:: Getting documentation of functions you plan to call.
37 * Hideshow:: Displaying blocks selectively.
38 * Symbol Completion:: Completion on symbol names of your program or language.
39 * MixedCase Words:: Dealing with identifiersLikeThis.
40 * Semantic:: Suite of editing tools based on source code parsing.
41 * Misc for Programs:: Other Emacs features useful for editing programs.
42 * C Modes:: Special commands of C, C++, Objective-C, Java,
43 IDL, Pike and AWK modes.
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 (@pxref{Major Modes}) for many
55 programming languages. A programming language 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 or end of a function definition. It often has
59 features for compiling and debugging programs as well. The major mode
60 for each language is named after the language; for instance, the major
61 mode for the C programming language is @code{c-mode}.
78 @cindex Shell-script mode
80 @cindex PostScript mode
83 @cindex Javascript mode
84 Emacs has programming language modes for Lisp, Scheme, the
85 Scheme-based DSSSL expression language, Ada, ASM, AWK, C, C++,
86 Fortran, Icon, IDL (CORBA), IDLWAVE, Java, Javascript, Metafont
87 (@TeX{}'s companion for font creation), Modula2, Object Pascal, Objective-C,
88 Octave, Pascal, Perl, Pike, PostScript, Prolog, Python, Ruby, Simula, Tcl,
89 and VHDL@. An alternative mode for Perl is called CPerl mode. Modes are
90 also available for the scripting languages of the common GNU and Unix
91 shells, and MS-DOS/MS-Windows @samp{BAT} files, and for makefiles,
92 DNS master files, and various sorts of configuration files.
94 Ideally, Emacs should have a major mode for each programming
95 language that you might want to edit. If it doesn't have a mode for
96 your favorite language, the mode might be implemented in a package not
97 distributed with Emacs (@pxref{Packages}); or you can contribute one.
99 @kindex DEL @r{(programming modes)}
100 @findex backward-delete-char-untabify
101 In most programming languages, indentation should vary from line to
102 line to illustrate the structure of the program. Therefore, in most
103 programming language modes, typing @key{TAB} updates the indentation
104 of the current line (@pxref{Program Indent}). Furthermore, @key{DEL}
105 is usually bound to @code{backward-delete-char-untabify}, which
106 deletes backward treating each tab as if it were the equivalent number
107 of spaces, so that you can delete one column of indentation without
108 worrying whether the whitespace consists of spaces or tabs.
112 @vindex lisp-mode-hook
113 @vindex emacs-lisp-mode-hook
114 @vindex lisp-interaction-mode-hook
115 @vindex scheme-mode-hook
116 Entering a programming language mode runs the custom Lisp functions
117 specified in the hook variable @code{prog-mode-hook}, followed by
118 those specified in the mode's own mode hook (@pxref{Major Modes}).
119 For instance, entering C mode runs the hooks @code{prog-mode-hook} and
120 @code{c-mode-hook}. @xref{Hooks}, for information about hooks.
123 Separate manuals are available for the modes for Ada (@pxref{Top,,
124 Ada Mode, ada-mode, Ada Mode}), C/C++/Objective C/Java/Corba
125 IDL/Pike/AWK (@pxref{Top, , CC Mode, ccmode, CC Mode}), and IDLWAVE
126 (@pxref{Top,, IDLWAVE, idlwave, IDLWAVE User Manual}).
129 The Emacs distribution contains Info manuals for the major modes for
130 Ada, C/C++/Objective C/Java/Corba IDL/Pike/AWK, and IDLWAVE@. For
131 Fortran mode, @pxref{Fortran,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
135 @section Top-Level Definitions, or Defuns
137 In Emacs, a major definition at the top level in the buffer, such as
138 a function, is called a @dfn{defun}. The name comes from Lisp, but in
139 Emacs we use it for all languages.
142 * Left Margin Paren:: An open-paren or similar opening delimiter
143 starts a defun if it is at the left margin.
144 * Moving by Defuns:: Commands to move over or mark a major definition.
145 * Imenu:: Making buffer indexes as menus.
146 * Which Function:: Which Function mode shows which function you are in.
149 @node Left Margin Paren
150 @subsection Left Margin Convention
152 @cindex open-parenthesis in leftmost column
153 @cindex ( in leftmost column
154 Many programming-language modes assume by default that any opening
155 delimiter found at the left margin is the start of a top-level
156 definition, or defun. Therefore, @strong{don't put an opening
157 delimiter at the left margin unless it should have that significance}.
158 For instance, never put an open-parenthesis at the left margin in a
159 Lisp file unless it is the start of a top-level list.
161 The convention speeds up many Emacs operations, which would
162 otherwise have to scan back to the beginning of the buffer to analyze
163 the syntax of the code.
165 If you don't follow this convention, not only will you have trouble
166 when you explicitly use the commands for motion by defuns; other
167 features that use them will also give you trouble. This includes the
168 indentation commands (@pxref{Program Indent}) and Font Lock mode
171 The most likely problem case is when you want an opening delimiter
172 at the start of a line inside a string. To avoid trouble, put an
173 escape character (@samp{\}, in C and Emacs Lisp, @samp{/} in some
174 other Lisp dialects) before the opening delimiter. This will not
175 affect the contents of the string, but will prevent that opening
176 delimiter from starting a defun. Here's an example:
184 To help you catch violations of this convention, Font Lock mode
185 highlights confusing opening delimiters (those that ought to be
188 @vindex open-paren-in-column-0-is-defun-start
189 If you need to override this convention, you can do so by setting
190 the variable @code{open-paren-in-column-0-is-defun-start}.
191 If this user option is set to @code{t} (the default), opening
192 parentheses or braces at column zero always start defuns. When it is
193 @code{nil}, defuns are found by searching for parens or braces at the
196 Usually, you should leave this option at its default value of
197 @code{t}. If your buffer contains parentheses or braces in column
198 zero which don't start defuns, and it is somehow impractical to remove
199 these parentheses or braces, it might be helpful to set the option to
200 @code{nil}. Be aware that this might make scrolling and display in
201 large buffers quite sluggish. Furthermore, the parentheses and braces
202 must be correctly matched throughout the buffer for it to work
205 @node Moving by Defuns
206 @subsection Moving by Defuns
209 These commands move point or set up the region based on top-level
210 major definitions, also called @dfn{defuns}.
214 Move to beginning of current or preceding defun
215 (@code{beginning-of-defun}).
217 Move to end of current or following defun (@code{end-of-defun}).
219 Put region around whole current or following defun (@code{mark-defun}).
222 @cindex move to beginning or end of function
223 @cindex function, move to beginning or end
227 @findex beginning-of-defun
230 The commands to move to the beginning and end of the current defun
231 are @kbd{C-M-a} (@code{beginning-of-defun}) and @kbd{C-M-e}
232 (@code{end-of-defun}). If you repeat one of these commands, or use a
233 positive numeric argument, each repetition moves to the next defun in
234 the direction of motion.
236 @kbd{C-M-a} with a negative argument @minus{}@var{n} moves forward
237 @var{n} times to the next beginning of a defun. This is not exactly
238 the same place that @kbd{C-M-e} with argument @var{n} would move to;
239 the end of this defun is not usually exactly the same place as the
240 beginning of the following defun. (Whitespace, comments, and perhaps
241 declarations can separate them.) Likewise, @kbd{C-M-e} with a
242 negative argument moves back to an end of a defun, which is not quite
243 the same as @kbd{C-M-a} with a positive argument.
245 @kindex C-M-h @r{(C mode)}
246 @findex c-mark-function
247 To operate on the current defun, use @kbd{C-M-h}
248 (@code{mark-defun}), which sets the mark at the end of the current
249 defun and puts point at its beginning. @xref{Marking Objects}. This
250 is the easiest way to get ready to kill the defun in order to move it
251 to a different place in the file. If you use the command while point
252 is between defuns, it uses the following defun. If you use the
253 command while the mark is already active, it sets the mark but does
254 not move point; furthermore, each successive use of @kbd{C-M-h}
255 extends the end of the region to include one more defun.
257 In C mode, @kbd{C-M-h} runs the function @code{c-mark-function},
258 which is almost the same as @code{mark-defun}; the difference is that
259 it backs up over the argument declarations, function name and returned
260 data type so that the entire C function is inside the region. This is
261 an example of how major modes adjust the standard key bindings so that
262 they do their standard jobs in a way better fitting a particular
263 language. Other major modes may replace any or all of these key
264 bindings for that purpose.
268 @cindex index of buffer definitions
269 @cindex buffer definitions index
271 The Imenu facility offers a way to find the major definitions in
272 a file by name. It is also useful in text formatter major modes,
273 where it treats each chapter, section, etc., as a definition.
274 (@xref{Xref}, for a more powerful feature that handles multiple files
278 If you type @kbd{M-x imenu}, it reads the name of a definition using
279 the minibuffer, then moves point to that definition. You can use
280 completion to specify the name; the command always displays the whole
283 @findex imenu-add-menubar-index
284 Alternatively, you can bind the command @code{imenu} to a mouse
285 click. Then it displays mouse menus for you to select a definition
286 name. You can also add the buffer's index to the menu bar by calling
287 @code{imenu-add-menubar-index}. If you want to have this menu bar
288 item available for all buffers in a certain major mode, you can do
289 this by adding @code{imenu-add-menubar-index} to its mode hook. But
290 if you have done that, you will have to wait a little while each time
291 you visit a file in that mode, while Emacs finds all the definitions
294 @vindex imenu-auto-rescan
295 When you change the contents of a buffer, if you add or delete
296 definitions, you can update the buffer's index based on the
297 new contents by invoking the @samp{*Rescan*} item in the menu.
298 Rescanning happens automatically if you set @code{imenu-auto-rescan} to
299 a non-@code{nil} value. There is no need to rescan because of small
302 @vindex imenu-sort-function
303 You can customize the way the menus are sorted by setting the
304 variable @code{imenu-sort-function}. By default, names are ordered as
305 they occur in the buffer; if you want alphabetic sorting, use the
306 symbol @code{imenu--sort-by-name} as the value. You can also
307 define your own comparison function by writing Lisp code.
309 Imenu provides the information to guide Which Function mode
311 (@pxref{Which Function}).
316 The Speedbar can also use it (@pxref{Speedbar}).
319 @subsection Which Function Mode
320 @cindex current function name in mode line
322 Which Function mode is a global minor mode (@pxref{Minor Modes})
323 which displays the current function name in the mode line, updating it
324 as you move around in a buffer.
326 @findex which-function-mode
327 @vindex which-func-modes
328 To either enable or disable Which Function mode, use the command
329 @kbd{M-x which-function-mode}. Which Function mode is a global minor
330 mode. By default, it takes effect in all major modes major modes that
331 know how to support it (i.e., all the major modes that support
332 Imenu). You can restrict it to a specific list of major modes by
333 changing the value of the variable @code{which-func-modes} from
334 @code{t} (which means to support all available major modes) to a list
338 @section Indentation for Programs
339 @cindex indentation for programs
341 The best way to keep a program properly indented is to use Emacs to
342 reindent it as you change it. Emacs has commands to indent either a
343 single line, a specified number of lines, or all of the lines inside a
344 single parenthetical grouping.
346 @xref{Indentation}, for general information about indentation. This
347 section describes indentation features specific to programming
351 * Basic Indent:: Indenting a single line.
352 * Multi-line Indent:: Commands to reindent many lines at once.
353 * Lisp Indent:: Specifying how each Lisp function should be indented.
354 * C Indent:: Extra features for indenting C and related modes.
355 * Custom C Indent:: Controlling indentation style for C and related modes.
358 @cindex pretty-printer
359 Emacs also provides a Lisp pretty-printer in the @code{pp} package,
360 which reformats Lisp objects with nice-looking indentation.
363 @subsection Basic Program Indentation Commands
367 Adjust indentation of current line (@code{indent-for-tab-command}).
369 Insert a newline, then adjust indentation of following line
373 @kindex TAB @r{(programming modes)}
374 @findex c-indent-command
375 @findex indent-line-function
376 @findex indent-for-tab-command
377 The basic indentation command is @key{TAB}
378 (@code{indent-for-tab-command}), which was documented in
379 @ref{Indentation}. In programming language modes, @key{TAB} indents
380 the current line, based on the indentation and syntactic content of
381 the preceding lines; if the region is active, @key{TAB} indents each
382 line within the region, not just the current line.
384 The command @key{RET} (@code{newline}), which was documented in
385 @ref{Inserting Text}, does the same as @kbd{C-j} followed by
386 @key{TAB}: it inserts a new line, then adjusts the line's indentation.
388 When indenting a line that starts within a parenthetical grouping,
389 Emacs usually places the start of the line under the preceding line
390 within the group, or under the text after the parenthesis. If you
391 manually give one of these lines a nonstandard indentation (e.g., for
392 aesthetic purposes), the lines below will follow it.
394 The indentation commands for most programming language modes assume
395 that a open-parenthesis, open-brace or other opening delimiter at the
396 left margin is the start of a function. If the code you are editing
397 violates this assumption---even if the delimiters occur in strings or
398 comments---you must set @code{open-paren-in-column-0-is-defun-start}
399 to @code{nil} for indentation to work properly. @xref{Left Margin
402 @node Multi-line Indent
403 @subsection Indenting Several Lines
405 Sometimes, you may want to reindent several lines of code at a time.
406 One way to do this is to use the mark; when the mark is active and the
407 region is non-empty, @key{TAB} indents every line in the region.
408 Alternatively, the command @kbd{C-M-\} (@code{indent-region}) indents
409 every line in the region, whether or not the mark is active
410 (@pxref{Indentation Commands}).
412 In addition, Emacs provides the following commands for indenting
413 large chunks of code:
417 Reindent all the lines within one parenthetical grouping.
419 Shift an entire parenthetical grouping rigidly sideways so that its
420 first line is properly indented.
421 @item M-x indent-code-rigidly
422 Shift all the lines in the region rigidly sideways, but do not alter
423 lines that start inside comments and strings.
427 @findex indent-pp-sexp
428 To reindent the contents of a single parenthetical grouping,
429 position point before the beginning of the grouping and type
430 @kbd{C-M-q}. This changes the relative indentation within the
431 grouping, without affecting its overall indentation (i.e., the
432 indentation of the line where the grouping starts). The function that
433 @kbd{C-M-q} runs depends on the major mode; it is
434 @code{indent-pp-sexp} in Lisp mode, @code{c-indent-exp} in C mode,
435 etc. To correct the overall indentation as well, type @key{TAB}
439 If you like the relative indentation within a grouping but not the
440 indentation of its first line, move point to that first line and type
441 @kbd{C-u @key{TAB}}. In Lisp, C, and some other major modes,
442 @key{TAB} with a numeric argument reindents the current line as usual,
443 then reindents by the same amount all the lines in the parenthetical
444 grouping starting on the current line. It is clever, though, and does
445 not alter lines that start inside strings. Neither does it alter C
446 preprocessor lines when in C mode, but it does reindent any
447 continuation lines that may be attached to them.
449 @findex indent-code-rigidly
450 The command @kbd{M-x indent-code-rigidly} rigidly shifts all the
451 lines in the region sideways, like @code{indent-rigidly} does
452 (@pxref{Indentation Commands}). It doesn't alter the indentation of
453 lines that start inside a string, unless the region also starts inside
454 that string. The prefix arg specifies the number of columns to
458 @subsection Customizing Lisp Indentation
459 @cindex customizing Lisp indentation
461 The indentation pattern for a Lisp expression can depend on the function
462 called by the expression. For each Lisp function, you can choose among
463 several predefined patterns of indentation, or define an arbitrary one with
466 The standard pattern of indentation is as follows: the second line of the
467 expression is indented under the first argument, if that is on the same
468 line as the beginning of the expression; otherwise, the second line is
469 indented underneath the function name. Each following line is indented
470 under the previous line whose nesting depth is the same.
472 @vindex lisp-indent-offset
473 If the variable @code{lisp-indent-offset} is non-@code{nil}, it overrides
474 the usual indentation pattern for the second line of an expression, so that
475 such lines are always indented @code{lisp-indent-offset} more columns than
478 @vindex lisp-body-indent
479 Certain functions override the standard pattern. Functions whose
480 names start with @code{def} treat the second lines as the start of
481 a @dfn{body}, by indenting the second line @code{lisp-body-indent}
482 additional columns beyond the open-parenthesis that starts the
485 @cindex @code{lisp-indent-function} property
486 You can override the standard pattern in various ways for individual
487 functions, according to the @code{lisp-indent-function} property of
488 the function name. This is normally done for macro definitions, using
489 the @code{declare} construct. @xref{Defining Macros,,, elisp, the
490 Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
493 @subsection Commands for C Indentation
495 Here are special features for indentation in C mode and related modes:
499 @kindex C-c C-q @r{(C mode)}
500 @findex c-indent-defun
501 Reindent the current top-level function definition or aggregate type
502 declaration (@code{c-indent-defun}).
505 @kindex C-M-q @r{(C mode)}
507 Reindent each line in the balanced expression that follows point
508 (@code{c-indent-exp}). A prefix argument inhibits warning messages
509 about invalid syntax.
512 @findex c-indent-command
513 Reindent the current line, and/or in some cases insert a tab character
514 (@code{c-indent-command}).
516 @vindex c-tab-always-indent
517 If @code{c-tab-always-indent} is @code{t}, this command always reindents
518 the current line and does nothing else. This is the default.
520 If that variable is @code{nil}, this command reindents the current line
521 only if point is at the left margin or in the line's indentation;
522 otherwise, it inserts a tab (or the equivalent number of spaces,
523 if @code{indent-tabs-mode} is @code{nil}).
525 Any other value (not @code{nil} or @code{t}) means always reindent the
526 line, and also insert a tab if within a comment or a string.
529 To reindent the whole current buffer, type @kbd{C-x h C-M-\}. This
530 first selects the whole buffer as the region, then reindents that
533 To reindent the current block, use @kbd{C-M-u C-M-q}. This moves
534 to the front of the block and then reindents it all.
536 @node Custom C Indent
537 @subsection Customizing C Indentation
538 @cindex style (for indentation)
540 C mode and related modes use a flexible mechanism for customizing
541 indentation. C mode indents a source line in two steps: first it
542 classifies the line syntactically according to its contents and
543 context; second, it determines the indentation offset associated by
544 your selected @dfn{style} with the syntactic construct and adds this
545 onto the indentation of the @dfn{anchor statement}.
548 @item C-c . @var{style} @key{RET}
549 Select a predefined style @var{style} (@code{c-set-style}).
552 A @dfn{style} is a named collection of customizations that can be
553 used in C mode and the related modes. @ref{Styles,,, ccmode, The CC
554 Mode Manual}, for a complete description. Emacs comes with several
555 predefined styles, including @code{gnu}, @code{k&r}, @code{bsd},
556 @code{stroustrup}, @code{linux}, @code{python}, @code{java},
557 @code{whitesmith}, @code{ellemtel}, and @code{awk}. Some of these
558 styles are primarily intended for one language, but any of them can be
559 used with any of the languages supported by these modes. To find out
560 what a style looks like, select it and reindent some code, e.g., by
561 typing @kbd{C-M-q} at the start of a function definition.
563 @kindex C-c . @r{(C mode)}
565 To choose a style for the current buffer, use the command @w{@kbd{C-c
566 .}}. Specify a style name as an argument (case is not significant).
567 This command affects the current buffer only, and it affects only
568 future invocations of the indentation commands; it does not reindent
569 the code already in the buffer. To reindent the whole buffer in the
570 new style, you can type @kbd{C-x h C-M-\}.
572 @vindex c-default-style
573 You can also set the variable @code{c-default-style} to specify the
574 default style for various major modes. Its value should be either the
575 style's name (a string) or an alist, in which each element specifies
576 one major mode and which indentation style to use for it. For
580 (setq c-default-style
581 '((java-mode . "java")
587 specifies explicit choices for Java and AWK modes, and the default
588 @samp{gnu} style for the other C-like modes. (These settings are
589 actually the defaults.) This variable takes effect when you select
590 one of the C-like major modes; thus, if you specify a new default
591 style for Java mode, you can make it take effect in an existing Java
592 mode buffer by typing @kbd{M-x java-mode} there.
594 The @code{gnu} style specifies the formatting recommended by the GNU
595 Project for C; it is the default, so as to encourage use of our
598 @xref{Indentation Engine Basics,,, ccmode, the CC Mode Manual}, and
599 @ref{Customizing Indentation,,, ccmode, the CC Mode Manual}, for more
600 information on customizing indentation for C and related modes,
601 including how to override parts of an existing style and how to define
605 @findex c-guess-install
606 As an alternative to specifying a style, you can tell Emacs to guess
607 a style by typing @kbd{M-x c-guess} in a sample code buffer. You can
608 then apply the guessed style to other buffers with @kbd{M-x
609 c-guess-install}. @xref{Guessing the Style,,, ccmode, the CC Mode
610 Manual}, for details.
613 @section Commands for Editing with Parentheses
616 @cindex unbalanced parentheses and quotes
617 This section describes the commands and features that take advantage
618 of the parenthesis structure in a program, or help you keep it
621 When talking about these facilities, the term ``parenthesis'' also
622 includes braces, brackets, or whatever delimiters are defined to match
623 in pairs. The major mode controls which delimiters are significant,
624 through the syntax table (@pxref{Syntax Tables,, Syntax Tables, elisp,
625 The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}). In Lisp, only parentheses count;
626 in C, these commands apply to braces and brackets too.
628 You can use @kbd{M-x check-parens} to find any unbalanced
629 parentheses and unbalanced string quotes in the buffer.
632 * Expressions:: Expressions with balanced parentheses.
633 * Moving by Parens:: Commands for moving up, down and across
634 in the structure of parentheses.
635 * Matching:: Insertion of a close-delimiter flashes matching open.
639 @subsection Expressions with Balanced Parentheses
643 @cindex balanced expression
644 Each programming language mode has its own definition of a
645 @dfn{balanced expression}. Balanced expressions typically include
646 individual symbols, numbers, and string constants, as well as pieces
647 of code enclosed in a matching pair of delimiters. The following
648 commands deal with balanced expressions (in Emacs, such expressions
649 are referred to internally as @dfn{sexps}@footnote{The word ``sexp''
650 is used to refer to an expression in Lisp.}).
654 Move forward over a balanced expression (@code{forward-sexp}).
656 Move backward over a balanced expression (@code{backward-sexp}).
658 Kill balanced expression forward (@code{kill-sexp}).
660 Transpose expressions (@code{transpose-sexps}).
663 Put mark after following expression (@code{mark-sexp}).
669 @findex backward-sexp
670 To move forward over a balanced expression, use @kbd{C-M-f}
671 (@code{forward-sexp}). If the first significant character after point
672 is an opening delimiter (e.g., @samp{(}, @samp{[} or @samp{@{} in C),
673 this command moves past the matching closing delimiter. If the
674 character begins a symbol, string, or number, the command moves over
677 The command @kbd{C-M-b} (@code{backward-sexp}) moves backward over a
678 balanced expression---like @kbd{C-M-f}, but in the reverse direction.
679 If the expression is preceded by any prefix characters (single-quote,
680 backquote and comma, in Lisp), the command moves back over them as
683 @kbd{C-M-f} or @kbd{C-M-b} with an argument repeats that operation
684 the specified number of times; with a negative argument means to move
685 in the opposite direction. In most modes, these two commands move
686 across comments as if they were whitespace. Note that their keys,
687 @kbd{C-M-f} and @kbd{C-M-b}, are analogous to @kbd{C-f} and @kbd{C-b},
688 which move by characters (@pxref{Moving Point}), and @kbd{M-f} and
689 @kbd{M-b}, which move by words (@pxref{Words}).
691 @cindex killing expressions
694 To kill a whole balanced expression, type @kbd{C-M-k}
695 (@code{kill-sexp}). This kills the text that @kbd{C-M-f} would move
698 @cindex transposition of expressions
700 @findex transpose-sexps
701 @kbd{C-M-t} (@code{transpose-sexps}) switches the positions of the
702 previous balanced expression and the next one. It is analogous to the
703 @kbd{C-t} command, which transposes characters (@pxref{Transpose}).
704 An argument to @kbd{C-M-t} serves as a repeat count, moving the
705 previous expression over that many following ones. A negative
706 argument moves the previous balanced expression backwards across those
707 before it. An argument of zero, rather than doing nothing, transposes
708 the balanced expressions ending at or after point and the mark.
711 @kindex C-M-@key{SPC}
713 To operate on balanced expressions with a command which acts on the
714 region, type @kbd{C-M-@key{SPC}} (@code{mark-sexp}). This sets the
715 mark where @kbd{C-M-f} would move to. While the mark is active, each
716 successive call to this command extends the region by shifting the
717 mark by one expression. Positive or negative numeric arguments move
718 the mark forward or backward by the specified number of expressions.
719 The alias @kbd{C-M-@@} is equivalent to @kbd{C-M-@key{SPC}}.
720 @xref{Marking Objects}, for more information about this and related
723 In languages that use infix operators, such as C, it is not possible
724 to recognize all balanced expressions because there can be multiple
725 possibilities at a given position. For example, C mode does not treat
726 @samp{foo + bar} as a single expression, even though it @emph{is} one
727 C expression; instead, it recognizes @samp{foo} as one expression and
728 @samp{bar} as another, with the @samp{+} as punctuation between them.
729 However, C mode recognizes @samp{(foo + bar)} as a single expression,
730 because of the parentheses.
732 @node Moving by Parens
733 @subsection Moving in the Parenthesis Structure
735 @cindex parenthetical groupings
736 @cindex parentheses, moving across
737 @cindex matching parenthesis and braces, moving to
738 @cindex braces, moving across
739 @cindex list commands
741 The following commands move over groupings delimited by parentheses
742 (or whatever else serves as delimiters in the language you are working
743 with). They ignore strings and comments, including any parentheses
744 within them, and also ignore parentheses that are quoted with an
745 escape character. These commands are mainly intended for editing
746 programs, but can be useful for editing any text containing
747 parentheses. They are referred to internally as ``list commands''
748 because in Lisp these groupings are lists.
750 These commands assume that the starting point is not inside a string
751 or a comment. If you invoke them from inside a string or comment, the
752 results are unreliable.
756 Move forward over a parenthetical group (@code{forward-list}).
758 Move backward over a parenthetical group (@code{backward-list}).
760 Move up in parenthesis structure (@code{backward-up-list}).
762 Move down in parenthesis structure (@code{down-list}).
768 @findex backward-list
769 The list commands @kbd{C-M-n} (@code{forward-list}) and
770 @kbd{C-M-p} (@code{backward-list}) move forward or backward over one
771 (or @var{n}) parenthetical groupings.
774 @findex backward-up-list
775 @kbd{C-M-n} and @kbd{C-M-p} try to stay at the same level in the
776 parenthesis structure. To move @emph{up} one (or @var{n}) levels, use
777 @kbd{C-M-u} (@code{backward-up-list}). @kbd{C-M-u} moves backward up
778 past one unmatched opening delimiter. A positive argument serves as a
779 repeat count; a negative argument reverses the direction of motion, so
780 that the command moves forward and up one or more levels.
784 To move @emph{down} in the parenthesis structure, use @kbd{C-M-d}
785 (@code{down-list}). In Lisp mode, where @samp{(} is the only opening
786 delimiter, this is nearly the same as searching for a @samp{(}. An
787 argument specifies the number of levels to go down.
790 @subsection Matching Parentheses
791 @cindex matching parentheses
792 @cindex parentheses, displaying matches
794 Emacs has a number of @dfn{parenthesis matching} features, which
795 make it easy to see how and whether parentheses (or other delimiters)
798 Whenever you type a self-inserting character that is a closing
799 delimiter, Emacs briefly indicates the location of the matching
800 opening delimiter, provided that is on the screen. If it is not on
801 the screen, Emacs displays some of the text near it in the echo area.
802 Either way, you can tell which grouping you are closing off. If the
803 opening delimiter and closing delimiter are mismatched---such as in
804 @samp{[x)}---a warning message is displayed in the echo area.
806 @vindex blink-matching-paren
807 @vindex blink-matching-paren-distance
808 @vindex blink-matching-delay
809 Three variables control the display of matching parentheses:
813 @code{blink-matching-paren} turns the feature on or off: @code{nil}
814 disables it, but the default is @code{t} to enable it. Set it to
815 @code{jump} to make indication work by momentarily moving the cursor
816 to the matching opening delimiter. Set it to @code{jump-offscreen} to
817 make the cursor jump, even if the opening delimiter is off screen.
820 @code{blink-matching-delay} says how many seconds to keep indicating
821 the matching opening delimiter. This may be an integer or
822 floating-point number; the default is 1.
825 @code{blink-matching-paren-distance} specifies how many characters
826 back to search to find the matching opening delimiter. If the match
827 is not found in that distance, Emacs stops scanning and nothing is
828 displayed. The default is 102400.
831 @cindex Show Paren mode
832 @cindex highlighting matching parentheses
833 @findex show-paren-mode
834 Show Paren mode, a global minor mode, provides a more powerful kind
835 of automatic matching. Whenever point is before an opening delimiter
836 or after a closing delimiter, the delimiter, its matching delimiter,
837 and optionally the text between them are highlighted. To toggle Show
838 Paren mode, type @kbd{M-x show-paren-mode}. To customize it, type
839 @kbd{M-x customize-group @key{RET} paren-showing}. The customizable
840 options which control the operation of this mode include:
844 @code{show-paren-highlight-open-paren} controls whether to highlight
845 an open paren when point stands just before it, and hence its position
846 is marked by the cursor anyway. The default is non-@code{nil} (yes).
849 @code{show-paren-style} controls whether just the two parens, or also
850 the space between them get highlighted. The valid options here are
851 @code{parenthesis} (show the matching paren), @code{expression}
852 (highlight the entire expression enclosed by the parens), and
853 @code{mixed} (highlight the matching paren if it is visible, the
854 expression otherwise).
857 @code{show-paren-when-point-inside-paren}, when non-@code{nil}, causes
858 highlighting also when point is on the inside of a parenthesis.
861 @code{show-paren-when-point-in-periphery}, when non-@code{nil}, causes
862 highlighting also when point is in whitespace at the beginning or end
863 of a line, and there is a paren at, respectively, the first or last,
864 or the last, non-whitespace position on the line.
867 @cindex Electric Pair mode
868 @cindex inserting matching parentheses
869 @findex electric-pair-mode
870 Electric Pair mode, a global minor mode, provides a way to easily
871 insert matching delimiters. Whenever you insert an opening delimiter,
872 the matching closing delimiter is automatically inserted as well,
873 leaving point between the two. Conversely, when you insert a closing
874 delimiter over an existing one, no inserting takes places and that
875 position is simply skipped over. These variables control additional
876 features of Electric Pair mode:
880 @vindex electric-pair-preserve-balance
881 @code{electric-pair-preserve-balance}, when non-@code{nil}, makes the
882 default pairing logic balance out the number of opening and closing
886 @vindex electric-pair-delete-adjacent-pairs
887 @code{electric-pair-delete-adjacent-pairs}, when non-@code{nil}, makes
888 backspacing between two adjacent delimiters also automatically delete
889 the closing delimiter.
892 @vindex electric-pair-open-newline-between-pairs
893 @code{electric-pair-open-newline-between-pairs}, when non-@code{nil},
894 makes inserting a newline between two adjacent pairs also
895 automatically open an extra newline after point.
898 @vindex electric-pair-skip-whitespace
899 @code{electric-pair-skip-whitespace}, when non-@code{nil}, causes the minor
900 mode to skip whitespace forward before deciding whether to skip over
901 the closing delimiter.
904 To toggle Electric Pair mode, type @kbd{M-x electric-pair-mode}. To
905 toggle the mode in a single buffer, use @kbd{M-x
906 electric-pair-local-mode}.
909 @section Manipulating Comments
912 Because comments are such an important part of programming, Emacs
913 provides special commands for editing and inserting comments. It can
914 also do spell checking on comments with Flyspell Prog mode
917 Some major modes have special rules for indenting different kinds of
918 comments. For example, in Lisp code, comments starting with two
919 semicolons are indented as if they were lines of code, while those
920 starting with three semicolons are supposed to be aligned to the left
921 margin and are often used for sectioning purposes. Emacs understand
922 these conventions; for instance, typing @key{TAB} on a comment line
923 will indent the comment to the appropriate position.
926 ;; This function is just an example.
927 ;;; Here either two or three semicolons are appropriate.
929 ;;; And now, the first part of the function:
930 ;; The following line adds one.
931 (1+ x)) ; This line adds one.
935 * Comment Commands:: Inserting, killing, and aligning comments.
936 * Multi-Line Comments:: Commands for adding and editing multi-line comments.
937 * Options for Comments::Customizing the comment features.
940 @node Comment Commands
941 @subsection Comment Commands
942 @cindex indentation for comments
943 @cindex alignment for comments
945 The following commands operate on comments:
949 Insert or realign comment on current line; if the region is active,
950 comment or uncomment the region instead (@code{comment-dwim}).
952 Comment or uncomment the current line (@code{comment-line}).
954 Kill comment on current line (@code{comment-kill}).
956 Set comment column (@code{comment-set-column}).
959 Like @key{RET} followed by inserting and aligning a comment
960 (@code{comment-indent-new-line}). @xref{Multi-Line Comments}.
961 @item @kbd{M-x comment-region}
962 @itemx @kbd{C-c C-c} (in C-like modes)
963 Add comment delimiters to all the lines in the region.
968 The command to create or align a comment is @kbd{M-;}
969 (@code{comment-dwim}). The word ``dwim'' is an acronym for ``Do What
970 I Mean''; it indicates that this command can be used for many
971 different jobs relating to comments, depending on the situation where
974 When a region is active (@pxref{Mark}), @kbd{M-;} either adds
975 comment delimiters to the region, or removes them. If every line in
976 the region is already a comment, it uncomments each of those lines
977 by removing their comment delimiters. Otherwise, it adds comment
978 delimiters to enclose the text in the region.
980 If you supply a prefix argument to @kbd{M-;} when a region is
981 active, that specifies the number of comment delimiters to add or
982 delete. A positive argument @var{n} adds @var{n} delimiters, while a
983 negative argument @var{-n} removes @var{n} delimiters.
985 If the region is not active, and there is no existing comment on the
986 current line, @kbd{M-;} adds a new comment to the current line. If
987 the line is blank (i.e., empty or containing only whitespace
988 characters), the comment is indented to the same position where
989 @key{TAB} would indent to (@pxref{Basic Indent}). If the line is
990 non-blank, the comment is placed after the last non-whitespace
991 character on the line; normally, Emacs tries putting it at the column
992 specified by the variable @code{comment-column} (@pxref{Options for
993 Comments}), but if the line already extends past that column, it puts
994 the comment at some suitable position, usually separated from the
995 non-comment text by at least one space. In each case, Emacs places
996 point after the comment's starting delimiter, so that you can start
997 typing the comment text right away.
999 You can also use @kbd{M-;} to align an existing comment. If a line
1000 already contains the comment-start string, @kbd{M-;} realigns it to
1001 the conventional alignment and moves point after the comment's
1002 starting delimiter. As an exception, comments starting in column 0
1003 are not moved. Even when an existing comment is properly aligned,
1004 @kbd{M-;} is still useful for moving directly to the start of the
1007 @findex comment-line
1009 @kbd{C-x C-;} (@code{comment-line}) comments or uncomments complete
1010 lines. When a region is active (@pxref{Mark}), @kbd{C-x C-;} either
1011 comments or uncomments the lines in the region. If the region is not
1012 active, this command comments or uncomments the line point is on.
1013 With a positive prefix argument @var{n}, it operates on @var{n} lines
1014 starting with the current one; with a negative @var{n}, it affects
1015 @var{n} preceding lines. After invoking this command with a negative
1016 argument, successive invocations with a positive argument will operate
1017 on preceding lines as if the argument were negated.
1019 @findex comment-kill
1021 @kbd{C-u M-;} (@code{comment-dwim} with a prefix argument) kills any
1022 comment on the current line, along with the whitespace before it.
1023 Since the comment is saved to the kill ring, you can reinsert it on
1024 another line by moving to the end of that line, doing @kbd{C-y}, and
1025 then @kbd{M-;} to realign the comment. You can achieve the same
1026 effect as @kbd{C-u M-;} by typing @kbd{M-x comment-kill}
1027 (@code{comment-dwim} actually calls @code{comment-kill} as a
1028 subroutine when it is given a prefix argument).
1030 @kindex C-c C-c (C mode)
1031 @findex comment-region
1032 @findex uncomment-region
1033 The command @kbd{M-x comment-region} is equivalent to calling
1034 @kbd{M-;} on an active region, except that it always acts on the
1035 region, even if the mark is inactive. In C mode and related modes,
1036 this command is bound to @kbd{C-c C-c}. The command @kbd{M-x
1037 uncomment-region} uncomments each line in the region; a numeric prefix
1038 argument specifies the number of comment delimiters to remove
1039 (negative arguments specify the number of comment to delimiters to
1042 For C-like modes, you can configure the exact effect of @kbd{M-;} by
1043 setting the variables @code{c-indent-comment-alist} and
1044 @code{c-indent-comments-syntactically-p}. For example, on a line
1045 ending in a closing brace, @kbd{M-;} puts the comment one space after
1046 the brace rather than at @code{comment-column}. For full details see
1047 @ref{Comment Commands,,, ccmode, The CC Mode Manual}.
1049 @node Multi-Line Comments
1050 @subsection Multiple Lines of Comments
1054 @cindex blank lines in programs
1055 @findex comment-indent-new-line
1056 @vindex comment-multi-line
1057 If you are typing a comment and wish to continue it to another line,
1058 type @kbd{M-j} or @kbd{C-M-j} (@code{comment-indent-new-line}). This
1059 breaks the current line, and inserts the necessary comment delimiters
1060 and indentation to continue the comment.
1062 For languages with closing comment delimiters (e.g., @samp{*/} in
1063 C), the exact behavior of @kbd{M-j} depends on the value of the
1064 variable @code{comment-multi-line}. If the value is @code{nil}, the
1065 command closes the comment on the old line and starts a new comment on
1066 the new line. Otherwise, it opens a new line within the current
1069 When Auto Fill mode is on, going past the fill column while typing a
1070 comment also continues the comment, in the same way as an explicit
1071 invocation of @kbd{M-j}.
1073 To turn existing lines into comment lines, use @kbd{M-;} with the
1074 region active, or use @kbd{M-x comment-region}
1076 (@pxref{Comment Commands}).
1079 as described in the preceding section.
1082 You can configure C Mode such that when you type a @samp{/} at the
1083 start of a line in a multi-line block comment, this closes the
1084 comment. Enable the @code{comment-close-slash} clean-up for this.
1085 @xref{Clean-ups,,, ccmode, The CC Mode Manual}.
1087 @node Options for Comments
1088 @subsection Options Controlling Comments
1090 @vindex comment-column
1092 @findex comment-set-column
1093 As mentioned in @ref{Comment Commands}, when the @kbd{M-j} command
1094 adds a comment to a line, it tries to place the comment at the column
1095 specified by the buffer-local variable @code{comment-column}. You can
1096 set either the local value or the default value of this buffer-local
1097 variable in the usual way (@pxref{Locals}). Alternatively, you can
1098 type @kbd{C-x ;} (@code{comment-set-column}) to set the value of
1099 @code{comment-column} in the current buffer to the column where point
1100 is currently located. @kbd{C-u C-x ;} sets the comment column to
1101 match the last comment before point in the buffer, and then does a
1102 @kbd{M-;} to align the current line's comment under the previous one.
1104 @vindex comment-start-skip
1105 The comment commands recognize comments based on the regular
1106 expression that is the value of the variable @code{comment-start-skip}.
1107 Make sure this regexp does not match the null string. It may match more
1108 than the comment starting delimiter in the strictest sense of the word;
1109 for example, in C mode the value of the variable is
1110 @c This stops M-q from breaking the line inside that @code.
1111 @code{@w{"\\(//+\\|/\\*+\\)\\s *"}}, which matches extra stars and
1112 spaces after the @samp{/*} itself, and accepts C++ style comments
1113 also. (Note that @samp{\\} is needed in Lisp syntax to include a
1114 @samp{\} in the string, which is needed to deny the first star its
1115 special meaning in regexp syntax. @xref{Regexp Backslash}.)
1117 @vindex comment-start
1119 When a comment command makes a new comment, it inserts the value of
1120 @code{comment-start} as an opening comment delimiter. It also inserts
1121 the value of @code{comment-end} after point, as a closing comment
1122 delimiter. For example, in Lisp mode, @code{comment-start} is
1123 @samp{";"} and @code{comment-end} is @code{""} (the empty string). In
1124 C mode, @code{comment-start} is @code{"/* "} and @code{comment-end} is
1127 @vindex comment-padding
1128 The variable @code{comment-padding} specifies a string that the
1129 commenting commands should insert between the comment delimiter(s) and
1130 the comment text. The default, @samp{" "}, specifies a single space.
1131 Alternatively, the value can be a number, which specifies that number
1132 of spaces, or @code{nil}, which means no spaces at all.
1134 The variable @code{comment-multi-line} controls how @kbd{M-j} and
1135 Auto Fill mode continue comments over multiple lines.
1136 @xref{Multi-Line Comments}.
1138 @vindex comment-indent-function
1139 The variable @code{comment-indent-function} should contain a function
1140 that will be called to compute the alignment for a newly inserted
1141 comment or for aligning an existing comment. It is set differently by
1142 various major modes. The function is called with no arguments, but with
1143 point at the beginning of the comment, or at the end of a line if a new
1144 comment is to be inserted. It should return the column in which the
1145 comment ought to start. For example, in Lisp mode, the indent hook
1146 function bases its decision on how many semicolons begin an existing
1147 comment, and on the code in the preceding lines.
1150 @section Documentation Lookup
1152 Emacs provides several features you can use to look up the
1153 documentation of functions, variables and commands that you plan to
1154 use in your program.
1157 * Info Lookup:: Looking up library functions and commands in Info files.
1158 * Man Page:: Looking up man pages of library functions and commands.
1159 * Lisp Doc:: Looking up Emacs Lisp functions, etc.
1163 @subsection Info Documentation Lookup
1165 @findex info-lookup-symbol
1166 @findex info-lookup-file
1168 For major modes that apply to languages which have documentation in
1169 Info, you can use @kbd{C-h S} (@code{info-lookup-symbol}) to view the
1170 Info documentation for a symbol used in the program. You specify the
1171 symbol with the minibuffer; the default is the symbol appearing in the
1172 buffer at point. For example, in C mode this looks for the symbol in
1173 the C Library Manual. The command only works if the appropriate
1174 manual's Info files are installed.
1176 The major mode determines where to look for documentation for the
1177 symbol---which Info files to look in, and which indices to search.
1178 You can also use @kbd{M-x info-lookup-file} to look for documentation
1181 If you use @kbd{C-h S} in a major mode that does not support it,
1182 it asks you to specify the symbol help mode. You should enter
1183 a command such as @code{c-mode} that would select a major
1184 mode which @kbd{C-h S} does support.
1187 @subsection Man Page Lookup
1190 On Unix, the main form of on-line documentation was the @dfn{manual
1191 page} or @dfn{man page}. In the GNU operating system, we aim to
1192 replace man pages with better-organized manuals that you can browse
1193 with Info (@pxref{Misc Help}). This process is not finished, so it is
1194 still useful to read manual pages.
1197 You can read the man page for an operating system command, library
1198 function, or system call, with the @kbd{M-x man} command. This
1199 prompts for a topic, with completion (@pxref{Completion}), and runs
1200 the @command{man} program to format the corresponding man page. If
1201 the system permits, it runs @command{man} asynchronously, so that you
1202 can keep on editing while the page is being formatted. The result
1203 goes in a buffer named @file{*Man @var{topic}*}. These buffers use a
1204 special major mode, Man mode, that facilitates scrolling and jumping
1205 to other manual pages. For details, type @kbd{C-h m} while in a Man
1208 @cindex sections of manual pages
1209 Each man page belongs to one of ten or more @dfn{sections}, each
1210 named by a digit or by a digit and a letter. Sometimes there are man
1211 pages with the same name in different sections. To read a man page
1212 from a specific section, type @samp{@var{topic}(@var{section})} or
1213 @samp{@var{section} @var{topic}} when @kbd{M-x man} prompts for the
1214 topic. For example, the man page for the C library function
1215 @code{chmod} is in section 2, but there is a shell command of the same
1216 name, whose man page is in section 1; to view the former, type
1217 @w{@kbd{M-x man @key{RET} chmod(2) @key{RET}}}.
1219 @vindex Man-switches
1220 @kindex M-n @r{(Man mode)}
1221 @kindex M-p @r{(Man mode)}
1222 If you do not specify a section, @kbd{M-x man} normally displays
1223 only the first man page found. On some systems, the @code{man}
1224 program accepts a @samp{-a} command-line option, which tells it to
1225 display all the man pages for the specified topic. To make use of
1226 this, change the value of the variable @code{Man-switches} to
1227 @samp{"-a"}. Then, in the Man mode buffer, you can type @kbd{M-n} and
1228 @kbd{M-p} to switch between man pages in different sections. The mode
1229 line shows how many manual pages are available.
1232 @cindex manual pages, on MS-DOS/MS-Windows
1233 An alternative way of reading manual pages is the @kbd{M-x woman}
1234 command. Unlike @kbd{M-x man}, it does not run any external programs
1235 to format and display the man pages; the formatting is done by Emacs,
1236 so it works on systems such as MS-Windows where the @command{man}
1237 program may be unavailable. It prompts for a man page, and displays
1238 it in a buffer named @file{*WoMan @var{section} @var{topic}}.
1240 @kbd{M-x woman} computes the completion list for manpages the first
1241 time you invoke the command. With a numeric argument, it recomputes
1242 this list; this is useful if you add or delete manual pages.
1244 If you type a name of a manual page and @kbd{M-x woman} finds that
1245 several manual pages by the same name exist in different sections, it
1246 pops up a window with possible candidates asking you to choose one of
1249 For more information about setting up and using @kbd{M-x woman}, see
1251 @ref{Top, WoMan, Browse UN*X Manual Pages WithOut Man, woman, The
1255 the WoMan Info manual, which is distributed with Emacs.
1259 @subsection Emacs Lisp Documentation Lookup
1261 When editing Emacs Lisp code, you can use the commands @kbd{C-h f}
1262 (@code{describe-function}) and @kbd{C-h v} (@code{describe-variable})
1263 to view the built-in documentation for the Lisp functions and
1264 variables that you want to use. @xref{Name Help}.
1268 @findex global-eldoc-mode
1269 Eldoc is a buffer-local minor mode that helps with looking up Lisp
1270 documentation. When it is enabled, the echo area displays some useful
1271 information whenever there is a Lisp function or variable at point;
1272 for a function, it shows the argument list, and for a variable it
1273 shows the first line of the variable's documentation string. To
1274 toggle Eldoc mode, type @kbd{M-x eldoc-mode}. There's also a Global
1275 Eldoc mode, which is turned on by default, and affects buffers, such
1276 as @samp{*scratch*}, whose major mode is Emacs Lisp or Lisp
1277 Interaction (@w{@kbd{M-x global-eldoc-mode}} to turn it off globally).
1280 @section Hideshow minor mode
1281 @cindex Hideshow mode
1282 @cindex mode, Hideshow
1284 @findex hs-minor-mode
1285 Hideshow mode is a buffer-local minor mode that allows you to
1286 selectively display portions of a program, which are referred to as
1287 @dfn{blocks}. Type @kbd{M-x hs-minor-mode} to toggle this minor mode
1288 (@pxref{Minor Modes}).
1290 When you use Hideshow mode to hide a block, the block disappears
1291 from the screen, to be replaced by an ellipsis (three periods in a
1292 row). Just what constitutes a block depends on the major mode. In C
1293 mode and related modes, blocks are delimited by braces, while in Lisp
1294 mode they are delimited by parentheses. Multi-line comments also
1297 Hideshow mode provides the following commands:
1300 @findex hs-hide-block
1302 @findex hs-show-block
1303 @findex hs-show-region
1304 @findex hs-hide-level
1305 @findex hs-minor-mode
1308 @kindex C-c @@ C-M-h
1309 @kindex C-c @@ C-M-s
1315 Hide the current block (@code{hs-hide-block}).
1317 Show the current block (@code{hs-show-block}).
1319 Either hide or show the current block (@code{hs-toggle-hiding}).
1321 Toggle hiding for the block you click on (@code{hs-mouse-toggle-hiding}).
1323 Hide all top-level blocks (@code{hs-hide-all}).
1325 Show all blocks in the buffer (@code{hs-show-all}).
1327 Hide all blocks @var{n} levels below this block
1328 (@code{hs-hide-level}).
1331 @vindex hs-hide-comments-when-hiding-all
1332 @vindex hs-isearch-open
1333 @vindex hs-special-modes-alist
1334 These variables can be used to customize Hideshow mode:
1337 @item hs-hide-comments-when-hiding-all
1338 If non-@code{nil}, @kbd{C-c @@ C-M-h} (@code{hs-hide-all}) hides
1341 @item hs-isearch-open
1342 This variable specifies the conditions under which incremental search
1343 should unhide a hidden block when matching text occurs within the
1344 block. Its value should be either @code{code} (unhide only code
1345 blocks), @code{comment} (unhide only comments), @code{t} (unhide both
1346 code blocks and comments), or @code{nil} (unhide neither code blocks
1347 nor comments). The default value is @code{code}.
1350 @node Symbol Completion
1351 @section Completion for Symbol Names
1352 @cindex completion (symbol names)
1354 Completion is normally done in the minibuffer (@pxref{Completion}),
1355 but you can also complete symbol names in ordinary Emacs buffers.
1359 In programming language modes, type @kbd{C-M-i} or @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}
1360 to complete the partial symbol before point. On graphical displays,
1361 the @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} key is usually reserved by the window manager
1362 for switching graphical windows, so you should type @kbd{C-M-i} or
1363 @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{TAB}} instead.
1365 @cindex tags-based completion
1366 @findex completion-at-point
1367 @cindex Lisp symbol completion
1368 @cindex completion (Lisp symbols)
1369 In most programming language modes, @kbd{C-M-i} (or
1370 @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}) invokes the command @code{completion-at-point},
1371 which generates its completion list in a flexible way. If Semantic
1372 mode is enabled, it tries to use the Semantic parser data for
1373 completion (@pxref{Semantic}). If Semantic mode is not enabled or
1374 fails at performing completion, it tries to complete using the
1375 selected tags table (@pxref{Tags Tables}). If in Emacs Lisp mode, it
1376 performs completion using the function, variable, or property names
1377 defined in the current Emacs session.
1379 In all other respects, in-buffer symbol completion behaves like
1380 minibuffer completion. For instance, if Emacs cannot complete to a
1381 unique symbol, it displays a list of completion alternatives in
1382 another window. @xref{Completion}.
1384 In Text mode and related modes, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} completes words
1385 based on the spell-checker's dictionary. @xref{Spelling}.
1387 @node MixedCase Words
1388 @section MixedCase Words
1391 Some programming styles make use of mixed-case (or ``CamelCase'')
1392 symbols like @samp{unReadableSymbol}. (In the GNU project, we recommend
1393 using underscores to separate words within an identifier, rather than
1394 using case distinctions.) Emacs has various features to make it easier
1395 to deal with such symbols.
1397 @cindex Glasses mode
1398 @findex mode, Glasses
1399 Glasses mode is a buffer-local minor mode that makes it easier to read
1400 such symbols, by altering how they are displayed. By default, it
1401 displays extra underscores between each lower-case letter and the
1402 following capital letter. This does not alter the buffer text, only how
1405 To toggle Glasses mode, type @kbd{M-x glasses-mode} (@pxref{Minor
1406 Modes}). When Glasses mode is enabled, the minor mode indicator
1407 @samp{o^o} appears in the mode line. For more information about
1408 Glasses mode, type @kbd{C-h P glasses @key{RET}}.
1410 @cindex Subword mode
1411 @findex subword-mode
1412 Subword mode is another buffer-local minor mode. In subword mode,
1413 Emacs's word commands recognize upper case letters in
1414 @samp{StudlyCapsIdentifiers} as word boundaries. When Subword mode is
1415 enabled, the minor mode indicator @samp{,} appears in the mode line.
1416 See also the similar @code{superword-mode} (@pxref{Misc for Programs}).
1420 @cindex Semantic package
1422 Semantic is a package that provides language-aware editing commands
1423 based on @code{source code parsers}. This section provides a brief
1424 description of Semantic; for full details,
1426 see @ref{Top, Semantic,, semantic, Semantic}.
1429 see the Semantic Info manual, which is distributed with Emacs.
1432 Most of the language-aware features in Emacs, such as Font Lock
1433 mode (@pxref{Font Lock}), rely on rules of thumb@footnote{Regular
1434 expressions and syntax tables.} that usually give good results but are
1435 never completely exact. In contrast, the parsers used by Semantic
1436 have an exact understanding of programming language syntax. This
1437 allows Semantic to provide search, navigation, and completion commands
1438 that are powerful and precise.
1440 @cindex Semantic mode
1441 @cindex mode, Semantic
1442 To begin using Semantic, type @kbd{M-x semantic-mode} or click on
1443 the menu item named @samp{Source Code Parsers (Semantic)} in the
1444 @samp{Tools} menu. This enables Semantic mode, a global minor mode.
1446 When Semantic mode is enabled, Emacs automatically attempts to
1447 parse each file you visit. Currently, Semantic understands C, C++,
1448 Scheme, Javascript, Java, HTML, and Make. Within each parsed buffer,
1449 the following commands are available:
1454 Prompt for the name of a function defined in the current file, and
1455 move point there (@code{semantic-complete-jump-local}).
1459 Prompt for the name of a function defined in any file Emacs has
1460 parsed, and move point there (@code{semantic-complete-jump}).
1462 @item C-c , @key{SPC}
1463 @kindex C-c , @key{SPC}
1464 Display a list of possible completions for the symbol at point
1465 (@code{semantic-complete-analyze-inline}). This also activates a set
1466 of special key bindings for choosing a completion: @key{RET} accepts
1467 the current completion, @kbd{M-n} and @kbd{M-p} cycle through possible
1468 completions, @key{TAB} completes as far as possible and then cycles,
1469 and @kbd{C-g} or any other key aborts completion.
1473 Display a list of the possible completions of the symbol at point, in
1474 another window (@code{semantic-analyze-possible-completions}).
1478 In addition to the above commands, the Semantic package provides a
1479 variety of other ways to make use of parser information. For
1480 instance, you can use it to display a list of completions when Emacs
1483 @xref{Top, Semantic,, semantic, Semantic}, for details.
1486 @node Misc for Programs
1487 @section Other Features Useful for Editing Programs
1489 Some Emacs commands that aren't designed specifically for editing
1490 programs are useful for that nonetheless.
1492 The Emacs commands that operate on words, sentences and paragraphs
1493 are useful for editing code. Most symbols names contain words
1494 (@pxref{Words}), while sentences can be found in strings and comments
1495 (@pxref{Sentences}). As for paragraphs, they are defined in most
1496 programming language modes to begin and end at blank lines
1497 (@pxref{Paragraphs}). Therefore, judicious use of blank lines to make
1498 the program clearer will also provide useful chunks of text for the
1499 paragraph commands to work on. Auto Fill mode, if enabled in a
1500 programming language major mode, indents the new lines which it
1503 @findex superword-mode
1504 Superword mode is a buffer-local minor mode that causes editing and
1505 motion commands to treat symbols (e.g., @samp{this_is_a_symbol}) as words.
1506 When Superword mode is enabled, the minor mode indicator
1513 appears in the mode line. See also the similar @code{subword-mode}
1514 (@pxref{MixedCase Words}).
1516 @findex electric-layout-mode
1517 Electric Layout mode (@kbd{M-x electric-layout-mode}) is a global
1518 minor mode that automatically inserts newlines when you type certain
1519 characters; for example, @samp{@{}, @samp{@}} and @samp{;} in Javascript
1522 Apart from Hideshow mode (@pxref{Hideshow}), another way to
1523 selectively display parts of a program is to use the selective display
1524 feature (@pxref{Selective Display}). Programming modes often also
1525 support Outline minor mode (@pxref{Outline Mode}), which can be used
1526 with the Foldout package (@pxref{Foldout}).
1529 The automatic typing features may be useful for writing programs.
1530 @xref{Top,,Autotyping, autotype, Autotyping}.
1533 @findex prettify-symbols-mode
1534 Prettify Symbols mode is a buffer-local minor mode that replaces
1535 certain strings with more attractive versions for display purposes.
1536 For example, in Emacs Lisp mode, it replaces the string @samp{lambda}
1537 with the Greek lambda character @samp{λ}. In a @TeX{} buffer, it will
1538 replace @samp{\alpha} @dots{} @samp{\omega} and other math macros with
1539 their Unicode characters. You may wish to use this in non-programming
1540 modes as well. You can customize the mode by adding more entries to
1541 @code{prettify-symbols-alist}. More elaborate customization is
1542 available via customizing @code{prettify-symbols-compose-predicate} if
1543 its default value @code{prettify-symbols-default-compose-p} is not
1544 appropriate. There is also a global version,
1545 @code{global-prettify-symbols-mode}, which enables the mode in all
1546 buffers that support it.
1548 The symbol at point can be shown in its original form. This is
1549 controlled by the variable @code{prettify-symbols-unprettify-at-point}:
1550 if non-@code{nil}, the original form of symbol at point will be
1551 restored for as long as point is at it.
1555 @section C and Related Modes
1560 @cindex CORBA IDL mode
1561 @cindex Objective C mode
1567 @cindex mode, Objective C
1568 @cindex mode, CORBA IDL
1572 This section gives a brief description of the special features
1573 available in C, C++, Objective-C, Java, CORBA IDL, Pike and AWK modes.
1574 (These are called ``C mode and related modes''.)
1576 @xref{Top,, CC Mode, ccmode, CC Mode}, for more details.
1579 For more details, see the CC mode Info manual, which is distributed
1584 * Motion in C:: Commands to move by C statements, etc.
1585 * Electric C:: Colon and other chars can automatically reindent.
1586 * Hungry Delete:: A more powerful DEL command.
1587 * Other C Commands:: Filling comments, viewing expansion of macros,
1588 and other neat features.
1592 @subsection C Mode Motion Commands
1594 This section describes commands for moving point, in C mode and
1600 @findex c-beginning-of-defun
1601 @findex c-end-of-defun
1602 Move point to the beginning or end of the current function or
1603 top-level definition. In languages with enclosing scopes (such as
1604 C++'s classes) the @dfn{current function} is the immediate one,
1605 possibly inside a scope. Otherwise it is the one defined by the least
1606 enclosing braces. (By contrast, @code{beginning-of-defun} and
1607 @code{end-of-defun} search for braces in column zero.) @xref{Moving
1611 @kindex C-c C-u @r{(C mode)}
1612 @findex c-up-conditional
1613 Move point back to the containing preprocessor conditional, leaving the
1614 mark behind. A prefix argument acts as a repeat count. With a negative
1615 argument, move point forward to the end of the containing
1616 preprocessor conditional.
1618 @samp{#elif} is equivalent to @samp{#else} followed by @samp{#if}, so
1619 the function will stop at a @samp{#elif} when going backward, but not
1623 @kindex C-c C-p @r{(C mode)}
1624 @findex c-backward-conditional
1625 Move point back over a preprocessor conditional, leaving the mark
1626 behind. A prefix argument acts as a repeat count. With a negative
1627 argument, move forward.
1630 @kindex C-c C-n @r{(C mode)}
1631 @findex c-forward-conditional
1632 Move point forward across a preprocessor conditional, leaving the mark
1633 behind. A prefix argument acts as a repeat count. With a negative
1634 argument, move backward.
1637 @kindex M-a (C mode)
1638 @findex c-beginning-of-statement
1639 Move point to the beginning of the innermost C statement
1640 (@code{c-beginning-of-statement}). If point is already at the beginning
1641 of a statement, move to the beginning of the preceding statement. With
1642 prefix argument @var{n}, move back @var{n} @minus{} 1 statements.
1644 In comments or in strings which span more than one line, this command
1645 moves by sentences instead of statements.
1648 @kindex M-e (C mode)
1649 @findex c-end-of-statement
1650 Move point to the end of the innermost C statement or sentence; like
1651 @kbd{M-a} except that it moves in the other direction
1652 (@code{c-end-of-statement}).
1656 @subsection Electric C Characters
1658 In C mode and related modes, certain printing characters are
1659 @dfn{electric}---in addition to inserting themselves, they also
1660 reindent the current line, and optionally also insert newlines. The
1661 electric characters are @kbd{@{}, @kbd{@}}, @kbd{:}, @kbd{#},
1662 @kbd{;}, @kbd{,}, @kbd{<}, @kbd{>}, @kbd{/}, @kbd{*}, @kbd{(}, and
1665 You might find electric indentation inconvenient if you are editing
1666 chaotically indented code. If you are new to CC Mode, you might find
1667 it disconcerting. You can toggle electric action with the command
1668 @kbd{C-c C-l}; when it is enabled, @samp{/l} appears in the mode line
1669 after the mode name:
1673 @kindex C-c C-l @r{(C mode)}
1674 @findex c-toggle-electric-state
1675 Toggle electric action (@code{c-toggle-electric-state}). With a
1676 positive prefix argument, this command enables electric action, with a
1677 negative one it disables it.
1680 Electric characters insert newlines only when, in addition to the
1681 electric state, the @dfn{auto-newline} feature is enabled (indicated
1682 by @samp{/la} in the mode line after the mode name). You can turn
1683 this feature on or off with the command @kbd{C-c C-a}:
1687 @kindex C-c C-a @r{(C mode)}
1688 @findex c-toggle-auto-newline
1689 Toggle the auto-newline feature (@code{c-toggle-auto-newline}). With a
1690 prefix argument, this command turns the auto-newline feature on if the
1691 argument is positive, and off if it is negative.
1694 Usually the CC Mode style configures the exact circumstances in
1695 which Emacs inserts auto-newlines. You can also configure this
1696 directly. @xref{Custom Auto-newlines,,, ccmode, The CC Mode Manual}.
1699 @subsection Hungry Delete Feature in C
1700 @cindex hungry deletion (C Mode)
1702 If you want to delete an entire block of whitespace at point, you
1703 can use @dfn{hungry deletion}. This deletes all the contiguous
1704 whitespace either before point or after point in a single operation.
1705 @dfn{Whitespace} here includes tabs and newlines, but not comments or
1706 preprocessor commands.
1709 @item C-c C-@key{DEL}
1710 @itemx C-c @key{DEL}
1711 @findex c-hungry-delete-backwards
1712 @kindex C-c C-@key{DEL} (C Mode)
1713 @kindex C-c @key{DEL} (C Mode)
1714 Delete the entire block of whitespace preceding point (@code{c-hungry-delete-backwards}).
1717 @itemx C-c C-@key{Delete}
1718 @itemx C-c @key{Delete}
1719 @findex c-hungry-delete-forward
1720 @kindex C-c C-d (C Mode)
1721 @kindex C-c C-@key{Delete} (C Mode)
1722 @kindex C-c @key{Delete} (C Mode)
1723 Delete the entire block of whitespace after point (@code{c-hungry-delete-forward}).
1726 As an alternative to the above commands, you can enable @dfn{hungry
1727 delete mode}. When this feature is enabled (indicated by @samp{/h} in
1728 the mode line after the mode name), a single @key{DEL} deletes all
1729 preceding whitespace, not just one space, and a single @kbd{C-d}
1730 (but @emph{not} plain @key{Delete}) deletes all following whitespace.
1733 @item M-x c-toggle-hungry-state
1734 @findex c-toggle-hungry-state
1735 Toggle the hungry-delete feature
1736 (@code{c-toggle-hungry-state}). With a prefix argument,
1737 this command turns the hungry-delete feature on if the argument is
1738 positive, and off if it is negative.
1741 @vindex c-hungry-delete-key
1742 The variable @code{c-hungry-delete-key} controls whether the
1743 hungry-delete feature is enabled.
1745 @node Other C Commands
1746 @subsection Other Commands for C Mode
1749 @item M-x c-context-line-break
1750 @findex c-context-line-break
1751 This command inserts a line break and indents the new line in a manner
1752 appropriate to the context. In normal code, it does the work of
1753 @key{RET} (@code{newline}), in a C preprocessor line it additionally
1754 inserts a @samp{\} at the line break, and within comments it's like
1755 @kbd{M-j} (@code{c-indent-new-comment-line}).
1757 @code{c-context-line-break} isn't bound to a key by default, but it
1758 needs a binding to be useful. The following code will bind it to
1759 @key{RET}. We use @code{c-initialization-hook} here to make sure
1760 the keymap is loaded before we try to change it.
1763 (defun my-bind-clb ()
1764 (define-key c-mode-base-map "\C-m"
1765 'c-context-line-break))
1766 (add-hook 'c-initialization-hook 'my-bind-clb)
1770 Put mark at the end of a function definition, and put point at the
1771 beginning (@code{c-mark-function}).
1774 @kindex M-q @r{(C mode)}
1775 @findex c-fill-paragraph
1776 Fill a paragraph, handling C and C++ comments (@code{c-fill-paragraph}).
1777 If any part of the current line is a comment or within a comment, this
1778 command fills the comment or the paragraph of it that point is in,
1779 preserving the comment indentation and comment delimiters.
1782 @cindex macro expansion in C
1783 @cindex expansion of C macros
1784 @findex c-macro-expand
1785 @kindex C-c C-e @r{(C mode)}
1786 Run the C preprocessor on the text in the region, and show the result,
1787 which includes the expansion of all the macro calls
1788 (@code{c-macro-expand}). The buffer text before the region is also
1789 included in preprocessing, for the sake of macros defined there, but the
1790 output from this part isn't shown.
1792 When you are debugging C code that uses macros, sometimes it is hard to
1793 figure out precisely how the macros expand. With this command, you
1794 don't have to figure it out; you can see the expansions.
1797 @findex c-backslash-region
1798 @kindex C-c C-\ @r{(C mode)}
1799 Insert or align @samp{\} characters at the ends of the lines of the
1800 region (@code{c-backslash-region}). This is useful after writing or
1801 editing a C macro definition.
1803 If a line already ends in @samp{\}, this command adjusts the amount of
1804 whitespace before it. Otherwise, it inserts a new @samp{\}. However,
1805 the last line in the region is treated specially; no @samp{\} is
1806 inserted on that line, and any @samp{\} there is deleted.
1808 @item M-x cpp-highlight-buffer
1809 @cindex preprocessor highlighting
1810 @findex cpp-highlight-buffer
1811 Highlight parts of the text according to its preprocessor conditionals.
1812 This command displays another buffer named @file{*CPP Edit*}, which
1813 serves as a graphic menu for selecting how to display particular kinds
1814 of conditionals and their contents. After changing various settings,
1815 click on @samp{[A]pply these settings} (or go to that buffer and type
1816 @kbd{a}) to rehighlight the C mode buffer accordingly.
1819 @findex c-show-syntactic-information
1820 @kindex C-c C-s @r{(C mode)}
1821 Display the syntactic information about the current source line
1822 (@code{c-show-syntactic-information}). This information directs how
1823 the line is indented.
1825 @item M-x cwarn-mode
1826 @itemx M-x global-cwarn-mode
1828 @findex global-cwarn-mode
1829 @vindex global-cwarn-mode
1831 @cindex suspicious constructions in C, C++
1832 CWarn minor mode highlights certain suspicious C and C++ constructions:
1836 Assignments inside expressions.
1838 Semicolon following immediately after @samp{if}, @samp{for}, and @samp{while}
1839 (except after a @samp{do @dots{} while} statement);
1841 C++ functions with reference parameters.
1845 You can enable the mode for one buffer with the command @kbd{M-x
1846 cwarn-mode}, or for all suitable buffers with the command @kbd{M-x
1847 global-cwarn-mode} or by customizing the variable
1848 @code{global-cwarn-mode}. You must also enable Font Lock mode to make
1851 @item M-x hide-ifdef-mode
1852 @findex hide-ifdef-mode
1853 @cindex Hide-ifdef mode
1854 @vindex hide-ifdef-shadow
1855 Hide-ifdef minor mode hides selected code within @samp{#if} and
1856 @samp{#ifdef} preprocessor blocks. If you change the variable
1857 @code{hide-ifdef-shadow} to @code{t}, Hide-ifdef minor mode
1858 shadows preprocessor blocks by displaying them with a less
1859 prominent face, instead of hiding them entirely. See the
1860 documentation string of @code{hide-ifdef-mode} for more information.
1862 @item M-x ff-find-related-file
1863 @cindex related files
1864 @findex ff-find-related-file
1865 @vindex ff-related-file-alist
1866 Find a file related in a special way to the file visited by the
1867 current buffer. Typically this will be the header file corresponding
1868 to a C/C++ source file, or vice versa. The variable
1869 @code{ff-related-file-alist} specifies how to compute related file
1877 @cindex assembler mode
1878 Asm mode is a major mode for editing files of assembler code. It
1879 defines these commands:
1883 @code{tab-to-tab-stop}.
1884 @c FIXME: Maybe this should be consistent with other programming modes.
1886 Insert a newline and then indent using @code{tab-to-tab-stop}.
1888 Insert a colon and then remove the indentation from before the label
1889 preceding colon. Then do @code{tab-to-tab-stop}.
1891 Insert or align a comment.
1894 The variable @code{asm-comment-char} specifies which character
1895 starts comments in assembler syntax.
1898 @include fortran-xtra.texi