1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985,86,87,93,94,95,97,2000,2001, 2002, 2004
3 @c Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5 @node Text, Programs, Indentation, Top
6 @chapter Commands for Human Languages
8 @cindex manipulating text
10 The term @dfn{text} has two widespread meanings in our area of the
11 computer field. One is data that is a sequence of characters. Any file
12 that you edit with Emacs is text, in this sense of the word. The other
13 meaning is more restrictive: a sequence of characters in a human language
14 for humans to read (possibly after processing by a text formatter), as
15 opposed to a program or commands for a program.
17 Human languages have syntactic/stylistic conventions that can be
18 supported or used to advantage by editor commands: conventions involving
19 words, sentences, paragraphs, and capital letters. This chapter
20 describes Emacs commands for all of these things. There are also
21 commands for @dfn{filling}, which means rearranging the lines of a
22 paragraph to be approximately equal in length. The commands for moving
23 over and killing words, sentences and paragraphs, while intended
24 primarily for editing text, are also often useful for editing programs.
26 Emacs has several major modes for editing human-language text. If the
27 file contains text pure and simple, use Text mode, which customizes
28 Emacs in small ways for the syntactic conventions of text. Outline mode
29 provides special commands for operating on text with an outline
35 For text which contains embedded commands for text formatters, Emacs
36 has other major modes, each for a particular text formatter. Thus, for
37 input to @TeX{}, you would use @TeX{}
39 mode (@pxref{TeX Mode}).
44 For input to nroff, use Nroff mode.
46 Instead of using a text formatter, you can edit formatted text in
47 WYSIWYG style (``what you see is what you get''), with Enriched mode.
48 Then the formatting appears on the screen in Emacs while you edit.
50 @xref{Formatted Text}.
56 @cindex automatic typing
57 The ``automatic typing'' features may be useful when writing text.
58 @inforef{Top,, autotype}.
61 * Words:: Moving over and killing words.
62 * Sentences:: Moving over and killing sentences.
63 * Paragraphs:: Moving over paragraphs.
64 * Pages:: Moving over pages.
65 * Filling:: Filling or justifying text.
66 * Case:: Changing the case of text.
67 * Text Mode:: The major modes for editing text files.
68 * Outline Mode:: Editing outlines.
69 * TeX Mode:: Editing input to the formatter TeX.
70 * HTML Mode:: Editing HTML, SGML, and XML files.
71 * Nroff Mode:: Editing input to the formatter nroff.
72 * Formatted Text:: Editing formatted text directly in WYSIWYG fashion.
73 * Text Based Tables:: Editing text-based tables in WYSIWYG fashion.
79 @cindex Meta commands and words
81 Emacs has commands for moving over or operating on words. By convention,
82 the keys for them are all Meta characters.
86 Move forward over a word (@code{forward-word}).
88 Move backward over a word (@code{backward-word}).
90 Kill up to the end of a word (@code{kill-word}).
92 Kill back to the beginning of a word (@code{backward-kill-word}).
94 Mark the end of the next word (@code{mark-word}).
96 Transpose two words or drag a word across other words
97 (@code{transpose-words}).
100 Notice how these keys form a series that parallels the character-based
101 @kbd{C-f}, @kbd{C-b}, @kbd{C-d}, @key{DEL} and @kbd{C-t}. @kbd{M-@@} is
102 cognate to @kbd{C-@@}, which is an alias for @kbd{C-@key{SPC}}.
107 @findex backward-word
108 The commands @kbd{M-f} (@code{forward-word}) and @kbd{M-b}
109 (@code{backward-word}) move forward and backward over words. These
110 Meta characters are thus analogous to the corresponding control
111 characters, @kbd{C-f} and @kbd{C-b}, which move over single characters
112 in the text. The analogy extends to numeric arguments, which serve as
113 repeat counts. @kbd{M-f} with a negative argument moves backward, and
114 @kbd{M-b} with a negative argument moves forward. Forward motion
115 stops right after the last letter of the word, while backward motion
116 stops right before the first letter.@refill
120 @kbd{M-d} (@code{kill-word}) kills the word after point. To be
121 precise, it kills everything from point to the place @kbd{M-f} would
122 move to. Thus, if point is in the middle of a word, @kbd{M-d} kills
123 just the part after point. If some punctuation comes between point and the
124 next word, it is killed along with the word. (If you wish to kill only the
125 next word but not the punctuation before it, simply do @kbd{M-f} to get
126 the end, and kill the word backwards with @kbd{M-@key{DEL}}.)
127 @kbd{M-d} takes arguments just like @kbd{M-f}.
129 @findex backward-kill-word
131 @kbd{M-@key{DEL}} (@code{backward-kill-word}) kills the word before
132 point. It kills everything from point back to where @kbd{M-b} would
133 move to. If point is after the space in @w{@samp{FOO, BAR}}, then
134 @w{@samp{FOO, }} is killed. (If you wish to kill just @samp{FOO}, and
135 not the comma and the space, use @kbd{M-b M-d} instead of
138 @c Don't index M-t and transpose-words here, they are indexed in
139 @c fixit.texi, in the node "Transpose".
141 @c @findex transpose-words
142 @kbd{M-t} (@code{transpose-words}) exchanges the word before or
143 containing point with the following word. The delimiter characters between
144 the words do not move. For example, @w{@samp{FOO, BAR}} transposes into
145 @w{@samp{BAR, FOO}} rather than @samp{@w{BAR FOO,}}. @xref{Transpose}, for
146 more on transposition and on arguments to transposition commands.
150 To operate on the next @var{n} words with an operation which applies
151 between point and mark, you can either set the mark at point and then move
152 over the words, or you can use the command @kbd{M-@@} (@code{mark-word})
153 which does not move point, but sets the mark where @kbd{M-f} would move
154 to. @kbd{M-@@} accepts a numeric argument that says how many words to
155 scan for the place to put the mark. In Transient Mark mode, this command
158 The word commands' understanding of syntax is completely controlled by
159 the syntax table. Any character can, for example, be declared to be a word
160 delimiter. @xref{Syntax}.
165 @cindex manipulating sentences
167 The Emacs commands for manipulating sentences and paragraphs are mostly
168 on Meta keys, so as to be like the word-handling commands.
172 Move back to the beginning of the sentence (@code{backward-sentence}).
174 Move forward to the end of the sentence (@code{forward-sentence}).
176 Kill forward to the end of the sentence (@code{kill-sentence}).
178 Kill back to the beginning of the sentence (@code{backward-kill-sentence}).
183 @findex backward-sentence
184 @findex forward-sentence
185 The commands @kbd{M-a} and @kbd{M-e} (@code{backward-sentence} and
186 @code{forward-sentence}) move to the beginning and end of the current
187 sentence, respectively. They were chosen to resemble @kbd{C-a} and
188 @kbd{C-e}, which move to the beginning and end of a line. Unlike
189 them, @kbd{M-a} and @kbd{M-e} move over successive sentences if
192 Moving backward over a sentence places point just before the first
193 character of the sentence; moving forward places point right after the
194 punctuation that ends the sentence. Neither one moves over the
195 whitespace at the sentence boundary.
199 @findex kill-sentence
200 @findex backward-kill-sentence
201 Just as @kbd{C-a} and @kbd{C-e} have a kill command, @kbd{C-k}, to go
202 with them, so @kbd{M-a} and @kbd{M-e} have a corresponding kill command
203 @kbd{M-k} (@code{kill-sentence}) which kills from point to the end of
204 the sentence. With minus one as an argument it kills back to the
205 beginning of the sentence. Larger arguments serve as a repeat count.
206 There is also a command, @kbd{C-x @key{DEL}}
207 (@code{backward-kill-sentence}), for killing back to the beginning of a
208 sentence. This command is useful when you change your mind in the
209 middle of composing text.@refill
211 The sentence commands assume that you follow the American typist's
212 convention of putting two spaces at the end of a sentence; they consider
213 a sentence to end wherever there is a @samp{.}, @samp{?} or @samp{!}
214 followed by the end of a line or two spaces, with any number of
215 @samp{)}, @samp{]}, @samp{'}, or @samp{"} characters allowed in between.
216 A sentence also begins or ends wherever a paragraph begins or ends.
219 The variable @code{sentence-end} controls recognition of the end of
220 a sentence. If non-@code{nil}, it is a regexp that matches the last
221 few characters of a sentence, together with the whitespace following
222 the sentence. If the value is @code{nil}, the default, then Emacs
223 computes the regexp according to various criteria. The result is
224 normally similar to the following regexp:
227 "[.?!][]\"')]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*"
231 This example is explained in the section on regexps. @xref{Regexps}.
233 If you want to use just one space between sentences, you should
234 set @code{sentence-end} to this value:
237 "[.?!][]\"')]*\\($\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*"
241 This is what setting the variable @code{sentence-end-double-space} to
242 @code{nil} automatically does. But note that this makes it impossible
243 to distinguish between periods that end sentences and those that
244 indicate abbreviations.
249 @cindex manipulating paragraphs
252 @findex backward-paragraph
253 @findex forward-paragraph
255 The Emacs commands for manipulating paragraphs are also Meta keys.
259 Move back to previous paragraph beginning (@code{backward-paragraph}).
261 Move forward to next paragraph end (@code{forward-paragraph}).
263 Put point and mark around this or next paragraph (@code{mark-paragraph}).
266 @kbd{M-@{} moves to the beginning of the current or previous
267 paragraph, while @kbd{M-@}} moves to the end of the current or next
268 paragraph. Blank lines and text-formatter command lines separate
269 paragraphs and are not considered part of any paragraph. In Indented
270 Text mode, but not in Text mode, an indented line also starts a new
271 paragraph. If there is a blank line before the paragraph, @kbd{M-@{}
272 moves to the blank line, because that is convenient in practice.
274 In major modes for programs, paragraphs begin and end only at blank
275 lines. This makes the paragraph commands continue to be useful even
276 though there are no paragraphs per se.
278 When there is a fill prefix, then paragraphs are delimited by all lines
279 which don't start with the fill prefix. @xref{Filling}.
282 @findex mark-paragraph
283 When you wish to operate on a paragraph, you can use the command
284 @kbd{M-h} (@code{mark-paragraph}) to set the region around it. Thus,
285 for example, @kbd{M-h C-w} kills the paragraph around or after point.
286 The @kbd{M-h} command puts point at the beginning and mark at the end of
287 the paragraph point was in. In Transient Mark mode, it activates the
288 mark. If point is between paragraphs (in a run of blank lines, or at a
289 boundary), the paragraph following point is surrounded by point and
290 mark. If there are blank lines preceding the first line of the
291 paragraph, one of these blank lines is included in the region.
293 @vindex paragraph-start
294 @vindex paragraph-separate
295 The precise definition of a paragraph boundary is controlled by the
296 variables @code{paragraph-separate} and @code{paragraph-start}. The
297 value of @code{paragraph-start} is a regexp that should match any line
298 that either starts or separates paragraphs. The value of
299 @code{paragraph-separate} is another regexp that should match only lines
300 that separate paragraphs without being part of any paragraph (for
301 example, blank lines). Lines that start a new paragraph and are
302 contained in it must match only @code{paragraph-start}, not
303 @code{paragraph-separate}. Each regular expression must match at the
304 left margin. For example, in Fundamental mode, @code{paragraph-start}
305 is @w{@code{"\f\\|[ \t]*$"}}, and @code{paragraph-separate} is
306 @w{@code{"[ \t\f]*$"}}.
308 Normally it is desirable for page boundaries to separate paragraphs.
309 The default values of these variables recognize the usual separator for
317 Files are often thought of as divided into @dfn{pages} by the
318 @dfn{formfeed} character (@acronym{ASCII} control-L, octal code 014).
319 When you print hardcopy for a file, this character forces a page break;
320 thus, each page of the file goes on a separate page on paper. Most Emacs
321 commands treat the page-separator character just like any other
322 character: you can insert it with @kbd{C-q C-l}, and delete it with
323 @key{DEL}. Thus, you are free to paginate your file or not. However,
324 since pages are often meaningful divisions of the file, Emacs provides
325 commands to move over them and operate on them.
329 Move point to previous page boundary (@code{backward-page}).
331 Move point to next page boundary (@code{forward-page}).
333 Put point and mark around this page (or another page) (@code{mark-page}).
335 Count the lines in this page (@code{count-lines-page}).
341 @findex backward-page
342 The @kbd{C-x [} (@code{backward-page}) command moves point to immediately
343 after the previous page delimiter. If point is already right after a page
344 delimiter, it skips that one and stops at the previous one. A numeric
345 argument serves as a repeat count. The @kbd{C-x ]} (@code{forward-page})
346 command moves forward past the next page delimiter.
350 The @kbd{C-x C-p} command (@code{mark-page}) puts point at the
351 beginning of the current page and the mark at the end. The page
352 delimiter at the end is included (the mark follows it). The page
353 delimiter at the front is excluded (point follows it). In Transient
354 Mark mode, this command activates the mark.
356 @kbd{C-x C-p C-w} is a handy way to kill a page to move it
357 elsewhere. If you move to another page delimiter with @kbd{C-x [} and
358 @kbd{C-x ]}, then yank the killed page, all the pages will be properly
359 delimited once again. The reason @kbd{C-x C-p} includes only the
360 following page delimiter in the region is to ensure that.
362 A numeric argument to @kbd{C-x C-p} is used to specify which page to go
363 to, relative to the current one. Zero means the current page. One means
364 the next page, and @minus{}1 means the previous one.
367 @findex count-lines-page
368 The @kbd{C-x l} command (@code{count-lines-page}) is good for deciding
369 where to break a page in two. It displays in the echo area the total number
370 of lines in the current page, and then divides it up into those preceding
371 the current line and those following, as in
374 Page has 96 (72+25) lines
378 Notice that the sum is off by one; this is correct if point is not at the
381 @vindex page-delimiter
382 The variable @code{page-delimiter} controls where pages begin. Its
383 value is a regexp that matches the beginning of a line that separates
384 pages. The normal value of this variable is @code{"^\f"}, which
385 matches a formfeed character at the beginning of a line.
388 @section Filling Text
391 @dfn{Filling} text means breaking it up into lines that fit a
392 specified width. Emacs does filling in two ways. In Auto Fill mode,
393 inserting text with self-inserting characters also automatically fills
394 it. There are also explicit fill commands that you can use when editing
395 text leaves it unfilled. When you edit formatted text, you can specify
396 a style of filling for each portion of the text (@pxref{Formatted
400 * Auto Fill:: Auto Fill mode breaks long lines automatically.
401 * Refill:: Keeping paragraphs filled.
402 * Fill Commands:: Commands to refill paragraphs and center lines.
403 * Fill Prefix:: Filling paragraphs that are indented
404 or in a comment, etc.
405 * Adaptive Fill:: How Emacs can determine the fill prefix automatically.
406 * Longlines:: Editing text with very long lines.
410 @subsection Auto Fill Mode
411 @cindex Auto Fill mode
412 @cindex mode, Auto Fill
414 @dfn{Auto Fill} mode is a minor mode in which lines are broken
415 automatically when they become too wide. Breaking happens only when
416 you type a @key{SPC} or @key{RET}.
419 @item M-x auto-fill-mode
420 Enable or disable Auto Fill mode.
423 In Auto Fill mode, break lines when appropriate.
426 @findex auto-fill-mode
427 @kbd{M-x auto-fill-mode} turns Auto Fill mode on if it was off, or off
428 if it was on. With a positive numeric argument it always turns Auto
429 Fill mode on, and with a negative argument always turns it off. You can
430 see when Auto Fill mode is in effect by the presence of the word
431 @samp{Fill} in the mode line, inside the parentheses. Auto Fill mode is
432 a minor mode which is enabled or disabled for each buffer individually.
435 In Auto Fill mode, lines are broken automatically at spaces when they
436 get longer than the desired width. Line breaking and rearrangement
437 takes place only when you type @key{SPC} or @key{RET}. If you wish to
438 insert a space or newline without permitting line-breaking, type
439 @kbd{C-q @key{SPC}} or @kbd{C-q C-j} (recall that a newline is really a
440 control-J). Also, @kbd{C-o} inserts a newline without line breaking.
442 Auto Fill mode works well with programming-language modes, because it
443 indents new lines with @key{TAB}. If a line ending in a comment gets
444 too long, the text of the comment is split into two comment lines.
445 Optionally, new comment delimiters are inserted at the end of the first
446 line and the beginning of the second so that each line is a separate
447 comment; the variable @code{comment-multi-line} controls the choice
450 Adaptive filling (@pxref{Adaptive Fill}) works for Auto Filling as
451 well as for explicit fill commands. It takes a fill prefix
452 automatically from the second or first line of a paragraph.
454 Auto Fill mode does not refill entire paragraphs; it can break lines but
455 cannot merge lines. So editing in the middle of a paragraph can result in
456 a paragraph that is not correctly filled. The easiest way to make the
457 paragraph properly filled again is usually with the explicit fill commands.
459 @xref{Fill Commands}.
462 Many users like Auto Fill mode and want to use it in all text files.
463 The section on init files says how to arrange this permanently for yourself.
467 @subsection Refill Mode
468 @cindex refilling text, word processor style
469 @cindex modes, Refill
470 @cindex Refill minor mode
472 Refill minor mode provides support for keeping paragraphs filled as
473 you type or modify them in other ways. It provides an effect similar
474 to typical word processor behavior. This works by running a
475 paragraph-filling command at suitable times.
477 To toggle the use of Refill mode in the current buffer, type
478 @kbd{M-x refill-mode}. When you are typing text, only characters
479 which normally trigger auto filling, like the space character, will
480 trigger refilling. This is to avoid making it too slow. Apart from
481 self-inserting characters, other commands which modify the text cause
484 The current implementation is preliminary and not robust. You can
485 get better ``line wrapping'' behavior using Longlines mode.
486 @xref{Longlines}. However, Longlines mode has an important
487 side-effect: the newlines that it inserts for you are not saved to
488 disk, so the files that you make with Longlines mode will appear to be
489 completely unfilled if you edit them without Longlines mode.
492 @subsection Explicit Fill Commands
496 Fill current paragraph (@code{fill-paragraph}).
498 Set the fill column (@code{set-fill-column}).
499 @item M-x fill-region
500 Fill each paragraph in the region (@code{fill-region}).
501 @item M-x fill-region-as-paragraph
502 Fill the region, considering it as one paragraph.
508 @findex fill-paragraph
509 To refill a paragraph, use the command @kbd{M-q}
510 (@code{fill-paragraph}). This operates on the paragraph that point is
511 inside, or the one after point if point is between paragraphs.
512 Refilling works by removing all the line-breaks, then inserting new ones
516 To refill many paragraphs, use @kbd{M-x fill-region}, which
517 divides the region into paragraphs and fills each of them.
519 @findex fill-region-as-paragraph
520 @kbd{M-q} and @code{fill-region} use the same criteria as @kbd{M-h}
521 for finding paragraph boundaries (@pxref{Paragraphs}). For more
522 control, you can use @kbd{M-x fill-region-as-paragraph}, which refills
523 everything between point and mark. This command deletes any blank lines
524 within the region, so separate blocks of text end up combined into one
527 @cindex justification
528 A numeric argument to @kbd{M-q} causes it to @dfn{justify} the text as
529 well as filling it. This means that extra spaces are inserted to make
530 the right margin line up exactly at the fill column. To remove the
531 extra spaces, use @kbd{M-q} with no argument. (Likewise for
532 @code{fill-region}.) Another way to control justification, and choose
533 other styles of filling, is with the @code{justification} text property;
534 see @ref{Format Justification}.
536 @kindex M-s @r{(Text mode)}
539 The command @kbd{M-s} (@code{center-line}) centers the current line
540 within the current fill column. With an argument @var{n}, it centers
541 @var{n} lines individually and moves past them. This binding is
542 made by Text mode and is available only in that and related modes
547 @findex set-fill-column
548 The maximum line width for filling is in the variable
549 @code{fill-column}. Altering the value of @code{fill-column} makes it
550 local to the current buffer; until that time, the default value is in
551 effect. The default is initially 70. @xref{Locals}. The easiest way
552 to set @code{fill-column} is to use the command @kbd{C-x f}
553 (@code{set-fill-column}). With a numeric argument, it uses that as the
554 new fill column. With just @kbd{C-u} as argument, it sets
555 @code{fill-column} to the current horizontal position of point.
557 Emacs commands normally consider a period followed by two spaces or by
558 a newline as the end of a sentence; a period followed by just one space
559 indicates an abbreviation and not the end of a sentence. To preserve
560 the distinction between these two ways of using a period, the fill
561 commands do not break a line after a period followed by just one space.
563 @vindex sentence-end-double-space
564 If the variable @code{sentence-end-double-space} is @code{nil}, the
565 fill commands expect and leave just one space at the end of a sentence.
566 Ordinarily this variable is @code{t}, so the fill commands insist on
567 two spaces for the end of a sentence, as explained above. @xref{Sentences}.
569 @vindex colon-double-space
570 If the variable @code{colon-double-space} is non-@code{nil}, the
571 fill commands put two spaces after a colon.
573 @vindex sentence-end-without-period
574 Some languages do not use period to indicate end of sentence. For
575 example, a sentence in Thai text ends with double space but without a
576 period. Set the variable @code{sentence-end-without-period} to
577 @code{t} to tell the sentence commands that a period is not necessary.
579 @vindex fill-nobreak-predicate
580 The variable @code{fill-nobreak-predicate} specifies additional
581 conditions for where line-breaking is allowed. Its value is either
582 @code{nil} or a Lisp function; the function is called with no
583 arguments, and if it returns a non-@code{nil} value, then point is not
584 a good place to break the line. Two standard functions you can use are
585 @code{fill-single-word-nobreak-p} (don't break after the first word of
586 a sentence or before the last) and @code{fill-french-nobreak-p} (don't
587 break after @samp{(} or before @samp{)}, @samp{:} or @samp{?}).
590 @subsection The Fill Prefix
593 To fill a paragraph in which each line starts with a special marker
594 (which might be a few spaces, giving an indented paragraph), you can use
595 the @dfn{fill prefix} feature. The fill prefix is a string that Emacs
596 expects every line to start with, and which is not included in filling.
597 You can specify a fill prefix explicitly; Emacs can also deduce the
598 fill prefix automatically (@pxref{Adaptive Fill}).
602 Set the fill prefix (@code{set-fill-prefix}).
604 Fill a paragraph using current fill prefix (@code{fill-paragraph}).
605 @item M-x fill-individual-paragraphs
606 Fill the region, considering each change of indentation as starting a
608 @item M-x fill-nonuniform-paragraphs
609 Fill the region, considering only paragraph-separator lines as starting
614 @findex set-fill-prefix
615 To specify a fill prefix for the current buffer, move to a line that
616 starts with the desired prefix, put point at the end of the prefix,
617 and give the command @w{@kbd{C-x .}}@: (@code{set-fill-prefix}).
618 That's a period after the @kbd{C-x}. To turn off the fill prefix,
619 specify an empty prefix: type @w{@kbd{C-x .}}@: with point at the
620 beginning of a line.@refill
622 When a fill prefix is in effect, the fill commands remove the fill
623 prefix from each line before filling and insert it on each line after
624 filling. (The beginning of the first line is left unchanged, since
625 often that is intentionally different.) Auto Fill mode also inserts
626 the fill prefix automatically when it makes a new line. The @kbd{C-o}
627 command inserts the fill prefix on new lines it creates, when you use
628 it at the beginning of a line (@pxref{Blank Lines}). Conversely, the
629 command @kbd{M-^} deletes the prefix (if it occurs) after the newline
630 that it deletes (@pxref{Indentation}).
632 For example, if @code{fill-column} is 40 and you set the fill prefix
633 to @samp{;; }, then @kbd{M-q} in the following text
637 ;; example of a paragraph
638 ;; inside a Lisp-style comment.
645 ;; This is an example of a paragraph
646 ;; inside a Lisp-style comment.
649 Lines that do not start with the fill prefix are considered to start
650 paragraphs, both in @kbd{M-q} and the paragraph commands; this gives
651 good results for paragraphs with hanging indentation (every line
652 indented except the first one). Lines which are blank or indented once
653 the prefix is removed also separate or start paragraphs; this is what
654 you want if you are writing multi-paragraph comments with a comment
655 delimiter on each line.
657 @findex fill-individual-paragraphs
658 You can use @kbd{M-x fill-individual-paragraphs} to set the fill
659 prefix for each paragraph automatically. This command divides the
660 region into paragraphs, treating every change in the amount of
661 indentation as the start of a new paragraph, and fills each of these
662 paragraphs. Thus, all the lines in one ``paragraph'' have the same
663 amount of indentation. That indentation serves as the fill prefix for
666 @findex fill-nonuniform-paragraphs
667 @kbd{M-x fill-nonuniform-paragraphs} is a similar command that divides
668 the region into paragraphs in a different way. It considers only
669 paragraph-separating lines (as defined by @code{paragraph-separate}) as
670 starting a new paragraph. Since this means that the lines of one
671 paragraph may have different amounts of indentation, the fill prefix
672 used is the smallest amount of indentation of any of the lines of the
673 paragraph. This gives good results with styles that indent a paragraph's
674 first line more or less that the rest of the paragraph.
677 The fill prefix is stored in the variable @code{fill-prefix}. Its value
678 is a string, or @code{nil} when there is no fill prefix. This is a
679 per-buffer variable; altering the variable affects only the current buffer,
680 but there is a default value which you can change as well. @xref{Locals}.
682 The @code{indentation} text property provides another way to control
683 the amount of indentation paragraphs receive. @xref{Format Indentation}.
686 @subsection Adaptive Filling
688 @cindex adaptive filling
689 The fill commands can deduce the proper fill prefix for a paragraph
690 automatically in certain cases: either whitespace or certain punctuation
691 characters at the beginning of a line are propagated to all lines of the
694 If the paragraph has two or more lines, the fill prefix is taken from
695 the paragraph's second line, but only if it appears on the first line as
698 If a paragraph has just one line, fill commands @emph{may} take a
699 prefix from that line. The decision is complicated because there are
700 three reasonable things to do in such a case:
704 Use the first line's prefix on all the lines of the paragraph.
707 Indent subsequent lines with whitespace, so that they line up under the
708 text that follows the prefix on the first line, but don't actually copy
709 the prefix from the first line.
712 Don't do anything special with the second and following lines.
715 All three of these styles of formatting are commonly used. So the
716 fill commands try to determine what you would like, based on the prefix
717 that appears and on the major mode. Here is how.
719 @vindex adaptive-fill-first-line-regexp
720 If the prefix found on the first line matches
721 @code{adaptive-fill-first-line-regexp}, or if it appears to be a
722 comment-starting sequence (this depends on the major mode), then the
723 prefix found is used for filling the paragraph, provided it would not
724 act as a paragraph starter on subsequent lines.
726 Otherwise, the prefix found is converted to an equivalent number of
727 spaces, and those spaces are used as the fill prefix for the rest of the
728 lines, provided they would not act as a paragraph starter on subsequent
731 In Text mode, and other modes where only blank lines and page
732 delimiters separate paragraphs, the prefix chosen by adaptive filling
733 never acts as a paragraph starter, so it can always be used for filling.
735 @vindex adaptive-fill-mode
736 @vindex adaptive-fill-regexp
737 The variable @code{adaptive-fill-regexp} determines what kinds of line
738 beginnings can serve as a fill prefix: any characters at the start of
739 the line that match this regular expression are used. If you set the
740 variable @code{adaptive-fill-mode} to @code{nil}, the fill prefix is
741 never chosen automatically.
743 @vindex adaptive-fill-function
744 You can specify more complex ways of choosing a fill prefix
745 automatically by setting the variable @code{adaptive-fill-function} to a
746 function. This function is called with point after the left margin of a
747 line, and it should return the appropriate fill prefix based on that
748 line. If it returns @code{nil}, @code{adaptive-fill-regexp} gets
749 a chance to find a prefix.
752 @subsection Long Lines Mode
753 @cindex refilling text, word processor style
754 @cindex modes, Long Lines
756 @cindex Long Lines minor mode
758 Long Lines mode is a minor mode for @dfn{word wrapping}; it lets you
759 edit ``unfilled'' text files, which Emacs would normally display as a
760 bunch of extremely long lines. Many text editors, such as those built
761 into many web browsers, normally do word wrapping.
763 @findex longlines-mode
764 To enable Long Lines mode, type @kbd{M-x longlines-mode}. If the
765 text is full of long lines, this will ``wrap'' them
766 immediately---i.e., break up to fit in the window. As you edit the
767 text, Long Lines mode automatically re-wraps lines by inserting or
768 deleting @dfn{soft newlines} as necessary (@pxref{Hard and Soft
769 Newlines}.) These soft newlines won't show up when you save the
770 buffer into a file, or when you copy the text into the kill ring,
771 clipboard, or a register.
773 @findex longlines-auto-wrap
774 Word wrapping is @emph{not} the same as ordinary filling
775 (@pxref{Fill Commands}). It does not contract multiple spaces into a
776 single space, recognize fill prefixes (@pxref{Fill Prefix}), or
777 perform adaptive filling (@pxref{Adaptive Fill}). The reason for this
778 is that a wrapped line is still, conceptually, a single line. Each
779 soft newline is equivalent to exactly one space in that long line, and
780 vice versa. However, you can still call filling functions such as
781 @kbd{M-q}, and these will work as expected, inserting soft newlines
782 that won't show up on disk or when the text is copied. You can even
783 rely entirely on the normal fill commands by turning off automatic
784 line wrapping, with @kbd{C-u M-x longlines-auto-wrap}. To turn
785 automatic line wrapping back on, type @kbd{M-x longlines-auto-wrap}.
787 @findex longlines-show-hard-newlines
788 Whenever you type @kbd{RET}, you are inserting a hard newline. If
789 you want to see where all the hard newlines are, type @kbd{M-x
790 longlines-show-hard-newlines}. This will mark each hard newline with
791 a special symbol. The same command with a prefix argument turns this
794 Long Lines mode does not change normal text files that are already
795 filled, since the existing newlines are considered hard newlines.
796 Before Long Lines can do anything, you need to transform each
797 paragraph into a long line. One way is to set @code{fill-column} to a
798 large number (e.g., @kbd{C-u 9999 C-x f}), re-fill all the paragraphs,
799 and then set @code{fill-column} back to its original value.
802 @section Case Conversion Commands
803 @cindex case conversion
805 Emacs has commands for converting either a single word or any arbitrary
806 range of text to upper case or to lower case.
810 Convert following word to lower case (@code{downcase-word}).
812 Convert following word to upper case (@code{upcase-word}).
814 Capitalize the following word (@code{capitalize-word}).
816 Convert region to lower case (@code{downcase-region}).
818 Convert region to upper case (@code{upcase-region}).
824 @cindex words, case conversion
825 @cindex converting text to upper or lower case
826 @cindex capitalizing words
827 @findex downcase-word
829 @findex capitalize-word
830 The word conversion commands are the most useful. @kbd{M-l}
831 (@code{downcase-word}) converts the word after point to lower case, moving
832 past it. Thus, repeating @kbd{M-l} converts successive words.
833 @kbd{M-u} (@code{upcase-word}) converts to all capitals instead, while
834 @kbd{M-c} (@code{capitalize-word}) puts the first letter of the word
835 into upper case and the rest into lower case. All these commands convert
836 several words at once if given an argument. They are especially convenient
837 for converting a large amount of text from all upper case to mixed case,
838 because you can move through the text using @kbd{M-l}, @kbd{M-u} or
839 @kbd{M-c} on each word as appropriate, occasionally using @kbd{M-f} instead
842 When given a negative argument, the word case conversion commands apply
843 to the appropriate number of words before point, but do not move point.
844 This is convenient when you have just typed a word in the wrong case: you
845 can give the case conversion command and continue typing.
847 If a word case conversion command is given in the middle of a word, it
848 applies only to the part of the word which follows point. This is just
849 like what @kbd{M-d} (@code{kill-word}) does. With a negative argument,
850 case conversion applies only to the part of the word before point.
854 @findex downcase-region
855 @findex upcase-region
856 The other case conversion commands are @kbd{C-x C-u}
857 (@code{upcase-region}) and @kbd{C-x C-l} (@code{downcase-region}), which
858 convert everything between point and mark to the specified case. Point and
861 The region case conversion commands @code{upcase-region} and
862 @code{downcase-region} are normally disabled. This means that they ask
863 for confirmation if you try to use them. When you confirm, you may
864 enable the command, which means it will not ask for confirmation again.
873 When you edit files of text in a human language, it's more convenient
874 to use Text mode rather than Fundamental mode. To enter Text mode, type
877 In Text mode, only blank lines and page delimiters separate
878 paragraphs. As a result, paragraphs can be indented, and adaptive
879 filling determines what indentation to use when filling a paragraph.
880 @xref{Adaptive Fill}.
882 @kindex TAB @r{(Text mode)}
883 Text mode defines @key{TAB} to run @code{indent-relative}
884 (@pxref{Indentation}), so that you can conveniently indent a line like
887 Text mode turns off the features concerned with comments except when
888 you explicitly invoke them. It changes the syntax table so that
889 single-quotes are considered part of words. However, if a word starts
890 with single-quotes, then these are treated as a prefix for purposes
891 such as capitalization. That is, @kbd{M-c} will convert
892 @samp{'hello'} into @samp{'Hello'}, as expected.
894 @cindex Paragraph-Indent Text mode
895 @cindex mode, Paragraph-Indent Text
896 @findex paragraph-indent-text-mode
897 @findex paragraph-indent-minor-mode
898 If you indent the first lines of paragraphs, then you should use
899 Paragraph-Indent Text mode rather than Text mode. In this mode, you do
900 not need to have blank lines between paragraphs, because the first-line
901 indentation is sufficient to start a paragraph; however paragraphs in
902 which every line is indented are not supported. Use @kbd{M-x
903 paragraph-indent-text-mode} to enter this mode. Use @kbd{M-x
904 paragraph-indent-minor-mode} to enter an equivalent minor mode, for
905 instance during mail composition.
907 @kindex M-TAB @r{(Text mode)}
908 Text mode, and all the modes based on it, define @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}
909 as the command @code{ispell-complete-word}, which performs completion
910 of the partial word in the buffer before point, using the spelling
911 dictionary as the space of possible words. @xref{Spelling}. If your
912 window manager defines @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} to switch windows, you can
913 type @kbd{@key{ESC} @key{TAB}} or @kbd{C-M-i}.
915 @vindex text-mode-hook
916 Entering Text mode runs the hook @code{text-mode-hook}. Other major
917 modes related to Text mode also run this hook, followed by hooks of
918 their own; this includes Paragraph-Indent Text mode, Nroff mode, @TeX{}
919 mode, Outline mode, and Mail mode. Hook functions on
920 @code{text-mode-hook} can look at the value of @code{major-mode} to see
921 which of these modes is actually being entered. @xref{Hooks}.
924 Emacs provides two other modes for editing text that is to be passed
925 through a text formatter to produce fancy formatted printed output.
926 @xref{Nroff Mode}, for editing input to the formatter nroff.
927 @xref{TeX Mode}, for editing input to the formatter TeX.
929 Another mode is used for editing outlines. It allows you to view the
930 text at various levels of detail. You can view either the outline
931 headings alone or both headings and text; you can also hide some of the
932 headings at lower levels from view to make the high level structure more
933 visible. @xref{Outline Mode}.
937 @section Outline Mode
939 @cindex mode, Outline
940 @cindex invisible lines
943 @findex outline-minor-mode
944 @vindex outline-minor-mode-prefix
945 Outline mode is a major mode much like Text mode but intended for
946 editing outlines. It allows you to make parts of the text temporarily
947 invisible so that you can see the outline structure. Type @kbd{M-x
948 outline-mode} to switch to Outline mode as the major mode of the current
951 When Outline mode makes a line invisible, the line does not appear
952 on the screen. The screen appears exactly as if the invisible line
953 were deleted, except that an ellipsis (three periods in a row) appears
954 at the end of the previous visible line. (Multiple consecutive
955 invisible lines produce just one ellipsis.)
957 Editing commands that operate on lines, such as @kbd{C-n} and
958 @kbd{C-p}, treat the text of the invisible line as part of the previous
959 visible line. Killing the ellipsis at the end of a visible line
960 really kills all the following invisible lines.
962 Outline minor mode provides the same commands as the major mode,
963 Outline mode, but you can use it in conjunction with other major modes.
964 Type @kbd{M-x outline-minor-mode} to enable the Outline minor mode in
965 the current buffer. You can also specify this in the text of a file,
966 with a file local variable of the form @samp{mode: outline-minor}
967 (@pxref{File Variables}).
969 @kindex C-c @@ @r{(Outline minor mode)}
970 The major mode, Outline mode, provides special key bindings on the
971 @kbd{C-c} prefix. Outline minor mode provides similar bindings with
972 @kbd{C-c @@} as the prefix; this is to reduce the conflicts with the
973 major mode's special commands. (The variable
974 @code{outline-minor-mode-prefix} controls the prefix used.)
976 @vindex outline-mode-hook
977 Entering Outline mode runs the hook @code{text-mode-hook} followed by
978 the hook @code{outline-mode-hook} (@pxref{Hooks}).
981 * Format: Outline Format. What the text of an outline looks like.
982 * Motion: Outline Motion. Special commands for moving through
984 * Visibility: Outline Visibility. Commands to control what is visible.
985 * Views: Outline Views. Outlines and multiple views.
986 * Foldout:: Folding means zooming in on outlines.
990 @subsection Format of Outlines
992 @cindex heading lines (Outline mode)
993 @cindex body lines (Outline mode)
994 Outline mode assumes that the lines in the buffer are of two types:
995 @dfn{heading lines} and @dfn{body lines}. A heading line represents a
996 topic in the outline. Heading lines start with one or more stars; the
997 number of stars determines the depth of the heading in the outline
998 structure. Thus, a heading line with one star is a major topic; all the
999 heading lines with two stars between it and the next one-star heading
1000 are its subtopics; and so on. Any line that is not a heading line is a
1001 body line. Body lines belong with the preceding heading line. Here is
1007 which says something about the topic of food.
1010 This is the body of the second-level header.
1020 Another first-level topic with its header line.
1023 A heading line together with all following body lines is called
1024 collectively an @dfn{entry}. A heading line together with all following
1025 deeper heading lines and their body lines is called a @dfn{subtree}.
1027 @vindex outline-regexp
1028 You can customize the criterion for distinguishing heading lines
1029 by setting the variable @code{outline-regexp}. Any line whose
1030 beginning has a match for this regexp is considered a heading line.
1031 Matches that start within a line (not at the left margin) do not count.
1032 The length of the matching text determines the level of the heading;
1033 longer matches make a more deeply nested level. Thus, for example,
1034 if a text formatter has commands @samp{@@chapter}, @samp{@@section}
1035 and @samp{@@subsection} to divide the document into chapters and
1036 sections, you could make those lines count as heading lines by
1037 setting @code{outline-regexp} to @samp{"@@chap\\|@@\\(sub\\)*section"}.
1038 Note the trick: the two words @samp{chapter} and @samp{section} are equally
1039 long, but by defining the regexp to match only @samp{chap} we ensure
1040 that the length of the text matched on a chapter heading is shorter,
1041 so that Outline mode will know that sections are contained in chapters.
1042 This works as long as no other command starts with @samp{@@chap}.
1044 @vindex outline-level
1045 You can change the rule for calculating the level of a heading line
1046 by setting the variable @code{outline-level}. The value of
1047 @code{outline-level} should be a function that takes no arguments and
1048 returns the level of the current heading. Some major modes such as C,
1049 Nroff, and Emacs Lisp mode set this variable and @code{outline-regexp}
1050 in order to work with Outline minor mode.
1052 @node Outline Motion
1053 @subsection Outline Motion Commands
1055 Outline mode provides special motion commands that move backward and
1056 forward to heading lines.
1060 Move point to the next visible heading line
1061 (@code{outline-next-visible-heading}).
1063 Move point to the previous visible heading line
1064 (@code{outline-previous-visible-heading}).
1066 Move point to the next visible heading line at the same level
1067 as the one point is on (@code{outline-forward-same-level}).
1069 Move point to the previous visible heading line at the same level
1070 (@code{outline-backward-same-level}).
1072 Move point up to a lower-level (more inclusive) visible heading line
1073 (@code{outline-up-heading}).
1076 @findex outline-next-visible-heading
1077 @findex outline-previous-visible-heading
1078 @kindex C-c C-n @r{(Outline mode)}
1079 @kindex C-c C-p @r{(Outline mode)}
1080 @kbd{C-c C-n} (@code{outline-next-visible-heading}) moves down to the next
1081 heading line. @kbd{C-c C-p} (@code{outline-previous-visible-heading}) moves
1082 similarly backward. Both accept numeric arguments as repeat counts. The
1083 names emphasize that invisible headings are skipped, but this is not really
1084 a special feature. All editing commands that look for lines ignore the
1085 invisible lines automatically.@refill
1087 @findex outline-up-heading
1088 @findex outline-forward-same-level
1089 @findex outline-backward-same-level
1090 @kindex C-c C-f @r{(Outline mode)}
1091 @kindex C-c C-b @r{(Outline mode)}
1092 @kindex C-c C-u @r{(Outline mode)}
1093 More powerful motion commands understand the level structure of headings.
1094 @kbd{C-c C-f} (@code{outline-forward-same-level}) and
1095 @kbd{C-c C-b} (@code{outline-backward-same-level}) move from one
1096 heading line to another visible heading at the same depth in
1097 the outline. @kbd{C-c C-u} (@code{outline-up-heading}) moves
1098 backward to another heading that is less deeply nested.
1100 @node Outline Visibility
1101 @subsection Outline Visibility Commands
1103 The other special commands of outline mode are used to make lines visible
1104 or invisible. Their names all start with @code{hide} or @code{show}.
1105 Most of them fall into pairs of opposites. They are not undoable; instead,
1106 you can undo right past them. Making lines visible or invisible is simply
1107 not recorded by the undo mechanism.
1109 Many of these commands act on the ``current'' heading line. If
1110 point is on a heading line, that is the current heading line; if point
1111 is on a body line, the current heading line is the nearest preceding
1116 Make the current heading line's body invisible (@code{hide-entry}).
1118 Make the current heading line's body visible (@code{show-entry}).
1120 Make everything under the current heading invisible, not including the
1121 heading itself (@code{hide-subtree}).
1123 Make everything under the current heading visible, including body,
1124 subheadings, and their bodies (@code{show-subtree}).
1126 Make the body of the current heading line, and of all its subheadings,
1127 invisible (@code{hide-leaves}).
1129 Make all subheadings of the current heading line, at all levels,
1130 visible (@code{show-branches}).
1132 Make immediate subheadings (one level down) of the current heading
1133 line visible (@code{show-children}).
1135 Make all body lines in the buffer invisible (@code{hide-body}).
1137 Make all lines in the buffer visible (@code{show-all}).
1139 Hide everything except the top @var{n} levels of heading lines
1140 (@code{hide-sublevels}).
1142 Hide everything except for the heading or body that point is in, plus
1143 the headings leading up from there to the top level of the outline
1144 (@code{hide-other}).
1149 @kindex C-c C-c @r{(Outline mode)}
1150 @kindex C-c C-e @r{(Outline mode)}
1151 Two commands that are exact opposites are @kbd{C-c C-c}
1152 (@code{hide-entry}) and @kbd{C-c C-e} (@code{show-entry}). They apply
1153 to the body lines directly following the current heading line.
1154 Subheadings and their bodies are not affected.
1156 @findex hide-subtree
1157 @findex show-subtree
1158 @kindex C-c C-s @r{(Outline mode)}
1159 @kindex C-c C-d @r{(Outline mode)}
1160 @cindex subtree (Outline mode)
1161 Two more powerful opposites are @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{hide-subtree})
1162 and @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{show-subtree}). Both apply to the current
1163 heading line's @dfn{subtree}: its body, all its subheadings, both
1164 direct and indirect, and all of their bodies. In other words, the
1165 subtree contains everything following the current heading line, up to
1166 and not including the next heading of the same or higher rank.@refill
1169 @findex show-branches
1170 @kindex C-c C-l @r{(Outline mode)}
1171 @kindex C-c C-k @r{(Outline mode)}
1172 Intermediate between a visible subtree and an invisible one is having
1173 all the subheadings visible but none of the body. There are two
1174 commands for doing this, depending on whether you want to hide the
1175 bodies or make the subheadings visible. They are @kbd{C-c C-l}
1176 (@code{hide-leaves}) and @kbd{C-c C-k} (@code{show-branches}).
1178 @kindex C-c C-i @r{(Outline mode)}
1179 @findex show-children
1180 A little weaker than @code{show-branches} is @kbd{C-c C-i}
1181 (@code{show-children}). It makes just the direct subheadings
1182 visible---those one level down. Deeper subheadings remain invisible, if
1183 they were invisible.@refill
1187 @kindex C-c C-t @r{(Outline mode)}
1188 @kindex C-c C-a @r{(Outline mode)}
1189 Two commands have a blanket effect on the whole file. @kbd{C-c C-t}
1190 (@code{hide-body}) makes all body lines invisible, so that you see just
1191 the outline structure (as a special exception, it will not hide lines
1192 at the top of the file, preceding the first header line, even though
1193 these are technically body lines). @kbd{C-c C-a} (@code{show-all})
1194 makes all lines visible. These commands can be thought of as a pair
1195 of opposites even though @kbd{C-c C-a} applies to more than just body
1198 @findex hide-sublevels
1199 @kindex C-c C-q @r{(Outline mode)}
1200 The command @kbd{C-c C-q} (@code{hide-sublevels}) hides all but the
1201 top level headings. With a numeric argument @var{n}, it hides everything
1202 except the top @var{n} levels of heading lines.
1205 @kindex C-c C-o @r{(Outline mode)}
1206 The command @kbd{C-c C-o} (@code{hide-other}) hides everything except
1207 the heading and body text that point is in, plus its parents (the headers
1208 leading up from there to top level in the outline) and the top level
1212 When incremental search finds text that is hidden by Outline mode,
1213 it makes that part of the buffer visible. If you exit the search
1214 at that position, the text remains visible. You can also
1215 automatically make text visible as you navigate in it by using
1216 @kbd{M-x reveal-mode}.
1219 @subsection Viewing One Outline in Multiple Views
1221 @cindex multiple views of outline
1222 @cindex views of an outline
1223 @cindex outline with multiple views
1224 @cindex indirect buffers and outlines
1225 You can display two views of a single outline at the same time, in
1226 different windows. To do this, you must create an indirect buffer using
1227 @kbd{M-x make-indirect-buffer}. The first argument of this command is
1228 the existing outline buffer name, and its second argument is the name to
1229 use for the new indirect buffer. @xref{Indirect Buffers}.
1231 Once the indirect buffer exists, you can display it in a window in the
1232 normal fashion, with @kbd{C-x 4 b} or other Emacs commands. The Outline
1233 mode commands to show and hide parts of the text operate on each buffer
1234 independently; as a result, each buffer can have its own view. If you
1235 want more than two views on the same outline, create additional indirect
1239 @subsection Folding Editing
1241 @cindex folding editing
1242 The Foldout package extends Outline mode and Outline minor mode with
1243 ``folding'' commands. The idea of folding is that you zoom in on a
1244 nested portion of the outline, while hiding its relatives at higher
1247 Consider an Outline mode buffer with all the text and subheadings under
1248 level-1 headings hidden. To look at what is hidden under one of these
1249 headings, you could use @kbd{C-c C-e} (@kbd{M-x show-entry}) to expose
1250 the body, or @kbd{C-c C-i} to expose the child (level-2) headings.
1253 @findex foldout-zoom-subtree
1254 With Foldout, you use @kbd{C-c C-z} (@kbd{M-x foldout-zoom-subtree}).
1255 This exposes the body and child subheadings, and narrows the buffer so
1256 that only the @w{level-1} heading, the body and the level-2 headings are
1257 visible. Now to look under one of the level-2 headings, position the
1258 cursor on it and use @kbd{C-c C-z} again. This exposes the level-2 body
1259 and its level-3 child subheadings and narrows the buffer again. Zooming
1260 in on successive subheadings can be done as much as you like. A string
1261 in the mode line shows how deep you've gone.
1263 When zooming in on a heading, to see only the child subheadings specify
1264 a numeric argument: @kbd{C-u C-c C-z}. The number of levels of children
1265 can be specified too (compare @kbd{M-x show-children}), e.g.@: @kbd{M-2
1266 C-c C-z} exposes two levels of child subheadings. Alternatively, the
1267 body can be specified with a negative argument: @kbd{M-- C-c C-z}. The
1268 whole subtree can be expanded, similarly to @kbd{C-c C-s} (@kbd{M-x
1269 show-subtree}), by specifying a zero argument: @kbd{M-0 C-c C-z}.
1271 While you're zoomed in, you can still use Outline mode's exposure and
1272 hiding functions without disturbing Foldout. Also, since the buffer is
1273 narrowed, ``global'' editing actions will only affect text under the
1274 zoomed-in heading. This is useful for restricting changes to a
1275 particular chapter or section of your document.
1278 @findex foldout-exit-fold
1279 To unzoom (exit) a fold, use @kbd{C-c C-x} (@kbd{M-x foldout-exit-fold}).
1280 This hides all the text and subheadings under the top-level heading and
1281 returns you to the previous view of the buffer. Specifying a numeric
1282 argument exits that many levels of folds. Specifying a zero argument
1285 To cancel the narrowing of a fold without hiding the text and
1286 subheadings, specify a negative argument. For example, @kbd{M--2 C-c
1287 C-x} exits two folds and leaves the text and subheadings exposed.
1289 Foldout mode also provides mouse commands for entering and exiting
1290 folds, and for showing and hiding text:
1293 @item @kbd{C-M-Mouse-1} zooms in on the heading clicked on
1296 single click: expose body.
1298 double click: expose subheadings.
1300 triple click: expose body and subheadings.
1302 quad click: expose entire subtree.
1304 @item @kbd{C-M-Mouse-2} exposes text under the heading clicked on
1307 single click: expose body.
1309 double click: expose subheadings.
1311 triple click: expose body and subheadings.
1313 quad click: expose entire subtree.
1315 @item @kbd{C-M-Mouse-3} hides text under the heading clicked on or exits fold
1318 single click: hide subtree.
1320 double click: exit fold and hide text.
1322 triple click: exit fold without hiding text.
1324 quad click: exit all folds and hide text.
1328 @vindex foldout-mouse-modifiers
1329 You can specify different modifier keys (instead of
1330 @kbd{Control-Meta-}) by setting @code{foldout-mouse-modifiers}; but if
1331 you have already loaded the @file{foldout.el} library, you must reload
1332 it in order for this to take effect.
1334 To use the Foldout package, you can type @kbd{M-x load-library
1335 @key{RET} foldout @key{RET}}; or you can arrange for to do that
1336 automatically by putting this in your @file{.emacs} file:
1339 (eval-after-load "outline" '(require 'foldout))
1343 @section @TeX{} Mode
1345 @cindex La@TeX{} mode
1346 @cindex Sli@TeX{} mode
1347 @cindex Doc@TeX{} mode
1348 @cindex mode, @TeX{}
1349 @cindex mode, La@TeX{}
1350 @cindex mode, Sli@TeX{}
1351 @cindex mode, Doc@TeX{}
1353 @findex plain-tex-mode
1358 @TeX{} is a powerful text formatter written by Donald Knuth; it is also
1359 free, like GNU Emacs. La@TeX{} is a simplified input format for @TeX{},
1360 implemented by @TeX{} macros; it comes with @TeX{}. Sli@TeX{} is a special
1361 form of La@TeX{}.@footnote{Sli@TeX{} is obsoleted by the @samp{slides}
1362 document class in recent La@TeX{} versions.} Doc@TeX{} (@file{.dtx})
1363 is a special file format in which the La@TeX{} sources are written,
1364 combining sources with documentation.
1366 Emacs has a special @TeX{} mode for editing @TeX{} input files.
1367 It provides facilities for checking the balance of delimiters and for
1368 invoking @TeX{} on all or part of the file.
1370 @vindex tex-default-mode
1371 @TeX{} mode has four variants: Plain @TeX{} mode, La@TeX{} mode,
1372 Sli@TeX{} mode, and Doc@TeX{} mode (these distinct major modes differ
1373 only slightly). They are designed for editing the four different
1374 formats. The command @kbd{M-x tex-mode} looks at the contents of the
1375 buffer to determine whether the contents appear to be either La@TeX{}
1376 input, Sli@TeX{}, or Doc@TeX{} input; if so, it selects the
1377 appropriate mode. If the file contents do not appear to be La@TeX{},
1378 Sli@TeX{} or Doc@TeX{}, it selects Plain @TeX{} mode. If the contents
1379 are insufficient to determine this, the variable
1380 @code{tex-default-mode} controls which mode is used.
1382 When @kbd{M-x tex-mode} does not guess right, you can use the commands
1383 @kbd{M-x plain-tex-mode}, @kbd{M-x latex-mode}, @kbd{M-x slitex-mode},
1384 and @kbd{doctex-mode} to select explicitly the particular variants of
1388 * Editing: TeX Editing. Special commands for editing in TeX mode.
1389 * LaTeX: LaTeX Editing. Additional commands for LaTeX input files.
1390 * Printing: TeX Print. Commands for printing part of a file with TeX.
1391 * Misc: TeX Misc. Customization of TeX mode, and related features.
1395 @subsection @TeX{} Editing Commands
1397 Here are the special commands provided in @TeX{} mode for editing the
1402 Insert, according to context, either @samp{``} or @samp{"} or
1403 @samp{''} (@code{tex-insert-quote}).
1405 Insert a paragraph break (two newlines) and check the previous
1406 paragraph for unbalanced braces or dollar signs
1407 (@code{tex-terminate-paragraph}).
1408 @item M-x tex-validate-region
1409 Check each paragraph in the region for unbalanced braces or dollar signs.
1411 Insert @samp{@{@}} and position point between them (@code{tex-insert-braces}).
1413 Move forward past the next unmatched close brace (@code{up-list}).
1416 @findex tex-insert-quote
1417 @kindex " @r{(@TeX{} mode)}
1418 In @TeX{}, the character @samp{"} is not normally used; we use
1419 @samp{``} to start a quotation and @samp{''} to end one. To make
1420 editing easier under this formatting convention, @TeX{} mode overrides
1421 the normal meaning of the key @kbd{"} with a command that inserts a pair
1422 of single-quotes or backquotes (@code{tex-insert-quote}). To be
1423 precise, this command inserts @samp{``} after whitespace or an open
1424 brace, @samp{"} after a backslash, and @samp{''} after any other
1427 If you need the character @samp{"} itself in unusual contexts, use
1428 @kbd{C-q} to insert it. Also, @kbd{"} with a numeric argument always
1429 inserts that number of @samp{"} characters. You can turn off the
1430 feature of @kbd{"} expansion by eliminating that binding in the local
1431 map (@pxref{Key Bindings}).
1433 In @TeX{} mode, @samp{$} has a special syntax code which attempts to
1434 understand the way @TeX{} math mode delimiters match. When you insert a
1435 @samp{$} that is meant to exit math mode, the position of the matching
1436 @samp{$} that entered math mode is displayed for a second. This is the
1437 same feature that displays the open brace that matches a close brace that
1438 is inserted. However, there is no way to tell whether a @samp{$} enters
1439 math mode or leaves it; so when you insert a @samp{$} that enters math
1440 mode, the previous @samp{$} position is shown as if it were a match, even
1441 though they are actually unrelated.
1443 @findex tex-insert-braces
1444 @kindex C-c @{ @r{(@TeX{} mode)}
1446 @kindex C-c @} @r{(@TeX{} mode)}
1447 @TeX{} uses braces as delimiters that must match. Some users prefer
1448 to keep braces balanced at all times, rather than inserting them
1449 singly. Use @kbd{C-c @{} (@code{tex-insert-braces}) to insert a pair of
1450 braces. It leaves point between the two braces so you can insert the
1451 text that belongs inside. Afterward, use the command @kbd{C-c @}}
1452 (@code{up-list}) to move forward past the close brace.
1454 @findex tex-validate-region
1455 @findex tex-terminate-paragraph
1456 @kindex C-j @r{(@TeX{} mode)}
1457 There are two commands for checking the matching of braces. @kbd{C-j}
1458 (@code{tex-terminate-paragraph}) checks the paragraph before point, and
1459 inserts two newlines to start a new paragraph. It outputs a message in
1460 the echo area if any mismatch is found. @kbd{M-x tex-validate-region}
1461 checks a region, paragraph by paragraph. The errors are listed in the
1462 @samp{*Occur*} buffer, and you can use @kbd{C-c C-c} or @kbd{Mouse-2} in
1463 that buffer to go to a particular mismatch.
1465 Note that Emacs commands count square brackets and parentheses in
1466 @TeX{} mode, not just braces. This is not strictly correct for the
1467 purpose of checking @TeX{} syntax. However, parentheses and square
1468 brackets are likely to be used in text as matching delimiters and it is
1469 useful for the various motion commands and automatic match display to
1473 @subsection La@TeX{} Editing Commands
1475 La@TeX{} mode, and its variant, Sli@TeX{} mode, provide a few extra
1476 features not applicable to plain @TeX{}.
1480 Insert @samp{\begin} and @samp{\end} for La@TeX{} block and position
1481 point on a line between them (@code{tex-latex-block}).
1483 Close the innermost La@TeX{} block not yet closed
1484 (@code{tex-close-latex-block}).
1487 @findex tex-latex-block
1488 @kindex C-c C-o @r{(La@TeX{} mode)}
1489 @vindex latex-block-names
1490 In La@TeX{} input, @samp{\begin} and @samp{\end} commands are used to
1491 group blocks of text. To insert a @samp{\begin} and a matching
1492 @samp{\end} (on a new line following the @samp{\begin}), use @kbd{C-c
1493 C-o} (@code{tex-latex-block}). A blank line is inserted between the
1494 two, and point is left there. You can use completion when you enter the
1495 block type; to specify additional block type names beyond the standard
1496 list, set the variable @code{latex-block-names}. For example, here's
1497 how to add @samp{theorem}, @samp{corollary}, and @samp{proof}:
1500 (setq latex-block-names '("theorem" "corollary" "proof"))
1503 @findex tex-close-latex-block
1504 @kindex C-c C-e @r{(La@TeX{} mode)}
1505 In La@TeX{} input, @samp{\begin} and @samp{\end} commands must
1506 balance. You can use @kbd{C-c C-e} (@code{tex-close-latex-block}) to
1507 insert automatically a matching @samp{\end} to match the last unmatched
1508 @samp{\begin}. It indents the @samp{\end} to match the corresponding
1509 @samp{\begin}. It inserts a newline after @samp{\end} if point is at
1510 the beginning of a line.
1513 @subsection @TeX{} Printing Commands
1515 You can invoke @TeX{} as an inferior of Emacs on either the entire
1516 contents of the buffer or just a region at a time. Running @TeX{} in
1517 this way on just one chapter is a good way to see what your changes
1518 look like without taking the time to format the entire file.
1522 Invoke @TeX{} on the current region, together with the buffer's header
1523 (@code{tex-region}).
1525 Invoke @TeX{} on the entire current buffer (@code{tex-buffer}).
1527 Invoke Bib@TeX{} on the current file (@code{tex-bibtex-file}).
1529 Invoke @TeX{} on the current file (@code{tex-file}).
1531 Recenter the window showing output from the inferior @TeX{} so that
1532 the last line can be seen (@code{tex-recenter-output-buffer}).
1534 Kill the @TeX{} subprocess (@code{tex-kill-job}).
1536 Print the output from the last @kbd{C-c C-r}, @kbd{C-c C-b}, or @kbd{C-c
1537 C-f} command (@code{tex-print}).
1539 Preview the output from the last @kbd{C-c C-r}, @kbd{C-c C-b}, or @kbd{C-c
1540 C-f} command (@code{tex-view}).
1542 Show the printer queue (@code{tex-show-print-queue}).
1544 Invoke some other compilation command on the entire current buffer
1545 (@code{tex-compile}).
1549 @kindex C-c C-b @r{(@TeX{} mode)}
1551 @kindex C-c C-p @r{(@TeX{} mode)}
1553 @kindex C-c C-v @r{(@TeX{} mode)}
1554 @findex tex-show-print-queue
1555 @kindex C-c C-q @r{(@TeX{} mode)}
1556 You can pass the current buffer through an inferior @TeX{} by means of
1557 @kbd{C-c C-b} (@code{tex-buffer}). The formatted output appears in a
1558 temporary file; to print it, type @kbd{C-c C-p} (@code{tex-print}).
1559 Afterward, you can use @kbd{C-c C-q} (@code{tex-show-print-queue}) to
1560 view the progress of your output towards being printed. If your terminal
1561 has the ability to display @TeX{} output files, you can preview the
1562 output on the terminal with @kbd{C-c C-v} (@code{tex-view}).
1564 @cindex @env{TEXINPUTS} environment variable
1565 @vindex tex-directory
1566 You can specify the directory to use for running @TeX{} by setting the
1567 variable @code{tex-directory}. @code{"."} is the default value. If
1568 your environment variable @env{TEXINPUTS} contains relative directory
1569 names, or if your files contains @samp{\input} commands with relative
1570 file names, then @code{tex-directory} @emph{must} be @code{"."} or you
1571 will get the wrong results. Otherwise, it is safe to specify some other
1572 directory, such as @code{"/tmp"}.
1574 @vindex tex-run-command
1575 @vindex latex-run-command
1576 @vindex slitex-run-command
1577 @vindex tex-dvi-print-command
1578 @vindex tex-dvi-view-command
1579 @vindex tex-show-queue-command
1580 If you want to specify which shell commands are used in the inferior @TeX{},
1581 you can do so by setting the values of the variables @code{tex-run-command},
1582 @code{latex-run-command}, @code{slitex-run-command},
1583 @code{tex-dvi-print-command}, @code{tex-dvi-view-command}, and
1584 @code{tex-show-queue-command}. You @emph{must} set the value of
1585 @code{tex-dvi-view-command} for your particular terminal; this variable
1586 has no default value. The other variables have default values that may
1587 (or may not) be appropriate for your system.
1589 Normally, the file name given to these commands comes at the end of
1590 the command string; for example, @samp{latex @var{filename}}. In some
1591 cases, however, the file name needs to be embedded in the command; an
1592 example is when you need to provide the file name as an argument to one
1593 command whose output is piped to another. You can specify where to put
1594 the file name with @samp{*} in the command string. For example,
1597 (setq tex-dvi-print-command "dvips -f * | lpr")
1600 @findex tex-kill-job
1601 @kindex C-c C-k @r{(@TeX{} mode)}
1602 @findex tex-recenter-output-buffer
1603 @kindex C-c C-l @r{(@TeX{} mode)}
1604 The terminal output from @TeX{}, including any error messages, appears
1605 in a buffer called @samp{*tex-shell*}. If @TeX{} gets an error, you can
1606 switch to this buffer and feed it input (this works as in Shell mode;
1607 @pxref{Interactive Shell}). Without switching to this buffer you can
1608 scroll it so that its last line is visible by typing @kbd{C-c
1611 Type @kbd{C-c C-k} (@code{tex-kill-job}) to kill the @TeX{} process if
1612 you see that its output is no longer useful. Using @kbd{C-c C-b} or
1613 @kbd{C-c C-r} also kills any @TeX{} process still running.@refill
1616 @kindex C-c C-r @r{(@TeX{} mode)}
1617 You can also pass an arbitrary region through an inferior @TeX{} by typing
1618 @kbd{C-c C-r} (@code{tex-region}). This is tricky, however, because most files
1619 of @TeX{} input contain commands at the beginning to set parameters and
1620 define macros, without which no later part of the file will format
1621 correctly. To solve this problem, @kbd{C-c C-r} allows you to designate a
1622 part of the file as containing essential commands; it is included before
1623 the specified region as part of the input to @TeX{}. The designated part
1624 of the file is called the @dfn{header}.
1626 @cindex header (@TeX{} mode)
1627 To indicate the bounds of the header in Plain @TeX{} mode, you insert two
1628 special strings in the file. Insert @samp{%**start of header} before the
1629 header, and @samp{%**end of header} after it. Each string must appear
1630 entirely on one line, but there may be other text on the line before or
1631 after. The lines containing the two strings are included in the header.
1632 If @samp{%**start of header} does not appear within the first 100 lines of
1633 the buffer, @kbd{C-c C-r} assumes that there is no header.
1635 In La@TeX{} mode, the header begins with @samp{\documentclass} or
1636 @samp{\documentstyle} and ends with @samp{\begin@{document@}}. These
1637 are commands that La@TeX{} requires you to use in any case, so nothing
1638 special needs to be done to identify the header.
1641 @kindex C-c C-f @r{(@TeX{} mode)}
1642 The commands (@code{tex-buffer}) and (@code{tex-region}) do all of their
1643 work in a temporary directory, and do not have available any of the auxiliary
1644 files needed by @TeX{} for cross-references; these commands are generally
1645 not suitable for running the final copy in which all of the cross-references
1648 When you want the auxiliary files for cross references, use @kbd{C-c
1649 C-f} (@code{tex-file}) which runs @TeX{} on the current buffer's file,
1650 in that file's directory. Before running @TeX{}, it offers to save any
1651 modified buffers. Generally, you need to use (@code{tex-file}) twice to
1652 get the cross-references right.
1654 @vindex tex-start-options
1655 The value of the variable @code{tex-start-options} specifies
1656 options for the @TeX{} run.
1658 @vindex tex-start-commands
1659 The value of the variable @code{tex-start-commands} specifies @TeX{}
1660 commands for starting @TeX{}. The default value causes @TeX{} to run
1661 in nonstop mode. To run @TeX{} interactively, set the variable to
1664 @vindex tex-main-file
1665 Large @TeX{} documents are often split into several files---one main
1666 file, plus subfiles. Running @TeX{} on a subfile typically does not
1667 work; you have to run it on the main file. In order to make
1668 @code{tex-file} useful when you are editing a subfile, you can set the
1669 variable @code{tex-main-file} to the name of the main file. Then
1670 @code{tex-file} runs @TeX{} on that file.
1672 The most convenient way to use @code{tex-main-file} is to specify it
1673 in a local variable list in each of the subfiles. @xref{File
1676 @findex tex-bibtex-file
1677 @kindex C-c TAB @r{(@TeX{} mode)}
1678 @vindex tex-bibtex-command
1679 For La@TeX{} files, you can use Bib@TeX{} to process the auxiliary
1680 file for the current buffer's file. Bib@TeX{} looks up bibliographic
1681 citations in a data base and prepares the cited references for the
1682 bibliography section. The command @kbd{C-c TAB}
1683 (@code{tex-bibtex-file}) runs the shell command
1684 (@code{tex-bibtex-command}) to produce a @samp{.bbl} file for the
1685 current buffer's file. Generally, you need to do @kbd{C-c C-f}
1686 (@code{tex-file}) once to generate the @samp{.aux} file, then do
1687 @kbd{C-c TAB} (@code{tex-bibtex-file}), and then repeat @kbd{C-c C-f}
1688 (@code{tex-file}) twice more to get the cross-references correct.
1691 @kindex C-c C-c @r{(@TeX{} mode)}
1692 To invoke some other compilation program on the current @TeX{}
1693 buffer, type @kbd{C-c C-c} (@code{tex-compile}). This command knows
1694 how to pass arguments to many common programs, including
1695 @file{pdflatex}, @file{yap}, @file{xdvi}, and @file{dvips}. You can
1696 select your desired compilation program using the standard completion
1697 keys (@pxref{Completion}).
1700 @subsection @TeX{} Mode Miscellany
1702 @vindex tex-shell-hook
1703 @vindex tex-mode-hook
1704 @vindex latex-mode-hook
1705 @vindex slitex-mode-hook
1706 @vindex plain-tex-mode-hook
1707 Entering any variant of @TeX{} mode runs the hooks
1708 @code{text-mode-hook} and @code{tex-mode-hook}. Then it runs either
1709 @code{plain-tex-mode-hook}, @code{latex-mode-hook}, or
1710 @code{slitex-mode-hook}, whichever is appropriate. Starting the
1711 @TeX{} shell runs the hook @code{tex-shell-hook}. @xref{Hooks}.
1715 @findex iso-iso2gtex
1716 @findex iso-gtex2iso
1717 @cindex Latin-1 @TeX{} encoding
1718 @cindex @TeX{} encoding
1719 The commands @kbd{M-x iso-iso2tex}, @kbd{M-x iso-tex2iso}, @kbd{M-x
1720 iso-iso2gtex} and @kbd{M-x iso-gtex2iso} can be used to convert
1721 between Latin-1 encoded files and @TeX{}-encoded equivalents.
1723 @c Too cryptic to be useful, too cryptic for me to make it better -- rms.
1725 are included by default in the @code{format-alist} variable, so they
1726 can be used with @kbd{M-x format-find-file}, for instance.
1729 @ignore @c Not worth documenting if it is only for Czech -- rms.
1730 @findex tildify-buffer
1731 @findex tildify-region
1732 @cindex ties, @TeX{}, inserting
1733 @cindex hard spaces, @TeX{}, inserting
1734 The commands @kbd{M-x tildify-buffer} and @kbd{M-x tildify-region}
1735 insert @samp{~} (@dfn{tie}) characters where they are conventionally
1736 required. This is set up for Czech---customize the group
1737 @samp{tildify} for other languages or for other sorts of markup.
1740 @cindex Ref@TeX{} package
1741 @cindex references, La@TeX{}
1742 @cindex La@TeX{} references
1743 For managing all kinds of references for La@TeX{}, you can use
1744 Ref@TeX{}. @inforef{Top,, reftex}.
1747 @section SGML, XML, and HTML Modes
1749 The major modes for SGML and HTML include indentation support and
1750 commands to operate on tags. This section describes the special
1751 commands of these modes. (HTML mode is a slightly customized variant
1756 @kindex C-c C-n @r{(SGML mode)}
1757 @findex sgml-name-char
1758 Interactively specify a special character and insert the SGML
1759 @samp{&}-command for that character.
1762 @kindex C-c C-t @r{(SGML mode)}
1764 Interactively specify a tag and its attributes (@code{sgml-tag}).
1765 This command asks you for a tag name and for the attribute values,
1766 then inserts both the opening tag and the closing tag, leaving point
1769 With a prefix argument @var{n}, the command puts the tag around the
1770 @var{n} words already present in the buffer after point. With
1771 @minus{}1 as argument, it puts the tag around the region. (In
1772 Transient Mark mode, it does this whenever a region is active.)
1775 @kindex C-c C-a @r{(SGML mode)}
1776 @findex sgml-attributes
1777 Interactively insert attribute values for the current tag
1778 (@code{sgml-attributes}).
1781 @kindex C-c C-f @r{(SGML mode)}
1782 @findex sgml-skip-tag-forward
1783 Skip across a balanced tag group (which extends from an opening tag
1784 through its corresponding closing tag) (@code{sgml-skip-tag-forward}).
1785 A numeric argument acts as a repeat count.
1788 @kindex C-c C-b @r{(SGML mode)}
1789 @findex sgml-skip-tag-backward
1790 Skip backward across a balanced tag group (which extends from an
1791 opening tag through its corresponding closing tag)
1792 (@code{sgml-skip-tag-forward}). A numeric argument acts as a repeat
1796 @kindex C-c C-d @r{(SGML mode)}
1797 @findex sgml-delete-tag
1798 Delete the tag at or after point, and delete the matching tag too
1799 (@code{sgml-delete-tag}). If the tag at or after point is an opening
1800 tag, delete the closing tag too; if it is a closing tag, delete the
1803 @item C-c ? @var{tag} @key{RET}
1804 @kindex C-c ? @r{(SGML mode)}
1805 @findex sgml-tag-help
1806 Display a description of the meaning of tag @var{tag}
1807 (@code{sgml-tag-help}). If the argument @var{tag} is empty, describe
1811 @kindex C-c / @r{(SGML mode)}
1812 @findex sgml-close-tag
1813 Insert a close tag for the innermost unterminated tag
1814 (@code{sgml-close-tag}). If called from within a tag or a comment,
1815 close this element instead of inserting a close tag.
1818 @kindex C-c 8 @r{(SGML mode)}
1819 @findex sgml-name-8bit-mode
1820 Toggle a minor mode in which Latin-1 characters insert the
1821 corresponding SGML commands that stand for them, instead of the
1822 characters themselves (@code{sgml-name-8bit-mode}).
1825 @kindex C-c C-v @r{(SGML mode)}
1826 @findex sgml-validate
1827 Run a shell command (which you must specify) to validate the current
1828 buffer as SGML (@code{sgml-validate}).
1831 @kindex C-c TAB @r{(SGML mode)}
1832 @findex sgml-tags-invisible
1833 Toggle the visibility of existing tags in the buffer. This can be
1834 used as a cheap preview.
1837 @vindex sgml-xml-mode
1838 SGML mode and HTML mode support XML also. In XML, every opening tag
1839 must have an explicit closing tag. When @code{sgml-xml-mode} is
1840 non-@code{nil}, SGML mode (and HTML mode) always insert explicit
1841 closing tags. When you visit a file, these modes determine from the
1842 file contents whether it is XML or not, and set @code{sgml-xml-mode}
1843 accordingly, so that they do the right thing for the file in either
1851 Nroff mode is a mode like Text mode but modified to handle nroff commands
1852 present in the text. Invoke @kbd{M-x nroff-mode} to enter this mode. It
1853 differs from Text mode in only a few ways. All nroff command lines are
1854 considered paragraph separators, so that filling will never garble the
1855 nroff commands. Pages are separated by @samp{.bp} commands. Comments
1856 start with backslash-doublequote. Also, three special commands are
1857 provided that are not in Text mode:
1859 @findex forward-text-line
1860 @findex backward-text-line
1861 @findex count-text-lines
1862 @kindex M-n @r{(Nroff mode)}
1863 @kindex M-p @r{(Nroff mode)}
1864 @kindex M-? @r{(Nroff mode)}
1867 Move to the beginning of the next line that isn't an nroff command
1868 (@code{forward-text-line}). An argument is a repeat count.
1870 Like @kbd{M-n} but move up (@code{backward-text-line}).
1872 Displays in the echo area the number of text lines (lines that are not
1873 nroff commands) in the region (@code{count-text-lines}).
1876 @findex electric-nroff-mode
1877 The other feature of Nroff mode is that you can turn on Electric Nroff
1878 mode. This is a minor mode that you can turn on or off with @kbd{M-x
1879 electric-nroff-mode} (@pxref{Minor Modes}). When the mode is on, each
1880 time you use @key{RET} to end a line that contains an nroff command that
1881 opens a kind of grouping, the matching nroff command to close that
1882 grouping is automatically inserted on the following line. For example,
1883 if you are at the beginning of a line and type @kbd{.@: ( b @key{RET}},
1884 this inserts the matching command @samp{.)b} on a new line following
1887 If you use Outline minor mode with Nroff mode (@pxref{Outline Mode}),
1888 heading lines are lines of the form @samp{.H} followed by a number (the
1891 @vindex nroff-mode-hook
1892 Entering Nroff mode runs the hook @code{text-mode-hook}, followed by
1893 the hook @code{nroff-mode-hook} (@pxref{Hooks}).
1895 @node Formatted Text
1896 @section Editing Formatted Text
1898 @cindex Enriched mode
1899 @cindex mode, Enriched
1900 @cindex formatted text
1902 @cindex word processing
1903 @dfn{Enriched mode} is a minor mode for editing files that contain
1904 formatted text in WYSIWYG fashion, as in a word processor. Currently,
1905 formatted text in Enriched mode can specify fonts, colors, underlining,
1906 margins, and types of filling and justification. In the future, we plan
1907 to implement other formatting features as well.
1909 Enriched mode is a minor mode (@pxref{Minor Modes}). It is
1910 typically used in conjunction with Text mode (@pxref{Text Mode}), but
1911 you can also use it with other major modes such as Outline mode and
1912 Paragraph-Indent Text mode.
1914 @cindex text/enriched MIME format
1915 Potentially, Emacs can store formatted text files in various file
1916 formats. Currently, only one format is implemented: @dfn{text/enriched}
1917 format, which is defined by the MIME protocol. @xref{Format
1918 Conversion,, Format Conversion, elisp, the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual},
1919 for details of how Emacs recognizes and converts file formats.
1921 The Emacs distribution contains a formatted text file that can serve as
1922 an example. Its name is @file{etc/enriched.doc}. It contains samples
1923 illustrating all the features described in this section. It also
1924 contains a list of ideas for future enhancements.
1927 * Requesting Formatted Text:: Entering and exiting Enriched mode.
1928 * Hard and Soft Newlines:: There are two different kinds of newlines.
1929 * Editing Format Info:: How to edit text properties.
1930 * Faces: Format Faces. Bold, italic, underline, etc.
1931 * Color: Format Colors. Changing the color of text.
1932 * Indent: Format Indentation. Changing the left and right margins.
1933 * Justification: Format Justification.
1934 Centering, setting text flush with the
1935 left or right margin, etc.
1936 * Other: Format Properties. The "special" text properties submenu.
1937 * Forcing Enriched Mode:: How to force use of Enriched mode.
1940 @node Requesting Formatted Text
1941 @subsection Requesting to Edit Formatted Text
1943 Whenever you visit a file that Emacs saved in the text/enriched
1944 format, Emacs automatically converts the formatting information in the
1945 file into Emacs's own internal format (known as @dfn{text
1946 properties}), and turns on Enriched mode.
1948 @findex enriched-mode
1949 To create a new file of formatted text, first visit the nonexistent
1950 file, then type @kbd{M-x enriched-mode} before you start inserting text.
1951 This command turns on Enriched mode. Do this before you begin inserting
1952 text, to ensure that the text you insert is handled properly.
1954 More generally, the command @code{enriched-mode} turns Enriched mode
1955 on if it was off, and off if it was on. With a prefix argument, this
1956 command turns Enriched mode on if the argument is positive, and turns
1957 the mode off otherwise.
1959 When you save a buffer while Enriched mode is enabled in it, Emacs
1960 automatically converts the text to text/enriched format while writing it
1961 into the file. When you visit the file again, Emacs will automatically
1962 recognize the format, reconvert the text, and turn on Enriched mode
1965 @vindex enriched-translations
1966 You can add annotations for saving additional text properties, which
1967 Emacs normally does not save, by adding to @code{enriched-translations}.
1968 Note that the text/enriched standard requires any non-standard
1969 annotations to have names starting with @samp{x-}, as in
1970 @samp{x-read-only}. This ensures that they will not conflict with
1971 standard annotations that may be added later.
1973 @xref{Text Properties,,, elisp, the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual},
1974 for more information about text properties.
1976 @node Hard and Soft Newlines
1977 @subsection Hard and Soft Newlines
1978 @cindex hard newline
1979 @cindex soft newline
1980 @cindex newlines, hard and soft
1982 @cindex use-hard-newlines
1983 In formatted text, Emacs distinguishes between two different kinds of
1984 newlines, @dfn{hard} newlines and @dfn{soft} newlines. (You can enable
1985 or disable this feature separately in any buffer with the command
1986 @code{use-hard-newlines}.)
1988 Hard newlines are used to separate paragraphs, or items in a list, or
1989 anywhere that there should always be a line break regardless of the
1990 margins. The @key{RET} command (@code{newline}) and @kbd{C-o}
1991 (@code{open-line}) insert hard newlines.
1993 Soft newlines are used to make text fit between the margins. All the
1994 fill commands, including Auto Fill, insert soft newlines---and they
1995 delete only soft newlines.
1997 Although hard and soft newlines look the same, it is important to bear
1998 the difference in mind. Do not use @key{RET} to break lines in the
1999 middle of filled paragraphs, or else you will get hard newlines that are
2000 barriers to further filling. Instead, let Auto Fill mode break lines,
2001 so that if the text or the margins change, Emacs can refill the lines
2002 properly. @xref{Auto Fill}.
2004 On the other hand, in tables and lists, where the lines should always
2005 remain as you type them, you can use @key{RET} to end lines. For these
2006 lines, you may also want to set the justification style to
2007 @code{unfilled}. @xref{Format Justification}.
2009 @node Editing Format Info
2010 @subsection Editing Format Information
2012 There are two ways to alter the formatting information for a formatted
2013 text file: with keyboard commands, and with the mouse.
2015 The easiest way to add properties to your document is with the Text
2016 Properties menu. You can get to this menu in two ways: from the Edit
2017 menu in the menu bar (use @kbd{@key{F10} e t} if you have no mouse),
2018 or with @kbd{C-Mouse-2} (hold the @key{CTRL} key and press the middle
2019 mouse button). There are also keyboard commands described in the
2022 Most of the items in the Text Properties menu lead to other submenus.
2023 These are described in the sections that follow. Some items run
2027 @findex facemenu-remove-face-props
2028 @item Remove Face Properties
2029 Delete from the region all face and color text properties
2030 (@code{facemenu-remove-face-props}).
2032 @findex facemenu-remove-all
2033 @item Remove Text Properties
2034 Delete @emph{all} text properties from the region
2035 (@code{facemenu-remove-all}).
2037 @findex describe-text-properties
2038 @cindex text properties of characters
2039 @cindex overlays at character position
2040 @cindex widgets at buffer position
2041 @cindex buttons at buffer position
2042 @item Describe Properties
2043 List all the text properties, widgets, buttons, and overlays of the
2044 character following point (@code{describe-text-properties}).
2047 Display a list of all the defined faces (@code{list-faces-display}).
2049 @item Display Colors
2050 Display a list of all the defined colors (@code{list-colors-display}).
2054 @subsection Faces in Formatted Text
2056 The Faces submenu lists various Emacs faces including @code{bold},
2057 @code{italic}, and @code{underline}. Selecting one of these adds the
2058 chosen face to the region. @xref{Faces}. You can also specify a face
2059 with these keyboard commands:
2062 @kindex M-o d @r{(Enriched mode)}
2063 @findex facemenu-set-default
2065 Set the region, or the next inserted character, to the @code{default} face
2066 (@code{facemenu-set-default}).
2067 @kindex M-o b @r{(Enriched mode)}
2068 @findex facemenu-set-bold
2070 Set the region, or the next inserted character, to the @code{bold} face
2071 (@code{facemenu-set-bold}).
2072 @kindex M-o i @r{(Enriched mode)}
2073 @findex facemenu-set-italic
2075 Set the region, or the next inserted character, to the @code{italic} face
2076 (@code{facemenu-set-italic}).
2077 @kindex M-o l @r{(Enriched mode)}
2078 @findex facemenu-set-bold-italic
2080 Set the region, or the next inserted character, to the @code{bold-italic} face
2081 (@code{facemenu-set-bold-italic}).
2082 @kindex M-o u @r{(Enriched mode)}
2083 @findex facemenu-set-underline
2085 Set the region, or the next inserted character, to the @code{underline} face
2086 (@code{facemenu-set-underline}).
2087 @kindex M-o o @r{(Enriched mode)}
2088 @findex facemenu-set-face
2089 @item M-o o @var{face} @key{RET}
2090 Set the region, or the next inserted character, to the face @var{face}
2091 (@code{facemenu-set-face}).
2094 If you use these commands with a prefix argument---or, in Transient Mark
2095 mode, if the region is not active---then these commands specify a face
2096 to use for any immediately following self-inserting input.
2097 @xref{Transient Mark}. This applies to both the keyboard commands and
2100 Specifying the @code{default} face also resets foreground and
2101 background color to their defaults.(@pxref{Format Colors}).
2103 Any self-inserting character you type inherits, by default, the face
2104 properties (as well as most other text properties) of the preceding
2105 character. Specifying any face property, including foreground or
2106 background color, for your next self-inserting character will prevent
2107 it from inheriting any face properties from the preceding character,
2108 although it will still inherit other text properties. Characters
2109 inserted by yanking do not inherit text properties.
2111 Enriched mode defines two additional faces: @code{excerpt} and
2112 @code{fixed}. These correspond to codes used in the text/enriched file
2115 The @code{excerpt} face is intended for quotations. This face is the
2116 same as @code{italic} unless you customize it (@pxref{Face Customization}).
2118 The @code{fixed} face means, ``Use a fixed-width font for this part
2119 of the text.'' Applying the @code{fixed} face to a part of the text
2120 will cause that part of the text to appear in a fixed-width font, even
2121 if the default font is variable-width. This applies to Emacs and to
2122 other systems that display text/enriched format. So if you
2123 specifically want a certain part of the text to use a fixed-width
2124 font, you should specify the @code{fixed} face for that part.
2126 By default, the @code{fixed} face looks the same as @code{bold}.
2127 This is an attempt to distinguish it from @code{default}. You may
2128 wish to customize @code{fixed} to some other fixed-width medium font.
2129 @xref{Face Customization}.
2131 If your terminal cannot display different faces, you will not be
2132 able to see them, but you can still edit documents containing faces,
2133 and even add faces and colors to documents. The faces you specify
2134 will be visible when the file is viewed on a terminal that can display
2138 @subsection Colors in Formatted Text
2140 You can specify foreground and background colors for portions of the
2141 text. There is a menu for specifying the foreground color and a menu
2142 for specifying the background color. Each color menu lists all the
2143 colors that you have used in Enriched mode in the current Emacs session.
2145 If you specify a color with a prefix argument---or, in Transient
2146 Mark mode, if the region is not active---then it applies to any
2147 immediately following self-inserting input. @xref{Transient Mark}.
2148 Otherwise, the command applies to the region.
2150 Each color menu contains one additional item: @samp{Other}. You can use
2151 this item to specify a color that is not listed in the menu; it reads
2152 the color name with the minibuffer. To display a list of available colors
2153 and their names, use the @samp{Display Colors} menu item in the Text
2154 Properties menu (@pxref{Editing Format Info}).
2156 Any color that you specify in this way, or that is mentioned in a
2157 formatted text file that you read in, is added to the corresponding
2158 color menu for the duration of the Emacs session.
2160 @findex facemenu-set-foreground
2161 @findex facemenu-set-background
2162 There are no key bindings for specifying colors, but you can do so
2163 with the extended commands @kbd{M-x facemenu-set-foreground} and
2164 @kbd{M-x facemenu-set-background}. Both of these commands read the name
2165 of the color with the minibuffer.
2167 @node Format Indentation
2168 @subsection Indentation in Formatted Text
2170 When editing formatted text, you can specify different amounts of
2171 indentation for the right or left margin of an entire paragraph or a
2172 part of a paragraph. The margins you specify automatically affect the
2173 Emacs fill commands (@pxref{Filling}) and line-breaking commands.
2175 The Indentation submenu provides a convenient interface for specifying
2176 these properties. The submenu contains four items:
2179 @kindex C-x TAB @r{(Enriched mode)}
2180 @findex increase-left-margin
2182 Indent the region by 4 columns (@code{increase-left-margin}). In
2183 Enriched mode, this command is also available on @kbd{C-x @key{TAB}}; if
2184 you supply a numeric argument, that says how many columns to add to the
2185 margin (a negative argument reduces the number of columns).
2188 Remove 4 columns of indentation from the region.
2190 @item Indent Right More
2191 Make the text narrower by indenting 4 columns at the right margin.
2193 @item Indent Right Less
2194 Remove 4 columns of indentation from the right margin.
2197 You can use these commands repeatedly to increase or decrease the
2200 The most common way to use them is to change the indentation of an
2201 entire paragraph. For other uses, the effects of refilling can be
2202 hard to predict, except in some special cases like the one described
2205 The most common other use is to format paragraphs with @dfn{hanging
2206 indents}, which means that the first line is indented less than
2207 subsequent lines. To set up a hanging indent, increase the
2208 indentation of the region starting after the first word of the
2209 paragraph and running until the end of the paragraph.
2211 Indenting the first line of a paragraph is easier. Set the margin for
2212 the whole paragraph where you want it to be for the body of the
2213 paragraph, then indent the first line by inserting extra spaces or tabs.
2215 @vindex standard-indent
2216 The variable @code{standard-indent} specifies how many columns these
2217 commands should add to or subtract from the indentation. The default
2218 value is 4. The overall default right margin for Enriched mode is
2219 controlled by the variable @code{fill-column}, as usual.
2221 @kindex C-c [ @r{(Enriched mode)}
2222 @kindex C-c ] @r{(Enriched mode)}
2223 @findex set-left-margin
2224 @findex set-right-margin
2225 There are also two commands for setting the left or right margin of
2226 the region absolutely: @code{set-left-margin} and
2227 @code{set-right-margin}. Enriched mode binds these commands to
2228 @kbd{C-c [} and @kbd{C-c ]}, respectively. You can specify the
2229 margin width either with a numeric argument or in the minibuffer.
2231 Sometimes, as a result of editing, the filling of a paragraph becomes
2232 messed up---parts of the paragraph may extend past the left or right
2233 margins. When this happens, use @kbd{M-q} (@code{fill-paragraph}) to
2234 refill the paragraph.
2236 The fill prefix, if any, works in addition to the specified paragraph
2237 indentation: @kbd{C-x .} does not include the specified indentation's
2238 whitespace in the new value for the fill prefix, and the fill commands
2239 look for the fill prefix after the indentation on each line. @xref{Fill
2242 @node Format Justification
2243 @subsection Justification in Formatted Text
2245 When editing formatted text, you can specify various styles of
2246 justification for a paragraph. The style you specify automatically
2247 affects the Emacs fill commands.
2249 The Justification submenu provides a convenient interface for specifying
2250 the style. The submenu contains five items:
2254 This is the most common style of justification (at least for English).
2255 Lines are aligned at the left margin but left uneven at the right.
2258 This aligns each line with the right margin. Spaces and tabs are added
2259 on the left, if necessary, to make lines line up on the right.
2262 This justifies the text, aligning both edges of each line. Justified
2263 text looks very nice in a printed book, where the spaces can all be
2264 adjusted equally, but it does not look as nice with a fixed-width font
2265 on the screen. Perhaps a future version of Emacs will be able to adjust
2266 the width of spaces in a line to achieve elegant justification.
2269 This centers every line between the current margins.
2272 This turns off filling entirely. Each line will remain as you wrote it;
2273 the fill and auto-fill functions will have no effect on text which has
2274 this setting. You can, however, still indent the left margin. In
2275 unfilled regions, all newlines are treated as hard newlines (@pxref{Hard
2276 and Soft Newlines}) .
2279 In Enriched mode, you can also specify justification from the keyboard
2280 using the @kbd{M-j} prefix character:
2283 @kindex M-j l @r{(Enriched mode)}
2284 @findex set-justification-left
2286 Make the region left-filled (@code{set-justification-left}).
2287 @kindex M-j r @r{(Enriched mode)}
2288 @findex set-justification-right
2290 Make the region right-filled (@code{set-justification-right}).
2291 @kindex M-j b @r{(Enriched mode)}
2292 @findex set-justification-full
2294 Make the region fully justified (@code{set-justification-full}).
2295 @kindex M-j c @r{(Enriched mode)}
2296 @kindex M-S @r{(Enriched mode)}
2297 @findex set-justification-center
2300 Make the region centered (@code{set-justification-center}).
2301 @kindex M-j u @r{(Enriched mode)}
2302 @findex set-justification-none
2304 Make the region unfilled (@code{set-justification-none}).
2307 Justification styles apply to entire paragraphs. All the
2308 justification-changing commands operate on the paragraph containing
2309 point, or, if the region is active, on all paragraphs which overlap the
2312 @vindex default-justification
2313 The default justification style is specified by the variable
2314 @code{default-justification}. Its value should be one of the symbols
2315 @code{left}, @code{right}, @code{full}, @code{center}, or @code{none}.
2316 This is a per-buffer variable. Setting the variable directly affects
2317 only the current buffer. However, customizing it in a Custom buffer
2318 sets (as always) the default value for buffers that do not override it.
2319 @xref{Locals}, and @ref{Easy Customization}.
2321 @node Format Properties
2322 @subsection Setting Other Text Properties
2324 The Special Properties menu lets you add or remove three other useful text
2325 properties: @code{read-only}, @code{invisible} and @code{intangible}.
2326 The @code{intangible} property disallows moving point within the text,
2327 the @code{invisible} text property hides text from display, and the
2328 @code{read-only} property disallows alteration of the text.
2330 Each of these special properties has a menu item to add it to the
2331 region. The last menu item, @samp{Remove Special}, removes all of these
2332 special properties from the text in the region.
2334 Currently, the @code{invisible} and @code{intangible} properties are
2335 @emph{not} saved in the text/enriched format. The @code{read-only}
2336 property is saved, but it is not a standard part of the text/enriched
2337 format, so other editors may not respect it.
2339 @node Forcing Enriched Mode
2340 @subsection Forcing Enriched Mode
2342 Normally, Emacs knows when you are editing formatted text because it
2343 recognizes the special annotations used in the file that you visited.
2344 However, there are situations in which you must take special actions
2345 to convert file contents or turn on Enriched mode:
2349 When you visit a file that was created with some other editor, Emacs may
2350 not recognize the file as being in the text/enriched format. In this
2351 case, when you visit the file you will see the formatting commands
2352 rather than the formatted text. Type @kbd{M-x format-decode-buffer} to
2353 translate it. This also automatically turns on Enriched mode.
2356 When you @emph{insert} a file into a buffer, rather than visiting it,
2357 Emacs does the necessary conversions on the text which you insert, but
2358 it does not enable Enriched mode. If you wish to do that, type @kbd{M-x
2362 The command @code{format-decode-buffer} translates text in various
2363 formats into Emacs's internal format. It asks you to specify the format
2364 to translate from; however, normally you can type just @key{RET}, which
2365 tells Emacs to guess the format.
2367 @findex format-find-file
2368 If you wish to look at a text/enriched file in its raw form, as a
2369 sequence of characters rather than as formatted text, use the @kbd{M-x
2370 find-file-literally} command. This visits a file, like
2371 @code{find-file}, but does not do format conversion. It also inhibits
2372 character code conversion (@pxref{Coding Systems}) and automatic
2373 uncompression (@pxref{Compressed Files}). To disable format conversion
2374 but allow character code conversion and/or automatic uncompression if
2375 appropriate, use @code{format-find-file} with suitable arguments.
2377 @node Text Based Tables
2378 @section Editing Text-based Tables
2380 @cindex text-based tables
2382 Table Mode provides an easy and intuitive way to create and edit WYSIWYG
2383 text-based tables. Here is an example of such a table:
2386 +-----------------+--------------------------------+-----------------+
2387 | Command | Description | Key Binding |
2388 +-----------------+--------------------------------+-----------------+
2389 | forward-char |Move point right N characters | C-f |
2390 | |(left if N is negative). | |
2392 | |On reaching end of buffer, stop | |
2393 | |and signal error. | |
2394 +-----------------+--------------------------------+-----------------+
2395 | backward-char |Move point left N characters | C-b |
2396 | |(right if N is negative). | |
2398 | |On attempt to pass beginning or | |
2399 | |end of buffer, stop and signal | |
2401 +-----------------+--------------------------------+-----------------+
2404 Table Mode allows the contents of the table such as this one to be
2405 easily manipulated by inserting or deleting characters inside a cell.
2406 A cell is effectively a localized rectangular edit region and edits to
2407 a cell do not affect the contents of the surrounding cells. If the
2408 contents do not fit into a cell, then the cell is automatically
2409 expanded in the vertical and/or horizontal directions and the rest of
2410 the table is restructured and reformatted in accordance with the
2414 * Table Definition:: What is a text based table.
2415 * Table Creation:: How to create a table.
2416 * Table Recognition:: How to activate and deactivate tables.
2417 * Cell Commands:: Cell-oriented commands in a table.
2418 * Cell Justification:: Justifying cell contents.
2419 * Row Commands:: Manipulating rows of table cell.
2420 * Column Commands:: Manipulating columns of table cell.
2421 * Fixed Width Mode:: Fixing cell width.
2422 * Table Conversion:: Converting between plain text and tables.
2423 * Measuring Tables:: Analyzing table dimension.
2424 * Table Misc:: Table miscellany.
2427 @node Table Definition
2428 @subsection What is a Text-based Table?
2430 Look at the following examples of valid tables as a reference while
2431 you read this section:
2434 +--+----+---+ +-+ +--+-----+
2436 +--+----+---+ +-+ | +--+--+
2438 +--+----+---+ +--+--+ |
2443 A table consists of a rectangular frame and the contents inside the
2444 frame. A table's cells must be at least one character wide and one
2445 character high with two adjacent cells sharing a boarder line. A cell
2446 can be subdivided into multiple rectangular cells but cannot nest or
2449 Both the table frame and cell border lines must consist of one of
2450 three special characters. The variables that hold these characters
2451 are described below:
2454 @vindex table-cell-vertical-char
2455 @item table-cell-vertical-char
2456 Holds the character used for vertical lines. The default value is
2459 @vindex table-cell-horizontal-char
2460 @item table-cell-horizontal-char
2461 Holds the character used for horizontal lines. The default value is
2464 @vindex table-cell-intersection-char
2465 @item table-cell-intersection-char
2466 Holds the character used at where horizontal line and vertical line
2467 meet. The default value is @samp{+}.
2471 Based on this definition, the following five tables are examples of invalid
2475 +-----+ +-----+ +--+ +-++--+ ++
2476 | | | | | | | || | ++
2477 | +-+ | | | | | | || |
2478 | | | | +--+ | +--+--+ +-++--+
2479 | +-+ | | | | | | | +-++--+
2480 | | | | | | | | | || |
2481 +-----+ +--+--+ +--+--+ +-++--+
2489 Nested cells are not allowed.
2491 Overlapped cells or non-rectangular cells are not allowed.
2493 The border must be rectangular.
2495 Cells must have a minimum width/height of one character.
2500 @node Table Creation
2501 @subsection How to Create a Table?
2502 @cindex create a text-based table
2503 @cindex table creation
2505 @findex table-insert
2506 The command to create a table is @code{table-insert}. When called
2507 interactively, it asks for the number of columns, number of rows, cell
2508 width and cell height. The number of columns is a number of cells
2509 within the table's width. The number of rows is the number of cells
2510 within the table's height. The cell width is a number of characters
2511 that fit within a cell width. The cell height is a number of lines
2512 within cell height. While the number of columns and number of rows
2513 must be an integer number, the cell width and the cell height can be
2514 either an integer number (when the value is constant across the table)
2515 or a series of integer numbers, separated by spaces or commas, where
2516 each number corresponds to each cell width within a row from left to
2517 right or each cell height within a column from top to bottom.
2519 @node Table Recognition
2520 @subsection Table Recognition
2521 @cindex table recognition
2523 @findex table-recognize
2524 @findex table-unrecognize
2525 Table Mode maintains special text properties in the buffer to allow
2526 editing in a convenient fashion. When a buffer with tables is saved
2527 to its file, these text properties are lost, so when you visit this
2528 file again later, Emacs does not see a table, but just formatted text.
2529 To resurrect the table text properties, issue the @kbd{M-x
2530 table-recognize} command. It scans the current buffer, recognizes
2531 valid table cells, and attaches appropriate text properties to allow
2532 for table editing. The converse command, @code{table-unrecognize}, is
2533 used to remove the special text properties and revert the buffer back
2536 An optional numeric prefix argument can precede the
2537 @code{table-recognize} command. If the argument is negative, tables
2538 in the buffer become inactive. This is equivalent to invoking
2539 @code{table-unrecognize}.
2541 Similar functions exist to enable or disable tables within a region,
2542 enable or disable individual tables, and enable/disable individual
2543 cells. These commands are:
2546 @findex table-recognize-region
2547 @item M-x table-recognize-region
2548 Recognize tables within the current region and activate them.
2549 @findex table-unrecognize-region
2550 @item M-x table-unrecognize-region
2551 Deactivate tables within the current region.
2552 @findex table-recognize-table
2553 @item M-x table-recognize-table
2554 Recognize the table under point and activate it.
2555 @findex table-unrecognize-table
2556 @item M-x table-unrecognize-table
2557 Deactivate the table under point.
2558 @findex table-recognize-cell
2559 @item M-x table-recognize-cell
2560 Recognize the cell under point and activate it.
2561 @findex table-unrecognize-cell
2562 @item M-x table-unrecognize-cell
2563 Deactivate the cell under point.
2566 For another way of converting text into tables, see @ref{Table
2570 @subsection Commands for Table Cells
2572 @findex table-forward-cell
2573 @findex table-backward-cell
2574 The commands @code{table-forward-cell} and
2575 @code{table-backward-cell} move point from the current cell to an
2576 adjacent cell forward and backward respectively. The order of the
2577 cell is wrapped. When point is positioned in the last cell of a
2578 table, typing @kbd{M-x table-forward-cell} moves point to the first
2579 cell in the table. Likewise @kbd{M-x table-backward-cell} from the
2580 first cell in a table moves point to the last cell in the table.
2582 @findex table-span-cell
2583 The command @code{table-span-cell} spans the current cell into one
2584 of the four directions---right, left, above or below---and merges the
2585 current cell with the adjacent cell. It does not allow directions to
2586 which spanning does not produce a legitimate cell.
2588 @findex table-split-cell
2589 @cindex text-based tables, split a cell
2590 @cindex split table cell
2591 The command @code{table-split-cell} splits the current cell
2592 vertically or horizontally. This command is a wrapper to the
2593 direction specific commands @code{table-split-cell-vertically} and
2594 @code{table-split-cell-horizontally}.
2596 @findex table-split-cell-vertically
2597 The command @code{table-split-cell-vertically} splits the current
2598 cell vertically and creates a pair of cells above and below where
2599 point is located. The content in the original cell is split as well.
2601 @findex table-split-cell-horizontally
2602 The command @code{table-split-cell-horizontally} splits the current
2603 cell horizontally and creates a pair of cells right and left of where
2604 point is located. If the subject cell to split is not empty the user
2605 is asked how to handle the cell contents. The three options are:
2606 @code{split}, @code{left}, or @code{right}. @code{split} splits the
2607 contents at point literally while the @code{left} and @code{right}
2608 options move the entire contents into the left or right cell
2611 @cindex enlarge a table cell
2612 @cindex shrink a table cell
2613 The next four commands enlarge or shrink a cell. These commands
2614 accept numeric arguments (@pxref{Arguments}) to specify how many
2615 columns or rows to enlarge or shrink a particular table.
2618 @findex table-heighten-cell
2619 @item M-x table-heighten-cell
2620 Enlarge the current cell vertically.
2621 @findex table-shorten-cell
2622 @item M-x table-shorten-cell
2623 Shrink the current cell vertically.
2624 @findex table-widen-cell
2625 @item M-x table-widen-cell
2626 Enlarge the current cell horizontally.
2627 @findex table-narrow-cell
2628 @item M-x table-narrow-cell
2629 Shrink the current cell horizontally.
2632 @node Cell Justification
2633 @subsection Cell Justification
2634 @cindex cell text justification
2636 You can specify text justification for each cell. The justification
2637 is remembered independently for each cell and the subsequent editing
2638 of cell contents is subject to the specified justification.
2640 @findex table-justify
2641 The command @code{table-justify} requests the user to specify what
2642 to justify: a cell,a column, or a row. If you select cell
2643 justification, this command sets the justification only to the current
2644 cell. Selecting column or row justification set the justification to
2645 all the cells within a column or row respectively. The command then
2646 requests the user to enter which justification to apply: @code{left},
2647 @code{center}, @code{right}, @code{top}, @code{middle}, @code{bottom},
2648 or @code{none}. The options @code{left}, @code{center}, and
2649 @code{right} specify horizontal justification while the options
2650 @code{top}, @code{middle}, @code{bottom}, and @code{none} specify
2651 vertical justification. The vertical justification @code{none}
2652 effectively removes vertical justification while horizontal
2653 justification must be one of @code{left}, @code{center}, or
2654 @code{right}. Horizontal justification and vertical justification are
2655 specified independently.
2657 @vindex table-detect-cell-alignment
2658 Justification information is stored in the buffer as a part of text
2659 property. Therefore, this information is ephemeral and does not
2660 survive through the loss of the buffer (closing the buffer and
2661 revisiting the buffer erase any previous text properties). To
2662 countermand for this, the command @code{table-recognize} and other
2663 recognition commands (@pxref{Table Recognition}) are equipped with a
2664 convenience feature (turned on by default). During table recognition,
2665 the contents of a cell are examined to determine which justification
2666 was originally applied to the cell and then applies this justification
2667 to the the cell. This is a speculative algorithm and is therefore not
2668 perfect, however, the justification is deduced correctly most of the
2669 time. If you desire to disable this feature, customize the variable
2670 @code{table-detect-cell-alignment} to set it to @code{nil}.
2673 @subsection Commands for Table Rows
2674 @cindex table row commands
2676 @cindex insert row in table
2677 @findex table-insert-row
2678 The command @code{table-insert-row} inserts a row of cells before
2679 the current row in a table. The current row where point is located is
2680 pushed down after the newly inserted row. A numeric prefix argument
2681 specifies the number of rows to insert. Note that in order to insert
2682 rows @emph{after} the last row at the bottom of a table, you must
2683 place point below the table, i.e.@: outside the table, prior to
2684 invoking this command.
2686 @cindex delete row in table
2687 @findex table-delete-row
2688 The command @code{table-delete-row} deletes a row of cells at point.
2689 A numeric prefix argument specifies the number of rows to delete.
2691 @node Column Commands
2692 @subsection Commands for Table Columns
2693 @cindex table column commands
2695 @cindex insert column in table
2696 @findex table-insert-column
2697 The command @code{table-insert-column} inserts a column of cells to
2698 the left of the current row in a table. The current column where
2699 point is located at is pushed right of the newly inserted column. To
2700 insert a column to the right side of the right most column, place
2701 point to the right of the rightmost column, which is outside of the
2702 table, prior to invoking this command. A numeric prefix argument
2703 specifies the number of columns to insert.
2705 @cindex delete column in table
2706 A command @code{table-delete-column} deletes a column of cells at
2707 point. A numeric prefix argument specifies the number of columns to
2710 @node Fixed Width Mode
2711 @subsection Fix Width of Cells
2712 @cindex fix width of table cells
2714 @findex table-fixed-width-mode
2715 The command @code{table-fixed-width-mode} toggles fixed width mode
2716 on and off. When the fixed width mode is turned on, editing inside a
2717 cell never changes the cell width; when it is off, the cell width
2718 expands automatically in order to prevent a word from being folded
2719 into multiple lines. By default, the fixed width mode is turned off.
2722 @node Table Conversion
2723 @subsection Conversion Between Plain Text and Tables
2724 @cindex text to table
2725 @cindex table to text
2727 @findex table-capture
2728 The command @code{table-capture} captures plain text in a region and
2729 turns it into a table. Unlike @code{table-recognize} (@pxref{Table
2730 Recognition}), the original text does not have a table appearance but
2731 may hold a logical table structure. For example, some elements
2732 separated by known patterns form a two dimensional structure which can
2733 be turned into a table. Look at the numbers below. The numbers are
2734 horizontally separated by a comma and vertically separated by a
2744 When you invoke @kbd{M-x table-capture} on the above three-line
2745 region, the region can be turned into the next table:
2748 +-----+-----+-----+-----+
2750 +-----+-----+-----+-----+
2752 +-----+-----+-----+-----+
2754 +-----+-----+-----+-----+
2758 where @samp{,} is used for a column delimiter regexp, a newline is
2759 used for a row delimiter regexp, cells are left justified, and minimum
2762 @findex table-release
2763 The command @code{table-release} does the opposite of
2764 @code{table-capture}. It releases a table by removing the table frame
2765 and cell borders. This leaves the table contents as plain text. One
2766 of the useful applications of @code{table-capture} and
2767 @code{table-release} is to edit a text in layout. Look at the
2768 following three paragraphs (the latter two are indented with header
2772 @samp{table-capture} is a powerful command however mastering its power
2773 requires some practice. Here is a list of items what it can do.
2775 Parse Cell Items By using column delimiter regular
2776 expression and raw delimiter regular
2777 expression, it parses the specified text
2778 area and extracts cell items from
2779 non-table text and then forms a table out
2782 Capture Text Area When no delimiters are specified it
2783 creates a single cell table. The text in
2784 the specified region is placed in that
2789 Applying @code{table-capture} to a region containing the above three
2790 paragraphs, with empty strings for column delimiter regexp and row
2791 delimiter regexp, creates a table with a single cell like the
2794 @c The first line's right-hand frame in the following two examples
2795 @c sticks out to accommodate for the removal of @samp in the
2796 @c produced output!!
2798 +-----------------------------------------------------------------+
2799 |@samp{table-capture} is a powerful command however mastering its |
2800 |power requires some practice. Here is a list of items what it |
2803 |Parse Cell Items By using column delimiter regular |
2804 | expression and raw delimiter regular |
2805 | expression, it parses the specified text |
2806 | area and extracts cell items from |
2807 | non-table text and then forms a table out |
2810 |Capture Text Area When no delimiters are specified it |
2811 | creates a single cell table. The text in |
2812 | the specified region is placed in that |
2814 +-----------------------------------------------------------------+
2818 By splitting the cell appropriately we now have a table consisting of
2819 paragraphs occupying its own cell. Each cell can now be edited
2820 independently without affecting the layout of other cells.
2823 +-----------------------------------------------------------------+
2824 |@samp{table-capture} is a powerful command however mastering its |
2825 |power requires some practice. Here is a list of items what it |
2827 +---------------------+-------------------------------------------+
2828 |Parse Cell Items |By using column delimiter regular |
2829 | |expression and raw delimiter regular |
2830 | |expression, it parses the specified text |
2831 | |area and extracts cell items from |
2832 | |non-table text and then forms a table out |
2834 +---------------------+-------------------------------------------+
2835 |Capture Text Area |When no delimiters are specified it |
2836 | |creates a single cell table. The text in |
2837 | |the specified region is placed in that |
2839 +---------------------+-------------------------------------------+
2843 By applying @code{table-release}, which does the opposite process, the
2844 contents become once again plain text. @code{table-release} works as
2845 a companion command to @code{table-capture}.
2847 @node Measuring Tables
2848 @subsection Analyzing Table Dimensions
2849 @cindex table dimensions
2851 @findex table-query-dimension
2852 The command @code{table-query-dimension} analyzes a table structure
2853 and reports information regarding its dimensions. In case of the
2854 above example table, the @code{table-query-dimension} command displays
2858 Cell: (21w, 6h), Table: (67w, 16h), Dim: (2c, 3r), Total Cells: 5
2862 This indicates that the current cell is 21 character wide and 6 lines
2863 high, the entire table is 67 characters wide and 16 lines high. The
2864 table has 2 columns and 3 rows. It has a total of 5 cells, since the
2865 first row has a spanned cell.
2868 @subsection Table Miscellany
2870 @cindex insert string into table cells
2871 @findex table-insert-sequence
2872 The command @code{table-insert-sequence} inserts a string into each
2873 cell. Each string is a part of a sequence i.e.@: a series of
2874 increasing integer numbers.
2876 @cindex table in language format
2877 @cindex table for HTML and LaTeX
2878 @findex table-generate-source
2879 The command @code{table-generate-source} generates a table formatted
2880 for a specific markup language. It asks for a language (which must be
2881 one of @code{html}, @code{latex}, or @code{cals}), a destination
2882 buffer where to put the result, and the table caption (a string), and
2883 then inserts the generated table in the proper syntax into the
2884 destination buffer. The default destination buffer is
2885 @code{table.@var{lang}}, where @var{lang} is the language you
2889 arch-tag: 8db54ed8-2036-49ca-b0df-23811d03dc70