1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual
7 @c Version of the manual and of Emacs.
8 @c Please remember to update the edition number in README as well.
14 * Elisp: (elisp). The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual.
17 @c in general, keep the following line commented out, unless doing a
18 @c copy of this manual that will be published. the manual should go
19 @c onto the distribution in the full, 8.5 x 11" size.
26 @c per rms and peterb, use 10pt fonts for the main text, mostly to
27 @c save on paper cost. Also, do not declare @setchapternewpage odd,
28 @c for the same reason. Do this inside @tex for now, so the
29 @c last-released makeinfo does not complain.
34 \global\hbadness=6666 % don't worry about not-too-underfull boxes
42 @c We use the "type index" to index new functions and variables.
43 @c @syncodeindex tp fn
46 This is edition @value{VERSION} of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual,@*
47 corresponding to Emacs version @value{EMACSVER}.
49 Copyright @copyright{} 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998,
50 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software
54 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
55 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
56 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
57 Invariant Sections being ``GNU General Public License,'' with the
58 Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual,'' and with the Back-Cover
59 Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license is included in the
60 section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License.''
62 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
63 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
64 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
69 @title GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual
70 @subtitle For Emacs Version @value{EMACSVER}
71 @subtitle Revision @value{VERSION}, April 2007
73 @author by Bil Lewis, Dan LaLiberte, Richard Stallman
74 @author and the GNU Manual Group
76 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
80 Published by the Free Software Foundation @*
81 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor @*
82 Boston, MA 02110-1301 @*
87 Cover art by Etienne Suvasa.
91 @c Print the tables of contents
97 @node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir)
100 This Info file contains edition @value{VERSION} of the GNU Emacs Lisp
101 Reference Manual, corresponding to GNU Emacs version @value{EMACSVER}.
105 * Introduction:: Introduction and conventions used.
107 * Lisp Data Types:: Data types of objects in Emacs Lisp.
108 * Numbers:: Numbers and arithmetic functions.
109 * Strings and Characters:: Strings, and functions that work on them.
110 * Lists:: Lists, cons cells, and related functions.
111 * Sequences Arrays Vectors:: Lists, strings and vectors are called sequences.
112 Certain functions act on any kind of sequence.
113 The description of vectors is here as well.
114 * Hash Tables:: Very fast lookup-tables.
115 * Symbols:: Symbols represent names, uniquely.
117 * Evaluation:: How Lisp expressions are evaluated.
118 * Control Structures:: Conditionals, loops, nonlocal exits.
119 * Variables:: Using symbols in programs to stand for values.
120 * Functions:: A function is a Lisp program
121 that can be invoked from other functions.
122 * Macros:: Macros are a way to extend the Lisp language.
123 * Customization:: Writing customization declarations.
125 * Loading:: Reading files of Lisp code into Lisp.
126 * Byte Compilation:: Compilation makes programs run faster.
127 * Advising Functions:: Adding to the definition of a function.
128 * Debugging:: Tools and tips for debugging Lisp programs.
130 * Read and Print:: Converting Lisp objects to text and back.
131 * Minibuffers:: Using the minibuffer to read input.
132 * Command Loop:: How the editor command loop works,
133 and how you can call its subroutines.
134 * Keymaps:: Defining the bindings from keys to commands.
135 * Modes:: Defining major and minor modes.
136 * Documentation:: Writing and using documentation strings.
138 * Files:: Accessing files.
139 * Backups and Auto-Saving:: Controlling how backups and auto-save
141 * Buffers:: Creating and using buffer objects.
142 * Windows:: Manipulating windows and displaying buffers.
143 * Frames:: Making multiple system-level windows.
144 * Positions:: Buffer positions and motion functions.
145 * Markers:: Markers represent positions and update
146 automatically when the text is changed.
148 * Text:: Examining and changing text in buffers.
149 * Non-ASCII Characters:: Non-ASCII text in buffers and strings.
150 * Searching and Matching:: Searching buffers for strings or regexps.
151 * Syntax Tables:: The syntax table controls word and list parsing.
152 * Abbrevs:: How Abbrev mode works, and its data structures.
154 * Processes:: Running and communicating with subprocesses.
155 * Display:: Features for controlling the screen display.
156 * System Interface:: Getting the user id, system type, environment
157 variables, and other such things.
161 * Antinews:: Info for users downgrading to Emacs 21.
162 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation
163 * GPL:: Conditions for copying and changing GNU Emacs.
164 * Tips:: Advice and coding conventions for Emacs Lisp.
165 * GNU Emacs Internals:: Building and dumping Emacs;
166 internal data structures.
167 * Standard Errors:: List of all error symbols.
168 * Standard Buffer-Local Variables::
169 List of variables buffer-local in all buffers.
170 * Standard Keymaps:: List of standard keymaps.
171 * Standard Hooks:: List of standard hook variables.
173 * Index:: Index including concepts, functions, variables,
177 * New Symbols:: New functions and variables in Emacs @value{EMACSVER}.
180 @c Do NOT modify the following 3 lines! They must have this form to
181 @c be correctly identified by `texinfo-multiple-files-update'. In
182 @c particular, the detailed menu header line MUST be identical to the
183 @c value of `texinfo-master-menu-header'. See texnfo-upd.el.
186 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
187 ---------------------------------
189 Here are other nodes that are inferiors of those already listed,
190 mentioned here so you can get to them in one step:
194 * Caveats:: Flaws and a request for help.
195 * Lisp History:: Emacs Lisp is descended from Maclisp.
196 * Conventions:: How the manual is formatted.
197 * Version Info:: Which Emacs version is running?
198 * Acknowledgements:: The authors, editors, and sponsors of this manual.
202 * Some Terms:: Explanation of terms we use in this manual.
203 * nil and t:: How the symbols @code{nil} and @code{t} are used.
204 * Evaluation Notation:: The format we use for examples of evaluation.
205 * Printing Notation:: The format we use for examples that print output.
206 * Error Messages:: The format we use for examples of errors.
207 * Buffer Text Notation:: The format we use for buffer contents in examples.
208 * Format of Descriptions:: Notation for describing functions, variables, etc.
210 Format of Descriptions
212 * A Sample Function Description:: A description of an imaginary
213 function, @code{foo}.
214 * A Sample Variable Description:: A description of an imaginary
215 variable, @code{electric-future-map}.
219 * Printed Representation:: How Lisp objects are represented as text.
220 * Comments:: Comments and their formatting conventions.
221 * Programming Types:: Types found in all Lisp systems.
222 * Editing Types:: Types specific to Emacs.
223 * Circular Objects:: Read syntax for circular structure.
224 * Type Predicates:: Tests related to types.
225 * Equality Predicates:: Tests of equality between any two objects.
229 * Integer Type:: Numbers without fractional parts.
230 * Floating Point Type:: Numbers with fractional parts and with a large range.
231 * Character Type:: The representation of letters, numbers and
233 * Symbol Type:: A multi-use object that refers to a function,
234 variable, property list, or itself.
235 * Sequence Type:: Both lists and arrays are classified as sequences.
236 * Cons Cell Type:: Cons cells, and lists (which are made from cons cells).
237 * Array Type:: Arrays include strings and vectors.
238 * String Type:: An (efficient) array of characters.
239 * Vector Type:: One-dimensional arrays.
240 * Char-Table Type:: One-dimensional sparse arrays indexed by characters.
241 * Bool-Vector Type:: One-dimensional arrays of @code{t} or @code{nil}.
242 * Hash Table Type:: Super-fast lookup tables.
243 * Function Type:: A piece of executable code you can call from elsewhere.
244 * Macro Type:: A method of expanding an expression into another
245 expression, more fundamental but less pretty.
246 * Primitive Function Type:: A function written in C, callable from Lisp.
247 * Byte-Code Type:: A function written in Lisp, then compiled.
248 * Autoload Type:: A type used for automatically loading seldom-used
253 * Basic Char Syntax:: Syntax for regular characters.
254 * General Escape Syntax:: How to specify characters by their codes.
255 * Ctl-Char Syntax:: Syntax for control characters.
256 * Meta-Char Syntax:: Syntax for meta-characters.
257 * Other Char Bits:: Syntax for hyper-, super-, and alt-characters.
259 Cons Cell and List Types
261 * Box Diagrams:: Drawing pictures of lists.
262 * Dotted Pair Notation:: An alternative syntax for lists.
263 * Association List Type:: A specially constructed list.
267 * Syntax for Strings:: How to specify Lisp strings.
268 * Non-ASCII in Strings:: International characters in strings.
269 * Nonprinting Characters:: Literal unprintable characters in strings.
270 * Text Props and Strings:: Strings with text properties.
274 * Buffer Type:: The basic object of editing.
275 * Marker Type:: A position in a buffer.
276 * Window Type:: What makes buffers visible.
277 * Frame Type:: Windows subdivide frames.
278 * Window Configuration Type:: Recording the way a frame is subdivided.
279 * Frame Configuration Type:: Recording the status of all frames.
280 * Process Type:: A process running on the underlying OS.
281 * Stream Type:: Receive or send characters.
282 * Keymap Type:: What function a keystroke invokes.
283 * Overlay Type:: How an overlay is represented.
287 * Integer Basics:: Representation and range of integers.
288 * Float Basics:: Representation and range of floating point.
289 * Predicates on Numbers:: Testing for numbers.
290 * Comparison of Numbers:: Equality and inequality predicates.
291 * Numeric Conversions:: Converting float to integer and vice versa.
292 * Arithmetic Operations:: How to add, subtract, multiply and divide.
293 * Rounding Operations:: Explicitly rounding floating point numbers.
294 * Bitwise Operations:: Logical and, or, not, shifting.
295 * Math Functions:: Trig, exponential and logarithmic functions.
296 * Random Numbers:: Obtaining random integers, predictable or not.
298 Strings and Characters
300 * String Basics:: Basic properties of strings and characters.
301 * Predicates for Strings:: Testing whether an object is a string or char.
302 * Creating Strings:: Functions to allocate new strings.
303 * Modifying Strings:: Altering the contents of an existing string.
304 * Text Comparison:: Comparing characters or strings.
305 * String Conversion:: Converting characters to strings and vice versa.
306 * Formatting Strings:: @code{format}: Emacs's analogue of @code{printf}.
307 * Case Conversion:: Case conversion functions.
308 * Case Tables:: Customizing case conversion.
312 * Cons Cells:: How lists are made out of cons cells.
313 * List-related Predicates:: Is this object a list? Comparing two lists.
314 * List Elements:: Extracting the pieces of a list.
315 * Building Lists:: Creating list structure.
316 * List Variables:: Modifying lists stored in variables.
317 * Modifying Lists:: Storing new pieces into an existing list.
318 * Sets And Lists:: A list can represent a finite mathematical set.
319 * Association Lists:: A list can represent a finite relation or mapping.
320 * Rings:: Managing a fixed-size ring of objects.
322 Modifying Existing List Structure
324 * Setcar:: Replacing an element in a list.
325 * Setcdr:: Replacing part of the list backbone.
326 This can be used to remove or add elements.
327 * Rearrangement:: Reordering the elements in a list; combining lists.
329 Sequences, Arrays, and Vectors
331 * Sequence Functions:: Functions that accept any kind of sequence.
332 * Arrays:: Characteristics of arrays in Emacs Lisp.
333 * Array Functions:: Functions specifically for arrays.
334 * Vectors:: Special characteristics of Emacs Lisp vectors.
335 * Vector Functions:: Functions specifically for vectors.
336 * Char-Tables:: How to work with char-tables.
337 * Bool-Vectors:: How to work with bool-vectors.
341 * Creating Hash:: Functions to create hash tables.
342 * Hash Access:: Reading and writing the hash table contents.
343 * Defining Hash:: Defining new comparison methods
344 * Other Hash:: Miscellaneous.
348 * Symbol Components:: Symbols have names, values, function definitions
350 * Definitions:: A definition says how a symbol will be used.
351 * Creating Symbols:: How symbols are kept unique.
352 * Property Lists:: Each symbol has a property list
353 for recording miscellaneous information.
357 * Plists and Alists:: Comparison of the advantages of property
358 lists and association lists.
359 * Symbol Plists:: Functions to access symbols' property lists.
360 * Other Plists:: Accessing property lists stored elsewhere.
364 * Intro Eval:: Evaluation in the scheme of things.
365 * Forms:: How various sorts of objects are evaluated.
366 * Quoting:: Avoiding evaluation (to put constants in
368 * Eval:: How to invoke the Lisp interpreter explicitly.
372 * Self-Evaluating Forms:: Forms that evaluate to themselves.
373 * Symbol Forms:: Symbols evaluate as variables.
374 * Classifying Lists:: How to distinguish various sorts of list forms.
375 * Function Indirection:: When a symbol appears as the car of a list,
376 we find the real function via the symbol.
377 * Function Forms:: Forms that call functions.
378 * Macro Forms:: Forms that call macros.
379 * Special Forms:: "Special forms" are idiosyncratic primitives,
380 most of them extremely important.
381 * Autoloading:: Functions set up to load files
382 containing their real definitions.
386 * Sequencing:: Evaluation in textual order.
387 * Conditionals:: @code{if}, @code{cond}, @code{when}, @code{unless}.
388 * Combining Conditions:: @code{and}, @code{or}, @code{not}.
389 * Iteration:: @code{while} loops.
390 * Nonlocal Exits:: Jumping out of a sequence.
394 * Catch and Throw:: Nonlocal exits for the program's own purposes.
395 * Examples of Catch:: Showing how such nonlocal exits can be written.
396 * Errors:: How errors are signaled and handled.
397 * Cleanups:: Arranging to run a cleanup form if an
402 * Signaling Errors:: How to report an error.
403 * Processing of Errors:: What Emacs does when you report an error.
404 * Handling Errors:: How you can trap errors and continue execution.
405 * Error Symbols:: How errors are classified for trapping them.
406 * Standard Errors:: List of all error symbols.
410 * Global Variables:: Variable values that exist permanently, everywhere.
411 * Constant Variables:: Certain "variables" have values that never change.
412 * Local Variables:: Variable values that exist only temporarily.
413 * Void Variables:: Symbols that lack values.
414 * Defining Variables:: A definition says a symbol is used as a variable.
415 * Tips for Defining:: Things you should think about when you
417 * Accessing Variables:: Examining values of variables whose names
418 are known only at run time.
419 * Setting Variables:: Storing new values in variables.
420 * Variable Scoping:: How Lisp chooses among local and global values.
421 * Buffer-Local Variables:: Variable values in effect only in one buffer.
422 * Frame-Local Variables:: Variable values in effect only in one frame.
423 * Future Local Variables:: New kinds of local values we might add some day.
424 * File Local Variables:: Handling local variable lists in files.
425 * Variable Aliases:: Variables that are aliases for other variables.
426 * Variables with Restricted Values:: Non-constant variables whose value can
427 @emph{not} be an arbitrary Lisp object.
428 * Standard Buffer-Local Variables::
429 List of variables buffer-local in all buffers.
431 Scoping Rules for Variable Bindings
433 * Scope:: Scope means where in the program a value
434 is visible. Comparison with other languages.
435 * Extent:: Extent means how long in time a value exists.
436 * Impl of Scope:: Two ways to implement dynamic scoping.
437 * Using Scoping:: How to use dynamic scoping carefully and
440 Buffer-Local Variables
442 * Intro to Buffer-Local:: Introduction and concepts.
443 * Creating Buffer-Local:: Creating and destroying buffer-local bindings.
444 * Default Value:: The default value is seen in buffers
445 that don't have their own buffer-local values.
449 * What Is a Function:: Lisp functions vs primitives; terminology.
450 * Lambda Expressions:: How functions are expressed as Lisp objects.
451 * Function Names:: A symbol can serve as the name of a function.
452 * Defining Functions:: Lisp expressions for defining functions.
453 * Calling Functions:: How to use an existing function.
454 * Mapping Functions:: Applying a function to each element of a list, etc.
455 * Anonymous Functions:: Lambda-expressions are functions with no names.
456 * Function Cells:: Accessing or setting the function definition
458 * Obsolete Functions:: Declaring functions obsolete.
459 * Inline Functions:: Defining functions that the compiler will open code.
460 * Function Safety:: Determining whether a function is safe to call.
461 * Related Topics:: Cross-references to specific Lisp primitives
462 that have a special bearing on how
467 * Lambda Components:: The parts of a lambda expression.
468 * Simple Lambda:: A simple example.
469 * Argument List:: Details and special features of argument lists.
470 * Function Documentation:: How to put documentation in a function.
474 * Simple Macro:: A basic example.
475 * Expansion:: How, when and why macros are expanded.
476 * Compiling Macros:: How macros are expanded by the compiler.
477 * Defining Macros:: How to write a macro definition.
478 * Backquote:: Easier construction of list structure.
479 * Problems with Macros:: Don't evaluate the macro arguments too many times.
480 Don't hide the user's variables.
481 * Indenting Macros:: Specifying how to indent macro calls.
483 Common Problems Using Macros
485 * Wrong Time:: Do the work in the expansion, not in the macro.
486 * Argument Evaluation:: The expansion should evaluate each macro arg once.
487 * Surprising Local Vars:: Local variable bindings in the expansion
488 require special care.
489 * Eval During Expansion:: Don't evaluate them; put them in the expansion.
490 * Repeated Expansion:: Avoid depending on how many times expansion is done.
492 Writing Customization Definitions
494 * Common Keywords:: Common keyword arguments for all kinds of
495 customization declarations.
496 * Group Definitions:: Writing customization group definitions.
497 * Variable Definitions:: Declaring user options.
498 * Customization Types:: Specifying the type of a user option.
502 * Simple Types:: Simple customization types: sexp, integer, number,
503 string, file, directory, alist.
504 * Composite Types:: Build new types from other types or data.
505 * Splicing into Lists:: Splice elements into list with @code{:inline}.
506 * Type Keywords:: Keyword-argument pairs in a customization type.
507 * Defining New Types:: Give your type a name.
511 * How Programs Do Loading:: The @code{load} function and others.
512 * Load Suffixes:: Details about the suffixes that @code{load} tries.
513 * Library Search:: Finding a library to load.
514 * Loading Non-ASCII:: Non-@acronym{ASCII} characters in Emacs Lisp files.
515 * Autoload:: Setting up a function to autoload.
516 * Repeated Loading:: Precautions about loading a file twice.
517 * Named Features:: Loading a library if it isn't already loaded.
518 * Where Defined:: Finding which file defined a certain symbol.
519 * Unloading:: How to "unload" a library that was loaded.
520 * Hooks for Loading:: Providing code to be run when
521 particular libraries are loaded.
525 * Speed of Byte-Code:: An example of speedup from byte compilation.
526 * Compilation Functions:: Byte compilation functions.
527 * Docs and Compilation:: Dynamic loading of documentation strings.
528 * Dynamic Loading:: Dynamic loading of individual functions.
529 * Eval During Compile:: Code to be evaluated when you compile.
530 * Compiler Errors:: Handling compiler error messages.
531 * Byte-Code Objects:: The data type used for byte-compiled functions.
532 * Disassembly:: Disassembling byte-code; how to read byte-code.
534 Advising Emacs Lisp Functions
536 * Simple Advice:: A simple example to explain the basics of advice.
537 * Defining Advice:: Detailed description of @code{defadvice}.
538 * Around-Advice:: Wrapping advice around a function's definition.
539 * Computed Advice:: ...is to @code{defadvice} as @code{fset} is to @code{defun}.
540 * Activation of Advice:: Advice doesn't do anything until you activate it.
541 * Enabling Advice:: You can enable or disable each piece of advice.
542 * Preactivation:: Preactivation is a way of speeding up the
543 loading of compiled advice.
544 * Argument Access in Advice:: How advice can access the function's arguments.
545 * Advising Primitives:: Accessing arguments when advising a primitive.
546 * Combined Definition:: How advice is implemented.
548 Debugging Lisp Programs
550 * Debugger:: How the Emacs Lisp debugger is implemented.
551 * Edebug:: A source-level Emacs Lisp debugger.
552 * Syntax Errors:: How to find syntax errors.
553 * Test Coverage:: Ensuring you have tested all branches in your code.
554 * Compilation Errors:: How to find errors that show up in
559 * Error Debugging:: Entering the debugger when an error happens.
560 * Infinite Loops:: Stopping and debugging a program that doesn't exit.
561 * Function Debugging:: Entering it when a certain function is called.
562 * Explicit Debug:: Entering it at a certain point in the program.
563 * Using Debugger:: What the debugger does; what you see while in it.
564 * Debugger Commands:: Commands used while in the debugger.
565 * Invoking the Debugger:: How to call the function @code{debug}.
566 * Internals of Debugger:: Subroutines of the debugger, and global variables.
570 * Using Edebug:: Introduction to use of Edebug.
571 * Instrumenting:: You must instrument your code
572 in order to debug it with Edebug.
573 * Edebug Execution Modes:: Execution modes, stopping more or less often.
574 * Jumping:: Commands to jump to a specified place.
575 * Edebug Misc:: Miscellaneous commands.
576 * Breaks:: Setting breakpoints to make the program stop.
577 * Trapping Errors:: Trapping errors with Edebug.
578 * Edebug Views:: Views inside and outside of Edebug.
579 * Edebug Eval:: Evaluating expressions within Edebug.
580 * Eval List:: Expressions whose values are displayed
581 each time you enter Edebug.
582 * Printing in Edebug:: Customization of printing.
583 * Trace Buffer:: How to produce trace output in a buffer.
584 * Coverage Testing:: How to test evaluation coverage.
585 * The Outside Context:: Data that Edebug saves and restores.
586 * Edebug and Macros:: Specifying how to handle macro calls.
587 * Edebug Options:: Option variables for customizing Edebug.
589 Debugging Invalid Lisp Syntax
591 * Excess Open:: How to find a spurious open paren or missing close.
592 * Excess Close:: How to find a spurious close paren or missing open.
594 Reading and Printing Lisp Objects
596 * Streams Intro:: Overview of streams, reading and printing.
597 * Input Streams:: Various data types that can be used as
599 * Input Functions:: Functions to read Lisp objects from text.
600 * Output Streams:: Various data types that can be used as
602 * Output Functions:: Functions to print Lisp objects as text.
603 * Output Variables:: Variables that control what the printing
608 * Intro to Minibuffers:: Basic information about minibuffers.
609 * Text from Minibuffer:: How to read a straight text string.
610 * Object from Minibuffer:: How to read a Lisp object or expression.
611 * Minibuffer History:: Recording previous minibuffer inputs
612 so the user can reuse them.
613 * Initial Input:: Specifying initial contents for the minibuffer.
614 * Completion:: How to invoke and customize completion.
615 * Yes-or-No Queries:: Asking a question with a simple answer.
616 * Multiple Queries:: Asking a series of similar questions.
617 * Reading a Password:: Reading a password from the terminal.
618 * Minibuffer Commands:: Commands used as key bindings in minibuffers.
619 * Minibuffer Contents:: How such commands access the minibuffer text.
620 * Minibuffer Windows:: Operating on the special minibuffer windows.
621 * Recursive Mini:: Whether recursive entry to minibuffer is allowed.
622 * Minibuffer Misc:: Various customization hooks and variables.
626 * Basic Completion:: Low-level functions for completing strings.
627 (These are too low level to use the minibuffer.)
628 * Minibuffer Completion:: Invoking the minibuffer with completion.
629 * Completion Commands:: Minibuffer commands that do completion.
630 * High-Level Completion:: Convenient special cases of completion
631 (reading buffer name, file name, etc.)
632 * Reading File Names:: Using completion to read file names.
633 * Programmed Completion:: Finding the completions for a given file name.
637 * Command Overview:: How the command loop reads commands.
638 * Defining Commands:: Specifying how a function should read arguments.
639 * Interactive Call:: Calling a command, so that it will read arguments.
640 * Command Loop Info:: Variables set by the command loop for you to examine.
641 * Adjusting Point:: Adjustment of point after a command.
642 * Input Events:: What input looks like when you read it.
643 * Reading Input:: How to read input events from the keyboard or mouse.
644 * Special Events:: Events processed immediately and individually.
645 * Waiting:: Waiting for user input or elapsed time.
646 * Quitting:: How @kbd{C-g} works. How to catch or defer quitting.
647 * Prefix Command Arguments:: How the commands to set prefix args work.
648 * Recursive Editing:: Entering a recursive edit,
649 and why you usually shouldn't.
650 * Disabling Commands:: How the command loop handles disabled commands.
651 * Command History:: How the command history is set up, and how accessed.
652 * Keyboard Macros:: How keyboard macros are implemented.
656 * Using Interactive:: General rules for @code{interactive}.
657 * Interactive Codes:: The standard letter-codes for reading arguments
659 * Interactive Examples:: Examples of how to read interactive arguments.
663 * Keyboard Events:: Ordinary characters--keys with symbols on them.
664 * Function Keys:: Function keys--keys with names, not symbols.
665 * Mouse Events:: Overview of mouse events.
666 * Click Events:: Pushing and releasing a mouse button.
667 * Drag Events:: Moving the mouse before releasing the button.
668 * Button-Down Events:: A button was pushed and not yet released.
669 * Repeat Events:: Double and triple click (or drag, or down).
670 * Motion Events:: Just moving the mouse, not pushing a button.
671 * Focus Events:: Moving the mouse between frames.
672 * Misc Events:: Other events the system can generate.
673 * Event Examples:: Examples of the lists for mouse events.
674 * Classifying Events:: Finding the modifier keys in an event symbol.
675 * Accessing Events:: Functions to extract info from events.
676 * Strings of Events:: Special considerations for putting
677 keyboard character events in a string.
681 * Key Sequence Input:: How to read one key sequence.
682 * Reading One Event:: How to read just one event.
683 * Event Mod:: How Emacs modifies events as they are read.
684 * Invoking the Input Method:: How reading an event uses the input method.
685 * Quoted Character Input:: Asking the user to specify a character.
686 * Event Input Misc:: How to reread or throw away input events.
690 * Key Sequences:: Key sequences as Lisp objects.
691 * Keymap Basics:: Basic concepts of keymaps.
692 * Format of Keymaps:: What a keymap looks like as a Lisp object.
693 * Creating Keymaps:: Functions to create and copy keymaps.
694 * Inheritance and Keymaps:: How one keymap can inherit the bindings
696 * Prefix Keys:: Defining a key with a keymap as its definition.
697 * Active Keymaps:: How Emacs searches the active keymaps
699 * Searching Keymaps:: A pseudo-Lisp summary of searching active maps.
700 * Controlling Active Maps:: Each buffer has a local keymap
701 to override the standard (global) bindings.
702 A minor mode can also override them.
703 * Key Lookup:: How extracting elements from keymaps works.
704 * Functions for Key Lookup:: How to request key lookup.
705 * Changing Key Bindings:: Redefining a key in a keymap.
706 * Remapping Commands:: A keymap can translate one command to another.
707 * Translation Keymaps:: Keymaps for translating sequences of events.
708 * Key Binding Commands:: Interactive interfaces for redefining keys.
709 * Scanning Keymaps:: Looking through all keymaps, for printing help.
710 * Menu Keymaps:: A keymap can define a menu for X
711 or for use from the terminal.
712 * Standard Keymaps:: List of standard keymaps.
714 Major and Minor Modes
716 * Hooks:: How to use hooks; how to write code that
718 * Major Modes:: Defining major modes.
719 * Minor Modes:: Defining minor modes.
720 * Mode Line Format:: Customizing the text that appears in the mode line.
721 * Imenu:: How a mode can provide a menu
722 of definitions in the buffer.
723 * Font Lock Mode:: How modes can highlight text according to syntax.
724 * Desktop Save Mode:: How modes can have buffer state saved between
729 * Defining Menus:: How to make a keymap that defines a menu.
730 * Mouse Menus:: How users actuate the menu with the mouse.
731 * Keyboard Menus:: How users actuate the menu with the keyboard.
732 * Menu Example:: Making a simple menu.
733 * Menu Bar:: How to customize the menu bar.
734 * Tool Bar:: A tool bar is a row of images.
735 * Modifying Menus:: How to add new items to a menu.
739 * Simple Menu Items:: A simple kind of menu key binding,
740 limited in capabilities.
741 * Extended Menu Items:: More powerful menu item definitions
742 let you specify keywords to enable
744 * Menu Separators:: Drawing a horizontal line through a menu.
745 * Alias Menu Items:: Using command aliases in menu items.
747 Major and Minor Modes
749 * Hooks:: How to use hooks; how to write code that provides hooks.
750 * Major Modes:: Defining major modes.
751 * Minor Modes:: Defining minor modes.
752 * Mode Line Format:: Customizing the text that appears in the mode line.
753 * Imenu:: How a mode can provide a menu
754 of definitions in the buffer.
755 * Font Lock Mode:: How modes can highlight text according to syntax.
756 * Desktop Save Mode:: How modes can have buffer state saved between
761 * Major Mode Basics::
762 * Major Mode Conventions:: Coding conventions for keymaps, etc.
763 * Example Major Modes:: Text mode and Lisp modes.
764 * Auto Major Mode:: How Emacs chooses the major mode automatically.
765 * Mode Help:: Finding out how to use a mode.
766 * Derived Modes:: Defining a new major mode based on another major
768 * Generic Modes:: Defining a simple major mode that supports
769 comment syntax and Font Lock mode.
770 * Mode Hooks:: Hooks run at the end of major mode functions.
774 * Minor Mode Conventions:: Tips for writing a minor mode.
775 * Keymaps and Minor Modes:: How a minor mode can have its own keymap.
776 * Defining Minor Modes:: A convenient facility for defining minor modes.
781 * Mode Line Data:: The data structure that controls the mode line.
782 * Mode Line Variables:: Variables used in that data structure.
783 * %-Constructs:: Putting information into a mode line.
784 * Properties in Mode:: Using text properties in the mode line.
785 * Header Lines:: Like a mode line, but at the top.
786 * Emulating Mode Line:: Formatting text as the mode line would.
790 * Font Lock Basics:: Overview of customizing Font Lock.
791 * Search-based Fontification:: Fontification based on regexps.
792 * Customizing Keywords:: Customizing search-based fontification.
793 * Other Font Lock Variables:: Additional customization facilities.
794 * Levels of Font Lock:: Each mode can define alternative levels
795 so that the user can select more or less.
796 * Precalculated Fontification:: How Lisp programs that produce the buffer
797 contents can also specify how to fontify it.
798 * Faces for Font Lock:: Special faces specifically for Font Lock.
799 * Syntactic Font Lock:: Fontification based on syntax tables.
800 * Setting Syntax Properties:: Defining character syntax based on context
801 using the Font Lock mechanism.
802 * Multiline Font Lock:: How to coerce Font Lock into properly
803 highlighting multiline constructs.
805 Multiline Font Lock Constructs
807 * Font Lock Multiline:: Marking multiline chunks with a text property
808 * Region to Fontify:: Controlling which region gets refontified
809 after a buffer change.
813 * Documentation Basics:: Good style for doc strings.
814 Where to put them. How Emacs stores them.
815 * Accessing Documentation:: How Lisp programs can access doc strings.
816 * Keys in Documentation:: Substituting current key bindings.
817 * Describing Characters:: Making printable descriptions of
818 non-printing characters and key sequences.
819 * Help Functions:: Subroutines used by Emacs help facilities.
823 * Visiting Files:: Reading files into Emacs buffers for editing.
824 * Saving Buffers:: Writing changed buffers back into files.
825 * Reading from Files:: Reading files into other buffers.
826 * Writing to Files:: Writing new files from parts of buffers.
827 * File Locks:: Locking and unlocking files, to prevent
828 simultaneous editing by two people.
829 * Information about Files:: Testing existence, accessibility, size of files.
830 * Changing Files:: Renaming files, changing protection, etc.
831 * File Names:: Decomposing and expanding file names.
832 * Contents of Directories:: Getting a list of the files in a directory.
833 * Create/Delete Dirs:: Creating and Deleting Directories.
834 * Magic File Names:: Defining "magic" special handling
835 for certain file names.
836 * Format Conversion:: Conversion to and from various file formats.
840 * Visiting Functions:: The usual interface functions for visiting.
841 * Subroutines of Visiting:: Lower-level subroutines that they use.
843 Information about Files
845 * Testing Accessibility:: Is a given file readable? Writable?
846 * Kinds of Files:: Is it a directory? A symbolic link?
847 * Truenames:: Eliminating symbolic links from a file name.
848 * File Attributes:: How large is it? Any other names? Etc.
849 * Locating Files:: How to find a file in standard places.
853 * File Name Components:: The directory part of a file name, and the rest.
854 * Relative File Names:: Some file names are relative to a
856 * Directory Names:: A directory's name as a directory
857 is different from its name as a file.
858 * File Name Expansion:: Converting relative file names to absolute ones.
859 * Unique File Names:: Generating names for temporary files.
860 * File Name Completion:: Finding the completions for a given file name.
861 * Standard File Names:: If your package uses a fixed file name,
862 how to handle various operating systems simply.
864 Backups and Auto-Saving
866 * Backup Files:: How backup files are made; how their names
868 * Auto-Saving:: How auto-save files are made; how their
870 * Reverting:: @code{revert-buffer}, and how to customize
875 * Making Backups:: How Emacs makes backup files, and when.
876 * Rename or Copy:: Two alternatives: renaming the old file
878 * Numbered Backups:: Keeping multiple backups for each source file.
879 * Backup Names:: How backup file names are computed; customization.
883 * Buffer Basics:: What is a buffer?
884 * Current Buffer:: Designating a buffer as current
885 so primitives will access its contents.
886 * Buffer Names:: Accessing and changing buffer names.
887 * Buffer File Name:: The buffer file name indicates which file
889 * Buffer Modification:: A buffer is @dfn{modified} if it needs to be saved.
890 * Modification Time:: Determining whether the visited file was changed
891 ``behind Emacs's back''.
892 * Read Only Buffers:: Modifying text is not allowed in a
894 * The Buffer List:: How to look at all the existing buffers.
895 * Creating Buffers:: Functions that create buffers.
896 * Killing Buffers:: Buffers exist until explicitly killed.
897 * Indirect Buffers:: An indirect buffer shares text with some
899 * Buffer Gap:: The gap in the buffer.
903 * Basic Windows:: Basic information on using windows.
904 * Splitting Windows:: Splitting one window into two windows.
905 * Deleting Windows:: Deleting a window gives its space to other windows.
906 * Selecting Windows:: The selected window is the one that you edit in.
907 * Cyclic Window Ordering:: Moving around the existing windows.
908 * Buffers and Windows:: Each window displays the contents of a buffer.
909 * Displaying Buffers:: Higher-level functions for displaying a buffer
910 and choosing a window for it.
911 * Choosing Window:: How to choose a window for displaying a buffer.
912 * Window Point:: Each window has its own location of point.
913 * Window Start:: The display-start position controls which text
914 is on-screen in the window.
915 * Textual Scrolling:: Moving text up and down through the window.
916 * Vertical Scrolling:: Moving the contents up and down on the window.
917 * Horizontal Scrolling:: Moving the contents sideways on the window.
918 * Size of Window:: Accessing the size of a window.
919 * Resizing Windows:: Changing the size of a window.
920 * Coordinates and Windows:: Converting coordinates to windows.
921 * Window Tree:: The layout and sizes of all windows in a frame.
922 * Window Configurations:: Saving and restoring the state of the screen.
923 * Window Hooks:: Hooks for scrolling, window size changes,
924 redisplay going past a certain point,
925 or window configuration changes.
929 * Creating Frames:: Creating additional frames.
930 * Multiple Displays:: Creating frames on other displays.
931 * Frame Parameters:: Controlling frame size, position, font, etc.
932 * Frame Titles:: Automatic updating of frame titles.
933 * Deleting Frames:: Frames last until explicitly deleted.
934 * Finding All Frames:: How to examine all existing frames.
935 * Frames and Windows:: A frame contains windows;
936 display of text always works through windows.
937 * Minibuffers and Frames:: How a frame finds the minibuffer to use.
938 * Input Focus:: Specifying the selected frame.
939 * Visibility of Frames:: Frames may be visible or invisible, or icons.
940 * Raising and Lowering:: Raising a frame makes it hide other windows;
941 lowering it puts it underneath the others.
942 * Frame Configurations:: Saving the state of all frames.
943 * Mouse Tracking:: Getting events that say when the mouse moves.
944 * Mouse Position:: Asking where the mouse is, or moving it.
945 * Pop-Up Menus:: Displaying a menu for the user to select from.
946 * Dialog Boxes:: Displaying a box to ask yes or no.
947 * Pointer Shape:: Specifying the shape of the mouse pointer.
948 * Window System Selections::Transferring text to and from other windows.
949 * Drag and Drop:: Internals of Drag-and-Drop implementation.
950 * Color Names:: Getting the definitions of color names.
951 * Text Terminal Colors:: Defining colors for text-only terminals.
952 * Resources:: Getting resource values from the server.
953 * Display Feature Testing:: Determining the features of a terminal.
957 * Parameter Access:: How to change a frame's parameters.
958 * Initial Parameters:: Specifying frame parameters when you make a frame.
959 * Window Frame Parameters:: List of frame parameters for window systems.
960 * Size and Position:: Changing the size and position of a frame.
961 * Geometry:: Parsing geometry specifications.
963 Window Frame Parameters
965 * Basic Parameters:: Parameters that are fundamental.
966 * Position Parameters:: The position of the frame on the screen.
967 * Size Parameters:: Frame's size.
968 * Layout Parameters:: Size of parts of the frame, and
969 enabling or disabling some parts.
970 * Buffer Parameters:: Which buffers have been or should be shown.
971 * Management Parameters:: Communicating with the window manager.
972 * Cursor Parameters:: Controlling the cursor appearance.
973 * Color Parameters:: Colors of various parts of the frame.
977 * Point:: The special position where editing takes place.
978 * Motion:: Changing point.
979 * Excursions:: Temporary motion and buffer changes.
980 * Narrowing:: Restricting editing to a portion of the buffer.
984 * Character Motion:: Moving in terms of characters.
985 * Word Motion:: Moving in terms of words.
986 * Buffer End Motion:: Moving to the beginning or end of the buffer.
987 * Text Lines:: Moving in terms of lines of text.
988 * Screen Lines:: Moving in terms of lines as displayed.
989 * List Motion:: Moving by parsing lists and sexps.
990 * Skipping Characters:: Skipping characters belonging to a certain set.
994 * Overview of Markers:: The components of a marker, and how it relocates.
995 * Predicates on Markers:: Testing whether an object is a marker.
996 * Creating Markers:: Making empty markers or markers at certain places.
997 * Information from Markers::Finding the marker's buffer or character
999 * Marker Insertion Types:: Two ways a marker can relocate when you
1000 insert where it points.
1001 * Moving Markers:: Moving the marker to a new buffer or position.
1002 * The Mark:: How "the mark" is implemented with a marker.
1003 * The Region:: How to access "the region".
1007 * Near Point:: Examining text in the vicinity of point.
1008 * Buffer Contents:: Examining text in a general fashion.
1009 * Comparing Text:: Comparing substrings of buffers.
1010 * Insertion:: Adding new text to a buffer.
1011 * Commands for Insertion:: User-level commands to insert text.
1012 * Deletion:: Removing text from a buffer.
1013 * User-Level Deletion:: User-level commands to delete text.
1014 * The Kill Ring:: Where removed text sometimes is saved for
1016 * Undo:: Undoing changes to the text of a buffer.
1017 * Maintaining Undo:: How to enable and disable undo information.
1018 How to control how much information is kept.
1019 * Filling:: Functions for explicit filling.
1020 * Margins:: How to specify margins for filling commands.
1021 * Adaptive Fill:: Adaptive Fill mode chooses a fill prefix
1023 * Auto Filling:: How auto-fill mode is implemented to break lines.
1024 * Sorting:: Functions for sorting parts of the buffer.
1025 * Columns:: Computing horizontal positions, and using them.
1026 * Indentation:: Functions to insert or adjust indentation.
1027 * Case Changes:: Case conversion of parts of the buffer.
1028 * Text Properties:: Assigning Lisp property lists to text characters.
1029 * Substitution:: Replacing a given character wherever it appears.
1030 * Transposition:: Swapping two portions of a buffer.
1031 * Registers:: How registers are implemented. Accessing
1032 the text or position stored in a register.
1033 * Base 64:: Conversion to or from base 64 encoding.
1034 * MD5 Checksum:: Compute the MD5 "message digest"/"checksum".
1035 * Atomic Changes:: Installing several buffer changes "atomically".
1036 * Change Hooks:: Supplying functions to be run when text is changed.
1040 * Kill Ring Concepts:: What text looks like in the kill ring.
1041 * Kill Functions:: Functions that kill text.
1042 * Yanking:: How yanking is done.
1043 * Yank Commands:: Commands that access the kill ring.
1044 * Low-Level Kill Ring:: Functions and variables for kill ring access.
1045 * Internals of Kill Ring:: Variables that hold kill-ring data.
1049 * Primitive Indent:: Functions used to count and insert indentation.
1050 * Mode-Specific Indent:: Customize indentation for different modes.
1051 * Region Indent:: Indent all the lines in a region.
1052 * Relative Indent:: Indent the current line based on previous lines.
1053 * Indent Tabs:: Adjustable, typewriter-like tab stops.
1054 * Motion by Indent:: Move to first non-blank character.
1058 * Examining Properties:: Looking at the properties of one character.
1059 * Changing Properties:: Setting the properties of a range of text.
1060 * Property Search:: Searching for where a property changes value.
1061 * Special Properties:: Particular properties with special meanings.
1062 * Format Properties:: Properties for representing formatting of text.
1063 * Sticky Properties:: How inserted text gets properties from
1065 * Saving Properties:: Saving text properties in files, and reading
1067 * Lazy Properties:: Computing text properties in a lazy fashion
1068 only when text is examined.
1069 * Clickable Text:: Using text properties to make regions of text
1070 do something when you click on them.
1071 * Links and Mouse-1:: How to make @key{Mouse-1} follow a link.
1072 * Fields:: The @code{field} property defines
1073 fields within the buffer.
1074 * Not Intervals:: Why text properties do not use
1075 Lisp-visible text intervals.
1077 Non-ASCII Characters
1079 * Text Representations:: Unibyte and multibyte representations
1080 * Converting Representations:: Converting unibyte to multibyte and vice versa.
1081 * Selecting a Representation:: Treating a byte sequence as unibyte or multi.
1082 * Character Codes:: How unibyte and multibyte relate to
1083 codes of individual characters.
1084 * Character Sets:: The space of possible character codes
1085 is divided into various character sets.
1086 * Chars and Bytes:: More information about multibyte encodings.
1087 * Splitting Characters:: Converting a character to its byte sequence.
1088 * Scanning Charsets:: Which character sets are used in a buffer?
1089 * Translation of Characters:: Translation tables are used for conversion.
1090 * Coding Systems:: Coding systems are conversions for saving files.
1091 * Input Methods:: Input methods allow users to enter various
1092 non-ASCII characters without special keyboards.
1093 * Locales:: Interacting with the POSIX locale.
1097 * Coding System Basics:: Basic concepts.
1098 * Encoding and I/O:: How file I/O functions handle coding systems.
1099 * Lisp and Coding Systems:: Functions to operate on coding system names.
1100 * User-Chosen Coding Systems:: Asking the user to choose a coding system.
1101 * Default Coding Systems:: Controlling the default choices.
1102 * Specifying Coding Systems:: Requesting a particular coding system
1103 for a single file operation.
1104 * Explicit Encoding:: Encoding or decoding text without doing I/O.
1105 * Terminal I/O Encoding:: Use of encoding for terminal I/O.
1106 * MS-DOS File Types:: How DOS "text" and "binary" files
1107 relate to coding systems.
1109 Searching and Matching
1111 * String Search:: Search for an exact match.
1112 * Searching and Case:: Case-independent or case-significant searching.
1113 * Regular Expressions:: Describing classes of strings.
1114 * Regexp Search:: Searching for a match for a regexp.
1115 * POSIX Regexps:: Searching POSIX-style for the longest match.
1116 * Match Data:: Finding out which part of the text matched,
1117 after a string or regexp search.
1118 * Search and Replace:: Commands that loop, searching and replacing.
1119 * Standard Regexps:: Useful regexps for finding sentences, pages,...
1123 * Syntax of Regexps:: Rules for writing regular expressions.
1124 * Regexp Example:: Illustrates regular expression syntax.
1125 * Regexp Functions:: Functions for operating on regular expressions.
1127 Syntax of Regular Expressions
1129 * Regexp Special:: Special characters in regular expressions.
1130 * Char Classes:: Character classes used in regular expressions.
1131 * Regexp Backslash:: Backslash-sequences in regular expressions.
1135 * Replacing Match:: Replacing a substring that was matched.
1136 * Simple Match Data:: Accessing single items of match data,
1137 such as where a particular subexpression started.
1138 * Entire Match Data:: Accessing the entire match data at once, as a list.
1139 * Saving Match Data:: Saving and restoring the match data.
1143 * Syntax Basics:: Basic concepts of syntax tables.
1144 * Syntax Descriptors:: How characters are classified.
1145 * Syntax Table Functions:: How to create, examine and alter syntax tables.
1146 * Syntax Properties:: Overriding syntax with text properties.
1147 * Motion and Syntax:: Moving over characters with certain syntaxes.
1148 * Parsing Expressions:: Parsing balanced expressions
1149 using the syntax table.
1150 * Standard Syntax Tables:: Syntax tables used by various major modes.
1151 * Syntax Table Internals:: How syntax table information is stored.
1152 * Categories:: Another way of classifying character syntax.
1156 * Syntax Class Table:: Table of syntax classes.
1157 * Syntax Flags:: Additional flags each character can have.
1161 * Motion via Parsing:: Motion functions that work by parsing.
1162 * Position Parse:: Determining the syntactic state of a position.
1163 * Parser State:: How Emacs represents a syntactic state.
1164 * Low-Level Parsing:: Parsing across a specified region.
1165 * Control Parsing:: Parameters that affect parsing.
1167 Abbrevs And Abbrev Expansion
1169 * Abbrev Mode:: Setting up Emacs for abbreviation.
1170 * Abbrev Tables:: Creating and working with abbrev tables.
1171 * Defining Abbrevs:: Specifying abbreviations and their expansions.
1172 * Abbrev Files:: Saving abbrevs in files.
1173 * Abbrev Expansion:: Controlling expansion; expansion subroutines.
1174 * Standard Abbrev Tables:: Abbrev tables used by various major modes.
1178 * Subprocess Creation:: Functions that start subprocesses.
1179 * Shell Arguments:: Quoting an argument to pass it to a shell.
1180 * Synchronous Processes:: Details of using synchronous subprocesses.
1181 * Asynchronous Processes:: Starting up an asynchronous subprocess.
1182 * Deleting Processes:: Eliminating an asynchronous subprocess.
1183 * Process Information:: Accessing run-status and other attributes.
1184 * Input to Processes:: Sending input to an asynchronous subprocess.
1185 * Signals to Processes:: Stopping, continuing or interrupting
1186 an asynchronous subprocess.
1187 * Output from Processes:: Collecting output from an asynchronous subprocess.
1188 * Sentinels:: Sentinels run when process run-status changes.
1189 * Query Before Exit:: Whether to query if exiting will kill a process.
1190 * Transaction Queues:: Transaction-based communication with subprocesses.
1191 * Network:: Opening network connections.
1192 * Network Servers:: Network servers let Emacs accept net connections.
1193 * Datagrams:: UDP network connections.
1194 * Low-Level Network:: Lower-level but more general function
1195 to create connections and servers.
1196 * Misc Network:: Additional relevant functions for network connections.
1197 * Byte Packing:: Using bindat to pack and unpack binary data.
1199 Receiving Output from Processes
1201 * Process Buffers:: If no filter, output is put in a buffer.
1202 * Filter Functions:: Filter functions accept output from the process.
1203 * Decoding Output:: Filters can get unibyte or multibyte strings.
1204 * Accepting Output:: How to wait until process output arrives.
1206 Low-Level Network Access
1208 * Proc: Network Processes. Using @code{make-network-process}.
1209 * Options: Network Options. Further control over network connections.
1210 * Features: Network Feature Testing.
1211 Determining which network features work on
1212 the machine you are using.
1214 Packing and Unpacking Byte Arrays
1216 * Bindat Spec:: Describing data layout.
1217 * Bindat Functions:: Doing the unpacking and packing.
1218 * Bindat Examples:: Samples of what bindat.el can do for you!
1222 * Refresh Screen:: Clearing the screen and redrawing everything on it.
1223 * Forcing Redisplay:: Forcing redisplay.
1224 * Truncation:: Folding or wrapping long text lines.
1225 * The Echo Area:: Displaying messages at the bottom of the screen.
1226 * Warnings:: Displaying warning messages for the user.
1227 * Invisible Text:: Hiding part of the buffer text.
1228 * Selective Display:: Hiding part of the buffer text (the old way).
1229 * Temporary Displays:: Displays that go away automatically.
1230 * Overlays:: Use overlays to highlight parts of the buffer.
1231 * Width:: How wide a character or string is on the screen.
1232 * Line Height:: Controlling the height of lines.
1233 * Faces:: A face defines a graphics style
1234 for text characters: font, colors, etc.
1235 * Fringes:: Controlling window fringes.
1236 * Scroll Bars:: Controlling vertical scroll bars.
1237 * Display Property:: Enabling special display features.
1238 * Images:: Displaying images in Emacs buffers.
1239 * Buttons:: Adding clickable buttons to Emacs buffers.
1240 * Abstract Display:: Emacs' Widget for Object Collections.
1241 * Blinking:: How Emacs shows the matching open parenthesis.
1242 * Usual Display:: The usual conventions for displaying nonprinting chars.
1243 * Display Tables:: How to specify other conventions.
1244 * Beeping:: Audible signal to the user.
1245 * Window Systems:: Which window system is being used.
1249 * Displaying Messages:: Explicitly displaying text in the echo area.
1250 * Progress:: Informing user about progress of a long operation.
1251 * Logging Messages:: Echo area messages are logged for the user.
1252 * Echo Area Customization:: Controlling the echo area.
1256 * Warning Basics:: Warnings concepts and functions to report them.
1257 * Warning Variables:: Variables programs bind to customize their warnings.
1258 * Warning Options:: Variables users set to control display of warnings.
1262 * Managing Overlays:: Creating and moving overlays.
1263 * Overlay Properties:: How to read and set properties.
1264 What properties do to the screen display.
1265 * Finding Overlays:: Searching for overlays.
1269 * Defining Faces:: How to define a face with @code{defface}.
1270 * Face Attributes:: What is in a face?
1271 * Attribute Functions:: Functions to examine and set face attributes.
1272 * Displaying Faces:: How Emacs combines the faces specified for
1274 * Font Selection:: Finding the best available font for a face.
1275 * Face Functions:: How to define and examine faces.
1276 * Auto Faces:: Hook for automatic face assignment.
1277 * Font Lookup:: Looking up the names of available fonts
1278 and information about them.
1279 * Fontsets:: A fontset is a collection of fonts
1280 that handle a range of character sets.
1284 * Fringe Size/Pos:: Specifying where to put the window fringes.
1285 * Fringe Indicators:: Displaying indicator icons in the window fringes.
1286 * Fringe Cursors:: Displaying cursors in the right fringe.
1287 * Fringe Bitmaps:: Specifying bitmaps for fringe indicators.
1288 * Customizing Bitmaps:: Specifying your own bitmaps to use in the fringes.
1289 * Overlay Arrow:: Display of an arrow to indicate position.
1291 The @code{display} Property
1293 * Specified Space:: Displaying one space with a specified width.
1294 * Pixel Specification:: Specifying space width or height in pixels.
1295 * Other Display Specs:: Displaying an image; magnifying text; moving it
1296 up or down on the page; adjusting the width
1297 of spaces within text.
1298 * Display Margins:: Displaying text or images to the side of
1303 * Image Descriptors:: How to specify an image for use in @code{:display}.
1304 * XBM Images:: Special features for XBM format.
1305 * XPM Images:: Special features for XPM format.
1306 * GIF Images:: Special features for GIF format.
1307 * PostScript Images:: Special features for PostScript format.
1308 * Other Image Types:: Various other formats are supported.
1309 * Defining Images:: Convenient ways to define an image for later use.
1310 * Showing Images:: Convenient ways to display an image once
1312 * Image Cache:: Internal mechanisms of image display.
1316 * Button Properties:: Button properties with special meanings.
1317 * Button Types:: Defining common properties for classes of buttons.
1318 * Making Buttons:: Adding buttons to Emacs buffers.
1319 * Manipulating Buttons:: Getting and setting properties of buttons.
1320 * Button Buffer Commands:: Buffer-wide commands and bindings for buttons.
1324 * Abstract Display Functions:: Functions in the Ewoc package.
1325 * Abstract Display Example:: Example of using Ewoc.
1329 * Display Table Format:: What a display table consists of.
1330 * Active Display Table:: How Emacs selects a display table to use.
1331 * Glyphs:: How to define a glyph, and what glyphs mean.
1333 Operating System Interface
1335 * Starting Up:: Customizing Emacs start-up processing.
1336 * Getting Out:: How exiting works (permanent or temporary).
1337 * System Environment:: Distinguish the name and kind of system.
1338 * User Identification:: Finding the name and user id of the user.
1339 * Time of Day:: Getting the current time.
1340 * Time Conversion:: Converting a time from numeric form to a string, or
1341 to calendrical data (or vice versa).
1342 * Time Parsing:: Converting a time from numeric form to text
1344 * Processor Run Time:: Getting the run time used by Emacs.
1345 * Time Calculations:: Adding, subtracting, comparing times, etc.
1346 * Timers:: Setting a timer to call a function at a certain time.
1347 * Idle Timers:: Setting a timer to call a function when Emacs has
1348 been idle for a certain length of time.
1349 * Terminal Input:: Accessing and recording terminal input.
1350 * Terminal Output:: Controlling and recording terminal output.
1351 * Sound Output:: Playing sounds on the computer's speaker.
1352 * X11 Keysyms:: Operating on key symbols for X Windows
1353 * Batch Mode:: Running Emacs without terminal interaction.
1354 * Session Management:: Saving and restoring state with X Session Management.
1358 * Startup Summary:: Sequence of actions Emacs performs at start-up.
1359 * Init File:: Details on reading the init file (@file{.emacs}).
1360 * Terminal-Specific:: How the terminal-specific Lisp file is read.
1361 * Command-Line Arguments:: How command-line arguments are processed,
1362 and how you can customize them.
1364 Getting Out of Emacs
1366 * Killing Emacs:: Exiting Emacs irreversibly.
1367 * Suspending Emacs:: Exiting Emacs reversibly.
1371 * Input Modes:: Options for how input is processed.
1372 * Recording Input:: Saving histories of recent or all input events.
1374 Tips and Conventions
1376 * Coding Conventions:: Conventions for clean and robust programs.
1377 * Key Binding Conventions:: Which keys should be bound by which programs.
1378 * Programming Tips:: Making Emacs code fit smoothly in Emacs.
1379 * Compilation Tips:: Making compiled code run fast.
1380 * Warning Tips:: Turning off compiler warnings.
1381 * Documentation Tips:: Writing readable documentation strings.
1382 * Comment Tips:: Conventions for writing comments.
1383 * Library Headers:: Standard headers for library packages.
1387 * Building Emacs:: How the dumped Emacs is made.
1388 * Pure Storage:: A kludge to make preloaded Lisp functions sharable.
1389 * Garbage Collection:: Reclaiming space for Lisp objects no longer used.
1390 * Memory Usage:: Info about total size of Lisp objects made so far.
1391 * Writing Emacs Primitives:: Writing C code for Emacs.
1392 * Object Internals:: Data formats of buffers, windows, processes.
1396 * Buffer Internals:: Components of a buffer structure.
1397 * Window Internals:: Components of a window structure.
1398 * Process Internals:: Components of a process structure.
1403 @include objects.texi
1404 @include numbers.texi
1405 @include strings.texi
1408 @include sequences.texi
1410 @include symbols.texi
1413 @include control.texi
1414 @include variables.texi
1415 @include functions.texi
1416 @include macros.texi
1418 @include customize.texi
1419 @include loading.texi
1420 @include compile.texi
1421 @include advice.texi
1423 @include debugging.texi
1424 @include streams.texi
1425 @include minibuf.texi
1426 @include commands.texi
1428 @include keymaps.texi
1433 @include backups.texi
1434 @include buffers.texi
1435 @include windows.texi
1436 @include frames.texi
1438 @include positions.texi
1439 @include markers.texi
1441 @include nonascii.texi
1443 @include searching.texi
1444 @include syntax.texi
1445 @include abbrevs.texi
1446 @include processes.texi
1448 @include display.texi
1451 @c MOVE to Emacs Manual: include misc-modes.texi
1455 @c REMOVE this: include non-hacker.texi
1458 @include doclicense.texi
1461 @include internals.texi
1462 @include errors.texi
1463 @include locals.texi
1470 @node New Symbols, , Index, Top
1471 @unnumbered New Symbols Since the Previous Edition
1479 These words prevent "local variables" above from confusing Emacs.
1482 arch-tag: f7e9a219-a0e1-4776-b631-08eaa1d49b34