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Re: indentation, setting variables, commands, and M-x
From: |
Peter Dyballa |
Subject: |
Re: indentation, setting variables, commands, and M-x |
Date: |
Fri, 3 Feb 2006 10:53:41 +0100 |
Am 03.02.2006 um 06:18 schrieb John M. Gabriele:
I'm also curious: what's the translation between adding the
above line to my .emacs, and typing something in while editing
(presumably "M-x something")? That is, if someone tells me a
line to add to my .emacs file, how can I figure out how to do
the same thing from within the editor while editing?
GNU Emacs allows you to (almost) simultaneously edit a large number
of files or files not yet saved as files in modified buffers. That "M-
x something" means that you invoke a command, a Lisp function for
interactive use (there are also non-interactive Lisp functions). To
stop editing one file (buffer) you just change to another buffer
(whose contents comes or comes not from an existing file) or you
create a new buffer by opening a file, .emacs for example. You can
decide to save what was achieved in the original buffer (although GNU
Emacs automatically saves the work in progress and keeps an almost
indefinite amount of undo's).
Any change you do to .emacs does *not* change the way the running GNU
Emacs behaves. It just prepares for the next one. If you want your
change apply for the running one, too, you would need to evaluate the
Lisp code.
See also my next answer.
Continuing with the indentation issue, I read here:
http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/IndentationBasics that
there's a number of "variables" I can set. I see "tab-width"
there. Yay! That looks like what I want. :) But, again, how
do I "set a variable" for emacs (both in my .emacs file,
and live, while editing)?
You can look up a 'variable' with the command C-h v. In the mini-
buffer you'll be prompted for a name, but you can try (command)
completion, pressing TAB. Then a *Completions* buffer opens showing
all variables available. You can scroll through these buffer by
pressing SPACE repeatedly and then 'pick' a name, or at the prompt
you can start writing the variable name's beginning and expand this
string with TAB until it starts to become ambiguous, i.e. there is
more than one choice to complete the name. If you see the variable
printed somewhere you can position the cursor on it and invoke C-h v.
Once the *Help* buffer is created which explains the variable, you
often see a hint that you can customise this variable. Follow the
hyper link and a *Customization* buffer opens. You can just try the
new setting (it changes Emacs' behaviour at run time), and you can
save this setting in .emacs, at once or later.
Regarding the autoindent, Reading here:
http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/AutoIndentation it
sounds like autoindent isn't something that comes free, but
instead, to get it, you have to put a one-liner into your
.emacs file. Seems like maybe something that should be
default behaviour, no?
Autoindent works in kind of 'qualified' modes. In text mode you
indent in such a way that words in the next line start in the same
column as the words in the line above, columns of words are built.
The one-liners can modify the way autoindentation works in the many
modes.
To find the default behaviour of modes just stay without a .emacs
file or launch GNU Emacs with the option -q, which makes it not to
read .emacs.
--
Greetings
Pete
Ce qui été compris n'existe plus. (Paul Eluard)
- indentation, setting variables, commands, and M-x, John M. Gabriele, 2006/02/03
- Re: indentation, setting variables, commands, and M-x, Eli Zaretskii, 2006/02/03
- Re: indentation, setting variables, commands, and M-x, Alan Mackenzie, 2006/02/03
- Re: indentation, setting variables, commands, and M-x,
Peter Dyballa <=
- RE: indentation, setting variables, commands, and M-x, Drew Adams, 2006/02/03
- Re: indentation, setting variables, commands, and M-x, john_sips_tea, 2006/02/03
- Re: indentation, setting variables, commands, and M-x, john_sips_tea, 2006/02/03
- Re: indentation, setting variables, commands, and M-x, Peter Dyballa, 2006/02/03
- Re: indentation, setting variables, commands, and M-x, Kevin Rodgers, 2006/02/06
- Re: indentation, setting variables, commands, and M-x, Peter Dyballa, 2006/02/06
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