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+ − 1
+ − 2 @node Glossary, Manifesto, Intro, Top
+ − 3 @unnumbered Glossary
+ − 4
+ − 5 @table @asis
+ − 6 @item Abbrev
+ − 7 An abbrev is a text string which expands into a different text string
+ − 8 when present in the buffer. For example, you might define a short
+ − 9 word as an abbrev for a long phrase that you want to insert
+ − 10 frequently. @xref{Abbrevs}.
+ − 11
+ − 12 @item Aborting
+ − 13 Aborting means getting out of a recursive edit (q.v.@:). You can use
+ − 14 the commands @kbd{C-]} and @kbd{M-x top-level} for this.
+ − 15 @xref{Quitting}.
+ − 16
+ − 17 @item Auto Fill mode
+ − 18 Auto Fill mode is a minor mode in which text you insert is
+ − 19 automatically broken into lines of fixed width. @xref{Filling}.
+ − 20
+ − 21 @item Auto Saving
+ − 22 Auto saving means that Emacs automatically stores the contents of an
+ − 23 Emacs buffer in a specially-named file so the information will not be
+ − 24 lost if the buffer is lost due to a system error or user error.
+ − 25 @xref{Auto Save}.
+ − 26
+ − 27 @item Backup File
+ − 28 A backup file records the contents that a file had before the current
+ − 29 editing session. Emacs creates backup files automatically to help you
+ − 30 track down or cancel changes you later regret. @xref{Backup}.
+ − 31
+ − 32 @item Balance Parentheses
+ − 33 Emacs can balance parentheses manually or automatically. Manual
+ − 34 balancing is done by the commands to move over balanced expressions
+ − 35 (@pxref{Lists}). Automatic balancing is done by blinking the
+ − 36 parenthesis that matches one just inserted (@pxref{Matching,,Matching
+ − 37 Parens}).
+ − 38
+ − 39 @item Bind
+ − 40 To bind a key is to change its binding (q.v.@:). @xref{Rebinding}.
+ − 41
+ − 42 @item Binding
+ − 43 A key gets its meaning in Emacs by having a binding which is a
+ − 44 command (q.v.@:), a Lisp function that is run when the key is typed.
+ − 45 @xref{Commands,Binding}. Customization often involves rebinding a
+ − 46 character to a different command function. The bindings of all keys
+ − 47 are recorded in the keymaps (q.v.@:). @xref{Keymaps}.
+ − 48
+ − 49 @item Blank Lines
+ − 50 Blank lines are lines that contain only whitespace. Emacs has several
+ − 51 commands for operating on the blank lines in a buffer.
+ − 52
+ − 53 @item Buffer
+ − 54 The buffer is the basic editing unit; one buffer corresponds to one
+ − 55 piece of text being edited. You can have several buffers, but at any
+ − 56 time you are editing only one, the `selected' buffer, though several
+ − 57 buffers can be visible when you are using multiple windows. @xref{Buffers}.
+ − 58
+ − 59 @item Buffer Selection History
+ − 60 Emacs keeps a buffer selection history which records how recently each
+ − 61 Emacs buffer was selected. Emacs uses this list when choosing a buffer to
+ − 62 select. @xref{Buffers}.
+ − 63
+ − 64 @item C-
+ − 65 @samp{C} in the name of a character is an abbreviation for Control.
+ − 66 @xref{Keystrokes,C-}.
+ − 67
+ − 68 @item C-M-
+ − 69 @samp{C-M-} in the name of a character is an abbreviation for
+ − 70 Control-Meta. @xref{Keystrokes,C-M-}.
+ − 71
+ − 72 @item Case Conversion
+ − 73 Case conversion means changing text from upper case to lower case or
+ − 74 vice versa. @xref{Case}, for the commands for case conversion.
+ − 75
+ − 76 @item Characters
+ − 77 Characters form the contents of an Emacs buffer; also, Emacs commands
+ − 78 are invoked by keys (q.v.@:), which are sequences of one or more
+ − 79 characters. @xref{Keystrokes}.
+ − 80
+ − 81 @item Command
+ − 82 A command is a Lisp function specially defined to be able to serve as a
+ − 83 key binding in Emacs. When you type a key (q.v.@:), Emacs looks up its
+ − 84 binding (q.v.@:) in the relevant keymaps (q.v.@:) to find the command to
+ − 85 run. @xref{Commands}.
+ − 86
+ − 87 @item Command Name
+ − 88 A command name is the name of a Lisp symbol which is a command
+ − 89 (@pxref{Commands}). You can invoke any command by its name using
+ − 90 @kbd{M-x} (@pxref{M-x}).
+ − 91
+ − 92 @item Comments
+ − 93 A comment is text in a program which is intended only for the people
+ − 94 reading the program, and is marked specially so that it will be
+ − 95 ignored when the program is loaded or compiled. Emacs offers special
+ − 96 commands for creating, aligning, and killing comments.
+ − 97 @xref{Comments}.
+ − 98
+ − 99 @item Compilation
+ − 100 Compilation is the process of creating an executable program from
+ − 101 source code. Emacs has commands for compiling files of Emacs Lisp
+ − 102 code (@pxref{Lisp Libraries}) and programs in C and other languages
+ − 103 (@pxref{Compilation}).
+ − 104
+ − 105 @item Complete Key
+ − 106 A complete key is a character or sequence of characters which, when typed
+ − 107 by the user, fully specifies one action to be performed by Emacs. For
+ − 108 example, @kbd{X} and @kbd{Control-f} and @kbd{Control-x m} are keys. Keys
+ − 109 derive their meanings from being bound (q.v.@:) to commands (q.v.@:).
+ − 110 Thus, @kbd{X} is conventionally bound to a command to insert @samp{X} in
+ − 111 the buffer; @kbd{C-x m} is conventionally bound to a command to begin
+ − 112 composing a mail message. @xref{Keystrokes}.
+ − 113
+ − 114 @item Completion
+ − 115 When Emacs automatically fills an abbreviation for a name into the
+ − 116 entire name, that process is called completion. Completion is done for
+ − 117 minibuffer (q.v.@:) arguments when the set of possible valid inputs is
+ − 118 known; for example, on command names, buffer names, and file names.
+ − 119 Completion occurs when you type @key{TAB}, @key{SPC}, or @key{RET}.
+ − 120 @xref{Completion}.@refill
+ − 121
+ − 122 @item Continuation Line
+ − 123 When a line of text is longer than the width of the frame, it
+ − 124 takes up more than one screen line when displayed. We say that the
+ − 125 text line is continued, and all screen lines used for it after the
+ − 126 first are called continuation lines. @xref{Basic,Continuation,Basic
+ − 127 Editing}.
+ − 128
+ − 129 @item Control-Character
+ − 130 ASCII characters with octal codes 0 through 037, and also code 0177,
+ − 131 do not have graphic images assigned to them. These are the control
+ − 132 characters. Any control character can be typed by holding down the
+ − 133 @key{CTRL} key and typing some other character; some have special keys
+ − 134 on the keyboard. @key{RET}, @key{TAB}, @key{ESC}, @key{LFD}, and
+ − 135 @key{DEL} are all control characters. @xref{Keystrokes}.@refill
+ − 136
+ − 137 @item Copyleft
+ − 138 A copyleft is a notice giving the public legal permission to redistribute
+ − 139 a program or other work of art. Copylefts are used by leftists to enrich
+ − 140 the public just as copyrights are used by rightists to gain power over
+ − 141 the public.
+ − 142
+ − 143 @item Current Buffer
+ − 144 The current buffer in Emacs is the Emacs buffer on which most editing
+ − 145 commands operate. You can select any Emacs buffer as the current one.
+ − 146 @xref{Buffers}.
+ − 147
+ − 148 @item Current Line
+ − 149 The line point is on (@pxref{Point}).
+ − 150
+ − 151 @item Current Paragraph
+ − 152 The paragraph that point is in. If point is between paragraphs, the
+ − 153 current paragraph is the one that follows point. @xref{Paragraphs}.
+ − 154
+ − 155 @item Current Defun
+ − 156 The defun (q.v.@:) that point is in. If point is between defuns, the
+ − 157 current defun is the one that follows point. @xref{Defuns}.
+ − 158
+ − 159 @item Cursor
+ − 160 The cursor is the rectangle on the screen which indicates the position
+ − 161 called point (q.v.@:) at which insertion and deletion takes place.
+ − 162 The cursor is on or under the character that follows point. Often
+ − 163 people speak of `the cursor' when, strictly speaking, they mean
+ − 164 `point'. @xref{Basic,Cursor,Basic Editing}.
+ − 165
+ − 166 @item Customization
+ − 167 Customization is making minor changes in the way Emacs works. It is
+ − 168 often done by setting variables (@pxref{Variables}) or by rebinding
+ − 169 keys (@pxref{Keymaps}).
+ − 170
+ − 171 @item Default Argument
+ − 172 The default for an argument is the value that is used if you do not
+ − 173 specify one. When Emacs prompts you in the minibuffer for an argument,
+ − 174 the default argument is used if you just type @key{RET}.
+ − 175 @xref{Minibuffer}.
+ − 176
+ − 177 @item Default Directory
+ − 178 When you specify a file name that does not start with @samp{/} or @samp{~},
+ − 179 it is interpreted relative to the current buffer's default directory.
+ − 180 @xref{Minibuffer File,Default Directory}.
+ − 181
+ − 182 @item Defun
+ − 183 A defun is a list at the top level of parenthesis or bracket structure
+ − 184 in a program. It is so named because most such lists in Lisp programs
+ − 185 are calls to the Lisp function @code{defun}. @xref{Defuns}.
+ − 186
+ − 187 @item @key{DEL}
+ − 188 The @key{DEL} character runs the command that deletes one character of
+ − 189 text. @xref{Basic,DEL,Basic Editing}.
+ − 190
+ − 191 @item Deletion
+ − 192 Deleting text means erasing it without saving it. Emacs deletes text
+ − 193 only when it is expected not to be worth saving (all whitespace, or
+ − 194 only one character). The alternative is killing (q.v.@:).
+ − 195 @xref{Killing,Deletion}.
+ − 196
+ − 197 @item Deletion of Files
+ − 198 Deleting a file means removing it from the file system.
+ − 199 @xref{Misc File Ops}.
+ − 200
+ − 201 @item Deletion of Messages
+ − 202 Deleting a message means flagging it to be eliminated from your mail
+ − 203 file. Until the mail file is expunged, you can undo this by undeleting
+ − 204 the message.
+ − 205
+ − 206 @item Deletion of Frames
+ − 207 When working under the multi-frame X-based version of XEmacs,
+ − 208 you can delete individual frames using the @b{Close} menu item from the
+ − 209 @b{File} menu.
+ − 210
+ − 211 @item Deletion of Windows
+ − 212 When you delete a subwindow of an Emacs frame, you eliminate it from
+ − 213 the frame. Other windows expand to use up the space. The deleted
+ − 214 window can never come back, but no actual text is lost. @xref{Windows}.
+ − 215
+ − 216 @item Directory
+ − 217 Files in the Unix file system are grouped into file directories.
+ − 218 @xref{ListDir,,Directories}.
+ − 219
+ − 220 @item Dired
+ − 221 Dired is the Emacs facility that displays the contents of a file
+ − 222 directory and allows you to ``edit the directory'', performing
+ − 223 operations on the files in the directory. @xref{Dired}.
+ − 224
+ − 225 @item Disabled Command
+ − 226 A disabled command is one that you may not run without special
+ − 227 confirmation. Commands are usually disabled because they are
+ − 228 confusing for beginning users. @xref{Disabling}.
+ − 229
+ − 230 @item Dribble File
+ − 231 A file into which Emacs writes all the characters that the user types
+ − 232 on the keyboard. Dribble files are used to make a record for
+ − 233 debugging Emacs bugs. Emacs does not make a dribble file unless you
+ − 234 tell it to. @xref{Bugs}.
+ − 235
+ − 236 @item Echo Area
+ − 237 The area at the bottom of the Emacs frame which is used for echoing the
+ − 238 arguments to commands, for asking questions, and for printing brief
+ − 239 messages (including error messages). @xref{Echo Area}.
+ − 240
+ − 241 @item Echoing
+ − 242 Echoing refers to acknowledging the receipt of commands by displaying them
+ − 243 (in the echo area). Emacs never echoes single-character keys; longer
+ − 244 keys echo only if you pause while typing them.
+ − 245
+ − 246 @item Error
+ − 247 An error occurs when an Emacs command cannot execute in the current
+ − 248 circumstances. When an error occurs, execution of the command stops
+ − 249 (unless the command has been programmed to do otherwise) and Emacs
+ − 250 reports the error by printing an error message (q.v.). Type-ahead
+ − 251 is discarded. Then Emacs is ready to read another editing command.
+ − 252
+ − 253 @item Error Messages
+ − 254 Error messages are single lines of output printed by Emacs when the
+ − 255 user asks for something impossible to do (such as killing text
+ − 256 forward when point is at the end of the buffer). They appear in the
+ − 257 echo area, accompanied by a beep.
+ − 258
+ − 259 @item @key{ESC}
+ − 260 @key{ESC} is a character used as a prefix for typing Meta characters on
+ − 261 keyboards lacking a @key{META} key. Unlike the @key{META} key (which,
+ − 262 like the @key{SHIFT} key, is held down while another character is
+ − 263 typed), the @key{ESC} key is pressed and released, and applies to the
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+ − 264 next character typed.
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+ − 265
+ − 266 @item Fill Prefix
+ − 267 The fill prefix is a string that Emacs enters at the beginning
+ − 268 of each line when it performs filling. It is not regarded as part of the
+ − 269 text to be filled. @xref{Filling}.
+ − 270
+ − 271 @item Filling
+ − 272 Filling text means moving text from line to line so that all the lines
+ − 273 are approximately the same length. @xref{Filling}.
+ − 274
+ − 275 @item Frame
+ − 276 When running Emacs on a TTY terminal, ``frame'' means the terminal's
+ − 277 screen. When running Emacs under X, you can have multiple frames,
+ − 278 each corresponding to a top-level X window and each looking like
+ − 279 the screen on a TTY. Each frame contains one or more non-overlapping
+ − 280 Emacs windows (possibly with associated scrollbars, under X), an
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+ − 281 echo area, and (under X) possibly a menubar, toolbar, and/or gutter.
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+ − 282
+ − 283 @item Global
+ − 284 Global means `independent of the current environment; in effect
+ − 285 @*throughout Emacs'. It is the opposite of local (q.v.@:).
+ − 286 Examples of the use of `global' appear below.
+ − 287
+ − 288 @item Global Abbrev
+ − 289 A global definition of an abbrev (q.v.@:) is effective in all major
+ − 290 modes that do not have local (q.v.@:) definitions for the same abbrev.
+ − 291 @xref{Abbrevs}.
+ − 292
+ − 293 @item Global Keymap
+ − 294 The global keymap (q.v.@:) contains key bindings that are in effect
+ − 295 unless local key bindings in a major mode's local
+ − 296 keymap (q.v.@:) override them.@xref{Keymaps}.
+ − 297
+ − 298 @item Global Substitution
+ − 299 Global substitution means replacing each occurrence of one string by
+ − 300 another string through a large amount of text. @xref{Replace}.
+ − 301
+ − 302 @item Global Variable
+ − 303 The global value of a variable (q.v.@:) takes effect in all buffers
+ − 304 that do not have their own local (q.v.@:) values for the variable.
+ − 305 @xref{Variables}.
+ − 306
+ − 307 @item Graphic Character
+ − 308 Graphic characters are those assigned pictorial images rather than
+ − 309 just names. All the non-Meta (q.v.@:) characters except for the
+ − 310 Control (q.v.@:) character are graphic characters. These include
+ − 311 letters, digits, punctuation, and spaces; they do not include
+ − 312 @key{RET} or @key{ESC}. In Emacs, typing a graphic character inserts
+ − 313 that character (in ordinary editing modes). @xref{Basic,,Basic Editing}.
+ − 314
+ − 315 @item Grinding
+ − 316 Grinding means adjusting the indentation in a program to fit the
+ − 317 nesting structure. @xref{Indentation,Grinding}.
+ − 318
+ − 319 @item Hardcopy
+ − 320 Hardcopy means printed output. Emacs has commands for making printed
+ − 321 listings of text in Emacs buffers. @xref{Hardcopy}.
+ − 322
+ − 323 @item @key{HELP}
+ − 324 You can type @key{HELP} at any time to ask what options you have, or
+ − 325 to ask what any command does. @key{HELP} is really @kbd{Control-h}.
+ − 326 @xref{Help}.
+ − 327
+ − 328 @item Inbox
+ − 329 An inbox is a file in which mail is delivered by the operating system.
+ − 330 Some mail handlers transfers mail from inboxes to mail files (q.v.) in
+ − 331 which the mail is then stored permanently or until explicitly deleted.
+ − 332
+ − 333 @item Indentation
+ − 334 Indentation means blank space at the beginning of a line. Most
+ − 335 programming languages have conventions for using indentation to
+ − 336 illuminate the structure of the program, and Emacs has special
+ − 337 features to help you set up the correct indentation.
+ − 338 @xref{Indentation}.
+ − 339
+ − 340 @item Insertion
+ − 341 Insertion means copying text into the buffer, either from the keyboard
+ − 342 or from some other place in Emacs.
+ − 343
+ − 344 @item Justification
+ − 345 Justification means adding extra spaces to lines of text to make them
+ − 346 come exactly to a specified width. @xref{Filling,Justification}.
+ − 347
+ − 348 @item Keyboard Macros
+ − 349 Keyboard macros are a way of defining new Emacs commands from
+ − 350 sequences of existing ones, with no need to write a Lisp program.
+ − 351 @xref{Keyboard Macros}.
+ − 352
+ − 353 @item Key
+ − 354 A key is a sequence of characters that, when input to Emacs, specify
+ − 355 or begin to specify a single action for Emacs to perform. That is,
+ − 356 the sequence is considered a single unit. If the key is enough to
+ − 357 specify one action, it is a complete key (q.v.); if it is less than
+ − 358 enough, it is a prefix key (q.v.). @xref{Keystrokes}.
+ − 359
+ − 360 @item Keymap
+ − 361 The keymap is the data structure that records the bindings (q.v.@:) of
+ − 362 keys to the commands that they run. For example, the keymap binds the
+ − 363 character @kbd{C-n} to the command function @code{next-line}.
+ − 364 @xref{Keymaps}.
+ − 365
+ − 366 @item Kill Ring
+ − 367 The kill ring is the place where all text you have killed recently is saved.
+ − 368 You can re-insert any of the killed text still in the ring; this is
+ − 369 called yanking (q.v.@:). @xref{Yanking}.
+ − 370
+ − 371 @item Killing
+ − 372 Killing means erasing text and saving it on the kill ring so it can be
+ − 373 yanked (q.v.@:) later. Some other systems call this ``cutting.''
+ − 374 Most Emacs commands to erase text do killing, as opposed to deletion
+ − 375 (q.v.@:). @xref{Killing}.
+ − 376
+ − 377 @item Killing Jobs
+ − 378 Killing a job (such as, an invocation of Emacs) means making it cease
+ − 379 to exist. Any data within it, if not saved in a file, is lost.
+ − 380 @xref{Exiting}.
+ − 381
+ − 382 @item List
+ − 383 A list is, approximately, a text string beginning with an open
+ − 384 parenthesis and ending with the matching close parenthesis. In C mode
+ − 385 and other non-Lisp modes, groupings surrounded by other kinds of matched
+ − 386 delimiters appropriate to the language, such as braces, are also
+ − 387 considered lists. Emacs has special commands for many operations on
+ − 388 lists. @xref{Lists}.
+ − 389
+ − 390 @item Local
+ − 391 Local means `in effect only in a particular context'; the relevant
+ − 392 kind of context is a particular function execution, a particular
+ − 393 buffer, or a particular major mode. Local is the opposite of `global'
+ − 394 (q.v.@:). Specific uses of `local' in Emacs terminology appear below.
+ − 395
+ − 396 @item Local Abbrev
+ − 397 A local abbrev definition is effective only if a particular major mode
+ − 398 is selected. In that major mode, it overrides any global definition
+ − 399 for the same abbrev. @xref{Abbrevs}.
+ − 400
+ − 401 @item Local Keymap
+ − 402 A local keymap is used in a particular major mode; the key bindings
+ − 403 (q.v.@:) in the current local keymap override global bindings of the
+ − 404 same keys. @xref{Keymaps}.
+ − 405
+ − 406 @item Local Variable
+ − 407 A local value of a variable (q.v.@:) applies to only one buffer.
+ − 408 @xref{Locals}.
+ − 409
+ − 410 @item M-
+ − 411 @kbd{M-} in the name of a character is an abbreviation for @key{META},
+ − 412 one of the modifier keys that can accompany any character.
+ − 413 @xref{Keystrokes}.
+ − 414
+ − 415 @item M-C-
+ − 416 @samp{M-C-} in the name of a character is an abbreviation for
+ − 417 Control-Meta; it means the same thing as @samp{C-M-}. If your
+ − 418 terminal lacks a real @key{META} key, you type a Control-Meta character by
+ − 419 typing @key{ESC} and then typing the corresponding Control character.
+ − 420 @xref{Keystrokes,C-M-}.
+ − 421
+ − 422 @item M-x
+ − 423 @kbd{M-x} is the key which is used to call an Emacs command by name.
+ − 424 You use it to call commands that are not bound to keys.
+ − 425 @xref{M-x}.
+ − 426
+ − 427 @item Mail
+ − 428 Mail means messages sent from one user to another through the computer
+ − 429 system, to be read at the recipient's convenience. Emacs has commands for
+ − 430 composing and sending mail, and for reading and editing the mail you have
+ − 431 received. @xref{Sending Mail}.
+ − 432
+ − 433 @item Major Mode
+ − 434 The major modes are a mutually exclusive set of options each of which
+ − 435 configures Emacs for editing a certain sort of text. Ideally, each
+ − 436 programming language has its own major mode. @xref{Major Modes}.
+ − 437
+ − 438 @item Mark
+ − 439 The mark points to a position in the text. It specifies one end of the
+ − 440 region (q.v.@:), point being the other end. Many commands operate on
+ − 441 the whole region, that is, all the text from point to the mark.
+ − 442 @xref{Mark}.
+ − 443
+ − 444 @item Mark Ring
+ − 445 The mark ring is used to hold several recent previous locations of the
+ − 446 mark, just in case you want to move back to them. @xref{Mark Ring}.
+ − 447
+ − 448 @item Message
+ − 449 See `mail'.
+ − 450
+ − 451 @item Meta
+ − 452 Meta is the name of a modifier bit which a command character may have.
+ − 453 It is present in a character if the character is typed with the
+ − 454 @key{META} key held down. Such characters are given names that start
+ − 455 with @kbd{Meta-}. For example, @kbd{Meta-<} is typed by holding down
+ − 456 @key{META} and at the same time typing @kbd{<} (which itself is done,
+ − 457 on most terminals, by holding down @key{SHIFT} and typing @kbd{,}).
+ − 458 @xref{Keystrokes,Meta}.
+ − 459
+ − 460 @item Meta Character
+ − 461 A Meta character is one whose character code includes the Meta bit.
+ − 462
+ − 463 @item Minibuffer
+ − 464 The minibuffer is the window that Emacs displays inside the
+ − 465 echo area (q.v.@:) when it prompts you for arguments to commands.
+ − 466 @xref{Minibuffer}.
+ − 467
+ − 468 @item Minor Mode
+ − 469 A minor mode is an optional feature of Emacs which can be switched on
+ − 470 or off independent of the major mode. Each minor mode has a
+ − 471 command to turn it on or off. @xref{Minor Modes}.
+ − 472
+ − 473 @item Mode Line
+ − 474 The mode line is the line at the bottom of each text window (q.v.@:),
+ − 475 which gives status information on the buffer displayed in that window.
+ − 476 @xref{Mode Line}.
+ − 477
+ − 478 @item Modified Buffer
+ − 479 A buffer (q.v.@:) is modified if its text has been changed since the
+ − 480 last time the buffer was saved (or since it was created, if it
+ − 481 has never been saved). @xref{Saving}.
+ − 482
+ − 483 @item Moving Text
+ − 484 Moving text means erasing it from one place and inserting it in
+ − 485 another. This is done by killing (q.v.@:) and then yanking (q.v.@:).
+ − 486 @xref{Killing}.
+ − 487
+ − 488 @item Named Mark
+ − 489 A named mark is a register (q.v.@:) in its role of recording a
+ − 490 location in text so that you can move point to that location.
+ − 491 @xref{Registers}.
+ − 492
+ − 493 @item Narrowing
+ − 494 Narrowing means creating a restriction (q.v.@:) that limits editing in
+ − 495 the current buffer to only a part of the text in the buffer. Text
+ − 496 outside that part is inaccessible to the user until the boundaries are
+ − 497 widened again, but it is still there, and saving the file saves the
+ − 498 invisible text. @xref{Narrowing}.
+ − 499
+ − 500 @item Newline
+ − 501 @key{LFD} characters in the buffer terminate lines of text and are
+ − 502 called newlines. @xref{Keystrokes,Newline}.
+ − 503
+ − 504 @item Numeric Argument
+ − 505 A numeric argument is a number, specified before a command, to change
+ − 506 the effect of the command. Often the numeric argument serves as a
+ − 507 repeat count. @xref{Arguments}.
+ − 508
+ − 509 @item Option
+ − 510 An option is a variable (q.v.@:) that allows you to customize
+ − 511 Emacs by giving it a new value. @xref{Variables}.
+ − 512
+ − 513 @item Overwrite Mode
+ − 514 Overwrite mode is a minor mode. When it is enabled, ordinary text
+ − 515 characters replace the existing text after point rather than pushing
+ − 516 it to the right. @xref{Minor Modes}.
+ − 517
+ − 518 @item Page
+ − 519 A page is a unit of text, delimited by formfeed characters (ASCII
+ − 520 Control-L, code 014) coming at the beginning of a line. Some Emacs
+ − 521 commands are provided for moving over and operating on pages.
+ − 522 @xref{Pages}.
+ − 523
+ − 524 @item Paragraphs
+ − 525 Paragraphs are the medium-size unit of English text. There are
+ − 526 special Emacs commands for moving over and operating on paragraphs.
+ − 527 @xref{Paragraphs}.
+ − 528
+ − 529 @item Parsing
+ − 530 We say that Emacs parses words or expressions in the text being
+ − 531 edited. Really, all it knows how to do is find the other end of a
+ − 532 word or expression. @xref{Syntax}.
+ − 533
+ − 534 @item Point
+ − 535 Point is the place in the buffer at which insertion and deletion
+ − 536 occur. Point is considered to be between two characters, not at one
+ − 537 character. The terminal's cursor (q.v.@:) indicates the location of
+ − 538 point. @xref{Basic,Point}.
+ − 539
+ − 540 @item Prefix Key
+ − 541 A prefix key is a key (q.v.@:) whose sole function is to introduce a
+ − 542 set of multi-character keys. @kbd{Control-x} is an example of a prefix
+ − 543 key; any two-character sequence starting with @kbd{C-x} is also
+ − 544 a legitimate key. @xref{Keystrokes}.
+ − 545
+ − 546 @item Prompt
+ − 547 A prompt is text printed to ask the user for input. Printing a prompt
+ − 548 is called prompting. Emacs prompts always appear in the echo area
+ − 549 (q.v.@:). One kind of prompting happens when the minibuffer is used
+ − 550 to read an argument (@pxref{Minibuffer}); the echoing which happens
+ − 551 when you pause in the middle of typing a multi-character key is also a
+ − 552 kind of prompting (@pxref{Echo Area}).
+ − 553
+ − 554 @item Quitting
+ − 555 Quitting means cancelling a partially typed command or a running
+ − 556 command, using @kbd{C-g}. @xref{Quitting}.
+ − 557
+ − 558 @item Quoting
+ − 559 Quoting means depriving a character of its usual special significance.
+ − 560 In Emacs this is usually done with @kbd{Control-q}. What constitutes special
+ − 561 significance depends on the context and on convention. For example,
+ − 562 an ``ordinary'' character as an Emacs command inserts itself; so in
+ − 563 this context, a special character is any character that does not
+ − 564 normally insert itself (such as @key{DEL}, for example), and quoting
+ − 565 it makes it insert itself as if it were not special. Not all contexts
+ − 566 allow quoting. @xref{Basic,Quoting,Basic Editing}.
+ − 567
+ − 568 @item Read-only Buffer
+ − 569 A read-only buffer is one whose text you are not allowed to change.
+ − 570 Normally Emacs makes buffers read-only when they contain text which
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+ − 571 has a special significance to Emacs, such as Dired buffers.
0
+ − 572 Visiting a file that is write-protected also makes a read-only buffer.
+ − 573 @xref{Buffers}.
+ − 574
+ − 575 @item Recursive Editing Level
+ − 576 A recursive editing level is a state in which part of the execution of
+ − 577 a command involves asking the user to edit some text. This text may
+ − 578 or may not be the same as the text to which the command was applied.
+ − 579 The mode line indicates recursive editing levels with square brackets
+ − 580 (@samp{[} and @samp{]}). @xref{Recursive Edit}.
+ − 581
+ − 582 @item Redisplay
+ − 583 Redisplay is the process of correcting the image on the screen to
+ − 584 correspond to changes that have been made in the text being edited.
+ − 585 @xref{Frame,Redisplay}.
+ − 586
+ − 587 @item Regexp
+ − 588 See `regular expression'.
+ − 589
+ − 590 @item Region
+ − 591 The region is the text between point (q.v.@:) and the mark (q.v.@:).
+ − 592 Many commands operate on the text of the region. @xref{Mark,Region}.
+ − 593
+ − 594 @item Registers
+ − 595 Registers are named slots in which text or buffer positions or
+ − 596 rectangles can be saved for later use. @xref{Registers}.
+ − 597
+ − 598 @item Regular Expression
+ − 599 A regular expression is a pattern that can match various text strings;
+ − 600 for example, @samp{l[0-9]+} matches @samp{l} followed by one or more
+ − 601 digits. @xref{Regexps}.
+ − 602
+ − 603 @item Replacement
+ − 604 See `global substitution'.
+ − 605
+ − 606 @item Restriction
+ − 607 A buffer's restriction is the amount of text, at the beginning or the
+ − 608 end of the buffer, that is temporarily invisible and inaccessible.
+ − 609 Giving a buffer a nonzero amount of restriction is called narrowing
+ − 610 (q.v.). @xref{Narrowing}.
+ − 611
+ − 612 @item @key{RET}
+ − 613 @key{RET} is the character than runs the command to insert a
+ − 614 newline into the text. It is also used to terminate most arguments
+ − 615 read in the minibuffer (q.v.@:). @xref{Keystrokes,Return}.
+ − 616
+ − 617 @item Saving
+ − 618 Saving a buffer means copying its text into the file that was visited
+ − 619 (q.v.@:) in that buffer. To actually change a file you have edited in
+ − 620 Emacs, you have to save it. @xref{Saving}.
+ − 621
+ − 622 @item Scrolling
+ − 623 Scrolling means shifting the text in the Emacs window to make a
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+ − 624 different part of the buffer visible. @xref{Display,Scrolling}.
0
+ − 625
+ − 626 @item Searching
+ − 627 Searching means moving point to the next occurrence of a specified
+ − 628 string. @xref{Search}.
+ − 629
+ − 630 @item Selecting
+ − 631 Selecting a buffer means making it the current (q.v.@:) buffer.
+ − 632 @xref{Buffers,Selecting}.
+ − 633
+ − 634 @item Self-documentation
+ − 635 Self-documentation is the feature of Emacs which can tell you what any
+ − 636 command does, or can give you a list of all commands related to a topic
+ − 637 you specify. You ask for self-documentation with the help character,
+ − 638 @kbd{C-h}. @xref{Help}.
+ − 639
+ − 640 @item Sentences
+ − 641 Emacs has commands for moving by or killing by sentences.
+ − 642 @xref{Sentences}.
+ − 643
+ − 644 @item Sexp
+ − 645 An sexp (short for `s-expression,' itself short for `symbolic
+ − 646 expression') is the basic syntactic unit of Lisp
+ − 647 in its textual form: either a list, or Lisp atom. Many Emacs commands
+ − 648 operate on sexps. The term `sexp' is generalized to languages other
+ − 649 than Lisp to mean a syntactically recognizable expression.
+ − 650 @xref{Lists,Sexps}.
+ − 651
+ − 652 @item Simultaneous Editing
+ − 653 Simultaneous editing means two users modifying the same file at once.
+ − 654 If simultaneous editing is not detected, you may lose your
+ − 655 work. Emacs detects all cases of simultaneous editing and warns the
+ − 656 user to investigate them. @xref{Interlocking,,Simultaneous Editing}.
+ − 657
+ − 658 @item String
+ − 659 A string is a kind of Lisp data object which contains a sequence of
+ − 660 characters. Many Emacs variables are intended to have strings as
+ − 661 values. The Lisp syntax for a string consists of the characters in
+ − 662 the string with a @samp{"} before and another @samp{"} after. Write a
+ − 663 @samp{"} that is part of the string as @samp{\"} and a
+ − 664 @samp{\} that is part of the string as @samp{\\}. You can include all
+ − 665 other characters, including newline, just by writing
+ − 666 them inside the string. You can also include escape sequences as in C, such as
+ − 667 @samp{\n} for newline or @samp{\241} using an octal character code.
+ − 668
+ − 669 @item String Substitution
+ − 670 See `global substitution'.
+ − 671
+ − 672 @item Syntax Table
+ − 673 The syntax table tells Emacs which characters are part of a word,
+ − 674 which characters balance each other like parentheses, etc.
+ − 675 @xref{Syntax}.
+ − 676
+ − 677 @item Tag Table
+ − 678 A tag table is a file that serves as an index to the function
+ − 679 definitions in one or more other files. @xref{Tags}.
+ − 680
+ − 681 @item Termscript File
+ − 682 A termscript file contains a record of all characters Emacs sent to
+ − 683 the terminal. It is used for tracking down bugs in Emacs redisplay.
+ − 684 Emacs does not make a termscript file unless explicitly instructed to do
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+ − 685 so.
0
+ − 686 @xref{Bugs}.
+ − 687
+ − 688 @item Text
+ − 689 Text has two meanings (@pxref{Text}):
+ − 690
+ − 691 @itemize @bullet
+ − 692 @item
+ − 693 Data consisting of a sequence of characters, as opposed to binary
+ − 694 numbers, images, graphics commands, executable programs, and the like.
+ − 695 The contents of an Emacs buffer are always text in this sense.
+ − 696 @item
+ − 697 Data consisting of written human language, as opposed to programs,
+ − 698 or something that follows the stylistic conventions of human language.
+ − 699 @end itemize
+ − 700
+ − 701 @item Top Level
+ − 702 Top level is the normal state of Emacs, in which you are editing the
+ − 703 text of the file you have visited. You are at top level whenever you
+ − 704 are not in a recursive editing level (q.v.@:) or the minibuffer
+ − 705 (q.v.@:), and not in the middle of a command. You can get back to top
+ − 706 level by aborting (q.v.@:) and quitting (q.v.@:). @xref{Quitting}.
+ − 707
+ − 708 @item Transposition
+ − 709 Transposing two units of text means putting each one into the place
+ − 710 formerly occupied by the other. There are Emacs commands to transpose
+ − 711 two adjacent characters, words, sexps (q.v.@:), or lines
+ − 712 (@pxref{Transpose}).
+ − 713
+ − 714 @item Truncation
+ − 715 Truncating text lines in the display means leaving out any text on a
+ − 716 line that does not fit within the right margin of the window
+ − 717 displaying it. See also `continuation line'.
+ − 718 @xref{Basic,Truncation,Basic Editing}.
+ − 719
+ − 720 @item Undoing
+ − 721 Undoing means making your previous editing go in reverse, bringing
+ − 722 back the text that existed earlier in the editing session.
+ − 723 @xref{Undo}.
+ − 724
+ − 725 @item Variable
+ − 726 A variable is Lisp object that can store an arbitrary value. Emacs uses
+ − 727 some variables for internal purposes, and has others (known as `options'
+ − 728 (q.v.@:)) you can set to control the behavior of Emacs. The variables
+ − 729 used in Emacs that you are likely to be interested in are listed in the
+ − 730 Variables Index of this manual. @xref{Variables}, for information on
+ − 731 variables.
+ − 732
+ − 733 @item Visiting
+ − 734 Visiting a file means loading its contents into a buffer (q.v.@:)
+ − 735 where they can be edited. @xref{Visiting}.
+ − 736
+ − 737 @item Whitespace
+ − 738 Whitespace is any run of consecutive formatting characters (spaces,
+ − 739 tabs, newlines, and backspaces).
+ − 740
+ − 741 @item Widening
+ − 742 Widening is removing any restriction (q.v.@:) on the current buffer;
+ − 743 it is the opposite of narrowing (q.v.@:). @xref{Narrowing}.
+ − 744
+ − 745 @item Window
+ − 746 Emacs divides the frame into one or more windows, each of which can
+ − 747 display the contents of one buffer (q.v.@:) at any time.
+ − 748 @xref{Frame}, for basic information on how Emacs uses the frame.
+ − 749 @xref{Windows}, for commands to control the use of windows. Note that if
+ − 750 you are running Emacs under X, terminology can be confusing: Each Emacs
+ − 751 frame occupies a separate X window and can, in turn, be divided into
442
+ − 752 different subwindows.
0
+ − 753
+ − 754 @item Word Abbrev
+ − 755 Synonymous with `abbrev'.
+ − 756
+ − 757 @item Word Search
+ − 758 Word search is searching for a sequence of words, considering the
+ − 759 punctuation between them as insignificant. @xref{Word Search}.
+ − 760
+ − 761 @item Yanking
+ − 762 Yanking means reinserting text previously killed. It can be used to
+ − 763 undo a mistaken kill, or for copying or moving text. Some other
+ − 764 systems call this ``pasting''. @xref{Yanking}.
+ − 765 @end table