343 lines
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343 lines
15 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN">
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<HTML>
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<META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="SGML-Tools 1.0.9">
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<TITLE>Emacs Beginner's HOWTO: Running Emacs </TITLE>
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<A HREF="Emacs-Beginner-HOWTO-3.html">Next</A>
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<A HREF="Emacs-Beginner-HOWTO.html#toc2">Contents</A>
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<HR>
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<H2><A NAME="running_emacs"></A> <A NAME="s2">2. Running Emacs </A></H2>
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<H2><A NAME="ss2.1">2.1 Starting & Quitting Emacs</A>
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</H2>
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<P>As a new user, you'll probably want to launch Emacs just to mess
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around and try it out. Once you're into Emacs and want to exit,
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however, you may not be able to figure out what to do. So if you've
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never used Emacs before, give it a shot right now. At your shell
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prompt, type <CODE>emacs</CODE> and hit enter. Emacs should start up. If
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not, it is either not installed or not in your path.
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<P>
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<P>Once you've seen Emacs, you need to know how to exit. The
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keystrokes for leaving Emacs are <CODE>C-x C-c</CODE>. The <CODE>C-x</CODE>
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notation means hold down the <CODE>Ctrl</CODE> key and press
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<CODE>x</CODE>. In this case, you'll then need to hold down <CODE>Ctrl</CODE>
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and press <CODE>c</CODE> to finish the task.
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<P>
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<P>The keystrokes used in Emacs will likely seem odd, foreign, and
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maybe even uncomfortable to you at first--especially if you're a
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<CODE>vi</CODE> user. Unlike <CODE>vi</CODE>, Emacs doesn't have separate
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modes for editing text and issuing commands.
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<P>
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<P>To re-cap: <CODE>emacs</CODE> will start Emacs. <CODE>C-x C-c</CODE> will
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exit Emacs.
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<P>
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<H3>What you'll see</H3>
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<P>When Emacs starts up it will consume a whole X window (or screen if
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you're running on a console instead of in the X Window System). You'll
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see a menu across the top, some text in the main part of the screen,
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and a couple of lines at the bottom.
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<P>
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<P>It will look something like this ASCII sketch:
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<P>
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<PRE>
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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|Buffers Files Tools Edit Search Mule Help |
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|Welcome to GNU Emacs, one component of a Linux-based GNU system. |
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| ... |
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|---1:---F1 *scratch* (Lisp Interaction)--L1--All-------------|
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|For information about the GNU Project and its goals, type C-h C-p. |
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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</PRE>
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<P>
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<P><B>NOTE:</B> Emacs will usually fill the entire
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screen/window. I've shrunk the above example to save space here. You
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will also see a welcome message in Emacs when you first start it. I
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omitted that as well and substituted ``<CODE>...</CODE>'' instead. The
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welcome message simply identifies the exact version of Emacs you are
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using as well as pointing you to the on-line help and related items.
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<P>
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<H3>The Menu Bar</H3>
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<P>The topmost line of the Emacs interface is a menu. If you're
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running X, you'll recognize them as traditional pull-down menus that
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you can access using your mouse. Otherwise you'll need to use keyboard
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shortcuts (not covered here) for accessing the menus.
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<P>
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<H3>The Status Bar and Mini-buffer</H3>
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<P>Of the last two lines in the Emacs interface, the topmost one is
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essentially a status bar. It contains information about the buffer
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you're working in, which mode Emacs is in, and various other
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things. For now, just realize that it's there.
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<P>
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<P>The bottommost line is called the <B>mini-buffer</B>. It is
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separated from the main buffer by the status bar we just
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discussed. You can think of the mini-buffer as the Emacs
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``command-line''. It is where commands that you give Emacs appear and
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it is where status messages are printed in response to things you do.
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<P>
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<P>You'll find that what I've called the status bar is usually referred
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to as the mode line in Emacs related documentation. It is where Emacs
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displays information about the current modes(s) you may be using as
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well as things like the current date and time, line number, file size,
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and almost anything else you might want to see there.
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<P>
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<H2><A NAME="ss2.2">2.2 Some Terminology</A>
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</H2>
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<P>This section covers the most basic of Emacs terminology that you'll
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encounter when using and reading about Emacs.
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<P>
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<H3>Buffers & Files</H3>
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<P>Unlike some editors, when you open a file in Emacs it does not stay
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``open'' the entire time you're working with it. Instead, Emacs reads
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the file into a <B>buffer</B> in memory. While you're editing the
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buffer and working with the data nothing is changed on disk. Only when
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you actually save the buffer does the file on disk get updated. There
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are advantages and disadvantages to this approach but it is only
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important that you understand that it works this way.
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<P>
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<P>As a consequence, you will see the term ``buffer'' used in Emacs
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documentation, modes, packages, and so on. Just realize that buffer
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means ``a copy of the file that is currently in memory.'' Oh, it's
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worth pointing out that a buffer doesn't always have to refer to a
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specific file on disk. Often times Emacs will create buffers as the
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result of commands you run. Such buffers may contain the result of the
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command, a list of selections to pick from, and so on.
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<P>
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<H3>Point & Region</H3>
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<P>In Emacs lingo, you'll often hear or see references to the
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<B>point</B>. In general terms the point is the cursor. The actual
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distinction between the point and cursor probably isn't important when
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you're first starting out with Emacs. But if you are curious, think
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about it this way. The cursor is the visual representation of the
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point. The cursor is always ``on'' a particular character position in
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the current buffer. The point, on the other hand, lives in the space
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<EM>between characters</EM> on in the buffer. So you might say that if
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the cursor is on the letter `h' in the word ``the'' then the point is
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between the `t' and the `h'.
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<P>
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<P>Like many modern editors, Emacs allows to perform operations
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(indent, spell-check, reformat, cut, copy, paste, ...) on a section of
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the current buffer. You can highlight (or ``mark'') a block of text
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using the keyboard or mouse and then perform operations on just the
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selected block of text. In Emacs, that block of text is called a
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<B>region</B>.
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<P>
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<H3>Windows</H3>
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<P>Okay, this will be a bit confusing to anyone who has ever used a
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GUI interface before. Just remember that Emacs was developed long
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before GUI interfaces and window managers were popular.
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<P>
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<P>A <B>window</B> in Emacs is an area of the screen in which a
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buffer is displayed. When Emacs is first started, you have one window
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on your screen. Some Emacs functions (such as the help and
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documentation) often [temporarily] open up additional windows in your
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Emacs screen.
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<P>
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<P>Emacs windows have nothing to do with X windows in the GUI
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sense. You can open up additional X windows to display Emacs buffers,
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maybe to compare two files side by side. Those new X windows are
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referred to as <B>frames</B> in Emacs lingo. Read on.
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<P>
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<H3>Frames</H3>
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<P>In Emacs, a <B>frame</B> is a separate X window in which an Emacs
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buffer is displayed. But both are part of the same Emacs session. The
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behavior is somewhat (but not too much) like what happens if you hit
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Alt+N in Netscape Navigator.
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<P>
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<H2><A NAME="ss2.3">2.3 Keyboard Basics</A>
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</H2>
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<P>This section covers the basics of keyboarding for Emacs. Like every
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powerful editor, everything that you can do with Emacs is just a few
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keystrokes away.
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<P>
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<P>If you're a <CODE>vi</CODE> user, the notion of using the <CODE>k, j, l,
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h</CODE> keys to move up a line, down a line, forward by a character,
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and backward by a character probably took some getting used to. In
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fact, it might have taken you a few hours or even weeks of practice
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before you could comfortably navigate a file using the various key
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combinations available in <CODE>vi</CODE>.
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<P>
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<P>Emacs is no different. There are different keystrokes and commands
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to learn. Just like <CODE>vi</CODE>, you only need to master the basics to
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get a lot of work done. Then, as time goes on, you can slowly expand
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your knowledge and find faster ways of doing things.
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<P>
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<H3>Command Keys (Meta, Esc, Control, and Alt)</H3>
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<P>As you'll soon learn, Emacs makes heavy use of multi-key
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combinations. Because it is not a modal editor like <CODE>vi</CODE>, you
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don't have to think about being in ``command mode'' or ``editing
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mode'' before you can try to move the cursor or execute a
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command. Instead, you just press the right combination of keys and
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Emacs does as told (usually).
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<P>
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<P>The keys that Emacs makes the most use of are usually abbreviated in
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the documentation as <CODE>C</CODE> (for Control or Ctrl) and <CODE>M</CODE>
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for (Meta). While most modern PC keyboards have one or more keys
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labeled <CODE>Ctrl</CODE> few have one labeled <CODE>Meta</CODE>. You'll want
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to mentally substitute either <CODE>Esc</CODE> or <CODE>Alt</CODE> for the Meta
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key. In most standard configurations, both Esc and Alt do essentially
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the same thing.
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<P>
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<P>So when you see a reference in any Emacs related documentation to
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<CODE>C-x f</CODE> it means ``press control-x and then f.'' And if you see
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a reference to something like <CODE>M-x shell</CODE> is means ``press
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alt-x and type the word shell''.
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<P>
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<P>A very useful command for beginners is <CODE>M-x apropos</CODE> or
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<CODE>C-h a</CODE>. apropos will search the Emacs on-line documentation
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for all functions and search for the regular expression you type. This
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is a great way to discover all commands related to frames. Simply
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<CODE>C-h a</CODE> and then <CODE>frame</CODE>.
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<P>
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<H3>Moving Around in a Buffer</H3>
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<P>Now that you know what all those fancy abbreviations mean, here's a
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list of the most common keystrokes for moving within a buffer:
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<P>
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<PRE>
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Keystrokes Action
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-----------------------------------
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C-p Up one line
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C-n Down one line
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C-f Forward one character
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C-b Backward one character
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C-a Beginning of line
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C-e End of line
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C-v Down one page
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M-v Up one page
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M-f Forward one word
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M-b Backward one word
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M-< Beginning of buffer
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M-> End of buffer
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C-g Quit current operation
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-----------------------------------
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</PRE>
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<P>
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<P>And, as you might expect, the cursor keys (or arrow keys) usually
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work just as you'd expect. Your <CODE>Backspace</CODE> may not. That's
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another story. <CODE>:-(</CODE>
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<P>
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<H3>Essential Commands</H3>
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<P>Okay, now that you know how to move around within a buffer what
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about opening and saving files? Search? Here are some basic commands.
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<P>
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<P>Before we jump straight to those commands, I need to briefly point
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out how this works.
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<P>
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<P>All ``command keystrokes'' in Emacs (those that are <CODE>M-x
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something</CODE> or <CODE>C-something</CODE>) are actually just shortcuts to
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functions which are part of Emacs. You can call any of those functions
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by typing <CODE>M-x function-name</CODE> and hitting <CODE>Enter</CODE>. You
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can also use the keyboard shortcut for that function (if it has one).
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<P>
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<P>For example, the Emacs function which saves a buffer to disk is
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called <CODE>save-buffer</CODE>. By default it is also bound to <CODE>C-x
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C-s</CODE>. So, you can either use they shortcut to save the current
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buffer, or you could type <CODE>M-x save-buffer</CODE> and achieve the
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exact same result.
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<P>
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<P>All of the most common functions have keyboard shortcuts by
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default. Some of them are listed below.
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<P>
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<PRE>
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Keystrokes Function Description
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-------------------------------------------------------------------
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C-x C-s save-buffer Save the current buffer to disk
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C-x u undo Undo the last operation
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C-x C-f find-file Open a file from disk
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C-s isearch-forward Search forward for a string
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C-r isearch-backward Search backward for a string
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replace-string Search & replace for a string
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replace-regexp Search & replace using regexp
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C-h t help-with-tutorial Use the interactive tutorial
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C-h f describe-function Display help for a function
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C-h v describe-variable Display help for a variable
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C-h x describe-key Display what a key sequence does
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C-h a apropos Search help for string/regexp
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C-h F view-emacs-FAQ Display the Emacs FAQ
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C-h i info Read the Emacs documentation
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C-x r m bookmark-set Set a bookmark. Useful in searches
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C-x r b bookmark-jump Jump to a bookmark.
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-------------------------------------------------------------------
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</PRE>
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<P>
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<P>As you try many of those functions, you'll notice that many will
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prompt you for input. They will always to do in the mini-buffer. This
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is similar to using the <CODE>:</CODE> commands in <CODE>vi</CODE> or most
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commands that you'd use within your favorite Unix shell.
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<P>
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<P>Emacs has literally hundreds of built-in functions available. The
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list above is a tiny sample that represents those that I use
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regularly. See the on-line help for a more complete listing of the
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available functions and more complete documentation on those I
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mentioned above.
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<P>
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<H3>Tab Completion</H3>
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<P>Like many popular Unix shells (bash, csh, tcsh, ...) Emacs offers
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command completion via the <CODE>Tab</CODE> key. In fact, the command
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completion in bash was modeled after that in Emacs, so if you use that
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feature in bash you'll be right at home.
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<P>
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<P>As an example, try <CODE>M-x search</CODE> and then hit
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<CODE>Tab</CODE>. Emacs will append a hyphen to indicate that there are
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several possible completions but they all have a hyphen as the next
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character. Hit <CODE>Tab</CODE> once more and Emacs will display a list of
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the possible matches for you to choose from. Notice that it does so in
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a <EM>new window</EM>. It temporarily splits your display into two
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windows: one which contains the buffer you were editing and the other
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contains the list of possible completions for ``search-''. You may hit
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<CODE>C-g</CODE> to exit out of the selection process and close the new
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window.
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<P>
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<H2><A NAME="ss2.4">2.4 Tutorial, Help, & Info</A>
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</H2>
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<P>Emacs comes with an on-line tutorial which walks you through the
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basic editing features and functions that everyone should know. It
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also explains how to use the other help features in Emacs.
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<P>
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<P>I highly recommend that you spend some time going through the
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tutorial if you plan on making a serious effort to learn Emacs. As
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shown in the table above, you can enter the tutorial via <CODE>C-h
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t</CODE>. The tutorial is self-guided and aimed at folks who are just
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getting started with Emacs.
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<P>
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<P>If you are running Emacs in X, you will see that the rightmost menu
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on the menu bar is labeled Help. As you explore the Help menu notice
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that some items have keyboard shortcuts and those are listed right in
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the menu.
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<P>
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<P>Finally, to see the volume of documentation available with Emacs,
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you should try <CODE>M-x info</CODE> or <CODE>C-h i</CODE> which launches
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Info, the Emacs documentation browser.
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<P>
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<HR>
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