summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/etc/TUTORIAL
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
authorRichard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>2002-09-05 22:45:47 +0000
committerRichard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>2002-09-05 22:45:47 +0000
commite339fa77fdeb8f96c5e3464bfdf3fbaac2c94087 (patch)
tree3e97b8c495ba83ce6603e4ad69794dac7c16429f /etc/TUTORIAL
parenta5d668bf773b4f8a948d5228f8415655150d0d6f (diff)
downloademacs-e339fa77fdeb8f96c5e3464bfdf3fbaac2c94087.tar.gz
Small clarifications, fix typo.
Use <Delback> instead of <Delete>, and explain how to find it. Say "human-language" instead of "English". Update copyright info. Compare C-f, etc, with arrow keys. Mention PageUp and PageDn. Mention the Emacs manual. Explain C-x b. Explicitly give the replacement text that goes with blank lines.
Diffstat (limited to 'etc/TUTORIAL')
-rw-r--r--etc/TUTORIAL137
1 files changed, 96 insertions, 41 deletions
diff --git a/etc/TUTORIAL b/etc/TUTORIAL
index f9120c38dd2..b82c5c81e6d 100644
--- a/etc/TUTORIAL
+++ b/etc/TUTORIAL
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-Copyright (c) 1985 Free Software Foundation, Inc; See end for conditions.
-You are looking at the Emacs tutorial.
+You are looking at the Emacs tutorial. See end for copying conditions.
+Copyright (c) 1985, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002 Free Software Foundation.
Emacs commands generally involve the CONTROL key (sometimes labeled
CTRL or CTL) or the META key (sometimes labeled EDIT or ALT). Rather than
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ write that in full each time, we'll use the following abbreviations:
Important note: to end the Emacs session, type C-x C-c. (Two characters.)
The characters ">>" at the left margin indicate directions for you to
try using a command. For instance:
-<<Blank lines inserted here by startup of help-with-tutorial>>
+<<Blank lines inserted around following line by help-with-tutorial>>
+[Middle of page left blank for didactic purposes. Text continues below]
>> Now type C-v (View next screen) to move to the next screen.
(go ahead, do it by holding down the CONTROL key while typing v).
From now on, you should do this again whenever you finish
@@ -49,6 +50,10 @@ The following commands are useful for viewing screenfuls:
Find the cursor again and notice that the same text
is near the cursor now.
+You can also use the PageUp and PageDn keys to move by screenfuls, if
+your terminal has them, but you can edit more efficiently if you use
+C-v and M-v.
+
* BASIC CURSOR CONTROL
----------------------
@@ -56,11 +61,10 @@ The following commands are useful for viewing screenfuls:
Moving from screenful to screenful is useful, but how do you
move to a specific place within the text on the screen?
-There are several ways you can do this. The most basic way is to use
-the commands C-p, C-b, C-f, and C-n. Each of these commands moves the
-cursor one row or column in a particular direction on the screen.
-Here is a table showing these four commands and the directions they
-move:
+There are several ways you can do this. You can use the arrow keys,
+but it's more efficient to keep your hands in the standard position
+and use the commands C-p, C-b, C-f, and C-n. These characters
+are equivalent to the four arrow keys, like this:
Previous line, C-p
:
@@ -74,10 +78,9 @@ move:
using C-n or C-p. Then type C-l to see the whole diagram
centered in the screen.
-You'll probably find it easy to think of these by letter: P for
-previous, N for next, B for backward and F for forward. These are the
-basic cursor positioning commands, and you'll be using them ALL the
-time, so it would be of great benefit if you learn them now.
+You'll find it easy to remember these letters by words they stand for:
+P for previous, N for next, B for backward and F for forward. You
+will be using these basic cursor positioning commands all the time.
>> Do a few C-n's to bring the cursor down to this line.
@@ -300,15 +303,21 @@ can see, such as A, 7, *, etc. are taken by Emacs as text and inserted
immediately. Type <Return> (the carriage-return key) to insert a
Newline character.
-You can delete the last character you typed by typing <Delete>.
-<Delete> is a key on the keyboard, which may be labeled "Del". In
-some cases, the "Backspace" key serves as <Delete>, but not always!
+You can delete the last character you typed by typing <Delback>.
+<Delback> is a key on the keyboard--the same one you normally use,
+outside Emacs, for deleting the last character you typed. It is
+normally a large key a couple of lines up from the <Return> key, and
+it is usually labeled "Delete", "Del" or "Backspace".
+
+If the large key there is labeled "Backspace", then that's the one you
+use for <Delback>. There may also be another key labeled "Delete"
+somewhere else, but that's not <Delback>.
-More generally, <Delete> deletes the character immediately before the
+More generally, <Delback> deletes the character immediately before the
current cursor position.
>> Do this now--type a few characters, then delete them
- by typing <Delete> a few times. Don't worry about this file
+ by typing <Delback> a few times. Don't worry about this file
being changed; you will not alter the master tutorial. This is
your personal copy of it.
@@ -320,7 +329,7 @@ right margin indicates a line which has been continued.
>> Insert text until you reach the right margin, and keep on inserting.
You'll see a continuation line appear.
->> Use <Delete>s to delete the text until the line fits on one screen
+>> Use <Delback>s to delete the text until the line fits on one screen
line again. The continuation line goes away.
You can delete a Newline character just like any other character.
@@ -328,7 +337,7 @@ Deleting the Newline character between two lines merges them into
one line. If the resulting combined line is too long to fit in the
screen width, it will be displayed with a continuation line.
->> Move the cursor to the beginning of a line and type <Delete>. This
+>> Move the cursor to the beginning of a line and type <Delback>. This
merges that line with the previous line.
>> Type <Return> to reinsert the Newline you deleted.
@@ -343,17 +352,17 @@ You've now learned the most basic way of typing something in
Emacs and correcting errors. You can delete by words or lines
as well. Here is a summary of the delete operations:
- <Delete> delete the character just before the cursor
+ <Delback> delete the character just before the cursor
C-d delete the next character after the cursor
- M-<Delete> kill the word immediately before the cursor
+ M-<Delback> kill the word immediately before the cursor
M-d kill the next word after the cursor
C-k kill from the cursor position to end of line
M-k kill to the end of the current sentence
-Notice that <Delete> and C-d vs M-<Delete> and M-d extend the parallel
-started by C-f and M-f (well, <Delete> is not really a control
+Notice that <Delback> and C-d vs M-<Delback> and M-d extend the parallel
+started by C-f and M-f (well, <Delback> is not really a control
character, but let's not worry about that). C-k and M-k are like C-e
and M-e, sort of, in that lines are opposite sentences.
@@ -375,8 +384,8 @@ can be reinserted, whereas "deleted" things cannot be reinserted.
Reinsertion of killed text is called "yanking". Generally, the
commands that can remove a lot of text kill the text (they set up so
that you can yank the text), while the commands that remove just one
-character, or just blank lines and spaces, do deletion (so you cannot
-yank that text).
+character, or only remove blank lines and spaces, do deletion (so you
+cannot yank that text).
>> Move the cursor to the beginning of a line which is not empty.
Then type C-k to kill the text on that line.
@@ -393,8 +402,8 @@ Bringing back killed text is called "yanking". (Think of it as
yanking back, or pulling back, some text that was taken away.) You
can yank the killed text either at the same place where it was killed,
or at some other place in the buffer, or even in a different file.
-You can yank the text several times, which makes multiple copies of
-it.
+You can yank the same text several times; that makes multiple copies
+of it.
The command for yanking is C-y. It reinserts the last killed text,
at the current cursor position.
@@ -566,15 +575,39 @@ buffers that currently exist in your Emacs job, type
>> Try C-x C-b now.
-See how each buffer has a name, and it may also have a file name
-for the file whose contents it holds. Some buffers do not correspond
-to files. For example, the buffer named "*Buffer List*" does
-not have any file. It is the buffer which contains the buffer
-list that was made by C-x C-b. ANY text you see in an Emacs window
+See how each buffer has a name, and it may also have a file name for
+the file whose contents it holds. ANY text you see in an Emacs window
is always part of some buffer.
>> Type C-x 1 to get rid of the buffer list.
+When you have several buffers, only one of them is "current" at any
+time. That buffer is the one you edit. If you want to edit another
+buffer, you need to "switch" to it. If you want to switch to a buffer
+that corresponds to a file, you can do it by visiting the file again
+with C-x C-f. But there is an easier way: use the C-x b command.
+In that command, you have to type the buffer's name.
+
+>> Type C-x b foo <Return> to go back to the buffer "foo" which holds
+ the text of the file "foo". Then type C-x b TUTORIAL <Return>
+ to come back to this tutorial.
+
+Most of the time, the buffer's name is the same as the file name
+(without the file directory part). However, this is not always true.
+The buffer list you make with C-x C-b always shows you the name of
+every buffer.
+
+ANY text you see in an Emacs window is always part of some buffer.
+Some buffers do not correspond to files. For example, the buffer
+named "*Buffer List*" does not have any file. It is the buffer which
+contains the buffer list that you made with C-x C-b. The buffer named
+"*Messages*" also does not correspond to any file; it contains the
+messages that have appeared on the bottom line during your Emacs
+session.
+
+>> Type C-x b *Messages* <Return> to look at the buffer of messages.
+ Then type C-b TUTORIAL <Return> to come back to this tutorial.
+
If you make changes to the text of one file, then find another file,
this does not save the first file. Its changes remain inside Emacs,
in that file's buffer. The creation or editing of the second file's
@@ -732,7 +765,7 @@ major mode is the name of an extended command, which is how you can
switch to that mode. For example, M-x fundamental-mode is a command to
switch to Fundamental mode.
-If you are going to be editing English text, such as this file, you
+If you are going to be editing human-language text, such as this file, you
should probably use Text Mode.
>> Type M-x text mode<Return>.
@@ -758,10 +791,10 @@ itself, independent of all other minor modes, and independent of your
major mode. So you can use no minor modes, or one minor mode, or any
combination of several minor modes.
-One minor mode which is very useful, especially for editing English
-text, is Auto Fill mode. When this mode is on, Emacs breaks the line
-in between words automatically whenever you insert text and make a
-line that is too wide.
+One minor mode which is very useful, especially for editing
+human-language text, is Auto Fill mode. When this mode is on, Emacs
+breaks the line in between words automatically whenever you insert
+text and make a line that is too wide.
You can turn Auto Fill mode on by doing M-x auto fill mode<Return>.
When the mode is on, you can turn it off again by doing M-x
@@ -815,7 +848,7 @@ you want to search for. <Return> terminates a search.
character to notice what happens to the cursor.
Now you have searched for "cursor", once.
>> Type C-s again, to search for the next occurrence of "cursor".
->> Now type <Delete> four times and see how the cursor moves.
+>> Now type <Delback> four times and see how the cursor moves.
>> Type <Return> to terminate the search.
Did you see what happened? Emacs, in an incremental search, tries to
@@ -831,12 +864,12 @@ letting it get through to Emacs. To unfreeze the screen, type C-q.
Then see the section "Spontaneous Entry to Incremental Search" in the
Emacs manual for advice on dealing with this "feature".
-If you are in the middle of an incremental search and type <Delete>,
+If you are in the middle of an incremental search and type <Delback>,
you'll notice that the last character in the search string is erased
and the search backs up to the last place of the search. For
instance, suppose you have typed "c", to search for the first
occurrence of "c". Now if you type "u", the cursor will move
-to the first occurrence of "cu". Now type <Delete>. This erases
+to the first occurrence of "cu". Now type <Delback>. This erases
the "u" from the search string, and the cursor moves back to
the first occurrence of "c".
@@ -1024,6 +1057,28 @@ beside the corresponding command names such as find-file.
primary documentation.
+* MORE FEATURES
+---------------
+
+You can learn more about Emacs by reading its manual, either as a book
+or on-line in Info (use the Help menu or type F10 h r). Two features
+that you may like especially are completion, which saves typing, and
+dired, which simplifies file handling.
+
+Completion is a way to avoid unnecessary typing. For instance, if you
+want to switch to the *Messages* buffer, you can type C-x b *M<Tab>
+and Emacs will fill in the rest of the buffer name as far as it can
+determine from what you have already typed. Completion is described
+in Info in the Emacs manual in the node called "Completion".
+
+Dired enables you to list files in a directory (and optionally its
+subdirectories), move around that list, visit, rename, delete and
+otherwise operate on the files. Dired is described in Info in the
+Emacs manual in the node called "Dired".
+
+The manual also describes many other Emacs features.
+
+
* CONCLUSION
------------
@@ -1043,7 +1098,7 @@ starting with the one written by Stuart Cracraft for the original Emacs.
This version of the tutorial, like GNU Emacs, is copyrighted, and
comes with permission to distribute copies on certain conditions:
-Copyright (c) 1985, 1996 Free Software Foundation
+Copyright (c) 1985, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002 Free Software Foundation
Permission is granted to anyone to make or distribute verbatim copies
of this document as received, in any medium, provided that the