1EMACS(1) General Commands Manual EMACS(1)
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6 emacs - GNU project Emacs
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9 emacs [ command-line switches ] [ files ... ]
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12 GNU Emacs is a version of Emacs, written by the author of the original
13 (PDP-10) Emacs, Richard Stallman.
14 The primary documentation of GNU Emacs is in the GNU Emacs Manual,
15 which you can read using Info, either from Emacs or as a standalone
16 program. Please look there for complete and up-to-date documentation.
17 This man page is updated only when someone volunteers to do so; the
18 Emacs maintainers' priority goal is to minimize the amount of time this
19 man page takes away from other more useful projects.
20 The user functionality of GNU Emacs encompasses everything other Emacs
21 editors do, and it is easily extensible since its editing commands are
22 written in Lisp.
23 Emacs has an extensive interactive help facility, but the facility
25 assumes that you know how to manipulate Emacs windows and buffers.
26 CTRL-h or F1 enters the Help facility. Help Tutorial (CTRL-h t) starts
27 an interactive tutorial which can teach beginners the fundamentals of
28 Emacs in a few minutes. Help Apropos (CTRL-h a) helps you find a com‐
29 mand given its functionality, Help Character (CTRL-h c) describes a
30 given character's effect, and Help Function (CTRL-h f) describes a
31 given Lisp function specified by name.
32 Emacs's Undo can undo several steps of modification to your buffers, so
34 it is easy to recover from editing mistakes.
35 GNU Emacs's many special packages handle mail reading (RMail) and send‐
37 ing (Mail), outline editing (Outline), compiling (Compile), running
38 subshells within Emacs windows (Shell), running a Lisp read-eval-print
39 loop (Lisp-Interaction-Mode), automated psychotherapy (Doctor), and
40 much more.
41 There is an extensive reference manual, but users of other Emacses
43 should have little trouble adapting even without a copy. Users new to
44 Emacs will be able to use basic features fairly rapidly by studying the
45 tutorial and using the self-documentation features.
46 Emacs Options
48 The following options are of general interest:
49 file Edit file.
51 --file file, --find-file file, --visit file
53 The same as specifying file directly as an argument.
54 +number Go to the line specified by number (do not insert a
56 space between the "+" sign and the number). This
57 applies only to the next file specified.
58 +line:column
60 Go to the specified line and column.
61 -q, --no-init-file
63 Do not load an init file.
64 --no-site-file
66 Do not load the site-wide startup file.
67 --no-desktop
69 Do not load a saved desktop.
70 -nl, --no-shared-memory
72 Do not use shared memory.
73 -Q, --quick
75 Equivalent to "-q --no-site-file --no-splash".
76 --no-splash
78 Do not display a splash screen during start-up.
79 --debug-init
81 Enable Emacs Lisp debugger during the processing of the
82 user init file ~/.emacs. This is useful for debugging
83 problems in the init file.
84 -u user, --user user
86 Load user's init file.
87 -t file, --terminal file
89 Use specified file as the terminal instead of using
90 stdin/stdout. This must be the first argument specified
91 in the command line.
92 --multibyte, --no-unibyte
94 Enable multibyte mode (enabled by default).
95 --unibyte, --no-multibyte
97 Enable unibyte mode.
98 --version
100 Display Emacs version information and exit.
101 --help Display this help and exit.
103 The following options are lisp-oriented (these options are processed in
105 the order encountered):
106 -f function, --funcall function
108 Execute the lisp function function.
109 -l file, --load file
111 Load the lisp code in the file file.
112 --eval expr, --execute expr
114 Evaluate the Lisp expression expr.
115 The following options are useful when running Emacs as a batch editor:
117 --batch Edit in batch mode. The editor will send messages to
119 stderr. This option must be the first in the argument
120 list. You must use -l and -f options to specify files
121 to execute and functions to call.
122 --script file
124 Run file as an Emacs Lisp script.
125 --insert file
127 Insert contents of file into the current buffer.
128 --kill Exit Emacs while in batch mode.
130 -L dir, --directory dir
132 Add dir to the list of directories Emacs searches for
133 Lisp files.
134 Using Emacs with X
136 Emacs has been tailored to work well with the X window system. If you
137 run Emacs from under X windows, it will create its own X window to dis‐
138 play in. You will probably want to start the editor as a background
139 process so that you can continue using your original window.
140 Emacs can be started with the following X switches:
142 --name name
144 Specify the name which should be assigned to the initial
145 Emacs window. This controls looking up X resources as
146 well as the window title.
147 -T name, --title name
149 Specify the title for the initial X window.
150 -r, -rv, --reverse-video
152 Display the Emacs window in reverse video.
153 -fn font, --font font
155 Set the Emacs window's font to that specified by font.
156 You will find the various X fonts in the
157 /usr/lib/X11/fonts directory. Note that Emacs will only
158 accept fixed width fonts. Under the X11 Release 4 font-
159 naming conventions, any font with the value "m" or "c"
160 in the eleventh field of the font name is a fixed width
161 font. Furthermore, fonts whose name are of the form
162 widthxheight are generally fixed width, as is the font
163 fixed. See xlsfonts(1) for more information.
164 When you specify a font, be sure to put a space between
166 the switch and the font name.
167 --xrm resources
169 Set additional X resources.
170 --color, --color=mode
172 Override color mode for character terminals; mode
173 defaults to `auto', and can also be `never', `auto',
174 `always', or a mode name like `ansi8'.
175 -bw pixels, --border-width pixels
177 Set the Emacs window's border width to the number of
178 pixels specified by pixels. Defaults to one pixel on
179 each side of the window.
180 -ib pixels, --internal-border pixels
182 Set the window's internal border width to the number of
183 pixels specified by pixels. Defaults to one pixel of
184 padding on each side of the window.
185 -g geometry, --geometry geometry
187 Set the Emacs window's width, height, and position as
188 specified. The geometry specification is in the stan‐
189 dard X format; see X(7) for more information. The width
190 and height are specified in characters; the default is
191 80 by 24. See the Emacs manual, section "Options for
192 Window Size and Position", for information on how window
193 sizes interact with selecting or deselecting the tool
194 bar and menu bar.
195 -lsp pixels, --line-spacing pixels
197 Additional space to put between lines.
198 -vb, --vertical-scroll-bars
200 Enable vertical scrollbars.
201 -fh, --fullheight
203 Make the first frame as high as the screen.
204 -fs, --fullscreen
206 Make the first frame fullscreen.
207 -fw, --fullwidth
209 Make the first frame as wide as the screen.
210 -fg color, --foreground-color color
212 On color displays, set the color of the text.
213 Use the command M-x list-colors-display for a list of
215 valid color names.
216 -bg color, --background-color color
218 On color displays, set the color of the window's back‐
219 ground.
220 -bd color, --border-color color
222 On color displays, set the color of the window's border.
223 -cr color, --cursor-color color
225 On color displays, set the color of the window's text
226 cursor.
227 -ms color, --mouse-color color
229 On color displays, set the color of the window's mouse
230 cursor.
231 -d displayname, --display displayname
233 Create the Emacs window on the display specified by dis‐
234 playname. Must be the first option specified in the
235 command line.
236 -nbi, --no-bitmap-icon
238 Do not use picture of gnu for Emacs icon.
239 --iconic
241 Start Emacs in iconified state.
242 -nbc, --no-blinking-cursor
244 Disable blinking cursor.
245 -nw, --no-window-system
247 Tell Emacs not to use its special interface to X. If
248 you use this switch when invoking Emacs from an xterm(1)
249 window, display is done in that window.
250 -D, --basic-display
252 This option disables many display features; use it for
253 debugging Emacs.
254 You can set X default values for your Emacs windows in your .Xresources
256 file (see xrdb(1)). Use the following format:
257 emacs.keyword:value
259 where value specifies the default value of keyword. Emacs lets you set
261 default values for the following keywords:
262 background (class Background)
264 For color displays, sets the window's background color.
265 bitmapIcon (class BitmapIcon)
267 If bitmapIcon's value is set to on, the window will
268 iconify into the "kitchen sink."
269 borderColor (class BorderColor)
271 For color displays, sets the color of the window's bor‐
272 der.
273 borderWidth (class BorderWidth)
275 Sets the window's border width in pixels.
276 cursorColor (class Foreground)
278 For color displays, sets the color of the window's text
279 cursor.
280 cursorBlink (class CursorBlink)
282 Specifies whether to make the cursor blink. The default
283 is on. Use off or false to turn cursor blinking off.
284 font (class Font)
286 Sets the window's text font.
287 foreground (class Foreground)
289 For color displays, sets the window's text color.
290 fullscreen (class Fullscreen)
292 The desired fullscreen size. The value can be one of
293 fullboth, fullwidth, or fullheight, which correspond to
294 the command-line options `-fs', `-fw', and `-fh',
295 respectively. Note that this applies to the initial
296 frame only.
297 geometry (class Geometry)
299 Sets the geometry of the Emacs window (as described
300 above).
301 iconName (class Title)
303 Sets the icon name for the Emacs window icon.
304 internalBorder (class BorderWidth)
306 Sets the window's internal border width in pixels.
307 lineSpacing (class LineSpacing)
309 Additional space ("leading") between lines, in pixels.
310 menuBar (class MenuBar)
312 Gives frames menu bars if on; don't have menu bars if
313 off. See the Emacs manual, sections "Lucid Resources"
314 and "LessTif Resources", for how to control the appear‐
315 ance of the menu bar if you have one.
316 minibuffer (class Minibuffer)
318 If none, don't make a minibuffer in this frame. It will
319 use a separate minibuffer frame instead.
320 paneFont (class Font)
322 Font name for menu pane titles, in non-toolkit versions
323 of Emacs.
324 pointerColor (class Foreground)
326 For color displays, sets the color of the window's mouse
327 cursor.
328 privateColormap (class PrivateColormap)
330 If on, use a private color map, in the case where the
331 "default visual" of class PseudoColor and Emacs is using
332 it.
333 reverseVideo (class ReverseVideo)
335 If reverseVideo's value is set to on, the window will be
336 displayed in reverse video.
337 screenGamma (class ScreenGamma)
339 Gamma correction for colors, equivalent to the frame
340 parameter `screen-gamma'.
341 scrollBarWidth (class ScrollBarWidth)
343 The scroll bar width in pixels, equivalent to the frame
344 parameter `scroll-bar-width'.
345 selectionFont (class SelectionFont)
347 Font name for pop-up menu items, in non-toolkit versions
348 of Emacs. (For toolkit versions, see the Emacs manual,
349 sections "Lucid Resources" and "LessTif Resources".)
350 selectionTimeout (class SelectionTimeout)
352 Number of milliseconds to wait for a selection reply. A
353 value of 0 means wait as long as necessary.
354 synchronous (class Synchronous)
356 Run Emacs in synchronous mode if on. Synchronous mode
357 is useful for debugging X problems.
358 title (class Title)
360 Sets the title of the Emacs window.
361 toolBar (class ToolBar)
363 Number of lines to reserve for the tool bar.
364 useXIM (class UseXIM)
366 Turns off use of X input methods (XIM) if false or off.
367 verticalScrollBars (class ScrollBars)
369 Gives frames scroll bars if on; suppresses scroll bars
370 if off.
371 visualClass (class VisualClass)
373 Specify the "visual" that X should use. This tells X
374 how to handle colors. The value should start with one
375 of TrueColor, PseudoColor, DirectColor, StaticColor,
376 GrayScale, and StaticGray, followed by -depth, where
377 depth is the number of color planes.
378 If you try to set color values while using a black and white display,
380 the window's characteristics will default as follows: the foreground
381 color will be set to black, the background color will be set to white,
382 the border color will be set to grey, and the text and mouse cursors
383 will be set to black.
384 Using the Mouse
386 The following lists some of the mouse button bindings for the Emacs
387 window under X11.
388 MOUSE BUTTON FUNCTION
390 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
391 left Set point.
392 middle Paste text.
393 right Cut text into X cut buffer.
394 SHIFT-middle Cut text into X cut buffer.
395 SHIFT-right Paste text.
396 CTRL-middle Cut text into X cut buffer and kill it.
397 CTRL-right Select this window, then split it into
398 two windows. Same as typing CTRL-x 2.
399 CTRL-SHIFT-left X buffer menu — hold the buttons and
400 keys down, wait for menu to appear,
401 select buffer, and release. Move mouse
402 out of menu and release to cancel.
403 CTRL-SHIFT-middle X help menu — pop up index card menu
406 for Emacs help.
407 CTRL-SHIFT-right Select window with mouse, and delete
408 all other windows. Same as typing
409 CTRL-x 1.
410
412 You can order printed copies of the GNU Emacs Manual from the Free
413 Software Foundation, which develops GNU software. See the file ORDERS
414 for ordering information.
415 Your local Emacs maintainer might also have copies available. As with
416 all software and publications from FSF, everyone is permitted to make
417 and distribute copies of the Emacs manual. The TeX source to the man‐
418 ual is also included in the Emacs source distribution.
419
421 /usr/local/share/info — files for the Info documentation browser. The
422 complete text of the Emacs reference manual is included in a convenient
423 tree structured form. Also includes the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual,
424 useful to anyone wishing to write programs in the Emacs Lisp extension
425 language.
426 /usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/lisp — Lisp source files and compiled
428 files that define most editing commands. Some are preloaded; others
429 are autoloaded from this directory when used.
430 /usr/local/libexec/emacs/$VERSION/$ARCH — various programs that are
432 used with GNU Emacs.
433 /usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/etc — various files of information.
435 /usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/etc/DOC.* — contains the documentation
437 strings for the Lisp primitives and preloaded Lisp functions of GNU
438 Emacs. They are stored here to reduce the size of Emacs proper.
439 /usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/etc/SERVICE lists people offering vari‐
441 ous services to assist users of GNU Emacs, including education, trou‐
442 bleshooting, porting and customization.
443
445 There is a mailing list, bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org, for reporting Emacs
446 bugs and fixes. But before reporting something as a bug, please try to
447 be sure that it really is a bug, not a misunderstanding or a deliberate
448 feature. We ask you to read the section ``Reporting Emacs Bugs'' near
449 the end of the reference manual (or Info system) for hints on how and
450 when to report bugs. Also, include the version number of the Emacs you
451 are running in every bug report that you send in. Bugs tend actually
452 to be fixed if they can be isolated, so it is in your interest to
453 report them in such a way that they can be easily reproduced.
454 Do not expect a personal answer to a bug report. The purpose of
456 reporting bugs is to get them fixed for everyone in the next release,
457 if possible. For personal assistance, look in the SERVICE file (see
458 above) for a list of people who offer it.
459 Please do not send anything but bug reports to this mailing list. For
461 more information about Emacs mailing lists, see the file
462 /usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/etc/MAILINGLISTS.
463
465 Emacs is free; anyone may redistribute copies of Emacs to anyone under
466 the terms stated in the Emacs General Public License, a copy of which
467 accompanies each copy of Emacs and which also appears in the reference
468 manual.
469 Copies of Emacs may sometimes be received packaged with distributions
471 of Unix systems, but it is never included in the scope of any license
472 covering those systems. Such inclusion violates the terms on which
473 distribution is permitted. In fact, the primary purpose of the General
474 Public License is to prohibit anyone from attaching any other restric‐
475 tions to redistribution of Emacs.
476 Richard Stallman encourages you to improve and extend Emacs, and urges
478 that you contribute your extensions to the GNU library. Eventually GNU
479 (Gnu's Not Unix) will be a complete replacement for Unix. Everyone
480 will be free to use, copy, study and change the GNU system.
481
483 emacsclient(1), etags(1), X(7), xlsfonts(1), xterm(1), xrdb(1)
484
486 Emacs was written by Richard Stallman and the Free Software Foundation.
487 Joachim Martillo and Robert Krawitz added the X features.
488
490 Copyright (C) 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005,
491 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
492 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
494 document provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
495 preserved on all copies.
496 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
498 document under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
499 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a per‐
500 mission notice identical to this one.
501 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this docu‐
503 ment into another language, under the above conditions for modified
504 versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a trans‐
505 lation approved by the Free Software Foundation.
506GNU Emacs 23.1 2007 April 13 EMACS(1)