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. The user functionality of GNU Emacs
14 encompasses everything other editors do, and it is easily extensible
15 since its editing commands are written in Lisp.
16 The primary documentation of GNU Emacs is in the GNU Emacs Manual,
18 which you can read using Info, either from Emacs or as a standalone
19 program. Please look there for complete and up-to-date documentation.
20 This man page is updated only when someone volunteers to do so.
21 Emacs has an extensive interactive help facility, but the facility
23 assumes that you know how to manipulate Emacs windows and buffers.
24 CTRL-h or F1 enters the Help facility. Help Tutorial (CTRL-h t) starts
25 an interactive tutorial to quickly teach beginners the fundamentals of
26 Emacs. Help Apropos (CTRL-h a) helps you find a command with a name
27 matching a given pattern, Help Key (CTRL-h k) describes a given key
28 sequence, and Help Function (CTRL-h f) describes a given Lisp function.
29 GNU Emacs's many special packages handle mail reading (RMail) and send‐
31 ing (Mail), outline editing (Outline), compiling (Compile), running
32 subshells within Emacs windows (Shell), running a Lisp read-eval-print
33 loop (Lisp-Interaction-Mode), automated psychotherapy (Doctor), and
34 much more.
35 Emacs Options
37 The following options are of general interest:
38 file Edit file.
40 --chdir directory
42 Change to directory
43 --file file, --find-file file, --visit file
45 The same as specifying file directly as an argument.
46 +number Go to the line specified by number (do not insert a
48 space between the "+" sign and the number). This
49 applies only to the next file specified.
50 +line:column
52 Go to the specified line and column.
53 -q, --no-init-file
55 Do not load an init file.
56 -nl, --no-shared-memory
58 Do not use shared memory
59 --no-site-file
61 Do not load the site-wide startup file.
62 -nsl, --no-site-list
64 Do not add site-lisp directories to load-path
65 --no-desktop
67 Do not load a saved desktop.
68 -Q, --quick
70 Similar to "-q --no-site-file --no-splash". Also, avoid
71 processing X resources.
72 --no-splash
74 Do not display a splash screen during start-up.
75 --debug-init
77 Enable Emacs Lisp debugger during the processing of the
78 user init file ~/.emacs. This is useful for debugging
79 problems in the init file.
80 -u user, --user user
82 Load user's init file.
83 -t file, --terminal file
85 Use specified file as the terminal instead of using
86 stdin/stdout. This must be the first argument specified
87 in the command line.
88 --daemon
90 Start Emacs as a daemon, enabling the Emacs server and
91 disconnecting from the terminal. You can then use the
92 emacsclient command to connect to the server (see emac‐
93 sclient(1)).
94 --version
96 Display Emacs version information and exit.
97 --help Display this help and exit.
99 The following options are Lisp-oriented (these options are processed in
101 the order encountered):
102 -f function, --funcall function
104 Execute the lisp function function.
105 -l file, --load file
107 Load the lisp code in the file file.
108 --eval expr, --execute expr
110 Evaluate the Lisp expression expr.
111 The following options are useful when running Emacs as a batch editor:
113 --batch Edit in batch mode. The editor will send messages to
115 stderr. You must use -l and -f options to specify files
116 to execute and functions to call.
117 --script file
119 Run file as an Emacs Lisp script.
120 --insert file
122 Insert contents of file into the current buffer.
123 --kill Exit Emacs while in batch mode.
125 -L dir, --directory dir
127 Add dir to the list of directories Emacs searches for
128 Lisp files.
129 Using Emacs with X
131 Emacs has been tailored to work well with the X window system. If you
132 run Emacs from under X windows, it will create its own X window to dis‐
133 play in. You will probably want to start the editor as a background
134 process so that you can continue using your original window.
135 Emacs can be started with the following X switches:
137 --name name
139 Specify the name which should be assigned to the initial
140 Emacs window. This controls looking up X resources as
141 well as the window title.
142 -T name, --title name
144 Specify the title for the initial X window.
145 -r, -rv, --reverse-video
147 Display the Emacs window in reverse video.
148 -fn font, --font font
150 Set the Emacs window's font to that specified by font.
151 You will find the various X fonts in the
152 /usr/lib/X11/fonts directory. Note that Emacs will only
153 accept fixed width fonts. Under the X11 Release 4 font-
154 naming conventions, any font with the value "m" or "c"
155 in the eleventh field of the font name is a fixed width
156 font. Furthermore, fonts whose name are of the form
157 widthxheight are generally fixed width, as is the font
158 fixed. See xlsfonts(1) for more information.
159 When you specify a font, be sure to put a space between
161 the switch and the font name.
162 --xrm resources
164 Set additional X resources.
165 --color, --color=mode
167 Override color mode for character terminals; mode
168 defaults to `auto', and can also be `never', `auto',
169 `always', or a mode name like `ansi8'.
170 -bw pixels, --border-width pixels
172 Set the Emacs window's border width to the number of
173 pixels specified by pixels. Defaults to one pixel on
174 each side of the window.
175 -ib pixels, --internal-border pixels
177 Set the window's internal border width to the number of
178 pixels specified by pixels. Defaults to one pixel of
179 padding on each side of the window.
180 -g geometry, --geometry geometry
182 Set the Emacs window's width, height, and position as
183 specified. The geometry specification is in the stan‐
184 dard X format; see X(7) for more information. The width
185 and height are specified in characters; the default is
186 80 by 24. See the Emacs manual, section "Options for
187 Window Size and Position", for information on how window
188 sizes interact with selecting or deselecting the tool
189 bar and menu bar.
190 -lsp pixels, --line-spacing pixels
192 Additional space to put between lines.
193 -vb, --vertical-scroll-bars
195 Enable vertical scrollbars.
196 -fh, --fullheight
198 Make the first frame as high as the screen.
199 -fs, --fullscreen
201 Make the first frame fullscreen.
202 -fw, --fullwidth
204 Make the first frame as wide as the screen.
205 -mm, --maximized
207 Maximize the first frame, like "-fw -fh".
208 -fg color, --foreground-color color
210 On color displays, set the color of the text.
211 Use the command M-x list-colors-display for a list of
213 valid color names.
214 -bg color, --background-color color
216 On color displays, set the color of the window's back‐
217 ground.
218 -bd color, --border-color color
220 On color displays, set the color of the window's border.
221 -cr color, --cursor-color color
223 On color displays, set the color of the window's text
224 cursor.
225 -ms color, --mouse-color color
227 On color displays, set the color of the window's mouse
228 cursor.
229 -d displayname, --display displayname
231 Create the Emacs window on the display specified by dis‐
232 playname. Must be the first option specified in the
233 command line.
234 -nbi, --no-bitmap-icon
236 Do not use picture of gnu for Emacs icon.
237 --iconic
239 Start Emacs in iconified state.
240 -nbc, --no-blinking-cursor
242 Disable blinking cursor.
243 --parent-id xid
245 Set parent window
246 -nw, --no-window-system
248 Tell Emacs not to create a graphical frame. If you use
249 this switch when invoking Emacs from an xterm(1) window,
250 display is done in that window.
251 -D, --basic-display
253 This option disables many display features; use it for
254 debugging Emacs.
255 You can set X default values for your Emacs windows in your .Xresources
257 file (see xrdb(1)). Use the following format:
258 emacs.keyword:value
260 where value specifies the default value of keyword. Emacs lets you set
262 default values for the following keywords:
263 background (class Background)
265 For color displays, sets the window's background color.
266 bitmapIcon (class BitmapIcon)
268 If bitmapIcon's value is set to on, the window will
269 iconify into the "kitchen sink."
270 borderColor (class BorderColor)
272 For color displays, sets the color of the window's bor‐
273 der.
274 borderWidth (class BorderWidth)
276 Sets the window's border width in pixels.
277 cursorColor (class Foreground)
279 For color displays, sets the color of the window's text
280 cursor.
281 cursorBlink (class CursorBlink)
283 Specifies whether to make the cursor blink. The default
284 is on. Use off or false to turn cursor blinking off.
285 font (class Font)
287 Sets the window's text font.
288 foreground (class Foreground)
290 For color displays, sets the window's text color.
291 fullscreen (class Fullscreen)
293 The desired fullscreen size. The value can be one of
294 fullboth, maximized, fullwidth, or fullheight, which
295 correspond to the command-line options `-fs', `-mm',
296 `-fw', and `-fh', respectively. Note that this applies
297 to the initial frame only.
298 geometry (class Geometry)
300 Sets the geometry of the Emacs window (as described
301 above).
302 iconName (class Title)
304 Sets the icon name for the Emacs window icon.
305 internalBorder (class BorderWidth)
307 Sets the window's internal border width in pixels.
308 lineSpacing (class LineSpacing)
310 Additional space ("leading") between lines, in pixels.
311 menuBar (class MenuBar)
313 Gives frames menu bars if on; don't have menu bars if
314 off. See the Emacs manual, sections "Lucid Resources"
315 and "LessTif Resources", for how to control the appear‐
316 ance of the menu bar if you have one.
317 minibuffer (class Minibuffer)
319 If none, don't make a minibuffer in this frame. It will
320 use a separate minibuffer frame instead.
321 paneFont (class Font)
323 Font name for menu pane titles, in non-toolkit versions
324 of Emacs.
325 pointerColor (class Foreground)
327 For color displays, sets the color of the window's mouse
328 cursor.
329 privateColormap (class PrivateColormap)
331 If on, use a private color map, in the case where the
332 "default visual" of class PseudoColor and Emacs is using
333 it.
334 reverseVideo (class ReverseVideo)
336 If reverseVideo's value is set to on, the window will be
337 displayed in reverse video.
338 screenGamma (class ScreenGamma)
340 Gamma correction for colors, equivalent to the frame
341 parameter `screen-gamma'.
342 scrollBarWidth (class ScrollBarWidth)
344 The scroll bar width in pixels, equivalent to the frame
345 parameter `scroll-bar-width'.
346 selectionFont (class SelectionFont)
348 Font name for pop-up menu items, in non-toolkit versions
349 of Emacs. (For toolkit versions, see the Emacs manual,
350 sections "Lucid Resources" and "LessTif Resources".)
351 selectionTimeout (class SelectionTimeout)
353 Number of milliseconds to wait for a selection reply. A
354 value of 0 means wait as long as necessary.
355 synchronous (class Synchronous)
357 Run Emacs in synchronous mode if on. Synchronous mode
358 is useful for debugging X problems.
359 title (class Title)
361 Sets the title of the Emacs window.
362 toolBar (class ToolBar)
364 Number of lines to reserve for the tool bar.
365 useXIM (class UseXIM)
367 Turns off use of X input methods (XIM) if false or off.
368 verticalScrollBars (class ScrollBars)
370 Gives frames scroll bars if on; suppresses scroll bars
371 if off.
372 visualClass (class VisualClass)
374 Specify the "visual" that X should use. This tells X
375 how to handle colors. The value should start with one
376 of TrueColor, PseudoColor, DirectColor, StaticColor,
377 GrayScale, and StaticGray, followed by -depth, where
378 depth is the number of color planes.
379
381 You can order printed copies of the GNU Emacs Manual from the Free
382 Software Foundation, which develops GNU software. See the online store
383 at <http://shop.fsf.org/>.
384 Your local administrator might also have copies available. As with all
385 software and publications from FSF, everyone is permitted to make and
386 distribute copies of the Emacs manual. The Texinfo source to the man‐
387 ual is also included in the Emacs source distribution.
388
390 /usr/local/share/info — files for the Info documentation browser. The
391 complete text of the Emacs reference manual is included in a convenient
392 tree structured form. Also includes the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual,
393 useful to anyone wishing to write programs in the Emacs Lisp extension
394 language, and the Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp.
395 /usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/lisp — Lisp source files and compiled
397 files that define most editing commands. Some are preloaded; others
398 are autoloaded from this directory when used.
399 /usr/local/libexec/emacs/$VERSION/$ARCH — various programs that are
401 used with GNU Emacs.
402 /usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/etc — various files of information.
404 /usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/etc/DOC.* — contains the documentation
406 strings for the Lisp primitives and preloaded Lisp functions of GNU
407 Emacs. They are stored here to reduce the size of Emacs proper.
408 /usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/etc/SERVICE lists people offering vari‐
410 ous services to assist users of GNU Emacs, including education, trou‐
411 bleshooting, porting and customization.
412
414 There is a mailing list, bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org, for reporting Emacs
415 bugs and fixes. But before reporting something as a bug, please try to
416 be sure that it really is a bug, not a misunderstanding or a deliberate
417 feature. We ask you to read the section ``Reporting Bugs'' in the
418 Emacs manual for hints on how and when to report bugs. Also, include
419 the version number of the Emacs you are running in every bug report
420 that you send in. Bugs tend actually to be fixed if they can be iso‐
421 lated, so it is in your interest to report them in such a way that they
422 can be easily reproduced.
423 Do not expect a personal answer to a bug report. The purpose of
425 reporting bugs is to get them fixed for everyone in the next release,
426 if possible. For personal assistance, look in the SERVICE file (see
427 above) for a list of people who offer it.
428 Please do not send anything but bug reports to this mailing list. For
430 more information about Emacs mailing lists, see the file
431 /usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/etc/MAILINGLISTS.
432
434 Emacs is free; anyone may redistribute copies of Emacs to anyone under
435 the terms stated in the GNU General Public License, a copy of which
436 accompanies each copy of Emacs and which also appears in the reference
437 manual.
438 Copies of Emacs may sometimes be received packaged with distributions
440 of Unix systems, but it is never included in the scope of any license
441 covering those systems. Such inclusion violates the terms on which
442 distribution is permitted. In fact, the primary purpose of the GNU
443 General Public License is to prohibit anyone from attaching any other
444 restrictions to redistribution of Emacs.
445 Richard Stallman encourages you to improve and extend Emacs, and urges
447 that you contribute your extensions to the GNU library. Eventually GNU
448 (Gnu's Not Unix) will be a complete replacement for Unix. Everyone
449 will be free to use, copy, study and change the GNU system.
450
452 emacsclient(1), etags(1), X(7), xlsfonts(1), xterm(1), xrdb(1)
453
455 Emacs was written by Richard Stallman and the Free Software Foundation.
456 For detailed credits and acknowledgments, see the GNU Emacs manual.
457
459 Copyright (C) 1995, 1999-2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
460 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
462 document provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
463 preserved on all copies.
464 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
466 document under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
467 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a per‐
468 mission notice identical to this one.
469 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this docu‐
471 ment into another language, under the above conditions for modified
472 versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a trans‐
473 lation approved by the Free Software Foundation.
474GNU Emacs 24.3 2007 April 13 EMACS(1)