Emacs Mini Tutorial

Looks like someone created a more complete Emacs Beginner's Tutorial here.

If you are just getting started (and wish to use my settings), here is what you do:

• Install xemacs, for instance: yum install xemacs
• Download dot.xemacs.gz, gunzip it, and rename it to: $HOME/.xemacs
• Download elisp.tgz, move it to your $HOME directory, gunzip it, and un-tar it. It should create a $HOME/elisp directory.
• Now edit the .xemacs/init.el file. Search for 'greear' and replace it (and anything else near it) with values corresponding to your setup. I hope this will be fairly straightfoward. If you have problems, let me know and I'll try to make it more clear.

You should now be ready to run xemacs. Try viewing your ~/.xemacs/init.el file, or any other text file or source code you have laying around.

Emacs is possibly the most powerful editor around. That said, it is almost certainly the most complicated! The complication is in the setup however: once you get your .xemacs/init.el file set up, the battle is almost won. I offer several sample .xemacs (including the one I use every day.) towards the end. All you'll need to do is copy one to your home directory.

The next great complaint you hear from people (mostly vi users of all people) is "How am I ever supposed to remember all those key combinations!!??" This is most certainly a valid question. Or wrather, was a valid question back in the days of vt100 screens. Today, xemacs is fully X aware and with the drop down menus and accelerator keys programmed into the .xemacs file, there is almost no need for arcane key combinations, even though they still work of course.

• ctrl-x s, F7 Save current file.
• ctrl-x f, F3 Load (new) file.
• Meta-x compile Then enter compile cmd, press enter. After you enter this info one time, just click on the Compile button on the left hand side.
• ctrl-s Search foward
• ctrl-r Search backward
• ctrl-g Cancel current command.
• ctrl-k Cut from cursor to end of line.
• ctrl-y, F6 Paste (yank) the last cut line(s).
• meta-y Yank previous cut, cycle through all past cuts (keep entering it.)
• ctrl-shift-underline, F2 Undo, can do multiple undo's. Just keep pressing the combo.
• ctrl-x-2 Divide current frame into 2 sub-frames.
• ctrl-x-1 Consolidate sub-frame(s) into one frame.
• ctrl-kp_enter Go from .C to .h file, or visa-versa.
• ctrl-kp_plus Go foward in files buffer.
• ctrl-kp_minus Go backward in files buffer.
• ctrl-l Redraw, especially useful in HTML mode.

Now, everyone is already comfortable with SOME editor, so why should they change to emacs? First and foremost, it is designed for programmers. Almost every kind of source code imaginable will be color coded. Of special interest may be the java and c/c++ color schemes. It also colorizes HTML code, although not quite as well java or c++.

If you compile from within emacs, you get the added benefit of being able to click on the offending error in the compile-output window. You will then be taken to that line in your source code. Much more can be done along this line, but leave that for more advanced documentation.

• To Compile Meta-x, enter compile, enter command to compile. After that you need only click on the compile button on the left hand side.
• Auto Source Indention When editing source code, just hit TAB to automatically indent your code, either foward or backward.
• If it seems to hang, press F7 The auto-saver tries to hard and sometimes temporarily hangs emacs. I should try to fix this, but haven't gotten around to it yet.
• Use Multiple Frames Try using the File -> New Frame option. Also try Ctrl-x-2 (Ctrl-x-1 un-splits your frame.)
• Name Completion: When opening files, use TAB for name completion.
• Opening Files from Dir. Listing Use the middle mouse button to open files when listed in a directory listing.