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This chapter describes notation used in the GNU Emacs FAQ, as well as in the Emacs documentation. Consult this section if this is the first time you are reading the FAQ, or if you are confused by notation or terms used in the FAQ.
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Key sequences longer than one key (and some single-key sequences) are written inside quotes or on lines by themselves, like this:
M-x frobnicate-while-foo RET |
Any real spaces in such a key sequence should be ignored; only SPC really means press the space key.
The ASCII code sent by C-x (except for C-?) is the value that would be sent by pressing just x minus 96 (or 64 for upper-case X) and will be from 0 to 31. On Unix and GNU/Linux terminals, the ASCII code sent by M-x is the sum of 128 and the ASCII code that would be sent by pressing just x. Essentially, Control turns off bits 5 and 6 and Meta turns on bit 7(1).
C-? (aka DEL) is ASCII code 127. It is a misnomer to call C-? a "control" key, since 127 has both bits 5 and 6 turned ON. Also, on very few keyboards does C-? generate ASCII code 127.
See Info file `emacs', node `Text Characters', and See Info file `emacs', node `Keys', for more information. (See section 1.3 How do I read topic XXX in the on-line manual?, for more information about Info.)
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M-x command means type M-x, then type the name of the command, then type RET. (See section 1.1 What do these mean: C-h, M-C-a, RET, ESC a, etc.?, if you're not sure what M-x and RET mean.)
M-x (by default) invokes the command
execute-extended-command. This command allows you to run any
Emacs command if you can remember the command's name. If you can't
remember the command's name, you can type TAB and SPC for
completion, ? for a list of possibilities, and M-p and
M-n (or up-arrow and down-arrow on terminals that have these
editing keys) to see previous commands entered. An Emacs command
is an interactive Emacs function.
Your system administrator may have bound other key sequences to invoke
execute-extended-command. A function key labeled Do is a
good candidate for this, on keyboards that have such a key.
If you need to run non-interactive Emacs functions, see 5.29 How do I execute ("evaluate") a piece of Emacs Lisp code?.
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When we refer you to some topic in the on-line manual, you can read this manual node inside Emacs (assuming nothing is broken) by typing C-h i m emacs RET m topic RET.
This invokes Info, the GNU hypertext documentation browser. If you don't already know how to use Info, type ? from within Info.
If we refer to topic:subtopic, type C-h i m emacs RET m topic RET m subtopic RET.
If these commands don't work as expected, your system administrator may not have installed the Info files, or may have installed them improperly. In this case you should complain.
See section 3.3 How do I get a printed copy of the Emacs manual?, if you would like a paper copy of the Emacs manual.
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These are files that come with Emacs. The Emacs distribution is divided into subdirectories; the important ones are `etc', `lisp', and `src'.
If you use Emacs, but don't know where it is kept on your system, start
Emacs, then type C-h v data-directory RET. The directory
name displayed by this will be the full pathname of the installed
`etc' directory. (This full path is recorded in the Emacs variable
data-directory, and C-h v displays the value and the
documentation of a variable.)
The location of your Info directory (i.e., where on-line documentation
is stored) is kept in the variable Info-default-directory-list. Use
C-h v Info-default-directory-list RET to see the value of
this variable, which will be a list of directory names. The last
directory in that list is probably where most Info files are stored. By
default, Info documentation is placed in `/usr/local/info'.
Some of these files are available individually via FTP or e-mail; see 3.8 What informational files are available for Emacs?. They all are available in the source distribution. Many of the files in the `etc' directory are also available via the Emacs `Help' menu, or by typing C-h ? (M-x help-for-help).
Your system administrator may have removed the `src' directory and many files from the `etc' directory.
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Avoid confusing the FSF, the LPF, and the OSF. The LPF opposes look-and-feel copyrights and software patents. The FSF aims to make high quality free software available for everyone. The OSF is a consortium of computer vendors which develops commercial software for Unix systems.
The word "free" in the title of the Free Software Foundation refers to "freedom," not "zero dollars." Anyone can charge any price for GPL-covered software that they want to. However, in practice, the freedom enforced by the GPL leads to low prices, because you can always get the software for less money from someone else, since everyone has the right to resell or give away GPL-covered software.
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