emacs
(1)
Name
emacs - GNU project Emacs
Synopsis
emacs [ command-line switches ] [ files ... ]
Description
User Commands EMACS(1)
NAME
emacs - GNU project Emacs
SYNOPSIS
emacs [ command-line switches ] [ files ... ]
DESCRIPTION
GNU Emacs is a version of Emacs, written by the author of
the original (PDP-10) Emacs, Richard Stallman. The user
functionality of GNU Emacs encompasses everything other edi-
tors do, and it is easily extensible since its editing com-
mands are written in Lisp.
The primary documentation of GNU Emacs is in the GNU Emacs
Manual, which you can read using Info, either from Emacs or
as a standalone program. Please look there for complete and
up-to-date documentation. This man page is updated only
when someone volunteers to do so.
Emacs has an extensive interactive help facility, but the
facility assumes that you know how to manipulate Emacs win-
dows and buffers. CTRL-h or F1 enters the Help facility.
Help Tutorial (CTRL-h t) starts an interactive tutorial to
quickly teach beginners the fundamentals of Emacs. Help
Apropos (CTRL-h a) helps you find a command with a name
matching a given pattern, Help Key (CTRL-h k) describes a
given key sequence, and Help Function (CTRL-h f) describes a
given Lisp function.
GNU Emacs's many special packages handle mail reading
(RMail) and sending (Mail), outline editing (Outline), com-
piling (Compile), running subshells within Emacs windows
(Shell), running a Lisp read-eval-print loop (Lisp-Interac-
tion-Mode), automated psychotherapy (Doctor), and much more.
Emacs Options
The following options are of general interest:
file Edit file.
--file file, --find-file file, --visit file
The same as specifying file directly as an
argument.
+number Go to the line specified by number (do not
insert a space between the "+" sign and the
number). This applies only to the next file
specified.
+line:column
Go to the specified line and column.
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-q, --no-init-file
Do not load an init file.
--no-site-file
Do not load the site-wide startup file.
--no-desktop
Do not load a saved desktop.
-Q, --quick
Similar to "-q --no-site-file --no-splash".
Also, avoid processing X resources.
--no-splash
Do not display a splash screen during start-up.
--debug-init
Enable Emacs Lisp debugger during the process-
ing of the user init file ~/.emacs. This is
useful for debugging problems in the init file.
-u user, --user user
Load user's init file.
-t file, --terminal file
Use specified file as the terminal instead of
using stdin/stdout. This must be the first
argument specified in the command line.
--daemon
Start Emacs as a daemon, enabling the Emacs
server and disconnecting from the terminal.
You can then use the emacsclient command to
connect to the server (see emacsclient(1)).
--version
Display Emacs version information and exit.
--help Display this help and exit.
The following options are Lisp-oriented (these options are
processed in the order encountered):
-f function, --funcall function
Execute the lisp function function.
-l file, --load file
Load the lisp code in the file file.
--eval expr, --execute expr
Evaluate the Lisp expression expr.
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The following options are useful when running Emacs as a
batch editor:
--batch Edit in batch mode. The editor will send mes-
sages to stderr. You must use -l and -f
options to specify files to execute and func-
tions to call.
--script file
Run file as an Emacs Lisp script.
--insert file
Insert contents of file into the current
buffer.
--kill Exit Emacs while in batch mode.
-L dir, --directory dir
Add dir to the list of directories Emacs
searches for Lisp files.
Using Emacs with X
Emacs has been tailored to work well with the X window sys-
tem. If you run Emacs from under X windows, it will create
its own X window to display in. You will probably want to
start the editor as a background process so that you can
continue using your original window.
Emacs can be started with the following X switches:
--name name
Specify the name which should be assigned to
the initial Emacs window. This controls look-
ing up X resources as well as the window title.
-T name, --title name
Specify the title for the initial X window.
-r, -rv, --reverse-video
Display the Emacs window in reverse video.
-fn font, --font font
Set the Emacs window's font to that specified
by font. You will find the various X fonts in
the /usr/lib/X11/fonts directory. Note that
Emacs will only accept fixed width fonts.
Under the X11 Release 4 font-naming conven-
tions, any font with the value "m" or "c" in
the eleventh field of the font name is a fixed
width font. Furthermore, fonts whose name are
of the form widthxheight are generally fixed
width, as is the font fixed. See xlsfonts(1)
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for more information.
When you specify a font, be sure to put a space
between the switch and the font name.
--xrm resources
Set additional X resources.
--color, --color=mode
Override color mode for character terminals;
mode defaults to `auto', and can also be
`never', `auto', `always', or a mode name like
`ansi8'.
-bw pixels, --border-width pixels
Set the Emacs window's border width to the num-
ber of pixels specified by pixels. Defaults to
one pixel on each side of the window.
-ib pixels, --internal-border pixels
Set the window's internal border width to the
number of pixels specified by pixels. Defaults
to one pixel of padding on each side of the
window.
-g geometry, --geometry geometry
Set the Emacs window's width, height, and posi-
tion as specified. The geometry specification
is in the standard X format; see X(7) for more
information. The width and height are speci-
fied in characters; the default is 80 by 24.
See the Emacs manual, section "Options for Win-
dow Size and Position", for information on how
window sizes interact with selecting or dese-
lecting the tool bar and menu bar.
-lsp pixels, --line-spacing pixels
Additional space to put between lines.
-vb, --vertical-scroll-bars
Enable vertical scrollbars.
-fh, --fullheight
Make the first frame as high as the screen.
-fs, --fullscreen
Make the first frame fullscreen.
-fw, --fullwidth
Make the first frame as wide as the screen.
-mm, --maximized
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Maximize the first frame, like "-fw -fh".
-fg color, --foreground-color color
On color displays, set the color of the text.
Use the command M-x list-colors-display for a
list of valid color names.
-bg color, --background-color color
On color displays, set the color of the win-
dow's background.
-bd color, --border-color color
On color displays, set the color of the win-
dow's border.
-cr color, --cursor-color color
On color displays, set the color of the win-
dow's text cursor.
-ms color, --mouse-color color
On color displays, set the color of the win-
dow's mouse cursor.
-d displayname, --display displayname
Create the Emacs window on the display speci-
fied by displayname. Must be the first option
specified in the command line.
-nbi, --no-bitmap-icon
Do not use picture of gnu for Emacs icon.
--iconic
Start Emacs in iconified state.
-nbc, --no-blinking-cursor
Disable blinking cursor.
-nw, --no-window-system
Tell Emacs not to create a graphical frame. If
you use this switch when invoking Emacs from an
xterm(1) window, display is done in that win-
dow.
-D, --basic-display
This option disables many display features; use
it for debugging Emacs.
You can set X default values for your Emacs windows in your
.Xresources file (see xrdb(1)). Use the following format:
emacs.keyword:value
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where value specifies the default value of keyword. Emacs
lets you set default values for the following keywords:
background (class Background)
For color displays, sets the window's back-
ground color.
bitmapIcon (class BitmapIcon)
If bitmapIcon's value is set to on, the window
will iconify into the "kitchen sink."
borderColor (class BorderColor)
For color displays, sets the color of the win-
dow's border.
borderWidth (class BorderWidth)
Sets the window's border width in pixels.
cursorColor (class Foreground)
For color displays, sets the color of the win-
dow's text cursor.
cursorBlink (class CursorBlink)
Specifies whether to make the cursor blink.
The default is on. Use off or false to turn
cursor blinking off.
font (class Font)
Sets the window's text font.
foreground (class Foreground)
For color displays, sets the window's text
color.
fullscreen (class Fullscreen)
The desired fullscreen size. The value can be
one of fullboth, maximized, fullwidth, or full-
height, which correspond to the command-line
options `-fs', `-mm', `-fw', and `-fh', respec-
tively. Note that this applies to the initial
frame only.
geometry (class Geometry)
Sets the geometry of the Emacs window (as
described above).
iconName (class Title)
Sets the icon name for the Emacs window icon.
internalBorder (class BorderWidth)
Sets the window's internal border width in pix-
els.
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lineSpacing (class LineSpacing)
Additional space ("leading") between lines, in
pixels.
menuBar (class MenuBar)
Gives frames menu bars if on; don't have menu
bars if off. See the Emacs manual, sections
"Lucid Resources" and "LessTif Resources", for
how to control the appearance of the menu bar
if you have one.
minibuffer (class Minibuffer)
If none, don't make a minibuffer in this frame.
It will use a separate minibuffer frame
instead.
paneFont (class Font)
Font name for menu pane titles, in non-toolkit
versions of Emacs.
pointerColor (class Foreground)
For color displays, sets the color of the win-
dow's mouse cursor.
privateColormap (class PrivateColormap)
If on, use a private color map, in the case
where the "default visual" of class PseudoColor
and Emacs is using it.
reverseVideo (class ReverseVideo)
If reverseVideo's value is set to on, the win-
dow will be displayed in reverse video.
screenGamma (class ScreenGamma)
Gamma correction for colors, equivalent to the
frame parameter `screen-gamma'.
scrollBarWidth (class ScrollBarWidth)
The scroll bar width in pixels, equivalent to
the frame parameter `scroll-bar-width'.
selectionFont (class SelectionFont)
Font name for pop-up menu items, in non-toolkit
versions of Emacs. (For toolkit versions, see
the Emacs manual, sections "Lucid Resources"
and "LessTif Resources".)
selectionTimeout (class SelectionTimeout)
Number of milliseconds to wait for a selection
reply. A value of 0 means wait as long as nec-
essary.
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synchronous (class Synchronous)
Run Emacs in synchronous mode if on. Synchro-
nous mode is useful for debugging X problems.
title (class Title)
Sets the title of the Emacs window.
toolBar (class ToolBar)
Number of lines to reserve for the tool bar.
useXIM (class UseXIM)
Turns off use of X input methods (XIM) if false
or off.
verticalScrollBars (class ScrollBars)
Gives frames scroll bars if on; suppresses
scroll bars if off.
visualClass (class VisualClass)
Specify the "visual" that X should use. This
tells X how to handle colors. The value should
start with one of TrueColor, PseudoColor,
DirectColor, StaticColor, GrayScale, and Stat-
icGray, followed by -depth, where depth is the
number of color planes.
MANUALS
You can order printed copies of the GNU Emacs Manual from
the Free Software Foundation, which develops GNU software.
See the online store at <http://shop.fsf.org/>.
Your local administrator might also have copies available.
As with all software and publications from FSF, everyone is
permitted to make and distribute copies of the Emacs manual.
The Texinfo source to the manual is also included in the
Emacs source distribution.
FILES
/usr/local/share/info -- files for the Info documentation
browser. The complete text of the Emacs reference manual is
included in a convenient tree structured form. Also
includes the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual, useful to anyone
wishing to write programs in the Emacs Lisp extension lan-
guage, and the Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp.
/usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/lisp -- Lisp source files
and compiled files that define most editing commands. Some
are preloaded; others are autoloaded from this directory
when used.
/usr/local/libexec/emacs/$VERSION/$ARCH -- various programs
that are used with GNU Emacs.
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/usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/etc -- various files of
information.
/usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/etc/DOC.* -- contains the
documentation strings for the Lisp primitives and preloaded
Lisp functions of GNU Emacs. They are stored here to reduce
the size of Emacs proper.
/usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/etc/SERVICE lists people
offering various services to assist users of GNU Emacs,
including education, troubleshooting, porting and customiza-
tion.
BUGS
There is a mailing list, [email protected], for report-
ing Emacs bugs and fixes. But before reporting something as
a bug, please try to be sure that it really is a bug, not a
misunderstanding or a deliberate feature. We ask you to
read the section ``Reporting Bugs'' in the Emacs manual for
hints on how and when to report bugs. Also, include the
version number of the Emacs you are running in every bug
report that you send in. Bugs tend actually to be fixed if
they can be isolated, so it is in your interest to report
them in such a way that they can be easily reproduced.
Do not expect a personal answer to a bug report. The pur-
pose of reporting bugs is to get them fixed for everyone in
the next release, if possible. For personal assistance,
look in the SERVICE file (see above) for a list of people
who offer it.
Please do not send anything but bug reports to this mailing
list. For more information about Emacs mailing lists, see
the file /usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/etc/MAILINGLISTS.
UNRESTRICTIONS
Emacs is free; anyone may redistribute copies of Emacs to
anyone under the terms stated in the GNU General Public
License, a copy of which accompanies each copy of Emacs and
which also appears in the reference manual.
Copies of Emacs may sometimes be received packaged with dis-
tributions of Unix systems, but it is never included in the
scope of any license covering those systems. Such inclusion
violates the terms on which distribution is permitted. In
fact, the primary purpose of the GNU General Public License
is to prohibit anyone from attaching any other restrictions
to redistribution of Emacs.
Richard Stallman encourages you to improve and extend Emacs,
and urges that you contribute your extensions to the GNU
library. Eventually GNU (Gnu's Not Unix) will be a complete
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replacement for Unix. Everyone will be free to use, copy,
study and change the GNU system.
ATTRIBUTES
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following
attributes:
+---------------+------------------+
|ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE |
+---------------+------------------+
|Availability | editor/gnu-emacs |
+---------------+------------------+
|Stability | Committed |
+---------------+------------------+
SEE ALSO
emacsclient(1), etags(1), X(7), xlsfonts(1), xterm(1),
xrdb(1)
AUTHORS
Emacs was written by Richard Stallman and the Free Software
Foundation. For detailed credits and acknowledgments, see
the GNU Emacs manual.
COPYING
Copyright (C) 1995, 1999-2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies
of this document provided the copyright notice and this per-
mission notice are preserved on all copies.
Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified ver-
sions of this document under the conditions for verbatim
copying, provided that the entire resulting derived work is
distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical
to this one.
Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of
this document into another language, under the above condi-
tions for modified versions, except that this permission
notice may be stated in a translation approved by the Free
Software Foundation.
NOTES
This software was built from source available at
https://java.net/projects/solaris-userland. The original
community source was downloaded from
http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/emacs/emacs-24.3.tar.gz
Further information about this software can be found on the
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open source community website at http://www.gnu.org/soft-
ware/emacs/.
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