CS/CE 218 units -*-Outline-*-

* advanced emacs features

advert: not the details, but an indication of what's there that will be useful

** modes
	specialized ways of using emacs, specific to each buffer.
	Q: how can you tell what mode a buffer has?
		(displayed in the mode line)

	examples: fundamental, mail, text, Outline, C, LISP, etc.

	use mode comment in first line of file: -*-Outline-*-

*** Outline mode

	major mode for editing outlines with selective display.
	Headings are lines which start with asterisks: one for major headings,
	two for subheadings, etc.
	Lines not starting with asterisks are body lines. 

	Can make bodies temporarily invisible, to see the grand structure,
		can edit while this is done

	These lecture notes are in Outline format

*** mail

**** reading mail (rmail)
	Q: Why might you want to read mail from an editor?
	reads unix mail, allows you to store it in various files (organization)
		keeps track of whether you have replied to a message, etc.
**** sending mail
	Q: What commands would you think would be available to send mail?
	understands format of messages, with subject, etc.
	can yank text from mail being read (by rmail)

*** C programs
	Q: What should an editor do to help you edit code?

	(make a list)
	understand brackets,
	know how to indent code, allow customization of indentation
	provides support for compiling programs,
		with error messages in another window.
	allows you to find functions
	supports change logging
	integrated with the debugger...

*** info
	hypertext-like database, accessed through emacs
	has entries on emacs, gcc, gdb, etc.

** customization, the .emacs file
	.emacs file is read before you start editing
	don't need to have one.

*** minor modes
	variants on pre-defined major modes
	e.g., auto-fill-mode makes lines filled in text
	
*** variables
	---------------
	; turn off dangereous zap-to-char key
	(put 'zap-to-char 'disabled t)             ; M-z

	(setq find-file-run-dired nil)      ; never run dired
	---------------

	commands to describe and set variables on-line too

*** keyboard macros
	useful for making up macros, start typing and see it work.

*** making permenant macros
	make up a keyboard macro
		then name it, and put it in your .emacs file
		(call-last-kbd-macro and insert-kbd-macro)
	
	design it using emacs lisp
		see examples in /usr/local/emacs/lisp/*.el