Introduction to Emacs

About Emacs

Emacs is a powerful, extensible, and customizable text editor that was created by Richard Stallman. Its development began in the mid-1970s, and its first release was in 1976.

Emacs is a text editor that provides basic functions for editing and manipulating text files. It also includes a wide range of features that go far beyond what you would expect from a standard text editor.

One of the interesting features of Emacs is its extensibility which allows users to write custom code to add new functionality or modify existing behavior.

Overall, Emacs is a highly flexible and powerful text editor that is well-suited for a wide range of tasks, from basic text editing to complex programming and automation. Whether you are a programmer, writer or just someone who needs to work with text files.

Is Emacs Worth Learning?

...Emacs outshines all other editing software in approximately the same way that the noonday sun does the stars. It is not just bigger and brighter; it simply makes everything else vanish.

— Neal Stephenson

Yes, Emacs is worth learning. I carefully took my time to outline reasons why you should consider learning Emacs. Listed below are the reasons:

• Customizability: One of the biggest advantages of Emacs is its customizability. You can configure it to your exact specification, making it an ideal tool for developers and users with specific needs.

• Extensibility: Emacs has a large and active community of developers who have created a wide range of extensions and plugins that can be used to add new features or improve existing ones.

• Versatility: Emacs is not just a text editor, but a complete environment for software development and everyday work. It includes features such as a file manager, email client, news reader and much more, making it a one-stop solution for many of your computing needs.

• Keyboard-Driven Interface: Emacs is designed to be used primarily with keyboard commands, making it faster and more efficient for many tasks compared to using a mouse. This can be especially helpful to those who spend long hours on the keyboard.

• Multi-Platform Compatibility: Emacs runs on multiple platforms, including Windows, MacOS, and Linux making it a versatile option for users who work on different Operating Systems.

• Large Community and Resources: With its long history and large user base, there is a wealth of resources available for learning and troubleshooting, including documentation, tutorials, forums and more.

Getting Started with Emacs

Installing Emacs

Installing Emacs is straightforward and can be done on most Operating Systems, including Windows, MacOS and Linux. Here is a general overview of the process:

• Windows: You can download the installation file from the official GNU website and run it to install the software on your system. Regardless of which version you choose, make sure to download the appropriate version for your system (32-bit or 64-bit).

• MacOS: Emacs can be installed on MacOS using Homebrew.

brew install --cask emacs

Using MacPorts:

sudo port install emacs-app

• Linux: Installing Emacs on Linux can be done through the package manager for your specific distribution. Here are the installation instructions for some popular Linux distributions:

i) Ubuntu and Debian-Based Distributions:

Open a terminal

Run the following commands:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install emacs

ii) Fedora and Red Hat-based Distributions:

Open a terminal

Run the following commands:

sudo dnf update

sudo dnf install emacs

iii) Arch-Based Distributions:

Open a terminal

Run the following commands:

sudo pacman -Syu

sudo pacman -S emacs

iv) Centos:

Open a terminal

Run the following commands:

sudo yum update

sudo yum install emacs

Launching Emacs

Once installed, you can launch Emacs from the terminal by typing emacs in the command line, or by using the graphical interface of your Operating System to find and launch the application.

emacs

Understanding the Interface

The Emacs interface is divided into two main parts: The Window and The Mode Line.

• The Window: This is where you edit and view your files. The window is divided into multiple parts including the text buffer, the minibuffer and the echo area. The text buffer is where you can type and edit your text, while the minibuffer is used for entering commands and the echo area contains the bottom line of the screen.

• The Mode Line: This is the line at the bottom of the window (above the echo area) that displays information about the current buffer, such as the file name, the line number, and the mode (e.g. fundamental mode, text mode, etc).

Basic Editing in Emacs

Emacs provides many tools for basic text editing. Here are a few common tasks and the corresponding commands to perform them:

Key Abbreviations:

C-x C-f means to hold down the Ctrl key while typing xf (one after the other).

M-f means to hold down the Meta or Alt while typing f. If there is no Meta or Alt key, instead press and release the Esc key and then type f.

Important Note: Whenever you are stuck while using Emacs, C-g will always be your getaway command (even when you want to quit a partially entered command), while C-x C-c permanently ends an Emacs session.

Opening and Saving Files

• To open a file:

  C-x C-f

• To save the current buffer to a file:

  C-x C-s

Moving Around the Text

• To move the cursor forward by one character:

  C-f

• To move the cursor backward by one character:

  C-b

• To move the cursor to the next line:

  C-n

• To move the cursor to the previous line:

  C-p

• To move the cursor forward by one word:

  M-f

• To move the cursor backward by one word:

  M-b

• To move the cursor to the beginning of the line:

  C-a

• To move the cursor to the end of the line:

  C-e

• To move to the beginning of the buffer:

  M-<

• To move to the end of the buffer:

  M->

Deleting Characters

• To delete the character under the cursor:

  C-d or Backspace

• To delete from the cursor to the end of the word:

  M-d

• To delete from the cursor to the end of the line:

  C-k

Undo

• To undo recent changes:

  C-x u

Cutting, Copying and Pasting

• To mark the beginning of a selection:

  C-spacebar

Hint: (wherever the cursor is when you press C-spacebar, will be the beginning of a selection). After you have released both keys, you can use the arrow keys to select the needed region by moving up, down, right or down.

• To kill (delete) the marked region:

  C-w

• To copy the marked region:

  M-w

• To yank (paste) the copied or cut region:

  C-y

Searching

• To incrementally search forward:

  C-s

• To incrementally search backward:

  C-r

• To cancel search:

  C-g

Other Interesting Commands

• To get help:

  C-h

• To exit Emacs permanently:

  C-x C-c

• To select another buffer:

  C-x b

• To list all buffers:

  C-x C-b

• To kill a buffer:

  C-x k

• To create two windows:

  C-x 2

• To move to the other window:

  C-x o

• To delete the current window:

  C-x 0

• To delete all other windows except the current window:

  C-x 1

• To cancel a partially entered command:

  C-g

• To exit Emacs permanently:

  C-x C-c

Conclusion

Summarily, Emacs is a powerful, feature-rich, and highly customizable text editor that has been used by developers for decades. Its extensibility, efficient and keyboard-based interface and support for multiple programming languages make it a popular choice for those who need an advanced and flexible editing environment.

Resources

• The Emacs Manual: This is the definitive resource for learning about Emacs, and it is included with the software itself. You can access the manual at any time by running the C-h r command while using emacs.

• Online Tutorials: There are many online tutorials available that can help you get started with Emacs. A good place to start is the built-in tutorial, which you can access by pressing C-h t while using Emacs.

• GNU Emacs Reference card