Re: find out in which file a key is defined

[David Combs]

In article <mailman.2141.1323303824.798.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>,
Jim Green  <student.northwestern@gmail.com> wrote:
>On 8 December 2011 00:20, suvayu ali <fatkasuvayu+linux@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Thu, Dec 8, 2011 at 00:34, Jim Green <student.northwestern@gmail.com> 
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> thank you both, this what I get by c-h k c-r, but where could I find it
>>> is from isearch.el? I think finding where a key defined is very useful.
>>
>> You probably don't have the elisp files installed on your machine.
>> Installing them will show the info in the same help buffer (the one
>> you get from C-h k C-r).
>>
>> On most linux systems these elisp files can be installed by installing
>> <emacs_pkg_name>-el packages.
>
>exactly! Thankyou!
>

Change bindings like C-r.

No, no -- that's totally insane.

. you won't be able to (easily) run examples you see in
  doc on emacs.

. You ask for emacs-help from any other emacs user, 
  and he shows you things ON YOUR COMPUTER -- certainly
  within the first 50 keystrokes he'll try a C-r and
  it will do something that's (to him) totally insane --
  yell out "what the hell!!" -- then after you explain
  that it's your doing, he'll say "screw this", and
  return to what he had been doing before you had
  (now deemed "so rudely") interrupted him.

. You grab a keyboard-macro from someone, and it's
  pretty much guaranteed that it won't work.

Look, friend, if you start changing these standard (search)
keys that have been in use since, what, mid 70's?,
you're basically screwed.

To learn emacs:

. when in emacs, do "C-h t" (t for tutorial).  Written
  decades ago by the guy who actually WROTE (gnu-)emacs,
  it'll take you through the basic basics of editing
  via emacs.  

  But there is so much more to learn, maybe the neatest
  of all is dired (and dired-x).  

  Study the free doc on emacs (eg by doing "M-x info"
  and at least scanning the table of contents of
  the (huge) emacs part). 
 
  Then a suggestion that's gnu-emacs politically incorrect: 
  buy these two books: (incorrect because the books aren't free,
  not in money cost nor in many other ways.  ASSIGNMENT:
  sometime after you discover you like emacs, google
         gnu manifesto
  and read the thing (written by same guy who wrote
  gnu-emacs, is behind "gnu" software, founded
  "the free software foundation", won a MacArthur(sp?) grant,
  and so much more.) 

  .  Learning GNU Emacs, Third Edition [Paperback]
Debra Cameron (Author), James Elliott (Author), Marc Loy (Author), Eric Raymond 
(Author), Bill Rosenblatt (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews) | Like (4)
List Price:     $44.99
Price:  $26.54 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
You Save:       $18.45 (41%)
        Special Offers Available



  . GNU Emacs and XEmacs (With CD-ROM) (Linux) [Paperback]
Larry Ayers (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews) | Like (0)

Available from these sellers.


7 new from $25.00 12 used from $3.95
FREE Two-Day Sh


Both listings are from Amazon -- they're BOTH GOOD, BOTH NEEDED,
cheap enough for all the grief they will save you when using
emacs.

They're similar, but in their 2nd halves, they cover different
aspects of emacs.  YOU NEED BOTH.

Note: the 2nd one didn't show up on a google search for
             emacs      amazon

Nor did the 2nd one turn up on the first books amazon
page left-right runner of similar nature.

Maybe it's out of print (written in 2001), but
you can get it from any number of places, including
the ones suggested by amason.


I hope you take to emacs.  Stick with it -- AND GET THOSE
TWO BOOKS -- and refer to the M-x info "book" on emacs.

And for god's sake do "M-x shell", and if on "MS windows",
download and install "cygwin" (www.cygwin.org/cygwin).  Read the
wikipedia article on it, cygwin.

Once you learn dired, I think you'll stick with emacs,
such a neat feature it is.


Oh, here's a third book I just noticed (I own the other two):

GNU Emacs: UNIX Text Editing and Programming [Facsimile] [Paperback]
Michael A. Schoonover (Author), John S. Bowie (Author), William R. Arnold 
(Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews) | Like (0)

Available from these sellers.


11 new from $51.17 22 used from $0.50 1 collectible from $76.46
FREE Two-Day Shipping for Students. Learn more



written in 1991 (when gnu-emacs was already maybe 15 or 20 years old) --
The amazon page on says that "Peter Salus" liked it, which is a good
sign.  Anyway, you can read the reviews of all three on Amazon.



Any, good luck -- and be sure to give emacs a fair try.

(And whatever you do, do NOT change C-r.  Or anything else,
either!  Don't try to make emacs look like something else.
With emacs, that is an impossible task, so unique is it.)


BIG HINT: you run emacs ONCE.  You do NOT run it, edit a file,
then shut it down.  And do the same thing on the next file.
No, No, No!  Run it ONCE, keep it UP, and when you want
to edit a file, do C-x C-f <filename>.

You never exit emacs, unless you are taking the machine down,
or you want to restart with fresh memory, etc.

BUT, BEFORE YOU DO exit emacs, do this:
   M-x desktop-save
Then exit.

After starting it up again, do "M-x desktop-read",
you'll be back where you were before, with all
the buffers you had being back again.

(I have some 650 of them.  No, please don't ask.)


Have fun.

David