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An Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp

This is an introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp, for people who are not programmers.

This master menu first lists each chapter and index; then it lists every node in every chapter.

• Preface: What to look for.
• List Processing: What is Lisp?
• Practicing Evaluation: Running several programs.
• Writing Defuns: How to write function definitions.
• Buffer Walk Through: Exploring a few buffer-related functions.
• More Complex: A few, even more complex functions.
• Narrowing & Widening: Restricting your and Emacs attention to a region.
• car cdr & cons: Fundamental functions in Lisp.
• Cutting & Storing Text: Removing text and saving it.
• List Implementation: How lists are implemented in the computer.
• Yanking: Pasting stored text.
• Loops & Recursion: How to repeat a process.
• Regexp Search: Regular expression searches.
• Counting Words: A review of repetition and regexps.
• Words in a defun: Counting words in a defun.
• Readying a Graph: A prototype graph printing function.
• Emacs Initialization: How to write a .emacs file.
• Debugging: How to run the Emacs Lisp debuggers.
• Conclusion: Now you have the basics.
• the-the: An appendix: how to find reduplicated words.
• Kill Ring: An appendix: how the kill ring works.
• Full Graph: How to create a graph with labelled axes.
• GNU Free Documentation License:
• Index:
• About the Author:

  --- The Detailed Node Listing ---

  Preface

• Why: Why learn Emacs Lisp?
• On Reading this Text: Read, gain familiarity, pick up habits....
• Who You Are: For whom this is written.
• Lisp History:
• Note for Novices: You can read this as a novice.
• Thank You:

  List Processing

• Lisp Lists: What are lists?
• Run a Program: Any list in Lisp is a program ready to run.
• Making Errors: Generating an error message.
• Names & Definitions: Names of symbols and function definitions.
• Lisp Interpreter: What the Lisp interpreter does.
• Evaluation: Running a program.
• Variables: Returning a value from a variable.
• Arguments: Passing information to a function.
• set & setq: Setting the value of a variable.
• Summary: The major points.
• Error Message Exercises:

  Lisp Lists

• Numbers Lists: List have numbers, other lists, in them.
• Lisp Atoms: Elemental entities.
• Whitespace in Lists: Formating lists to be readable.
• Typing Lists: How GNU Emacs helps you type lists.

  The Lisp Interpreter

• Complications: Variables, Special forms, Lists within.
• Byte Compiling: Specially processing code for speed.

  Evaluation

• Evaluating Inner Lists: Lists within lists...

  Variables

• fill-column Example:
• Void Function: The error message for a symbol without a function.
• Void Variable: The error message for a symbol without a value.

  Arguments

• Data types: Types of data passed to a function.
• Args as Variable or List: An argument can be the value of a variable or list.
• Variable Number of Arguments: Some functions may take a variable number of arguments.
• Wrong Type of Argument: Passing an argument of the wrong type to a function.
• message: A useful function for sending messages.

  Setting the Value of a Variable

• Using set: Setting values.
• Using setq: Setting a quoted value.
• Counting: Using setq to count.

  Practicing Evaluation

• How to Evaluate: Typing editing commands or C-x C-e causes evaluation.
• Buffer Names: Buffers and files are different.
• Getting Buffers: Getting a buffer itself, not merely its name.
• Switching Buffers: How to change to another buffer.
• Buffer Size & Locations: Where point is located and the size of the buffer.
• Evaluation Exercise:

  How To Write Function Definitions

• Primitive Functions:
• defun: The defun special form.
• Install: Install a function definition.
• Interactive: Making a function interactive.
• Interactive Options: Different options for interactive.
• Permanent Installation: Installing code permanently.
• let: Creating and initializing local variables.
• if: What if?
• else: If--then--else expressions.
• Truth & Falsehood: What Lisp considers false and true.
• save-excursion: Keeping track of point, mark, and buffer.
• Review:
• defun Exercises:

  Install a Function Definition

• Effect of installation:
• Change a defun: How to change a function definition.

  Make a Function Interactive

• Interactive multiply-by-seven: An overview.
• multiply-by-seven in detail: The interactive version.

  let

• Prevent confusion:
• Parts of let Expression:
• Sample let Expression:
• Uninitialized let Variables:

  The if Special Form

• if in more detail:
• type-of-animal in detail: An example of an if expression.

  Truth and Falsehood in Emacs Lisp

• nil explained: nil has two meanings.

  save-excursion

• Point and mark: A review of various locations.
• Template for save-excursion:

  A Few Buffer--Related Functions

• Finding More: How to find more information.
• simplified-beginning-of-buffer: Shows goto-char, point-min, and push-mark.
• mark-whole-buffer: Almost the same as beginning-of-buffer.
• append-to-buffer: Uses save-excursion and insert-buffer-substring.
• Buffer Related Review: Review.
• Buffer Exercises:

  The Definition of mark-whole-buffer

• mark-whole-buffer overview:
• Body of mark-whole-buffer: Only three lines of code.

  The Definition of append-to-buffer

• append-to-buffer overview:
• append interactive: A two part interactive expression.
• append-to-buffer body: Incorporates a let expression.
• append save-excursion: How the save-excursion works.

  A Few More Complex Functions

• copy-to-buffer: With set-buffer, get-buffer-create.
• insert-buffer: Read-only, and with or.
• beginning-of-buffer: Shows goto-char, point-min, and push-mark.
• Second Buffer Related Review:
• optional Exercise:

  The Definition of insert-buffer

• insert-buffer code:
• insert-buffer interactive: When you can read, but not write.
• insert-buffer body: The body has an or and a let.
• if & or: Using an if instead of an or.
• Insert or: How the or expression works.
• Insert let: Two save-excursion expressions.

  The Interactive Expression in insert-buffer

• Read-only buffer: When a buffer cannot be modified.
• b for interactive: An existing buffer or else its name.

  Complete Definition of beginning-of-buffer

• Optional Arguments:
• beginning-of-buffer opt arg: Example with optional argument.
• beginning-of-buffer complete:

  beginning-of-buffer with an Argument

• Disentangle beginning-of-buffer:
• Large buffer case:
• Small buffer case:

  Narrowing and Widening

• Narrowing advantages: The advantages of narrowing
• save-restriction: The save-restriction special form.
• what-line: The number of the line that point is on.
• narrow Exercise:

  car, cdr, cons: Fundamental Functions

• Strange Names: An historical aside: why the strange names?
• car & cdr: Functions for extracting part of a list.
• cons: Constructing a list.
• nthcdr: Calling cdr repeatedly.
• nth:
• setcar: Changing the first element of a list.
• setcdr: Changing the rest of a list.
• cons Exercise:

  cons

• Build a list:
• length: How to find the length of a list.

  Cutting and Storing Text

• Storing Text: Text is stored in a list.
• zap-to-char: Cutting out text up to a character.
• kill-region: Cutting text out of a region.
• Digression into C: Minor note on C programming language macros.
• defvar: How to give a variable an initial value.
• copy-region-as-kill: A definition for copying text.
• cons & search-fwd Review:
• search Exercises:

  zap-to-char

• Complete zap-to-char: The complete implementation.
• zap-to-char interactive: A three part interactive expression.
• zap-to-char body: A short overview.
• search-forward: How to search for a string.
• progn: The progn special form.
• Summing up zap-to-char: Using point and search-forward.

  kill-region

• Complete kill-region: The function definition.
• condition-case: Dealing with a problem.
• delete-and-extract-region: Doing the work.

  Initializing a Variable with defvar

• See variable current value:
• defvar and asterisk: An old-time convention.

  copy-region-as-kill

• Complete copy-region-as-kill: The complete function definition.
• copy-region-as-kill body: The body of copy-region-as-kill.

  The Body of copy-region-as-kill

• last-command & this-command:
• kill-append function:
• kill-new function:

  How Lists are Implemented

• Lists diagrammed:
• Symbols as Chest: Exploring a powerful metaphor.
• List Exercise:

  Yanking Text Back

• Kill Ring Overview: The kill ring is a list.
• kill-ring-yank-pointer: The kill-ring-yank-pointer variable.
• yank nthcdr Exercises:

  Loops and Recursion

• while: Causing a stretch of code to repeat.
• dolist dotimes:
• Recursion: Causing a function to call itself.
• Looping exercise:

  while

• Looping with while: Repeat so long as test returns true.
• Loop Example: A while loop that uses a list.
• print-elements-of-list: Uses while, car, cdr.
• Incrementing Loop: A loop with an incrementing counter.
• Decrementing Loop: A loop with a decrementing counter.

  A Loop with an Incrementing Counter

• Incrementing Example: Counting pebbles in a triangle.
• Inc Example parts: The parts of the function definition.
• Inc Example altogether: Putting the function definition together.

  Loop with a Decrementing Counter

• Decrementing Example: More pebbles on the beach.
• Dec Example parts: The parts of the function definition.
• Dec Example altogether: Putting the function definition together.

  Save your time: dolist and dotimes

• dolist:
• dotimes:

  Recursion

• Building Robots: Same model, different serial number ...
• Recursive Definition Parts: Walk until you stop ...
• Recursion with list: Using a list as the test whether to recurse.
• Recursive triangle function:
• Recursion with cond:
• Recursive Patterns: Often used templates.
• No Deferment: Don't store up work ...
• No deferment solution:

  Recursion in Place of a Counter

• Recursive Example arg of 1 or 2:
• Recursive Example arg of 3 or 4:

  Recursive Patterns

• Every:
• Accumulate:
• Keep:

  Regular Expression Searches

• sentence-end: The regular expression for sentence-end.
• re-search-forward: Very similar to search-forward.
• forward-sentence: A straightforward example of regexp search.
• forward-paragraph: A somewhat complex example.
• etags: How to create your own TAGS table.
• Regexp Review:
• re-search Exercises:

  forward-sentence

• Complete forward-sentence:
• fwd-sentence while loops: Two while loops.
• fwd-sentence re-search: A regular expression search.

  forward-paragraph: a Goldmine of Functions

• forward-paragraph in brief: Key parts of the function definition.
• fwd-para let: The let* expression.
• fwd-para while: The forward motion while loop.
• fwd-para between paragraphs: Movement between paragraphs.
• fwd-para within paragraph: Movement within paragraphs.
• fwd-para no fill prefix: When there is no fill prefix.
• fwd-para with fill prefix: When there is a fill prefix.
• fwd-para summary: Summary of forward-paragraph code.

  Counting: Repetition and Regexps

• Why Count Words:
• count-words-region: Use a regexp, but find a problem.
• recursive-count-words: Start with case of no words in region.
• Counting Exercise:

  The count-words-region Function

• Design count-words-region: The definition using a while loop.
• Whitespace Bug: The Whitespace Bug in count-words-region.

  Counting Words in a defun

• Divide and Conquer:
• Words and Symbols: What to count?
• Syntax: What constitutes a word or symbol?
• count-words-in-defun: Very like count-words.
• Several defuns: Counting several defuns in a file.
• Find a File: Do you want to look at a file?
• lengths-list-file: A list of the lengths of many definitions.
• Several files: Counting in definitions in different files.
• Several files recursively: Recursively counting in different files.
• Prepare the data: Prepare the data for display in a graph.

  Count Words in defuns in Different Files

• lengths-list-many-files: Return a list of the lengths of defuns.
• append: Attach one list to another.

  Prepare the Data for Display in a Graph

• Sorting: Sorting lists.
• Files List: Making a list of files.
• Counting function definitions:

  Readying a Graph

• Columns of a graph:
• graph-body-print: How to print the body of a graph.
• recursive-graph-body-print:
• Printed Axes:
• Line Graph Exercise:

  Your .emacs File

• Default Configuration:
• Site-wide Init: You can write site-wide init files.
• defcustom: Emacs will write code for you.
• Beginning a .emacs File: How to write a .emacs file.
• Text and Auto-fill: Automatically wrap lines.
• Mail Aliases: Use abbreviations for email addresses.
• Indent Tabs Mode: Don't use tabs with TeX
• Keybindings: Create some personal keybindings.
• Keymaps: More about key binding.
• Loading Files: Load (i.e., evaluate) files automatically.
• Autoload: Make functions available.
• Simple Extension: Define a function; bind it to a key.
• X11 Colors: Colors in version 19 in X.
• Miscellaneous:
• Mode Line: How to customize your mode line.

  Debugging

• debug: How to use the built-in debugger.
• debug-on-entry: Start debugging when you call a function.
• debug-on-quit: Start debugging when you quit with C-g.
• edebug: How to use Edebug, a source level debugger.
• Debugging Exercises:

  Handling the Kill Ring

• rotate-yank-pointer: Move a pointer along a list and around.
• yank: Paste a copy of a clipped element.
• yank-pop: Insert first element pointed to.

  The rotate-yank-pointer Function

• Understanding rotate-yk-ptr:
• rotate-yk-ptr body: The body of rotate-yank-pointer.

  The Body of rotate-yank-pointer

• Digression concerning error: How to mislead humans, but not computers.
• rotate-yk-ptr else-part: The else-part of the if expression.
• Remainder Function: The remainder, %, function.
• rotate-yk-ptr remainder: Using % in rotate-yank-pointer.
• kill-rng-yk-ptr last elt: Pointing to the last element.

  yank

• rotate-yk-ptr arg: Pass the argument to rotate-yank-pointer.
• rotate-yk-ptr negative arg: Pass a negative argument.

  A Graph with Labelled Axes

• Labelled Example:
• print-graph Varlist: let expression in print-graph.
• print-Y-axis: Print a label for the vertical axis.
• print-X-axis: Print a horizontal label.
• Print Whole Graph: The function to print a complete graph.

  The print-Y-axis Function

• Height of label: What height for the Y axis?
• Compute a Remainder: How to compute the remainder of a division.
• Y Axis Element: Construct a line for the Y axis.
• Y-axis-column: Generate a list of Y axis labels.
• print-Y-axis Penultimate: A not quite final version.

  The print-X-axis Function

• Similarities differences: Much like print-Y-axis, but not exactly.
• X Axis Tic Marks: Create tic marks for the horizontal axis.

  Printing the Whole Graph

• The final version: A few changes.
• Test print-graph: Run a short test.
• Graphing words in defuns: Executing the final code.
• lambda: How to write an anonymous function.
• mapcar: Apply a function to elements of a list.
• Another Bug: Yet another bug ... most insidious.
• Final printed graph: The graph itself!