Xah Emacs Blog

• Emacs: Regular Expression
• Emacs Lisp: String Functions

updates and new. string and buffer.

• Emacs Lisp: String Functions
• Emacs Lisp: Get Buffer String
• 🆕 Emacs Lisp: Convert String to Buffer Text

xtodo review

• How to Avoid Emacs Pinky
• Tips on Long Term Emacs Productivity

• Emacs: Git Commit Message with Unicode

xtodo review, rss

• Emacs: Convert Straight/Curly Quotes

2022-10-31 Emacs: Xah Fly Keys More major internal change. No user visible change.

Internal implementation change. New function xah-fly-define-keys. This is called by xah-fly-keys-set-layout. Basically, command mode keys and leader keys are set by this function. It was several code blocks calling xah-fly--define-keys. Now they all moved into this new function, so that xah-fly-keys-set-layout no longer has to reload whole file. It now just call the new function.

• Xah Talk Show 2022-10-30 Emacs, Most Efficient Ways to Insert Unicode, Emoji, Math Symbols

• Emacs: xah-insert-unicode 🚀
• Xah Emacs Commands

• code update Emacs: Format JavaScript Code

updates and new.

• 🆕 Emacs: Declare File Encoding
• Emacs File Encoding FAQ
• Emacs: Set Default File Encoding

• Language Server Protocol (LSP) Kills Emacs

Emacs: Xah Fly Keys

More major internal change 2022-10-26. No user visible change.

• removed all explicitly named keymaps that are used in xah-fly-leader-key-map. e.g. xah-fly-t-key-map (qwerty k, of Space k sequence) is gone, and its keymap is just part of definition of xah-fly-leader-key-map with a sequence of keys. Much simpler.
• removed the redundant binding ("1" . xah-extend-selection) ("2" . xah-select-line) use key 7 and 8 instead.

Emacs: Xah Fly Keys

• More major internal change. No user visible change.
• xah-fly--key-char is now gone. replaced by xah-fly--convert-kbd-str. the latter converts any `kbd' argument, instead of a single char. xah-fly--define-keys is changed to use the new.
• Replaced all keymap names from xah-fly-Rp2p1-key-map to xah-fly-c-key-map. The former (finger based) naming is hard to understand. (The letter based naming is based on dvorak layout.) (also, in the future, these keymap vars will be removed, instead, relying on define-key to auto generate them.)
• Changed the implementation of the qwerty (space e) keymap to rely on auto-generated by define-key.

• Emacs: Xah Fly Keys, Modify Leader Key Sequence

• added a function alist-get Emacs Lisp: Association List

xah-fly-keys major internal change. xah-fly-layouts

Emacs: Xah Fly Keys

• New. var xah-fly-layouts holds a list of layouts. Supported layouts can be programatically listed.
• function xah-fly-keys-set-layout major change. No longer support M-x customize. Reason: supporting it makes the code much more complex.
• var xah-fly-key-current-layout changed accordingly.
• renamed xah-fly--current-layout-kmap to xah-fly--key-convert-table
• here is some detail. the layout was variables, e.g. • xah--dvorak-to-azerty-kmap • xah--dvorak-to-azerty-be-kmap • xah--dvorak-to-beopy-kmap etc. now these variables are string keys of xah-fly-layouts, with prefx xah--dvorak-to- dropped and suffix -kmap dropped, so the names are just azerty, azerty-be, etc. value remain the same.
• starting to phase out using symbol for layout names. Symbol pollutes symbol table. and string is more intuitive, universal. e.g. (xah-fly-keys-set-layout 'qwerty) should be (xah-fly-keys-set-layout "qwerty")

some update to doc. (not related to the change above though.)

• Emacs: Xah Fly Keys Customization
• Emacs: Xah Fly Keys, Add Keys to Switch Mode
• Emacs: Xah Fly Keys, Modify Leader Key Sequence

updates.

• Emacs: 1 Key for M-x
• Emacs: Add Custom Keys to Enhance Productivity

• Emacs: Undo/Redo Saga
• Emacs Undo and Emacs Cult Problem
• Emacs Lisp: Enable Undo in Buffer
• Emacs: Setup Standard Copy Cut Paste Keys
• Emacs: Add Custom Keys to Enhance Productivity

emacs 28 new feature, redo.

New command undo-redo. This command is typically known as redo.

(setq undo-no-redo t)

** New command undo-redo. It undoes previous undo commands, but doesn't record itself as an undoable command. It is bound to 'C-?' and 'C-M-_', the first binding works well in graphical mode, and the second one is easy to hit on tty.

For full conventional undo/redo behavior, you can also customize the user option undo-no-redo to t.

• Emacs 28.1 Features (released 2022-04)

• Emacs: Set Key to Insert Math Symbols, Emoji
• Emacs: Swap Keys

• Emacs File Encoding FAQ

massive updates again.

• Emacs: describe-char, Find a Character Unicode Name, Codepoint, Encoding, Font Used, Cursor Position
• Emacs: Show Cursor Column Position
• Emacs: Unicode Tutorial
• Emacs: Update Unicode Data
• Emacs: Display Lambda as λ
• Emacs: Newline Convention CR LF

• Emacs: Show Line Numbers
• Emacs: Abbrev Mode by Lisp Code

• Emacs Lisp: Unicode Escape Sequence
• Emacs Lisp: Character Type
• Emacs Lisp: Find Syntax of a Char

• Emacs in Microsoft Windows FAQ
• Emacs init file location in Microsoft Windows

the emacs key panel, e.g. at Emacs: How to Define Keys, essays about keybinding that's not practical emacs use are moved to Emacs Misc Index

misc other updates:

• Emacs: Find Replace in Current File
• Emacs: Regular Expression Case Sensitivity
• Emacs: File Manager, dired
• Emacs: Insert A to Z Vertically 🚀
• Emacs: Comment, Uncomment

more update. starting to make my tutorial more book-like, suitable for absolute beginners.

• Download Emacs for Windows/Mac
• Emacs: How to Check Version
• Emacs: Launch and Quit
• Emacs for Android
• Emacs Basics

massive updates.

• Emacs: Sort Lines
• Emacs: List/Delete Matching Lines
• Emacs: Bookmark

• Emacs: Regular Expression
• Emacs: Quoting Regex in Emacs Lisp Code vs Command Prompt
• Emacs: Regular Expression Syntax
• Emacs: Regular Expression Case Sensitivity
• Emacs: Wildcards vs Regular Expression

lots updates. now, pages that's just a custom emacs lisp command has a rocket 🚀 indicator

• Xah Emacs Commands
• Emacs: How to Edit Lisp Code

massive updates. updated many screenshots that's 15 years old, and other updates, move section to new page, re-org, new nav box of related articles, and many rewrites etc. this more review and edit to do, but if i continue, the list wont stop. so, webfeeding it now.

• Emacs: Select Text (mark and region)
• Emacs: Comment, Uncomment
• Emacs Calculator
• Emacs Calendar
• Emacs: Split Windows
• Emacs Basics Tips
• Fun with Emacs
• Emacs: View Info Page

• Emacs: How to Insert a Tab Character or Newline
• Emacs: Newline Convention CR LF
• Emacs: Change File Line Ending Between Windows/Unix/Mac
• Emacs: Convert File Line Ending for All Files in a Dir 🚀

• Emacs: Copy Current Line If No Selection 🚀
• Emacs: Copy/Paste, kill-ring
• Emacs: Copy to Register
• Emacs: 1 Key to Copy/Paste from Register 🚀
• Emacs: Copy Rectangle Region to kill-ring 🚀
• Emacs: Setup Standard Copy Cut Paste Keys

• Emacs: Refresh/Revert File
• Emacs: View Image File
• Emacs: Toggle Comment Current Line 🚀

• Emacs in Microsoft Windows FAQ
• Emacs: Run Shell in Emacs
• Emacs: Run ssh (Secure Shell)
• Emacs: Run PowerShell

• Emacs: Show Function/Command Documentation
• Emacs: Show Variable Value, List Variables
• Emacs: Search Function/Command, List Commands

• Emacs: Evaluate Elisp Code

• Xah Talk Show 2022-09-29 the Most Efficient Emacs Workflow, more efficient than vim
• Emacs: Open, Save, Save As, Close, Quit
• Emacs Workflow: Fullscreen vs Multiple Frames

am on lbry/odysee. follow me there.

Xah Talk Show 2022-09-28 emacs lisp. extract html links, insert to each page https://odysee.com/@XahLee:b/emacs-lisp-coding.-extract-html-links,:a

• Xah Talk Show 2022-09-28 emacs lisp. extract html links, insert to each page
• Emacs Lisp: Command to Extract URL

new and updates.

• Emacs: What is Meta Key
• Emacs: How to Define Keys
• Best Keyboards for Emacs

• Emacs Dired, Display File Size with Number Seperators
• Emacs: Dired Customization

code updates

• Emacs: Format JavaScript Code
• Emacs: Insert Random Number/Hex/String

• Emacs Lisp: Hash Table
• Emacs Lisp: Pretty Print Hash Table
• Emacs Lisp: Hash Table to List
• Emacs Lisp: Sort Hash Table

• Xah Talk Show 2022-09-22 Emacs Lisp Coding. Write Command to Add HTML Section Tags

• Xah Talk Show 2022-09-21 Emacs Lisp Coding, Write Command to Demote HTML Headers

All keyboard layout diagram changed. instead of button, now radio box, indicating current layout.

• Emacs: Xah Fly Keys Tutorial
• Emacs: Xah Fly Keys
• Kinesis/Ergodox Layout for Xah Fly Keys

• Xah Talk Show 2022-09-15 Emacs Key Macro

• Emacs: Keyboard Macro
• Emacs: Keyboard Macro Commands

• Emacs: Alias

misc new and updates

• Emacs Lisp: What's Dollar Sign $Name, at Sign @Name

• Emacs: Abbrev No Space
• Emacs: Replace Invisible Unicode Chars

• on vi Keybinding vs Emacs Keybinding

• Keymap Design: Muscle Memory vs Mnemonics

Xah Fly Keys update for colemak dh layout

Emacs: Xah Fly Keys update for colemak dh layout.

fix and new keymaps for the Colemak DH layout variations. Now with more accurate name for the Colemak DH variations: dhm, dhk, and dhk with angle-mode.

For users, change your layout to one of:

• "colemak-dhm"
• "colemak-dhm-angle"
• "colemak-dhk"

the following layout names are removed:

• colemak-mod-dh (use colemak-dhk instead)
• colemak-mod-dh-new (use colemak-dhm-angle instead)

internal:

• new: xah--dvorak-to-colemak-dhm-kmap is the offical Colemak DH (aka DHm) layout.
• new: xah--dvorak-to-colemak-dhm-angle-kmap is the Colemak DHm layout with angle-mode.
• new: xah--dvorak-to-colemak-dhk-kmap is the Colemak DHk layout.
• old: xah--dvorak-to-colemak-mod-dh-kmap is now removed. (it was for Colemak DHk)
• old: xah--dvorak-to-colemak-mod-dh-new-kmap is now removed. (it was for Colemak DHm angle mode)

• Why You Should Not Use Emacs calc

• Xah Talk Show 2022-09-07 Emacs Lisp for Beginner

• Automatic Formatting Emacs Lisp Code
• emacs lisp code auto formatter, semantic-refactor, failed
• emacs lisp code auto formatter, emacs-elisp-autofmt, failed

xtodo

new discovery in emacs 28. insert-char

xtodo

• xah-cite
• xah-open-file-from-clipboard
• xah-open-file-at-cursor

Idiotic url parser in emacs lisp. url-generic-parse-url. Elaborate overly complex code, uses common lisp lib, and, doesn't parse query string part.

xtodo work in progress

• Emacs: Interactive Find Replace Text in Directory
• Emacs: File Manager, dired
• Emacs: Dired Customization
• Emacs: Dired Sort File by Time, Size 🚀

• Emacs: Init File Tutorial
• Emacs: Sample Init File
• Start Emacs Without Loading Init File or with Different Init File
• Emacs: Command Line Options
• Emacs Lisp: Run Emacs Lisp Code in Shell

• Emacs: Org Mode, Work with Source Code

• Xah Talk Show 2022-08-27 Automatic Code Formatting: JavaScript Python PowerShell Golang Elisp WolframLang, Emacs Integration

updates and new

• Emacs: Format JavaScript Code
• Emacs: Xah JavaScript Mode, xah-js-mode.el

• Emacs: Xah PowerShell Mode
• Emacs: Format PowerShell Code

• Emacs: Xah Golang Mode
• Emacs: Format Golang Code
• Emacs go-mode gofmt diff problem

• Emacs: Format Python Code

linux emacs, need help test xah-open-in-external-app • and xah-show-in-desktop

can any help test this new version on linux? (the code has already been checked-in in Emacs: Xah Fly Keys )

xah-open-in-external-app and xah-show-in-desktop

from emiltoacs https://github.com/xahlee/xah-fly-keys/pull/149

The linux branch of xah-open-in-external-app and xah-show-in-desktop that uses xdg-open starts another child process to open its parameters with the appropriate command then it quits however it makes emacs kill the subprocess as soon as xdg-open has finished therefore the files opened externally are also instantaneously killed.

;; before 2022-08-19
(defun xah-show-in-desktop ()
  "Show current file in desktop.
 (Mac Finder, File Explorer, Linux file manager)
This command can be called when in a file buffer or in `dired'.

URL `http://xahlee.info/emacs/emacs/emacs_dired_open_file_in_ext_apps.html'
Version: 2020-11-20 2022-04-20"
  (interactive)
  (let (($path (if (eq major-mode 'dired-mode)
                   (if (eq nil (dired-get-marked-files))
                       default-directory
                     (car (dired-get-marked-files)))
                 (if (buffer-file-name) (buffer-file-name) default-directory))))
    (cond
     ((string-equal system-type "windows-nt")
      (shell-command (format "PowerShell -Command invoke-item '%s'" (expand-file-name default-directory))))
     ((string-equal system-type "darwin")
      (shell-command
       (concat "open -R " (shell-quote-argument $path))))
     ((string-equal system-type "gnu/linux")
      (let ((process-connection-type nil)
            ($openFileProgram (if (file-exists-p "/usr/bin/gvfs-open")
                                  "/usr/bin/gvfs-open"
                                "/usr/bin/xdg-open")))
        (start-process "" nil $openFileProgram (shell-quote-argument $path)))
      ;; (shell-command "xdg-open .") ;; 2013-02-10 this sometimes froze emacs till the folder is closed. eg with nautilus
      ))))

;; after 2022-08-19
(defun xah-show-in-desktop ()
  "Show current file in desktop.
 (Mac Finder, File Explorer, Linux file manager)
This command can be called when in a file buffer or in `dired'.

URL `http://xahlee.info/emacs/emacs/emacs_dired_open_file_in_ext_apps.html'
Version: 2020-11-20 2022-04-20"
  (interactive)
  (let (($path (if (eq major-mode 'dired-mode)
                   (if (eq nil (dired-get-marked-files))
                       default-directory
                     (car (dired-get-marked-files)))
                 (if (buffer-file-name) (buffer-file-name) default-directory))))
    (cond
     ((string-equal system-type "windows-nt")
      (shell-command (format "PowerShell -Command invoke-item '%s'" (expand-file-name default-directory))))
     ((string-equal system-type "darwin")
      (shell-command
       (concat "open -R " (shell-quote-argument $path))))
     ((string-equal system-type "gnu/linux")
      (call-process shell-file-name nil nil nil
                    shell-command-switch
                    (format "%s %s"
                            "xdg-open"
                            (file-name-directory $path)))
      ;; (shell-command "xdg-open .") ;; 2013-02-10 this sometimes froze emacs till the folder is closed. eg with nautilus
      ))))

;; before 2022-08-19
(defun xah-open-in-external-app (&optional Fname)
  "Open the current file or dired marked files in external app.
When called in emacs lisp, if Fname is given, open that.

URL `http://xahlee.info/emacs/emacs/emacs_dired_open_file_in_ext_apps.html'
Version: 2019-11-04 2021-07-21"
  (interactive)
  (let ($fileList $doIt )
    (setq $fileList
          (if Fname
              (list Fname)
            (if (string-equal major-mode "dired-mode")
                (dired-get-marked-files)
              (list (buffer-file-name)))))
    (setq $doIt (if (<= (length $fileList) 5) t (y-or-n-p "Open more than 5 files? ")))
    (when $doIt
      (cond
       ((string-equal system-type "windows-nt")
        (mapc
         (lambda ($fpath)
           (shell-command (concat "PowerShell -Command \"Invoke-Item -LiteralPath\" " "'" (shell-quote-argument (expand-file-name $fpath )) "'")))
         $fileList))
       ((string-equal system-type "darwin")
        (mapc (lambda ($fpath) (shell-command (concat "open " (shell-quote-argument $fpath)))) $fileList))
       ((string-equal system-type "gnu/linux")
        (mapc (lambda ($fpath) (let ((process-connection-type nil)) (start-process "" nil "xdg-open" $fpath))) $fileList))
       ((string-equal system-type "berkeley-unix")
        (mapc (lambda ($fpath) (let ((process-connection-type nil)) (start-process "" nil "xdg-open" $fpath))) $fileList))))))

;; after 2022-08-19
(defun xah-open-in-external-app (&optional Fname)
  "Open the current file or dired marked files in external app.
When called in emacs lisp, if Fname is given, open that.

URL `http://xahlee.info/emacs/emacs/emacs_dired_open_file_in_ext_apps.html'
Version: 2019-11-04 2021-07-21 2022-08-19"
  (interactive)
  (let ($fileList $doIt )
    (setq $fileList
          (if Fname
              (list Fname)
            (if (string-equal major-mode "dired-mode")
                (dired-get-marked-files)
              (list (buffer-file-name)))))
    (setq $doIt (if (<= (length $fileList) 5) t (y-or-n-p "Open more than 5 files? ")))
    (when $doIt
      (cond
       ((string-equal system-type "windows-nt")
        (mapc
         (lambda ($fpath)
           (shell-command (concat "PowerShell -Command \"Invoke-Item -LiteralPath\" " "'" (shell-quote-argument (expand-file-name $fpath )) "'")))
         $fileList))
       ((string-equal system-type "darwin")
        (mapc (lambda ($fpath) (shell-command (concat "open " (shell-quote-argument $fpath)))) $fileList))
       ((string-equal system-type "gnu/linux")
        (mapc (lambda ($fpath)
                (call-process shell-file-name nil nil nil
                              shell-command-switch
                              (format "%s %s"
                                      "xdg-open"
                                      (shell-quote-argument $fpath))))
              $fileList))
       ((string-equal system-type "berkeley-unix")
        (mapc (lambda ($fpath) (let ((process-connection-type nil)) (start-process "" nil "xdg-open" $fpath))) $fileList))))))

updated or new page

• Emacs: Unicode Tutorial
• Best Unicode Fonts for Programer

• Emacs: Change Font Size
• Emacs: Change Default Font Size by Command, for Current Session 🚀
• Emacs: Cycle Fonts by Command 🚀
• Emacs: Display Lambda as λ

• Emacs: Set Font in Init File
• Emacs: Set Minibuffer Font Size
• Emacs: Emoji Font Setup
• Emacs: Chinese Font Setup

• xah talk show 2022-08-04 emacs regular expression

• Emacs Repetitive Strain Injury, My Experience

• xah talk show 2022-07-31 emacs lisp, command to insert-random-string, hexadecimal, uuid, base64, WolframLang base36

• emacs jargons

• Emacs: Regular Expression
• Emacs: Wildcards vs Regular Expression
• Emacs: Regular Expression Syntax
• Emacs Lisp: Regular Expression
• Emacs Regex vs Regex in Python, JavaScript, Java Etc
• Emacs Lisp: Regex Functions
• Emacs Lisp: Unicode Escape Sequence
• Emacs Regular Expression Named Character Class and Syntax Table

• Emacs: Evaluate Elisp Code
• Emacs: Messages Buffer
• Emacs Lisp: Comment
• Emacs Lisp: Print, Output
• Emacs Lisp: String
• Emacs Lisp: Format String

• Emacs Lisp: Cursor Position Functions
• Emacs: Show Variable Value, List Variables
• Emacs: Set Default Window Size
• Emacs: Org Mode, Work with Source Code
• Emacs: Init File Tutorial

• Emacs go-mode gofmt diff problem

• Set Font in Init File
• Emacs: Emoji Font Setup
• Emacs: Chinese Font Setup
• GNU Emacs Removes Color Emoji Support on the Mac

• xah talk show 2022-07-22 emacs lisp, parse url, regex, trigram, hexagram

• new Emacs Lisp: Lambda

updated:

• Emacs Lisp: Vector
• Emacs Lisp: Symbol
• Emacs Lisp: Quoting Symbol
• clear-transient-map bug