Xah Emacs Blog Archive 2017-10
Emacs Lisp: Write a Major Mode for Syntax Coloring (minor update)
removed use of global variables.
i was, using setq for temp variables.
was that way, because it's simpler for beginner to understand, instead of
let*
but now, 10 years later, time's changed.
Emacs: Command Frequency Statistics (repost)
remember, that linum mode makes your emacs super slow.
download emacs 26, and
Alt+x global-display-line-numbers-mode
see Emacs Init: Show Line Numbers
for linux, download and compile it. Emacs: How to Build Emacs from git Repository
for MacOS, get emacs 26 beta at https://emacsformacosx.com/builds
also, whenever you upgrade emacs, you may need to recompile, or update, all your external packages.
Xah Lee's Typing Experience and RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) (updated)
the following pages, have been reviewed/updated
emacs window/frame management problem
an emacs frequently asked questions, the window/pane config reset problem. https://www.reddit.com/r/emacs/comments/7evidd/windmove_shortcuts/
my reply
that's a frequently asked questions, comes up every few months.
Best solution, is to stop 1-window full-screen workflow. Because, all sorts of emacs commands will constantly pop up and split your nicely setup panes. You'll have to fight it every few minutes.
This 1-window style came from terminal and IDEs. The former, are conditioned to have just 1 window (unless you make another connection to server). The latter, the IDEs, are based on pallette idea, where you have a fixed pane config, and every tool is predefined to sit in some pane/drawer/tab that lets you open or collapse them.
there are various packages that help you βresetβ your windows config. But they just add more work to your fingers.
Instead, use 2 windows side by side workflow. This way, your window config never changes unexpectedly. And, operating system provides much more flexible and powerful ways to control them. (example: Mac expose, or various linux tiling managers, and virtual screens) And, you can now fully utilize emacs split/unsplit horizontal/vertical on any window as you work, view different parts of a buffer, run calc, calendar, dired, shell, etc. Fluid and flexible.
check out my article on effective windows management for screenshots and detail.
Best Keyboards for Emacs (more update)
2 new commands for Mac. xah-open-in-textedit, xah-open-in-safari
emacs lisp, still don't have trim string. how many more years?
in any language, trim string is a fundamental string function. emacs lisp still don't have it! sitting in limbo for 3 years. How many more years? see
https://www.reddit.com/r/emacs/comments/7eblq0/nice_list_functions_in_emacs_251/
code example for 30 new list functions
emacs lisp. Planning to write example for each of the 30 new elisp functions.
patreon tip me if you like to see it.
better nav panel, emacs + elisp in 1 place
now, the side panel, contain both emacs and elisp in one place, for easy navigation.
empty cache and refresh browser. (in chrome, shift+f5)
tip me at my patreon. https://www.patreon.com/xahlee
emacs lisp sequence functions finally here
emacs 25.1 added over 10 list processing functions. Finally. For detail, see
Emacs: Cycle Space Hyphen Underscore (repost)
removed comment system on my site
just removed disqus comment on all my sites for now. They are now forcing image ads. And their ads are those low quality sensational types. To opt ad free, would be $10/month. But, comment takes 30min/day to reply, and 95% are garbage. (i have 5 thousand pages on my sites) might add back, we'll see. let me know what you think.
Emacs: Search Text in Current File
important update. For isearch-forward, make these equivalent: sequence of: space newline tab hyphen underscore
before, i didn't add a plus sign, so that if you isearch a text with newline followed by 2 spaces, emacs will not find the next occurrence. Possibly a emacs bug.
science of Keybinding Design β¨
lisp is dead
today is probably a good day to declare lisp dead. For a few years now, you don't hear lisp as cool stuff anymore. Not even much clojure. A new generation of programers, unceremoniously took place.
I think time moved on. No new Common Lisp coders. Scheme quietly went away, replaced by pyret (python) by themselves. Clojure struggle among tons of new langs, confined in enterprise coding on java platform. emacs lisp remain in handful of emacs users.
San Francisco Bay Area Keyboard Meetup Impressions. i smashed 100 keyboards! see San Francisco Bay Area Keyboard Meetup 2017-11 Impressions
updated the following.
Emacs: Eww Web Browser (major update. new screenshot. added keybinding, and a new rename function)
buy me a coffee at my patreon. https://www.patreon.com/xahlee thanks.
Emacs: Regular Expression (minor update)
Tips on Long Term Emacs Productivity (updated)
thanks to jcs for mention, at http://irreal.org/blog/?p=6733
jcs is a long time emacs blogger, check out his blog, containing many tips i don't cover much here, especially on using org mode, TeX, and web security.
Emacs Opening Large File Slow (on its own page)
Emacs: Latin to Gothic (π€π¬π±π₯π¦π ) π (minor update)
another emacs rsi
https://www.reddit.com/r/emacs/comments/7bgw48/are_these_early_symptoms_of_rsi_or_i_am_just/
Emacs Lisp: Find String Inside HTML Tag (minor update)
Emacs Lisp: Write grep (minor update)
Emacs: Lookup Web (xah-lookup.el) (corrected a init setup doc error.)
Emacs: Cycle Fonts by Command π (minor update)
Emacs Workflow: Fullscreen vs Multiple Frames (minor update)
the following line wrap articles have been reviewed and updated
the following has been reviewed and updated
New version of xah emacs tutorial is sent to previous buyers. If you haven't already, buy it now.
Thanks to many who requested to be kept on the update list. You'll continue to receive updates.
Emacs Lisp: Simple Code Examples (updated)
Emacs Select Word Command Problem (updated xah-select-line, xah-select-block, so that they don't depend on my other functions.)
emacs on Mac!
Why Run Shell in Emacs (added a Mac screenshot!)
since am now on a Mac (after 5 years on linux desktop), am going to add more Mac screenshots.
by the way, my history of emacs desktop (at home) is:
- 1998 to 2009. Emacs on Mac. (and also, 1999 to 2002 emacs on Microsoft Windows NT)
- 2009 to 2012. Emacs on Microsoft Windows
- 2012 to 2017. Emacs on Linux
- 2017. Emacs on Mac again.
Start Emacs with New Empty Buffer
updated. now it returns the buffer. With instructions on how to start emacs with empty buffer.
thanks to Vaddi3 asking on https://www.reddit.com/r/emacs/comments/79wsn7/mx_helppls_startup_empty_buffer_error/
ask me questions on patreon
San Francisco Bay Area Mechanical Keyboard Meetup, Saturday, November 11th, 2017
I'll be going! Thanks to Andy Lee.
i'll be there probably 10am to afternoon. Exactly i don't know yet. email or twitter me if you want to get in touch.
so far there are 200 people registered. Be sure to register. I think they allow max of 300.
Best Keyboards for Emacs (updated)
put a few bucks in my patreon. https://www.patreon.com/xahlee
or buy my emacs tutorial. Buy Xah Emacs Tutorial
I highly recommended this keyboard for emacs.
ask me question on reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/73zhle/xbows_keyboard_unboxing/
Highly recommended.