emacs: buffers and windows

Posted on 2020-02-08 Edited on 2020-04-18 In emacs Views:

Key Bindings	Purpose
C-x C-f	Find (open) a file
C-x C-s	Save the buffer
C-x b	Switch buffer
C-x k	Kill (close) a buffer
C-x C-b	Display all open buffers
C-x C-c	Exits Emacs
ESC ESC ESC	Exits out of prompts, regions, prefix arguments and returns to just one window
C-/	Undo changes
F10	Activates the menu bar

You have several options when Emacs asks you to save a file:

Key Binding	Purpose
Y or yes	Saves the file
N or DEL	Skips current buffer
q or RET	Aborts the save, continues with exit
C-g	Aborts save and the exit
!	Save all remaining buffers
d	Diff the file on the file system with the one in the buffer

To enable it, type M-x ido-mode and then try C-x b or C-x C-f again.

You can enable it permanently by customizing the option ido-mode:

1	M-x customize-option RET ido-mode RET

You can also improve IDO's fuzzy matching by enabling flex matching:

1	M-x customize-option RET ido-enable-flex-matching RET

move between windows with rebinding to M-o , add below to ~/.emacs.d/init.el

1	(global-set-key (kbd "M-o") 'other-window)

swich windows with shift key, S-<left>,S-<right>,S-<up>,S-<down>, add below to ~/.emacs.d/init.el

1	(windmove-default-keybindings)

Key Binding	Purpose
C-x 4 C-f	Finds a file in the other window
C-x 4 d	Opens M-x dired in the other window
C-x 4 C-o	Displays a buffer in the other window
C-x 4 b	Switches the buffer in the other window and makes it the active window
C-x 4 0	Kills the buffer and window

Frames are useful with multi-monitor setups.

1 2	emacs --daemon emacsclient -nw

Key Binding	Purpose
C-x 5 2	Create a new frame
C-x 5 b	Switch buffer in other frame
C-x 5 0	Delete active frame
C-x 5 1	Delete other frames
C-x 5 C-f	Finds a file in the other window
C-x 5 d	Opens M-x dired in the other window
C-x 5 C-o	Displays a buffer in the other window

Gracefully shutdown daemon

1	emacsclient -e '(save-buffers-kill-emacs)'