emacs: getting help
Getting help
Emacs is a sophisticated self-documenting editor. Every facet of Emacs is searchable or describable.
Emacs’s help system is roughly divided into three parts and knowing which one you need and when will save you time.
The Info Manual
M-x info or C-h i to access.
| Key | Purpose |
|---|---|
| [ and ] | Previous / next node |
| l and r | Go back / forward in history |
| n and p | Previous / next sibling node |
| u | Goes up one level to a parent node |
| SPC | Scroll one screen at a time |
| TAB | Cycles through cross-references and links |
| RET | Opens the active link |
| m | Prompts for a menu item name and opens it |
| q | Closes the info browser |
Look up documentation for a command by typing C-h F and
at the prompt enter the name of a command.
Apropos
| Key | Purpose |
|---|---|
| M-x apropos | display all symbols that match a given pattern |
| M-x apropos-command or C-h a | shows all commands that match a given pattern |
| M-x apropos-documentation or C-h d | searches just the documentation |
| M-x apropos-library | lists all variables and functions defined in a library |
| M-x apropos-user-option | shows user options available through the Customize interface |
| M-x apropos-value | searches all symbols with a particular value |
Describe System
| key | Purpose |
|---|---|
| M-x describe-mode or C-h m | displays the documentation for the major mode |
| M-x describe-function or C-h f | describes a function |
| M-x describe-variable or C-h v | describes a variable |
| M-x describe-key or C-h k | describes what a key binding does |