Emacs Command Summary

UNDO, HELP - how to get out of a bind
BUFFERS - file control when working with multiple files
MOVEMENT - cursor control
MARKS and REGION - for use with cut and copy
DELETION AND KILLING
WORD PROCESSING - convenient tricks and time savers
Modes - set Emacs for the programming or mark-up language you need

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emacs SPECIAL CHARACTERS

^ x (c-x)

Press control key while typing x.

m-x (~ x)

A meta-x,

press Meta, Alt, or Option while typing x.

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emacs UNDO, HELP

^ x u (^ _)

UNDO last command (repeatable).

^ g

ABORT command in process.

^ h

HELP.

^ h t

Tutorial.

^ h a subject

Help APROPOS subject.

[tab]

Emacs finish command, or give possibilities.

^ x^ c

EXIT Emacs with queries.

^ y

YANK back deleted text.

~ y

YANK back earlier deleted text.

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emacs ENTERING FILES, EXITING

emacs filename

START Emacs from Unix with file filename.

emacs +n filename

START Emacs from Unix at line n of filename.

^ x ^ f filename

FIND (open) file filename.

^ x ^ f dirname

FIND and list directory dirname.

^ x 4 ^ f filename

FIND (open) file filename in new window.

^ x^ r filename

READ file filename to active buffer.

^ x i [ret] filename

INSERT file filename into buffer.

^ x ^ s

SAVE file from active window (buffer).

^ x s

SAVE some file from inactive window (buffer).

^ x^ w filename

WRITE active buffer into file filename.

^ x^ c

EXIT Emacs with queries.

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emacs BUFFERS

^ x ^ b

List BUFFERS,

then 1 selects highlighted buffer.

^ x b buffername

Switch to buffername.

^ x 4 b buffername

Switch to buffername in separate window.

^ x k

KILL active buffer.

^ x ^ v

KILL active buffer, find alternative.

^ x ^ c

QUIT Emacs.

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emacs WINDOWS

^ x 2

SPLIT display into 2 horizontal windows.

^ x 5

SPLIT display into 2 vertical windows.

^ x 1

Collapse display into ONE window.

^ x 0

Kill (ZERO) inactive window.

^ x o

Make OTHER window active.

^ x p

Make PREVIOUS window active.

^ x ^ (caret)

Open active vertical window HIGHER.

^ x }

Open active horizontal window WIDER.

 
Figure 1.3: Emacs movement commands for differing objects. 

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emacs MOVEMENT (Figure 1.3)

^ f

FORWARD a character.

^ b

BACKWARD a character.

^ n

NEXT line.

^ p

PREVIOUS line.

~ f

FORWARD a word.

~ b

BACKWARD a word.

^ a

Beginning (ALPHA) of line.

^ e

END of line.

~ a

Beginning (ALPHA) of sentence.

~ n

Beginning of (NEW) paragraph.

~ p

End of PARAGRAPH.

~ 99 ^ l

LINE 99.

~ 99

Enter 99 as ARGUMENT.

~ x goto-line [ret] 99

LINE 99.

~ x goto-char [ret] x

CHARACTER x.

~ < (meta <)

BEGINNING of file.

~ >

END of file.

^ v

FORWARD 1 screenful.

~ v

BACKWARD 1 screenful.

^ ~ v

Forward in inactive window.

^ l (el)

RECENTER (cursor on same character).

~ l (el)

Change next word to LOWERCASE.

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emacs POSITION IN FILE

~ what-page

PAGE & Line.

~ what-line

Show what line cursor is on.

^ =

Show cursor position.

 
Figure 1.4: Emacs ``region'' definition and commands. 

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emacs MARKS and REGION (Figure 1.4)

^ [space] (^ @)

Set MARK at cursor.

cursor

REGION = mark - cursor position (new).

^ x ^ x

EXCHANGE mark and cursor (i.e. check region).

^ w

Cut (KILL) region (WORLD) to clipboard.

~ w

COPY region (WORLD) to clipboard; no delete.

^ x [Tab]

Indent region.

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emacs SEARCH AND REPLACE

^ s word

Incremental SEARCH forward for word;

end with [esc] or click, continue with ^ s.

^ s

Continue SEARCH forward.

^ r

REVERSE search.

[esc]

End search (or some other commands).

[bs]

Move back in search.

^ r word

REVERSE search for word.

^ s

Continue search forward.

~ x occur [ret] expression

List all OCCURRENCES of expression,

cursor on line in occur-buffer, ^ c ^ c to find.

~ x search-forward [ret] word [ret]

Non-incremental SEARCH.

~ %

Synonym for ~ x query-replace.

~ x replace-string[ret] old [ret] new

REPLACE ALL old with new.

~ x query-replace [ret] old [ret] new

REPLACE after QUERY oldwith new, Emacs asks.

y, n, [esc], ,

Your replies: yes, no, quit, yes+stop (= ,).

 
Figure 1.5: Emacs deletion commands for differing objects. 

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emacs DELETION AND KILLING (Figure 1.5)

[bs]

DELETE character BEFORE (left of) cursor.

^ d

DELETE character AFTER cursor.

~ [bs]

DELETE word BEFORE cursor.

~ d

DELETE word AFTER cursor.

^ k

KILL & store from cursor to end of line.

~ k

KILL to end of sentence.

^ w

CUT & store region (WORLD) to clipboard.

~ w

COPY region (WORLD) to clipboard; no delete.

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emacs CUT AND PASTE

^ k

KILL & store from cursor to end of LINE.

~ k

KILL to end of SENTENCE; stored on clipboard.

^ w

Cut (KILL) region (WORLD); stored on clipboard.

~ w

COPY region (WORLD) to clipboard.

~ ^ w

Append kill to previous kill on clipboard.

^ y

Paste (YANK) text of last kill (from clipboard).

~ y

Paste (YANK) text of PREVIOUS kill.

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emacs WORD PROCESSING

~ q

FILL paragraph containing cursor.

~ g

FILL region (mark - cursor).

~ 1 ~ q

Fill and right JUSTIFY paragraph.

^ o (oh)

OPEN a blank line here.

^ x ^ o

DELETE multiple OPEN (blank) lines.

~ u

UPPERCASE next word.

~ l

LOWERCASE next word.

~ c

CAPITALIZE next word.

^ x ^ u

UPPERCASE region.

^ x ^ l

LOWERCASE region.

^ t

TRANSPOSE letters.

~ t

TRANSPOSE words.

^ x [tab]

INDENT region.

~ $

SPELLcheck last word.

~ x spell-buffer

SPELLcheck buffer.

~ x spell-region

SPELLcheck region.