Emacs
Prerequisites[edit]
Background[edit]
emacs is a powerful text editor and environment that we'll be using heavily throughout our experiences. You can read more about emacs in this guided tour emacs tour but the best way to learn emacs is just by jumping in to the tutorial. Be very, very thorough! However, you may safely skip the sections titled "Multiple Frames" and "Disabled Commands".
The Tutorial[edit]
Log on to the server and start emacs:
john-williams@codermerlin:~$ emacs
emacs will start. Read the startup screen closely. It's important to learn to read messages thoroughly; don't skim, read. A careful reading will tell you exactly what you need to do to start the tutorial.
A helpful emacs key reference is available here: Emacs Keys
Remember that on the wiki key combinations are displayed as two adjacent keyboard keys, separated by a hyphen. Within the emacs tutorial, a different method is used.
On the Wiki | Within emacs Tutorial |
---|---|
CONTROL-h | C-h |
ALT-x | M-x |
As you work through the tutorial nearly all keys will behave exactly as described, with one notable exception. The tutorial describes the undo command as CONTROL-/. However, for reasons related to the manner in which terminal emulators operate, this key sequence will (probably) not work. The alternative sequence, CONTROL-SHIFT-_ will work. Another alternative, though a bit more cumbersome, is CONTROL-x u.
Emacs for Essays[edit]
Coming Soon | |
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Exercises[edit]
Excursions[edit]
- Using emacs navigation commands (including CONTROL-U), produce an ASCII art image at least forty characters wide and twenty-four characters high. Save your image to a file at the path ~/Experiences/W1004/art.txt.
- Repeat the above process adding several new images below the first to form a vertical comic strip.
- References: ASCII art (Wikipedia)