2 ms·

No kidding! I've led a couple sessions where I've taught other developers how to use Emacs (basic or advanced usage), and I continually emphasize that the built

No kidding! I've led a couple sessions where I've taught other developers how to use Emacs (basic or advanced usage), and I continually emphasize that the built-in help system (including info) is very good. You just have to get comfortable with the idiosyncratic terminology, and you can pick up half of that just from the C-h t tutorial.

gordonguthrie 16y ago
I can't make the help documentation work in Emacs - and I use it every day and have done for 6 or 7 years... I can open it but I don't know how the navigation works.
- silentbicycle 16y ago
  Press C-h C-h (or type M-x help) and look at the menu that comes up. These are the essential ones, IMHO (I cut out about half): You have typed M-x h e l p, the help character. Type a Help option: (Use SPC or DEL to scroll through this text. Type q to exit the Help command.) a command-apropos. Give a substring, and see a list of commands (functions interactively callable) that contain that substring. See also the apropos command. f describe-function. Type a function name and get documentation of it. i info. The info documentation reader. k describe-key. Type a command key sequence; it displays the full documentation. m describe-mode. Print documentation of current minor modes, and the current major mode, including their special commands. t help-with-tutorial. Select the Emacs learn-by-doing tutorial. v describe-variable. Type name of a variable; it displays the variable's documentation and value. w where-is. Type command name; it prints which keystrokes invoke that command. For example, type C-h a (command-apropos) and then type "compile". That brings up a list of commands with "compile" in their name. Each is also a hyperlink; moving the cursor to them and pressing Enter brings you to their documentation, which also usually includes a link to their definition in elisp. "apropos" is a good example of using an idiosyncratic term used by the help system. Also: kill-ring, "window" vs. "frame", "point". You just need to learn these, but you can pick them up from the tutorial and Emacs docs in the info pages. (Most of the terms come out of old Lisp culture, AFAICT.)

gordonguthrie 16y ago

I can't make the help documentation work in Emacs - and I use it every day and have done for 6 or 7 years... I can open it but I don't know how the navigation works.

silentbicycle 16y ago
Press C-h C-h (or type M-x help) and look at the menu that comes up. These are the essential ones, IMHO (I cut out about half): You have typed M-x h e l p, the help character. Type a Help option: (Use SPC or DEL to scroll through this text. Type q to exit the Help command.) a command-apropos. Give a substring, and see a list of commands (functions interactively callable) that contain that substring. See also the apropos command. f describe-function. Type a function name and get documentation of it. i info. The info documentation reader. k describe-key. Type a command key sequence; it displays the full documentation. m describe-mode. Print documentation of current minor modes, and the current major mode, including their special commands. t help-with-tutorial. Select the Emacs learn-by-doing tutorial. v describe-variable. Type name of a variable; it displays the variable's documentation and value. w where-is. Type command name; it prints which keystrokes invoke that command. For example, type C-h a (command-apropos) and then type "compile". That brings up a list of commands with "compile" in their name. Each is also a hyperlink; moving the cursor to them and pressing Enter brings you to their documentation, which also usually includes a link to their definition in elisp. "apropos" is a good example of using an idiosyncratic term used by the help system. Also: kill-ring, "window" vs. "frame", "point". You just need to learn these, but you can pick them up from the tutorial and Emacs docs in the info pages. (Most of the terms come out of old Lisp culture, AFAICT.)