4 ms·

Ask HN: What is your .emacs file like?

14 points by tootlol 15y ago

What are some good ways to get work done using Emacs? Ideally I would like to minimize the code I actually write as much as possible. How do you make emacs automate your work?

st3fan 15y ago
Don't know where I found this, but I like this little gem: (add-hook 'after-save-hook 'executable-make-buffer-file-executable-if-script-p) It automatically makes files executable that look like they are scripts. (Start with #!/some/interpreter)
- rbanffy 15y ago
  That's a really good idea. Now that you said that, I think I'll build some templates for commonly added files (like importing Django or GAE modules when the file is called "models.py").
rbanffy 15y ago
I used to have yasnippet with some custom snippets, but then I kept using the custom o ones less and less to the point my last install uses the stock yasnippet package from the distro. I intend to rethink my custom, snippets and redeploy the more interesting ones. That and loading extras and binding keys in a comfortable way.
chromejs10 15y ago
Here is mine. Not too much in it. The main thing was get rid of all those annoying *~ files (setq-default truncate-lines t) (setq truncate-partial-width-windows nil) ;; for vertically-split windows (setq inhibit-startup-message t) (setq make-backup-files nil) ; Don't want any backup files (setq auto-save-list-file-name nil) ; Don't want any .saves files (setq-default transient-mark-mode t)
saulrh 15y ago
Not really a tip for your dotfile, but learn about all of Emacs's autocompletion variations. There are something like five of them, ranging from basic M-/ to CEDET's context-and-semantics-sensitive code completion tool.
duncan_bayne 15y ago
https://github.com/duncan-bayne/ubuntu-setup/blob/master/conf/emacs/emacs https://github.com/duncan-bayne/ubuntu-setup/blob/master/con... Nothing really special: adds a bunch of modes that I use, tweaks clipboard behaviour & appearance, displays column data & full pathname, plus opens & renames a bunch of terminals. Oh yeah, there's a VB.NET mode in there too. That was fun.
Kjeldahl 15y ago
;; Shows last used files in menu on emacs startup (require 'recentf) (recentf-mode 1) (setq recentf-max-menu-items 25) (global-set-key "\C-x\ \C-r" 'recentf-open-files) ;; Improves buffer names (gets rid of <2> <3> etc names when filenames ;; are identical). (require 'uniquify) ;; Copies from line above with meta-n, useful for some programming ;; languages that force such structures. (fset 'prevlinecolcopy [up ?\C- right ?\M-w left down ?\C-y]) (global-set-key (kbd "M-n") 'prevlinecolcopy)
st3fan 15y ago
What I really love about emacs is that it is so easy to move keys around and to assign function to keys. For example, I find this really useful on my MacBook Air keyboard: ;; Map option-up/down do page-up/down (global-set-key (kbd "ESC <up>") 'scroll-down) (global-set-key (kbd "ESC <down>") 'scroll-up) Now option up/down do paging. Win. (Probably already default in Aquamacs, but I prefer to use the 'real' Emacs.app)

14 points by tootlol 15y ago

What are some good ways to get work done using Emacs? Ideally I would like to minimize the code I actually write as much as possible. How do you make emacs automate your work?

st3fan 15y ago

Don't know where I found this, but I like this little gem: (add-hook 'after-save-hook 'executable-make-buffer-file-executable-if-script-p) It automatically makes files executable that look like they are scripts. (Start with #!/some/interpreter)

rbanffy 15y ago
That's a really good idea. Now that you said that, I think I'll build some templates for commonly added files (like importing Django or GAE modules when the file is called "models.py").

rbanffy 15y ago

I used to have yasnippet with some custom snippets, but then I kept using the custom o ones less and less to the point my last install uses the stock yasnippet package from the distro. I intend to rethink my custom, snippets and redeploy the more interesting ones. That and loading extras and binding keys in a comfortable way.

chromejs10 15y ago

Here is mine. Not too much in it. The main thing was get rid of all those annoying *~ files (setq-default truncate-lines t) (setq truncate-partial-width-windows nil) ;; for vertically-split windows (setq inhibit-startup-message t) (setq make-backup-files nil) ; Don't want any backup files (setq auto-save-list-file-name nil) ; Don't want any .saves files (setq-default transient-mark-mode t)

saulrh 15y ago

Not really a tip for your dotfile, but learn about all of Emacs's autocompletion variations. There are something like five of them, ranging from basic M-/ to CEDET's context-and-semantics-sensitive code completion tool.

duncan_bayne 15y ago

https://github.com/duncan-bayne/ubuntu-setup/blob/master/conf/emacs/emacs https://github.com/duncan-bayne/ubuntu-setup/blob/master/con... Nothing really special: adds a bunch of modes that I use, tweaks clipboard behaviour & appearance, displays column data & full pathname, plus opens & renames a bunch of terminals. Oh yeah, there's a VB.NET mode in there too. That was fun.

Kjeldahl 15y ago

;; Shows last used files in menu on emacs startup (require 'recentf) (recentf-mode 1) (setq recentf-max-menu-items 25) (global-set-key "\C-x\ \C-r" 'recentf-open-files) ;; Improves buffer names (gets rid of <2> <3> etc names when filenames ;; are identical). (require 'uniquify) ;; Copies from line above with meta-n, useful for some programming ;; languages that force such structures. (fset 'prevlinecolcopy [up ?\C- right ?\M-w left down ?\C-y]) (global-set-key (kbd "M-n") 'prevlinecolcopy)

st3fan 15y ago

What I really love about emacs is that it is so easy to move keys around and to assign function to keys. For example, I find this really useful on my MacBook Air keyboard: ;; Map option-up/down do page-up/down (global-set-key (kbd "ESC <up>") 'scroll-down) (global-set-key (kbd "ESC <down>") 'scroll-up) Now option up/down do paging. Win. (Probably already default in Aquamacs, but I prefer to use the 'real' Emacs.app)