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Learning emacs

Created: 15 May 2022

Updated: 11 March 2023

Q: Why learn emacs when I know a bit of Vim and heavily use VS Code already?
A: Here are a few reasons:

  • To develop Range.
  • A new technical challenge.
  • To use as fully customizable PKM system (with org-roam) instead of Obsidian (which works great and allows customization through plugins, but is closed source and very difficult to get a license for at work).

The Plan

  • Go through emacs tutorial
  • Try out markdown mode
    • https://github.com/jrblevin/markdown-mode
    • https://github.com/jrblevin/markdown-mode-guide
  • Explore: making emacs org mode look nice (https://zzamboni.org/post/beautifying-org-mode-in-emacs/)
  • Try different projects
    • Movie recommender backend (Python)
    • Movie recommender frontend (Angular)
    • Meal planner backend/Things Web backend (Java)
    • Learn a bit of Go (Go, obviously)
  • Configure ESLint and Prettier for TS projects
  • Try out org-mode
    • Create PARA setup (Single file for all PARA? One file for each P, A, R and A? One file for each project/area/resource etc. and an index file merging all of them?)
    • Read the org manual (https://orgmode.org/manual/Summary.html)
    • Read org guide (https://orgmode.org/orgguide.pdf)
    • Fill out org mode cheatsheet
  • Pilot org-roam for work knowledge base
    • Read through Org roam manual (https://www.orgroam.com/manual.html)
    • Different slip boxes (main, reference, drafts)
    • Spaced repetition for learning
    • shortcut to reorder title (and everything below it)?
    • Explore code: https://github.com/org-roam/org-roam
  • Try key bindings that don't cause RSI (spacemacs, doom, evil mode etc.)
  • Learn elisp and tinker with emacs and plugins/create plugins

Plugins

  • Tree-like file explorer
    • dired-sidebar
    • emacs-neotree
    • Other file explorers
      • ibuffer-sidebar

Things to try out

  • Git client (magit), inline git changes like VS Code
  • Linting and inline errors
  • Autocomplete, LSP integration
  • Org mode and org roam
    • Move project list and project reference to org roam
    • Keep next actions list in Google Tasks
      • Accessible from phone
      • Easy to convert email to task

Reading List

  • How I Take Notes with Org-roam
  • https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/eintr/On-Reading-this-Text.html
  • https://ccrma.stanford.edu/guides/package/emacs/emacs.html
  • https://www.reddit.com/r/emacs/comments/7i2alo/how_to_read_and_understand_gnu_emacs_source_code/
  • An Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp
  • https://pragmaticemacs.wordpress.com/

Resources

Cheatsheet

Open tutorial - C-h t

        			  Previous line, C-p
            				  :
            				  :
   Backward, C-b .... Current cursor position .... Forward, C-f
            				  :
            				  :
        			    Next line, C-n
Key Description
C-v Move forward one screen
M-v Move backward one screen
C-l Move text at cursor in middle/top/bottom of screen
M-f Move one word forward
M-b Move one word backward
C-a Go to beginning of line
C-e Go to end of line
M-a Go to beginning of sentence
M-e Go to end of sentence
M - < Go to start of document
M - > Go to end of document
C-u count command Repeat command count times
   

Editing

Key Description
BACKSPACE Delete character before cursor
C-d Delete character after cursor
M - BACKSPACE Kill word before cursor
M-d Kill word after cursor
C-k Kill from cursor to end of line
M-k Kill from cursor to end of sentence
C-SPACE Start highlighting
C-w Kill highlighted text
C-y Yank last killed text
M-y Cycle through killed text
C-u count char Insert char count times
   

Killing vs. Deleting

  • Killed text can be reinserted (aka yanking)
  • Deleted text cannot be reinserted, but you can undo a deletion

Undo - C-x, u OR C-/ OR C-_

Quit emacs - C-x, C-c

Abort command - C-g

Files and Buffers

Key Description
C-x C-f Find a file
C-x C-s Save file
C-x s Interactively save all files
C-x C-b List buffers
C-x b Switch to buffer
C-x -> Next buffer
C-x <- Previous buffer
C-x k Kill buffer

C-h m - view docs of current major mode

C-x f - set column width (to be used with auto-fill-mode minor mode) M-q - Re-fill paragraph

Key Description
C-s Search in forward direction
C-r Search in reverse direction

Windows

(i.e. splits)

Key Description
C-x 0 Close current window
C-x 1 Close all other windows, keep window with cursor
C-x 2 Split screen horizontally into two windows
C-x 3 Split screen vertically into two windows
C-x 4 C-f Find file in new window below
C-x 5 C-f Find file in new frame
C-M-v Scroll bottom window
C-x o Move cursor to other window
C-x ^ Make window taller
C-x } Make window wider
C-x { Make window narrower

Frames

(i.e. windows)

Key Description
C-x 5 2 Create a new frame
C-x 5 0 Remove selected frame

Getting help

  • Getting help - C-h ?
  • Help for character sequence, e.g. C-p - C-h c C-p
  • More information about command - C-h k C-p
  • Describe a command - C-h x
  • Documentation of variables - C-h v
  • List all M-x commands with a given keyword - C-h a
  • Read included manual - C-h i
  • Open tutorial - C-h t

Navigating info tree (e.g. in C-h i)

  • l - go to last node (go back after navigation)
  • ^ - go one level up in info tree
  • n - go to next node (next page in manual)

Dired

i - insert contents of subdirectory later in buffer C-u C-SPC - return to previous position in buffer ^ - return to parent directory in same buffer ( - hide details C-u k - on subdirectory header line to remove it C-M-n - next subdirectory listing C-M-p - previous subdirectory listing

Toggle subtrees

  • M-x dired-subtree-insert
  • M-x dired-subtree-remove

Writing code

  • Insert comment at the end of current line - M-;
  • Comment out line - C-x C-;
  • Kill comment on current line - C-u M-;