From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Lennart Borgman (gmail)" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: newbie elisp help ?? Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:48:54 +0200 Message-ID: <46C33C86.7010104@gmail.com> References: <1187198873.2712.158.camel@CASE> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1187200182 18847 80.91.229.12 (15 Aug 2007 17:49:42 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:49:42 +0000 (UTC) Cc: EMACS List To: William Case Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Wed Aug 15 19:49:29 2007 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1ILMzj-0001Wf-UZ for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:49:24 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1ILMzj-0007zx-BP for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:49:23 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1ILMzQ-0007ww-SS for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:49:04 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1ILMzO-0007uM-8z for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:49:03 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1ILMzN-0007uE-V4 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:49:01 -0400 Original-Received: from ch-smtp02.sth.basefarm.net ([80.76.149.213]) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS-1.0:DHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:32) (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1ILMzN-0006Mv-BV for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:49:01 -0400 Original-Received: from c83-254-133-189.bredband.comhem.se ([83.254.133.189]:60109 helo=[127.0.0.1]) by ch-smtp02.sth.basefarm.net with esmtp (Exim 4.66) (envelope-from ) id 1ILMzI-0005Bz-73; Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:48:57 +0200 User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.6) Gecko/20070728 Thunderbird/2.0.0.6 Mnenhy/0.7.5.666 In-Reply-To: <1187198873.2712.158.camel@CASE> X-Antivirus: avast! (VPS 000765-2, 2007-08-15), Outbound message X-Antivirus-Status: Clean X-Originating-IP: 83.254.133.189 X-Scan-Result: No virus found in message 1ILMzI-0005Bz-73. X-Scan-Signature: ch-smtp02.sth.basefarm.net 1ILMzI-0005Bz-73 e93d9b35a5299856bce36ced3c0a265d X-Detected-Kernel: Linux 2.6? (barebone, rare!) X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:46574 Archived-At: William Case wrote: > Hi; > > I am trying to write a function that will insert a line of asterisks+ > spaces across a buffer (as a section divider). It was started as an > exercise and has become an exercise in futility. > > I am working in the scratch pad using C-j to test the function as it is > being built. I have: (insert "* "). It returns "* nil". Obviously I > don't want the "nil" to appear. How do I get rid of it? > > More importantly to me, how do I get the (insert "* ") command to repeat > 27 times to give me 54 characters across the buffer? I know how to make > a recursive loop, but it seems to me this is a fairly common challenge > and there is a probably a function for repetition that I can't find. > > I suppose I am asking for the programming equivalent of 'C-u n'. > > 'insert-char' allows for repeating but only one character at a time, not > two. > > Any guidance would be appreciated. Try this: M-: (insert (make-string 50 ?*))