From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Robert D. Crawford" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: I think the doc in emacs is too simple in someplaces Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 10:03:54 -0600 Message-ID: <8764c95gyd.fsf@comcast.net> References: NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1166461644 26329 80.91.229.2 (18 Dec 2006 17:07:24 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 17:07:24 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon Dec 18 18:07:22 2006 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1GwLY8-0005ll-RF for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Mon, 18 Dec 2006 17:41:13 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1GwLY6-00046a-Rw for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Mon, 18 Dec 2006 11:41:10 -0500 Original-Path: shelby.stanford.edu!newsfeed.stanford.edu!postnews.google.com!news4.google.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!local01.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.comcast.com!news.comcast.com.POSTED!not-for-mail Original-NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 10:03:16 -0600 Original-Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.help User-Agent: Gnus/5.11 (Gnus v5.11) Emacs/22.0.91 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:mU6GJp/cW53FTqFL9GmQB6N7qGA= Original-Lines: 69 Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: 68.52.51.66 Original-X-Trace: sv3-qYzYO7nhmgVAJcFqJwprYLgYNM9ih0iAzVbHKqoh0Xvan+5QpPVCguTCkHTUuz57Z7azdWORxY9xi1o!PpoFly+OPdzwkysh9RhSXYxMFPCPU2io5IMkOnc6RoFcGpkSYKkMEodEu3c= Original-X-Complaints-To: abuse@comcast.net X-DMCA-Complaints-To: dmca@comcast.net X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly X-Postfilter: 1.3.32 Original-Xref: shelby.stanford.edu gnu.emacs.help:144091 Original-To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org 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:39686 Archived-At: Ronald writes: > For example: > > c-toggle-electric-state > > c-toggle-electric-state is an interactive compiled Lisp function in > cc-cmds.el'. > It is bound to C-c C-l, . > (c-toggle-electric-state &optional ARG) > > Toggle the electric indentation feature. > Optional numeric ARG, if supplied, turns on electric indentation when > positive, turns it off when negative, and just toggles it when zero or > left out. > > It doesn't tell what the function does. Yes it does. It toggles the electric state. Computers are very good at answering the question you ask. It is up to you to ask the right question. In this case, you have asked what a particular command does and it has told you. The next step is to ask what the electric state does. This information can be found in the info page for emacs. The place where you are looking, C-h f, will give you a place to start looking but will not give you much information. Try this: C-h i to get into info, then m and ask for emacs, then s to search the manual. search for electric which will take you to a link to the relevant section of the emacs info manual. > > And the description about ARG is repeated everywhere, I supposed it's > not good. Not sure why you would think this. What it means is that if you invoke the command like so: C-u M-x command-to-invoke you are invoking the command with a 0 argument. Therefore C-u 1 M-x command is a positive arg and C-u -1 M-x command is a negative arg. Clearer? > -- Robert D. Crawford rdc1x@comcast.net Linux - Das System fuer schlaue Maedchen ;) -- banshee