From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Drew Adams" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: apropos to show variable values [was: Numbered backup stopped working] Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 10:02:25 -0800 Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1164045950 30699 80.91.229.2 (20 Nov 2006 18:05:50 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 18:05:50 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon Nov 20 19:05:47 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 1GmDWI-0006n7-Tz for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Mon, 20 Nov 2006 19:05:27 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1GmDWH-0005A9-LS for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Mon, 20 Nov 2006 13:05:26 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1GmDV2-0004PZ-O5 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Mon, 20 Nov 2006 13:04:08 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1GmDV0-0004Mr-2a for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Mon, 20 Nov 2006 13:04:06 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1GmDUz-0004ME-Kx for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Mon, 20 Nov 2006 13:04:05 -0500 Original-Received: from [141.146.126.228] (helo=agminet01.oracle.com) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS-1.0:DHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA:32) (Exim 4.52) id 1GmDUz-0005Y1-3k for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Mon, 20 Nov 2006 13:04:05 -0500 Original-Received: from rgmgw1.us.oracle.com (rgmgw1.us.oracle.com [138.1.186.110]) by agminet01.oracle.com (Switch-3.2.4/Switch-3.1.7) with ESMTP id kAKI42Bi019341; Mon, 20 Nov 2006 12:04:02 -0600 Original-Received: from rcsmt250.oracle.com (rcsmt250.oracle.com [148.87.90.195]) by rgmgw1.us.oracle.com (Switch-3.2.4/Switch-3.1.7) with ESMTP id kAKHCwmd019190; Mon, 20 Nov 2006 11:04:01 -0700 Original-Received: from dhcp-4op11-4op12-west-130-35-178-179.us.oracle.com by rcsmt250.oracle.com with ESMTP id 2216420371164045748; Mon, 20 Nov 2006 11:02:28 -0700 Original-To: "David Combs" , X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.6604 (9.0.2911.0) In-Reply-To: Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2962 X-Whitelist: TRUE X-Whitelist: TRUE X-Brightmail-Tracker: AAAAAQAAAAI= 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:38841 Archived-At: > Question: is there a way to get apropos, for variables, > to also show the current *value* of that variable? > > I set apropos-do-all to 1 and tried it, but got no > actual *values*. `apropos' does not list variable values. `apropos-do-all' shows also unbound symbols (that is, non-variable symbols) and key bindings, but it does not list variable values. To see the value of a variable listed in *Apropos* output, click mouse-2 on the word "Variable" after its name, or move the cursor there and hit `RET'. As an alternative to this, try Icicles. Like `apropos', it won't show you the doc and values of all variables at once, but it will list all variable names, without doc, and you can then see their doc and values one by one, selectively. With Icicles, use `C-h v' and type some text (e.g. a regexp) to match against variable names. Then use `S-TAB' to show all matching variable names in buffer *Completions*. Then, use `C-mouse-2' on a name in *Completions* to see the variable's doc and value. Or use `next' and `prior' to cycle among the matching variables and then hit `C-RET' to see a selected variable's doc and value; repeat for other matching variables. You can also use `C-next' and `C-prior' to cycle among the matching variables, displaying the help (doc + value) for each in turn. Unlike the standard `apropos' command, you can change the match pattern on the fly - the list of matching variables is updated immediately. You can also match variable names against any number of patterns (regexps): just introduce each one with `M-*'. For example: `C-h v buff S-TAB M-* win' shows all variables whose names match both `buff' and `win' (in any order). The same thing works for other names, not just for variables. For example, `M-x buff S-TAB' shows all commands whose names contain `buff', and `C-M-mouse-2' on a name shows the doc for that command etc. When you finally choose a command with `RET', `M-x' executes it. In addition, there are specific Icicles apropos commands (`icicle-apropos', `icicle-apropos-variable' etc.) that are like the standard apropos commands but let you update the list of matching names incrementally (on the fly). You might also be interested in library `apropos-fn+var.el', which provides specific apropos commands for different kinds of names (user options, variables in general, commands, functions in general). See: * http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/Icicles_-_Help_on_Candidates * http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/apropos-fn%2bvar.el > [ASIDE: how to (interactively) do M-x apropos with > the *prefix* "DO-ALL"? `C-u M-x apropos'. `C-u' provides a "prefix argument" to whatever key sequence follows it.