RE: Using "Emacs Configure" **and** modifying .emacs

[Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>]

> What do I have to do to keep my settings and thos Emacs is writing, apart? I
> don't want Emacs to override my settings, and I don't want the Emacs
> configuration tool to get confused, just because my .emacs file contains
> things I  have put there.

Set variable `custom-file' to a file other than your init file.
Customize will then use that for the settings it writes, instead
of using your init file.

At an appropriate point in your init file, load the value of `custom-file'.
For example:

 (setq custom-file  "/my/path/to/my-customizations.el")))
 (load-file custom-file) ; Load your customizations.

See the Emacs manual, node `Saving Customizations' for more info about
`custom-file'.

Note that even though `custom-file' is a user option, you can't easily
let Customize manage it - just set it using `setq'.

(IMHO, *everyone* should use variable `custom-file', to keep Customize
away from their init file.)