From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Tim X Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: how to find out where a variable is changed? Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:28:11 +1000 Organization: Rapt Technologies Message-ID: <87ej9r5jkk.fsf@lion.rapttech.com.au> References: <743b3625-381c-4b76-81a9-af63b9ef6b42@e10g2000prf.googlegroups.com> <87abli65gs.fsf@thalassa.informatimago.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1206956499 4928 80.91.229.12 (31 Mar 2008 09:41:39 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:41:39 +0000 (UTC) To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon Mar 31 11:42:10 2008 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 1JgGWn-0004Cj-Tb for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:42:10 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1JgGWB-0005gz-OY for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Mon, 31 Mar 2008 05:41:31 -0400 Original-Path: shelby.stanford.edu!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news.tele.dk!news.tele.dk!small.news.tele.dk!newsgate.cistron.nl!xs4all!news.wiretrip.org!border1.nntp.ams.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!sn-xt-ams-06!sn-xt-ams-04!sn-ams!sn-feed-ams-02!sn-post-ams-01!sn-post-sjc-01!supernews.com!corp.supernews.com!not-for-mail Original-Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.help User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/23.0.60 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:1cp2B7iUeCKBDgxmmqTBxV8gLj0= Original-X-Complaints-To: abuse@supernews.com Original-Lines: 76 Original-Xref: shelby.stanford.edu gnu.emacs.help:157528 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:52896 Archived-At: dkcombs@panix.com (David Combs) writes: > In article , > Peter Dyballa wrote: >> >>Am 01.03.2008 um 16:35 schrieb sunway: >> >>> the variable is changed outside, but where is it changed? >> >>~/.emacs, your personal init file? Don't you see the hyper-link to >>the customise interface? > > What hyper-link -- in one's .emacs? > > For me, at least, it's a new concept -- a hyper-link in a .emacs? > > I really don't understand what you (two) are talking about :-( > > > > ------- > > Separately, and a real pain for me, I've never understood just how > to use customize. (Edit options, yes, from way, way, back -- but > not this "newfangled" customize thing.) > > > I guess the main problem for me is that it's windows-like, in that > you've got to traversing down in a tree, easy enough if you > already know what's where in the tree. > > But without that knowledge, I'm just stuck there at the top, > having no idea where to go down to. > > Like windows, you see in some book instructions to > > "foo" --> "parties" --> "drinks" ---> ... > > What a pain having to have pretty-much memorized what's where. > > I always thought unix stuff was more flat than windows, > eg large (well, HUGE) numbers of commands under a /bin, > like sec (1) man-pages, enormous, and all flat. > > Anyway, every other emacs-user seems happy with customize - > maybe I could get some hints from you guys? > > > Thanks! > Like many things in emacs and even unix, there are many ways of using customize. If you just type M-x customize, you do get the big tree browser of all customizable options/variables. However, this is not how I normally use it. You can also use M-x customize-variable, M-x customize-group, M-x customize-face. I tend to use these a lot more often. In later versions of emacs, M-x customize-face and M-x customize-variable will also default to something 'sensible' based on where the point is in the buffer. When you do a C-h v, you will usually also see a "this variable can be /customized/ " where customize is a link that will bring up the necessary customize buffer for that variable. It took me a long time to move to using customize as well, but now I find it fast and useful - very useful for trying out changes as well. While of no great help to me, it also has the advantage of allowing people to customize emacs without having to know elisp. Tim -- tcross (at) rapttech dot com dot au