Re: beginner questions

["Pascal J. Bourguignon" <pjb@informatimago.com>]

JohnF <john@please.see.sig.for.email.com> writes:

> Pascal J. Bourguignon <pjb@informatimago.com> wrote:
>> JohnF <john@please.see.sig.for.email.com> writes:
>> 
>>> Two more questions, please. First (as also mentioned in post
>>> further down this thread), when I earlier said that fundamental-mode
>>> stops parentheses matching, I'd only actually checked <stuff>.
>>> Unfortunately, it still matches (stuff), [stuff], {stuff}.
>>> Any way to turn that all off?
>> 
>> M-x customize-variable RET blink-matching-paren RET
>
> Thanks again, Pascal. That works great (and the elisp example
> it provides by rewriting the .emacs file is terrific, too).
> Only rhetorical question is why I couldn't manage to find that while
> trying to google the answer myself, before posting the question.
>
>>>    Secondly, I figured I could easily get that fundamental-mode, as
>>> well as other initializations, into .emacs by myself with a little
>>> googling. But I tried all of (separately and together)
>>>    ; -*- mode: Fundamental;-*-
>
> Aside: I'm sure you realize I'm writing (trying to write)
>    "; [dash][asterisk][dash] mode: etc"
> above, although it shows up on my reader as a bold asterisk
> without dashes.

Yes. But (eq 'Fundamental 'fundamental) --> nil ; in emacs lisp.


>>    ;; -*- mode: fundamental;-*-
>
> I thought I'd googled that particular "executable comment" with
> one semicolon, but I'm currently failing to re-locate the page
> that contained the explanation. I'd understood it kind of like
> a postscript file comment that actually gets interpreted.
> Anyway, I changed it to two semicolons like you suggest,
> and it seems to work (both ways, as far as I can tell).

(info "(elisp) Comment Tips")


>>>    (setq-default major-mode 'fundamental-mode)
>>>    (setq major-mode 'fundamental-mode)
>> 
>> M-x customize-variable RET default-major-mode RET
>
> That coughs up a [No match], although it does recognize
> a major-mode variable. But that's already set to
> fundamental-mode, probably thanks to your auto-mode-alist
> suggestion below, which solved the problem.
>
>>>    (fundamental-mode)
>>> and nothing works. Still comes up in its own default mode.
>> 
>> You should also set auto-mode-alist
>>   (setq auto-mode-alist '(("." . fundamental-mode)))
>
> Yup, that solved the problem. And googling your answers
> (e.g., googling blink-matching-paren) nicely fills in the
> explanations of what's going on (once I know the answer,
> it's a lot easier to google it:). Now I'll have to find a
> quick-and-dirty elisp tutorial (tried googling bnf elisp,
> but could only find useful stuff for bnf lisp) to learn
> just enough to init emacs entirely to my liking.


An Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp
http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs-lisp-intro/  or  M-: (info "(eintr)Top") RET
(for non-programmers)

Emacs Lisp Manual
http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/elisp.html  or  M-: (info "(elisp)Top") RET


> But, thanks mostly to your answers here, I can now see that's
> all easily do-able, and can probably easily figure out how.
> Thanks again,


-- 
__Pascal Bourguignon__
http://www.informatimago.com/