Tab doesn't work in emacs

Tab doesn't work in emacs

[Christopher Forsythe]

Hi,

    I've lost the functionality of my tab button in emacs 21.1.1. I am
running os x 10.2.3, and lost the functionality of my delete key as well, it
would bring up the help menu. Fixed that with a .emacs file. I'd like to be
able to do two things

1) Fix the tab function

2) Make the instructions in the .emacs file global, so that all users would
have it by just typing .emacs, but without putting a .emacs file into
everyones home directory.


Any and all help is very appreciated.

Chris

Re: Tab doesn't work in emacs

[kgold]

In article <mailman.1149.1043889789.21513.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>,
 Christopher Forsythe <the_tick@brok3n.org> writes:
> Hi,
> 
>     I've lost the functionality of my tab button in emacs 21.1.1. I am
> running os x 10.2.3, and lost the functionality of my delete key as well, it
> would bring up the help menu. Fixed that with a .emacs file. I'd like to be
> able to do two things
> 
> 1) Fix the tab function

Type
	C-h c TAB

and tell us what you get.  It might be that the TAB key is mapped
to a function other than a primitive tab.

> 2) Make the instructions in the .emacs file global, so that all users would
> have it by just typing .emacs, but without putting a .emacs file into
> everyones home directory.

Think really hard before you do this.  Is it really a site wide
customization that people will need in order for emacs to work?  Or is
a cool customization that you like and want to share with everyone?

If the latter, it might annoy more users than it helps, when emacs
behaves in s strange non-default way and they can't figure out why.

>From the manual:

   There can also be a "default init file", which is the library named
`default.el', found via the standard search path for libraries.  The
Emacs distribution contains no such library; your site may create one
for local customizations.  If this library exists, it is loaded
whenever you start Emacs (except when you specify `-q').  But your init
file, if any, is loaded first; if it sets `inhibit-default-init'
non-`nil', then `default' is not loaded.

   Your site may also have a "site startup file"; this is named
`site-start.el', if it exists.  Emacs loads this library before it
loads your init file.  To inhibit loading of this library, use the
option `-no-site-file'.


-- 
-- 
Ken Goldman   kgold@watson.ibm.com   914-784-7646

Re: Tab doesn't work in emacs

[the_tick]

Original Message:
-----------------
From:  kgold@watson.ibm.com (kgold)
Date: 30 Jan 2003 16:22:02 GMT
To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
Subject: Re: Tab doesn't work in emacs



In article <mailman.1149.1043889789.21513.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>,
 Christopher Forsythe <the_tick@brok3n.org> writes:
> Hi,
> 
>     I've lost the functionality of my tab button in emacs 21.1.1. I am
> running os x 10.2.3, and lost the functionality of my delete key as well,
it
> would bring up the help menu. Fixed that with a .emacs file. I'd like to
be
> able to do two things
> 
> 1) Fix the tab function

Type
	C-h c TAB

and tell us what you get.  It might be that the TAB key is mapped
to a function other than a primitive tab.




Heh, I'm not quite sure how to do C-h c TAB, I only know how to save and
close emacs. But I did figure out what Kai was talking about earlier. When
I edit a .cpp, .dll, or any file without an extension, tab works fine. When
it's a .c or .m file, no tab key functionality. How would I go about
changing it so that tab would work in all files?

> 2) Make the instructions in the .emacs file global, so that all users
would
> have it by just typing .emacs, but without putting a .emacs file into
> everyones home directory.

Think really hard before you do this.  Is it really a site wide
customization that people will need in order for emacs to work?  Or is
a cool customization that you like and want to share with everyone?

If the latter, it might annoy more users than it helps, when emacs
behaves in s strange non-default way and they can't figure out why.

>From the manual:

   There can also be a "default init file", which is the library named
`default.el', found via the standard search path for libraries.  The
Emacs distribution contains no such library; your site may create one
for local customizations.  If this library exists, it is loaded
whenever you start Emacs (except when you specify `-q').  But your init
file, if any, is loaded first; if it sets `inhibit-default-init'
non-`nil', then `default' is not loaded.

   Your site may also have a "site startup file"; this is named
`site-start.el', if it exists.  Emacs loads this library before it
loads your init file.  To inhibit loading of this library, use the
option `-no-site-file'.



Heh, it's my laptop, so the only other person using it would be my wife..
and she likes vi :)

-- 
-- 
Ken Goldman   kgold@watson.ibm.com   914-784-7646
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Re: Tab doesn't work in emacs

[Barry Margolin]

In article <mailman.1201.1043948624.21513.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>,
the_tick@brok3n.org <the_tick@brok3n.org> wrote:
>Type
>	C-h c TAB
>
>and tell us what you get.  It might be that the TAB key is mapped
>to a function other than a primitive tab.
>
>
>
>
>Heh, I'm not quite sure how to do C-h c TAB, I only know how to save and

You type Control-h followed by c followed by TAB.  This will display what
character the TAB key sends, and what command is executed as a result.

>close emacs. But I did figure out what Kai was talking about earlier. When
>I edit a .cpp, .dll, or any file without an extension, tab works fine. When
>it's a .c or .m file, no tab key functionality. How would I go about
>changing it so that tab would work in all files?

In most of the modes for editing programming language files, TAB is
assigned to a function to indent the current line correctly.  If it doesn't
seem to be doing anything, it's because the line is already indented
correctly.

If you want to insert a literal TAB character in the file, type C-q TAB
(that's Control-q followed by the TAB key).

>Heh, it's my laptop, so the only other person using it would be my wife..
>and she likes vi :)

If there's only one Emacs user, why would you need your .emacs file to be
global?

-- 
Barry Margolin, barmar@genuity.net
Genuity, Woburn, MA
*** DON'T SEND TECHNICAL QUESTIONS DIRECTLY TO ME, post them to newsgroups.
Please DON'T copy followups to me -- I'll assume it wasn't posted to the group.

Re: Tab doesn't work in emacs

[the_tick]

Original Message:
-----------------
From: Barry Margolin barmar@genuity.net
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2003 18:53:38 GMT
To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
Subject: Re: Tab doesn't work in emacs


In article <mailman.1201.1043948624.21513.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>,
the_tick@brok3n.org <the_tick@brok3n.org> wrote:
>Type
>	C-h c TAB
>
>and tell us what you get.  It might be that the TAB key is mapped
>to a function other than a primitive tab.
>
>
>
>
>Heh, I'm not quite sure how to do C-h c TAB, I only know how to save and

You type Control-h followed by c followed by TAB.  This will display what
character the TAB key sends, and what command is executed as a result.




There is nothing there..
>close emacs. But I did figure out what Kai was talking about earlier. When
>I edit a .cpp, .dll, or any file without an extension, tab works fine. When
>it's a .c or .m file, no tab key functionality. How would I go about
>changing it so that tab would work in all files?

In most of the modes for editing programming language files, TAB is
assigned to a function to indent the current line correctly.  If it doesn't
seem to be doing anything, it's because the line is already indented
correctly.

If you want to insert a literal TAB character in the file, type C-q TAB
(that's Control-q followed by the TAB key).


Ok, so that worked.. how to I set that up in my .emacs file, or globally?

>Heh, it's my laptop, so the only other person using it would be my wife..
>and she likes vi :)

If there's only one Emacs user, why would you need your .emacs file to be
global?


Well, I have a bob user for messing with stuff without breaking my home
directory, then I have my chris user, for normal usage, and I have root..
-- 
Barry Margolin, barmar@genuity.net
Genuity, Woburn, MA
*** DON'T SEND TECHNICAL QUESTIONS DIRECTLY TO ME, post them to newsgroups.
Please DON'T copy followups to me -- I'll assume it wasn't posted to the
group.
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Re: Tab doesn't work in emacs

[Kai Großjohann]

"the_tick@brok3n.org" <the_tick@brok3n.org> writes:

> There is nothing there..

Huh?  For example, C-h c C-b will print 

    C-b runs the command backward-char

in the last line of the window.  Are you *sure* that this does not
happen for TAB?

Maybe try C-h k TAB instead of C-h c TAB -- C-h k is less easy to
miss :-)
-- 
Ambibibentists unite!

Re: Tab doesn't work in emacs

[the_tick]

Original Message:
-----------------
From:  kai.grossjohann@uni-duisburg.de (Kai Großjohann)
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2003 22:13:52 +0100
To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
Subject: Re: Tab doesn't work in emacs


"the_tick@brok3n.org" <the_tick@brok3n.org> writes:

> There is nothing there..

Huh?  For example, C-h c C-b will print 

    C-b runs the command backward-char

in the last line of the window.  Are you *sure* that this does not
happen for TAB?

Maybe try C-h k TAB instead of C-h c TAB -- C-h k is less easy to
miss :-)



Heh, it is a bit easier, but nothing happens. I push C-h k, and it says end
of buffer in the status line, and then I push TAB, and absolutely nothing
happens. The file I am in is Tiny.m. Tab works fine in any file that
doesn't have an extension, or has the extension .cpp or .dll.. I'm probably
missing something, or being ignorant about it.. Thanks for all the help so
far though

Chris


-- 
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Re: Tab doesn't work in emacs

[Kai Großjohann]

"the_tick@brok3n.org" <the_tick@brok3n.org> writes:

> Heh, it is a bit easier, but nothing happens. I push C-h k, and it says end
> of buffer in the status line

Sounds like an error.  Please M-x toggle-debug-on-error RET and
repeat C-h k.  What do you see?

Also try to turn off the tiny stuff.  Does that make it work?  If so,
then the problem is somewhere in the tiny stuff.
-- 
Ambibibentists unite!