Assumptions
- MacOS
- Doom
Advice
- Competency with
‘M-x’
and help are core Emacs skills for life.‘M-x’
should become your command line in Emacs.
Terminology
C-
: ControlSPC
: SpacebarM
: “Meta”. Maps to the “Option” key on a MacS-
: Shift?RET
: Return- Mark: one end of the region; the other end is point.
- Frame: Normally called a “window” for GUI applications. One running instance of an emacs client. Each frame holds at least one window.
- Buffer: Holds the contents of files that are being visited
- Window: the area of screen that displays a buffer
Keyboard Shortcuts
Getting Help
- Important: If stuck in some command and you don’t know how to get out of it:
C-g
- Emacs Tutorial:
C-h t
- ISSUE: Does not work in Doom. You can do
M-x
and typehelp-with-tutorial
- ISSUE: Does not work in Doom. You can do
- Read the ORG mode documentation in Emacs Info-browser:
C-h i
.- Use
TAB
to jump from hyperlink
- Use
Application Controls
- Quit Emacs:
C-x C-c
- Run a command:
M-x
- Quit a partially entered command:
C-g
Manage Windows
- Split window vertically:
C-x 2
- Split horizontally:
C-x 3
- Switch between windows:
C-x o
File Operations
- Save current file:
C-x C-s
- Save current changes:
C-x s
- Open / Create Document:
C-x C-f
- Search for file:
C-x d
(dired) - Switch between files (buffers):
C-x b
- Rename a file:
- Open
dired
:C-c f d
- Open
Search
- Fuzzy Search:
SPC s p
- Search forwards:
C-s
- Search backwards:
C-r
Navigating text
Page down: C-v
Page up: M-v
Up:
u
Next:
n
Previous:
p
collapse the headings using
TAB
and navigate through sections usingC-c C-p
andC-c C-n
makes nimble the process of organizing tasks.
Selecting text
- Set mark:
‘C-SPC’
(M-x set-mark-command
)
Edit Text
- UNDO:
C-/
- Copy (“kill”) a highlighted area:
C-w
- Paste (“yank”):
C-y
- Delete rest of line of text:
C-k
- Delete entire line at once: `C-S-Backspace
Viewing text
- Overview of document:
shift-TAB
Autocompletion
- Go to next candidate:
C-n
- Go to previous candidate:
C-p
- Complete common:
C-SPC
- Go to next candidate:
C-n
- (evil) Go to next candidate:
C-j
- (evil) Go to next candidate:
- Go to previous candidate:
C-p
- (evil) Go to previous candidate:
C-k
- (evil) Go to previous candidate:
- Display documentation (if available):
C-h
- Move to previous page of candidates:
C-u
- Move to next page of candidates:
C-d
- Filter candidates:
C-s
- Search candidates with helm/ivy:
C-S-s
- Complete common:
C-SPC
- Complete common or select next candidate:
TAB
- Select previous candidate:
S-TAB
Lists & Notes
- Fold / Unfold:
TAB
/S-TAB
- Move a headline up or down:
M-up/down
- Indent/outdent a headline:
M-left/right
- Indent/outdent a tree:
M-S-left/right
- Insert a new headline:
M-RET
- Create a headline of same type:
C-RET
- Set Tag:
C-c C-q
(org-set-tags-command
)
TODOs
Create a TODO from this list item:
C-c C-t t
Add a TODO below:
M-shift-RET
. You can hit it several times to add several TODOs.Set TODO priority:
S-up/down
Schedule a task:
C-c C-s
- Schedule task for tomorrow:
+1
- Schedule task for day after tomorrow:
+2
- Schedule task for the 28th:
28
- Schedule task for Saturday:
sat
- Two Tuesdays from now:
2thu
- 1 month from now:
1m
- Schedule task for tomorrow:
Set a deadline for a task:
C-c C-d
(org-deadline
)Un-schedule a task (remove schedule date/time):
C-u C-c C-s
Agenda
- Open Agenda:
C-c n a
- Add document to list of agenda files
C-c [
- Remove document from the list of agenda files:
C-c ]
- Add date:
C-c .
- Add time and date:
C-u C-c .
- Stop doing what you are trying to do, escape:
C-g
Export
- Open Export Menu:
C-c C-e