All Manuals > Editor User Guide > 3 Command Reference

3.20 Buffers

This section contains details of commands used to manipulate buffers.

Select Buffer Editor Command

Arguments: buffer-name
Key sequence: Ctrl+X B buffer-name

Displays a buffer called buffer-name in the current window. If no buffer name is provided, the last buffer accessed in the current window is displayed. If the buffer that is selected is already being displayed in another window, any modifications to that buffer are shown simultaneously in both windows.

Select Buffer Other Window Editor Command

Arguments: buffer-name
Key sequence: None

Displays a buffer called buffer-name in a new window. If no buffer name is provided, the last buffer displayed in the current window is selected. If the buffer that is selected is already being displayed in another window, any modifications to that buffer are shown simultaneously in both windows.

Select Previous Buffer Editor Command

Arguments: None
Key sequence: Meta+Ctrl+L

Displays the last buffer accessed in a new window. If the buffer that is selected is already being displayed in another window, any modifications to that buffer are shown simultaneously in both windows.

A prefix argument causes the appropriately numbered buffer, from the top of the buffer history, to be selected.

Circulate Buffers Editor Command

Arguments: None
Key sequence: Meta+Ctrl+Shift+L

Move through the buffer history, selecting the successive previous buffers.

Bury Buffer Editor Command

Arguments: buffer
Key sequence: None

The command Bury Buffer puts the buffer buffer, which defaults to the current buffer, at the end of the buffer list. If the buffer is visible in the current window, it is replaced by the previously selected buffer.

Edit Buffer Editor Command

Arguments: buffer-name
Key sequence: None

The command Edit Buffer displays a buffer buffer-name, either in the current window if it is suitable, or a suitable window.

Note: windows such as the Output tab of the Editor tool are marked internally as not suitable for displaying arbitrary buffers. If Edit Buffer is invoked when the current window is marked, it finds another window to display the buffer. In contrast, Select Buffer will signal an editor error in this case.

Kill Buffer Editor Command

Arguments: buffer-name
Key sequence: Ctrl+X K buffer-name

editor:kill-buffer-command p &optional buffer-name

Deletes a buffer called buffer-name. If no buffer name is provided, the current buffer is deleted. If the buffer that is selected for deletion has been modified then confirmation is asked for before deletion takes place.

List Buffers Editor Command

Arguments: None
Key sequence: Ctrl+X Ctrl+B

Displays a list of all the existing buffers in the Buffers window in the Editor tool. Information shown includes the name of the buffer, its major mode, whether it has been modified or not, the pathname of any file it is associated with, and its size.

A buffer can be selected by clicking the left mouse button on the buffer name. The buttons on the toolbar can then be used to modify the selected buffer.

Create Buffer Editor Command

Arguments: buffer-name
Key sequence: None

editor:create-buffer-command p &optional buffer-name

Creates a buffer called buffer-name. If no buffer name is provided then the current buffer is selected. If a buffer with the specified name already exists then this becomes the current buffer instead, and no new buffer is created.

New Buffer Editor Command

Arguments: None
Key sequence: None

Creates a new unnamed buffer. The buffer is in Lisp mode.

default-buffer-element-type Editor Variable

Default value: cl:character

The character element type used when a new buffer is created, for example by New Buffer.

Insert Buffer Editor Command

Arguments: buffer-name
Key sequence: None

Inserts the contents of a buffer called buffer-name at the current point. If no buffer name is provided, the contents of the last buffer displayed in the current window are inserted.

Rename Buffer Editor Command

Arguments: new-name
Key sequence: None

Changes the name of the current buffer to new-name.

Toggle Buffer Read-Only Editor Command

Arguments: None
Key sequence: Ctrl+X Ctrl+Q

Makes the current buffer read only, so that no modification to its contents are allowed. If it is already read only, this restriction is removed.

Set Buffer Transient Edit Editor Command

Arguments: None
Key sequence: None

The command Set Buffer Transient Edit makes the current buffer writable, and disables auto-saving.

Check Buffer Modified Editor Command

Arguments: None
Key sequence: Ctrl+X Shift+~

Checks whether the current buffer is modified or not.

Buffer Not Modified Editor Command

Arguments: None
Key sequence: Meta+Shift+~

editor:buffer-not-modified-command p &optional buffer

Makes the current buffer not modified.

The argument buffer is the name of the buffer to be un-modified. The default is the current buffer.

Print Buffer Editor Command

Arguments: None
Key sequence: None

The command Print Buffer prints the current buffer, by calling capi:print-dialog to select a printer and then capi:print-text with the appropriate arguments to print the buffer.

See the CAPI User Guide and Reference Manual for details of these functions.


Editor User Guide (Macintosh version) - 01 Dec 2021 19:35:09