What's in your .emacs?

Answer 1

Here are some key mappings that I've become dependent upon:

(global-set-key [(control \,)] 'goto-line)
(global-set-key [(control \.)] 'call-last-kbd-macro)
(global-set-key [(control tab)] 'indent-region)
(global-set-key [(control j)] 'join-line)
(global-set-key [f1] 'man)
(global-set-key [f2] 'igrep-find)
(global-set-key [f3] 'isearch-forward)
(global-set-key [f4] 'next-error)
(global-set-key [f5] 'gdb)
(global-set-key [f6] 'compile)
(global-set-key [f7] 'recompile)
(global-set-key [f8] 'shell)
(global-set-key [f9] 'find-next-matching-tag)
(global-set-key [f11] 'list-buffers)
(global-set-key [f12] 'shell)

Some other miscellaneous stuff, mostly for C++ development:

;; Use C++ mode for .h files (instead of plain-old C mode)
(setq auto-mode-alist (cons '("\\.h$" . c++-mode) auto-mode-alist))

;; Use python-mode for SCons files
(setq auto-mode-alist (cons '("SConstruct" . python-mode) auto-mode-alist))
(setq auto-mode-alist (cons '("SConscript" . python-mode) auto-mode-alist))

;; Parse CppUnit failure reports in compilation-mode
(require 'compile)
(setq compilation-error-regexp-alist
      (cons '("\\(!!!FAILURES!!!\nTest Results:\nRun:[^\n]*\n\n\n\\)?\\([0-9]+\\)) test: \\([^(]+\\)(F) line: \\([0-9]+\\) \\([^ \n]+\\)" 5 4)
            compilation-error-regexp-alist))

;; Enable cmake-mode from http://www.cmake.org/Wiki/CMake_Emacs_mode_patch_for_comment_formatting
(require 'cmake-mode)
(setq auto-mode-alist
      (append '(("CMakeLists\\.txt\\'" . cmake-mode)
                ("\\.cmake\\'" . cmake-mode))
              auto-mode-alist))

;; "M-x reload-buffer" will revert-buffer without requiring confirmation
(defun reload-buffer ()
  "revert-buffer without confirmation"
  (interactive)
  (revert-buffer t t))

Answer 2

To refresh the webpage you're editing from within Emacs

(defun moz-connect()
  (interactive)
  (make-comint "moz-buffer" (cons "127.0.0.1" "4242"))
  (global-set-key "\C-x\C-g" '(lambda () 
                (interactive)
                (save-buffer)
                (comint-send-string "*moz-buffer*" "this.BrowserReload()\n"))))

Used in combination with http://hyperstruct.net/projects/mozlab

Answer 3

My favorite snippet. The ultimate in Emacs eye candy:

;; real lisp hackers use the lambda character
;; courtesy of stefan monnier on c.l.l
(defun sm-lambda-mode-hook ()
  (font-lock-add-keywords
   nil `(("\\<lambda\\>"
   (0 (progn (compose-region (match-beginning 0) (match-end 0)
        ,(make-char 'greek-iso8859-7 107))
      nil))))))
(add-hook 'emacs-lisp-mode-hook 'sm-lambda-mode-hook)
(add-hook 'lisp-interactive-mode-hook 'sm-lamba-mode-hook)
(add-hook 'scheme-mode-hook 'sm-lambda-mode-hook)

So you see i.e. the following when editing lisp/scheme:

(global-set-key "^Cr" '(λ () (interactive) (revert-buffer t t nil)))

Answer 4

After reading this, I figured it would be good to have a simple site just for the best .emacs modifications. Feel free to post and vote on them here:

http://dotemacs.slinkset.com/

Answer 5

This is not the whole kit and kaboodle, but it is some of the more useful snippets I've gathered:

(defadvice show-paren-function (after show-matching-paren-offscreen
                                      activate)
  "If the matching paren is offscreen, show the matching line in the                               
echo area. Has no effect if the character before point is not of                                   
the syntax class ')'."
  (interactive)
  (let ((matching-text nil))
    ;; Only call `blink-matching-open' if the character before point                               
    ;; is a close parentheses type character. Otherwise, there's not                               
    ;; really any point, and `blink-matching-open' would just echo                                 
    ;; "Mismatched parentheses", which gets really annoying.                                       
    (if (char-equal (char-syntax (char-before (point))) ?\))
        (setq matching-text (blink-matching-open)))
    (if (not (null matching-text))
        (message matching-text))))

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
;; UTF-8
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
;; set up unicode
(prefer-coding-system       'utf-8)
(set-default-coding-systems 'utf-8)
(set-terminal-coding-system 'utf-8)
(set-keyboard-coding-system 'utf-8)
;; This from a japanese individual.  I hope it works.
(setq default-buffer-file-coding-system 'utf-8)
;; From Emacs wiki
(setq x-select-request-type '(UTF8_STRING COMPOUND_TEXT TEXT STRING))
;; Wwindows clipboard is UTF-16LE 
(set-clipboard-coding-system 'utf-16le-dos)


(defun jonnay-timestamp ()
  "Spit out the current time"
  (interactive)
  (insert (format-time-string "%Y-%m-%d")))

(defun jonnay-sign ()
  "spit out my name, email and the current time"
  (interactive)
  (insert "-- Jonathan Arkell (jonathana@criticalmass.com)")
  (jonnay-timestamp))


;; Cygwin requires some seriosu setting up to work the way i likes it
(message "Setting up Cygwin...")
(let* ((cygwin-root "c:")
       (cygwin-bin (concat cygwin-root "/bin"))
       (gambit-bin "/usr/local/Gambit-C/4.0b22/bin/")
       (snow-bin "/usr/local/snow/current/bin")
       (mysql-bin "/wamp/bin/mysql/mysql5.0.51a/bin/"))
   (setenv "PATH" (concat cygwin-bin ";" ;
                          snow-bin ";" 
                          gambit-bin ";"
                          mysql-bin ";"
                          ".;")  
           (getenv "PATH"))
   (setq exec-path (cons cygwin-bin exec-path)))

(setq shell-file-name "bash")
(setq explicit-shell-file-name "bash")

(require 'cygwin-mount)
(cygwin-mount-activate)
(message "Setting up Cygwin...Done")


; Completion isn't perfect, but close
(defun my-shell-setup ()
   "For Cygwin bash under Emacs 20+"
   (setq comint-scroll-show-maximum-output 'this)
   (setq comint-completion-addsuffix t)
   (setq comint-eol-on-send t)
   (setq w32-quote-process-args ?\")
   (make-variable-buffer-local 'comint-completion-addsuffix))

(setq shell-mode-hook 'my-shell-setup)
(add-hook 'emacs-startup-hook 'cygwin-shell)


; Change how home key works
(global-set-key [home] 'beginning-or-indentation)
(substitute-key-definition 'beginning-of-line 'beginning-or-indentation global-map)


(defun yank-and-down ()
  "Yank the text and go down a line."
  (interactive)
  (yank)
  (exchange-point-and-mark)
  (next-line))

(defun kill-syntax (&optional arg)
  "Kill ARG sets of syntax characters after point."
  (interactive "p")
  (let ((arg (or arg 1))
    (inc (if (and arg (< arg 0)) 1 -1))
    (opoint (point)))
    (while (not (= arg 0))
      (if (> arg 0)
      (skip-syntax-forward (string (char-syntax (char-after))))
    (skip-syntax-backward (string (char-syntax (char-before)))))
      (setq arg (+ arg inc)))
    (kill-region opoint (point))))

(defun kill-syntax-backward (&optional arg)
  "Kill ARG sets of syntax characters preceding point."
  (interactive "p")
  (kill-syntax (- 0 (or arg 1))))

(global-set-key [(control shift y)] 'yank-and-down)
(global-set-key [(shift backspace)] 'kill-syntax-backward)
(global-set-key [(shift delete)] 'kill-syntax)


(defun insert-file-name (arg filename)
  "Insert name of file FILENAME into buffer after point.
  Set mark after the inserted text.

  Prefixed with \\[universal-argument], expand the file name to
  its fully canocalized path.

  See `expand-file-name'."
  ;; Based on insert-file in Emacs -- ashawley 2008-09-26
  (interactive "*P\nfInsert file name: ")
  (if arg
      (insert (expand-file-name filename))
      (insert filename)))

(defun kill-ring-save-filename ()
  "Copy the current filename to the kill ring"
  (interactive)
  (kill-new (buffer-file-name)))

(defun insert-file-name ()
  "Insert the name of the current file."
  (interactive)
  (insert (buffer-file-name)))

(defun insert-directory-name ()
  "Insert the name of the current directory"
  (interactive)
  (insert (file-name-directory (buffer-file-name))))

(defun jonnay-toggle-debug ()
  "Toggle debugging by toggling icicles, and debug on error"
  (interactive)
  (toggle-debug-on-error)
  (icicle-mode))


(defvar programming-modes
  '(emacs-lisp-mode scheme-mode lisp-mode c-mode c++-mode 
    objc-mode latex-mode plain-tex-mode java-mode
    php-mode css-mode js2-mode nxml-mode nxhtml-mode)
  "List of modes related to programming")

; Text-mate style indenting
(defadvice yank (after indent-region activate)
  (if (member major-mode programming-modes)
      (indent-region (region-beginning) (region-end) nil)))

Answer 6

I try to keep my .emacs organized. The configuration will always be a work in progress, but I'm starting to be satisfied with the overall structure.

All stuff is under ~/.elisp, a directory that is under version control (I use git, if that's of interest). ~/.emacs simply points to ~/.elisp/dotemacs which itself just loads ~/.elisp/cfg/init. That file in turn imports various configuration files via require. This means that the configuration files need to behave like modes: they import stuff they depend on and they provide themselves at the end of the file, e.g. (provide 'my-ibuffer-cfg). I prefix all identifiers that are defined in my configuration with my-.

I organize the configuration in respect to modes/subjects/tasks, not by their technical implications, e.g. I don't have a separate config file in which all keybindings or faces are defined.

My init.el defines the following hook to make sure that Emacs recompiles configuration files whenever saved (compiled Elisp loads a lot faster but I don't want to do this step manually):

;; byte compile config file if changed
(add-hook 'after-save-hook
          '(lambda ()
                   (when (string-match
                          (concat (expand-file-name "~/.elisp/cfg/") ".*\.el$")
                          buffer-file-name)
           (byte-compile-file buffer-file-name))))

This is the directory structure for ~/.elisp:

~/.elisp/todo.org: Org-mode file in which I keep track of stuff that still needs to be done (+ wish list items).

~/.elisp/dotemacs: Symlink target for ~/.emacs, loads ~/.elisp/cfg/init.

~/.elisp/cfg: My own configuration files.

~/.elisp/modes: Modes that consist only of a single file.

~/.elisp/packages: Sophisticated modes with lisp, documentation and probably resource files.

I use GNU Emacs, that version does not have real support for packages. Therefore I organize them manually, usually like this: ~/.elisp/packages/foobar-0.1.3 is the root directory for the package. Subdirectory lisp holds all the lisp files and info is where the documentation goes. ~/.elisp/packages/foobar is a symlink that points to the currently used version of the package so that I don't need to change my configuration files when I update something. For some packages I keep an ~/.elisp/packages/foobar.installation file around in which I keep notes about the installation process. For performance reasons I compile all elisp files in newly installed packages, should this not be the case by default.