How do you learn proper Emacs? [closed]

Answer 1

As previously stated, the best advice is to use nothing but Emacs for the next year. Once you develop your finger memory, things get to be much easier.

Answer 2

I am using the emacs since the old Amiga days on all platforms i am currently working on.

The best way to use emacs is curiosity. I still use often apropos (C-h a) and M-x (for a long functionname instead of key-binding) to find a functionality.

a key-concept to "proper use" Emacs is, to learn the very easy elisp (a simple derivate of lisp) and write your own little helpers (own commenting style, underlining, templates) and to know where to look to change values (tab-size, compiler, email)

And the third thing: everything is in emacs: I use the dired (directory editor) for navigating through files. I use a lot of buffers for all textual files (with proper modes for each type of file (c, ruby, list, sql, latex, ...)) which are stored when quitting emacs and recovered when invoking. I start the compiler from emacs and use the jump-to-error-functionality.

Macros are a daily routine (scimming throu code and changing it on the way).

I like the picture-mode, which allows to type downward with replacing, which makes it easy to renumber block of constants (good old c #defines))

There is a hugh mountain to climb, but if you have reached the top, you can see the whole world down your feet, and never want to miss this experience again. I know, there are many good editors around (i work myself thru Eclipse)

Answer 3

My suggestion is just stop using anything but Emacs, when you come across a problem see if you can solve it in Emacs, and then fall back (if you don't have the time or it just won't work). As for work flow, it is pretty much the same as you would normally work. i.e. for a normal ide session you would open/edit a file as normal, then commit (in C-x v v) just as normal.

Answer 4

How do you learn a "good workflow" for anything? By using it, getting to know it, making it yours. There is no "proper" use of Emacs.

As for getting to know it: ask Emacs -- use its help system. This can help too: http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/EmacsNewbieWithIcicles

Answer 5

To be honest, all I do is learn the keybindings I need. I don't use emacs to its full potential, because I don't need its full potential. My suggestion is to just learn what you need, and don't worry about what you don't. Learn a new key binding everyday, and in about 300 years will you know them all ;)