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From: mesard@bbn.com (Wayne Mesard)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Re: GNU emacs beginner question.
Message-ID: <47341@bbn.COM>
Date: 26 Oct 89 00:48:36 GMT
References: <1989Oct25.162536.4854@cec1.wustl.edu>
Sender: news@bbn.COM
Reply-To: mesard@BBN.COM (Wayne Mesard)
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA
Lines: 54

bdo8650@cec2.wustl.edu.wustl.edu (Bryan Dennis O'Connor) writes:
> I am a new user to GNU EMACS, (I used to be a die hard VI fan.)

Nobody's perfect.  I used to listen to Kiss.  [Followups to a.r.c.]

> 1)  Is there a way to force EMACS not to make backups?  (eg. file~)

Set the variable make-backup-files to nil.  To disable backup files for
this session type:

	<Esc> X set-variable <Return> make-backup-files <Return> nil <Return>

To make this permanent add the following line to your $HOME/.emacs file:

	(setq make-backup-files nil)

> 2)  Is there a way to set the number of spaces for a tab?

Well, you could mean either (or both) of two things here.  If you're
referring to how many spaces are inserted on the screen for each TAB
character in a text file, you want the variables:

	default-tab-width - to make changes to Emacs behavior in general

	  and

	tab-width - to change the appearance of a specific buffer.

If you want to customize the location of tab stops (which effects how
many spaces get inserted when you press the Tab key) see:

	tab-stop-list

> I have looked for documentation on this but have been unable to find any.

For future reference, I found the information above by typing:

	<Esc> X apropos <Return> backup <Return>

and

	<Esc> X apropos <Return> tab <Return>

I then looked through the list of relevant functions and variables,
noting ones which looked interesting.  To get more information about
them I typed "Ctrl-H F" (for functions) and "Ctrl-H V" (for variables).
No better way to learn Emacs!  And it's always at your fingertips.



-- 
unsigned *Wayne_Mesard();        "[Y]ou seem to have an accute hostility
Mesard@BBN.COM                    toward the very subject of aquariums."
BBN, Cambridge, MA                    -Oleg Kiselev, <21241@gryphon.COM>