Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!mcnc!rti!mozart!sasdjb From: sasdjb@unx.sas.com (David Biesack) Newsgroups: comp.emacs Subject: Re: Why can't I set default-directory ? Message-ID: <1990Aug16.142822.8259@unx.sas.com> Date: 16 Aug 90 14:28:22 GMT References: Organization: SAS Institute Inc. Lines: 43 In article cje@elbereth.rutgers.edu (Cthulhu's Jersey Epopt) writes: > > But all this stuff is apparently stored in the default-directory variable. > Emacs will happily change the value of d-d if I edit the minibuffer, but it > won't let me change it via set-variable -- it doesn't recognize d-d (though > describe-variable does). Each buffer has its own local value of default-directory, so that doing a find-file from a buffer defaults to the same directory. You probably do not want to change this. > Why can't I set this directly? (I guess I'm envisioning setting keys that > will switch to commonly used directories such as .../tex .) Use M-x cd to change a buffer's default-directory.. but again, I caution against doing so for file buffers. If you have a directory you work in very often, then do a find-file from one of the file buffers in that directory. Or, you can create a non-file buffer and do your find-files from there: Use C-x b (switch-to-buffer) to switch to a buffer named tex (enter the string "tex" at the "Switch to buffer:" prompt.) This creates a new buffer named "tex" if you do not already have a buffer named "tex". Use M-x cd to change the default-directory of the buffer "tex" to /usr/local/lib/tex/ or whatever path you want. cd may ask you to confirm the directory. From there, you can always switch to the tex buffer and when you do a find-file from that buffer, the default-directory will be /usr/loca/lib/tex/ > -- > Yog-Sothoth Neblod Zin, Addending the HPL Centennial on 8/18? > Look for me! > Chris Jarocha-Ernst > UUCP: {ames, att, harvard, moss, seismo}!rutgers!elbereth.rutgers.edu!cje > ARPA: JAROCHAERNST@CANCER.RUTGERS.EDU > CCIS, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08855-0879 djb -- David J. Biesack SAS Institute, Inc. Object Programming Technology SAS Campus Drive sasdjb@dev.sas.com Cary, NC 27513-2414 rti!sas!sasdjb (919) 677-8000 ext. 7771