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Code Issues Releases Activity

Minor clarifications of BACKSPACE vs DEL.

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This commit is contained in:
Richard M. Stallman 2001-04-15 14:34:23 +00:00
parent 83b344c59b
commit 79ea1938e3
2 changed files with 20 additions and 17 deletions
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25
man/killing.texi
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@ -121,27 +121,28 @@ kill instead, since they can erase more than one character this way.
have typed. Regardless of the actual name on the key, in Emacs it is
equivalent to @key{DEL}---or it should be.
Many keyboards have a @key{BACKSPACE} key a short ways above
@key{RET} or @key{ENTER}, and a @key{DELETE} key elsewhere. In that
case, the @key{BACKSPACE} key is @key{DEL}, and the @key{DELETE} key
is equivalent to @kbd{C-d}---or it should be.
Many keyboards (including standard PC keyboards) have a
@key{BACKSPACE} key a short ways above @key{RET} or @key{ENTER}, and a
@key{DELETE} key elsewhere. In that case, the @key{BACKSPACE} key is
@key{DEL}, and the @key{DELETE} key is equivalent to @kbd{C-d}---or it
should be.
Why do we say ``or it should be''? When Emacs starts up using a
window system, it determines automatically which key or keys should be
equivalent to @key{DEL}. So the @key{BACKSPACE} and/or @key{DELETE}
keys normally do the right things. But in some unusual cases Emacs
gets the wrong information from the system. If these keys don't do
what they ought to do, you should tell Emacs which key to use for
what they ought to do, you need to tell Emacs which key to use for
@key{DEL}. @xref{DEL Gets Help}, for how to do this.
@findex normal-erase-is-backspace-mode
On most text-only terminals, Emacs cannot tell which key is where,
so it follows a uniform plan which may or may not fit your keyboard.
The uniform plan is that the ASCII @key{DEL} character deletes, and
the ASCII @key{BS} (backspace) character asks for help (it is the same
as @kbd{C-h}). If this is not right for your keyboard, if you find
that the key which ought to delete backwards enters Help instead, see
@ref{DEL Gets Help}.
On most text-only terminals, Emacs cannot tell which keys the
keyboard really has, so it follows a uniform plan which may or may not
fit your keyboard. The uniform plan is that the ASCII @key{DEL}
character deletes, and the ASCII @key{BS} (backspace) character asks
for help (it is the same as @kbd{C-h}). If this is not right for your
keyboard, if you find that the key which ought to delete backwards
enters Help instead, see @ref{DEL Gets Help}.
@kindex M-\
@findex delete-horizontal-space

12
man/trouble.texi
View File

@ -159,8 +159,8 @@ what happened---Emacs ought to be treating the @key{DELETE} key as
@key{BACKSPACE} and there is a @key{DELETE} key elsewhere, but the
@key{DELETE} key deletes backward instead of forward, that too
suggests Emacs got the wrong information---but in the opposite sense.
It ought to be treating the @key{BACKSPACE} key as @key{DEL}, but it
isn't.
It ought to be treating the @key{BACKSPACE} key as @key{DEL}, and
treating @key{DELETE} differently, but it isn't.
On a text-only terminal, if you find the usual erasure key prompts
for a Help command, like @kbd{Control-h}, instead of deleting a
@ -176,15 +176,17 @@ want to ask for help, use @key{F1} or @kbd{C-?}.
@findex normal-erase-is-backspace-mode
To fix the problem automatically for every Emacs session, you can
put one of the following lines into your @file{.emacs} file
(@pxref{Init File}). For the first case above, where @key{DEL}
deletes forwards instead of backwards, use this line:
(@pxref{Init File}). For the first case above, where @key{DELETE}
deletes forwards instead of backwards, use this line to make
@key{DELETE} act as @key{DEL}:
@lisp
(normal-erase-is-backspace-mode 0)
@end lisp
@noindent
For the other two cases, use this line:
For the other two cases, where @key{BACKSPACE} ought to act as
@key{DEL}, use this line:
@lisp
(normal-erase-is-backspace-mode 1)