Category: Article

Thank you Greg for the big correction here <2018-01-12 Fri>…

The documentation for delete-char suggests that delete-forward-char ought to be used for interactive use instead of delete-char

(global-set-key (kbd "C-d") #'delete-forward-char)

Once you’ve been using Emacs for a while you end up using eval-expression a lot. 99% of the time I use it to make function calls. I never noticed before that it is kind of tedious to reach for S-M-; and then () despite using it so much. Here is a binding and a function definition that make it easier to use binding it close to home and inserting the round parentheses.

(global-set-key (kbd "M-;") #'my-eval-expression)
(define-key org-mode-map (kbd "M-;") nil)
(progn
  (defvar my-read-expression-map
    (let ((map (make-sparse-keymap)))
      (set-keymap-parent map read-expression-map)
      (define-key map [(control ?g)] #'minibuffer-keyboard-quit)
      (define-key map [up]   nil)
      (define-key map [down] nil)
      map))
  (defun my-read--expression (prompt &optional initial-contents)
    (let ((minibuffer-completing-symbol t))
      (minibuffer-with-setup-hook
          (lambda ()
            (emacs-lisp-mode)
            (use-local-map my-read-expression-map)
            (setq font-lock-mode t)
            (funcall font-lock-function 1)
            (insert "()")
            (backward-char))
        (read-from-minibuffer prompt initial-contents
                              my-read-expression-map nil
                              'read-expression-history))))
  (defun my-eval-expression (expression &optional arg)
    "Attribution: URL `https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/help-gnu-emacs/2014-07/msg00135.html'."
    (interactive (list (read (my-read--expression ""))
                       current-prefix-arg))
    (if arg
        (insert (pp-to-string (eval expression lexical-binding)))
      (pp-display-expression (eval expression lexical-binding)
                             "*Pp Eval Output*"))))

For the fun of it try naming your Emacs configuration and instance.

For example my configuration is named HELP, HELP Enables Literate Programming. This is the collection of everything I find helpful for Literate Org Mode. Its also the collection of every single bit of code that people shared to help me out. It helps a lot. But that is not what I called my editor.

I call my editor instance PIE, PIE Interactive Editor. It is fun calling it a name that I like instead of Emacs. Emacs means so many things to all of us. Even Spacemacs names it especially for them. What is PIE? The PIE Interactive Editor? But what is PIE? PIE Isn’t Emacs 😄(Joy)😮(Surprise).

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@......@@@@@@@@@@
@@@@@@@@.....@@.........@@@@@@@
@@@@#........@@...........@@@@@
@@(..........@@............@@@@
@............@@.............@@@
PIE..........@@.............(@@
Interactive..@@..............@@
Editor..PIE..@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Is Easy..PIE.#@@@.............@
Isn't Emacs..#@@@............@@
@..............#@@@..........@@
@@..................#@@@....@@@
@@@...................#@@@@@@@@
@@@@@@...............@@@@@@@@@@
@@@@@@@@@@@#..#@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Have fun with it.