2.1 SXEmacs Windows

When you use SXEmacs under X, you can open multiple windows and each window can display one buffer or multiple parts of one buffer. Each window will have its own mode line and echo area. At any one time there is only one selected window and the buffer it displays is the selected buffer. There are some commands for manipulating windows:

M-C-v

This command will scroll the window which is not selected (scroll-other-window).

C-x 0

This command will get rid of the selected window (delete-window). That is a zero. If there is more than one Emacs frame, deleting the sole remaining window on that frame deletes the frame as well. If the current frame is the only frame, it is not deleted.

C-x 1

This command will get rid of all the windows except the selected one. (delete-other-windows). For example, if you use the Describe variable option from the Help menu, the window will split vertically and the bottom window will contain documentation for that variable. After you are done looking at that variable’s documentation you might want to come back to your original single window. Just type C-x 1 after your cursor is in the top window (the window which you want to keep) and hit RET.

C-x 2

This command will split the selected window into two windows, one above the other (split-window-vertically). Both the windows will start out by displaying the same buffer. The window in which you have your cursor will be your selected window.

C-x 3

This will split the selected window into two windows positioned side by side (split-window-horizontally). A line of vertical bars will separate the window.

You can select a buffer in another window by using some other commands. These commands all have a prefix key C-x 4

C-x 4 b bufname RET

This command will select a buffer bufname in another window. This runs switch-to-buffer-other-window. It will prompt you for a buffername.

C-x 4 f filename RET

Visit file filename and select its buffer in another window. This runs find-file-other-window. See Visiting in SXEmacs User’s Manual. It will prompt you for a filename.

C-x 4 d directory RET

Select a Dired buffer for directory directory in another window. This runs dired-other-window. See Dired in SXEmacs User’s Manual.

C-x 4 m

Start composing a mail message in another window. This runs mail-other-window, and its same-window version is C-x m. See Sending Mail in SXEmacs User’s Manual, for information on how to Send Mail using SXEmacs. See Reading Mail With Rmail in SXEmacs User’s Manual, for information on reading mail using Rmail.

If you click the right button on the mouse on a mode line, you will get a menu with following options:

Delete Window

Choosing this menu will remove the window above this modeline from the frame.

Delete Other Windows

Delete all windows on the frame except for the one above this modeline.

Split Window

Split the window above the mode line in half, creating another window.

Split Window Horizontally

Split the window above the mode line in half horizontally, so that there will be two windows side-by-side.

Balance Windows

Readjust the sizes of all windows on the frame until all windows have roughly the same number of lines.