We need to learn how to programme eLisp a bit better, and the best way to do that is to write some programmes that add functionality to Emacs itself.
In this lesson we are going to: * add a menu to Emacs * call functions from that menu which operate on the current buffer
To do that we will create a file of eLisp which will:
- define some functions
- add an Emacs menu bound to those functions
We will then edit the .emacs file to load our eLisp file at start up.
Create a new file called omarmenu.el in the directory ~/.emacs.d/omars-dir/ and type the following code in:
(defun omar-count ()(interactive)(message "When we have finished this will count the number of words in the current buffer"))(defvar menu-bar-omar-menu (make-sparse-keymap "Omar"))(define-key-after global-map [menu-bar omar](cons "Omar's Menu" (make-sparse-keymap "Omar")))(define-key global-map [menu-bar omar omar-count]'(menu-item "Count" omar-count:help "Will eventually count words in the current buffer!"))(global-set-key (kbd "C-c a") 'omar-count)(provide 'omarmenu)Then open your .emacs file in your home directory add the following lines - You might want to delete everything that is in it first:
(add-to-list 'load-path "~/.emacs.d/omars-dir")(require 'omarmenu)All we have done is create an empty function (it prints When we have finished this will count the number of words in the current buffer into the modeline).
We have then created a menu called Omar's Menu with one item Count. We have then bound Count to the approved user key-shortcut [C]-c a.
Finally omarmenu.el announes to the world that it provied omarmenu.
We have then edited the .emacs file telling it to look for eLisp programmes in the directory ~/.emacs.d/omars-dir/ and asking it to load the functionality of omarmenu.
If you have been editing these files (or any files) in Emacs then close it and reopen it.
Emacs should load its .emacs file and add a menu item to the menubar.
Click on the menu-item Count and the message should print in the modeline.
What we will do in this and subsequent lessons is fill in the empty function Count until it can count the words in the current buffer.