Emacs is a feature-rich text editor, frequently compared to other sophisticated programs like Sublime Text. Some programmers do not even consider text editors for their projects and vote for IDE’s all the way. IDE tools like Visual Studio or Eclipse are preferred because of their smart code-autocompletion, debugger, and other automation tools. In this Emacs tutorial, I will aim to convince you that using Emacs can be just as productive and easy as programming in an IDE.
In this Emacs guide, I will be working in a Linux environment. To make the lessons easier to follow, you should have this operating system or install a virtual machine.
This Emacs tutorial is all about Emacs: a highly extensible and customizable text editor environment that can be enhanced with packages (about 1300 packages offered in total). Therefore, this means you can add new features to the program. For instance, Emacs provides a terminal, mail reader, newsreader, calendar, web browser, and many other components to make your writing process more efficient.
In this Emacs tutorial, you will notice that one of the striking features of Emacs is its control system. The program aims to let programmers keep their hands on the keyword, or even a specific set of keys, without having to use their mouse.
Learning how to use Emacs should start with you mastering the shortcuts for moving the cursor. While traditional text editors only move the cursor with arrow keys, there are alternative methods in Emacs.
The journey of learning how to use Emacs begins with the installation process. The program is compatible with Microsoft Windows, Mac iOS, and Linux. In this Emacs tutorial, I use the Linux operating system and provide the options for installing Emacs in this environment.
As I have mentioned before, this Emacs guide will provide the shortcuts to use when you need to move your cursor without touching your mouse or arrow keys. Therefore, you can stay focused on your work and jump from one part of the code to another very quickly.
Another subject in this Emacs tutorial is the customization of the way your program looks. It is more inspiring to work in an environment that is comfortable and eye-pleasing, right? Emacs offers some default themes that you can choose from. If you do not find the one that suits you, I will show you how to use themes from external sources.
To learn Emacs, you should also know the methods for managing windows. I will show you how to split them into horizontal or vertical windows, switch between them, combine them again, or resize windows.
Please remember that this course is not about using a specific programming language in Emacs. It is an introductory course for those who want to start exploring this text editor, but are hesitant to do so without assistance. Join me and learn Emacs navigation, file creation, how to use Emacs inside the terminal, copy-paste lines, manipulate multiple cursors, and many other tricks!
Course consist of total 30min of content, in total.
Frank Anemaet is a highly skilled Software Engineer having experience with nearly every programming language on Earth! He’s built projects using Python, PHP, Swift, C++, and more. He’s worked on Linux security, game development, data analysis, creating desktop apps, web apps, managing SQL, mobile development, and lots of other things. All of the skills that he’d learned have been tried and tested in a real-world setting, so Frank Anemaet is the one you can count on when it comes to searching for someone who can ground theory in his practical experience. Of course, you won’t be surprised that Frank has a Master’s degree in Computer Science (honors), and in 2014, he won the first prize competing internationally at a Security Competition (Massachusetts, USA).
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