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<span id="The-Echo-Area"></span><div class="header">
<p>
Previous: <a href="Basic-Windows.html" accesskey="p" rel="prev">Basic Windows</a>, Up: <a href="Window-Commands.html" accesskey="u" rel="up">Window Commands</a> &nbsp; [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="Index.html" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p>
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<hr>
<span id="The-Echo-Area-1"></span><h3 class="section">9.3 The Echo Area</h3>
<span id="index-echo-area"></span>

<p>The <em>echo area</em> is a one line window which appears at the bottom of
the screen.  It is used to display informative or error messages, and to
read lines of input from you when that is necessary.  Almost all of the
commands available in the echo area are identical to their Emacs
counterparts, so please refer to that documentation for greater depth of
discussion on the concepts of editing a line of text.  The following
table briefly lists the commands that are available while input is being
read in the echo area:
</p>
<dl compact="compact">
<dt><kbd>C-f</kbd> (<code>echo-area-forward</code>)</dt>
<dt><tt class="key">RIGHT</tt> (an arrow key)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-C_002df_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-RIGHT_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dforward"></span>
<p>Move forward a character.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><kbd>C-b</kbd> (<code>echo-area-backward</code>)</dt>
<dt><tt class="key">LEFT</tt> (an arrow key)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-LEFT_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-C_002db_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dbackward"></span>
<p>Move backward a character.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><kbd>C-a</kbd> (<code>echo-area-beg-of-line</code>)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-C_002da_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dbeg_002dof_002dline"></span>
<p>Move to the start of the input line.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><kbd>C-e</kbd> (<code>echo-area-end-of-line</code>)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-C_002de_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dend_002dof_002dline"></span>
<p>Move to the end of the input line.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><kbd>M-f</kbd> (<code>echo-area-forward-word</code>)</dt>
<dt><kbd>C-<span class="key">RIGHT</span></kbd> (DOS/Windows only)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-M_002df_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dforward_002dword"></span>
<p>Move forward a word.
</p>
<span id="index-C_002dRIGHT_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<p>On DOS/Windows, <kbd>C-<span class="key">RIGHT</span></kbd> moves forward by words.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><kbd>M-b</kbd> (<code>echo-area-backward-word</code>)</dt>
<dt><kbd>C-<span class="key">LEFT</span></kbd> (DOS/Windows only)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-M_002db_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dbackward_002dword"></span>
<p>Move backward a word.
</p>
<span id="index-C_002dLEFT_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<p>On DOS/Windows, <kbd>C-<span class="key">LEFT</span></kbd> moves backward by words.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><kbd>C-d</kbd> (<code>echo-area-delete</code>)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-C_002dd_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002ddelete"></span>
<p>Delete the character under the cursor.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><tt class="key">DEL</tt> (<code>echo-area-rubout</code>)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-DEL_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002drubout"></span>
<p>Delete the character behind the cursor.
</p>
<p>On some keyboards, this key is designated <tt class="key">BS</tt>, for
&lsquo;<samp>Backspace</samp>&rsquo;.  Those keyboards will usually bind <tt class="key">DEL</tt> in the
echo area to <code>echo-area-delete</code>.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><kbd>C-g</kbd> (<code>echo-area-abort</code>)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-C_002dg_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dabort"></span>
<p>Cancel or quit the current operation.  If completion is being read, this
command discards the text of the input line which does not match any
completion.  If the input line is empty, it aborts the calling function.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><tt class="key">RET</tt> (<code>echo-area-newline</code>)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-RET_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dnewline"></span>
<p>Accept (or forces completion of) the current input line.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><kbd>C-q</kbd> (<code>echo-area-quoted-insert</code>)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-C_002dq_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dquoted_002dinsert"></span>
<p>Insert the next character verbatim.  This is how you can insert control
characters into a search string, for example, or the &lsquo;<samp>?</samp>&rsquo; character
when Info prompts with completion.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><kbd>M-TAB</kbd> (<code>echo-area-tab-insert</code>)</dt>
<dt><kbd>Shift-<span class="key">TAB</span></kbd> (on DOS/Windows only)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-M_002dTAB_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-Shift_002dTAB_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dtab_002dinsert"></span>
<p>Insert a TAB character.
</p>
<span id="index-Shift_002dTAB_002c-in-the-echo-area-1"></span>
<span id="index-BackTab_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<p>On DOS/Windows only, the <kbd>Shift-<span class="key">TAB</span></kbd> key is an alias for
<kbd>M-<span class="key">TAB</span></kbd>.  This key is sometimes called &lsquo;<samp>BackTab</samp>&rsquo;.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><kbd>C-t</kbd> (<code>echo-area-transpose-chars</code>)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-C_002dt_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dtranspose_002dchars"></span>
<p>Transpose the characters at the cursor.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><var>printing character</var></dt>
<dd><span id="index-printing-characters_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<p>Insert the character.
</p>
</dd>
</dl>

<p>The next group of commands deal with <em>killing</em>, and <em>yanking</em>
text.  (Sometimes these operations are called <em>cut</em> and
<em>paste</em>, respectively.)  For an in-depth discussion, see
<a href="../emacs/Killing.html#Killing">Killing and Deleting</a> in <cite>the GNU Emacs Manual</cite>.
</p>
<dl compact="compact">
<dt><kbd>M-d</kbd> (<code>echo-area-kill-word</code>)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-M_002dd_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dkill_002dword"></span>
<p>Kill the word following the cursor.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><kbd>M-<span class="key">DEL</span></kbd> (<code>echo-area-backward-kill-word</code>)</dt>
<dt><kbd>M-<span class="key">BS</span></kbd></dt>
<dd><span id="index-M_002dDEL_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dbackward_002dkill_002dword"></span>
<p>Kill the word preceding the cursor.
</p>
<span id="index-M_002dBS_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<p>On some keyboards, the &lsquo;<samp>Backspace</samp>&rsquo; key is used instead of
<code>DEL</code>, so <code>M-<span class="key">Backspace</span></code> has the same effect as
<code>M-<span class="key">DEL</span></code>.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><kbd>C-k</kbd> (<code>echo-area-kill-line</code>)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-C_002dk_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dkill_002dline"></span>
<p>Kill the text from the cursor to the end of the line.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><kbd>C-x <span class="key">DEL</span></kbd> (<code>echo-area-backward-kill-line</code>)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-C_002dx-DEL_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dbackward_002dkill_002dline"></span>
<p>Kill the text from the cursor to the beginning of the line.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><kbd>C-y</kbd> (<code>echo-area-yank</code>)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-C_002dy_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dyank"></span>
<p>Yank back the contents of the last kill.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><kbd>M-y</kbd> (<code>echo-area-yank-pop</code>)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-M_002dy_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dyank_002dpop"></span>
<p>Yank back a previous kill, removing the last yanked text first.
</p></dd>
</dl>

<span id="index-completion"></span>
<p>Sometimes when reading input in the echo area, the command that needed
input will only accept one of a list of several choices.  The choices
represent the <em>possible completions</em>, and you must respond with one
of them.  Since there are a limited number of responses you can make,
Info allows you to abbreviate what you type, only typing as much of the
response as is necessary to uniquely identify it.  In addition, you can
request Info to fill in as much of the response as is possible; this
is called <em>completion</em>.
</p>
<p>The following commands are available when completing in the echo area:
</p>
<dl compact="compact">
<dt><tt class="key">TAB</tt> (<code>echo-area-complete</code>)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-TAB_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dcomplete"></span>
<p>Insert as much of a completion as is possible.  Otherwise,
display a window containing a list of the possible completions of what
you have typed so far.  For example, if the available choices are:
</p>
<div class="example">
<pre class="example">bar
foliate
food
forget
</pre></div>

<p>and you have typed an &lsquo;<samp>f</samp>&rsquo;, followed by <tt class="key">TAB</tt>, this
would result in &lsquo;<samp>fo</samp>&rsquo; appearing in the echo area, since
all of the choices which begin with &lsquo;<samp>f</samp>&rsquo; continue with &lsquo;<samp>o</samp>&rsquo;.
</p>
<p>Now if you type <tt class="key">TAB</tt> again, Info will pop
up a window showing a node called &lsquo;<samp>*Completions*</samp>&rsquo; which lists the
possible completions like this:
</p>
<div class="example">
<pre class="example">3 completions:
foliate         food
forget
</pre></div>

<p>i.e., all of the choices which begin with &lsquo;<samp>fo</samp>&rsquo;.
</p>
<p>Now, typing &lsquo;<samp>l</samp>&rsquo; followed by &lsquo;<samp>TAB</samp>&rsquo; results in &lsquo;<samp>foliate</samp>&rsquo;
appearing in the echo area, since that is the only choice which begins
with &lsquo;<samp>fol</samp>&rsquo;.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><tt class="key">ESC C-v</tt> (<code>echo-area-scroll-completions-window</code>)</dt>
<dd><span id="index-ESC-C_002dv_002c-in-the-echo-area"></span>
<span id="index-echo_002darea_002dscroll_002dcompletions_002dwindow"></span>
<p>Scroll the completions window, if that is visible, or the &ldquo;other&rdquo;
window if not.
</p></dd>
</dl>


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