GNU Info

(elisp)Keyboard Macros

---

Prev: Command History Up: Command Loop

---

Enter node , (file) or (file)node

Keyboard Macros
===============

   A "keyboard macro" is a canned sequence of input events that can be
considered a command and made the definition of a key.  The Lisp
representation of a keyboard macro is a string or vector containing the
events.  Don't confuse keyboard macros with Lisp macros (Note:
Macros).

 - Function: execute-kbd-macro kbdmacro &optional count
     This function executes KBDMACRO as a sequence of events.  If
     KBDMACRO is a string or vector, then the events in it are executed
     exactly as if they had been input by the user.  The sequence is
     _not_ expected to be a single key sequence; normally a keyboard
     macro definition consists of several key sequences concatenated.

     If KBDMACRO is a symbol, then its function definition is used in
     place of KBDMACRO.  If that is another symbol, this process
     repeats.  Eventually the result should be a string or vector.  If
     the result is not a symbol, string, or vector, an error is
     signaled.

     The argument COUNT is a repeat count; KBDMACRO is executed that
     many times.  If COUNT is omitted or `nil', KBDMACRO is executed
     once.  If it is 0, KBDMACRO is executed over and over until it
     encounters an error or a failing search.

     Note: Reading One Event, for an example of using
     `execute-kbd-macro'.

 - Variable: executing-macro
     This variable contains the string or vector that defines the
     keyboard macro that is currently executing.  It is `nil' if no
     macro is currently executing.  A command can test this variable so
     as to behave differently when run from an executing macro.  Do not
     set this variable yourself.

 - Variable: defining-kbd-macro
     This variable indicates whether a keyboard macro is being defined.
     A command can test this variable so as to behave differently
     while a macro is being defined.  The commands `start-kbd-macro' and
     `end-kbd-macro' set this variable--do not set it yourself.

     The variable is always local to the current terminal and cannot be
     buffer-local.  Note: Multiple Displays.

 - Variable: last-kbd-macro
     This variable is the definition of the most recently defined
     keyboard macro.  Its value is a string or vector, or `nil'.

     The variable is always local to the current terminal and cannot be
     buffer-local.  Note: Multiple Displays.

 - Variable: kbd-macro-termination-hook
     This normal hook (Note: Standard Hooks) is run when a keyboard
     macro terminates, regardless of what caused it to terminate
     (reaching the macro end or an error which ended the macro
     prematurely).