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(elisp)Scanning Keymaps

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Scanning Keymaps
================

   This section describes functions used to scan all the current keymaps
for the sake of printing help information.

 - Function: accessible-keymaps keymap &optional prefix
     This function returns a list of all the keymaps that can be
     reached (via zero or more prefix keys) from KEYMAP.  The value is
     an association list with elements of the form `(KEY .  MAP)',
     where KEY is a prefix key whose definition in KEYMAP is MAP.

     The elements of the alist are ordered so that the KEY increases in
     length.  The first element is always `("" . KEYMAP)', because the
     specified keymap is accessible from itself with a prefix of no
     events.

     If PREFIX is given, it should be a prefix key sequence; then
     `accessible-keymaps' includes only the submaps whose prefixes start
     with PREFIX.  These elements look just as they do in the value of
     `(accessible-keymaps)'; the only difference is that some elements
     are omitted.

     In the example below, the returned alist indicates that the key
     <ESC>, which is displayed as `^[', is a prefix key whose
     definition is the sparse keymap `(keymap (83 . center-paragraph)
     (115 . foo))'.

          (accessible-keymaps (current-local-map))
          =>(("" keymap
                (27 keymap   ; Note this keymap for <ESC> is repeated below.
                    (83 . center-paragraph)
                    (115 . center-line))
                (9 . tab-to-tab-stop))
          
             ("^[" keymap
              (83 . center-paragraph)
              (115 . foo)))

     In the following example, `C-h' is a prefix key that uses a sparse
     keymap starting with `(keymap (118 . describe-variable)...)'.
     Another prefix, `C-x 4', uses a keymap which is also the value of
     the variable `ctl-x-4-map'.  The event `mode-line' is one of
     several dummy events used as prefixes for mouse actions in special
     parts of a window.

          (accessible-keymaps (current-global-map))
          => (("" keymap [set-mark-command beginning-of-line ...
                             delete-backward-char])
              ("^H" keymap (118 . describe-variable) ...
               (8 . help-for-help))
              ("^X" keymap [x-flush-mouse-queue ...
               backward-kill-sentence])
              ("^[" keymap [mark-sexp backward-sexp ...
               backward-kill-word])
              ("^X4" keymap (15 . display-buffer) ...)
              ([mode-line] keymap
               (S-mouse-2 . mouse-split-window-horizontally) ...))

     These are not all the keymaps you would see in actuality.

 - Function: where-is-internal command &optional keymap firstonly
          noindirect
     This function is a subroutine used by the `where-is' command
     (Note: Help.).  It returns a list of key sequences
     (of any length) that are bound to COMMAND in a set of keymaps.

     The argument COMMAND can be any object; it is compared with all
     keymap entries using `eq'.

     If KEYMAP is `nil', then the maps used are the current active
     keymaps, disregarding `overriding-local-map' (that is, pretending
     its value is `nil').  If KEYMAP is non-`nil', then the maps
     searched are KEYMAP and the global keymap.  If KEYMAP is a list of
     keymaps, only those keymaps are searched.

     Usually it's best to use `overriding-local-map' as the expression
     for KEYMAP.  Then `where-is-internal' searches precisely the
     keymaps that are active.  To search only the global map, pass
     `(keymap)' (an empty keymap) as KEYMAP.

     If FIRSTONLY is `non-ascii', then the value is a single string
     representing the first key sequence found, rather than a list of
     all possible key sequences.  If FIRSTONLY is `t', then the value
     is the first key sequence, except that key sequences consisting
     entirely of ASCII characters (or meta variants of ASCII
     characters) are preferred to all other key sequences.

     If NOINDIRECT is non-`nil', `where-is-internal' doesn't follow
     indirect keymap bindings.  This makes it possible to search for an
     indirect definition itself.

          (where-is-internal 'describe-function)
              => ("\^hf" "\^hd")

 - Command: describe-bindings &optional prefix
     This function creates a listing of all current key bindings, and
     displays it in a buffer named `*Help*'.  The text is grouped by
     modes--minor modes first, then the major mode, then global
     bindings.

     If PREFIX is non-`nil', it should be a prefix key; then the
     listing includes only keys that start with PREFIX.

     The listing describes meta characters as <ESC> followed by the
     corresponding non-meta character.

     When several characters with consecutive ASCII codes have the same
     definition, they are shown together, as `FIRSTCHAR..LASTCHAR'.  In
     this instance, you need to know the ASCII codes to understand
     which characters this means.  For example, in the default global
     map, the characters `<SPC> .. ~' are described by a single line.
     <SPC> is ASCII 32, `~' is ASCII 126, and the characters between
     them include all the normal printing characters, (e.g., letters,
     digits, punctuation, etc.); all these characters are bound to
     `self-insert-command'.