GNU Info

(dired-x)Virtual Dired

---

Next: Advanced Mark Commands Prev: Shell Command Guessing Up: Top

---

Enter node , (file) or (file)node

Virtual Dired
*************

   Using "Virtual Dired" means putting a buffer with Dired-like
contents in Dired mode.  The files described by the buffer contents need
not actually exist.  This is useful if you want to peruse an `ls -lR'
output file, for example one you got from an FTP server.  You can use
all motion commands usually available in Dired.  You can also use it to
save a Dired buffer in a file and resume it in a later session.

   Type `M-x dired-virtual' to put the current buffer into virtual
Dired mode.  You will be prompted for the top level directory of this
buffer, with a default value guessed from the buffer contents.  To
convert the virtual to a real Dired buffer again, type `g' (which calls
`dired-virtual-revert') in the virtual Dired buffer and answer `y'.
You don't have to do this, though: you can relist single subdirectories
using `l' (`dired-do-redisplay') on the subdirectory headerline,
leaving the buffer in virtual Dired mode all the time.

   The function `dired-virtual-mode' is specially designed to turn on
virtual Dired mode from the `auto-mode-alist'.  To edit all `*.dired'
files automatically in virtual Dired mode, put this into your
`~/.emacs':

     (setq auto-mode-alist (cons '("[^/]\\.dired$" . dired-virtual-mode)
                                   auto-mode-alist))

The regexp is a bit more complicated than usual to exclude `.dired'
local-variable files.