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GNU Info (efaq)Finding a package with particular functionalityHow do I find a Emacs Lisp package that does XXX? ================================================= First of all, you should check to make sure that the package isn't already available. For example, typing `M-x apropos <RET> wordstar <RET>' lists all functions and variables containing the string `wordstar'. It is also possible that the package is on your system, but has not been loaded. To see which packages are available for loading, look through your computer's lisp directory (Note: File-name conventions). The Lisp source to most packages contains a short description of how they should be loaded, invoked, and configured--so before you use or modify a Lisp package, see if the author has provided any hints in the source code. If a package does not come with Emacs, check the Lisp Code Directory. The LCD was originally maintained by Dave Brennan <brennan@hal.com>, but was recently taken over by toby knudsen <toby@world.std.com>, who maintains `http://www.emacs.org'. The LCD is currently being reorganized and updated, but you can meanwhile find many packages at `ftp://ftp.emacs.org/pub'. For now, you can search through the LCD with `lispdir.el', which is in the process of being updated. Download it from the LCD, in the `emacs-lisp-attic/misc' directory, and then evaluate the following Lisp form (Note: Evaluating Emacs Lisp code): (setq lisp-code-directory "/anonymous@ftp.emacs.org:pub/emacs-lisp-attic/emacs-lisp/LCD-datafile.gz" elisp-archive-host "ftp.emacs.org" elisp-archive-directory "/pub/emacs-lisp-attic/emacs-lisp/") Once you have installed `lispdir.el', you can use `M-x lisp-dir-apropos' to search the listing. For example, `M-x lisp-dir-apropos <RET> ange-ftp <RET>' produces this output: GNU Emacs Lisp Code Directory Apropos --- "ange-ftp" "~/" refers to archive.cis.ohio-state.edu:pub/elisp-archive/ ange-ftp (4.18) 15-Jul-1992 Andy Norman, <ange@hplb.hpl.hp.com> ~/packages/ange-ftp.tar.Z transparent FTP Support for GNU Emacs auto-save (1.19) 01-May-1992 Sebastian Kremer, <sk@thp.uni-koeln.de> ~/misc/auto-save.el.Z Safer autosaving with support for ange-ftp and /tmp ftp-quik (1.0) 28-Jul-1993 Terrence Brannon, <tb06@pl122f.eecs.lehigh.edu> ~/modes/ftp-quik.el.Z Quik access to dired'ing of ange-ftp and normal paths automatically generated by info2www version 1.2.2.9 |