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(emacs)Blank Lines

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Blank Lines
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   Here are special commands and techniques for putting in and taking
out blank lines.

`C-o'
     Insert one or more blank lines after the cursor (`open-line').

`C-x C-o'
     Delete all but one of many consecutive blank lines
     (`delete-blank-lines').

   When you want to insert a new line of text before an existing line,
you can do it by typing the new line of text, followed by <RET>.
However, it may be easier to see what you are doing if you first make a
blank line and then insert the desired text into it.  This is easy to do
using the key `C-o' (`open-line'), which inserts a newline after point
but leaves point in front of the newline.  After `C-o', type the text
for the new line.  `C-o F O O' has the same effect as `F O O <RET>',
except for the final location of point.

   You can make several blank lines by typing `C-o' several times, or
by giving it a numeric argument to tell it how many blank lines to make.
Note: Arguments, for how.  If you have a fill prefix, then `C-o'
command inserts the fill prefix on the new line, when you use it at the
beginning of a line.  Note: Fill Prefix.

   The easy way to get rid of extra blank lines is with the command
`C-x C-o' (`delete-blank-lines').  `C-x C-o' in a run of several blank
lines deletes all but one of them.  `C-x C-o' on a solitary blank line
deletes that blank line.  When point is on a nonblank line, `C-x C-o'
deletes any blank lines following that nonblank line.