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Info Node: (emacs)Dynamic Abbrevs

(emacs)Dynamic Abbrevs


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Dynamic Abbrev Expansion
========================

   The abbrev facility described above operates automatically as you
insert text, but all abbrevs must be defined explicitly.  By contrast,
"dynamic abbrevs" allow the meanings of abbrevs to be determined
automatically from the contents of the buffer, but dynamic abbrev
expansion happens only when you request it explicitly.

`M-/'
     Expand the word in the buffer before point as a "dynamic abbrev",
     by searching in the buffer for words starting with that
     abbreviation (`dabbrev-expand').

`C-M-/'
     Complete the word before point as a dynamic abbrev
     (`dabbrev-completion').

   For example, if the buffer contains `does this follow ' and you type
`f o M-/', the effect is to insert `follow' because that is the last
word in the buffer that starts with `fo'.  A numeric argument to `M-/'
says to take the second, third, etc. distinct expansion found looking
backward from point.  Repeating `M-/' searches for an alternative
expansion by looking farther back.  After scanning all the text before
point, it searches the text after point.  The variable `dabbrev-limit',
if non-`nil', specifies how far in the buffer to search for an
expansion.

   After scanning the current buffer, `M-/' normally searches other
buffers, unless you have set `dabbrev-check-all-buffers' to `nil'.

   For finer control over which buffers to scan, customize the variable
`dabbrev-ignored-buffer-regexps'.  Its value is a list of regular
expressions.  If a buffer's name matches any of these regular
expressions, dynamic abbrev expansion skips that buffer.

   A negative argument to `M-/', as in `C-u - M-/', says to search
first for expansions after point, and second for expansions before
point.  If you repeat the `M-/' to look for another expansion, do not
specify an argument.  This tries all the expansions after point and
then the expansions before point.

   After you have expanded a dynamic abbrev, you can copy additional
words that follow the expansion in its original context.  Simply type
`<SPC> M-/' for each word you want to copy.  The spacing and
punctuation between words is copied along with the words.

   The command `C-M-/' (`dabbrev-completion') performs completion of a
dynamic abbreviation.  Instead of trying the possible expansions one by
one, it finds all of them, then inserts the text that they have in
common.  If they have nothing in common, `C-M-/' displays a list of
completions, from which you can select a choice in the usual manner.
Note: Completion.

   Dynamic abbrev expansion is completely independent of Abbrev mode;
the expansion of a word with `M-/' is completely independent of whether
it has a definition as an ordinary abbrev.


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