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(emacs)Fortran Comments

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Fortran Comments
----------------

   The usual Emacs comment commands assume that a comment can follow a
line of code.  In Fortran, the standard comment syntax requires an
entire line to be just a comment.  Therefore, Fortran mode replaces the
standard Emacs comment commands and defines some new variables.

   Fortran mode can also handle the Fortran90 comment syntax where
comments start with `!' and can follow other text.  Because only some
Fortran77 compilers accept this syntax, Fortran mode will not insert
such comments unless you have said in advance to do so.  To do this,
set the variable `comment-start' to `"!"' (Note: Variables).

`M-;'
     Align comment or insert new comment (`fortran-comment-indent').

`C-x ;'
     Applies to nonstandard `!' comments only.

`C-c ;'
     Turn all lines of the region into comments, or (with argument)
     turn them back into real code (`fortran-comment-region').

   `M-;' in Fortran mode is redefined as the command
`fortran-comment-indent'.  Like the usual `M-;' command, this
recognizes any kind of existing comment and aligns its text
appropriately; if there is no existing comment, a comment is inserted
and aligned.  But inserting and aligning comments are not the same in
Fortran mode as in other modes.

   When a new comment must be inserted, if the current line is blank, a
full-line comment is inserted.  On a non-blank line, a nonstandard `!'
comment is inserted if you have said you want to use them.  Otherwise a
full-line comment is inserted on a new line before the current line.

   Nonstandard `!' comments are aligned like comments in other
languages, but full-line comments are different.  In a standard
full-line comment, the comment delimiter itself must always appear in
column zero.  What can be aligned is the text within the comment.  You
can choose from three styles of alignment by setting the variable
`fortran-comment-indent-style' to one of these values:

`fixed'
     Align the text at a fixed column, which is the sum of
     `fortran-comment-line-extra-indent' and the minimum statement
     indentation.  This is the default.

     The minimum statement indentation is
     `fortran-minimum-statement-indent-fixed' for fixed format
     continuation line style and `fortran-minimum-statement-indent-tab'
     for tab format style.

`relative'
     Align the text as if it were a line of code, but with an additional
     `fortran-comment-line-extra-indent' columns of indentation.

`nil'
     Don't move text in full-line comments automatically at all.

   In addition, you can specify the character to be used to indent
within full-line comments by setting the variable
`fortran-comment-indent-char' to the single-character string you want
to use.

   Fortran mode introduces two variables `comment-line-start' and
`comment-line-start-skip', which play for full-line comments the same
roles played by `comment-start' and `comment-start-skip' for ordinary
text-following comments.  Normally these are set properly by Fortran
mode, so you do not need to change them.

   The normal Emacs comment command `C-x ;' has not been redefined.  If
you use `!' comments, this command can be used with them.  Otherwise it
is useless in Fortran mode.

   The command `C-c ;' (`fortran-comment-region') turns all the lines
of the region into comments by inserting the string `C$$$' at the front
of each one.  With a numeric argument, it turns the region back into
live code by deleting `C$$$' from the front of each line in it.  The
string used for these comments can be controlled by setting the
variable `fortran-comment-region'.  Note that here we have an example
of a command and a variable with the same name; these two uses of the
name never conflict because in Lisp and in Emacs it is always clear
from the context which one is meant.