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(emacs)Several Buffers

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Operating on Several Buffers
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   The "buffer-menu" facility is like a "Dired for buffers"; it allows
you to request operations on various Emacs buffers by editing an Emacs
buffer containing a list of them.  You can save buffers, kill them
(here called "deleting" them, for consistency with Dired), or display
them.

`M-x buffer-menu'
     Begin editing a buffer listing all Emacs buffers.

   The command `buffer-menu' writes a list of all Emacs buffers into
the buffer `*Buffer List*', and selects that buffer in Buffer Menu
mode.  The buffer is read-only, and can be changed only through the
special commands described in this section.  The usual Emacs cursor
motion commands can be used in the `*Buffer List*' buffer.  The
following commands apply to the buffer described on the current line.

`d'
     Request to delete (kill) the buffer, then move down.  The request
     shows as a `D' on the line, before the buffer name.  Requested
     deletions take place when you type the `x' command.

`C-d'
     Like `d' but move up afterwards instead of down.

`s'
     Request to save the buffer.  The request shows as an `S' on the
     line.  Requested saves take place when you type the `x' command.
     You may request both saving and deletion for the same buffer.

`x'
     Perform previously requested deletions and saves.

`u'
     Remove any request made for the current line, and move down.

`<DEL>'
     Move to previous line and remove any request made for that line.

   The `d', `C-d', `s' and `u' commands to add or remove flags also
move down (or up) one line.  They accept a numeric argument as a repeat
count.

   These commands operate immediately on the buffer listed on the
current line:

`~'
     Mark the buffer "unmodified."  The command `~' does this
     immediately when you type it.

`%'
     Toggle the buffer's read-only flag.  The command `%' does this
     immediately when you type it.

`t'
     Visit the buffer as a tags table.  Note: Select Tags Table.

   There are also commands to select another buffer or buffers:

`q'
     Quit the buffer menu--immediately display the most recent formerly
     visible buffer in its place.

`<RET>'
`f'
     Immediately select this line's buffer in place of the `*Buffer
     List*' buffer.

`o'
     Immediately select this line's buffer in another window as if by
     `C-x 4 b', leaving `*Buffer List*' visible.

`C-o'
     Immediately display this line's buffer in another window, but don't
     select the window.

`1'
     Immediately select this line's buffer in a full-screen window.

`2'
     Immediately set up two windows, with this line's buffer in one,
     and the previously current buffer (aside from the buffer `*Buffer
     List*') in the other.

`b'
     Bury the buffer listed on this line.

`m'
     Mark this line's buffer to be displayed in another window if you
     exit with the `v' command.  The request shows as a `>' at the
     beginning of the line.  (A single buffer may not have both a delete
     request and a display request.)

`v'
     Immediately select this line's buffer, and also display in other
     windows any buffers previously marked with the `m' command.  If
     you have not marked any buffers, this command is equivalent to `1'.

   All that `buffer-menu' does directly is create and switch to a
suitable buffer, and turn on Buffer Menu mode.  Everything else
described above is implemented by the special commands provided in
Buffer Menu mode.  One consequence of this is that you can switch from
the `*Buffer List*' buffer to another Emacs buffer, and edit there.
You can reselect the `*Buffer List*' buffer later, to perform the
operations already requested, or you can kill it, or pay no further
attention to it.

   The only difference between `buffer-menu' and `list-buffers' is that
`buffer-menu' switches to the `*Buffer List*' buffer in the selected
window; `list-buffers' displays it in another window.  If you run
`list-buffers' (that is, type `C-x C-b') and select the buffer list
manually, you can use all of the commands described here.

   The buffer `*Buffer List*' is not updated automatically when buffers
are created and killed; its contents are just text.  If you have
created, deleted or renamed buffers, the way to update `*Buffer List*'
to show what you have done is to type `g' (`revert-buffer') or repeat
the `buffer-menu' command.