Info Node: (emacs-lisp-intro.info)forward-paragraph
(emacs-lisp-intro.info)forward-paragraph
`forward-paragraph': a Goldmine of Functions
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The `forward-paragraph' function moves point forward to the end of
the paragraph. It is usually bound to `M-}' and makes use of a number
of functions that are important in themselves, including `let*',
`match-beginning', and `looking-at'.
The function definition for `forward-paragraph' is considerably
longer than the function definition for `forward-sentence' because it
works with a paragraph, each line of which may begin with a fill prefix.
A fill prefix consists of a string of characters that are repeated at
the beginning of each line. For example, in Lisp code, it is a
convention to start each line of a paragraph-long comment with `;;; '.
In Text mode, four blank spaces make up another common fill prefix,
creating an indented paragraph. (Note:Fill Prefix,
for more information about fill prefixes.)
The existence of a fill prefix means that in addition to being able
to find the end of a paragraph whose lines begin on the left-most
column, the `forward-paragraph' function must be able to find the end
of a paragraph when all or many of the lines in the buffer begin with
the fill prefix.
Moreover, it is sometimes practical to ignore a fill prefix that
exists, especially when blank lines separate paragraphs. This is an
added complication.