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EMACSCLIENT(1)                                                                                EMACSCLIENT(1)



NAME
       emacsclient - tells a running Emacs to visit a file

SYNOPSIS
       emacsclient [options] files ...

DESCRIPTION
       This  manual  page documents briefly the emacsclient command.  Full documentation is available in the
       GNU Info format; see below.  This manual page was originally written for the Debian GNU/Linux distri-bution, distribution,
       bution, but is not specific to that system.

       emacsclient works in conjunction with the built-in Emacs server.

       You can either call emacsclient directly or let other programs run it for you when necessary.  On GNU
       and Unix systems many programs consult the environment variable EDITOR  (sometimes  also  VISUAL)  to
       obtain  the  command used for editing.  Thus, setting this environment variable to 'emacsclient' will
       allow these programs to use an already running Emacs for editing.  Other operating systems might have
       their own methods for defining the default editor.

       For  emacsclient  to  work,  you need an already running Emacs with a server.  Within Emacs, call the
       functions `server-start' or `server-mode'.  (Your `.emacs' file can do this automatically if you  add
       either `(server-start)' or `(server-mode 1)' to it.)

       When you've finished editing the buffer, type `C-x #' (`server-edit').  This saves the file and sends
       a message back to the `emacsclient' program telling it to exit.  The programs that use `EDITOR'  wait
       for  the  "editor" (actually, `emacsclient') to exit.  `C-x #' also checks for other pending external
       requests to edit various files, and selects the next such file.

       If you set the variable `server-window' to a window or a frame, `C-x #' displays the server buffer in
       that window or in that frame.


OPTIONS
       The  programs  follow  the  usual GNU command line syntax, with long options starting with two dashes
       (`-').

       -n, --no-wait
              returns immediately without waiting for you to "finish" the buffer in Emacs.

       -e, --eval
              do not visit files but instead evaluate the arguments as Emacs Lisp expressions.

       -s, --socket-name=FILENAME
              use socket named FILENAME for communication.

       -f, --server-file=FILENAME
              use TCP configuration file FILENAME for communication.  This can also  be  specified  via  the
              `EMACS_SERVER_FILE' environment variable.

       -a, --alternate-editor=EDITOR
              if the Emacs server is not running, run the specified editor instead.  This can also be speci-fied specified
              fied via the `ALTERNATE_EDITOR' environment variable.

       -d, --display=DISPLAY
              tell the server to display the files on the given display.

       -V, --version
              print version information and exit

       -h, --help
              print this usage information message and exit

SEE ALSO
       The program is documented fully in Using Emacs as a Server available via the Info system.

AUTHOR
       This manual page was written by Stephane Bortzmeyer <bortzmeyer@debian.org>, for the Debian GNU/Linux
       system (but may be used by others).

COPYING
       This manual page is in the public domain.




                                                                                              EMACSCLIENT(1)