(lemacs.info)Examining
Next: Edit Options Prev: Variables Up: Variables
Examining and Setting Variables
-------------------------------
`C-h v'
`M-x describe-variable'
Print the value and documentation of a variable.
`M-x set-variable'
Change the value of a variable.
To examine the value of a single variable, use `C-h v'
(`describe-variable'), which reads a variable name using the
minibuffer, with completion. It prints both the value and the
documentation of the variable.
C-h v fill-column RET
prints something like:
fill-column's value is 75
Documentation:
*Column beyond which automatic line-wrapping should happen.
Automatically becomes local when set in any fashion.
The star at the beginning of the documentation indicates that this
variable is an option. `C-h v' is not restricted to options; it allows
any variable name.
If you know which option you want to set, you can use `M-x
set-variable' to set it. This prompts for the variable name in the
minibuffer (with completion), and then prompts for a Lisp expression
for the new value using the minibuffer a second time. For example,
M-x set-variable RET fill-column RET 75 RET
sets `fill-column' to 75, as if you had executed the Lisp expression
`(setq fill-column 75)'.
Setting variables in this way, like all means of customizing Emacs
except where explicitly stated, affects only the current Emacs session.
automatically generated by info2www