me(1)

NAME

me - MicroEmacs 2026 text editor

SYNOPSIS

me [options] [files ...]

me [@startupFile] [-] [-a] [-A] [-b file] [-B] [-c[sessionName]] [-f] [-h] [-i] [-k[key] file] [-llineNo[:column]] [-mcommand] [-n] [-o] [-0file] [-p [-P] ] [-R] [-r] [-sstring] [-uusername] [-vvariable=string] [-V] [-x] [-y file] files...

DESCRIPTION

MicroEmacs 2026 is a cut down version of the EMACS text editor, based on Danial Lawrences MicroEmacs. MicroEmacs is a tool for creating and changing documents, programs, and other text files. It is both relatively easy for the novice to use, but also very powerful in the hands of an expert. MicroEmacs can be extensively customized for the needs of the individual user.

MicroEmacs allows multiple files to be edited at the same time. The screen may be split into different windows and screens, and text may be moved freely from one window on any screen to the next. Depending on the type of file being edited, MicroEmacs can change how it behaves to make editing simple. Editing standard text files, program files and word processing documents are all possible at the same time.

There are extensive capabilities to make word processing and editing easier. These include commands for string searching and replacing, paragraph reformatting and deleting, automatic word wrapping, word move and deletes, easy case controlling, and automatic word counts.

For complex and repetitive editing tasks editing macros can be written. These macros allow the user a great degree of flexibility in determining how MicroEmacs behaves. Also, any and all the commands can be used by any key stroke by changing, or re-binding, what commands various keys invoke.

Special features are also available to perform a diverse set of operations such as file encryption, automatic backup file generation, en-tabbing and de-tabbing lines, executing operating system commands and filtering of text through other programs.

The command line options to MicroEmacs are defined as follows:

@startFile


Initialize MicroEmacs using startFile[.emf]. The default when omitted is me.emf. See start-up(3) and Command Line Filters for more information.

-


Pipe stdin into buffer *stdin*, when the buffer is saved the output is written stdout. Following is a simple example which changes 'a's to 'b's:

        define-macro start-up 
            find-buffer "*stdin*" 
            beginning-of-buffer 
            replace-string "a" "b" 
            save-buffer 
            quick-exit 
        !emacro 

This can be used in the following manner:

        me "@testpipe.emf" < foo.a > foo.b 

See -p for disabling user interaction and the help page for command ml-write(2) for a further example.

-a


Toggle the auto-save mode, this toggles the auto(2m) mode.

Note: that NanoEmacs disables auto save mode by default and MicroEmacs enables auto save mode by default. The behavior of -a is therefore different between the two editors.

-A


When running in a UNIX console this option disabled the use of the alternative screen buffer. By default MicroEmacs will restore the console text when suspended or exited if the terminal supports the alternative screen buffer feature.

-b


Load next file as a binary file (binary editor mode, uses binary(2m) buffer mode).

-B


Toggle the backup mode, this toggles the backup(2m) mode.

Note: that NanoEmacs disables backup mode by default and MicroEmacs enables backup mode by default. The behavior of -B is therefore different between the two editors.

-c[sessionName]


Continuation mode. Load the MicroEmacs last edit session, restoring the buffers to their previous loaded state when history mode is enabled. The -c option is generally used with windowing interfaces (X-Windows/Microsoft Windows) as the shortcut icon invocation.

If the optional session name sessionName is specified then the session file sessionName.esf is loaded restoring the previous editing session including the buffer window size, position and layout, the buffer mark and cursor location, main window size. When the sessionName includes space characters then the command line option should be bracketed e.g. "-cFoo Bar". On a session restore then no additional files to load should be included on the command line as this will not enable the original window configuration to be restored as the window configuration will change. See read-session(3) for further information.

If the sessionName is omitted then the default session file username.esf is loaded (see esf(8)) restoring the previously loaded buffers however the window layout and position is not restored. The default sessionName is the login name $MENAME(5).

-h


Show the help page (does not start the editor).

-f


Stop processing command-line arguments, instead set a .about.arg# variable for all following arguments.

-i


MS-DOS versions of MicroEmacs only. Insert the contents of the current screen into the *scratch* buffer

-k[key]


Load next file as an encrypted file (uses crypt(2m) buffer mode). The optional adjoining argument can be used to specify the decrypting key, if this argument is not specify the user will be prompted for it on start-up.

-llineNo[:column]


Go to line lineNo in the next given file and optionally to the specified column number. The column may be omitted if not required. Typically used with utilities such a more(1) where an external editor may be invoked from other viewer.

-mcommand


Sends a client-server command to an existing MicroEmacs session. The command takes the form "C:<client>:<command>" i.e. to write "Hello World" on the message line then a client may issue the command:

; launch server 
me & 
; send message 
me -m "C:ME:ml-write \"Hello world\" 

Note that the <command> is a MicroEmacs macro command, the escape sequences must be adhered to. The client-server interface is typically used to load a file, this may be performed as follows:

me -m "C:myutility:find-file \"/path/foo.bar\"" 

The absolute path is specified in this type of transaction as the current working directory of the active MicroEmacs session is unknown. The -m option de-iconize's the existing editor session and bring it to the foreground.

-n


UNIX X-Windows environments only and MicroSoft Windows NT console versions. Execute MicroEmacs using termcap rather than X-Windows for UNIX; typically used within an xterm shell to fire up MicroEmacs for a quick edit. For Microsoft Windows, a console window is started as opposed to a GUI window.

-o<file>


Use already running version of MicroEmacs to load the <file>, if it exists, otherwise start a new editor session. This uses the client-server interface to push the new file into the existing editor session. Refer to the Client-Server Interface for details.

-p


Used with the - which inputs from stdin and disables user interaction within MicroEmacs. To debug then the -P option may be used to enable debug on stderr. See the help pages for commands ml-write(2) and command-wait(2) for examples of this option's use.

-P


Used with the -p option and is used for debugging the pipe mode, ml-write(2) messages are displayed on stderr.

-R


Reverse the default video color scheme. The default foreground color becomes the background color and vice versa. This only affects the built in scheme and not any schemes defined in any start-up file.

-r


Read-only, all buffers will be in view mode

-sstring


Search for string "string" in the current buffer. e.g. me -sfoo bar starts MicroEmacs, loads file bar and initiates a search for foo. The cursor is left at the end of the string if located, otherwise at the top of the buffer.

-uusername


Set the current user name $user-name(5) to username before MicroEmacs is initialized.

-vvariable=string


Assign the MicroEmacs variable with string. The assignment is performed before the buffers are loaded. Typically used to change the start-up characteristics of the startup file(s).

-V


Print the name and version of MicroEmacs. i.e.

orac% me -V
MicroEmacs 06 - Date 2006/08/10 - sunos

-x


UNIX environments. Disable the capture of signals. MicroEmacs by default captures an handles all illicit signal interrupts. The option is enabled when debugging the source code allowing exception conditions to be trapped within the debugger.

-y


Load next file as a reduced binary file (uses rbin(2m) buffer mode).

ENVIRONMENT

The following environment variables are used by MicroEmacs.

DISPLAY


UNIX environments running X-Windows only. The identity of the X-Windows server. Typically set to unix:0.0, refer to the X-Windows documentation for details of this environment variable.

MENAME


$MENAME(5) is used to override the identity of the user $user-name(5). The variable may be used to determine which start-up configuration to use in the initialization of MicroEmacs ($user-name.erf). This is ignored if the -u option is specified on the command line.

Non-UNIX platforms usually need to explicitly set the $MENAME environment variable to identify the aforementioned files. for MS-DOS and early versions of Microsoft Windows this is typically performed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

PATH


The $PATH environment variable is used on most operating systems as a search path for executable files. This $PATH environment variable must be defined with MicroEmacs on the search path. Under UNIX this is set in the .login, .cshrc or .profile file i.e.

export PATH $PATH:/usr/name/me

Within MS-DOS or Microsoft Windows environments it is defined in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. e.g.

set PATH=%PATH%;c:\me

MicroEmacs utilizes information in the $PATH environment variable to locate the start-up files, dictionaries etc.

TERM


The terminal identification sting. In UNIX environments the environment variable $TERM is set to "vt...", in this case it is assumed that the machine is a server, and the host cannot support X (see command line option -n).

In MS-DOS the environment variable is usually set to define the graphics adapter mode. %TERM is assigned a string, understood by the me.emf start-up file, to set the graphics mode. Predefined strings include:

E80x50


Initiates an 80 column by 50 line screen.

E80x25


Initiates an 80 column by 25 line screen.

userDefined


A user defined string to set an explicit graphics card mode. The operation is dependent upon the support offered by the graphics adapter.

MEINSTALLPATH


$MEINSTALLPATH(5) is an environment variable that overrides any internally defined search path for MicroEmacs system macros and defines the root directory(s) of the MicroEmacs system macros. The presence of the environment variable affects $search-path(5).

MEUSERPATH


$MEUSERPATH(5) is an environment variable that defines the users private directory where user configuration files such as $user-name.emf, $user-name.erf and personal spelling dictionaries are stored. This is an absolute directory path. The environment variable sets the MicroEmacs variable $user-path(5).

MEPATH


$MEPATH(5) is an environment variable that may be used to define the absolute search path for MicroEmacs macro files and affects the setting of $search-path. The path should include the system macros location(s) and should include the user directory location $user-path(5) as the first path when the environment variable $MEUSERPATH(5) is not defined. If $MEUSERPATH is defined then this path name appears before the $MEPATH variable to define the user directory location. $MEPATH is not searching, so ALL directories to be searched must be included in the path specification.

$MEUSERPATH(5) is the preferred method used to defined the user directory.

INFOPATH


MicroEmacs uses the environment variable $INFOPATH as the directory(s) used to search for GNU Info files. Within the UNIX $INFOPATH is a semi-colon separated list of directories which are used to search for the MicroEmacs macro files. The path is searched from left to right. The environment variable is typically defined in the in the .login, .cshrc or .profile file i.e.

export INFOPATH /usr/local/info:$HOME/info

The default when omitted is /usr/local/info.

Within MS-DOS or Microsoft Windows environments it is defined in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. e.g.

set MEPATH=c:\usr\local\info

There is no default location in these environments.

FILES

All of the macro files and dictionaries are located in the MicroEmacs home directory. The standard file extensions that are utilized are:

.eaf


MicroEmacs abbreviation file, defines completion definitions for buffer dependent text expansion.

.edf


A MicroEmacs spelling dictionary. <language>.edf provide language specific dictionaries; $LOGNAME.edf is personal spelling dictionary.

.ehf


MicroEmacs help file information. On-line help information for emacs, the main file is me.ehf.

.emf


A MicroEmacs macro file. The following classes of macro file exist:

me.emf


The default startup file.

<platform>.emf


A platform specify startup file, these include UNIX generic (unixterm.emf), UNIX specific (irix.emf, hpux.emf, unixwr1.emf, linux.emf, sunos.emf etc), Microsoft Windows (windows.emf), MS-DOS (dos.emf).

hkxxxxxx.emf


Buffer context specific hook files to initialize a buffer with macros and highlighting appropriate to the contents of the file type. e.g. 'C' language editing (hkc.emf), N/Troff typesetting (hknroff.emf), UNIX Manual page display (hkman.emf), Makefiles (hkmake.emf), etc.

.erf


Registry files, used to retain personal information, users history in the file etc.

.etf


Template files used to seed new files. Typically contains standard header information, copyright notices etc. that are placed at the head of files. The 'C' programming language is called c.etf

MICROSOFT WINDOWS

Drag and drop support is provided in the Windowing version of MicroEmacs. The editor window is brought into focus following the drop.

UNIX

Xdnd drag and drop support is provided in the X-Windows version of MicroEmacs. The editor window is not raised or brought into focus following the drop as expected in the UNIX environment.

SESSIONS

Reading a session is generally performed when a MicroEmacs session is started using the "-c" command line option rather than from the mode line or main menu, see read-session(3). Invoking

me -c<mySessionName>

where <mySessionName> is the name of the session (the $MENAME(5) or system login name) will restore all of of the buffers, windows layout, point and mark positions, main window size etc. at the point of the last shut down. e.g. given a system login name of jasspa then

me -cjasspa

restores the session to the state when jasspa last exited MicroEmacs. When the session name is specified then no other files should be specified, so the command line

me -cjasspa morefiles.txt

restores the buffers but does not restore the window layout because this has been destroyed by the introduction of the new file "morefiles.txt". This type of command with another file behaves as the old "me -c" command prior to the 2006 release that did not support sessions. If <mySessionName> is not specified then the buffers are restored but the window layout is not restored.

HISTORY

The 2006 release removed the -d command line option for debugging (not used) and added session support by extending the -c option with an optional sessionName argument.

SEE ALSO

read-session(3), $MEINSTALLPATH(5), $MENAME(5), $MEPATH(5), $MEUSERPATH(5), emf(8), erf(8), esf(8), $home(5), emacs(1) [GNU], more(1), ne(1), vi(1).
Client-Server Interface.
Command Line Filters.

Ref: me(1) File: m1cmd000.1 Date: 2026/03/05

(c) Copyright JASSPA 2026