[OS X Emacs] aquamacs: next "logical" line, not visual line

[David Reitter]

Hi Elizabeth,

thanks for your question.

On Mar 22, 2011, at 9:37 AM, Elizabeth Kellner wrote:
> 
> In this case, I'm working on a csv file with long lines.  I defined a keyboard macro to navigate through some of the fields, and edit them.  My emacs habit is to record the macro, move the cursor to the next line and then C-a it back to the beginning.  In this way I can then call the macro in rapid succession.
> 
> The behavior is that (next-line) doesn't move to the next line, so C-a moves within the same line, and the macro gets stuck.  
> 
> Can anyone suggest a workaround?  Is there an emacs function that's something like (next-logical-line)?

You can easily look you help for the function of C-a by pressing C-h k C-a.  
This will point you to `visual-line-mode'.  Turning it off will let you jump to the beginning of lines.  You will want to turn it on/off permanently to make sure your macro works in that case.

Keyboard macros in Emacs are generally meant to replicate behavior exactly as during their definition, i.e., if C-a jumps to the beginning of the visual line, it should do so during execution of the macro as well.
If you'd like to avoid having to change `visual-line-mode', I would simply use M-x move-beginning-of-line RET in place of C-a when defining your keyboard macro.  Then, `visual-line-mode' won't influence the behavior.  (I haven't tested this - please let me know if there are problems, and I'll investigate.)

Finally, I quote the manual (changelog, version 2.0), which I searched using the Apple Help interface (in Aquamacs 2.2):

> Note that Word Wrapping (`visual-line-mode') affects the function of the cursor movement keys (arrows, and C-a, C-e, C-p and C-n). In Aquamacs, this can be easily customized. The default is as such:
> 	• In Word Wrapping (visual-line-mode), C-aenp and arrow keys move according to visual lines.
> 	• Without Word Wrapping (visual-line-mode off), arrow keys move visually, but C-aenp move non-visually according to buffer lines as in Emacs 22 and Aquamacs 1.x.
> Users may configure this behavior via the (new) `line-move-visual' customization variable. Set it to t for unconditional visual movement of all keys, and nil for unconditional logical (buffer) movement of all keys.

Hope that helps.

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