Editor commands are initiated by one or more key sequences . A single key sequence usually involves holding down one of two specially defined keys, while at the same time pressing another key which is usually a character key.
The two special keys referred to are the Control ( Ctrl ) key and the Meta key . As some keyboards do not have an key, the Escape ( Esc ) key can be used instead. Note that Esc must be typed before pressing the required character key, and not held down.
An example of a single key sequence command is Ctrl+A which moves the current point to the start of the line. This command is issued by holding down the Control key while at the same time pressing A .
Some key sequences may require more than one key sequence. For example, the key sequence to save the current buffer to a file is Ctrl+X Ctrl+S . Another multi-key sequence is Ctrl+X S which saves all buffers to their relevant files. Note that in this case no Control character is required to be held down while pressing S .
A few commands require both the Ctrl and key to be held down while pressing the character key. The command +Ctrl+L , used to select the previous buffer displayed, is one such command. If the Esc key is being used in place of the key, then this key should be pressed before the Ctrl+L part of the key sequence.
There is a key sequence for which you cannot use Esc instead of Meta , because it is not actually implement as an editor command (it works in other windows too). This is the key that breaks the current process: Meta+Ctrl+C . As there are so many different types of keyboard, if it is not possible to assert which is the Meta key on your keyboard, it may be marked with a special character, such as a diamond, or it may be one of the function keys -- try F11 . From this point on we refer exclusively to the Meta key in this manual.