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How to build an editor with Emacs Lisp

DONE Episode 1 - Introduction

CLOSED: [2022-01-09 Sun 19:03]

What is it all about?

  • Create an editor, development environment and Window Manager (yeah window manager) and …
  • GNU/Emacs is amazing
  • Spread the joy
  • Guide for contributors
  • A guide for people who wants to learn some Lisp

The Plan

  • Parallel video series to How to build a compiler with LLVM and MLIR
  • Git branches
  • No live coding
  • Start from Emacs and Jump to FG42
  • Feel free to contribute

FG42 and a bit of history

DONE Episode 2 - Survive on the first day

CLOSED: [2022-02-11 Fri 10:28]

Why bother?

Why GNU/Emacs?

People might say because of

  • Org-mode
  • LSP support
  • Support for many many languages
  • It's lightweight
  • Tons of plugins
  • …

I'd say

  • Coz it's a lisp environment with an editor attached to it

  • Lisp is the difference

    • It's super easy to extend/hack emacs
    • In compare to other editors
  • You can do pretty much whatever your like in ELisp
  • It's like a framework for building an editor

FAQ

What is the difference between Doom, Spacemacs, FG42 and …?

Different editors based on Emacs

Which one should I use?

How to install Emacs packages?

UI Basics & Basic Concepts

  • Window
  • Frame
  • Mode line
  • Buffers
  • Mini buffer/Echo area
  • Point
  • Major mode
  • Minor mode

Basic Keybindings

How to read key bindings? Here is an example C-x M-e 4, it means press x key while holding Control and then press e key while pressing down Alt and finally press 4.

  • Emacs tutorial C-h t (or https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/tour/)
  • Quit emacs C-x C-c
  • Abort C-g

  • Get Help C-h family

    • C-h f
    • C-h v
    • C-h m
    • C-h k
    • C-h a
  • Run a command (function) M-x
  • Visit a file C-x C-f
  • Search in Buffer C-s
  • Save buffer C-x C-s
  • Select region C-SPC
  • Copy M-w
  • Cut(killing) C-w
  • Paste(yanking) C-y
  • Kill buffer C-x k
  • Switch buffer C-x b
  • Undo C-/
  • Eval expression C-x C-e
  • describe-mode

Lisp basics

  • Expressions everywhere
  • Code a data structure

  • Almost everything in Lisp evaluates to themselves except:

    • lists
    • Symbols
    • …

  • Lisp laws:

    1. Everything in Lisp is an expression and evaluation of an expression means replacing it with its value

    2. Almost everything in Lisp evaluates to themselves except:

      • Lists
      • Symbols
      • Quotes
      • …
    1. List evaluation

Episode 3 - Lisp Basics

FAQ:

  • How to install Emacs?

    • Just make sure to have Emacs >= 27.1

  • What's the routine to use Emacs ?

    • Don't use Emacs like how you use other Editors.
    • There is no limits(Almost).

  • How evaluate forms?

    • C-x C-e at the end of any expression and anywhere
    • ielm
    • Batch mode

So Fare:

Lisp rules:

  1. Lisp is made of Expressions and they evaluate to a value.
  2. All the expression types evaluates to themselves with some exceptions.
  3. List evaluation

We will continue with Lisp basics for few episodes

Variables

  • How to define variables and constants
  • Set the value of a variable
  • Global and local scope

  • Lexical bindings vs Dynamic bindings

    • -*- lexical-binding: t; -*-

Functions

  • How to define functions
  • vs macros
  • vs special forms