Help Menus:

If you're interested in learning more about this powerful software package, there are lots of options available to you. Of course, the program has its own help manuals and documentation available on screen. C-h ? will give you a list of all help commands and you can choose from there: I'd recommend you start with C-h t, ``Read the Emacs manual.'' Scroll down to `Text' for the parameters of most use to writers. In the GUI version of emacs, simply navigate the Help menu (on consoles, hit M-` to do the same thing). For example, as shown in the help menus, the command C-h k allows you to find out what command a particular key sequence is bound to, that is ``what does C-x C-o do?'' C-h b will show you all keybindings presently in use.

You can find new commands by using emacs' ``apropos'' utility. Enter M-x apropos and hit return. When emacs asks you for an expression, enter what you'd like to know more about, and it will present you a list of all commands that use that expression. For example hit M-x apropos, return, and then enter ispell. You will see a list of a half a dozen commands, variables, and functions that include the word ispell, including check-ispell-version, checkdoc-ispell, and ispell-change-dictionary. All items shown as commands are available to you by entering M-x and the command name. Functions and variables are not very useful to anyone but emacs lisp programmers, for whom this document is not intended.