What are your favorite global key bindings in emacs ? [closed]

Question

Mine are:

(global-set-key [f6] 'compile-buffer) (global-set-key [f7] 'kmacro-start-macro-or-insert-counter) (global-set-key [f8] 'kmacro-end-and-call-macro) (global-set-key [f9] 'call-last-kbd-macro) (global-set-key [f10] 'name-and-insert-last-kbd-macro) (global-set-key [f12] 'menu-bar-open)  ; originally bound to F10 (global-set-key "\C-cR" 'rename-current-file-or-buffer) (global-set-key "\C-cD" 'Delete-current-file-or-buffer) 

The name-and-insert-last-keyboard-macro is from another Stack Overflow question.

Answer 1

I happen to have quite a lot of these:

;; You know, like Readline. (global-set-key (kbd "C-M-h") 'backward-kill-word)  ;; Align your code in a pretty way. (global-set-key (kbd "C-x \\") 'align-regexp)  ;; Perform general cleanup. (global-set-key (kbd "C-c n") 'cleanup-buffer)  ;; Font size (define-key global-map (kbd "C-+") 'text-scale-increase) (define-key global-map (kbd "C--") 'text-scale-decrease)  ;; Use regex searches by default. (global-set-key (kbd "C-s") 'isearch-forward-regexp) (global-set-key (kbd "\C-r") 'isearch-backward-regexp) (global-set-key (kbd "C-M-s") 'isearch-forward) (global-set-key (kbd "C-M-r") 'isearch-backward)  ;; Jump to a definition in the current file. (This is awesome.) (global-set-key (kbd "C-x C-i") 'ido-imenu)  ;; File finding (global-set-key (kbd "C-x M-f") 'ido-find-file-other-window) (global-set-key (kbd "C-x C-M-f") 'find-file-in-project) (global-set-key (kbd "C-x f") 'recentf-ido-find-file) (global-set-key (kbd "C-c r") 'bury-buffer) (global-set-key (kbd "M-`") 'file-cache-minibuffer-complete)  ;; Window switching. (C-x o goes to the next window) (global-set-key (kbd "C-x O") (lambda ()                                 (interactive)                                 (other-window -1))) ;; back one (global-set-key (kbd "C-x C-o") (lambda ()                                   (interactive)                                   (other-window 2))) ;; forward two  ;; Indentation help (global-set-key (kbd "C-x ^") 'join-line) (global-set-key (kbd "C-M-\\") 'indent-region-or-buffer)  ;; Start proced in a similar manner to dired (global-set-key (kbd "C-x p") 'proced)  ;; Start eshell or switch to it if it's active. (global-set-key (kbd "C-x m") 'eshell)  ;; Start a new eshell even if one is active. (global-set-key (kbd "C-x M") (lambda () (interactive) (eshell t)))  ;; Start a regular shell if you prefer that. (global-set-key (kbd "C-x M-m") 'shell)  ;; If you want to be able to M-x without meta (global-set-key (kbd "C-x C-m") 'execute-extended-command)  ;; Fetch the contents at a URL, display it raw. (global-set-key (kbd "C-x C-h") 'view-url)  ;; Help should search more than just commands (global-set-key (kbd "C-h a") 'apropos)  ;; Should be able to eval-and-replace anywhere. (global-set-key (kbd "C-c e") 'eval-and-replace)  ;; Magit rules! (global-set-key (kbd "C-x g") 'magit-status)  ;; This is a little hacky since VC doesn't support git add internally (eval-after-load 'vc   (define-key vc-prefix-map "i" '(lambda () (interactive)                                    (if (not (eq 'Git (vc-backend buffer-file-name)))                                        (vc-register)                                      (shell-command (format "git add %s" buffer-file-name))                                      (message "Staged changes.")))))  ;; Activate occur easily inside isearch (define-key isearch-mode-map (kbd "C-o")   (lambda () (interactive)     (let ((case-fold-search isearch-case-fold-search))       (occur (if isearch-regexp isearch-string (regexp-quote isearch-string))))))  ;; Org (define-key global-map "\C-cl" 'org-store-link) (define-key global-map "\C-ca" 'org-agenda)  ;; program shortcuts - s stands for windows key(super) (global-set-key (kbd "s-b") 'browse-url)          ;; Browse (W3M) (global-set-key (kbd "s-f") 'browse-url-firefox)  ;; Firefox... (global-set-key (kbd "s-l") 'linum-mode)          ;; show line numbers in buffer (global-set-key (kbd "s-r") 're-builder)          ;; build regular expressions  ;; Super + uppercase letter signifies a buffer/file (global-set-key (kbd "s-S")                       ;; scratch                 (lambda()(interactive)(switch-to-buffer "*scratch*"))) (global-set-key (kbd "s-E")                       ;; .emacs                 (lambda()(interactive)(find-file "~/emacs/dot-emacs.el")))  ;; cycle through buffers (global-set-key (kbd "<C-tab>") 'bury-buffer)  ;; use hippie-expand instead of dabbrev (global-set-key (kbd "M-/") 'hippie-expand)  ;; spell check Bulgarian text (global-set-key (kbd "C-c B")                 (lambda()(interactive)                   (ispell-change-dictionary "bulgarian")                   (flyspell-buffer)))  ;; replace buffer-menu with ibuffer (global-set-key (kbd "C-x C-b") 'ibuffer)  ;; interactive text replacement (global-set-key (kbd "C-c C-r") 'iedit-mode)  ;; swap windows (global-set-key (kbd "C-c s") 'swap-windows)  ;; duplicate the current line or region (global-set-key (kbd "C-c d") 'duplicate-current-line-or-region)  ;; rename buffer & visited file (global-set-key (kbd "C-c r") 'rename-file-and-buffer)  ;; open an ansi-term buffer (global-set-key (kbd "C-x t") 'visit-term-buffer)  ;; macros (global-set-key [f10]  'start-kbd-macro) (global-set-key [f11]  'end-kbd-macro) (global-set-key [f12]  'call-last-kbd-macro)  (provide 'bindings-config) 

I actually have an entire Emacs Lisp file dedicated to global keybindings :-)

Answer 2

Some of my more unusual bindings:

(global-set-key [pause] 'emms-pause) 

First good use for the pause key in a very long time!

(global-set-key [(super \\)] 'find-file-at-point) 

Just all-around useful.

(global-set-key [(super s)] 'shell) (global-set-key [(meta  p)] 'shell) 

With the second binding in place, I can quickly type M-p M-p RET to return to the shell buffer and repeat the last command I typed there.

Then there are the unbindings:

(global-unset-key "\C-x\C-n") 

Never really had a use for set-goal-column, and always kept tripping over it.

(when window-system (global-unset-key "\C-z")) 

I hate it when I accidentally type C-z and iconify my frame.

Now we get a little meta:

(defmacro global-set-key* (keys &rest body)   `(global-set-key ,keys (lambda () (interactive) ,@body))) 

Just a little keystroke-saving device that lets me write stuff like:

(global-set-key* [(shift control n)] (next-line) (scroll-up 1)) (global-set-key* [(shift control p)] (previous-line) (scroll-down 1))