Chapter 9: Miscellaneous Commands

Default: nil

If non-nil, Dired does not make a new buffer for a directory if it can be found (perhaps as subdirectory) in some existing Dired buffer.

If there are several Dired buffers for a directory, the most recently used is chosen.

Dired avoids switching to the current buffer, so that if you have a normal and a wildcard buffer for the same directory, C-x d RET will toggle between those two.

(dired-goto-file) Goto file line of a file (or directory).

(dired-goto-subdir) Goto headerline of an inserted directory. This commands reads its argument with completion over the names of the inserted subdirectories.

(dired-copy-filename-as-kill) The w command puts the names of the marked (or next N) files into the kill ring, as if you had killed them with C-w. With a zero prefix argument N=0, use the complete pathname of each file. With a raw (just C-u) prefix argument, use the relative pathname of each marked file. As a special case, if no prefix argument is given and point is on a directory headerline, it gives you the name of that directory, without looking for marked files.

The list of names is also stored onto the variable dired-marked-files for use, e.g., in the M-: (eval-expression) command.

As this command also displays what was pushed onto the kill ring you can use it to display the list of currently marked files in the echo area (unless you happen to be on a subdirectory headerline).

You can then feed the file name to other Emacs commands with C-y. For example, say you want to rename a long filename to a slightly different name. First type w to push the old name onto the kill ring. Then type R to rename it and use C-y inside R's minibuffer prompt to insert the old name at a convenient place.

(dired-do-toggle) Toggle marks. That is, currently marked files become unmarked and vice versa. Files marked with other flags (such as `D') are not affected. The special directories `.' and `..' are never toggled.

Like function shell-command, but in the current Dired directory. Bound to M-! in Dired buffers.

Bound to C-x C-j. Jump back to dired: If in a file, dired the current directory and move to file's line. If in Dired already, pop up a level and goto old directory's line. In case the proper Dired file line cannot be found, refresh the Dired buffer and try again.

Bound to C-x 4 C-j. Like dired-jump, but to other window.

These functions can be autoloaded so they work even though `dired-x.el' has not been loaded yet (See Optional Installation Dired Jump).

If the variable dired-bind-jump is nil, dired-jump will not be bound to C-x C-j and dired-jump-other-window will not be bound to C-x 4 C-j.

Bound to V if dired-bind-vm is t. Run VM on this file (assumed to be a UNIX mail folder).

If you give this command a prefix argument, it will visit the folder read-only. This only works in VM~5, not VM~4.

If the variable dired-vm-read-only-folders is t, dired-vm will visit all folders read-only. If it is neither nil nor t, e.g., the symbol 'if-file-read-only, only files not writable by you are visited read-only. This is the recommended value if you run VM 5.

If the variable dired-bind-vm is t, dired-vm will be bound to V. Otherwise, dired-bind-rmail will be bound.

Bound to V if dired-bind-vm is nil. Run Rmail on this file (assumed to be mail folder in Rmail/BABYL format).

Bound to I. Run Info on this file (assumed to be a file in Info format).

If the variable dired-bind-info is nil, dired-info will not be bound to I.

Bound to N. Run man on this file (assumed to be a file in nroff format).

If the variable dired-bind-man is nil, dired-man will not be bound to N.

Bound to Y. Relative symlink all marked (or next ARG) files into a directory, or make a relative symbolic link to the current file. This creates relative symbolic links like

foo -> ../bar/foo

not absolute ones like

foo -> /ugly/path/that/may/change/any/day/bar/foo

Bound to %Y. Relative symlink all marked files containing REGEXP to NEWNAME. See functions `dired-do-rename-regexp' and `dired-do-relsymlink' for more info.