7.2.1 Keep a reference and a draft in separate windows ¶
Begin with an editable draft selected and a reference buffer already open.
Finish prompts and leave settings editors first. For a safe first attempt,
use the source and notes buffers from Copy a passage into another buffer.
Keep their names available so that you can recover by buffer name at any time.
- In the draft, press C-x 4 b, enter the reference buffer’s name, and press
RET. The digit 4 is a separate keypress. Emacs displays and selects the
reference in another window, creating or reusing a view according to its
display configuration. C-x 4 f does the equivalent for a file pathname.
- Check the selected buffer with C-e m and read a line or paragraph. Use
short inspections when you intend to retain point. Tracked reading with
C-e i moves the reference’s reading position as explained in
Read from point, stop, and start again.
- Press C-x o to select the next window and identify it before typing.
With two ordinary windows this usually alternates between reference and
draft. With more windows, repeat until the intended draft is selected;
do not assume the next view must be the draft.
- To transfer text, return to the reference, select and check a short passage,
then copy with M-w. Use C-x o to return to the draft, confirm its buffer
and insertion point, and press C-y. The reference text remains unchanged.
Follow Copy a passage into another buffer for kill-ring and newline checks.
- Return to the reference with C-x o. Its position is where you last left
it, including movement made while selecting or reading. Inspect it rather
than assuming copying restored an earlier reading position.
If window selection becomes confusing, C-x b and a known buffer name is
always a useful recovery route from ordinary work. It can replace the current
view rather than restore the old layout; the buffer’s text remains available.
Some speech commands intentionally change the layout. C-e h selects and
reads Help using a windowful-reading helper, which removes other windows.
Whole-buffer and region reading can use that helper for a large request too.
A lost split therefore does not necessarily mean the reference was closed.
Reopen the desired view with C-x 4 b. For a short inspection without that
helper, use line or paragraph reading as described under
Read a short passage without moving point.
For the general display and selection commands, see Displaying in another window
and Using other windows in the GNU Emacs Manual. Emacsvox adds speech to the
selection; it does not make the ordinary display rules identical in every setup.