4.1 Prepare a practice buffer ¶

A buffer is Emacs’s working copy of text. It need not have a file behind it. We will use a new buffer so that editing, undo, and temporary settings cannot change the supplied example or an existing document.

1. Press C-x b, enter evox-tutorial, and press RET. If that name already belongs to work you want to keep, use an unused name such as evox-tutorial-2 and substitute it throughout these lessons.
2. Run M-x text-mode RET. This starts with ordinary text rather than Org’s structural commands. Press C-e m to hear the buffer and mode.
3. Insert the practice text below. In a source checkout, you can use C-x i and select docs/manual/examples/tutorial-practice.org relative to that checkout. This inserts a copy; it does not visit or modify that file. Otherwise copy or type the displayed text into the empty buffer.
4. Press M-< to move to the beginning. C-e l reads the current line. It should contain the heading * Practice note.

The example is included here so you can use an installed Info or HTML manual without a source checkout. Preserve its asterisks, brackets, pipes, and line breaks. Those characters become useful in the structure lesson. The code at the end is for reading, not evaluation; do not run it.

* Practice note
The green notebook is on the desk.
This sentence is ready.
Check (A+B), then C.

** Packing list
- Notebook
- Headphones
- Cable

** Journey plan
| Day     | Task | Status  |
|---------+------+---------|
| Monday  | Read | Ready   |
| Tuesday | Edit | Planned |

** Reference
[[*Packing list][Return to the packing list]]

** Code to read
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(+ 2 3)
#+end_src

Keep the manual and the practice buffer available. C-x b followed by your practice buffer’s name returns to your work without closing the manual. Finish any active minibuffer prompt first; C-g cancels an ordinary unfinished Emacs command. In a settings menu or an editor, use the return procedure specified in the lesson instead of assuming that every quit key is identical.

If you need a fresh copy, leave menus and editors first, then use C-x k while in the disposable practice buffer. Check the buffer name and discard only that practice text if asked. Create a new buffer and insert the example again. Do not use this reset procedure on other work.