I've recently returned from LibrePlanet 2015 where I presented a workshop called Rock Your Emacs. The workshop is designed to help Emacs users over the initial barriers to writing their own customisations with Lisp code. While we're waiting for official videos to be published, here's the video, slides and exercises from my workshop.
Rock Your Emacs, LibrePlanet 2015
Do you love Emacs, but have never understood the strange code with lots of brackets? You're missing out on one of the great joys of Emacs — customizing it to work exactly the way you want. It turns out that Emacs is a full Lisp code interpreter, so once you know a little Emacs Lisp, almost anything is possible.
After attending this tutorial, you will know how to:
- read basic Emacs Lisp code
- modify Emacs Lisp code as well as writing your own
- make persistent customizations to your Emacs
- bind your favourite commands to keys
- answer your own questions with the amazing help system
- use built-in Emacs Lisp development tools like the debugger
Programming experience is helpful but not required. Bring your Emacs and type along.
Ben Sturmfels is a software engineer and free software activist from Ballarat, Australia. He organises Free Software Melbourne, leads the End Software Patents Australia campaign, rides bikes, flies kites and grows vegetables.
