Going back to (X)emacs to code perl and c++ after a couple of years of Java coding in Eclipse I was a bit frustrated of navigating around the code with just pg-up, pg-down and search. For instance when you are looking at some function call and want to have a quick look at the definition of that function and then go back to the function call. The best way that I have discovered to do this so far is using imenu and the built in “mark” system. I set a function key to “imenu”
(global-set-key (kbd "<f3>") 'imenu)
Then with the cursor placed on the function call i press f3 RET, which then (in most cases) takes me to the function definition. When I want to go back I use the fact that imenu “sets the mark” where it left so I can use Ctrl-u Ctrl-SPC, which takes me back to the last “mark position”. First I used Ctrl-x Ctrl-x which also kind of works, but that marks the whole region from the function definition back to the function call, which is usually not what I want.
Also, repeated use of Ctrl-u Ctrl-SPC will continue going back to previous marks set in your buffer. Emacs keeps a “current buffer mark ring” in which it stores the marks that are set in the buffer. It is also good to know that “interactive search” (Ctrl-s) sets the mark where the search started when it leaves so when you have finished searching you can use Ctrl-u Ctrl-SPC to go back to where the search started. You can also manually “set the mark” by pressing Ctrl-SPC if you know this is a position you will soon want to return to.
I also like (global-set-key (kbd “C-<return>”) ‘dabbrev-expand) which kinda does code completion the simple emacs way. Since <tab> is tied up with indentation and Ctrl-space is for setting the mark I like Ctrl-Return.
Further, there are the functions ‘beginning-of-defun’/’end-of-defun’ in CPerl mode these are bound to M-C-a/M-C-e, I global-set these to C-M-right and C-M-left which are in my installation bound to beginning and end of sentence which I have no much use for.
Related:
Search At Point
Emacs Nifty Tricks