[TxMt] Re: Resources for Emacs veterans?

[Jacob Rus]

Kynn Jones wrote:
> More specifically, I'm hoping to find something like a "TextMate for
> Emacs veterans FAQ", with answers to questions like:
> 
> 1. will I be able to use TM entirely from the keyboard?

Yes.  This is one of its design goals.  I particularly recommend the ⌃⌘T 
shortcut.

> 2. will I be able to set up the same key bindings as in Emacs?  how easily?

Some of them (i.e. the simple ones), but for many others, it would be a) 
a total pain to create and maintain, and b) would prevent you from 
getting some of TM's advantages.

For the simple shortcuts, you might be interested in [this][1], which 
should work in any Cocoa text widget (and for explanation, see 
[here][2]).  TextMate, being more powerful than the basic Cocoa text 
widgets, should let you add a few more emacs features than that list, 
though it also won't support the mark point selectors.

[1]: 
http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~jrus/site/KeyBindings/Emacs%20Esc%20Bindings.dict
[2]: http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~jrus/site/cocoa-text.html

> 3. can I work on a single window, switching between buffers from the
> keyboard, or will I have a zillion windows floating around my desktop?

Yes, you can make a 'project' with several files in it open in tabs

> 4. will I be able to preserve my workspace (including open buffers,
> modes, and other settings) from one session to the next, à la Emacs
> Desktop?

When you quit, and then reopen TextMate, all your open files will come 
back, including their language settings, etc.

> 5. can I run a shell withiin TextMate?

Not really.  Some bundles try to make pretend shells (notably the R 
bundle), with varying success.  It's one thing that would be nice to get 
some editor support for, but I don't think it's on Allan's 2.0 todo list 
(one never knows though).

> 6. does TextMate integrate with debuggers like gdb?

Hmm, not so much.  There isn't any way to set breakpoints, etc. from 
inside the editor.  Hopefully this kind of thing will be improved in 
TM2, though it's hard to know just what Allan will come up with.

-Jacob