Introduction
Getting Started
Installation
Running Emacs
Chapter 2 Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Movement & Editing
Understanding Emacs Key Notation
Cursor Navigation
Basic Movement
Word-Level Movement
Line Movement
Document-Level Movement
Jumping to a Line
Copy, Cut, and Paste
Selecting Text (The Mark)
Cutting and Copying
Pasting (Yanking)
Search and Replace
Incremental Search
Query Replace
Replace All (Without Confirmation)
Chapter Summary
Chapter 3 Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Files, Buffers & Windows
Opening and Saving Files
Opening Files
Saving Files
Buffers
Switching Buffers
The Minibuffer
Dired: The File Manager Inside Emacs
Opening Dired
Navigating in Dired
File Operations
Splitting the Screen
Undoing Mistakes
Exiting Emacs
Chapter Summary
Chapter 4 Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Your First Configuration
Where Configuration Lives
Emacs Lisp: The Language of Configuration
A Solid Starting Configuration
Customizing the Look
Fonts
Themes
Variables and Settings
Keybindings
Hooks: Running Code at the Right Moment
Evaluating Configuration Changes
The Customize Interface
Growing Beyond a Single File
Chapter Summary
Chapter 5 Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Package Management
Package Repositories
Installing Packages Manually
use-package: A Better Way to Manage Packages
The use-package Syntax
Essential Packages to Install
which-key: Discover Key Combinations
no-littering: Keep ~/.emacs.d Clean
ivy and counsel: Better Completion
swiper: Better Search
magit: Git Inside Emacs
doom-themes: A Beautiful Look
doom-modeline: A Better Status Bar
company: Auto-Completion
Your Packages Section
Chapter Summary
Chapter 6 Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Org-Mode: Your Second Brain
Your First Org File
In-File Settings
Headings and Structure
Folding
Todo Items
Priorities
Checkboxes
Scheduling and Deadlines
Effort Estimates
The Agenda View
Tags
Notes and Capture
Tables
Exporting
Chapter Summary
Where to Go from Here
Chapter 7 Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Daily Emacs
TRAMP: Remote Files, Local Editing
Opening a Remote File
Dired on Remote Hosts
Finding Files with ivy/counsel on Remote Hosts
The Default Method
TRAMP and Magit
Emacs Server: Start Once, Connect Instantly
Starting the Server
Connecting with emacsclient
Setting the EDITOR Environment Variable
A Shell Alias for Speed
GUI vs Terminal emacsclient
Starting the Server at Login
Spell Checking with Flyspell
A Terminal Inside Emacs
Chapter Summary
Chapter 8 Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Coding in Emacs
Language Support
LSP: The Language Server Protocol
Setting Up lsp-mode
lsp-mode Key Prefix
Projectile: Project-Aware Navigation
Flycheck: Real-Time Error Checking
magit: Git Mastery
Blaming and Logging
Snippets: Type Less, Write More
editorconfig: Consistent Settings Across Editors
rainbow-delimiters: Color-Matched Parentheses
A Complete Developer init.el
Chapter Summary
Chapter 9 Quiz
3 attempts allowed
AI in Emacs
gptel: A Universal LLM Client
Installation
Connecting to Claude
Connecting to OpenAI
Opening a Chat Buffer
Sending a Region to the AI
The gptel Menu
System Prompts
Local AI with Ollama
Installing Ollama
Inline Code Completion: Copilot and Codeium
GitHub Copilot
Codeium (Free Alternative)
AI-Assisted Refactoring Workflow
AI Inside Org-Mode
Sensitive Data and Local Models
Your AI Configuration Block
Chapter Summary
Chapter 10 Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Final Exam
Final Exam
2 attempts allowed
Appendix: Keyboard Shortcuts Reference
Key Notation
Navigation
Basic Cursor Movement
Document-Level Movement
Editing
Killing (Cutting) and Yanking (Pasting)
Undo
Search and Replace
Files and Buffers
Dired (File Manager)
Windows and Frames
Help and Discovery
Configuration
Packages (Ivy / Counsel)
Org-Mode
Structure
Tasks
Agenda
Capture
Export
Magit
LSP and Development
Projectile
AI (gptel)
Building Emacs from Source
Debian / Ubuntu
RHEL / Fedora
Appendix B: Exercise Answers
Chapter 2: Getting Started
Chapter 3: Movement & Editing
Chapter 4: Files, Buffers & Windows
Chapter 5: Your First Configuration
Chapter 6: Package Management
Chapter 7: Org-Mode
Chapter 8: Daily Emacs
Chapter 9: Coding in Emacs
Chapter 10: AI in Emacs
Glossary
About the Author
Emacs for Life: The Course
Go from first launch to an Emacs setup you'll use for life: editing, Org-mode, coding and AI.
Learn Emacs from the first keystroke to a setup that grows with you. Chapter quizzes and a final exam lead to a certificate.
Minimum price
$149
$149
You pay
Author earns
About
About the Course
Emacs for Life
Go from first launch to an Emacs setup you'll use for life: editing, Org-mode, coding and AI.
What You'll Learn
✔ Install Emacs and get oriented
✔ Move and edit efficiently
✔ Manage files, buffers and windows
✔ Write your first configuration
✔ Install and manage packages
✔ Organize your life with Org-mode
✔ Build a daily Emacs workflow and code in Emacs
✔ Use AI tools inside Emacs
Who Is This Course For?
Developers and writers who want to learn Emacs properly, whether they're brand new or returning.
Prerequisites
None beyond basic computer skills.
Why This Course?
It moves from first keystrokes to a personal configuration and modern workflows, including AI, in a short sequence of practical chapters.
How It Works
- 9 chapters, each ending with a 5-question multiple-choice quiz (3 attempts, best score counts)
- A 20-question final exam covering the whole course
- 65 quiz questions in total
- Score 70% to pass; 85% or more earns honors
- Pass to receive a certificate of completion
Written by Joel Bryan Juliano.
Categories
Instructor
About the Instructor
Hi, I'm Joel.
I am Dutch-Filipino Software Engineer with 20+ years of experience.
And with over 20 years in the game, I’ve seen it all and loved every minute of it.
My journey has taken me through a variety of industries, from sports streaming to cybersecurity, both in the private sector and for the Dutch government, and everything in between.
Along the way, I’ve picked up a diverse set of skills and experiences, in which I document into books.
Material
Course Material
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