---

6.1.1 Inspecting Directories

Command: Dired (bound to C-x C-M-d) ¶

This command prompts for a directory and fills a buffer with a verbose listing of that directory. When the prefix argument is supplied, this includes Unix dot files. If a dired buffer already exists for the directory, this switches to the buffer and makes sure it displays dot files if appropriate.

Command: Dired with Pattern (bound to C-x C-M-d) ¶

This command prompts for a directory and a pattern that may contain at most one wildcard, an asterisk, and it fills a buffer with a verbose listing of the files in the directory matching the pattern. When the prefix argument is supplied, this includes Unix dot files. If a dired buffer already exists for this directory, this switches to the buffer and makes sure it displays dot files if appropriate.

Command: Dired from Buffer Pathname ¶

This command invokes Dired on the directory name of the current buffer’s pathname.

Command: Dired Help (bound to Dired: ?) ¶

This command pops up a help window listing the various Dired commands.

Command: Dired View File (bound to Dired: Space) ¶

Command: Dired Edit File (bound to Dired: e) ¶

These command read in the file on the current line with the point. If the line describes a directory instead of a file, then this command effectively invokes Dired on the specification. This associates the file’s buffer with the Dired buffer.

Dired View File reads in the file as if by View File, and Dired Edit File as if by Find File.

Dired View File always reads into a newly created buffer, warning if the file already exists in some buffer.

Command: Dired Up Directory (bound to Dired: ^) ¶

This command invokes Dired on the directory up one level from the current Dired buffer. This is useful for going backwards after repeatedly invoking Dired View File and descending into a series of subdirectories. Remember, Dired only generates directory listings when no buffer contains a dired for the specified directory.

Command: Dired Update Buffer (bound to Dired: H-u) ¶

This command is useful when the user knows the directory in the current Dired buffer has changed. Hemlock cannot know the directory structure has changed, but the user can explicitly update the buffer with this command instead of having to delete it and invoke Dired again.

Command: Dired Next File ¶

Command: Dired Previous File ¶

These commands move to next or previous undeleted file.