Appendix G Buffer-Local Variables

The table below lists the general-purpose Emacs variables that automatically become buffer-local in each buffer. Most become buffer-local only when set; a few of them are always local in every buffer. Many Lisp packages define such variables for their internal use, but we don't try to list them all here.

Every buffer-specific minor mode defines a buffer-local variable named ‘modename-mode’. See Minor Mode Conventions. Minor mode variables will not be listed here.

auto-fill-function

See Auto Filling.

buffer-auto-save-file-format

See Format Conversion.

buffer-auto-save-file-name

See Auto-Saving.

buffer-backed-up

See Making Backups.

buffer-display-count

See Buffers and Windows.

buffer-display-table

See Active Display Table.

buffer-display-time

See Buffers and Windows.

buffer-file-coding-system

See Encoding and I/O.

buffer-file-format

See Format Conversion.

buffer-file-name

See Buffer File Name.

buffer-file-number

See Buffer File Name.

buffer-file-truename

See Buffer File Name.

buffer-file-type

See MS-DOS File Types.

buffer-invisibility-spec

See Invisible Text.

buffer-offer-save

See Killing Buffers.

buffer-save-without-query

See Killing Buffers.

buffer-read-only

See Read Only Buffers.

buffer-saved-size

See Auto-Saving.

buffer-undo-list

See Undo.

cache-long-line-scans

See Truncation.

case-fold-search

See Searching and Case.

comment-column

See Comments.

ctl-arrow

See Usual Display.

cursor-in-non-selected-windows

See Basic Windows.

cursor-type

See Cursor Parameters.

default-directory

See File Name Expansion.

defun-prompt-regexp

See List Motion.

desktop-save-buffer

See Desktop Save Mode.

enable-multibyte-characters

Text Representations.

fill-column

See Margins.

fill-prefix

See Margins.

font-lock-defaults

See Font Lock Basics.

fringe-cursor-alist

See Fringe Cursors.

fringe-indicator-alist

See Fringe Indicators.

fringes-outside-margins

See Fringes.

goal-column

See Moving Point.

header-line-format

See Header Lines.

indicate-buffer-boundaries

See Usual Display.

indicate-empty-lines

See Usual Display.

left-fringe-width

See Fringe Size/Pos.

left-margin

See Margins.

left-margin-width

See Display Margins.

line-spacing

See Line Height.

local-abbrev-table

See Standard Abbrev Tables.

major-mode

See Mode Help.

mark-active

See The Mark.

mark-ring

See The Mark.

mode-line-buffer-identification

See Mode Line Variables.

mode-line-format

See Mode Line Data.

mode-line-modified

See Mode Line Variables.

mode-line-process

See Mode Line Variables.

mode-name

See Mode Line Variables.

point-before-scroll

Used for communication between mouse commands and scroll-bar commands.

right-fringe-width

See Fringe Size/Pos.

right-margin-width

See Display Margins.

save-buffer-coding-system

See Encoding and I/O.

scroll-bar-width

See Scroll Bars.

scroll-down-aggressively

scroll-up-aggressively

See Textual Scrolling.

selective-display

selective-display-ellipses

See Selective Display.

tab-width

See Usual Display.

truncate-lines

See Truncation.

vertical-scroll-bar

See Scroll Bars.

window-size-fixed

See Resizing Windows.

write-contents-functions

See Saving Buffers.