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emacsconfigurationmutt

How to start emacs server only if it is not started?

I'd like to use emacsclient to edit emails in Mutt.

I added this in .emacs

(server-start)

And in .muttrc I added

set editor="emacsclient -nw %s"

It seems they work. When I start a second Emacs, it complains there is already a server running so it issues errors. How to make sure to do (server-start) only if the server isn't already started?

Thanks

Solution

  • The emacs daemon can be started automatically in a very simple manner. Just add this to your .bashrc/.zshrc/whatever

    export ALTERNATE_EDITOR=""

    Now when you invoke emacsclient (using either --tty or --create-frame) the server will be started (with emacs --daemon) if it's not already running.

    I also find this shell alias handy:

    alias e='emacsclient --tty'

    Note that since Emacs 23 this is the preferred way to use Emacs in daemon mode. (start-server) is now mostly deprecated.