10.6 Keyword Search for Packages

Most optional features in Emacs are grouped into packages. Emacs contains several hundred built-in packages, and more can be installed over the network (see Emacs Lisp Packages).

To make it easier to find packages related to a topic, most packages are associated with one or more keywords based on what they do. Type C-h p ( finder-by-keyword) to bring up a list of package keywords, together with a description of what the keywords mean. To view a list of packages for a given keyword, type RET on that line; this displays the list of packages in a Package Menu buffer (see The Package Menu Buffer).

C-h P ( describe-package) prompts for the name of a package (see Emacs Lisp Packages), and displays a help buffer describing the attributes of the package and the features that it implements. The buffer lists the keywords that relate to the package in the form of buttons. Click on a button with mouse-1 or mouse-2 to see the list of other packages related to that keyword.