GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual

32.4: Saving Abbrevs in Files

A file of saved abbrev definitions is actually a file of Lisp code. The abbrevs are saved in the form of a Lisp program to define the same abbrev tables with the same contents. Therefore, you can load the file with load (see How Programs Do Loading). However, the function quietly-read-abbrev-file is provided as a more convenient interface.

User-level facilities such as save-some-buffers can save abbrevs in a file automatically, under the control of variables described here.

User Option: abbrev-file-name

This is the default file name for reading and saving abbrevs.

Function: quietly-read-abbrev-file filename

This function reads abbrev definitions from a file named filename, previously written with write-abbrev-file. If filename is nil, the file specified in abbrev-file-name is used. save-abbrevs is set to t so that changes will be saved.

This function does not display any messages. It returns nil.

User Option: save-abbrevs

A non-nil value for save-abbrev means that Emacs should save abbrevs when files are saved. abbrev-file-name specifies the file to save the abbrevs in.

Variable: abbrevs-changed

This variable is set non-nil by defining or altering any abbrevs. This serves as a flag for various Emacs commands to offer to save your abbrevs.

Command: write-abbrev-file filename

Save all abbrev definitions, in all abbrev tables, in the file filename, in the form of a Lisp program that when loaded will define the same abbrevs. This function returns nil.