Emacs: taking quick notes without creating new files

The standard way to create new files in Emacs

When you need to create a new file in the Emacs environment you, normally, must press a key combination like the following one:

C-x C-f

and give a path and a name to the file itself.

In the world of Vim, instead, there’s no need to open a new file every time you have only to take some quick notepad ideas: you can simply press the Insert Mode and begin to write inside the editor.

In this case, Vim automatically creates a new buffer and you can write without naming a new file.

Is there a corresponding function in vanilla Emacs?

Apparently there isn’t: you cannot simply begin to write inside it.

But it’s possible to achieve a very similar result by taking advantage of the Emacs buffers properties.

Emacs environment: files as buffers

In the Emacs environment, you create new buffers everytime you create new files.

You can also create new buffers without creating new files.

Simply type on the keyboard:

C-x b

and write a random name.

This way, you will have created a buffer with an effortless name that will be deleted when you exit the program.

No residual will remain in the disc. Unless you decide to give a file name by pressing

C-x C-s

Why not use the scratch buffer?

Among the buffers already available by default every time you run Emacs you will find one called scratch.

As it is specified inside this buffer:

This buffer is for text that is not saved, and for Lisp evaluation.

So you can use this buffer either to take notes without saving them in a file, or to test something in Elisp (but that’s another story).

Another way: Evil Mode

If you activate the Evil Normal Mode in Emacs you can use the :enew text command as if you were in vanilla Vim.

But you cannot simply begin to press i and start writing: you aren’t really in Vim but in a Vim environment very similar to the original but not equal.

Thank you for your attention.