Question

I want to set a key binding to insert the date into the buffer. I have written the following lisp in my .emacs file. Using date as an example:

;;put the date                                                                  
(global-set-key
 (kbd "C-c C-d")
 (shell-command "date" (current-buffer))
)

The key binding works okay when I use other commands like 'next-line, but shell-command will put it into the *scratch* buffer when the .emacs is read and leaves it at that.

Maybe I need to use shell-command-on-region.

Answer 1

A friend of mine at work helped me.

(defun put-the-date ()
  (interactive)
  (insert (shell-command-to-string "date")))

(global-set-key
 (kbd "C-c C-d")
 'put-the-date
 )