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Casual User Guide ¶

Version: 2.8.3

Casual is a project to re-imagine the primary user interface for Emacs using keyboard-driven menus.

Emacs has many commands that are easy to forget if not used frequently. Menus are a user interface (UI) affordance that offers discoverability and recognition. While menus are commonly associated with mouse-driven UI, the inclusion of Transient ((transient)Top) in Emacs core allows for building menus that are keyboard-driven instead. This appeals to users that prefer keyboard-driven workflows.

Casual organizes itself primarily around the different built-in modes Emacs provides. For each mode Casual supports, there is a bespoke designed library of Transient menus for that mode’s command set.

Casual has no aims to be a mutually exclusive user interface. All existing user interfaces to commands (keybinding, mini-buffer prompt, mouse menus) are still available to the user.

To learn more about the motivations and design considerations for Casual and to see it at work, please watch the presentation “Re-imagining the Emacs User Experience with Casual Suite” from EmacsConf 2024.

Example Casual menu - Dired

Example Casual menu - EditKit

Example Casual menu - Calc

If you enjoy using Casual, consider making a modest financial contribution to help support its development and maintenance.

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