> How do I configure my emacs so that it will detect the file > type(*.c, *.h, *.tex, *.pro ) and automatically starts the font lock... Add this: (global-font-lock-mode t) to your .emacs file. (This is for emacs 20.3; don't know about other versions.) For more on this, look for help(*) on font-lock-mode. --Pete [*] C-h f font-lock-mode