Emacs doesn't start if requested file doesn't exist.

Question

When I start emacs with a filename to edit, if the file does not exist, emacs does not start. Instead, it complains about the missing file. If I do the same thing with vi, it assumes I know what I'm doing and creates the file for me.

Is there a way to configure emacs so that if I start it up with the name of a non-existent file, it will create an empty file for me instead of just complaining?

Answer 1

Emacs already does what you ask. Presumably there's something in your .emacs that makes it quit. Try starting with -q and a nonexistant file name.