easy-escape-minor-mode uses syntax highlighting and composition to make ELisp regular expressions more readable. More precisely, it hides double backslashes preceding regexp specials (()|), composes other double backslashes into single ones, and applies a special face to each. The underlying buffer text is not modified.

The default is to use a single \ character instead of two, and to hide backslashes preceding parentheses or |. The escape character and its color can be customized using easy-escape-face and easy-escape-character (which see), and backslashes before ()| can be shown by disabling easy-escape-hide-escapes-before-delimiters.

1. Setup MELPA if you haven't yet

   In your .emacs, add these three lines:

   (require 'package)
   (add-to-list 'package-archives '("melpa" . "http:https://melpa.org/packages/") t)
   (package-initialize)

2. Install the package: M-x package-install RET easy-escape RET

3. Enable easy-escape-minor-mode in Lisp buffers:

   ;; Replace 'lisp-mode-hook with 'prog-mode-hook to enable everywhere
   (add-hook 'lisp-mode-hook 'easy-escape-minor-mode)
   (add-hook 'emacs-lisp-mode-hook 'easy-escape-minor-mode)

1. Download this file

2. Add this to your .emacs:

   (load-file "PATH-TO-THE-FILE-YOU-JUST-DOWNLOADED")
   (add-hook 'lisp-mode-hook 'easy-escape-minor-mode)

• If you find the distinction between the fontified double-slash and the single slash too subtle, try the following:

  • Adjust the foreground of easy-escape-face:

    (set-face-attribute 'easy-escape-face nil :foreground "red")

  • Set easy-escape-character to a different character:

    (setq easy-escape-character ?╲)