18 Aug 2026
Simplifying Setup for Casual
Since its inception, Casual required individual setup for each module it supported. This seemed fine at the start when the module count was low. Now weighing in at 26 modules, there is admittedly a lot of setup.
Not anymore. Starting with the latest Casual v3.0 update, there is now a convenience command to setup all Casual modules: casual-init.
Use the following Elisp to replace all the previous setup code:
1 2 | |
You can configure which modules to setup via the customizable hook variable casual-init-hook, a list of hook functions each associated with a module. Having a module hook function present in casual-init-hook tells casual-init to setup that module.
Editing casual-init-hook is straightforward using the customize checkbox interface shown below.

More information about installation and setup of Casual can be found in the Casual User Guide.
Bumping to 3.0
Because the recommended setup has significantly changed, I’ve decided to bump the major version to 3.0.
That said, there are no functional changes to Casual and all the prior individual setup still should work without change. For existing users of Casual, I highly recommend migrating to casual-init as it allows for removing individual setup code.
A significant amount of manual testing was required to verify lazy-loading behavior in casual-init. While best effort was made to avoid unpleasant surprise, if something shows up, please file an issue to let me know.
Casual v3.0 update is now available on MELPA and NonGNU ELPA.
It costs money to make, enhance, and maintain Casual as ideologically free software. If you enjoy using Casual, please consider buying me a coffee to help support its development and maintenance. Thank you!
Past Articles
| 3 AUG 2026 |
Announcing now-playing.el, an Emacs interface for the macOS Music appAnnouncing a remote control interface for the macOS Music app from Emacs, keeping in tradition of never leaving it. read more |
| 22 JUL 2026 |
Malleable Computing, Emacs, and YouSome musings on malleable computing using as an example a GitHub issues browser in Emacs. read more |
| 9 JUL 2026 |
In Emacs, Everything Looks Like a ServiceNo, Emacs is not an operating system but this post scrutinizes why some might say that. read more |
| 24 JUN 2026 |
Scheduling Future Tasks in EmacsIf you miss using |
| 4 JUN 2026 |
Revisiting Emacs Keyboard Macros with a MouseYes, recording an Emacs keyboard macro with a mouse is a thing. read more |
| 1 JUN 2026 |
Opening macOS Finder Folders in Emacs with ScrimFinder fun with the Scrim custom URL scheme and some musings on software orchestration. read more |
| 28 MAY 2026 |
Anju v1.5.0 UpdateAnju v1.5.0 update out in the wild. Lots of goodies in it. read more |
| 18 MAY 2026 |
Using the Mouse for Emacs Rectangle CommandsNever look up Emacs rectangle commands in the manual again. Announcing support for rectangle commands in Anju v1.4.0 update. read more |
| 11 MAY 2026 |
Enhancing Elisp Development with Context MenusAnnouncing support for Elisp development in the Anju v1.3.0 update. read more |
Page 1 / 19 >