1 This is Info file ../../info/xemacs.info, produced by Makeinfo version
2 1.68 from the input file xemacs.texi.
4 INFO-DIR-SECTION XEmacs Editor
6 * XEmacs: (xemacs). XEmacs Editor.
9 This file documents the XEmacs editor.
11 Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1988 Richard M. Stallman. Copyright (C)
12 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Lucid, Inc. Copyright (C) 1993, 1994 Sun
13 Microsystems, Inc. Copyright (C) 1995 Amdahl Corporation.
15 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
16 manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
17 preserved on all copies.
19 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
20 this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also
21 that the sections entitled "The GNU Manifesto", "Distribution" and "GNU
22 General Public License" are included exactly as in the original, and
23 provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the
24 terms of a permission notice identical to this one.
26 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
27 manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
28 versions, except that the sections entitled "The GNU Manifesto",
29 "Distribution" and "GNU General Public License" may be included in a
30 translation approved by the author instead of in the original English.
33 File: xemacs.info, Node: Init File, Next: Audible Bell, Prev: Syntax, Up: Customization
38 When you start Emacs, it normally loads the file `.emacs' in your
39 home directory. This file, if it exists, should contain Lisp code. It
40 is called your initialization file or "init file". Use the command
41 line switch `-q' to tell Emacs whether to load an init file (*note
42 Entering Emacs::.). Use the command line switch `-user-init-file'
43 (*note Command Switches::.) to tell Emacs to load a different file
44 instead of `~/.emacs'.
46 When the `.emacs' file is read, the variable `user-init-file' says
47 which init file was loaded.
49 At some sites there is a "default init file", which is the library
50 named `default.el', found via the standard search path for libraries.
51 The Emacs distribution contains no such library; your site may create
52 one for local customizations. If this library exists, it is loaded
53 whenever you start Emacs. But your init file, if any, is loaded first;
54 if it sets `inhibit-default-init' non-`nil', then `default' is not
57 If you have a large amount of code in your `.emacs' file, you should
58 move it into another file named `SOMETHING.el', byte-compile it (*note
59 Lisp Libraries::.), and load that file from your `.emacs' file using
64 * Init Syntax:: Syntax of constants in Emacs Lisp.
65 * Init Examples:: How to do some things with an init file.
66 * Terminal Init:: Each terminal type can have an init file.
69 File: xemacs.info, Node: Init Syntax, Next: Init Examples, Up: Init File
74 The `.emacs' file contains one or more Lisp function call
75 expressions. Each consists of a function name followed by arguments,
76 all surrounded by parentheses. For example, `(setq fill-column 60)'
77 represents a call to the function `setq' which is used to set the
78 variable `fill-column' (*note Filling::.) to 60.
80 The second argument to `setq' is an expression for the new value of
81 the variable. This can be a constant, a variable, or a function call
82 expression. In `.emacs', constants are used most of the time. They
86 Integers are written in decimal, with an optional initial minus
89 If a sequence of digits is followed by a period and another
90 sequence of digits, it is interpreted as a floating point number.
92 The number prefixes `#b', `#o', and `#x' are supported to
93 represent numbers in binary, octal, and hexadecimal notation (or
97 Lisp string syntax is the same as C string syntax with a few extra
98 features. Use a double-quote character to begin and end a string
101 Newlines and special characters may be present literally in
102 strings. They can also be represented as backslash sequences:
103 `\n' for newline, `\b' for backspace, `\r' for return, `\t' for
104 tab, `\f' for formfeed (control-l), `\e' for escape, `\\' for a
105 backslash, `\"' for a double-quote, or `\OOO' for the character
106 whose octal code is OOO. Backslash and double-quote are the only
107 characters for which backslash sequences are mandatory.
109 You can use `\C-' as a prefix for a control character, as in
110 `\C-s' for ASCII Control-S, and `\M-' as a prefix for a Meta
111 character, as in `\M-a' for Meta-A or `\M-\C-a' for Control-Meta-A.
114 Lisp character constant syntax consists of a `?' followed by
115 either a character or an escape sequence starting with `\'.
116 Examples: `?x', `?\n', `?\"', `?\)'. Note that strings and
117 characters are not interchangeable in Lisp; some contexts require
118 one and some contexts require the other.
121 `t' stands for `true'.
124 `nil' stands for `false'.
127 Write a single-quote (') followed by the Lisp object you want.
130 File: xemacs.info, Node: Init Examples, Next: Terminal Init, Prev: Init Syntax, Up: Init File
135 Here are some examples of doing certain commonly desired things with
138 * Make <TAB> in C mode just insert a tab if point is in the middle
141 (setq c-tab-always-indent nil)
143 Here we have a variable whose value is normally `t' for `true' and
144 the alternative is `nil' for `false'.
146 * Make searches case sensitive by default (in all buffers that do not
149 (setq-default case-fold-search nil)
151 This sets the default value, which is effective in all buffers
152 that do not have local values for the variable. Setting
153 `case-fold-search' with `setq' affects only the current buffer's
154 local value, which is probably not what you want to do in an init
157 * Make Text mode the default mode for new buffers.
159 (setq default-major-mode 'text-mode)
161 Note that `text-mode' is used because it is the command for
162 entering the mode we want. A single-quote is written before it to
163 make a symbol constant; otherwise, `text-mode' would be treated as
166 * Turn on Auto Fill mode automatically in Text mode and related
170 '(lambda () (auto-fill-mode 1)))
172 Here we have a variable whose value should be a Lisp function. The
173 function we supply is a list starting with `lambda', and a single
174 quote is written in front of it to make it (for the purpose of this
175 `setq') a list constant rather than an expression. Lisp functions
176 are not explained here; for mode hooks it is enough to know that
177 `(auto-fill-mode 1)' is an expression that will be executed when
178 Text mode is entered. You could replace it with any other
179 expression that you like, or with several expressions in a row.
181 (setq text-mode-hook 'turn-on-auto-fill)
183 This is another way to accomplish the same result.
184 `turn-on-auto-fill' is a symbol whose function definition is
185 `(lambda () (auto-fill-mode 1))'.
187 * Load the installed Lisp library named `foo' (actually a file
188 `foo.elc' or `foo.el' in a standard Emacs directory).
192 When the argument to `load' is a relative pathname, not starting
193 with `/' or `~', `load' searches the directories in `load-path'
196 * Load the compiled Lisp file `foo.elc' from your home directory.
200 Here an absolute file name is used, so no searching is done.
202 * Rebind the key `C-x l' to run the function `make-symbolic-link'.
204 (global-set-key "\C-xl" 'make-symbolic-link)
208 (define-key global-map "\C-xl" 'make-symbolic-link)
210 Note once again the single-quote used to refer to the symbol
211 `make-symbolic-link' instead of its value as a variable.
213 * Do the same thing for C mode only.
215 (define-key c-mode-map "\C-xl" 'make-symbolic-link)
217 * Bind the function key <F1> to a command in C mode. Note that the
218 names of function keys must be lower case.
220 (define-key c-mode-map 'f1 'make-symbolic-link)
222 * Bind the shifted version of <F1> to a command.
224 (define-key c-mode-map '(shift f1) 'make-symbolic-link)
226 * Redefine all keys which now run `next-line' in Fundamental mode to
227 run `forward-line' instead.
229 (substitute-key-definition 'next-line 'forward-line
232 * Make `C-x C-v' undefined.
234 (global-unset-key "\C-x\C-v")
236 One reason to undefine a key is so that you can make it a prefix.
237 Simply defining `C-x C-v ANYTHING' would make `C-x C-v' a prefix,
238 but `C-x C-v' must be freed of any non-prefix definition first.
240 * Make `$' have the syntax of punctuation in Text mode. Note the
241 use of a character constant for `$'.
243 (modify-syntax-entry ?\$ "." text-mode-syntax-table)
245 * Enable the use of the command `eval-expression' without
248 (put 'eval-expression 'disabled nil)
251 File: xemacs.info, Node: Terminal Init, Prev: Init Examples, Up: Init File
253 Terminal-Specific Initialization
254 --------------------------------
256 Each terminal type can have a Lisp library to be loaded into Emacs
257 when it is run on that type of terminal. For a terminal type named
258 TERMTYPE, the library is called `term/TERMTYPE' and it is found by
259 searching the directories `load-path' as usual and trying the suffixes
260 `.elc' and `.el'. Normally it appears in the subdirectory `term' of
261 the directory where most Emacs libraries are kept.
263 The usual purpose of the terminal-specific library is to define the
264 escape sequences used by the terminal's function keys using the library
265 `keypad.el'. See the file `term/vt100.el' for an example of how this
268 When the terminal type contains a hyphen, only the part of the name
269 before the first hyphen is significant in choosing the library name.
270 Thus, terminal types `aaa-48' and `aaa-30-rv' both use the library
271 `term/aaa'. The code in the library can use `(getenv "TERM")' to find
272 the full terminal type name.
274 The library's name is constructed by concatenating the value of the
275 variable `term-file-prefix' and the terminal type. Your `.emacs' file
276 can prevent the loading of the terminal-specific library by setting
277 `term-file-prefix' to `nil'.
279 The value of the variable `term-setup-hook', if not `nil', is called
280 as a function of no arguments at the end of Emacs initialization, after
281 both your `.emacs' file and any terminal-specific library have been
282 read. You can set the value in the `.emacs' file to override part of
283 any of the terminal-specific libraries and to define initializations
284 for terminals that do not have a library.
287 File: xemacs.info, Node: Audible Bell, Next: Faces, Prev: Init File, Up: Customization
289 Changing the Bell Sound
290 =======================
292 You can now change how the audible bell sounds using the variable
295 `sound-alist''s value is an list associating symbols with, among
296 other things, strings of audio-data. When `ding' is called with one of
297 the symbols, the associated sound data is played instead of the
298 standard beep. This only works if you are logged in on the console of a
299 machine with audio hardware. To listen to a sound of the provided type,
300 call the function `play-sound' with the argument SOUND. You can also
301 set the volume of the sound with the optional argument VOLUME.
303 Each element of `sound-alist' is a list describing a sound. The
304 first element of the list is the name of the sound being defined.
305 Subsequent elements of the list are alternating keyword/value pairs:
308 A string of raw sound data, or the name of another sound to play.
309 The symbol `t' here means use the default X beep.
312 An integer from 0-100, defaulting to `bell-volume'.
315 If using the default X beep, the pitch (Hz) to generate.
318 If using the default X beep, the duration (milliseconds).
320 For compatibility, elements of `sound-alist' may also be of the form:
322 ( SOUND-NAME . <SOUND> )
323 ( SOUND-NAME <VOLUME> <SOUND> )
325 You should probably add things to this list by calling the function
328 Note that you can only play audio data if running on the console
329 screen of a machine with audio hardware which emacs understands, which
330 at this time means a Sun SparcStation, SGI, or HP9000s700.
332 Also note that the pitch, duration, and volume options are available
333 everywhere, but most X servers ignore the `pitch' option.
335 The variable `bell-volume' should be an integer from 0 to 100, with
336 100 being loudest, which controls how loud the sounds emacs makes
337 should be. Elements of the `sound-alist' may override this value.
338 This variable applies to the standard X bell sound as well as sound
341 If the symbol `t' is in place of a sound-string, Emacs uses the
342 default X beep. This allows you to define beep-types of different
343 volumes even when not running on the console.
345 You can add things to this list by calling the function
346 `load-sound-file', which reads in an audio-file and adds its data to
347 the sound-alist. You can specify the sound with the SOUND-NAME argument
348 and the file into which the sounds are loaded with the FILENAME
349 argument. The optional VOLUME argument sets the volume.
351 `load-sound-file (FILENAME SOUND-NAME &optional VOLUME)'
353 To load and install some sound files as beep-types, use the function
354 `load-default-sounds' (note that this only works if you are on display
355 0 of a machine with audio hardware).
357 The following beep-types are used by Emacs itself. Other Lisp
358 packages may use other beep types, but these are the ones that the C
359 kernel of Emacs uses.
362 An auto-save does not succeed
365 The Emacs command loop catches an error
368 You type a key that is undefined
371 You use an undefined mouse-click combination
374 Completion was not possible
377 You type something other than the required `y' or `n'
380 You type something other than `yes' or `no'
383 File: xemacs.info, Node: Faces, Next: X Resources, Prev: Audible Bell, Up: Customization
388 XEmacs has objects called extents and faces. An "extent" is a
389 region of text and a "face" is a collection of textual attributes, such
390 as fonts and colors. Every extent is displayed in some face;
391 therefore, changing the properties of a face immediately updates the
392 display of all associated extents. Faces can be frame-local: you can
393 have a region of text that displays with completely different
394 attributes when its buffer is viewed from a different X window.
396 The display attributes of faces may be specified either in Lisp or
397 through the X resource manager.
402 You can change the face of an extent with the functions in this
403 section. All the functions prompt for a FACE as an argument; use
404 completion for a list of possible values.
407 Swap the foreground and background colors of the given FACE.
410 Make the font of the given FACE bold. When called from a program,
411 returns `nil' if this is not possible.
413 `M-x make-face-bold-italic'
414 Make the font of the given FACE bold italic. When called from a
415 program, returns `nil' if not possible.
417 `M-x make-face-italic'
418 Make the font of the given FACE italic. When called from a
419 program, returns `nil' if not possible.
421 `M-x make-face-unbold'
422 Make the font of the given FACE non-bold. When called from a
423 program, returns `nil' if not possible.
425 `M-x make-face-unitalic'
426 Make the font of the given FACE non-italic. When called from a
427 program, returns `nil' if not possible.
429 `M-x make-face-larger'
430 Make the font of the given FACE a little larger. When called from
431 a program, returns `nil' if not possible.
433 `M-x make-face-smaller'
434 Make the font of the given FACE a little smaller. When called
435 from a program, returns `nil' if not possible.
437 `M-x set-face-background'
438 Change the background color of the given FACE.
440 `M-x set-face-background-pixmap'
441 Change the background pixmap of the given FACE.
444 Change the font of the given FACE.
446 `M-x set-face-foreground'
447 Change the foreground color of the given FACE.
449 `M-x set-face-underline-p'
450 Change whether the given FACE is underlined.
452 You can exchange the foreground and background color of the selected
453 FACE with the function `invert-face'. If the face does not specify both
454 foreground and background, then its foreground and background are set
455 to the background and foreground of the default face. When calling
456 this from a program, you can supply the optional argument FRAME to
457 specify which frame is affected; otherwise, all frames are affected.
459 You can set the background color of the specified FACE with the
460 function `set-face-background'. The argument `color' should be a
461 string, the name of a color. When called from a program, if the
462 optional FRAME argument is provided, the face is changed only in that
463 frame; otherwise, it is changed in all frames.
465 You can set the background pixmap of the specified FACE with the
466 function `set-face-background-pixmap'. The pixmap argument NAME should
467 be a string, the name of a file of pixmap data. The directories listed
468 in the `x-bitmap-file-path' variable are searched. The bitmap may also
469 be a list of the form `(WIDTH HEIGHT DATA)', where WIDTH and HEIGHT are
470 the size in pixels, and DATA is a string containing the raw bits of the
471 bitmap. If the optional FRAME argument is provided, the face is
472 changed only in that frame; otherwise, it is changed in all frames.
474 The variable `x-bitmap-file-path' takes as a value a list of the
475 directories in which X bitmap files may be found. If the value is
476 `nil', the list is initialized from the `*bitmapFilePath' resource.
478 If the environment variable XBMLANGPATH is set, then it is consulted
479 before the `x-bitmap-file-path' variable.
481 You can set the font of the specified FACE with the function
482 `set-face-font'. The FONT argument should be a string, the name of a
483 font. When called from a program, if the optional FRAME argument is
484 provided, the face is changed only in that frame; otherwise, it is
485 changed in all frames.
487 You can set the foreground color of the specified FACE with the
488 function `set-face-foreground'. The argument COLOR should be a string,
489 the name of a color. If the optional FRAME argument is provided, the
490 face is changed only in that frame; otherwise, it is changed in all
493 You can set underline the specified FACE with the function
494 `set-face-underline-p'. The argument UNDERLINE-P can be used to make
495 underlining an attribute of the face or not. If the optional FRAME
496 argument is provided, the face is changed only in that frame;
497 otherwise, it is changed in all frames.
500 File: xemacs.info, Node: X Resources, Prev: Faces, Up: Customization
505 Historically, XEmacs has used the X resource application class
506 `Emacs' for its resources. Unfortunately, GNU Emacs uses the same
507 application class, and resources are not compatible between the two
508 Emacsen. This sharing of the application class often leads to trouble
509 if you want to run both variants.
511 Starting with XEmacs 21, XEmacs uses the class `XEmacs' if it finds
512 any XEmacs resources in the resource database when the X connection is
513 initialized. Otherwise, it will use the class `Emacs' for backwards
514 compatability. The variable X-EMACS-APPLICATION-CLASS may be consulted
515 to determine the application class being used.
517 The examples in this section assume the application class is `Emacs'.
519 The Emacs resources are generally set per-frame. Each Emacs frame
520 can have its own name or the same name as another, depending on the
521 name passed to the `make-frame' function.
523 You can specify resources for all frames with the syntax:
525 Emacs*parameter: value
529 Emacs*EmacsFrame.parameter:value
531 You can specify resources for a particular frame with the syntax:
533 Emacs*FRAME-NAME.parameter: value
537 * Geometry Resources:: Controlling the size and position of frames.
538 * Iconic Resources:: Controlling whether frames come up iconic.
539 * Resource List:: List of resources settable on a frame or device.
540 * Face Resources:: Controlling faces using resources.
541 * Widgets:: The widget hierarchy for XEmacs.
542 * Menubar Resources:: Specifying resources for the menubar.
545 File: xemacs.info, Node: Geometry Resources, Next: Iconic Resources, Up: X Resources
550 To make the default size of all Emacs frames be 80 columns by 55
553 Emacs*EmacsFrame.geometry: 80x55
555 To set the geometry of a particular frame named `fred', do this:
557 Emacs*fred.geometry: 80x55
559 Important! Do not use the following syntax:
561 Emacs*geometry: 80x55
563 You should never use `*geometry' with any X application. It does not
564 say "make the geometry of Emacs be 80 columns by 55 lines." It really
565 says, "make Emacs and all subwindows thereof be 80x55 in whatever units
566 they care to measure in." In particular, that is both telling the
567 Emacs text pane to be 80x55 in characters, and telling the menubar pane
568 to be 80x55 pixels, which is surely not what you want.
570 As a special case, this geometry specification also works (and sets
571 the default size of all Emacs frames to 80 columns by 55 lines):
573 Emacs.geometry: 80x55
575 since that is the syntax used with most other applications (since most
576 other applications have only one top-level window, unlike Emacs). In
577 general, however, the top-level shell (the unmapped ApplicationShell
578 widget named `Emacs' that is the parent of the shell widgets that
579 actually manage the individual frames) does not have any interesting
580 resources on it, and you should set the resources on the frames instead.
582 The `-geometry' command-line argument sets only the geometry of the
583 initial frame created by Emacs.
585 A more complete explanation of geometry-handling is
587 * The `-geometry' command-line option sets the `Emacs.geometry'
588 resource, that is, the geometry of the ApplicationShell.
590 * For the first frame created, the size of the frame is taken from
591 the ApplicationShell if it is specified, otherwise from the
592 geometry of the frame.
594 * For subsequent frames, the order is reversed: First the frame, and
595 then the ApplicationShell.
597 * For the first frame created, the position of the frame is taken
598 from the ApplicationShell (`Emacs.geometry') if it is specified,
599 otherwise from the geometry of the frame.
601 * For subsequent frames, the position is taken only from the frame,
602 and never from the ApplicationShell.
604 This is rather complicated, but it does seem to provide the most
605 intuitive behavior with respect to the default sizes and positions of
606 frames created in various ways.
609 File: xemacs.info, Node: Iconic Resources, Next: Resource List, Prev: Geometry Resources, Up: X Resources
614 Analogous to `-geometry', the `-iconic' command-line option sets the
615 iconic flag of the ApplicationShell (`Emacs.iconic') and always applies
616 to the first frame created regardless of its name. However, it is
617 possible to set the iconic flag on particular frames (by name) by using
618 the `Emacs*FRAME-NAME.iconic' resource.
621 File: xemacs.info, Node: Resource List, Next: Face Resources, Prev: Iconic Resources, Up: X Resources
626 Emacs frames accept the following resources:
628 `geometry' (class `Geometry'): string
629 Initial geometry for the frame. *Note Geometry Resources::, for a
630 complete discussion of how this works.
632 `iconic' (class `Iconic'): boolean
633 Whether this frame should appear in the iconified state.
635 `internalBorderWidth' (class `InternalBorderWidth'): int
636 How many blank pixels to leave between the text and the edge of the
639 `interline' (class `Interline'): int
640 How many pixels to leave between each line (may not be
643 `menubar' (class `Menubar'): boolean
644 Whether newly-created frames should initially have a menubar. Set
647 `initiallyUnmapped' (class `InitiallyUnmapped'): boolean
648 Whether XEmacs should leave the initial frame unmapped when it
649 starts up. This is useful if you are starting XEmacs as a server
650 (e.g. in conjunction with gnuserv or the external client widget).
651 You can also control this with the `-unmapped' command-line option.
653 `barCursor' (class `BarColor'): boolean
654 Whether the cursor should be displayed as a bar, or the
657 `cursorColor' (class `CursorColor'): color-name
658 The color of the text cursor.
660 `scrollBarWidth' (class `ScrollBarWidth'): integer
661 How wide the vertical scrollbars should be, in pixels; 0 means no
662 vertical scrollbars. You can also use a resource specification of
663 the form `*scrollbar.width', or the usual toolkit scrollbar
664 resources: `*XmScrollBar.width' (Motif), `*XlwScrollBar.width'
665 (Lucid), or `*Scrollbar.thickness' (Athena). We don't recommend
666 that you use the toolkit resources, though, because they're
667 dependent on how exactly your particular build of XEmacs was
670 `scrollBarHeight' (class `ScrollBarHeight'): integer
671 How high the horizontal scrollbars should be, in pixels; 0 means no
672 horizontal scrollbars. You can also use a resource specification
673 of the form `*scrollbar.height', or the usual toolkit scrollbar
674 resources: `*XmScrollBar.height' (Motif), `*XlwScrollBar.height'
675 (Lucid), or `*Scrollbar.thickness' (Athena). We don't recommend
676 that you use the toolkit resources, though, because they're
677 dependent on how exactly your particular build of XEmacs was
680 `scrollBarPlacement' (class `ScrollBarPlacement'): string
681 Where the horizontal and vertical scrollbars should be positioned.
682 This should be one of the four strings `BOTTOM_LEFT',
683 `BOTTOM_RIGHT', `TOP_LEFT', and `TOP_RIGHT'. Default is
684 `BOTTOM_RIGHT' for the Motif and Lucid scrollbars and
685 `BOTTOM_LEFT' for the Athena scrollbars.
687 `topToolBarHeight' (class `TopToolBarHeight'): integer
688 `bottomToolBarHeight' (class `BottomToolBarHeight'): integer
689 `leftToolBarWidth' (class `LeftToolBarWidth'): integer
690 `rightToolBarWidth' (class `RightToolBarWidth'): integer
691 Height and width of the four possible toolbars.
693 `topToolBarShadowColor' (class `TopToolBarShadowColor'): color-name
694 `bottomToolBarShadowColor' (class `BottomToolBarShadowColor'): color-name
695 Color of the top and bottom shadows for the toolbars. NOTE: These
696 resources do *not* have anything to do with the top and bottom
697 toolbars (i.e. the toolbars at the top and bottom of the frame)!
698 Rather, they affect the top and bottom shadows around the edges of
699 all four kinds of toolbars.
701 `topToolBarShadowPixmap' (class `TopToolBarShadowPixmap'): pixmap-name
702 `bottomToolBarShadowPixmap' (class `BottomToolBarShadowPixmap'): pixmap-name
703 Pixmap of the top and bottom shadows for the toolbars. If set,
704 these resources override the corresponding color resources. NOTE:
705 These resources do *not* have anything to do with the top and
706 bottom toolbars (i.e. the toolbars at the top and bottom of the
707 frame)! Rather, they affect the top and bottom shadows around the
708 edges of all four kinds of toolbars.
710 `toolBarShadowThickness' (class `ToolBarShadowThickness'): integer
711 Thickness of the shadows around the toolbars, in pixels.
713 `visualBell' (class `VisualBell'): boolean
714 Whether XEmacs should flash the screen rather than making an
717 `bellVolume' (class `BellVolume'): integer
718 Volume of the audible beep.
720 `useBackingStore' (class `UseBackingStore'): boolean
721 Whether XEmacs should set the backing-store attribute of the X
722 windows it creates. This increases the memory usage of the X
723 server but decreases the amount of X traffic necessary to update
724 the screen, and is useful when the connection to the X server goes
725 over a low-bandwidth line such as a modem connection.
727 Emacs devices accept the following resources:
729 `textPointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
730 The cursor to use when the mouse is over text. This resource is
731 used to initialize the variable `x-pointer-shape'.
733 `selectionPointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
734 The cursor to use when the mouse is over a selectable text region
735 (an extent with the `highlight' property; for example, an Info
736 cross-reference). This resource is used to initialize the variable
737 `x-selection-pointer-shape'.
739 `spacePointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
740 The cursor to use when the mouse is over a blank space in a buffer
741 (that is, after the end of a line or after the end-of-file). This
742 resource is used to initialize the variable
743 `x-nontext-pointer-shape'.
745 `modeLinePointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
746 The cursor to use when the mouse is over a modeline. This
747 resource is used to initialize the variable `x-mode-pointer-shape'.
749 `gcPointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
750 The cursor to display when a garbage-collection is in progress.
751 This resource is used to initialize the variable
752 `x-gc-pointer-shape'.
754 `scrollbarPointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
755 The cursor to use when the mouse is over the scrollbar. This
756 resource is used to initialize the variable
757 `x-scrollbar-pointer-shape'.
759 `pointerColor' (class `Foreground'): color-name
760 `pointerBackground' (class `Background'): color-name
761 The foreground and background colors of the mouse cursor. These
762 resources are used to initialize the variables
763 `x-pointer-foreground-color' and `x-pointer-background-color'.
766 File: xemacs.info, Node: Face Resources, Next: Widgets, Prev: Resource List, Up: X Resources
771 The attributes of faces are also per-frame. They can be specified as:
773 Emacs.FACE_NAME.parameter: value
777 Emacs*FRAME_NAME.FACE_NAME.parameter: value
779 Faces accept the following resources:
781 `attributeFont' (class `AttributeFont'): font-name
782 The font of this face.
784 `attributeForeground' (class `AttributeForeground'): color-name
785 `attributeBackground' (class `AttributeBackground'): color-name
786 The foreground and background colors of this face.
788 `attributeBackgroundPixmap' (class `AttributeBackgroundPixmap'): file-name
789 The name of an XBM file (or XPM file, if your version of Emacs
790 supports XPM), to use as a background stipple.
792 `attributeUnderline' (class `AttributeUnderline'): boolean
793 Whether text in this face should be underlined.
795 All text is displayed in some face, defaulting to the face named
796 `default'. To set the font of normal text, use
797 `Emacs*default.attributeFont'. To set it in the frame named `fred', use
798 `Emacs*fred.default.attributeFont'.
800 These are the names of the predefined faces:
803 Everything inherits from this.
806 If this is not specified in the resource database, Emacs tries to
807 find a bold version of the font of the default face.
810 If this is not specified in the resource database, Emacs tries to
811 find an italic version of the font of the default face.
814 If this is not specified in the resource database, Emacs tries to
815 find a bold-italic version of the font of the default face.
818 This is the face that the modeline is displayed in. If not
819 specified in the resource database, it is determined from the
820 default face by reversing the foreground and background colors.
823 This is the face that highlighted extents (for example, Info
824 cross-references and possible completions, when the mouse passes
825 over them) are displayed in.
829 These are the faces that the left and right annotation margins are
833 This is the face that mouse selections are displayed in.
836 This is the face that the matched text being searched for is
840 This is the face of info menu items. If unspecified, it is copied
844 This is the face of info cross-references. If unspecified, it is
845 copied from `bold'. (Note that, when the mouse passes over a
846 cross-reference, the cross-reference's face is determined from a
847 combination of the `info-xref' and `highlight' faces.)
849 Other packages might define their own faces; to see a list of all
850 faces, use any of the interactive face-manipulation commands such as
851 `set-face-font' and type `?' when you are prompted for the name of a
854 If the `bold', `italic', and `bold-italic' faces are not specified
855 in the resource database, then XEmacs attempts to derive them from the
856 font of the default face. It can only succeed at this if you have
857 specified the default font using the XLFD (X Logical Font Description)
858 format, which looks like
860 *-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*
862 If you use any of the other, less strict font name formats, some of
865 lucidasanstypewriter-12
869 then XEmacs won't be able to guess the names of the bold and italic
870 versions. All X fonts can be referred to via XLFD-style names, so you
871 should use those forms. See the man pages for `X(1)', `xlsfonts(1)',
875 File: xemacs.info, Node: Widgets, Next: Menubar Resources, Prev: Face Resources, Up: X Resources
880 There are several structural widgets between the terminal EmacsFrame
881 widget and the top level ApplicationShell; the exact names and types of
882 these widgets change from release to release (for example, they changed
883 between 19.8 and 19.9, 19.9 and 19.10, and 19.10 and 19.12) and are
884 subject to further change in the future, so you should avoid mentioning
885 them in your resource database. The above-mentioned syntaxes should be
886 forward- compatible. As of 19.13, the exact widget hierarchy is as
889 INVOCATION-NAME "shell" "container" FRAME-NAME
890 x-emacs-application-class "EmacsShell" "EmacsManager" "EmacsFrame"
892 where INVOCATION-NAME is the terminal component of the name of the
893 XEmacs executable (usually `xemacs'), and `x-emacs-application-class'
894 is generally `Emacs'.
897 File: xemacs.info, Node: Menubar Resources, Prev: Widgets, Up: X Resources
902 As the menubar is implemented as a widget which is not a part of
903 XEmacs proper, it does not use the fac" mechanism for specifying fonts
904 and colors: It uses whatever resources are appropriate to the type of
905 widget which is used to implement it.
907 If Emacs was compiled to use only the Motif-lookalike menu widgets,
908 then one way to specify the font of the menubar would be
910 Emacs*menubar*font: *-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*
912 If the Motif library is being used, then one would have to use
914 Emacs*menubar*fontList: *-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*
916 because the Motif library uses the `fontList' resource name instead
917 of `font', which has subtly different semantics.
919 The same is true of the scrollbars: They accept whichever resources
920 are appropriate for the toolkit in use.
923 File: xemacs.info, Node: Quitting, Next: Lossage, Prev: Customization, Up: Top
925 Quitting and Aborting
926 =====================
929 Quit. Cancel running or partially typed command.
932 Abort innermost recursive editing level and cancel the command
933 which invoked it (`abort-recursive-edit').
936 Abort all recursive editing levels that are currently executing.
939 Cancel an already-executed command, usually (`undo').
941 There are two ways of cancelling commands which are not finished
942 executing: "quitting" with `C-g', and "aborting" with `C-]' or `M-x
943 top-level'. Quitting is cancelling a partially typed command or one
944 which is already running. Aborting is getting out of a recursive
945 editing level and cancelling the command that invoked the recursive
948 Quitting with `C-g' is used for getting rid of a partially typed
949 command or a numeric argument that you don't want. It also stops a
950 running command in the middle in a relatively safe way, so you can use
951 it if you accidentally start executing a command that takes a long
952 time. In particular, it is safe to quit out of killing; either your
953 text will ALL still be there, or it will ALL be in the kill ring (or
954 maybe both). Quitting an incremental search does special things
955 documented under searching; in general, it may take two successive
956 `C-g' characters to get out of a search. `C-g' works by setting the
957 variable `quit-flag' to `t' the instant `C-g' is typed; Emacs Lisp
958 checks this variable frequently and quits if it is non-`nil'. `C-g' is
959 only actually executed as a command if it is typed while Emacs is
962 If you quit twice in a row before the first `C-g' is recognized, you
963 activate the "emergency escape" feature and return to the shell. *Note
966 You can use `C-]' (`abort-recursive-edit') to get out of a recursive
967 editing level and cancel the command which invoked it. Quitting with
968 `C-g' does not do this, and could not do this because it is used to
969 cancel a partially typed command within the recursive editing level.
970 Both operations are useful. For example, if you are in the Emacs
971 debugger (*note Lisp Debug::.) and have typed `C-u 8' to enter a
972 numeric argument, you can cancel that argument with `C-g' and remain in
975 The command `M-x top-level' is equivalent to "enough" `C-]' commands
976 to get you out of all the levels of recursive edits that you are in.
977 `C-]' only gets you out one level at a time, but `M-x top-level' goes
978 out all levels at once. Both `C-]' and `M-x top-level' are like all
979 other commands and unlike `C-g' in that they are effective only when
980 Emacs is ready for a command. `C-]' is an ordinary key and has its
981 meaning only because of its binding in the keymap. *Note Recursive
984 `C-x u' (`undo') is not strictly speaking a way of cancelling a
985 command, but you can think of it as cancelling a command already
986 finished executing. *Note Undo::.
989 File: xemacs.info, Node: Lossage, Next: Bugs, Prev: Quitting, Up: Top
991 Dealing With Emacs Trouble
992 ==========================
994 This section describes various conditions in which Emacs fails to
995 work, and how to recognize them and correct them.
999 * Stuck Recursive:: `[...]' in mode line around the parentheses.
1000 * Screen Garbled:: Garbage on the screen.
1001 * Text Garbled:: Garbage in the text.
1002 * Unasked-for Search:: Spontaneous entry to incremental search.
1003 * Emergency Escape:: Emergency escape--
1004 What to do if Emacs stops responding.
1005 * Total Frustration:: When you are at your wits' end.
1008 File: xemacs.info, Node: Stuck Recursive, Next: Screen Garbled, Prev: Lossage, Up: Lossage
1010 Recursive Editing Levels
1011 ------------------------
1013 Recursive editing levels are important and useful features of Emacs,
1014 but they can seem like malfunctions to the user who does not understand
1017 If the mode line has square brackets `[...]' around the parentheses
1018 that contain the names of the major and minor modes, you have entered a
1019 recursive editing level. If you did not do this on purpose, or if you
1020 don't understand what that means, you should just get out of the
1021 recursive editing level. To do so, type `M-x top-level'. This is
1022 called getting back to top level. *Note Recursive Edit::.
1025 File: xemacs.info, Node: Screen Garbled, Next: Text Garbled, Prev: Stuck Recursive, Up: Lossage
1027 Garbage on the Screen
1028 ---------------------
1030 If the data on the screen looks wrong, the first thing to do is see
1031 whether the text is actually wrong. Type `C-l', to redisplay the
1032 entire screen. If the text appears correct after this, the problem was
1033 entirely in the previous screen update.
1035 Display updating problems often result from an incorrect termcap
1036 entry for the terminal you are using. The file `etc/TERMS' in the Emacs
1037 distribution gives the fixes for known problems of this sort.
1038 `INSTALL' contains general advice for these problems in one of its
1039 sections. Very likely there is simply insufficient padding for certain
1040 display operations. To investigate the possibility that you have this
1041 sort of problem, try Emacs on another terminal made by a different
1042 manufacturer. If problems happen frequently on one kind of terminal but
1043 not another kind, the real problem is likely to be a bad termcap entry,
1044 though it could also be due to a bug in Emacs that appears for terminals
1045 that have or lack specific features.
1048 File: xemacs.info, Node: Text Garbled, Next: Unasked-for Search, Prev: Screen Garbled, Up: Lossage
1053 If `C-l' shows that the text is wrong, try undoing the changes to it
1054 using `C-x u' until it gets back to a state you consider correct. Also
1055 try `C-h l' to find out what command you typed to produce the observed
1058 If a large portion of text appears to be missing at the beginning or
1059 end of the buffer, check for the word `Narrow' in the mode line. If it
1060 appears, the text is still present, but marked off-limits. To make it
1061 visible again, type `C-x n w'. *Note Narrowing::.
1064 File: xemacs.info, Node: Unasked-for Search, Next: Emergency Escape, Prev: Text Garbled, Up: Lossage
1066 Spontaneous Entry to Incremental Search
1067 ---------------------------------------
1069 If Emacs spontaneously displays `I-search:' at the bottom of the
1070 screen, it means that the terminal is sending `C-s' and `C-q' according
1071 to the poorly designed xon/xoff "flow control" protocol. You should
1072 try to prevent this by putting the terminal in a mode where it will not
1073 use flow control, or by giving it enough padding that it will never
1074 send a `C-s'. If that cannot be done, you must tell Emacs to expect
1075 flow control to be used, until you can get a properly designed terminal.
1077 Information on how to do these things can be found in the file
1078 `INSTALL' in the Emacs distribution.
1081 File: xemacs.info, Node: Emergency Escape, Next: Total Frustration, Prev: Unasked-for Search, Up: Lossage
1086 Because at times there have been bugs causing Emacs to loop without
1087 checking `quit-flag', a special feature causes Emacs to be suspended
1088 immediately if you type a second `C-g' while the flag is already set,
1089 so you can always get out of XEmacs. Normally Emacs recognizes and
1090 clears `quit-flag' (and quits!) quickly enough to prevent this from
1093 When you resume Emacs after a suspension caused by multiple `C-g', it
1094 asks two questions before going back to what it had been doing:
1097 Abort (and dump core)? (y or n)
1099 Answer each one with `y' or `n' followed by <RET>.
1101 Saying `y' to `Auto-save?' causes immediate auto-saving of all
1102 modified buffers in which auto-saving is enabled.
1104 Saying `y' to `Abort (and dump core)?' causes an illegal instruction
1105 to be executed, dumping core. This is to enable a wizard to figure out
1106 why Emacs was failing to quit in the first place. Execution does not
1107 continue after a core dump. If you answer `n', execution does
1108 continue. With luck, Emacs will ultimately check `quit-flag' and quit
1109 normally. If not, and you type another `C-g', it is suspended again.
1111 If Emacs is not really hung, but is just being slow, you may invoke
1112 the double `C-g' feature without really meaning to. In that case,
1113 simply resume and answer `n' to both questions, and you will arrive at
1114 your former state. Presumably the quit you requested will happen soon.
1116 The double-`C-g' feature may be turned off when Emacs is running
1117 under a window system, since the window system always enables you to
1118 kill Emacs or to create another window and run another program.
1121 File: xemacs.info, Node: Total Frustration, Prev: Emergency Escape, Up: Lossage
1123 Help for Total Frustration
1124 --------------------------
1126 If using Emacs (or something else) becomes terribly frustrating and
1127 none of the techniques described above solve the problem, Emacs can
1130 First, if the Emacs you are using is not responding to commands, type
1131 `C-g C-g' to get out of it and then start a new one.
1133 Second, type `M-x doctor <RET>'.
1135 The doctor will make you feel better. Each time you say something to
1136 the doctor, you must end it by typing <RET> <RET>. This lets the
1137 doctor know you are finished.