1 \input texinfo.tex @c -*-texinfo-*-
3 @setfilename ../info/xemacs-faq.info
4 @settitle Frequently asked questions about XEmacs
10 @subtitle Frequently asked questions about XEmacs @* Last Modified: $Date: 1999/12/07 03:11:46 $
12 @author Tony Rossini <arossini@@stat.sc.edu>
13 @author Ben Wing <ben@@xemacs.org>
14 @author Chuck Thompson <cthomp@@xemacs.org>
15 @author Steve Baur <steve@@xemacs.org>
16 @author Andreas Kaempf <andreas@@sccon.com>
17 @author Christian Nyb@o{} <chr@@mediascience.no>
18 @author Sandra Wambold <wambold@@pobox.com>
23 @dircategory XEmacs Editor
25 * FAQ: (xemacs-faq). XEmacs FAQ.
29 @node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir)
31 @unnumbered Introduction
33 This is the guide to the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list---a
34 compendium of questions and answers pertaining to one of the finest
35 programs ever written. It is much more than just a Text Editor.
37 This FAQ is freely redistributable. I take no liability for the
38 correctness and safety of any procedures or advice given here. This
39 FAQ is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY
40 WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
41 FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
43 If you have a Web browser, the official hypertext version is at
47 @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/faq/xemacs-faq.html}.
49 This version is somewhat nicer than the unofficial hypertext versions
50 that are archived at Utrecht, Oxford, Smart Pages, and other FAQ
55 This document is available in several different formats:
58 @uref{xemacs-faq.txt, As a single ASCII file}, produced by
59 @code{makeinfo --no-headers}
61 @uref{xemacs-faq.dvi, As a .dvi file}, as used with
62 @uref{http://www.tug.org, TeX.}
64 As a PostScript file @uref{xemacs-faq-a4.ps, in A4 format},
65 as well as in @uref{xemacs-faq-letter.ps, letter format}
67 In html format, @uref{xemacs-faq_1.html, split by chapter}, or in
68 @uref{xemacs-faq.html, one monolithic} document.
70 The canonical version of the FAQ is the texinfo document
71 @uref{xemacs-faq.texi, man/xemacs-faq.texi}.
73 If you do not have makeinfo installed, you may @uref{xemacs-faq.info,
74 download the faq} in info format, and install it in @file{<XEmacs
75 library directory>/info/}. For example in
76 @file{/usr/local/lib/xemacs-20.4/info/}.
84 @c end ifset points to CANONICAL
87 * Introduction:: Introduction, Policy, Credits.
88 * Installation:: Installation and Trouble Shooting.
89 * Customization:: Customization and Options.
90 * Subsystems:: Major Subsystems.
91 * Miscellaneous:: The Miscellaneous Stuff.
92 * MS Windows:: XEmacs on Microsoft Windows.
93 * Current Events:: What the Future Holds.
97 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
99 Introduction, Policy, Credits
101 * Q1.0.1:: What is XEmacs?
102 * Q1.0.2:: What is the current version of XEmacs?
103 * Q1.0.3:: Where can I find it?
104 * Q1.0.4:: Why Another Version of Emacs?
105 * Q1.0.5:: Why Haven't XEmacs and GNU Emacs Merged?
106 * Q1.0.6:: Where can I get help?
107 * Q1.0.7:: Where is the mailing list archived?
108 * Q1.0.8:: How do you pronounce XEmacs?
109 * Q1.0.9:: What does XEmacs look like?
110 * Q1.0.10:: Is there a port of XEmacs to Microsoft ('95 or NT)?
111 * Q1.0.11:: Is there a port of XEmacs to the Macintosh?
112 * Q1.0.12:: Is there a port of XEmacs to NextStep?
113 * Q1.0.13:: Is there a port of XEmacs to OS/2?
114 * Q1.0.14:: Where can I get a printed copy of the XEmacs users manual?
117 * Q1.1.1:: What is the FAQ editorial policy?
118 * Q1.1.2:: How do I become a Beta Tester?
119 * Q1.1.3:: How do I contribute to XEmacs itself?
122 * Q1.2.1:: Who wrote XEmacs?
123 * Q1.2.2:: Who contributed to this version of the FAQ?
124 * Q1.2.3:: Who contributed to the FAQ in the past?
126 Internationalization:
127 * Q1.3.1:: What is the status of XEmacs v20?
128 * Q1.3.2:: What is the status of Asian-language support, aka @var{mule}?
129 * Q1.3.3:: How do I type non-ASCII characters?
130 * Q1.3.4:: Can XEmacs messages come out in a different language?
131 * Q1.3.5:: Please explain the various input methods in MULE/XEmacs 20.0
132 * Q1.3.6:: How do I portably code for MULE/XEmacs 20.0?
133 * Q1.3.7:: How about Cyrillic Modes?
136 * Q1.4.1:: What is a @file{.emacs} and is there a sample one?
137 * Q1.4.2:: Can I use the same @file{.emacs} with the other Emacs?
138 * Q1.4.3:: Any good XEmacs tutorials around?
139 * Q1.4.4:: May I see an example of a useful XEmacs Lisp function?
140 * Q1.4.5:: And how do I bind it to a key?
141 * Q1.4.6:: What's the difference between a macro and a function?
142 * Q1.4.7:: Why options saved with 19.13 don't work with 19.14 or later?
144 Installation and Trouble Shooting
146 * Q2.0.1:: Running XEmacs without installing.
147 * Q2.0.2:: XEmacs is too big.
148 * Q2.0.3:: Compiling XEmacs with Netaudio.
149 * Q2.0.4:: Problems with Linux and ncurses.
150 * Q2.0.5:: Do I need X11 to run XEmacs?
151 * Q2.0.6:: I'm having strange crashes. What do I do?
152 * Q2.0.7:: Libraries in non-standard locations.
153 * Q2.0.8:: can't resolve symbol _h_errno
154 * Q2.0.9:: Where do I find external libraries?
155 * Q2.0.10:: After I run configure I find a coredump, is something wrong?
156 * Q2.0.11:: XEmacs can't resolve host names.
157 * Q2.0.12:: Why can't I strip XEmacs?
158 * Q2.0.13:: Can't link XEmacs on Solaris with Gcc.
159 * Q2.0.14:: Make on HP/UX 9 fails after linking temacs
162 * Q2.1.1:: XEmacs just crashed on me!
163 * Q2.1.2:: Cryptic Minibuffer messages.
164 * Q2.1.3:: Translation Table Syntax messages at Startup.
165 * Q2.1.4:: Startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
166 * Q2.1.5:: XEmacs cannot connect to my X Terminal.
167 * Q2.1.6:: XEmacs just locked up my Linux X server.
168 * Q2.1.7:: HP Alt key as Meta.
169 * Q2.1.8:: got (wrong-type-argument color-instance-p nil)!
170 * Q2.1.9:: XEmacs causes my OpenWindows 3.0 server to crash.
171 * Q2.1.10:: Warnings from incorrect key modifiers.
172 * Q2.1.11:: Can't instantiate image error... in toolbar
173 * Q2.1.12:: Regular Expression Problems on DEC OSF1.
174 * Q2.1.13:: HP/UX 10.10 and @code{create_process} failure
175 * Q2.1.14:: @kbd{C-g} doesn't work for me. Is it broken?
176 * Q2.1.15:: How to debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger.
177 * Q2.1.16:: XEmacs crashes in @code{strcat} on HP/UX 10.
178 * Q2.1.17:: @samp{Marker does not point anywhere}.
179 * Q2.1.18:: 19.14 hangs on HP/UX 10.10.
180 * Q2.1.19:: XEmacs does not follow the local timezone.
181 * Q2.1.20:: @samp{Symbol's function definition is void: hkey-help-show.}
182 * Q2.1.21:: Every so often the XEmacs frame freezes.
183 * Q2.1.22:: XEmacs seems to take a really long time to do some things.
184 * Q2.1.23:: Movemail on Linux does not work for XEmacs 19.15 and later.
186 Customization and Options
188 * Q3.0.1:: What version of Emacs am I running?
189 * Q3.0.2:: How do I evaluate Elisp expressions?
190 * Q3.0.3:: @code{(setq tab-width 6)} behaves oddly.
191 * Q3.0.4:: How can I add directories to the @code{load-path}?
192 * Q3.0.5:: How to check if a lisp function is defined?
193 * Q3.0.6:: Can I force the output of @code{(face-list)} to a buffer?
194 * Q3.0.7:: Font selections don't get saved after @code{Save Options}.
195 * Q3.0.8:: How do I make a single minibuffer frame?
196 * Q3.0.9:: What is @code{Customize}?
198 X Window System & Resources:
199 * Q3.1.1:: Where is a list of X resources?
200 * Q3.1.2:: How can I detect a color display?
201 * Q3.1.3:: @code{(set-screen-width)} worked in 19.6, but not in 19.13?
202 * Q3.1.4:: Specifying @code{Emacs*EmacsScreen.geometry} in @file{.emacs} does not work in 19.15?
203 * Q3.1.5:: How can I get the icon to just say @samp{XEmacs}?
204 * Q3.1.6:: How can I have the window title area display the full path?
205 * Q3.1.7:: @samp{xemacs -name junk} doesn't work?
206 * Q3.1.8:: @samp{-iconic} doesn't work.
208 Textual Fonts & Colors:
209 * Q3.2.1:: How can I set color options from @file{.emacs}?
210 * Q3.2.2:: How do I set the text, menu and modeline fonts?
211 * Q3.2.3:: How can I set the colors when highlighting a region?
212 * Q3.2.4:: How can I limit color map usage?
213 * Q3.2.5:: My tty supports color, but XEmacs doesn't use them.
214 * Q3.2.6:: Can I have pixmap backgrounds in XEmacs?
217 * Q3.3.1:: How can I make the modeline go away?
218 * Q3.3.2:: How do you have XEmacs display the line number in the modeline?
219 * Q3.3.3:: How do I get XEmacs to put the time of day on the modeline?
220 * Q3.3.4:: How do I turn off current chapter from AUC TeX modeline?
221 * Q3.3.5:: How can one change the modeline color based on the mode used?
223 Multiple Device Support:
224 * Q3.4.1:: How do I open a frame on another screen of my multi-headed display?
225 * Q3.4.2:: Can I really connect to a running XEmacs after calling up over a modem? How?
228 * Q3.5.1:: How can I bind complex functions (or macros) to keys?
229 * Q3.5.2:: How can I stop down-arrow from adding empty lines to the bottom of my buffers?
230 * Q3.5.3:: How do I bind C-. and C-; to scroll one line up and down?
231 * Q3.5.4:: Globally binding @kbd{Delete}?
232 * Q3.5.5:: Scrolling one line at a time.
233 * Q3.5.6:: How to map @kbd{Help} key alone on Sun type4 keyboard?
234 * Q3.5.7:: How can you type in special characters in XEmacs?
235 * Q3.5.8:: Why does @code{(global-set-key [delete-forward] 'delete-char)} complain?
236 * Q3.5.9:: How do I make the Delete key delete forward?
237 * Q3.5.10:: Can I turn on @dfn{sticky} modifier keys?
238 * Q3.5.11:: How do I map the arrow keys?
241 * Q3.6.1:: Is there a way to make the bar cursor thicker?
242 * Q3.6.2:: Is there a way to get back the old block cursor where the cursor covers the character in front of the point?
243 * Q3.6.3:: Can I make the cursor blink?
245 The Mouse and Highlighting:
246 * Q3.7.1:: How can I turn off Mouse pasting?
247 * Q3.7.2:: How do I set control/meta/etc modifiers on mouse buttons?
248 * Q3.7.3:: Clicking the left button does not do anything in buffer list.
249 * Q3.7.4:: How can I get a list of buffers when I hit mouse button 3?
250 * Q3.7.5:: Why does cut-and-paste not work between XEmacs and a cmdtool?
251 * Q3.7.6:: How I can set XEmacs up so that it pastes where the text cursor is?
252 * Q3.7.7:: How do I select a rectangular region?
253 * Q3.7.8:: Why does @kbd{M-w} take so long?
255 The Menubar and Toolbar:
256 * Q3.8.1:: How do I get rid of the menu (or menubar)?
257 * Q3.8.2:: Can I customize the basic menubar?
258 * Q3.8.3:: How do I control how many buffers are listed in the menu @code{Buffers} list?
259 * Q3.8.4:: Resources like @code{Emacs*menubar*font} are not working?
260 * Q3.8.5:: How can I bind a key to a function to toggle the toolbar?
263 * Q3.9.1:: How can I disable the scrollbar?
264 * Q3.9.2:: How can one use resources to change scrollbar colors?
265 * Q3.9.3:: Moving the scrollbar can move the point; can I disable this?
266 * Q3.9.4:: How can I get automatic horizontal scrolling?
269 * Q3.10.1:: How can I turn off or change highlighted selections?
270 * Q3.10.2:: How do I get that typing on an active region removes it?
271 * Q3.10.3:: Can I turn off the highlight during isearch?
272 * Q3.10.4:: How do I turn off highlighting after @kbd{C-x C-p} (mark-page)?
273 * Q3.10.5:: The region disappears when I hit the end of buffer while scrolling.
277 * Q4.0.1:: How do I set up VM to retrieve remote mail using POP?
278 * Q4.0.2:: How do I get VM to filter mail for me?
279 * Q4.0.3:: How can I get VM to automatically check for new mail?
280 * Q4.0.4:: [This question intentionally left blank]
281 * Q4.0.5:: How do I get my outgoing mail archived?
282 * Q4.0.6:: I have various addresses at which I receive mail. How can I tell VM to ignore them when doing a "reply-all"?
283 * Q4.0.7:: Is there a mailing list or FAQ for VM?
284 * Q4.0.8:: Remote mail reading with VM.
285 * Q4.0.9:: rmail or VM gets an error incorporating new mail.
286 * Q4.0.10:: How do I make VM stay in a single frame?
287 * Q4.0.11:: How do I make VM or mh-e display graphical smilies?
288 * Q4.0.12:: Customization of VM not covered in the manual or here.
290 Web browsing with W3:
291 * Q4.1.1:: What is W3?
292 * Q4.1.2:: How do I run W3 from behind a firewall?
293 * Q4.1.3:: Is it true that W3 supports style sheets and tables?
295 Reading Netnews and Mail with Gnus:
296 * Q4.2.1:: GNUS, (ding) Gnus, Gnus 5, September Gnus, Red Gnus, Quassia Gnus, argh!
297 * Q4.2.2:: [This question intentionally left blank]
298 * Q4.2.3:: How do I make Gnus stay within a single frame?
299 * Q4.2.4:: How do I customize the From: line?
302 * Q4.3.1:: How can I read and/or compose MIME messages?
303 * Q4.3.2:: What is TM and where do I get it?
304 * Q4.3.3:: Why isn't this @code{movemail} program working?
305 * Q4.3.4:: Movemail is also distributed by Netscape? Can that cause problems?
306 * Q4.3.5:: Where do I find pstogif (required by tm)?
308 Sparcworks, EOS, and WorkShop:
309 * Q4.4.1:: What is SPARCworks, EOS, and WorkShop
310 * Q4.4.2:: How do I start the Sun Workshop support in XEmacs 21?
313 * Q4.5.1:: What is/was Energize?
316 * Q4.6.1:: What is Infodock?
318 Other Unbundled Packages:
319 * Q4.7.1:: What is AUC TeX? Where do you get it?
320 * Q4.7.2:: Are there any Emacs Lisp Spreadsheets?
321 * Q4.7.3:: Byte compiling AUC TeX on XEmacs 19.14
322 * Q4.7.4:: Problems installing AUC TeX
323 * Q4.7.5:: Is there a reason for an Emacs package not to be included in XEmacs?
324 * Q4.7.6:: Is there a MatLab mode?
326 The Miscellaneous Stuff
328 * Q5.0.1:: How can I do source code highlighting using font-lock?
329 * Q5.0.2:: I do not like cc-mode. How do I use the old c-mode?
330 * Q5.0.3:: How do I get @samp{More} Syntax Highlighting on by default?
331 * Q5.0.4:: How can I enable auto-indent?
332 * Q5.0.5:: How can I get XEmacs to come up in text/auto-fill mode by default?
333 * Q5.0.6:: How do I start up a second shell buffer?
334 * Q5.0.7:: Telnet from shell filters too much.
335 * Q5.0.8:: Why does edt emulation not work?
336 * Q5.0.9:: How can I emulate VI and use it as my default mode?
337 * Q5.0.10:: [This question intentionally left blank]
338 * Q5.0.11:: Filladapt doesn't work in 19.15?
339 * Q5.0.12:: How do I disable gnuserv from opening a new frame?
340 * Q5.0.13:: How do I start gnuserv so that each subsequent XEmacs is a client?
341 * Q5.0.14:: Strange things are happening in Shell Mode.
342 * Q5.0.15:: Where do I get the latest CC Mode?
343 * Q5.0.16:: I find auto-show-mode disconcerting. How do I turn it off?
344 * Q5.0.17:: How can I get two instances of info?
345 * Q5.0.18:: I upgraded to XEmacs 19.14 and gnuserv stopped working
346 * Q5.0.19:: Is there something better than LaTeX mode?
347 * Q5.0.20:: Is there a way to start a new XEmacs if there's no gnuserv running, and otherwise use gnuclient?
349 Emacs Lisp Programming Techniques:
350 * Q5.1.1:: The difference in key sequences between XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
351 * Q5.1.2:: Can I generate "fake" keyboard events?
352 * Q5.1.3:: Could you explain @code{read-kbd-macro} in more detail?
353 * Q5.1.4:: What is the performance hit of @code{let}?
354 * Q5.1.5:: What is the recommended use of @code{setq}?
355 * Q5.1.6:: What is the typical misuse of @code{setq} ?
356 * Q5.1.7:: I like the the @code{do} form of cl, does it slow things down?
357 * Q5.1.8:: I like recursion, does it slow things down?
358 * Q5.1.9:: How do I put a glyph as annotation in a buffer?
359 * Q5.1.10:: @code{map-extents} won't traverse all of my extents!
360 * Q5.1.11:: My elisp program is horribly slow. Is there an easy way to find out where it spends time?
363 * Q5.2.1:: How do I turn off the sound?
364 * Q5.2.2:: How do I get funky sounds instead of a boring beep?
365 * Q5.2.3:: What's NAS, how do I get it?
366 * Q5.2.4:: Sunsite sounds don't play.
369 * Q5.3.1:: How do you make XEmacs indent CL if-clauses correctly?
370 * Q5.3.2:: Fontifying hangs when editing a postscript file.
371 * Q5.3.3:: How can I print WYSIWYG a font-locked buffer?
372 * Q5.3.4:: Getting @kbd{M-x lpr} to work with postscript printer.
373 * Q5.3.5:: How do I specify the paths that XEmacs uses for finding files?
374 * Q5.3.6:: [This question intentionally left blank]
375 * Q5.3.7:: Can I have the end of the buffer delimited in some way?
376 * Q5.3.8:: How do I insert today's date into a buffer?
377 * Q5.3.9:: Are only certain syntactic character classes available for abbrevs?
378 * Q5.3.10:: How can I get those oh-so-neat X-Face lines?
379 * Q5.3.11:: How do I add new Info directories?
380 * Q5.3.12:: What do I need to change to make printing work?
385 * Q6.0.1:: What is the status of the XEmacs port to Windows?
386 * Q6.0.2:: What flavors of MS Windows are supported?
387 * Q6.0.3:: Are binary kits available?
388 * Q6.0.4:: Does XEmacs on MS Windows require an X server to run?
390 Building XEmacs on MS Windows:
391 * Q6.1.1:: I decided to run with X. Where do I get an X server?
392 * Q6.1.2:: What compiler do I need to compile XEmacs?
393 * Q6.1.3:: How do I compile for the native port?
394 * Q6.1.4:: How do I compile for the X port?
395 * Q6.1.5:: How do I compile for Cygnus' Cygwin?
396 * Q6.1.6:: What do I need for Cygwin?
398 Customization and User Interface:
399 * Q6.2.1:: How will the port cope with differences in the Windows user interface?
400 * Q6.2.2:: How do I change fonts in XEmacs on MS Windows?
401 * Q6.2.3:: Where do I put my @file{.emacs} file?
404 * Q6.3.1:: Will XEmacs rename all the win32-* symbols to w32-*?
405 * Q6.3.2:: What are the differences between the various MS Windows emacsen?
406 * Q6.3.3:: What is the porting team doing at the moment?
410 * Q7.0.1:: What is new in 20.2?
411 * Q7.0.2:: What is new in 20.3?
412 * Q7.0.3:: What is new in 20.4?
413 * Q7.0.4:: Procedural changes in XEmacs development.
417 @node Introduction, Installation, Top, Top
418 @unnumbered 1 Introduction, Policy, Credits
420 Learning XEmacs is a lifelong activity. Even people who have used Emacs
421 for years keep discovering new features. Therefore this document cannot
422 be complete. Instead it is aimed at the person who is either
423 considering XEmacs for their own use, or has just obtained it and is
424 wondering what to do next. It is also useful as a reference to
427 The previous maintainer of the FAQ was @email{rossini@@stat.sc.edu,
428 Anthony Rossini}, who started it, after getting tired of hearing JWZ
429 complain about repeatedly having to answer questions.
430 @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing} and @email{cthomp@@xemacs.org, Chuck
431 Thompson}, the principal authors of XEmacs, then took over and Ben did
432 a massive update reorganizing the whole thing. At which point Anthony
433 took back over, but then had to give it up again. Some of the other
434 contributors to this FAQ are listed later in this document.
436 The previous version was converted to hypertext format, and edited by
437 @email{steve@@xemacs.org, Steven L. Baur}. It was converted back to
438 texinfo by @email{hniksic@@xemacs.org, Hrvoje Niksic}.
440 The FAQ was then maintained by @email{andreas@@sccon.com, Andreas
441 Kaempf}, who passed it on to @email{faq@@xemacs.org, Christian
442 Nyb@o{}}, the current FAQ maintainer.
444 If you notice any errors or items which should be added or amended to
445 this FAQ please send email to @email{faq@@xemacs.org, Christian
446 Nyb@o{}}. Include @samp{XEmacs FAQ} on the Subject: line.
450 * Q1.0.1:: What is XEmacs?
451 * Q1.0.2:: What is the current version of XEmacs?
452 * Q1.0.3:: Where can I find it?
453 * Q1.0.4:: Why Another Version of Emacs?
454 * Q1.0.5:: Why Haven't XEmacs and GNU Emacs Merged?
455 * Q1.0.6:: Where can I get help?
456 * Q1.0.7:: Where is the mailing list archived?
457 * Q1.0.8:: How do you pronounce XEmacs?
458 * Q1.0.9:: What does XEmacs look like?
459 * Q1.0.10:: Is there a port of XEmacs to Microsoft ('95 or NT)?
460 * Q1.0.11:: Is there a port of XEmacs to the Macintosh?
461 * Q1.0.12:: Is there a port of XEmacs to NextStep?
462 * Q1.0.13:: Is there a port of XEmacs to OS/2?
463 * Q1.0.14:: Where can I get a printed copy of the XEmacs users manual?
466 * Q1.1.1:: What is the FAQ editorial policy?
467 * Q1.1.2:: How do I become a Beta Tester?
468 * Q1.1.3:: How do I contribute to XEmacs itself?
471 * Q1.2.1:: Who wrote XEmacs?
472 * Q1.2.2:: Who contributed to this version of the FAQ?
473 * Q1.2.3:: Who contributed to the FAQ in the past?
475 Internationalization:
476 * Q1.3.1:: What is the status of XEmacs v20?
477 * Q1.3.2:: What is the status of Asian-language support, aka @var{mule}?
478 * Q1.3.3:: How do I type non-ASCII characters?
479 * Q1.3.4:: Can XEmacs messages come out in a different language?
480 * Q1.3.5:: Please explain the various input methods in MULE/XEmacs 20.0
481 * Q1.3.6:: How do I portably code for MULE/XEmacs 20.0?
482 * Q1.3.7:: How about Cyrillic Modes?
485 * Q1.4.1:: What is a @file{.emacs} and is there a sample one?
486 * Q1.4.2:: Can I use the same @file{.emacs} with the other Emacs?
487 * Q1.4.3:: Any good XEmacs tutorials around?
488 * Q1.4.4:: May I see an example of a useful XEmacs Lisp function?
489 * Q1.4.5:: And how do I bind it to a key?
490 * Q1.4.6:: What's the difference between a macro and a function?
491 * Q1.4.7:: Why options saved with 19.13 don't work with 19.14 or later?
494 @node Q1.0.1, Q1.0.2, Introduction, Introduction
495 @unnumberedsec 1.0: Introduction
496 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.1: What is XEmacs?
499 An alternative to GNU Emacs, originally based on an early alpha version
500 of FSF's version 19, and has diverged quite a bit since then. XEmacs
501 was known as Lucid Emacs through version 19.10. Almost all features of
502 GNU Emacs are supported in XEmacs. The maintainers of XEmacs actively
503 track changes to GNU Emacs while also working to add new features.
505 @node Q1.0.2, Q1.0.3, Q1.0.1, Introduction
506 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.2: What is the current version of XEmacs?
508 XEmacs 21.1.8 is the current stable version of XEmacs.
510 XEmacs 20.4 is a minor upgrade from 20.3, containing many bugfixes. It
511 was released in February 1998.
513 XEmacs 19.16 was the last release of v19, released in November, 1997,
514 which was also the last version without international language support.
516 @node Q1.0.3, Q1.0.4, Q1.0.2, Introduction
517 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.3: Where can I find it?
519 The canonical source and binaries can be found via anonymous FTP at:
522 @uref{ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/}
525 @node Q1.0.4, Q1.0.5, Q1.0.3, Introduction
526 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.4: Why Another Version of Emacs?
528 For a detailed description of the differences between GNU Emacs and
529 XEmacs and a detailed history of XEmacs, check out the
531 @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/About/XEmacsVsGNUemacs.html, NEWS file}
534 However, here is a list of some of the reasons why we think you might
542 The XEmacs maintainers are generally more receptive to suggestions than
543 the GNU Emacs maintainers.
546 Many more bundled packages than GNU Emacs
549 Binaries are available for many common operating systems.
552 Face support on TTY's.
558 Better Motif compliance.
561 Some internationalization support (including full MULE support, if
565 Variable-width fonts.
568 Variable-height lines.
571 Marginal annotations.
577 XEmacs can be used as an Xt widget, and can be embedded within another
581 Horizontal and vertical scrollbars (using real toolkit scrollbars).
584 Better APIs (and performance) for attaching fonts, colors, and other
588 The ability to embed arbitrary graphics in a buffer.
591 Completely compatible (at the C level) with the Xt-based toolkits.
594 First production Web Browser supporting Style Sheets.
597 @node Q1.0.5, Q1.0.6, Q1.0.4, Introduction
598 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.5: Why Haven't XEmacs and GNU Emacs Merged?
600 There are currently irreconcilable differences in the views about
601 technical, programming, design and organizational matters between RMS
602 and the XEmacs development team which provide little hope for a merge to
603 take place in the short-term future.
605 If you have a comment to add regarding the merge, it is a good idea to
606 avoid posting to the newsgroups, because of the very heated flamewars
607 that often result. Mail your questions to @email{xemacs-beta@@xemacs.org} and
608 @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@prep.ai.mit.edu}.
610 @node Q1.0.6, Q1.0.7, Q1.0.5, Introduction
611 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.6: Where can I get help?
613 Probably the easiest way, if everything is installed, is to use Info, by
614 pressing @kbd{C-h i}, or selecting @code{Manuals->Info} from the
615 Help Menu. @kbd{M-x apropos} can be used to look for particular commands.
617 For items not found in the manual, try reading this FAQ
618 @comment , examining the regular GNU Emacs FAQ (which can be
619 @comment found with the Emacs 19 distribution) as well as at
620 @comment @uref{http://www.eecs.nwu.edu/emacs/faq/}
621 and reading the Usenet group comp.emacs.xemacs.
623 If you choose to post to a newsgroup, @strong{please use
624 comp.emacs.xemacs}. Please do not post XEmacs related questions to
627 If you cannot post or read Usenet news, there is a corresponding mailing
628 list which is available. It can be subscribed to by sending a message
629 to @email{xemacs-request@@xemacs.org} with @samp{subscribe} in the
630 body of the message. Send to the list at @email{xemacs@@xemacs.org}.
631 list. To cancel a subscription, you @strong{must} use the
632 xemacs-request address. Send a message with a subject of
633 @samp{unsubscribe} to be removed.
635 @node Q1.0.7, Q1.0.8, Q1.0.6, Introduction
636 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.7: Where is the mailing list archived?
638 The archives can be found at @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/Lists/Archive}
640 @node Q1.0.8, Q1.0.9, Q1.0.7, Introduction
641 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.8: How do you pronounce XEmacs?
643 The most common pronounciation is @samp{Eks eemax}.
645 @node Q1.0.9, Q1.0.10, Q1.0.8, Introduction
646 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.9: What does XEmacs look like?
648 Screen snapshots are available in the WWW version of the FAQ.
650 @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/faq/xemacs-faq.html}
653 @node Q1.0.10, Q1.0.11, Q1.0.9, Introduction
654 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.10: Is there a port of XEmacs to Microsoft ('95 or NT)?
656 Yes, @xref{MS Windows}.
658 @comment Thanks to efforts of many people, coordinated by
659 @comment @email{davidh@@wr.com.au, David Hobley} and @email{marcpa@@cam.org, Marc
660 @comment Paquette}, beta versions of XEmacs now run on 32-bit Windows platforms
661 @comment (NT and 95). The current betas require having an X server to run
662 @comment XEmacs; however, a native NT/95 port is in alpha, thanks to
663 @comment @email{jhar@@tardis.ed.ac.uk, Jonathan Harris}.
665 @comment Although some features are still unimplemented, XEmacs 21.0 will support
668 @comment The NT development is now coordinated by a mailing list at
669 @comment @email{xemacs-nt@@xemacs.org}.
671 @comment If you are willing to contribute or want to follow the progress, mail to
675 @comment @email{xemacs-nt-request@@xemacs.org} to subscribe.
677 @comment Furthermore, Altrasoft is seeking corporate and government sponsors to
678 @comment help fund a fully native port of XEmacs to Windows 95 and NT using
679 @comment full-time, senior-level staff working under a professionally managed
680 @comment project structure. See @uref{http://www.altrasoft.com/, the Altrasoft
681 @comment web site} for more details
682 @comment or contact Altrasoft directly at 1-888-ALTSOFT.
685 @comment The closest existing port is @dfn{Win-Emacs}, which is based on Lucid
686 @comment Emacs 19.6. Available from @uref{http://www.pearlsoft.com/}.
688 @comment There's a port of GNU Emacs (not XEmacs) at
690 @comment @uref{http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/voelker/ntemacs.html}.
691 @comment @end example
693 @node Q1.0.11, Q1.0.12, Q1.0.10, Introduction
694 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.11: Is there a port of XEmacs to the Macintosh?
697 There has been a port to the MachTen environment of XEmacs 19.13, but no
698 patches have been submitted to the maintainers to get this in the
699 mainstream distribution.
701 For the MacOS, there is a port of
702 @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.cornell.edu/pub/parmet/, Emacs 18.59}.
704 @node Q1.0.12, Q1.0.13, Q1.0.11, Introduction
705 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.12: Is there a port of XEmacs to NextStep?
707 Carl Edman, apparently no longer at @email{cedman@@princeton.edu}, did
708 the port of GNU Emacs to NeXTstep and expressed interest in doing the
709 XEmacs port, but never went any farther.
711 @node Q1.0.13, Q1.0.14, Q1.0.12, Introduction
712 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.13: Is there a port of XEmacs to OS/2?
714 No, and there is no news of anyone working on it.
716 @node Q1.0.14, Q1.1.1, Q1.0.13, Introduction
717 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.14: Where can I obtain a printed copy of the XEmacs users manual?
719 Pre-printed manuals are not available. If you are familiar with
720 TeX, you can generate your own manual from the XEmacs sources.
722 HTML and Postscript versions of XEmacs manuals may be available from the
723 XEmacs web site in the future.
726 @node Q1.1.1, Q1.1.2, Q1.0.14, Introduction
727 @unnumberedsec 1.1: Policies
728 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.1.1: What is the FAQ editorial policy?
730 The FAQ is actively maintained and modified regularly. All links should
731 be up to date. All submissions are welcome. E-mail submissions to
732 @email{faq@@xemacs.org, XEmacs FAQ maintainers}.
734 Please make sure that @samp{XEmacs FAQ} appears on the Subject: line.
735 If you think you have a better way of answering a question, or think a
736 question should be included, we'd like to hear about it. Questions and
737 answers included into the FAQ will be edited for spelling and grammar,
738 and will be attributed. Answers appearing without attribution are
739 either from versions of the FAQ dated before May 1996, or are from one
740 of the four people listed at the top of this document. Answers quoted
741 from Usenet news articles will always be attributed, regardless of the
744 @node Q1.1.2, Q1.1.3, Q1.1.1, Introduction
745 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.1.2: How do I become a Beta Tester?
747 Send an email message to @email{xemacs-beta-request@@xemacs.org} with
748 the line @samp{subscribe} in the body of the message.
750 Be prepared to get your hands dirty, as beta testers are expected to
751 identify problems as best they can.
753 @node Q1.1.3, Q1.2.1, Q1.1.2, Introduction
754 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.1.3: How do I contribute to XEmacs itself?
756 Ben Wing @email{ben@@xemacs.org} writes:
759 BTW if you have a wish list of things that you want added, you have to
760 speak up about it! More specifically, you can do the following if you
761 want a feature added (in increasing order of usefulness):
765 Make a posting about a feature you want added.
768 Become a beta tester and make more postings about those same features.
771 Convince us that you're going to use the features in some cool and
775 Come up with a clear and well-thought-out API concerning the features.
778 Write the code to implement a feature and send us a patch.
781 (not that we're necessarily requiring you to write the code, but we can
785 @node Q1.2.1, Q1.2.2, Q1.1.3, Introduction
786 @unnumberedsec 1.2: Credits
787 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.2.1: Who wrote XEmacs?
789 XEmacs is the result of the time and effort of many people. The
790 developers responsible for the 19.16/20.x releases are:
793 @item @email{martin@@xemacs.org, Martin Buchholz}
795 <br><img src="mrb.jpeg" alt="Portrait of Martin Buchholz"><br>
799 @item @email{steve@@xemacs.org, Steve Baur}
802 <br><img src="steve.gif" alt="Portrait of Steve Baur"><br>
806 @item @email{hniksic@@xemacs.org, Hrvoje Niksic}
809 <br><img src="hniksic.jpeg" alt="Portrait of Hrvoje Niksic"><br>
814 The developers responsible for the 19.14 release are:
817 @item @email{cthomp@@xemacs.org, Chuck Thompson}
819 <br><img src="cthomp.jpeg" alt="Portrait of Chuck Thompson"><br>
822 Chuck was Mr. XEmacs from 19.11 through 19.14, and is responsible
823 for XEmacs becoming a widely distributed program over the Internet.
825 @item @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing}
827 <br><img src="wing.gif" alt="Portrait of Ben Wing"><br>
834 @item @email{jwz@@jwz.org, Jamie Zawinski}
836 <br><img src="jwz.gif" alt="Portrait of Jamie Zawinski"><br>
839 Jamie Zawinski was Mr. Lucid Emacs from 19.0 through 19.10, the last
840 release actually named Lucid Emacs. Richard Mlynarik was crucial to
841 most of those releases.
843 @item @email{mly@@adoc.xerox.com, Richard Mlynarik}
846 Along with many other contributors, partially enumerated in the
847 @samp{About XEmacs} option in the Help menu.
849 @node Q1.2.2, Q1.2.3, Q1.2.1, Introduction
850 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.2.2: Who contributed to this version of the FAQ?
852 The following people contributed valuable suggestions to building this
853 version of the FAQ (listed in alphabetical order):
856 @item @email{steve@@xemacs.org, SL Baur}
858 @item @email{hniksic@@xemacs.org, Hrvoje Niksic}
860 @item @email{Aki.Vehtari@@hut.fi, Aki Vehtari}
864 @node Q1.2.3, Q1.3.1, Q1.2.2, Introduction
865 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.2.3: Who contributed to the FAQ in the past?
867 This is only a partial list, as many names were lost in a hard disk
871 @item @email{binge@@aloft.att.com, Curtis.N.Bingham}
873 @item @email{rjc@@cogsci.ed.ac.uk, Richard Caley}
875 @item @email{cognot@@ensg.u-nancy.fr, Richard Cognot}
877 @item @email{wgd@@martigny.ai.mit.edu, William G. Dubuque}
879 @item @email{eeide@@cs.utah.edu, Eric Eide}
881 @item @email{cflatter@@nrao.edu, Chris Flatters}
883 @item @email{ginsparg@@adra.com, Evelyn Ginsparg}
885 @item @email{hall@@aplcenmp.apl.jhu.edu, Marty Hall}
887 @item @email{dkindred@@cmu.edu, Darrell Kindred}
889 @item @email{dmoore@@ucsd.edu, David Moore}
891 @item @email{arup+@@cmu.edu, Arup Mukherjee}
893 @item @email{nickel@@prz.tu-berlin.de, Juergen Nickelsen}
895 @item @email{powell@@csl.ncsa.uiuc.edu, Kevin R. Powell}
897 @item @email{dworkin@@ccs.neu.edu, Justin Sheehy}
899 @item @email{stig@@hackvan.com, Stig}
901 @item @email{Aki.Vehtari@@hut.fi, Aki Vehtari}
904 @node Q1.3.1, Q1.3.2, Q1.2.3, Introduction
905 @unnumberedsec 1.3: Internationalization
906 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.1: What is the status of XEmacs v20?
908 XEmacs v20 is the version of XEmacs that includes MULE (Asian-language)
909 support. XEmacs 20.0 was released in February 1997, followed by XEmacs
910 20.2 in May, XEmacs 20.3 in November and XEmacs 20.4 in February 1998. When compiled without MULE
911 support, 20.4 is approximately as stable as 19.16, and probably faster
912 (due to additional optimization work.)
914 As of XEmacs 20.3, version 20 is @emph{the} supported version of
915 XEmacs. This means that 19.16 will optionally receive stability fixes
916 (if any), but that all the real development work will be done on the v20
919 The incompatible changes in XEmacs 20 include the additional byte-codes,
920 new primitive data types (@code{character}, @code{char-table}, and
921 @code{range-table}). This means that the character-integer equivalence
922 inherent to all the previous Emacs and XEmacs releases no longer
925 However, to avoid breaking old code, many functions that should normally
926 accept characters work with integers, and vice versa. For more
927 information, see the Lisp reference manual. Here is a relevant excerpt,
928 for your convenience.
931 In XEmacs version 19, and in all versions of FSF GNU Emacs, a
932 @dfn{character} in XEmacs Lisp is nothing more than an integer.
933 This is yet another holdover from XEmacs Lisp's derivation from
934 vintage-1980 Lisps; modern versions of Lisp consider this equivalence
935 a bad idea, and have separate character types. In XEmacs version 20,
936 the modern convention is followed, and characters are their own
937 primitive types. (This change was necessary in order for @sc{mule},
938 i.e. Asian-language, support to be correctly implemented.)
940 Even in XEmacs version 20, remnants of the equivalence between
941 characters and integers still exist; this is termed the @dfn{char-int
942 confoundance disease}. In particular, many functions such as @code{eq},
943 @code{equal}, and @code{memq} have equivalent functions (@code{old-eq},
944 @code{old-equal}, @code{old-memq}, etc.) that pretend like characters
945 are integers are the same. Byte code compiled under any version 19
946 Emacs will have all such functions mapped to their @code{old-} equivalents
947 when the byte code is read into XEmacs 20. This is to preserve
948 compatibility -- Emacs 19 converts all constant characters to the equivalent
949 integer during byte-compilation, and thus there is no other way to preserve
950 byte-code compatibility even if the code has specifically been written
951 with the distinction between characters and integers in mind.
953 Every character has an equivalent integer, called the @dfn{character
954 code}. For example, the character @kbd{A} is represented as the
955 @w{integer 65}, following the standard @sc{ascii} representation of
956 characters. If XEmacs was not compiled with @sc{mule} support, the
957 range of this integer will always be 0 to 255 -- eight bits, or one
958 byte. (Integers outside this range are accepted but silently truncated;
959 however, you should most decidedly @emph{not} rely on this, because it
960 will not work under XEmacs with @sc{mule} support.) When @sc{mule}
961 support is present, the range of character codes is much
962 larger. (Currently, 19 bits are used.)
964 FSF GNU Emacs uses kludgy character codes above 255 to represent
965 keyboard input of @sc{ascii} characters in combination with certain
966 modifiers. XEmacs does not use this (a more general mechanism is
967 used that does not distinguish between @sc{ascii} keys and other
968 keys), so you will never find character codes above 255 in a
969 non-@sc{mule} XEmacs.
971 Individual characters are not often used in programs. It is far more
972 common to work with @emph{strings}, which are sequences composed of
976 @node Q1.3.2, Q1.3.3, Q1.3.1, Introduction
977 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.2: What is the status of Asian-language support, aka MULE?
979 MULE support is now available for UNIX versions of XEmacs.
981 If you would like to help, you may want to join the
982 @email{xemacs-mule@@xemacs.org} mailing list. Especially needed are
983 people who speak/write languages other than English, who are willing to
984 use XEmacs/MULE regularly, and have some experience with Elisp.
988 @node Q1.3.3, Q1.3.4, Q1.3.2, Introduction
989 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.3: How do I type non-ASCII characters?
991 See question 3.5.7 (@pxref{Q3.5.7}) in part 3 of this FAQ.
993 @node Q1.3.4, Q1.3.5, Q1.3.3, Introduction
994 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.4: Can XEmacs messages come out in a different language?
996 The message-catalog support has mostly been written but doesn't
997 currently work. The first release of XEmacs 20 will @emph{not} support
998 it. However, menubar localization @emph{does} work, even in 19.14. To
999 enable it, add to your @file{Emacs} file entries like this:
1002 Emacs*XlwMenu.resourceLabels: True
1003 Emacs*XlwMenu.file.labelString: Fichier
1004 Emacs*XlwMenu.openInOtherWindow.labelString: In anderem Fenster offnen
1007 The name of the resource is derived from the non-localized entry by
1008 removing punctuation and capitalizing as above.
1010 @node Q1.3.5, Q1.3.6, Q1.3.4, Introduction
1011 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.5: Please explain the various input methods in MULE/XEmacs 20.0
1013 @email{morioka@@jaist.ac.jp, MORIOKA Tomohiko} writes:
1016 Original Mule supports the following input methods: Wnn4, Wnn6, Canna, SJ3
1017 and XIM. Interfaces for Wnn and SJ3 uses the @code{egg} user
1018 interface. Interface for Canna does not use @samp{egg}. I don't know
1019 about XIM. It is to support ATOK, of course, it may work for another
1022 Wnn supports Japanese, Chinese and Korean. It is made by OMRON and Kyôto
1023 university. It is a powerful and complex system. Wnn4 is free and Wnn6
1026 Canna supports only Japanese. It is made by NEC. It is a simple and
1027 powerful system. Canna uses only grammar (Wnn uses grammar and
1028 probability between words), so I think Wnn is cleverer than Canna,
1029 however Canna users made a good grammar and dictionary. So for standard
1030 modern Japanese, Canna seems cleverer than Wnn4. In addition, the UNIX
1031 version of Canna is free (now there is a Microsoft Windows version).
1033 SJ3 supports only Japanese. It is made by Sony. XIM supports was made
1034 to use ATOK (a major input method in personal computer world). XIM is
1035 the standard for accessing input methods bundled in Japanese versions of
1036 Solaris. (XEmacs 20 will support XIM input).
1038 Egg consists of following parts:
1042 Input character Translation System (ITS) layer.
1043 It translates ASCII inputs to Kana/PinYin/Hangul characters.
1046 Kana/PinYin/Hangul to Kanji transfer layer.
1047 It is interface layer for network Kana-Kanji server (Wnn and Sj3).
1050 These input methods are modal, namely there are mode, alphabet mode and
1051 Kana-Kanji transfer mode. However there are mode-less input methods for
1052 Egg and Canna. @samp{Boiled-egg} is a mode-less input method running on
1053 Egg. For Canna, @samp{canna.el} has a tiny boiled-egg like command,
1054 @code{(canna-boil)}, and there are some boiled-egg like utilities. In
1055 addition, it was planned to make an abstraction for all transfer type
1056 input methods. However authors of input methods are busy, so maybe this
1057 plan is stopped. Perhaps after Mule merged GNU Emacs will be released,
1058 it will be continued.
1061 @node Q1.3.6, Q1.3.7, Q1.3.5, Introduction
1062 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.6: How do I portably code for MULE/XEmacs 20?
1064 @email{morioka@@jaist.ac.jp, MORIOKA Tomohiko} writes:
1067 MULE and XEmacs are quite different. So the application
1068 implementor must write separate code for these mule variants.
1070 MULE and the next version of Emacs are similar but the symbols are very
1071 different---requiring separate code as well.
1073 Namely we must support 3 kinds of mule variants and 4 or 5 or 6 kinds of
1074 emacs variants... (;_;) I'm shocked, so I wrote a wrapper package called
1075 @code{emu} to provide a common interface.
1077 I have the following suggestions about dealing with mule variants:
1081 @code{(featurep 'mule)} @code{t} on all mule variants
1084 @code{(boundp 'MULE)} is @code{t} on only MULE. Maybe the next version
1085 of Emacs will not have this symbol.
1088 MULE has a variable @code{mule-version}. Perhaps the next version of
1089 Emacs will have this variable as well.
1092 Following is a sample to distinguish mule variants:
1095 (if (featurep 'mule)
1096 (cond ((boundp 'MULE)
1097 ;; for original Mule
1099 ((string-match "XEmacs" emacs-version)
1100 ;; for XEmacs with Mule
1103 ;; for next version of Emacs
1105 ;; for old emacs variants
1110 @node Q1.3.7, Q1.4.1, Q1.3.6, Introduction
1111 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.7: How about Cyrillic Modes?
1113 @email{ilya@@math.ohio-state.edu, Ilya Zakharevich} writes:
1116 There is a cyrillic mode in the file @file{mysetup.zip} in
1120 @uref{ftp://ftp.math.ohio-state.edu/pub/users/ilya/emacs/}. This is a
1121 modification to @email{ava@@math.jhu.ed, Valery Alexeev's} @file{russian.el}
1122 which can be obtained from
1125 @uref{http://ftpsearch.ntnu.no/?query=russian.el.Z}.
1128 @email{d.barsky@@ee.surrey.ac.uk, Dima Barsky} writes:
1131 There is another cyrillic mode for both GNU Emacs and XEmacs by
1132 @email{manin@@camelot.mssm.edu, Dmitrii
1137 @uref{http://kulichki-lat.rambler.ru/centrolit/manin/cyr.el}.
1138 @c Link above, <URL:http://camelot.mssm.edu/~manin/cyr.el> was dead.
1139 @c Changed to russian host instead
1142 @email{rebecca.ore@@op.net, Rebecca Ore} writes:
1145 The fullest resource I found on Russian language use (in and out of
1146 XEmacs) is @uref{http://sunsite.oit.unc.edu/sergei/Software/Software.html}
1149 @node Q1.4.1, Q1.4.2, Q1.3.7, Introduction
1150 @unnumberedsec 1.4: Getting Started, Backing up & Recovery
1151 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.1: What is a @file{.emacs} and is there a sample one?
1153 The @file{.emacs} file is used to customize XEmacs to your tastes. No
1154 two are alike, nor are they expected to be alike, but that's the point.
1155 The XEmacs distribution contains an excellent starter example in the etc
1156 directory called @file{sample.emacs}. Copy this file from there to your
1157 home directory and rename it @file{.emacs}. Then edit it to suit.
1159 Starting with 19.14, you may bring the @file{sample.emacs} into an
1160 XEmacs buffer by selecting @samp{Help->Sample .emacs} from the menubar.
1161 To determine the location of the @file{etc} directory type the command
1162 @kbd{C-h v data-directory @key{RET}}.
1164 @node Q1.4.2, Q1.4.3, Q1.4.1, Introduction
1165 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.2: Can I use the same @file{.emacs} with the other Emacs?
1167 Yes. The sample @file{.emacs} included in the XEmacs distribution will
1168 show you how to handle different versions and flavors of Emacs.
1170 @node Q1.4.3, Q1.4.4, Q1.4.2, Introduction
1171 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.3: Any good tutorials around?
1173 There's the XEmacs tutorial available from the Help Menu under
1174 @samp{Basics->Tutorials}, or by typing @kbd{C-h t}. To check whether
1175 it's available in a non-english language, type @kbd{C-u C-h t TAB}, type
1176 the first letters of your preferred language, then type @key{RET}.
1178 @comment There's an Emacs Lisp tutorial at
1181 @comment @uref{ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/emacs-lisp-intro-1.04.tar.gz}.
1182 @comment @end example
1184 @comment @email{erik@@petaxp.rug.ac.be, Erik Sundermann} has made a tutorial web
1189 @comment @uref{http://petaxp.rug.ac.be/~erik/xemacs/}.
1191 @node Q1.4.4, Q1.4.5, Q1.4.3, Introduction
1192 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.4: May I see an example of a useful XEmacs Lisp function?
1194 The following function does a little bit of everything useful. It does
1195 something with the prefix argument, it examines the text around the
1196 cursor, and it's interactive so it may be bound to a key. It inserts
1197 copies of the current word the cursor is sitting on at the cursor. If
1198 you give it a prefix argument: @kbd{C-u 3 M-x double-word} then it will
1202 (defun double-word (count)
1203 "Insert a copy of the current word underneath the cursor"
1205 (let (here there string)
1210 (setq there (point))
1211 (setq string (buffer-substring here there)))
1217 The best way to see what is going on here is to let XEmacs tell you.
1218 Put the code into an XEmacs buffer, and do a @kbd{C-h f} with the cursor
1219 sitting just to the right of the function you want explained. Eg. move
1220 the cursor to the SPACE between @code{interactive} and @samp{"*p"} and
1221 hit @kbd{C-h f} to see what the function @code{interactive} does. Doing
1222 this will tell you that the @code{*} requires a writable buffer, and
1223 @code{p} converts the prefix argument to a number, and
1224 @code{interactive} allows you to execute the command with @kbd{M-x}.
1226 @node Q1.4.5, Q1.4.6, Q1.4.4, Introduction
1227 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.5: And how do I bind it to a key?
1229 To bind to a key do:
1232 (global-set-key "\C-cd" 'double-word)
1235 Or interactively, @kbd{M-x global-set-key} and follow the prompts.
1237 @node Q1.4.6, Q1.4.7, Q1.4.5, Introduction
1238 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.6: What's the difference between a macro and a function?
1240 Quoting from the Lisp Reference (a.k.a @dfn{Lispref}) Manual:
1242 @dfn{Macros} enable you to define new control constructs and other
1243 language features. A macro is defined much like a function, but instead
1244 of telling how to compute a value, it tells how to compute another Lisp
1245 expression which will in turn compute the value. We call this
1246 expression the @dfn{expansion} of the macro.
1248 Macros can do this because they operate on the unevaluated expressions
1249 for the arguments, not on the argument values as functions do. They can
1250 therefore construct an expansion containing these argument expressions
1253 Do not confuse the two terms with @dfn{keyboard macros}, which are
1254 another matter, entirely. A keyboard macro is a key bound to several
1255 other keys. Refer to manual for details.
1257 @node Q1.4.7, , Q1.4.6, Introduction
1258 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.7: How come options saved with 19.13 don't work with 19.14 or later?
1260 There's a problem with options of the form:
1263 (add-spec-list-to-specifier (face-property 'searchm-field 'font)
1267 saved by a 19.13 XEmacs that causes a 19.14 XEmacs grief. You must
1268 delete these options. XEmacs 19.14 and later no longer write the
1269 options directly to @file{.emacs} which should allow us to deal with
1270 version incompatibilities better in the future.
1272 Options saved under XEmacs 19.13 are protected by code that specifically
1273 requires a version 19 XEmacs. This won't be a problem unless you're
1274 using XEmacs v20. You should consider changing the code to read:
1278 ((and (string-match "XEmacs" emacs-version)
1279 (boundp 'emacs-major-version)
1280 (or (and (= emacs-major-version 19)
1281 (>= emacs-minor-version 12))
1282 (>= emacs-major-version 20)))
1287 @node Installation, Customization, Introduction, Top
1288 @unnumbered 2 Installation and Trouble Shooting
1290 This is part 2 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
1291 section is devoted to Installation, Maintenance and Trouble Shooting.
1295 * Q2.0.1:: Running XEmacs without installing.
1296 * Q2.0.2:: XEmacs is too big.
1297 * Q2.0.3:: Compiling XEmacs with Netaudio.
1298 * Q2.0.4:: Problems with Linux and ncurses.
1299 * Q2.0.5:: Do I need X11 to run XEmacs?
1300 * Q2.0.6:: I'm having strange crashes. What do I do?
1301 * Q2.0.7:: Libraries in non-standard locations.
1302 * Q2.0.8:: can't resolve symbol _h_errno
1303 * Q2.0.9:: Where do I find external libraries?
1304 * Q2.0.10:: After I run configure I find a coredump, is something wrong?
1305 * Q2.0.11:: XEmacs can't resolve host names.
1306 * Q2.0.12:: Why can't I strip XEmacs?
1307 * Q2.0.13:: Can't link XEmacs on Solaris with Gcc.
1308 * Q2.0.14:: Make on HP/UX 9 fails after linking temacs
1311 * Q2.1.1:: XEmacs just crashed on me!
1312 * Q2.1.2:: Cryptic Minibuffer messages.
1313 * Q2.1.3:: Translation Table Syntax messages at Startup.
1314 * Q2.1.4:: Startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
1315 * Q2.1.5:: XEmacs cannot connect to my X Terminal.
1316 * Q2.1.6:: XEmacs just locked up my Linux X server.
1317 * Q2.1.7:: HP Alt key as Meta.
1318 * Q2.1.8:: got (wrong-type-argument color-instance-p nil)!
1319 * Q2.1.9:: XEmacs causes my OpenWindows 3.0 server to crash.
1320 * Q2.1.10:: Warnings from incorrect key modifiers.
1321 * Q2.1.11:: Can't instantiate image error... in toolbar
1322 * Q2.1.12:: Regular Expression Problems on DEC OSF1.
1323 * Q2.1.13:: HP/UX 10.10 and @code{create_process} failure
1324 * Q2.1.14:: @kbd{C-g} doesn't work for me. Is it broken?
1325 * Q2.1.15:: How to debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger.
1326 * Q2.1.16:: XEmacs crashes in @code{strcat} on HP/UX 10.
1327 * Q2.1.17:: @samp{Marker does not point anywhere}.
1328 * Q2.1.18:: 19.14 hangs on HP/UX 10.10.
1329 * Q2.1.19:: XEmacs does not follow the local timezone.
1330 * Q2.1.20:: @samp{Symbol's function definition is void: hkey-help-show.}
1331 * Q2.1.21:: Every so often the XEmacs frame freezes.
1332 * Q2.1.22:: XEmacs seems to take a really long time to do some things.
1333 * Q2.1.23:: Movemail on Linux does not work for XEmacs 19.15 and later.
1336 @node Q2.0.1, Q2.0.2, Installation, Installation
1337 @unnumberedsec 2.0: Installation
1338 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.1: Running XEmacs without installing
1339 The @file{INSTALL} file says that up to 108 MB of space is needed
1340 temporarily during installation! How can I just try it out?
1342 XEmacs will run in place without requiring installation and copying of
1343 the Lisp directories, and without having to specify a special build-time
1344 flag. It's the copying of the Lisp directories that requires so much
1345 space. XEmacs is largely written in Lisp.
1347 A good method is to make a shell alias for xemacs:
1350 alias xemacs=/i/xemacs-20.2/src/xemacs
1353 (You will obviously use whatever directory you downloaded the source
1354 tree to instead of @file{/i/xemacs-20.2}).
1356 This will let you run XEmacs without massive copying.
1358 @node Q2.0.2, Q2.0.3, Q2.0.1, Installation
1359 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.2: XEmacs is too big
1361 Although this entry has been written for XEmacs 19.13, most of it still
1364 @email{steve@@xemacs.org, Steve Baur} writes:
1367 The 45MB of space required by the installation directories can be
1368 reduced dramatically if desired. Gzip all the .el files. Remove all
1369 the packages you'll never want to use (or even ones you do like the two
1370 obsolete mailcrypts and Gnus 4 in 19.13). Remove the TexInfo manuals.
1371 Remove the Info (and use just hardcopy versions of the manual). Remove
1372 most of the stuff in etc. Remove or gzip all the source code. Gzip or
1373 remove the C source code. Configure it so that copies are not made of
1374 the support lisp. I'm not advocating any of these things, just pointing
1375 out ways to reduce the disk requirements if desired.
1377 Now examine the space used by directory:
1380 0 /usr/local/bin/xemacs
1381 2048 /usr/local/bin/xemacs-19.13
1383 1546 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/i486-miranova-sco3.2v4.2
1384 1158 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/i486-unknown-linux1.2.13
1387 You need to keep these. XEmacs isn't stripped by default in
1388 installation, you should consider stripping. That will save you about
1392 207 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/etc/w3
1393 122 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/etc/sounds
1394 18 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/etc/sparcworks
1395 159 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/etc/vm
1396 6 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/etc/e
1397 21 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/etc/eos
1398 172 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/etc/toolbar
1399 61 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/etc/ns
1400 43 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/etc/gnus
1403 These are support directories for various packages. In general they
1404 match a directory under ./xemacs-19.13/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/. If you
1405 do not require the package, you may delete or gzip the support too.
1408 1959 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/etc
1409 175 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/bytecomp
1410 340 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/calendar
1411 342 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/comint
1412 517 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/dired
1413 42 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/electric
1414 212 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/emulators
1415 238 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/energize
1416 289 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/gnus
1417 457 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/ilisp
1418 1439 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/modes
1419 2276 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/packages
1420 1040 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/prim
1421 176 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/pcl-cvs
1422 154 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/rmail
1423 3 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/epoch
1424 45 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/term
1425 860 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/utils
1426 851 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/vm
1427 13 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/vms
1428 157 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/x11
1429 19 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/tooltalk
1430 14 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/sunpro
1431 291 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/games
1432 198 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/edebug
1433 619 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/w3
1434 229 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/eos
1435 55 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/iso
1436 59 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/mailcrypt
1437 187 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/eterm
1438 356 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/ediff
1439 408 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/hyperbole/kotl
1440 1262 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/hyperbole
1441 247 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/hm--html-menus
1442 161 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/mh-e
1443 299 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/viper
1444 53 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/oobr/tree-x
1445 4 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/oobr/tree-nx/English.lproj/DocWindow.nib
1446 3 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/oobr/tree-nx/English.lproj/InfoPanel.nib
1447 3 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/oobr/tree-nx/English.lproj/TreeView.nib
1448 11 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/oobr/tree-nx/English.lproj
1449 53 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/oobr/tree-nx
1450 466 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp/oobr
1451 14142 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp
1454 These are all Emacs Lisp source code and bytecompiled object code. You
1455 may safely gzip everything named *.el here. You may remove any package
1456 you don't use. @emph{Nothing bad will happen if you delete a package
1457 that you do not use}. You must be sure you do not use it though, so be
1458 conservative at first.
1460 Possible candidates for deletion include w3 (newer versions exist, or
1461 you may just use Lynx or Netscape for web browsing), games, hyperbole,
1462 mh-e, hm--html-menus (better packages exist), vm, viper, oobr, gnus (new
1463 versions exist), etc. Ask yourself, @emph{Do I ever want to use this
1464 package?} If the answer is no, then it is a candidate for removal.
1466 First, gzip all the .el files. Then go about package by package and
1467 start gzipping the .elc files. Then run XEmacs and do whatever it is
1468 you normally do. If nothing bad happens, then delete the directory. Be
1469 conservative about deleting directories, and it would be handy to have a
1470 backup tape around in case you get too zealous.
1472 @file{prim}, @file{modes}, @file{packages}, and @file{utils} are four
1473 directories you definitely do @strong{not} want to delete, although
1474 certain packages can be removed from them if you do not use them.
1477 1972 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/info
1480 These are online texinfo sources. You may either gzip them or remove
1481 them. In either case, @kbd{C-h i} (info mode) will no longer work.
1484 20778 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13
1487 The 20MB achieved is less than half of what the full distribution takes up,
1488 @strong{and} can be achieved without deleting a single file.
1491 @email{boffi@@hp735.stru.polimi.it, Giacomo Boffi} provides this procedure:
1494 Substitute @file{/usr/local/lib/} with the path where the xemacs tree is
1495 rooted, then use this script:
1500 r=/usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.13/lisp
1502 cd $r ; rm -f cmpr ; touch cmpr
1507 if test -d $d ; then
1510 # compress (remove) only (ONLY) the sources that have a
1511 # corresponding compiled file --- do not (DO NOT)
1512 # touch other sources
1513 if test -f $@{f@}c ; then gzip -v9 $f >> $r/cmpr ; fi
1522 A step beyond would be substituting @samp{rm -f} for @samp{gzip -v9},
1523 but you have to be desperate for removing the sources (remember that
1524 emacs can access compressed files transparently).
1526 Also, a good megabyte could easily be trimmed from the $r/../etc
1527 directory, e.g., the termcap files, some O+NEWS, others that I don't
1532 XEmacs 21.0 will unbundle the lisp hierarchy and allow the installer
1533 to choose exactly how much support code gets installed.
1536 @node Q2.0.3, Q2.0.4, Q2.0.2, Installation
1537 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.3: Compiling XEmacs with Netaudio.
1539 What is the best way to compile XEmacs with the netaudio system, since I
1540 have got the netaudio system compiled but installed at a weird place, I
1541 am not root. Also in the READMEs it does not say anything about
1542 compiling with the audioserver?
1544 You should only need to add some stuff to the configure command line.
1545 To tell it to compile in netaudio support: @samp{--with-sound=both}, or
1546 @samp{--with-sound=nas} if you don't want native sound support for some
1547 reason.) To tell it where to find the netaudio includes and libraries:
1550 --site-libraries=WHATEVER
1551 --site-includes=WHATEVER
1554 Then (fingers crossed) it should compile and it will use netaudio if you
1555 have a server running corresponding to the X server. The netaudio server
1556 has to be there when XEmacs starts. If the netaudio server goes away and
1557 another is run, XEmacs should cope (fingers crossed, error handling in
1558 netaudio isn't perfect).
1560 BTW, netaudio has been renamed as it has a name clash with something
1561 else, so if you see references to NAS or Network Audio System, it's the
1562 same thing. It also might be found at
1563 @uref{ftp://ftp.x.org/contrib/audio/nas/}.
1565 @node Q2.0.4, Q2.0.5, Q2.0.3, Installation
1566 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.4: Problems with Linux and ncurses.
1568 On Linux 1.3.98 with termcap 2.0.8 and the ncurses that came with libc
1569 5.2.18, XEmacs 20.0b20 is unable to open a tty device:
1573 Initialization error:
1577 Terminal type `xterm' undefined (or can't access database?)
1580 @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing} writes:
1583 Your ncurses configuration is messed up. Your /usr/lib/terminfo is a
1584 bad pointer, perhaps to a CD-ROM that is not inserted.
1587 @node Q2.0.5, Q2.0.6, Q2.0.4, Installation
1588 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.5: Do I need X11 to run XEmacs?
1590 No. The name @dfn{XEmacs} is unfortunate in the sense that it is
1591 @strong{not} an X Window System-only version of Emacs. Starting with
1592 19.14 XEmacs has full color support on a color-capable character
1595 @node Q2.0.6, Q2.0.7, Q2.0.5, Installation
1596 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.6: I'm having strange crashes. What do I do?
1598 There have been a variety of reports of crashes due to compilers with
1599 buggy optimizers. Please see the @file{PROBLEMS} file that comes with
1600 XEmacs to read what it says about your platform.
1602 @node Q2.0.7, Q2.0.8, Q2.0.6, Installation
1603 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.7: Libraries in non-standard locations
1605 I have x-faces, jpeg, xpm etc. all in different places. I've tried
1606 space-separated, comma-separated, several --site-libraries, all to no
1610 --site-libraries='/path/one /path/two /path/etc'
1613 @node Q2.0.8, Q2.0.9, Q2.0.7, Installation
1614 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.8: can't resolve symbol _h_errno
1616 You are using the Linux/ELF distribution of XEmacs 19.14, and your ELF
1617 libraries are out of date. You have the following options:
1621 Upgrade your libc to at least 5.2.16 (better is 5.2.18, 5.3.12, or
1625 Patch the XEmacs binary by replacing all occurrences of
1626 @samp{_h_errno^@@} with
1630 @samp{h_errno^@@^@@}. Any version of Emacs will
1631 suffice. If you don't understand how to do this, don't do it.
1634 Rebuild XEmacs yourself -- any working ELF version of libc should be
1638 @email{hniksic@@xemacs.org, Hrvoje Niksic} writes:
1641 Why not use a Perl one-liner for No. 2?
1644 perl -pi -e 's/_h_errno\0/h_errno\0\0/g' \
1645 /usr/local/bin/xemacs-19.14
1648 NB: You @emph{must} patch @file{/usr/local/bin/xemacs-19.14}, and not
1649 @file{xemacs} because @file{xemacs} is a link to @file{xemacs-19.14};
1650 the Perl @samp{-i} option will cause unwanted side-effects if applied to
1654 @email{steve@@xemacs.org, SL Baur} writes:
1657 If you build against a recent libc-5.4 (late enough to have caused
1658 problems earlier in the beta cycle) and then run with an earlier version
1663 xemacs: can't resolve symbol '__malloc_hook'
1664 zsh: 7942 segmentation fault (core dumped) xemacs
1667 (Example binary compiled against libc-5.4.23 and run with libc-5.4.16).
1669 The solution is to upgrade to at least libc-5.4.23. Sigh. Drat.
1672 @node Q2.0.9, Q2.0.10, Q2.0.8, Installation
1673 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.9: Where do I find external libraries?
1675 All external libraries used by XEmacs can be found at the XEmacs FTP
1680 @uref{ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/aux/}.
1682 @c Changed June Link above, <URL:ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/aux/> was dead.
1683 @c This list is a pain in the you-know-what to keep in synch with the
1685 The canonical locations (at the time of this writing) are as follows:
1689 @uref{ftp://ftp.uu.net/graphics/jpeg/}. Version 6a is current.
1690 @c Check from host with legal IP address
1692 @uref{ftp://ftp.x.org/contrib/libraries/}. Version 3.4j is current.
1693 Older versions of this package are known to cause XEmacs crashes.
1696 @uref{ftp://ftp.sgi.com/graphics/tiff/}. v3.4 is current. The latest
1697 beta is v3.4b035. There is a HOWTO here.
1700 @uref{ftp://ftp.uu.net/graphics/png/}. 0.89c is current. XEmacs
1701 requires a fairly recent version to avoid using temporary files.
1702 @c Check from host with legal IP address
1704 @uref{ftp://swrinde.nde.swri.edu/pub/png/src/}
1707 @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.indiana.edu/pub/faces/compface/}. This library has
1708 been frozen for about 6 years, and is distributed without version
1709 numbers. @emph{It should be compiled with the same options that X11 was
1710 compiled with on your system}. The version of this library at
1711 XEmacs.org includes the @file{xbm2xface.pl} script, written by
1712 @email{stig@@hackvan.com}, which may be useful when generating your own xface.
1715 @uref{ftp://ftp.x.org/contrib/audio/nas/}.
1716 Version 1.2p5 is current. There is a FAQ here.
1719 @node Q2.0.10, Q2.0.11, Q2.0.9, Installation
1720 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.10: After I run configure I find a core dump, is something wrong?
1722 Not necessarily. If you have GNU sed 3.0 you should downgrade it to
1723 2.05. From the @file{README} at prep.ai.mit.edu:
1726 sed 3.0 has been withdrawn from distribution. It has major revisions,
1727 which mostly seem to be improvements; but it turns out to have bugs too
1728 which cause trouble in some common cases.
1730 Tom Lord won't be able to work fixing the bugs until May. So in the
1731 mean time, we've decided to withdraw sed 3.0 from distribution and make
1732 version 2.05 once again the recommended version.
1735 It has also been observed that the vfork test on Solaris will leave a
1738 @node Q2.0.11, Q2.0.12, Q2.0.10, Installation
1739 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.11: XEmacs doesn't resolve hostnames.
1741 This is the result of a long-standing problem with SunOS and the fact
1742 that stock SunOS systems do not ship with DNS resolver code in libc.
1744 @email{ckd@@loiosh.kei.com, Christopher Davis} writes:
1747 That's correct [The SunOS 4.1.3 precompiled binaries don't do name
1748 lookup]. Since Sun figured that everyone used NIS to do name lookups
1749 (that DNS thing was apparently only a passing fad, right?), the stock
1750 SunOS 4.x systems don't have DNS-based name lookups in libc.
1752 This is also why Netscape ships two binaries for SunOS 4.1.x.
1754 The best solution is to compile it yourself; the configure script will
1755 check to see if you've put DNS in the shared libc and will then proceed
1756 to link against the DNS resolver library code.
1759 @node Q2.0.12, Q2.0.13, Q2.0.11, Installation
1760 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.12: Why can't I strip XEmacs?
1762 @email{cognot@@fronsac.ensg.u-nancy.fr, Richard Cognot} writes:
1765 Because of the way XEmacs (and every other Emacsen, AFAIK) is built. The
1766 link gives you a bare-boned emacs (called temacs). temacs is then run,
1767 preloading some of the lisp files. The result is then dumped into a new
1768 executable, named xemacs, which will contain all of the preloaded lisp
1771 Now, during the dump itself, the executable (code+data+symbols) is
1772 written on disk using a special unexec() function. This function is
1773 obviously heavily system dependent. And on some systems, it leads to an
1774 executable which, although valid, cannot be stripped without damage. If
1775 memory serves, this is especially the case for AIX binaries. On other
1776 architecture it might work OK.
1778 The Right Way to strip the emacs binary is to strip temacs prior to
1779 dumping xemacs. This will always work, although you can do that only if
1780 you install from sources (as temacs is @file{not} part of the binary
1784 @email{nat@@nataa.fr.eu.org, Nat Makarevitch} writes:
1791 [ ./configure; make ]
1803 cp src/xemacs /usr/local/bin/xemacs
1806 cp lib-src/DOC-19.16-XEmacs
1810 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.16/i586-unknown-linuxaout
1814 @node Q2.0.13, Q2.0.14, Q2.0.12, Installation
1815 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.13: Problems linking with Gcc on Solaris
1817 There are known difficulties linking with Gnu ld on Solaris. A typical
1818 error message might look like:
1821 unexec(): dlopen(../dynodump/dynodump.so): ld.so.1: ./temacs:
1822 fatal: relocation error:
1823 symbol not found: main: referenced in ../dynodump/dynodump.so
1826 @email{martin@@xemacs.org, Martin Buchholz} writes:
1829 You need to specify @samp{-fno-gnu-linker} as part of your flags to pass
1830 to ld. Future releases of XEmacs will try to do this automatically.
1833 @node Q2.0.14, Q2.1.1, Q2.0.13, Installation
1834 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.14: Make on HP/UX 9 fails after linking temacs
1836 Problem when building xemacs-19.16 on hpux 9:
1838 @email{cognot@@ensg.u-nancy.fr, Richard Cognot} writes:
1841 make on hpux fails after linking temacs with a message:
1844 "make: don't know how to make .y."
1847 Solution: This is a problem with HP make revision 70.X. Either use GNU
1848 make, or install PHCO_6552, which will bring make to revision
1853 @node Q2.1.1, Q2.1.2, Q2.0.14, Installation
1854 @unnumberedsec 2.1: Trouble Shooting
1855 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.1: Help! XEmacs just crashed on me!
1857 First of all, don't panic. Whenever XEmacs crashes, it tries extremely
1858 hard to auto-save all of your files before dying. (The main time that
1859 this will not happen is if the machine physically lost power or if you
1860 killed the XEmacs process using @code{kill -9}). The next time you try
1861 to edit those files, you will be informed that a more recent auto-save
1862 file exists. You can use @kbd{M-x recover-file} to retrieve the
1863 auto-saved version of the file.
1865 Starting with 19.14, you may use the command @kbd{M-x recover-session}
1866 after a crash to pick up where you left off.
1868 Now, XEmacs is not perfect, and there may occasionally be times, or
1869 particular sequences of actions, that cause it to crash. If you can
1870 come up with a reproducible way of doing this (or even if you have a
1871 pretty good memory of exactly what you were doing at the time), the
1872 maintainers would be very interested in knowing about it. Post a
1873 message to comp.emacs.xemacs or send mail to @email{crashes@@xemacs.org}.
1874 Please note that the @samp{crashes} address is exclusively for crash
1877 If at all possible, include a stack backtrace of the core dump that was
1878 produced. This shows where exactly things went wrong, and makes it much
1879 easier to diagnose problems. To do this, you need to locate the core
1880 file (it's called @file{core}, and is usually sitting in the directory
1881 that you started XEmacs from, or your home directory if that other
1882 directory was not writable). Then, go to that directory and execute a
1886 gdb `which xemacs` core
1889 and then issue the command @samp{where} to get the stack backtrace. You
1890 might have to use @code{dbx} or some similar debugger in place of
1891 @code{gdb}. If you don't have any such debugger available, complain to
1892 your system administrator.
1894 It's possible that a core file didn't get produced, in which case you're
1895 out of luck. Go complain to your system administrator and tell him not
1896 to disable core files by default. Also @xref{Q2.1.15}, for tips and
1897 techniques for dealing with a debugger.
1899 When making a problem report make sure that:
1903 Report @strong{all} of the information output by XEmacs during the
1907 You mention what O/S & Hardware you are running XEmacs on.
1910 What version of XEmacs you are running.
1913 What build options you are using.
1916 If the problem is related to graphics, we will also need to know what
1917 version of the X Window System you are running, and what window manager
1921 If the problem happened on a tty, please include the terminal type.
1924 @node Q2.1.2, Q2.1.3, Q2.1.1, Installation
1925 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.2: Cryptic Minibuffer messages.
1927 When I try to use some particular option of some particular package, I
1928 get a cryptic error in the minibuffer.
1930 If you can't figure out what's going on, select Options/General
1931 Options/Debug on Error from the Menubar and then try and make the error
1932 happen again. This will give you a backtrace that may be enlightening.
1933 If not, try reading through this FAQ; if that fails, you could try
1934 posting to comp.emacs.xemacs (making sure to include the backtrace) and
1935 someone may be able to help. If you can identify which Emacs lisp
1936 source file the error is coming from you can get a more detailed stack
1937 backtrace by doing the following:
1941 Visit the .el file in an XEmacs buffer.
1944 Issue the command @kbd{M-x eval-current-buffer}.
1947 Reproduce the error.
1950 Depending on the version of XEmacs, you may either select Edit->Show
1951 Messages (19.13 and earlier) or Help->Recent Keystrokes/Messages (19.14
1952 and later) from the menubar to see the most recent messages. This
1953 command is bound to @kbd{C-h l} by default.
1955 @node Q2.1.3, Q2.1.4, Q2.1.2, Installation
1956 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.3: Translation Table Syntax messages at Startup
1958 I get tons of translation table syntax error messages during startup.
1959 How do I get rid of them?
1961 There are two causes of this problem. The first usually only strikes
1962 people using the prebuilt binaries. The culprit in both cases is the
1963 file @file{XKeysymDB}.
1967 The binary cannot find the @file{XKeysymDB} file. The location is
1968 hardcoded at compile time so if the system the binary was built on puts
1969 it a different place than your system does, you have problems. To fix,
1970 set the environment variable @var{XKEYSYMDB} to the location of the
1971 @file{XKeysymDB} file on your system or to the location of the one
1972 included with XEmacs which should be at
1976 @file{<xemacs_root_directory>/lib/xemacs-19.16/etc/XKeysymDB}.
1979 The binary is finding the XKeysymDB but it is out-of-date on your system
1980 and does not contain the necessary lines. Either ask your system
1981 administrator to replace it with the one which comes with XEmacs (which
1982 is the stock R6 version and is backwards compatible) or set your
1983 @var{XKEYSYMDB} variable to the location of XEmacs's described above.
1986 @node Q2.1.4, Q2.1.5, Q2.1.3, Installation
1987 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.4: Startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
1989 How can I avoid the startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
1991 This is highly dependent on your installation, but try with the
1992 following font as your base font for XEmacs and see what it does:
1995 -adobe-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-iso8859-1
1998 More precisely, do the following in your resource file:
2001 Emacs.default.attributeFont: \
2002 -adobe-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-iso8859-1
2005 If you just don't want to see the @samp{*Warnings*} buffer at startup
2006 time, you can set this:
2009 (setq display-warning-minimum-level 'error)
2012 The buffer still exists; it just isn't in your face.
2014 @node Q2.1.5, Q2.1.6, Q2.1.4, Installation
2015 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.5: XEmacs cannot connect to my X Terminal!
2017 Help! I can not get XEmacs to display on my Envizex X-terminal!
2019 Try setting the @var{DISPLAY} variable using the numeric IP address of
2020 the host you are running XEmacs from.
2022 @node Q2.1.6, Q2.1.7, Q2.1.5, Installation
2023 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.6: XEmacs just locked up my Linux X server!
2025 There have been several reports of the X server locking up under Linux.
2026 In all reported cases removing speedo and scaled fonts from the font
2027 path corrected the problem. This can be done with the command
2030 It is possible that using a font server may also solve the problem.
2032 @node Q2.1.7, Q2.1.8, Q2.1.6, Installation
2033 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.7: HP Alt key as Meta.
2035 How can I make XEmacs recognize the Alt key of my HP workstation as a
2038 Put the following line into a file and load it with xmodmap(1) before
2042 remove Mod1 = Mode_switch
2045 @node Q2.1.8, Q2.1.9, Q2.1.7, Installation
2046 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.8: got (wrong-type-argument color-instance-p nil)
2048 @email{nataliek@@rd.scitec.com.au, Natalie Kershaw} writes:
2051 I am trying to run xemacs 19.13 under X11R4. Whenever I move the mouse I
2052 get the following error. Has anyone seen anything like this? This
2053 doesn't occur on X11R5.
2057 (error "got (wrong-type-argument color-instance-p nil)
2058 and I don't know why!")
2062 @email{map01kd@@gold.ac.uk, dinos} writes:
2065 I think this is due to undefined resources; You need to define color
2066 backgrounds and foregrounds into your @file{.../app-defaults/Emacs}
2070 *Foreground: Black ;everything will be of black on grey95,
2071 *Background: Grey95 ;unless otherwise specified.
2072 *cursorColor: Red3 ;red3 cursor with grey95 border.
2073 *pointerColor: Red3 ;red3 pointer with grey95 border.
2077 Natalie Kershaw adds:
2080 What fixed the problem was adding some more colors to the X color
2081 database (copying the X11R5 colors over), and also defining the
2082 following resources:
2085 xemacs*cursorColor: black
2086 xemacs*pointerColor: black
2089 With the new colors installed the problem still occurs if the above
2090 resources are not defined.
2092 If the new colors are not present then an additional error occurs on
2093 XEmacs startup, which says @samp{Color Red3} not defined.
2096 @node Q2.1.9, Q2.1.10, Q2.1.8, Installation
2097 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.9: XEmacs causes my OpenWindows 3.0 server to crash.
2099 The OpenWindows 3.0 server is incredibly buggy. Your best bet is to
2100 replace it with one from the generic MIT X11 release. You might also
2101 try disabling parts of your @file{.emacs}, like enabling background
2104 @node Q2.1.10, Q2.1.11, Q2.1.9, Installation
2105 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.10: Warnings from incorrect key modifiers.
2107 The following information comes from the @file{PROBLEMS} file that comes
2110 If you're having troubles with HP/UX it is because HP/UX defines the
2111 modifiers wrong in X. Here is a shell script to fix the problem; be
2112 sure that it is run after VUE configures the X server.
2116 xmodmap 2> /dev/null - << EOF
2117 keysym Alt_L = Meta_L
2118 keysym Alt_R = Meta_R
2123 keysym Mode_switch = NoSymbol
2125 keysym Meta_R = Mode_switch
2126 add mod2 = Mode_switch
2130 @node Q2.1.11, Q2.1.12, Q2.1.10, Installation
2131 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.11: @samp{Can't instantiate image error...} in toolbar
2134 @email{expt@@alanine.ram.org, Dr. Ram Samudrala} writes:
2136 I just installed the XEmacs (20.4-2) RPMS that I downloaded from
2137 @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/}. Everything works fine, except that when
2138 I place my mouse over the toolbar, it beeps and gives me this message:
2141 Can't instantiate image (probably cached):
2142 [xbm :mask-file "/usr/include/X11/bitmaps/leftptrmsk :mask-data
2143 (16 16 <strange control characters> ...
2146 @email{kyle_jones@@wonderworks.com, Kyle Jones} writes:
2148 This is problem specific to some Chips and Technologies video
2149 chips, when running XFree86. Putting
2151 @code{Option "sw_cursor"}
2153 in @file{XF86Config} gets rid of the problem.
2156 @node Q2.1.12, Q2.1.13, Q2.1.11, Installation
2157 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.12: Problems with Regular Expressions on DEC OSF1.
2159 I have xemacs 19.13 running on an alpha running OSF1 V3.2 148 and ispell
2160 would not run because it claimed the version number was incorrect
2161 although it was indeed OK. I traced the problem to the regular
2164 @email{douglask@@dstc.edu.au, Douglas Kosovic} writes:
2167 Actually it's a DEC cc optimization bug that screws up the regexp
2170 Rebuilding using the @samp{-migrate} switch for DEC cc (which uses a
2171 different sort of optimization) works fine.
2174 See @file{xemacs-19_13-dunix-3_2c.patch} at the following URL on how to
2175 build with the @samp{-migrate} flag:
2178 @uref{http://www-digital.cern.ch/carney/emacs/emacs.html}
2179 @c Link above, <URL:http://www-digital.cern.ch/carney/emacs/emacs.html> is
2180 @c dead. And the directory `carney' is empty.
2186 NOTE: There have been a variety of other problems reported that are
2187 fixed in this fashion.
2189 @node Q2.1.13, Q2.1.14, Q2.1.12, Installation
2190 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.13: HP/UX 10.10 and @code{create_process} failure.
2192 @email{Dave.Carrigan@@ipl.ca, Dave Carrigan} writes:
2195 With XEmacs 19.13 and HP/UX 10.10, anything that relies on the
2196 @code{create_process} function fails. This breaks a lot of things
2197 (shell-mode, compile, ange-ftp, to name a few).
2200 @email{johnson@@dtc.hp.com, Phil Johnson} writes:
2203 This is a problem specific to HP-UX 10.10. It only occurs when XEmacs
2204 is compiled for shared libraries (the default), so you can work around
2205 it by compiling a statically-linked binary (run configure with
2206 @samp{--dynamic=no}).
2208 I'm not sure whether the problem is with a particular shared library or
2209 if it's a kernel problem which crept into 10.10.
2212 @email{cognot@@ensg.u-nancy.fr, Richard Cognot} writes:
2215 I had a few problems with 10.10. Apparently, some of them were solved by
2216 forcing a static link of libc (manually).
2219 @node Q2.1.14, Q2.1.15, Q2.1.13, Installation
2220 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.14: @kbd{C-g} doesn't work for me. Is it broken?
2222 @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing} writes:
2225 @kbd{C-g} does work for most people in most circumstances. If it
2226 doesn't, there are only two explanations:
2230 The code is wrapped with a binding of @code{inhibit-quit} to
2231 @code{t}. @kbd{Ctrl-Shift-G} should still work, I think.
2234 SIGIO is broken on your system, but BROKEN_SIGIO isn't defined.
2237 To test #2, try executing @code{(while t)} from the @samp{*scratch*}
2238 buffer. If @kbd{C-g} doesn't interrupt, then you're seeing #2.
2241 @email{terra@@diku.dk, Morten Welinder} writes:
2244 On some (but @emph{not} all) machines a hung XEmacs can be revived by
2245 @code{kill -FPE <pid>}. This is a hack, of course, not a solution.
2246 This technique works on a Sun4 running 4.1.3_U1. To see if it works for
2247 you, start another XEmacs and test with that first. If you get a core
2248 dump the method doesn't work and if you get @samp{Arithmetic error} then
2252 @node Q2.1.15, Q2.1.16, Q2.1.14, Installation
2253 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.15: How to Debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger
2255 If XEmacs does crash on you, one of the most productive things you can
2256 do to help get the bug fixed is to poke around a bit with the debugger.
2257 Here are some hints:
2261 First of all, if the crash is at all reproducible, consider very
2262 strongly recompiling your XEmacs with debugging symbols, with no
2263 optimization, and with the configure options @samp{--debug=yes} and
2264 @samp{--error-checking=all}. This will make your XEmacs run somewhat
2265 slower but make it a lot more likely to catch the problem earlier
2266 (closer to its source), and a lot easier to determine what's going on
2270 If you're able to run XEmacs under a debugger and reproduce the crash
2271 (if it's inconvenient to do this because XEmacs is already running or is
2272 running in batch mode as part of a bunch of scripts, consider attaching
2273 to the existing process with your debugger; most debuggers let you do
2274 this by substituting the process ID for the core file when you invoke
2275 the debugger from the command line, or by using the @code{attach}
2276 command or something similar), here are some things you can do:
2279 If XEmacs is hitting an assertion failure, put a breakpoint on
2280 @code{assert_failed()}.
2283 If XEmacs is hitting some weird Lisp error that's causing it to crash
2284 (e.g. during startup), put a breakpoint on @code{signal_1()}---this is
2285 declared static in eval.c.
2288 Internally, you will probably see lots of variables that hold objects of
2289 type @code{Lisp_Object}. These are exactly what they appear to be,
2290 i.e. references to Lisp objects. Printing them out with the debugger
2291 probably won't be too useful---you'll likely just see a number. To
2292 decode them, do this:
2295 call debug_print (OBJECT)
2298 where @var{OBJECT} is whatever you want to decode (it can be a variable,
2299 a function call, etc.). This will print out a readable representation
2300 on the TTY from which the xemacs process was invoked.
2303 If you want to get a Lisp backtrace showing the Lisp call
2307 call debug_backtrace ()
2311 Using @code{debug_print} and @code{debug_backtrace} has two
2312 disadvantages - it can only be used with a running xemacs process, and
2313 it cannot display the internal C structure of a Lisp Object. Even if
2314 all you've got is a core dump, all is not lost.
2316 If you're using GDB, there are some macros in the file
2317 @file{src/gdbinit} in the XEmacs source distribution that should make it
2318 easier for you to decode Lisp objects. Copy this file to
2319 @file{~/.gdbinit}, or @code{source} it from @file{~/.gdbinit}, and use
2320 the macros defined therein. In particular, use the @code{pobj} macro to
2321 print the internal C representation of a lisp object. This will work
2322 with a core file or not-yet-run executable. The aliases @code{ldp} and
2323 @code{lbt} are provided for conveniently calling @code{debug_print} and
2324 @code{debug_backtrace}.
2326 If you are using Sun's @file{dbx} debugger, there is an equivalent file
2327 @file{src/dbxrc} to copy to or source from @file{~/.dbxrc}.
2330 If you're using a debugger to get a C stack backtrace and you're seeing
2331 stack traces with some of the innermost frames mangled, it may be due to
2332 dynamic linking. (This happens especially under Linux.) Consider
2333 reconfiguring with @samp{--dynamic=no}. Also, sometimes (again under
2334 Linux), stack backtraces of core dumps will have the frame where the
2335 fatal signal occurred mangled; if you can obtain a stack trace while
2336 running the XEmacs process under a debugger, the stack trace should be
2339 @email{1CMC3466@@ibm.mtsac.edu, Curtiss} suggests upgrading to ld.so version 1.8
2340 if dynamic linking and debugging is a problem on Linux.
2343 If you're using a debugger to get a C stack backtrace and you're
2344 getting a completely mangled and bogus stack trace, it's probably due to
2345 one of the following:
2349 Your executable has been stripped. Bad news. Tell your sysadmin not to
2350 do this---it doesn't accomplish anything except to save a bit of disk
2351 space, and makes debugging much much harder.
2354 Your stack is getting trashed. Debugging this is hard; you have to do a
2355 binary-search type of narrowing down where the crash occurs, until you
2356 figure out exactly which line is causing the problem. Of course, this
2357 only works if the bug is highly reproducible.
2360 If your stack trace has exactly one frame in it, with address 0x0, this
2361 could simply mean that XEmacs attempted to execute code at that address,
2362 e.g. through jumping to a null function pointer. Unfortunately, under
2363 those circumstances, GDB under Linux doesn't know how to get a stack
2364 trace. (Yes, this is the third Linux-related problem I've mentioned. I
2365 have no idea why GDB under Linux is so bogus. Complain to the GDB
2366 authors, or to comp.os.linux.development.system). Again, you'll have to
2367 use the narrowing-down process described above.
2370 If you compiled 19.14 with @samp{--debug} (or by default in later
2371 versions), you will get a Lisp backtrace output when XEmacs crashes, so
2372 you'll have something useful.
2377 If you compile with the newer gcc variants gcc-2.8 or egcs, you will
2378 also need gdb 4.17. Earlier releases of gdb can't handle the debug
2379 information generated by the newer compilers.
2382 The above information on using @file{src/gdbinit} works for XEmacs-21.0
2383 and above. For older versions of XEmacs, there are different
2384 @file{gdbinit} files provided in the @file{src} directory. Use the one
2385 corresponding to the configure options used when building XEmacs.
2389 @node Q2.1.16, Q2.1.17, Q2.1.15, Installation
2390 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.16: XEmacs crashes in @code{strcat} on HP/UX 10
2392 From the problems database (through
2393 the former address http://support.mayfield.hp.com/):
2396 Problem Report: 5003302299
2399 System/Model: 9000/700
2400 Product Name: HPUX S800 10.0X
2401 Product Vers: 9245XB.10.00
2403 Description: strcat(3C) may read beyond
2404 end of source string, can cause SIGSEGV
2407 *** PROBLEM TEXT ***
2408 strcat(3C) may read beyond the source string onto an unmapped page,
2409 causing a segmentation violation.
2412 @node Q2.1.17, Q2.1.18, Q2.1.16, Installation
2413 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.17: @samp{Marker does not point anywhere}
2415 As with other errors, set @code{debug-on-error} to @code{t} to get the
2416 backtrace when the error occurs. Specifically, two problems have been
2417 reported (and fixed).
2421 A problem with line-number-mode in XEmacs 19.14 affected a large number
2422 of other packages. If you see this error message, turn off
2426 A problem with some early versions of Gnus 5.4 caused this error.
2430 @node Q2.1.18, Q2.1.19, Q2.1.17, Installation
2431 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.18: 19.14 hangs on HP/UX 10.10.
2433 @email{cognot@@ensg.u-nancy.fr, Richard Cognot} writes:
2436 For the record, compiling on hpux 10.10 leads to a hang in Gnus when
2437 compiled with optimization on.
2439 I've just discovered that my hpux 10.01 binary was working less well
2440 than expected. In fact, on a 10.10 system, @code{(while t)} was not
2441 interrupted by @kbd{C-g}. I defined @code{BROKEN_SIGIO} and recompiled on
2442 10.10, and... the hang is now gone.
2444 As far as configure goes, this will be a bit tricky: @code{BROKEN_SIGIO}
2445 is needed on 10.10, but @strong{not} on 10.01: if I run my 10.01 binary
2446 on a 10.01 machine, without @code{BROKEN_SIGIO} being defined, @kbd{C-g}
2450 @email{cognot@@ensg.u-nancy.fr, Richard Cognot} adds:
2453 Apparently somebody has found the reason why there is this
2458 interrupted...} message for each event. For some reason, libcurses
2459 reimplements a @code{select()} system call, in a highly broken fashion.
2460 The fix is to add a -lc to the link line @emph{before} the
2461 -lxcurses. XEmacs will then use the right version of @code{select()}.
2465 @email{af@@biomath.jussieu.fr, Alain Fauconnet} writes:
2468 The @emph{real} solution is to @emph{not} link -lcurses in! I just
2469 changed -lcurses to -ltermcap in the Makefile and it fixed:
2473 The @samp{poll: interrupted system call} message.
2476 A more serious problem I had discovered in the meantime, that is the
2477 fact that subprocess handling was seriously broken: subprocesses
2478 e.g. started by AUC TeX for TeX compilation of a buffer would
2479 @emph{hang}. Actually they would wait forever for emacs to read the
2480 socket which connects stdout...
2484 @node Q2.1.19, Q2.1.20, Q2.1.18, Installation
2485 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.19: XEmacs does not follow the local timezone.
2487 When using one of the prebuilt binaries many users have observed that
2488 XEmacs uses the timezone under which it was built, but not the timezone
2489 under which it is running. The solution is to add:
2492 (set-time-zone-rule "MET")
2495 to your @file{.emacs} or the @file{site-start.el} file if you can.
2496 Replace @code{MET} with your local timezone.
2498 @node Q2.1.20, Q2.1.21, Q2.1.19, Installation
2499 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.20: @samp{Symbol's function definition is void: hkey-help-show.}
2501 This is a problem with a partially loaded hyperbole. Try adding:
2504 (require 'hmouse-drv)
2507 where you load hyperbole and the problem should go away.
2509 @node Q2.1.21, Q2.1.22, Q2.1.20, Installation
2510 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.21: Every so often the XEmacs frame freezes
2512 This problem has been fixed in 19.15, and was due to a not easily
2513 reproducible race condition.
2515 @node Q2.1.22, Q2.1.23, Q2.1.21, Installation
2516 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.22: XEmacs seems to take a really long time to do some things
2518 @email{dmoore@@ucsd.edu, David Moore} writes:
2521 Two things you can do:
2525 When you see it going mad like this, you might want to use gdb from an
2526 'xterm' to attach to the running process and get a stack trace. To do
2530 gdb /path/to/xemacs/xemacs ####
2533 Where @code{####} is the process id of your xemacs, instead of
2534 specifying the core. When gdb attaches, the xemacs will stop [1] and
2535 you can type `where' in gdb to get a stack trace as usual. To get
2536 things moving again, you can just type `quit' in gdb. It'll tell you
2537 the program is running and ask if you want to quit anyways. Say 'y' and
2538 it'll quit and have your emacs continue from where it was at.
2542 Turn on debug-on-quit early on. When you think things are going slow
2543 hit C-g and it may pop you in the debugger so you can see what routine
2544 is running. Press `c' to get going again.
2546 debug-on-quit doesn't work if something's turned on inhibit-quit or in
2547 some other strange cases.
2550 @node Q2.1.23, , Q2.1.22, Installation
2551 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.23: Movemail on Linux does not work for XEmacs 19.15 and later.
2553 Movemail used to work fine in 19.14 but has stopped working in 19.15
2554 and 20.x. I am using Linux.
2556 @email{steve@@xemacs.org, SL Baur} writes:
2559 Movemail on Linux used to default to using flock file locking. With
2560 19.15 and later versions it now defaults to using @code{.lock} file
2561 locking. If this is not appropriate for your system, edit src/s/linux.h
2562 and uncomment the line that reads:
2565 #define MAIL_USE_FLOCK
2569 @node Customization, Subsystems, Installation, Top
2570 @unnumbered 3 Customization and Options
2572 This is part 3 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
2573 section is devoted to Customization and screen settings.
2576 Customization---Emacs Lisp and @file{.emacs}:
2577 * Q3.0.1:: What version of Emacs am I running?
2578 * Q3.0.2:: How do I evaluate Elisp expressions?
2579 * Q3.0.3:: @code{(setq tab-width 6)} behaves oddly.
2580 * Q3.0.4:: How can I add directories to the @code{load-path}?
2581 * Q3.0.5:: How to check if a lisp function is defined?
2582 * Q3.0.6:: Can I force the output of @code{(face-list)} to a buffer?
2583 * Q3.0.7:: Font selections don't get saved after @code{Save Options}.
2584 * Q3.0.8:: How do I make a single minibuffer frame?
2585 * Q3.0.9:: What is @code{Customize}?
2587 X Window System & Resources:
2588 * Q3.1.1:: Where is a list of X resources?
2589 * Q3.1.2:: How can I detect a color display?
2590 * Q3.1.3:: @code{(set-screen-width)} worked in 19.6, but not in 19.13?
2591 * Q3.1.4:: Specifying @code{Emacs*EmacsScreen.geometry} in @file{.emacs} does not work in 19.15?
2592 * Q3.1.5:: How can I get the icon to just say @samp{XEmacs}?
2593 * Q3.1.6:: How can I have the window title area display the full path?
2594 * Q3.1.7:: @samp{xemacs -name junk} doesn't work?
2595 * Q3.1.8:: @samp{-iconic} doesn't work.
2597 Textual Fonts & Colors:
2598 * Q3.2.1:: How can I set color options from @file{.emacs}?
2599 * Q3.2.2:: How do I set the text, menu and modeline fonts?
2600 * Q3.2.3:: How can I set the colors when highlighting a region?
2601 * Q3.2.4:: How can I limit color map usage?
2602 * Q3.2.5:: My tty supports color, but XEmacs doesn't use them.
2603 * Q3.2.6:: Can I have pixmap backgrounds in XEmacs?
2606 * Q3.3.1:: How can I make the modeline go away?
2607 * Q3.3.2:: How do you have XEmacs display the line number in the modeline?
2608 * Q3.3.3:: How do I get XEmacs to put the time of day on the modeline?
2609 * Q3.3.4:: How do I turn off current chapter from AUC TeX modeline?
2610 * Q3.3.5:: How can one change the modeline color based on the mode used?
2612 3.4 Multiple Device Support:
2613 * Q3.4.1:: How do I open a frame on another screen of my multi-headed display?
2614 * Q3.4.2:: Can I really connect to a running XEmacs after calling up over a modem? How?
2617 * Q3.5.1:: How can I bind complex functions (or macros) to keys?
2618 * Q3.5.2:: How can I stop down-arrow from adding empty lines to the bottom of my buffers?
2619 * Q3.5.3:: How do I bind C-. and C-; to scroll one line up and down?
2620 * Q3.5.4:: Globally binding @kbd{Delete}?
2621 * Q3.5.5:: Scrolling one line at a time.
2622 * Q3.5.6:: How to map @kbd{Help} key alone on Sun type4 keyboard?
2623 * Q3.5.7:: How can you type in special characters in XEmacs?
2624 * Q3.5.8:: Why does @code{(global-set-key [delete-forward] 'delete-char)} complain?
2625 * Q3.5.9:: How do I make the Delete key delete forward?
2626 * Q3.5.10:: Can I turn on @dfn{sticky} modifier keys?
2627 * Q3.5.11:: How do I map the arrow keys?
2630 * Q3.6.1:: Is there a way to make the bar cursor thicker?
2631 * Q3.6.2:: Is there a way to get back the old block cursor where the cursor covers the character in front of the point?
2632 * Q3.6.3:: Can I make the cursor blink?
2634 The Mouse and Highlighting:
2635 * Q3.7.1:: How can I turn off Mouse pasting?
2636 * Q3.7.2:: How do I set control/meta/etc modifiers on mouse buttons?
2637 * Q3.7.3:: Clicking the left button does not do anything in buffer list.
2638 * Q3.7.4:: How can I get a list of buffers when I hit mouse button 3?
2639 * Q3.7.5:: Why does cut-and-paste not work between XEmacs and a cmdtool?
2640 * Q3.7.6:: How I can set XEmacs up so that it pastes where the text cursor is?
2641 * Q3.7.7:: How do I select a rectangular region?
2642 * Q3.7.8:: Why does @kbd{M-w} take so long?
2644 The Menubar and Toolbar:
2645 * Q3.8.1:: How do I get rid of the menu (or menubar)?
2646 * Q3.8.2:: Can I customize the basic menubar?
2647 * Q3.8.3:: How do I control how many buffers are listed in the menu @code{Buffers} list?
2648 * Q3.8.4:: Resources like @code{Emacs*menubar*font} are not working?
2649 * Q3.8.5:: How can I bind a key to a function to toggle the toolbar?
2652 * Q3.9.1:: How can I disable the scrollbar?
2653 * Q3.9.2:: How can one use resources to change scrollbar colors?
2654 * Q3.9.3:: Moving the scrollbar can move the point; can I disable this?
2655 * Q3.9.4:: How can I get automatic horizontal scrolling?
2658 * Q3.10.1:: How can I turn off or change highlighted selections?
2659 * Q3.10.2:: How do I get that typing on an active region removes it?
2660 * Q3.10.3:: Can I turn off the highlight during isearch?
2661 * Q3.10.4:: How do I turn off highlighting after @kbd{C-x C-p} (mark-page)?
2662 * Q3.10.5:: The region disappears when I hit the end of buffer while scrolling.
2665 @node Q3.0.1, Q3.0.2, Customization, Customization
2666 @unnumberedsec 3.0: Customization -- Emacs Lisp and .emacs
2667 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.1: What version of Emacs am I running?
2669 How can @file{.emacs} determine which of the family of Emacsen I am
2672 To determine if you are currently running GNU Emacs 18, GNU Emacs 19,
2673 XEmacs 19, XEmacs 20, or Epoch, and use appropriate code, check out the
2674 example given in @file{etc/sample.emacs}. There are other nifty things
2677 For all new code, all you really need to do is:
2680 (defvar running-xemacs (string-match "XEmacs\\|Lucid" emacs-version))
2683 @node Q3.0.2, Q3.0.3, Q3.0.1, Customization
2684 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.2: How can I evaluate Emacs-Lisp expressions?
2686 I know I can evaluate Elisp expressions from @code{*scratch*} buffer
2687 with @kbd{C-j} after the expression. How do I do it from another
2690 Press @kbd{M-:} (the default binding of @code{eval-expression}), and
2691 enter the expression to the minibuffer. In XEmacs prior to 19.15
2692 @code{eval-expression} used to be a disabled command by default. If
2693 this is the case, upgrade your XEmacs.
2695 @node Q3.0.3, Q3.0.4, Q3.0.2, Customization
2696 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.3: @code{(setq tab-width 6)} behaves oddly.
2698 If you put @code{(setq tab-width 6)} in your @file{.emacs} file it does
2699 not work! Is there a reason for this? If you do it at the EVAL prompt
2700 it works fine!! How strange.
2702 Use @code{setq-default} instead, since @code{tab-width} is
2705 @node Q3.0.4, Q3.0.5, Q3.0.3, Customization
2706 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.4: How can I add directories to the @code{load-path}?
2708 Here are two ways to do that, one that puts your directories at the
2709 front of the load-path, the other at the end:
2712 ;;; Add things at the beginning of the load-path, do not add
2713 ;;; duplicate directories:
2714 (pushnew "bar" load-path :test 'equal)
2716 (pushnew "foo" load-path :test 'equal)
2718 ;;; Add things at the end, unconditionally
2719 (setq load-path (nconc load-path '("foo" "bar")))
2722 @email{keithh@@nortel.ca, keith (k.p.) hanlan} writes:
2725 To add directories using Unix shell metacharacters use
2726 @file{expand-file-name} like this:
2729 (push (expand-file-name "~keithh/.emacsdir") load-path)
2733 @node Q3.0.5, Q3.0.6, Q3.0.4, Customization
2734 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.5: How to check if a lisp function is defined?
2736 Use the following elisp:
2742 It's almost always a mistake to test @code{emacs-version} or any similar
2745 Instead, use feature-tests, such as @code{featurep}, @code{boundp},
2746 @code{fboundp}, or even simple behavioral tests, eg.:
2749 (defvar foo-old-losing-code-p
2750 (condition-case nil (progn (losing-code t) nil)
2751 (wrong-number-of-arguments t)))
2754 There is an incredible amount of broken code out there which could work
2755 much better more often in more places if it did the above instead of
2756 trying to divine its environment from the value of one variable.
2758 @node Q3.0.6, Q3.0.7, Q3.0.5, Customization
2759 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.6: Can I force the output of @code{(face-list)} to a buffer?
2761 It would be good having it in a buffer, as the output of
2762 @code{(face-list)} is too wide to fit to a minibuffer.
2764 Evaluate the expression in the @samp{*scratch*} buffer with point after
2765 the rightmost paren and typing @kbd{C-j}.
2767 If the minibuffer smallness is the only problem you encounter, you can
2768 simply press @kbd{C-h l} to get the former minibuffer contents in a
2771 @node Q3.0.7, Q3.0.8, Q3.0.6, Customization
2772 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.7: Font selections in don't get saved after @code{Save Options}.
2774 For XEmacs 19.14 and previous:
2776 @email{mannj@@ll.mit.edu, John Mann} writes:
2779 You have to go to Options->Frame Appearance and unselect
2780 @samp{Frame-Local Font Menu}. If this option is selected, font changes
2781 are only applied to the @emph{current} frame and do @emph{not} get saved
2782 when you save options.
2785 For XEmacs 19.15 and later:
2787 Implement the above as well as set the following in your @file{.emacs}
2790 (setq options-save-faces t)
2793 @node Q3.0.8, Q3.0.9, Q3.0.7, Customization
2794 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.8: How do I get a single minibuffer frame?
2796 @email{acs@@acm.org, Vin Shelton} writes:
2799 (setq initial-frame-plist '(minibuffer nil))
2800 (setq default-frame-plist '(minibuffer nil))
2801 (setq default-minibuffer-frame
2806 menubar-visible-p nil
2807 default-toolbar-visible-p nil
2811 has-modeline-p nil)))
2812 (frame-notice-user-settings)
2815 @strong{Please note:} The single minibuffer frame may not be to everyone's
2816 taste, and there any number of other XEmacs options settings that may
2817 make it difficult or inconvenient to use.
2819 @node Q3.0.9, Q3.1.1, Q3.0.8, Customization
2820 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.9: What is @code{Customize}?
2822 Starting with XEmacs 20.2 there is new system 'Customize' for customizing
2825 You can access @code{Customize} from the @code{Options} menu
2826 or invoking one of customize commands by typing eg.
2827 @kbd{M-x customize}, @kbd{M-x customize-face},
2828 @kbd{M-x customize-variable} or @kbd{M-x customize-apropos}.
2830 Starting with XEmacs 20.3 there is also new `browser' mode for Customize.
2831 Try it out with @kbd{M-x customize-browse}
2833 @node Q3.1.1, Q3.1.2, Q3.0.9, Customization
2834 @unnumberedsec 3.1: X Window System & Resources
2835 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.1: Where is a list of X resources?
2837 Search through the @file{NEWS} file for @samp{X Resources}. A fairly
2838 comprehensive list is given after it.
2840 In addition, an @file{app-defaults} file is supplied,
2841 @file{etc/Emacs.ad} listing the defaults. The file
2842 @file{etc/sample.Xdefaults} gives a set of defaults that you might
2843 consider. It is essentially the same as @file{etc/Emacs.ad} but some
2844 entries are slightly altered. Be careful about installing the contents
2845 of this file into your @file{.Xdefaults} or @file{.Xresources} file if
2846 you use GNU Emacs under X11 as well.
2848 @node Q3.1.2, Q3.1.3, Q3.1.1, Customization
2849 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.2: How can I detect a color display?
2851 You can test the return value of the function @code{(device-class)}, as
2855 (when (eq (device-class) 'color)
2856 (set-face-foreground 'font-lock-comment-face "Grey")
2857 (set-face-foreground 'font-lock-string-face "Red")
2862 @node Q3.1.3, Q3.1.4, Q3.1.2, Customization
2863 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.3: @code{(set-screen-width)} worked in 19.6, but not in 19.13?
2865 In Lucid Emacs 19.6 I did @code{(set-screen-width @var{characters})} and
2866 @code{(set-screen-height @var{lines})} in my @file{.emacs} instead of
2867 specifying @code{Emacs*EmacsScreen.geometry} in my
2871 @file{.Xdefaults} but
2872 this does not work in XEmacs 19.13.
2874 These two functions now take frame arguments:
2877 (set-frame-width (selected-frame) @var{characters})
2878 (set-frame-height (selected-frame) @var{lines})
2881 @node Q3.1.4, Q3.1.5, Q3.1.3, Customization
2882 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.4: Specifying @code{Emacs*EmacsScreen.geometry} in @file{.emacs} does not work in 19.15?
2884 In XEmacs 19.11 I specified @code{Emacs*EmacsScreen.geometry} in
2885 my @file{.emacs} but this does not work in XEmacs 19.15.
2887 We have switched from using the term @dfn{screen} to using the term
2890 The correct entry for your @file{.Xdefaults} is now:
2893 Emacs*EmacsFrame.geometry
2896 @node Q3.1.5, Q3.1.6, Q3.1.4, Customization
2897 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.5: How can I get the icon to just say @samp{XEmacs}?
2899 I'd like the icon to just say @samp{XEmacs}, and not include the name of
2900 the current file in it.
2902 Add the following line to your @file{.emacs}:
2905 (setq frame-icon-title-format "XEmacs")
2908 @node Q3.1.6, Q3.1.7, Q3.1.5, Customization
2909 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.6: How can I have the window title area display the full path?
2911 I'd like to have the window title area display the full directory/name
2912 of the current buffer file and not just the name.
2914 Add the following line to your @file{.emacs}:
2917 (setq frame-title-format "%S: %f")
2920 A more sophisticated title might be:
2923 (setq frame-title-format
2924 '("%S: " (buffer-file-name "%f"
2925 (dired-directory dired-directory "%b"))))
2928 That is, use the file name, or the dired-directory, or the buffer name.
2930 @node Q3.1.7, Q3.1.8, Q3.1.6, Customization
2931 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.7: @samp{xemacs -name junk} doesn't work?
2933 When I run @samp{xterm -name junk}, I get an xterm whose class name
2934 according to xprop, is @samp{junk}. This is the way it's supposed to
2935 work, I think. When I run @samp{xemacs -name junk} the class name is
2936 not set to @samp{junk}. It's still @samp{emacs}. What does
2937 @samp{xemacs -name} really do? The reason I ask is that my window
2938 manager (fvwm) will make a window sticky and I use XEmacs to read my
2939 mail. I want that XEmacs window to be sticky, without having to use the
2940 window manager's function to set the window sticky. What gives?
2942 @samp{xemacs -name} sets the application name for the program (that is,
2943 the thing which normally comes from @samp{argv[0]}). Using @samp{-name}
2944 is the same as making a copy of the executable with that new name. The
2945 @code{WM_CLASS} property on each frame is set to the frame-name, and the
2946 application-class. So, if you did @samp{xemacs -name FOO} and then
2947 created a frame named @var{BAR}, you'd get an X window with WM_CLASS =
2948 @code{( "BAR", "Emacs")}. However, the resource hierarchy for this
2952 Name: FOO .shell .container .BAR
2953 Class: Emacs .TopLevelEmacsShell.EmacsManager.EmacsFrame
2956 instead of the default
2959 Name: xemacs.shell .container .emacs
2960 Class: Emacs .TopLevelEmacsShell.EmacsManager.EmacsFrame
2964 It is arguable that the first element of WM_CLASS should be set to the
2965 application-name instead of the frame-name, but I think that's less
2966 flexible, since it does not give you the ability to have multiple frames
2967 with different WM_CLASS properties. Another possibility would be for
2968 the default frame name to come from the application name instead of
2969 simply being @samp{emacs}. However, at this point, making that change
2970 would be troublesome: it would mean that many users would have to make
2971 yet another change to their resource files (since the default frame name
2972 would suddenly change from @samp{emacs} to @samp{xemacs}, or whatever
2973 the executable happened to be named), so we'd rather avoid it.
2975 To make a frame with a particular name use:
2978 (make-frame '((name . "the-name")))
2981 @node Q3.1.8, Q3.2.1, Q3.1.7, Customization
2982 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.8: @samp{-iconic} doesn't work.
2984 When I start up XEmacs using @samp{-iconic} it doesn't work right.
2985 Using @samp{-unmapped} on the command line, and setting the
2986 @code{initiallyUnmapped} X Resource don't seem to help much either...
2988 @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing} writes:
2991 Ugh, this stuff is such an incredible mess that I've about given up
2992 getting it to work. The principal problem is numerous window-manager
2996 @node Q3.2.1, Q3.2.2, Q3.1.8, Customization
2997 @unnumberedsec 3.2: Textual Fonts & Colors
2998 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.1: How can I set color options from @file{.emacs}?
3000 How can I set the most commonly used color options from my @file{.emacs}
3001 instead of from my @file{.Xdefaults}?
3006 (set-face-background 'default "bisque") ; frame background
3007 (set-face-foreground 'default "black") ; normal text
3008 (set-face-background 'zmacs-region "red") ; When selecting w/
3010 (set-face-foreground 'zmacs-region "yellow")
3011 (set-face-font 'default "*courier-bold-r*120-100-100*")
3012 (set-face-background 'highlight "blue") ; Ie when selecting
3014 (set-face-foreground 'highlight "yellow")
3015 (set-face-background 'modeline "blue") ; Line at bottom
3017 (set-face-foreground 'modeline "white")
3018 (set-face-font 'modeline "*bold-r-normal*140-100-100*")
3019 (set-face-background 'isearch "yellow") ; When highlighting
3021 (set-face-foreground 'isearch "red")
3022 (setq x-pointer-foreground-color "black") ; Adds to bg color,
3024 (setq x-pointer-background-color "blue") ; This is color
3029 @node Q3.2.2, Q3.2.3, Q3.2.1, Customization
3030 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.2: How do I set the text, menu and modeline fonts?
3032 Note that you should use @samp{Emacs.} and not @samp{Emacs*} when
3033 setting face values.
3035 In @file{.Xdefaults}:
3038 Emacs.default.attributeFont: -*-*-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-m-*-*-*
3039 Emacs*menubar*font: fixed
3040 Emacs.modeline.attributeFont: fixed
3043 This is confusing because modeline is a face, and can be found listed
3044 with all faces in the current mode by using @kbd{M-x set-face-font
3045 (enter) ?}. It uses the face specification of @code{attributeFont},
3046 while menubar is a normal X thing that uses the specification
3047 @code{font}. With Motif it may be necessary to use @code{fontList}
3048 instead of @code{font}.
3050 @node Q3.2.3, Q3.2.4, Q3.2.2, Customization
3051 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.3: How can I set the colors when highlighting a region?
3053 How can I set the background/foreground colors when highlighting a
3056 You can change the face @code{zmacs-region} either in your
3060 Emacs.zmacs-region.attributeForeground: firebrick
3061 Emacs.zmacs-region.attributeBackground: lightseagreen
3064 or in your @file{.emacs}:
3067 (set-face-background 'zmacs-region "red")
3068 (set-face-foreground 'zmacs-region "yellow")
3071 @node Q3.2.4, Q3.2.5, Q3.2.3, Customization
3072 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.4: How can I limit color map usage?
3074 I'm using Netscape (or another color grabber like XEmacs);
3075 is there anyway to limit the number of available colors in the color map?
3077 XEmacs 19.13 didn't have such a mechanism (unlike netscape, or other
3078 color-hogs). One solution is to start XEmacs prior to netscape, since
3079 this will prevent Netscape from grabbing all colors (but Netscape will
3080 complain). You can use the flags for Netscape, like -mono, -ncols <#>
3081 or -install (for mono, limiting to <#> colors, or for using a private
3082 color map). Since Netscape will take the entire colormap and never
3083 release it, the only reasonable way to run it is with @samp{-install}.
3085 If you have the money, another solution would be to use a truecolor or
3088 Starting with XEmacs 19.14, XEmacs uses the closest available color if
3089 the colormap is full, so it's O.K. now to start Netscape first.
3091 @node Q3.2.5, Q3.2.6, Q3.2.4, Customization
3092 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.5: My tty supports color, but XEmacs doesn't use them.
3094 XEmacs tries to automatically determine whether your tty supports color,
3095 but sometimes guesses wrong. In that case, you can make XEmacs Do The
3096 Right Thing using this Lisp code:
3099 (if (eq 'tty (device-type))
3100 (set-device-class nil 'color))
3103 @node Q3.2.6, Q3.3.1, Q3.2.5, Customization
3104 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.6: Can I have pixmap backgrounds in XEmacs?
3106 @email{jvillaci@@wahnsinnig.extreme.indiana.edu, Juan Villacis} writes:
3109 There are several ways to do it. For example, you could specify a
3110 default pixmap image to use in your @file{~/.Xresources}, e.g.,
3114 Emacs*EmacsFrame.default.attributeBackgroundPixmap: /path/to/image.xpm
3118 and then reload ~/.Xresources and restart XEmacs. Alternatively,
3119 since each face can have its own pixmap background, a better way
3120 would be to set a face's pixmap within your XEmacs init file, e.g.,
3123 (set-face-background-pixmap 'default "/path/to/image.xpm")
3124 (set-face-background-pixmap 'bold "/path/to/another_image.xpm")
3127 and so on. You can also do this interactively via @kbd{M-x edit-faces}.
3131 @unnumberedsec 3.3: The Modeline
3132 @node Q3.3.1, Q3.3.2, Q3.2.6, Customization
3133 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.3.1: How can I make the modeline go away?
3136 (set-specifier has-modeline-p nil)
3139 Starting with XEmacs 19.14 the modeline responds to mouse clicks, so if
3140 you haven't liked or used the modeline in the past, you might want to
3141 try the new version out.
3143 @node Q3.3.2, Q3.3.3, Q3.3.1, Customization
3144 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.3.2: How do you have XEmacs display the line number in the modeline?
3146 Add the following line to your @file{.emacs} file to display the
3150 (line-number-mode 1)
3153 Use the following to display the column number:
3156 (column-number-mode 1)
3159 Or select from the @code{Options} menu
3163 @code{Customize->Emacs->Editing->Basics->Line Number Mode}
3168 @code{Customize->Emacs->Editing->Basics->Column Number Mode}
3170 Or type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} editing-basics @key{RET}}.
3172 @node Q3.3.3, Q3.3.4, Q3.3.2, Customization
3173 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.3.3: How do I get XEmacs to put the time of day on the modeline?
3175 Add the following line to your @file{.emacs} file to display the
3182 See @code{Customize} from the @code{Options} menu for customization.
3184 @node Q3.3.4, Q3.3.5, Q3.3.3, Customization
3185 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.3.4: How do I turn off current chapter from AUC TeX modeline?
3187 With AUC TeX, fast typing is hard because the current chapter, section
3188 etc. are given in the modeline. How can I turn this off?
3190 It's not AUC TeX, it comes from @code{func-menu} in @file{func-menu.el}.
3191 Add this code to your @file{.emacs} to turn it off:
3194 (setq fume-display-in-modeline-p nil)
3197 Or just add a hook to @code{TeX-mode-hook} to turn it off only for TeX
3201 (add-hook 'TeX-mode-hook
3202 '(lambda () (setq fume-display-in-modeline-p nil)))
3205 @email{dhughes@@origin-at.co.uk, David Hughes} writes:
3208 If you have 19.14 or later, try this instead; you'll still get the
3209 function name displayed in the modeline, but it won't attempt to keep
3210 track when you modify the file. To refresh when it gets out of synch,
3211 you simply need click on the @samp{Rescan Buffer} option in the
3215 (setq-default fume-auto-rescan-buffer-p nil)
3219 @node Q3.3.5, Q3.4.1, Q3.3.4, Customization
3220 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.3.5: How can one change the modeline color based on the mode used?
3222 You can use something like the following:
3225 (add-hook 'lisp-mode-hook
3227 (set-face-background 'modeline "red" (current-buffer))))
3230 Then, when editing a Lisp file (i.e. when in Lisp mode), the modeline
3231 colors change from the default set in your @file{.emacs}. The change
3232 will only be made in the buffer you just entered (which contains the
3233 Lisp file you are editing) and will not affect the modeline colors
3241 The hook is the mode name plus @code{-hook}. eg. c-mode-hook,
3242 c++-mode-hook, emacs-lisp-mode-hook (used for your @file{.emacs} or a
3243 @file{xx.el} file), lisp-interaction-mode-hook (the @samp{*scratch*}
3244 buffer), text-mode-hook, etc.
3247 Be sure to use @code{add-hook}, not @code{(setq c-mode-hook xxxx)},
3248 otherwise you will erase anything that anybody has already put on the
3252 You can also do @code{(set-face-font 'modeline @var{font})},
3253 eg. @code{(set-face-font 'modeline "*bold-r-normal*140-100-100*"
3254 (current-buffer))} if you wish the modeline font to vary based on the
3258 This works in 19.15 as well, but there are additional modeline faces,
3259 @code{modeline-buffer-id}, @code{modeline-mousable}, and
3260 @code{modeline-mousable-minor-mode}, which you may want to customize.
3262 @node Q3.4.1, Q3.4.2, Q3.3.5, Customization
3263 @unnumberedsec 3.4: Multiple Device Support
3264 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.4.1: How do I open a frame on another screen of my multi-headed display?
3266 The support for this was revamped for 19.14. Use the command
3267 @kbd{M-x make-frame-on-display}. This command is also on the File menu
3270 XEmacs 19.14 and later also have the command @code{make-frame-on-tty}
3271 which will establish a connection to any tty-like device. Opening the
3272 TTY devices should be left to @code{gnuclient}, though.
3274 @node Q3.4.2, Q3.5.1, Q3.4.1, Customization
3275 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.4.2: Can I really connect to a running XEmacs after calling up over a modem? How?
3277 If you're not running at least XEmacs 19.14, you can't. Otherwise check
3278 out the @code{gnuattach} program supplied with XEmacs. Starting with
3279 XEmacs 20.3, @code{gnuattach} and @code{gnudoit} functionality is
3280 provided by @code{gnuclient}.
3282 Also @xref{Q5.0.12}.
3284 @node Q3.5.1, Q3.5.2, Q3.4.2, Customization
3285 @unnumberedsec 3.5: The Keyboard
3286 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.1: How can I bind complex functions (or macros) to keys?
3288 As an example, say you want the @kbd{paste} key on a Sun keyboard to
3289 insert the current Primary X selection at point. You can accomplish this
3293 (define-key global-map [f18] 'x-insert-selection)
3296 However, this only works if there is a current X selection (the
3297 selection will be highlighted). The functionality I like is for the
3298 @kbd{paste} key to insert the current X selection if there is one,
3299 otherwise insert the contents of the clipboard. To do this you need to
3300 pass arguments to @code{x-insert-selection}. This is done by wrapping
3301 the call in a 'lambda form:
3304 (global-set-key [f18]
3305 (lambda () (interactive) (x-insert-selection t nil)))
3308 This binds the f18 key to a @dfn{generic} functional object. The
3309 interactive spec is required because only interactive functions can be
3312 For the FAQ example you could use:
3315 (global-set-key [(control ?.)]
3316 (lambda () (interactive) (scroll-up 1)))
3317 (global-set-key [(control ? ;)]
3318 (lambda () (interactive) (scroll-up -1)))
3321 This is fine if you only need a few functions within the lambda body.
3322 If you're doing more it's cleaner to define a separate function as in
3323 question 3.5.3 (@pxref{Q3.5.3}).
3325 @node Q3.5.2, Q3.5.3, Q3.5.1, Customization
3326 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.2: How can I stop down-arrow from adding empty lines to the bottom of my buffers?
3328 Add the following line to your @file{.emacs} file:
3331 (setq next-line-add-newlines nil)
3334 This has been the default setting in XEmacs for some time.
3336 @node Q3.5.3, Q3.5.4, Q3.5.2, Customization
3337 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.3: How do I bind C-. and C-; to scroll one line up and down?
3339 Add the following (Thanks to @email{mly@@adoc.xerox.com, Richard Mlynarik} and
3340 @email{wayne@@zen.cac.stratus.com, Wayne Newberry}) to @file{.emacs}:
3343 (defun scroll-up-one-line ()
3347 (defun scroll-down-one-line ()
3351 (global-set-key [(control ?.)] 'scroll-up-one-line) ; C-.
3352 (global-set-key [(control ? ;)] 'scroll-down-one-line) ; C-;
3355 The key point is that you can only bind simple functions to keys; you
3356 can not bind a key to a function that you're also passing arguments to.
3357 (@pxref{Q3.5.1} for a better answer).
3359 @node Q3.5.4, Q3.5.5, Q3.5.3, Customization
3360 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.4: Globally binding @kbd{Delete}?
3362 I cannot manage to globally bind my @kbd{Delete} key to something other
3363 than the default. How does one do this?
3368 (message "You hit DELETE"))
3370 (global-set-key 'delete 'foo)
3373 However, some modes explicitly bind @kbd{Delete}, so you would need to
3374 add a hook that does @code{local-set-key} for them. If what you want to
3375 do is make the Backspace and Delete keys work more PC/Motif-like, then
3376 take a look at the @file{delbs.el} package.
3378 New in XEmacs 19.14 is a variable called @code{key-translation-map}
3379 which makes it easier to bind @kbd{Delete}. @file{delbs.el} is a
3380 good example of how to do this correctly.
3382 Also @xref{Q3.5.10}.
3384 @node Q3.5.5, Q3.5.6, Q3.5.4, Customization
3385 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.5: Scrolling one line at a time.
3387 Can the cursor keys scroll the screen a line at a time, rather than the
3388 default half page jump? I tend it to find it disorienting.
3393 (defun scroll-one-line-up (&optional arg)
3394 "Scroll the selected window up (forward in the text) one line (or N lines)."
3396 (scroll-up (or arg 1)))
3398 (defun scroll-one-line-down (&optional arg)
3399 "Scroll the selected window down (backward in the text) one line (or N)."
3401 (scroll-down (or arg 1)))
3403 (global-set-key [up] 'scroll-one-line-up)
3404 (global-set-key [down] 'scroll-one-line-down)
3407 The following will also work but will affect more than just the cursor
3408 keys (i.e. @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p}):
3411 (setq scroll-step 1)
3414 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 you can also change this with Customize.
3415 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3416 @code{Customize->Emacs->Environment->Windows->Scroll Step...} or type
3417 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} windows @key{RET}}.
3419 @node Q3.5.6, Q3.5.7, Q3.5.5, Customization
3420 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.6: How to map @kbd{Help} key alone on Sun type4 keyboard?
3422 The following works in GNU Emacs 19:
3425 (global-set-key [help] 'help-command);; Help
3428 The following works in XEmacs 19.15 with the addition of shift:
3431 (global-set-key [(shift help)] 'help-command);; Help
3434 But it doesn't work alone. This is in the file @file{PROBLEMS} which
3435 should have come with your XEmacs installation: @emph{Emacs ignores the
3436 @kbd{help} key when running OLWM}.
3438 OLWM grabs the @kbd{help} key, and retransmits it to the appropriate
3443 @code{XSendEvent}. Allowing Emacs to react to synthetic
3444 events is a security hole, so this is turned off by default. You can
3445 enable it by setting the variable @code{x-allow-sendevents} to t. You
3446 can also cause fix this by telling OLWM to not grab the help key, with
3447 the null binding @code{OpenWindows.KeyboardCommand.Help:}.
3449 @node Q3.5.7, Q3.5.8, Q3.5.6, Customization
3450 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.7: How can you type in special characters in XEmacs?
3452 One way is to use the package @code{x-compose}. Then you can use
3453 sequences like @kbd{Compose " a} to get ä, etc.
3455 Another way is to use the @code{iso-insert} package, provided in XEmacs
3456 19.15 and later. Then you can use sequences like @kbd{C-x 8 " a} to get
3459 @email{glynn@@sensei.co.uk, Glynn Clements} writes:
3462 It depends upon your X server.
3464 Generally, the simplest way is to define a key as Multi_key with
3466 @c hey, show some respect, willya -- there's xkeycaps, isn't there? --
3469 xmodmap -e 'keycode 0xff20 = Multi_key'
3472 You will need to pick an appropriate keycode. Use xev to find out the
3473 keycodes for each key.
3475 [NB: On a `Windows' keyboard, recent versions of XFree86 automatically
3476 define the right `Windows' key as Multi_key'.]
3478 Once you have Multi_key defined, you can use e.g.
3487 Also, recent versions of XFree86 define various AltGr-<key>
3488 combinations as dead keys, i.e.
3490 AltGr [ => dead_diaeresis
3491 AltGr ] => dead_tilde
3492 AltGr ; => dead_acute
3496 Running @samp{xmodmap -pk} will list all of the defined keysyms.
3499 @node Q3.5.8, Q3.5.9, Q3.5.7, Customization
3500 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.8: Why does @code{(global-set-key [delete-forward] 'delete-char)} complain?
3502 Why does @code{(define-key global-map [ delete-forward ] 'delete-char)}
3503 complain of not being able to bind an unknown key?
3508 (define-key global-map [delete_forward] 'delete-char)
3513 What you are seeing above is a bug due to code that is trying to check
3514 for GNU Emacs syntax like:
3516 (define-key global-map [C-M-a] 'delete-char)
3518 which otherwise would cause no errors but would not result in the
3521 This bug has been fixed in 19.14.
3523 @node Q3.5.9, Q3.5.10, Q3.5.8, Customization
3524 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.9: How do I make the Delete key delete forward?
3526 With XEmacs-20.2 use the @code{delbs} package:
3532 This will give you the functions @code{delbs-enable-delete-forward} to
3533 set things up, and @code{delbs-disable-delete-forward} to revert to
3534 ``normal'' behavior. Note that @code{delbackspace} package is obsolete.
3536 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 better solution is to set variable
3537 @code{delete-key-deletes-forward} to t. You can also change this with
3538 Customize. Select from the @code{Options} menu
3539 @code{Customize->Emacs->Editing->Basics->Delete Key Deletes Forward} or
3540 type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} editing-basics @key{RET}}.
3544 @node Q3.5.10, Q3.5.11, Q3.5.9, Customization
3545 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.10: Can I turn on @dfn{sticky} modifier keys?
3547 Yes, with @code{(setq modifier-keys-are-sticky t)}. This will give the
3548 effect of being able to press and release Shift and have the next
3549 character typed come out in upper case. This will affect all the other
3550 modifier keys like Control and Meta as well.
3552 @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing} writes:
3555 One thing about the sticky modifiers is that if you move the mouse out
3556 of the frame and back in, it cancels all currently ``stuck'' modifiers.
3559 @node Q3.5.11, Q3.6.1, Q3.5.10, Customization
3560 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.11: How do I map the arrow keys?
3562 Say you want to map @kbd{C-@key{right}} to forward-word:
3564 @email{sds@@usa.net, Sam Steingold} writes:
3568 ; both XEmacs and Emacs
3569 (define-key global-map [(control right)] 'forward-word)
3574 (define-key global-map [C-right] 'forward-word)
3579 (define-key global-map (kbd "C-<right>") 'forward-word)
3585 @node Q3.6.1, Q3.6.2, Q3.5.11, Customization
3586 @unnumberedsec 3.6: The Cursor
3587 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.6.1: Is there a way to make the bar cursor thicker?
3589 I'd like to have the bar cursor a little thicker, as I tend to "lose" it
3592 For a 1 pixel bar cursor, use:
3598 For a 2 pixel bar cursor, use:
3601 (setq bar-cursor 'anything-else)
3604 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 you can also change these with Customize.
3605 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3606 @code{Customize->Emacs->Environment->Display->Bar Cursor...} or type
3607 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} display @key{RET}}.
3609 You can use a color to make it stand out better:
3612 Emacs*cursorColor: Red
3615 @node Q3.6.2, Q3.6.3, Q3.6.1, Customization
3616 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.6.2: Is there a way to get back the block cursor?
3619 (setq bar-cursor nil)
3622 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 you can also change this with Customize.
3623 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3624 @code{Customize->Emacs->Environment->Display->Bar Cursor...} or type
3625 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} display @key{RET}}.
3627 @node Q3.6.3, Q3.7.1, Q3.6.2, Customization
3628 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.6.3: Can I make the cursor blink?
3630 If you are running a version of XEmacs older than 19.14, no. Otherwise
3631 you can do the following:
3637 This function toggles between a steady cursor and a blinking cursor.
3638 You may also set this mode from the menu bar by selecting @samp{Options
3639 => Frame Appearance => Blinking Cursor}. Remember to save options.
3641 @node Q3.7.1, Q3.7.2, Q3.6.3, Customization
3642 @unnumberedsec 3.7: The Mouse and Highlighting
3643 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.1: How can I turn off Mouse pasting?
3645 I keep hitting the middle mouse button by accident and getting stuff
3646 pasted into my buffer so how can I turn this off?
3648 Here is an alternative binding, whereby the middle mouse button selects
3649 (but does not cut) the expression under the mouse. Clicking middle on a
3650 left or right paren will select to the matching one. Note that you can
3651 use @code{define-key} or @code{global-set-key}.
3654 (defun mouse-set-point-and-select (event)
3655 "Sets the point at the mouse location, then marks following form"
3657 (mouse-set-point event)
3659 (define-key global-map [button2] 'mouse-set-point-and-select)
3662 @node Q3.7.2, Q3.7.3, Q3.7.1, Customization
3663 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.2: How do I set control/meta/etc modifiers on mouse buttons?
3665 Use, for instance, @code{[(meta button1)]}. For example, here is a common
3666 setting for Common Lisp programmers who use the bundled @code{ilisp}
3667 package, whereby meta-button1 on a function name will find the file where
3668 the function name was defined, and put you at that location in the source
3671 [Inside a function that gets called by the lisp-mode-hook and
3675 (local-set-key [(meta button1)] 'edit-definitions-lisp)
3678 @node Q3.7.3, Q3.7.4, Q3.7.2, Customization
3679 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.3: Clicking the left button does not do anything in buffer list.
3681 I do @kbd{C-x C-b} to get a list of buffers and the entries get
3682 highlighted when I move the mouse over them but clicking the left mouse
3683 does not do anything.
3685 Use the middle mouse button.
3687 @node Q3.7.4, Q3.7.5, Q3.7.3, Customization
3688 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.4: How can I get a list of buffers when I hit mouse button 3?
3690 The following code will replace the default popup on button3:
3693 (global-set-key [button3] 'popup-buffer-menu)
3696 @node Q3.7.5, Q3.7.6, Q3.7.4, Customization
3697 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.5: Why does cut-and-paste not work between XEmacs and a cmdtool?
3699 We don't know. It's a bug. There does seem to be a work-around,
3700 however. Try running xclipboard first. It appears to fix the problem
3701 even if you exit it. (This should be mostly fixed in 19.13, but we
3702 haven't yet verified that).
3704 @node Q3.7.6, Q3.7.7, Q3.7.5, Customization
3705 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.6: How I can set XEmacs up so that it pastes where the text cursor is?
3707 By default XEmacs pastes X selections where the mouse pointer is. How
3710 Examine the function @code{mouse-yank}, by typing @kbd{C-h f mouse-yank
3713 To get XEmacs to paste at the text cursor, add this your @file{.emacs}:
3716 (setq mouse-yank-at-point t)
3719 Starting with XEmacs-20.2 you can also change this with Customize.
3720 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3721 @code{Customize->Emacs->Editing->Mouse->Yank At Point...} or type
3722 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} mouse @key{RET}}.
3724 @node Q3.7.7, Q3.7.8, Q3.7.6, Customization
3725 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.7: How do I select a rectangular region?
3727 Just select the region normally, then use the rectangle commands (e.g.
3728 @code{kill-rectangle} on it. The region does not highlight as a
3729 rectangle, but the commands work just fine.
3731 To actually sweep out rectangular regions with the mouse you can use
3732 @code{mouse-track-do-rectangle} which is assigned to @kbd{M-button1}.
3733 Then use rectangle commands.
3735 You can also do the following to change default behavior to sweep out
3736 rectangular regions:
3739 (setq mouse-track-rectangle-p t)
3742 Starting with XEmacs-20.2 you can also change this with Customize.
3743 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3744 @code{Customize->Emacs->Editing->Mouse->Track Rectangle...} or type
3745 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} mouse @key{RET}}.
3749 mouse-track-do-rectangle: (event)
3750 -- an interactive compiled Lisp function.
3751 Like `mouse-track' but selects rectangles instead of regions.
3754 @node Q3.7.8, Q3.8.1, Q3.7.7, Customization
3755 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.8: Why does @kbd{M-w} take so long?
3757 It actually doesn't. It leaves the region visible for a second so that
3758 you can see what area is being yanked. If you start working, though, it
3759 will immediately complete its operation. In other words, it will only
3760 delay for a second if you let it.
3762 @node Q3.8.1, Q3.8.2, Q3.7.8, Customization
3763 @unnumberedsec 3.8: The Menubar and Toolbar
3764 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.8.1: How do I get rid of the menu (or menubar)?
3766 If you are running XEmacs 19.13 and earlier, add this command to your
3773 Starting with XEmacs 19.14 the preferred method is:
3776 (set-specifier menubar-visible-p nil)
3779 @node Q3.8.2, Q3.8.3, Q3.8.1, Customization
3780 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.8.2: Can I customize the basic menubar?
3782 For an extensive menubar, add this line to your @file{.emacs}:
3785 (load "big-menubar")
3788 If you'd like to write your own, this file provides as good a set of
3789 examples as any to start from. The file is located in
3790 @file{lisp/packages/big-menubar.el} in the XEmacs installation
3793 @node Q3.8.3, Q3.8.4, Q3.8.2, Customization
3794 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.8.3: How do I control how many buffers are listed in the menu @code{Buffers List}?
3796 Add the following to your @file{.emacs} (suit to fit):
3799 (setq buffers-menu-max-size 20)
3802 For no limit, use an argument of @samp{nil}.
3804 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 you can also change this with Customize.
3805 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3806 @code{Customize->Emacs->Environment->Menu->Buffers Menu->Max Size...} or
3807 type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} buffers-menu @key{RET}}.
3809 @node Q3.8.4, Q3.8.5, Q3.8.3, Customization
3810 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.8.4: Resources like @code{Emacs*menubar*font} are not working?
3812 I am trying to use a resource like @code{Emacs*menubar*font} to set the
3813 font of the menubar but it's not working.
3815 If you are using the real Motif menubar, this resource is not
3816 recognized; you have to say:
3819 Emacs*menubar*fontList: FONT
3822 If you are using the Lucid menubar, the former resource will be
3823 recognized only if the latter resource is unset. This means that the
3833 Emacs*menubar*font: FONT
3836 even though the latter is more specific.
3838 @node Q3.8.5, Q3.9.1, Q3.8.4, Customization
3839 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.8.5: How can I bind a key to a function to toggle the toolbar?
3844 (defun my-toggle-toolbar ()
3846 (set-specifier default-toolbar-visible-p
3847 (not (specifier-instance default-toolbar-visible-p))))
3848 (global-set-key "\C-xT" 'my-toggle-toolbar)
3851 There are redisplay bugs in 19.14 that may make the preceding result in
3852 a messed-up display, especially for frames with multiple windows. You
3853 may need to resize the frame before XEmacs completely realizes the
3854 toolbar is really gone.
3856 Thanks to @email{martin@@xemacs.org, Martin Buchholz} for the correct
3859 @node Q3.9.1, Q3.9.2, Q3.8.5, Customization
3860 @unnumberedsec 3.9: Scrollbars
3861 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.9.1: How can I disable the scrollbar?
3863 To disable them for all frames, add the following line to
3864 your @file{.Xdefaults}:
3867 Emacs.scrollBarWidth: 0
3870 Or select from the @code{Options} menu @code{Frame Appearance->Scrollbars}.
3871 Remember to save options.
3873 To turn the scrollbar off on a per-frame basis, use the following
3877 (set-specifier scrollbar-width 0 (selected-frame))
3880 You can actually turn the scrollbars on at any level you want by
3881 substituting for (selected-frame) in the above command. For example, to
3882 turn the scrollbars off only in a single buffer:
3885 (set-specifier scrollbar-width 0 (current-buffer))
3888 In XEmacs versions prior to 19.14, you had to use the hairier construct:
3891 (set-specifier scrollbar-width (cons (selected-frame) 0))
3894 @node Q3.9.2, Q3.9.3, Q3.9.1, Customization
3895 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.9.2: How can one use resources to change scrollbar colors?
3897 Here's a recap of how to use resources to change your scrollbar colors:
3902 Emacs*XmScrollBar.Background: skyblue
3903 Emacs*XmScrollBar.troughColor: lightgray
3907 Emacs*Scrollbar.Foreground: skyblue
3908 Emacs*Scrollbar.Background: lightgray
3911 Note the capitalization of @code{Scrollbar} for the Athena widget.
3913 @node Q3.9.3, Q3.9.4, Q3.9.2, Customization
3914 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.9.3: Moving the scrollbar can move the point; can I disable this?
3916 When I move the scrollbar in an XEmacs window, it moves the point as
3917 well, which should not be the default behavior. Is this a bug or a
3918 feature? Can I disable it?
3920 The current behavior is a feature, not a bug. Point remains at the same
3921 buffer position as long as that position does not scroll off the screen.
3922 In that event, point will end up in either the upper-left or lower-left
3925 This cannot be changed.
3927 @node Q3.9.4, Q3.10.1, Q3.9.3, Customization
3928 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.9.4: How can I get automatic horizontal scrolling?
3930 By the same token, how can I turn it off in specific modes?
3932 To do this, add to your @file{.emacs} file:
3935 (require 'auto-show)
3938 Then do @code{(setq truncate-lines t)} in the mode-hooks for any modes
3939 in which you want lines truncated.
3941 More precisely: If @code{truncate-lines} is nil, horizontal scrollbars
3942 will never appear. Otherwise, they will appear only if the value of
3943 @code{scrollbar-height} for that buffer/window/etc. is non-zero. If you
3947 (set-specifier scrollbar-height 0)
3950 then horizontal scrollbars will not appear in truncated buffers unless
3951 the package specifically asked for them.
3953 Automatic horizontal scrolling is now standard, starting with 19.14.
3955 @node Q3.10.1, Q3.10.2, Q3.9.4, Customization
3956 @unnumberedsec 3.10: Text Selections
3957 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.1: How can I turn off or change highlighted selections?
3959 The @code{zmacs} mode allows for what some might call gratuitous
3960 highlighting for selected regions (either by setting mark or by using
3961 the mouse). This is the default behavior. To turn off, add the
3962 following line to your @file{.emacs} file:
3965 (setq zmacs-regions nil)
3968 Starting with XEmacs-20.2 you can also change this with Customize. Select
3969 from the @code{Options} menu @code{Customize->Emacs->Editing->Basics->Zmacs
3970 Regions} or type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} editing-basics @key{RET}}.
3972 To change the face for selection, look at @code{Options->Customize} on
3975 @node Q3.10.2, Q3.10.3, Q3.10.1, Customization
3976 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.2: How do I get that typing on an active region removes it?
3978 I want to change things so that if I select some text and start typing,
3979 the typed text replaces the selected text, similar to Motif.
3981 You want to use something called @dfn{pending delete}. Pending delete
3982 is what happens when you select a region (with the mouse or keyboard)
3983 and you press a key to replace the selected region by the key you typed.
3984 Usually backspace kills the selected region.
3986 To get this behavior, add the following line to your @file{.emacs}:
3989 (turn-on-pending-delete)
3992 Note that this will work with both Backspace and Delete.
3994 @node Q3.10.3, Q3.10.4, Q3.10.2, Customization
3995 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.3: Can I turn off the highlight during isearch?
3997 I do not like my text highlighted while I am doing isearch as I am not
3998 able to see what's underneath. How do I turn it off?
4000 Put the following in your @file{.emacs}:
4003 (setq isearch-highlight nil)
4006 Starting with XEmacs-20.2 you can also change this with Customize. Type
4007 @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET} isearch-highlight @key{RET}}.
4009 Note also that isearch-highlight affects query-replace and ispell.
4010 Instead of disabling isearch-highlight you may find that a better
4011 solution consists of customizing the @code{isearch} face.
4013 @node Q3.10.4, Q3.10.5, Q3.10.3, Customization
4014 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.4: How do I turn off highlighting after @kbd{C-x C-p} (mark-page)?
4016 Put this in your @code{.emacs}:
4019 (setq zmacs-regions nil)
4022 @strong{Warning: This command turns off all region highlighting.}
4024 Also @xref{Q3.10.1}.
4026 @node Q3.10.5, , Q3.10.4, Customization
4027 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.5: The region disappears when I hit the end of buffer while scrolling.
4029 This has been fixed by default starting with XEmacs-20.3.
4031 With older versions you can turn this feature (if it indeed is a feature)
4035 (defadvice scroll-up (around scroll-up freeze)
4037 (let ((zmacs-region-stays t))
4041 (end-of-buffer (goto-char (point-max))))
4044 (defadvice scroll-down (around scroll-down freeze)
4046 (let ((zmacs-region-stays t))
4050 (beginning-of-buffer (goto-char (point-min))))
4054 Thanks to @email{raman@@adobe.com, T. V. Raman} for assistance in deriving this
4057 @node Subsystems, Miscellaneous, Customization, Top
4058 @unnumbered 4 Major Subsystems
4060 This is part 4 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
4061 section is devoted to major XEmacs subsystems.
4064 Reading Mail with VM:
4065 * Q4.0.1:: How do I set up VM to retrieve remote mail using POP?
4066 * Q4.0.2:: How do I get VM to filter mail for me?
4067 * Q4.0.3:: How can I get VM to automatically check for new mail?
4068 * Q4.0.4:: [This question intentionally left blank]
4069 * Q4.0.5:: How do I get my outgoing mail archived?
4070 * Q4.0.6:: I have various addresses at which I receive mail. How can I tell VM to ignore them when doing a "reply-all"?
4071 * Q4.0.7:: Is there a mailing list or FAQ for VM?
4072 * Q4.0.8:: Remote mail reading with VM.
4073 * Q4.0.9:: rmail or VM gets an error incorporating new mail.
4074 * Q4.0.10:: How do I make VM stay in a single frame?
4075 * Q4.0.11:: How do I make VM or mh-e display graphical smilies?
4076 * Q4.0.12:: Customization of VM not covered in the manual or here.
4078 Web browsing with W3:
4079 * Q4.1.1:: What is W3?
4080 * Q4.1.2:: How do I run W3 from behind a firewall?
4081 * Q4.1.3:: Is it true that W3 supports style sheets and tables?
4083 Reading Netnews and Mail with Gnus:
4084 * Q4.2.1:: GNUS, (ding) Gnus, Gnus 5, September Gnus, Red Gnus,argh!
4085 * Q4.2.2:: [This question intentionally left blank]
4086 * Q4.2.3:: How do I make Gnus stay within a single frame?
4087 * Q4.2.4:: How do I customize the From: line?
4090 * Q4.3.1:: How can I read and/or compose MIME messages?
4091 * Q4.3.2:: What is TM and where do I get it?
4092 * Q4.3.3:: Why isn't this @code{movemail} program working?
4093 * Q4.3.4:: Movemail is also distributed by Netscape? Can that cause problems?
4094 * Q4.3.5:: Where do I find pstogif (required by tm)?
4096 Sparcworks, EOS, and WorkShop:
4097 * Q4.4.1:: What is SPARCworks, EOS, and WorkShop
4098 * Q4.4.2:: How do I start the Sun Workshop support in XEmacs 21?
4101 * Q4.5.1:: What is/was Energize?
4104 * Q4.6.1:: What is Infodock?
4106 Other Unbundled Packages:
4107 * Q4.7.1:: What is AUC TeX? Where do you get it?
4108 * Q4.7.2:: Are there any Emacs Lisp Spreadsheets?
4109 * Q4.7.3:: Byte compiling AUC TeX on XEmacs 19.14
4110 * Q4.7.4:: Problems installing AUC TeX
4111 * Q4.7.5:: Is there a reason for an Emacs package not to be included in XEmacs?
4112 * Q4.7.6:: Is there a MatLab mode?
4115 @node Q4.0.1, Q4.0.2, Subsystems, Subsystems
4116 @unnumberedsec 4.0: Reading Mail with VM
4117 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.1: How do I set up VM to retrieve mail from a remote site using POP?
4119 Use @code{vm-spool-files}, like this for example:
4122 (setq vm-spool-files '("/var/spool/mail/wing"
4123 "netcom23.netcom.com:110:pass:wing:MYPASS"))
4126 Of course substitute your actual password for MYPASS.
4128 @node Q4.0.2, Q4.0.3, Q4.0.1, Subsystems
4129 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.2: How do I get VM to filter mail for me?
4131 One possibility is to use procmail to split your mail before it gets to
4132 VM. I prefer this personally, since there are many strange and
4133 wonderful things one can do with procmail. Procmail may be found at
4134 @uref{ftp://ftp.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/pub/packages/procmail/}.
4136 Also see the Mail Filtering FAQ at:
4140 @uref{ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/mail/filtering-faq}.
4142 @c <URL:http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/mail/filtering-faq/faq.html>
4145 @node Q4.0.3, Q4.0.4, Q4.0.2, Subsystems
4146 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.3: How can I get VM to automatically check for new mail?
4148 @email{turner@@lanl.gov, John Turner} writes:
4154 (setq vm-auto-get-new-mail 60)
4158 @node Q4.0.4, Q4.0.5, Q4.0.3, Subsystems
4159 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.4: [This question intentionally left blank]
4161 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering.
4163 @node Q4.0.5, Q4.0.6, Q4.0.4, Subsystems
4164 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.5: How do I get my outgoing mail archived?
4167 (setq mail-archive-file-name "~/outbox")
4170 @node Q4.0.6, Q4.0.7, Q4.0.5, Subsystems
4171 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.6: I have various addresses at which I receive mail. How can I tell VM to ignore them when doing a "reply-all"?
4173 Set @code{vm-reply-ignored-addresses} to a list, like
4176 (setq vm-reply-ignored-addresses
4177 '("wing@@nuspl@@nvwls.cc.purdue.edu,netcom[0-9]*.netcom.com"
4178 "wing@@netcom.com" "wing@@xemacs.org"))
4181 Note that each string is a regular expression.
4183 @node Q4.0.7, Q4.0.8, Q4.0.6, Subsystems
4184 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.7: Is there a mailing list or FAQ for VM?
4186 A FAQ for VM exists at @uref{http://www.cyberpass.net/~gorkab/vmfaq.htm}.
4188 VM has its own newsgroups gnu.emacs.vm.info and gnu.emacs.vm.bug.
4190 @node Q4.0.8, Q4.0.9, Q4.0.7, Subsystems
4191 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.8: Remote mail reading with VM.
4193 My mailbox lives at the office on a big honkin server. My regular INBOX
4194 lives on my honkin desktop machine. I now can PPP to the office from
4195 home which is far from honking... I'd like to be able to read mail at
4196 home without storing it here and I'd like to use xemacs and VM at
4197 home... Is there a recommended setup?
4199 @email{nuspl@@nvwls.cc.purdue.edu, Joseph J. Nuspl Jr.} writes:
4202 There are several ways to do this.
4206 Set your display to your home machine and run dxpc or one of the other X
4210 NFS mount your desktop machine on your home machine and modify your pop
4211 command on your home machine to rsh to your desktop machine and actually
4215 Run a POP server on your desktop machine as well and do a sort of two
4220 @email{wmperry@@monolith.spry.com, William Perry} adds:
4223 Or you could run a pop script periodically on your desktop machine, and
4224 just use ange-ftp or NFS to get to your mailbox. I used to do this all
4225 the time back at IU.
4228 @node Q4.0.9, Q4.0.10, Q4.0.8, Subsystems
4229 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.9: rmail or VM gets an error incorporating new mail.
4231 Quoting the XEmacs PROBLEMS file:
4234 rmail and VM get new mail from @file{/usr/spool/mail/$USER} using a
4235 program called @code{movemail}. This program interlocks with
4236 @code{/bin/mail} using the protocol defined by @code{/bin/mail}.
4238 There are two different protocols in general use. One of them uses the
4239 @code{flock} system call. The other involves creating a lock file;
4240 @code{movemail} must be able to write in @file{/usr/spool/mail} in order
4241 to do this. You control which one is used by defining, or not defining,
4242 the macro @code{MAIL_USE_FLOCK} in @file{config.h} or the m- or s- file
4245 @strong{IF YOU DON'T USE THE FORM OF INTERLOCKING THAT IS NORMAL ON YOUR
4246 SYSTEM, YOU CAN LOSE MAIL!}
4248 If your system uses the lock file protocol, and fascist restrictions
4249 prevent ordinary users from writing the lock files in
4250 @file{/usr/spool/mail}, you may need to make @code{movemail} setgid to a
4251 suitable group such as @samp{mail}. You can use these commands (as
4259 If your system uses the lock file protocol, and fascist restrictions
4260 prevent ordinary users from writing the lock files in
4261 @file{/usr/spool/mail}, you may need to make @code{movemail} setgid to a
4262 suitable group such as @code{mail}. To do this, use the following
4263 commands (as root) after doing the make install.
4270 Installation normally copies movemail from the build directory to an
4271 installation directory which is usually under @file{/usr/local/lib}.
4272 The installed copy of @code{movemail} is usually in the directory
4273 @file{/usr/local/lib/emacs/VERSION/TARGET}. You must change the group
4274 and mode of the installed copy; changing the group and mode of the build
4275 directory copy is ineffective.
4278 @node Q4.0.10, Q4.0.11, Q4.0.9, Subsystems
4279 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.10: How do I make VM stay in a single frame?
4281 John.@email{Cooper@@Eng.Sun.COM, John S Cooper} writes:
4285 ; Don't use multiple frames
4286 (setq vm-frame-per-composition nil)
4287 (setq vm-frame-per-folder nil)
4288 (setq vm-frame-per-edit nil)
4289 (setq vm-frame-per-summary nil)
4293 @node Q4.0.11, Q4.0.12, Q4.0.10, Subsystems
4294 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.11: How do I make VM or mh-e display graphical smilies?
4296 For mh-e use the following:
4299 (add-hook 'mh-show-mode-hook '(lambda ()
4300 (smiley-region (point-min)
4304 @email{bill@@carpenter.ORG, WJCarpenter} writes:
4305 For VM use the following:
4307 (autoload 'smiley-region "smiley" nil t)
4308 (add-hook 'vm-select-message-hook
4310 (smiley-region (point-min)
4314 For tm use the following:
4316 (autoload 'smiley-buffer "smiley" nil t)
4317 (add-hook 'mime-viewer/plain-text-preview-hook 'smiley-buffer)
4320 @node Q4.0.12, Q4.1.1, Q4.0.11, Subsystems
4321 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.12: Customization of VM not covered in the manual, or here.
4323 @email{boffi@@hp735.stru.polimi.it, giacomo boffi} writes:
4326 The meta-answer is to look into the file @file{vm-vars.el}, in the vm
4327 directory of the lisp library.
4329 @file{vm-vars.el} contains, initializes and carefully describes, with
4330 examples of usage, the plethora of user options that @emph{fully}
4331 control VM's behavior.
4333 Enter vm-vars, @code{forward-search} for toolbar, find the variables
4334 that control the toolbar placement, appearance, existence, copy to your
4335 @file{.emacs} or @file{.vm} and modify according to the detailed
4338 The above also applies to all the various features of VM: search for
4339 some keywords, maybe the first you conjure isn't appropriate, find the
4340 appropriate variables, copy and experiment.
4343 @node Q4.1.1, Q4.1.2, Q4.0.12, Subsystems
4344 @unnumberedsec 4.1: Web browsing with W3
4345 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.1.1: What is W3?
4347 W3 is an advanced graphical browser written in Emacs lisp that runs on
4348 XEmacs. It has full support for cascaded style sheets, and more...
4350 It has a home web page at
4351 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/elisp/w3/docs.html}.
4353 @node Q4.1.2, Q4.1.3, Q4.1.1, Subsystems
4354 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.1.2: How do I run W3 from behind a firewall?
4356 There is a long, well-written, detailed section in the W3 manual that
4357 describes how to do this. Look in the section entitled "Firewalls".
4359 @node Q4.1.3, Q4.2.1, Q4.1.2, Subsystems
4360 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.1.3: Is it true that W3 supports style sheets and tables?
4362 Yes, and much more. W3, as distributed with the latest XEmacs is a
4363 full-featured web browser.
4365 @node Q4.2.1, Q4.2.2, Q4.1.3, Subsystems
4366 @unnumberedsec 4.2: Reading Netnews and Mail with Gnus
4367 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.2.1: GNUS, (ding) Gnus, Gnus 5, September Gnus, Red Gnus, Quassia Gnus, argh!
4369 The Gnus numbering issues are not meant for mere mortals to know them.
4370 If you feel you @emph{must} enter the muddy waters of Gnus, visit the
4371 excellent FAQ, maintained by Justin Sheehy, at:
4374 @uref{http://www.ccs.neu.edu/software/contrib/gnus/}
4377 See also Gnus home page
4379 @uref{http://www.gnus.org/}
4382 @node Q4.2.2, Q4.2.3, Q4.2.1, Subsystems
4383 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.2.2: This question intentionally left blank.
4385 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering.
4387 @node Q4.2.3, Q4.2.4, Q4.2.2, Subsystems
4388 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.2.3: How do I make Gnus stay within a single frame?
4390 The toolbar code to start Gnus opens the new frame---and it's a feature
4391 rather than a bug. If you don't like it, but would still like to click
4392 on the seemly icon, use the following code:
4395 (defun toolbar-news ()
4399 It will redefine the callback function of the icon to just call
4400 @code{gnus}, without all the fancy frame stuff.
4402 @node Q4.2.4, Q4.3.1, Q4.2.3, Subsystems
4403 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.2.4: How do I customize the From: line?
4405 How do I change the @code{From:} line? I have set gnus-user-from-line
4408 Gail Gurman <gail.gurman@@sybase.com>
4410 @noindent , but XEmacs Gnus doesn't use
4413 Gail Mara Gurman @email{gailg@@deall}
4415 @noindent and then complains
4416 that it's incorrect. Also, as you perhaps can see, my Message-ID is
4417 screwy. How can I change that?
4419 @email{larsi@@ifi.uio.no, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen} writes:
4422 Set @code{user-mail-address} to @samp{gail.gurman@@sybase.com} or
4423 @code{mail-host-address} to @samp{sybase.com}.
4426 @node Q4.3.1, Q4.3.2, Q4.2.4, Subsystems
4427 @unnumberedsec 4.3: Other Mail & News
4428 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.3.1: How can I read and/or compose MIME messages?
4431 VM supports MIME natively.
4433 You probably want to use the Tools for MIME (tm). @xref{Q4.3.2}, for
4436 @email{trey@@cs.berkeley.edu, Trey Jackson} has an Emacs & MIME web page at
4440 @uref{http://bmrc.berkeley.edu/~trey/emacs/mime.html}.
4443 Another possibility is RMIME. You may find RMIME at
4447 @uref{http://www.cinti.net/~rmoody/rmime/index.html}.
4450 @node Q4.3.2, Q4.3.3, Q4.3.1, Subsystems
4451 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.3.2: What is TM and where do I get it?
4453 TM stands for @dfn{Tools for MIME} and not Tiny MIME. TM integrates
4454 with all major XEmacs packages like Gnus (all flavors), VM, MH-E, and
4455 mailcrypt. It provides totally transparent and trouble-free MIME
4456 support. When appropriate a message will be decoded in place in an
4459 TM now comes as a package with XEmacs 19.16 and XEmacs 20.2.
4461 TM was written by @email{morioka@@jaist.ac.jp, MORIOKA Tomohiko} and
4462 @email{shuhei-k@@jaist.ac.jp, KOBAYASHI
4465 It is based on the work of @email{umerin@@mse.kyutech.ac.jp, UMEDA
4466 Masanobu}, the original writer of GNUS.
4468 The following information is from the @file{README}:
4470 @dfn{tm} is a MIME package for GNU Emacs.
4471 tm has following functions:
4474 @item MIME style multilingual header.
4475 @item MIME message viewer (mime/viewer-mode).
4476 @item MIME message composer (mime/editor-mode).
4477 @item MIME extenders for mh-e, GNUS, RMAIL and VM.
4480 tm is available from following anonymous ftp sites:
4482 @comment @item @uref{ftp://ftp.jaist.ac.jp/pub/GNU/elisp/mime/} (Japan).
4483 @comment @item @uref{ftp://ftp.nis.co.jp/pub/gnu/emacs-lisp/tm/} (Japan).
4484 @comment @c The host above is unknown.
4485 @comment @item @uref{ftp://ftp.nisiq.net/pub/gnu/emacs-lisp/tm/} (US).
4486 @comment @item @uref{ftp://ftp.miranova.com/pub/gnus/jaist.ac.jp/} (US).
4487 @item @uref{ftp://ftp.unicamp.br/pub/mail/mime/tm/} (Brasil).
4488 @item @uref{ftp://ftp.th-darmstadt.de/pub/editors/GNU-Emacs/lisp/mime/} (Germany).
4489 @item @uref{ftp://ftp.tnt.uni-hannover.de/pub/editors/xemacs/contrib/} (Germany).
4492 Don't let the installation procedure & instructions stop you from trying
4493 this package out---it's much simpler than it looks, and once installed,
4496 @node Q4.3.3, Q4.3.4, Q4.3.2, Subsystems
4497 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.3.3: Why isn't this @code{movemail} program working?
4499 Ben Wing @email{ben@@xemacs.org} writes:
4502 It wasn't chown'ed/chmod'd correctly.
4505 @node Q4.3.4, Q4.3.5, Q4.3.3, Subsystems
4506 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.3.4: Movemail is also distributed by Netscape? Can that cause problems?
4508 @email{steve@@xemacs.org, Steve Baur} writes:
4511 Yes. Always use the movemail installed with your XEmacs. Failure to do
4512 so can result in lost mail.
4515 Please refer to @email{jwz@@jwz.org, Jamie Zawinski's} notes at
4519 @uref{http://home.netscape.com/eng/mozilla/2.0/relnotes/demo/movemail.html}.
4520 In particular, this document will show you how to make Netscape use the
4521 version of movemail configured for your system by the person who built
4524 @node Q4.3.5, Q4.4.1, Q4.3.4, Subsystems
4525 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.3.5: Where do I find pstogif (required by tm)?
4527 pstogif is part of the latex2html package.
4529 @email{vroonhof@@math.ethz.ch, Jan Vroonhof} writes:
4531 latex2html is best found at the CTAN hosts and their mirrors
4536 @file{tex-archive/support/latex2html}.
4541 @item @uref{ftp://ftp.tex.ac.uk/tex-archive/support/latex2html/}.
4542 @item @uref{ftp://ftp.dante.de/tex-archive/support/latex2html/}.
4545 There is a good mirror at ftp.cdrom.com;
4549 @uref{ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/tex/ctan/support/latex2html/}.
4551 @node Q4.4.1, Q4.4.2, Q4.3.5, Subsystems
4552 @unnumberedsec 4.4: Sparcworks, EOS, and WorkShop
4553 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.4.1: What is SPARCworks, EOS, and WorkShop?
4555 @email{turner@@lanl.gov, John Turner} writes:
4558 SPARCworks is SunSoft's development environment, comprising compilers
4559 (C, C++, FORTRAN 77, Fortran 90, Ada, and Pascal), a debugger, and other
4560 tools such as TeamWare (for configuration management), MakeTool, etc.
4563 See @uref{http://www.sun.com/software/Developer-products/}
4566 EOS stands for "Era on SPARCworks", but I don't know what Era stands
4569 EOS is the integration of XEmacs with the SPARCworks debugger. It
4570 allows one to use an XEmacs frame to view code (complete with
4571 fontification, etc.), set breakpoints, print variables, etc., while
4572 using the SPARCworks debugger. It works very well and I use it all the
4575 @email{cthomp@@xemacs.org, Chuck Thompson} writes:
4578 Era stood for "Emacs Rewritten Again". It was what we were calling the
4579 modified version of Lucid Emacs for Sun when I was dragged, er, allowed
4580 to work on this wonderful editor.
4583 @email{martin@@xemacs.org, Martin Buchholz} writes:
4586 EOS is being replaced with a new graphical development environment
4587 called Sun WorkShop, which is currently (07/96) in Alpha Test. For more
4592 @uref{http://www.sun.com/software/Products/Developer-products}.
4595 @node Q4.4.2, Q4.5.1, Q4.4.1, Subsystems
4596 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.4.2: How do I start the Sun Workshop support in XEmacs 21?
4598 Add the switch ---with-workshop to the configure command when building
4599 XEmacs and put the following in one of your startup files
4600 (e.g. site-start.el or .emacs):
4603 (when (featurep 'tooltalk)
4604 (load "tooltalk-macros")
4605 (load "tooltalk-util")
4606 (load "tooltalk-init"))
4607 (when (featurep 'sparcworks)
4608 (load "sunpro-init")
4611 (load "annotations")
4615 If you are not using the latest Workshop (5.0) you have to apply the
4619 --- /opt/SUNWspro/lib/eserve.el.ORIG Fri May 14 15:23:26 1999
4620 +++ /opt/SUNWspro/lib/eserve.el Fri May 14 15:24:54 1999
4621 @@@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@@@
4622 (defvar running-xemacs nil "t if we're running XEmacs")
4623 (defvar running-emacs nil "t if we're running GNU Emacs 19")
4625 -(if (string-match "^\\(19\\|20\\)\..*\\(XEmacs\\|Lucid\\)" emacs-version)
4626 +(if (string-match "\\(XEmacs\\|Lucid\\)" emacs-version)
4627 (setq running-xemacs t)
4628 (setq running-emacs t))
4633 @node Q4.5.1, Q4.6.1, Q4.4.2, Subsystems
4634 @unnumberedsec 4.5: Energize
4635 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.5.1: What is/was Energize?
4637 @email{gray@@meteor.harlequin.com, David N Gray} writes:
4639 The files in @file{lisp/energize} are to enable Emacs to interface with
4640 the "Energize Programming System", a C and C++ development environment,
4641 which was a product of Lucid, Inc. Tragically, Lucid went out of
4642 business in 1994, so although Energize is still a great system, if you
4643 don't already have it, there isn't any way to get it now. (Unless you
4644 happen to be in Japan; INS Engineering may still be selling it there.
4645 Tartan bought the rights to sell it in the rest of the world, but never
4649 @node Q4.6.1, Q4.7.1, Q4.5.1, Subsystems
4650 @unnumberedsec 4.6: Infodock
4651 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.6.1: What is Infodock?
4653 InfoDock is an integrated productivity toolset, mainly aimed at
4654 technical people. It is developed and supported by InfoDock
4655 Associates, a firm that offers custom support and development
4656 for InfoDock, XEmacs and GNU Emacs. ( @uref{http://www.infodock.com},
4657 @email{info@@infodock.com}, +1 408 243 3300).
4659 InfoDock is built atop the XEmacs variant of GNU Emacs and so has all of
4660 the power of Emacs, but with an easier to use and more comprehensive
4661 menu-based user interface. The bottom portion of this text describes
4662 how it differs from XEmacs and GNU Emacs from the Free Software
4665 InfoDock is aimed at people who want a free, turn-key productivity
4666 environment. Although InfoDock is customizable, it is not intended for
4667 people who like basic versions of Emacs which need to be customized
4668 extensively for local use; standard Emacs distributions are better for
4669 such uses. InfoDock is for those people who want a complete,
4670 pre-customized environment in one package, which they need not touch
4671 more than once or twice a year to update to new revisions.
4673 InfoDock is pre-built for SPARC SunOS/Solaris systems, PA-RISC HP-UX,
4674 and Intel Linux systems. It is intended for use on a color display,
4675 although most features will work on monochrome monitors. Simply unpack
4676 InfoDock according to the instructions in the ID-INSTALL file and you
4679 The InfoDock Manual is concise, yet sufficient as a user guide for users
4680 who have never used an Emacs-type editor before. For users who are
4681 already familiar with Emacs, it supplements the information in the GNU
4684 InfoDock menus are much more extensive and more mature than standard
4685 Emacs menus. Each menu offers a @samp{Manual} item which displays
4686 documentation associated with the menu's functions.
4689 Four types of menubars are provided:
4692 An extensive menubar providing access to global InfoDock commands.
4694 Mode-specific menubars tailored to the current major mode.
4696 A simple menubar for basic editing to help novices get started with InfoDock.
4698 The standard XEmacs menubar.
4701 Most modes also include mode-specific popup menus. Additionally, region and
4702 rectangle popup menus are included.
4704 @samp{Hyperbole}, the everyday information manager, is a core part of
4705 InfoDock. This provides context-sensitive mouse keys, a rolodex-type
4706 contact manager, programmable hypertext buttons, and an autonumbered
4707 outliner with embedded hyperlink anchors.
4709 The @samp{OO-Browser}, a multi-language object-oriented code browser, is a
4710 standard part of InfoDock.
4712 InfoDock saves a more extensive set of user options than other Emacs
4715 InfoDock inserts a useful file header in many file types, showing the
4716 author, summary, and last modification time of each file. A summary
4717 program can then be used to summarize all of the files in a directory,
4718 for easy MANIFEST file creation.
4720 Your working set of buffers is automatically saved and restored (if you
4721 answer yes to a prompt) between InfoDock sessions.
4723 Refined color choices for code highlighting are provided for both dark and
4724 light background display frames.
4726 The @kbd{C-z} key prefix performs frame-based commands which parallel the
4727 @kbd{C-x} key prefix for window-based commands.
4729 The Smart Menu system is included for producing command menus on dumb
4732 Lisp libraries are better categorized according to function.
4734 Extensions and improvements to many areas of Emacs are included, such as:
4735 paragraph filling, mail reading with Rmail, shell handling, outlining, code
4736 highlighting and browsing, and man page browsing.
4738 InfoDock questions, answers and discussion should go to the mail list
4742 @email{infodock@@infodock.com}. Use
4743 @email{infodock-request@@infodock.com} to be added or removed from the
4744 list. Always include your InfoDock version number when sending help
4747 InfoDock is available across the Internet via anonymous FTP. To get
4748 it, first move to a directory into which you want the InfoDock archive
4749 files placed. We will call this <DIST-DIR>.
4755 Ftp to ftp.xemacs.org (Internet Host ID = 128.174.252.16):
4758 prompt> ftp ftp.xemacs.org
4761 Login as @samp{anonymous} with your own <user-id>@@<site-name> as a password.
4764 Name (ftp.xemacs.org): anonymous
4765 331 Guest login ok, send your complete e-mail address as password.
4766 Password: -<your-user-id>@@<your-domain>
4767 230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.
4770 Move to the location of the InfoDock archives:
4773 ftp> cd pub/infodock
4776 Set your transfer mode to binary:
4787 Interactive mode off.
4790 Retrieve the InfoDock archives that you want, either by using a
4791 @samp{get <file>} for each file you want or by using the following to
4792 get a complete distribution, including all binaries:
4795 ftp> mget ID-INSTALL
4799 Close the FTP connection:
4806 Read the @file{ID-INSTALL} file which you just retrieved for
4807 step-by-step installation instructions.
4809 @node Q4.7.1, Q4.7.2, Q4.6.1, Subsystems
4810 @unnumberedsec 4.7: Other Unbundled Packages
4811 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.1: What is AUC TeX? Where do you get it?
4813 AUC TeX is a package written by @email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen}.
4814 Starting with XEmacs 19.16, AUC TeX is bundled with XEmacs. The
4815 following information is from the @file{README} and website.
4817 AUC TeX is an extensible package that supports writing and formatting
4818 TeX files for most variants of GNU Emacs. Many different macro packages
4819 are supported, including AMS TeX, LaTeX, and TeXinfo.
4821 The most recent version is always available by ftp at
4825 @uref{ftp://sunsite.auc.dk/packages/auctex/auctex.tar.gz}.
4827 In case you don't have access to anonymous ftp, you can get it by an
4828 email request to @email{ftpmail@@decwrl.dec.com}.
4830 WWW users may want to check out the AUC TeX page at
4834 @uref{http://sunsite.auc.dk/auctex/}.
4836 @node Q4.7.2, Q4.7.3, Q4.7.1, Subsystems
4837 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.2: Are there any Emacs Lisp Spreadsheets?
4839 Yes. Check out @dfn{dismal} (which stands for Dis' Mode Ain't Lotus) at
4843 @uref{ftp://cs.nyu.edu/pub/local/fox/dismal/}.
4845 @node Q4.7.3, Q4.7.4, Q4.7.2, Subsystems
4846 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.3: Byte compiling AUC TeX on XEmacs 19.14.
4848 @email{bruncott@@dormeur.inria.fr, Georges Brun-Cottan} writes:
4851 When byte compiling auctex-9.4g, you must use the command:
4854 xemacs -batch -l lpath.el
4858 @node Q4.7.4, Q4.7.5, Q4.7.3, Subsystems
4859 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.4: Problems installing AUC TeX.
4861 @email{vroonhof@@math.ethz.ch, Jan Vroonhof} writes:
4864 AUC TeX works fine on both stock Emacs and XEmacs has been doing so for
4865 a very very long time. This is mostly due to the work of
4866 @email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen} (clap clap) in particular his @file{easymenu}
4867 package. Which leads to what is probably the problem...
4870 Most problems with AUC TeX are one of two things:
4874 The TeX-lisp-directory in @file{tex-site.el} and the makefile don't
4877 Fix: make sure you configure AUC TeX properly @strong{before} installing.
4880 You have an old version of easymenu.el in your path.
4882 Fix: use @code{locate-library} and remove old versions to make sure it
4883 @strong{only} finds the one that came with XEmacs.
4887 @node Q4.7.5, Q4.7.6, Q4.7.4, Subsystems
4888 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.5: Is there a reason for an Emacs package not to be included in XEmacs?
4890 The reason for an Emacs package not to be included in XEmacs is
4891 usually one or more of the following:
4895 The package has not been ported to XEmacs. This will typically happen
4896 when it uses GNU-Emacs-specific features, which make it fail under
4899 Porting a package to XEmacs can range from a trivial amount of change to
4900 a partial or full rewrite. Fortunately, the authors of modern packages
4901 usually choose to support both Emacsen themselves.
4904 The package has been decided not to be appropriate for XEmacs. It may
4905 have an equivalent or better replacement within XEmacs, in which case
4906 the developers may choose not to burden themselves with supporting an
4909 Each package bundled with XEmacs means more work for the maintainers,
4910 whether they want it or not. If you are ready to take over the
4911 maintenance responsibilities for the package you port, be sure to say
4912 so -- we will more likely include it.
4915 The package simply hasn't been noted by the XEmacs development. If
4916 that's the case, the messages like yours are very useful for attracting
4920 The package was noted by the developers, but they simply haven't yet
4921 gotten around to including/porting it. Wait for the next release or,
4922 even better, offer your help. It will be gladly accepted and
4926 @node Q4.7.6, , Q4.7.5, Subsystems
4927 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.5: Is there a MatLab mode?
4929 Is there any way I can get syntax highlighting for MatLab .m files?
4930 Can I "teach" emacs what words are MatLab commands, comments, etc. ?
4932 @email{elsner@@mathematik.tu-chemnitz.de, Ulrich Elsner} writes:
4934 One way to do this (and much more) is by using the
4938 @comment @uref{ftp://ftp.mathworks.com/pub/contrib/v5/tools/matlab.el, matlab mode}.
4939 matlab mode. (If someone knows where this can be found, please contact
4940 the @email{faq@@xemacs.org,XEmacs FAQ maintainer}.
4942 Instructions on how to install this mode are included in this file.
4946 @node Miscellaneous, MS Windows, Subsystems, Top
4947 @unnumbered 5 The Miscellaneous Stuff
4949 This is part 5 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
4950 section is devoted to anything that doesn't fit neatly into the other
4954 Major & Minor Modes:
4955 * Q5.0.1:: How can I do source code highlighting using font-lock?
4956 * Q5.0.2:: I do not like cc-mode. How do I use the old c-mode?
4957 * Q5.0.3:: How do I get @samp{More} Syntax Highlighting on by default?
4958 * Q5.0.4:: How can I enable auto-indent?
4959 * Q5.0.5:: How can I get XEmacs to come up in text/auto-fill mode by default?
4960 * Q5.0.6:: How do I start up a second shell buffer?
4961 * Q5.0.7:: Telnet from shell filters too much.
4962 * Q5.0.8:: Why does edt emulation not work?
4963 * Q5.0.9:: How can I emulate VI and use it as my default mode?
4964 * Q5.0.10:: [This question intentionally left blank]
4965 * Q5.0.11:: Filladapt doesn't work in 19.15?
4966 * Q5.0.12:: How do I disable gnuserv from opening a new frame?
4967 * Q5.0.13:: How do I start gnuserv so that each subsequent XEmacs is a client?
4968 * Q5.0.14:: Strange things are happening in Shell Mode.
4969 * Q5.0.15:: Where do I get the latest CC Mode?
4970 * Q5.0.16:: I find auto-show-mode disconcerting. How do I turn it off?
4971 * Q5.0.17:: How can I get two instances of info?
4972 * Q5.0.18:: I upgraded to XEmacs 19.14 and gnuserv stopped working
4973 * Q5.0.19:: Is there something better than LaTeX mode?
4974 * Q5.0.20:: Is there a way to start a new XEmacs if there's no gnuserv running, and otherwise use gnuclient?
4976 Emacs Lisp Programming Techniques:
4977 * Q5.1.1:: The difference in key sequences between XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
4978 * Q5.1.2:: Can I generate "fake" keyboard events?
4979 * Q5.1.3:: Could you explain @code{read-kbd-macro} in more detail?
4980 * Q5.1.4:: What is the performance hit of @code{let}?
4981 * Q5.1.5:: What is the recommended use of @code{setq}?
4982 * Q5.1.6:: What is the typical misuse of @code{setq}?
4983 * Q5.1.7:: I like the the @code{do} form of cl, does it slow things down?
4984 * Q5.1.8:: I like recursion, does it slow things down?
4985 * Q5.1.9:: How do I put a glyph as annotation in a buffer?
4986 * Q5.1.10:: @code{map-extents} won't traverse all of my extents!
4987 * Q5.1.11:: My elisp program is horribly slow. Is there an easy way to find out where it spends time?
4990 * Q5.2.1:: How do I turn off the sound?
4991 * Q5.2.2:: How do I get funky sounds instead of a boring beep?
4992 * Q5.2.3:: What's NAS, how do I get it?
4993 * Q5.2.4:: Sunsite sounds don't play.
4996 * Q5.3.1:: How do you make XEmacs indent CL if-clauses correctly?
4997 * Q5.3.2:: Fontifying hangs when editing a postscript file.
4998 * Q5.3.3:: How can I print WYSIWYG a font-locked buffer?
4999 * Q5.3.4:: Getting @kbd{M-x lpr} to work with postscript printer.
5000 * Q5.3.5:: How do I specify the paths that XEmacs uses for finding files?
5001 * Q5.3.6:: [This question intentionally left blank]
5002 * Q5.3.7:: Can I have the end of the buffer delimited in some way?
5003 * Q5.3.8:: How do I insert today's date into a buffer?
5004 * Q5.3.9:: Are only certain syntactic character classes available for abbrevs?
5005 * Q5.3.10:: How can I get those oh-so-neat X-Face lines?
5006 * Q5.3.11:: How do I add new Info directories?
5007 * Q5.3.12:: What do I need to change to make printing work?
5010 @node Q5.0.1, Q5.0.2, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous
5011 @unnumberedsec 5.0: Major & Minor Modes
5012 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.1: How can I do source code highlighting using font-lock?
5014 For most modes, font-lock is already set up and just needs to be turned
5015 on. This can be done by @kbd{M-x font-lock-mode}, or by having XEmacs
5016 automatically start it by adding lines like:
5019 (add-hook 'emacs-lisp-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock)
5020 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock)
5023 to your @file{.emacs}. See the file @file{etc/sample.emacs} for more
5026 See also @code{Syntax Highlighting} from the @code{Options} menu.
5027 Remember to save options.
5029 @node Q5.0.2, Q5.0.3, Q5.0.1, Miscellaneous
5030 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.2: I do not like cc-mode. How do I use the old c-mode?
5032 Well, first off, consider if you really want to do this. cc-mode is
5033 much more powerful than the old c-mode. If you're having trouble
5034 getting your old offsets to work, try using @code{c-set-offset} instead.
5035 You might also consider using the package @code{cc-compat}.
5037 But, if you still insist, add the following lines to your @file{.emacs}:
5040 (fmakunbound 'c-mode)
5041 (makunbound 'c-mode-map)
5042 (fmakunbound 'c++-mode)
5043 (makunbound 'c++-mode-map)
5044 (makunbound 'c-style-alist)
5045 (load-library "old-c-mode")
5046 (load-library "old-c++-mode")
5049 This must be done before any other reference is made to either c-mode or
5052 @node Q5.0.3, Q5.0.4, Q5.0.2, Miscellaneous
5053 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.3: How do I get @samp{More} Syntax Highlighting on by default?
5055 Use the following code in your @file{.emacs}:
5058 (setq-default font-lock-maximum-decoration t)
5061 In versions of XEmacs prior to 19.14, you had to use a kludgy solution
5065 (setq c-font-lock-keywords c-font-lock-keywords-2
5066 c++-font-lock-keywords c++-font-lock-keywords-2
5067 lisp-font-lock-keywords lisp-font-lock-keywords-2)
5070 It will work for C, C++ and Lisp.
5072 See also @code{Syntax Highlighting} from the @code{Options} menu.
5073 Remember to save options.
5075 @node Q5.0.4, Q5.0.5, Q5.0.3, Miscellaneous
5076 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.4: How can I enable auto-indent?
5078 Put the following line in your @file{.emacs}:
5081 (setq indent-line-function 'indent-relative-maybe)
5084 If you want to get fancy, try the @code{filladapt} package available
5085 standard with XEmacs. Put this into your @file{.emacs}:
5088 (require 'filladapt)
5089 (add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-filladapt-mode)
5093 You can customize filling and adaptive filling with Customize.
5094 Select from the @code{Options} menu
5095 @code{Customize->Emacs->->Editing->Fill->Fill...}
5096 or type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} fill @key{RET}}.
5098 Note that well-behaving text-lookalike modes will run
5099 @code{text-mode-hook} by default (e.g. that's what Message does). For
5100 the nasty ones, you'll have to provide the @code{add-hook}s yourself.
5102 Please note that the @code{fa-extras} package is no longer useful.
5104 @node Q5.0.5, Q5.0.6, Q5.0.4, Miscellaneous
5105 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.5: How can I get XEmacs to come up in text/auto-fill mode by default?
5107 Try the following lisp in your @file{.emacs}:
5110 (setq default-major-mode 'text-mode)
5111 (setq text-mode-hook 'turn-on-auto-fill)
5114 @strong{WARNING}: note that changing the value of
5115 @code{default-major-mode} from @code{fundamental-mode} can break a large
5116 amount of built-in code that expects newly created buffers to be in
5117 @code{fundamental-mode}. (Changing from @code{fundamental-mode} to
5118 @code{text-mode} might not wreak too much havoc, but changing to
5119 something more exotic like a lisp-mode would break many Emacs packages).
5121 Note that Emacs by default starts up in buffer @code{*scratch*} in
5122 @code{initial-major-mode}, which defaults to
5123 @code{lisp-interaction-mode}. Thus adding the following form to your
5124 Emacs init file will cause the initial @code{*scratch*} buffer to be put
5125 into auto-fill'ed @code{text-mode}:
5128 (setq initial-major-mode
5131 (turn-on-auto-fill)))
5134 Note that after your init file is loaded, if
5135 @code{inhibit-startup-message} is @code{nil} (the default) and the
5136 startup buffer is @code{*scratch*} then the startup message will be
5137 inserted into @code{*scratch*}; it will be removed after a timeout by
5138 erasing the entire @code{*scratch*} buffer. Keep in mind this default
5139 usage of @code{*scratch*} if you desire any prior manipulation of
5140 @code{*scratch*} from within your Emacs init file. In particular,
5141 anything you insert into @code{*scratch*} from your init file will be
5142 later erased. Also, if you change the mode of the @code{*scratch*}
5143 buffer, be sure that this will not interfere with possible later
5144 insertion of the startup message (e.g. if you put @code{*scratch*} into
5145 a nonstandard mode that has automatic font lock rules, then the startup
5146 message might get fontified in a strange foreign manner, e.g. as code in
5147 some programming language).
5149 @node Q5.0.6, Q5.0.7, Q5.0.5, Miscellaneous
5150 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.6: How do I start up a second shell buffer?
5152 In the @code{*shell*} buffer:
5155 M-x rename-buffer @key{RET} *shell-1* @key{RET}
5159 This will then start a second shell. The key is that no buffer named
5160 @samp{*shell*} can exist. It might be preferable to use @kbd{M-x
5161 rename-uniquely} to rename the @code{*shell*} buffer instead of @kbd{M-x
5164 Alternately, you can set the variable @code{shell-multiple-shells}.
5165 If the value of this variable is non-nil, each time shell mode is invoked,
5168 @node Q5.0.7, Q5.0.8, Q5.0.6, Miscellaneous
5169 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.7: Telnet from shell filters too much
5171 I'm using the Emacs @kbd{M-x shell} function, and I would like to invoke
5172 and use a telnet session within it. Everything works fine except that
5173 now all @samp{^M}'s are filtered out by Emacs. Fixes?
5175 Use @kbd{M-x rsh} or @kbd{M-x telnet} to open remote sessions rather
5176 than doing rsh or telnet within the local shell buffer. Starting with
5177 XEmacs-20.3 you can also use @kbd{M-x ssh} to open secure remote session
5178 if you have @code{ssh} installed.
5180 @node Q5.0.8, Q5.0.9, Q5.0.7, Miscellaneous
5181 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.8: Why does edt emulation not work?
5183 We don't know, but you can use tpu-edt emulation instead, which works
5184 fine and is a little fancier than the standard edt emulation. To do
5185 this, add the following line to your @file{.emacs}:
5191 If you don't want it to replace @kbd{C-h} with an edt-style help menu
5195 (global-set-key [(control h)] 'help-for-help)
5198 @node Q5.0.9, Q5.0.10, Q5.0.8, Miscellaneous
5199 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.9: How can I emulate VI and use it as my default mode?
5201 Our recommended VI emulator is viper. To make viper-mode the default,
5202 add this to your @file{.emacs}:
5208 @email{kifer@@CS.SunySB.EDU, Michael Kifer} writes:
5211 This should be added as close to the top of @file{.emacs} as you can get
5212 it, otherwise some minor modes may not get viper-ized.
5215 @node Q5.0.10, Q5.0.11, Q5.0.9, Miscellaneous
5216 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.10: [This question intentionally left blank]
5218 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering
5220 @node Q5.0.11, Q5.0.12, Q5.0.10, Miscellaneous
5221 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.11: Filladapt doesn't work in 19.15
5223 Filladapt 2.x is included in 19.15. In it filladapt is now a minor
5224 mode and minor modes are traditionally off by default. The following
5225 added to your @file{.emacs} will turn it on for all buffers:
5228 (setq-default filladapt-mode t)
5231 Use @code{turn-on-filladapt-mode} to turn Filladapt on in particular
5232 major modes, like this:
5235 (add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-filladapt-mode)
5238 @node Q5.0.12, Q5.0.13, Q5.0.11, Miscellaneous
5239 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.12: How do I disable gnuserv from opening a new frame?
5241 If you set the @code{gnuserv-frame} variable to the frame that should be
5242 used to display buffers that are pulled up, a new frame will not be
5243 created. For example, you could put
5246 (setq gnuserv-frame (selected-frame))
5249 early on in your @file{.emacs}, to ensure that the first frame created
5250 is the one used for your gnuserv buffers.
5252 Starting in 19.15, there is an option to set the gnuserv target to
5253 the current frame. See
5254 @code{Options->"Other Window" Location->Make current frame gnuserv target}
5256 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 you can also change this with Customize.
5257 Select from the @code{Options} menu
5258 @code{Customize->Emacs->Environment->Gnuserv->Gnuserv Frame...} or type
5259 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} gnuserv @key{RET}}.
5262 @node Q5.0.13, Q5.0.14, Q5.0.12, Miscellaneous
5263 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.13: How do I start gnuserv so that each subsequent XEmacs is a client?
5265 Put the following in your @file{.emacs} file to start the server:
5271 Start your first XEmacs as usual. After that, you can do:
5274 gnuclient randomfilename
5277 from the command line to get your existing XEmacs process to open a new
5278 frame and visit randomfilename in that window. When you're done editing
5279 randomfilename, hit @kbd{C-x #} to kill the buffer and get rid of the
5282 See also man page of gnuclient.
5284 @node Q5.0.14, Q5.0.15, Q5.0.13, Miscellaneous
5285 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.14: Strange things are happening in Shell Mode.
5287 Sometimes (i.e. it's not repeatable, and I can't work out why it
5288 happens) when I'm typing into shell mode, I hit return and only a
5289 portion of the command is given to the shell, and a blank prompt is
5290 returned. If I hit return again, the rest of the previous command is
5293 @email{martin@@xemacs.org, Martin Buchholz} writes:
5296 There is a known problem with interaction between @code{csh} and the
5297 @code{filec} option and XEmacs. You should add the following to your
5301 if ( "$TERM" == emacs || "$TERM" == unknown ) unset filec
5305 @node Q5.0.15, Q5.0.16, Q5.0.14, Miscellaneous
5306 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.15: Where do I get the latest CC Mode?
5308 @email{bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us, Barry A. Warsaw} writes:
5311 This can be had from @uref{http://www.python.org/emacs/}.
5314 @node Q5.0.16, Q5.0.17, Q5.0.15, Miscellaneous
5315 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.16: I find auto-show-mode disconcerting. How do I turn it off?
5317 @code{auto-show-mode} controls whether or not a horizontal scrollbar
5318 magically appears when a line is too long to be displayed. This is
5319 enabled by default. To turn it off, put the following in your
5323 (setq auto-show-mode nil)
5324 (setq-default auto-show-mode nil)
5327 @node Q5.0.17, Q5.0.18, Q5.0.16, Miscellaneous
5328 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.17: How can I get two instances of info?
5330 You can't. The @code{info} package does not provide for multiple info buffers.
5332 @node Q5.0.18, Q5.0.19, Q5.0.17, Miscellaneous
5333 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.18: I upgraded to XEmacs 19.14 and gnuserv stopped working.
5335 @email{daku@@nortel.ca, Mark Daku} writes:
5338 It turns out I was using an older version of gnuserv. The installation
5339 didn't put the binary into the public bin directory. It put it in
5343 @file{lib/xemacs-19.14/hppa1.1-hp-hpux9.05/gnuserv}. Shouldn't it have
5344 been put in @file{bin/hppa1.1-hp-hpux9.0}?
5347 @node Q5.0.19, Q5.0.20, Q5.0.18, Miscellaneous
5348 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.19: Is there something better than LaTeX mode?
5350 @email{dak@@fsnif.neuroinformatik.ruhr-uni-bochum.de, David Kastrup} writes:
5353 The standard TeX modes leave much to be desired, and are somewhat
5354 leniently maintained. Serious TeX users use AUC TeX (@pxref{Q4.7.1}).
5357 @node Q5.0.20, Q5.1.1, Q5.0.19, Miscellaneous
5358 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.20: Is there a way to start a new XEmacs if there's no gnuserv running, and otherwise use gnuclient?
5360 @email{vroonhof@@math.ethz.ch, Jan Vroonhof} writes:
5362 Here is one of the solutions, we have this in a script called
5363 @file{etc/editclient.sh}.
5366 if gnuclient -batch -eval t >/dev/null 2>&1
5368 exec gnuclient $@{1+"$@@"@}
5370 xemacs -unmapped -f gnuserv-start &
5371 until gnuclient -batch -eval t >/dev/null 2>&1
5375 exec gnuclient $@{1+"$@@"@}
5379 Note that there is a known problem when running XEmacs and 'gnuclient
5380 -nw' on the same TTY.
5383 @node Q5.1.1, Q5.1.2, Q5.0.20, Miscellaneous
5384 @unnumberedsec 5.1: Emacs Lisp Programming Techniques
5385 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.1: What is the difference in key sequences between XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
5387 @email{clerik@@naggum.no, Erik Naggum} writes;
5390 Emacs has a legacy of keyboards that produced characters with modifier
5391 bits, and therefore map a variety of input systems into this scheme even
5392 today. XEmacs is instead optimized for X events. This causes an
5393 incompatibility in the way key sequences are specified, but both Emacs
5394 and XEmacs will accept a key sequence as a vector of lists of modifiers
5395 that ends with a key, e.g., to bind @kbd{M-C-a}, you would say
5396 @code{[(meta control a)]} in both Emacsen. XEmacs has an abbreviated
5397 form for a single key, just (meta control a). Emacs has an abbreviated
5398 form for the Control and the Meta modifiers to string-characters (the
5399 ASCII characters), as in @samp{\M-\C-a}. XEmacs users need to be aware
5400 that the abbreviated form works only for one-character key sequences,
5401 while Emacs users need to be aware that the string-character is rather
5402 limited. Specifically, the string-character can accommodate only 256
5403 different values, 128 of which have the Meta modifier and 128 of which
5404 have not. In each of these blocks, only 32 characters have the Control
5405 modifier. Whereas @code{[(meta control A)]} differs from @code{[(meta
5406 control a)]} because the case differs, @samp{\M-\C-a} and @samp{\M-\C-A}
5407 do not. Programmers are advised to use the full common form, both
5408 because it is more readable and less error-prone, and because it is
5409 supported by both Emacsen.
5412 Another (even safer) way to be sure of the key-sequences is to use the
5413 @code{read-kbd-macro} function, which takes a string like @samp{C-c
5414 <up>}, and converts it to the internal key representation of the Emacs
5415 you use. The function is available both on XEmacs and GNU Emacs.
5417 @node Q5.1.2, Q5.1.3, Q5.1.1, Miscellaneous
5418 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.2: Can I generate "fake" keyboard events?
5420 I wonder if there is an interactive function that can generate
5421 @dfn{fake} keyboard events. This way, I could simply map them inside
5427 (defun cg--generate-char-event (ch)
5428 "Generate an event, as if ch has been typed"
5429 (dispatch-event (character-to-event ch)))
5431 ;; Backspace and Delete stuff
5432 (global-set-key [backspace]
5433 (lambda () (interactive) (cg--generate-char-event 127)))
5434 (global-set-key [unknown_keysym_0x4]
5435 (lambda () (interactive) (cg--generate-char-event 4)))
5438 @node Q5.1.3, Q5.1.4, Q5.1.2, Miscellaneous
5439 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.3: Could you explain @code{read-kbd-macro} in more detail?
5441 The @code{read-kbd-macro} function returns the internal Emacs
5442 representation of a human-readable string (which is its argument).
5446 (read-kbd-macro "C-c C-a")
5447 @result{} [(control ?c) (control ?a)]
5449 (read-kbd-macro "C-c C-. <up>")
5450 @result{} [(control ?c) (control ?.) up]
5453 In GNU Emacs the same forms will be evaluated to what GNU Emacs
5454 understands internally---the sequences @code{"\C-x\C-c"} and @code{[3
5455 67108910 up]}, respectively.
5457 The exact @dfn{human-readable} syntax is defined in the docstring of
5458 @code{edmacro-mode}. I'll repeat it here, for completeness.
5461 Format of keyboard macros during editing:
5463 Text is divided into @dfn{words} separated by whitespace. Except for
5464 the words described below, the characters of each word go directly as
5465 characters of the macro. The whitespace that separates words is
5466 ignored. Whitespace in the macro must be written explicitly, as in
5467 @kbd{foo @key{SPC} bar @key{RET}}.
5471 The special words @kbd{RET}, @kbd{SPC}, @kbd{TAB}, @kbd{DEL}, @kbd{LFD},
5472 @kbd{ESC}, and @kbd{NUL} represent special control characters. The
5473 words must be written in uppercase.
5476 A word in angle brackets, e.g., @code{<return>}, @code{<down>}, or
5477 @code{<f1>}, represents a function key. (Note that in the standard
5478 configuration, the function key @code{<return>} and the control key
5479 @key{RET} are synonymous.) You can use angle brackets on the words
5480 @key{RET}, @key{SPC}, etc., but they are not required there.
5483 Keys can be written by their @sc{ascii} code, using a backslash followed
5484 by up to six octal digits. This is the only way to represent keys with
5488 One or more prefixes @kbd{M-} (meta), @kbd{C-} (control), @kbd{S-}
5489 (shift), @kbd{A-} (alt), @kbd{H-} (hyper), and @kbd{s-} (super) may
5490 precede a character or key notation. For function keys, the prefixes
5491 may go inside or outside of the brackets: @code{C-<down>} @equiv{}
5492 @code{<C-down>}. The prefixes may be written in any order: @kbd{M-C-x}
5493 @equiv{} @kbd{C-M-x}.
5495 Prefixes are not allowed on multi-key words, e.g., @kbd{C-abc}, except
5496 that the Meta prefix is allowed on a sequence of digits and optional
5497 minus sign: @kbd{M--123} @equiv{} @kbd{M-- M-1 M-2 M-3}.
5500 The @code{^} notation for control characters also works: @kbd{^M}
5504 Double angle brackets enclose command names: @code{<<next-line>>} is
5505 shorthand for @kbd{M-x next-line @key{RET}}.
5508 Finally, @code{REM} or @code{;;} causes the rest of the line to be
5509 ignored as a comment.
5512 Any word may be prefixed by a multiplier in the form of a decimal number
5513 and @code{*}: @code{3*<right>} @equiv{} @code{<right> <right> <right>},
5514 and @code{10*foo} @equiv{}
5518 @code{foofoofoofoofoofoofoofoofoofoo}.
5520 Multiple text keys can normally be strung together to form a word, but
5521 you may need to add whitespace if the word would look like one of the
5522 above notations: @code{; ; ;} is a keyboard macro with three semicolons,
5523 but @code{;;;} is a comment. Likewise, @code{\ 1 2 3} is four keys but
5524 @code{\123} is a single key written in octal, and @code{< right >} is
5525 seven keys but @code{<right>} is a single function key. When in doubt,
5529 @node Q5.1.4, Q5.1.5, Q5.1.3, Miscellaneous
5530 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.4: What is the performance hit of @code{let}?
5532 In most cases, not noticeable. Besides, there's no avoiding
5533 @code{let}---you have to bind your local variables, after all. Some
5534 pose a question whether to nest @code{let}s, or use one @code{let} per
5535 function. I think because of clarity and maintenance (and possible
5536 future implementation), @code{let}-s should be used (nested) in a way to
5537 provide the clearest code.
5539 @node Q5.1.5, Q5.1.6, Q5.1.4, Miscellaneous
5540 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.5: What is the recommended use of @code{setq}?
5543 @item Global variables
5545 You will typically @code{defvar} your global variable to a default
5546 value, and use @code{setq} to set it later.
5548 It is never a good practice to @code{setq} user variables (like
5549 @code{case-fold-search}, etc.), as it ignores the user's choice
5550 unconditionally. Note that @code{defvar} doesn't change the value of a
5551 variable if it was bound previously. If you wish to change a
5552 user-variable temporarily, use @code{let}:
5555 (let ((case-fold-search nil))
5556 ... ; code with searches that must be case-sensitive
5560 You will notice the user-variables by their docstrings beginning with an
5561 asterisk (a convention).
5563 @item Local variables
5565 Bind them with @code{let}, which will unbind them (or restore their
5566 previous value, if they were bound) after exiting from the @code{let}
5567 form. Change the value of local variables with @code{setq} or whatever
5568 you like (e.g. @code{incf}, @code{setf} and such). The @code{let} form
5569 can even return one of its local variables.
5574 ;; iterate through the elements of the list returned by
5575 ;; `hairy-function-that-returns-list'
5576 (let ((l (hairy-function-that-returns-list)))
5578 ... do something with (car l) ...
5582 Another typical usage includes building a value simply to work with it.
5585 ;; Build the mode keymap out of the key-translation-alist
5586 (let ((inbox (file-truename (expand-file-name box)))
5588 ... code dealing with inbox ...
5592 This piece of code uses the local variable @code{inbox}, which becomes
5593 unbound (or regains old value) after exiting the form. The form also
5594 returns the value of @code{inbox}, which can be reused, for instance:
5597 (setq foo-processed-inbox
5602 @node Q5.1.6, Q5.1.7, Q5.1.5, Miscellaneous
5603 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.6: What is the typical misuse of @code{setq} ?
5605 A typical misuse is probably @code{setq}ing a variable that was meant to
5606 be local. Such a variable will remain bound forever, never to be
5607 garbage-collected. For example, the code doing:
5610 (defun my-function (whatever)
5612 ... build a large list ...
5616 does a bad thing, as @code{a} will keep consuming memory, never to be
5617 unbound. The correct thing is to do it like this:
5620 (defun my-function (whatever)
5621 (let (a) ; default initialization is to nil
5622 ... build a large list ...
5623 ... and exit, unbinding `a' in the process ...)
5626 Not only is this prettier syntactically, but it makes it possible for
5627 Emacs to garbage-collect the objects which @code{a} used to reference.
5629 Note that even global variables should not be @code{setq}ed without
5630 @code{defvar}ing them first, because the byte-compiler issues warnings.
5631 The reason for the warning is the following:
5634 (defun flurgoze nil) ; ok, global internal variable
5637 (setq flurghoze t) ; ops! a typo, but semantically correct.
5638 ; however, the byte-compiler warns.
5640 While compiling toplevel forms:
5641 ** assignment to free variable flurghoze
5644 @node Q5.1.7, Q5.1.8, Q5.1.6, Miscellaneous
5645 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.7: I like the the @code{do} form of cl, does it slow things down?
5647 It shouldn't. Here is what Dave Gillespie has to say about cl.el
5651 Many of the advanced features of this package, such as @code{defun*},
5652 @code{loop}, and @code{setf}, are implemented as Lisp macros. In
5653 byte-compiled code, these complex notations will be expanded into
5654 equivalent Lisp code which is simple and efficient. For example, the
5662 are expanded at compile-time to the Lisp forms
5666 (setcar p (cons x (car p)))
5669 which are the most efficient ways of doing these respective operations
5670 in Lisp. Thus, there is no performance penalty for using the more
5671 readable @code{incf} and @code{push} forms in your compiled code.
5673 @emph{Interpreted} code, on the other hand, must expand these macros
5674 every time they are executed. For this reason it is strongly
5675 recommended that code making heavy use of macros be compiled. (The
5676 features labelled @dfn{Special Form} instead of @dfn{Function} in this
5677 manual are macros.) A loop using @code{incf} a hundred times will
5678 execute considerably faster if compiled, and will also garbage-collect
5679 less because the macro expansion will not have to be generated, used,
5680 and thrown away a hundred times.
5682 You can find out how a macro expands by using the @code{cl-prettyexpand}
5686 @node Q5.1.8, Q5.1.9, Q5.1.7, Miscellaneous
5687 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.8: I like recursion, does it slow things down?
5689 Yes. Emacs byte-compiler cannot do much to optimize recursion. But
5690 think well whether this is a real concern in Emacs. Much of the Emacs
5691 slowness comes from internal mechanisms such as redisplay, or from the
5692 fact that it is an interpreter.
5694 Please try not to make your code much uglier to gain a very small speed
5695 gain. It's not usually worth it.
5697 @node Q5.1.9, Q5.1.10, Q5.1.8, Miscellaneous
5698 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.9: How do I put a glyph as annotation in a buffer?
5700 Here is a solution that will insert the glyph annotation at the
5701 beginning of buffer:
5704 (make-annotation (make-glyph '([FORMAT :file FILE]
5705 [string :data "fallback-text"]))
5711 Replace @samp{FORMAT} with an unquoted symbol representing the format of
5712 the image (e.g. @code{xpm}, @code{xbm}, @code{gif}, @code{jpeg}, etc.)
5713 Instead of @samp{FILE}, use the image file name
5718 @file{/usr/local/lib/xemacs-20.2/etc/recycle.xpm}).
5720 You can turn this to a function (that optionally prompts you for a file
5721 name), and inserts the glyph at @code{(point)} instead of
5724 @node Q5.1.10, Q5.1.11, Q5.1.9, Miscellaneous
5725 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.10: @code{map-extents} won't traverse all of my extents!
5727 I tried to use @code{map-extents} to do an operation on all the extents
5728 in a region. However, it seems to quit after processing a random number
5729 of extents. Is it buggy?
5731 No. The documentation of @code{map-extents} states that it will iterate
5732 across the extents as long as @var{function} returns @code{nil}.
5733 Unexperienced programmers often forget to return @code{nil} explicitly,
5734 which results in buggy code. For instance, the following code is
5735 supposed to delete all the extents in a buffer, and issue as many
5736 @samp{fubar!} messages.
5739 (map-extents (lambda (ext ignore)
5741 (message "fubar!")))
5744 Instead, it will delete only the first extent, and stop right there --
5745 because @code{message} will return a non-nil value. The correct code
5749 (map-extents (lambda (ext ignore)
5755 @node Q5.1.11, Q5.2.1, Q5.1.10, Miscellaneous
5756 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.11: My elisp program is horribly slow. Is there
5757 an easy way to find out where it spends time?
5760 z@email{hniksic@@xemacs.org, Hrvoje Niksic} writes:
5762 Under XEmacs 20.4 and later you can use @kbd{M-x profile-key-sequence}, press a key
5763 (say @key{RET} in the Gnus Group buffer), and get the results using
5764 @kbd{M-x profile-results}. It should give you an idea of where the time
5768 @node Q5.2.1, Q5.2.2, Q5.1.11, Miscellaneous
5769 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.2.1: How do I turn off the sound?
5771 Add the following line to your @file{.emacs}:
5774 (setq bell-volume 0)
5775 (setq sound-alist nil)
5778 That will make your XEmacs totally silent -- even the default ding sound
5779 (TTY beep on TTY-s) will be gone.
5781 Starting with XEmacs-20.2 you can also change these with Customize.
5782 Select from the @code{Options} menu
5783 @code{Customize->Emacs->Environment->Sound->Sound...} or type
5784 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} sound @key{RET}}.
5787 @node Q5.2.2, Q5.2.3, Q5.2.1, Miscellaneous
5788 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.2.2: How do I get funky sounds instead of a boring beep?
5790 Make sure your XEmacs was compiled with sound support, and then put this
5791 in your @file{.emacs}:
5794 (load-default-sounds)
5797 The sound support in XEmacs 19.14 was greatly improved over previous
5800 @node Q5.2.3, Q5.2.4, Q5.2.2, Miscellaneous
5801 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.2.3: What's NAS, how do I get it?
5803 @xref{Q2.0.3}, for an explanation of the @dfn{Network Audio System}.
5805 @node Q5.2.4, Q5.3.1, Q5.2.3, Miscellaneous
5806 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.2.4: Sunsite sounds don't play.
5808 I'm having some trouble with sounds I've downloaded from sunsite. They
5809 play when I run them through @code{showaudio} or cat them directly to
5810 @file{/dev/audio}, but XEmacs refuses to play them.
5812 @email{gutschk@@uni-muenster.de, Markus Gutschke} writes:
5815 [Many of] These files have an (erroneous) 24byte header that tells about
5816 the format that they have been recorded in. If you cat them to
5817 @file{/dev/audio}, the header will be ignored and the default behavior
5818 for /dev/audio will be used. This happens to be 8kHz uLaw. It is
5819 probably possible to fix the header by piping through @code{sox} and
5820 passing explicit parameters for specifying the sampling format; you then
5821 need to perform a 'null' conversion from SunAudio to SunAudio.
5824 @node Q5.3.1, Q5.3.2, Q5.2.4, Miscellaneous
5825 @unnumberedsec 5.3: Miscellaneous
5826 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.1: How do you make XEmacs indent CL if-clauses correctly?
5828 I'd like XEmacs to indent all the clauses of a Common Lisp @code{if} the
5829 same amount instead of indenting the 3rd clause differently from the
5832 One way is to add, to @file{.emacs}:
5835 (put 'if 'lisp-indent-function nil)
5838 However, note that the package @code{cl-indent} that comes with
5839 XEmacs sets up this kind of indentation by default. @code{cl-indent}
5840 also knows about many other CL-specific forms. To use @code{cl-indent},
5845 (setq lisp-indent-function (function common-lisp-indent-function))
5848 One can also customize @file{cl-indent.el} so it mimics the default
5849 @code{if} indentation @code{then} indented more than the @code{else}.
5853 (put 'if 'common-lisp-indent-function '(nil nil &body))
5856 Also, a new version (1.2) of @file{cl-indent.el} was posted to
5857 comp.emacs.xemacs on 12/9/94. This version includes more documentation
5858 than previous versions. This may prove useful if you need to customize
5859 any indent-functions.
5861 @node Q5.3.2, Q5.3.3, Q5.3.1, Miscellaneous
5862 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.2: Fontifying hang when editing a postscript file.
5864 When I try to edit a postscript file it gets stuck saying:
5865 @samp{fontifying 'filename' (regexps....)} and it just sits there. If I
5866 press @kbd{C-c} in the window where XEmacs was started, it suddenly
5867 becomes alive again.
5869 This was caused by a bug in the Postscript font-lock regular
5870 expressions. It was fixed in 19.13. For earlier versions of XEmacs,
5871 have a look at your @file{.emacs} file. You will probably have a line
5875 (add-hook 'postscript-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock)
5878 Take it out, restart XEmacs, and it won't try to fontify your postscript
5881 @node Q5.3.3, Q5.3.4, Q5.3.2, Miscellaneous
5882 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.3: How can I print WYSIWYG a font-locked buffer?
5884 Font-lock looks nice. How can I print (WYSIWYG) the highlighted
5887 The package @code{ps-print}, which is now included with XEmacs, provides
5888 the ability to do this. The source code contains complete instructions
5889 on its use, in @file{<xemacs_src_root>/lisp/packages/ps-print.el}.
5891 @node Q5.3.4, Q5.3.5, Q5.3.3, Miscellaneous
5892 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.4: Getting @kbd{M-x lpr} to work with postscript printer.
5894 My printer is a Postscript printer and @code{lpr} only works for
5895 Postscript files, so how do I get @kbd{M-x lpr-region} and @kbd{M-x
5896 lpr-buffer} to work?
5898 Put something like this in your @file{.emacs}:
5901 (setq lpr-command "a2ps")
5902 (setq lpr-switches '("-p" "-1"))
5905 If you don't use a2ps to convert ASCII to postscript (why not, it's
5906 free?), replace with the command you do use. Note also that some
5907 versions of a2ps require a @samp{-Pprinter} to ensure spooling.
5909 @node Q5.3.5, Q5.3.6, Q5.3.4, Miscellaneous
5910 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.5: How do I specify the paths that XEmacs uses for finding files?
5912 You can specify what paths to use by using a number of different flags
5913 when running configure. See the section MAKE VARIABLES in the top-level
5914 file INSTALL in the XEmacs distribution for a listing of those flags.
5916 Most of the time, however, the simplest fix is: @strong{do not} specify
5917 paths as you might for GNU Emacs. XEmacs can generally determine the
5918 necessary paths dynamically at run time. The only path that generally
5919 needs to be specified is the root directory to install into. That can
5920 be specified by passing the @code{--prefix} flag to configure. For a
5921 description of the XEmacs install tree, please consult the @file{NEWS}
5924 @node Q5.3.6, Q5.3.7, Q5.3.5, Miscellaneous
5925 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.6: [This question intentionally left blank]
5927 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering.
5929 @node Q5.3.7, Q5.3.8, Q5.3.6, Miscellaneous
5930 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.7: Can I have the end of the buffer delimited in some way?
5932 Say, with: @samp{[END]}?
5937 (let ((ext (make-extent (point-min) (point-max))))
5938 (set-extent-property ext 'start-closed t)
5939 (set-extent-property ext 'end-closed t)
5940 (set-extent-property ext 'detachable nil)
5941 (set-extent-end-glyph ext (make-glyph [string :data "[END]"])))
5944 Since this is XEmacs, you can specify an icon to be shown on
5945 window-system devices. To do so, change the @code{make-glyph} call to
5946 something like this:
5949 (make-glyph '([xpm :file "~/something.xpm"]
5950 [string :data "[END]"]))
5953 You can inline the @sc{xpm} definition yourself by specifying
5954 @code{:data} instead of @code{:file}. Here is such a full-featured
5955 version that works on both X and TTY devices:
5958 (let ((ext (make-extent (point-min) (point-max))))
5959 (set-extent-property ext 'start-closed t)
5960 (set-extent-property ext 'end-closed t)
5961 (set-extent-property ext 'detachable nil)
5962 (set-extent-end-glyph ext (make-glyph '([xpm :data "\
5964 static char* eye = @{
5973 \"___________`_`_`___b_b_b_b_________`____\",
5974 \"_________`_`_`___b_c_c_c_b_b____________\",
5975 \"_____`_`_`_e___b_b_c_c_c___b___b_______`\",
5976 \"___`_`_e_a___b_b_d___b___b___b___b______\",
5977 \"_`_`_e_a_e___b_b_d_b___b___b___b___b____\",
5978 \"_`_`_a_e_a___b_b_d___b___b___b___b___b__\",
5979 \"_`_`_e_a_e___b_b_d_b___b___b___b___b_b__\",
5980 \"___`_`_e_a___b_b_b_d_c___b___b___d_b____\",
5981 \"_____`_`_e_e___b_b_b_d_c___b_b_d_b______\",
5982 \"_`_____`_`_`_`___b_b_b_d_d_d_d_b________\",
5983 \"___`_____`_`_`_`___b_b_b_b_b_b__________\",
5985 [string :data "[END]"]))))
5988 Note that you might want to make this a function, and put it to a hook.
5989 We leave that as an exercise for the reader.
5991 @node Q5.3.8, Q5.3.9, Q5.3.7, Miscellaneous
5992 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.8: How do I insert today's date into a buffer?
5997 (insert (current-time-string))
6000 @node Q5.3.9, Q5.3.10, Q5.3.8, Miscellaneous
6001 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.9: Are only certain syntactic character classes available for abbrevs?
6003 @email{gutschk@@uni-muenster.de, Markus Gutschke} writes:
6006 Yes, abbrevs only expands word-syntax strings. While XEmacs does not
6007 prevent you from defining (e.g. with @kbd{C-x a g} or @kbd{C-x a l})
6008 abbrevs that contain special characters, it will refuse to expand
6009 them. So you need to ensure, that the abbreviation contains letters and
6010 digits only. This means that @samp{xd}, @samp{d5}, and @samp{5d} are
6011 valid abbrevs, but @samp{&d}, and @samp{x d} are not.
6013 If this sounds confusing to you, (re-)read the online documentation for
6014 abbrevs (@kbd{C-h i m XEmacs @key{RET} m Abbrevs @key{RET}}), and then come back and
6015 read this question/answer again.
6018 Starting with XEmacs 20.3 this restriction has been lifted.
6020 @node Q5.3.10, Q5.3.11, Q5.3.9, Miscellaneous
6021 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.10: How can I get those oh-so-neat X-Face lines?
6023 Firstly there is an ftp site which describes X-faces and has the
6024 associated tools mentioned below, at
6025 @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.indiana.edu:/pub/faces/}.
6031 Create 48x48x1 bitmap with your favorite tool
6034 Convert to "icon" format using one of xbm2ikon, pbmtoicon, etc.,
6035 and then compile the face.
6039 cat file.xbm | xbm2ikon |compface > file.face
6043 Then be sure to quote things that are necessary for emacs strings:
6046 cat ./file.face | sed 's/\\/\\\\/g'
6050 | sed 's/\"/\\\"/g' > ./file.face.quoted
6054 Then set up emacs to include the file as a mail header - there were a
6055 couple of suggestions here---either something like:
6058 (setq mail-default-headers
6059 "X-Face: @email{Ugly looking text string here}")
6062 Or, alternatively, as:
6065 (defun mail-insert-x-face ()
6067 (goto-char (point-min))
6068 (search-forward mail-header-separator)
6071 (insert-file-contents "~/.face")))
6073 (add-hook 'mail-setup-hook 'mail-insert-x-face)
6077 However, 2 things might be wrong:
6079 Some versions of pbmtoicon produces some header lines that is not
6080 expected by the version of compface that I grabbed. So I found I had to
6081 include a @code{tail +3} in the pipeline like this:
6084 cat file.xbm | xbm2ikon | tail +3 |compface > file.face
6087 Some people have also found that if one uses the @code{(insert-file)}
6088 method, one should NOT quote the face string using the sed script .
6090 It might also be helpful to use @email{stig@@hackvan.com, Stig's} script
6091 (included in the compface distribution at XEmacs.org) to do the
6093 @comment For convenience xbm2xface is available for anonymous FTP at
6094 @comment @uref{ftp://ftp.miranova.com/pub/xemacs/xbm2xface.pl}.
6096 Contributors for this item:
6107 @node Q5.3.11, Q5.3.12, Q5.3.10, Miscellaneous
6108 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.11: How do I add new Info directories?
6110 You use something like:
6113 (setq Info-directory-list (cons
6114 (expand-file-name "~/info")
6115 Info-default-directory-list))
6118 @email{davidm@@prism.kla.com, David Masterson} writes:
6121 Emacs Info and XEmacs Info do many things differently. If you're trying to
6122 support a number of versions of Emacs, here are some notes to remember:
6126 Emacs Info scans @code{Info-directory-list} from right-to-left while
6127 XEmacs Info reads it from left-to-right, so append to the @emph{correct}
6131 Use @code{Info-default-directory-list} to initialize
6132 @code{Info-directory-list} @emph{if} it is available at startup, but not
6133 all Emacsen define it.
6136 Emacs Info looks for a standard @file{dir} file in each of the
6137 directories scanned from #1 and magically concatenates them together.
6140 XEmacs Info looks for a @file{localdir} file (which consists of just the
6141 menu entries from a @file{dir} file) in each of the directories scanned
6142 from #1 (except the first), does a simple concatenation of them, and
6143 magically attaches the resulting list to the end of the menu in the
6144 @file{dir} file in the first directory.
6147 Another alternative is to convert the documentation to HTML with
6148 texi2html and read it from a web browser like Lynx or W3.
6151 @node Q5.3.12, , Q5.3.11, Miscellaneous
6152 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.12: What do I need to change to make printing work?
6154 For regular printing there are two variables that can be customized.
6158 This should be set to a command that takes standard input and sends
6159 it to a printer. Something like:
6162 (setq lpr-command "lp")
6166 This should be set to a list that contains whatever the print command
6167 requires to do its job. Something like:
6170 (setq lpr-switches '("-depson"))
6174 For postscript printing there are three analogous variables to
6178 @item ps-lpr-command
6179 This should be set to a command that takes postscript on standard input
6180 and directs it to a postscript printer.
6182 @item ps-lpr-switches
6183 This should be set to a list of switches required for
6184 @code{ps-lpr-command} to do its job.
6186 @item ps-print-color-p
6187 This boolean variable should be set @code{t} if printing will be done in
6188 color, otherwise it should be set to @code{nil}.
6191 NOTE: It is an undocumented limitation in XEmacs that postscript
6192 printing (the @code{Pretty Print Buffer} menu item) @strong{requires} a
6193 window system environment. It cannot be used outside of X11.
6195 @node MS Windows, Current Events, Miscellaneous, Top
6196 @unnumbered 6 XEmacs on MS Windows
6198 This is part 6 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list, written by
6199 Hrvoje Niksic and others. This section is devoted to the MS Windows
6205 * Q6.0.1:: What is the status of the XEmacs port to Windows?
6206 * Q6.0.2:: What flavors of MS Windows are supported?
6207 * Q6.0.3:: Where are the XEmacs on MS Windows binaries?
6208 * Q6.0.4:: Does XEmacs on MS Windows require an X server to run?
6210 Building XEmacs on MS Windows
6211 * Q6.1.1:: I decided to run with X. Where do I get an X server?
6212 * Q6.1.2:: What compiler do I need to compile XEmacs?
6213 * Q6.1.3:: How do I compile for the native port?
6214 * Q6.1.4:: How do I compile for the X port?
6215 * Q6.1.5:: How do I compile for Cygnus' Cygwin?
6216 * Q6.1.6:: What do I need for Cygwin?
6218 Customization and User Interface
6219 * Q6.2.1:: How will the port cope with differences in the Windows user interface?
6220 * Q6.2.2:: How do I change fonts in XEmacs on MS Windows?
6221 * Q6.2.3:: Where do I put my @file{.emacs} file?
6224 * Q6.3.1:: Will XEmacs rename all the win32-* symbols to w32-*?
6225 * Q6.3.2:: What are the differences between the various MS Windows emacsen?
6226 * Q6.3.3:: What is the porting team doing at the moment?
6230 @node Q6.0.1, Q6.0.2, MS Windows, MS Windows
6231 @unnumberedsec 6.0: General Info
6232 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.1: What is the status of the XEmacs port to Windows?
6234 Is XEmacs really getting ported to MS Windows? What is the status of the port?
6236 Yes, a group of volunteers actively works on making XEmacs code base
6237 cleanly compile and run on MS Windows operating systems. The mailing
6238 list at @email{xemacs-nt@@xemacs.org} is dedicated to that effort (please use
6239 the -request address to subscribe).
6241 At this time, XEmacs on MS Windows is usable, but lacks some of the
6242 features of XEmacs on UNIX and UNIX-like systems. Notably,
6243 internationalization does not work.
6245 @node Q6.0.2, Q6.0.3, Q6.0.1, MS Windows
6246 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.2: What flavors of MS Windows are supported? The list name implies NT only.
6248 The list name is misleading, as XEmacs will support both Windows 95,
6249 Windows 98 and Windows NT. The MS Windows-specific code is based on
6250 Microsoft Win32 API, and will not work on MS Windows 3.x or on MS-DOS.
6253 @node Q6.0.3, Q6.0.4, Q6.0.2, MS Windows
6254 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.3: Are binary kits available?
6256 Binary kits are available at
6257 @uref{ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/binary-kits/win32/} for the
6258 "plain" MS Windows version.
6260 @node Q6.0.4, Q6.1.1, Q6.0.3, MS Windows
6261 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.4: Does XEmacs on MS Windows require an X server to run?
6265 Long answer: XEmacs can be built in several ways in the MS Windows
6266 environment, some of them requiring an X server and some not.
6268 One is what we call the "X" port -- it requires X libraries to build
6269 and an X server to run. Internally it uses the Xt event loop and
6270 makes use of X toolkits. Its look is quite un-Windowsy, but it works
6271 reliably and supports all of the graphical features of Unix XEmacs.
6273 The other is what we call the "native" port. It uses the Win32 API
6274 and does not require X libraries to build, nor does it require an X to
6275 run. In fact, it has no connection with X whatsoever. At this time,
6276 the native port obsoletes the X port, providing almost all of its
6277 features, including support for menus, scrollbars, toolbars, embedded
6278 images and background pixmaps, frame pointers, etc. Most of the
6279 future work will be based on the native port.
6281 There is also a third special case, the Cygwin port. It takes
6282 advantage of Cygnus emulation library under Win32, which enables it to
6283 reuse much of the Unix XEmacs code base, such as processes and network
6284 support, or internal select() mechanisms.
6286 Cygwin port supports all display types -- TTY, X & MS gui, and can be
6287 built with support for all three. If you build with ms gui support
6288 then the Cygwin version uses the majority of the msw code, which is
6289 mostly related to display. If you want to build with X support you
6290 need X libraries. If you want to build with tty support you need
6291 ncurses. MS gui requires no additional libraries.
6293 Some of the advantages of the Cygwin version are that it:
6297 @item integrates well with Cygwin environment for existing Cygwin users;
6298 @item uses configure so building with different features is very easy;
6299 @item has process support in X & tty.
6303 The disadvantage is that it requires several Unix utilities and the
6304 whole Cygwin environment, whereas the native port requires only a
6305 suitable MS Windows compiler. Also, it follows the Unix filesystem and
6306 process model very closely (some will undoubtedly view this as an
6309 @node Q6.1.1, Q6.1.2, Q6.0.4, MS Windows
6310 @unnumberedsec 6.1: Building XEmacs on MS Windows
6311 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.1: I decided to run with X. Where do I get an X server?
6313 Pointers to X servers can be found at
6317 @uref{http://dao.gsfc.nasa.gov/software/grads/win32/X11R6.3/};
6319 look for "Where to get an X server". Also note that, although the above
6320 page talks about Cygnus gnu-win32 (Cygwin), the information on X servers
6321 is Cygwin-independent. You don't have to be running/using Cygwin to use
6322 these X servers, and you don't have to compile XEmacs under Cygwin to
6323 use XEmacs with these X servers. An "X port" XEmacs compiled under
6324 Visual C++ will work with these X servers (as will XEmacs running on a
6325 Unix box, redirected to the server running on your PC).
6328 @node Q6.1.2, Q6.1.3, Q6.1.1, MS Windows
6329 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.2: What compiler do I need to compile XEmacs?
6331 You need Visual C++ 4.2 or 5.0, with the exception of the Cygwin port,
6335 @node Q6.1.3, Q6.1.4, Q6.1.2, MS Windows
6336 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.3: How do I compile for the native port?
6338 Please read the file @file{nt/README} in the XEmacs distribution, which
6339 contains the full description.
6342 @node Q6.1.4, Q6.1.5, Q6.1.3, MS Windows
6343 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.4: How do I compile for the X port?
6345 Again, it is described in @file{nt/README} in some detail. Basically, you
6346 need to get X11 libraries from ftp.x.org, and compile them. If the
6347 precompiled versions are available somewhere, I don't know of it.
6350 @node Q6.1.5, Q6.1.6, Q6.1.4, MS Windows
6351 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.5: How do I compile for Cygnus' Cygwin?
6353 Similar as on Unix; use the usual `configure' and `make' process.
6354 Some problems to watch out for:
6358 make sure HOME is set. This controls where you @file{.emacs} file comes
6362 CYGWIN32 needs to be set to tty for process support
6363 work. e.g. CYGWIN32=tty;
6366 picking up some other grep or other unix like tools can kill configure;
6369 static heap too small, adjust src/sheap-adjust.h to a more positive
6373 The Cygwin version doesn't understand @file{//machine/path} type paths so you
6374 will need to manually mount a directory of this form under a unix style
6375 directory for a build to work on the directory.
6379 @node Q6.1.6, Q6.2.1, Q6.1.5, MS Windows
6380 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.6: What do I need for Cygwin?
6382 You can find the Cygwin tools and compiler at:
6384 @uref{http://sourceware.cygnus.com/cygwin/}
6386 You will need version b19 or later.
6388 You will also need the X libraries. There are libraries at
6392 @uref{http://dao.gsfc.nasa.gov/software/grads/win32/X11R6.3/}, but
6393 these are not b19 compatible. You can get b19 X11R6.3 binaries, as
6394 well as pre-built ncurses and graphic libraries, from:
6396 @uref{ftp://ftp.parallax.co.uk/pub/andyp/}.
6399 @node Q6.2.1, Q6.2.2, Q6.1.6, MS Windows
6400 @unnumberedsec 6.2: Customization and User Interface
6401 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.2.1: How will the port cope with differences in the Windows user interface?
6403 XEmacs (and Emacs in general) UI is pretty
6404 different from what is expected of a typical MS Windows program. How will
6405 the MS Windows port cope with it?
6407 Fortunately, Emacs is also one of the most configurable editor beasts
6408 in the world. The MS Windows "look and feel" (mark via shift-arrow,
6409 self-inserting deletes region, etc.) can be easily configured via
6410 various packages distributed with XEmacs. The `pending-delete'
6411 package is an example of such a utility.
6413 In future versions, some of these packages might be turned on by
6414 default in the MS Windows environment.
6417 @node Q6.2.2, Q6.2.3, Q6.2.1, MS Windows
6418 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.2.2: How do I change fonts in XEmacs on MS Windows?
6420 You can change font manually, but not from the menubar, yet. For
6424 (set-face-font 'default "Lucida Console:Regular:10")
6425 (set-face-font 'modeline "MS Sans Serif:Regular:10")
6429 @node Q6.2.3, Q6.3.1, Q6.2.2, MS Windows
6430 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.2.3: Where do I put my @file{.emacs} file?
6432 If the HOME environment variable is set, @file{.emacs} will be looked for
6433 there. Else the directory defaults to `c:\'.
6435 @node Q6.3.1, Q6.3.2, Q6.2.3, MS Windows
6436 @unnumberedsec 6.3: Miscellaneous
6437 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.3.1: Will XEmacs rename all the win32-* symbols to w32-*?
6439 In his flavor of Emacs 20, Richard Stallman has renamed all the win32-*
6440 symbols to w32-*. Will XEmacs do the same?
6442 We consider such a move counter-productive, thus we will not use the
6443 `w32' prefix. However, we do recognize that Win32 name is little more
6444 than a marketing buzzword (will it be Win64 in the next release?), so
6445 we decided not to use it. Using `windows-' would be wrong because the
6446 term is too generic, which is why we settled on a compromise
6449 Thus all the XEmacs variables and functions directly related to Win32
6450 are prefixed `mswindows-'. The user-variables shared with NT Emacs
6451 will be provided as compatibility aliases.
6453 Architectural note: We believe that there should be a very small
6454 number of window-systems-specific variables, and will try to provide
6455 generic interfaces whenever possible.
6458 @node Q6.3.2, Q6.3.3, Q6.3.1, MS Windows
6459 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.3.2: What are the differences between the various MS Windows emacsen?
6461 XEmacs, Win-Emacs, DOS Emacs, NT Emacs, this is all very confusing.
6462 Could you briefly explain the differences between them?
6464 Here is a recount of various Emacs versions running on MS Windows:
6474 Win-Emacs is a port of Lucid Emacs 19.6 to MS Windows using X
6475 compatibility libraries. Win-Emacs has been written by Ben Wing. The
6476 MS Windows code has not made it back to Lucid Emacs, which left Win-Emacs
6477 pretty much dead for our purposes. Win-Emacs used to be available at
6478 Pearlsoft, but not anymore, since Pearlsoft went out of business.
6487 GNU Emacs features support for MS-DOS and DJGPP (D.J. Delorie's DOS
6488 port of Gcc). Such an Emacs is heavily underfeatured, because it does
6489 not supports long file names, lacks proper subprocesses support, and
6490 is far too big compared to typical DOS editors.
6494 GNU Emacs compiled with Win32
6499 Starting with version 19.30, it has been possible to compile GNU Emacs
6500 under MS Windows using the DJGPP compiler and X libraries. The result
6501 is is very similar to GNU Emacs compiled under MS DOS, only it
6502 supports longer file names, etc. This "port" is similar to the "X"
6503 flavor of XEmacs on MS Windows.
6512 NT Emacs is a version of GNU Emacs modified to compile and run under
6513 MS MS Windows 95 and NT using the native Win32 API. As such, it is close
6514 in spirit to the XEmacs "native" port.
6517 NT Emacs has been written by Geoff Voelker, and more information can be
6522 @uref{http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/voelker/ntemacs.html}.
6532 Beginning with XEmacs 19.12, XEmacs' architecture has been redesigned
6533 in such a way to allow clean support of multiple window systems. At
6534 this time the TTY support was added, making X and TTY the first two
6535 "window systems" XEmacs supported. The 19.12 design is the basis for
6536 the current native MS Windows code.
6539 Some time during 1997, David Hobley (soon joined by Marc Paquette)
6540 imported some of the NT-specific portions of GNU Emacs, making XEmacs
6541 with X support compile under Windows NT, and creating the "X" port.
6544 Several months later, Jonathan Harris sent out initial patches to use
6545 the Win32 API, thus creating the native port. Since then, various
6546 people have contributed, including Kirill M. Katsnelson (contributed
6547 support for menubars, subprocesses and network, as well as loads of
6548 other code), Andy Piper (ported XEmacs to Cygwin environment,
6549 contributed Windows unexec, Windows-specific glyphs and toolbars code,
6550 and more), Jeff Sparkes (contributed scrollbars support) and many
6558 @node Q6.3.3, , Q6.3.2, MS Windows
6559 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.3.3: What is the porting team doing at the moment?
6561 The porting team is continuing work on the MS Windows-specific code.
6564 @node Current Events, , MS Windows, Top
6565 @unnumbered 7 What the Future Holds
6567 This is part 7 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
6568 section will change monthly, and contains any interesting items that have
6569 transpired over the previous month. If you are reading this from the
6570 XEmacs distribution, please see the version on the Web or archived at the
6571 various FAQ FTP sites, as this file is surely out of date.
6574 * Q7.0.1:: What is new in 20.2?
6575 * Q7.0.2:: What is new in 20.3?
6576 * Q7.0.3:: What is new in 20.4?
6577 * Q7.0.4:: Procedural changes in XEmacs development.
6580 @node Q7.0.1, Q7.0.2, Current Events, Current Events
6581 @unnumberedsec 7.0: Changes
6582 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.1: What is new in 20.2?
6584 The biggest changes in 20.2 include integration of EFS (the next
6585 generation of ange-ftp) and AUC Tex (the Emacs subsystem that includes a
6586 major mode for editing Tex and LaTeX, and a lot of other stuff). Many
6587 bugs from 20.0 have been fixed for this release. 20.2 also contains a
6588 new system for customizing XEmacs options, invoked via @kbd{M-x
6591 XEmacs 20.2 is the development release (20.0 was beta), and is no longer
6592 considered unstable.
6594 @node Q7.0.2, Q7.0.3, Q7.0.1, Current Events
6595 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.2: What is new in 20.3?
6597 XEmacs 20.3 was released in November 1997. It contains many bugfixes,
6598 and a number of new features, including Autoconf 2 based configuration,
6599 additional support for Mule (Multi-language extensions to Emacs), many
6600 more customizations, multiple frames on TTY-s, support for multiple info
6601 directories, an enhanced gnuclient, improvements to regexp matching,
6602 increased MIME support, and many, many synches with GNU Emacs 20.
6604 The XEmacs/Mule support has been only seriously tested in a Japanese
6605 locale, and no doubt many problems still remain. The support for
6606 ISO-Latin-1 and Japanese is fairly strong. MULE support comes at a
6607 price -- about a 30% slowdown from 19.16. We're making progress on
6608 improving performance and XEmacs 20.3 compiled without Mule (which is
6609 the default) is definitely faster than XEmacs 19.16.
6611 XEmacs 20.3 is the first non-beta v20 release, and will be the
6612 basis for all further development.
6614 @node Q7.0.3, Q7.0.4, Q7.0.2, Current Events
6615 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.3: What's new in XEmacs 20.4?
6617 XEmacs 20.4 is a bugfix release with no user-visible changes.
6618 @c Filled in from NEWS file of 20.5-b33
6621 @node Q7.0.4, , Q7.0.3, Current Events
6622 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.4: Procedural changes in XEmacs development.
6626 Discussion about the development of XEmacs occurs on the xemacs-beta
6627 mailing list. Subscriptions to this list will now be fully automated
6628 instead of being handled by hand. Send a mail message to
6629 @email{xemacs-beta-request@@xemacs.org} with @samp{subscribe} as the
6630 BODY of the message to join the list. Please note this is a developers
6631 mailing list for people who have an active interest in the development
6634 The discussion of NT XEmacs development is taking place on a separate
6635 mailing list. Send mail to
6639 @email{xemacs-nt-request@@xemacs.org} to
6643 Due to the long development cycle in between releases, it has been
6644 decided that intermediate versions will be made available in source only
6645 form for the truly interested.
6647 XEmacs 19.16 was the last 19 release, basically consisting of 19.15 plus
6648 the collected bugfixes.
6651 As of December 1996, @email{steve@@xemacs.org, Steve Baur} has become
6652 the lead maintainer of XEmacs.