1 This is ../info/xemacs.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.0b from
4 INFO-DIR-SECTION XEmacs Editor
6 * XEmacs: (xemacs). XEmacs Editor.
9 This file documents the XEmacs editor.
11 Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1988 Richard M. Stallman. Copyright (C)
12 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Lucid, Inc. Copyright (C) 1993, 1994 Sun
13 Microsystems, Inc. Copyright (C) 1995 Amdahl Corporation.
15 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
16 manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
17 preserved on all copies.
19 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
20 this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also
21 that the sections entitled "The GNU Manifesto", "Distribution" and "GNU
22 General Public License" are included exactly as in the original, and
23 provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the
24 terms of a permission notice identical to this one.
26 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
27 manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
28 versions, except that the sections entitled "The GNU Manifesto",
29 "Distribution" and "GNU General Public License" may be included in a
30 translation approved by the author instead of in the original English.
33 File: xemacs.info, Node: Disabling, Prev: Rebinding, Up: Key Bindings
38 Disabling a command marks it as requiring confirmation before it can
39 be executed. The purpose of disabling a command is to prevent
40 beginning users from executing it by accident and being confused.
42 The direct mechanism for disabling a command is to have a non-`nil'
43 `disabled' property on the Lisp symbol for the command. These
44 properties are normally set by the user's init file with Lisp
47 (put 'delete-region 'disabled t)
51 If the value of the `disabled' property is a string, that string is
52 included in the message printed when the command is used:
54 (put 'delete-region 'disabled
55 "Text deleted this way cannot be yanked back!\n")
57 You can disable a command either by editing the init file directly
58 or with the command `M-x disable-command', which edits the init file
59 for you. *Note Init File::.
61 When you attempt to invoke a disabled command interactively in Emacs,
62 a window is displayed containing the command's name, its documentation,
63 and some instructions on what to do next; then Emacs asks for input
64 saying whether to execute the command as requested, enable it and
65 execute, or cancel it. If you decide to enable the command, you are
66 asked whether to do this permanently or just for the current session.
67 Enabling permanently works by automatically editing your init file.
68 You can use `M-x enable-command' at any time to enable any command
71 Whether a command is disabled is independent of what key is used to
72 invoke it; it also applies if the command is invoked using `M-x'.
73 Disabling a command has no effect on calling it as a function from Lisp
77 File: xemacs.info, Node: Syntax, Next: Init File, Prev: Key Bindings, Up: Customization
82 All the Emacs commands which parse words or balance parentheses are
83 controlled by the "syntax table". The syntax table specifies which
84 characters are opening delimiters, which are parts of words, which are
85 string quotes, and so on. Actually, each major mode has its own syntax
86 table (though sometimes related major modes use the same one) which it
87 installs in each buffer that uses that major mode. The syntax table
88 installed in the current buffer is the one that all commands use, so we
89 call it "the" syntax table. A syntax table is a Lisp object, a vector
90 of length 256 whose elements are numbers.
94 * Entry: Syntax Entry. What the syntax table records for each character.
95 * Change: Syntax Change. How to change the information.
98 File: xemacs.info, Node: Syntax Entry, Next: Syntax Change, Up: Syntax
100 Information About Each Character
101 --------------------------------
103 The syntax table entry for a character is a number that encodes six
104 pieces of information:
106 * The syntactic class of the character, represented as a small
109 * The matching delimiter, for delimiter characters only (the
110 matching delimiter of `(' is `)', and vice versa)
112 * A flag saying whether the character is the first character of a
113 two-character comment starting sequence
115 * A flag saying whether the character is the second character of a
116 two-character comment starting sequence
118 * A flag saying whether the character is the first character of a
119 two-character comment ending sequence
121 * A flag saying whether the character is the second character of a
122 two-character comment ending sequence
124 The syntactic classes are stored internally as small integers, but
125 are usually described to or by the user with characters. For example,
126 `(' is used to specify the syntactic class of opening delimiters. Here
127 is a table of syntactic classes, with the characters that specify them.
130 The class of whitespace characters.
133 The class of word-constituent characters.
136 The class of characters that are part of symbol names but not
137 words. This class is represented by `_' because the character `_'
138 has this class in both C and Lisp.
141 The class of punctuation characters that do not fit into any other
145 The class of opening delimiters.
148 The class of closing delimiters.
151 The class of expression-adhering characters. These characters are
152 part of a symbol if found within or adjacent to one, and are part
153 of a following expression if immediately preceding one, but are
154 like whitespace if surrounded by whitespace.
157 The class of string-quote characters. They match each other in
158 pairs, and the characters within the pair all lose their syntactic
159 significance except for the `\' and `/' classes of escape
160 characters, which can be used to include a string-quote inside the
164 The class of self-matching delimiters. This is intended for TeX's
165 `$', which is used both to enter and leave math mode. Thus, a
166 pair of matching `$' characters surround each piece of math mode
167 TeX input. A pair of adjacent `$' characters act like a single
168 one for purposes of matching.
171 The class of escape characters that always just deny the following
172 character its special syntactic significance. The character after
173 one of these escapes is always treated as alphabetic.
176 The class of C-style escape characters. In practice, these are
177 treated just like `/'-class characters, because the extra
178 possibilities for C escapes (such as being followed by digits)
179 have no effect on where the containing expression ends.
182 The class of comment-starting characters. Only single-character
183 comment starters (such as `;' in Lisp mode) are represented this
187 The class of comment-ending characters. Newline has this syntax in
190 The characters flagged as part of two-character comment delimiters
191 can have other syntactic functions most of the time. For example, `/'
192 and `*' in C code, when found separately, have nothing to do with
193 comments. The comment-delimiter significance overrides when the pair of
194 characters occur together in the proper order. Only the list and sexp
195 commands use the syntax table to find comments; the commands
196 specifically for comments have other variables that tell them where to
197 find comments. Moreover, the list and sexp commands notice comments
198 only if `parse-sexp-ignore-comments' is non-`nil'. This variable is set
199 to `nil' in modes where comment-terminator sequences are liable to
200 appear where there is no comment, for example, in Lisp mode where the
201 comment terminator is a newline but not every newline ends a comment.
204 File: xemacs.info, Node: Syntax Change, Prev: Syntax Entry, Up: Syntax
206 Altering Syntax Information
207 ---------------------------
209 It is possible to alter a character's syntax table entry by storing
210 a new number in the appropriate element of the syntax table, but it
211 would be hard to determine what number to use. Emacs therefore
212 provides a command that allows you to specify the syntactic properties
213 of a character in a convenient way.
215 `M-x modify-syntax-entry' is the command to change a character's
216 syntax. It can be used interactively and is also used by major modes
217 to initialize their own syntax tables. Its first argument is the
218 character to change. The second argument is a string that specifies the
219 new syntax. When called from Lisp code, there is a third, optional
220 argument, which specifies the syntax table in which to make the change.
221 If not supplied, or if this command is called interactively, the third
222 argument defaults to the current buffer's syntax table.
224 1. The first character in the string specifies the syntactic class.
225 It is one of the characters in the previous table (*note Syntax
228 2. The second character is the matching delimiter. For a character
229 that is not an opening or closing delimiter, this should be a
230 space, and may be omitted if no following characters are needed.
232 3. The remaining characters are flags. The flag characters allowed
236 Flag this character as the first of a two-character comment
240 Flag this character as the second of a two-character comment
244 Flag this character as the first of a two-character comment
248 Flag this character as the second of a two-character comment
251 Use `C-h s' (`describe-syntax') to display a description of the
252 contents of the current syntax table. The description of each
253 character includes both the string you have to pass to
254 `modify-syntax-entry' to set up that character's current syntax, and
255 some English to explain that string if necessary.
258 File: xemacs.info, Node: Init File, Next: Audible Bell, Prev: Syntax, Up: Customization
263 When you start Emacs, it normally loads either `.xemacs/init.el' or
264 the file `.emacs' (whichever comes first) in your home directory. This
265 file, if it exists, should contain Lisp code. It is called your
266 initialization file or "init file". Use the command line switch `-q'
267 to tell Emacs whether to load an init file (*note Entering Emacs::).
268 Use the command line switch `-user-init-file' (*note Command
269 Switches::) to tell Emacs to load a different file instead of
270 `~/.xemacs/init.el'/`~/.emacs'.
272 When the init file is read, the variable `user-init-file' says which
273 init file was loaded.
275 At some sites there is a "default init file", which is the library
276 named `default.el', found via the standard search path for libraries.
277 The Emacs distribution contains no such library; your site may create
278 one for local customizations. If this library exists, it is loaded
279 whenever you start Emacs. But your init file, if any, is loaded first;
280 if it sets `inhibit-default-init' non-`nil', then `default' is not
283 If you have a large amount of code in your init file, you should
284 byte-compile it to `~/.xemacs/init.elc' or `~/.emacs.elc'.
288 * Init Syntax:: Syntax of constants in Emacs Lisp.
289 * Init Examples:: How to do some things with an init file.
290 * Terminal Init:: Each terminal type can have an init file.
293 File: xemacs.info, Node: Init Syntax, Next: Init Examples, Up: Init File
298 The init file contains one or more Lisp function call expressions.
299 Each consists of a function name followed by arguments, all surrounded
300 by parentheses. For example, `(setq fill-column 60)' represents a call
301 to the function `setq' which is used to set the variable `fill-column'
302 (*note Filling::) to 60.
304 The second argument to `setq' is an expression for the new value of
305 the variable. This can be a constant, a variable, or a function call
306 expression. In the init file, constants are used most of the time.
310 Integers are written in decimal, with an optional initial minus
313 If a sequence of digits is followed by a period and another
314 sequence of digits, it is interpreted as a floating point number.
316 The number prefixes `#b', `#o', and `#x' are supported to
317 represent numbers in binary, octal, and hexadecimal notation (or
321 Lisp string syntax is the same as C string syntax with a few extra
322 features. Use a double-quote character to begin and end a string
325 Newlines and special characters may be present literally in
326 strings. They can also be represented as backslash sequences:
327 `\n' for newline, `\b' for backspace, `\r' for return, `\t' for
328 tab, `\f' for formfeed (control-l), `\e' for escape, `\\' for a
329 backslash, `\"' for a double-quote, or `\OOO' for the character
330 whose octal code is OOO. Backslash and double-quote are the only
331 characters for which backslash sequences are mandatory.
333 You can use `\C-' as a prefix for a control character, as in
334 `\C-s' for ASCII Control-S, and `\M-' as a prefix for a Meta
335 character, as in `\M-a' for Meta-A or `\M-\C-a' for Control-Meta-A.
338 Lisp character constant syntax consists of a `?' followed by
339 either a character or an escape sequence starting with `\'.
340 Examples: `?x', `?\n', `?\"', `?\)'. Note that strings and
341 characters are not interchangeable in Lisp; some contexts require
342 one and some contexts require the other.
345 `t' stands for `true'.
348 `nil' stands for `false'.
351 Write a single-quote (') followed by the Lisp object you want.
354 File: xemacs.info, Node: Init Examples, Next: Terminal Init, Prev: Init Syntax, Up: Init File
359 Here are some examples of doing certain commonly desired things with
362 * Make <TAB> in C mode just insert a tab if point is in the middle
365 (setq c-tab-always-indent nil)
367 Here we have a variable whose value is normally `t' for `true' and
368 the alternative is `nil' for `false'.
370 * Make searches case sensitive by default (in all buffers that do not
373 (setq-default case-fold-search nil)
375 This sets the default value, which is effective in all buffers
376 that do not have local values for the variable. Setting
377 `case-fold-search' with `setq' affects only the current buffer's
378 local value, which is probably not what you want to do in an init
381 * Make Text mode the default mode for new buffers.
383 (setq default-major-mode 'text-mode)
385 Note that `text-mode' is used because it is the command for
386 entering the mode we want. A single-quote is written before it to
387 make a symbol constant; otherwise, `text-mode' would be treated as
390 * Turn on Auto Fill mode automatically in Text mode and related
394 '(lambda () (auto-fill-mode 1)))
396 Here we have a variable whose value should be a Lisp function. The
397 function we supply is a list starting with `lambda', and a single
398 quote is written in front of it to make it (for the purpose of this
399 `setq') a list constant rather than an expression. Lisp functions
400 are not explained here; for mode hooks it is enough to know that
401 `(auto-fill-mode 1)' is an expression that will be executed when
402 Text mode is entered. You could replace it with any other
403 expression that you like, or with several expressions in a row.
405 (setq text-mode-hook 'turn-on-auto-fill)
407 This is another way to accomplish the same result.
408 `turn-on-auto-fill' is a symbol whose function definition is
409 `(lambda () (auto-fill-mode 1))'.
411 * Load the installed Lisp library named `foo' (actually a file
412 `foo.elc' or `foo.el' in a standard Emacs directory).
416 When the argument to `load' is a relative pathname, not starting
417 with `/' or `~', `load' searches the directories in `load-path'
420 * Load the compiled Lisp file `foo.elc' from your home directory.
424 Here an absolute file name is used, so no searching is done.
426 * Rebind the key `C-x l' to run the function `make-symbolic-link'.
428 (global-set-key "\C-xl" 'make-symbolic-link)
432 (define-key global-map "\C-xl" 'make-symbolic-link)
434 Note once again the single-quote used to refer to the symbol
435 `make-symbolic-link' instead of its value as a variable.
437 * Do the same thing for C mode only.
439 (define-key c-mode-map "\C-xl" 'make-symbolic-link)
441 * Bind the function key <F1> to a command in C mode. Note that the
442 names of function keys must be lower case.
444 (define-key c-mode-map 'f1 'make-symbolic-link)
446 * Bind the shifted version of <F1> to a command.
448 (define-key c-mode-map '(shift f1) 'make-symbolic-link)
450 * Redefine all keys which now run `next-line' in Fundamental mode to
451 run `forward-line' instead.
453 (substitute-key-definition 'next-line 'forward-line
456 * Make `C-x C-v' undefined.
458 (global-unset-key "\C-x\C-v")
460 One reason to undefine a key is so that you can make it a prefix.
461 Simply defining `C-x C-v ANYTHING' would make `C-x C-v' a prefix,
462 but `C-x C-v' must be freed of any non-prefix definition first.
464 * Make `$' have the syntax of punctuation in Text mode. Note the
465 use of a character constant for `$'.
467 (modify-syntax-entry ?\$ "." text-mode-syntax-table)
469 * Enable the use of the command `eval-expression' without
472 (put 'eval-expression 'disabled nil)
475 File: xemacs.info, Node: Terminal Init, Prev: Init Examples, Up: Init File
477 Terminal-Specific Initialization
478 --------------------------------
480 Each terminal type can have a Lisp library to be loaded into Emacs
481 when it is run on that type of terminal. For a terminal type named
482 TERMTYPE, the library is called `term/TERMTYPE' and it is found by
483 searching the directories `load-path' as usual and trying the suffixes
484 `.elc' and `.el'. Normally it appears in the subdirectory `term' of
485 the directory where most Emacs libraries are kept.
487 The usual purpose of the terminal-specific library is to define the
488 escape sequences used by the terminal's function keys using the library
489 `keypad.el'. See the file `term/vt100.el' for an example of how this
492 When the terminal type contains a hyphen, only the part of the name
493 before the first hyphen is significant in choosing the library name.
494 Thus, terminal types `aaa-48' and `aaa-30-rv' both use the library
495 `term/aaa'. The code in the library can use `(getenv "TERM")' to find
496 the full terminal type name.
498 The library's name is constructed by concatenating the value of the
499 variable `term-file-prefix' and the terminal type. Your init file can
500 prevent the loading of the terminal-specific library by setting
501 `term-file-prefix' to `nil'. *Note Init File::.
503 The value of the variable `term-setup-hook', if not `nil', is called
504 as a function of no arguments at the end of Emacs initialization, after
505 both your init file and any terminal-specific library have been read.
506 *Note Init File::. You can set the value in the init file to override
507 part of any of the terminal-specific libraries and to define
508 initializations for terminals that do not have a library.
511 File: xemacs.info, Node: Audible Bell, Next: Faces, Prev: Init File, Up: Customization
513 Changing the Bell Sound
514 =======================
516 You can now change how the audible bell sounds using the variable
519 `sound-alist''s value is an list associating symbols with, among
520 other things, strings of audio-data. When `ding' is called with one of
521 the symbols, the associated sound data is played instead of the
522 standard beep. This only works if you are logged in on the console of a
523 machine with audio hardware. To listen to a sound of the provided type,
524 call the function `play-sound' with the argument SOUND. You can also
525 set the volume of the sound with the optional argument VOLUME.
527 Each element of `sound-alist' is a list describing a sound. The
528 first element of the list is the name of the sound being defined.
529 Subsequent elements of the list are alternating keyword/value pairs:
532 A string of raw sound data, or the name of another sound to play.
533 The symbol `t' here means use the default X beep.
536 An integer from 0-100, defaulting to `bell-volume'.
539 If using the default X beep, the pitch (Hz) to generate.
542 If using the default X beep, the duration (milliseconds).
544 For compatibility, elements of `sound-alist' may also be of the form:
546 ( SOUND-NAME . <SOUND> )
547 ( SOUND-NAME <VOLUME> <SOUND> )
549 You should probably add things to this list by calling the function
552 Note that you can only play audio data if running on the console
553 screen of a machine with audio hardware which emacs understands, which
554 at this time means a Sun SparcStation, SGI, or HP9000s700.
556 Also note that the pitch, duration, and volume options are available
557 everywhere, but most X servers ignore the `pitch' option.
559 The variable `bell-volume' should be an integer from 0 to 100, with
560 100 being loudest, which controls how loud the sounds emacs makes
561 should be. Elements of the `sound-alist' may override this value.
562 This variable applies to the standard X bell sound as well as sound
565 If the symbol `t' is in place of a sound-string, Emacs uses the
566 default X beep. This allows you to define beep-types of different
567 volumes even when not running on the console.
569 You can add things to this list by calling the function
570 `load-sound-file', which reads in an audio-file and adds its data to
571 the sound-alist. You can specify the sound with the SOUND-NAME argument
572 and the file into which the sounds are loaded with the FILENAME
573 argument. The optional VOLUME argument sets the volume.
575 `load-sound-file (FILENAME SOUND-NAME &optional VOLUME)'
577 To load and install some sound files as beep-types, use the function
578 `load-default-sounds' (note that this only works if you are on display
579 0 of a machine with audio hardware).
581 The following beep-types are used by Emacs itself. Other Lisp
582 packages may use other beep types, but these are the ones that the C
583 kernel of Emacs uses.
586 An auto-save does not succeed
589 The Emacs command loop catches an error
592 You type a key that is undefined
595 You use an undefined mouse-click combination
598 Completion was not possible
601 You type something other than the required `y' or `n'
604 You type something other than `yes' or `no'
607 File: xemacs.info, Node: Faces, Next: Frame Components, Prev: Audible Bell, Up: Customization
612 XEmacs has objects called extents and faces. An "extent" is a
613 region of text and a "face" is a collection of textual attributes, such
614 as fonts and colors. Every extent is displayed in some face;
615 therefore, changing the properties of a face immediately updates the
616 display of all associated extents. Faces can be frame-local: you can
617 have a region of text that displays with completely different
618 attributes when its buffer is viewed from a different X window.
620 The display attributes of faces may be specified either in Lisp or
621 through the X resource manager.
626 You can change the face of an extent with the functions in this
627 section. All the functions prompt for a FACE as an argument; use
628 completion for a list of possible values.
631 Swap the foreground and background colors of the given FACE.
634 Make the font of the given FACE bold. When called from a program,
635 returns `nil' if this is not possible.
637 `M-x make-face-bold-italic'
638 Make the font of the given FACE bold italic. When called from a
639 program, returns `nil' if not possible.
641 `M-x make-face-italic'
642 Make the font of the given FACE italic. When called from a
643 program, returns `nil' if not possible.
645 `M-x make-face-unbold'
646 Make the font of the given FACE non-bold. When called from a
647 program, returns `nil' if not possible.
649 `M-x make-face-unitalic'
650 Make the font of the given FACE non-italic. When called from a
651 program, returns `nil' if not possible.
653 `M-x make-face-larger'
654 Make the font of the given FACE a little larger. When called from
655 a program, returns `nil' if not possible.
657 `M-x make-face-smaller'
658 Make the font of the given FACE a little smaller. When called
659 from a program, returns `nil' if not possible.
661 `M-x set-face-background'
662 Change the background color of the given FACE.
664 `M-x set-face-background-pixmap'
665 Change the background pixmap of the given FACE.
668 Change the font of the given FACE.
670 `M-x set-face-foreground'
671 Change the foreground color of the given FACE.
673 `M-x set-face-underline-p'
674 Change whether the given FACE is underlined.
676 You can exchange the foreground and background color of the selected
677 FACE with the function `invert-face'. If the face does not specify both
678 foreground and background, then its foreground and background are set
679 to the background and foreground of the default face. When calling
680 this from a program, you can supply the optional argument FRAME to
681 specify which frame is affected; otherwise, all frames are affected.
683 You can set the background color of the specified FACE with the
684 function `set-face-background'. The argument `color' should be a
685 string, the name of a color. When called from a program, if the
686 optional FRAME argument is provided, the face is changed only in that
687 frame; otherwise, it is changed in all frames.
689 You can set the background pixmap of the specified FACE with the
690 function `set-face-background-pixmap'. The pixmap argument NAME should
691 be a string, the name of a file of pixmap data. The directories listed
692 in the `x-bitmap-file-path' variable are searched. The bitmap may also
693 be a list of the form `(WIDTH HEIGHT DATA)', where WIDTH and HEIGHT are
694 the size in pixels, and DATA is a string containing the raw bits of the
695 bitmap. If the optional FRAME argument is provided, the face is
696 changed only in that frame; otherwise, it is changed in all frames.
698 The variable `x-bitmap-file-path' takes as a value a list of the
699 directories in which X bitmap files may be found. If the value is
700 `nil', the list is initialized from the `*bitmapFilePath' resource.
702 If the environment variable XBMLANGPATH is set, then it is consulted
703 before the `x-bitmap-file-path' variable.
705 You can set the font of the specified FACE with the function
706 `set-face-font'. The FONT argument should be a string, the name of a
707 font. When called from a program, if the optional FRAME argument is
708 provided, the face is changed only in that frame; otherwise, it is
709 changed in all frames.
711 You can set the foreground color of the specified FACE with the
712 function `set-face-foreground'. The argument COLOR should be a string,
713 the name of a color. If the optional FRAME argument is provided, the
714 face is changed only in that frame; otherwise, it is changed in all
717 You can set underline the specified FACE with the function
718 `set-face-underline-p'. The argument UNDERLINE-P can be used to make
719 underlining an attribute of the face or not. If the optional FRAME
720 argument is provided, the face is changed only in that frame;
721 otherwise, it is changed in all frames.
724 File: xemacs.info, Node: Frame Components, Next: X Resources, Prev: Faces, Up: Customization
729 You can control the presence and position of most frame components,
730 such as the menubar, toolbars, and gutters.
732 This section is not written yet. Try the Lisp Reference Manual:
733 *Note Menubar: (lispref)Menubar, *Note Toolbar Intro: (lispref)Toolbar
734 Intro, and *Note Gutter Intro: (lispref)Gutter Intro.
737 File: xemacs.info, Node: X Resources, Prev: Frame Components, Up: Customization
742 Historically, XEmacs has used the X resource application class
743 `Emacs' for its resources. Unfortunately, GNU Emacs uses the same
744 application class, and resources are not compatible between the two
745 Emacsen. This sharing of the application class often leads to trouble
746 if you want to run both variants.
748 Starting with XEmacs 21, XEmacs uses the class `XEmacs' if it finds
749 any XEmacs resources in the resource database when the X connection is
750 initialized. Otherwise, it will use the class `Emacs' for backwards
751 compatibility. The variable X-EMACS-APPLICATION-CLASS may be consulted
752 to determine the application class being used.
754 The examples in this section assume the application class is `Emacs'.
756 The Emacs resources are generally set per-frame. Each Emacs frame
757 can have its own name or the same name as another, depending on the
758 name passed to the `make-frame' function.
760 You can specify resources for all frames with the syntax:
762 Emacs*parameter: value
766 Emacs*EmacsFrame.parameter:value
768 You can specify resources for a particular frame with the syntax:
770 Emacs*FRAME-NAME.parameter: value
774 * Geometry Resources:: Controlling the size and position of frames.
775 * Iconic Resources:: Controlling whether frames come up iconic.
776 * Resource List:: List of resources settable on a frame or device.
777 * Face Resources:: Controlling faces using resources.
778 * Widgets:: The widget hierarchy for XEmacs.
779 * Menubar Resources:: Specifying resources for the menubar.
782 File: xemacs.info, Node: Geometry Resources, Next: Iconic Resources, Up: X Resources
787 To make the default size of all Emacs frames be 80 columns by 55
790 Emacs*EmacsFrame.geometry: 80x55
792 To set the geometry of a particular frame named `fred', do this:
794 Emacs*fred.geometry: 80x55
796 Important! Do not use the following syntax:
798 Emacs*geometry: 80x55
800 You should never use `*geometry' with any X application. It does not
801 say "make the geometry of Emacs be 80 columns by 55 lines." It really
802 says, "make Emacs and all subwindows thereof be 80x55 in whatever units
803 they care to measure in." In particular, that is both telling the
804 Emacs text pane to be 80x55 in characters, and telling the menubar pane
805 to be 80x55 pixels, which is surely not what you want.
807 As a special case, this geometry specification also works (and sets
808 the default size of all Emacs frames to 80 columns by 55 lines):
810 Emacs.geometry: 80x55
812 since that is the syntax used with most other applications (since most
813 other applications have only one top-level window, unlike Emacs). In
814 general, however, the top-level shell (the unmapped ApplicationShell
815 widget named `Emacs' that is the parent of the shell widgets that
816 actually manage the individual frames) does not have any interesting
817 resources on it, and you should set the resources on the frames instead.
819 The `-geometry' command-line argument sets only the geometry of the
820 initial frame created by Emacs.
822 A more complete explanation of geometry-handling is
824 * The `-geometry' command-line option sets the `Emacs.geometry'
825 resource, that is, the geometry of the ApplicationShell.
827 * For the first frame created, the size of the frame is taken from
828 the ApplicationShell if it is specified, otherwise from the
829 geometry of the frame.
831 * For subsequent frames, the order is reversed: First the frame, and
832 then the ApplicationShell.
834 * For the first frame created, the position of the frame is taken
835 from the ApplicationShell (`Emacs.geometry') if it is specified,
836 otherwise from the geometry of the frame.
838 * For subsequent frames, the position is taken only from the frame,
839 and never from the ApplicationShell.
841 This is rather complicated, but it does seem to provide the most
842 intuitive behavior with respect to the default sizes and positions of
843 frames created in various ways.
846 File: xemacs.info, Node: Iconic Resources, Next: Resource List, Prev: Geometry Resources, Up: X Resources
851 Analogous to `-geometry', the `-iconic' command-line option sets the
852 iconic flag of the ApplicationShell (`Emacs.iconic') and always applies
853 to the first frame created regardless of its name. However, it is
854 possible to set the iconic flag on particular frames (by name) by using
855 the `Emacs*FRAME-NAME.iconic' resource.
858 File: xemacs.info, Node: Resource List, Next: Face Resources, Prev: Iconic Resources, Up: X Resources
863 Emacs frames accept the following resources:
865 `geometry' (class `Geometry'): string
866 Initial geometry for the frame. *Note Geometry Resources::, for a
867 complete discussion of how this works.
869 `iconic' (class `Iconic'): boolean
870 Whether this frame should appear in the iconified state.
872 `internalBorderWidth' (class `InternalBorderWidth'): int
873 How many blank pixels to leave between the text and the edge of the
876 `interline' (class `Interline'): int
877 How many pixels to leave between each line (may not be
880 `menubar' (class `Menubar'): boolean
881 Whether newly-created frames should initially have a menubar. Set
884 `initiallyUnmapped' (class `InitiallyUnmapped'): boolean
885 Whether XEmacs should leave the initial frame unmapped when it
886 starts up. This is useful if you are starting XEmacs as a server
887 (e.g. in conjunction with gnuserv or the external client widget).
888 You can also control this with the `-unmapped' command-line option.
890 `barCursor' (class `BarColor'): boolean
891 Whether the cursor should be displayed as a bar, or the
894 `cursorColor' (class `CursorColor'): color-name
895 The color of the text cursor.
897 `scrollBarWidth' (class `ScrollBarWidth'): integer
898 How wide the vertical scrollbars should be, in pixels; 0 means no
899 vertical scrollbars. You can also use a resource specification of
900 the form `*scrollbar.width', or the usual toolkit scrollbar
901 resources: `*XmScrollBar.width' (Motif), `*XlwScrollBar.width'
902 (Lucid), or `*Scrollbar.thickness' (Athena). We don't recommend
903 that you use the toolkit resources, though, because they're
904 dependent on how exactly your particular build of XEmacs was
907 `scrollBarHeight' (class `ScrollBarHeight'): integer
908 How high the horizontal scrollbars should be, in pixels; 0 means no
909 horizontal scrollbars. You can also use a resource specification
910 of the form `*scrollbar.height', or the usual toolkit scrollbar
911 resources: `*XmScrollBar.height' (Motif), `*XlwScrollBar.height'
912 (Lucid), or `*Scrollbar.thickness' (Athena). We don't recommend
913 that you use the toolkit resources, though, because they're
914 dependent on how exactly your particular build of XEmacs was
917 `scrollBarPlacement' (class `ScrollBarPlacement'): string
918 Where the horizontal and vertical scrollbars should be positioned.
919 This should be one of the four strings `BOTTOM_LEFT',
920 `BOTTOM_RIGHT', `TOP_LEFT', and `TOP_RIGHT'. Default is
921 `BOTTOM_RIGHT' for the Motif and Lucid scrollbars and
922 `BOTTOM_LEFT' for the Athena scrollbars.
924 `topToolBarHeight' (class `TopToolBarHeight'): integer
925 `bottomToolBarHeight' (class `BottomToolBarHeight'): integer
926 `leftToolBarWidth' (class `LeftToolBarWidth'): integer
927 `rightToolBarWidth' (class `RightToolBarWidth'): integer
928 Height and width of the four possible toolbars.
930 `topToolBarShadowColor' (class `TopToolBarShadowColor'): color-name
931 `bottomToolBarShadowColor' (class `BottomToolBarShadowColor'): color-name
932 Color of the top and bottom shadows for the toolbars. NOTE: These
933 resources do _not_ have anything to do with the top and bottom
934 toolbars (i.e. the toolbars at the top and bottom of the frame)!
935 Rather, they affect the top and bottom shadows around the edges of
936 all four kinds of toolbars.
938 `topToolBarShadowPixmap' (class `TopToolBarShadowPixmap'): pixmap-name
939 `bottomToolBarShadowPixmap' (class `BottomToolBarShadowPixmap'): pixmap-name
940 Pixmap of the top and bottom shadows for the toolbars. If set,
941 these resources override the corresponding color resources. NOTE:
942 These resources do _not_ have anything to do with the top and
943 bottom toolbars (i.e. the toolbars at the top and bottom of the
944 frame)! Rather, they affect the top and bottom shadows around the
945 edges of all four kinds of toolbars.
947 `toolBarShadowThickness' (class `ToolBarShadowThickness'): integer
948 Thickness of the shadows around the toolbars, in pixels.
950 `visualBell' (class `VisualBell'): boolean
951 Whether XEmacs should flash the screen rather than making an
954 `bellVolume' (class `BellVolume'): integer
955 Volume of the audible beep.
957 `useBackingStore' (class `UseBackingStore'): boolean
958 Whether XEmacs should set the backing-store attribute of the X
959 windows it creates. This increases the memory usage of the X
960 server but decreases the amount of X traffic necessary to update
961 the screen, and is useful when the connection to the X server goes
962 over a low-bandwidth line such as a modem connection.
964 Emacs devices accept the following resources:
966 `textPointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
967 The cursor to use when the mouse is over text. This resource is
968 used to initialize the variable `x-pointer-shape'.
970 `selectionPointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
971 The cursor to use when the mouse is over a selectable text region
972 (an extent with the `highlight' property; for example, an Info
973 cross-reference). This resource is used to initialize the variable
974 `x-selection-pointer-shape'.
976 `spacePointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
977 The cursor to use when the mouse is over a blank space in a buffer
978 (that is, after the end of a line or after the end-of-file). This
979 resource is used to initialize the variable
980 `x-nontext-pointer-shape'.
982 `modeLinePointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
983 The cursor to use when the mouse is over a modeline. This
984 resource is used to initialize the variable `x-mode-pointer-shape'.
986 `gcPointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
987 The cursor to display when a garbage-collection is in progress.
988 This resource is used to initialize the variable
989 `x-gc-pointer-shape'.
991 `scrollbarPointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
992 The cursor to use when the mouse is over the scrollbar. This
993 resource is used to initialize the variable
994 `x-scrollbar-pointer-shape'.
996 `pointerColor' (class `Foreground'): color-name
997 `pointerBackground' (class `Background'): color-name
998 The foreground and background colors of the mouse cursor. These
999 resources are used to initialize the variables
1000 `x-pointer-foreground-color' and `x-pointer-background-color'.
1003 File: xemacs.info, Node: Face Resources, Next: Widgets, Prev: Resource List, Up: X Resources
1008 The attributes of faces are also per-frame. They can be specified as:
1010 Emacs.FACE_NAME.parameter: value
1014 Emacs*FRAME_NAME.FACE_NAME.parameter: value
1016 Faces accept the following resources:
1018 `attributeFont' (class `AttributeFont'): font-name
1019 The font of this face.
1021 `attributeForeground' (class `AttributeForeground'): color-name
1022 `attributeBackground' (class `AttributeBackground'): color-name
1023 The foreground and background colors of this face.
1025 `attributeBackgroundPixmap' (class `AttributeBackgroundPixmap'): file-name
1026 The name of an XBM file (or XPM file, if your version of Emacs
1027 supports XPM), to use as a background stipple.
1029 `attributeUnderline' (class `AttributeUnderline'): boolean
1030 Whether text in this face should be underlined.
1032 All text is displayed in some face, defaulting to the face named
1033 `default'. To set the font of normal text, use
1034 `Emacs*default.attributeFont'. To set it in the frame named `fred', use
1035 `Emacs*fred.default.attributeFont'.
1037 These are the names of the predefined faces:
1040 Everything inherits from this.
1043 If this is not specified in the resource database, Emacs tries to
1044 find a bold version of the font of the default face.
1047 If this is not specified in the resource database, Emacs tries to
1048 find an italic version of the font of the default face.
1051 If this is not specified in the resource database, Emacs tries to
1052 find a bold-italic version of the font of the default face.
1055 This is the face that the modeline is displayed in. If not
1056 specified in the resource database, it is determined from the
1057 default face by reversing the foreground and background colors.
1060 This is the face that highlighted extents (for example, Info
1061 cross-references and possible completions, when the mouse passes
1062 over them) are displayed in.
1066 These are the faces that the left and right annotation margins are
1070 This is the face that mouse selections are displayed in.
1073 This is the face that the matched text being searched for is
1077 This is the face of info menu items. If unspecified, it is copied
1081 This is the face of info cross-references. If unspecified, it is
1082 copied from `bold'. (Note that, when the mouse passes over a
1083 cross-reference, the cross-reference's face is determined from a
1084 combination of the `info-xref' and `highlight' faces.)
1086 Other packages might define their own faces; to see a list of all
1087 faces, use any of the interactive face-manipulation commands such as
1088 `set-face-font' and type `?' when you are prompted for the name of a
1091 If the `bold', `italic', and `bold-italic' faces are not specified
1092 in the resource database, then XEmacs attempts to derive them from the
1093 font of the default face. It can only succeed at this if you have
1094 specified the default font using the XLFD (X Logical Font Description)
1095 format, which looks like
1097 *-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*
1099 If you use any of the other, less strict font name formats, some of
1102 lucidasanstypewriter-12
1106 then XEmacs won't be able to guess the names of the bold and italic
1107 versions. All X fonts can be referred to via XLFD-style names, so you
1108 should use those forms. See the man pages for `X(1)', `xlsfonts(1)',
1112 File: xemacs.info, Node: Widgets, Next: Menubar Resources, Prev: Face Resources, Up: X Resources
1117 There are several structural widgets between the terminal EmacsFrame
1118 widget and the top level ApplicationShell; the exact names and types of
1119 these widgets change from release to release (for example, they changed
1120 between 19.8 and 19.9, 19.9 and 19.10, and 19.10 and 19.12) and are
1121 subject to further change in the future, so you should avoid mentioning
1122 them in your resource database. The above-mentioned syntaxes should be
1123 forward- compatible. As of 19.13, the exact widget hierarchy is as
1126 INVOCATION-NAME "shell" "container" FRAME-NAME
1127 x-emacs-application-class "EmacsShell" "EmacsManager" "EmacsFrame"
1129 where INVOCATION-NAME is the terminal component of the name of the
1130 XEmacs executable (usually `xemacs'), and `x-emacs-application-class'
1131 is generally `Emacs'.
1134 File: xemacs.info, Node: Menubar Resources, Prev: Widgets, Up: X Resources
1139 As the menubar is implemented as a widget which is not a part of
1140 XEmacs proper, it does not use the face mechanism for specifying fonts
1141 and colors: It uses whatever resources are appropriate to the type of
1142 widget which is used to implement it.
1144 If Emacs was compiled to use only the Lucid Motif-lookalike menu
1145 widgets, then one way to specify the font of the menubar would be
1147 Emacs*menubar*font: *-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*
1149 If both the Lucid Motif-lookalike menu widgets and X Font Sets are
1150 configured to allow multilingual menubars, then one uses
1152 *menubar*FontSet: -*-helvetica-bold-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-iso8859-*, \
1153 -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-120-*-jisx0208.1983-0
1155 That would specify fonts for a Japanese menubar. Specifying only one
1156 XLFD is acceptable; specifying more than one for a given registry
1157 (language) is also allowed. When X Font Sets are configured, some .font
1158 resources (eg, menubars) are ignored in favor of the corresponding
1161 If the Motif library is being used, then one would have to use
1163 Emacs*menubar*fontList: *-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*
1165 because the Motif library uses the `fontList' resource name instead
1166 of `font', which has subtly different semantics.
1168 The same is true of the scrollbars: They accept whichever resources
1169 are appropriate for the toolkit in use.
1172 File: xemacs.info, Node: Quitting, Next: Lossage, Prev: Customization, Up: Top
1174 Quitting and Aborting
1175 =====================
1178 Quit. Cancel running or partially typed command.
1181 Abort innermost recursive editing level and cancel the command
1182 which invoked it (`abort-recursive-edit').
1185 Abort all recursive editing levels that are currently executing.
1188 Cancel an already-executed command, usually (`undo').
1190 There are two ways of cancelling commands which are not finished
1191 executing: "quitting" with `C-g', and "aborting" with `C-]' or `M-x
1192 top-level'. Quitting is cancelling a partially typed command or one
1193 which is already running. Aborting is getting out of a recursive
1194 editing level and cancelling the command that invoked the recursive
1197 Quitting with `C-g' is used for getting rid of a partially typed
1198 command or a numeric argument that you don't want. It also stops a
1199 running command in the middle in a relatively safe way, so you can use
1200 it if you accidentally start executing a command that takes a long
1201 time. In particular, it is safe to quit out of killing; either your
1202 text will ALL still be there, or it will ALL be in the kill ring (or
1203 maybe both). Quitting an incremental search does special things
1204 documented under searching; in general, it may take two successive
1205 `C-g' characters to get out of a search. `C-g' works by setting the
1206 variable `quit-flag' to `t' the instant `C-g' is typed; Emacs Lisp
1207 checks this variable frequently and quits if it is non-`nil'. `C-g' is
1208 only actually executed as a command if it is typed while Emacs is
1211 If you quit twice in a row before the first `C-g' is recognized, you
1212 activate the "emergency escape" feature and return to the shell. *Note
1215 You can use `C-]' (`abort-recursive-edit') to get out of a recursive
1216 editing level and cancel the command which invoked it. Quitting with
1217 `C-g' does not do this, and could not do this because it is used to
1218 cancel a partially typed command within the recursive editing level.
1219 Both operations are useful. For example, if you are in the Emacs
1220 debugger (*note Lisp Debug::) and have typed `C-u 8' to enter a numeric
1221 argument, you can cancel that argument with `C-g' and remain in the
1224 The command `M-x top-level' is equivalent to "enough" `C-]' commands
1225 to get you out of all the levels of recursive edits that you are in.
1226 `C-]' only gets you out one level at a time, but `M-x top-level' goes
1227 out all levels at once. Both `C-]' and `M-x top-level' are like all
1228 other commands and unlike `C-g' in that they are effective only when
1229 Emacs is ready for a command. `C-]' is an ordinary key and has its
1230 meaning only because of its binding in the keymap. *Note Recursive
1233 `C-x u' (`undo') is not strictly speaking a way of cancelling a
1234 command, but you can think of it as cancelling a command already
1235 finished executing. *Note Undo::.
1238 File: xemacs.info, Node: Lossage, Next: Bugs, Prev: Quitting, Up: Top
1240 Dealing With Emacs Trouble
1241 ==========================
1243 This section describes various conditions in which Emacs fails to
1244 work, and how to recognize them and correct them.
1248 * Stuck Recursive:: `[...]' in mode line around the parentheses.
1249 * Screen Garbled:: Garbage on the screen.
1250 * Text Garbled:: Garbage in the text.
1251 * Unasked-for Search:: Spontaneous entry to incremental search.
1252 * Emergency Escape:: Emergency escape---
1253 What to do if Emacs stops responding.
1254 * Total Frustration:: When you are at your wits' end.
1257 File: xemacs.info, Node: Stuck Recursive, Next: Screen Garbled, Prev: Lossage, Up: Lossage
1259 Recursive Editing Levels
1260 ------------------------
1262 Recursive editing levels are important and useful features of Emacs,
1263 but they can seem like malfunctions to the user who does not understand
1266 If the mode line has square brackets `[...]' around the parentheses
1267 that contain the names of the major and minor modes, you have entered a
1268 recursive editing level. If you did not do this on purpose, or if you
1269 don't understand what that means, you should just get out of the
1270 recursive editing level. To do so, type `M-x top-level'. This is
1271 called getting back to top level. *Note Recursive Edit::.