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: Keymaps, Next: Rebinding, Up: Key Bindings
38 The bindings between characters and command functions are recorded in
39 data structures called "keymaps". Emacs has many of these. One, the
40 "global" keymap, defines the meanings of the single-character keys that
41 are defined regardless of major mode. It is the value of the variable
44 Each major mode has another keymap, its "local keymap", which
45 contains overriding definitions for the single-character keys that are
46 redefined in that mode. Each buffer records which local keymap is
47 installed for it at any time, and the current buffer's local keymap is
48 the only one that directly affects command execution. The local keymaps
49 for Lisp mode, C mode, and many other major modes always exist even when
50 not in use. They are the values of the variables `lisp-mode-map',
51 `c-mode-map', and so on. For less frequently used major modes, the
52 local keymap is sometimes constructed only when the mode is used for the
53 first time in a session, to save space.
55 There are local keymaps for the minibuffer, too; they contain various
56 completion and exit commands.
58 * `minibuffer-local-map' is used for ordinary input (no completion).
60 * `minibuffer-local-ns-map' is similar, except that <SPC> exits just
61 like <RET>. This is used mainly for Mocklisp compatibility.
63 * `minibuffer-local-completion-map' is for permissive completion.
65 * `minibuffer-local-must-match-map' is for strict completion and for
68 * `repeat-complex-command-map' is for use in `C-x <ESC>'.
70 * `isearch-mode-map' contains the bindings of the special keys which
71 are bound in the pseudo-mode entered with `C-s' and `C-r'.
73 Finally, each prefix key has a keymap which defines the key sequences
74 that start with it. For example, `ctl-x-map' is the keymap used for
75 characters following a `C-x'.
77 * `ctl-x-map' is the variable name for the map used for characters
80 * `help-map' is used for characters that follow `C-h'.
82 * `esc-map' is for characters that follow <ESC>. All Meta characters
83 are actually defined by this map.
85 * `ctl-x-4-map' is for characters that follow `C-x 4'.
87 * `mode-specific-map' is for characters that follow `C-c'.
89 The definition of a prefix key is the keymap to use for looking up
90 the following character. Sometimes the definition is actually a Lisp
91 symbol whose function definition is the following character keymap. The
92 effect is the same, but it provides a command name for the prefix key
93 that you can use as a description of what the prefix key is for. Thus
94 the binding of `C-x' is the symbol `Ctl-X-Prefix', whose function
95 definition is the keymap for `C-x' commands, the value of `ctl-x-map'.
97 Prefix key definitions can appear in either the global map or a
98 local map. The definitions of `C-c', `C-x', `C-h', and <ESC> as prefix
99 keys appear in the global map, so these prefix keys are always
100 available. Major modes can locally redefine a key as a prefix by
101 putting a prefix key definition for it in the local map.
103 A mode can also put a prefix definition of a global prefix character
104 such as `C-x' into its local map. This is how major modes override the
105 definitions of certain keys that start with `C-x'. This case is
106 special, because the local definition does not entirely replace the
107 global one. When both the global and local definitions of a key are
108 other keymaps, the next character is looked up in both keymaps, with
109 the local definition overriding the global one. The character after the
110 `C-x' is looked up in both the major mode's own keymap for redefined
111 `C-x' commands and in `ctl-x-map'. If the major mode's own keymap for
112 `C-x' commands contains `nil', the definition from the global keymap
113 for `C-x' commands is used.
116 File: xemacs.info, Node: Rebinding, Next: Disabling, Prev: Keymaps, Up: Key Bindings
118 Changing Key Bindings
119 ---------------------
121 You can redefine an Emacs key by changing its entry in a keymap.
122 You can change the global keymap, in which case the change is effective
123 in all major modes except those that have their own overriding local
124 definitions for the same key. Or you can change the current buffer's
125 local map, which affects all buffers using the same major mode.
129 * Interactive Rebinding:: Changing Key Bindings Interactively
130 * Programmatic Rebinding:: Changing Key Bindings Programmatically
131 * Key Bindings Using Strings:: Using Strings for Changing Key Bindings
134 File: xemacs.info, Node: Interactive Rebinding, Next: Programmatic Rebinding, Up: Rebinding
136 Changing Key Bindings Interactively
137 ...................................
139 `M-x global-set-key <RET> KEY CMD <RET>'
140 Defines KEY globally to run CMD.
142 `M-x local-set-key <RET> KEYS CMD <RET>'
143 Defines KEY locally (in the major mode now in effect) to run CMD.
145 `M-x local-unset-key <RET> KEYS <RET>'
146 Removes the local binding of KEY.
148 CMD is a symbol naming an interactively-callable function.
150 When called interactively, KEY is the next complete key sequence
151 that you type. When called as a function, KEY is a string, a vector of
152 events, or a vector of key-description lists as described in the
153 `define-key' function description. The binding goes in the current
154 buffer's local map, which is shared with other buffers in the same
157 The following example:
159 M-x global-set-key <RET> C-f next-line <RET>
161 redefines `C-f' to move down a line. The fact that CMD is read second
162 makes it serve as a kind of confirmation for KEY.
164 These functions offer no way to specify a particular prefix keymap as
165 the one to redefine in, but that is not necessary, as you can include
166 prefixes in KEY. KEY is read by reading characters one by one until
167 they amount to a complete key (that is, not a prefix key). Thus, if
168 you type `C-f' for KEY, Emacs enters the minibuffer immediately to read
169 CMD. But if you type `C-x', another character is read; if that
170 character is `4', another character is read, and so on. For example,
172 M-x global-set-key <RET> C-x 4 $ spell-other-window <RET>
174 redefines `C-x 4 $' to run the (fictitious) command
175 `spell-other-window'.
177 The most general way to modify a keymap is the function
178 `define-key', used in Lisp code (such as your init file). `define-key'
179 takes three arguments: the keymap, the key to modify in it, and the new
180 definition. *Note Init File::, for an example.
181 `substitute-key-definition' is used similarly; it takes three
182 arguments, an old definition, a new definition, and a keymap, and
183 redefines in that keymap all keys that were previously defined with the
184 old definition to have the new definition instead.
187 File: xemacs.info, Node: Programmatic Rebinding, Next: Key Bindings Using Strings, Prev: Interactive Rebinding, Up: Rebinding
189 Changing Key Bindings Programmatically
190 ......................................
192 You can use the functions `global-set-key' and `define-key' to
193 rebind keys under program control.
195 ``(global-set-key KEYS CMD)''
196 Defines KEYS globally to run CMD.
198 ``(define-key KEYMAP KEYS DEF)''
199 Defines KEYS to run DEF in the keymap KEYMAP.
201 KEYMAP is a keymap object.
203 KEYS is the sequence of keystrokes to bind.
205 DEF is anything that can be a key's definition:
207 * `nil', meaning key is undefined in this keymap
209 * A command, that is, a Lisp function suitable for interactive
212 * A string or key sequence vector, which is treated as a keyboard
215 * A keymap to define a prefix key
217 * A symbol so that when the key is looked up, the symbol stands for
218 its function definition, which should at that time be one of the
219 above, or another symbol whose function definition is used, and so
222 * A cons, `(string . defn)', meaning that DEFN is the definition
223 (DEFN should be a valid definition in its own right)
225 * A cons, `(keymap . char)', meaning use the definition of CHAR in
228 For backward compatibility, XEmacs allows you to specify key
229 sequences as strings. However, the preferred method is to use the
230 representations of key sequences as vectors of keystrokes. *Note
231 Keystrokes::, for more information about the rules for constructing key
234 Emacs allows you to abbreviate representations for key sequences in
235 most places where there is no ambiguity. Here are some rules for
238 * The keysym by itself is equivalent to a list of just that keysym,
239 i.e., `f1' is equivalent to `(f1)'.
241 * A keystroke by itself is equivalent to a vector containing just
242 that keystroke, i.e., `(control a)' is equivalent to `[(control
245 * You can use ASCII codes for keysyms that have them. i.e., `65' is
246 equivalent to `A'. (This is not so much an abbreviation as an
247 alternate representation.)
249 Here are some examples of programmatically binding keys:
252 ;;; Bind `my-command' to <f1>
253 (global-set-key 'f1 'my-command)
255 ;;; Bind `my-command' to Shift-f1
256 (global-set-key '(shift f1) 'my-command)
258 ;;; Bind `my-command' to C-c Shift-f1
259 (global-set-key '[(control c) (shift f1)] 'my-command)
261 ;;; Bind `my-command' to the middle mouse button.
262 (global-set-key 'button2 'my-command)
264 ;;; Bind `my-command' to <META> <CTL> <Right Mouse Button>
265 ;;; in the keymap that is in force when you are running `dired'.
266 (define-key dired-mode-map '(meta control button3) 'my-command)
269 File: xemacs.info, Node: Key Bindings Using Strings, Prev: Programmatic Rebinding, Up: Rebinding
271 Using Strings for Changing Key Bindings
272 .......................................
274 For backward compatibility, you can still use strings to represent
275 key sequences. Thus you can use commands like the following:
277 ;;; Bind `end-of-line' to C-f
278 (global-set-key "\C-f" 'end-of-line)
280 Note, however, that in some cases you may be binding more than one
281 key sequence by using a single command. This situation can arise
282 because in ASCII, `C-i' and <TAB> have the same representation.
283 Therefore, when Emacs sees:
285 (global-set-key "\C-i" 'end-of-line)
287 it is unclear whether the user intended to bind `C-i' or <TAB>. The
288 solution XEmacs adopts is to bind both of these key sequences.
290 After binding a command to two key sequences with a form like:
292 (define-key global-map "\^X\^I" 'command-1)
294 it is possible to redefine only one of those sequences like so:
296 (define-key global-map [(control x) (control i)] 'command-2)
297 (define-key global-map [(control x) tab] 'command-3)
299 This applies only when running under a window system. If you are
300 talking to Emacs through an ASCII-only channel, you do not get any of
303 Here is a table of pairs of key sequences that behave in a similar
312 control @ control space
315 File: xemacs.info, Node: Disabling, Prev: Rebinding, Up: Key Bindings
320 Disabling a command marks it as requiring confirmation before it can
321 be executed. The purpose of disabling a command is to prevent
322 beginning users from executing it by accident and being confused.
324 The direct mechanism for disabling a command is to have a non-`nil'
325 `disabled' property on the Lisp symbol for the command. These
326 properties are normally set by the user's init file with Lisp
329 (put 'delete-region 'disabled t)
333 If the value of the `disabled' property is a string, that string is
334 included in the message printed when the command is used:
336 (put 'delete-region 'disabled
337 "Text deleted this way cannot be yanked back!\n")
339 You can disable a command either by editing the init file directly
340 or with the command `M-x disable-command', which edits the init file
341 for you. *Note Init File::.
343 When you attempt to invoke a disabled command interactively in Emacs,
344 a window is displayed containing the command's name, its documentation,
345 and some instructions on what to do next; then Emacs asks for input
346 saying whether to execute the command as requested, enable it and
347 execute, or cancel it. If you decide to enable the command, you are
348 asked whether to do this permanently or just for the current session.
349 Enabling permanently works by automatically editing your init file.
350 You can use `M-x enable-command' at any time to enable any command
353 Whether a command is disabled is independent of what key is used to
354 invoke it; it also applies if the command is invoked using `M-x'.
355 Disabling a command has no effect on calling it as a function from Lisp
359 File: xemacs.info, Node: Syntax, Next: Init File, Prev: Key Bindings, Up: Customization
364 All the Emacs commands which parse words or balance parentheses are
365 controlled by the "syntax table". The syntax table specifies which
366 characters are opening delimiters, which are parts of words, which are
367 string quotes, and so on. Actually, each major mode has its own syntax
368 table (though sometimes related major modes use the same one) which it
369 installs in each buffer that uses that major mode. The syntax table
370 installed in the current buffer is the one that all commands use, so we
371 call it "the" syntax table. A syntax table is a Lisp object, a vector
372 of length 256 whose elements are numbers.
376 * Entry: Syntax Entry. What the syntax table records for each character.
377 * Change: Syntax Change. How to change the information.
380 File: xemacs.info, Node: Syntax Entry, Next: Syntax Change, Up: Syntax
382 Information About Each Character
383 --------------------------------
385 The syntax table entry for a character is a number that encodes six
386 pieces of information:
388 * The syntactic class of the character, represented as a small
391 * The matching delimiter, for delimiter characters only (the
392 matching delimiter of `(' is `)', and vice versa)
394 * A flag saying whether the character is the first character of a
395 two-character comment starting sequence
397 * A flag saying whether the character is the second character of a
398 two-character comment starting sequence
400 * A flag saying whether the character is the first character of a
401 two-character comment ending sequence
403 * A flag saying whether the character is the second character of a
404 two-character comment ending sequence
406 The syntactic classes are stored internally as small integers, but
407 are usually described to or by the user with characters. For example,
408 `(' is used to specify the syntactic class of opening delimiters. Here
409 is a table of syntactic classes, with the characters that specify them.
412 The class of whitespace characters.
415 The class of word-constituent characters.
418 The class of characters that are part of symbol names but not
419 words. This class is represented by `_' because the character `_'
420 has this class in both C and Lisp.
423 The class of punctuation characters that do not fit into any other
427 The class of opening delimiters.
430 The class of closing delimiters.
433 The class of expression-adhering characters. These characters are
434 part of a symbol if found within or adjacent to one, and are part
435 of a following expression if immediately preceding one, but are
436 like whitespace if surrounded by whitespace.
439 The class of string-quote characters. They match each other in
440 pairs, and the characters within the pair all lose their syntactic
441 significance except for the `\' and `/' classes of escape
442 characters, which can be used to include a string-quote inside the
446 The class of self-matching delimiters. This is intended for TeX's
447 `$', which is used both to enter and leave math mode. Thus, a
448 pair of matching `$' characters surround each piece of math mode
449 TeX input. A pair of adjacent `$' characters act like a single
450 one for purposes of matching.
453 The class of escape characters that always just deny the following
454 character its special syntactic significance. The character after
455 one of these escapes is always treated as alphabetic.
458 The class of C-style escape characters. In practice, these are
459 treated just like `/'-class characters, because the extra
460 possibilities for C escapes (such as being followed by digits)
461 have no effect on where the containing expression ends.
464 The class of comment-starting characters. Only single-character
465 comment starters (such as `;' in Lisp mode) are represented this
469 The class of comment-ending characters. Newline has this syntax in
472 The characters flagged as part of two-character comment delimiters
473 can have other syntactic functions most of the time. For example, `/'
474 and `*' in C code, when found separately, have nothing to do with
475 comments. The comment-delimiter significance overrides when the pair of
476 characters occur together in the proper order. Only the list and sexp
477 commands use the syntax table to find comments; the commands
478 specifically for comments have other variables that tell them where to
479 find comments. Moreover, the list and sexp commands notice comments
480 only if `parse-sexp-ignore-comments' is non-`nil'. This variable is set
481 to `nil' in modes where comment-terminator sequences are liable to
482 appear where there is no comment, for example, in Lisp mode where the
483 comment terminator is a newline but not every newline ends a comment.
486 File: xemacs.info, Node: Syntax Change, Prev: Syntax Entry, Up: Syntax
488 Altering Syntax Information
489 ---------------------------
491 It is possible to alter a character's syntax table entry by storing
492 a new number in the appropriate element of the syntax table, but it
493 would be hard to determine what number to use. Emacs therefore
494 provides a command that allows you to specify the syntactic properties
495 of a character in a convenient way.
497 `M-x modify-syntax-entry' is the command to change a character's
498 syntax. It can be used interactively and is also used by major modes
499 to initialize their own syntax tables. Its first argument is the
500 character to change. The second argument is a string that specifies the
501 new syntax. When called from Lisp code, there is a third, optional
502 argument, which specifies the syntax table in which to make the change.
503 If not supplied, or if this command is called interactively, the third
504 argument defaults to the current buffer's syntax table.
506 1. The first character in the string specifies the syntactic class.
507 It is one of the characters in the previous table (*note Syntax
510 2. The second character is the matching delimiter. For a character
511 that is not an opening or closing delimiter, this should be a
512 space, and may be omitted if no following characters are needed.
514 3. The remaining characters are flags. The flag characters allowed
518 Flag this character as the first of a two-character comment
522 Flag this character as the second of a two-character comment
526 Flag this character as the first of a two-character comment
530 Flag this character as the second of a two-character comment
533 Use `C-h s' (`describe-syntax') to display a description of the
534 contents of the current syntax table. The description of each
535 character includes both the string you have to pass to
536 `modify-syntax-entry' to set up that character's current syntax, and
537 some English to explain that string if necessary.
540 File: xemacs.info, Node: Init File, Next: Audible Bell, Prev: Syntax, Up: Customization
545 When you start Emacs, it normally loads either `.xemacs/init.el' or
546 the file `.emacs' (whichever comes first) in your home directory. This
547 file, if it exists, should contain Lisp code. It is called your
548 initialization file or "init file". Use the command line switch `-q'
549 to tell Emacs whether to load an init file (*note Entering Emacs::).
550 Use the command line switch `-user-init-file' (*note Command
551 Switches::) to tell Emacs to load a different file instead of
552 `~/.xemacs/init.el'/`~/.emacs'.
554 When the init file is read, the variable `user-init-file' says which
555 init file was loaded.
557 At some sites there is a "default init file", which is the library
558 named `default.el', found via the standard search path for libraries.
559 The Emacs distribution contains no such library; your site may create
560 one for local customizations. If this library exists, it is loaded
561 whenever you start Emacs. But your init file, if any, is loaded first;
562 if it sets `inhibit-default-init' non-`nil', then `default' is not
565 If you have a large amount of code in your init file, you should
566 byte-compile it to `~/.xemacs/init.elc' or `~/.emacs.elc'.
570 * Init Syntax:: Syntax of constants in Emacs Lisp.
571 * Init Examples:: How to do some things with an init file.
572 * Terminal Init:: Each terminal type can have an init file.
575 File: xemacs.info, Node: Init Syntax, Next: Init Examples, Up: Init File
580 The init file contains one or more Lisp function call expressions.
581 Each consists of a function name followed by arguments, all surrounded
582 by parentheses. For example, `(setq fill-column 60)' represents a call
583 to the function `setq' which is used to set the variable `fill-column'
584 (*note Filling::) to 60.
586 The second argument to `setq' is an expression for the new value of
587 the variable. This can be a constant, a variable, or a function call
588 expression. In the init file, constants are used most of the time.
592 Integers are written in decimal, with an optional initial minus
595 If a sequence of digits is followed by a period and another
596 sequence of digits, it is interpreted as a floating point number.
598 The number prefixes `#b', `#o', and `#x' are supported to
599 represent numbers in binary, octal, and hexadecimal notation (or
603 Lisp string syntax is the same as C string syntax with a few extra
604 features. Use a double-quote character to begin and end a string
607 Newlines and special characters may be present literally in
608 strings. They can also be represented as backslash sequences:
609 `\n' for newline, `\b' for backspace, `\r' for return, `\t' for
610 tab, `\f' for formfeed (control-l), `\e' for escape, `\\' for a
611 backslash, `\"' for a double-quote, or `\OOO' for the character
612 whose octal code is OOO. Backslash and double-quote are the only
613 characters for which backslash sequences are mandatory.
615 You can use `\C-' as a prefix for a control character, as in
616 `\C-s' for ASCII Control-S, and `\M-' as a prefix for a Meta
617 character, as in `\M-a' for Meta-A or `\M-\C-a' for Control-Meta-A.
620 Lisp character constant syntax consists of a `?' followed by
621 either a character or an escape sequence starting with `\'.
622 Examples: `?x', `?\n', `?\"', `?\)'. Note that strings and
623 characters are not interchangeable in Lisp; some contexts require
624 one and some contexts require the other.
627 `t' stands for `true'.
630 `nil' stands for `false'.
633 Write a single-quote (') followed by the Lisp object you want.
636 File: xemacs.info, Node: Init Examples, Next: Terminal Init, Prev: Init Syntax, Up: Init File
641 Here are some examples of doing certain commonly desired things with
644 * Make <TAB> in C mode just insert a tab if point is in the middle
647 (setq c-tab-always-indent nil)
649 Here we have a variable whose value is normally `t' for `true' and
650 the alternative is `nil' for `false'.
652 * Make searches case sensitive by default (in all buffers that do not
655 (setq-default case-fold-search nil)
657 This sets the default value, which is effective in all buffers
658 that do not have local values for the variable. Setting
659 `case-fold-search' with `setq' affects only the current buffer's
660 local value, which is probably not what you want to do in an init
663 * Make Text mode the default mode for new buffers.
665 (setq default-major-mode 'text-mode)
667 Note that `text-mode' is used because it is the command for
668 entering the mode we want. A single-quote is written before it to
669 make a symbol constant; otherwise, `text-mode' would be treated as
672 * Turn on Auto Fill mode automatically in Text mode and related
676 '(lambda () (auto-fill-mode 1)))
678 Here we have a variable whose value should be a Lisp function. The
679 function we supply is a list starting with `lambda', and a single
680 quote is written in front of it to make it (for the purpose of this
681 `setq') a list constant rather than an expression. Lisp functions
682 are not explained here; for mode hooks it is enough to know that
683 `(auto-fill-mode 1)' is an expression that will be executed when
684 Text mode is entered. You could replace it with any other
685 expression that you like, or with several expressions in a row.
687 (setq text-mode-hook 'turn-on-auto-fill)
689 This is another way to accomplish the same result.
690 `turn-on-auto-fill' is a symbol whose function definition is
691 `(lambda () (auto-fill-mode 1))'.
693 * Load the installed Lisp library named `foo' (actually a file
694 `foo.elc' or `foo.el' in a standard Emacs directory).
698 When the argument to `load' is a relative pathname, not starting
699 with `/' or `~', `load' searches the directories in `load-path'
702 * Load the compiled Lisp file `foo.elc' from your home directory.
706 Here an absolute file name is used, so no searching is done.
708 * Rebind the key `C-x l' to run the function `make-symbolic-link'.
710 (global-set-key "\C-xl" 'make-symbolic-link)
714 (define-key global-map "\C-xl" 'make-symbolic-link)
716 Note once again the single-quote used to refer to the symbol
717 `make-symbolic-link' instead of its value as a variable.
719 * Do the same thing for C mode only.
721 (define-key c-mode-map "\C-xl" 'make-symbolic-link)
723 * Bind the function key <F1> to a command in C mode. Note that the
724 names of function keys must be lower case.
726 (define-key c-mode-map 'f1 'make-symbolic-link)
728 * Bind the shifted version of <F1> to a command.
730 (define-key c-mode-map '(shift f1) 'make-symbolic-link)
732 * Redefine all keys which now run `next-line' in Fundamental mode to
733 run `forward-line' instead.
735 (substitute-key-definition 'next-line 'forward-line
738 * Make `C-x C-v' undefined.
740 (global-unset-key "\C-x\C-v")
742 One reason to undefine a key is so that you can make it a prefix.
743 Simply defining `C-x C-v ANYTHING' would make `C-x C-v' a prefix,
744 but `C-x C-v' must be freed of any non-prefix definition first.
746 * Make `$' have the syntax of punctuation in Text mode. Note the
747 use of a character constant for `$'.
749 (modify-syntax-entry ?\$ "." text-mode-syntax-table)
751 * Enable the use of the command `eval-expression' without
754 (put 'eval-expression 'disabled nil)
757 File: xemacs.info, Node: Terminal Init, Prev: Init Examples, Up: Init File
759 Terminal-Specific Initialization
760 --------------------------------
762 Each terminal type can have a Lisp library to be loaded into Emacs
763 when it is run on that type of terminal. For a terminal type named
764 TERMTYPE, the library is called `term/TERMTYPE' and it is found by
765 searching the directories `load-path' as usual and trying the suffixes
766 `.elc' and `.el'. Normally it appears in the subdirectory `term' of
767 the directory where most Emacs libraries are kept.
769 The usual purpose of the terminal-specific library is to define the
770 escape sequences used by the terminal's function keys using the library
771 `keypad.el'. See the file `term/vt100.el' for an example of how this
774 When the terminal type contains a hyphen, only the part of the name
775 before the first hyphen is significant in choosing the library name.
776 Thus, terminal types `aaa-48' and `aaa-30-rv' both use the library
777 `term/aaa'. The code in the library can use `(getenv "TERM")' to find
778 the full terminal type name.
780 The library's name is constructed by concatenating the value of the
781 variable `term-file-prefix' and the terminal type. Your init file can
782 prevent the loading of the terminal-specific library by setting
783 `term-file-prefix' to `nil'. *Note Init File::.
785 The value of the variable `term-setup-hook', if not `nil', is called
786 as a function of no arguments at the end of Emacs initialization, after
787 both your init file and any terminal-specific library have been read.
788 *Note Init File::. You can set the value in the init file to override
789 part of any of the terminal-specific libraries and to define
790 initializations for terminals that do not have a library.
793 File: xemacs.info, Node: Audible Bell, Next: Faces, Prev: Init File, Up: Customization
795 Changing the Bell Sound
796 =======================
798 You can now change how the audible bell sounds using the variable
801 `sound-alist''s value is an list associating symbols with, among
802 other things, strings of audio-data. When `ding' is called with one of
803 the symbols, the associated sound data is played instead of the
804 standard beep. This only works if you are logged in on the console of a
805 machine with audio hardware. To listen to a sound of the provided type,
806 call the function `play-sound' with the argument SOUND. You can also
807 set the volume of the sound with the optional argument VOLUME.
809 Each element of `sound-alist' is a list describing a sound. The
810 first element of the list is the name of the sound being defined.
811 Subsequent elements of the list are alternating keyword/value pairs:
814 A string of raw sound data, or the name of another sound to play.
815 The symbol `t' here means use the default X beep.
818 An integer from 0-100, defaulting to `bell-volume'.
821 If using the default X beep, the pitch (Hz) to generate.
824 If using the default X beep, the duration (milliseconds).
826 For compatibility, elements of `sound-alist' may also be of the form:
828 ( SOUND-NAME . <SOUND> )
829 ( SOUND-NAME <VOLUME> <SOUND> )
831 You should probably add things to this list by calling the function
834 Note that you can only play audio data if running on the console
835 screen of a machine with audio hardware which emacs understands, which
836 at this time means a Sun SparcStation, SGI, or HP9000s700.
838 Also note that the pitch, duration, and volume options are available
839 everywhere, but most X servers ignore the `pitch' option.
841 The variable `bell-volume' should be an integer from 0 to 100, with
842 100 being loudest, which controls how loud the sounds emacs makes
843 should be. Elements of the `sound-alist' may override this value.
844 This variable applies to the standard X bell sound as well as sound
847 If the symbol `t' is in place of a sound-string, Emacs uses the
848 default X beep. This allows you to define beep-types of different
849 volumes even when not running on the console.
851 You can add things to this list by calling the function
852 `load-sound-file', which reads in an audio-file and adds its data to
853 the sound-alist. You can specify the sound with the SOUND-NAME argument
854 and the file into which the sounds are loaded with the FILENAME
855 argument. The optional VOLUME argument sets the volume.
857 `load-sound-file (FILENAME SOUND-NAME &optional VOLUME)'
859 To load and install some sound files as beep-types, use the function
860 `load-default-sounds' (note that this only works if you are on display
861 0 of a machine with audio hardware).
863 The following beep-types are used by Emacs itself. Other Lisp
864 packages may use other beep types, but these are the ones that the C
865 kernel of Emacs uses.
868 An auto-save does not succeed
871 The Emacs command loop catches an error
874 You type a key that is undefined
877 You use an undefined mouse-click combination
880 Completion was not possible
883 You type something other than the required `y' or `n'
886 You type something other than `yes' or `no'
889 File: xemacs.info, Node: Faces, Next: Frame Components, Prev: Audible Bell, Up: Customization
894 XEmacs has objects called extents and faces. An "extent" is a
895 region of text and a "face" is a collection of textual attributes, such
896 as fonts and colors. Every extent is displayed in some face;
897 therefore, changing the properties of a face immediately updates the
898 display of all associated extents. Faces can be frame-local: you can
899 have a region of text that displays with completely different
900 attributes when its buffer is viewed from a different X window.
902 The display attributes of faces may be specified either in Lisp or
903 through the X resource manager.
908 You can change the face of an extent with the functions in this
909 section. All the functions prompt for a FACE as an argument; use
910 completion for a list of possible values.
913 Swap the foreground and background colors of the given FACE.
916 Make the font of the given FACE bold. When called from a program,
917 returns `nil' if this is not possible.
919 `M-x make-face-bold-italic'
920 Make the font of the given FACE bold italic. When called from a
921 program, returns `nil' if not possible.
923 `M-x make-face-italic'
924 Make the font of the given FACE italic. When called from a
925 program, returns `nil' if not possible.
927 `M-x make-face-unbold'
928 Make the font of the given FACE non-bold. When called from a
929 program, returns `nil' if not possible.
931 `M-x make-face-unitalic'
932 Make the font of the given FACE non-italic. When called from a
933 program, returns `nil' if not possible.
935 `M-x make-face-larger'
936 Make the font of the given FACE a little larger. When called from
937 a program, returns `nil' if not possible.
939 `M-x make-face-smaller'
940 Make the font of the given FACE a little smaller. When called
941 from a program, returns `nil' if not possible.
943 `M-x set-face-background'
944 Change the background color of the given FACE.
946 `M-x set-face-background-pixmap'
947 Change the background pixmap of the given FACE.
950 Change the font of the given FACE.
952 `M-x set-face-foreground'
953 Change the foreground color of the given FACE.
955 `M-x set-face-underline-p'
956 Change whether the given FACE is underlined.
958 You can exchange the foreground and background color of the selected
959 FACE with the function `invert-face'. If the face does not specify both
960 foreground and background, then its foreground and background are set
961 to the background and foreground of the default face. When calling
962 this from a program, you can supply the optional argument FRAME to
963 specify which frame is affected; otherwise, all frames are affected.
965 You can set the background color of the specified FACE with the
966 function `set-face-background'. The argument `color' should be a
967 string, the name of a color. When called from a program, if the
968 optional FRAME argument is provided, the face is changed only in that
969 frame; otherwise, it is changed in all frames.
971 You can set the background pixmap of the specified FACE with the
972 function `set-face-background-pixmap'. The pixmap argument NAME should
973 be a string, the name of a file of pixmap data. The directories listed
974 in the `x-bitmap-file-path' variable are searched. The bitmap may also
975 be a list of the form `(WIDTH HEIGHT DATA)', where WIDTH and HEIGHT are
976 the size in pixels, and DATA is a string containing the raw bits of the
977 bitmap. If the optional FRAME argument is provided, the face is
978 changed only in that frame; otherwise, it is changed in all frames.
980 The variable `x-bitmap-file-path' takes as a value a list of the
981 directories in which X bitmap files may be found. If the value is
982 `nil', the list is initialized from the `*bitmapFilePath' resource.
984 If the environment variable XBMLANGPATH is set, then it is consulted
985 before the `x-bitmap-file-path' variable.
987 You can set the font of the specified FACE with the function
988 `set-face-font'. The FONT argument should be a string, the name of a
989 font. When called from a program, if the optional FRAME argument is
990 provided, the face is changed only in that frame; otherwise, it is
991 changed in all frames.
993 You can set the foreground color of the specified FACE with the
994 function `set-face-foreground'. The argument COLOR should be a string,
995 the name of a color. If the optional FRAME argument is provided, the
996 face is changed only in that frame; otherwise, it is changed in all
999 You can set underline the specified FACE with the function
1000 `set-face-underline-p'. The argument UNDERLINE-P can be used to make
1001 underlining an attribute of the face or not. If the optional FRAME
1002 argument is provided, the face is changed only in that frame;
1003 otherwise, it is changed in all frames.
1006 File: xemacs.info, Node: Frame Components, Next: X Resources, Prev: Faces, Up: Customization
1011 You can control the presence and position of most frame components,
1012 such as the menubar, toolbars, and gutters.
1014 This section is not written yet. Try the Lisp Reference Manual:
1015 *Note Menubar: (lispref)Menubar, *Note Toolbar Intro: (lispref)Toolbar
1016 Intro, and *Note Gutter Intro: (lispref)Gutter Intro.
1019 File: xemacs.info, Node: X Resources, Prev: Frame Components, Up: Customization
1024 Historically, XEmacs has used the X resource application class
1025 `Emacs' for its resources. Unfortunately, GNU Emacs uses the same
1026 application class, and resources are not compatible between the two
1027 Emacsen. This sharing of the application class often leads to trouble
1028 if you want to run both variants.
1030 Starting with XEmacs 21, XEmacs uses the class `XEmacs' if it finds
1031 any XEmacs resources in the resource database when the X connection is
1032 initialized. Otherwise, it will use the class `Emacs' for backwards
1033 compatibility. The variable X-EMACS-APPLICATION-CLASS may be consulted
1034 to determine the application class being used.
1036 The examples in this section assume the application class is `Emacs'.
1038 The Emacs resources are generally set per-frame. Each Emacs frame
1039 can have its own name or the same name as another, depending on the
1040 name passed to the `make-frame' function.
1042 You can specify resources for all frames with the syntax:
1044 Emacs*parameter: value
1048 Emacs*EmacsFrame.parameter:value
1050 You can specify resources for a particular frame with the syntax:
1052 Emacs*FRAME-NAME.parameter: value
1056 * Geometry Resources:: Controlling the size and position of frames.
1057 * Iconic Resources:: Controlling whether frames come up iconic.
1058 * Resource List:: List of resources settable on a frame or device.
1059 * Face Resources:: Controlling faces using resources.
1060 * Widgets:: The widget hierarchy for XEmacs.
1061 * Menubar Resources:: Specifying resources for the menubar.
1064 File: xemacs.info, Node: Geometry Resources, Next: Iconic Resources, Up: X Resources
1069 To make the default size of all Emacs frames be 80 columns by 55
1072 Emacs*EmacsFrame.geometry: 80x55
1074 To set the geometry of a particular frame named `fred', do this:
1076 Emacs*fred.geometry: 80x55
1078 Important! Do not use the following syntax:
1080 Emacs*geometry: 80x55
1082 You should never use `*geometry' with any X application. It does not
1083 say "make the geometry of Emacs be 80 columns by 55 lines." It really
1084 says, "make Emacs and all subwindows thereof be 80x55 in whatever units
1085 they care to measure in." In particular, that is both telling the
1086 Emacs text pane to be 80x55 in characters, and telling the menubar pane
1087 to be 80x55 pixels, which is surely not what you want.
1089 As a special case, this geometry specification also works (and sets
1090 the default size of all Emacs frames to 80 columns by 55 lines):
1092 Emacs.geometry: 80x55
1094 since that is the syntax used with most other applications (since most
1095 other applications have only one top-level window, unlike Emacs). In
1096 general, however, the top-level shell (the unmapped ApplicationShell
1097 widget named `Emacs' that is the parent of the shell widgets that
1098 actually manage the individual frames) does not have any interesting
1099 resources on it, and you should set the resources on the frames instead.
1101 The `-geometry' command-line argument sets only the geometry of the
1102 initial frame created by Emacs.
1104 A more complete explanation of geometry-handling is
1106 * The `-geometry' command-line option sets the `Emacs.geometry'
1107 resource, that is, the geometry of the ApplicationShell.
1109 * For the first frame created, the size of the frame is taken from
1110 the ApplicationShell if it is specified, otherwise from the
1111 geometry of the frame.
1113 * For subsequent frames, the order is reversed: First the frame, and
1114 then the ApplicationShell.
1116 * For the first frame created, the position of the frame is taken
1117 from the ApplicationShell (`Emacs.geometry') if it is specified,
1118 otherwise from the geometry of the frame.
1120 * For subsequent frames, the position is taken only from the frame,
1121 and never from the ApplicationShell.
1123 This is rather complicated, but it does seem to provide the most
1124 intuitive behavior with respect to the default sizes and positions of
1125 frames created in various ways.
1128 File: xemacs.info, Node: Iconic Resources, Next: Resource List, Prev: Geometry Resources, Up: X Resources
1133 Analogous to `-geometry', the `-iconic' command-line option sets the
1134 iconic flag of the ApplicationShell (`Emacs.iconic') and always applies
1135 to the first frame created regardless of its name. However, it is
1136 possible to set the iconic flag on particular frames (by name) by using
1137 the `Emacs*FRAME-NAME.iconic' resource.
1140 File: xemacs.info, Node: Resource List, Next: Face Resources, Prev: Iconic Resources, Up: X Resources
1145 Emacs frames accept the following resources:
1147 `geometry' (class `Geometry'): string
1148 Initial geometry for the frame. *Note Geometry Resources::, for a
1149 complete discussion of how this works.
1151 `iconic' (class `Iconic'): boolean
1152 Whether this frame should appear in the iconified state.
1154 `internalBorderWidth' (class `InternalBorderWidth'): int
1155 How many blank pixels to leave between the text and the edge of the
1158 `interline' (class `Interline'): int
1159 How many pixels to leave between each line (may not be
1162 `menubar' (class `Menubar'): boolean
1163 Whether newly-created frames should initially have a menubar. Set
1166 `initiallyUnmapped' (class `InitiallyUnmapped'): boolean
1167 Whether XEmacs should leave the initial frame unmapped when it
1168 starts up. This is useful if you are starting XEmacs as a server
1169 (e.g. in conjunction with gnuserv or the external client widget).
1170 You can also control this with the `-unmapped' command-line option.
1172 `barCursor' (class `BarColor'): boolean
1173 Whether the cursor should be displayed as a bar, or the
1176 `cursorColor' (class `CursorColor'): color-name
1177 The color of the text cursor.
1179 `scrollBarWidth' (class `ScrollBarWidth'): integer
1180 How wide the vertical scrollbars should be, in pixels; 0 means no
1181 vertical scrollbars. You can also use a resource specification of
1182 the form `*scrollbar.width', or the usual toolkit scrollbar
1183 resources: `*XmScrollBar.width' (Motif), `*XlwScrollBar.width'
1184 (Lucid), or `*Scrollbar.thickness' (Athena). We don't recommend
1185 that you use the toolkit resources, though, because they're
1186 dependent on how exactly your particular build of XEmacs was
1189 `scrollBarHeight' (class `ScrollBarHeight'): integer
1190 How high the horizontal scrollbars should be, in pixels; 0 means no
1191 horizontal scrollbars. You can also use a resource specification
1192 of the form `*scrollbar.height', or the usual toolkit scrollbar
1193 resources: `*XmScrollBar.height' (Motif), `*XlwScrollBar.height'
1194 (Lucid), or `*Scrollbar.thickness' (Athena). We don't recommend
1195 that you use the toolkit resources, though, because they're
1196 dependent on how exactly your particular build of XEmacs was
1199 `scrollBarPlacement' (class `ScrollBarPlacement'): string
1200 Where the horizontal and vertical scrollbars should be positioned.
1201 This should be one of the four strings `BOTTOM_LEFT',
1202 `BOTTOM_RIGHT', `TOP_LEFT', and `TOP_RIGHT'. Default is
1203 `BOTTOM_RIGHT' for the Motif and Lucid scrollbars and
1204 `BOTTOM_LEFT' for the Athena scrollbars.
1206 `topToolBarHeight' (class `TopToolBarHeight'): integer
1207 `bottomToolBarHeight' (class `BottomToolBarHeight'): integer
1208 `leftToolBarWidth' (class `LeftToolBarWidth'): integer
1209 `rightToolBarWidth' (class `RightToolBarWidth'): integer
1210 Height and width of the four possible toolbars.
1212 `topToolBarShadowColor' (class `TopToolBarShadowColor'): color-name
1213 `bottomToolBarShadowColor' (class `BottomToolBarShadowColor'): color-name
1214 Color of the top and bottom shadows for the toolbars. NOTE: These
1215 resources do _not_ have anything to do with the top and bottom
1216 toolbars (i.e. the toolbars at the top and bottom of the frame)!
1217 Rather, they affect the top and bottom shadows around the edges of
1218 all four kinds of toolbars.
1220 `topToolBarShadowPixmap' (class `TopToolBarShadowPixmap'): pixmap-name
1221 `bottomToolBarShadowPixmap' (class `BottomToolBarShadowPixmap'): pixmap-name
1222 Pixmap of the top and bottom shadows for the toolbars. If set,
1223 these resources override the corresponding color resources. NOTE:
1224 These resources do _not_ have anything to do with the top and
1225 bottom toolbars (i.e. the toolbars at the top and bottom of the
1226 frame)! Rather, they affect the top and bottom shadows around the
1227 edges of all four kinds of toolbars.
1229 `toolBarShadowThickness' (class `ToolBarShadowThickness'): integer
1230 Thickness of the shadows around the toolbars, in pixels.
1232 `visualBell' (class `VisualBell'): boolean
1233 Whether XEmacs should flash the screen rather than making an
1236 `bellVolume' (class `BellVolume'): integer
1237 Volume of the audible beep.
1239 `useBackingStore' (class `UseBackingStore'): boolean
1240 Whether XEmacs should set the backing-store attribute of the X
1241 windows it creates. This increases the memory usage of the X
1242 server but decreases the amount of X traffic necessary to update
1243 the screen, and is useful when the connection to the X server goes
1244 over a low-bandwidth line such as a modem connection.
1246 Emacs devices accept the following resources:
1248 `textPointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
1249 The cursor to use when the mouse is over text. This resource is
1250 used to initialize the variable `x-pointer-shape'.
1252 `selectionPointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
1253 The cursor to use when the mouse is over a selectable text region
1254 (an extent with the `highlight' property; for example, an Info
1255 cross-reference). This resource is used to initialize the variable
1256 `x-selection-pointer-shape'.
1258 `spacePointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
1259 The cursor to use when the mouse is over a blank space in a buffer
1260 (that is, after the end of a line or after the end-of-file). This
1261 resource is used to initialize the variable
1262 `x-nontext-pointer-shape'.
1264 `modeLinePointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
1265 The cursor to use when the mouse is over a modeline. This
1266 resource is used to initialize the variable `x-mode-pointer-shape'.
1268 `gcPointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
1269 The cursor to display when a garbage-collection is in progress.
1270 This resource is used to initialize the variable
1271 `x-gc-pointer-shape'.
1273 `scrollbarPointer' (class `Cursor'): cursor-name
1274 The cursor to use when the mouse is over the scrollbar. This
1275 resource is used to initialize the variable
1276 `x-scrollbar-pointer-shape'.
1278 `pointerColor' (class `Foreground'): color-name
1279 `pointerBackground' (class `Background'): color-name
1280 The foreground and background colors of the mouse cursor. These
1281 resources are used to initialize the variables
1282 `x-pointer-foreground-color' and `x-pointer-background-color'.