1 \input texinfo.tex @c -*- mode: texinfo; coding: iso-2022-8 -*-
3 @setfilename ../info/xemacs-faq.info
4 @settitle Frequently asked questions about XEmacs
10 @subtitle Frequently asked questions about XEmacs @* Last Modified: $Date: 2002/10/31 15:06:37 $
12 @author Tony Rossini <rossini@@biostat.washington.edu>
13 @author Ben Wing <ben@@xemacs.org>
14 @author Chuck Thompson <cthomp@@xemacs.org>
15 @author Steve Baur <steve@@xemacs.org>
16 @author Andreas Kaempf <andreas@@sccon.com>
17 @author Christian Nyb@o{} <chr@@mediascience.no>
18 @author Sandra Wambold <wambold@@xemacs.org>
23 @dircategory XEmacs Editor
25 * FAQ: (xemacs-faq). XEmacs FAQ.
29 @node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir)
32 This is the guide to the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list---a
33 compendium of questions and answers pertaining to one of the finest
34 programs ever written. XEmacs is much more than just a Text Editor.
36 This FAQ is freely redistributable. This FAQ is distributed in the hope
37 that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the
38 implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
40 If you have a Web browser, the official hypertext version is at
44 @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/faq/xemacs-faq.html}
48 This document is available in several different formats:
51 @uref{xemacs-faq.txt, As a single ASCII file}, produced by
52 @code{makeinfo --no-headers}
54 @uref{xemacs-faq.dvi, As a .dvi file}, as used with
55 @uref{http://www.tug.org, TeX.}
57 As a PostScript file @uref{xemacs-faq-a4.ps, in A4 format},
58 as well as in @uref{xemacs-faq-letter.ps, letter format}
60 In html format, @uref{xemacs-faq_1.html, split by chapter}, or in
61 @uref{xemacs-faq.html, one monolithic} document.
63 The canonical version of the FAQ is the texinfo document
64 @uref{xemacs-faq.texi, man/xemacs-faq.texi}.
66 If you do not have makeinfo installed, you may @uref{xemacs-faq.info,
67 download the faq} in info format, and install it in @file{<XEmacs
68 library directory>/info/}. For example in
69 @file{/usr/local/lib/xemacs-21.4/info/}.
77 @c end ifset points to CANONICAL
80 * Introduction:: Introduction, Policy, Credits.
81 * Installation:: Installation and Trouble Shooting.
82 * Customization:: Customization and Options.
83 * Subsystems:: Major Subsystems.
84 * Miscellaneous:: The Miscellaneous Stuff.
85 * MS Windows:: XEmacs on Microsoft Windows.
86 * Current Events:: What the Future Holds.
90 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
92 Introduction, Policy, Credits
94 * Q1.0.1:: What is XEmacs?
95 * Q1.0.2:: What is the current version of XEmacs?
96 * Q1.0.3:: Where can I find it?
97 * Q1.0.4:: Why Another Version of Emacs?
98 * Q1.0.5:: Why Haven't XEmacs and GNU Emacs Merged?
99 * Q1.0.6:: Where can I get help?
100 * Q1.0.7:: Where are the mailing lists archived?
101 * Q1.0.8:: How do you pronounce XEmacs?
102 * Q1.0.9:: What does XEmacs look like?
103 * Q1.0.10:: Is there a port of XEmacs to Microsoft ('95 or NT)?
104 * Q1.0.11:: Is there a port of XEmacs to the Macintosh?
105 * Q1.0.12:: Is there a port of XEmacs to NextStep?
106 * Q1.0.13:: Is there a port of XEmacs to OS/2?
107 * Q1.0.14:: Where can I get a printed copy of the XEmacs users manual?
110 * Q1.1.1:: What is the FAQ editorial policy?
111 * Q1.1.2:: How do I become a Beta Tester?
112 * Q1.1.3:: How do I contribute to XEmacs itself?
115 * Q1.2.1:: Who wrote XEmacs?
116 * Q1.2.2:: Who contributed to this version of the FAQ?
117 * Q1.2.3:: Who contributed to the FAQ in the past?
119 Internationalization:
120 * Q1.3.1:: What is the status of internationalization support aka MULE (including Asian language support?
121 * Q1.3.2:: How can I help with internationalization?
122 * Q1.3.3:: How do I type non-ASCII characters?
123 * Q1.3.4:: Can XEmacs messages come out in a different language?
124 * Q1.3.5:: Please explain the various input methods in MULE/XEmacs
125 * Q1.3.6:: How do I portably code for MULE/XEmacs?
126 * Q1.3.7:: How about Cyrillic Modes?
127 * Q1.3.8:: Does XEmacs support Unicode?
128 * Q1.3.9:: How does XEmacs display Unicode?
131 * Q1.4.1:: What is an @file{init.el} or @file{.emacs} and is there a sample one?
132 * Q1.4.2:: Can I use the same @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} with the other Emacs?
133 * Q1.4.3:: Any good XEmacs tutorials around?
134 * Q1.4.4:: May I see an example of a useful XEmacs Lisp function?
135 * Q1.4.5:: And how do I bind it to a key?
136 * Q1.4.6:: What's the difference between a macro and a function?
138 Installation and Trouble Shooting
140 * Q2.0.1:: Running XEmacs without installing.
141 * Q2.0.2:: XEmacs is too big.
142 * Q2.0.3:: Compiling XEmacs with Netaudio.
143 * Q2.0.4:: Problems with Linux and ncurses.
144 * Q2.0.5:: Do I need X11 to run XEmacs?
145 * Q2.0.6:: I'm having strange crashes. What do I do?
146 * Q2.0.7:: Libraries in non-standard locations.
147 * Q2.0.8:: can't resolve symbol _h_errno
148 * Q2.0.9:: Where do I find external libraries?
149 * Q2.0.10:: After I run configure I find a coredump, is something wrong?
150 * Q2.0.11:: XEmacs can't resolve host names.
151 * Q2.0.12:: Why can't I strip XEmacs?
152 * Q2.0.13:: I don't need no steenkin' packages. Do I? (NEW)
153 * Q2.0.14:: How do I figure out which packages to install? (NEW)
154 * Q2.0.15:: EFS fails with "500 AUTH not understood" (NEW)
155 * Q2.0.16:: Cygwin XEmacs won't start: cygXpm-noX4.dll was not found (NEW)
158 * Q2.1.1:: XEmacs just crashed on me!
159 * Q2.1.2:: Cryptic Minibuffer messages.
160 * Q2.1.3:: Translation Table Syntax messages at Startup.
161 * Q2.1.4:: Startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
162 * Q2.1.5:: XEmacs cannot connect to my X Terminal.
163 * Q2.1.6:: XEmacs just locked up my Linux X server.
164 * Q2.1.7:: HP Alt key as Meta.
165 * Q2.1.8:: got (wrong-type-argument color-instance-p nil)!
166 * Q2.1.9:: XEmacs causes my OpenWindows 3.0 server to crash.
167 * Q2.1.10:: Warnings from incorrect key modifiers.
168 * Q2.1.11:: Can't instantiate image error... in toolbar
169 * Q2.1.12:: Regular Expression Problems on DEC OSF1.
170 * Q2.1.13:: HP/UX 10.10 and @code{create_process} failure
171 * Q2.1.14:: @kbd{C-g} doesn't work for me. Is it broken?
172 * Q2.1.15:: How to debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger.
173 * Q2.1.16:: XEmacs crashes in @code{strcat} on HP/UX 10.
174 * Q2.1.17:: @samp{Marker does not point anywhere}.
175 * Q2.1.18:: XEmacs is outputting lots of X errors.
176 * Q2.1.19:: XEmacs does not follow the local timezone.
177 * Q2.1.20:: @samp{Symbol's function definition is void: hkey-help-show.}
178 * Q2.1.21:: [This question intentionally left blank]
179 * Q2.1.22:: XEmacs seems to take a really long time to do some things.
180 * Q2.1.23:: Movemail on Linux does not work for XEmacs 19.15 and later.
181 * Q2.1.24:: XEmacs won't start without network. (NEW)
182 * Q2.1.25:: After upgrading, XEmacs won't do `foo' any more! (NEW)
184 Customization and Options
186 * Q3.0.1:: What version of Emacs am I running?
187 * Q3.0.2:: How do I evaluate Elisp expressions?
188 * Q3.0.3:: @code{(setq tab-width 6)} behaves oddly.
189 * Q3.0.4:: How can I add directories to the @code{load-path}?
190 * Q3.0.5:: How to check if a lisp function is defined?
191 * Q3.0.6:: Can I force the output of @code{(face-list)} to a buffer?
192 * Q3.0.7:: Font selections don't get saved after @code{Save Options}.
193 * Q3.0.8:: How do I make a single minibuffer frame?
194 * Q3.0.9:: What is @code{Customize}?
196 X Window System & Resources:
197 * Q3.1.1:: Where is a list of X resources?
198 * Q3.1.2:: How can I detect a color display?
199 * Q3.1.3:: [This question intentionally left blank]
200 * Q3.1.4:: [This question intentionally left blank]
201 * Q3.1.5:: How can I get the icon to just say @samp{XEmacs}?
202 * Q3.1.6:: How can I have the window title area display the full path?
203 * Q3.1.7:: @samp{xemacs -name junk} doesn't work?
204 * Q3.1.8:: @samp{-iconic} doesn't work.
206 Textual Fonts & Colors:
207 * Q3.2.1:: How can I set color options from @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}?
208 * Q3.2.2:: How do I set the text, menu and modeline fonts?
209 * Q3.2.3:: How can I set the colors when highlighting a region?
210 * Q3.2.4:: How can I limit color map usage?
211 * Q3.2.5:: My tty supports color, but XEmacs doesn't use them.
212 * Q3.2.6:: Can I have pixmap backgrounds in XEmacs?
215 * Q3.3.1:: How can I make the modeline go away?
216 * Q3.3.2:: How do you have XEmacs display the line number in the modeline?
217 * Q3.3.3:: How do I get XEmacs to put the time of day on the modeline?
218 * Q3.3.4:: How do I turn off current chapter from AUC TeX modeline?
219 * Q3.3.5:: How can one change the modeline color based on the mode used?
221 Multiple Device Support:
222 * Q3.4.1:: How do I open a frame on another screen of my multi-headed display?
223 * Q3.4.2:: Can I really connect to a running XEmacs after calling up over a modem? How?
226 * Q3.5.1:: How can I bind complex functions (or macros) to keys?
227 * Q3.5.2:: How can I stop down-arrow from adding empty lines to the bottom of my buffers?
228 * Q3.5.3:: How do I bind C-. and C-; to scroll one line up and down?
229 * Q3.5.4:: Globally binding @kbd{Delete}?
230 * Q3.5.5:: Scrolling one line at a time.
231 * Q3.5.6:: How to map @kbd{Help} key alone on Sun type4 keyboard?
232 * Q3.5.7:: How can you type in special characters in XEmacs?
233 * Q3.5.8:: [This question intentionally left blank]
234 * Q3.5.9:: How do I make the Delete key delete forward?
235 * Q3.5.10:: Can I turn on @dfn{sticky} modifier keys?
236 * Q3.5.11:: How do I map the arrow keys?
239 * Q3.6.1:: Is there a way to make the bar cursor thicker?
240 * Q3.6.2:: Is there a way to get back the old block cursor where the cursor covers the character in front of the point?
241 * Q3.6.3:: Can I make the cursor blink?
243 The Mouse and Highlighting:
244 * Q3.7.1:: How can I turn off Mouse pasting?
245 * Q3.7.2:: How do I set control/meta/etc modifiers on mouse buttons?
246 * Q3.7.3:: Clicking the left button does not do anything in buffer list.
247 * Q3.7.4:: How can I get a list of buffers when I hit mouse button 3?
248 * Q3.7.5:: Why does cut-and-paste not work between XEmacs and a cmdtool?
249 * Q3.7.6:: How I can set XEmacs up so that it pastes where the text cursor is?
250 * Q3.7.7:: How do I select a rectangular region?
251 * Q3.7.8:: Why does @kbd{M-w} take so long?
253 The Menubar and Toolbar:
254 * Q3.8.1:: How do I get rid of the menu (or menubar)?
255 * Q3.8.2:: Can I customize the basic menubar?
256 * Q3.8.3:: How do I control how many buffers are listed in the menu @code{Buffers} list?
257 * Q3.8.4:: Resources like @code{Emacs*menubar*font} are not working?
258 * Q3.8.5:: How can I bind a key to a function to toggle the toolbar?
261 * Q3.9.1:: How can I disable the scrollbar?
262 * Q3.9.2:: How can one use resources to change scrollbar colors?
263 * Q3.9.3:: Moving the scrollbar can move the point; can I disable this?
264 * Q3.9.4:: How can I turn off automatic horizontal scrolling in specific modes?
267 * Q3.10.1:: How can I turn off or change highlighted selections?
268 * Q3.10.2:: How do I get that typing on an active region removes it?
269 * Q3.10.3:: Can I turn off the highlight during isearch?
270 * Q3.10.4:: How do I turn off highlighting after @kbd{C-x C-p} (mark-page)?
271 * Q3.10.5:: The region disappears when I hit the end of buffer while scrolling.
272 * Q3.10.6:: Why is killing so slow? (NEW)
276 * Q4.0.1:: How do I set up VM to retrieve remote mail using POP?
277 * Q4.0.2:: How do I get VM to filter mail for me?
278 * Q4.0.3:: How can I get VM to automatically check for new mail?
279 * Q4.0.4:: [This question intentionally left blank]
280 * Q4.0.5:: How do I get my outgoing mail archived?
281 * Q4.0.6:: I have various addresses at which I receive mail. How can I tell VM to ignore them when doing a "reply-all"?
282 * Q4.0.7:: Is there a mailing list or FAQ for VM?
283 * Q4.0.8:: Remote mail reading with VM.
284 * Q4.0.9:: rmail or VM gets an error incorporating new mail.
285 * Q4.0.10:: How do I make VM stay in a single frame?
286 * Q4.0.11:: How do I make VM or mh-e display graphical smilies?
287 * Q4.0.12:: Customization of VM not covered in the manual or here.
289 Web browsing with W3:
290 * Q4.1.1:: What is W3?
291 * Q4.1.2:: How do I run W3 from behind a firewall?
292 * Q4.1.3:: Is it true that W3 supports style sheets and tables?
294 Reading Netnews and Mail with Gnus:
295 * Q4.2.1:: GNUS, (ding) Gnus, Gnus 5, September Gnus, Red Gnus, Quassia Gnus, argh!
296 * Q4.2.2:: [This question intentionally left blank]
297 * Q4.2.3:: How do I make Gnus stay within a single frame?
298 * Q4.2.4:: How do I customize the From: line?
301 * Q4.3.1:: How can I read and/or compose MIME messages?
302 * Q4.3.2:: What is TM and where do I get it?
303 * Q4.3.3:: Why isn't this @code{movemail} program working?
304 * Q4.3.4:: Movemail is also distributed by Netscape? Can that cause problems?
305 * Q4.3.5:: Where do I find pstogif (required by tm)?
307 Sparcworks, EOS, and WorkShop:
308 * Q4.4.1:: What is SPARCworks, EOS, and WorkShop
309 * Q4.4.2:: How do I start the Sun Workshop support in XEmacs 21?
312 * Q4.5.1:: What is/was Energize?
315 * Q4.6.1:: What is Infodock?
317 Other Unbundled Packages:
318 * Q4.7.1:: What is AUC TeX? Where do you get it?
319 * Q4.7.2:: Are there any Emacs Lisp Spreadsheets?
320 * Q4.7.3:: [This question intentionally left blank]
321 * Q4.7.4:: Problems installing AUC TeX
322 * Q4.7.5:: Is there a reason for an Emacs package not to be included in XEmacs?
323 * Q4.7.6:: Is there a MatLab mode?
324 * Q4.7.7:: Can I edit files on other hosts?
326 The Miscellaneous Stuff
328 * Q5.0.1:: How can I do source code highlighting using font-lock?
329 * Q5.0.2:: I do not like cc-mode. How do I use the old c-mode?
330 * Q5.0.3:: How do I get @samp{More} Syntax Highlighting on by default?
331 * Q5.0.4:: How can I enable auto-indent and/or Filladapt?
332 * Q5.0.5:: How can I get XEmacs to come up in text/auto-fill mode by default?
333 * Q5.0.6:: How do I start up a second shell buffer?
334 * Q5.0.7:: Telnet from shell filters too much.
335 * Q5.0.8:: Why does edt emulation not work?
336 * Q5.0.9:: How can I emulate VI and use it as my default mode?
337 * Q5.0.10:: [This question intentionally left blank]
338 * Q5.0.11:: [This question intentionally left blank]
339 * Q5.0.12:: How do I disable gnuserv from opening a new frame?
340 * Q5.0.13:: How do I start gnuserv so that each subsequent XEmacs is a client?
341 * Q5.0.14:: Strange things are happening in Shell Mode.
342 * Q5.0.15:: Where do I get the latest CC Mode?
343 * Q5.0.16:: I find auto-show-mode disconcerting. How do I turn it off?
344 * Q5.0.17:: How can I get two instances of info?
345 * Q5.0.18:: [This question intentionally left blank]
346 * Q5.0.19:: Is there something better than LaTeX mode?
347 * Q5.0.20:: Is there a way to start a new XEmacs if there's no gnuserv running, and otherwise use gnuclient?
349 Emacs Lisp Programming Techniques:
350 * Q5.1.1:: The difference in key sequences between XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
351 * Q5.1.2:: Can I generate "fake" keyboard events?
352 * Q5.1.3:: Could you explain @code{read-kbd-macro} in more detail?
353 * Q5.1.4:: What is the performance hit of @code{let}?
354 * Q5.1.5:: What is the recommended use of @code{setq}?
355 * Q5.1.6:: What is the typical misuse of @code{setq} ?
356 * Q5.1.7:: I like the @code{do} form of cl, does it slow things down?
357 * Q5.1.8:: I like recursion, does it slow things down?
358 * Q5.1.9:: How do I put a glyph as annotation in a buffer?
359 * Q5.1.10:: @code{map-extents} won't traverse all of my extents!
360 * Q5.1.11:: My elisp program is horribly slow. Is there an easy way to find out where it spends time?
363 * Q5.2.1:: How do I turn off the sound?
364 * Q5.2.2:: How do I get funky sounds instead of a boring beep?
365 * Q5.2.3:: What's NAS, how do I get it?
366 * Q5.2.4:: Sunsite sounds don't play.
369 * Q5.3.1:: How do you make XEmacs indent CL if-clauses correctly?
370 * Q5.3.2:: [This question intentionally left blank]
371 * Q5.3.3:: How can I print WYSIWYG a font-locked buffer?
372 * Q5.3.4:: Getting @kbd{M-x lpr} to work with postscript printer.
373 * Q5.3.5:: How do I specify the paths that XEmacs uses for finding files?
374 * Q5.3.6:: [This question intentionally left blank]
375 * Q5.3.7:: Can I have the end of the buffer delimited in some way?
376 * Q5.3.8:: How do I insert today's date into a buffer?
377 * Q5.3.9:: Are only certain syntactic character classes available for abbrevs?
378 * Q5.3.10:: How can I get those oh-so-neat X-Face lines?
379 * Q5.3.11:: How do I add new Info directories?
380 * Q5.3.12:: What do I need to change to make printing work?
385 * Q6.0.1:: What is the status of the XEmacs port to Windows?
386 * Q6.0.2:: What flavors of MS Windows are supported? The list name implies NT only.
387 * Q6.0.3:: Are binaries available?
388 * Q6.0.4:: Can I build XEmacs on MS Windows with X support? Do I need to?
389 * Q6.0.5:: I'd like to help out. What do I do?
390 * Q6.0.6:: What are Cygwin and MinGW, and do I need them to run XEmacs?
391 * Q6.0.7:: What exactly are all the different ways to build XEmacs under Windows?
393 Building XEmacs on MS Windows:
394 * Q6.1.1:: What compiler/libraries do I need to compile XEmacs?
395 * Q6.1.2:: How do I compile the native port?
396 * Q6.1.3:: What do I need for Cygwin?
397 * Q6.1.4:: How do I compile under Cygwin?
398 * Q6.1.5:: How do I compile using MinGW (aka @samp{the -mno-cygwin flag to gcc})?
399 * Q6.1.6:: I decided to run with X. Where do I get an X server?
400 * Q6.1.7:: How do I compile with X support?
402 Customization and User Interface:
403 * Q6.2.1:: How does the port cope with differences in the Windows user interface?
404 * Q6.2.2:: How do I change fonts in XEmacs on MS Windows?
405 * Q6.2.3:: Where do I put my @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file?
406 * Q6.2.4:: How do I get Windows Explorer to associate a file type with XEmacs?
407 * Q6.2.5:: Is it possible to print from XEmacs?
411 * Q6.3.1:: Does XEmacs rename all the @samp{win32-*} symbols to @samp{w32-*}?
412 * Q6.3.2:: What are the differences between the various MS Windows emacsen?
413 * Q6.3.3:: XEmacs 21.1 on Windows used to spawn an ugly console window on every startup. Has that been fixed?
414 * Q6.3.4:: What is the porting team doing at the moment?
417 * Q6.4.1:: XEmacs won't start on Windows.
418 * Q6.4.2:: Why do I get a blank toolbar on Windows 95?
421 * Q7.0.1:: What new features will be in XEmacs soon?
422 * Q7.0.2:: What's new in XEmacs 21.4?
423 * Q7.0.3:: What's new in XEmacs 21.1?
424 * Q7.0.4:: What's new in XEmacs 20.4?
425 * Q7.0.5:: What's new in XEmacs 20.3?
426 * Q7.0.6:: What's new in XEmacs 20.2?
430 @node Introduction, Installation, Top, Top
431 @unnumbered 1 Introduction, Policy, Credits
433 Learning XEmacs is a lifelong activity. Even people who have used Emacs
434 for years keep discovering new features. Therefore this document cannot
435 be complete. Instead it is aimed at the person who is either
436 considering XEmacs for their own use, or has just obtained it and is
437 wondering what to do next. It is also useful as a reference to
440 The previous maintainer of the FAQ was @email{rossini@@biostat.washington.edu,
441 Anthony Rossini}, who started it, after getting tired of hearing JWZ
442 complain about repeatedly having to answer questions.
443 @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing} and @email{cthomp@@xemacs.org, Chuck
444 Thompson}, the principal authors of XEmacs, then took over and Ben did
445 a massive update reorganizing the whole thing. At which point Anthony
446 took back over, but then had to give it up again. Some of the other
447 contributors to this FAQ are listed later in this document.
449 The previous version was converted to hypertext format, and edited by
450 @email{steve@@xemacs.org, Steven L. Baur}. It was converted back to
451 texinfo by @email{hniksic@@xemacs.org, Hrvoje Niksic}. The FAQ was then
452 maintained by @email{andreas@@sccon.com, Andreas Kaempf}, who passed it
453 on to ChristianNyb@o{}.
455 If you notice any errors or items which should be added or amended to
456 this FAQ please send email to @email{faq@@xemacs.org, Sandra
457 Wambold}. Include @samp{XEmacs FAQ} on the Subject: line.
461 * Q1.0.1:: What is XEmacs?
462 * Q1.0.2:: What is the current version of XEmacs?
463 * Q1.0.3:: Where can I find it?
464 * Q1.0.4:: Why Another Version of Emacs?
465 * Q1.0.5:: Why Haven't XEmacs and GNU Emacs Merged?
466 * Q1.0.6:: Where can I get help?
467 * Q1.0.7:: Where are the mailing lists archived?
468 * Q1.0.8:: How do you pronounce XEmacs?
469 * Q1.0.9:: What does XEmacs look like?
470 * Q1.0.10:: Is there a port of XEmacs to Microsoft ('95 or NT)?
471 * Q1.0.11:: Is there a port of XEmacs to the Macintosh?
472 * Q1.0.12:: Is there a port of XEmacs to NextStep?
473 * Q1.0.13:: Is there a port of XEmacs to OS/2?
474 * Q1.0.14:: Where can I get a printed copy of the XEmacs users manual?
477 * Q1.1.1:: What is the FAQ editorial policy?
478 * Q1.1.2:: How do I become a Beta Tester?
479 * Q1.1.3:: How do I contribute to XEmacs itself?
482 * Q1.2.1:: Who wrote XEmacs?
483 * Q1.2.2:: Who contributed to this version of the FAQ?
484 * Q1.2.3:: Who contributed to the FAQ in the past?
486 Internationalization:
487 * Q1.3.1:: What is the status of internationalization support aka MULE (including Asian language support?
488 * Q1.3.2:: How can I help with internationalization?
489 * Q1.3.3:: How do I type non-ASCII characters?
490 * Q1.3.4:: Can XEmacs messages come out in a different language?
491 * Q1.3.5:: Please explain the various input methods in MULE/XEmacs
492 * Q1.3.6:: How do I portably code for MULE/XEmacs?
493 * Q1.3.7:: How about Cyrillic Modes?
494 * Q1.3.8:: Does XEmacs support Unicode?
495 * Q1.3.9:: How does XEmacs display Unicode?
498 * Q1.4.1:: What is an @file{init.el} or @file{.emacs} and is there a sample one?
499 * Q1.4.2:: Can I use the same @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} with the other Emacs?
500 * Q1.4.3:: Any good XEmacs tutorials around?
501 * Q1.4.4:: May I see an example of a useful XEmacs Lisp function?
502 * Q1.4.5:: And how do I bind it to a key?
503 * Q1.4.6:: What's the difference between a macro and a function?
506 @node Q1.0.1, Q1.0.2, Introduction, Introduction
507 @unnumberedsec 1.0: Introduction
508 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.1: What is XEmacs?
511 XEmacs is a powerful, highly customizable open source text editor and
512 application development system, with full GUI support. It is protected
513 under the GNU Public License and related to other versions of Emacs, in
514 particular GNU Emacs. Its emphasis is on modern graphical user
515 interface support and an open software development model, similar to
516 Linux. XEmacs has an active development community numbering in the
517 hundreds (and thousands of active beta testers on top of this), and runs
518 on all versions of MS Windows, on Linux, and on nearly every other
519 version of Unix in existence. Support for XEmacs has been supplied by
520 Sun Microsystems, University of Illinois, Lucid, ETL/Electrotechnical
521 Laboratory, Amdahl Corporation, BeOpen, and others, as well as the
522 unpaid time of a great number of individual developers.
524 @node Q1.0.2, Q1.0.3, Q1.0.1, Introduction
525 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.2: What is the current version of XEmacs?
527 XEmacs versions 21.1.* are releases made from the current stable
528 sources. XEmacs versions 21.2.* are releases made from the development
529 sources. Check at @uref{http://www.xemacs.org} for the current minor
532 XEmacs 19.16 was the last release of v19, released in November, 1997,
533 which was also the last version without international language support.
535 @node Q1.0.3, Q1.0.4, Q1.0.2, Introduction
536 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.3: Where can I find it?
538 The canonical source and binaries can be found via anonymous FTP at:
541 @uref{ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/}
544 @node Q1.0.4, Q1.0.5, Q1.0.3, Introduction
545 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.4: Why Another Version of Emacs?
547 For a detailed description of the differences between GNU Emacs and
548 XEmacs and a detailed history of XEmacs, check out the
550 @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/About/XEmacsVsGNUemacs.html, NEWS file}
553 However, here is a list of some of the reasons why we think you might
561 The XEmacs maintainers are generally more receptive to suggestions than
562 the GNU Emacs maintainers.
565 Many more bundled packages than GNU Emacs.
568 Binaries are available for many common operating systems.
571 Face support on TTY's.
577 Better Motif compliance.
580 Some internationalization support (including full MULE support, if
584 Variable-width fonts.
587 Variable-height lines.
590 Marginal annotations.
596 XEmacs can be used as an Xt widget, and can be embedded within another
600 Horizontal and vertical scrollbars (using real toolkit scrollbars).
603 Better APIs (and performance) for attaching fonts, colors, and other
607 The ability to embed arbitrary graphics in a buffer.
610 Completely compatible (at the C level) with the Xt-based toolkits.
614 @node Q1.0.5, Q1.0.6, Q1.0.4, Introduction
615 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.5: Why Haven't XEmacs and GNU Emacs Merged?
617 There are currently irreconcilable differences in the views about
618 technical, programming, design and organizational matters between RMS
619 and the XEmacs development team which provide little hope for a merge to
620 take place in the short-term future.
622 If you have a comment to add regarding the merge, it is a good idea to
623 avoid posting to the newsgroups, because of the very heated flamewars
624 that often result. Mail your questions to @email{xemacs-beta@@xemacs.org} and
625 @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@prep.ai.mit.edu}.
627 @node Q1.0.6, Q1.0.7, Q1.0.5, Introduction
628 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.6: Where can I get help?
630 Probably the easiest way, if everything is installed, is to use Info, by
631 pressing @kbd{C-h i}, or looking for an Info item on the
632 Help Menu. @kbd{M-x apropos} can be used to look for particular commands.
634 For items not found in the manual, try reading this FAQ
635 @comment , examining the regular GNU Emacs FAQ (which can be
636 @comment found with the Emacs 19 distribution) as well as at
637 @comment @uref{http://www.eecs.nwu.edu/emacs/faq/}
638 and reading the Usenet group comp.emacs.xemacs.
640 If you choose to post to a newsgroup, @strong{please use
641 comp.emacs.xemacs}. Please do not post XEmacs related questions to
644 If you cannot post or read Usenet news, there is a corresponding mailing
645 list @email{xemacs-news@@xemacs.org} which is available. It can be
646 subscribed to via the Mailman Web interface or by sending mail to to
647 @email{xemacs-news-request@@xemacs.org} with @samp{subscribe} in the
648 body of the message. See also
649 @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/Lists/#xemacs-news}. To cancel a
650 subscription, you may use the @email{xemacs-news-request@@xemacs.org}
651 address or the Web interface. Send a message with a subject of
652 @samp{unsubscribe} to be removed.
654 @node Q1.0.7, Q1.0.8, Q1.0.6, Introduction
655 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.7: Where are the mailing lists archived?
657 The archives can be found at @uref{http://list-archive.xemacs.org}
659 @node Q1.0.8, Q1.0.9, Q1.0.7, Introduction
660 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.8: How do you pronounce XEmacs?
662 The most common pronounciation is @samp{Eks eemax}.
664 @node Q1.0.9, Q1.0.10, Q1.0.8, Introduction
665 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.9: What does XEmacs look like?
667 Screen snapshots are available at
668 @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/About/Screenshots/index.html}
669 as part of the XEmacs website.
671 @node Q1.0.10, Q1.0.11, Q1.0.9, Introduction
672 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.10: Is there a port of XEmacs to Microsoft ('95 or NT)?
674 Yes. XEmacs can be built under MS Windows and is fully-featured and
675 actively developed. See @ref{MS Windows}.
677 @node Q1.0.11, Q1.0.12, Q1.0.10, Introduction
678 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.11: Is there a port of XEmacs to the Macintosh?
681 @c There has been a port to the MachTen environment of XEmacs 19.13, but no
682 @c patches have been submitted to the maintainers to get this in the
683 @c mainstream distribution.
685 @c For the MacOS, there is a port of
686 @c @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.cornell.edu/pub/parmet/, Emacs 18.59}.
690 XEmacs 21.5 (perhaps 21.4 also?) works on MacOS X, although it certainly
691 will not feel very much like a Mac application as it has no Mac-specific
694 There is also a port of XEmacs 19.14 that works on all recent versions
695 of MacOS, from 8.1 through MacOS X, by @email{pjarvis@@ispchannel.com,
696 Pitts Jarvis}. It runs in an equivalent of TTY mode only (one single
697 Macintosh window, 25 colors), but has a large number of Mac-specific
698 additions. It's available at
699 @uref{http://homepage.mac.com/pjarvis/xemacs.html}.
701 @node Q1.0.12, Q1.0.13, Q1.0.11, Introduction
702 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.12: Is there a port of XEmacs to NextStep?
704 Carl Edman, apparently no longer at @email{cedman@@princeton.edu}, did
705 the port of GNU Emacs to NeXTstep and expressed interest in doing the
706 XEmacs port, but never went any farther.
708 @node Q1.0.13, Q1.0.14, Q1.0.12, Introduction
709 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.13: Is there a port of XEmacs to OS/2?
711 No, but Alexander Nikolaev <avn_1251@@mail.ru> is working on it.
713 @node Q1.0.14, Q1.1.1, Q1.0.13, Introduction
714 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.14: Where can I obtain a printed copy of the XEmacs User's Manual?
716 Pre-printed manuals are not available. If you are familiar with
717 TeX, you can generate your own manual from the XEmacs sources.
719 HTML and Postscript versions of XEmacs manuals are available from the
721 @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/Documentation/index.html}.
723 @node Q1.1.1, Q1.1.2, Q1.0.14, Introduction
724 @unnumberedsec 1.1: Policies
725 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.1.1: What is the FAQ editorial policy?
727 The FAQ is actively maintained and modified regularly. All links should
728 be up to date. Unfortunately, some of the information is out of date --
729 a situation which the FAQ maintainer is working on. All submissions are
730 welcome, please e-mail submissions to @email{faq@@xemacs.org, XEmacs FAQ
733 Please make sure that @samp{XEmacs FAQ} appears on the Subject: line.
734 If you think you have a better way of answering a question, or think a
735 question should be included, we'd like to hear about it. Questions and
736 answers included into the FAQ will be edited for spelling and grammar
737 and will be attributed. Answers appearing without attribution are
738 either from versions of the FAQ dated before May 1996 or are from
739 previous FAQ maintainers. Answers quoted from Usenet news articles will
740 always be attributed, regardless of the author.
742 @node Q1.1.2, Q1.1.3, Q1.1.1, Introduction
743 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.1.2: How do I become a Beta Tester?
745 Send an email message to @email{xemacs-beta-request@@xemacs.org} with
746 the line @samp{subscribe} in the body of the message.
748 Be prepared to get your hands dirty, as beta testers are expected to
749 identify problems as best they can.
751 @node Q1.1.3, Q1.2.1, Q1.1.2, Introduction
752 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.1.3: How do I contribute to XEmacs itself?
754 Ben Wing @email{ben@@xemacs.org} writes:
757 BTW if you have a wish list of things that you want added, you have to
758 speak up about it! More specifically, you can do the following if you
759 want a feature added (in increasing order of usefulness):
763 Make a posting about a feature you want added.
766 Become a beta tester and make more postings about those same features.
769 Convince us that you're going to use the features in some cool and
773 Come up with a clear and well-thought-out API concerning the features.
776 Write the code to implement a feature and send us a patch.
779 (not that we're necessarily requiring you to write the code, but we can
783 @node Q1.2.1, Q1.2.2, Q1.1.3, Introduction
784 @unnumberedsec 1.2: Credits
785 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.2.1: Who wrote XEmacs?
787 XEmacs is the result of the time and effort of many people. The
788 developers responsible for recent releases are:
791 @item @email{martin@@xemacs.org, Martin Buchholz}
793 <br><img src="mrb.jpeg" alt="Portrait of Martin Buchholz"><br>
797 @item @email{turnbull@@sk.tsukuba.ac.jp, Steven Turnbull}
800 @item @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing}
802 <br><img src="wing.gif" alt="Portrait of Ben Wing"><br>
806 @item @email{hniksic@@xemacs.org, Hrvoje Niksic}
809 <br><img src="hniksic.jpeg" alt="Portrait of Hrvoje Niksic"><br>
814 The developers responsible for older releases were:
817 @item @email{steve@@xemacs.org, Steve Baur}
820 <br><img src="steve.gif" alt="Portrait of Steve Baur"><br>
823 @item @email{cthomp@@xemacs.org, Chuck Thompson}
825 <br><img src="cthomp.jpeg" alt="Portrait of Chuck Thompson"><br>
828 @item @email{jwz@@jwz.org, Jamie Zawinski}
830 <br><img src="jwz.gif" alt="Portrait of Jamie Zawinski"><br>
833 @item @email{mly@@adoc.xerox.com, Richard Mlynarik}
835 Steve Baur was the primary maintainer for 19.15 through 21.0.
837 Chuck Thompson and Ben Wing were the maintainers for 19.11 through 19.14
838 and heavy code contributors for 19.8 through 19.10.
840 Jamie Zawinski was the maintainer for 19.0 through 19.10 (the entire
841 history of Lucid Emacs). Richard Mlynarik was a heavy code contributor
842 to 19.6 through 19.8.
846 Along with many other contributors, partially enumerated in the
847 @samp{About XEmacs} option in the Help menu.
849 @node Q1.2.2, Q1.2.3, Q1.2.1, Introduction
850 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.2.2: Who contributed to this version of the FAQ?
852 The following people contributed valuable suggestions to building this
853 version of the FAQ (listed in alphabetical order):
856 @item @email{steve@@xemacs.org, SL Baur}
858 @item @email{hniksic@@xemacs.org, Hrvoje Niksic}
860 @item @email{Aki.Vehtari@@hut.fi, Aki Vehtari}
864 @node Q1.2.3, Q1.3.1, Q1.2.2, Introduction
865 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.2.3: Who contributed to the FAQ in the past?
867 This is only a partial list, as many names were lost in a hard disk
871 @item @email{binge@@aloft.att.com, Curtis.N.Bingham}
873 @item @email{bruncott@@dormeur.inria.fr, Georges Brun-Cottan}
875 @item @email{rjc@@cogsci.ed.ac.uk, Richard Caley}
877 @item @email{cognot@@ensg.u-nancy.fr, Richard Cognot}
879 @item @email{daku@@nortel.ca, Mark Daku}
881 @item @email{wgd@@martigny.ai.mit.edu, William G. Dubuque}
883 @item @email{eeide@@cs.utah.edu, Eric Eide}
885 @item @email{af@@biomath.jussieu.fr, Alain Fauconnet}
887 @item @email{cflatter@@nrao.edu, Chris Flatters}
889 @item @email{ginsparg@@adra.com, Evelyn Ginsparg}
891 @item @email{hall@@aplcenmp.apl.jhu.edu, Marty Hall}
893 @item @email{dkindred@@cmu.edu, Darrell Kindred}
895 @item @email{dmoore@@ucsd.edu, David Moore}
897 @item @email{arup+@@cmu.edu, Arup Mukherjee}
899 @item @email{nickel@@prz.tu-berlin.de, Juergen Nickelsen}
901 @item @email{powell@@csl.ncsa.uiuc.edu, Kevin R. Powell}
903 @item @email{dworkin@@ccs.neu.edu, Justin Sheehy}
905 @item @email{stig@@hackvan.com, Stig}
907 @item @email{Aki.Vehtari@@hut.fi, Aki Vehtari}
910 @node Q1.3.1, Q1.3.2, Q1.2.3, Introduction
911 @unnumberedsec 1.3: Internationalization
912 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.1: What is the status of internationalization support aka MULE (including Asian language support?
914 Both the stable and development versions of XEmacs include
915 internationalization support (aka MULE). MULE currently works on UNIX
916 and Linux systems; work for supporting MULE on Windows operating systems
917 is in progress. Binaries compiled without MULE support run faster than
918 MULE capable XEmacsen.
920 @node Q1.3.2, Q1.3.3, Q1.3.1, Introduction
921 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.2: How can I help with internationalization?
923 If you would like to help, you may want to join the
924 @email{xemacs-mule@@xemacs.org} mailing list. Especially needed are
925 people who speak/write languages other than English, who are willing to
926 use XEmacs/MULE regularly, and have some experience with Elisp.
930 @node Q1.3.3, Q1.3.4, Q1.3.2, Introduction
931 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.3: How do I type non-ASCII characters?
933 See question 3.5.7 (@pxref{Q3.5.7}) in part 3 of this FAQ.
935 @node Q1.3.4, Q1.3.5, Q1.3.3, Introduction
936 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.4: Can XEmacs messages come out in a different language?
938 The message-catalog support has mostly been written but doesn't
939 currently work. The first release of XEmacs 20 will @emph{not} support
940 it. However, menubar localization @emph{does} work. To
941 enable it, add to your @file{Emacs} file entries like this:
944 Emacs*XlwMenu.resourceLabels: True
945 Emacs*XlwMenu.file.labelString: Fichier
946 Emacs*XlwMenu.openInOtherWindow.labelString: In anderem Fenster oeffnen
949 The name of the resource is derived from the non-localized entry by
950 removing punctuation and capitalizing as above.
952 @node Q1.3.5, Q1.3.6, Q1.3.4, Introduction
953 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.5: Please explain the various input methods in MULE/XEmacs
955 @email{morioka@@jaist.ac.jp, MORIOKA Tomohiko} writes:
958 Original Mule supports the following input methods: Wnn4, Wnn6, Canna, SJ3
959 and XIM. Interfaces for Wnn and SJ3 uses the @code{egg} user
960 interface. Interface for Canna does not use @samp{egg}. I don't know
961 about XIM. It is to support ATOK, of course, it may work for another
964 Wnn supports Japanese, Chinese and Korean. It is made by OMRON and Kyôto
965 university. It is a powerful and complex system. Wnn4 is free and Wnn6
968 Canna supports only Japanese. It is made by NEC. It is a simple and
969 powerful system. Canna uses only grammar (Wnn uses grammar and
970 probability between words), so I think Wnn is cleverer than Canna,
971 however Canna users made a good grammar and dictionary. So for standard
972 modern Japanese, Canna seems cleverer than Wnn4. In addition, the UNIX
973 version of Canna is free (now there is a Microsoft Windows version).
975 SJ3 supports only Japanese. It is made by Sony. XIM supports was made
976 to use ATOK (a major input method in personal computer world). XIM is
977 the standard for accessing input methods bundled in Japanese versions of
978 Solaris. (XEmacs 20 will support XIM input).
980 Egg consists of following parts:
984 Input character Translation System (ITS) layer.
985 It translates ASCII inputs to Kana/PinYin/Hangul characters.
988 Kana/PinYin/Hangul to Kanji transfer layer.
989 It is interface layer for network Kana-Kanji server (Wnn and Sj3).
992 These input methods are modal, namely there are mode, alphabet mode and
993 Kana-Kanji transfer mode. However there are mode-less input methods for
994 Egg and Canna. @samp{Boiled-egg} is a mode-less input method running on
995 Egg. For Canna, @samp{canna.el} has a tiny boiled-egg like command,
996 @code{(canna-boil)}, and there are some boiled-egg like utilities. In
997 addition, it was planned to make an abstraction for all transfer type
998 input methods. However authors of input methods are busy, so maybe this
999 plan is stopped. Perhaps after Mule merged GNU Emacs will be released,
1000 it will be continued.
1003 @node Q1.3.6, Q1.3.7, Q1.3.5, Introduction
1004 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.6: How do I portably code for MULE/XEmacs?
1006 @email{morioka@@jaist.ac.jp, MORIOKA Tomohiko} writes:
1009 MULE and XEmacs are quite different. So the application
1010 implementor must write separate code for these mule variants.
1012 MULE and the next version of Emacs are similar but the symbols are very
1013 different---requiring separate code as well.
1015 Namely we must support 3 kinds of mule variants and 4 or 5 or 6 kinds of
1016 emacs variants... (;_;) I'm shocked, so I wrote a wrapper package called
1017 @code{emu} to provide a common interface.
1019 I have the following suggestions about dealing with mule variants:
1023 @code{(featurep 'mule)} @code{t} on all mule variants
1026 @code{(boundp 'MULE)} is @code{t} on only MULE. Maybe the next version
1027 of Emacs will not have this symbol.
1030 MULE has a variable @code{mule-version}. Perhaps the next version of
1031 Emacs will have this variable as well.
1034 Following is a sample to distinguish mule variants:
1037 (if (featurep 'mule)
1038 (cond ((boundp 'MULE)
1039 ;; for original Mule
1041 ((string-match "XEmacs" emacs-version)
1042 ;; for XEmacs with Mule
1045 ;; for next version of Emacs
1047 ;; for old emacs variants
1052 @node Q1.3.7, Q1.3.8, Q1.3.6, Introduction
1053 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.7: How about Cyrillic Modes?
1055 @email{ilya@@math.ohio-state.edu, Ilya Zakharevich} writes:
1058 There is a cyrillic mode in the file @file{mysetup.zip} in
1062 @uref{ftp://ftp.math.ohio-state.edu/pub/users/ilya/emacs/}. This is a
1063 modification to @email{ava@@math.jhu.ed, Valery Alexeev's} @file{russian.el}
1064 which can be obtained from
1067 @uref{http://www.math.uga.edu/~valery/russian.el}.
1069 @email{d.barsky@@ee.surrey.ac.uk, Dima Barsky} writes:
1072 There is another cyrillic mode for both GNU Emacs and XEmacs by
1073 @email{manin@@camelot.mssm.edu, Dmitrii
1078 @uref{http://kulichki-lat.rambler.ru/centrolit/manin/cyr.el}.
1079 @c Link above, <URL:http://camelot.mssm.edu/~manin/cyr.el> was dead.
1080 @c Changed to russian host instead
1083 @email{rebecca.ore@@op.net, Rebecca Ore} writes:
1086 The fullest resource I found on Russian language use (in and out of
1087 XEmacs) is @uref{http://www.ibiblio.org/sergei/Software/Software.html}
1090 @node Q1.3.8, Q1.3.9, Q1.3.7, Introduction
1091 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.8: Does XEmacs support Unicode?
1093 Partially, as an external encoding for files, processes, and terminals.
1094 It does not yet support Unicode fonts @ref{Q1.3.9, Does XEmacs support
1097 To get Unicode support, you need a Mule-enabled XEmacs. Install
1098 Mule-UCS from packages in the usual way. Put
1100 (require 'un-define)
1101 (set-coding-priority-list '(utf-8))
1102 (set-coding-category-system 'utf-8 utf-8)
1104 Install standard national fonts (not Unicode fonts) for all
1105 character sets you use.
1107 Mule-UCS also supports 16-bit forms of Unicode (UTF-16). It does not
1108 support 31-bit forms of Unicode (UTF-32 or UCS-4).
1110 @node Q1.3.9, Q1.4.1, Q1.3.8, Introduction
1111 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.9: How does XEmacs display Unicode?
1113 Mule doesn't have a Unicode charset internally, so there's nothing to
1114 bind a Unicode registry to. It would not be straightforward to create,
1115 either, because Unicode is not ISO 2022-compatible. You'd have to
1116 translate it to multiple 96x96 pages.
1118 This means that Mule-UCS uses ordinary national fonts for display. This
1119 is not really a problem, except for those languages that use the Unified
1120 Han characters. The problem here is that Mule-UCS maps from Unicode
1121 code points to national character sets in a deterministic way. By
1122 default, this means that Japanese fonts are tried first, then Chinese,
1123 then Korean. To change the priority ordering, use the command
1124 `un-define-change-charset-order'.
1126 It also means you can't use Unicode fonts directly, at least not without
1127 extreme hackery. You can run -nw with (set-terminal-coding-system
1128 'utf-8) if you really want a Unicode font for some reason.
1130 Real Unicode support will be introduced in XEmacs 22.0.
1132 @node Q1.4.1, Q1.4.2, Q1.3.9, Introduction
1133 @unnumberedsec 1.4: Getting Started, Backing up & Recovery
1134 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.1: What is an @file{init.el} or @file{.emacs} and is there a sample one?
1136 The @file{init.el} or @file{.emacs} file is used to customize XEmacs to
1137 your tastes. Starting in 21.4, the preferred location for the init file
1138 is @file{~/.xemacs/init.el}; in previous versions, it was
1139 @file{~/.emacs}. 21.4 still accepts the old location, but the first
1140 time you run it, it will ask to migrate your file to the new location.
1141 If you answer yes, the file will be moved, and a "compatibility"
1142 @file{.emacs} file will be placed in the old location so that you can
1143 still run older versions of XEmacs, and versions of GNU Emacs, which
1144 expect the old location. The @file{.emacs} file present is just a stub
1145 that loads the real file in @file{~/.xemacs/init.el}.
1147 No two init files are alike, nor are they expected to be alike, but
1148 that's the point. The XEmacs distribution contains an excellent starter
1149 example in the @file{etc/} directory called @file{sample.init.el}
1150 (starting in 21.4) or @file{sample.emacs} in older versions. Copy this
1151 file from there to @file{~/.xemacs/init.el} (starting in 21.4) or
1152 @file{~/.emacs} in older versions, where @samp{~} means your home
1153 directory, of course. Then edit it to suit.
1155 You may bring the @file{sample.init.el} or @file{sample.emacs} file into
1156 an XEmacs buffer from the menubar. (The menu entry for it is always
1157 under the @samp{Help} menu, but its location under that has changed in
1158 various versions. Recently, look under the @samp{Samples} submenu.) To
1159 determine the location of the @file{etc/} directory type the command
1160 @kbd{C-h v data-directory @key{RET}}.
1162 @node Q1.4.2, Q1.4.3, Q1.4.1, Introduction
1163 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.2: Can I use the same @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} with the other Emacs?
1165 Yes. The sample @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} included in the XEmacs
1166 distribution will show you how to handle different versions and flavors
1169 @node Q1.4.3, Q1.4.4, Q1.4.2, Introduction
1170 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.3: Any good tutorials around?
1172 There's the XEmacs tutorial available from the Help Menu under
1173 @samp{Basics->Tutorials}, or by typing @kbd{C-h t}. To check whether
1174 it's available in a non-english language, type @kbd{C-u C-h t TAB}, type
1175 the first letters of your preferred language, then type @key{RET}.
1177 @comment There's an Emacs Lisp tutorial at
1180 @comment @uref{ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/emacs-lisp-intro-1.04.tar.gz}.
1181 @comment @end example
1183 @comment @email{erik@@petaxp.rug.ac.be, Erik Sundermann} has made a tutorial web
1188 @comment @uref{http://petaxp.rug.ac.be/~erik/xemacs/}.
1190 @node Q1.4.4, Q1.4.5, Q1.4.3, Introduction
1191 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.4: May I see an example of a useful XEmacs Lisp function?
1193 The following function does a little bit of everything useful. It does
1194 something with the prefix argument, it examines the text around the
1195 cursor, and it's interactive so it may be bound to a key. It inserts
1196 copies of the current word the cursor is sitting on at the cursor. If
1197 you give it a prefix argument: @kbd{C-u 3 M-x double-word} then it will
1201 (defun double-word (count)
1202 "Insert a copy of the current word underneath the cursor"
1204 (let (here there string)
1209 (setq there (point))
1210 (setq string (buffer-substring here there)))
1216 The best way to see what is going on here is to let XEmacs tell you.
1217 Put the code into an XEmacs buffer, and do a @kbd{C-h f} with the cursor
1218 sitting just to the right of the function you want explained. Eg. move
1219 the cursor to the SPACE between @code{interactive} and @samp{"*p"} and
1220 hit @kbd{C-h f} to see what the function @code{interactive} does. Doing
1221 this will tell you that the @code{*} requires a writable buffer, and
1222 @code{p} converts the prefix argument to a number, and
1223 @code{interactive} allows you to execute the command with @kbd{M-x}.
1225 @node Q1.4.5, Q1.4.6, Q1.4.4, Introduction
1226 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.5: And how do I bind it to a key?
1228 To bind to a key do:
1231 (global-set-key "\C-cd" 'double-word)
1234 Or interactively, @kbd{M-x global-set-key} and follow the prompts.
1236 @node Q1.4.6, , Q1.4.5, Introduction
1237 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.6: What's the difference between a macro and a function?
1239 Quoting from the Lisp Reference (a.k.a @dfn{Lispref}) Manual:
1241 @dfn{Macros} enable you to define new control constructs and other
1242 language features. A macro is defined much like a function, but instead
1243 of telling how to compute a value, it tells how to compute another Lisp
1244 expression which will in turn compute the value. We call this
1245 expression the @dfn{expansion} of the macro.
1247 Macros can do this because they operate on the unevaluated expressions
1248 for the arguments, not on the argument values as functions do. They can
1249 therefore construct an expansion containing these argument expressions
1252 Do not confuse the two terms with @dfn{keyboard macros}, which are
1253 another matter, entirely. A keyboard macro is a key bound to several
1254 other keys. Refer to manual for details.
1256 @node Installation, Customization, Introduction, Top
1257 @unnumbered 2 Installation and Trouble Shooting
1259 This is part 2 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
1260 section is devoted to Installation, Maintenance and Trouble Shooting.
1264 * Q2.0.1:: Running XEmacs without installing.
1265 * Q2.0.2:: XEmacs is too big.
1266 * Q2.0.3:: Compiling XEmacs with Netaudio.
1267 * Q2.0.4:: Problems with Linux and ncurses.
1268 * Q2.0.5:: Do I need X11 to run XEmacs?
1269 * Q2.0.6:: I'm having strange crashes. What do I do?
1270 * Q2.0.7:: Libraries in non-standard locations.
1271 * Q2.0.8:: can't resolve symbol _h_errno
1272 * Q2.0.9:: Where do I find external libraries?
1273 * Q2.0.10:: After I run configure I find a coredump, is something wrong?
1274 * Q2.0.11:: XEmacs can't resolve host names.
1275 * Q2.0.12:: Why can't I strip XEmacs?
1276 * Q2.0.13:: I don't need no steenkin' packages. Do I? (NEW)
1277 * Q2.0.14:: I don't want to install a million .els one at a time! (NEW)
1278 * Q2.0.15:: EFS fails with "500 AUTH not understood" (NEW)
1279 * Q2.0.16:: Cygwin XEmacs won't start: cygXpm-noX4.dll was not found (NEW)
1282 * Q2.1.1:: XEmacs just crashed on me!
1283 * Q2.1.2:: Cryptic Minibuffer messages.
1284 * Q2.1.3:: Translation Table Syntax messages at Startup.
1285 * Q2.1.4:: Startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
1286 * Q2.1.5:: XEmacs cannot connect to my X Terminal.
1287 * Q2.1.6:: XEmacs just locked up my Linux X server.
1288 * Q2.1.7:: HP Alt key as Meta.
1289 * Q2.1.8:: got (wrong-type-argument color-instance-p nil)!
1290 * Q2.1.9:: XEmacs causes my OpenWindows 3.0 server to crash.
1291 * Q2.1.10:: Warnings from incorrect key modifiers.
1292 * Q2.1.11:: Can't instantiate image error... in toolbar
1293 * Q2.1.12:: Regular Expression Problems on DEC OSF1.
1294 * Q2.1.13:: HP/UX 10.10 and @code{create_process} failure
1295 * Q2.1.14:: @kbd{C-g} doesn't work for me. Is it broken?
1296 * Q2.1.15:: How to debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger.
1297 * Q2.1.16:: XEmacs crashes in @code{strcat} on HP/UX 10.
1298 * Q2.1.17:: @samp{Marker does not point anywhere}.
1299 * Q2.1.18:: XEmacs is outputting lots of X errors.
1300 * Q2.1.19:: XEmacs does not follow the local timezone.
1301 * Q2.1.20:: @samp{Symbol's function definition is void: hkey-help-show.}
1302 * Q2.1.21:: [This question intentionally left blank]
1303 * Q2.1.22:: XEmacs seems to take a really long time to do some things.
1304 * Q2.1.23:: Movemail on Linux does not work for XEmacs 19.15 and later.
1305 * Q2.1.24:: XEmacs won't start without network. (NEW)
1306 * Q2.1.25:: After upgrading, XEmacs won't do `foo' any more! (NEW)
1309 @node Q2.0.1, Q2.0.2, Installation, Installation
1310 @unnumberedsec 2.0: Installation
1311 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.1: Running XEmacs without installing
1313 How can I just try XEmacs without installing it?
1315 XEmacs will run in place without requiring installation and copying of
1316 the Lisp directories, and without having to specify a special build-time
1317 flag. It's the copying of the Lisp directories that requires so much
1318 space. XEmacs is largely written in Lisp.
1320 A good method is to make a shell alias for xemacs:
1323 alias xemacs=/i/xemacs-20.2/src/xemacs
1326 (You will obviously use whatever directory you downloaded the source
1327 tree to instead of @file{/i/xemacs-20.2}).
1329 This will let you run XEmacs without massive copying.
1331 @node Q2.0.2, Q2.0.3, Q2.0.1, Installation
1332 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.2: XEmacs is too big
1334 The space required by the installation directories can be
1335 reduced dramatically if desired. Gzip all the .el files. Remove all
1336 the packages you'll never want to use. Remove the TexInfo manuals.
1337 Remove the Info (and use just hardcopy versions of the manual). Remove
1338 most of the stuff in etc. Remove or gzip all the source code. Gzip or
1339 remove the C source code. Configure it so that copies are not made of
1342 These are all Emacs Lisp source code and bytecompiled object code. You
1343 may safely gzip everything named *.el here. You may remove any package
1344 you don't use. @emph{Nothing bad will happen if you delete a package
1345 that you do not use}. You must be sure you do not use it though, so be
1346 conservative at first.
1348 Possible candidates for deletion include w3, games, hyperbole, mh-e,
1349 hm-html-menus, vm, viper, oobr, gnus, etc. Ask yourself, @emph{Do I
1350 ever want to use this package?} If the answer is no, then it is a
1351 candidate for removal.
1353 First, gzip all the .el files. Then go about package by package and
1354 start gzipping the .elc files. Then run XEmacs and do whatever it is
1355 you normally do. If nothing bad happens, then delete the directory. Be
1356 conservative about deleting directories, and it would be handy to have a
1357 backup around in case you get too zealous.
1359 @file{prim}, @file{modes}, @file{packages}, and @file{utils} are four
1360 directories you definitely do @strong{not} want to delete, although
1361 certain packages can be removed from them if you do not use them.
1363 Online texinfo sources in the @file{info} can either be compressed them
1364 or remove them. In either case, @kbd{C-h i} (info mode) will no longer
1367 @node Q2.0.3, Q2.0.4, Q2.0.2, Installation
1368 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.3: Compiling XEmacs with Netaudio.
1370 What is the best way to compile XEmacs with the netaudio system, since I
1371 have got the netaudio system compiled but installed at a weird place, I
1372 am not root. Also in the READMEs it does not say anything about
1373 compiling with the audioserver?
1375 You should only need to add some stuff to the configure command line.
1376 To tell it to compile in netaudio support: @samp{--with-sound=both}, or
1377 @samp{--with-sound=nas} if you don't want native sound support for some
1378 reason.) To tell it where to find the netaudio includes and libraries:
1381 --site-libraries=WHATEVER
1382 --site-includes=WHATEVER
1385 Then (fingers crossed) it should compile and it will use netaudio if you
1386 have a server running corresponding to the X server. The netaudio server
1387 has to be there when XEmacs starts. If the netaudio server goes away and
1388 another is run, XEmacs should cope (fingers crossed, error handling in
1389 netaudio isn't perfect).
1391 BTW, netaudio has been renamed as it has a name clash with something
1392 else, so if you see references to NAS or Network Audio System, it's the
1393 same thing. It also might be found at
1394 @uref{ftp://ftp.x.org/contrib/audio/nas/}.
1396 @node Q2.0.4, Q2.0.5, Q2.0.3, Installation
1397 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.4: Problems with Linux and ncurses.
1399 On Linux 1.3.98 with termcap 2.0.8 and the ncurses that came with libc
1400 5.2.18, XEmacs 20.0b20 is unable to open a tty device:
1404 Initialization error:
1408 Terminal type `xterm' undefined (or can't access database?)
1411 @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing} writes:
1414 Your ncurses configuration is messed up. Your /usr/lib/terminfo is a
1415 bad pointer, perhaps to a CD-ROM that is not inserted.
1418 @node Q2.0.5, Q2.0.6, Q2.0.4, Installation
1419 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.5: Do I need X11 to run XEmacs?
1421 No. The name @dfn{XEmacs} is unfortunate in the sense that it is
1422 @strong{not} an X Window System-only version of Emacs. XEmacs has
1423 full color support on a color-capable character terminal.
1425 @node Q2.0.6, Q2.0.7, Q2.0.5, Installation
1426 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.6: I'm having strange crashes. What do I do?
1428 There have been a variety of reports of crashes due to compilers with
1429 buggy optimizers. Please see the @file{PROBLEMS} file that comes with
1430 XEmacs to read what it says about your platform.
1432 @node Q2.0.7, Q2.0.8, Q2.0.6, Installation
1433 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.7: Libraries in non-standard locations
1435 I have x-faces, jpeg, xpm etc. all in different places. I've tried
1436 space-separated, comma-separated, several --site-libraries, all to no
1440 --site-libraries='/path/one /path/two /path/etc'
1443 @node Q2.0.8, Q2.0.9, Q2.0.7, Installation
1444 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.8: can't resolve symbol _h_errno
1446 You are using the Linux/ELF distribution of XEmacs 19.14, and your ELF
1447 libraries are out of date. You have the following options:
1451 Upgrade your libc to at least 5.2.16 (better is 5.2.18, 5.3.12, or
1455 Patch the XEmacs binary by replacing all occurrences of
1456 @samp{_h_errno^@@} with
1460 @samp{h_errno^@@^@@}. Any version of Emacs will
1461 suffice. If you don't understand how to do this, don't do it.
1464 Rebuild XEmacs yourself---any working ELF version of libc should be
1468 @email{hniksic@@xemacs.org, Hrvoje Niksic} writes:
1471 Why not use a Perl one-liner for No. 2?
1474 perl -pi -e 's/_h_errno\0/h_errno\0\0/g' \
1475 /usr/local/bin/xemacs-19.14
1478 NB: You @emph{must} patch @file{/usr/local/bin/xemacs-19.14}, and not
1479 @file{xemacs} because @file{xemacs} is a link to @file{xemacs-19.14};
1480 the Perl @samp{-i} option will cause unwanted side-effects if applied to
1484 @email{steve@@xemacs.org, SL Baur} writes:
1487 If you build against a recent libc-5.4 (late enough to have caused
1488 problems earlier in the beta cycle) and then run with an earlier version
1493 xemacs: can't resolve symbol '__malloc_hook'
1494 zsh: 7942 segmentation fault (core dumped) xemacs
1497 (Example binary compiled against libc-5.4.23 and run with libc-5.4.16).
1499 The solution is to upgrade to at least libc-5.4.23. Sigh. Drat.
1502 @node Q2.0.9, Q2.0.10, Q2.0.8, Installation
1503 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.9: Where do I find external libraries?
1505 All external libraries used by XEmacs can be found at the XEmacs FTP
1510 @uref{ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/aux/}.
1512 @c Changed June Link above, <URL:ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/aux/> was dead.
1513 @c This list is a pain in the you-know-what to keep in synch with the
1515 The canonical locations (at the time of this writing) are as follows:
1519 @uref{ftp://ftp.uu.net/graphics/jpeg/}. Version 6a is current.
1520 @c Check from host with legal IP address
1522 @uref{ftp://ftp.x.org/contrib/libraries/}. Version 3.4j is current.
1523 Older versions of this package are known to cause XEmacs crashes.
1526 @uref{ftp://ftp.sgi.com/graphics/tiff/}. v3.4 is current. The latest
1527 beta is v3.4b035. There is a HOWTO here.
1530 @uref{ftp://ftp.uu.net/graphics/png/}. 0.89c is current. XEmacs
1531 requires a fairly recent version to avoid using temporary files.
1532 @c Check from host with legal IP address
1534 @uref{ftp://swrinde.nde.swri.edu/pub/png/src/}
1537 @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.indiana.edu/pub/faces/compface/}. This library has
1538 been frozen for about 6 years, and is distributed without version
1539 numbers. @emph{It should be compiled with the same options that X11 was
1540 compiled with on your system}. The version of this library at
1541 XEmacs.org includes the @file{xbm2xface.pl} script, written by
1542 @email{stig@@hackvan.com}, which may be useful when generating your own xface.
1545 @uref{ftp://ftp.x.org/contrib/audio/nas/}.
1546 Version 1.2p5 is current. There is a FAQ here.
1549 @node Q2.0.10, Q2.0.11, Q2.0.9, Installation
1550 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.10: After I run configure I find a core dump, is something wrong?
1552 Not necessarily. If you have GNU sed 3.0 you should downgrade it to
1553 2.05. From the @file{README} at prep.ai.mit.edu:
1556 sed 3.0 has been withdrawn from distribution. It has major revisions,
1557 which mostly seem to be improvements; but it turns out to have bugs too
1558 which cause trouble in some common cases.
1560 Tom Lord won't be able to work fixing the bugs until May. So in the
1561 mean time, we've decided to withdraw sed 3.0 from distribution and make
1562 version 2.05 once again the recommended version.
1565 It has also been observed that the vfork test on Solaris will leave a
1568 @node Q2.0.11, Q2.0.12, Q2.0.10, Installation
1569 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.11: XEmacs doesn't resolve hostnames.
1571 This is the result of a long-standing problem with SunOS and the fact
1572 that stock SunOS systems do not ship with DNS resolver code in libc.
1574 @email{ckd@@loiosh.kei.com, Christopher Davis} writes:
1577 That's correct [The SunOS 4.1.3 precompiled binaries don't do name
1578 lookup]. Since Sun figured that everyone used NIS to do name lookups
1579 (that DNS thing was apparently only a passing fad, right?), the stock
1580 SunOS 4.x systems don't have DNS-based name lookups in libc.
1582 This is also why Netscape ships two binaries for SunOS 4.1.x.
1584 The best solution is to compile it yourself; the configure script will
1585 check to see if you've put DNS in the shared libc and will then proceed
1586 to link against the DNS resolver library code.
1589 @node Q2.0.12, Q2.0.13, Q2.0.11, Installation
1590 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.12: Why can't I strip XEmacs?
1592 @email{cognot@@fronsac.ensg.u-nancy.fr, Richard Cognot} writes:
1595 Because of the way XEmacs (and every other Emacsen, AFAIK) is built. The
1596 link gives you a bare-boned emacs (called temacs). temacs is then run,
1597 preloading some of the lisp files. The result is then dumped into a new
1598 executable, named xemacs, which will contain all of the preloaded lisp
1601 Now, during the dump itself, the executable (code+data+symbols) is
1602 written on disk using a special unexec() function. This function is
1603 obviously heavily system dependent. And on some systems, it leads to an
1604 executable which, although valid, cannot be stripped without damage. If
1605 memory serves, this is especially the case for AIX binaries. On other
1606 architectures it might work OK.
1608 The Right Way to strip the emacs binary is to strip temacs prior to
1609 dumping xemacs. This will always work, although you can do that only if
1610 you install from sources (as temacs is @file{not} part of the binary
1614 @email{nat@@nataa.fr.eu.org, Nat Makarevitch} writes:
1621 [ ./configure; make ]
1633 cp src/xemacs /usr/local/bin/xemacs
1636 cp lib-src/DOC-19.16-XEmacs
1640 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.16/i586-unknown-linuxaout
1644 @node Q2.0.13, Q2.0.14, Q2.0.12, Installation
1645 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.13: I don't need no steenkin' packages. Do I? (NEW)
1647 Strictly speaking, no. XEmacs will build and install just fine without
1648 any packages installed. However, only the most basic editing functions
1649 will be available with no packages installed, so installing packages is
1650 an essential part of making your installed XEmacs _useful_.
1652 @node Q2.0.14, Q2.0.15, Q2.0.13, Installation
1653 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.14: How do I figure out which packages to install? (NEW)
1655 Many people really liked the old way that packages were bundled and do
1656 not want to mess with packages at all. You can grab all the packages at
1657 once like you used to with old XEmacs versions. Download the file
1659 @file{xemacs-sumo.tar.gz}
1661 For an XEmacs compiled with Mule you also need
1663 @file{xemacs-mule-sumo.tar.gz}
1665 from the @file{packages} directory on your XEmacs mirror archive.
1666 N.B. They are called 'Sumo Tarballs' for good reason. They are
1667 currently about 15MB and 2.3MB (gzipped) respectively.
1671 @code{cd $prefix/lib/xemacs ; gunzip -c <tarballname> | tar xf -}
1673 See README.packages for more detailed installation instructions.
1675 As the Sumo tarballs are not regenerated as often as the individual
1676 packages, it is recommended that you use the automatic package tools
1677 afterwards to pick up any recent updates.
1679 @node Q2.0.15, Q2.0.16, Q2.0.14, Installation
1680 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.15: EFS fails with "500 AUTH not understood" (NEW)
1682 A typical error: FTP Error: USER request failed; 500 AUTH not understood.
1684 Thanks to giacomo boffi @email{giacomo.boffi@@polimi.it} who recommends
1685 on comp.emacs.xemacs:
1687 tell your ftp client to not attempt AUTH authentication (or do not
1688 use FTP servers that don't understand AUTH)
1690 and notes that you need to add an element (often "-u") to
1691 `efs-ftp-program-args'. Use M-x customize-variable, and verify the
1692 needed flag with `man ftp' or other local documentation.
1694 @node Q2.0.16, Q2.1.1, Q2.0.15, Installation
1695 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.16: Cygwin XEmacs won't start: cygXpm-noX4.dll was not found (NEW)
1697 The Cygwin binary distributed with the netinstaller uses an external DLL
1698 to handle XPM images (such as toolbar buttons). You may get an error like
1700 This application has failed to start because cygXpm-noX4.dll was not found.
1701 Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
1703 Andy Piper <andy@@xemacs.org> sez:
1705 cygXpm-noX4 is part of the cygwin distribution under libraries or
1706 graphics, but is not installed by default. You need to run the
1707 cygwin setup again and select this package.
1709 Ie, reinstalling XEmacs won't help because it is not part of the XEmacs
1712 @node Q2.1.1, Q2.1.2, Q2.0.16, Installation
1713 @unnumberedsec 2.1: Trouble Shooting
1714 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.1: Help! XEmacs just crashed on me!
1716 First of all, don't panic. Whenever XEmacs crashes, it tries extremely
1717 hard to auto-save all of your files before dying. (The main time that
1718 this will not happen is if the machine physically lost power or if you
1719 killed the XEmacs process using @code{kill -9}). The next time you try
1720 to edit those files, you will be informed that a more recent auto-save
1721 file exists. You can use @kbd{M-x recover-file} to retrieve the
1722 auto-saved version of the file.
1724 You can use the command @kbd{M-x recover-session} after a crash to pick
1725 up where you left off.
1727 Now, XEmacs is not perfect, and there may occasionally be times, or
1728 particular sequences of actions, that cause it to crash. If you can
1729 come up with a reproducible way of doing this (or even if you have a
1730 pretty good memory of exactly what you were doing at the time), the
1731 maintainers would be very interested in knowing about it. Post a
1732 message to comp.emacs.xemacs or send mail to @email{crashes@@xemacs.org}.
1733 Please note that the @samp{crashes} address is exclusively for crash
1736 If at all possible, include a stack backtrace of the core dump that was
1737 produced. This shows where exactly things went wrong, and makes it much
1738 easier to diagnose problems. To do this, you need to locate the core
1739 file (it's called @file{core}, and is usually sitting in the directory
1740 that you started XEmacs from, or your home directory if that other
1741 directory was not writable). Then, go to that directory and execute a
1745 gdb `which xemacs` core
1748 and then issue the command @samp{where} to get the stack backtrace. You
1749 might have to use @code{dbx} or some similar debugger in place of
1750 @code{gdb}. If you don't have any such debugger available, complain to
1751 your system administrator.
1753 It's possible that a core file didn't get produced, in which case you're
1754 out of luck. Go complain to your system administrator and tell him not
1755 to disable core files by default. Also see @ref{Q2.1.15}, for tips and
1756 techniques for dealing with a debugger.
1758 When making a problem report make sure that:
1762 Report @strong{all} of the information output by XEmacs during the
1766 You mention what O/S & Hardware you are running XEmacs on.
1769 What version of XEmacs you are running.
1772 What build options you are using.
1775 If the problem is related to graphics, we will also need to know what
1776 version of the X Window System you are running, and what window manager
1780 If the problem happened on a tty, please include the terminal type.
1783 @node Q2.1.2, Q2.1.3, Q2.1.1, Installation
1784 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.2: Cryptic Minibuffer messages.
1786 When I try to use some particular option of some particular package, I
1787 get a cryptic error in the minibuffer.
1789 If you can't figure out what's going on, select Options/General
1790 Options/Debug on Error from the Menubar and then try and make the error
1791 happen again. This will give you a backtrace that may be enlightening.
1792 If not, try reading through this FAQ; if that fails, you could try
1793 posting to comp.emacs.xemacs (making sure to include the backtrace) and
1794 someone may be able to help. If you can identify which Emacs lisp
1795 source file the error is coming from you can get a more detailed stack
1796 backtrace by doing the following:
1800 Visit the .el file in an XEmacs buffer.
1803 Issue the command @kbd{M-x eval-current-buffer}.
1806 Reproduce the error.
1809 Depending on the version of XEmacs, you may either select View->Show
1810 Message Log (recent versions), Edit->Show Messages (some earlier
1811 versions) or Help->Recent Keystrokes/Messages (other earlier versions)
1812 from the menubar to see the most recent messages. This command is bound
1813 to @kbd{C-h l} by default.
1815 @node Q2.1.3, Q2.1.4, Q2.1.2, Installation
1816 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.3: Translation Table Syntax messages at Startup
1818 I get tons of translation table syntax error messages during startup.
1819 How do I get rid of them?
1821 There are two causes of this problem. The first usually only strikes
1822 people using the prebuilt binaries. The culprit in both cases is the
1823 file @file{XKeysymDB}.
1827 The binary cannot find the @file{XKeysymDB} file. The location is
1828 hardcoded at compile time so if the system the binary was built on puts
1829 it a different place than your system does, you have problems. To fix,
1830 set the environment variable @var{XKEYSYMDB} to the location of the
1831 @file{XKeysymDB} file on your system or to the location of the one
1832 included with XEmacs which should be at
1836 @file{<xemacs_root_directory>/lib/xemacs-19.16/etc/XKeysymDB}.
1839 The binary is finding the XKeysymDB but it is out-of-date on your system
1840 and does not contain the necessary lines. Either ask your system
1841 administrator to replace it with the one which comes with XEmacs (which
1842 is the stock R6 version and is backwards compatible) or set your
1843 @var{XKEYSYMDB} variable to the location of XEmacs's described above.
1846 @node Q2.1.4, Q2.1.5, Q2.1.3, Installation
1847 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.4: Startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
1849 How can I avoid the startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
1851 This is highly dependent on your installation, but try with the
1852 following font as your base font for XEmacs and see what it does:
1855 -adobe-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-iso8859-1
1858 More precisely, do the following in your resource file:
1861 Emacs.default.attributeFont: \
1862 -adobe-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-iso8859-1
1865 If you just don't want to see the @samp{*Warnings*} buffer at startup
1866 time, you can set this:
1869 (setq display-warning-minimum-level 'error)
1872 The buffer still exists; it just isn't in your face.
1874 @node Q2.1.5, Q2.1.6, Q2.1.4, Installation
1875 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.5: XEmacs cannot connect to my X Terminal!
1877 Help! I can not get XEmacs to display on my Envizex X-terminal!
1879 Try setting the @var{DISPLAY} variable using the numeric IP address of
1880 the host you are running XEmacs from.
1882 @node Q2.1.6, Q2.1.7, Q2.1.5, Installation
1883 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.6: XEmacs just locked up my Linux X server!
1885 There have been several reports of the X server locking up under Linux.
1886 In all reported cases removing speedo and scaled fonts from the font
1887 path corrected the problem. This can be done with the command
1890 It is possible that using a font server may also solve the problem.
1892 @node Q2.1.7, Q2.1.8, Q2.1.6, Installation
1893 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.7: HP Alt key as Meta.
1895 How can I make XEmacs recognize the Alt key of my HP workstation as a
1898 Put the following line into a file and load it with xmodmap(1) before
1902 remove Mod1 = Mode_switch
1905 @node Q2.1.8, Q2.1.9, Q2.1.7, Installation
1906 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.8: got (wrong-type-argument color-instance-p nil)
1908 @email{nataliek@@rd.scitec.com.au, Natalie Kershaw} writes:
1911 I am trying to run xemacs 19.13 under X11R4. Whenever I move the mouse I
1912 get the following error. Has anyone seen anything like this? This
1913 doesn't occur on X11R5.
1917 (error "got (wrong-type-argument color-instance-p nil)
1918 and I don't know why!")
1922 @email{map01kd@@gold.ac.uk, dinos} writes:
1925 I think this is due to undefined resources; You need to define color
1926 backgrounds and foregrounds into your @file{.../app-defaults/Emacs}
1930 *Foreground: Black ;everything will be of black on grey95,
1931 *Background: Grey95 ;unless otherwise specified.
1932 *cursorColor: Red3 ;red3 cursor with grey95 border.
1933 *pointerColor: Red3 ;red3 pointer with grey95 border.
1937 Natalie Kershaw adds:
1940 What fixed the problem was adding some more colors to the X color
1941 database (copying the X11R5 colors over), and also defining the
1942 following resources:
1945 xemacs*cursorColor: black
1946 xemacs*pointerColor: black
1949 With the new colors installed the problem still occurs if the above
1950 resources are not defined.
1952 If the new colors are not present then an additional error occurs on
1953 XEmacs startup, which says @samp{Color Red3} not defined.
1956 @node Q2.1.9, Q2.1.10, Q2.1.8, Installation
1957 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.9: XEmacs causes my OpenWindows 3.0 server to crash.
1959 The OpenWindows 3.0 server is incredibly buggy. Your best bet is to
1960 replace it with one from the generic MIT X11 release. You might also
1961 try disabling parts of your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}, like those
1962 that enable background pixmaps.
1964 @node Q2.1.10, Q2.1.11, Q2.1.9, Installation
1965 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.10: Warnings from incorrect key modifiers.
1967 The following information comes from the @file{PROBLEMS} file that comes
1970 If you're having troubles with HP/UX it is because HP/UX defines the
1971 modifiers wrong in X. Here is a shell script to fix the problem; be
1972 sure that it is run after VUE configures the X server.
1976 xmodmap 2> /dev/null - << EOF
1977 keysym Alt_L = Meta_L
1978 keysym Alt_R = Meta_R
1983 keysym Mode_switch = NoSymbol
1985 keysym Meta_R = Mode_switch
1986 add mod2 = Mode_switch
1990 @node Q2.1.11, Q2.1.12, Q2.1.10, Installation
1991 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.11: @samp{Can't instantiate image error...} in toolbar
1994 @email{expt@@alanine.ram.org, Dr. Ram Samudrala} writes:
1996 I just installed the XEmacs (20.4-2) RPMS that I downloaded from
1997 @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/}. Everything works fine, except that when
1998 I place my mouse over the toolbar, it beeps and gives me this message:
2001 Can't instantiate image (probably cached):
2002 [xbm :mask-file "/usr/include/X11/bitmaps/leftptrmsk :mask-data
2003 (16 16 <strange control characters> ...
2006 @email{kyle_jones@@wonderworks.com, Kyle Jones} writes:
2008 This is problem specific to some Chips and Technologies video
2009 chips, when running XFree86. Putting
2011 @code{Option "sw_cursor"}
2013 in @file{XF86Config} gets rid of the problem.
2016 @node Q2.1.12, Q2.1.13, Q2.1.11, Installation
2017 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.12: Problems with Regular Expressions on DEC OSF1.
2019 I have xemacs 19.13 running on an alpha running OSF1 V3.2 148 and ispell
2020 would not run because it claimed the version number was incorrect
2021 although it was indeed OK. I traced the problem to the regular
2024 @email{douglask@@dstc.edu.au, Douglas Kosovic} writes:
2027 Actually it's a DEC cc optimization bug that screws up the regexp
2030 Rebuilding using the @samp{-migrate} switch for DEC cc (which uses a
2031 different sort of optimization) works fine.
2034 See @file{xemacs-19_13-dunix-3_2c.patch} at the following URL on how to
2035 build with the @samp{-migrate} flag:
2038 @uref{http://www-digital.cern.ch/carney/emacs/emacs.html}
2039 @c Link above, <URL:http://www-digital.cern.ch/carney/emacs/emacs.html> is
2040 @c dead. And the directory `carney' is empty.
2046 NOTE: There have been a variety of other problems reported that are
2047 fixed in this fashion.
2049 @node Q2.1.13, Q2.1.14, Q2.1.12, Installation
2050 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.13: HP/UX 10.10 and @code{create_process} failure.
2052 @email{Dave.Carrigan@@ipl.ca, Dave Carrigan} writes:
2055 With XEmacs 19.13 and HP/UX 10.10, anything that relies on the
2056 @code{create_process} function fails. This breaks a lot of things
2057 (shell-mode, compile, ange-ftp, to name a few).
2060 @email{johnson@@dtc.hp.com, Phil Johnson} writes:
2063 This is a problem specific to HP-UX 10.10. It only occurs when XEmacs
2064 is compiled for shared libraries (the default), so you can work around
2065 it by compiling a statically-linked binary (run configure with
2066 @samp{--dynamic=no}).
2068 I'm not sure whether the problem is with a particular shared library or
2069 if it's a kernel problem which crept into 10.10.
2072 @email{cognot@@ensg.u-nancy.fr, Richard Cognot} writes:
2075 I had a few problems with 10.10. Apparently, some of them were solved by
2076 forcing a static link of libc (manually).
2079 @node Q2.1.14, Q2.1.15, Q2.1.13, Installation
2080 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.14: @kbd{C-g} doesn't work for me. Is it broken?
2082 @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing} writes:
2085 @kbd{C-g} does work for most people in most circumstances. If it
2086 doesn't, there are only two explanations:
2090 The code is wrapped with a binding of @code{inhibit-quit} to
2091 @code{t}. @kbd{Ctrl-Shift-G} should still work, I think.
2094 SIGIO is broken on your system, but BROKEN_SIGIO isn't defined.
2097 To test #2, try executing @code{(while t)} from the @samp{*scratch*}
2098 buffer. If @kbd{C-g} doesn't interrupt, then you're seeing #2.
2101 @email{terra@@diku.dk, Morten Welinder} writes:
2104 On some (but @emph{not} all) machines a hung XEmacs can be revived by
2105 @code{kill -FPE <pid>}. This is a hack, of course, not a solution.
2106 This technique works on a Sun4 running 4.1.3_U1. To see if it works for
2107 you, start another XEmacs and test with that first. If you get a core
2108 dump the method doesn't work and if you get @samp{Arithmetic error} then
2112 @node Q2.1.15, Q2.1.16, Q2.1.14, Installation
2113 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.15: How to Debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger
2115 If XEmacs does crash on you, one of the most productive things you can
2116 do to help get the bug fixed is to poke around a bit with the debugger.
2117 Here are some hints:
2121 First of all, if the crash is at all reproducible, consider very
2122 strongly recompiling your XEmacs with debugging symbols and with no
2123 optimization (e.g. with GCC use the compiler flags @samp{-g -O0} --
2124 that's an "oh" followed by a zero), and with the configure options
2125 @samp{--debug=yes} and @samp{--error-checking=all}. This will make your
2126 XEmacs run somewhat slower but make it a lot more likely to catch the
2127 problem earlier (closer to its source), and a lot easier to determine
2128 what's going on with a debugger.
2131 If you're able to run XEmacs under a debugger and reproduce the crash
2132 (if it's inconvenient to do this because XEmacs is already running or is
2133 running in batch mode as part of a bunch of scripts, consider attaching
2134 to the existing process with your debugger; most debuggers let you do
2135 this by substituting the process ID for the core file when you invoke
2136 the debugger from the command line, or by using the @code{attach}
2137 command or something similar), here are some things you can do:
2140 If XEmacs is hitting an assertion failure, put a breakpoint on
2141 @code{assert_failed()}.
2144 If XEmacs is hitting some weird Lisp error that's causing it to crash
2145 (e.g. during startup), put a breakpoint on @code{signal_1()}---this is
2146 declared static in eval.c.
2149 If XEmacs is outputting lots of X errors, put a breakpoint on
2150 @code{x_error_handler()}; that will tell you which call is causing them.
2153 Internally, you will probably see lots of variables that hold objects of
2154 type @code{Lisp_Object}. These are exactly what they appear to be,
2155 i.e. references to Lisp objects. Printing them out with the debugger
2156 probably won't be too useful---you'll likely just see a number. To
2157 decode them, do this:
2160 call debug_print (OBJECT)
2163 where @var{OBJECT} is whatever you want to decode (it can be a variable,
2164 a function call, etc.). This will print out a readable representation
2165 on the TTY from which the xemacs process was invoked.
2168 If you want to get a Lisp backtrace showing the Lisp call
2172 call debug_backtrace ()
2176 Using @code{debug_print} and @code{debug_backtrace} has two
2177 disadvantages - it can only be used with a running xemacs process, and
2178 it cannot display the internal C structure of a Lisp Object. Even if
2179 all you've got is a core dump, all is not lost.
2181 If you're using GDB, there are some macros in the file
2182 @file{src/.gdbinit} in the XEmacs source distribution that should make
2183 it easier for you to decode Lisp objects. This file is automatically
2184 read by gdb if gdb is run in the directory where xemacs was built, and
2185 contains these useful macros to inspect the state of xemacs:
2189 Usage: pobj lisp_object @*
2190 Print the internal C representation of a lisp object.
2193 Usage: xtype lisp_object @*
2194 Print the Lisp type of a lisp object.
2198 Print the current Lisp stack trace.
2199 Requires a running xemacs process.
2202 Usage: ldp lisp_object @*
2203 Print a Lisp Object value using the Lisp printer.
2204 Requires a running xemacs process.
2207 Usage: run-temacs @*
2208 Run temacs interactively, like xemacs.
2209 Use this with debugging tools (like purify) that cannot deal with dumping,
2210 or when temacs builds successfully, but xemacs does not.
2213 Usage: dump-temacs @*
2214 Run the dumping part of the build procedure.
2215 Use when debugging temacs, not xemacs!
2216 Use this when temacs builds successfully, but xemacs does not.
2219 Usage: check-xemacs @*
2220 Run the test suite. Equivalent to 'make check'.
2223 Usage: check-temacs @*
2224 Run the test suite on temacs. Equivalent to 'make check-temacs'.
2225 Use this with debugging tools (like purify) that cannot deal with dumping,
2226 or when temacs builds successfully, but xemacs does not.
2229 If you are using Sun's @file{dbx} debugger, there is an equivalent file
2230 @file{src/.dbxrc}, which defines the same commands for dbx.
2233 If you're using a debugger to get a C stack backtrace and you're seeing
2234 stack traces with some of the innermost frames mangled, it may be due to
2235 dynamic linking. (This happens especially under Linux.) Consider
2236 reconfiguring with @samp{--dynamic=no}. Also, sometimes (again under
2237 Linux), stack backtraces of core dumps will have the frame where the
2238 fatal signal occurred mangled; if you can obtain a stack trace while
2239 running the XEmacs process under a debugger, the stack trace should be
2242 @email{1CMC3466@@ibm.mtsac.edu, Curtiss} suggests upgrading to ld.so version 1.8
2243 if dynamic linking and debugging is a problem on Linux.
2246 If you're using a debugger to get a C stack backtrace and you're
2247 getting a completely mangled and bogus stack trace, it's probably due to
2248 one of the following:
2252 Your executable has been stripped. Bad news. Tell your sysadmin not to
2253 do this---it doesn't accomplish anything except to save a bit of disk
2254 space, and makes debugging much much harder.
2257 Your stack is getting trashed. Debugging this is hard; you have to do a
2258 binary-search type of narrowing down where the crash occurs, until you
2259 figure out exactly which line is causing the problem. Of course, this
2260 only works if the bug is highly reproducible.
2263 If your stack trace has exactly one frame in it, with address 0x0, this
2264 could simply mean that XEmacs attempted to execute code at that address,
2265 e.g. through jumping to a null function pointer. Unfortunately, under
2266 those circumstances, GDB under Linux doesn't know how to get a stack
2267 trace. (Yes, this is the third Linux-related problem I've mentioned. I
2268 have no idea why GDB under Linux is so bogus. Complain to the GDB
2269 authors, or to comp.os.linux.development.system). Again, you'll have to
2270 use the narrowing-down process described above.
2273 You will get a Lisp backtrace output when XEmacs crashes, so you'll have
2279 If you compile with the newer gcc variants gcc-2.8 or egcs, you will
2280 also need gdb 4.17 or above. Earlier releases of gdb can't handle the
2281 debug information generated by the newer compilers.
2284 In versions of XEmacs before 21.2.27, @file{src/.gdbinit} was named
2285 @file{src/gdbinit}. This had the disadvantage of not being sourced
2286 automatically by gdb, so you had to set that up yourself.
2290 @node Q2.1.16, Q2.1.17, Q2.1.15, Installation
2291 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.16: XEmacs crashes in @code{strcat} on HP/UX 10
2293 From the problems database (through
2294 the former address http://support.mayfield.hp.com/):
2297 Problem Report: 5003302299
2300 System/Model: 9000/700
2301 Product Name: HPUX S800 10.0X
2302 Product Vers: 9245XB.10.00
2304 Description: strcat(3C) may read beyond
2305 end of source string, can cause SIGSEGV
2308 *** PROBLEM TEXT ***
2309 strcat(3C) may read beyond the source string onto an unmapped page,
2310 causing a segmentation violation.
2313 @node Q2.1.17, Q2.1.18, Q2.1.16, Installation
2314 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.17: @samp{Marker does not point anywhere}
2316 As with other errors, set @code{debug-on-error} to @code{t} to get the
2317 backtrace when the error occurs. Specifically, two problems have been
2318 reported (and fixed).
2322 A problem with line-number-mode in XEmacs 19.14 affected a large number
2323 of other packages. If you see this error message, turn off
2327 A problem with some early versions of Gnus 5.4 caused this error.
2331 @node Q2.1.18, Q2.1.19, Q2.1.17, Installation
2332 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.18: XEmacs is outputting lots of X errors.
2334 If this is happening, we would very much like to know what's causing
2335 them. To find this out, see @ref{Q2.1.15}. Try to get both a C and Lisp
2336 backtrace, and send them to @email{xemacs-beta@@xemacs.org}.
2338 @node Q2.1.19, Q2.1.20, Q2.1.18, Installation
2339 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.19: XEmacs does not follow the local timezone.
2341 When using one of the prebuilt binaries many users have observed that
2342 XEmacs uses the timezone under which it was built, but not the timezone
2343 under which it is running. The solution is to add:
2346 (set-time-zone-rule "MET")
2349 to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} or the @file{site-start.el} file if
2350 you can. Replace @code{MET} with your local timezone.
2352 @node Q2.1.20, Q2.1.21, Q2.1.19, Installation
2353 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.20: @samp{Symbol's function definition is void: hkey-help-show.}
2355 This is a problem with a partially loaded hyperbole. Try adding:
2358 (require 'hmouse-drv)
2361 where you load hyperbole and the problem should go away.
2363 @node Q2.1.21, Q2.1.22, Q2.1.20, Installation
2364 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.21: [This question intentionally left blank]
2366 @node Q2.1.22, Q2.1.23, Q2.1.21, Installation
2367 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.22: XEmacs seems to take a really long time to do some things
2369 @email{dmoore@@ucsd.edu, David Moore} writes:
2372 Two things you can do:
2376 When you see it going mad like this, you might want to use gdb from an
2377 'xterm' to attach to the running process and get a stack trace. To do
2381 gdb /path/to/xemacs/xemacs ####
2384 Where @code{####} is the process id of your xemacs, instead of
2385 specifying the core. When gdb attaches, the xemacs will stop [1] and
2386 you can type `where' in gdb to get a stack trace as usual. To get
2387 things moving again, you can just type `quit' in gdb. It'll tell you
2388 the program is running and ask if you want to quit anyways. Say 'y' and
2389 it'll quit and have your emacs continue from where it was at.
2393 Turn on debug-on-quit early on. When you think things are going slow
2394 hit C-g and it may pop you in the debugger so you can see what routine
2395 is running. Press `c' to get going again.
2397 debug-on-quit doesn't work if something's turned on inhibit-quit or in
2398 some other strange cases.
2401 @node Q2.1.23, Q2.1.24, Q2.1.22, Installation
2402 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.23: Movemail on Linux does not work for XEmacs 19.15 and later.
2404 Movemail used to work fine in 19.14 but has stopped working in 19.15
2405 and 20.x. I am using Linux.
2407 @email{steve@@xemacs.org, SL Baur} writes:
2410 Movemail on Linux used to default to using flock file locking. With
2411 19.15 and later versions it now defaults to using @code{.lock} file
2412 locking. If this is not appropriate for your system, edit src/s/linux.h
2413 and uncomment the line that reads:
2416 #define MAIL_USE_FLOCK
2420 @node Q2.1.24, Q2.1.25, Q2.1.23, Installation
2421 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.24: XEmacs won't start without network. (NEW)
2423 If XEmacs starts when you're on the network, but fails when you're not
2424 on the network, you may be missing a "localhost" entry in your
2425 @file{/etc/hosts} file. The file should contain an entry like:
2431 Add that line, and XEmacs will be happy.
2433 @node Q2.1.25, , Q2.1.24, Installation
2434 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.25:: After upgrading, XEmacs won't do `foo' any more! (NEW)
2436 You have been used to doing `foo', but now when you invoke it (or click
2437 the toolbar button or select the menu item), nothing (or an error)
2438 happens. The simplest explanation is that you are missing a package
2439 that is essential to you. You can either track it down and install it
2440 (there is a list of packages and brief descriptions of their contents in
2441 @file{etc/PACKAGES}), or install the `Sumo Tarball' (@pxref{Q2.0.14}).
2443 @c #### should xref to XEmacs manual here
2445 @node Customization, Subsystems, Installation, Top
2446 @unnumbered 3 Customization and Options
2448 This is part 3 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
2449 section is devoted to Customization and screen settings.
2452 Customization---Emacs Lisp and @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
2453 * Q3.0.1:: What version of Emacs am I running?
2454 * Q3.0.2:: How do I evaluate Elisp expressions?
2455 * Q3.0.3:: @code{(setq tab-width 6)} behaves oddly.
2456 * Q3.0.4:: How can I add directories to the @code{load-path}?
2457 * Q3.0.5:: How to check if a lisp function is defined?
2458 * Q3.0.6:: Can I force the output of @code{(face-list)} to a buffer?
2459 * Q3.0.7:: Font selections don't get saved after @code{Save Options}.
2460 * Q3.0.8:: How do I make a single minibuffer frame?
2461 * Q3.0.9:: What is @code{Customize}?
2463 X Window System & Resources:
2464 * Q3.1.1:: Where is a list of X resources?
2465 * Q3.1.2:: How can I detect a color display?
2466 * Q3.1.3:: [This question intentionally left blank]
2467 * Q3.1.4:: [This question intentionally left blank]
2468 * Q3.1.5:: How can I get the icon to just say @samp{XEmacs}?
2469 * Q3.1.6:: How can I have the window title area display the full path?
2470 * Q3.1.7:: @samp{xemacs -name junk} doesn't work?
2471 * Q3.1.8:: @samp{-iconic} doesn't work.
2473 Textual Fonts & Colors:
2474 * Q3.2.1:: How can I set color options from @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}?
2475 * Q3.2.2:: How do I set the text, menu and modeline fonts?
2476 * Q3.2.3:: How can I set the colors when highlighting a region?
2477 * Q3.2.4:: How can I limit color map usage?
2478 * Q3.2.5:: My tty supports color, but XEmacs doesn't use them.
2479 * Q3.2.6:: Can I have pixmap backgrounds in XEmacs?
2482 * Q3.3.1:: How can I make the modeline go away?
2483 * Q3.3.2:: How do you have XEmacs display the line number in the modeline?
2484 * Q3.3.3:: How do I get XEmacs to put the time of day on the modeline?
2485 * Q3.3.4:: How do I turn off current chapter from AUC TeX modeline?
2486 * Q3.3.5:: How can one change the modeline color based on the mode used?
2488 3.4 Multiple Device Support:
2489 * Q3.4.1:: How do I open a frame on another screen of my multi-headed display?
2490 * Q3.4.2:: Can I really connect to a running XEmacs after calling up over a modem? How?
2493 * Q3.5.1:: How can I bind complex functions (or macros) to keys?
2494 * Q3.5.2:: How can I stop down-arrow from adding empty lines to the bottom of my buffers?
2495 * Q3.5.3:: How do I bind C-. and C-; to scroll one line up and down?
2496 * Q3.5.4:: Globally binding @kbd{Delete}?
2497 * Q3.5.5:: Scrolling one line at a time.
2498 * Q3.5.6:: How to map @kbd{Help} key alone on Sun type4 keyboard?
2499 * Q3.5.7:: How can you type in special characters in XEmacs?
2500 * Q3.5.8:: [This question intentionally left blank]
2501 * Q3.5.9:: How do I make the Delete key delete forward?
2502 * Q3.5.10:: Can I turn on @dfn{sticky} modifier keys?
2503 * Q3.5.11:: How do I map the arrow keys?
2506 * Q3.6.1:: Is there a way to make the bar cursor thicker?
2507 * Q3.6.2:: Is there a way to get back the old block cursor where the cursor covers the character in front of the point?
2508 * Q3.6.3:: Can I make the cursor blink?
2510 The Mouse and Highlighting:
2511 * Q3.7.1:: How can I turn off Mouse pasting?
2512 * Q3.7.2:: How do I set control/meta/etc modifiers on mouse buttons?
2513 * Q3.7.3:: Clicking the left button does not do anything in buffer list.
2514 * Q3.7.4:: How can I get a list of buffers when I hit mouse button 3?
2515 * Q3.7.5:: Why does cut-and-paste not work between XEmacs and a cmdtool?
2516 * Q3.7.6:: How I can set XEmacs up so that it pastes where the text cursor is?
2517 * Q3.7.7:: How do I select a rectangular region?
2518 * Q3.7.8:: Why does @kbd{M-w} take so long?
2520 The Menubar and Toolbar:
2521 * Q3.8.1:: How do I get rid of the menu (or menubar)?
2522 * Q3.8.2:: Can I customize the basic menubar?
2523 * Q3.8.3:: How do I control how many buffers are listed in the menu @code{Buffers} list?
2524 * Q3.8.4:: Resources like @code{Emacs*menubar*font} are not working?
2525 * Q3.8.5:: How can I bind a key to a function to toggle the toolbar?
2528 * Q3.9.1:: How can I disable the scrollbar?
2529 * Q3.9.2:: How can one use resources to change scrollbar colors?
2530 * Q3.9.3:: Moving the scrollbar can move the point; can I disable this?
2531 * Q3.9.4:: How can I turn off automatic horizontal scrolling in specific modes?
2534 * Q3.10.1:: How can I turn off or change highlighted selections?
2535 * Q3.10.2:: How do I get that typing on an active region removes it?
2536 * Q3.10.3:: Can I turn off the highlight during isearch?
2537 * Q3.10.4:: How do I turn off highlighting after @kbd{C-x C-p} (mark-page)?
2538 * Q3.10.5:: The region disappears when I hit the end of buffer while scrolling.
2539 * Q3.10.6:: Why is killing so slow?
2542 @node Q3.0.1, Q3.0.2, Customization, Customization
2543 @unnumberedsec 3.0: Customization -- Emacs Lisp and @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}
2544 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.1: What version of Emacs am I running?
2546 How can @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} determine which of the family of
2549 To determine if you are currently running GNU Emacs 18, GNU Emacs 19,
2550 XEmacs 19, XEmacs 20, or Epoch, and use appropriate code, check out the
2551 example given in @file{etc/sample.init.el} (@file{etc/sample.emacs} in
2552 XEmacs versions prior to 21.4). There are other nifty things in there
2555 For all new code, all you really need to do is:
2558 (defvar running-xemacs (string-match "XEmacs\\|Lucid" emacs-version))
2561 @node Q3.0.2, Q3.0.3, Q3.0.1, Customization
2562 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.2: How can I evaluate Emacs-Lisp expressions?
2564 I know I can evaluate Elisp expressions from @code{*scratch*} buffer
2565 with @kbd{C-j} after the expression. How do I do it from another
2568 Press @kbd{M-:} (the default binding of @code{eval-expression}), and
2569 enter the expression to the minibuffer.
2571 @node Q3.0.3, Q3.0.4, Q3.0.2, Customization
2572 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.3: @code{(setq tab-width 6)} behaves oddly.
2574 If you put @code{(setq tab-width 6)} in your
2575 @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file it does not work! Is there a reason
2576 for this? If you do it at the EVAL prompt it works fine!! How strange.
2578 Use @code{setq-default} instead, since @code{tab-width} is
2581 @node Q3.0.4, Q3.0.5, Q3.0.3, Customization
2582 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.4: How can I add directories to the @code{load-path}?
2584 Here are two ways to do that, one that puts your directories at the
2585 front of the load-path, the other at the end:
2588 ;;; Add things at the beginning of the load-path, do not add
2589 ;;; duplicate directories:
2590 (pushnew "bar" load-path :test 'equal)
2592 (pushnew "foo" load-path :test 'equal)
2594 ;;; Add things at the end, unconditionally
2595 (setq load-path (nconc load-path '("foo" "bar")))
2598 @email{keithh@@nortel.ca, keith (k.p.) hanlan} writes:
2601 To add directories using Unix shell metacharacters use
2602 @file{expand-file-name} like this:
2605 (push (expand-file-name "~keithh/.emacsdir") load-path)
2609 @node Q3.0.5, Q3.0.6, Q3.0.4, Customization
2610 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.5: How to check if a lisp function is defined?
2612 Use the following elisp:
2618 It's almost always a mistake to test @code{emacs-version} or any similar
2621 Instead, use feature-tests, such as @code{featurep}, @code{boundp},
2622 @code{fboundp}, or even simple behavioral tests, eg.:
2625 (defvar foo-old-losing-code-p
2626 (condition-case nil (progn (losing-code t) nil)
2627 (wrong-number-of-arguments t)))
2630 There is an incredible amount of broken code out there which could work
2631 much better more often in more places if it did the above instead of
2632 trying to divine its environment from the value of one variable.
2634 @node Q3.0.6, Q3.0.7, Q3.0.5, Customization
2635 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.6: Can I force the output of @code{(face-list)} to a buffer?
2637 It would be good having it in a buffer, as the output of
2638 @code{(face-list)} is too wide to fit to a minibuffer.
2640 Evaluate the expression in the @samp{*scratch*} buffer with point after
2641 the rightmost paren and typing @kbd{C-j}.
2643 If the minibuffer smallness is the only problem you encounter, you can
2644 simply press @kbd{C-h l} to get the former minibuffer contents in a
2647 @node Q3.0.7, Q3.0.8, Q3.0.6, Customization
2648 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.7: Font selections in don't get saved after @code{Save Options}.
2650 @email{mannj@@ll.mit.edu, John Mann} writes:
2653 You have to go to Options->Frame Appearance and unselect
2654 @samp{Frame-Local Font Menu}. If this option is selected, font changes
2655 are only applied to the @emph{current} frame and do @emph{not} get saved
2656 when you save options.
2659 Also, set the following in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
2662 (setq options-save-faces t)
2665 @node Q3.0.8, Q3.0.9, Q3.0.7, Customization
2666 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.8: How do I get a single minibuffer frame?
2668 @email{acs@@acm.org, Vin Shelton} writes:
2671 (setq initial-frame-plist '(minibuffer nil))
2672 (setq default-frame-plist '(minibuffer nil))
2673 (setq default-minibuffer-frame
2678 menubar-visible-p nil
2679 default-toolbar-visible-p nil
2683 has-modeline-p nil)))
2684 (frame-notice-user-settings)
2687 @strong{Please note:} The single minibuffer frame may not be to everyone's
2688 taste, and there any number of other XEmacs options settings that may
2689 make it difficult or inconvenient to use.
2691 @node Q3.0.9, Q3.1.1, Q3.0.8, Customization
2692 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.9: What is @code{Customize}?
2694 Starting with XEmacs 20.2 there is new system 'Customize' for customizing
2697 You can access @code{Customize} from the @code{Options} menu
2698 or invoking one of customize commands by typing eg.
2699 @kbd{M-x customize}, @kbd{M-x customize-face},
2700 @kbd{M-x customize-variable} or @kbd{M-x customize-apropos}.
2702 Starting with XEmacs 20.3 there is also new `browser' mode for Customize.
2703 Try it out with @kbd{M-x customize-browse}
2705 @node Q3.1.1, Q3.1.2, Q3.0.9, Customization
2706 @unnumberedsec 3.1: X Window System & Resources
2707 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.1: Where is a list of X resources?
2709 Search through the @file{NEWS} file for @samp{X Resources}. A fairly
2710 comprehensive list is given after it.
2712 In addition, an @file{app-defaults} file is supplied,
2713 @file{etc/Emacs.ad} listing the defaults. The file
2714 @file{etc/sample.Xdefaults} gives a set of defaults that you might
2715 consider. It is essentially the same as @file{etc/Emacs.ad} but some
2716 entries are slightly altered. Be careful about installing the contents
2717 of this file into your @file{.Xdefaults} or @file{.Xresources} file if
2718 you use GNU Emacs under X11 as well.
2720 @node Q3.1.2, Q3.1.3, Q3.1.1, Customization
2721 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.2: How can I detect a color display?
2723 You can test the return value of the function @code{(device-class)}, as
2727 (when (eq (device-class) 'color)
2728 (set-face-foreground 'font-lock-comment-face "Grey")
2729 (set-face-foreground 'font-lock-string-face "Red")
2734 @node Q3.1.3, Q3.1.4, Q3.1.2, Customization
2735 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.3: [This question intentionally left blank]
2737 @node Q3.1.4, Q3.1.5, Q3.1.3, Customization
2738 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.4: [This question intentionally left blank]
2740 @node Q3.1.5, Q3.1.6, Q3.1.4, Customization
2741 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.5: How can I get the icon to just say @samp{XEmacs}?
2743 I'd like the icon to just say @samp{XEmacs}, and not include the name of
2744 the current file in it.
2746 Add the following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
2749 (setq frame-icon-title-format "XEmacs")
2752 @node Q3.1.6, Q3.1.7, Q3.1.5, Customization
2753 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.6: How can I have the window title area display the full path?
2755 I'd like to have the window title area display the full directory/name
2756 of the current buffer file and not just the name.
2758 Add the following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
2761 (setq frame-title-format "%S: %f")
2764 A more sophisticated title might be:
2767 (setq frame-title-format
2768 '("%S: " (buffer-file-name "%f"
2769 (dired-directory dired-directory "%b"))))
2772 That is, use the file name, or the dired-directory, or the buffer name.
2774 @node Q3.1.7, Q3.1.8, Q3.1.6, Customization
2775 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.7: @samp{xemacs -name junk} doesn't work?
2777 When I run @samp{xterm -name junk}, I get an xterm whose class name
2778 according to xprop, is @samp{junk}. This is the way it's supposed to
2779 work, I think. When I run @samp{xemacs -name junk} the class name is
2780 not set to @samp{junk}. It's still @samp{emacs}. What does
2781 @samp{xemacs -name} really do? The reason I ask is that my window
2782 manager (fvwm) will make a window sticky and I use XEmacs to read my
2783 mail. I want that XEmacs window to be sticky, without having to use the
2784 window manager's function to set the window sticky. What gives?
2786 @samp{xemacs -name} sets the application name for the program (that is,
2787 the thing which normally comes from @samp{argv[0]}). Using @samp{-name}
2788 is the same as making a copy of the executable with that new name. The
2789 @code{WM_CLASS} property on each frame is set to the frame-name, and the
2790 application-class. So, if you did @samp{xemacs -name FOO} and then
2791 created a frame named @var{BAR}, you'd get an X window with WM_CLASS =
2792 @code{( "BAR", "Emacs")}. However, the resource hierarchy for this
2796 Name: FOO .shell .container .BAR
2797 Class: Emacs .TopLevelEmacsShell.EmacsManager.EmacsFrame
2800 instead of the default
2803 Name: xemacs.shell .container .emacs
2804 Class: Emacs .TopLevelEmacsShell.EmacsManager.EmacsFrame
2808 It is arguable that the first element of WM_CLASS should be set to the
2809 application-name instead of the frame-name, but I think that's less
2810 flexible, since it does not give you the ability to have multiple frames
2811 with different WM_CLASS properties. Another possibility would be for
2812 the default frame name to come from the application name instead of
2813 simply being @samp{emacs}. However, at this point, making that change
2814 would be troublesome: it would mean that many users would have to make
2815 yet another change to their resource files (since the default frame name
2816 would suddenly change from @samp{emacs} to @samp{xemacs}, or whatever
2817 the executable happened to be named), so we'd rather avoid it.
2819 To make a frame with a particular name use:
2822 (make-frame '((name . "the-name")))
2825 @node Q3.1.8, Q3.2.1, Q3.1.7, Customization
2826 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.8: @samp{-iconic} doesn't work.
2828 When I start up XEmacs using @samp{-iconic} it doesn't work right.
2829 Using @samp{-unmapped} on the command line, and setting the
2830 @code{initiallyUnmapped} X Resource don't seem to help much either...
2832 @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing} writes:
2835 Ugh, this stuff is such an incredible mess that I've about given up
2836 getting it to work. The principal problem is numerous window-manager
2840 @node Q3.2.1, Q3.2.2, Q3.1.8, Customization
2841 @unnumberedsec 3.2: Textual Fonts & Colors
2842 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.1: How can I set color options from @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}?
2844 How can I set the most commonly used color options from my
2845 @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} instead of from my @file{.Xdefaults}?
2850 (set-face-background 'default "bisque") ; frame background
2851 (set-face-foreground 'default "black") ; normal text
2852 (set-face-background 'zmacs-region "red") ; When selecting w/
2854 (set-face-foreground 'zmacs-region "yellow")
2855 (set-face-font 'default "*courier-bold-r*120-100-100*")
2856 (set-face-background 'highlight "blue") ; Ie when selecting
2858 (set-face-foreground 'highlight "yellow")
2859 (set-face-background 'modeline "blue") ; Line at bottom
2861 (set-face-foreground 'modeline "white")
2862 (set-face-font 'modeline "*bold-r-normal*140-100-100*")
2863 (set-face-background 'isearch "yellow") ; When highlighting
2865 (set-face-foreground 'isearch "red")
2866 (setq x-pointer-foreground-color "black") ; Adds to bg color,
2868 (setq x-pointer-background-color "blue") ; This is color
2873 @node Q3.2.2, Q3.2.3, Q3.2.1, Customization
2874 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.2: How do I set the text, menu and modeline fonts?
2876 Note that you should use @samp{Emacs.} and not @samp{Emacs*} when
2877 setting face values.
2879 In @file{.Xdefaults}:
2882 Emacs.default.attributeFont: -*-*-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-m-*-*-*
2883 Emacs*menubar*font: fixed
2884 Emacs.modeline.attributeFont: fixed
2887 This is confusing because modeline is a face, and can be found listed
2888 with all faces in the current mode by using @kbd{M-x set-face-font
2889 (enter) ?}. It uses the face specification of @code{attributeFont},
2890 while menubar is a normal X thing that uses the specification
2891 @code{font}. With Motif it may be necessary to use @code{fontList}
2892 instead of @code{font}.
2894 @node Q3.2.3, Q3.2.4, Q3.2.2, Customization
2895 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.3: How can I set the colors when highlighting a region?
2897 How can I set the background/foreground colors when highlighting a
2900 You can change the face @code{zmacs-region} either in your
2904 Emacs.zmacs-region.attributeForeground: firebrick
2905 Emacs.zmacs-region.attributeBackground: lightseagreen
2908 or in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
2911 (set-face-background 'zmacs-region "red")
2912 (set-face-foreground 'zmacs-region "yellow")
2915 @node Q3.2.4, Q3.2.5, Q3.2.3, Customization
2916 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.4: How can I limit color map usage?
2918 I'm using Netscape (or another color grabber like XEmacs);
2919 is there any way to limit the number of available colors in the color map?
2921 Answer: No, but you can start Netscape before XEmacs, and it will use
2922 the closest available color if the colormap is full. You can also limit
2923 the number of colors Netscape uses, using the flags -mono, -ncols <#> or
2924 -install (for mono, limiting to <#> colors, or for using a private color
2927 If you have the money, another solution would be to use a truecolor or
2930 @node Q3.2.5, Q3.2.6, Q3.2.4, Customization
2931 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.5: My tty supports color, but XEmacs doesn't use them.
2933 XEmacs tries to automatically determine whether your tty supports color,
2934 but sometimes guesses wrong. In that case, you can make XEmacs Do The
2935 Right Thing using this Lisp code:
2938 (if (eq 'tty (device-type))
2939 (set-device-class nil 'color))
2942 @node Q3.2.6, Q3.3.1, Q3.2.5, Customization
2943 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.6: Can I have pixmap backgrounds in XEmacs?
2945 @email{jvillaci@@wahnsinnig.extreme.indiana.edu, Juan Villacis} writes:
2948 There are several ways to do it. For example, you could specify a
2949 default pixmap image to use in your @file{~/.Xresources}, e.g.,
2953 Emacs*EmacsFrame.default.attributeBackgroundPixmap: /path/to/image.xpm
2957 and then reload ~/.Xresources and restart XEmacs. Alternatively,
2958 since each face can have its own pixmap background, a better way
2959 would be to set a face's pixmap within your XEmacs init file, e.g.,
2962 (set-face-background-pixmap 'default "/path/to/image.xpm")
2963 (set-face-background-pixmap 'bold "/path/to/another_image.xpm")
2966 and so on. You can also do this interactively via @kbd{M-x edit-faces}.
2970 @node Q3.3.1, Q3.3.2, Q3.2.6, Customization
2971 @unnumberedsec 3.3: The Modeline
2972 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.3.1: How can I make the modeline go away?
2975 (set-specifier has-modeline-p nil)
2978 @c Starting with XEmacs 19.14 the modeline responds to mouse clicks, so if
2979 @c you haven't liked or used the modeline in the past, you might want to
2980 @c try the new version out.
2982 @node Q3.3.2, Q3.3.3, Q3.3.1, Customization
2983 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.3.2: How do you have XEmacs display the line number in the modeline?
2985 Add the following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file to
2986 display the line number:
2989 (line-number-mode 1)
2992 Use the following to display the column number:
2995 (column-number-mode 1)
2998 Or select from the @code{Options} menu
3002 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Basics->Line Number Mode}
3007 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Basics->Column Number Mode}
3009 Or type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} editing-basics @key{RET}}.
3011 @node Q3.3.3, Q3.3.4, Q3.3.2, Customization
3012 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.3.3: How do I get XEmacs to put the time of day on the modeline?
3014 Add the following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file to
3021 See @code{Customize} from the @code{Options} menu for customization.
3023 @node Q3.3.4, Q3.3.5, Q3.3.3, Customization
3024 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.3.4: How do I turn off current chapter from AUC TeX modeline?
3026 With AUC TeX, fast typing is hard because the current chapter, section
3027 etc. are given in the modeline. How can I turn this off?
3029 It's not AUC TeX, it comes from @code{func-menu} in @file{func-menu.el}.
3031 @c Add this code to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} to turn it off:
3034 @c (setq fume-display-in-modeline-p nil)
3037 @c Or just add a hook to @code{TeX-mode-hook} to turn it off only for TeX
3041 @c (add-hook 'TeX-mode-hook
3042 @c '(lambda () (setq fume-display-in-modeline-p nil)))
3045 @email{dhughes@@origin-at.co.uk, David Hughes} writes:
3048 Try this; you'll still get the function name displayed in the modeline,
3049 but it won't attempt to keep track when you modify the file. To refresh
3050 when it gets out of synch, you simply need click on the @samp{Rescan
3051 Buffer} option in the function-menu.
3054 (setq-default fume-auto-rescan-buffer-p nil)
3058 @node Q3.3.5, Q3.4.1, Q3.3.4, Customization
3059 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.3.5: How can one change the modeline color based on the mode used?
3061 You can use something like the following:
3064 (add-hook 'lisp-mode-hook
3066 (set-face-background 'modeline "red" (current-buffer))))
3069 Then, when editing a Lisp file (i.e. when in Lisp mode), the modeline
3070 colors change from the default set in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}.
3071 The change will only be made in the buffer you just entered (which
3072 contains the Lisp file you are editing) and will not affect the modeline
3073 colors anywhere else.
3079 @item The hook is the mode name plus @code{-hook}. eg. c-mode-hook,
3080 c++-mode-hook, emacs-lisp-mode-hook (used for your
3081 @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} or a @file{xx.el} file),
3082 lisp-interaction-mode-hook (the @samp{*scratch*} buffer),
3083 text-mode-hook, etc.
3086 Be sure to use @code{add-hook}, not @code{(setq c-mode-hook xxxx)},
3087 otherwise you will erase anything that anybody has already put on the
3091 You can also do @code{(set-face-font 'modeline @var{font})},
3092 eg. @code{(set-face-font 'modeline "*bold-r-normal*140-100-100*"
3093 (current-buffer))} if you wish the modeline font to vary based on the
3097 There are additional modeline faces, @code{modeline-buffer-id},
3098 @code{modeline-mousable}, and @code{modeline-mousable-minor-mode}, which
3099 you may want to customize.
3101 @node Q3.4.1, Q3.4.2, Q3.3.5, Customization
3102 @unnumberedsec 3.4: Multiple Device Support
3103 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.4.1: How do I open a frame on another screen of my multi-headed display?
3105 Use the command @kbd{M-x make-frame-on-display}. This command is also
3106 on the File menu in the menubar.
3108 The command @code{make-frame-on-tty} also exists, which will establish a
3109 connection to any tty-like device. Opening the TTY devices should be
3110 left to @code{gnuclient}, though.
3112 @node Q3.4.2, Q3.5.1, Q3.4.1, Customization
3113 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.4.2: Can I really connect to a running XEmacs after calling up over a modem? How?
3115 Yes. Use @code{gnuclient -nw}. (Prior to 20.3, use the @code{gnuattach}
3116 program supplied with XEmacs instead.)
3118 Also see @ref{Q5.0.12}.
3120 @node Q3.5.1, Q3.5.2, Q3.4.2, Customization
3121 @unnumberedsec 3.5: The Keyboard
3122 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.1: How can I bind complex functions (or macros) to keys?
3124 As an example, say you want the @kbd{paste} key on a Sun keyboard to
3125 insert the current Primary X selection at point. You can accomplish this
3129 (define-key global-map [f18] 'x-insert-selection)
3132 However, this only works if there is a current X selection (the
3133 selection will be highlighted). The functionality I like is for the
3134 @kbd{paste} key to insert the current X selection if there is one,
3135 otherwise insert the contents of the clipboard. To do this you need to
3136 pass arguments to @code{x-insert-selection}. This is done by wrapping
3137 the call in a 'lambda form:
3140 (global-set-key [f18]
3141 (lambda () (interactive) (x-insert-selection t nil)))
3144 This binds the f18 key to a @dfn{generic} functional object. The
3145 interactive spec is required because only interactive functions can be
3148 For the FAQ example you could use:
3151 (global-set-key [(control ?.)]
3152 (lambda () (interactive) (scroll-up 1)))
3153 (global-set-key [(control ?;)]
3154 (lambda () (interactive) (scroll-up -1)))
3157 This is fine if you only need a few functions within the lambda body.
3158 If you're doing more it's cleaner to define a separate function as in
3159 question 3.5.3 (@pxref{Q3.5.3}).
3161 @node Q3.5.2, Q3.5.3, Q3.5.1, Customization
3162 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.2: How can I stop down-arrow from adding empty lines to the bottom of my buffers?
3164 Add the following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file:
3167 (setq next-line-add-newlines nil)
3170 This has been the default setting in XEmacs for some time.
3172 @node Q3.5.3, Q3.5.4, Q3.5.2, Customization
3173 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.3: How do I bind C-. and C-; to scroll one line up and down?
3175 Add the following (Thanks to @email{mly@@adoc.xerox.com, Richard Mlynarik} and
3176 @email{wayne@@zen.cac.stratus.com, Wayne Newberry}) to @file{.emacs}:
3179 (defun scroll-up-one-line ()
3183 (defun scroll-down-one-line ()
3187 (global-set-key [(control ?.)] 'scroll-up-one-line) ; C-.
3188 (global-set-key [(control ?;)] 'scroll-down-one-line) ; C-;
3191 The key point is that you can only bind simple functions to keys; you
3192 can not bind a key to a function that you're also passing arguments to.
3193 (@pxref{Q3.5.1} for a better answer).
3195 @node Q3.5.4, Q3.5.5, Q3.5.3, Customization
3196 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.4: Globally binding @kbd{Delete}?
3198 I cannot manage to globally bind my @kbd{Delete} key to something other
3199 than the default. How does one do this?
3201 Answer: The problem is that many modes explicitly bind @kbd{Delete}. To
3202 get around this, try the following:
3207 (message "You hit DELETE"))
3209 (define-key key-translation-map 'delete 'redirected-delete)
3210 (global-set-key 'redirected-delete 'foo)
3213 Also see @ref{Q3.5.10}.
3215 @node Q3.5.5, Q3.5.6, Q3.5.4, Customization
3216 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.5: Scrolling one line at a time.
3218 Can the cursor keys scroll the screen a line at a time, rather than the
3219 default half page jump? I tend it to find it disorienting.
3224 (defun scroll-one-line-up (&optional arg)
3225 "Scroll the selected window up (forward in the text) one line (or N lines)."
3227 (scroll-up (or arg 1)))
3229 (defun scroll-one-line-down (&optional arg)
3230 "Scroll the selected window down (backward in the text) one line (or N)."
3232 (scroll-down (or arg 1)))
3234 (global-set-key [up] 'scroll-one-line-up)
3235 (global-set-key [down] 'scroll-one-line-down)
3238 The following will also work but will affect more than just the cursor
3239 keys (i.e. @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p}):
3242 (setq scroll-step 1)
3245 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 you can also change this with Customize.
3246 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3247 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Windows->Scroll Step...} or type
3248 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} windows @key{RET}}.
3250 @node Q3.5.6, Q3.5.7, Q3.5.5, Customization
3251 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.6: How to map @kbd{Help} key alone on Sun type4 keyboard?
3253 The following works in GNU Emacs 19:
3256 (global-set-key [help] 'help-command);; Help
3259 The following works in XEmacs with the addition of shift:
3262 (global-set-key [(shift help)] 'help-command);; Help
3265 But it doesn't work alone. This is in the file @file{PROBLEMS} which
3266 should have come with your XEmacs installation: @emph{Emacs ignores the
3267 @kbd{help} key when running OLWM}.
3269 OLWM grabs the @kbd{help} key, and retransmits it to the appropriate
3274 @code{XSendEvent}. Allowing Emacs to react to synthetic
3275 events is a security hole, so this is turned off by default. You can
3276 enable it by setting the variable @code{x-allow-sendevents} to t. You
3277 can also cause fix this by telling OLWM to not grab the help key, with
3278 the null binding @code{OpenWindows.KeyboardCommand.Help:}.
3280 @node Q3.5.7, Q3.5.8, Q3.5.6, Customization
3281 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.7: How can you type in special characters in XEmacs?
3283 One way is to use the package @code{x-compose}. Then you can use
3284 sequences like @kbd{Compose " a} to get ä, etc.
3286 Another way is to use the @code{iso-insert} package. Then you can use
3287 sequences like @kbd{C-x 8 " a} to get ä, etc.
3289 @email{glynn@@sensei.co.uk, Glynn Clements} writes:
3292 It depends upon your X server.
3294 Generally, the simplest way is to define a key as Multi_key with
3296 @c hey, show some respect, willya -- there's xkeycaps, isn't there? --
3299 xmodmap -e 'keycode 0xff20 = Multi_key'
3302 You will need to pick an appropriate keycode. Use xev to find out the
3303 keycodes for each key.
3305 [NB: On a `Windows' keyboard, recent versions of XFree86 automatically
3306 define the right `Windows' key as Multi_key'.]
3308 Once you have Multi_key defined, you can use e.g.
3317 Also, recent versions of XFree86 define various AltGr-<key>
3318 combinations as dead keys, i.e.
3320 AltGr [ => dead_diaeresis
3321 AltGr ] => dead_tilde
3322 AltGr ; => dead_acute
3326 Running @samp{xmodmap -pk} will list all of the defined keysyms.
3329 @node Q3.5.8, Q3.5.9, Q3.5.7, Customization
3330 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.8: [This question intentionally left blank]
3332 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering.
3334 @node Q3.5.9, Q3.5.10, Q3.5.8, Customization
3335 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.9: How do I make the Delete key delete forward?
3337 With XEmacs-20.2 use the @code{delbs} package:
3343 This will give you the functions @code{delbs-enable-delete-forward} to
3344 set things up, and @code{delbs-disable-delete-forward} to revert to
3345 ``normal'' behavior. Note that @code{delbackspace} package is obsolete.
3347 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 better solution is to set variable
3348 @code{delete-key-deletes-forward} to t. You can also change this with
3349 Customize. Select from the @code{Options} menu
3350 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Basics->Delete Key Deletes Forward} or
3351 type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} editing-basics @key{RET}}.
3353 Also see @ref{Q3.5.4}.
3355 @node Q3.5.10, Q3.5.11, Q3.5.9, Customization
3356 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.10: Can I turn on @dfn{sticky} modifier keys?
3358 Yes, with @code{(setq modifier-keys-are-sticky t)}. This will give the
3359 effect of being able to press and release Shift and have the next
3360 character typed come out in upper case. This will affect all the other
3361 modifier keys like Control and Meta as well.
3363 @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing} writes:
3366 One thing about the sticky modifiers is that if you move the mouse out
3367 of the frame and back in, it cancels all currently ``stuck'' modifiers.
3370 @node Q3.5.11, Q3.6.1, Q3.5.10, Customization
3371 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.11: How do I map the arrow keys?
3373 Say you want to map @kbd{C-@key{right}} to forward-word:
3375 @email{sds@@usa.net, Sam Steingold} writes:
3379 ; both XEmacs and Emacs
3380 (define-key global-map [(control right)] 'forward-word)
3385 (define-key global-map [C-right] 'forward-word)
3390 (define-key global-map (kbd "C-<right>") 'forward-word)
3396 @node Q3.6.1, Q3.6.2, Q3.5.11, Customization
3397 @unnumberedsec 3.6: The Cursor
3398 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.6.1: Is there a way to make the bar cursor thicker?
3400 I'd like to have the bar cursor a little thicker, as I tend to "lose" it
3403 For a 1 pixel bar cursor, use:
3409 For a 2 pixel bar cursor, use:
3412 (setq bar-cursor 'anything-else)
3415 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 you can also change these with Customize.
3416 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3417 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Display->Bar Cursor...} or type
3418 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} display @key{RET}}.
3420 You can use a color to make it stand out better:
3423 Emacs*cursorColor: Red
3426 @node Q3.6.2, Q3.6.3, Q3.6.1, Customization
3427 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.6.2: Is there a way to get back the block cursor?
3430 (setq bar-cursor nil)
3433 Starting with XEmacs 20.3 you can also change this with Customize.
3434 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3435 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Display->Bar Cursor...} or type
3436 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} display @key{RET}}.
3438 @node Q3.6.3, Q3.7.1, Q3.6.2, Customization
3439 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.6.3: Can I make the cursor blink?
3447 This function toggles between a steady cursor and a blinking cursor.
3448 You may also set this mode from the menu bar by selecting @samp{Options
3449 => Frame Appearance => Blinking Cursor}. Remember to save options.
3451 @node Q3.7.1, Q3.7.2, Q3.6.3, Customization
3452 @unnumberedsec 3.7: The Mouse and Highlighting
3453 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.1: How can I turn off Mouse pasting?
3455 I keep hitting the middle mouse button by accident and getting stuff
3456 pasted into my buffer so how can I turn this off?
3458 Here is an alternative binding, whereby the middle mouse button selects
3459 (but does not cut) the expression under the mouse. Clicking middle on a
3460 left or right paren will select to the matching one. Note that you can
3461 use @code{define-key} or @code{global-set-key}.
3464 (defun mouse-set-point-and-select (event)
3465 "Sets the point at the mouse location, then marks following form"
3467 (mouse-set-point event)
3469 (define-key global-map [button2] 'mouse-set-point-and-select)
3472 @node Q3.7.2, Q3.7.3, Q3.7.1, Customization
3473 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.2: How do I set control/meta/etc modifiers on mouse buttons?
3475 Use, for instance, @code{[(meta button1)]}. For example, here is a common
3476 setting for Common Lisp programmers who use the bundled @code{ilisp}
3477 package, whereby meta-button1 on a function name will find the file where
3478 the function name was defined, and put you at that location in the source
3481 [Inside a function that gets called by the lisp-mode-hook and
3485 (local-set-key [(meta button1)] 'edit-definitions-lisp)
3488 @node Q3.7.3, Q3.7.4, Q3.7.2, Customization
3489 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.3: Clicking the left button does not do anything in buffer list.
3491 I do @kbd{C-x C-b} to get a list of buffers and the entries get
3492 highlighted when I move the mouse over them but clicking the left mouse
3493 does not do anything.
3495 Use the middle mouse button.
3497 @node Q3.7.4, Q3.7.5, Q3.7.3, Customization
3498 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.4: How can I get a list of buffers when I hit mouse button 3?
3500 The following code will replace the default popup on button3:
3503 (global-set-key [button3] 'popup-buffer-menu)
3506 @node Q3.7.5, Q3.7.6, Q3.7.4, Customization
3507 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.5: Why does cut-and-paste not work between XEmacs and a cmdtool?
3509 We don't know. It's a bug. There does seem to be a work-around,
3510 however. Try running xclipboard first. It appears to fix the problem
3511 even if you exit it. (This should be mostly fixed in 19.13, but we
3512 haven't yet verified that).
3514 @node Q3.7.6, Q3.7.7, Q3.7.5, Customization
3515 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.6: How I can set XEmacs up so that it pastes where the text cursor is?
3517 By default XEmacs pastes X selections where the mouse pointer is. How
3520 Examine the function @code{mouse-yank}, by typing @kbd{C-h f mouse-yank
3523 To get XEmacs to paste at the text cursor, add this your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
3526 (setq mouse-yank-at-point t)
3529 Starting with XEmacs-20.2 you can also change this with Customize.
3530 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3531 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Mouse->Yank At Point...} or type
3532 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} mouse @key{RET}}.
3534 @node Q3.7.7, Q3.7.8, Q3.7.6, Customization
3535 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.7: How do I select a rectangular region?
3537 Just select the region normally, then use the rectangle commands (e.g.
3538 @code{kill-rectangle} on it. The region does not highlight as a
3539 rectangle, but the commands work just fine.
3541 To actually sweep out rectangular regions with the mouse you can use
3542 @code{mouse-track-do-rectangle} which is assigned to @kbd{M-button1}.
3543 Then use rectangle commands.
3545 You can also do the following to change default behavior to sweep out
3546 rectangular regions:
3549 (setq mouse-track-rectangle-p t)
3552 Starting with XEmacs-20.2 you can also change this with Customize.
3553 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3554 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Mouse->Track Rectangle...} or type
3555 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} mouse @key{RET}}.
3559 mouse-track-do-rectangle: (event)
3560 -- an interactive compiled Lisp function.
3561 Like `mouse-track' but selects rectangles instead of regions.
3564 @node Q3.7.8, Q3.8.1, Q3.7.7, Customization
3565 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.8: Why does @kbd{M-w} take so long?
3567 It actually doesn't. It leaves the region visible for a second so that
3568 you can see what area is being yanked. If you start working, though, it
3569 will immediately complete its operation. In other words, it will only
3570 delay for a second if you let it.
3572 @node Q3.8.1, Q3.8.2, Q3.7.8, Customization
3573 @unnumberedsec 3.8: The Menubar and Toolbar
3574 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.8.1: How do I get rid of the menu (or menubar)?
3576 @c If you are running XEmacs 19.13 or earlier, add this command to your
3577 @c @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}.
3580 @c (set-menubar nil)
3583 @c Starting with XEmacs 19.14 the preferred method is:
3586 (set-specifier menubar-visible-p nil)
3589 @node Q3.8.2, Q3.8.3, Q3.8.1, Customization
3590 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.8.2: Can I customize the basic menubar?
3592 For an extensive menubar, add this line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
3595 (load "big-menubar")
3598 If you'd like to write your own, this file provides as good a set of
3599 examples as any to start from. The file is located in
3600 @file{lisp/packages/big-menubar.el} in the XEmacs installation
3603 @node Q3.8.3, Q3.8.4, Q3.8.2, Customization
3604 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.8.3: How do I control how many buffers are listed in the menu @code{Buffers List}?
3606 Add the following to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} (suit to fit):
3609 (setq buffers-menu-max-size 20)
3612 For no limit, use an argument of @samp{nil}.
3614 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 you can also change this with Customize.
3615 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3616 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Menu->Buffers Menu->Max Size...} or
3617 type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} buffers-menu @key{RET}}.
3619 @node Q3.8.4, Q3.8.5, Q3.8.3, Customization
3620 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.8.4: Resources like @code{Emacs*menubar*font} are not working?
3622 I am trying to use a resource like @code{Emacs*menubar*font} to set the
3623 font of the menubar but it's not working.
3625 If you are using the real Motif menubar, this resource is not
3626 recognized; you have to say:
3629 Emacs*menubar*fontList: FONT
3632 If you are using the Lucid menubar, the former resource will be
3633 recognized only if the latter resource is unset. This means that the
3643 Emacs*menubar*font: FONT
3646 even though the latter is more specific.
3648 @node Q3.8.5, Q3.9.1, Q3.8.4, Customization
3649 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.8.5: How can I bind a key to a function to toggle the toolbar?
3654 (defun my-toggle-toolbar ()
3656 (set-specifier default-toolbar-visible-p
3657 (not (specifier-instance default-toolbar-visible-p))))
3658 (global-set-key "\C-xT" 'my-toggle-toolbar)
3661 There are redisplay bugs in 19.14 that may make the preceding result in
3662 a messed-up display, especially for frames with multiple windows. You
3663 may need to resize the frame before XEmacs completely realizes the
3664 toolbar is really gone.
3666 Thanks to @email{martin@@xemacs.org, Martin Buchholz} for the correct
3669 @node Q3.9.1, Q3.9.2, Q3.8.5, Customization
3670 @unnumberedsec 3.9: Scrollbars
3671 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.9.1: How can I disable the scrollbar?
3673 To disable them for all frames, add the following line to
3674 your @file{.Xdefaults}:
3677 Emacs.scrollBarWidth: 0
3680 Or select from the @code{Options} menu @code{Frame Appearance->Scrollbars}.
3681 Remember to save options.
3683 To turn the scrollbar off on a per-frame basis, use the following
3687 (set-specifier scrollbar-width 0 (selected-frame))
3690 You can actually turn the scrollbars on at any level you want by
3691 substituting for (selected-frame) in the above command. For example, to
3692 turn the scrollbars off only in a single buffer:
3695 (set-specifier scrollbar-width 0 (current-buffer))
3698 @c In XEmacs versions prior to 19.14, you had to use the hairier construct:
3701 @c (set-specifier scrollbar-width (cons (selected-frame) 0))
3704 @node Q3.9.2, Q3.9.3, Q3.9.1, Customization
3705 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.9.2: How can one use resources to change scrollbar colors?
3707 Here's a recap of how to use resources to change your scrollbar colors:
3712 Emacs*XmScrollBar.Background: skyblue
3713 Emacs*XmScrollBar.troughColor: lightgray
3717 Emacs*Scrollbar.Foreground: skyblue
3718 Emacs*Scrollbar.Background: lightgray
3721 Note the capitalization of @code{Scrollbar} for the Athena widget.
3723 @node Q3.9.3, Q3.9.4, Q3.9.2, Customization
3724 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.9.3: Moving the scrollbar can move the point; can I disable this?
3726 When I move the scrollbar in an XEmacs window, it moves the point as
3727 well, which should not be the default behavior. Is this a bug or a
3728 feature? Can I disable it?
3730 The current behavior is a feature, not a bug. Point remains at the same
3731 buffer position as long as that position does not scroll off the screen.
3732 In that event, point will end up in either the upper-left or lower-left
3735 This cannot be changed.
3737 @node Q3.9.4, Q3.10.1, Q3.9.3, Customization
3738 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.9.4: How can I turn off automatic horizontal scrolling in specific modes?
3740 Do @code{(setq truncate-lines t)} in the mode-hooks for any modes
3741 in which you want lines truncated.
3743 More precisely: If @code{truncate-lines} is nil, horizontal scrollbars
3744 will never appear. Otherwise, they will appear only if the value of
3745 @code{scrollbar-height} for that buffer/window/etc. is non-zero. If you
3749 (set-specifier scrollbar-height 0)
3752 then horizontal scrollbars will not appear in truncated buffers unless
3753 the package specifically asked for them.
3755 @node Q3.10.1, Q3.10.2, Q3.9.4, Customization
3756 @unnumberedsec 3.10: Text Selections
3757 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.1: How can I turn off or change highlighted selections?
3759 The @code{zmacs} mode allows for what some might call gratuitous
3760 highlighting for selected regions (either by setting mark or by using
3761 the mouse). This is the default behavior. To turn off, add the
3762 following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file:
3765 (setq zmacs-regions nil)
3768 Starting with XEmacs-20.2 you can also change this with Customize. Select
3769 from the @code{Options} menu @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Basics->Zmacs
3770 Regions} or type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} editing-basics @key{RET}}.
3772 To change the face for selection, look at @code{Options->Customize} on
3775 @node Q3.10.2, Q3.10.3, Q3.10.1, Customization
3776 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.2: How do I get that typing on an active region removes it?
3778 I want to change things so that if I select some text and start typing,
3779 the typed text replaces the selected text, similar to Motif.
3781 You want to use something called @dfn{pending delete}. Pending delete
3782 is what happens when you select a region (with the mouse or keyboard)
3783 and you press a key to replace the selected region by the key you typed.
3784 Usually backspace kills the selected region.
3786 To get this behavior, add the following lines to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
3790 ((fboundp 'turn-on-pending-delete)
3791 (turn-on-pending-delete))
3792 ((fboundp 'pending-delete-on)
3793 (pending-delete-on t)))
3796 Note that this will work with both Backspace and Delete. This code is a
3797 tad more complicated than it has to be for XEmacs in order to make it
3800 @node Q3.10.3, Q3.10.4, Q3.10.2, Customization
3801 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.3: Can I turn off the highlight during isearch?
3803 I do not like my text highlighted while I am doing isearch as I am not
3804 able to see what's underneath. How do I turn it off?
3806 Put the following in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
3809 (setq isearch-highlight nil)
3812 Starting with XEmacs-20.2 you can also change this with Customize. Type
3813 @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET} isearch-highlight @key{RET}}.
3815 Note also that isearch-highlight affects query-replace and ispell.
3816 Instead of disabling isearch-highlight you may find that a better
3817 solution consists of customizing the @code{isearch} face.
3819 @node Q3.10.4, Q3.10.5, Q3.10.3, Customization
3820 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.4: How do I turn off highlighting after @kbd{C-x C-p} (mark-page)?
3822 Put this in your @code{.emacs}:
3825 (setq zmacs-regions nil)
3828 @strong{Warning: This command turns off all region highlighting.}
3830 Also see @ref{Q3.10.1}.
3832 @node Q3.10.5, Q3.10.6, Q3.10.4, Customization
3833 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.5: The region disappears when I hit the end of buffer while scrolling.
3835 This has been fixed by default starting with XEmacs-20.3.
3837 With older versions you can turn this feature (if it indeed is a feature)
3841 (defadvice scroll-up (around scroll-up freeze)
3843 (let ((zmacs-region-stays t))
3847 (end-of-buffer (goto-char (point-max))))
3850 (defadvice scroll-down (around scroll-down freeze)
3852 (let ((zmacs-region-stays t))
3856 (beginning-of-buffer (goto-char (point-min))))
3860 Thanks to @email{raman@@adobe.com, T. V. Raman} for assistance in deriving this
3863 @node Q3.10.6, , Q3.10.5, Customization
3864 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.6: Why is killing so slow?
3866 This actually is an X Windows question, although you'll notice it with
3867 keyboard operations as well as while using the GUI. Basically, there
3868 are four ways to communicate interprogram via the X server:
3871 @item Primary selection
3872 a transient selection that gets replaced every time a new selection is made
3874 @item Secondary selection
3875 for "exchanging" with the primary selection
3878 a clipboard internal to the X server (deprecated)
3880 @item Clipboard selection
3881 a selection with a notification protocol that allows a separate app to
3882 manage the clipboard
3885 The cut buffers are deprecated because managing them is even more
3886 inefficient than the clipboard notification protocol. The primary
3887 selection works fine for many users and applications, but is not very
3888 robust under intensive or sophisticated use.
3890 In Motif and MS Windows, a clipboard has become the primary means for
3891 managing cut and paste. These means that "modern" applications tend to
3892 be oriented toward a true clipboard, rather than the primary selection.
3893 (On Windows, there is nothing equivalent to the primary selection.)
3894 It's not that XEmacs doesn't support the simple primary selection
3895 method, it's that more and more other applications don't.
3897 So the slowdown occurs because XEmacs now engages in the clipboard
3898 notification protocol on @emph{every} kill. This is especially slow on
3901 With most people running most clients and server on the same host, and
3902 many of the rest working over very fast communication, you may expect
3903 that the situation is not going to improve.
3905 There are a number of workarounds. The most effective is to use a
3906 special command to do selection ownership only when you intend to paste
3907 to another application. Useful commands are @code{kill-primary-selection}
3908 and @code{copy-primary-selection'}. These work only on text selected
3909 with the mouse (probably; experiment), and are bound by default to the
3910 Cut and Copy, respectively, buttons on the toolbar.
3912 If you are communicating by cut and paste with applications that use the
3913 primary selection, then you can customize @code{interprogram-cut-function}
3914 to @code{nil}, restoring the XEmacs version 20 behavior. How can you
3915 tell if a program will support this? Motifly-correct programs require
3916 the clipboard; you lose. For others, only by trying it. You usually
3917 don't need to customize the complementary @code{interprogram-paste-function}
3918 to @code{nil}; presumably you're willing to wait for a paste from another
3919 program if delays only happen when you specifically request a paste.
3921 You can get some relief on Motif by setting
3922 @code{x-selection-strict-motif-ownership} to nil, but this means you will
3923 only intermittently be able to paste XEmacs kills to Motif applications.
3925 @node Subsystems, Miscellaneous, Customization, Top
3926 @unnumbered 4 Major Subsystems
3928 This is part 4 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
3929 section is devoted to major XEmacs subsystems.
3932 Reading Mail with VM:
3933 * Q4.0.1:: How do I set up VM to retrieve remote mail using POP?
3934 * Q4.0.2:: How do I get VM to filter mail for me?
3935 * Q4.0.3:: How can I get VM to automatically check for new mail?
3936 * Q4.0.4:: [This question intentionally left blank]
3937 * Q4.0.5:: How do I get my outgoing mail archived?
3938 * Q4.0.6:: I have various addresses at which I receive mail. How can I tell VM to ignore them when doing a "reply-all"?
3939 * Q4.0.7:: Is there a mailing list or FAQ for VM?
3940 * Q4.0.8:: Remote mail reading with VM.
3941 * Q4.0.9:: rmail or VM gets an error incorporating new mail.
3942 * Q4.0.10:: How do I make VM stay in a single frame?
3943 * Q4.0.11:: How do I make VM or mh-e display graphical smilies?
3944 * Q4.0.12:: Customization of VM not covered in the manual or here.
3946 Web browsing with W3:
3947 * Q4.1.1:: What is W3?
3948 * Q4.1.2:: How do I run W3 from behind a firewall?
3949 * Q4.1.3:: Is it true that W3 supports style sheets and tables?
3951 Reading Netnews and Mail with Gnus:
3952 * Q4.2.1:: GNUS, (ding) Gnus, Gnus 5, September Gnus, Red Gnus,argh!
3953 * Q4.2.2:: [This question intentionally left blank]
3954 * Q4.2.3:: How do I make Gnus stay within a single frame?
3955 * Q4.2.4:: How do I customize the From: line?
3958 * Q4.3.1:: How can I read and/or compose MIME messages?
3959 * Q4.3.2:: What is TM and where do I get it?
3960 * Q4.3.3:: Why isn't this @code{movemail} program working?
3961 * Q4.3.4:: Movemail is also distributed by Netscape? Can that cause problems?
3962 * Q4.3.5:: Where do I find pstogif (required by tm)?
3964 Sparcworks, EOS, and WorkShop:
3965 * Q4.4.1:: What is SPARCworks, EOS, and WorkShop
3966 * Q4.4.2:: How do I start the Sun Workshop support in XEmacs 21?
3969 * Q4.5.1:: What is/was Energize?
3972 * Q4.6.1:: What is Infodock?
3974 Other Unbundled Packages:
3975 * Q4.7.1:: What is AUC TeX? Where do you get it?
3976 * Q4.7.2:: Are there any Emacs Lisp Spreadsheets?
3977 * Q4.7.3:: [This question intentionally left blank]
3978 * Q4.7.4:: Problems installing AUC TeX
3979 * Q4.7.5:: Is there a reason for an Emacs package not to be included in XEmacs?
3980 * Q4.7.6:: Is there a MatLab mode?
3981 * Q4.7.7:: Can I edit files on other hosts?
3984 @node Q4.0.1, Q4.0.2, Subsystems, Subsystems
3985 @unnumberedsec 4.0: Reading Mail with VM
3986 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.1: How do I set up VM to retrieve mail from a remote site using POP?
3988 Use @code{vm-spool-files}, like this for example:
3991 (setq vm-spool-files '("/var/spool/mail/wing"
3992 "netcom23.netcom.com:110:pass:wing:MYPASS"))
3995 Of course substitute your actual password for MYPASS.
3997 @node Q4.0.2, Q4.0.3, Q4.0.1, Subsystems
3998 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.2: How do I get VM to filter mail for me?
4000 One possibility is to use procmail to split your mail before it gets to
4001 VM. I prefer this personally, since there are many strange and
4002 wonderful things one can do with procmail. Procmail may be found at
4003 @uref{ftp://ftp.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/pub/packages/procmail/}.
4005 Also see the Mail Filtering FAQ at:
4009 @uref{ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/mail/filtering-faq}.
4011 @c <URL:http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/mail/filtering-faq/faq.html>
4014 @node Q4.0.3, Q4.0.4, Q4.0.2, Subsystems
4015 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.3: How can I get VM to automatically check for new mail?
4017 @email{turner@@lanl.gov, John Turner} writes:
4023 (setq vm-auto-get-new-mail 60)
4027 @node Q4.0.4, Q4.0.5, Q4.0.3, Subsystems
4028 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.4: [This question intentionally left blank]
4030 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering.
4032 @node Q4.0.5, Q4.0.6, Q4.0.4, Subsystems
4033 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.5: How do I get my outgoing mail archived?
4036 (setq mail-archive-file-name "~/outbox")
4039 @node Q4.0.6, Q4.0.7, Q4.0.5, Subsystems
4040 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.6: I have various addresses at which I receive mail. How can I tell VM to ignore them when doing a "reply-all"?
4042 Set @code{vm-reply-ignored-addresses} to a list, like
4045 (setq vm-reply-ignored-addresses
4046 '("wing@@nuspl@@nvwls.cc.purdue.edu,netcom[0-9]*.netcom.com"
4047 "wing@@netcom.com" "wing@@xemacs.org"))
4050 Note that each string is a regular expression.
4052 @node Q4.0.7, Q4.0.8, Q4.0.6, Subsystems
4053 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.7: Is there a mailing list or FAQ for VM?
4055 A FAQ for VM exists at @uref{http://www.wonderworks.com/vm/FAQ.html}.
4057 VM has its own newsgroups gnu.emacs.vm.info and gnu.emacs.vm.bug.
4059 @node Q4.0.8, Q4.0.9, Q4.0.7, Subsystems
4060 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.8: Remote mail reading with VM.
4062 My mailbox lives at the office on a big honkin server. My regular INBOX
4063 lives on my honkin desktop machine. I now can PPP to the office from
4064 home which is far from honking... I'd like to be able to read mail at
4065 home without storing it here and I'd like to use xemacs and VM at
4066 home... Is there a recommended setup?
4068 @email{nuspl@@nvwls.cc.purdue.edu, Joseph J. Nuspl Jr.} writes:
4071 There are several ways to do this.
4075 Set your display to your home machine and run dxpc or one of the other X
4079 NFS mount your desktop machine on your home machine and modify your pop
4080 command on your home machine to rsh to your desktop machine and actually
4084 Run a POP server on your desktop machine as well and do a sort of two
4089 @email{wmperry@@monolith.spry.com, William Perry} adds:
4092 Or you could run a pop script periodically on your desktop machine, and
4093 just use ange-ftp or NFS to get to your mailbox. I used to do this all
4094 the time back at IU.
4097 @node Q4.0.9, Q4.0.10, Q4.0.8, Subsystems
4098 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.9: rmail or VM gets an error incorporating new mail.
4100 Quoting the XEmacs PROBLEMS file:
4103 rmail and VM get new mail from @file{/usr/spool/mail/$USER} using a
4104 program called @code{movemail}. This program interlocks with
4105 @code{/bin/mail} using the protocol defined by @code{/bin/mail}.
4107 There are two different protocols in general use. One of them uses the
4108 @code{flock} system call. The other involves creating a lock file;
4109 @code{movemail} must be able to write in @file{/usr/spool/mail} in order
4110 to do this. You control which one is used by defining, or not defining,
4111 the macro @code{MAIL_USE_FLOCK} in @file{config.h} or the m- or s- file
4114 @strong{IF YOU DON'T USE THE FORM OF INTERLOCKING THAT IS NORMAL ON YOUR
4115 SYSTEM, YOU CAN LOSE MAIL!}
4117 If your system uses the lock file protocol, and fascist restrictions
4118 prevent ordinary users from writing the lock files in
4119 @file{/usr/spool/mail}, you may need to make @code{movemail} setgid to a
4120 suitable group such as @samp{mail}. You can use these commands (as
4128 If your system uses the lock file protocol, and fascist restrictions
4129 prevent ordinary users from writing the lock files in
4130 @file{/usr/spool/mail}, you may need to make @code{movemail} setgid to a
4131 suitable group such as @code{mail}. To do this, use the following
4132 commands (as root) after doing the make install.
4139 Installation normally copies movemail from the build directory to an
4140 installation directory which is usually under @file{/usr/local/lib}.
4141 The installed copy of @code{movemail} is usually in the directory
4142 @file{/usr/local/lib/emacs/VERSION/TARGET}. You must change the group
4143 and mode of the installed copy; changing the group and mode of the build
4144 directory copy is ineffective.
4147 @node Q4.0.10, Q4.0.11, Q4.0.9, Subsystems
4148 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.10: How do I make VM stay in a single frame?
4150 John.@email{Cooper@@Eng.Sun.COM, John S Cooper} writes:
4154 ; Don't use multiple frames
4155 (setq vm-frame-per-composition nil)
4156 (setq vm-frame-per-folder nil)
4157 (setq vm-frame-per-edit nil)
4158 (setq vm-frame-per-summary nil)
4162 @node Q4.0.11, Q4.0.12, Q4.0.10, Subsystems
4163 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.11: How do I make VM or mh-e display graphical smilies?
4165 For mh-e use the following:
4168 (add-hook 'mh-show-mode-hook '(lambda ()
4169 (smiley-region (point-min)
4173 @email{bill@@carpenter.ORG, WJCarpenter} writes:
4174 For VM use the following:
4176 (autoload 'smiley-region "smiley" nil t)
4177 (add-hook 'vm-select-message-hook
4179 (smiley-region (point-min)
4183 For tm use the following:
4185 (autoload 'smiley-buffer "smiley" nil t)
4186 (add-hook 'mime-viewer/plain-text-preview-hook 'smiley-buffer)
4189 @node Q4.0.12, Q4.1.1, Q4.0.11, Subsystems
4190 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.12: Customization of VM not covered in the manual, or here.
4192 @email{boffi@@hp735.stru.polimi.it, giacomo boffi} writes:
4195 The meta-answer is to look into the file @file{vm-vars.el}, in the vm
4196 directory of the lisp library.
4198 @file{vm-vars.el} contains, initializes and carefully describes, with
4199 examples of usage, the plethora of user options that @emph{fully}
4200 control VM's behavior.
4202 Enter vm-vars, @code{forward-search} for toolbar, find the variables
4203 that control the toolbar placement, appearance, existence, copy to your
4204 @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} or @file{.vm} and modify according to the
4205 detailed instructions.
4207 The above also applies to all the various features of VM: search for
4208 some keywords, maybe the first you conjure isn't appropriate, find the
4209 appropriate variables, copy and experiment.
4212 @node Q4.1.1, Q4.1.2, Q4.0.12, Subsystems
4213 @unnumberedsec 4.1: Web browsing with W3
4214 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.1.1: What is W3?
4216 W3 is an advanced graphical browser written in Emacs lisp that runs on
4217 XEmacs. It has full support for cascaded style sheets, and more...
4219 It has a home web page at
4220 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/elisp/w3/docs.html}.
4222 @node Q4.1.2, Q4.1.3, Q4.1.1, Subsystems
4223 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.1.2: How do I run W3 from behind a firewall?
4225 There is a long, well-written, detailed section in the W3 manual that
4226 describes how to do this. Look in the section entitled "Firewalls".
4228 @node Q4.1.3, Q4.2.1, Q4.1.2, Subsystems
4229 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.1.3: Is it true that W3 supports style sheets and tables?
4231 Yes, and much more. W3, as distributed with the latest XEmacs is a
4232 full-featured web browser.
4234 @node Q4.2.1, Q4.2.2, Q4.1.3, Subsystems
4235 @unnumberedsec 4.2: Reading Netnews and Mail with Gnus
4236 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.2.1: GNUS, (ding) Gnus, Gnus 5, September Gnus, Red Gnus, Quassia Gnus, argh!
4238 The Gnus numbering issues are not meant for mere mortals to know them.
4239 If you feel you @emph{must} enter the muddy waters of Gnus, visit the
4240 excellent FAQ, maintained by Justin Sheehy, at:
4243 @uref{http://www.ccs.neu.edu/software/contrib/gnus/}
4246 See also Gnus home page
4248 @uref{http://www.gnus.org/}
4251 @node Q4.2.2, Q4.2.3, Q4.2.1, Subsystems
4252 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.2.2: This question intentionally left blank.
4254 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering.
4256 @node Q4.2.3, Q4.2.4, Q4.2.2, Subsystems
4257 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.2.3: How do I make Gnus stay within a single frame?
4259 The toolbar code to start Gnus opens the new frame---and it's a feature
4260 rather than a bug. If you don't like it, but would still like to click
4261 on the seemly icon, use the following code:
4264 (defun toolbar-news ()
4268 It will redefine the callback function of the icon to just call
4269 @code{gnus}, without all the fancy frame stuff.
4271 @node Q4.2.4, Q4.3.1, Q4.2.3, Subsystems
4272 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.2.4: How do I customize the From: line?
4274 How do I change the @code{From:} line? I have set gnus-user-from-line
4277 Gail Gurman <gail.gurman@@sybase.com>
4279 @noindent , but XEmacs Gnus doesn't use
4282 Gail Mara Gurman @email{gailg@@deall}
4284 @noindent and then complains
4285 that it's incorrect. Also, as you perhaps can see, my Message-ID is
4286 screwy. How can I change that?
4288 @email{larsi@@ifi.uio.no, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen} writes:
4291 Set @code{user-mail-address} to @samp{gail.gurman@@sybase.com} or
4292 @code{mail-host-address} to @samp{sybase.com}.
4295 @node Q4.3.1, Q4.3.2, Q4.2.4, Subsystems
4296 @unnumberedsec 4.3: Other Mail & News
4297 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.3.1: How can I read and/or compose MIME messages?
4300 VM supports MIME natively.
4302 You probably want to use the Tools for MIME (tm). @xref{Q4.3.2}, for
4305 @email{trey@@cs.berkeley.edu, Trey Jackson} has an Emacs & MIME web page at
4309 @uref{http://bmrc.berkeley.edu/~trey/emacs/mime.html}.
4312 Another possibility is RMIME. You may find RMIME at
4316 @uref{http://www.cinti.net/~rmoody/rmime/index.html}.
4319 @node Q4.3.2, Q4.3.3, Q4.3.1, Subsystems
4320 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.3.2: What is TM and where do I get it?
4322 TM stands for @dfn{Tools for MIME} and not Tiny MIME. TM integrates
4323 with all major XEmacs packages like Gnus (all flavors), VM, MH-E, and
4324 mailcrypt. It provides totally transparent and trouble-free MIME
4325 support. When appropriate a message will be decoded in place in an
4328 TM now comes as a package with XEmacs 19.16 and XEmacs 20.2.
4330 TM was written by @email{morioka@@jaist.ac.jp, MORIOKA Tomohiko} and
4331 @email{shuhei-k@@jaist.ac.jp, KOBAYASHI
4334 It is based on the work of @email{umerin@@mse.kyutech.ac.jp, UMEDA
4335 Masanobu}, the original writer of GNUS.
4337 The following information is from the @file{README}:
4339 @dfn{tm} is a MIME package for GNU Emacs.
4340 tm has following functions:
4343 @item MIME style multilingual header.
4344 @item MIME message viewer (mime/viewer-mode).
4345 @item MIME message composer (mime/editor-mode).
4346 @item MIME extenders for mh-e, GNUS, RMAIL and VM.
4349 tm is available from following anonymous ftp sites:
4351 @comment @item @uref{ftp://ftp.jaist.ac.jp/pub/GNU/elisp/mime/} (Japan).
4352 @comment @item @uref{ftp://ftp.nis.co.jp/pub/gnu/emacs-lisp/tm/} (Japan).
4353 @comment @c The host above is unknown.
4354 @comment @item @uref{ftp://ftp.nisiq.net/pub/gnu/emacs-lisp/tm/} (US).
4355 @comment @item @uref{ftp://ftp.miranova.com/pub/gnus/jaist.ac.jp/} (US).
4356 @item @uref{ftp://ftp.unicamp.br/pub/mail/mime/tm/} (Brasil).
4357 @item @uref{ftp://ftp.th-darmstadt.de/pub/editors/GNU-Emacs/lisp/mime/} (Germany).
4358 @item @uref{ftp://ftp.tnt.uni-hannover.de/pub/editors/xemacs/contrib/} (Germany).
4361 Don't let the installation procedure & instructions stop you from trying
4362 this package out---it's much simpler than it looks, and once installed,
4365 @node Q4.3.3, Q4.3.4, Q4.3.2, Subsystems
4366 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.3.3: Why isn't this @code{movemail} program working?
4368 Ben Wing @email{ben@@xemacs.org} writes:
4371 It wasn't chown'ed/chmod'd correctly.
4374 @node Q4.3.4, Q4.3.5, Q4.3.3, Subsystems
4375 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.3.4: Movemail is also distributed by Netscape? Can that cause problems?
4377 @email{steve@@xemacs.org, Steve Baur} writes:
4380 Yes. Always use the movemail installed with your XEmacs. Failure to do
4381 so can result in lost mail.
4384 Please refer to @email{jwz@@jwz.org, Jamie Zawinski's} notes at
4388 @uref{http://home.netscape.com/eng/mozilla/2.0/relnotes/demo/movemail.html}.
4389 In particular, this document will show you how to make Netscape use the
4390 version of movemail configured for your system by the person who built
4393 @node Q4.3.5, Q4.4.1, Q4.3.4, Subsystems
4394 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.3.5: Where do I find pstogif (required by tm)?
4396 pstogif is part of the latex2html package.
4398 @email{vroonhof@@math.ethz.ch, Jan Vroonhof} writes:
4400 latex2html is best found at the CTAN hosts and their mirrors
4405 @file{tex-archive/support/latex2html}.
4410 @item @uref{ftp://ftp.tex.ac.uk/tex-archive/support/latex2html/}.
4411 @item @uref{ftp://ftp.dante.de/tex-archive/support/latex2html/}.
4414 There is a good mirror at ftp.cdrom.com;
4418 @uref{ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/tex/ctan/support/latex2html/}.
4420 @node Q4.4.1, Q4.4.2, Q4.3.5, Subsystems
4421 @unnumberedsec 4.4: Sparcworks, EOS, and WorkShop
4422 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.4.1: What is SPARCworks, EOS, and WorkShop?
4424 @email{turner@@lanl.gov, John Turner} writes:
4427 SPARCworks is SunSoft's development environment, comprising compilers
4428 (C, C++, FORTRAN 77, Fortran 90, Ada, and Pascal), a debugger, and other
4429 tools such as TeamWare (for configuration management), MakeTool, etc.
4432 See @uref{http://www.sun.com/software/Developer-products/}
4435 EOS stands for "Era on SPARCworks", but I don't know what Era stands
4438 EOS is the integration of XEmacs with the SPARCworks debugger. It
4439 allows one to use an XEmacs frame to view code (complete with
4440 fontification, etc.), set breakpoints, print variables, etc., while
4441 using the SPARCworks debugger. It works very well and I use it all the
4444 @email{cthomp@@xemacs.org, Chuck Thompson} writes:
4447 Era stood for "Emacs Rewritten Again". It was what we were calling the
4448 modified version of Lucid Emacs for Sun when I was dragged, er, allowed
4449 to work on this wonderful editor.
4452 @email{martin@@xemacs.org, Martin Buchholz} writes:
4455 EOS is being replaced with a new graphical development environment
4456 called Sun WorkShop, which is currently (07/96) in Alpha Test. For more
4461 @uref{http://www.sun.com/software/Products/Developer-products}.
4464 @node Q4.4.2, Q4.5.1, Q4.4.1, Subsystems
4465 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.4.2: How do I start the Sun Workshop support in XEmacs 21?
4467 Add the switch ---with-workshop to the configure command when building
4468 XEmacs and put the following in one of your startup files
4469 (e.g. site-start.el or .emacs):
4472 (when (featurep 'tooltalk)
4473 (load "tooltalk-macros")
4474 (load "tooltalk-util")
4475 (load "tooltalk-init"))
4476 (when (featurep 'sparcworks)
4477 (load "sunpro-init")
4480 (load "annotations")
4484 If you are not using the latest Workshop (5.0) you have to apply the
4488 --- /opt/SUNWspro/lib/eserve.el.ORIG Fri May 14 15:23:26 1999
4489 +++ /opt/SUNWspro/lib/eserve.el Fri May 14 15:24:54 1999
4490 @@@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@@@
4491 (defvar running-xemacs nil "t if we're running XEmacs")
4492 (defvar running-emacs nil "t if we're running GNU Emacs 19")
4494 -(if (string-match "^\\(19\\|20\\)\..*\\(XEmacs\\|Lucid\\)" emacs-version)
4495 +(if (string-match "\\(XEmacs\\|Lucid\\)" emacs-version)
4496 (setq running-xemacs t)
4497 (setq running-emacs t))
4502 @node Q4.5.1, Q4.6.1, Q4.4.2, Subsystems
4503 @unnumberedsec 4.5: Energize
4504 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.5.1: What is/was Energize?
4506 @email{gray@@meteor.harlequin.com, David N Gray} writes:
4508 The files in @file{lisp/energize} are to enable Emacs to interface with
4509 the "Energize Programming System", a C and C++ development environment,
4510 which was a product of Lucid, Inc. Tragically, Lucid went out of
4511 business in 1994, so although Energize is still a great system, if you
4512 don't already have it, there isn't any way to get it now. (Unless you
4513 happen to be in Japan; INS Engineering may still be selling it there.
4514 Tartan bought the rights to sell it in the rest of the world, but never
4518 @node Q4.6.1, Q4.7.1, Q4.5.1, Subsystems
4519 @unnumberedsec 4.6: Infodock
4520 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.6.1: What is Infodock?
4522 @uref{http://sourceforge.net/projects/infodock/, InfoDock} is an
4523 integrated productivity toolset, mainly aimed at technical people,
4524 hosted at SourceForge.
4526 InfoDock is built atop the XEmacs variant of GNU Emacs and so has all of
4527 the power of Emacs, but with an easier to use and more comprehensive
4528 menu-based user interface. The bottom portion of this text describes
4529 how it differs from XEmacs and GNU Emacs from the Free Software
4532 InfoDock is aimed at people who want a free, turn-key productivity
4533 environment. Although InfoDock is customizable, it is not intended for
4534 people who like basic versions of Emacs which need to be customized
4535 extensively for local use; standard Emacs distributions are better for
4536 such uses. InfoDock is for those people who want a complete,
4537 pre-customized environment in one package, which they need not touch
4538 more than once or twice a year to update to new revisions.
4540 InfoDock is pre-built for SPARC SunOS/Solaris systems, PA-RISC HP-UX,
4541 and Intel Linux systems. It is intended for use on a color display,
4542 although most features will work on monochrome monitors. Simply unpack
4543 InfoDock according to the instructions in the ID-INSTALL file and you
4546 The InfoDock Manual is concise, yet sufficient as a user guide for users
4547 who have never used an Emacs-type editor before. For users who are
4548 already familiar with Emacs, it supplements the information in the GNU
4551 InfoDock menus are much more extensive and more mature than standard
4552 Emacs menus. Each menu offers a @samp{Manual} item which displays
4553 documentation associated with the menu's functions.
4556 Four types of menubars are provided:
4559 An extensive menubar providing access to global InfoDock commands.
4561 Mode-specific menubars tailored to the current major mode.
4563 A simple menubar for basic editing to help novices get started with InfoDock.
4565 The standard XEmacs menubar.
4568 Most modes also include mode-specific popup menus. Additionally, region and
4569 rectangle popup menus are included.
4571 @samp{Hyperbole}, the everyday information manager, is a core part of
4572 InfoDock. This provides context-sensitive mouse keys, a rolodex-type
4573 contact manager, programmable hypertext buttons, and an autonumbered
4574 outliner with embedded hyperlink anchors.
4576 The @samp{OO-Browser}, a multi-language object-oriented code browser, is a
4577 standard part of InfoDock.
4579 InfoDock saves a more extensive set of user options than other Emacs
4582 InfoDock inserts a useful file header in many file types, showing the
4583 author, summary, and last modification time of each file. A summary
4584 program can then be used to summarize all of the files in a directory,
4585 for easy MANIFEST file creation.
4587 Your working set of buffers is automatically saved and restored (if you
4588 answer yes to a prompt) between InfoDock sessions.
4590 Refined color choices for code highlighting are provided for both dark and
4591 light background display frames.
4593 The @kbd{C-z} key prefix performs frame-based commands which parallel the
4594 @kbd{C-x} key prefix for window-based commands.
4596 The Smart Menu system is included for producing command menus on dumb
4599 Lisp libraries are better categorized according to function.
4601 Extensions and improvements to many areas of Emacs are included, such as:
4602 paragraph filling, mail reading with Rmail, shell handling, outlining, code
4603 highlighting and browsing, and man page browsing.
4605 InfoDock questions, answers and discussion should go to the mail list
4609 @email{infodock@@infodock.com}. Use
4610 @email{infodock-request@@infodock.com} to be added or removed from the
4611 list. Always include your InfoDock version number when sending help
4614 InfoDock is available across the Internet via anonymous FTP. To get
4615 it, first move to a directory into which you want the InfoDock archive
4616 files placed. We will call this <DIST-DIR>.
4622 Ftp to ftp.xemacs.org (Internet Host ID = 128.174.252.16):
4625 prompt> ftp ftp.xemacs.org
4628 Login as @samp{anonymous} with your own <user-id>@@<site-name> as a password.
4631 Name (ftp.xemacs.org): anonymous
4632 331 Guest login ok, send your complete e-mail address as password.
4633 Password: -<your-user-id>@@<your-domain>
4634 230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.
4637 Move to the location of the InfoDock archives:
4640 ftp> cd pub/infodock
4643 Set your transfer mode to binary:
4654 Interactive mode off.
4657 Retrieve the InfoDock archives that you want, either by using a
4658 @samp{get <file>} for each file you want or by using the following to
4659 get a complete distribution, including all binaries:
4662 ftp> mget ID-INSTALL
4666 Close the FTP connection:
4673 Read the @file{ID-INSTALL} file which you just retrieved for
4674 step-by-step installation instructions.
4676 @node Q4.7.1, Q4.7.2, Q4.6.1, Subsystems
4677 @unnumberedsec 4.7: Other Unbundled Packages
4678 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.1: What is AUC TeX? Where do you get it?
4680 AUC TeX is a package written by @email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen}.
4681 Starting with XEmacs 19.16, AUC TeX is bundled with XEmacs. The
4682 following information is from the @file{README} and website.
4684 AUC TeX is an extensible package that supports writing and formatting
4685 TeX files for most variants of GNU Emacs. Many different macro packages
4686 are supported, including AMS TeX, LaTeX, and TeXinfo.
4688 The most recent version is always available by ftp at
4692 @uref{ftp://sunsite.dk/packages/auctex/auctex.tar.gz}.
4694 In case you don't have access to anonymous ftp, you can get it by an
4695 email request to @email{ftpmail@@decwrl.dec.com}.
4697 WWW users may want to check out the AUC TeX page at
4701 @uref{http://sunsite.dk/auctex/}.
4703 @node Q4.7.2, Q4.7.3, Q4.7.1, Subsystems
4704 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.2: Are there any Emacs Lisp Spreadsheets?
4706 Yes. Check out @dfn{dismal} (which stands for Dis' Mode Ain't Lotus) at
4710 @uref{ftp://cs.nyu.edu/pub/local/fox/dismal/}.
4712 @node Q4.7.3, Q4.7.4, Q4.7.2, Subsystems
4713 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.3: [This question intentionally left blank]
4715 @node Q4.7.4, Q4.7.5, Q4.7.3, Subsystems
4716 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.4: Problems installing AUC TeX.
4718 @email{vroonhof@@math.ethz.ch, Jan Vroonhof} writes:
4721 AUC TeX works fine on both stock Emacs and XEmacs has been doing so for
4722 a very very long time. This is mostly due to the work of
4723 @email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen} (clap clap) in particular his @file{easymenu}
4724 package. Which leads to what is probably the problem...
4727 Most problems with AUC TeX are one of two things:
4731 The TeX-lisp-directory in @file{tex-site.el} and the makefile don't
4734 Fix: make sure you configure AUC TeX properly @strong{before} installing.
4737 You have an old version of easymenu.el in your path.
4739 Fix: use @code{locate-library} and remove old versions to make sure it
4740 @strong{only} finds the one that came with XEmacs.
4744 @node Q4.7.5, Q4.7.6, Q4.7.4, Subsystems
4745 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.5: Is there a reason for an Emacs package not to be included in XEmacs?
4747 The reason for an Emacs package not to be included in XEmacs is
4748 usually one or more of the following:
4752 The package has not been ported to XEmacs. This will typically happen
4753 when it uses GNU-Emacs-specific features, which make it fail under
4756 Porting a package to XEmacs can range from a trivial amount of change to
4757 a partial or full rewrite. Fortunately, the authors of modern packages
4758 usually choose to support both Emacsen themselves.
4761 The package has been decided not to be appropriate for XEmacs. It may
4762 have an equivalent or better replacement within XEmacs, in which case
4763 the developers may choose not to burden themselves with supporting an
4766 Each package bundled with XEmacs means more work for the maintainers,
4767 whether they want it or not. If you are ready to take over the
4768 maintenance responsibilities for the package you port, be sure to say
4769 so---we will more likely include it.
4772 The package simply hasn't been noted by the XEmacs development. If
4773 that's the case, the messages like yours are very useful for attracting
4777 The package was noted by the developers, but they simply haven't yet
4778 gotten around to including/porting it. Wait for the next release or,
4779 even better, offer your help. It will be gladly accepted and
4783 @node Q4.7.6, Q4.7.7, Q4.7.5, Subsystems
4784 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.5: Is there a MatLab mode?
4786 Yes, a matlab mode and other items are available at the
4787 @uref{ftp://ftp.mathworks.com/pub/contrib/emacs_add_ons,
4788 MathWorks' emacs_add_ons ftp directory}.
4790 @node Q4.7.7, , Q4.7.6, Subsystems
4791 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.7: Can I edit files on other hosts?
4793 Yes. Of course XEmacs can use any network file system (such as NFS or
4794 Windows file sharing) you have available, and includes some
4795 optimizations and safety features appropriate to those environments.
4797 It is also possible to transparently edit files via FTP, ssh, or rsh. That
4798 is, XEmacs makes a local copy using the transport in the background, and
4799 automatically refreshes the remote original from that copy when you save
4800 it. XEmacs also is capable of doing file system manipulations like
4801 creating and removing directories and files. The FTP interface is
4802 provided by the standard @samp{efs} package @ref{Top, EFS, , efs}. The
4803 ssh/rsh interface is provided by the optional @samp{tramp} package
4804 @ref{Top, TRAMP, , tramp}.
4806 @node Miscellaneous, MS Windows, Subsystems, Top
4807 @unnumbered 5 The Miscellaneous Stuff
4809 This is part 5 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
4810 section is devoted to anything that doesn't fit neatly into the other
4814 Major & Minor Modes:
4815 * Q5.0.1:: How can I do source code highlighting using font-lock?
4816 * Q5.0.2:: I do not like cc-mode. How do I use the old c-mode?
4817 * Q5.0.3:: How do I get @samp{More} Syntax Highlighting on by default?
4818 * Q5.0.4:: How can I enable auto-indent and/or Filladapt?
4819 * Q5.0.5:: How can I get XEmacs to come up in text/auto-fill mode by default?
4820 * Q5.0.6:: How do I start up a second shell buffer?
4821 * Q5.0.7:: Telnet from shell filters too much.
4822 * Q5.0.8:: Why does edt emulation not work?
4823 * Q5.0.9:: How can I emulate VI and use it as my default mode?
4824 * Q5.0.10:: [This question intentionally left blank]
4825 * Q5.0.11:: [This question intentionally left blank]
4826 * Q5.0.12:: How do I disable gnuserv from opening a new frame?
4827 * Q5.0.13:: How do I start gnuserv so that each subsequent XEmacs is a client?
4828 * Q5.0.14:: Strange things are happening in Shell Mode.
4829 * Q5.0.15:: Where do I get the latest CC Mode?
4830 * Q5.0.16:: I find auto-show-mode disconcerting. How do I turn it off?
4831 * Q5.0.17:: How can I get two instances of info?
4832 * Q5.0.18:: [This question intentionally left blank]
4833 * Q5.0.19:: Is there something better than LaTeX mode?
4834 * Q5.0.20:: Is there a way to start a new XEmacs if there's no gnuserv running, and otherwise use gnuclient?
4836 Emacs Lisp Programming Techniques:
4837 * Q5.1.1:: The difference in key sequences between XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
4838 * Q5.1.2:: Can I generate "fake" keyboard events?
4839 * Q5.1.3:: Could you explain @code{read-kbd-macro} in more detail?
4840 * Q5.1.4:: What is the performance hit of @code{let}?
4841 * Q5.1.5:: What is the recommended use of @code{setq}?
4842 * Q5.1.6:: What is the typical misuse of @code{setq}?
4843 * Q5.1.7:: I like the @code{do} form of cl, does it slow things down?
4844 * Q5.1.8:: I like recursion, does it slow things down?
4845 * Q5.1.9:: How do I put a glyph as annotation in a buffer?
4846 * Q5.1.10:: @code{map-extents} won't traverse all of my extents!
4847 * Q5.1.11:: My elisp program is horribly slow. Is there an easy way to find out where it spends time?
4850 * Q5.2.1:: How do I turn off the sound?
4851 * Q5.2.2:: How do I get funky sounds instead of a boring beep?
4852 * Q5.2.3:: What's NAS, how do I get it?
4853 * Q5.2.4:: Sunsite sounds don't play.
4856 * Q5.3.1:: How do you make XEmacs indent CL if-clauses correctly?
4857 * Q5.3.2:: [This question intentionally left blank]
4858 * Q5.3.3:: How can I print WYSIWYG a font-locked buffer?
4859 * Q5.3.4:: Getting @kbd{M-x lpr} to work with postscript printer.
4860 * Q5.3.5:: How do I specify the paths that XEmacs uses for finding files?
4861 * Q5.3.6:: [This question intentionally left blank]
4862 * Q5.3.7:: Can I have the end of the buffer delimited in some way?
4863 * Q5.3.8:: How do I insert today's date into a buffer?
4864 * Q5.3.9:: Are only certain syntactic character classes available for abbrevs?
4865 * Q5.3.10:: How can I get those oh-so-neat X-Face lines?
4866 * Q5.3.11:: How do I add new Info directories?
4867 * Q5.3.12:: What do I need to change to make printing work?
4870 @node Q5.0.1, Q5.0.2, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous
4871 @unnumberedsec 5.0: Major & Minor Modes
4872 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.1: How can I do source code highlighting using font-lock?
4874 For most modes, font-lock is already set up and just needs to be turned
4875 on. This can be done by adding the line:
4878 (require 'font-lock)
4881 to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}. (You can turn it on for the
4882 current buffer and session only by @kbd{M-x font-lock-mode}.) See the
4883 file @file{etc/sample.init.el} (@file{etc/sample.emacs} in XEmacs
4884 versions prior to 21.4) for more information.
4887 @c (add-hook 'emacs-lisp-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock)
4888 @c (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock)
4890 See also @code{Syntax Highlighting} from the @code{Options} menu.
4891 Remember to save options.
4893 @node Q5.0.2, Q5.0.3, Q5.0.1, Miscellaneous
4894 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.2: I do not like cc-mode. How do I use the old c-mode?
4896 Well, first off, consider if you really want to do this. cc-mode is
4897 much more powerful than the old c-mode. If you're having trouble
4898 getting your old offsets to work, try using @code{c-set-offset} instead.
4899 You might also consider using the package @code{cc-compat}.
4901 But, if you still insist, add the following lines to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
4904 (fmakunbound 'c-mode)
4905 (makunbound 'c-mode-map)
4906 (fmakunbound 'c++-mode)
4907 (makunbound 'c++-mode-map)
4908 (makunbound 'c-style-alist)
4909 (load-library "old-c-mode")
4910 (load-library "old-c++-mode")
4913 This must be done before any other reference is made to either c-mode or
4916 @node Q5.0.3, Q5.0.4, Q5.0.2, Miscellaneous
4917 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.3: How do I get @samp{More} Syntax Highlighting on by default?
4919 Use the following code in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
4922 (setq-default font-lock-maximum-decoration t)
4925 @c In versions of XEmacs prior to 19.14, you had to use a kludgy solution
4929 @c (setq c-font-lock-keywords c-font-lock-keywords-2
4930 @c c++-font-lock-keywords c++-font-lock-keywords-2
4931 @c lisp-font-lock-keywords lisp-font-lock-keywords-2)
4934 @c It will work for C, C++ and Lisp.
4936 See also @code{Syntax Highlighting} from the @code{Options} menu.
4937 Remember to save options.
4939 @node Q5.0.4, Q5.0.5, Q5.0.3, Miscellaneous
4940 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.4: How can I enable auto-indent and/or Filladapt?
4942 Put the following line in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
4945 (setq indent-line-function 'indent-relative-maybe)
4948 If you want to get fancy, try the @code{filladapt} package available
4949 standard with XEmacs. Put this into your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
4952 (require 'filladapt)
4953 (setq-default filladapt-mode t)
4954 (add-hook 'c-mode-hook 'turn-off-filladapt-mode)
4957 This will enable Filladapt for all modes except C mode, where it doesn't
4958 work well. To turn Filladapt on only in particular major modes, remove
4959 the @code{(setq-default ...)} line and use
4960 @code{turn-on-filladapt-mode}, like this:
4963 (add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-filladapt-mode)
4966 You can customize filling and adaptive filling with Customize.
4967 Select from the @code{Options} menu
4968 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Fill->Fill...}
4969 or type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} fill @key{RET}}.
4971 Note that well-behaving text-lookalike modes will run
4972 @code{text-mode-hook} by default (e.g. that's what Message does). For
4973 the nasty ones, you'll have to provide the @code{add-hook}s yourself.
4975 Please note that the @code{fa-extras} package is no longer useful.
4977 @node Q5.0.5, Q5.0.6, Q5.0.4, Miscellaneous
4978 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.5: How can I get XEmacs to come up in text/auto-fill mode by default?
4980 Try the following lisp in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
4983 (setq default-major-mode 'text-mode)
4984 (setq text-mode-hook 'turn-on-auto-fill)
4987 @strong{WARNING}: note that changing the value of
4988 @code{default-major-mode} from @code{fundamental-mode} can break a large
4989 amount of built-in code that expects newly created buffers to be in
4990 @code{fundamental-mode}. (Changing from @code{fundamental-mode} to
4991 @code{text-mode} might not wreak too much havoc, but changing to
4992 something more exotic like a lisp-mode would break many Emacs packages).
4994 Note that Emacs by default starts up in buffer @code{*scratch*} in
4995 @code{initial-major-mode}, which defaults to
4996 @code{lisp-interaction-mode}. Thus adding the following form to your
4997 Emacs init file will cause the initial @code{*scratch*} buffer to be put
4998 into auto-fill'ed @code{text-mode}:
5001 (setq initial-major-mode
5004 (turn-on-auto-fill)))
5007 Note that after your init file is loaded, if
5008 @code{inhibit-startup-message} is @code{nil} (the default) and the
5009 startup buffer is @code{*scratch*} then the startup message will be
5010 inserted into @code{*scratch*}; it will be removed after a timeout by
5011 erasing the entire @code{*scratch*} buffer. Keep in mind this default
5012 usage of @code{*scratch*} if you desire any prior manipulation of
5013 @code{*scratch*} from within your Emacs init file. In particular,
5014 anything you insert into @code{*scratch*} from your init file will be
5015 later erased. Also, if you change the mode of the @code{*scratch*}
5016 buffer, be sure that this will not interfere with possible later
5017 insertion of the startup message (e.g. if you put @code{*scratch*} into
5018 a nonstandard mode that has automatic font lock rules, then the startup
5019 message might get fontified in a strange foreign manner, e.g. as code in
5020 some programming language).
5022 @node Q5.0.6, Q5.0.7, Q5.0.5, Miscellaneous
5023 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.6: How do I start up a second shell buffer?
5025 In the @code{*shell*} buffer:
5028 M-x rename-buffer @key{RET} *shell-1* @key{RET}
5032 This will then start a second shell. The key is that no buffer named
5033 @samp{*shell*} can exist. It might be preferable to use @kbd{M-x
5034 rename-uniquely} to rename the @code{*shell*} buffer instead of @kbd{M-x
5037 Alternately, you can set the variable @code{shell-multiple-shells}.
5038 If the value of this variable is non-nil, each time shell mode is invoked,
5041 @node Q5.0.7, Q5.0.8, Q5.0.6, Miscellaneous
5042 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.7: Telnet from shell filters too much
5044 I'm using the Emacs @kbd{M-x shell} function, and I would like to invoke
5045 and use a telnet session within it. Everything works fine except that
5046 now all @samp{^M}'s are filtered out by Emacs. Fixes?
5048 Use @kbd{M-x rsh} or @kbd{M-x telnet} to open remote sessions rather
5049 than doing rsh or telnet within the local shell buffer. Starting with
5050 XEmacs-20.3 you can also use @kbd{M-x ssh} to open secure remote session
5051 if you have @code{ssh} installed.
5053 @node Q5.0.8, Q5.0.9, Q5.0.7, Miscellaneous
5054 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.8: Why does edt emulation not work?
5056 We don't know, but you can use tpu-edt emulation instead, which works
5057 fine and is a little fancier than the standard edt emulation. To do
5058 this, add the following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
5064 If you don't want it to replace @kbd{C-h} with an edt-style help menu
5068 (global-set-key [(control h)] 'help-for-help)
5071 @node Q5.0.9, Q5.0.10, Q5.0.8, Miscellaneous
5072 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.9: How can I emulate VI and use it as my default mode?
5074 Our recommended VI emulator is viper. To make viper-mode the default,
5075 add this to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
5081 @email{kifer@@CS.SunySB.EDU, Michael Kifer} writes:
5084 This should be added as close to the top of @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} as you can get
5085 it, otherwise some minor modes may not get viper-ized.
5088 @node Q5.0.10, Q5.0.11, Q5.0.9, Miscellaneous
5089 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.10: [This question intentionally left blank]
5091 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering
5093 @node Q5.0.11, Q5.0.12, Q5.0.10, Miscellaneous
5094 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.11: [This question intentionally left blank]
5096 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering
5098 @node Q5.0.12, Q5.0.13, Q5.0.11, Miscellaneous
5099 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.12: How do I disable gnuserv from opening a new frame?
5101 If you set the @code{gnuserv-frame} variable to the frame that should be
5102 used to display buffers that are pulled up, a new frame will not be
5103 created. For example, you could put
5106 (setq gnuserv-frame (selected-frame))
5109 early on in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}, to ensure that the first frame created
5110 is the one used for your gnuserv buffers.
5112 There is an option to set the gnuserv target to the current frame. See
5113 @code{Options->Display->"Other Window" Location->Make Current Frame Gnuserv Target}
5115 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 you can also change this with Customize.
5116 Select from the @code{Options} menu
5117 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Gnuserv->Gnuserv Frame...}
5118 or type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} gnuserv @key{RET}}.
5121 @node Q5.0.13, Q5.0.14, Q5.0.12, Miscellaneous
5122 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.13: How do I start gnuserv so that each subsequent XEmacs is a client?
5124 Put the following in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file to start the server:
5130 Start your first XEmacs as usual. After that, you can do:
5133 gnuclient randomfilename
5136 from the command line to get your existing XEmacs process to open a new
5137 frame and visit randomfilename in that window. When you're done editing
5138 randomfilename, hit @kbd{C-x #} to kill the buffer and get rid of the
5141 See also man page of gnuclient.
5143 @node Q5.0.14, Q5.0.15, Q5.0.13, Miscellaneous
5144 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.14: Strange things are happening in Shell Mode.
5146 Sometimes (i.e. it's not repeatable, and I can't work out why it
5147 happens) when I'm typing into shell mode, I hit return and only a
5148 portion of the command is given to the shell, and a blank prompt is
5149 returned. If I hit return again, the rest of the previous command is
5152 @email{martin@@xemacs.org, Martin Buchholz} writes:
5155 There is a known problem with interaction between @code{csh} and the
5156 @code{filec} option and XEmacs. You should add the following to your
5160 if ( "$TERM" == emacs || "$TERM" == unknown ) unset filec
5164 @node Q5.0.15, Q5.0.16, Q5.0.14, Miscellaneous
5165 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.15: Where do I get the latest CC Mode?
5167 @email{bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us, Barry A. Warsaw} writes:
5170 This can be had from @uref{http://www.python.org/emacs/}.
5173 @node Q5.0.16, Q5.0.17, Q5.0.15, Miscellaneous
5174 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.16: I find auto-show-mode disconcerting. How do I turn it off?
5176 @code{auto-show-mode} controls whether or not a horizontal scrollbar
5177 magically appears when a line is too long to be displayed. This is
5178 enabled by default. To turn it off, put the following in your
5179 @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
5182 (setq auto-show-mode nil)
5183 (setq-default auto-show-mode nil)
5186 @node Q5.0.17, Q5.0.18, Q5.0.16, Miscellaneous
5187 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.17: How can I get two instances of info?
5189 Before 21.4, you can't. The @code{info} package does not provide for
5190 multiple info buffers. In 21.4, this should be fixed. #### how?
5192 @node Q5.0.18, Q5.0.19, Q5.0.17, Miscellaneous
5193 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.18: [This question intentionally left blank]
5195 @node Q5.0.19, Q5.0.20, Q5.0.18, Miscellaneous
5196 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.19: Is there something better than LaTeX mode?
5198 @email{dak@@fsnif.neuroinformatik.ruhr-uni-bochum.de, David Kastrup} writes:
5201 The standard TeX modes leave much to be desired, and are somewhat
5202 leniently maintained. Serious TeX users use AUC TeX (@pxref{Q4.7.1}).
5205 @node Q5.0.20, Q5.1.1, Q5.0.19, Miscellaneous
5206 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.20: Is there a way to start a new XEmacs if there's no gnuserv running, and otherwise use gnuclient?
5208 @email{vroonhof@@math.ethz.ch, Jan Vroonhof} writes:
5210 Here is one of the solutions, we have this in a script called
5211 @file{etc/editclient.sh}.
5214 if gnuclient -batch -eval t >/dev/null 2>&1
5216 exec gnuclient $@{1+"$@@"@}
5218 xemacs -unmapped -f gnuserv-start &
5219 until gnuclient -batch -eval t >/dev/null 2>&1
5223 exec gnuclient $@{1+"$@@"@}
5227 Note that there is a known problem when running XEmacs and 'gnuclient
5228 -nw' on the same TTY.
5231 @node Q5.1.1, Q5.1.2, Q5.0.20, Miscellaneous
5232 @unnumberedsec 5.1: Emacs Lisp Programming Techniques
5233 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.1: What is the difference in key sequences between XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
5235 @email{clerik@@naggum.no, Erik Naggum} writes;
5238 Emacs has a legacy of keyboards that produced characters with modifier
5239 bits, and therefore map a variety of input systems into this scheme even
5240 today. XEmacs is instead optimized for X events. This causes an
5241 incompatibility in the way key sequences are specified, but both Emacs
5242 and XEmacs will accept a key sequence as a vector of lists of modifiers
5243 that ends with a key, e.g., to bind @kbd{M-C-a}, you would say
5244 @code{[(meta control a)]} in both Emacsen. XEmacs has an abbreviated
5245 form for a single key, just (meta control a). Emacs has an abbreviated
5246 form for the Control and the Meta modifiers to string-characters (the
5247 ASCII characters), as in @samp{\M-\C-a}. XEmacs users need to be aware
5248 that the abbreviated form works only for one-character key sequences,
5249 while Emacs users need to be aware that the string-character is rather
5250 limited. Specifically, the string-character can accommodate only 256
5251 different values, 128 of which have the Meta modifier and 128 of which
5252 have not. In each of these blocks, only 32 characters have the Control
5253 modifier. Whereas @code{[(meta control A)]} differs from @code{[(meta
5254 control a)]} because the case differs, @samp{\M-\C-a} and @samp{\M-\C-A}
5255 do not. Programmers are advised to use the full common form, both
5256 because it is more readable and less error-prone, and because it is
5257 supported by both Emacsen.
5260 Another (even safer) way to be sure of the key-sequences is to use the
5261 @code{read-kbd-macro} function, which takes a string like @samp{C-c
5262 <up>}, and converts it to the internal key representation of the Emacs
5263 you use. The function is available both on XEmacs and GNU Emacs.
5265 @node Q5.1.2, Q5.1.3, Q5.1.1, Miscellaneous
5266 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.2: Can I generate "fake" keyboard events?
5268 I wonder if there is an interactive function that can generate
5269 @dfn{fake} keyboard events. This way, I could simply map them inside
5275 (defun cg--generate-char-event (ch)
5276 "Generate an event, as if ch has been typed"
5277 (dispatch-event (character-to-event ch)))
5279 ;; Backspace and Delete stuff
5280 (global-set-key [backspace]
5281 (lambda () (interactive) (cg--generate-char-event 127)))
5282 (global-set-key [unknown_keysym_0x4]
5283 (lambda () (interactive) (cg--generate-char-event 4)))
5286 @node Q5.1.3, Q5.1.4, Q5.1.2, Miscellaneous
5287 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.3: Could you explain @code{read-kbd-macro} in more detail?
5289 The @code{read-kbd-macro} function returns the internal Emacs
5290 representation of a human-readable string (which is its argument).
5294 (read-kbd-macro "C-c C-a")
5295 @result{} [(control ?c) (control ?a)]
5297 (read-kbd-macro "C-c C-. <up>")
5298 @result{} [(control ?c) (control ?.) up]
5301 In GNU Emacs the same forms will be evaluated to what GNU Emacs
5302 understands internally---the sequences @code{"\C-x\C-c"} and @code{[3
5303 67108910 up]}, respectively.
5305 The exact @dfn{human-readable} syntax is defined in the docstring of
5306 @code{edmacro-mode}. I'll repeat it here, for completeness.
5309 Format of keyboard macros during editing:
5311 Text is divided into @dfn{words} separated by whitespace. Except for
5312 the words described below, the characters of each word go directly as
5313 characters of the macro. The whitespace that separates words is
5314 ignored. Whitespace in the macro must be written explicitly, as in
5315 @kbd{foo @key{SPC} bar @key{RET}}.
5319 The special words @kbd{RET}, @kbd{SPC}, @kbd{TAB}, @kbd{DEL}, @kbd{LFD},
5320 @kbd{ESC}, and @kbd{NUL} represent special control characters. The
5321 words must be written in uppercase.
5324 A word in angle brackets, e.g., @code{<return>}, @code{<down>}, or
5325 @code{<f1>}, represents a function key. (Note that in the standard
5326 configuration, the function key @code{<return>} and the control key
5327 @key{RET} are synonymous.) You can use angle brackets on the words
5328 @key{RET}, @key{SPC}, etc., but they are not required there.
5331 Keys can be written by their @sc{ascii} code, using a backslash followed
5332 by up to six octal digits. This is the only way to represent keys with
5336 One or more prefixes @kbd{M-} (meta), @kbd{C-} (control), @kbd{S-}
5337 (shift), @kbd{A-} (alt), @kbd{H-} (hyper), and @kbd{s-} (super) may
5338 precede a character or key notation. For function keys, the prefixes
5339 may go inside or outside of the brackets: @code{C-<down>} @equiv{}
5340 @code{<C-down>}. The prefixes may be written in any order: @kbd{M-C-x}
5341 @equiv{} @kbd{C-M-x}.
5343 Prefixes are not allowed on multi-key words, e.g., @kbd{C-abc}, except
5344 that the Meta prefix is allowed on a sequence of digits and optional
5345 minus sign: @kbd{M--123} @equiv{} @kbd{M-- M-1 M-2 M-3}.
5348 The @code{^} notation for control characters also works: @kbd{^M}
5352 Double angle brackets enclose command names: @code{<<next-line>>} is
5353 shorthand for @kbd{M-x next-line @key{RET}}.
5356 Finally, @code{REM} or @code{;;} causes the rest of the line to be
5357 ignored as a comment.
5360 Any word may be prefixed by a multiplier in the form of a decimal number
5361 and @code{*}: @code{3*<right>} @equiv{} @code{<right> <right> <right>},
5362 and @code{10*foo} @equiv{}
5366 @code{foofoofoofoofoofoofoofoofoofoo}.
5368 Multiple text keys can normally be strung together to form a word, but
5369 you may need to add whitespace if the word would look like one of the
5370 above notations: @code{; ; ;} is a keyboard macro with three semicolons,
5371 but @code{;;;} is a comment. Likewise, @code{\ 1 2 3} is four keys but
5372 @code{\123} is a single key written in octal, and @code{< right >} is
5373 seven keys but @code{<right>} is a single function key. When in doubt,
5377 @node Q5.1.4, Q5.1.5, Q5.1.3, Miscellaneous
5378 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.4: What is the performance hit of @code{let}?
5380 In most cases, not noticeable. Besides, there's no avoiding
5381 @code{let}---you have to bind your local variables, after all. Some
5382 pose a question whether to nest @code{let}s, or use one @code{let} per
5383 function. I think because of clarity and maintenance (and possible
5384 future implementation), @code{let}-s should be used (nested) in a way to
5385 provide the clearest code.
5387 @node Q5.1.5, Q5.1.6, Q5.1.4, Miscellaneous
5388 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.5: What is the recommended use of @code{setq}?
5391 @item Global variables
5393 You will typically @code{defvar} your global variable to a default
5394 value, and use @code{setq} to set it later.
5396 It is never a good practice to @code{setq} user variables (like
5397 @code{case-fold-search}, etc.), as it ignores the user's choice
5398 unconditionally. Note that @code{defvar} doesn't change the value of a
5399 variable if it was bound previously. If you wish to change a
5400 user-variable temporarily, use @code{let}:
5403 (let ((case-fold-search nil))
5404 ... ; code with searches that must be case-sensitive
5408 You will notice the user-variables by their docstrings beginning with an
5409 asterisk (a convention).
5411 @item Local variables
5413 Bind them with @code{let}, which will unbind them (or restore their
5414 previous value, if they were bound) after exiting from the @code{let}
5415 form. Change the value of local variables with @code{setq} or whatever
5416 you like (e.g. @code{incf}, @code{setf} and such). The @code{let} form
5417 can even return one of its local variables.
5422 ;; iterate through the elements of the list returned by
5423 ;; `hairy-function-that-returns-list'
5424 (let ((l (hairy-function-that-returns-list)))
5426 ... do something with (car l) ...
5430 Another typical usage includes building a value simply to work with it.
5433 ;; Build the mode keymap out of the key-translation-alist
5434 (let ((inbox (file-truename (expand-file-name box)))
5436 ... code dealing with inbox ...
5440 This piece of code uses the local variable @code{inbox}, which becomes
5441 unbound (or regains old value) after exiting the form. The form also
5442 returns the value of @code{inbox}, which can be reused, for instance:
5445 (setq foo-processed-inbox
5450 @node Q5.1.6, Q5.1.7, Q5.1.5, Miscellaneous
5451 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.6: What is the typical misuse of @code{setq} ?
5453 A typical misuse is probably @code{setq}ing a variable that was meant to
5454 be local. Such a variable will remain bound forever, never to be
5455 garbage-collected. For example, the code doing:
5458 (defun my-function (whatever)
5460 ... build a large list ...
5464 does a bad thing, as @code{a} will keep consuming memory, never to be
5465 unbound. The correct thing is to do it like this:
5468 (defun my-function (whatever)
5469 (let (a) ; default initialization is to nil
5470 ... build a large list ...
5471 ... and exit, unbinding `a' in the process ...)
5474 Not only is this prettier syntactically, but it makes it possible for
5475 Emacs to garbage-collect the objects which @code{a} used to reference.
5477 Note that even global variables should not be @code{setq}ed without
5478 @code{defvar}ing them first, because the byte-compiler issues warnings.
5479 The reason for the warning is the following:
5482 (defun flurgoze nil) ; ok, global internal variable
5485 (setq flurghoze t) ; ops! a typo, but semantically correct.
5486 ; however, the byte-compiler warns.
5488 While compiling toplevel forms:
5489 ** assignment to free variable flurghoze
5492 @node Q5.1.7, Q5.1.8, Q5.1.6, Miscellaneous
5493 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.7: I like the @code{do} form of cl, does it slow things down?
5495 It shouldn't. Here is what Dave Gillespie has to say about cl.el
5499 Many of the advanced features of this package, such as @code{defun*},
5500 @code{loop}, and @code{setf}, are implemented as Lisp macros. In
5501 byte-compiled code, these complex notations will be expanded into
5502 equivalent Lisp code which is simple and efficient. For example, the
5510 are expanded at compile-time to the Lisp forms
5514 (setcar p (cons x (car p)))
5517 which are the most efficient ways of doing these respective operations
5518 in Lisp. Thus, there is no performance penalty for using the more
5519 readable @code{incf} and @code{push} forms in your compiled code.
5521 @emph{Interpreted} code, on the other hand, must expand these macros
5522 every time they are executed. For this reason it is strongly
5523 recommended that code making heavy use of macros be compiled. (The
5524 features labelled @dfn{Special Form} instead of @dfn{Function} in this
5525 manual are macros.) A loop using @code{incf} a hundred times will
5526 execute considerably faster if compiled, and will also garbage-collect
5527 less because the macro expansion will not have to be generated, used,
5528 and thrown away a hundred times.
5530 You can find out how a macro expands by using the @code{cl-prettyexpand}
5534 @node Q5.1.8, Q5.1.9, Q5.1.7, Miscellaneous
5535 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.8: I like recursion, does it slow things down?
5537 Yes. Emacs byte-compiler cannot do much to optimize recursion. But
5538 think well whether this is a real concern in Emacs. Much of the Emacs
5539 slowness comes from internal mechanisms such as redisplay, or from the
5540 fact that it is an interpreter.
5542 Please try not to make your code much uglier to gain a very small speed
5543 gain. It's not usually worth it.
5545 @node Q5.1.9, Q5.1.10, Q5.1.8, Miscellaneous
5546 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.9: How do I put a glyph as annotation in a buffer?
5548 Here is a solution that will insert the glyph annotation at the
5549 beginning of buffer:
5552 (make-annotation (make-glyph '([FORMAT :file FILE]
5553 [string :data "fallback-text"]))
5559 Replace @samp{FORMAT} with an unquoted symbol representing the format of
5560 the image (e.g. @code{xpm}, @code{xbm}, @code{gif}, @code{jpeg}, etc.)
5561 Instead of @samp{FILE}, use the image file name
5566 @file{/usr/local/lib/xemacs-21.4/etc/recycle.xpm}).
5568 You can turn this to a function (that optionally prompts you for a file
5569 name), and inserts the glyph at @code{(point)} instead of
5572 @node Q5.1.10, Q5.1.11, Q5.1.9, Miscellaneous
5573 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.10: @code{map-extents} won't traverse all of my extents!
5575 I tried to use @code{map-extents} to do an operation on all the extents
5576 in a region. However, it seems to quit after processing a random number
5577 of extents. Is it buggy?
5579 No. The documentation of @code{map-extents} states that it will iterate
5580 across the extents as long as @var{function} returns @code{nil}.
5581 Unexperienced programmers often forget to return @code{nil} explicitly,
5582 which results in buggy code. For instance, the following code is
5583 supposed to delete all the extents in a buffer, and issue as many
5584 @samp{fubar!} messages.
5587 (map-extents (lambda (ext ignore)
5589 (message "fubar!")))
5592 Instead, it will delete only the first extent, and stop right there --
5593 because @code{message} will return a non-nil value. The correct code
5597 (map-extents (lambda (ext ignore)
5603 @node Q5.1.11, Q5.2.1, Q5.1.10, Miscellaneous
5604 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.11: My elisp program is horribly slow. Is there
5605 an easy way to find out where it spends time?
5608 @email{hniksic@@xemacs.org, Hrvoje Niksic} writes:
5610 Under XEmacs 20.4 and later you can use @kbd{M-x profile-key-sequence},
5611 press a key (say @key{RET} in the Gnus Group buffer), and get the
5612 results using @kbd{M-x profile-results}. It should give you an idea of
5613 where the time is being spent.
5616 @node Q5.2.1, Q5.2.2, Q5.1.11, Miscellaneous
5617 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.2.1: How do I turn off the sound?
5619 Add the following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
5622 (setq bell-volume 0)
5623 (setq sound-alist nil)
5626 That will make your XEmacs totally silent---even the default ding sound
5627 (TTY beep on TTY-s) will be gone.
5629 Starting with XEmacs 20.2 you can also change these with Customize.
5630 Select from the @code{Options} menu
5631 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Sound->Sound...} or type
5632 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} sound @key{RET}}.
5635 @node Q5.2.2, Q5.2.3, Q5.2.1, Miscellaneous
5636 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.2.2: How do I get funky sounds instead of a boring beep?
5638 Make sure your XEmacs was compiled with sound support, and then put this
5639 in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
5642 (load-default-sounds)
5645 @c The sound support in XEmacs 19.14 was greatly improved over previous
5648 @node Q5.2.3, Q5.2.4, Q5.2.2, Miscellaneous
5649 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.2.3: What's NAS, how do I get it?
5651 @xref{Q2.0.3}, for an explanation of the @dfn{Network Audio System}.
5653 @node Q5.2.4, Q5.3.1, Q5.2.3, Miscellaneous
5654 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.2.4: Sunsite sounds don't play.
5656 I'm having some trouble with sounds I've downloaded from sunsite. They
5657 play when I run them through @code{showaudio} or cat them directly to
5658 @file{/dev/audio}, but XEmacs refuses to play them.
5660 @email{gutschk@@uni-muenster.de, Markus Gutschke} writes:
5663 [Many of] These files have an (erroneous) 24byte header that tells about
5664 the format that they have been recorded in. If you cat them to
5665 @file{/dev/audio}, the header will be ignored and the default behavior
5666 for /dev/audio will be used. This happens to be 8kHz uLaw. It is
5667 probably possible to fix the header by piping through @code{sox} and
5668 passing explicit parameters for specifying the sampling format; you then
5669 need to perform a 'null' conversion from SunAudio to SunAudio.
5672 @node Q5.3.1, Q5.3.2, Q5.2.4, Miscellaneous
5673 @unnumberedsec 5.3: Miscellaneous
5674 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.1: How do you make XEmacs indent CL if-clauses correctly?
5676 I'd like XEmacs to indent all the clauses of a Common Lisp @code{if} the
5677 same amount instead of indenting the 3rd clause differently from the
5680 One way is to add, to @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
5683 (put 'if 'lisp-indent-function nil)
5686 However, note that the package @code{cl-indent} that comes with
5687 XEmacs sets up this kind of indentation by default. @code{cl-indent}
5688 also knows about many other CL-specific forms. To use @code{cl-indent},
5693 (setq lisp-indent-function (function common-lisp-indent-function))
5696 One can also customize @file{cl-indent.el} so it mimics the default
5697 @code{if} indentation @code{then} indented more than the @code{else}.
5701 (put 'if 'common-lisp-indent-function '(nil nil &body))
5704 Also, a new version (1.2) of @file{cl-indent.el} was posted to
5705 comp.emacs.xemacs on 12/9/94. This version includes more documentation
5706 than previous versions. This may prove useful if you need to customize
5707 any indent-functions.
5709 @node Q5.3.2, Q5.3.3, Q5.3.1, Miscellaneous
5710 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.2: [This question intentionally left blank]
5712 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering.
5714 @node Q5.3.3, Q5.3.4, Q5.3.2, Miscellaneous
5715 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.3: How can I print WYSIWYG a font-locked buffer?
5717 Font-lock looks nice. How can I print (WYSIWYG) the highlighted
5720 The package @code{ps-print}, which is now included with XEmacs, provides
5721 the ability to do this. The source code contains complete instructions
5722 on its use, in @file{<xemacs_src_root>/lisp/packages/ps-print.el}.
5724 @node Q5.3.4, Q5.3.5, Q5.3.3, Miscellaneous
5725 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.4: Getting @kbd{M-x lpr} to work with postscript printer.
5727 My printer is a Postscript printer and @code{lpr} only works for
5728 Postscript files, so how do I get @kbd{M-x lpr-region} and @kbd{M-x
5729 lpr-buffer} to work?
5731 Put something like this in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
5734 (setq lpr-command "a2ps")
5735 (setq lpr-switches '("-p" "-1"))
5738 If you don't use a2ps to convert ASCII to postscript (why not, it's
5739 free?), replace with the command you do use. Note also that some
5740 versions of a2ps require a @samp{-Pprinter} to ensure spooling.
5742 @node Q5.3.5, Q5.3.6, Q5.3.4, Miscellaneous
5743 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.5: How do I specify the paths that XEmacs uses for finding files?
5745 You can specify what paths to use by using a number of different flags
5746 when running configure. See the section MAKE VARIABLES in the top-level
5747 file INSTALL in the XEmacs distribution for a listing of those flags.
5749 Most of the time, however, the simplest fix is: @strong{do not} specify
5750 paths as you might for GNU Emacs. XEmacs can generally determine the
5751 necessary paths dynamically at run time. The only path that generally
5752 needs to be specified is the root directory to install into. That can
5753 be specified by passing the @code{--prefix} flag to configure. For a
5754 description of the XEmacs install tree, please consult the @file{NEWS}
5757 @node Q5.3.6, Q5.3.7, Q5.3.5, Miscellaneous
5758 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.6: [This question intentionally left blank]
5760 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering.
5762 @node Q5.3.7, Q5.3.8, Q5.3.6, Miscellaneous
5763 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.7: Can I have the end of the buffer delimited in some way?
5765 Say, with: @samp{[END]}?
5770 (let ((ext (make-extent (point-min) (point-max))))
5771 (set-extent-property ext 'start-closed t)
5772 (set-extent-property ext 'end-closed t)
5773 (set-extent-property ext 'detachable nil)
5774 (set-extent-end-glyph ext (make-glyph [string :data "[END]"])))
5777 Since this is XEmacs, you can specify an icon to be shown on
5778 window-system devices. To do so, change the @code{make-glyph} call to
5779 something like this:
5782 (make-glyph '([xpm :file "~/something.xpm"]
5783 [string :data "[END]"]))
5786 You can inline the @sc{xpm} definition yourself by specifying
5787 @code{:data} instead of @code{:file}. Here is such a full-featured
5788 version that works on both X and TTY devices:
5791 (let ((ext (make-extent (point-min) (point-max))))
5792 (set-extent-property ext 'start-closed t)
5793 (set-extent-property ext 'end-closed t)
5794 (set-extent-property ext 'detachable nil)
5795 (set-extent-end-glyph ext (make-glyph '([xpm :data "\
5797 static char* eye = @{
5806 \"___________`_`_`___b_b_b_b_________`____\",
5807 \"_________`_`_`___b_c_c_c_b_b____________\",
5808 \"_____`_`_`_e___b_b_c_c_c___b___b_______`\",
5809 \"___`_`_e_a___b_b_d___b___b___b___b______\",
5810 \"_`_`_e_a_e___b_b_d_b___b___b___b___b____\",
5811 \"_`_`_a_e_a___b_b_d___b___b___b___b___b__\",
5812 \"_`_`_e_a_e___b_b_d_b___b___b___b___b_b__\",
5813 \"___`_`_e_a___b_b_b_d_c___b___b___d_b____\",
5814 \"_____`_`_e_e___b_b_b_d_c___b_b_d_b______\",
5815 \"_`_____`_`_`_`___b_b_b_d_d_d_d_b________\",
5816 \"___`_____`_`_`_`___b_b_b_b_b_b__________\",
5818 [string :data "[END]"]))))
5821 Note that you might want to make this a function, and put it to a hook.
5822 We leave that as an exercise for the reader.
5824 @node Q5.3.8, Q5.3.9, Q5.3.7, Miscellaneous
5825 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.8: How do I insert today's date into a buffer?
5830 (insert (current-time-string))
5833 @node Q5.3.9, Q5.3.10, Q5.3.8, Miscellaneous
5834 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.9: Are only certain syntactic character classes available for abbrevs?
5836 @email{gutschk@@uni-muenster.de, Markus Gutschke} writes:
5839 Yes, abbrevs only expands word-syntax strings. While XEmacs does not
5840 prevent you from defining (e.g. with @kbd{C-x a g} or @kbd{C-x a l})
5841 abbrevs that contain special characters, it will refuse to expand
5842 them. So you need to ensure, that the abbreviation contains letters and
5843 digits only. This means that @samp{xd}, @samp{d5}, and @samp{5d} are
5844 valid abbrevs, but @samp{&d}, and @samp{x d} are not.
5846 If this sounds confusing to you, (re-)read the online documentation for
5847 abbrevs (@kbd{C-h i m XEmacs @key{RET} m Abbrevs @key{RET}}), and then come back and
5848 read this question/answer again.
5851 Starting with XEmacs 20.3 this restriction has been lifted.
5853 @node Q5.3.10, Q5.3.11, Q5.3.9, Miscellaneous
5854 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.10: How can I get those oh-so-neat X-Face lines?
5856 Firstly there is an ftp site which describes X-faces and has the
5857 associated tools mentioned below, at
5858 @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.indiana.edu:/pub/faces/}.
5864 Create 48x48x1 bitmap with your favorite tool
5867 Convert to "icon" format using one of xbm2ikon, pbmtoicon, etc.,
5868 and then compile the face.
5872 cat file.xbm | xbm2ikon |compface > file.face
5876 Then be sure to quote things that are necessary for emacs strings:
5879 cat ./file.face | sed 's/\\/\\\\/g'
5883 | sed 's/\"/\\\"/g' > ./file.face.quoted
5887 Then set up emacs to include the file as a mail header - there were a
5888 couple of suggestions here---either something like:
5891 (setq mail-default-headers
5892 "X-Face: @email{Ugly looking text string here}")
5895 Or, alternatively, as:
5898 (defun mail-insert-x-face ()
5900 (goto-char (point-min))
5901 (search-forward mail-header-separator)
5904 (insert-file-contents "~/.face")))
5906 (add-hook 'mail-setup-hook 'mail-insert-x-face)
5910 However, 2 things might be wrong:
5912 Some versions of pbmtoicon produces some header lines that is not
5913 expected by the version of compface that I grabbed. So I found I had to
5914 include a @code{tail +3} in the pipeline like this:
5917 cat file.xbm | xbm2ikon | tail +3 |compface > file.face
5920 Some people have also found that if one uses the @code{(insert-file)}
5921 method, one should NOT quote the face string using the sed script .
5923 It might also be helpful to use @email{stig@@hackvan.com, Stig's} script
5924 (included in the compface distribution at XEmacs.org) to do the
5926 @comment For convenience xbm2xface is available for anonymous FTP at
5927 @comment @uref{ftp://ftp.miranova.com/pub/xemacs/xbm2xface.pl}.
5929 Contributors for this item:
5940 @node Q5.3.11, Q5.3.12, Q5.3.10, Miscellaneous
5941 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.11: How do I add new Info directories?
5943 You use something like:
5946 (setq Info-directory-list (cons
5947 (expand-file-name "~/info")
5948 Info-default-directory-list))
5951 @email{davidm@@prism.kla.com, David Masterson} writes:
5954 Emacs Info and XEmacs Info do many things differently. If you're trying to
5955 support a number of versions of Emacs, here are some notes to remember:
5959 Emacs Info scans @code{Info-directory-list} from right-to-left while
5960 XEmacs Info reads it from left-to-right, so append to the @emph{correct}
5964 Use @code{Info-default-directory-list} to initialize
5965 @code{Info-directory-list} @emph{if} it is available at startup, but not
5966 all Emacsen define it.
5969 Emacs Info looks for a standard @file{dir} file in each of the
5970 directories scanned from #1 and magically concatenates them together.
5973 XEmacs Info looks for a @file{localdir} file (which consists of just the
5974 menu entries from a @file{dir} file) in each of the directories scanned
5975 from #1 (except the first), does a simple concatenation of them, and
5976 magically attaches the resulting list to the end of the menu in the
5977 @file{dir} file in the first directory.
5980 Another alternative is to convert the documentation to HTML with
5981 texi2html and read it from a web browser like Lynx or W3.
5984 @node Q5.3.12, , Q5.3.11, Miscellaneous
5985 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.12: What do I need to change to make printing work?
5987 For regular printing there are two variables that can be customized.
5991 This should be set to a command that takes standard input and sends
5992 it to a printer. Something like:
5995 (setq lpr-command "lp")
5999 This should be set to a list that contains whatever the print command
6000 requires to do its job. Something like:
6003 (setq lpr-switches '("-depson"))
6007 For postscript printing there are three analogous variables to
6011 @item ps-lpr-command
6012 This should be set to a command that takes postscript on standard input
6013 and directs it to a postscript printer.
6015 @item ps-lpr-switches
6016 This should be set to a list of switches required for
6017 @code{ps-lpr-command} to do its job.
6019 @item ps-print-color-p
6020 This boolean variable should be set @code{t} if printing will be done in
6021 color, otherwise it should be set to @code{nil}.
6024 NOTE: It is an undocumented limitation in XEmacs that postscript
6025 printing (the @code{Pretty Print Buffer} menu item) @strong{requires} a
6026 window system environment. It cannot be used outside of X11.
6028 @node MS Windows, Current Events, Miscellaneous, Top
6029 @unnumbered 6 XEmacs on MS Windows
6031 This is part 6 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list, written by
6032 Hrvoje Niksic and others. This section is devoted to the MS Windows
6038 * Q6.0.1:: What is the status of the XEmacs port to Windows?
6039 * Q6.0.2:: What flavors of MS Windows are supported?
6040 * Q6.0.3:: Where are the XEmacs on MS Windows binaries?
6041 * Q6.0.4:: Can I build XEmacs on MS Windows with X support? Do I need to?
6042 * Q6.0.5:: I'd like to help out. What do I do?
6043 * Q6.0.6:: What are Cygwin and MinGW, and do I need them to run XEmacs?
6044 * Q6.0.7:: What exactly are all the different ways to build XEmacs under Windows?
6046 Building XEmacs on MS Windows
6047 * Q6.1.1:: What compiler/libraries do I need to compile XEmacs?
6048 * Q6.1.2:: How do I compile the native port?
6049 * Q6.1.3:: What do I need for Cygwin?
6050 * Q6.1.4:: How do I compile under Cygwin?
6051 * Q6.1.5:: How do I compile using MinGW (aka @samp{the -mno-cygwin flag to gcc})?
6052 * Q6.1.6:: I decided to run with X. Where do I get an X server?
6053 * Q6.1.7:: How do I compile with X support?
6055 Customization and User Interface
6056 * Q6.2.1:: How does the port cope with differences in the Windows user interface?
6057 * Q6.2.2:: How do I change fonts in XEmacs on MS Windows?
6058 * Q6.2.3:: Where do I put my @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file?
6059 * Q6.2.4:: How do I get Windows Explorer to associate a file type with XEmacs?
6060 * Q6.2.5:: Is it possible to print from XEmacs?
6063 * Q6.3.1:: Does XEmacs rename all the win32-* symbols to w32-*?
6064 * Q6.3.2:: What are the differences between the various MS Windows emacsen?
6065 * Q6.3.3:: XEmacs 21.1 on Windows used to spawn an ugly console window on every startup. Has that been fixed?
6066 * Q6.3.4:: What is the porting team doing at the moment?
6069 * Q6.4.1:: XEmacs won't start on Windows.
6070 * Q6.4.2:: Why do I get a blank toolbar on Windows 95?
6073 @node Q6.0.1, Q6.0.2, MS Windows, MS Windows
6074 @unnumberedsec 6.0: General Info
6075 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.1: What is the status of the XEmacs port to Windows?
6077 Is XEmacs really ported to MS Windows? What is the status of the port?
6079 Beginning with release 21.0, XEmacs has worked under MS Windows. A
6080 group of dedicated developers actively maintains and improves the
6081 Windows-specific portions of the code. The mailing list at
6082 @email{xemacs-nt@@xemacs.org} is dedicated to that effort (please use
6083 the -request address to subscribe). (Despite its name, XEmacs actually
6084 works on all versions of Windows.)
6086 As of May 2001, XEmacs on MS Windows is stable and full-featured, and
6087 has been so for a year or more -- in fact, some features, such as
6088 printing, actually work better on Windows than native Unix. However,
6089 the internationalization (Mule) support does not work -- although this
6090 is being actively worked on.
6093 @node Q6.0.2, Q6.0.3, Q6.0.1, MS Windows
6094 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.2: What flavors of MS Windows are supported? The list name implies NT only.
6096 The list name is misleading, as XEmacs supports and has been compiled on
6097 Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows
6098 XP, and all newer versions of Windows. The MS Windows-specific code is
6099 based on Microsoft Win32 API, and will not work on MS Windows 3.x or on
6102 XEmacs also supports the Cygwin and MinGW development and runtime
6103 environments, where it also uses native Windows code for graphical
6107 @node Q6.0.3, Q6.0.4, Q6.0.2, MS Windows
6108 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.3: Are binaries available?
6110 Binaries are available at @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/Download/win32/}
6111 for the native and Cygwin MS Windows versions of 21.4, and the native
6114 The 21.4 binaries use a modified version of the Cygwin installer. Run
6115 the provided @file{setup.exe}, and follow the instructions.
6118 @node Q6.0.4, Q6.0.5, Q6.0.3, MS Windows
6119 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.4: Can I build XEmacs on MS Windows with X support? Do I need to?
6121 Yes, you can, but no you do not need to. In fact, we recommend that you
6122 use a native-GUI version unless you have a specific need for an X
6125 @node Q6.0.5, Q6.0.6, Q6.0.4, MS Windows
6126 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.5: I'd like to help out. What do I do?
6128 It depends on the knowledge and time you possess. If you are a
6129 programmer, try to build XEmacs and see if you can improve it.
6130 Windows-specific improvements like integration with established
6131 Windows environments are especially sought after.
6133 Otherwise, you can still help by downloading the binaries, using
6134 XEmacs as your everyday editor and reporting bugs you find to the
6137 Another area where we need help is the documentation: We need good
6138 documentation for building XEmacs and for using it. This FAQ is a
6139 small step in that direction.
6141 @node Q6.0.6, Q6.0.7, Q6.0.5, MS Windows
6142 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.6: What are Cygwin and MinGW, and do I need them to run XEmacs?
6144 To answer the second part of the question: No, you, you don't need
6145 Cygwin or MinGW to build or to run XEmacs. But if you have them and
6146 want to use them, XEmacs supports these environments.
6148 (One important reason to support Cygwin is that it lets the MS Windows
6149 developers test out their code in a Unix environment without actually
6150 having to have a Unix machine around. For this reason alone, Cygwin
6151 support is likely to remain supported for a long time in XEmacs. Same
6152 goes for the X support under Cygwin, for the same reasons. MinGW
6153 support, on the other hand, depends on volunteers to keep it up to date;
6154 but this is generally not hard.)
6156 Cygwin is a set of tools providing Unix-like API on top of Win32.
6157 It makes it easy to port large Unix programs without significant
6158 changes to their source code. It is a development environment as well
6159 as a runtime environment.
6161 When built with Cygwin, XEmacs supports all display types -- TTY, X &
6162 Win32 GUI, and can be built with support for all three simultaneously.
6163 If you build with Win32 GUI support then the Cygwin version uses the
6164 majority of the Windows-specific code, which is mostly related to
6165 display. If you want to build with X support you need X libraries (and
6166 an X server to display XEmacs on); see @ref{Q6.1.4}. TTY and Win32 GUI
6167 require no additional libraries beyond what comes standard with Cygwin.
6169 The advantages of the Cygwin version are that it integrates well with
6170 the Cygwin environment for existing Cygwin users; uses configure so
6171 building with different features is very easy; and actively supports X &
6172 TTY. Furthermore, the entire Cygwin environment and compiler are free,
6173 whereas Visual C++ costs money.
6175 The disadvantage is that it requires the whole Cygwin environment,
6176 whereas the native port requires only a suitable MS Windows compiler.
6177 Also, it follows the Unix filesystem and process model very closely
6178 (some will undoubtedly view this as an advantage).
6180 See @uref{http://sources.redhat.com/cygwin/} for more information on
6183 MinGW is a collection of header files and import libraries that allow
6184 one to use GCC under the Cygwin environment to compile and produce
6185 exactly the same native Win32 programs that you can using Visual C++.
6186 Programs compiled with MinGW make use of the standard Microsoft runtime
6187 library @file{MSVCRT.DLL}, present on all Windows systems, and look,
6188 feel, and act like a standard Visual-C-produced application. (The only
6189 difference is the compiler.) This means that, unlike a
6190 standardly-compiled Cygwin application, no extra runtime support
6191 (e.g. Cygwin's @file{cygwin1.dll}) is required. This, along with the
6192 fact that GCC is free (and works in a nice Unix-y way in a nice Unix-y
6193 environment, for those die-hard Unix hackers out there), is the main
6194 advantage of MinGW. It is also potentially faster than Cygwin because
6195 it has less overhead when calling Windows, but you lose the POSIX
6196 emulation layer, which makes Unix programs harder to port. (But this is
6197 irrelevant for XEmacs since it's already ported to Win32.)
6199 See @uref{http://www.mingw.org/} for more information on MinGW.
6201 @node Q6.0.7, Q6.1.1, Q6.0.6, MS Windows
6202 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.7: What exactly are all the different ways to build XEmacs under Windows?
6204 XEmacs can be built in several ways in the MS Windows environment.
6206 The standard way is what we call the "native" port. It uses the Win32
6207 API and has no connection with X whatsoever -- it does not require X
6208 libraries to build, nor does it require an X server to run. The native
6209 port is the most reliable version and provides the best graphical
6210 support. Almost all development is geared towards this version, and
6211 there is little reason not to use it.
6213 The second way to build is the Cygwin port. It takes advantage of
6214 Cygnus emulation library under Win32. @xref{Q6.0.6}, for more
6217 A third way is the MinGW port. It uses the Cygwin environment to build
6218 but does not require it at runtime. @xref{Q6.0.6}, for more
6221 Finally, you might also be able to build the non-Cygwin, non-MinGW "X"
6222 port. This was actually the first version of XEmacs that ran under MS
6223 Windows, and although the code is still in XEmacs, it's essentially
6224 orphaned and it's unlikely it will compile without a lot of work. If
6225 you want an MS Windows versin of XEmacs that supports X, use the Cygwin
6226 version. (The X support there is actively maintained, so that Windows
6227 developers can test the X support in XEmacs.)
6230 @node Q6.1.1, Q6.1.2, Q6.0.7, MS Windows
6231 @unnumberedsec 6.1: Building XEmacs on MS Windows
6232 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.1: What compiler/libraries do I need to compile XEmacs?
6234 You need Visual C++ 4.2, 5.0, or 6.0 for the native version. (We have
6235 some beta testers currently trying to compile with VC.NET, aka version
6236 7.0, but we can't yet report complete success.) For the Cygwin and MinGW
6237 versions, you need the Cygwin environment, which comes with GCC, the
6238 compiler used for those versions. @xref{Q6.0.6}, for more information
6239 on Cygwin and MinGW.
6241 @node Q6.1.2, Q6.1.3, Q6.1.1, MS Windows
6242 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.2: How do I compile the native port?
6244 Please read the file @file{nt/README} in the XEmacs distribution, which
6245 contains the full description.
6247 @node Q6.1.3, Q6.1.4, Q6.1.2, MS Windows
6248 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.3: What do I need for Cygwin?
6250 You can find the Cygwin tools and compiler at:
6252 @uref{http://sources.redhat.com/cygwin/}
6254 Click on the @samp{Install now!} link, which will download a file
6255 @file{setup.exe}, which you can use to download everything else. (You
6256 will need to pick a mirror site; @samp{mirrors.rcn.net} is probably the
6257 best.) You should go ahead and install everything -- you'll get various
6258 ancillary libraries that XEmacs needs or likes, e.g. XPM, PNG, JPEG,
6261 If you want to compile under X, you will also need the X libraries; see
6264 If you want to compile without X, you will need the @file{xpm-nox}
6265 library, which must be specifically selected in the Cygwin netinstaller;
6266 it is not selected by default. The package has had various names.
6267 Currently it is called @file{cygXpm-noX4.dll}.
6270 @node Q6.1.4, Q6.1.5, Q6.1.3, MS Windows
6271 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.4: How do I compile under Cygwin?
6273 Similar as on Unix; use the usual `configure' and `make' process.
6274 Some problems to watch out for:
6278 make sure HOME is set. This controls where you
6279 @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file comes from;
6282 CYGWIN needs to be set to tty for process support to work, e.g. CYGWIN=tty;
6285 picking up some other grep or other UNIX-like tools can kill configure;
6288 static heap too small, adjust @file{src/sheap-adjust.h} to a more positive
6292 (Unconfirmed) The Cygwin version doesn't understand
6293 @file{//machine/path} type paths so you will need to manually mount a
6294 directory of this form under a unix style directory for a build to work
6298 If you're building @strong{WITHOUT} X11, don't forget to change symlinks
6299 @file{/usr/lib/libXpm.a} and @file{/usr/lib/libXpm.dll.a} to point to
6300 the non-X versions of these libraries. By default they point to the X
6304 /usr/lib/libXpm.a -> /usr/lib/libXpm-noX.a
6305 /usr/lib/libXpm.dll.a -> /usr/lib/libXpm-noX.dll.a
6308 (This advice may now be obsolete because of the availability of the
6309 cygXpm-noX4.dll package from Cygwin. Send confirmation to
6310 @email{faq@@xemacs.org}.)
6313 Other problems are listed in the @file{PROBLEMS} file, in the top-level
6314 directory of the XEmacs sources.
6319 @node Q6.1.5, Q6.1.6, Q6.1.4, MS Windows
6320 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.5: How do I compile using MinGW (aka @samp{the -mno-cygwin flag to gcc})?
6322 Similar to the method for Unix. Things to remember:
6326 Specify the target host on the command line for @file{./configure}, e.g.
6327 @samp{./configure i586-pc-mingw32}.
6330 Be sure that your build directory is mounted such that it has the
6331 same path either as a cygwin path (@file{/build/xemacs}) or as a Windows
6332 path (@file{c:\build\xemacs}).
6335 Build @samp{gcc -mno-cygwin} versions of the extra libs, i.e. @file{libpng},
6336 @file{compface}, etc.
6339 Specify the target location of the extra libs on the command line
6340 to @file{configure}, e.g.
6341 @samp{./configure --site-prefixes=/build/libs i586-pc-mingw32}.
6345 @node Q6.1.6, Q6.1.7, Q6.1.5, MS Windows
6346 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.6: I decided to run with X. Where do I get an X server?
6348 As of May 2001, we are recommending that you use the port of XFree86 to
6349 Cygwin. This has recently stabilized, and will undoubtedly soon make
6350 most other MS Windows X servers obsolete. It is what the Windows
6351 developers use to test the MS Windows X support.
6353 To install, go to @uref{http://xfree86.cygwin.com/}. There is a
6354 detailed description on that site of exactly how to install it. This
6355 installation also provides the libraries, include files, and other stuff
6356 needed for development; a large collection of internationalized fonts;
6357 the standard X utilities (xterm, twm, etc.) -- in a word, the works.
6359 NOTE: As of late May 2001, there is a bug in the file
6360 @file{startxwin.bat}, used to start X Windows. It passes the option
6361 @samp{-engine -4} to the X server, which is bogus -- you need to edit
6362 the file and change it to @samp{-engine 4}.
6365 @node Q6.1.7, Q6.2.1, Q6.1.6, MS Windows
6366 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.7: How do I compile with X support?
6368 To compile under Cygwin, all you need to do is install XFree86
6369 (@pxref{Q6.1.6}). Once installed, @file{configure} should automatically
6370 find the X libraries and compile with X support.
6372 As noted above, the non-Cygwin X support is basically orphaned, and
6373 probably won't work. But if it want to try, it's described in
6374 @file{nt/README} in some detail. Basically, you need to get X11
6375 libraries from ftp.x.org, and compile them. If the precompiled versions
6376 are available somewhere, we don't know of it.
6379 @node Q6.2.1, Q6.2.2, Q6.1.7, MS Windows
6380 @unnumberedsec 6.2: Customization and User Interface
6381 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.2.1: How does the port cope with differences in the Windows user interface?
6383 XEmacs (and Emacs in general) UI is pretty different from what is
6384 expected of a typical MS Windows program. How does the MS Windows port
6387 As a general rule, we follow native MS Windows conventions as much as
6388 possible. In cases where there's a clear UI conflict, we currently use
6389 normal Unix XEmacs behavior by default, but make sure the MS Windows
6390 "look and feel" (mark via shift-arrow, self-inserting deletes region,
6391 Alt selects menu items, etc.) is easily configurable (respectively:
6392 using the variable @code{shifted-motion-keys-select-region} in 21.4 and
6393 above [it's in fact the default in these versions], or the
6394 @file{pc-select} package; using the @file{pending-del} package; and
6395 setting the variable @code{menu-accelerator-enabled} to
6396 @code{menu-force} in 21.4 and above). In fact, if you use the sample
6397 @file{init.el} file as your init file, you will get all these behaviors
6398 automatically turned on.
6400 In future versions, some of these features might be turned on by
6401 default in the MS Windows environment.
6404 @node Q6.2.2, Q6.2.3, Q6.2.1, MS Windows
6405 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.2.2: How do I change fonts in XEmacs on MS Windows?
6407 In 21.4 and above, use the font menu. In all versions, you can change
6408 font manually. For example:
6411 (set-face-font 'default "Lucida Console:Regular:10")
6412 (set-face-font 'modeline "MS Sans Serif:Regular:10")
6416 @node Q6.2.3, Q6.2.4, Q6.2.2, MS Windows
6417 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.2.3: Where do I put my @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file?
6419 @file{init.el} is the name of the init file starting with 21.4, and is
6420 located in the subdirectory @file{.xemacs/} of your home directory. In
6421 prior versions, the init file is called @file{.emacs} and is located in
6422 your home directory. Your home directory under Windows is determined by
6423 the @samp{HOME} environment variable. If this is not set, it defaults to
6426 To set this variable, modify @file{AUTOEXEC.BAT} under Windows 95/98, or
6427 select @samp{Control Panel->System->Advanced->Environment Variables...}
6428 under Windows NT/2000.
6431 @node Q6.2.4, Q6.2.5, Q6.2.3, MS Windows
6432 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.2.4: How do I get Windows Explorer to associate a file type with XEmacs?
6434 @unnumberedsubsubsec Associating a new file type with XEmacs.
6436 In Explorer select @samp{View/Options/File Types}, press @samp{[New
6437 Type...]} and fill in the dialog box, e.g.:
6440 Description of type: Emacs Lisp source
6441 Associated extension: el
6442 Content Type (MIME): text/plain
6445 then press @samp{[New...]} and fill in the @samp{Action} dialog box as
6452 Application used to perform action:
6453 D:\Full\path\for\xemacs.exe "%1"
6463 DDE Application Not Running:
6470 @unnumberedsubsubsec Associating an existing file type with XEmacs.
6472 In Explorer select @samp{View/Options/File Types}. Click on the file
6473 type in the list and press @samp{[Edit...]}. If the file type already
6474 has an @samp{Open} action, double click on it and fill in the
6475 @samp{Action} dialog box as described above; otherwise create a new
6478 If the file type has more than one action listed, you probably want to
6479 make the @samp{Open} action that you just edited the default by clicking on
6480 it and pressing @samp{Set Default}.
6482 Note for Windows 2000 users: Under Windows 2000, get to @samp{File Types}
6483 using @samp{Control Panel->Folder Options->File Types}.
6486 @node Q6.2.5, Q6.3.1, Q6.2.4, MS Windows
6487 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.2.5: Is it possible to print from XEmacs?
6489 As of 21.4, printing works on Windows, using simply @samp{File->Print},
6490 and can be configured with @samp{File->Page Setup}.
6492 Prior to 21.4, there is no built-in support, but there are some clever
6493 hacks out there. If you know how, please let us know and we'll put it
6497 @node Q6.3.1, Q6.3.2, Q6.2.5, MS Windows
6498 @unnumberedsec 6.3: Miscellaneous
6499 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.3.1: Does XEmacs rename all the @samp{win32-*} symbols to @samp{w32-*}?
6501 In his flavor of Emacs 20, Richard Stallman has renamed all the @samp{win32-*}
6502 symbols to @samp{w32-*}. Does XEmacs do the same?
6504 We consider such a move counter-productive, thus we do not use the
6505 @samp{w32} prefix. (His rather questionable justification was that he
6506 did not consider Windows to be a "winning" platform.) However, the name
6507 @samp{Win32} is not particularly descriptive outside the Windows world,
6508 and using just @samp{windows-} would be too generic. So we chose a
6509 compromise, the prefix @samp{mswindows-} for Windows-related variables
6512 Thus all the XEmacs variables and functions directly related to either
6513 the Windows GUI or OS are prefixed @samp{mswindows-} (except for a
6514 couple of debugging variables, prefixed @samp{debug-mswindows-}). From
6515 an architectural perspective, however, we believe that this is mostly a
6516 non-issue because there should be a very small number of
6517 window-systems-specific variables anyway. Whenever possible, we try to
6518 provide generic interfaces that apply to all window systems.
6521 @c The user variables
6522 @c that share functionality with existing NT Emacs variables are be named
6523 @c with our convention, but we provide the GNU Emacs names as
6524 @c compatibility aliases.
6526 @node Q6.3.2, Q6.3.3, Q6.3.1, MS Windows
6527 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.3.2: What are the differences between the various MS Windows emacsen?
6529 XEmacs, Win-Emacs, DOS Emacs, NT Emacs, this is all very confusing.
6530 Could you briefly explain the differences between them?
6532 Here is a recount of various Emacs versions running on MS Windows:
6542 Beginning with XEmacs 19.12, XEmacs' architecture was redesigned
6543 in such a way to allow clean support of multiple window systems. At
6544 this time the TTY support was added, making X and TTY the first two
6545 "window systems" XEmacs supported. The 19.12 design is the basis for
6546 the current native MS Windows code.
6549 Some time during 1997, David Hobley (soon joined by Marc Paquette)
6550 imported some of the NT-specific portions of GNU Emacs, making XEmacs
6551 with X support compile under Windows NT, and creating the "X" port.
6554 Several months later, Jonathan Harris sent out initial patches to use
6555 the Win32 API, thus creating the native port. Since then, various
6556 people have contributed, including Kirill M. Katsnelson (contributed
6557 support for menubars, subprocesses and network, as well as loads of
6558 other code), Andy Piper (ported XEmacs to Cygwin environment,
6559 contributed Windows unexec, Windows-specific glyphs and toolbars code,
6560 and more), Ben Wing (loads of improvements; currently the most active MS
6561 Windows developer), Jeff Sparkes (contributed scrollbars support) and
6571 GNU Emacs features support for MS-DOS and DJGPP (D. J. Delorie's DOS
6572 port of GCC). Such an Emacs is heavily underfeatured, because it does
6573 not supports long file names, lacks proper subprocesses support, and
6574 is far too big compared with typical DOS editors.
6578 GNU Emacs compiled with Win32
6583 Starting with version 19.30, it has been possible to compile GNU Emacs
6584 under MS Windows using the DJGPP compiler and X libraries. The result
6585 is very similar to GNU Emacs compiled under MS DOS, except that it
6586 supports longer file names, etc. This "port" is similar to the "X"
6587 flavor of XEmacs on MS Windows.
6596 NT Emacs is a version of GNU Emacs modified to compile and run under MS
6597 Windows 95 and NT using the native Win32 API. As such, it is close in
6598 spirit to the XEmacs "native" port.
6601 NT Emacs has been written by Geoff Voelker, and more information can be
6606 @uref{http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/voelker/ntemacs.html}.
6615 Win-Emacs was a port of Lucid Emacs 19.6 to MS Windows using X
6616 compatibility libraries. Win-Emacs was written by Ben Wing. The MS
6617 Windows code never made it back to Lucid Emacs, and its creator (Pearl
6618 Software) has long since gone out of business.
6627 GNU Emacs features support for MS-DOS and DJGPP (D.J. Delorie's DOS
6628 port of Gcc). Such an Emacs is heavily underfeatured, because it does
6629 not support long file names, lacks proper subprocesses support, and
6630 is far too big compared to typical DOS editors.
6634 GNU Emacs compiled with Win32
6639 Starting with version 19.30, it has been possible to compile GNU Emacs
6640 under MS Windows using the DJGPP compiler and X libraries. The result
6641 is is very similar to GNU Emacs compiled under MS DOS, only it
6642 supports longer file names, etc. This "port" is similar to the "X"
6643 flavor of XEmacs on MS Windows.
6649 @node Q6.3.3, Q6.3.4, Q6.3.2, MS Windows
6650 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.3.3: XEmacs 21.1 on Windows used to spawn an ugly console window on every startup. Has that been fixed?
6654 The console was there because @file{temacs} (and in turn, @file{xemacs})
6655 was a console application, and Windows typically creates a new
6656 console for a console process unless the creating process requests that
6657 one isn't created. This used to be fixed with @file{runemacs}, a small
6658 Windows application that existed merely to start @file{xemacs}, stating
6659 that it didn't want a console.
6661 XEmacs 21.4 fixes this cleanly by the virtue of being a true "GUI"
6662 application. The explanation of what that means is included for
6665 When building an application to be run in a Win32 environment, you must
6666 state which sub-system it is to run in. Valid subsystems include
6667 "console" and "gui". The subsystem you use affects the run time
6668 libraries linked into your application, the start up function that is
6669 run before control is handed over to your application, the entry point
6670 to your program, and how Windows normally invokes your program. (Console
6671 programs automatically get a console created for them at startup if
6672 their stdin/stdout don't point anywhere useful, which is the case when
6673 run from the GUI. This is a stupid design, of course -- instead, the
6674 console should get created only when the first I/O actually occurs!
6675 GUI programs have an equally stupid design: When called from
6676 @file{CMD.EXE}/@file{COMMAND.COM}, their stdin/stdout will be set to
6677 point nowhere useful, even though the command shell has its own
6678 stdin/stdout. It's as if someone who had learned a bit about stdio but
6679 had no actual knowledge of interprocess communication designed the
6680 scheme; unfortunately, the whole process-communication aspect of the
6681 Win32 API is equally badly designed.) For example, the entry point for a
6682 console app is "main" (which is what you'd expect for a C/C++ program),
6683 but the entry point for a "gui" app is "WinMain". This confuses and
6684 annoys a lot of programmers who've grown up on Unix systems, where the
6685 kernel doesn't really care whether your application is a gui program or
6688 For reasons not altogether clear, and are lost in the mists of time and
6689 tradition, XEmacs on Win32 started out as a console application, and
6690 therefore a console was automatically created for it. (It may have been
6691 made a console application partly because a console is needed in some
6692 circumstances, especially under Win95, to interrupt, terminate, or send
6693 signals to a child process, and because of the bogosity mentioned above
6694 with GUI programs and the standard command shell. Currently, XEmacs
6695 just creates and immediately hides a console when necessary, and
6696 works around the "no useful stdio" problem by creating its own console
6697 window as necessary to display messages in.)
6700 @node Q6.3.4, Q6.4.1, Q6.3.3, MS Windows
6701 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.3.4: What is the porting team doing at the moment?
6705 The porting team is continuing work on the MS Windows-specific code.
6706 Major projects are the development of Mule (internationalization)
6707 support for Windows and the improvement of the widget support (better
6708 support for dialog boxes, buttons, edit fields, and similar UI
6712 @node Q6.4.1, Q6.4.2, Q6.3.4, MS Windows
6713 @unnumberedsec 6.3: Troubleshooting
6714 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.4.1 XEmacs won't start on Windows.
6716 XEmacs relies on a process called "dumping" to generate a working
6717 executable. Under MS-Windows this process effectively fixes the memory
6718 addresses of information in the executable. When XEmacs starts up it tries
6719 to reserve these memory addresses so that the dumping process can be
6720 reversed -- putting the information back at the correct addresses.
6721 Unfortunately some .DLLs (for instance the soundblaster driver) occupy
6722 memory addresses that can conflict with those needed by the dumped XEmacs
6723 executable. In this instance XEmacs will fail to start without any
6724 explanation. Note that this is extremely machine specific.
6726 21.1.10 includes a fix for this that makes more intelligent guesses
6727 about which memory addresses will be free, and this should cure the
6728 problem for most people. 21.4 implements "portable dumping", which
6729 eliminates the problem altogether. We recommend you use the 21.4
6730 binaries, but you can use the 21.1 binaries if you are very paranoid
6731 about stability. @xref{Q6.0.3}.
6733 @node Q6.4.2, , Q6.4.1, MS Windows
6734 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.4.2 Why do I get a blank toolbar on Windows 95?
6736 You need at least version 4.71 of the system file @file{comctl32.dll}.
6737 The updated version is supplied with Internet Explorer 4 and later but if
6738 you are avoiding IE you can also download it from the Microsoft web
6739 site. Go into support and search for @file{comctl32.dll}. The download
6740 is a self-installing executable.
6743 @node Current Events, , MS Windows, Top
6744 @unnumbered 7 What the Future Holds
6746 This is part 7 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
6747 section will change frequently, and (in theory) should contain any
6748 interesting items that have transpired recently. (But in practice it's
6749 not getting updated like this.)
6751 This section also contains descriptions of the new features in all the
6752 recent releases of XEmacs. For the most part, the information below is
6753 a synopsis of the more complete information that can be found in the
6754 file @file{NEWS} in the @file{etc} directory of the XEmacs distribution.
6755 You can view this file in XEmacs using @kbd{C-h n} or the @samp{Help}
6758 Information on older versions of XEmacs can be find in @file{ONEWS} in
6759 the same directory, or @file{OONEWS} for really old versions.
6763 * Q7.0.1:: What new features will be in XEmacs soon?
6764 * Q7.0.2:: What's new in XEmacs 21.4?
6765 * Q7.0.3:: What's new in XEmacs 21.1?
6766 * Q7.0.4:: What's new in XEmacs 20.4?
6767 * Q7.0.5:: What's new in XEmacs 20.3?
6768 * Q7.0.6:: What's new in XEmacs 20.2?
6771 @node Q7.0.1, Q7.0.2, Current Events, Current Events
6772 @unnumberedsec 7.0: Changes
6773 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.1: What new features will be in XEmacs soon?
6777 @node Q7.0.2, Q7.0.3, Q7.0.1, Current Events
6778 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.2: What's new in XEmacs 21.4?
6780 21.4 was the "stable" version of the 21.2 series, which was considered
6781 "experimental" throughout its life; thus there were no "official"
6782 releases at all. In essence, XEmacs is now following the "alternating"
6783 scheme of Linux, where at any point there are at least two different
6784 development branches, one "stable" and one "experimental". Periodic
6785 releases happen in both branches, but those in the experimental branch
6786 are not tested as well, and there's no guarantee they will work at all.
6787 The experiemental branch is open to any and all code that's acceptable
6788 to the developers; the stable branch, however, is in general limited
6789 only to bug fixes, and all contributions are carefully reviewed to make
6790 sure they will increase and not decrease stability.
6792 21.3 never existed at all; it was decided to follow the Linux scheme
6793 exactly, where odd-numbered series are experimental and even-numbered
6796 The following lists summarizes the essential changes made in this
6797 version. For a fuller list, see the @file{NEWS} in the @file{etc}
6798 directory of the XEmacs distribution, or use @kbd{C-h n} or the
6799 @samp{Help} menu to view this file inside of XEmacs.
6801 @unnumberedsubsubsec User-visible changes in XEmacs 21.4
6806 The delete key now deletes forward by default.
6808 Shifted motion keys now select text by default.
6810 You can now build XEmacs with support for GTK+ widget set.
6812 ~/.xemacs/init.el is now the preferred location for the init
6813 file. (XEmacs now supports a `~/.xemacs/init.el' startup file. Custom
6814 file will move to ~/.xemacs/custom.el.)
6816 Much-improved sample init.el, showing how to use many useful features.
6818 XEmacs support for menu accelerators has been much improved.
6820 Default menubar improvements. (Default menubar has many new commands and
6821 better organization. The font-menu is now available under MS Windows.)
6823 Dialog box improvements, including a real file dialog box. (XEmacs now has a proper file dialog box under MS Windows (and GTK)! The old clunky file dialog box is improved. Keyboard traversal now works correctly in MS Windows dialog boxes. There is a Search dialog box available from Edit->Find...)
6827 There is a new MS Windows installer, netinstall, ported from Cygwin.
6829 The subprocess quote-handling mechanism under Windows is much improved.
6831 Printing support now available under MS Windows.
6833 Selection improvements. (Kill and yank now interact with the clipboard under Windows. MS Windows support for selection is now much more robust. Motif selection support is now more correct (but slower).)
6835 Mail spool locking now works correctly.
6837 International support changes. (The default coding-priority-list is now
6838 safer. International keysyms are now supported under X. MS Windows
6839 1251 code page now supported. Czech, Thai, Cyrillic-KOI8, Vietnamese,
6840 Ethiopic now supported. Proper support for words in Latin 3 and Latin
6843 Help buffers contain hyperlinks, and other changes.
6845 The modeline's text is now scrollable.
6847 The mouse wheel under MS Windows now functions correctly.
6849 Interactive searching and matching case improvements. (Incremental search will now highlight all visible matches. Interactive searches always respect uppercase characters.)
6851 Rectangle functions rewritten to avoid inserting extra spaces.
6853 New command `kill-entire-line' that always kills the entire line.
6855 Default values correctly stored in minibuffer histories.
6857 You can now create "indirect buffers", like in GNU Emacs.
6859 Pixel-based scrolling has been implemented.
6861 Operation progress can be displayed using graphical widgets.
6863 User names following a tilde can now be completed at file name prompts.
6865 XEmacs can now play sound using Enlightenment Sound Daemon (ESD).
6867 X-Face support is now available under MS Windows.
6869 The PostgreSQL Relational Database Management System is now supported.
6871 Indentation no longer indents comments that begin at column zero.
6873 Face and variable settings can have comments in Customize.
6875 New locations for early package hierarchies.
6877 The `auto-save' library has been greatly improved.
6879 New variable `mswindows-alt-by-itself-activates-menu'.
6881 Other init-file-related changes. (Init file in your home directory may be called `.emacs.el'. New command-line switches -user-init-file and -user-init-directory.)
6883 Etags changes. See @file{NEWS} for full details.
6886 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lisp and internal changes in XEmacs 21.4
6890 @c APA: Texi2html produces invalid HTML from an empty list of bullets!
6891 @c Please uncomment following list when it does contain bullets.
6895 @node Q7.0.3, Q7.0.4, Q7.0.2, Current Events
6896 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.3: What's new in XEmacs 21.1?
6898 21.1 was the "stable" version of "experimental" 21.0 series.
6901 The following lists summarizes the essential changes made in this
6902 version. For a fuller list, see the @file{NEWS} in the @file{etc}
6903 directory of the XEmacs distribution, or use @kbd{C-h n} or the
6904 @samp{Help} menu to view this file inside of XEmacs.
6906 @unnumberedsubsubsec User-visible changes in XEmacs 21.1
6911 XEmacs is now supported under Microsoft Windows 95/98 and Windows NT
6912 operating systems. To discuss Windows-specific issues, subscribe to the
6913 mailing list at @email{xemacs-nt-request@@xemacs.org}.
6916 XEmacs has been unbundled into constituent installable packages.
6919 @strong{Other notable changes}: The @samp{Options} menu has been ported to
6920 Custom; XEmacs now is able to choose X visuals and use private
6921 colormaps; You can drag the vertical divider of "horizontally"
6922 (side-by-side) split windows.
6925 @strong{Building changes}: XEmacs can be built with support for 31-bit Lisp
6926 integers and 32-bit pointers (previously, it was 28-bit integers and
6927 pointers); XEmacs can be built with LDAP support; @file{dir} files can be
6928 removed in the Info subsystem, and will be regenerated on-the-fly.
6931 @strong{New packages}: @file{imenu}, @file{popper}, @file{gdb-highlight}
6934 @strong{Package changes}: Many changes to @file{cc-mode}, @file{gnus},
6935 @file{gnuclient}. See @file{NEWS} for full details.
6938 @strong{New commands, variables and functions}:
6939 @code{center-to-window-line} (like @code{recenter} but doesn't force a
6940 redisplay); variable @code{user-full-name} (customize what your full
6941 name looks like in mail); @kbd{M-x customize-changed-options} (customize
6942 options whose default values changes because you upgraded your XEmacs);
6943 @kbd{M-x add-log-convert} (converts an old-style ChangeLog buffer to
6944 new-style); @kbd{M-x zap-up-to-char} (like @code{zap-to-char} but
6945 doesn't delete the char searched for); commands to store, retrieve and
6946 increment numbers in registers, useful for macros.
6949 @strong{Changes to commands, variables, and functions}: @kbd{M-x
6950 query-replace} and friends operate only on the region when it's active;
6951 @code{echo-keystrokes} can now be a floating-point number; @kbd{M-.}
6952 searches exact tag matches before inexact ones; function
6953 @code{user-full-name} with no arguments returns the var
6954 @code{user-full-name}; a prefix arg to @kbd{M-:} and @kbd{C-h c} inserts
6955 the result in the current buffer.
6958 @strong{Other changes}: Under X, new application class @samp{XEmacs};
6959 byte-compilation of user-specs now works.
6962 @strong{XEmacs/Mule (internationalization) changes}: Mule support now
6963 works on TTY's; Egg/SJ3 input method now officially supported (Quail and
6964 Egg/Skk already available through LEIM since 20.3); localized Japanese
6965 menubars if XEmacs is built with the right support.
6969 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lisp and internal changes in XEmacs 21.1
6974 @strong{Specifier changes}: The window locale now has a higher
6975 precedence than the buffer locale when instantiating; new macro
6976 @code{let-specifier}; new specifiers
6977 @code{vertical-scrollbar-visible-p}, horizontal-scrollbar-visible-p',
6978 @code{scrollbar-on-left-p}, @code{scrollbar-on-top-p},
6979 @code{vertical-divider-always-visible-p},
6980 @code{vertical-divider-shadow-thickness},
6981 @code{vertical-divider-line-width}, @code{vertical-divider-spacing};
6982 specifiers and symbols whose value is a specifier allowed as modeline
6986 @strong{Frame focus changes}: @code{focus-follows-mouse} works like FSF,
6987 prevents any attempt to permanently change the selected frame; new
6988 function @code{focus-frame} sets the window system focus a frame; new
6989 special forms @code{save-selected-frame} and @code{with-selected-frame}.
6992 @strong{Window function changes}: @code{select-window} now has optional
6993 argument @var{NORECORD} to inhibit recording a buffer change;
6994 @code{vertical-motion} now correctly handles optional @var{WINDOW}
6995 argument and has new optional argument @var{PIXELS}, to have the
6996 returned values be in pixels; new function
6997 @code{vertical-motion-pixels}; new functions
6998 @code{window-text-area-pixel-@{width,height,edges@}}; new functions
6999 @code{shrink-window-pixels} and @code{enlarge-window-pixels}; new
7000 function @code{window-displayed-text-pixel-height}.
7003 @strong{Other function changes}: Arithmetic comparison functions
7004 @code{<}, @code{>}, @code{=}, @code{/=} now accept a variable number of
7005 arguments; hashtables now have a consistent read/print syntax; keyword
7006 symbols cannot be set to a value other than themselves; @code{concat} no
7007 longer accepts integer arguments; new function @code{string}, like
7008 @code{list}, @code{vector}, etc.; new function @code{temp-directory}
7009 (OS-independent way to get a temp directory); @code{load-average} has
7010 optional argument @var{USE-FLOATS}; @code{make-event} implemented
7011 completely; new function @code{function-interactive} (returns a
7012 function's interactive spec); new functions @code{lmessage},
7013 @code{lwarn} (printf-like versions of @code{display-wessage},
7014 @code{display-warning}); new keyword @code{:version} to
7018 @strong{Performance}: when the new GNU Malloc aka Doug Lea Malloc is
7019 available, it will be used (better performance on libc6 Linux systems);
7020 tracking line-numbers in modeline is now efficient; profiling records a
7021 call-count of all called functions, retrievable through
7022 @code{profile-call-count-results}.
7025 @strong{Startup and path searching}: code to assemble paths at startup
7026 rewritten for new package system; new function @code{split-path} (splits
7027 by @code{path-separator}); @code{Info-default-directory-list} obsolete,
7028 use @code{Info-directory-list} instead; site-lisp is deprecated and no
7029 longer on the load-path by default.
7033 @node Q7.0.4, Q7.0.5, Q7.0.3, Current Events
7034 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.4: What's new in XEmacs 20.4?
7036 XEmacs 20.4 is a bugfix release with no user-visible changes.
7037 @c Filled in from NEWS file of 20.5-b33
7039 @node Q7.0.5, Q7.0.6, Q7.0.4, Current Events
7040 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.5: What's new in XEmacs 20.3?
7042 XEmacs 20.3 was released in November 1997. It contains many bugfixes,
7043 and a number of new features, including Autoconf 2 based configuration,
7044 additional support for Mule (Multi-language extensions to Emacs), many
7045 more customizations, multiple frames on TTY-s, support for multiple info
7046 directories, an enhanced gnuclient, improvements to regexp matching,
7047 increased MIME support, and many, many synches with GNU Emacs 20.
7049 The XEmacs/Mule support has been only seriously tested in a Japanese
7050 locale, and no doubt many problems still remain. The support for
7051 ISO-Latin-1 and Japanese is fairly strong. MULE support comes at a
7052 price---about a 30% slowdown from 19.16. We're making progress on
7053 improving performance and XEmacs 20.3 compiled without Mule (which is
7054 the default) is definitely faster than XEmacs 19.16.
7056 XEmacs 20.3 is the first non-beta v20 release, and will be the
7057 basis for all further development.
7059 @node Q7.0.6, , Q7.0.5, Current Events
7060 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.6: What's new in XEmacs 20.2?
7062 The biggest changes in 20.2 include integration of EFS (the next
7063 generation of ange-ftp) and AUC Tex (the Emacs subsystem that includes a
7064 major mode for editing Tex and LaTeX, and a lot of other stuff). Many
7065 bugs from 20.0 have been fixed for this release. 20.2 also contains a
7066 new system for customizing XEmacs options, invoked via @kbd{M-x
7069 XEmacs 20.2 is the development release (20.0 was beta), and is no longer
7070 considered unstable.
7072 For older news, see the file @file{ONEWS} in the @file{etc} directory of
7073 the XEmacs distribution.