-\1f
-File: lispref.info, Node: Extent Properties, Next: Detached Extents, Prev: Mapping Over Extents, Up: Extents
-
-Properties of Extents
-=====================
-
- Each extent has a property list associating property names with
-values. Some property names have predefined meanings, and can usually
-only assume particular values. Assigning other values to such a
-property either cause the value to be converted into a legal value
-(e.g., assigning anything but `nil' to a Boolean property will cause
-the value of `t' to be assigned to the property) or will cause an
-error. Property names without predefined meanings can be assigned any
-value. An undefined property is equivalent to a property with a value
-of `nil', or with a particular default value in the case of properties
-with predefined meanings. Note that, when an extent is created, the
-`end-open' and `detachable' properties are set on it.
-
- If an extent has a parent, all of its properties actually derive
-from that parent (or from the root ancestor if the parent in turn has a
-parent), and setting a property of the extent actually sets that
-property on the parent. *Note Extent Parents::.
-
- - Function: extent-property extent property
- This function returns the value of PROPERTY in EXTENT. If
- PROPERTY is undefined, `nil' is returned.
-
- - Function: extent-properties extent
- This function returns a list of all of EXTENT's properties that do
- not have the value of `nil' (or the default value, for properties
- with predefined meanings).
-
- - Function: set-extent-property extent property value
- This function sets PROPERTY to VALUE in EXTENT. (If PROPERTY has a
- predefined meaning, only certain values are allowed, and some
- values may be converted to others before being stored.)
-
- - Function: set-extent-properties extent plist
- Change some properties of EXTENT. PLIST is a property list. This
- is useful to change many extent properties at once.
-
- The following table lists the properties with predefined meanings,
-along with their allowable values.
-
-`detached'
- (Boolean) Whether the extent is detached. Setting this is the
- same as calling `detach-extent'. *Note Detached Extents::.
-
-`destroyed'
- (Boolean) Whether the extent has been deleted. Setting this is
- the same as calling `delete-extent'.
-
-`priority'
- (integer) The extent's redisplay priority. Defaults to 0. *Note
- priority: Intro to Extents. This property can also be set with
- `set-extent-priority' and accessed with `extent-priority'.
-
-`start-open'
- (Boolean) Whether the start position of the extent is open,
- meaning that characters inserted at that position go outside of
- the extent. *Note Extent Endpoints::.
-
-`start-closed'
- (Boolean) Same as `start-open' but with the opposite sense.
- Setting this property clears `start-open' and vice-versa.
-
-`end-open'
- (Boolean) Whether the end position of the extent is open, meaning
- that characters inserted at that position go outside of the
- extent. This is `t' by default. *Note Extent Endpoints::.
-
-`end-closed'
- (Boolean) Same as `end-open' but with the opposite sense. Setting
- this property clears `end-open' and vice-versa.
-
-`read-only'
- (Boolean) Whether text within this extent will be unmodifiable.
-
-`face'
- (face, face name, list of faces or face names, or `nil') The face
- in which to display the extent's text. This property can also be
- set with `set-extent-face' and accessed with `extent-face'. Note
- that if a list of faces is specified, the faces are merged
- together, with faces earlier in the list having priority over
- faces later in the list.
-
-`mouse-face'
- (face, face name, list of faces or face names, or `nil') The face
- used to display the extent when the mouse moves over it. This
- property can also be set with `set-extent-mouse-face' and accessed
- with `extent-mouse-face'. Note that if a list of faces is
- specified, the faces are merged together, with faces earlier in
- the list having priority over faces later in the list. *Note
- Extents and Events::.
-
-`pointer'
- (pointer glyph) The glyph used as the pointer when the mouse
- moves over the extent. This takes precedence over the
- `text-pointer-glyph' and `nontext-pointer-glyph' variables. If
- for any reason this glyph is an invalid pointer, the standard
- glyphs will be used as fallbacks. *Note Mouse Pointer::.
-
-`detachable'
- (Boolean) Whether this extent becomes detached when all of the
- text it covers is deleted. This is `t' by default. *Note
- Detached Extents::.
-
-`duplicable'
- (Boolean) Whether this extent should be copied into strings, so
- that kill, yank, and undo commands will restore or copy it. *Note
- Duplicable Extents::.
-
-`unique'
- (Boolean) Meaningful only in conjunction with `duplicable'. When
- this is set, there may be only one instance of this extent
- attached at a time. *Note Duplicable Extents::.
-
-`invisible'
- (Boolean) If `t', text under this extent will not be displayed -
- it will look as if the text is not there at all.
-
-`keymap'
- (keymap or `nil') This keymap is consulted for mouse clicks on this
- extent or keypresses made while `point' is within the extent.
- *Note Extents and Events::.
-
-`copy-function'
- This is a hook that is run when a duplicable extent is about to be
- copied from a buffer to a string (or the kill ring). *Note
- Duplicable Extents::.
-
-`paste-function'
- This is a hook that is run when a duplicable extent is about to be
- copied from a string (or the kill ring) into a buffer. *Note
- Duplicable Extents::.
-
-`begin-glyph'
- (glyph or `nil') This extent's begin glyph. *Note Annotations::.
-
-`end-glyph'
- (glyph or `nil') This extent's end glyph. *Note Annotations::.
-
-`begin-glyph-layout'
- (`text', `whitespace', `inside-margin', or `outside-margin') The
- layout policy for this extent's begin glyph. Defaults to `text'.
- *Note Annotations::.
-
-`end-glyph-layout'
- (`text', `whitespace', `inside-margin', or `outside-margin') The
- layout policy for this extent's end glyph. Defaults to `text'.
- *Note Annotations::.
-
-`initial-redisplay-function'
- (any funcallable object) The function to be called the first time
- (a part of) the extent is redisplayed. It will be called with the
- extent as its argument.
-
- This is used by `lazy-shot' to implement lazy font-locking. The
- functionality is still experimental, and may change without further
- notice.
-
- The following convenience functions are provided for accessing
-particular properties of an extent.
-
- - Function: extent-face extent
- This function returns the `face' property of EXTENT. This might
- also return a list of face names. Do not modify this list
- directly! Instead, use `set-extent-face'.
-
- Note that you can use `eq' to compare lists of faces as returned
- by `extent-face'. In other words, if you set the face of two
- different extents to two lists that are `equal' but not `eq', then
- the return value of `extent-face' on the two extents will return
- the identical list.
-
- - Function: extent-mouse-face extent
- This function returns the `mouse-face' property of EXTENT. This
- might also return a list of face names. Do not modify this list
- directly! Instead, use `set-extent-mouse-face'.
-
- Note that you can use `eq' to compare lists of faces as returned
- by `extent-mouse-face', just like for `extent-face'.
-
- - Function: extent-priority extent
- This function returns the `priority' property of EXTENT.
-
- - Function: extent-keymap extent
- This function returns the `keymap' property of EXTENT.
-
- - Function: extent-begin-glyph-layout extent
- This function returns the `begin-glyph-layout' property of EXTENT,
- i.e. the layout policy associated with the EXTENT's begin glyph.
-
- - Function: extent-end-glyph-layout extent
- This function returns the `end-glyph-layout' property of EXTENT,
- i.e. the layout policy associated with the EXTENT's end glyph.
-
- - Function: extent-begin-glyph extent
- This function returns the `begin-glyph' property of EXTENT, i.e.
- the glyph object displayed at the beginning of EXTENT. If there
- is none, `nil' is returned.
-
- - Function: extent-end-glyph extent
- This function returns the `end-glyph' property of EXTENT, i.e. the
- glyph object displayed at the end of EXTENT. If there is none,
- `nil' is returned.
-
- The following convenience functions are provided for setting
-particular properties of an extent.
-
- - Function: set-extent-priority extent pri
- This function sets the `priority' property of EXTENT to PRI.
-
- - Function: set-extent-face extent face
- This function sets the `face' property of EXTENT to FACE.
-
- - Function: set-extent-mouse-face extent face
- This function sets the `mouse-face' property of EXTENT to FACE.
-
- - Function: set-extent-keymap extent keymap
- This function sets the `keymap' property of EXTENT to KEYMAP.
- KEYMAP must be either a keymap object, or `nil'.
-
- - Function: set-extent-begin-glyph-layout extent layout
- This function sets the `begin-glyph-layout' property of EXTENT to
- LAYOUT.
-
- - Function: set-extent-end-glyph-layout extent layout
- This function sets the `end-glyph-layout' property of EXTENT to
- LAYOUT.
-
- - Function: set-extent-begin-glyph extent begin-glyph &optional layout
- This function sets the `begin-glyph' and `glyph-layout' properties
- of EXTENT to BEGIN-GLYPH and LAYOUT, respectively. (LAYOUT
- defaults to `text' if not specified.)
-
- - Function: set-extent-end-glyph extent end-glyph &optional layout
- This function sets the `end-glyph' and `glyph-layout' properties
- of EXTENT to END-GLYPH and LAYOUT, respectively. (LAYOUT defaults
- to `text' if not specified.)
-
- - Function: set-extent-initial-redisplay-function extent function
- This function sets the `initial-redisplay-function' property of the
- extent to FUNCTION.
-
-\1f
-File: lispref.info, Node: Detached Extents, Next: Extent Parents, Prev: Extent Properties, Up: Extents
-
-Detached Extents
-================
-
- A detached extent is an extent that is not attached to a buffer or
-string but can be re-inserted. Detached extents have a start position
-and end position of `nil'. Extents can be explicitly detached using
-`detach-extent'. An extent is also detached when all of its characters
-are all killed by a deletion, if its `detachable' property is set; if
-this property is not set, the extent becomes a zero-length extent.
-(Zero-length extents with the `detachable' property set behave
-specially. *Note zero-length extents: Extent Endpoints.)
-
- - Function: detach-extent extent
- This function detaches EXTENT from its buffer or string. If
- EXTENT has the `duplicable' property, its detachment is tracked by
- the undo mechanism. *Note Duplicable Extents::.
-
- - Function: extent-detached-p extent
- This function returns `nil' if EXTENT is detached, and `t'
- otherwise.
-
- - Function: copy-extent extent &optional object
- This function makes a copy of EXTENT. It is initially detached.
- Optional argument OBJECT defaults to EXTENT's object (normally a
- buffer or string, but could be `nil').
-
- - Function: insert-extent extent &optional start end no-hooks object
- This function inserts EXTENT from START to END in OBJECT (a buffer
- or string). If EXTENT is detached from a different buffer or
- string, or in most cases when EXTENT is already attached, the
- extent will first be copied as if with `copy-extent'. This
- function operates the same as if `insert' were called on a string
- whose extent data calls for EXTENT to be inserted, except that if
- NO-HOOKS is non-`nil', EXTENT's `paste-function' will not be
- invoked. *Note Duplicable Extents::.
-
-\1f
-File: lispref.info, Node: Extent Parents, Next: Duplicable Extents, Prev: Detached Extents, Up: Extents
-
-Extent Parents
-==============
-
- An extent can have a parent extent set for it. If this is the case,
-the extent derives all its properties from that extent and has no
-properties of its own. The only "properties" that the extent keeps are
-the buffer or string it refers to and the start and end points. (More
-correctly, the extent's own properties are shadowed. If you later
-change the extent to have no parent, its own properties will become
-visible again.)
-
- It is possible for an extent's parent to itself have a parent, and
-so on. Through this, a whole tree of extents can be created, all
-deriving their properties from one root extent. Note, however, that
-you cannot create an inheritance loop - this is explicitly disallowed.
-
- Parent extents are used to implement the extents over the modeline.
-
- - Function: set-extent-parent extent parent
- This function sets the parent of EXTENT to PARENT. If PARENT is
- `nil', the extent is set to have no parent.
-
- - Function: extent-parent extent
- This function return the parents (if any) of EXTENT, or `nil'.
-
- - Function: extent-children extent
- This function returns a list of the children (if any) of EXTENT.
- The children of an extent are all those extents whose parent is
- that extent. This function does not recursively trace children of
- children.
-
- - Function: extent-descendants extent
- This function returns a list of all descendants of EXTENT,
- including EXTENT. This recursively applies `extent-children' to
- any children of EXTENT, until no more children can be found.
-
-\1f
-File: lispref.info, Node: Duplicable Extents, Next: Extents and Events, Prev: Extent Parents, Up: Extents
-
-Duplicable Extents
-==================
-
- If an extent has the `duplicable' property, it will be copied into
-strings, so that kill, yank, and undo commands will restore or copy it.
-
- Specifically:
-
- * When a string is created using `buffer-substring' or
- `buffer-string', any duplicable extents in the region corresponding
- to the string will be copied into the string (*note Buffer
- Contents::). When the string in inserted into a buffer using
- `insert', `insert-before-markers', `insert-buffer' or
- `insert-buffer-substring', the extents in the string will be copied
- back into the buffer (*note Insertion::). The extents in a string
- can, of course, be retrieved explicitly using the standard extent
- primitives over the string.
-
- * Similarly, when text is copied or cut into the kill ring, any
- duplicable extents will be remembered and reinserted later when
- the text is pasted back into a buffer.
-
- * When `concat' is called on strings, the extents in the strings are
- copied into the resulting string.
-
- * When `substring' is called on a string, the relevant extents are
- copied into the resulting string.
-
- * When a duplicable extent is detached by `detach-extent' or string
- deletion, or inserted by `insert-extent' or string insertion, the
- action is recorded by the undo mechanism so that it can be undone
- later. Note that if an extent gets detached and then a later undo
- causes the extent to get reinserted, the new extent will not be
- `eq' to the original extent.
-
- * Extent motion, face changes, and attachment via `make-extent' are
- not recorded by the undo mechanism. This means that extent changes
- which are to be undo-able must be performed by character editing,
- or by insertion and detachment of duplicable extents.
-
- * A duplicable extent's `copy-function' property, if non-`nil',
- should be a function, and will be run when a duplicable extent is
- about to be copied from a buffer to a string (or the kill ring).
- It is called with three arguments: the extent and the buffer
- positions within it which are being copied. If this function
- returns `nil', then the extent will not be copied; otherwise it
- will.
-
- * A duplicable extent's `paste-function' property, if non-`nil',
- should be a function, and will be run when a duplicable extent is
- about to be copied from a string (or the kill ring) into a buffer.
- It is called with three arguments: the original extent and the
- buffer positions which the copied extent will occupy. (This hook
- is run after the corresponding text has already been inserted into
- the buffer.) Note that the extent argument may be detached when
- this function is run. If this function returns `nil', no extent
- will be inserted. Otherwise, there will be an extent covering the
- range in question.
-
- Note: if the extent to be copied is already attached to the buffer
- and overlaps the new range, the extent will simply be extended and
- the `paste-function' will not be called.
-
-\1f
-File: lispref.info, Node: Extents and Events, Next: Atomic Extents, Prev: Duplicable Extents, Up: Extents
-
-Interaction of Extents with Keyboard and Mouse Events
-=====================================================
-
- If an extent has the `mouse-face' property set, it will be
-highlighted when the mouse passes over it. Highlighting is accomplished
-by merging the extent's face with the face or faces specified by the
-`mouse-face' property. The effect is as if a pseudo-extent with the
-`mouse-face' face were inserted after the extent in the display order
-(*note Extent Endpoints::, display order).
-
- - Variable: mouse-highlight-priority
- This variable holds the priority to use when merging in the
- highlighting pseudo-extent. The default is 1000. This is
- purposely set very high so that the highlighting pseudo-extent
- shows up even if there are other extents with various priorities
- at the same location.
-
- You can also explicitly cause an extent to be highlighted. Only one
-extent at a time can be highlighted in this fashion, and any other
-highlighted extent will be de-highlighted.
-
- - Function: highlight-extent extent &optional highlight-p
- This function highlights (if HIGHLIGHT-P is non-`nil') or
- de-highlights (if HIGHLIGHT-P is `nil') EXTENT, if EXTENT has the
- `mouse-face' property. (Nothing happens if EXTENT does not have
- the `mouse-face' property.)
-
- - Function: force-highlight-extent extent &optional highlight-p
- This function is similar to `highlight-extent' but highlights or
- de-highlights the extent regardless of whether it has the
- `mouse-face' property.
-
- If an extent has a `keymap' property, this keymap will be consulted
-for mouse clicks on the extent and keypresses made while `point' is
-within the extent. The behavior of mouse clicks and keystrokes not
-defined in the keymap is as normal for the buffer.
-
-\1f
-File: lispref.info, Node: Atomic Extents, Prev: Extents and Events, Up: Extents
-
-Atomic Extents
-==============
-
- If the Lisp file `atomic-extents' is loaded, then the atomic extent
-facility is available. An "atomic extent" is an extent for which
-`point' cannot be positioned anywhere within it. This ensures that
-when selecting text, either all or none of the extent is selected.
-
- To make an extent atomic, set its `atomic' property.
-
-\1f
-File: lispref.info, Node: Specifiers, Next: Faces and Window-System Objects, Prev: Extents, Up: Top
-
-Specifiers
-**********
-
- A specifier is an object used to keep track of a property whose value
-may vary depending on the particular situation (e.g. particular buffer
-displayed in a particular window) that it is used in. The value of many
-built-in properties, such as the font, foreground, background, and such
-properties of a face and variables such as `modeline-shadow-thickness'
-and `top-toolbar-height', is actually a specifier object. The
-specifier object, in turn, is "instanced" in a particular situation to
-yield the real value of the property in that situation.
-
- - Function: specifierp object
- This function returns non-`nil' if OBJECT is a specifier.
-
-* Menu:
-
-* Introduction to Specifiers:: Specifiers provide a clean way for
- display and other properties to vary
- (under user control) in a wide variety
- of contexts.
-* Specifiers In-Depth:: Gory details about specifier innards.
-* Specifier Instancing:: Instancing means obtaining the ``value'' of
- a specifier in a particular context.
-* Specifier Types:: Specifiers come in different flavors.
-* Adding Specifications:: Specifications control a specifier's ``value''
- by giving conditions under which a
- particular value is valid.
-* Retrieving Specifications:: Querying a specifier's specifications.
-* Specifier Tag Functions:: Working with specifier tags.
-* Specifier Instancing Functions::
- Functions to instance a specifier.
-* Specifier Example:: Making all this stuff clearer.
-* Creating Specifiers:: Creating specifiers for your own use.
-* Specifier Validation Functions::
- Validating the components of a specifier.
-* Other Specification Functions::
- Other ways of working with specifications.
-
-\1f
-File: lispref.info, Node: Introduction to Specifiers, Next: Specifiers In-Depth, Up: Specifiers
-
-Introduction to Specifiers
-==========================
-
- Sometimes you may want the value of a property to vary depending on
-the context the property is used in. A simple example of this in XEmacs
-is buffer-local variables. For example, the variable
-`modeline-format', which controls the format of the modeline, can have
-different values depending on the particular buffer being edited. The
-variable has a default value which most modes will use, but a
-specialized package such as Calendar might change the variable so as to
-tailor the modeline to its own purposes.
-
- Other properties (such as those that can be changed by the
-`modify-frame-parameters' function, for example the color of the text
-cursor) can have frame-local values, although it might also make sense
-for them to have buffer-local values. In other cases, you might want
-the property to vary depending on the particular window within the
-frame that applies (e.g. the top or bottom window in a split frame), the
-device type that that frame appears on (X or tty), etc. Perhaps you can
-envision some more complicated scenario where you want a particular
-value in a specified buffer, another value in all other buffers
-displayed on a particular frame, another value in all other buffers
-displayed in all other frames on any mono (two-color, e.g. black and
-white only) displays, and a default value in all other circumstances.
-
- A "specifier" is a generalization of this, allowing a great deal of
-flexibility in controlling exactly what value a property has in which
-circumstances. It is most commonly used for display properties, such as
-an image or the foreground color of a face. As a simple example, you
-can specify that the foreground of the default face be
-
- * blue for a particular buffer
-
- * green for all other buffers
-
- As a more complicated example, you could specify that the foreground
-of the default face be
-
- * forest green for all buffers displayed in a particular Emacs
- window, or green if the X server doesn't recognize the color
- `forest green'
-
- * blue for all buffers displayed in a particular frame
-
- * red for all other buffers displayed on a color device
-
- * white for all other buffers
-
-\1f
-File: lispref.info, Node: Specifiers In-Depth, Next: Specifier Instancing, Prev: Introduction to Specifiers, Up: Specifiers
-
-In-Depth Overview of a Specifier
-================================
-
- A specifier object encapsulates a set of "specifications", each of
-which says what its value should be if a particular condition applies.
-For example, one specification might be "The value should be
-darkseagreen2 on X devices" another might be "The value should be blue
-in the *Help* buffer". In specifier terminology, these conditions are
-called "locales" and the values are called "instantiators". Given a
-specifier, a logical question is "What is its value in a particular
-situation?" This involves looking through the specifications to see
-which ones apply to this particular situation, and perhaps preferring
-one over another if more than one applies. In specifier terminology, a
-"particular situation" is called a "domain", and determining its value
-in a particular domain is called "instancing". Most of the time, a
-domain is identified by a particular window. For example, if the
-redisplay engine is drawing text in the default face in a particular
-window, it retrieves the specifier for the foreground color of the
-default face and "instances" it in the domain given by that window; in
-other words, it asks the specifier, "What is your value in this
-window?".
-
- More specifically, a specifier contains a set of "specifications",
-each of which associates a "locale" (a window object, a buffer object,
-a frame object, a device object, or the symbol `global') with an
-"inst-list", which is a list of one or more "inst-pairs". (For each
-possible locale, there can be at most one specification containing that
-locale.) Each inst-pair is a cons of a "tag set" (an unordered list of
-zero or more symbols, or "tags") and an "instantiator" (the allowed
-form of this varies depending on the type of specifier). In a given
-specification, there may be more than one inst-pair with the same tag
-set; this is unlike for locales.
-
- The tag set is used to restrict the sorts of devices over which the
-instantiator is valid and to uniquely identify instantiators added by a
-particular application, so that different applications can work on the
-same specifier and not interfere with each other. Each tag can have a
-"predicate" associated with it, which is a function of one argument (a
-device) that specifies whether the tag matches that particular device.
-(If a tag does not have a predicate, it matches all devices.) All tags
-in a tag set must match a device for the associated inst-pair to be
-instantiable over that device. (A null tag set is perfectly valid.)
-
- The valid device types (normally `x', `tty', and `stream') and
-device classes (normally `color', `grayscale', and `mono') can always
-be used as tags, and match devices of the associated type or class
-(*note Consoles and Devices::). User-defined tags may be defined, with
-an optional predicate specified. An application can create its own
-tag, use it to mark all its instantiators, and be fairly confident that
-it will not interfere with other applications that modify the same
-specifier - Functions that add a specification to a specifier usually
-only overwrite existing inst-pairs with the same tag set as was given,
-and a particular tag or tag set can be specified when removing
-instantiators.
-
- When a specifier is instanced in a domain, both the locale and the
-tag set can be viewed as specifying necessary conditions that must
-apply in that domain for an instantiator to be considered as a possible
-result of the instancing. More specific locales always override more
-general locales (thus, there is no particular ordering of the
-specifications in a specifier); however, the tag sets are simply
-considered in the order that the inst-pairs occur in the
-specification's inst-list.
-
- Note also that the actual object that results from the instancing
-(called an "instance object") may not be the same as the instantiator
-from which it was derived. For some specifier types (such as integer
-specifiers and boolean specifiers), the instantiator will be returned
-directly as the instance object. For other types, however, this is not
-the case. For example, for font specifiers, the instantiator is a
-font-description string and the instance object is a font-instance
-object, which describes how the font is displayed on a particular
-device. A font-instance object encapsulates such things as the actual
-font name used to display the font on that device (a font-description
-string under X is usually a wildcard specification that may resolve to
-different font names, with possibly different foundries, widths, etc.,
-on different devices), the extra properties of that font on that
-device, etc. Furthermore, this conversion (called "instantiation")
-might fail - a font or color might not exist on a particular device,
-for example.
-