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: 2002/08/20 11:35:32 $
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)
157 * Q2.1.1:: XEmacs just crashed on me!
158 * Q2.1.2:: Cryptic Minibuffer messages.
159 * Q2.1.3:: Translation Table Syntax messages at Startup.
160 * Q2.1.4:: Startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
161 * Q2.1.5:: XEmacs cannot connect to my X Terminal.
162 * Q2.1.6:: XEmacs just locked up my Linux X server.
163 * Q2.1.7:: HP Alt key as Meta.
164 * Q2.1.8:: got (wrong-type-argument color-instance-p nil)!
165 * Q2.1.9:: XEmacs causes my OpenWindows 3.0 server to crash.
166 * Q2.1.10:: Warnings from incorrect key modifiers.
167 * Q2.1.11:: Can't instantiate image error... in toolbar
168 * Q2.1.12:: Regular Expression Problems on DEC OSF1.
169 * Q2.1.13:: HP/UX 10.10 and @code{create_process} failure
170 * Q2.1.14:: @kbd{C-g} doesn't work for me. Is it broken?
171 * Q2.1.15:: How to debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger.
172 * Q2.1.16:: XEmacs crashes in @code{strcat} on HP/UX 10.
173 * Q2.1.17:: @samp{Marker does not point anywhere}.
174 * Q2.1.18:: XEmacs is outputting lots of X errors.
175 * Q2.1.19:: XEmacs does not follow the local timezone.
176 * Q2.1.20:: @samp{Symbol's function definition is void: hkey-help-show.}
177 * Q2.1.21:: [This question intentionally left blank]
178 * Q2.1.22:: XEmacs seems to take a really long time to do some things.
179 * Q2.1.23:: Movemail on Linux does not work for XEmacs 19.15 and later.
180 * Q2.1.24:: XEmacs won't start without network. (NEW)
181 * Q2.1.25:: After upgrading, XEmacs won't do `foo' any more! (NEW)
183 Customization and Options
185 * Q3.0.1:: What version of Emacs am I running?
186 * Q3.0.2:: How do I evaluate Elisp expressions?
187 * Q3.0.3:: @code{(setq tab-width 6)} behaves oddly.
188 * Q3.0.4:: How can I add directories to the @code{load-path}?
189 * Q3.0.5:: How to check if a lisp function is defined?
190 * Q3.0.6:: Can I force the output of @code{(face-list)} to a buffer?
191 * Q3.0.7:: Font selections don't get saved after @code{Save Options}.
192 * Q3.0.8:: How do I make a single minibuffer frame?
193 * Q3.0.9:: What is @code{Customize}?
195 X Window System & Resources:
196 * Q3.1.1:: Where is a list of X resources?
197 * Q3.1.2:: How can I detect a color display?
198 * Q3.1.3:: [This question intentionally left blank]
199 * Q3.1.4:: [This question intentionally left blank]
200 * Q3.1.5:: How can I get the icon to just say @samp{XEmacs}?
201 * Q3.1.6:: How can I have the window title area display the full path?
202 * Q3.1.7:: @samp{xemacs -name junk} doesn't work?
203 * Q3.1.8:: @samp{-iconic} doesn't work.
205 Textual Fonts & Colors:
206 * Q3.2.1:: How can I set color options from @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}?
207 * Q3.2.2:: How do I set the text, menu and modeline fonts?
208 * Q3.2.3:: How can I set the colors when highlighting a region?
209 * Q3.2.4:: How can I limit color map usage?
210 * Q3.2.5:: My tty supports color, but XEmacs doesn't use them.
211 * Q3.2.6:: Can I have pixmap backgrounds in XEmacs?
214 * Q3.3.1:: How can I make the modeline go away?
215 * Q3.3.2:: How do you have XEmacs display the line number in the modeline?
216 * Q3.3.3:: How do I get XEmacs to put the time of day on the modeline?
217 * Q3.3.4:: How do I turn off current chapter from AUC TeX modeline?
218 * Q3.3.5:: How can one change the modeline color based on the mode used?
220 Multiple Device Support:
221 * Q3.4.1:: How do I open a frame on another screen of my multi-headed display?
222 * Q3.4.2:: Can I really connect to a running XEmacs after calling up over a modem? How?
225 * Q3.5.1:: How can I bind complex functions (or macros) to keys?
226 * Q3.5.2:: How can I stop down-arrow from adding empty lines to the bottom of my buffers?
227 * Q3.5.3:: How do I bind C-. and C-; to scroll one line up and down?
228 * Q3.5.4:: Globally binding @kbd{Delete}?
229 * Q3.5.5:: Scrolling one line at a time.
230 * Q3.5.6:: How to map @kbd{Help} key alone on Sun type4 keyboard?
231 * Q3.5.7:: How can you type in special characters in XEmacs?
232 * Q3.5.8:: [This question intentionally left blank]
233 * Q3.5.9:: How do I make the Delete key delete forward?
234 * Q3.5.10:: Can I turn on @dfn{sticky} modifier keys?
235 * Q3.5.11:: How do I map the arrow keys?
238 * Q3.6.1:: Is there a way to make the bar cursor thicker?
239 * 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?
240 * Q3.6.3:: Can I make the cursor blink?
242 The Mouse and Highlighting:
243 * Q3.7.1:: How can I turn off Mouse pasting?
244 * Q3.7.2:: How do I set control/meta/etc modifiers on mouse buttons?
245 * Q3.7.3:: Clicking the left button does not do anything in buffer list.
246 * Q3.7.4:: How can I get a list of buffers when I hit mouse button 3?
247 * Q3.7.5:: Why does cut-and-paste not work between XEmacs and a cmdtool?
248 * Q3.7.6:: How I can set XEmacs up so that it pastes where the text cursor is?
249 * Q3.7.7:: How do I select a rectangular region?
250 * Q3.7.8:: Why does @kbd{M-w} take so long?
252 The Menubar and Toolbar:
253 * Q3.8.1:: How do I get rid of the menu (or menubar)?
254 * Q3.8.2:: Can I customize the basic menubar?
255 * Q3.8.3:: How do I control how many buffers are listed in the menu @code{Buffers} list?
256 * Q3.8.4:: Resources like @code{Emacs*menubar*font} are not working?
257 * Q3.8.5:: How can I bind a key to a function to toggle the toolbar?
260 * Q3.9.1:: How can I disable the scrollbar?
261 * Q3.9.2:: How can one use resources to change scrollbar colors?
262 * Q3.9.3:: Moving the scrollbar can move the point; can I disable this?
263 * Q3.9.4:: How can I turn off automatic horizontal scrolling in specific modes?
266 * Q3.10.1:: How can I turn off or change highlighted selections?
267 * Q3.10.2:: How do I get that typing on an active region removes it?
268 * Q3.10.3:: Can I turn off the highlight during isearch?
269 * Q3.10.4:: How do I turn off highlighting after @kbd{C-x C-p} (mark-page)?
270 * Q3.10.5:: The region disappears when I hit the end of buffer while scrolling.
271 * Q3.10.6:: Why is killing so slow? (NEW)
275 * Q4.0.1:: How do I set up VM to retrieve remote mail using POP?
276 * Q4.0.2:: How do I get VM to filter mail for me?
277 * Q4.0.3:: How can I get VM to automatically check for new mail?
278 * Q4.0.4:: [This question intentionally left blank]
279 * Q4.0.5:: How do I get my outgoing mail archived?
280 * 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"?
281 * Q4.0.7:: Is there a mailing list or FAQ for VM?
282 * Q4.0.8:: Remote mail reading with VM.
283 * Q4.0.9:: rmail or VM gets an error incorporating new mail.
284 * Q4.0.10:: How do I make VM stay in a single frame?
285 * Q4.0.11:: How do I make VM or mh-e display graphical smilies?
286 * Q4.0.12:: Customization of VM not covered in the manual or here.
288 Web browsing with W3:
289 * Q4.1.1:: What is W3?
290 * Q4.1.2:: How do I run W3 from behind a firewall?
291 * Q4.1.3:: Is it true that W3 supports style sheets and tables?
293 Reading Netnews and Mail with Gnus:
294 * Q4.2.1:: GNUS, (ding) Gnus, Gnus 5, September Gnus, Red Gnus, Quassia Gnus, argh!
295 * Q4.2.2:: [This question intentionally left blank]
296 * Q4.2.3:: How do I make Gnus stay within a single frame?
297 * Q4.2.4:: How do I customize the From: line?
300 * Q4.3.1:: How can I read and/or compose MIME messages?
301 * Q4.3.2:: What is TM and where do I get it?
302 * Q4.3.3:: Why isn't this @code{movemail} program working?
303 * Q4.3.4:: Movemail is also distributed by Netscape? Can that cause problems?
304 * Q4.3.5:: Where do I find pstogif (required by tm)?
306 Sparcworks, EOS, and WorkShop:
307 * Q4.4.1:: What is SPARCworks, EOS, and WorkShop
308 * Q4.4.2:: How do I start the Sun Workshop support in XEmacs 21?
311 * Q4.5.1:: What is/was Energize?
314 * Q4.6.1:: What is Infodock?
316 Other Unbundled Packages:
317 * Q4.7.1:: What is AUC TeX? Where do you get it?
318 * Q4.7.2:: Are there any Emacs Lisp Spreadsheets?
319 * Q4.7.3:: [This question intentionally left blank]
320 * Q4.7.4:: Problems installing AUC TeX
321 * Q4.7.5:: Is there a reason for an Emacs package not to be included in XEmacs?
322 * Q4.7.6:: Is there a MatLab mode?
323 * Q4.7.7:: Can I edit files on other hosts?
325 The Miscellaneous Stuff
327 * Q5.0.1:: How can I do source code highlighting using font-lock?
328 * Q5.0.2:: I do not like cc-mode. How do I use the old c-mode?
329 * Q5.0.3:: How do I get @samp{More} Syntax Highlighting on by default?
330 * Q5.0.4:: How can I enable auto-indent and/or Filladapt?
331 * Q5.0.5:: How can I get XEmacs to come up in text/auto-fill mode by default?
332 * Q5.0.6:: How do I start up a second shell buffer?
333 * Q5.0.7:: Telnet from shell filters too much.
334 * Q5.0.8:: Why does edt emulation not work?
335 * Q5.0.9:: How can I emulate VI and use it as my default mode?
336 * Q5.0.10:: [This question intentionally left blank]
337 * Q5.0.11:: [This question intentionally left blank]
338 * Q5.0.12:: How do I disable gnuserv from opening a new frame?
339 * Q5.0.13:: How do I start gnuserv so that each subsequent XEmacs is a client?
340 * Q5.0.14:: Strange things are happening in Shell Mode.
341 * Q5.0.15:: Where do I get the latest CC Mode?
342 * Q5.0.16:: I find auto-show-mode disconcerting. How do I turn it off?
343 * Q5.0.17:: How can I get two instances of info?
344 * Q5.0.18:: [This question intentionally left blank]
345 * Q5.0.19:: Is there something better than LaTeX mode?
346 * Q5.0.20:: Is there a way to start a new XEmacs if there's no gnuserv running, and otherwise use gnuclient?
348 Emacs Lisp Programming Techniques:
349 * Q5.1.1:: The difference in key sequences between XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
350 * Q5.1.2:: Can I generate "fake" keyboard events?
351 * Q5.1.3:: Could you explain @code{read-kbd-macro} in more detail?
352 * Q5.1.4:: What is the performance hit of @code{let}?
353 * Q5.1.5:: What is the recommended use of @code{setq}?
354 * Q5.1.6:: What is the typical misuse of @code{setq} ?
355 * Q5.1.7:: I like the @code{do} form of cl, does it slow things down?
356 * Q5.1.8:: I like recursion, does it slow things down?
357 * Q5.1.9:: How do I put a glyph as annotation in a buffer?
358 * Q5.1.10:: @code{map-extents} won't traverse all of my extents!
359 * Q5.1.11:: My elisp program is horribly slow. Is there an easy way to find out where it spends time?
362 * Q5.2.1:: How do I turn off the sound?
363 * Q5.2.2:: How do I get funky sounds instead of a boring beep?
364 * Q5.2.3:: What's NAS, how do I get it?
365 * Q5.2.4:: Sunsite sounds don't play.
368 * Q5.3.1:: How do you make XEmacs indent CL if-clauses correctly?
369 * Q5.3.2:: [This question intentionally left blank]
370 * Q5.3.3:: How can I print WYSIWYG a font-locked buffer?
371 * Q5.3.4:: Getting @kbd{M-x lpr} to work with postscript printer.
372 * Q5.3.5:: How do I specify the paths that XEmacs uses for finding files?
373 * Q5.3.6:: [This question intentionally left blank]
374 * Q5.3.7:: Can I have the end of the buffer delimited in some way?
375 * Q5.3.8:: How do I insert today's date into a buffer?
376 * Q5.3.9:: Are only certain syntactic character classes available for abbrevs?
377 * Q5.3.10:: How can I get those oh-so-neat X-Face lines?
378 * Q5.3.11:: How do I add new Info directories?
379 * Q5.3.12:: What do I need to change to make printing work?
384 * Q6.0.1:: What is the status of the XEmacs port to Windows?
385 * Q6.0.2:: What flavors of MS Windows are supported? The list name implies NT only.
386 * Q6.0.3:: Are binaries available?
387 * Q6.0.4:: Can I build XEmacs on MS Windows with X support? Do I need to?
388 * Q6.0.5:: I'd like to help out. What do I do?
389 * Q6.0.6:: What are Cygwin and MinGW, and do I need them to run XEmacs?
390 * Q6.0.7:: What exactly are all the different ways to build XEmacs under Windows?
392 Building XEmacs on MS Windows:
393 * Q6.1.1:: What compiler/libraries do I need to compile XEmacs?
394 * Q6.1.2:: How do I compile the native port?
395 * Q6.1.3:: What do I need for Cygwin?
396 * Q6.1.4:: How do I compile under Cygwin?
397 * Q6.1.5:: How do I compile using MinGW (aka @samp{the -mno-cygwin flag to gcc})?
398 * Q6.1.6:: I decided to run with X. Where do I get an X server?
399 * Q6.1.7:: How do I compile with X support?
401 Customization and User Interface:
402 * Q6.2.1:: How does the port cope with differences in the Windows user interface?
403 * Q6.2.2:: How do I change fonts in XEmacs on MS Windows?
404 * Q6.2.3:: Where do I put my @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file?
405 * Q6.2.4:: How do I get Windows Explorer to associate a file type with XEmacs?
406 * Q6.2.5:: Is it possible to print from XEmacs?
410 * Q6.3.1:: Does XEmacs rename all the @samp{win32-*} symbols to @samp{w32-*}?
411 * Q6.3.2:: What are the differences between the various MS Windows emacsen?
412 * Q6.3.3:: XEmacs 21.1 on Windows used to spawn an ugly console window on every startup. Has that been fixed?
413 * Q6.3.4:: What is the porting team doing at the moment?
416 * Q6.4.1:: XEmacs won't start on Windows.
417 * Q6.4.2:: Why do I get a blank toolbar on Windows 95?
420 * Q7.0.1:: What new features will be in XEmacs soon?
421 * Q7.0.2:: What's new in XEmacs 21.4?
422 * Q7.0.3:: What's new in XEmacs 21.1?
423 * Q7.0.4:: What's new in XEmacs 20.4?
424 * Q7.0.5:: What's new in XEmacs 20.3?
425 * Q7.0.6:: What's new in XEmacs 20.2?
429 @node Introduction, Installation, Top, Top
430 @unnumbered 1 Introduction, Policy, Credits
432 Learning XEmacs is a lifelong activity. Even people who have used Emacs
433 for years keep discovering new features. Therefore this document cannot
434 be complete. Instead it is aimed at the person who is either
435 considering XEmacs for their own use, or has just obtained it and is
436 wondering what to do next. It is also useful as a reference to
439 The previous maintainer of the FAQ was @email{rossini@@biostat.washington.edu,
440 Anthony Rossini}, who started it, after getting tired of hearing JWZ
441 complain about repeatedly having to answer questions.
442 @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing} and @email{cthomp@@xemacs.org, Chuck
443 Thompson}, the principal authors of XEmacs, then took over and Ben did
444 a massive update reorganizing the whole thing. At which point Anthony
445 took back over, but then had to give it up again. Some of the other
446 contributors to this FAQ are listed later in this document.
448 The previous version was converted to hypertext format, and edited by
449 @email{steve@@xemacs.org, Steven L. Baur}. It was converted back to
450 texinfo by @email{hniksic@@xemacs.org, Hrvoje Niksic}. The FAQ was then
451 maintained by @email{andreas@@sccon.com, Andreas Kaempf}, who passed it
452 on to ChristianNyb@o{}.
454 If you notice any errors or items which should be added or amended to
455 this FAQ please send email to @email{faq@@xemacs.org, Sandra
456 Wambold}. Include @samp{XEmacs FAQ} on the Subject: line.
460 * Q1.0.1:: What is XEmacs?
461 * Q1.0.2:: What is the current version of XEmacs?
462 * Q1.0.3:: Where can I find it?
463 * Q1.0.4:: Why Another Version of Emacs?
464 * Q1.0.5:: Why Haven't XEmacs and GNU Emacs Merged?
465 * Q1.0.6:: Where can I get help?
466 * Q1.0.7:: Where are the mailing lists archived?
467 * Q1.0.8:: How do you pronounce XEmacs?
468 * Q1.0.9:: What does XEmacs look like?
469 * Q1.0.10:: Is there a port of XEmacs to Microsoft ('95 or NT)?
470 * Q1.0.11:: Is there a port of XEmacs to the Macintosh?
471 * Q1.0.12:: Is there a port of XEmacs to NextStep?
472 * Q1.0.13:: Is there a port of XEmacs to OS/2?
473 * Q1.0.14:: Where can I get a printed copy of the XEmacs users manual?
476 * Q1.1.1:: What is the FAQ editorial policy?
477 * Q1.1.2:: How do I become a Beta Tester?
478 * Q1.1.3:: How do I contribute to XEmacs itself?
481 * Q1.2.1:: Who wrote XEmacs?
482 * Q1.2.2:: Who contributed to this version of the FAQ?
483 * Q1.2.3:: Who contributed to the FAQ in the past?
485 Internationalization:
486 * Q1.3.1:: What is the status of internationalization support aka MULE (including Asian language support?
487 * Q1.3.2:: How can I help with internationalization?
488 * Q1.3.3:: How do I type non-ASCII characters?
489 * Q1.3.4:: Can XEmacs messages come out in a different language?
490 * Q1.3.5:: Please explain the various input methods in MULE/XEmacs
491 * Q1.3.6:: How do I portably code for MULE/XEmacs?
492 * Q1.3.7:: How about Cyrillic Modes?
493 * Q1.3.8:: Does XEmacs support Unicode?
494 * Q1.3.9:: How does XEmacs display Unicode?
497 * Q1.4.1:: What is an @file{init.el} or @file{.emacs} and is there a sample one?
498 * Q1.4.2:: Can I use the same @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} with the other Emacs?
499 * Q1.4.3:: Any good XEmacs tutorials around?
500 * Q1.4.4:: May I see an example of a useful XEmacs Lisp function?
501 * Q1.4.5:: And how do I bind it to a key?
502 * Q1.4.6:: What's the difference between a macro and a function?
505 @node Q1.0.1, Q1.0.2, Introduction, Introduction
506 @unnumberedsec 1.0: Introduction
507 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.1: What is XEmacs?
510 XEmacs is a powerful, highly customizable open source text editor and
511 application development system, with full GUI support. It is protected
512 under the GNU Public License and related to other versions of Emacs, in
513 particular GNU Emacs. Its emphasis is on modern graphical user
514 interface support and an open software development model, similar to
515 Linux. XEmacs has an active development community numbering in the
516 hundreds (and thousands of active beta testers on top of this), and runs
517 on all versions of MS Windows, on Linux, and on nearly every other
518 version of Unix in existence. Support for XEmacs has been supplied by
519 Sun Microsystems, University of Illinois, Lucid, ETL/Electrotechnical
520 Laboratory, Amdahl Corporation, BeOpen, and others, as well as the
521 unpaid time of a great number of individual developers.
523 @node Q1.0.2, Q1.0.3, Q1.0.1, Introduction
524 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.2: What is the current version of XEmacs?
526 XEmacs versions 21.1.* are releases made from the current stable
527 sources. XEmacs versions 21.2.* are releases made from the development
528 sources. Check at @uref{http://www.xemacs.org} for the current minor
531 XEmacs 19.16 was the last release of v19, released in November, 1997,
532 which was also the last version without international language support.
534 @node Q1.0.3, Q1.0.4, Q1.0.2, Introduction
535 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.3: Where can I find it?
537 The canonical source and binaries can be found via anonymous FTP at:
540 @uref{ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/}
543 @node Q1.0.4, Q1.0.5, Q1.0.3, Introduction
544 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.4: Why Another Version of Emacs?
546 For a detailed description of the differences between GNU Emacs and
547 XEmacs and a detailed history of XEmacs, check out the
549 @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/About/XEmacsVsGNUemacs.html, NEWS file}
552 However, here is a list of some of the reasons why we think you might
560 The XEmacs maintainers are generally more receptive to suggestions than
561 the GNU Emacs maintainers.
564 Many more bundled packages than GNU Emacs.
567 Binaries are available for many common operating systems.
570 Face support on TTY's.
576 Better Motif compliance.
579 Some internationalization support (including full MULE support, if
583 Variable-width fonts.
586 Variable-height lines.
589 Marginal annotations.
595 XEmacs can be used as an Xt widget, and can be embedded within another
599 Horizontal and vertical scrollbars (using real toolkit scrollbars).
602 Better APIs (and performance) for attaching fonts, colors, and other
606 The ability to embed arbitrary graphics in a buffer.
609 Completely compatible (at the C level) with the Xt-based toolkits.
613 @node Q1.0.5, Q1.0.6, Q1.0.4, Introduction
614 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.5: Why Haven't XEmacs and GNU Emacs Merged?
616 There are currently irreconcilable differences in the views about
617 technical, programming, design and organizational matters between RMS
618 and the XEmacs development team which provide little hope for a merge to
619 take place in the short-term future.
621 If you have a comment to add regarding the merge, it is a good idea to
622 avoid posting to the newsgroups, because of the very heated flamewars
623 that often result. Mail your questions to @email{xemacs-beta@@xemacs.org} and
624 @email{bug-gnu-emacs@@prep.ai.mit.edu}.
626 @node Q1.0.6, Q1.0.7, Q1.0.5, Introduction
627 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.6: Where can I get help?
629 Probably the easiest way, if everything is installed, is to use Info, by
630 pressing @kbd{C-h i}, or looking for an Info item on the
631 Help Menu. @kbd{M-x apropos} can be used to look for particular commands.
633 For items not found in the manual, try reading this FAQ
634 @comment , examining the regular GNU Emacs FAQ (which can be
635 @comment found with the Emacs 19 distribution) as well as at
636 @comment @uref{http://www.eecs.nwu.edu/emacs/faq/}
637 and reading the Usenet group comp.emacs.xemacs.
639 If you choose to post to a newsgroup, @strong{please use
640 comp.emacs.xemacs}. Please do not post XEmacs related questions to
643 If you cannot post or read Usenet news, there is a corresponding mailing
644 list @email{xemacs-news@@xemacs.org} which is available. It can be
645 subscribed to via the Mailman Web interface or by sending mail to to
646 @email{xemacs-news-request@@xemacs.org} with @samp{subscribe} in the
647 body of the message. See also
648 @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/Lists/#xemacs-news}. To cancel a
649 subscription, you may use the @email{xemacs-news-request@@xemacs.org}
650 address or the Web interface. Send a message with a subject of
651 @samp{unsubscribe} to be removed.
653 @node Q1.0.7, Q1.0.8, Q1.0.6, Introduction
654 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.7: Where are the mailing lists archived?
656 The archives can be found at @uref{http://list-archive.xemacs.org}
658 @node Q1.0.8, Q1.0.9, Q1.0.7, Introduction
659 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.8: How do you pronounce XEmacs?
661 The most common pronounciation is @samp{Eks eemax}.
663 @node Q1.0.9, Q1.0.10, Q1.0.8, Introduction
664 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.9: What does XEmacs look like?
666 Screen snapshots are available at
667 @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/About/Screenshots/index.html}
668 as part of the XEmacs website.
670 @node Q1.0.10, Q1.0.11, Q1.0.9, Introduction
671 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.10: Is there a port of XEmacs to Microsoft ('95 or NT)?
673 Yes. XEmacs can be built under MS Windows and is fully-featured and
674 actively developed. See @ref{MS Windows}.
676 @node Q1.0.11, Q1.0.12, Q1.0.10, Introduction
677 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.11: Is there a port of XEmacs to the Macintosh?
680 @c There has been a port to the MachTen environment of XEmacs 19.13, but no
681 @c patches have been submitted to the maintainers to get this in the
682 @c mainstream distribution.
684 @c For the MacOS, there is a port of
685 @c @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.cornell.edu/pub/parmet/, Emacs 18.59}.
689 XEmacs 21.5 (perhaps 21.4 also?) works on MacOS X, although it certainly
690 will not feel very much like a Mac application as it has no Mac-specific
693 There is also a port of XEmacs 19.14 that works on all recent versions
694 of MacOS, from 8.1 through MacOS X, by @email{pjarvis@@ispchannel.com,
695 Pitts Jarvis}. It runs in an equivalent of TTY mode only (one single
696 Macintosh window, 25 colors), but has a large number of Mac-specific
697 additions. It's available at
698 @uref{http://homepage.mac.com/pjarvis/xemacs.html}.
700 @node Q1.0.12, Q1.0.13, Q1.0.11, Introduction
701 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.12: Is there a port of XEmacs to NextStep?
703 Carl Edman, apparently no longer at @email{cedman@@princeton.edu}, did
704 the port of GNU Emacs to NeXTstep and expressed interest in doing the
705 XEmacs port, but never went any farther.
707 @node Q1.0.13, Q1.0.14, Q1.0.12, Introduction
708 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.13: Is there a port of XEmacs to OS/2?
710 No, but Alexander Nikolaev <avn_1251@@mail.ru> is working on it.
712 @node Q1.0.14, Q1.1.1, Q1.0.13, Introduction
713 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.0.14: Where can I obtain a printed copy of the XEmacs User's Manual?
715 Pre-printed manuals are not available. If you are familiar with
716 TeX, you can generate your own manual from the XEmacs sources.
718 HTML and Postscript versions of XEmacs manuals are available from the
720 @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/Documentation/index.html}.
722 @node Q1.1.1, Q1.1.2, Q1.0.14, Introduction
723 @unnumberedsec 1.1: Policies
724 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.1.1: What is the FAQ editorial policy?
726 The FAQ is actively maintained and modified regularly. All links should
727 be up to date. Unfortunately, some of the information is out of date --
728 a situation which the FAQ maintainer is working on. All submissions are
729 welcome, please e-mail submissions to @email{faq@@xemacs.org, XEmacs FAQ
732 Please make sure that @samp{XEmacs FAQ} appears on the Subject: line.
733 If you think you have a better way of answering a question, or think a
734 question should be included, we'd like to hear about it. Questions and
735 answers included into the FAQ will be edited for spelling and grammar
736 and will be attributed. Answers appearing without attribution are
737 either from versions of the FAQ dated before May 1996 or are from
738 previous FAQ maintainers. Answers quoted from Usenet news articles will
739 always be attributed, regardless of the author.
741 @node Q1.1.2, Q1.1.3, Q1.1.1, Introduction
742 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.1.2: How do I become a Beta Tester?
744 Send an email message to @email{xemacs-beta-request@@xemacs.org} with
745 the line @samp{subscribe} in the body of the message.
747 Be prepared to get your hands dirty, as beta testers are expected to
748 identify problems as best they can.
750 @node Q1.1.3, Q1.2.1, Q1.1.2, Introduction
751 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.1.3: How do I contribute to XEmacs itself?
753 Ben Wing @email{ben@@xemacs.org} writes:
756 BTW if you have a wish list of things that you want added, you have to
757 speak up about it! More specifically, you can do the following if you
758 want a feature added (in increasing order of usefulness):
762 Make a posting about a feature you want added.
765 Become a beta tester and make more postings about those same features.
768 Convince us that you're going to use the features in some cool and
772 Come up with a clear and well-thought-out API concerning the features.
775 Write the code to implement a feature and send us a patch.
778 (not that we're necessarily requiring you to write the code, but we can
782 @node Q1.2.1, Q1.2.2, Q1.1.3, Introduction
783 @unnumberedsec 1.2: Credits
784 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.2.1: Who wrote XEmacs?
786 XEmacs is the result of the time and effort of many people. The
787 developers responsible for recent releases are:
790 @item @email{martin@@xemacs.org, Martin Buchholz}
792 <br><img src="mrb.jpeg" alt="Portrait of Martin Buchholz"><br>
796 @item @email{turnbull@@sk.tsukuba.ac.jp, Steven Turnbull}
799 @item @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing}
801 <br><img src="wing.gif" alt="Portrait of Ben Wing"><br>
805 @item @email{hniksic@@xemacs.org, Hrvoje Niksic}
808 <br><img src="hniksic.jpeg" alt="Portrait of Hrvoje Niksic"><br>
813 The developers responsible for older releases were:
816 @item @email{steve@@xemacs.org, Steve Baur}
819 <br><img src="steve.gif" alt="Portrait of Steve Baur"><br>
822 @item @email{cthomp@@xemacs.org, Chuck Thompson}
824 <br><img src="cthomp.jpeg" alt="Portrait of Chuck Thompson"><br>
827 @item @email{jwz@@jwz.org, Jamie Zawinski}
829 <br><img src="jwz.gif" alt="Portrait of Jamie Zawinski"><br>
832 @item @email{mly@@adoc.xerox.com, Richard Mlynarik}
834 Steve Baur was the primary maintainer for 19.15 through 21.0.
836 Chuck Thompson and Ben Wing were the maintainers for 19.11 through 19.14
837 and heavy code contributors for 19.8 through 19.10.
839 Jamie Zawinski was the maintainer for 19.0 through 19.10 (the entire
840 history of Lucid Emacs). Richard Mlynarik was a heavy code contributor
841 to 19.6 through 19.8.
845 Along with many other contributors, partially enumerated in the
846 @samp{About XEmacs} option in the Help menu.
848 @node Q1.2.2, Q1.2.3, Q1.2.1, Introduction
849 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.2.2: Who contributed to this version of the FAQ?
851 The following people contributed valuable suggestions to building this
852 version of the FAQ (listed in alphabetical order):
855 @item @email{steve@@xemacs.org, SL Baur}
857 @item @email{hniksic@@xemacs.org, Hrvoje Niksic}
859 @item @email{Aki.Vehtari@@hut.fi, Aki Vehtari}
863 @node Q1.2.3, Q1.3.1, Q1.2.2, Introduction
864 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.2.3: Who contributed to the FAQ in the past?
866 This is only a partial list, as many names were lost in a hard disk
870 @item @email{binge@@aloft.att.com, Curtis.N.Bingham}
872 @item @email{bruncott@@dormeur.inria.fr, Georges Brun-Cottan}
874 @item @email{rjc@@cogsci.ed.ac.uk, Richard Caley}
876 @item @email{cognot@@ensg.u-nancy.fr, Richard Cognot}
878 @item @email{daku@@nortel.ca, Mark Daku}
880 @item @email{wgd@@martigny.ai.mit.edu, William G. Dubuque}
882 @item @email{eeide@@cs.utah.edu, Eric Eide}
884 @item @email{af@@biomath.jussieu.fr, Alain Fauconnet}
886 @item @email{cflatter@@nrao.edu, Chris Flatters}
888 @item @email{ginsparg@@adra.com, Evelyn Ginsparg}
890 @item @email{hall@@aplcenmp.apl.jhu.edu, Marty Hall}
892 @item @email{dkindred@@cmu.edu, Darrell Kindred}
894 @item @email{dmoore@@ucsd.edu, David Moore}
896 @item @email{arup+@@cmu.edu, Arup Mukherjee}
898 @item @email{nickel@@prz.tu-berlin.de, Juergen Nickelsen}
900 @item @email{powell@@csl.ncsa.uiuc.edu, Kevin R. Powell}
902 @item @email{dworkin@@ccs.neu.edu, Justin Sheehy}
904 @item @email{stig@@hackvan.com, Stig}
906 @item @email{Aki.Vehtari@@hut.fi, Aki Vehtari}
909 @node Q1.3.1, Q1.3.2, Q1.2.3, Introduction
910 @unnumberedsec 1.3: Internationalization
911 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.1: What is the status of internationalization support aka MULE (including Asian language support?
913 Both the stable and development versions of XEmacs include
914 internationalization support (aka MULE). MULE currently works on UNIX
915 and Linux systems; work for supporting MULE on Windows operating systems
916 is in progress. Binaries compiled without MULE support run faster than
917 MULE capable XEmacsen.
919 @node Q1.3.2, Q1.3.3, Q1.3.1, Introduction
920 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.2: How can I help with internationalization?
922 If you would like to help, you may want to join the
923 @email{xemacs-mule@@xemacs.org} mailing list. Especially needed are
924 people who speak/write languages other than English, who are willing to
925 use XEmacs/MULE regularly, and have some experience with Elisp.
929 @node Q1.3.3, Q1.3.4, Q1.3.2, Introduction
930 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.3: How do I type non-ASCII characters?
932 See question 3.5.7 (@pxref{Q3.5.7}) in part 3 of this FAQ.
934 @node Q1.3.4, Q1.3.5, Q1.3.3, Introduction
935 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.4: Can XEmacs messages come out in a different language?
937 The message-catalog support has mostly been written but doesn't
938 currently work. The first release of XEmacs 20 will @emph{not} support
939 it. However, menubar localization @emph{does} work. To
940 enable it, add to your @file{Emacs} file entries like this:
943 Emacs*XlwMenu.resourceLabels: True
944 Emacs*XlwMenu.file.labelString: Fichier
945 Emacs*XlwMenu.openInOtherWindow.labelString: In anderem Fenster oeffnen
948 The name of the resource is derived from the non-localized entry by
949 removing punctuation and capitalizing as above.
951 @node Q1.3.5, Q1.3.6, Q1.3.4, Introduction
952 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.5: Please explain the various input methods in MULE/XEmacs
954 @email{morioka@@jaist.ac.jp, MORIOKA Tomohiko} writes:
957 Original Mule supports the following input methods: Wnn4, Wnn6, Canna, SJ3
958 and XIM. Interfaces for Wnn and SJ3 uses the @code{egg} user
959 interface. Interface for Canna does not use @samp{egg}. I don't know
960 about XIM. It is to support ATOK, of course, it may work for another
963 Wnn supports Japanese, Chinese and Korean. It is made by OMRON and Kyôto
964 university. It is a powerful and complex system. Wnn4 is free and Wnn6
967 Canna supports only Japanese. It is made by NEC. It is a simple and
968 powerful system. Canna uses only grammar (Wnn uses grammar and
969 probability between words), so I think Wnn is cleverer than Canna,
970 however Canna users made a good grammar and dictionary. So for standard
971 modern Japanese, Canna seems cleverer than Wnn4. In addition, the UNIX
972 version of Canna is free (now there is a Microsoft Windows version).
974 SJ3 supports only Japanese. It is made by Sony. XIM supports was made
975 to use ATOK (a major input method in personal computer world). XIM is
976 the standard for accessing input methods bundled in Japanese versions of
977 Solaris. (XEmacs 20 will support XIM input).
979 Egg consists of following parts:
983 Input character Translation System (ITS) layer.
984 It translates ASCII inputs to Kana/PinYin/Hangul characters.
987 Kana/PinYin/Hangul to Kanji transfer layer.
988 It is interface layer for network Kana-Kanji server (Wnn and Sj3).
991 These input methods are modal, namely there are mode, alphabet mode and
992 Kana-Kanji transfer mode. However there are mode-less input methods for
993 Egg and Canna. @samp{Boiled-egg} is a mode-less input method running on
994 Egg. For Canna, @samp{canna.el} has a tiny boiled-egg like command,
995 @code{(canna-boil)}, and there are some boiled-egg like utilities. In
996 addition, it was planned to make an abstraction for all transfer type
997 input methods. However authors of input methods are busy, so maybe this
998 plan is stopped. Perhaps after Mule merged GNU Emacs will be released,
999 it will be continued.
1002 @node Q1.3.6, Q1.3.7, Q1.3.5, Introduction
1003 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.6: How do I portably code for MULE/XEmacs?
1005 @email{morioka@@jaist.ac.jp, MORIOKA Tomohiko} writes:
1008 MULE and XEmacs are quite different. So the application
1009 implementor must write separate code for these mule variants.
1011 MULE and the next version of Emacs are similar but the symbols are very
1012 different---requiring separate code as well.
1014 Namely we must support 3 kinds of mule variants and 4 or 5 or 6 kinds of
1015 emacs variants... (;_;) I'm shocked, so I wrote a wrapper package called
1016 @code{emu} to provide a common interface.
1018 I have the following suggestions about dealing with mule variants:
1022 @code{(featurep 'mule)} @code{t} on all mule variants
1025 @code{(boundp 'MULE)} is @code{t} on only MULE. Maybe the next version
1026 of Emacs will not have this symbol.
1029 MULE has a variable @code{mule-version}. Perhaps the next version of
1030 Emacs will have this variable as well.
1033 Following is a sample to distinguish mule variants:
1036 (if (featurep 'mule)
1037 (cond ((boundp 'MULE)
1038 ;; for original Mule
1040 ((string-match "XEmacs" emacs-version)
1041 ;; for XEmacs with Mule
1044 ;; for next version of Emacs
1046 ;; for old emacs variants
1051 @node Q1.3.7, Q1.3.8, Q1.3.6, Introduction
1052 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.7: How about Cyrillic Modes?
1054 @email{ilya@@math.ohio-state.edu, Ilya Zakharevich} writes:
1057 There is a cyrillic mode in the file @file{mysetup.zip} in
1061 @uref{ftp://ftp.math.ohio-state.edu/pub/users/ilya/emacs/}. This is a
1062 modification to @email{ava@@math.jhu.ed, Valery Alexeev's} @file{russian.el}
1063 which can be obtained from
1066 @uref{http://www.math.uga.edu/~valery/russian.el}.
1068 @email{d.barsky@@ee.surrey.ac.uk, Dima Barsky} writes:
1071 There is another cyrillic mode for both GNU Emacs and XEmacs by
1072 @email{manin@@camelot.mssm.edu, Dmitrii
1077 @uref{http://kulichki-lat.rambler.ru/centrolit/manin/cyr.el}.
1078 @c Link above, <URL:http://camelot.mssm.edu/~manin/cyr.el> was dead.
1079 @c Changed to russian host instead
1082 @email{rebecca.ore@@op.net, Rebecca Ore} writes:
1085 The fullest resource I found on Russian language use (in and out of
1086 XEmacs) is @uref{http://www.ibiblio.org/sergei/Software/Software.html}
1089 @node Q1.3.8, Q1.3.9, Q1.3.7, Introduction
1090 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.8: Does XEmacs support Unicode?
1092 Partially, as an external encoding for files, processes, and terminals.
1093 It does not yet support Unicode fonts @ref{Q1.3.9, Does XEmacs support
1096 To get Unicode support, you need a Mule-enabled XEmacs. Install
1097 Mule-UCS from packages in the usual way. Put
1099 (require 'un-define)
1100 (set-coding-priority-list '(utf-8))
1101 (set-coding-category-system 'utf-8 utf-8)
1103 Install standard national fonts (not Unicode fonts) for all
1104 character sets you use.
1106 Mule-UCS also supports 16-bit forms of Unicode (UTF-16). It does not
1107 support 31-bit forms of Unicode (UTF-32 or UCS-4).
1109 @node Q1.3.9, Q1.4.1, Q1.3.8, Introduction
1110 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.3.9: How does XEmacs display Unicode?
1112 Mule doesn't have a Unicode charset internally, so there's nothing to
1113 bind a Unicode registry to. It would not be straightforward to create,
1114 either, because Unicode is not ISO 2022-compatible. You'd have to
1115 translate it to multiple 96x96 pages.
1117 This means that Mule-UCS uses ordinary national fonts for display. This
1118 is not really a problem, except for those languages that use the Unified
1119 Han characters. The problem here is that Mule-UCS maps from Unicode
1120 code points to national character sets in a deterministic way. By
1121 default, this means that Japanese fonts are tried first, then Chinese,
1122 then Korean. To change the priority ordering, use the command
1123 `un-define-change-charset-order'.
1125 It also means you can't use Unicode fonts directly, at least not without
1126 extreme hackery. You can run -nw with (set-terminal-coding-system
1127 'utf-8) if you really want a Unicode font for some reason.
1129 Real Unicode support will be introduced in XEmacs 22.0.
1131 @node Q1.4.1, Q1.4.2, Q1.3.9, Introduction
1132 @unnumberedsec 1.4: Getting Started, Backing up & Recovery
1133 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.1: What is an @file{init.el} or @file{.emacs} and is there a sample one?
1135 The @file{init.el} or @file{.emacs} file is used to customize XEmacs to
1136 your tastes. Starting in 21.4, the preferred location for the init file
1137 is @file{~/.xemacs/init.el}; in previous versions, it was
1138 @file{~/.emacs}. 21.4 still accepts the old location, but the first
1139 time you run it, it will ask to migrate your file to the new location.
1140 If you answer yes, the file will be moved, and a "compatibility"
1141 @file{.emacs} file will be placed in the old location so that you can
1142 still run older versions of XEmacs, and versions of GNU Emacs, which
1143 expect the old location. The @file{.emacs} file present is just a stub
1144 that loads the real file in @file{~/.xemacs/init.el}.
1146 No two init files are alike, nor are they expected to be alike, but
1147 that's the point. The XEmacs distribution contains an excellent starter
1148 example in the @file{etc/} directory called @file{sample.init.el}
1149 (starting in 21.4) or @file{sample.emacs} in older versions. Copy this
1150 file from there to @file{~/.xemacs/init.el} (starting in 21.4) or
1151 @file{~/.emacs} in older versions, where @samp{~} means your home
1152 directory, of course. Then edit it to suit.
1154 You may bring the @file{sample.init.el} or @file{sample.emacs} file into
1155 an XEmacs buffer from the menubar. (The menu entry for it is always
1156 under the @samp{Help} menu, but its location under that has changed in
1157 various versions. Recently, look under the @samp{Samples} submenu.) To
1158 determine the location of the @file{etc/} directory type the command
1159 @kbd{C-h v data-directory @key{RET}}.
1161 @node Q1.4.2, Q1.4.3, Q1.4.1, Introduction
1162 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.2: Can I use the same @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} with the other Emacs?
1164 Yes. The sample @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} included in the XEmacs
1165 distribution will show you how to handle different versions and flavors
1168 @node Q1.4.3, Q1.4.4, Q1.4.2, Introduction
1169 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.3: Any good tutorials around?
1171 There's the XEmacs tutorial available from the Help Menu under
1172 @samp{Basics->Tutorials}, or by typing @kbd{C-h t}. To check whether
1173 it's available in a non-english language, type @kbd{C-u C-h t TAB}, type
1174 the first letters of your preferred language, then type @key{RET}.
1176 @comment There's an Emacs Lisp tutorial at
1179 @comment @uref{ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/emacs-lisp-intro-1.04.tar.gz}.
1180 @comment @end example
1182 @comment @email{erik@@petaxp.rug.ac.be, Erik Sundermann} has made a tutorial web
1187 @comment @uref{http://petaxp.rug.ac.be/~erik/xemacs/}.
1189 @node Q1.4.4, Q1.4.5, Q1.4.3, Introduction
1190 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.4: May I see an example of a useful XEmacs Lisp function?
1192 The following function does a little bit of everything useful. It does
1193 something with the prefix argument, it examines the text around the
1194 cursor, and it's interactive so it may be bound to a key. It inserts
1195 copies of the current word the cursor is sitting on at the cursor. If
1196 you give it a prefix argument: @kbd{C-u 3 M-x double-word} then it will
1200 (defun double-word (count)
1201 "Insert a copy of the current word underneath the cursor"
1203 (let (here there string)
1208 (setq there (point))
1209 (setq string (buffer-substring here there)))
1215 The best way to see what is going on here is to let XEmacs tell you.
1216 Put the code into an XEmacs buffer, and do a @kbd{C-h f} with the cursor
1217 sitting just to the right of the function you want explained. Eg. move
1218 the cursor to the SPACE between @code{interactive} and @samp{"*p"} and
1219 hit @kbd{C-h f} to see what the function @code{interactive} does. Doing
1220 this will tell you that the @code{*} requires a writable buffer, and
1221 @code{p} converts the prefix argument to a number, and
1222 @code{interactive} allows you to execute the command with @kbd{M-x}.
1224 @node Q1.4.5, Q1.4.6, Q1.4.4, Introduction
1225 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.5: And how do I bind it to a key?
1227 To bind to a key do:
1230 (global-set-key "\C-cd" 'double-word)
1233 Or interactively, @kbd{M-x global-set-key} and follow the prompts.
1235 @node Q1.4.6, , Q1.4.5, Introduction
1236 @unnumberedsubsec Q1.4.6: What's the difference between a macro and a function?
1238 Quoting from the Lisp Reference (a.k.a @dfn{Lispref}) Manual:
1240 @dfn{Macros} enable you to define new control constructs and other
1241 language features. A macro is defined much like a function, but instead
1242 of telling how to compute a value, it tells how to compute another Lisp
1243 expression which will in turn compute the value. We call this
1244 expression the @dfn{expansion} of the macro.
1246 Macros can do this because they operate on the unevaluated expressions
1247 for the arguments, not on the argument values as functions do. They can
1248 therefore construct an expansion containing these argument expressions
1251 Do not confuse the two terms with @dfn{keyboard macros}, which are
1252 another matter, entirely. A keyboard macro is a key bound to several
1253 other keys. Refer to manual for details.
1255 @node Installation, Customization, Introduction, Top
1256 @unnumbered 2 Installation and Trouble Shooting
1258 This is part 2 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
1259 section is devoted to Installation, Maintenance and Trouble Shooting.
1263 * Q2.0.1:: Running XEmacs without installing.
1264 * Q2.0.2:: XEmacs is too big.
1265 * Q2.0.3:: Compiling XEmacs with Netaudio.
1266 * Q2.0.4:: Problems with Linux and ncurses.
1267 * Q2.0.5:: Do I need X11 to run XEmacs?
1268 * Q2.0.6:: I'm having strange crashes. What do I do?
1269 * Q2.0.7:: Libraries in non-standard locations.
1270 * Q2.0.8:: can't resolve symbol _h_errno
1271 * Q2.0.9:: Where do I find external libraries?
1272 * Q2.0.10:: After I run configure I find a coredump, is something wrong?
1273 * Q2.0.11:: XEmacs can't resolve host names.
1274 * Q2.0.12:: Why can't I strip XEmacs?
1275 * Q2.0.13:: I don't need no steenkin' packages. Do I? (NEW)
1276 * Q2.0.14:: I don't want to install a million .els one at a time! (NEW)
1277 * Q2.0.15:: EFS fails with "500 AUTH not understood" (NEW)
1280 * Q2.1.1:: XEmacs just crashed on me!
1281 * Q2.1.2:: Cryptic Minibuffer messages.
1282 * Q2.1.3:: Translation Table Syntax messages at Startup.
1283 * Q2.1.4:: Startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
1284 * Q2.1.5:: XEmacs cannot connect to my X Terminal.
1285 * Q2.1.6:: XEmacs just locked up my Linux X server.
1286 * Q2.1.7:: HP Alt key as Meta.
1287 * Q2.1.8:: got (wrong-type-argument color-instance-p nil)!
1288 * Q2.1.9:: XEmacs causes my OpenWindows 3.0 server to crash.
1289 * Q2.1.10:: Warnings from incorrect key modifiers.
1290 * Q2.1.11:: Can't instantiate image error... in toolbar
1291 * Q2.1.12:: Regular Expression Problems on DEC OSF1.
1292 * Q2.1.13:: HP/UX 10.10 and @code{create_process} failure
1293 * Q2.1.14:: @kbd{C-g} doesn't work for me. Is it broken?
1294 * Q2.1.15:: How to debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger.
1295 * Q2.1.16:: XEmacs crashes in @code{strcat} on HP/UX 10.
1296 * Q2.1.17:: @samp{Marker does not point anywhere}.
1297 * Q2.1.18:: XEmacs is outputting lots of X errors.
1298 * Q2.1.19:: XEmacs does not follow the local timezone.
1299 * Q2.1.20:: @samp{Symbol's function definition is void: hkey-help-show.}
1300 * Q2.1.21:: [This question intentionally left blank]
1301 * Q2.1.22:: XEmacs seems to take a really long time to do some things.
1302 * Q2.1.23:: Movemail on Linux does not work for XEmacs 19.15 and later.
1303 * Q2.1.24:: XEmacs won't start without network. (NEW)
1304 * Q2.1.25:: After upgrading, XEmacs won't do `foo' any more! (NEW)
1307 @node Q2.0.1, Q2.0.2, Installation, Installation
1308 @unnumberedsec 2.0: Installation
1309 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.1: Running XEmacs without installing
1311 How can I just try XEmacs without installing it?
1313 XEmacs will run in place without requiring installation and copying of
1314 the Lisp directories, and without having to specify a special build-time
1315 flag. It's the copying of the Lisp directories that requires so much
1316 space. XEmacs is largely written in Lisp.
1318 A good method is to make a shell alias for xemacs:
1321 alias xemacs=/i/xemacs-20.2/src/xemacs
1324 (You will obviously use whatever directory you downloaded the source
1325 tree to instead of @file{/i/xemacs-20.2}).
1327 This will let you run XEmacs without massive copying.
1329 @node Q2.0.2, Q2.0.3, Q2.0.1, Installation
1330 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.2: XEmacs is too big
1332 The space required by the installation directories can be
1333 reduced dramatically if desired. Gzip all the .el files. Remove all
1334 the packages you'll never want to use. Remove the TexInfo manuals.
1335 Remove the Info (and use just hardcopy versions of the manual). Remove
1336 most of the stuff in etc. Remove or gzip all the source code. Gzip or
1337 remove the C source code. Configure it so that copies are not made of
1340 These are all Emacs Lisp source code and bytecompiled object code. You
1341 may safely gzip everything named *.el here. You may remove any package
1342 you don't use. @emph{Nothing bad will happen if you delete a package
1343 that you do not use}. You must be sure you do not use it though, so be
1344 conservative at first.
1346 Possible candidates for deletion include w3, games, hyperbole, mh-e,
1347 hm-html-menus, vm, viper, oobr, gnus, etc. Ask yourself, @emph{Do I
1348 ever want to use this package?} If the answer is no, then it is a
1349 candidate for removal.
1351 First, gzip all the .el files. Then go about package by package and
1352 start gzipping the .elc files. Then run XEmacs and do whatever it is
1353 you normally do. If nothing bad happens, then delete the directory. Be
1354 conservative about deleting directories, and it would be handy to have a
1355 backup around in case you get too zealous.
1357 @file{prim}, @file{modes}, @file{packages}, and @file{utils} are four
1358 directories you definitely do @strong{not} want to delete, although
1359 certain packages can be removed from them if you do not use them.
1361 Online texinfo sources in the @file{info} can either be compressed them
1362 or remove them. In either case, @kbd{C-h i} (info mode) will no longer
1365 @node Q2.0.3, Q2.0.4, Q2.0.2, Installation
1366 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.3: Compiling XEmacs with Netaudio.
1368 What is the best way to compile XEmacs with the netaudio system, since I
1369 have got the netaudio system compiled but installed at a weird place, I
1370 am not root. Also in the READMEs it does not say anything about
1371 compiling with the audioserver?
1373 You should only need to add some stuff to the configure command line.
1374 To tell it to compile in netaudio support: @samp{--with-sound=both}, or
1375 @samp{--with-sound=nas} if you don't want native sound support for some
1376 reason.) To tell it where to find the netaudio includes and libraries:
1379 --site-libraries=WHATEVER
1380 --site-includes=WHATEVER
1383 Then (fingers crossed) it should compile and it will use netaudio if you
1384 have a server running corresponding to the X server. The netaudio server
1385 has to be there when XEmacs starts. If the netaudio server goes away and
1386 another is run, XEmacs should cope (fingers crossed, error handling in
1387 netaudio isn't perfect).
1389 BTW, netaudio has been renamed as it has a name clash with something
1390 else, so if you see references to NAS or Network Audio System, it's the
1391 same thing. It also might be found at
1392 @uref{ftp://ftp.x.org/contrib/audio/nas/}.
1394 @node Q2.0.4, Q2.0.5, Q2.0.3, Installation
1395 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.4: Problems with Linux and ncurses.
1397 On Linux 1.3.98 with termcap 2.0.8 and the ncurses that came with libc
1398 5.2.18, XEmacs 20.0b20 is unable to open a tty device:
1402 Initialization error:
1406 Terminal type `xterm' undefined (or can't access database?)
1409 @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing} writes:
1412 Your ncurses configuration is messed up. Your /usr/lib/terminfo is a
1413 bad pointer, perhaps to a CD-ROM that is not inserted.
1416 @node Q2.0.5, Q2.0.6, Q2.0.4, Installation
1417 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.5: Do I need X11 to run XEmacs?
1419 No. The name @dfn{XEmacs} is unfortunate in the sense that it is
1420 @strong{not} an X Window System-only version of Emacs. XEmacs has
1421 full color support on a color-capable character terminal.
1423 @node Q2.0.6, Q2.0.7, Q2.0.5, Installation
1424 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.6: I'm having strange crashes. What do I do?
1426 There have been a variety of reports of crashes due to compilers with
1427 buggy optimizers. Please see the @file{PROBLEMS} file that comes with
1428 XEmacs to read what it says about your platform.
1430 @node Q2.0.7, Q2.0.8, Q2.0.6, Installation
1431 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.7: Libraries in non-standard locations
1433 I have x-faces, jpeg, xpm etc. all in different places. I've tried
1434 space-separated, comma-separated, several --site-libraries, all to no
1438 --site-libraries='/path/one /path/two /path/etc'
1441 @node Q2.0.8, Q2.0.9, Q2.0.7, Installation
1442 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.8: can't resolve symbol _h_errno
1444 You are using the Linux/ELF distribution of XEmacs 19.14, and your ELF
1445 libraries are out of date. You have the following options:
1449 Upgrade your libc to at least 5.2.16 (better is 5.2.18, 5.3.12, or
1453 Patch the XEmacs binary by replacing all occurrences of
1454 @samp{_h_errno^@@} with
1458 @samp{h_errno^@@^@@}. Any version of Emacs will
1459 suffice. If you don't understand how to do this, don't do it.
1462 Rebuild XEmacs yourself---any working ELF version of libc should be
1466 @email{hniksic@@xemacs.org, Hrvoje Niksic} writes:
1469 Why not use a Perl one-liner for No. 2?
1472 perl -pi -e 's/_h_errno\0/h_errno\0\0/g' \
1473 /usr/local/bin/xemacs-19.14
1476 NB: You @emph{must} patch @file{/usr/local/bin/xemacs-19.14}, and not
1477 @file{xemacs} because @file{xemacs} is a link to @file{xemacs-19.14};
1478 the Perl @samp{-i} option will cause unwanted side-effects if applied to
1482 @email{steve@@xemacs.org, SL Baur} writes:
1485 If you build against a recent libc-5.4 (late enough to have caused
1486 problems earlier in the beta cycle) and then run with an earlier version
1491 xemacs: can't resolve symbol '__malloc_hook'
1492 zsh: 7942 segmentation fault (core dumped) xemacs
1495 (Example binary compiled against libc-5.4.23 and run with libc-5.4.16).
1497 The solution is to upgrade to at least libc-5.4.23. Sigh. Drat.
1500 @node Q2.0.9, Q2.0.10, Q2.0.8, Installation
1501 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.9: Where do I find external libraries?
1503 All external libraries used by XEmacs can be found at the XEmacs FTP
1508 @uref{ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/aux/}.
1510 @c Changed June Link above, <URL:ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/aux/> was dead.
1511 @c This list is a pain in the you-know-what to keep in synch with the
1513 The canonical locations (at the time of this writing) are as follows:
1517 @uref{ftp://ftp.uu.net/graphics/jpeg/}. Version 6a is current.
1518 @c Check from host with legal IP address
1520 @uref{ftp://ftp.x.org/contrib/libraries/}. Version 3.4j is current.
1521 Older versions of this package are known to cause XEmacs crashes.
1524 @uref{ftp://ftp.sgi.com/graphics/tiff/}. v3.4 is current. The latest
1525 beta is v3.4b035. There is a HOWTO here.
1528 @uref{ftp://ftp.uu.net/graphics/png/}. 0.89c is current. XEmacs
1529 requires a fairly recent version to avoid using temporary files.
1530 @c Check from host with legal IP address
1532 @uref{ftp://swrinde.nde.swri.edu/pub/png/src/}
1535 @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.indiana.edu/pub/faces/compface/}. This library has
1536 been frozen for about 6 years, and is distributed without version
1537 numbers. @emph{It should be compiled with the same options that X11 was
1538 compiled with on your system}. The version of this library at
1539 XEmacs.org includes the @file{xbm2xface.pl} script, written by
1540 @email{stig@@hackvan.com}, which may be useful when generating your own xface.
1543 @uref{ftp://ftp.x.org/contrib/audio/nas/}.
1544 Version 1.2p5 is current. There is a FAQ here.
1547 @node Q2.0.10, Q2.0.11, Q2.0.9, Installation
1548 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.10: After I run configure I find a core dump, is something wrong?
1550 Not necessarily. If you have GNU sed 3.0 you should downgrade it to
1551 2.05. From the @file{README} at prep.ai.mit.edu:
1554 sed 3.0 has been withdrawn from distribution. It has major revisions,
1555 which mostly seem to be improvements; but it turns out to have bugs too
1556 which cause trouble in some common cases.
1558 Tom Lord won't be able to work fixing the bugs until May. So in the
1559 mean time, we've decided to withdraw sed 3.0 from distribution and make
1560 version 2.05 once again the recommended version.
1563 It has also been observed that the vfork test on Solaris will leave a
1566 @node Q2.0.11, Q2.0.12, Q2.0.10, Installation
1567 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.11: XEmacs doesn't resolve hostnames.
1569 This is the result of a long-standing problem with SunOS and the fact
1570 that stock SunOS systems do not ship with DNS resolver code in libc.
1572 @email{ckd@@loiosh.kei.com, Christopher Davis} writes:
1575 That's correct [The SunOS 4.1.3 precompiled binaries don't do name
1576 lookup]. Since Sun figured that everyone used NIS to do name lookups
1577 (that DNS thing was apparently only a passing fad, right?), the stock
1578 SunOS 4.x systems don't have DNS-based name lookups in libc.
1580 This is also why Netscape ships two binaries for SunOS 4.1.x.
1582 The best solution is to compile it yourself; the configure script will
1583 check to see if you've put DNS in the shared libc and will then proceed
1584 to link against the DNS resolver library code.
1587 @node Q2.0.12, Q2.0.13, Q2.0.11, Installation
1588 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.12: Why can't I strip XEmacs?
1590 @email{cognot@@fronsac.ensg.u-nancy.fr, Richard Cognot} writes:
1593 Because of the way XEmacs (and every other Emacsen, AFAIK) is built. The
1594 link gives you a bare-boned emacs (called temacs). temacs is then run,
1595 preloading some of the lisp files. The result is then dumped into a new
1596 executable, named xemacs, which will contain all of the preloaded lisp
1599 Now, during the dump itself, the executable (code+data+symbols) is
1600 written on disk using a special unexec() function. This function is
1601 obviously heavily system dependent. And on some systems, it leads to an
1602 executable which, although valid, cannot be stripped without damage. If
1603 memory serves, this is especially the case for AIX binaries. On other
1604 architectures it might work OK.
1606 The Right Way to strip the emacs binary is to strip temacs prior to
1607 dumping xemacs. This will always work, although you can do that only if
1608 you install from sources (as temacs is @file{not} part of the binary
1612 @email{nat@@nataa.fr.eu.org, Nat Makarevitch} writes:
1619 [ ./configure; make ]
1631 cp src/xemacs /usr/local/bin/xemacs
1634 cp lib-src/DOC-19.16-XEmacs
1638 /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.16/i586-unknown-linuxaout
1642 @node Q2.0.13, Q2.0.14, Q2.0.12, Installation
1643 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.13: I don't need no steenkin' packages. Do I? (NEW)
1645 Strictly speaking, no. XEmacs will build and install just fine without
1646 any packages installed. However, only the most basic editing functions
1647 will be available with no packages installed, so installing packages is
1648 an essential part of making your installed XEmacs _useful_.
1650 @node Q2.0.14, Q2.0.15, Q2.0.13, Installation
1651 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.14: How do I figure out which packages to install? (NEW)
1653 Many people really liked the old way that packages were bundled and do
1654 not want to mess with packages at all. You can grab all the packages at
1655 once like you used to with old XEmacs versions. Download the file
1657 @file{xemacs-sumo.tar.gz}
1659 For an XEmacs compiled with Mule you also need
1661 @file{xemacs-mule-sumo.tar.gz}
1663 from the @file{packages} directory on your XEmacs mirror archive.
1664 N.B. They are called 'Sumo Tarballs' for good reason. They are
1665 currently about 15MB and 2.3MB (gzipped) respectively.
1669 @code{cd $prefix/lib/xemacs ; gunzip -c <tarballname> | tar xf -}
1671 See README.packages for more detailed installation instructions.
1673 As the Sumo tarballs are not regenerated as often as the individual
1674 packages, it is recommended that you use the automatic package tools
1675 afterwards to pick up any recent updates.
1677 @node Q2.0.15, Q2.1.1, Q2.0.14, Installation
1678 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.0.15: EFS fails with "500 AUTH not understood" (NEW)
1680 A typical error: FTP Error: USER request failed; 500 AUTH not understood.
1682 Thanks to giacomo boffi @email{giacomo.boffi@@polimi.it} who recommends
1683 on comp.emacs.xemacs:
1685 tell your ftp client to not attempt AUTH authentication (or do not
1686 use FTP servers that don't understand AUTH)
1688 and notes that you need to add an element (often "-u") to
1689 `efs-ftp-program-args'. Use M-x customize-variable, and verify the
1690 needed flag with `man ftp' or other local documentation.
1692 @node Q2.1.1, Q2.1.2, Q2.0.15, Installation
1693 @unnumberedsec 2.1: Trouble Shooting
1694 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.1: Help! XEmacs just crashed on me!
1696 First of all, don't panic. Whenever XEmacs crashes, it tries extremely
1697 hard to auto-save all of your files before dying. (The main time that
1698 this will not happen is if the machine physically lost power or if you
1699 killed the XEmacs process using @code{kill -9}). The next time you try
1700 to edit those files, you will be informed that a more recent auto-save
1701 file exists. You can use @kbd{M-x recover-file} to retrieve the
1702 auto-saved version of the file.
1704 You can use the command @kbd{M-x recover-session} after a crash to pick
1705 up where you left off.
1707 Now, XEmacs is not perfect, and there may occasionally be times, or
1708 particular sequences of actions, that cause it to crash. If you can
1709 come up with a reproducible way of doing this (or even if you have a
1710 pretty good memory of exactly what you were doing at the time), the
1711 maintainers would be very interested in knowing about it. Post a
1712 message to comp.emacs.xemacs or send mail to @email{crashes@@xemacs.org}.
1713 Please note that the @samp{crashes} address is exclusively for crash
1716 If at all possible, include a stack backtrace of the core dump that was
1717 produced. This shows where exactly things went wrong, and makes it much
1718 easier to diagnose problems. To do this, you need to locate the core
1719 file (it's called @file{core}, and is usually sitting in the directory
1720 that you started XEmacs from, or your home directory if that other
1721 directory was not writable). Then, go to that directory and execute a
1725 gdb `which xemacs` core
1728 and then issue the command @samp{where} to get the stack backtrace. You
1729 might have to use @code{dbx} or some similar debugger in place of
1730 @code{gdb}. If you don't have any such debugger available, complain to
1731 your system administrator.
1733 It's possible that a core file didn't get produced, in which case you're
1734 out of luck. Go complain to your system administrator and tell him not
1735 to disable core files by default. Also see @ref{Q2.1.15}, for tips and
1736 techniques for dealing with a debugger.
1738 When making a problem report make sure that:
1742 Report @strong{all} of the information output by XEmacs during the
1746 You mention what O/S & Hardware you are running XEmacs on.
1749 What version of XEmacs you are running.
1752 What build options you are using.
1755 If the problem is related to graphics, we will also need to know what
1756 version of the X Window System you are running, and what window manager
1760 If the problem happened on a tty, please include the terminal type.
1763 @node Q2.1.2, Q2.1.3, Q2.1.1, Installation
1764 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.2: Cryptic Minibuffer messages.
1766 When I try to use some particular option of some particular package, I
1767 get a cryptic error in the minibuffer.
1769 If you can't figure out what's going on, select Options/General
1770 Options/Debug on Error from the Menubar and then try and make the error
1771 happen again. This will give you a backtrace that may be enlightening.
1772 If not, try reading through this FAQ; if that fails, you could try
1773 posting to comp.emacs.xemacs (making sure to include the backtrace) and
1774 someone may be able to help. If you can identify which Emacs lisp
1775 source file the error is coming from you can get a more detailed stack
1776 backtrace by doing the following:
1780 Visit the .el file in an XEmacs buffer.
1783 Issue the command @kbd{M-x eval-current-buffer}.
1786 Reproduce the error.
1789 Depending on the version of XEmacs, you may either select View->Show
1790 Message Log (recent versions), Edit->Show Messages (some earlier
1791 versions) or Help->Recent Keystrokes/Messages (other earlier versions)
1792 from the menubar to see the most recent messages. This command is bound
1793 to @kbd{C-h l} by default.
1795 @node Q2.1.3, Q2.1.4, Q2.1.2, Installation
1796 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.3: Translation Table Syntax messages at Startup
1798 I get tons of translation table syntax error messages during startup.
1799 How do I get rid of them?
1801 There are two causes of this problem. The first usually only strikes
1802 people using the prebuilt binaries. The culprit in both cases is the
1803 file @file{XKeysymDB}.
1807 The binary cannot find the @file{XKeysymDB} file. The location is
1808 hardcoded at compile time so if the system the binary was built on puts
1809 it a different place than your system does, you have problems. To fix,
1810 set the environment variable @var{XKEYSYMDB} to the location of the
1811 @file{XKeysymDB} file on your system or to the location of the one
1812 included with XEmacs which should be at
1816 @file{<xemacs_root_directory>/lib/xemacs-19.16/etc/XKeysymDB}.
1819 The binary is finding the XKeysymDB but it is out-of-date on your system
1820 and does not contain the necessary lines. Either ask your system
1821 administrator to replace it with the one which comes with XEmacs (which
1822 is the stock R6 version and is backwards compatible) or set your
1823 @var{XKEYSYMDB} variable to the location of XEmacs's described above.
1826 @node Q2.1.4, Q2.1.5, Q2.1.3, Installation
1827 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.4: Startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
1829 How can I avoid the startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
1831 This is highly dependent on your installation, but try with the
1832 following font as your base font for XEmacs and see what it does:
1835 -adobe-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-iso8859-1
1838 More precisely, do the following in your resource file:
1841 Emacs.default.attributeFont: \
1842 -adobe-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-iso8859-1
1845 If you just don't want to see the @samp{*Warnings*} buffer at startup
1846 time, you can set this:
1849 (setq display-warning-minimum-level 'error)
1852 The buffer still exists; it just isn't in your face.
1854 @node Q2.1.5, Q2.1.6, Q2.1.4, Installation
1855 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.5: XEmacs cannot connect to my X Terminal!
1857 Help! I can not get XEmacs to display on my Envizex X-terminal!
1859 Try setting the @var{DISPLAY} variable using the numeric IP address of
1860 the host you are running XEmacs from.
1862 @node Q2.1.6, Q2.1.7, Q2.1.5, Installation
1863 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.6: XEmacs just locked up my Linux X server!
1865 There have been several reports of the X server locking up under Linux.
1866 In all reported cases removing speedo and scaled fonts from the font
1867 path corrected the problem. This can be done with the command
1870 It is possible that using a font server may also solve the problem.
1872 @node Q2.1.7, Q2.1.8, Q2.1.6, Installation
1873 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.7: HP Alt key as Meta.
1875 How can I make XEmacs recognize the Alt key of my HP workstation as a
1878 Put the following line into a file and load it with xmodmap(1) before
1882 remove Mod1 = Mode_switch
1885 @node Q2.1.8, Q2.1.9, Q2.1.7, Installation
1886 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.8: got (wrong-type-argument color-instance-p nil)
1888 @email{nataliek@@rd.scitec.com.au, Natalie Kershaw} writes:
1891 I am trying to run xemacs 19.13 under X11R4. Whenever I move the mouse I
1892 get the following error. Has anyone seen anything like this? This
1893 doesn't occur on X11R5.
1897 (error "got (wrong-type-argument color-instance-p nil)
1898 and I don't know why!")
1902 @email{map01kd@@gold.ac.uk, dinos} writes:
1905 I think this is due to undefined resources; You need to define color
1906 backgrounds and foregrounds into your @file{.../app-defaults/Emacs}
1910 *Foreground: Black ;everything will be of black on grey95,
1911 *Background: Grey95 ;unless otherwise specified.
1912 *cursorColor: Red3 ;red3 cursor with grey95 border.
1913 *pointerColor: Red3 ;red3 pointer with grey95 border.
1917 Natalie Kershaw adds:
1920 What fixed the problem was adding some more colors to the X color
1921 database (copying the X11R5 colors over), and also defining the
1922 following resources:
1925 xemacs*cursorColor: black
1926 xemacs*pointerColor: black
1929 With the new colors installed the problem still occurs if the above
1930 resources are not defined.
1932 If the new colors are not present then an additional error occurs on
1933 XEmacs startup, which says @samp{Color Red3} not defined.
1936 @node Q2.1.9, Q2.1.10, Q2.1.8, Installation
1937 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.9: XEmacs causes my OpenWindows 3.0 server to crash.
1939 The OpenWindows 3.0 server is incredibly buggy. Your best bet is to
1940 replace it with one from the generic MIT X11 release. You might also
1941 try disabling parts of your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}, like those
1942 that enable background pixmaps.
1944 @node Q2.1.10, Q2.1.11, Q2.1.9, Installation
1945 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.10: Warnings from incorrect key modifiers.
1947 The following information comes from the @file{PROBLEMS} file that comes
1950 If you're having troubles with HP/UX it is because HP/UX defines the
1951 modifiers wrong in X. Here is a shell script to fix the problem; be
1952 sure that it is run after VUE configures the X server.
1956 xmodmap 2> /dev/null - << EOF
1957 keysym Alt_L = Meta_L
1958 keysym Alt_R = Meta_R
1963 keysym Mode_switch = NoSymbol
1965 keysym Meta_R = Mode_switch
1966 add mod2 = Mode_switch
1970 @node Q2.1.11, Q2.1.12, Q2.1.10, Installation
1971 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.11: @samp{Can't instantiate image error...} in toolbar
1974 @email{expt@@alanine.ram.org, Dr. Ram Samudrala} writes:
1976 I just installed the XEmacs (20.4-2) RPMS that I downloaded from
1977 @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/}. Everything works fine, except that when
1978 I place my mouse over the toolbar, it beeps and gives me this message:
1981 Can't instantiate image (probably cached):
1982 [xbm :mask-file "/usr/include/X11/bitmaps/leftptrmsk :mask-data
1983 (16 16 <strange control characters> ...
1986 @email{kyle_jones@@wonderworks.com, Kyle Jones} writes:
1988 This is problem specific to some Chips and Technologies video
1989 chips, when running XFree86. Putting
1991 @code{Option "sw_cursor"}
1993 in @file{XF86Config} gets rid of the problem.
1996 @node Q2.1.12, Q2.1.13, Q2.1.11, Installation
1997 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.12: Problems with Regular Expressions on DEC OSF1.
1999 I have xemacs 19.13 running on an alpha running OSF1 V3.2 148 and ispell
2000 would not run because it claimed the version number was incorrect
2001 although it was indeed OK. I traced the problem to the regular
2004 @email{douglask@@dstc.edu.au, Douglas Kosovic} writes:
2007 Actually it's a DEC cc optimization bug that screws up the regexp
2010 Rebuilding using the @samp{-migrate} switch for DEC cc (which uses a
2011 different sort of optimization) works fine.
2014 See @file{xemacs-19_13-dunix-3_2c.patch} at the following URL on how to
2015 build with the @samp{-migrate} flag:
2018 @uref{http://www-digital.cern.ch/carney/emacs/emacs.html}
2019 @c Link above, <URL:http://www-digital.cern.ch/carney/emacs/emacs.html> is
2020 @c dead. And the directory `carney' is empty.
2026 NOTE: There have been a variety of other problems reported that are
2027 fixed in this fashion.
2029 @node Q2.1.13, Q2.1.14, Q2.1.12, Installation
2030 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.13: HP/UX 10.10 and @code{create_process} failure.
2032 @email{Dave.Carrigan@@ipl.ca, Dave Carrigan} writes:
2035 With XEmacs 19.13 and HP/UX 10.10, anything that relies on the
2036 @code{create_process} function fails. This breaks a lot of things
2037 (shell-mode, compile, ange-ftp, to name a few).
2040 @email{johnson@@dtc.hp.com, Phil Johnson} writes:
2043 This is a problem specific to HP-UX 10.10. It only occurs when XEmacs
2044 is compiled for shared libraries (the default), so you can work around
2045 it by compiling a statically-linked binary (run configure with
2046 @samp{--dynamic=no}).
2048 I'm not sure whether the problem is with a particular shared library or
2049 if it's a kernel problem which crept into 10.10.
2052 @email{cognot@@ensg.u-nancy.fr, Richard Cognot} writes:
2055 I had a few problems with 10.10. Apparently, some of them were solved by
2056 forcing a static link of libc (manually).
2059 @node Q2.1.14, Q2.1.15, Q2.1.13, Installation
2060 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.14: @kbd{C-g} doesn't work for me. Is it broken?
2062 @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing} writes:
2065 @kbd{C-g} does work for most people in most circumstances. If it
2066 doesn't, there are only two explanations:
2070 The code is wrapped with a binding of @code{inhibit-quit} to
2071 @code{t}. @kbd{Ctrl-Shift-G} should still work, I think.
2074 SIGIO is broken on your system, but BROKEN_SIGIO isn't defined.
2077 To test #2, try executing @code{(while t)} from the @samp{*scratch*}
2078 buffer. If @kbd{C-g} doesn't interrupt, then you're seeing #2.
2081 @email{terra@@diku.dk, Morten Welinder} writes:
2084 On some (but @emph{not} all) machines a hung XEmacs can be revived by
2085 @code{kill -FPE <pid>}. This is a hack, of course, not a solution.
2086 This technique works on a Sun4 running 4.1.3_U1. To see if it works for
2087 you, start another XEmacs and test with that first. If you get a core
2088 dump the method doesn't work and if you get @samp{Arithmetic error} then
2092 @node Q2.1.15, Q2.1.16, Q2.1.14, Installation
2093 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.15: How to Debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger
2095 If XEmacs does crash on you, one of the most productive things you can
2096 do to help get the bug fixed is to poke around a bit with the debugger.
2097 Here are some hints:
2101 First of all, if the crash is at all reproducible, consider very
2102 strongly recompiling your XEmacs with debugging symbols and with no
2103 optimization (e.g. with GCC use the compiler flags @samp{-g -O0} --
2104 that's an "oh" followed by a zero), and with the configure options
2105 @samp{--debug=yes} and @samp{--error-checking=all}. This will make your
2106 XEmacs run somewhat slower but make it a lot more likely to catch the
2107 problem earlier (closer to its source), and a lot easier to determine
2108 what's going on with a debugger.
2111 If you're able to run XEmacs under a debugger and reproduce the crash
2112 (if it's inconvenient to do this because XEmacs is already running or is
2113 running in batch mode as part of a bunch of scripts, consider attaching
2114 to the existing process with your debugger; most debuggers let you do
2115 this by substituting the process ID for the core file when you invoke
2116 the debugger from the command line, or by using the @code{attach}
2117 command or something similar), here are some things you can do:
2120 If XEmacs is hitting an assertion failure, put a breakpoint on
2121 @code{assert_failed()}.
2124 If XEmacs is hitting some weird Lisp error that's causing it to crash
2125 (e.g. during startup), put a breakpoint on @code{signal_1()}---this is
2126 declared static in eval.c.
2129 If XEmacs is outputting lots of X errors, put a breakpoint on
2130 @code{x_error_handler()}; that will tell you which call is causing them.
2133 Internally, you will probably see lots of variables that hold objects of
2134 type @code{Lisp_Object}. These are exactly what they appear to be,
2135 i.e. references to Lisp objects. Printing them out with the debugger
2136 probably won't be too useful---you'll likely just see a number. To
2137 decode them, do this:
2140 call debug_print (OBJECT)
2143 where @var{OBJECT} is whatever you want to decode (it can be a variable,
2144 a function call, etc.). This will print out a readable representation
2145 on the TTY from which the xemacs process was invoked.
2148 If you want to get a Lisp backtrace showing the Lisp call
2152 call debug_backtrace ()
2156 Using @code{debug_print} and @code{debug_backtrace} has two
2157 disadvantages - it can only be used with a running xemacs process, and
2158 it cannot display the internal C structure of a Lisp Object. Even if
2159 all you've got is a core dump, all is not lost.
2161 If you're using GDB, there are some macros in the file
2162 @file{src/.gdbinit} in the XEmacs source distribution that should make
2163 it easier for you to decode Lisp objects. This file is automatically
2164 read by gdb if gdb is run in the directory where xemacs was built, and
2165 contains these useful macros to inspect the state of xemacs:
2169 Usage: pobj lisp_object @*
2170 Print the internal C representation of a lisp object.
2173 Usage: xtype lisp_object @*
2174 Print the Lisp type of a lisp object.
2178 Print the current Lisp stack trace.
2179 Requires a running xemacs process.
2182 Usage: ldp lisp_object @*
2183 Print a Lisp Object value using the Lisp printer.
2184 Requires a running xemacs process.
2187 Usage: run-temacs @*
2188 Run temacs interactively, like xemacs.
2189 Use this with debugging tools (like purify) that cannot deal with dumping,
2190 or when temacs builds successfully, but xemacs does not.
2193 Usage: dump-temacs @*
2194 Run the dumping part of the build procedure.
2195 Use when debugging temacs, not xemacs!
2196 Use this when temacs builds successfully, but xemacs does not.
2199 Usage: check-xemacs @*
2200 Run the test suite. Equivalent to 'make check'.
2203 Usage: check-temacs @*
2204 Run the test suite on temacs. Equivalent to 'make check-temacs'.
2205 Use this with debugging tools (like purify) that cannot deal with dumping,
2206 or when temacs builds successfully, but xemacs does not.
2209 If you are using Sun's @file{dbx} debugger, there is an equivalent file
2210 @file{src/.dbxrc}, which defines the same commands for dbx.
2213 If you're using a debugger to get a C stack backtrace and you're seeing
2214 stack traces with some of the innermost frames mangled, it may be due to
2215 dynamic linking. (This happens especially under Linux.) Consider
2216 reconfiguring with @samp{--dynamic=no}. Also, sometimes (again under
2217 Linux), stack backtraces of core dumps will have the frame where the
2218 fatal signal occurred mangled; if you can obtain a stack trace while
2219 running the XEmacs process under a debugger, the stack trace should be
2222 @email{1CMC3466@@ibm.mtsac.edu, Curtiss} suggests upgrading to ld.so version 1.8
2223 if dynamic linking and debugging is a problem on Linux.
2226 If you're using a debugger to get a C stack backtrace and you're
2227 getting a completely mangled and bogus stack trace, it's probably due to
2228 one of the following:
2232 Your executable has been stripped. Bad news. Tell your sysadmin not to
2233 do this---it doesn't accomplish anything except to save a bit of disk
2234 space, and makes debugging much much harder.
2237 Your stack is getting trashed. Debugging this is hard; you have to do a
2238 binary-search type of narrowing down where the crash occurs, until you
2239 figure out exactly which line is causing the problem. Of course, this
2240 only works if the bug is highly reproducible.
2243 If your stack trace has exactly one frame in it, with address 0x0, this
2244 could simply mean that XEmacs attempted to execute code at that address,
2245 e.g. through jumping to a null function pointer. Unfortunately, under
2246 those circumstances, GDB under Linux doesn't know how to get a stack
2247 trace. (Yes, this is the third Linux-related problem I've mentioned. I
2248 have no idea why GDB under Linux is so bogus. Complain to the GDB
2249 authors, or to comp.os.linux.development.system). Again, you'll have to
2250 use the narrowing-down process described above.
2253 You will get a Lisp backtrace output when XEmacs crashes, so you'll have
2259 If you compile with the newer gcc variants gcc-2.8 or egcs, you will
2260 also need gdb 4.17 or above. Earlier releases of gdb can't handle the
2261 debug information generated by the newer compilers.
2264 In versions of XEmacs before 21.2.27, @file{src/.gdbinit} was named
2265 @file{src/gdbinit}. This had the disadvantage of not being sourced
2266 automatically by gdb, so you had to set that up yourself.
2270 @node Q2.1.16, Q2.1.17, Q2.1.15, Installation
2271 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.16: XEmacs crashes in @code{strcat} on HP/UX 10
2273 From the problems database (through
2274 the former address http://support.mayfield.hp.com/):
2277 Problem Report: 5003302299
2280 System/Model: 9000/700
2281 Product Name: HPUX S800 10.0X
2282 Product Vers: 9245XB.10.00
2284 Description: strcat(3C) may read beyond
2285 end of source string, can cause SIGSEGV
2288 *** PROBLEM TEXT ***
2289 strcat(3C) may read beyond the source string onto an unmapped page,
2290 causing a segmentation violation.
2293 @node Q2.1.17, Q2.1.18, Q2.1.16, Installation
2294 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.17: @samp{Marker does not point anywhere}
2296 As with other errors, set @code{debug-on-error} to @code{t} to get the
2297 backtrace when the error occurs. Specifically, two problems have been
2298 reported (and fixed).
2302 A problem with line-number-mode in XEmacs 19.14 affected a large number
2303 of other packages. If you see this error message, turn off
2307 A problem with some early versions of Gnus 5.4 caused this error.
2311 @node Q2.1.18, Q2.1.19, Q2.1.17, Installation
2312 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.18: XEmacs is outputting lots of X errors.
2314 If this is happening, we would very much like to know what's causing
2315 them. To find this out, see @ref{Q2.1.15}. Try to get both a C and Lisp
2316 backtrace, and send them to @email{xemacs-beta@@xemacs.org}.
2318 @node Q2.1.19, Q2.1.20, Q2.1.18, Installation
2319 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.19: XEmacs does not follow the local timezone.
2321 When using one of the prebuilt binaries many users have observed that
2322 XEmacs uses the timezone under which it was built, but not the timezone
2323 under which it is running. The solution is to add:
2326 (set-time-zone-rule "MET")
2329 to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} or the @file{site-start.el} file if
2330 you can. Replace @code{MET} with your local timezone.
2332 @node Q2.1.20, Q2.1.21, Q2.1.19, Installation
2333 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.20: @samp{Symbol's function definition is void: hkey-help-show.}
2335 This is a problem with a partially loaded hyperbole. Try adding:
2338 (require 'hmouse-drv)
2341 where you load hyperbole and the problem should go away.
2343 @node Q2.1.21, Q2.1.22, Q2.1.20, Installation
2344 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.21: [This question intentionally left blank]
2346 @node Q2.1.22, Q2.1.23, Q2.1.21, Installation
2347 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.22: XEmacs seems to take a really long time to do some things
2349 @email{dmoore@@ucsd.edu, David Moore} writes:
2352 Two things you can do:
2356 When you see it going mad like this, you might want to use gdb from an
2357 'xterm' to attach to the running process and get a stack trace. To do
2361 gdb /path/to/xemacs/xemacs ####
2364 Where @code{####} is the process id of your xemacs, instead of
2365 specifying the core. When gdb attaches, the xemacs will stop [1] and
2366 you can type `where' in gdb to get a stack trace as usual. To get
2367 things moving again, you can just type `quit' in gdb. It'll tell you
2368 the program is running and ask if you want to quit anyways. Say 'y' and
2369 it'll quit and have your emacs continue from where it was at.
2373 Turn on debug-on-quit early on. When you think things are going slow
2374 hit C-g and it may pop you in the debugger so you can see what routine
2375 is running. Press `c' to get going again.
2377 debug-on-quit doesn't work if something's turned on inhibit-quit or in
2378 some other strange cases.
2381 @node Q2.1.23, Q2.1.24, Q2.1.22, Installation
2382 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.23: Movemail on Linux does not work for XEmacs 19.15 and later.
2384 Movemail used to work fine in 19.14 but has stopped working in 19.15
2385 and 20.x. I am using Linux.
2387 @email{steve@@xemacs.org, SL Baur} writes:
2390 Movemail on Linux used to default to using flock file locking. With
2391 19.15 and later versions it now defaults to using @code{.lock} file
2392 locking. If this is not appropriate for your system, edit src/s/linux.h
2393 and uncomment the line that reads:
2396 #define MAIL_USE_FLOCK
2400 @node Q2.1.24, Q2.1.25, Q2.1.23, Installation
2401 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.24: XEmacs won't start without network. (NEW)
2403 If XEmacs starts when you're on the network, but fails when you're not
2404 on the network, you may be missing a "localhost" entry in your
2405 @file{/etc/hosts} file. The file should contain an entry like:
2411 Add that line, and XEmacs will be happy.
2413 @node Q2.1.25, , Q2.1.24, Installation
2414 @unnumberedsubsec Q2.1.25:: After upgrading, XEmacs won't do `foo' any more! (NEW)
2416 You have been used to doing `foo', but now when you invoke it (or click
2417 the toolbar button or select the menu item), nothing (or an error)
2418 happens. The simplest explanation is that you are missing a package
2419 that is essential to you. You can either track it down and install it
2420 (there is a list of packages and brief descriptions of their contents in
2421 @file{etc/PACKAGES}), or install the `Sumo Tarball' (@pxref{Q2.0.14}).
2423 @c #### should xref to XEmacs manual here
2425 @node Customization, Subsystems, Installation, Top
2426 @unnumbered 3 Customization and Options
2428 This is part 3 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
2429 section is devoted to Customization and screen settings.
2432 Customization---Emacs Lisp and @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
2433 * Q3.0.1:: What version of Emacs am I running?
2434 * Q3.0.2:: How do I evaluate Elisp expressions?
2435 * Q3.0.3:: @code{(setq tab-width 6)} behaves oddly.
2436 * Q3.0.4:: How can I add directories to the @code{load-path}?
2437 * Q3.0.5:: How to check if a lisp function is defined?
2438 * Q3.0.6:: Can I force the output of @code{(face-list)} to a buffer?
2439 * Q3.0.7:: Font selections don't get saved after @code{Save Options}.
2440 * Q3.0.8:: How do I make a single minibuffer frame?
2441 * Q3.0.9:: What is @code{Customize}?
2443 X Window System & Resources:
2444 * Q3.1.1:: Where is a list of X resources?
2445 * Q3.1.2:: How can I detect a color display?
2446 * Q3.1.3:: [This question intentionally left blank]
2447 * Q3.1.4:: [This question intentionally left blank]
2448 * Q3.1.5:: How can I get the icon to just say @samp{XEmacs}?
2449 * Q3.1.6:: How can I have the window title area display the full path?
2450 * Q3.1.7:: @samp{xemacs -name junk} doesn't work?
2451 * Q3.1.8:: @samp{-iconic} doesn't work.
2453 Textual Fonts & Colors:
2454 * Q3.2.1:: How can I set color options from @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}?
2455 * Q3.2.2:: How do I set the text, menu and modeline fonts?
2456 * Q3.2.3:: How can I set the colors when highlighting a region?
2457 * Q3.2.4:: How can I limit color map usage?
2458 * Q3.2.5:: My tty supports color, but XEmacs doesn't use them.
2459 * Q3.2.6:: Can I have pixmap backgrounds in XEmacs?
2462 * Q3.3.1:: How can I make the modeline go away?
2463 * Q3.3.2:: How do you have XEmacs display the line number in the modeline?
2464 * Q3.3.3:: How do I get XEmacs to put the time of day on the modeline?
2465 * Q3.3.4:: How do I turn off current chapter from AUC TeX modeline?
2466 * Q3.3.5:: How can one change the modeline color based on the mode used?
2468 3.4 Multiple Device Support:
2469 * Q3.4.1:: How do I open a frame on another screen of my multi-headed display?
2470 * Q3.4.2:: Can I really connect to a running XEmacs after calling up over a modem? How?
2473 * Q3.5.1:: How can I bind complex functions (or macros) to keys?
2474 * Q3.5.2:: How can I stop down-arrow from adding empty lines to the bottom of my buffers?
2475 * Q3.5.3:: How do I bind C-. and C-; to scroll one line up and down?
2476 * Q3.5.4:: Globally binding @kbd{Delete}?
2477 * Q3.5.5:: Scrolling one line at a time.
2478 * Q3.5.6:: How to map @kbd{Help} key alone on Sun type4 keyboard?
2479 * Q3.5.7:: How can you type in special characters in XEmacs?
2480 * Q3.5.8:: [This question intentionally left blank]
2481 * Q3.5.9:: How do I make the Delete key delete forward?
2482 * Q3.5.10:: Can I turn on @dfn{sticky} modifier keys?
2483 * Q3.5.11:: How do I map the arrow keys?
2486 * Q3.6.1:: Is there a way to make the bar cursor thicker?
2487 * 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?
2488 * Q3.6.3:: Can I make the cursor blink?
2490 The Mouse and Highlighting:
2491 * Q3.7.1:: How can I turn off Mouse pasting?
2492 * Q3.7.2:: How do I set control/meta/etc modifiers on mouse buttons?
2493 * Q3.7.3:: Clicking the left button does not do anything in buffer list.
2494 * Q3.7.4:: How can I get a list of buffers when I hit mouse button 3?
2495 * Q3.7.5:: Why does cut-and-paste not work between XEmacs and a cmdtool?
2496 * Q3.7.6:: How I can set XEmacs up so that it pastes where the text cursor is?
2497 * Q3.7.7:: How do I select a rectangular region?
2498 * Q3.7.8:: Why does @kbd{M-w} take so long?
2500 The Menubar and Toolbar:
2501 * Q3.8.1:: How do I get rid of the menu (or menubar)?
2502 * Q3.8.2:: Can I customize the basic menubar?
2503 * Q3.8.3:: How do I control how many buffers are listed in the menu @code{Buffers} list?
2504 * Q3.8.4:: Resources like @code{Emacs*menubar*font} are not working?
2505 * Q3.8.5:: How can I bind a key to a function to toggle the toolbar?
2508 * Q3.9.1:: How can I disable the scrollbar?
2509 * Q3.9.2:: How can one use resources to change scrollbar colors?
2510 * Q3.9.3:: Moving the scrollbar can move the point; can I disable this?
2511 * Q3.9.4:: How can I turn off automatic horizontal scrolling in specific modes?
2514 * Q3.10.1:: How can I turn off or change highlighted selections?
2515 * Q3.10.2:: How do I get that typing on an active region removes it?
2516 * Q3.10.3:: Can I turn off the highlight during isearch?
2517 * Q3.10.4:: How do I turn off highlighting after @kbd{C-x C-p} (mark-page)?
2518 * Q3.10.5:: The region disappears when I hit the end of buffer while scrolling.
2519 * Q3.10.6:: Why is killing so slow?
2522 @node Q3.0.1, Q3.0.2, Customization, Customization
2523 @unnumberedsec 3.0: Customization -- Emacs Lisp and @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}
2524 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.1: What version of Emacs am I running?
2526 How can @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} determine which of the family of
2529 To determine if you are currently running GNU Emacs 18, GNU Emacs 19,
2530 XEmacs 19, XEmacs 20, or Epoch, and use appropriate code, check out the
2531 example given in @file{etc/sample.init.el} (@file{etc/sample.emacs} in
2532 XEmacs versions prior to 21.4). There are other nifty things in there
2535 For all new code, all you really need to do is:
2538 (defvar running-xemacs (string-match "XEmacs\\|Lucid" emacs-version))
2541 @node Q3.0.2, Q3.0.3, Q3.0.1, Customization
2542 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.2: How can I evaluate Emacs-Lisp expressions?
2544 I know I can evaluate Elisp expressions from @code{*scratch*} buffer
2545 with @kbd{C-j} after the expression. How do I do it from another
2548 Press @kbd{M-:} (the default binding of @code{eval-expression}), and
2549 enter the expression to the minibuffer.
2551 @node Q3.0.3, Q3.0.4, Q3.0.2, Customization
2552 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.3: @code{(setq tab-width 6)} behaves oddly.
2554 If you put @code{(setq tab-width 6)} in your
2555 @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file it does not work! Is there a reason
2556 for this? If you do it at the EVAL prompt it works fine!! How strange.
2558 Use @code{setq-default} instead, since @code{tab-width} is
2561 @node Q3.0.4, Q3.0.5, Q3.0.3, Customization
2562 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.4: How can I add directories to the @code{load-path}?
2564 Here are two ways to do that, one that puts your directories at the
2565 front of the load-path, the other at the end:
2568 ;;; Add things at the beginning of the load-path, do not add
2569 ;;; duplicate directories:
2570 (pushnew "bar" load-path :test 'equal)
2572 (pushnew "foo" load-path :test 'equal)
2574 ;;; Add things at the end, unconditionally
2575 (setq load-path (nconc load-path '("foo" "bar")))
2578 @email{keithh@@nortel.ca, keith (k.p.) hanlan} writes:
2581 To add directories using Unix shell metacharacters use
2582 @file{expand-file-name} like this:
2585 (push (expand-file-name "~keithh/.emacsdir") load-path)
2589 @node Q3.0.5, Q3.0.6, Q3.0.4, Customization
2590 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.5: How to check if a lisp function is defined?
2592 Use the following elisp:
2598 It's almost always a mistake to test @code{emacs-version} or any similar
2601 Instead, use feature-tests, such as @code{featurep}, @code{boundp},
2602 @code{fboundp}, or even simple behavioral tests, eg.:
2605 (defvar foo-old-losing-code-p
2606 (condition-case nil (progn (losing-code t) nil)
2607 (wrong-number-of-arguments t)))
2610 There is an incredible amount of broken code out there which could work
2611 much better more often in more places if it did the above instead of
2612 trying to divine its environment from the value of one variable.
2614 @node Q3.0.6, Q3.0.7, Q3.0.5, Customization
2615 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.6: Can I force the output of @code{(face-list)} to a buffer?
2617 It would be good having it in a buffer, as the output of
2618 @code{(face-list)} is too wide to fit to a minibuffer.
2620 Evaluate the expression in the @samp{*scratch*} buffer with point after
2621 the rightmost paren and typing @kbd{C-j}.
2623 If the minibuffer smallness is the only problem you encounter, you can
2624 simply press @kbd{C-h l} to get the former minibuffer contents in a
2627 @node Q3.0.7, Q3.0.8, Q3.0.6, Customization
2628 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.7: Font selections in don't get saved after @code{Save Options}.
2630 @email{mannj@@ll.mit.edu, John Mann} writes:
2633 You have to go to Options->Frame Appearance and unselect
2634 @samp{Frame-Local Font Menu}. If this option is selected, font changes
2635 are only applied to the @emph{current} frame and do @emph{not} get saved
2636 when you save options.
2639 Also, set the following in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
2642 (setq options-save-faces t)
2645 @node Q3.0.8, Q3.0.9, Q3.0.7, Customization
2646 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.8: How do I get a single minibuffer frame?
2648 @email{acs@@acm.org, Vin Shelton} writes:
2651 (setq initial-frame-plist '(minibuffer nil))
2652 (setq default-frame-plist '(minibuffer nil))
2653 (setq default-minibuffer-frame
2658 menubar-visible-p nil
2659 default-toolbar-visible-p nil
2663 has-modeline-p nil)))
2664 (frame-notice-user-settings)
2667 @strong{Please note:} The single minibuffer frame may not be to everyone's
2668 taste, and there any number of other XEmacs options settings that may
2669 make it difficult or inconvenient to use.
2671 @node Q3.0.9, Q3.1.1, Q3.0.8, Customization
2672 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.0.9: What is @code{Customize}?
2674 Starting with XEmacs 20.2 there is new system 'Customize' for customizing
2677 You can access @code{Customize} from the @code{Options} menu
2678 or invoking one of customize commands by typing eg.
2679 @kbd{M-x customize}, @kbd{M-x customize-face},
2680 @kbd{M-x customize-variable} or @kbd{M-x customize-apropos}.
2682 Starting with XEmacs 20.3 there is also new `browser' mode for Customize.
2683 Try it out with @kbd{M-x customize-browse}
2685 @node Q3.1.1, Q3.1.2, Q3.0.9, Customization
2686 @unnumberedsec 3.1: X Window System & Resources
2687 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.1: Where is a list of X resources?
2689 Search through the @file{NEWS} file for @samp{X Resources}. A fairly
2690 comprehensive list is given after it.
2692 In addition, an @file{app-defaults} file is supplied,
2693 @file{etc/Emacs.ad} listing the defaults. The file
2694 @file{etc/sample.Xdefaults} gives a set of defaults that you might
2695 consider. It is essentially the same as @file{etc/Emacs.ad} but some
2696 entries are slightly altered. Be careful about installing the contents
2697 of this file into your @file{.Xdefaults} or @file{.Xresources} file if
2698 you use GNU Emacs under X11 as well.
2700 @node Q3.1.2, Q3.1.3, Q3.1.1, Customization
2701 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.2: How can I detect a color display?
2703 You can test the return value of the function @code{(device-class)}, as
2707 (when (eq (device-class) 'color)
2708 (set-face-foreground 'font-lock-comment-face "Grey")
2709 (set-face-foreground 'font-lock-string-face "Red")
2714 @node Q3.1.3, Q3.1.4, Q3.1.2, Customization
2715 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.3: [This question intentionally left blank]
2717 @node Q3.1.4, Q3.1.5, Q3.1.3, Customization
2718 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.4: [This question intentionally left blank]
2720 @node Q3.1.5, Q3.1.6, Q3.1.4, Customization
2721 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.5: How can I get the icon to just say @samp{XEmacs}?
2723 I'd like the icon to just say @samp{XEmacs}, and not include the name of
2724 the current file in it.
2726 Add the following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
2729 (setq frame-icon-title-format "XEmacs")
2732 @node Q3.1.6, Q3.1.7, Q3.1.5, Customization
2733 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.6: How can I have the window title area display the full path?
2735 I'd like to have the window title area display the full directory/name
2736 of the current buffer file and not just the name.
2738 Add the following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
2741 (setq frame-title-format "%S: %f")
2744 A more sophisticated title might be:
2747 (setq frame-title-format
2748 '("%S: " (buffer-file-name "%f"
2749 (dired-directory dired-directory "%b"))))
2752 That is, use the file name, or the dired-directory, or the buffer name.
2754 @node Q3.1.7, Q3.1.8, Q3.1.6, Customization
2755 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.7: @samp{xemacs -name junk} doesn't work?
2757 When I run @samp{xterm -name junk}, I get an xterm whose class name
2758 according to xprop, is @samp{junk}. This is the way it's supposed to
2759 work, I think. When I run @samp{xemacs -name junk} the class name is
2760 not set to @samp{junk}. It's still @samp{emacs}. What does
2761 @samp{xemacs -name} really do? The reason I ask is that my window
2762 manager (fvwm) will make a window sticky and I use XEmacs to read my
2763 mail. I want that XEmacs window to be sticky, without having to use the
2764 window manager's function to set the window sticky. What gives?
2766 @samp{xemacs -name} sets the application name for the program (that is,
2767 the thing which normally comes from @samp{argv[0]}). Using @samp{-name}
2768 is the same as making a copy of the executable with that new name. The
2769 @code{WM_CLASS} property on each frame is set to the frame-name, and the
2770 application-class. So, if you did @samp{xemacs -name FOO} and then
2771 created a frame named @var{BAR}, you'd get an X window with WM_CLASS =
2772 @code{( "BAR", "Emacs")}. However, the resource hierarchy for this
2776 Name: FOO .shell .container .BAR
2777 Class: Emacs .TopLevelEmacsShell.EmacsManager.EmacsFrame
2780 instead of the default
2783 Name: xemacs.shell .container .emacs
2784 Class: Emacs .TopLevelEmacsShell.EmacsManager.EmacsFrame
2788 It is arguable that the first element of WM_CLASS should be set to the
2789 application-name instead of the frame-name, but I think that's less
2790 flexible, since it does not give you the ability to have multiple frames
2791 with different WM_CLASS properties. Another possibility would be for
2792 the default frame name to come from the application name instead of
2793 simply being @samp{emacs}. However, at this point, making that change
2794 would be troublesome: it would mean that many users would have to make
2795 yet another change to their resource files (since the default frame name
2796 would suddenly change from @samp{emacs} to @samp{xemacs}, or whatever
2797 the executable happened to be named), so we'd rather avoid it.
2799 To make a frame with a particular name use:
2802 (make-frame '((name . "the-name")))
2805 @node Q3.1.8, Q3.2.1, Q3.1.7, Customization
2806 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.1.8: @samp{-iconic} doesn't work.
2808 When I start up XEmacs using @samp{-iconic} it doesn't work right.
2809 Using @samp{-unmapped} on the command line, and setting the
2810 @code{initiallyUnmapped} X Resource don't seem to help much either...
2812 @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing} writes:
2815 Ugh, this stuff is such an incredible mess that I've about given up
2816 getting it to work. The principal problem is numerous window-manager
2820 @node Q3.2.1, Q3.2.2, Q3.1.8, Customization
2821 @unnumberedsec 3.2: Textual Fonts & Colors
2822 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.1: How can I set color options from @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}?
2824 How can I set the most commonly used color options from my
2825 @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} instead of from my @file{.Xdefaults}?
2830 (set-face-background 'default "bisque") ; frame background
2831 (set-face-foreground 'default "black") ; normal text
2832 (set-face-background 'zmacs-region "red") ; When selecting w/
2834 (set-face-foreground 'zmacs-region "yellow")
2835 (set-face-font 'default "*courier-bold-r*120-100-100*")
2836 (set-face-background 'highlight "blue") ; Ie when selecting
2838 (set-face-foreground 'highlight "yellow")
2839 (set-face-background 'modeline "blue") ; Line at bottom
2841 (set-face-foreground 'modeline "white")
2842 (set-face-font 'modeline "*bold-r-normal*140-100-100*")
2843 (set-face-background 'isearch "yellow") ; When highlighting
2845 (set-face-foreground 'isearch "red")
2846 (setq x-pointer-foreground-color "black") ; Adds to bg color,
2848 (setq x-pointer-background-color "blue") ; This is color
2853 @node Q3.2.2, Q3.2.3, Q3.2.1, Customization
2854 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.2: How do I set the text, menu and modeline fonts?
2856 Note that you should use @samp{Emacs.} and not @samp{Emacs*} when
2857 setting face values.
2859 In @file{.Xdefaults}:
2862 Emacs.default.attributeFont: -*-*-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-m-*-*-*
2863 Emacs*menubar*font: fixed
2864 Emacs.modeline.attributeFont: fixed
2867 This is confusing because modeline is a face, and can be found listed
2868 with all faces in the current mode by using @kbd{M-x set-face-font
2869 (enter) ?}. It uses the face specification of @code{attributeFont},
2870 while menubar is a normal X thing that uses the specification
2871 @code{font}. With Motif it may be necessary to use @code{fontList}
2872 instead of @code{font}.
2874 @node Q3.2.3, Q3.2.4, Q3.2.2, Customization
2875 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.3: How can I set the colors when highlighting a region?
2877 How can I set the background/foreground colors when highlighting a
2880 You can change the face @code{zmacs-region} either in your
2884 Emacs.zmacs-region.attributeForeground: firebrick
2885 Emacs.zmacs-region.attributeBackground: lightseagreen
2888 or in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
2891 (set-face-background 'zmacs-region "red")
2892 (set-face-foreground 'zmacs-region "yellow")
2895 @node Q3.2.4, Q3.2.5, Q3.2.3, Customization
2896 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.4: How can I limit color map usage?
2898 I'm using Netscape (or another color grabber like XEmacs);
2899 is there any way to limit the number of available colors in the color map?
2901 Answer: No, but you can start Netscape before XEmacs, and it will use
2902 the closest available color if the colormap is full. You can also limit
2903 the number of colors Netscape uses, using the flags -mono, -ncols <#> or
2904 -install (for mono, limiting to <#> colors, or for using a private color
2907 If you have the money, another solution would be to use a truecolor or
2910 @node Q3.2.5, Q3.2.6, Q3.2.4, Customization
2911 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.5: My tty supports color, but XEmacs doesn't use them.
2913 XEmacs tries to automatically determine whether your tty supports color,
2914 but sometimes guesses wrong. In that case, you can make XEmacs Do The
2915 Right Thing using this Lisp code:
2918 (if (eq 'tty (device-type))
2919 (set-device-class nil 'color))
2922 @node Q3.2.6, Q3.3.1, Q3.2.5, Customization
2923 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.2.6: Can I have pixmap backgrounds in XEmacs?
2925 @email{jvillaci@@wahnsinnig.extreme.indiana.edu, Juan Villacis} writes:
2928 There are several ways to do it. For example, you could specify a
2929 default pixmap image to use in your @file{~/.Xresources}, e.g.,
2933 Emacs*EmacsFrame.default.attributeBackgroundPixmap: /path/to/image.xpm
2937 and then reload ~/.Xresources and restart XEmacs. Alternatively,
2938 since each face can have its own pixmap background, a better way
2939 would be to set a face's pixmap within your XEmacs init file, e.g.,
2942 (set-face-background-pixmap 'default "/path/to/image.xpm")
2943 (set-face-background-pixmap 'bold "/path/to/another_image.xpm")
2946 and so on. You can also do this interactively via @kbd{M-x edit-faces}.
2950 @node Q3.3.1, Q3.3.2, Q3.2.6, Customization
2951 @unnumberedsec 3.3: The Modeline
2952 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.3.1: How can I make the modeline go away?
2955 (set-specifier has-modeline-p nil)
2958 @c Starting with XEmacs 19.14 the modeline responds to mouse clicks, so if
2959 @c you haven't liked or used the modeline in the past, you might want to
2960 @c try the new version out.
2962 @node Q3.3.2, Q3.3.3, Q3.3.1, Customization
2963 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.3.2: How do you have XEmacs display the line number in the modeline?
2965 Add the following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file to
2966 display the line number:
2969 (line-number-mode 1)
2972 Use the following to display the column number:
2975 (column-number-mode 1)
2978 Or select from the @code{Options} menu
2982 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Basics->Line Number Mode}
2987 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Basics->Column Number Mode}
2989 Or type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} editing-basics @key{RET}}.
2991 @node Q3.3.3, Q3.3.4, Q3.3.2, Customization
2992 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.3.3: How do I get XEmacs to put the time of day on the modeline?
2994 Add the following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file to
3001 See @code{Customize} from the @code{Options} menu for customization.
3003 @node Q3.3.4, Q3.3.5, Q3.3.3, Customization
3004 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.3.4: How do I turn off current chapter from AUC TeX modeline?
3006 With AUC TeX, fast typing is hard because the current chapter, section
3007 etc. are given in the modeline. How can I turn this off?
3009 It's not AUC TeX, it comes from @code{func-menu} in @file{func-menu.el}.
3011 @c Add this code to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} to turn it off:
3014 @c (setq fume-display-in-modeline-p nil)
3017 @c Or just add a hook to @code{TeX-mode-hook} to turn it off only for TeX
3021 @c (add-hook 'TeX-mode-hook
3022 @c '(lambda () (setq fume-display-in-modeline-p nil)))
3025 @email{dhughes@@origin-at.co.uk, David Hughes} writes:
3028 Try this; you'll still get the function name displayed in the modeline,
3029 but it won't attempt to keep track when you modify the file. To refresh
3030 when it gets out of synch, you simply need click on the @samp{Rescan
3031 Buffer} option in the function-menu.
3034 (setq-default fume-auto-rescan-buffer-p nil)
3038 @node Q3.3.5, Q3.4.1, Q3.3.4, Customization
3039 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.3.5: How can one change the modeline color based on the mode used?
3041 You can use something like the following:
3044 (add-hook 'lisp-mode-hook
3046 (set-face-background 'modeline "red" (current-buffer))))
3049 Then, when editing a Lisp file (i.e. when in Lisp mode), the modeline
3050 colors change from the default set in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}.
3051 The change will only be made in the buffer you just entered (which
3052 contains the Lisp file you are editing) and will not affect the modeline
3053 colors anywhere else.
3059 @item The hook is the mode name plus @code{-hook}. eg. c-mode-hook,
3060 c++-mode-hook, emacs-lisp-mode-hook (used for your
3061 @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} or a @file{xx.el} file),
3062 lisp-interaction-mode-hook (the @samp{*scratch*} buffer),
3063 text-mode-hook, etc.
3066 Be sure to use @code{add-hook}, not @code{(setq c-mode-hook xxxx)},
3067 otherwise you will erase anything that anybody has already put on the
3071 You can also do @code{(set-face-font 'modeline @var{font})},
3072 eg. @code{(set-face-font 'modeline "*bold-r-normal*140-100-100*"
3073 (current-buffer))} if you wish the modeline font to vary based on the
3077 There are additional modeline faces, @code{modeline-buffer-id},
3078 @code{modeline-mousable}, and @code{modeline-mousable-minor-mode}, which
3079 you may want to customize.
3081 @node Q3.4.1, Q3.4.2, Q3.3.5, Customization
3082 @unnumberedsec 3.4: Multiple Device Support
3083 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.4.1: How do I open a frame on another screen of my multi-headed display?
3085 Use the command @kbd{M-x make-frame-on-display}. This command is also
3086 on the File menu in the menubar.
3088 The command @code{make-frame-on-tty} also exists, which will establish a
3089 connection to any tty-like device. Opening the TTY devices should be
3090 left to @code{gnuclient}, though.
3092 @node Q3.4.2, Q3.5.1, Q3.4.1, Customization
3093 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.4.2: Can I really connect to a running XEmacs after calling up over a modem? How?
3095 Yes. Use @code{gnuclient -nw}. (Prior to 20.3, use the @code{gnuattach}
3096 program supplied with XEmacs instead.)
3098 Also see @ref{Q5.0.12}.
3100 @node Q3.5.1, Q3.5.2, Q3.4.2, Customization
3101 @unnumberedsec 3.5: The Keyboard
3102 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.1: How can I bind complex functions (or macros) to keys?
3104 As an example, say you want the @kbd{paste} key on a Sun keyboard to
3105 insert the current Primary X selection at point. You can accomplish this
3109 (define-key global-map [f18] 'x-insert-selection)
3112 However, this only works if there is a current X selection (the
3113 selection will be highlighted). The functionality I like is for the
3114 @kbd{paste} key to insert the current X selection if there is one,
3115 otherwise insert the contents of the clipboard. To do this you need to
3116 pass arguments to @code{x-insert-selection}. This is done by wrapping
3117 the call in a 'lambda form:
3120 (global-set-key [f18]
3121 (lambda () (interactive) (x-insert-selection t nil)))
3124 This binds the f18 key to a @dfn{generic} functional object. The
3125 interactive spec is required because only interactive functions can be
3128 For the FAQ example you could use:
3131 (global-set-key [(control ?.)]
3132 (lambda () (interactive) (scroll-up 1)))
3133 (global-set-key [(control ?;)]
3134 (lambda () (interactive) (scroll-up -1)))
3137 This is fine if you only need a few functions within the lambda body.
3138 If you're doing more it's cleaner to define a separate function as in
3139 question 3.5.3 (@pxref{Q3.5.3}).
3141 @node Q3.5.2, Q3.5.3, Q3.5.1, Customization
3142 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.2: How can I stop down-arrow from adding empty lines to the bottom of my buffers?
3144 Add the following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file:
3147 (setq next-line-add-newlines nil)
3150 This has been the default setting in XEmacs for some time.
3152 @node Q3.5.3, Q3.5.4, Q3.5.2, Customization
3153 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.3: How do I bind C-. and C-; to scroll one line up and down?
3155 Add the following (Thanks to @email{mly@@adoc.xerox.com, Richard Mlynarik} and
3156 @email{wayne@@zen.cac.stratus.com, Wayne Newberry}) to @file{.emacs}:
3159 (defun scroll-up-one-line ()
3163 (defun scroll-down-one-line ()
3167 (global-set-key [(control ?.)] 'scroll-up-one-line) ; C-.
3168 (global-set-key [(control ?;)] 'scroll-down-one-line) ; C-;
3171 The key point is that you can only bind simple functions to keys; you
3172 can not bind a key to a function that you're also passing arguments to.
3173 (@pxref{Q3.5.1} for a better answer).
3175 @node Q3.5.4, Q3.5.5, Q3.5.3, Customization
3176 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.4: Globally binding @kbd{Delete}?
3178 I cannot manage to globally bind my @kbd{Delete} key to something other
3179 than the default. How does one do this?
3181 Answer: The problem is that many modes explicitly bind @kbd{Delete}. To
3182 get around this, try the following:
3187 (message "You hit DELETE"))
3189 (define-key key-translation-map 'delete 'redirected-delete)
3190 (global-set-key 'redirected-delete 'foo)
3193 Also see @ref{Q3.5.10}.
3195 @node Q3.5.5, Q3.5.6, Q3.5.4, Customization
3196 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.5: Scrolling one line at a time.
3198 Can the cursor keys scroll the screen a line at a time, rather than the
3199 default half page jump? I tend it to find it disorienting.
3204 (defun scroll-one-line-up (&optional arg)
3205 "Scroll the selected window up (forward in the text) one line (or N lines)."
3207 (scroll-up (or arg 1)))
3209 (defun scroll-one-line-down (&optional arg)
3210 "Scroll the selected window down (backward in the text) one line (or N)."
3212 (scroll-down (or arg 1)))
3214 (global-set-key [up] 'scroll-one-line-up)
3215 (global-set-key [down] 'scroll-one-line-down)
3218 The following will also work but will affect more than just the cursor
3219 keys (i.e. @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p}):
3222 (setq scroll-step 1)
3225 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 you can also change this with Customize.
3226 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3227 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Windows->Scroll Step...} or type
3228 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} windows @key{RET}}.
3230 @node Q3.5.6, Q3.5.7, Q3.5.5, Customization
3231 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.6: How to map @kbd{Help} key alone on Sun type4 keyboard?
3233 The following works in GNU Emacs 19:
3236 (global-set-key [help] 'help-command);; Help
3239 The following works in XEmacs with the addition of shift:
3242 (global-set-key [(shift help)] 'help-command);; Help
3245 But it doesn't work alone. This is in the file @file{PROBLEMS} which
3246 should have come with your XEmacs installation: @emph{Emacs ignores the
3247 @kbd{help} key when running OLWM}.
3249 OLWM grabs the @kbd{help} key, and retransmits it to the appropriate
3254 @code{XSendEvent}. Allowing Emacs to react to synthetic
3255 events is a security hole, so this is turned off by default. You can
3256 enable it by setting the variable @code{x-allow-sendevents} to t. You
3257 can also cause fix this by telling OLWM to not grab the help key, with
3258 the null binding @code{OpenWindows.KeyboardCommand.Help:}.
3260 @node Q3.5.7, Q3.5.8, Q3.5.6, Customization
3261 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.7: How can you type in special characters in XEmacs?
3263 One way is to use the package @code{x-compose}. Then you can use
3264 sequences like @kbd{Compose " a} to get ä, etc.
3266 Another way is to use the @code{iso-insert} package. Then you can use
3267 sequences like @kbd{C-x 8 " a} to get ä, etc.
3269 @email{glynn@@sensei.co.uk, Glynn Clements} writes:
3272 It depends upon your X server.
3274 Generally, the simplest way is to define a key as Multi_key with
3276 @c hey, show some respect, willya -- there's xkeycaps, isn't there? --
3279 xmodmap -e 'keycode 0xff20 = Multi_key'
3282 You will need to pick an appropriate keycode. Use xev to find out the
3283 keycodes for each key.
3285 [NB: On a `Windows' keyboard, recent versions of XFree86 automatically
3286 define the right `Windows' key as Multi_key'.]
3288 Once you have Multi_key defined, you can use e.g.
3297 Also, recent versions of XFree86 define various AltGr-<key>
3298 combinations as dead keys, i.e.
3300 AltGr [ => dead_diaeresis
3301 AltGr ] => dead_tilde
3302 AltGr ; => dead_acute
3306 Running @samp{xmodmap -pk} will list all of the defined keysyms.
3309 @node Q3.5.8, Q3.5.9, Q3.5.7, Customization
3310 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.8: [This question intentionally left blank]
3312 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering.
3314 @node Q3.5.9, Q3.5.10, Q3.5.8, Customization
3315 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.9: How do I make the Delete key delete forward?
3317 With XEmacs-20.2 use the @code{delbs} package:
3323 This will give you the functions @code{delbs-enable-delete-forward} to
3324 set things up, and @code{delbs-disable-delete-forward} to revert to
3325 ``normal'' behavior. Note that @code{delbackspace} package is obsolete.
3327 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 better solution is to set variable
3328 @code{delete-key-deletes-forward} to t. You can also change this with
3329 Customize. Select from the @code{Options} menu
3330 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Basics->Delete Key Deletes Forward} or
3331 type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} editing-basics @key{RET}}.
3333 Also see @ref{Q3.5.4}.
3335 @node Q3.5.10, Q3.5.11, Q3.5.9, Customization
3336 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.10: Can I turn on @dfn{sticky} modifier keys?
3338 Yes, with @code{(setq modifier-keys-are-sticky t)}. This will give the
3339 effect of being able to press and release Shift and have the next
3340 character typed come out in upper case. This will affect all the other
3341 modifier keys like Control and Meta as well.
3343 @email{ben@@xemacs.org, Ben Wing} writes:
3346 One thing about the sticky modifiers is that if you move the mouse out
3347 of the frame and back in, it cancels all currently ``stuck'' modifiers.
3350 @node Q3.5.11, Q3.6.1, Q3.5.10, Customization
3351 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.5.11: How do I map the arrow keys?
3353 Say you want to map @kbd{C-@key{right}} to forward-word:
3355 @email{sds@@usa.net, Sam Steingold} writes:
3359 ; both XEmacs and Emacs
3360 (define-key global-map [(control right)] 'forward-word)
3365 (define-key global-map [C-right] 'forward-word)
3370 (define-key global-map (kbd "C-<right>") 'forward-word)
3376 @node Q3.6.1, Q3.6.2, Q3.5.11, Customization
3377 @unnumberedsec 3.6: The Cursor
3378 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.6.1: Is there a way to make the bar cursor thicker?
3380 I'd like to have the bar cursor a little thicker, as I tend to "lose" it
3383 For a 1 pixel bar cursor, use:
3389 For a 2 pixel bar cursor, use:
3392 (setq bar-cursor 'anything-else)
3395 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 you can also change these with Customize.
3396 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3397 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Display->Bar Cursor...} or type
3398 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} display @key{RET}}.
3400 You can use a color to make it stand out better:
3403 Emacs*cursorColor: Red
3406 @node Q3.6.2, Q3.6.3, Q3.6.1, Customization
3407 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.6.2: Is there a way to get back the block cursor?
3410 (setq bar-cursor nil)
3413 Starting with XEmacs 20.3 you can also change this with Customize.
3414 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3415 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Display->Bar Cursor...} or type
3416 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} display @key{RET}}.
3418 @node Q3.6.3, Q3.7.1, Q3.6.2, Customization
3419 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.6.3: Can I make the cursor blink?
3427 This function toggles between a steady cursor and a blinking cursor.
3428 You may also set this mode from the menu bar by selecting @samp{Options
3429 => Frame Appearance => Blinking Cursor}. Remember to save options.
3431 @node Q3.7.1, Q3.7.2, Q3.6.3, Customization
3432 @unnumberedsec 3.7: The Mouse and Highlighting
3433 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.1: How can I turn off Mouse pasting?
3435 I keep hitting the middle mouse button by accident and getting stuff
3436 pasted into my buffer so how can I turn this off?
3438 Here is an alternative binding, whereby the middle mouse button selects
3439 (but does not cut) the expression under the mouse. Clicking middle on a
3440 left or right paren will select to the matching one. Note that you can
3441 use @code{define-key} or @code{global-set-key}.
3444 (defun mouse-set-point-and-select (event)
3445 "Sets the point at the mouse location, then marks following form"
3447 (mouse-set-point event)
3449 (define-key global-map [button2] 'mouse-set-point-and-select)
3452 @node Q3.7.2, Q3.7.3, Q3.7.1, Customization
3453 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.2: How do I set control/meta/etc modifiers on mouse buttons?
3455 Use, for instance, @code{[(meta button1)]}. For example, here is a common
3456 setting for Common Lisp programmers who use the bundled @code{ilisp}
3457 package, whereby meta-button1 on a function name will find the file where
3458 the function name was defined, and put you at that location in the source
3461 [Inside a function that gets called by the lisp-mode-hook and
3465 (local-set-key [(meta button1)] 'edit-definitions-lisp)
3468 @node Q3.7.3, Q3.7.4, Q3.7.2, Customization
3469 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.3: Clicking the left button does not do anything in buffer list.
3471 I do @kbd{C-x C-b} to get a list of buffers and the entries get
3472 highlighted when I move the mouse over them but clicking the left mouse
3473 does not do anything.
3475 Use the middle mouse button.
3477 @node Q3.7.4, Q3.7.5, Q3.7.3, Customization
3478 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.4: How can I get a list of buffers when I hit mouse button 3?
3480 The following code will replace the default popup on button3:
3483 (global-set-key [button3] 'popup-buffer-menu)
3486 @node Q3.7.5, Q3.7.6, Q3.7.4, Customization
3487 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.5: Why does cut-and-paste not work between XEmacs and a cmdtool?
3489 We don't know. It's a bug. There does seem to be a work-around,
3490 however. Try running xclipboard first. It appears to fix the problem
3491 even if you exit it. (This should be mostly fixed in 19.13, but we
3492 haven't yet verified that).
3494 @node Q3.7.6, Q3.7.7, Q3.7.5, Customization
3495 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.6: How I can set XEmacs up so that it pastes where the text cursor is?
3497 By default XEmacs pastes X selections where the mouse pointer is. How
3500 Examine the function @code{mouse-yank}, by typing @kbd{C-h f mouse-yank
3503 To get XEmacs to paste at the text cursor, add this your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
3506 (setq mouse-yank-at-point t)
3509 Starting with XEmacs-20.2 you can also change this with Customize.
3510 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3511 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Mouse->Yank At Point...} or type
3512 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} mouse @key{RET}}.
3514 @node Q3.7.7, Q3.7.8, Q3.7.6, Customization
3515 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.7: How do I select a rectangular region?
3517 Just select the region normally, then use the rectangle commands (e.g.
3518 @code{kill-rectangle} on it. The region does not highlight as a
3519 rectangle, but the commands work just fine.
3521 To actually sweep out rectangular regions with the mouse you can use
3522 @code{mouse-track-do-rectangle} which is assigned to @kbd{M-button1}.
3523 Then use rectangle commands.
3525 You can also do the following to change default behavior to sweep out
3526 rectangular regions:
3529 (setq mouse-track-rectangle-p t)
3532 Starting with XEmacs-20.2 you can also change this with Customize.
3533 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3534 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Mouse->Track Rectangle...} or type
3535 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} mouse @key{RET}}.
3539 mouse-track-do-rectangle: (event)
3540 -- an interactive compiled Lisp function.
3541 Like `mouse-track' but selects rectangles instead of regions.
3544 @node Q3.7.8, Q3.8.1, Q3.7.7, Customization
3545 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.7.8: Why does @kbd{M-w} take so long?
3547 It actually doesn't. It leaves the region visible for a second so that
3548 you can see what area is being yanked. If you start working, though, it
3549 will immediately complete its operation. In other words, it will only
3550 delay for a second if you let it.
3552 @node Q3.8.1, Q3.8.2, Q3.7.8, Customization
3553 @unnumberedsec 3.8: The Menubar and Toolbar
3554 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.8.1: How do I get rid of the menu (or menubar)?
3556 @c If you are running XEmacs 19.13 or earlier, add this command to your
3557 @c @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}.
3560 @c (set-menubar nil)
3563 @c Starting with XEmacs 19.14 the preferred method is:
3566 (set-specifier menubar-visible-p nil)
3569 @node Q3.8.2, Q3.8.3, Q3.8.1, Customization
3570 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.8.2: Can I customize the basic menubar?
3572 For an extensive menubar, add this line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
3575 (load "big-menubar")
3578 If you'd like to write your own, this file provides as good a set of
3579 examples as any to start from. The file is located in
3580 @file{lisp/packages/big-menubar.el} in the XEmacs installation
3583 @node Q3.8.3, Q3.8.4, Q3.8.2, Customization
3584 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.8.3: How do I control how many buffers are listed in the menu @code{Buffers List}?
3586 Add the following to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} (suit to fit):
3589 (setq buffers-menu-max-size 20)
3592 For no limit, use an argument of @samp{nil}.
3594 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 you can also change this with Customize.
3595 Select from the @code{Options} menu
3596 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Menu->Buffers Menu->Max Size...} or
3597 type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} buffers-menu @key{RET}}.
3599 @node Q3.8.4, Q3.8.5, Q3.8.3, Customization
3600 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.8.4: Resources like @code{Emacs*menubar*font} are not working?
3602 I am trying to use a resource like @code{Emacs*menubar*font} to set the
3603 font of the menubar but it's not working.
3605 If you are using the real Motif menubar, this resource is not
3606 recognized; you have to say:
3609 Emacs*menubar*fontList: FONT
3612 If you are using the Lucid menubar, the former resource will be
3613 recognized only if the latter resource is unset. This means that the
3623 Emacs*menubar*font: FONT
3626 even though the latter is more specific.
3628 @node Q3.8.5, Q3.9.1, Q3.8.4, Customization
3629 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.8.5: How can I bind a key to a function to toggle the toolbar?
3634 (defun my-toggle-toolbar ()
3636 (set-specifier default-toolbar-visible-p
3637 (not (specifier-instance default-toolbar-visible-p))))
3638 (global-set-key "\C-xT" 'my-toggle-toolbar)
3641 There are redisplay bugs in 19.14 that may make the preceding result in
3642 a messed-up display, especially for frames with multiple windows. You
3643 may need to resize the frame before XEmacs completely realizes the
3644 toolbar is really gone.
3646 Thanks to @email{martin@@xemacs.org, Martin Buchholz} for the correct
3649 @node Q3.9.1, Q3.9.2, Q3.8.5, Customization
3650 @unnumberedsec 3.9: Scrollbars
3651 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.9.1: How can I disable the scrollbar?
3653 To disable them for all frames, add the following line to
3654 your @file{.Xdefaults}:
3657 Emacs.scrollBarWidth: 0
3660 Or select from the @code{Options} menu @code{Frame Appearance->Scrollbars}.
3661 Remember to save options.
3663 To turn the scrollbar off on a per-frame basis, use the following
3667 (set-specifier scrollbar-width 0 (selected-frame))
3670 You can actually turn the scrollbars on at any level you want by
3671 substituting for (selected-frame) in the above command. For example, to
3672 turn the scrollbars off only in a single buffer:
3675 (set-specifier scrollbar-width 0 (current-buffer))
3678 @c In XEmacs versions prior to 19.14, you had to use the hairier construct:
3681 @c (set-specifier scrollbar-width (cons (selected-frame) 0))
3684 @node Q3.9.2, Q3.9.3, Q3.9.1, Customization
3685 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.9.2: How can one use resources to change scrollbar colors?
3687 Here's a recap of how to use resources to change your scrollbar colors:
3692 Emacs*XmScrollBar.Background: skyblue
3693 Emacs*XmScrollBar.troughColor: lightgray
3697 Emacs*Scrollbar.Foreground: skyblue
3698 Emacs*Scrollbar.Background: lightgray
3701 Note the capitalization of @code{Scrollbar} for the Athena widget.
3703 @node Q3.9.3, Q3.9.4, Q3.9.2, Customization
3704 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.9.3: Moving the scrollbar can move the point; can I disable this?
3706 When I move the scrollbar in an XEmacs window, it moves the point as
3707 well, which should not be the default behavior. Is this a bug or a
3708 feature? Can I disable it?
3710 The current behavior is a feature, not a bug. Point remains at the same
3711 buffer position as long as that position does not scroll off the screen.
3712 In that event, point will end up in either the upper-left or lower-left
3715 This cannot be changed.
3717 @node Q3.9.4, Q3.10.1, Q3.9.3, Customization
3718 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.9.4: How can I turn off automatic horizontal scrolling in specific modes?
3720 Do @code{(setq truncate-lines t)} in the mode-hooks for any modes
3721 in which you want lines truncated.
3723 More precisely: If @code{truncate-lines} is nil, horizontal scrollbars
3724 will never appear. Otherwise, they will appear only if the value of
3725 @code{scrollbar-height} for that buffer/window/etc. is non-zero. If you
3729 (set-specifier scrollbar-height 0)
3732 then horizontal scrollbars will not appear in truncated buffers unless
3733 the package specifically asked for them.
3735 @node Q3.10.1, Q3.10.2, Q3.9.4, Customization
3736 @unnumberedsec 3.10: Text Selections
3737 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.1: How can I turn off or change highlighted selections?
3739 The @code{zmacs} mode allows for what some might call gratuitous
3740 highlighting for selected regions (either by setting mark or by using
3741 the mouse). This is the default behavior. To turn off, add the
3742 following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file:
3745 (setq zmacs-regions nil)
3748 Starting with XEmacs-20.2 you can also change this with Customize. Select
3749 from the @code{Options} menu @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Basics->Zmacs
3750 Regions} or type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} editing-basics @key{RET}}.
3752 To change the face for selection, look at @code{Options->Customize} on
3755 @node Q3.10.2, Q3.10.3, Q3.10.1, Customization
3756 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.2: How do I get that typing on an active region removes it?
3758 I want to change things so that if I select some text and start typing,
3759 the typed text replaces the selected text, similar to Motif.
3761 You want to use something called @dfn{pending delete}. Pending delete
3762 is what happens when you select a region (with the mouse or keyboard)
3763 and you press a key to replace the selected region by the key you typed.
3764 Usually backspace kills the selected region.
3766 To get this behavior, add the following lines to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
3770 ((fboundp 'turn-on-pending-delete)
3771 (turn-on-pending-delete))
3772 ((fboundp 'pending-delete-on)
3773 (pending-delete-on t)))
3776 Note that this will work with both Backspace and Delete. This code is a
3777 tad more complicated than it has to be for XEmacs in order to make it
3780 @node Q3.10.3, Q3.10.4, Q3.10.2, Customization
3781 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.3: Can I turn off the highlight during isearch?
3783 I do not like my text highlighted while I am doing isearch as I am not
3784 able to see what's underneath. How do I turn it off?
3786 Put the following in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
3789 (setq isearch-highlight nil)
3792 Starting with XEmacs-20.2 you can also change this with Customize. Type
3793 @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET} isearch-highlight @key{RET}}.
3795 Note also that isearch-highlight affects query-replace and ispell.
3796 Instead of disabling isearch-highlight you may find that a better
3797 solution consists of customizing the @code{isearch} face.
3799 @node Q3.10.4, Q3.10.5, Q3.10.3, Customization
3800 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.4: How do I turn off highlighting after @kbd{C-x C-p} (mark-page)?
3802 Put this in your @code{.emacs}:
3805 (setq zmacs-regions nil)
3808 @strong{Warning: This command turns off all region highlighting.}
3810 Also see @ref{Q3.10.1}.
3812 @node Q3.10.5, Q3.10.6, Q3.10.4, Customization
3813 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.5: The region disappears when I hit the end of buffer while scrolling.
3815 This has been fixed by default starting with XEmacs-20.3.
3817 With older versions you can turn this feature (if it indeed is a feature)
3821 (defadvice scroll-up (around scroll-up freeze)
3823 (let ((zmacs-region-stays t))
3827 (end-of-buffer (goto-char (point-max))))
3830 (defadvice scroll-down (around scroll-down freeze)
3832 (let ((zmacs-region-stays t))
3836 (beginning-of-buffer (goto-char (point-min))))
3840 Thanks to @email{raman@@adobe.com, T. V. Raman} for assistance in deriving this
3843 @node Q3.10.6, , Q3.10.5, Customization
3844 @unnumberedsubsec Q3.10.6: Why is killing so slow?
3846 This actually is an X Windows question, although you'll notice it with
3847 keyboard operations as well as while using the GUI. Basically, there
3848 are four ways to communicate interprogram via the X server:
3851 @item Primary selection
3852 a transient selection that gets replaced every time a new selection is made
3854 @item Secondary selection
3855 for "exchanging" with the primary selection
3858 a clipboard internal to the X server (deprecated)
3860 @item Clipboard selection
3861 a selection with a notification protocol that allows a separate app to
3862 manage the clipboard
3865 The cut buffers are deprecated because managing them is even more
3866 inefficient than the clipboard notification protocol. The primary
3867 selection works fine for many users and applications, but is not very
3868 robust under intensive or sophisticated use.
3870 In Motif and MS Windows, a clipboard has become the primary means for
3871 managing cut and paste. These means that "modern" applications tend to
3872 be oriented toward a true clipboard, rather than the primary selection.
3873 (On Windows, there is nothing equivalent to the primary selection.)
3874 It's not that XEmacs doesn't support the simple primary selection
3875 method, it's that more and more other applications don't.
3877 So the slowdown occurs because XEmacs now engages in the clipboard
3878 notification protocol on @emph{every} kill. This is especially slow on
3881 With most people running most clients and server on the same host, and
3882 many of the rest working over very fast communication, you may expect
3883 that the situation is not going to improve.
3885 There are a number of workarounds. The most effective is to use a
3886 special command to do selection ownership only when you intend to paste
3887 to another application. Useful commands are @code{kill-primary-selection}
3888 and @code{copy-primary-selection'}. These work only on text selected
3889 with the mouse (probably; experiment), and are bound by default to the
3890 Cut and Copy, respectively, buttons on the toolbar.
3892 If you are communicating by cut and paste with applications that use the
3893 primary selection, then you can customize @code{interprogram-cut-function}
3894 to @code{nil}, restoring the XEmacs version 20 behavior. How can you
3895 tell if a program will support this? Motifly-correct programs require
3896 the clipboard; you lose. For others, only by trying it. You usually
3897 don't need to customize the complementary @code{interprogram-paste-function}
3898 to @code{nil}; presumably you're willing to wait for a paste from another
3899 program if delays only happen when you specifically request a paste.
3901 You can get some relief on Motif by setting
3902 @code{x-selection-strict-motif-ownership} to nil, but this means you will
3903 only intermittently be able to paste XEmacs kills to Motif applications.
3905 @node Subsystems, Miscellaneous, Customization, Top
3906 @unnumbered 4 Major Subsystems
3908 This is part 4 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
3909 section is devoted to major XEmacs subsystems.
3912 Reading Mail with VM:
3913 * Q4.0.1:: How do I set up VM to retrieve remote mail using POP?
3914 * Q4.0.2:: How do I get VM to filter mail for me?
3915 * Q4.0.3:: How can I get VM to automatically check for new mail?
3916 * Q4.0.4:: [This question intentionally left blank]
3917 * Q4.0.5:: How do I get my outgoing mail archived?
3918 * 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"?
3919 * Q4.0.7:: Is there a mailing list or FAQ for VM?
3920 * Q4.0.8:: Remote mail reading with VM.
3921 * Q4.0.9:: rmail or VM gets an error incorporating new mail.
3922 * Q4.0.10:: How do I make VM stay in a single frame?
3923 * Q4.0.11:: How do I make VM or mh-e display graphical smilies?
3924 * Q4.0.12:: Customization of VM not covered in the manual or here.
3926 Web browsing with W3:
3927 * Q4.1.1:: What is W3?
3928 * Q4.1.2:: How do I run W3 from behind a firewall?
3929 * Q4.1.3:: Is it true that W3 supports style sheets and tables?
3931 Reading Netnews and Mail with Gnus:
3932 * Q4.2.1:: GNUS, (ding) Gnus, Gnus 5, September Gnus, Red Gnus,argh!
3933 * Q4.2.2:: [This question intentionally left blank]
3934 * Q4.2.3:: How do I make Gnus stay within a single frame?
3935 * Q4.2.4:: How do I customize the From: line?
3938 * Q4.3.1:: How can I read and/or compose MIME messages?
3939 * Q4.3.2:: What is TM and where do I get it?
3940 * Q4.3.3:: Why isn't this @code{movemail} program working?
3941 * Q4.3.4:: Movemail is also distributed by Netscape? Can that cause problems?
3942 * Q4.3.5:: Where do I find pstogif (required by tm)?
3944 Sparcworks, EOS, and WorkShop:
3945 * Q4.4.1:: What is SPARCworks, EOS, and WorkShop
3946 * Q4.4.2:: How do I start the Sun Workshop support in XEmacs 21?
3949 * Q4.5.1:: What is/was Energize?
3952 * Q4.6.1:: What is Infodock?
3954 Other Unbundled Packages:
3955 * Q4.7.1:: What is AUC TeX? Where do you get it?
3956 * Q4.7.2:: Are there any Emacs Lisp Spreadsheets?
3957 * Q4.7.3:: [This question intentionally left blank]
3958 * Q4.7.4:: Problems installing AUC TeX
3959 * Q4.7.5:: Is there a reason for an Emacs package not to be included in XEmacs?
3960 * Q4.7.6:: Is there a MatLab mode?
3961 * Q4.7.7:: Can I edit files on other hosts?
3964 @node Q4.0.1, Q4.0.2, Subsystems, Subsystems
3965 @unnumberedsec 4.0: Reading Mail with VM
3966 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.1: How do I set up VM to retrieve mail from a remote site using POP?
3968 Use @code{vm-spool-files}, like this for example:
3971 (setq vm-spool-files '("/var/spool/mail/wing"
3972 "netcom23.netcom.com:110:pass:wing:MYPASS"))
3975 Of course substitute your actual password for MYPASS.
3977 @node Q4.0.2, Q4.0.3, Q4.0.1, Subsystems
3978 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.2: How do I get VM to filter mail for me?
3980 One possibility is to use procmail to split your mail before it gets to
3981 VM. I prefer this personally, since there are many strange and
3982 wonderful things one can do with procmail. Procmail may be found at
3983 @uref{ftp://ftp.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/pub/packages/procmail/}.
3985 Also see the Mail Filtering FAQ at:
3989 @uref{ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/mail/filtering-faq}.
3991 @c <URL:http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/mail/filtering-faq/faq.html>
3994 @node Q4.0.3, Q4.0.4, Q4.0.2, Subsystems
3995 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.3: How can I get VM to automatically check for new mail?
3997 @email{turner@@lanl.gov, John Turner} writes:
4003 (setq vm-auto-get-new-mail 60)
4007 @node Q4.0.4, Q4.0.5, Q4.0.3, Subsystems
4008 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.4: [This question intentionally left blank]
4010 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering.
4012 @node Q4.0.5, Q4.0.6, Q4.0.4, Subsystems
4013 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.5: How do I get my outgoing mail archived?
4016 (setq mail-archive-file-name "~/outbox")
4019 @node Q4.0.6, Q4.0.7, Q4.0.5, Subsystems
4020 @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"?
4022 Set @code{vm-reply-ignored-addresses} to a list, like
4025 (setq vm-reply-ignored-addresses
4026 '("wing@@nuspl@@nvwls.cc.purdue.edu,netcom[0-9]*.netcom.com"
4027 "wing@@netcom.com" "wing@@xemacs.org"))
4030 Note that each string is a regular expression.
4032 @node Q4.0.7, Q4.0.8, Q4.0.6, Subsystems
4033 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.7: Is there a mailing list or FAQ for VM?
4035 A FAQ for VM exists at @uref{http://www.wonderworks.com/vm/FAQ.html}.
4037 VM has its own newsgroups gnu.emacs.vm.info and gnu.emacs.vm.bug.
4039 @node Q4.0.8, Q4.0.9, Q4.0.7, Subsystems
4040 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.8: Remote mail reading with VM.
4042 My mailbox lives at the office on a big honkin server. My regular INBOX
4043 lives on my honkin desktop machine. I now can PPP to the office from
4044 home which is far from honking... I'd like to be able to read mail at
4045 home without storing it here and I'd like to use xemacs and VM at
4046 home... Is there a recommended setup?
4048 @email{nuspl@@nvwls.cc.purdue.edu, Joseph J. Nuspl Jr.} writes:
4051 There are several ways to do this.
4055 Set your display to your home machine and run dxpc or one of the other X
4059 NFS mount your desktop machine on your home machine and modify your pop
4060 command on your home machine to rsh to your desktop machine and actually
4064 Run a POP server on your desktop machine as well and do a sort of two
4069 @email{wmperry@@monolith.spry.com, William Perry} adds:
4072 Or you could run a pop script periodically on your desktop machine, and
4073 just use ange-ftp or NFS to get to your mailbox. I used to do this all
4074 the time back at IU.
4077 @node Q4.0.9, Q4.0.10, Q4.0.8, Subsystems
4078 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.9: rmail or VM gets an error incorporating new mail.
4080 Quoting the XEmacs PROBLEMS file:
4083 rmail and VM get new mail from @file{/usr/spool/mail/$USER} using a
4084 program called @code{movemail}. This program interlocks with
4085 @code{/bin/mail} using the protocol defined by @code{/bin/mail}.
4087 There are two different protocols in general use. One of them uses the
4088 @code{flock} system call. The other involves creating a lock file;
4089 @code{movemail} must be able to write in @file{/usr/spool/mail} in order
4090 to do this. You control which one is used by defining, or not defining,
4091 the macro @code{MAIL_USE_FLOCK} in @file{config.h} or the m- or s- file
4094 @strong{IF YOU DON'T USE THE FORM OF INTERLOCKING THAT IS NORMAL ON YOUR
4095 SYSTEM, YOU CAN LOSE MAIL!}
4097 If your system uses the lock file protocol, and fascist restrictions
4098 prevent ordinary users from writing the lock files in
4099 @file{/usr/spool/mail}, you may need to make @code{movemail} setgid to a
4100 suitable group such as @samp{mail}. You can use these commands (as
4108 If your system uses the lock file protocol, and fascist restrictions
4109 prevent ordinary users from writing the lock files in
4110 @file{/usr/spool/mail}, you may need to make @code{movemail} setgid to a
4111 suitable group such as @code{mail}. To do this, use the following
4112 commands (as root) after doing the make install.
4119 Installation normally copies movemail from the build directory to an
4120 installation directory which is usually under @file{/usr/local/lib}.
4121 The installed copy of @code{movemail} is usually in the directory
4122 @file{/usr/local/lib/emacs/VERSION/TARGET}. You must change the group
4123 and mode of the installed copy; changing the group and mode of the build
4124 directory copy is ineffective.
4127 @node Q4.0.10, Q4.0.11, Q4.0.9, Subsystems
4128 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.10: How do I make VM stay in a single frame?
4130 John.@email{Cooper@@Eng.Sun.COM, John S Cooper} writes:
4134 ; Don't use multiple frames
4135 (setq vm-frame-per-composition nil)
4136 (setq vm-frame-per-folder nil)
4137 (setq vm-frame-per-edit nil)
4138 (setq vm-frame-per-summary nil)
4142 @node Q4.0.11, Q4.0.12, Q4.0.10, Subsystems
4143 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.11: How do I make VM or mh-e display graphical smilies?
4145 For mh-e use the following:
4148 (add-hook 'mh-show-mode-hook '(lambda ()
4149 (smiley-region (point-min)
4153 @email{bill@@carpenter.ORG, WJCarpenter} writes:
4154 For VM use the following:
4156 (autoload 'smiley-region "smiley" nil t)
4157 (add-hook 'vm-select-message-hook
4159 (smiley-region (point-min)
4163 For tm use the following:
4165 (autoload 'smiley-buffer "smiley" nil t)
4166 (add-hook 'mime-viewer/plain-text-preview-hook 'smiley-buffer)
4169 @node Q4.0.12, Q4.1.1, Q4.0.11, Subsystems
4170 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.0.12: Customization of VM not covered in the manual, or here.
4172 @email{boffi@@hp735.stru.polimi.it, giacomo boffi} writes:
4175 The meta-answer is to look into the file @file{vm-vars.el}, in the vm
4176 directory of the lisp library.
4178 @file{vm-vars.el} contains, initializes and carefully describes, with
4179 examples of usage, the plethora of user options that @emph{fully}
4180 control VM's behavior.
4182 Enter vm-vars, @code{forward-search} for toolbar, find the variables
4183 that control the toolbar placement, appearance, existence, copy to your
4184 @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} or @file{.vm} and modify according to the
4185 detailed instructions.
4187 The above also applies to all the various features of VM: search for
4188 some keywords, maybe the first you conjure isn't appropriate, find the
4189 appropriate variables, copy and experiment.
4192 @node Q4.1.1, Q4.1.2, Q4.0.12, Subsystems
4193 @unnumberedsec 4.1: Web browsing with W3
4194 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.1.1: What is W3?
4196 W3 is an advanced graphical browser written in Emacs lisp that runs on
4197 XEmacs. It has full support for cascaded style sheets, and more...
4199 It has a home web page at
4200 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/elisp/w3/docs.html}.
4202 @node Q4.1.2, Q4.1.3, Q4.1.1, Subsystems
4203 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.1.2: How do I run W3 from behind a firewall?
4205 There is a long, well-written, detailed section in the W3 manual that
4206 describes how to do this. Look in the section entitled "Firewalls".
4208 @node Q4.1.3, Q4.2.1, Q4.1.2, Subsystems
4209 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.1.3: Is it true that W3 supports style sheets and tables?
4211 Yes, and much more. W3, as distributed with the latest XEmacs is a
4212 full-featured web browser.
4214 @node Q4.2.1, Q4.2.2, Q4.1.3, Subsystems
4215 @unnumberedsec 4.2: Reading Netnews and Mail with Gnus
4216 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.2.1: GNUS, (ding) Gnus, Gnus 5, September Gnus, Red Gnus, Quassia Gnus, argh!
4218 The Gnus numbering issues are not meant for mere mortals to know them.
4219 If you feel you @emph{must} enter the muddy waters of Gnus, visit the
4220 excellent FAQ, maintained by Justin Sheehy, at:
4223 @uref{http://www.ccs.neu.edu/software/contrib/gnus/}
4226 See also Gnus home page
4228 @uref{http://www.gnus.org/}
4231 @node Q4.2.2, Q4.2.3, Q4.2.1, Subsystems
4232 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.2.2: This question intentionally left blank.
4234 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering.
4236 @node Q4.2.3, Q4.2.4, Q4.2.2, Subsystems
4237 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.2.3: How do I make Gnus stay within a single frame?
4239 The toolbar code to start Gnus opens the new frame---and it's a feature
4240 rather than a bug. If you don't like it, but would still like to click
4241 on the seemly icon, use the following code:
4244 (defun toolbar-news ()
4248 It will redefine the callback function of the icon to just call
4249 @code{gnus}, without all the fancy frame stuff.
4251 @node Q4.2.4, Q4.3.1, Q4.2.3, Subsystems
4252 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.2.4: How do I customize the From: line?
4254 How do I change the @code{From:} line? I have set gnus-user-from-line
4257 Gail Gurman <gail.gurman@@sybase.com>
4259 @noindent , but XEmacs Gnus doesn't use
4262 Gail Mara Gurman @email{gailg@@deall}
4264 @noindent and then complains
4265 that it's incorrect. Also, as you perhaps can see, my Message-ID is
4266 screwy. How can I change that?
4268 @email{larsi@@ifi.uio.no, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen} writes:
4271 Set @code{user-mail-address} to @samp{gail.gurman@@sybase.com} or
4272 @code{mail-host-address} to @samp{sybase.com}.
4275 @node Q4.3.1, Q4.3.2, Q4.2.4, Subsystems
4276 @unnumberedsec 4.3: Other Mail & News
4277 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.3.1: How can I read and/or compose MIME messages?
4280 VM supports MIME natively.
4282 You probably want to use the Tools for MIME (tm). @xref{Q4.3.2}, for
4285 @email{trey@@cs.berkeley.edu, Trey Jackson} has an Emacs & MIME web page at
4289 @uref{http://bmrc.berkeley.edu/~trey/emacs/mime.html}.
4292 Another possibility is RMIME. You may find RMIME at
4296 @uref{http://www.cinti.net/~rmoody/rmime/index.html}.
4299 @node Q4.3.2, Q4.3.3, Q4.3.1, Subsystems
4300 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.3.2: What is TM and where do I get it?
4302 TM stands for @dfn{Tools for MIME} and not Tiny MIME. TM integrates
4303 with all major XEmacs packages like Gnus (all flavors), VM, MH-E, and
4304 mailcrypt. It provides totally transparent and trouble-free MIME
4305 support. When appropriate a message will be decoded in place in an
4308 TM now comes as a package with XEmacs 19.16 and XEmacs 20.2.
4310 TM was written by @email{morioka@@jaist.ac.jp, MORIOKA Tomohiko} and
4311 @email{shuhei-k@@jaist.ac.jp, KOBAYASHI
4314 It is based on the work of @email{umerin@@mse.kyutech.ac.jp, UMEDA
4315 Masanobu}, the original writer of GNUS.
4317 The following information is from the @file{README}:
4319 @dfn{tm} is a MIME package for GNU Emacs.
4320 tm has following functions:
4323 @item MIME style multilingual header.
4324 @item MIME message viewer (mime/viewer-mode).
4325 @item MIME message composer (mime/editor-mode).
4326 @item MIME extenders for mh-e, GNUS, RMAIL and VM.
4329 tm is available from following anonymous ftp sites:
4331 @comment @item @uref{ftp://ftp.jaist.ac.jp/pub/GNU/elisp/mime/} (Japan).
4332 @comment @item @uref{ftp://ftp.nis.co.jp/pub/gnu/emacs-lisp/tm/} (Japan).
4333 @comment @c The host above is unknown.
4334 @comment @item @uref{ftp://ftp.nisiq.net/pub/gnu/emacs-lisp/tm/} (US).
4335 @comment @item @uref{ftp://ftp.miranova.com/pub/gnus/jaist.ac.jp/} (US).
4336 @item @uref{ftp://ftp.unicamp.br/pub/mail/mime/tm/} (Brasil).
4337 @item @uref{ftp://ftp.th-darmstadt.de/pub/editors/GNU-Emacs/lisp/mime/} (Germany).
4338 @item @uref{ftp://ftp.tnt.uni-hannover.de/pub/editors/xemacs/contrib/} (Germany).
4341 Don't let the installation procedure & instructions stop you from trying
4342 this package out---it's much simpler than it looks, and once installed,
4345 @node Q4.3.3, Q4.3.4, Q4.3.2, Subsystems
4346 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.3.3: Why isn't this @code{movemail} program working?
4348 Ben Wing @email{ben@@xemacs.org} writes:
4351 It wasn't chown'ed/chmod'd correctly.
4354 @node Q4.3.4, Q4.3.5, Q4.3.3, Subsystems
4355 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.3.4: Movemail is also distributed by Netscape? Can that cause problems?
4357 @email{steve@@xemacs.org, Steve Baur} writes:
4360 Yes. Always use the movemail installed with your XEmacs. Failure to do
4361 so can result in lost mail.
4364 Please refer to @email{jwz@@jwz.org, Jamie Zawinski's} notes at
4368 @uref{http://home.netscape.com/eng/mozilla/2.0/relnotes/demo/movemail.html}.
4369 In particular, this document will show you how to make Netscape use the
4370 version of movemail configured for your system by the person who built
4373 @node Q4.3.5, Q4.4.1, Q4.3.4, Subsystems
4374 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.3.5: Where do I find pstogif (required by tm)?
4376 pstogif is part of the latex2html package.
4378 @email{vroonhof@@math.ethz.ch, Jan Vroonhof} writes:
4380 latex2html is best found at the CTAN hosts and their mirrors
4385 @file{tex-archive/support/latex2html}.
4390 @item @uref{ftp://ftp.tex.ac.uk/tex-archive/support/latex2html/}.
4391 @item @uref{ftp://ftp.dante.de/tex-archive/support/latex2html/}.
4394 There is a good mirror at ftp.cdrom.com;
4398 @uref{ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/tex/ctan/support/latex2html/}.
4400 @node Q4.4.1, Q4.4.2, Q4.3.5, Subsystems
4401 @unnumberedsec 4.4: Sparcworks, EOS, and WorkShop
4402 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.4.1: What is SPARCworks, EOS, and WorkShop?
4404 @email{turner@@lanl.gov, John Turner} writes:
4407 SPARCworks is SunSoft's development environment, comprising compilers
4408 (C, C++, FORTRAN 77, Fortran 90, Ada, and Pascal), a debugger, and other
4409 tools such as TeamWare (for configuration management), MakeTool, etc.
4412 See @uref{http://www.sun.com/software/Developer-products/}
4415 EOS stands for "Era on SPARCworks", but I don't know what Era stands
4418 EOS is the integration of XEmacs with the SPARCworks debugger. It
4419 allows one to use an XEmacs frame to view code (complete with
4420 fontification, etc.), set breakpoints, print variables, etc., while
4421 using the SPARCworks debugger. It works very well and I use it all the
4424 @email{cthomp@@xemacs.org, Chuck Thompson} writes:
4427 Era stood for "Emacs Rewritten Again". It was what we were calling the
4428 modified version of Lucid Emacs for Sun when I was dragged, er, allowed
4429 to work on this wonderful editor.
4432 @email{martin@@xemacs.org, Martin Buchholz} writes:
4435 EOS is being replaced with a new graphical development environment
4436 called Sun WorkShop, which is currently (07/96) in Alpha Test. For more
4441 @uref{http://www.sun.com/software/Products/Developer-products}.
4444 @node Q4.4.2, Q4.5.1, Q4.4.1, Subsystems
4445 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.4.2: How do I start the Sun Workshop support in XEmacs 21?
4447 Add the switch ---with-workshop to the configure command when building
4448 XEmacs and put the following in one of your startup files
4449 (e.g. site-start.el or .emacs):
4452 (when (featurep 'tooltalk)
4453 (load "tooltalk-macros")
4454 (load "tooltalk-util")
4455 (load "tooltalk-init"))
4456 (when (featurep 'sparcworks)
4457 (load "sunpro-init")
4460 (load "annotations")
4464 If you are not using the latest Workshop (5.0) you have to apply the
4468 --- /opt/SUNWspro/lib/eserve.el.ORIG Fri May 14 15:23:26 1999
4469 +++ /opt/SUNWspro/lib/eserve.el Fri May 14 15:24:54 1999
4470 @@@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@@@
4471 (defvar running-xemacs nil "t if we're running XEmacs")
4472 (defvar running-emacs nil "t if we're running GNU Emacs 19")
4474 -(if (string-match "^\\(19\\|20\\)\..*\\(XEmacs\\|Lucid\\)" emacs-version)
4475 +(if (string-match "\\(XEmacs\\|Lucid\\)" emacs-version)
4476 (setq running-xemacs t)
4477 (setq running-emacs t))
4482 @node Q4.5.1, Q4.6.1, Q4.4.2, Subsystems
4483 @unnumberedsec 4.5: Energize
4484 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.5.1: What is/was Energize?
4486 @email{gray@@meteor.harlequin.com, David N Gray} writes:
4488 The files in @file{lisp/energize} are to enable Emacs to interface with
4489 the "Energize Programming System", a C and C++ development environment,
4490 which was a product of Lucid, Inc. Tragically, Lucid went out of
4491 business in 1994, so although Energize is still a great system, if you
4492 don't already have it, there isn't any way to get it now. (Unless you
4493 happen to be in Japan; INS Engineering may still be selling it there.
4494 Tartan bought the rights to sell it in the rest of the world, but never
4498 @node Q4.6.1, Q4.7.1, Q4.5.1, Subsystems
4499 @unnumberedsec 4.6: Infodock
4500 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.6.1: What is Infodock?
4502 @uref{http://sourceforge.net/projects/infodock/, InfoDock} is an
4503 integrated productivity toolset, mainly aimed at technical people,
4504 hosted at SourceForge.
4506 InfoDock is built atop the XEmacs variant of GNU Emacs and so has all of
4507 the power of Emacs, but with an easier to use and more comprehensive
4508 menu-based user interface. The bottom portion of this text describes
4509 how it differs from XEmacs and GNU Emacs from the Free Software
4512 InfoDock is aimed at people who want a free, turn-key productivity
4513 environment. Although InfoDock is customizable, it is not intended for
4514 people who like basic versions of Emacs which need to be customized
4515 extensively for local use; standard Emacs distributions are better for
4516 such uses. InfoDock is for those people who want a complete,
4517 pre-customized environment in one package, which they need not touch
4518 more than once or twice a year to update to new revisions.
4520 InfoDock is pre-built for SPARC SunOS/Solaris systems, PA-RISC HP-UX,
4521 and Intel Linux systems. It is intended for use on a color display,
4522 although most features will work on monochrome monitors. Simply unpack
4523 InfoDock according to the instructions in the ID-INSTALL file and you
4526 The InfoDock Manual is concise, yet sufficient as a user guide for users
4527 who have never used an Emacs-type editor before. For users who are
4528 already familiar with Emacs, it supplements the information in the GNU
4531 InfoDock menus are much more extensive and more mature than standard
4532 Emacs menus. Each menu offers a @samp{Manual} item which displays
4533 documentation associated with the menu's functions.
4536 Four types of menubars are provided:
4539 An extensive menubar providing access to global InfoDock commands.
4541 Mode-specific menubars tailored to the current major mode.
4543 A simple menubar for basic editing to help novices get started with InfoDock.
4545 The standard XEmacs menubar.
4548 Most modes also include mode-specific popup menus. Additionally, region and
4549 rectangle popup menus are included.
4551 @samp{Hyperbole}, the everyday information manager, is a core part of
4552 InfoDock. This provides context-sensitive mouse keys, a rolodex-type
4553 contact manager, programmable hypertext buttons, and an autonumbered
4554 outliner with embedded hyperlink anchors.
4556 The @samp{OO-Browser}, a multi-language object-oriented code browser, is a
4557 standard part of InfoDock.
4559 InfoDock saves a more extensive set of user options than other Emacs
4562 InfoDock inserts a useful file header in many file types, showing the
4563 author, summary, and last modification time of each file. A summary
4564 program can then be used to summarize all of the files in a directory,
4565 for easy MANIFEST file creation.
4567 Your working set of buffers is automatically saved and restored (if you
4568 answer yes to a prompt) between InfoDock sessions.
4570 Refined color choices for code highlighting are provided for both dark and
4571 light background display frames.
4573 The @kbd{C-z} key prefix performs frame-based commands which parallel the
4574 @kbd{C-x} key prefix for window-based commands.
4576 The Smart Menu system is included for producing command menus on dumb
4579 Lisp libraries are better categorized according to function.
4581 Extensions and improvements to many areas of Emacs are included, such as:
4582 paragraph filling, mail reading with Rmail, shell handling, outlining, code
4583 highlighting and browsing, and man page browsing.
4585 InfoDock questions, answers and discussion should go to the mail list
4589 @email{infodock@@infodock.com}. Use
4590 @email{infodock-request@@infodock.com} to be added or removed from the
4591 list. Always include your InfoDock version number when sending help
4594 InfoDock is available across the Internet via anonymous FTP. To get
4595 it, first move to a directory into which you want the InfoDock archive
4596 files placed. We will call this <DIST-DIR>.
4602 Ftp to ftp.xemacs.org (Internet Host ID = 128.174.252.16):
4605 prompt> ftp ftp.xemacs.org
4608 Login as @samp{anonymous} with your own <user-id>@@<site-name> as a password.
4611 Name (ftp.xemacs.org): anonymous
4612 331 Guest login ok, send your complete e-mail address as password.
4613 Password: -<your-user-id>@@<your-domain>
4614 230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.
4617 Move to the location of the InfoDock archives:
4620 ftp> cd pub/infodock
4623 Set your transfer mode to binary:
4634 Interactive mode off.
4637 Retrieve the InfoDock archives that you want, either by using a
4638 @samp{get <file>} for each file you want or by using the following to
4639 get a complete distribution, including all binaries:
4642 ftp> mget ID-INSTALL
4646 Close the FTP connection:
4653 Read the @file{ID-INSTALL} file which you just retrieved for
4654 step-by-step installation instructions.
4656 @node Q4.7.1, Q4.7.2, Q4.6.1, Subsystems
4657 @unnumberedsec 4.7: Other Unbundled Packages
4658 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.1: What is AUC TeX? Where do you get it?
4660 AUC TeX is a package written by @email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen}.
4661 Starting with XEmacs 19.16, AUC TeX is bundled with XEmacs. The
4662 following information is from the @file{README} and website.
4664 AUC TeX is an extensible package that supports writing and formatting
4665 TeX files for most variants of GNU Emacs. Many different macro packages
4666 are supported, including AMS TeX, LaTeX, and TeXinfo.
4668 The most recent version is always available by ftp at
4672 @uref{ftp://sunsite.dk/packages/auctex/auctex.tar.gz}.
4674 In case you don't have access to anonymous ftp, you can get it by an
4675 email request to @email{ftpmail@@decwrl.dec.com}.
4677 WWW users may want to check out the AUC TeX page at
4681 @uref{http://sunsite.dk/auctex/}.
4683 @node Q4.7.2, Q4.7.3, Q4.7.1, Subsystems
4684 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.2: Are there any Emacs Lisp Spreadsheets?
4686 Yes. Check out @dfn{dismal} (which stands for Dis' Mode Ain't Lotus) at
4690 @uref{ftp://cs.nyu.edu/pub/local/fox/dismal/}.
4692 @node Q4.7.3, Q4.7.4, Q4.7.2, Subsystems
4693 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.3: [This question intentionally left blank]
4695 @node Q4.7.4, Q4.7.5, Q4.7.3, Subsystems
4696 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.4: Problems installing AUC TeX.
4698 @email{vroonhof@@math.ethz.ch, Jan Vroonhof} writes:
4701 AUC TeX works fine on both stock Emacs and XEmacs has been doing so for
4702 a very very long time. This is mostly due to the work of
4703 @email{abraham@@dina.kvl.dk, Per Abrahamsen} (clap clap) in particular his @file{easymenu}
4704 package. Which leads to what is probably the problem...
4707 Most problems with AUC TeX are one of two things:
4711 The TeX-lisp-directory in @file{tex-site.el} and the makefile don't
4714 Fix: make sure you configure AUC TeX properly @strong{before} installing.
4717 You have an old version of easymenu.el in your path.
4719 Fix: use @code{locate-library} and remove old versions to make sure it
4720 @strong{only} finds the one that came with XEmacs.
4724 @node Q4.7.5, Q4.7.6, Q4.7.4, Subsystems
4725 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.5: Is there a reason for an Emacs package not to be included in XEmacs?
4727 The reason for an Emacs package not to be included in XEmacs is
4728 usually one or more of the following:
4732 The package has not been ported to XEmacs. This will typically happen
4733 when it uses GNU-Emacs-specific features, which make it fail under
4736 Porting a package to XEmacs can range from a trivial amount of change to
4737 a partial or full rewrite. Fortunately, the authors of modern packages
4738 usually choose to support both Emacsen themselves.
4741 The package has been decided not to be appropriate for XEmacs. It may
4742 have an equivalent or better replacement within XEmacs, in which case
4743 the developers may choose not to burden themselves with supporting an
4746 Each package bundled with XEmacs means more work for the maintainers,
4747 whether they want it or not. If you are ready to take over the
4748 maintenance responsibilities for the package you port, be sure to say
4749 so---we will more likely include it.
4752 The package simply hasn't been noted by the XEmacs development. If
4753 that's the case, the messages like yours are very useful for attracting
4757 The package was noted by the developers, but they simply haven't yet
4758 gotten around to including/porting it. Wait for the next release or,
4759 even better, offer your help. It will be gladly accepted and
4763 @node Q4.7.6, Q4.7.7, Q4.7.5, Subsystems
4764 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.5: Is there a MatLab mode?
4766 Yes, a matlab mode and other items are available at the
4767 @uref{ftp://ftp.mathworks.com/pub/contrib/emacs_add_ons,
4768 MathWorks' emacs_add_ons ftp directory}.
4770 @node Q4.7.7, , Q4.7.6, Subsystems
4771 @unnumberedsubsec Q4.7.7: Can I edit files on other hosts?
4773 Yes. Of course XEmacs can use any network file system (such as NFS or
4774 Windows file sharing) you have available, and includes some
4775 optimizations and safety features appropriate to those environments.
4777 It is also possible to transparently edit files via FTP, ssh, or rsh. That
4778 is, XEmacs makes a local copy using the transport in the background, and
4779 automatically refreshes the remote original from that copy when you save
4780 it. XEmacs also is capable of doing file system manipulations like
4781 creating and removing directories and files. The FTP interface is
4782 provided by the standard @samp{efs} package @ref{Top, EFS, , efs}. The
4783 ssh/rsh interface is provided by the optional @samp{tramp} package
4784 @ref{Top, TRAMP, , tramp}.
4786 @node Miscellaneous, MS Windows, Subsystems, Top
4787 @unnumbered 5 The Miscellaneous Stuff
4789 This is part 5 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
4790 section is devoted to anything that doesn't fit neatly into the other
4794 Major & Minor Modes:
4795 * Q5.0.1:: How can I do source code highlighting using font-lock?
4796 * Q5.0.2:: I do not like cc-mode. How do I use the old c-mode?
4797 * Q5.0.3:: How do I get @samp{More} Syntax Highlighting on by default?
4798 * Q5.0.4:: How can I enable auto-indent and/or Filladapt?
4799 * Q5.0.5:: How can I get XEmacs to come up in text/auto-fill mode by default?
4800 * Q5.0.6:: How do I start up a second shell buffer?
4801 * Q5.0.7:: Telnet from shell filters too much.
4802 * Q5.0.8:: Why does edt emulation not work?
4803 * Q5.0.9:: How can I emulate VI and use it as my default mode?
4804 * Q5.0.10:: [This question intentionally left blank]
4805 * Q5.0.11:: [This question intentionally left blank]
4806 * Q5.0.12:: How do I disable gnuserv from opening a new frame?
4807 * Q5.0.13:: How do I start gnuserv so that each subsequent XEmacs is a client?
4808 * Q5.0.14:: Strange things are happening in Shell Mode.
4809 * Q5.0.15:: Where do I get the latest CC Mode?
4810 * Q5.0.16:: I find auto-show-mode disconcerting. How do I turn it off?
4811 * Q5.0.17:: How can I get two instances of info?
4812 * Q5.0.18:: [This question intentionally left blank]
4813 * Q5.0.19:: Is there something better than LaTeX mode?
4814 * Q5.0.20:: Is there a way to start a new XEmacs if there's no gnuserv running, and otherwise use gnuclient?
4816 Emacs Lisp Programming Techniques:
4817 * Q5.1.1:: The difference in key sequences between XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
4818 * Q5.1.2:: Can I generate "fake" keyboard events?
4819 * Q5.1.3:: Could you explain @code{read-kbd-macro} in more detail?
4820 * Q5.1.4:: What is the performance hit of @code{let}?
4821 * Q5.1.5:: What is the recommended use of @code{setq}?
4822 * Q5.1.6:: What is the typical misuse of @code{setq}?
4823 * Q5.1.7:: I like the @code{do} form of cl, does it slow things down?
4824 * Q5.1.8:: I like recursion, does it slow things down?
4825 * Q5.1.9:: How do I put a glyph as annotation in a buffer?
4826 * Q5.1.10:: @code{map-extents} won't traverse all of my extents!
4827 * Q5.1.11:: My elisp program is horribly slow. Is there an easy way to find out where it spends time?
4830 * Q5.2.1:: How do I turn off the sound?
4831 * Q5.2.2:: How do I get funky sounds instead of a boring beep?
4832 * Q5.2.3:: What's NAS, how do I get it?
4833 * Q5.2.4:: Sunsite sounds don't play.
4836 * Q5.3.1:: How do you make XEmacs indent CL if-clauses correctly?
4837 * Q5.3.2:: [This question intentionally left blank]
4838 * Q5.3.3:: How can I print WYSIWYG a font-locked buffer?
4839 * Q5.3.4:: Getting @kbd{M-x lpr} to work with postscript printer.
4840 * Q5.3.5:: How do I specify the paths that XEmacs uses for finding files?
4841 * Q5.3.6:: [This question intentionally left blank]
4842 * Q5.3.7:: Can I have the end of the buffer delimited in some way?
4843 * Q5.3.8:: How do I insert today's date into a buffer?
4844 * Q5.3.9:: Are only certain syntactic character classes available for abbrevs?
4845 * Q5.3.10:: How can I get those oh-so-neat X-Face lines?
4846 * Q5.3.11:: How do I add new Info directories?
4847 * Q5.3.12:: What do I need to change to make printing work?
4850 @node Q5.0.1, Q5.0.2, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous
4851 @unnumberedsec 5.0: Major & Minor Modes
4852 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.1: How can I do source code highlighting using font-lock?
4854 For most modes, font-lock is already set up and just needs to be turned
4855 on. This can be done by adding the line:
4858 (require 'font-lock)
4861 to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}. (You can turn it on for the
4862 current buffer and session only by @kbd{M-x font-lock-mode}.) See the
4863 file @file{etc/sample.init.el} (@file{etc/sample.emacs} in XEmacs
4864 versions prior to 21.4) for more information.
4867 @c (add-hook 'emacs-lisp-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock)
4868 @c (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock)
4870 See also @code{Syntax Highlighting} from the @code{Options} menu.
4871 Remember to save options.
4873 @node Q5.0.2, Q5.0.3, Q5.0.1, Miscellaneous
4874 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.2: I do not like cc-mode. How do I use the old c-mode?
4876 Well, first off, consider if you really want to do this. cc-mode is
4877 much more powerful than the old c-mode. If you're having trouble
4878 getting your old offsets to work, try using @code{c-set-offset} instead.
4879 You might also consider using the package @code{cc-compat}.
4881 But, if you still insist, add the following lines to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
4884 (fmakunbound 'c-mode)
4885 (makunbound 'c-mode-map)
4886 (fmakunbound 'c++-mode)
4887 (makunbound 'c++-mode-map)
4888 (makunbound 'c-style-alist)
4889 (load-library "old-c-mode")
4890 (load-library "old-c++-mode")
4893 This must be done before any other reference is made to either c-mode or
4896 @node Q5.0.3, Q5.0.4, Q5.0.2, Miscellaneous
4897 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.3: How do I get @samp{More} Syntax Highlighting on by default?
4899 Use the following code in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
4902 (setq-default font-lock-maximum-decoration t)
4905 @c In versions of XEmacs prior to 19.14, you had to use a kludgy solution
4909 @c (setq c-font-lock-keywords c-font-lock-keywords-2
4910 @c c++-font-lock-keywords c++-font-lock-keywords-2
4911 @c lisp-font-lock-keywords lisp-font-lock-keywords-2)
4914 @c It will work for C, C++ and Lisp.
4916 See also @code{Syntax Highlighting} from the @code{Options} menu.
4917 Remember to save options.
4919 @node Q5.0.4, Q5.0.5, Q5.0.3, Miscellaneous
4920 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.4: How can I enable auto-indent and/or Filladapt?
4922 Put the following line in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
4925 (setq indent-line-function 'indent-relative-maybe)
4928 If you want to get fancy, try the @code{filladapt} package available
4929 standard with XEmacs. Put this into your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
4932 (require 'filladapt)
4933 (setq-default filladapt-mode t)
4934 (add-hook 'c-mode-hook 'turn-off-filladapt-mode)
4937 This will enable Filladapt for all modes except C mode, where it doesn't
4938 work well. To turn Filladapt on only in particular major modes, remove
4939 the @code{(setq-default ...)} line and use
4940 @code{turn-on-filladapt-mode}, like this:
4943 (add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-filladapt-mode)
4946 You can customize filling and adaptive filling with Customize.
4947 Select from the @code{Options} menu
4948 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Fill->Fill...}
4949 or type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} fill @key{RET}}.
4951 Note that well-behaving text-lookalike modes will run
4952 @code{text-mode-hook} by default (e.g. that's what Message does). For
4953 the nasty ones, you'll have to provide the @code{add-hook}s yourself.
4955 Please note that the @code{fa-extras} package is no longer useful.
4957 @node Q5.0.5, Q5.0.6, Q5.0.4, Miscellaneous
4958 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.5: How can I get XEmacs to come up in text/auto-fill mode by default?
4960 Try the following lisp in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
4963 (setq default-major-mode 'text-mode)
4964 (setq text-mode-hook 'turn-on-auto-fill)
4967 @strong{WARNING}: note that changing the value of
4968 @code{default-major-mode} from @code{fundamental-mode} can break a large
4969 amount of built-in code that expects newly created buffers to be in
4970 @code{fundamental-mode}. (Changing from @code{fundamental-mode} to
4971 @code{text-mode} might not wreak too much havoc, but changing to
4972 something more exotic like a lisp-mode would break many Emacs packages).
4974 Note that Emacs by default starts up in buffer @code{*scratch*} in
4975 @code{initial-major-mode}, which defaults to
4976 @code{lisp-interaction-mode}. Thus adding the following form to your
4977 Emacs init file will cause the initial @code{*scratch*} buffer to be put
4978 into auto-fill'ed @code{text-mode}:
4981 (setq initial-major-mode
4984 (turn-on-auto-fill)))
4987 Note that after your init file is loaded, if
4988 @code{inhibit-startup-message} is @code{nil} (the default) and the
4989 startup buffer is @code{*scratch*} then the startup message will be
4990 inserted into @code{*scratch*}; it will be removed after a timeout by
4991 erasing the entire @code{*scratch*} buffer. Keep in mind this default
4992 usage of @code{*scratch*} if you desire any prior manipulation of
4993 @code{*scratch*} from within your Emacs init file. In particular,
4994 anything you insert into @code{*scratch*} from your init file will be
4995 later erased. Also, if you change the mode of the @code{*scratch*}
4996 buffer, be sure that this will not interfere with possible later
4997 insertion of the startup message (e.g. if you put @code{*scratch*} into
4998 a nonstandard mode that has automatic font lock rules, then the startup
4999 message might get fontified in a strange foreign manner, e.g. as code in
5000 some programming language).
5002 @node Q5.0.6, Q5.0.7, Q5.0.5, Miscellaneous
5003 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.6: How do I start up a second shell buffer?
5005 In the @code{*shell*} buffer:
5008 M-x rename-buffer @key{RET} *shell-1* @key{RET}
5012 This will then start a second shell. The key is that no buffer named
5013 @samp{*shell*} can exist. It might be preferable to use @kbd{M-x
5014 rename-uniquely} to rename the @code{*shell*} buffer instead of @kbd{M-x
5017 Alternately, you can set the variable @code{shell-multiple-shells}.
5018 If the value of this variable is non-nil, each time shell mode is invoked,
5021 @node Q5.0.7, Q5.0.8, Q5.0.6, Miscellaneous
5022 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.7: Telnet from shell filters too much
5024 I'm using the Emacs @kbd{M-x shell} function, and I would like to invoke
5025 and use a telnet session within it. Everything works fine except that
5026 now all @samp{^M}'s are filtered out by Emacs. Fixes?
5028 Use @kbd{M-x rsh} or @kbd{M-x telnet} to open remote sessions rather
5029 than doing rsh or telnet within the local shell buffer. Starting with
5030 XEmacs-20.3 you can also use @kbd{M-x ssh} to open secure remote session
5031 if you have @code{ssh} installed.
5033 @node Q5.0.8, Q5.0.9, Q5.0.7, Miscellaneous
5034 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.8: Why does edt emulation not work?
5036 We don't know, but you can use tpu-edt emulation instead, which works
5037 fine and is a little fancier than the standard edt emulation. To do
5038 this, add the following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
5044 If you don't want it to replace @kbd{C-h} with an edt-style help menu
5048 (global-set-key [(control h)] 'help-for-help)
5051 @node Q5.0.9, Q5.0.10, Q5.0.8, Miscellaneous
5052 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.9: How can I emulate VI and use it as my default mode?
5054 Our recommended VI emulator is viper. To make viper-mode the default,
5055 add this to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
5061 @email{kifer@@CS.SunySB.EDU, Michael Kifer} writes:
5064 This should be added as close to the top of @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} as you can get
5065 it, otherwise some minor modes may not get viper-ized.
5068 @node Q5.0.10, Q5.0.11, Q5.0.9, Miscellaneous
5069 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.10: [This question intentionally left blank]
5071 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering
5073 @node Q5.0.11, Q5.0.12, Q5.0.10, Miscellaneous
5074 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.11: [This question intentionally left blank]
5076 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering
5078 @node Q5.0.12, Q5.0.13, Q5.0.11, Miscellaneous
5079 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.12: How do I disable gnuserv from opening a new frame?
5081 If you set the @code{gnuserv-frame} variable to the frame that should be
5082 used to display buffers that are pulled up, a new frame will not be
5083 created. For example, you could put
5086 (setq gnuserv-frame (selected-frame))
5089 early on in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}, to ensure that the first frame created
5090 is the one used for your gnuserv buffers.
5092 There is an option to set the gnuserv target to the current frame. See
5093 @code{Options->Display->"Other Window" Location->Make Current Frame Gnuserv Target}
5095 Starting with XEmacs-20.3 you can also change this with Customize.
5096 Select from the @code{Options} menu
5097 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Gnuserv->Gnuserv Frame...}
5098 or type @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} gnuserv @key{RET}}.
5101 @node Q5.0.13, Q5.0.14, Q5.0.12, Miscellaneous
5102 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.13: How do I start gnuserv so that each subsequent XEmacs is a client?
5104 Put the following in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file to start the server:
5110 Start your first XEmacs as usual. After that, you can do:
5113 gnuclient randomfilename
5116 from the command line to get your existing XEmacs process to open a new
5117 frame and visit randomfilename in that window. When you're done editing
5118 randomfilename, hit @kbd{C-x #} to kill the buffer and get rid of the
5121 See also man page of gnuclient.
5123 @node Q5.0.14, Q5.0.15, Q5.0.13, Miscellaneous
5124 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.14: Strange things are happening in Shell Mode.
5126 Sometimes (i.e. it's not repeatable, and I can't work out why it
5127 happens) when I'm typing into shell mode, I hit return and only a
5128 portion of the command is given to the shell, and a blank prompt is
5129 returned. If I hit return again, the rest of the previous command is
5132 @email{martin@@xemacs.org, Martin Buchholz} writes:
5135 There is a known problem with interaction between @code{csh} and the
5136 @code{filec} option and XEmacs. You should add the following to your
5140 if ( "$TERM" == emacs || "$TERM" == unknown ) unset filec
5144 @node Q5.0.15, Q5.0.16, Q5.0.14, Miscellaneous
5145 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.15: Where do I get the latest CC Mode?
5147 @email{bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us, Barry A. Warsaw} writes:
5150 This can be had from @uref{http://www.python.org/emacs/}.
5153 @node Q5.0.16, Q5.0.17, Q5.0.15, Miscellaneous
5154 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.16: I find auto-show-mode disconcerting. How do I turn it off?
5156 @code{auto-show-mode} controls whether or not a horizontal scrollbar
5157 magically appears when a line is too long to be displayed. This is
5158 enabled by default. To turn it off, put the following in your
5159 @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
5162 (setq auto-show-mode nil)
5163 (setq-default auto-show-mode nil)
5166 @node Q5.0.17, Q5.0.18, Q5.0.16, Miscellaneous
5167 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.17: How can I get two instances of info?
5169 Before 21.4, you can't. The @code{info} package does not provide for
5170 multiple info buffers. In 21.4, this should be fixed. #### how?
5172 @node Q5.0.18, Q5.0.19, Q5.0.17, Miscellaneous
5173 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.18: [This question intentionally left blank]
5175 @node Q5.0.19, Q5.0.20, Q5.0.18, Miscellaneous
5176 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.19: Is there something better than LaTeX mode?
5178 @email{dak@@fsnif.neuroinformatik.ruhr-uni-bochum.de, David Kastrup} writes:
5181 The standard TeX modes leave much to be desired, and are somewhat
5182 leniently maintained. Serious TeX users use AUC TeX (@pxref{Q4.7.1}).
5185 @node Q5.0.20, Q5.1.1, Q5.0.19, Miscellaneous
5186 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.0.20: Is there a way to start a new XEmacs if there's no gnuserv running, and otherwise use gnuclient?
5188 @email{vroonhof@@math.ethz.ch, Jan Vroonhof} writes:
5190 Here is one of the solutions, we have this in a script called
5191 @file{etc/editclient.sh}.
5194 if gnuclient -batch -eval t >/dev/null 2>&1
5196 exec gnuclient $@{1+"$@@"@}
5198 xemacs -unmapped -f gnuserv-start &
5199 until gnuclient -batch -eval t >/dev/null 2>&1
5203 exec gnuclient $@{1+"$@@"@}
5207 Note that there is a known problem when running XEmacs and 'gnuclient
5208 -nw' on the same TTY.
5211 @node Q5.1.1, Q5.1.2, Q5.0.20, Miscellaneous
5212 @unnumberedsec 5.1: Emacs Lisp Programming Techniques
5213 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.1: What is the difference in key sequences between XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
5215 @email{clerik@@naggum.no, Erik Naggum} writes;
5218 Emacs has a legacy of keyboards that produced characters with modifier
5219 bits, and therefore map a variety of input systems into this scheme even
5220 today. XEmacs is instead optimized for X events. This causes an
5221 incompatibility in the way key sequences are specified, but both Emacs
5222 and XEmacs will accept a key sequence as a vector of lists of modifiers
5223 that ends with a key, e.g., to bind @kbd{M-C-a}, you would say
5224 @code{[(meta control a)]} in both Emacsen. XEmacs has an abbreviated
5225 form for a single key, just (meta control a). Emacs has an abbreviated
5226 form for the Control and the Meta modifiers to string-characters (the
5227 ASCII characters), as in @samp{\M-\C-a}. XEmacs users need to be aware
5228 that the abbreviated form works only for one-character key sequences,
5229 while Emacs users need to be aware that the string-character is rather
5230 limited. Specifically, the string-character can accommodate only 256
5231 different values, 128 of which have the Meta modifier and 128 of which
5232 have not. In each of these blocks, only 32 characters have the Control
5233 modifier. Whereas @code{[(meta control A)]} differs from @code{[(meta
5234 control a)]} because the case differs, @samp{\M-\C-a} and @samp{\M-\C-A}
5235 do not. Programmers are advised to use the full common form, both
5236 because it is more readable and less error-prone, and because it is
5237 supported by both Emacsen.
5240 Another (even safer) way to be sure of the key-sequences is to use the
5241 @code{read-kbd-macro} function, which takes a string like @samp{C-c
5242 <up>}, and converts it to the internal key representation of the Emacs
5243 you use. The function is available both on XEmacs and GNU Emacs.
5245 @node Q5.1.2, Q5.1.3, Q5.1.1, Miscellaneous
5246 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.2: Can I generate "fake" keyboard events?
5248 I wonder if there is an interactive function that can generate
5249 @dfn{fake} keyboard events. This way, I could simply map them inside
5255 (defun cg--generate-char-event (ch)
5256 "Generate an event, as if ch has been typed"
5257 (dispatch-event (character-to-event ch)))
5259 ;; Backspace and Delete stuff
5260 (global-set-key [backspace]
5261 (lambda () (interactive) (cg--generate-char-event 127)))
5262 (global-set-key [unknown_keysym_0x4]
5263 (lambda () (interactive) (cg--generate-char-event 4)))
5266 @node Q5.1.3, Q5.1.4, Q5.1.2, Miscellaneous
5267 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.3: Could you explain @code{read-kbd-macro} in more detail?
5269 The @code{read-kbd-macro} function returns the internal Emacs
5270 representation of a human-readable string (which is its argument).
5274 (read-kbd-macro "C-c C-a")
5275 @result{} [(control ?c) (control ?a)]
5277 (read-kbd-macro "C-c C-. <up>")
5278 @result{} [(control ?c) (control ?.) up]
5281 In GNU Emacs the same forms will be evaluated to what GNU Emacs
5282 understands internally---the sequences @code{"\C-x\C-c"} and @code{[3
5283 67108910 up]}, respectively.
5285 The exact @dfn{human-readable} syntax is defined in the docstring of
5286 @code{edmacro-mode}. I'll repeat it here, for completeness.
5289 Format of keyboard macros during editing:
5291 Text is divided into @dfn{words} separated by whitespace. Except for
5292 the words described below, the characters of each word go directly as
5293 characters of the macro. The whitespace that separates words is
5294 ignored. Whitespace in the macro must be written explicitly, as in
5295 @kbd{foo @key{SPC} bar @key{RET}}.
5299 The special words @kbd{RET}, @kbd{SPC}, @kbd{TAB}, @kbd{DEL}, @kbd{LFD},
5300 @kbd{ESC}, and @kbd{NUL} represent special control characters. The
5301 words must be written in uppercase.
5304 A word in angle brackets, e.g., @code{<return>}, @code{<down>}, or
5305 @code{<f1>}, represents a function key. (Note that in the standard
5306 configuration, the function key @code{<return>} and the control key
5307 @key{RET} are synonymous.) You can use angle brackets on the words
5308 @key{RET}, @key{SPC}, etc., but they are not required there.
5311 Keys can be written by their @sc{ascii} code, using a backslash followed
5312 by up to six octal digits. This is the only way to represent keys with
5316 One or more prefixes @kbd{M-} (meta), @kbd{C-} (control), @kbd{S-}
5317 (shift), @kbd{A-} (alt), @kbd{H-} (hyper), and @kbd{s-} (super) may
5318 precede a character or key notation. For function keys, the prefixes
5319 may go inside or outside of the brackets: @code{C-<down>} @equiv{}
5320 @code{<C-down>}. The prefixes may be written in any order: @kbd{M-C-x}
5321 @equiv{} @kbd{C-M-x}.
5323 Prefixes are not allowed on multi-key words, e.g., @kbd{C-abc}, except
5324 that the Meta prefix is allowed on a sequence of digits and optional
5325 minus sign: @kbd{M--123} @equiv{} @kbd{M-- M-1 M-2 M-3}.
5328 The @code{^} notation for control characters also works: @kbd{^M}
5332 Double angle brackets enclose command names: @code{<<next-line>>} is
5333 shorthand for @kbd{M-x next-line @key{RET}}.
5336 Finally, @code{REM} or @code{;;} causes the rest of the line to be
5337 ignored as a comment.
5340 Any word may be prefixed by a multiplier in the form of a decimal number
5341 and @code{*}: @code{3*<right>} @equiv{} @code{<right> <right> <right>},
5342 and @code{10*foo} @equiv{}
5346 @code{foofoofoofoofoofoofoofoofoofoo}.
5348 Multiple text keys can normally be strung together to form a word, but
5349 you may need to add whitespace if the word would look like one of the
5350 above notations: @code{; ; ;} is a keyboard macro with three semicolons,
5351 but @code{;;;} is a comment. Likewise, @code{\ 1 2 3} is four keys but
5352 @code{\123} is a single key written in octal, and @code{< right >} is
5353 seven keys but @code{<right>} is a single function key. When in doubt,
5357 @node Q5.1.4, Q5.1.5, Q5.1.3, Miscellaneous
5358 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.4: What is the performance hit of @code{let}?
5360 In most cases, not noticeable. Besides, there's no avoiding
5361 @code{let}---you have to bind your local variables, after all. Some
5362 pose a question whether to nest @code{let}s, or use one @code{let} per
5363 function. I think because of clarity and maintenance (and possible
5364 future implementation), @code{let}-s should be used (nested) in a way to
5365 provide the clearest code.
5367 @node Q5.1.5, Q5.1.6, Q5.1.4, Miscellaneous
5368 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.5: What is the recommended use of @code{setq}?
5371 @item Global variables
5373 You will typically @code{defvar} your global variable to a default
5374 value, and use @code{setq} to set it later.
5376 It is never a good practice to @code{setq} user variables (like
5377 @code{case-fold-search}, etc.), as it ignores the user's choice
5378 unconditionally. Note that @code{defvar} doesn't change the value of a
5379 variable if it was bound previously. If you wish to change a
5380 user-variable temporarily, use @code{let}:
5383 (let ((case-fold-search nil))
5384 ... ; code with searches that must be case-sensitive
5388 You will notice the user-variables by their docstrings beginning with an
5389 asterisk (a convention).
5391 @item Local variables
5393 Bind them with @code{let}, which will unbind them (or restore their
5394 previous value, if they were bound) after exiting from the @code{let}
5395 form. Change the value of local variables with @code{setq} or whatever
5396 you like (e.g. @code{incf}, @code{setf} and such). The @code{let} form
5397 can even return one of its local variables.
5402 ;; iterate through the elements of the list returned by
5403 ;; `hairy-function-that-returns-list'
5404 (let ((l (hairy-function-that-returns-list)))
5406 ... do something with (car l) ...
5410 Another typical usage includes building a value simply to work with it.
5413 ;; Build the mode keymap out of the key-translation-alist
5414 (let ((inbox (file-truename (expand-file-name box)))
5416 ... code dealing with inbox ...
5420 This piece of code uses the local variable @code{inbox}, which becomes
5421 unbound (or regains old value) after exiting the form. The form also
5422 returns the value of @code{inbox}, which can be reused, for instance:
5425 (setq foo-processed-inbox
5430 @node Q5.1.6, Q5.1.7, Q5.1.5, Miscellaneous
5431 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.6: What is the typical misuse of @code{setq} ?
5433 A typical misuse is probably @code{setq}ing a variable that was meant to
5434 be local. Such a variable will remain bound forever, never to be
5435 garbage-collected. For example, the code doing:
5438 (defun my-function (whatever)
5440 ... build a large list ...
5444 does a bad thing, as @code{a} will keep consuming memory, never to be
5445 unbound. The correct thing is to do it like this:
5448 (defun my-function (whatever)
5449 (let (a) ; default initialization is to nil
5450 ... build a large list ...
5451 ... and exit, unbinding `a' in the process ...)
5454 Not only is this prettier syntactically, but it makes it possible for
5455 Emacs to garbage-collect the objects which @code{a} used to reference.
5457 Note that even global variables should not be @code{setq}ed without
5458 @code{defvar}ing them first, because the byte-compiler issues warnings.
5459 The reason for the warning is the following:
5462 (defun flurgoze nil) ; ok, global internal variable
5465 (setq flurghoze t) ; ops! a typo, but semantically correct.
5466 ; however, the byte-compiler warns.
5468 While compiling toplevel forms:
5469 ** assignment to free variable flurghoze
5472 @node Q5.1.7, Q5.1.8, Q5.1.6, Miscellaneous
5473 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.7: I like the @code{do} form of cl, does it slow things down?
5475 It shouldn't. Here is what Dave Gillespie has to say about cl.el
5479 Many of the advanced features of this package, such as @code{defun*},
5480 @code{loop}, and @code{setf}, are implemented as Lisp macros. In
5481 byte-compiled code, these complex notations will be expanded into
5482 equivalent Lisp code which is simple and efficient. For example, the
5490 are expanded at compile-time to the Lisp forms
5494 (setcar p (cons x (car p)))
5497 which are the most efficient ways of doing these respective operations
5498 in Lisp. Thus, there is no performance penalty for using the more
5499 readable @code{incf} and @code{push} forms in your compiled code.
5501 @emph{Interpreted} code, on the other hand, must expand these macros
5502 every time they are executed. For this reason it is strongly
5503 recommended that code making heavy use of macros be compiled. (The
5504 features labelled @dfn{Special Form} instead of @dfn{Function} in this
5505 manual are macros.) A loop using @code{incf} a hundred times will
5506 execute considerably faster if compiled, and will also garbage-collect
5507 less because the macro expansion will not have to be generated, used,
5508 and thrown away a hundred times.
5510 You can find out how a macro expands by using the @code{cl-prettyexpand}
5514 @node Q5.1.8, Q5.1.9, Q5.1.7, Miscellaneous
5515 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.8: I like recursion, does it slow things down?
5517 Yes. Emacs byte-compiler cannot do much to optimize recursion. But
5518 think well whether this is a real concern in Emacs. Much of the Emacs
5519 slowness comes from internal mechanisms such as redisplay, or from the
5520 fact that it is an interpreter.
5522 Please try not to make your code much uglier to gain a very small speed
5523 gain. It's not usually worth it.
5525 @node Q5.1.9, Q5.1.10, Q5.1.8, Miscellaneous
5526 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.9: How do I put a glyph as annotation in a buffer?
5528 Here is a solution that will insert the glyph annotation at the
5529 beginning of buffer:
5532 (make-annotation (make-glyph '([FORMAT :file FILE]
5533 [string :data "fallback-text"]))
5539 Replace @samp{FORMAT} with an unquoted symbol representing the format of
5540 the image (e.g. @code{xpm}, @code{xbm}, @code{gif}, @code{jpeg}, etc.)
5541 Instead of @samp{FILE}, use the image file name
5546 @file{/usr/local/lib/xemacs-21.4/etc/recycle.xpm}).
5548 You can turn this to a function (that optionally prompts you for a file
5549 name), and inserts the glyph at @code{(point)} instead of
5552 @node Q5.1.10, Q5.1.11, Q5.1.9, Miscellaneous
5553 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.10: @code{map-extents} won't traverse all of my extents!
5555 I tried to use @code{map-extents} to do an operation on all the extents
5556 in a region. However, it seems to quit after processing a random number
5557 of extents. Is it buggy?
5559 No. The documentation of @code{map-extents} states that it will iterate
5560 across the extents as long as @var{function} returns @code{nil}.
5561 Unexperienced programmers often forget to return @code{nil} explicitly,
5562 which results in buggy code. For instance, the following code is
5563 supposed to delete all the extents in a buffer, and issue as many
5564 @samp{fubar!} messages.
5567 (map-extents (lambda (ext ignore)
5569 (message "fubar!")))
5572 Instead, it will delete only the first extent, and stop right there --
5573 because @code{message} will return a non-nil value. The correct code
5577 (map-extents (lambda (ext ignore)
5583 @node Q5.1.11, Q5.2.1, Q5.1.10, Miscellaneous
5584 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.1.11: My elisp program is horribly slow. Is there
5585 an easy way to find out where it spends time?
5588 @email{hniksic@@xemacs.org, Hrvoje Niksic} writes:
5590 Under XEmacs 20.4 and later you can use @kbd{M-x profile-key-sequence},
5591 press a key (say @key{RET} in the Gnus Group buffer), and get the
5592 results using @kbd{M-x profile-results}. It should give you an idea of
5593 where the time is being spent.
5596 @node Q5.2.1, Q5.2.2, Q5.1.11, Miscellaneous
5597 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.2.1: How do I turn off the sound?
5599 Add the following line to your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
5602 (setq bell-volume 0)
5603 (setq sound-alist nil)
5606 That will make your XEmacs totally silent---even the default ding sound
5607 (TTY beep on TTY-s) will be gone.
5609 Starting with XEmacs 20.2 you can also change these with Customize.
5610 Select from the @code{Options} menu
5611 @code{Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Sound->Sound...} or type
5612 @kbd{M-x customize @key{RET} sound @key{RET}}.
5615 @node Q5.2.2, Q5.2.3, Q5.2.1, Miscellaneous
5616 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.2.2: How do I get funky sounds instead of a boring beep?
5618 Make sure your XEmacs was compiled with sound support, and then put this
5619 in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
5622 (load-default-sounds)
5625 @c The sound support in XEmacs 19.14 was greatly improved over previous
5628 @node Q5.2.3, Q5.2.4, Q5.2.2, Miscellaneous
5629 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.2.3: What's NAS, how do I get it?
5631 @xref{Q2.0.3}, for an explanation of the @dfn{Network Audio System}.
5633 @node Q5.2.4, Q5.3.1, Q5.2.3, Miscellaneous
5634 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.2.4: Sunsite sounds don't play.
5636 I'm having some trouble with sounds I've downloaded from sunsite. They
5637 play when I run them through @code{showaudio} or cat them directly to
5638 @file{/dev/audio}, but XEmacs refuses to play them.
5640 @email{gutschk@@uni-muenster.de, Markus Gutschke} writes:
5643 [Many of] These files have an (erroneous) 24byte header that tells about
5644 the format that they have been recorded in. If you cat them to
5645 @file{/dev/audio}, the header will be ignored and the default behavior
5646 for /dev/audio will be used. This happens to be 8kHz uLaw. It is
5647 probably possible to fix the header by piping through @code{sox} and
5648 passing explicit parameters for specifying the sampling format; you then
5649 need to perform a 'null' conversion from SunAudio to SunAudio.
5652 @node Q5.3.1, Q5.3.2, Q5.2.4, Miscellaneous
5653 @unnumberedsec 5.3: Miscellaneous
5654 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.1: How do you make XEmacs indent CL if-clauses correctly?
5656 I'd like XEmacs to indent all the clauses of a Common Lisp @code{if} the
5657 same amount instead of indenting the 3rd clause differently from the
5660 One way is to add, to @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
5663 (put 'if 'lisp-indent-function nil)
5666 However, note that the package @code{cl-indent} that comes with
5667 XEmacs sets up this kind of indentation by default. @code{cl-indent}
5668 also knows about many other CL-specific forms. To use @code{cl-indent},
5673 (setq lisp-indent-function (function common-lisp-indent-function))
5676 One can also customize @file{cl-indent.el} so it mimics the default
5677 @code{if} indentation @code{then} indented more than the @code{else}.
5681 (put 'if 'common-lisp-indent-function '(nil nil &body))
5684 Also, a new version (1.2) of @file{cl-indent.el} was posted to
5685 comp.emacs.xemacs on 12/9/94. This version includes more documentation
5686 than previous versions. This may prove useful if you need to customize
5687 any indent-functions.
5689 @node Q5.3.2, Q5.3.3, Q5.3.1, Miscellaneous
5690 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.2: [This question intentionally left blank]
5692 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering.
5694 @node Q5.3.3, Q5.3.4, Q5.3.2, Miscellaneous
5695 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.3: How can I print WYSIWYG a font-locked buffer?
5697 Font-lock looks nice. How can I print (WYSIWYG) the highlighted
5700 The package @code{ps-print}, which is now included with XEmacs, provides
5701 the ability to do this. The source code contains complete instructions
5702 on its use, in @file{<xemacs_src_root>/lisp/packages/ps-print.el}.
5704 @node Q5.3.4, Q5.3.5, Q5.3.3, Miscellaneous
5705 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.4: Getting @kbd{M-x lpr} to work with postscript printer.
5707 My printer is a Postscript printer and @code{lpr} only works for
5708 Postscript files, so how do I get @kbd{M-x lpr-region} and @kbd{M-x
5709 lpr-buffer} to work?
5711 Put something like this in your @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs}:
5714 (setq lpr-command "a2ps")
5715 (setq lpr-switches '("-p" "-1"))
5718 If you don't use a2ps to convert ASCII to postscript (why not, it's
5719 free?), replace with the command you do use. Note also that some
5720 versions of a2ps require a @samp{-Pprinter} to ensure spooling.
5722 @node Q5.3.5, Q5.3.6, Q5.3.4, Miscellaneous
5723 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.5: How do I specify the paths that XEmacs uses for finding files?
5725 You can specify what paths to use by using a number of different flags
5726 when running configure. See the section MAKE VARIABLES in the top-level
5727 file INSTALL in the XEmacs distribution for a listing of those flags.
5729 Most of the time, however, the simplest fix is: @strong{do not} specify
5730 paths as you might for GNU Emacs. XEmacs can generally determine the
5731 necessary paths dynamically at run time. The only path that generally
5732 needs to be specified is the root directory to install into. That can
5733 be specified by passing the @code{--prefix} flag to configure. For a
5734 description of the XEmacs install tree, please consult the @file{NEWS}
5737 @node Q5.3.6, Q5.3.7, Q5.3.5, Miscellaneous
5738 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.6: [This question intentionally left blank]
5740 Obsolete question, left blank to avoid renumbering.
5742 @node Q5.3.7, Q5.3.8, Q5.3.6, Miscellaneous
5743 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.7: Can I have the end of the buffer delimited in some way?
5745 Say, with: @samp{[END]}?
5750 (let ((ext (make-extent (point-min) (point-max))))
5751 (set-extent-property ext 'start-closed t)
5752 (set-extent-property ext 'end-closed t)
5753 (set-extent-property ext 'detachable nil)
5754 (set-extent-end-glyph ext (make-glyph [string :data "[END]"])))
5757 Since this is XEmacs, you can specify an icon to be shown on
5758 window-system devices. To do so, change the @code{make-glyph} call to
5759 something like this:
5762 (make-glyph '([xpm :file "~/something.xpm"]
5763 [string :data "[END]"]))
5766 You can inline the @sc{xpm} definition yourself by specifying
5767 @code{:data} instead of @code{:file}. Here is such a full-featured
5768 version that works on both X and TTY devices:
5771 (let ((ext (make-extent (point-min) (point-max))))
5772 (set-extent-property ext 'start-closed t)
5773 (set-extent-property ext 'end-closed t)
5774 (set-extent-property ext 'detachable nil)
5775 (set-extent-end-glyph ext (make-glyph '([xpm :data "\
5777 static char* eye = @{
5786 \"___________`_`_`___b_b_b_b_________`____\",
5787 \"_________`_`_`___b_c_c_c_b_b____________\",
5788 \"_____`_`_`_e___b_b_c_c_c___b___b_______`\",
5789 \"___`_`_e_a___b_b_d___b___b___b___b______\",
5790 \"_`_`_e_a_e___b_b_d_b___b___b___b___b____\",
5791 \"_`_`_a_e_a___b_b_d___b___b___b___b___b__\",
5792 \"_`_`_e_a_e___b_b_d_b___b___b___b___b_b__\",
5793 \"___`_`_e_a___b_b_b_d_c___b___b___d_b____\",
5794 \"_____`_`_e_e___b_b_b_d_c___b_b_d_b______\",
5795 \"_`_____`_`_`_`___b_b_b_d_d_d_d_b________\",
5796 \"___`_____`_`_`_`___b_b_b_b_b_b__________\",
5798 [string :data "[END]"]))))
5801 Note that you might want to make this a function, and put it to a hook.
5802 We leave that as an exercise for the reader.
5804 @node Q5.3.8, Q5.3.9, Q5.3.7, Miscellaneous
5805 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.8: How do I insert today's date into a buffer?
5810 (insert (current-time-string))
5813 @node Q5.3.9, Q5.3.10, Q5.3.8, Miscellaneous
5814 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.9: Are only certain syntactic character classes available for abbrevs?
5816 @email{gutschk@@uni-muenster.de, Markus Gutschke} writes:
5819 Yes, abbrevs only expands word-syntax strings. While XEmacs does not
5820 prevent you from defining (e.g. with @kbd{C-x a g} or @kbd{C-x a l})
5821 abbrevs that contain special characters, it will refuse to expand
5822 them. So you need to ensure, that the abbreviation contains letters and
5823 digits only. This means that @samp{xd}, @samp{d5}, and @samp{5d} are
5824 valid abbrevs, but @samp{&d}, and @samp{x d} are not.
5826 If this sounds confusing to you, (re-)read the online documentation for
5827 abbrevs (@kbd{C-h i m XEmacs @key{RET} m Abbrevs @key{RET}}), and then come back and
5828 read this question/answer again.
5831 Starting with XEmacs 20.3 this restriction has been lifted.
5833 @node Q5.3.10, Q5.3.11, Q5.3.9, Miscellaneous
5834 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.10: How can I get those oh-so-neat X-Face lines?
5836 Firstly there is an ftp site which describes X-faces and has the
5837 associated tools mentioned below, at
5838 @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.indiana.edu:/pub/faces/}.
5844 Create 48x48x1 bitmap with your favorite tool
5847 Convert to "icon" format using one of xbm2ikon, pbmtoicon, etc.,
5848 and then compile the face.
5852 cat file.xbm | xbm2ikon |compface > file.face
5856 Then be sure to quote things that are necessary for emacs strings:
5859 cat ./file.face | sed 's/\\/\\\\/g'
5863 | sed 's/\"/\\\"/g' > ./file.face.quoted
5867 Then set up emacs to include the file as a mail header - there were a
5868 couple of suggestions here---either something like:
5871 (setq mail-default-headers
5872 "X-Face: @email{Ugly looking text string here}")
5875 Or, alternatively, as:
5878 (defun mail-insert-x-face ()
5880 (goto-char (point-min))
5881 (search-forward mail-header-separator)
5884 (insert-file-contents "~/.face")))
5886 (add-hook 'mail-setup-hook 'mail-insert-x-face)
5890 However, 2 things might be wrong:
5892 Some versions of pbmtoicon produces some header lines that is not
5893 expected by the version of compface that I grabbed. So I found I had to
5894 include a @code{tail +3} in the pipeline like this:
5897 cat file.xbm | xbm2ikon | tail +3 |compface > file.face
5900 Some people have also found that if one uses the @code{(insert-file)}
5901 method, one should NOT quote the face string using the sed script .
5903 It might also be helpful to use @email{stig@@hackvan.com, Stig's} script
5904 (included in the compface distribution at XEmacs.org) to do the
5906 @comment For convenience xbm2xface is available for anonymous FTP at
5907 @comment @uref{ftp://ftp.miranova.com/pub/xemacs/xbm2xface.pl}.
5909 Contributors for this item:
5920 @node Q5.3.11, Q5.3.12, Q5.3.10, Miscellaneous
5921 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.11: How do I add new Info directories?
5923 You use something like:
5926 (setq Info-directory-list (cons
5927 (expand-file-name "~/info")
5928 Info-default-directory-list))
5931 @email{davidm@@prism.kla.com, David Masterson} writes:
5934 Emacs Info and XEmacs Info do many things differently. If you're trying to
5935 support a number of versions of Emacs, here are some notes to remember:
5939 Emacs Info scans @code{Info-directory-list} from right-to-left while
5940 XEmacs Info reads it from left-to-right, so append to the @emph{correct}
5944 Use @code{Info-default-directory-list} to initialize
5945 @code{Info-directory-list} @emph{if} it is available at startup, but not
5946 all Emacsen define it.
5949 Emacs Info looks for a standard @file{dir} file in each of the
5950 directories scanned from #1 and magically concatenates them together.
5953 XEmacs Info looks for a @file{localdir} file (which consists of just the
5954 menu entries from a @file{dir} file) in each of the directories scanned
5955 from #1 (except the first), does a simple concatenation of them, and
5956 magically attaches the resulting list to the end of the menu in the
5957 @file{dir} file in the first directory.
5960 Another alternative is to convert the documentation to HTML with
5961 texi2html and read it from a web browser like Lynx or W3.
5964 @node Q5.3.12, , Q5.3.11, Miscellaneous
5965 @unnumberedsubsec Q5.3.12: What do I need to change to make printing work?
5967 For regular printing there are two variables that can be customized.
5971 This should be set to a command that takes standard input and sends
5972 it to a printer. Something like:
5975 (setq lpr-command "lp")
5979 This should be set to a list that contains whatever the print command
5980 requires to do its job. Something like:
5983 (setq lpr-switches '("-depson"))
5987 For postscript printing there are three analogous variables to
5991 @item ps-lpr-command
5992 This should be set to a command that takes postscript on standard input
5993 and directs it to a postscript printer.
5995 @item ps-lpr-switches
5996 This should be set to a list of switches required for
5997 @code{ps-lpr-command} to do its job.
5999 @item ps-print-color-p
6000 This boolean variable should be set @code{t} if printing will be done in
6001 color, otherwise it should be set to @code{nil}.
6004 NOTE: It is an undocumented limitation in XEmacs that postscript
6005 printing (the @code{Pretty Print Buffer} menu item) @strong{requires} a
6006 window system environment. It cannot be used outside of X11.
6008 @node MS Windows, Current Events, Miscellaneous, Top
6009 @unnumbered 6 XEmacs on MS Windows
6011 This is part 6 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list, written by
6012 Hrvoje Niksic and others. This section is devoted to the MS Windows
6018 * Q6.0.1:: What is the status of the XEmacs port to Windows?
6019 * Q6.0.2:: What flavors of MS Windows are supported?
6020 * Q6.0.3:: Where are the XEmacs on MS Windows binaries?
6021 * Q6.0.4:: Can I build XEmacs on MS Windows with X support? Do I need to?
6022 * Q6.0.5:: I'd like to help out. What do I do?
6023 * Q6.0.6:: What are Cygwin and MinGW, and do I need them to run XEmacs?
6024 * Q6.0.7:: What exactly are all the different ways to build XEmacs under Windows?
6026 Building XEmacs on MS Windows
6027 * Q6.1.1:: What compiler/libraries do I need to compile XEmacs?
6028 * Q6.1.2:: How do I compile the native port?
6029 * Q6.1.3:: What do I need for Cygwin?
6030 * Q6.1.4:: How do I compile under Cygwin?
6031 * Q6.1.5:: How do I compile using MinGW (aka @samp{the -mno-cygwin flag to gcc})?
6032 * Q6.1.6:: I decided to run with X. Where do I get an X server?
6033 * Q6.1.7:: How do I compile with X support?
6035 Customization and User Interface
6036 * Q6.2.1:: How does the port cope with differences in the Windows user interface?
6037 * Q6.2.2:: How do I change fonts in XEmacs on MS Windows?
6038 * Q6.2.3:: Where do I put my @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file?
6039 * Q6.2.4:: How do I get Windows Explorer to associate a file type with XEmacs?
6040 * Q6.2.5:: Is it possible to print from XEmacs?
6043 * Q6.3.1:: Does XEmacs rename all the win32-* symbols to w32-*?
6044 * Q6.3.2:: What are the differences between the various MS Windows emacsen?
6045 * Q6.3.3:: XEmacs 21.1 on Windows used to spawn an ugly console window on every startup. Has that been fixed?
6046 * Q6.3.4:: What is the porting team doing at the moment?
6049 * Q6.4.1:: XEmacs won't start on Windows.
6050 * Q6.4.2:: Why do I get a blank toolbar on Windows 95?
6053 @node Q6.0.1, Q6.0.2, MS Windows, MS Windows
6054 @unnumberedsec 6.0: General Info
6055 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.1: What is the status of the XEmacs port to Windows?
6057 Is XEmacs really ported to MS Windows? What is the status of the port?
6059 Beginning with release 21.0, XEmacs has worked under MS Windows. A
6060 group of dedicated developers actively maintains and improves the
6061 Windows-specific portions of the code. The mailing list at
6062 @email{xemacs-nt@@xemacs.org} is dedicated to that effort (please use
6063 the -request address to subscribe). (Despite its name, XEmacs actually
6064 works on all versions of Windows.)
6066 As of May 2001, XEmacs on MS Windows is stable and full-featured, and
6067 has been so for a year or more -- in fact, some features, such as
6068 printing, actually work better on Windows than native Unix. However,
6069 the internationalization (Mule) support does not work -- although this
6070 is being actively worked on.
6073 @node Q6.0.2, Q6.0.3, Q6.0.1, MS Windows
6074 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.2: What flavors of MS Windows are supported? The list name implies NT only.
6076 The list name is misleading, as XEmacs supports and has been compiled on
6077 Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows
6078 XP, and all newer versions of Windows. The MS Windows-specific code is
6079 based on Microsoft Win32 API, and will not work on MS Windows 3.x or on
6082 XEmacs also supports the Cygwin and MinGW development and runtime
6083 environments, where it also uses native Windows code for graphical
6087 @node Q6.0.3, Q6.0.4, Q6.0.2, MS Windows
6088 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.3: Are binaries available?
6090 Binaries are available at @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/Download/win32/}
6091 for the native and Cygwin MS Windows versions of 21.4, and the native
6094 The 21.4 binaries use a modified version of the Cygwin installer. Run
6095 the provided @file{setup.exe}, and follow the instructions.
6098 @node Q6.0.4, Q6.0.5, Q6.0.3, MS Windows
6099 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.4: Can I build XEmacs on MS Windows with X support? Do I need to?
6101 Yes, you can, but no you do not need to. In fact, we recommend that you
6102 use a native-GUI version unless you have a specific need for an X
6105 @node Q6.0.5, Q6.0.6, Q6.0.4, MS Windows
6106 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.5: I'd like to help out. What do I do?
6108 It depends on the knowledge and time you possess. If you are a
6109 programmer, try to build XEmacs and see if you can improve it.
6110 Windows-specific improvements like integration with established
6111 Windows environments are especially sought after.
6113 Otherwise, you can still help by downloading the binaries, using
6114 XEmacs as your everyday editor and reporting bugs you find to the
6117 Another area where we need help is the documentation: We need good
6118 documentation for building XEmacs and for using it. This FAQ is a
6119 small step in that direction.
6121 @node Q6.0.6, Q6.0.7, Q6.0.5, MS Windows
6122 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.6: What are Cygwin and MinGW, and do I need them to run XEmacs?
6124 To answer the second part of the question: No, you, you don't need
6125 Cygwin or MinGW to build or to run XEmacs. But if you have them and
6126 want to use them, XEmacs supports these environments.
6128 (One important reason to support Cygwin is that it lets the MS Windows
6129 developers test out their code in a Unix environment without actually
6130 having to have a Unix machine around. For this reason alone, Cygwin
6131 support is likely to remain supported for a long time in XEmacs. Same
6132 goes for the X support under Cygwin, for the same reasons. MinGW
6133 support, on the other hand, depends on volunteers to keep it up to date;
6134 but this is generally not hard.)
6136 Cygwin is a set of tools providing Unix-like API on top of Win32.
6137 It makes it easy to port large Unix programs without significant
6138 changes to their source code. It is a development environment as well
6139 as a runtime environment.
6141 When built with Cygwin, XEmacs supports all display types -- TTY, X &
6142 Win32 GUI, and can be built with support for all three simultaneously.
6143 If you build with Win32 GUI support then the Cygwin version uses the
6144 majority of the Windows-specific code, which is mostly related to
6145 display. If you want to build with X support you need X libraries (and
6146 an X server to display XEmacs on); see @ref{Q6.1.4}. TTY and Win32 GUI
6147 require no additional libraries beyond what comes standard with Cygwin.
6149 The advantages of the Cygwin version are that it integrates well with
6150 the Cygwin environment for existing Cygwin users; uses configure so
6151 building with different features is very easy; and actively supports X &
6152 TTY. Furthermore, the entire Cygwin environment and compiler are free,
6153 whereas Visual C++ costs money.
6155 The disadvantage is that it requires the whole Cygwin environment,
6156 whereas the native port requires only a suitable MS Windows compiler.
6157 Also, it follows the Unix filesystem and process model very closely
6158 (some will undoubtedly view this as an advantage).
6160 See @uref{http://sources.redhat.com/cygwin/} for more information on
6163 MinGW is a collection of header files and import libraries that allow
6164 one to use GCC under the Cygwin environment to compile and produce
6165 exactly the same native Win32 programs that you can using Visual C++.
6166 Programs compiled with MinGW make use of the standard Microsoft runtime
6167 library @file{MSVCRT.DLL}, present on all Windows systems, and look,
6168 feel, and act like a standard Visual-C-produced application. (The only
6169 difference is the compiler.) This means that, unlike a
6170 standardly-compiled Cygwin application, no extra runtime support
6171 (e.g. Cygwin's @file{cygwin1.dll}) is required. This, along with the
6172 fact that GCC is free (and works in a nice Unix-y way in a nice Unix-y
6173 environment, for those die-hard Unix hackers out there), is the main
6174 advantage of MinGW. It is also potentially faster than Cygwin because
6175 it has less overhead when calling Windows, but you lose the POSIX
6176 emulation layer, which makes Unix programs harder to port. (But this is
6177 irrelevant for XEmacs since it's already ported to Win32.)
6179 See @uref{http://www.mingw.org/} for more information on MinGW.
6181 @node Q6.0.7, Q6.1.1, Q6.0.6, MS Windows
6182 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.0.7: What exactly are all the different ways to build XEmacs under Windows?
6184 XEmacs can be built in several ways in the MS Windows environment.
6186 The standard way is what we call the "native" port. It uses the Win32
6187 API and has no connection with X whatsoever -- it does not require X
6188 libraries to build, nor does it require an X server to run. The native
6189 port is the most reliable version and provides the best graphical
6190 support. Almost all development is geared towards this version, and
6191 there is little reason not to use it.
6193 The second way to build is the Cygwin port. It takes advantage of
6194 Cygnus emulation library under Win32. @xref{Q6.0.6}, for more
6197 A third way is the MinGW port. It uses the Cygwin environment to build
6198 but does not require it at runtime. @xref{Q6.0.6}, for more
6201 Finally, you might also be able to build the non-Cygwin, non-MinGW "X"
6202 port. This was actually the first version of XEmacs that ran under MS
6203 Windows, and although the code is still in XEmacs, it's essentially
6204 orphaned and it's unlikely it will compile without a lot of work. If
6205 you want an MS Windows versin of XEmacs that supports X, use the Cygwin
6206 version. (The X support there is actively maintained, so that Windows
6207 developers can test the X support in XEmacs.)
6210 @node Q6.1.1, Q6.1.2, Q6.0.7, MS Windows
6211 @unnumberedsec 6.1: Building XEmacs on MS Windows
6212 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.1: What compiler/libraries do I need to compile XEmacs?
6214 You need Visual C++ 4.2, 5.0, or 6.0 for the native version. (We have
6215 some beta testers currently trying to compile with VC.NET, aka version
6216 7.0, but we can't yet report complete success.) For the Cygwin and MinGW
6217 versions, you need the Cygwin environment, which comes with GCC, the
6218 compiler used for those versions. @xref{Q6.0.6}, for more information
6219 on Cygwin and MinGW.
6221 @node Q6.1.2, Q6.1.3, Q6.1.1, MS Windows
6222 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.2: How do I compile the native port?
6224 Please read the file @file{nt/README} in the XEmacs distribution, which
6225 contains the full description.
6227 @node Q6.1.3, Q6.1.4, Q6.1.2, MS Windows
6228 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.3: What do I need for Cygwin?
6230 You can find the Cygwin tools and compiler at:
6232 @uref{http://sources.redhat.com/cygwin/}
6234 Click on the @samp{Install now!} link, which will download a file
6235 @file{setup.exe}, which you can use to download everything else. (You
6236 will need to pick a mirror site; @samp{mirrors.rcn.net} is probably the
6237 best.) You should go ahead and install everything -- you'll get various
6238 ancillary libraries that XEmacs needs or likes, e.g. XPM, PNG, JPEG,
6241 If you want to compile under X, you will also need the X libraries; see
6245 @node Q6.1.4, Q6.1.5, Q6.1.3, MS Windows
6246 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.4: How do I compile under Cygwin?
6248 Similar as on Unix; use the usual `configure' and `make' process.
6249 Some problems to watch out for:
6253 make sure HOME is set. This controls where you
6254 @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file comes from;
6257 CYGWIN needs to be set to tty for process support to work, e.g. CYGWIN=tty;
6260 picking up some other grep or other UNIX-like tools can kill configure;
6263 static heap too small, adjust @file{src/sheap-adjust.h} to a more positive
6267 (Unconfirmed) The Cygwin version doesn't understand
6268 @file{//machine/path} type paths so you will need to manually mount a
6269 directory of this form under a unix style directory for a build to work
6273 If you're building @strong{WITHOUT} X11, don't forget to change symlinks
6274 @file{/usr/lib/libXpm.a} and @file{/usr/lib/libXpm.dll.a} to point to
6275 the non-X versions of these libraries. By default they point to the X
6279 /usr/lib/libXpm.a -> /usr/lib/libXpm-noX.a
6280 /usr/lib/libXpm.dll.a -> /usr/lib/libXpm-noX.dll.a
6285 Other problems are listed in the @file{PROBLEMS} file, in the top-level
6286 directory of the XEmacs sources.
6291 @node Q6.1.5, Q6.1.6, Q6.1.4, MS Windows
6292 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.5: How do I compile using MinGW (aka @samp{the -mno-cygwin flag to gcc})?
6294 Similar to the method for Unix. Things to remember:
6298 Specify the target host on the command line for @file{./configure}, e.g.
6299 @samp{./configure i586-pc-mingw32}.
6302 Be sure that your build directory is mounted such that it has the
6303 same path either as a cygwin path (@file{/build/xemacs}) or as a Windows
6304 path (@file{c:\build\xemacs}).
6307 Build @samp{gcc -mno-cygwin} versions of the extra libs, i.e. @file{libpng},
6308 @file{compface}, etc.
6311 Specify the target location of the extra libs on the command line
6312 to @file{configure}, e.g.
6313 @samp{./configure --site-prefixes=/build/libs i586-pc-mingw32}.
6317 @node Q6.1.6, Q6.1.7, Q6.1.5, MS Windows
6318 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.6: I decided to run with X. Where do I get an X server?
6320 As of May 2001, we are recommending that you use the port of XFree86 to
6321 Cygwin. This has recently stabilized, and will undoubtedly soon make
6322 most other MS Windows X servers obsolete. It is what the Windows
6323 developers use to test the MS Windows X support.
6325 To install, go to @uref{http://xfree86.cygwin.com/}. There is a
6326 detailed description on that site of exactly how to install it. This
6327 installation also provides the libraries, include files, and other stuff
6328 needed for development; a large collection of internationalized fonts;
6329 the standard X utilities (xterm, twm, etc.) -- in a word, the works.
6331 NOTE: As of late May 2001, there is a bug in the file
6332 @file{startxwin.bat}, used to start X Windows. It passes the option
6333 @samp{-engine -4} to the X server, which is bogus -- you need to edit
6334 the file and change it to @samp{-engine 4}.
6337 @node Q6.1.7, Q6.2.1, Q6.1.6, MS Windows
6338 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.1.7: How do I compile with X support?
6340 To compile under Cygwin, all you need to do is install XFree86
6341 (@pxref{Q6.1.6}). Once installed, @file{configure} should automatically
6342 find the X libraries and compile with X support.
6344 As noted above, the non-Cygwin X support is basically orphaned, and
6345 probably won't work. But if it want to try, it's described in
6346 @file{nt/README} in some detail. Basically, you need to get X11
6347 libraries from ftp.x.org, and compile them. If the precompiled versions
6348 are available somewhere, we don't know of it.
6351 @node Q6.2.1, Q6.2.2, Q6.1.7, MS Windows
6352 @unnumberedsec 6.2: Customization and User Interface
6353 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.2.1: How does the port cope with differences in the Windows user interface?
6355 XEmacs (and Emacs in general) UI is pretty different from what is
6356 expected of a typical MS Windows program. How does the MS Windows port
6359 As a general rule, we follow native MS Windows conventions as much as
6360 possible. In cases where there's a clear UI conflict, we currently use
6361 normal Unix XEmacs behavior by default, but make sure the MS Windows
6362 "look and feel" (mark via shift-arrow, self-inserting deletes region,
6363 Alt selects menu items, etc.) is easily configurable (respectively:
6364 using the variable @code{shifted-motion-keys-select-region} in 21.4 and
6365 above [it's in fact the default in these versions], or the
6366 @file{pc-select} package; using the @file{pending-del} package; and
6367 setting the variable @code{menu-accelerator-enabled} to
6368 @code{menu-force} in 21.4 and above). In fact, if you use the sample
6369 @file{init.el} file as your init file, you will get all these behaviors
6370 automatically turned on.
6372 In future versions, some of these features might be turned on by
6373 default in the MS Windows environment.
6376 @node Q6.2.2, Q6.2.3, Q6.2.1, MS Windows
6377 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.2.2: How do I change fonts in XEmacs on MS Windows?
6379 In 21.4 and above, use the font menu. In all versions, you can change
6380 font manually. For example:
6383 (set-face-font 'default "Lucida Console:Regular:10")
6384 (set-face-font 'modeline "MS Sans Serif:Regular:10")
6388 @node Q6.2.3, Q6.2.4, Q6.2.2, MS Windows
6389 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.2.3: Where do I put my @file{init.el}/@file{.emacs} file?
6391 @file{init.el} is the name of the init file starting with 21.4, and is
6392 located in the subdirectory @file{.xemacs/} of your home directory. In
6393 prior versions, the init file is called @file{.emacs} and is located in
6394 your home directory. Your home directory under Windows is determined by
6395 the @samp{HOME} environment variable. If this is not set, it defaults to
6398 To set this variable, modify @file{AUTOEXEC.BAT} under Windows 95/98, or
6399 select @samp{Control Panel->System->Advanced->Environment Variables...}
6400 under Windows NT/2000.
6403 @node Q6.2.4, Q6.2.5, Q6.2.3, MS Windows
6404 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.2.4: How do I get Windows Explorer to associate a file type with XEmacs?
6406 @unnumberedsubsubsec Associating a new file type with XEmacs.
6408 In Explorer select @samp{View/Options/File Types}, press @samp{[New
6409 Type...]} and fill in the dialog box, e.g.:
6412 Description of type: Emacs Lisp source
6413 Associated extension: el
6414 Content Type (MIME): text/plain
6417 then press @samp{[New...]} and fill in the @samp{Action} dialog box as
6424 Application used to perform action:
6425 D:\Full\path\for\xemacs.exe "%1"
6435 DDE Application Not Running:
6442 @unnumberedsubsubsec Associating an existing file type with XEmacs.
6444 In Explorer select @samp{View/Options/File Types}. Click on the file
6445 type in the list and press @samp{[Edit...]}. If the file type already
6446 has an @samp{Open} action, double click on it and fill in the
6447 @samp{Action} dialog box as described above; otherwise create a new
6450 If the file type has more than one action listed, you probably want to
6451 make the @samp{Open} action that you just edited the default by clicking on
6452 it and pressing @samp{Set Default}.
6454 Note for Windows 2000 users: Under Windows 2000, get to @samp{File Types}
6455 using @samp{Control Panel->Folder Options->File Types}.
6458 @node Q6.2.5, Q6.3.1, Q6.2.4, MS Windows
6459 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.2.5: Is it possible to print from XEmacs?
6461 As of 21.4, printing works on Windows, using simply @samp{File->Print},
6462 and can be configured with @samp{File->Page Setup}.
6464 Prior to 21.4, there is no built-in support, but there are some clever
6465 hacks out there. If you know how, please let us know and we'll put it
6469 @node Q6.3.1, Q6.3.2, Q6.2.5, MS Windows
6470 @unnumberedsec 6.3: Miscellaneous
6471 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.3.1: Does XEmacs rename all the @samp{win32-*} symbols to @samp{w32-*}?
6473 In his flavor of Emacs 20, Richard Stallman has renamed all the @samp{win32-*}
6474 symbols to @samp{w32-*}. Does XEmacs do the same?
6476 We consider such a move counter-productive, thus we do not use the
6477 @samp{w32} prefix. (His rather questionable justification was that he
6478 did not consider Windows to be a "winning" platform.) However, the name
6479 @samp{Win32} is not particularly descriptive outside the Windows world,
6480 and using just @samp{windows-} would be too generic. So we chose a
6481 compromise, the prefix @samp{mswindows-} for Windows-related variables
6484 Thus all the XEmacs variables and functions directly related to either
6485 the Windows GUI or OS are prefixed @samp{mswindows-} (except for a
6486 couple of debugging variables, prefixed @samp{debug-mswindows-}). From
6487 an architectural perspective, however, we believe that this is mostly a
6488 non-issue because there should be a very small number of
6489 window-systems-specific variables anyway. Whenever possible, we try to
6490 provide generic interfaces that apply to all window systems.
6493 @c The user variables
6494 @c that share functionality with existing NT Emacs variables are be named
6495 @c with our convention, but we provide the GNU Emacs names as
6496 @c compatibility aliases.
6498 @node Q6.3.2, Q6.3.3, Q6.3.1, MS Windows
6499 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.3.2: What are the differences between the various MS Windows emacsen?
6501 XEmacs, Win-Emacs, DOS Emacs, NT Emacs, this is all very confusing.
6502 Could you briefly explain the differences between them?
6504 Here is a recount of various Emacs versions running on MS Windows:
6514 Beginning with XEmacs 19.12, XEmacs' architecture was redesigned
6515 in such a way to allow clean support of multiple window systems. At
6516 this time the TTY support was added, making X and TTY the first two
6517 "window systems" XEmacs supported. The 19.12 design is the basis for
6518 the current native MS Windows code.
6521 Some time during 1997, David Hobley (soon joined by Marc Paquette)
6522 imported some of the NT-specific portions of GNU Emacs, making XEmacs
6523 with X support compile under Windows NT, and creating the "X" port.
6526 Several months later, Jonathan Harris sent out initial patches to use
6527 the Win32 API, thus creating the native port. Since then, various
6528 people have contributed, including Kirill M. Katsnelson (contributed
6529 support for menubars, subprocesses and network, as well as loads of
6530 other code), Andy Piper (ported XEmacs to Cygwin environment,
6531 contributed Windows unexec, Windows-specific glyphs and toolbars code,
6532 and more), Ben Wing (loads of improvements; currently the most active MS
6533 Windows developer), Jeff Sparkes (contributed scrollbars support) and
6543 GNU Emacs features support for MS-DOS and DJGPP (D. J. Delorie's DOS
6544 port of GCC). Such an Emacs is heavily underfeatured, because it does
6545 not supports long file names, lacks proper subprocesses support, and
6546 is far too big compared with typical DOS editors.
6550 GNU Emacs compiled with Win32
6555 Starting with version 19.30, it has been possible to compile GNU Emacs
6556 under MS Windows using the DJGPP compiler and X libraries. The result
6557 is very similar to GNU Emacs compiled under MS DOS, except that it
6558 supports longer file names, etc. This "port" is similar to the "X"
6559 flavor of XEmacs on MS Windows.
6568 NT Emacs is a version of GNU Emacs modified to compile and run under MS
6569 Windows 95 and NT using the native Win32 API. As such, it is close in
6570 spirit to the XEmacs "native" port.
6573 NT Emacs has been written by Geoff Voelker, and more information can be
6578 @uref{http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/voelker/ntemacs.html}.
6587 Win-Emacs was a port of Lucid Emacs 19.6 to MS Windows using X
6588 compatibility libraries. Win-Emacs was written by Ben Wing. The MS
6589 Windows code never made it back to Lucid Emacs, and its creator (Pearl
6590 Software) has long since gone out of business.
6599 GNU Emacs features support for MS-DOS and DJGPP (D.J. Delorie's DOS
6600 port of Gcc). Such an Emacs is heavily underfeatured, because it does
6601 not support long file names, lacks proper subprocesses support, and
6602 is far too big compared to typical DOS editors.
6606 GNU Emacs compiled with Win32
6611 Starting with version 19.30, it has been possible to compile GNU Emacs
6612 under MS Windows using the DJGPP compiler and X libraries. The result
6613 is is very similar to GNU Emacs compiled under MS DOS, only it
6614 supports longer file names, etc. This "port" is similar to the "X"
6615 flavor of XEmacs on MS Windows.
6621 @node Q6.3.3, Q6.3.4, Q6.3.2, MS Windows
6622 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.3.3: XEmacs 21.1 on Windows used to spawn an ugly console window on every startup. Has that been fixed?
6626 The console was there because @file{temacs} (and in turn, @file{xemacs})
6627 was a console application, and Windows typically creates a new
6628 console for a console process unless the creating process requests that
6629 one isn't created. This used to be fixed with @file{runemacs}, a small
6630 Windows application that existed merely to start @file{xemacs}, stating
6631 that it didn't want a console.
6633 XEmacs 21.4 fixes this cleanly by the virtue of being a true "GUI"
6634 application. The explanation of what that means is included for
6637 When building an application to be run in a Win32 environment, you must
6638 state which sub-system it is to run in. Valid subsystems include
6639 "console" and "gui". The subsystem you use affects the run time
6640 libraries linked into your application, the start up function that is
6641 run before control is handed over to your application, the entry point
6642 to your program, and how Windows normally invokes your program. (Console
6643 programs automatically get a console created for them at startup if
6644 their stdin/stdout don't point anywhere useful, which is the case when
6645 run from the GUI. This is a stupid design, of course -- instead, the
6646 console should get created only when the first I/O actually occurs!
6647 GUI programs have an equally stupid design: When called from
6648 @file{CMD.EXE}/@file{COMMAND.COM}, their stdin/stdout will be set to
6649 point nowhere useful, even though the command shell has its own
6650 stdin/stdout. It's as if someone who had learned a bit about stdio but
6651 had no actual knowledge of interprocess communication designed the
6652 scheme; unfortunately, the whole process-communication aspect of the
6653 Win32 API is equally badly designed.) For example, the entry point for a
6654 console app is "main" (which is what you'd expect for a C/C++ program),
6655 but the entry point for a "gui" app is "WinMain". This confuses and
6656 annoys a lot of programmers who've grown up on Unix systems, where the
6657 kernel doesn't really care whether your application is a gui program or
6660 For reasons not altogether clear, and are lost in the mists of time and
6661 tradition, XEmacs on Win32 started out as a console application, and
6662 therefore a console was automatically created for it. (It may have been
6663 made a console application partly because a console is needed in some
6664 circumstances, especially under Win95, to interrupt, terminate, or send
6665 signals to a child process, and because of the bogosity mentioned above
6666 with GUI programs and the standard command shell. Currently, XEmacs
6667 just creates and immediately hides a console when necessary, and
6668 works around the "no useful stdio" problem by creating its own console
6669 window as necessary to display messages in.)
6672 @node Q6.3.4, Q6.4.1, Q6.3.3, MS Windows
6673 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.3.4: What is the porting team doing at the moment?
6677 The porting team is continuing work on the MS Windows-specific code.
6678 Major projects are the development of Mule (internationalization)
6679 support for Windows and the improvement of the widget support (better
6680 support for dialog boxes, buttons, edit fields, and similar UI
6684 @node Q6.4.1, Q6.4.2, Q6.3.4, MS Windows
6685 @unnumberedsec 6.3: Troubleshooting
6686 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.4.1 XEmacs won't start on Windows.
6688 XEmacs relies on a process called "dumping" to generate a working
6689 executable. Under MS-Windows this process effectively fixes the memory
6690 addresses of information in the executable. When XEmacs starts up it tries
6691 to reserve these memory addresses so that the dumping process can be
6692 reversed -- putting the information back at the correct addresses.
6693 Unfortunately some .DLLs (for instance the soundblaster driver) occupy
6694 memory addresses that can conflict with those needed by the dumped XEmacs
6695 executable. In this instance XEmacs will fail to start without any
6696 explanation. Note that this is extremely machine specific.
6698 21.1.10 includes a fix for this that makes more intelligent guesses
6699 about which memory addresses will be free, and this should cure the
6700 problem for most people. 21.4 implements "portable dumping", which
6701 eliminates the problem altogether. We recommend you use the 21.4
6702 binaries, but you can use the 21.1 binaries if you are very paranoid
6703 about stability. @xref{Q6.0.3}.
6705 @node Q6.4.2, , Q6.4.1, MS Windows
6706 @unnumberedsubsec Q6.4.2 Why do I get a blank toolbar on Windows 95?
6708 You need at least version 4.71 of the system file @file{comctl32.dll}.
6709 The updated version is supplied with Internet Explorer 4 and later but if
6710 you are avoiding IE you can also download it from the Microsoft web
6711 site. Go into support and search for @file{comctl32.dll}. The download
6712 is a self-installing executable.
6715 @node Current Events, , MS Windows, Top
6716 @unnumbered 7 What the Future Holds
6718 This is part 7 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
6719 section will change frequently, and (in theory) should contain any
6720 interesting items that have transpired recently. (But in practice it's
6721 not getting updated like this.)
6723 This section also contains descriptions of the new features in all the
6724 recent releases of XEmacs. For the most part, the information below is
6725 a synopsis of the more complete information that can be found in the
6726 file @file{NEWS} in the @file{etc} directory of the XEmacs distribution.
6727 You can view this file in XEmacs using @kbd{C-h n} or the @samp{Help}
6730 Information on older versions of XEmacs can be find in @file{ONEWS} in
6731 the same directory, or @file{OONEWS} for really old versions.
6735 * Q7.0.1:: What new features will be in XEmacs soon?
6736 * Q7.0.2:: What's new in XEmacs 21.4?
6737 * Q7.0.3:: What's new in XEmacs 21.1?
6738 * Q7.0.4:: What's new in XEmacs 20.4?
6739 * Q7.0.5:: What's new in XEmacs 20.3?
6740 * Q7.0.6:: What's new in XEmacs 20.2?
6743 @node Q7.0.1, Q7.0.2, Current Events, Current Events
6744 @unnumberedsec 7.0: Changes
6745 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.1: What new features will be in XEmacs soon?
6749 @node Q7.0.2, Q7.0.3, Q7.0.1, Current Events
6750 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.2: What's new in XEmacs 21.4?
6752 21.4 was the "stable" version of the 21.2 series, which was considered
6753 "experimental" throughout its life; thus there were no "official"
6754 releases at all. In essence, XEmacs is now following the "alternating"
6755 scheme of Linux, where at any point there are at least two different
6756 development branches, one "stable" and one "experimental". Periodic
6757 releases happen in both branches, but those in the experimental branch
6758 are not tested as well, and there's no guarantee they will work at all.
6759 The experiemental branch is open to any and all code that's acceptable
6760 to the developers; the stable branch, however, is in general limited
6761 only to bug fixes, and all contributions are carefully reviewed to make
6762 sure they will increase and not decrease stability.
6764 21.3 never existed at all; it was decided to follow the Linux scheme
6765 exactly, where odd-numbered series are experimental and even-numbered
6768 The following lists summarizes the essential changes made in this
6769 version. For a fuller list, see the @file{NEWS} in the @file{etc}
6770 directory of the XEmacs distribution, or use @kbd{C-h n} or the
6771 @samp{Help} menu to view this file inside of XEmacs.
6773 @unnumberedsubsubsec User-visible changes in XEmacs 21.4
6778 The delete key now deletes forward by default.
6780 Shifted motion keys now select text by default.
6782 You can now build XEmacs with support for GTK+ widget set.
6784 ~/.xemacs/init.el is now the preferred location for the init
6785 file. (XEmacs now supports a `~/.xemacs/init.el' startup file. Custom
6786 file will move to ~/.xemacs/custom.el.)
6788 Much-improved sample init.el, showing how to use many useful features.
6790 XEmacs support for menu accelerators has been much improved.
6792 Default menubar improvements. (Default menubar has many new commands and
6793 better organization. The font-menu is now available under MS Windows.)
6795 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...)
6799 There is a new MS Windows installer, netinstall, ported from Cygwin.
6801 The subprocess quote-handling mechanism under Windows is much improved.
6803 Printing support now available under MS Windows.
6805 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).)
6807 Mail spool locking now works correctly.
6809 International support changes. (The default coding-priority-list is now
6810 safer. International keysyms are now supported under X. MS Windows
6811 1251 code page now supported. Czech, Thai, Cyrillic-KOI8, Vietnamese,
6812 Ethiopic now supported. Proper support for words in Latin 3 and Latin
6815 Help buffers contain hyperlinks, and other changes.
6817 The modeline's text is now scrollable.
6819 The mouse wheel under MS Windows now functions correctly.
6821 Interactive searching and matching case improvements. (Incremental search will now highlight all visible matches. Interactive searches always respect uppercase characters.)
6823 Rectangle functions rewritten to avoid inserting extra spaces.
6825 New command `kill-entire-line' that always kills the entire line.
6827 Default values correctly stored in minibuffer histories.
6829 You can now create "indirect buffers", like in GNU Emacs.
6831 Pixel-based scrolling has been implemented.
6833 Operation progress can be displayed using graphical widgets.
6835 User names following a tilde can now be completed at file name prompts.
6837 XEmacs can now play sound using Enlightenment Sound Daemon (ESD).
6839 X-Face support is now available under MS Windows.
6841 The PostgreSQL Relational Database Management System is now supported.
6843 Indentation no longer indents comments that begin at column zero.
6845 Face and variable settings can have comments in Customize.
6847 New locations for early package hierarchies.
6849 The `auto-save' library has been greatly improved.
6851 New variable `mswindows-alt-by-itself-activates-menu'.
6853 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.)
6855 Etags changes. See @file{NEWS} for full details.
6858 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lisp and internal changes in XEmacs 21.4
6862 @c APA: Texi2html produces invalid HTML from an empty list of bullets!
6863 @c Please uncomment following list when it does contain bullets.
6867 @node Q7.0.3, Q7.0.4, Q7.0.2, Current Events
6868 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.3: What's new in XEmacs 21.1?
6870 21.1 was the "stable" version of "experimental" 21.0 series.
6873 The following lists summarizes the essential changes made in this
6874 version. For a fuller list, see the @file{NEWS} in the @file{etc}
6875 directory of the XEmacs distribution, or use @kbd{C-h n} or the
6876 @samp{Help} menu to view this file inside of XEmacs.
6878 @unnumberedsubsubsec User-visible changes in XEmacs 21.1
6883 XEmacs is now supported under Microsoft Windows 95/98 and Windows NT
6884 operating systems. To discuss Windows-specific issues, subscribe to the
6885 mailing list at @email{xemacs-nt-request@@xemacs.org}.
6888 XEmacs has been unbundled into constituent installable packages.
6891 @strong{Other notable changes}: The @samp{Options} menu has been ported to
6892 Custom; XEmacs now is able to choose X visuals and use private
6893 colormaps; You can drag the vertical divider of "horizontally"
6894 (side-by-side) split windows.
6897 @strong{Building changes}: XEmacs can be built with support for 31-bit Lisp
6898 integers and 32-bit pointers (previously, it was 28-bit integers and
6899 pointers); XEmacs can be built with LDAP support; @file{dir} files can be
6900 removed in the Info subsystem, and will be regenerated on-the-fly.
6903 @strong{New packages}: @file{imenu}, @file{popper}, @file{gdb-highlight}
6906 @strong{Package changes}: Many changes to @file{cc-mode}, @file{gnus},
6907 @file{gnuclient}. See @file{NEWS} for full details.
6910 @strong{New commands, variables and functions}:
6911 @code{center-to-window-line} (like @code{recenter} but doesn't force a
6912 redisplay); variable @code{user-full-name} (customize what your full
6913 name looks like in mail); @kbd{M-x customize-changed-options} (customize
6914 options whose default values changes because you upgraded your XEmacs);
6915 @kbd{M-x add-log-convert} (converts an old-style ChangeLog buffer to
6916 new-style); @kbd{M-x zap-up-to-char} (like @code{zap-to-char} but
6917 doesn't delete the char searched for); commands to store, retrieve and
6918 increment numbers in registers, useful for macros.
6921 @strong{Changes to commands, variables, and functions}: @kbd{M-x
6922 query-replace} and friends operate only on the region when it's active;
6923 @code{echo-keystrokes} can now be a floating-point number; @kbd{M-.}
6924 searches exact tag matches before inexact ones; function
6925 @code{user-full-name} with no arguments returns the var
6926 @code{user-full-name}; a prefix arg to @kbd{M-:} and @kbd{C-h c} inserts
6927 the result in the current buffer.
6930 @strong{Other changes}: Under X, new application class @samp{XEmacs};
6931 byte-compilation of user-specs now works.
6934 @strong{XEmacs/Mule (internationalization) changes}: Mule support now
6935 works on TTY's; Egg/SJ3 input method now officially supported (Quail and
6936 Egg/Skk already available through LEIM since 20.3); localized Japanese
6937 menubars if XEmacs is built with the right support.
6941 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lisp and internal changes in XEmacs 21.1
6946 @strong{Specifier changes}: The window locale now has a higher
6947 precedence than the buffer locale when instantiating; new macro
6948 @code{let-specifier}; new specifiers
6949 @code{vertical-scrollbar-visible-p}, horizontal-scrollbar-visible-p',
6950 @code{scrollbar-on-left-p}, @code{scrollbar-on-top-p},
6951 @code{vertical-divider-always-visible-p},
6952 @code{vertical-divider-shadow-thickness},
6953 @code{vertical-divider-line-width}, @code{vertical-divider-spacing};
6954 specifiers and symbols whose value is a specifier allowed as modeline
6958 @strong{Frame focus changes}: @code{focus-follows-mouse} works like FSF,
6959 prevents any attempt to permanently change the selected frame; new
6960 function @code{focus-frame} sets the window system focus a frame; new
6961 special forms @code{save-selected-frame} and @code{with-selected-frame}.
6964 @strong{Window function changes}: @code{select-window} now has optional
6965 argument @var{NORECORD} to inhibit recording a buffer change;
6966 @code{vertical-motion} now correctly handles optional @var{WINDOW}
6967 argument and has new optional argument @var{PIXELS}, to have the
6968 returned values be in pixels; new function
6969 @code{vertical-motion-pixels}; new functions
6970 @code{window-text-area-pixel-@{width,height,edges@}}; new functions
6971 @code{shrink-window-pixels} and @code{enlarge-window-pixels}; new
6972 function @code{window-displayed-text-pixel-height}.
6975 @strong{Other function changes}: Arithmetic comparison functions
6976 @code{<}, @code{>}, @code{=}, @code{/=} now accept a variable number of
6977 arguments; hashtables now have a consistent read/print syntax; keyword
6978 symbols cannot be set to a value other than themselves; @code{concat} no
6979 longer accepts integer arguments; new function @code{string}, like
6980 @code{list}, @code{vector}, etc.; new function @code{temp-directory}
6981 (OS-independent way to get a temp directory); @code{load-average} has
6982 optional argument @var{USE-FLOATS}; @code{make-event} implemented
6983 completely; new function @code{function-interactive} (returns a
6984 function's interactive spec); new functions @code{lmessage},
6985 @code{lwarn} (printf-like versions of @code{display-wessage},
6986 @code{display-warning}); new keyword @code{:version} to
6990 @strong{Performance}: when the new GNU Malloc aka Doug Lea Malloc is
6991 available, it will be used (better performance on libc6 Linux systems);
6992 tracking line-numbers in modeline is now efficient; profiling records a
6993 call-count of all called functions, retrievable through
6994 @code{profile-call-count-results}.
6997 @strong{Startup and path searching}: code to assemble paths at startup
6998 rewritten for new package system; new function @code{split-path} (splits
6999 by @code{path-separator}); @code{Info-default-directory-list} obsolete,
7000 use @code{Info-directory-list} instead; site-lisp is deprecated and no
7001 longer on the load-path by default.
7005 @node Q7.0.4, Q7.0.5, Q7.0.3, Current Events
7006 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.4: What's new in XEmacs 20.4?
7008 XEmacs 20.4 is a bugfix release with no user-visible changes.
7009 @c Filled in from NEWS file of 20.5-b33
7011 @node Q7.0.5, Q7.0.6, Q7.0.4, Current Events
7012 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.5: What's new in XEmacs 20.3?
7014 XEmacs 20.3 was released in November 1997. It contains many bugfixes,
7015 and a number of new features, including Autoconf 2 based configuration,
7016 additional support for Mule (Multi-language extensions to Emacs), many
7017 more customizations, multiple frames on TTY-s, support for multiple info
7018 directories, an enhanced gnuclient, improvements to regexp matching,
7019 increased MIME support, and many, many synches with GNU Emacs 20.
7021 The XEmacs/Mule support has been only seriously tested in a Japanese
7022 locale, and no doubt many problems still remain. The support for
7023 ISO-Latin-1 and Japanese is fairly strong. MULE support comes at a
7024 price---about a 30% slowdown from 19.16. We're making progress on
7025 improving performance and XEmacs 20.3 compiled without Mule (which is
7026 the default) is definitely faster than XEmacs 19.16.
7028 XEmacs 20.3 is the first non-beta v20 release, and will be the
7029 basis for all further development.
7031 @node Q7.0.6, , Q7.0.5, Current Events
7032 @unnumberedsubsec Q7.0.6: What's new in XEmacs 20.2?
7034 The biggest changes in 20.2 include integration of EFS (the next
7035 generation of ange-ftp) and AUC Tex (the Emacs subsystem that includes a
7036 major mode for editing Tex and LaTeX, and a lot of other stuff). Many
7037 bugs from 20.0 have been fixed for this release. 20.2 also contains a
7038 new system for customizing XEmacs options, invoked via @kbd{M-x
7041 XEmacs 20.2 is the development release (20.0 was beta), and is no longer
7042 considered unstable.
7044 For older news, see the file @file{ONEWS} in the @file{etc} directory of
7045 the XEmacs distribution.