Fix typo.
[bpt/emacs.git] / man / display.texi
CommitLineData
802b0ea7 1@c This is part of the Emacs manual.
b8f3a9e3
GM
2@c Copyright (C) 1985, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 1997, 2000, 2001
3@c Free Software Foundation, Inc.
6bf7aab6
DL
4@c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5@node Display, Search, Registers, Top
6@chapter Controlling the Display
7
8 Since only part of a large buffer fits in the window, Emacs tries to
9show a part that is likely to be interesting. Display-control commands
10allow you to specify which part of the text you want to see, and how to
11display it.
12
13@menu
b8f3a9e3
GM
14* Faces:: How to change the display style using faces.
15* Font Lock:: Minor mode for syntactic highlighting using faces.
16* Highlight Changes:: Using colors to show where you changed the buffer.
17* Highlight Interactively:: Tell Emacs what text to highlight.
18* Trailing Whitespace:: Showing possibly-spurious trailing whitespace.
6bf7aab6
DL
19* Scrolling:: Moving text up and down in a window.
20* Horizontal Scrolling:: Moving text left and right in a window.
21* Follow Mode:: Follow mode lets two windows scroll as one.
22* Selective Display:: Hiding lines with lots of indentation.
23* Optional Mode Line:: Optional mode line display features.
24* Text Display:: How text characters are normally displayed.
e598186c 25* Display Custom:: Information on variables for customizing display.
099bfef9 26* Cursor Display:: Features for displaying the cursor.
6bf7aab6
DL
27@end menu
28
b8f3a9e3
GM
29@node Faces
30@section Using Multiple Typefaces
31@cindex faces
32
33 When using Emacs with a window system, you can set up multiple
0073fd65
RS
34styles of displaying characters. Each style is called a @dfn{face}.
35Each face can specify various attributes, such as the height, weight
36and slant of the characters, the foreground and background color, and
37underlining. But it does not have to specify all of them.
b8f3a9e3 38
c1b45553
EZ
39 Emacs on a character terminal supports only part of face attributes.
40Which attributes are supported depends on your display type, but many
41displays support inverse video, bold, and underline attributes, and
42some support colors.
43
6bb2ed9b
EZ
44 Features which rely on text in multiple faces (such as Font Lock mode)
45will also work on non-windowed terminals that can display more than one
46face, whether by colors or underlining and emboldening. This includes
47the console on GNU/Linux, an @code{xterm} which supports colors, the
48MS-DOS display (@pxref{MS-DOS}), and the MS-Windows version invoked with
49the @option{-nw} option. Emacs determines automatically whether the
50terminal has this capability.
b8f3a9e3 51
0073fd65
RS
52 You control the appearance of a part of the text in the buffer by
53specifying the face or faces to use for it. The style of display used
54for any given character is determined by combining the attributes of
55all the applicable faces specified for that character. Any attribute
0ec1f115 56that isn't specified by these faces is taken from the @code{default} face,
04d0b662 57whose attributes reflect the default settings of the frame itself.
b8f3a9e3
GM
58
59 Enriched mode, the mode for editing formatted text, includes several
0073fd65
RS
60commands and menus for specifying faces for text in the buffer.
61@xref{Format Faces}, for how to specify the font for text in the
62buffer. @xref{Format Colors}, for how to specify the foreground and
63background color.
b8f3a9e3
GM
64
65@cindex face colors, setting
66@findex set-face-foreground
67@findex set-face-background
0073fd65
RS
68 To alter the appearance of a face, use the customization buffer.
69@xref{Face Customization}. You can also use X resources to specify
186e9bcc 70attributes of particular faces (@pxref{Resources}). Alternatively,
0073fd65
RS
71you can change the foreground and background colors of a specific face
72with @kbd{M-x set-face-foreground} and @kbd{M-x set-face-background}.
73These commands prompt in the minibuffer for a face name and a color
74name, with completion, and then set that face to use the specified
3ae02d92
EZ
75color. Changing the colors of the @code{default} face also changes
76the foreground and background colors on all frames, both existing and
77those to be created in the future. (You can also set foreground and
78background colors for the current frame only; see @ref{Frame
79Parameters}.)
0073fd65
RS
80
81 Emacs 21 can correctly display variable-width fonts, but Emacs
82commands that calculate width and indentation do not know how to
83calculate variable widths. This can sometimes lead to incorrect
84results when you use variable-width fonts. In particular, indentation
85commands can give inconsistent results, so we recommend you avoid
86variable-width fonts for editing program source code. Filling will
87sometimes make lines too long or too short. We plan to address these
88issues in future Emacs versions.
b8f3a9e3
GM
89
90@findex list-faces-display
91 To see what faces are currently defined, and what they look like, type
92@kbd{M-x list-faces-display}. It's possible for a given face to look
93different in different frames; this command shows the appearance in the
04d0b662 94frame in which you type it. Here's a list of the standard defined
b8f3a9e3
GM
95faces:
96
97@table @code
98@item default
99This face is used for ordinary text that doesn't specify any other face.
100@item mode-line
101This face is used for mode lines. By default, it's drawn with shadows
102for a ``raised'' effect on window systems, and drawn as the inverse of
103the default face on non-windowed terminals. @xref{Display Custom}.
104@item header-line
105Similar to @code{mode-line} for a window's header line. Most modes
106don't use the header line, but the Info mode does.
107@item highlight
108This face is used for highlighting portions of text, in various modes.
109For example, mouse-sensitive text is highlighted using this face.
110@item isearch
111This face is used for highlighting Isearch matches.
112@item isearch-lazy-highlight-face
113This face is used for lazy highlighting of Isearch matches other than
114the current one.
115@item region
116This face is used for displaying a selected region (when Transient Mark
117mode is enabled---see below).
118@item secondary-selection
119This face is used for displaying a secondary X selection (@pxref{Secondary
120Selection}).
121@item bold
122This face uses a bold variant of the default font, if it has one.
123@item italic
124This face uses an italic variant of the default font, if it has one.
125@item bold-italic
126This face uses a bold italic variant of the default font, if it has one.
127@item underline
128This face underlines text.
129@item fixed-pitch
130The basic fixed-pitch face.
131@item fringe
132@cindex fringe
133The face for the fringes to the left and right of windows on graphic
134displays. (The fringes are the narrow portions of the Emacs frame
940627fe 135between the text area and the window's right and left borders.)
b8f3a9e3
GM
136@item scroll-bar
137This face determines the visual appearance of the scroll bar.
138@item border
139This face determines the color of the frame border.
140@item cursor
141This face determines the color of the cursor.
142@item mouse
143This face determines the color of the mouse pointer.
144@item tool-bar
145This is the basic tool-bar face. No text appears in the tool bar, but the
146colors of this face affect the appearance of tool bar icons.
147@item tooltip
148This face is used for tooltips.
149@item menu
150This face determines the colors and font of Emacs's menus. Setting the
151font of LessTif/Motif menus is currently not supported; attempts to set
152the font are ignored in this case.
153@item trailing-whitespace
154The face for highlighting trailing whitespace when
86354bc0 155@code{show-trailing-whitespace} is non-nil; see @ref{Trailing Whitespace}.
b8f3a9e3
GM
156@item variable-pitch
157The basic variable-pitch face.
158@end table
159
160@cindex @code{region} face
161 When Transient Mark mode is enabled, the text of the region is
162highlighted when the mark is active. This uses the face named
163@code{region}; you can control the style of highlighting by changing the
164style of this face (@pxref{Face Customization}). @xref{Transient Mark},
165for more information about Transient Mark mode and activation and
166deactivation of the mark.
167
168 One easy way to use faces is to turn on Font Lock mode. This minor
169mode, which is always local to a particular buffer, arranges to
170choose faces according to the syntax of the text you are editing. It
171can recognize comments and strings in most languages; in several
172languages, it can also recognize and properly highlight various other
173important constructs. @xref{Font Lock}, for more information about
174Font Lock mode and syntactic highlighting.
175
176 You can print out the buffer with the highlighting that appears
177on your screen using the command @code{ps-print-buffer-with-faces}.
178@xref{PostScript}.
179
180@node Font Lock
181@section Font Lock mode
182@cindex Font Lock mode
183@cindex mode, Font Lock
184@cindex syntax highlighting and coloring
185
186 Font Lock mode is a minor mode, always local to a particular
187buffer, which highlights (or ``fontifies'') using various faces
188according to the syntax of the text you are editing. It can
189recognize comments and strings in most languages; in several
190languages, it can also recognize and properly highlight various other
191important constructs---for example, names of functions being defined
192or reserved keywords.
193
194@findex font-lock-mode
195@findex turn-on-font-lock
196 The command @kbd{M-x font-lock-mode} turns Font Lock mode on or off
197according to the argument, and toggles the mode when it has no argument.
198The function @code{turn-on-font-lock} unconditionally enables Font Lock
199mode. This is useful in mode-hook functions. For example, to enable
200Font Lock mode whenever you edit a C file, you can do this:
201
202@example
203(add-hook 'c-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock)
204@end example
205
206@findex global-font-lock-mode
207@vindex global-font-lock-mode
208 To turn on Font Lock mode automatically in all modes which support
209it, customize the user option @code{global-font-lock-mode} or use the
210function @code{global-font-lock-mode} in your @file{.emacs} file, like
211this:
212
213@example
214(global-font-lock-mode 1)
215@end example
216
217 Font Lock mode uses several specifically named faces to do its job,
218including @code{font-lock-string-face}, @code{font-lock-comment-face},
219and others. The easiest way to find them all is to use completion
220on the face name in @code{set-face-foreground}.
221
222 To change the colors or the fonts used by Font Lock mode to fontify
223different parts of text, just change these faces. There are
224two ways to do it:
225
226@itemize @bullet
227@item
228Invoke @kbd{M-x set-face-foreground} or @kbd{M-x set-face-background}
229to change the colors of a particular face used by Font Lock.
230@xref{Faces}. The command @kbd{M-x list-faces-display} displays all
231the faces currently known to Emacs, including those used by Font Lock.
232
233@item
234Customize the faces interactively with @kbd{M-x customize-face}, as
235described in @ref{Face Customization}.
236@end itemize
237
238 To get the full benefit of Font Lock mode, you need to choose a
239default font which has bold, italic, and bold-italic variants; or else
240you need to have a color or gray-scale screen.
241
242@vindex font-lock-maximum-decoration
243 The variable @code{font-lock-maximum-decoration} specifies the
244preferred level of fontification, for modes that provide multiple
245levels. Level 1 is the least amount of fontification; some modes
246support levels as high as 3. The normal default is ``as high as
247possible.'' You can specify an integer, which applies to all modes, or
248you can specify different numbers for particular major modes; for
249example, to use level 1 for C/C++ modes, and the default level
250otherwise, use this:
251
252@example
253(setq font-lock-maximum-decoration
254 '((c-mode . 1) (c++-mode . 1)))
255@end example
256
257@vindex font-lock-maximum-size
258 Fontification can be too slow for large buffers, so you can suppress
259it. The variable @code{font-lock-maximum-size} specifies a buffer size,
260beyond which buffer fontification is suppressed.
261
262@c @w is used below to prevent a bad page-break.
263@vindex font-lock-beginning-of-syntax-function
e07e854d
EZ
264@cindex incorrect fontification
265@cindex parenthesis in column zero and fontification
266@cindex brace in column zero and fontification
b8f3a9e3
GM
267 Comment and string fontification (or ``syntactic'' fontification)
268relies on analysis of the syntactic structure of the buffer text. For
0ec1f115 269the sake of speed, some modes, including C mode and Lisp mode,
04d0b662
RS
270rely on a special convention: an open-parenthesis or open-brace in the
271leftmost column always defines the @w{beginning} of a defun, and is
ee6038a6 272thus always outside any string or comment. (@xref{Left Margin
9048ad82 273Paren}.) If you don't follow this convention, Font Lock mode can
ee6038a6
RS
274misfontify the text that follows an open-parenthesis or open-brace in
275the leftmost column that is inside a string or comment.
b8f3a9e3 276
6bb2ed9b 277@cindex slow display during scrolling
b8f3a9e3
GM
278 The variable @code{font-lock-beginning-of-syntax-function} (always
279buffer-local) specifies how Font Lock mode can find a position
280guaranteed to be outside any comment or string. In modes which use the
281leftmost column parenthesis convention, the default value of the variable
282is @code{beginning-of-defun}---that tells Font Lock mode to use the
283convention. If you set this variable to @code{nil}, Font Lock no longer
284relies on the convention. This avoids incorrect results, but the price
285is that, in some cases, fontification for a changed text must rescan
6bb2ed9b
EZ
286buffer text from the beginning of the buffer. This can considerably
287slow down redisplay while scrolling, particularly if you are close to
288the end of a large buffer.
b8f3a9e3
GM
289
290@findex font-lock-add-keywords
291 Font Lock highlighting patterns already exist for many modes, but you
292may want to fontify additional patterns. You can use the function
293@code{font-lock-add-keywords}, to add your own highlighting patterns for
294a particular mode. For example, to highlight @samp{FIXME:} words in C
295comments, use this:
296
297@example
298(font-lock-add-keywords
299 'c-mode
300 '(("\\<\\(FIXME\\):" 1 font-lock-warning-face t)))
301@end example
302
4063fff3
EZ
303@findex font-lock-remove-keywords
304 To remove keywords from the font-lock highlighting patterns, use the
305function @code{font-lock-remove-keywords}.
306
3be9b0ca
EZ
307@cindex just-in-time (JIT) font-lock
308@cindex background syntax highlighting
309 Fontifying large buffers can take a long time. To avoid large
310delays when a file is visited, Emacs fontifies only the visible
311portion of a buffer. As you scroll through the buffer, each portion
312that becomes visible is fontified as soon as it is displayed. The
313parts of the buffer that are not displayed are fontified
314``stealthily'', in the background, i.e.@: when Emacs is idle. You can
315control this background fontification, called @dfn{Just-In-Time}, or
316@dfn{JIT} Font Lock, by customizing various options in the
317customization group @samp{jit-lock}. @xref{Specific Customization}.
318
b8f3a9e3
GM
319@node Highlight Changes
320@section Highlight Changes Mode
321
322@findex highlight-changes-mode
323 Use @kbd{M-x highlight-changes-mode} to enable a minor mode
324that uses faces (colors, typically) to indicate which parts of
325the buffer were changed most recently.
326
327@node Highlight Interactively
328@section Interactive Highlighting by Matching
329@cindex highlighting by matching
330@cindex interactive highlighting
331
332 It is sometimes useful to highlight the strings that match a certain
333regular expression. For example, you might wish to see all the
334references to a certain variable in a program source file, or highlight
335certain parts in a voluminous output of some program, or make certain
336cliches stand out in an article.
337
338@findex hi-lock-mode
339 Use the @kbd{M-x hi-lock-mode} command to turn on a minor mode that
340allows you to specify regular expressions of the text to be
341highlighted. Hi-lock mode works like Font Lock (@pxref{Font Lock}),
342except that it lets you specify explicitly what parts of text to
343highlight. You control Hi-lock mode with these commands:
344
345@table @kbd
346@item C-x w h @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{face} @key{RET}
347@kindex C-x w h
348@findex highlight-regexp
349Highlight text that matches
350@var{regexp} using face @var{face} (@code{highlight-regexp}).
351By using this command more than once, you can highlight various
352parts of the text in different ways.
353
354@item C-x w r @var{regexp} @key{RET}
355@kindex C-x w r
356@findex unhighlight-regexp
357Unhighlight @var{regexp} (@code{unhighlight-regexp}). You must enter
358one of the regular expressions currently specified for highlighting.
04d0b662 359(You can use completion, or choose from a menu, to enter one of them
b8f3a9e3
GM
360conveniently.)
361
362@item C-x w l @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{face} @key{RET}
363@kindex C-x w l
364@findex highlight-lines-matching-regexp
365@cindex lines, highlighting
366@cindex highlighting lines of text
04d0b662 367Highlight entire lines containing a match for @var{regexp}, using face
b8f3a9e3
GM
368@var{face} (@code{highlight-lines-matching-regexp}).
369
370@item C-x w b
371@kindex C-x w b
372@findex hi-lock-write-interactive-patterns
373Insert all the current highlighting regexp/face pairs into the buffer
374at point, with comment delimiters to prevent them from changing your
375program. This key binding runs the
376@code{hi-lock-write-interactive-patterns} command.
377
378These patterns will be read the next time you visit the file while
379Hi-lock mode is enabled, or whenever you use the @kbd{M-x
380hi-lock-find-patterns} command.
381
382@item C-x w i
383@kindex C-x w i
384@findex hi-lock-find-patterns
385@vindex hi-lock-exclude-modes
386Re-read regexp/face pairs in the current buffer
387(@code{hi-lock-write-interactive-patterns}). The list of pairs is
388found no matter where in the buffer it may be.
389
390This command does nothing if the major mode is a member of the list
391@code{hi-lock-exclude-modes}.
392@end table
393
394@node Trailing Whitespace
395@section Trailing Whitespace
396
397@cindex trailing whitespace
398@cindex whitespace, trailing
399@vindex show-trailing-whitespace
400 It is easy to leave unnecessary spaces at the end of a line without
401realizing it. In most cases, this @dfn{trailing whitespace} has no
402effect, but there are special circumstances where it matters.
403
86354bc0
EZ
404 You can make trailing whitespace visible on the screen by setting the
405buffer-local variable @code{show-trailing-whitespace} to @code{t}. Then
406Emacs displays trailing whitespace in the face
407@code{trailing-whitespace}.
b8f3a9e3
GM
408
409 Trailing whitespace is defined as spaces or tabs at the end of a
410line. But trailing whitespace is not displayed specially if point is
411at the end of the line containing the whitespace. (Doing that looks
412ugly while you are typing in new text, and the location of point is
413enough in that case to show you that the spaces are present.)
414
617f8101
EZ
415@findex delete-trailing-whitespace
416 To delete all trailing whitespace within the current buffer's
417restriction (@pxref{Narrowing}), type @kbd{M-x
418delete-trailing-whitespace @key{RET}}. (This command does not remove
419the form-feed characters.)
420
b8f3a9e3
GM
421@vindex indicate-empty-lines
422@vindex default-indicate-empty-lines
423@cindex empty lines
424 Emacs can indicate empty lines at the end of the buffer with a
425special bitmap on the left fringe of the window. To enable this
426feature, set the buffer-local variable @code{indicate-empty-lines} to
427a non-@code{nil} value. The default value of this variable is
428controlled by the variable @code{default-indicate-empty-lines};
429by setting that variable, you can enable or disable this feature
430for all new buffers.
431
6bf7aab6
DL
432@node Scrolling
433@section Scrolling
434
435 If a buffer contains text that is too large to fit entirely within a
436window that is displaying the buffer, Emacs shows a contiguous portion of
437the text. The portion shown always contains point.
438
439@cindex scrolling
440 @dfn{Scrolling} means moving text up or down in the window so that
441different parts of the text are visible. Scrolling forward means that text
442moves up, and new text appears at the bottom. Scrolling backward moves
443text down and new text appears at the top.
444
445 Scrolling happens automatically if you move point past the bottom or top
446of the window. You can also explicitly request scrolling with the commands
447in this section.
448
449@table @kbd
450@item C-l
451Clear screen and redisplay, scrolling the selected window to center
452point vertically within it (@code{recenter}).
453@item C-v
454Scroll forward (a windowful or a specified number of lines) (@code{scroll-up}).
455@item @key{NEXT}
04d0b662 456@itemx @key{PAGEDOWN}
6bf7aab6
DL
457Likewise, scroll forward.
458@item M-v
459Scroll backward (@code{scroll-down}).
460@item @key{PRIOR}
04d0b662 461@itemx @key{PAGEUP}
6bf7aab6
DL
462Likewise, scroll backward.
463@item @var{arg} C-l
464Scroll so point is on line @var{arg} (@code{recenter}).
465@item C-M-l
466Scroll heuristically to bring useful information onto the screen
467(@code{reposition-window}).
468@end table
469
470@kindex C-l
471@findex recenter
472 The most basic scrolling command is @kbd{C-l} (@code{recenter}) with
473no argument. It clears the entire screen and redisplays all windows.
474In addition, it scrolls the selected window so that point is halfway
475down from the top of the window.
476
477@kindex C-v
478@kindex M-v
479@kindex NEXT
480@kindex PRIOR
04d0b662
RS
481@kindex PAGEDOWN
482@kindex PAGEUP
6bf7aab6
DL
483@findex scroll-up
484@findex scroll-down
6bf7aab6 485@vindex next-screen-context-lines
04d0b662
RS
486 To read the buffer a windowful at a time, use @kbd{C-v}
487(@code{scroll-up}) with no argument. This scrolls forward by nearly
488the whole window height. The effect is to take the two lines at the
489bottom of the window and put them at the top, followed by nearly a
490whole windowful of lines that were not previously visible. If point
491was in the text that scrolled off the top, it ends up at the new top
492of the window.
493
0ec1f115
RS
494 @kbd{M-v} (@code{scroll-down}) with no argument scrolls backward in
495a similar way, also with overlap. The number of lines of overlap
496across a @kbd{C-v} or @kbd{M-v} is controlled by the variable
04d0b662
RS
497@code{next-screen-context-lines}; by default, it is 2. The function
498keys @key{NEXT} and @key{PRIOR}, or @key{PAGEDOWN} and @key{PAGEUP},
499are equivalent to @kbd{C-v} and @kbd{M-v}.
500
501 The commands @kbd{C-v} and @kbd{M-v} with a numeric argument scroll
502the text in the selected window up or down a few lines. @kbd{C-v}
503with an argument moves the text and point up, together, that many
504lines; it brings the same number of new lines into view at the bottom
505of the window. @kbd{M-v} with numeric argument scrolls the text
506downward, bringing that many new lines into view at the top of the
507window. @kbd{C-v} with a negative argument is like @kbd{M-v} and vice
508versa.
509
510 The names of scroll commands are based on the direction that the
511text moves in the window. Thus, the command to scroll forward is
512called @code{scroll-up} because it moves the text upward on the
513screen. The keys @key{PAGEDOWN} and @key{PAGEUP} derive their names
514and customary meanings from a different convention that developed
515elsewhere; hence the strange result that @key{PAGEDOWN} runs
516@code{scroll-up}.
6bf7aab6
DL
517
518@vindex scroll-preserve-screen-position
519 Some users like the full-screen scroll commands to keep point at the
520same screen line. To enable this behavior, set the variable
521@code{scroll-preserve-screen-position} to a non-@code{nil} value. This
522mode is convenient for browsing through a file by scrolling by
523screenfuls; if you come back to the screen where you started, point goes
524back to the line where it started. However, this mode is inconvenient
525when you move to the next screen in order to move point to the text
526there.
527
528 Another way to do scrolling is with @kbd{C-l} with a numeric argument.
529@kbd{C-l} does not clear the screen when given an argument; it only scrolls
530the selected window. With a positive argument @var{n}, it repositions text
531to put point @var{n} lines down from the top. An argument of zero puts
532point on the very top line. Point does not move with respect to the text;
533rather, the text and point move rigidly on the screen. @kbd{C-l} with a
534negative argument puts point that many lines from the bottom of the window.
535For example, @kbd{C-u - 1 C-l} puts point on the bottom line, and @kbd{C-u
04d0b662
RS
536- 5 C-l} puts it five lines from the bottom. @kbd{C-u C-l} scrolls to put
537point at the center (vertically) of the selected window.
6bf7aab6
DL
538
539@kindex C-M-l
540@findex reposition-window
541 The @kbd{C-M-l} command (@code{reposition-window}) scrolls the current
542window heuristically in a way designed to get useful information onto
543the screen. For example, in a Lisp file, this command tries to get the
544entire current defun onto the screen if possible.
545
546@vindex scroll-conservatively
04d0b662
RS
547 Scrolling happens automatically when point moves out of the visible
548portion of the text. Normally, automatic scrolling centers point
549vertically within the window. However, if you set
550@code{scroll-conservatively} to a small number @var{n}, then if you
551move point just a little off the screen---less than @var{n}
552lines---then Emacs scrolls the text just far enough to bring point
553back on screen. By default, @code{scroll-conservatively} is 0.
6bf7aab6 554
6dd5e8cc
EZ
555@cindex aggressive scrolling
556@vindex scroll-up-aggressively
557@vindex scroll-down-aggressively
e598186c
RS
558 When the window does scroll by a longer distance, you can control
559how aggressively it scrolls, by setting the variables
560@code{scroll-up-aggressively} and @code{scroll-down-aggressively}.
561The value of @code{scroll-up-aggressively} should be either
562@code{nil}, or a fraction @var{f} between 0 and 1. A fraction
563specifies where on the screen to put point when scrolling upward.
564More precisely, when a window scrolls up because point is above the
565window start, the new start position is chosen to put point @var{f}
566part of the window height from the top. The larger @var{f}, the more
567aggressive the scrolling.
568
569 @code{nil}, which is the default, scrolls to put point at the center.
570So it is equivalent to .5.
571
572 Likewise, @code{scroll-down-aggressively} is used for scrolling
573down. The value, @var{f}, specifies how far point should be placed
574from the bottom of the window; thus, as with
575@code{scroll-up-aggressively}, a larger value is more aggressive.
6dd5e8cc 576
6bf7aab6
DL
577@vindex scroll-margin
578 The variable @code{scroll-margin} restricts how close point can come
579to the top or bottom of a window. Its value is a number of screen
580lines; if point comes within that many lines of the top or bottom of the
581window, Emacs recenters the window. By default, @code{scroll-margin} is
5820.
583
584@node Horizontal Scrolling
585@section Horizontal Scrolling
586@cindex horizontal scrolling
587
588 @dfn{Horizontal scrolling} means shifting all the lines sideways
e598186c 589within a window---so that some of the text near the left margin is not
04d0b662 590displayed at all. Emacs does this automatically in any window that
e598186c
RS
591uses line truncation rather than continuation: whenever point moves
592off the left or right edge of the screen, Emacs scrolls the buffer
593horizontally to make point visible.
594
595 When a window has been scrolled horizontally, text lines are truncated
596rather than continued (@pxref{Continuation Lines}), with a @samp{$}
597appearing in the first column when there is text truncated to the left,
598and in the last column when there is text truncated to the right.
599
600 You can use these commands to do explicit horizontal scrolling.
6bf7aab6
DL
601
602@table @kbd
603@item C-x <
604Scroll text in current window to the left (@code{scroll-left}).
605@item C-x >
606Scroll to the right (@code{scroll-right}).
607@end table
608
6bf7aab6
DL
609@kindex C-x <
610@kindex C-x >
611@findex scroll-left
612@findex scroll-right
613 The command @kbd{C-x <} (@code{scroll-left}) scrolls the selected
614window to the left by @var{n} columns with argument @var{n}. This moves
615part of the beginning of each line off the left edge of the window.
616With no argument, it scrolls by almost the full width of the window (two
617columns less, to be precise).
618
619 @kbd{C-x >} (@code{scroll-right}) scrolls similarly to the right. The
620window cannot be scrolled any farther to the right once it is displayed
621normally (with each line starting at the window's left margin);
622attempting to do so has no effect. This means that you don't have to
623calculate the argument precisely for @w{@kbd{C-x >}}; any sufficiently large
624argument will restore the normal display.
625
e598186c
RS
626 If you scroll a window horizontally by hand, that sets a lower bound
627for automatic horizontal scrolling. Automatic scrolling will continue
97357fc9 628to scroll the window, but never farther to the right than the amount
e598186c 629you previously set by @code{scroll-left}.
6bf7aab6 630
e598186c
RS
631@vindex automatic-hscrolling
632 To disable automatic horizontal scrolling, set the variable
633@code{automatic-hscrolling} to @code{nil}.
03ff8aab 634
6bf7aab6
DL
635@node Follow Mode
636@section Follow Mode
637@cindex Follow mode
638@cindex mode, Follow
fd3d3075
RS
639@findex follow-mode
640@cindex windows, synchronizing
641@cindex synchronizing windows
6bf7aab6
DL
642
643 @dfn{Follow mode} is a minor mode that makes two windows showing the
644same buffer scroll as one tall ``virtual window.'' To use Follow mode,
645go to a frame with just one window, split it into two side-by-side
646windows using @kbd{C-x 3}, and then type @kbd{M-x follow-mode}. From
647then on, you can edit the buffer in either of the two windows, or scroll
648either one; the other window follows it.
649
8f399c9b
RS
650 In Follow mode, if you move point outside the portion visible in one
651window and into the portion visible in the other window, that selects
652the other window---again, treating the two as if they were parts of
653one large window.
654
6bf7aab6
DL
655 To turn off Follow mode, type @kbd{M-x follow-mode} a second time.
656
657@node Selective Display
658@section Selective Display
4946337d 659@cindex selective display
6bf7aab6
DL
660@findex set-selective-display
661@kindex C-x $
662
663 Emacs has the ability to hide lines indented more than a certain number
664of columns (you specify how many columns). You can use this to get an
665overview of a part of a program.
666
667 To hide lines, type @kbd{C-x $} (@code{set-selective-display}) with a
668numeric argument @var{n}. Then lines with at least @var{n} columns of
669indentation disappear from the screen. The only indication of their
670presence is that three dots (@samp{@dots{}}) appear at the end of each
671visible line that is followed by one or more hidden ones.
672
673 The commands @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} move across the hidden lines as
674if they were not there.
675
676 The hidden lines are still present in the buffer, and most editing
677commands see them as usual, so you may find point in the middle of the
678hidden text. When this happens, the cursor appears at the end of the
679previous line, after the three dots. If point is at the end of the
680visible line, before the newline that ends it, the cursor appears before
681the three dots.
682
683 To make all lines visible again, type @kbd{C-x $} with no argument.
684
685@vindex selective-display-ellipses
686 If you set the variable @code{selective-display-ellipses} to
687@code{nil}, the three dots do not appear at the end of a line that
688precedes hidden lines. Then there is no visible indication of the
689hidden lines. This variable becomes local automatically when set.
690
691@node Optional Mode Line
692@section Optional Mode Line Features
693
e598186c
RS
694@cindex line number display
695@cindex display of line number
6bf7aab6
DL
696@findex line-number-mode
697 The current line number of point appears in the mode line when Line
698Number mode is enabled. Use the command @kbd{M-x line-number-mode} to
699turn this mode on and off; normally it is on. The line number appears
700before the buffer percentage @var{pos}, with the letter @samp{L} to
701indicate what it is. @xref{Minor Modes}, for more information about
702minor modes and about how to use this command.
703
43f971ab
EZ
704@cindex narrowing, and line number display
705 If you have narrowed the buffer (@pxref{Narrowing}), the displayed
706line number is relative to the accessible portion of the buffer.
707
6bf7aab6
DL
708@vindex line-number-display-limit
709 If the buffer is very large (larger than the value of
710@code{line-number-display-limit}), then the line number doesn't appear.
711Emacs doesn't compute the line number when the buffer is large, because
43f971ab
EZ
712that would be too slow. Set it to @code{nil} to remove the limit.
713
714@vindex line-number-display-limit-width
715 Line-number computation can also be slow if the lines in the buffer
716are too long. For this reason, Emacs normally doesn't display line
717numbers if the average width, in characters, of lines near point is
718larger than the value of the variable
719@code{line-number-display-limit-width}. The default value is 200
720characters.
6bf7aab6
DL
721
722@cindex Column Number mode
723@cindex mode, Column Number
724@findex column-number-mode
725 You can also display the current column number by turning on Column
726Number mode. It displays the current column number preceded by the
727letter @samp{C}. Type @kbd{M-x column-number-mode} to toggle this mode.
728
729@findex display-time
730@cindex time (on mode line)
731 Emacs can optionally display the time and system load in all mode
4f00b8c1
DL
732lines. To enable this feature, type @kbd{M-x display-time} or customize
733the option @code{display-time-mode}. The information added to the mode
734line usually appears after the buffer name, before the mode names and
735their parentheses. It looks like this:
6bf7aab6
DL
736
737@example
738@var{hh}:@var{mm}pm @var{l.ll}
739@end example
740
741@noindent
742@vindex display-time-24hr-format
743Here @var{hh} and @var{mm} are the hour and minute, followed always by
744@samp{am} or @samp{pm}. @var{l.ll} is the average number of running
745processes in the whole system recently. (Some fields may be missing if
746your operating system cannot support them.) If you prefer time display
747in 24-hour format, set the variable @code{display-time-24hr-format}
748to @code{t}.
749
750@cindex mail (on mode line)
72bd7b7b
DL
751@vindex display-time-use-mail-icon
752@vindex display-time-mail-face
6bf7aab6 753 The word @samp{Mail} appears after the load level if there is mail
72bd7b7b
DL
754for you that you have not read yet. On a graphical display you can use
755an icon instead of @samp{Mail} by customizing
756@code{display-time-use-mail-icon}; this may save some space on the mode
757line. You can customize @code{display-time-mail-face} to make the mail
758indicator prominent.
6bf7aab6 759
47d7776c 760@cindex mode line, 3D appearance
bd3ead08
EZ
761@cindex attributes of mode line, changing
762@cindex non-integral number of lines in a window
04d0b662
RS
763 By default, the mode line is drawn on graphics displays with
7643D-style highlighting, like that of a button when it is not being
765pressed. If you don't like this effect, you can disable the 3D
766highlighting of the mode line, by customizing the attributes of the
767@code{mode-line} face in your @file{.emacs} init file, like this:
bd3ead08
EZ
768
769@example
04d0b662 770(set-face-attribute 'mode-line nil :box nil)
bd3ead08
EZ
771@end example
772
773@noindent
04d0b662 774Alternatively, you can turn off the box attribute in your
bd3ead08
EZ
775@file{.Xdefaults} file:
776
777@example
04d0b662 778Emacs.mode-line.AttributeBox: off
bd3ead08
EZ
779@end example
780
6bf7aab6
DL
781@node Text Display
782@section How Text Is Displayed
783@cindex characters (in text)
784
785 ASCII printing characters (octal codes 040 through 0176) in Emacs
13b9ee95 786buffers are displayed with their graphics, as are non-ASCII multibyte
6bf7aab6
DL
787printing characters (octal codes above 0400).
788
789 Some ASCII control characters are displayed in special ways. The
790newline character (octal code 012) is displayed by starting a new line.
791The tab character (octal code 011) is displayed by moving to the next
792tab stop column (normally every 8 columns).
793
794 Other ASCII control characters are normally displayed as a caret
795(@samp{^}) followed by the non-control version of the character; thus,
796control-A is displayed as @samp{^A}.
797
7c9960d7
DL
798 Non-ASCII characters 0200 through 0237 (octal) are displayed with
799octal escape sequences; thus, character code 0230 (octal) is displayed
800as @samp{\230}. The display of character codes 0240 through 0377
801(octal) may be either as escape sequences or as graphics. They do not
04d0b662 802normally occur in multibyte buffers, but if they do, they are displayed
7c9960d7
DL
803as Latin-1 graphics. In unibyte mode, if you enable European display
804they are displayed using their graphics (assuming your terminal supports
805them), otherwise as escape sequences. @xref{Single-Byte Character
806Support}.
6bf7aab6 807
e598186c
RS
808@node Display Custom
809@section Customization of Display
6bf7aab6
DL
810
811 This section contains information for customization only. Beginning
812users should skip it.
813
814@vindex mode-line-inverse-video
dddbaa16
MB
815 The variable @code{mode-line-inverse-video} is an obsolete way of
816controlling whether the mode line is displayed in inverse video; the
817preferred way of doing this is to change the @code{mode-line} face.
46ff99c0
MB
818@xref{Mode Line}. However, if @code{mode-line-inverse-video} has a
819value of @code{nil}, then the @code{mode-line} face will be ignored,
820and mode-lines will be drawn using the default text face.
821@xref{Faces}.
6bf7aab6
DL
822
823@vindex inverse-video
824 If the variable @code{inverse-video} is non-@code{nil}, Emacs attempts
825to invert all the lines of the display from what they normally are.
826
827@vindex visible-bell
828 If the variable @code{visible-bell} is non-@code{nil}, Emacs attempts
829to make the whole screen blink when it would normally make an audible bell
830sound. This variable has no effect if your terminal does not have a way
831to make the screen blink.@refill
832
833@vindex no-redraw-on-reenter
834 When you reenter Emacs after suspending, Emacs normally clears the
835screen and redraws the entire display. On some terminals with more than
836one page of memory, it is possible to arrange the termcap entry so that
837the @samp{ti} and @samp{te} strings (output to the terminal when Emacs
838is entered and exited, respectively) switch between pages of memory so
839as to use one page for Emacs and another page for other output. Then
840you might want to set the variable @code{no-redraw-on-reenter}
841non-@code{nil}; this tells Emacs to assume, when resumed, that the
842screen page it is using still contains what Emacs last wrote there.
843
844@vindex echo-keystrokes
845 The variable @code{echo-keystrokes} controls the echoing of multi-character
846keys; its value is the number of seconds of pause required to cause echoing
847to start, or zero meaning don't echo at all. @xref{Echo Area}.
848
849@vindex ctl-arrow
13b9ee95 850 If the variable @code{ctl-arrow} is @code{nil}, all control characters in
6bf7aab6
DL
851the buffer are displayed with octal escape sequences, except for newline
852and tab. Altering the value of @code{ctl-arrow} makes it local to the
853current buffer; until that time, the default value is in effect. The
854default is initially @code{t}. @xref{Display Tables,, Display Tables,
855elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
856
857@vindex tab-width
858 Normally, a tab character in the buffer is displayed as whitespace which
859extends to the next display tab stop position, and display tab stops come
860at intervals equal to eight spaces. The number of spaces per tab is
861controlled by the variable @code{tab-width}, which is made local by
862changing it, just like @code{ctl-arrow}. Note that how the tab character
863in the buffer is displayed has nothing to do with the definition of
864@key{TAB} as a command. The variable @code{tab-width} must have an
865integer value between 1 and 1000, inclusive.
866
867@c @vindex truncate-lines @c No index entry here, because we have one
868@c in the continuation section.
869 If the variable @code{truncate-lines} is non-@code{nil}, then each
870line of text gets just one screen line for display; if the text line is
871too long, display shows only the part that fits. If
872@code{truncate-lines} is @code{nil}, then long text lines display as
873more than one screen line, enough to show the whole text of the line.
874@xref{Continuation Lines}. Altering the value of @code{truncate-lines}
875makes it local to the current buffer; until that time, the default value
876is in effect. The default is initially @code{nil}.
877
878@c @vindex truncate-partial-width-windows @c Idx entry is in Split Windows.
879 If the variable @code{truncate-partial-width-windows} is
880non-@code{nil}, it forces truncation rather than continuation in any
881window less than the full width of the screen or frame, regardless of
882the value of @code{truncate-lines}. For information about side-by-side
883windows, see @ref{Split Window}. See also @ref{Display,, Display,
884elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
885
886@vindex baud-rate
87c8b5fd
RS
887 The variable @code{baud-rate} holds the output speed of the
888terminal, as far as Emacs knows. Setting this variable does not
889change the speed of actual data transmission, but the value is used
890for calculations. On terminals, it affects padding, and decisions
891about whether to scroll part of the screen or redraw it instead.
c39937ea 892It also affects the behavior of incremental search.
860dab78 893
e598186c
RS
894 On window-systems, @code{baud-rate} is only used to determine how
895frequently to look for pending input during display updating. A
896higher value of @code{baud-rate} means that check for pending input
897will be done less frequently.
6bf7aab6
DL
898
899 You can customize the way any particular character code is displayed
900by means of a display table. @xref{Display Tables,, Display Tables,
901elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
e598186c 902
62095f01
GM
903@cindex hourglass pointer display
904@vindex hourglass-delay
099bfef9
RS
905 On a window system, Emacs can optionally display the mouse pointer
906in a special shape to say that Emacs is busy. To turn this feature on
907or off, customize the group @code{cursor}. You can also control the
908amount of time Emacs must remain busy before the busy indicator is
62095f01 909displayed, by setting the variable @code{hourglass-delay}.
099bfef9 910
a66b12be
RS
911@findex tty-suppress-bold-inverse-default-colors
912 On some text-only terminals, bold face and inverse video together
913result in text that is hard to read. Call the function
914@code{tty-suppress-bold-inverse-default-colors} with a non-@code{nil}
915argument to suppress the effect of bold-face in this case.
916
099bfef9
RS
917@node Cursor Display
918@section Displaying the Cursor
919
e598186c 920@findex hl-line-mode
843c16a5 921@cindex highlight current line
e598186c
RS
922@findex blink-cursor-mode
923@cindex cursor, locating visually
924@cindex cursor, blinking
925 There are a number of ways to customize the display of the cursor.
777fcecf 926@kbd{M-x hl-line-mode} enables or disables a minor mode which
099bfef9 927highlights the line containing point. On window systems, the command
e598186c
RS
928@kbd{M-x blink-cursor-mode} turns on or off the blinking of the
929cursor. (On terminals, the terminal itself blinks the cursor, and
87c8b5fd 930Emacs has no control over it.)
e598186c
RS
931
932 You can customize the cursor's color, and whether it blinks, using
933the @code{cursor} Custom group (@pxref{Easy Customization}).
099bfef9
RS
934
935@vindex x-stretch-cursor
936@cindex wide block cursor
937 When displaying on a window system, Emacs can optionally draw the
938block cursor as wide as the character under the cursor---for example,
939if the cursor is on a tab character, it would cover the full width
940occupied by that tab character. To enable this feature, set the
941variable @code{x-stretch-cursor} to a non-@code{nil} value.
0f613b80
RS
942
943@cindex cursor in non-selected windows
944@vindex cursor-in-non-selected-windows
4946337d
EZ
945 Normally, the cursor in non-selected windows is shown as a hollow box.
946To turn off cursor display in non-selected windows, customize the option
5359ed91 947@code{cursor-in-non-selected-windows} to assign it a @code{nil} value.