Remove support for Mac Carbon.
[bpt/emacs.git] / doc / misc / ns-emacs.texi
1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
2
3 @setfilename ../../info/ns-emacs
4 @settitle Emacs.app
5
6 @dircategory Emacs
7 @direntry
8 * NS-Emacs: (ns-emacs). Emacs.app for GNUstep and MacOS X.
9 @end direntry
10
11 @iftex
12 @finalout
13 @end iftex
14
15 @titlepage
16 @sp 10
17 @center @titlefont{Emacs.app}
18
19 @center (Version 9.0-rc1, April, 2006)
20
21 @sp 2
22 @center Carl Edman
23 @sp 2
24 @center Christian Limpach
25 @sp 2
26 @center Scott Bender
27 @sp 2
28 @center Christophe de Dinechin
29 @sp 2
30 @center Adrian Robert
31 @sp 2
32
33 @end titlepage
34
35 @unnumbered Distribution
36 @*
37 Copyright @copyright{} 1994 Carl Edman.@*
38 Copyright @copyright{} 1997 Christian Limpach.
39 Copyright @copyright{} 1997 Scott Bender.
40 Copyright @copyright{} 2001 Christophe de Dinechin.
41 Copyright @copyright{} 2005-07 Adrian Robert.
42
43 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
44 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
45 are preserved on all copies.
46
47 @ignore
48 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
49 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
50 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
51 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
52
53 @end ignore
54 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
55 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire
56 resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission
57 notice identical to this one.
58
59 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
60 into another language, under the same conditions as for modified versions.
61
62 @ignore
63 @menu
64 * Introduction::
65 * Events::
66 * Preferences Panel::
67 * Preferences::
68 * Tips and Tricks::
69 * Thanks::
70 @end menu
71 @end ignore
72
73 @node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir)
74 @top Emacs.app
75
76 Emacs.app for GNUstep and MacOS X (http://emacs-app.sf.net) is a version of
77 GNU Emacs CVS unicode-2 branch (currently planned to be released as Emacs 23)
78 which adds support for the GNUstep and MacOS X systems via the OpenStep APIs
79 (referred to as "Cocoa" under OS X). Support for NeXTstep, OpenStep, and
80 Rhapsody systems has been dropped. For those systems, use "Emacs-on-Aqua",
81 available at http://emacs-on-aqua.sf.net.
82
83 This port leaves most of the core functions of Emacs unchanged and is
84 fully-compatible with all Emacs Lisp packages, however it has a number of
85 step-ish features which do not have any equivalent in Emacs's X11 interface.
86 The design aim was to make it look as similar as possible to an X application
87 to Emacs Lisp programs and to make it look like a normal GNUstep or MacOS X
88 application to users.
89
90 (From here on out we refer to this port as "Emacs.app", and the systems
91 supported by this port as "NeXTstep", "NS", or "OpenStep", because saying
92 GNUstep / MacOS X is too clumsy. Both systems were derived from the NeXTstep
93 libraries developed by NeXT, Inc. for its NeXT computer and operating system,
94 whose APIs were later published as the OpenStep specification. All classes
95 and functions in these APIs start with the letters 'NS' for this historical
96 reason.)
97
98 Comments and bug reports relating to the window system interface are welcome.
99 To report a bug please use the @samp{Help/Report Emacs.app bug...} menu item.
100 This sends messages to the maintainer. (Note, please include your email
101 address if you don't usually send email from this machine.)
102
103 Problems and bugs which do not relate to the NS support (i.e. which can be
104 reproduced even in a dumb terminal or under the Carbon port or X11) should be
105 reported through the normal Emacs channels.
106
107 Also, please inspect the ``Known Issues'' contained in the README file you may
108 have received with this distribution or listed at the web site
109 http://emacs-app.sf.net .
110
111 There is also a developer mailing list for Emacs.app,
112 <emacs-app-dev-@@lists.sourceforge.net>. Sign up through the project page at
113 http://emacs-app.sf.net. A user mailing list will be added in time and if
114 warranted.
115
116
117 @menu
118 * Introduction:: What you need to know to use and program.
119 * Events:: How NS window system events are handled.
120 * Preferences Panel:: Using the Preferences Panel to customize Emacs.
121 * Customization:: Customization for Emacs.app.
122 * Tips and Tricks:: Collected hints from Emacs users
123 * Thanks:: The people who helped create Emacs.app
124 @end menu
125
126 @node Introduction, Events, Top, Top
127 @section Introduction
128
129 Despite the size and complexity of GNU Emacs, NeXTstep and the NeXTstep
130 support code, this manual can be kept mercifully short by saying that
131 everything written in the Emacs and the Emacs Lisp manuals about GNU Emacs
132 applies equally to this Emacs except as noted here.
133
134 @itemize @bullet
135 @item
136 The ``right-click'' button (usually the right-hand button on a two-button
137 mouse) is mapped to Mouse-3, instead of Mouse-2 as earlier versions of
138 Emacs.app. This is for compatibility with X versions of emacs. To get some
139 of the old behavior back, you can put in your .emacs:
140
141 @lisp
142 (global-set-key [mouse-3] 'mouse-yank-at-click)
143 @end lisp
144
145 The other functionality of mouse-3 in a buffer of extending a selection is
146 available via shift-click as in other NS applications. To pop up a context
147 menu,
148
149 @item
150 The Alt or Opt key is bound to the traditional emacs "meta" by default, while
151 the NS "command" key is bound to 'super', for which a set of keybindings are
152 set to mimic other NeXTstep applications. (See @ref{Events}.) You can change
153 either of these bindings using the preferences panel (see @ref{Preferences
154 Panel}).
155
156 @item
157 The standard NeXTstep font and color panels are accessible through the Windows
158 menu, or through the standard Cmd-t and Cmd-C. These are easier to use than
159 Emacs's own methods for setting these items. To use the color panel, drag
160 from it to an emacs frame. The foreground (or background, if shift is held
161 down) of the face at that point will be changed. To finalize settings for
162 either color or font, choose 'Save Preferences' from under the Help menu. To
163 discard these settings, create a new frame and close the altered one.
164
165 @item
166 Opening files / directories and 'Save Buffer As' operated from the menus use
167 the standard NS file panels. Likewise if you use Cmd-o or Cmd-S. However,
168 if you use the regular Emacs key combinations Ctrl-x,Ctrl-f and Ctrl-x,w for
169 these functions, the normal Emacs mode of typing filenames into the minibuffer
170 is used.
171
172 @item
173 On GNUstep, in an X-windows environment you need to use Cmd-c instead of one
174 of the Ctrl-w or Meta-w commands to transfer text to the X primary selection.
175 (Ordinarily the "clipboard" selection is used, for compatibility with more
176 modern Gnome and KDE programs.) Likewise, Cmd-y (instead of Ctrl-y) will
177 yank/paste in the X primary selection instead of the kill-ring / clipboard.
178
179 @item
180 The @code{window-system} variable can now have the value @code{ns} in addition
181 to, e.g., @code{x} or @code{nil}. You can use this in your .emacs file:
182
183 If you just want to distinguish between cases in which there is a
184 window system and in which there isn't, this construct is useful.
185 @lisp
186 (if window-system
187 ... ;;; evaluate if any window system is running
188 ...) ;;; evaluate only when running on a dumb terminal
189 @end lisp
190
191 For more detailed control, use this.
192 @lisp
193 (cond
194 ((eq window-system 'ns) ;;; NS specific instructions
195 ...)
196 ((eq window-system 'x) ;;; X specific instructions
197 ...)
198 (t ;;; Instructions for dumb terminal or other window systems
199 ...))
200 @end lisp
201
202 @item
203 Likewise, you can detect whether you are running in emacs-23 or an earlier
204 version with:
205
206 @lisp
207 (if (eq emacs-major-version '23) <emacs-23 code> <emacs-22- code>)
208 @end lisp
209
210 @item
211 Most NS specific functions begin with 'ns-'. Do "C-h f ns-[TAB]" to list
212 these. Many of these replace equivalent 'x-' functions, while others perform
213 uniquely NS things, such as Service invocation.
214
215 @item
216 There are also NS variables beginning with 'ns-', however in most cases users
217 need not pay attention to them since the customizability they provide is also
218 available through the defaults system and preferences panel (see
219 @ref{Preferences Panel} and @ref{Customization}).
220
221 @item
222 When Emacs is called by a name which ends in @file{-nw} it will always
223 start in terminal mode. For example, a user who needs a terminal only
224 emacs would create a symbolic link from @file{emacs} to @file{emacs-nw}.
225 When he launches @file{emacs-nw} from the command line, the window
226 system will never be involved. (Note, as of rc2, terminal mode is still not
227 working under OS X.)
228 @end itemize
229
230 @node Events, Preferences Panel, Introduction, Top
231 @section Events
232
233 Under Emacs.app the NeXTstep command key works as the @dfn{super} modifier
234 key. In principle users can bind their command keys to whatever function they
235 want, but to make the transition for NS users easier the default NS startup
236 files bind the most commonly used NS command keys to work just like they do in
237 most other NS applications. Some are shown in the menus. Choose "List
238 Keybindings" from the Help menu and scroll down to the keys labeled starting
239 with 's-' to see all of them.
240
241 NS applications receive a number of special events which have no X equivalent.
242 These are sent as specially defined ``keys'' (which don't correspond to any
243 keyboard stroke combination). Under Emacs these ``key'' events can be bound
244 to functions just like ordinary keystrokes. Here is a list of these events.
245
246 @table @code
247 @item ns-open-file
248 This event occurs when another NeXTstep application requests that Emacs
249 open a file. A typical reason for this would be a user double-clicking
250 a file in the Finder. When this event is registered the
251 name of the file to open is found in the variable @code{ns-input-file}.
252
253 The behaviour of the default binding is controlled by the variable
254 @code{ns-pop-up-frames}. It's default value @code{'fresh} causes Emacs
255 to open the new file in the selected frame if the selected buffer is a
256 scratch buffer. Otherwise Emacs opens a new frame and displays the file
257 in that.
258
259 To always get a new frame one would change @code{ns-pop-up-frames} to
260 @code{t}. To get the opposite behaviour (i.e. always putting the file into
261 the selected frame), change @code{ns-pop-up-frames} to @code{nil}.
262
263 @item ns-open-temp-file
264 This event occurs when another application requests that Emacs open a
265 temporary file. The file name is again in @code{ns-input-file}. By
266 default this is handled by just generating a @code{ns-open-file} event
267 (which then causes the @code{ns-open-file} function to be called
268 whatever that may be).
269
270 @lisp
271 (define-key global-map [ns-open-temp-file] [ns-open-file])
272 @end lisp
273
274 @item ns-open-file-line
275 Some applications (like e.g. ProjectBuilder or gdb) request not only a
276 particular file, but also a particular line or sequence of lines in the
277 file. The file name is in @code{ns-input-file}, and
278 @code{ns-input-line} is either the line or a cons cell the car of which
279 contains the beginning line and the cdr of which the ending line.
280
281 @lisp
282 (define-key global-map [ns-open-file-line] 'ns-open-file-select-line)
283 @end lisp
284
285 @item ns-drag-file
286 When a user drags files from another application into an Emacs frame
287 this event is triggered. Here @code{ns-input-file} is a list of all
288 dragged files. The default binding inserts all the dragged files into
289 the current buffer.
290
291 @lisp
292 (define-key global-map [ns-drag-file] 'ns-insert-files)
293 @end lisp
294
295 @item ns-drag-color
296 When a user drags a color from the color well (or some other source)
297 Emacs sees this event and @code{ns-input-color} contains the name of the
298 dragged color. The default bindings alter the foreground color of the
299 area the color was dragged onto (or background color if the color was
300 shift dragged).
301
302 @lisp
303 (define-key global-map [ns-drag-color]
304 'ns-set-foreground-at-mouse)
305 (define-key global-map [S-ns-drag-color]
306 'ns-set-background-at-mouse)
307 @end lisp
308
309 @item ns-change-font
310 Emacs.app allows the user to open a standard NS font panel (by default that
311 function is bound to @kbd{Cmd-t}). When the user selects a font in that
312 panel this event occurs. @code{ns-input-font} will contain the name of
313 the selected font and @code{ns-input-fontsize} is its size. The
314 default binding causes Emacs to adjust the font of the selected frame.
315
316 @lisp
317 (define-key global-map [ns-change-font] 'ns-respond-to-changefont)
318 @end lisp
319
320 @item ns-power-off
321 Finally when the user logs out and Emacs is still running it receives
322 this event so that it has a chance to save its files before it dies.
323
324 @lisp
325 (define-key global-map [ns-power-off]
326 '(lambda () (interactive) (save-buffers-kill-emacs t)))
327 @end lisp
328
329 @end table
330
331 Emacs.app also allows users to make use of NeXTstep services programatically,
332 in addition to via the Services menu. On the most basic level programmers can
333 use the @code{ns-perform-service} to pass arbitrary strings to arbitrary
334 services and receive the results back. However convenience functions are
335 automatically provided for all services so there should be no need to use
336 this. These function names begin with 'ns-service-', and they will either
337 operate on marked text (replacing it with the result) or take a string
338 argument and return the result as a string. Type "M-x ns-service-[TAB][TAB]"
339 to see those currently defined. Note that Emacs may require a restart to
340 access newly available services.
341
342
343 @node Preferences Panel, Customization, Events, Top
344 @section Preferences Panel
345
346 The Preferences Panel can be used to set or change some of the settings for
347 Emacs such as the text appearance, cursor settings, and key bindings.
348
349 To save any settings changed through the Preferences Panel, hit OK;
350 this has the same effect as if you had explicitly chosen Help > Save
351 Preferences.
352
353 To restore Emacs to use its default settings click Reset to Defaults from
354 the Preferences Panel.
355
356 Additional GNUstep/OS X preferences may be set from the command line using
357 the @command{defaults} command. (See @ref{Customization}.)
358
359
360 @section Text Rendering Preferences
361
362 Font and color settings can be set using the standard NeXTstep font
363 and color panels.
364
365 @itemize @bullet
366 @item
367 To set the default font used by Emacs click the Default Font... button
368 to launch the Font Panel. Click on a frame before selecting the font
369 family, typeface, and size of the default font from the Font Panel.
370
371 Note that the default font will not be changed if a frame hasn't been
372 selected first.
373
374 @item
375 To set the default foreground or background color click the
376 Colors... button to launch the Color Panel. Choose the color you want
377 using any of the color models (color wheel, sliders, palette, image,
378 or crayons) available from the Colors toolbar. To apply the color
379 drag a swatch from the color bar at the top of the panel to text on
380 an Emacs frame. Holding down shift will change the background color
381 instead of the foreground.
382
383 @item
384 To use antialiased text check the Smooth Fonts option. Lighter font
385 smoothing can be achieved by checking the Use Quickdraw (lighter)
386 smoothing option.
387
388 @item
389 To change the line height that text is displayed at drag the Expand
390 Line Spacing slider. When the slider is set to 0.0 Emacs will use the
391 same line height as other Mac OS X applications. To increase the line
392 height (and decrease the number of lines that can be displayed on the
393 screen) drag the slider towards 1.0. To decrease the line height
394 (increases the number of lines that can be displayed) drag the slider
395 towards -1.0.
396
397 After the line spacing setting has been changed Emacs must be restarted
398 to take account of the change.
399
400 @end itemize
401
402 @section Display Preferences
403
404 The Display Preferences can be used to change the appearance of the
405 default cursor used by Emacs.
406
407 @itemize @bullet
408 @item
409 The Cursor Type radio buttons can be used to select the style used for the cursor:
410
411 @itemize
412 @item
413 Box - the cursor is displayed as a box
414 @item
415 Underscore - the cursor is displayed as a horizontal bar
416 @item
417 Bar - the cursor is displayed as a vertical bar
418 @item
419 Hollow - the cursor is displayed as a box with an outline but no fill
420 @end itemize
421
422 @item
423 Use the Cursor Blink Rate slider to set the frequency at which the cursor blinks.
424
425 @item
426 Check the Use System Highlight Color option to use the system default
427 color for highlighted text.
428
429 @end itemize
430
431 @section Modifier Interpretation Preferences
432
433 The Modifier Preferences can be used to change the behaviour of the
434 Alt/Opt and Command keys. By default the Alt or Opt key is bound to
435 the Emacs 'Meta' key, and the Command key is bound to 'super' which
436 allows the Command key to function in a way similar to other
437 NeXTstep/OS X applications.
438
439 @itemize @bullet
440 @item
441 To re-bind the Alt or Opt key select a keybinding from the Alt/Opt Key
442 combo box.
443 @item
444 To re-bind the Command key select a keybinding from the Command Key
445 combo box.
446 @end itemize
447
448
449 @node Customization, Tips and Tricks, Preferences Panel, Top
450 @section Customization
451
452 Under X, resources are used to customize the behavior of Emacs to the needs of
453 the user. These resources are queried programmatically with the
454 @code{x-get-resource} function. Under NS defaults fulfill a similar function.
455 They can be read using the @code{ns-get-resource} function. Calls to
456 @code{x-get-resource} are automatically mapped to @code{ns-get-resource}.
457 From the command line, the command `@code{defaults read Emacs}' will show
458 these resources as of last Emacs quit, and individual resources can be
459 read/written by commands like `@code{defaults read Emacs Foo}' and
460 `@code{defaults write Emacs Foo barvalue}'.
461
462 Calling the function @code{ns-save-preferences} in lisp, or selecting ``Save
463 Options'' from the 'Options' menu will automatically write out the defaults
464 corresponding to the selected window.
465
466 In addition, it is also possible to set many of the following customizations
467 by setting the @code{default-frame-alist} in the @file{~/.emacs} file.
468
469 Many of the preferences relating specifically to the NS windowing system (font
470 rendering, cursor type, etc.) can be set using a @ref{Preferences Panel}
471 accessed in the standard fashion from the menubar or Cmd-,. It is important
472 to note that when you hit 'OK' on this panel, @emph{all} NS settings are saved
473 (including font and colors) just as if you had called
474 @code{ns-save-preferences}.
475
476 Note that if you use the 'Default Font' button on the Preferences panel, you
477 must click on a frame before selecting a font, otherwise nothing will happen.
478 If you pop up the color panel, you must drag colors to a frame for them to
479 have an effect. (Remember to hold down 'shift' to change background instead
480 of foreground.)
481
482 This is a listing of some of the more useful defaults (and their default
483 values). Several of these defaults accept the names of colors as values. For
484 a list of all available colors pull up the color panel and look at the color
485 list called ``Emacs''. Emacs also accepts color specifications of the form
486 @samp{ARGBaarrggbb} where @var{aa}, @var{rr}, @var{gg}, and @var{bb} are two
487 hexadecimal digits describing the alpha, red, green, and blue content of the
488 color respectively. @samp{HSBhhssbb}, @samp{CMYKccmmyykk} and
489 @samp{GRAYgg} are the equivalents in @samp{HSB}, @samp{CMYK} and gray
490 scales. (For HSB, @samp{AHSBaahhssbb} is also accepted.)
491
492 @table @samp
493 @item InternalBorderWidth
494 Width in pixels of the internal border of the NS frame. This acts to separate
495 the text area of the window from the fringes, scrollbars, and/or edges.
496
497 @example
498 defaults write Emacs InternalBorderWidth 2
499 @end example
500
501 @item VerticalScrollBars
502 @samp{YES} or @samp{NO} to enable or disable scroll bars, @samp{left} or
503 @samp{right} to explicitly set the side.
504
505 @example
506 defaults write Emacs VerticalScrollBars YES
507 @end example
508
509 @item Font
510 Name of the default font to be used for new frames (which can be overriden by
511 various faces). If this font is not set, Emacs.app will use the system
512 wide fixed pitch font. For most users the system fixed pitch font will be
513 @samp{Monaco} which doesn't have any bold or italic versions. (Italic will be
514 synthesized.)
515
516 @item FontSize
517 Size of the font to be used for new frames. If not set Emacs for NS will use
518 the default size of the system wide fixed pitch font.
519
520 @item Foreground
521 The default foreground (text) color for new frames.
522
523 @example
524 defaults write Emacs Foreground "Black"
525 @end example
526
527 @item Background
528 The default background color for new frames.
529
530 @example
531 defaults write Emacs Background "White"
532 @end example
533
534 @item Height
535 Height in rows of the default window.
536
537 @example
538 defaults write Emacs Height 48
539 @end example
540
541 @item Width
542 Width in columns of the default window.
543
544 @example
545 defaults write Emacs Width 80
546 @end example
547
548 @item CursorType
549 Name of the default cursor type for Emacs. Allowed values are
550 @samp{box}, @samp{hollow}, @samp{underscore}, @samp{bar}, @samp{line} and @samp{no}.
551
552 @example
553 defaults write Emacs CursorType box
554 @end example
555
556 @item CursorBlinkRate
557 Users who want their cursor to blink can set the rate (in seconds) with
558 this defaults write. Setting it to @samp{NO} disables cursor blinking.
559
560 @example
561 defaults write Emacs CursorBlinkRate NO
562 @end example
563
564 @item CursorColor
565 Name of the default cursor color for Emacs. Of a particular use for this
566 setting is the @samp{Highlight} "color". When it is the cursor color,
567 Emacs will draw the cursor using the standard NS highlighting operator.
568
569 @example
570 defaults write Emacs CursorColor Highlight
571 @end example
572
573 @item Top
574 Distance in pixels from the top of the screen of the upper left corner
575 of the default window.
576
577 @example
578 defaults write Emacs Top 100
579 @end example
580
581 @item Left
582 Distance in pixels from the left edge of the screen to the upper left
583 corner of the default window.
584
585 @example
586 defaults write Emacs Left 100
587 @end example
588
589 @item HideOnAutoLaunch
590 @samp{YES} or @samp{NO} to determine whether Emacs will hide itself when
591 autolaunched from the dock.
592
593 @example
594 defaults write Emacs HideOnAutoLaunch NO
595 @end example
596
597 @item ExpandSpace
598 This lets you expand or shrink the line height used for displaying text. When
599 this is set to 0.0, display should look like other NS apps. If you set it
600 higher than 0, Emacs will spread the text lines apart, less than 0, compress
601 them together. (With settings below zero parts of characters may be chopped
602 off in certain fonts.) When using the @ref{Preferences Panel}, this is
603 controlled by a slider. You must OK the panel and then restart Emacs.app for
604 this default to take effect.
605
606 When setting this using @code{"defaults write"}, you can either set a floating
607 point value, or @samp{YES}, which is equivalent 0.5, or @samp{NO}, which is
608 equivalent to 0.0.
609
610 @example
611 defaults write Emacs ExpandSpace -0.125
612 @end example
613
614 @item GSFontAntiAlias
615 This turns antialiasing on and off on. Note that, on OS X, even if
616 antialiasing is on, Emacs will not antialias text of a size below the system
617 preference setting.
618
619 @example
620 defaults write Emacs GSFontAntiAlias NO
621 @end example
622
623 @item UseQuickdrawSmoothing
624 On OS X 10.3 and higher, this will render fonts using Quickdraw antialiasing,
625 which is less heavy than the Quartz antialiasing used by default. Whether
626 this is on or off, the system font size threshold for antialiasing (see above)
627 is respected.
628
629 @example
630 defaults write Emacs UseQuickdrawSmoothing YES
631 @end example
632
633 @item AlternateModifier
634 This allows you to set the effect of the Alt or Opt key. The default is
635 @samp{meta}, meaning to use as the Emacs 'meta' key. You can also set this to
636 @samp{command}, @samp{hyper}, @samp{alt}, or @samp{none}. The last is useful
637 for Continental users who normally use this key to enter accented and other
638 special characters.
639
640 @example
641 defaults write Emacs AlternateModifier "none"
642 @end example
643
644 @item CommandModifier
645 This allows you to set the effect of the Command key. The default is
646 @samp{super}, which is used in a set of keybindings such as @code{s-o} for
647 ``open file'' and @code{s-z} for ``undo'' that are similar to other NeXTstep
648 applications. On the other hand, some people who use the Alt/Opt key for
649 accent entry like to set this to @samp{meta} so they still have easy access to
650 Emacs functionality bound to meta keys. You can also set this, like Alt/Opt,
651 to @samp{hyper} or @samp{alt}, though there are no bindings to combinations
652 using these keys by default. The @samp{none} option is not available for the
653 Command key.
654
655 @example
656 defaults write Emacs CommandModifier "meta"
657 @end example
658
659 @item fooFrame
660 Position and size to use for the frame named @var{foo} when it is
661 created. The position and size have to be specified as a space
662 separated list: @samp{top}, @samp{left}, @samp{height} and
663 @samp{width}. @samp{top} and @samp{left} are expressed in pixels,
664 @samp{height} is given in rows and @samp{width} is given in columns.
665 Named frames can be created by e.g. @code{(make-frame '((name
666 . "FOO")))}.
667
668 @example
669 defaults write Emacs TestFrame "100 200 30 70"
670 @end example
671
672 Another default previouly used by many Emacs users is this.
673
674 @example
675 defaults write Workspace DefaultOpenApp Emacs
676 @end example
677
678 It caused the NeXTstep Workspace to open files without a registered extension
679 in Emacs instead of as usual Edit. For this default to work, Emacs needed to
680 be in the application search path of the Workspace (which usually includes
681 @file{~/Applications} and @file{~/Applications}). If anyone knows the current
682 way to do this under OS X please contact the authors.
683
684 @end table
685
686 @node Tips and Tricks, Thanks, Customization, Top
687 @section Tips and Tricks
688
689 Emacs is an extremely customizable editor. You can make it conform to
690 virtually any conceivable user idiosyncrasy (and some which are not) by adding
691 a few well-chosen lines of emacs lisp to your @file{~/.emacs}. Unfortunately
692 even many experienced C developers are unfamiliar with Emacs Lisp. For that
693 reason many Emacs.app defaults have been chosen to make it behave as similar
694 to TextEdit as possible. But there are some customizations which a majority
695 of users probably would hate as much as a minority would love them. This
696 section contains a cookbook of such customizations. New contributions by
697 Emacs users are very welcome.
698
699 @menu
700 * Grabbing environment variables::
701 * Miscellaneous useful variables::
702 * Color adjustments::
703 * Evaling in the minibuffer::
704 * Highlighting matching parentheses::
705 * Dealing with X specific packages::
706 * Rebinding the numeric keypad::
707 * Improving C mode::
708 * Custom menu items::
709 * Single line scrolling::
710 * Open files by dragging to an Emacs window::
711 @ignore
712 * Extended font customization::
713 @end ignore
714 @end menu
715
716 @node Grabbing environment variables, Miscellaneous useful variables, Tips and Tricks, Tips and Tricks
717 @subsection Grabbing environment variables
718
719 Many programs which may run under Emacs like latex or man depend on the
720 settings of environment variables. If Emacs is launched from the shell, it
721 will automatically inherit these environment variables and its subprocesses
722 will inherit them from it. But if Emacs.app is launched from the Finder it
723 is not a descendant of any shell, so its environment variables haven't been
724 set which often causes the subprocesses it launches to behave differently than
725 they would when launched from the shell.
726
727 To solve this problem for Emacs.app, there are two solutions. First is to
728 run, from the command line:
729
730 @example
731 .../Emacs.app/Contents/MacOS/bin/mac-fix-env
732 @end example
733
734 This will pick up your environment settings and save them into a special file
735 @file{~/.MacOSX/environment.plist}, which the desktop environment will use to
736 set the environment for all launched applications. The drawback of this
737 method is it needs to be run again whenever something changes.
738
739 The other approach is to use the @code{ns-grabenv} command inside Emacs. This
740 function will run a subshell and copy its environment variables into Emacs.
741
742 Adding this line to your @file{~/.emacs} will grab the csh environment
743 whenever emacs runs under a window system.
744
745 @lisp
746 (if window-system (ns-grabenv))
747 @end lisp
748
749 If you have a different shell you will have to give @code{ns-grabenv} some
750 arguments. For zsh you would do this.
751
752 @lisp
753 (if window-system (ns-grabenv "/usr/bin/zsh"
754 "source /etc/zshenv"
755 "source ~/.zshenv"))
756 @end lisp
757
758 The reason that @code{ns-grabenv} is not done by default is that it adds up
759 to a second or two to the Emacs startup time.
760
761 @node Miscellaneous useful variables, Color adjustments, Grabbing environment variables, Tips and Tricks
762 @subsection Miscellaneous useful variables
763
764 This section describes a few variables you might want to set in your
765 @file{~/.emacs} each of which doesn't warrant its own section.
766
767 There is a conflict between the way the region behaved in emacs in the
768 pre-GUI days and the way GUI users expect the selection to work. By
769 default that conflict is resolved by having the former adopt the
770 behaviour of the latter which most people prefer. However if you are a
771 die-hard emacs user you may prefer things the other way around and add
772 this line to your @file{~/.emacs}. Experiment with both settings.
773
774 @lisp
775 (setq transient-mark-mode nil)
776 @end lisp
777
778 When you try to move beyond the end of a file Emacs used to add newlines as
779 needed, however from Emacs-21 on, this was no longer done. If you prefer the
780 old behavior, this line in your @file{~/.emacs} will restore it.
781
782 @lisp
783 (setq next-line-add-newlines t)
784 @end lisp
785
786 By default when you kill a line with text on it, only the text is
787 removed while the line itself remains. You have to kill twice to really
788 get rid of the whole line. When this variable is set and you kill a
789 line while at the beginning of the line it will go at once.
790
791 @lisp
792 (setq kill-whole-line t)
793 @end lisp
794
795 Annoyed by the Emacs startup message ? Add this and you start with a
796 tabula rasa.
797
798 @lisp
799 (setq inhibit-startup-message t)
800 @end lisp
801
802 @node Color adjustments, Evaling in the minibuffer, Miscellaneous useful variables, Tips and Tricks
803 @subsection Color adjustments
804
805 A non-elisp hint: The easiest way to adjust your emacs color scheme is to
806 bring up a color panel (with @key{Cmd-C}) and drag the color you want over the
807 emacs face you want to change. Normal dragging will alter the foreground
808 color. Shift dragging will alter the background color. To make the changes
809 permanent select the "Save Options" item in the "Options" menu, or run
810 @code{ns-save-preferences}. Useful in this context is the listing of all
811 faces obtained by @key{M-x} @code{list-faces-display}.
812
813 @node Evaling in the minibuffer, Highlighting matching parentheses, Color adjustments, Tips and Tricks
814 @subsection Evaling in the minibuffer
815
816 Often you (at least if you are an elisp hacker) want to quickly evaluate
817 an elisp expression. To accomodate this desire Emacs provides the
818 @code{eval-expression} command bound to @key{M-:}. By default it is
819 disabled to protect novice users from themselves. These commands
820 re-enable it and turn on an extremely powerful completion facility.
821
822 @lisp
823 (put 'eval-expression 'disabled nil)
824
825 (define-key read-expression-map "\t" 'lisp-complete-symbol)
826 @end lisp
827
828 @node Highlighting matching parentheses, Dealing with X specific packages, Evaling in the minibuffer, Tips and Tricks
829 @subsection Highlighting matching parentheses
830
831 I doubt that there is anybody who doesn't use this already, but just in
832 case:
833
834 @lisp
835 (show-paren-mode 't)
836 @end lisp
837
838 In Emacs.app this is currently enhanced by use of the @code{mic-paren} package
839 from http://www.docs.uu.se/~mic/emacs.html.
840
841 @node Dealing with X specific packages, Rebinding the numeric keypad, Highlighting matching parentheses, Tips and Tricks
842 @subsection Dealing with X specific packages
843
844 Some emacs lisp packages explicitly call X specific functions instead of
845 calling generic functions which call the NS or X versions as appropriate.
846 Typically such packages will result in error messages like @samp{Symbol's
847 function definition is void: x-foo-bar}. The proper way of dealing with this
848 is to have the author fix the code to call the generic functions. Generally
849 all that requires is removing the @samp{x-} prefix from all function calls.
850
851 However, sometimes that is not possible, or it may be a package internal to
852 emacs itself. In this case please report a bug to the Emacs.app maintainers
853 (not the main GNU emacs maintainers).
854
855 A related problem is font names. For historical reasons, Emacs assumes all
856 font names are given ``X style'', as in ``-adobe-courier-....-iso8859-1''.
857 Emacs.app tries to work around this as well as possible, and the best thing to
858 do is never rely on functions to set font names yourself but to always use the
859 font panel.
860
861 @node Rebinding the numeric keypad, Improving C mode, Dealing with X specific packages, Tips and Tricks
862 @subsection Rebinding the numeric keypad
863
864 By default in Emacs the numeric keypad keys are bound to the same
865 characters they are in all other NS applications. But it is easy to
866 change these bindings to commands many will find more useful. As an
867 example here is the code which rebinds the numeric keypad for me.
868
869 @lisp
870 (global-set-key [kp-0] 'other-window)
871 (global-set-key [kp-1] 'end-of-buffer)
872 (global-set-key [kp-2] [down])
873 (global-set-key [kp-3] 'scroll-up)
874 (global-set-key [kp-4] [left])
875 (global-set-key [kp-5] 'set-mark-command)
876 (global-set-key [kp-6] [right])
877 (global-set-key [kp-7] 'beginning-of-buffer)
878 (global-set-key [kp-8] [up])
879 (global-set-key [kp-9] 'scroll-down)
880 (global-set-key [kp-decimal] 'yank)
881 (global-set-key [kp-enter] 'set-mark-command)
882 (global-set-key [kp-add] 'copy-region-as-kill)
883 (global-set-key [kp-subtract] 'kill-region)
884 @end lisp
885
886 On machines with function keys they can be bound as well. This for example
887 would bind @key{F12} to run gnus.
888
889 @lisp
890 (global-set-key [f12] 'gnus)
891 @end lisp
892
893 @node Improving C mode, Custom menu items, Rebinding the numeric keypad, Tips and Tricks
894 @subsection Improving C mode
895
896 That underscores are considered to break words in C mode has been driving me
897 insane for a long time. This line fixes the problem.
898
899 @lisp
900 (modify-syntax-entry ?_ "w" c-mode-syntax-table)
901 @end lisp
902
903 @node Custom menu items, Single line scrolling, Improving C mode, Tips and Tricks
904 @subsection Custom menu items
905
906 The tools menu is intended for customization. Adding items to it is
907 relatively painless as this example illustrates.
908
909 @lisp
910 (define-key global-map [menu-bar tools www] '("WWW" . w3-use-hotlist))
911 @end lisp
912
913 @node Single line scrolling, Open files by dragging to an Emacs window, Custom menu items, Tips and Tricks
914 @subsection Single line scrolling
915
916 The meta-arrow keys will perform single-line scrolling in Emacs
917 just like they did in the old NeXT/OpenStep Stuart.app.
918
919 @node Open files by dragging to an Emacs window, , Single line scrolling, Tips and Tricks
920 @subsection Open files by dragging to an Emacs window
921
922 The default behaviour when a user drags files from another application
923 into an Emacs frame is to insert the contents of all the dragged files
924 into the current buffer. To remap the @code{ns-drag-file} event to
925 open the dragged files in the current frame use the following line:
926
927 @lisp
928 (define-key global-map [ns-drag-file] 'ns-find-file)
929 @end lisp
930
931 @ignore
932 @node Extended font customization, , Single line scrolling, Tips and Tricks
933 @subsection Extended font customization
934
935 By default Emacs tries to guess the right font when you ask for a bold,
936 italic or bold-italic face. Unfortunately this fails sometimes, for
937 example Emacs won't guess that it should use @samp{Courier-Bold} as the
938 font for the bold face of @samp{Ohlfs}. As an example here is the code
939 which sets up @samp{Courier-Bold}, @samp{Courier-Oblique} and
940 @samp{Courier-BoldOblique} as the fonts to be used with @samp{Ohlfs}.
941
942 @lisp
943 (setq ns-convert-font-trait-alist
944 '(("Ohlfs" "Courier-Bold" "Courier-Oblique"
945 "Courier-BoldOblique")))
946 @end lisp
947
948 You will still have to set the @samp{DefaultFont}, @samp{BoldFont},
949 @samp{ItalicFont} and @samp{Bold-ItalicFont} defaults as Emacs
950 initializes the default faces before it reads your @file{~/.emacs}.
951 Also Emacs initializes @code{ns-convert-font-trait-alist} from these
952 defaults so that normally it's sufficient to set these defaults to get
953 correct faces.
954
955 @example
956 defaults write Emacs DefaultFont Ohlfs
957 defaults write Emacs BoldFont Courier-Bold
958 defaults write Emacs ItalicFont Courier-Oblique
959 defaults write Emacs Bold-ItalicFont Courier-BoldOblique
960 @end example
961 @end ignore
962
963
964 @node Thanks, , Tips and Tricks, Top
965 @section Thanks
966 A signficant number of people have been involved in the creation of Emacs.app.
967 Carl Edman <cedman@@lynx.ps.uci.edu> created and maintained Emacs up to
968 version 4.1 and it's reasonable to say that without his work, Emacs.app
969 wouldn't exist. Michael Brouwer <michael@@thi.nl> wrote the original version
970 (up to and including version 3.x) and was a constant contributor to Emacs.app
971 version 4 and above. Christian Limpach <chris@@nice.ch> took over maintenance
972 and updating at version 4.2, and made substantial contributions in a number of
973 areas. Scott Bender <sbender@@harmony-ds.com> ported the code to OpenStep and
974 Rhapsody for version 6.0. Christophe de Dinechin <ddd@@cup.hp.com> ported the
975 code to MacOS X for version 7.0 and moved the code base to SourceForge. Leigh
976 Smith <leigh@@leighsmith.com> maintained the SourceForge project for a period.
977 Adrian Robert <arobert@@cogsci.ucsd.edu> ported the code to GNUstep
978 (http://gnustep.org), updated it for post-emacs-20, and maintains it for the
979 present.
980
981 Also a number of others have contributed code. Steve Nygard
982 <nygard@@telusplanet.net> got emacs to dump under OpenStep. The font panel
983 code was Andrew Athan's <athan@@object.com> work. Joe Reiss
984 <jreiss@@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> both created the beautiful icons you see
985 and wrote the popup menu and dialog box code as well as much else.
986
987 Finally, suggestions from Darcy Brockbank, Timothy Bissell, Scott Byer, David
988 Griffiths, Scott Hess, Eberhard Mandler, John C. Randolph, and Bradley Taylor
989 all helped things along at one point or another. Axel Seibert
990 <seiberta@@informatik.tu-muenchen.de> and Paul J. Sanchez
991 <paul@@whimsy.umsl.edu> offered their time and machines to make a binary
992 release possible.
993
994 The GNUstep port was made possible through the assistance of Adam Fedor, Fred
995 Kiefer, M. Uli Klusterer, Alexander Malmberg, and Jonas Matton. Gürkan Sengün
996 made it accessible to a wider community.
997
998 Riccardo Mottola helped with compatibility with MacOS versions 10.1 and 10.2,
999 and GNUstep on platforms other than Linux.
1000
1001 Peter Dyballa kept things honest with multilingual support. Rahul Abrol, Adam
1002 Ratcliffe, David M. Cooke, and Carsten Bormann provided various small patches.
1003
1004 Then there were a number of people who kept up the constant supply of bug
1005 reports, suggested features and praise (which is the main fuel which the
1006 development of a project like this runs) and so helped ensure that this
1007 program is as bug free (hah !) and feature rich as you see it today. First
1008 among them were Hardy Mayer <hardy@@golem.ps.uci.edu>, Gisli Ottarsson
1009 <gisli@@timoshenko.eecs.umich.edu>, Anthony Heading <ajrh@@signal.dra.hmg.gb>,
1010 David Bau <bau@@cs.cornell.edu>, Jamie Zawinski <jwz@@lucid.com>, Martin
1011 Moncrieffe <moncrief@@mayo.edu>, Simson L. Garfinkel
1012 <simsong@@next.cambridge.ma.us>, Richard Stallman <rms@@gnu.ai.mit.edu>,
1013 Stephen Anderson <anderson@@sapir.cog.jhu.edu>, Ivo Welch
1014 <ivo@@next.agsm.ucla.edu>, Magnus Nordborg <magnus@@fisher.Stanford.EDU>, Tom
1015 Epperly <epperly@@valeron.che.wisc.edu>, Andreas Koenig
1016 <k@@franz.ww.tu-berlin.de>, Yves Arrouye <Yves.Arrouye@@imag.fr>, Anil
1017 Somayaji <soma@@hotspur.mit.edu>, Gregor Hoffleit
1018 <flight@@mathi.uni-heidelberg.DE> and doubtlessly many more.
1019
1020 Finally, let us also thank those few hundred other people on the mailing list
1021 from whom we didn't hear much, but the presence of which assured us that maybe
1022 this project was actually worth doing.
1023 @bye
1024
1025 @ignore
1026 arch-tag: 286bdf18-ccfb-48b2-b730-994771de6bdd
1027 @end ignore