1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003,
3 @c 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5 @node X Resources, Antinews, Emacs Invocation, Top
6 @appendix X Options and Resources
8 You can customize some X-related aspects of Emacs behavior using X
9 resources, as is usual for programs that use X. On MS-Windows, you
10 can customize some of the same aspects using the system registry.
11 @xref{MS-Windows Registry}.
13 When Emacs is built using an ``X toolkit'', such as Lucid or
14 LessTif, you need to use X resources to customize the appearance of
15 the widgets, including the menu-bar, scroll-bar, and dialog boxes.
16 This is because the libraries that implement these don't provide for
17 customization through Emacs. GTK+ widgets use a separate system of
19 ``GTK resources'', which we will also describe.
22 ``GTK resources.'' In this chapter we describe the most commonly used
23 resource specifications. For full documentation, see the online
26 @c Add xref for LessTif/Motif menu resources.
31 * Resources:: Using X resources with Emacs (in general).
32 * Table of Resources:: Table of specific X resources that affect Emacs.
33 * Face Resources:: X resources for customizing faces.
34 * Lucid Resources:: X resources for Lucid menus.
35 * LessTif Resources:: X resources for LessTif and Motif menus.
36 * GTK resources:: Resources for GTK widgets.
40 @appendixsec X Resources
43 @cindex @file{~/.Xdefaults} file
44 @cindex @file{~/.Xresources} file
46 Programs running under the X Window System organize their user
47 options under a hierarchy of classes and resources. You can specify
48 default values for these options in your @dfn{X resource file},
49 usually named @file{~/.Xdefaults} or @file{~/.Xresources}. Changes in
50 this file do not take effect immediately, because the X server stores
51 its own list of resources; to update it, use the command
52 @command{xrdb}---for instance, @samp{xrdb ~/.Xdefaults}.
54 @cindex Registry (MS-Windows)
55 (MS-Windows systems do not support X resource files; on Windows,
56 Emacs looks for X resources in the Windows Registry, first under the
57 key @samp{HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\GNU\Emacs} and then under the key
58 @samp{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\GNU\Emacs}. The menu and scroll
59 bars are native widgets on MS-Windows, so they are only customizable
60 via the system-wide settings in the Display Control Panel. You can
61 also set resources using the @samp{-xrm} command line option, as
64 Each line in the X resource file specifies a value for one option or
65 for a collection of related options. Each resource specification
66 consists of a @dfn{program name} and a @dfn{resource name}. Case
67 distinctions are significant in each of these names. Here is an
75 The program name is the name of the executable file to which the
76 resource applies. For Emacs, this is normally @samp{emacs}. To
77 specify a definition that applies to all instances of Emacs,
78 regardless of the name of the Emacs executable, use @samp{Emacs}.
80 The resource name is the name of a program setting. For instance,
81 Emacs recognizes a @samp{borderWidth} resource that controls the width
82 of the external border for graphical frames.
84 Resources are grouped into named classes. For instance, the
85 @samp{BorderWidth} class contains both the @samp{borderWidth} resource
86 (which we just described), as well as the @samp{internalBorder}
87 resource, which controls the width of the internal border for
88 graphical frames. Instead of using a resource name, you can use a
89 class name to specify the same value for all resources in that class.
96 If you specify a value for a class, it becomes the default for all
97 resources in that class. You can specify values for individual
98 resources as well; these override the class value, for those
99 particular resources. The following example specifies 2 as the
100 default width for all borders, but overrides this value with 4 for the
109 The order in which the lines appear in the file does not matter.
110 One way to experiment with the effect of different resource settings
111 is to use the @code{editres} program. See the @code{editres} man page
114 Emacs does not process X resources at all if you set the variable
115 @code{inhibit-x-resources} to a non-@code{nil} value, or if you
116 specify the @samp{-Q} (or @samp{--quick}) command-line argument
117 (@pxref{Initial Options}). (The @samp{-Q} argument automatically sets
118 @code{inhibit-x-resources} to @code{t}.)
121 In addition, you can use the following command-line options to
122 override the X resources file:
125 @item -name @var{name}
127 @itemx --name=@var{name}
128 @cindex resource name, command-line argument
129 This option sets the program name of the initial Emacs frame to
130 @var{name}. It also sets the title of the initial frame to
131 @var{name}. This option does not affect subsequent frames.
133 If you don't specify this option, the default is to use the Emacs
134 executable's name as the program name.
136 For consistency, @samp{-name} also specifies the name to use for other
137 resource values that do not belong to any particular frame.
139 The resources that name Emacs invocations also belong to a class,
140 named @samp{Emacs}. If you write @samp{Emacs} instead of
141 @samp{emacs}, the resource applies to all frames in all Emacs jobs,
142 regardless of frame titles and regardless of the name of the
145 @item -xrm @var{resource-values}
147 @itemx --xrm=@var{resource-values}
148 @cindex resource values, command-line argument
149 This option specifies X resource values for the present Emacs job.
151 @var{resource-values} should have the same format that you would use
152 inside a file of X resources. To include multiple resource
153 specifications in @var{resource-values}, put a newline between them,
154 just as you would in a file. You can also use @samp{#include
155 "@var{filename}"} to include a file full of resource specifications.
156 Resource values specified with @samp{-xrm} take precedence over all
157 other resource specifications.
161 @node Table of Resources
162 @appendixsec Table of X Resources for Emacs
164 This table lists the resource names that designate options for
165 Emacs, not counting those for the appearance of the menu bar, each
166 with the class that it belongs to:
169 @item @code{background} (class @code{Background})
170 Background color name.
173 @item @code{bitmapIcon} (class @code{BitmapIcon})
174 Use a bitmap icon (a picture of a gnu) if @samp{on}, let the window
175 manager choose an icon if @samp{off}.
178 @item @code{borderColor} (class @code{BorderColor})
179 Color name for the external border.
182 @item @code{borderWidth} (class @code{BorderWidth})
183 Width in pixels of the external border.
186 @item @code{cursorColor} (class @code{Foreground})
187 Color name for text cursor (point).
190 @item @code{cursorBlink} (class @code{CursorBlink})
191 Specifies whether to make the cursor blink. The default is @samp{on}. Use
192 @samp{off} or @samp{false} to turn cursor blinking off.
195 @item @code{font} (class @code{Font})
196 Font name for the @code{default} font. @xref{Font X}. You can also
197 specify a fontset name (@pxref{Fontsets}).
199 @item @code{fontBackend} (class @code{FontBackend})
200 The backend(s) to use for drawing fonts; if multiple backends are
201 specified, they must be comma-delimited and given in order of
202 precedence. On X, for instance, the value @samp{x,xft} tells Emacs to
203 draw fonts using the X core font driver, falling back on the Xft font
204 driver if that fails. Normally, you can leave this resource unset, in
205 which case Emacs tries using all font backends available on your
208 @item @code{foreground} (class @code{Foreground})
211 @item @code{geometry} (class @code{Geometry})
212 Window size and position. Be careful not to specify this resource as
213 @samp{emacs*geometry}, because that may affect individual menus as well
214 as the Emacs frame itself.
216 If this resource specifies a position, that position applies only to the
217 initial Emacs frame (or, in the case of a resource for a specific frame
218 name, only that frame). However, the size, if specified here, applies to
222 @item @code{fullscreen} (class @code{Fullscreen})
223 The desired fullscreen size. The value can be one of @code{fullboth},
224 @code{maximized}, @code{fullwidth} or @code{fullheight}, which correspond to
225 the command-line options @samp{-fs}, @samp{-mm}, @samp{-fw}, and @samp{-fh}
226 (@pxref{Window Size X}).
228 Note that this applies to the initial frame only.
231 @item @code{iconName} (class @code{Title})
232 Name to display in the icon.
234 @item @code{internalBorder} (class @code{BorderWidth})
235 Width in pixels of the internal border.
237 @item @code{lineSpacing} (class @code{LineSpacing})
240 Additional space (@dfn{leading}) between lines, in pixels.
242 @item @code{menuBar} (class @code{MenuBar})
244 Give frames menu bars if @samp{on}; don't have menu bars if @samp{off}.
246 @xref{Lucid Resources}, and @ref{LessTif Resources},
249 @xref{Lucid Resources},
251 for how to control the appearance of the menu bar if you have one.
254 @item @code{minibuffer} (class @code{Minibuffer})
255 If @samp{none}, don't make a minibuffer in this frame.
256 It will use a separate minibuffer frame instead.
258 @item @code{paneFont} (class @code{Font})
259 @cindex font for menus
260 Font name for menu pane titles, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs.
263 @item @code{pointerColor} (class @code{Foreground})
264 Color of the mouse cursor.
267 @item @code{privateColormap} (class @code{PrivateColormap})
268 If @samp{on}, use a private color map, in the case where the ``default
269 visual'' of class PseudoColor and Emacs is using it.
271 @item @code{reverseVideo} (class @code{ReverseVideo})
272 Switch foreground and background default colors if @samp{on}, use colors as
273 specified if @samp{off}.
276 @item @code{screenGamma} (class @code{ScreenGamma})
277 @cindex gamma correction
278 Gamma correction for colors, equivalent to the frame parameter
281 @item @code{scrollBarWidth} (class @code{ScrollBarWidth})
282 @cindex scrollbar width
283 The scroll bar width in pixels, equivalent to the frame parameter
284 @code{scroll-bar-width}.
287 @item @code{selectionFont} (class @code{SelectionFont})
288 Font name for pop-up menu items, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs. (For
289 toolkit versions, see @ref{Lucid Resources}, also see @ref{LessTif
292 @item @code{selectionTimeout} (class @code{SelectionTimeout})
293 Number of milliseconds to wait for a selection reply.
294 If the selection owner doesn't reply in this time, we give up.
295 A value of 0 means wait as long as necessary.
297 @item @code{synchronous} (class @code{Synchronous})
298 @cindex debugging X problems
299 @cindex synchronous X mode
300 Run Emacs in synchronous mode if @samp{on}. Synchronous mode is
301 useful for debugging X problems.
304 @item @code{title} (class @code{Title})
305 Name to display in the title bar of the initial Emacs frame.
307 @item @code{toolBar} (class @code{ToolBar})
309 Number of lines to reserve for the tool bar. A zero value suppresses
310 the tool bar. If the value is non-zero and
311 @code{auto-resize-tool-bars} is non-@code{nil}, the tool bar's size
312 will be changed automatically so that all tool bar items are visible.
313 If the value of @code{auto-resize-tool-bars} is @code{grow-only},
314 the tool bar expands automatically, but does not contract automatically.
315 To contract the tool bar, you must redraw the frame by entering @kbd{C-l}.
317 @item @code{useXIM} (class @code{UseXIM})
319 @cindex X input methods
320 @cindex input methods, X
321 Turn off use of X input methods (XIM) if @samp{false} or @samp{off}.
322 This is only relevant if your Emacs is actually built with XIM
323 support. It is potentially useful to turn off XIM for efficiency,
324 especially slow X client/server links.
326 @item @code{verticalScrollBars} (class @code{ScrollBars})
327 Give frames scroll bars if @samp{on}; don't have scroll bars if
331 @item @code{visualClass} (class @code{VisualClass})
332 Specify the ``visual'' that X should use. This tells X how to handle
335 The value should start with one of @samp{TrueColor},
336 @samp{PseudoColor}, @samp{DirectColor}, @samp{StaticColor},
337 @samp{GrayScale}, and @samp{StaticGray}, followed by
338 @samp{-@var{depth}}, where @var{depth} is the number of color planes.
339 Most terminals only allow a few ``visuals,'' and the @samp{dpyinfo}
340 program outputs information saying which ones.
345 @appendixsec X Resources for Faces
347 You can use resources to customize the appearance of particular
348 faces (@pxref{Faces}):
351 @item @var{face}.attributeForeground
352 Foreground color for face @var{face}.
353 @item @var{face}.attributeBackground
354 Background color for face @var{face}.
355 @item @var{face}.attributeUnderline
356 Underline flag for face @var{face}. Use @samp{on} or @samp{true} for
358 @item @var{face}.attributeStrikeThrough
359 @itemx @var{face}.attributeOverline
360 @itemx @var{face}.attributeBox
361 @itemx @var{face}.attributeInverse
362 Likewise, for other boolean font attributes.
363 @item @var{face}.attributeStipple
364 The name of a pixmap data file to use for the stipple pattern, or
365 @code{false} to not use stipple for the face @var{face}.
366 @item @var{face}.attributeBackgroundPixmap
367 The background pixmap for the face @var{face}. Should be a name of a
368 pixmap file or @code{false}.
369 @item @var{face}.attributeFont
370 Font name (full XFD name or valid X abbreviation) for face @var{face}.
371 Instead of this, you can specify the font through separate attributes.
374 Instead of using @code{attributeFont} to specify a font name, you can
375 select a font through these separate attributes:
378 @item @var{face}.attributeFamily
379 Font family for face @var{face}.
380 @item @var{face}.attributeHeight
381 Height of the font to use for face @var{face}: either an integer
382 specifying the height in units of 1/10@dmn{pt}, or a floating point
383 number that specifies a scale factor to scale the underlying face's
384 default font, or a function to be called with the default height which
385 will return a new height.
386 @item @var{face}.attributeWidth
387 @itemx @var{face}.attributeWeight
388 @itemx @var{face}.attributeSlant
389 Each of these resources corresponds to a like-named font attribute,
390 and you write the resource value the same as the symbol you would use
391 for the font attribute value.
392 @item @var{face}.attributeBold
393 Bold flag for face @var{face}---instead of @code{attributeWeight}. Use @samp{on} or @samp{true} for
395 @item @var{face}.attributeItalic
396 Italic flag for face @var{face}---instead of @code{attributeSlant}.
399 @node Lucid Resources
400 @appendixsec Lucid Menu X Resources
401 @cindex Menu X Resources (Lucid widgets)
402 @cindex Lucid Widget X Resources
405 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
406 with the Lucid menu widgets, then the menu bar is a separate widget and
407 has its own resources. The resource names contain @samp{pane.menubar}
408 (following, as always, the name of the Emacs invocation, or @samp{Emacs},
409 which stands for all Emacs invocations). Specify them like this:
412 Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{resource}: @var{value}
416 For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items,
420 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
421 with the Lucid menu widgets, then the menu bar is a separate widget
422 and has its own resources. The resource specifications start with
423 @samp{Emacs.pane.menubar}---for instance, to specify the font
424 @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, write this:
428 Emacs.pane.menubar.font: 8x16
432 Resources for @emph{non-menubar} toolkit pop-up menus have
433 @samp{menu*} instead of @samp{pane.menubar}. For example, to specify
434 the font @samp{8x16} for the pop-up menu items, write this:
437 Emacs.menu*.font: 8x16
441 For dialog boxes, use @samp{dialog*}:
444 Emacs.dialog*.font: 8x16
448 The Lucid menus can display multilingual text in your locale. For
449 more information about fontsets see the man page for
450 @code{XCreateFontSet}. To enable multilingual menu text you specify a
451 @code{fontSet} resource instead of the font resource. If both
452 @code{font} and @code{fontSet} resources are specified, the
453 @code{fontSet} resource is used.
455 Thus, to specify @samp{-*-helvetica-medium-r-*--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*,*}
456 for both the popup and menu bar menus, write this:
459 Emacs*menu*fontSet: -*-helvetica-medium-r-*--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*,*
463 The @samp{*menu*} as a wildcard matches @samp{pane.menubar} and
466 Experience shows that on some systems you may need to add
467 @samp{shell.}@: before the @samp{pane.menubar} or @samp{menu*}. On
468 some other systems, you must not add @samp{shell.}. The generic wildcard
469 approach should work on both kinds of systems.
471 Here is a list of the specific resources for menu bars and pop-up menus:
475 Font for menu item text.
477 Fontset for menu item text.
479 Color of the foreground.
481 Color of the background.
482 @item buttonForeground
483 In the menu bar, the color of the foreground for a selected item.
485 @item horizontalSpacing
486 Horizontal spacing in pixels between items. Default is 3.
487 @item verticalSpacing
488 Vertical spacing in pixels between items. Default is 2.
490 Horizontal spacing between the arrow (which indicates a submenu) and
491 the associated text. Default is 10.
492 @item shadowThickness
493 Thickness of shadow line around the widget. Default is 1.
495 Also determines the thickness of shadow lines around other objects,
496 for instance 3D buttons and arrows. If you have the impression that
497 the arrows in the menus do not stand out clearly enough or that the
498 difference between ``in'' and ``out'' buttons is difficult to see, set
499 this to 2. If you have no problems with visibility, the default
500 probably looks better. The background color may also have some effect
504 The margin of the menu bar, in characters. Default is 1.
508 @node LessTif Resources
509 @appendixsec LessTif Menu X Resources
510 @cindex Menu X Resources (LessTif widgets)
511 @cindex LessTif Widget X Resources
513 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
514 with the LessTif or Motif widgets, then the menu bar, the dialog
515 boxes, the pop-up menus, and the file-selection box are separate
516 widgets and have their own resources.
518 The resource names for the menu bar contain @samp{pane.menubar}
519 (following, as always, the name of the Emacs invocation, or
520 @samp{Emacs}, which stands for all Emacs invocations). Specify them
524 Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{subwidget}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
527 Each individual string in the menu bar is a subwidget; the subwidget's
528 name is the same as the menu item string. For example, the word
529 @samp{File} in the menu bar is part of a subwidget named
530 @samp{emacs.pane.menubar.File}. Most likely, you want to specify the
531 same resources for the whole menu bar. To do this, use @samp{*} instead
532 of a specific subwidget name. For example, to specify the font
533 @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, write this:
536 Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16
540 This also specifies the resource value for submenus.
542 Each item in a submenu in the menu bar also has its own name for X
543 resources; for example, the @samp{File} submenu has an item named
544 @samp{Save (current buffer)}. A resource specification for a submenu
545 item looks like this:
548 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{item}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
552 For example, here's how to specify the font for the @samp{Save (current
556 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.File.Save (current buffer).fontList: 8x16
560 For an item in a second-level submenu, such as @samp{Complete Word}
561 under @samp{Spell Checking} under @samp{Tools}, the resource fits this
565 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
572 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.Spell Checking.Complete Word: @var{value}
576 (This should be one long line.)
578 It's impossible to specify a resource for all the menu-bar items
579 without also specifying it for the submenus as well. So if you want the
580 submenu items to look different from the menu bar itself, you must ask
581 for that in two steps. First, specify the resource for all of them;
582 then, override the value for submenus alone. Here is an example:
585 Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16
586 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.fontList: 8x16
590 For LessTif pop-up menus, use @samp{menu*} instead of
591 @samp{pane.menubar}. For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for
592 the pop-up menu items, write this:
595 Emacs.menu*.fontList: 8x16
599 For LessTif dialog boxes, use @samp{dialog} instead of @samp{menu}:
602 Emacs.dialog*.fontList: 8x16
603 Emacs.dialog*.foreground: hotpink
606 To specify resources for the LessTif file-selection box, use
607 @samp{fsb*}, like this:
610 Emacs.fsb*.fontList: 8x16
616 Here is a list of the specific resources for LessTif menu bars and
621 The color to show in an armed button.
630 Amount of space to leave around the item, within the border.
632 The width of the border around the menu item, on all sides.
633 @item shadowThickness
634 The width of the border shadow.
635 @item bottomShadowColor
636 The color for the border shadow, on the bottom and the right.
638 The color for the border shadow, on the top and the left.
644 @appendixsec GTK resources
646 The most common way to customize the GTK widgets Emacs uses (menus, dialogs
647 tool bars and scroll bars) is by choosing an appropriate theme, for example
648 with the GNOME theme selector. You can also do Emacs specific customization
649 by inserting GTK style directives in the file @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}. Some GTK
650 themes ignore customizations in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} so not everything
651 works with all themes. To customize Emacs font, background, faces, etc., use
652 the normal X resources (@pxref{Resources}). We will present some examples of
653 customizations here, but for a more detailed description, see the online manual
655 The first example is just one line. It changes the font on all GTK widgets
656 to courier with size 12:
659 gtk-font-name = "courier 12"
662 The thing to note is that the font name is not an X font name, like
663 -*-helvetica-medium-r-*--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*, but a Pango font name. A Pango
664 font name is basically of the format "family style size", where the style
665 is optional as in the case above. A name with a style could be for example:
668 gtk-font-name = "helvetica bold 10"
671 To customize widgets you first define a style and then apply the style to
672 the widgets. Here is an example that sets the font for menus, but not
676 # @r{Define the style @samp{menufont}.}
679 font_name = "helvetica bold 14" # This is a Pango font name
682 # @r{Specify that widget type @samp{*emacs-menuitem*} uses @samp{menufont}.}
683 widget "*emacs-menuitem*" style "menufont"
686 The widget name in this example contains wildcards, so the style will be
687 applied to all widgets that match "*emacs-menuitem*". The widgets are
688 named by the way they are contained, from the outer widget to the inner widget.
689 So to apply the style "my_style" (not shown) with the full, absolute name, for
690 the menubar and the scroll bar in Emacs we use:
693 widget "Emacs.pane.menubar" style "my_style"
694 widget "Emacs.pane.emacs.verticalScrollBar" style "my_style"
697 But to avoid having to type it all, wildcards are often used. @samp{*}
698 matches zero or more characters and @samp{?} matches one character. So "*"
701 Each widget has a class (for example GtkMenuItem) and a name (emacs-menuitem).
702 You can assign styles by name or by class. In this example we have used the
708 font_name = "helvetica bold 14"
711 widget_class "*GtkMenuBar" style "menufont"
715 The names and classes for the GTK widgets Emacs uses are:
717 @multitable {@code{verticalScrollbar plus}} {@code{GtkFileSelection} and some}
718 @item @code{emacs-filedialog}
719 @tab @code{GtkFileSelection}
720 @item @code{emacs-dialog}
721 @tab @code{GtkDialog}
723 @tab @code{GtkWindow}
728 @item @code{verticalScrollBar}
729 @tab @code{GtkVScrollbar}
730 @item @code{emacs-toolbar}
731 @tab @code{GtkToolbar}
733 @tab @code{GtkMenuBar}
734 @item @code{emacs-menuitem}
735 @tab anything in menus
738 GTK absolute names are quite strange when it comes to menus
739 and dialogs. The names do not start with @samp{Emacs}, as they are
740 free-standing windows and not contained (in the GTK sense) by the
741 Emacs GtkWindow. To customize the dialogs and menus, use wildcards like this:
744 widget "*emacs-dialog*" style "my_dialog_style"
745 widget "*emacs-filedialog* style "my_file_style"
746 widget "*emacs-menuitem* style "my_menu_style"
749 If you specify a customization in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}, then it
750 automatically applies only to Emacs, since other programs don't read
751 that file. For example, the drop down menu in the file dialog can not
752 be customized by any absolute widget name, only by an absolute class
753 name. This is because the widgets in the drop down menu do not
754 have names and the menu is not contained in the Emacs GtkWindow. To
755 have all menus in Emacs look the same, use this in
756 @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}:
759 widget_class "*Menu*" style "my_menu_style"
762 Here is a more elaborate example, showing how to change the parts of
768 fg[NORMAL] = "red"@ @ @ @ @ # @r{The arrow color.}
769 bg[NORMAL] = "yellow"@ @ # @r{The thumb and background around the arrow.}
770 bg[ACTIVE] = "blue"@ @ @ @ # @r{The trough color.}
771 bg[PRELIGHT] = "white"@ # @r{The thumb color when the mouse is over it.}
774 widget "*verticalScrollBar*" style "scroll"
779 @cindex GTK resources and customization
780 @cindex resource files for GTK
781 @cindex @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0} file
782 @cindex @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} file
784 If Emacs was built to use the GTK widget set, then the menu bar, tool bar,
785 scroll bar and the dialogs are customized with the standard GTK
786 customization file, @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0}, or with the Emacs specific
787 file @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}. We recommend that you use
788 @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} for customizations, since @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0}
789 seems to be ignored when running GConf with GNOME. These files apply
790 only to GTK widget features. To customize Emacs font, background,
791 faces, etc., use the normal X resources (@pxref{Resources}).
793 Some GTK themes override these mechanisms, which means that using
794 these mechanisms will not work to customize them.
796 In these files you first define a style and say what it means; then
797 you specify to apply the style to various widget types (@pxref{GTK
798 widget names}). Here is an example of how to change the font for
802 # @r{Define the style @samp{menufont}.}
805 font_name = "helvetica bold 14" # This is a Pango font name
808 # @r{Specify that widget type @samp{*emacs-menuitem*} uses @samp{menufont}.}
809 widget "*emacs-menuitem*" style "menufont"
812 Here is a more elaborate example, showing how to change the parts of
818 fg[NORMAL] = "red"@ @ @ @ @ # @r{The arrow color.}
819 bg[NORMAL] = "yellow"@ @ # @r{The thumb and background around the arrow.}
820 bg[ACTIVE] = "blue"@ @ @ @ # @r{The trough color.}
821 bg[PRELIGHT] = "white"@ # @r{The thumb color when the mouse is over it.}
824 widget "*verticalScrollBar*" style "scroll"
827 There are also parameters that affect GTK as a whole. For example,
828 the property @code{gtk-font-name} sets the default font for GTK. You
829 must use Pango font names (@pxref{GTK styles}). A GTK resources file
830 that just sets a default font looks like this:
833 gtk-font-name = "courier 12"
836 The GTK resources file is fully described in the GTK API document.
838 @file{@var{prefix}/share/gtk-doc/html/gtk/gtk-resource-files.html},
839 where @file{prefix} is the directory in which the GTK libraries were
840 installed (usually @file{/usr} or @file{/usr/local}). You can also
841 find the document online, at
842 @uref{http://developer.gnome.org/doc/API/2.0/gtk/gtk-Resource-Files.html}.
845 * GTK widget names:: How widgets in GTK are named in general.
846 * GTK Names in Emacs:: GTK widget names in Emacs.
847 * GTK styles:: What can be customized in a GTK widget.
850 @node GTK widget names
851 @appendixsubsec GTK widget names
852 @cindex GTK widget names
854 A GTK widget is specified by its @dfn{widget class} and
855 @dfn{widget name}. The widget class is the type of the widget: for
856 example, @code{GtkMenuBar}. The widget name is the name given to a
857 specific widget. A widget always has a class, but need not have a
860 @dfn{Absolute names} are sequences of widget names or widget
861 classes, corresponding to hierarchies of widgets embedded within
862 other widgets. For example, if a @code{GtkWindow} named @code{top}
863 contains a @code{GtkVBox} named @code{box}, which in turn contains
864 a @code{GtkMenuBar} called @code{menubar}, the absolute class name
865 of the menu-bar widget is @code{GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar}, and
866 its absolute widget name is @code{top.box.menubar}.
868 When assigning a style to a widget, you can use the absolute class
869 name or the absolute widget name.
871 There are two commands to specify changes for widgets:
874 @item @code{widget_class}
875 specifies a style for widgets based on the absolute class name.
878 specifies a style for widgets based on the absolute class name,
883 You must specify the class and the style in double-quotes, and put
884 these commands at the top level in the GTK customization file, like
890 font_name = "helvetica bold 14"
893 widget "top.box.menubar" style "menufont"
894 widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "menufont"
897 Matching of absolute names uses shell wildcard syntax: @samp{*}
898 matches zero or more characters and @samp{?} matches one character.
899 This example assigns @code{base_style} to all widgets:
902 widget "*" style "base_style"
905 Given the absolute class name @code{GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar}
906 and the corresponding absolute widget name @code{top.box.menubar}, all
907 these examples specify @code{my_style} for the menu bar:
910 widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
911 widget_class "GtkWindow.*.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
912 widget_class "*GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
913 widget "top.box.menubar" style "my_style"
914 widget "*box*menubar" style "my_style"
915 widget "*menubar" style "my_style"
916 widget "*menu*" style "my_style"
919 @node GTK Names in Emacs
920 @appendixsubsec GTK Widget Names in Emacs
921 @cindex GTK widget names
922 @cindex GTK widget classes
924 In Emacs, the top level widget for a frame is a @code{GtkWindow}
925 that contains a @code{GtkVBox}. The @code{GtkVBox} contains the
926 @code{GtkMenuBar} and a @code{GtkFixed} widget. The vertical scroll
927 bars, @code{GtkVScrollbar}, are contained in the @code{GtkFixed}
928 widget. The text you write in Emacs is drawn in the @code{GtkFixed}
931 Dialogs in Emacs are @code{GtkDialog} widgets. The file dialog is a
932 @code{GtkFileSelection} widget.
935 To set a style for the menu bar using the absolute class name, use:
938 widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
942 For the scroll bar, the absolute class name is:
946 "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkFixed.GtkVScrollbar"
951 The names for the emacs widgets, and their classes, are:
953 @multitable {@code{verticalScrollbar plus}} {@code{GtkFileSelection} and some}
954 @item @code{emacs-filedialog}
955 @tab @code{GtkFileSelection}
956 @item @code{emacs-dialog}
957 @tab @code{GtkDialog}
959 @tab @code{GtkWindow}
964 @item @code{verticalScrollBar}
965 @tab @code{GtkVScrollbar}
966 @item @code{emacs-toolbar}
967 @tab @code{GtkToolbar}
969 @tab @code{GtkMenuBar}
970 @item @code{emacs-menuitem}
971 @tab anything in menus
975 Thus, for Emacs you can write the two examples above as:
978 widget "Emacs.pane.menubar" style "my_style"
979 widget "Emacs.pane.emacs.verticalScrollBar" style "my_style"
982 GTK absolute names are quite strange when it comes to menus
983 and dialogs. The names do not start with @samp{Emacs}, as they are
984 free-standing windows and not contained (in the GTK sense) by the
985 Emacs GtkWindow. To customize the dialogs and menus, use wildcards like this:
988 widget "*emacs-dialog*" style "my_dialog_style"
989 widget "*emacs-filedialog* style "my_file_style"
990 widget "*emacs-menuitem* style "my_menu_style"
993 If you specify a customization in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}, then it
994 automatically applies only to Emacs, since other programs don't read
995 that file. For example, the drop down menu in the file dialog can not
996 be customized by any absolute widget name, only by an absolute class
997 name. This is because the widgets in the drop down menu do not
998 have names and the menu is not contained in the Emacs GtkWindow. To
999 have all menus in Emacs look the same, use this in
1000 @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}:
1003 widget_class "*Menu*" style "my_menu_style"
1007 @appendixsubsec GTK styles
1010 In a GTK style you specify the appearance widgets shall have. You
1011 can specify foreground and background color, background pixmap and
1012 font. The edit widget (where you edit the text) in Emacs is a GTK
1013 widget, but trying to specify a style for the edit widget will have no
1014 effect. This is so that Emacs compiled for GTK is compatible with
1015 Emacs compiled for other X toolkits. The settings for foreground,
1016 background and font for the edit widget is taken from the X resources;
1017 @pxref{Resources}. Here is an example of two style declarations,
1018 @samp{default} and @samp{ruler}:
1021 pixmap_path "/usr/share/pixmaps:/usr/include/X11/pixmaps"
1025 font_name = "helvetica 12"
1027 bg[NORMAL] = @{ 0.83, 0.80, 0.73 @}
1028 bg[SELECTED] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @}
1029 bg[INSENSITIVE] = @{ 0.77, 0.77, 0.66 @}
1030 bg[ACTIVE] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @}
1031 bg[PRELIGHT] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @}
1033 fg[NORMAL] = "black"
1034 fg[SELECTED] = @{ 0.9, 0.9, 0.9 @}
1035 fg[ACTIVE] = "black"
1036 fg[PRELIGHT] = @{ 0.9, 0.9, 0.9 @}
1038 base[INSENSITIVE] = "#777766"
1039 text[INSENSITIVE] = @{ 0.60, 0.65, 0.57 @}
1041 bg_pixmap[NORMAL] = "background.xpm"
1042 bg_pixmap[INSENSITIVE] = "background.xpm"
1043 bg_pixmap[ACTIVE] = "background.xpm"
1044 bg_pixmap[PRELIGHT] = "<none>"
1048 style "ruler" = "default"
1050 font_name = "helvetica 8"
1055 The style @samp{ruler} inherits from @samp{default}. This way you can build
1056 on existing styles. The syntax for fonts and colors is described below.
1058 As this example shows, it is possible to specify several values for
1059 foreground and background depending on the widget's @dfn{state}. The
1060 possible states are:
1064 This is the default state for widgets.
1066 This is the state for a widget that is ready to do something. It is
1067 also for the trough of a scroll bar, i.e. @code{bg[ACTIVE] = "red"}
1068 sets the scroll bar trough to red. Buttons that have been pressed but
1069 not released yet (``armed'') are in this state.
1071 This is the state for a widget that can be manipulated, when the mouse
1072 pointer is over it---for example when the mouse is over the thumb in
1073 the scroll bar or over a menu item. When the mouse is over a button
1074 that is not pressed, the button is in this state.
1076 This is the state for data that has been selected by the user. It can
1077 be selected text or items selected in a list. This state is not used
1080 This is the state for widgets that are visible, but they can not be
1081 manipulated in the usual way---for example, buttons that can't be
1082 pressed, and disabled menu items. To display disabled menu items in
1083 yellow, use @code{fg[INSENSITIVE] = "yellow"}.
1086 Here are the things that can go in a style declaration:
1089 @item bg[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1090 This specifies the background color for the widget. Note that
1091 editable text doesn't use @code{bg}; it uses @code{base} instead.
1093 @item base[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1094 This specifies the background color for editable text. In Emacs, this
1095 color is used for the background of the text fields in the file
1098 @item bg_pixmap[@var{state}] = "@var{pixmap}"
1099 This specifies an image background (instead of a background color).
1100 @var{pixmap} should be the image file name. GTK can use a number of
1101 image file formats, including XPM, XBM, GIF, JPEG and PNG. If you
1102 want a widget to use the same image as its parent, use
1103 @samp{<parent>}. If you don't want any image, use @samp{<none>}.
1104 @samp{<none>} is the way to cancel a background image inherited from a
1107 You can't specify the file by its absolute file name. GTK looks for
1108 the pixmap file in directories specified in @code{pixmap_path}.
1109 @code{pixmap_path} is a colon-separated list of directories within
1110 double quotes, specified at the top level in a @file{gtkrc} file
1111 (i.e. not inside a style definition; see example above):
1114 pixmap_path "/usr/share/pixmaps:/usr/include/X11/pixmaps"
1117 @item fg[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1118 This specifies the foreground color for widgets to use. It is the
1119 color of text in menus and buttons, and the color for the arrows in
1120 the scroll bar. For editable text, use @code{text}.
1122 @item text[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1123 This is the color for editable text. In Emacs, this color is used for the
1124 text fields in the file dialog.
1126 @item font_name = "@var{font}"
1127 This specifies the font for text in the widget. @var{font} is a
1128 Pango font name, for example @samp{Sans Italic 10}, @samp{Helvetica
1129 Bold 12}, @samp{Courier 14}, @samp{Times 18}. See below for exact
1130 syntax. The names are case insensitive.
1133 There are three ways to specify a color: by name, in hexadecimal
1134 form, and with an RGB triplet.
1137 A color name is written within double quotes, for example @code{"red"}.
1140 Hexadecimal form is the same as in X:
1141 @code{#@var{rrrr}@var{gggg}@var{bbbb}}, where all three color specs
1142 must have the same number of hex digits (1, 2, 3 or 4).
1145 An RGB triplet looks like @code{@{ @var{r}, @var{g}, @var{b} @}},
1146 where @var{r}, @var{g} and @var{b} are either integers in the range
1147 0-65535 or floats in the range 0.0-1.0.
1149 Pango font names have the form ``@var{family-list} @var{style-options}
1151 @cindex Pango font name
1153 @var{family-list} is a comma separated list of font families optionally
1154 terminated by a comma. This way you can specify several families and the
1155 first one found will be used. @var{family} corresponds to the second part in
1156 an X font name, for example in
1159 -adobe-times-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-p-64-iso10646-1
1163 the family name is @samp{times}.
1166 @var{style-options} is a whitespace separated list of words where each word
1167 is a style, variant, weight, or stretch. The default value for all of
1168 these is @code{normal}.
1171 A `style' corresponds to the fourth part of an X font name. In X font
1172 names it is the character @samp{r}, @samp{i} or @samp{o}; in Pango
1173 font names the corresponding values are @code{normal}, @code{italic},
1177 A `variant' is either @code{normal} or @code{small-caps}.
1178 Small caps is a font with the lower case characters replaced by
1179 smaller variants of the capital characters.
1182 Weight describes the ``boldness'' of a font. It corresponds to the third
1183 part of an X font name. It is one of @code{ultra-light}, @code{light},
1184 @code{normal}, @code{bold}, @code{ultra-bold}, or @code{heavy}.
1187 Stretch gives the width of the font relative to other designs within a
1188 family. It corresponds to the fifth part of an X font name. It is one of
1189 @code{ultra-condensed}, @code{extra-condensed}, @code{condensed},
1190 @code{semi-condensed}, @code{normal}, @code{semi-expanded},
1191 @code{expanded}, @code{extra-expanded}, or @code{ultra-expanded}.
1194 @var{size} is a decimal number that describes the font size in points.
1198 arch-tag: 9b6ff773-48b6-41f6-b2f9-f114b8bdd97f