Describe new functions and variables for locales.
[bpt/emacs.git] / man / cmdargs.texi
1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 1997 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
3 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
4 @node Command Arguments, Antinews, Service, Top
5 @appendix Command Line Arguments
6 @cindex command line arguments
7 @cindex arguments (command line)
8 @cindex options (command line)
9 @cindex switches (command line)
10 @cindex startup (command line arguments)
11
12 GNU Emacs supports command line arguments to request various actions
13 when invoking Emacs. These are for compatibility with other editors and
14 for sophisticated activities. We don't recommend using them for
15 ordinary editing.
16
17 Arguments starting with @samp{-} are @dfn{options}. Other arguments
18 specify files to visit. Emacs visits the specified files while it
19 starts up. The last file name on your command line becomes the current
20 buffer; the other files are also present in other buffers. As usual,
21 the special argument @samp{--} says that all subsequent arguments
22 are file names, not options, even if they start with @samp{-}.
23
24 Emacs command options can specify many things, such as the size and
25 position of the X window Emacs uses, its colors, and so on. A few
26 options support advanced usage, such as running Lisp functions on files
27 in batch mode. The sections of this chapter describe the available
28 options, arranged according to their purpose.
29
30 There are two ways of writing options: the short forms that start with
31 a single @samp{-}, and the long forms that start with @samp{--}. For
32 example, @samp{-d} is a short form and @samp{--display} is the
33 corresponding long form.
34
35 The long forms with @samp{--} are easier to remember, but longer to
36 type. However, you don't have to spell out the whole option name; any
37 unambiguous abbreviation is enough. When a long option takes an
38 argument, you can use either a space or an equal sign to separate the
39 option name and the argument. Thus, you can write either
40 @samp{--display sugar-bombs:0.0} or @samp{--display=sugar-bombs:0.0}.
41 We recommend an equal sign because it makes the relationship clearer,
42 and the tables below always show an equal sign.
43
44 @cindex initial options (command line)
45 @cindex action options (command line)
46 Most options specify how to initialize Emacs, or set parameters for
47 the Emacs session. We call them @dfn{initial options}. A few options
48 specify things to do: for example, load libraries, call functions, or
49 exit Emacs. These are called @dfn{action options}. These and file
50 names together are called @dfn{action arguments}. Emacs processes all
51 the action arguments in the order they are written.
52
53 @menu
54 * Action Arguments:: Arguments to visit files, load libraries,
55 and call functions.
56 * Initial Options:: Arguments that take effect while starting Emacs.
57 * Command Example:: Examples of using command line arguments.
58 * Resume Arguments:: Specifying arguments when you resume a running Emacs.
59 * Environment:: Environment variables that Emacs uses.
60
61 * Display X:: Changing the default display and using remote login.
62 * Font X:: Choosing a font for text, under X.
63 * Colors X:: Choosing colors, under X.
64 * Window Size X:: Start-up window size, under X.
65 * Borders X:: Internal and external borders, under X.
66 * Title X:: Specifying the initial frame's title.
67 * Icons X:: Choosing what sort of icon to use, under X.
68 * Resources X:: Advanced use of classes and resources, under X.
69 * Lucid Resources:: X resources for Lucid menus.
70 * Motif Resources:: X resources for Motif menus.
71 @end menu
72
73 @node Action Arguments
74 @appendixsec Action Arguments
75
76 Here is a table of the action arguments and options:
77
78 @table @samp
79 @item @var{file}
80 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}. @xref{Visiting}.
81
82 @item +@var{linenum} @var{file}
83 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number
84 @var{linenum} in it.
85
86 @need 3000
87 @item -l @var{file}
88 @itemx --load=@var{file}
89 Load a Lisp library named @var{file} with the function @code{load}.
90 @xref{Lisp Libraries}. The library can be found either in the current
91 directory, or in the Emacs library search path as specified
92 with @code{EMACSLOADPATH} (@pxref{General Variables}).
93
94 @item -f @var{function}
95 @itemx --funcall=@var{function}
96 Call Lisp function @var{function} with no arguments.
97
98 @item --eval @var{expression}
99 Evaluate Lisp expression @var{expression}.
100
101 @item --insert=@var{file}
102 Insert the contents of @var{file} into the current buffer. This is like
103 what @kbd{M-x insert-file} does. @xref{Misc File Ops}.
104
105 @item --kill
106 Exit from Emacs without asking for confirmation.
107 @end table
108
109 @vindex command-line-args
110 The init file can access the values of the action arguments as the
111 elements of a list in the variable @code{command-line-args}. The init
112 file can override the normal processing of the action arguments, or
113 define new ones, by reading and setting this variable.
114
115 @node Initial Options
116 @appendixsec Initial Options
117
118 The initial options specify parameters for the Emacs session. This
119 section describes the more general initial options; some other options
120 specifically related to X Windows appear in the following sections.
121
122 Some initial options affect the loading of init files. The normal
123 actions of Emacs are to first load @file{site-start.el} if it exists,
124 then your own init file @file{~/.emacs} if it exists, and finally
125 @file{default.el} if it exists; certain options prevent loading of some
126 of these files or substitute other files for them.
127
128 @table @samp
129 @item -t @var{device}
130 @itemx --terminal=@var{device}
131 Use @var{device} as the device for terminal input and output.
132
133 @item -d @var{display}
134 @itemx --display=@var{display}
135 Use the X Window System and use the display named @var{display} to open
136 the initial Emacs frame.
137
138 @item -nw
139 @itemx --no-windows
140 Don't communicate directly with X, disregarding the @code{DISPLAY}
141 environment variable even if it is set.
142
143 @need 3000
144 @cindex batch mode
145 @item -batch
146 @itemx --batch
147 Run Emacs in @dfn{batch mode}, which means that the text being edited is
148 not displayed and the standard terminal interrupt characters such as
149 @kbd{C-z} and @kbd{C-c} continue to have their normal effect. Emacs in
150 batch mode outputs to @code{stderr} only what would normally be printed
151 in the echo area under program control.
152
153 Batch mode is used for running programs written in Emacs Lisp from
154 shell scripts, makefiles, and so on. Normally the @samp{-l} option
155 or @samp{-f} option will be used as well, to invoke a Lisp program
156 to do the batch processing.
157
158 @samp{-batch} implies @samp{-q} (do not load an init file). It also causes
159 Emacs to kill itself after all command options have been processed. In
160 addition, auto-saving is not done except in buffers for which it has been
161 explicitly requested.
162
163 @item -q
164 @itemx --no-init-file
165 Do not load your Emacs init file @file{~/.emacs}, or @file{default.el}
166 either.
167
168 @item --no-site-file
169 Do not load @file{site-start.el}. The options @samp{-q}, @samp{-u}
170 and @samp{-batch} have no effect on the loading of this file---this is
171 the only option that blocks it.
172
173 @item -u @var{user}
174 @itemx --user=@var{user}
175 Load @var{user}'s Emacs init file @file{~@var{user}/.emacs} instead of
176 your own.
177
178 @item --debug-init
179 Enable the Emacs Lisp debugger for errors in the init file.
180
181 @item --unibyte
182 @cindex unibyte operation
183 Set up to do almost everything with single-byte buffers and strings.
184 All buffers and strings are unibyte unless you (or a Lisp program)
185 explicitly ask for a multibyte buffer or string. Setting the
186 environment variable @code{EMACS_UNIBYTE} has the same effect.
187
188 @item --multibyte
189 Inhibit the effect of @code{EMACS_UNIBYTE}, so that Emacs
190 uses multibyte characters by default, as usual.
191 @end table
192
193 @node Command Example
194 @appendixsec Command Argument Example
195
196 Here is an example of using Emacs with arguments and options. It
197 assumes you have a Lisp program file called @file{hack-c.el} which, when
198 loaded, performs some useful operation on the current buffer, expected
199 to be a C program.
200
201 @example
202 emacs -batch foo.c -l hack-c -f save-buffer >& log
203 @end example
204
205 @noindent
206 This says to visit @file{foo.c}, load @file{hack-c.el} (which makes
207 changes in the visited file), save @file{foo.c} (note that
208 @code{save-buffer} is the function that @kbd{C-x C-s} is bound to), and
209 then exit back to the shell (because of @samp{-batch}). @samp{-batch}
210 also guarantees there will be no problem redirecting output to
211 @file{log}, because Emacs will not assume that it has a display terminal
212 to work with.
213
214 @node Resume Arguments
215 @appendixsec Resuming Emacs with Arguments
216
217 You can specify action arguments for Emacs when you resume it after
218 a suspension. To prepare for this, put the following code in your
219 @file{.emacs} file (@pxref{Hooks}):
220
221 @example
222 (add-hook 'suspend-hook 'resume-suspend-hook)
223 (add-hook 'suspend-resume-hook 'resume-process-args)
224 @end example
225
226 As further preparation, you must execute the shell script
227 @file{emacs.csh} (if you use csh as your shell) or @file{emacs.bash} (if
228 you use bash as your shell). These scripts define an alias named
229 @code{edit}, which will resume Emacs giving it new command line
230 arguments such as files to visit.
231
232 Only action arguments work properly when you resume Emacs. Initial
233 arguments are not recognized---it's too late to execute them anyway.
234
235 Note that resuming Emacs (with or without arguments) must be done from
236 within the shell that is the parent of the Emacs job. This is why
237 @code{edit} is an alias rather than a program or a shell script. It is
238 not possible to implement a resumption command that could be run from
239 other subjobs of the shell; no way to define a command that could be
240 made the value of @code{EDITOR}, for example. Therefore, this feature
241 does not take the place of the Emacs Server feature (@pxref{Emacs
242 Server}).
243
244 The aliases use the Emacs Server feature if you appear to have a
245 server Emacs running. However, they cannot determine this with complete
246 accuracy. They may think that a server is still running when in
247 actuality you have killed that Emacs, because the file
248 @file{/tmp/.esrv@dots{}} still exists. If this happens, find that
249 file and delete it.
250
251 @node Environment
252 @appendixsec Environment Variables
253 @cindex environment variables
254
255 This appendix describes how Emacs uses environment variables. An
256 environment variable is a string passed from the operating system to
257 Emacs, and the collection of environment variables is known as the
258 environment. Environment variable names are case sensitive and it is
259 conventional to use upper case letters only.
260
261 Because environment variables come from the operating system there is no
262 general way to set them; it depends on the operating system and
263 especially the shell that you are using. For example, here's how to set
264 the environment variable @code{ORGANIZATION} to @samp{not very much}
265 using bash:
266
267 @example
268 export ORGANIZATION="not very much"
269 @end example
270
271 @noindent
272 and here's how to do it in csh or tcsh:
273
274 @example
275 setenv ORGANIZATION "not very much"
276 @end example
277
278 When Emacs is set-up to use the X windowing system, it inherits the
279 use of a large number of environment variables from the X library. See
280 the X documentation for more information.
281
282 @menu
283 * General Variables:: Environment variables that all versions of Emacs use.
284 * Misc Variables:: Certain system-specific variables.
285 @end menu
286
287 @node General Variables
288 @appendixsubsec General Variables
289
290 @table @code
291 @item AUTHORCOPY
292 The name of a file used to archive news articles posted with the @sc{gnus}
293 package.
294 @item CDPATH
295 Used by the @code{cd} command to search for the directory you specify,
296 when you specify a relative directory name.
297 @item DOMAINNAME
298 The name of the Internet domain that the machine running Emacs is
299 located in. Used by the @sc{gnus} package.
300 @item EMACS_UNIBYTE
301 @cindex unibyte operation
302 Defining this environment variable directs Emacs to do almost everything
303 with single-byte buffers and strings. It is equivalent to using the
304 @samp{--unibyte} command-line option on each invocation. @xref{Initial
305 Options}.
306 @item EMACSDATA
307 Used to initialize the variable @code{data-directory} used to locate the
308 architecture-independent files that come with Emacs. Setting this
309 variable overrides the setting in @file{paths.h} when Emacs was built.
310 @item EMACSLOADPATH
311 A colon-separated list of directories from which to load Emacs Lisp
312 files. Setting this variable overrides the setting in @file{paths.h}
313 when Emacs was built.
314 @item EMACSLOCKDIR
315 The directory that Emacs places lock files---files used to protect
316 users from editing the same files simultaneously. Setting this variable
317 overrides the setting in @file{paths.h} when Emacs was built.
318 @item EMACSPATH
319 The location of Emacs-specific binaries. Setting this variable
320 overrides the setting in @file{paths.h} when Emacs was built.
321 @item ESHELL
322 Used for shell-mode to override the @code{SHELL} environment variable.
323 @item HISTFILE
324 The name of the file that shell commands are saved in between logins.
325 This variable defaults to @file{~/.history} if you use (t)csh as shell,
326 to @file{~/.bash_history} if you use bash, to @file{~/.sh_history} if
327 you use ksh, and to @file{~/.history} otherwise.
328 @item HOME
329 The location of the user's files in the directory tree; used for
330 expansion of file names starting with a tilde (@file{~}). On MS-DOS, it
331 defaults to the directory from which Emacs was started, with @samp{/bin}
332 removed from the end if it was present.
333 @item HOSTNAME
334 The name of the machine that Emacs is running on.
335 @item INCPATH
336 A colon-separated list of directories. Used by the @code{complete} package
337 to search for files.
338 @item INFOPATH
339 A colon-separated list of directories holding info files. Setting this
340 variable overrides the setting in @file{paths.el} when Emacs was built.
341 @item LC_ALL
342 @itemx LC_CTYPE
343 @itemx LANG
344 @findex set-locale-environment
345 @vindex locale-language-names
346 @vindex locale-charset-language-names
347 @vindex locale-preferred-coding-systems
348 The user's locale, matched by @code{set-locale-environment} against
349 entries in @code{locale-language-names},
350 @code{locale-charset-language-names}, and
351 @code{locale-preferred-coding-systems} to select a default language
352 environment and coding system. The first of these environment variables
353 with a nonempty value specifies the locale.
354 @item LOGNAME
355 The user's login name. See also @code{USER}.
356 @item MAIL
357 The name of the user's system mail inbox.
358 @item MAILRC
359 Name of file containing mail aliases. This defaults to
360 @file{~/.mailrc}.
361 @item MH
362 Name of setup file for the mh system. This defaults to
363 @file{~/.mh_profile}.
364 @item NAME
365 The real-world name of the user.
366 @item NNTPSERVER
367 The name of the news server. Used by the mh and @sc{gnus} packages.
368 @item ORGANIZATION
369 The name of the organization to which you belong. Used for setting the
370 `Organization:' header in your posts from the @sc{gnus} package.
371 @item PATH
372 A colon-separated list of directories in which executables reside. (On
373 MS-DOS, it is semicolon-separated instead.) This variable is used to
374 set the Emacs Lisp variable @code{exec-path} which you should consider
375 to use instead.
376 @item PWD
377 If set, this should be the default directory when Emacs was started.
378 @item REPLYTO
379 If set, this specifies an initial value for the variable
380 @code{mail-default-reply-to}. @xref{Mail Headers}.
381 @item SAVEDIR
382 The name of a directory in which news articles are saved by default.
383 Used by the @sc{gnus} package.
384 @item SHELL
385 The name of an interpreter used to parse and execute programs run from
386 inside Emacs.
387 @item TERM
388 The name of the terminal that Emacs is running on. The variable must be
389 set unless Emacs is run in batch mode. On MS-DOS, it defaults to
390 @samp{internal}, which specifies a built-in terminal emulation that
391 handles the machine's own display.
392 @item TERMCAP
393 The name of the termcap library file describing how to program the
394 terminal specified by the @code{TERM} variable. This defaults to
395 @file{/etc/termcap}.
396 @item TMPDIR
397 Used by the Emerge package as a prefix for temporary files.
398 @item TZ
399 This specifies the current time zone and possibly also daylight savings
400 information. On MS-DOS, the default is based on country code; see the
401 file @file{msdos.c} for details.
402 @item USER
403 The user's login name. See also @code{LOGNAME}. On MS-DOS, this
404 defaults to @samp{root}.
405 @item VERSION_CONTROL
406 Used to initialize the @code{version-control} variable (@pxref{Backup
407 Names}).
408 @end table
409
410 @node Misc Variables
411 @appendixsubsec Miscellaneous Variables
412
413 These variables are used only on particular configurations:
414
415 @table @code
416 @item COMSPEC
417 On MS-DOS, the name of the command interpreter to use. This is used to
418 make a default value for the @code{SHELL} environment variable.
419
420 @item NAME
421 On MS-DOS, this variable defaults to the value of the @code{USER}
422 variable.
423
424 @item TEMP
425 @itemx TMP
426 On MS-DOS, these specify the name of the directory for storing temporary
427 files in.
428
429 @item EMACSTEST
430 On MS-DOS, this specifies a file to use to log the operation of the
431 internal terminal emulator. This feature is useful for submitting bug
432 reports.
433
434 @item EMACSCOLORS
435 Used on MS-DOS systems to set screen colors early, so that the screen
436 won't momentarily flash the default colors when Emacs starts up. The
437 value of this variable should be two-character encoding of the
438 foreground (the first character) and the background (the second
439 character) colors of the default face. Each character should be the
440 hexadecimal code for the desired color on a standard PC text-mode
441 display.
442
443 The PC display usually supports only eight background colors. However,
444 Emacs switches the DOS display to a mode where all 16 colors can be used
445 for the background, so all four bits of the background color are
446 actually used.
447
448 @item WINDOW_GFX
449 Used when initializing the Sun windows system.
450 @end table
451
452 @node Display X
453 @appendixsec Specifying the Display Name
454 @cindex display name (X Windows)
455 @cindex @code{DISPLAY} environment variable
456
457 The environment variable @code{DISPLAY} tells all X clients, including
458 Emacs, where to display their windows. Its value is set up by default
459 in ordinary circumstances, when you start an X server and run jobs
460 locally. Occasionally you may need to specify the display yourself; for
461 example, if you do a remote login and want to run a client program
462 remotely, displaying on your local screen.
463
464 With Emacs, the main reason people change the default display is to
465 let them log into another system, run Emacs on that system, but have the
466 window displayed at their local terminal. You might need to use login
467 to another system because the files you want to edit are there, or
468 because the Emacs executable file you want to run is there.
469
470 The syntax of the @code{DISPLAY} environment variable is
471 @samp{@var{host}:@var{display}.@var{screen}}, where @var{host} is the
472 host name of the X Window System server machine, @var{display} is an
473 arbitrarily-assigned number that distinguishes your server (X terminal)
474 from other servers on the same machine, and @var{screen} is a
475 rarely-used field that allows an X server to control multiple terminal
476 screens. The period and the @var{screen} field are optional. If
477 included, @var{screen} is usually zero.
478
479 For example, if your host is named @samp{glasperle} and your server is
480 the first (or perhaps the only) server listed in the configuration, your
481 @code{DISPLAY} is @samp{glasperle:0.0}.
482
483 You can specify the display name explicitly when you run Emacs, either
484 by changing the @code{DISPLAY} variable, or with the option @samp{-d
485 @var{display}} or @samp{--display=@var{display}}. Here is an example:
486
487 @smallexample
488 emacs --display=glasperle:0 &
489 @end smallexample
490
491 You can inhibit the direct use of X with the @samp{-nw} option. This
492 is also an initial option. It tells Emacs to display using ordinary
493 ASCII on its controlling terminal.
494
495 Sometimes, security arrangements prevent a program on a remote system
496 from displaying on your local system. In this case, trying to run Emacs
497 produces messages like this:
498
499 @smallexample
500 Xlib: connection to "glasperle:0.0" refused by server
501 @end smallexample
502
503 @noindent
504 You might be able to overcome this problem by using the @code{xhost}
505 command on the local system to give permission for access from your
506 remote machine.
507
508 @node Font X
509 @appendixsec Font Specification Options
510 @cindex font name (X Windows)
511
512 By default, Emacs displays text in the font named @samp{9x15}, which
513 makes each character nine pixels wide and fifteen pixels high. You can
514 specify a different font on your command line through the option
515 @samp{-fn @var{name}}.
516
517 @table @samp
518 @item -fn @var{name}
519 Use font @var{name} as the default font.
520
521 @item --font=@var{name}
522 @samp{--font} is an alias for @samp{-fn}.
523 @end table
524
525 Under X, each font has a long name which consists of eleven words or
526 numbers, separated by dashes. Some fonts also have shorter
527 nicknames---@samp{9x15} is such a nickname. You can use either kind of
528 name. You can use wildcard patterns for the font name; then Emacs lets
529 X choose one of the fonts that match the pattern. Here is an example,
530 which happens to specify the font whose nickname is @samp{6x13}:
531
532 @smallexample
533 emacs -fn "-misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-*-*-*-c-60-iso8859-1" &
534 @end smallexample
535
536 @noindent
537 You can also specify the font in your @file{.Xdefaults} file:
538
539 @smallexample
540 emacs.font: -misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-*-*-*-c-60-iso8859-1
541 @end smallexample
542
543 A long font name has the following form:
544
545 @smallexample
546 -@var{maker}-@var{family}-@var{weight}-@var{slant}-@var{widthtype}-@var{style}@dots{}
547 @dots{}-@var{pixels}-@var{height}-@var{horiz}-@var{vert}-@var{spacing}-@var{width}-@var{charset}
548 @end smallexample
549
550 @table @var
551 @item family
552 This is the name of the font family---for example, @samp{courier}.
553 @item weight
554 This is normally @samp{bold}, @samp{medium} or @samp{light}. Other
555 words may appear here in some font names.
556 @item slant
557 This is @samp{r} (roman), @samp{i} (italic), @samp{o} (oblique),
558 @samp{ri} (reverse italic), or @samp{ot} (other).
559 @item widthtype
560 This is normally @samp{condensed}, @samp{extended}, @samp{semicondensed}
561 or @samp{normal}. Other words may appear here in some font names.
562 @item style
563 This is an optional additional style name. Usually it is empty---most
564 long font names have two hyphens in a row at this point.
565 @item pixels
566 This is the font height, in pixels.
567 @item height
568 This is the font height on the screen, measured in tenths of a printer's
569 point---approximately 1/720 of an inch. In other words, it is the point
570 size of the font, times ten. For a given vertical resolution,
571 @var{height} and @var{pixels} are proportional; therefore, it is common
572 to specify just one of them and use @samp{*} for the other.
573 @item horiz
574 This is the horizontal resolution, in pixels per inch, of the screen for
575 which the font is intended.
576 @item vert
577 This is the vertical resolution, in dots per inch, of the screen for
578 which the font is intended. Normally the resolution of the fonts on
579 your system is the right value for your screen; therefore, you normally
580 specify @samp{*} for this and @var{horiz}.
581 @item spacing
582 This is @samp{m} (monospace), @samp{p} (proportional) or @samp{c}
583 (character cell). Emacs can use @samp{m} and @samp{c} fonts.
584 @item width
585 This is the average character width, in pixels, multiplied by ten.
586 @item charset
587 This is the character set that the font depicts.
588 Normally you should use @samp{iso8859-1}.
589 @end table
590
591 Use only fixed-width fonts---that is, fonts in which all characters
592 have the same width; Emacs cannot yet handle display properly for
593 variable-width fonts. Any font with @samp{m} or @samp{c} in the
594 @var{spacing} field of the long name is a fixed-width font. Here's how
595 to use the @code{xlsfonts} program to list all the fixed-width fonts
596 available on your system:
597
598 @example
599 xlsfonts -fn '*x*' | egrep "^[0-9]+x[0-9]+"
600 xlsfonts -fn '*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-m*'
601 xlsfonts -fn '*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-c*'
602 @end example
603
604 @noindent
605 To see what a particular font looks like, use the @code{xfd} command.
606 For example:
607
608 @example
609 xfd -fn 6x13
610 @end example
611
612 @noindent
613 displays the entire font @samp{6x13}.
614
615 While running Emacs, you can set the font of the current frame
616 (@pxref{Frame Parameters}) or for a specific kind of text
617 (@pxref{Faces}).
618
619 @node Colors X
620 @appendixsec Window Color Options
621 @cindex color of window (X Windows)
622
623 On a color display, you can specify which color to use for various
624 parts of the Emacs display. To find out what colors are available on
625 your system, look at the @file{/usr/lib/X11/rgb.txt} file. If you do
626 not specify colors, the default for the background is white and the
627 default for all other colors is black. On a monochrome display, the
628 foreground is black, the background is white, and the border is gray if
629 the display supports that.
630
631 Here is a list of the options for specifying colors:
632
633 @table @samp
634 @item -fg @var{color}
635 @itemx --foreground-color=@var{color}
636 Specify the foreground color.
637 @item -bg @var{color}
638 @itemx --background-color=@var{color}
639 Specify the background color.
640 @item -bd @var{color}
641 @itemx --border-color=@var{color}
642 Specify the color of the border of the X window.
643 @item -cr @var{color}
644 @itemx --cursor-color=@var{color}
645 Specify the color of the Emacs cursor which indicates where point is.
646 @item -ms @var{color}
647 @itemx --mouse-color=@var{color}
648 Specify the color for the mouse cursor when the mouse is in the Emacs window.
649 @item -r
650 @itemx --reverse-video
651 Reverse video---swap the foreground and background colors.
652 @end table
653
654 For example, to use a coral mouse cursor and a slate blue text cursor,
655 enter:
656
657 @example
658 emacs -ms coral -cr 'slate blue' &
659 @end example
660
661 You can reverse the foreground and background colors through the
662 @samp{-r} option or with the X resource @samp{reverseVideo}.
663
664 @node Window Size X
665 @appendixsec Options for Window Geometry
666 @cindex geometry (X Windows)
667
668 The @samp{-geometry} option controls the size and position of the
669 initial Emacs frame. Here is the format for specifying the window
670 geometry:
671
672 @table @samp
673 @item -g @var{width}x@var{height}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}
674 Specify window size @var{width} and @var{height} (measured in character
675 columns and lines), and positions @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset}
676 (measured in pixels).
677
678 @item --geometry=@var{width}x@var{height}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}
679 This is another way of writing the same thing.
680 @end table
681
682 @noindent
683 @code{@r{@{}+-@r{@}}} means either a plus sign or a minus sign. A plus
684 sign before @var{xoffset} means it is the distance from the left side of
685 the screen; a minus sign means it counts from the right side. A plus
686 sign before @var{yoffset} means it is the distance from the top of the
687 screen, and a minus sign there indicates the distance from the bottom.
688 The values @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} may themselves be positive or
689 negative, but that doesn't change their meaning, only their direction.
690
691 Emacs uses the same units as @code{xterm} does to interpret the geometry.
692 The @var{width} and @var{height} are measured in characters, so a large font
693 creates a larger frame than a small font. The @var{xoffset} and
694 @var{yoffset} are measured in pixels.
695
696 Since the mode line and the echo area occupy the last 2 lines of the
697 frame, the height of the initial text window is 2 less than the height
698 specified in your geometry. In non-X-toolkit versions of Emacs,
699 the menu bar also takes one line of the specified number.
700
701 You do not have to specify all of the fields in the geometry
702 specification.
703
704 If you omit both @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset}, the window manager
705 decides where to put the Emacs frame, possibly by letting you place
706 it with the mouse. For example, @samp{164x55} specifies a window 164
707 columns wide, enough for two ordinary width windows side by side, and 55
708 lines tall.
709
710 The default width for Emacs is 80 characters and the default height is
711 40 lines. You can omit either the width or the height or both. If
712 you start the geometry with an integer, Emacs interprets it as the
713 width. If you start with an @samp{x} followed by an integer, Emacs
714 interprets it as the height. Thus, @samp{81} specifies just the width;
715 @samp{x45} specifies just the height.
716
717 If you start with @samp{+} or @samp{-}, that introduces an offset,
718 which means both sizes are omitted. Thus, @samp{-3} specifies the
719 @var{xoffset} only. (If you give just one offset, it is always
720 @var{xoffset}.) @samp{+3-3} specifies both the @var{xoffset} and the
721 @var{yoffset}, placing the frame near the bottom left of the screen.
722
723 You can specify a default for any or all of the fields in
724 @file{.Xdefaults} file, and then override selected fields with a
725 @samp{--geometry} option.
726
727 @node Borders X
728 @appendixsec Internal and External Borders
729 @cindex borders (X Windows)
730
731 An Emacs frame has an internal border and an external border. The
732 internal border is an extra strip of the background color around all
733 four edges of the frame. Emacs itself adds the internal border. The
734 external border is added by the window manager outside the internal
735 border; it may contain various boxes you can click on to move or iconify
736 the window.
737
738 @table @samp
739 @item -ib @var{width}
740 @itemx --internal-border=@var{width}
741 Specify @var{width} as the width of the internal border.
742
743 @item -bw @var{width}
744 @itemx --border-width=@var{width}
745 Specify @var{width} as the width of the main border.
746 @end table
747
748 When you specify the size of the frame, that does not count the
749 borders. The frame's position is measured from the outside edge of the
750 external border.
751
752 Use the @samp{-ib @var{n}} option to specify an internal border
753 @var{n} pixels wide. The default is 1. Use @samp{-bw @var{n}} to
754 specify the width of the external border (though the window manager may
755 not pay attention to what you specify). The default width of the
756 external border is 2.
757
758 @node Title X
759 @appendixsec Frame Titles
760
761 An Emacs frame may or may not have a specified title. The frame
762 title, if specified, appears in window decorations and icons as the name
763 of the frame. If an Emacs frame has no specified title, the default
764 title is the name of the executable program (if there is only one frame)
765 or the selected window's buffer name (if there is more than one frame).
766
767 You can specify a title for the initial Emacs frame with a command
768 line option:
769
770 @table @samp
771 @item -title @var{title}
772 @itemx --title=@var{title}
773 @itemx -T @var{title}
774 Specify @var{title} as the title for the initial Emacs frame.
775 @end table
776
777 The @samp{--name} option (@pxref{Resources X}) also specifies the title
778 for the initial Emacs frame.
779
780 @node Icons X
781 @appendixsec Icons
782 @cindex icons (X Windows)
783
784 Most window managers allow the user to ``iconify'' a frame, removing
785 it from sight, and leaving a small, distinctive ``icon'' window in its
786 place. Clicking on the icon window makes the frame itself appear again.
787 If you have many clients running at once, you can avoid cluttering up
788 the screen by iconifying most of the clients.
789
790 @table @samp
791 @item -i
792 @itemx --icon-type
793 Use a picture of a gnu as the Emacs icon.
794
795 @item -iconic
796 @itemx --iconic
797 Start Emacs in iconified state.
798 @end table
799
800 The @samp{-i} or @samp{--icon-type} option tells Emacs to use an icon
801 window containing a picture of the GNU gnu. If omitted, Emacs lets the
802 window manager choose what sort of icon to use---usually just a small
803 rectangle containing the frame's title.
804
805 The @samp{-iconic} option tells Emacs to begin running as an icon,
806 rather than opening a frame right away. In this situation, the icon
807 window provides only indication that Emacs has started; the usual text
808 frame doesn't appear until you deiconify it.
809
810 @node Resources X
811 @appendixsec X Resources
812 @cindex resources
813
814 Programs running under the X Window System organize their user options
815 under a hierarchy of classes and resources. You can specify default
816 values for these options in your X resources file, usually named
817 @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
818
819 Each line in the file specifies a value for one option or for a
820 collection of related options, for one program or for several programs
821 (optionally even for all programs).
822
823 Programs define named resources with particular meanings. They also
824 define how to group resources into named classes. For instance, in
825 Emacs, the @samp{internalBorder} resource controls the width of the
826 internal border, and the @samp{borderWidth} resource controls the width
827 of the external border. Both of these resources are part of the
828 @samp{BorderWidth} class. Case distinctions are significant in these
829 names.
830
831 In @file{~/.Xdefaults}, you can specify a value for a single resource
832 on one line, like this:
833
834 @example
835 emacs.borderWidth: 2
836 @end example
837
838 @noindent
839 Or you can use a class name to specify the same value for all resources
840 in that class. Here's an example:
841
842 @example
843 emacs.BorderWidth: 2
844 @end example
845
846 If you specify a value for a class, it becomes the default for all
847 resources in that class. You can specify values for individual
848 resources as well; these override the class value, for those particular
849 resources. Thus, this example specifies 2 as the default width for all
850 borders, but overrides this value with 4 for the external border:
851
852 @example
853 emacs.Borderwidth: 2
854 emacs.borderwidth: 4
855 @end example
856
857 The order in which the lines appear in the file does not matter.
858 Also, command-line options always override the X resources file.
859
860 The string @samp{emacs} in the examples above is also a resource
861 name. It actually represents the name of the executable file that you
862 invoke to run Emacs. If Emacs is installed under a different name, it
863 looks for resources under that name instead of @samp{emacs}.
864
865 @table @samp
866 @item -name @var{name}
867 @itemx --name=@var{name}
868 Use @var{name} as the resource name (and the title) for the initial
869 Emacs frame. This option does not affect subsequent frames, but Lisp
870 programs can specify frame names when they create frames.
871
872 If you don't specify this option, the default is to use the Emacs
873 executable's name as the resource name.
874
875 @item -xrm @var{resource-values}
876 @itemx --xrm=@var{resource-values}
877 Specify X resource values for this Emacs job (see below).
878 @end table
879
880 For consistency, @samp{-name} also specifies the name to use for
881 other resource values that do not belong to any particular frame.
882
883 The resources that name Emacs invocations also belong to a class; its
884 name is @samp{Emacs}. If you write @samp{Emacs} instead of
885 @samp{emacs}, the resource applies to all frames in all Emacs jobs,
886 regardless of frame titles and regardless of the name of the executable
887 file. Here is an example:
888
889 @example
890 Emacs.BorderWidth: 2
891 Emacs.borderWidth: 4
892 @end example
893
894 You can specify a string of additional resource values for Emacs to
895 use with the command line option @samp{-xrm @var{resources}}. The text
896 @var{resources} should have the same format that you would use inside a file
897 of X resources. To include multiple resource specifications in
898 @var{data}, put a newline between them, just as you would in a file.
899 You can also use @samp{#include "@var{filename}"} to include a file full
900 of resource specifications. Resource values specified with @samp{-xrm}
901 take precedence over all other resource specifications.
902
903 The following table lists the resource names that designate options
904 for Emacs, each with the class that it belongs to:
905
906 @table @asis
907 @item @code{background} (class @code{Background})
908 Background color name.
909
910 @item @code{bitmapIcon} (class @code{BitmapIcon})
911 Use a bitmap icon (a picture of a gnu) if @samp{on}, let the window
912 manager choose an icon if @samp{off}.
913
914 @item @code{borderColor} (class @code{BorderColor})
915 Color name for the external border.
916
917 @item @code{borderWidth} (class @code{BorderWidth})
918 Width in pixels of the external border.
919
920 @item @code{cursorColor} (class @code{Foreground})
921 Color name for text cursor (point).
922
923 @item @code{font} (class @code{Font})
924 Font name for text (or fontset name, @pxref{Fontsets}).
925
926 @item @code{foreground} (class @code{Foreground})
927 Color name for text.
928
929 @item @code{geometry} (class @code{Geometry})
930 Window size and position. Be careful not to specify this resource as
931 @samp{emacs*geometry}, because that may affect individual menus as well
932 as the Emacs frame itself.
933
934 If this resource specifies a position, that position applies only to the
935 initial Emacs frame (or, in the case of a resource for a specific frame
936 name, only that frame). However, the size if specified here applies to
937 all frames.
938
939 @item @code{iconName} (class @code{Title})
940 Name to display in the icon.
941
942 @item @code{internalBorder} (class @code{BorderWidth})
943 Width in pixels of the internal border.
944
945 @item @code{menuBar} (class @code{MenuBar})
946 Give frames menu bars if @samp{on}; don't have menu bars if @samp{off}.
947
948 @item @code{minibuffer} (class @code{Minibuffer})
949 If @samp{none}, don't make a minibuffer in this frame.
950 It will use a separate minibuffer frame instead.
951
952 @item @code{paneFont} (class @code{Font})
953 Font name for menu pane titles, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs.
954
955 @item @code{pointerColor} (class @code{Foreground})
956 Color of the mouse cursor.
957
958 @item @code{reverseVideo} (class @code{ReverseVideo})
959 Switch foreground and background default colors if @samp{on}, use colors as
960 specified if @samp{off}.
961
962 @item @code{verticalScrollBars} (class @code{ScrollBars})
963 Give frames scroll bars if @samp{on}; don't have scroll bars if
964 @samp{off}.
965
966 @item @code{selectionFont} (class @code{Font})
967 Font name for pop-up menu items, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs. (For
968 toolkit versions, see @ref{Lucid Resources}, also see @ref{Motif
969 Resources}.)
970
971 @item @code{title} (class @code{Title})
972 Name to display in the title bar of the initial Emacs frame.
973 @end table
974
975 Here are resources for controlling the appearance of particular faces
976 (@pxref{Faces}):
977
978 @table @code
979 @item @var{face}.attributeFont
980 Font for face @var{face}.
981 @item @var{face}.attributeForeground
982 Foreground color for face @var{face}.
983 @item @var{face}.attributeBackground
984 Background color for face @var{face}.
985 @item @var{face}.attributeUnderline
986 Underline flag for face @var{face}. Use @samp{on} or @samp{true} for
987 yes.
988 @end table
989
990 @node Lucid Resources
991 @section Lucid Menu X Resources
992 @cindex Menu X Resources (Lucid widgets)
993 @cindex Lucid Widget X Resources
994
995 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
996 with the Lucid menu widgets, then the menu bar is a separate widget and
997 has its own resources. The resource names contain @samp{pane.menubar}
998 (following, as always, the name of the Emacs invocation or @samp{Emacs}
999 which stands for all Emacs invocations). Specify them like this:
1000
1001 @example
1002 Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{resource}: @var{value}
1003 @end example
1004
1005 @noindent
1006 For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items,
1007 write this:
1008
1009 @example
1010 Emacs.pane.menubar.font: 8x16
1011 @end example
1012
1013 @noindent
1014 Resources for @emph{non-menubar} toolkit pop-up menus have
1015 @samp{menu*}, in like fashion. For example, to specify the font
1016 @samp{8x16} for the pop-up menu items, write this:
1017
1018 @example
1019 Emacs.menu*.font: 8x16
1020 @end example
1021
1022 @noindent
1023 For dialog boxes, use @samp{dialog} instead of @samp{menu}:
1024
1025 @example
1026 Emacs.dialog*.font: 8x16
1027 @end example
1028
1029 @noindent
1030 Experience shows that on some systems you may need to add
1031 @samp{shell.}@: before the @samp{pane.menubar} or @samp{menu*}. On
1032 some other systems, you must not add @samp{shell.}.
1033
1034 Here is a list of the specific resources for menu bars and pop-up menus:
1035
1036 @table @code
1037 @item font
1038 Font for menu item text.
1039 @item foreground
1040 Color of the foreground.
1041 @item background
1042 Color of the background.
1043 @item buttonForeground
1044 In the menu bar, the color of the foreground for a selected item.
1045 @item horizontalSpacing
1046 Horizontal spacing in pixels between items. Default is 3.
1047 @item verticalSpacing
1048 Vertical spacing in pixels between items. Default is 1.
1049 @item arrowSpacing
1050 Horizontal spacing between the arrow (which indicates a submenu) and
1051 the associated text. Default is 10.
1052 @item shadowThickness
1053 Thickness of shadow line around the widget.
1054 @end table
1055
1056 @node Motif Resources
1057 @section Motif Menu X Resources
1058 @cindex Menu X Resources (Motif widgets)
1059 @cindex Motif Widget X Resources
1060
1061 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
1062 with the Motif widgets, then the menu bar is a separate widget and has
1063 its own resources. The resource names contain @samp{pane.menubar}
1064 (following, as always, the name of the Emacs invocation or @samp{Emacs}
1065 which stands for all Emacs invocations). Specify them like this:
1066
1067 @smallexample
1068 Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{subwidget}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
1069 @end smallexample
1070
1071 Each individual string in the menu bar is a subwidget; the subwidget's
1072 name is the same as the menu item string. For example, the word
1073 @samp{Files} in the menu bar is part of a subwidget named
1074 @samp{emacs.pane.menubar.Files}. Most likely, you want to specify the
1075 same resources for the whole menu bar. To do this, use @samp{*} instead
1076 of a specific subwidget name. For example, to specify the font
1077 @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, write this:
1078
1079 @smallexample
1080 Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16
1081 @end smallexample
1082
1083 @noindent
1084 This also specifies the resource value for submenus.
1085
1086 Each item in a submenu in the menu bar also has its own name for X
1087 resources; for example, the @samp{Files} submenu has an item named
1088 @samp{Save Buffer}. A resource specification for a submenu item looks
1089 like this:
1090
1091 @smallexample
1092 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{item}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
1093 @end smallexample
1094
1095 @noindent
1096 For example, here's how to specify the font for the @samp{Save Buffer}
1097 item:
1098
1099 @smallexample
1100 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.Files.Save Buffer.fontList: 8x16
1101 @end smallexample
1102
1103 @noindent
1104 For an item in a second-level submenu, such as @samp{Check Message}
1105 under @samp{Spell} under @samp{Edit}, the resource fits this template:
1106
1107 @smallexample
1108 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
1109 @end smallexample
1110
1111 @noindent
1112 For example,
1113
1114 @smallexample
1115 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.Spell.Check Message: @var{value}
1116 @end smallexample
1117
1118 It's impossible to specify a resource for all the menu-bar items
1119 without also specifying it for the submenus as well. So if you want the
1120 submenu items to look different from the menu bar itself, you must ask
1121 for that in two steps. First, specify the resource for all of them;
1122 then, override the value for submenus alone. Here is an example:
1123
1124 @smallexample
1125 Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16
1126 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.fontList: 8x16
1127 @end smallexample
1128
1129 @noindent
1130 For toolkit pop-up menus, use @samp{menu*} instead of
1131 @samp{pane.menubar}. For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for
1132 the pop-up menu items, write this:
1133
1134 @smallexample
1135 Emacs.menu*.fontList: 8x16
1136 @end smallexample
1137
1138 @iftex
1139 @medbreak
1140 @end iftex
1141 Here is a list of the specific resources for menu bars and pop-up menus:
1142
1143 @table @code
1144 @item armColor
1145 The color to show in an armed button.
1146 @item fontList
1147 The font to use.
1148 @item marginBottom
1149 @itemx marginHeight
1150 @itemx marginLeft
1151 @itemx marginRight
1152 @itemx marginTop
1153 @itemx marginWidth
1154 Amount of space to leave around the item, within the border.
1155 @item borderWidth
1156 The width of border around the menu item, on all sides.
1157 @item shadowThickness
1158 The width of the border shadow.
1159 @item bottomShadowColor
1160 The color for the border shadow, on the bottom and the right.
1161 @item topShadowColor
1162 The color for the border shadow, on the top and the left.
1163 @end table