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6bf7aab6 | 1 | @c This is part of the Emacs manual. |
739a80b3 | 2 | @c Copyright (C) 1985,86,87,93,94,95,1997,2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
6bf7aab6 | 3 | @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions. |
21af0bfa | 4 | @node Command Arguments, X Resources, Service, Top |
6bf7aab6 DL |
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 | |
515d3b4b RS |
19 | starts up. The last file name on your command line becomes the |
20 | current buffer; the other files are also visited in other buffers. If | |
21 | there are two files, they are both displayed; otherwise the last file | |
22 | is displayed along with a buffer list that shows what other buffers | |
23 | there are. As with most programs, the special argument @samp{--} says | |
24 | that all subsequent arguments are file names, not options, even if | |
25 | they start with @samp{-}. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
26 | |
27 | Emacs command options can specify many things, such as the size and | |
28 | position of the X window Emacs uses, its colors, and so on. A few | |
29 | options support advanced usage, such as running Lisp functions on files | |
30 | in batch mode. The sections of this chapter describe the available | |
31 | options, arranged according to their purpose. | |
32 | ||
33 | There are two ways of writing options: the short forms that start with | |
34 | a single @samp{-}, and the long forms that start with @samp{--}. For | |
35 | example, @samp{-d} is a short form and @samp{--display} is the | |
36 | corresponding long form. | |
37 | ||
38 | The long forms with @samp{--} are easier to remember, but longer to | |
39 | type. However, you don't have to spell out the whole option name; any | |
40 | unambiguous abbreviation is enough. When a long option takes an | |
41 | argument, you can use either a space or an equal sign to separate the | |
42 | option name and the argument. Thus, you can write either | |
43 | @samp{--display sugar-bombs:0.0} or @samp{--display=sugar-bombs:0.0}. | |
44 | We recommend an equal sign because it makes the relationship clearer, | |
45 | and the tables below always show an equal sign. | |
46 | ||
47 | @cindex initial options (command line) | |
48 | @cindex action options (command line) | |
49 | Most options specify how to initialize Emacs, or set parameters for | |
50 | the Emacs session. We call them @dfn{initial options}. A few options | |
51 | specify things to do: for example, load libraries, call functions, or | |
0ec1f115 | 52 | terminate Emacs. These are called @dfn{action options}. These and file |
6bf7aab6 DL |
53 | names together are called @dfn{action arguments}. Emacs processes all |
54 | the action arguments in the order they are written. | |
55 | ||
56 | @menu | |
57 | * Action Arguments:: Arguments to visit files, load libraries, | |
58 | and call functions. | |
59 | * Initial Options:: Arguments that take effect while starting Emacs. | |
60 | * Command Example:: Examples of using command line arguments. | |
61 | * Resume Arguments:: Specifying arguments when you resume a running Emacs. | |
62 | * Environment:: Environment variables that Emacs uses. | |
e428626a RS |
63 | * Display X:: Changing the default display and using remote login. |
64 | * Font X:: Choosing a font for text, under X. | |
e15044ea | 65 | * Colors:: Choosing display colors. |
e428626a RS |
66 | * Window Size X:: Start-up window size, under X. |
67 | * Borders X:: Internal and external borders, under X. | |
68 | * Title X:: Specifying the initial frame's title. | |
69 | * Icons X:: Choosing what sort of icon to use, under X. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
70 | @end menu |
71 | ||
72 | @node Action Arguments | |
73 | @appendixsec Action Arguments | |
74 | ||
75 | Here is a table of the action arguments and options: | |
76 | ||
77 | @table @samp | |
78 | @item @var{file} | |
a8575fe5 | 79 | @opindex --visit |
ec22060b | 80 | @itemx --visit=@var{file} |
a8575fe5 | 81 | @opindex --file |
ec22060b | 82 | @itemx --file=@var{file} |
a8575fe5 | 83 | @cindex visiting files, command-line argument |
6da55907 | 84 | @vindex inhibit-startup-buffer-menu |
6bf7aab6 | 85 | Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}. @xref{Visiting}. |
6da55907 RS |
86 | If you visit several files at startup in this way, Emacs |
87 | also displays a Buffer Menu buffer to show you what files it | |
88 | has visited. You can inhibit that by setting @code{inhibit-startup-buffer-menu} to @code{t}. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
89 | |
90 | @item +@var{linenum} @var{file} | |
a8575fe5 | 91 | @opindex +@var{linenum} |
6bf7aab6 DL |
92 | Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number |
93 | @var{linenum} in it. | |
94 | ||
660872b6 | 95 | @item +@var{linenum}:@var{columnnum} @var{file} |
660872b6 | 96 | Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number |
0ec1f115 | 97 | @var{linenum} and put point at column number @var{columnnum}. |
660872b6 | 98 | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
99 | @need 3000 |
100 | @item -l @var{file} | |
a8575fe5 | 101 | @opindex -l |
6bf7aab6 | 102 | @itemx --load=@var{file} |
a8575fe5 EZ |
103 | @opindex --load |
104 | @cindex loading Lisp libraries, command-line argument | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
105 | Load a Lisp library named @var{file} with the function @code{load}. |
106 | @xref{Lisp Libraries}. The library can be found either in the current | |
107 | directory, or in the Emacs library search path as specified | |
60a96371 | 108 | with @env{EMACSLOADPATH} (@pxref{General Variables}). |
6bf7aab6 DL |
109 | |
110 | @item -f @var{function} | |
a8575fe5 | 111 | @opindex -f |
6bf7aab6 | 112 | @itemx --funcall=@var{function} |
a8575fe5 EZ |
113 | @opindex --funcall |
114 | @cindex call Lisp functions, command-line argument | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
115 | Call Lisp function @var{function} with no arguments. |
116 | ||
ec22060b | 117 | @item --eval=@var{expression} |
a8575fe5 | 118 | @opindex --eval |
ec22060b | 119 | @itemx --execute=@var{expression} |
a8575fe5 EZ |
120 | @opindex --execute |
121 | @cindex evaluate expression, command-line argument | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
122 | Evaluate Lisp expression @var{expression}. |
123 | ||
124 | @item --insert=@var{file} | |
a8575fe5 EZ |
125 | @opindex --insert |
126 | @cindex insert file contents, command-line argument | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
127 | Insert the contents of @var{file} into the current buffer. This is like |
128 | what @kbd{M-x insert-file} does. @xref{Misc File Ops}. | |
129 | ||
130 | @item --kill | |
a8575fe5 | 131 | @opindex --kill |
6bf7aab6 DL |
132 | Exit from Emacs without asking for confirmation. |
133 | @end table | |
134 | ||
135 | @vindex command-line-args | |
136 | The init file can access the values of the action arguments as the | |
137 | elements of a list in the variable @code{command-line-args}. The init | |
138 | file can override the normal processing of the action arguments, or | |
139 | define new ones, by reading and setting this variable. | |
140 | ||
141 | @node Initial Options | |
142 | @appendixsec Initial Options | |
143 | ||
144 | The initial options specify parameters for the Emacs session. This | |
145 | section describes the more general initial options; some other options | |
97878c08 EZ |
146 | specifically related to the X Window System appear in the following |
147 | sections. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
148 | |
149 | Some initial options affect the loading of init files. The normal | |
150 | actions of Emacs are to first load @file{site-start.el} if it exists, | |
151 | then your own init file @file{~/.emacs} if it exists, and finally | |
152 | @file{default.el} if it exists; certain options prevent loading of some | |
153 | of these files or substitute other files for them. | |
154 | ||
155 | @table @samp | |
156 | @item -t @var{device} | |
a8575fe5 | 157 | @opindex -t |
6bf7aab6 | 158 | @itemx --terminal=@var{device} |
a8575fe5 EZ |
159 | @opindex --terminal |
160 | @cindex device for Emacs terminal I/O | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
161 | Use @var{device} as the device for terminal input and output. |
162 | ||
163 | @item -d @var{display} | |
a8575fe5 | 164 | @opindex -d |
6bf7aab6 | 165 | @itemx --display=@var{display} |
a8575fe5 EZ |
166 | @opindex --display |
167 | @cindex display for Emacs frame | |
6bf7aab6 | 168 | Use the X Window System and use the display named @var{display} to open |
a8575fe5 | 169 | the initial Emacs frame. @xref{Display X}, for more details. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
170 | |
171 | @item -nw | |
a8575fe5 | 172 | @opindex -nw |
011185fb PJ |
173 | @itemx --no-window-system |
174 | @opindex --no-window-system | |
a8575fe5 | 175 | @cindex disable window system |
54e33bb3 | 176 | Don't communicate directly with the window system, disregarding the |
17e9a80b RS |
177 | @env{DISPLAY} environment variable even if it is set. This means that |
178 | Emacs uses the terminal from which it was launched for all its display | |
179 | and input. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
180 | |
181 | @need 3000 | |
182 | @cindex batch mode | |
183 | @item -batch | |
a8575fe5 | 184 | @opindex --batch |
6bf7aab6 DL |
185 | @itemx --batch |
186 | Run Emacs in @dfn{batch mode}, which means that the text being edited is | |
187 | not displayed and the standard terminal interrupt characters such as | |
188 | @kbd{C-z} and @kbd{C-c} continue to have their normal effect. Emacs in | |
1ba2ce68 | 189 | batch mode outputs to @code{stderr} only what would normally be displayed |
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190 | in the echo area under program control, and functions which would |
191 | normally read from the minibuffer take their input from @code{stdin}. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
192 | |
193 | Batch mode is used for running programs written in Emacs Lisp from | |
194 | shell scripts, makefiles, and so on. Normally the @samp{-l} option | |
195 | or @samp{-f} option will be used as well, to invoke a Lisp program | |
196 | to do the batch processing. | |
197 | ||
0a41ca77 | 198 | @samp{--batch} implies @samp{-q} (do not load an init file). It also |
0ec1f115 RS |
199 | causes Emacs to exit after processing all the command options. In |
200 | addition, it disables auto-saving except in buffers for which it has | |
201 | been explicitly requested. | |
6bf7aab6 | 202 | |
0a41ca77 RS |
203 | @item --script @var{file} |
204 | @opindex --script | |
205 | Run Emacs in batch mode, like @samp{--batch}, and then read and | |
206 | execute the Lisp code in @var{file}. | |
207 | ||
208 | The normal use of this option is in executable script files that run | |
209 | Emacs. They can start with this text on the first line | |
210 | ||
211 | @example | |
212 | #!/usr/bin/emacs --script | |
213 | @end example | |
214 | ||
215 | @noindent | |
216 | which will invoke Emacs with @samp{--script} and supply the name of | |
217 | the script file as @var{file}. Emacs Lisp then treats @samp{#!} as a | |
218 | comment delimiter. | |
219 | ||
6bf7aab6 | 220 | @item -q |
a8575fe5 | 221 | @opindex -q |
6bf7aab6 | 222 | @itemx --no-init-file |
a8575fe5 EZ |
223 | @opindex --no-init-file |
224 | @cindex bypassing init and site-start file | |
225 | @cindex init file, not loading | |
3b703ce9 | 226 | @cindex @file{default.el} file, not loading |
6bf7aab6 | 227 | Do not load your Emacs init file @file{~/.emacs}, or @file{default.el} |
21742660 | 228 | either. When invoked like this, Emacs does not allow saving options |
00e50428 EZ |
229 | changed with the @kbd{M-x customize} command and its variants. |
230 | @xref{Easy Customization}. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
231 | |
232 | @item --no-site-file | |
a8575fe5 | 233 | @opindex --no-site-file |
3b703ce9 | 234 | @cindex @file{site-start.el} file, not loading |
6bf7aab6 DL |
235 | Do not load @file{site-start.el}. The options @samp{-q}, @samp{-u} |
236 | and @samp{-batch} have no effect on the loading of this file---this is | |
237 | the only option that blocks it. | |
238 | ||
f6a9d2d8 CW |
239 | @item --no-splash |
240 | @opindex --no-splash | |
908abdfd | 241 | @vindex inhibit-startup-message |
6da55907 RS |
242 | Do not display a splash screen on startup; this is equivalent to |
243 | setting the variable @code{inhibit-startup-message} to non-@code{nil}. | |
908abdfd | 244 | |
6bf7aab6 | 245 | @item -u @var{user} |
a8575fe5 | 246 | @opindex -u |
6bf7aab6 | 247 | @itemx --user=@var{user} |
a8575fe5 EZ |
248 | @opindex --user |
249 | @cindex load init file of another user | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
250 | Load @var{user}'s Emacs init file @file{~@var{user}/.emacs} instead of |
251 | your own. | |
252 | ||
253 | @item --debug-init | |
a8575fe5 EZ |
254 | @opindex --debug-init |
255 | @cindex errors in init file | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
256 | Enable the Emacs Lisp debugger for errors in the init file. |
257 | ||
258 | @item --unibyte | |
a8575fe5 | 259 | @opindex --unibyte |
56bfaffd | 260 | @cindex unibyte operation, command-line argument |
1a1b17bc | 261 | Do almost everything with single-byte buffers and strings. |
6bf7aab6 | 262 | All buffers and strings are unibyte unless you (or a Lisp program) |
4b1ad19a RS |
263 | explicitly ask for a multibyte buffer or string. (Note that Emacs |
264 | always loads Lisp files in multibyte mode, even if @samp{--unibyte} is | |
265 | specified; see @ref{Enabling Multibyte}.) Setting the environment | |
266 | variable @env{EMACS_UNIBYTE} has the same effect. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
267 | |
268 | @item --multibyte | |
a8575fe5 | 269 | @opindex --multibyte |
60a96371 | 270 | Inhibit the effect of @env{EMACS_UNIBYTE}, so that Emacs |
6bf7aab6 DL |
271 | uses multibyte characters by default, as usual. |
272 | @end table | |
273 | ||
274 | @node Command Example | |
275 | @appendixsec Command Argument Example | |
276 | ||
277 | Here is an example of using Emacs with arguments and options. It | |
278 | assumes you have a Lisp program file called @file{hack-c.el} which, when | |
279 | loaded, performs some useful operation on the current buffer, expected | |
280 | to be a C program. | |
281 | ||
282 | @example | |
283 | emacs -batch foo.c -l hack-c -f save-buffer >& log | |
284 | @end example | |
285 | ||
286 | @noindent | |
287 | This says to visit @file{foo.c}, load @file{hack-c.el} (which makes | |
288 | changes in the visited file), save @file{foo.c} (note that | |
289 | @code{save-buffer} is the function that @kbd{C-x C-s} is bound to), and | |
290 | then exit back to the shell (because of @samp{-batch}). @samp{-batch} | |
291 | also guarantees there will be no problem redirecting output to | |
292 | @file{log}, because Emacs will not assume that it has a display terminal | |
293 | to work with. | |
294 | ||
295 | @node Resume Arguments | |
296 | @appendixsec Resuming Emacs with Arguments | |
297 | ||
298 | You can specify action arguments for Emacs when you resume it after | |
299 | a suspension. To prepare for this, put the following code in your | |
300 | @file{.emacs} file (@pxref{Hooks}): | |
301 | ||
515d3b4b | 302 | @c `resume-suspend-hook' is correct. It is the name of a function. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
303 | @example |
304 | (add-hook 'suspend-hook 'resume-suspend-hook) | |
305 | (add-hook 'suspend-resume-hook 'resume-process-args) | |
306 | @end example | |
307 | ||
308 | As further preparation, you must execute the shell script | |
515d3b4b RS |
309 | @file{emacs.csh} (if you use csh as your shell) or @file{emacs.bash} |
310 | (if you use bash as your shell). These scripts define an alias named | |
6bf7aab6 | 311 | @code{edit}, which will resume Emacs giving it new command line |
515d3b4b RS |
312 | arguments such as files to visit. The scripts are found in the |
313 | @file{etc} subdirectory of the Emacs distribution. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
314 | |
315 | Only action arguments work properly when you resume Emacs. Initial | |
316 | arguments are not recognized---it's too late to execute them anyway. | |
317 | ||
318 | Note that resuming Emacs (with or without arguments) must be done from | |
319 | within the shell that is the parent of the Emacs job. This is why | |
320 | @code{edit} is an alias rather than a program or a shell script. It is | |
321 | not possible to implement a resumption command that could be run from | |
1a1b17bc EZ |
322 | other subjobs of the shell; there is no way to define a command that could |
323 | be made the value of @env{EDITOR}, for example. Therefore, this feature | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
324 | does not take the place of the Emacs Server feature (@pxref{Emacs |
325 | Server}). | |
326 | ||
327 | The aliases use the Emacs Server feature if you appear to have a | |
328 | server Emacs running. However, they cannot determine this with complete | |
329 | accuracy. They may think that a server is still running when in | |
330 | actuality you have killed that Emacs, because the file | |
515d3b4b | 331 | @file{/tmp/esrv@dots{}} still exists. If this happens, find that |
6bf7aab6 DL |
332 | file and delete it. |
333 | ||
334 | @node Environment | |
335 | @appendixsec Environment Variables | |
336 | @cindex environment variables | |
337 | ||
4b1ad19a RS |
338 | The @dfn{environment} is a feature of the operating system; it |
339 | consists of a collection of variables with names and values. Each | |
340 | variable is called an @dfn{environment variable}; environment variable | |
341 | names are case-sensitive, and it is conventional to use upper case | |
342 | letters only. The values are all text strings. | |
6bf7aab6 | 343 | |
4b1ad19a RS |
344 | What makes the environment useful is that subprocesses inherit the |
345 | environment automatically from their parent process. This means you | |
346 | can set up an environment variable in your login shell, and all the | |
347 | programs you run (including Emacs) will automatically see it. | |
348 | Subprocesses of Emacs (such as shells, compilers, and version-control | |
349 | software) inherit the environment from Emacs, too. | |
350 | ||
351 | @findex setenv | |
352 | @findex getenv | |
353 | Inside Emacs, the command @kbd{M-x getenv} gets the value of an | |
354 | environment variable. @kbd{M-x setenv} sets a variable in the Emacs | |
26f17e6a RS |
355 | environment. (Environment variable substitutions with @samp{$} work |
356 | in the value just as in file names; see @ref{File Names with $}.) | |
357 | ||
358 | The way to set environment variables outside of Emacs depends on the | |
359 | operating system, and especially the shell that you are using. For | |
360 | example, here's how to set the environment variable @env{ORGANIZATION} | |
361 | to @samp{not very much} using Bash: | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
362 | |
363 | @example | |
364 | export ORGANIZATION="not very much" | |
365 | @end example | |
366 | ||
367 | @noindent | |
368 | and here's how to do it in csh or tcsh: | |
369 | ||
370 | @example | |
371 | setenv ORGANIZATION "not very much" | |
372 | @end example | |
373 | ||
26f17e6a RS |
374 | When Emacs is using the X Window System, various environment |
375 | variables that control X work for Emacs as well. See the X | |
376 | documentation for more information. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
377 | |
378 | @menu | |
379 | * General Variables:: Environment variables that all versions of Emacs use. | |
380 | * Misc Variables:: Certain system-specific variables. | |
afcca90b | 381 | * MS-Windows Registry:: An alternative to the environment on MS-Windows. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
382 | @end menu |
383 | ||
384 | @node General Variables | |
385 | @appendixsubsec General Variables | |
386 | ||
4b1ad19a RS |
387 | Here is an alphabetical list of specific environment variables that |
388 | have special meanings in Emacs, giving the name of each variable and | |
389 | its meaning. Most of these variables are also used by some other | |
390 | programs. Emacs does not require any of these environment variables | |
391 | to be set, but it uses their values if they are set. | |
392 | ||
60a96371 | 393 | @table @env |
f51e949c | 394 | @item CDPATH |
6bf7aab6 DL |
395 | Used by the @code{cd} command to search for the directory you specify, |
396 | when you specify a relative directory name. | |
6bf7aab6 | 397 | @item EMACS_UNIBYTE |
56bfaffd | 398 | @cindex unibyte operation, environment variable |
4b1ad19a RS |
399 | Defining this environment variable with a nonempty value directs Emacs |
400 | to do almost everything with single-byte buffers and strings. It is | |
401 | equivalent to using the @samp{--unibyte} command-line option on each | |
402 | invocation. @xref{Initial Options}. | |
6bf7aab6 | 403 | @item EMACSDATA |
4b1ad19a RS |
404 | Directory for the architecture-independent files that come with Emacs. |
405 | This is used to initialize the Lisp variable @code{data-directory}. | |
18a349f5 | 406 | @item EMACSDOC |
4b1ad19a RS |
407 | Directory for the documentation string file, |
408 | @file{DOC-@var{emacsversion}}. This is used to initialize the Lisp | |
b389557a | 409 | variable @code{doc-directory}. |
6bf7aab6 | 410 | @item EMACSLOADPATH |
5d9b65e0 EZ |
411 | A colon-separated list of directories@footnote{ |
412 | Here and below, whenever we say ``colon-separated list of directories'', | |
413 | it pertains to Unix and GNU/Linux systems. On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, | |
414 | the directories are separated by semi-colons instead, since DOS/Windows | |
415 | file names might include a colon after a drive letter.} | |
416 | to search for Emacs Lisp files---used to initialize @code{load-path}. | |
6bf7aab6 | 417 | @item EMACSPATH |
4b1ad19a RS |
418 | A colon-separated list of directories to search for executable |
419 | files---used to initialize @code{exec-path}. | |
6bf7aab6 | 420 | @item ESHELL |
60a96371 | 421 | Used for shell-mode to override the @env{SHELL} environment variable. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
422 | @item HISTFILE |
423 | The name of the file that shell commands are saved in between logins. | |
ec22060b EZ |
424 | This variable defaults to @file{~/.bash_history} if you use Bash, to |
425 | @file{~/.sh_history} if you use ksh, and to @file{~/.history} | |
426 | otherwise. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
427 | @item HOME |
428 | The location of the user's files in the directory tree; used for | |
429 | expansion of file names starting with a tilde (@file{~}). On MS-DOS, it | |
430 | defaults to the directory from which Emacs was started, with @samp{/bin} | |
71d0aa0c | 431 | removed from the end if it was present. On Windows, the default value |
afcca90b | 432 | of @env{HOME} is @file{C:/}, the root directory of drive @file{C:}. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
433 | @item HOSTNAME |
434 | The name of the machine that Emacs is running on. | |
177c0ea7 | 435 | @item INCPATH |
6bf7aab6 DL |
436 | A colon-separated list of directories. Used by the @code{complete} package |
437 | to search for files. | |
438 | @item INFOPATH | |
b389557a | 439 | A colon-separated list of directories in which to search for Info files. |
fbc164de | 440 | @item LC_ALL |
9c6251b6 | 441 | @itemx LC_COLLATE |
6bf7aab6 | 442 | @itemx LC_CTYPE |
9c6251b6 EZ |
443 | @itemx LC_MESSAGES |
444 | @itemx LC_MONETARY | |
445 | @itemx LC_NUMERIC | |
446 | @itemx LC_TIME | |
fbc164de | 447 | @itemx LANG |
9c6251b6 EZ |
448 | The user's preferred locale. The locale has six categories, specified |
449 | by the environment variables @env{LC_COLLATE} for sorting, | |
450 | @env{LC_CTYPE} for character encoding, @env{LC_MESSAGES} for system | |
451 | messages, @env{LC_MONETARY} for monetary formats, @env{LC_NUMERIC} for | |
452 | numbers, and @env{LC_TIME} for dates and times. If one of these | |
453 | variables is not set, the category defaults to the value of the | |
454 | @env{LANG} environment variable, or to the default @samp{C} locale if | |
455 | @env{LANG} is not set. But if @env{LC_ALL} is specified, it overrides | |
456 | the settings of all the other locale environment variables. | |
457 | ||
afcca90b JR |
458 | On MS-Windows, if @env{LANG} is not already set in the environment |
459 | when Emacs starts, Emacs sets it based on the system-wide default | |
460 | language, which you can set in the @samp{Regional Settings} Control Panel | |
461 | on some versions of MS-Windows. | |
462 | ||
463 | The value of the @env{LC_CTYPE} category is | |
4b1ad19a | 464 | matched against entries in @code{locale-language-names}, |
fbc164de | 465 | @code{locale-charset-language-names}, and |
4b1ad19a RS |
466 | @code{locale-preferred-coding-systems}, to select a default language |
467 | environment and coding system. @xref{Language Environments}. | |
6bf7aab6 | 468 | @item LOGNAME |
60a96371 | 469 | The user's login name. See also @env{USER}. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
470 | @item MAIL |
471 | The name of the user's system mail inbox. | |
472 | @item MAILRC | |
4b1ad19a RS |
473 | Name of file containing mail aliases. (The default is |
474 | @file{~/.mailrc}.) | |
6bf7aab6 | 475 | @item MH |
4b1ad19a | 476 | Name of setup file for the mh system. (The default is @file{~/.mh_profile}.) |
6bf7aab6 DL |
477 | @item NAME |
478 | The real-world name of the user. | |
479 | @item NNTPSERVER | |
5937ea41 | 480 | The name of the news server. Used by the mh and Gnus packages. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
481 | @item ORGANIZATION |
482 | The name of the organization to which you belong. Used for setting the | |
5937ea41 | 483 | `Organization:' header in your posts from the Gnus package. |
6bf7aab6 | 484 | @item PATH |
5d9b65e0 EZ |
485 | A colon-separated list of directories in which executables reside. This |
486 | is used to initialize the Emacs Lisp variable @code{exec-path}. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
487 | @item PWD |
488 | If set, this should be the default directory when Emacs was started. | |
489 | @item REPLYTO | |
490 | If set, this specifies an initial value for the variable | |
491 | @code{mail-default-reply-to}. @xref{Mail Headers}. | |
492 | @item SAVEDIR | |
493 | The name of a directory in which news articles are saved by default. | |
5937ea41 | 494 | Used by the Gnus package. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
495 | @item SHELL |
496 | The name of an interpreter used to parse and execute programs run from | |
497 | inside Emacs. | |
afcca90b | 498 | @cindex background mode, on @command{xterm} |
6bf7aab6 | 499 | @item TERM |
0ec1f115 | 500 | The type of the terminal that Emacs is using. This variable must be |
6bf7aab6 DL |
501 | set unless Emacs is run in batch mode. On MS-DOS, it defaults to |
502 | @samp{internal}, which specifies a built-in terminal emulation that | |
b370b3b0 | 503 | handles the machine's own display. If the value of @env{TERM} indicates |
afcca90b | 504 | that Emacs runs in non-windowed mode from @command{xterm} or a similar |
b370b3b0 EZ |
505 | terminal emulator, the background mode defaults to @samp{light}, and |
506 | Emacs will choose colors that are appropriate for a light background. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
507 | @item TERMCAP |
508 | The name of the termcap library file describing how to program the | |
60a96371 | 509 | terminal specified by the @env{TERM} variable. This defaults to |
6bf7aab6 DL |
510 | @file{/etc/termcap}. |
511 | @item TMPDIR | |
512 | Used by the Emerge package as a prefix for temporary files. | |
513 | @item TZ | |
94c3309f | 514 | This specifies the current time zone and possibly also daylight |
afcca90b | 515 | saving time information. On MS-DOS, if @env{TZ} is not set in the |
94c3309f | 516 | environment when Emacs starts, Emacs defines a default value as |
9c3aede4 | 517 | appropriate for the country code returned by DOS. On MS-Windows, Emacs |
afcca90b | 518 | does not use @env{TZ} at all. |
6bf7aab6 | 519 | @item USER |
60a96371 | 520 | The user's login name. See also @env{LOGNAME}. On MS-DOS, this |
6bf7aab6 DL |
521 | defaults to @samp{root}. |
522 | @item VERSION_CONTROL | |
523 | Used to initialize the @code{version-control} variable (@pxref{Backup | |
524 | Names}). | |
525 | @end table | |
526 | ||
527 | @node Misc Variables | |
528 | @appendixsubsec Miscellaneous Variables | |
529 | ||
530 | These variables are used only on particular configurations: | |
531 | ||
60a96371 | 532 | @table @env |
6bf7aab6 | 533 | @item COMSPEC |
ec22060b EZ |
534 | On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, the name of the command interpreter to use |
535 | when invoking batch files and commands internal to the shell. On MS-DOS | |
536 | this is also used to make a default value for the @env{SHELL} environment | |
537 | variable. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
538 | |
539 | @item NAME | |
60a96371 | 540 | On MS-DOS, this variable defaults to the value of the @env{USER} |
6bf7aab6 DL |
541 | variable. |
542 | ||
543 | @item TEMP | |
544 | @itemx TMP | |
ec22060b EZ |
545 | On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, these specify the name of the directory for |
546 | storing temporary files in. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
547 | |
548 | @item EMACSTEST | |
549 | On MS-DOS, this specifies a file to use to log the operation of the | |
550 | internal terminal emulator. This feature is useful for submitting bug | |
551 | reports. | |
552 | ||
553 | @item EMACSCOLORS | |
9c3aede4 RS |
554 | On MS-DOS, this specifies the screen colors. It is useful to set them |
555 | this way, since otherwise Emacs would display the default colors | |
556 | momentarily when it starts up. | |
557 | ||
558 | The value of this variable should be the two-character encoding of the | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
559 | foreground (the first character) and the background (the second |
560 | character) colors of the default face. Each character should be the | |
561 | hexadecimal code for the desired color on a standard PC text-mode | |
47d7776c | 562 | display. For example, to get blue text on a light gray background, |
ed50f966 | 563 | specify @samp{EMACSCOLORS=17}, since 1 is the code of the blue color and |
47d7776c | 564 | 7 is the code of the light gray color. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
565 | |
566 | The PC display usually supports only eight background colors. However, | |
567 | Emacs switches the DOS display to a mode where all 16 colors can be used | |
568 | for the background, so all four bits of the background color are | |
569 | actually used. | |
570 | ||
571 | @item WINDOW_GFX | |
572 | Used when initializing the Sun windows system. | |
afcca90b JR |
573 | |
574 | @item PRELOAD_WINSOCK | |
575 | On MS-Windows, if you set this variable, Emacs will load and initialize | |
576 | the network library at startup, instead of waiting until the first | |
577 | time it is required. | |
578 | ||
579 | @item emacs_dir | |
580 | On MS-Windows, @env{emacs_dir} is a special environment variable, which | |
581 | indicates the full path of the directory in which Emacs is installed. | |
582 | If Emacs is installed in the standard directory structure, it | |
583 | calculates this value automatically. It is not much use setting this | |
584 | variable yourself unless your installation is non-standard, since | |
585 | unlike other environment variables, it will be overridden by Emacs at | |
586 | startup. When setting other environment variables, such as | |
587 | @env{EMACSLOADPATH}, you may find it useful to use @env{emacs_dir} | |
588 | rather than hard-coding an absolute path. This allows multiple | |
589 | versions of Emacs to share the same environment variable settings, and | |
590 | it allows you to move the Emacs installation directory, without | |
591 | changing any environment or registry settings. | |
6bf7aab6 | 592 | @end table |
e428626a | 593 | |
afcca90b JR |
594 | @node MS-Windows Registry |
595 | @appendixsubsec The MS-Windows System Registry | |
596 | @pindex addpm, MS-Windows installation program | |
597 | @cindex registry, setting environment variables and resources on MS-Windows | |
598 | ||
599 | On MS-Windows, the installation program @command{addpm.exe} adds values | |
600 | for @env{emacs_dir}, @env{EMACSLOADPATH}, @env{EMACSDATA}, | |
601 | @env{EMACSPATH}, @env{EMACSDOC}, @env{SHELL} and @env{TERM} to the | |
602 | @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section of the system registry, under | |
603 | @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs}. It does this because there is no standard | |
604 | place to set environment variables across different versions of | |
605 | Windows. Running @command{addpm.exe} is no longer strictly | |
606 | necessary in recent versions of Emacs, but if you are upgrading from | |
607 | an older version, running @command{addpm.exe} ensures that you do not have | |
608 | older registry entries from a previous installation, which may not be | |
609 | compatible with the latest version of Emacs. | |
610 | ||
611 | When Emacs starts, as well as checking the environment, it also checks | |
612 | the System Registry for those variables and for @env{HOME}, @env{LANG} | |
613 | and @env{PRELOAD_WINSOCK}. | |
614 | ||
615 | To determine the value of those variables, Emacs goes through the | |
616 | following procedure. First, the environment is checked. If the | |
617 | variable is not found there, Emacs looks for registry keys by that | |
618 | name under @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs}; first in the | |
619 | @file{HKEY_CURRENT_USER} section of the registry, and if not found | |
620 | there, in the @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section. Finally, if Emacs | |
621 | still cannot determine the values, compiled-in defaults are used. | |
622 | ||
623 | In addition to the environment variables above, you can also add many | |
624 | of the settings which on X belong in the @file{.Xdefaults} file | |
625 | (@pxref{X Resources}) to the @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs} registry key. | |
626 | Settings you add to the @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section will affect | |
627 | all users of the machine. Settings you add to the | |
628 | @file{HKEY_CURRENT_USER} section will only affect you, and will | |
629 | override machine wide settings. | |
630 | ||
e428626a | 631 | @node Display X |
177c0ea7 | 632 | @appendixsec Specifying the Display Name |
e428626a RS |
633 | @cindex display name (X Window System) |
634 | @cindex @env{DISPLAY} environment variable | |
635 | ||
636 | The environment variable @env{DISPLAY} tells all X clients, including | |
637 | Emacs, where to display their windows. Its value is set by default | |
638 | in ordinary circumstances, when you start an X server and run jobs | |
639 | locally. Occasionally you may need to specify the display yourself; for | |
640 | example, if you do a remote login and want to run a client program | |
641 | remotely, displaying on your local screen. | |
642 | ||
643 | With Emacs, the main reason people change the default display is to | |
644 | let them log into another system, run Emacs on that system, but have the | |
645 | window displayed at their local terminal. You might need to log in | |
646 | to another system because the files you want to edit are there, or | |
647 | because the Emacs executable file you want to run is there. | |
648 | ||
649 | The syntax of the @env{DISPLAY} environment variable is | |
650 | @samp{@var{host}:@var{display}.@var{screen}}, where @var{host} is the | |
651 | host name of the X Window System server machine, @var{display} is an | |
652 | arbitrarily-assigned number that distinguishes your server (X terminal) | |
653 | from other servers on the same machine, and @var{screen} is a | |
654 | rarely-used field that allows an X server to control multiple terminal | |
655 | screens. The period and the @var{screen} field are optional. If | |
656 | included, @var{screen} is usually zero. | |
657 | ||
658 | For example, if your host is named @samp{glasperle} and your server is | |
659 | the first (or perhaps the only) server listed in the configuration, your | |
660 | @env{DISPLAY} is @samp{glasperle:0.0}. | |
661 | ||
662 | You can specify the display name explicitly when you run Emacs, either | |
663 | by changing the @env{DISPLAY} variable, or with the option @samp{-d | |
664 | @var{display}} or @samp{--display=@var{display}}. Here is an example: | |
665 | ||
666 | @smallexample | |
667 | emacs --display=glasperle:0 & | |
668 | @end smallexample | |
669 | ||
670 | You can inhibit the direct use of the window system and GUI with the | |
671 | @samp{-nw} option. It tells Emacs to display using ordinary ASCII on | |
672 | its controlling terminal. This is also an initial option. | |
673 | ||
674 | Sometimes, security arrangements prevent a program on a remote system | |
675 | from displaying on your local system. In this case, trying to run Emacs | |
676 | produces messages like this: | |
677 | ||
678 | @smallexample | |
679 | Xlib: connection to "glasperle:0.0" refused by server | |
680 | @end smallexample | |
681 | ||
682 | @noindent | |
afcca90b | 683 | You might be able to overcome this problem by using the @command{xhost} |
e428626a RS |
684 | command on the local system to give permission for access from your |
685 | remote machine. | |
686 | ||
687 | @node Font X | |
688 | @appendixsec Font Specification Options | |
689 | @cindex font name (X Window System) | |
690 | ||
691 | By default, Emacs displays text in the font named @samp{9x15}, which | |
692 | makes each character nine pixels wide and fifteen pixels high. You can | |
693 | specify a different font on your command line through the option | |
694 | @samp{-fn @var{name}} (or @samp{--font}, which is an alias for | |
695 | @samp{-fn}). | |
696 | ||
697 | @table @samp | |
698 | @item -fn @var{name} | |
699 | @opindex -fn | |
700 | @itemx --font=@var{name} | |
701 | @opindex --font | |
702 | @cindex specify default font from the command line | |
703 | Use font @var{name} as the default font. | |
704 | @end table | |
705 | ||
706 | Under X, each font has a long name which consists of eleven words or | |
707 | numbers, separated by dashes. Some fonts also have shorter | |
708 | nicknames---@samp{9x15} is such a nickname. You can use either kind of | |
709 | name. You can use wildcard patterns for the font name; then Emacs lets | |
710 | X choose one of the fonts that match the pattern. Here is an example, | |
711 | which happens to specify the font whose nickname is @samp{6x13}: | |
712 | ||
713 | @smallexample | |
eca274b1 RS |
714 | emacs -fn \ |
715 | "-misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-*-*-*-c-60-iso8859-1" & | |
e428626a RS |
716 | @end smallexample |
717 | ||
718 | @noindent | |
719 | You can also specify the font in your @file{.Xdefaults} file: | |
720 | ||
721 | @smallexample | |
722 | emacs.font: -misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-*-*-*-c-60-iso8859-1 | |
723 | @end smallexample | |
724 | ||
725 | A long font name has the following form: | |
726 | ||
727 | @smallexample | |
728 | -@var{maker}-@var{family}-@var{weight}-@var{slant}-@var{widthtype}-@var{style}@dots{} | |
729 | @dots{}-@var{pixels}-@var{height}-@var{horiz}-@var{vert}-@var{spacing}-@var{width}-@var{charset} | |
730 | @end smallexample | |
731 | ||
732 | @table @var | |
733 | @item maker | |
734 | This is the name of the font manufacturer. | |
735 | @item family | |
736 | This is the name of the font family---for example, @samp{courier}. | |
737 | @item weight | |
738 | This is normally @samp{bold}, @samp{medium} or @samp{light}. Other | |
739 | words may appear here in some font names. | |
740 | @item slant | |
741 | This is @samp{r} (roman), @samp{i} (italic), @samp{o} (oblique), | |
742 | @samp{ri} (reverse italic), or @samp{ot} (other). | |
743 | @item widthtype | |
744 | This is normally @samp{condensed}, @samp{extended}, @samp{semicondensed} | |
745 | or @samp{normal}. Other words may appear here in some font names. | |
746 | @item style | |
747 | This is an optional additional style name. Usually it is empty---most | |
748 | long font names have two hyphens in a row at this point. | |
749 | @item pixels | |
750 | This is the font height, in pixels. | |
751 | @item height | |
752 | This is the font height on the screen, measured in tenths of a printer's | |
753 | point---approximately 1/720 of an inch. In other words, it is the point | |
754 | size of the font, times ten. For a given vertical resolution, | |
755 | @var{height} and @var{pixels} are proportional; therefore, it is common | |
756 | to specify just one of them and use @samp{*} for the other. | |
757 | @item horiz | |
758 | This is the horizontal resolution, in pixels per inch, of the screen for | |
759 | which the font is intended. | |
760 | @item vert | |
761 | This is the vertical resolution, in pixels per inch, of the screen for | |
762 | which the font is intended. Normally the resolution of the fonts on | |
763 | your system is the right value for your screen; therefore, you normally | |
764 | specify @samp{*} for this and @var{horiz}. | |
765 | @item spacing | |
766 | This is @samp{m} (monospace), @samp{p} (proportional) or @samp{c} | |
767 | (character cell). | |
768 | @item width | |
769 | This is the average character width, in pixels, multiplied by ten. | |
770 | @item charset | |
771 | This is the character set that the font depicts. | |
772 | Normally you should use @samp{iso8859-1}. | |
773 | @end table | |
774 | ||
775 | @cindex listing system fonts | |
776 | You will probably want to use a fixed-width default font---that is, | |
777 | a font in which all characters have the same width. Any font with | |
778 | @samp{m} or @samp{c} in the @var{spacing} field of the long name is a | |
afcca90b | 779 | fixed-width font. Here's how to use the @command{xlsfonts} program to |
e428626a RS |
780 | list all the fixed-width fonts available on your system: |
781 | ||
782 | @example | |
783 | xlsfonts -fn '*x*' | egrep "^[0-9]+x[0-9]+" | |
784 | xlsfonts -fn '*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-m*' | |
785 | xlsfonts -fn '*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-c*' | |
786 | @end example | |
787 | ||
788 | @noindent | |
afcca90b | 789 | To see what a particular font looks like, use the @command{xfd} command. |
e428626a RS |
790 | For example: |
791 | ||
792 | @example | |
793 | xfd -fn 6x13 | |
794 | @end example | |
795 | ||
796 | @noindent | |
797 | displays the entire font @samp{6x13}. | |
798 | ||
799 | While running Emacs, you can set the font of the current frame | |
800 | (@pxref{Frame Parameters}) or for a specific kind of text | |
801 | (@pxref{Faces}). | |
802 | ||
e15044ea | 803 | @node Colors |
e428626a RS |
804 | @appendixsec Window Color Options |
805 | @cindex color of window | |
806 | @cindex text colors, from command line | |
807 | ||
808 | @findex list-colors-display | |
809 | @cindex available colors | |
810 | On a color display, you can specify which color to use for various | |
811 | parts of the Emacs display. To find out what colors are available on | |
812 | your system, type @kbd{M-x list-colors-display}, or press | |
813 | @kbd{C-Mouse-2} and select @samp{Display Colors} from the pop-up menu. | |
814 | If you do not specify colors, on windowed displays the default for the | |
815 | background is white and the default for all other colors is black. On a | |
816 | monochrome display, the foreground is black, the background is white, | |
817 | and the border is gray if the display supports that. On terminals, the | |
818 | background is usually black and the foreground is white. | |
819 | ||
820 | Here is a list of the command-line options for specifying colors: | |
821 | ||
822 | @table @samp | |
823 | @item -fg @var{color} | |
824 | @opindex -fg | |
825 | @itemx --foreground-color=@var{color} | |
826 | @opindex --foreground-color | |
827 | @cindex foreground color, command-line argument | |
828 | Specify the foreground color. @var{color} should be a standard color | |
829 | name, or a numeric specification of the color's red, green, and blue | |
830 | components as in @samp{#4682B4} or @samp{RGB:46/82/B4}. | |
831 | @item -bg @var{color} | |
832 | @opindex -bg | |
833 | @itemx --background-color=@var{color} | |
834 | @opindex --background-color | |
835 | @cindex background color, command-line argument | |
836 | Specify the background color. | |
837 | @item -bd @var{color} | |
838 | @opindex -bd | |
839 | @itemx --border-color=@var{color} | |
840 | @opindex --border-color | |
841 | @cindex border color, command-line argument | |
842 | Specify the color of the border of the X window. | |
843 | @item -cr @var{color} | |
844 | @opindex -cr | |
845 | @itemx --cursor-color=@var{color} | |
846 | @opindex --cursor-color | |
847 | @cindex cursor color, command-line argument | |
848 | Specify the color of the Emacs cursor which indicates where point is. | |
849 | @item -ms @var{color} | |
850 | @opindex -ms | |
851 | @itemx --mouse-color=@var{color} | |
852 | @opindex --mouse-color | |
853 | @cindex mouse pointer color, command-line argument | |
854 | Specify the color for the mouse cursor when the mouse is in the Emacs window. | |
855 | @item -r | |
856 | @opindex -r | |
857 | @itemx -rv | |
858 | @opindex -rv | |
859 | @itemx --reverse-video | |
860 | @opindex --reverse-video | |
861 | @cindex reverse video, command-line argument | |
862 | Reverse video---swap the foreground and background colors. | |
e15044ea EZ |
863 | @item --color=@var{mode} |
864 | @opindex --color | |
865 | @cindex standard colors on a character terminal | |
866 | For a character terminal only, specify the mode of color support. The | |
867 | parameter @var{mode} can be one of the following: | |
868 | @table @samp | |
869 | @item never | |
870 | @itemx no | |
871 | Don't use colors even if the terminal's capabilities specify color | |
872 | support. | |
873 | @item default | |
874 | @itemx auto | |
875 | Same as when @option{--color} is not used at all: Emacs detects at | |
876 | startup whether the terminal supports colors, and if it does, turns on | |
877 | colored display. | |
878 | @item always | |
879 | @itemx yes | |
880 | @itemx ansi8 | |
881 | Turn on the color support unconditionally, and use color commands | |
882 | specified by the ANSI escape sequences for the 8 standard colors. | |
883 | @item @var{num} | |
884 | Use color mode for @var{num} colors. If @var{num} is -1, turn off | |
885 | color support (equivalent to @samp{never}); if it is 0, use the | |
886 | default color support for this terminal (equivalent to @samp{auto}); | |
887 | otherwise use an appropriate standard mode for @var{num} colors. If | |
888 | there is no mode that supports @var{num} colors, Emacs acts as if | |
889 | @var{num} were 0, i.e.@: it uses the terminal's default color support | |
890 | mode. | |
891 | @end table | |
892 | If @var{mode} is omitted, it defaults to @var{ansi8}. | |
e428626a RS |
893 | @end table |
894 | ||
895 | For example, to use a coral mouse cursor and a slate blue text cursor, | |
896 | enter: | |
897 | ||
898 | @example | |
899 | emacs -ms coral -cr 'slate blue' & | |
900 | @end example | |
901 | ||
902 | You can reverse the foreground and background colors through the | |
903 | @samp{-rv} option or with the X resource @samp{reverseVideo}. | |
904 | ||
905 | The @samp{-fg}, @samp{-bg}, and @samp{-rv} options function on | |
906 | text-only terminals as well as on window systems. | |
907 | ||
908 | @node Window Size X | |
d7beb4c9 | 909 | @appendixsec Options for Window Size and Position |
e428626a RS |
910 | @cindex geometry of Emacs window |
911 | @cindex position and size of Emacs frame | |
912 | @cindex width and height of Emacs frame | |
d7beb4c9 | 913 | @cindex specifying fullscreen for Emacs frame |
e428626a | 914 | |
d7beb4c9 | 915 | Here is a list of the command-line options for specifying size and |
177c0ea7 | 916 | position of the initial Emacs frame: |
e428626a RS |
917 | |
918 | @table @samp | |
919 | @item -g @var{width}x@var{height}@r{[@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}@r{]]} | |
920 | @opindex -g | |
26f17e6a | 921 | Specify the size @var{width} and @var{height} (measured in character |
e428626a | 922 | columns and lines), and positions @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} |
26f17e6a | 923 | (measured in pixels). This applies to all frames. |
e428626a RS |
924 | |
925 | @item --geometry=@var{width}x@var{height}@r{[@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}@r{]]} | |
926 | @opindex --geometry | |
927 | This is another way of writing the same thing. | |
d7beb4c9 EZ |
928 | |
929 | @item -fs | |
930 | @opindex -fs | |
931 | @itemx --fullscreen | |
932 | @opindex --fullscreen | |
933 | @cindex fullscreen, command-line argument | |
934 | Specify that width and height shall be the size of the screen. | |
935 | ||
936 | @item -fh | |
937 | @opindex -fh | |
938 | @itemx --fullheight | |
939 | @opindex --fullheight | |
940 | @cindex fullheight, command-line argument | |
941 | Specify that the height shall be the height of the screen. | |
942 | ||
943 | @item -fw | |
944 | @opindex -fw | |
945 | @itemx --fullwidth | |
946 | @opindex --fullwidth | |
947 | @cindex fullwidth, command-line argument | |
948 | Specify that the width shall be the width of the screen. | |
e428626a RS |
949 | @end table |
950 | ||
d7beb4c9 | 951 | |
e428626a | 952 | @noindent |
d7beb4c9 EZ |
953 | In the @samp{--geometry} option, @code{@r{@{}+-@r{@}}} means either a plus |
954 | sign or a minus sign. A plus | |
e428626a RS |
955 | sign before @var{xoffset} means it is the distance from the left side of |
956 | the screen; a minus sign means it counts from the right side. A plus | |
957 | sign before @var{yoffset} means it is the distance from the top of the | |
958 | screen, and a minus sign there indicates the distance from the bottom. | |
959 | The values @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} may themselves be positive or | |
960 | negative, but that doesn't change their meaning, only their direction. | |
961 | ||
afcca90b | 962 | Emacs uses the same units as @command{xterm} does to interpret the geometry. |
e428626a RS |
963 | The @var{width} and @var{height} are measured in characters, so a large font |
964 | creates a larger frame than a small font. (If you specify a proportional | |
965 | font, Emacs uses its maximum bounds width as the width unit.) The | |
966 | @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} are measured in pixels. | |
967 | ||
e428626a | 968 | You do not have to specify all of the fields in the geometry |
5e24bf12 RS |
969 | specification. If you omit both @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset}, the |
970 | window manager decides where to put the Emacs frame, possibly by | |
971 | letting you place it with the mouse. For example, @samp{164x55} | |
972 | specifies a window 164 columns wide, enough for two ordinary width | |
973 | windows side by side, and 55 lines tall. | |
e428626a RS |
974 | |
975 | The default width for Emacs is 80 characters and the default height is | |
976 | 40 lines. You can omit either the width or the height or both. If | |
977 | you start the geometry with an integer, Emacs interprets it as the | |
978 | width. If you start with an @samp{x} followed by an integer, Emacs | |
979 | interprets it as the height. Thus, @samp{81} specifies just the width; | |
980 | @samp{x45} specifies just the height. | |
981 | ||
982 | If you start with @samp{+} or @samp{-}, that introduces an offset, | |
983 | which means both sizes are omitted. Thus, @samp{-3} specifies the | |
984 | @var{xoffset} only. (If you give just one offset, it is always | |
985 | @var{xoffset}.) @samp{+3-3} specifies both the @var{xoffset} and the | |
986 | @var{yoffset}, placing the frame near the bottom left of the screen. | |
987 | ||
988 | You can specify a default for any or all of the fields in | |
989 | @file{.Xdefaults} file, and then override selected fields with a | |
990 | @samp{--geometry} option. | |
991 | ||
5e24bf12 RS |
992 | Since the mode line and the echo area occupy the last 2 lines of the |
993 | frame, the height of the initial text window is 2 less than the height | |
994 | specified in your geometry. In non-X-toolkit versions of Emacs, the | |
995 | menu bar also takes one line of the specified number. But in the X | |
996 | toolkit version, the menu bar is additional and does not count against | |
997 | the specified height. The tool bar, if present, is also additional. | |
d7beb4c9 | 998 | |
5e24bf12 RS |
999 | Enabling or disabling the menu bar or tool bar alters the amount of |
1000 | space available for ordinary text. Therefore, if Emacs starts up with | |
1001 | a tool bar (which is the default), and handles the geometry | |
1002 | specification assuming there is a tool bar, and then your | |
1003 | @file{~/.emacs} file disables the tool bar, you will end up with a | |
1004 | frame geometry different from what you asked for. To get the intended | |
1005 | size with no tool bar, use an X resource to specify ``no tool bar'' | |
1006 | (@pxref{Table of Resources});then Emacs will already know there's no | |
1007 | tool bar when it processes the specified geometry. | |
1008 | ||
1009 | When using one of @samp{--fullscreen}, @samp{--fullwidth} or | |
d7beb4c9 EZ |
1010 | @samp{--fullheight} there may be some space around the frame |
1011 | anyway. That is because Emacs rounds the sizes so they are an | |
1012 | even number of character heights and widths. | |
1013 | ||
1014 | Some window managers have options that can make them ignore both | |
1015 | program-specified and user-specified positions (sawfish is one). | |
1016 | If these are set, Emacs fails to position the window correctly. | |
1017 | ||
e428626a RS |
1018 | @node Borders X |
1019 | @appendixsec Internal and External Borders | |
1020 | @cindex borders (X Window System) | |
1021 | ||
1022 | An Emacs frame has an internal border and an external border. The | |
1023 | internal border is an extra strip of the background color around the | |
1024 | text portion of the frame. Emacs itself draws the internal border. | |
1025 | The external border is added by the window manager outside the frame; | |
1026 | depending on the window manager you use, it may contain various boxes | |
1027 | you can click on to move or iconify the window. | |
1028 | ||
1029 | @table @samp | |
1030 | @item -ib @var{width} | |
1031 | @opindex -ib | |
1032 | @itemx --internal-border=@var{width} | |
1033 | @opindex --internal-border | |
1034 | @cindex border width, command-line argument | |
1035 | Specify @var{width} as the width of the internal border, in pixels. | |
1036 | ||
1037 | @item -bw @var{width} | |
1038 | @opindex -bw | |
1039 | @itemx --border-width=@var{width} | |
1040 | @opindex --border-width | |
1041 | Specify @var{width} as the width of the main border, in pixels. | |
1042 | @end table | |
1043 | ||
1044 | When you specify the size of the frame, that does not count the | |
1045 | borders. The frame's position is measured from the outside edge of the | |
1046 | external border. | |
1047 | ||
1048 | Use the @samp{-ib @var{n}} option to specify an internal border | |
1049 | @var{n} pixels wide. The default is 1. Use @samp{-bw @var{n}} to | |
1050 | specify the width of the external border (though the window manager may | |
1051 | not pay attention to what you specify). The default width of the | |
1052 | external border is 2. | |
1053 | ||
1054 | @node Title X | |
1055 | @appendixsec Frame Titles | |
1056 | ||
1057 | An Emacs frame may or may not have a specified title. The frame | |
1058 | title, if specified, appears in window decorations and icons as the | |
1059 | name of the frame. If an Emacs frame has no specified title, the | |
1060 | default title has the form @samp{@var{invocation-name}@@@var{machine}} | |
1061 | (if there is only one frame) or the selected window's buffer name (if | |
1062 | there is more than one frame). | |
1063 | ||
1064 | You can specify a title for the initial Emacs frame with a command | |
1065 | line option: | |
1066 | ||
1067 | @table @samp | |
1068 | @item -title @var{title} | |
1069 | @opindex --title | |
1070 | @itemx --title=@var{title} | |
1071 | @itemx -T @var{title} | |
1072 | @opindex -T | |
1073 | @cindex frame title, command-line argument | |
1074 | Specify @var{title} as the title for the initial Emacs frame. | |
1075 | @end table | |
1076 | ||
186e9bcc | 1077 | The @samp{--name} option (@pxref{Resources}) also specifies the title |
e428626a RS |
1078 | for the initial Emacs frame. |
1079 | ||
1080 | @node Icons X | |
1081 | @appendixsec Icons | |
1082 | @cindex icons (X Window System) | |
1083 | ||
1084 | Most window managers allow the user to ``iconify'' a frame, removing | |
1085 | it from sight, and leaving a small, distinctive ``icon'' window in its | |
1086 | place. Clicking on the icon window makes the frame itself appear again. | |
1087 | If you have many clients running at once, you can avoid cluttering up | |
1088 | the screen by iconifying most of the clients. | |
1089 | ||
1090 | @table @samp | |
1091 | @item -i | |
1092 | @opindex -i | |
1093 | @itemx --icon-type | |
1094 | @opindex --icon-type | |
1095 | @cindex Emacs icon, a gnu | |
1096 | Use a picture of a gnu as the Emacs icon. | |
1097 | ||
1098 | @item -iconic | |
1099 | @opindex --iconic | |
1100 | @itemx --iconic | |
1101 | @cindex start iconified, command-line argument | |
1102 | Start Emacs in iconified state. | |
1103 | @end table | |
1104 | ||
1105 | The @samp{-i} or @samp{--icon-type} option tells Emacs to use an icon | |
1106 | window containing a picture of the GNU gnu. If omitted, Emacs lets the | |
1107 | window manager choose what sort of icon to use---usually just a small | |
1108 | rectangle containing the frame's title. | |
1109 | ||
1110 | The @samp{-iconic} option tells Emacs to begin running as an icon, | |
1111 | rather than showing a frame right away. In this situation, the icon | |
1112 | is the only indication that Emacs has started; the text frame doesn't | |
1113 | appear until you deiconify it. |