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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 | |
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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{-}. | |
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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 | |
52 | exit Emacs. These are called @dfn{action options}. These and file | |
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. | |
63 | ||
64 | * Display X:: Changing the default display and using remote login. | |
65 | * Font X:: Choosing a font for text, under X. | |
66 | * Colors X:: Choosing colors, under X. | |
67 | * Window Size X:: Start-up window size, under X. | |
68 | * Borders X:: Internal and external borders, under X. | |
69 | * Title X:: Specifying the initial frame's title. | |
70 | * Icons X:: Choosing what sort of icon to use, under X. | |
71 | * Resources X:: Advanced use of classes and resources, under X. | |
72 | * Lucid Resources:: X resources for Lucid menus. | |
9c3aede4 | 73 | * LessTif Resources:: X resources for LessTif and Motif menus. |
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74 | @end menu |
75 | ||
76 | @node Action Arguments | |
77 | @appendixsec Action Arguments | |
78 | ||
79 | Here is a table of the action arguments and options: | |
80 | ||
81 | @table @samp | |
82 | @item @var{file} | |
a8575fe5 | 83 | @opindex --visit |
ec22060b | 84 | @itemx --visit=@var{file} |
a8575fe5 | 85 | @opindex --file |
ec22060b | 86 | @itemx --file=@var{file} |
a8575fe5 | 87 | @cindex visiting files, command-line argument |
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88 | Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}. @xref{Visiting}. |
89 | ||
90 | @item +@var{linenum} @var{file} | |
a8575fe5 | 91 | @opindex +@var{linenum} |
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92 | Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number |
93 | @var{linenum} in it. | |
94 | ||
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95 | @item +@var{linenum}:@var{columnnum} @var{file} |
96 | @opindex +@var{linenum}:@var{columnnum} | |
97 | Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number | |
98 | @var{linenum} in it, and move to column number @var{columnnum}. | |
99 | ||
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100 | @need 3000 |
101 | @item -l @var{file} | |
a8575fe5 | 102 | @opindex -l |
6bf7aab6 | 103 | @itemx --load=@var{file} |
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104 | @opindex --load |
105 | @cindex loading Lisp libraries, command-line argument | |
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106 | Load a Lisp library named @var{file} with the function @code{load}. |
107 | @xref{Lisp Libraries}. The library can be found either in the current | |
108 | directory, or in the Emacs library search path as specified | |
60a96371 | 109 | with @env{EMACSLOADPATH} (@pxref{General Variables}). |
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110 | |
111 | @item -f @var{function} | |
a8575fe5 | 112 | @opindex -f |
6bf7aab6 | 113 | @itemx --funcall=@var{function} |
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114 | @opindex --funcall |
115 | @cindex call Lisp functions, command-line argument | |
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116 | Call Lisp function @var{function} with no arguments. |
117 | ||
ec22060b | 118 | @item --eval=@var{expression} |
a8575fe5 | 119 | @opindex --eval |
ec22060b | 120 | @itemx --execute=@var{expression} |
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121 | @opindex --execute |
122 | @cindex evaluate expression, command-line argument | |
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123 | Evaluate Lisp expression @var{expression}. |
124 | ||
125 | @item --insert=@var{file} | |
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126 | @opindex --insert |
127 | @cindex insert file contents, command-line argument | |
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128 | Insert the contents of @var{file} into the current buffer. This is like |
129 | what @kbd{M-x insert-file} does. @xref{Misc File Ops}. | |
130 | ||
131 | @item --kill | |
a8575fe5 | 132 | @opindex --kill |
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133 | Exit from Emacs without asking for confirmation. |
134 | @end table | |
135 | ||
136 | @vindex command-line-args | |
137 | The init file can access the values of the action arguments as the | |
138 | elements of a list in the variable @code{command-line-args}. The init | |
139 | file can override the normal processing of the action arguments, or | |
140 | define new ones, by reading and setting this variable. | |
141 | ||
142 | @node Initial Options | |
143 | @appendixsec Initial Options | |
144 | ||
145 | The initial options specify parameters for the Emacs session. This | |
146 | section describes the more general initial options; some other options | |
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147 | specifically related to the X Window System appear in the following |
148 | sections. | |
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149 | |
150 | Some initial options affect the loading of init files. The normal | |
151 | actions of Emacs are to first load @file{site-start.el} if it exists, | |
152 | then your own init file @file{~/.emacs} if it exists, and finally | |
153 | @file{default.el} if it exists; certain options prevent loading of some | |
154 | of these files or substitute other files for them. | |
155 | ||
156 | @table @samp | |
157 | @item -t @var{device} | |
a8575fe5 | 158 | @opindex -t |
6bf7aab6 | 159 | @itemx --terminal=@var{device} |
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160 | @opindex --terminal |
161 | @cindex device for Emacs terminal I/O | |
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162 | Use @var{device} as the device for terminal input and output. |
163 | ||
164 | @item -d @var{display} | |
a8575fe5 | 165 | @opindex -d |
6bf7aab6 | 166 | @itemx --display=@var{display} |
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167 | @opindex --display |
168 | @cindex display for Emacs frame | |
6bf7aab6 | 169 | Use the X Window System and use the display named @var{display} to open |
a8575fe5 | 170 | the initial Emacs frame. @xref{Display X}, for more details. |
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171 | |
172 | @item -nw | |
a8575fe5 | 173 | @opindex -nw |
6bf7aab6 | 174 | @itemx --no-windows |
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175 | @opindex --no-windows |
176 | @cindex disable window system | |
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177 | Don't communicate directly with the window system, disregarding the |
178 | @env{DISPLAY} environment variable even if it is set. This forces Emacs | |
e5ccb260 | 179 | to run as if the display were a text-only terminal. |
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180 | |
181 | @need 3000 | |
182 | @cindex batch mode | |
183 | @item -batch | |
a8575fe5 | 184 | @opindex --batch |
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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 | |
189 | batch mode outputs to @code{stderr} only what would normally be printed | |
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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}. | |
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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 | ||
198 | @samp{-batch} implies @samp{-q} (do not load an init file). It also causes | |
199 | Emacs to kill itself after all command options have been processed. In | |
200 | addition, auto-saving is not done except in buffers for which it has been | |
201 | explicitly requested. | |
202 | ||
203 | @item -q | |
a8575fe5 | 204 | @opindex -q |
6bf7aab6 | 205 | @itemx --no-init-file |
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206 | @opindex --no-init-file |
207 | @cindex bypassing init and site-start file | |
208 | @cindex init file, not loading | |
3b703ce9 | 209 | @cindex @file{default.el} file, not loading |
6bf7aab6 | 210 | Do not load your Emacs init file @file{~/.emacs}, or @file{default.el} |
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211 | either. When invoked like this, Emacs does not allow to save options |
212 | changed with the @kbd{M-x customize} command and its variants. | |
213 | @xref{Easy Customization}. | |
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214 | |
215 | @item --no-site-file | |
a8575fe5 | 216 | @opindex --no-site-file |
3b703ce9 | 217 | @cindex @file{site-start.el} file, not loading |
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218 | Do not load @file{site-start.el}. The options @samp{-q}, @samp{-u} |
219 | and @samp{-batch} have no effect on the loading of this file---this is | |
220 | the only option that blocks it. | |
221 | ||
222 | @item -u @var{user} | |
a8575fe5 | 223 | @opindex -u |
6bf7aab6 | 224 | @itemx --user=@var{user} |
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225 | @opindex --user |
226 | @cindex load init file of another user | |
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227 | Load @var{user}'s Emacs init file @file{~@var{user}/.emacs} instead of |
228 | your own. | |
229 | ||
230 | @item --debug-init | |
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231 | @opindex --debug-init |
232 | @cindex errors in init file | |
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233 | Enable the Emacs Lisp debugger for errors in the init file. |
234 | ||
235 | @item --unibyte | |
a8575fe5 | 236 | @opindex --unibyte |
56bfaffd | 237 | @cindex unibyte operation, command-line argument |
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238 | Set up to do almost everything with single-byte buffers and strings. |
239 | All buffers and strings are unibyte unless you (or a Lisp program) | |
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240 | explicitly ask for a multibyte buffer or string. (Note that Emacs |
241 | always loads Lisp files in multibyte mode, even if @samp{--unibyte} is | |
242 | specified; see @ref{Enabling Multibyte}.) Setting the environment | |
243 | variable @env{EMACS_UNIBYTE} has the same effect. | |
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244 | |
245 | @item --multibyte | |
a8575fe5 | 246 | @opindex --multibyte |
60a96371 | 247 | Inhibit the effect of @env{EMACS_UNIBYTE}, so that Emacs |
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248 | uses multibyte characters by default, as usual. |
249 | @end table | |
250 | ||
251 | @node Command Example | |
252 | @appendixsec Command Argument Example | |
253 | ||
254 | Here is an example of using Emacs with arguments and options. It | |
255 | assumes you have a Lisp program file called @file{hack-c.el} which, when | |
256 | loaded, performs some useful operation on the current buffer, expected | |
257 | to be a C program. | |
258 | ||
259 | @example | |
260 | emacs -batch foo.c -l hack-c -f save-buffer >& log | |
261 | @end example | |
262 | ||
263 | @noindent | |
264 | This says to visit @file{foo.c}, load @file{hack-c.el} (which makes | |
265 | changes in the visited file), save @file{foo.c} (note that | |
266 | @code{save-buffer} is the function that @kbd{C-x C-s} is bound to), and | |
267 | then exit back to the shell (because of @samp{-batch}). @samp{-batch} | |
268 | also guarantees there will be no problem redirecting output to | |
269 | @file{log}, because Emacs will not assume that it has a display terminal | |
270 | to work with. | |
271 | ||
272 | @node Resume Arguments | |
273 | @appendixsec Resuming Emacs with Arguments | |
274 | ||
275 | You can specify action arguments for Emacs when you resume it after | |
276 | a suspension. To prepare for this, put the following code in your | |
277 | @file{.emacs} file (@pxref{Hooks}): | |
278 | ||
515d3b4b | 279 | @c `resume-suspend-hook' is correct. It is the name of a function. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
280 | @example |
281 | (add-hook 'suspend-hook 'resume-suspend-hook) | |
282 | (add-hook 'suspend-resume-hook 'resume-process-args) | |
283 | @end example | |
284 | ||
285 | As further preparation, you must execute the shell script | |
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286 | @file{emacs.csh} (if you use csh as your shell) or @file{emacs.bash} |
287 | (if you use bash as your shell). These scripts define an alias named | |
6bf7aab6 | 288 | @code{edit}, which will resume Emacs giving it new command line |
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289 | arguments such as files to visit. The scripts are found in the |
290 | @file{etc} subdirectory of the Emacs distribution. | |
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291 | |
292 | Only action arguments work properly when you resume Emacs. Initial | |
293 | arguments are not recognized---it's too late to execute them anyway. | |
294 | ||
295 | Note that resuming Emacs (with or without arguments) must be done from | |
296 | within the shell that is the parent of the Emacs job. This is why | |
297 | @code{edit} is an alias rather than a program or a shell script. It is | |
298 | not possible to implement a resumption command that could be run from | |
299 | other subjobs of the shell; no way to define a command that could be | |
60a96371 | 300 | made the value of @env{EDITOR}, for example. Therefore, this feature |
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301 | does not take the place of the Emacs Server feature (@pxref{Emacs |
302 | Server}). | |
303 | ||
304 | The aliases use the Emacs Server feature if you appear to have a | |
305 | server Emacs running. However, they cannot determine this with complete | |
306 | accuracy. They may think that a server is still running when in | |
307 | actuality you have killed that Emacs, because the file | |
515d3b4b | 308 | @file{/tmp/esrv@dots{}} still exists. If this happens, find that |
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309 | file and delete it. |
310 | ||
311 | @node Environment | |
312 | @appendixsec Environment Variables | |
313 | @cindex environment variables | |
314 | ||
4b1ad19a RS |
315 | The @dfn{environment} is a feature of the operating system; it |
316 | consists of a collection of variables with names and values. Each | |
317 | variable is called an @dfn{environment variable}; environment variable | |
318 | names are case-sensitive, and it is conventional to use upper case | |
319 | letters only. The values are all text strings. | |
6bf7aab6 | 320 | |
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321 | What makes the environment useful is that subprocesses inherit the |
322 | environment automatically from their parent process. This means you | |
323 | can set up an environment variable in your login shell, and all the | |
324 | programs you run (including Emacs) will automatically see it. | |
325 | Subprocesses of Emacs (such as shells, compilers, and version-control | |
326 | software) inherit the environment from Emacs, too. | |
327 | ||
328 | @findex setenv | |
329 | @findex getenv | |
330 | Inside Emacs, the command @kbd{M-x getenv} gets the value of an | |
331 | environment variable. @kbd{M-x setenv} sets a variable in the Emacs | |
332 | environment. The way to set environment variables outside of Emacs | |
333 | depends on the operating system, and especially the shell that you are | |
334 | using. For example, here's how to set the environment variable | |
335 | @env{ORGANIZATION} to @samp{not very much} using Bash: | |
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336 | |
337 | @example | |
338 | export ORGANIZATION="not very much" | |
339 | @end example | |
340 | ||
341 | @noindent | |
342 | and here's how to do it in csh or tcsh: | |
343 | ||
344 | @example | |
345 | setenv ORGANIZATION "not very much" | |
346 | @end example | |
347 | ||
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348 | When Emacs is set-up to use the X Window System, it inherits the use |
349 | of a large number of environment variables from the X libraries. See | |
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350 | the X documentation for more information. |
351 | ||
352 | @menu | |
353 | * General Variables:: Environment variables that all versions of Emacs use. | |
354 | * Misc Variables:: Certain system-specific variables. | |
355 | @end menu | |
356 | ||
357 | @node General Variables | |
358 | @appendixsubsec General Variables | |
359 | ||
4b1ad19a RS |
360 | Here is an alphabetical list of specific environment variables that |
361 | have special meanings in Emacs, giving the name of each variable and | |
362 | its meaning. Most of these variables are also used by some other | |
363 | programs. Emacs does not require any of these environment variables | |
364 | to be set, but it uses their values if they are set. | |
365 | ||
60a96371 | 366 | @table @env |
f51e949c | 367 | @item CDPATH |
6bf7aab6 DL |
368 | Used by the @code{cd} command to search for the directory you specify, |
369 | when you specify a relative directory name. | |
6bf7aab6 | 370 | @item EMACS_UNIBYTE |
56bfaffd | 371 | @cindex unibyte operation, environment variable |
4b1ad19a RS |
372 | Defining this environment variable with a nonempty value directs Emacs |
373 | to do almost everything with single-byte buffers and strings. It is | |
374 | equivalent to using the @samp{--unibyte} command-line option on each | |
375 | invocation. @xref{Initial Options}. | |
6bf7aab6 | 376 | @item EMACSDATA |
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377 | Directory for the architecture-independent files that come with Emacs. |
378 | This is used to initialize the Lisp variable @code{data-directory}. | |
18a349f5 | 379 | @item EMACSDOC |
4b1ad19a RS |
380 | Directory for the documentation string file, |
381 | @file{DOC-@var{emacsversion}}. This is used to initialize the Lisp | |
b389557a | 382 | variable @code{doc-directory}. |
6bf7aab6 | 383 | @item EMACSLOADPATH |
5d9b65e0 EZ |
384 | A colon-separated list of directories@footnote{ |
385 | Here and below, whenever we say ``colon-separated list of directories'', | |
386 | it pertains to Unix and GNU/Linux systems. On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, | |
387 | the directories are separated by semi-colons instead, since DOS/Windows | |
388 | file names might include a colon after a drive letter.} | |
389 | to search for Emacs Lisp files---used to initialize @code{load-path}. | |
6bf7aab6 | 390 | @item EMACSPATH |
4b1ad19a RS |
391 | A colon-separated list of directories to search for executable |
392 | files---used to initialize @code{exec-path}. | |
6bf7aab6 | 393 | @item ESHELL |
60a96371 | 394 | Used for shell-mode to override the @env{SHELL} environment variable. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
395 | @item HISTFILE |
396 | The name of the file that shell commands are saved in between logins. | |
ec22060b EZ |
397 | This variable defaults to @file{~/.bash_history} if you use Bash, to |
398 | @file{~/.sh_history} if you use ksh, and to @file{~/.history} | |
399 | otherwise. | |
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400 | @item HOME |
401 | The location of the user's files in the directory tree; used for | |
402 | expansion of file names starting with a tilde (@file{~}). On MS-DOS, it | |
403 | defaults to the directory from which Emacs was started, with @samp{/bin} | |
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404 | removed from the end if it was present. On Windows, the default value |
405 | of @code{HOME} is @file{C:/}, the root directory of drive @file{C:}. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
406 | @item HOSTNAME |
407 | The name of the machine that Emacs is running on. | |
408 | @item INCPATH | |
409 | A colon-separated list of directories. Used by the @code{complete} package | |
410 | to search for files. | |
411 | @item INFOPATH | |
b389557a | 412 | A colon-separated list of directories in which to search for Info files. |
fbc164de | 413 | @item LC_ALL |
9c6251b6 | 414 | @itemx LC_COLLATE |
6bf7aab6 | 415 | @itemx LC_CTYPE |
9c6251b6 EZ |
416 | @itemx LC_MESSAGES |
417 | @itemx LC_MONETARY | |
418 | @itemx LC_NUMERIC | |
419 | @itemx LC_TIME | |
fbc164de | 420 | @itemx LANG |
9c6251b6 EZ |
421 | The user's preferred locale. The locale has six categories, specified |
422 | by the environment variables @env{LC_COLLATE} for sorting, | |
423 | @env{LC_CTYPE} for character encoding, @env{LC_MESSAGES} for system | |
424 | messages, @env{LC_MONETARY} for monetary formats, @env{LC_NUMERIC} for | |
425 | numbers, and @env{LC_TIME} for dates and times. If one of these | |
426 | variables is not set, the category defaults to the value of the | |
427 | @env{LANG} environment variable, or to the default @samp{C} locale if | |
428 | @env{LANG} is not set. But if @env{LC_ALL} is specified, it overrides | |
429 | the settings of all the other locale environment variables. | |
430 | ||
431 | The value of the LC_CTYPE category is | |
4b1ad19a | 432 | matched against entries in @code{locale-language-names}, |
fbc164de | 433 | @code{locale-charset-language-names}, and |
4b1ad19a RS |
434 | @code{locale-preferred-coding-systems}, to select a default language |
435 | environment and coding system. @xref{Language Environments}. | |
6bf7aab6 | 436 | @item LOGNAME |
60a96371 | 437 | The user's login name. See also @env{USER}. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
438 | @item MAIL |
439 | The name of the user's system mail inbox. | |
440 | @item MAILRC | |
4b1ad19a RS |
441 | Name of file containing mail aliases. (The default is |
442 | @file{~/.mailrc}.) | |
6bf7aab6 | 443 | @item MH |
4b1ad19a | 444 | Name of setup file for the mh system. (The default is @file{~/.mh_profile}.) |
6bf7aab6 DL |
445 | @item NAME |
446 | The real-world name of the user. | |
447 | @item NNTPSERVER | |
5937ea41 | 448 | The name of the news server. Used by the mh and Gnus packages. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
449 | @item ORGANIZATION |
450 | The name of the organization to which you belong. Used for setting the | |
5937ea41 | 451 | `Organization:' header in your posts from the Gnus package. |
6bf7aab6 | 452 | @item PATH |
5d9b65e0 EZ |
453 | A colon-separated list of directories in which executables reside. This |
454 | is used to initialize the Emacs Lisp variable @code{exec-path}. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
455 | @item PWD |
456 | If set, this should be the default directory when Emacs was started. | |
457 | @item REPLYTO | |
458 | If set, this specifies an initial value for the variable | |
459 | @code{mail-default-reply-to}. @xref{Mail Headers}. | |
460 | @item SAVEDIR | |
461 | The name of a directory in which news articles are saved by default. | |
5937ea41 | 462 | Used by the Gnus package. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
463 | @item SHELL |
464 | The name of an interpreter used to parse and execute programs run from | |
465 | inside Emacs. | |
b370b3b0 | 466 | @cindex background mode, on @code{xterm} |
6bf7aab6 DL |
467 | @item TERM |
468 | The name of the terminal that Emacs is running on. The variable must be | |
469 | set unless Emacs is run in batch mode. On MS-DOS, it defaults to | |
470 | @samp{internal}, which specifies a built-in terminal emulation that | |
b370b3b0 EZ |
471 | handles the machine's own display. If the value of @env{TERM} indicates |
472 | that Emacs runs in non-windowed mode from @code{xterm} or a similar | |
473 | terminal emulator, the background mode defaults to @samp{light}, and | |
474 | Emacs will choose colors that are appropriate for a light background. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
475 | @item TERMCAP |
476 | The name of the termcap library file describing how to program the | |
60a96371 | 477 | terminal specified by the @env{TERM} variable. This defaults to |
6bf7aab6 DL |
478 | @file{/etc/termcap}. |
479 | @item TMPDIR | |
480 | Used by the Emerge package as a prefix for temporary files. | |
481 | @item TZ | |
94c3309f | 482 | This specifies the current time zone and possibly also daylight |
3e40caf4 | 483 | saving time information. On MS-DOS, if @code{TZ} is not set in the |
94c3309f | 484 | environment when Emacs starts, Emacs defines a default value as |
9c3aede4 | 485 | appropriate for the country code returned by DOS. On MS-Windows, Emacs |
94c3309f | 486 | does not use @code{TZ} at all. |
6bf7aab6 | 487 | @item USER |
60a96371 | 488 | The user's login name. See also @env{LOGNAME}. On MS-DOS, this |
6bf7aab6 DL |
489 | defaults to @samp{root}. |
490 | @item VERSION_CONTROL | |
491 | Used to initialize the @code{version-control} variable (@pxref{Backup | |
492 | Names}). | |
493 | @end table | |
494 | ||
495 | @node Misc Variables | |
496 | @appendixsubsec Miscellaneous Variables | |
497 | ||
498 | These variables are used only on particular configurations: | |
499 | ||
60a96371 | 500 | @table @env |
6bf7aab6 | 501 | @item COMSPEC |
ec22060b EZ |
502 | On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, the name of the command interpreter to use |
503 | when invoking batch files and commands internal to the shell. On MS-DOS | |
504 | this is also used to make a default value for the @env{SHELL} environment | |
505 | variable. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
506 | |
507 | @item NAME | |
60a96371 | 508 | On MS-DOS, this variable defaults to the value of the @env{USER} |
6bf7aab6 DL |
509 | variable. |
510 | ||
511 | @item TEMP | |
512 | @itemx TMP | |
ec22060b EZ |
513 | On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, these specify the name of the directory for |
514 | storing temporary files in. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
515 | |
516 | @item EMACSTEST | |
517 | On MS-DOS, this specifies a file to use to log the operation of the | |
518 | internal terminal emulator. This feature is useful for submitting bug | |
519 | reports. | |
520 | ||
521 | @item EMACSCOLORS | |
9c3aede4 RS |
522 | On MS-DOS, this specifies the screen colors. It is useful to set them |
523 | this way, since otherwise Emacs would display the default colors | |
524 | momentarily when it starts up. | |
525 | ||
526 | The value of this variable should be the two-character encoding of the | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
527 | foreground (the first character) and the background (the second |
528 | character) colors of the default face. Each character should be the | |
529 | hexadecimal code for the desired color on a standard PC text-mode | |
ed50f966 EZ |
530 | display. For example, to get blue text on a lightgray backgraound, |
531 | specify @samp{EMACSCOLORS=17}, since 1 is the code of the blue color and | |
532 | 7 is the code of the lightgray color. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
533 | |
534 | The PC display usually supports only eight background colors. However, | |
535 | Emacs switches the DOS display to a mode where all 16 colors can be used | |
536 | for the background, so all four bits of the background color are | |
537 | actually used. | |
538 | ||
539 | @item WINDOW_GFX | |
540 | Used when initializing the Sun windows system. | |
541 | @end table | |
542 | ||
543 | @node Display X | |
544 | @appendixsec Specifying the Display Name | |
97878c08 | 545 | @cindex display name (X Window System) |
60a96371 | 546 | @cindex @env{DISPLAY} environment variable |
6bf7aab6 | 547 | |
60a96371 | 548 | The environment variable @env{DISPLAY} tells all X clients, including |
6bf7aab6 DL |
549 | Emacs, where to display their windows. Its value is set up by default |
550 | in ordinary circumstances, when you start an X server and run jobs | |
551 | locally. Occasionally you may need to specify the display yourself; for | |
552 | example, if you do a remote login and want to run a client program | |
553 | remotely, displaying on your local screen. | |
554 | ||
555 | With Emacs, the main reason people change the default display is to | |
556 | let them log into another system, run Emacs on that system, but have the | |
9c3aede4 | 557 | window displayed at their local terminal. You might need to log in |
6bf7aab6 DL |
558 | to another system because the files you want to edit are there, or |
559 | because the Emacs executable file you want to run is there. | |
560 | ||
60a96371 | 561 | The syntax of the @env{DISPLAY} environment variable is |
6bf7aab6 DL |
562 | @samp{@var{host}:@var{display}.@var{screen}}, where @var{host} is the |
563 | host name of the X Window System server machine, @var{display} is an | |
564 | arbitrarily-assigned number that distinguishes your server (X terminal) | |
565 | from other servers on the same machine, and @var{screen} is a | |
566 | rarely-used field that allows an X server to control multiple terminal | |
567 | screens. The period and the @var{screen} field are optional. If | |
568 | included, @var{screen} is usually zero. | |
569 | ||
570 | For example, if your host is named @samp{glasperle} and your server is | |
571 | the first (or perhaps the only) server listed in the configuration, your | |
60a96371 | 572 | @env{DISPLAY} is @samp{glasperle:0.0}. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
573 | |
574 | You can specify the display name explicitly when you run Emacs, either | |
60a96371 | 575 | by changing the @env{DISPLAY} variable, or with the option @samp{-d |
6bf7aab6 DL |
576 | @var{display}} or @samp{--display=@var{display}}. Here is an example: |
577 | ||
578 | @smallexample | |
579 | emacs --display=glasperle:0 & | |
580 | @end smallexample | |
581 | ||
9c3aede4 RS |
582 | You can inhibit the direct use of the window system and GUI with the |
583 | @samp{-nw} option. It tells Emacs to display using ordinary ASCII on | |
584 | its controlling terminal. This is also an initial option. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
585 | |
586 | Sometimes, security arrangements prevent a program on a remote system | |
587 | from displaying on your local system. In this case, trying to run Emacs | |
588 | produces messages like this: | |
589 | ||
590 | @smallexample | |
591 | Xlib: connection to "glasperle:0.0" refused by server | |
592 | @end smallexample | |
593 | ||
594 | @noindent | |
595 | You might be able to overcome this problem by using the @code{xhost} | |
596 | command on the local system to give permission for access from your | |
597 | remote machine. | |
598 | ||
599 | @node Font X | |
600 | @appendixsec Font Specification Options | |
97878c08 | 601 | @cindex font name (X Window System) |
6bf7aab6 DL |
602 | |
603 | By default, Emacs displays text in the font named @samp{9x15}, which | |
604 | makes each character nine pixels wide and fifteen pixels high. You can | |
605 | specify a different font on your command line through the option | |
ec22060b EZ |
606 | @samp{-fn @var{name}} (or @samp{--font}, which is an alias for |
607 | @samp{-fn}). | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
608 | |
609 | @table @samp | |
610 | @item -fn @var{name} | |
a8575fe5 | 611 | @opindex -fn |
ec22060b | 612 | @itemx --font=@var{name} |
a8575fe5 EZ |
613 | @opindex --font |
614 | @cindex specify default font from the command line | |
6bf7aab6 | 615 | Use font @var{name} as the default font. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
616 | @end table |
617 | ||
618 | Under X, each font has a long name which consists of eleven words or | |
619 | numbers, separated by dashes. Some fonts also have shorter | |
620 | nicknames---@samp{9x15} is such a nickname. You can use either kind of | |
621 | name. You can use wildcard patterns for the font name; then Emacs lets | |
622 | X choose one of the fonts that match the pattern. Here is an example, | |
623 | which happens to specify the font whose nickname is @samp{6x13}: | |
624 | ||
625 | @smallexample | |
626 | emacs -fn "-misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-*-*-*-c-60-iso8859-1" & | |
627 | @end smallexample | |
628 | ||
629 | @noindent | |
630 | You can also specify the font in your @file{.Xdefaults} file: | |
631 | ||
632 | @smallexample | |
633 | emacs.font: -misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-*-*-*-c-60-iso8859-1 | |
634 | @end smallexample | |
635 | ||
636 | A long font name has the following form: | |
637 | ||
638 | @smallexample | |
639 | -@var{maker}-@var{family}-@var{weight}-@var{slant}-@var{widthtype}-@var{style}@dots{} | |
640 | @dots{}-@var{pixels}-@var{height}-@var{horiz}-@var{vert}-@var{spacing}-@var{width}-@var{charset} | |
641 | @end smallexample | |
642 | ||
643 | @table @var | |
fbe20dc5 GM |
644 | @item maker |
645 | This is the name of the font manufacturer. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
646 | @item family |
647 | This is the name of the font family---for example, @samp{courier}. | |
648 | @item weight | |
649 | This is normally @samp{bold}, @samp{medium} or @samp{light}. Other | |
650 | words may appear here in some font names. | |
651 | @item slant | |
652 | This is @samp{r} (roman), @samp{i} (italic), @samp{o} (oblique), | |
653 | @samp{ri} (reverse italic), or @samp{ot} (other). | |
654 | @item widthtype | |
655 | This is normally @samp{condensed}, @samp{extended}, @samp{semicondensed} | |
656 | or @samp{normal}. Other words may appear here in some font names. | |
657 | @item style | |
658 | This is an optional additional style name. Usually it is empty---most | |
659 | long font names have two hyphens in a row at this point. | |
660 | @item pixels | |
661 | This is the font height, in pixels. | |
662 | @item height | |
663 | This is the font height on the screen, measured in tenths of a printer's | |
664 | point---approximately 1/720 of an inch. In other words, it is the point | |
665 | size of the font, times ten. For a given vertical resolution, | |
666 | @var{height} and @var{pixels} are proportional; therefore, it is common | |
667 | to specify just one of them and use @samp{*} for the other. | |
668 | @item horiz | |
669 | This is the horizontal resolution, in pixels per inch, of the screen for | |
670 | which the font is intended. | |
671 | @item vert | |
ec22060b | 672 | This is the vertical resolution, in pixels per inch, of the screen for |
6bf7aab6 DL |
673 | which the font is intended. Normally the resolution of the fonts on |
674 | your system is the right value for your screen; therefore, you normally | |
675 | specify @samp{*} for this and @var{horiz}. | |
676 | @item spacing | |
677 | This is @samp{m} (monospace), @samp{p} (proportional) or @samp{c} | |
fbe20dc5 | 678 | (character cell). |
6bf7aab6 DL |
679 | @item width |
680 | This is the average character width, in pixels, multiplied by ten. | |
681 | @item charset | |
682 | This is the character set that the font depicts. | |
683 | Normally you should use @samp{iso8859-1}. | |
684 | @end table | |
685 | ||
a8575fe5 | 686 | @cindex listing system fonts |
fbe20dc5 GM |
687 | You will probably want to use a fixed-width default font---that is, |
688 | a font in which all characters have the same width. Any font with | |
689 | @samp{m} or @samp{c} in the @var{spacing} field of the long name is a | |
690 | fixed-width font. Here's how to use the @code{xlsfonts} program to | |
691 | list all the fixed-width fonts available on your system: | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
692 | |
693 | @example | |
694 | xlsfonts -fn '*x*' | egrep "^[0-9]+x[0-9]+" | |
695 | xlsfonts -fn '*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-m*' | |
696 | xlsfonts -fn '*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-c*' | |
697 | @end example | |
698 | ||
699 | @noindent | |
700 | To see what a particular font looks like, use the @code{xfd} command. | |
701 | For example: | |
702 | ||
703 | @example | |
704 | xfd -fn 6x13 | |
705 | @end example | |
706 | ||
707 | @noindent | |
708 | displays the entire font @samp{6x13}. | |
709 | ||
710 | While running Emacs, you can set the font of the current frame | |
711 | (@pxref{Frame Parameters}) or for a specific kind of text | |
712 | (@pxref{Faces}). | |
713 | ||
714 | @node Colors X | |
715 | @appendixsec Window Color Options | |
a8575fe5 | 716 | @cindex color of window |
54e33bb3 | 717 | @cindex text colors, from command line |
6bf7aab6 | 718 | |
54e33bb3 EZ |
719 | @findex list-colors-display |
720 | @cindex available colors | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
721 | On a color display, you can specify which color to use for various |
722 | parts of the Emacs display. To find out what colors are available on | |
54e33bb3 | 723 | your system, type @kbd{M-x list-colors-display}, or press |
4b1ad19a | 724 | @kbd{C-Mouse-2} and select @samp{Display Colors} from the pop-up menu. |
54e33bb3 EZ |
725 | If you do not specify colors, on windowed displays the default for the |
726 | background is white and the default for all other colors is black. On a | |
727 | monochrome display, the foreground is black, the background is white, | |
728 | and the border is gray if the display supports that. On terminals, the | |
729 | background is usually black and the foreground is white. | |
6bf7aab6 | 730 | |
54e33bb3 | 731 | Here is a list of the command-line options for specifying colors: |
6bf7aab6 DL |
732 | |
733 | @table @samp | |
a8575fe5 EZ |
734 | @item -fg @var{color} |
735 | @opindex -fg | |
736 | @itemx --foreground-color=@var{color} | |
737 | @opindex --foreground-color | |
738 | @cindex foreground color, command-line argument | |
ec22060b | 739 | Specify the foreground color. @var{color} should be a standard color |
9c3aede4 | 740 | name, or a numeric specification of the color's red, green, and blue |
ec22060b | 741 | components as in @samp{#4682B4} or @samp{RGB:46/82/B4}. |
a8575fe5 EZ |
742 | @item -bg @var{color} |
743 | @opindex -bg | |
744 | @itemx --background-color=@var{color} | |
745 | @opindex --background-color | |
746 | @cindex background color, command-line argument | |
6bf7aab6 | 747 | Specify the background color. |
a8575fe5 EZ |
748 | @item -bd @var{color} |
749 | @opindex -bd | |
750 | @itemx --border-color=@var{color} | |
751 | @opindex --border-color | |
752 | @cindex border color, command-line argument | |
6bf7aab6 | 753 | Specify the color of the border of the X window. |
a8575fe5 EZ |
754 | @item -cr @var{color} |
755 | @opindex -cr | |
756 | @itemx --cursor-color=@var{color} | |
757 | @opindex --cursor-color | |
758 | @cindex cursor color, command-line argument | |
6bf7aab6 | 759 | Specify the color of the Emacs cursor which indicates where point is. |
a8575fe5 EZ |
760 | @item -ms @var{color} |
761 | @opindex -ms | |
762 | @itemx --mouse-color=@var{color} | |
763 | @opindex --mouse-color | |
764 | @cindex mouse pointer color, command-line argument | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
765 | Specify the color for the mouse cursor when the mouse is in the Emacs window. |
766 | @item -r | |
a8575fe5 | 767 | @opindex -r |
7824c16b | 768 | @itemx -rv |
a8575fe5 | 769 | @opindex -rv |
6bf7aab6 | 770 | @itemx --reverse-video |
a8575fe5 EZ |
771 | @opindex --reverse-video |
772 | @cindex reverse video, command-line argument | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
773 | Reverse video---swap the foreground and background colors. |
774 | @end table | |
775 | ||
776 | For example, to use a coral mouse cursor and a slate blue text cursor, | |
777 | enter: | |
778 | ||
779 | @example | |
780 | emacs -ms coral -cr 'slate blue' & | |
781 | @end example | |
782 | ||
783 | You can reverse the foreground and background colors through the | |
3c7e7ccb | 784 | @samp{-rv} option or with the X resource @samp{reverseVideo}. |
6bf7aab6 | 785 | |
12b96be5 | 786 | The @samp{-fg}, @samp{-bg}, and @samp{-rv} options function on |
e5ccb260 | 787 | text-only terminals as well as on window systems. |
54e33bb3 | 788 | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
789 | @node Window Size X |
790 | @appendixsec Options for Window Geometry | |
a8575fe5 EZ |
791 | @cindex geometry of Emacs window |
792 | @cindex position and size of Emacs frame | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
793 | |
794 | The @samp{-geometry} option controls the size and position of the | |
795 | initial Emacs frame. Here is the format for specifying the window | |
796 | geometry: | |
797 | ||
798 | @table @samp | |
515d3b4b | 799 | @item -g @var{width}x@var{height}@r{[@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}@r{]]} |
a8575fe5 | 800 | @opindex -g |
6bf7aab6 DL |
801 | Specify window size @var{width} and @var{height} (measured in character |
802 | columns and lines), and positions @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} | |
803 | (measured in pixels). | |
804 | ||
515d3b4b | 805 | @item --geometry=@var{width}x@var{height}@r{[@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}@r{]]} |
a8575fe5 | 806 | @opindex --geometry |
6bf7aab6 DL |
807 | This is another way of writing the same thing. |
808 | @end table | |
809 | ||
810 | @noindent | |
811 | @code{@r{@{}+-@r{@}}} means either a plus sign or a minus sign. A plus | |
812 | sign before @var{xoffset} means it is the distance from the left side of | |
813 | the screen; a minus sign means it counts from the right side. A plus | |
814 | sign before @var{yoffset} means it is the distance from the top of the | |
815 | screen, and a minus sign there indicates the distance from the bottom. | |
816 | The values @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} may themselves be positive or | |
817 | negative, but that doesn't change their meaning, only their direction. | |
818 | ||
819 | Emacs uses the same units as @code{xterm} does to interpret the geometry. | |
820 | The @var{width} and @var{height} are measured in characters, so a large font | |
d0f05d60 EZ |
821 | creates a larger frame than a small font. (If you specify a proportional |
822 | font, Emacs uses its maximum bounds width as the width unit.) The | |
823 | @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} are measured in pixels. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
824 | |
825 | Since the mode line and the echo area occupy the last 2 lines of the | |
826 | frame, the height of the initial text window is 2 less than the height | |
9c3aede4 RS |
827 | specified in your geometry. In non-X-toolkit versions of Emacs, the |
828 | menu bar also takes one line of the specified number. But in the X | |
829 | toolkit version, the menu bar is additional and does not count against | |
830 | the specified height. The tool bar, if present, is also additional. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
831 | |
832 | You do not have to specify all of the fields in the geometry | |
833 | specification. | |
834 | ||
835 | If you omit both @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset}, the window manager | |
836 | decides where to put the Emacs frame, possibly by letting you place | |
837 | it with the mouse. For example, @samp{164x55} specifies a window 164 | |
838 | columns wide, enough for two ordinary width windows side by side, and 55 | |
839 | lines tall. | |
840 | ||
841 | The default width for Emacs is 80 characters and the default height is | |
842 | 40 lines. You can omit either the width or the height or both. If | |
843 | you start the geometry with an integer, Emacs interprets it as the | |
844 | width. If you start with an @samp{x} followed by an integer, Emacs | |
845 | interprets it as the height. Thus, @samp{81} specifies just the width; | |
846 | @samp{x45} specifies just the height. | |
847 | ||
848 | If you start with @samp{+} or @samp{-}, that introduces an offset, | |
849 | which means both sizes are omitted. Thus, @samp{-3} specifies the | |
850 | @var{xoffset} only. (If you give just one offset, it is always | |
851 | @var{xoffset}.) @samp{+3-3} specifies both the @var{xoffset} and the | |
852 | @var{yoffset}, placing the frame near the bottom left of the screen. | |
853 | ||
854 | You can specify a default for any or all of the fields in | |
855 | @file{.Xdefaults} file, and then override selected fields with a | |
856 | @samp{--geometry} option. | |
857 | ||
858 | @node Borders X | |
859 | @appendixsec Internal and External Borders | |
97878c08 | 860 | @cindex borders (X Window System) |
6bf7aab6 DL |
861 | |
862 | An Emacs frame has an internal border and an external border. The | |
515d3b4b RS |
863 | internal border is an extra strip of the background color around the |
864 | text portion of the frame. Emacs itself draws the internal border. | |
865 | The external border is added by the window manager outside the frame; | |
866 | depending on the window manager you use, it may contain various boxes | |
867 | you can click on to move or iconify the window. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
868 | |
869 | @table @samp | |
870 | @item -ib @var{width} | |
a8575fe5 | 871 | @opindex -ib |
6bf7aab6 | 872 | @itemx --internal-border=@var{width} |
a8575fe5 EZ |
873 | @opindex --internal-border |
874 | @cindex border width, command-line argument | |
9c3aede4 | 875 | Specify @var{width} as the width of the internal border, in pixels. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
876 | |
877 | @item -bw @var{width} | |
a8575fe5 | 878 | @opindex -bw |
6bf7aab6 | 879 | @itemx --border-width=@var{width} |
a8575fe5 | 880 | @opindex --border-width |
9c3aede4 | 881 | Specify @var{width} as the width of the main border, in pixels. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
882 | @end table |
883 | ||
884 | When you specify the size of the frame, that does not count the | |
885 | borders. The frame's position is measured from the outside edge of the | |
886 | external border. | |
887 | ||
888 | Use the @samp{-ib @var{n}} option to specify an internal border | |
889 | @var{n} pixels wide. The default is 1. Use @samp{-bw @var{n}} to | |
890 | specify the width of the external border (though the window manager may | |
891 | not pay attention to what you specify). The default width of the | |
892 | external border is 2. | |
893 | ||
894 | @node Title X | |
895 | @appendixsec Frame Titles | |
896 | ||
897 | An Emacs frame may or may not have a specified title. The frame | |
515d3b4b RS |
898 | title, if specified, appears in window decorations and icons as the |
899 | name of the frame. If an Emacs frame has no specified title, the | |
900 | default title has the form @samp{@var{invocation-name}@@@var{machine}} | |
901 | (if there is only one frame) or the selected window's buffer name (if | |
902 | there is more than one frame). | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
903 | |
904 | You can specify a title for the initial Emacs frame with a command | |
905 | line option: | |
906 | ||
907 | @table @samp | |
908 | @item -title @var{title} | |
a8575fe5 | 909 | @opindex --title |
6bf7aab6 DL |
910 | @itemx --title=@var{title} |
911 | @itemx -T @var{title} | |
a8575fe5 EZ |
912 | @opindex -T |
913 | @cindex frame title, command-line argument | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
914 | Specify @var{title} as the title for the initial Emacs frame. |
915 | @end table | |
916 | ||
917 | The @samp{--name} option (@pxref{Resources X}) also specifies the title | |
918 | for the initial Emacs frame. | |
919 | ||
920 | @node Icons X | |
921 | @appendixsec Icons | |
97878c08 | 922 | @cindex icons (X Window System) |
6bf7aab6 DL |
923 | |
924 | Most window managers allow the user to ``iconify'' a frame, removing | |
925 | it from sight, and leaving a small, distinctive ``icon'' window in its | |
926 | place. Clicking on the icon window makes the frame itself appear again. | |
927 | If you have many clients running at once, you can avoid cluttering up | |
928 | the screen by iconifying most of the clients. | |
929 | ||
930 | @table @samp | |
931 | @item -i | |
a8575fe5 | 932 | @opindex -i |
6bf7aab6 | 933 | @itemx --icon-type |
a8575fe5 EZ |
934 | @opindex --icon-type |
935 | @cindex Emacs icon, a gnu | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
936 | Use a picture of a gnu as the Emacs icon. |
937 | ||
938 | @item -iconic | |
a8575fe5 | 939 | @opindex --iconic |
6bf7aab6 | 940 | @itemx --iconic |
a8575fe5 | 941 | @cindex start iconified, command-line argument |
6bf7aab6 DL |
942 | Start Emacs in iconified state. |
943 | @end table | |
944 | ||
945 | The @samp{-i} or @samp{--icon-type} option tells Emacs to use an icon | |
946 | window containing a picture of the GNU gnu. If omitted, Emacs lets the | |
947 | window manager choose what sort of icon to use---usually just a small | |
948 | rectangle containing the frame's title. | |
949 | ||
950 | The @samp{-iconic} option tells Emacs to begin running as an icon, | |
9c3aede4 RS |
951 | rather than showing a frame right away. In this situation, the icon |
952 | is the only indication that Emacs has started; the text frame doesn't | |
953 | appear until you deiconify it. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
954 | |
955 | @node Resources X | |
956 | @appendixsec X Resources | |
957 | @cindex resources | |
958 | ||
959 | Programs running under the X Window System organize their user options | |
960 | under a hierarchy of classes and resources. You can specify default | |
961 | values for these options in your X resources file, usually named | |
962 | @file{~/.Xdefaults}. | |
963 | ||
964 | Each line in the file specifies a value for one option or for a | |
965 | collection of related options, for one program or for several programs | |
966 | (optionally even for all programs). | |
967 | ||
a8575fe5 EZ |
968 | @cindex Registry (MS-Windows) |
969 | MS-Windows systems don't support @file{~/.Xdefaults} files, but | |
970 | Emacs compiled for Windows looks for X resources in the Windows | |
971 | Registry, under the keys @samp{HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\GNU\Emacs} | |
972 | and @samp{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\GNU\Emacs}. | |
973 | ||
6bf7aab6 DL |
974 | Programs define named resources with particular meanings. They also |
975 | define how to group resources into named classes. For instance, in | |
976 | Emacs, the @samp{internalBorder} resource controls the width of the | |
977 | internal border, and the @samp{borderWidth} resource controls the width | |
978 | of the external border. Both of these resources are part of the | |
979 | @samp{BorderWidth} class. Case distinctions are significant in these | |
980 | names. | |
981 | ||
982 | In @file{~/.Xdefaults}, you can specify a value for a single resource | |
983 | on one line, like this: | |
984 | ||
985 | @example | |
986 | emacs.borderWidth: 2 | |
987 | @end example | |
988 | ||
989 | @noindent | |
990 | Or you can use a class name to specify the same value for all resources | |
991 | in that class. Here's an example: | |
992 | ||
993 | @example | |
994 | emacs.BorderWidth: 2 | |
995 | @end example | |
996 | ||
997 | If you specify a value for a class, it becomes the default for all | |
998 | resources in that class. You can specify values for individual | |
999 | resources as well; these override the class value, for those particular | |
1000 | resources. Thus, this example specifies 2 as the default width for all | |
1001 | borders, but overrides this value with 4 for the external border: | |
1002 | ||
1003 | @example | |
515d3b4b RS |
1004 | emacs.BorderWidth: 2 |
1005 | emacs.borderWidth: 4 | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1006 | @end example |
1007 | ||
1008 | The order in which the lines appear in the file does not matter. | |
1009 | Also, command-line options always override the X resources file. | |
1010 | ||
1011 | The string @samp{emacs} in the examples above is also a resource | |
1012 | name. It actually represents the name of the executable file that you | |
1013 | invoke to run Emacs. If Emacs is installed under a different name, it | |
1014 | looks for resources under that name instead of @samp{emacs}. | |
1015 | ||
1016 | @table @samp | |
1017 | @item -name @var{name} | |
a8575fe5 | 1018 | @opindex --name |
6bf7aab6 | 1019 | @itemx --name=@var{name} |
a8575fe5 | 1020 | @cindex resource name, command-line argument |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1021 | Use @var{name} as the resource name (and the title) for the initial |
1022 | Emacs frame. This option does not affect subsequent frames, but Lisp | |
1023 | programs can specify frame names when they create frames. | |
1024 | ||
1025 | If you don't specify this option, the default is to use the Emacs | |
1026 | executable's name as the resource name. | |
1027 | ||
1028 | @item -xrm @var{resource-values} | |
a8575fe5 | 1029 | @opindex --xrm |
6bf7aab6 | 1030 | @itemx --xrm=@var{resource-values} |
a8575fe5 | 1031 | @cindex resource values, command-line argument |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1032 | Specify X resource values for this Emacs job (see below). |
1033 | @end table | |
1034 | ||
1035 | For consistency, @samp{-name} also specifies the name to use for | |
1036 | other resource values that do not belong to any particular frame. | |
1037 | ||
1038 | The resources that name Emacs invocations also belong to a class; its | |
1039 | name is @samp{Emacs}. If you write @samp{Emacs} instead of | |
1040 | @samp{emacs}, the resource applies to all frames in all Emacs jobs, | |
1041 | regardless of frame titles and regardless of the name of the executable | |
1042 | file. Here is an example: | |
1043 | ||
1044 | @example | |
1045 | Emacs.BorderWidth: 2 | |
1046 | Emacs.borderWidth: 4 | |
1047 | @end example | |
1048 | ||
1049 | You can specify a string of additional resource values for Emacs to | |
1050 | use with the command line option @samp{-xrm @var{resources}}. The text | |
1051 | @var{resources} should have the same format that you would use inside a file | |
1052 | of X resources. To include multiple resource specifications in | |
ec22060b | 1053 | @var{resources}, put a newline between them, just as you would in a file. |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1054 | You can also use @samp{#include "@var{filename}"} to include a file full |
1055 | of resource specifications. Resource values specified with @samp{-xrm} | |
1056 | take precedence over all other resource specifications. | |
1057 | ||
1058 | The following table lists the resource names that designate options | |
1059 | for Emacs, each with the class that it belongs to: | |
1060 | ||
1061 | @table @asis | |
1062 | @item @code{background} (class @code{Background}) | |
1063 | Background color name. | |
1064 | ||
1065 | @item @code{bitmapIcon} (class @code{BitmapIcon}) | |
1066 | Use a bitmap icon (a picture of a gnu) if @samp{on}, let the window | |
1067 | manager choose an icon if @samp{off}. | |
1068 | ||
1069 | @item @code{borderColor} (class @code{BorderColor}) | |
1070 | Color name for the external border. | |
1071 | ||
1072 | @item @code{borderWidth} (class @code{BorderWidth}) | |
1073 | Width in pixels of the external border. | |
1074 | ||
1075 | @item @code{cursorColor} (class @code{Foreground}) | |
1076 | Color name for text cursor (point). | |
1077 | ||
1078 | @item @code{font} (class @code{Font}) | |
1079 | Font name for text (or fontset name, @pxref{Fontsets}). | |
1080 | ||
1081 | @item @code{foreground} (class @code{Foreground}) | |
1082 | Color name for text. | |
1083 | ||
1084 | @item @code{geometry} (class @code{Geometry}) | |
1085 | Window size and position. Be careful not to specify this resource as | |
1086 | @samp{emacs*geometry}, because that may affect individual menus as well | |
1087 | as the Emacs frame itself. | |
1088 | ||
1089 | If this resource specifies a position, that position applies only to the | |
1090 | initial Emacs frame (or, in the case of a resource for a specific frame | |
1091 | name, only that frame). However, the size if specified here applies to | |
1092 | all frames. | |
1093 | ||
1094 | @item @code{iconName} (class @code{Title}) | |
1095 | Name to display in the icon. | |
1096 | ||
1097 | @item @code{internalBorder} (class @code{BorderWidth}) | |
1098 | Width in pixels of the internal border. | |
1099 | ||
75141154 DL |
1100 | @item @code{lineSpacing} (class LineSpacing) |
1101 | @cindex line spacing | |
1102 | @cindex leading | |
9c3aede4 | 1103 | Additional space (@dfn{leading}) between lines, in pixels. |
75141154 | 1104 | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1105 | @item @code{menuBar} (class @code{MenuBar}) |
1106 | Give frames menu bars if @samp{on}; don't have menu bars if @samp{off}. | |
1107 | ||
ec4f0ef8 | 1108 | @item @code{toolBar} (class @code{ToolBar}) |
4b1ad19a RS |
1109 | Number of lines to reserve for the tool bar. A zero value suppresses |
1110 | the tool bar. If the value is non-zero and | |
1111 | @code{auto-resize-tool-bars} is non-@code{nil}, the tool bar's size | |
1112 | will be changed automatically so that all tool bar items are visible. | |
ec4f0ef8 | 1113 | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1114 | @item @code{minibuffer} (class @code{Minibuffer}) |
1115 | If @samp{none}, don't make a minibuffer in this frame. | |
1116 | It will use a separate minibuffer frame instead. | |
1117 | ||
1118 | @item @code{paneFont} (class @code{Font}) | |
a8575fe5 | 1119 | @cindex font for menus |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1120 | Font name for menu pane titles, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs. |
1121 | ||
1122 | @item @code{pointerColor} (class @code{Foreground}) | |
1123 | Color of the mouse cursor. | |
1124 | ||
4b1ad19a | 1125 | @ignore |
75141154 | 1126 | @item @code{privateColormap} (class @code{PrivateColormap}) |
4b1ad19a RS |
1127 | If @samp{on}, use a private colormap, in the case where the ``default |
1128 | visual'' of class PseudoColor and Emacs is using it. | |
1129 | @end ignore | |
75141154 | 1130 | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1131 | @item @code{reverseVideo} (class @code{ReverseVideo}) |
1132 | Switch foreground and background default colors if @samp{on}, use colors as | |
1133 | specified if @samp{off}. | |
1134 | ||
75141154 DL |
1135 | @item @code{screenGamma} (class @code{ScreenGamma}) |
1136 | @cindex gamma correction | |
4b1ad19a RS |
1137 | Gamma correction for colors, equivalent to the frame parameter |
1138 | @code{screen-gamma}. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1139 | |
1140 | @item @code{selectionFont} (class @code{Font}) | |
1141 | Font name for pop-up menu items, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs. (For | |
9c3aede4 | 1142 | toolkit versions, see @ref{Lucid Resources}, also see @ref{LessTif |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1143 | Resources}.) |
1144 | ||
75141154 | 1145 | @item @code{synchronous} (class @code{Synchronous}) |
a8575fe5 EZ |
1146 | @cindex debugging X problems |
1147 | @cindex synchronous X mode | |
4b1ad19a RS |
1148 | Run Emacs in synchronous mode if @samp{on}. Synchronous mode is |
1149 | useful for debugging X problems. | |
75141154 | 1150 | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1151 | @item @code{title} (class @code{Title}) |
1152 | Name to display in the title bar of the initial Emacs frame. | |
75141154 DL |
1153 | |
1154 | @item @code{verticalScrollBars} (class @code{ScrollBars}) | |
1155 | Give frames scroll bars if @samp{on}; don't have scroll bars if | |
1156 | @samp{off}. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1157 | @end table |
1158 | ||
1159 | Here are resources for controlling the appearance of particular faces | |
1160 | (@pxref{Faces}): | |
1161 | ||
1162 | @table @code | |
1163 | @item @var{face}.attributeFont | |
1164 | Font for face @var{face}. | |
1165 | @item @var{face}.attributeForeground | |
1166 | Foreground color for face @var{face}. | |
1167 | @item @var{face}.attributeBackground | |
1168 | Background color for face @var{face}. | |
1169 | @item @var{face}.attributeUnderline | |
1170 | Underline flag for face @var{face}. Use @samp{on} or @samp{true} for | |
1171 | yes. | |
1172 | @end table | |
1173 | ||
1174 | @node Lucid Resources | |
1175 | @section Lucid Menu X Resources | |
1176 | @cindex Menu X Resources (Lucid widgets) | |
1177 | @cindex Lucid Widget X Resources | |
1178 | ||
1179 | If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit | |
1180 | with the Lucid menu widgets, then the menu bar is a separate widget and | |
1181 | has its own resources. The resource names contain @samp{pane.menubar} | |
1182 | (following, as always, the name of the Emacs invocation or @samp{Emacs} | |
1183 | which stands for all Emacs invocations). Specify them like this: | |
1184 | ||
1185 | @example | |
1186 | Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{resource}: @var{value} | |
1187 | @end example | |
1188 | ||
1189 | @noindent | |
1190 | For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, | |
1191 | write this: | |
1192 | ||
1193 | @example | |
1194 | Emacs.pane.menubar.font: 8x16 | |
1195 | @end example | |
1196 | ||
1197 | @noindent | |
1198 | Resources for @emph{non-menubar} toolkit pop-up menus have | |
1199 | @samp{menu*}, in like fashion. For example, to specify the font | |
1200 | @samp{8x16} for the pop-up menu items, write this: | |
1201 | ||
1202 | @example | |
1203 | Emacs.menu*.font: 8x16 | |
1204 | @end example | |
1205 | ||
1206 | @noindent | |
1207 | For dialog boxes, use @samp{dialog} instead of @samp{menu}: | |
1208 | ||
1209 | @example | |
1210 | Emacs.dialog*.font: 8x16 | |
1211 | @end example | |
1212 | ||
1213 | @noindent | |
1214 | Experience shows that on some systems you may need to add | |
1215 | @samp{shell.}@: before the @samp{pane.menubar} or @samp{menu*}. On | |
1216 | some other systems, you must not add @samp{shell.}. | |
1217 | ||
1218 | Here is a list of the specific resources for menu bars and pop-up menus: | |
1219 | ||
1220 | @table @code | |
1221 | @item font | |
1222 | Font for menu item text. | |
1223 | @item foreground | |
1224 | Color of the foreground. | |
1225 | @item background | |
1226 | Color of the background. | |
1227 | @item buttonForeground | |
1228 | In the menu bar, the color of the foreground for a selected item. | |
1229 | @item horizontalSpacing | |
1230 | Horizontal spacing in pixels between items. Default is 3. | |
1231 | @item verticalSpacing | |
1232 | Vertical spacing in pixels between items. Default is 1. | |
1233 | @item arrowSpacing | |
1234 | Horizontal spacing between the arrow (which indicates a submenu) and | |
1235 | the associated text. Default is 10. | |
1236 | @item shadowThickness | |
1237 | Thickness of shadow line around the widget. | |
5e9efc68 | 1238 | @item margin |
4b1ad19a RS |
1239 | The margin of the menu bar, in characters. The default of 4 makes the |
1240 | menu bar appear like the LessTif/Motif one. | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1241 | @end table |
1242 | ||
9c3aede4 RS |
1243 | @node LessTif Resources |
1244 | @section LessTif Menu X Resources | |
1245 | @cindex Menu X Resources (LessTif widgets) | |
1246 | @cindex LessTif Widget X Resources | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1247 | |
1248 | If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit | |
9c3aede4 RS |
1249 | with the LessTif or Motif widgets, then the menu bar is a separate |
1250 | widget and has its own resources. The resource names contain | |
1251 | @samp{pane.menubar} (following, as always, the name of the Emacs | |
1252 | invocation or @samp{Emacs} which stands for all Emacs invocations). | |
1253 | Specify them like this: | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1254 | |
1255 | @smallexample | |
1256 | Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{subwidget}.@var{resource}: @var{value} | |
1257 | @end smallexample | |
1258 | ||
1259 | Each individual string in the menu bar is a subwidget; the subwidget's | |
1260 | name is the same as the menu item string. For example, the word | |
ec22060b EZ |
1261 | @samp{File} in the menu bar is part of a subwidget named |
1262 | @samp{emacs.pane.menubar.File}. Most likely, you want to specify the | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1263 | same resources for the whole menu bar. To do this, use @samp{*} instead |
1264 | of a specific subwidget name. For example, to specify the font | |
1265 | @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, write this: | |
1266 | ||
1267 | @smallexample | |
1268 | Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16 | |
1269 | @end smallexample | |
1270 | ||
1271 | @noindent | |
1272 | This also specifies the resource value for submenus. | |
1273 | ||
1274 | Each item in a submenu in the menu bar also has its own name for X | |
ec22060b EZ |
1275 | resources; for example, the @samp{File} submenu has an item named |
1276 | @samp{Save (current buffer)}. A resource specification for a submenu | |
1277 | item looks like this: | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1278 | |
1279 | @smallexample | |
1280 | Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{item}.@var{resource}: @var{value} | |
1281 | @end smallexample | |
1282 | ||
1283 | @noindent | |
ec22060b EZ |
1284 | For example, here's how to specify the font for the @samp{Save (current |
1285 | buffer)} item: | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1286 | |
1287 | @smallexample | |
ec22060b | 1288 | Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.File.Save (current buffer).fontList: 8x16 |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1289 | @end smallexample |
1290 | ||
1291 | @noindent | |
515d3b4b | 1292 | For an item in a second-level submenu, such as @samp{Complete Word} |
ec22060b EZ |
1293 | under @samp{Spell Checking} under @samp{Tools}, the resource fits this |
1294 | template: | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1295 | |
1296 | @smallexample | |
1297 | Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{resource}: @var{value} | |
1298 | @end smallexample | |
1299 | ||
1300 | @noindent | |
1301 | For example, | |
1302 | ||
1303 | @smallexample | |
515d3b4b | 1304 | Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.Spell Checking.Complete Word: @var{value} |
6bf7aab6 | 1305 | @end smallexample |
11c9c5af EZ |
1306 | |
1307 | @noindent | |
1308 | (This should be one long line.) | |
6bf7aab6 DL |
1309 | |
1310 | It's impossible to specify a resource for all the menu-bar items | |
1311 | without also specifying it for the submenus as well. So if you want the | |
1312 | submenu items to look different from the menu bar itself, you must ask | |
1313 | for that in two steps. First, specify the resource for all of them; | |
1314 | then, override the value for submenus alone. Here is an example: | |
1315 | ||
1316 | @smallexample | |
1317 | Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16 | |
1318 | Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.fontList: 8x16 | |
1319 | @end smallexample | |
1320 | ||
1321 | @noindent | |
1322 | For toolkit pop-up menus, use @samp{menu*} instead of | |
1323 | @samp{pane.menubar}. For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for | |
1324 | the pop-up menu items, write this: | |
1325 | ||
1326 | @smallexample | |
1327 | Emacs.menu*.fontList: 8x16 | |
1328 | @end smallexample | |
1329 | ||
1330 | @iftex | |
1331 | @medbreak | |
1332 | @end iftex | |
1333 | Here is a list of the specific resources for menu bars and pop-up menus: | |
1334 | ||
1335 | @table @code | |
1336 | @item armColor | |
1337 | The color to show in an armed button. | |
1338 | @item fontList | |
1339 | The font to use. | |
1340 | @item marginBottom | |
1341 | @itemx marginHeight | |
1342 | @itemx marginLeft | |
1343 | @itemx marginRight | |
1344 | @itemx marginTop | |
1345 | @itemx marginWidth | |
1346 | Amount of space to leave around the item, within the border. | |
1347 | @item borderWidth | |
1348 | The width of border around the menu item, on all sides. | |
1349 | @item shadowThickness | |
1350 | The width of the border shadow. | |
1351 | @item bottomShadowColor | |
1352 | The color for the border shadow, on the bottom and the right. | |
1353 | @item topShadowColor | |
1354 | The color for the border shadow, on the top and the left. | |
1355 | @end table |