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