1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985-1987, 1993-1995, 1997, 2001-2011
3 @c Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5 @node Emacs Invocation, X Resources, GNU Free Documentation License, Top
6 @appendix Command Line Arguments for Emacs Invocation
7 @cindex command line arguments
8 @cindex arguments (command line)
9 @cindex options (command line)
10 @cindex switches (command line)
11 @cindex startup (command line arguments)
12 @cindex invocation (command line arguments)
14 Emacs supports command line arguments to request various actions
15 when invoking Emacs. These are for compatibility with other editors
16 and for sophisticated activities. We don't recommend using them for
17 ordinary editing (@xref{Emacs Server}, for a way to access an existing
18 Emacs job from the command line).
20 Arguments starting with @samp{-} are @dfn{options}, and so is
21 @samp{+@var{linenum}}. All other arguments specify files to visit.
22 Emacs visits the specified files while it starts up. The last file
23 specified on the command line becomes the current buffer; the other
24 files are also visited in other buffers. As with most programs, the
25 special argument @samp{--} says that all subsequent arguments are file
26 names, not options, even if they start with @samp{-}.
28 Emacs command options can specify many things, such as the size and
29 position of the X window Emacs uses, its colors, and so on. A few
30 options support advanced usage, such as running Lisp functions on files
31 in batch mode. The sections of this chapter describe the available
32 options, arranged according to their purpose.
34 There are two ways of writing options: the short forms that start with
35 a single @samp{-}, and the long forms that start with @samp{--}. For
36 example, @samp{-d} is a short form and @samp{--display} is the
37 corresponding long form.
39 The long forms with @samp{--} are easier to remember, but longer to
40 type. However, you don't have to spell out the whole option name; any
41 unambiguous abbreviation is enough. When a long option takes an
42 argument, you can use either a space or an equal sign to separate the
43 option name and the argument. Thus, you can write either
44 @samp{--display sugar-bombs:0.0} or @samp{--display=sugar-bombs:0.0}.
45 We recommend an equal sign because it makes the relationship clearer,
46 and the tables below always show an equal sign.
48 @cindex initial options (command line)
49 @cindex action options (command line)
50 @vindex command-line-args
51 Most options specify how to initialize Emacs, or set parameters for
52 the Emacs session. We call them @dfn{initial options}. A few options
53 specify things to do, such as loading libraries or calling Lisp
54 functions. These are called @dfn{action options}. These and file
55 names together are called @dfn{action arguments}. The action
56 arguments are stored as a list of strings in the variable
57 @code{command-line-args}. (Actually, when Emacs starts up,
58 @code{command-line-args} contains all the arguments passed from the
59 command line; during initialization, the initial arguments are removed
60 from this list when they are processed, leaving only the action
64 * Action Arguments:: Arguments to visit files, load libraries,
66 * Initial Options:: Arguments that take effect while starting Emacs.
67 * Command Example:: Examples of using command line arguments.
68 * Resume Arguments:: Specifying arguments when you resume a running Emacs.
69 * Environment:: Environment variables that Emacs uses.
70 * Display X:: Changing the default display and using remote login.
71 * Font X:: Choosing a font for text, under X.
72 * Colors:: Choosing display colors.
73 * Window Size X:: Start-up window size, under X.
74 * Borders X:: Internal and external borders, under X.
75 * Title X:: Specifying the initial frame's title.
76 * Icons X:: Choosing what sort of icon to use, under X.
77 * Misc X:: Other display options.
80 @node Action Arguments
81 @appendixsec Action Arguments
83 Here is a table of action arguments:
88 @itemx --file=@var{file}
90 @itemx --find-file=@var{file}
92 @itemx --visit=@var{file}
93 @cindex visiting files, command-line argument
94 @vindex inhibit-startup-buffer-menu
95 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}. @xref{Visiting}.
97 When Emacs starts up, it displays the startup buffer in one window,
98 and the buffer visiting @var{file} in another window
99 (@pxref{Windows}). If you supply more than one file argument, the
100 displayed file is the last one specified on the command line; the
101 other files are visited but their buffers are not shown.
103 If the startup buffer is disabled (@pxref{Entering Emacs}), then
104 @var{file} is visited in a single window if one file argument was
105 supplied; with two file arguments, Emacs displays the files in two
106 different windows; with more than two file argument, Emacs displays
107 the last file specified in one window, plus a Buffer Menu in a
108 different window (@pxref{Several Buffers}). To inhibit using the
109 Buffer Menu for this, change the variable
110 @code{inhibit-startup-buffer-menu} to @code{t}.
112 @item +@var{linenum} @var{file}
113 @opindex +@var{linenum}
114 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number
117 @item +@var{linenum}:@var{columnnum} @var{file}
118 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number
119 @var{linenum} and put point at column number @var{columnnum}.
123 @itemx --load=@var{file}
125 @cindex loading Lisp libraries, command-line argument
126 Load a Lisp library named @var{file} with the function @code{load}.
127 @xref{Lisp Libraries}. If @var{file} is not an absolute file name,
128 the library can be found either in the current directory, or in the
129 Emacs library search path as specified with @env{EMACSLOADPATH}
130 (@pxref{General Variables}).
132 @strong{Warning:} If previous command-line arguments have visited
133 files, the current directory is the directory of the last file
138 @itemx --directory=@var{dir}
140 Add directory @var{dir} to the variable @code{load-path}.
142 @item -f @var{function}
144 @itemx --funcall=@var{function}
146 @cindex call Lisp functions, command-line argument
147 Call Lisp function @var{function}. If it is an interactive function
148 (a command), it reads the arguments interactively just as if you had
149 called the same function with a key sequence. Otherwise, it calls the
150 function with no arguments.
152 @item --eval=@var{expression}
154 @itemx --execute=@var{expression}
156 @cindex evaluate expression, command-line argument
157 Evaluate Lisp expression @var{expression}.
159 @item --insert=@var{file}
161 @cindex insert file contents, command-line argument
162 Insert the contents of @var{file} into the @samp{*scratch*} buffer
163 (@pxref{Lisp Interaction}). This is like what @kbd{M-x insert-file}
164 does (@pxref{Misc File Ops}).
168 Exit from Emacs without asking for confirmation.
172 Print a usage message listing all available options, then exit
177 Print Emacs version, then exit successfully.
180 @node Initial Options
181 @appendixsec Initial Options
183 The initial options specify parameters for the Emacs session. This
184 section describes the more general initial options; some other options
185 specifically related to the X Window System appear in the following
188 Some initial options affect the loading of the initialization file.
189 The normal actions of Emacs are to first load @file{site-start.el} if
190 it exists, then your own initialization file @file{~/.emacs} if it
191 exists, and finally @file{default.el} if it exists. @xref{Init File}.
192 Certain options prevent loading of some of these files or substitute
193 other files for them.
196 @item -chdir @var{directory}
198 @itemx --chdir=@var{directory}
200 @cindex change Emacs directory
201 Change to @var{directory} before doing anything else. This is mainly used
202 by session management in X so that Emacs starts in the same directory as it
203 stopped. This makes desktop saving and restoring easier.
205 @item -t @var{device}
207 @itemx --terminal=@var{device}
209 @cindex device for Emacs terminal I/O
210 Use @var{device} as the device for terminal input and output.
211 @samp{--terminal} implies @samp{--no-window-system}.
213 @item -d @var{display}
215 @itemx --display=@var{display}
217 @cindex display for Emacs frame
218 Use the X Window System and use the display named @var{display} to open
219 the initial Emacs frame. @xref{Display X}, for more details.
223 @itemx --no-window-system
224 @opindex --no-window-system
225 @cindex disable window system
226 Don't communicate directly with the window system, disregarding the
227 @env{DISPLAY} environment variable even if it is set. This means that
228 Emacs uses the terminal from which it was launched for all its display
235 Run Emacs in @dfn{batch mode}. Batch mode is used for running
236 programs written in Emacs Lisp from shell scripts, makefiles, and so
237 on. To invoke a Lisp program, use the @samp{-batch} option in
238 conjunction with one or more of @samp{-l}, @samp{-f} or @samp{--eval}
239 (@pxref{Action Arguments}). @xref{Command Example}, for an example.
241 In batch mode, Emacs does not display the text being edited, and the
242 standard terminal interrupt characters such as @kbd{C-z} and @kbd{C-c}
243 have their usual effect. Emacs functions that normally print a
244 message in the echo area will print to either the standard output
245 stream (@code{stdout}) or the standard error stream (@code{stderr})
246 instead. (To be precise, functions like @code{prin1}, @code{princ}
247 and @code{print} print to @code{stdout}, while @code{message} and
248 @code{error} print to @code{stderr}.) Functions that normally read
249 keyboard input from the minibuffer take their input from the
250 terminal's standard input stream (@code{stdin}) instead.
252 @samp{--batch} implies @samp{-q} (do not load an initialization file),
253 but @file{site-start.el} is loaded nonetheless. It also causes Emacs
254 to exit after processing all the command options. In addition, it
255 disables auto-saving except in buffers for which it has been
256 explicitly requested.
258 @item --script @var{file}
261 Run Emacs in batch mode, like @samp{--batch}, and then read and
262 execute the Lisp code in @var{file}.
264 The normal use of this option is in executable script files that run
265 Emacs. They can start with this text on the first line
268 #!/usr/bin/emacs --script
272 which will invoke Emacs with @samp{--script} and supply the name of
273 the script file as @var{file}. Emacs Lisp then treats @samp{#!} as a
278 @itemx --no-init-file
279 @opindex --no-init-file
280 @cindex bypassing init and @file{default.el} file
281 @cindex init file, not loading
282 @cindex @file{default.el} file, not loading
283 Do not load your Emacs initialization file, and do not load the file
284 @file{default.el} either (@pxref{Init File}). Regardless of this
285 switch, @file{site-start.el} is still loaded. When Emacs is invoked
286 like this, the Customize facility does not allow options to be saved
287 (@pxref{Easy Customization}).
290 @opindex --no-site-file
291 @cindex @file{site-start.el} file, not loading
292 Do not load @file{site-start.el} (@pxref{Init File}). The @samp{-Q}
293 option does this too, but other options like @samp{-q} do not.
296 @opindex --no-site-lisp
297 @cindex @file{site-start.el} file, not loading
298 Do not include the @file{site-lisp} directories in @code{load-path}
299 (@pxref{Init File}). The @samp{-Q} option does this too.
303 @vindex inhibit-startup-screen
304 @cindex splash screen
305 @cindex startup message
306 Do not display a startup screen. You can also achieve this effect by
307 setting the variable @code{inhibit-startup-screen} to non-@code{nil}
308 in your initialization file (@pxref{Entering Emacs}).
314 Start emacs with minimum customizations, similar to using @samp{-q},
315 @samp{--no-site-file}, @samp{--no-site-lisp}, and @samp{--no-splash}
316 together. This also stops Emacs from processing X resources by
317 setting @code{inhibit-x-resources} to @code{t} (@pxref{Resources}).
323 Start Emacs as a daemon---after Emacs starts up, it starts the Emacs
324 server and disconnects from the terminal without opening any frames.
325 You can then use the @command{emacsclient} command to connect to Emacs
326 for editing. @xref{Emacs Server}, for information about using Emacs
329 @item -daemon=@var{SERVER-NAME}
330 Start emacs in background as a daemon, and use @var{SERVER-NAME} as
334 @opindex --no-desktop
335 Do not reload any saved desktop. @xref{Saving Emacs Sessions}.
339 @itemx --user=@var{user}
341 @cindex load init file of another user
342 Load @var{user}'s initialization file instead of your
343 own@footnote{This option has no effect on MS-Windows.}.
346 @opindex --debug-init
347 @cindex errors in init file
348 Enable the Emacs Lisp debugger for errors in the init file.
349 @xref{Error Debugging,, Entering the Debugger on an Error, elisp, The
350 GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
353 @node Command Example
354 @appendixsec Command Argument Example
356 Here is an example of using Emacs with arguments and options. It
357 assumes you have a Lisp program file called @file{hack-c.el} which, when
358 loaded, performs some useful operation on the current buffer, expected
362 emacs --batch foo.c -l hack-c -f save-buffer >& log
366 This says to visit @file{foo.c}, load @file{hack-c.el} (which makes
367 changes in the visited file), save @file{foo.c} (note that
368 @code{save-buffer} is the function that @kbd{C-x C-s} is bound to), and
369 then exit back to the shell (because of @samp{--batch}). @samp{--batch}
370 also guarantees there will be no problem redirecting output to
371 @file{log}, because Emacs will not assume that it has a display terminal
374 @node Resume Arguments
375 @appendixsec Resuming Emacs with Arguments
377 You can specify action arguments for Emacs when you resume it after
378 a suspension. To prepare for this, put the following code in your
379 @file{.emacs} file (@pxref{Hooks}):
381 @c `resume-suspend-hook' is correct. It is the name of a function.
383 (add-hook 'suspend-hook 'resume-suspend-hook)
384 (add-hook 'suspend-resume-hook 'resume-process-args)
387 As further preparation, you must execute the shell script
388 @file{emacs.csh} (if you use csh as your shell) or @file{emacs.bash}
389 (if you use bash as your shell). These scripts define an alias named
390 @code{edit}, which will resume Emacs giving it new command line
391 arguments such as files to visit. The scripts are found in the
392 @file{etc} subdirectory of the Emacs distribution.
394 Only action arguments work properly when you resume Emacs. Initial
395 arguments are not recognized---it's too late to execute them anyway.
397 Note that resuming Emacs (with or without arguments) must be done from
398 within the shell that is the parent of the Emacs job. This is why
399 @code{edit} is an alias rather than a program or a shell script. It is
400 not possible to implement a resumption command that could be run from
401 other subjobs of the shell; there is no way to define a command that could
402 be made the value of @env{EDITOR}, for example. Therefore, this feature
403 does not take the place of the Emacs Server feature (@pxref{Emacs
406 The aliases use the Emacs Server feature if you appear to have a
407 server Emacs running. However, they cannot determine this with complete
408 accuracy. They may think that a server is still running when in
409 actuality you have killed that Emacs, because the file
410 @file{/tmp/esrv@dots{}} still exists. If this happens, find that
414 @appendixsec Environment Variables
415 @cindex environment variables
417 The @dfn{environment} is a feature of the operating system; it
418 consists of a collection of variables with names and values. Each
419 variable is called an @dfn{environment variable}; environment variable
420 names are case-sensitive, and it is conventional to use upper case
421 letters only. The values are all text strings.
423 What makes the environment useful is that subprocesses inherit the
424 environment automatically from their parent process. This means you
425 can set up an environment variable in your login shell, and all the
426 programs you run (including Emacs) will automatically see it.
427 Subprocesses of Emacs (such as shells, compilers, and version-control
428 software) inherit the environment from Emacs, too.
432 @vindex initial-environment
433 Inside Emacs, the command @kbd{M-x getenv} gets the value of an
434 environment variable. @kbd{M-x setenv} sets a variable in the Emacs
435 environment, and @kbd{C-u M-x setenv} removes a variable.
436 (Environment variable substitutions with @samp{$} work in the value
437 just as in file names; see @ref{File Names with $}.) The variable
438 @code{initial-environment} stores the initial environment inherited by
441 The way to set environment variables outside of Emacs depends on the
442 operating system, and especially the shell that you are using. For
443 example, here's how to set the environment variable @env{ORGANIZATION}
444 to @samp{not very much} using Bash:
447 export ORGANIZATION="not very much"
451 and here's how to do it in csh or tcsh:
454 setenv ORGANIZATION "not very much"
457 When Emacs is using the X Window System, various environment
458 variables that control X work for Emacs as well. See the X
459 documentation for more information.
462 * General Variables:: Environment variables that all versions of Emacs use.
463 * Misc Variables:: Certain system-specific variables.
464 * MS-Windows Registry:: An alternative to the environment on MS-Windows.
467 @node General Variables
468 @appendixsubsec General Variables
470 Here is an alphabetical list of environment variables that have
471 special meanings in Emacs. Most of these variables are also used by
472 some other programs. Emacs does not require any of these environment
473 variables to be set, but it uses their values if they are set.
477 Used by the @code{cd} command to search for the directory you specify,
478 when you specify a relative directory name.
480 Directory for the architecture-independent files that come with Emacs.
481 This is used to initialize the Lisp variable @code{data-directory}.
483 Directory for the documentation string file, which is used to
484 initialize the Lisp variable @code{doc-directory}.
486 A colon-separated list of directories@footnote{
487 Here and below, whenever we say ``colon-separated list of directories,''
488 it pertains to Unix and GNU/Linux systems. On MS-DOS and MS-Windows,
489 the directories are separated by semi-colons instead, since DOS/Windows
490 file names might include a colon after a drive letter.}
491 to search for Emacs Lisp files---used to initialize @code{load-path}.
493 A colon-separated list of directories to search for executable
494 files---used to initialize @code{exec-path}.
496 @vindex user-mail-address@r{, initialization}
497 Your email address; used to initialize the Lisp variable
498 @code{user-mail-address}, which the Emacs mail interface puts into
499 the @samp{From} header of outgoing messages (@pxref{Mail Headers}).
501 Used for shell-mode to override the @env{SHELL} environment variable.
503 The name of the file that shell commands are saved in between logins.
504 This variable defaults to @file{~/.bash_history} if you use Bash, to
505 @file{~/.sh_history} if you use ksh, and to @file{~/.history}
508 The location of your files in the directory tree; used for
509 expansion of file names starting with a tilde (@file{~}). On MS-DOS,
510 it defaults to the directory from which Emacs was started, with
511 @samp{/bin} removed from the end if it was present. On Windows, the
512 default value of @env{HOME} is the @file{Application Data}
513 subdirectory of the user profile directory (normally, this is
514 @file{C:/Documents and Settings/@var{username}/Application Data},
515 where @var{username} is your user name), though for backwards
516 compatibility @file{C:/} will be used instead if a @file{.emacs} file
519 The name of the machine that Emacs is running on.
521 A colon-separated list of directories. Used by the @code{complete} package
524 A colon-separated list of directories in which to search for Info files.
533 The user's preferred locale. The locale has six categories, specified
534 by the environment variables @env{LC_COLLATE} for sorting,
535 @env{LC_CTYPE} for character encoding, @env{LC_MESSAGES} for system
536 messages, @env{LC_MONETARY} for monetary formats, @env{LC_NUMERIC} for
537 numbers, and @env{LC_TIME} for dates and times. If one of these
538 variables is not set, the category defaults to the value of the
539 @env{LANG} environment variable, or to the default @samp{C} locale if
540 @env{LANG} is not set. But if @env{LC_ALL} is specified, it overrides
541 the settings of all the other locale environment variables.
543 On MS-Windows, if @env{LANG} is not already set in the environment
544 when Emacs starts, Emacs sets it based on the system-wide default
545 language, which you can set in the @samp{Regional Settings} Control Panel
546 on some versions of MS-Windows.
548 The value of the @env{LC_CTYPE} category is
549 matched against entries in @code{locale-language-names},
550 @code{locale-charset-language-names}, and
551 @code{locale-preferred-coding-systems}, to select a default language
552 environment and coding system. @xref{Language Environments}.
554 The user's login name. See also @env{USER}.
556 The name of your system mail inbox.
558 Name of setup file for the mh system. (The default is @file{~/.mh_profile}.)
560 Your real-world name.
562 The name of the news server. Used by the mh and Gnus packages.
564 The name of the organization to which you belong. Used for setting the
565 `Organization:' header in your posts from the Gnus package.
567 A colon-separated list of directories in which executables reside. This
568 is used to initialize the Emacs Lisp variable @code{exec-path}.
570 If set, this should be the default directory when Emacs was started.
572 If set, this specifies an initial value for the variable
573 @code{mail-default-reply-to}. @xref{Mail Headers}.
575 The name of a directory in which news articles are saved by default.
576 Used by the Gnus package.
578 The name of an interpreter used to parse and execute programs run from
581 The name of the outgoing mail server. Used by the SMTP library
582 (@pxref{Top,,,smtpmail,Sending mail via SMTP}).
583 @cindex background mode, on @command{xterm}
585 The type of the terminal that Emacs is using. This variable must be
586 set unless Emacs is run in batch mode. On MS-DOS, it defaults to
587 @samp{internal}, which specifies a built-in terminal emulation that
588 handles the machine's own display. If the value of @env{TERM} indicates
589 that Emacs runs in non-windowed mode from @command{xterm} or a similar
590 terminal emulator, the background mode defaults to @samp{light}, and
591 Emacs will choose colors that are appropriate for a light background.
593 The name of the termcap library file describing how to program the
594 terminal specified by the @env{TERM} variable. This defaults to
597 Used by the Emerge package as a prefix for temporary files.
599 This specifies the current time zone and possibly also daylight
600 saving time information. On MS-DOS, if @env{TZ} is not set in the
601 environment when Emacs starts, Emacs defines a default value as
602 appropriate for the country code returned by DOS. On MS-Windows, Emacs
603 does not use @env{TZ} at all.
605 The user's login name. See also @env{LOGNAME}. On MS-DOS, this
606 defaults to @samp{root}.
607 @item VERSION_CONTROL
608 Used to initialize the @code{version-control} variable (@pxref{Backup Names}).
612 @appendixsubsec Miscellaneous Variables
614 These variables are used only on particular configurations:
618 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, the name of the command interpreter to use
619 when invoking batch files and commands internal to the shell. On MS-DOS
620 this is also used to make a default value for the @env{SHELL} environment
624 On MS-DOS, this variable defaults to the value of the @env{USER}
629 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, these specify the name of the directory for
630 storing temporary files in.
633 On MS-DOS, this specifies a file to use to log the operation of the
634 internal terminal emulator. This feature is useful for submitting bug
638 On MS-DOS, this specifies the screen colors. It is useful to set them
639 this way, since otherwise Emacs would display the default colors
640 momentarily when it starts up.
642 The value of this variable should be the two-character encoding of the
643 foreground (the first character) and the background (the second
644 character) colors of the default face. Each character should be the
645 hexadecimal code for the desired color on a standard PC text-mode
646 display. For example, to get blue text on a light gray background,
647 specify @samp{EMACSCOLORS=17}, since 1 is the code of the blue color and
648 7 is the code of the light gray color.
650 The PC display usually supports only eight background colors. However,
651 Emacs switches the DOS display to a mode where all 16 colors can be used
652 for the background, so all four bits of the background color are
655 @item PRELOAD_WINSOCK
656 On MS-Windows, if you set this variable, Emacs will load and initialize
657 the network library at startup, instead of waiting until the first
661 On MS-Windows, @env{emacs_dir} is a special environment variable, which
662 indicates the full path of the directory in which Emacs is installed.
663 If Emacs is installed in the standard directory structure, it
664 calculates this value automatically. It is not much use setting this
665 variable yourself unless your installation is non-standard, since
666 unlike other environment variables, it will be overridden by Emacs at
667 startup. When setting other environment variables, such as
668 @env{EMACSLOADPATH}, you may find it useful to use @env{emacs_dir}
669 rather than hard-coding an absolute path. This allows multiple
670 versions of Emacs to share the same environment variable settings, and
671 it allows you to move the Emacs installation directory, without
672 changing any environment or registry settings.
675 @node MS-Windows Registry
676 @appendixsubsec The MS-Windows System Registry
677 @pindex addpm, MS-Windows installation program
678 @cindex registry, setting environment variables and resources on MS-Windows
680 Under MS-Windows, the installation program @command{addpm.exe} adds
681 values for @env{emacs_dir}, @env{EMACSLOADPATH}, @env{EMACSDATA},
682 @env{EMACSPATH}, @env{EMACSDOC}, @env{SHELL} and @env{TERM} to the
683 @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section of the system registry, under
684 @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs}. It does this because there is no standard
685 place to set environment variables across different versions of
686 Windows. Running @command{addpm.exe} is no longer strictly necessary
687 in recent versions of Emacs, but if you are upgrading from an older
688 version, running @command{addpm.exe} ensures that you do not have
689 older registry entries from a previous installation, which may not be
690 compatible with the latest version of Emacs.
692 When Emacs starts, as well as checking the environment, it also checks
693 the System Registry for those variables and for @env{HOME}, @env{LANG}
694 and @env{PRELOAD_WINSOCK}.
696 To determine the value of those variables, Emacs goes through the
697 following procedure. First, the environment is checked. If the
698 variable is not found there, Emacs looks for registry keys by that
699 name under @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs}; first in the
700 @file{HKEY_CURRENT_USER} section of the registry, and if not found
701 there, in the @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section. Finally, if Emacs
702 still cannot determine the values, compiled-in defaults are used.
704 In addition to the environment variables above, you can also add many
705 of the settings which on X belong in the @file{.Xdefaults} file
706 (@pxref{X Resources}) to the @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs} registry key.
707 Settings you add to the @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section will affect
708 all users of the machine. Settings you add to the
709 @file{HKEY_CURRENT_USER} section will only affect you, and will
710 override machine wide settings.
713 @appendixsec Specifying the Display Name
714 @cindex display name (X Window System)
715 @cindex @env{DISPLAY} environment variable
717 The environment variable @env{DISPLAY} tells all X clients, including
718 Emacs, where to display their windows. Its value is set by default
719 in ordinary circumstances, when you start an X server and run jobs
720 locally. Occasionally you may need to specify the display yourself; for
721 example, if you do a remote login and want to run a client program
722 remotely, displaying on your local screen.
724 With Emacs, the main reason people change the default display is to
725 let them log into another system, run Emacs on that system, but have the
726 window displayed at their local terminal. You might need to log in
727 to another system because the files you want to edit are there, or
728 because the Emacs executable file you want to run is there.
730 @env{DISPLAY} has the syntax
731 @samp{@var{host}:@var{display}.@var{screen}}, where @var{host} is the
732 host name of the X Window System server machine, @var{display} is an
733 arbitrarily-assigned number that distinguishes your server (X
734 terminal) from other servers on the same machine, and @var{screen} is
735 a rarely-used field that allows an X server to control multiple
736 terminal screens. The period and the @var{screen} field are optional.
737 If included, @var{screen} is usually zero.
739 For example, if your host is named @samp{glasperle} and your server is
740 the first (or perhaps the only) server listed in the configuration, your
741 @env{DISPLAY} is @samp{glasperle:0.0}.
743 You can specify the display name explicitly when you run Emacs, either
744 by changing the @env{DISPLAY} variable, or with the option @samp{-d
745 @var{display}} or @samp{--display=@var{display}}. Here is an example:
748 emacs --display=glasperle:0 &
751 You can inhibit the direct use of the window system and GUI with the
752 @samp{-nw} option. It tells Emacs to display using ordinary @acronym{ASCII} on
753 its controlling terminal. This is also an initial option.
755 Sometimes, security arrangements prevent a program on a remote system
756 from displaying on your local system. In this case, trying to run Emacs
757 produces messages like this:
760 Xlib: connection to "glasperle:0.0" refused by server
764 You might be able to overcome this problem by using the @command{xhost}
765 command on the local system to give permission for access from your
769 @appendixsec Font Specification Options
770 @cindex font name (X Window System)
772 You can use the command line option @samp{-fn @var{font}} (or
773 @samp{--font}, which is an alias for @samp{-fn}) to specify a default
779 @itemx --font=@var{font}
781 @cindex specify default font from the command line
782 Use @var{font} as the default font.
785 When passing a font specification to Emacs on the command line, you
786 may need to ``quote'' it, by enclosing it in quotation marks, if it
787 contains characters that the shell treats specially (e.g. spaces).
791 emacs -fn "DejaVu Sans Mono-12"
794 @xref{Fonts}, for other ways to specify the default font and font name
798 @appendixsec Window Color Options
799 @cindex color of window, from command line
800 @cindex text colors, from command line
802 @findex list-colors-display
803 @cindex available colors
804 On a color display, you can specify which color to use for various
805 parts of the Emacs display. To find out what colors are available on
806 your system, type @kbd{M-x list-colors-display}, or press
807 @kbd{C-Mouse-2} and select @samp{Display Colors} from the pop-up menu.
808 (A particular window system might support many more colors, but the
809 list displayed by @code{list-colors-display} shows their portable
810 subset that can be safely used on any display supported by Emacs.)
811 If you do not specify colors, on windowed displays the default for the
812 background is white and the default for all other colors is black. On a
813 monochrome display, the foreground is black, the background is white,
814 and the border is gray if the display supports that. On terminals, the
815 background is usually black and the foreground is white.
817 Here is a list of the command-line options for specifying colors:
820 @item -fg @var{color}
822 @itemx --foreground-color=@var{color}
823 @opindex --foreground-color
824 @cindex foreground color, command-line argument
825 Specify the foreground color. @var{color} should be a standard color
826 name, or a numeric specification of the color's red, green, and blue
827 components as in @samp{#4682B4} or @samp{RGB:46/82/B4}.
828 @item -bg @var{color}
830 @itemx --background-color=@var{color}
831 @opindex --background-color
832 @cindex background color, command-line argument
833 Specify the background color.
834 @item -bd @var{color}
836 @itemx --border-color=@var{color}
837 @opindex --border-color
838 @cindex border color, command-line argument
839 Specify the color of the border of the X window.
840 @item -cr @var{color}
842 @itemx --cursor-color=@var{color}
843 @opindex --cursor-color
844 @cindex cursor color, command-line argument
845 Specify the color of the Emacs cursor which indicates where point is.
846 @item -ms @var{color}
848 @itemx --mouse-color=@var{color}
849 @opindex --mouse-color
850 @cindex mouse pointer color, command-line argument
851 Specify the color for the mouse cursor when the mouse is in the Emacs window.
856 @itemx --reverse-video
857 @opindex --reverse-video
858 @cindex reverse video, command-line argument
859 Reverse video---swap the foreground and background colors.
860 @item --color=@var{mode}
862 @cindex standard colors on a character terminal
863 @cindex override character terminal color support
864 For a character terminal only, specify the mode of color support.
865 This option is intended for overriding the number of supported colors
866 that the character terminal advertises in its @code{termcap} or
867 @code{terminfo} database. The parameter @var{mode} can be one of the
872 Don't use colors even if the terminal's capabilities specify color
876 Same as when @option{--color} is not used at all: Emacs detects at
877 startup whether the terminal supports colors, and if it does, turns on
882 Turn on the color support unconditionally, and use color commands
883 specified by the ANSI escape sequences for the 8 standard colors.
885 Use color mode for @var{num} colors. If @var{num} is -1, turn off
886 color support (equivalent to @samp{never}); if it is 0, use the
887 default color support for this terminal (equivalent to @samp{auto});
888 otherwise use an appropriate standard mode for @var{num} colors.
889 Depending on your terminal's capabilities, Emacs might be able to turn
890 on a color mode for 8, 16, 88, or 256 as the value of @var{num}. If
891 there is no mode that supports @var{num} colors, Emacs acts as if
892 @var{num} were 0, i.e.@: it uses the terminal's default color support
895 If @var{mode} is omitted, it defaults to @var{ansi8}.
898 For example, to use a coral mouse cursor and a slate blue text cursor,
902 emacs -ms coral -cr 'slate blue' &
905 You can reverse the foreground and background colors through the
906 @samp{-rv} option or with the X resource @samp{reverseVideo}.
908 The @samp{-fg}, @samp{-bg}, and @samp{-rv} options function on
909 text-only terminals as well as on graphical displays.
912 @appendixsec Options for Window Size and Position
913 @cindex geometry of Emacs window
914 @cindex position and size of Emacs frame
915 @cindex width and height of Emacs frame
916 @cindex specifying fullscreen for Emacs frame
918 Here is a list of the command-line options for specifying size and
919 position of the initial Emacs frame:
922 @item -g @var{width}x@var{height}@r{[@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}@r{]]}
924 @itemx --geometry=@var{width}x@var{height}@r{[@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}@r{]]}
926 @cindex geometry, command-line argument
927 Specify the size @var{width} and @var{height} (measured in character
928 columns and lines), and positions @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset}
929 (measured in pixels). The @var{width} and @var{height} parameters
930 apply to all frames, whereas @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} only to
936 @opindex --fullscreen
937 @cindex fullscreen, command-line argument
938 Specify that width and height shall be the size of the screen. Normally
939 no window manager decorations are shown.
945 @cindex maximized, command-line argument
946 Specify that the Emacs frame shall be maximized. This normally
947 means that the frame has window manager decorations.
952 @opindex --fullheight
953 @cindex fullheight, command-line argument
954 Specify that the height shall be the height of the screen.
960 @cindex fullwidth, command-line argument
961 Specify that the width shall be the width of the screen.
965 In the @samp{--geometry} option, @code{@r{@{}+-@r{@}}} means either a plus
966 sign or a minus sign. A plus
967 sign before @var{xoffset} means it is the distance from the left side of
968 the screen; a minus sign means it counts from the right side. A plus
969 sign before @var{yoffset} means it is the distance from the top of the
970 screen, and a minus sign there indicates the distance from the bottom.
971 The values @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} may themselves be positive or
972 negative, but that doesn't change their meaning, only their direction.
974 Emacs uses the same units as @command{xterm} does to interpret the geometry.
975 The @var{width} and @var{height} are measured in characters, so a large font
976 creates a larger frame than a small font. (If you specify a proportional
977 font, Emacs uses its maximum bounds width as the width unit.) The
978 @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} are measured in pixels.
980 You do not have to specify all of the fields in the geometry
981 specification. If you omit both @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset}, the
982 window manager decides where to put the Emacs frame, possibly by
983 letting you place it with the mouse. For example, @samp{164x55}
984 specifies a window 164 columns wide, enough for two ordinary width
985 windows side by side, and 55 lines tall.
987 The default frame width is 80 characters and the default height is
988 40 lines. You can omit either the width or the height or both. If
989 you start the geometry with an integer, Emacs interprets it as the
990 width. If you start with an @samp{x} followed by an integer, Emacs
991 interprets it as the height. Thus, @samp{81} specifies just the
992 width; @samp{x45} specifies just the height.
994 If you start with @samp{+} or @samp{-}, that introduces an offset,
995 which means both sizes are omitted. Thus, @samp{-3} specifies the
996 @var{xoffset} only. (If you give just one offset, it is always
997 @var{xoffset}.) @samp{+3-3} specifies both the @var{xoffset} and the
998 @var{yoffset}, placing the frame near the bottom left of the screen.
1000 You can specify a default for any or all of the fields in your X
1001 resource file (@pxref{Resources}), and then override selected fields
1002 with a @samp{--geometry} option.
1004 Since the mode line and the echo area occupy the last 2 lines of the
1005 frame, the height of the initial text window is 2 less than the height
1006 specified in your geometry. In non-X-toolkit versions of Emacs, the
1007 menu bar also takes one line of the specified number. But in the X
1008 toolkit version, the menu bar is additional and does not count against
1009 the specified height. The tool bar, if present, is also additional.
1011 Enabling or disabling the menu bar or tool bar alters the amount of
1012 space available for ordinary text. Therefore, if Emacs starts up with
1013 a tool bar (which is the default), and handles the geometry
1014 specification assuming there is a tool bar, and then your
1015 initialization file disables the tool bar, you will end up with a
1016 frame geometry different from what you asked for. To get the intended
1017 size with no tool bar, use an X resource to specify ``no tool bar''
1018 (@pxref{Table of Resources}); then Emacs will already know there's no
1019 tool bar when it processes the specified geometry.
1021 When using one of @samp{--fullscreen}, @samp{--maximized}, @samp{--fullwidth}
1022 or @samp{--fullheight} there may be some space around the frame
1023 anyway. That is because Emacs rounds the sizes so they are an
1024 even number of character heights and widths.
1026 Some window managers have options that can make them ignore both
1027 program-specified and user-specified positions. If these are set,
1028 Emacs fails to position the window correctly.
1031 @appendixsec Internal and External Borders
1032 @cindex borders (X Window System)
1034 An Emacs frame has an internal border and an external border. The
1035 internal border is an extra strip of the background color around the
1036 text portion of the frame. Emacs itself draws the internal border.
1037 The external border is added by the window manager outside the frame;
1038 depending on the window manager you use, it may contain various boxes
1039 you can click on to move or iconify the window.
1042 @item -ib @var{width}
1044 @itemx --internal-border=@var{width}
1045 @opindex --internal-border
1046 @cindex internal border width, command-line argument
1047 Specify @var{width} as the width of the internal border (between the text
1048 and the main border), in pixels.
1050 @item -bw @var{width}
1052 @itemx --border-width=@var{width}
1053 @opindex --border-width
1054 @cindex main border width, command-line argument
1055 Specify @var{width} as the width of the main border, in pixels.
1058 When you specify the size of the frame, that does not count the
1059 borders. The frame's position is measured from the outside edge of the
1062 Use the @samp{-ib @var{n}} option to specify an internal border
1063 @var{n} pixels wide. The default is 1. Use @samp{-bw @var{n}} to
1064 specify the width of the external border (though the window manager may
1065 not pay attention to what you specify). The default width of the
1066 external border is 2.
1069 @appendixsec Frame Titles
1071 An Emacs frame may or may not have a specified title. The frame
1072 title, if specified, appears in window decorations and icons as the
1073 name of the frame. If an Emacs frame has no specified title, the
1074 default title has the form @samp{@var{invocation-name}@@@var{machine}}
1075 (if there is only one frame) or the selected window's buffer name (if
1076 there is more than one frame).
1078 You can specify a title for the initial Emacs frame with a command
1082 @item -T @var{title}
1084 @itemx --title=@var{title}
1086 @cindex frame title, command-line argument
1087 Specify @var{title} as the title for the initial Emacs frame.
1090 The @samp{--name} option (@pxref{Resources}) also specifies the title
1091 for the initial Emacs frame.
1095 @cindex icons (X Window System)
1096 @cindex minimizing a frame at startup
1102 @cindex start iconified, command-line argument
1103 Start Emacs in an iconified (``minimized'') state.
1107 @itemx --no-bitmap-icon
1108 @opindex --no-bitmap-icon
1109 @cindex Emacs icon, a gnu
1110 Do not use a picture of a gnu as the Emacs icon.
1113 Most window managers allow you to ``iconify'' (or ``minimize'') an
1114 Emacs frame, hiding it from sight. Some window managers replace
1115 iconified windows with tiny ``icons'', while others remove them
1116 entirely from sight. The @samp{-iconic} option tells Emacs to begin
1117 running in an iconified state, rather than showing a frame right away.
1118 The text frame doesn't appear until you deiconify (or ``un-minimize'')
1121 By default, Emacs uses an icon containing the Emacs logo. On
1122 desktop environments such as Gnome, this icon is also displayed on the
1123 ``taskbar''. The @samp{-nbi} or @samp{--no-bitmap-icon} option tells
1124 Emacs to let the window manager choose what sort of icon to
1125 use---usually just a small rectangle containing the frame's title.
1128 @appendixsec Other Display Options
1133 @c @itemx --horizontal-scroll-bars
1134 @c @opindex --horizontal-scroll-bars
1135 @c @c @cindex horizontal scroll bars, command-line argument
1136 @c Enable horizontal scroll bars. Since horizontal scroll bars
1137 @c are not yet implemented, this actually does nothing.
1139 @item --parent-id @var{ID}
1140 Open Emacs as a client X window via the XEmbed protocol, with @var{ID}
1141 as the parent X window id. Currently, this option is mainly useful
1146 @itemx --vertical-scroll-bars
1147 @opindex --vertical-scroll-bars
1148 @cindex vertical scroll bars, command-line argument
1149 Enable vertical scroll bars.
1151 @item -lsp @var{pixels}
1153 @itemx --line-spacing=@var{pixels}
1154 @opindex --line-spacing
1155 @cindex line spacing, command-line argument
1156 Specify @var{pixels} as additional space to put between lines, in pixels.
1160 @itemx --no-blinking-cursor
1161 @opindex --no-blinking-cursor
1162 @cindex blinking cursor disable, command-line argument
1163 Disable the blinking cursor on graphical displays.
1167 @itemx --basic-display
1168 @opindex --basic-display
1169 Disable the menu-bar, the tool-bar, the scroll-bars, and tool tips,
1170 and turn off the blinking cursor. This can be useful for making a
1171 test case that simplifies debugging of display problems.
1174 The @samp{--xrm} option (@pxref{Resources}) specifies additional