1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003,
3 @c 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5 @node X Resources, Antinews, Emacs Invocation, Top
6 @appendix X Options and Resources
8 You can customize some X-related aspects of Emacs behavior using X
9 resources, as is usual for programs that use X. On MS-Windows, you
10 can customize some of the same aspects using the system registry.
11 @xref{MS-Windows Registry}. Likewise, Emacs on MacOS Carbon emulates X
12 resources using the Preferences system. @xref{Mac Environment Variables}.
14 When Emacs is built using an ``X toolkit'', such as Lucid or
15 LessTif, you need to use X resources to customize the appearance of
16 the widgets, including the menu-bar, scroll-bar, and dialog boxes.
17 This is because the libraries that implement these don't provide for
18 customization through Emacs. GTK+ widgets use a separate system of
20 ``GTK resources'', which we will also describe.
23 ``GTK resources.'' In this chapter we describe the most commonly used
24 resource specifications. For full documentation, see the online
27 @c Add xref for LessTif/Motif menu resources.
32 * Resources:: Using X resources with Emacs (in general).
33 * Table of Resources:: Table of specific X resources that affect Emacs.
34 * Face Resources:: X resources for customizing faces.
35 * Lucid Resources:: X resources for Lucid menus.
36 * LessTif Resources:: X resources for LessTif and Motif menus.
37 * GTK resources:: Resources for GTK widgets.
41 @appendixsec X Resources
44 @cindex @file{~/.Xdefaults} file
45 @cindex @file{~/.Xresources} file
47 Programs running under the X Window System organize their user
48 options under a hierarchy of classes and resources. You can specify
49 default values for these options in your X resources file, usually
50 named @file{~/.Xdefaults} or @file{~/.Xresources}.
51 If changes in @file{~/.Xdefaults} do not
52 take effect, it is because your X server stores its own list of
53 resources; to update them, use the shell command @command{xrdb}---for
54 instance, @samp{xrdb ~/.Xdefaults}.
56 Each line in the file specifies a value for one option or for a
57 collection of related options, for one program or for several programs
58 (optionally even for all programs).
60 @cindex Registry (MS-Windows)
61 MS-Windows systems do not support @file{~/.Xdefaults} files, so
62 instead Emacs compiled for Windows looks for X resources in the
63 Windows Registry, first under the key
64 @samp{HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\GNU\Emacs} and then under the key
65 @samp{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\GNU\Emacs}. The menu and scroll
66 bars are native widgets on MS-Windows, so they are only customizable
67 via the system-wide settings in the Display Control Panel. You can
68 also set resources using the @samp{-xrm} command line option (see
72 Applications such as Emacs look for resources with specific names
73 and their particular meanings. Case distinctions are significant in
74 these names. Each resource specification in @file{~/.Xdefaults}
75 states the name of the program and the name of the resource. For
76 Emacs, the program name is @samp{Emacs}. It looks like this:
83 Programs define named resources with particular meanings. They also
84 define how to group resources into named classes. For instance, in
85 Emacs, the @samp{internalBorder} resource controls the width of the
86 internal border, and the @samp{borderWidth} resource controls the width
87 of the external border. Both of these resources are part of the
88 @samp{BorderWidth} class. Case distinctions are significant in these
91 Every resource definition is associated with a specific program
92 name---the name of the executable file that you ran. For Emacs, that
93 is normally @samp{emacs}. To specify a definition for all instances
94 of Emacs, regardless of their names, use @samp{Emacs}.
96 In @file{~/.Xdefaults}, you can specify a value for a single resource
97 on one line, like this:
104 Or you can use a class name to specify the same value for all resources
105 in that class. Here's an example:
111 If you specify a value for a class, it becomes the default for all
112 resources in that class. You can specify values for individual
113 resources as well; these override the class value, for those particular
114 resources. Thus, this example specifies 2 as the default width for all
115 borders, but overrides this value with 4 for the external border:
123 The order in which the lines appear in the file does not matter.
124 Also, command-line options always override the X resources file.
127 Here is a list of X command-line options and their corresponding
131 @item -name @var{name}
133 @itemx --name=@var{name}
134 @cindex resource name, command-line argument
135 Use @var{name} as the resource name (and the title) for the initial
136 Emacs frame. This option does not affect subsequent frames, but Lisp
137 programs can specify frame names when they create frames.
139 If you don't specify this option, the default is to use the Emacs
140 executable's name as the resource name.
142 @item -xrm @var{resource-values}
144 @itemx --xrm=@var{resource-values}
145 @cindex resource values, command-line argument
146 Specify X resource values for this Emacs job (see below).
149 For consistency, @samp{-name} also specifies the name to use for
150 other resource values that do not belong to any particular frame.
152 The resources that name Emacs invocations also belong to a class; its
153 name is @samp{Emacs}. If you write @samp{Emacs} instead of
154 @samp{emacs}, the resource applies to all frames in all Emacs jobs,
155 regardless of frame titles and regardless of the name of the executable
156 file. Here is an example:
163 You can specify a string of additional resource values for Emacs to
164 use with the command line option @samp{-xrm @var{resources}}. The text
165 @var{resources} should have the same format that you would use inside a file
166 of X resources. To include multiple resource specifications in
167 @var{resources}, put a newline between them, just as you would in a file.
168 You can also use @samp{#include "@var{filename}"} to include a file full
169 of resource specifications. Resource values specified with @samp{-xrm}
170 take precedence over all other resource specifications.
172 One way to experiment with the effect of different resource settings
173 is to use the @code{editres} program. Select @samp{Get Tree} from the
176 You can experiment with the effect of different resource settings
177 with the @code{editres} program. Select @samp{Get Tree} from the
179 @samp{Commands} menu, then click on an Emacs frame. This will display
180 a tree showing the structure of X toolkit widgets used in an Emacs
181 frame. Select one of them, such as @samp{menubar}, then select
182 @samp{Show Resource Box} from the @samp{Commands} menu. This displays
183 a list of all the meaningful X resources for that widget, and allows
184 you to edit them. Changes take effect when you click on the
185 @samp{Apply} button. (See the @code{editres} man page for more
188 @node Table of Resources
189 @appendixsec Table of X Resources for Emacs
191 This table lists the resource names that designate options for
192 Emacs, not counting those for the appearance of the menu bar, each
193 with the class that it belongs to:
196 @item @code{background} (class @code{Background})
197 Background color name.
200 @item @code{bitmapIcon} (class @code{BitmapIcon})
201 Use a bitmap icon (a picture of a gnu) if @samp{on}, let the window
202 manager choose an icon if @samp{off}.
205 @item @code{borderColor} (class @code{BorderColor})
206 Color name for the external border.
209 @item @code{borderWidth} (class @code{BorderWidth})
210 Width in pixels of the external border.
213 @item @code{cursorColor} (class @code{Foreground})
214 Color name for text cursor (point).
217 @item @code{cursorBlink} (class @code{CursorBlink})
218 Specifies whether to make the cursor blink. The default is @samp{on}. Use
219 @samp{off} or @samp{false} to turn cursor blinking off.
222 @item @code{font} (class @code{Font})
223 Font name (or fontset name, @pxref{Fontsets}) for @code{default} font.
225 @item @code{foreground} (class @code{Foreground})
228 @item @code{geometry} (class @code{Geometry})
229 Window size and position. Be careful not to specify this resource as
230 @samp{emacs*geometry}, because that may affect individual menus as well
231 as the Emacs frame itself.
233 If this resource specifies a position, that position applies only to the
234 initial Emacs frame (or, in the case of a resource for a specific frame
235 name, only that frame). However, the size, if specified here, applies to
239 @item @code{fullscreen} (class @code{Fullscreen})
240 The desired fullscreen size. The value can be one of @code{fullboth},
241 @code{fullwidth} or @code{fullheight}, which correspond to
242 the command-line options @samp{-fs}, @samp{-fw}, and @samp{-fh}
243 (@pxref{Window Size X}).
245 Note that this applies to the initial frame only.
248 @item @code{iconName} (class @code{Title})
249 Name to display in the icon.
251 @item @code{internalBorder} (class @code{BorderWidth})
252 Width in pixels of the internal border.
254 @item @code{lineSpacing} (class @code{LineSpacing})
257 Additional space (@dfn{leading}) between lines, in pixels.
259 @item @code{menuBar} (class @code{MenuBar})
261 Give frames menu bars if @samp{on}; don't have menu bars if @samp{off}.
263 @xref{Lucid Resources}, and @ref{LessTif Resources},
266 @xref{Lucid Resources},
268 for how to control the appearance of the menu bar if you have one.
271 @item @code{minibuffer} (class @code{Minibuffer})
272 If @samp{none}, don't make a minibuffer in this frame.
273 It will use a separate minibuffer frame instead.
275 @item @code{paneFont} (class @code{Font})
276 @cindex font for menus
277 Font name for menu pane titles, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs.
280 @item @code{pointerColor} (class @code{Foreground})
281 Color of the mouse cursor.
284 @item @code{privateColormap} (class @code{PrivateColormap})
285 If @samp{on}, use a private color map, in the case where the ``default
286 visual'' of class PseudoColor and Emacs is using it.
288 @item @code{reverseVideo} (class @code{ReverseVideo})
289 Switch foreground and background default colors if @samp{on}, use colors as
290 specified if @samp{off}.
293 @item @code{screenGamma} (class @code{ScreenGamma})
294 @cindex gamma correction
295 Gamma correction for colors, equivalent to the frame parameter
298 @item @code{scrollBarWidth} (class @code{ScrollBarWidth})
299 @cindex scrollbar width
300 The scroll bar width in pixels, equivalent to the frame parameter
301 @code{scroll-bar-width}.
304 @item @code{selectionFont} (class @code{SelectionFont})
305 Font name for pop-up menu items, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs. (For
306 toolkit versions, see @ref{Lucid Resources}, also see @ref{LessTif
309 @item @code{selectionTimeout} (class @code{SelectionTimeout})
310 Number of milliseconds to wait for a selection reply.
311 If the selection owner doesn't reply in this time, we give up.
312 A value of 0 means wait as long as necessary.
314 @item @code{synchronous} (class @code{Synchronous})
315 @cindex debugging X problems
316 @cindex synchronous X mode
317 Run Emacs in synchronous mode if @samp{on}. Synchronous mode is
318 useful for debugging X problems.
321 @item @code{title} (class @code{Title})
322 Name to display in the title bar of the initial Emacs frame.
324 @item @code{toolBar} (class @code{ToolBar})
326 Number of lines to reserve for the tool bar. A zero value suppresses
327 the tool bar. If the value is non-zero and
328 @code{auto-resize-tool-bars} is non-@code{nil}, the tool bar's size
329 will be changed automatically so that all tool bar items are visible.
330 If the value of @code{auto-resize-tool-bars} is @code{grow-only},
331 the tool bar expands automatically, but does not contract automatically.
332 To contract the tool bar, you must redraw the frame by entering @kbd{C-l}.
334 @item @code{useXIM} (class @code{UseXIM})
336 @cindex X input methods
337 @cindex input methods, X
338 Turn off use of X input methods (XIM) if @samp{false} or @samp{off}.
339 This is only relevant if your Emacs is actually built with XIM
340 support. It is potentially useful to turn off XIM for efficiency,
341 especially slow X client/server links.
343 @item @code{verticalScrollBars} (class @code{ScrollBars})
344 Give frames scroll bars if @samp{on}; don't have scroll bars if
348 @item @code{visualClass} (class @code{VisualClass})
349 Specify the ``visual'' that X should use. This tells X how to handle
352 The value should start with one of @samp{TrueColor},
353 @samp{PseudoColor}, @samp{DirectColor}, @samp{StaticColor},
354 @samp{GrayScale}, and @samp{StaticGray}, followed by
355 @samp{-@var{depth}}, where @var{depth} is the number of color planes.
356 Most terminals only allow a few ``visuals,'' and the @samp{dpyinfo}
357 program outputs information saying which ones.
362 @appendixsec X Resources for Faces
364 You can use resources to customize the appearance of particular
365 faces (@pxref{Faces}):
368 @item @var{face}.attributeForeground
369 Foreground color for face @var{face}.
370 @item @var{face}.attributeBackground
371 Background color for face @var{face}.
372 @item @var{face}.attributeUnderline
373 Underline flag for face @var{face}. Use @samp{on} or @samp{true} for
375 @item @var{face}.attributeStrikeThrough
376 @itemx @var{face}.attributeOverline
377 @itemx @var{face}.attributeBox
378 @itemx @var{face}.attributeInverse
379 Likewise, for other boolean font attributes.
380 @item @var{face}.attributeStipple
381 The name of a pixmap data file to use for the stipple pattern, or
382 @code{false} to not use stipple for the face @var{face}.
383 @item @var{face}.attributeBackgroundPixmap
384 The background pixmap for the face @var{face}. Should be a name of a
385 pixmap file or @code{false}.
386 @item @var{face}.attributeFont
387 Font name (full XFD name or valid X abbreviation) for face @var{face}.
388 Instead of this, you can specify the font through separate attributes.
391 Instead of using @code{attributeFont} to specify a font name, you can
392 select a font through these separate attributes:
395 @item @var{face}.attributeFamily
396 Font family for face @var{face}.
397 @item @var{face}.attributeHeight
398 Height of the font to use for face @var{face}: either an integer
399 specifying the height in units of 1/10@dmn{pt}, or a floating point
400 number that specifies a scale factor to scale the underlying face's
401 default font, or a function to be called with the default height which
402 will return a new height.
403 @item @var{face}.attributeWidth
404 @itemx @var{face}.attributeWeight
405 @itemx @var{face}.attributeSlant
406 Each of these resources corresponds to a like-named font attribute,
407 and you write the resource value the same as the symbol you would use
408 for the font attribute value.
409 @item @var{face}.attributeBold
410 Bold flag for face @var{face}---instead of @code{attributeWeight}. Use @samp{on} or @samp{true} for
412 @item @var{face}.attributeItalic
413 Italic flag for face @var{face}---instead of @code{attributeSlant}.
416 @node Lucid Resources
417 @appendixsec Lucid Menu X Resources
418 @cindex Menu X Resources (Lucid widgets)
419 @cindex Lucid Widget X Resources
422 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
423 with the Lucid menu widgets, then the menu bar is a separate widget and
424 has its own resources. The resource names contain @samp{pane.menubar}
425 (following, as always, the name of the Emacs invocation, or @samp{Emacs},
426 which stands for all Emacs invocations). Specify them like this:
429 Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{resource}: @var{value}
433 For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items,
437 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
438 with the Lucid menu widgets, then the menu bar is a separate widget
439 and has its own resources. The resource specifications start with
440 @samp{Emacs.pane.menubar}---for instance, to specify the font
441 @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, write this:
445 Emacs.pane.menubar.font: 8x16
449 Resources for @emph{non-menubar} toolkit pop-up menus have
450 @samp{menu*} instead of @samp{pane.menubar}. For example, to specify
451 the font @samp{8x16} for the pop-up menu items, write this:
454 Emacs.menu*.font: 8x16
458 For dialog boxes, use @samp{dialog*}:
461 Emacs.dialog*.font: 8x16
465 The Lucid menus can display multilingual text in your locale. For
466 more information about fontsets see the man page for
467 @code{XCreateFontSet}. To enable multilingual menu text you specify a
468 @code{fontSet} resource instead of the font resource. If both
469 @code{font} and @code{fontSet} resources are specified, the
470 @code{fontSet} resource is used.
472 Thus, to specify @samp{-*-helvetica-medium-r-*--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*,*}
473 for both the popup and menu bar menus, write this:
476 Emacs*menu*fontSet: -*-helvetica-medium-r-*--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*,*
480 The @samp{*menu*} as a wildcard matches @samp{pane.menubar} and
483 Experience shows that on some systems you may need to add
484 @samp{shell.}@: before the @samp{pane.menubar} or @samp{menu*}. On
485 some other systems, you must not add @samp{shell.}. The generic wildcard
486 approach should work on both kinds of systems.
488 Here is a list of the specific resources for menu bars and pop-up menus:
492 Font for menu item text.
494 Fontset for menu item text.
496 Color of the foreground.
498 Color of the background.
499 @item buttonForeground
500 In the menu bar, the color of the foreground for a selected item.
502 @item horizontalSpacing
503 Horizontal spacing in pixels between items. Default is 3.
504 @item verticalSpacing
505 Vertical spacing in pixels between items. Default is 2.
507 Horizontal spacing between the arrow (which indicates a submenu) and
508 the associated text. Default is 10.
509 @item shadowThickness
510 Thickness of shadow line around the widget. Default is 1.
512 Also determines the thickness of shadow lines around other objects,
513 for instance 3D buttons and arrows. If you have the impression that
514 the arrows in the menus do not stand out clearly enough or that the
515 difference between ``in'' and ``out'' buttons is difficult to see, set
516 this to 2. If you have no problems with visibility, the default
517 probably looks better. The background color may also have some effect
521 The margin of the menu bar, in characters. Default is 1.
525 @node LessTif Resources
526 @appendixsec LessTif Menu X Resources
527 @cindex Menu X Resources (LessTif widgets)
528 @cindex LessTif Widget X Resources
530 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
531 with the LessTif or Motif widgets, then the menu bar, the dialog
532 boxes, the pop-up menus, and the file-selection box are separate
533 widgets and have their own resources.
535 The resource names for the menu bar contain @samp{pane.menubar}
536 (following, as always, the name of the Emacs invocation, or
537 @samp{Emacs}, which stands for all Emacs invocations). Specify them
541 Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{subwidget}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
544 Each individual string in the menu bar is a subwidget; the subwidget's
545 name is the same as the menu item string. For example, the word
546 @samp{File} in the menu bar is part of a subwidget named
547 @samp{emacs.pane.menubar.File}. Most likely, you want to specify the
548 same resources for the whole menu bar. To do this, use @samp{*} instead
549 of a specific subwidget name. For example, to specify the font
550 @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, write this:
553 Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16
557 This also specifies the resource value for submenus.
559 Each item in a submenu in the menu bar also has its own name for X
560 resources; for example, the @samp{File} submenu has an item named
561 @samp{Save (current buffer)}. A resource specification for a submenu
562 item looks like this:
565 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{item}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
569 For example, here's how to specify the font for the @samp{Save (current
573 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.File.Save (current buffer).fontList: 8x16
577 For an item in a second-level submenu, such as @samp{Complete Word}
578 under @samp{Spell Checking} under @samp{Tools}, the resource fits this
582 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
589 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.Spell Checking.Complete Word: @var{value}
593 (This should be one long line.)
595 It's impossible to specify a resource for all the menu-bar items
596 without also specifying it for the submenus as well. So if you want the
597 submenu items to look different from the menu bar itself, you must ask
598 for that in two steps. First, specify the resource for all of them;
599 then, override the value for submenus alone. Here is an example:
602 Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16
603 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.fontList: 8x16
607 For LessTif pop-up menus, use @samp{menu*} instead of
608 @samp{pane.menubar}. For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for
609 the pop-up menu items, write this:
612 Emacs.menu*.fontList: 8x16
616 For LessTif dialog boxes, use @samp{dialog} instead of @samp{menu}:
619 Emacs.dialog*.fontList: 8x16
620 Emacs.dialog*.foreground: hotpink
623 To specify resources for the LessTif file-selection box, use
624 @samp{fsb*}, like this:
627 Emacs.fsb*.fontList: 8x16
633 Here is a list of the specific resources for LessTif menu bars and
638 The color to show in an armed button.
647 Amount of space to leave around the item, within the border.
649 The width of the border around the menu item, on all sides.
650 @item shadowThickness
651 The width of the border shadow.
652 @item bottomShadowColor
653 The color for the border shadow, on the bottom and the right.
655 The color for the border shadow, on the top and the left.
661 @appendixsec GTK resources
663 The most common way to customize the GTK widgets Emacs uses (menus, dialogs
664 tool bars and scroll bars) is by choosing an appropriate theme, for example
665 with the GNOME theme selector. You can also do Emacs specific customization
666 by inserting GTK style directives in the file @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}. Some GTK
667 themes ignore customizations in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} so not everything
668 works with all themes. To customize Emacs font, background, faces, etc., use
669 the normal X resources (@pxref{Resources}). We will present some examples of
670 customizations here, but for a more detailed description, see the online manual
672 The first example is just one line. It changes the font on all GTK widgets
673 to courier with size 12:
676 gtk-font-name = "courier 12"
679 The thing to note is that the font name is not an X font name, like
680 -*-helvetica-medium-r-*--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*, but a Pango font name. A Pango
681 font name is basically of the format "family style size", where the style
682 is optional as in the case above. A name with a style could be for example:
685 gtk-font-name = "helvetica bold 10"
688 To customize widgets you first define a style and then apply the style to
689 the widgets. Here is an example that sets the font for menus, but not
693 # @r{Define the style @samp{menufont}.}
696 font_name = "helvetica bold 14" # This is a Pango font name
699 # @r{Specify that widget type @samp{*emacs-menuitem*} uses @samp{menufont}.}
700 widget "*emacs-menuitem*" style "menufont"
703 The widget name in this example contains wildcards, so the style will be
704 applied to all widgets that match "*emacs-menuitem*". The widgets are
705 named by the way they are contained, from the outer widget to the inner widget.
706 So to apply the style "my_style" (not shown) with the full, absolute name, for
707 the menubar and the scroll bar in Emacs we use:
710 widget "Emacs.pane.menubar" style "my_style"
711 widget "Emacs.pane.emacs.verticalScrollBar" style "my_style"
714 But to avoid having to type it all, wildcards are often used. @samp{*}
715 matches zero or more characters and @samp{?} matches one character. So "*"
718 Each widget has a class (for example GtkMenuItem) and a name (emacs-menuitem).
719 You can assign styles by name or by class. In this example we have used the
725 font_name = "helvetica bold 14"
728 widget_class "*GtkMenuBar" style "menufont"
732 The names and classes for the GTK widgets Emacs uses are:
734 @multitable {@code{verticalScrollbar plus}} {@code{GtkFileSelection} and some}
735 @item @code{emacs-filedialog}
736 @tab @code{GtkFileSelection}
737 @item @code{emacs-dialog}
738 @tab @code{GtkDialog}
740 @tab @code{GtkWindow}
745 @item @code{verticalScrollBar}
746 @tab @code{GtkVScrollbar}
747 @item @code{emacs-toolbar}
748 @tab @code{GtkToolbar}
750 @tab @code{GtkMenuBar}
751 @item @code{emacs-menuitem}
752 @tab anything in menus
755 GTK absolute names are quite strange when it comes to menus
756 and dialogs. The names do not start with @samp{Emacs}, as they are
757 free-standing windows and not contained (in the GTK sense) by the
758 Emacs GtkWindow. To customize the dialogs and menus, use wildcards like this:
761 widget "*emacs-dialog*" style "my_dialog_style"
762 widget "*emacs-filedialog* style "my_file_style"
763 widget "*emacs-menuitem* style "my_menu_style"
766 If you specify a customization in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}, then it
767 automatically applies only to Emacs, since other programs don't read
768 that file. For example, the drop down menu in the file dialog can not
769 be customized by any absolute widget name, only by an absolute class
770 name. This is because the widgets in the drop down menu do not
771 have names and the menu is not contained in the Emacs GtkWindow. To
772 have all menus in Emacs look the same, use this in
773 @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}:
776 widget_class "*Menu*" style "my_menu_style"
779 Here is a more elaborate example, showing how to change the parts of
785 fg[NORMAL] = "red"@ @ @ @ @ # @r{The arrow color.}
786 bg[NORMAL] = "yellow"@ @ # @r{The thumb and background around the arrow.}
787 bg[ACTIVE] = "blue"@ @ @ @ # @r{The trough color.}
788 bg[PRELIGHT] = "white"@ # @r{The thumb color when the mouse is over it.}
791 widget "*verticalScrollBar*" style "scroll"
796 @cindex GTK resources and customization
797 @cindex resource files for GTK
798 @cindex @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0} file
799 @cindex @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} file
801 If Emacs was built to use the GTK widget set, then the menu bar, tool bar,
802 scroll bar and the dialogs are customized with the standard GTK
803 customization file, @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0}, or with the Emacs specific
804 file @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}. We recommend that you use
805 @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} for customizations, since @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0}
806 seems to be ignored when running GConf with GNOME. These files apply
807 only to GTK widget features. To customize Emacs font, background,
808 faces, etc., use the normal X resources (@pxref{Resources}).
810 Some GTK themes override these mechanisms, which means that using
811 these mechanisms will not work to customize them.
813 In these files you first define a style and say what it means; then
814 you specify to apply the style to various widget types (@pxref{GTK
815 widget names}). Here is an example of how to change the font for
819 # @r{Define the style @samp{menufont}.}
822 font_name = "helvetica bold 14" # This is a Pango font name
825 # @r{Specify that widget type @samp{*emacs-menuitem*} uses @samp{menufont}.}
826 widget "*emacs-menuitem*" style "menufont"
829 Here is a more elaborate example, showing how to change the parts of
835 fg[NORMAL] = "red"@ @ @ @ @ # @r{The arrow color.}
836 bg[NORMAL] = "yellow"@ @ # @r{The thumb and background around the arrow.}
837 bg[ACTIVE] = "blue"@ @ @ @ # @r{The trough color.}
838 bg[PRELIGHT] = "white"@ # @r{The thumb color when the mouse is over it.}
841 widget "*verticalScrollBar*" style "scroll"
844 There are also parameters that affect GTK as a whole. For example,
845 the property @code{gtk-font-name} sets the default font for GTK. You
846 must use Pango font names (@pxref{GTK styles}). A GTK resources file
847 that just sets a default font looks like this:
850 gtk-font-name = "courier 12"
853 The GTK resources file is fully described in the GTK API document.
855 @file{@var{prefix}/share/gtk-doc/html/gtk/gtk-resource-files.html},
856 where @file{prefix} is the directory in which the GTK libraries were
857 installed (usually @file{/usr} or @file{/usr/local}). You can also
858 find the document online, at
859 @uref{http://developer.gnome.org/doc/API/2.0/gtk/gtk-Resource-Files.html}.
862 * GTK widget names:: How widgets in GTK are named in general.
863 * GTK Names in Emacs:: GTK widget names in Emacs.
864 * GTK styles:: What can be customized in a GTK widget.
867 @node GTK widget names
868 @appendixsubsec GTK widget names
869 @cindex GTK widget names
871 A GTK widget is specified by its @dfn{widget class} and
872 @dfn{widget name}. The widget class is the type of the widget: for
873 example, @code{GtkMenuBar}. The widget name is the name given to a
874 specific widget. A widget always has a class, but need not have a
877 @dfn{Absolute names} are sequences of widget names or widget
878 classes, corresponding to hierarchies of widgets embedded within
879 other widgets. For example, if a @code{GtkWindow} named @code{top}
880 contains a @code{GtkVBox} named @code{box}, which in turn contains
881 a @code{GtkMenuBar} called @code{menubar}, the absolute class name
882 of the menu-bar widget is @code{GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar}, and
883 its absolute widget name is @code{top.box.menubar}.
885 When assigning a style to a widget, you can use the absolute class
886 name or the absolute widget name.
888 There are two commands to specify changes for widgets:
891 @item @code{widget_class}
892 specifies a style for widgets based on the absolute class name.
895 specifies a style for widgets based on the absolute class name,
900 You must specify the class and the style in double-quotes, and put
901 these commands at the top level in the GTK customization file, like
907 font_name = "helvetica bold 14"
910 widget "top.box.menubar" style "menufont"
911 widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "menufont"
914 Matching of absolute names uses shell wildcard syntax: @samp{*}
915 matches zero or more characters and @samp{?} matches one character.
916 This example assigns @code{base_style} to all widgets:
919 widget "*" style "base_style"
922 Given the absolute class name @code{GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar}
923 and the corresponding absolute widget name @code{top.box.menubar}, all
924 these examples specify @code{my_style} for the menu bar:
927 widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
928 widget_class "GtkWindow.*.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
929 widget_class "*GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
930 widget "top.box.menubar" style "my_style"
931 widget "*box*menubar" style "my_style"
932 widget "*menubar" style "my_style"
933 widget "*menu*" style "my_style"
936 @node GTK Names in Emacs
937 @appendixsubsec GTK Widget Names in Emacs
938 @cindex GTK widget names
939 @cindex GTK widget classes
941 In Emacs, the top level widget for a frame is a @code{GtkWindow}
942 that contains a @code{GtkVBox}. The @code{GtkVBox} contains the
943 @code{GtkMenuBar} and a @code{GtkFixed} widget. The vertical scroll
944 bars, @code{GtkVScrollbar}, are contained in the @code{GtkFixed}
945 widget. The text you write in Emacs is drawn in the @code{GtkFixed}
948 Dialogs in Emacs are @code{GtkDialog} widgets. The file dialog is a
949 @code{GtkFileSelection} widget.
952 To set a style for the menu bar using the absolute class name, use:
955 widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
959 For the scroll bar, the absolute class name is:
963 "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkFixed.GtkVScrollbar"
968 The names for the emacs widgets, and their classes, are:
970 @multitable {@code{verticalScrollbar plus}} {@code{GtkFileSelection} and some}
971 @item @code{emacs-filedialog}
972 @tab @code{GtkFileSelection}
973 @item @code{emacs-dialog}
974 @tab @code{GtkDialog}
976 @tab @code{GtkWindow}
981 @item @code{verticalScrollBar}
982 @tab @code{GtkVScrollbar}
983 @item @code{emacs-toolbar}
984 @tab @code{GtkToolbar}
986 @tab @code{GtkMenuBar}
987 @item @code{emacs-menuitem}
988 @tab anything in menus
992 Thus, for Emacs you can write the two examples above as:
995 widget "Emacs.pane.menubar" style "my_style"
996 widget "Emacs.pane.emacs.verticalScrollBar" style "my_style"
999 GTK absolute names are quite strange when it comes to menus
1000 and dialogs. The names do not start with @samp{Emacs}, as they are
1001 free-standing windows and not contained (in the GTK sense) by the
1002 Emacs GtkWindow. To customize the dialogs and menus, use wildcards like this:
1005 widget "*emacs-dialog*" style "my_dialog_style"
1006 widget "*emacs-filedialog* style "my_file_style"
1007 widget "*emacs-menuitem* style "my_menu_style"
1010 If you specify a customization in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}, then it
1011 automatically applies only to Emacs, since other programs don't read
1012 that file. For example, the drop down menu in the file dialog can not
1013 be customized by any absolute widget name, only by an absolute class
1014 name. This is because the widgets in the drop down menu do not
1015 have names and the menu is not contained in the Emacs GtkWindow. To
1016 have all menus in Emacs look the same, use this in
1017 @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}:
1020 widget_class "*Menu*" style "my_menu_style"
1024 @appendixsubsec GTK styles
1027 In a GTK style you specify the appearance widgets shall have. You
1028 can specify foreground and background color, background pixmap and
1029 font. The edit widget (where you edit the text) in Emacs is a GTK
1030 widget, but trying to specify a style for the edit widget will have no
1031 effect. This is so that Emacs compiled for GTK is compatible with
1032 Emacs compiled for other X toolkits. The settings for foreground,
1033 background and font for the edit widget is taken from the X resources;
1034 @pxref{Resources}. Here is an example of two style declarations,
1035 @samp{default} and @samp{ruler}:
1038 pixmap_path "/usr/share/pixmaps:/usr/include/X11/pixmaps"
1042 font_name = "helvetica 12"
1044 bg[NORMAL] = @{ 0.83, 0.80, 0.73 @}
1045 bg[SELECTED] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @}
1046 bg[INSENSITIVE] = @{ 0.77, 0.77, 0.66 @}
1047 bg[ACTIVE] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @}
1048 bg[PRELIGHT] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @}
1050 fg[NORMAL] = "black"
1051 fg[SELECTED] = @{ 0.9, 0.9, 0.9 @}
1052 fg[ACTIVE] = "black"
1053 fg[PRELIGHT] = @{ 0.9, 0.9, 0.9 @}
1055 base[INSENSITIVE] = "#777766"
1056 text[INSENSITIVE] = @{ 0.60, 0.65, 0.57 @}
1058 bg_pixmap[NORMAL] = "background.xpm"
1059 bg_pixmap[INSENSITIVE] = "background.xpm"
1060 bg_pixmap[ACTIVE] = "background.xpm"
1061 bg_pixmap[PRELIGHT] = "<none>"
1065 style "ruler" = "default"
1067 font_name = "helvetica 8"
1072 The style @samp{ruler} inherits from @samp{default}. This way you can build
1073 on existing styles. The syntax for fonts and colors is described below.
1075 As this example shows, it is possible to specify several values for
1076 foreground and background depending on the widget's @dfn{state}. The
1077 possible states are:
1081 This is the default state for widgets.
1083 This is the state for a widget that is ready to do something. It is
1084 also for the trough of a scroll bar, i.e. @code{bg[ACTIVE] = "red"}
1085 sets the scroll bar trough to red. Buttons that have been pressed but
1086 not released yet (``armed'') are in this state.
1088 This is the state for a widget that can be manipulated, when the mouse
1089 pointer is over it---for example when the mouse is over the thumb in
1090 the scroll bar or over a menu item. When the mouse is over a button
1091 that is not pressed, the button is in this state.
1093 This is the state for data that has been selected by the user. It can
1094 be selected text or items selected in a list. This state is not used
1097 This is the state for widgets that are visible, but they can not be
1098 manipulated in the usual way---for example, buttons that can't be
1099 pressed, and disabled menu items. To display disabled menu items in
1100 yellow, use @code{fg[INSENSITIVE] = "yellow"}.
1103 Here are the things that can go in a style declaration:
1106 @item bg[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1107 This specifies the background color for the widget. Note that
1108 editable text doesn't use @code{bg}; it uses @code{base} instead.
1110 @item base[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1111 This specifies the background color for editable text. In Emacs, this
1112 color is used for the background of the text fields in the file
1115 @item bg_pixmap[@var{state}] = "@var{pixmap}"
1116 This specifies an image background (instead of a background color).
1117 @var{pixmap} should be the image file name. GTK can use a number of
1118 image file formats, including XPM, XBM, GIF, JPEG and PNG. If you
1119 want a widget to use the same image as its parent, use
1120 @samp{<parent>}. If you don't want any image, use @samp{<none>}.
1121 @samp{<none>} is the way to cancel a background image inherited from a
1124 You can't specify the file by its absolute file name. GTK looks for
1125 the pixmap file in directories specified in @code{pixmap_path}.
1126 @code{pixmap_path} is a colon-separated list of directories within
1127 double quotes, specified at the top level in a @file{gtkrc} file
1128 (i.e. not inside a style definition; see example above):
1131 pixmap_path "/usr/share/pixmaps:/usr/include/X11/pixmaps"
1134 @item fg[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1135 This specifies the foreground color for widgets to use. It is the
1136 color of text in menus and buttons, and the color for the arrows in
1137 the scroll bar. For editable text, use @code{text}.
1139 @item text[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1140 This is the color for editable text. In Emacs, this color is used for the
1141 text fields in the file dialog.
1143 @item font_name = "@var{font}"
1144 This specifies the font for text in the widget. @var{font} is a
1145 Pango font name, for example @samp{Sans Italic 10}, @samp{Helvetica
1146 Bold 12}, @samp{Courier 14}, @samp{Times 18}. See below for exact
1147 syntax. The names are case insensitive.
1150 There are three ways to specify a color: by name, in hexadecimal
1151 form, and with an RGB triplet.
1154 A color name is written within double quotes, for example @code{"red"}.
1157 Hexadecimal form is the same as in X:
1158 @code{#@var{rrrr}@var{gggg}@var{bbbb}}, where all three color specs
1159 must have the same number of hex digits (1, 2, 3 or 4).
1162 An RGB triplet looks like @code{@{ @var{r}, @var{g}, @var{b} @}},
1163 where @var{r}, @var{g} and @var{b} are either integers in the range
1164 0-65535 or floats in the range 0.0-1.0.
1166 Pango font names have the form ``@var{family-list} @var{style-options}
1168 @cindex Pango font name
1170 @var{family-list} is a comma separated list of font families optionally
1171 terminated by a comma. This way you can specify several families and the
1172 first one found will be used. @var{family} corresponds to the second part in
1173 an X font name, for example in
1176 -adobe-times-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-p-64-iso10646-1
1180 the family name is @samp{times}.
1183 @var{style-options} is a whitespace separated list of words where each word
1184 is a style, variant, weight, or stretch. The default value for all of
1185 these is @code{normal}.
1188 A `style' corresponds to the fourth part of an X font name. In X font
1189 names it is the character @samp{r}, @samp{i} or @samp{o}; in Pango
1190 font names the corresponding values are @code{normal}, @code{italic},
1194 A `variant' is either @code{normal} or @code{small-caps}.
1195 Small caps is a font with the lower case characters replaced by
1196 smaller variants of the capital characters.
1199 Weight describes the ``boldness'' of a font. It corresponds to the third
1200 part of an X font name. It is one of @code{ultra-light}, @code{light},
1201 @code{normal}, @code{bold}, @code{ultra-bold}, or @code{heavy}.
1204 Stretch gives the width of the font relative to other designs within a
1205 family. It corresponds to the fifth part of an X font name. It is one of
1206 @code{ultra-condensed}, @code{extra-condensed}, @code{condensed},
1207 @code{semi-condensed}, @code{normal}, @code{semi-expanded},
1208 @code{expanded}, @code{extra-expanded}, or @code{ultra-expanded}.
1211 @var{size} is a decimal number that describes the font size in points.
1215 arch-tag: 9b6ff773-48b6-41f6-b2f9-f114b8bdd97f