1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985,86,87,93,94,95,1997,2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
3 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
4 @node Command Arguments, X Resources, Service, Top
5 @appendix Command Line Arguments
6 @cindex command line arguments
7 @cindex arguments (command line)
8 @cindex options (command line)
9 @cindex switches (command line)
10 @cindex startup (command line arguments)
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
17 Arguments starting with @samp{-} are @dfn{options}. Other arguments
18 specify files to visit. Emacs visits the specified files while it
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{-}.
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.
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.
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.
47 @cindex initial options (command line)
48 @cindex action options (command line)
49 Most options specify how to initialize Emacs, or set parameters for
50 the Emacs session. We call them @dfn{initial options}. A few options
51 specify things to do: for example, load libraries, call functions, or
52 terminate Emacs. These are called @dfn{action options}. These and file
53 names together are called @dfn{action arguments}. Emacs processes all
54 the action arguments in the order they are written.
57 * Action Arguments:: Arguments to visit files, load libraries,
59 * Initial Options:: Arguments that take effect while starting Emacs.
60 * Command Example:: Examples of using command line arguments.
61 * Resume Arguments:: Specifying arguments when you resume a running Emacs.
62 * Environment:: Environment variables that Emacs uses.
63 * Display X:: Changing the default display and using remote login.
64 * Font X:: Choosing a font for text, under X.
65 * Colors:: Choosing display colors.
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.
72 @node Action Arguments
73 @appendixsec Action Arguments
75 Here is a table of the action arguments and options:
80 @itemx --visit=@var{file}
82 @itemx --file=@var{file}
83 @cindex visiting files, command-line argument
84 @vindex inhibit-startup-buffer-menu
85 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}. @xref{Visiting}.
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}.
90 @item +@var{linenum} @var{file}
91 @opindex +@var{linenum}
92 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number
95 @item +@var{linenum}:@var{columnnum} @var{file}
96 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number
97 @var{linenum} and put point at column number @var{columnnum}.
102 @itemx --load=@var{file}
104 @cindex loading Lisp libraries, command-line argument
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
108 with @env{EMACSLOADPATH} (@pxref{General Variables}).
110 @item -f @var{function}
112 @itemx --funcall=@var{function}
114 @cindex call Lisp functions, command-line argument
115 Call Lisp function @var{function} with no arguments.
117 @item --eval=@var{expression}
119 @itemx --execute=@var{expression}
121 @cindex evaluate expression, command-line argument
122 Evaluate Lisp expression @var{expression}.
124 @item --insert=@var{file}
126 @cindex insert file contents, command-line argument
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}.
132 Exit from Emacs without asking for confirmation.
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.
141 @node Initial Options
142 @appendixsec Initial Options
144 The initial options specify parameters for the Emacs session. This
145 section describes the more general initial options; some other options
146 specifically related to the X Window System appear in the following
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.
156 @item -t @var{device}
158 @itemx --terminal=@var{device}
160 @cindex device for Emacs terminal I/O
161 Use @var{device} as the device for terminal input and output.
163 @item -d @var{display}
165 @itemx --display=@var{display}
167 @cindex display for Emacs frame
168 Use the X Window System and use the display named @var{display} to open
169 the initial Emacs frame. @xref{Display X}, for more details.
173 @itemx --no-window-system
174 @opindex --no-window-system
175 @cindex disable window system
176 Don't communicate directly with the window system, disregarding the
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
186 Run Emacs in @dfn{batch mode}, which means that the text being edited is
187 not displayed and the standard terminal interrupt characters such as
188 @kbd{C-z} and @kbd{C-c} continue to have their normal effect. Emacs in
189 batch mode outputs to @code{stderr} only what would normally be displayed
190 in the echo area under program control, and functions which would
191 normally read from the minibuffer take their input from @code{stdin}.
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.
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.
205 @itemx --no-init-file
206 @opindex --no-init-file
207 @cindex bypassing init and site-start file
208 @cindex init file, not loading
209 @cindex @file{default.el} file, not loading
210 Do not load your Emacs init file @file{~/.emacs}, or @file{default.el}
211 either. When invoked like this, Emacs does not allow saving options
212 changed with the @kbd{M-x customize} command and its variants.
213 @xref{Easy Customization}.
216 @opindex --no-site-file
217 @cindex @file{site-start.el} file, not loading
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.
224 @vindex inhibit-startup-message
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}.
230 @itemx --user=@var{user}
232 @cindex load init file of another user
233 Load @var{user}'s Emacs init file @file{~@var{user}/.emacs} instead of
237 @opindex --debug-init
238 @cindex errors in init file
239 Enable the Emacs Lisp debugger for errors in the init file.
243 @cindex unibyte operation, command-line argument
244 Do almost everything with single-byte buffers and strings.
245 All buffers and strings are unibyte unless you (or a Lisp program)
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.
253 Inhibit the effect of @env{EMACS_UNIBYTE}, so that Emacs
254 uses multibyte characters by default, as usual.
257 @node Command Example
258 @appendixsec Command Argument Example
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
266 emacs -batch foo.c -l hack-c -f save-buffer >& log
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
278 @node Resume Arguments
279 @appendixsec Resuming Emacs with Arguments
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}):
285 @c `resume-suspend-hook' is correct. It is the name of a function.
287 (add-hook 'suspend-hook 'resume-suspend-hook)
288 (add-hook 'suspend-resume-hook 'resume-process-args)
291 As further preparation, you must execute the shell script
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
294 @code{edit}, which will resume Emacs giving it new command line
295 arguments such as files to visit. The scripts are found in the
296 @file{etc} subdirectory of the Emacs distribution.
298 Only action arguments work properly when you resume Emacs. Initial
299 arguments are not recognized---it's too late to execute them anyway.
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
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
307 does not take the place of the Emacs Server feature (@pxref{Emacs
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
314 @file{/tmp/esrv@dots{}} still exists. If this happens, find that
318 @appendixsec Environment Variables
319 @cindex environment variables
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.
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.
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. (Environment variable substitutions with @samp{$} work
339 in the value just as in file names; see @ref{File Names with $}.)
341 The way to set environment variables outside of Emacs depends on the
342 operating system, and especially the shell that you are using. For
343 example, here's how to set the environment variable @env{ORGANIZATION}
344 to @samp{not very much} using Bash:
347 export ORGANIZATION="not very much"
351 and here's how to do it in csh or tcsh:
354 setenv ORGANIZATION "not very much"
357 When Emacs is using the X Window System, various environment
358 variables that control X work for Emacs as well. See the X
359 documentation for more information.
362 * General Variables:: Environment variables that all versions of Emacs use.
363 * Misc Variables:: Certain system-specific variables.
364 * MS-Windows Registry:: An alternative to the environment on MS-Windows.
367 @node General Variables
368 @appendixsubsec General Variables
370 Here is an alphabetical list of specific environment variables that
371 have special meanings in Emacs, giving the name of each variable and
372 its meaning. Most of these variables are also used by some other
373 programs. Emacs does not require any of these environment variables
374 to be set, but it uses their values if they are set.
378 Used by the @code{cd} command to search for the directory you specify,
379 when you specify a relative directory name.
381 @cindex unibyte operation, environment variable
382 Defining this environment variable with a nonempty value directs Emacs
383 to do almost everything with single-byte buffers and strings. It is
384 equivalent to using the @samp{--unibyte} command-line option on each
385 invocation. @xref{Initial Options}.
387 Directory for the architecture-independent files that come with Emacs.
388 This is used to initialize the Lisp variable @code{data-directory}.
390 Directory for the documentation string file,
391 @file{DOC-@var{emacsversion}}. This is used to initialize the Lisp
392 variable @code{doc-directory}.
394 A colon-separated list of directories@footnote{
395 Here and below, whenever we say ``colon-separated list of directories'',
396 it pertains to Unix and GNU/Linux systems. On MS-DOS and MS-Windows,
397 the directories are separated by semi-colons instead, since DOS/Windows
398 file names might include a colon after a drive letter.}
399 to search for Emacs Lisp files---used to initialize @code{load-path}.
401 A colon-separated list of directories to search for executable
402 files---used to initialize @code{exec-path}.
404 Used for shell-mode to override the @env{SHELL} environment variable.
406 The name of the file that shell commands are saved in between logins.
407 This variable defaults to @file{~/.bash_history} if you use Bash, to
408 @file{~/.sh_history} if you use ksh, and to @file{~/.history}
411 The location of the user's files in the directory tree; used for
412 expansion of file names starting with a tilde (@file{~}). On MS-DOS, it
413 defaults to the directory from which Emacs was started, with @samp{/bin}
414 removed from the end if it was present. On Windows, the default value
415 of @env{HOME} is @file{C:/}, the root directory of drive @file{C:}.
417 The name of the machine that Emacs is running on.
419 A colon-separated list of directories. Used by the @code{complete} package
422 A colon-separated list of directories in which to search for Info files.
431 The user's preferred locale. The locale has six categories, specified
432 by the environment variables @env{LC_COLLATE} for sorting,
433 @env{LC_CTYPE} for character encoding, @env{LC_MESSAGES} for system
434 messages, @env{LC_MONETARY} for monetary formats, @env{LC_NUMERIC} for
435 numbers, and @env{LC_TIME} for dates and times. If one of these
436 variables is not set, the category defaults to the value of the
437 @env{LANG} environment variable, or to the default @samp{C} locale if
438 @env{LANG} is not set. But if @env{LC_ALL} is specified, it overrides
439 the settings of all the other locale environment variables.
441 On MS-Windows, if @env{LANG} is not already set in the environment
442 when Emacs starts, Emacs sets it based on the system-wide default
443 language, which you can set in the @samp{Regional Settings} Control Panel
444 on some versions of MS-Windows.
446 The value of the @env{LC_CTYPE} category is
447 matched against entries in @code{locale-language-names},
448 @code{locale-charset-language-names}, and
449 @code{locale-preferred-coding-systems}, to select a default language
450 environment and coding system. @xref{Language Environments}.
452 The user's login name. See also @env{USER}.
454 The name of the user's system mail inbox.
456 Name of file containing mail aliases. (The default is
459 Name of setup file for the mh system. (The default is @file{~/.mh_profile}.)
461 The real-world name of the user.
463 The name of the news server. Used by the mh and Gnus packages.
465 The name of the organization to which you belong. Used for setting the
466 `Organization:' header in your posts from the Gnus package.
468 A colon-separated list of directories in which executables reside. This
469 is used to initialize the Emacs Lisp variable @code{exec-path}.
471 If set, this should be the default directory when Emacs was started.
473 If set, this specifies an initial value for the variable
474 @code{mail-default-reply-to}. @xref{Mail Headers}.
476 The name of a directory in which news articles are saved by default.
477 Used by the Gnus package.
479 The name of an interpreter used to parse and execute programs run from
481 @cindex background mode, on @command{xterm}
483 The type of the terminal that Emacs is using. This variable must be
484 set unless Emacs is run in batch mode. On MS-DOS, it defaults to
485 @samp{internal}, which specifies a built-in terminal emulation that
486 handles the machine's own display. If the value of @env{TERM} indicates
487 that Emacs runs in non-windowed mode from @command{xterm} or a similar
488 terminal emulator, the background mode defaults to @samp{light}, and
489 Emacs will choose colors that are appropriate for a light background.
491 The name of the termcap library file describing how to program the
492 terminal specified by the @env{TERM} variable. This defaults to
495 Used by the Emerge package as a prefix for temporary files.
497 This specifies the current time zone and possibly also daylight
498 saving time information. On MS-DOS, if @env{TZ} is not set in the
499 environment when Emacs starts, Emacs defines a default value as
500 appropriate for the country code returned by DOS. On MS-Windows, Emacs
501 does not use @env{TZ} at all.
503 The user's login name. See also @env{LOGNAME}. On MS-DOS, this
504 defaults to @samp{root}.
505 @item VERSION_CONTROL
506 Used to initialize the @code{version-control} variable (@pxref{Backup
511 @appendixsubsec Miscellaneous Variables
513 These variables are used only on particular configurations:
517 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, the name of the command interpreter to use
518 when invoking batch files and commands internal to the shell. On MS-DOS
519 this is also used to make a default value for the @env{SHELL} environment
523 On MS-DOS, this variable defaults to the value of the @env{USER}
528 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, these specify the name of the directory for
529 storing temporary files in.
532 On MS-DOS, this specifies a file to use to log the operation of the
533 internal terminal emulator. This feature is useful for submitting bug
537 On MS-DOS, this specifies the screen colors. It is useful to set them
538 this way, since otherwise Emacs would display the default colors
539 momentarily when it starts up.
541 The value of this variable should be the two-character encoding of the
542 foreground (the first character) and the background (the second
543 character) colors of the default face. Each character should be the
544 hexadecimal code for the desired color on a standard PC text-mode
545 display. For example, to get blue text on a light gray background,
546 specify @samp{EMACSCOLORS=17}, since 1 is the code of the blue color and
547 7 is the code of the light gray color.
549 The PC display usually supports only eight background colors. However,
550 Emacs switches the DOS display to a mode where all 16 colors can be used
551 for the background, so all four bits of the background color are
555 Used when initializing the Sun windows system.
557 @item PRELOAD_WINSOCK
558 On MS-Windows, if you set this variable, Emacs will load and initialize
559 the network library at startup, instead of waiting until the first
563 On MS-Windows, @env{emacs_dir} is a special environment variable, which
564 indicates the full path of the directory in which Emacs is installed.
565 If Emacs is installed in the standard directory structure, it
566 calculates this value automatically. It is not much use setting this
567 variable yourself unless your installation is non-standard, since
568 unlike other environment variables, it will be overridden by Emacs at
569 startup. When setting other environment variables, such as
570 @env{EMACSLOADPATH}, you may find it useful to use @env{emacs_dir}
571 rather than hard-coding an absolute path. This allows multiple
572 versions of Emacs to share the same environment variable settings, and
573 it allows you to move the Emacs installation directory, without
574 changing any environment or registry settings.
577 @node MS-Windows Registry
578 @appendixsubsec The MS-Windows System Registry
579 @pindex addpm, MS-Windows installation program
580 @cindex registry, setting environment variables and resources on MS-Windows
582 On MS-Windows, the installation program @command{addpm.exe} adds values
583 for @env{emacs_dir}, @env{EMACSLOADPATH}, @env{EMACSDATA},
584 @env{EMACSPATH}, @env{EMACSDOC}, @env{SHELL} and @env{TERM} to the
585 @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section of the system registry, under
586 @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs}. It does this because there is no standard
587 place to set environment variables across different versions of
588 Windows. Running @command{addpm.exe} is no longer strictly
589 necessary in recent versions of Emacs, but if you are upgrading from
590 an older version, running @command{addpm.exe} ensures that you do not have
591 older registry entries from a previous installation, which may not be
592 compatible with the latest version of Emacs.
594 When Emacs starts, as well as checking the environment, it also checks
595 the System Registry for those variables and for @env{HOME}, @env{LANG}
596 and @env{PRELOAD_WINSOCK}.
598 To determine the value of those variables, Emacs goes through the
599 following procedure. First, the environment is checked. If the
600 variable is not found there, Emacs looks for registry keys by that
601 name under @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs}; first in the
602 @file{HKEY_CURRENT_USER} section of the registry, and if not found
603 there, in the @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section. Finally, if Emacs
604 still cannot determine the values, compiled-in defaults are used.
606 In addition to the environment variables above, you can also add many
607 of the settings which on X belong in the @file{.Xdefaults} file
608 (@pxref{X Resources}) to the @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs} registry key.
609 Settings you add to the @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section will affect
610 all users of the machine. Settings you add to the
611 @file{HKEY_CURRENT_USER} section will only affect you, and will
612 override machine wide settings.
615 @appendixsec Specifying the Display Name
616 @cindex display name (X Window System)
617 @cindex @env{DISPLAY} environment variable
619 The environment variable @env{DISPLAY} tells all X clients, including
620 Emacs, where to display their windows. Its value is set by default
621 in ordinary circumstances, when you start an X server and run jobs
622 locally. Occasionally you may need to specify the display yourself; for
623 example, if you do a remote login and want to run a client program
624 remotely, displaying on your local screen.
626 With Emacs, the main reason people change the default display is to
627 let them log into another system, run Emacs on that system, but have the
628 window displayed at their local terminal. You might need to log in
629 to another system because the files you want to edit are there, or
630 because the Emacs executable file you want to run is there.
632 The syntax of the @env{DISPLAY} environment variable is
633 @samp{@var{host}:@var{display}.@var{screen}}, where @var{host} is the
634 host name of the X Window System server machine, @var{display} is an
635 arbitrarily-assigned number that distinguishes your server (X terminal)
636 from other servers on the same machine, and @var{screen} is a
637 rarely-used field that allows an X server to control multiple terminal
638 screens. The period and the @var{screen} field are optional. If
639 included, @var{screen} is usually zero.
641 For example, if your host is named @samp{glasperle} and your server is
642 the first (or perhaps the only) server listed in the configuration, your
643 @env{DISPLAY} is @samp{glasperle:0.0}.
645 You can specify the display name explicitly when you run Emacs, either
646 by changing the @env{DISPLAY} variable, or with the option @samp{-d
647 @var{display}} or @samp{--display=@var{display}}. Here is an example:
650 emacs --display=glasperle:0 &
653 You can inhibit the direct use of the window system and GUI with the
654 @samp{-nw} option. It tells Emacs to display using ordinary ASCII on
655 its controlling terminal. This is also an initial option.
657 Sometimes, security arrangements prevent a program on a remote system
658 from displaying on your local system. In this case, trying to run Emacs
659 produces messages like this:
662 Xlib: connection to "glasperle:0.0" refused by server
666 You might be able to overcome this problem by using the @command{xhost}
667 command on the local system to give permission for access from your
671 @appendixsec Font Specification Options
672 @cindex font name (X Window System)
674 By default, Emacs displays text in the font named @samp{9x15}, which
675 makes each character nine pixels wide and fifteen pixels high. You can
676 specify a different font on your command line through the option
677 @samp{-fn @var{name}} (or @samp{--font}, which is an alias for
683 @itemx --font=@var{name}
685 @cindex specify default font from the command line
686 Use font @var{name} as the default font.
689 Under X, each font has a long name which consists of eleven words or
690 numbers, separated by dashes. Some fonts also have shorter
691 nicknames---@samp{9x15} is such a nickname. You can use either kind of
692 name. You can use wildcard patterns for the font name; then Emacs lets
693 X choose one of the fonts that match the pattern. Here is an example,
694 which happens to specify the font whose nickname is @samp{6x13}:
698 "-misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-*-*-*-c-60-iso8859-1" &
702 You can also specify the font in your @file{.Xdefaults} file:
705 emacs.font: -misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-*-*-*-c-60-iso8859-1
708 A long font name has the following form:
711 -@var{maker}-@var{family}-@var{weight}-@var{slant}-@var{widthtype}-@var{style}@dots{}
712 @dots{}-@var{pixels}-@var{height}-@var{horiz}-@var{vert}-@var{spacing}-@var{width}-@var{charset}
717 This is the name of the font manufacturer.
719 This is the name of the font family---for example, @samp{courier}.
721 This is normally @samp{bold}, @samp{medium} or @samp{light}. Other
722 words may appear here in some font names.
724 This is @samp{r} (roman), @samp{i} (italic), @samp{o} (oblique),
725 @samp{ri} (reverse italic), or @samp{ot} (other).
727 This is normally @samp{condensed}, @samp{extended}, @samp{semicondensed}
728 or @samp{normal}. Other words may appear here in some font names.
730 This is an optional additional style name. Usually it is empty---most
731 long font names have two hyphens in a row at this point.
733 This is the font height, in pixels.
735 This is the font height on the screen, measured in tenths of a printer's
736 point---approximately 1/720 of an inch. In other words, it is the point
737 size of the font, times ten. For a given vertical resolution,
738 @var{height} and @var{pixels} are proportional; therefore, it is common
739 to specify just one of them and use @samp{*} for the other.
741 This is the horizontal resolution, in pixels per inch, of the screen for
742 which the font is intended.
744 This is the vertical resolution, in pixels per inch, of the screen for
745 which the font is intended. Normally the resolution of the fonts on
746 your system is the right value for your screen; therefore, you normally
747 specify @samp{*} for this and @var{horiz}.
749 This is @samp{m} (monospace), @samp{p} (proportional) or @samp{c}
752 This is the average character width, in pixels, multiplied by ten.
754 This is the character set that the font depicts.
755 Normally you should use @samp{iso8859-1}.
758 @cindex listing system fonts
759 You will probably want to use a fixed-width default font---that is,
760 a font in which all characters have the same width. Any font with
761 @samp{m} or @samp{c} in the @var{spacing} field of the long name is a
762 fixed-width font. Here's how to use the @command{xlsfonts} program to
763 list all the fixed-width fonts available on your system:
766 xlsfonts -fn '*x*' | egrep "^[0-9]+x[0-9]+"
767 xlsfonts -fn '*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-m*'
768 xlsfonts -fn '*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-c*'
772 To see what a particular font looks like, use the @command{xfd} command.
780 displays the entire font @samp{6x13}.
782 While running Emacs, you can set the font of the current frame
783 (@pxref{Frame Parameters}) or for a specific kind of text
787 @appendixsec Window Color Options
788 @cindex color of window
789 @cindex text colors, from command line
791 @findex list-colors-display
792 @cindex available colors
793 On a color display, you can specify which color to use for various
794 parts of the Emacs display. To find out what colors are available on
795 your system, type @kbd{M-x list-colors-display}, or press
796 @kbd{C-Mouse-2} and select @samp{Display Colors} from the pop-up menu.
797 If you do not specify colors, on windowed displays the default for the
798 background is white and the default for all other colors is black. On a
799 monochrome display, the foreground is black, the background is white,
800 and the border is gray if the display supports that. On terminals, the
801 background is usually black and the foreground is white.
803 Here is a list of the command-line options for specifying colors:
806 @item -fg @var{color}
808 @itemx --foreground-color=@var{color}
809 @opindex --foreground-color
810 @cindex foreground color, command-line argument
811 Specify the foreground color. @var{color} should be a standard color
812 name, or a numeric specification of the color's red, green, and blue
813 components as in @samp{#4682B4} or @samp{RGB:46/82/B4}.
814 @item -bg @var{color}
816 @itemx --background-color=@var{color}
817 @opindex --background-color
818 @cindex background color, command-line argument
819 Specify the background color.
820 @item -bd @var{color}
822 @itemx --border-color=@var{color}
823 @opindex --border-color
824 @cindex border color, command-line argument
825 Specify the color of the border of the X window.
826 @item -cr @var{color}
828 @itemx --cursor-color=@var{color}
829 @opindex --cursor-color
830 @cindex cursor color, command-line argument
831 Specify the color of the Emacs cursor which indicates where point is.
832 @item -ms @var{color}
834 @itemx --mouse-color=@var{color}
835 @opindex --mouse-color
836 @cindex mouse pointer color, command-line argument
837 Specify the color for the mouse cursor when the mouse is in the Emacs window.
842 @itemx --reverse-video
843 @opindex --reverse-video
844 @cindex reverse video, command-line argument
845 Reverse video---swap the foreground and background colors.
846 @item --color=@var{mode}
848 @cindex standard colors on a character terminal
849 For a character terminal only, specify the mode of color support. The
850 parameter @var{mode} can be one of the following:
854 Don't use colors even if the terminal's capabilities specify color
858 Same as when @option{--color} is not used at all: Emacs detects at
859 startup whether the terminal supports colors, and if it does, turns on
864 Turn on the color support unconditionally, and use color commands
865 specified by the ANSI escape sequences for the 8 standard colors.
867 Use color mode for @var{num} colors. If @var{num} is -1, turn off
868 color support (equivalent to @samp{never}); if it is 0, use the
869 default color support for this terminal (equivalent to @samp{auto});
870 otherwise use an appropriate standard mode for @var{num} colors. If
871 there is no mode that supports @var{num} colors, Emacs acts as if
872 @var{num} were 0, i.e.@: it uses the terminal's default color support
875 If @var{mode} is omitted, it defaults to @var{ansi8}.
878 For example, to use a coral mouse cursor and a slate blue text cursor,
882 emacs -ms coral -cr 'slate blue' &
885 You can reverse the foreground and background colors through the
886 @samp{-rv} option or with the X resource @samp{reverseVideo}.
888 The @samp{-fg}, @samp{-bg}, and @samp{-rv} options function on
889 text-only terminals as well as on window systems.
892 @appendixsec Options for Window Size and Position
893 @cindex geometry of Emacs window
894 @cindex position and size of Emacs frame
895 @cindex width and height of Emacs frame
896 @cindex specifying fullscreen for Emacs frame
898 Here is a list of the command-line options for specifying size and
899 position of the initial Emacs frame:
902 @item -g @var{width}x@var{height}@r{[@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}@r{]]}
904 Specify the size @var{width} and @var{height} (measured in character
905 columns and lines), and positions @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset}
906 (measured in pixels). This applies to all frames.
908 @item --geometry=@var{width}x@var{height}@r{[@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}@r{]]}
910 This is another way of writing the same thing.
915 @opindex --fullscreen
916 @cindex fullscreen, command-line argument
917 Specify that width and height shall be the size of the screen.
922 @opindex --fullheight
923 @cindex fullheight, command-line argument
924 Specify that the height shall be the height of the screen.
930 @cindex fullwidth, command-line argument
931 Specify that the width shall be the width of the screen.
936 In the @samp{--geometry} option, @code{@r{@{}+-@r{@}}} means either a plus
937 sign or a minus sign. A plus
938 sign before @var{xoffset} means it is the distance from the left side of
939 the screen; a minus sign means it counts from the right side. A plus
940 sign before @var{yoffset} means it is the distance from the top of the
941 screen, and a minus sign there indicates the distance from the bottom.
942 The values @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} may themselves be positive or
943 negative, but that doesn't change their meaning, only their direction.
945 Emacs uses the same units as @command{xterm} does to interpret the geometry.
946 The @var{width} and @var{height} are measured in characters, so a large font
947 creates a larger frame than a small font. (If you specify a proportional
948 font, Emacs uses its maximum bounds width as the width unit.) The
949 @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} are measured in pixels.
951 You do not have to specify all of the fields in the geometry
952 specification. If you omit both @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset}, the
953 window manager decides where to put the Emacs frame, possibly by
954 letting you place it with the mouse. For example, @samp{164x55}
955 specifies a window 164 columns wide, enough for two ordinary width
956 windows side by side, and 55 lines tall.
958 The default width for Emacs is 80 characters and the default height is
959 40 lines. You can omit either the width or the height or both. If
960 you start the geometry with an integer, Emacs interprets it as the
961 width. If you start with an @samp{x} followed by an integer, Emacs
962 interprets it as the height. Thus, @samp{81} specifies just the width;
963 @samp{x45} specifies just the height.
965 If you start with @samp{+} or @samp{-}, that introduces an offset,
966 which means both sizes are omitted. Thus, @samp{-3} specifies the
967 @var{xoffset} only. (If you give just one offset, it is always
968 @var{xoffset}.) @samp{+3-3} specifies both the @var{xoffset} and the
969 @var{yoffset}, placing the frame near the bottom left of the screen.
971 You can specify a default for any or all of the fields in
972 @file{.Xdefaults} file, and then override selected fields with a
973 @samp{--geometry} option.
975 Since the mode line and the echo area occupy the last 2 lines of the
976 frame, the height of the initial text window is 2 less than the height
977 specified in your geometry. In non-X-toolkit versions of Emacs, the
978 menu bar also takes one line of the specified number. But in the X
979 toolkit version, the menu bar is additional and does not count against
980 the specified height. The tool bar, if present, is also additional.
982 Enabling or disabling the menu bar or tool bar alters the amount of
983 space available for ordinary text. Therefore, if Emacs starts up with
984 a tool bar (which is the default), and handles the geometry
985 specification assuming there is a tool bar, and then your
986 @file{~/.emacs} file disables the tool bar, you will end up with a
987 frame geometry different from what you asked for. To get the intended
988 size with no tool bar, use an X resource to specify ``no tool bar''
989 (@pxref{Table of Resources});then Emacs will already know there's no
990 tool bar when it processes the specified geometry.
992 When using one of @samp{--fullscreen}, @samp{--fullwidth} or
993 @samp{--fullheight} there may be some space around the frame
994 anyway. That is because Emacs rounds the sizes so they are an
995 even number of character heights and widths.
997 Some window managers have options that can make them ignore both
998 program-specified and user-specified positions (sawfish is one).
999 If these are set, Emacs fails to position the window correctly.
1002 @appendixsec Internal and External Borders
1003 @cindex borders (X Window System)
1005 An Emacs frame has an internal border and an external border. The
1006 internal border is an extra strip of the background color around the
1007 text portion of the frame. Emacs itself draws the internal border.
1008 The external border is added by the window manager outside the frame;
1009 depending on the window manager you use, it may contain various boxes
1010 you can click on to move or iconify the window.
1013 @item -ib @var{width}
1015 @itemx --internal-border=@var{width}
1016 @opindex --internal-border
1017 @cindex border width, command-line argument
1018 Specify @var{width} as the width of the internal border, in pixels.
1020 @item -bw @var{width}
1022 @itemx --border-width=@var{width}
1023 @opindex --border-width
1024 Specify @var{width} as the width of the main border, in pixels.
1027 When you specify the size of the frame, that does not count the
1028 borders. The frame's position is measured from the outside edge of the
1031 Use the @samp{-ib @var{n}} option to specify an internal border
1032 @var{n} pixels wide. The default is 1. Use @samp{-bw @var{n}} to
1033 specify the width of the external border (though the window manager may
1034 not pay attention to what you specify). The default width of the
1035 external border is 2.
1038 @appendixsec Frame Titles
1040 An Emacs frame may or may not have a specified title. The frame
1041 title, if specified, appears in window decorations and icons as the
1042 name of the frame. If an Emacs frame has no specified title, the
1043 default title has the form @samp{@var{invocation-name}@@@var{machine}}
1044 (if there is only one frame) or the selected window's buffer name (if
1045 there is more than one frame).
1047 You can specify a title for the initial Emacs frame with a command
1051 @item -title @var{title}
1053 @itemx --title=@var{title}
1054 @itemx -T @var{title}
1056 @cindex frame title, command-line argument
1057 Specify @var{title} as the title for the initial Emacs frame.
1060 The @samp{--name} option (@pxref{Resources}) also specifies the title
1061 for the initial Emacs frame.
1065 @cindex icons (X Window System)
1067 Most window managers allow the user to ``iconify'' a frame, removing
1068 it from sight, and leaving a small, distinctive ``icon'' window in its
1069 place. Clicking on the icon window makes the frame itself appear again.
1070 If you have many clients running at once, you can avoid cluttering up
1071 the screen by iconifying most of the clients.
1077 @opindex --icon-type
1078 @cindex Emacs icon, a gnu
1079 Use a picture of a gnu as the Emacs icon.
1084 @cindex start iconified, command-line argument
1085 Start Emacs in iconified state.
1088 The @samp{-i} or @samp{--icon-type} option tells Emacs to use an icon
1089 window containing a picture of the GNU gnu. If omitted, Emacs lets the
1090 window manager choose what sort of icon to use---usually just a small
1091 rectangle containing the frame's title.
1093 The @samp{-iconic} option tells Emacs to begin running as an icon,
1094 rather than showing a frame right away. In this situation, the icon
1095 is the only indication that Emacs has started; the text frame doesn't
1096 appear until you deiconify it.