1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001,
3 @c 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5 @node Microsoft Windows, Manifesto, Mac OS / GNUstep, Top
6 @appendix Emacs and Microsoft Windows/MS-DOS
7 @cindex Microsoft Windows
8 @cindex MS-Windows, Emacs peculiarities
10 This section describes peculiarities of using Emacs on Microsoft
11 Windows. Some of these peculiarities are also relevant to Microsoft's
12 older MS-DOS ``operating system'' (also known as ``MS-DOG'').
13 However, Emacs features that are relevant @emph{only} to MS-DOS are
14 described in a separate
16 manual (@pxref{MS-DOS,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}).
19 section (@pxref{MS-DOS}).
23 The behavior of Emacs on MS-Windows is reasonably similar to what is
24 documented in the rest of the manual, including support for long file
25 names, multiple frames, scroll bars, mouse menus, and subprocesses.
26 However, a few special considerations apply, and they are described
30 * Text and Binary:: Text files use CRLF to terminate lines.
31 * Windows Files:: File-name conventions on Windows.
32 * ls in Lisp:: Emulation of @code{ls} for Dired.
33 * Windows HOME:: Where Emacs looks for your @file{.emacs}.
34 * Windows Keyboard:: Windows-specific keyboard features.
35 * Windows Mouse:: Windows-specific mouse features.
36 * Windows Processes:: Running subprocesses on Windows.
37 * Windows Printing:: How to specify the printer on MS-Windows.
38 * Windows Fonts:: Specifying fonts on MS-Windows.
39 * Windows Misc:: Miscellaneous Windows features.
41 * MS-DOS:: Using Emacs on MS-DOS (otherwise known as @dfn{MS-DOG}).
46 @section Text Files and Binary Files
47 @cindex text and binary files on MS-DOS/MS-Windows
49 GNU Emacs uses newline characters to separate text lines. This is the
50 convention used on GNU, Unix, and other Posix-compliant systems.
52 @cindex end-of-line conversion on MS-DOS/MS-Windows
53 By contrast, MS-DOS and MS-Windows normally use carriage-return linefeed,
54 a two-character sequence, to separate text lines. (Linefeed is the same
55 character as newline.) Therefore, convenient editing of typical files
56 with Emacs requires conversion of these end-of-line (EOL) sequences.
57 And that is what Emacs normally does: it converts carriage-return
58 linefeed into newline when reading files, and converts newline into
59 carriage-return linefeed when writing files. The same mechanism that
60 handles conversion of international character codes does this conversion
61 also (@pxref{Coding Systems}).
63 @cindex cursor location, on MS-DOS
64 @cindex point location, on MS-DOS
65 One consequence of this special format-conversion of most files is
66 that character positions as reported by Emacs (@pxref{Position Info}) do
67 not agree with the file size information known to the operating system.
69 In addition, if Emacs recognizes from a file's contents that it uses
70 newline rather than carriage-return linefeed as its line separator, it
71 does not perform EOL conversion when reading or writing that file.
72 Thus, you can read and edit files from GNU and Unix systems on MS-DOS
73 with no special effort, and they will retain their Unix-style
74 end-of-line convention after you edit them.
76 The mode line indicates whether end-of-line translation was used for
77 the current buffer. If MS-DOS end-of-line translation is in use for the
78 buffer, the MS-Windows build of Emacs displays a backslash @samp{\} after
79 the coding system mnemonic near the beginning of the mode line
80 (@pxref{Mode Line}). If no EOL translation was performed, the string
81 @samp{(Unix)} is displayed instead of the backslash, to alert you that the
82 file's EOL format is not the usual carriage-return linefeed.
84 @cindex DOS-to-Unix conversion of files
85 To visit a file and specify whether it uses DOS-style or Unix-style
86 end-of-line, specify a coding system (@pxref{Text Coding}). For
87 example, @kbd{C-x @key{RET} c unix @key{RET} C-x C-f foobar.txt}
88 visits the file @file{foobar.txt} without converting the EOLs; if some
89 line ends with a carriage-return linefeed pair, Emacs will display
90 @samp{^M} at the end of that line. Similarly, you can direct Emacs to
91 save a buffer in a specified EOL format with the @kbd{C-x @key{RET} f}
92 command. For example, to save a buffer with Unix EOL format, type
93 @kbd{C-x @key{RET} f unix @key{RET} C-x C-s}. If you visit a file
94 with DOS EOL conversion, then save it with Unix EOL format, that
95 effectively converts the file to Unix EOL style, like @code{dos2unix}.
97 @cindex untranslated file system
98 @findex add-untranslated-filesystem
99 When you use NFS, Samba, or some other similar method to access file
100 systems that reside on computers using GNU or Unix systems, Emacs
101 should not perform end-of-line translation on any files in these file
102 systems---not even when you create a new file. To request this,
103 designate these file systems as @dfn{untranslated} file systems by
104 calling the function @code{add-untranslated-filesystem}. It takes one
105 argument: the file system name, including a drive letter and
106 optionally a directory. For example,
109 (add-untranslated-filesystem "Z:")
113 designates drive Z as an untranslated file system, and
116 (add-untranslated-filesystem "Z:\\foo")
120 designates directory @file{\foo} on drive Z as an untranslated file
123 Most often you would use @code{add-untranslated-filesystem} in your
124 @file{.emacs} file, or in @file{site-start.el} so that all the users at
125 your site get the benefit of it.
127 @findex remove-untranslated-filesystem
128 To countermand the effect of @code{add-untranslated-filesystem}, use
129 the function @code{remove-untranslated-filesystem}. This function takes
130 one argument, which should be a string just like the one that was used
131 previously with @code{add-untranslated-filesystem}.
133 Designating a file system as untranslated does not affect character
134 set conversion, only end-of-line conversion. Essentially, it directs
135 Emacs to create new files with the Unix-style convention of using
136 newline at the end of a line. @xref{Coding Systems}.
138 @vindex file-name-buffer-file-type-alist
139 @cindex binary files, on MS-DOS/MS-Windows
140 Some kinds of files should not be converted at all, because their
141 contents are not really text. Therefore, Emacs on MS-Windows distinguishes
142 certain files as @dfn{binary files}. (This distinction is not part of
143 MS-Windows; it is made by Emacs only.) Binary files include executable
144 programs, compressed archives, etc. Emacs uses the file name to decide
145 whether to treat a file as binary: the variable
146 @code{file-name-buffer-file-type-alist} defines the file-name patterns
147 that indicate binary files. If a file name matches one of the patterns
148 for binary files (those whose associations are of the type
149 @code{(@var{pattern} . t)}, Emacs reads and writes that file using the
150 @code{no-conversion} coding system (@pxref{Coding Systems}) which turns
151 off @emph{all} coding-system conversions, not only the EOL conversion.
152 @code{file-name-buffer-file-type-alist} also includes file-name patterns
153 for files which are known to be Windows-style text files with
154 carriage-return linefeed EOL format, such as @file{CONFIG.SYS}; Emacs
155 always writes those files with Windows-style EOLs.
157 If a file which belongs to an untranslated file system matches one of
158 the file-name patterns in @code{file-name-buffer-file-type-alist}, the
159 EOL conversion is determined by @code{file-name-buffer-file-type-alist}.
162 @section File Names on MS-Windows
163 @cindex file names on MS-Windows
165 MS-Windows and MS-DOS normally use a backslash, @samp{\}, to
166 separate name units within a file name, instead of the slash used on
167 other systems. Emacs on MS-DOS/MS-Windows permits use of either slash or
168 backslash, and also knows about drive letters in file names.
170 @cindex file-name completion, on MS-Windows
171 On MS-DOS/MS-Windows, file names are case-insensitive, so Emacs by
172 default ignores letter-case in file names during completion.
174 @vindex w32-get-true-file-attributes
175 The variable @code{w32-get-true-file-attributes} controls whether
176 Emacs should issue additional system calls to determine more
177 accurately file attributes in primitives like @code{file-attributes}
178 and @code{directory-files-and-attributes}. These additional calls are
179 needed to report correct file ownership, link counts and file types
180 for special files such as pipes. Without these system calls, file
181 ownership will be attributed to the current user, link counts will be
182 always reported as 1, and special files will be reported as regular
185 If the value of this variable is @code{local} (the default), Emacs
186 will issue these additional system calls only for files on local fixed
187 drives. Any other non-@code{nil} value means do this even for
188 removable and remote volumes, where this could potentially slow down
189 Dired and other related features. The value of @code{nil} means never
190 issue those system calls. Non-@code{nil} values are more useful on
191 NTFS volumes, which support hard links and file security, than on FAT,
192 FAT32, and XFAT volumes.
195 @section Emulation of @code{ls} on MS-Windows
196 @cindex Dired, and MS-Windows/MS-DOS
197 @cindex @code{ls} emulation
199 Dired normally uses the external program @code{ls} (or its close
200 work-alike) to produce the directory listing displayed in Dired
201 buffers (@pxref{Dired}). However, MS-Windows and MS-DOS systems don't
202 come with such a program, although several ports of @sc{gnu} @code{ls}
203 are available. Therefore, Emacs on those systems @emph{emulates}
204 @code{ls} in Lisp, by using the @file{ls-lisp.el} package. While
205 @file{ls-lisp.el} provides a reasonably full emulation of @code{ls},
206 there are some options and features peculiar to that emulation;
208 for more details, see the documentation of the variables whose names
209 begin with @code{ls-lisp}.
212 they are described in this section.
214 The @code{ls} emulation supports many of the @code{ls} switches, but
215 it doesn't support all of them. Here's the list of the switches it
216 does support: @option{-A}, @option{-a}, @option{-B}, @option{-C},
217 @option{-c}, @option{-i}, @option{-G}, @option{-g}, @option{-R},
218 @option{-r}, @option{-S}, @option{-s}, @option{-t}, @option{-U},
219 @option{-u}, and @option{-X}. The @option{-F} switch is partially
220 supported (it appends the character that classifies the file, but does
221 not prevent symlink following).
223 @vindex ls-lisp-use-insert-directory-program
224 On MS-Windows and MS-DOS, @file{ls-lisp.el} is preloaded when Emacs
225 is built, so the Lisp emulation of @code{ls} is always used on those
226 platforms. If you have a ported @code{ls}, setting
227 @code{ls-lisp-use-insert-directory-program} to a non-@code{nil} value
228 will revert to using an external program named by the variable
229 @code{insert-directory-program}.
231 @vindex ls-lisp-ignore-case
232 By default, @file{ls-lisp.el} uses a case-sensitive sort order for
233 the directory listing it produces; this is so the listing looks the
234 same as on other platforms. If you wish that the files be sorted in
235 case-insensitive order, set the variable @code{ls-lisp-ignore-case} to
236 a non-@code{nil} value.
238 @vindex ls-lisp-dirs-first
239 By default, files and subdirectories are sorted together, to emulate
240 the behavior of @code{ls}. However, native MS-Windows/MS-DOS file
241 managers list the directories before the files; if you want that
242 behavior, customize the option @code{ls-lisp-dirs-first} to a
243 non-@code{nil} value.
245 @vindex ls-lisp-verbosity
246 The variable @code{ls-lisp-verbosity} controls the file attributes
247 that @file{ls-lisp.el} displays. The value should be a list that
248 contains one or more of the symbols @code{links}, @code{uid}, and
249 @code{gid}. @code{links} means display the count of different file
250 names that are associated with (a.k.a.@: @dfn{links to}) the file's
251 data; this is only useful on NTFS volumes. @code{uid} means display
252 the numerical identifier of the user who owns the file. @code{gid}
253 means display the numerical identifier of the file owner's group. The
254 default value is @code{(links uid gid)} i.e.@: all the 3 optional
255 attributes are displayed.
257 @vindex ls-lisp-emulation
258 The variable @code{ls-lisp-emulation} controls the flavour of the
259 @code{ls} emulation by setting the defaults for the 3 options
260 described above: @code{ls-lisp-ignore-case},
261 @code{ls-lisp-dirs-first}, and @code{ls-lisp-verbosity}. The value of
262 this option can be one of the following symbols:
267 Emulate @sc{gnu} systems; this is the default. This sets
268 @code{ls-lisp-ignore-case} and @code{ls-lisp-dirs-first} to
269 @code{nil}, and @code{ls-lisp-verbosity} to @code{(links uid gid)}.
271 Emulate Unix systems. Like @code{GNU}, but sets
272 @code{ls-lisp-verbosity} to @code{(links uid)}.
274 Emulate MacOS. Sets @code{ls-lisp-ignore-case} to @code{t}, and
275 @code{ls-lisp-dirs-first} and @code{ls-lisp-verbosity} to @code{nil}.
277 Emulate MS-Windows. Sets @code{ls-lisp-ignore-case} and
278 @code{ls-lisp-dirs-first} to @code{t}, and @code{ls-lisp-verbosity} to
279 @code{(links)} on Windows NT/2K/XP/2K3 and to @code{nil} on Windows 9X.
280 Note that the default emulation is @emph{not} @code{MS-Windows}, even
281 on Windows, since many users of Emacs on those platforms prefer the
286 Any other value of @code{ls-lisp-emulation} means the same as
287 @code{GNU}. Note that this option needs to be set @emph{before}
288 @file{ls-lisp.el} is loaded, which means that on MS-Windows and MS-DOS
289 you will have to set the value from your @file{.emacs} file and then
290 restart Emacs, since @file{ls-lisp.el} is preloaded.
292 @vindex ls-lisp-support-shell-wildcards
293 The variable @code{ls-lisp-support-shell-wildcards} controls how
294 file-name patterns are supported: if it is non-@code{nil} (the
295 default), they are treated as shell-style wildcards; otherwise they
296 are treated as Emacs regular expressions.
298 @vindex ls-lisp-format-time-list
299 The variable @code{ls-lisp-format-time-list} defines how to format
300 the date and time of files. @emph{The value of this variable is
301 ignored}, unless Emacs cannot determine the current locale. (However,
302 if the value of @code{ls-lisp-use-localized-time-format} is
303 non-@code{nil}, Emacs obeys @code{ls-lisp-format-time-list} even if
304 the current locale is available; see below.)
306 The value of @code{ls-lisp-format-time-list} is a list of 2 strings.
307 The first string is used if the file was modified within the current
308 year, while the second string is used for older files. In each of
309 these two strings you can use @samp{%}-sequences to substitute parts
310 of the time. For example:
312 ("%b %e %H:%M" "%b %e %Y")
316 Note that the strings substituted for these @samp{%}-sequences depend
317 on the current locale. @xref{Time Parsing,,, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
318 Reference Manual}, for more about format time specs.
320 @vindex ls-lisp-use-localized-time-format
321 Normally, Emacs formats the file time stamps in either traditional
322 or ISO-style time format. However, if the value of the variable
323 @code{ls-lisp-use-localized-time-format} is non-@code{nil}, Emacs
324 formats file time stamps according to what
325 @code{ls-lisp-format-time-list} specifies. The @samp{%}-sequences in
326 @code{ls-lisp-format-time-list} produce locale-dependent month and day
327 names, which might cause misalignment of columns in Dired display.
331 @section HOME Directory on MS-Windows
332 @cindex @code{HOME} directory on MS-Windows
334 The Windows equivalent of the @code{HOME} directory is the
335 @dfn{user-specific application data directory}. The actual location
336 depends on your Windows version and system configuration; typical values
337 are @file{C:\Documents and Settings\@var{username}\Application Data} on
338 Windows 2K/XP and later, and either @file{C:\WINDOWS\Application Data}
339 or @file{C:\WINDOWS\Profiles\@var{username}\Application Data} on the
340 older Windows 9X/ME systems.
342 @cindex init file @file{.emacs} on MS-Windows
343 The home directory is where your init file @file{.emacs} is stored.
344 When Emacs starts, it first checks whether the environment variable
345 @env{HOME} is set. If it is, it looks for the init file in the
346 directory pointed by @env{HOME}. If @env{HOME} is not defined, Emacs
347 checks for an existing @file{.emacs} file in @file{C:\}, the root
348 directory of drive @file{C:}@footnote{
349 The check in @file{C:\} is for compatibility with older versions of Emacs,
350 which didn't check the application data directory.
351 }. If there's no such file in @file{C:\}, Emacs next uses the Windows
352 system calls to find out the exact location of your application data
353 directory. If that system call fails, Emacs falls back to @file{C:\}.
355 Whatever the final place is, Emacs sets the value of the @env{HOME}
356 environment variable to point to it, and it will use that location for
357 other files and directories it normally creates in the user's home
360 You can always find out where Emacs thinks is your home directory's
361 location by typing @kbd{C-x d ~/ @key{RET}}. This should present the
362 list of files in the home directory, and show its full name on the
363 first line. Likewise, to visit your init file, type @kbd{C-x C-f
366 @cindex @file{_emacs} init file, MS-Windows
367 Because MS-DOS does not allow file names with leading dots, and
368 because older Windows systems made it hard to create files with such
369 names, the Windows port of Emacs supports an alternative name
370 @file{_emacs} as a fallback, if such a file exists in the home
371 directory, whereas @file{.emacs} does not.
373 @node Windows Keyboard
374 @section Keyboard Usage on MS-Windows
375 @cindex keyboard, MS-Windows
377 This section describes the Windows-specific features related to
378 keyboard input in Emacs.
380 @cindex MS-Windows keyboard shortcuts
381 Many key combinations (known as ``keyboard shortcuts'') that have
382 conventional uses in MS-Windows programs conflict with traditional
383 Emacs key bindings. (These Emacs key bindings were established years
384 before Microsoft was founded.) Examples of conflicts include
385 @kbd{C-c}, @kbd{C-x}, @kbd{C-z}, @kbd{C-a}, and @kbd{W-@key{SPC}}.
386 You can redefine some of them with meanings more like the MS-Windows
387 meanings by enabling CUA Mode (@pxref{CUA Bindings}).
389 @kindex F10 @r{(MS-Windows)}
390 @cindex menu bar access using keyboard @r{(MS-Windows)}
391 The @key{F10} key on Windows activates the menu bar in a way that
392 makes it possible to use the menus without a mouse. In this mode, the
393 arrow keys traverse the menus, @key{RET} selects a highlighted menu
394 item, and @key{ESC} closes the menu.
397 @inforef{Windows Keyboard, , emacs}, for information about additional
398 Windows-specific variables in this category.
401 @vindex w32-alt-is-meta
402 @cindex @code{Alt} key (MS-Windows)
403 By default, the key labeled @key{Alt} is mapped as the @key{META}
404 key. If you wish it to produce the @code{Alt} modifier instead, set
405 the variable @code{w32-alt-is-meta} to a @code{nil} value.
407 @findex w32-register-hot-key
408 @findex w32-unregister-hot-key
409 MS-Windows reserves certain key combinations, such as
410 @kbd{Alt-@key{TAB}}, for its own use. These key combinations are
411 intercepted by the system before Emacs can see them. You can use the
412 @code{w32-register-hot-key} function to allow a key sequence to be
413 seen by Emacs instead of being grabbed by Windows. This functions
414 registers a key sequence as a @dfn{hot key}, overriding the special
415 meaning of that key sequence for Windows. (MS-Windows is told that
416 the key sequence is a hot key only when one of the Emacs windows has
417 focus, so that the special keys still have their usual meaning for
418 other Windows applications.)
420 The argument to @code{w32-register-hot-key} must be a single key,
421 with or without modifiers, in vector form that would be acceptable to
422 @code{define-key}. The meta modifier is interpreted as the @key{ALT}
423 key if @code{w32-alt-is-meta} is @code{t} (the default), and the hyper
424 modifier is always interpreted as the Windows key (usually labeled
425 with @key{start} and the Windows logo). If the function succeeds in
426 registering the key sequence, it returns the hotkey ID, a number;
427 otherwise it returns @code{nil}.
429 @kindex M-TAB@r{, (MS-Windows)}
430 @cindex @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} vs @kbd{Alt-@key{TAB}} (MS-Windows)
431 @cindex @kbd{Alt-@key{TAB}} vs @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} (MS-Windows)
432 For example, @code{(w32-register-hot-key [M-tab])} lets you use
433 @kbd{M-TAB} normally in Emacs, for instance, to complete the word or
434 symbol at point at top level, or to complete the current search string
435 against previously sought strings during incremental search.
437 The function @code{w32-unregister-hot-key} reverses the effect of
438 @code{w32-register-hot-key} for its argument key sequence.
440 @vindex w32-capslock-is-shiftlock
441 By default, the @key{CapsLock} key only affects normal character
442 keys (it converts lower-case characters to their upper-case
443 variants). However, if you set the variable
444 @code{w32-capslock-is-shiftlock} to a non-@code{nil} value, the
445 @key{CapsLock} key will affect non-character keys as well, as if you
446 pressed the @key{Shift} key while typing the non-character key.
448 @vindex w32-enable-caps-lock
449 If the variable @code{w32-enable-caps-lock} is set to a @code{nil}
450 value, the @key{CapsLock} key produces the symbol @code{capslock}
451 instead of the shifted version of they keys. The default value is
454 @vindex w32-enable-num-lock
455 @cindex keypad keys (MS-Windows)
456 Similarly, if @code{w32-enable-num-lock} is @code{nil}, the
457 @key{NumLock} key will produce the symbol @code{kp-numlock}. The
458 default is @code{t}, which causes @key{NumLock} to work as expected:
459 toggle the meaning of the keys on the numeric keypad.
462 @vindex w32-apps-modifier
463 The variable @code{w32-apps-modifier} controls the effect of the
464 @key{Apps} key (usually located between the right @key{Alt} and the
465 right @key{Ctrl} keys). Its value can be one of the symbols
466 @code{hyper}, @code{super}, @code{meta}, @code{alt}, @code{control},
467 or @code{shift} for the respective modifier, or @code{nil} to appear
468 as the key @code{apps}. The default is @code{nil}.
470 @vindex w32-lwindow-modifier
471 @vindex w32-rwindow-modifier
472 @vindex w32-scroll-lock-modifier
473 The variable @code{w32-lwindow-modifier} determines the effect of
474 the left Windows key (usually labeled with @key{start} and the Windows
475 logo). If its value is @code{nil} (the default), the key will produce
476 the symbol @code{lwindow}. Setting it to one of the symbols
477 @code{hyper}, @code{super}, @code{meta}, @code{alt}, @code{control},
478 or @code{shift} will produce the respective modifier. A similar
479 variable @code{w32-rwindow-modifier} controls the effect of the right
480 Windows key, and @code{w32-scroll-lock-modifier} does the same for the
481 @key{ScrLock} key. If these variables are set to @code{nil}, the
482 right Windows key produces the symbol @code{rwindow} and @key{ScrLock}
483 produces the symbol @code{scroll}.
485 @vindex w32-pass-alt-to-system
486 @cindex Windows system menu
487 @cindex @code{Alt} key invokes menu (Windows)
488 Emacs compiled as a native Windows application normally turns off
489 the Windows feature that tapping the @key{ALT} key invokes the Windows
490 menu. The reason is that the @key{ALT} serves as @key{META} in Emacs.
491 When using Emacs, users often press the @key{META} key temporarily and
492 then change their minds; if this has the effect of bringing up the
493 Windows menu, it alters the meaning of subsequent commands. Many
494 users find this frustrating.
496 You can re-enable Windows' default handling of tapping the @key{ALT}
497 key by setting @code{w32-pass-alt-to-system} to a non-@code{nil}
501 @vindex w32-pass-lwindow-to-system
502 @vindex w32-pass-rwindow-to-system
503 The variables @code{w32-pass-lwindow-to-system} and
504 @code{w32-pass-rwindow-to-system} determine whether the respective
505 keys are passed to Windows or swallowed by Emacs. If the value is
506 @code{nil}, the respective key is silently swallowed by Emacs,
507 otherwise it is passed to Windows. The default is @code{t} for both
508 of these variables. Passing each of these keys to Windows produces
509 its normal effect: for example, @kbd{@key{Lwindow}} opens the
510 @code{Start} menu, etc.@footnote{
511 Some combinations of the ``Windows'' keys with other keys are caught
512 by Windows at low level in a way that Emacs currently cannot prevent.
513 For example, @kbd{@key{Lwindow} r} always pops up the Windows
514 @samp{Run} dialog. Customizing the value of
515 @code{w32-phantom-key-code} might help in some cases, though.}
517 @vindex w32-recognize-altgr
518 @kindex AltGr @r{(MS-Windows)}
519 @cindex AltGr key (MS-Windows)
520 The variable @code{w32-recognize-altgr} controls whether the
521 @key{AltGr} key (if it exists on your keyboard), or its equivalent,
522 the combination of the right @key{Alt} and left @key{Ctrl} keys
523 pressed together, is recognized as the @key{AltGr} key. The default
524 is @code{t}, which means these keys produce @code{AltGr}; setting it
525 to @code{nil} causes @key{AltGr} or the equivalent key combination to
526 be interpreted as the combination of @key{CTRL} and @key{META}
531 @section Mouse Usage on MS-Windows
532 @cindex mouse, and MS-Windows
534 This section describes the Windows-specific variables related to
537 @vindex w32-mouse-button-tolerance
538 @cindex simulation of middle mouse button
539 The variable @code{w32-mouse-button-tolerance} specifies the
540 time interval, in milliseconds, for faking middle mouse button press
541 on 2-button mice. If both mouse buttons are depressed within this
542 time interval, Emacs generates a middle mouse button click event
543 instead of a double click on one of the buttons.
545 @vindex w32-pass-extra-mouse-buttons-to-system
546 If the variable @code{w32-pass-extra-mouse-buttons-to-system} is
547 non-@code{nil}, Emacs passes the fourth and fifth mouse buttons to
550 @vindex w32-swap-mouse-buttons
551 The variable @code{w32-swap-mouse-buttons} controls which of the 3
552 mouse buttons generates the @kbd{mouse-2} events. When it is
553 @code{nil} (the default), the middle button generates @kbd{mouse-2}
554 and the right button generates @kbd{mouse-3} events. If this variable
555 is non-@code{nil}, the roles of these two buttons are reversed.
557 @node Windows Processes
558 @section Subprocesses on Windows 9X/ME and Windows NT/2K/XP
559 @cindex subprocesses on MS-Windows
561 @cindex DOS applications, running from Emacs
562 Emacs compiled as a native Windows application (as opposed to the DOS
563 version) includes full support for asynchronous subprocesses.
564 In the Windows version, synchronous and asynchronous subprocesses work
566 Windows 9X/ME and Windows NT/2K/XP as long as you run only 32-bit Windows
567 applications. However, when you run a DOS application in a subprocess,
568 you may encounter problems or be unable to run the application at all;
569 and if you run two DOS applications at the same time in two
570 subprocesses, you may have to reboot your system.
572 Since the standard command interpreter (and most command line utilities)
573 on Windows 9X are DOS applications, these problems are significant when
574 using that system. But there's nothing we can do about them; only
575 Microsoft can fix them.
577 If you run just one DOS application subprocess, the subprocess should
578 work as expected as long as it is ``well-behaved'' and does not perform
579 direct screen access or other unusual actions. If you have a CPU
580 monitor application, your machine will appear to be 100% busy even when
581 the DOS application is idle, but this is only an artifact of the way CPU
582 monitors measure processor load.
584 You must terminate the DOS application before you start any other DOS
585 application in a different subprocess. Emacs is unable to interrupt or
586 terminate a DOS subprocess. The only way you can terminate such a
587 subprocess is by giving it a command that tells its program to exit.
589 If you attempt to run two DOS applications at the same time in separate
590 subprocesses, the second one that is started will be suspended until the
591 first one finishes, even if either or both of them are asynchronous.
593 @cindex kill DOS application
594 If you can go to the first subprocess, and tell it to exit, the second
595 subprocess should continue normally. However, if the second subprocess
596 is synchronous, Emacs itself will be hung until the first subprocess
597 finishes. If it will not finish without user input, then you have no
598 choice but to reboot if you are running on Windows 9X. If you are
599 running on Windows NT/2K/XP, you can use a process viewer application to kill
600 the appropriate instance of NTVDM instead (this will terminate both DOS
603 If you have to reboot Windows 9X in this situation, do not use the
604 @code{Shutdown} command on the @code{Start} menu; that usually hangs the
605 system. Instead, type @kbd{CTL-ALT-@key{DEL}} and then choose
606 @code{Shutdown}. That usually works, although it may take a few minutes
609 @vindex w32-quote-process-args
610 The variable @code{w32-quote-process-args} controls how Emacs quotes
611 the process arguments. Non-@code{nil} means quote with the @code{"}
612 character. If the value is a character, use that character to escape
613 any quote characters that appear; otherwise chose a suitable escape
614 character based on the type of the program.
617 @findex w32-shell-execute
618 The function @code{w32-shell-execute} can be useful for writing
619 customized commands that run MS-Windows applications registered to
620 handle a certain standard Windows operation for a specific type of
621 document or file. This function is a wrapper around the Windows
622 @code{ShellExecute} API. See the MS-Windows API documentation for
626 @node Windows Printing
627 @section Printing and MS-Windows
629 Printing commands, such as @code{lpr-buffer} (@pxref{Printing}) and
630 @code{ps-print-buffer} (@pxref{PostScript}) work in MS-DOS and
631 MS-Windows by sending the output to one of the printer ports, if a
632 Posix-style @code{lpr} program is unavailable. The same Emacs
633 variables control printing on all systems, but in some cases they have
634 different default values on MS-DOS and MS-Windows.
636 Emacs on Windows automatically determines your default printer and
637 sets the variable @code{printer-name} to that printer's name. But in
638 some rare cases this can fail, or you may wish to use a different
639 printer from within Emacs. The rest of this section explains how to
640 tell Emacs which printer to use.
642 @vindex printer-name@r{, (MS-DOS/MS-Windows)}
643 If you want to use your local printer, then set the Lisp variable
644 @code{lpr-command} to @code{""} (its default value on Windows) and
645 @code{printer-name} to the name of the printer port---for example,
646 @code{"PRN"}, the usual local printer port or @code{"LPT2"}, or
647 @code{"COM1"} for a serial printer. You can also set
648 @code{printer-name} to a file name, in which case ``printed'' output
649 is actually appended to that file. If you set @code{printer-name} to
650 @code{"NUL"}, printed output is silently discarded (sent to the system
653 You can also use a printer shared by another machine by setting
654 @code{printer-name} to the UNC share name for that printer---for
655 example, @code{"//joes_pc/hp4si"}. (It doesn't matter whether you use
656 forward slashes or backslashes here.) To find out the names of shared
657 printers, run the command @samp{net view} from the command prompt to
658 obtain a list of servers, and @samp{net view @var{server-name}} to see
659 the names of printers (and directories) shared by that server.
660 Alternatively, click the @samp{Network Neighborhood} icon on your
661 desktop, and look for machines which share their printers via the
664 @cindex @samp{net use}, and printing on MS-Windows
665 @cindex networked printers (MS-Windows)
666 If the printer doesn't appear in the output of @samp{net view}, or
667 if setting @code{printer-name} to the UNC share name doesn't produce a
668 hardcopy on that printer, you can use the @samp{net use} command to
669 connect a local print port such as @code{"LPT2"} to the networked
670 printer. For example, typing @kbd{net use LPT2: \\joes_pc\hp4si}@footnote{
671 Note that the @samp{net use} command requires the UNC share name to be
672 typed with the Windows-style backslashes, while the value of
673 @code{printer-name} can be set with either forward- or backslashes.}
674 causes Windows to @dfn{capture} the @code{LPT2} port and redirect the
675 printed material to the printer connected to the machine @code{joes_pc}.
676 After this command, setting @code{printer-name} to @code{"LPT2"}
677 should produce the hardcopy on the networked printer.
679 With some varieties of Windows network software, you can instruct
680 Windows to capture a specific printer port such as @code{"LPT2"}, and
681 redirect it to a networked printer via the @w{@code{Control
682 Panel->Printers}} applet instead of @samp{net use}.
684 If you set @code{printer-name} to a file name, it's best to use an
685 absolute file name. Emacs changes the working directory according to
686 the default directory of the current buffer, so if the file name in
687 @code{printer-name} is relative, you will end up with several such
688 files, each one in the directory of the buffer from which the printing
691 If the value of @code{printer-name} is correct, but printing does
692 not produce the hardcopy on your printer, it is possible that your
693 printer does not support printing plain text (some cheap printers omit
694 this functionality). In that case, try the PostScript print commands,
697 @findex print-buffer @r{(MS-DOS)}
698 @findex print-region @r{(MS-DOS)}
699 @vindex lpr-headers-switches @r{(MS-DOS)}
700 The commands @code{print-buffer} and @code{print-region} call the
701 @code{pr} program, or use special switches to the @code{lpr} program, to
702 produce headers on each printed page. MS-DOS and MS-Windows don't
703 normally have these programs, so by default, the variable
704 @code{lpr-headers-switches} is set so that the requests to print page
705 headers are silently ignored. Thus, @code{print-buffer} and
706 @code{print-region} produce the same output as @code{lpr-buffer} and
707 @code{lpr-region}, respectively. If you do have a suitable @code{pr}
708 program (for example, from GNU Coreutils), set
709 @code{lpr-headers-switches} to @code{nil}; Emacs will then call
710 @code{pr} to produce the page headers, and print the resulting output as
711 specified by @code{printer-name}.
713 @vindex print-region-function @r{(MS-DOS)}
714 @cindex lpr usage under MS-DOS
715 @vindex lpr-command @r{(MS-DOS)}
716 @vindex lpr-switches @r{(MS-DOS)}
717 Finally, if you do have an @code{lpr} work-alike, you can set the
718 variable @code{lpr-command} to @code{"lpr"}. Then Emacs will use
719 @code{lpr} for printing, as on other systems. (If the name of the
720 program isn't @code{lpr}, set @code{lpr-command} to specify where to
721 find it.) The variable @code{lpr-switches} has its standard meaning
722 when @code{lpr-command} is not @code{""}. If the variable
723 @code{printer-name} has a string value, it is used as the value for the
724 @code{-P} option to @code{lpr}, as on Unix.
726 @findex ps-print-buffer @r{(MS-DOS)}
727 @findex ps-spool-buffer @r{(MS-DOS)}
728 @vindex ps-printer-name @r{(MS-DOS)}
729 @vindex ps-lpr-command @r{(MS-DOS)}
730 @vindex ps-lpr-switches @r{(MS-DOS)}
731 A parallel set of variables, @code{ps-lpr-command},
732 @code{ps-lpr-switches}, and @code{ps-printer-name} (@pxref{PostScript
733 Variables}), defines how PostScript files should be printed. These
734 variables are used in the same way as the corresponding variables
735 described above for non-PostScript printing. Thus, the value of
736 @code{ps-printer-name} is used as the name of the device (or file) to
737 which PostScript output is sent, just as @code{printer-name} is used
738 for non-PostScript printing. (There are two distinct sets of
739 variables in case you have two printers attached to two different
740 ports, and only one of them is a PostScript printer.)
742 @cindex Ghostscript, use for PostScript printing
743 The default value of the variable @code{ps-lpr-command} is @code{""},
744 which causes PostScript output to be sent to the printer port specified
745 by @code{ps-printer-name}, but @code{ps-lpr-command} can also be set to
746 the name of a program which will accept PostScript files. Thus, if you
747 have a non-PostScript printer, you can set this variable to the name of
748 a PostScript interpreter program (such as Ghostscript). Any switches
749 that need to be passed to the interpreter program are specified using
750 @code{ps-lpr-switches}. (If the value of @code{ps-printer-name} is a
751 string, it will be added to the list of switches as the value for the
752 @code{-P} option. This is probably only useful if you are using
753 @code{lpr}, so when using an interpreter typically you would set
754 @code{ps-printer-name} to something other than a string so it is
757 For example, to use Ghostscript for printing on the system's default
758 printer, put this in your @file{.emacs} file:
761 (setq ps-printer-name t)
762 (setq ps-lpr-command "D:/gs6.01/bin/gswin32c.exe")
763 (setq ps-lpr-switches '("-q" "-dNOPAUSE" "-dBATCH"
769 (This assumes that Ghostscript is installed in the
770 @file{D:/gs6.01} directory.)
773 @section Specifying Fonts on MS-Windows
774 @cindex font specification (MS Windows)
776 Starting with Emacs 23, fonts are specified by their name, size
777 and optional properties. The format for specifying fonts comes from the
778 fontconfig library used in modern Free desktops:
781 [Family[-PointSize]][:Option1=Value1[:Option2=Value2[...]]]
784 The old XLFD based format is also supported for backwards compatibility.
786 Emacs 23 supports a number of backends. Currently, the @code{gdi}
787 and @code{uniscribe} font backends are supported on Windows. The
788 @code{gdi} font backend is available on all versions of Windows, and
789 supports all fonts that are natively supported by Windows. The
790 @code{uniscribe} font backend is available on Windows 2000 and later,
791 and supports Truetype and Opentype fonts. Some languages requiring
792 complex layout can only be properly supported by the uniscribe
793 backend. By default, both backends are enabled if supported, with
794 @code{uniscribe} taking priority over @code{gdi}.
796 @cindex font properties (MS Windows)
798 Optional properties common to all font backends on MS-Windows are:
802 @vindex font-weight-table @r{(MS-Windows)}
804 Specifies the weight of the font. Special values @code{light},
805 @code{medium}, @code{demibold}, @code{bold}, and @code{black} can be specified
806 without @code{weight=} (e.g., @kbd{Courier New-12:bold}). Otherwise,
807 the weight should be a numeric value between 100 and 900, or one of the
808 named weights in @code{font-weight-table}. If unspecified, a regular font
811 @vindex font-slant-table @r{(MS-Windows)}
813 Specifies whether the font is italic. Special values
814 @code{roman}, @code{italic} and @code{oblique} can be specified
815 without @code{slant=} (e.g., @kbd{Courier New-12:italic}).
816 Otherwise, the slant should be a numeric value, or one of the named
817 slants in @code{font-slant-table}. On Windows, any slant above 150 is
818 treated as italics, and anything below as roman.
821 Specifies the font family, but normally this will be specified
822 at the start of the font name.
825 Specifies the font size in pixels. This can be used instead
826 of the point size specified after the family name.
829 Specifies additional style information for the font.
830 On MS-Windows, the values @code{mono}, @code{sans}, @code{serif},
831 @code{script} and @code{decorative} are recognized. These are most useful
832 as a fallback with the font family left unspecified.
834 @vindex w32-charset-info-alist
836 Specifies the character set registry that the font is
837 expected to cover. Most Truetype and Opentype fonts will be unicode fonts
838 that cover several national character sets, but you can narrow down the
839 selection of fonts to those that support a particular character set by
840 using a specific registry from @code{w32-charset-info-alist} here.
843 Specifies how the font is spaced. The @code{p} spacing specifies
844 a proportional font, and @code{m} or @code{c} specify a monospaced font.
847 Not used on Windows, but for informational purposes and to
848 prevent problems with code that expects it to be set, is set internally to
849 @code{raster} for bitmapped fonts, @code{outline} for scalable fonts,
850 or @code{unknown} if the type cannot be determined as one of those.
853 @cindex font properties (MS Windows gdi backend)
854 Options specific to @code{GDI} fonts:
858 @cindex font scripts (MS Windows)
859 @cindex font unicode subranges (MS Windows)
861 Specifies a unicode subrange the font should support.
863 The following scripts are recognized on Windows: @code{latin}, @code{greek},
864 @code{coptic}, @code{cyrillic}, @code{armenian}, @code{hebrew}, @code{arabic},
865 @code{syriac}, @code{nko}, @code{thaana}, @code{devanagari}, @code{bengali},
866 @code{gurmukhi}, @code{gujarati}, @code{oriya}, @code{tamil}, @code{telugu},
867 @code{kannada}, @code{malayam}, @code{sinhala}, @code{thai}, @code{lao},
868 @code{tibetan}, @code{myanmar}, @code{georgian}, @code{hangul},
869 @code{ethiopic}, @code{cherokee}, @code{canadian-aboriginal}, @code{ogham},
870 @code{runic}, @code{khmer}, @code{mongolian}, @code{symbol}, @code{braille},
871 @code{han}, @code{ideographic-description}, @code{cjk-misc}, @code{kana},
872 @code{bopomofo}, @code{kanbun}, @code{yi}, @code{byzantine-musical-symbol},
873 @code{musical-symbol}, and @code{mathematical}.
875 @cindex font antialiasing (MS Windows)
877 Specifies the antialiasing to use for the font. The value @code{none}
878 means no antialiasing, @code{standard} means use standard antialiasing,
879 @code{subpixel} means use subpixel antialiasing (known as Cleartype on Windows),
880 and @code{natural} means use subpixel antialiasing with adjusted spacing between
881 letters. If unspecified, the font will use the system default antialiasing.
885 @section Miscellaneous Windows-specific features
887 This section describes miscellaneous Windows-specific features.
889 @vindex w32-use-visible-system-caret
890 @cindex screen reader software, MS-Windows
891 The variable @code{w32-use-visible-system-caret} is a flag that
892 determines whether to make the system caret visible. The default when
893 no screen reader software is in use is @code{nil}, which means Emacs
894 draws its own cursor to indicate the position of point. A
895 non-@code{nil} value means Emacs will indicate point location by the
896 system caret; this facilitates use of screen reader software, and is
897 the default when such software is detected when running Emacs.
898 When this variable is non-@code{nil}, other variables affecting the
899 cursor display have no effect.
902 @inforef{Windows Misc, , emacs}, for information about additional
903 Windows-specific variables in this category.
907 @vindex w32-grab-focus-on-raise
908 @cindex frame focus policy, MS-Windows
909 The variable @code{w32-grab-focus-on-raise}, if set to a
910 non-@code{nil} value causes a frame to grab focus when it is raised.
911 The default is @code{t}, which fits well with the Windows default
912 click-to-focus policy.
916 @include msdog-xtra.texi
920 arch-tag: f39d2590-5dcc-4318-88d9-0eb73ca10fa2