1 @c -*- mode: texinfo; coding: utf-8 -*-
2 @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual.
3 @c Copyright (C) 1990-1995, 1998-2017 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions.
8 This chapter describes a number of features related to the display
9 that Emacs presents to the user.
12 * Refresh Screen:: Clearing the screen and redrawing everything on it.
13 * Forcing Redisplay:: Forcing redisplay.
14 * Truncation:: Folding or wrapping long text lines.
15 * The Echo Area:: Displaying messages at the bottom of the screen.
16 * Warnings:: Displaying warning messages for the user.
17 * Invisible Text:: Hiding part of the buffer text.
18 * Selective Display:: Hiding part of the buffer text (the old way).
19 * Temporary Displays:: Displays that go away automatically.
20 * Overlays:: Use overlays to highlight parts of the buffer.
21 * Size of Displayed Text:: How large displayed text is.
22 * Line Height:: Controlling the height of lines.
23 * Faces:: A face defines a graphics style for text characters:
25 * Fringes:: Controlling window fringes.
26 * Scroll Bars:: Controlling scroll bars.
27 * Window Dividers:: Separating windows visually.
28 * Display Property:: Enabling special display features.
29 * Images:: Displaying images in Emacs buffers.
30 * Xwidgets:: Displaying native widgets in Emacs buffers.
31 * Buttons:: Adding clickable buttons to Emacs buffers.
32 * Abstract Display:: Emacs's Widget for Object Collections.
33 * Blinking:: How Emacs shows the matching open parenthesis.
34 * Character Display:: How Emacs displays individual characters.
35 * Beeping:: Audible signal to the user.
36 * Window Systems:: Which window system is being used.
37 * Tooltips:: Tooltip display in Emacs.
38 * Bidirectional Display:: Display of bidirectional scripts, such as
43 @section Refreshing the Screen
44 @cindex refresh the screen
45 @cindex screen refresh
47 The function @code{redraw-frame} clears and redisplays the entire
48 contents of a given frame (@pxref{Frames}). This is useful if the
51 @defun redraw-frame &optional frame
52 This function clears and redisplays frame @var{frame}. If @var{frame}
53 is omitted or nil, it redraws the selected frame.
56 Even more powerful is @code{redraw-display}:
58 @deffn Command redraw-display
59 This function clears and redisplays all visible frames.
62 In Emacs, processing user input takes priority over redisplay. If
63 you call these functions when input is available, they don't redisplay
64 immediately, but the requested redisplay does happen
65 eventually---after all the input has been processed.
67 On text terminals, suspending and resuming Emacs normally also
68 refreshes the screen. Some terminal emulators record separate
69 contents for display-oriented programs such as Emacs and for ordinary
70 sequential display. If you are using such a terminal, you might want
71 to inhibit the redisplay on resumption.
73 @defopt no-redraw-on-reenter
74 @cindex suspend (cf. @code{no-redraw-on-reenter})
75 @cindex resume (cf. @code{no-redraw-on-reenter})
76 This variable controls whether Emacs redraws the entire screen after it
77 has been suspended and resumed. Non-@code{nil} means there is no need
78 to redraw, @code{nil} means redrawing is needed. The default is @code{nil}.
81 @node Forcing Redisplay
82 @section Forcing Redisplay
83 @cindex forcing redisplay
85 Emacs normally tries to redisplay the screen whenever it waits for
86 input. With the following function, you can request an immediate
87 attempt to redisplay, in the middle of Lisp code, without actually
90 @defun redisplay &optional force
91 This function tries immediately to redisplay. The optional argument
92 @var{force}, if non-@code{nil}, forces the redisplay to be performed,
93 instead of being preempted if input is pending.
95 The function returns @code{t} if it actually tried to redisplay, and
96 @code{nil} otherwise. A value of @code{t} does not mean that
97 redisplay proceeded to completion; it could have been preempted by
101 Although @code{redisplay} tries immediately to redisplay, it does
102 not change how Emacs decides which parts of its frame(s) to redisplay.
103 By contrast, the following function adds certain windows to the
104 pending redisplay work (as if their contents had completely changed),
105 but does not immediately try to perform redisplay.
107 @defun force-window-update &optional object
108 This function forces some or all windows to be updated the next time
109 Emacs does a redisplay. If @var{object} is a window, that window is
110 to be updated. If @var{object} is a buffer or buffer name, all
111 windows displaying that buffer are to be updated. If @var{object} is
112 @code{nil} (or omitted), all windows are to be updated.
114 This function does not do a redisplay immediately; Emacs does that as
115 it waits for input, or when the function @code{redisplay} is called.
118 @defvar pre-redisplay-function
119 A function run just before redisplay. It is called with one argument,
120 the set of windows to be redisplayed. The set can be @code{nil},
121 meaning only the selected window, or @code{t}, meaning all the
125 @defvar pre-redisplay-functions
126 This hook is run just before redisplay. It is called once in each
127 window that is about to be redisplayed, with @code{current-buffer} set
128 to the buffer displayed in that window.
133 @cindex line wrapping
134 @cindex line truncation
135 @cindex continuation lines
136 @cindex @samp{$} in display
137 @cindex @samp{\} in display
139 When a line of text extends beyond the right edge of a window, Emacs
140 can @dfn{continue} the line (make it wrap to the next screen
141 line), or @dfn{truncate} the line (limit it to one screen line). The
142 additional screen lines used to display a long text line are called
143 @dfn{continuation} lines. Continuation is not the same as filling;
144 continuation happens on the screen only, not in the buffer contents,
145 and it breaks a line precisely at the right margin, not at a word
146 boundary. @xref{Filling}.
148 On a graphical display, tiny arrow images in the window fringes
149 indicate truncated and continued lines (@pxref{Fringes}). On a text
150 terminal, a @samp{$} in the rightmost column of the window indicates
151 truncation; a @samp{\} on the rightmost column indicates a line that
152 wraps. (The display table can specify alternate characters to use
153 for this; @pxref{Display Tables}).
155 @defopt truncate-lines
156 If this buffer-local variable is non-@code{nil}, lines that extend
157 beyond the right edge of the window are truncated; otherwise, they are
158 continued. As a special exception, the variable
159 @code{truncate-partial-width-windows} takes precedence in
160 @dfn{partial-width} windows (i.e., windows that do not occupy the
164 @defopt truncate-partial-width-windows
165 @cindex partial-width windows
166 This variable controls line truncation in @dfn{partial-width} windows.
167 A partial-width window is one that does not occupy the entire frame
168 width (@pxref{Splitting Windows}). If the value is @code{nil}, line
169 truncation is determined by the variable @code{truncate-lines} (see
170 above). If the value is an integer @var{n}, lines are truncated if
171 the partial-width window has fewer than @var{n} columns, regardless of
172 the value of @code{truncate-lines}; if the partial-width window has
173 @var{n} or more columns, line truncation is determined by
174 @code{truncate-lines}. For any other non-@code{nil} value, lines are
175 truncated in every partial-width window, regardless of the value of
176 @code{truncate-lines}.
179 When horizontal scrolling (@pxref{Horizontal Scrolling}) is in use in
180 a window, that forces truncation.
183 If this buffer-local variable is non-@code{nil}, it defines a
184 @dfn{wrap prefix} which Emacs displays at the start of every
185 continuation line. (If lines are truncated, @code{wrap-prefix} is
186 never used.) Its value may be a string or an image (@pxref{Other
187 Display Specs}), or a stretch of whitespace such as specified by the
188 @code{:width} or @code{:align-to} display properties (@pxref{Specified
189 Space}). The value is interpreted in the same way as a @code{display}
190 text property. @xref{Display Property}.
192 A wrap prefix may also be specified for regions of text, using the
193 @code{wrap-prefix} text or overlay property. This takes precedence
194 over the @code{wrap-prefix} variable. @xref{Special Properties}.
198 If this buffer-local variable is non-@code{nil}, it defines a
199 @dfn{line prefix} which Emacs displays at the start of every
200 non-continuation line. Its value may be a string or an image
201 (@pxref{Other Display Specs}), or a stretch of whitespace such as
202 specified by the @code{:width} or @code{:align-to} display properties
203 (@pxref{Specified Space}). The value is interpreted in the same way
204 as a @code{display} text property. @xref{Display Property}.
206 A line prefix may also be specified for regions of text using the
207 @code{line-prefix} text or overlay property. This takes precedence
208 over the @code{line-prefix} variable. @xref{Special Properties}.
212 If your buffer contains only very short lines, you might find it
213 advisable to set @code{cache-long-scans} to @code{nil}.
215 @defvar cache-long-scans
216 If this variable is non-@code{nil} (the default), various indentation
217 and motion functions, and Emacs redisplay, cache the results of
218 scanning the buffer, and consult the cache to avoid rescanning regions
219 of the buffer unless they are modified.
221 Turning off the cache speeds up processing of short lines somewhat.
223 This variable is automatically buffer-local in every buffer.
228 @section The Echo Area
229 @cindex error display
232 @c FIXME: Why not use @xref{Minibuffers} directly? --xfq
233 The @dfn{echo area} is used for displaying error messages
234 (@pxref{Errors}), for messages made with the @code{message} primitive,
235 and for echoing keystrokes. It is not the same as the minibuffer,
236 despite the fact that the minibuffer appears (when active) in the same
237 place on the screen as the echo area. @xref{Minibuffer,, The
238 Minibuffer, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}.
240 Apart from the functions documented in this section, you can print
241 Lisp objects to the echo area by specifying @code{t} as the output
242 stream. @xref{Output Streams}.
245 * Displaying Messages:: Explicitly displaying text in the echo area.
246 * Progress:: Informing user about progress of a long operation.
247 * Logging Messages:: Echo area messages are logged for the user.
248 * Echo Area Customization:: Controlling the echo area.
251 @node Displaying Messages
252 @subsection Displaying Messages in the Echo Area
253 @cindex display message in echo area
255 This section describes the standard functions for displaying
256 messages in the echo area.
258 @defun message format-string &rest arguments
259 This function displays a message in the echo area.
260 @var{format-string} is a format string, and @var{arguments} are the
261 objects for its format specifications, like in the @code{format-message}
262 function (@pxref{Formatting Strings}). The resulting formatted string
263 is displayed in the echo area; if it contains @code{face} text
264 properties, it is displayed with the specified faces (@pxref{Faces}).
265 The string is also added to the @file{*Messages*} buffer, but without
266 text properties (@pxref{Logging Messages}).
268 The @code{text-quoting-style} variable controls what quotes are
269 generated; @xref{Keys in Documentation}. A call using a format like
270 @t{"Missing `%s'"} with grave accents and apostrophes typically
271 generates a message like @t{"Missing ‘foo’"} with matching curved
272 quotes. In contrast, a call using a format like @t{"Missing '%s'"}
273 with only apostrophes typically generates a message like @t{"Missing
274 ’foo’"} with only closing curved quotes, an unusual style in English.
276 In batch mode, the message is printed to the standard error stream,
277 followed by a newline.
279 When @code{inhibit-message} is non-@code{nil}, no message will be displayed
280 in the echo area, it will only be logged to @samp{*Messages*}.
282 If @var{format-string} is @code{nil} or the empty string,
283 @code{message} clears the echo area; if the echo area has been
284 expanded automatically, this brings it back to its normal size. If
285 the minibuffer is active, this brings the minibuffer contents back
286 onto the screen immediately.
290 (message "Reverting `%s'..." (buffer-name))
291 @print{} Reverting ‘subr.el’...
292 @result{} "Reverting ‘subr.el’..."
296 ---------- Echo Area ----------
297 Reverting ‘subr.el’...
298 ---------- Echo Area ----------
302 To automatically display a message in the echo area or in a pop-buffer,
303 depending on its size, use @code{display-message-or-buffer} (see below).
305 @strong{Warning:} If you want to use your own string as a message
306 verbatim, don't just write @code{(message @var{string})}. If
307 @var{string} contains @samp{%}, @samp{`}, or @samp{'} it may be
308 reformatted, with undesirable results. Instead, use @code{(message
312 @defvar inhibit-message
313 When this variable is non-@code{nil}, @code{message} and related functions
314 will not use the Echo Area to display messages.
317 @defmac with-temp-message message &rest body
318 This construct displays a message in the echo area temporarily, during
319 the execution of @var{body}. It displays @var{message}, executes
320 @var{body}, then returns the value of the last body form while restoring
321 the previous echo area contents.
324 @defun message-or-box format-string &rest arguments
325 This function displays a message like @code{message}, but may display it
326 in a dialog box instead of the echo area. If this function is called in
327 a command that was invoked using the mouse---more precisely, if
328 @code{last-nonmenu-event} (@pxref{Command Loop Info}) is either
329 @code{nil} or a list---then it uses a dialog box or pop-up menu to
330 display the message. Otherwise, it uses the echo area. (This is the
331 same criterion that @code{y-or-n-p} uses to make a similar decision; see
332 @ref{Yes-or-No Queries}.)
334 You can force use of the mouse or of the echo area by binding
335 @code{last-nonmenu-event} to a suitable value around the call.
338 @defun message-box format-string &rest arguments
340 This function displays a message like @code{message}, but uses a dialog
341 box (or a pop-up menu) whenever that is possible. If it is impossible
342 to use a dialog box or pop-up menu, because the terminal does not
343 support them, then @code{message-box} uses the echo area, like
347 @defun display-message-or-buffer message &optional buffer-name action frame
348 This function displays the message @var{message}, which may be either a
349 string or a buffer. If it is shorter than the maximum height of the
350 echo area, as defined by @code{max-mini-window-height}, it is displayed
351 in the echo area, using @code{message}. Otherwise,
352 @code{display-buffer} is used to show it in a pop-up buffer.
354 Returns either the string shown in the echo area, or when a pop-up
355 buffer is used, the window used to display it.
357 If @var{message} is a string, then the optional argument
358 @var{buffer-name} is the name of the buffer used to display it when a
359 pop-up buffer is used, defaulting to @file{*Message*}. In the case
360 where @var{message} is a string and displayed in the echo area, it is
361 not specified whether the contents are inserted into the buffer anyway.
363 The optional arguments @var{action} and @var{frame} are as for
364 @code{display-buffer}, and only used if a buffer is displayed.
367 @defun current-message
368 This function returns the message currently being displayed in the
369 echo area, or @code{nil} if there is none.
373 @subsection Reporting Operation Progress
374 @cindex progress reporting
376 When an operation can take a while to finish, you should inform the
377 user about the progress it makes. This way the user can estimate
378 remaining time and clearly see that Emacs is busy working, not hung.
379 A convenient way to do this is to use a @dfn{progress reporter}.
381 Here is a working example that does nothing useful:
384 (let ((progress-reporter
385 (make-progress-reporter "Collecting mana for Emacs..."
389 (progress-reporter-update progress-reporter k))
390 (progress-reporter-done progress-reporter))
393 @defun make-progress-reporter message &optional min-value max-value current-value min-change min-time
394 This function creates and returns a progress reporter object, which
395 you will use as an argument for the other functions listed below. The
396 idea is to precompute as much data as possible to make progress
399 When this progress reporter is subsequently used, it will display
400 @var{message} in the echo area, followed by progress percentage.
401 @var{message} is treated as a simple string. If you need it to depend
402 on a filename, for instance, use @code{format-message} before calling this
405 The arguments @var{min-value} and @var{max-value} should be numbers
406 standing for the starting and final states of the operation. For
407 instance, an operation that scans a buffer should set these to the
408 results of @code{point-min} and @code{point-max} correspondingly.
409 @var{max-value} should be greater than @var{min-value}.
411 Alternatively, you can set @var{min-value} and @var{max-value} to
412 @code{nil}. In that case, the progress reporter does not report
413 process percentages; it instead displays a ``spinner'' that rotates a
414 notch each time you update the progress reporter.
416 If @var{min-value} and @var{max-value} are numbers, you can give the
417 argument @var{current-value} a numerical value specifying the initial
418 progress; if omitted, this defaults to @var{min-value}.
420 The remaining arguments control the rate of echo area updates. The
421 progress reporter will wait for at least @var{min-change} more
422 percents of the operation to be completed before printing next
423 message; the default is one percent. @var{min-time} specifies the
424 minimum time in seconds to pass between successive prints; the default
425 is 0.2 seconds. (On some operating systems, the progress reporter may
426 handle fractions of seconds with varying precision).
428 This function calls @code{progress-reporter-update}, so the first
429 message is printed immediately.
432 @defun progress-reporter-update reporter &optional value
433 This function does the main work of reporting progress of your
434 operation. It displays the message of @var{reporter}, followed by
435 progress percentage determined by @var{value}. If percentage is zero,
436 or close enough according to the @var{min-change} and @var{min-time}
437 arguments, then it is omitted from the output.
439 @var{reporter} must be the result of a call to
440 @code{make-progress-reporter}. @var{value} specifies the current
441 state of your operation and must be between @var{min-value} and
442 @var{max-value} (inclusive) as passed to
443 @code{make-progress-reporter}. For instance, if you scan a buffer,
444 then @var{value} should be the result of a call to @code{point}.
446 This function respects @var{min-change} and @var{min-time} as passed
447 to @code{make-progress-reporter} and so does not output new messages
448 on every invocation. It is thus very fast and normally you should not
449 try to reduce the number of calls to it: resulting overhead will most
450 likely negate your effort.
453 @defun progress-reporter-force-update reporter &optional value new-message
454 This function is similar to @code{progress-reporter-update} except
455 that it prints a message in the echo area unconditionally.
457 The first two arguments have the same meaning as for
458 @code{progress-reporter-update}. Optional @var{new-message} allows
459 you to change the message of the @var{reporter}. Since this function
460 always updates the echo area, such a change will be immediately
461 presented to the user.
464 @defun progress-reporter-done reporter
465 This function should be called when the operation is finished. It
466 prints the message of @var{reporter} followed by word @samp{done} in the
469 You should always call this function and not hope for
470 @code{progress-reporter-update} to print @samp{100%}. Firstly, it may
471 never print it, there are many good reasons for this not to happen.
472 Secondly, @samp{done} is more explicit.
475 @defmac dotimes-with-progress-reporter (var count [result]) message body@dots{}
476 This is a convenience macro that works the same way as @code{dotimes}
477 does, but also reports loop progress using the functions described
478 above. It allows you to save some typing.
480 You can rewrite the example in the beginning of this node using
484 (dotimes-with-progress-reporter
486 "Collecting some mana for Emacs..."
491 @node Logging Messages
492 @subsection Logging Messages in @file{*Messages*}
493 @cindex logging echo-area messages
495 Almost all the messages displayed in the echo area are also recorded
496 in the @file{*Messages*} buffer so that the user can refer back to
497 them. This includes all the messages that are output with
498 @code{message}. By default, this buffer is read-only and uses the major
499 mode @code{messages-buffer-mode}. Nothing prevents the user from
500 killing the @file{*Messages*} buffer, but the next display of a message
501 recreates it. Any Lisp code that needs to access the
502 @file{*Messages*} buffer directly and wants to ensure that it exists
503 should use the function @code{messages-buffer}.
505 @defun messages-buffer
506 This function returns the @file{*Messages*} buffer. If it does not
507 exist, it creates it, and switches it to @code{messages-buffer-mode}.
510 @defopt message-log-max
511 This variable specifies how many lines to keep in the @file{*Messages*}
512 buffer. The value @code{t} means there is no limit on how many lines to
513 keep. The value @code{nil} disables message logging entirely. Here's
514 how to display a message and prevent it from being logged:
517 (let (message-log-max)
522 To make @file{*Messages*} more convenient for the user, the logging
523 facility combines successive identical messages. It also combines
524 successive related messages for the sake of two cases: question
525 followed by answer, and a series of progress messages.
527 A question followed by an answer has two messages like the
528 ones produced by @code{y-or-n-p}: the first is @samp{@var{question}},
529 and the second is @samp{@var{question}...@var{answer}}. The first
530 message conveys no additional information beyond what's in the second,
531 so logging the second message discards the first from the log.
533 A series of progress messages has successive messages like
534 those produced by @code{make-progress-reporter}. They have the form
535 @samp{@var{base}...@var{how-far}}, where @var{base} is the same each
536 time, while @var{how-far} varies. Logging each message in the series
537 discards the previous one, provided they are consecutive.
539 The functions @code{make-progress-reporter} and @code{y-or-n-p}
540 don't have to do anything special to activate the message log
541 combination feature. It operates whenever two consecutive messages
542 are logged that share a common prefix ending in @samp{...}.
544 @node Echo Area Customization
545 @subsection Echo Area Customization
546 @cindex echo area customization
548 These variables control details of how the echo area works.
550 @defvar cursor-in-echo-area
551 This variable controls where the cursor appears when a message is
552 displayed in the echo area. If it is non-@code{nil}, then the cursor
553 appears at the end of the message. Otherwise, the cursor appears at
554 point---not in the echo area at all.
556 The value is normally @code{nil}; Lisp programs bind it to @code{t}
557 for brief periods of time.
560 @defvar echo-area-clear-hook
561 This normal hook is run whenever the echo area is cleared---either by
562 @code{(message nil)} or for any other reason.
565 @defopt echo-keystrokes
566 This variable determines how much time should elapse before command
567 characters echo. Its value must be a number, and specifies the
568 number of seconds to wait before echoing. If the user types a prefix
569 key (such as @kbd{C-x}) and then delays this many seconds before
570 continuing, the prefix key is echoed in the echo area. (Once echoing
571 begins in a key sequence, all subsequent characters in the same key
572 sequence are echoed immediately.)
574 If the value is zero, then command input is not echoed.
577 @defvar message-truncate-lines
578 Normally, displaying a long message resizes the echo area to display
579 the entire message. But if the variable @code{message-truncate-lines}
580 is non-@code{nil}, the echo area does not resize, and the message is
584 The variable @code{max-mini-window-height}, which specifies the
585 maximum height for resizing minibuffer windows, also applies to the
586 echo area (which is really a special use of the minibuffer window;
587 @pxref{Minibuffer Misc}).
590 @section Reporting Warnings
593 @dfn{Warnings} are a facility for a program to inform the user of a
594 possible problem, but continue running.
597 * Warning Basics:: Warnings concepts and functions to report them.
598 * Warning Variables:: Variables programs bind to customize their warnings.
599 * Warning Options:: Variables users set to control display of warnings.
600 * Delayed Warnings:: Deferring a warning until the end of a command.
604 @subsection Warning Basics
605 @cindex severity level
607 Every warning has a textual message, which explains the problem for
608 the user, and a @dfn{severity level} which is a symbol. Here are the
609 possible severity levels, in order of decreasing severity, and their
614 A problem that will seriously impair Emacs operation soon
615 if you do not attend to it promptly.
617 A report of data or circumstances that are inherently wrong.
619 A report of data or circumstances that are not inherently wrong, but
620 raise suspicion of a possible problem.
622 A report of information that may be useful if you are debugging.
625 When your program encounters invalid input data, it can either
626 signal a Lisp error by calling @code{error} or @code{signal} or report
627 a warning with severity @code{:error}. Signaling a Lisp error is the
628 easiest thing to do, but it means the program cannot continue
629 processing. If you want to take the trouble to implement a way to
630 continue processing despite the bad data, then reporting a warning of
631 severity @code{:error} is the right way to inform the user of the
632 problem. For instance, the Emacs Lisp byte compiler can report an
633 error that way and continue compiling other functions. (If the
634 program signals a Lisp error and then handles it with
635 @code{condition-case}, the user won't see the error message; it could
636 show the message to the user by reporting it as a warning.)
638 @c FIXME: Why use "(bytecomp)" instead of "'bytecomp" or simply
639 @c "bytecomp" here? The parens are part of warning-type-format but
640 @c not part of the warning type. --xfq
642 Each warning has a @dfn{warning type} to classify it. The type is a
643 list of symbols. The first symbol should be the custom group that you
644 use for the program's user options. For example, byte compiler
645 warnings use the warning type @code{(bytecomp)}. You can also
646 subcategorize the warnings, if you wish, by using more symbols in the
649 @defun display-warning type message &optional level buffer-name
650 This function reports a warning, using @var{message} as the message
651 and @var{type} as the warning type. @var{level} should be the
652 severity level, with @code{:warning} being the default.
654 @var{buffer-name}, if non-@code{nil}, specifies the name of the buffer
655 for logging the warning. By default, it is @file{*Warnings*}.
658 @defun lwarn type level message &rest args
659 This function reports a warning using the value of @code{(format-message
660 @var{message} @var{args}...)} as the message in the @file{*Warnings*}
661 buffer. In other respects it is equivalent to @code{display-warning}.
664 @defun warn message &rest args
665 This function reports a warning using the value of @code{(format-message
666 @var{message} @var{args}...)} as the message, @code{(emacs)} as the
667 type, and @code{:warning} as the severity level. It exists for
668 compatibility only; we recommend not using it, because you should
669 specify a specific warning type.
672 @node Warning Variables
673 @subsection Warning Variables
674 @cindex warning variables
676 Programs can customize how their warnings appear by binding
677 the variables described in this section.
679 @defvar warning-levels
680 This list defines the meaning and severity order of the warning
681 severity levels. Each element defines one severity level,
682 and they are arranged in order of decreasing severity.
684 Each element has the form @code{(@var{level} @var{string}
685 @var{function})}, where @var{level} is the severity level it defines.
686 @var{string} specifies the textual description of this level.
687 @var{string} should use @samp{%s} to specify where to put the warning
688 type information, or it can omit the @samp{%s} so as not to include
691 The optional @var{function}, if non-@code{nil}, is a function to call
692 with no arguments, to get the user's attention.
694 Normally you should not change the value of this variable.
697 @defvar warning-prefix-function
698 If non-@code{nil}, the value is a function to generate prefix text for
699 warnings. Programs can bind the variable to a suitable function.
700 @code{display-warning} calls this function with the warnings buffer
701 current, and the function can insert text in it. That text becomes
702 the beginning of the warning message.
704 The function is called with two arguments, the severity level and its
705 entry in @code{warning-levels}. It should return a list to use as the
706 entry (this value need not be an actual member of
707 @code{warning-levels}). By constructing this value, the function can
708 change the severity of the warning, or specify different handling for
709 a given severity level.
711 If the variable's value is @code{nil} then there is no function
715 @defvar warning-series
716 Programs can bind this variable to @code{t} to say that the next
717 warning should begin a series. When several warnings form a series,
718 that means to leave point on the first warning of the series, rather
719 than keep moving it for each warning so that it appears on the last one.
720 The series ends when the local binding is unbound and
721 @code{warning-series} becomes @code{nil} again.
723 The value can also be a symbol with a function definition. That is
724 equivalent to @code{t}, except that the next warning will also call
725 the function with no arguments with the warnings buffer current. The
726 function can insert text which will serve as a header for the series
729 Once a series has begun, the value is a marker which points to the
730 buffer position in the warnings buffer of the start of the series.
732 The variable's normal value is @code{nil}, which means to handle
733 each warning separately.
736 @defvar warning-fill-prefix
737 When this variable is non-@code{nil}, it specifies a fill prefix to
738 use for filling each warning's text.
741 @defvar warning-type-format
742 This variable specifies the format for displaying the warning type
743 in the warning message. The result of formatting the type this way
744 gets included in the message under the control of the string in the
745 entry in @code{warning-levels}. The default value is @code{" (%s)"}.
746 If you bind it to @code{""} then the warning type won't appear at
750 @node Warning Options
751 @subsection Warning Options
752 @cindex warning options
754 These variables are used by users to control what happens
755 when a Lisp program reports a warning.
757 @defopt warning-minimum-level
758 This user option specifies the minimum severity level that should be
759 shown immediately to the user. The default is @code{:warning}, which
760 means to immediately display all warnings except @code{:debug}
764 @defopt warning-minimum-log-level
765 This user option specifies the minimum severity level that should be
766 logged in the warnings buffer. The default is @code{:warning}, which
767 means to log all warnings except @code{:debug} warnings.
770 @defopt warning-suppress-types
771 This list specifies which warning types should not be displayed
772 immediately for the user. Each element of the list should be a list
773 of symbols. If its elements match the first elements in a warning
774 type, then that warning is not displayed immediately.
777 @defopt warning-suppress-log-types
778 This list specifies which warning types should not be logged in the
779 warnings buffer. Each element of the list should be a list of
780 symbols. If it matches the first few elements in a warning type, then
781 that warning is not logged.
784 @node Delayed Warnings
785 @subsection Delayed Warnings
786 @cindex delayed warnings
788 Sometimes, you may wish to avoid showing a warning while a command is
789 running, and only show it only after the end of the command. You can
790 use the variable @code{delayed-warnings-list} for this.
792 @defvar delayed-warnings-list
793 The value of this variable is a list of warnings to be displayed after
794 the current command has finished. Each element must be a list
797 (@var{type} @var{message} [@var{level} [@var{buffer-name}]])
801 with the same form, and the same meanings, as the argument list of
802 @code{display-warning} (@pxref{Warning Basics}). Immediately after
803 running @code{post-command-hook} (@pxref{Command Overview}), the Emacs
804 command loop displays all the warnings specified by this variable,
805 then resets it to @code{nil}.
808 Programs which need to further customize the delayed warnings
809 mechanism can change the variable @code{delayed-warnings-hook}:
811 @defvar delayed-warnings-hook
812 This is a normal hook which is run by the Emacs command loop, after
813 @code{post-command-hook}, in order to to process and display delayed
816 Its default value is a list of two functions:
819 (collapse-delayed-warnings display-delayed-warnings)
822 @findex collapse-delayed-warnings
823 @findex display-delayed-warnings
825 The function @code{collapse-delayed-warnings} removes repeated entries
826 from @code{delayed-warnings-list}. The function
827 @code{display-delayed-warnings} calls @code{display-warning} on each
828 of the entries in @code{delayed-warnings-list}, in turn, and then sets
829 @code{delayed-warnings-list} to @code{nil}.
833 @section Invisible Text
835 @cindex invisible text
836 You can make characters @dfn{invisible}, so that they do not appear on
837 the screen, with the @code{invisible} property. This can be either a
838 text property (@pxref{Text Properties}) or an overlay property
839 (@pxref{Overlays}). Cursor motion also partly ignores these
840 characters; if the command loop finds that point is inside a range of
841 invisible text after a command, it relocates point to the other side
844 In the simplest case, any non-@code{nil} @code{invisible} property makes
845 a character invisible. This is the default case---if you don't alter
846 the default value of @code{buffer-invisibility-spec}, this is how the
847 @code{invisible} property works. You should normally use @code{t}
848 as the value of the @code{invisible} property if you don't plan
849 to set @code{buffer-invisibility-spec} yourself.
851 More generally, you can use the variable @code{buffer-invisibility-spec}
852 to control which values of the @code{invisible} property make text
853 invisible. This permits you to classify the text into different subsets
854 in advance, by giving them different @code{invisible} values, and
855 subsequently make various subsets visible or invisible by changing the
856 value of @code{buffer-invisibility-spec}.
858 Controlling visibility with @code{buffer-invisibility-spec} is
859 especially useful in a program to display the list of entries in a
860 database. It permits the implementation of convenient filtering
861 commands to view just a part of the entries in the database. Setting
862 this variable is very fast, much faster than scanning all the text in
863 the buffer looking for properties to change.
865 @defvar buffer-invisibility-spec
866 This variable specifies which kinds of @code{invisible} properties
867 actually make a character invisible. Setting this variable makes it
872 A character is invisible if its @code{invisible} property is
873 non-@code{nil}. This is the default.
876 Each element of the list specifies a criterion for invisibility; if a
877 character's @code{invisible} property fits any one of these criteria,
878 the character is invisible. The list can have two kinds of elements:
882 A character is invisible if its @code{invisible} property value is
883 @var{atom} or if it is a list with @var{atom} as a member; comparison
884 is done with @code{eq}.
886 @item (@var{atom} . t)
887 A character is invisible if its @code{invisible} property value is
888 @var{atom} or if it is a list with @var{atom} as a member; comparison
889 is done with @code{eq}. Moreover, a sequence of such characters
890 displays as an ellipsis.
895 Two functions are specifically provided for adding elements to
896 @code{buffer-invisibility-spec} and removing elements from it.
898 @defun add-to-invisibility-spec element
899 This function adds the element @var{element} to
900 @code{buffer-invisibility-spec}. If @code{buffer-invisibility-spec}
901 was @code{t}, it changes to a list, @code{(t)}, so that text whose
902 @code{invisible} property is @code{t} remains invisible.
905 @defun remove-from-invisibility-spec element
906 This removes the element @var{element} from
907 @code{buffer-invisibility-spec}. This does nothing if @var{element}
911 A convention for use of @code{buffer-invisibility-spec} is that a
912 major mode should use the mode's own name as an element of
913 @code{buffer-invisibility-spec} and as the value of the
914 @code{invisible} property:
917 ;; @r{If you want to display an ellipsis:}
918 (add-to-invisibility-spec '(my-symbol . t))
919 ;; @r{If you don't want ellipsis:}
920 (add-to-invisibility-spec 'my-symbol)
922 (overlay-put (make-overlay beginning end)
923 'invisible 'my-symbol)
925 ;; @r{When done with the invisibility:}
926 (remove-from-invisibility-spec '(my-symbol . t))
927 ;; @r{Or respectively:}
928 (remove-from-invisibility-spec 'my-symbol)
931 You can check for invisibility using the following function:
933 @defun invisible-p pos-or-prop
934 If @var{pos-or-prop} is a marker or number, this function returns a
935 non-@code{nil} value if the text at that position is invisible.
937 If @var{pos-or-prop} is any other kind of Lisp object, that is taken
938 to mean a possible value of the @code{invisible} text or overlay
939 property. In that case, this function returns a non-@code{nil} value
940 if that value would cause text to become invisible, based on the
941 current value of @code{buffer-invisibility-spec}.
944 @vindex line-move-ignore-invisible
945 Ordinarily, functions that operate on text or move point do not care
946 whether the text is invisible, they process invisible characters and
947 visible characters alike. The user-level line motion commands,
948 such as @code{next-line}, @code{previous-line}, ignore invisible
949 newlines if @code{line-move-ignore-invisible} is non-@code{nil} (the
950 default), i.e., behave like these invisible newlines didn't exist in
951 the buffer, but only because they are explicitly programmed to do so.
953 If a command ends with point inside or at the boundary of
954 invisible text, the main editing loop relocates point to one of the
955 two ends of the invisible text. Emacs chooses the direction of
956 relocation so that it is the same as the overall movement direction of
957 the command; if in doubt, it prefers a position where an inserted char
958 would not inherit the @code{invisible} property. Additionally, if the
959 text is not replaced by an ellipsis and the command only moved within
960 the invisible text, then point is moved one extra character so as to
961 try and reflect the command's movement by a visible movement of the
964 Thus, if the command moved point back to an invisible range (with the usual
965 stickiness), Emacs moves point back to the beginning of that range. If the
966 command moved point forward into an invisible range, Emacs moves point forward
967 to the first visible character that follows the invisible text and then forward
970 These @dfn{adjustments} of point that ended up in the middle of
971 invisible text can be disabled by setting @code{disable-point-adjustment}
972 to a non-@code{nil} value. @xref{Adjusting Point}.
974 Incremental search can make invisible overlays visible temporarily
975 and/or permanently when a match includes invisible text. To enable
976 this, the overlay should have a non-@code{nil}
977 @code{isearch-open-invisible} property. The property value should be a
978 function to be called with the overlay as an argument. This function
979 should make the overlay visible permanently; it is used when the match
980 overlaps the overlay on exit from the search.
982 During the search, such overlays are made temporarily visible by
983 temporarily modifying their invisible and intangible properties. If you
984 want this to be done differently for a certain overlay, give it an
985 @code{isearch-open-invisible-temporary} property which is a function.
986 The function is called with two arguments: the first is the overlay, and
987 the second is @code{nil} to make the overlay visible, or @code{t} to
988 make it invisible again.
990 @node Selective Display
991 @section Selective Display
992 @c @cindex selective display Duplicates selective-display
994 @dfn{Selective display} refers to a pair of related features for
995 hiding certain lines on the screen.
997 @cindex explicit selective display
998 The first variant, explicit selective display, was designed for use in a Lisp
999 program: it controls which lines are hidden by altering the text. This kind of
1000 hiding is now obsolete; instead you can get the same effect with the
1001 @code{invisible} property (@pxref{Invisible Text}).
1003 In the second variant, the choice of lines to hide is made
1004 automatically based on indentation. This variant is designed to be a
1007 The way you control explicit selective display is by replacing a
1008 newline (control-j) with a carriage return (control-m). The text that
1009 was formerly a line following that newline is now hidden. Strictly
1010 speaking, it is temporarily no longer a line at all, since only
1011 newlines can separate lines; it is now part of the previous line.
1013 Selective display does not directly affect editing commands. For
1014 example, @kbd{C-f} (@code{forward-char}) moves point unhesitatingly
1015 into hidden text. However, the replacement of newline characters with
1016 carriage return characters affects some editing commands. For
1017 example, @code{next-line} skips hidden lines, since it searches only
1018 for newlines. Modes that use selective display can also define
1019 commands that take account of the newlines, or that control which
1020 parts of the text are hidden.
1022 When you write a selectively displayed buffer into a file, all the
1023 control-m's are output as newlines. This means that when you next read
1024 in the file, it looks OK, with nothing hidden. The selective display
1025 effect is seen only within Emacs.
1027 @defvar selective-display
1028 This buffer-local variable enables selective display. This means that
1029 lines, or portions of lines, may be made hidden.
1033 If the value of @code{selective-display} is @code{t}, then the character
1034 control-m marks the start of hidden text; the control-m, and the rest
1035 of the line following it, are not displayed. This is explicit selective
1039 If the value of @code{selective-display} is a positive integer, then
1040 lines that start with more than that many columns of indentation are not
1044 When some portion of a buffer is hidden, the vertical movement
1045 commands operate as if that portion did not exist, allowing a single
1046 @code{next-line} command to skip any number of hidden lines.
1047 However, character movement commands (such as @code{forward-char}) do
1048 not skip the hidden portion, and it is possible (if tricky) to insert
1049 or delete text in an hidden portion.
1051 In the examples below, we show the @emph{display appearance} of the
1052 buffer @code{foo}, which changes with the value of
1053 @code{selective-display}. The @emph{contents} of the buffer do not
1058 (setq selective-display nil)
1061 ---------- Buffer: foo ----------
1068 ---------- Buffer: foo ----------
1072 (setq selective-display 2)
1075 ---------- Buffer: foo ----------
1080 ---------- Buffer: foo ----------
1085 @defopt selective-display-ellipses
1086 If this buffer-local variable is non-@code{nil}, then Emacs displays
1087 @samp{@dots{}} at the end of a line that is followed by hidden text.
1088 This example is a continuation of the previous one.
1092 (setq selective-display-ellipses t)
1095 ---------- Buffer: foo ----------
1100 ---------- Buffer: foo ----------
1104 You can use a display table to substitute other text for the ellipsis
1105 (@samp{@dots{}}). @xref{Display Tables}.
1108 @node Temporary Displays
1109 @section Temporary Displays
1110 @cindex temporary display
1111 @cindex temporary buffer display
1113 Temporary displays are used by Lisp programs to put output into a
1114 buffer and then present it to the user for perusal rather than for
1115 editing. Many help commands use this feature.
1117 @defmac with-output-to-temp-buffer buffer-name body@dots{}
1118 This function executes the forms in @var{body} while arranging to insert
1119 any output they print into the buffer named @var{buffer-name}, which is
1120 first created if necessary, and put into Help mode. (See the similar
1121 form @code{with-temp-buffer-window} below.) Finally, the buffer is
1122 displayed in some window, but that window is not selected.
1124 If the forms in @var{body} do not change the major mode in the output
1125 buffer, so that it is still Help mode at the end of their execution,
1126 then @code{with-output-to-temp-buffer} makes this buffer read-only at
1127 the end, and also scans it for function and variable names to make them
1128 into clickable cross-references. @xref{Docstring hyperlinks, , Tips for
1129 Documentation Strings}, in particular the item on hyperlinks in
1130 documentation strings, for more details.
1132 The string @var{buffer-name} specifies the temporary buffer, which need
1133 not already exist. The argument must be a string, not a buffer. The
1134 buffer is erased initially (with no questions asked), and it is marked
1135 as unmodified after @code{with-output-to-temp-buffer} exits.
1137 @code{with-output-to-temp-buffer} binds @code{standard-output} to the
1138 temporary buffer, then it evaluates the forms in @var{body}. Output
1139 using the Lisp output functions within @var{body} goes by default to
1140 that buffer (but screen display and messages in the echo area, although
1141 they are ``output'' in the general sense of the word, are not affected).
1142 @xref{Output Functions}.
1144 Several hooks are available for customizing the behavior
1145 of this construct; they are listed below.
1147 The value of the last form in @var{body} is returned.
1151 ---------- Buffer: foo ----------
1152 This is the contents of foo.
1153 ---------- Buffer: foo ----------
1157 (with-output-to-temp-buffer "foo"
1159 (print standard-output))
1160 @result{} #<buffer foo>
1162 ---------- Buffer: foo ----------
1168 ---------- Buffer: foo ----------
1173 @defopt temp-buffer-show-function
1174 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, @code{with-output-to-temp-buffer}
1175 calls it as a function to do the job of displaying a help buffer. The
1176 function gets one argument, which is the buffer it should display.
1178 It is a good idea for this function to run @code{temp-buffer-show-hook}
1179 just as @code{with-output-to-temp-buffer} normally would, inside of
1180 @code{save-selected-window} and with the chosen window and buffer
1184 @defvar temp-buffer-setup-hook
1185 This normal hook is run by @code{with-output-to-temp-buffer} before
1186 evaluating @var{body}. When the hook runs, the temporary buffer is
1187 current. This hook is normally set up with a function to put the
1188 buffer in Help mode.
1191 @defvar temp-buffer-show-hook
1192 This normal hook is run by @code{with-output-to-temp-buffer} after
1193 displaying the temporary buffer. When the hook runs, the temporary buffer
1194 is current, and the window it was displayed in is selected.
1197 @defmac with-temp-buffer-window buffer-or-name action quit-function body@dots{}
1198 This macro is similar to @code{with-output-to-temp-buffer}. Like that
1199 construct, it executes @var{body} while arranging to insert any output
1200 it prints into the buffer named @var{buffer-or-name} and displays that
1201 buffer in some window. Unlike @code{with-output-to-temp-buffer},
1202 however, it does not automatically switch that buffer to Help mode.
1204 The argument @var{buffer-or-name} specifies the temporary buffer. It
1205 can be either a buffer, which must already exist, or a string, in which
1206 case a buffer of that name is created, if necessary. The buffer is
1207 marked as unmodified and read-only when @code{with-temp-buffer-window}
1210 This macro does not call @code{temp-buffer-show-function}. Rather, it
1211 passes the @var{action} argument to @code{display-buffer}
1212 (@pxref{Choosing Window}) in order to display the buffer.
1214 The value of the last form in @var{body} is returned, unless the
1215 argument @var{quit-function} is specified. In that case, it is called
1216 with two arguments: the window showing the buffer and the result of
1217 @var{body}. The final return value is then whatever @var{quit-function}
1220 @vindex temp-buffer-window-setup-hook
1221 @vindex temp-buffer-window-show-hook
1222 This macro uses the normal hooks @code{temp-buffer-window-setup-hook}
1223 and @code{temp-buffer-window-show-hook} in place of the analogous hooks
1224 run by @code{with-output-to-temp-buffer}.
1227 The two constructs described next are mostly identical to
1228 @code{with-temp-buffer-window} but differ from it as specified:
1230 @defmac with-current-buffer-window buffer-or-name action quit-function &rest body
1231 This macro is like @code{with-temp-buffer-window} but unlike that makes
1232 the buffer specified by @var{buffer-or-name} current for running
1236 @defmac with-displayed-buffer-window buffer-or-name action quit-function &rest body
1237 This macro is like @code{with-current-buffer-window} but unlike that
1238 displays the buffer specified by @var{buffer-or-name} @emph{before}
1242 A window showing a temporary buffer can be fit to the size of that
1243 buffer using the following mode:
1245 @defopt temp-buffer-resize-mode
1246 When this minor mode is enabled, windows showing a temporary buffer are
1247 automatically resized to fit their buffer's contents.
1249 A window is resized if and only if it has been specially created for the
1250 buffer. In particular, windows that have shown another buffer before
1251 are not resized. By default, this mode uses @code{fit-window-to-buffer}
1252 (@pxref{Resizing Windows}) for resizing. You can specify a different
1253 function by customizing the options @code{temp-buffer-max-height} and
1254 @code{temp-buffer-max-width} below.
1257 @defopt temp-buffer-max-height
1258 This option specifies the maximum height (in lines) of a window
1259 displaying a temporary buffer when @code{temp-buffer-resize-mode} is
1260 enabled. It can also be a function to be called to choose the height
1261 for such a buffer. It gets one argument, the buffer, and should return
1262 a positive integer. At the time the function is called, the window to
1263 be resized is selected.
1266 @defopt temp-buffer-max-width
1267 This option specifies the maximum width of a window (in columns)
1268 displaying a temporary buffer when @code{temp-buffer-resize-mode} is
1269 enabled. It can also be a function to be called to choose the width for
1270 such a buffer. It gets one argument, the buffer, and should return a
1271 positive integer. At the time the function is called, the window to be
1272 resized is selected.
1275 The following function uses the current buffer for temporal display:
1277 @defun momentary-string-display string position &optional char message
1278 This function momentarily displays @var{string} in the current buffer at
1279 @var{position}. It has no effect on the undo list or on the buffer's
1280 modification status.
1282 The momentary display remains until the next input event. If the next
1283 input event is @var{char}, @code{momentary-string-display} ignores it
1284 and returns. Otherwise, that event remains buffered for subsequent use
1285 as input. Thus, typing @var{char} will simply remove the string from
1286 the display, while typing (say) @kbd{C-f} will remove the string from
1287 the display and later (presumably) move point forward. The argument
1288 @var{char} is a space by default.
1290 The return value of @code{momentary-string-display} is not meaningful.
1292 If the string @var{string} does not contain control characters, you can
1293 do the same job in a more general way by creating (and then subsequently
1294 deleting) an overlay with a @code{before-string} property.
1295 @xref{Overlay Properties}.
1297 If @var{message} is non-@code{nil}, it is displayed in the echo area
1298 while @var{string} is displayed in the buffer. If it is @code{nil}, a
1299 default message says to type @var{char} to continue.
1301 In this example, point is initially located at the beginning of the
1306 ---------- Buffer: foo ----------
1307 This is the contents of foo.
1308 @point{}Second line.
1309 ---------- Buffer: foo ----------
1313 (momentary-string-display
1314 "**** Important Message! ****"
1316 "Type RET when done reading")
1321 ---------- Buffer: foo ----------
1322 This is the contents of foo.
1323 **** Important Message! ****Second line.
1324 ---------- Buffer: foo ----------
1326 ---------- Echo Area ----------
1327 Type RET when done reading
1328 ---------- Echo Area ----------
1336 @c FIXME: mention intervals in this section?
1338 You can use @dfn{overlays} to alter the appearance of a buffer's text on
1339 the screen, for the sake of presentation features. An overlay is an
1340 object that belongs to a particular buffer, and has a specified
1341 beginning and end. It also has properties that you can examine and set;
1342 these affect the display of the text within the overlay.
1344 @cindex scalability of overlays
1345 @cindex overlays, scalability
1346 The visual effect of an overlay is the same as of the corresponding
1347 text property (@pxref{Text Properties}). However, due to a different
1348 implementation, overlays generally don't scale well (many operations
1349 take a time that is proportional to the number of overlays in the
1350 buffer). If you need to affect the visual appearance of many portions
1351 in the buffer, we recommend using text properties.
1353 An overlay uses markers to record its beginning and end; thus,
1354 editing the text of the buffer adjusts the beginning and end of each
1355 overlay so that it stays with the text. When you create the overlay,
1356 you can specify whether text inserted at the beginning should be
1357 inside the overlay or outside, and likewise for the end of the overlay.
1360 * Managing Overlays:: Creating and moving overlays.
1361 * Overlay Properties:: How to read and set properties.
1362 What properties do to the screen display.
1363 * Finding Overlays:: Searching for overlays.
1366 @node Managing Overlays
1367 @subsection Managing Overlays
1368 @cindex managing overlays
1369 @cindex overlays, managing
1371 This section describes the functions to create, delete and move
1372 overlays, and to examine their contents. Overlay changes are not
1373 recorded in the buffer's undo list, since the overlays are not
1374 part of the buffer's contents.
1376 @defun overlayp object
1377 This function returns @code{t} if @var{object} is an overlay.
1380 @defun make-overlay start end &optional buffer front-advance rear-advance
1381 This function creates and returns an overlay that belongs to
1382 @var{buffer} and ranges from @var{start} to @var{end}. Both @var{start}
1383 and @var{end} must specify buffer positions; they may be integers or
1384 markers. If @var{buffer} is omitted, the overlay is created in the
1387 @cindex empty overlay
1388 @cindex overlay, empty
1389 An overlay whose @var{start} and @var{end} specify the same buffer
1390 position is known as @dfn{empty}. A non-empty overlay can become
1391 empty if the text between its @var{start} and @var{end} is deleted.
1392 When that happens, the overlay is by default not deleted, but you can
1393 cause it to be deleted by giving it the @samp{evaporate} property
1394 (@pxref{Overlay Properties, evaporate property}).
1396 The arguments @var{front-advance} and @var{rear-advance} specify the
1397 marker insertion type for the start of the overlay and for the end of
1398 the overlay, respectively. @xref{Marker Insertion Types}. If they
1399 are both @code{nil}, the default, then the overlay extends to include
1400 any text inserted at the beginning, but not text inserted at the end.
1401 If @var{front-advance} is non-@code{nil}, text inserted at the
1402 beginning of the overlay is excluded from the overlay. If
1403 @var{rear-advance} is non-@code{nil}, text inserted at the end of the
1404 overlay is included in the overlay.
1407 @defun overlay-start overlay
1408 This function returns the position at which @var{overlay} starts,
1412 @defun overlay-end overlay
1413 This function returns the position at which @var{overlay} ends,
1417 @defun overlay-buffer overlay
1418 This function returns the buffer that @var{overlay} belongs to. It
1419 returns @code{nil} if @var{overlay} has been deleted.
1422 @defun delete-overlay overlay
1423 This function deletes @var{overlay}. The overlay continues to exist as
1424 a Lisp object, and its property list is unchanged, but it ceases to be
1425 attached to the buffer it belonged to, and ceases to have any effect on
1428 A deleted overlay is not permanently disconnected. You can give it a
1429 position in a buffer again by calling @code{move-overlay}.
1432 @defun move-overlay overlay start end &optional buffer
1433 This function moves @var{overlay} to @var{buffer}, and places its bounds
1434 at @var{start} and @var{end}. Both arguments @var{start} and @var{end}
1435 must specify buffer positions; they may be integers or markers.
1437 If @var{buffer} is omitted, @var{overlay} stays in the same buffer it
1438 was already associated with; if @var{overlay} was deleted, it goes into
1441 The return value is @var{overlay}.
1443 This is the only valid way to change the endpoints of an overlay. Do
1444 not try modifying the markers in the overlay by hand, as that fails to
1445 update other vital data structures and can cause some overlays to be
1449 @defun remove-overlays &optional start end name value
1450 This function removes all the overlays between @var{start} and
1451 @var{end} whose property @var{name} has the value @var{value}. It can
1452 move the endpoints of the overlays in the region, or split them.
1454 If @var{name} is omitted or @code{nil}, it means to delete all overlays in
1455 the specified region. If @var{start} and/or @var{end} are omitted or
1456 @code{nil}, that means the beginning and end of the buffer respectively.
1457 Therefore, @code{(remove-overlays)} removes all the overlays in the
1461 @defun copy-overlay overlay
1462 This function returns a copy of @var{overlay}. The copy has the same
1463 endpoints and properties as @var{overlay}. However, the marker
1464 insertion type for the start of the overlay and for the end of the
1465 overlay are set to their default values (@pxref{Marker Insertion
1469 Here are some examples:
1472 ;; @r{Create an overlay.}
1473 (setq foo (make-overlay 1 10))
1474 @result{} #<overlay from 1 to 10 in display.texi>
1479 (overlay-buffer foo)
1480 @result{} #<buffer display.texi>
1481 ;; @r{Give it a property we can check later.}
1482 (overlay-put foo 'happy t)
1484 ;; @r{Verify the property is present.}
1485 (overlay-get foo 'happy)
1487 ;; @r{Move the overlay.}
1488 (move-overlay foo 5 20)
1489 @result{} #<overlay from 5 to 20 in display.texi>
1494 ;; @r{Delete the overlay.}
1495 (delete-overlay foo)
1497 ;; @r{Verify it is deleted.}
1499 @result{} #<overlay in no buffer>
1500 ;; @r{A deleted overlay has no position.}
1505 (overlay-buffer foo)
1507 ;; @r{Undelete the overlay.}
1508 (move-overlay foo 1 20)
1509 @result{} #<overlay from 1 to 20 in display.texi>
1510 ;; @r{Verify the results.}
1515 (overlay-buffer foo)
1516 @result{} #<buffer display.texi>
1517 ;; @r{Moving and deleting the overlay does not change its properties.}
1518 (overlay-get foo 'happy)
1522 Emacs stores the overlays of each buffer in two lists, divided
1523 around an arbitrary center position. One list extends backwards
1524 through the buffer from that center position, and the other extends
1525 forwards from that center position. The center position can be anywhere
1528 @defun overlay-recenter pos
1529 This function recenters the overlays of the current buffer around
1530 position @var{pos}. That makes overlay lookup faster for positions
1531 near @var{pos}, but slower for positions far away from @var{pos}.
1534 A loop that scans the buffer forwards, creating overlays, can run
1535 faster if you do @code{(overlay-recenter (point-max))} first.
1537 @node Overlay Properties
1538 @subsection Overlay Properties
1539 @cindex overlay properties
1541 Overlay properties are like text properties in that the properties that
1542 alter how a character is displayed can come from either source. But in
1543 most respects they are different. @xref{Text Properties}, for comparison.
1545 Text properties are considered a part of the text; overlays and
1546 their properties are specifically considered not to be part of the
1547 text. Thus, copying text between various buffers and strings
1548 preserves text properties, but does not try to preserve overlays.
1549 Changing a buffer's text properties marks the buffer as modified,
1550 while moving an overlay or changing its properties does not. Unlike
1551 text property changes, overlay property changes are not recorded in
1552 the buffer's undo list.
1554 Since more than one overlay can specify a property value for the
1555 same character, Emacs lets you specify a priority value of each
1556 overlay. The priority value is used to decide which of the
1557 overlapping overlays will ``win''.
1559 These functions read and set the properties of an overlay:
1561 @defun overlay-get overlay prop
1562 This function returns the value of property @var{prop} recorded in
1563 @var{overlay}, if any. If @var{overlay} does not record any value for
1564 that property, but it does have a @code{category} property which is a
1565 symbol, that symbol's @var{prop} property is used. Otherwise, the value
1569 @defun overlay-put overlay prop value
1570 This function sets the value of property @var{prop} recorded in
1571 @var{overlay} to @var{value}. It returns @var{value}.
1574 @defun overlay-properties overlay
1575 This returns a copy of the property list of @var{overlay}.
1578 See also the function @code{get-char-property} which checks both
1579 overlay properties and text properties for a given character.
1580 @xref{Examining Properties}.
1582 Many overlay properties have special meanings; here is a table
1587 @kindex priority @r{(overlay property)}
1588 This property's value determines the priority of the overlay.
1589 If you want to specify a priority value, use either @code{nil}
1590 (or zero), or a positive integer. Any other value has undefined behavior.
1592 The priority matters when two or more overlays cover the same
1593 character and both specify the same property; the one whose
1594 @code{priority} value is larger overrides the other. (For the
1595 @code{face} property, the higher priority overlay's value does not
1596 completely override the other value; instead, its face attributes
1597 override the face attributes of the lower priority @code{face}
1598 property.) If two overlays have the same priority value, and one is
1599 nested in the other, then the inner one will prevail over the outer
1600 one. If neither is nested in the other then you should not make
1601 assumptions about which overlay will prevail.
1603 Currently, all overlays take priority over text properties.
1605 Note that Emacs sometimes uses non-numeric priority values for some of
1606 its internal overlays, so do not try to do arithmetic on the priority
1607 of an overlay (unless it is one that you created). In particular, the
1608 overlay used for showing the region uses a priority value of the form
1609 @w{@code{(@var{primary} . @var{secondary})}}, where the @var{primary}
1610 value is used as described above, and @var{secondary} is the fallback
1611 value used when @var{primary} and the nesting considerations fail to
1612 resolve the precedence between overlays. However, you are advised not
1613 to design Lisp programs based on this implementation detail; if you
1614 need to put overlays in priority order, use the @var{sorted} argument
1615 of @code{overlays-at}. @xref{Finding Overlays}.
1618 @kindex window @r{(overlay property)}
1619 If the @code{window} property is non-@code{nil}, then the overlay
1620 applies only on that window.
1623 @kindex category @r{(overlay property)}
1624 If an overlay has a @code{category} property, we call it the
1625 @dfn{category} of the overlay. It should be a symbol. The properties
1626 of the symbol serve as defaults for the properties of the overlay.
1629 @kindex face @r{(overlay property)}
1630 This property controls the appearance of the text (@pxref{Faces}).
1631 The value of the property can be the following:
1635 A face name (a symbol or string).
1638 An anonymous face: a property list of the form @code{(@var{keyword}
1639 @var{value} @dots{})}, where each @var{keyword} is a face attribute
1640 name and @var{value} is a value for that attribute.
1643 A list of faces. Each list element should be either a face name or an
1644 anonymous face. This specifies a face which is an aggregate of the
1645 attributes of each of the listed faces. Faces occurring earlier in
1646 the list have higher priority.
1649 A cons cell of the form @code{(foreground-color . @var{color-name})}
1650 or @code{(background-color . @var{color-name})}. This specifies the
1651 foreground or background color, similar to @code{(:foreground
1652 @var{color-name})} or @code{(:background @var{color-name})}. This
1653 form is supported for backward compatibility only, and should be
1658 @kindex mouse-face @r{(overlay property)}
1659 This property is used instead of @code{face} when the mouse is within
1660 the range of the overlay. However, Emacs ignores all face attributes
1661 from this property that alter the text size (e.g., @code{:height},
1662 @code{:weight}, and @code{:slant}). Those attributes are always the
1663 same as in the unhighlighted text.
1666 @kindex display @r{(overlay property)}
1667 This property activates various features that change the
1668 way text is displayed. For example, it can make text appear taller
1669 or shorter, higher or lower, wider or narrower, or replaced with an image.
1670 @xref{Display Property}.
1673 @kindex help-echo @r{(overlay property)}
1674 If an overlay has a @code{help-echo} property, then when you move the
1675 mouse onto the text in the overlay, Emacs displays a help string in the
1676 echo area, or in the tooltip window. For details see @ref{Text
1680 @kindex field @r{(overlay property)}
1681 @c Copied from Special Properties.
1682 Consecutive characters with the same @code{field} property constitute a
1683 @emph{field}. Some motion functions including @code{forward-word} and
1684 @code{beginning-of-line} stop moving at a field boundary.
1687 @item modification-hooks
1688 @kindex modification-hooks @r{(overlay property)}
1689 This property's value is a list of functions to be called if any
1690 character within the overlay is changed or if text is inserted strictly
1693 The hook functions are called both before and after each change.
1694 If the functions save the information they receive, and compare notes
1695 between calls, they can determine exactly what change has been made
1698 When called before a change, each function receives four arguments: the
1699 overlay, @code{nil}, and the beginning and end of the text range to be
1702 When called after a change, each function receives five arguments: the
1703 overlay, @code{t}, the beginning and end of the text range just
1704 modified, and the length of the pre-change text replaced by that range.
1705 (For an insertion, the pre-change length is zero; for a deletion, that
1706 length is the number of characters deleted, and the post-change
1707 beginning and end are equal.)
1709 If these functions modify the buffer, they should bind
1710 @code{inhibit-modification-hooks} to @code{t} around doing so, to
1711 avoid confusing the internal mechanism that calls these hooks.
1713 Text properties also support the @code{modification-hooks} property,
1714 but the details are somewhat different (@pxref{Special Properties}).
1716 @item insert-in-front-hooks
1717 @kindex insert-in-front-hooks @r{(overlay property)}
1718 This property's value is a list of functions to be called before and
1719 after inserting text right at the beginning of the overlay. The calling
1720 conventions are the same as for the @code{modification-hooks} functions.
1722 @item insert-behind-hooks
1723 @kindex insert-behind-hooks @r{(overlay property)}
1724 This property's value is a list of functions to be called before and
1725 after inserting text right at the end of the overlay. The calling
1726 conventions are the same as for the @code{modification-hooks} functions.
1729 @kindex invisible @r{(overlay property)}
1730 The @code{invisible} property can make the text in the overlay
1731 invisible, which means that it does not appear on the screen.
1732 @xref{Invisible Text}, for details.
1735 @kindex intangible @r{(overlay property)}
1736 The @code{intangible} property on an overlay works just like the
1737 @code{intangible} text property. It is obsolete. @xref{Special
1738 Properties}, for details.
1740 @item isearch-open-invisible
1741 This property tells incremental search how to make an invisible overlay
1742 visible, permanently, if the final match overlaps it. @xref{Invisible
1745 @item isearch-open-invisible-temporary
1746 This property tells incremental search how to make an invisible overlay
1747 visible, temporarily, during the search. @xref{Invisible Text}.
1750 @kindex before-string @r{(overlay property)}
1751 This property's value is a string to add to the display at the beginning
1752 of the overlay. The string does not appear in the buffer in any
1753 sense---only on the screen.
1756 @kindex after-string @r{(overlay property)}
1757 This property's value is a string to add to the display at the end of
1758 the overlay. The string does not appear in the buffer in any
1759 sense---only on the screen.
1762 This property specifies a display spec to prepend to each
1763 non-continuation line at display-time. @xref{Truncation}.
1766 This property specifies a display spec to prepend to each continuation
1767 line at display-time. @xref{Truncation}.
1770 @kindex evaporate @r{(overlay property)}
1771 If this property is non-@code{nil}, the overlay is deleted automatically
1772 if it becomes empty (i.e., if its length becomes zero). If you give
1773 an empty overlay (@pxref{Managing Overlays, empty overlay}) a
1774 non-@code{nil} @code{evaporate} property, that deletes it immediately.
1775 Note that, unless an overlay has this property, it will not be deleted
1776 when the text between its starting and ending positions is deleted
1780 @cindex keymap of character (and overlays)
1781 @kindex keymap @r{(overlay property)}
1782 If this property is non-@code{nil}, it specifies a keymap for a portion of the
1783 text. This keymap is used when the character after point is within the
1784 overlay, and takes precedence over most other keymaps. @xref{Active Keymaps}.
1787 @kindex local-map @r{(overlay property)}
1788 The @code{local-map} property is similar to @code{keymap} but replaces the
1789 buffer's local map rather than augmenting existing keymaps. This also means it
1790 has lower precedence than minor mode keymaps.
1793 The @code{keymap} and @code{local-map} properties do not affect a
1794 string displayed by the @code{before-string}, @code{after-string}, or
1795 @code{display} properties. This is only relevant for mouse clicks and
1796 other mouse events that fall on the string, since point is never on
1797 the string. To bind special mouse events for the string, assign it a
1798 @code{keymap} or @code{local-map} text property. @xref{Special
1801 @node Finding Overlays
1802 @subsection Searching for Overlays
1803 @cindex searching for overlays
1804 @cindex overlays, searching for
1806 @defun overlays-at pos &optional sorted
1807 This function returns a list of all the overlays that cover the character at
1808 position @var{pos} in the current buffer. If @var{sorted} is non-@code{nil},
1809 the list is in decreasing order of priority, otherwise it is in no particular
1810 order. An overlay contains position @var{pos} if it begins at or before
1811 @var{pos}, and ends after @var{pos}.
1813 To illustrate usage, here is a Lisp function that returns a list of the
1814 overlays that specify property @var{prop} for the character at point:
1817 (defun find-overlays-specifying (prop)
1818 (let ((overlays (overlays-at (point)))
1821 (let ((overlay (car overlays)))
1822 (if (overlay-get overlay prop)
1823 (setq found (cons overlay found))))
1824 (setq overlays (cdr overlays)))
1829 @defun overlays-in beg end
1830 This function returns a list of the overlays that overlap the region
1831 @var{beg} through @var{end}. An overlay overlaps with a region if it
1832 contains one or more characters in the region; empty overlays
1833 (@pxref{Managing Overlays, empty overlay}) overlap if they are at
1834 @var{beg}, strictly between @var{beg} and @var{end}, or at @var{end}
1835 when @var{end} denotes the position at the end of the buffer.
1838 @defun next-overlay-change pos
1839 This function returns the buffer position of the next beginning or end
1840 of an overlay, after @var{pos}. If there is none, it returns
1844 @defun previous-overlay-change pos
1845 This function returns the buffer position of the previous beginning or
1846 end of an overlay, before @var{pos}. If there is none, it returns
1850 As an example, here's a simplified (and inefficient) version of the
1851 primitive function @code{next-single-char-property-change}
1852 (@pxref{Property Search}). It searches forward from position
1853 @var{pos} for the next position where the value of a given property
1854 @code{prop}, as obtained from either overlays or text properties,
1858 (defun next-single-char-property-change (position prop)
1860 (goto-char position)
1861 (let ((propval (get-char-property (point) prop)))
1862 (while (and (not (eobp))
1863 (eq (get-char-property (point) prop) propval))
1864 (goto-char (min (next-overlay-change (point))
1865 (next-single-property-change (point) prop)))))
1869 @node Size of Displayed Text
1870 @section Size of Displayed Text
1871 @cindex size of text on display
1872 @cindex character width on display
1874 Since not all characters have the same width, these functions let you
1875 check the width of a character. @xref{Primitive Indent}, and
1876 @ref{Screen Lines}, for related functions.
1878 @defun char-width char
1879 This function returns the width in columns of the character
1880 @var{char}, if it were displayed in the current buffer (i.e., taking
1881 into account the buffer's display table, if any; @pxref{Display
1882 Tables}). The width of a tab character is usually @code{tab-width}
1883 (@pxref{Usual Display}).
1886 @defun string-width string
1887 This function returns the width in columns of the string @var{string},
1888 if it were displayed in the current buffer and the selected window.
1891 @defun truncate-string-to-width string width &optional start-column padding ellipsis
1892 This function returns the part of @var{string} that fits within
1893 @var{width} columns, as a new string.
1895 If @var{string} does not reach @var{width}, then the result ends where
1896 @var{string} ends. If one multi-column character in @var{string}
1897 extends across the column @var{width}, that character is not included in
1898 the result. Thus, the result can fall short of @var{width} but cannot
1901 The optional argument @var{start-column} specifies the starting column.
1902 If this is non-@code{nil}, then the first @var{start-column} columns of
1903 the string are omitted from the value. If one multi-column character in
1904 @var{string} extends across the column @var{start-column}, that
1905 character is not included.
1907 The optional argument @var{padding}, if non-@code{nil}, is a padding
1908 character added at the beginning and end of the result string, to extend
1909 it to exactly @var{width} columns. The padding character is used at the
1910 end of the result if it falls short of @var{width}. It is also used at
1911 the beginning of the result if one multi-column character in
1912 @var{string} extends across the column @var{start-column}.
1914 @vindex truncate-string-ellipsis
1915 If @var{ellipsis} is non-@code{nil}, it should be a string which will
1916 replace the end of @var{string} (including any padding) if it extends
1917 beyond @var{width}, unless the display width of @var{string} is equal
1918 to or less than the display width of @var{ellipsis}. If
1919 @var{ellipsis} is non-@code{nil} and not a string, it stands for
1920 the value of the variable @code{truncate-string-ellipsis}.
1923 (truncate-string-to-width "\tab\t" 12 4)
1925 (truncate-string-to-width "\tab\t" 12 4 ?\s)
1930 The following function returns the size in pixels of text as if it were
1931 displayed in a given window. This function is used by
1932 @code{fit-window-to-buffer} and @code{fit-frame-to-buffer}
1933 (@pxref{Resizing Windows}) to make a window exactly as large as the text
1936 @defun window-text-pixel-size &optional window from to x-limit y-limit mode-and-header-line
1937 This function returns the size of the text of @var{window}'s buffer in
1938 pixels. @var{window} must be a live window and defaults to the selected
1939 one. The return value is a cons of the maximum pixel-width of any text
1940 line and the maximum pixel-height of all text lines.
1942 The optional argument @var{from}, if non-@code{nil}, specifies the first
1943 text position to consider and defaults to the minimum accessible
1944 position of the buffer. If @var{from} is @code{t}, it uses the minimum
1945 accessible position that is not a newline character. The optional
1946 argument @var{to}, if non-@code{nil}, specifies the last text position
1947 to consider and defaults to the maximum accessible position of the
1948 buffer. If @var{to} is @code{t}, it uses the maximum accessible
1949 position that is not a newline character.
1951 The optional argument @var{x-limit}, if non-@code{nil}, specifies the
1952 maximum pixel-width that can be returned. @var{x-limit} @code{nil} or
1953 omitted, means to use the pixel-width of @var{window}'s body
1954 (@pxref{Window Sizes}); this is useful when the caller does not intend
1955 to change the width of @var{window}. Otherwise, the caller should
1956 specify here the maximum width @var{window}'s body may assume. Text
1957 whose x-coordinate is beyond @var{x-limit} is ignored. Since
1958 calculating the width of long lines can take some time, it's always a
1959 good idea to make this argument as small as needed; in particular, if
1960 the buffer might contain long lines that will be truncated anyway.
1962 The optional argument @var{y-limit}, if non-@code{nil}, specifies the
1963 maximum pixel-height that can be returned. Text lines whose
1964 y-coordinate is beyond @var{y-limit} are ignored. Since calculating the
1965 pixel-height of a large buffer can take some time, it makes sense to
1966 specify this argument; in particular, if the caller does not know the
1969 The optional argument @var{mode-and-header-line} @code{nil} or omitted
1970 means to not include the height of the mode- or header-line of
1971 @var{window} in the return value. If it is either the symbol
1972 @code{mode-line} or @code{header-line}, include only the height of that
1973 line, if present, in the return value. If it is @code{t}, include the
1974 height of both, if present, in the return value.
1979 @section Line Height
1981 @cindex height of a line
1983 The total height of each display line consists of the height of the
1984 contents of the line, plus optional additional vertical line spacing
1985 above or below the display line.
1987 The height of the line contents is the maximum height of any character
1988 or image on that display line, including the final newline if there is
1989 one. (A display line that is continued doesn't include a final
1990 newline.) That is the default line height, if you do nothing to specify
1991 a greater height. (In the most common case, this equals the height of
1992 the corresponding frame's default font, see @ref{Frame Font}.)
1994 There are several ways to explicitly specify a larger line height,
1995 either by specifying an absolute height for the display line, or by
1996 specifying vertical space. However, no matter what you specify, the
1997 actual line height can never be less than the default.
1999 @kindex line-height @r{(text property)}
2000 A newline can have a @code{line-height} text or overlay property
2001 that controls the total height of the display line ending in that
2004 If the property value is @code{t}, the newline character has no
2005 effect on the displayed height of the line---the visible contents
2006 alone determine the height. The @code{line-spacing} property,
2007 described below, is also ignored in this case. This is useful for
2008 tiling small images (or image slices) without adding blank areas
2011 If the property value is a list of the form @code{(@var{height}
2012 @var{total})}, that adds extra space @emph{below} the display line.
2013 First Emacs uses @var{height} as a height spec to control extra space
2014 @emph{above} the line; then it adds enough space @emph{below} the line
2015 to bring the total line height up to @var{total}. In this case, any
2016 value of @code{line-spacing} property for the newline is ignored.
2019 Any other kind of property value is a height spec, which translates
2020 into a number---the specified line height. There are several ways to
2021 write a height spec; here's how each of them translates into a number:
2025 If the height spec is a positive integer, the height value is that integer.
2027 If the height spec is a float, @var{float}, the numeric height value
2028 is @var{float} times the frame's default line height.
2029 @item (@var{face} . @var{ratio})
2030 If the height spec is a cons of the format shown, the numeric height
2031 is @var{ratio} times the height of face @var{face}. @var{ratio} can
2032 be any type of number, or @code{nil} which means a ratio of 1.
2033 If @var{face} is @code{t}, it refers to the current face.
2034 @item (nil . @var{ratio})
2035 If the height spec is a cons of the format shown, the numeric height
2036 is @var{ratio} times the height of the contents of the line.
2039 Thus, any valid height spec determines the height in pixels, one way
2040 or another. If the line contents' height is less than that, Emacs
2041 adds extra vertical space above the line to achieve the specified
2044 If you don't specify the @code{line-height} property, the line's
2045 height consists of the contents' height plus the line spacing.
2046 There are several ways to specify the line spacing for different
2047 parts of Emacs text.
2049 On graphical terminals, you can specify the line spacing for all
2050 lines in a frame, using the @code{line-spacing} frame parameter
2051 (@pxref{Layout Parameters}). However, if the default value of
2052 @code{line-spacing} is non-@code{nil}, it overrides the
2053 frame's @code{line-spacing} parameter. An integer specifies the
2054 number of pixels put below lines. A floating-point number specifies
2055 the spacing relative to the frame's default line height.
2057 @vindex line-spacing
2058 You can specify the line spacing for all lines in a buffer via the
2059 buffer-local @code{line-spacing} variable. An integer specifies
2060 the number of pixels put below lines. A floating-point number
2061 specifies the spacing relative to the default frame line height. This
2062 overrides line spacings specified for the frame.
2064 @kindex line-spacing @r{(text property)}
2065 Finally, a newline can have a @code{line-spacing} text or overlay
2066 property that can enlarge the default frame line spacing and the
2067 buffer local @code{line-spacing} variable: if its value is larger than
2068 the buffer or frame defaults, that larger value is used instead, for
2069 the display line ending in that newline.
2071 One way or another, these mechanisms specify a Lisp value for the
2072 spacing of each line. The value is a height spec, and it translates
2073 into a Lisp value as described above. However, in this case the
2074 numeric height value specifies the line spacing, rather than the line
2077 On text terminals, the line spacing cannot be altered.
2083 A @dfn{face} is a collection of graphical attributes for displaying
2084 text: font, foreground color, background color, optional underlining,
2085 etc. Faces control how Emacs displays text in buffers, as well as
2086 other parts of the frame such as the mode line.
2088 @cindex anonymous face
2089 One way to represent a face is as a property list of attributes,
2090 like @code{(:foreground "red" :weight bold)}. Such a list is called
2091 an @dfn{anonymous face}. For example, you can assign an anonymous
2092 face as the value of the @code{face} text property, and Emacs will
2093 display the underlying text with the specified attributes.
2094 @xref{Special Properties}.
2097 More commonly, a face is referred to via a @dfn{face name}: a Lisp
2098 symbol associated with a set of face attributes@footnote{For backward
2099 compatibility, you can also use a string to specify a face name; that
2100 is equivalent to a Lisp symbol with the same name.}. Named faces are
2101 defined using the @code{defface} macro (@pxref{Defining Faces}).
2102 Emacs comes with several standard named faces (@pxref{Basic Faces}).
2104 Many parts of Emacs require named faces, and do not accept
2105 anonymous faces. These include the functions documented in
2106 @ref{Attribute Functions}, and the variable @code{font-lock-keywords}
2107 (@pxref{Search-based Fontification}). Unless otherwise stated, we
2108 will use the term @dfn{face} to refer only to named faces.
2111 This function returns a non-@code{nil} value if @var{object} is a
2112 named face: a Lisp symbol or string which serves as a face name.
2113 Otherwise, it returns @code{nil}.
2117 * Face Attributes:: What is in a face?
2118 * Defining Faces:: How to define a face.
2119 * Attribute Functions:: Functions to examine and set face attributes.
2120 * Displaying Faces:: How Emacs combines the faces specified for a character.
2121 * Face Remapping:: Remapping faces to alternative definitions.
2122 * Face Functions:: How to define and examine faces.
2123 * Auto Faces:: Hook for automatic face assignment.
2124 * Basic Faces:: Faces that are defined by default.
2125 * Font Selection:: Finding the best available font for a face.
2126 * Font Lookup:: Looking up the names of available fonts
2127 and information about them.
2128 * Fontsets:: A fontset is a collection of fonts
2129 that handle a range of character sets.
2130 * Low-Level Font:: Lisp representation for character display fonts.
2133 @node Face Attributes
2134 @subsection Face Attributes
2135 @cindex face attributes
2137 @dfn{Face attributes} determine the visual appearance of a face.
2138 The following table lists all the face attributes, their possible
2139 values, and their effects.
2141 Apart from the values given below, each face attribute can have the
2142 value @code{unspecified}. This special value means that the face
2143 doesn't specify that attribute directly. An @code{unspecified}
2144 attribute tells Emacs to refer instead to a parent face (see the
2145 description @code{:inherit} attribute below); or, failing that, to an
2146 underlying face (@pxref{Displaying Faces}). The @code{default} face
2147 must specify all attributes.
2149 Some of these attributes are meaningful only on certain kinds of
2150 displays. If your display cannot handle a certain attribute, the
2151 attribute is ignored.
2155 Font family or fontset (a string). @xref{Fonts,,, emacs, The GNU
2156 Emacs Manual}, for more information about font families. The function
2157 @code{font-family-list} (see below) returns a list of available family
2158 names. @xref{Fontsets}, for information about fontsets.
2161 The name of the @dfn{font foundry} for the font family specified by
2162 the @code{:family} attribute (a string). @xref{Fonts,,, emacs, The
2166 Relative character width. This should be one of the symbols
2167 @code{ultra-condensed}, @code{extra-condensed}, @code{condensed},
2168 @code{semi-condensed}, @code{normal}, @code{semi-expanded},
2169 @code{expanded}, @code{extra-expanded}, or @code{ultra-expanded}.
2172 The height of the font. In the simplest case, this is an integer in
2173 units of 1/10 point.
2175 The value can also be floating point or a function, which
2176 specifies the height relative to an @dfn{underlying face}
2177 (@pxref{Displaying Faces}). A floating-point value
2178 specifies the amount by which to scale the height of the
2179 underlying face. A function value is called
2180 with one argument, the height of the underlying face, and returns the
2181 height of the new face. If the function is passed an integer
2182 argument, it must return an integer.
2184 The height of the default face must be specified using an integer;
2185 floating point and function values are not allowed.
2188 Font weight---one of the symbols (from densest to faintest)
2189 @code{ultra-bold}, @code{extra-bold}, @code{bold}, @code{semi-bold},
2190 @code{normal}, @code{semi-light}, @code{light}, @code{extra-light}, or
2191 @code{ultra-light}. On text terminals which support
2192 variable-brightness text, any weight greater than normal is displayed
2193 as extra bright, and any weight less than normal is displayed as
2198 Font slant---one of the symbols @code{italic}, @code{oblique},
2199 @code{normal}, @code{reverse-italic}, or @code{reverse-oblique}. On
2200 text terminals that support variable-brightness text, slanted text is
2201 displayed as half-bright.
2204 Foreground color, a string. The value can be a system-defined color
2205 name, or a hexadecimal color specification. @xref{Color Names}. On
2206 black-and-white displays, certain shades of gray are implemented by
2209 @item :distant-foreground
2210 Alternative foreground color, a string. This is like @code{:foreground}
2211 but the color is only used as a foreground when the background color is
2212 near to the foreground that would have been used. This is useful for
2213 example when marking text (i.e., the region face). If the text has a foreground
2214 that is visible with the region face, that foreground is used.
2215 If the foreground is near the region face background,
2216 @code{:distant-foreground} is used instead so the text is readable.
2219 Background color, a string. The value can be a system-defined color
2220 name, or a hexadecimal color specification. @xref{Color Names}.
2222 @cindex underlined text
2224 Whether or not characters should be underlined, and in what
2225 way. The possible values of the @code{:underline} attribute are:
2232 Underline with the foreground color of the face.
2235 Underline in color @var{color}, a string specifying a color.
2237 @item @code{(:color @var{color} :style @var{style})}
2238 @var{color} is either a string, or the symbol @code{foreground-color},
2239 meaning the foreground color of the face. Omitting the attribute
2240 @code{:color} means to use the foreground color of the face.
2241 @var{style} should be a symbol @code{line} or @code{wave}, meaning to
2242 use a straight or wavy line. Omitting the attribute @code{:style}
2243 means to use a straight line.
2246 @cindex overlined text
2248 Whether or not characters should be overlined, and in what color.
2249 If the value is @code{t}, overlining uses the foreground color of the
2250 face. If the value is a string, overlining uses that color. The
2251 value @code{nil} means do not overline.
2253 @cindex strike-through text
2254 @item :strike-through
2255 Whether or not characters should be strike-through, and in what
2256 color. The value is used like that of @code{:overline}.
2261 Whether or not a box should be drawn around characters, its color, the
2262 width of the box lines, and 3D appearance. Here are the possible
2263 values of the @code{:box} attribute, and what they mean:
2270 Draw a box with lines of width 1, in the foreground color.
2273 Draw a box with lines of width 1, in color @var{color}.
2275 @item @code{(:line-width @var{width} :color @var{color} :style @var{style})}
2276 This way you can explicitly specify all aspects of the box. The value
2277 @var{width} specifies the width of the lines to draw; it defaults to
2278 1. A negative width @var{-n} means to draw a line of width @var{n}
2279 that occupies the space of the underlying text, thus avoiding any
2280 increase in the character height or width.
2282 The value @var{color} specifies the color to draw with. The default is
2283 the foreground color of the face for simple boxes, and the background
2284 color of the face for 3D boxes.
2286 The value @var{style} specifies whether to draw a 3D box. If it is
2287 @code{released-button}, the box looks like a 3D button that is not being
2288 pressed. If it is @code{pressed-button}, the box looks like a 3D button
2289 that is being pressed. If it is @code{nil} or omitted, a plain 2D box
2293 @item :inverse-video
2294 Whether or not characters should be displayed in inverse video. The
2295 value should be @code{t} (yes) or @code{nil} (no).
2298 The background stipple, a bitmap.
2300 The value can be a string; that should be the name of a file containing
2301 external-format X bitmap data. The file is found in the directories
2302 listed in the variable @code{x-bitmap-file-path}.
2304 Alternatively, the value can specify the bitmap directly, with a list
2305 of the form @code{(@var{width} @var{height} @var{data})}. Here,
2306 @var{width} and @var{height} specify the size in pixels, and
2307 @var{data} is a string containing the raw bits of the bitmap, row by
2308 row. Each row occupies @math{(@var{width} + 7) / 8} consecutive bytes
2309 in the string (which should be a unibyte string for best results).
2310 This means that each row always occupies at least one whole byte.
2312 If the value is @code{nil}, that means use no stipple pattern.
2314 Normally you do not need to set the stipple attribute, because it is
2315 used automatically to handle certain shades of gray.
2318 The font used to display the face. Its value should be a font object.
2319 @xref{Low-Level Font}, for information about font objects, font specs,
2322 When specifying this attribute using @code{set-face-attribute}
2323 (@pxref{Attribute Functions}), you may also supply a font spec, a font
2324 entity, or a string. Emacs converts such values to an appropriate
2325 font object, and stores that font object as the actual attribute
2326 value. If you specify a string, the contents of the string should be
2327 a font name (@pxref{Fonts,,, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}); if the
2328 font name is an XLFD containing wildcards, Emacs chooses the first
2329 font matching those wildcards. Specifying this attribute also changes
2330 the values of the @code{:family}, @code{:foundry}, @code{:width},
2331 @code{:height}, @code{:weight}, and @code{:slant} attributes.
2333 @cindex inheritance, for faces
2335 The name of a face from which to inherit attributes, or a list of face
2336 names. Attributes from inherited faces are merged into the face like
2337 an underlying face would be, with higher priority than underlying
2338 faces (@pxref{Displaying Faces}). If a list of faces is used,
2339 attributes from faces earlier in the list override those from later
2343 @defun font-family-list &optional frame
2344 This function returns a list of available font family names. The
2345 optional argument @var{frame} specifies the frame on which the text is
2346 to be displayed; if it is @code{nil}, the selected frame is used.
2349 @defopt underline-minimum-offset
2350 This variable specifies the minimum distance between the baseline and
2351 the underline, in pixels, when displaying underlined text.
2354 @defopt x-bitmap-file-path
2355 This variable specifies a list of directories for searching
2356 for bitmap files, for the @code{:stipple} attribute.
2359 @defun bitmap-spec-p object
2360 This returns @code{t} if @var{object} is a valid bitmap specification,
2361 suitable for use with @code{:stipple} (see above). It returns
2362 @code{nil} otherwise.
2365 @node Defining Faces
2366 @subsection Defining Faces
2367 @cindex defining faces
2370 The usual way to define a face is through the @code{defface} macro.
2371 This macro associates a face name (a symbol) with a default @dfn{face
2372 spec}. A face spec is a construct which specifies what attributes a
2373 face should have on any given terminal; for example, a face spec might
2374 specify one foreground color on high-color terminals, and a different
2375 foreground color on low-color terminals.
2377 People are sometimes tempted to create a variable whose value is a
2378 face name. In the vast majority of cases, this is not necessary; the
2379 usual procedure is to define a face with @code{defface}, and then use
2382 @defmac defface face spec doc [keyword value]@dots{}
2383 This macro declares @var{face} as a named face whose default face spec
2384 is given by @var{spec}. You should not quote the symbol @var{face},
2385 and it should not end in @samp{-face} (that would be redundant). The
2386 argument @var{doc} is a documentation string for the face. The
2387 additional @var{keyword} arguments have the same meanings as in
2388 @code{defgroup} and @code{defcustom} (@pxref{Common Keywords}).
2390 If @var{face} already has a default face spec, this macro does
2393 The default face spec determines @var{face}'s appearance when no
2394 customizations are in effect (@pxref{Customization}). If @var{face}
2395 has already been customized (via Custom themes or via customizations
2396 read from the init file), its appearance is determined by the custom
2397 face spec(s), which override the default face spec @var{spec}.
2398 However, if the customizations are subsequently removed, the
2399 appearance of @var{face} will again be determined by its default face
2402 As an exception, if you evaluate a @code{defface} form with
2403 @kbd{C-M-x} in Emacs Lisp mode (@code{eval-defun}), a special feature
2404 of @code{eval-defun} overrides any custom face specs on the face,
2405 causing the face to reflect exactly what the @code{defface} says.
2407 The @var{spec} argument is a @dfn{face spec}, which states how the
2408 face should appear on different kinds of terminals. It should be an
2409 alist whose elements each have the form
2412 (@var{display} . @var{plist})
2416 @var{display} specifies a class of terminals (see below). @var{plist}
2417 is a property list of face attributes and their values, specifying how
2418 the face appears on such terminals. For backward compatibility, you
2419 can also write an element as @code{(@var{display} @var{plist})}.
2421 The @var{display} part of an element of @var{spec} determines which
2422 terminals the element matches. If more than one element of @var{spec}
2423 matches a given terminal, the first element that matches is the one
2424 used for that terminal. There are three possibilities for
2428 @item @code{default}
2429 This element of @var{spec} doesn't match any terminal; instead, it
2430 specifies defaults that apply to all terminals. This element, if
2431 used, must be the first element of @var{spec}. Each of the following
2432 elements can override any or all of these defaults.
2435 This element of @var{spec} matches all terminals. Therefore, any
2436 subsequent elements of @var{spec} are never used. Normally @code{t}
2437 is used in the last (or only) element of @var{spec}.
2440 If @var{display} is a list, each element should have the form
2441 @code{(@var{characteristic} @var{value}@dots{})}. Here
2442 @var{characteristic} specifies a way of classifying terminals, and the
2443 @var{value}s are possible classifications which @var{display} should
2444 apply to. Here are the possible values of @var{characteristic}:
2448 The kind of window system the terminal uses---either @code{graphic}
2449 (any graphics-capable display), @code{x}, @code{pc} (for the MS-DOS
2450 console), @code{w32} (for MS Windows 9X/NT/2K/XP), or @code{tty} (a
2451 non-graphics-capable display). @xref{Window Systems, window-system}.
2454 What kinds of colors the terminal supports---either @code{color},
2455 @code{grayscale}, or @code{mono}.
2458 The kind of background---either @code{light} or @code{dark}.
2461 An integer that represents the minimum number of colors the terminal
2462 should support. This matches a terminal if its
2463 @code{display-color-cells} value is at least the specified integer.
2466 Whether or not the terminal can display the face attributes given in
2467 @var{value}@dots{} (@pxref{Face Attributes}). @xref{Display Face
2468 Attribute Testing}, for more information on exactly how this testing
2472 If an element of @var{display} specifies more than one @var{value} for
2473 a given @var{characteristic}, any of those values is acceptable. If
2474 @var{display} has more than one element, each element should specify a
2475 different @var{characteristic}; then @emph{each} characteristic of the
2476 terminal must match one of the @var{value}s specified for it in
2481 For example, here's the definition of the standard face
2486 '((((class color) (min-colors 88) (background light))
2487 :background "darkseagreen2")
2488 (((class color) (min-colors 88) (background dark))
2489 :background "darkolivegreen")
2490 (((class color) (min-colors 16) (background light))
2491 :background "darkseagreen2")
2492 (((class color) (min-colors 16) (background dark))
2493 :background "darkolivegreen")
2494 (((class color) (min-colors 8))
2495 :background "green" :foreground "black")
2496 (t :inverse-video t))
2497 "Basic face for highlighting."
2498 :group 'basic-faces)
2501 Internally, Emacs stores each face's default spec in its
2502 @code{face-defface-spec} symbol property (@pxref{Symbol Properties}).
2503 The @code{saved-face} property stores any face spec saved by the user
2504 using the customization buffer; the @code{customized-face} property
2505 stores the face spec customized for the current session, but not
2506 saved; and the @code{theme-face} property stores an alist associating
2507 the active customization settings and Custom themes with the face
2508 specs for that face. The face's documentation string is stored in the
2509 @code{face-documentation} property.
2511 Normally, a face is declared just once, using @code{defface}, and
2512 any further changes to its appearance are applied using the Customize
2513 framework (e.g., via the Customize user interface or via the
2514 @code{custom-set-faces} function; @pxref{Applying Customizations}), or
2515 by face remapping (@pxref{Face Remapping}). In the rare event that
2516 you need to change a face spec directly from Lisp, you can use the
2517 @code{face-spec-set} function.
2519 @defun face-spec-set face spec &optional spec-type
2520 This function applies @var{spec} as a face spec for @code{face}.
2521 @var{spec} should be a face spec, as described in the above
2522 documentation for @code{defface}.
2524 This function also defines @var{face} as a valid face name if it is
2525 not already one, and (re)calculates its attributes on existing frames.
2527 @cindex override spec @r{(for a face)}
2528 The argument @var{spec-type} determines which spec to set. If it is
2529 @code{nil} or @code{face-override-spec}, this function sets the
2530 @dfn{override spec}, which overrides over all other face specs on
2531 @var{face}. If it is @code{customized-face} or @code{saved-face},
2532 this function sets the customized spec or the saved custom spec. If
2533 it is @code{face-defface-spec}, this function sets the default face
2534 spec (the same one set by @code{defface}). If it is @code{reset},
2535 this function clears out all customization specs and override specs
2536 from @var{face} (in this case, the value of @var{spec} is ignored).
2537 Any other value of @var{spec-type} is reserved for internal use.
2540 @node Attribute Functions
2541 @subsection Face Attribute Functions
2542 @cindex face attributes, access and modification
2544 This section describes functions for directly accessing and
2545 modifying the attributes of a named face.
2547 @defun face-attribute face attribute &optional frame inherit
2548 This function returns the value of the @var{attribute} attribute for
2549 @var{face} on @var{frame}.
2551 If @var{frame} is omitted or @code{nil}, that means the selected frame
2552 (@pxref{Input Focus}). If @var{frame} is @code{t}, this function
2553 returns the value of the specified attribute for newly-created frames
2554 (this is normally @code{unspecified}, unless you have specified some
2555 value using @code{set-face-attribute}; see below).
2557 If @var{inherit} is @code{nil}, only attributes directly defined by
2558 @var{face} are considered, so the return value may be
2559 @code{unspecified}, or a relative value. If @var{inherit} is
2560 non-@code{nil}, @var{face}'s definition of @var{attribute} is merged
2561 with the faces specified by its @code{:inherit} attribute; however the
2562 return value may still be @code{unspecified} or relative. If
2563 @var{inherit} is a face or a list of faces, then the result is further
2564 merged with that face (or faces), until it becomes specified and
2567 To ensure that the return value is always specified and absolute, use
2568 a value of @code{default} for @var{inherit}; this will resolve any
2569 unspecified or relative values by merging with the @code{default} face
2570 (which is always completely specified).
2575 (face-attribute 'bold :weight)
2580 @c FIXME: Add an index for "relative face attribute", maybe here? --xfq
2581 @defun face-attribute-relative-p attribute value
2582 This function returns non-@code{nil} if @var{value}, when used as the
2583 value of the face attribute @var{attribute}, is relative. This means
2584 it would modify, rather than completely override, any value that comes
2585 from a subsequent face in the face list or that is inherited from
2588 @code{unspecified} is a relative value for all attributes. For
2589 @code{:height}, floating point and function values are also relative.
2594 (face-attribute-relative-p :height 2.0)
2599 @defun face-all-attributes face &optional frame
2600 This function returns an alist of attributes of @var{face}. The
2601 elements of the result are name-value pairs of the form
2602 @w{@code{(@var{attr-name} . @var{attr-value})}}. Optional argument
2603 @var{frame} specifies the frame whose definition of @var{face} to
2604 return; if omitted or @code{nil}, the returned value describes the
2605 default attributes of @var{face} for newly created frames.
2608 @defun merge-face-attribute attribute value1 value2
2609 If @var{value1} is a relative value for the face attribute
2610 @var{attribute}, returns it merged with the underlying value
2611 @var{value2}; otherwise, if @var{value1} is an absolute value for the
2612 face attribute @var{attribute}, returns @var{value1} unchanged.
2615 Normally, Emacs uses the face specs of each face to automatically
2616 calculate its attributes on each frame (@pxref{Defining Faces}). The
2617 function @code{set-face-attribute} can override this calculation by
2618 directly assigning attributes to a face, either on a specific frame or
2619 for all frames. This function is mostly intended for internal usage.
2621 @defun set-face-attribute face frame &rest arguments
2622 This function sets one or more attributes of @var{face} for
2623 @var{frame}. The attributes specifies in this way override the face
2624 spec(s) belonging to @var{face}.
2626 The extra arguments @var{arguments} specify the attributes to set, and
2627 the values for them. They should consist of alternating attribute
2628 names (such as @code{:family} or @code{:underline}) and values. Thus,
2631 (set-face-attribute 'foo nil :weight 'bold :slant 'italic)
2635 sets the attribute @code{:weight} to @code{bold} and the attribute
2636 @code{:slant} to @code{italic}.
2639 If @var{frame} is @code{t}, this function sets the default attributes
2640 for newly created frames. If @var{frame} is @code{nil}, this function
2641 sets the attributes for all existing frames, as well as for newly
2645 The following commands and functions mostly provide compatibility
2646 with old versions of Emacs. They work by calling
2647 @code{set-face-attribute}. Values of @code{t} and @code{nil} (or
2648 omitted) for their @var{frame} argument are handled just like
2649 @code{set-face-attribute} and @code{face-attribute}. The commands
2650 read their arguments using the minibuffer, if called interactively.
2652 @deffn Command set-face-foreground face color &optional frame
2653 @deffnx Command set-face-background face color &optional frame
2654 These set the @code{:foreground} attribute (or @code{:background}
2655 attribute, respectively) of @var{face} to @var{color}.
2658 @deffn Command set-face-stipple face pattern &optional frame
2659 This sets the @code{:stipple} attribute of @var{face} to
2663 @deffn Command set-face-font face font &optional frame
2664 This sets the @code{:font} attribute of @var{face} to @var{font}.
2667 @defun set-face-bold face bold-p &optional frame
2668 This sets the @code{:weight} attribute of @var{face} to @var{normal}
2669 if @var{bold-p} is @code{nil}, and to @var{bold} otherwise.
2672 @defun set-face-italic face italic-p &optional frame
2673 This sets the @code{:slant} attribute of @var{face} to @var{normal} if
2674 @var{italic-p} is @code{nil}, and to @var{italic} otherwise.
2677 @defun set-face-underline face underline &optional frame
2678 This sets the @code{:underline} attribute of @var{face} to
2682 @defun set-face-inverse-video face inverse-video-p &optional frame
2683 This sets the @code{:inverse-video} attribute of @var{face} to
2684 @var{inverse-video-p}.
2687 @deffn Command invert-face face &optional frame
2688 This swaps the foreground and background colors of face @var{face}.
2691 The following functions examine the attributes of a face. They
2692 mostly provide compatibility with old versions of Emacs. If you don't
2693 specify @var{frame}, they refer to the selected frame; @code{t} refers
2694 to the default data for new frames. They return @code{unspecified} if
2695 the face doesn't define any value for that attribute. If
2696 @var{inherit} is @code{nil}, only an attribute directly defined by the
2697 face is returned. If @var{inherit} is non-@code{nil}, any faces
2698 specified by its @code{:inherit} attribute are considered as well, and
2699 if @var{inherit} is a face or a list of faces, then they are also
2700 considered, until a specified attribute is found. To ensure that the
2701 return value is always specified, use a value of @code{default} for
2704 @defun face-font face &optional frame character
2705 This function returns the name of the font of face @var{face}.
2707 If the optional argument @var{frame} is specified, it returns the name
2708 of the font of @var{face} for that frame. If @var{frame} is omitted or
2709 @code{nil}, the selected frame is used. And, in this case, if the
2710 optional third argument @var{character} is supplied, it returns the font
2711 name used for @var{character}.
2714 @defun face-foreground face &optional frame inherit
2715 @defunx face-background face &optional frame inherit
2716 These functions return the foreground color (or background color,
2717 respectively) of face @var{face}, as a string. If the color is
2718 unspecified, they return @code{nil}.
2721 @defun face-stipple face &optional frame inherit
2722 This function returns the name of the background stipple pattern of face
2723 @var{face}, or @code{nil} if it doesn't have one.
2726 @defun face-bold-p face &optional frame inherit
2727 This function returns a non-@code{nil} value if the @code{:weight}
2728 attribute of @var{face} is bolder than normal (i.e., one of
2729 @code{semi-bold}, @code{bold}, @code{extra-bold}, or
2730 @code{ultra-bold}). Otherwise, it returns @code{nil}.
2733 @defun face-italic-p face &optional frame inherit
2734 This function returns a non-@code{nil} value if the @code{:slant}
2735 attribute of @var{face} is @code{italic} or @code{oblique}, and
2736 @code{nil} otherwise.
2739 @defun face-underline-p face &optional frame inherit
2740 This function returns non-@code{nil} if face @var{face} specifies
2741 a non-@code{nil} @code{:underline} attribute.
2744 @defun face-inverse-video-p face &optional frame inherit
2745 This function returns non-@code{nil} if face @var{face} specifies
2746 a non-@code{nil} @code{:inverse-video} attribute.
2749 @node Displaying Faces
2750 @subsection Displaying Faces
2751 @cindex displaying faces
2752 @cindex face merging
2754 When Emacs displays a given piece of text, the visual appearance of
2755 the text may be determined by faces drawn from different sources. If
2756 these various sources together specify more than one face for a
2757 particular character, Emacs merges the attributes of the various
2758 faces. Here is the order in which Emacs merges the faces, from
2759 highest to lowest priority:
2763 If the text consists of a special glyph, the glyph can specify a
2764 particular face. @xref{Glyphs}.
2767 If the text lies within an active region, Emacs highlights it using
2768 the @code{region} face. @xref{Standard Faces,,, emacs, The GNU Emacs
2772 If the text lies within an overlay with a non-@code{nil} @code{face}
2773 property, Emacs applies the face(s) specified by that property. If
2774 the overlay has a @code{mouse-face} property and the mouse is near
2775 enough to the overlay, Emacs applies the face or face attributes
2776 specified by the @code{mouse-face} property instead. @xref{Overlay
2779 When multiple overlays cover one character, an overlay with higher
2780 priority overrides those with lower priority. @xref{Overlays}.
2783 If the text contains a @code{face} or @code{mouse-face} property,
2784 Emacs applies the specified faces and face attributes. @xref{Special
2785 Properties}. (This is how Font Lock mode faces are applied.
2786 @xref{Font Lock Mode}.)
2789 If the text lies within the mode line of the selected window, Emacs
2790 applies the @code{mode-line} face. For the mode line of a
2791 non-selected window, Emacs applies the @code{mode-line-inactive} face.
2792 For a header line, Emacs applies the @code{header-line} face.
2795 If any given attribute has not been specified during the preceding
2796 steps, Emacs applies the attribute of the @code{default} face.
2799 At each stage, if a face has a valid @code{:inherit} attribute,
2800 Emacs treats any attribute with an @code{unspecified} value as having
2801 the corresponding value drawn from the parent face(s). @pxref{Face
2802 Attributes}. Note that the parent face(s) may also leave the
2803 attribute unspecified; in that case, the attribute remains unspecified
2804 at the next level of face merging.
2806 @node Face Remapping
2807 @subsection Face Remapping
2808 @cindex face remapping
2810 The variable @code{face-remapping-alist} is used for buffer-local or
2811 global changes in the appearance of a face. For instance, it is used
2812 to implement the @code{text-scale-adjust} command (@pxref{Text
2813 Scale,,, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}).
2815 @defvar face-remapping-alist
2816 The value of this variable is an alist whose elements have the form
2817 @code{(@var{face} . @var{remapping})}. This causes Emacs to display
2818 any text having the face @var{face} with @var{remapping}, rather than
2819 the ordinary definition of @var{face}.
2821 @var{remapping} may be any face spec suitable for a @code{face} text
2822 property: either a face (i.e., a face name or a property list of
2823 attribute/value pairs), or a list of faces. For details, see the
2824 description of the @code{face} text property in @ref{Special
2825 Properties}. @var{remapping} serves as the complete specification for
2826 the remapped face---it replaces the normal definition of @var{face},
2827 instead of modifying it.
2829 If @code{face-remapping-alist} is buffer-local, its local value takes
2830 effect only within that buffer.
2832 Note: face remapping is non-recursive. If @var{remapping} references
2833 the same face name @var{face}, either directly or via the
2834 @code{:inherit} attribute of some other face in @var{remapping}, that
2835 reference uses the normal definition of @var{face}. For instance, if
2836 the @code{mode-line} face is remapped using this entry in
2837 @code{face-remapping-alist}:
2840 (mode-line italic mode-line)
2844 then the new definition of the @code{mode-line} face inherits from the
2845 @code{italic} face, and the @emph{normal} (non-remapped) definition of
2846 @code{mode-line} face.
2849 @cindex relative remapping, faces
2850 @cindex base remapping, faces
2851 The following functions implement a higher-level interface to
2852 @code{face-remapping-alist}. Most Lisp code should use these
2853 functions instead of setting @code{face-remapping-alist} directly, to
2854 avoid trampling on remappings applied elsewhere. These functions are
2855 intended for buffer-local remappings, so they all make
2856 @code{face-remapping-alist} buffer-local as a side-effect. They manage
2857 @code{face-remapping-alist} entries of the form
2860 (@var{face} @var{relative-spec-1} @var{relative-spec-2} @var{...} @var{base-spec})
2864 where, as explained above, each of the @var{relative-spec-N} and
2865 @var{base-spec} is either a face name, or a property list of
2866 attribute/value pairs. Each of the @dfn{relative remapping} entries,
2867 @var{relative-spec-N}, is managed by the
2868 @code{face-remap-add-relative} and @code{face-remap-remove-relative}
2869 functions; these are intended for simple modifications like changing
2870 the text size. The @dfn{base remapping} entry, @var{base-spec}, has
2871 the lowest priority and is managed by the @code{face-remap-set-base}
2872 and @code{face-remap-reset-base} functions; it is intended for major
2873 modes to remap faces in the buffers they control.
2875 @defun face-remap-add-relative face &rest specs
2876 This function adds the face spec in @var{specs} as relative
2877 remappings for face @var{face} in the current buffer. The remaining
2878 arguments, @var{specs}, should form either a list of face names, or a
2879 property list of attribute/value pairs.
2881 The return value is a Lisp object that serves as a cookie; you can
2882 pass this object as an argument to @code{face-remap-remove-relative}
2883 if you need to remove the remapping later.
2886 ;; Remap the 'escape-glyph' face into a combination
2887 ;; of the 'highlight' and 'italic' faces:
2888 (face-remap-add-relative 'escape-glyph 'highlight 'italic)
2890 ;; Increase the size of the 'default' face by 50%:
2891 (face-remap-add-relative 'default :height 1.5)
2895 @defun face-remap-remove-relative cookie
2896 This function removes a relative remapping previously added by
2897 @code{face-remap-add-relative}. @var{cookie} should be the Lisp
2898 object returned by @code{face-remap-add-relative} when the remapping
2902 @defun face-remap-set-base face &rest specs
2903 This function sets the base remapping of @var{face} in the current
2904 buffer to @var{specs}. If @var{specs} is empty, the default base
2905 remapping is restored, similar to calling @code{face-remap-reset-base}
2906 (see below); note that this is different from @var{specs} containing a
2907 single value @code{nil}, which has the opposite result (the global
2908 definition of @var{face} is ignored).
2910 This overwrites the default @var{base-spec}, which inherits the global
2911 face definition, so it is up to the caller to add such inheritance if
2915 @defun face-remap-reset-base face
2916 This function sets the base remapping of @var{face} to its default
2917 value, which inherits from @var{face}'s global definition.
2920 @node Face Functions
2921 @subsection Functions for Working with Faces
2923 Here are additional functions for creating and working with faces.
2926 This function returns a list of all defined face names.
2930 This function returns the @dfn{face number} of face @var{face}. This
2931 is a number that uniquely identifies a face at low levels within
2932 Emacs. It is seldom necessary to refer to a face by its face number.
2935 @defun face-documentation face
2936 This function returns the documentation string of face @var{face}, or
2937 @code{nil} if none was specified for it.
2940 @defun face-equal face1 face2 &optional frame
2941 This returns @code{t} if the faces @var{face1} and @var{face2} have the
2942 same attributes for display.
2945 @defun face-differs-from-default-p face &optional frame
2946 This returns non-@code{nil} if the face @var{face} displays
2947 differently from the default face.
2951 @cindex alias, for faces
2952 A @dfn{face alias} provides an equivalent name for a face. You can
2953 define a face alias by giving the alias symbol the @code{face-alias}
2954 property, with a value of the target face name. The following example
2955 makes @code{modeline} an alias for the @code{mode-line} face.
2958 (put 'modeline 'face-alias 'mode-line)
2961 @defmac define-obsolete-face-alias obsolete-face current-face when
2962 This macro defines @code{obsolete-face} as an alias for
2963 @var{current-face}, and also marks it as obsolete, indicating that it
2964 may be removed in future. @var{when} should be a string indicating
2965 when @code{obsolete-face} was made obsolete (usually a version number
2970 @subsection Automatic Face Assignment
2971 @cindex automatic face assignment
2972 @cindex faces, automatic choice
2974 This hook is used for automatically assigning faces to text in the
2975 buffer. It is part of the implementation of Jit-Lock mode, used by
2978 @defvar fontification-functions
2979 This variable holds a list of functions that are called by Emacs
2980 redisplay as needed, just before doing redisplay. They are called even
2981 when Font Lock Mode isn't enabled. When Font Lock Mode is enabled, this
2982 variable usually holds just one function, @code{jit-lock-function}.
2984 The functions are called in the order listed, with one argument, a
2985 buffer position @var{pos}. Collectively they should attempt to assign
2986 faces to the text in the current buffer starting at @var{pos}.
2988 The functions should record the faces they assign by setting the
2989 @code{face} property. They should also add a non-@code{nil}
2990 @code{fontified} property to all the text they have assigned faces to.
2991 That property tells redisplay that faces have been assigned to that text
2994 It is probably a good idea for the functions to do nothing if the
2995 character after @var{pos} already has a non-@code{nil} @code{fontified}
2996 property, but this is not required. If one function overrides the
2997 assignments made by a previous one, the properties after the last
2998 function finishes are the ones that really matter.
3000 For efficiency, we recommend writing these functions so that they
3001 usually assign faces to around 400 to 600 characters at each call.
3005 @subsection Basic Faces
3008 If your Emacs Lisp program needs to assign some faces to text, it is
3009 often a good idea to use certain existing faces or inherit from them,
3010 rather than defining entirely new faces. This way, if other users
3011 have customized the basic faces to give Emacs a certain look, your
3012 program will fit in without additional customization.
3014 Some of the basic faces defined in Emacs are listed below. In
3015 addition to these, you might want to make use of the Font Lock faces
3016 for syntactic highlighting, if highlighting is not already handled by
3017 Font Lock mode, or if some Font Lock faces are not in use.
3018 @xref{Faces for Font Lock}.
3022 The default face, whose attributes are all specified. All other faces
3023 implicitly inherit from it: any unspecified attribute defaults to the
3024 attribute on this face (@pxref{Face Attributes}).
3031 @itemx fixed-pitch-serif
3032 @itemx variable-pitch
3033 These have the attributes indicated by their names (e.g., @code{bold}
3034 has a bold @code{:weight} attribute), with all other attributes
3035 unspecified (and so given by @code{default}).
3038 For dimmed-out text. For example, it is used for the ignored
3039 part of a filename in the minibuffer (@pxref{Minibuffer File,,
3040 Minibuffers for File Names, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}).
3044 For clickable text buttons that send the user to a different
3048 For stretches of text that should temporarily stand out. For example,
3049 it is commonly assigned to the @code{mouse-face} property for cursor
3050 highlighting (@pxref{Special Properties}).
3054 @itemx lazy-highlight
3055 For text matching (respectively) permanent search matches, interactive
3056 search matches, and lazy highlighting other matches than the current
3062 For text concerning errors, warnings, or successes. For example,
3063 these are used for messages in @file{*Compilation*} buffers.
3066 @node Font Selection
3067 @subsection Font Selection
3068 @cindex font selection
3069 @cindex selecting a font
3071 Before Emacs can draw a character on a graphical display, it must
3072 select a @dfn{font} for that character@footnote{In this context, the
3073 term @dfn{font} has nothing to do with Font Lock (@pxref{Font Lock
3074 Mode}).}. @xref{Fonts,,, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}. Normally,
3075 Emacs automatically chooses a font based on the faces assigned to that
3076 character---specifically, the face attributes @code{:family},
3077 @code{:weight}, @code{:slant}, and @code{:width} (@pxref{Face
3078 Attributes}). The choice of font also depends on the character to be
3079 displayed; some fonts can only display a limited set of characters.
3080 If no available font exactly fits the requirements, Emacs looks for
3081 the @dfn{closest matching font}. The variables in this section
3082 control how Emacs makes this selection.
3084 @defopt face-font-family-alternatives
3085 If a given family is specified but does not exist, this variable
3086 specifies alternative font families to try. Each element should have
3090 (@var{family} @var{alternate-families}@dots{})
3093 If @var{family} is specified but not available, Emacs will try the other
3094 families given in @var{alternate-families}, one by one, until it finds a
3095 family that does exist.
3098 @defopt face-font-selection-order
3099 If there is no font that exactly matches all desired face attributes
3100 (@code{:width}, @code{:height}, @code{:weight}, and @code{:slant}),
3101 this variable specifies the order in which these attributes should be
3102 considered when selecting the closest matching font. The value should
3103 be a list containing those four attribute symbols, in order of
3104 decreasing importance. The default is @code{(:width :height :weight
3107 Font selection first finds the best available matches for the first
3108 attribute in the list; then, among the fonts which are best in that
3109 way, it searches for the best matches in the second attribute, and so
3112 The attributes @code{:weight} and @code{:width} have symbolic values in
3113 a range centered around @code{normal}. Matches that are more extreme
3114 (farther from @code{normal}) are somewhat preferred to matches that are
3115 less extreme (closer to @code{normal}); this is designed to ensure that
3116 non-normal faces contrast with normal ones, whenever possible.
3118 One example of a case where this variable makes a difference is when the
3119 default font has no italic equivalent. With the default ordering, the
3120 @code{italic} face will use a non-italic font that is similar to the
3121 default one. But if you put @code{:slant} before @code{:height}, the
3122 @code{italic} face will use an italic font, even if its height is not
3126 @defopt face-font-registry-alternatives
3127 This variable lets you specify alternative font registries to try, if a
3128 given registry is specified and doesn't exist. Each element should have
3132 (@var{registry} @var{alternate-registries}@dots{})
3135 If @var{registry} is specified but not available, Emacs will try the
3136 other registries given in @var{alternate-registries}, one by one,
3137 until it finds a registry that does exist.
3140 @cindex scalable fonts
3141 Emacs can make use of scalable fonts, but by default it does not use
3144 @defopt scalable-fonts-allowed
3145 This variable controls which scalable fonts to use. A value of
3146 @code{nil}, the default, means do not use scalable fonts. @code{t}
3147 means to use any scalable font that seems appropriate for the text.
3149 Otherwise, the value must be a list of regular expressions. Then a
3150 scalable font is enabled for use if its name matches any regular
3151 expression in the list. For example,
3154 (setq scalable-fonts-allowed '("iso10646-1$"))
3158 allows the use of scalable fonts with registry @code{iso10646-1}.
3161 @defvar face-font-rescale-alist
3162 This variable specifies scaling for certain faces. Its value should
3163 be a list of elements of the form
3166 (@var{fontname-regexp} . @var{scale-factor})
3169 If @var{fontname-regexp} matches the font name that is about to be
3170 used, this says to choose a larger similar font according to the
3171 factor @var{scale-factor}. You would use this feature to normalize
3172 the font size if certain fonts are bigger or smaller than their
3173 nominal heights and widths would suggest.
3177 @subsection Looking Up Fonts
3179 @cindex looking up fonts
3181 @defun x-list-fonts name &optional reference-face frame maximum width
3182 This function returns a list of available font names that match
3183 @var{name}. @var{name} should be a string containing a font name in
3184 either the Fontconfig, GTK, or XLFD format (@pxref{Fonts,,, emacs, The
3185 GNU Emacs Manual}). Within an XLFD string, wildcard characters may be
3186 used: the @samp{*} character matches any substring, and the @samp{?}
3187 character matches any single character. Case is ignored when matching
3190 If the optional arguments @var{reference-face} and @var{frame} are
3191 specified, the returned list includes only fonts that are the same
3192 size as @var{reference-face} (a face name) currently is on the frame
3195 The optional argument @var{maximum} sets a limit on how many fonts to
3196 return. If it is non-@code{nil}, then the return value is truncated
3197 after the first @var{maximum} matching fonts. Specifying a small
3198 value for @var{maximum} can make this function much faster, in cases
3199 where many fonts match the pattern.
3201 The optional argument @var{width} specifies a desired font width. If
3202 it is non-@code{nil}, the function only returns those fonts whose
3203 characters are (on average) @var{width} times as wide as
3204 @var{reference-face}.
3207 @defun x-family-fonts &optional family frame
3208 This function returns a list describing the available fonts for family
3209 @var{family} on @var{frame}. If @var{family} is omitted or @code{nil},
3210 this list applies to all families, and therefore, it contains all
3211 available fonts. Otherwise, @var{family} must be a string; it may
3212 contain the wildcards @samp{?} and @samp{*}.
3214 The list describes the display that @var{frame} is on; if @var{frame} is
3215 omitted or @code{nil}, it applies to the selected frame's display
3216 (@pxref{Input Focus}).
3218 Each element in the list is a vector of the following form:
3221 [@var{family} @var{width} @var{point-size} @var{weight} @var{slant}
3222 @var{fixed-p} @var{full} @var{registry-and-encoding}]
3225 The first five elements correspond to face attributes; if you
3226 specify these attributes for a face, it will use this font.
3228 The last three elements give additional information about the font.
3229 @var{fixed-p} is non-@code{nil} if the font is fixed-pitch.
3230 @var{full} is the full name of the font, and
3231 @var{registry-and-encoding} is a string giving the registry and
3232 encoding of the font.
3236 @subsection Fontsets
3239 A @dfn{fontset} is a list of fonts, each assigned to a range of
3240 character codes. An individual font cannot display the whole range of
3241 characters that Emacs supports, but a fontset can. Fontsets have names,
3242 just as fonts do, and you can use a fontset name in place of a font name
3243 when you specify the font for a frame or a face. Here is
3244 information about defining a fontset under Lisp program control.
3246 @defun create-fontset-from-fontset-spec fontset-spec &optional style-variant-p noerror
3247 This function defines a new fontset according to the specification
3248 string @var{fontset-spec}. The string should have this format:
3251 @var{fontpattern}, @r{[}@var{charset}:@var{font}@r{]@dots{}}
3255 Whitespace characters before and after the commas are ignored.
3257 The first part of the string, @var{fontpattern}, should have the form of
3258 a standard X font name, except that the last two fields should be
3259 @samp{fontset-@var{alias}}.
3261 The new fontset has two names, one long and one short. The long name is
3262 @var{fontpattern} in its entirety. The short name is
3263 @samp{fontset-@var{alias}}. You can refer to the fontset by either
3264 name. If a fontset with the same name already exists, an error is
3265 signaled, unless @var{noerror} is non-@code{nil}, in which case this
3266 function does nothing.
3268 If optional argument @var{style-variant-p} is non-@code{nil}, that says
3269 to create bold, italic and bold-italic variants of the fontset as well.
3270 These variant fontsets do not have a short name, only a long one, which
3271 is made by altering @var{fontpattern} to indicate the bold and/or italic
3274 The specification string also says which fonts to use in the fontset.
3275 See below for the details.
3278 The construct @samp{@var{charset}:@var{font}} specifies which font to
3279 use (in this fontset) for one particular character set. Here,
3280 @var{charset} is the name of a character set, and @var{font} is the font
3281 to use for that character set. You can use this construct any number of
3282 times in the specification string.
3284 For the remaining character sets, those that you don't specify
3285 explicitly, Emacs chooses a font based on @var{fontpattern}: it replaces
3286 @samp{fontset-@var{alias}} with a value that names one character set.
3287 For the @acronym{ASCII} character set, @samp{fontset-@var{alias}} is replaced
3288 with @samp{ISO8859-1}.
3290 In addition, when several consecutive fields are wildcards, Emacs
3291 collapses them into a single wildcard. This is to prevent use of
3292 auto-scaled fonts. Fonts made by scaling larger fonts are not usable
3293 for editing, and scaling a smaller font is not useful because it is
3294 better to use the smaller font in its own size, which Emacs does.
3296 Thus if @var{fontpattern} is this,
3299 -*-fixed-medium-r-normal-*-24-*-*-*-*-*-fontset-24
3303 the font specification for @acronym{ASCII} characters would be this:
3306 -*-fixed-medium-r-normal-*-24-*-ISO8859-1
3310 and the font specification for Chinese GB2312 characters would be this:
3313 -*-fixed-medium-r-normal-*-24-*-gb2312*-*
3316 You may not have any Chinese font matching the above font
3317 specification. Most X distributions include only Chinese fonts that
3318 have @samp{song ti} or @samp{fangsong ti} in the @var{family} field. In
3319 such a case, @samp{Fontset-@var{n}} can be specified as below:
3322 Emacs.Fontset-0: -*-fixed-medium-r-normal-*-24-*-*-*-*-*-fontset-24,\
3323 chinese-gb2312:-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-24-*-gb2312*-*
3327 Then, the font specifications for all but Chinese GB2312 characters have
3328 @samp{fixed} in the @var{family} field, and the font specification for
3329 Chinese GB2312 characters has a wild card @samp{*} in the @var{family}
3332 @defun set-fontset-font name character font-spec &optional frame add
3333 This function modifies the existing fontset @var{name} to use the font
3334 matching with @var{font-spec} for the specified @var{character}.
3336 If @var{name} is @code{nil}, this function modifies the fontset of the
3337 selected frame or that of @var{frame} if @var{frame} is not
3340 If @var{name} is @code{t}, this function modifies the default
3341 fontset, whose short name is @samp{fontset-default}.
3343 In addition to specifying a single codepoint, @var{character} may be a
3344 cons @code{(@var{from} . @var{to})}, where @var{from} and @var{to} are
3345 character codepoints. In that case, use @var{font-spec} for all the
3346 characters in the range @var{from} and @var{to} (inclusive).
3348 @var{character} may be a charset. In that case, use
3349 @var{font-spec} for all character in the charsets.
3351 @var{character} may be a script name. In that case, use
3352 @var{font-spec} for all character in the charsets.
3354 @var{font-spec} may be a font-spec object created by the function
3355 @code{font-spec} (@pxref{Low-Level Font}).
3357 @var{font-spec} may be a cons; @code{(@var{family} . @var{registry})},
3358 where @var{family} is a family name of a font (possibly including a
3359 foundry name at the head), @var{registry} is a registry name of a font
3360 (possibly including an encoding name at the tail).
3362 @var{font-spec} may be a font name string.
3364 @var{font-spec} may be @code{nil}, which explicitly specifies that
3365 there's no font for the specified @var{character}. This is useful,
3366 for example, to avoid expensive system-wide search for fonts for
3367 characters that have no glyphs, like those from the Unicode Private
3370 The optional argument @var{add}, if non-@code{nil}, specifies how to
3371 add @var{font-spec} to the font specifications previously set. If it
3372 is @code{prepend}, @var{font-spec} is prepended. If it is
3373 @code{append}, @var{font-spec} is appended. By default,
3374 @var{font-spec} overrides the previous settings.
3376 For instance, this changes the default fontset to use a font of which
3377 family name is @samp{Kochi Gothic} for all characters belonging to
3378 the charset @code{japanese-jisx0208}.
3381 (set-fontset-font t 'japanese-jisx0208
3382 (font-spec :family "Kochi Gothic"))
3386 @defun char-displayable-p char
3387 This function returns @code{t} if Emacs ought to be able to display
3388 @var{char}. More precisely, if the selected frame's fontset has a
3389 font to display the character set that @var{char} belongs to.
3391 Fontsets can specify a font on a per-character basis; when the fontset
3392 does that, this function's value may not be accurate.
3395 @node Low-Level Font
3396 @subsection Low-Level Font Representation
3397 @cindex font property
3399 Normally, it is not necessary to manipulate fonts directly. In case
3400 you need to do so, this section explains how.
3402 In Emacs Lisp, fonts are represented using three different Lisp
3403 object types: @dfn{font objects}, @dfn{font specs}, and @dfn{font
3406 @defun fontp object &optional type
3407 Return @code{t} if @var{object} is a font object, font spec, or font
3408 entity. Otherwise, return @code{nil}.
3410 The optional argument @var{type}, if non-@code{nil}, determines the
3411 exact type of Lisp object to check for. In that case, @var{type}
3412 should be one of @code{font-object}, @code{font-spec}, or
3417 A font object is a Lisp object that represents a font that Emacs has
3418 @dfn{opened}. Font objects cannot be modified in Lisp, but they can
3421 @defun font-at position &optional window string
3422 Return the font object that is being used to display the character at
3423 position @var{position} in the window @var{window}. If @var{window}
3424 is @code{nil}, it defaults to the selected window. If @var{string} is
3425 @code{nil}, @var{position} specifies a position in the current buffer;
3426 otherwise, @var{string} should be a string, and @var{position}
3427 specifies a position in that string.
3431 A font spec is a Lisp object that contains a set of specifications
3432 that can be used to find a font. More than one font may match the
3433 specifications in a font spec.
3435 @defun font-spec &rest arguments
3436 Return a new font spec using the specifications in @var{arguments},
3437 which should come in @code{property}-@code{value} pairs. The possible
3438 specifications are as follows:
3442 The font name (a string), in either XLFD, Fontconfig, or GTK format.
3443 @xref{Fonts,,, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}.
3450 These have the same meanings as the face attributes of the same name.
3451 @xref{Face Attributes}.
3454 The font size---either a non-negative integer that specifies the pixel
3455 size, or a floating-point number that specifies the point size.
3458 Additional typographic style information for the font, such as
3459 @samp{sans}. The value should be a string or a symbol.
3461 @cindex font registry
3463 The charset registry and encoding of the font, such as
3464 @samp{iso8859-1}. The value should be a string or a symbol.
3467 The script that the font must support (a symbol).
3470 The language that the font should support. The value should be a
3471 symbol whose name is a two-letter ISO-639 language name. On X, the
3472 value is matched against the ``Additional Style'' field of the XLFD
3473 name of a font, if it is non-empty. On MS-Windows, fonts matching the
3474 spec are required to support codepages needed for the language.
3475 Currently, only a small set of CJK languages is supported with this
3476 property: @samp{ja}, @samp{ko}, and @samp{zh}.
3479 @cindex OpenType font
3480 The font must be an OpenType font that supports these OpenType
3481 features, provided Emacs is compiled with a library, such as
3482 @samp{libotf} on GNU/Linux, that supports complex text layout for
3483 scripts which need that. The value must be a list of the form
3486 @code{(@var{script-tag} @var{langsys-tag} @var{gsub} @var{gpos})}
3489 where @var{script-tag} is the OpenType script tag symbol;
3490 @var{langsys-tag} is the OpenType language system tag symbol, or
3491 @code{nil} to use the default language system; @code{gsub} is a list
3492 of OpenType GSUB feature tag symbols, or @code{nil} if none is
3493 required; and @code{gpos} is a list of OpenType GPOS feature tag
3494 symbols, or @code{nil} if none is required. If @code{gsub} or
3495 @code{gpos} is a list, a @code{nil} element in that list means that
3496 the font must not match any of the remaining tag symbols. The
3497 @code{gpos} element may be omitted.
3501 @defun font-put font-spec property value
3502 Set the font property @var{property} in the font-spec @var{font-spec}
3507 A font entity is a reference to a font that need not be open. Its
3508 properties are intermediate between a font object and a font spec:
3509 like a font object, and unlike a font spec, it refers to a single,
3510 specific font. Unlike a font object, creating a font entity does not
3511 load the contents of that font into computer memory. Emacs may open
3512 multiple font objects of different sizes from a single font entity
3513 referring to a scalable font.
3515 @defun find-font font-spec &optional frame
3516 This function returns a font entity that best matches the font spec
3517 @var{font-spec} on frame @var{frame}. If @var{frame} is @code{nil},
3518 it defaults to the selected frame.
3521 @defun list-fonts font-spec &optional frame num prefer
3522 This function returns a list of all font entities that match the font
3523 spec @var{font-spec}.
3525 The optional argument @var{frame}, if non-@code{nil}, specifies the
3526 frame on which the fonts are to be displayed. The optional argument
3527 @var{num}, if non-@code{nil}, should be an integer that specifies the
3528 maximum length of the returned list. The optional argument
3529 @var{prefer}, if non-@code{nil}, should be another font spec, which is
3530 used to control the order of the returned list; the returned font
3531 entities are sorted in order of decreasing closeness to that font
3535 If you call @code{set-face-attribute} and pass a font spec, font
3536 entity, or font name string as the value of the @code{:font}
3537 attribute, Emacs opens the best matching font that is available
3538 for display. It then stores the corresponding font object as the
3539 actual value of the @code{:font} attribute for that face.
3541 The following functions can be used to obtain information about a
3542 font. For these functions, the @var{font} argument can be a font
3543 object, a font entity, or a font spec.
3545 @defun font-get font property
3546 This function returns the value of the font property @var{property}
3549 If @var{font} is a font spec and the font spec does not specify
3550 @var{property}, the return value is @code{nil}. If @var{font} is a
3551 font object or font entity, the value for the @var{:script} property
3552 may be a list of scripts supported by the font.
3555 @defun font-face-attributes font &optional frame
3556 This function returns a list of face attributes corresponding to
3557 @var{font}. The optional argument @var{frame} specifies the frame on
3558 which the font is to be displayed. If it is @code{nil}, the selected
3559 frame is used. The return value has the form
3562 (:family @var{family} :height @var{height} :weight @var{weight}
3563 :slant @var{slant} :width @var{width})
3566 where the values of @var{family}, @var{height}, @var{weight},
3567 @var{slant}, and @var{width} are face attribute values. Some of these
3568 key-attribute pairs may be omitted from the list if they are not
3569 specified by @var{font}.
3572 @defun font-xlfd-name font &optional fold-wildcards
3573 This function returns the XLFD (X Logical Font Descriptor), a string,
3574 matching @var{font}. @xref{Fonts,,, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}, for
3575 information about XLFDs. If the name is too long for an XLFD (which
3576 can contain at most 255 characters), the function returns @code{nil}.
3578 If the optional argument @var{fold-wildcards} is non-@code{nil},
3579 consecutive wildcards in the XLFD are folded into one.
3582 The following two functions return important information about a font.
3584 @defun font-info name &optional frame
3585 This function returns information about a font specified by its
3586 @var{name}, a string, as it is used on @var{frame}. If @var{frame} is
3587 omitted or @code{nil}, it defaults to the selected frame.
3589 The value returned by the function is a vector of the form
3590 @code{[@var{opened-name} @var{full-name} @var{size} @var{height}
3591 @var{baseline-offset} @var{relative-compose} @var{default-ascent}
3592 @var{max-width} @var{ascent} @var{descent} @var{space-width}
3593 @var{average-width} @var{filename} @var{capability}]}. Here's the
3594 description of each components of this vector:
3598 The name used to open the font, a string.
3601 The full name of the font, a string.
3604 The pixel size of the font.
3607 The height of the font in pixels.
3609 @item baseline-offset
3610 The offset in pixels from the @acronym{ASCII} baseline, positive
3613 @item relative-compose
3614 @itemx default-ascent
3615 Numbers controlling how to compose characters.
3619 The ascent and descent of this font. The sum of these two numbers
3620 should be equal to the value of @var{height} above.
3623 The width, in pixels, of the font's space character.
3626 The average width of the font characters. If this is zero, Emacs uses
3627 the value of @var{space-width} instead, when it calculates text layout
3631 The file name of the font as a string. This can be @code{nil} if the
3632 font back-end does not provide a way to find out the font's file name.
3635 A list whose first element is a symbol representing the font type, one
3636 of @code{x}, @code{opentype}, @code{truetype}, @code{type1},
3637 @code{pcf}, or @code{bdf}. For OpenType fonts, the list includes 2
3638 additional elements describing the @sc{gsub} and @sc{gpos} features
3639 supported by the font. Each of these elements is a list of the form
3640 @code{((@var{script} (@var{langsys} @var{feature} @dots{}) @dots{})
3641 @dots{})}, where @var{script} is a symbol representing an OpenType
3642 script tag, @var{langsys} is a symbol representing an OpenType langsys
3643 tag (or @code{nil}, which stands for the default langsys), and each
3644 @var{feature} is a symbol representing an OpenType feature tag.
3648 @defun query-font font-object
3649 This function returns information about a @var{font-object}. (This is
3650 in contrast to @code{font-info}, which takes the font name, a string,
3653 The value returned by the function is a vector of the form
3654 @code{[@var{name} @var{filename} @var{pixel-size} @var{max-width}
3655 @var{ascent} @var{descent} @var{space-width} @var{average-width}
3656 @var{capability}]}. Here's the description of each components of this
3661 The font name, a string.
3664 The file name of the font as a string. This can be @code{nil} if the
3665 font back-end does not provide a way to find out the font's file name.
3668 The pixel size of the font used to open the font.
3671 The maximum advance width of the font.
3675 The ascent and descent of this font. The sum of these two numbers
3676 gives the font height.
3679 The width, in pixels, of the font's space character.
3682 The average width of the font characters. If this is zero, Emacs uses
3683 the value of @var{space-width} instead, when it calculates text layout
3687 A list whose first element is a symbol representing the font type, one
3688 of @code{x}, @code{opentype}, @code{truetype}, @code{type1},
3689 @code{pcf}, or @code{bdf}. For OpenType fonts, the list includes 2
3690 additional elements describing the @sc{gsub} and @sc{gpos} features
3691 supported by the font. Each of these elements is a list of the form
3692 @code{((@var{script} (@var{langsys} @var{feature} @dots{}) @dots{})
3693 @dots{})}, where @var{script} is a symbol representing an OpenType
3694 script tag, @var{langsys} is a symbol representing an OpenType langsys
3695 tag (or @code{nil}, which stands for the default langsys), and each
3696 @var{feature} is a symbol representing an OpenType feature tag.
3700 @cindex font information for layout
3701 The following four functions return size information about fonts used
3702 by various faces, allowing various layout considerations in Lisp
3703 programs. These functions take face remapping into consideration,
3704 returning information about the remapped face, if the face in question
3705 was remapped. @xref{Face Remapping}.
3707 @defun default-font-width
3708 This function returns the average width in pixels of the font used by
3709 the current buffer's default face.
3712 @defun default-font-height
3713 This function returns the height in pixels of the font used by the
3714 current buffer's default face.
3717 @defun window-font-width &optional window face
3718 This function returns the average width in pixels for the font used by
3719 @var{face} in @var{window}. The specified @var{window} must be a live
3720 window. If @code{nil} or omitted, @var{window} defaults to the
3721 selected window, and @var{face} defaults to the default face in
3725 @defun window-font-height &optional window face
3726 This function returns the height in pixels for the font used by
3727 @var{face} in @var{window}. The specified @var{window} must be a live
3728 window. If @code{nil} or omitted, @var{window} defaults to the
3729 selected window, and @var{face} defaults to the default face in
3737 On graphical displays, Emacs draws @dfn{fringes} next to each
3738 window: thin vertical strips down the sides which can display bitmaps
3739 indicating truncation, continuation, horizontal scrolling, and so on.
3742 * Fringe Size/Pos:: Specifying where to put the window fringes.
3743 * Fringe Indicators:: Displaying indicator icons in the window fringes.
3744 * Fringe Cursors:: Displaying cursors in the right fringe.
3745 * Fringe Bitmaps:: Specifying bitmaps for fringe indicators.
3746 * Customizing Bitmaps:: Specifying your own bitmaps to use in the fringes.
3747 * Overlay Arrow:: Display of an arrow to indicate position.
3750 @node Fringe Size/Pos
3751 @subsection Fringe Size and Position
3753 The following buffer-local variables control the position and width
3754 of fringes in windows showing that buffer.
3756 @defvar fringes-outside-margins
3757 The fringes normally appear between the display margins and the window
3758 text. If the value is non-@code{nil}, they appear outside the display
3759 margins. @xref{Display Margins}.
3762 @defvar left-fringe-width
3763 This variable, if non-@code{nil}, specifies the width of the left
3764 fringe in pixels. A value of @code{nil} means to use the left fringe
3765 width from the window's frame.
3768 @defvar right-fringe-width
3769 This variable, if non-@code{nil}, specifies the width of the right
3770 fringe in pixels. A value of @code{nil} means to use the right fringe
3771 width from the window's frame.
3774 Any buffer which does not specify values for these variables uses
3775 the values specified by the @code{left-fringe} and @code{right-fringe}
3776 frame parameters (@pxref{Layout Parameters}).
3778 The above variables actually take effect via the function
3779 @code{set-window-buffer} (@pxref{Buffers and Windows}), which calls
3780 @code{set-window-fringes} as a subroutine. If you change one of these
3781 variables, the fringe display is not updated in existing windows
3782 showing the buffer, unless you call @code{set-window-buffer} again in
3783 each affected window. You can also use @code{set-window-fringes} to
3784 control the fringe display in individual windows.
3786 @defun set-window-fringes window left &optional right outside-margins
3787 This function sets the fringe widths of window @var{window}.
3788 If @var{window} is @code{nil}, the selected window is used.
3790 The argument @var{left} specifies the width in pixels of the left
3791 fringe, and likewise @var{right} for the right fringe. A value of
3792 @code{nil} for either one stands for the default width. If
3793 @var{outside-margins} is non-@code{nil}, that specifies that fringes
3794 should appear outside of the display margins.
3797 @defun window-fringes &optional window
3798 This function returns information about the fringes of a window
3799 @var{window}. If @var{window} is omitted or @code{nil}, the selected
3800 window is used. The value has the form @code{(@var{left-width}
3801 @var{right-width} @var{outside-margins})}.
3805 @node Fringe Indicators
3806 @subsection Fringe Indicators
3807 @cindex fringe indicators
3808 @cindex indicators, fringe
3810 @dfn{Fringe indicators} are tiny icons displayed in the window
3811 fringe to indicate truncated or continued lines, buffer boundaries,
3814 @defopt indicate-empty-lines
3815 @cindex fringes, and empty line indication
3816 @cindex empty lines, indicating
3817 When this is non-@code{nil}, Emacs displays a special glyph in the
3818 fringe of each empty line at the end of the buffer, on graphical
3819 displays. @xref{Fringes}. This variable is automatically
3820 buffer-local in every buffer.
3823 @defopt indicate-buffer-boundaries
3824 @cindex buffer boundaries, indicating
3825 This buffer-local variable controls how the buffer boundaries and
3826 window scrolling are indicated in the window fringes.
3828 Emacs can indicate the buffer boundaries---that is, the first and last
3829 line in the buffer---with angle icons when they appear on the screen.
3830 In addition, Emacs can display an up-arrow in the fringe to show
3831 that there is text above the screen, and a down-arrow to show
3832 there is text below the screen.
3834 There are three kinds of basic values:
3838 Don't display any of these fringe icons.
3840 Display the angle icons and arrows in the left fringe.
3842 Display the angle icons and arrows in the right fringe.
3844 Display the angle icons in the left fringe
3845 and don't display the arrows.
3848 Otherwise the value should be an alist that specifies which fringe
3849 indicators to display and where. Each element of the alist should
3850 have the form @code{(@var{indicator} . @var{position})}. Here,
3851 @var{indicator} is one of @code{top}, @code{bottom}, @code{up},
3852 @code{down}, and @code{t} (which covers all the icons not yet
3853 specified), while @var{position} is one of @code{left}, @code{right}
3856 For example, @code{((top . left) (t . right))} places the top angle
3857 bitmap in left fringe, and the bottom angle bitmap as well as both
3858 arrow bitmaps in right fringe. To show the angle bitmaps in the left
3859 fringe, and no arrow bitmaps, use @code{((top . left) (bottom . left))}.
3862 @defvar fringe-indicator-alist
3863 This buffer-local variable specifies the mapping from logical fringe
3864 indicators to the actual bitmaps displayed in the window fringes. The
3865 value is an alist of elements @code{(@var{indicator}
3866 . @var{bitmaps})}, where @var{indicator} specifies a logical indicator
3867 type and @var{bitmaps} specifies the fringe bitmaps to use for that
3870 Each @var{indicator} should be one of the following symbols:
3873 @item @code{truncation}, @code{continuation}.
3874 Used for truncation and continuation lines.
3876 @item @code{up}, @code{down}, @code{top}, @code{bottom}, @code{top-bottom}
3877 Used when @code{indicate-buffer-boundaries} is non-@code{nil}:
3878 @code{up} and @code{down} indicate a buffer boundary lying above or
3879 below the window edge; @code{top} and @code{bottom} indicate the
3880 topmost and bottommost buffer text line; and @code{top-bottom}
3881 indicates where there is just one line of text in the buffer.
3883 @item @code{empty-line}
3884 Used to indicate empty lines when @code{indicate-empty-lines} is
3887 @item @code{overlay-arrow}
3888 Used for overlay arrows (@pxref{Overlay Arrow}).
3889 @c Is this used anywhere?
3890 @c @item Unknown bitmap indicator:
3894 Each @var{bitmaps} value may be a list of symbols @code{(@var{left}
3895 @var{right} [@var{left1} @var{right1}])}. The @var{left} and
3896 @var{right} symbols specify the bitmaps shown in the left and/or right
3897 fringe, for the specific indicator. @var{left1} and @var{right1} are
3898 specific to the @code{bottom} and @code{top-bottom} indicators, and
3899 are used to indicate that the last text line has no final newline.
3900 Alternatively, @var{bitmaps} may be a single symbol which is used in
3901 both left and right fringes.
3903 @xref{Fringe Bitmaps}, for a list of standard bitmap symbols and how
3904 to define your own. In addition, @code{nil} represents the empty
3905 bitmap (i.e., an indicator that is not shown).
3907 When @code{fringe-indicator-alist} has a buffer-local value, and
3908 there is no bitmap defined for a logical indicator, or the bitmap is
3909 @code{t}, the corresponding value from the default value of
3910 @code{fringe-indicator-alist} is used.
3913 @node Fringe Cursors
3914 @subsection Fringe Cursors
3915 @cindex fringe cursors
3916 @cindex cursor, fringe
3918 When a line is exactly as wide as the window, Emacs displays the
3919 cursor in the right fringe instead of using two lines. Different
3920 bitmaps are used to represent the cursor in the fringe depending on
3921 the current buffer's cursor type.
3923 @defopt overflow-newline-into-fringe
3924 If this is non-@code{nil}, lines exactly as wide as the window (not
3925 counting the final newline character) are not continued. Instead,
3926 when point is at the end of the line, the cursor appears in the right
3930 @defvar fringe-cursor-alist
3931 This variable specifies the mapping from logical cursor type to the
3932 actual fringe bitmaps displayed in the right fringe. The value is an
3933 alist where each element has the form @code{(@var{cursor-type}
3934 . @var{bitmap})}, which means to use the fringe bitmap @var{bitmap} to
3935 display cursors of type @var{cursor-type}.
3937 Each @var{cursor-type} should be one of @code{box}, @code{hollow},
3938 @code{bar}, @code{hbar}, or @code{hollow-small}. The first four have
3939 the same meanings as in the @code{cursor-type} frame parameter
3940 (@pxref{Cursor Parameters}). The @code{hollow-small} type is used
3941 instead of @code{hollow} when the normal @code{hollow-rectangle}
3942 bitmap is too tall to fit on a specific display line.
3944 Each @var{bitmap} should be a symbol specifying the fringe bitmap to
3945 be displayed for that logical cursor type.
3947 See the next subsection for details.
3950 @xref{Fringe Bitmaps}.
3953 @c FIXME: I can't find the fringes-indicator-alist variable. Maybe
3954 @c it should be fringe-indicator-alist or fringe-cursor-alist? --xfq
3955 When @code{fringe-cursor-alist} has a buffer-local value, and there is
3956 no bitmap defined for a cursor type, the corresponding value from the
3957 default value of @code{fringes-indicator-alist} is used.
3960 @node Fringe Bitmaps
3961 @subsection Fringe Bitmaps
3962 @cindex fringe bitmaps
3963 @cindex bitmaps, fringe
3965 The @dfn{fringe bitmaps} are the actual bitmaps which represent the
3966 logical fringe indicators for truncated or continued lines, buffer
3967 boundaries, overlay arrows, etc. Each bitmap is represented by a
3970 These symbols are referred to by the variables
3971 @code{fringe-indicator-alist} and @code{fringe-cursor-alist},
3972 described in the previous subsections.
3975 These symbols are referred to by the variable
3976 @code{fringe-indicator-alist}, which maps fringe indicators to bitmaps
3977 (@pxref{Fringe Indicators}), and the variable
3978 @code{fringe-cursor-alist}, which maps fringe cursors to bitmaps
3979 (@pxref{Fringe Cursors}).
3982 Lisp programs can also directly display a bitmap in the left or
3983 right fringe, by using a @code{display} property for one of the
3984 characters appearing in the line (@pxref{Other Display Specs}). Such
3985 a display specification has the form
3988 (@var{fringe} @var{bitmap} [@var{face}])
3992 @var{fringe} is either the symbol @code{left-fringe} or
3993 @code{right-fringe}. @var{bitmap} is a symbol identifying the bitmap
3994 to display. The optional @var{face} names a face whose foreground
3995 color is used to display the bitmap; this face is automatically merged
3996 with the @code{fringe} face.
3998 Here is a list of the standard fringe bitmaps defined in Emacs, and
3999 how they are currently used in Emacs (via
4000 @code{fringe-indicator-alist} and @code{fringe-cursor-alist}):
4003 @item @code{left-arrow}, @code{right-arrow}
4004 Used to indicate truncated lines.
4006 @item @code{left-curly-arrow}, @code{right-curly-arrow}
4007 Used to indicate continued lines.
4009 @item @code{right-triangle}, @code{left-triangle}
4010 The former is used by overlay arrows. The latter is unused.
4012 @item @code{up-arrow}, @code{down-arrow}, @code{top-left-angle} @code{top-right-angle}
4013 @itemx @code{bottom-left-angle}, @code{bottom-right-angle}
4014 @itemx @code{top-right-angle}, @code{top-left-angle}
4015 @itemx @code{left-bracket}, @code{right-bracket}, @code{top-right-angle}, @code{top-left-angle}
4016 Used to indicate buffer boundaries.
4018 @item @code{filled-rectangle}, @code{hollow-rectangle}
4019 @itemx @code{filled-square}, @code{hollow-square}
4020 @itemx @code{vertical-bar}, @code{horizontal-bar}
4021 Used for different types of fringe cursors.
4023 @item @code{empty-line}, @code{exclamation-mark}, @code{question-mark}, @code{exclamation-mark}
4024 Not used by core Emacs features.
4028 The next subsection describes how to define your own fringe bitmaps.
4030 @defun fringe-bitmaps-at-pos &optional pos window
4031 This function returns the fringe bitmaps of the display line
4032 containing position @var{pos} in window @var{window}. The return
4033 value has the form @code{(@var{left} @var{right} @var{ov})}, where @var{left}
4034 is the symbol for the fringe bitmap in the left fringe (or @code{nil}
4035 if no bitmap), @var{right} is similar for the right fringe, and @var{ov}
4036 is non-@code{nil} if there is an overlay arrow in the left fringe.
4038 The value is @code{nil} if @var{pos} is not visible in @var{window}.
4039 If @var{window} is @code{nil}, that stands for the selected window.
4040 If @var{pos} is @code{nil}, that stands for the value of point in
4044 @node Customizing Bitmaps
4045 @subsection Customizing Fringe Bitmaps
4046 @cindex fringe bitmaps, customizing
4048 @defun define-fringe-bitmap bitmap bits &optional height width align
4049 This function defines the symbol @var{bitmap} as a new fringe bitmap,
4050 or replaces an existing bitmap with that name.
4052 The argument @var{bits} specifies the image to use. It should be
4053 either a string or a vector of integers, where each element (an
4054 integer) corresponds to one row of the bitmap. Each bit of an integer
4055 corresponds to one pixel of the bitmap, where the low bit corresponds
4056 to the rightmost pixel of the bitmap.
4058 The height is normally the length of @var{bits}. However, you
4059 can specify a different height with non-@code{nil} @var{height}. The width
4060 is normally 8, but you can specify a different width with non-@code{nil}
4061 @var{width}. The width must be an integer between 1 and 16.
4063 The argument @var{align} specifies the positioning of the bitmap
4064 relative to the range of rows where it is used; the default is to
4065 center the bitmap. The allowed values are @code{top}, @code{center},
4068 The @var{align} argument may also be a list @code{(@var{align}
4069 @var{periodic})} where @var{align} is interpreted as described above.
4070 If @var{periodic} is non-@code{nil}, it specifies that the rows in
4071 @code{bits} should be repeated enough times to reach the specified
4075 @defun destroy-fringe-bitmap bitmap
4076 This function destroy the fringe bitmap identified by @var{bitmap}.
4077 If @var{bitmap} identifies a standard fringe bitmap, it actually
4078 restores the standard definition of that bitmap, instead of
4079 eliminating it entirely.
4082 @defun set-fringe-bitmap-face bitmap &optional face
4083 This sets the face for the fringe bitmap @var{bitmap} to @var{face}.
4084 If @var{face} is @code{nil}, it selects the @code{fringe} face. The
4085 bitmap's face controls the color to draw it in.
4087 @var{face} is merged with the @code{fringe} face, so normally
4088 @var{face} should specify only the foreground color.
4092 @subsection The Overlay Arrow
4093 @c @cindex overlay arrow Duplicates variable names
4095 The @dfn{overlay arrow} is useful for directing the user's attention
4096 to a particular line in a buffer. For example, in the modes used for
4097 interface to debuggers, the overlay arrow indicates the line of code
4098 about to be executed. This feature has nothing to do with
4099 @dfn{overlays} (@pxref{Overlays}).
4101 @defvar overlay-arrow-string
4102 This variable holds the string to display to call attention to a
4103 particular line, or @code{nil} if the arrow feature is not in use.
4104 On a graphical display the contents of the string are ignored; instead a
4105 glyph is displayed in the fringe area to the left of the display area.
4108 @defvar overlay-arrow-position
4109 This variable holds a marker that indicates where to display the overlay
4110 arrow. It should point at the beginning of a line. On a non-graphical
4111 display the arrow text
4112 appears at the beginning of that line, overlaying any text that would
4113 otherwise appear. Since the arrow is usually short, and the line
4114 usually begins with indentation, normally nothing significant is
4117 The overlay-arrow string is displayed in any given buffer if the value
4118 of @code{overlay-arrow-position} in that buffer points into that
4119 buffer. Thus, it is possible to display multiple overlay arrow strings
4120 by creating buffer-local bindings of @code{overlay-arrow-position}.
4121 However, it is usually cleaner to use
4122 @code{overlay-arrow-variable-list} to achieve this result.
4123 @c !!! overlay-arrow-position: but the overlay string may remain in the display
4124 @c of some other buffer until an update is required. This should be fixed
4128 You can do a similar job by creating an overlay with a
4129 @code{before-string} property. @xref{Overlay Properties}.
4131 You can define multiple overlay arrows via the variable
4132 @code{overlay-arrow-variable-list}.
4134 @defvar overlay-arrow-variable-list
4135 This variable's value is a list of variables, each of which specifies
4136 the position of an overlay arrow. The variable
4137 @code{overlay-arrow-position} has its normal meaning because it is on
4141 Each variable on this list can have properties
4142 @code{overlay-arrow-string} and @code{overlay-arrow-bitmap} that
4143 specify an overlay arrow string (for text terminals) or fringe bitmap
4144 (for graphical terminals) to display at the corresponding overlay
4145 arrow position. If either property is not set, the default
4146 @code{overlay-arrow-string} or @code{overlay-arrow} fringe indicator
4151 @section Scroll Bars
4154 Normally the frame parameter @code{vertical-scroll-bars} controls
4155 whether the windows in the frame have vertical scroll bars, and whether
4156 they are on the left or right. The frame parameter
4157 @code{scroll-bar-width} specifies how wide they are (@code{nil} meaning
4160 The frame parameter @code{horizontal-scroll-bars} controls whether
4161 the windows in the frame have horizontal scroll bars. The frame
4162 parameter @code{scroll-bar-height} specifies how high they are
4163 (@code{nil} meaning the default). @xref{Layout Parameters}.
4165 @vindex horizontal-scroll-bars-available-p
4166 Horizontal scroll bars are not available on all platforms. The
4167 function @code{horizontal-scroll-bars-available-p} which takes no
4168 argument returns non-@code{nil} if they are available on your system.
4170 The following three functions take as argument a live frame which
4171 defaults to the selected one.
4173 @defun frame-current-scroll-bars &optional frame
4174 This function reports the scroll bar types for frame @var{frame}. The
4175 value is a cons cell @code{(@var{vertical-type} .@:
4176 @var{horizontal-type})}, where @var{vertical-type} is either
4177 @code{left}, @code{right}, or @code{nil} (which means no vertical scroll
4178 bar.) @var{horizontal-type} is either @code{bottom} or @code{nil}
4179 (which means no horizontal scroll bar).
4182 @defun frame-scroll-bar-width &optional frame
4183 This function returns the width of vertical scroll bars of @var{frame}
4187 @defun frame-scroll-bar-height &optional frame
4188 This function returns the height of horizontal scroll bars of
4189 @var{frame} in pixels.
4192 You can override the frame specific settings for individual windows by
4193 using the following function:
4195 @defun set-window-scroll-bars window &optional width vertical-type height horizontal-type
4196 This function sets the width and/or height and the types of scroll bars
4197 for window @var{window}.
4199 @var{width} specifies the width of the vertical scroll bar in pixels
4200 (@code{nil} means use the width specified for the frame).
4201 @var{vertical-type} specifies whether to have a vertical scroll bar and,
4202 if so, where. The possible values are @code{left}, @code{right},
4203 @code{t}, which means to use the frame's default, and @code{nil} for no
4204 vertical scroll bar.
4206 @var{height} specifies the height of the horizontal scroll bar in pixels
4207 (@code{nil} means use the height specified for the frame).
4208 @var{horizontal-type} specifies whether to have a horizontal scroll bar.
4209 The possible values are @code{bottom}, @code{t}, which means to use the
4210 frame's default, and @code{nil} for no horizontal scroll bar.
4212 If @var{window} is @code{nil}, the selected window is used.
4215 The following four functions take as argument a live window which
4216 defaults to the selected one.
4218 @defun window-scroll-bars &optional window
4219 This function returns a list of the form @code{(@var{width}
4220 @var{columns} @var{vertical-type} @var{height} @var{lines}
4221 @var{horizontal-type})}.
4223 The value @var{width} is the value that was specified for the width of
4224 the vertical scroll bar (which may be @code{nil}); @var{columns} is the
4225 (possibly rounded) number of columns that the vertical scroll bar
4228 The value @var{height} is the value that was specified for the height of
4229 the horizontal scroll bar (which may be @code{nil}); @var{lines} is the
4230 (possibly rounded) number of lines that the horizontally scroll bar
4234 @defun window-current-scroll-bars &optional window
4235 This function reports the scroll bar type for window @var{window}. The
4236 value is a cons cell @code{(@var{vertical-type} .@:
4237 @var{horizontal-type})}. Unlike @code{window-scroll-bars}, this reports
4238 the scroll bar type actually used, once frame defaults and
4239 @code{scroll-bar-mode} are taken into account.
4242 @defun window-scroll-bar-width &optional window
4243 This function returns the width in pixels of @var{window}'s vertical
4247 @defun window-scroll-bar-height &optional window
4248 This function returns the height in pixels of @var{window}'s horizontal
4252 If you don't specify these values for a window with
4253 @code{set-window-scroll-bars}, the buffer-local variables
4254 @code{vertical-scroll-bar}, @code{horizontal-scroll-bar},
4255 @code{scroll-bar-width} and @code{scroll-bar-height} in the buffer being
4256 displayed control the window's scroll bars. The function
4257 @code{set-window-buffer} examines these variables. If you change them
4258 in a buffer that is already visible in a window, you can make the window
4259 take note of the new values by calling @code{set-window-buffer}
4260 specifying the same buffer that is already displayed.
4262 You can control the appearance of scroll bars for a particular buffer by
4263 setting the following variables which automatically become buffer-local
4266 @defvar vertical-scroll-bar
4267 This variable specifies the location of the vertical scroll bar. The
4268 possible values are @code{left}, @code{right}, @code{t}, which means to
4269 use the frame's default, and @code{nil} for no scroll bar.
4272 @defvar horizontal-scroll-bar
4273 This variable specifies the location of the horizontal scroll bar. The
4274 possible values are @code{bottom}, @code{t}, which means to use the
4275 frame's default, and @code{nil} for no scroll bar.
4278 @defvar scroll-bar-width
4279 This variable specifies the width of the buffer's vertical scroll bars,
4280 measured in pixels. A value of @code{nil} means to use the value
4281 specified by the frame.
4284 @defvar scroll-bar-height
4285 This variable specifies the height of the buffer's horizontal scroll
4286 bar, measured in pixels. A value of @code{nil} means to use the value
4287 specified by the frame.
4290 Finally you can toggle the display of scroll bars on all frames by
4291 customizing the variables @code{scroll-bar-mode} and
4292 @code{horizontal-scroll-bar-mode}.
4294 @defopt scroll-bar-mode
4295 This variable controls whether and where to put vertical scroll bars in
4296 all frames. The possible values are @code{nil} for no scroll bars,
4297 @code{left} to put scroll bars on the left and @code{right} to put
4298 scroll bars on the right.
4301 @defopt horizontal-scroll-bar-mode
4302 This variable controls whether to display horizontal scroll bars on all
4307 @node Window Dividers
4308 @section Window Dividers
4309 @cindex window dividers
4310 @cindex right dividers
4311 @cindex bottom dividers
4313 Window dividers are bars drawn between a frame's windows. A right
4314 divider is drawn between a window and any adjacent windows on the right.
4315 Its width (thickness) is specified by the frame parameter
4316 @code{right-divider-width}. A bottom divider is drawn between a
4317 window and adjacent windows on the bottom or the echo area. Its width
4318 is specified by the frame parameter @code{bottom-divider-width}. In
4319 either case, specifying a width of zero means to not draw such dividers.
4320 @xref{Layout Parameters}.
4322 Technically, a right divider belongs to the window on its left,
4323 which means that its width contributes to the total width of that
4324 window. A bottom divider belongs to the window above it, which
4325 means that its width contributes to the total height of that window.
4326 @xref{Window Sizes}. When a window has both, a right and a bottom
4327 divider, the bottom divider prevails. This means that a bottom
4328 divider is drawn over the full total width of its window while the right
4329 divider ends above the bottom divider.
4331 Dividers can be dragged with the mouse and are therefore useful for
4332 adjusting the sizes of adjacent windows with the mouse. They also serve
4333 to visually set apart adjacent windows when no scroll bars or mode lines
4334 are present. The following three faces allow the customization of the
4335 appearance of dividers:
4338 @item window-divider
4339 When a divider is less than three pixels wide, it is drawn solidly with
4340 the foreground of this face. For larger dividers this face is used for
4341 the inner part only, excluding the first and last pixel.
4343 @item window-divider-first-pixel
4344 This is the face used for drawing the first pixel of a divider that is
4345 at least three pixels wide. To obtain a solid appearance, set this to
4346 the same value used for the @code{window-divider} face.
4348 @item window-divider-last-pixel
4349 This is the face used for drawing the last pixel of a divider that is at
4350 least three pixels wide. To obtain a solid appearance, set this to the
4351 same value used for the @code{window-divider} face.
4354 You can get the sizes of the dividers of a specific window with the
4355 following two functions.
4357 @defun window-right-divider-width &optional window
4358 Return the width (thickness) in pixels of @var{window}'s right divider.
4359 @var{window} must be a live window and defaults to the selected one.
4360 The return value is always zero for a rightmost window.
4363 @defun window-bottom-divider-width &optional window
4364 Return the width (thickness) in pixels of @var{window}'s bottom divider.
4365 @var{window} must be a live window and defaults to the selected one.
4366 The return value is zero for the minibuffer window or a bottommost
4367 window on a minibuffer-less frame.
4371 @node Display Property
4372 @section The @code{display} Property
4373 @cindex display specification
4374 @kindex display @r{(text property)}
4376 The @code{display} text property (or overlay property) is used to
4377 insert images into text, and to control other aspects of how text
4378 displays. The value of the @code{display} property should be a
4379 display specification, or a list or vector containing several display
4380 specifications. Display specifications in the same @code{display}
4381 property value generally apply in parallel to the text they cover.
4383 If several sources (overlays and/or a text property) specify values
4384 for the @code{display} property, only one of the values takes effect,
4385 following the rules of @code{get-char-property}. @xref{Examining
4388 The rest of this section describes several kinds of
4389 display specifications and what they mean.
4392 * Replacing Specs:: Display specs that replace the text.
4393 * Specified Space:: Displaying one space with a specified width.
4394 * Pixel Specification:: Specifying space width or height in pixels.
4395 * Other Display Specs:: Displaying an image; adjusting the height,
4396 spacing, and other properties of text.
4397 * Display Margins:: Displaying text or images to the side of the main text.
4400 @node Replacing Specs
4401 @subsection Display Specs That Replace The Text
4402 @cindex replacing display specs
4404 Some kinds of display specifications specify something to display
4405 instead of the text that has the property. These are called
4406 @dfn{replacing} display specifications. Emacs does not allow the user
4407 to interactively move point into the middle of buffer text that is
4408 replaced in this way.
4410 If a list of display specifications includes more than one replacing
4411 display specification, the first overrides the rest. Replacing
4412 display specifications make most other display specifications
4413 irrelevant, since those don't apply to the replacement.
4415 For replacing display specifications, @dfn{the text that has the
4416 property} means all the consecutive characters that have the same
4417 Lisp object as their @code{display} property; these characters are
4418 replaced as a single unit. If two characters have different Lisp
4419 objects as their @code{display} properties (i.e., objects which are
4420 not @code{eq}), they are handled separately.
4422 Here is an example which illustrates this point. A string serves as
4423 a replacing display specification, which replaces the text that has
4424 the property with the specified string (@pxref{Other Display Specs}).
4425 Consider the following function:
4430 (let ((string (concat "A"))
4431 (start (+ i i (point-min))))
4432 (put-text-property start (1+ start) 'display string)
4433 (put-text-property start (+ 2 start) 'display string))))
4437 This function gives each of the first ten characters in the buffer a
4438 @code{display} property which is a string @code{"A"}, but they don't
4439 all get the same string object. The first two characters get the same
4440 string object, so they are replaced with one @samp{A}; the fact that
4441 the display property was assigned in two separate calls to
4442 @code{put-text-property} is irrelevant. Similarly, the next two
4443 characters get a second string (@code{concat} creates a new string
4444 object), so they are replaced with one @samp{A}; and so on. Thus, the
4445 ten characters appear as five A's.
4447 @node Specified Space
4448 @subsection Specified Spaces
4449 @cindex spaces, specified height or width
4450 @cindex variable-width spaces
4452 To display a space of specified width and/or height, use a display
4453 specification of the form @code{(space . @var{props})}, where
4454 @var{props} is a property list (a list of alternating properties and
4455 values). You can put this property on one or more consecutive
4456 characters; a space of the specified height and width is displayed in
4457 place of @emph{all} of those characters. These are the properties you
4458 can use in @var{props} to specify the weight of the space:
4461 @item :width @var{width}
4462 If @var{width} is a number, it specifies
4463 that the space width should be @var{width} times the normal character
4464 width. @var{width} can also be a @dfn{pixel width} specification
4465 (@pxref{Pixel Specification}).
4467 @item :relative-width @var{factor}
4468 Specifies that the width of the stretch should be computed from the
4469 first character in the group of consecutive characters that have the
4470 same @code{display} property. The space width is the pixel width of
4471 that character, multiplied by @var{factor}. (On text-mode terminals,
4472 the ``pixel width'' of a character is usually 1, but it could be more
4473 for TABs and double-width CJK characters.)
4475 @item :align-to @var{hpos}
4476 Specifies that the space should be wide enough to reach @var{hpos}.
4477 If @var{hpos} is a number, it is measured in units of the normal
4478 character width. @var{hpos} can also be a @dfn{pixel width}
4479 specification (@pxref{Pixel Specification}).
4482 You should use one and only one of the above properties. You can
4483 also specify the height of the space, with these properties:
4486 @item :height @var{height}
4487 Specifies the height of the space.
4488 If @var{height} is a number, it specifies
4489 that the space height should be @var{height} times the normal character
4490 height. The @var{height} may also be a @dfn{pixel height} specification
4491 (@pxref{Pixel Specification}).
4493 @item :relative-height @var{factor}
4494 Specifies the height of the space, multiplying the ordinary height
4495 of the text having this display specification by @var{factor}.
4497 @item :ascent @var{ascent}
4498 If the value of @var{ascent} is a non-negative number no greater than
4499 100, it specifies that @var{ascent} percent of the height of the space
4500 should be considered as the ascent of the space---that is, the part
4501 above the baseline. The ascent may also be specified in pixel units
4502 with a @dfn{pixel ascent} specification (@pxref{Pixel Specification}).
4506 Don't use both @code{:height} and @code{:relative-height} together.
4508 The @code{:width} and @code{:align-to} properties are supported on
4509 non-graphic terminals, but the other space properties in this section
4512 Note that space properties are treated as paragraph separators for
4513 the purposes of reordering bidirectional text for display.
4514 @xref{Bidirectional Display}, for the details.
4516 @node Pixel Specification
4517 @subsection Pixel Specification for Spaces
4518 @cindex spaces, pixel specification
4520 The value of the @code{:width}, @code{:align-to}, @code{:height},
4521 and @code{:ascent} properties can be a special kind of expression that
4522 is evaluated during redisplay. The result of the evaluation is used
4523 as an absolute number of pixels.
4525 The following expressions are supported:
4529 @var{expr} ::= @var{num} | (@var{num}) | @var{unit} | @var{elem} | @var{pos} | @var{image} | @var{form}
4530 @var{num} ::= @var{integer} | @var{float} | @var{symbol}
4531 @var{unit} ::= in | mm | cm | width | height
4534 @var{elem} ::= left-fringe | right-fringe | left-margin | right-margin
4536 @var{pos} ::= left | center | right
4537 @var{form} ::= (@var{num} . @var{expr}) | (@var{op} @var{expr} ...)
4542 The form @var{num} specifies a fraction of the default frame font
4543 height or width. The form @code{(@var{num})} specifies an absolute
4544 number of pixels. If @var{num} is a symbol, @var{symbol}, its
4545 buffer-local variable binding is used.
4547 The @code{in}, @code{mm}, and @code{cm} units specify the number of
4548 pixels per inch, millimeter, and centimeter, respectively. The
4549 @code{width} and @code{height} units correspond to the default width
4550 and height of the current face. An image specification @code{image}
4551 corresponds to the width or height of the image.
4553 The elements @code{left-fringe}, @code{right-fringe},
4554 @code{left-margin}, @code{right-margin}, @code{scroll-bar}, and
4555 @code{text} specify to the width of the corresponding area of the
4558 The @code{left}, @code{center}, and @code{right} positions can be
4559 used with @code{:align-to} to specify a position relative to the left
4560 edge, center, or right edge of the text area.
4562 Any of the above window elements (except @code{text}) can also be
4563 used with @code{:align-to} to specify that the position is relative to
4564 the left edge of the given area. Once the base offset for a relative
4565 position has been set (by the first occurrence of one of these
4566 symbols), further occurrences of these symbols are interpreted as the
4567 width of the specified area. For example, to align to the center of
4568 the left-margin, use
4571 :align-to (+ left-margin (0.5 . left-margin))
4574 If no specific base offset is set for alignment, it is always relative
4575 to the left edge of the text area. For example, @samp{:align-to 0} in a
4576 header-line aligns with the first text column in the text area.
4578 A value of the form @code{(@var{num} . @var{expr})} stands for the
4579 product of the values of @var{num} and @var{expr}. For example,
4580 @code{(2 . in)} specifies a width of 2 inches, while @code{(0.5 .
4581 @var{image})} specifies half the width (or height) of the specified
4584 The form @code{(+ @var{expr} ...)} adds up the value of the
4585 expressions. The form @code{(- @var{expr} ...)} negates or subtracts
4586 the value of the expressions.
4588 @node Other Display Specs
4589 @subsection Other Display Specifications
4591 Here are the other sorts of display specifications that you can use
4592 in the @code{display} text property.
4596 Display @var{string} instead of the text that has this property.
4598 Recursive display specifications are not supported---@var{string}'s
4599 @code{display} properties, if any, are not used.
4601 @item (image . @var{image-props})
4602 This kind of display specification is an image descriptor (@pxref{Images}).
4603 When used as a display specification, it means to display the image
4604 instead of the text that has the display specification.
4606 @item (slice @var{x} @var{y} @var{width} @var{height})
4607 This specification together with @code{image} specifies a @dfn{slice}
4608 (a partial area) of the image to display. The elements @var{y} and
4609 @var{x} specify the top left corner of the slice, within the image;
4610 @var{width} and @var{height} specify the width and height of the
4611 slice. Integers are numbers of pixels. A floating-point number
4612 in the range 0.0--1.0 stands for that fraction of the width or height
4613 of the entire image.
4615 @item ((margin nil) @var{string})
4616 A display specification of this form means to display @var{string}
4617 instead of the text that has the display specification, at the same
4618 position as that text. It is equivalent to using just @var{string},
4619 but it is done as a special case of marginal display (@pxref{Display
4622 @item (left-fringe @var{bitmap} @r{[}@var{face}@r{]})
4623 @itemx (right-fringe @var{bitmap} @r{[}@var{face}@r{]})
4624 This display specification on any character of a line of text causes
4625 the specified @var{bitmap} be displayed in the left or right fringes
4626 for that line, instead of the characters that have the display
4627 specification. The optional @var{face} specifies the colors to be
4628 used for the bitmap. @xref{Fringe Bitmaps}, for the details.
4630 @item (space-width @var{factor})
4631 This display specification affects all the space characters within the
4632 text that has the specification. It displays all of these spaces
4633 @var{factor} times as wide as normal. The element @var{factor} should
4634 be an integer or float. Characters other than spaces are not affected
4635 at all; in particular, this has no effect on tab characters.
4637 @item (height @var{height})
4638 This display specification makes the text taller or shorter.
4639 Here are the possibilities for @var{height}:
4642 @item @code{(+ @var{n})}
4643 @c FIXME: Add an index for "step"? --xfq
4644 This means to use a font that is @var{n} steps larger. A @dfn{step} is
4645 defined by the set of available fonts---specifically, those that match
4646 what was otherwise specified for this text, in all attributes except
4647 height. Each size for which a suitable font is available counts as
4648 another step. @var{n} should be an integer.
4650 @item @code{(- @var{n})}
4651 This means to use a font that is @var{n} steps smaller.
4653 @item a number, @var{factor}
4654 A number, @var{factor}, means to use a font that is @var{factor} times
4655 as tall as the default font.
4657 @item a symbol, @var{function}
4658 A symbol is a function to compute the height. It is called with the
4659 current height as argument, and should return the new height to use.
4661 @item anything else, @var{form}
4662 If the @var{height} value doesn't fit the previous possibilities, it is
4663 a form. Emacs evaluates it to get the new height, with the symbol
4664 @code{height} bound to the current specified font height.
4667 @item (raise @var{factor})
4668 This kind of display specification raises or lowers the text
4669 it applies to, relative to the baseline of the line. It is mainly
4670 meant to support display of subscripts and superscripts.
4672 The @var{factor} must be a number, which is interpreted as a multiple
4673 of the height of the affected text. If it is positive, that means to
4674 display the characters raised. If it is negative, that means to
4675 display them lower down.
4677 Note that if the text also has a @code{height} display specification,
4678 which was specified before (i.e.@: to the left of) @code{raise}, the
4679 latter will affect the amount of raising or lowering in pixels,
4680 because that is based on the height of the text being raised.
4681 Therefore, if you want to display a sub- or superscript that is
4682 smaller than the normal text height, consider specifying @code{raise}
4683 before @code{height}.
4686 @c We put all the '@code{(when ...)}' on one line to encourage
4687 @c makeinfo's end-of-sentence heuristics to DTRT. Previously, the dot
4688 @c was at eol; the info file ended up w/ two spaces rendered after it.
4689 You can make any display specification conditional. To do that,
4690 package it in another list of the form
4691 @code{(when @var{condition} . @var{spec})}.
4692 Then the specification @var{spec} applies only when
4693 @var{condition} evaluates to a non-@code{nil} value. During the
4694 evaluation, @code{object} is bound to the string or buffer having the
4695 conditional @code{display} property. @code{position} and
4696 @code{buffer-position} are bound to the position within @code{object}
4697 and the buffer position where the @code{display} property was found,
4698 respectively. Both positions can be different when @code{object} is a
4701 @node Display Margins
4702 @subsection Displaying in the Margins
4703 @cindex display margins
4704 @cindex margins, display
4706 A buffer can have blank areas called @dfn{display margins} on the
4707 left and on the right. Ordinary text never appears in these areas,
4708 but you can put things into the display margins using the
4709 @code{display} property. There is currently no way to make text or
4710 images in the margin mouse-sensitive.
4712 The way to display something in the margins is to specify it in a
4713 margin display specification in the @code{display} property of some
4714 text. This is a replacing display specification, meaning that the
4715 text you put it on does not get displayed; the margin display appears,
4716 but that text does not.
4718 A margin display specification looks like @code{((margin
4719 right-margin) @var{spec})} or @code{((margin left-margin) @var{spec})}.
4720 Here, @var{spec} is another display specification that says what to
4721 display in the margin. Typically it is a string of text to display,
4722 or an image descriptor.
4724 To display something in the margin @emph{in association with}
4725 certain buffer text, without altering or preventing the display of
4726 that text, put a @code{before-string} property on the text and put the
4727 margin display specification on the contents of the before-string.
4729 Before the display margins can display anything, you must give
4730 them a nonzero width. The usual way to do that is to set these
4733 @defvar left-margin-width
4734 This variable specifies the width of the left margin, in character
4735 cell (a.k.a.@: ``column'') units. It is buffer-local in all buffers.
4736 A value of @code{nil} means no left marginal area.
4739 @defvar right-margin-width
4740 This variable specifies the width of the right margin, in character
4741 cell units. It is buffer-local in all buffers. A value of @code{nil}
4742 means no right marginal area.
4745 Setting these variables does not immediately affect the window. These
4746 variables are checked when a new buffer is displayed in the window.
4747 Thus, you can make changes take effect by calling
4748 @code{set-window-buffer}.
4750 You can also set the margin widths immediately.
4752 @defun set-window-margins window left &optional right
4753 This function specifies the margin widths for window @var{window}, in
4754 character cell units. The argument @var{left} controls the left
4755 margin, and @var{right} controls the right margin (default @code{0}).
4758 @defun window-margins &optional window
4759 This function returns the width of the left and right margins of
4760 @var{window} as a cons cell of the form @w{@code{(@var{left}
4761 . @var{right})}}. If one of the two marginal areas does not exist,
4762 its width is returned as @code{nil}; if neither of the two margins exist,
4763 the function returns @code{(nil)}. If @var{window} is @code{nil}, the
4764 selected window is used.
4769 @cindex images in buffers
4771 To display an image in an Emacs buffer, you must first create an image
4772 descriptor, then use it as a display specifier in the @code{display}
4773 property of text that is displayed (@pxref{Display Property}).
4775 Emacs is usually able to display images when it is run on a
4776 graphical terminal. Images cannot be displayed in a text terminal, on
4777 certain graphical terminals that lack the support for this, or if
4778 Emacs is compiled without image support. You can use the function
4779 @code{display-images-p} to determine if images can in principle be
4780 displayed (@pxref{Display Feature Testing}).
4783 * Image Formats:: Supported image formats.
4784 * Image Descriptors:: How to specify an image for use in @code{:display}.
4785 * XBM Images:: Special features for XBM format.
4786 * XPM Images:: Special features for XPM format.
4787 * ImageMagick Images:: Special features available through ImageMagick.
4788 * SVG Images:: Creating and manipulating SVG images.
4789 * Other Image Types:: Various other formats are supported.
4790 * Defining Images:: Convenient ways to define an image for later use.
4791 * Showing Images:: Convenient ways to display an image once it is defined.
4792 * Multi-Frame Images:: Some images contain more than one frame.
4793 * Image Cache:: Internal mechanisms of image display.
4797 @subsection Image Formats
4798 @cindex image formats
4801 Emacs can display a number of different image formats. Some of
4802 these image formats are supported only if particular support libraries
4803 are installed. On some platforms, Emacs can load support libraries on
4804 demand; if so, the variable @code{dynamic-library-alist} can be used
4805 to modify the set of known names for these dynamic libraries.
4806 @xref{Dynamic Libraries}.
4808 Supported image formats (and the required support libraries) include
4809 PBM and XBM (which do not depend on support libraries and are always
4810 available), XPM (@code{libXpm}), GIF (@code{libgif} or
4811 @code{libungif}), JPEG (@code{libjpeg}), TIFF
4812 (@code{libtiff}), PNG (@code{libpng}), and SVG (@code{librsvg}).
4814 Each of these image formats is associated with an @dfn{image type
4815 symbol}. The symbols for the above formats are, respectively,
4816 @code{pbm}, @code{xbm}, @code{xpm}, @code{gif},
4817 @code{jpeg}, @code{tiff}, @code{png}, and @code{svg}.
4819 Furthermore, if you build Emacs with ImageMagick
4820 (@code{libMagickWand}) support, Emacs can display any image format
4821 that ImageMagick can. @xref{ImageMagick Images}. All images
4822 displayed via ImageMagick have type symbol @code{imagemagick}.
4825 This variable contains a list of type symbols for image formats which
4826 are potentially supported in the current configuration.
4828 ``Potentially'' means that Emacs knows about the image types, not
4829 necessarily that they can be used (for example, they could depend on
4830 unavailable dynamic libraries). To know which image types are really
4831 available, use @code{image-type-available-p}.
4834 @defun image-type-available-p type
4835 This function returns non-@code{nil} if images of type @var{type} can
4836 be loaded and displayed. @var{type} must be an image type symbol.
4838 For image types whose support libraries are statically linked, this
4839 function always returns @code{t}. For image types whose support
4840 libraries are dynamically loaded, it returns @code{t} if the library
4841 could be loaded and @code{nil} otherwise.
4844 @node Image Descriptors
4845 @subsection Image Descriptors
4846 @cindex image descriptor
4848 An @dfn{image descriptor} is a list which specifies the underlying
4849 data for an image, and how to display it. It is typically used as the
4850 value of a @code{display} overlay or text property (@pxref{Other
4851 Display Specs}); but @xref{Showing Images}, for convenient helper
4852 functions to insert images into buffers.
4854 Each image descriptor has the form @code{(image . @var{props})},
4855 where @var{props} is a property list of alternating keyword symbols
4856 and values, including at least the pair @code{:type @var{type}} that
4857 specifies the image type.
4859 The following is a list of properties that are meaningful for all
4860 image types (there are also properties which are meaningful only for
4861 certain image types, as documented in the following subsections):
4864 @item :type @var{type}
4867 @xref{Image Formats}.
4869 Every image descriptor must include this property.
4871 @item :file @var{file}
4872 This says to load the image from file @var{file}. If @var{file} is
4873 not an absolute file name, it is expanded in @code{data-directory}.
4875 @item :data @var{data}
4876 This specifies the raw image data. Each image descriptor must have
4877 either @code{:data} or @code{:file}, but not both.
4879 For most image types, the value of a @code{:data} property should be a
4880 string containing the image data. Some image types do not support
4881 @code{:data}; for some others, @code{:data} alone is not enough, so
4882 you need to use other image properties along with @code{:data}. See
4883 the following subsections for details.
4885 @item :margin @var{margin}
4886 This specifies how many pixels to add as an extra margin around the
4887 image. The value, @var{margin}, must be a non-negative number, or a
4888 pair @code{(@var{x} . @var{y})} of such numbers. If it is a pair,
4889 @var{x} specifies how many pixels to add horizontally, and @var{y}
4890 specifies how many pixels to add vertically. If @code{:margin} is not
4891 specified, the default is zero.
4893 @item :ascent @var{ascent}
4894 This specifies the amount of the image's height to use for its
4895 ascent---that is, the part above the baseline. The value,
4896 @var{ascent}, must be a number in the range 0 to 100, or the symbol
4899 If @var{ascent} is a number, that percentage of the image's height is
4900 used for its ascent.
4902 If @var{ascent} is @code{center}, the image is vertically centered
4903 around a centerline which would be the vertical centerline of text drawn
4904 at the position of the image, in the manner specified by the text
4905 properties and overlays that apply to the image.
4907 If this property is omitted, it defaults to 50.
4909 @item :relief @var{relief}
4910 This adds a shadow rectangle around the image. The value,
4911 @var{relief}, specifies the width of the shadow lines, in pixels. If
4912 @var{relief} is negative, shadows are drawn so that the image appears
4913 as a pressed button; otherwise, it appears as an unpressed button.
4915 @item :conversion @var{algorithm}
4916 This specifies a conversion algorithm that should be applied to the
4917 image before it is displayed; the value, @var{algorithm}, specifies
4923 Specifies the Laplace edge detection algorithm, which blurs out small
4924 differences in color while highlighting larger differences. People
4925 sometimes consider this useful for displaying the image for a
4928 @item (edge-detection :matrix @var{matrix} :color-adjust @var{adjust})
4929 @cindex edge detection, images
4930 Specifies a general edge-detection algorithm. @var{matrix} must be
4931 either a nine-element list or a nine-element vector of numbers. A pixel
4932 at position @math{x/y} in the transformed image is computed from
4933 original pixels around that position. @var{matrix} specifies, for each
4934 pixel in the neighborhood of @math{x/y}, a factor with which that pixel
4935 will influence the transformed pixel; element @math{0} specifies the
4936 factor for the pixel at @math{x-1/y-1}, element @math{1} the factor for
4937 the pixel at @math{x/y-1} etc., as shown below:
4940 $$\pmatrix{x-1/y-1 & x/y-1 & x+1/y-1 \cr
4941 x-1/y & x/y & x+1/y \cr
4942 x-1/y+1& x/y+1 & x+1/y+1 \cr}$$
4947 (x-1/y-1 x/y-1 x+1/y-1
4949 x-1/y+1 x/y+1 x+1/y+1)
4953 The resulting pixel is computed from the color intensity of the color
4954 resulting from summing up the RGB values of surrounding pixels,
4955 multiplied by the specified factors, and dividing that sum by the sum
4956 of the factors' absolute values.
4958 Laplace edge-detection currently uses a matrix of
4961 $$\pmatrix{1 & 0 & 0 \cr
4974 Emboss edge-detection uses a matrix of
4977 $$\pmatrix{ 2 & -1 & 0 \cr
4991 Specifies transforming the image so that it looks disabled.
4994 @item :mask @var{mask}
4995 If @var{mask} is @code{heuristic} or @code{(heuristic @var{bg})}, build
4996 a clipping mask for the image, so that the background of a frame is
4997 visible behind the image. If @var{bg} is not specified, or if @var{bg}
4998 is @code{t}, determine the background color of the image by looking at
4999 the four corners of the image, assuming the most frequently occurring
5000 color from the corners is the background color of the image. Otherwise,
5001 @var{bg} must be a list @code{(@var{red} @var{green} @var{blue})}
5002 specifying the color to assume for the background of the image.
5004 If @var{mask} is @code{nil}, remove a mask from the image, if it has
5005 one. Images in some formats include a mask which can be removed by
5006 specifying @code{:mask nil}.
5008 @item :pointer @var{shape}
5009 This specifies the pointer shape when the mouse pointer is over this
5010 image. @xref{Pointer Shape}, for available pointer shapes.
5012 @item :map @var{map}
5014 This associates an image map of @dfn{hot spots} with this image.
5016 An image map is an alist where each element has the format
5017 @code{(@var{area} @var{id} @var{plist})}. An @var{area} is specified
5018 as either a rectangle, a circle, or a polygon.
5020 A rectangle is a cons
5021 @code{(rect . ((@var{x0} . @var{y0}) . (@var{x1} . @var{y1})))}
5022 which specifies the pixel coordinates of the upper left and bottom right
5023 corners of the rectangle area.
5026 @code{(circle . ((@var{x0} . @var{y0}) . @var{r}))}
5027 which specifies the center and the radius of the circle; @var{r} may
5028 be a float or integer.
5031 @code{(poly . [@var{x0} @var{y0} @var{x1} @var{y1} ...])}
5032 where each pair in the vector describes one corner in the polygon.
5034 When the mouse pointer lies on a hot-spot area of an image, the
5035 @var{plist} of that hot-spot is consulted; if it contains a @code{help-echo}
5036 property, that defines a tool-tip for the hot-spot, and if it contains
5037 a @code{pointer} property, that defines the shape of the mouse cursor when
5038 it is on the hot-spot.
5039 @xref{Pointer Shape}, for available pointer shapes.
5041 When you click the mouse when the mouse pointer is over a hot-spot, an
5042 event is composed by combining the @var{id} of the hot-spot with the
5043 mouse event; for instance, @code{[area4 mouse-1]} if the hot-spot's
5044 @var{id} is @code{area4}.
5047 @defun image-mask-p spec &optional frame
5048 This function returns @code{t} if image @var{spec} has a mask bitmap.
5049 @var{frame} is the frame on which the image will be displayed.
5050 @var{frame} @code{nil} or omitted means to use the selected frame
5051 (@pxref{Input Focus}).
5055 @subsection XBM Images
5058 To use XBM format, specify @code{xbm} as the image type. This image
5059 format doesn't require an external library, so images of this type are
5062 Additional image properties supported for the @code{xbm} image type are:
5065 @item :foreground @var{foreground}
5066 The value, @var{foreground}, should be a string specifying the image
5067 foreground color, or @code{nil} for the default color. This color is
5068 used for each pixel in the XBM that is 1. The default is the frame's
5071 @item :background @var{background}
5072 The value, @var{background}, should be a string specifying the image
5073 background color, or @code{nil} for the default color. This color is
5074 used for each pixel in the XBM that is 0. The default is the frame's
5078 If you specify an XBM image using data within Emacs instead of an
5079 external file, use the following three properties:
5082 @item :data @var{data}
5083 The value, @var{data}, specifies the contents of the image.
5084 There are three formats you can use for @var{data}:
5088 A vector of strings or bool-vectors, each specifying one line of the
5089 image. Do specify @code{:height} and @code{:width}.
5092 A string containing the same byte sequence as an XBM file would contain.
5093 You must not specify @code{:height} and @code{:width} in this case,
5094 because omitting them is what indicates the data has the format of an
5095 XBM file. The file contents specify the height and width of the image.
5098 A string or a bool-vector containing the bits of the image (plus perhaps
5099 some extra bits at the end that will not be used). It should contain at
5100 least @var{width} * @code{height} bits. In this case, you must specify
5101 @code{:height} and @code{:width}, both to indicate that the string
5102 contains just the bits rather than a whole XBM file, and to specify the
5106 @item :width @var{width}
5107 The value, @var{width}, specifies the width of the image, in pixels.
5109 @item :height @var{height}
5110 The value, @var{height}, specifies the height of the image, in pixels.
5114 @subsection XPM Images
5117 To use XPM format, specify @code{xpm} as the image type. The
5118 additional image property @code{:color-symbols} is also meaningful with
5119 the @code{xpm} image type:
5122 @item :color-symbols @var{symbols}
5123 The value, @var{symbols}, should be an alist whose elements have the
5124 form @code{(@var{name} . @var{color})}. In each element, @var{name} is
5125 the name of a color as it appears in the image file, and @var{color}
5126 specifies the actual color to use for displaying that name.
5129 @node ImageMagick Images
5130 @subsection ImageMagick Images
5131 @cindex ImageMagick images
5132 @cindex images, support for more formats
5134 If your Emacs build has ImageMagick support, you can use the
5135 ImageMagick library to load many image formats (@pxref{File
5136 Conveniences,,, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}). The image type symbol
5137 for images loaded via ImageMagick is @code{imagemagick}, regardless of
5138 the actual underlying image format.
5140 To check for ImageMagick support, use the following:
5143 (image-type-available-p 'imagemagick)
5146 @defun imagemagick-types
5147 This function returns a list of image file extensions supported by the
5148 current ImageMagick installation. Each list element is a symbol
5149 representing an internal ImageMagick name for an image type, such as
5150 @code{BMP} for @file{.bmp} images.
5153 @defopt imagemagick-enabled-types
5154 The value of this variable is a list of ImageMagick image types which
5155 Emacs may attempt to render using ImageMagick. Each list element
5156 should be one of the symbols in the list returned by
5157 @code{imagemagick-types}, or an equivalent string. Alternatively, a
5158 value of @code{t} enables ImageMagick for all possible image types.
5159 Regardless of the value of this variable,
5160 @code{imagemagick-types-inhibit} (see below) takes precedence.
5163 @defopt imagemagick-types-inhibit
5164 The value of this variable lists the ImageMagick image types which
5165 should never be rendered using ImageMagick, regardless of the value of
5166 @code{imagemagick-enabled-types}. A value of @code{t} disables
5167 ImageMagick entirely.
5170 @defvar image-format-suffixes
5171 This variable is an alist mapping image types to file name extensions.
5172 Emacs uses this in conjunction with the @code{:format} image property
5173 (see below) to give a hint to the ImageMagick library as to the type
5174 of an image. Each element has the form @code{(@var{type}
5175 @var{extension})}, where @var{type} is a symbol specifying an image
5176 content-type, and @var{extension} is a string that specifies the
5177 associated file name extension.
5180 Images loaded with ImageMagick support the following additional
5181 image descriptor properties:
5184 @item :background @var{background}
5185 @var{background}, if non-@code{nil}, should be a string specifying a
5186 color, which is used as the image's background color if the image
5187 supports transparency. If the value is @code{nil}, it defaults to the
5188 frame's background color.
5190 @item :width @var{width}, :height @var{height}
5191 The @code{:width} and @code{:height} keywords are used for scaling the
5192 image. If only one of them is specified, the other one will be
5193 calculated so as to preserve the aspect ratio. If both are specified,
5194 aspect ratio may not be preserved.
5196 @item :max-width @var{max-width}, :max-height @var{max-height}
5197 The @code{:max-width} and @code{:max-height} keywords are used for
5198 scaling if the size of the image of the image exceeds these values.
5199 If @code{:width} is set it will have precedence over @code{max-width},
5200 and if @code{:height} is set it will have precedence over
5201 @code{max-height}, but you can otherwise mix these keywords as you
5202 wish. @code{:max-width} and @code{:max-height} will always preserve
5205 @item :scale @var{scale}
5206 This should be a number, where values higher than 1 means to increase
5207 the size, and lower means to decrease the size. For instance, a value
5208 of 0.25 will make the image a quarter size of what it originally was.
5209 If the scaling makes the image larger than specified by
5210 @code{:max-width} or @code{:max-height}, the resulting size will not
5211 exceed those two values. If both @code{:scale} and
5212 @code{:height}/@code{:width} are specified, the height/width will be
5213 adjusted by the specified scaling factor.
5215 @item :format @var{type}
5216 The value, @var{type}, should be a symbol specifying the type of the
5217 image data, as found in @code{image-format-suffixes}. This is used
5218 when the image does not have an associated file name, to provide a
5219 hint to ImageMagick to help it detect the image type.
5221 @item :rotation @var{angle}
5222 Specifies a rotation angle in degrees.
5224 @item :index @var{frame}
5225 @c Doesn't work: http://debbugs.gnu.org/7978
5226 @xref{Multi-Frame Images}.
5230 @subsection SVG Images
5233 SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is an XML format for specifying images.
5234 If your Emacs build has with SVG support, you can create and manipulate
5235 these images with the following commands.
5237 @defun svg-create width height &rest args
5238 Create a new, empty SVG image with the specified dimensions.
5239 @var{args} is an argument plist with you can specify following:
5243 The default width (in pixels) of any lines created.
5246 The default stroke color on any lines created.
5249 This function returns an SVG structure, and all the following commands
5250 work on that structure.
5253 @defun svg-gradient svg id type stops
5254 Create a gradient in @var{svg} with identifier @var{id}. @var{type}
5255 specifies the gradient type, and can be either @code{linear} or
5256 @code{radial}. @var{stops} is a list of percentage/color pairs.
5258 The following will create a linear gradient that goes from red at the
5259 start, to green 25% of the way, to blue at the end:
5262 (svg-gradient svg "gradient1" 'linear
5263 '((0 . "red") (25 . "green") (100 . "blue")))
5266 The gradient created (and inserted into the SVG object) can later be
5267 used by all functions that create shapes.
5270 All the following functions take an optional list of keyword
5271 parameters that alter the various attributes from their default
5272 values. Valid attributes include:
5276 The width (in pixels) of lines drawn, and outlines around solid
5280 The color of lines drawn, and outlines around solid shapes.
5283 The color used for solid shapes.
5286 The identified of the shape.
5289 If given, this should be the identifier of a previously defined
5293 @defun svg-rectangle svg x y width height &rest args
5294 Add a rectangle to @var{svg} where the upper left corner is at
5295 position @var{x}/@var{y} and is of size @var{width}/@var{height}.
5298 (svg-rectangle svg 100 100 500 500 :gradient "gradient1")
5302 @defun svg-circle svg x y radius &rest args
5303 Add a circle to @var{svg} where the center is at @var{x}/@var{y}
5304 and the radius is @var{radius}.
5307 @defun svg-ellipse svg x y x-radius y-radius &rest args
5308 Add a circle to @var{svg} where the center is at @var{x}/@var{y} and
5309 the horizontal radius is @var{x-radius} and the vertical radius is
5313 @defun svg-line svg x1 y1 x2 y2 &rest args
5314 Add a line to @var{svg} that starts at @var{x1}/@var{y1} and extends
5315 to @var{x2}/@var{y2}.
5318 @defun svg-polyline svg points &rest args
5319 Add a multiple segment line to @var{svg} that goes through
5320 @var{points}, which is a list of X/Y position pairs.
5323 (svg-polyline svg '((200 . 100) (500 . 450) (80 . 100))
5324 :stroke-color "green")
5328 @defun svg-polygon svg points &rest args
5329 Add a polygon to @var{svg} where @var{points} is a list of X/Y pairs
5330 that describe the outer circumference of the polygon.
5333 (svg-polygon svg '((100 . 100) (200 . 150) (150 . 90))
5334 :stroke-color "blue" :fill-color "red"")
5338 @defun svg-text svg text &rest args
5339 Add a text to @var{svg}.
5343 svg "This is a text"
5348 :font-family "impact"
5349 :letter-spacing "4pt"
5356 @defun svg-embed svg image image-type datap &rest args
5357 Add an embedded (raster) image to @var{svg}. If @var{datap} is
5358 @code{nil}, @var{IMAGE} should be a file name; if not, it should be a
5359 binary string containing the image data. @var{image-type} should be a
5360 @acronym{MIME} image type, for instance @samp{"image/jpeg"}.
5363 (svg-embed svg "~/rms.jpg" "image/jpeg" nil
5364 :width "100px" :height "100px"
5365 :x "50px" :y "75px")
5369 @defun svg-remove svg id
5370 Remove the element with identifier @code{id} from the @code{svg}.
5373 Finally, the @code{svg-image} takes an SVG object as its parameter and
5374 returns an image object suitable for use in functions like
5375 @code{insert-image}. Here's a complete example that creates and
5376 inserts an image with a circle:
5379 (let ((svg (svg-create 400 400 :stroke-width 10)))
5380 (svg-gradient svg "gradient1" 'linear '((0 . "red") (100 . "blue")))
5381 (svg-circle svg 200 200 100 :gradient "gradient1" :stroke-color "green")
5382 (insert-image (svg-image svg)))
5386 @node Other Image Types
5387 @subsection Other Image Types
5390 For PBM images, specify image type @code{pbm}. Color, gray-scale and
5391 monochromatic images are supported. For mono PBM images, two additional
5392 image properties are supported.
5395 @item :foreground @var{foreground}
5396 The value, @var{foreground}, should be a string specifying the image
5397 foreground color, or @code{nil} for the default color. This color is
5398 used for each pixel in the PBM that is 1. The default is the frame's
5401 @item :background @var{background}
5402 The value, @var{background}, should be a string specifying the image
5403 background color, or @code{nil} for the default color. This color is
5404 used for each pixel in the PBM that is 0. The default is the frame's
5409 The remaining image types that Emacs can support are:
5413 Image type @code{gif}.
5414 Supports the @code{:index} property. @xref{Multi-Frame Images}.
5417 Image type @code{jpeg}.
5420 Image type @code{png}.
5423 Image type @code{tiff}.
5424 Supports the @code{:index} property. @xref{Multi-Frame Images}.
5427 @node Defining Images
5428 @subsection Defining Images
5429 @cindex define image
5431 The functions @code{create-image}, @code{defimage} and
5432 @code{find-image} provide convenient ways to create image descriptors.
5434 @defun create-image file-or-data &optional type data-p &rest props
5435 This function creates and returns an image descriptor which uses the
5436 data in @var{file-or-data}. @var{file-or-data} can be a file name or
5437 a string containing the image data; @var{data-p} should be @code{nil}
5438 for the former case, non-@code{nil} for the latter case.
5440 The optional argument @var{type} is a symbol specifying the image type.
5441 If @var{type} is omitted or @code{nil}, @code{create-image} tries to
5442 determine the image type from the file's first few bytes, or else
5443 from the file's name.
5445 The remaining arguments, @var{props}, specify additional image
5446 properties---for example,
5448 @c ':heuristic-mask' is not documented?
5450 (create-image "foo.xpm" 'xpm nil :heuristic-mask t)
5453 The function returns @code{nil} if images of this type are not
5454 supported. Otherwise it returns an image descriptor.
5457 @defmac defimage symbol specs &optional doc
5458 This macro defines @var{symbol} as an image name. The arguments
5459 @var{specs} is a list which specifies how to display the image.
5460 The third argument, @var{doc}, is an optional documentation string.
5462 Each argument in @var{specs} has the form of a property list, and each
5463 one should specify at least the @code{:type} property and either the
5464 @code{:file} or the @code{:data} property. The value of @code{:type}
5465 should be a symbol specifying the image type, the value of
5466 @code{:file} is the file to load the image from, and the value of
5467 @code{:data} is a string containing the actual image data. Here is an
5471 (defimage test-image
5472 ((:type xpm :file "~/test1.xpm")
5473 (:type xbm :file "~/test1.xbm")))
5476 @code{defimage} tests each argument, one by one, to see if it is
5477 usable---that is, if the type is supported and the file exists. The
5478 first usable argument is used to make an image descriptor which is
5479 stored in @var{symbol}.
5481 If none of the alternatives will work, then @var{symbol} is defined
5485 @defun image-property image property
5486 Return the value of @var{property} in @var{image}. Properties can be
5487 set by using @code{setf}. Setting a property to @code{nil} will
5488 remove the property from the image.
5491 @defun find-image specs
5492 This function provides a convenient way to find an image satisfying one
5493 of a list of image specifications @var{specs}.
5495 Each specification in @var{specs} is a property list with contents
5496 depending on image type. All specifications must at least contain the
5497 properties @code{:type @var{type}} and either @w{@code{:file @var{file}}}
5498 or @w{@code{:data @var{data}}}, where @var{type} is a symbol specifying
5499 the image type, e.g., @code{xbm}, @var{file} is the file to load the
5500 image from, and @var{data} is a string containing the actual image data.
5501 The first specification in the list whose @var{type} is supported, and
5502 @var{file} exists, is used to construct the image specification to be
5503 returned. If no specification is satisfied, @code{nil} is returned.
5505 The image is looked for in @code{image-load-path}.
5508 @defopt image-load-path
5509 This variable's value is a list of locations in which to search for
5510 image files. If an element is a string or a variable symbol whose
5511 value is a string, the string is taken to be the name of a directory
5512 to search. If an element is a variable symbol whose value is a list,
5513 that is taken to be a list of directory names to search.
5515 The default is to search in the @file{images} subdirectory of the
5516 directory specified by @code{data-directory}, then the directory
5517 specified by @code{data-directory}, and finally in the directories in
5518 @code{load-path}. Subdirectories are not automatically included in
5519 the search, so if you put an image file in a subdirectory, you have to
5520 supply the subdirectory name explicitly. For example, to find the
5521 image @file{images/foo/bar.xpm} within @code{data-directory}, you
5522 should specify the image as follows:
5525 (defimage foo-image '((:type xpm :file "foo/bar.xpm")))
5529 @defun image-load-path-for-library library image &optional path no-error
5530 This function returns a suitable search path for images used by the
5531 Lisp package @var{library}.
5533 The function searches for @var{image} first using @code{image-load-path},
5534 excluding @file{@code{data-directory}/images}, and then in
5535 @code{load-path}, followed by a path suitable for @var{library}, which
5536 includes @file{../../etc/images} and @file{../etc/images} relative to
5537 the library file itself, and finally in
5538 @file{@code{data-directory}/images}.
5540 Then this function returns a list of directories which contains first
5541 the directory in which @var{image} was found, followed by the value of
5542 @code{load-path}. If @var{path} is given, it is used instead of
5545 If @var{no-error} is non-@code{nil} and a suitable path can't be
5546 found, don't signal an error. Instead, return a list of directories as
5547 before, except that @code{nil} appears in place of the image directory.
5549 Here is an example of using @code{image-load-path-for-library}:
5552 (defvar image-load-path) ; shush compiler
5553 (let* ((load-path (image-load-path-for-library
5554 "mh-e" "mh-logo.xpm"))
5555 (image-load-path (cons (car load-path)
5557 (mh-tool-bar-folder-buttons-init))
5561 @vindex image-scaling-factor
5562 Images are automatically scaled when created based on the
5563 @code{image-scaling-factor} variable. The value is either a floating
5564 point number (where numbers higher than 1 means to increase the size
5565 and lower means to shrink the size), or the symbol @code{auto}, which
5566 will compute a scaling factor based on the font pixel size.
5568 @node Showing Images
5569 @subsection Showing Images
5572 You can use an image descriptor by setting up the @code{display}
5573 property yourself, but it is easier to use the functions in this
5576 @defun insert-image image &optional string area slice
5577 This function inserts @var{image} in the current buffer at point. The
5578 value @var{image} should be an image descriptor; it could be a value
5579 returned by @code{create-image}, or the value of a symbol defined with
5580 @code{defimage}. The argument @var{string} specifies the text to put
5581 in the buffer to hold the image. If it is omitted or @code{nil},
5582 @code{insert-image} uses @code{" "} by default.
5584 The argument @var{area} specifies whether to put the image in a margin.
5585 If it is @code{left-margin}, the image appears in the left margin;
5586 @code{right-margin} specifies the right margin. If @var{area} is
5587 @code{nil} or omitted, the image is displayed at point within the
5590 The argument @var{slice} specifies a slice of the image to insert. If
5591 @var{slice} is @code{nil} or omitted the whole image is inserted.
5592 Otherwise, @var{slice} is a list @code{(@var{x} @var{y} @var{width}
5593 @var{height})} which specifies the @var{x} and @var{y} positions and
5594 @var{width} and @var{height} of the image area to insert. Integer
5595 values are in units of pixels. A floating-point number in the range
5596 0.0--1.0 stands for that fraction of the width or height of the entire
5599 Internally, this function inserts @var{string} in the buffer, and gives
5600 it a @code{display} property which specifies @var{image}. @xref{Display
5604 @cindex slice, image
5606 @defun insert-sliced-image image &optional string area rows cols
5607 This function inserts @var{image} in the current buffer at point, like
5608 @code{insert-image}, but splits the image into @var{rows}x@var{cols}
5609 equally sized slices.
5611 Emacs displays each slice as a
5612 separate image, and allows more intuitive scrolling up/down, instead of
5613 jumping up/down the entire image when paging through a buffer that
5614 displays (large) images.
5617 @defun put-image image pos &optional string area
5618 This function puts image @var{image} in front of @var{pos} in the
5619 current buffer. The argument @var{pos} should be an integer or a
5620 marker. It specifies the buffer position where the image should appear.
5621 The argument @var{string} specifies the text that should hold the image
5622 as an alternative to the default.
5624 The argument @var{image} must be an image descriptor, perhaps returned
5625 by @code{create-image} or stored by @code{defimage}.
5627 The argument @var{area} specifies whether to put the image in a margin.
5628 If it is @code{left-margin}, the image appears in the left margin;
5629 @code{right-margin} specifies the right margin. If @var{area} is
5630 @code{nil} or omitted, the image is displayed at point within the
5633 Internally, this function creates an overlay, and gives it a
5634 @code{before-string} property containing text that has a @code{display}
5635 property whose value is the image. (Whew!)
5638 @defun remove-images start end &optional buffer
5639 This function removes images in @var{buffer} between positions
5640 @var{start} and @var{end}. If @var{buffer} is omitted or @code{nil},
5641 images are removed from the current buffer.
5643 This removes only images that were put into @var{buffer} the way
5644 @code{put-image} does it, not images that were inserted with
5645 @code{insert-image} or in other ways.
5648 @defun image-size spec &optional pixels frame
5649 @cindex size of image
5650 This function returns the size of an image as a pair
5651 @w{@code{(@var{width} . @var{height})}}. @var{spec} is an image
5652 specification. @var{pixels} non-@code{nil} means return sizes measured
5653 in pixels, otherwise return sizes measured in the default character size
5654 of @var{frame} (@pxref{Frame Font}). @var{frame} is the frame on which
5655 the image will be displayed. @var{frame} null or omitted means use the
5656 selected frame (@pxref{Input Focus}).
5659 @defvar max-image-size
5660 This variable is used to define the maximum size of image that Emacs
5661 will load. Emacs will refuse to load (and display) any image that is
5662 larger than this limit.
5664 If the value is an integer, it directly specifies the maximum
5665 image height and width, measured in pixels. If it is floating
5666 point, it specifies the maximum image height and width
5667 as a ratio to the frame height and width. If the value is
5668 non-numeric, there is no explicit limit on the size of images.
5670 The purpose of this variable is to prevent unreasonably large images
5671 from accidentally being loaded into Emacs. It only takes effect the
5672 first time an image is loaded. Once an image is placed in the image
5673 cache, it can always be displayed, even if the value of
5674 @code{max-image-size} is subsequently changed (@pxref{Image Cache}).
5677 Images inserted with the insertion functions above also get a local
5678 keymap installed in the text properties (or overlays) that span the
5679 displayed image. This keymap defines the following commands:
5683 Increase the image size (@code{image-increase-size}). A prefix value
5684 of @samp{4} means to increase the size by 40%. The default is 20%.
5687 Decrease the image size (@code{image-increase-size}). A prefix value
5688 of @samp{4} means to decrease the size by 40%. The default is 20%.
5691 Rotate the image by 90 degrees (@code{image-rotate}).
5694 Save the image to a file (@code{image-save}).
5697 @node Multi-Frame Images
5698 @subsection Multi-Frame Images
5699 @cindex multi-frame images
5702 @cindex image animation
5703 @cindex image frames
5704 Some image files can contain more than one image. We say that there
5705 are multiple ``frames'' in the image. At present, Emacs supports
5706 multiple frames for GIF, TIFF, and certain ImageMagick formats such as
5709 The frames can be used either to represent multiple pages (this is
5710 usually the case with multi-frame TIFF files, for example), or to
5711 create animation (usually the case with multi-frame GIF files).
5713 A multi-frame image has a property @code{:index}, whose value is an
5714 integer (counting from 0) that specifies which frame is being displayed.
5716 @defun image-multi-frame-p image
5717 This function returns non-@code{nil} if @var{image} contains more than
5718 one frame. The actual return value is a cons @code{(@var{nimages}
5719 . @var{delay})}, where @var{nimages} is the number of frames and
5720 @var{delay} is the delay in seconds between them, or @code{nil}
5721 if the image does not specify a delay. Images that are intended to be
5722 animated usually specify a frame delay, whereas ones that are intended
5723 to be treated as multiple pages do not.
5726 @defun image-current-frame image
5727 This function returns the index of the current frame number for
5728 @var{image}, counting from 0.
5731 @defun image-show-frame image n &optional nocheck
5732 This function switches @var{image} to frame number @var{n}. It
5733 replaces a frame number outside the valid range with that of the end
5734 of the range, unless @var{nocheck} is non-@code{nil}. If @var{image}
5735 does not contain a frame with the specified number, the image displays
5739 @defun image-animate image &optional index limit
5740 This function animates @var{image}. The optional integer @var{index}
5741 specifies the frame from which to start (default 0). The optional
5742 argument @var{limit} controls the length of the animation. If omitted
5743 or @code{nil}, the image animates once only; if @code{t} it loops
5744 forever; if a number animation stops after that many seconds.
5747 @vindex image-minimum-frame-delay
5748 @vindex image-default-frame-delay
5749 @noindent Animation operates by means of a timer. Note that Emacs imposes a
5750 minimum frame delay of 0.01 (@code{image-minimum-frame-delay}) seconds.
5751 If the image itself does not specify a delay, Emacs uses
5752 @code{image-default-frame-delay}.
5754 @defun image-animate-timer image
5755 This function returns the timer responsible for animating @var{image},
5761 @subsection Image Cache
5764 Emacs caches images so that it can display them again more
5765 efficiently. When Emacs displays an image, it searches the image
5766 cache for an existing image specification @code{equal} to the desired
5767 specification. If a match is found, the image is displayed from the
5768 cache. Otherwise, Emacs loads the image normally.
5770 @defun image-flush spec &optional frame
5771 This function removes the image with specification @var{spec} from the
5772 image cache of frame @var{frame}. Image specifications are compared
5773 using @code{equal}. If @var{frame} is @code{nil}, it defaults to the
5774 selected frame. If @var{frame} is @code{t}, the image is flushed on
5775 all existing frames.
5777 In Emacs's current implementation, each graphical terminal possesses an
5778 image cache, which is shared by all the frames on that terminal
5779 (@pxref{Multiple Terminals}). Thus, refreshing an image in one frame
5780 also refreshes it in all other frames on the same terminal.
5783 One use for @code{image-flush} is to tell Emacs about a change in an
5784 image file. If an image specification contains a @code{:file}
5785 property, the image is cached based on the file's contents when the
5786 image is first displayed. Even if the file subsequently changes,
5787 Emacs continues displaying the old version of the image. Calling
5788 @code{image-flush} flushes the image from the cache, forcing Emacs to
5789 re-read the file the next time it needs to display that image.
5791 Another use for @code{image-flush} is for memory conservation. If
5792 your Lisp program creates a large number of temporary images over a
5793 period much shorter than @code{image-cache-eviction-delay} (see
5794 below), you can opt to flush unused images yourself, instead of
5795 waiting for Emacs to do it automatically.
5797 @defun clear-image-cache &optional filter
5798 This function clears an image cache, removing all the images stored in
5799 it. If @var{filter} is omitted or @code{nil}, it clears the cache for
5800 the selected frame. If @var{filter} is a frame, it clears the cache
5801 for that frame. If @var{filter} is @code{t}, all image caches are
5802 cleared. Otherwise, @var{filter} is taken to be a file name, and all
5803 images associated with that file name are removed from all image
5807 If an image in the image cache has not been displayed for a specified
5808 period of time, Emacs removes it from the cache and frees the
5811 @defvar image-cache-eviction-delay
5812 This variable specifies the number of seconds an image can remain in
5813 the cache without being displayed. When an image is not displayed for
5814 this length of time, Emacs removes it from the image cache.
5816 Under some circumstances, if the number of images in the cache grows
5817 too large, the actual eviction delay may be shorter than this.
5819 If the value is @code{nil}, Emacs does not remove images from the cache
5820 except when you explicitly clear it. This mode can be useful for
5825 @section Embedded Native Widgets
5827 @cindex embedded widgets
5828 @cindex webkit browser widget
5830 Emacs is able to display native widgets, such as GTK WebKit widgets,
5831 in Emacs buffers when it was built with the necessary support
5832 libraries and is running on a graphical terminal. To test whether
5833 Emacs supports display of embedded widgets, check that the
5834 @code{xwidget-internal} feature is available (@pxref{Named Features}).
5836 To display an embedded widget in a buffer, you must first create an
5837 xwidget object, and then use that object as the display specifier
5838 in a @code{display} text or overlay property (@pxref{Display
5841 @defun make-xwidget type title width height arguments &optional buffer
5842 This creates and returns an xwidget object. If
5843 @var{buffer} is omitted or @code{nil}, it defaults to the current
5844 buffer. If @var{buffer} names a buffer that doesn't exist, it will be
5845 created. The @var{type} identifies the type of the xwidget component,
5846 it can be one of the following:
5850 The WebKit component.
5853 The @var{width} and @var{height} arguments specify the widget size in
5854 pixels, and @var{title}, a string, specifies its title.
5857 @defun xwidgetp object
5858 This function returns @code{t} if @var{object} is an xwidget,
5859 @code{nil} otherwise.
5862 @defun xwidget-plist xwidget
5863 This function returns the property list of @var{xwidget}.
5866 @defun set-xwidget-plist xwidget plist
5867 This function replaces the property list of @var{xwidget} with a new
5868 property list given by @var{plist}.
5871 @defun xwidget-buffer xwidget
5872 This function returns the buffer of @var{xwidget}.
5875 @defun get-buffer-xwidgets buffer
5876 This function returns a list of xwidget objects associated with the
5877 @var{buffer}, which can be specified as a buffer object or a name of
5878 an existing buffer, a string. The value is @code{nil} if @var{buffer}
5879 contains no xwidgets.
5882 @defun xwidget-webkit-goto-uri xwidget uri
5883 This function browses the specified @var{uri} in the given
5884 @var{xwidget}. The @var{uri} is a string that specifies the name of a
5885 file or a URL. @c FIXME: What else can a URI specify in this context?
5888 @defun xwidget-webkit-execute-script xwidget script
5889 This function causes the browser widget specified by @var{xwidget} to
5890 execute the specified JavaScript @code{script}.
5893 @defun xwidget-webkit-execute-script-rv xwidget script &optional default
5894 This function executes the specified @var{script} like
5895 @code{xwidget-webkit-execute-script} does, but it also returns the
5896 script's return value as a string. If @var{script} doesn't return a
5897 value, this function returns @var{default}, or @code{nil} if
5898 @var{default} was omitted.
5901 @defun xwidget-webkit-get-title xwidget
5902 This function returns the title of @var{xwidget} as a string.
5905 @defun xwidget-resize xwidget width height
5906 This function resizes the specified @var{xwidget} to the size
5907 @var{width}x@var{height} pixels.
5910 @defun xwidget-size-request xwidget
5911 This function returns the desired size of @var{xwidget} as a list of
5912 the form @code{(@var{width} @var{height})}. The dimensions are in
5916 @defun xwidget-info xwidget
5917 This function returns the attributes of @var{xwidget} as a vector of
5918 the form @code{[@var{type} @var{title} @var{width} @var{height}]}.
5919 The attributes are usually determined by @code{make-xwidget} when the
5923 @defun set-xwidget-query-on-exit-flag xwidget flag
5924 This function allows you to arrange that Emacs will ask the user for
5925 confirmation before exiting or before killing a buffer that has
5926 @var{xwidget} associated with it. If @var{flag} is non-@code{nil},
5927 Emacs will query the user, otherwise it will not.
5930 @defun xwidget-query-on-exit-flag xwidget
5931 This function returns the current setting of @var{xwidget}s
5932 query-on-exit flag, either @code{t} or @code{nil}.
5937 @cindex buttons in buffers
5938 @cindex clickable buttons in buffers
5940 The Button package defines functions for inserting and manipulating
5941 @dfn{buttons} that can be activated with the mouse or via keyboard
5942 commands. These buttons are typically used for various kinds of
5945 A button is essentially a set of text or overlay properties,
5946 attached to a stretch of text in a buffer. These properties are
5947 called @dfn{button properties}. One of these properties, the
5948 @dfn{action property}, specifies a function which is called when the
5949 user invokes the button using the keyboard or the mouse. The action
5950 function may examine the button and use its other properties as
5953 In some ways, the Button package duplicates the functionality in the
5954 Widget package. @xref{Top, , Introduction, widget, The Emacs Widget
5955 Library}. The advantage of the Button package is that it is faster,
5956 smaller, and simpler to program. From the point of view of the user,
5957 the interfaces produced by the two packages are very similar.
5960 * Button Properties:: Button properties with special meanings.
5961 * Button Types:: Defining common properties for classes of buttons.
5962 * Making Buttons:: Adding buttons to Emacs buffers.
5963 * Manipulating Buttons:: Getting and setting properties of buttons.
5964 * Button Buffer Commands:: Buffer-wide commands and bindings for buttons.
5967 @node Button Properties
5968 @subsection Button Properties
5969 @cindex button properties
5971 Each button has an associated list of properties defining its
5972 appearance and behavior, and other arbitrary properties may be used
5973 for application specific purposes. The following properties have
5974 special meaning to the Button package:
5978 @kindex action @r{(button property)}
5979 The function to call when the user invokes the button, which is passed
5980 the single argument @var{button}. By default this is @code{ignore},
5984 @kindex mouse-action @r{(button property)}
5985 This is similar to @code{action}, and when present, will be used
5986 instead of @code{action} for button invocations resulting from
5987 mouse-clicks (instead of the user hitting @key{RET}). If not
5988 present, mouse-clicks use @code{action} instead.
5991 @kindex face @r{(button property)}
5992 This is an Emacs face controlling how buttons of this type are
5993 displayed; by default this is the @code{button} face.
5996 @kindex mouse-face @r{(button property)}
5997 This is an additional face which controls appearance during
5998 mouse-overs (merged with the usual button face); by default this is
5999 the usual Emacs @code{highlight} face.
6002 @kindex keymap @r{(button property)}
6003 The button's keymap, defining bindings active within the button
6004 region. By default this is the usual button region keymap, stored
6005 in the variable @code{button-map}, which defines @key{RET} and
6006 @key{mouse-2} to invoke the button.
6009 @kindex type @r{(button property)}
6010 The button type. @xref{Button Types}.
6013 @kindex help-index @r{(button property)}
6014 A string displayed by the Emacs tool-tip help system; by default,
6015 @code{"mouse-2, RET: Push this button"}.
6018 @kindex follow-link @r{(button property)}
6019 The follow-link property, defining how a @key{mouse-1} click behaves
6020 on this button, @xref{Clickable Text}.
6023 @kindex button @r{(button property)}
6024 All buttons have a non-@code{nil} @code{button} property, which may be useful
6025 in finding regions of text that comprise buttons (which is what the
6026 standard button functions do).
6029 There are other properties defined for the regions of text in a
6030 button, but these are not generally interesting for typical uses.
6033 @subsection Button Types
6034 @cindex button types
6036 Every button has a @dfn{button type}, which defines default values
6037 for the button's properties. Button types are arranged in a
6038 hierarchy, with specialized types inheriting from more general types,
6039 so that it's easy to define special-purpose types of buttons for
6042 @defun define-button-type name &rest properties
6043 Define a button type called @var{name} (a symbol).
6044 The remaining arguments
6045 form a sequence of @var{property value} pairs, specifying default
6046 property values for buttons with this type (a button's type may be set
6047 by giving it a @code{type} property when creating the button, using
6048 the @code{:type} keyword argument).
6050 In addition, the keyword argument @code{:supertype} may be used to
6051 specify a button-type from which @var{name} inherits its default
6052 property values. Note that this inheritance happens only when
6053 @var{name} is defined; subsequent changes to a supertype are not
6054 reflected in its subtypes.
6057 Using @code{define-button-type} to define default properties for
6058 buttons is not necessary---buttons without any specified type use the
6059 built-in button-type @code{button}---but it is encouraged, since
6060 doing so usually makes the resulting code clearer and more efficient.
6062 @node Making Buttons
6063 @subsection Making Buttons
6064 @cindex making buttons
6066 Buttons are associated with a region of text, using an overlay or
6067 text properties to hold button-specific information, all of which are
6068 initialized from the button's type (which defaults to the built-in
6069 button type @code{button}). Like all Emacs text, the appearance of
6070 the button is governed by the @code{face} property; by default (via
6071 the @code{face} property inherited from the @code{button} button-type)
6072 this is a simple underline, like a typical web-page link.
6074 For convenience, there are two sorts of button-creation functions,
6075 those that add button properties to an existing region of a buffer,
6076 called @code{make-...button}, and those that also insert the button
6077 text, called @code{insert-...button}.
6079 The button-creation functions all take the @code{&rest} argument
6080 @var{properties}, which should be a sequence of @var{property value}
6081 pairs, specifying properties to add to the button; see @ref{Button
6082 Properties}. In addition, the keyword argument @code{:type} may be
6083 used to specify a button-type from which to inherit other properties;
6084 see @ref{Button Types}. Any properties not explicitly specified
6085 during creation will be inherited from the button's type (if the type
6086 defines such a property).
6088 The following functions add a button using an overlay
6089 (@pxref{Overlays}) to hold the button properties:
6091 @defun make-button beg end &rest properties
6092 This makes a button from @var{beg} to @var{end} in the
6093 current buffer, and returns it.
6096 @defun insert-button label &rest properties
6097 This insert a button with the label @var{label} at point,
6101 The following functions are similar, but using text properties
6102 (@pxref{Text Properties}) to hold the button properties. Such buttons
6103 do not add markers to the buffer, so editing in the buffer does not
6104 slow down if there is an extremely large numbers of buttons. However,
6105 if there is an existing face text property on the text (e.g., a face
6106 assigned by Font Lock mode), the button face may not be visible. Both
6107 of these functions return the starting position of the new button.
6109 @defun make-text-button beg end &rest properties
6110 This makes a button from @var{beg} to @var{end} in the current buffer,
6111 using text properties.
6114 @defun insert-text-button label &rest properties
6115 This inserts a button with the label @var{label} at point, using text
6119 @node Manipulating Buttons
6120 @subsection Manipulating Buttons
6121 @cindex manipulating buttons
6123 These are functions for getting and setting properties of buttons.
6124 Often these are used by a button's invocation function to determine
6127 Where a @var{button} parameter is specified, it means an object
6128 referring to a specific button, either an overlay (for overlay
6129 buttons), or a buffer-position or marker (for text property buttons).
6130 Such an object is passed as the first argument to a button's
6131 invocation function when it is invoked.
6133 @defun button-start button
6134 Return the position at which @var{button} starts.
6137 @defun button-end button
6138 Return the position at which @var{button} ends.
6141 @defun button-get button prop
6142 Get the property of button @var{button} named @var{prop}.
6145 @defun button-put button prop val
6146 Set @var{button}'s @var{prop} property to @var{val}.
6149 @defun button-activate button &optional use-mouse-action
6150 Call @var{button}'s @code{action} property (i.e., invoke the function
6151 that is the value of that property, passing it the single argument
6152 @var{button}). If @var{use-mouse-action} is non-@code{nil}, try to
6153 invoke the button's @code{mouse-action} property instead of
6154 @code{action}; if the button has no @code{mouse-action} property, use
6155 @code{action} as normal.
6158 @defun button-label button
6159 Return @var{button}'s text label.
6162 @defun button-type button
6163 Return @var{button}'s button-type.
6166 @defun button-has-type-p button type
6167 Return @code{t} if @var{button} has button-type @var{type}, or one of
6168 @var{type}'s subtypes.
6171 @defun button-at pos
6172 Return the button at position @var{pos} in the current buffer, or
6173 @code{nil}. If the button at @var{pos} is a text property button, the
6174 return value is a marker pointing to @var{pos}.
6177 @defun button-type-put type prop val
6178 Set the button-type @var{type}'s @var{prop} property to @var{val}.
6181 @defun button-type-get type prop
6182 Get the property of button-type @var{type} named @var{prop}.
6185 @defun button-type-subtype-p type supertype
6186 Return @code{t} if button-type @var{type} is a subtype of @var{supertype}.
6189 @node Button Buffer Commands
6190 @subsection Button Buffer Commands
6191 @cindex button buffer commands
6193 These are commands and functions for locating and operating on
6194 buttons in an Emacs buffer.
6196 @code{push-button} is the command that a user uses to actually push
6197 a button, and is bound by default in the button itself to @key{RET}
6198 and to @key{mouse-2} using a local keymap in the button's overlay or
6199 text properties. Commands that are useful outside the buttons itself,
6200 such as @code{forward-button} and @code{backward-button} are
6201 additionally available in the keymap stored in
6202 @code{button-buffer-map}; a mode which uses buttons may want to use
6203 @code{button-buffer-map} as a parent keymap for its keymap.
6205 If the button has a non-@code{nil} @code{follow-link} property, and
6206 @code{mouse-1-click-follows-link} is set, a quick @key{mouse-1} click
6207 will also activate the @code{push-button} command.
6208 @xref{Clickable Text}.
6210 @deffn Command push-button &optional pos use-mouse-action
6211 Perform the action specified by a button at location @var{pos}.
6212 @var{pos} may be either a buffer position or a mouse-event. If
6213 @var{use-mouse-action} is non-@code{nil}, or @var{pos} is a
6214 mouse-event (@pxref{Mouse Events}), try to invoke the button's
6215 @code{mouse-action} property instead of @code{action}; if the button
6216 has no @code{mouse-action} property, use @code{action} as normal.
6217 @var{pos} defaults to point, except when @code{push-button} is invoked
6218 interactively as the result of a mouse-event, in which case, the mouse
6219 event's position is used. If there's no button at @var{pos}, do
6220 nothing and return @code{nil}, otherwise return @code{t}.
6223 @deffn Command forward-button n &optional wrap display-message
6224 Move to the @var{n}th next button, or @var{n}th previous button if
6225 @var{n} is negative. If @var{n} is zero, move to the start of any
6226 button at point. If @var{wrap} is non-@code{nil}, moving past either
6227 end of the buffer continues from the other end. If
6228 @var{display-message} is non-@code{nil}, the button's help-echo string
6229 is displayed. Any button with a non-@code{nil} @code{skip} property
6230 is skipped over. Returns the button found.
6233 @deffn Command backward-button n &optional wrap display-message
6234 Move to the @var{n}th previous button, or @var{n}th next button if
6235 @var{n} is negative. If @var{n} is zero, move to the start of any
6236 button at point. If @var{wrap} is non-@code{nil}, moving past either
6237 end of the buffer continues from the other end. If
6238 @var{display-message} is non-@code{nil}, the button's help-echo string
6239 is displayed. Any button with a non-@code{nil} @code{skip} property
6240 is skipped over. Returns the button found.
6243 @defun next-button pos &optional count-current
6244 @defunx previous-button pos &optional count-current
6245 Return the next button after (for @code{next-button}) or before (for
6246 @code{previous-button}) position @var{pos} in the current buffer. If
6247 @var{count-current} is non-@code{nil}, count any button at @var{pos}
6248 in the search, instead of starting at the next button.
6251 @node Abstract Display
6252 @section Abstract Display
6254 @cindex display, abstract
6255 @cindex display, arbitrary objects
6256 @cindex model/view/controller
6257 @cindex view part, model/view/controller
6259 The Ewoc package constructs buffer text that represents a structure
6260 of Lisp objects, and updates the text to follow changes in that
6261 structure. This is like the ``view'' component in the
6262 ``model--view--controller'' design paradigm. Ewoc means ``Emacs's
6263 Widget for Object Collections''.
6265 An @dfn{ewoc} is a structure that organizes information required to
6266 construct buffer text that represents certain Lisp data. The buffer
6267 text of the ewoc has three parts, in order: first, fixed @dfn{header}
6268 text; next, textual descriptions of a series of data elements (Lisp
6269 objects that you specify); and last, fixed @dfn{footer} text.
6270 Specifically, an ewoc contains information on:
6274 The buffer which its text is generated in.
6277 The text's start position in the buffer.
6280 The header and footer strings.
6284 @c or "@cindex node, abstract display"?
6285 A doubly-linked chain of @dfn{nodes}, each of which contains:
6289 A @dfn{data element}, a single Lisp object.
6292 Links to the preceding and following nodes in the chain.
6296 A @dfn{pretty-printer} function which is responsible for
6297 inserting the textual representation of a data
6298 element value into the current buffer.
6301 Typically, you define an ewoc with @code{ewoc-create}, and then pass
6302 the resulting ewoc structure to other functions in the Ewoc package to
6303 build nodes within it, and display it in the buffer. Once it is
6304 displayed in the buffer, other functions determine the correspondence
6305 between buffer positions and nodes, move point from one node's textual
6306 representation to another, and so forth. @xref{Abstract Display
6309 @cindex encapsulation, ewoc
6310 @c or "@cindex encapsulation, abstract display"?
6311 A node @dfn{encapsulates} a data element much the way a variable
6312 holds a value. Normally, encapsulation occurs as a part of adding a
6313 node to the ewoc. You can retrieve the data element value and place a
6314 new value in its place, like so:
6317 (ewoc-data @var{node})
6320 (ewoc-set-data @var{node} @var{new-value})
6321 @result{} @var{new-value}
6325 You can also use, as the data element value, a Lisp object (list or
6326 vector) that is a container for the real value, or an index into
6327 some other structure. The example (@pxref{Abstract Display Example})
6328 uses the latter approach.
6330 When the data changes, you will want to update the text in the
6331 buffer. You can update all nodes by calling @code{ewoc-refresh}, or
6332 just specific nodes using @code{ewoc-invalidate}, or all nodes
6333 satisfying a predicate using @code{ewoc-map}. Alternatively, you can
6334 delete invalid nodes using @code{ewoc-delete} or @code{ewoc-filter},
6335 and add new nodes in their place. Deleting a node from an ewoc deletes
6336 its associated textual description from buffer, as well.
6339 * Abstract Display Functions:: Functions in the Ewoc package.
6340 * Abstract Display Example:: Example of using Ewoc.
6343 @node Abstract Display Functions
6344 @subsection Abstract Display Functions
6346 In this subsection, @var{ewoc} and @var{node} stand for the
6347 structures described above (@pxref{Abstract Display}), while
6348 @var{data} stands for an arbitrary Lisp object used as a data element.
6350 @defun ewoc-create pretty-printer &optional header footer nosep
6351 This constructs and returns a new ewoc, with no nodes (and thus no data
6352 elements). @var{pretty-printer} should be a function that takes one
6353 argument, a data element of the sort you plan to use in this ewoc, and
6354 inserts its textual description at point using @code{insert} (and never
6355 @code{insert-before-markers}, because that would interfere with the
6356 Ewoc package's internal mechanisms).
6358 Normally, a newline is automatically inserted after the header,
6359 the footer and every node's textual description. If @var{nosep}
6360 is non-@code{nil}, no newline is inserted. This may be useful for
6361 displaying an entire ewoc on a single line, for example, or for
6362 making nodes invisible by arranging for @var{pretty-printer}
6363 to do nothing for those nodes.
6365 An ewoc maintains its text in the buffer that is current when
6366 you create it, so switch to the intended buffer before calling
6370 @defun ewoc-buffer ewoc
6371 This returns the buffer where @var{ewoc} maintains its text.
6374 @defun ewoc-get-hf ewoc
6375 This returns a cons cell @code{(@var{header} . @var{footer})}
6376 made from @var{ewoc}'s header and footer.
6379 @defun ewoc-set-hf ewoc header footer
6380 This sets the header and footer of @var{ewoc} to the strings
6381 @var{header} and @var{footer}, respectively.
6384 @defun ewoc-enter-first ewoc data
6385 @defunx ewoc-enter-last ewoc data
6386 These add a new node encapsulating @var{data}, putting it, respectively,
6387 at the beginning or end of @var{ewoc}'s chain of nodes.
6390 @defun ewoc-enter-before ewoc node data
6391 @defunx ewoc-enter-after ewoc node data
6392 These add a new node encapsulating @var{data}, adding it to
6393 @var{ewoc} before or after @var{node}, respectively.
6396 @defun ewoc-prev ewoc node
6397 @defunx ewoc-next ewoc node
6398 These return, respectively, the previous node and the next node of @var{node}
6402 @defun ewoc-nth ewoc n
6403 This returns the node in @var{ewoc} found at zero-based index @var{n}.
6404 A negative @var{n} means count from the end. @code{ewoc-nth} returns
6405 @code{nil} if @var{n} is out of range.
6408 @defun ewoc-data node
6409 This extracts the data encapsulated by @var{node} and returns it.
6412 @defun ewoc-set-data node data
6413 This sets the data encapsulated by @var{node} to @var{data}.
6416 @defun ewoc-locate ewoc &optional pos guess
6417 This determines the node in @var{ewoc} which contains point (or
6418 @var{pos} if specified), and returns that node. If @var{ewoc} has no
6419 nodes, it returns @code{nil}. If @var{pos} is before the first node,
6420 it returns the first node; if @var{pos} is after the last node, it returns
6421 the last node. The optional third arg @var{guess}
6422 should be a node that is likely to be near @var{pos}; this doesn't
6423 alter the result, but makes the function run faster.
6426 @defun ewoc-location node
6427 This returns the start position of @var{node}.
6430 @defun ewoc-goto-prev ewoc arg
6431 @defunx ewoc-goto-next ewoc arg
6432 These move point to the previous or next, respectively, @var{arg}th node
6433 in @var{ewoc}. @code{ewoc-goto-prev} does not move if it is already at
6434 the first node or if @var{ewoc} is empty, whereas @code{ewoc-goto-next}
6435 moves past the last node, returning @code{nil}. Excepting this special
6436 case, these functions return the node moved to.
6439 @defun ewoc-goto-node ewoc node
6440 This moves point to the start of @var{node} in @var{ewoc}.
6443 @defun ewoc-refresh ewoc
6444 This function regenerates the text of @var{ewoc}. It works by
6445 deleting the text between the header and the footer, i.e., all the
6446 data elements' representations, and then calling the pretty-printer
6447 function for each node, one by one, in order.
6450 @defun ewoc-invalidate ewoc &rest nodes
6451 This is similar to @code{ewoc-refresh}, except that only @var{nodes} in
6452 @var{ewoc} are updated instead of the entire set.
6455 @defun ewoc-delete ewoc &rest nodes
6456 This deletes each node in @var{nodes} from @var{ewoc}.
6459 @defun ewoc-filter ewoc predicate &rest args
6460 This calls @var{predicate} for each data element in @var{ewoc} and
6461 deletes those nodes for which @var{predicate} returns @code{nil}.
6462 Any @var{args} are passed to @var{predicate}.
6465 @defun ewoc-collect ewoc predicate &rest args
6466 This calls @var{predicate} for each data element in @var{ewoc}
6467 and returns a list of those elements for which @var{predicate}
6468 returns non-@code{nil}. The elements in the list are ordered
6469 as in the buffer. Any @var{args} are passed to @var{predicate}.
6472 @defun ewoc-map map-function ewoc &rest args
6473 This calls @var{map-function} for each data element in @var{ewoc} and
6474 updates those nodes for which @var{map-function} returns non-@code{nil}.
6475 Any @var{args} are passed to @var{map-function}.
6478 @node Abstract Display Example
6479 @subsection Abstract Display Example
6481 Here is a simple example using functions of the ewoc package to
6482 implement a @dfn{color components} display, an area in a buffer that
6483 represents a vector of three integers (itself representing a 24-bit RGB
6484 value) in various ways.
6487 (setq colorcomp-ewoc nil
6489 colorcomp-mode-map nil
6490 colorcomp-labels ["Red" "Green" "Blue"])
6492 (defun colorcomp-pp (data)
6494 (let ((comp (aref colorcomp-data data)))
6495 (insert (aref colorcomp-labels data) "\t: #x"
6496 (format "%02X" comp) " "
6497 (make-string (ash comp -2) ?#) "\n"))
6498 (let ((cstr (format "#%02X%02X%02X"
6499 (aref colorcomp-data 0)
6500 (aref colorcomp-data 1)
6501 (aref colorcomp-data 2)))
6502 (samp " (sample text) "))
6504 (propertize samp 'face
6505 `(foreground-color . ,cstr))
6506 (propertize samp 'face
6507 `(background-color . ,cstr))
6510 (defun colorcomp (color)
6511 "Allow fiddling with COLOR in a new buffer.
6512 The buffer is in Color Components mode."
6513 (interactive "sColor (name or #RGB or #RRGGBB): ")
6514 (when (string= "" color)
6515 (setq color "green"))
6516 (unless (color-values color)
6517 (error "No such color: %S" color))
6519 (generate-new-buffer (format "originally: %s" color)))
6520 (kill-all-local-variables)
6521 (setq major-mode 'colorcomp-mode
6522 mode-name "Color Components")
6523 (use-local-map colorcomp-mode-map)
6525 (buffer-disable-undo)
6526 (let ((data (apply 'vector (mapcar (lambda (n) (ash n -8))
6527 (color-values color))))
6528 (ewoc (ewoc-create 'colorcomp-pp
6529 "\nColor Components\n\n"
6530 (substitute-command-keys
6531 "\n\\@{colorcomp-mode-map@}"))))
6532 (set (make-local-variable 'colorcomp-data) data)
6533 (set (make-local-variable 'colorcomp-ewoc) ewoc)
6534 (ewoc-enter-last ewoc 0)
6535 (ewoc-enter-last ewoc 1)
6536 (ewoc-enter-last ewoc 2)
6537 (ewoc-enter-last ewoc nil)))
6540 @cindex controller part, model/view/controller
6541 This example can be extended to be a color selection widget (in
6542 other words, the ``controller'' part of the ``model--view--controller''
6543 design paradigm) by defining commands to modify @code{colorcomp-data}
6544 and to finish the selection process, and a keymap to tie it all
6545 together conveniently.
6548 (defun colorcomp-mod (index limit delta)
6549 (let ((cur (aref colorcomp-data index)))
6550 (unless (= limit cur)
6551 (aset colorcomp-data index (+ cur delta)))
6554 (ewoc-nth colorcomp-ewoc index)
6555 (ewoc-nth colorcomp-ewoc -1))))
6557 (defun colorcomp-R-more () (interactive) (colorcomp-mod 0 255 1))
6558 (defun colorcomp-G-more () (interactive) (colorcomp-mod 1 255 1))
6559 (defun colorcomp-B-more () (interactive) (colorcomp-mod 2 255 1))
6560 (defun colorcomp-R-less () (interactive) (colorcomp-mod 0 0 -1))
6561 (defun colorcomp-G-less () (interactive) (colorcomp-mod 1 0 -1))
6562 (defun colorcomp-B-less () (interactive) (colorcomp-mod 2 0 -1))
6564 (defun colorcomp-copy-as-kill-and-exit ()
6565 "Copy the color components into the kill ring and kill the buffer.
6566 The string is formatted #RRGGBB (hash followed by six hex digits)."
6568 (kill-new (format "#%02X%02X%02X"
6569 (aref colorcomp-data 0)
6570 (aref colorcomp-data 1)
6571 (aref colorcomp-data 2)))
6574 (setq colorcomp-mode-map
6575 (let ((m (make-sparse-keymap)))
6577 (define-key m "i" 'colorcomp-R-less)
6578 (define-key m "o" 'colorcomp-R-more)
6579 (define-key m "k" 'colorcomp-G-less)
6580 (define-key m "l" 'colorcomp-G-more)
6581 (define-key m "," 'colorcomp-B-less)
6582 (define-key m "." 'colorcomp-B-more)
6583 (define-key m " " 'colorcomp-copy-as-kill-and-exit)
6587 Note that we never modify the data in each node, which is fixed when the
6588 ewoc is created to be either @code{nil} or an index into the vector
6589 @code{colorcomp-data}, the actual color components.
6592 @section Blinking Parentheses
6593 @cindex parenthesis matching
6594 @cindex blinking parentheses
6595 @cindex balancing parentheses
6597 This section describes the mechanism by which Emacs shows a matching
6598 open parenthesis when the user inserts a close parenthesis.
6600 @defvar blink-paren-function
6601 The value of this variable should be a function (of no arguments) to
6602 be called whenever a character with close parenthesis syntax is inserted.
6603 The value of @code{blink-paren-function} may be @code{nil}, in which
6604 case nothing is done.
6607 @defopt blink-matching-paren
6608 If this variable is @code{nil}, then @code{blink-matching-open} does
6612 @defopt blink-matching-paren-distance
6613 This variable specifies the maximum distance to scan for a matching
6614 parenthesis before giving up.
6617 @defopt blink-matching-delay
6618 This variable specifies the number of seconds to keep indicating the
6619 matching parenthesis. A fraction of a second often gives good
6620 results, but the default is 1, which works on all systems.
6623 @deffn Command blink-matching-open
6624 This function is the default value of @code{blink-paren-function}. It
6625 assumes that point follows a character with close parenthesis syntax
6626 and applies the appropriate effect momentarily to the matching opening
6627 character. If that character is not already on the screen, it
6628 displays the character's context in the echo area. To avoid long
6629 delays, this function does not search farther than
6630 @code{blink-matching-paren-distance} characters.
6632 Here is an example of calling this function explicitly.
6636 (defun interactive-blink-matching-open ()
6637 "Indicate momentarily the start of parenthesized sexp before point."
6641 (let ((blink-matching-paren-distance
6643 (blink-matching-paren t))
6644 (blink-matching-open)))
6649 @node Character Display
6650 @section Character Display
6652 This section describes how characters are actually displayed by
6653 Emacs. Typically, a character is displayed as a @dfn{glyph} (a
6654 graphical symbol which occupies one character position on the screen),
6655 whose appearance corresponds to the character itself. For example,
6656 the character @samp{a} (character code 97) is displayed as @samp{a}.
6657 Some characters, however, are displayed specially. For example, the
6658 formfeed character (character code 12) is usually displayed as a
6659 sequence of two glyphs, @samp{^L}, while the newline character
6660 (character code 10) starts a new screen line.
6662 You can modify how each character is displayed by defining a
6663 @dfn{display table}, which maps each character code into a sequence of
6664 glyphs. @xref{Display Tables}.
6667 * Usual Display:: The usual conventions for displaying characters.
6668 * Display Tables:: What a display table consists of.
6669 * Active Display Table:: How Emacs selects a display table to use.
6670 * Glyphs:: How to define a glyph, and what glyphs mean.
6671 * Glyphless Chars:: How glyphless characters are drawn.
6675 @subsection Usual Display Conventions
6677 Here are the conventions for displaying each character code (in the
6678 absence of a display table, which can override these
6683 conventions; @pxref{Display Tables}).
6686 @cindex printable ASCII characters
6689 The @dfn{printable @acronym{ASCII} characters}, character codes 32
6690 through 126 (consisting of numerals, English letters, and symbols like
6691 @samp{#}) are displayed literally.
6694 The tab character (character code 9) displays as whitespace stretching
6695 up to the next tab stop column. @xref{Text Display,,, emacs, The GNU
6696 Emacs Manual}. The variable @code{tab-width} controls the number of
6697 spaces per tab stop (see below).
6700 The newline character (character code 10) has a special effect: it
6701 ends the preceding line and starts a new line.
6703 @cindex ASCII control characters
6705 The non-printable @dfn{@acronym{ASCII} control characters}---character
6706 codes 0 through 31, as well as the @key{DEL} character (character code
6707 127)---display in one of two ways according to the variable
6708 @code{ctl-arrow}. If this variable is non-@code{nil} (the default),
6709 these characters are displayed as sequences of two glyphs, where the
6710 first glyph is @samp{^} (a display table can specify a glyph to use
6711 instead of @samp{^}); e.g., the @key{DEL} character is displayed as
6714 If @code{ctl-arrow} is @code{nil}, these characters are displayed as
6715 octal escapes (see below).
6717 This rule also applies to carriage return (character code 13), if that
6718 character appears in the buffer. But carriage returns usually do not
6719 appear in buffer text; they are eliminated as part of end-of-line
6720 conversion (@pxref{Coding System Basics}).
6722 @cindex octal escapes
6724 @dfn{Raw bytes} are non-@acronym{ASCII} characters with codes 128
6725 through 255 (@pxref{Text Representations}). These characters display
6726 as @dfn{octal escapes}: sequences of four glyphs, where the first
6727 glyph is the @acronym{ASCII} code for @samp{\}, and the others are
6728 digit characters representing the character code in octal. (A display
6729 table can specify a glyph to use instead of @samp{\}.)
6732 Each non-@acronym{ASCII} character with code above 255 is displayed
6733 literally, if the terminal supports it. If the terminal does not
6734 support it, the character is said to be @dfn{glyphless}, and it is
6735 usually displayed using a placeholder glyph. For example, if a
6736 graphical terminal has no font for a character, Emacs usually displays
6737 a box containing the character code in hexadecimal. @xref{Glyphless
6741 The above display conventions apply even when there is a display
6742 table, for any character whose entry in the active display table is
6743 @code{nil}. Thus, when you set up a display table, you need only
6744 specify the characters for which you want special behavior.
6746 The following variables affect how certain characters are displayed
6747 on the screen. Since they change the number of columns the characters
6748 occupy, they also affect the indentation functions. They also affect
6749 how the mode line is displayed; if you want to force redisplay of the
6750 mode line using the new values, call the function
6751 @code{force-mode-line-update} (@pxref{Mode Line Format}).
6754 @cindex control characters in display
6755 This buffer-local variable controls how control characters are
6756 displayed. If it is non-@code{nil}, they are displayed as a caret
6757 followed by the character: @samp{^A}. If it is @code{nil}, they are
6758 displayed as octal escapes: a backslash followed by three octal
6759 digits, as in @samp{\001}.
6763 The value of this buffer-local variable is the spacing between tab
6764 stops used for displaying tab characters in Emacs buffers. The value
6765 is in units of columns, and the default is 8. Note that this feature
6766 is completely independent of the user-settable tab stops used by the
6767 command @code{tab-to-tab-stop}. @xref{Indent Tabs}.
6770 @node Display Tables
6771 @subsection Display Tables
6773 @cindex display table
6774 A display table is a special-purpose char-table
6775 (@pxref{Char-Tables}), with @code{display-table} as its subtype, which
6776 is used to override the usual character display conventions. This
6777 section describes how to make, inspect, and assign elements to a
6778 display table object.
6780 @defun make-display-table
6781 This creates and returns a display table. The table initially has
6782 @code{nil} in all elements.
6785 The ordinary elements of the display table are indexed by character
6786 codes; the element at index @var{c} says how to display the character
6787 code @var{c}. The value should be @code{nil} (which means to display
6788 the character @var{c} according to the usual display conventions;
6789 @pxref{Usual Display}), or a vector of glyph codes (which means to
6790 display the character @var{c} as those glyphs; @pxref{Glyphs}).
6792 @strong{Warning:} if you use the display table to change the display
6793 of newline characters, the whole buffer will be displayed as one long
6796 The display table also has six @dfn{extra slots} which serve special
6797 purposes. Here is a table of their meanings; @code{nil} in any slot
6798 means to use the default for that slot, as stated below.
6802 The glyph for the end of a truncated screen line (the default for this
6803 is @samp{$}). @xref{Glyphs}. On graphical terminals, Emacs uses
6804 arrows in the fringes to indicate truncation, so the display table has
6808 The glyph for the end of a continued line (the default is @samp{\}).
6809 On graphical terminals, Emacs uses curved arrows in the fringes to
6810 indicate continuation, so the display table has no effect.
6813 The glyph for indicating a character displayed as an octal character
6814 code (the default is @samp{\}).
6817 The glyph for indicating a control character (the default is @samp{^}).
6820 A vector of glyphs for indicating the presence of invisible lines (the
6821 default is @samp{...}). @xref{Selective Display}.
6824 The glyph used to draw the border between side-by-side windows (the
6825 default is @samp{|}). @xref{Splitting Windows}. This takes effect only
6826 when there are no scroll bars; if scroll bars are supported and in use,
6827 a scroll bar separates the two windows.
6830 For example, here is how to construct a display table that mimics
6831 the effect of setting @code{ctl-arrow} to a non-@code{nil} value
6832 (@pxref{Glyphs}, for the function @code{make-glyph-code}):
6835 (setq disptab (make-display-table))
6840 (vector (make-glyph-code ?^ 'escape-glyph)
6841 (make-glyph-code (+ i 64) 'escape-glyph)))))
6843 (vector (make-glyph-code ?^ 'escape-glyph)
6844 (make-glyph-code ?? 'escape-glyph)))))
6847 @defun display-table-slot display-table slot
6848 This function returns the value of the extra slot @var{slot} of
6849 @var{display-table}. The argument @var{slot} may be a number from 0 to
6850 5 inclusive, or a slot name (symbol). Valid symbols are
6851 @code{truncation}, @code{wrap}, @code{escape}, @code{control},
6852 @code{selective-display}, and @code{vertical-border}.
6855 @defun set-display-table-slot display-table slot value
6856 This function stores @var{value} in the extra slot @var{slot} of
6857 @var{display-table}. The argument @var{slot} may be a number from 0 to
6858 5 inclusive, or a slot name (symbol). Valid symbols are
6859 @code{truncation}, @code{wrap}, @code{escape}, @code{control},
6860 @code{selective-display}, and @code{vertical-border}.
6863 @defun describe-display-table display-table
6864 This function displays a description of the display table
6865 @var{display-table} in a help buffer.
6868 @deffn Command describe-current-display-table
6869 This command displays a description of the current display table in a
6873 @node Active Display Table
6874 @subsection Active Display Table
6875 @cindex active display table
6877 Each window can specify a display table, and so can each buffer.
6878 The window's display table, if there is one, takes precedence over the
6879 buffer's display table. If neither exists, Emacs tries to use the
6880 standard display table; if that is @code{nil}, Emacs uses the usual
6881 character display conventions (@pxref{Usual Display}).
6883 Note that display tables affect how the mode line is displayed, so
6884 if you want to force redisplay of the mode line using a new display
6885 table, call @code{force-mode-line-update} (@pxref{Mode Line Format}).
6887 @defun window-display-table &optional window
6888 This function returns @var{window}'s display table, or @code{nil} if
6889 there is none. The default for @var{window} is the selected window.
6892 @defun set-window-display-table window table
6893 This function sets the display table of @var{window} to @var{table}.
6894 The argument @var{table} should be either a display table or
6898 @defvar buffer-display-table
6899 This variable is automatically buffer-local in all buffers; its value
6900 specifies the buffer's display table. If it is @code{nil}, there is
6901 no buffer display table.
6904 @defvar standard-display-table
6905 The value of this variable is the standard display table, which is
6906 used when Emacs is displaying a buffer in a window with neither a
6907 window display table nor a buffer display table defined, or when Emacs
6908 is outputting text to the standard output or error streams. Although its
6909 default is typically @code{nil}, in an interactive session if the
6910 terminal cannot display curved quotes, its default maps curved quotes
6911 to ASCII approximations. @xref{Keys in Documentation}.
6914 The @file{disp-table} library defines several functions for changing
6915 the standard display table.
6922 A @dfn{glyph} is a graphical symbol which occupies a single
6923 character position on the screen. Each glyph is represented in Lisp
6924 as a @dfn{glyph code}, which specifies a character and optionally a
6925 face to display it in (@pxref{Faces}). The main use of glyph codes is
6926 as the entries of display tables (@pxref{Display Tables}). The
6927 following functions are used to manipulate glyph codes:
6929 @defun make-glyph-code char &optional face
6930 This function returns a glyph code representing char @var{char} with
6931 face @var{face}. If @var{face} is omitted or @code{nil}, the glyph
6932 uses the default face; in that case, the glyph code is an integer. If
6933 @var{face} is non-@code{nil}, the glyph code is not necessarily an
6937 @defun glyph-char glyph
6938 This function returns the character of glyph code @var{glyph}.
6941 @defun glyph-face glyph
6942 This function returns face of glyph code @var{glyph}, or @code{nil} if
6943 @var{glyph} uses the default face.
6947 You can set up a @dfn{glyph table} to change how glyph codes are
6948 actually displayed on text terminals. This feature is semi-obsolete;
6949 use @code{glyphless-char-display} instead (@pxref{Glyphless Chars}).
6952 The value of this variable, if non-@code{nil}, is the current glyph
6953 table. It takes effect only on character terminals; on graphical
6954 displays, all glyphs are displayed literally. The glyph table should
6955 be a vector whose @var{g}th element specifies how to display glyph
6956 code @var{g}, where @var{g} is the glyph code for a glyph whose face
6957 is unspecified. Each element should be one of the following:
6961 Display this glyph literally.
6964 Display this glyph by sending the specified string to the terminal.
6967 Display the specified glyph code instead.
6970 Any integer glyph code greater than or equal to the length of the
6971 glyph table is displayed literally.
6975 @node Glyphless Chars
6976 @subsection Glyphless Character Display
6977 @cindex glyphless characters
6979 @dfn{Glyphless characters} are characters which are displayed in a
6980 special way, e.g., as a box containing a hexadecimal code, instead of
6981 being displayed literally. These include characters which are
6982 explicitly defined to be glyphless, as well as characters for which
6983 there is no available font (on a graphical display), and characters
6984 which cannot be encoded by the terminal's coding system (on a text
6987 @defvar glyphless-char-display
6988 The value of this variable is a char-table which defines glyphless
6989 characters and how they are displayed. Each entry must be one of the
6990 following display methods:
6994 Display the character in the usual way.
6996 @item @code{zero-width}
6997 Don't display the character.
6999 @item @code{thin-space}
7000 Display a thin space, 1-pixel wide on graphical displays, or
7001 1-character wide on text terminals.
7003 @item @code{empty-box}
7004 Display an empty box.
7006 @item @code{hex-code}
7007 Display a box containing the Unicode codepoint of the character, in
7008 hexadecimal notation.
7010 @item an @acronym{ASCII} string
7011 Display a box containing that string. The string should contain at
7012 most 6 @acronym{ASCII} characters.
7014 @item a cons cell @code{(@var{graphical} . @var{text})}
7015 Display with @var{graphical} on graphical displays, and with
7016 @var{text} on text terminals. Both @var{graphical} and @var{text}
7017 must be one of the display methods described above.
7021 The @code{thin-space}, @code{empty-box}, @code{hex-code}, and
7022 @acronym{ASCII} string display methods are drawn with the
7023 @code{glyphless-char} face. On text terminals, a box is emulated by
7024 square brackets, @samp{[]}.
7026 The char-table has one extra slot, which determines how to display any
7027 character that cannot be displayed with any available font, or cannot
7028 be encoded by the terminal's coding system. Its value should be one
7029 of the above display methods, except @code{zero-width} or a cons cell.
7031 If a character has a non-@code{nil} entry in an active display table,
7032 the display table takes effect; in this case, Emacs does not consult
7033 @code{glyphless-char-display} at all.
7036 @defopt glyphless-char-display-control
7037 This user option provides a convenient way to set
7038 @code{glyphless-char-display} for groups of similar characters. Do
7039 not set its value directly from Lisp code; the value takes effect only
7040 via a custom @code{:set} function (@pxref{Variable Definitions}),
7041 which updates @code{glyphless-char-display}.
7043 Its value should be an alist of elements @code{(@var{group}
7044 . @var{method})}, where @var{group} is a symbol specifying a group of
7045 characters, and @var{method} is a symbol specifying how to display
7048 @var{group} should be one of the following:
7052 @acronym{ASCII} control characters @code{U+0000} to @code{U+001F},
7053 excluding the newline and tab characters (normally displayed as escape
7054 sequences like @samp{^A}; @pxref{Text Display,, How Text Is Displayed,
7055 emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}).
7058 Non-@acronym{ASCII}, non-printing characters @code{U+0080} to
7059 @code{U+009F} (normally displayed as octal escape sequences like
7062 @item format-control
7063 Characters of Unicode General Category [Cf], such as @samp{U+200E}
7064 (Left-to-Right Mark), but excluding characters that have graphic
7065 images, such as @samp{U+00AD} (Soft Hyphen).
7068 Characters for there is no suitable font, or which cannot be encoded
7069 by the terminal's coding system.
7072 @c FIXME: this can also be 'acronym', but that's not currently
7073 @c completely implemented; it applies only to the format-control
7074 @c group, and only works if the acronym is in 'char-acronym-table'.
7075 The @var{method} symbol should be one of @code{zero-width},
7076 @code{thin-space}, @code{empty-box}, or @code{hex-code}. These have
7077 the same meanings as in @code{glyphless-char-display}, above.
7084 This section describes how to make Emacs ring the bell (or blink the
7085 screen) to attract the user's attention. Be conservative about how
7086 often you do this; frequent bells can become irritating. Also be
7087 careful not to use just beeping when signaling an error is more
7088 appropriate (@pxref{Errors}).
7090 @defun ding &optional do-not-terminate
7091 @cindex keyboard macro termination
7092 This function beeps, or flashes the screen (see @code{visible-bell} below).
7093 It also terminates any keyboard macro currently executing unless
7094 @var{do-not-terminate} is non-@code{nil}.
7097 @defun beep &optional do-not-terminate
7098 This is a synonym for @code{ding}.
7101 @defopt visible-bell
7102 This variable determines whether Emacs should flash the screen to
7103 represent a bell. Non-@code{nil} means yes, @code{nil} means no.
7104 This is effective on graphical displays, and on text terminals
7105 provided the terminal's Termcap entry defines the visible bell
7106 capability (@samp{vb}).
7109 @defopt ring-bell-function
7110 If this is non-@code{nil}, it specifies how Emacs should ring the
7111 bell. Its value should be a function of no arguments. If this is
7112 non-@code{nil}, it takes precedence over the @code{visible-bell}
7116 @node Window Systems
7117 @section Window Systems
7119 Emacs works with several window systems, most notably the X Window
7120 System. Both Emacs and X use the term ``window'', but use it
7121 differently. An Emacs frame is a single window as far as X is
7122 concerned; the individual Emacs windows are not known to X at all.
7124 @defvar window-system
7125 This terminal-local variable tells Lisp programs what window system
7126 Emacs is using for displaying the frame. The possible values are
7130 @cindex X Window System
7131 Emacs is displaying the frame using X.
7133 Emacs is displaying the frame using native MS-Windows GUI.
7135 Emacs is displaying the frame using the Nextstep interface (used on
7138 Emacs is displaying the frame using MS-DOS direct screen writes.
7140 Emacs is displaying the frame on a character-based terminal.
7144 @defvar initial-window-system
7145 This variable holds the value of @code{window-system} used for the
7146 first frame created by Emacs during startup. (When Emacs is invoked
7147 as a daemon, it does not create any initial
7148 frames, so @code{initial-window-system} is @code{nil}, except on
7149 MS-Windows, where it is still @code{w32}. @xref{Initial Options,
7150 daemon,, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}.)
7153 @defun window-system &optional frame
7154 This function returns a symbol whose name tells what window system is
7155 used for displaying @var{frame} (which defaults to the currently
7156 selected frame). The list of possible symbols it returns is the same
7157 one documented for the variable @code{window-system} above.
7160 Do @emph{not} use @code{window-system} and
7161 @code{initial-window-system} as predicates or boolean flag variables,
7162 if you want to write code that works differently on text terminals and
7163 graphic displays. That is because @code{window-system} is not a good
7164 indicator of Emacs capabilities on a given display type. Instead, use
7165 @code{display-graphic-p} or any of the other @code{display-*-p}
7166 predicates described in @ref{Display Feature Testing}.
7171 @dfn{Tooltips} are special frames (@pxref{Frames}) that are used to
7172 display helpful hints (a.k.a.@: ``tips'') related to the current
7173 position of the mouse pointer. Emacs uses tooltips to display help
7174 strings about active portions of text (@pxref{Special Properties}) and
7175 about various UI elements, such as menu items (@pxref{Extended Menu
7176 Items}) and tool-bar buttons (@pxref{Tool Bar}).
7179 Tooltip Mode is a minor mode that enables display of tooltips.
7180 Turning off this mode causes the tooltips be displayed in the echo
7181 area. On text-mode (a.k.a.@: ``TTY'') frames, tooltips are always
7182 displayed in the echo area.
7185 @vindex x-gtk-use-system-tooltips
7186 When Emacs is built with GTK+ support, it by default displays tooltips
7187 using GTK+ functions, and the appearance of the tooltips is then
7188 controlled by GTK+ settings. GTK+ tooltips can be disabled by
7189 changing the value of the variable @code{x-gtk-use-system-tooltips} to
7190 @code{nil}. The rest of this subsection describes how to control
7191 non-GTK+ tooltips, which are presented by Emacs itself.
7193 @cindex tooltip frames
7194 Tooltips are displayed in special frames called tooltip frames, which
7195 have their own frame parameters (@pxref{Frame Parameters}). Unlike
7196 other frames, the default parameters for tooltip frames are stored in a
7199 @defvar tooltip-frame-parameters
7200 This customizable option holds the default frame parameters used for
7201 displaying tooltips. Any font and color parameters are ignored, and the
7202 corresponding attributes of the @code{tooltip} face are used instead.
7203 If @code{left} or @code{top} parameters are included, they are used as
7204 absolute frame-relative coordinates where the tooltip should be shown.
7205 (Mouse-relative position of the tooltip can be customized using the
7206 variables described in @ref{Tooltips,,, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}.)
7207 Note that the @code{left} and @code{top} parameters, if present,
7208 override the values of mouse-relative offsets.
7211 @vindex tooltip@r{ face}
7212 The @code{tooltip} face determines the appearance of text shown in
7213 tooltips. It should generally use a variable-pitch font of size that
7214 is preferably smaller than the default frame font.
7216 @findex tooltip-help-tips
7217 @defvar tooltip-functions
7218 This abnormal hook is a list of functions to call when Emacs needs to
7219 display a tooltip. Each function is called with a single argument
7220 @var{event} which is a copy of the last mouse movement event. If a
7221 function on this list actually displays the tooltip, it should return
7222 non-@code{nil}, and then the rest of the functions will not be
7223 called. The default value of this variable is a single function
7224 @code{tooltip-help-tips}.
7227 If you write your own function to be put on the
7228 @code{tooltip-functions} list, you may need to know the buffer of the
7229 mouse event that triggered the tooltip display. The following
7230 function provides that information.
7232 @defun tooltip-event-buffer event
7233 This function returns the buffer over which @var{event} occurred.
7234 Call it with the argument of the function from
7235 @code{tooltip-functions} to obtain the buffer whose text triggered the
7236 tooltip. Note that the event might occur not over a buffer (e.g.,
7237 over the tool bar), in which case this function will return
7241 Other aspects of tooltip display are controlled by several
7242 customizable settings; see @ref{Tooltips,,, emacs, The GNU Emacs
7245 @node Bidirectional Display
7246 @section Bidirectional Display
7247 @cindex bidirectional display
7248 @cindex right-to-left text
7250 Emacs can display text written in scripts, such as Arabic, Farsi,
7251 and Hebrew, whose natural ordering for horizontal text display runs
7252 from right to left. Furthermore, segments of Latin script and digits
7253 embedded in right-to-left text are displayed left-to-right, while
7254 segments of right-to-left script embedded in left-to-right text
7255 (e.g., Arabic or Hebrew text in comments or strings in a program
7256 source file) are appropriately displayed right-to-left. We call such
7257 mixtures of left-to-right and right-to-left text @dfn{bidirectional
7258 text}. This section describes the facilities and options for editing
7259 and displaying bidirectional text.
7261 @cindex logical order
7262 @cindex reading order
7263 @cindex visual order
7264 @cindex unicode bidirectional algorithm
7266 @cindex bidirectional reordering
7267 @cindex reordering, of bidirectional text
7268 Text is stored in Emacs buffers and strings in @dfn{logical} (or
7269 @dfn{reading}) order, i.e., the order in which a human would read
7270 each character. In right-to-left and bidirectional text, the order in
7271 which characters are displayed on the screen (called @dfn{visual
7272 order}) is not the same as logical order; the characters' screen
7273 positions do not increase monotonically with string or buffer
7274 position. In performing this @dfn{bidirectional reordering}, Emacs
7275 follows the Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm (a.k.a.@: @acronym{UBA}),
7276 which is described in Annex #9 of the Unicode standard
7277 (@url{http://www.unicode.org/reports/tr9/}). Emacs provides a ``Full
7278 Bidirectionality'' class implementation of the @acronym{UBA},
7279 consistent with the requirements of the Unicode Standard v8.0.
7281 @defvar bidi-display-reordering
7282 If the value of this buffer-local variable is non-@code{nil} (the
7283 default), Emacs performs bidirectional reordering for display. The
7284 reordering affects buffer text, as well as display strings and overlay
7285 strings from text and overlay properties in the buffer (@pxref{Overlay
7286 Properties}, and @pxref{Display Property}). If the value is
7287 @code{nil}, Emacs does not perform bidirectional reordering in the
7290 The default value of @code{bidi-display-reordering} controls the
7291 reordering of strings which are not directly supplied by a buffer,
7292 including the text displayed in mode lines (@pxref{Mode Line Format})
7293 and header lines (@pxref{Header Lines}).
7296 @cindex unibyte buffers, and bidi reordering
7297 Emacs never reorders the text of a unibyte buffer, even if
7298 @code{bidi-display-reordering} is non-@code{nil} in the buffer. This
7299 is because unibyte buffers contain raw bytes, not characters, and thus
7300 lack the directionality properties required for reordering.
7301 Therefore, to test whether text in a buffer will be reordered for
7302 display, it is not enough to test the value of
7303 @code{bidi-display-reordering} alone. The correct test is this:
7306 (if (and enable-multibyte-characters
7307 bidi-display-reordering)
7308 ;; Buffer is being reordered for display
7312 However, unibyte display and overlay strings @emph{are} reordered if
7313 their parent buffer is reordered. This is because plain-@sc{ascii}
7314 strings are stored by Emacs as unibyte strings. If a unibyte display
7315 or overlay string includes non-@sc{ascii} characters, these characters
7316 are assumed to have left-to-right direction.
7318 @cindex display properties, and bidi reordering of text
7319 Text covered by @code{display} text properties, by overlays with
7320 @code{display} properties whose value is a string, and by any other
7321 properties that replace buffer text, is treated as a single unit when
7322 it is reordered for display. That is, the entire chunk of text
7323 covered by these properties is reordered together. Moreover, the
7324 bidirectional properties of the characters in such a chunk of text are
7325 ignored, and Emacs reorders them as if they were replaced with a
7326 single character @code{U+FFFC}, known as the @dfn{Object Replacement
7327 Character}. This means that placing a display property over a portion
7328 of text may change the way that the surrounding text is reordered for
7329 display. To prevent this unexpected effect, always place such
7330 properties on text whose directionality is identical with text that
7333 @cindex base direction of a paragraph
7334 Each paragraph of bidirectional text has a @dfn{base direction},
7335 either right-to-left or left-to-right. Left-to-right paragraphs are
7336 displayed beginning at the left margin of the window, and are
7337 truncated or continued when the text reaches the right margin.
7338 Right-to-left paragraphs are displayed beginning at the right margin,
7339 and are continued or truncated at the left margin.
7341 By default, Emacs determines the base direction of each paragraph by
7342 looking at the text at its beginning. The precise method of
7343 determining the base direction is specified by the @acronym{UBA}; in a
7344 nutshell, the first character in a paragraph that has an explicit
7345 directionality determines the base direction of the paragraph.
7346 However, sometimes a buffer may need to force a certain base direction
7347 for its paragraphs. For example, buffers containing program source
7348 code should force all paragraphs to be displayed left-to-right. You
7349 can use following variable to do this:
7351 @defvar bidi-paragraph-direction
7352 If the value of this buffer-local variable is the symbol
7353 @code{right-to-left} or @code{left-to-right}, all paragraphs in the
7354 buffer are assumed to have that specified direction. Any other value
7355 is equivalent to @code{nil} (the default), which means to determine
7356 the base direction of each paragraph from its contents.
7358 @cindex @code{prog-mode}, and @code{bidi-paragraph-direction}
7359 Modes for program source code should set this to @code{left-to-right}.
7360 Prog mode does this by default, so modes derived from Prog mode do not
7361 need to set this explicitly (@pxref{Basic Major Modes}).
7364 @defun current-bidi-paragraph-direction &optional buffer
7365 This function returns the paragraph direction at point in the named
7366 @var{buffer}. The returned value is a symbol, either
7367 @code{left-to-right} or @code{right-to-left}. If @var{buffer} is
7368 omitted or @code{nil}, it defaults to the current buffer. If the
7369 buffer-local value of the variable @code{bidi-paragraph-direction} is
7370 non-@code{nil}, the returned value will be identical to that value;
7371 otherwise, the returned value reflects the paragraph direction
7372 determined dynamically by Emacs. For buffers whose value of
7373 @code{bidi-display-reordering} is @code{nil} as well as unibyte
7374 buffers, this function always returns @code{left-to-right}.
7377 @cindex visual-order cursor motion
7378 Sometimes there's a need to move point in strict visual order,
7379 either to the left or to the right of its current screen position.
7380 Emacs provides a primitive to do that.
7382 @defun move-point-visually direction
7383 This function moves point of the currently selected window to the
7384 buffer position that appears immediately to the right or to the left
7385 of point on the screen. If @var{direction} is positive, point will
7386 move one screen position to the right, otherwise it will move one
7387 screen position to the left. Note that, depending on the surrounding
7388 bidirectional context, this could potentially move point many buffer
7389 positions away. If invoked at the end of a screen line, the function
7390 moves point to the rightmost or leftmost screen position of the next
7391 or previous screen line, as appropriate for the value of
7394 The function returns the new buffer position as its value.
7397 @cindex layout on display, and bidirectional text
7398 @cindex jumbled display of bidirectional text
7399 @cindex concatenating bidirectional strings
7400 Bidirectional reordering can have surprising and unpleasant effects
7401 when two strings with bidirectional content are juxtaposed in a
7402 buffer, or otherwise programmatically concatenated into a string of
7403 text. A typical problematic case is when a buffer consists of
7404 sequences of text fields separated by whitespace or punctuation
7405 characters, like Buffer Menu mode or Rmail Summary Mode. Because the
7406 punctuation characters used as separators have @dfn{weak
7407 directionality}, they take on the directionality of surrounding text.
7408 As result, a numeric field that follows a field with bidirectional
7409 content can be displayed @emph{to the left} of the preceding field,
7410 messing up the expected layout. There are several ways to avoid this
7415 Append the special character @code{U+200E}, LEFT-TO-RIGHT MARK, or
7416 @acronym{LRM}, to the end of each field that may have bidirectional
7417 content, or prepend it to the beginning of the following field. The
7418 function @code{bidi-string-mark-left-to-right}, described below, comes
7419 in handy for this purpose. (In a right-to-left paragraph, use
7420 @code{U+200F}, RIGHT-TO-LEFT MARK, or @acronym{RLM}, instead.) This
7421 is one of the solutions recommended by the UBA.
7424 Include the tab character in the field separator. The tab character
7425 plays the role of @dfn{segment separator} in bidirectional reordering,
7426 causing the text on either side to be reordered separately.
7428 @cindex @code{space} display spec, and bidirectional text
7430 Separate fields with a @code{display} property or overlay with a
7431 property value of the form @code{(space . PROPS)} (@pxref{Specified
7432 Space}). Emacs treats this display specification as a @dfn{paragraph
7433 separator}, and reorders the text on either side separately.
7436 @defun bidi-string-mark-left-to-right string
7437 This function returns its argument @var{string}, possibly modified,
7438 such that the result can be safely concatenated with another string,
7439 or juxtaposed with another string in a buffer, without disrupting the
7440 relative layout of this string and the next one on display. If the
7441 string returned by this function is displayed as part of a
7442 left-to-right paragraph, it will always appear on display to the left
7443 of the text that follows it. The function works by examining the
7444 characters of its argument, and if any of those characters could cause
7445 reordering on display, the function appends the @acronym{LRM}
7446 character to the string. The appended @acronym{LRM} character is made
7447 invisible by giving it an @code{invisible} text property of @code{t}
7448 (@pxref{Invisible Text}).
7451 The reordering algorithm uses the bidirectional properties of the
7452 characters stored as their @code{bidi-class} property
7453 (@pxref{Character Properties}). Lisp programs can change these
7454 properties by calling the @code{put-char-code-property} function.
7455 However, doing this requires a thorough understanding of the
7456 @acronym{UBA}, and is therefore not recommended. Any changes to the
7457 bidirectional properties of a character have global effect: they
7458 affect all Emacs frames and windows.
7460 Similarly, the @code{mirroring} property is used to display the
7461 appropriate mirrored character in the reordered text. Lisp programs
7462 can affect the mirrored display by changing this property. Again, any
7463 such changes affect all of Emacs display.
7465 @cindex overriding bidirectional properties
7466 @cindex directional overrides
7469 The bidirectional properties of characters can be overridden by
7470 inserting into the text special directional control characters,
7471 LEFT-TO-RIGHT OVERRIDE (@acronym{LRO}) and RIGHT-TO-LEFT OVERRIDE
7472 (@acronym{RLO}). Any characters between a @acronym{RLO} and the
7473 following newline or POP DIRECTIONAL FORMATTING (@acronym{PDF})
7474 control character, whichever comes first, will be displayed as if they
7475 were strong right-to-left characters, i.e.@: they will be reversed on
7476 display. Similarly, any characters between @acronym{LRO} and
7477 @acronym{PDF} or newline will display as if they were strong
7478 left-to-right, and will @emph{not} be reversed even if they are strong
7479 right-to-left characters.
7481 @cindex phishing using directional overrides
7482 @cindex malicious use of directional overrides
7483 These overrides are useful when you want to make some text
7484 unaffected by the reordering algorithm, and instead directly control
7485 the display order. But they can also be used for malicious purposes,
7486 known as @dfn{phishing}. Specifically, a URL on a Web page or a link
7487 in an email message can be manipulated to make its visual appearance
7488 unrecognizable, or similar to some popular benign location, while the
7489 real location, interpreted by a browser in the logical order, is very
7492 Emacs provides a primitive that applications can use to detect
7493 instances of text whose bidirectional properties were overridden so as
7494 to make a left-to-right character display as if it were a
7495 right-to-left character, or vise versa.
7497 @defun bidi-find-overridden-directionality from to &optional object
7498 This function looks at the text of the specified @var{object} between
7499 positions @var{from} (inclusive) and @var{to} (exclusive), and returns
7500 the first position where it finds a strong left-to-right character
7501 whose directional properties were forced to display the character as
7502 right-to-left, or for a strong right-to-left character that was forced
7503 to display as left-to-right. If it finds no such characters in the
7504 specified region of text, it returns @code{nil}.
7506 The optional argument @var{object} specifies which text to search, and
7507 defaults to the current buffer. If @var{object} is non-@code{nil}, it
7508 can be some other buffer, or it can be a string or a window. If it is
7509 a string, the function searches that string. If it is a window, the
7510 function searches the buffer displayed in that window. If a buffer
7511 whose text you want to examine is displayed in some window, we
7512 recommend to specify it by that window, rather than pass the buffer to
7513 the function. This is because telling the function about the window
7514 allows it to correctly account for window-specific overlays, which
7515 might change the result of the function if some text in the buffer is
7516 covered by overlays.
7519 @cindex copying bidirectional text, preserve visual order
7520 @cindex visual order, preserve when copying bidirectional text
7521 When text that includes mixed right-to-left and left-to-right
7522 characters and bidirectional controls is copied into a different
7523 location, it can change its visual appearance, and also can affect the
7524 visual appearance of the surrounding text at destination. This is
7525 because reordering of bidirectional text specified by the
7526 @acronym{UBA} has non-trivial context-dependent effects both on the
7527 copied text and on the text at copy destination that will surround it.
7529 Sometimes, a Lisp program may need to preserve the exact visual
7530 appearance of the copied text at destination, and of the text that
7531 surrounds the copy. Lisp programs can use the following function to
7532 achieve that effect.
7534 @defun buffer-substring-with-bidi-context start end &optional no-properties
7535 This function works similar to @code{buffer-substring} (@pxref{Buffer
7536 Contents}), but it prepends and appends to the copied text bidi
7537 directional control characters necessary to preserve the visual
7538 appearance of the text when it is inserted at another place. Optional
7539 argument @var{no-properties}, if non-@code{nil}, means remove the text
7540 properties from the copy of the text.