1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2002,
3 @c 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5 @node Emacs Invocation, X Resources, GNU Free Documentation License, Top
6 @appendix Command Line Arguments for Emacs Invocation
7 @cindex command line arguments
8 @cindex arguments (command line)
9 @cindex options (command line)
10 @cindex switches (command line)
11 @cindex startup (command line arguments)
12 @cindex invocation (command line arguments)
14 Emacs supports command line arguments to request various actions
15 when invoking Emacs. These are for compatibility with other editors
16 and for sophisticated activities. We don't recommend using them for
17 ordinary editing (@xref{Emacs Server}, for a way to access an existing
18 Emacs job from the command line).
20 Arguments starting with @samp{-} are @dfn{options}, and so is
21 @samp{+@var{linenum}}. All other arguments specify files to visit.
22 Emacs visits the specified files while it starts up. The last file
23 specified on the command line becomes the current buffer; the other
24 files are also visited in other buffers. As with most programs, the
25 special argument @samp{--} says that all subsequent arguments are file
26 names, not options, even if they start with @samp{-}.
28 Emacs command options can specify many things, such as the size and
29 position of the X window Emacs uses, its colors, and so on. A few
30 options support advanced usage, such as running Lisp functions on files
31 in batch mode. The sections of this chapter describe the available
32 options, arranged according to their purpose.
34 There are two ways of writing options: the short forms that start with
35 a single @samp{-}, and the long forms that start with @samp{--}. For
36 example, @samp{-d} is a short form and @samp{--display} is the
37 corresponding long form.
39 The long forms with @samp{--} are easier to remember, but longer to
40 type. However, you don't have to spell out the whole option name; any
41 unambiguous abbreviation is enough. When a long option takes an
42 argument, you can use either a space or an equal sign to separate the
43 option name and the argument. Thus, you can write either
44 @samp{--display sugar-bombs:0.0} or @samp{--display=sugar-bombs:0.0}.
45 We recommend an equal sign because it makes the relationship clearer,
46 and the tables below always show an equal sign.
48 @cindex initial options (command line)
49 @cindex action options (command line)
50 @vindex command-line-args
51 Most options specify how to initialize Emacs, or set parameters for
52 the Emacs session. We call them @dfn{initial options}. A few options
53 specify things to do, such as loading libraries or calling Lisp
54 functions. These are called @dfn{action options}. These and file
55 names together are called @dfn{action arguments}. The action
56 arguments are stored as a list of strings in the variable
57 @code{command-line-args}. (Actually, when Emacs starts up,
58 @code{command-line-args} contains all the arguments passed from the
59 command line; during initialization, the initial arguments are removed
60 from this list when they are processed, leaving only the action
64 * Action Arguments:: Arguments to visit files, load libraries,
66 * Initial Options:: Arguments that take effect while starting Emacs.
67 * Command Example:: Examples of using command line arguments.
68 * Resume Arguments:: Specifying arguments when you resume a running Emacs.
69 * Environment:: Environment variables that Emacs uses.
70 * Display X:: Changing the default display and using remote login.
71 * Font X:: Choosing a font for text, under X.
72 * Colors:: Choosing display colors.
73 * Window Size X:: Start-up window size, under X.
74 * Borders X:: Internal and external borders, under X.
75 * Title X:: Specifying the initial frame's title.
76 * Icons X:: Choosing what sort of icon to use, under X.
77 * Misc X:: Other display options.
80 @node Action Arguments
81 @appendixsec Action Arguments
83 Here is a table of action arguments:
88 @itemx --file=@var{file}
90 @itemx --find-file=@var{file}
92 @itemx --visit=@var{file}
93 @cindex visiting files, command-line argument
94 @vindex inhibit-startup-buffer-menu
95 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}. @xref{Visiting}.
97 When Emacs starts up, it displays the startup buffer in one window,
98 and the buffer visiting @var{file} in another window
99 (@pxref{Windows}). If you supply more than one file argument, the
100 displayed file is the last one specified on the command line; the
101 other files are visited but their buffers are not shown.
103 If the startup buffer is disabled (@pxref{Entering Emacs}), then
104 @var{file} is visited in a single window if one file argument was
105 supplied; with two file arguments, Emacs displays the files in two
106 different windows; with more than two file argument, Emacs displays
107 the last file specified in one window, plus a Buffer Menu in a
108 different window (@pxref{Several Buffers}). To inhibit using the
109 Buffer Menu for this, change the variable
110 @code{inhibit-startup-buffer-menu} to @code{t}.
112 @item +@var{linenum} @var{file}
113 @opindex +@var{linenum}
114 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number
117 @item +@var{linenum}:@var{columnnum} @var{file}
118 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number
119 @var{linenum} and put point at column number @var{columnnum}.
123 @itemx --load=@var{file}
125 @cindex loading Lisp libraries, command-line argument
126 Load a Lisp library named @var{file} with the function @code{load}.
127 @xref{Lisp Libraries}. If @var{file} is not an absolute file name,
128 the library can be found either in the current directory, or in the
129 Emacs library search path as specified with @env{EMACSLOADPATH}
130 (@pxref{General Variables}).
132 @strong{Warning:} If previous command-line arguments have visited
133 files, the current directory is the directory of the last file
138 @itemx --directory=@var{dir}
140 Add directory @var{dir} to the variable @code{load-path}.
142 @item -f @var{function}
144 @itemx --funcall=@var{function}
146 @cindex call Lisp functions, command-line argument
147 Call Lisp function @var{function}. If it is an interactive function
148 (a command), it reads the arguments interactively just as if you had
149 called the same function with a key sequence. Otherwise, it calls the
150 function with no arguments.
152 @item --eval=@var{expression}
154 @itemx --execute=@var{expression}
156 @cindex evaluate expression, command-line argument
157 Evaluate Lisp expression @var{expression}.
159 @item --insert=@var{file}
161 @cindex insert file contents, command-line argument
162 Insert the contents of @var{file} into the @samp{*scratch*} buffer
163 (@pxref{Lisp Interaction}). This is like what @kbd{M-x insert-file}
164 does (@pxref{Misc File Ops}).
168 Exit from Emacs without asking for confirmation.
172 Print a usage message listing all available options, then exit
177 Print Emacs version, then exit successfully.
180 @node Initial Options
181 @appendixsec Initial Options
183 The initial options specify parameters for the Emacs session. This
184 section describes the more general initial options; some other options
185 specifically related to the X Window System appear in the following
188 Some initial options affect the loading of the initialization file.
189 The normal actions of Emacs are to first load @file{site-start.el} if
190 it exists, then your own initialization file @file{~/.emacs} if it
191 exists, and finally @file{default.el} if it exists. @xref{Init File}.
192 Certain options prevent loading of some of these files or substitute
193 other files for them.
196 @item -t @var{device}
198 @itemx --terminal=@var{device}
200 @cindex device for Emacs terminal I/O
201 Use @var{device} as the device for terminal input and output.
202 @samp{--terminal} implies @samp{--no-window-system}.
204 @item -d @var{display}
206 @itemx --display=@var{display}
208 @cindex display for Emacs frame
209 Use the X Window System and use the display named @var{display} to open
210 the initial Emacs frame. @xref{Display X}, for more details.
214 @itemx --no-window-system
215 @opindex --no-window-system
216 @cindex disable window system
217 Don't communicate directly with the window system, disregarding the
218 @env{DISPLAY} environment variable even if it is set. This means that
219 Emacs uses the terminal from which it was launched for all its display
226 Run Emacs in @dfn{batch mode}. Batch mode is used for running
227 programs written in Emacs Lisp from shell scripts, makefiles, and so
228 on. To invoke a Lisp program, use the @samp{-batch} option in
229 conjunction with one or more of @samp{-l}, @samp{-f} or @samp{--eval}
230 (@pxref{Action Arguments}). @xref{Command Example}, for an example.
232 In batch mode, Emacs does not display the text being edited, and the
233 standard terminal interrupt characters such as @kbd{C-z} and @kbd{C-c}
234 have their usual effect. Emacs functions that normally print a
235 message in the echo area will print to either the standard output
236 stream (@code{stdout}) or the standard error stream (@code{stderr})
237 instead. (To be precise, functions like @code{prin1}, @code{princ}
238 and @code{print} print to @code{stdout}, while @code{message} and
239 @code{error} print to @code{stderr}.) Functions that normally read
240 keyboard input from the minibuffer take their input from the
241 terminal's standard input stream (@code{stdin}) instead.
243 @samp{--batch} implies @samp{-q} (do not load an initialization file),
244 but @file{site-start.el} is loaded nonetheless. It also causes Emacs
245 to exit after processing all the command options. In addition, it
246 disables auto-saving except in buffers for which it has been
247 explicitly requested.
249 @item --script @var{file}
252 Run Emacs in batch mode, like @samp{--batch}, and then read and
253 execute the Lisp code in @var{file}.
255 The normal use of this option is in executable script files that run
256 Emacs. They can start with this text on the first line
259 #!/usr/bin/emacs --script
263 which will invoke Emacs with @samp{--script} and supply the name of
264 the script file as @var{file}. Emacs Lisp then treats @samp{#!} as a
269 @itemx --no-init-file
270 @opindex --no-init-file
271 @cindex bypassing init and @file{default.el} file
272 @cindex init file, not loading
273 @cindex @file{default.el} file, not loading
274 Do not load your Emacs initialization file, and do not load the file
275 @file{default.el} either (@pxref{Init File}). Regardless of this
276 switch, @file{site-start.el} is still loaded. When Emacs is invoked
277 like this, the Customize facility does not allow options to be saved
278 (@pxref{Easy Customization}).
281 @opindex --no-site-file
282 @cindex @file{site-start.el} file, not loading
283 Do not load @file{site-start.el}. The options @samp{-q}, @samp{-u}
284 and @samp{--batch} have no effect on the loading of this file---this
285 option and @samp{-Q} are the only options that block it.
289 @vindex inhibit-startup-screen
290 @cindex splash screen
291 @cindex startup message
292 Do not display a startup screen. You can also achieve this effect by
293 setting the variable @code{inhibit-startup-screen} to non-@code{nil}
294 in your initialization file (@pxref{Entering Emacs}).
300 Start emacs with minimum customizations, similar to using @samp{-q},
301 @samp{--no-site-file}, and @samp{--no-splash} together. This also
302 stops Emacs from processing X resources by setting
303 @code{inhibit-x-resources} to @code{t} (@pxref{Resources}).
309 Start Emacs as a daemon---after Emacs starts up, it starts the Emacs
310 server and disconnects from the terminal without opening any frames.
311 You can then use the @command{emacsclient} command to connect to Emacs
312 for editing. @xref{Emacs Server}, for information about using Emacs
315 @item -daemon=@var{SERVER-NAME}
316 Start emacs in background as a daemon, and use @var{SERVER-NAME} as
320 @opindex --no-desktop
321 Do not reload any saved desktop. @xref{Saving Emacs Sessions}.
325 @itemx --user=@var{user}
327 @cindex load init file of another user
328 Load @var{user}'s initialization file instead of your
329 own@footnote{This option has no effect on MS-Windows.}.
332 @opindex --debug-init
333 @cindex errors in init file
334 Enable the Emacs Lisp debugger for errors in the init file.
335 @xref{Error Debugging,, Entering the Debugger on an Error, elisp, The
336 GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
339 @node Command Example
340 @appendixsec Command Argument Example
342 Here is an example of using Emacs with arguments and options. It
343 assumes you have a Lisp program file called @file{hack-c.el} which, when
344 loaded, performs some useful operation on the current buffer, expected
348 emacs --batch foo.c -l hack-c -f save-buffer >& log
352 This says to visit @file{foo.c}, load @file{hack-c.el} (which makes
353 changes in the visited file), save @file{foo.c} (note that
354 @code{save-buffer} is the function that @kbd{C-x C-s} is bound to), and
355 then exit back to the shell (because of @samp{--batch}). @samp{--batch}
356 also guarantees there will be no problem redirecting output to
357 @file{log}, because Emacs will not assume that it has a display terminal
360 @node Resume Arguments
361 @appendixsec Resuming Emacs with Arguments
363 You can specify action arguments for Emacs when you resume it after
364 a suspension. To prepare for this, put the following code in your
365 @file{.emacs} file (@pxref{Hooks}):
367 @c `resume-suspend-hook' is correct. It is the name of a function.
369 (add-hook 'suspend-hook 'resume-suspend-hook)
370 (add-hook 'suspend-resume-hook 'resume-process-args)
373 As further preparation, you must execute the shell script
374 @file{emacs.csh} (if you use csh as your shell) or @file{emacs.bash}
375 (if you use bash as your shell). These scripts define an alias named
376 @code{edit}, which will resume Emacs giving it new command line
377 arguments such as files to visit. The scripts are found in the
378 @file{etc} subdirectory of the Emacs distribution.
380 Only action arguments work properly when you resume Emacs. Initial
381 arguments are not recognized---it's too late to execute them anyway.
383 Note that resuming Emacs (with or without arguments) must be done from
384 within the shell that is the parent of the Emacs job. This is why
385 @code{edit} is an alias rather than a program or a shell script. It is
386 not possible to implement a resumption command that could be run from
387 other subjobs of the shell; there is no way to define a command that could
388 be made the value of @env{EDITOR}, for example. Therefore, this feature
389 does not take the place of the Emacs Server feature (@pxref{Emacs
392 The aliases use the Emacs Server feature if you appear to have a
393 server Emacs running. However, they cannot determine this with complete
394 accuracy. They may think that a server is still running when in
395 actuality you have killed that Emacs, because the file
396 @file{/tmp/esrv@dots{}} still exists. If this happens, find that
400 @appendixsec Environment Variables
401 @cindex environment variables
403 The @dfn{environment} is a feature of the operating system; it
404 consists of a collection of variables with names and values. Each
405 variable is called an @dfn{environment variable}; environment variable
406 names are case-sensitive, and it is conventional to use upper case
407 letters only. The values are all text strings.
409 What makes the environment useful is that subprocesses inherit the
410 environment automatically from their parent process. This means you
411 can set up an environment variable in your login shell, and all the
412 programs you run (including Emacs) will automatically see it.
413 Subprocesses of Emacs (such as shells, compilers, and version-control
414 software) inherit the environment from Emacs, too.
418 @vindex initial-environment
419 Inside Emacs, the command @kbd{M-x getenv} gets the value of an
420 environment variable. @kbd{M-x setenv} sets a variable in the Emacs
421 environment. (Environment variable substitutions with @samp{$} work
422 in the value just as in file names; see @ref{File Names with $}.) The
423 variable @code{initial-environment} stores the initial environment
426 The way to set environment variables outside of Emacs depends on the
427 operating system, and especially the shell that you are using. For
428 example, here's how to set the environment variable @env{ORGANIZATION}
429 to @samp{not very much} using Bash:
432 export ORGANIZATION="not very much"
436 and here's how to do it in csh or tcsh:
439 setenv ORGANIZATION "not very much"
442 When Emacs is using the X Window System, various environment
443 variables that control X work for Emacs as well. See the X
444 documentation for more information.
447 * General Variables:: Environment variables that all versions of Emacs use.
448 * Misc Variables:: Certain system-specific variables.
449 * MS-Windows Registry:: An alternative to the environment on MS-Windows.
452 @node General Variables
453 @appendixsubsec General Variables
455 Here is an alphabetical list of environment variables that have
456 special meanings in Emacs. Most of these variables are also used by
457 some other programs. Emacs does not require any of these environment
458 variables to be set, but it uses their values if they are set.
462 Used by the @code{cd} command to search for the directory you specify,
463 when you specify a relative directory name.
465 Directory for the architecture-independent files that come with Emacs.
466 This is used to initialize the Lisp variable @code{data-directory}.
468 Directory for the documentation string file,
469 @file{DOC-@var{emacsversion}}. This is used to initialize the Lisp
470 variable @code{doc-directory}.
472 A colon-separated list of directories@footnote{
473 Here and below, whenever we say ``colon-separated list of directories,''
474 it pertains to Unix and GNU/Linux systems. On MS-DOS and MS-Windows,
475 the directories are separated by semi-colons instead, since DOS/Windows
476 file names might include a colon after a drive letter.}
477 to search for Emacs Lisp files---used to initialize @code{load-path}.
479 A colon-separated list of directories to search for executable
480 files---used to initialize @code{exec-path}.
482 @vindex user-mail-address@r{, initialization}
483 Your email address; used to initialize the Lisp variable
484 @code{user-mail-address}, which the Emacs mail interface puts into
485 the @samp{From} header of outgoing messages (@pxref{Mail Headers}).
487 Used for shell-mode to override the @env{SHELL} environment variable.
489 The name of the file that shell commands are saved in between logins.
490 This variable defaults to @file{~/.bash_history} if you use Bash, to
491 @file{~/.sh_history} if you use ksh, and to @file{~/.history}
494 The location of your files in the directory tree; used for
495 expansion of file names starting with a tilde (@file{~}). On MS-DOS,
496 it defaults to the directory from which Emacs was started, with
497 @samp{/bin} removed from the end if it was present. On Windows, the
498 default value of @env{HOME} is the @file{Application Data}
499 subdirectory of the user profile directory (normally, this is
500 @file{C:/Documents and Settings/@var{username}/Application Data},
501 where @var{username} is your user name), though for backwards
502 compatibility @file{C:/} will be used instead if a @file{.emacs} file
505 The name of the machine that Emacs is running on.
507 A colon-separated list of directories. Used by the @code{complete} package
510 A colon-separated list of directories in which to search for Info files.
519 The user's preferred locale. The locale has six categories, specified
520 by the environment variables @env{LC_COLLATE} for sorting,
521 @env{LC_CTYPE} for character encoding, @env{LC_MESSAGES} for system
522 messages, @env{LC_MONETARY} for monetary formats, @env{LC_NUMERIC} for
523 numbers, and @env{LC_TIME} for dates and times. If one of these
524 variables is not set, the category defaults to the value of the
525 @env{LANG} environment variable, or to the default @samp{C} locale if
526 @env{LANG} is not set. But if @env{LC_ALL} is specified, it overrides
527 the settings of all the other locale environment variables.
529 On MS-Windows, if @env{LANG} is not already set in the environment
530 when Emacs starts, Emacs sets it based on the system-wide default
531 language, which you can set in the @samp{Regional Settings} Control Panel
532 on some versions of MS-Windows.
534 The value of the @env{LC_CTYPE} category is
535 matched against entries in @code{locale-language-names},
536 @code{locale-charset-language-names}, and
537 @code{locale-preferred-coding-systems}, to select a default language
538 environment and coding system. @xref{Language Environments}.
540 The user's login name. See also @env{USER}.
542 The name of your system mail inbox.
544 Name of setup file for the mh system. (The default is @file{~/.mh_profile}.)
546 Your real-world name.
548 The name of the news server. Used by the mh and Gnus packages.
550 The name of the organization to which you belong. Used for setting the
551 `Organization:' header in your posts from the Gnus package.
553 A colon-separated list of directories in which executables reside. This
554 is used to initialize the Emacs Lisp variable @code{exec-path}.
556 If set, this should be the default directory when Emacs was started.
558 If set, this specifies an initial value for the variable
559 @code{mail-default-reply-to}. @xref{Mail Headers}.
561 The name of a directory in which news articles are saved by default.
562 Used by the Gnus package.
564 The name of an interpreter used to parse and execute programs run from
567 The name of the outgoing mail server. Used by the SMTP library
568 (@pxref{Top,,,smtpmail,Sending mail via SMTP}).
569 @cindex background mode, on @command{xterm}
571 The type of the terminal that Emacs is using. This variable must be
572 set unless Emacs is run in batch mode. On MS-DOS, it defaults to
573 @samp{internal}, which specifies a built-in terminal emulation that
574 handles the machine's own display. If the value of @env{TERM} indicates
575 that Emacs runs in non-windowed mode from @command{xterm} or a similar
576 terminal emulator, the background mode defaults to @samp{light}, and
577 Emacs will choose colors that are appropriate for a light background.
579 The name of the termcap library file describing how to program the
580 terminal specified by the @env{TERM} variable. This defaults to
583 Used by the Emerge package as a prefix for temporary files.
585 This specifies the current time zone and possibly also daylight
586 saving time information. On MS-DOS, if @env{TZ} is not set in the
587 environment when Emacs starts, Emacs defines a default value as
588 appropriate for the country code returned by DOS. On MS-Windows, Emacs
589 does not use @env{TZ} at all.
591 The user's login name. See also @env{LOGNAME}. On MS-DOS, this
592 defaults to @samp{root}.
593 @item VERSION_CONTROL
594 Used to initialize the @code{version-control} variable (@pxref{Backup Names}).
598 @appendixsubsec Miscellaneous Variables
600 These variables are used only on particular configurations:
604 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, the name of the command interpreter to use
605 when invoking batch files and commands internal to the shell. On MS-DOS
606 this is also used to make a default value for the @env{SHELL} environment
610 On MS-DOS, this variable defaults to the value of the @env{USER}
615 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, these specify the name of the directory for
616 storing temporary files in.
619 On MS-DOS, this specifies a file to use to log the operation of the
620 internal terminal emulator. This feature is useful for submitting bug
624 On MS-DOS, this specifies the screen colors. It is useful to set them
625 this way, since otherwise Emacs would display the default colors
626 momentarily when it starts up.
628 The value of this variable should be the two-character encoding of the
629 foreground (the first character) and the background (the second
630 character) colors of the default face. Each character should be the
631 hexadecimal code for the desired color on a standard PC text-mode
632 display. For example, to get blue text on a light gray background,
633 specify @samp{EMACSCOLORS=17}, since 1 is the code of the blue color and
634 7 is the code of the light gray color.
636 The PC display usually supports only eight background colors. However,
637 Emacs switches the DOS display to a mode where all 16 colors can be used
638 for the background, so all four bits of the background color are
641 @item PRELOAD_WINSOCK
642 On MS-Windows, if you set this variable, Emacs will load and initialize
643 the network library at startup, instead of waiting until the first
647 On MS-Windows, @env{emacs_dir} is a special environment variable, which
648 indicates the full path of the directory in which Emacs is installed.
649 If Emacs is installed in the standard directory structure, it
650 calculates this value automatically. It is not much use setting this
651 variable yourself unless your installation is non-standard, since
652 unlike other environment variables, it will be overridden by Emacs at
653 startup. When setting other environment variables, such as
654 @env{EMACSLOADPATH}, you may find it useful to use @env{emacs_dir}
655 rather than hard-coding an absolute path. This allows multiple
656 versions of Emacs to share the same environment variable settings, and
657 it allows you to move the Emacs installation directory, without
658 changing any environment or registry settings.
661 @node MS-Windows Registry
662 @appendixsubsec The MS-Windows System Registry
663 @pindex addpm, MS-Windows installation program
664 @cindex registry, setting environment variables and resources on MS-Windows
666 Under MS-Windows, the installation program @command{addpm.exe} adds
667 values for @env{emacs_dir}, @env{EMACSLOADPATH}, @env{EMACSDATA},
668 @env{EMACSPATH}, @env{EMACSDOC}, @env{SHELL} and @env{TERM} to the
669 @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section of the system registry, under
670 @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs}. It does this because there is no standard
671 place to set environment variables across different versions of
672 Windows. Running @command{addpm.exe} is no longer strictly necessary
673 in recent versions of Emacs, but if you are upgrading from an older
674 version, running @command{addpm.exe} ensures that you do not have
675 older registry entries from a previous installation, which may not be
676 compatible with the latest version of Emacs.
678 When Emacs starts, as well as checking the environment, it also checks
679 the System Registry for those variables and for @env{HOME}, @env{LANG}
680 and @env{PRELOAD_WINSOCK}.
682 To determine the value of those variables, Emacs goes through the
683 following procedure. First, the environment is checked. If the
684 variable is not found there, Emacs looks for registry keys by that
685 name under @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs}; first in the
686 @file{HKEY_CURRENT_USER} section of the registry, and if not found
687 there, in the @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section. Finally, if Emacs
688 still cannot determine the values, compiled-in defaults are used.
690 In addition to the environment variables above, you can also add many
691 of the settings which on X belong in the @file{.Xdefaults} file
692 (@pxref{X Resources}) to the @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs} registry key.
693 Settings you add to the @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section will affect
694 all users of the machine. Settings you add to the
695 @file{HKEY_CURRENT_USER} section will only affect you, and will
696 override machine wide settings.
699 @appendixsec Specifying the Display Name
700 @cindex display name (X Window System)
701 @cindex @env{DISPLAY} environment variable
703 The environment variable @env{DISPLAY} tells all X clients, including
704 Emacs, where to display their windows. Its value is set by default
705 in ordinary circumstances, when you start an X server and run jobs
706 locally. Occasionally you may need to specify the display yourself; for
707 example, if you do a remote login and want to run a client program
708 remotely, displaying on your local screen.
710 With Emacs, the main reason people change the default display is to
711 let them log into another system, run Emacs on that system, but have the
712 window displayed at their local terminal. You might need to log in
713 to another system because the files you want to edit are there, or
714 because the Emacs executable file you want to run is there.
716 The syntax of the @env{DISPLAY} environment variable is
717 @samp{@var{host}:@var{display}.@var{screen}}, where @var{host} is the
718 host name of the X Window System server machine, @var{display} is an
719 arbitrarily-assigned number that distinguishes your server (X terminal)
720 from other servers on the same machine, and @var{screen} is a
721 rarely-used field that allows an X server to control multiple terminal
722 screens. The period and the @var{screen} field are optional. If
723 included, @var{screen} is usually zero.
725 For example, if your host is named @samp{glasperle} and your server is
726 the first (or perhaps the only) server listed in the configuration, your
727 @env{DISPLAY} is @samp{glasperle:0.0}.
729 You can specify the display name explicitly when you run Emacs, either
730 by changing the @env{DISPLAY} variable, or with the option @samp{-d
731 @var{display}} or @samp{--display=@var{display}}. Here is an example:
734 emacs --display=glasperle:0 &
737 You can inhibit the direct use of the window system and GUI with the
738 @samp{-nw} option. It tells Emacs to display using ordinary @acronym{ASCII} on
739 its controlling terminal. This is also an initial option.
741 Sometimes, security arrangements prevent a program on a remote system
742 from displaying on your local system. In this case, trying to run Emacs
743 produces messages like this:
746 Xlib: connection to "glasperle:0.0" refused by server
750 You might be able to overcome this problem by using the @command{xhost}
751 command on the local system to give permission for access from your
755 @appendixsec Font Specification Options
756 @cindex font name (X Window System)
758 You can use the command line option @samp{-fn @var{font}} (or
759 @samp{--font}, which is an alias for @samp{-fn}) to specify a default
765 @itemx --font=@var{font}
767 @cindex specify default font from the command line
768 Use @var{font} as the default font.
771 When passing a font specification to Emacs on the command line, you
772 may need to ``quote'' it, by enclosing it in quotation marks, if it
773 contains characters that the shell treats specially (e.g. spaces).
777 emacs -fn "DejaVu Sans Mono-12"
780 @xref{Fonts}, for other ways to specify the default font and font name
784 @appendixsec Window Color Options
785 @cindex color of window, from command line
786 @cindex text colors, from command line
788 @findex list-colors-display
789 @cindex available colors
790 On a color display, you can specify which color to use for various
791 parts of the Emacs display. To find out what colors are available on
792 your system, type @kbd{M-x list-colors-display}, or press
793 @kbd{C-Mouse-2} and select @samp{Display Colors} from the pop-up menu.
794 (A particular window system might support many more colors, but the
795 list displayed by @code{list-colors-display} shows their portable
796 subset that can be safely used on any display supported by Emacs.)
797 If you do not specify colors, on windowed displays the default for the
798 background is white and the default for all other colors is black. On a
799 monochrome display, the foreground is black, the background is white,
800 and the border is gray if the display supports that. On terminals, the
801 background is usually black and the foreground is white.
803 Here is a list of the command-line options for specifying colors:
806 @item -fg @var{color}
808 @itemx --foreground-color=@var{color}
809 @opindex --foreground-color
810 @cindex foreground color, command-line argument
811 Specify the foreground color. @var{color} should be a standard color
812 name, or a numeric specification of the color's red, green, and blue
813 components as in @samp{#4682B4} or @samp{RGB:46/82/B4}.
814 @item -bg @var{color}
816 @itemx --background-color=@var{color}
817 @opindex --background-color
818 @cindex background color, command-line argument
819 Specify the background color.
820 @item -bd @var{color}
822 @itemx --border-color=@var{color}
823 @opindex --border-color
824 @cindex border color, command-line argument
825 Specify the color of the border of the X window.
826 @item -cr @var{color}
828 @itemx --cursor-color=@var{color}
829 @opindex --cursor-color
830 @cindex cursor color, command-line argument
831 Specify the color of the Emacs cursor which indicates where point is.
832 @item -ms @var{color}
834 @itemx --mouse-color=@var{color}
835 @opindex --mouse-color
836 @cindex mouse pointer color, command-line argument
837 Specify the color for the mouse cursor when the mouse is in the Emacs window.
842 @itemx --reverse-video
843 @opindex --reverse-video
844 @cindex reverse video, command-line argument
845 Reverse video---swap the foreground and background colors.
846 @item --color=@var{mode}
848 @cindex standard colors on a character terminal
849 @cindex override character terminal color support
850 For a character terminal only, specify the mode of color support.
851 This option is intended for overriding the number of supported colors
852 that the character terminal advertises in its @code{termcap} or
853 @code{terminfo} database. The parameter @var{mode} can be one of the
858 Don't use colors even if the terminal's capabilities specify color
862 Same as when @option{--color} is not used at all: Emacs detects at
863 startup whether the terminal supports colors, and if it does, turns on
868 Turn on the color support unconditionally, and use color commands
869 specified by the ANSI escape sequences for the 8 standard colors.
871 Use color mode for @var{num} colors. If @var{num} is -1, turn off
872 color support (equivalent to @samp{never}); if it is 0, use the
873 default color support for this terminal (equivalent to @samp{auto});
874 otherwise use an appropriate standard mode for @var{num} colors.
875 Depending on your terminal's capabilities, Emacs might be able to turn
876 on a color mode for 8, 16, 88, or 256 as the value of @var{num}. If
877 there is no mode that supports @var{num} colors, Emacs acts as if
878 @var{num} were 0, i.e.@: it uses the terminal's default color support
881 If @var{mode} is omitted, it defaults to @var{ansi8}.
884 For example, to use a coral mouse cursor and a slate blue text cursor,
888 emacs -ms coral -cr 'slate blue' &
891 You can reverse the foreground and background colors through the
892 @samp{-rv} option or with the X resource @samp{reverseVideo}.
894 The @samp{-fg}, @samp{-bg}, and @samp{-rv} options function on
895 text-only terminals as well as on graphical displays.
898 @appendixsec Options for Window Size and Position
899 @cindex geometry of Emacs window
900 @cindex position and size of Emacs frame
901 @cindex width and height of Emacs frame
902 @cindex specifying fullscreen for Emacs frame
904 Here is a list of the command-line options for specifying size and
905 position of the initial Emacs frame:
908 @item -g @var{width}x@var{height}@r{[@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}@r{]]}
910 @itemx --geometry=@var{width}x@var{height}@r{[@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}@r{]]}
912 @cindex geometry, command-line argument
913 Specify the size @var{width} and @var{height} (measured in character
914 columns and lines), and positions @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset}
915 (measured in pixels). The @var{width} and @var{height} parameters
916 apply to all frames, whereas @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} only to
922 @opindex --fullscreen
923 @cindex fullscreen, command-line argument
924 Specify that width and height shall be the size of the screen. Normally
925 no window manager decorations are shown.
931 @cindex maximized, command-line argument
932 Specify that the Emacs frame shall be maximized. This normally
933 means that the frame has window manager decorations.
938 @opindex --fullheight
939 @cindex fullheight, command-line argument
940 Specify that the height shall be the height of the screen.
946 @cindex fullwidth, command-line argument
947 Specify that the width shall be the width of the screen.
951 In the @samp{--geometry} option, @code{@r{@{}+-@r{@}}} means either a plus
952 sign or a minus sign. A plus
953 sign before @var{xoffset} means it is the distance from the left side of
954 the screen; a minus sign means it counts from the right side. A plus
955 sign before @var{yoffset} means it is the distance from the top of the
956 screen, and a minus sign there indicates the distance from the bottom.
957 The values @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} may themselves be positive or
958 negative, but that doesn't change their meaning, only their direction.
960 Emacs uses the same units as @command{xterm} does to interpret the geometry.
961 The @var{width} and @var{height} are measured in characters, so a large font
962 creates a larger frame than a small font. (If you specify a proportional
963 font, Emacs uses its maximum bounds width as the width unit.) The
964 @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} are measured in pixels.
966 You do not have to specify all of the fields in the geometry
967 specification. If you omit both @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset}, the
968 window manager decides where to put the Emacs frame, possibly by
969 letting you place it with the mouse. For example, @samp{164x55}
970 specifies a window 164 columns wide, enough for two ordinary width
971 windows side by side, and 55 lines tall.
973 The default frame width is 80 characters and the default height is
974 40 lines. You can omit either the width or the height or both. If
975 you start the geometry with an integer, Emacs interprets it as the
976 width. If you start with an @samp{x} followed by an integer, Emacs
977 interprets it as the height. Thus, @samp{81} specifies just the
978 width; @samp{x45} specifies just the height.
980 If you start with @samp{+} or @samp{-}, that introduces an offset,
981 which means both sizes are omitted. Thus, @samp{-3} specifies the
982 @var{xoffset} only. (If you give just one offset, it is always
983 @var{xoffset}.) @samp{+3-3} specifies both the @var{xoffset} and the
984 @var{yoffset}, placing the frame near the bottom left of the screen.
986 You can specify a default for any or all of the fields in your X
987 resource file (@pxref{Resources}), and then override selected fields
988 with a @samp{--geometry} option.
990 Since the mode line and the echo area occupy the last 2 lines of the
991 frame, the height of the initial text window is 2 less than the height
992 specified in your geometry. In non-X-toolkit versions of Emacs, the
993 menu bar also takes one line of the specified number. But in the X
994 toolkit version, the menu bar is additional and does not count against
995 the specified height. The tool bar, if present, is also additional.
997 Enabling or disabling the menu bar or tool bar alters the amount of
998 space available for ordinary text. Therefore, if Emacs starts up with
999 a tool bar (which is the default), and handles the geometry
1000 specification assuming there is a tool bar, and then your
1001 initialization file disables the tool bar, you will end up with a
1002 frame geometry different from what you asked for. To get the intended
1003 size with no tool bar, use an X resource to specify ``no tool bar''
1004 (@pxref{Table of Resources}); then Emacs will already know there's no
1005 tool bar when it processes the specified geometry.
1007 When using one of @samp{--fullscreen}, @samp{--maximized}, @samp{--fullwidth}
1008 or @samp{--fullheight} there may be some space around the frame
1009 anyway. That is because Emacs rounds the sizes so they are an
1010 even number of character heights and widths.
1012 Some window managers have options that can make them ignore both
1013 program-specified and user-specified positions. If these are set,
1014 Emacs fails to position the window correctly.
1017 @appendixsec Internal and External Borders
1018 @cindex borders (X Window System)
1020 An Emacs frame has an internal border and an external border. The
1021 internal border is an extra strip of the background color around the
1022 text portion of the frame. Emacs itself draws the internal border.
1023 The external border is added by the window manager outside the frame;
1024 depending on the window manager you use, it may contain various boxes
1025 you can click on to move or iconify the window.
1028 @item -ib @var{width}
1030 @itemx --internal-border=@var{width}
1031 @opindex --internal-border
1032 @cindex internal border width, command-line argument
1033 Specify @var{width} as the width of the internal border (between the text
1034 and the main border), in pixels.
1036 @item -bw @var{width}
1038 @itemx --border-width=@var{width}
1039 @opindex --border-width
1040 @cindex main border width, command-line argument
1041 Specify @var{width} as the width of the main border, in pixels.
1044 When you specify the size of the frame, that does not count the
1045 borders. The frame's position is measured from the outside edge of the
1048 Use the @samp{-ib @var{n}} option to specify an internal border
1049 @var{n} pixels wide. The default is 1. Use @samp{-bw @var{n}} to
1050 specify the width of the external border (though the window manager may
1051 not pay attention to what you specify). The default width of the
1052 external border is 2.
1055 @appendixsec Frame Titles
1057 An Emacs frame may or may not have a specified title. The frame
1058 title, if specified, appears in window decorations and icons as the
1059 name of the frame. If an Emacs frame has no specified title, the
1060 default title has the form @samp{@var{invocation-name}@@@var{machine}}
1061 (if there is only one frame) or the selected window's buffer name (if
1062 there is more than one frame).
1064 You can specify a title for the initial Emacs frame with a command
1068 @item -T @var{title}
1070 @itemx --title=@var{title}
1072 @cindex frame title, command-line argument
1073 Specify @var{title} as the title for the initial Emacs frame.
1076 The @samp{--name} option (@pxref{Resources}) also specifies the title
1077 for the initial Emacs frame.
1081 @cindex icons (X Window System)
1082 @cindex minimizing a frame at startup
1088 @cindex start iconified, command-line argument
1089 Start Emacs in an iconified (``minimized'') state.
1093 @itemx --no-bitmap-icon
1094 @opindex --no-bitmap-icon
1095 @cindex Emacs icon, a gnu
1096 Do not use a picture of a gnu as the Emacs icon.
1099 Most window managers allow you to ``iconify'' (or ``minimize'') an
1100 Emacs frame, hiding it from sight. Some window managers replace
1101 iconified windows with tiny ``icons'', while others remove them
1102 entirely from sight. The @samp{-iconic} option tells Emacs to begin
1103 running in an iconified state, rather than showing a frame right away.
1104 The text frame doesn't appear until you deiconify (or ``un-minimize'')
1107 By default, Emacs uses an icon containing the Emacs logo. On
1108 desktop environments such as Gnome, this icon is also displayed on the
1109 ``taskbar''. The @samp{-nbi} or @samp{--no-bitmap-icon} option tells
1110 Emacs to let the window manager choose what sort of icon to
1111 use---usually just a small rectangle containing the frame's title.
1114 @appendixsec Other Display Options
1119 @c @itemx --horizontal-scroll-bars
1120 @c @opindex --horizontal-scroll-bars
1121 @c @c @cindex horizontal scroll bars, command-line argument
1122 @c Enable horizontal scroll bars. Since horizontal scroll bars
1123 @c are not yet implemented, this actually does nothing.
1127 @itemx --vertical-scroll-bars
1128 @opindex --vertical-scroll-bars
1129 @cindex vertical scroll bars, command-line argument
1130 Enable vertical scroll bars.
1132 @item -lsp @var{pixels}
1134 @itemx --line-spacing=@var{pixels}
1135 @opindex --line-spacing
1136 @cindex line spacing, command-line argument
1137 Specify @var{pixels} as additional space to put between lines, in pixels.
1141 @itemx --no-blinking-cursor
1142 @opindex --no-blinking-cursor
1143 @cindex blinking cursor disable, command-line argument
1144 Disable the blinking cursor on graphical displays.
1148 @itemx --basic-display
1149 @opindex --basic-display
1150 Disable the menu-bar, the tool-bar, the scroll-bars, and tool tips,
1151 and turn off the blinking cursor. This can be useful for making a
1152 test case that simplifies debugging of display problems.
1155 The @samp{--xrm} option (@pxref{Resources}) specifies additional
1159 arch-tag: fffecd9e-7329-4a51-a3cc-dd4a9889340e