1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985,86,87,93,94,95,1997,2001, 2003 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
3 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
4 @node Command Arguments, X Resources, Service, Top
5 @appendix Command Line Arguments
6 @cindex command line arguments
7 @cindex arguments (command line)
8 @cindex options (command line)
9 @cindex switches (command line)
10 @cindex startup (command line arguments)
12 GNU Emacs supports command line arguments to request various actions
13 when invoking Emacs. These are for compatibility with other editors and
14 for sophisticated activities. We don't recommend using them for
17 Arguments starting with @samp{-} are @dfn{options}. Other arguments
18 specify files to visit. Emacs visits the specified files while it
19 starts up. The last file name on your command line becomes the
20 current buffer; the other files are also visited in other buffers. If
21 there are two files, they are both displayed; otherwise the last file
22 is displayed along with a buffer list that shows what other buffers
23 there are. As with most programs, the special argument @samp{--} says
24 that all subsequent arguments are file names, not options, even if
25 they start with @samp{-}.
27 Emacs command options can specify many things, such as the size and
28 position of the X window Emacs uses, its colors, and so on. A few
29 options support advanced usage, such as running Lisp functions on files
30 in batch mode. The sections of this chapter describe the available
31 options, arranged according to their purpose.
33 There are two ways of writing options: the short forms that start with
34 a single @samp{-}, and the long forms that start with @samp{--}. For
35 example, @samp{-d} is a short form and @samp{--display} is the
36 corresponding long form.
38 The long forms with @samp{--} are easier to remember, but longer to
39 type. However, you don't have to spell out the whole option name; any
40 unambiguous abbreviation is enough. When a long option takes an
41 argument, you can use either a space or an equal sign to separate the
42 option name and the argument. Thus, you can write either
43 @samp{--display sugar-bombs:0.0} or @samp{--display=sugar-bombs:0.0}.
44 We recommend an equal sign because it makes the relationship clearer,
45 and the tables below always show an equal sign.
47 @cindex initial options (command line)
48 @cindex action options (command line)
49 Most options specify how to initialize Emacs, or set parameters for
50 the Emacs session. We call them @dfn{initial options}. A few options
51 specify things to do: for example, load libraries, call functions, or
52 terminate Emacs. These are called @dfn{action options}. These and file
53 names together are called @dfn{action arguments}. Emacs processes all
54 the action arguments in the order they are written.
57 * Action Arguments:: Arguments to visit files, load libraries,
59 * Initial Options:: Arguments that take effect while starting Emacs.
60 * Command Example:: Examples of using command line arguments.
61 * Resume Arguments:: Specifying arguments when you resume a running Emacs.
62 * Environment:: Environment variables that Emacs uses.
63 * Display X:: Changing the default display and using remote login.
64 * Font X:: Choosing a font for text, under X.
65 * Colors:: Choosing display colors.
66 * Window Size X:: Start-up window size, under X.
67 * Borders X:: Internal and external borders, under X.
68 * Title X:: Specifying the initial frame's title.
69 * Icons X:: Choosing what sort of icon to use, under X.
72 @node Action Arguments
73 @appendixsec Action Arguments
75 Here is a table of the action arguments and options:
80 @itemx --visit=@var{file}
82 @itemx --file=@var{file}
83 @cindex visiting files, command-line argument
84 @vindex inhibit-startup-buffer-menu
85 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}. @xref{Visiting}.
86 If you visit several files at startup in this way, Emacs
87 also displays a Buffer Menu buffer to show you what files it
88 has visited. You can inhibit that by setting @code{inhibit-startup-buffer-menu} to @code{t}.
90 @item +@var{linenum} @var{file}
91 @opindex +@var{linenum}
92 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number
95 @item +@var{linenum}:@var{columnnum} @var{file}
96 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number
97 @var{linenum} and put point at column number @var{columnnum}.
102 @itemx --load=@var{file}
104 @cindex loading Lisp libraries, command-line argument
105 Load a Lisp library named @var{file} with the function @code{load}.
106 @xref{Lisp Libraries}. The library can be found either in the current
107 directory, or in the Emacs library search path as specified
108 with @env{EMACSLOADPATH} (@pxref{General Variables}).
110 @item -f @var{function}
112 @itemx --funcall=@var{function}
114 @cindex call Lisp functions, command-line argument
115 Call Lisp function @var{function}. If it is an interactive function
116 (a command), it reads the arguments interactively just as if you had
117 called the same function with a key sequence. Otherwise, it calls the
118 function with no arguments.
120 @item --eval=@var{expression}
122 @itemx --execute=@var{expression}
124 @cindex evaluate expression, command-line argument
125 Evaluate Lisp expression @var{expression}.
127 @item --insert=@var{file}
129 @cindex insert file contents, command-line argument
130 Insert the contents of @var{file} into the current buffer. This is like
131 what @kbd{M-x insert-file} does. @xref{Misc File Ops}.
135 Exit from Emacs without asking for confirmation.
138 @vindex command-line-args
139 The init file can access the values of the action arguments as the
140 elements of a list in the variable @code{command-line-args}. The init
141 file can override the normal processing of the action arguments, or
142 define new ones, by reading and setting this variable.
144 @node Initial Options
145 @appendixsec Initial Options
147 The initial options specify parameters for the Emacs session. This
148 section describes the more general initial options; some other options
149 specifically related to the X Window System appear in the following
152 Some initial options affect the loading of init files. The normal
153 actions of Emacs are to first load @file{site-start.el} if it exists,
154 then your own init file @file{~/.emacs} if it exists, and finally
155 @file{default.el} if it exists; certain options prevent loading of some
156 of these files or substitute other files for them.
159 @item -t @var{device}
161 @itemx --terminal=@var{device}
163 @cindex device for Emacs terminal I/O
164 Use @var{device} as the device for terminal input and output.
166 @item -d @var{display}
168 @itemx --display=@var{display}
170 @cindex display for Emacs frame
171 Use the X Window System and use the display named @var{display} to open
172 the initial Emacs frame. @xref{Display X}, for more details.
176 @itemx --no-window-system
177 @opindex --no-window-system
178 @cindex disable window system
179 Don't communicate directly with the window system, disregarding the
180 @env{DISPLAY} environment variable even if it is set. This means that
181 Emacs uses the terminal from which it was launched for all its display
189 Run Emacs in @dfn{batch mode}, which means that the text being edited is
190 not displayed and the standard terminal interrupt characters such as
191 @kbd{C-z} and @kbd{C-c} continue to have their normal effect. Emacs in
192 batch mode outputs to @code{stderr} only what would normally be displayed
193 in the echo area under program control, and functions which would
194 normally read from the minibuffer take their input from @code{stdin}.
196 Batch mode is used for running programs written in Emacs Lisp from
197 shell scripts, makefiles, and so on. Normally the @samp{-l} option
198 or @samp{-f} option will be used as well, to invoke a Lisp program
199 to do the batch processing.
201 @samp{--batch} implies @samp{-q} (do not load an init file). It also
202 causes Emacs to exit after processing all the command options. In
203 addition, it disables auto-saving except in buffers for which it has
204 been explicitly requested.
206 @item --script @var{file}
208 Run Emacs in batch mode, like @samp{--batch}, and then read and
209 execute the Lisp code in @var{file}.
211 The normal use of this option is in executable script files that run
212 Emacs. They can start with this text on the first line
215 #!/usr/bin/emacs --script
219 which will invoke Emacs with @samp{--script} and supply the name of
220 the script file as @var{file}. Emacs Lisp then treats @samp{#!} as a
225 @itemx --no-init-file
226 @opindex --no-init-file
227 @cindex bypassing init and site-start file
228 @cindex init file, not loading
229 @cindex @file{default.el} file, not loading
230 Do not load your Emacs init file @file{~/.emacs}, or @file{default.el}
231 either. When invoked like this, Emacs does not allow saving options
232 changed with the @kbd{M-x customize} command and its variants.
233 @xref{Easy Customization}.
236 @opindex --no-site-file
237 @cindex @file{site-start.el} file, not loading
238 Do not load @file{site-start.el}. The options @samp{-q}, @samp{-u}
239 and @samp{-batch} have no effect on the loading of this file---this is
240 the only option that blocks it.
244 @vindex inhibit-startup-message
245 Do not display a splash screen on startup; this is equivalent to
246 setting the variable @code{inhibit-startup-message} to non-@code{nil}.
250 @itemx --user=@var{user}
252 @cindex load init file of another user
253 Load @var{user}'s Emacs init file @file{~@var{user}/.emacs} instead of
257 @opindex --debug-init
258 @cindex errors in init file
259 Enable the Emacs Lisp debugger for errors in the init file.
263 @cindex unibyte operation, command-line argument
264 Do almost everything with single-byte buffers and strings.
265 All buffers and strings are unibyte unless you (or a Lisp program)
266 explicitly ask for a multibyte buffer or string. (Note that Emacs
267 always loads Lisp files in multibyte mode, even if @samp{--unibyte} is
268 specified; see @ref{Enabling Multibyte}.) Setting the environment
269 variable @env{EMACS_UNIBYTE} has the same effect.
273 Inhibit the effect of @env{EMACS_UNIBYTE}, so that Emacs
274 uses multibyte characters by default, as usual.
277 @node Command Example
278 @appendixsec Command Argument Example
280 Here is an example of using Emacs with arguments and options. It
281 assumes you have a Lisp program file called @file{hack-c.el} which, when
282 loaded, performs some useful operation on the current buffer, expected
286 emacs -batch foo.c -l hack-c -f save-buffer >& log
290 This says to visit @file{foo.c}, load @file{hack-c.el} (which makes
291 changes in the visited file), save @file{foo.c} (note that
292 @code{save-buffer} is the function that @kbd{C-x C-s} is bound to), and
293 then exit back to the shell (because of @samp{-batch}). @samp{-batch}
294 also guarantees there will be no problem redirecting output to
295 @file{log}, because Emacs will not assume that it has a display terminal
298 @node Resume Arguments
299 @appendixsec Resuming Emacs with Arguments
301 You can specify action arguments for Emacs when you resume it after
302 a suspension. To prepare for this, put the following code in your
303 @file{.emacs} file (@pxref{Hooks}):
305 @c `resume-suspend-hook' is correct. It is the name of a function.
307 (add-hook 'suspend-hook 'resume-suspend-hook)
308 (add-hook 'suspend-resume-hook 'resume-process-args)
311 As further preparation, you must execute the shell script
312 @file{emacs.csh} (if you use csh as your shell) or @file{emacs.bash}
313 (if you use bash as your shell). These scripts define an alias named
314 @code{edit}, which will resume Emacs giving it new command line
315 arguments such as files to visit. The scripts are found in the
316 @file{etc} subdirectory of the Emacs distribution.
318 Only action arguments work properly when you resume Emacs. Initial
319 arguments are not recognized---it's too late to execute them anyway.
321 Note that resuming Emacs (with or without arguments) must be done from
322 within the shell that is the parent of the Emacs job. This is why
323 @code{edit} is an alias rather than a program or a shell script. It is
324 not possible to implement a resumption command that could be run from
325 other subjobs of the shell; there is no way to define a command that could
326 be made the value of @env{EDITOR}, for example. Therefore, this feature
327 does not take the place of the Emacs Server feature (@pxref{Emacs
330 The aliases use the Emacs Server feature if you appear to have a
331 server Emacs running. However, they cannot determine this with complete
332 accuracy. They may think that a server is still running when in
333 actuality you have killed that Emacs, because the file
334 @file{/tmp/esrv@dots{}} still exists. If this happens, find that
338 @appendixsec Environment Variables
339 @cindex environment variables
341 The @dfn{environment} is a feature of the operating system; it
342 consists of a collection of variables with names and values. Each
343 variable is called an @dfn{environment variable}; environment variable
344 names are case-sensitive, and it is conventional to use upper case
345 letters only. The values are all text strings.
347 What makes the environment useful is that subprocesses inherit the
348 environment automatically from their parent process. This means you
349 can set up an environment variable in your login shell, and all the
350 programs you run (including Emacs) will automatically see it.
351 Subprocesses of Emacs (such as shells, compilers, and version-control
352 software) inherit the environment from Emacs, too.
356 Inside Emacs, the command @kbd{M-x getenv} gets the value of an
357 environment variable. @kbd{M-x setenv} sets a variable in the Emacs
358 environment. (Environment variable substitutions with @samp{$} work
359 in the value just as in file names; see @ref{File Names with $}.)
361 The way to set environment variables outside of Emacs depends on the
362 operating system, and especially the shell that you are using. For
363 example, here's how to set the environment variable @env{ORGANIZATION}
364 to @samp{not very much} using Bash:
367 export ORGANIZATION="not very much"
371 and here's how to do it in csh or tcsh:
374 setenv ORGANIZATION "not very much"
377 When Emacs is using the X Window System, various environment
378 variables that control X work for Emacs as well. See the X
379 documentation for more information.
382 * General Variables:: Environment variables that all versions of Emacs use.
383 * Misc Variables:: Certain system-specific variables.
384 * MS-Windows Registry:: An alternative to the environment on MS-Windows.
387 @node General Variables
388 @appendixsubsec General Variables
390 Here is an alphabetical list of specific environment variables that
391 have special meanings in Emacs, giving the name of each variable and
392 its meaning. Most of these variables are also used by some other
393 programs. Emacs does not require any of these environment variables
394 to be set, but it uses their values if they are set.
398 Used by the @code{cd} command to search for the directory you specify,
399 when you specify a relative directory name.
401 @cindex unibyte operation, environment variable
402 Defining this environment variable with a nonempty value directs Emacs
403 to do almost everything with single-byte buffers and strings. It is
404 equivalent to using the @samp{--unibyte} command-line option on each
405 invocation. @xref{Initial Options}.
407 Directory for the architecture-independent files that come with Emacs.
408 This is used to initialize the Lisp variable @code{data-directory}.
410 Directory for the documentation string file,
411 @file{DOC-@var{emacsversion}}. This is used to initialize the Lisp
412 variable @code{doc-directory}.
414 A colon-separated list of directories@footnote{
415 Here and below, whenever we say ``colon-separated list of directories'',
416 it pertains to Unix and GNU/Linux systems. On MS-DOS and MS-Windows,
417 the directories are separated by semi-colons instead, since DOS/Windows
418 file names might include a colon after a drive letter.}
419 to search for Emacs Lisp files---used to initialize @code{load-path}.
421 A colon-separated list of directories to search for executable
422 files---used to initialize @code{exec-path}.
424 Used for shell-mode to override the @env{SHELL} environment variable.
426 The name of the file that shell commands are saved in between logins.
427 This variable defaults to @file{~/.bash_history} if you use Bash, to
428 @file{~/.sh_history} if you use ksh, and to @file{~/.history}
431 The location of the user's files in the directory tree; used for
432 expansion of file names starting with a tilde (@file{~}). On MS-DOS, it
433 defaults to the directory from which Emacs was started, with @samp{/bin}
434 removed from the end if it was present. On Windows, the default value
435 of @env{HOME} is @file{C:/}, the root directory of drive @file{C:}.
437 The name of the machine that Emacs is running on.
439 A colon-separated list of directories. Used by the @code{complete} package
442 A colon-separated list of directories in which to search for Info files.
451 The user's preferred locale. The locale has six categories, specified
452 by the environment variables @env{LC_COLLATE} for sorting,
453 @env{LC_CTYPE} for character encoding, @env{LC_MESSAGES} for system
454 messages, @env{LC_MONETARY} for monetary formats, @env{LC_NUMERIC} for
455 numbers, and @env{LC_TIME} for dates and times. If one of these
456 variables is not set, the category defaults to the value of the
457 @env{LANG} environment variable, or to the default @samp{C} locale if
458 @env{LANG} is not set. But if @env{LC_ALL} is specified, it overrides
459 the settings of all the other locale environment variables.
461 On MS-Windows, if @env{LANG} is not already set in the environment
462 when Emacs starts, Emacs sets it based on the system-wide default
463 language, which you can set in the @samp{Regional Settings} Control Panel
464 on some versions of MS-Windows.
466 The value of the @env{LC_CTYPE} category is
467 matched against entries in @code{locale-language-names},
468 @code{locale-charset-language-names}, and
469 @code{locale-preferred-coding-systems}, to select a default language
470 environment and coding system. @xref{Language Environments}.
472 The user's login name. See also @env{USER}.
474 The name of the user's system mail inbox.
476 Name of setup file for the mh system. (The default is @file{~/.mh_profile}.)
478 The real-world name of the user.
480 The name of the news server. Used by the mh and Gnus packages.
482 The name of the organization to which you belong. Used for setting the
483 `Organization:' header in your posts from the Gnus package.
485 A colon-separated list of directories in which executables reside. This
486 is used to initialize the Emacs Lisp variable @code{exec-path}.
488 If set, this should be the default directory when Emacs was started.
490 If set, this specifies an initial value for the variable
491 @code{mail-default-reply-to}. @xref{Mail Headers}.
493 The name of a directory in which news articles are saved by default.
494 Used by the Gnus package.
496 The name of an interpreter used to parse and execute programs run from
499 The name of the outgoing mail server. Used by the SMTP library
500 (@pxref{Top,,Sending mail via SMTP,smtpmail}).
501 @cindex background mode, on @command{xterm}
503 The type of the terminal that Emacs is using. This variable must be
504 set unless Emacs is run in batch mode. On MS-DOS, it defaults to
505 @samp{internal}, which specifies a built-in terminal emulation that
506 handles the machine's own display. If the value of @env{TERM} indicates
507 that Emacs runs in non-windowed mode from @command{xterm} or a similar
508 terminal emulator, the background mode defaults to @samp{light}, and
509 Emacs will choose colors that are appropriate for a light background.
511 The name of the termcap library file describing how to program the
512 terminal specified by the @env{TERM} variable. This defaults to
515 Used by the Emerge package as a prefix for temporary files.
517 This specifies the current time zone and possibly also daylight
518 saving time information. On MS-DOS, if @env{TZ} is not set in the
519 environment when Emacs starts, Emacs defines a default value as
520 appropriate for the country code returned by DOS. On MS-Windows, Emacs
521 does not use @env{TZ} at all.
523 The user's login name. See also @env{LOGNAME}. On MS-DOS, this
524 defaults to @samp{root}.
525 @item VERSION_CONTROL
526 Used to initialize the @code{version-control} variable (@pxref{Backup
531 @appendixsubsec Miscellaneous Variables
533 These variables are used only on particular configurations:
537 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, the name of the command interpreter to use
538 when invoking batch files and commands internal to the shell. On MS-DOS
539 this is also used to make a default value for the @env{SHELL} environment
543 On MS-DOS, this variable defaults to the value of the @env{USER}
548 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, these specify the name of the directory for
549 storing temporary files in.
552 On MS-DOS, this specifies a file to use to log the operation of the
553 internal terminal emulator. This feature is useful for submitting bug
557 On MS-DOS, this specifies the screen colors. It is useful to set them
558 this way, since otherwise Emacs would display the default colors
559 momentarily when it starts up.
561 The value of this variable should be the two-character encoding of the
562 foreground (the first character) and the background (the second
563 character) colors of the default face. Each character should be the
564 hexadecimal code for the desired color on a standard PC text-mode
565 display. For example, to get blue text on a light gray background,
566 specify @samp{EMACSCOLORS=17}, since 1 is the code of the blue color and
567 7 is the code of the light gray color.
569 The PC display usually supports only eight background colors. However,
570 Emacs switches the DOS display to a mode where all 16 colors can be used
571 for the background, so all four bits of the background color are
575 Used when initializing the Sun windows system.
577 @item PRELOAD_WINSOCK
578 On MS-Windows, if you set this variable, Emacs will load and initialize
579 the network library at startup, instead of waiting until the first
583 On MS-Windows, @env{emacs_dir} is a special environment variable, which
584 indicates the full path of the directory in which Emacs is installed.
585 If Emacs is installed in the standard directory structure, it
586 calculates this value automatically. It is not much use setting this
587 variable yourself unless your installation is non-standard, since
588 unlike other environment variables, it will be overridden by Emacs at
589 startup. When setting other environment variables, such as
590 @env{EMACSLOADPATH}, you may find it useful to use @env{emacs_dir}
591 rather than hard-coding an absolute path. This allows multiple
592 versions of Emacs to share the same environment variable settings, and
593 it allows you to move the Emacs installation directory, without
594 changing any environment or registry settings.
597 @node MS-Windows Registry
598 @appendixsubsec The MS-Windows System Registry
599 @pindex addpm, MS-Windows installation program
600 @cindex registry, setting environment variables and resources on MS-Windows
602 On MS-Windows, the installation program @command{addpm.exe} adds values
603 for @env{emacs_dir}, @env{EMACSLOADPATH}, @env{EMACSDATA},
604 @env{EMACSPATH}, @env{EMACSDOC}, @env{SHELL} and @env{TERM} to the
605 @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section of the system registry, under
606 @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs}. It does this because there is no standard
607 place to set environment variables across different versions of
608 Windows. Running @command{addpm.exe} is no longer strictly
609 necessary in recent versions of Emacs, but if you are upgrading from
610 an older version, running @command{addpm.exe} ensures that you do not have
611 older registry entries from a previous installation, which may not be
612 compatible with the latest version of Emacs.
614 When Emacs starts, as well as checking the environment, it also checks
615 the System Registry for those variables and for @env{HOME}, @env{LANG}
616 and @env{PRELOAD_WINSOCK}.
618 To determine the value of those variables, Emacs goes through the
619 following procedure. First, the environment is checked. If the
620 variable is not found there, Emacs looks for registry keys by that
621 name under @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs}; first in the
622 @file{HKEY_CURRENT_USER} section of the registry, and if not found
623 there, in the @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section. Finally, if Emacs
624 still cannot determine the values, compiled-in defaults are used.
626 In addition to the environment variables above, you can also add many
627 of the settings which on X belong in the @file{.Xdefaults} file
628 (@pxref{X Resources}) to the @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs} registry key.
629 Settings you add to the @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section will affect
630 all users of the machine. Settings you add to the
631 @file{HKEY_CURRENT_USER} section will only affect you, and will
632 override machine wide settings.
635 @appendixsec Specifying the Display Name
636 @cindex display name (X Window System)
637 @cindex @env{DISPLAY} environment variable
639 The environment variable @env{DISPLAY} tells all X clients, including
640 Emacs, where to display their windows. Its value is set by default
641 in ordinary circumstances, when you start an X server and run jobs
642 locally. Occasionally you may need to specify the display yourself; for
643 example, if you do a remote login and want to run a client program
644 remotely, displaying on your local screen.
646 With Emacs, the main reason people change the default display is to
647 let them log into another system, run Emacs on that system, but have the
648 window displayed at their local terminal. You might need to log in
649 to another system because the files you want to edit are there, or
650 because the Emacs executable file you want to run is there.
652 The syntax of the @env{DISPLAY} environment variable is
653 @samp{@var{host}:@var{display}.@var{screen}}, where @var{host} is the
654 host name of the X Window System server machine, @var{display} is an
655 arbitrarily-assigned number that distinguishes your server (X terminal)
656 from other servers on the same machine, and @var{screen} is a
657 rarely-used field that allows an X server to control multiple terminal
658 screens. The period and the @var{screen} field are optional. If
659 included, @var{screen} is usually zero.
661 For example, if your host is named @samp{glasperle} and your server is
662 the first (or perhaps the only) server listed in the configuration, your
663 @env{DISPLAY} is @samp{glasperle:0.0}.
665 You can specify the display name explicitly when you run Emacs, either
666 by changing the @env{DISPLAY} variable, or with the option @samp{-d
667 @var{display}} or @samp{--display=@var{display}}. Here is an example:
670 emacs --display=glasperle:0 &
673 You can inhibit the direct use of the window system and GUI with the
674 @samp{-nw} option. It tells Emacs to display using ordinary @acronym{ASCII} on
675 its controlling terminal. This is also an initial option.
677 Sometimes, security arrangements prevent a program on a remote system
678 from displaying on your local system. In this case, trying to run Emacs
679 produces messages like this:
682 Xlib: connection to "glasperle:0.0" refused by server
686 You might be able to overcome this problem by using the @command{xhost}
687 command on the local system to give permission for access from your
691 @appendixsec Font Specification Options
692 @cindex font name (X Window System)
694 By default, Emacs displays text in a twelve point Courier font (when
695 using X). You can specify a different font on your command line
696 through the option @samp{-fn @var{name}} (or @samp{--font}, which is
697 an alias for @samp{-fn}).
702 @itemx --font=@var{name}
704 @cindex specify default font from the command line
705 Use font @var{name} as the default font.
708 Under X, each font has a long name which consists of fourteen words
709 or numbers, separated by dashes. Some fonts also have shorter
710 nicknames. For instance, @samp{9x15} is such a nickname. This font
711 makes each character nine pixels wide and fifteen pixels high. You
712 can use either kind of name. Case is insignificant in both kinds.
713 You can use wildcard patterns for the font name; then Emacs lets X
714 choose one of the fonts that match the pattern. The wildcard
715 character @samp{*} matches any sequence of characters (including none)
716 and @samp{?} matches any single character. However, matching is
717 implementation-dependent, and can be inaccurate when wildcards match
718 dashes in a long name. For reliable results, supply all 14 dashes and
719 use wildcards only within a field. Here is an example, which happens
720 to specify the font whose nickname is @samp{6x13}:
724 "-misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-*-*-*-c-60-iso8859-1" &
728 You can also specify the font in your @file{.Xdefaults} file:
731 emacs.font: -misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-*-*-*-c-60-iso8859-1
734 Note that if you use a wildcard pattern on the command line, you
735 need to enclose it in single or double quotes, to prevent the shell
736 from accidentally expanding it into a list of file names. On the
737 other hand, you should not quote the name in the @file{.Xdefaults}
740 The default font used by Emacs (under X) is:
743 -adobe-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-iso8859-1
746 A long font name has the following form:
749 -@var{maker}-@var{family}-@var{weight}-@var{slant}-@var{widthtype}-@var{style}@dots{}
750 @dots{}-@var{pixels}-@var{height}-@var{horiz}-@var{vert}-@var{spacing}-@var{width}-@var{registry}-@var{encoding}
755 This is the name of the font manufacturer.
757 This is the name of the font family---for example, @samp{courier}.
759 This is normally @samp{bold}, @samp{medium} or @samp{light}. Other
760 words may appear here in some font names.
762 This is @samp{r} (roman), @samp{i} (italic), @samp{o} (oblique),
763 @samp{ri} (reverse italic), or @samp{ot} (other).
765 This is normally @samp{condensed}, @samp{extended}, @samp{semicondensed}
766 or @samp{normal}. Other words may appear here in some font names.
768 This is an optional additional style name. Usually it is empty---most
769 long font names have two hyphens in a row at this point.
771 This is the font height, in pixels.
773 This is the font height on the screen, measured in tenths of a printer's
774 point---approximately 1/720 of an inch. In other words, it is the point
775 size of the font, times ten. For a given vertical resolution,
776 @var{height} and @var{pixels} are proportional; therefore, it is common
777 to specify just one of them and use @samp{*} for the other.
779 This is the horizontal resolution, in pixels per inch, of the screen for
780 which the font is intended.
782 This is the vertical resolution, in pixels per inch, of the screen for
783 which the font is intended. Normally the resolution of the fonts on
784 your system is the right value for your screen; therefore, you normally
785 specify @samp{*} for this and @var{horiz}.
787 This is @samp{m} (monospace), @samp{p} (proportional) or @samp{c}
790 This is the average character width, in pixels, multiplied by ten.
793 These together make up the X font character set that the font depicts.
794 (X font character sets are not the same as Emacs charsets, but they
795 are solutions for the same problem.) You can use the
796 @command{xfontsel} program to check which choices you have. However,
797 normally you should use @samp{iso8859} for @var{registry} and @samp{1}
801 @cindex listing system fonts
802 You will probably want to use a fixed-width default font---that is,
803 a font in which all characters have the same width. Any font with
804 @samp{m} or @samp{c} in the @var{spacing} field of the long name is a
805 fixed-width font. Here's how to use the @command{xlsfonts} program to
806 list all the fixed-width fonts available on your system:
809 xlsfonts -fn '*x*' | egrep "^[0-9]+x[0-9]+"
810 xlsfonts -fn '*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-m*'
811 xlsfonts -fn '*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-c*'
815 To see what a particular font looks like, use the @command{xfd} command.
823 displays the entire font @samp{6x13}.
825 While running Emacs, you can set the font of the current frame
826 (@pxref{Frame Parameters}) or for a specific kind of text
830 @appendixsec Window Color Options
831 @cindex color of window
832 @cindex text colors, from command line
834 @findex list-colors-display
835 @cindex available colors
836 On a color display, you can specify which color to use for various
837 parts of the Emacs display. To find out what colors are available on
838 your system, type @kbd{M-x list-colors-display}, or press
839 @kbd{C-Mouse-2} and select @samp{Display Colors} from the pop-up menu.
840 If you do not specify colors, on windowed displays the default for the
841 background is white and the default for all other colors is black. On a
842 monochrome display, the foreground is black, the background is white,
843 and the border is gray if the display supports that. On terminals, the
844 background is usually black and the foreground is white.
846 Here is a list of the command-line options for specifying colors:
849 @item -fg @var{color}
851 @itemx --foreground-color=@var{color}
852 @opindex --foreground-color
853 @cindex foreground color, command-line argument
854 Specify the foreground color. @var{color} should be a standard color
855 name, or a numeric specification of the color's red, green, and blue
856 components as in @samp{#4682B4} or @samp{RGB:46/82/B4}.
857 @item -bg @var{color}
859 @itemx --background-color=@var{color}
860 @opindex --background-color
861 @cindex background color, command-line argument
862 Specify the background color.
863 @item -bd @var{color}
865 @itemx --border-color=@var{color}
866 @opindex --border-color
867 @cindex border color, command-line argument
868 Specify the color of the border of the X window.
869 @item -cr @var{color}
871 @itemx --cursor-color=@var{color}
872 @opindex --cursor-color
873 @cindex cursor color, command-line argument
874 Specify the color of the Emacs cursor which indicates where point is.
875 @item -ms @var{color}
877 @itemx --mouse-color=@var{color}
878 @opindex --mouse-color
879 @cindex mouse pointer color, command-line argument
880 Specify the color for the mouse cursor when the mouse is in the Emacs window.
885 @itemx --reverse-video
886 @opindex --reverse-video
887 @cindex reverse video, command-line argument
888 Reverse video---swap the foreground and background colors.
889 @item --color=@var{mode}
891 @cindex standard colors on a character terminal
892 For a character terminal only, specify the mode of color support. The
893 parameter @var{mode} can be one of the following:
897 Don't use colors even if the terminal's capabilities specify color
901 Same as when @option{--color} is not used at all: Emacs detects at
902 startup whether the terminal supports colors, and if it does, turns on
907 Turn on the color support unconditionally, and use color commands
908 specified by the ANSI escape sequences for the 8 standard colors.
910 Use color mode for @var{num} colors. If @var{num} is -1, turn off
911 color support (equivalent to @samp{never}); if it is 0, use the
912 default color support for this terminal (equivalent to @samp{auto});
913 otherwise use an appropriate standard mode for @var{num} colors. If
914 there is no mode that supports @var{num} colors, Emacs acts as if
915 @var{num} were 0, i.e.@: it uses the terminal's default color support
918 If @var{mode} is omitted, it defaults to @var{ansi8}.
921 For example, to use a coral mouse cursor and a slate blue text cursor,
925 emacs -ms coral -cr 'slate blue' &
928 You can reverse the foreground and background colors through the
929 @samp{-rv} option or with the X resource @samp{reverseVideo}.
931 The @samp{-fg}, @samp{-bg}, and @samp{-rv} options function on
932 text-only terminals as well as on window systems.
935 @appendixsec Options for Window Size and Position
936 @cindex geometry of Emacs window
937 @cindex position and size of Emacs frame
938 @cindex width and height of Emacs frame
939 @cindex specifying fullscreen for Emacs frame
941 Here is a list of the command-line options for specifying size and
942 position of the initial Emacs frame:
945 @item -g @var{width}x@var{height}@r{[@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}@r{]]}
947 Specify the size @var{width} and @var{height} (measured in character
948 columns and lines), and positions @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset}
949 (measured in pixels). This applies to all frames.
951 @item --geometry=@var{width}x@var{height}@r{[@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}@r{]]}
953 This is another way of writing the same thing.
958 @opindex --fullscreen
959 @cindex fullscreen, command-line argument
960 Specify that width and height shall be the size of the screen.
965 @opindex --fullheight
966 @cindex fullheight, command-line argument
967 Specify that the height shall be the height of the screen.
973 @cindex fullwidth, command-line argument
974 Specify that the width shall be the width of the screen.
979 In the @samp{--geometry} option, @code{@r{@{}+-@r{@}}} means either a plus
980 sign or a minus sign. A plus
981 sign before @var{xoffset} means it is the distance from the left side of
982 the screen; a minus sign means it counts from the right side. A plus
983 sign before @var{yoffset} means it is the distance from the top of the
984 screen, and a minus sign there indicates the distance from the bottom.
985 The values @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} may themselves be positive or
986 negative, but that doesn't change their meaning, only their direction.
988 Emacs uses the same units as @command{xterm} does to interpret the geometry.
989 The @var{width} and @var{height} are measured in characters, so a large font
990 creates a larger frame than a small font. (If you specify a proportional
991 font, Emacs uses its maximum bounds width as the width unit.) The
992 @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} are measured in pixels.
994 You do not have to specify all of the fields in the geometry
995 specification. If you omit both @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset}, the
996 window manager decides where to put the Emacs frame, possibly by
997 letting you place it with the mouse. For example, @samp{164x55}
998 specifies a window 164 columns wide, enough for two ordinary width
999 windows side by side, and 55 lines tall.
1001 The default width for Emacs is 80 characters and the default height is
1002 40 lines. You can omit either the width or the height or both. If
1003 you start the geometry with an integer, Emacs interprets it as the
1004 width. If you start with an @samp{x} followed by an integer, Emacs
1005 interprets it as the height. Thus, @samp{81} specifies just the width;
1006 @samp{x45} specifies just the height.
1008 If you start with @samp{+} or @samp{-}, that introduces an offset,
1009 which means both sizes are omitted. Thus, @samp{-3} specifies the
1010 @var{xoffset} only. (If you give just one offset, it is always
1011 @var{xoffset}.) @samp{+3-3} specifies both the @var{xoffset} and the
1012 @var{yoffset}, placing the frame near the bottom left of the screen.
1014 You can specify a default for any or all of the fields in
1015 @file{.Xdefaults} file, and then override selected fields with a
1016 @samp{--geometry} option.
1018 Since the mode line and the echo area occupy the last 2 lines of the
1019 frame, the height of the initial text window is 2 less than the height
1020 specified in your geometry. In non-X-toolkit versions of Emacs, the
1021 menu bar also takes one line of the specified number. But in the X
1022 toolkit version, the menu bar is additional and does not count against
1023 the specified height. The tool bar, if present, is also additional.
1025 Enabling or disabling the menu bar or tool bar alters the amount of
1026 space available for ordinary text. Therefore, if Emacs starts up with
1027 a tool bar (which is the default), and handles the geometry
1028 specification assuming there is a tool bar, and then your
1029 @file{~/.emacs} file disables the tool bar, you will end up with a
1030 frame geometry different from what you asked for. To get the intended
1031 size with no tool bar, use an X resource to specify ``no tool bar''
1032 (@pxref{Table of Resources});then Emacs will already know there's no
1033 tool bar when it processes the specified geometry.
1035 When using one of @samp{--fullscreen}, @samp{--fullwidth} or
1036 @samp{--fullheight} there may be some space around the frame
1037 anyway. That is because Emacs rounds the sizes so they are an
1038 even number of character heights and widths.
1040 Some window managers have options that can make them ignore both
1041 program-specified and user-specified positions (sawfish is one).
1042 If these are set, Emacs fails to position the window correctly.
1045 @appendixsec Internal and External Borders
1046 @cindex borders (X Window System)
1048 An Emacs frame has an internal border and an external border. The
1049 internal border is an extra strip of the background color around the
1050 text portion of the frame. Emacs itself draws the internal border.
1051 The external border is added by the window manager outside the frame;
1052 depending on the window manager you use, it may contain various boxes
1053 you can click on to move or iconify the window.
1056 @item -ib @var{width}
1058 @itemx --internal-border=@var{width}
1059 @opindex --internal-border
1060 @cindex border width, command-line argument
1061 Specify @var{width} as the width of the internal border, in pixels.
1063 @item -bw @var{width}
1065 @itemx --border-width=@var{width}
1066 @opindex --border-width
1067 Specify @var{width} as the width of the main border, in pixels.
1070 When you specify the size of the frame, that does not count the
1071 borders. The frame's position is measured from the outside edge of the
1074 Use the @samp{-ib @var{n}} option to specify an internal border
1075 @var{n} pixels wide. The default is 1. Use @samp{-bw @var{n}} to
1076 specify the width of the external border (though the window manager may
1077 not pay attention to what you specify). The default width of the
1078 external border is 2.
1081 @appendixsec Frame Titles
1083 An Emacs frame may or may not have a specified title. The frame
1084 title, if specified, appears in window decorations and icons as the
1085 name of the frame. If an Emacs frame has no specified title, the
1086 default title has the form @samp{@var{invocation-name}@@@var{machine}}
1087 (if there is only one frame) or the selected window's buffer name (if
1088 there is more than one frame).
1090 You can specify a title for the initial Emacs frame with a command
1094 @item -title @var{title}
1096 @itemx --title=@var{title}
1097 @itemx -T @var{title}
1099 @cindex frame title, command-line argument
1100 Specify @var{title} as the title for the initial Emacs frame.
1103 The @samp{--name} option (@pxref{Resources}) also specifies the title
1104 for the initial Emacs frame.
1108 @cindex icons (X Window System)
1110 Most window managers allow the user to ``iconify'' a frame, removing
1111 it from sight, and leaving a small, distinctive ``icon'' window in its
1112 place. Clicking on the icon window makes the frame itself appear again.
1113 If you have many clients running at once, you can avoid cluttering up
1114 the screen by iconifying most of the clients.
1120 @opindex --icon-type
1121 @cindex Emacs icon, a gnu
1122 Use a picture of a gnu as the Emacs icon.
1127 @cindex start iconified, command-line argument
1128 Start Emacs in iconified state.
1131 The @samp{-i} or @samp{--icon-type} option tells Emacs to use an icon
1132 window containing a picture of the GNU gnu. If omitted, Emacs lets the
1133 window manager choose what sort of icon to use---usually just a small
1134 rectangle containing the frame's title.
1136 The @samp{-iconic} option tells Emacs to begin running as an icon,
1137 rather than showing a frame right away. In this situation, the icon
1138 is the only indication that Emacs has started; the text frame doesn't
1139 appear until you deiconify it.
1142 arch-tag: fffecd9e-7329-4a51-a3cc-dd4a9889340e