1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985,86,87,93,94,95,97,2001,03,2004 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
3 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
4 @node Emacs Invocation, X Resources, GNU Free Documentation License, Top
5 @appendix Command Line Arguments for Emacs Invocation
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}, and so is
18 @samp{+@var{linenum}}. All other arguments specify files to visit.
19 Emacs visits the specified files while it starts up. The last file
20 name on your command line becomes the current buffer; the other files
21 are also visited in other buffers. If there are two files, they are
22 both displayed; otherwise the last file is displayed along with a
23 buffer list that shows what other buffers there are. As with most
24 programs, the special argument @samp{--} says that all subsequent
25 arguments are file names, not options, even if they start with
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: for example, load libraries, call functions, or
54 terminate Emacs. These are called @dfn{action options}. These and file
55 names together are called @dfn{action arguments}. Emacs processes all
56 the action arguments in the order they are written. The @file{.emacs} file
57 can access the values of the action arguments as the elements of a list in
58 the variable @code{command-line-args}.
63 * Action Arguments:: Arguments to visit files, load libraries,
65 * Initial Options:: Arguments that take effect while starting Emacs.
66 * Command Example:: Examples of using command line arguments.
67 * Resume Arguments:: Specifying arguments when you resume a running Emacs.
68 * Environment:: Environment variables that Emacs uses.
69 * Display X:: Changing the default display and using remote login.
70 * Font X:: Choosing a font for text, under X.
71 * Colors:: Choosing display colors.
72 * Window Size X:: Start-up window size, under X.
73 * Borders X:: Internal and external borders, under X.
74 * Title X:: Specifying the initial frame's title.
75 * Icons X:: Choosing what sort of icon to use, under X.
76 * Misc X:: Other display options.
79 @node Action Arguments
80 @appendixsec Action Arguments
82 Here is a table of the action arguments and options:
87 @itemx --file=@var{file}
89 @itemx --find-file=@var{file}
91 @itemx --visit=@var{file}
92 @cindex visiting files, command-line argument
93 @vindex inhibit-startup-buffer-menu
94 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}. @xref{Visiting}.
95 If you visit several files at startup in this way, Emacs
96 also displays a Buffer Menu buffer to show you what files it
97 has visited. You can inhibit that by setting @code{inhibit-startup-buffer-menu} to @code{t}.
99 @item +@var{linenum} @var{file}
100 @opindex +@var{linenum}
101 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number
104 @item +@var{linenum}:@var{columnnum} @var{file}
105 Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number
106 @var{linenum} and put point at column number @var{columnnum}.
111 @itemx --load=@var{file}
113 @cindex loading Lisp libraries, command-line argument
114 Load a Lisp library named @var{file} with the function @code{load}.
115 @xref{Lisp Libraries}. If @var{file} is not an absolute file name,
116 the library can be found either in the current directory, or in the
117 Emacs library search path as specified with @env{EMACSLOADPATH}
118 (@pxref{General Variables}).
122 @itemx --directory=@var{dir}
124 Add directory @var{dir} to the variable @code{load-path}.
126 @item -f @var{function}
128 @itemx --funcall=@var{function}
130 @cindex call Lisp functions, command-line argument
131 Call Lisp function @var{function}. If it is an interactive function
132 (a command), it reads the arguments interactively just as if you had
133 called the same function with a key sequence. Otherwise, it calls the
134 function with no arguments.
136 @item --eval=@var{expression}
138 @itemx --execute=@var{expression}
140 @cindex evaluate expression, command-line argument
141 Evaluate Lisp expression @var{expression}.
143 @item --insert=@var{file}
145 @cindex insert file contents, command-line argument
146 Insert the contents of @var{file} into the current buffer. This is like
147 what @kbd{M-x insert-file} does. @xref{Misc File Ops}.
151 Exit from Emacs without asking for confirmation.
155 Print a usage message listing all available options, then exit
160 Print Emacs version, then exit successfully.
163 @node Initial Options
164 @appendixsec Initial Options
166 The initial options specify parameters for the Emacs session. This
167 section describes the more general initial options; some other options
168 specifically related to the X Window System appear in the following
171 Some initial options affect the loading of init files. The normal
172 actions of Emacs are to first load @file{site-start.el} if it exists,
173 then your own init file @file{~/.emacs} if it exists, and finally
174 @file{default.el} if it exists. @xref{Init File}. Certain options
175 prevent loading of some of these files or substitute other files for
179 @item -t @var{device}
181 @itemx --terminal=@var{device}
183 @cindex device for Emacs terminal I/O
184 Use @var{device} as the device for terminal input and output.
185 @samp{--terminal} implies @samp{--no-window-system}.
187 @item -d @var{display}
189 @itemx --display=@var{display}
191 @cindex display for Emacs frame
192 Use the X Window System and use the display named @var{display} to open
193 the initial Emacs frame. @xref{Display X}, for more details.
197 @itemx --no-window-system
198 @opindex --no-window-system
199 @cindex disable window system
200 Don't communicate directly with the window system, disregarding the
201 @env{DISPLAY} environment variable even if it is set. This means that
202 Emacs uses the terminal from which it was launched for all its display
210 Run Emacs in @dfn{batch mode}. Batch mode is used for running
211 programs written in Emacs Lisp from shell scripts, makefiles, and so
212 on. You should also use the @samp{-l} option or @samp{-f} option, to
213 invoke a Lisp program to do batch processing.
215 In batch mode, Emacs does not display the text being edited, and the
216 standard terminal interrupt characters such as @kbd{C-z} and @kbd{C-c}
217 continue to have their normal effect. The functions @code{prin1},
218 @code{princ} and @code{print} output to @code{stdout} instead of the
219 echo area, while @code{message} and error messages output to
220 @code{stderr}. Functions that would normally read from the minibuffer
221 take their input from @code{stdin} instead.
223 @samp{--batch} implies @samp{-q} (do not load an init file), but
224 @file{site-start.el} is loaded nonetheless. It also causes Emacs to
225 exit after processing all the command options. In addition, it
226 disables auto-saving except in buffers for which it has been
227 explicitly requested.
229 @item --script @var{file}
232 Run Emacs in batch mode, like @samp{--batch}, and then read and
233 execute the Lisp code in @var{file}.
235 The normal use of this option is in executable script files that run
236 Emacs. They can start with this text on the first line
239 #!/usr/bin/emacs --script
243 which will invoke Emacs with @samp{--script} and supply the name of
244 the script file as @var{file}. Emacs Lisp then treats @samp{#!} as a
249 @itemx --no-init-file
250 @opindex --no-init-file
251 @cindex bypassing init and @file{default.el} file
252 @cindex init file, not loading
253 @cindex @file{default.el} file, not loading
254 Do not load your Emacs init file @file{~/.emacs}, or @file{default.el}
255 either. Regardless of this switch, @file{site-start.el} is still loaded.
256 When invoked like this, Emacs does not allow saving options
257 changed with the @kbd{M-x customize} command and its variants.
258 @xref{Easy Customization}.
261 @opindex --no-site-file
262 @cindex @file{site-start.el} file, not loading
263 Do not load @file{site-start.el}. The options @samp{-q}, @samp{-u}
264 and @samp{--batch} have no effect on the loading of this file---this
265 option and @samp{-Q} are the only options that block it.
269 Start emacs with minimum customizations and window decorations.
270 This is like using @samp{-q} and @samp{--no-site-file}, but in
271 addition it also disables the menu-bar, the tool-bar, the scroll-bars,
272 tool tips, the blinking cursor, and the fancy startup screen.
276 @vindex inhibit-startup-message
277 Do not display a splash screen on startup; this is equivalent to
278 setting the variable @code{inhibit-startup-message} to non-@code{nil}.
281 @opindex --no-desktop
282 Do not reload any saved desktop. @xref{Saving Emacs Sessions}.
286 @itemx --user=@var{user}
288 @cindex load init file of another user
289 Load @var{user}'s Emacs init file @file{~@var{user}/.emacs} instead of
293 @opindex --debug-init
294 @cindex errors in init file
295 Enable the Emacs Lisp debugger for errors in the init file.
299 @itemx --no-multibyte
300 @opindex --no-multibyte
301 @cindex unibyte operation, command-line argument
302 Do almost everything with single-byte buffers and strings.
303 All buffers and strings are unibyte unless you (or a Lisp program)
304 explicitly ask for a multibyte buffer or string. (Note that Emacs
305 always loads Lisp files in multibyte mode, even if @samp{--unibyte} is
306 specified; see @ref{Enabling Multibyte}.) Setting the environment
307 variable @env{EMACS_UNIBYTE} has the same effect
308 (@pxref{General Variables}).
313 @opindex --no-unibyte
314 Inhibit the effect of @env{EMACS_UNIBYTE}, so that Emacs
315 uses multibyte characters by default, as usual.
318 @node Command Example
319 @appendixsec Command Argument Example
321 Here is an example of using Emacs with arguments and options. It
322 assumes you have a Lisp program file called @file{hack-c.el} which, when
323 loaded, performs some useful operation on the current buffer, expected
327 emacs --batch foo.c -l hack-c -f save-buffer >& log
331 This says to visit @file{foo.c}, load @file{hack-c.el} (which makes
332 changes in the visited file), save @file{foo.c} (note that
333 @code{save-buffer} is the function that @kbd{C-x C-s} is bound to), and
334 then exit back to the shell (because of @samp{--batch}). @samp{--batch}
335 also guarantees there will be no problem redirecting output to
336 @file{log}, because Emacs will not assume that it has a display terminal
339 @node Resume Arguments
340 @appendixsec Resuming Emacs with Arguments
342 You can specify action arguments for Emacs when you resume it after
343 a suspension. To prepare for this, put the following code in your
344 @file{.emacs} file (@pxref{Hooks}):
346 @c `resume-suspend-hook' is correct. It is the name of a function.
348 (add-hook 'suspend-hook 'resume-suspend-hook)
349 (add-hook 'suspend-resume-hook 'resume-process-args)
352 As further preparation, you must execute the shell script
353 @file{emacs.csh} (if you use csh as your shell) or @file{emacs.bash}
354 (if you use bash as your shell). These scripts define an alias named
355 @code{edit}, which will resume Emacs giving it new command line
356 arguments such as files to visit. The scripts are found in the
357 @file{etc} subdirectory of the Emacs distribution.
359 Only action arguments work properly when you resume Emacs. Initial
360 arguments are not recognized---it's too late to execute them anyway.
362 Note that resuming Emacs (with or without arguments) must be done from
363 within the shell that is the parent of the Emacs job. This is why
364 @code{edit} is an alias rather than a program or a shell script. It is
365 not possible to implement a resumption command that could be run from
366 other subjobs of the shell; there is no way to define a command that could
367 be made the value of @env{EDITOR}, for example. Therefore, this feature
368 does not take the place of the Emacs Server feature (@pxref{Emacs
371 The aliases use the Emacs Server feature if you appear to have a
372 server Emacs running. However, they cannot determine this with complete
373 accuracy. They may think that a server is still running when in
374 actuality you have killed that Emacs, because the file
375 @file{/tmp/esrv@dots{}} still exists. If this happens, find that
379 @appendixsec Environment Variables
380 @cindex environment variables
382 The @dfn{environment} is a feature of the operating system; it
383 consists of a collection of variables with names and values. Each
384 variable is called an @dfn{environment variable}; environment variable
385 names are case-sensitive, and it is conventional to use upper case
386 letters only. The values are all text strings.
388 What makes the environment useful is that subprocesses inherit the
389 environment automatically from their parent process. This means you
390 can set up an environment variable in your login shell, and all the
391 programs you run (including Emacs) will automatically see it.
392 Subprocesses of Emacs (such as shells, compilers, and version-control
393 software) inherit the environment from Emacs, too.
397 Inside Emacs, the command @kbd{M-x getenv} gets the value of an
398 environment variable. @kbd{M-x setenv} sets a variable in the Emacs
399 environment. (Environment variable substitutions with @samp{$} work
400 in the value just as in file names; see @ref{File Names with $}.)
402 The way to set environment variables outside of Emacs depends on the
403 operating system, and especially the shell that you are using. For
404 example, here's how to set the environment variable @env{ORGANIZATION}
405 to @samp{not very much} using Bash:
408 export ORGANIZATION="not very much"
412 and here's how to do it in csh or tcsh:
415 setenv ORGANIZATION "not very much"
418 When Emacs is using the X Window System, various environment
419 variables that control X work for Emacs as well. See the X
420 documentation for more information.
423 * General Variables:: Environment variables that all versions of Emacs use.
424 * Misc Variables:: Certain system-specific variables.
425 * MS-Windows Registry:: An alternative to the environment on MS-Windows.
428 @node General Variables
429 @appendixsubsec General Variables
431 Here is an alphabetical list of specific environment variables that
432 have special meanings in Emacs, giving the name of each variable and
433 its meaning. Most of these variables are also used by some other
434 programs. Emacs does not require any of these environment variables
435 to be set, but it uses their values if they are set.
439 Used by the @code{cd} command to search for the directory you specify,
440 when you specify a relative directory name.
442 @cindex unibyte operation, environment variable
443 Defining this environment variable with a nonempty value directs Emacs
444 to do almost everything with single-byte buffers and strings. It is
445 equivalent to using the @samp{--unibyte} command-line option on each
446 invocation. @xref{Initial Options}.
448 Directory for the architecture-independent files that come with Emacs.
449 This is used to initialize the Lisp variable @code{data-directory}.
451 Directory for the documentation string file,
452 @file{DOC-@var{emacsversion}}. This is used to initialize the Lisp
453 variable @code{doc-directory}.
455 A colon-separated list of directories@footnote{
456 Here and below, whenever we say ``colon-separated list of directories'',
457 it pertains to Unix and GNU/Linux systems. On MS-DOS and MS-Windows,
458 the directories are separated by semi-colons instead, since DOS/Windows
459 file names might include a colon after a drive letter.}
460 to search for Emacs Lisp files---used to initialize @code{load-path}.
462 A colon-separated list of directories to search for executable
463 files---used to initialize @code{exec-path}.
465 Used for shell-mode to override the @env{SHELL} environment variable.
467 The name of the file that shell commands are saved in between logins.
468 This variable defaults to @file{~/.bash_history} if you use Bash, to
469 @file{~/.sh_history} if you use ksh, and to @file{~/.history}
472 The location of the user's files in the directory tree; used for
473 expansion of file names starting with a tilde (@file{~}). On MS-DOS, it
474 defaults to the directory from which Emacs was started, with @samp{/bin}
475 removed from the end if it was present. On Windows, the default value
476 of @env{HOME} is @file{C:/}, the root directory of drive @file{C:}.
478 The name of the machine that Emacs is running on.
480 A colon-separated list of directories. Used by the @code{complete} package
483 A colon-separated list of directories in which to search for Info files.
492 The user's preferred locale. The locale has six categories, specified
493 by the environment variables @env{LC_COLLATE} for sorting,
494 @env{LC_CTYPE} for character encoding, @env{LC_MESSAGES} for system
495 messages, @env{LC_MONETARY} for monetary formats, @env{LC_NUMERIC} for
496 numbers, and @env{LC_TIME} for dates and times. If one of these
497 variables is not set, the category defaults to the value of the
498 @env{LANG} environment variable, or to the default @samp{C} locale if
499 @env{LANG} is not set. But if @env{LC_ALL} is specified, it overrides
500 the settings of all the other locale environment variables.
502 On MS-Windows, if @env{LANG} is not already set in the environment
503 when Emacs starts, Emacs sets it based on the system-wide default
504 language, which you can set in the @samp{Regional Settings} Control Panel
505 on some versions of MS-Windows.
507 The value of the @env{LC_CTYPE} category is
508 matched against entries in @code{locale-language-names},
509 @code{locale-charset-language-names}, and
510 @code{locale-preferred-coding-systems}, to select a default language
511 environment and coding system. @xref{Language Environments}.
513 The user's login name. See also @env{USER}.
515 The name of the user's system mail inbox.
517 Name of setup file for the mh system. (The default is @file{~/.mh_profile}.)
519 The real-world name of the user.
521 The name of the news server. Used by the mh and Gnus packages.
523 The name of the organization to which you belong. Used for setting the
524 `Organization:' header in your posts from the Gnus package.
526 A colon-separated list of directories in which executables reside. This
527 is used to initialize the Emacs Lisp variable @code{exec-path}.
529 If set, this should be the default directory when Emacs was started.
531 If set, this specifies an initial value for the variable
532 @code{mail-default-reply-to}. @xref{Mail Headers}.
534 The name of a directory in which news articles are saved by default.
535 Used by the Gnus package.
537 The name of an interpreter used to parse and execute programs run from
540 The name of the outgoing mail server. Used by the SMTP library
541 (@pxref{Top,,Sending mail via SMTP,smtpmail}).
542 @cindex background mode, on @command{xterm}
544 The type of the terminal that Emacs is using. This variable must be
545 set unless Emacs is run in batch mode. On MS-DOS, it defaults to
546 @samp{internal}, which specifies a built-in terminal emulation that
547 handles the machine's own display. If the value of @env{TERM} indicates
548 that Emacs runs in non-windowed mode from @command{xterm} or a similar
549 terminal emulator, the background mode defaults to @samp{light}, and
550 Emacs will choose colors that are appropriate for a light background.
552 The name of the termcap library file describing how to program the
553 terminal specified by the @env{TERM} variable. This defaults to
556 Used by the Emerge package as a prefix for temporary files.
558 This specifies the current time zone and possibly also daylight
559 saving time information. On MS-DOS, if @env{TZ} is not set in the
560 environment when Emacs starts, Emacs defines a default value as
561 appropriate for the country code returned by DOS. On MS-Windows, Emacs
562 does not use @env{TZ} at all.
564 The user's login name. See also @env{LOGNAME}. On MS-DOS, this
565 defaults to @samp{root}.
566 @item VERSION_CONTROL
567 Used to initialize the @code{version-control} variable (@pxref{Backup
572 @appendixsubsec Miscellaneous Variables
574 These variables are used only on particular configurations:
578 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, the name of the command interpreter to use
579 when invoking batch files and commands internal to the shell. On MS-DOS
580 this is also used to make a default value for the @env{SHELL} environment
584 On MS-DOS, this variable defaults to the value of the @env{USER}
589 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows, these specify the name of the directory for
590 storing temporary files in.
593 On MS-DOS, this specifies a file to use to log the operation of the
594 internal terminal emulator. This feature is useful for submitting bug
598 On MS-DOS, this specifies the screen colors. It is useful to set them
599 this way, since otherwise Emacs would display the default colors
600 momentarily when it starts up.
602 The value of this variable should be the two-character encoding of the
603 foreground (the first character) and the background (the second
604 character) colors of the default face. Each character should be the
605 hexadecimal code for the desired color on a standard PC text-mode
606 display. For example, to get blue text on a light gray background,
607 specify @samp{EMACSCOLORS=17}, since 1 is the code of the blue color and
608 7 is the code of the light gray color.
610 The PC display usually supports only eight background colors. However,
611 Emacs switches the DOS display to a mode where all 16 colors can be used
612 for the background, so all four bits of the background color are
616 Used when initializing the Sun windows system.
618 @item PRELOAD_WINSOCK
619 On MS-Windows, if you set this variable, Emacs will load and initialize
620 the network library at startup, instead of waiting until the first
624 On MS-Windows, @env{emacs_dir} is a special environment variable, which
625 indicates the full path of the directory in which Emacs is installed.
626 If Emacs is installed in the standard directory structure, it
627 calculates this value automatically. It is not much use setting this
628 variable yourself unless your installation is non-standard, since
629 unlike other environment variables, it will be overridden by Emacs at
630 startup. When setting other environment variables, such as
631 @env{EMACSLOADPATH}, you may find it useful to use @env{emacs_dir}
632 rather than hard-coding an absolute path. This allows multiple
633 versions of Emacs to share the same environment variable settings, and
634 it allows you to move the Emacs installation directory, without
635 changing any environment or registry settings.
638 @node MS-Windows Registry
639 @appendixsubsec The MS-Windows System Registry
640 @pindex addpm, MS-Windows installation program
641 @cindex registry, setting environment variables and resources on MS-Windows
643 On MS-Windows, the installation program @command{addpm.exe} adds values
644 for @env{emacs_dir}, @env{EMACSLOADPATH}, @env{EMACSDATA},
645 @env{EMACSPATH}, @env{EMACSDOC}, @env{SHELL} and @env{TERM} to the
646 @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section of the system registry, under
647 @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs}. It does this because there is no standard
648 place to set environment variables across different versions of
649 Windows. Running @command{addpm.exe} is no longer strictly
650 necessary in recent versions of Emacs, but if you are upgrading from
651 an older version, running @command{addpm.exe} ensures that you do not have
652 older registry entries from a previous installation, which may not be
653 compatible with the latest version of Emacs.
655 When Emacs starts, as well as checking the environment, it also checks
656 the System Registry for those variables and for @env{HOME}, @env{LANG}
657 and @env{PRELOAD_WINSOCK}.
659 To determine the value of those variables, Emacs goes through the
660 following procedure. First, the environment is checked. If the
661 variable is not found there, Emacs looks for registry keys by that
662 name under @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs}; first in the
663 @file{HKEY_CURRENT_USER} section of the registry, and if not found
664 there, in the @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section. Finally, if Emacs
665 still cannot determine the values, compiled-in defaults are used.
667 In addition to the environment variables above, you can also add many
668 of the settings which on X belong in the @file{.Xdefaults} file
669 (@pxref{X Resources}) to the @file{/Software/GNU/Emacs} registry key.
670 Settings you add to the @file{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE} section will affect
671 all users of the machine. Settings you add to the
672 @file{HKEY_CURRENT_USER} section will only affect you, and will
673 override machine wide settings.
676 @appendixsec Specifying the Display Name
677 @cindex display name (X Window System)
678 @cindex @env{DISPLAY} environment variable
680 The environment variable @env{DISPLAY} tells all X clients, including
681 Emacs, where to display their windows. Its value is set by default
682 in ordinary circumstances, when you start an X server and run jobs
683 locally. Occasionally you may need to specify the display yourself; for
684 example, if you do a remote login and want to run a client program
685 remotely, displaying on your local screen.
687 With Emacs, the main reason people change the default display is to
688 let them log into another system, run Emacs on that system, but have the
689 window displayed at their local terminal. You might need to log in
690 to another system because the files you want to edit are there, or
691 because the Emacs executable file you want to run is there.
693 The syntax of the @env{DISPLAY} environment variable is
694 @samp{@var{host}:@var{display}.@var{screen}}, where @var{host} is the
695 host name of the X Window System server machine, @var{display} is an
696 arbitrarily-assigned number that distinguishes your server (X terminal)
697 from other servers on the same machine, and @var{screen} is a
698 rarely-used field that allows an X server to control multiple terminal
699 screens. The period and the @var{screen} field are optional. If
700 included, @var{screen} is usually zero.
702 For example, if your host is named @samp{glasperle} and your server is
703 the first (or perhaps the only) server listed in the configuration, your
704 @env{DISPLAY} is @samp{glasperle:0.0}.
706 You can specify the display name explicitly when you run Emacs, either
707 by changing the @env{DISPLAY} variable, or with the option @samp{-d
708 @var{display}} or @samp{--display=@var{display}}. Here is an example:
711 emacs --display=glasperle:0 &
714 You can inhibit the direct use of the window system and GUI with the
715 @samp{-nw} option. It tells Emacs to display using ordinary @acronym{ASCII} on
716 its controlling terminal. This is also an initial option.
718 Sometimes, security arrangements prevent a program on a remote system
719 from displaying on your local system. In this case, trying to run Emacs
720 produces messages like this:
723 Xlib: connection to "glasperle:0.0" refused by server
727 You might be able to overcome this problem by using the @command{xhost}
728 command on the local system to give permission for access from your
732 @appendixsec Font Specification Options
733 @cindex font name (X Window System)
735 By default, Emacs displays text in a twelve point Courier font (when
736 using X). You can specify a different font on your command line
737 through the option @samp{-fn @var{name}} (or @samp{--font}, which is
738 an alias for @samp{-fn}).
743 @itemx --font=@var{name}
745 @cindex specify default font from the command line
746 Use font @var{name} as the default font.
749 Under X, each font has a long name which consists of fourteen words
750 or numbers, separated by dashes. Some fonts also have shorter
751 nicknames. For instance, @samp{9x15} is such a nickname. This font
752 makes each character nine pixels wide and fifteen pixels high. You
753 can use either kind of name. Case is insignificant in both kinds.
754 You can use wildcard patterns for the font name; then Emacs lets X
755 choose one of the fonts that match the pattern. The wildcard
756 character @samp{*} matches any sequence of characters (including none)
757 and @samp{?} matches any single character. However, matching is
758 implementation-dependent, and can be inaccurate when wildcards match
759 dashes in a long name. For reliable results, supply all 14 dashes and
760 use wildcards only within a field. Here is an example, which happens
761 to specify the font whose nickname is @samp{6x13}:
765 "-misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-*-*-*-c-60-iso8859-1" &
769 You can also specify the font in your @file{.Xdefaults} file:
772 emacs.font: -misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-*-*-*-c-60-iso8859-1
775 Note that if you use a wildcard pattern on the command line, you
776 need to enclose it in single or double quotes, to prevent the shell
777 from accidentally expanding it into a list of file names. On the
778 other hand, you should not quote the name in the @file{.Xdefaults}
781 The default font used by Emacs (under X) is:
784 -adobe-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-iso8859-1
787 A long font name has the following form:
790 -@var{maker}-@var{family}-@var{weight}-@var{slant}-@var{widthtype}-@var{style}@dots{}
791 @dots{}-@var{pixels}-@var{height}-@var{horiz}-@var{vert}-@var{spacing}-@var{width}-@var{registry}-@var{encoding}
796 This is the name of the font manufacturer.
798 This is the name of the font family---for example, @samp{courier}.
800 This is normally @samp{bold}, @samp{medium} or @samp{light}. Other
801 words may appear here in some font names.
803 This is @samp{r} (roman), @samp{i} (italic), @samp{o} (oblique),
804 @samp{ri} (reverse italic), or @samp{ot} (other).
806 This is normally @samp{condensed}, @samp{extended}, @samp{semicondensed}
807 or @samp{normal}. Other words may appear here in some font names.
809 This is an optional additional style name. Usually it is empty---most
810 long font names have two hyphens in a row at this point.
812 This is the font height, in pixels.
814 This is the font height on the screen, measured in tenths of a printer's
815 point---approximately 1/720 of an inch. In other words, it is the point
816 size of the font, times ten. For a given vertical resolution,
817 @var{height} and @var{pixels} are proportional; therefore, it is common
818 to specify just one of them and use @samp{*} for the other.
820 This is the horizontal resolution, in pixels per inch, of the screen for
821 which the font is intended.
823 This is the vertical resolution, in pixels per inch, of the screen for
824 which the font is intended. Normally the resolution of the fonts on
825 your system is the right value for your screen; therefore, you normally
826 specify @samp{*} for this and @var{horiz}.
828 This is @samp{m} (monospace), @samp{p} (proportional) or @samp{c}
831 This is the average character width, in pixels, multiplied by ten.
834 These together make up the X font character set that the font depicts.
835 (X font character sets are not the same as Emacs charsets, but they
836 are solutions for the same problem.) You can use the
837 @command{xfontsel} program to check which choices you have. However,
838 normally you should use @samp{iso8859} for @var{registry} and @samp{1}
842 @cindex listing system fonts
843 You will probably want to use a fixed-width default font---that is,
844 a font in which all characters have the same width. Any font with
845 @samp{m} or @samp{c} in the @var{spacing} field of the long name is a
846 fixed-width font. Here's how to use the @command{xlsfonts} program to
847 list all the fixed-width fonts available on your system:
850 xlsfonts -fn '*x*' | egrep "^[0-9]+x[0-9]+"
851 xlsfonts -fn '*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-m*'
852 xlsfonts -fn '*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-c*'
856 To see what a particular font looks like, use the @command{xfd} command.
864 displays the entire font @samp{6x13}.
866 While running Emacs, you can set the font of the current frame
867 (@pxref{Frame Parameters}) or for a specific kind of text
871 @appendixsec Window Color Options
872 @cindex color of window
873 @cindex text colors, from command line
875 @findex list-colors-display
876 @cindex available colors
877 On a color display, you can specify which color to use for various
878 parts of the Emacs display. To find out what colors are available on
879 your system, type @kbd{M-x list-colors-display}, or press
880 @kbd{C-Mouse-2} and select @samp{Display Colors} from the pop-up menu.
881 (A particular window system might support many more colors, but the
882 list displayed by @code{list-colors-display} shows their portable
883 subset that can be safely used on any display supported by Emacs.)
884 If you do not specify colors, on windowed displays the default for the
885 background is white and the default for all other colors is black. On a
886 monochrome display, the foreground is black, the background is white,
887 and the border is gray if the display supports that. On terminals, the
888 background is usually black and the foreground is white.
890 Here is a list of the command-line options for specifying colors:
893 @item -fg @var{color}
895 @itemx --foreground-color=@var{color}
896 @opindex --foreground-color
897 @cindex foreground color, command-line argument
898 Specify the foreground color. @var{color} should be a standard color
899 name, or a numeric specification of the color's red, green, and blue
900 components as in @samp{#4682B4} or @samp{RGB:46/82/B4}.
901 @item -bg @var{color}
903 @itemx --background-color=@var{color}
904 @opindex --background-color
905 @cindex background color, command-line argument
906 Specify the background color.
907 @item -bd @var{color}
909 @itemx --border-color=@var{color}
910 @opindex --border-color
911 @cindex border color, command-line argument
912 Specify the color of the border of the X window.
913 @item -cr @var{color}
915 @itemx --cursor-color=@var{color}
916 @opindex --cursor-color
917 @cindex cursor color, command-line argument
918 Specify the color of the Emacs cursor which indicates where point is.
919 @item -ms @var{color}
921 @itemx --mouse-color=@var{color}
922 @opindex --mouse-color
923 @cindex mouse pointer color, command-line argument
924 Specify the color for the mouse cursor when the mouse is in the Emacs window.
929 @itemx --reverse-video
930 @opindex --reverse-video
931 @cindex reverse video, command-line argument
932 Reverse video---swap the foreground and background colors.
933 @item --color=@var{mode}
935 @cindex standard colors on a character terminal
936 For a character terminal only, specify the mode of color support. The
937 parameter @var{mode} can be one of the following:
941 Don't use colors even if the terminal's capabilities specify color
945 Same as when @option{--color} is not used at all: Emacs detects at
946 startup whether the terminal supports colors, and if it does, turns on
951 Turn on the color support unconditionally, and use color commands
952 specified by the ANSI escape sequences for the 8 standard colors.
954 Use color mode for @var{num} colors. If @var{num} is -1, turn off
955 color support (equivalent to @samp{never}); if it is 0, use the
956 default color support for this terminal (equivalent to @samp{auto});
957 otherwise use an appropriate standard mode for @var{num} colors.
958 Depending on your terminal's capabilities, Emacs might be able to turn
959 on a color mode for 8, 16, 88, or 256 as the value of @var{num}. If
960 there is no mode that supports @var{num} colors, Emacs acts as if
961 @var{num} were 0, i.e.@: it uses the terminal's default color support
964 If @var{mode} is omitted, it defaults to @var{ansi8}.
967 For example, to use a coral mouse cursor and a slate blue text cursor,
971 emacs -ms coral -cr 'slate blue' &
974 You can reverse the foreground and background colors through the
975 @samp{-rv} option or with the X resource @samp{reverseVideo}.
977 The @samp{-fg}, @samp{-bg}, and @samp{-rv} options function on
978 text-only terminals as well as on window systems.
981 @appendixsec Options for Window Size and Position
982 @cindex geometry of Emacs window
983 @cindex position and size of Emacs frame
984 @cindex width and height of Emacs frame
985 @cindex specifying fullscreen for Emacs frame
987 Here is a list of the command-line options for specifying size and
988 position of the initial Emacs frame:
991 @item -g @var{width}x@var{height}@r{[@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}@r{]]}
993 @itemx --geometry=@var{width}x@var{height}@r{[@{}+-@r{@}}@var{xoffset}@r{@{}+-@r{@}}@var{yoffset}@r{]]}
995 @cindex geometry, command-line argument
996 Specify the size @var{width} and @var{height} (measured in character
997 columns and lines), and positions @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset}
998 (measured in pixels). This applies to all frames.
1003 @opindex --fullscreen
1004 @cindex fullscreen, command-line argument
1005 Specify that width and height shall be the size of the screen.
1010 @opindex --fullheight
1011 @cindex fullheight, command-line argument
1012 Specify that the height shall be the height of the screen.
1017 @opindex --fullwidth
1018 @cindex fullwidth, command-line argument
1019 Specify that the width shall be the width of the screen.
1024 In the @samp{--geometry} option, @code{@r{@{}+-@r{@}}} means either a plus
1025 sign or a minus sign. A plus
1026 sign before @var{xoffset} means it is the distance from the left side of
1027 the screen; a minus sign means it counts from the right side. A plus
1028 sign before @var{yoffset} means it is the distance from the top of the
1029 screen, and a minus sign there indicates the distance from the bottom.
1030 The values @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} may themselves be positive or
1031 negative, but that doesn't change their meaning, only their direction.
1033 Emacs uses the same units as @command{xterm} does to interpret the geometry.
1034 The @var{width} and @var{height} are measured in characters, so a large font
1035 creates a larger frame than a small font. (If you specify a proportional
1036 font, Emacs uses its maximum bounds width as the width unit.) The
1037 @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} are measured in pixels.
1039 You do not have to specify all of the fields in the geometry
1040 specification. If you omit both @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset}, the
1041 window manager decides where to put the Emacs frame, possibly by
1042 letting you place it with the mouse. For example, @samp{164x55}
1043 specifies a window 164 columns wide, enough for two ordinary width
1044 windows side by side, and 55 lines tall.
1046 The default width for Emacs is 80 characters and the default height is
1047 40 lines. You can omit either the width or the height or both. If
1048 you start the geometry with an integer, Emacs interprets it as the
1049 width. If you start with an @samp{x} followed by an integer, Emacs
1050 interprets it as the height. Thus, @samp{81} specifies just the width;
1051 @samp{x45} specifies just the height.
1053 If you start with @samp{+} or @samp{-}, that introduces an offset,
1054 which means both sizes are omitted. Thus, @samp{-3} specifies the
1055 @var{xoffset} only. (If you give just one offset, it is always
1056 @var{xoffset}.) @samp{+3-3} specifies both the @var{xoffset} and the
1057 @var{yoffset}, placing the frame near the bottom left of the screen.
1059 You can specify a default for any or all of the fields in
1060 @file{.Xdefaults} file, and then override selected fields with a
1061 @samp{--geometry} option.
1063 Since the mode line and the echo area occupy the last 2 lines of the
1064 frame, the height of the initial text window is 2 less than the height
1065 specified in your geometry. In non-X-toolkit versions of Emacs, the
1066 menu bar also takes one line of the specified number. But in the X
1067 toolkit version, the menu bar is additional and does not count against
1068 the specified height. The tool bar, if present, is also additional.
1070 Enabling or disabling the menu bar or tool bar alters the amount of
1071 space available for ordinary text. Therefore, if Emacs starts up with
1072 a tool bar (which is the default), and handles the geometry
1073 specification assuming there is a tool bar, and then your
1074 @file{~/.emacs} file disables the tool bar, you will end up with a
1075 frame geometry different from what you asked for. To get the intended
1076 size with no tool bar, use an X resource to specify ``no tool bar''
1077 (@pxref{Table of Resources}); then Emacs will already know there's no
1078 tool bar when it processes the specified geometry.
1080 When using one of @samp{--fullscreen}, @samp{--fullwidth} or
1081 @samp{--fullheight} there may be some space around the frame
1082 anyway. That is because Emacs rounds the sizes so they are an
1083 even number of character heights and widths.
1085 Some window managers have options that can make them ignore both
1086 program-specified and user-specified positions (sawfish is one).
1087 If these are set, Emacs fails to position the window correctly.
1090 @appendixsec Internal and External Borders
1091 @cindex borders (X Window System)
1093 An Emacs frame has an internal border and an external border. The
1094 internal border is an extra strip of the background color around the
1095 text portion of the frame. Emacs itself draws the internal border.
1096 The external border is added by the window manager outside the frame;
1097 depending on the window manager you use, it may contain various boxes
1098 you can click on to move or iconify the window.
1101 @item -ib @var{width}
1103 @itemx --internal-border=@var{width}
1104 @opindex --internal-border
1105 @cindex internal border width, command-line argument
1106 Specify @var{width} as the width of the internal border (between the text
1107 and the main border), in pixels.
1109 @item -bw @var{width}
1111 @itemx --border-width=@var{width}
1112 @opindex --border-width
1113 @cindex main border width, command-line argument
1114 Specify @var{width} as the width of the main border, in pixels.
1117 When you specify the size of the frame, that does not count the
1118 borders. The frame's position is measured from the outside edge of the
1121 Use the @samp{-ib @var{n}} option to specify an internal border
1122 @var{n} pixels wide. The default is 1. Use @samp{-bw @var{n}} to
1123 specify the width of the external border (though the window manager may
1124 not pay attention to what you specify). The default width of the
1125 external border is 2.
1128 @appendixsec Frame Titles
1130 An Emacs frame may or may not have a specified title. The frame
1131 title, if specified, appears in window decorations and icons as the
1132 name of the frame. If an Emacs frame has no specified title, the
1133 default title has the form @samp{@var{invocation-name}@@@var{machine}}
1134 (if there is only one frame) or the selected window's buffer name (if
1135 there is more than one frame).
1137 You can specify a title for the initial Emacs frame with a command
1141 @item -T @var{title}
1143 @itemx --title=@var{title}
1145 @cindex frame title, command-line argument
1146 Specify @var{title} as the title for the initial Emacs frame.
1149 The @samp{--name} option (@pxref{Resources}) also specifies the title
1150 for the initial Emacs frame.
1154 @cindex icons (X Window System)
1156 Most window managers allow the user to ``iconify'' a frame, removing
1157 it from sight, and leaving a small, distinctive ``icon'' window in its
1158 place. Clicking on the icon window makes the frame itself appear again.
1159 If you have many clients running at once, you can avoid cluttering up
1160 the screen by iconifying most of the clients.
1166 @opindex --icon-type
1167 @cindex Emacs icon, a gnu
1168 Use a picture of a gnu as the Emacs icon.
1173 @cindex start iconified, command-line argument
1174 Start Emacs in iconified state.
1177 The @samp{-i} or @samp{--icon-type} option tells Emacs to use an icon
1178 window containing a picture of the GNU gnu. If omitted, Emacs lets the
1179 window manager choose what sort of icon to use---usually just a small
1180 rectangle containing the frame's title.
1182 The @samp{-iconic} option tells Emacs to begin running as an icon,
1183 rather than showing a frame right away. In this situation, the icon
1184 is the only indication that Emacs has started; the text frame doesn't
1185 appear until you deiconify it.
1188 @appendixsec Other Display Options
1193 @itemx --horizontal-scroll-bars
1194 @opindex --horizontal-scroll-bars
1195 @cindex horizontal scroll bars, command-line argument
1196 Enable horizontal scroll bars.
1200 @itemx --vertical-scroll-bars
1201 @opindex --vertical-scroll-bars
1202 @cindex vertical scroll bars, command-line argument
1203 Enable vertical scroll bars.
1205 @item -lsp @var{pixels}
1207 @itemx --line-spacing=@var{pixels}
1208 @opindex --line-spacing
1209 @cindex line spacing, command-line argument
1210 Specify @var{pixels} as additional space to put between lines, in pixels.
1213 The @samp{--xrm} option (@pxref{Resources}) specifies additional
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