1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003,
3 @c 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5 @node X Resources, Antinews, Emacs Invocation, Top
6 @appendix X Options and Resources
8 You can customize some X-related aspects of Emacs behavior using X
9 resources, as is usual for programs that use X. On MS-Windows, you
10 can customize some of the same aspects using the system registry.
11 @xref{MS-Windows Registry}.
13 o When Emacs is built using an ``X toolkit'', such as Lucid or
14 LessTif, you need to use X resources to customize the appearance of
15 the widgets, including the menu-bar, scroll-bar, and dialog boxes.
16 This is because the libraries that implement these don't provide for
17 customization through Emacs. GTK+ widgets use a separate system of
19 ``GTK resources'', which we will also describe.
22 ``GTK resources.'' In this chapter we describe the most commonly used
23 resource specifications. For full documentation, see the online
26 @c Add xref for LessTif/Motif menu resources.
31 * Resources:: Using X resources with Emacs (in general).
32 * Table of Resources:: Table of specific X resources that affect Emacs.
33 * Face Resources:: X resources for customizing faces.
34 * Lucid Resources:: X resources for Lucid menus.
35 * LessTif Resources:: X resources for LessTif and Motif menus.
36 * GTK resources:: Resources for GTK widgets.
40 @appendixsec X Resources
43 @cindex @file{~/.Xdefaults} file
44 @cindex @file{~/.Xresources} file
46 Programs running under the X Window System organize their user
47 options under a hierarchy of classes and resources. You can specify
48 default values for these options in your X resources file, usually
49 named @file{~/.Xdefaults} or @file{~/.Xresources}.
50 If changes in @file{~/.Xdefaults} do not
51 take effect, it is because your X server stores its own list of
52 resources; to update them, use the shell command @command{xrdb}---for
53 instance, @samp{xrdb ~/.Xdefaults}.
55 Each line in the file specifies a value for one option or for a
56 collection of related options, for one program or for several programs
57 (optionally even for all programs).
59 @cindex Registry (MS-Windows)
60 MS-Windows systems do not support @file{~/.Xdefaults} files, so
61 instead Emacs compiled for Windows looks for X resources in the
62 Windows Registry, first under the key
63 @samp{HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\GNU\Emacs} and then under the key
64 @samp{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\GNU\Emacs}. The menu and scroll
65 bars are native widgets on MS-Windows, so they are only customizable
66 via the system-wide settings in the Display Control Panel. You can
67 also set resources using the @samp{-xrm} command line option (see
71 Applications such as Emacs look for resources with specific names
72 and their particular meanings. Case distinctions are significant in
73 these names. Each resource specification in @file{~/.Xdefaults}
74 states the name of the program and the name of the resource. For
75 Emacs, the program name is @samp{Emacs}. It looks like this:
82 Programs define named resources with particular meanings. They also
83 define how to group resources into named classes. For instance, in
84 Emacs, the @samp{internalBorder} resource controls the width of the
85 internal border, and the @samp{borderWidth} resource controls the width
86 of the external border. Both of these resources are part of the
87 @samp{BorderWidth} class. Case distinctions are significant in these
90 Every resource definition is associated with a specific program
91 name---the name of the executable file that you ran. For Emacs, that
92 is normally @samp{emacs}. To specify a definition for all instances
93 of Emacs, regardless of their names, use @samp{Emacs}.
95 In @file{~/.Xdefaults}, you can specify a value for a single resource
96 on one line, like this:
103 Or you can use a class name to specify the same value for all resources
104 in that class. Here's an example:
110 If you specify a value for a class, it becomes the default for all
111 resources in that class. You can specify values for individual
112 resources as well; these override the class value, for those particular
113 resources. Thus, this example specifies 2 as the default width for all
114 borders, but overrides this value with 4 for the external border:
122 The order in which the lines appear in the file does not matter.
123 Also, command-line options always override the X resources file.
126 Here is a list of X command-line options and their corresponding
130 @item -name @var{name}
132 @itemx --name=@var{name}
133 @cindex resource name, command-line argument
134 Use @var{name} as the resource name (and the title) for the initial
135 Emacs frame. This option does not affect subsequent frames, but Lisp
136 programs can specify frame names when they create frames.
138 If you don't specify this option, the default is to use the Emacs
139 executable's name as the resource name.
141 @item -xrm @var{resource-values}
143 @itemx --xrm=@var{resource-values}
144 @cindex resource values, command-line argument
145 Specify X resource values for this Emacs job (see below).
148 For consistency, @samp{-name} also specifies the name to use for
149 other resource values that do not belong to any particular frame.
151 The resources that name Emacs invocations also belong to a class; its
152 name is @samp{Emacs}. If you write @samp{Emacs} instead of
153 @samp{emacs}, the resource applies to all frames in all Emacs jobs,
154 regardless of frame titles and regardless of the name of the executable
155 file. Here is an example:
162 You can specify a string of additional resource values for Emacs to
163 use with the command line option @samp{-xrm @var{resources}}. The text
164 @var{resources} should have the same format that you would use inside a file
165 of X resources. To include multiple resource specifications in
166 @var{resources}, put a newline between them, just as you would in a file.
167 You can also use @samp{#include "@var{filename}"} to include a file full
168 of resource specifications. Resource values specified with @samp{-xrm}
169 take precedence over all other resource specifications.
171 One way to experiment with the effect of different resource settings
172 is to use the @code{editres} program. Select @samp{Get Tree} from the
175 You can experiment with the effect of different resource settings
176 with the @code{editres} program. Select @samp{Get Tree} from the
178 @samp{Commands} menu, then click on an Emacs frame. This will display
179 a tree showing the structure of X toolkit widgets used in an Emacs
180 frame. Select one of them, such as @samp{menubar}, then select
181 @samp{Show Resource Box} from the @samp{Commands} menu. This displays
182 a list of all the meaningful X resources for that widget, and allows
183 you to edit them. Changes take effect when you click on the
184 @samp{Apply} button. (See the @code{editres} man page for more
187 @node Table of Resources
188 @appendixsec Table of X Resources for Emacs
190 This table lists the resource names that designate options for
191 Emacs, not counting those for the appearance of the menu bar, each
192 with the class that it belongs to:
195 @item @code{background} (class @code{Background})
196 Background color name.
199 @item @code{bitmapIcon} (class @code{BitmapIcon})
200 Use a bitmap icon (a picture of a gnu) if @samp{on}, let the window
201 manager choose an icon if @samp{off}.
204 @item @code{borderColor} (class @code{BorderColor})
205 Color name for the external border.
208 @item @code{borderWidth} (class @code{BorderWidth})
209 Width in pixels of the external border.
212 @item @code{cursorColor} (class @code{Foreground})
213 Color name for text cursor (point).
216 @item @code{cursorBlink} (class @code{CursorBlink})
217 Specifies whether to make the cursor blink. The default is @samp{on}. Use
218 @samp{off} or @samp{false} to turn cursor blinking off.
221 @item @code{font} (class @code{Font})
222 Font name (or fontset name, @pxref{Fontsets}) for @code{default} font.
224 @item @code{foreground} (class @code{Foreground})
227 @item @code{geometry} (class @code{Geometry})
228 Window size and position. Be careful not to specify this resource as
229 @samp{emacs*geometry}, because that may affect individual menus as well
230 as the Emacs frame itself.
232 If this resource specifies a position, that position applies only to the
233 initial Emacs frame (or, in the case of a resource for a specific frame
234 name, only that frame). However, the size, if specified here, applies to
238 @item @code{fullscreen} (class @code{Fullscreen})
239 The desired fullscreen size. The value can be one of @code{fullboth},
240 @code{fullwidth} or @code{fullheight}, which correspond to
241 the command-line options @samp{-fs}, @samp{-fw}, and @samp{-fh}
242 (@pxref{Window Size X}).
244 Note that this applies to the initial frame only.
247 @item @code{iconName} (class @code{Title})
248 Name to display in the icon.
250 @item @code{internalBorder} (class @code{BorderWidth})
251 Width in pixels of the internal border.
253 @item @code{lineSpacing} (class @code{LineSpacing})
256 Additional space (@dfn{leading}) between lines, in pixels.
258 @item @code{menuBar} (class @code{MenuBar})
260 Give frames menu bars if @samp{on}; don't have menu bars if @samp{off}.
262 @xref{Lucid Resources}, and @ref{LessTif Resources},
265 @xref{Lucid Resources},
267 for how to control the appearance of the menu bar if you have one.
270 @item @code{minibuffer} (class @code{Minibuffer})
271 If @samp{none}, don't make a minibuffer in this frame.
272 It will use a separate minibuffer frame instead.
274 @item @code{paneFont} (class @code{Font})
275 @cindex font for menus
276 Font name for menu pane titles, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs.
279 @item @code{pointerColor} (class @code{Foreground})
280 Color of the mouse cursor.
283 @item @code{privateColormap} (class @code{PrivateColormap})
284 If @samp{on}, use a private color map, in the case where the ``default
285 visual'' of class PseudoColor and Emacs is using it.
287 @item @code{reverseVideo} (class @code{ReverseVideo})
288 Switch foreground and background default colors if @samp{on}, use colors as
289 specified if @samp{off}.
292 @item @code{screenGamma} (class @code{ScreenGamma})
293 @cindex gamma correction
294 Gamma correction for colors, equivalent to the frame parameter
297 @item @code{scrollBarWidth} (class @code{ScrollBarWidth})
298 @cindex scrollbar width
299 The scroll bar width in pixels, equivalent to the frame parameter
300 @code{scroll-bar-width}.
303 @item @code{selectionFont} (class @code{SelectionFont})
304 Font name for pop-up menu items, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs. (For
305 toolkit versions, see @ref{Lucid Resources}, also see @ref{LessTif
308 @item @code{selectionTimeout} (class @code{SelectionTimeout})
309 Number of milliseconds to wait for a selection reply.
310 If the selection owner doesn't reply in this time, we give up.
311 A value of 0 means wait as long as necessary.
313 @item @code{synchronous} (class @code{Synchronous})
314 @cindex debugging X problems
315 @cindex synchronous X mode
316 Run Emacs in synchronous mode if @samp{on}. Synchronous mode is
317 useful for debugging X problems.
320 @item @code{title} (class @code{Title})
321 Name to display in the title bar of the initial Emacs frame.
323 @item @code{toolBar} (class @code{ToolBar})
325 Number of lines to reserve for the tool bar. A zero value suppresses
326 the tool bar. If the value is non-zero and
327 @code{auto-resize-tool-bars} is non-@code{nil}, the tool bar's size
328 will be changed automatically so that all tool bar items are visible.
329 If the value of @code{auto-resize-tool-bars} is @code{grow-only},
330 the tool bar expands automatically, but does not contract automatically.
331 To contract the tool bar, you must redraw the frame by entering @kbd{C-l}.
333 @item @code{useXIM} (class @code{UseXIM})
335 @cindex X input methods
336 @cindex input methods, X
337 Turn off use of X input methods (XIM) if @samp{false} or @samp{off}.
338 This is only relevant if your Emacs is actually built with XIM
339 support. It is potentially useful to turn off XIM for efficiency,
340 especially slow X client/server links.
342 @item @code{verticalScrollBars} (class @code{ScrollBars})
343 Give frames scroll bars if @samp{on}; don't have scroll bars if
347 @item @code{visualClass} (class @code{VisualClass})
348 Specify the ``visual'' that X should use. This tells X how to handle
351 The value should start with one of @samp{TrueColor},
352 @samp{PseudoColor}, @samp{DirectColor}, @samp{StaticColor},
353 @samp{GrayScale}, and @samp{StaticGray}, followed by
354 @samp{-@var{depth}}, where @var{depth} is the number of color planes.
355 Most terminals only allow a few ``visuals,'' and the @samp{dpyinfo}
356 program outputs information saying which ones.
361 @appendixsec X Resources for Faces
363 You can use resources to customize the appearance of particular
364 faces (@pxref{Faces}):
367 @item @var{face}.attributeForeground
368 Foreground color for face @var{face}.
369 @item @var{face}.attributeBackground
370 Background color for face @var{face}.
371 @item @var{face}.attributeUnderline
372 Underline flag for face @var{face}. Use @samp{on} or @samp{true} for
374 @item @var{face}.attributeStrikeThrough
375 @itemx @var{face}.attributeOverline
376 @itemx @var{face}.attributeBox
377 @itemx @var{face}.attributeInverse
378 Likewise, for other boolean font attributes.
379 @item @var{face}.attributeStipple
380 The name of a pixmap data file to use for the stipple pattern, or
381 @code{false} to not use stipple for the face @var{face}.
382 @item @var{face}.attributeBackgroundPixmap
383 The background pixmap for the face @var{face}. Should be a name of a
384 pixmap file or @code{false}.
385 @item @var{face}.attributeFont
386 Font name (full XFD name or valid X abbreviation) for face @var{face}.
387 Instead of this, you can specify the font through separate attributes.
390 Instead of using @code{attributeFont} to specify a font name, you can
391 select a font through these separate attributes:
394 @item @var{face}.attributeFamily
395 Font family for face @var{face}.
396 @item @var{face}.attributeHeight
397 Height of the font to use for face @var{face}: either an integer
398 specifying the height in units of 1/10@dmn{pt}, or a floating point
399 number that specifies a scale factor to scale the underlying face's
400 default font, or a function to be called with the default height which
401 will return a new height.
402 @item @var{face}.attributeWidth
403 @itemx @var{face}.attributeWeight
404 @itemx @var{face}.attributeSlant
405 Each of these resources corresponds to a like-named font attribute,
406 and you write the resource value the same as the symbol you would use
407 for the font attribute value.
408 @item @var{face}.attributeBold
409 Bold flag for face @var{face}---instead of @code{attributeWeight}. Use @samp{on} or @samp{true} for
411 @item @var{face}.attributeItalic
412 Italic flag for face @var{face}---instead of @code{attributeSlant}.
415 @node Lucid Resources
416 @appendixsec Lucid Menu X Resources
417 @cindex Menu X Resources (Lucid widgets)
418 @cindex Lucid Widget X Resources
421 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
422 with the Lucid menu widgets, then the menu bar is a separate widget and
423 has its own resources. The resource names contain @samp{pane.menubar}
424 (following, as always, the name of the Emacs invocation, or @samp{Emacs},
425 which stands for all Emacs invocations). Specify them like this:
428 Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{resource}: @var{value}
432 For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items,
436 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
437 with the Lucid menu widgets, then the menu bar is a separate widget
438 and has its own resources. The resource specifications start with
439 @samp{Emacs.pane.menubar}---for instance, to specify the font
440 @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, write this:
444 Emacs.pane.menubar.font: 8x16
448 Resources for @emph{non-menubar} toolkit pop-up menus have
449 @samp{menu*} instead of @samp{pane.menubar}. For example, to specify
450 the font @samp{8x16} for the pop-up menu items, write this:
453 Emacs.menu*.font: 8x16
457 For dialog boxes, use @samp{dialog*}:
460 Emacs.dialog*.font: 8x16
464 The Lucid menus can display multilingual text in your locale. For
465 more information about fontsets see the man page for
466 @code{XCreateFontSet}. To enable multilingual menu text you specify a
467 @code{fontSet} resource instead of the font resource. If both
468 @code{font} and @code{fontSet} resources are specified, the
469 @code{fontSet} resource is used.
471 Thus, to specify @samp{-*-helvetica-medium-r-*--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*,*}
472 for both the popup and menu bar menus, write this:
475 Emacs*menu*fontSet: -*-helvetica-medium-r-*--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*,*
479 The @samp{*menu*} as a wildcard matches @samp{pane.menubar} and
482 Experience shows that on some systems you may need to add
483 @samp{shell.}@: before the @samp{pane.menubar} or @samp{menu*}. On
484 some other systems, you must not add @samp{shell.}. The generic wildcard
485 approach should work on both kinds of systems.
487 Here is a list of the specific resources for menu bars and pop-up menus:
491 Font for menu item text.
493 Fontset for menu item text.
495 Color of the foreground.
497 Color of the background.
498 @item buttonForeground
499 In the menu bar, the color of the foreground for a selected item.
501 @item horizontalSpacing
502 Horizontal spacing in pixels between items. Default is 3.
503 @item verticalSpacing
504 Vertical spacing in pixels between items. Default is 2.
506 Horizontal spacing between the arrow (which indicates a submenu) and
507 the associated text. Default is 10.
508 @item shadowThickness
509 Thickness of shadow line around the widget. Default is 1.
511 Also determines the thickness of shadow lines around other objects,
512 for instance 3D buttons and arrows. If you have the impression that
513 the arrows in the menus do not stand out clearly enough or that the
514 difference between ``in'' and ``out'' buttons is difficult to see, set
515 this to 2. If you have no problems with visibility, the default
516 probably looks better. The background color may also have some effect
520 The margin of the menu bar, in characters. Default is 1.
524 @node LessTif Resources
525 @appendixsec LessTif Menu X Resources
526 @cindex Menu X Resources (LessTif widgets)
527 @cindex LessTif Widget X Resources
529 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
530 with the LessTif or Motif widgets, then the menu bar, the dialog
531 boxes, the pop-up menus, and the file-selection box are separate
532 widgets and have their own resources.
534 The resource names for the menu bar contain @samp{pane.menubar}
535 (following, as always, the name of the Emacs invocation, or
536 @samp{Emacs}, which stands for all Emacs invocations). Specify them
540 Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{subwidget}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
543 Each individual string in the menu bar is a subwidget; the subwidget's
544 name is the same as the menu item string. For example, the word
545 @samp{File} in the menu bar is part of a subwidget named
546 @samp{emacs.pane.menubar.File}. Most likely, you want to specify the
547 same resources for the whole menu bar. To do this, use @samp{*} instead
548 of a specific subwidget name. For example, to specify the font
549 @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, write this:
552 Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16
556 This also specifies the resource value for submenus.
558 Each item in a submenu in the menu bar also has its own name for X
559 resources; for example, the @samp{File} submenu has an item named
560 @samp{Save (current buffer)}. A resource specification for a submenu
561 item looks like this:
564 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{item}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
568 For example, here's how to specify the font for the @samp{Save (current
572 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.File.Save (current buffer).fontList: 8x16
576 For an item in a second-level submenu, such as @samp{Complete Word}
577 under @samp{Spell Checking} under @samp{Tools}, the resource fits this
581 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
588 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.Spell Checking.Complete Word: @var{value}
592 (This should be one long line.)
594 It's impossible to specify a resource for all the menu-bar items
595 without also specifying it for the submenus as well. So if you want the
596 submenu items to look different from the menu bar itself, you must ask
597 for that in two steps. First, specify the resource for all of them;
598 then, override the value for submenus alone. Here is an example:
601 Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16
602 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.fontList: 8x16
606 For LessTif pop-up menus, use @samp{menu*} instead of
607 @samp{pane.menubar}. For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for
608 the pop-up menu items, write this:
611 Emacs.menu*.fontList: 8x16
615 For LessTif dialog boxes, use @samp{dialog} instead of @samp{menu}:
618 Emacs.dialog*.fontList: 8x16
619 Emacs.dialog*.foreground: hotpink
622 To specify resources for the LessTif file-selection box, use
623 @samp{fsb*}, like this:
626 Emacs.fsb*.fontList: 8x16
632 Here is a list of the specific resources for LessTif menu bars and
637 The color to show in an armed button.
646 Amount of space to leave around the item, within the border.
648 The width of the border around the menu item, on all sides.
649 @item shadowThickness
650 The width of the border shadow.
651 @item bottomShadowColor
652 The color for the border shadow, on the bottom and the right.
654 The color for the border shadow, on the top and the left.
660 @appendixsec GTK resources
662 The most common way to customize the GTK widgets Emacs uses (menus, dialogs
663 tool bars and scroll bars) is by choosing an appropriate theme, for example
664 with the GNOME theme selector. You can also do Emacs specific customization
665 by inserting GTK style directives in the file @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}. Some GTK
666 themes ignore customizations in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} so not everything
667 works with all themes. To customize Emacs font, background, faces, etc., use
668 the normal X resources (@pxref{Resources}). We will present some examples of
669 customizations here, but for a more detailed description, see the online manual
671 The first example is just one line. It changes the font on all GTK widgets
672 to courier with size 12:
675 gtk-font-name = "courier 12"
678 The thing to note is that the font name is not an X font name, like
679 -*-helvetica-medium-r-*--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*, but a Pango font name. A Pango
680 font name is basically of the format "family style size", where the style
681 is optional as in the case above. A name with a style could be for example:
684 gtk-font-name = "helvetica bold 10"
687 To customize widgets you first define a style and then apply the style to
688 the widgets. Here is an example that sets the font for menus, but not
692 # @r{Define the style @samp{menufont}.}
695 font_name = "helvetica bold 14" # This is a Pango font name
698 # @r{Specify that widget type @samp{*emacs-menuitem*} uses @samp{menufont}.}
699 widget "*emacs-menuitem*" style "menufont"
702 The widget name in this example contains wildcards, so the style will be
703 applied to all widgets that match "*emacs-menuitem*". The widgets are
704 named by the way they are contained, from the outer widget to the inner widget.
705 So to apply the style "my_style" (not shown) with the full, absolute name, for
706 the menubar and the scroll bar in Emacs we use:
709 widget "Emacs.pane.menubar" style "my_style"
710 widget "Emacs.pane.emacs.verticalScrollBar" style "my_style"
713 But to avoid having to type it all, wildcards are often used. @samp{*}
714 matches zero or more characters and @samp{?} matches one character. So "*"
717 Each widget has a class (for example GtkMenuItem) and a name (emacs-menuitem).
718 You can assign styles by name or by class. In this example we have used the
724 font_name = "helvetica bold 14"
727 widget_class "*GtkMenuBar" style "menufont"
731 The names and classes for the GTK widgets Emacs uses are:
733 @multitable {@code{verticalScrollbar plus}} {@code{GtkFileSelection} and some}
734 @item @code{emacs-filedialog}
735 @tab @code{GtkFileSelection}
736 @item @code{emacs-dialog}
737 @tab @code{GtkDialog}
739 @tab @code{GtkWindow}
744 @item @code{verticalScrollBar}
745 @tab @code{GtkVScrollbar}
746 @item @code{emacs-toolbar}
747 @tab @code{GtkToolbar}
749 @tab @code{GtkMenuBar}
750 @item @code{emacs-menuitem}
751 @tab anything in menus
754 GTK absolute names are quite strange when it comes to menus
755 and dialogs. The names do not start with @samp{Emacs}, as they are
756 free-standing windows and not contained (in the GTK sense) by the
757 Emacs GtkWindow. To customize the dialogs and menus, use wildcards like this:
760 widget "*emacs-dialog*" style "my_dialog_style"
761 widget "*emacs-filedialog* style "my_file_style"
762 widget "*emacs-menuitem* style "my_menu_style"
765 If you specify a customization in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}, then it
766 automatically applies only to Emacs, since other programs don't read
767 that file. For example, the drop down menu in the file dialog can not
768 be customized by any absolute widget name, only by an absolute class
769 name. This is because the widgets in the drop down menu do not
770 have names and the menu is not contained in the Emacs GtkWindow. To
771 have all menus in Emacs look the same, use this in
772 @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}:
775 widget_class "*Menu*" style "my_menu_style"
778 Here is a more elaborate example, showing how to change the parts of
784 fg[NORMAL] = "red"@ @ @ @ @ # @r{The arrow color.}
785 bg[NORMAL] = "yellow"@ @ # @r{The thumb and background around the arrow.}
786 bg[ACTIVE] = "blue"@ @ @ @ # @r{The trough color.}
787 bg[PRELIGHT] = "white"@ # @r{The thumb color when the mouse is over it.}
790 widget "*verticalScrollBar*" style "scroll"
795 @cindex GTK resources and customization
796 @cindex resource files for GTK
797 @cindex @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0} file
798 @cindex @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} file
800 If Emacs was built to use the GTK widget set, then the menu bar, tool bar,
801 scroll bar and the dialogs are customized with the standard GTK
802 customization file, @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0}, or with the Emacs specific
803 file @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}. We recommend that you use
804 @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} for customizations, since @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0}
805 seems to be ignored when running GConf with GNOME. These files apply
806 only to GTK widget features. To customize Emacs font, background,
807 faces, etc., use the normal X resources (@pxref{Resources}).
809 Some GTK themes override these mechanisms, which means that using
810 these mechanisms will not work to customize them.
812 In these files you first define a style and say what it means; then
813 you specify to apply the style to various widget types (@pxref{GTK
814 widget names}). Here is an example of how to change the font for
818 # @r{Define the style @samp{menufont}.}
821 font_name = "helvetica bold 14" # This is a Pango font name
824 # @r{Specify that widget type @samp{*emacs-menuitem*} uses @samp{menufont}.}
825 widget "*emacs-menuitem*" style "menufont"
828 Here is a more elaborate example, showing how to change the parts of
834 fg[NORMAL] = "red"@ @ @ @ @ # @r{The arrow color.}
835 bg[NORMAL] = "yellow"@ @ # @r{The thumb and background around the arrow.}
836 bg[ACTIVE] = "blue"@ @ @ @ # @r{The trough color.}
837 bg[PRELIGHT] = "white"@ # @r{The thumb color when the mouse is over it.}
840 widget "*verticalScrollBar*" style "scroll"
843 There are also parameters that affect GTK as a whole. For example,
844 the property @code{gtk-font-name} sets the default font for GTK. You
845 must use Pango font names (@pxref{GTK styles}). A GTK resources file
846 that just sets a default font looks like this:
849 gtk-font-name = "courier 12"
852 The GTK resources file is fully described in the GTK API document.
854 @file{@var{prefix}/share/gtk-doc/html/gtk/gtk-resource-files.html},
855 where @file{prefix} is the directory in which the GTK libraries were
856 installed (usually @file{/usr} or @file{/usr/local}). You can also
857 find the document online, at
858 @uref{http://developer.gnome.org/doc/API/2.0/gtk/gtk-Resource-Files.html}.
861 * GTK widget names:: How widgets in GTK are named in general.
862 * GTK Names in Emacs:: GTK widget names in Emacs.
863 * GTK styles:: What can be customized in a GTK widget.
866 @node GTK widget names
867 @appendixsubsec GTK widget names
868 @cindex GTK widget names
870 A GTK widget is specified by its @dfn{widget class} and
871 @dfn{widget name}. The widget class is the type of the widget: for
872 example, @code{GtkMenuBar}. The widget name is the name given to a
873 specific widget. A widget always has a class, but need not have a
876 @dfn{Absolute names} are sequences of widget names or widget
877 classes, corresponding to hierarchies of widgets embedded within
878 other widgets. For example, if a @code{GtkWindow} named @code{top}
879 contains a @code{GtkVBox} named @code{box}, which in turn contains
880 a @code{GtkMenuBar} called @code{menubar}, the absolute class name
881 of the menu-bar widget is @code{GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar}, and
882 its absolute widget name is @code{top.box.menubar}.
884 When assigning a style to a widget, you can use the absolute class
885 name or the absolute widget name.
887 There are two commands to specify changes for widgets:
890 @item @code{widget_class}
891 specifies a style for widgets based on the absolute class name.
894 specifies a style for widgets based on the absolute class name,
899 You must specify the class and the style in double-quotes, and put
900 these commands at the top level in the GTK customization file, like
906 font_name = "helvetica bold 14"
909 widget "top.box.menubar" style "menufont"
910 widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "menufont"
913 Matching of absolute names uses shell wildcard syntax: @samp{*}
914 matches zero or more characters and @samp{?} matches one character.
915 This example assigns @code{base_style} to all widgets:
918 widget "*" style "base_style"
921 Given the absolute class name @code{GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar}
922 and the corresponding absolute widget name @code{top.box.menubar}, all
923 these examples specify @code{my_style} for the menu bar:
926 widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
927 widget_class "GtkWindow.*.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
928 widget_class "*GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
929 widget "top.box.menubar" style "my_style"
930 widget "*box*menubar" style "my_style"
931 widget "*menubar" style "my_style"
932 widget "*menu*" style "my_style"
935 @node GTK Names in Emacs
936 @appendixsubsec GTK Widget Names in Emacs
937 @cindex GTK widget names
938 @cindex GTK widget classes
940 In Emacs, the top level widget for a frame is a @code{GtkWindow}
941 that contains a @code{GtkVBox}. The @code{GtkVBox} contains the
942 @code{GtkMenuBar} and a @code{GtkFixed} widget. The vertical scroll
943 bars, @code{GtkVScrollbar}, are contained in the @code{GtkFixed}
944 widget. The text you write in Emacs is drawn in the @code{GtkFixed}
947 Dialogs in Emacs are @code{GtkDialog} widgets. The file dialog is a
948 @code{GtkFileSelection} widget.
951 To set a style for the menu bar using the absolute class name, use:
954 widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
958 For the scroll bar, the absolute class name is:
962 "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkFixed.GtkVScrollbar"
967 The names for the emacs widgets, and their classes, are:
969 @multitable {@code{verticalScrollbar plus}} {@code{GtkFileSelection} and some}
970 @item @code{emacs-filedialog}
971 @tab @code{GtkFileSelection}
972 @item @code{emacs-dialog}
973 @tab @code{GtkDialog}
975 @tab @code{GtkWindow}
980 @item @code{verticalScrollBar}
981 @tab @code{GtkVScrollbar}
982 @item @code{emacs-toolbar}
983 @tab @code{GtkToolbar}
985 @tab @code{GtkMenuBar}
986 @item @code{emacs-menuitem}
987 @tab anything in menus
991 Thus, for Emacs you can write the two examples above as:
994 widget "Emacs.pane.menubar" style "my_style"
995 widget "Emacs.pane.emacs.verticalScrollBar" style "my_style"
998 GTK absolute names are quite strange when it comes to menus
999 and dialogs. The names do not start with @samp{Emacs}, as they are
1000 free-standing windows and not contained (in the GTK sense) by the
1001 Emacs GtkWindow. To customize the dialogs and menus, use wildcards like this:
1004 widget "*emacs-dialog*" style "my_dialog_style"
1005 widget "*emacs-filedialog* style "my_file_style"
1006 widget "*emacs-menuitem* style "my_menu_style"
1009 If you specify a customization in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}, then it
1010 automatically applies only to Emacs, since other programs don't read
1011 that file. For example, the drop down menu in the file dialog can not
1012 be customized by any absolute widget name, only by an absolute class
1013 name. This is because the widgets in the drop down menu do not
1014 have names and the menu is not contained in the Emacs GtkWindow. To
1015 have all menus in Emacs look the same, use this in
1016 @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}:
1019 widget_class "*Menu*" style "my_menu_style"
1023 @appendixsubsec GTK styles
1026 In a GTK style you specify the appearance widgets shall have. You
1027 can specify foreground and background color, background pixmap and
1028 font. The edit widget (where you edit the text) in Emacs is a GTK
1029 widget, but trying to specify a style for the edit widget will have no
1030 effect. This is so that Emacs compiled for GTK is compatible with
1031 Emacs compiled for other X toolkits. The settings for foreground,
1032 background and font for the edit widget is taken from the X resources;
1033 @pxref{Resources}. Here is an example of two style declarations,
1034 @samp{default} and @samp{ruler}:
1037 pixmap_path "/usr/share/pixmaps:/usr/include/X11/pixmaps"
1041 font_name = "helvetica 12"
1043 bg[NORMAL] = @{ 0.83, 0.80, 0.73 @}
1044 bg[SELECTED] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @}
1045 bg[INSENSITIVE] = @{ 0.77, 0.77, 0.66 @}
1046 bg[ACTIVE] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @}
1047 bg[PRELIGHT] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @}
1049 fg[NORMAL] = "black"
1050 fg[SELECTED] = @{ 0.9, 0.9, 0.9 @}
1051 fg[ACTIVE] = "black"
1052 fg[PRELIGHT] = @{ 0.9, 0.9, 0.9 @}
1054 base[INSENSITIVE] = "#777766"
1055 text[INSENSITIVE] = @{ 0.60, 0.65, 0.57 @}
1057 bg_pixmap[NORMAL] = "background.xpm"
1058 bg_pixmap[INSENSITIVE] = "background.xpm"
1059 bg_pixmap[ACTIVE] = "background.xpm"
1060 bg_pixmap[PRELIGHT] = "<none>"
1064 style "ruler" = "default"
1066 font_name = "helvetica 8"
1071 The style @samp{ruler} inherits from @samp{default}. This way you can build
1072 on existing styles. The syntax for fonts and colors is described below.
1074 As this example shows, it is possible to specify several values for
1075 foreground and background depending on the widget's @dfn{state}. The
1076 possible states are:
1080 This is the default state for widgets.
1082 This is the state for a widget that is ready to do something. It is
1083 also for the trough of a scroll bar, i.e. @code{bg[ACTIVE] = "red"}
1084 sets the scroll bar trough to red. Buttons that have been pressed but
1085 not released yet (``armed'') are in this state.
1087 This is the state for a widget that can be manipulated, when the mouse
1088 pointer is over it---for example when the mouse is over the thumb in
1089 the scroll bar or over a menu item. When the mouse is over a button
1090 that is not pressed, the button is in this state.
1092 This is the state for data that has been selected by the user. It can
1093 be selected text or items selected in a list. This state is not used
1096 This is the state for widgets that are visible, but they can not be
1097 manipulated in the usual way---for example, buttons that can't be
1098 pressed, and disabled menu items. To display disabled menu items in
1099 yellow, use @code{fg[INSENSITIVE] = "yellow"}.
1102 Here are the things that can go in a style declaration:
1105 @item bg[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1106 This specifies the background color for the widget. Note that
1107 editable text doesn't use @code{bg}; it uses @code{base} instead.
1109 @item base[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1110 This specifies the background color for editable text. In Emacs, this
1111 color is used for the background of the text fields in the file
1114 @item bg_pixmap[@var{state}] = "@var{pixmap}"
1115 This specifies an image background (instead of a background color).
1116 @var{pixmap} should be the image file name. GTK can use a number of
1117 image file formats, including XPM, XBM, GIF, JPEG and PNG. If you
1118 want a widget to use the same image as its parent, use
1119 @samp{<parent>}. If you don't want any image, use @samp{<none>}.
1120 @samp{<none>} is the way to cancel a background image inherited from a
1123 You can't specify the file by its absolute file name. GTK looks for
1124 the pixmap file in directories specified in @code{pixmap_path}.
1125 @code{pixmap_path} is a colon-separated list of directories within
1126 double quotes, specified at the top level in a @file{gtkrc} file
1127 (i.e. not inside a style definition; see example above):
1130 pixmap_path "/usr/share/pixmaps:/usr/include/X11/pixmaps"
1133 @item fg[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1134 This specifies the foreground color for widgets to use. It is the
1135 color of text in menus and buttons, and the color for the arrows in
1136 the scroll bar. For editable text, use @code{text}.
1138 @item text[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1139 This is the color for editable text. In Emacs, this color is used for the
1140 text fields in the file dialog.
1142 @item font_name = "@var{font}"
1143 This specifies the font for text in the widget. @var{font} is a
1144 Pango font name, for example @samp{Sans Italic 10}, @samp{Helvetica
1145 Bold 12}, @samp{Courier 14}, @samp{Times 18}. See below for exact
1146 syntax. The names are case insensitive.
1149 There are three ways to specify a color: by name, in hexadecimal
1150 form, and with an RGB triplet.
1153 A color name is written within double quotes, for example @code{"red"}.
1156 Hexadecimal form is the same as in X:
1157 @code{#@var{rrrr}@var{gggg}@var{bbbb}}, where all three color specs
1158 must have the same number of hex digits (1, 2, 3 or 4).
1161 An RGB triplet looks like @code{@{ @var{r}, @var{g}, @var{b} @}},
1162 where @var{r}, @var{g} and @var{b} are either integers in the range
1163 0-65535 or floats in the range 0.0-1.0.
1165 Pango font names have the form ``@var{family-list} @var{style-options}
1167 @cindex Pango font name
1169 @var{family-list} is a comma separated list of font families optionally
1170 terminated by a comma. This way you can specify several families and the
1171 first one found will be used. @var{family} corresponds to the second part in
1172 an X font name, for example in
1175 -adobe-times-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-p-64-iso10646-1
1179 the family name is @samp{times}.
1182 @var{style-options} is a whitespace separated list of words where each word
1183 is a style, variant, weight, or stretch. The default value for all of
1184 these is @code{normal}.
1187 A `style' corresponds to the fourth part of an X font name. In X font
1188 names it is the character @samp{r}, @samp{i} or @samp{o}; in Pango
1189 font names the corresponding values are @code{normal}, @code{italic},
1193 A `variant' is either @code{normal} or @code{small-caps}.
1194 Small caps is a font with the lower case characters replaced by
1195 smaller variants of the capital characters.
1198 Weight describes the ``boldness'' of a font. It corresponds to the third
1199 part of an X font name. It is one of @code{ultra-light}, @code{light},
1200 @code{normal}, @code{bold}, @code{ultra-bold}, or @code{heavy}.
1203 Stretch gives the width of the font relative to other designs within a
1204 family. It corresponds to the fifth part of an X font name. It is one of
1205 @code{ultra-condensed}, @code{extra-condensed}, @code{condensed},
1206 @code{semi-condensed}, @code{normal}, @code{semi-expanded},
1207 @code{expanded}, @code{extra-expanded}, or @code{ultra-expanded}.
1210 @var{size} is a decimal number that describes the font size in points.
1214 arch-tag: 9b6ff773-48b6-41f6-b2f9-f114b8bdd97f