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author | Karl Heuer <kwzh@gnu.org> |
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date | Wed, 21 Feb 1996 21:28:05 +0000 |
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@c -*-texinfo-*- @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Free Software Foundation, Inc. @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. @setfilename ../info/display @node Display, Calendar, System Interface, Top @chapter Emacs Display This chapter describes a number of features related to the display that Emacs presents to the user. @menu * Refresh Screen:: Clearing the screen and redrawing everything on it. * Screen Size:: How big is the Emacs screen. * Truncation:: Folding or wrapping long text lines. * The Echo Area:: Where messages are displayed. * Invisible Text:: Hiding part of the buffer text. * Selective Display:: Hiding part of the buffer text (the old way). * Overlay Arrow:: Display of an arrow to indicate position. * Temporary Displays:: Displays that go away automatically. * Overlays:: Use overlays to highlight parts of the buffer. * Faces:: A face defines a graphics appearance: font, color, etc. * Blinking:: How Emacs shows the matching open parenthesis. * Inverse Video:: Specifying how the screen looks. * Usual Display:: The usual conventions for displaying nonprinting chars. * Display Tables:: How to specify other conventions. * Beeping:: Audible signal to the user. * Window Systems:: Which window system is being used. @end menu @node Refresh Screen @section Refreshing the Screen The function @code{redraw-frame} redisplays the entire contents of a given frame. @xref{Frames}. @c Emacs 19 feature @defun redraw-frame frame This function clears and redisplays frame @var{frame}. @end defun Even more powerful is @code{redraw-display}: @deffn Command redraw-display This function clears and redisplays all visible frames. @end deffn Processing user input takes absolute priority over redisplay. If you call these functions when input is available, they do nothing immediately, but a full redisplay does happen eventually---after all the input has been processed. Normally, suspending and resuming Emacs also refreshes the screen. Some terminal emulators record separate contents for display-oriented programs such as Emacs and for ordinary sequential display. If you are using such a terminal, you might want to inhibit the redisplay on resumption. @defvar no-redraw-on-reenter @cindex suspend (cf. @code{no-redraw-on-reenter}) @cindex resume (cf. @code{no-redraw-on-reenter}) This variable controls whether Emacs redraws the entire screen after it has been suspended and resumed. Non-@code{nil} means yes, @code{nil} means no. @end defvar @node Screen Size @section Screen Size @cindex size of screen @cindex screen size @cindex display lines @cindex display columns @cindex resize redisplay The screen size functions access or specify the height or width of the terminal. When you are using multiple frames, they apply to the selected frame (@pxref{Frames}). @defun screen-height This function returns the number of lines on the screen that are available for display. @example @group (screen-height) @result{} 50 @end group @end example @end defun @defun screen-width This function returns the number of columns on the screen that are available for display. @example @group (screen-width) @result{} 80 @end group @end example @end defun @defun set-screen-height lines &optional not-actual-size This function declares that the terminal can display @var{lines} lines. The sizes of existing windows are altered proportionally to fit. If @var{not-actual-size} is non-@code{nil}, then Emacs displays @var{lines} lines of output, but does not change its value for the actual height of the screen. (Knowing the correct actual size may be necessary for correct cursor positioning.) Using a smaller height than the terminal actually implements may be useful to reproduce behavior observed on a smaller screen, or if the terminal malfunctions when using its whole screen. If @var{lines} is different from what it was previously, then the entire screen is cleared and redisplayed using the new size. This function returns @code{nil}. @end defun @defun set-screen-width columns &optional not-actual-size This function declares that the terminal can display @var{columns} columns. The details are as in @code{set-screen-height}. @end defun @node Truncation @section Truncation @cindex line wrapping @cindex continuation lines @cindex @samp{$} in display @cindex @samp{\} in display When a line of text extends beyond the right edge of a window, the line can either be continued on the next screen line, or truncated to one screen line. The additional screen lines used to display a long text line are called @dfn{continuation} lines. Normally, a @samp{$} in the rightmost column of the window indicates truncation; a @samp{\} on the rightmost column indicates a line that ``wraps'' or is continued onto the next line. (The display table can specify alternative indicators; see @ref{Display Tables}.) Note that continuation is different from filling; continuation happens on the screen only, not in the buffer contents, and it breaks a line precisely at the right margin, not at a word boundary. @xref{Filling}. @defopt truncate-lines This buffer-local variable controls how Emacs displays lines that extend beyond the right edge of the window. The default is @code{nil}, which specifies continuation. If the value is non-@code{nil}, then these lines are truncated. If the variable @code{truncate-partial-width-windows} is non-@code{nil}, then truncation is always used for side-by-side windows (within one frame) regardless of the value of @code{truncate-lines}. @end defopt @defopt default-truncate-lines This variable is the default value for @code{truncate-lines}, for buffers that do not have local values for it. @end defopt @defopt truncate-partial-width-windows This variable controls display of lines that extend beyond the right edge of the window, in side-by-side windows (@pxref{Splitting Windows}). If it is non-@code{nil}, these lines are truncated; otherwise, @code{truncate-lines} says what to do with them. @end defopt You can override the images that indicate continuation or truncation with the display table; see @ref{Display Tables}. If your buffer contains @strong{very} long lines, and you use continuation to display them, just thinking about them can make Emacs redisplay slow. The column computation and indentation functions also become slow. Then you might find it advisable to set @code{cache-long-line-scans} to @code{t}. @defvar cache-long-line-scans If this variable is non-@code{nil}, various indentation and motion functions, and Emacs redisplay, cache the results of scanning the buffer, and consult the cache to avoid rescanning regions of the buffer unless they are modified. Turning on the cache slows down processing of short lines somewhat. This variable is automatically local in every buffer. @end defvar @node The Echo Area @section The Echo Area @cindex error display @cindex echo area The @dfn{echo area} is used for displaying messages made with the @code{message} primitive, and for echoing keystrokes. It is not the same as the minibuffer, despite the fact that the minibuffer appears (when active) in the same place on the screen as the echo area. The @cite{GNU Emacs Manual} specifies the rules for resolving conflicts between the echo area and the minibuffer for use of that screen space (@pxref{Minibuffer,, The Minibuffer, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}). Error messages appear in the echo area; see @ref{Errors}. You can write output in the echo area by using the Lisp printing functions with @code{t} as the stream (@pxref{Output Functions}), or as follows: @defun message string &rest arguments This function displays a one-line message in the echo area. The argument @var{string} is similar to a C language @code{printf} control string. See @code{format} in @ref{String Conversion}, for the details on the conversion specifications. @code{message} returns the constructed string. In batch mode, @code{message} prints the message text on the standard error stream, followed by a newline. @c Emacs 19 feature If @var{string} is @code{nil}, @code{message} clears the echo area. If the minibuffer is active, this brings the minibuffer contents back onto the screen immediately. @example @group (message "Minibuffer depth is %d." (minibuffer-depth)) @print{} Minibuffer depth is 0. @result{} "Minibuffer depth is 0." @end group @group ---------- Echo Area ---------- Minibuffer depth is 0. ---------- Echo Area ---------- @end group @end example @end defun Almost all the messages displayed in the echo area are also recorded in the @samp{*Messages*} buffer. @defopt message-log-max This variable specifies how many lines to keep in the @samp{*Messages*} buffer. The value @code{t} means there is no limit on how many lines to keep. The value @code{nil} disables message logging entirely. Here's how to display a message and prevent it from being logged: @example (let (message-log-max) (message @dots{})) @end example @end defopt @defvar echo-keystrokes This variable determines how much time should elapse before command characters echo. Its value must be an integer, which specifies the number of seconds to wait before echoing. If the user types a prefix key (such as @kbd{C-x}) and then delays this many seconds before continuing, the prefix key is echoed in the echo area. Any subsequent characters in the same command will be echoed as well. If the value is zero, then command input is not echoed. @end defvar @defvar cursor-in-echo-area This variable controls where the cursor appears when a message is displayed in the echo area. If it is non-@code{nil}, then the cursor appears at the end of the message. Otherwise, the cursor appears at point---not in the echo area at all. The value is normally @code{nil}; Lisp programs bind it to @code{t} for brief periods of time. @end defvar @node Invisible Text @section Invisible Text @cindex invisible text You can make characters @dfn{invisible}, so that they do not appear on the screen, with the @code{invisible} property. This can be either a text property or a property of an overlay. In the simplest case, any non-@code{nil} @code{invisible} property makes a character invisible. This is the default case---if you don't alter the default value of @code{buffer-invisibility-spec}, this is how the @code{invisibility} property works. This feature is much like selective display (@pxref{Selective Display}), but more general and cleaner. More generally, you can use the variable @code{buffer-invisibility-spec} to control which values of the @code{invisible} property make text invisible. This permits you to classify the text into different subsets in advance, by giving them different @code{invisible} values, and subsequently make various subsets visible or invisible by changing the value of @code{buffer-invisibility-spec}. Controlling visibility with @code{buffer-invisibility-spec} is especially useful in a program to display the list of entries in a data base. It permits the implementation of convenient filtering commands to view just a part of the entries in the data base. Setting this variable is very fast, much faster than scanning all the text in the buffer looking for properties to change. @defvar buffer-invisibility-spec This variable specifies which kinds of @code{invisible} properties actually make a character invisible. @table @asis @item @code{t} A character is invisible if its @code{invisible} property is non-@code{nil}. This is the default. @item a list Each element of the list makes certain characters invisible. Ultimately, a character is invisible if any of the elements of this list applies to it. The list can have two kinds of elements: @table @code @item @var{atom} A character is invisible if its @code{invisible} propery value is @var{atom} or if it is a list with @var{atom} as a member. @item (@var{atom} . t) A character is invisible if its @code{invisible} propery value is @var{atom} or if it is a list with @var{atom} as a member. Moreover, if this character is at the end of a line and is followed by a visible newline, it displays an ellipsis. @end table @end table @end defvar Ordinarily, commands that operate on text or move point do not care whether the text is invisible. However, the user-level line motion commands explicitly ignore invisible newlines. @node Selective Display @section Selective Display @cindex selective display @dfn{Selective display} is a pair of features that hide certain lines on the screen. The first variant, explicit selective display, is designed for use in a Lisp program. The program controls which lines are hidden by altering the text. Outline mode has traditionally used this variant. It has been partially replaced by the invisible text feature (@pxref{Invisible Text}); there is a new version of Outline mode which uses that instead. In the second variant, the choice of lines to hide is made automatically based on indentation. This variant is designed to be a user-level feature. The way you control explicit selective display is by replacing a newline (control-j) with a carriage return (control-m). The text that was formerly a line following that newline is now invisible. Strictly speaking, it is temporarily no longer a line at all, since only newlines can separate lines; it is now part of the previous line. Selective display does not directly affect editing commands. For example, @kbd{C-f} (@code{forward-char}) moves point unhesitatingly into invisible text. However, the replacement of newline characters with carriage return characters affects some editing commands. For example, @code{next-line} skips invisible lines, since it searches only for newlines. Modes that use selective display can also define commands that take account of the newlines, or that make parts of the text visible or invisible. When you write a selectively displayed buffer into a file, all the control-m's are output as newlines. This means that when you next read in the file, it looks OK, with nothing invisible. The selective display effect is seen only within Emacs. @defvar selective-display This buffer-local variable enables selective display. This means that lines, or portions of lines, may be made invisible. @itemize @bullet @item If the value of @code{selective-display} is @code{t}, then any portion of a line that follows a control-m is not displayed. @item If the value of @code{selective-display} is a positive integer, then lines that start with more than that many columns of indentation are not displayed. @end itemize When some portion of a buffer is invisible, the vertical movement commands operate as if that portion did not exist, allowing a single @code{next-line} command to skip any number of invisible lines. However, character movement commands (such as @code{forward-char}) do not skip the invisible portion, and it is possible (if tricky) to insert or delete text in an invisible portion. In the examples below, we show the @emph{display appearance} of the buffer @code{foo}, which changes with the value of @code{selective-display}. The @emph{contents} of the buffer do not change. @example @group (setq selective-display nil) @result{} nil ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- 1 on this column 2on this column 3n this column 3n this column 2on this column 1 on this column ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- @end group @group (setq selective-display 2) @result{} 2 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- 1 on this column 2on this column 2on this column 1 on this column ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- @end group @end example @end defvar @defvar selective-display-ellipses If this buffer-local variable is non-@code{nil}, then Emacs displays @samp{@dots{}} at the end of a line that is followed by invisible text. This example is a continuation of the previous one. @example @group (setq selective-display-ellipses t) @result{} t ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- 1 on this column 2on this column ... 2on this column 1 on this column ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- @end group @end example You can use a display table to substitute other text for the ellipsis (@samp{@dots{}}). @xref{Display Tables}. @end defvar @node Overlay Arrow @section The Overlay Arrow @cindex overlay arrow The @dfn{overlay arrow} is useful for directing the user's attention to a particular line in a buffer. For example, in the modes used for interface to debuggers, the overlay arrow indicates the line of code about to be executed. @defvar overlay-arrow-string This variable holds the string to display to call attention to a particular line, or @code{nil} if the arrow feature is not in use. @end defvar @defvar overlay-arrow-position This variable holds a marker that indicates where to display the overlay arrow. It should point at the beginning of a line. The arrow text appears at the beginning of that line, overlaying any text that would otherwise appear. Since the arrow is usually short, and the line usually begins with indentation, normally nothing significant is overwritten. The overlay string is displayed only in the buffer that this marker points into. Thus, only one buffer can have an overlay arrow at any given time. @c !!! overlay-arrow-position: but the overlay string may remain in the display @c of some other buffer until an update is required. This should be fixed @c now. Is it? @end defvar You can do the same job by creating an overlay with a @code{before-string} property. @xref{Overlay Properties}. @node Temporary Displays @section Temporary Displays Temporary displays are used by commands to put output into a buffer and then present it to the user for perusal rather than for editing. Many of the help commands use this feature. @defspec with-output-to-temp-buffer buffer-name forms@dots{} This function executes @var{forms} while arranging to insert any output they print into the buffer named @var{buffer-name}. The buffer is then shown in some window for viewing, displayed but not selected. The string @var{buffer-name} specifies the temporary buffer, which need not already exist. The argument must be a string, not a buffer. The buffer is erased initially (with no questions asked), and it is marked as unmodified after @code{with-output-to-temp-buffer} exits. @code{with-output-to-temp-buffer} binds @code{standard-output} to the temporary buffer, then it evaluates the forms in @var{forms}. Output using the Lisp output functions within @var{forms} goes by default to that buffer (but screen display and messages in the echo area, although they are ``output'' in the general sense of the word, are not affected). @xref{Output Functions}. The value of the last form in @var{forms} is returned. @example @group ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- This is the contents of foo. ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- @end group @group (with-output-to-temp-buffer "foo" (print 20) (print standard-output)) @result{} #<buffer foo> ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- 20 #<buffer foo> ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- @end group @end example @end defspec @defvar temp-buffer-show-function If this variable is non-@code{nil}, @code{with-output-to-temp-buffer} calls it as a function to do the job of displaying a help buffer. The function gets one argument, which is the buffer it should display. In Emacs versions 18 and earlier, this variable was called @code{temp-buffer-show-hook}. @end defvar @defun momentary-string-display string position &optional char message This function momentarily displays @var{string} in the current buffer at @var{position}. It has no effect on the undo list or on the buffer's modification status. The momentary display remains until the next input event. If the next input event is @var{char}, @code{momentary-string-display} ignores it and returns. Otherwise, that event remains buffered for subsequent use as input. Thus, typing @var{char} will simply remove the string from the display, while typing (say) @kbd{C-f} will remove the string from the display and later (presumably) move point forward. The argument @var{char} is a space by default. The return value of @code{momentary-string-display} is not meaningful. If the string @var{string} does not contain control characters, you can do the same job in a more general way by creating an overlay with a @code{before-string} property. @xref{Overlay Properties}. If @var{message} is non-@code{nil}, it is displayed in the echo area while @var{string} is displayed in the buffer. If it is @code{nil}, a default message says to type @var{char} to continue. In this example, point is initially located at the beginning of the second line: @example @group ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- This is the contents of foo. @point{}Second line. ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- @end group @group (momentary-string-display "**** Important Message! ****" (point) ?\r "Type RET when done reading") @result{} t @end group @group ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- This is the contents of foo. **** Important Message! ****Second line. ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- ---------- Echo Area ---------- Type RET when done reading ---------- Echo Area ---------- @end group @end example @end defun @node Overlays @section Overlays @cindex overlays You can use @dfn{overlays} to alter the appearance of a buffer's text on the screen, for the sake of presentation features. An overlay is an object that belongs to a particular buffer, and has a specified beginning and end. It also has properties that you can examine and set; these affect the display of the text within the overlay. @menu * Overlay Properties:: How to read and set properties. What properties do to the screen display. * Managing Overlays:: Creating, moving, finding overlays. @end menu @node Overlay Properties @subsection Overlay Properties Overlay properties are like text properties in some respects, but the differences are more important than the similarities. Text properties are considered a part of the text; overlays are specifically considered not to be part of the text. Thus, copying text between various buffers and strings preserves text properties, but does not try to preserve overlays. Changing a buffer's text properties marks the buffer as modified, while moving an overlay or changing its properties does not. Unlike text propery changes, overlay changes are not recorded in the buffer's undo list. @table @code @item priority @kindex priority @r{(overlay property)} This property's value (which should be a nonnegative number) determines the priority of the overlay. The priority matters when two or more overlays cover the same character and both specify a face for display; the one whose @code{priority} value is larger takes priority over the other, and its face attributes override the face attributes of the lower priority overlay. Currently, all overlays take priority over text properties. Please avoid using negative priority values, as we have not yet decided just what they should mean. @item window @kindex window @r{(overlay property)} If the @code{window} property is non-@code{nil}, then the overlay applies only on that window. @item category @kindex category @r{(overlay property)} If an overlay has a @code{category} property, we call it the @dfn{category} of the overlay. It should be a symbol. The properties of the symbol serve as defaults for the properties of the overlay. @item face @kindex face @r{(overlay property)} This property controls the font and color of text. Its value is a face name or a list of face names. @xref{Faces}, for more information. This feature may be temporary; in the future, we may replace it with other ways of specifying how to display text. @item mouse-face @kindex mouse-face @r{(overlay property)} This property is used instead of @code{face} when the mouse is within the range of the overlay. This feature may be temporary, like @code{face}. @item modification-hooks @kindex modification-hooks @r{(overlay property)} This property's value is a list of functions to be called if any character within the overlay is changed or if text is inserted strictly within the overlay. The hook functions are called both before and after each change. If the functions save the information they receive, and compare notes between calls, they can determine exactly what change has been made in the buffer text. When called before a change, each function receives four arguments: the overlay, @code{nil}, and the beginning and end of the text range to be modified. When called after a change, each function receives five arguments: the overlay, @code{t}, the beginning and end of the text range just modified, and the length of the pre-change text replaced by that range. (For an insertion, the pre-change length is zero; for a deletion, that length is the number of characters deleted, and the post-change beginning and end are equal.) @item insert-in-front-hooks @kindex insert-in-front-hooks @r{(overlay property)} This property's value is a list of functions to be called before and after inserting text right at the beginning of the overlay. The calling conventions are the same as for the @code{modification-hooks} functions. @item insert-behind-hooks @kindex insert-behind-hooks @r{(overlay property)} This property's value is a list of functions to be called before and after inserting text right at the end of the overlay. The calling conventions are the same as for the @code{modification-hooks} functions. @item invisible @kindex invisible @r{(overlay property)} The @code{invisible} property can make the text in the overlay invisible, which means that it does not appear on the screen. @xref{Invisible Text}, for details. @item intangible @kindex intangible @r{(overlay property)} The @code{intangible} property on an overlay works just like the @code{intangible} text property. @xref{Special Properties}, for details. @item before-string @kindex before-string @r{(overlay property)} This property's value is a string to add to the display at the beginning of the overlay. The string does not appear in the buffer in any sense---only on the screen. The string should contain only characters that display as a single column---control characters, including tabs or newlines, will give strange results. @item after-string @kindex after-string @r{(overlay property)} This property's value is a string to add to the display at the end of the overlay. The string does not appear in the buffer in any sense---only on the screen. The string should contain only characters that display as a single column---control characters, including tabs or newlines, will give strange results. @item evaporate @kindex evaporate @r{(overlay property)} If this property is non-@code{nil}, the overlay is deleted automatically if it ever becomes empty (i.e., if it spans no characters). @end table These are the functions for reading and writing the properties of an overlay. @defun overlay-get overlay prop This function returns the value of property @var{prop} recorded in @var{overlay}, if any. If @var{overlay} does not record any value for that property, but it does have a @code{category} property which is a symbol, that symbol's @var{prop} property is used. Otherwise, the value is @code{nil}. @end defun @defun overlay-put overlay prop value This function sets the value of property @var{prop} recorded in @var{overlay} to @var{value}. It returns @var{value}. @end defun See also the function @code{get-char-property} which checks both overlay properties and text properties for a given character. @xref{Examining Properties}. @node Managing Overlays @subsection Managing Overlays This section describes the functions to create, delete and move overlays, and to examine their contents. @defun make-overlay start end &optional buffer This function creates and returns an overlay that belongs to @var{buffer} and ranges from @var{start} to @var{end}. Both @var{start} and @var{end} must specify buffer positions; they may be integers or markers. If @var{buffer} is omitted, the overlay is created in the current buffer. @end defun @defun overlay-start overlay This function returns the position at which @var{overlay} starts. @end defun @defun overlay-end overlay This function returns the position at which @var{overlay} ends. @end defun @defun overlay-buffer overlay This function returns the buffer that @var{overlay} belongs to. @end defun @defun delete-overlay overlay This function deletes @var{overlay}. The overlay continues to exist as a Lisp object, but ceases to be part of the buffer it belonged to, and ceases to have any effect on display. @end defun @defun move-overlay overlay start end &optional buffer This function moves @var{overlay} to @var{buffer}, and places its bounds at @var{start} and @var{end}. Both arguments @var{start} and @var{end} must specify buffer positions; they may be integers or markers. If @var{buffer} is omitted, the overlay stays in the same buffer. The return value is @var{overlay}. This is the only valid way to change the endpoints of an overlay. Do not try modifying the markers in the overlay by hand, as that fails to update other vital data structures and can cause some overlays to be ``lost''. @end defun @defun overlays-at pos This function returns a list of all the overlays that contain position @var{pos} in the current buffer. The list is in no particular order. An overlay contains position @var{pos} if it begins at or before @var{pos}, and ends after @var{pos}. @end defun @defun next-overlay-change pos This function returns the buffer position of the next beginning or end of an overlay, after @var{pos}. @end defun @defun previous-overlay-change pos This function returns the buffer position of the previous beginning or end of an overlay, before @var{pos}. @end defun @node Faces @section Faces @cindex face A @dfn{face} is a named collection of graphical attributes: font, foreground color, background color and optional underlining. Faces control the display of text on the screen. @cindex face id Each face has its own @dfn{face id number} which distinguishes faces at low levels within Emacs. However, for most purposes, you can refer to faces in Lisp programs by their names. @defun facep object This function returns @code{t} if @var{object} is a face name symbol (or if it is a vector of the kind used internally to record face data). It returns @code{nil} otherwise. @end defun Each face name is meaningful for all frames, and by default it has the same meaning in all frames. But you can arrange to give a particular face name a special meaning in one frame if you wish. @menu * Standard Faces:: The faces Emacs normally comes with. * Merging Faces:: How Emacs decides which face to use for a character. * Face Functions:: How to define and examine faces. @end menu @node Standard Faces @subsection Standard Faces This table lists all the standard faces and their uses. @table @code @item default @kindex default @r{(face name)} This face is used for ordinary text. @item modeline @kindex modeline @r{(face name)} This face is used for mode lines and menu bars. @item region @kindex region @r{(face name)} This face is used for highlighting the region in Transient Mark mode. @item secondary-selection @kindex secondary-selection @r{(face name)} This face is used to show any secondary selection you have made. @item highlight @kindex highlight @r{(face name)} This face is meant to be used for highlighting for various purposes. @item underline @kindex underline @r{(face name)} This face underlines text. @item bold @kindex bold @r{(face name)} This face uses a bold font, if possible. It uses the bold variant of the frame's font, if it has one. It's up to you to choose a default font that has a bold variant, if you want to use one. @item italic @kindex italic @r{(face name)} This face uses the italic variant of the frame's font, if it has one. @item bold-italic @kindex bold-italic @r{(face name)} This face uses the bold italic variant of the frame's font, if it has one. @end table @node Merging Faces @subsection Merging Faces for Display Here are all the ways to specify which face to use for display of text: @itemize @bullet @item With defaults. Each frame has a @dfn{default face}, whose id number is zero, which is used for all text that doesn't somehow specify another face. @item With text properties. A character may have a @code{face} property; if so, it is displayed with that face. @xref{Special Properties}. If the character has a @code{mouse-face} property, that is used instead of the @code{face} property when the mouse is ``near enough'' to the character. @item With overlays. An overlay may have @code{face} and @code{mouse-face} properties too; they apply to all the text covered by the overlay. @item With a region that is active. In Transient Mark mode, the region is highlighted with a particular face (see @code{region-face}, below). @item With special glyphs. Each glyph can specify a particular face id number. @xref{Glyphs}. @end itemize If these various sources together specify more than one face for a particular character, Emacs merges the attributes of the various faces specified. The attributes of the faces of special glyphs come first; then comes the face for region highlighting, if appropriate; then come attributes of faces from overlays, followed by those from text properties, and last the default face. When multiple overlays cover one character, an overlay with higher priority overrides those with lower priority. @xref{Overlays}. If an attribute such as the font or a color is not specified in any of the above ways, the frame's own font or color is used. @node Face Functions @subsection Functions for Working with Faces The attributes a face can specify include the font, the foreground color, the background color, and underlining. The face can also leave these unspecified by giving the value @code{nil} for them. Here are the primitives for creating and changing faces. @defun make-face name This function defines a new face named @var{name}, initially with all attributes @code{nil}. It does nothing if there is already a face named @var{name}. @end defun @defun face-list This function returns a list of all defined face names. @end defun @defun copy-face old-face new-name &optional frame new-frame This function defines the face @var{new-name} as a copy of the existing face named @var{old-face}. It creates the face @var{new-name} if that doesn't already exist. If the optional argument @var{frame} is given, this function applies only to that frame. Otherwise it applies to each frame individually, copying attributes from @var{old-face} in each frame to @var{new-face} in the same frame. If the optional argument @var{new-frame} is given, then @code{copy-face} copies the attributes of @var{old-face} in @var{frame} to @var{new-name} in @var{new-frame}. @end defun You can modify the attributes of an existing face with the following functions. If you specify @var{frame}, they affect just that frame; otherwise, they affect all frames as well as the defaults that apply to new frames. @defun set-face-foreground face color &optional frame @defunx set-face-background face color &optional frame These functions set the foreground (or background, respectively) color of face @var{face} to @var{color}. The argument @var{color} should be a string, the name of a color. Certain shades of gray are implemented by stipple patterns on black-and-white screens. @end defun @defun set-face-stipple face pattern &optional frame This function sets the background stipple pattern of face @var{face} to @var{pattern}. The argument @var{pattern} should be the name of a stipple pattern defined by the X server, or @code{nil} meaning don't use stipple. Normally there is no need to pay attention to stipple patterns, because they are used automatically to handle certain shades of gray. @end defun @defun set-face-font face font &optional frame This function sets the font of face @var{face}. The argument @var{font} should be a string. @end defun @defun set-face-underline-p face underline-p &optional frame This function sets the underline attribute of face @var{face}. Non-@code{nil} means do underline; @code{nil} means don't. @end defun @defun invert-face face &optional frame Swap the foreground and background colors of face @var{face}. If the face doesn't specify both foreground and background, then its foreground and background are set to the default background and foreground, respectively. @end defun These functions examine the attributes of a face. If you don't specify @var{frame}, they refer to the default data for new frames. @defun face-foreground face &optional frame @defunx face-background face &optional frame These functions return the foreground color (or background color, respectively) of face @var{face}, as a string. @end defun @defun face-stipple face &optional frame This function returns the name of the background stipple pattern of face @var{face}, or @code{nil} if it doesn't have one. @end defun @defun face-font face &optional frame This function returns the name of the font of face @var{face}. @end defun @defun face-underline-p face &optional frame This function returns the underline attribute of face @var{face}. @end defun @defun face-id face This function returns the face id number of face @var{face}. @end defun @defun face-equal face1 face2 &optional frame This returns @code{t} if the faces @var{face1} and @var{face2} have the same attributes for display. @end defun @defun face-differs-from-default-p face &optional frame This returns @code{t} if the face @var{face} displays differently from the default face. A face is considered to be ``the same'' as the normal face if each attribute is either the same as that of the default face or @code{nil} (meaning to inherit from the default). @end defun @defvar region-face This variable's value specifies the face id to use to display characters in the region when it is active (in Transient Mark mode only). The face thus specified takes precedence over all faces that come from text properties and overlays, for characters in the region. @xref{The Mark}, for more information about Transient Mark mode. Normally, the value is the id number of the face named @code{region}. @end defvar @node Blinking @section Blinking Parentheses @cindex parenthesis matching @cindex blinking @cindex balancing parentheses @cindex close parenthesis This section describes the mechanism by which Emacs shows a matching open parenthesis when the user inserts a close parenthesis. @vindex blink-paren-hook @defvar blink-paren-function The value of this variable should be a function (of no arguments) to be called whenever a character with close parenthesis syntax is inserted. The value of @code{blink-paren-function} may be @code{nil}, in which case nothing is done. @quotation @strong{Please note:} This variable was named @code{blink-paren-hook} in older Emacs versions, but since it is not called with the standard convention for hooks, it was renamed to @code{blink-paren-function} in version 19. @end quotation @end defvar @defvar blink-matching-paren If this variable is @code{nil}, then @code{blink-matching-open} does nothing. @end defvar @defvar blink-matching-paren-distance This variable specifies the maximum distance to scan for a matching parenthesis before giving up. @end defvar @defvar blink-matching-paren-delay This variable specifies the number of seconds for the cursor to remain at the matching parenthesis. A fraction of a second often gives good results, but the default is 1, which works on all systems. @end defvar @defun blink-matching-open This function is the default value of @code{blink-paren-function}. It assumes that point follows a character with close parenthesis syntax and moves the cursor momentarily to the matching opening character. If that character is not already on the screen, it displays the character's context in the echo area. To avoid long delays, this function does not search farther than @code{blink-matching-paren-distance} characters. Here is an example of calling this function explicitly. @smallexample @group (defun interactive-blink-matching-open () @c Do not break this line! -- rms. @c The first line of a doc string @c must stand alone. "Indicate momentarily the start of sexp before point." (interactive) @end group @group (let ((blink-matching-paren-distance (buffer-size)) (blink-matching-paren t)) (blink-matching-open))) @end group @end smallexample @end defun @node Inverse Video @section Inverse Video @cindex Inverse Video @defopt inverse-video @cindex highlighting This variable controls whether Emacs uses inverse video for all text on the screen. Non-@code{nil} means yes, @code{nil} means no. The default is @code{nil}. @end defopt @defopt mode-line-inverse-video This variable controls the use of inverse video for mode lines. If it is non-@code{nil}, then mode lines are displayed in inverse video. Otherwise, mode lines are displayed normally, just like text. The default is @code{t}. For X window frames, this displays mode lines using the face named @code{modeline}, which is normally the inverse of the default face unless you change it. @end defopt @node Usual Display @section Usual Display Conventions The usual display conventions define how to display each character code. You can override these conventions by setting up a display table (@pxref{Display Tables}). Here are the usual display conventions: @itemize @bullet @item Character codes 32 through 126 map to glyph codes 32 through 126. Normally this means they display as themselves. @item Character code 9 is a horizontal tab. It displays as whitespace up to a position determined by @code{tab-width}. @item Character code 10 is a newline. @item All other codes in the range 0 through 31, and code 127, display in one of two ways according to the value of @code{ctl-arrow}. If it is non-@code{nil}, these codes map to sequences of two glyphs, where the first glyph is the @sc{ASCII} code for @samp{^}. (A display table can specify a glyph to use instead of @samp{^}.) Otherwise, these codes map just like the codes in the range 128 to 255. @item Character codes 128 through 255 map to sequences of four glyphs, where the first glyph is the @sc{ASCII} code for @samp{\}, and the others are digit characters representing the code in octal. (A display table can specify a glyph to use instead of @samp{\}.) @end itemize The usual display conventions apply even when there is a display table, for any character whose entry in the active display table is @code{nil}. Thus, when you set up a display table, you need only specify the characters for which you want unusual behavior. These variables affect the way certain characters are displayed on the screen. Since they change the number of columns the characters occupy, they also affect the indentation functions. @defopt ctl-arrow @cindex control characters in display This buffer-local variable controls how control characters are displayed. If it is non-@code{nil}, they are displayed as a caret followed by the character: @samp{^A}. If it is @code{nil}, they are displayed as a backslash followed by three octal digits: @samp{\001}. @end defopt @c Following may have overfull hbox. @defvar default-ctl-arrow The value of this variable is the default value for @code{ctl-arrow} in buffers that do not override it. @xref{Default Value}. @end defvar @defopt tab-width The value of this variable is the spacing between tab stops used for displaying tab characters in Emacs buffers. The default is 8. Note that this feature is completely independent from the user-settable tab stops used by the command @code{tab-to-tab-stop}. @xref{Indent Tabs}. @end defopt @node Display Tables @section Display Tables @cindex display table You can use the @dfn{display table} feature to control how all 256 possible character codes display on the screen. This is useful for displaying European languages that have letters not in the @sc{ASCII} character set. The display table maps each character code into a sequence of @dfn{glyphs}, each glyph being an image that takes up one character position on the screen. You can also define how to display each glyph on your terminal, using the @dfn{glyph table}. @menu * Display Table Format:: What a display table consists of. * Active Display Table:: How Emacs selects a display table to use. * Glyphs:: How to define a glyph, and what glyphs mean. * ISO Latin 1:: How to use display tables to support the ISO Latin 1 character set. @end menu @node Display Table Format @subsection Display Table Format A display table is actually an array of 262 elements. @defun make-display-table This creates and returns a display table. The table initially has @code{nil} in all elements. @end defun The first 256 elements correspond to character codes; the @var{n}th element says how to display the character code @var{n}. The value should be @code{nil} or a vector of glyph values (@pxref{Glyphs}). If an element is @code{nil}, it says to display that character according to the usual display conventions (@pxref{Usual Display}). If you use the display table to change the display of newline characters, the whole buffer will be displayed as one long ``line.'' The remaining six elements of a display table serve special purposes, and @code{nil} means use the default stated below. @table @asis @item 256 The glyph for the end of a truncated screen line (the default for this is @samp{$}). @xref{Glyphs}. @item 257 The glyph for the end of a continued line (the default is @samp{\}). @item 258 The glyph for indicating a character displayed as an octal character code (the default is @samp{\}). @item 259 The glyph for indicating a control character (the default is @samp{^}). @item 260 A vector of glyphs for indicating the presence of invisible lines (the default is @samp{...}). @xref{Selective Display}. @item 261 The glyph used to draw the border between side-by-side windows (the default is @samp{|}). @xref{Splitting Windows}. @end table For example, here is how to construct a display table that mimics the effect of setting @code{ctl-arrow} to a non-@code{nil} value: @example (setq disptab (make-display-table)) (let ((i 0)) (while (< i 32) (or (= i ?\t) (= i ?\n) (aset disptab i (vector ?^ (+ i 64)))) (setq i (1+ i))) (aset disptab 127 (vector ?^ ??))) @end example @node Active Display Table @subsection Active Display Table @cindex active display table Each window can specify a display table, and so can each buffer. When a buffer @var{b} is displayed in window @var{w}, display uses the display table for window @var{w} if it has one; otherwise, the display table for buffer @var{b} if it has one; otherwise, the standard display table if any. The display table chosen is called the @dfn{active} display table. @defun window-display-table window This function returns @var{window}'s display table, or @code{nil} if @var{window} does not have an assigned display table. @end defun @defun set-window-display-table window table This function sets the display table of @var{window} to @var{table}. The argument @var{table} should be either a display table or @code{nil}. @end defun @defvar buffer-display-table This variable is automatically local in all buffers; its value in a particular buffer is the display table for that buffer, or @code{nil} if the buffer does not have an assigned display table. @end defvar @defvar standard-display-table This variable's value is the default display table, used whenever a window has no display table and neither does the buffer displayed in that window. This variable is @code{nil} by default. @end defvar If there is no display table to use for a particular window---that is, if the window has none, its buffer has none, and @code{standard-display-table} has none---then Emacs uses the usual display conventions for all character codes in that window. @xref{Usual Display}. @node Glyphs @subsection Glyphs @cindex glyph A @dfn{glyph} is a generalization of a character; it stands for an image that takes up a single character position on the screen. Glyphs are represented in Lisp as integers, just as characters are. @cindex glyph table The meaning of each integer, as a glyph, is defined by the glyph table, which is the value of the variable @code{glyph-table}. @defvar glyph-table The value of this variable is the current glyph table. It should be a vector; the @var{g}th element defines glyph code @var{g}. If the value is @code{nil} instead of a vector, then all glyphs are simple (see below). @end defvar Here are the possible types of elements in the glyph table: @table @var @item string Send the characters in @var{string} to the terminal to output this glyph. This alternative is available on character terminals, but not under X. @item integer Define this glyph code as an alias for code @var{integer}. You can use an alias to specify a face code for the glyph; see below. @item @code{nil} This glyph is simple. On an ordinary terminal, the glyph code mod 256 is the character to output. With X, the glyph code mod 256 is the character to output, and the glyph code divided by 256 specifies the @dfn{face id number} to use while outputting it. @xref{Faces}. @end table If a glyph code is greater than or equal to the length of the glyph table, that code is automatically simple. @node ISO Latin 1 @subsection ISO Latin 1 If you have a terminal that can handle the entire ISO Latin 1 character set, you can arrange to use that character set as follows: @example (require 'disp-table) ;; @r{Set char codes 160--255 to display as themselves.} ;; @r{(Codes 128--159 are the additional control characters.)} (standard-display-8bit 160 255) @end example If you are editing buffers written in the ISO Latin 1 character set and your terminal doesn't handle anything but @sc{ASCII}, you can load the file @file{iso-ascii} to set up a display table that displays the other ISO characters as explanatory sequences of @sc{ASCII} characters. For example, the character ``o with umlaut'' displays as @samp{@{"o@}}. Some European countries have terminals that don't support ISO Latin 1 but do support the special characters for that country's language. You can define a display table to work one language using such terminals. For an example, see @file{lisp/iso-swed.el}, which handles certain Swedish terminals. You can load the appropriate display table for your terminal automatically by writing a terminal-specific Lisp file for the terminal type. @node Beeping @section Beeping @cindex beeping @cindex bell You can make Emacs ring a bell (or blink the screen) to attract the user's attention. Be conservative about how often you do this; frequent bells can become irritating. Also be careful not to use beeping alone when signaling an error is appropriate. (@xref{Errors}.) @defun ding &optional dont-terminate @cindex keyboard macro termination This function beeps, or flashes the screen (see @code{visible-bell} below). It also terminates any keyboard macro currently executing unless @var{dont-terminate} is non-@code{nil}. @end defun @defun beep &optional dont-terminate This is a synonym for @code{ding}. @end defun @defvar visible-bell This variable determines whether Emacs should flash the screen to represent a bell. Non-@code{nil} means yes, @code{nil} means no. This is effective under X windows, and on a character-only terminal provided the terminal's Termcap entry defines the visible bell capability (@samp{vb}). @end defvar @node Window Systems @section Window Systems Emacs works with several window systems, most notably the X Window System. Both Emacs and X use the term ``window'', but use it differently. An Emacs frame is a single window as far as X is concerned; the individual Emacs windows are not known to X at all. @defvar window-system @cindex X Window System This variable tells Lisp programs what window system Emacs is running under. Its value should be a symbol such as @code{x} (if Emacs is running under X) or @code{nil} (if Emacs is running on an ordinary terminal). @end defvar @defvar window-setup-hook This variable is a normal hook which Emacs runs after loading your @file{.emacs} file and the default initialization file (if any), after loading terminal-specific Lisp code, and after running the hook @code{term-setup-hook}. This hook is used for internal purposes: setting up communication with the window system, and creating the initial window. Users should not interfere with it. @end defvar